As if remembering something, Lingyun lowered her voice and said, "Your Majesty, I heard that the Fifth Prince is very weak. The reason Yan Xue Palace sent for the imperial physician yesterday was because the Fifth Prince suddenly suffocated. I secretly asked Imperial Physician Qin, and he said that the Fifth Prince might not live to see a full month."
Fu Qianyu held the medicine bowl and sighed helplessly, "This child is really pitiful. If he really can't be saved, I just hope he can be reborn into a good family in his next life."
Just as the imperial physician had predicted, a few days later in the morning, the fifth prince suddenly suffocated again.
But this time, God did not want this poor child to suffer in the world, and the fifth prince died before the imperial physician arrived.
Because of the premature birth, Zhao Yuancheng believed in folk customs and did not name the child, but even so, he still could not keep the fifth prince.
The little prince was born with a defect, which had been reported to the emperor before. Even though Zhao Yuancheng was prepared, he was still heartbroken by his son's sudden death.
After leaving the court, he didn't even have time to change his clothes and hurried to Yanxue Palace.
At that time, the people in the Shanggong Bureau had already dressed the little prince and were just waiting for his parents to take one last look at him before putting him in the coffin.
But they had been there for an hour, and the main hall was still quiet. Even though the emperor had arrived, there was still no sign of his biological mother, Concubine Rou, in the side hall.
But the death of a child is always sad for a mother.
Perhaps at this moment, Concubine Rou had already fainted from crying in the hall, but what they didn't know was that Concubine Rou had not shed a single tear since the death of the little prince.
Just standing quietly by the window looking into the distance.
Lu Zhu had been kneeling at her feet for several hours, tearfully begging her to be allowed to see the Fifth Prince for the last time.
But Concubine Rou was like an old monk in meditation, just standing there quietly, with no expression of joy or anger on her face, and it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.
Until the outside world announced the arrival of the emperor.
Only then did Luzhu wipe her tears, got up from the ground, and hurried out to welcome the emperor.
After Zhao Yuancheng came in, he went straight to the side hall. Looking at his son's frail body, he, who had experienced the pain of losing a son in his early years, couldn't help crying again.
He weakly raised his hand to signal the people from the Shanggong Bureau to carry the little prince's coffin out.
The steward bowed and asked, "Your Majesty, Concubine Rou hasn't come to see the little prince for the last time. Should we wait a little longer?"
Zhao Yuancheng sighed and shook his head: "No need, just follow the rules. She's been pregnant for ten months, and I'm afraid she'll be even more uncomfortable if she sees it."
“Yeah.”
After receiving the emperor's order, the person in charge did not dare to delay and hurriedly ordered people to carry the little prince's coffin out.
Zhao Yuancheng hurried to the main hall and saw Concubine Rou standing in a daze under the window.
Seeing that frail figure, his heart was heavy. He slowly stepped forward and hugged her tightly from behind: "Ning'er, I have already instructed the Shanggong Bureau to take good care of my son's funeral. You are still in confinement. Being so sad will wear you down."
Concubine Rou still said nothing.
But Zhao Yuancheng heard Concubine Rou humming the folk nursery rhyme: "May my child sleep peacefully, and never wake up in his dreams. My heart is filled with longing, may my child be at peace forever..."
Such a gentle voice almost broke Zhao Yuancheng's heart.
"Ning'er..."
Concubine Rou was neither crying nor laughing, but tears gradually welled up in her eyes. Zhao Yuancheng wanted to say something more, but as soon as he let go of her, the person in his arms collapsed to the ground...
"Someone come! Call the imperial physician!"
Yanxue Palace was in chaos. The imperial physician came hurriedly to check Concubine Rou's pulse and said that it was the sudden news that caused her blood to stop flowing and that she needed to be properly taken care of.
Zhao Yuancheng stayed in Yanxue Palace for three days without leaving before he pulled back Concubine Rou, who was so heartbroken that she almost committed suicide.
Three days later, the little prince's coffin will be sent to the imperial mausoleum.
Zhao Yuancheng gave this child the highest honor. Not only did he bestow Xuanshou as the posthumous title of the fifth prince, he also ordered the Shanggong Bureau to bury him with the etiquette of a prince, and he was buried next to Prince Dechen.
A few days later, Concubine Rou was promoted to Zhaoyi to comfort her grief over the loss of her son.
Such honor and favor immediately aroused dissatisfaction from the former dynasty and the harem. Even the empress dowager tried to dissuade the emperor, but Zhao Yuancheng turned a deaf ear to it.
Whenever Prince Xuanshou held a sacrifice ceremony, he would go to Yanxue Palace to accompany Consort Rou.
As June approaches, the weather becomes hotter.
Because of the death of the fifth prince, the sixth prince's full-month ceremony was hastily handled. Xiang Yue was very dissatisfied with this. After sending away the concubines from various palaces, she couldn't help but complain to Ling Yun.
"Sister, it's really funny that a dancer could climb to her current position. Today is our Sixth Prince's full moon ceremony, and the Emperor actually went to Yanxue Palace to accompany her. I really don't know what the Emperor is thinking."
Lingyun stopped what she was doing, glared at Xiangyue and said, "You're already quite old, why are you becoming more and more irresponsible with your words? You even dare to criticize the Emperor now?"
Xiang Yue said angrily, "I'm telling the truth. Ever since Prince Xuanshou passed away, has the Emperor ever been to our palace? Our Queen is the future Queen Mother. If this gets out, won't everyone laugh at her?"
Baozan chimed in, "That's right. No matter how favored she is, she's just a lowly dancer. It's a great honor for her ancestors to have reached her current position. As a concubine, she doesn't know how to persuade the Emperor to treat everyone equally. On a day like today, she even dares to stop the Emperor from coming. She deserves to die."
Seeing that the two of them were getting more and more outrageous, Lingyun said angrily, "Since you have such an idea, why don't you go and speak to the emperor?"
The two were speechless for a moment and lowered their heads, not daring to say anything more.
Ling Yun said patiently, "The Empress knows the situation in the palace better than you do. If the Empress isn't worried, why are you? If these words get out, won't outsiders think the Empress is jealous? Are you truly thinking about the Empress, or are you bringing disaster upon her?"
"We, we are also angry. Concubine Rou is really too much..."
"Even though I'm angry for the Empress, there are some things I can't say. The most important thing for a palace servant is to be careful with what you say and do. If someone with ulterior motives overhears what you just said and gets it to the Emperor, and he touches your shoulders and necks, wouldn't that be enough for him to chop you off?"
"Don't be angry, sister. We know we were wrong." Xiang Yue stepped forward, took Ling Yun's hand and said, "Don't worry, Bao Zan and I will never say anything nonsense again."
Lingyun shook her head helplessly: "You guys, all you know is how to talk big."
As he spoke, he handed over the tea he had brewed. "The two masters are still here. Hurry and serve the tea. Don't talk nonsense anymore."
Xiang Yue took the tray and smiled faintly: "I understand, sister."
At this time, in the main hall.
Concubine Hui was holding the Sixth Prince and coaxing him gently. Concubine Lian was sitting on a chair. Because she was in the late stage of pregnancy, her bulging belly made her face look a little pale.
Peirong took a soft pillow and tucked it under her waist, smiling and saying, "Your Majesty is in advanced pregnancy and can't get tired. You'll feel more comfortable leaning on this soft pillow."
Lianpin politely thanked Peirong. Hui Meiren thought of today's scene and couldn't help but sigh, "They say the emperor favors Consort Rou. I didn't think it was a big deal before, but what has happened recently is really disheartening."
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