A wicked mother swaps her son and sucks his blood? The true legitimate daughter is reborn and goes o

"He said you would be his queen." Empress Meng observed Song Qingning's expression.

When Xuan Jin said this, his eyes were fervent and resolute, as if he had made up his mind about Song Qingning.

Even she was surprised that Xuan Jin, such a cold person, could be so passionate, as if they had been through a lot together and she had become ingrained in his bones.

Empress Meng wanted to know Song Qingning's reaction.

After a slight pause, Song Qingning's tension vanished instantly.

So that's what they were talking about.

"Your subject will serve His Highness Prince Huai well." Song Qingning's tone was sincere, almost as if he had made a solemn pledge.

Empress Meng paused, her hand gripping the pen halting. A heavy stroke on the paper ruined the beauty of the entire text. "Your Majesty?"

Song Qingning explained, "Your Highness needs a princess, and I happen to be a woman."

She needs the power of the Prince of Huai to protect the Marquis's mansion, and the Prince of Huai needs her loyalty.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will be loyal to Prince Huai."

Her eyes were pure and clear, as if she truly had no other intentions towards the Prince of Huai.

He has no other intentions but loyalty.

Suddenly, Empress Meng smiled.

"Don't worry, I'm completely at ease."

One of them was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, while the other probably never even considered romantic feelings between a man and a woman.

It would take some effort for my son to win Qingning's heart, which was not only "loyalty".

Empress Meng put down her pen, opened the door behind the Buddhist hall, and a cat came out meowing.

Song Qingning looked over.

The cat was entirely white, very well cared for, and looked very docile.

Was it this cat that offended that pregnant concubine in a past life?

But he died under Emperor Yuan's blade.

Empress Meng squatted down and hugged the white cat in her arms. "They say pets resemble their owners. Sometimes when I look at Tuantuan, I feel like Azhao is still by my side."

The white cat nestled in the Queen's arms, its eyes seemingly full of life.

I've heard that Crown Prince Wenzhao is as gentle and refined as jade, and even his white cat has a touch of elegance about it.

Song Qingning likes this white cat.

"Xuanjin said you had a dream in which a cat injured someone. Could you tell me what happened in the dream?" Empress Meng asked her.

When Song Qingning met her eyes, she knew that Empress Meng's question was not casual.

It's as if I took that dream as if it had actually happened.

Song Qingning was silent for a moment, then asked, "Your Majesty, do you believe what I'm saying?"

"Xuan Jin believes it, and I believe it too." Empress Meng looked at Song Qingning and nodded firmly.

Song Qingning then recounted the events of her previous life:

"This humble woman dreamt that Tuantuan bumped into a pregnant concubine, and the Emperor was furious and killed her... killed Tuantuan. In her grief, the concubine drew her sword against the Emperor. After that, the concubine was stripped of her Phoenix Seal and banished to the Cold Palace."

When Song Qingning mentioned "slaying Tuantuan," Empress Meng's eyes trembled as she desperately suppressed her anger and hatred.

When the phrase "being banished to the cold palace" was mentioned, Empress Meng's eyes were filled with icy coldness.

Empress Meng then let out a sarcastic laugh, "What I can do, the Emperor can do too. Emperors are ruthless; they can easily kill a person, let alone a beast."

"But he shouldn't even be able to tolerate Tuantuan!"

Empress Meng's words shocked Song Qingning.

He can kill a person so easily, let alone a beast...

Song Qingning subconsciously thought of Crown Prince Wenzhao.

When Crown Prince Wenzhao died, Prince Huai was implicated. Everyone said that he was the one who killed the prince. Even after it was found that Prince Huai was not involved and the mastermind was executed, no one cleared Prince Huai's name.

If the "mastermind" back then was just a scapegoat, and the one who wanted Crown Prince Wenzhao dead was actually the Emperor... Song Qingning dared not think any further.

She could imagine how cruel this truth would be to the Empress and the Prince of Huai.

This also makes it easier to understand why Empress Meng went mad over a cat during the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet in her previous life.

The person who orchestrated all of this must have calculated that Empress Meng would lose her mind over "a cat".

Seeing the sorrow in Empress Meng's eyes, Song Qingning comforted her, "Your Majesty, that was a dream."

Even if it wasn't a dream, it must have happened in a past life, and everything in this life can be avoided.

Empress Meng looked directly into Song Qingning's eyes and said, "Perhaps it wasn't a dream, but something that happened in another world."

Song Qingning's heart skipped a beat.

"Don't be surprised. Although I don't know what happened to you, I won't pry too much," Empress Meng said.

She had seen unbelievable things, so whatever had happened to Song Qingning, she was neither surprised nor convinced.

"When I was a child, my grandmother told me that there are many strange things in this world, such as parallel worlds. What you dream about may have really happened in another world."

parallel world?

Is it just like her previous life?

When Song Qingning heard this for the first time, she was deeply moved. "Your Majesty's maternal grandmother was truly an extraordinary woman."

"She is indeed a special woman. She said that even a beautiful woman can have lofty ambitions, and a gentle shoulder can bear the weight of mountains and rivers. A woman's path is not limited to being a good wife and mother."

She said that in her world, women don't have so many restrictions.

"She said her homeland needed her, so she had been looking for a way back. Outsiders said that my grandmother had gone mad and was talking nonsense and behaving insanely, but I believe what she said is true. She really came from another world."

Empress Meng looked on with admiration.

Seeing the light in her eyes, Song Qingning suddenly realized that the Empress's ambitions may have been influenced by her maternal grandmother.

"And then?" Song Qingning asked.

Such a woman should have left her mark on the history of Dajing.

But Empress Meng said, "In the eyes of outsiders, she is dead, but I know she has gone back. She told me before she left that she had found a way back."

The way back...

These words made Song Qingning's heart tighten suddenly, and she felt a pang of anxiety.

These words sounded strangely familiar; it was as if she had heard them countless times somewhere before.

But my memory is a complete blank.

Empress Meng noticed her unusual behavior. "Ning'er, what's wrong?"

"I'm fine," Song Qingning said, calming down.

After confirming that Song Qingning was truly alright, Empress Meng asked her again, "Ning'er, if what you dreamed of is what's going to happen today, what would you do?"

Song Qingning hesitated for a moment, then met Empress Meng's gaze, "If it were me, I would play along."

Empress Meng's eyes showed approval. "Since we've come to the same conclusion, let's use this plan against each other today."

She glanced at the white cat in her arms again, and murmured regretfully, "If only you could have come sooner... sooner."

Song Qingning understood what she meant.

If she had been reborn six years earlier, she might have been able to save the Crown Prince.

But now, all we can do is prevent the tragedy of today from happening again.

The two left the Buddhist hall, where Xie Xuanjin and Xie Yunli arrived.

Xie Xuanjin wore a dark brocade robe with cloud patterns, while Xie Yunli wore a moon-white brocade robe. The two of them standing together were a very pleasing sight to behold.

After exchanging greetings, Song Qingning accompanied Prince Huai and Prince Yun to the palace banquet.

Song Qingning noticed that Xie Xuanjin had several small cuts on his left hand, which looked just like the cuts his brother had made on his hand from bamboo strips while learning to make lanterns.

Is the Prince of Huai also learning to make lanterns?

The idea came to mind, but Song Qingning immediately dismissed it.

Prince Huai doesn't seem like someone who would learn to make lanterns. Even if he did, he would learn very quickly and would never injure his hands.

Lost in thought, Xie Yunli suddenly leaned close to her and teased:

"Second Miss Song, why are you staring at my fourth brother's hands like that? What? Are you concerned about the injury on his hand?"