Half a month later, the general returned to the capital. Both sides of the streets were crowded with people. The general rode his horse, surrounded by the common folk, as he returned to the capital. It was a grand and lively occasion, with flower petals strewn across the streets.
Xiao Wangye was in the best private room of a restaurant. From the window, he could see the very center of the street.
Xiao Wangye sat by the window, frowning as he drank cold wine. Beside him, Ye Qingcheng leaned against the window, cracking melon seeds. Lin Xiao, looking worried, said to his prince, "Your Highness, please don't drink cold wine; it's bad for your health."
Xiao Wangye looked up and saw the furrow in Lin Xiao's brow.
Knowing Lin Xiao was concerned for him, he couldn't say anything.
Ye Qingcheng, cracking melon seeds, waved her hand, "It's fine. Your Princess Consort is here! If he gets sick, I can save him."
Only then did Xiao Wangye's brow relax.
In the procession, following the general was a coffin. Xiao Wangye's hand paused, and he stared intently at the coffin.
Ye Qingcheng and Lin Xiao's gazes shifted from the coffin to Xiao Wangye. No one in the private room spoke.
The general entered the palace to see the emperor, also bringing the coffin. When the emperor saw the coffin, everyone knew who was inside!
In the imperial palace, the Empress stood beside the Emperor. From a distance, it was hard to make out details. The Empress still wore her phoenix coronet and elaborate robes, looking magnificent and noble. However, upon closer inspection, it was clear the Empress was weak and her eyes were swollen and red from crying.
"Your Majesty, Empress, your subject has retrieved the Crown Prince's body and brought him back. He has returned to his roots and shall be laid to rest."
The Empress immediately cried out, "My son! Ah, ah, ah, ah!" At this moment, she was a mother who had lost her son, not the Empress, the mother of the nation.
The Emperor, a white-haired man sending off his black-haired son, was supported by eunuchs, allowing him to stagger to the coffin.
"Quick, quickly open the coffin. I, I want to see my son one last time."
The soldiers opened the coffin. The Crown Prince lay peacefully inside, his head neatly positioned, and a piece of white cloth covering his neck to hide the scars.
The Emperor's tears flowed freely. He choked out his final farewell to his son, "Back then, I told you not to go, but you wouldn't listen. You insisted on going, using the lives of hundreds of thousands of commoners' children as an excuse, heading to the battlefield with a single command. You said you were the Crown Prince, the future ruler, and had to set an example, that you had to be on the battlefield. You used these words to persuade me. But... you went standing, and you returned lying down. You... you unfilial son! You... you've made your father a white-haired man sending off his black-haired son!"
A nearby eunuch, seeing the Emperor's profound grief and unsteady state, feared he might collapse and hurriedly advised, "Your Majesty, you must preserve your health!"
The general also stepped forward and bowed, "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was valiant. Even with enemy soldiers' swords at his throat, he did not yield. He urged us to defend the territory and protect the nation. He said he died a glorious death for the country. He asked me to tell you... that he had lived up to the nation in this life, but his greatest regrets were towards Your Majesty and the Empress, for he could not fulfill his filial duties. He also regretted his wife and children, for he could not be with them."
At this moment, the Crown Princess knelt by the Crown Prince's coffin, weeping uncontrollably, eventually fainting from grief.
The servants panicked as if a great disaster had struck.
At the Crown Prince's funeral, Ye Qingcheng, as the Regent's Princess Consort, also attended. She saw the Crown Princess's eyes red and swollen from crying, and a small child burning paper money, not understanding why but knowing they would never see their father again.
The Emperor and Empress were absent, unwilling to show themselves!
On the way back, Ye Qingcheng sat in the carriage, lifting the curtain. She looked at the bustling marketplace, the crowded streets, and listened to people discussing the recent victorious battle.
Xiao Wangye looked at her, "What are you looking at?"
Ye Qingcheng sighed, "Looking at these commoners, how fortunate they are! They are discussing how this great battle was won, and they won't forget that it was the Crown Prince's sacrifice that bought them prosperity and peace."
Xiao Wangye also lifted the curtain and looked into the distance. He suddenly recalled the Crown Prince's teachings.
Back then, the Crown Prince stood on a high tower, pointing to the distant prosperous buildings, and asked the young Xiao Wangye, "Wangye, what do you see?"
Xiao Wangye pondered for a moment, "Are they... houses?"
The Crown Prince smiled and shook his head, "No. High buildings are everywhere, but their construction is due to the diligent labor of the people. Without war, they can do what they wish!"
He lectured, "Wangye, you must remember, a realm with its people is truly a realm. It is for the peace of this realm that we exist."
The young Xiao Wangye, though only half-understanding then, now understood.
Those who wield power must not abuse it. In this regard, the Crown Prince had always set the best example.
That evening, His Majesty summoned Xiao Wangye to the palace. Ye Qingcheng could vaguely guess the reason. Thinking back, it seemed Xiao Wangye had never intentionally avoided her; he had told her many things.
Ye Qingcheng took this opportunity to visit Yu Jian.
Yu Jian had just finished the tonic the Princess Consort had picked for her and was still very confused. Why was the Princess Consort suddenly so kind to her? Was it a case of giving a whip and then a sweet date?
Yu Jian was still pondering when she saw the Princess Consort arrive. How to describe the current Princess Consort?
Previously, Ye Qingcheng had a timid demeanor when she looked at Yu Jian. Now, after only a few months, Ye Qingcheng walked with her back straight, dignified and graceful, completely unlike her former self. The Princess Consort's transformation was truly significant! She had now fully become a proper Princess Consort.
Ye Qingcheng entered Yu Jian's room and observed the simple furnishings. All the small trinkets she used to have were gone. At that time, she had asserted her authority, using the method of killing a chicken to warn the monkeys, letting the people below know their place and not to get carried away.
Looking at it now, it no longer looked like a woman's room.
"Is your health better?"
Yu Jian respectfully replied, "Reporting to the Princess Consort, I... your servant's body is no longer in great pain."
Ye Qingcheng nodded and reached out to feel her pulse. Her pulse was steady, indicating she had recovered well, though she was still a bit anemic. This would require continued nourishment to fully recover.
"Eat more sugar and fruit."
Yu Jian nodded, indicating she understood.
Leaving Yu Jian's quarters, Ye Qingcheng was filled with disbelief. Yu Jian's transformation was too great! She was so polite to her. Had she finally submitted?
In the middle of the night, Xiao Wangye put on a mask and a bamboo hat. Lin Xiao, also wearing a mask, escorted him out.
The two stopped at a restaurant.