无翼乌工口里番无色无摭挡

The Emperor didn’t bother with her, reaching out to take a piece of mooncake and eating it slowly while admiring the osmanthus tree in the courtyard, feeling quite content.

Jiang Ning grumbled, “This mooncake was made by me to worship Concubine Jin.”

The Emperor was surprised, “There are countless people in the world who are eager for me to eat their mooncakes, yet you are so stingy.”

“Concubine Jin is watching you from the heavens! She’s watching how you eat her mooncake and slander her favorite daughter-in-law!” Jiang Ning pointed at the sky with her little finger, angrily saying.

The Emperor stared blankly and then burst into laughter.

His hands shook with laughter.

The old eunuch couldn’t help but peek at them.

After laughing, the Emperor said, “It’s nice to have a daughter like you who know how to please people. If I had taken your mother back then, you would have been my daughter.”

Jiang Ning smiled, “Your Majesty, if my mother had married you, she might not have given birth to me.”

“That’s okay. Any daughter of Zizi’s would definitely be smart and lovely.”

“You’re just loving the house and its crow.”

“It’s a pity indeed. Thinking about it now, I have some regrets.”

“Don’t be, if you had taken my mother back then, there would be no Concubine Jin.”

The implication being, wasn’t it Concubine Jin that you truly loved?

She’s watching you from the heavens!

Think before you speak!

The Emperor looked up at the bright moon in the sky and said nothing for a long time.

Jiang Ning sat with him for a while, feeling a chill on her body, and glanced at the old eunuch nearby.

The old eunuch understood and immediately brought a thick coat.

Jiang Ning took it, personally draped it over the Emperor, and said, “Your Majesty, it’s cold outside, you should return to your sleeping quarters.”

The Emperor came back to his senses, “I will accompany her for a while longer.”

“Concubine Jin is already gone, you should mourn for her,” Jiang Ning said, in a rare comforting tone.

“I still can’t accept it,” the Emperor said, “I always feel like she’s still alive, lying there lazily listening to the opera, eating sunflower seeds, coldly ignoring me.”

“Has Concubine Jin always been like this since she entered the palace?” Jiang Ning asked.

“No.”

“What was she like before?”

“Lively, always smiling.”

“When did Concubine Jin stop smiling at you?”

“Since she gave birth to the Crown Prince.”

“The Crown Prince once said that Concubine Jin never liked him.”

“It’s not that she didn’t like the Crown Prince, it’s that she didn’t like me, so she didn’t like the child she had with me either.” The Emperor said with a bitter smile, “I knew all along that Concubine Jin didn’t love me.”

Jiang Ning was surprised, “Knowing that she didn’t love you, you still pampered her and treated her well all these years.”

You really are not easy.

She said this last sentence in her heart.

The Emperor slowly shook his head, “I always took her as a substitute for Zizi. I didn’t care whether she loved me or not.”

“So, all these years you have been pampering the imaginary Lin Zizi, not Concubine Jin.”

“Looking back, I owe Zhuzhu an apology.” The Emperor sighed.

Unfortunately, she’s gone now. No matter how much guilt and regret remains, it won’t change anything.

Under the moonlight, Jiang Ning noticed that the Emperor had aged, his face covered in wrinkles and looking quite old now.

He was a far cry from the strong and agile man who could eat a whole pot of rice in a single sitting with a cunning smile on his face just two years ago.

Love deceives people!

Even at an old age, one can’t escape.