The Empress Dowager was his only relative, his mother, who gave birth to him and raised him. She had risked her life to protect him many times and had taken care of him meticulously since he was a child.
Although they were in extremely difficult circumstances, she still provided him with the best support. Without the Empress Dowager, he would not be where he is today.
In the Emperor’s heart, the Empress Dowager is the most loving mother.
“I do not wish to live to be a hundred years old. I would rather give up my own lifespan in exchange for you having a healthy child.”
The Empress Dowager’s eyes were filled with tears. These were the words she had always wanted to say. To ensure the Emperor could have a son, she burned incense and prayed to Buddha every day, kneeling before the Buddha statue in devotion.
She would rather die young than not have the Emperor bear a son.
With a prince, the country is secure. The throne that the mother and son worked so hard to obtain will not fall into other people’s hands, and their efforts will not have been in vain.
The throne was hard-won back then, so how unwilling one would be to hand it over?
“I don’t want you to adopt a child from the imperial clan. Such a child, without your bloodline, is not a real child, nor is he my grandson.”
This was also his sore spot.
“Mother, we’ve tried everything over the years. In all these years of the harem, only two women have ever become pregnant, and only one princess survived to adulthood. The other child didn’t even get born; he died in the fifth month…”
The Emperor couldn’t continue. He had so few children that each one was extremely precious, even the one who hadn’t been born yet.
None of his concubines has gotten pregnant over the years. At first, people secretly gossiped that it was his fault, but he didn’t believe it. However, over the years, he has come to believe it.
He is thirty-six years old this year, and he is extremely resentful about the lack of offspring. He is unwilling to accept that God has been so unfair to him and why he has not been given a son.
“Mother knows you’re heartbroken. There haven’t even been any imperial concubine selections in the past two years. But, Emperor, are you really willing to accept this? Willing to adopt someone else’s child and raise him to inherit your empire?”
“I will not adopt a son.” The Emperor declared firmly.
If he had no son, he would never have passed the throne to someone else; he would rather have destroyed everything.
“But you have no offspring. Even if you are unwilling, even if you have power firmly in your hands now, without offspring, the country is unstable. In the end, you will still have to adopt one. Can you disregard the opinions of all the civil and military officials? Can you really kill them all? You and I both know that they are not disloyal to you. The vast majority of them are loyal ministers, only doing this to ensure the stability of the country.”
After the Empress Dowager finished speaking, the atmosphere froze again.
Looking at the Emperor, the Empress Dowager could understand his heartache and resentment. She was even more worried that when he grew old and had no children, would he still be able to hold onto his power?
“Do you still remember what happened between us back then? Back then, you and I both thought that we were in dire straits, that we would never have another chance, that the throne would never be yours, and that death was all that awaited us. But what happened?”
The Empress Dowager looked at the Emperor.
The Emperor recalled that dark, hopeless rainy day from years ago.
He spoke slowly, “In the end, not only did I not die, but I also ascended the throne and became emperor.”
The Empress Dowager nodded.
“People say that after the darkest hour comes the dawn. Let’s try again, for the sake of Mother and for your own sake. There’s been no news about the women in the palace all these years, so let’s hold a selection of women and bring in another batch. I had a dream a few days ago that someone got pregnant during this selection and gave birth to a son. I woke up laughing in my dream.”
She was overjoyed in her dream, feeling that she could die without regrets, that her life was complete, and that she could leave in peace. The Emperor had a blood relative, and after she was gone, he would not be alone in this world. With a prince, the country could be stable.
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Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152