Chapter 79 The person I owe the most to is Yunxi
Fu Shun, utterly shocked, rushed over and caught Xiao Shenjing as he fell off the chair.
The intense suffocation caused Xiao Shenjing to gag uncontrollably. He hunched over, pressing his chest tightly, which was covered in blood. The veins under his skin bulged violently, as if they were about to burst open in the agonizing pain at any moment.
It turns out that his savior was Yunxi.
It has always been Yunxi
What exactly did he do to her?
Pain, regret, and intense emotions surged and churned, weaving together a web that tightly bound Xiao Shenjing.
His throat, burned by the acid, convulsed and constricted; he was in so much pain that even though there was air all around him, he couldn't breathe at all.
"Your Majesty!" Dao Yi rushed over with a drastic change in expression, picked up Xiao Shenjing, and placed him on the bed. As he did so, he saw crimson blood spilling from the emperor's lips.
At the moment of hearing "Your Majesty, Your Majesty," Dao Yi and Fu Shun were both so frightened that they didn't know what to do.
It wasn't until the imperial physician arrived, sweating profusely, and applied acupuncture that Xiao Shenjing's suffocating condition finally stabilized, but he had already fainted.
He didn't open his eyes again until the next day.
Instead, it was as if she were trapped in a huge nightmare; drenched in sweat, she gripped the mattress tightly, her veins bulging as she urgently called out, "Yunxi, Yunxi!"
Fu Shun anxiously wiped the cold sweat from his temples, while hurriedly comforting him, "Your Majesty, Consort Yun is by your side."
Only then would Xiao Shenjing gradually calm down.
He remained in a daze for another day before Xiao Shenjing opened his eyes.
The palace maid who was wiping his sweat was secretly delighted.
She was about to call out to Eunuch Fu when she was suddenly grabbed by the collar. The young emperor asked with a pained expression, "Where is Yunxi? Where is Yunxi?"
When the palace maid was so frightened that she couldn't speak, Xiao Shenjing shoved her away.
He stared intently at the brown coffin beside the bed, then got up and staggered to its side.
Until they saw a pile of charred bones inside the coffin.
He covered his head, his eyes wide with fury, and cried out, "No, no, it's all fake! It's all fake! Yunxi, where's Yunxi?"
"Yunxi, come out!" He ran barefoot towards the door, his hair disheveled, like a madman.
He was just dreaming.
Yunxi is definitely still alive.
How could she possibly be dead?
She hates him so much; she must be hiding away, not wanting to see him.
He had to find her and tell her that he would never betray her again.
"Yunxi, I was wrong, please come out."
As "Your Majesty" rushed in, he caught Xiao Shenjing, who was staggering and falling to the ground.
This time, Xiao Shenjing never woke up again.
He lay there in a daze, and then he was engulfed in an endless fire.
He watched as Yunxi lit the fire, and she smiled at him amidst the blazing flames.
He tried desperately to rush in and save her, but his legs wouldn't move no matter what he did, and he could only watch helplessly as the beam crashed heavily onto Yunxi.
"Xiao Shenjing, save me!"
"Xiao Shenjing, it hurts so much!"
"Xiao Shenjing, please save me! It hurts so much!"
"No, no, no, Yunxi!" He struggled frantically, but he still couldn't move.
He could only watch as she was called by his name and burned alive, reduced to a pile of charred bones.
"Yunxi, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry."
He struggled in his nightmare, his veins bulging, but he couldn't wake up.
Sweat soaked through handkerchief after handkerchief.
A single, clear tear rolled down Yunxi's tightly closed eyelids and silently trickled down her temple.
The imperial physicians who arrived had to consult with the doctor and administer acupuncture again.
"After vomiting blood, His Majesty suddenly developed opisthotonus. Within three days, he could only be given two spoonfuls of ginseng soup before vomiting again. This is due to grief and anger turning into fire, scorching the Lesser Yin of the Heart, Kidneys, and Liver, causing the Yang to transform into wind, which in turn attacks upwards with heat toxins." The imperial physician, covered in sweat and trembling, said, "This is a symptom of the Five Decays."
Fu Shun said with a gloomy face, "If His Majesty cannot be cured, the entire Imperial Medical Academy will be executed."
The life of the monarch is related to the life of all the people under heaven.
Moreover, Xiao Shenjing had no children to inherit the throne.
To prevent unrest in the court and among the people, Fu Shun ordered the palace gates closed, suppressing the news at all costs, and also instructed the Imperial Guards to maintain constant vigilance over the palace.
Just in case, Gu Wenqian ordered all the scattered inspectors to be recalled to the capital.
However, the news that the emperor had not attended court for several days could not be kept secret for long.
Fortunately, under Xiao Shenjing's rule, Jing Kingdom is not exactly peaceful and prosperous, but the land distribution has won the hearts of the people, and the various vassal kings have been stripped of their military power.
It's still within a manageable range in the short term.
A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. If foreign tribes choose to invade at this time, the Jing Kingdom will inevitably fall into internal strife over the struggle for the throne.
On the seventh day, Xiao Shenjing still showed no signs of fully waking up.
The emperor, who was in the prime of his life, now had dry lips and a withered face, and no longer possessed the imposing aura that once commanded the nobles and officials.
He moved his lips, clutching the mattress beneath him, but could no longer speak.
"Your Majesty," Fu Shun knelt by the bedside, tears streaming down his face, "If you don't wake up soon, what will become of this world?"
He wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes. "We must rely on you to take charge of the nation's affairs; otherwise, we will once again be plunged into a state of war, misery, and widespread famine."
"Your Majesty, please wake up! This old servant begs you! Even if you don't care about the fate of the people, please care about Consort Yun!"
As Fu Shun was speaking, he suddenly noticed that Xiao Shenjing's fingers twitched.
Dao Yi saw it too and excitedly said, "Quick, continue."
Fu Shun paused for a moment, then quickly said, "Your Majesty, Consort Yun's body is still warm and she has not yet been laid to rest. She is still burdened with the crime of murdering the Empress. You must rise up and clear her name, Your Majesty, otherwise Consort Yun will bear the infamy for all eternity after her death!"
The day after Fu Shun said these words, Xiao Shenjing slowly opened his eyes.
Seeing his eyes regain their senses, Fu Shun was overjoyed and wept tears of joy. "Your Majesty, you're finally awake! This servant will go and prepare the meal."
As he walked toward the door, his steps faltered with excitement, and he nearly fell.
Xiao Shenjing drank half a bowl of thin porridge, took his medicine, and then slept for half a day.
This time, after opening his eyes, he stared at the dragon-patterned tent for a long time before slowly turning his head to look at the coffin beside him.
He stared for a long time, his thick eyelashes becoming slightly damp.
"Your Majesty, how are you feeling?" Noticing that he had woken up, Fu Shun immediately stepped forward and asked with concern.
After a long silence, Xiao Shenjing finally spoke again, "I had a dream."
His voice was hoarse from a throat injury.
He dreamt that when he was nine years old, a group of masked men in black rushed at him. The number of guards surrounding him dwindled, and blood, corpses, and severed limbs were everywhere.
A man in black sprinkled powder, which fell into his eyes. After a sharp pain, he could see nothing. Then he was dragged along, running and running.
Finally, someone whispered urgently in his ear, "Your Highness, please don't make a sound. I will go and distract them."
Soon, he was pushed to the ground, and something pressed heavily on him.
He couldn't see anything, only smell the pungent, metallic odor of blood.
He knew whose body it must be.
Soon, he heard footsteps running past him.
He lay there stiffly for a while, until he seemed to faintly hear footsteps.
He was afraid that the people would come back to search, so when he tried to push the body away, he discovered that his arm was broken at some point, and it hurt terribly whenever he exerted force.
But if he delayed any longer, he would surely die. As he gritted his teeth and struggled, he heard a girl's voice: "You want to come out?"
"Who are you?"
"Those people are coming back; I'll help you."
The powder not only damaged his eyes, but also his ears. He could hear sounds, but it always felt like there was a layer of fog between him and the ears.
Soon, the corpse on his body was removed.
His hand was grasped by a pair of small hands and pulled up.
Then this hand kept pulling him along. Because he couldn't see, when he fell to the ground, it was this soft little hand that held him and never let go.
As she ran, she comforted him, "Don't be afraid, I'll take you to hide. I know a place that's perfect for hiding people."
"Don't be afraid, little brother."
"I'm really awesome!"
Finally, he didn't know where he was taken.
Yet, one could still faintly hear footsteps approaching.
After the girl took off his outer robe, she said, "Little brother, hide here and don't come out. I'll come back to find you in a little while."
Before she left, Xiao Shenjing picked up his jade cicada pendant from the ground and placed it in her hand. "My name is Xiao Shenjing, and I live in Huailing. Who are you? Where do you live?"
"My name is Awei." The footsteps grew closer, and she only had time to say, "Little brother, don't come out, I'll come find you."
He waited for a long time.
He couldn't wait any longer after dawn, so he rubbed his hands together and went outside.
But he lost his footing and fell down the slope.
When he woke up, he could see again.
Then, a little girl with her hair styled in a bun came over and said, "I saved you. I am your savior."
"You're Awei?"
The girl paused for a moment, but quickly nodded firmly, "It's me, my name is Cen Yuwei."
"Where's the jade pendant I gave you?" He reached out his hand to Cen Yuwei.
"It's lost. How about I go back to Wugong Mountain to look for it later?"
As the memories faded, Xiao Shenjing awkwardly turned his head away.
I couldn't bear to look at that brown coffin anymore.
Fu Shun comforted him, "Your Majesty, this is not your fault. You didn't know the Empress would impersonate you."
Xiao Shenjing stared at the top of the dragon-patterned tent, then suddenly laughed, followed by uncontrollable laughter.
He stopped laughing when he was coughing and almost out of breath. "I always thought I owed Cen Yuwei, but in the end I realized that I owe Yunxi the most."
“I not only wronged her, but I also punished her, punished her, humiliated her, and hurt her time and time again just to make her as obedient and submissive to me as the other concubines.”
Knowing full well that she was an unyielding person, he still tried time and time again to break her pride and trample her into the mud.
Staring at the emperor's pale and haggard face, Fu Shun shook his head and advised, "Your Majesty, this is not what you wished for!"
"There are some things I've always wanted to say." He steeled himself and said, "The country has its laws, and the palace has its rules. Every time Consort Yun has committed a mistake, it's a crime punishable by death and the extermination of her entire clan. It's only because His Majesty has shown mercy time and time again."
"If Consort Yun had done this, what would any other concubine have done?"
Such a punishment is absolutely impossible; just for insulting the emperor, it would be enough to cut off Consort Yun's head.
Xiao Shenjing slowly raised his hand to cover his eyes. After a long while, he said to Fu Shun, "Go and summon the imperial edict."
Through the screen, Xiao Shenjing scanned the confession presented by the imperial edict.
That was Vice General Cen's confession. In order to cover up the Empress's serious illness, he admitted to murdering Physician Feng's family.
After the imperial edict was removed from his hand, Xiao Shenjing had Fu Shun help him behind the imperial desk, where he personally wrote two imperial edicts.
After twelfth day of suspension of court, the emperor finally appeared in the court.
The morning light slanted down from the dragon-patterned ceiling of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, landing on the young emperor's half-closed eyelids, sharpening the lines from his brow bone to his jawline.
The jade pendant of the twelve-tassel crown hung before his eyes, the pale blue jade beads swaying slightly with his breath, yet unable to conceal the blackness etched in his naturally upturned phoenix eyes.
When the assembled officials below shouted "Long live the Emperor!", he finally raised his chin. His slender fingers, which had been gripping the gilded armrest, lifted slightly, and Fu Shun stepped forward, holding the imperial edict.
By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: I have received the Mandate of Heaven and rule over all lands. How can I allow insidious and poisonous plots to obscure the truth?
Cen, who had long suffered from tuberculosis, secretly concealed her illness and instructed Cen Fu, the deputy commander of the Beijing garrison, to massacre the entire family of Feng Zhao, the left judge of the Imperial Court. Cen herself committed suicide, and the crime was fabricated to be committed by Consort Yun.
Based on the memorial submitted by the Censorate, the late Empress Cen has been impeached for heinous crimes. Therefore, this decree is hereby proclaimed to Heaven and the ancestral temples to carry out the divine punishment for those who violate human ethics:
First, the title of Empress Xiaoduanxian of the Cen clan was stripped, and the gold book and jade register were destroyed.
Second, effective immediately, his coffin shall be moved out of the Thirteen Tombs, the stele in the Ming Tower shall be removed, and he shall never be allowed to be worshipped in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
Cen Fu, the Deputy Commander of the Beijing Garrison, murdered loyal officials and killed the entire family of Feng Zhao, the Left Vice Minister of the Imperial Physician, consisting of seven people. He is hereby ordered to be taken to Fengtian Gate at noon tomorrow and be executed. All civil and military officials shall go to the execution ground to witness the execution, and those who weep shall be punished as well.
The courtiers were immediately in an uproar.
Then Fu Shun opened the second imperial edict.
By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Consort Yun, of the virtuous and resolute nature, possessed a heart of loyalty and righteousness. Though her youthful beauty faded early, her virtuous legacy endures. The deepest sorrow in the palace is profound. She is hereby posthumously granted the title of Empress Xiaozhongliesu, her posthumous name meaning "loyalty that penetrates metal and stone, valor that shines like mountains and rivers." She is to be enshrined in the ceremonial robes of an empress with twelve imperial symbols, her crown adorned with nine pearls, and her spirit to be offered in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, ranking among the firstborn daughters of the emperor. Her coffin shall be moved to the Imperial Mausoleum immediately, placed in the East Annex Hall, with all rites and ceremonies the same as those for the Empress. After my death, she shall be buried with me in the underground palace, to rest in the same grave, forever united in heart and soul.
The court officials were once again in uproar.
"Is this Consort Yun Zhaoyi Yun Xi?"
In the court, only Fan Zishi slowly clenched his fist.
Morning light pierced through the carved lattice windows, leaving delicate diamond patterns on the gold brick floor.
After the court session ended, Xiao Shenjing did not leave. He sat upright on the golden lacquered chair with dragon motifs for a long time without moving. The black silk ribbons hanging down from the twelve-tassel crown swept across his brow bone, concealing some of the weariness in his eyes.
"Your Majesty?" Fu Shun called out.
Xiao Shenjing slowly turned his head to look at him. "Fushun, how old are you this year?"
"Your Majesty, this servant is forty-eight years old this year."
Xiao Shenjing nodded slowly, and after a few breaths said, "Keep an eye out for any exceptionally gifted children in the Xiao family's royal bloodline."
"Your Majesty!" Fu Shun exclaimed in astonishment.
By selecting children of royal blood, does His Majesty not intend to have children of his own?
Compared to the turbulent emotions in Fu Shun's heart, the emperor sitting on the high platform smiled slowly, but the smile was indescribably desolate.
"I finally understand why Yunxi hates the Forbidden City so much."
The country was like a prison, and the palace was like a cage; he could not escape for even a moment.
Even though he possessed the entire country and had countless concubines in his harem, he became a truly lonely person.
Autumn is in full swing, and winter is just around the corner.
I wonder how cold this winter will be.
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