Chapter 136 Chapter 136 I promise you, I will give it to you after returning to Beijing...
Chapter 136
The Queen tapped the corners of her eyes with her handkerchief and said sadly, "Sister Xianfei's life is so miserable... She died before she could even see Xiaowu get married... She was so reluctant..."
"Your Majesty, it's important to take care of your health. You will still have to take care of the funeral arrangements for Empress Xian." The personal nanny beside her advised.
The Queen sniffled twice, sniffled, and nodded. "Now that His Majesty is away from the capital, and the northern barbarians are causing chaos outside the palace, it's indeed difficult to deal with..." She gathered her emotions and then ordered, "Someone, go and fetch the Crown Prince, and notify the Ministry of Internal Affairs to properly bury Concubine Xian."
…
In the hunting ground, Jing Zhuoran's right eye was twitching wildly, and he felt panicky for no reason.
He put down his brush, crumpled up the half-written military strategy paper on the table, and threw it into the trash can beside him.
During this period, he has been learning in a low-key manner from two experienced generals, Lin Shuo and Zhou Heng, and has achieved considerable results.
This time, because of his negligence, a series of events happened. He felt both guilty and frightened.
I was very worried that my father would be angry, and I was also afraid of letting down General Zhou, Duke of Lin, for his careful teachings.
Jing Zhuoran was originally the one who could calm down and study calligraphy, but today he just couldn't get into the state.
He picked up the golden bell beside the table and rang it. Ding Fuquan bent down and ran in: "Your Highness, what are your instructions?"
Jing Zhuoran gestured and asked, "Before leaving Beijing, did you arrange for someone to take care of your mother?"
Ding Fuquan was originally the chief eunuch of Zhongcui Palace. It was his responsibility to take good care of Empress Xian. However, Empress Xian was always worried about Jing Zhuoran, so she had sent Ding Fuquan to take care of him before. This time when she left the palace to go to the hunting ground, Empress Xian was even more worried, so Ding Fuquan was basically given to Jing Zhuoran.
Not only Concubine Xian was worried about Jing Zhuoran, Ding Fuquan was also worried - their Fifth Prince had finally turned bad luck around, and was luckier than other princes. He successfully married the daughter of Duke Lin and got half of the troops. He must not make any mistakes after the spring hunt and ruin everything he had gained!
Therefore, compared to taking care of the sick Concubine Xian in the palace, Ding Fuquan was also happy to stay with Jing Zhuoran. He could go out of the palace, meet many important people, broaden his horizons and gain face...
Ding Fuquan smiled and said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. The people around Her Majesty are all old people she's used to. Nothing will happen."
Jing Zhuoran continued to gesture and asked, "Have there been any letters from the palace?"
Ding Fuquan: "This... I don't know. All letters from the palace are sent to Your Majesty."
Jing Zhuoran gestured - you go and find out.
Ding Fuquan frowned, but when he saw Jing Zhuoran staring at him sharply, he smiled again: "Okay, I'll go right away."
After turning around, Ding Fuquan complained in his heart that it was troublesome, but when he thought about it, holding on to this thigh was equivalent to holding on to his future life. Following the Fifth Prince in and out of the palace was better than dying of old age in the palace, so he still did the thing honestly.
Emperor Longshun naturally did not receive any letters from the capital.
The Crown Prince was secretly awaiting their deaths in the hunting grounds. The Empress was paving the way for the Crown Prince's future. Neither of them would send any letters to Emperor Longshun.
As for the other civil and military officials who stayed in the capital, how would they know what was going on in the harem?
If the Queen had not released the news of the death of the person in Zhongcui Palace, no one would have known.
Besides, the capital is not peaceful now. Zhou Bokai has been transferred to the palace to protect the nobles. Who would spread rumors?
As for the other imperial concubines in the palace, they were all waiting in their own palaces for the good news of Emperor Longshun's return to the capital. The death of Concubine Xian... to be honest, it was not a very shocking thing for them.
After all, Empress Xian has been ill for almost twenty years.
Her illness has been getting better and worse, and in the past two years she has been staying in seclusion in Zhongcui Palace, rarely coming out to interact with her sisters.
If His Majesty had not suddenly had the urge to arrange a marriage between the Fifth Prince and Miss Lin San, the concubines would not have thought much of Concubine Xian.
But there are also those who are too sharp-minded.
——When Concubine Hui, the mother of Prince Rui, learned that the person in Zhongcui Palace had passed away, she was stunned for a while while twisting the incense chopsticks she used to make perfume.
His Majesty was away, and the Empress and the Crown Prince were now in their prime. Prince Rui and Mingyang had gone to the hunting grounds, so she, Princess Rui, and her grandson remained in the capital, not daring to act high-profile. They had been very cautious recently, fearing that the Crown Prince or Empress would cause trouble for the 'Emperor's eldest grandson'...
Maybe it’s because the fifth brother has been flying too high recently, so the queen and the prince ignored them?
I hope it’s not as she guessed.
Otherwise, she, Yun'er, and her grandson would probably face some troubles...
Concubine Hui instructed the head palace maid beside her, "Qiang'er, pass the order along. No one in Changle Palace is allowed to leave the palace at will for the next few days. Anyone who disobeys will be banned from staying in Changle Palace!"
"Yes, my lady."
…
Jing Zhuorui and Princess Chaoyang's mother, Concubine Rou, went to Zhongcui Palace to pay their respects to Concubine Xian.
Concubine Zhao was also there.
After Zhao Fei bowed to Guifei Rou, she was helped up by Guifei Rou: "Sister Xian Fei's fate is truly miserable... She didn't even live to see Zhuoran get married..."
Concubine Zhao only sighed and said nothing more.
"Your Majesty, I don't know when you will be able to come back. This palace is a bit chaotic..." Concubine Rou said meaningfully.
She was not very afraid of the Queen.
She has martial arts skills, and her brother Meng Weichen also taught her a lot of self-defense skills, so her position in the palace is very stable.
She put a lot of thought into giving birth to a prince and a princess safely.
Originally, she had no intention of a high position, but Rui'er was named King of Chu, and the princess he married was the eldest daughter of the Minister of Rites, which made her very proud, so she couldn't help but dream.
It doesn’t matter if he can’t marry the daughter of Duke Lin, it’s good enough to marry Ji Wushuang, and she is very satisfied.
She herself has a bad temper and is straightforward and uninhibited, while Ji Wushuang is well-educated, gentle and decent. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law complement each other perfectly.
If he really married a girl from the Lin family, a girl raised in a family of military commanders, I'm afraid that they would have different personalities and would clash with each other.
"It's all because of that group of northern barbarians... They are so bold... I hope Your Majesty can come back as soon as possible to take charge of the situation. Only then can I feel at ease." Concubine Zhao only led the topic to the northern barbarians. She didn't want to offend the queen, nor did she want to provoke Concubine Rou.
Concubine Rou thought about it and agreed. "This year's spring hunt hasn't gone well again, and I'm afraid Concubine Lan will be even more worried... It shows that human affairs and fate are really unpredictable." She looked at the mourning hall of the late Concubine Xian and said quietly, "Your Majesty has been delayed in returning, so Concubine Zhao should also be mentally prepared."
Concubine Zhao was shocked: "Sister, what you said is too bold——"
Imperial Concubine Rou interrupted her, her eyes far-reaching: "If you don't act boldly, who knows if there will be a place for you and me in the mourning hall?"
Concubine Zhao widened her almond-shaped eyes.
Concubine Rou smiled and said, "Let's go. We can't stay here for long, or we might upset the Queen."
Concubine Zhao followed her with a nervous heart and left together.
When she stepped out of the outer palace of Zhongcui Palace, Concubine Zhao looked back again.
Back then… after she became pregnant, His Majesty favored Concubine Xian, then a palace maid. Concubine Xian had two children, but neither survived. The third pregnancy was a struggle to keep the baby alive. From then on, Concubine Xian became ill, and Xiaowu was ill for several years. Later, he was frightened and had a fever for two days. After recovering, he could no longer speak…
Twenty years passed...and Empress Xian's life came to an end.
She really didn't enjoy any happiness from beginning to end...
When she was young, His Majesty coveted her beauty and favored her several times. Later, she became ill, and Xiaowu was also frail. She devoted her heart to Xiaowu and did not know how to capture His Majesty's heart or serve him well. If she had been willing to be like Concubine Lan, with her beauty, she would have been guaranteed to remain in favor forever...
However, Empress Xian was the most powerless among them. She had no family to rely on, was not smart enough, and did not have a healthy body...
Her current situation... maybe... can be considered 'wonderful'?
Concubine Zhao felt a sense of sadness, a kind of sympathy for her own kind.
But now that things have come to this, the dead cannot be resurrected, and there is nothing she can do.
…
Lin Zhiyi made a beautiful wreath. Before entering the tent, she took a secret letter from Tang Cong while no one was paying attention.
The information network she and Jingyue had secretly built up before finally came in handy. The breadth and speed of their information sources were even better than Emperor Longshun's intelligence agency.
Lin Zhiyi threw the wreath to Jingyue and lowered his head to open the secret letter.
Jing Yue put the wreath on her head, but her eyes were fixed on the secret letter in her hand. He asked in a low voice, "What's the situation in the capital?"
Lin Zhiyi's pupils shrank, and he exclaimed in surprise: "Empress Xian...is dead!"
Jing Yue was also extremely shocked: "What?!"
Lin Zhiyi handed him the secret letter: "It happened yesterday. The Queen and the Crown Prince don't seem to plan to tell Father..."
Jing Yue quickly scanned the secret letter and noticed one of the messages: "The Crown Prince transferred Zhou Bokai to the palace?! This is ridiculous!"
"Perhaps he wants to use Zhou Bokai to win over the Lin family army's forces one last time."
"It's obvious that he's afraid of death. And he has evil thoughts." Jing Yue wore a garland on her head, and her face was extremely beautiful, but her expression was extremely cold.
"Fortunately, my second sister and her men have preserved a lot of troops and have experience in fighting against the northern barbarians. Their force is isolated outside, and with the King of Chu, the King of Jing and the two princesses here, there is always hope even if something unexpected happens in the capital or the hunting grounds." Lin Zhiyi said with emotion.
Jing Yue: "Whether in the capital or here, nothing will happen easily. Don't worry, the fun has just begun."
Lin Zhiyi: "Do you think the emperor will be angry this time? Will he depose the one in the capital?"
Jing Yue: "It's hard to say." He threw the secret letter into the charcoal basin and burned it. When he looked up again, his expression was a little sad. "First, let's find a way to let father know the news of Concubine Xian's death."
Lin Zhiyi had another bold guess: "Did he really die of illness?"
Jing Yue exchanged a glance with her and said with a wry smile, "That may not be true."
The Queen has always wanted to win over the Fifth Prince for the Crown Prince. With Concubine Xian around, if the Fifth Prince is registered under her name, a lot of rumors will arise.
But if Concubine Xian is no longer around...it would be absolutely legitimate for the fifth prince to join the Crown Prince's camp.
"They don't worry about the consequences of their evil deeds at all!"
…
Emperor Longshun went to Concubine Lan's room in the hunting ground palace to look for her, but found her wiping away tears. Her tearful look was truly heartbreaking.
Emperor Longshun thought she was sad about Jingyue's leg injury. He saw that Jingyue had gradually accepted it recently. Only Concubine Lan would cry from time to time.
Yes, pitiful are the parents in the world.
Emperor Longshun called out, "Lan'er, why are you crying again? I promised you that after returning to the capital, I would give Xiuyuan and Yue'er a golden medal of immunity from death. This will protect them for the rest of their lives, right?"
Concubine Lan sobbed, "Your Majesty, Sister Xianfei... She's gone! Wuwuwu..."
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