As soon as Shen Yuyao stepped into Yongtai Palace, she heard the eunuchs behind her shouting: The prince has arrived!
Shen Yuyao had no choice but to turn back and leave Yongtai Hall.
She knelt by the door, and after Xia Yu hurried into the hall, she hurriedly stood up and followed Xia Yu into Yongtai Hall.
As soon as she entered the hall, Shen Yuyao saw that standing in the middle of Yongtai Hall was the eunuch Zhang who was standing beside the emperor.
He had a serious face and was dressed in white mourning clothes.
Shen Yuyao was horrified, her heart sank to the bottom of the sea. After a moment of trance, she suddenly remembered that the two-year deadline had expired!
Mother, the time has come!
Thinking of this, her knees softened and she knelt down!
As soon as she knelt down, all the concubines, maids, and servants in the palace who followed Shen Yuyao all knelt on the ground.
Xia Yu also knelt on the ground. Eunuch Zhang would only dress like this during a national mourning!
Eunuch Zhang raised his white eyebrows, and before he could say anything, two lines of tears flowed down his face.
After exerting himself to calm his mind, he pulled out the imperial edict from his pocket and read aloud, "The Emperor's decree states: 'The late Empress, a matchless emperor throughout history, a virtuous partner, able to share the cares and diligence of government, has rarely been able to bring prosperity to the world and bring blessings to the people. The Empress and I rose from humble beginnings, sharing the cares and diligence of each other, rising from the turbulent times to this day, for thirty-one years. She has been a model for the family and a model for the nation, guiding me in governance and cultivating the highest virtues for my descendants. Nothing could surpass her. I intended that in a few years, when my son would become emperor, I would return to the Palace of Old Longevity with the Empress, raising my grandchildren at my knees and enjoying the cares of the whole nation. Yet, she suddenly passed away from a sudden illness, leaving me wailing with grief and sorrow. Life is followed by death, as is the law of nature. Though the Empress passes away, her virtues endure. Following the ancient posthumous names, I shall confer upon the Empress the title of Xiaoci. Alas! This is a matter of public opinion, and I dare not take it for granted. I only ask the spirit to judge."
By the time he finished reading it in one breath, Xia Yu and Shen Yuyao had already knelt on the ground, crying bitterly.
The concubines and servants behind them were crying loudly.
Many of them had received favors from the Empress, especially the concubines, who were grateful to the Empress for sending them to Prince Ning's Mansion, so that they could live a life of luxury.
Eunuch Zhang also shed many tears, and after a while he said, "Prince Ning and Princess Ning, please accept my condolences. The emperor has ordered Prince Ning to return to the capital as soon as possible to attend the funeral, and Princess Ning to accompany him!"
"Your son accepts the order!"
"Your Highness accepts the order!"
After Xia Yu and Shen Yuyao calmed down a little, Eunuch Zhang sat down and told them the details of the Queen's death.
It turned out that the Empress had recently returned from an outing with the Emperor and had suddenly fallen seriously ill. The Emperor sought treatment from renowned doctors, but to no avail. He even considered summoning Princess Ning to the palace to treat the Empress.
But the Queen Mother insisted on not taking any more medicine and refused to have anyone diagnose her pulse.
The emperor pleaded with the empress, but she simply said, "Life or death is determined by fate. What's the point of praying and offering sacrifices? Imperial physicians can only cure illnesses, not lives. If the medicine doesn't work for me, I'm afraid Your Majesty will punish the imperial physicians for my sake!"
After saying this, the Queen Mother refused to even drink water.
The palace maids all said that the Empress had voluntarily given up seeking medical treatment after she became seriously ill. The reason was that the Empress knew the Emperor's temper very well, and she did not want other people's lives to be in danger because of her own illness.
But in reality, Shen Yuyao knew in her heart that two years ago, Xia Xiaoxian had used up all her immortal spirit to buy the Empress two more years of life.
Now, the Queen is at the end of her life and no medicine can help her.
The Empress herself knew this clearly, so she was worried that the Emperor would vent his anger on the palace maids and refused to take any medicine.
When Xia Yu heard Eunuch Zhang tell the truth word by word, and thought of his mother's love for him, he burst into tears.
He raised his scarlet eyes, looked directly at Eunuch Zhang and asked, "Does the Queen Mother have any last words?"
Eunuch Zhang said, "When the Empress was dying, the Emperor asked her if she had any last wishes. But the Empress replied, 'I only wish Your Majesty would seek wise counsel, be prudent to the end, and that your descendants would be virtuous, so that the ministers and the people would have someone to rely on. That's all!' With that, she passed away!"
After hearing this, everyone sobbed even more.
That night, Xia Yu and Shen Yuyao dressed in their tight clothes, mounted their horses, and galloped towards the capital.
They attended their mother's funeral together!
......
The capital of Daxia.
The day of the Queen's funeral.
The whole country of the Great Xia Dynasty was in mourning.
Unfortunately, the weather was not good. There were lightning and thunder early in the morning, and soon, heavy rain began to fall.
The emperor, who was already heartbroken and exhausted, was now extremely angry.
He asked the eunuchs to summon the monks who were chanting and praying for the Empress.
The emperor questioned the monks why it rained heavily on the day of the empress's funeral, making it impossible for the empress's funeral to be held as scheduled.
The monks were all trembling with fear, fearing that one wrong answer would bring about their own death.
So they all lowered their heads silently and dared not say a word.
The emperor was instantly furious, his cruel temper flaring up once again. He actually ordered that if the Empress's funeral could not be held today, all the monks present would be buried with her!
The golden words were so true that for a moment, everyone in the palace was silent and trembling.
Everyone was afraid that if they made a mistake, they would be sentenced to death by the emperor and buried with the empress.
The entire palace, and even the entire capital city.
Everyone was filled with gloom and sorrow, and felt extremely miserable.
Seeing that the emperor was about to draft an edict and prepare to kill, Shen Yuyao, who was kneeling on the ground, hurriedly asked the eunuch beside her for pen and ink. She wrote a short poem on it and turned around to ask Eunuch Zhang to present it to the emperor.
After reading the poem written by Shen Yuyao, the emperor burst into tears!
Seeing that the emperor still refused to let go of his murderous intentions, Shen Yuyao stepped forward to comfort the emperor, saying, "Father, God is merciful. It is the Queen Mother's virtue that has moved God."
"So this downpour is God shedding tears for the most honorable Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty."
"This thunder is the voice of the gods and Buddhas weeping and bidding farewell to our mother, and it is also the queen's compassion, as she is weeping and bidding us farewell."
"The Queen Mother is reluctant to leave the Emperor, and even more so, her people."
"Father, it is a blessing for all the people of the Great Xia Dynasty to have such a virtuous and benevolent queen."
"Father, you must never go against Mother's wishes!"
When Shen Yuyao finished speaking, she was also in tears and her face was full of sadness.
The emperor wept bitterly as he listened. When he gradually calmed down, he issued an edict to pardon the death penalty for everyone present. In accordance with the empress's will, he issued an imperial decree: "Courts will be suspended for 100 days. The princes will mourn for a year, and the people of the Great Xia Dynasty will mourn for three days."
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