Chapter 128 Chapter 128 is the only genuine version...
Xie Danling grabbed Gu Zhizhuo's sleeve and was stunned.
They were not far away from Xie Jing. Xie Jing was sometimes shouting loudly and sometimes whispering softly. They could only hear fragments of what the two were arguing about, but they could hear Wei Jiu's report clearly.
"Dead?" Xie Danling blurted out. "Is this true? Isn't she faking illness?"
Gu Zhizhuo counted with his fingers: "Heavenly thunder is unpredictable."
"What's the meaning?"
"The upper hexagram is Qian, the lower hexagram is Zhen. Thunder is moving across the world, which is Wuwang..."
Xie Danling: "I don't understand, speak human language."
Gu Zhizhuo pondered, "Imagining delusions and rushing to achieve success only brings disaster upon myself, trapping myself in a web of traps."
Xie Danling was confused. She seemed to understand, but also seemed not to understand.
Gu Zhizhuo made a shushing gesture and said, "Be quiet. If you're caught, you'll have to go back to the palace with me and be a 'filial daughter'."
Xie Danling immediately covered her mouth with both hands.
Gu Zhizhuo pulled her and hid behind the carriage: "You hide here, I'll go find the Master."
Xie Danling winked at her: "Oh oh oh ~"
Gu Zhizhuo left Qingmei behind to ensure Xie Danling's safety. Looking back, he saw Ji Nanke and Xie Jing also got on a carriage.
Along the way, Ji Nan Ke was anxious, and her fingers unconsciously tightened the ring around her waist.
She left the palace in the morning and her aunt was fine.
She asserted, "Someone in the palace must have harmed her."
Xie Jing stared at her slightly distorted face, feeling indescribably suffocated.
"No one who gets close to her has a good ending." Gu Zhizhuo's words from the past resurfaced in his mind. Xie Jing shook his head vigorously, telling himself: I shouldn't think about this now.
He responded coldly, "What you should worry about now is whether your witchcraft will be ineffective once Ji dies, and whether the emperor will let you go."
Ji Nanke's breathing stagnated, and he opened the curtain of the carriage anxiously and looked outside.
The carriage passed through the noisy Meridian Gate and soon entered the palace gate.
After Ji entered the palace, she lived in the emperor's Hanzhang Palace, and the two were almost inseparable.
The eunuchs and palace maids in Hanzhang Palace were kneeling on the ground. Ji Nanke was a little nervous, but Xie Jing did not protect her as usual. Instead, he walked past her and continued forward.
They were not the first to arrive. Almost all the older princes had arrived. When they saw Xie Jing and Ji Nan Ke coming together, they smiled knowingly.
The eldest prince waved his folding fan and said, "We just arrived too. The imperial sisters are still praying in the Imperial Ancestral Temple."
The emperor had previously issued a forced order, ordering the princesses to go to the Taimiao to pray for Ji Shi, and they have not returned to the palace yet.
“Get out!”
A sudden roar came from inside, and the eldest prince immediately fell silent. Several princes didn't even dare to breathe.
"...Get out. What use do I have for you?"
"Get out."
"I want all of you to be buried with Ruo'er!"
Several imperial doctors crawled out from inside, but they didn't dare to leave and knelt outside with their legs moved.
Xie Jing stepped forward and asked the imperial physician Zhengdao directly, "Why did he die so suddenly?"
Xie Jing often heard that Ji was sick. Every time he was "sick", Ji could achieve a goal. He just thought he was pretending to be sick. How could he die suddenly?
"Your Highness, the Third Prince," the imperial physician said with a bitter expression, "It's urticaria."
"A rash?" Xie Jing didn't understand. Ji Nanke interrupted, "Are you saying that the Imperial Concubine died of a rash?"
How is this possible.
Ji would have an allergic reaction after eating peaches, but he would only develop a rash and at most a fever.
The emperor was hesitant, so Ji Nan Ke taught Ji Shi to eat peaches and use illness to force him.
It was never a problem before. It would get better naturally as long as I stopped eating.
Ji Nanke's pupils suddenly shrank and she pursed her dry lips.
Xie Jing caught a glimpse of Ji Nanke from the corner of his eye. Seeing her pale face, his heart sank. "Go on."
The imperial physician was kneeling on the ground, explaining everything in detail: "The Imperial Concubine has been suffering from a rash, which has been getting better and worse since entering the palace. Since yesterday, the rash has become increasingly severe, some of it has begun to ulcerate, and the high fever won't go down. She had taken medicine and was feeling slightly better. But unexpectedly, after lunch, the Imperial Concubine's fever suddenly flared up again, and her breathing became rapid and she couldn't breathe. In the end, there was nothing that could be done to save her."
The imperial physician had just died unjustly. Upon Ji Shi's arrival at the palace, they discovered that her rash was caused by a diet she hadn't followed. He had also carefully questioned her about what she had been eating, but she was hesitant and refused to explain. Her pulse before her death suggested she hadn't even taken her medicine properly.
Can this be okay?
Addictive rash can be mild or severe. In mild cases, a red rash will appear on the face. In severe cases, there will be a persistent high fever, respiratory obstruction, and even death.
"Your Highness, it's the Imperial Concubine who didn't follow her diet properly."
As a result, the person died, and the emperor blamed them for their poor medical skills.
Once the Imperial Noble Consort died, the Emperor was furious. They were most likely to lose their lives, and they were afraid of implicating their families.
"How dare you!" Ji Nanke scolded, "You dare to shirk responsibility and say it's the Imperial Concubine's fault. I think it's clearly your poor medical skills that delayed Aunt's treatment!"
The imperial physician didn't refute him. He wiped his face with his sleeve, leaving only sorrow on his face: "Your Majesty is sad and upset. It is all our fault. We are ashamed to show our gratitude to Your Majesty."
"you……"
"Okay, Ke'er, the imperial physician has done his best. Why are you taking your anger out on others?"
How could I be taking my anger out on him?! Ji Nanke wanted to retort, but he no longer looked at her.
The emperor's sorrowful voice echoed throughout Hanzhang Palace: "Ruo'er, Ruo'er, please come and look at me. Don't leave me alone, Ruo'er."
"Third brother," the eldest prince raised an eyebrow and urged, "Do you want to go in and take a look? Alas, I'm afraid that father will be too sad and it will be harmful to his health."
Xie Jing: "You don't dare to go in?"
The eldest prince laughed dryly and rolled his eyes at him in his heart. They were not as favored as him, and if they went in to comfort their father at this time, who knew whether his father would be moved or angry.
Xie Jing hesitated and said, "I'll go."
He still wanted to quickly confirm whether his father's attitude towards Ji had changed.
"Ke'er, come too."
He pulled Ji Nanke inside, and when there was no one around, he asked in a low voice, "Do you have anything to do with Ji's death?"
Ji Nanke shook his head: "No! What good will it do me if my aunt dies?"
Xie Jing said nothing and walked into the inner hall.
He pushed the door open quietly. The emperor was sitting on a round stool beside the bed, holding Ji's hand tightly and crying. There was a broken medicine bowl on the ground, and black medicine juice and fragments were splashed on the floor tiles.
Nanny Wan knelt down with a dead heart, as if she were dead.
Xie Jing was standing far away and could vaguely see that Ji's face was covered with red rashes, each one bright red like blood. Her eyes were not closed, her lips were pale, her face was extremely pale, and she was breathless.
"Your Majesty, I mourn for you."
Xie Jing sighed inwardly and thought: It is better that Ji died like this, so that Ke'er won't have to use her aunt to make trouble all the time.
From now on, Ke'er will be able to calm down.
The emperor sat there motionless, crying uncontrollably.
"Ruo'er."
The emperor lifted her cold hand and placed it on his lips, tears streaming down his face, soaking the back of her hand.
Ji Nan Ke pursed her red lips, with relief on her pretty face.
Fortunately, the emperor's attitude towards her aunt had not changed. She breathed a sigh of relief. When she raised her eyes, she suddenly met Ji's eyes that were still open in death. A shivering chill rose from her tailbone.
"emperor."
Ji Nanke was startled and frightened by Li Deshun's voice.
"Your Majesty, Prince Jin requests..."
"No." Before he could finish, the emperor said in a hoarse voice, "I won't see anyone. Let him go... Wuwu, Ruo'er, don't leave me."
"Get down!"
Yes. Li Deshun didn't dare to say anything more and bowed and left.
Seeing him come out, Prince Jin straightened his official uniform and prepared to go in, but Li Deshun quickly stopped him.
Li Deshun made a quiet gesture to him, closed the palace door with his own hands, and said, "Your Highness, the Emperor said he will not see anyone."
"I don't see you either?"
"Yes." Li Deshun whispered, "Your Majesty, why don't you go back first."
Prince Jin walked back and forth and said firmly, "I have brought Master Changfeng with me. I must see the emperor! This is very important."
The Prince of Jin brought a Taoist priest into the palace. He was dressed in a yellow robe, about forty or fifty years old, holding a whisk, and had a handsome and elegant appearance. He was beardless and looked remarkably youthful, completely different from the weathered face of the Taoist Master Qingping.
True Man Qingping often went in and out of the palace, but Li Deshun had never heard of True Man Changfeng.
"Your Highness," Li Deshun said gently, "The Imperial Concubine has just passed away, and the Emperor is heartbroken. You'd better not go in."
Li Deshun was a truly stubborn person! The Prince of Jin poked his head in. The door was tightly shut, and through it, he could faintly hear the emperor's suppressed sobs.
"Ji... No, is the Imperial Concubine really dead?"
Li Deshun nodded: "He's really dead."
Alas, these past few days, she had been pestering the emperor to agree to some excessive requests, and she fell ill when her wishes were not met.
This disease is really fatal.
King Jin: "Then I must see you first." As he said this, he was about to rush in.
"Your Highness, that's all." Chang Feng stopped him with a flick of his whisk, his tone flat, "The matter has come to this, and we cannot defer it."
King Jin turned to look at him in astonishment.
Chang Feng shook his head and said, "It's too late."
The King of Jin pulled him a few steps to the side, away from Li Deshun, and asked quietly, "Are you saying there's no solution?"
Changfeng had come to the capital at the invitation of the Prince of Jin, arriving over a month ago and had been touring the capital's surroundings for the past few days. After the Prince of Jin discovered that something was amiss with the Emperor, he searched for him everywhere, and finally found him.
Unexpectedly, Ji died.
Changfeng's fingertips brushed across the silver threads of the whisk, his movements gentle, as if he was holding a rare treasure in the palm of his hand.
"The person who cast the curse died, and bore the consequences of karma in advance."
The blessing spell will not disappear.
"It's over, it's over, it's over." Prince Jin was whirling in circles, "Will the Emperor continue to be so mad?"
"It will take at least three months."
Prince Jin was relieved: "It's okay, it's okay."
Xie Jing and Ji Nanke came out one after another. Seeing Prince Jin coming, Xie Jing nodded slightly in his direction.
Changfeng's eyes, which had been calm, suddenly lit up when he saw Ji Nanke.
"who are they?"
"His Royal Highness the Third Prince and Ji's niece."
Chang Feng calculated with his fingers and murmured, "He is a man of great luck. No wonder he was protected by the heavens and escaped danger."
King of Jin:?
"This girl has great luck. But..."
Changfeng narrowed his eyes. The luck on her body was far less dazzling than he had imagined. Moreover, there were wisps of black silk mixed in the white light around her, like stains on the pure white jade.
"But what?" King Jin asked.
Chang Feng couldn't tell where these black lines came from. He didn't answer, but said calmly: "If the prince wants to earn another merit of following the dragon, he can choose the third prince."
Huh? Prince Jin couldn't help but ask, "The Third Prince has Dragon Luck? He..."
Is he just this dull and foolish? The emperor was obsessed with Ji Shi and neglected state affairs. As the legitimate son of the Empress Dowager, if Xie Jing had any ambition, he should have colluded with the upper and lower classes, seized the opportunity to enter the court, and let the court and the people see him, the grown-up third prince. Instead, he spent all day chasing after Ji Nanke's skirt, while Xie Yingchen had already single-handedly controlled the government, and he was still like a useless person.
Chang Feng heard the disdain in his tone and said with a smile: "Your Highness, think about Prince Rong back then."
The King of Jin fell silent.
At that time, the deposed crown prince's position was stable. Who could have thought that the inconspicuous Prince Rong would be the final winner.
"Your Highness, do you still remember what I said to you?"
The King of Jin couldn't help but think of poetry.
He and Changfeng met in Yongzhou. He was just an ordinary guerrilla general, and Changfeng was just a wandering Taoist priest who practiced Taoism.
He once saved Changfeng's life from horse thieves.
Later, Changfeng chose Prince Rong for him from the deposed crown prince. Changfeng said that the dragon's luck was on Prince Rong, and that helping him at a young age was the true merit of following the dragon.
He believed it, and in return he got the wealth and glory he is today as a high-ranking official.
It was really inconvenient to say too much here. King Jin nodded, indicating that he understood, and stared at Xie Jing thoughtfully.
After Xie Jing came out, he went straight to the princes and said, "Big brother, Second brother, go and invite Prince Li and the uncles over."
What for? The eldest prince was confused. He couldn't possibly ask Prince Li and the others to mourn for Ji Shi? She couldn't bear it. In his opinion, it must be because his father insisted that the princesses go to pray for her, and Ji Shi couldn't bear it and shortened her life.
Xie Jing grabbed his collar, causing him to lean forward slightly. The eldest prince was about to curse when Xie Jing leaned over and whispered quickly, "Father wants to posthumously confer the title of Empress Ji on Ji and make her son the Crown Prince." Why?!
The eldest prince's eyes widened. He didn't think he had a chance to become the master of the Eastern Palace. However, that didn't mean he could let a bastard climb over his head and act tyrannically. As the eldest son of the royal family, he absolutely could not kneel at the feet of a bastard.
"I'll go to the Cabinet."
The eldest prince took several of his younger brothers and left Hanzhang Palace.
Xie Jing also left in a hurry.
Ji Nanke stood there in a trance.
Everything was completely different from what she had expected, like a kite with a broken string, out of her control.
Since coming to this world, Ji Nanke has been able to do everything smoothly. She doesn't need to think too much. As long as she is willing, everything can achieve the best result.
But now, it's completely out of control.
She didn't even know what to do next, whether to take advantage of the situation and help Gu Yan become the crown prince, or to bow her head and reconcile with Xie Jing first.
"Miss Ji."
Ji Nan Ke turned around and saw that it was Prince Jin.
"Miss Ji, is the emperor okay?" he asked.
Ji Nan Ke glanced at the Taoist priest who came with Prince Jin and nodded expressionlessly.
Prince Jin continued to ask, "Why does His Royal Highness the Third Prince look so grim?"
Ji Nanke didn't think much about it and said subconsciously: "The emperor wants to make Gu Yan the crown prince."
The emperor cried until he was tired, and he held his aunt's hand, vowing that he would make Gu Yan the crown prince and posthumously confer the title of empress on her. Xie Jing was anxious when he heard this, and he had dragged her out, but now he had abandoned her and ran away.
Prince Jin's face changed: "I will go and persuade them." He rushed into the inner room despite being stopped, but was driven out by the furious emperor.
Changfeng left the palace first. A few moments later, several princes from the imperial clan and the cabinet arrived. The Prime Minister asked Li Deshun to come in and pass on a message: "The Ministry of Rites has drafted the ceremonial system for the Imperial Concubine's funeral, and it requires the Emperor's final decision."
Finally, the emperor came out, his face covered with tears and full of grief.
Minister of Rites Fan Heng had indeed drafted a memorial, and there were precedents for this. He presented the memorial, and the emperor opened it and read it, then threw it hard at his head.
Bang!
The sharp corner of the folding paper hit Fan Heng's forehead, causing his head to bleed.
Prime Minister Song's heart tightened. Before he could speak, Fan Heng immediately knelt down and bowed his head, saying, "I am guilty."
His head was still bleeding, and blood was flowing down his forehead into his eyes.
The emperor, still furious, gripped the armrest and declared, brooking no objection: "Draft an edict. The coffin will be kept for forty-nine days. The concubines, the princes' daughters, and the imperial family will wear plain clothes to mourn, and all officials will wear mourning clothes for twenty-one days. A general state mourning will be declared, and slaughtering will be prohibited for ten days. The bells of the temples and monasteries in the capital will be rung thirty thousand times..."
"After the funeral, the coffin will be placed in the imperial mausoleum and buried with me."
"All the people in Hanzhang Palace will be buried alive with the emperor and serve the imperial concubine in the underworld."
He said with great hatred: "Everyone in the Imperial Hospital will be sacrificed alive."
The imperial physician was trembling like a sieve, and several other imperial physicians also looked up in disbelief. The eunuchs and palace maids in Hanzhang Palace were so scared that they didn't dare to cry and leave the palace.
The Minister of Rites was shocked by every word he heard.
This is too much.
After Emperor Taizu ascended the throne, he abolished the previous dynasty's custom of burying people alive with the dead. How could an adulteress deserve this?
“No!”
Prince Li arrived, supported by Xie Yingchen. His voice was as resonant as a bell, but he wasn't walking very well and needed a hand. Gu Zhizhuo followed closely beside him.
Is it Prince Li?
"Your Majesty!"
Many people witnessed Prince Li fainting from a stroke. He was dying at the time, but now he can walk?
"How can we mobilize so many troops for just one adulterous woman?"
"Does she deserve to have the people of Daqi mourn for her?!"
"By letting a living person be buried with her, aren't you afraid that she will go to the eighteen levels of hell and die again?"
The emperor was so angry that he slammed the table and stood up.
He walked forward step by step until he was in front of Prince Li and stood face to face with him.
"Prince Li, you relied on the whip bestowed upon you by the Emperor Taizu to disrespect me, and I tolerated it all. Do you really think I wouldn't dare kill you?"
The emperor pinched his nose and cursed, "If you dare to be disrespectful again, I will have you dragged away and buried with the Imperial Concubine."
Prince Li's face showed deep disappointment.
"Draft an edict. Posthumously confer the title of Empress upon Imperial Noble Consort Ji, and the entire nation shall observe mourning."
"The son of the Imperial Noble Consort is appointed Crown Prince..."
"Your Majesty. Ji's son seems to have the surname Gu." Gu Zhizhuo interrupted her calmly, "Are you planning to abdicate and give Daqi Jiangnan to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion? Shouldn't I, your servant, thank you for your grace on my brother's behalf?"
emperor:!
Because of anger, his eyes were wide open and bloodshot at the corners of his eyes.
He grabbed Gu Zhizhuo and said, "Come here, drag him away... and beat him to death with sticks."
Xie Yingchen stopped him: "Your Majesty, please calm down."
"I dare not."
Gu Zhizhuo shouted "I dare not" and a silver needle as thin as an ox hair appeared between her two fingers. She used her back to block the sight of others and stabbed it into the back of the emperor's neck quickly and accurately.
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