Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
At this moment, Ling Zhiyuan's mindset was utterly humble.
Over the past decade, in the eyes of others, he had been so high and mighty, so invincible. Many people envied his elevated position!
Yet every night, when the world fell silent, a sense of emptiness and loneliness would often inexplicably wash over his soul, leaving him in deep anguish.
Where did this suffering come from? Naturally, it stemmed from the cycle of cause and effect.
While others peacefully drifted into sweet dreams every night, he would repeatedly awaken from one nightmare after another.
Ling Zhiyuan could not forget the horrific efforts and bloodshed he had endured to attain this Supreme Position. In the end, he had obtained the Nation and the beautiful woman at any cost.
But what was the result?
Now, as he approached old age, both his body and spirit were gradually declining, and the Nation seemed on the verge of instability; the woman he loved most was so close yet so distant. Her feelings for him had long since felt like they were separated by countless mountains and seas.
All those past beauties no longer existed. Where was the beauty he once thought it to be? Where was the life he truly desired?
The current confusion and melancholy often left him trapped in endless pain and boundless guilt.
Sometimes he would think: if time could be rewound, he would rather choose to take his beloved woman, Miao'er, who was now by his side, and escape to a distant land together, retreating into the mountains.
Even if it meant living as a woodcutter, at least he and she might lead a carefree and happy life without regrets!
Soon, Ling Zhiyuan entered into memories of the past—
He had clearly known Miao'er before his Third Prince, Ling Jianyu. He had fallen in love with Miao'er first and even secretly promised each other a lifetime together.
However, in the court, his supreme father, the Emperor, favored and doted exclusively on the Third Prince, while his mother, Consort X, was constantly oppressed and bullied by the Third Prince's mother, Consort De.
Until his mother, Consort X, eventually fell into depression and passed away without receiving even a final glance of affection from the Emperor.
At the time of her passing, only he and his wet nurse were by her side. The last moments of his mother's life were so desolate and tragic—
Later, the Emperor, recalling his youth, adopted him under the name of the Third Prince's mother, but heaven did not show him any mercy.
Consort De presented two faces—one of apparent affection in public while privately making things difficult for him with extreme cruelty. She even secretly wished to eliminate him quietly.
At a young age, he endured the disdain and coldness from those ambitious individuals in the palace. He chose to silently bear all of it.
To survive, he pretended to be foolish and thus endured day by day—
Finally reaching adulthood, no matter how he tried to win over his father, the Emperor still favored his precious Third Prince, Ling Jianyu.
Indeed! His third brother was still good to him; whenever he noticed that their mother intended to make things difficult for their second brother, he would always rush forward to protect and defend him.
After all, blood is thicker than water! However, this kindness had become a great irony and mockery in Ling Zhiyuan's eyes.
He—could not appreciate it; jealousy and hatred surged within him at times and grew increasingly intense!
Thus, one day when he learned that his third brother had secretly fallen in love with his woman, Miao'er, a bold scheme quickly formed in his mind.
To force his third brother to choose between the Nation and the beauty, he personally approached his romantic third brother Ling Jianyu for negotiations.
In the end, the romantic brother who loved the Nation more than anything chose to protect his beloved Miao'er!
Of course, by this point in the story, everyone should understand and realize that this beauty is none other than Miao'er, the mother of Ling Yuxuan.
Ling Zhiyuan smoothly handed over his woman to his Third Prince. However, he forgot that what he was giving away was not just a Nation and a beauty, but Miao'er's lifelong hatred for him!
On the day of Miao'er's wedding to his third brother Ling Jianyu, Miao'er had her personal maid secretly inform him of something that would shock Ling Zhiyuan to his core: she was already carrying his child.
Not only that, but she also conveyed to Ling Zhiyuan that she would never allow him to recognize their child in this lifetime.
When Ling Zhiyuan learned of this monumental decision and secret, he nearly broke down.
It was only that night, after waking up from drinking, that he suddenly realized he could never forget this woman; he could not erase the marks of their past love imprinted in his heart; and of course, there was also the concern for their child.
He should have been there to accompany her and their child!
Thinking of this, he made a one-sided decision that night: he must seize the most noble position. As long as he ascended to the throne, he would reclaim the woman who rightfully belonged to him and their child.
Next, he worked tirelessly with his team of advisors who had pledged allegiance to him, beginning to put into action all the plans he had meticulously devised, clearing away all 'obstacles' and 'stumbling blocks' one by one.
However, just as he was swiftly clearing away other 'obstacles' and 'stumbling blocks', his own Emperor Father remained unchanged in his intentions.
He even began to harbor many doubts about himself—
Once the bow is drawn, there is no turning back! Therefore, what he most wanted to eliminate next was his Emperor Father, who had never truly cared for him or shown even a shred of affection.
As the saying goes, "No man is a true man without poison." To eliminate his Emperor Father, he needed more patience than ever before and to put in more effort; most importantly, he had to remain unrecognizable!
After a long period of meticulous planning, Ling Zhiyuan bribed the close eunuchs and guards of the Emperor Father. He then instructed those eunuchs to secretly add a little bit each day of a slow-acting poison with no antidote into the Emperor Father's food.
Soon after, with Ling Zhiyuan's elder brother, the then Crown Prince, volunteering to go to battle and unexpectedly sacrificing himself for the country.
Third Prince Ling Jianyu, due to a prior agreement with his second brother Ling Zhiyuan, often traveled with his wife and children across various countries, showing little interest in taking on or managing state affairs.
Naturally, the heavy responsibility of assisting the long-ill Emperor Father in handling state matters fell upon Second Prince Ling Zhiyuan. This was actually the outcome he had long been coveting.
Years passed, and when Ling Yuxuan turned eight, after enduring a long wait, Ling Zhiyuan finally welcomed the spring he had desired.
Not long after, when the Emperor Father succumbed to his illness, Ling Zhiyuan quickly led those officials who had already submitted to him to seize control of the imperial power and all items that could verify that identity, including the Imperial Seal, and successfully ascended the throne.
Then came the scene where he forcefully used the late emperor's decree to summon Consort Three into the palace.
As Consort Three, also known as Miao'er, entered the palace, Ling Zhiyuan selfishly expressed his thoughts and feelings, hoping she would stay by his side and rekindle their past relationship.
At the same time, he sent people to find Three Princes and pressured him to write a divorce letter.
Little did he know that after years of living under one roof with the gentle and considerate Three Princes Ling Jianyu, Miao'er had developed genuine feelings for him.
Moreover, many women at that time held the belief of not serving two husbands.
When Miao'er learned that Ling Zhiyuan was forcing Ling Jianyu to write a divorce letter, in order to protect her and Ling Jianyu's reputation, she resolutely chose to crash into the palace's dragon pillar to demonstrate her determination and resolve.
Fortunately, due to timely rescue from Ling Zhiyuan and others, Miao'er did not die. However, from that moment on, she could no longer see her husband or her son Ling Yuxuan.
Unbeknownst to her, ten years later, not far from this Imperial Palace Courtyard, her son, who had been thinking of her for a whole decade, returned to the capital after being away for ten years for the woman he loved.
Meanwhile, Ziyan was sweetly cuddling with Ling Yuxuan in his room.
Downstairs, business was exceptionally booming. The Clerk and Shopkeeper among others, with around forty to fifty people, were all busy to the point of sweating profusely and unable to take a break.
The capital city had a large population, and this was evident at the moment. It wasn't even mealtime yet, but the space of about a thousand square feet was packed with people coming to sample the food.
Ziyan felt a bit overwhelmed; if business continued like this, she could consider opening another branch in the capital immediately.
However, she knew she couldn't make that decision right now. She had to wait until the business stabilized before assessing the situation.
If business remained this good, then it would be necessary to open another location. But if this place could handle the demand, there would be no need to consider opening another branch in the capital.
After all, this was ancient times. Compared to the population of the capital in the Twenty-First World, it was like a small fish encountering a big fish, or an ant meeting a hippopotamus.
When evening came and the shop closed for the day, Ziyan appeared promptly in the lobby on the first floor.
You might wonder why she was there. Naturally, it was to gather all the staff for a small summary meeting!
This place was not Hengfeng County Town, and many of the staff were from Xiang Wang Lingfeng. She didn't know much about their abilities and character.
So Ziyan planned for this summary meeting to have each person take turns talking and sharing. She would patiently observe them in detail, which would help her understand their personalities and some of their minor skills clearly.
Even if she needed to choose a new manager from this group in the future, she wouldn't be caught off guard or make mistakes in haste.
Comment 0 Comment Count