Chapter 57 Jin Ling 57
On the wedding day, the weather was sunny and bright.
Jin Ling was dressed in a luxurious wedding gown, a flower crown on her head, her hair in bouffant, and a palace fan in her hand, gleaming brightly in the scorching sun. Li Yi personally supported her as they climbed to the top step by step.
The complicated wedding ceremony did not cause her too much burden, simply because His Majesty did not want the Queen to suffer any fatigue, so he accompanied her throughout the whole process. Even when they had to separate, he specially ordered two female officials, Xiaorong and Feiyan, to accompany her.
The fabric used for her wedding dress was made from a special silk thread and weighed less than a pound. The tailoring studio tailored it to her current shape, covering her bulging belly without hindering her movements. The floral crown on her head required the full skill of the Treasure Bureau, striving for both elegance and lightness. These were Li Yi's specific requests.
Thanks to the lightness of the equipment and the help of manpower, this grand wedding was finally completed successfully. The newly crowned emperor and empress had no time to talk about love at this moment. The Empress Dowager was already waiting for them in the Cining Palace.
"Yier, where have you been? Did Concubine Guo say something to you again?"
As soon as Li Yi held her mother's hand, Zheng woke up. Without waiting for Li Yi to ask, Zheng suddenly said this. Obviously, she was already confused due to her illness. She still thought she was still in her youth when she had gone from a foot-washing maid to a concubine. She pulled the child, who was already a grown-up, and coaxed him as she did back then:
"Don't take anything she says to heart. Mother has prepared some golden milk pastry for you. Do you like it?" Zheng said as she took out an amulet from her bosom with trembling hands.
"Amulet? Oh, right. Mother made a special trip to ask for an amulet for you. It blesses our Yi'er with peace, happiness, and success. You..."
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to Your Majesty!" In a blink of an eye, Zheng mistook her son for her husband, Emperor Xianzong, and hurriedly tried to get up and kneel down, but her long-ill body had no strength at all, and she couldn't get up at all.
"Mother, it's me, I'm Yier. Father passed away a long time ago, and I'm the emperor now. You don't have to kneel to anyone anymore." Li Yi approached the empress dowager and placed her hand on his face. His eyes were already red.
The Queen Mother caressed the face of the man in front of her, and her cloudy eyes seemed to brighten a little: "Yier... yes, yes... my Yier is the emperor, and I... I also have a good daughter-in-law and a grandson."
A happy smile appeared on the empress dowager's old face. She raised one hand and stretched it out to Jin Ling, who held it tightly in her hand.
"Good children, you are both my good children." She transformed back into the dignified and benevolent queen mother, holding their hands and placing them together: "From now on, you are a family. You must take care of each other and understand each other... No, don't make each other... sad..."
The Queen Mother took a deep breath every time she spoke, but even with such difficulty, she ignored her son's eyes that wanted to stop her and instead quickened her pace: "After I die, keep the funeral simple. And, don't make it too extravagant because of me. Remember, remember."
She spoke incessantly, as if she wanted to pour out all the words that she had suppressed in her heart for all these years.
Let the Emperor treat the Empress and her benefactor well, let the Emperor take care of his health and not overwork himself, let Jin Ling take good care of herself, and put her own health first in everything:
"There will still be offspring. If that's the case... Your Majesty, you must not let the Empress down. She is your first wife."
At the end of her speech, the Queen Mother's face actually glowed, and she seemed to have returned to her youth, even able to get out of bed on her own. She ordered Zi Lan to help her change into the Queen Mother's palace dress and reapply her makeup, just like when she first became the Queen Mother.
"Mrs. Ruan, what do you think of me?"
Ruan Cuiyun gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes where the Empress Dowager couldn't see, and smiled and complimented her, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager is so graceful and elegant that we admire her immensely."
Queen Mother Zheng looked at her room full of relatives and old friends, feeling completely content. Her only regret was that she hadn't been able to see her grandson. But thinking that her son had someone who cared for him, she felt very happy. She sat on her throne as Queen Mother, waiting until dawn, the arrival of a new day, before slowly closing her eyes...
…
The Queen Mother's funeral was like a switch, and old friends left one after another.
Sanhao and Gao Xianyang resigned from their official posts as agreed and returned to Sanhao's hometown, Qiongzhou. Gao's father and Liu's father naturally spent their leisurely days with their young generation, enjoying the company of their grandchildren.
Wan Jianfeng and Ruan Shanggong rekindled their old love. They learned the whereabouts of their son from Eunuch Bu, and also wanted to retire and return home to find their biological son.
At Jin Ling's suggestion, Wan Jianfeng planned to open a martial arts school. However, his school not only taught martial arts, but also taught people military tactics of marching and fighting. It was opened next to the clinic where their son worked.
After Lady Ruan left, Jin Ling took charge and promoted Zhong Sizhi to Lady Shang Gong, allowing her to have an affair with Eunuch Bu. Xiao Shun then became the chief eunuch in her palace.
New people have also filled the three director-level positions of Sizhi, Sishe, and Sizhen.
In the second year after Jin Ling moved to Penglai Palace and gave birth to the eldest prince, there was gradually no trace of those old people in the palace.
…
Li Yi was very busy, and since he only had Jin Ling in his harem, he naturally didn't need to worry about the concubines. When he came to his senses, it was already May of the following year. He realized that he seemed to have neglected Jin Ling for a while.
He strolled to the Penglai Palace, the early summer sun blazing overhead, making him sweat profusely. Beside him, Eunuch Bao seemed hesitant to speak, clearly confused as to why the emperor was torturing himself, refusing to ride in the sedan chair next to him and insisting on walking.
Li Yi remembered that summer when he was still King Guang. Because his mother was humiliated, he hurried to the small Buddhist temple and stopped in front of the sunflower's grave for a long time.
At that time, he was filled with so much sorrow that he couldn't even feel the scorching summer air.
Just one word from her, just one word from her.
Li Yi's pace became faster and faster, leaving everyone behind. He almost ran on the palace road.
Li Yi pushed the door open and ran in.
"Mom, Huahua!" A clear child's voice was calling his wife sweetly.
"Oh my! Our little guest is amazing! This is a sunflower."
"Sunny hair!"
"You little brat, you never speak properly once the words exceed two." Jin Ling, holding the child, turned around and saw a certain emperor standing in the sun.
"Your Majesty, why are you standing here?" Jin Ling quickly put the child down and pulled him to the shade. "Look at you, you're all sweaty, and you don't even think of going to a cooler place."
Li Yi smiled and took the other person's handkerchief, put it in his sleeve, and took the initiative to support his wife.
"Is it so delicate? It's only two months old." Jin Ling complained, but let Li Yi hold her hand. She walked to her eldest son Li Ce and took his hand.
The family moves forward together...
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