Hai Ling nodded. He was always so thoughtful and gentle in caring for her. Even if she forgot, he would remind her: "Even if I forgot, you would remind me. Ye is here for everything."
These words almost shattered all of Ye Lingfeng's pretense, but he knew he couldn't let Ling'er know that he was poisoned by the Ice Jade Cold Poison, so he tried his best to hold back, lowered his head and took a deep breath. When he looked up again, he had regained his previous expression.
"Sometimes I forget, so you have to take care of yourself."
"Yes, yes, don't worry."
Hai Ling nodded and smiled playfully at the person next to her. She was almost a mother herself, yet he still treated her like a child. If her son grew up, he would definitely laugh at her. But she felt so happy.
However, Hailing noticed that Ye Lingfeng had been taking care of her while she ate, and she herself didn't seem to have eaten much, so she quickly picked up some food and put it into Ye Lingfeng's bowl.
"Don't be so busy taking care of me, remember to eat too."
Ye Lingfeng suppressed the overwhelming despair in his heart and lowered his head to eat.
After the meal, the two went to wash up and then went to their bedroom to rest. Ye Lingfeng held Hai Ling in his arms and said softly, "Ling'er, I want to hear our son's voice."
Hai Ling nodded. Her belly was now very big, and when she lay on the bed, it looked like a round ball. Ye Lingfeng leaned down and gently listened to the movements of his son in Ling'er's belly, feeling the sounds of his little hands and feet moving around. A gentle smile appeared on his lips as he communicated with his son in his heart.
Son, when you grow up, you must protect your mother in place of your father and prevent anyone from harming her. What your father cannot do, you will take on.
Inside the palace, all was quiet. Hai Ling smiled at Ye Lingfeng, gesturing with concern that he should rest early, as there was court tomorrow.
Ye Lingfeng responded and lay down next to Hai Ling, gazing at her with his deep, dark blue eyes. The light reflected off the shimmering light in his eyes, making them look like beautiful gemstones. Hai Ling couldn't help but reach out and touch his face, then exclaimed, "Ye, your eyes are so beautiful. I wonder if our child will have eyes like yours."
"I wish my son's eyes were like yours."
Then she would never find any trace of him again. He would soon disappear from her life like a fleeting cloud. Now, just thinking about it makes him so painful that he can't breathe. But he has no choice. If God gave him a choice, he would not want the country, power, or wealth and glory. He would only wish to live a simple and happy life with her.
But even this small hope was denied him by God, so he had no choice.
"Night, what's wrong?"
Hai Ling's gaze seemed to convey an indescribable, deep sadness, a despair as if drowned by a tide. She had never seen him like this before, which made her instinctively afraid and panicked. However, Hai Ling's consciousness grew weaker and weaker because Ye Lingfeng had given her a harmless sleeping incense, which slowly made her fall asleep.
Once she fell asleep, Ye Lingfeng took out the Forgetfulness Pill and gently stroked it. After taking this pill, she and he would become strangers from then on. He was so afraid, so afraid that she would never remember him again. But compared to his death, he would rather she forget him than have her suffer the pain of the future. He didn't want her to die alone in the palace, or for his son to become a puppet in the palace from birth. He wanted the two of them to live happily, even if they were ordinary lives.
Thinking about it this way, he felt that he had no choice but to go forward, and he had no way out.
Thinking this, his eyes suddenly darkened, and he put the pill in his mouth and fed it to Hai Ling, pressing his tongue into her mouth until the pill slid in.
She remained asleep, while his face was deathly pale, the blood slowly draining from his skin, leaving him frighteningly pale. His eyes were fixed on her, then he lowered his head and kissed her face, eyebrows, eyes, nose, and mouth, speaking softly.
Ling'er, don't blame me. I can't be so selfish as to leave you alone in the palace until you grow old. Take good care of yourself from now on. If you meet someone you like, go with him and let him take good care of you and your child for me.
After he finished speaking, he couldn't bear to look at her anymore, so he suddenly jumped off the bed and rushed out.
Outside the palace gate stood several figures waiting for orders, including Shen Ruoxuan, Shi Mei, Shi Lan, and others.
"Take her away, and don't alert anyone."
"Yes," Shen Ruoxuan and the others responded. The three of them went inside and then helped Hailing leave from one side of the palace, where a luxurious four-wheeled carriage had already been prepared.
Outside the palace gate, a figure emerged from the shadows—it was none other than the current Empress Dowager, Lu Jinlan. She slowly spoke, "Son, why did you send Ling'er away?"
Consort Jinlan knew that something must have happened to her son, otherwise he would not have let her leave. What exactly happened?
Ye Lingfeng turned around and saw his mother standing there, tears welling in her eyes, looking at him with heartache. He could no longer hold back and rushed to her side, leaning against her shoulder, feeling her warmth: "I'm sorry, Mother, it's my fault, I'm afraid I can't fulfill my filial duty."
"What happened? What happened?"
Upon hearing Ye Lingfeng's words, Consort Jinlan cried out anxiously. Ye Lingfeng then told Consort Jinlan about being poisoned by the Ice Jade Cold Poison. He hadn't wanted his mother to know, but now he felt like he was going crazy. If he didn't tell someone, he would die, so he told his mother.
Upon hearing that her son had been poisoned with an incurable disease, Consort Jinlan trembled violently. Biting her lip, her face drained of color, she gripped Ye Lingfeng's hand tightly and spoke with unwavering resolve.
"At night, your mother will be with you, always with you."
Whether her son is three months old, three years old, or thirty years old, she will stay with him. She will not cry, she absolutely will not cry.
Empress Dowager Jinlan helped Ye Lingfeng into the palace and then made him lie down on the bed to rest: "Son, from now on, let your mother watch over you. When you are scared, you can talk to your mother. Talking about it will make you feel better."
"Yes, Mother."
Ye Lingfeng closed his eyes. He had been so tired lately, and now he deserved a good night's sleep. Holding his mother's hand, he truly relaxed and slowly fell asleep. Meanwhile, Empress Dowager Jinlan, who had been holding his hand without shedding a single tear, finally broke down in tears.
A deep sadness permeated the palace, and even the night seemed desolate.
A luxurious carriage smoothly set off for Medicine King Valley.
The carriage was spacious, and several people with solemn expressions sat inside.
Shen Ruoxuan called out to Shi Mei and Shi Lan earlier, saying that the Emperor had ordered them to take the Empress away. They didn't know what had happened until now. The two maids' faces were ashen, devoid of any color. It took a long time before Shi Mei spoke.
"Could it be that the Ice Jade Cold Poison is truly incurable?"
Shen Ruoxuan's heartache was no less than Shi Mei's, but he truly had no ability to cure the Ice Jade Cold Poison, so he was deeply distressed.
“You are also a doctor, so you should know as much about the jade toad as I do. This jade toad is extremely rare, and you tell me where we should look for an antidote.”
"That madman."
Shi Mei couldn't help but curse. She never expected that madwoman would actually poison her newborn master with the Ice Jade Cold Poison. She was truly despicable.
Shen Ruoxuan gazed at Hai Ling, who was sleeping peacefully on the soft couch inside the carriage. At this moment, she was serene, without a trace of pain, unaware of the earth-shattering events that had occurred around her. When she woke up, she would forget about Ye Lingfeng, so she would not be in pain.
This was also Ye Lingfeng's purpose; he didn't want her to suffer and live a lonely and helpless life in the palace.
"Master will wake up soon. Remember, from now on, you must forget everything about Ye Lingfeng. If she finds out, it will be troublesome. She is about to give birth, and if something goes wrong, it will be a tragedy for both her and her unborn child."