female concubine

Because of the emperor's illness, the East Palace stopped all the Shangyuan celebrations. Outside the wall of the East Palace and West Palace was a residential area for the common people. There were children covering their ears and setting off fireworks.

The servants and palace servants stood inside the palace wall with their hands in their hands, looked up and listened to the laughter and laughter outside the wall, and sighed, "Tell me what happened in the past few years. Things are getting better, the official family..."

"Shh, it's taboo to deal with officials in the palace now."

A few servants boiled the medicine seized by the Donggong Pharmacy Bureau, "Isn't His Royal Highness's illness getting better? Why isn't the dosage reduced?"

"Didn't the imperial doctor say it all? It's a heart disease. It's not so easy to bring along the old disease."

"Then Your Highness?"

The servant frowned, "Think about it, the official family is like this now, how would the saint feel in his heart? If the only son..." Then he turned his head to look in the direction of the main hall to the north, "Your Highness is a filial man , Naturally I don’t want to make my mother worry.”

Behind the main hall of the East Palace, the pavilion in the north is the residence of the crown prince, and the one next to it to the east is the sleeping pavilion of the crown prince. Two palace servants carried lanterns and followed Princess Le'an to the pavilion of the crown prince.

"Your Highness, Princess Le'an, please see me." The female envoy reported inside.

Cao Shuyao hurriedly got up and walked out of the bedroom, "It's Chen'er who is here."

Princess Le'an stepped forward and blessed her body and said, "I have seen Your Highness the Crown Princess, Your Highness Shangyuan Ankang."

Princess Le'an Jiji last year, the Jiji ceremony that was supposed to be a big one, asked the emperor to abolish it because of her filial piety. She was only one year younger than the second stepmother in age, and the crown prince also regarded the Cao family as a Little girl, after getting in touch with her, I realized that the so-called little girl in my eyes is more calm than most people.

"It's so late, and you just came back from Da Nei, why don't you go back and rest?"

Since the Crown Princess entered the East Palace for half a year, Princess Le'an has never changed his words, "Chen'er came to greet His Highness, today Shangyuan was anxious about Weng Weng, so he forgot to say hello to His Highness."

"The princess is worried that the official family is extremely filial. I am very pleased that the princess is concerned about the safety of Shangyuan Dao." Cao Shuyao sent away all the palace people in the palace, and immediately took Princess Le'an to sit aside. Excuse me, "You have a lot on your mind. Although you are always happy in front of His Royal Highness, there are some things in your eyes that cannot be concealed. I don't want you to be like this. If you are sad, you can say it. If you don't know who to talk to, you can tell me the same thing." Let me tell you, I'm only one year older than you, so I put aside this identity and get along with friends, is that okay?"

Listening to Cao Shuyao's words, Princess Le'an immediately threw herself into Cao's arms with wet eyes, "Weng Weng's health is getting worse day by day, and my father's health is also not good. Chen'er is very afraid that they will leave Chen'er in the end. Chen'er has There is no mother."

Cao Shuyao stretched out her hand to cover Princess Le'an's back and stroked it gently, "The princess has reached the point where she is no longer a little girl, I can't use deceptive words to prevaricate and comfort you, life and death is a must for each of us , the pain caused by death is due to concern and longing, and the soul returns to the dust. For some people, it is not a relief. I definitely don't want to see the Princess so sad."

Princess Le'an withdrew from Cao Shuyao's arms, and immediately raised her hand to wipe away her tears, "Aunt also said the same thing as Chen'er."

"Aunt?" Cao Shuyao responded, "Is it Princess Yiguo?"

Princess Le'an nodded, and Cao Shuyao took out her handkerchief to wipe the tears from the corners of Princess Le'an's eyes, "She sometimes looks like a little girl, but when she becomes strong, she is more determined than anyone else. "

"Your Highness..." Princess Le'an looked at Cao Shuyao blankly, "They said that His Highness has always lived in seclusion. Did His Highness know your aunt before?"

"It's not acquaintance, it's just a hasty rubbing of shoulders."

"There are so many people in Tokyo City, can you remember it with just one side?"

Cao Shuyao shook her head lightly, "It's impossible to rub shoulders, but it's different after a glimpse. Youth is full of sincerity and cleanliness, not everyone has it."

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From the end of the first month to the spring of February in the 31st year of Qianyuan, the emperor's condition improved.

——Funning Hall——

"It's February, are the flowers outside the palace blooming?" the emperor said in a weak and indistinct voice.

Xiao Youqing put down the medicine bowl that had bottomed out, "Does the official mean the crabapple in Funing Palace? It was not opened last year, but this year..." He choked and stopped talking.

The emperor took a rough breath, "I want to go back to Chu Palace."

"Okay," Xiao Youqing didn't refuse, "The concubine asked someone to prepare the chariot."

The insiders received orders to Neidongmensi, and then the operatives of Neidongmensi went to the front office of Sanya Hall to dispatch guards, and the car and guard of honor received the order from their superiors less than half a moment after they stepped out of Yiluansi. News don't have to worry about it.

Xiao Youqing helped the extremely emaciated man out of the cabinet. When he arrived at the main hall of Funing Hall, the emperor suddenly vomited blood with his eyes wide open, and then passed out. "Officials."

Xiao Youqing squatted down and sat on the ground to let the emperor lay flat in his arms, "Go and call Sun Hongda in!" Then he raised his trembling hands to wipe the dark red blood stains around the corners of the emperor's mouth, the middle coat wrapped in the cloak was almost covered with blood dyed through.

——Deoksugung Palace——

Since the emperor was seriously ill, the Empress Dowager Li, in addition to visiting, chanted scriptures and Buddhist scriptures every day at Deoksugung Palace, copied scriptures and sent them to Kaibao Temple for burning.

"Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, when you practice the deep prajna paramita for a long time, you can see that the five aggregates are empty, and you can overcome all hardships...Parasang reveals the truth, Bodhisattva." Empress Dowager Li knelt in front of the statue of Bodhisattva and turned the rosary, " The Buddha is merciful, how can you bear to see me, an old man, with white hair and black hair..." The string of the rosary suddenly broke.

——Da, da, da—the beads were scattered all over the ground, and Empress Dowager Li collapsed on the ground as if she had lost her backbone. Is it?"

"His Royal Highness the Empress Dowager." An old servant of Deoksugung Palace hurried into the hall, "Your Highness, over to Funyeong Hall... the official has passed out."

Empress Dowager Li turned around—wow! ——So scared that Nei quickly helped him up, "Your Highness, Your Highness." The servant shouted to the door of the side hall: "Come quickly, go to Doctor Xuan."

"No." Empress Dowager Li forced herself to stand up, "Hurry up and help the old man to Funing Palace."

It was less than a quarter of an hour since the emperor fainted in Funing Hall, and the outer hall was full of people. Princess Qin rushed forward anxiously when she saw her birth mother, "Your Majesty."

"How is Sixth Brother?"

"Brother Six..." Princess Qin raised her hand to wipe away her tears, then covered her mouth in mourning and shook her head.

Empress Dowager Li clutched her sleeves and stepped into the cabinet of Funing Hall, where the Crown Prince, Crown Princess, Princess Yiguo, Princess Le'an, and Xiao Youqing who was sitting in front of the couch were waiting for the sick.

"His Royal Highness the Empress Dowager."

"His Royal Highness the Empress Dowager."

Empress Dowager Li walked to the couch, seeing her child haggard overnight, she couldn't help crying, "Did Doctor Sun see it?"

Xiao Youqing raised his hand and wiped the eyes that were holding back tears, and then he stood up and said, "Madam, Sun Taiyi has seen it, changed several prescriptions and dosages, and managed to pull the person back after administering the needle, but... ...refused to wake up."

Empress Dowager Li stepped forward and sat down beside the emperor, gently holding the emperor's bone-thin hand, "Sixth brother, open your eyes and see, it's your mother, and mother apologizes to you for causing you to be mother's." Wrong." Seeing that Empress Dowager Li didn't respond, she burst into tears and said, "Are you really so cruel that you want your mother to be sent to someone with white hair?"

Outside the hall, after hearing the news, the princesses and concubines also rushed into the Funing Hall. The emperor did not dare to disturb the rest, so they had to take a quick look. Princess Wu and her mother Xiao Taifei returned to the Ninghe Hall and cried loudly.

"I just celebrated my destiny a few years ago, why did my body disappear so badly in the past two years?" Princess Wu's hair was full of silver, her eyes were full of sadness, "If there was no Sixth Brother, I don't know what would happen to Zhen Er Yan Er. "

Concubine Xiao patted her daughter's shoulder, "Auspicious officials have their own appearance, if the sky has eyes, they will not take away the hope of the world."

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At the beginning of February in the 31st year of Qianyuan, the emperor fainted several times in the cabinet of Funing Hall, Xiao Youqing then ordered Sun Hongda to stay overnight in Funing Hall and wait by the emperor's side every step of the way.

By mid-February, the emperor could no longer eat normally and relied on liquid food for support. The daily life of Funing Hall was taken care of by the empress herself. In order to keep the cabinet quiet, the crown prince, princess concubine, and Princess Le'an had to watch their illnesses sooner or later.

The Crown Prince brought the Crown Princess to the door of the cabinet, "Shu Yao, wait for me outside."

"Your Highness..." Cao Shuyao suddenly remembered the words of Princess Le'an, "You should also pay more attention to your body."

After the crown prince nodded, he walked into the inner room alone with his sleeves in his arms. He cautiously stepped forward and asked softly, "Mother, is Daddy feeling better?"

Xiao Youqing bent down while gesticulating, and put his head in front of the emperor's lips, the crown prince stopped by the table, "Mother, what did daddy say?"

The emperor just woke up not long ago, and the exhausted lamp made people feel painful. She wanted to speak, so she wriggled her lips with difficulty. The emperor kept staring at the embroidery on his beige, and when he realized it, Xiao Youqing burst into tears by the emperor's bed.

"Miss."

"Your father wants to see this year's Begonia."

Seeing his lover crying sadly in front of him, but he was helpless and unable to say anything, and his limbs seemed to be unconscious and could no longer be moved. The people in front of them wept together.

The crown prince said: "There is one in front of Funing Hall, but..." This is February, and the crabapple trees will not bloom until March in Yangchun. The crabapple trees in front of Funing Hall have not bloomed since last year, and this year even more so. No buds were seen.

Xiao Youqing wiped away tears and was about to get up, "The crabapple bloomed the first in the garden of Qiandi, I know what your father is thinking."

"Go, son." The crown prince stopped him, "Daddy definitely doesn't want my mother to leave now, my mother should stay and let my son go." Then he bowed and retreated from Funing Palace, riding a minister's horse and driving out Gong flew to Qiandi.

Xiao Youqing looked down and saw the tears in the corners of the emperor's eyes, and immediately covered his mouth and trembled, "Liulang."

Xiao Youqing bent down and held the emperor's hand on the quilt, "Do you still remember what you promised? In the 11th year of Qianyuan, you said you wanted to see the first crabapple in Tokyo, so you promised to come back in a year. But you didn't rush back before the flowers bloomed, so now you want to break your promise again?"

The emperor wriggled his speechless lips, his whole body was engraved with the word powerless, and the only heart that was still beating was in pain like a knife.

Xiao Youqing turned to grab the quilt on one side, trembling: "You liar."

The emperor opened his powerless eyes, and tears flowed from the corners of his eyes. The punishment from heaven was so sudden that he had no time to say goodbye. He was exhausted physically and mentally. The person in front of him made her struggle to support her remaining life. Death is not terrible, but The inability to speak became her greatest pain.

【"sorry."】