It's almost time to wear it. The soft beauty relies on the child-bearing system to favor her

The winter light is cold and quiet, bright but without a trace of warmth.

The light shines through the diamond-shaped lattices of the window lattices and is projected onto the dark blue floor tiles, forming several similar circular light spots.

The Queen Mother had her back to the window, a faint halo of light surrounding her like a silver ring, making her feel quiet and peaceful.

The pearl tassels on the phoenix hairpin were motionless, emitting a soft glow, like crystal clear dewdrops.

The ruby ​​beads and jade beads at the end of the tassels sparkle and shine brightly when illuminated by the sunlight, showing the wearer's noble status.

The Queen Mother's eyes were calm, without any emotion, as if she was talking about someone else's affairs.

"Your Majesty, do you think that I have remained silent all these years because I have feelings for the Regent?"

Leng Hong was silent. He was indeed worried about this.

The Queen Mother's eyes turned slightly cold, and then returned to their calm and composed state.

She spoke, her voice like the calm surface of a river, flowing slowly without a single ripple.

"How could I develop feelings for someone who hurt me and deliberately murdered me? Wouldn't that be a betrayal of my former self, making the pain I once endured a joke?"

"Does the emperor think he has feelings for me?"

The Queen Mother's eyes were deep and her voice was getting colder.

"It had been less than a month since the previous emperor passed away, and the emperor had just ascended the throne. The emperor was young, and the regent held all the power. He considered me a part of his power, and he used this method to demonstrate his power."

"And..." The Queen Mother's voice became heavier.

"He thought that I was a proud lady from an aristocratic family and would not be able to endure such humiliation. He thought that I would commit suicide, leaving only you, the emperor, alone."

"By then, the young emperor will have completely lost the protection of his parents, and your ten uncles will be in their prime and eyeing the throne covetously. The emperor will have no choice but to rely on them alone, and will completely become their puppet, letting them do whatever they want."

Leng Hong would never forget those years, when the Prince Regent was monopolizing power and the ten imperial uncles were always restless and ready to make moves in their respective fiefdoms.

Those days were extremely difficult. Even though they were the empress dowager and the emperor, they were still walking on thin ice and were in fear at every step in the palace. They were afraid of being poisoned by the regent and of a rebellion by the emperor's uncle.

The mother and son depend on each other for survival. It was the mother who used her meticulous mind, calm mentality and exquisite strategy to deal with the ambitious regent and others and protect him as he grew up.

Leng Hong couldn't imagine what he would do if his mother committed suicide at that time, and what would be his fate?

It is estimated that he will not live for more than a few years. He will be forced by the Regent to write a letter of abdication, and will be forced to drink poison and die.

Thinking of this, Leng Hong felt a chill down his spine, and a sudden, belated sense of fear arose in his heart.

Unlike Leng Hong's uneasiness and relief, the Queen Mother's eyes remained calm and indifferent.

The days of crisis and fear have passed. She has successfully secured her position as queen mother and also successfully helped her son secure the throne.

Now that everything was over, she would no longer have any emotions about the past sufferings, hardships, and dangers.

The Queen Mother glanced at Leng Hong with eyes as calm as water, and a tough look suddenly appeared in her eyes.

"But I will not die. I will not do as he wishes."

"Humph, everyone in the world thinks that women who have been humiliated should die to show their loyalty, but I won't. I won't be like those chaste women written by pedantic writers who chop off their arms when a man touches their wrists. Being such a chaste woman will not do me any good."

"Dying to show my will will only become a medal for scholars. Scholars all over the world will mourn the death of their colleagues and use paper and pen to write monuments for them. But what can I get? My dying to show my will will only make the young emperor completely lose his support and hand over the country to others!"

"I will not take you to die, leaving you with only the posthumous title of Shang!"

"I want to live, protect you, and raise you until you can stand on your own."

The Queen Mother finished speaking in one breath, then paused and breathed a sigh of relief, "Fortunately, you are a hardworking person."

After hearing this, Leng Hong was stunned for a moment. His breathing became faster and faster, and his heart felt sour and unbearable. A feeling of guilt arose spontaneously, and he did not dare to look up at his mother.

At that time, he hated the Regent for hurting his mother, and he hated himself even more for being too young and unable to protect his mother.

For many years, this hatred was pent up in his heart. He was blinded by hatred and did not think about how much pain his mother endured and how much dedication and sacrifice she made for him.

However, he often quarreled with his mother and made her angry...

"Mother, I..." Leng Hong lowered his eyes, not daring to look the empress dowager in the eye. He moved his lips slightly and whispered.

He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say.

The Queen Mother glanced at him as if she could see through his thoughts.

"Emperor, I have never told you about this matter, nor have I asked you to avenge me. That's because I don't think this is a sacrifice, and it's not entirely for you."

"I did this for myself."

"I was only a concubine when I entered the palace. I gave birth to you, the only prince of the late emperor, in a harem full of intrigue and bloodshed. I protected you and watched you grow up. I watched you ascend the throne, and I finally became the empress dowager..."

"This journey has been extremely difficult and arduous. I don't want to work so hard but get nothing in return and then die in vain. I am unwilling to accept this. I want to be the queen mother!"

After saying this, the Queen Mother looked at Leng Hong calmly.

"The emperor has been remembering this incident all these years. Can't he let it go? I only look at the results and not the process. I only look at the present and the future and don't think about the past. I hope the emperor will do the same."

"If the emperor has been affected by this incident, then the emperor is still too young and needs to be tempered."

Leng Hong's tight brocade clothes were soaked with cold sweat.

He bowed his head and said respectfully, "What the Queen Mother taught me is that my son is too weak-minded and takes the past too seriously, which has affected him too deeply. I will work hard to sharpen my mind and not let you down."

Hearing this, the Queen Mother nodded, and then she waved her hand gently and said:

"After talking for a while, I am also tired. Your Majesty, please go and do your work. I need to rest now."

Leng Hong felt extremely guilty and didn't know how to face the Queen Mother next. Although his knot in his heart had been untied, he still needed time to digest it all.

"I will not disturb you, mother, to rest. I will take my leave."

Leng Hong hurriedly retreated. After Nanny Qiao respectfully saw the emperor off, she went into the inner hall to serve the empress dowager.

When the Queen Mother saw that it was Aunt Qiao coming over, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Don't ask anyone else to come in yet. Just stay with me for a while."

Nanny Qiao agreed.

Nanny Qiao grew up with the Queen Mother and accompanied her throughout her life.

From the boudoir to the palace, from being a lady from an aristocratic family to becoming the empress dowager.

Over the past few decades, people around them have come and gone, all becoming a thing of the past, remaining only in their memories.

In the end, only the two of them were left, relying on each other.

Nanny Qiao sat on a small stool beside the Empress Dowager. She looked at the expressions of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor and vaguely guessed what was going on.

"Empress Dowager?" she asked softly, her voice already hoarse and weathered with age.

The Queen Mother looked at her and asked in a low voice, "How did he see you that day?"