The guards took the order and left. Ying Yuan sat dejectedly on the dragon throne, feeling lost. He felt like a trapped animal, trapped in a huge cage, unable to break free.

A few days later, Ying Yuan went to Yongcheng secretly. He did not tell anyone, including Gai Nie and Li Si. He wanted to see Zhao Ji with his own eyes and ask her in person why she did this.

In Yongcheng, the once prosperous Queen Mother's Palace now looked particularly deserted. When Ying Yuan stepped into the palace, a faint scent of sandalwood filled his nose, which was Zhao Ji's favorite scent. He looked around, the luxurious furnishings were still there, but they lacked the vitality of the past, as if everything had lost its color.

Zhao Ji sat by the window, looking dazed, and didn't seem to notice Ying Yuan's arrival. She was wearing a plain white dress, her hair casually draped over her shoulders, and she looked haggard.

Ying Yuan walked up to her and stood there quietly without saying a word.

After a long time, Zhao Ji slowly raised her head and saw Ying Yuan. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, and then she regained her composure.

"What are you doing here?" Zhao Ji's voice was hoarse and contained a hint of indifference.

"Look at you." Ying Yuan said lightly.

"Look at me?" Zhao Ji sneered, "Look at how miserable I am now?"

"Do you hate me?" Ying Yuan asked.

Zhao Ji was silent for a moment, then said: "What if I hate you? What if I don't hate you? Everything is over."

"Do you regret it?" Ying Yuan continued to ask.

Zhao Ji raised her head, looked directly into Ying Yuan's eyes, and said, "The thing I regret most is giving birth to you."

Ying Yuan's heart sank suddenly, as if pierced by a sharp blade. He didn't expect Zhao Ji to say such a thing, which was more painful to him than any punishment.

"Why?" Ying Yuan's voice trembled.

"Because you destroyed everything for me!" Zhao Ji said excitedly, "You killed my lover, took away my power, and imprisoned me here. You made my life worse than death!"

Ying Yuan took a deep breath, tried to control his emotions, and said: "Lao Ai is a traitor, he deserves death! As the Queen Mother of Qin, you had an affair with him and gave birth to two sons. Your crime is unforgivable!"

"What do you know!" Zhao Ji roared, "You don't know what love is! You only care about your country and your people, you don't care about my feelings at all!"

"I am the emperor. I must protect the country and people of the Qin Dynasty. This is my responsibility!" Ying Yuan said.

"Responsibility?" Zhao Ji sneered, "Your so-called responsibility is to sacrifice my happiness?"

"I never thought of sacrificing your happiness." Ying Yuan said, "I just hope you can understand that everything you did was wrong."

"Wrong?" Zhao Ji's eyes were full of sarcasm. "Who do you think you are? What qualifications do you have to judge whether I am right or wrong?"

"I am the emperor of the Qin Dynasty!" Ying Yuan's voice was full of majesty.

Zhao Ji suddenly laughed hysterically: "Emperor? You are nothing but a cold-blooded tyrant! For your power, you can sacrifice everything, including your own mother!"

Ying Yuan's face turned ashen, he clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into the flesh.

"Go away." Zhao Ji's voice returned to calm, "I don't want to see you again."

Ying Yuan looked at Zhao Ji deeply, then turned and left. He walked to the door, suddenly stopped, and said, "I will have someone take good care of you." Zhao Ji did not speak, but just quietly watched Ying Yuan's back disappear outside the door.

After Ying Yuan returned to Xianyang Palace, he ordered to treat Zhao Ji well, and her food, clothing, housing and transportation were all in accordance with the Queen Mother's specifications, but she was not allowed to leave Yongcheng. He thought that this would make up for his guilt towards Zhao Ji, but what he didn't know was that this was just the beginning of another tragedy.

One day, a eunuch hurriedly reported that there was news from Yongcheng that Zhao Ji...

The eunuch knelt on the ground, his voice trembling: "The Queen Mother... The Queen Mother... passed away."

The memorial in Ying Yuan's hand fell to the ground, and the ink spread out, just like his confused thoughts at the moment. News came from Yongcheng that Zhao Ji committed suicide by taking poison. He stood there in a daze, like a sculpture, with a blank mind.

"Impossible..." Ying Yuan muttered to himself. He had clearly ordered that Zhao Ji be treated well, and her food, clothing, housing and transportation were all in accordance with the Queen Mother's standards. Why did she commit suicide? Could it be that... he really forced her to death?

Ying Yuan felt a suffocating pain, he tightly grasped the armrest of the dragon throne, his knuckles turned white. He couldn't believe that the once proud woman, the woman who once loved and hated him, had left this world forever.

He stood up suddenly, strode out of the palace, and shouted to the guards: "Prepare the sedan chair! I want to go to Yongcheng myself!"

As he galloped along, Ying Yuan's heart felt as if it was being burned by a raging fire. He kept recalling every detail of his relationship with Zhao Ji, from the initial love between mother and son, to the later estrangement, and now to the separation of Yin and Yang.

After arriving in Yongcheng, Ying Yuan went straight to Zhao Ji's bedroom. There was a dead silence in the bedroom, and the air was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood, but it could not cover up the lingering smell of death.

Zhao Ji lay quietly on the bed, her face pale, as if she was asleep. Ying Yuan walked to the bedside, slowly stretched out his hand, and stroked Zhao Ji's cold cheek.

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"Mother..." Ying Yuan's voice was choked with sobs. He finally couldn't hold back and tears burst out.

He remembered what Zhao Ji once said: "The thing I regret most is giving birth to you."

These words echoed in his mind over and over again like a curse, making him feel miserable.

Ying Yuan stayed in Zhao Ji's bedroom for a whole night. He silently gazed at Zhao Ji's remains, as if he wanted to engrave her appearance in his heart.

At daybreak, Ying Yuan ordered a grand funeral for Zhao Ji, and all ceremonies were to be carried out in accordance with the standards of the empress dowager, without any delay.

After dealing with Zhao Ji's funeral, Ying Yuan returned to Xianyang Palace and seemed to have aged ten years. He became more taciturn and more ruthless.

He began to handle government affairs frantically, as if only in this way could he numb himself and forget the pain in his heart.

However, Zhao Ji's death was like a thorn that pierced deeply into his heart, reminding him of his past mistakes from time to time.

One day, when Ying Yuan was reviewing memorials, he suddenly saw a memorial about Lü Buwei, which said that Lü Buwei was secretly cultivating power and intending to rebel.

After reading the memorial, Ying Yuan sneered, "Lü Buwei, have you finally lost your patience?"

He had known for a long time that Lu Buwei would not accept defeat, and he had been waiting for the day when Lu Buwei would reveal his true colors.

Ying Yuan immediately ordered the arrest of Lu Buwei, tortured him severely, and forced him to provide evidence of treason.

When Lu Buwei was brought before Ying Yuan, he was covered with wounds and was dying.

"Lü Buwei, do you have anything else to say?" Ying Yuan asked coldly. (End of this chapter)