Sentenced to the Cold Palace

  A bright red silk dress, with a red silk hat on my head. I grasped the sword and pushed open the door with great effort. Outside the gate of Xunxiang Garden, a group of people knelt in a dense crowd. They knelt down, and actually cut off all the jasmine flowers I loved most in the garden! And they actually knelt among the broken jasmine clusters!

  As soon as I appeared, the crowd erupted. They shouted loudly, "The Dragon Queen has come out! The Dragon Queen has come out!"

  I smiled calmly and shouted loudly, "Everyone kneel down here, what's going on?"

  The leader of the group shouted loudly, "Before the Dragon Queen became pregnant with the dragon son and climbed to the top of the Divine Dragon Tower, she offended the divine wrath. Previously, due to the relationship between the dragon species, we agreed with the Dragon Emperor that after the Dragon Queen gave birth to the dragon species, we would come to ask for clarification. Who would have thought that three days ago, the Dragon Queen actually laid nine eggs! This is the punishment of the Golden Dragon God on the Divine Dragon Clan! Dragon Queen, you must take responsibility for this matter!"

  As soon as he finished speaking, the others followed with loud cries of surprise, saying that what he said was extremely true. I smiled bitterly and after a long time, whispered, "Is that so? After I climbed to the top of the Divine Dragon Peak, I pacified the Demonic Dragon Clan! Please ask yourselves, where did the disaster come from, where did the difficulty come from? Giving birth to nine eggs? How is it possible for humans to lay eggs?! If your wife gave birth to eggs, would you believe it?! So, I'll tell you, if such a situation were to occur, there's only one explanation - her children must have been taken away! The dragon son was taken away, and instead of helping to find him, you're here making accusations! Is the Jiang State really a country of etiquette? What are the standards of benevolence, righteousness, and morality in the Jiang State?!

  Their faces were not looking good, and suddenly, a loud roar burst out from the crowd. "The Dragon Queen said that nothing bad had ever happened before, so how can we explain why the Divine Dragon Island was burned to ashes by a great fire? Why did a tsunami occur in the sea, and the underground fire dragon erupted at the same time?"

  I laughed loudly and said, "What's strange about the natural phenomenon? The fire on Shenlong Island was set by me! It was for the war with Modulong Island! I had no choice but to do it! Do you know that if this fire hadn't been set, neither of us would be able to speak loudly here?! The ones who should be speaking here are the Dragon King and the Magic Dragon General!" I intentionally or unintentionally reminded them that I made great contributions in the battle to pacify the Magic Dragon Clan. If I were to hold onto the small details of the battle at this time, it would seem like I'm framing a meritorious official!

  The leader of the group said, "Longfei claims that her child was swapped with someone else's. Then who witnessed it?"

  "Who can prove that the dragon queen's words are not in vain? If this matter is true, then we will find the dragon son for the dragon queen. If this matter is not real, then how can we just let it go like this?"

  I laughed loudly! "It's really funny!" I said coldly.

  The people below suddenly boiled over. They pointed at my nose and said loudly, "What's so funny? How dare the Dragon Empress say this is funny? This matter concerns the future of Jiang Guo, how can it be called funny?"

  "It's really funny! I'm laughing, you're all helping the Demon Dragon King! If I were the Demon Dragon King, among the dragon tribe, if such a dragon queen appeared, I would definitely want to kill her! The most direct and effective way is to take away her newborn child! So, think about it, a woman who just gave birth to nine eggs will naturally become the most hated person in Jiang country! They would want to kill her quickly! How could she leave behind clues to tell everyone that this was her doing? In fact, I have no evidence! If I wanted to, I can make a hundred or a thousand palace maids and eunuchs witness that I gave birth to a child, not the nine eggs you heard about! As for the Golden Dragon God getting angry, it's true that the Golden Dragon God is angry, but it's because you people always forget to offer food sacrifices to it! It's so tired of coming to Jiang country!" I said with a hearty laugh.

  "Dragon Queen, this matter must not be spoken of recklessly!" Long Lao shouted loudly. "How could the Golden Dragon God be so greedy!"

  I snorted, "You're not the Golden Dragon God, how would you know he's not greedy! Do you know that because of your self-righteousness, the Golden Dragon God no longer wants to protect Jiang Country?! As a Jiang Country elder, I suppose you know about the situation when our founding emperor was saved by the Golden Dragon God back in the day? It's recorded that there was a dragon named Jin Zhengjin who rescued an orphan from the mouth of a white snake! Moreover, I'm sure most people don't know that it was actually two dragons that saved the emperor!"

  As soon as I spoke, everyone started whispering to each other. The elder dragons bowed their heads and discussed something in a low voice. Long Nü's face looked extremely unpleasant. After a while, he suppressed his voice and said in a low tone, "Stop it!"

  I gave him a faint glance and said softly, "What, Your Majesty thinks I'm talking nonsense?"

  He furrowed his brow and said in a low voice, "You and I know each other's hearts! The credibility of the Dragon God legend is yet to be discussed! Although the people of Jiang Guo are of the dragon clan, they have never seen a real divine dragon. Among them, how many truly believe that there really is a dragon god?"

  I snorted coldly, "Elders can check the classics to see if there are any clues! When I was on Shenlong Peak, I had a dream conversation with two dragon gods. They told me that Black Dragon contributed more at the time, but it wasn't recorded in the classics and didn't become a heroic deed! That means, Elders only need to check a few points in the classics: First, whether it was a pitch-black starless night on that day. Second, whether there were a pair of flashing lanterns beside the Red Gold Dragon's body!"

  The elder really took out the classics and slowly searched. After a long time, he said loudly, "Yes! Yes! It's really true! The Dragon Emperor once said that those flashing lanterns, sometimes near and sometimes far, looked like cow eyes from afar and lanterns up close, he originally thought it was the dragon's uniqueness of the Golden Dragon! But how could it be so!"

  I smiled calmly, "That's because the dragon was as black as ink! At night, hidden among the clouds, what the Dragon Emperor saw were naturally two lanterns! As for saying it was sometimes near and sometimes far, it was because of its battle with the Demon Dragon King!"

  "Could it be that it was actually like this? Just a legend of several thousand years, overturned by one sentence from Long Fei. How can we believe it! If not for seeing it with our own eyes, the divine dragon would just be a myth of Jiang Guo!" The leader said coldly.

  "Legend? You actually say it's a legend! Then, for the sake of my climbing to the top of the Divine Dragon Peak, why did you bring so many people here to interrogate me?! Do you want to drive me to death?! You will also say that you have never seen it personally! The people of the Divine Dragon Clan say that the Divine Dragon is just a legend! Dragon Anger River! Come over!" I said loudly.

  Long Nu furrowed his brow, but took a few steps forward. Yu's sword was raised and stabbed straight into his chest.

  The people below let out a collective shriek. I smiled coldly.

  His face was iron-green and motionless. After a long while, he said, "Have you proved enough?"

  Their eyes were all wide with wonder! "What's going on? What's going on?"

  I drew out the sword in my hand and laughed, "This is the secret of the Dragon King's clan! Under the protection of the Dragon King, their chests are impenetrable to swords and guns! Your king is a Dragon King who is impervious to swords and guns!" I declared loudly. As soon as I finished speaking, they raised their hands and followed me in shouting, "Long live our Emperor!"

  The way to mobilize the military's mind is the same as the way to mobilize people's minds. I was born with this kind of skill, although some people deliberately made it happen and decided that I would die in a public trial! However, everyone followed me and shouted slogans, which represented one thing - their hearts had already been convinced by me!

  The leader saw that things were not going well, and hastily said, "Is the Dragon Queen's child really switched? If so, why must this matter be spread to everyone?"

  I nodded loudly and said, "Well said! Why should this matter be made public? Why?! Listen to the person who kidnapped Longzi! No matter what your purpose is for kidnapping Longzi, I will not compromise! If Longzi suffers even a slight injury, I will make the Emperor use the power of the entire country to capture you and bring you to justice! Until death do us part!" After that, I drew my long sword from my waist and cut my wrist, letting the bright red blood drip into the roots of the Rongli flower. "I swear on the blood of Jiang Guo's Dragon Queen!"

  As soon as I finished speaking, all my strength seemed to be drained away! I couldn't move anymore! The sword tip pointed downwards, barely supporting my body, blood and sweat continuously flowing down!

  "Miss is bleeding! How detestable! You people, if Longfei has any fault, I swear on the name of the Dragon Hunter and the Son of God that I will abdicate!"

  "It can't be like this, even if it's a matter of the top of the divine dragon, it can't be settled so easily! If everyone ignores the law and order, and arbitrarily climbs to the top of the divine dragon, how will the Dragon Emperor govern the country? If it's because of the special status of the Dragon Empress that she can climb, then in Jiang Country, there are many people with special statuses! Should they all go to the top of the divine dragon to enjoy the view?" The old dragon stroked his beard and said sorrowfully, "Not to mention whether this time giving birth to nine eggs is a punishment from the dragon god, but Jiang Country's law and order cannot be violated! Even if it's the Dragon Empress who is pregnant with the dragon son!"

  I curl my lips, haha! He's absolutely right. If an emperor can't even do this, then he's not qualified to be one! Even in the military, if someone breaks the law, I'll treat them equally and give them the corresponding punishment! That's what they mean by "the law doesn't tolerate emotions"!

  Forcing myself to hold on, the corners of my lips had already begun to tremble. At this moment, I was like a defeated rooster, and in a low voice, I said, "So, Elder, what should we do?"

  "Enough! Since you have desecrated the Dragon God Tower, and given birth to this dragon son, then, as punishment, the Dragon Queen will sweep the Dragon God Tower for the rest of her life."

  "Not enough! The Emperor should execute the Dragon Empress on the spot. Only then can we shut the mouths of all those who are gossiping!" the leader shouted loudly.

  My lips curled up into a weak and pale smile, I stretched out my hand and whispered, "Guī Yuè! Come over and help me!"

  "Ghost Month responded promptly, taking a few swift steps forward. With both hands grasping mine, I whispered, 'Your Majesty the Dragon Emperor, this matter should be handled accordingly, just carry it out!'"

  His face turned iron-green, staring at me fixedly, "What are you talking about!"

  I turned my head and refused to look at him, resenting him, hating him!

  He fell silent for a moment, then said in a cold voice, "Enough! According to the law, even if Longfei were to die a hundred times, it would not be enough! However, everyone has also seen that she just quelled the rebellion of the Magic Dragon Clan and her merits are great! If there was no Longfei, all of you would probably already be dead souls under the knife of the Magic Dragon Clan! To offset her crimes with her merits, then," his voice paused, his eyes fixed on me, "she will be imprisoned in the Cold Palace for life and sweep the Divine Dragon Tower!" His voice was cold as the ice in hell.

  Although I knew this was already the best outcome, I still heard a cracking sound in my chest! Shattered! Shattered! What's shattered is my heart! Being imprisoned in the Cold Palace means I'll never see him again for the rest of my life!

  I slowly took off the bright red veil, having just given birth. Although I was weak and pale, I showed a pitiful look, my eyes slightly closed, gazing at him calmly, and slightly bowed my head, "Yes, Your Majesty, Dragon Emperor!"

  She said, then held her head high and walked into the house with a smile! Bang! When the door panel separated their gazes, tears fell down! Cold palace! Haha!

  Ice Land! Ice Land, is this what you said? You've exchanged my child and designed to imprison me in the Cold Palace! What will you do next? If it were me, this would still not be enough! Ice Land! How could you take away my child!

  The weakness of production, coupled with the recent war, almost made me unable to stand upright. With a strong effort to prop myself up, I coldly said, "Xiaoyu! Don't hide! Come out!"

  Xiao Yu trembled and slowly crawled out of the closet. I gave her a cold glance, "What were you doing in the closet just now?"

  She just trembled silently.

  I took a few quick steps and sat down on the bed, my tone unusually soft as I asked, "Xiao Yu, tell me, is it a boy or a girl?"

  She was taken aback, speaking softly and tremblingly, "Your Ladyship! Xiaoyu doesn't understand what you're saying!"

  I gritted my teeth, "I'm asking you, is it a boy or a girl that I've given birth to! Xiaoyu, just grant me this one wish, okay? Tell me and I won't look for it anymore! You tell me, is it a boy or a girl?! All I want... I choked back tears, "All I want to know is if the child is alive or dead!"

  Xiaoyu's tears fell immediately, shaking her head hard, "Mother, don't ask me! Sorry, Mother!"

  I knelt down from the bed, hastily and softly said, "Xiaoyu! I just want to know, is it a boy or a girl? Is it alive or dead? That's all!" At this moment, I was no longer the formidable general who made enemies tremble with fear, but merely a mother who had lost her child. A weak and helpless mother, that's all!

  She knelt down on the ground, saying in a low voice, "Sorry! Your Majesty! Sorry! Your Majesty! I...I!" When she said this, she suddenly stood up and before I realized what was happening, she had fallen into a pool of blood! She had taken her own life!

  My heart is extremely cold, I loudly scream, "Why must you die! Just asking if you are male or female, alive or dead! Why do you want to die! Why!"

  Yu stood up, opened the closet where she had just been, and saw a piece of paper inside. Clearly written on it was: "Ye Hanmei, this is just the beginning! Enjoy yourself well! Don't think about forcing Xiaoyu, I've given her a hint, as long as you want to say it out loud, she'll go find death herself! So, Ye Hanmei, if she really dies, then it's all because of you!"

  It was really her! The trembling hand slowly loosened. The paper in his hand floated to the ground. Upon careful consideration, all things were actually arranged by her. The Dragon God tribe laid nine eggs, which easily made people think of the Nine Sons of the Dragon God.

  However, secretly, she exchanged the child!

  Iceland, abandoned the Magic Dragon Palace, not because they lost the war, but because they transformed from light to darkness! The war between the Magic Dragon Clan and the Divine Dragon Clan is still ongoing! However, those Magic Dragon Clan members have now entered the Mortal Realm, blending in with the territory of Jiang Country, and even this imperial palace! From now on, the war will be even more difficult to fight!

  War is called war because there are clear enemies, but now the enemy knows you're an enemy, while you don't know he's an enemy. In this kind of war, no matter how you fight, it's a losing battle!

  Haha! Hahaha! I thought I won, but it turns out I lost! Mo Long Bing Lan! Perhaps now she's been beaten to the point of being scattered and disorganized, but in the not-too-distant future, she'll return to people's sights. At that time, all the original Mo Dragon Clan's deployments will respond to her call, or perhaps they can really overthrow the Jiang Country!

  If it were usual times, I would certainly offer advice to Long Nuoya on how to prevent troubles before they arise. However, from today onwards, since he decided to imprison me in the Cold Palace, I am no longer myself! What does the country's affairs have to do with a woman imprisoned in the Cold Palace like me? A fallen-out-of-favor woman, waiting for death in the Cold Palace, how can she still have the energy to worry about state affairs?! Previously, I was still thinking of Long Er, but now he has been taken away! I didn't even get to see him once before he was taken away!

  Because I was taken away as soon as I was born, it feels like I was snatched from my mother's womb! It's more like a piece of flesh was brutally cut off from me!

  This pain is unforgettable for eternity!

  Outside the door, there was a knock, and a soft voice of the palace maid whispered, "Your Highness, the Emperor has already given orders that you cannot stay in Xunxiang Garden anymore! Please move to Lengxiang Garden!"

  Leng Xiang Yuan? Why not Leng Gong? Leng Xiang! Haha! Even if it's fragrance, is it also cold?

  I slowly raised my head and said in a low voice, "Please report back to His Majesty that Hanmei will go there herself!"

  It was not long ago that I moved into Xiangyuan, he planted a garden of jasmine flowers because I liked them. At that time, I had the dragon's seed in my belly, and his pearl! Now, the dragon's seed is lost, the pearl has been returned to him, and I have been beaten into the cold palace by him!

  I'm smiling faintly, it's time to leave, isn't it? Today I entered the Cold Palace, and I'll leave then! Yuelan probably doesn't know about my agreement with Long Nuyue. After giving birth to the child, I can leave!

  I drag my heavy footsteps and slowly move on. Leaving Xunxiangyuan where I have only lived for two months!

  Because of the production, and because of the recent blow, I almost fell to the ground. As soon as I arrived at Cold Fragrance Garden, I collapsed, although it was already early summer, I was shivering with cold. Layer upon layer of quilts were covered over me, cool handkerchiefs gently wiping away my sweat. Softly speaking in my ear.

  I still stubbornly refused to wake up, the man's low sighs echoed in my ears. In my dream, I was calling out for my child. Child! Where are you? For some reason, I always felt that my child wasn't dead!

  Yu's sudden wake-up, looking around, oh! This is no longer the elegant Xunxiang Garden, but a dilapidated Lengxiang Garden. The houses here have clearly not been repaired for a long time, and it seems that no one has lived here for a long time, just simply swept clean. On the beam above the roof, there was even a three-foot white silk! That's what women use to hang themselves!

  "This three-foot white silk is what the Morning Star Princess used to hang herself when she was previously imprisoned in the Cold Palace!" A palace maid dressed in a light blue uniform said quietly.

  "Is that so? Chen Xing? Wasn't she the woman who was pregnant with the dragon son before? The Dragon Emperor has been searching for her everywhere, and it turns out she's just in the Cold Palace?" I furrowed my brow. I remember her, when I first arrived at the Cold Fragrance Garden, the palace maid told me that she was a veteran palace maid of the Cold Palace, named Dan Ju. She looked very gentle, although she was already nearly forty, but still looked very comfortable! It seems that back then, she was also a beauty who made people's hearts skip a beat.

  The gentle smile of the empress, "Your Majesty has just entered the palace and probably doesn't know how big this imperial palace is!"

  If only she had the heart, she could have just been imprisoned in the Cold Palace and the Emperor would not have found her for the rest of his life! The Empress Dowager merely employed a small trick to trap Chenxing Niangniang here until her death, and no one in the palace knew about it!" Her words were filled with too much helplessness.

  I curled up the corners of my lips. I said calmly, "Here, the emperors would never come over, right?"

  She smiled, "Empress, you're joking! Since it's the Cold Palace, according to ancestral rules, the Emperor cannot come here! The reason why it's called the Cold Palace is because the concubines are not favored, can't be helped, Empress, yesterday was your last meeting with the Emperor!"

  I gritted my teeth and smiled bitterly. Ah! With so many things piling up, I didn't have time to think about that much! Now that I've calmed down, the pain of losing a child surged forth like a tidal wave. Yu spat out a mouthful of blood. I whispered, "Then why did you try to take your own life?"

  Daiyu was silent for a moment, her eyes gazing past me into the distance, and she whispered, "It's probably just too lonely! Lonely to the point of driving one mad!"

  "No!" I smiled wryly, wiping away the blood from my lips. "The princess absolutely didn't die of loneliness! She just missed Little Dragon too much!" As soon as I finished speaking, tears streamed down my face.

  "Your Ladyship! Your Ladyship! You're still in confinement after childbirth, how can you cry like this? If you keep it up, you'll end up with a case of 'weeping at the slightest breeze'!"

  She didn't say anything, the more she spoke, the more I felt wronged, and tears accumulated. "During confinement, you can't catch a cold, during confinement, you can't get hurt, during confinement, you can't be sad. When others are sitting in confinement, they are treated like precious jade, but what about me? I'm just a deserted palace's queen, what can I expect from those people?"

  She also followed with a low sob, softly comforting. "Your Ladyship! No matter what, I will get some hot food for you! This woman who is sitting in the month, how can she not eat some hot food!"

  Because of giving birth, I unexpectedly became fragile. Leaning against the headboard, I stared blankly and shed tears. My hand unconsciously caressed my belly. My child had lived there for ten months. At first, I hated him and was annoyed by him, hating that he couldn't be killed, even going so far as to vow that once the child was born, I would kill him! But instead, he protected me time and again!

  I regret it! I take back my words! Even if it's difficult, even if it's bitter, even if it costs me my life! I absolutely cannot make a poisonous vow against him! Only when I truly lose him do I realize his preciousness!

  "Child! Mother wants to take you away, but mother is useless and can't protect you! Pain!"

  I clutched at my heart, gasping for breath, thinking of the child suffering, and my heart was in such agony that I couldn't help myself!

  "Your Ladyship! Have some hot millet porridge! You've just given birth, you can't eat anything too salty!" Danju said softly and gently.

  I sniffed my nose and took over the thin rice porridge that could reflect a person's face, and swallowed it in one breath. Tears, however, fell from the corners of my eyes!

  "Your Highness, since you've entered the Cold Palace, don't torture yourself! Women in the Cold Palace can only live a happy life by cutting off emotions and abandoning love. They can only find their own happiness. Your Highness, let Danju help you, okay?" She said softly and sincerely.

  I remained silent for a while before softly asking, "Tan Ju! Why are you so good to me?"

  She lowered her head, and after a long while, she said, "Because Your Ladyship is the only woman to have come from the Cold Palace in all these years! Since the death of Morning Star, I've been alone in this cold palace! It's truly too lonely!"

  The woman from the cold palace! Haha! So it was you! So it was you! "Forget it, Danju! I'm sleepy!"

  It's just that I'm about to leave, and she still has to stay here alone! A place like this is even more desolate than being accompanied by the ancient Buddha's lanterns. If one were really locked up in a place like this, it's no wonder Morning Star would seek death!

  It would be better to die than to live in this cold and desolate palace.

  "I won't be stuck in this cold palace forever!" I said firmly.

  Her face stiffened, and she said in a low, urgent voice, "What is it, Your Highness?"

  I couldn't help but smile faintly, "The Cold Palace is an impassable threshold for you all, but to me, it's just a wall! Whether it's cold or not has nothing to do with me! The imperial palace of Long Nu Jia can't hold me captive!"

  She didn't say anything, just quietly hung her head.

  "Ah!" The door was pushed open, and Long Nuyue, dressed in a black night-traveling outfit, stood outside. In his hand, he was awkwardly holding a three-tiered food box.

  When she saw him, Danju was visibly stunned and retreated backwards with her head lowered.

  I gave him a calm glance and said in a low voice, "What are you doing here? The Emperor cannot enter the Cold Palace!"

  He pulled up the corners of his lips and walked over, putting the food box on the table. "You're in confinement! You can't not eat something good!"

  Is he so kind? I frowned, staring at him coldly. "Your Majesty wants to see if Hanmei is really dead? Sorry to disappoint Your Majesty!"

  His face changed, his forehead throbbed with anger, and after a long while, he said in a low voice, "I don't want to argue with you! I will do my best to find the child! As soon as I find the child, I'll find an excuse to let you out!"

  I smiled coldly and whispered after a while, "The emperor's memory is really bad! He had clearly promised Hanmei that as long as she gave birth to the dragon son, he would let her go. But the emperor went back on his word!"

  His face turned slightly pale, and he furrowed his brow. After a while, he said in a low voice, "Are you leaving?"

  A firm nod, "I'm leaving! Just as agreed!"

  He curled his lips and bitterly smiled, "Once you enter the Cold Palace, you'll never be able to leave!"