Meng Tan was standing outside the palace hall. In an instant, he also heard this sentence.
He also looked inside and saw that the emperor's expression was so sad and grief - stricken that it was beyond words.
His gloomy and cold face was full of desolation. His body stiffened in place, and he didn't come to his senses for a long while.
Huo Wei's heart seemed to be rolling back and forth on the broken porcelain pieces. With his eyes and eyebrows filled with pain, he said in a low voice:
"Abort it? You said it so casually when you talked about killing the child between you and me. Du Gu Luanyue, no one can match you in terms of heartlessness!"
He had no relatives. All his relatives had long been dead.
This child was his only bloodline, but Du Gu Luanyue said she would give it up as easily as throwing away a burden.
Du Gu Luanyue took out all the important things from the wardrobe and packed them. Aunt Meijiang also came over to help her and whispered:
"Your Highness, wasn't that sentence a bit too harsh just now?"
She saw the emperor looking aggrieved and heart - broken, with tears welling up in his eyes.
It was the first time she had seen Huo Wei like this, obviously heart - broken.
Du Gu Luanyue was silent and didn't say a word.
Huo Wei swallowed hard, and his expression returned to the coldness of an emperor:
"I'll give you two choices. Either give birth to the child and then leave, or drink the abortion medicine and get out of the Northern Yan tomorrow!"
He decided to take a gamble, to bet how much he meant to her.
Du Gu Luanyue stopped folding her clothes. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye and said, "I choose to drink the medicine."
Huo Wei's deep black eyes trembled. After a long while, his thin lips curved slightly, and he said with a faint smile, "Someone, go and brew a bowl of abortion medicine."
The thick medicinal soup smelled a bit pungent. It was brought up by the palace servants and placed on the round table.
Huo Wei sat by the table and said, "I'll watch you drink it."
Du Gu Luanyue knew exactly what kind of person Huo Wei was. He was just stubborn and wanted her to give in. In fact, if she gave in and said something nice, he might not have done this.
But she couldn't do it anymore. Huo Wei had hidden the news of her father's death for a month. Whom could she turn to to relieve her anger and pain?
"Come and serve it!" Huo Wei frowned and roared.
Du Gu Luanyue thought that maybe this was a pregnancy - protecting medicine. Huo Wei wouldn't really use abortion medicine.
She coldly ordered, "Aunt, please serve it to me. I'll drink it right away."
Aunt Meijiang walked over. She had some basic medical knowledge.
She picked up the medicine bowl and took a light sniff. Her eyes widened slightly, and she looked at Du Gu Luanyue in shock.
The mistress and the maid had been together for many years and were very in tune.
Du Gu Luanyue read from Aunt Meijiang's expression that this was indeed abortion medicine. One bowl of it would cause the life in her womb to fade away within an hour.
Du Gu Luanyue took the hot medicinal soup. Her fingertips twitched, and then she frowned and placed it on the flat cabinet. "It's too hot. I'll drink it later. I'll pack my luggage first."
Huo Wei's deep and slanting long eyes stared at her fiercely. His back was very straight, and the light elongated his shadow. He was like a petrified giant beast, losing much of his vitality.
While packing her things, Du Gu Luanyue said, "I'll start to have a reaction after drinking this medicine. Your Majesty should leave first. This is like a room of blood."
Huo Wei stood up, angrily flung his sleeve, and left. The wind he stirred up was cold and deep. His lonely back stood in the courtyard.
He silently watched the swinging swing, his eyes dazed.
Inside the palace hall, Du Gu Luanyue gradually stopped what she was doing. Her jade - like eyes stared at the bowl of abortion medicine in silence.
She reached out her hand, but was stopped by Aunt Meijiang:
"Your Highness, the royal family of the Southern Chu has the bloodline of twins. Each generation gives birth to a dragon and a phoenix.
Maybe the baby in your womb is also like that. Are you really willing to give it up? After all, you and His Majesty have given each other your true hearts."
Du Gu Luanyue pressed down Aunt Meijiang's arm and said with a faint smile, "Aunt, I know what I'm doing."
After saying that, she picked up the medicine bowl and poured it on the potted flower.
In the sky, the cyan clouds gathered, and a fine rain began to fall.
The spring and summer rains came suddenly. In the blink of an eye, the cold rain began to quickly slide down the glazed tiles of the palace, like transparent water threads that could not be cut off and became increasingly chaotic.
A few hours later, Aunt Meijiang handed out the medicine bowl.
Huo Wei was standing in the courtyard. He also turned around and looked over.
He saw with his own eyes that the medicine bowl was empty. The last glimmer of light in his black eyes completely went out.
The rain ran down Huo Wei's temples and wet his cold face.
Some water droplets rolled off his long black eyelashes. He squinted his eyes and then ordered, "Meng Tan, send someone to see her off."
Du Gu Luanyue was standing under the window. Through the crack of the window, she quietly took a last look at Huo Wei, and her eyes turned red for a moment.
After Huo Wei said this, he left the hot - spring palace soaking wet.
He didn't take the imperial palanquin or the carriage. He led a horse and galloped back to the palace by himself. He galloped on the road for two whole days and nights without stopping.
When he reached the palace gate, he fell straight off the horse's back.
One and a half months later.
The Qianyuan Hall in the Southern Chu Palace
Du Gu Luanyue returned to the Southern Chu Palace in a hurry. Without even having time to change her clothes or rest, she rushed straight to the place where the coffin was placed.
In every dynasty, when an emperor passed away, the coffin would be placed in the palace for 49 days. When she returned, she found that her father's coffin was still in the Qianyuan Hall.
She was a bit surprised. The time was wrong. A month and a half ago, the secret letter had said that her father had passed away a month ago.
She didn't have time to think carefully. With tears streaming down her face, she knelt in front of the coffin and said, "Father, your daughter is unfilial. I failed to see you for the last time. It's all my fault!"
She banged her head down heavily, making a thud.
Zhao Minghua, who was already the empress dowager of the Southern Chu at this time, had taken on all the state affairs of the Southern Chu during this period.
Her husband had passed away, her daughter's life or death was unknown, and her son was born with a disability. In just a few months, she seemed to have aged ten years.
When Zhao Minghua heard that Du Gu Luanyue had returned safely to the court, she quickly rushed over from the Shoukang Palace.
As soon as she entered the hall, she saw Du Gu Luanyue constantly banging her head on the ground. Aunt Meijiang couldn't even hold her back. She roared:
"Luanyue, what are you doing? Do you want to hurt yourself?"
Du Gu Luanyue turned around, her face distorted with crying:
"Mother, I didn't even get to see Father for the last time. It's all my fault. The Nine - Life Golden Elixir was also taken out by me and given to someone. It's all my fault!"
Zhao Minghua shed tears and quickly walked over to help her up:
"Your father knew that you would bring up the matter of the golden elixir. He knew that you would feel guilty for a lifetime.
In fact, after we returned from the border last time, a new Nine - Life Golden Elixir had been refined in the palace.
But your father had been too diligent in governing the country over the years and had over - exerted himself. He had already damaged his foundation. Even after taking the golden elixir, he still over - worked. Coupled with his old age, the effectiveness of the golden elixir was reduced.
After a serious illness in winter, he just couldn't hold on anymore."
After she said this, Du Gu Luanyue gradually steadied herself.
Zhao Minghua's eyes fell on her waist. She looked surprised and reached out to touch it. "My goodness, whose is it?"
Aunt Meijiang whispered on one side, "It's the new emperor of the Northern Yan's."
Zhao Minghua frowned. Her daughter was going to be the future empress. Getting pregnant with a child in the Northern Yan wasn't a big deal. After all, it was all royal blood.
But she immediately woke up and said, "You must hide it well. If Huo Wei finds out, now that he's the emperor, he will definitely come to snatch the child."
Half a month later, Du Gu Luanyue ascended the throne in the Southern Chu Palace.
She became the third empress in the history of the Southern Chu and started her reign that lasted for more than 50 years.
She named her reign period "Guiyuan Changlin" and her imperial title "Lingxi".
Half a year later, Empress Lingxi gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, in the Qianyuan Hall. Both the mother and the children were safe.