Chapter 226 Bo Qiaohui 38
Liu Qi was still enthusiastically praising his name.
"Our daughter will naturally be like the word 'Rong' in the future, admired by all and the most honorable eldest princess of our Han Dynasty. She will also have descendants as prosperous as the grass and trees, and her incense will continue to burn."
"As for Che'er, I hope he can inherit my achievements, prioritize agriculture, rest with the people, and make the Han Dynasty even stronger. I also hope he can be more decisive and brave than I am. I will focus on civil governance, and he will focus on military achievements."
She understood what Liu Qi meant.
Now is not a good time to start a war. There are vassal kings at home and the Xiongnu and Nanyue outside. Although Liu Qi is dissatisfied with those parasites, he cannot launch a large-scale war to prevent foreign enemies from taking advantage of the situation. Similarly, he cannot mobilize troops against the Xiongnu.
This restricted situation could not be broken overnight, and he was always waiting for an opportunity. However, the longer Liu Qi was on the throne, the more he felt that this opportunity would have to be entrusted to future generations.
Of course, the young and strong emperor would not admit this. He picked up his daughter and showed her how beautiful the child was with a smile on his face...
After the confinement period, Bo Qiaohui often took her two children to visit the Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager Dou.
The Empress Dowager was already on the verge of death, and it looked as if she would not survive the winter. So, although she loved children dearly, she refused to let them visit her often, fearing that their illness would shorten their lifespan.
Dou Yifang was delighted. She was old, and living alone in such a large palace was bound to feel lonely. Seeing Qiaohui often bringing her children to ask for advice was a great comfort to her.
Xue Yuan resigned and left after her two children were one month old. She had a daughter at home, and Zhou Yafu looked so eager to see her, so they couldn't stop the young couple from reuniting.
Fortunately, after Xue Yuan left, a nephew came. At the instruction of Bo Qiaohui, nephew Bo often came to the palace to accompany Dou Yifang. With two babbling little kids coming to disturb her from time to time, Dou Yifang's melancholy in her heart soon disappeared.
That day, Qiaohui ordered someone to send the two children to the Queen Mother early in the morning, and pretended to be too busy to ask the Queen Mother to help take care of them for a day.
Dou Yifang complained that her palace was about to be demolished by the two demon stars, but she couldn't suppress the smile on her lips.
By the time Qiaohui finished her palace duties and had a good sleep and remembered her precious pair of eggs, the sun was already setting.
A group of people surrounded her and marched outside the hall. Before Qiaohui could enter, she nearly collided with Liu Qi, who was running out. Bo Qiaohui looked up over the emperor's shoulder and saw, as expected, her daughter's chubby little face, grinning with her teeth bared.
"……His Majesty."
Bo Qiaohui reached out, and Liu Qi obediently lifted his daughter from his dragon head and placed her in his arms. Like a tyrant, Rouyuanzi, who had just been happily shouting "De-de-de-de," also obediently clung to his mother's collar.
Looking back, Dou Yifang was supported by her nephew, and a palace maid holding Che'er was also chasing after them. Seeing that the empress had stopped them in time, she relaxed. Dou Yifang gasped twice, and unhappily raised the cane made for her by the late emperor and hit her son a few times:
"Rong'er is so young, and you're already taking her to play like this. What if she gets bumped or hurt?"
Liu Rong, who was in Qiaohui's arms, saw his father being scolded by his grandmother. He showed his four tiny teeth in his mother's arms, and he didn't know where he learned it from, but he clapped enthusiastically, almost cheering.
Liu Qi stood there, following his mother's gentle smacks, even finding time to make faces at Rong'er. After Empress Dowager Dou had vented her anger, he leaned over with a smug look and supported Dou Yifang's other arm, saying, "Son, you know what you're doing. Rong'er won't fall."
Seeing that his mother's expression was about to change, he quickly added, "But it is indeed too dangerous. I will never dare to do it again. If you are worried, just let the Queen supervise me."
"Okay, just keep it in mind."
Dou Yifang sighed and slapped her son's hand away. "I thought the palace would be more lively with two more children, but who could have imagined that with one more child, my palace is now not lively at all, it's in chaos."
After saying this, he picked up Che'er and turned to Qiaohui and said, "Our Che'er is still steady."
Bo Qiaohui thought that with this name, he would never be able to be steady again. However, she nodded in agreement with Dou Yifang.
Unfortunately, the happy atmosphere in the hall was broken in the next second.
A servant from the Empress Dowager's palace stumbled in and knelt before them, "Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager is in trouble!"
Everyone rushed to Jianzhang Palace, and as soon as they entered the palace, they heard Pei Xin's suppressed crying.
"How is the Empress Dowager?" Dou Yifang rushed to Bo Ji's bed and asked hurriedly while looking at the row of imperial doctors kneeling on the ground.
"Your Majesty, the Grand Empress Dowager is now at the end of her life, and we, the ministers, are powerless to save her."
Birth, aging, sickness, and death—doctors like them couldn't even cure all the world's ailments, let alone the fact that the Grand Empress Dowager was nearing the end of her lifespan. Empress Dowager Dou knew the doctors had done their best, but looking at the frail, emaciated Grand Empress Dowager lying on the bed, she couldn't help but feel grief.
"Just do your best."
Dou Yifang still ordered the imperial physician to try his best to save the Empress Dowager's life and simply moved to Jianzhang Palace to serve the Empress Dowager as she did when she was young.
As the queen and the granddaughter of the Empress Dowager, Bo Qiaohui should, both morally and logically, be filial to the Empress Dowager.
Now her modesty was no longer an issue. In just one month, the entire palace felt the empress's full power. From serving medicine to the unconscious Grand Empress Dowager and preparing meals for the Grand Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager Dou, to caring for His Majesty's daily life, managing palace regulations, and caring for the princes and princesses, the empress never seemed too busy, managing everything in an orderly manner while chatting and laughing.
Considering her age, even Dou Yifang was not as good as her when she was young.
"It's hard for you to stay by my side for so long." Hard work pays off. On the day before the New Year, the Empress Dowager actually woke up from her confusion and even had the strength to speak. "It's almost New Year, right?"
"Yes, tomorrow is the New Year," Dou Yifang smiled nonchalantly, as if the Empress Dowager wasn't seriously ill at all. "She's awakened just in time. Tomorrow we can all be reunited as a family."
"Ahem, is that so? It's already the beginning of the year. I've been sick and slept for so long."
The Grand Empress Dowager ignored the rest of her words. She simply waved her hand, inviting Qiaohui to come before her, and patted her head. "Qiaohui, you are more capable and more fortunate than I am. From now on, the Bo family will be handed over to you. You must always restrain them and prevent them from causing trouble for the Emperor. Do you understand?"
"Grand Empress Dowager, I can't do it. I can't carry such a heavy burden. They are all elders, and you have to restrain them." Qiaohui suppressed her choked voice and held the Grand Empress Dowager's hand, trying hard to keep her.
Bo Ji shook her head. "You are the daughter of the Bo family, and even more so the daughter-in-law of the Liu family. If those people in the clan are really ignorant, you don't have to care about them anymore. Our Bo family cannot afford to suffer the same fate as the Zhu Lu family."
After saying this, she took two sharp breaths and pointed tremblingly at Liu Qi. When he came closer, she took his hand and clasped it tightly with Qiao Hui's. "Emperor...you must be well together from now on, grow old together, and be together forever."
"It's not easy for both Qiaohui and you. You... ahem, you two should be considerate of each other..."
Before she could finish her words, the Empress Dowager could no longer hold their hands and fell to the bed, breathless.
Dou Yifang quickly called the imperial physician, and a group of people gathered around her, some giving acupuncture and some dispensing medicine. They were busy until late at night and actually managed to stabilize the Empress Dowager's condition.
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