Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1207 The Queen Collapses

It was the winter of the forty-second year of Shaowu, the seventh day of October.

When the first winter snow falls in Beijing, this city of millions of people immediately becomes less lively. The streets are covered in white, which is frightening to see.

Zhu Daqi sighed, pulled the cart, and walked slowly and slowly towards the depths of the street. When he arrived at a large courtyard, he glanced at the house number, and then shouted:

"The coal has arrived. The person who ordered it will come and collect it!"

The children in the courtyard wearing shabby coats went home one after another, calling their parents at home.

In an instant, the women wrapped in big coats looked around one after another.

"Zhao Dahu's family, five hundred pieces of coal!"

After a while, a woman in her thirties wearing a flowered coat and a hair scarf came out with her hips twisted.

"Okay!" the woman responded and called to her sons: "You bastards, hurry up and move the coal and put on your sleeves -"

As she spoke, she took out a silver dollar and five silver coins from her arms.

After half an hour, one family shook three to five hundred briquettes and piled them at the door.

"We can't afford to use briquettes when delivering coal. It's too expensive, so briquettes are more cost-effective."

"Row!"

The children squatted at the door one by one and watched in fascination.

Zhu Daqi pulled the cart, and it was afternoon before he knew it. He hurriedly found a coal shaker and said, "Brother, shake the coal for me!"

Immediately afterwards, the courtyard became lively.

After drying, use a coal shovel to cut into small cubes to make coal cocoons, then sprinkle with coal powder, put it in a basket and sieve it, tie a clay basin to the bottom of the basket, and shake it like a Lantern Festival.

A few minutes later, several dark-colored men carrying something on their backs, each carrying a large round sieve, a flower pot and a stick, kept shouting: "Do you want some Mei Qiuer (briquettes) land?"

The man first mixes the pulverized coal and loess into slime in proportion, then sprinkles the coal powder, and then directly spreads it into a large coal cake three centimeters thick at the door.

Several briquette shakers came immediately with their yellow teeth exposed.

Naturally, everyone voted with their feet and used briquettes.

Then he haunted another house.

Briquettes, three cents a piece.

I wish Daqi can walk easily and arrange for someone to shake the briquettes immediately.

"My family wants it too!"

Zhu Daqi glanced at the brochure and saw that no one was there, so he went back with the empty car.

"My family wants the ball shaker!"

Coal shakers from Hebei have suddenly become a new profession in recent years.

"Brother, you are delivering coal, you should use briquettes!"

Powdered coal costs only one penny per pound, while a piece of honeycomb briquette costs three pence. The cost of making briquettes is only half of that.

"It's a coincidence, so am I!"

As soon as we fetched water and washed the car, my son suddenly ran home, carrying several feet of white cloth with him.

"What's wrong? This is so unlucky!" Zhu Daqi frowned.

The son was still wearing the uniform of a government servant. As a white servant, he looked very busy at this time.

Hearing this, he quickly changed his shoes and couldn't bear to say: "My dad, what time is this?"

He pointed at the sky: "I'm not sure what's going on there. You're always ready. Let my mother make the clothes..."

Zhu Daqi was stunned, and then he felt frightened and his lips were trembling: "Is it possible? Is it possible?"

"Yes, it's hanging!"

"That's bad. The price of meat may go up, and so will the food. You have to prepare it in advance!"

Zhu Daqi shouted loudly, and then hurriedly left home.

Yuquan Villa, Kunning Palace.

The prince kept circling in circles, his hands tangled together.

"Where is King Xiang?"

"Your Highness, I guess you have arrived in Tianjin."

"Hurry up and hurry up. Why are you so slow at this time?"

Suddenly, there was a coughing sound inside, like a fish bone stuck in the throat, and the sound of rapid breathing was clearly audible. "The imperial doctors are just a bunch of stupid pigs, idiots!"

"Dad, the imperial doctor is out!" The great-grandson on the side suddenly pointed forward with an anxious face.

The prince's eyes were red, which was the result of staying up all night, and he shook his head silently.

Upon entering, Taiyuan's gray beard was trembling.

"How's it going? Is the queen's body okay?" The prince suppressed his voice.

The corners of the envoy's mouth twitched, and just as he was about to speak, a sharp sound suddenly sounded: "Your Majesty has arrived——"

"I respectfully welcome your Majesty——"

Zhu Yixi glanced at the prince and focused on the envoy: "How is the queen?"

"The queen is infected with the cold, and she is old, and her weakness cannot be replenished..."

These words were shocking to everyone, but they were also expected.

The queen has been lingering on the sickbed for several years, and it is not easy to delay her until now.

"Tell me how long you can last!"

Zhu Yixi's pupils shrank and she said in a deep voice.

"I've tried my best, and I think we can survive the winter solstice..."

"Go down!"

Zhu Yixi looked solemn.

"go in!"

Only then did the group enter.

The queen lay half on the quilt under the service of the palace maid, and her already fair skin revealed a pale white color, which was frightening.

There was blood in the spittoon held by the palace maid.

"Queen——" Zhu Yixi looked solemn as she sat on the edge of the couch and held her hand.

"As Your Majesty, I raise two sons and one daughter. I enjoy all the glory and everything goes well. I really can't find a few bad things."

"The most proud thing I have done in my life is to marry His Majesty. I am so happy. I feel happy just thinking about it now..."

Sun Xueniang smiled and talked about the past time.

Xi'an, Hanzhong, Xiangyang, Hubei.

Sun Damiang replaced the emperor, stayed by his side and spoke thoughtful words, and her spirits were quite high.

Zhu Yixi breathed a sigh of relief and said to the imperial doctors: "Try to make the queen as comfortable as possible!"

In the evening, King Xiang came in a hurry, full of fatigue. He couldn't wait to see his mother in Kunning Palace.

"Queen Mother——" King Xiang choked with tears. He knelt down and held a corner of the quilt, unable to bear to raise his head.

"My son!" Sun Xueniang smiled: "It's really hard for you. You must be exhausted after traveling thousands of miles!"

"It's really unfair to ask you to go to Nanyang to join the feudal clan. Mom is useless. I can't convince your father..."

Hearing this, King Xiang cried so hard that he was speechless.

In the next few days, vassal kings from various places also came in a hurry, all with solemn expressions.

On the day of the winter solstice, the floors of Kunning Palace were extremely warm, making people breathless, but the queen kept saying that there was not enough heat.

Finally, as the queen became more and more angry, only the emperor, the prince, the grandson, and Sun Damiang stayed with her.

Looking at the emperor and his sons, Sun Xueniang was panting like an ox, her tears streaming down her face and soaking her clothes.

"Imperial Physician, Imperial Physician—" The imperial physician who heard the sound ignored the etiquette and rushed in with a few steps. He put his hand on the Queen's inch and was speechless for a long time.

Immediately afterwards, the chest that was shaking up and down suddenly calmed down.

"Incense stick——" The imperial doctor picked up the incense stick and put it under the queen's nose.

A wisp of green smoke lingered. He slowly put down the incense stick and turned around to meet his head: "Your Majesty, the Queen has passed away!"

The prince was the first to cry loudly, holding the quilt with both hands, burying his face in it, and howling loudly!

The emperor stared out the window, silent.

The cry immediately echoed throughout Kunning Palace.

Almost overnight, the entire palace turned white

(End of this chapter)