When the prince is reborn, he will only hit me if he doesn't hit the wall!

At that time, Dragon Palace.

"Your Majesty? But you are right? Only Princess Rong and Ling'er are left? Doesn't Lie... Prince Qi need to stay?"

The Queen looked at the Emperor and said, "Your Majesty, is it..."

The emperor slightly opened his heavy eyelids and shouted with all his strength: "I am not so confused. I know what I am saying!... Let Princess Rong and Ling'er stay! Everyone else, get out. No one is allowed to enter without my order!"

The queen hesitated, lowered her brows and carefully agreed: "Yes, I know."

Everyone left, and only Xu Xinyue and Qin Lingruo were left standing by the couch.

The emperor supported himself with his elbows and tried hard to sit up from the dragon couch, but his weak body made it impossible for him to support his own weight. Finally, with the help of Qin Lingruo, he supported himself on the edge of the couch and barely sat down. Such a simple action seemed to have exhausted all his strength, and he gasped and coughed as he slowed down his breathing.

He coughed hard, his breathing was difficult and sluggish, as if something was stuck in his throat. His face was as pale as paper, and his forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat.

Qin Lingruo immediately poured a cup of tea and handed it to the emperor. The emperor took her hand and slowly drank the cup, and his throat felt a little smoother.

Qin Lingruo looked at the emperor with worry.

Xu Xinyue wanted to step forward and feel the emperor's pulse, but he waved his hand and refused.

"Father, why did you leave Yueyue and me behind?"

Qin Lingruo asked as she placed the teacup gently on the table.

Although Xu Xinyue didn't say anything, the questioning look in her eyes was exactly the same as what Qin Lingruo expressed.

The emperor recovered his breath and pointed to the side of the dragon bed. Qin Lingruo looked in the direction of the emperor's finger and saw a fan-shaped rosewood treasure pavilion.

A wide variety of jade ornaments, antiques, calligraphy and paintings are arranged in separate compartments.

Qin Lingruo was confused and puzzled: "Father?"

The emperor panted and said, "Ling'er, do you see the jade bottle with auspicious cloud and dragon patterns engraved in gold on that shelf?"

Qin Lingruo replied honestly: "I saw it, what's wrong?"

The emperor raised his eyes to look at her with difficulty: "Turn right three times in a row, and you will be able to open the secret door in Longqi Palace. This matter is only known to the emperors of past dynasties. You and Princess Rong will leave here together and leave Kyoto."

Xu Xinyue and Qin Lingruo looked at each other in surprise. Xu Xinyue couldn't help but glance at the entrance of the palace. She lowered her voice even more, almost whispering, "Your Majesty, why?"

The emperor was weak and frail, and he spoke to her intermittently:

"I know that I don't have much time left... This palace is completely under the control of the rebellious son at the door. By the time I realized it, the news from the palace could not be passed on... Even Yanxu..."

Xu Xianyue thought that something had indeed happened to Yanxu.

"My queen seems to have reached some kind of consensus with that rebellious son and is actually teaming up with him! Ahem! Ahem!"

When he got excited, a chill ran down his throat and the emperor started coughing violently again. The sound seemed to rip his heart and lungs out of his throat.

"I have drafted an imperial edict. Take it with you. Whoever can return to the capital in the future and purge the emperor for the sake of Beixuan will be the one to whom my throne will be passed!"

Qin Lingruo smoothed over the emperor's heart and said hurriedly, "But if we leave, what will happen to father?"

The emperor said hoarsely, "You don't have to worry about me. That rebellious son has evil intentions. All he wants is this throne. As long as I am still alive, he will never be able to legitimately take over my throne!"

The emperor groaned, "They really think that I am so ill that my eyesight is blurry and my hearing is unclear, and they even don't avoid talking to me."

"It's not like I don't have any backup plans, enough to last until you leave Kyoto."

Xu Xinyue disagreed: "But where else can we go if we leave Kyoto?"

"How many more days can your majesty hold out?"

The emperor looked at Xu Xinyue, breathing heavily with difficulty, and said to her firmly:

"Go to the northern border and look for Chuan'er. I don't know what this brat is up to. Before he left for the battle, he promised me that he would return victorious... Now that you are in Kyoto, he is worried about you. How could he be as the court report said, with his life or death unknown?"

Xu Xinyue was speechless and could not refute for a while. No one knows a son better than his father. Even if Qin Yuechuan had not told the emperor his plan, the emperor could guess most of it.

"Your Majesty, he——"

"I know what I am doing. Since I have promised him, I must keep my promise to protect you. The current situation is not good. You should leave here quickly while they are not prepared."

The emperor glanced at the palace gate and said, "My health is like this, I don't know how long I can hold on. Right now, the only person in Kyoto is that rebellious son. I don't know what tricks he used to replace most of my guards..."

"Ling'er, just treat this as your father's hope, and leave this place as soon as possible to find reinforcements to turn the situation around..."

The emperor's dry hand grasped Qin Lingruo's wrist and pushed her towards Duobao Pavilion with all his strength: "Leave here quickly..."

Qin Lingruo lowered her head, her face could not be seen clearly, she said nothing and did not move, and she seemed to be deaf to the emperor's orders. She sat stubbornly on the edge of the couch and refused to move a step no matter what.

The emperor seemed really angry: "Ling'er, if you don't leave now, you really won't have a chance!"

Qin Lingruo suddenly stood up, knelt in front of the couch, and said word by word: "Father advised us to leave because he thought that Kyoto was dangerous at the moment and there was no one in Beixuanjiangshan who could be trusted."

"My eldest brother passed away, my second brother is helping with disaster relief, my third brother is fighting outside, my fourth brother is also on a mission and can't come back for the time being, my fifth brother is ambitious, and my sixth brother is not up to the task..."

Qin Lingruo's eyes were bright and her words were sonorous. She looked at the emperor and was unwilling to give in with every word:

"But right now, your father is not without someone who can take over the throne—"

The emperor was in a trance for a moment, then he thought of something, looked at her intently, and said, "Could it be that you are talking about Qin Leng?"

In desperation, it can be considered a viable option, better than nothing.

Qin Lingruo shook her head, straightened her back, raised her head and looked at the emperor seriously without any joking, and said loudly:

"Father, I am your son."

The emperor couldn't help but lean forward, as if he wanted to hear more clearly, or perhaps it was hard for him to believe that these words came from Qin Lingruo's mouth: "You? - Ling'er?"

Qin Lingruo didn't even blink, and looked back at him calmly: "Even if your Majesty is considering recognizing Qin Leng, who has only been around for a few months, have you never considered me, your son?"

She spoke frankly and did not shy away from the topic: "The country is about to fall, and my father knows that his time is running out. For the time being, he needs a legitimate heir who is not Qin Zhaolie to inherit the throne and support Beixuan."

Now that my brother is not here, isn't I the only person Father can choose from?"

"In such a difficult time, does Father have any other choice?"

The emperor could not bear to strike Qin Lingruo, but he also had to make her understand clearly the urgency and cruelty of the current situation. The throne cannot be secured by just a few impassioned speeches and inspiring words.

"Ling'er, you need to know that, apart from other things, the current court is in turmoil, with all the ministers working together to attack dissidents and supporting each other openly and secretly. You have no foundation or power in the court, so how can you defeat Qin Zhaolie and secure the throne!"

Qin Lingruo said: "Father is having a rare moment of respite, and needs a legitimate and reasonable nominal crown prince to delay time as much as possible and divert the focus until my brother returns."

"In any case, if we need reinforcements, Yueyue alone is enough. As the heir of the Northern Xuan Emperor, I will never be a deserter and leave my father here alone!"

The emperor was moved, his throat trembling and choking with sobs: "Ling'er, you know that staying in the palace is the same as waiting to die!"

"You and Yu'er are both princesses, but Yu'er is the Queen's biological daughter, so there won't be any problems. But you..."

Qin Lingruo's tone remained unchanged: "I am not afraid!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Xinyue and Qin Lingruo, who had been listening for a long time, knelt together.

He bowed his head and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, please forgive me for my crime of deceiving you."

The emperor was too busy to react and asked in confusion, "You - are deceiving the emperor? Why are you deceiving the emperor?"

Although Xu Xinyue's voice was low, every word was clear and mellow, and he read clearly: "This son deceived Your Majesty. This son is the heir of the Zhenguogong Mansion and the bloodline of the He family. The Zhenguogong is this son's uncle."

The emperor stood up with his eyes wide open, raised his hand and pointed at Xu Xinyue, obviously in disbelief: "You are from the Zhenguo Mansion..."

Qin Lingruo was also surprised. She tilted her head and half-opened her lips, looking at Xu Xinyue.

"Yueyue..."

Xu Xinyue stood up and looked at the emperor and said, "I had my own selfish desires at that time and was determined to be with Prince Rong, but I was also worried that Your Majesty would be jealous of me because of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion. After weighing the pros and cons, I discussed with the Duke of Zhenguo and concealed my identity for the rest of my life, and never revealed a word to outsiders."

The emperor narrowed his eyes and examined her carefully: "Then why are you speaking frankly to me now?"

Xu Xinyue said: "Your Majesty needs your uncle, and Ling'er also needs your uncle."

"Perhaps Your Majesty has heard from Prince Qi that the Duke of Zhenguo and the He family army have surrendered to him. However, I want to say that it was not the Duke of Zhenguo's wish. It was just a delaying tactic by the Duke of Zhenguo, to penetrate deep into the enemy and wait for an opportunity to counterattack."

Fearing that His Majesty would not believe it, Xu Xianyue pointed three fingers to the sky and said solemnly: "Your son is willing to use his life to guarantee the He Family Army and the Duke of Zhenguo Mansion. The Duke of Zhenguo Mansion and the He Family Army will always be loyal to Your Majesty and to the Crown Prince designated by Your Majesty."

"If you disobey me, I will be beheaded!"

"Your son, along with Prince Rong's Mansion and the Duke Zhenguo's Mansion, are willing to do our utmost to assist Ling'er and Your Majesty."

Xu Xinyue pursed her lips and pondered for a moment, then said, "Besides, I can't leave. I am also... deeply constrained by Prince Qi and the Queen. I'm afraid I can't leave Kyoto even a step..."

The emperor had some guesses in his mind, and looked at her with a complicated expression, "Are you now the queen's man?"

Xu Xinyue immediately responded: "I don't want to, and I don't know how to do it."

"I know that Prince Qi and the Queen have evil intentions. Just like my uncle, they are just a delaying tactic."

"I, your son, am bold enough to fight for myself and mediate."

Xu Xinyue held Qin Lingruo's hand beside her, and did not avoid the emperor's complicated look, and greeted him frankly:

"I don't want to see Ling'er bear it alone. I am willing to use all my strength, the strength of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, and everything that Ah She left for me, to give it a try."

"Ling'er and I are not afraid of death. Even if it's like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, I am willing to do my best!"

Xu Xinyue felt the warmth of Qin Lingruo's five fingers in her palm: "I am willing to stand together with your majesty and Ling'er, and live and die together. The same is true for the Zhenguo Mansion behind me."

"Please don't be discouraged, and hold on for a while longer."

She finally stared at the emperor and said, "In fact, I have a plan in mind."

……