Ultimate Series, Past Lives Revealed

74: Consort Rou committed suicide[After recovering her memories, Consort Rou’s heart was filled with a pain as if it were being torn apart.]

[Prince Mo’s resolute abandonment of their relationship became the final straw that crushed her, instantly plunging her into a long and dark abyss of collapse.]

[Emperor knew full well how fragile Consort Rou’s state of mind was at this moment, fearing that if she couldn’t find a way out, she would take her own life.]

[Thus, he tried every possible way to distract Consort Rou. Every time, he would send the First Prince to her side for her to personally look after; or he would entangle her all day long until she was exhausted and had no energy left for wild thoughts.]

[Time passed like a white horse galloping past a crevice, and the heavenly screen flashed by. In an instant, the First Prince had reached adulthood, and the Second Prince was also gradually growing up.]

[However, the matter mentioned previously regarding the Adoption of the Second Prince to Prince Mo had never received a response.]

[Consort Rou was also disheartened by this matter; she truly did not wish to act this way because, in her heart, such a course of action was undoubtedly a great insult to Prince Mo.]

[On this day, Consort Rou seemed to have made a certain decision and deliberately sent away everyone around her.]

[Afterward, she walked slowly into the study alone, gently spread out a sheet of paper, lifted her brush, and began to write two letters—a Suicide Note and a confession.]

[The general meaning expressed in that Suicide Note was as follows: she found that she simply could not forget Prince Mo. Now that the First Prince and Second Prince had both grown to adulthood, she no longer had any worries for the future. Therefore, she decided to prematurely end her life full of pain and helplessness, hoping to continue that unfinished fate with Prince Mo in the next life.]

[As for that confession, it was an act of Consort Rou confessing her sins to the Emperor.]

[She knew very well in her heart that choosing to take one’s own life as a consort of the palace was a serious crime, but all of this was her personal will and had nothing to do with others.]

[Therefore, she implored the Emperor, for the sake of the affection from her having borne him the First Prince and Second Prince, not to involve other innocent people.]

[At the same time, she also begged the Emperor to publicly announce that she had passed away due to illness.]

[After finishing all this, Consort Rou slowly placed the Suicide Note and the confession on the sandalwood desk that could be seen as soon as one entered the door.]

[Immediately following that, she pulled out a bottle of lethal poison from her bosom that she had prepared in secret long ago.]

[She gently opened the bottle cap and carefully poured the poison bit by bit into the exquisite jade cup before her. The poison flowed into the cup, making a subtle sound, as if it were the footsteps of approaching death.]

[Holding the jade cup in both hands, Consort Rou slightly raised her head, casting her gaze toward the distant direction of the frontier.]

[Her eyes revealed endless attachment and deep affection. Her lips parted slightly, and she said in a voice only she could hear, ”I will wait to meet you again in the next life...”]

[As soon as the words fell, she tilted her head back without hesitation and drank the entire cup of poisoned wine in one gulp. The bitter taste instantly filled her mouth, but she seemed not to notice, just standing quietly in place, waiting for the effects of the medicine to take hold.]

[Not long after, the toxicity began to erode her body, and sharp pain hit her like a tidal wave.]

[However, Consort Rou gritted her teeth, enduring this heart-wrenching pain, and walked toward the bedside one difficult step at a time.]

[On the way, she reached out and felt for a box, from which she took out an exquisite Butterfly Hairpin that Prince Mo had once personally crafted for her.]

[This hairpin carried countless beautiful memories between them. Holding it in her hand at this moment, Consort Rou felt a trace of warmth surge into her heart. Dragging her heavy body, she finally arrived at the bedside, then slowly climbed onto the bed and lay down gently. Finally, she slowly closed her eyes, allowing the darkness to gradually swallow her consciousness.]

[At this time, the group of Palace Maids and Eunuchs guarding outside the door were completely unaware of this. They continued to perform their respective duties as usual, not noticing in the slightest that a parting of life and death was occurring inside the room.]

[On the other side, Emperor, who was in the imperial court, was restless all day. An ominous premonition constantly haunted his heart. Finally, unable to restrain his inner anxiety, he hurriedly rushed to Consort Rou’s palace.]

[Just as he reached the door, Emperor impatiently opened his mouth to ask, ”Where is Consort Rou?”]

[A Palace Maid hurriedly stepped forward to pay her respects and answered respectfully, ”Replying to Your Majesty, Her Ladyship said she wanted to rest alone for a while.”]

[Hearing this, Emperor hesitated slightly in his heart, wondering if he really was overthinking it.]

[But that feeling of unease grew stronger, driving him to reach out and push open the door.]

[The moment the door was pushed open, the first things that caught Emperor’s eye were the two neatly placed letters on the table.]

[His pupils shrank suddenly, and his heart felt as if it had been struck hard by a heavy hammer. A chill rapidly spread down his spine.]

[Emperor reached out with a trembling hand and slowly picked up the Suicide Note.]

[Unfolding the letter, the handwriting on it was like sharp daggers, stabbing straight into his heart.]

[With just one glance, he could not control himself and broke down crying out, ”No! How could you treat me so heartlessly! Rou’er!”]

[Emperor stumbled to the bedroom door, his legs as heavy as if they were filled with lead.]

[When he finally pushed open that door, the scene before him was like a bolt from the blue—he saw Rou’er lying on the bed with her eyes tightly closed, fresh red blood flowing from the corner of her mouth, and her originally pink lips now appearing a terrifying purple.]

[His hands trembled involuntarily as he slowly reached toward Rou’er, but he jerked them back just as he was about to touch her, as if as long as he didn’t actually touch her, all of this was just a terrible nightmare, and once he woke up, he would find everything was as fine as before.]

[At this time, the palace servants outside heard the Emperor’s terrified shouts coming from the Bedchamber. An ominous premonition immediately surged in their hearts, and they all cried out in alarm, rushing into the palace to check the situation.]

[The Emperor’s personal Eunuch had just stepped into the room when his gaze fell upon the Suicide Note on the table and the lifeless Consort Rou on the bed. In an instant, his face turned as pale as paper.]

[With a ”thud,” the personal Eunuch fell to his knees, kowtowing to confess his guilt, ”Your Majesty! This servant deserves to die!”]

[At the same time, the servants in Consort Rou’s palace were already scared out of their wits, standing in place like wooden chickens. Only one thought flashed through their minds: they were afraid they would have to be buried with Consort Rou!]

[Then, as if suddenly coming back to their senses, their legs went weak and they knelt on the ground, sobbing incessantly. The mournful sounds of crying echoed throughout the Bedchamber.]

[Emperor was pulled back to reality by the servants’ crying. He glanced expressionlessly at those kneeling and begging for mercy, and said coldly, ”Men! Take all these people away and execute them!”]

[These words exploded in everyone’s ears like a thunderclap, and cries for mercy rang out in unison: ”Spare our lives, Your Majesty! We beg for your mercy...”]

[However, Emperor remained unmoved, his gaze still as icy as ever, without a trace of warmth.]

[Just then, the First Prince and Second Prince also sensed the abnormal atmosphere in their mother’s palace and rushed over.]

[Before even entering the palace gates, they heard the sounds of crying and begging for mercy coming from inside. The two brothers exchanged a look, and an extremely bad premonition rose in both their hearts. Their pace unconsciously quickened as they sprinted toward the Bedchamber.]

[They rushed into the room with burning anxiety, and at a glance, they saw their lifeless mother lying on the bed.]

[In that instant, it was as if the entire world had collapsed. Everything went black before their eyes, and their bodies swayed, almost unable to stand. Their faces were full of disbelief as they cried out heart-wrenchingly, ”Imperial Mother! No... how is this possible! Who was so heartless as to harm you!”]

[Emperor’s face was as pale as snow, his lips trembling slightly as he ordered the Eunuch beside him to announce the news of Consort Rou’s death due to illness. Completely disregarding the surprised looks of others, he walked slowly to the bedside with a wooden expression like a walking corpse.]

[He first stared blankly at Consort Rou’s peaceful face for a long time before moving his gaze to the two letters placed to the side.]

[He reached out a slightly trembling hand and with difficulty picked up those two letters.]

[When he finished reading the contents of the letters, he suddenly let out a burst of hair-raising laughter.]

[That laughter was both crazed and desperate, accompanied by rolling tears, making one unable to help but feel pity.]

[”Hehehe... I always thought you had finally come around, but I didn’t expect your heart to be even harder than iron! For so many years, I have been wholehearted and devoted to you. Even thousand-year-old ice would have been melted by my sincerity by now!”]

[His voice was full of pain and indignation as he roared through gritted teeth, ”You said you didn’t want to involve others, but I will not let you have your wish! Since you have already left me, then no one else is qualified to continue living in this world!”]

[After speaking, he threw his head back and laughed wildly again. That laughter echoed throughout the entire palace, lingering for a long time.]

[At the same time, Prince Mo, who was guarding the frontier far away, suddenly felt a surge of inexplicable unease in his heart, as if something extremely important was quietly leaving his side.]

[However, at this moment, the war was pressing, and he had no time to attend to this strange feeling, so he could only temporarily cast it to the back of his mind.]

[Consort Rou’s passing was like a thunderclap, instantly shocking the entire court.]

[People were talking about it incessantly, all guessing how this usually healthy and favored consort could suddenly meet such a tragic end.]

[Some even suspected whether someone had secretly harmed her. After all, she had two princes under her, making it inevitable for her to become a victim of palace struggles.]

[For a time, various rumors spread through the streets and alleys of the capital, making the originally calm political situation become turbulent and unstable.]