From then on, consumed by sorrow, Xia Yan took to heavy drinking. But even after getting drunk, he would always return to their chamber. Then he would hold Gu Qingqing in his arms and cry all night long.
At such times, Gu Qingqing would tightly embrace Xia Yan and comfort him. As time went by, although Xia Yan still had a knot in his heart, he loved Gu Qingqing so deeply that he spent more and more time with her.
Later on, Gu Qingqing became pregnant. Ten months later, Xia Qingyan was born. Xia Yan thought that after their child was born, Gu Qingqing would no longer be so sad. He thought their future would surely get better. But he was completely wrong.
After Xia Qingyan was born, Gu Qingqing would still smile, but that smile never reached her heart. Her health deteriorated rapidly. Most of the time, she needed someone to support her just to stand up. She would often stare blankly at Xia Qingyan's back, then suddenly her eyes would turn red and tears would roll down one by one. She would often look eastward again, her expression full of longing.
Gu Qingqing fell seriously ill. Xia Yan invited all the famous doctors and even tried all kinds of folk remedies, but none of them could cure Gu Qingqing. He could only stay by her side day and night.
Later, when Gu Qingqing was approaching the end, Xia Yan couldn't bear to witness her passing. Supported by An Yun, he walked out of the room.
After that, a small figure appeared in Gu Qingqing's palace. It was Xia Qingyan. At that time, Xia Qingyan was still a cute little boy, not even ten years old. He looked at his mother on the bed, his heart aching so much that he couldn't speak.
When Gu Qingqing saw Xia Qingyan, she wanted to hug him, but even raising her hand was a struggle for her. On the verge of death, Gu Qingqing softly called out, "Child, come here."
Xia Qingyan rushed over. Gu Qingqing gave a beautiful smile. There was even a hint of color on her pale face. A beauty was a beauty indeed. Even at the point of death, she was so heart - wrenching.
"Child, you must be wary of An Yun."
"Mother, they said it was An Yun who put a curse on you. I saw it with my own eyes. I saw some strange bugs in that woman's room. I asked the masters, and they said those were curses that could bewitch people's minds and devour their hearts. Mother, you must have been harmed by that woman! I will surely send her to hell and avenge you in the future."
Zhao Shuning could see that Xia Qingyan's eyes were full of anger.
"I managed to force out most of the curse she put on me, but I'm not strong enough to resist it anymore."
"Mother—"
"I'm sorry, my child. I won't be able to accompany you in the future. Promise mother that you will be filial to your father. Your father has had a hard time."
"I know, I know—" Xia Qingyan's eyes were also filled with tears.
How much Gu Qingqing wanted to raise her hand and wipe away Xia Qingyan's tears, but she couldn't. She didn't even have the slightest bit of strength.
"Mother, once, when father was drunk, he said that you didn't love him. You were just putting on a brave face and staying with him because of the curse. He also said that you didn't love me either, and every day you stayed by his side was torture for you. Is that true?"
"Silly child—" Gu Qingqing still smiled.
"Most of the curse in my body has long been forced out. If my skills were better, I could have completely eliminated its influence. Mother tells you, many years ago, the curse could no longer bewitch me. But I already had you and your father. I was willing to stay by your sides."
"It's a pity—pity that I met your father a bit late. Everything that should and shouldn't have happened, all happened."
"I never intended to be with your father. I even refused to see him for half a year. But I was cursed and my mind was muddled. I couldn't resist. By the time the curse in my body gradually dissipated, your father had quietly entered my heart."
Two lines of tears slid down Gu Qingqing's face. The tears were even tinged with blood, looking especially beautiful and eerie.
"So, child, you were born after I endured ten months of pregnancy. You were born in the spotlight. I've never regretted giving birth to you."
"Mother—"
"Be careful of An Yun—Mother is sorry for you—"
After saying this, Gu Qingqing's body suddenly trembled. Then her body quickly shriveled up. Countless bugs burst out of her body at that moment and disappeared into thin air when they came into contact with the air. Gu Qingqing was left with only a bunch of bones.
Xia Qingyan slowly put on his robe and walked out expressionlessly. His face was full of tears. From that moment on, he no longer had a mother.
He crawled out of a hole in his mother's palace. When passing through the rainforest, the little boy looked up. There, he saw a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.
Xia Yan was standing in the rainforest. An Yun hugged him from behind. Xia Yan turned around, bent down, and kissed An Yun on the lips.
Xia Qingyan's mind went blank at that moment. His small body kept backing away. Overnight, his mother's death and his father's betrayal were like sharp knives, stabbing him again and again.
Xia Qingyan ran back to his room and locked himself in, not allowing anyone to enter. He spent a wet and muddled night.
What happened later was quite clear. In the eyes of others, Xia Qingyan grew up to be a humble and polite young gentleman. He entered Changkong Academy and met Zhao Shuning. The first thing he noticed were Zhao Shuning's eyes. Maybe because of his stubbornness towards his mother over the years, he was also a bit obsessive about Zhao Shuning. So he went to An Yun and got the golden silkworm curse. He quietly put it into the bamboo - leaf green wine that Zhao Shuning drank.
What happened after that, Zhao Shuning already knew. She also noticed a detail. After Xia Qingyan met Luo Feiyan, he also met a man in a purple robe. It was only after that meeting that he put the curse on Zhao Shuning.
An Yun was killed by Xia Qingyan. When Xia Yan saw An Yun's death, he didn't show the slightest bit of sadness. Because later, he investigated and found out the truth. The reason why the golden silkworm curse got out of control and completely devoured Gu Qingqing's body was that An Yun had been secretly causing trouble.
It was just that by the time Xia Yan learned this truth, fifteen years had passed since Gu Qingqing's death. An Yun didn't get to see Xia Yan before she died. Although Gu Qingqing was dead, no one in the prince's mansion ever forgot about her.
The scene stopped abruptly at this moment. Zhao Shuning and Xia Yan both opened their eyes. The purple robe should be the clue left by Xia Qingyan.
"How is Xia Qingyan now?"
Xia Yan shook his head. Basically, he was like a living dead. But before he fell into a coma, he still wanted to tell Zhao Shuning the whole thing, wanted her to know that he had made a mistake, and he was also doing his best to make up for it.
"Tell him, whether he can hear it or not, just say that I've forgiven him."