diskusbooks Chapter 216 The Living Abandoned Empress of the Cold Palace X The Invading Unruly Buddhist Son 50
Chapter 216 The Living Abandoned Empress of the Cold Palace X The Invading Unruly Buddhist Son 50
Qi Heyao was stunned for a moment, his brows furrowing slightly. His gaze lingered between Yun Piao and Yun Qian, clearly puzzled, even hinting at a hint of wariness. Before he could even open his mouth to say yes, Yun Piao began coughing.
Qi Heyao pursed his lips, but ultimately said nothing. He bowed slightly and said, "Mother, I will take my leave. Qianqian, I will leave first."
He turned with a steady pace, but inside he felt a complete uneasiness. He was terrified of making even the slightest mistake.
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly grew even more silent and heavy. Yun Piao turned her gaze towards Yun Qian, a complex emotion welling up in her eyes, like some unfulfilled expectation, mixed with subtle fatigue and helplessness.
"Qian'er..." She spoke softly, her voice a bit more gentle, yet also carrying a suppressed heaviness. "I'm sure you played a big role in my waking up this time. There are some things I need to tell you."
Yun Qian was startled, a faint unease passing through her heart. She looked up at Yun Piao, only to meet eyes filled with complex emotions. Before she could speak, Yun Piao continued, her voice weak, but every word shone with her usual calmness and deep thought:
"At least... there's still time for everything."
Yun Qian frowned slightly, still confused, but could only listen quietly.
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Yun Piao took a deep breath, a cold glint flashing across her eyes. "That Buddhist disciple from Qianqiu Temple is not the Fourth Prince. My aunt has already sent people to investigate, and the Fourth Prince... has been dead for many years. The identity of the person pretending to be him is indeed suspicious. Unfortunately—" She paused, her tone weak and helpless, "Now he has escaped, and there is nothing I can do to him."
Yun Qian's heart suddenly trembled, as if a string had been plucked violently, emitting a low but strong echo. Her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to ask something, but she held back and just looked at Yun Piao quietly on the couch.
"Qian'er," Yun Piao suddenly raised her eyes, her tone becoming softer, yet with an imperceptible weariness, "Aunt can feel that her body is not as good as before.
Yun Qian's brows furrowed even tighter, a hint of struggle flashing in her eyes: "Aunt, please don't say these things... You will get better, and everything can be considered in the long run."
"Perhaps, I should go find my daughter..."
These light words hit Yun Qian's heart like a huge rock, causing ripples. She lowered her eyes, her nose aching, but she just clenched the corner of her clothes in her hands and said nothing.
A deep feeling of frustration washed over her, sending chills down her spine.
"But aunt..." Yun Qian finally broke the silence, her voice low and slow, yet filled with a hint of sincerity and obsession, "In Qian'er's heart, you are the best person to rule this world."
A gentle breeze blew past the hall, lifting the corners of the curtains, as if injecting some strength into this difficult request. However, the atmosphere inside the room became even more heavy, as if even the sky was bowing down because of these words.
Yun Piao was stunned for a moment, then chuckled softly, her laughter tinged with fatigue and mockery: "Do you want your aunt to imitate Wu Zhao?"
Yun Qian didn't answer immediately. She simply looked straight into Yun Piao's eyes, her gaze deep and filled with undisguised approval and persistence. Her silence was worth more than a thousand words.
Yun Piao's expression became complicated, as if relieved, yet also melancholy. She tilted her head slightly, her gaze passing Yun Qian, as if penetrating the luxurious palace, towards some distant place. Her voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible: "But what are you going to do? Qian'er..."
She slowly closed her eyes, as if recalling something, or as if making some kind of resolution, "The only thing people can learn from the stories of their predecessors is that they will never learn a lesson."
These light words were like some invisible hook, sealing all the words in Yun Qian's heart. She lowered her eyes slightly, and her eyes were silent.
Indeed, the empress that everyone relied on once broke the traditional gender concepts on her own, took control of the world, promoted a large number of Wu clan members, and relied on their status in the court to further consolidate her power.
But after her death... the Wu family, lacking a strong leader like Wu Zetian, quickly declined. Most of the Wu family members at the core of power were purged, and political purges are fatal, costing lives. Even if some of them managed to avoid punishment by keeping a low profile, there was no guarantee that they would not be remembered by the rulers one day.
Once they returned to power, what awaited them was step-by-step suppression and exclusion until a complete liquidation, such as in the Tanglong Rebellion.
If he didn't return power, he would be a traitor. Who would inherit the throne? Who could guarantee that the family would always have an outstanding and powerful leader? No one could. Even as intelligent as Empress Wu, she gave birth to some dull children. Although Emperor Wu worked hard to govern the country, he still had to face the reality that his family did not have a strong enough foundation to inherit the lingering power of the Tang Dynasty.
Not returning power can indeed prolong the family's control time, but it will eventually fall into a situation of isolation and helplessness.
"My aunt wouldn't dare claim to possess the abilities of Wu Zhao, but she certainly saw her helplessness. Her sons all displayed mediocre or even incompetent abilities. Becoming emperor was magnificent. She allowed us, the world, to see that a woman could be emperor and rule the empire. However, her actions would ultimately plunge the Wu family into a brutal struggle for power."
The palace was so silent that even time seemed to have stood still. Only a gentle breeze rustled through the window lattices, bringing a slight chill. Several palace lanterns swayed slightly in the wind, their dim glow casting a hazy glow on Yun Piao's face, making her look even thinner and more haggard. She looked like a solitary lamp that had run out of oil, dangling and about to fall, yet still unwilling to extinguish.
"Qian'er, do you want me to sacrifice you and the entire Yun family for this world?" Yun Piao spoke again. Her voice was not as strong as before, but revealed an unconcealable fatigue and vicissitudes of life, as if she had seen through the world and was detached, and also like a compromise after going through hardships.
Yun Qian was stunned, looking up at Yun Piao. At that moment, she unexpectedly read a rare hint of tenderness and pain in Yun Piao's eyes. These eyes didn't resemble those of the Empress Yun, who controlled the government. Instead, they were more like those of an elderly elder, wavering between farewell and exhortation.
Her heart trembled slightly, as if being gently grasped by an invisible hand. The question seemed to echo in her ears, but it also seemed to knock at the depths of her soul, leaving her with no way to avoid it.
Yun Qian knew that Yun Piao was rejecting her, and also rejecting the unattainable power. That power was like a torrent, swallowing up countless lives, hopes, and dreams wherever it went. But now, Yun Piao had chosen to withdraw herself and her family from this game.