Chapter 1: Mother Consort

Majestic soldiers were stationed at the city walls, the morning sun was spreading across the sky, and the dull ancient bell was ringing. On the auspicious day, the enthronement ceremony of the new emperor was being held.

        With the solemn sound of the bell, the emperor, dressed in a black dragon robe with golden threads and auspicious clouds, with his luxurious robe trailing behind him, slowly ascended the high platform under the gaze of countless people.

        At the highest point, the emperor turned around and spread his hands wide, while the civil and military officials bowed their heads and kneeled in worship.

        "-- Long live my emperor!"

        Deafening voices resounded throughout the hall.

        Gazing at the kneeling of the civil and military officials, the new emperor Jing Yuan's heart was tumbling with various emotions. How many times had he survived death, and now, the world was really his.

The enthronement ceremony was finally nearing its end, and the little eunuch who had been following him was now promoted to chief steward, reminding him in a low voice about the next process. But Jing Yuan's mind had long been elsewhere, flying to the harem. He wanted to go to see his mother Consort Xiao, no, from now on she is the most noble and exalted status of the Empress Dowager.

        The emperor was born to a sinful concubine in the harem, and was the son the late emperor disliked the most among his many sons. If it was not for the concubine's loss of favor, he was afraid that he would have been killed in the harem concubines' schemes and tricks.

The original name of Former Emperor's Consort Xiao was Jiang Shi Ning, the youngest daughter of Jiang Zhen, the governor of South City. Since childhood, she was born with a slightly chubby face, cicada like eyebrows and a smile as beautiful as the beauty in the picture scroll. The late emperor took a glance at her, had her entered the palace at the age of 17, and was favored by the imperial family with every care. She was promoted to concubine within a few years. But unfortunately, the first time concubine Xiao got pregnant, she was framed by other concubines and missed the chance to be promoted.

        After that, concubine Xiao happened to meet the least favored seventh prince, Jing Yuan, who was only four years old at the time. She begged the emperor to give him to her to raise, which angered the late emperor to the point that he did not set foot in the concubine's palace for a year.

        Two years later, the concubine finally regained favor and gave birth to the ninth prince, Jing Xuan.

        Jing Yuan was worried that concubine Xiao would neglect him after giving birth to her own child, but concubine Xiao treated him as her own and raised him as her eldest son, never being biased and caring for him. Jing Xuan was still young, but Jing Yuan watched as concubine Xiao, who did not fight for anything, had to arm herself to be strong for the safety of her two sons. Jing Yuan knew that he was not the most loved by his father, so he could only rely on his status as son of his adoptive mother. While Concubine xiao gave up almost everything for his future, and in the end she finally raised both of them with ups and downs along the way.

Finally, a year before the late emperor's death, Concubine Xiao has been promoted all the way to Xiao Huang Guifei, and Jing Yuan had grown up. As if he was naturally destined for the imperial throne, step by step, finally made the ailing late emperor realize that his momentum was gone and had to make Jiang Yuan the crown prince. Jing Xuan, on the other hand had logically became the Prince and was one of the many brothers with the best ending and treatment.

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        Jing Yuan was counting the minutes as time passed by, this time the harem concubines should have finished worshipping the new Empress Dowager? He was thinking how proud his mother would be when he went to see her later. They had finally survived all the hardships and villainous schemes to become the real winners in the end.

        As soon as the ceremony was over, Jing Yuan ordered the eunuch to dress him quickly, he could not wait a moment.

        At this moment, Jing Yuan saw Su Ye aunt who served Xiao mother consort barged in with a pale expression, several guards failed to stop the woman who had gone a little crazy.

"Aunt Su Ye, what's wrong?" Jing Yuan frowned and let the others let her in, "But what does mother consort have ordered?"

        Aunt Su Ye knelt in front of Jing Yuan with sore legs.

        "Your Majesty, Your Majesty ......" she cried shrilly, "The Empress Dowager has passed away-!"

        A thunderbolt exploded violently in Jing Yuan's head, and the voices of the people around him instantly disappeared. His mind had gone blank and he rushed towards the harem palace.

        When he came to Jiang Shi Ning's Jing He Palace, he only saw rows and rows of crying and trembling palace maids and eunuchs kneeling from the main gate to the palace. When Jing Yuan came to the palace, he saw her lying on the bed in the Imperial Empress' luxurious robe, her skin still as tight and white as it was ten years ago, but those beautiful eyes that can take away one's soul could no longer be opened.

        "---Mother Consort!" The new emperor called out with grief.

        He knelt beside the couch, and the eunuchs who followed him hurriedly followed suit and fell on their knees. The emperor trembled and reached out his hand, holding Jiang Shi Nings's long and slender fingers, only to feel the coldness in his palm.

The emperor trembled, put his cheek against the back of Jiang Shi Ning's hand, and for a while actually lost his clarity and sanity because of the great shock and grief. It was only then that he was able to vaguely remind others that the new emperor, who was poisonous and bold, was actually still very young.

        The room full of eunuchs and palace maids knelt on the ground, they did not dare to break the atmosphere, and were scared to death. At that moment, another rush of footsteps came from the front hall, followed by the eunuch's persuasive voice.

        "Prince Cheng, don't do it..."

        Before the voice of the subordinate beside the emperor fell, Jing Xuan, dressed in the Prince's red robe, had already rushed in by lifting the curtain.

        "Mother Consort, Mother Consort!"

        Seemingly awakened by Jing Xuan's voice, Jing Yuan let go of Jiang Shi Ning's hand as he stood up, regaining his loftiness and calmness. The pair of eyes that were covered with sorrow and looked a bit foggy had returned to clarity, as if the person who was just sad at his mother's bedside was not him.

When Jing Xuan occupied the position in front of his mother and knelt by the bed, Jing Yuan put his hands behind his back, he slightly narrowed his eyes and slowly swept towards the people in the room with a mighty pressure.

        "Where are the people who are serving the Empress Dowager in close proximity?" He said grimly.

        The room trembled into a ball, just then, a guard rushed in, bent his knees and saluted, "Your Majesty, the servant just caught a suspicious person in the backyard, after this subordinates identified, this person is none other than the palace maid Qiu Kwai, who used to be beside the late emperor!"

        The emperor did not speak, the competent eunuch kneeling beside him has given a fierce look for the guards to bring people over. Not a moment later, a palace maid was torn from the door and thrown into the hall.