The cold wind was blowing, and there was a gloom outside the gate.

Qing Ling pointed to the pass in front of him and said, "Once you enter the pass, it will be Northern Xia." ”

She looked back at Qi Qinyin and said, "After you go back, you don't have to go back to Your Majesty, you can do what you want to do." ”

Qi Qinyin was confused for a moment, thought for a moment, and asked, "Then can I do what I want to do now?"

"Of course. Qing Ling smiled slightly, "You are free now, you can do whatever you want." ”

"I want to go back to Nanchu, but I can't bear my son. Qi Qinyin wiped the tears that fell on his face, "Since he was born, I haven't hugged him, I haven't even looked at him." ”

Qing Ling looked at her and said solemnly: "If you want to go back, I won't stop you, but you have to think clearly, if you go back, you may not be able to come back." Mi Zi has already gone back, and it is impossible for him not to find out what we have done. ”

"I know. Qi Qinyin smiled faintly, "However, I want to make a break myself." ”

"It's decided?"

"It's decided!"

Qing Ling looked at the sky and sighed, and said, "I said I wouldn't stop you, you are now a free body, you can do whatever you want." ”

"Hmm. ”

Qi Qinyin nodded, then turned the horse's head and galloped away.

Qing Ling looked at her back and shook her head slightly.

Idiots, they're all idiots.

When Qi Qinyin returned to the Southern Chu Palace, Sun Pingling's funeral had just ended, and the white flags in the palace had been removed, but there was still a sense of desolation.

Qi Zi was handling government affairs in the study, and as compensation for Sun Pingling, he decided to make the eldest prince the crown prince, and prepared to promulgate it in the near future.

"Your Majesty, Concubine Qi is back!" Xiao Qi reported inside.

"Concubine Qi?" Qi Zi's eyes narrowed slightly, "Is she back intact?"

"Concubine Qi didn't have any damage. ”

"Let her go back and rest first, and I'll see her later." ”

"Yes. ”

After Mi Zi finished handling all the government affairs, he went to Concubine Qi's palace, and the night was already dark at this moment.

"I've seen Your Majesty. Qi Qinyin stood up and saluted.

Qi Zi took a closer look at the woman in front of her and asked, "Where have you been these days?"

"Concubine...... I went out of the palace and prepared to leave the palace. Qi Qinyin thought for a while and said.

"Because it's uncomfortable to stay in the palace?" Qi Zi raised her eyebrows, "In that case, why did you come back?"

Qi Qinyin got up, sat down, and said lightly: "The concubine is reluctant to have children. ”

"It is said that after he was born, you sent him to the queen without looking at him, why do you say that you are reluctant to him now?"

"It seems that Your Majesty has found out everything, and I don't plan to hide it from Your Majesty, I'm tired and feel bored. Qi Qinyin smiled, "I've been pretending not to know all these years, and I've been deceiving myself, but no matter what, in Your Majesty's eyes or heart, I'm just a stand-in, I've done enough as a stand-in, and I want to be myself!"

"This is the reason why you set up a plot to sow discord between the queen and the imperial concubine?" Qi Zi sneered, "What is your relationship with Beixia?"

"It doesn't matter, I just want to take revenge on Your Majesty for using me as a stand-in, every time Your Majesty looks at me, I feel that Your Majesty looks at another person, I feel like a tool, does Your Majesty understand this feeling?" Qi Qinyin smiled bitterly, "If the queen hadn't elected me to the palace, I wouldn't have lived such a lonely and unspoken life, so I just want revenge." ”

"Then what does this matter have to do with the imperial concubine, why do you want to deal with her?" Qi Zi's voice became more and more cold.

"I ...... The imperial concubine is a good person, she doesn't live with me, I can't stand with her. But the imperial concubine should thank me, if not, how could Your Majesty think that she is precious? Your Majesty, too, is just a mortal. Qi Qinyin said, "I have been accumulating these words in my heart for a long time, and now that I have said them, I am also happy." ”

She looked at Qi Zi's eyes frankly, and said with a slight smile: "Your Majesty, I am Qi Qinyin, not anyone's stand-in, this is the first time I have seen my own shadow in Your Majesty's eyes." ”

Qi Zi sat down, and the corners of his mouth hooked self-deprecatingly: "I didn't feel sorry for anyone before, but now I see, I have no one to stand up, the queen, the imperial concubine, and you, I have been disappointed." ”

Qi Qinyin knelt in front of Qi Zi and sniffed: "The concubine wants to see the child, and I beg Your Majesty to fulfill it." ”

"Since you know that I care about the imperial concubine in my heart, you killed her, how can you have the face to appear in front of me again?"

"It doesn't matter. Qi Qinyin quickly wiped her tears, "Anyway, I was mentally prepared when I came back, Your Majesty, if there will be another person around you who loves you wholeheartedly, you must catch him! ”

Qi Zi didn't say anything more, got up and left.

Qi Qinyin got up slowly, walked to the house, and found a swaddling cloth from the cabinet, this swaddling was made by her herself before the child was born, but unfortunately she didn't have a chance to put it on him.

After a while, I saw two palace people carrying a child inside.

Hearing the child's cry, Qi Qinyin stiffened, hurriedly turned around, and ran to the child, she excitedly gently hugged the child in her arms and gently kissed the child's forehead.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Your Majesty. Qi Qinyin muttered, "Child, my child, my mother is sorry for you, my mother will no longer be by your side in the future, you have to be good, obedient, you know?"

Perhaps it was the heart of the mother and the son, the child stopped crying in his mother's arms, and stared at his mother with a pair of big round eyes.

Qi Qinyin was ruthless, returned the child to the palace maid, and said, "Hold the little prince down." ”

"Yes. ”

Finally seeing her son, Qi Qinyin felt that she was also satisfied, she wiped her tears, a light smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, hung a white silk on the beam, and died calmly and calmly.

After a while, the news of Concubine Qi's self-hanging came back to Qi Zi's ears, he paused, and said: "She is the biological mother of the little prince, bury her well, and announce to the public that Concubine Qi died of illness." ”

"Yes. ”

At this time, the news of the war ahead also came.

Qian Lingyan was defeated, and was captured alive by Northern Xia, and the Western Wei suffered heavy casualties.

And Nan Chu retreated a day early, and the losses were not particularly serious, but they also hurt their vitality.

This time the battle with Northern Xia was still lost in the end.

Qi Zi calmly looked at the expected battle report, but when the news really came, he was still very unwilling in his heart, could it really be that he was in a hurry?

This time it was not only defeated by Northern Xia, but also the relationship between Southern Chu and Western Wei was also suspicious, and I am afraid that there will be no possibility of joining forces in the short term.

Bide.

Mi Zi wrote these four words on a piece of paper.

He was too hasty, and after this battle, the gap between Southern Chu and Northern Xia further widened, and he was afraid that he would not be able to catch up for several years. Nan Chu can no longer move blindly, and must wait until the most suitable time.

Qi Zi gritted his teeth tightly, he would endure it, and this account would have to be recovered sooner or later.

After sitting in the imperial study for a while, after it got dark outside, he only felt extremely cold.

In this huge palace, no one can speak.

He got up, but came to the palace where Sun Pingling was alive. Everything here was very familiar, he had been here countless times, but every time he seemed to come here because he had something that he didn't have an idea about, he came here to discuss with her.

She is always unhurried and busy with him analyzing the pros and cons, making him feel down-to-earth in his heart.

Sitting down on the stairs, Qi Zi looked up at the sky, the moon burrowed into the clouds, and the few sparse stars were bright.

He was in a state of confusion, what had he been pursuing all these years, and why was he so empty now?

Had he been doing it wrong all along?

At this time, a cry came, and Mi Zi followed the cry in confusion, only to see the eldest prince hiding in a small corner and crying.

"Why are you here?"

The eldest prince turned around and cried and called: "Father, I miss my mother." ”

"Come here. Mi Zi hugged the child in her arms, "Why are you hiding here and crying in the middle of the night?"

"Erchen is a boy, and boys can't shed tears, but Erchen can't help it, so Erchen is hiding here. The eldest prince cried and said, "Father, is the mother concubine never coming back, is the mother concubine dead?"

"Cry. Mi Zi hugged the child in his arms and said, "The boy is not ashamed to shed tears because he wants his mother, and his father is here! Your mother and concubine have indeed gone to heaven, but your mother is the one who is most at ease, so you must grow up well, you know? Don't let her worry." ”

"Hmm. The eldest prince wiped his tears, "Erchen understands, Erchen is obedient and doesn't let the mother worry about it." ”

"Do you want to be my crown prince?"

"What is the Prince?"

"The crown prince is the prince, the future emperor. ”

"Will the minister be as powerful as his father in the future?"

"You will be more powerful than your father. Mi Zi thought for a while and said, "My father is a failure, so it's good that you don't repeat the mistakes of the past." ”

"Does my father miss my mother?" asked the eldest prince, leaning his head on his father's shoulder.

Mi Zi was silent for a moment, then looked into the distance, and said leisurely: "Yes, I want to." ”