Chapter 443: Those unknown secrets
After the emperor left, time was left for the queen and Murong Rui to visit.
The queen held her son's hand and cried breathlessly, without any of the dignity that a queen should have. At this moment, she was just an ordinary mother who was about to send her son off.
When Murong Min was dying, he was still comforting his mother. He glanced at Murong Rui, who was standing at the head of the bed with a dazed expression, and sighed.
He didn't let his father investigate the food poisoning because he knew at that moment who was behind it.
So, he is protecting him.
He knew that because of him, he, his younger brother, had been ignored by his father and mother since he was a child, because his father and mother placed most of their hopes on him.
Since childhood, he has only heard that the older ones should give way to the younger ones, but in Murong Rui's case, because his brother is the crown prince, he cannot compete with him for anything.
At first, he just wanted his father, the emperor, and his mother to pay more attention to him, instead of letting him act naughty and mischievous in the palace.
Later, when he grew older, he liked to act recklessly even more. After all, for him, he already had a brother, the Crown Prince, who was both talented and virtuous. He was at best just the icing on the cake.
It doesn't matter. Every time he makes a mistake, his brother the Crown Prince will clear the obstacles for him and clean up the mess.
He still remembered that many years ago, he came to the Purple Palace to ask his father to check his homework, but he heard his father say to his brother, the Crown Prince, that the third brother acted in an extreme way, had a paranoid temper, and was stubborn and would not be able to handle important responsibilities. As the Crown Prince, you should encourage him.
From that time on, he realized that in his father's eyes, he and his brother, who were born to the same mother, were two extremes: the prince was the good one, and he was the bad one.
Later, as he grew older, he became more and more extreme, always moody, and from time to time, maids and eunuchs in the mansion were physically punished to death by him.
The Queen Mother asked someone to suppress the matter and secretly prevent the Emperor from knowing it, otherwise the Emperor, who has always ruled with benevolence, would not have let it go.
Precisely because he and the crown prince were both born to the queen, Murong Min often chose to protect his only brother and try to change him at the request of his mother.
But what he got in return was nothing but his growing unwillingness and resentment.
Many years ago, Murong Rui accidentally found a woman who was very good at making medicinal food. The woman was very beautiful and was well versed in the knowledge of the interactions between various foods.
Originally, he had planned to keep her for himself as a concubine, until one day, the prince suddenly fell ill, and he suddenly had a bad idea.
Once some evil thoughts take root, it is impossible to stop them.
He arranged for the woman to stay with the prince and sent her there personally, saying that the prince was in poor health and that the woman's medicinal food was very good and could help him recuperate.
Seeing that his brother was so considerate, Murong Min agreed immediately and kept the woman by his side.
At the beginning, the medicinal food was indeed effective and made Murong Min's complexion better and better, but from time to time, Murong Min would always fall ill, and then the medicinal food of this woman would always play a key role.
Because the prince trusted his closest relatives, he did not notice anything wrong. Instead, as they spent time together day and night, he developed some feelings for the woman, and soon made her the Crown Prince Baolin.
After all these years of companionship, Baolin has become the prince's consort.
The prince was very dependent on her, doted on her, and often kept her by his side.
But this unknown secret was eventually suppressed by Murong Min's kindness.
Not long after, news came from the Eastern Palace that the prince had passed away. The princess and the two concubines saw the prince for the last time as they wished, but the prince's most beloved concubine, Zhou Liangdi, never saw him for the last time.
Zhou Liangdi fainted at the door of the prince's bedroom. She thought he was completely disappointed in her and wanted to never see her again, but she didn't know that the prince was still trying to save her life when he was dying.
It was not her intention to frame the prince. She had already wanted to stop when she fell in love with him.
But her family and clansmen were in Murong Rui's hands, so she had to take care of them.
During this period, she struggled and resisted several times, but to no avail.
She didn't know when the little maidservant beside her had been turned against her. She had followed her for several years and had already mastered the pharmacology of most foods. Even if she didn't do it, she could do it.
Just a few days ago, the bowl of medicinal food that made Murong Min fall ill was made by that maid.
When the incident happened, the emperor ordered a thorough investigation. She had committed suicide out of fear of punishment, but she did not give anyone away, and her death left no evidence.
An innocent man is guilty unless he possesses a treasure. Since the emperor knew about the food poisoning, he would definitely find her by following the clues. But she didn't know that the prince spoke sincerely before his death and did not want to see blood, and even refused to be buried alive with the emperor.
When this imperial edict was issued, Zhou Liangdi was completely hopeless and her eyes were empty. She wore white mourning clothes and a white mourning hat. Her eyes were swollen from crying and she had made up her mind.
He was really stupid. How could there be such a kind person who would protect the people he cared about until his death, even though these people he cared about were trying every way to hurt him.
The Crown Prince passed away and the whole country was in mourning. The Emperor issued an order that during the period of national mourning, all officials and their families should wear plain mourning clothes and silver jewelry for 49 days. They should not wear heavy makeup and should not hang lanterns or decorations in the palace.
Ordinary officials are not allowed to get married within six months, and princes and nobles are not allowed to get married within one year.
All officials in Kyoto and their families are not allowed to hold large-scale birthday banquets or birthday celebrations, nor are they allowed to hold any poetry gatherings, flower viewing gatherings, lake cruises or other gatherings within a year.
The prince's coffin must stay in the Eastern Palace for seven days. During this period, all officials in the capital and their families from their wives must come to mourn and kneel before the prince's coffin for half a day, except for pregnant women and young children.
Su Wan naturally had to come to mourn, and the Duke's Mansion was the first group to go to mourn.
However, on the second day after the crown prince's death, news came from the Eastern Palace that the crown prince's concubine had committed suicide by taking poison and died with the crown prince.
Zhou Liangdi was the most favored by the prince. Now that she committed suicide for love, in the eyes of the world, she did not let down the prince's favor.
During the prince's lifetime, he had two daughters and one son, who were born to the prince's wife and the prince's left concubine respectively.
The system of burying concubines alive with the dead was abolished. All the concubines in the Eastern Palace who had no children did not have to be buried alive. They only had to go to Wanfu Temple to practice Buddhism for three years and pray for the prince's soul-stirring. After three years, they could come down the mountain. At that time, the royal family would prepare a separate courtyard for them to live out their retirement.
The emperor promised not to let them be buried alive with the emperor, but he would never let them go free. Once they were imperial wives, they would be imperial wives for life and had no right to marry again.
But as long as I survive, it doesn’t matter if I live in a separate courtyard. I still have enough food and drink, which is pretty good.
Although the prince did not favor them during his lifetime, he was good to them and never treated anyone unfairly. But despite this, no one was willing to follow him except Zhou Liangdi. This is human nature!
In fact, Zhou Liangdi had already made up her mind. Regardless of whether the truth was revealed or not, she would follow him without hesitation...
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