Chapter 4 — Thousand Tribulations Without Return

At that time, he had never had a hand in preparing things for the child. Everything is taken care of by me alone. As for naming, he was so clear-minded that he read all the ancient books of Thirty-Six Heavens, asked all the great Confucians of heaven, spent thirty-six days without sleep, just to pray for the best name for my child and him. When that name was decided, he did not delay even a moment, personally engraved it on To Bi Thien Emperor, using heaven and earth as witness, declaring that from now on it would not be changed. I used to think that the name engraved on the stone stele was synonymous with the only love he had for me. But I didn't expect... all that enthusiasm... was not for my child. I used to think that Canh Hac was just once infatuated with Mong Ly. But at this moment, I finally understood - He wasn't just infatuated. He wants... in this life, to put all the divine power, bloodline, future... in her hands. I never thought... it turns out that from beginning to end, Canh Hac never intended to have a child with me. The fairy presented a tray of rare spiritual fruits, each fruit was as bright as a pearl, each fruit was worth thousands of taels of gold. However, that sweet scent... cannot hide the bitter taste on the tip of our tongue, nor can it dispel the sadness that is overflowing in our hearts. My hand trembled, I swept it down hard on the table, the spirit fruit scattered on the jade floor, my tears burst, I couldn't hold back, I burst into tears. Cung Nga was frightened and was about to run to call Canh Hac, when from outside the palace, a graceful figure leisurely walked in. Mong Ly. She bent down, picked up a spirit fruit, her fingertips caressed the transparent shell like lapis lazuli, her lips curled slightly, her smile was soft, her voice was as light as the wind: "Your Majesty... just now... did you hear everything clearly?" I held back my tears, tried to suppress every inch of trembling in my chest, my voice was low, cold as ice: "You... don't have to come here... brag in front of me." However, Mong Ly seemed not to hear, a vague smile at the corner of her lips, her voice was flexible, soft as silk but filled with daggers: "Why do you say that? I... have always considered you as my own sister." She bowed her head slightly, holding the spirit fruit in her hand, her voice was as light as the spring breeze blowing through the willow leaves, but each word... fell like thunder in the sky: "Do you know, Your Majesty... the first time for me and the Emperor, was the night of our wedding ceremony... right next to the palace." I was stunned, my heart skipped a beat. Fragments of memories are like broken ice in my head. That wedding night... I slept straight until dawn. When I woke up, I saw Canh Hac extremely tired. At that time, I still loved him tenderly, thinking it was because the wedding was too tiring, not knowing... that night, his bride... wasn't just me. Mong Ly saw me trembling, her hand on her chest, her face pale, the corners of her lips curled up, her extravagant smile deepened: "Sister, I thought... you already knew. Anyway, my sedative powder... is not enough risk every time." She tilted her head, her eyes sparkled with a mischievous and provocative look: "Just now in the car, the Emperor... why was he so skilled? It was just because... every day with the Emperor, we were always together." Her voice became lower and lower, soft as silk, but each word... like a sharp blade cutting broke my heart: "The Emperor is afraid... if the child is born at the wrong time, others will be suspicious, so every time he is with the Emperor, he always... returns to me immediately afterwards." Her lips curled slightly, smiling like an orchid blooming in the night: "Unfortunately, my body is weak and has never developed a fetus. Otherwise... the Emperor would have had a child by now." She glanced at the empty jade tray, her smile deepened: "Pitiful, all the elixirs and fertility treasures that the Emperor prepared for the Emperor... I... have all been used." Every word she said was like a thousand swords stabbed into her heart, spinning over and over, crushing every piece of her soul. My whole body shook, like a dry leaf standing in front of a storm, my breath was stuck in my throat, I couldn't stand still. I laughed softly, my voice choked with bitterness, my eyes covered with a layer of ash and darkness: "So... what do you want?" She has blatantly come all the way here, using every word to break my heart, clearly wanting to take over this throne. Canh Hac is fine, Emperor Concubine's position is also the same, to me... they are all meaningless. But Mong Ly did not answer. She just smiled slightly, her fingers twirling the spirit fruit, her eyes curved like the new moon, her voice soft and seductive: "Your Highness... do you... want a child?" This is the opening step for the Tru Tien Dai incident, the moment Mong Ly started setting traps, pushing the female lead to the end. Not long after Mong Ly left, Canh Hac returned. Between his eyelashes, the corners of his eyes were filled with joy that could not be hidden. We know the reason. Because just now... it was Mong Ly who told me - she had diagnosed the fetal pulse. Seeing that the wound on my hand had not yet healed, his eyes were filled with pity, as if he wanted to melt his soul: "Lac Quan... why hasn't he bandaged the wound yet?" As he finished speaking, he was like a self-reproachful person, he waved his hand, pulled out his sword, coldly slashed his hand twice, fresh blood immediately flowed out like a stream, falling to the ground in heavy drops. “It's my fault… I couldn't protect you… you got hurt, I… deserve to be punished!” I looked at the deep wound on his hand, thick with red blood like a mandarin flower, several times heavier than my scratch. My chest was tight, I could only breathe out a slight tremor: "Don't be like that... it's not your fault." I raised my head and smiled faintly: "If you want to blame... you should punish that little fairy." But Canh Hac - the person who once dared to destroy an entire palace because of just one blasphemous word against me, at this moment hesitated, pursed his lips, his voice was as low as the wind: "It's... it's because I'm not strict with my subordinates." Seeing that he was deliberately avoiding the topic, I didn't argue further. He seemed to have something to say, but he kept hesitating, so I curled my lips slightly and gently opened the way for him: "In the next few months, I want to travel with a few of my sisters to the world, I'm afraid I'll have to leave you alone in the palace." Hearing that, his eyes lit up, his expression seemed to be relieved of a serious crime, the corners of his lips curled up, his voice was as light as a spring breeze, mixed with a bit of haste: "You... you should also go out and relax, don't need to worry about things in the palace. At that time... let me prepare your luggage, how long you want to go... just go." Looking at his relieved face, the corner of my lips suddenly curved up, a thin but bitter smile. It's not that he cares about me. He just wanted... to have an excuse to stay with Mong Ly... to nourish his fetal veins. The day he sent me out, Canh Hac personally gave me all kinds of sacred items, carefully instructing each item, each sentence and each word was passionate: "You don't know... when I don't see you, how much I will miss you." He bent down, touched my forehead, his voice was so gentle that it moved people's hearts: "As long as Lac Quan is happy, as long as you smile, I will feel at ease. You should rest, relax your mind... who knows, when we return, we will have a child." I nodded, gently tilted my face, avoiding the kiss he gently placed. Waiting for me to step onto the shelf, Canh Hac's eyes followed every step, but as soon as the car's shadow completely disappeared, he immediately turned his back, hastily spurred the spirit beast, heading straight towards Bong Lai Son. If he would only look back once... he would see... the vehicle I was sitting on was not going towards Bong Lai, but was moving towards Tru Tien Dai. But he... will never know. By the time Canh Hac discovered something was wrong, it was already three months later. He suddenly realized... His Imperial Concubine had been out for so long, yet not a single letter had come back. In that moment, he was startled and let go, pushed Mong Ly who was carrying a big belly out of his arms, walked out of the fragrant palace, looking panicked, hurriedly ran straight to my palace. However, after searching the entire heavenly palace and asking all four palaces and eight palaces, no one still knew where his Imperial Concubine had gone. A trace of insecurity arose in his heart, like a poisonous snake slowly squeezing his heart. Canh Hac tried his best to suppress it, strode into Tu Menh Palace, and ordered the Thien Co Searching Mirror to be opened.