The wicked imperial concubine is courting death again; the comments section teaches her how to win w

The Empress Dowager was clearly stunned, and the grief and indignation on her face froze for a moment.

"How is that possible?"

At that time, the greatest threat to the northwestern border was the Wuhuan tribe in the northern desert. Their second prince was born with superhuman strength and could wield a hundred-pound hammer, making him unstoppable on the battlefield.

Qin Zhenxiong was ordered to suppress the remnants of the Wuhuan tribe, and the two sides encountered each other on the Gobi Desert.

The man brought down a hammer, and Qin Zhenxiong couldn't dodge in time. In his panic, he pulled Xie Ling, who was standing next to him, in front of him to shield him.

He was only twelve years old at the time. With one blow, his sternum shattered, and he bled profusely.

If it weren't for the military doctors' desperate efforts to save him, and Xie Ling's incredible resilience—enduring more than half a month of recurring high fevers and persevering through it all—he would have been buried in the yellow sands of Northwest China long ago.

"Since ancient times, kindness has been repaid with kindness, so why can't I avenge wrongs?"

Xie Ling said, "Over the years, my good uncle, the Qin family, and even your most beloved niece have all been clamoring that without him, I would not be able to sit on this throne."

"In fact, without Qin Zhenxiong, my throne might have been more secure."

"I have endured enough."

The late emperor had many sons, but his eldest son was mediocre and weak, his second son was hypocritical and arrogant, his third son died young, and the rest were either ambitious for the throne but lacked the ability to scheme, or were simply too stupid to understand.

Only Xie Ling, who had been released from the Cold Palace, and the Fourth Princess Anping were the most favored by the late emperor.

When the Emperor learned that Qin Zhenxiong had almost died in the Northwest, he wanted to punish him. It was Xie Ling who pleaded for him.

Perhaps at that time he still harbored a tiny bit of hope for his mother.

pity……

"When my father passed the throne to me, he left a secret decree instructing me to kill Qin Zhenxiong at all costs, by any means necessary. He is waiting for me down there."

Xie Ling's lips curled slightly. "Otherwise, this throne would be given to me for nothing."

"Impossible, my brother could never..." The Empress Dowager's face finally turned completely pale. She murmured, "My brother has never been disloyal to you or the court. How could the late Emperor be so heartless... and you are so heartless too..."

In the end, even she couldn't continue speaking.

The pent-up emotions needed an outlet, and the Empress Dowager suddenly glared at Qi Yitang.

"It's all your fault, you beautiful but troublesome woman, you bewitched the emperor. Ever since he married you, he's been completely blinded by love and has lost all sense of propriety—"

Qi Yitang: "...?" What does this have to do with her?

Qi Yitang felt as if a large black pot had been slammed onto the back of her head.

What did she do to deserve this?

If it weren't for her kindness, Prince Jin would never have returned to the capital, and Xie Ling wouldn't have taken the initiative to come see her today. What else do you want?

Being a daughter-in-law is indeed difficult.

Qi Yitang pursed her lips, but considering that the Empress Dowager was clearly quite ill, she didn't make a scene on the spot.

Xie Ling frowned, her tone even more somber than before, "Mother, the Qin family's fault lies with the Qin family. Your insistence on blaming Tangtang is unfair."

"I am also a daughter of the Qin family!" The Empress Dowager's eyes were red-rimmed. "Are you going to execute me as well?"

Xie Ling was silent for a moment.

The hall was so quiet that only the sound of breathing could be heard. The fragrance of medicine and agarwood mingled together, making it hard to breathe.

"As long as Mother Empress behaves herself, I will still honor you as Empress Dowager, and I will not neglect my morning and evening greetings. But if Mother Empress harbors any resentment—" Xie Ling did not finish her sentence.

The Empress Dowager's expression changed drastically. What did he mean? If she harbored resentment, would he disown her as his mother?

This is the precious son she carried for ten months and almost had a difficult delivery!

The Empress Dowager clutched the corner of the blanket, her lips trembling for a long time before she suddenly blurted out, "I truly wish I had never given birth to you!"

Xie Changqing's expression changed drastically, "Mother!"

Qi Yitang also gasped and gripped Xie Ling's sleeve tightly.

The air inside the hall seemed to freeze at that moment.

Xie Ling remained silent for a long time, his face appearing indistinct in the flickering candlelight, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"It's good that I'm not your son."

Xie Ling's lips even curled slightly, but there was no smile in them. "If it weren't for this son you despised back then, how could you have reached this position today? Now that you enjoy the honor of being an Empress Dowager and have everything you want, you've become ungrateful."

"Mother, if I had a choice, I would not want you to give birth to me."

Li Degui almost burst into tears. His Majesty had such a difficult childhood, how could the Empress Dowager say such a thing?

Isn't this a direct attack on His Majesty's heart?

Xie Ling: "You should be glad that your virtuous mother passed away early due to illness, otherwise you probably wouldn't have had the chance to sit on the position of Empress Dowager."

The Empress Dowager's knuckles turned white, her lips trembled, and her eyes were filled with shock, anger, and embarrassment.

He still cared about Consort Xian, his birth mother, but in the end, she couldn't even compare to a deceased adoptive mother.

When Consort Xian lost her child, the imperial physician said that she would have difficulty conceiving in the future. At that time, the Empress Dowager, who was still Consort Li, took the initiative to ask the late emperor to allow her to raise her eldest son, saying that they were sisters.

At the time, Consort Li was in the emperor's favor, and the late emperor casually agreed.

If it were a two- or three-year-old toddler, it wouldn't be a problem, but Xie Ling was already an eight- or nine-year-old teenager at that time.

How can you become close to someone who suddenly changes mothers?

Fortunately, Consort Xian was a gentle and compassionate person. During the years she raised Xie Ling, he actually felt some maternal love.

Unfortunately, good people don't live long. She was still thinking about her newborn child who had died, and she passed away in sorrow.

Before the Empress Dowager could say anything more, Xie Ling had already taken Qi Yitang's hand and strode towards the palace gate.

"Brother!"

He heard hurried footsteps behind him and chased after them, taking several steps under the corridor before catching up.

He was panting, grabbed Xie Ling's sleeve, then quickly let go, and hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, please don't take it to heart! I am utterly loyal and have no desire for the throne whatsoever. You must believe me!"

"Furthermore, Mother was under pressure and spoke carelessly in a moment of confusion; she absolutely did not mean it that way..."

When Xie Ling was young, he did not like Xie Changqing. He was always a step behind in everything he did and looked stupid.

In addition, Tangtang always liked to chase after Xie Jingyu at that time, and he was heartbroken and annoyed everyone, so he didn't give Xie Changqing a good look either.

Now that time has passed, he has gotten everything he wanted, and those old grievances are nothing to him anymore.

The Empress Dowager's dislike for him was her business; he had long since stopped caring.

Xie Ling patted Xie Changqing on the shoulder, "You've worked hard these past few days, go on."

Xie Ling and Qi Yitang had already disappeared, while Xie Changqing was still standing there, belatedly realizing what had happened.

His elder brother seemed to have patted him on the shoulder and said, "You've worked hard..."

Yay! He knew it! His elder brother cared about him as his younger brother!

Xie Changqing couldn't suppress the joy in his eyes and practically skipped back to Cining Palace. Even the Empress Dowager's ashen face couldn't dampen his excitement.

He sat back down on the edge of the bed, holding the medicine bowl, and said with a grin, "Mother, drink your medicine! It's getting cold—"

……

Qi Yitang felt that advising Xie Ling to visit the Empress Dowager was a huge mistake.

Originally, she was thinking of easing the tension between the mother and son by acting as a peacemaker, trying to persuade both sides and break the ice.

But to my surprise, things got even worse.

On the way back, Qi Yitang carefully observed Xie Ling's expression.

Xie Ling remained remarkably calm, even tilting his head to ask her, "Tangtang, have you been looking at me all this way? Is there something on my face?"

"I didn't see any flowers, but I felt that my husband was even more handsome than before."

Qi Yitang praised him, but inwardly she wondered, was he really not sad at all?

Or is it that emperors are simply not used to revealing themselves in front of others?

Just like how he always wore a black dragon robe, only occasionally changing the color, it was as if he hid all his emotions under those layers of dark colors, completely impenetrable.

Qi Yitang placed her hand in his palm, their fingers intertwined. "Yanzhi, it's been raining a lot lately, and it feels chilly. Let's go soak in the hot springs!"

Soak in hot springs...

Xie Ling raised an eyebrow, clearly very interested. "Okay."

……

That afternoon, the imperial carriage was moved to the hot spring palace on the outskirts of the capital.

In late autumn, the mountains and forests are ablaze with color, with maple leaves turning red and smoke trees turning yellow, creating a vibrant tapestry of hues as you travel along the way.

Built against the mountain, the Liquan Palace features white walls and black tiles, with continuous halls and ponds reflecting each other, making it look like a fairy pavilion in the clouds from afar.

Haitang Tang was Qi Yitang's exclusive pool, comparable to the standards of an empress.

Xie Ling: "Tangtang, aren't you going to let me open my eyes?"