Her passing prompted the nearly unified Central Plains to collectively hold memorial services for her, even if they were separated by thousands of miles.
【What a pity, but I heard that Empress Yan and Prime Minister Song were truly childhood sweethearts.】
【But aside from unofficial histories, there’s no recorded evidence. Even in the official records, the only exchange between them was when Empress Yan remarked in court, ‘You are a capable minister.’】
【It has to be true. Prime Minister Song spent his life working hard for Empress Yan’s unconventional policies at that time. Besides Emperor Chen and Prime Minister Song, no one else supported her. Rumor has it that Emperor Chen wanted to kill Prime Minister Song multiple times, but Empress Yan always stopped him. If that doesn’t count as love, I don’t know what does!!!】
【Wow, someone upstairs is being a bit too sincere, right? I remember Prime Minister Song got married, but his wife wasn’t famous, so there’s no record of her.】
【Please don’t force Prime Minister Song into our ‘Morning’ CP!】
【Hahaha…】
After some lighthearted banter, everyone continued discussing the legendary life of Empress Yan.
Ji Yecheng didn’t initially go by that name; he was simply referred to as the Second Prince, with no one bothering to call him by his name.
He was born in the Cold Palace and endured endless bullying. Even though he was one of the emperor’s two sons, he was overshadowed by his older brother. The existence of Ji Yecheng made the concubine who gave birth to the First Prince hate him with a passion, wishing she could eliminate him.
However, the Ji family had very few heirs. If Ji Yecheng were to die, the ministers would undoubtedly blame the concubine, which is why he continued to live—he had to live.
In reality, though, his life was quite miserable. Even a eunuch could mock and insult him, and some were bold enough to hit him.
He lived a life that was even worse than that of the palace’s most lowly maid.
This was because the concubine had given the order, and those people, even if they offended the royal family, had her backing.
The concubine wanted to mold him into a useless, cowardly weakling.
But Ji Yecheng didn’t fulfill her wishes. He used every means at his disposal to survive, hoping to protect the woman who loved him dearly.
It was just a pity that everything he did felt like building a castle of sand—one touch and it would all collapse.
When he was ten, he was kept by that old man, and his mother had died.
They couldn’t kill him, but could they not kill his mother?
Ji Yecheng remembered how the concubine spoke those words; at that moment, he vowed to make that woman suffer a slow and painful death.
That old man raised children as if he were raising Tibetan mastiffs—first starving them, then tossing in a piece of meat to force them to fight for survival.
Of course, his opponents weren’t the First Prince but rather those the old man had carefully selected.
Step by step, Ji Yecheng defeated these adversaries, thinking he would gain the old man’s favor. But in reality, the old man only wanted to use him to provoke the First Prince.
The moment he learned the truth was also the moment he was about to be executed. The Second Prince Ji Yecheng was being coerced into a rebellion, and the First Prince would quell it and be named Crown Prince.
Initially, the old man wanted him to survive and assist the older brother. Unfortunately, Ji Yecheng’s performance had made him impossible to trust.
As Ji Yecheng learned of their plan, he decided to take advantage of the situation. So when someone told him that the First Prince was demanding he bring troops to rescue the emperor, he accepted the order without hesitation. He led his men to Tai Chi Hall and personally killed the old man.
In that moment of killing, Ji Yecheng realized there was nothing left to bind him.
On that day, he killed many people, but he didn’t kill the concubine and the First Prince; instead, he confined them and made them watch as he destroyed the throne they longed for, bringing ruin to the dynasty!
Ji Yecheng thought he had planned everything perfectly.
The Song family was a crucial part of that plan.
So even though he had countless opportunities to reclaim the tiger talisman, Ji Yecheng chose not to act against the Song family, allowing them to grow stronger instead.
Yan Qing’s appearance was just another pawn in his game. He valued her influence over Song Yu, who truly deserved the criticism he received for being useless, cowardly, and inept!
Therefore, Ji Yecheng decided to push him a little.
But an unexpected turn occurred with Yan Qing.
Upon their first meeting, he honored her as a queen, thinking he would meet a sorrowful yet resigned woman, much like his mother, who had died without a single complaint, only grieving her fate.
She said she was a woman, and therefore her fate was always in the hands of others.
Ji Yecheng thought she would be the same, but it turned out he was the one who suffered.
Except for the two years between ten and twelve, when he was bullied for lacking martial skills, after that, no one could touch him. Yet on that day, he was kicked by this woman.
It was a disgrace!
Naturally, Ji Yecheng was furious, wanting nothing more than to strangle her. But once he acted, he realized she bore no trace of martial training and was entirely powerless.
This woman dared to offend him, the ruler of a nation, on their wedding night, all for Song Yu?
A hint of curiosity grew in Ji Yecheng, leading him to decide to keep her around a bit longer.
In the imperial garden, her desperate attempts to end her life caused him to reevaluate her. He intentionally spared her life, and at the last moment, when she was about to die, he found himself unexpectedly moved, unable to go through with it.
He was puzzled. Was Song Yu truly that remarkable? Did he inspire her to defy the emperor’s authority?
Thus, Ji Yecheng decided to pamper her!
He spoiled her so much that she didn’t want to die!
He made her a well-known figure throughout the nation while continuing to execute his plans.
Unfortunately, later developments made him too afraid to proceed with his plans.
She had become too arrogant, recklessly disregarding her life.
Ji Yecheng had a bad temper to begin with, and after being manipulated and tormented by that old man, he impulsively nearly killed her, which almost made her leave him for good.
He watched as her breath grew weaker in his hands, her pupils dilating. At that moment, he felt a sense of suffocation in his heart, an overwhelming fear washed over him. Once again, he loosened his grip, fully realizing that in spoiling her, he had somehow trapped himself.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152