female concubine

On the evening of April 29th in the [-]th year of Qianyuan, Crown Princess Xiaoyi went to the funeral, with Tai Changqing and the Minister of Rites as envoys, and her coffin was buried in the mausoleum site selected by Si Tianjian.

At sunset, all the relatives and officials in mourning clothes. On both sides of the courtyard in front of the mourning hall of the Eastern Palace, court officials and subordinate officials of the Eastern Palace were kneeling. More than a dozen coffin-bearers wore mourning clothes and tied their headbands and waistbands and entered the mourning hall to wait. .

The relatives on both sides of the coffin prostrated on the coffin and wept. Zhao Luting supported his wife lying on the coffin, "Princess, let go."

Princess Qin stared at her bloodshot eyes, turned her head and said in grief: "She is the flesh that fell from my body..."

Seeing this scene, the etiquette officials from the Ministry of Rites and Taichang Temple covered their faces and wept until the drum beat at dusk, and the etiquette officer sang heartily: "Cover the coffin!"

Everyone stepped forward to lift the thick mahogany coffin lid and slowly moved it to close, "Don't...don't..."

Zhao Luting hugged his wife, and Princess Yiguo also hugged Princess Le'an tightly. Wei Chen, who had been holding back tears before, suddenly turned around and threw himself into Princess Yiguo's arms, "Auntie."

"Chen'er doesn't cry," Princess Yiguo wiped the unstoppable tears from the corners of Wei Chen's eyes, "His Royal Highness is just too tired, so she changed a place to rest, and she will always be with Chen'er of."

Yousi picked up the inscription on the right side in front of the coffin, and the coffin bearer carried the coffin out of the coffin with him. The hands vibrate together, the left hand is pressed against the right hand, and the hands are bowed on the ground again.

When the coffin passed through the courtyard, there was a sudden cry of a baby from the side room, the sound was particularly loud. This burst of crying caused even more grief to the relatives of the princess and concubine accompanying the coffin.

"Wait a moment."

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The footsteps were getting closer and closer to the crying, and the nurses saluted one after another, "All blessings, Your Highness."

"All blessings, Your Highness."

"His Royal Highness's face... this servant will call the imperial physician over..."

The Crown Prince raised Qi Ai's thin hand in his sleeve, then looked down at the baby he hadn't looked at since he was born, "give it to me." Immediately he picked it up with trembling hands, and left from the side hall Go to the courtyard where the mourning hall is set up.

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The officials holding Mingjing and the pallbearers stopped, and the weeping crowd turned their heads. The crown prince walked out with a crying baby in his arms. He held the baby in one hand in front of the coffin, and stretched out the other hand to cover the nailed nails. Coffin lid, "You must really want to see him and hear his cry."

The official of the East Palace raised his head, turned around and said: "Your Highness's complexion is not very good, hurry up and call the imperial physician to come and wait."

"Yes."

After the persuasion of everyone, the crown prince released the coffin bearer to carry the coffin out of the palace. The coffin came out from the East Palace. The monks who knocked wooden fish and the Taoist priests who chanted the scriptures walked in the front. The Ministry of Rites and Taichang Temple carried the crown prince Xiaoyi Concubine Zhao's god seat, behind him is the coffin and the relatives in Wufu who sent the spirit, and there are guards tied around the waist to escort the coffin.

The funeral procession moved forward against the setting sun. On both sides of the road, people who had received favors from the Eastern Palace knelt down, "His Royal Highness!" Pedestrians stopped, cars and horses stopped, and in an instant, the entire street was filled with mourning.

The rest of the streets were as usual. The ordinary people who had no connection with the gentry only cared about their own food and clothing, and the life and death of His Holiness seemed to have nothing to do with them.

The guests in the teahouse sipped tea and chatted with others leisurely, "It turns out that the most difficult thing to do in the country is not the crown prince, the crown prince, but the crown prince's wife."

"During Taizong's time, the concubine of Zhuo abolished the crown prince died in love. In Wuzong's time, the empress and concubine Chengming was abolished, and the prince Chengming was abolished. Then he committed suicide in the East Palace. In less than a year, the concubine who abolished the crown prince also died of illness. I guess there must be more people here There are other ways, and after that, Prince Kai rebelled and was deposed as a commoner, and his wife, the Crown Princess, committed suicide in the East Palace on the day of the rebellion..."

"Oh, don't say it, I'm panicking when I hear it."

"Hey, the beauty is so unlucky, it's a pity to have such a good time."

"It's a pity. After giving birth to the emperor's grandson, even if the crown prince succeeds and establishes a concubine, he will not be able to match the first wife. If there is no accident in the future, the emperor's grandson will definitely be the new heir. He hopes that his son will become a dragon. There is no mother who would not expect this."

"That's true."

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——Kunning Hall——

Yu Hui slanted against the green tiles and vermilion walls, after a burst of drumming, the surroundings became silent, and the servants guarded the gate of the courtyard to prevent idlers from entering or leaving.

The emperor sat quietly in the yard, staring dully at a wooden swing that was supposed to appear during the Cold Food Festival. The setting sun shone on the swing, and the shadow reflected in the grass swayed slightly with the wind. The sandalwood lacquer has faded long ago but has never seen its decay.

What is carried on the swing is the laughter of the children more than [-] years ago, and it is also the voice to relieve the emperor's worries. The laughter and cries surrounding his knees can always make him unload and forget his burden, making it impossible to see the sky here. I found a moment of solace in Sifang City, where there is no freedom every day.

The slanted shadow slowly approached, Xiao Youqing brought a bowl of soup medicine, "Officials, it's time to drink the medicine."

The emperor closed his eyes and looked up, letting the setting sun hit the side of his face, "I never thought that one day I would be able to send a white-haired person to a black-haired person."

Xiao Youqing gently placed the medicine bowl on the stone table and sat down with her, "Does the official remember what he said?"

The emperor opened his eyes and looked at her sideways, "What?"

"Death is not scary, the only thing to be afraid of is the person who cares about it."

The emperor frowned slightly, and immediately stretched out his hand to pick up the medicine bowl on the table and suffocated, "There is news from the East Palace that the prince has fallen ill again?"

"Well, the doctor stayed in the East Palace."

"Next time when he enters the palace, the queen will give him more instructions and comfort him."

"Compared with the advice and comfort of the courtiers and concubines, any caring words from the officials are much more useful."

The emperor bowed his head in silence for a while, and then called out to the entrance of the courtyard: "Six sons."

The servant turned around and stepped into the courtyard, "Official House."

"Go to the East Palace and bring a message so that the crown prince can take good care of his body."

"Yes."

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——Cao House——

--Snapped! ——

The elongated shadow of the setting sun was sometimes narrow and sometimes wide. The maid scratched her head when she saw that her daughter was performing a funeral ritual, and said, "What are you doing, girl? Whose death day is it today?"

"The Crown Princess is going to the funeral." Cao Shuyao got up on his knees as the sunset hit his face.

"The girl doesn't seem to know His Highness the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess, does she?"

Cao Shuyao nodded, and said in a dazed way: "I have only seen Che Yu. Her Royal Highness is only over [-]... She was taught by Her Royal Highness, and she is known as a virtuous person. The chaos in Central Shu earlier caused a large number of refugees to flood into Tokyo. The first one to distribute money for relief must be the Crown Princess, and some people compare her to the Crown Princess Chengming."

"However, Crown Princess Xiaoyi has a better life than Crown Princess Chengming. At least she has children and has not been abolished, and she has been valued by the officials and His Royal Highness."

"It's all involuntary, so there's nothing good about it." Cao Shuyao shook his head and put away the wine glass and the burnt paper money.

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In April of the 29th year of Qianyuan, the Crown Prince Wei Xu became seriously ill after the death of the Empress Dowager Xiaoyi, and was bedridden for half a month.

During the mourning period in the East Palace, food and water were sparsely consumed, vegetables and fruits were not eaten, and all congratulatory banquets after the birth of the emperor's grandson were not held. On the day of the [-]th day, the crown prince just brought the child into the palace to pay his respects without making any public arrangements.

——Funning Hall——

"Sir, Crown Prince Wei Xu respectfully invites Sheng An," the Crown Prince dragged his tired body and knelt down on his knees, "How is Sheng Gong today?"

The emperor put his hands on his hands and coughed lightly, "I bow."

The crown prince knelt down to Xiao Youqing again, "Is your empress well today?"

Seeing that the bodies of the father and son were worse than the other, Xiao Youqing stood up and helped the Crown Prince up, "Compared to mine, your body worries me more."

The crown prince lowered his head, cupped his hands and said, "Don't worry, mother, my son will be fine."

Xiao Youqing took a deep breath and walked to the nurse's side and looked down at the baby who had just turned [-] days old in the swaddle, "Did the Crown Princess name him before she died?"

The crown prince shook his head, "Xi'er said...he is the heir of the emperor and should be granted the title."

Xiao Youqing carried the child to the emperor, "Let the officials give him a name."

The emperor turned his head, took a look and clenched his fists tightly, then closed his eyes and sighed, got up and said: "You accompany the children to eat, I still have something to do in the court."

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In August of the 29th year of Qianyuan, the emperor's grandson gave him the single name Sheng, but he was not awarded a title. After the funeral in the East Palace, the crown prince Wei Xu fell ill again.

All the well-known doctors in various states were sent to Tokyo to see the crown prince. When the doctors went out, their conclusions were almost the same as those of the doctors in Su.

"It's caused by a heart knot, this is a heart disease, if we can untie the heart knot..." Lang Zhong shook his head, "His Royal Highness is already ill, and now that he has a heart disease, even a god may not be able to save him."

"Your Highness is still in his prime, is there really nothing to do?" Prince Zhan Shi and Shao Zhan Shi asked anxiously.

"If the heart disease is cured, the disease will be cured. If the heart disease is not cured, it will be in danger at any time..."

"Nonsense!" Shao Zhanshi reprimanded, "The crown prince's palace is the crown prince of the country, and it has its own protection from heaven and man. How can you, a quack doctor, be able to define it arbitrarily."

The doctor stopped talking, put his medicine box on his back and cupped his hands: "A certain medical skill is not good, and I disturbed all the officials."

Prince Shao Zhan Shi squinted his eyes, thought for a while, and followed out. The old man turned his head in shock, "Why are you following me?"

Prince Shao Zhanshi took out a bag of silver from his sleeve, "The matter of the crown prince is no small matter, Langzhong is a smart man and should understand."

The doctor pushed the money back, "I'm a doctor, and I'm only responsible for treating diseases and getting medicine, not a spy who reports to others." Then he bowed and left.

In winter, the crown prince could barely stay in the bed and walk, but his condition was always capricious, and he often fell into fainting. There were rumors among the people that the crown prince was an evil spirit, and some superstitious people avoided the street where the East Palace was located. The imperial edict asked Taoist priests to chant scriptures for the practice of Donggong to drive away evil spirits.

After winter, the emperor's health also deteriorated. For most courtiers, they were more concerned about the prince's health, and civil servants often visited the East Palace.

On November [-]st, Shuo—Zichen Palace—

The emperor had been coughing since he was ascended to the palace, and the prime minister said: "I hope your majesty will take care of your body."

"Your Majesty, the real person in Yanqing Temple has been practiced in the East Palace for two months, and His Royal Highness's health still hasn't improved, so please play it at the Yushitai." Yushi Zhongcheng presented the palace letter, and the servant took it and forwarded it to the imperial court.

Yushi Zhongcheng said again: "Please play at the Yushitai to choose a concubine for His Highness the Crown Prince."