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◎Cold winter◎

This year, the capital city got cold earlier than in previous years. It snowed in early October. The snow was not heavy but was accompanied by a howling wind. The wind was so strong that the straps of the cloak had to be tied very tightly to prevent the hood from being blown off the head.

Even the young were catching a cold from the snow, and the veteran officials were even more unbearable. Minister of Rites Xie Xunwen, who had long been attending court on crutches, was the first to take a bed leave. Then, the sixty-one-year-old Right Prime Minister Dai Lun also took a leave of absence due to a nighttime fever. A few days later, Imperial Censor Nie Ao, who had just turned sixty, sneezed violently several times during the morning court session...

Emperor Xingwu sat on the dragon throne, holding a hand warmer in both hands: "...If you are sick, just stay at home and take care of yourself. Don't try to be stubborn."

While regretting his increasing aging, Emperor Xingwu was also afraid that some old minister would pass away before him.

Nie Luo took out a handkerchief and wiped his nose and beard. He said in a noticeably changed voice, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your consideration. However, I am fine. I am just..."

Before he could finish his words, he turned around suddenly and sneezed three more times.

Emperor Xingwu: "...Fan Zhong, escort Elder Nie out of the palace."

Nie Ao, who was on duty while sick, had to resign.

The ministers subconsciously tilted their heads and watched for a while. Yan Xizheng also turned his head and watched. When he turned around, he saw Prince Xian standing next to the Crown Princess and Prince An, looking at him with observation and worry.

Sixty-six-year-old Yan Xizheng: "..."

What are you looking at? Does he have to get sick just because he's old?

First, a few years ago, the little princess was always worried that he would suddenly die of old age. Now, even his grandson-in-law, Prince Xian, who never cares about anything else, is concerned about his longevity. It is obviously a favor from the royal family, but why can't Yan Xizheng be happy?

.

Dai Lun and Nie Ao rested for three to five days before returning to court. In mid-October, Xie Xunwen, who was still bedridden, submitted a letter of resignation.

Emperor Xingwu might let Xie Xunwen rest and recuperate, and resume his duties when he is better. After all, the Ministry of Rites has been relatively idle recently.

Xie Xunwen had not recovered yet, and at the end of the month, Emperor Xingwu fell ill with a cold. He suddenly had a fever at night. Fortunately, Concubine Li had a light sleep and heard the unclear mumbling of the person beside her. Only then did she realize that Emperor Xingwu was shaking constantly.

He Yuanjing quickly sent someone to summon the imperial physician, and also sent someone to notify Jiuhua Palace.

After being awakened by Jie Yu through the door, Qingyang hurriedly put on his outer robe and ran out, not even bothering to comb his hair. Jie Yu was waiting at the door of the inner room, holding the cloak. When Jie Yu saw the Crown Princess come out, he wanted to help her put it on, but before he could say anything, Qingyang waved him aside. Just as Qingyang was about to continue rushing out, someone suddenly grabbed his right arm. Qingyang turned around and saw Zhang Su had already grabbed the cloak in Jie Yu's hand and was throwing it around her.

Qingyang lowered her eyes and did not object anymore. She was anxious to see her father, and her father would also be concerned about whether she was cold on the way.

Zhang Su moved quickly, and Qingyang kept watching his hands. After he fastened the strap of his hood, Qingyang ran away, followed closely by Zhang Su.

The cold wind in the middle of the night was as sharp as a knife. Relying on their familiarity with the palace, the two ran in the dark to the rear hall of Qianyuan Palace. The imperial doctors who were farther away than the East Palace had not arrived yet.

When Qingyang rushed to his father's bedroom, he saw his mother standing by his father's bedside, her eyes red as she gently pressed the wet towel on his forehead.

Emperor Xingwu had already woken up, but he closed his eyes because he was too dizzy to speak. He heard footsteps and opened them. Seeing his daughter with long hair and his son-in-law two steps behind him, Emperor Xingwu curled his lips and glanced at He Yuanjing who was further away. "It's just a cold. Why bother disturbing you in the middle of the night?"

Concubine Li stood up and gave her daughter the seat beside the bed.

Qingyang held his father's burning hand and said distressedly, "I am willing to come. Father, you don't need to say anything. Just do whatever makes you feel comfortable."

Emperor Xingwu closed his eyes again.

There was a floor heater in the bedroom. Concubine Li helped her daughter untie her cloak and hang it on the hanger. Seeing that Zhang Su was not even wearing a cloak, Concubine Li silently poured a bowl of hot water for Zhang Su to drink.

No one spoke, for fear of disturbing the emperor.

After a while, four imperial doctors came in breathlessly. After a thorough examination, they confirmed that it was indeed a cold, and quickly went to boil medicine.

After drinking a large bowl of medicine, Emperor Xingwu fell asleep again.

Concubine Li was determined to stay with the emperor, so she gently urged her daughter and son-in-law to go back and come back tomorrow morning. Qingyang refused to leave, telling Zhang Su to go back on his own while she stayed up all night to keep watch for her father.

Zhang Su then took his leave.

He could not stay because this was the emperor's bedroom. Concubine Li and the Crown Princess could lie on the bed for a while when they were tired of keeping watch. Even if Zhang Su was willing to guard the outer room, he could not stay in Qianyuan Hall just because he wanted to.

When only the family of three was left in the inner hall, Concubine Li advised her daughter to lie down on the bed: "You still have work to do tomorrow morning, so go to sleep quickly. Your mother will take good care of your father."

Qingyang: "I'm not sleepy, I just want to spend more time with my father."

She didn't tilt her head to look at her mother, but Concubine Li saw the tears sliding down her daughter's face. Concubine Li was also upset, but she smiled and patted her daughter's shoulder: "Silly Lin'er, it's just a cold. Drink some medicine and sweat it out and it will be fine. As for your crying, let your father know tomorrow morning, he will definitely laugh at you."

Qingyang couldn't laugh. She still remembered that Lu Zan's father, Lu Guangzu, was killed by a cold.

The cold wasn't a serious illness. If Father was still as strong and healthy as before, Qingyang wouldn't have thought anything bad about it, but Father...

Concubine Li hugged her daughter from behind, her tears wet her daughter's clothes, and Qingyang's tears dripped onto the back of her mother's hand.

The next morning, the news that Emperor Xingwu was ill spread. As soon as the three brothers Qin Hong, Qin Bing, and Qin Ren and Prince Yong and his son heard the news, they all ran to the palace.

Emperor Xingwu had woken up, but his fever had not completely subsided. He looked more energetic than at night and was leaning against the head of the bed while Concubine Li was feeding him medicine.

Originally, Qingyang was supposed to help her father eat and take medicine, but as soon as she sat down beside the bed with the bowl in her hand, Emperor Xingwu couldn't help laughing: "No, father is not used to having you serve him. It seems like I saw you three or four years old pretending to feed him."

Qingyang insisted that her father get used to it, but when she handed over the spoon, Emperor Xingwu still laughed. How could he eat well like this? He had to replace her with Concubine Li.

As soon as his sons and brothers arrived, Emperor Xingwu became serious and stopped teasing his daughter.

Prince Yong pushed aside his three nephews and knelt before his eldest brother's bed. He was staring nervously and trying to observe his eldest brother's expression when Emperor Xingwu pressed his palm on his forehead and pushed him back. "Why are you kneeling? I just caught a cold, not a serious illness..."

Concubine Li stuffed a spoon into his mouth, blocking his unlucky words.

Prince Yong didn't care what his elder brother said. He only saw his elder brother's sallow face, slightly flushed, and the hand pushing against his forehead, so hot, that his throat choked and tears began to fall. A cold. When his elder brother was young, he'd been as ferocious as a tiger even when he caught a cold, but now, it had knocked him down!

Emperor Xingwu looked at his three sons again. The eldest and third sons had red eyes. The second son's eyes were not red, but there was anger in his eyes. "Father is ill. We should have been summoned to the palace last night. You were feverish and uncomfortable, but we just slept. What kind of thing is that?"

Emperor Xingwu: "You are all panaceas. Can I be cured just by looking at you?"

Before Qin Bing could say anything more, Emperor Xingwu snatched the bowl from Concubine Li's hand and drank the remaining medicine. He then pulled up the quilt and lay down inside, saying unhappily, "I'm going to sleep. You all may leave. By the way, Lin'er, you will preside over the court meetings for the next few days until I fully recover."

After hearing his father's voice, Qingyang regained some of his strength and his appetite was good this morning, which made him feel a little relieved.

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On the third day of November, Yongkang, who had been under house arrest for a year, was finally allowed to leave the house. The first thing he did after leaving the house was to go to the palace to pay his respects to his father.

At this time, Emperor Xingwu no longer had a fever, but had a cough.

As soon as Yongkang came in, he saw his father, who was even thinner and more haggard than he was during the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, and he knelt down in front of the bed and burst into tears.

When her younger brother was still the crown prince and everything was not going well for her, Yongkang often fantasized about the honor and glory she would get after her younger brother ascended the throne. Yongkang did not deliberately hope for her father's death, but she knew in her heart that only after her father's death would her younger brother succeed to the throne and her dreams would come true.

Now that there is no crown prince, and her younger sister has become the crown princess, Yongkang no longer has to have any sweet dreams. Then her father is still the father she missed, admired and was proud of when she was a child, the father who once held her high in his arms. There is no vanity and struggle for interests. The older her father gets, the more guilty Yongkang feels for her past selfishness.

Emperor Xingwu felt very relieved when he saw his eldest daughter crying. He knew that how could his own daughter not miss her father at all?

"Alright, alright, I'm fine. Why are you all so nervous as if I might..."

Qin Ren, who was standing by, was about to interrupt his father when Emperor Xingwu started coughing.

Yongkang didn't dare to cry anymore. She waited until her father lay down, and then learned from her third brother that her younger brothers and sisters were taking turns to take care of her father. Yongkang asked her third brother to go on the job, and she, the eldest sister who had no job, would take care of her father.

In fact, there was nothing that required their service. Emperor Xingwu slept most of the time due to the effects of the medicine. It was good to sleep as it saved him from the discomfort of continuous coughing.

Emperor Xingwu was ill until mid-November. He lost a lot of weight and attended the morning court wrapped in a cloak. Then he handed over the affairs of state to the Crown Princess. He continued to recuperate in his bedroom in a state of exhausted spirit.

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The tenth day of the twelfth lunar month is the second anniversary of Deng Chong's death.

Emperor Xingwu did not allow anyone to disturb the Crown Princess who worked in the Secretariat, and only appointed Fan Zhong and the brothers Deng Kun and Deng Tai to accompany him to pay tribute to Deng Chong.

The weather was freezing cold. Deng Kun and Deng Tai, who had been waiting outside the Vermillion Bird Gate, saw Emperor Xingwu emerge in his sedan chair. Deng Kun dropped to his knees, his eyes reddening as he said, "I know Your Majesty misses my father, but if my father were still alive, he would never want Your Majesty to go through all this trouble for him. I beg Your Majesty to return!"

Emperor Xingwu ignored him and waited for the palace servants to put down the sedan chair. Then Fan Zhong stepped forward and helped him down.

Deng Kun and Deng Tai knelt before the emperor and kowtowed to him, begging him to return to the palace.

Emperor Xingwu looked down at the two brothers and said, "You're all bullying me because I'm too old to kick you, right? Get up! If you try to stop me again, I'll have you tied up and I'll go see my good brothers myself!"

Seeing that the two men still did not move, Fan Zhong kicked Deng Tai on behalf of the emperor, and the two brothers stood up.

Fan Zhong helped the emperor onto the carriage, and Deng Kun and his brothers rode beside the carriage.

The imperial carriage was very spacious. Emperor Xingwu lay on the couch. He Yuanjing, whose hair had already turned gray, considerately covered the emperor with a quilt.

After five hundred imperial guards escorted the emperor out of the city, three thousand imperial troops cleared the way for the emperor outside the city.

Both the palace guards and the imperial troops defending the city were elite soldiers selected from the four major capital camps, the sons of nobles, and military scholars. They were dressed in full sets of iron armor and marched against the cold wind.

Deng Kun and Deng Tai both saw it, but at this moment, they were thinking of their father who had passed away two years ago, and the emperor who was too old to pay tribute to his father in the carriage.

【Author’s words】

From now on, there will probably be a single update every night. You can save up until the end of the month and read the ending in one go. Maybe it won’t even take until the end of the month [pat on the head]

100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow!