In the second half of the night, the mountain moon is bright and clear, hanging high on the top of Cangshan Mountain.
In a hidden garden of the palace, a young man in plain clothes, with a sad expression, sat alone in front of the incense table. On the table, the fresh fruits and sake used as offerings were all clean. In the rising smoke, a bunch of incense sticks used to commemorate the dead gradually burned to the end, and the red dots turned into ash.
The incense burnt out, but he did not leave, still sitting there in silence.
An old palace maid walked up from the depths of the palace corridor behind him.
"The Empress Dowager invites Your Highness in to talk," said the old woman.
He continued to sit down, and the old woman urged him again and again. Finally, he slowly got up and walked in.
For more than a year, the Empress Dowager was extremely frightened by the death of the deposed Empress Xiao Liu and her health was always uneasy. Later, as she had said, she moved to the Cangshan Palace to recuperate.
She was the biological mother of the deceased old saint, the grandmother of the current saint, and she was born in a prominent family. No one could rival her in terms of status. Although the saint had been unable to visit her regularly due to his practice of Taoism, his filial piety remained unchanged. After the Empress Dowager came here, she continued to provide for her as before, just like when she was in the Chang'an Palace.
When the young man entered, the Empress Dowager was about to get off the couch, apparently impatient. He hurried forward, held her by the hand, and helped her back to sit down, saying that he was unfilial and made his great-grandmother worried.
This young man was Li Yan, who had sneaked here quietly in the middle of the night. The Empress Dowager saw his eyes shining with residual water in the light, and felt distressed. She sighed and said, "You stayed up all night, are you paying tribute to Wei?"
"Yesterday was her birthday. My great-grandson is still unable to take care of himself, so I can only burn a few wisps of incense for her as a token of my condolences." He explained in a low voice.
The Grand Empress Dowager disagreed and shook her head, saying, "You are indeed loyal and righteous, but since that girl has passed away, she is a person without blessings. You are different. As a real dragon, how can she deserve your personal sacrifice? It's enough to have the intention. If you really can't bear it, give it to someone else, why do you need to do it yourself."
Li Yan responded respectfully, sat down beside the couch, and gently patted her legs. The Empress Dowager looked at him with a loving and gratified look. Gradually, her eyes turned red. She raised her hand and gently stroked Li Yan's eyebrows and eyes, murmuring, "So alike! You and your father are simply made from the same mold. My dear great-grandson, you were only fifteen or sixteen years old when you were forced to leave Chang'an. You must have suffered a lot in these years away from home, right? It's all because of my great-grandmother's uselessness. Fortunately, God has finally opened his eyes, and your chance has come. My great-grandmother has endured humiliation for many years, just because she was afraid that she would not be able to wait for the day when you would come back. Unexpectedly, that fool Xiao Liu finally did something useful and buried him in the right place!"
A few days ago, the remains of Empress Zhaode, who was rumored to have eloped with someone, were found in a wild forest deep in the pool. The emperor was so shocked that when he picked up the bones himself, he vomited blood and fainted on the spot.
According to a bribed medical officer's secret report, the emperor was exhausted and had been in a coma for the past few days. The group of people headed by the princess tried their best to cover up the news, apparently waiting for the arrival of the troops in Beijing. Once the troops were assembled, her intentions were self-evident.
"Yan'er! My dear great-grandson, Wang Zhang and the others will not let her plot succeed. This time, just wait for me peacefully, and there is no need to hide anymore. Soon, tomorrow, at the latest, the day after tomorrow, great-grandmother will personally take you back to Chang'an to ascend the throne. You will be legitimate and return to the Holy Dynasty. Everything has been arranged, it will be soon, soon! But, it's a pity for your father..."