“Princess, please take care. Leave everything to me.” Finishing his words, he turned to leave; his shadow appearing lonely and pale under the moonlight.

　　When she got back to the palace, she heard the loud cries of the baby. The nanny was carrying Qing’er in an attempt to pacify him, but he continued to cry, his face turning red. In the space of two days, he had lost both of his parents. Furthermore, his mother was personally killed at the hands of his own aunt. Would the child grow up to hate her once he knew of everything that had happened?

　　Nalan Hongye sat under the long window, thinking to herself. The moonlight was bright, like a jade plate. It shone on the ground, illuminating it.

　　Aunt Yun carried Qing’er over, laughed, and said carefully, “Princess, Your Majesty is smiling.”

　　Nalan Hongye carried the child in her arms. He looked at her with his black eyes and let out a joyful smile. In an instant, the frustration in her heart dissipated. She looked at his familiar pair of eyes, remembering her own brother. When he was alive, she felt resentment towards him for their fates. He was male, but mentally handicapped. He did not know how to experience hardships and handle the country’s affairs, affecting the Song Empire’s hard work over hundreds of years. As for herself, she was talented but female. She had slogged her guts out for years, but had been labeled as a power-hungry character. However, it was only after he passed away that she realized that they were one, destined to suffer through thick and thin together. Only when he was around, she could stabilize the Song Empire and preserve the lineage of the Nalan family. Luckily, she still had Qing’er.

　　She looked down at the small child wrapped up in the swaddle, feeling tears in her eyes. Luckily, he was still alive. They were the only two members of the Nalan family left.

　　“Princess, look at His Majesty. He’s so cute!” Aunt Yun caressed the small emperor’s cheeks as she laughed. Qing’er seemed to be happy, waving his small, fair and fat hands around while laughing in reciprocation. He looked at Nalan Hongye with his pitch-black eyes, seemingly understanding her thoughts.

　　Smash! Nalan Hongye and Aunt Yun were startled and turned back, seeing that a palace maid had broken a teapot.

　　Aunt Yun raged, “Useless creature! You scared Your Majesty and the princess! Watch out for your life!”

　　Nalan Hongye frowned slightly and patted Qing’er’s swaddle, fearing that he had been shocked. However, his expression did not change. He was still laughing, as if he had not been scared.

　　Aunt Yun smiled and remarked, “Princess, look at how brave Your Majesty is. When he grows up, he will be a good emperor who is smart and valiant.”

　　Nalan Hongye smiled slightly. However, in that instant, she froze and her face turned pale.

　　Aunt Yun was perplexed. “Princess, what’s wrong?”

　　Nalan Hongye’s hands and feet turned cold as she tried to console herself from within. She handed the child over to Aunt Yun swiftly and stood at the side, clapping loudly with her hands.

　　Smack! A loud sound echoed out beside the child’s ears, but he did not seem to hear anything. He reached out his small, fat hands and grabbed onto Aunt Yun’s shirt button.

　　Nalan Hongye was getting more desperate. She clapped a few more times, her eyes turning red. As she clapped, she exclaimed, “Qing’er! Qing’er! Look here! Aunt is here!”

　　However, the child did not turn around. He yawned and leaned on Aunt Yun, drifting back to sleep.

　　“Qing’er, don’t sleep! Qing’er, Aunt is here!”

　　“Princess!” Tears were streaming down Aunt Yun’s face. She knelt on the ground, pleading, “Don’t call out anymore. Don’t call out anymore.”

　　Nalan Hongye was agitated. She grabbed Aunt Yun’s shoulders and shouted, “What’s going on? What’s going on here?”

　　Aunt Yun was crying. She replied, “As the child was brought back here, I realized this. I summoned the physician from the empress’s palace and only managed to get the answer from him after beating him up. The empress has known about this all along, but kept it a secret. She was scared that once she revealed this, this child would not be able to become the Crown Prince. All these years, they tried to treat the child, but it did not work. This illness is hereditary.”

　　That instant, Nalan Hongye felt the entire world spinning. Qing’er was deaf. Qing’er was deaf! The news shattered her completely. The sorrow in her heart over a long time erupted like a big flash flood. She felt a sweet sensation in her throat as she spat out a large mouthful of blood all over her clothes!

　　“Princess! Princess!” Aunt Yun was shocked. She put the emperor down and went over to support her.

　　Having been put on the ground suddenly, Qing’er opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings suspiciously. Subsequently, he started to cry out loud. The maidservants streamed into the house in neat rows, causing the house to break out in chaos. Aunt Yun shouted, “Call the physician! Call the physician!”

　　Nalan Hongye was dazed. She repeated the same sentence in her mind: You reap what you sow.

　　Yes, she had killed Cui Wanru, but this empress had left her with a mega disaster. If she had known, she would have disregarded Hongyu’s objections and the fact that his condition would have been revealed. She would have arranged for him to get more concubines, in order for him to give birth to more offspring. However, it was all too late.

　　The tears started to stream down her face uncontrollably. Loudly, she cried and exclaimed, “Father, Father, I deserve to die!”

　　Nalan Hongye woke up a few times to people by her side, but her eyes remained closed. In five years, this was the first time that she had been so willful. She wished that she could have just slept, not caring about the things around her. Her surroundings quietened down, but one shadow stood in front of her, remaining there for a long time.

　　When she opened her eyes, the moonlight shone through the window which was decorated with flowers, onto the study table. The chants from the temple drifted over to her ear along with the cold winds, through the tall palace walls. It was a stark reminder of the time and her current predicament.

　　“I have hidden the fact that the emperor is deaf. Other than the people in this palace, no one else will know,” Xuan Mo stood in front of the bed and whispered softly. His voice was soothing, like the winds passing through a flute. The candlelight shone on his face, which was defined with contours and had a few sharp edges.

　　“Before the emperor comes of age and takes charge of the country’s affairs, we have over ten years left to plan. Although he is deaf, once he marries at 15 years old and has children, there is still hope for Song. Princess, you are the pillar of Song. If you collapse, the emperor will not live. Once the royal family withers, outsiders will take the chance to seize power, dividing the empire. War will arise; the civilians will no longer have good lives. The efforts by the ancestors will go down the drain. Princess, you are resourceful and smart. I believe that you will not sit back and watch Song collapse.”

　　Nalan Hongye looked up at the man who had grown up with her together. A feeling of sorrow erupted from within her heart again. Yes, she had thought about what he had said. However, this was going to be an arduous journey!

　　“Thank you, Xuan Mo.” She had not called him by his name for a long time. Xuan Mo was stunned and appeared to be moved. However, he replied respectfully, “It’s my duty.”

　　Nalan Hongye sat up and coughed lightly twice, her face pale. She smiled lightly and remarked, “You’ve become more mature. You have the airs of your father already.”

　　The king of Anling was Xuan Mo’s father. He used to serve as a general under the Nalan family. In the war at the southern borders, he had saved Nalan Lie’s life. Hence, he was inducted into the royal family, assuming the surname of Nalan.

　　Xuan Mo bowed and replied, “Thank you for your compliment, Princess.”

　　“I heard that Yushu is pregnant. Is it true?”

　　Xuan Mo’s face was dazed. He frowned tightly. After a while, he replied in a low voice, “Yes.”

　　Nalan laughed. “Yushu is morally upright and intellectually capable. You must treat her well.”

　　Xuan Mo replied emotionlessly, “I have to thank Princess for your benevolence.”

　　The palace was empty; the chants from the temple became louder along with the weeping sounds of the officials. They looked at each other, not knowing what to say. Xuan Mo took out a letter from his pocket which was in good condition. Without opening it, he handed it over to Nalan Hongye and said, “There’s a letter from Yan Bei.”

　　Nalan Hongye’s eyes brightened up instantly. With a sense of urgency, she grabbed the letter. Xuan Mo started to frown, the look in his eyes becoming firm. He took half a step back and said, “I’ll take my leave.”

　　“Mmm,” Nalan Hongye answered. Although she was smiling, the tone of her voice sounded casual.

　　The lights were pale. Only a thin shadow was visible.

　　When Aunt Yun came in, Nalan Hongye had snapped back to her original self. After the physician had attended to her, she took her medicine as the palace maids took their leave. She sat in front of her table and caressed the letter repeatedly. The sorrow in her heart started to surface again; she did not dare to open the letter to read it. There was dead silence everywhere. The room was brightly lit by the flickering candlelights and purified with a fragrant incense.

　　The letter read: Brother Xuan Mo, the war in Yan Bei has concluded. I am fine, please do not worry. Thanks to you, the issues regarding the rations were solved, and the Xia troops were contained. However, there is no clear victor in the war yet. I do not have full confidence in winning. I advise you not to side with Yan Bei too much, in fear that people will use this reason to attack you in court. Politics are dangerous. Please be careful. If you are implicated because of me, I will never forgive myself even if I die.

　　Your wedding happened to coincide with the day that the Xia troops retreated. If you can come to Yan Bei, I will give you a warm welcome. We have not seen each other for ten years. I miss you.

　　The tears streamed down her face again, onto the white paper. They exemplified the sorrow that she felt from within. She had tolerated for too long. She had suppressed her feelings and pressed on for too long. There were only the feelings of fatigue and desolation that had accumulated in her heart. The country’s affairs, her internal affairs… Presently, coupled with the sentence he wrote: Your wedding happened to coincide with the day that the Xia troops retreated… Her vision started to blur. The storm was raging on outside, just like how she felt: bleak. She prepared a pot of ink and a brush and started to write with bittersweet feelings in her heart: “I have planned all my life, but did not get what I wanted…

　　As she penned the last words, her writing had become scrawled. She suddenly slumped on her table with tears in her eyes. Just like this, she drifted off to sleep.

　　When Aunt Yun stepped in, she nearly cried. The princess had managed the country for so many years, but this was the first time that she had seen her this pitiful. She helped her over to the bed to rest and walked back to her table. Seeing that the letter had been completed, and that it was addressed to the king of Yan Bei, Aunt Yun felt a feeling of displeasure. She did not read the contents of the letter, putting it into an envelope and sealing it with wax. She handed the letter over to a palace maid and ordered, “Deliver this to the Xuan residence, and tell him to deliver the letter according to the old rules.”

　　“I understand.”

　　In the rain and pitch-black darkness, a black eagle flew from the Xuan residence towards the northwest at full speed.

　　When Yan Xun received Nalan Hongye’s letter one day before he departed, Feng Zhi stood by his side. Yan Xun frowned for a long time as he stared at the letter, before he chuckled loudly and said, “He’s so muddle-headed. I don’t know which lady’s words of complaint he copied, but he actually sent it to me.”