The carriage stopped in front of the Zhu residence. The steward, who hadn't slept all night, stood on the steps, his clothes soaked with cold dew.
Hearing the rumbling of wheels, the butler quickly turned around and went to greet them.
As if sensing something, the young man in the carriage lifted the curtain and gestured for him to be quiet. Then, he carried the sleeping Zhu Jiayu out of the carriage and carried her straight back to the courtyard.
After doing all this, he closed the door, went out of the room, and said to the worried steward, "She's fine, just too tired. She'll be fine after a nap. Uncle Zhu is at the Duke's mansion and will probably not be back until after breakfast. Please have the cook prepare some light vegetarian porridge on the stove and bring it over when A-Yu wakes up."
After saying that, he looked at the steward's robe, which was so wet it was practically dripping, took off his own cloak and draped it over the steward's shoulders, and said softly, "You should go back and rest for a while too. I'll take care of things here, Ayu."
The butler paused slightly, his fingers unconsciously stroking the ties hanging down from the cloak. After a moment, he replied with a "okay."
After seeing the housekeeper off, Wei Qinglou returned to the room and sat by Zhu Jiayu's bedside, casually picking up a book she had placed on the table to read.
In the afternoon, Zhu Jiayu groggily opened her eyes and saw Wei Qinglou sitting in the evening light, his eyebrows lowered, his expression focused and aloof as he turned the pages of the book in his hands.
She didn't make a sound to disturb him, but she sat up on her own. However, Wei Qinglou noticed her. He put down the book in his hand and placed a pillow behind her so that she could sit more comfortably.
"You were up all night, don't you want to get some more sleep?"
Zhu Jiayu shook her head: "You've slept enough. As for you, the palace must be in complete chaos by now. Don't you have anything to do?"
Although she didn't know what had happened last night, she clearly heard the eighty-one tolls of the funeral bell that echoed throughout the capital city after the emperor's death.
Wei Qinglou is now a first-rank minister. With the passing of the late emperor and the ascension of the new emperor, he holds a high position and great power. He should be in the palace to discuss state affairs with the other ministers.
Wei Qinglou rubbed his temples and smiled helplessly at her, "Zhu Jiayu, can you stop talking without knowing the situation? You were worried sick all night and suffered from the cold all night. I was too worried about you to have any time to discuss some damn state affairs."
"Moreover, now that the new emperor is in charge of the palace, it makes little difference whether I am here or not."
Zhu Jiayu smiled, then, remembering what happened last night, she couldn't help but ask, "Yesterday... was it the Crown Prince? How could it be so sudden?"
Mentioning Gu Chonghua, Wei Qinglou's smile turned slightly cold. He said with a straight line, "It's not so sudden. He had been planning for over a month for last night, and with Chang Beiqiu paving the way for him, it was already quite remarkable that he was able to endure until yesterday."
He paused for a moment, then said, "Before Chang Beiqiu's accident, he ordered a batch of weapons. From the outside, they looked the same as the standard military weapons, but in reality, they were very weak and could be easily broken and destroyed. These weapons were later sent to the border army."
“It just so happens that the three thousand iron cavalry under my second brother’s command received this batch of weapons.”
"Later, Chang Beiqiu got into trouble. He had a secret meeting with the Crown Prince. No one knows what they said, but it was nothing more than a few sentences: he was framed by me, the Emperor favored treacherous officials, and so on."
Zhu Jiayu continued, “Chang Beiqiu was extremely kind and righteous to the Crown Prince. I heard that when he was in the Eastern Palace, he would not only test the food sent by the kitchen staff with silver needles, but also personally taste the dishes for the Crown Prince. Later, when the Crown Prince went to the hunting grounds and encountered assassins, it was he who risked his life to protect him, which allowed the Crown Prince to survive.”
Wei Qinglou nodded: "When the imperial family establishes an heir, it has always been the eldest son who is virtuous and capable. The Crown Prince is the youngest son, and his birth mother is the Empress, who is deeply in love with the Emperor. The Emperor is afraid that if he gets close to the Crown Prince, he will spoil him and make him arrogant and unable to bear the heavy responsibility in the future. Therefore, the Emperor often keeps his distance from the Crown Prince."
"It is conceivable that Chang Beiqiu's actions made him appear as both a teacher and a father figure to the Crown Prince."
"The Crown Prince always believed about 70-80% of what he said. Naturally, the Crown Prince began to resent me, and even the Emperor."
"He intends to deal with me, and he understands that to get rid of me, he must first get past the Emperor..."
His voice tightened as he said this.
The Emperor had treated him with great kindness, and he had grown up under the Emperor's protection since childhood. Although such affection might not be entirely genuine, it was certainly not feigned. He was not made of wood or stone, and now that the Emperor had passed away, he was naturally very saddened.
Zhu Jiayu raised her hand to touch his brow, but before she could say anything comforting, Wei Qinglou had already composed himself.
After several years of experience in officialdom, he had learned to conceal his anger and sorrow from others.
He continued, “In recent years, His Majesty has been deeply troubled and often drowns his sorrows in alcohol. Over time, his anger and resentment have damaged his liver and caused stagnation of qi and blood.”
"Originally, this disease could be treated with a combination of liver-softening decoction and turtle shell decoction to invigorate blood circulation, remove blood stasis, regulate qi, and soothe the liver. However, he bribed the imperial physician to increase the dosage in the emperor's decoction, thereby severely damaging the liver and extinguishing its vitality."
"Unfortunately, I discovered it too late. Even though I later ordered the chief eunuch by the Emperor's side to stop the medication, it was too late."
As he spoke, his hand gripping the book pages tightened unconsciously.
Zhu Jiayu suddenly leaned forward and hugged him.
Words were simply too pale and powerless. Zhu Jiayu felt that nothing she could say at this moment would be appropriate, and anything she said would seem irrelevant. All she could do was hold Wei Qinglou tightly, hoping to connect their hearts closely in this way and share some of Wei Qinglou's grief.
Wei Qinglou rarely talked to her about the Emperor. She knew that in his heart, they were first and foremost ruler and subject, then elder and junior, and only then teacher and friend.
But the most honored elder in the world bestowed upon him a birthday gift, named him, prepared his coming-of-age ceremony, and bestowed upon him a courtesy name.
He gave all the love and trust he couldn't give to his youngest son to this nephew. He nurtured him and protected him, yet he passed away suddenly in such a heartbreaking way, poisoned by his youngest son.
Wei Qinglou's chest trembled slightly. He hesitated, then raised his hand and placed it on her back, gradually tightening his grip.
He closed his eyes, and tears fell silently, soaking his face.
“I discovered it too late…” he repeated, choking back tears.
He knew the Crown Prince would take action, yet he never connected the Emperor's illness with the Crown Prince. If he had been more vigilant and prepared earlier, perhaps the Emperor wouldn't have died...
He couldn't help but recall his experiences entering and leaving the Forbidden City over the years. Countless images washed over him like flowing water. The imposing man in those images changed from his initial heroic demeanor to his aged appearance, until he finally disappeared into a phantom in the flowing water.
He opened his eyes. The water had receded, and in the vastness of heaven and earth, only he and Ayu remained tightly embracing, like reeds and like a rock.
But nothing and no one can separate them.
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