CHAPTER 1088: CHAPTER 1038: TRULY WORTHY OF BEING MY DAUGHTER

The sudden sound startled the flames of the candles in the silent bedchamber.

Zhao Shouzhong was taken aback, and immediately shielded Ning Zhaozong, his voice stern: "Where did this little ghost come from, to be so audacious in the presence of the Emperor?"

A figure landed on the curtain and stepped closer, one step at a time.

Cold sweat broke out on Zhao Shouzhong’s forehead, and his body trembled.

Actually, there is no saying of "Children do not speak of supernatural forces" in the Ning Dynasty.

On the contrary, the Ning Dynasty admired Penglai Magic and Shenzhou Taoism, but refuted evil and heretical ways.

Otherwise, the position of the national teacher of Daning would not have been held by Han Yunsheng.

Since childhood, Zhao Shouzhong had accompanied Ning Zhaozong, staying with him through the rise and fall, the ups and downs of these years.

Now Zhaozong is old, and so is he.

The enemies of the past are dead, the friends of the past are also dead.

Zhao Shouzhong witnessed it all, feeling pain in his heart.

People say that Zhaozong was decisive in killing, pacifying all directions, ruling Shenzhou with an iron hand, ending the chaotic times.

But only Zhao Shouzhong, who stayed by his side, knew that stripped of all imperial titles, Zhaozong was just an ordinary person.

He was a husband, a father.

Yet he was unloved in youth, widowed in middle age, lost his daughter in old age.

Perhaps heaven was fair, granting him great power and a supreme position, but making him endure such pain.

The figure finally lifted the curtain, revealing its true form to Zhao Shouzhong.

A very beautiful face.

Even if he didn’t want to admit it, it still surpassed Princess Yongning by three parts.

But the most captivating thing was not the girl’s appearance, but her overwhelming demeanor.

Clearly, the King he served was right beside him, yet at this moment, Zhao Shouzhong felt an urge to kneel.

However, the one kneeling was not him.

"Your daughter is unfilial." Ye Wanlan slowly knelt down, bowing her head, "Greetings, Father Emperor."

A grand salute.

Zhao Shouzhong’s eyes widened, incredulously looking at the girl, "Stop spouting nonsense, or I’ll drag you out and behead you! You really—"

"Shouzhong—" Zhaozong raised his hand, stopping his words, coughed twice, "My daughter, I would never fail to recognize."

A sentence, making Ye Wanlan abruptly look up, almost shedding tears.

The darkest four years of her life were undoubtedly the time when the Transcendent Woman occupied her body.

She watched the Transcendent Woman use her body to unrestrainedly harm her relatives of this lifetime.

She couldn’t speak, couldn’t move, could only listen.

Bearing the same face, being transcended was an absurdity to Lin Huaijin and other ordinary people.

That they couldn’t recognize her was normal.

But now she had fully changed her appearance, just meeting Zhaozong.

Zhaozong showed no disbelief, saying—

"My daughter, how could I fail to recognize."

Because from the first glance, Zhaozong knew she was Princess Yongning, Xiang Lan.

Zhao Shouzhong was astonished: "Your Majesty, what is this all about..."

"Shouzhong, you leave first." Zhaozong said gently, "I have some words to speak alone with Ah Lan."

Despite Zhao Shouzhong’s many questions, he could only withdraw.

Only the father and daughter remained in the bedchamber.

Zhaozong coughed again, leaning on the bedside, trying to rise.

Ye Wanlan immediately stepped forward to support him: "Father Emperor!"

Meanwhile, her hand subtly checked Ning Zhaozong’s pulse, her heart sinking instantly.

"Cough cough cough... It’s okay, it’s fine." Zhaozong shook his head, "I’m aware of my body’s condition, even if you... I haven’t many years left to live."

Exactly because he knew his end was near, it was another reason he spared no effort fostering his daughter.

Ye Wanlan’s tears brimmed, her voice choked: "Father Emperor, I..."

Zhaozong raised his hand, as usual, to gently rub her head, suddenly laughing heartily, "Hahaha! Indeed, I am a favored child of the Heavenly Dao. Just after hoping our Ah Lan would have a healthy body, you actually have one."

This father-daughter reunion was not shocking, nor silent.

The atmosphere was peaceful and quiet, like an ordinary father and daughter chatting.

Ye Wanlan’s heart trembled.

Kinship was more important to her than life itself.

"Let me guess once more—" Zhaozong squinted his eyes, "Penglai says you went to another world, yet now you appear before me, you... come from many years hence, correct?"

Ye Wanlan’s expression was shocked again: "Yes, Father Emperor, I come from Shenzhou three hundred years later."

"I see, three hundred years later." Zhaozong murmured, "That’s quite a distant future. If I could live another five hundred years, perhaps I could see the same new world.

But human life is ultimately limited.

Ye Wanlan moved her lips: "Father—"

"Ah, in the past, when it was just the two of us, you didn’t call me that." Zhaozong said discontentedly, "How after three hundred years, do we seem estranged?"

Ye Wanlan paused, then after a moment, said: "Papa."

Zhaozong had initially managed to maintain his composure, restraining his emotions, but after hearing this, he could no longer control.

The Emperor Qianhe, decisive and resolute all his life, at this moment, cried like a child.

Ye Wanlan was stunned.

She had never seen Zhaozong like this.

Once she heard Zhao Shouzhong inadvertently mention, when Zhaozong hurried back, the former Empress had already passed away.

Zhao Shouzhong waited outside for quite a while, and when Zhaozong came out, he saw his clothes were soaked.

Did Zhaozong cry?

No one knew.

Zhaozong wasn’t incapable of crying, just hadn’t been hit by true sorrow.

Ye Wanlan said nothing, just quietly held onto Zhaozong: "I am here, Papa."

After quite a while, Zhaozong managed to restrain his sobbing.

When he raised his head again, his eyes were clear, giving a faint hum: "Good thing that bastard Uncle Wang didn’t see, otherwise he would surely ridicule me."

Xiang Qingtian was more than ten years younger, though called a brother, Zhaozong regarded Xiang Qingtian more as a son.

Ambition is a good thing.

If the Xiang Imperial Family loses ambition, it will eventually perish.

"By the way, you didn’t know or see it, but your Uncle Wang cried a lot in front of your tomb." Zhaozong suddenly said, "I’ve never seen him cry like that. I should’ve asked Penglai for a Memory Stone, recorded his crying so you could see."

The Memory Stone is similar to surveillance in modern society.

Ye Wanlan smiled as she listened: "Father Emperor, Uncle Wang is merely mischievous."

"Mischievous? What, you aren’t mad at him?" Zhaozong was surprised, "Didn’t he draw a turtle on your face and make you get reprimanded by the junior protector, you forgot?"

Ye Wanlan: "..."

Unforgettable, she would hold Xiang Qingtian accountable.

Zhaozong said no more, he stared deeply at her, as if to imprint her image onto his soul.

Finally, he said: "Ah Lan, Papa misses you dearly."