Chapter 188
Ever since learning that Emperor Yongzheng was seriously ill, the fighting among the princes has intensified. In the past, at least they could maintain superficial harmony. But now that Emperor Yongzheng is seriously ill and has only two months to live, the princes no longer care about superficial harmony. It is sensible for them not to fight each other.
Currently, the majority of opinions in the court support the eldest prince. The second and third princes are slightly inferior, and the fourth, fifth, and sixth princes are much inferior. The princes below them are too young to be taken into consideration.
The opinions in the court supporting the eldest prince were understandable at best. After all, the eldest prince was the eldest and the legitimate heir, so it was reasonable to make him the crown prince.
It's just that no one knows when the rumor that the eldest prince was tyrannical, irritable, and would beat and kill his servants spread quietly throughout the capital.
The rumor was so detailed that it even mentioned the name of the servant who was beaten and killed, his age, the color of clothes he was wearing on the day he was beaten and killed, when he was carried out of the mansion, and the mass grave where he was thrown.
Some curious people went to the mass grave mentioned in the rumors and actually found a corpse that matched the rumor in terms of age and clothing. Immediately, an imperial censor heard the news and reported it to the court. He quoted scriptures and denounced the eldest prince's many evil deeds in the court.
"The eldest prince is narrow-minded. He ordered a servant to be beaten and killed just because he was careless and didn't serve tea on time. How can such a tyrannical and murderous person be worthy of being the crown prince of the world? How can he be responsible for the lives of all the people in the future? Lao Tzu once said that to bear the disgrace of the country is to be the master of the country, and to bear the misfortune of the country is to be the king of the world. Now, the eldest prince can't even tolerate the momentary carelessness of a fourteen-year-old servant. How can a person with such a temper be responsible for the country and the people in the future? Now..."
The censor's spit flew everywhere. He had dragged a small matter into the heart of the country and the people of the world. The eldest prince, Huo Yanjun, was furious. If it weren't for his reason telling him not to lose his composure, he would have wanted to eat the censor. He beat and killed a servant at will? Was he a murderer? That servant was clearly a spy sent by the second son!
After he discovered him, he had him beaten and locked up. He was thinking of finding an opportunity to use this servant to bite off a piece of flesh from the second brother, but he didn't expect that the man would die that night. He had no choice but to have him hastily wrapped up and thrown into a mass grave. Unexpectedly, the second and third brothers caught him by mistake and made a big deal out of it. However, he didn't have enough evidence to prove that the man was the second brother's man. Now he had no choice but to accept this loss?!
Of course, the eldest prince's men could not stand by and watch this matter get blown out of proportion. Someone immediately stepped forward and angrily refuted Zhao Yushi's words, saying that they were too far-fetched. In order to exaggerate the crime, he did not even express his true intention in words, which was ridiculous!
The censor was furious and retorted. The man who stood up was also very sharp-tongued. He did not argue with him on this matter at all, but directly changed the subject to talk about the second prince trampling crops and killing farmers.
It was a nonsense talk among the second prince who had not expected to be dragged into this.
The minister presented the evidence without changing his expression, and quoted from classics to denounce the second prince's evil deeds.
The eldest prince beside him: "..."
Why does this sound familiar?
The court immediately erupted in a flurry of insults. You said the eldest prince had beaten a servant to death, while we said the second prince had trampled on the people's crops. You said the eldest prince was narrow-minded, while we said the second prince was dissolute and licentious...
Emperor Yongzheng sat on the throne, looking down at the chaos below with a gloomy look. When he became impatient, he threw a memorial at the face of the minister he disliked, and scolded the eldest and second-in-command. In the end, he gave each of them a big beating without any bias, fined them half a year's salary, confined them to house arrest for half a month, and made them copy "Qimin Yaoshu" a hundred times.
The matters in the court were resolved. After the court was dismissed and he reviewed the memorials sent to him, seeing that it was not too late and he felt in good spirits, Emperor Yongzheng had the idea of going to the Imperial College to pick up Jiaojiao after school, so he took a carriage out of the palace.
The carriage left the palace and headed towards the Imperial College. On the way, Emperor Yongzheng saw some children playing with spinning tops through the window, so he got out of the car and planned to buy two for Jiaojiao to play with.
He personally selected two spinning tops, and when he turned to get on the car, he accidentally caught a gust of wind. His lungs felt itchy and he couldn't help coughing. Seeing this, Jiang Haifu hurriedly poured him some water and took out the pills given by Doctor Chang for Emperor Yongzheng to take.
Emperor Yongzheng coughed softly and reluctantly swallowed the medicine, but his cough not only showed no signs of stopping, but became even more severe.
Seeing that His Majesty was coughing so hard that veins bulged on his forehead and neck, Jiang Haifu panicked and screamed for the coachman to turn back to the palace.
Emperor Yongzheng's face was pale and his vision went dark and white. He barely supported himself by leaning on the wall of the car and Jiang Haifu's support.
'Tsk'
He lowered his eyes to look at the two spinning tops in his hands and his fingernails that were gradually turning black, and sighed in his heart, "How... embarrassing!"
The chill of late autumn grew heavier, and the hot air exhaled from my mouth turned into visible mist while I spoke. A blazing stove was burning in the corridor, and thick felt curtains were hung around it, blocking the cold wind blowing in from all directions and keeping the heat in this small area.
Jiaojiao, who was picked up by her father from the Imperial College, put down her schoolbox, ran into the house, took a big sip of the sugar water in the bottle, poured a large bowl for her father, brought it out and handed it to her father. After her father took it and drank it, she put the empty bowl back and ran to sit in the corridor. Unexpectedly, when she lifted the curtain, she saw her uncle sleeping inside.
Emperor Yongzheng, who fell asleep leaning against the railing, wore a dark blue cotton robe with a cloud pattern of vines, and a fox fur cloak with white jade and silver patterns. He was also covered with a fox fur blanket. His eyes were slightly closed, and his eyelashes were clearly visible. His already pale face became even paler, almost revealing a sickly look, and was so translucent that one could faintly see the blue blood vessels on the sides of his neck and face.
Jiaojiao wrinkled her nose, rubbed her hands to warm them up, walked forward and gently placed her hand on Emperor Yongzheng's forehead. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found that he didn't have a fever.
Emperor Yongzheng, who was seriously ill but still alert, woke up when Jiaojiao lifted the curtain. Seeing Jiaojiao's cautious and light steps, he couldn't help but smile and opened his eyes. He handed the spinning top to Jiaojiao and said, "Here, I saw it and bought it when I was planning to pick you up from the Imperial Academy a few days ago. Unfortunately, something happened that day, so I turned back at the last minute."
Jiaojiao reached out to take it, and feeling uneasy, he moved closer and stared at Emperor Yongzheng carefully.
Emperor Yongzheng leaned back slightly and reached out to pinch Jiaojiao's face: "What?"
Jiaojiao frowned and said seriously, "Uncle doesn't look well. Is he sick again?"
"Oh, you can also look at your complexion?"
Being teased, Jiaojiao pursed her lips and said dissatisfiedly, "Uncle, don't change the subject."
Emperor Yongzheng pulled him into his arms and rubbed the lumps on his head vigorously: "The bigger they get, the harder it is to fool them."
Jiaojiao helplessly reached out to support her crooked hair: "Uncle——"
"Nothing." Emperor Yongzheng let him go and poked his little face: "I accidentally caught a cold a few days ago, but I'm healed now, it's nothing serious."
"real?"
Jiaojiao looked up at him in disbelief.
Emperor Yongzheng lowered his head to meet Jiaojiao's gaze, and immediately raised his hand to cover Jiaojiao's eyes.
These bright eyes were too dark and too clear. The light from the sky, which had not yet completely darkened, filtered through the curtains, and together with the fire, some light was cast into these eyes. For a moment, it was as if the clearest autumn water had dropped a pool of broken stars. It was so intricate and magnificent that no master painter in the world could possibly describe it.
Emperor Yongzheng couldn't lie anymore after looking at those eyes, so he covered them up and blurted out the lie without any burden: "Really? I won't get any candy if I lie to you."
Jiaojiao believed it. He reached out and took his uncle's hand away from his eyes. He rubbed his uncle's cold hands, but when he found that they couldn't be warmed up, he simply put them in his arms and held them. Then he said seriously, "Uncle is not in good health. When it gets cold, his hands and feet are very cold. Remember to bring a hand warmer with you when you go out in the future."
"I see. Why do you look more and more like an old man now? You are obviously only seven years old?" Emperor Yongzheng said with a puzzled look on his face.
Jiaojiao, who had become accustomed to her uncle's bad taste, had a look of helplessness on her face. Her uncle was like a little child, well, a child even younger than Jiaojiao!
Thinking of this, Jiaojiao nodded her little head affirmatively.
Seeing Jiaojiao's expression, Emperor Yongzheng knew that he was criticizing him in his heart again. He leaned back on the railing and sighed in his heart that it was not easy to raise a child!
After warming her uncle's hands for a while, Jiaojiao put the hand warmer handed to her by her father into her uncle's hands, and then she started spinning tops with her father in the yard.
It was the first time for Jiaojiao and Yin Zheng to play with this thing. They were a little uneasy at first. Often, after a few whips, the spinning top would fall over and roll far away. Seeing this, Emperor Yongzheng in the corridor curled his lips and laughed at them blatantly. He even reached out and picked up the spinning tops that had flown onto the corridor for them twice.
Fortunately, the spinning top is a simple thing and does not require much technical skills. Jiaojiao and her father learned how to use it in no time.
In the yard, the withered yellow leaves resolutely left the bare branches, floating down from the sky in a spiral. Jiaojiao under the tree was happily playing with a spinning top with her father. The palm-sized spinning top was played roundly and smoothly, and a sense of accomplishment inexplicably arose from watching it.
Seeing this, Xie Shuyu and Liu Xingzhi who stepped into the yard expressed their desire to try it out. It was the first time for both of them to play with this thing, but they had never been troubled by anything since they were young, and they were confident that this thing would not be difficult for them. So they wrapped the whip around the spinning top and swung it confidently. There was a "clang!" sound, followed by a sound of shattering tiles coming from the kitchen.
Emperor Yongzheng, who was peeling roasted peanuts in the corridor, raised his eyebrows when he saw this.
Yin Zheng turned his head to look at the kitchen and vaguely smelled the rich aroma of chicken soup.
Xie Shuyu, who only had a whip for the spinning top and didn't know where the spinning top was, said: "..."
Seeing this, Liu Xingzhi, who still had the whip of the spinning top, held the spinning top tightly in his hand to avoid being unable to tell who was at fault.
Jiaojiao uttered a surprised "Oh~" and trotted into the kitchen to check what was going on. After a while, her little head popped out of the kitchen, her fair face still showing surprise. "Dad, the clay pot for stewing soup on the stove is broken."
"Puff." Emperor Yongzheng couldn't help but burst out laughing, saying with great joy: "Huaizhi's skills are truly amazing. He was able to make two precise turns and fly into the kitchen, smashing the earthenware pot. It's no exaggeration to say that this skill is the best in the entire Shangjing City... Hahaha..."
Who was Xie Shuyu? He was the Xie family's most talented son. This mere spectacle wasn't enough to faze him. He rolled up his sleeves, walked calmly into the kitchen, and began to clean up the mess with a slightly clumsy hand.
Jiaojiao tried to help, but was enthusiastically dragged out by the Yongzheng Emperor, who loved to watch the fun. He was taught a lesson in righteous words, saying that a gentleman should take responsibility for his own actions and never involve others. Xie Shuyu was a gentleman famous in Dayong, and Jiaojiao must not ruin his reputation.
Jiaojiao was stunned when she heard this, then came to her senses and nodded hurriedly.
Xie Shuyu, who could hear the noise outside from the kitchen, said: "..."
“It’s snowing!”
Yin Zheng looked up at the sky and said.
Hearing this, Jiaojiao looked up and saw tiny snowflakes falling from the sky, bouncing happily on the bluestone ground. Jiaojiao reached out to catch two snowflakes, smiling and saying, "The snow is falling really early this year!"
"yes!"
Emperor Yongzheng looked at the sky. It was snowing so early, as it was only the beginning of November.
Just as he was sighing, he suddenly felt a warm little hand holding his cold hand. Just as he was about to look down, Jiaojiao had already run to the corridor holding her father in one hand and him in the other.
After running to the porch, Jiaojiao quickly persuaded her father and uncle to sit down by the fire, then returned to the yard to pull Liu Xingzhi. After Liu Xingzhi sat down, Jiaojiao squeezed in next to her father and warmed her hands by the fire before saying seriously, "It's snowing, and it's cold in the yard. Dad and uncles are chatting here."
Emperor Yongzheng laughed, "What about Huaizhi? Isn't Jiaojiao worried that he might catch a cold?"
Jiaojiao took the peanuts from the stove and peeled them while saying, "There's a fire in the kitchen, it's very bright. Uncle Huaizhi won't catch a cold."
After saying that, he put the peeled peanuts in his hand into his father's hand.
Upon seeing this, Emperor Yongzheng spread his hands very naturally.
"I'm peeling it, I'm peeling it, uncle, wait a moment." Jiaojiao waved her little hand.
When Xie Shuyu came out of the kitchen, he also got a handful of peeled and crispy peanuts.
Since he was the one who got into trouble today, he was responsible for preparing dinner. So Xie Shuyu, who was not good at cooking, simply cooked five bowls of egg and scallion noodles. The noodles were a little lumpy. When Emperor Yongzheng saw it, he sneered.
Xie Shuyu paused as he put down the bowl. Just as he was about to take the bowl away, Emperor Yongzheng quickly snatched the bowl of noodles from him.
Xie Shuyu: “…”
It's a good thing he's the emperor because he has such a bad temper, otherwise he would be sacked three times a day!
After a light snow that day, winter came within a few days.
The secret struggles in the capital became more and more intense. Emperor Yongzheng, who was in a high position, had been secretly controlling the situation and watching the fights among the princes.
He created this situation intentionally in order to weaken their power and at the same time find a legitimate and appropriate reason to push that kid Huo Shi'an onto the throne.
The mystical power within Jiaojiao was a constant threat to his entire being. In this world of supreme imperial power, only those in the highest positions could protect Jiaojiao. However, Emperor Yongzheng was running out of time, so he planned to elevate Huo Shi'an, a man of royal descent and a particularly close friend of Jiaojiao, to this high position. He was certain that the foolish Shi'an would protect Jiaojiao, though perhaps not as devotedly as he would. However, he had a backup plan in mind.
Yin Zheng and Xie Shuyu were his backup plans.
As for whether he would feel guilty for scheming against his own son for an outsider?
The answer is no. A person as emotionally indifferent as him has had coldness engraved in his bones since birth, so how could he feel guilty for them?
The reason why he was willing to let them be born was simply because Huo Chenke asked him to continue the Huo family bloodline. He also gave them the status of princes and endless wealth for their entire lives. As a father, he was already very qualified.
As for the throne under his butt, he fought for it with his life, so it is naturally up to him to decide who he wants to give it to!
On November 20th, the 12th year of the De Zheng reign, it snowed heavily at 10:00 p.m. The white snow covered the sky and the earth with a layer of pure white. From afar, the eaves and pavilions seemed to stretch endlessly. Suddenly, a strong wind blew, and the snow in the sky swirled. In a trance, it seemed that I heard the sound of horse hooves like thunder, followed by shouts of killing. In the distance, there was a blazing fire that seemed to light up half the sky, and the raging fire seemed to melt all the snow between the sky and the earth.
The smell of blood spread with the wind and snow. Jiaojiao in the Suiyu Bridge courtyard looked up to the far north. The night sky over there looked like a sunset glow. Jiaojiao immediately realized something was wrong: "Dad, the palace is on fire, let's go check it out!"
When Jiaojiao was speaking, Yin Zheng was walking towards him. Upon hearing his words, he reached out and picked him up, walked out of the house quickly, turned over and rode on his horse, while hiding Jiaojiao tightly in his arms and covering him with his cloak.
When Jiaojiao and the others arrived, everything was over. The fire was out and the rebels were all executed. In front of Chongde Hall, Emperor Yongzheng was wearing a round-necked brocade robe with a dragon pattern in the color of the Ming Dynasty, and a dark blue sable fur cloak on the outside. He was holding a bloody knife in his hand. After hearing the sound, he turned around and looked at Jiaojiao and the others. His dark pupils were dark and deep, with a hint of violence, which made people feel nervous for no reason.
Jiaojiao had a token that allowed him to enter the palace at any time. It was specially given to him by Emperor Yongzheng, who also issued an imperial decree allowing Jiaojiao to enter the palace without being summoned.
Jiaojiao got down from her father's arms and hurried up the stairs. Without even glancing at the bloody knife in Emperor Yongzheng's hand, she frowned and looked him up and down, her tone revealing worry and concern: "Are you hurt? Is it hurting anywhere?"
Emperor Yongzheng lowered his eyes and looked at Jiaojiao. After a while, he reached out and pinched Jiaojiao's face, leaving two bloody fingerprints on his face. The resentment in his heart dissipated, and he said in an ambiguous tone, "You are the only one who is brave."
The eldest prince, Prince Xiao, led his troops to attack Chengtian Gate. Although he shouted to save the emperor and purge the court, his real intention was obvious. He just wanted the emperor to abdicate and die.
The eldest prince's sudden action really made Emperor Yongzheng a little confused. The eldest prince was the eldest son and the eldest brother. Although he seemed to have suffered a lot of losses, those losses were not enough to determine victory or defeat. At least no one could surpass him at the moment.
Anyone with a discerning eye knew that as long as he didn't make any big mistakes, the throne would be his in a month at most, when the seriously ill Emperor Yongzheng died. So how stupid did he have to be to be tricked into raising an army and forcing him to abdicate?
Yes, Emperor Yongzheng was certain that his eldest son was tricked into taking this suicidal path. Although his eldest son was cruel and decisive, he was also too stupid, as if the queen had not given him half a brain when she gave birth to him.
Otherwise, he would not have forced the emperor to abdicate when he was the heir and the eldest son and had all the advantages in the situation.
Emperor Yongzheng sighed softly and dropped the knife in his hand. He squatted down and held the large heater Jiaojiao in his arms to block the cold wind.
Originally, according to his arrangement, the worst outcome for his foolish sons would be to be demoted to commoners, or to be banished to a remote area to live out their lives as idle princes. However, he never expected that someone wanted to kill his sons. They really thought he was a sick tiger!
Jiaojiao raised her little hand and patted his back soothingly: "Is uncle hurt?"
"without."
"Is someone bullying my uncle?"
"Um."
Jiaojiao pursed her lips: "Jiaojiao will help you bully him back."
Emperor Yongzheng sneered: "Oh, with your weak arms and legs, how can you help me fight back?"
"I'll call Dad, Uncle Huaizhi, Uncle Xingzhi, Brother Shi'an, Brother Mianmian and Youyou to put sacks on them and beat them up so badly that even their parents won't be able to recognize them." Jiaojiao said viciously, clenching her little fists.
Emperor Yongzheng was stunned: "Who taught you this?"
Jiaojiao sold out her friend without hesitation: "Chen Haoting."
Emperor Yongzheng was speechless, then he rested his chin on Jiaojiao's young shoulder, his eyes closed lazily: "Okay, help your uncle bully him back."
The next day, Emperor Yongzheng actually gave Jiaojiao a list of names.
At the grand court meeting two days later, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows when he saw the empty seats in the court. After the court session, he walked to the homes of these old ministers with his hands behind his back, under the pretext of sympathizing with the old ministers, but his real purpose was to laugh at them. When he saw their bruised and swollen faces, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Facing the surprised looks of those old ministers, he did not hide the smile in his eyes. Look, he has someone protecting him now!
In the following month, the struggle became more and more intense. Emperor Yongzheng demoted the second and fourth princes to commoners. The third, fifth and sixth princes set off for their fiefdoms on the same day and were not allowed to return to Beijing without being summoned. So he issued an edict to appoint Huo Shi'an, the youngest son of Prince Yong'an, as the crown prince.
Huo Shian is seventeen years old this year. Having experienced three years of cramming-style instruction from Emperor Yongzheng, he had a vague premonition that he would be used as a whetstone for the princes to sharpen the best knives. So when he really became the crown prince, he did not feel any joy, but his heart gradually sank.
For the past three years, he has been following Emperor Yongzheng and watching how he governs his subjects, how he handles state affairs, and how he maintains a balance among the officials. He even watched and participated in the three-year-long layout and purge of the aristocratic families. So much so that in the next two months, when Emperor Yongzheng made moves to muddy the waters, pull the officials and princes off the chessboard, and then expel them one by one, he was there watching.
This made Huo Shian gradually fear Emperor Yongzheng, a fear that came from his cold-bloodedness and indifference to life.
As the year drew to a close, the weather grew colder, and Emperor Yongzheng's condition worsened. The imperial physicians tactfully told him that he probably wouldn't live past the next year.
Huo Shi'an, who was standing next to Jiang Haifu, suddenly looked up with disbelief in his eyes. After the turmoil in the fight for the crown prince position gradually subsided, he and the court officials all thought that the news of Emperor Yongzheng's serious illness was fake news. The real purpose was to eliminate all the adult princes who posed a threat to his throne, leaving behind the young princes who were not threatening enough, and then support this puppet who posed no threat to him to become the crown prince. In this way, he could appease the court officials' calls for the establishment of a crown prince, and at the same time become a whetstone for future princes, sharpening the sharpest knife for Dayong.
Until this moment, when he learned that Emperor Yongzheng was really seriously ill and about to die, all the things he had not understood and had doubts about in the past instantly connected in his mind, and in a moment, he formed an outrageous and impossible guess in his mind.
In that speculation... everything Emperor Yongzheng did... was to pave the way for Jiaojiao!
The three-year-long conspiracy against the aristocratic families a few months ago was also the conspiracy within the past two months. Before his death, he tried his best to clear all obstacles that might threaten Jiaojiao and pave a smooth and easy path for him.
Helping him ascend to the throne was paving the way for Jiaojiao, and conferring the title of Marquis on Uncle Yin was paving the way for Jiaojiao, and Xie Shuyu, who had been promoted all the way and was now the Left Prime Minister, was also...
A shudder suddenly shot from his tailbone to his scalp. Huo Shian clenched his teeth, his hands hanging by his side trembling slightly. He couldn't understand, he couldn't understand. How could there be such a person in this world, who would do this... to such an extent for someone who wasn't even related to him by blood?!
Huo Shian took a deep breath to suppress the turbulent emotions in his heart, and looked up at Emperor Yongzheng who was half lying on the bed. In the past, due to his prestige, he never dared to look at this man closely. But now, he found that his face was pale without any blood color, his lips were black, and even his fingernails turned dark purple.
Although Huo Shi'an was afraid of Emperor Yongzheng, he was also close to him because in his heart Emperor Yongzheng was his uncle and his only elder.
When Emperor Yongzheng looked at him, he quickly lowered his head. When he spoke again, his throat was no longer hoarse. He lowered his head and said, "Uncle, please hold on for a while, at least until the first month of the year, after your birthday."
In the first month of the lunar year, the Lantern Festival seems to be on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month!
Emperor Yongzheng lowered his eyes and thought, and his throat felt itchy and he began to cough softly. Jiang Haifu hurried forward and patted his back. After Emperor Yongzheng stopped coughing, he brought him some tea.
Emperor Yongzheng waved his hand and said, "Change it to sugar water."
He had been coughing for a long time and his mouth was very bitter. He wanted to drink something sweet!
As the weather grew colder, the time Emperor Yongzheng could get up became shorter and shorter. Gradually, he went from being able to get up occasionally to being able to only lie in bed. Sometimes he would have a fever in the middle of the night and couldn't even take medicine. He also went to the house on the other side of Suiyu Bridge less and less. Later, he didn't go there for half a month. Whenever Jiaojiao asked him about it, he said he was busy.
No one knew if it was because of Jiaojiao or Emperor Yongzheng's own willpower, but he managed to survive until the first month of the lunar year, exceeding the imperial physician's expectations. Even on New Year's Day, he specially applied lip balm and light-colored flower juice to make his nails look normal, and forced himself to leave the palace. He went to Suiyu Bridge to have New Year's Eve dinner with Jiaojiao, and gave her some money to ward off evil spirits. The two of them, one big and one small, even competed in spinning tops in the yard.
In the end, Emperor Yongzheng won and won a large handful of pine nut candies from Jiaojiao.
Emperor Yongzheng was so proud that he immediately threw three or four candies into his mouth, and joked that Jiaojiao's mouth was almost pouting like a pig when she gave him candies.
In fact, Jiaojiao, who was very happy to be given candy, had no choice but to pull her uncle into the house to warm himself by the fire. She also put her uncle's hands, which could not be warmed up, into her arms to keep them warm.
When Emperor Yongzheng looked at the bright and shining eyes, he suddenly remembered the days in Liangyiyuan.
Because of his high fighting power, his tendons in his hands and feet were cut as soon as he entered the prison. He was dragged to the side to bleed, and then thrown aside without food or water. After he had been starved for a few days, they made sure he had no resistance left. Only then was he given one meal a day, which consisted of cold water and steamed buns.
It’s funny to think about it, that when I was the most full during that period, it was because I was fed a stomach full of strange medicine!
In fact, if... if Jiaojiao had appeared earlier, he would have killed the late emperor sooner... and would not have allowed himself to be tortured to such an extent.
On the Lantern Festival, Emperor Yongzheng was in surprisingly good spirits and was able to get up from the bed without Jiang Haifu's help.
Emperor Yongzheng's birthday fell on the same day as the Lantern Festival. In order to have a good start, his mother took a labor-inducing drug and gave birth on the Lantern Festival.
The festival and the emperor's birthday fall on the same day. Hearing that His Majesty would go to the lantern festival during the Lantern Festival, the government ordered people to hang all kinds of colorful lanterns in the streets and alleys of the capital a few days ago.
At the hour of You, the common people and officials who had finished their dinner went out to the streets for fun. Emperor Yongzheng also came to Suiyu Bridge early, and after having dinner with Jiaojiao and the others, he went out for fun.
The streets are bustling with people, shoulder to shoulder. Along the way, colorful lantern towers glitter and dazzle with color. Some wealthy merchants even display lantern towers several meters high, drawing gasps of surprise from the crowd. The best place to enjoy the lanterns is along the river, where the lantern towers on the streets and the river below create a unique spectacle, both heavenly and earthly.
Gorgeous fireworks bloomed in the sky, vendors along the way were shouting their wares, in the distance there were monkey shows, and some were performing fire breathing, walking on a mountain of knives, breaking rocks with their chests, etc. The whole street was very lively, and you had to shout when you spoke, otherwise no one could hear you at all.
In such an atmosphere and under the moonlight, the capital city is like a paradise on earth.
Jiaojiao and Emperor Yongzheng squeezed into the crowd, holding sugar-roasted chestnuts, candied haws, cloud cakes, sugar paintings and other snacks in their hands.
While taking care of his own mouth, Jiaojiao also turned around to feed his father and Uncle Huaizhi. Following behind him, Yin Zheng, Xie Shuyu, Liu Xingzhi and others, who had their mouths stuffed with food, chewed helplessly with their cheeks puffed out.
Occasionally, he would cover his mouth with his hand to maintain his original demeanor.
Upon seeing this, Emperor Yongzheng said that he also needed to be fed. Then, after Jiaojiao stuffed his mouth with chestnut cake, he continued to take Jiaojiao for a walk with a pouty smile.
While the two were eating, the young one looked up at the monkey shows, the knife-climbing shows, and the fire-breathing shows, and from time to time he would let out a small exclamation with bright eyes.
Jiaojiao is already very eye-catching, and with her curved eyebrows and smiling eyes, she looks even more like a beautiful girl that has descended from the sky, attracting a lot of attention from people around her.
Yin Zheng looked around calmly, and the prying eyes around him immediately disappeared.
As he walked, Emperor Yongzheng became exhausted and stopped to take a breath. When he looked up again, Jiaojiao and the others were nowhere to be seen. He was stunned for a moment, and a rare trace of confusion appeared in the depths of his eyes. He had not noticed it before, but now that he was alone, he suddenly felt a deep chill, which spread from his limbs to his heart and lungs, squeezing out the last bit of oxygen and making him almost unable to breathe.
At this moment, Jiaojiao squeezed out from the crowded crowd, his neatly combed hair bun being squeezed into disarray. He held the bun while running over to hold Emperor Yongzheng's hand, and said with a serious face, "Uncle, don't wander around, or you'll be kidnapped by kidnappers!"
The moment Jiaojiao held him, the chill instantly faded away. After recovering, Emperor Yongzheng poked Jiaojiao's stern face and said, "How could a kidnapper kidnap a grown man like me?"
"Yes, Mianmian said that good-looking men and women will be kidnapped. My uncle is particularly good-looking, so he must stay close to Jiaojiao."
Emperor Yongzheng laughed and walked forward with Jiaojiao. The little hand holding his was very warm, and even his limbs were warmed up, and he no longer felt the cold.
There is no curfew during the Lantern Festival, and a group of people play until the end of the night before returning home.
Late at night, heavy snow began to fall from the sky. The fifteenth day of the first lunar month was already early spring, and it was rare to snow at this time of year, let alone such heavy snow.
Someone who was woken up by the cold looked out the window, muttered something strange, took out another quilt from the cupboard, covered himself with it, and continued to sleep.
The heavy snow covered the entire sky and earth, and also took away the last bit of warmth from the sleeping people.
The next day, nine funeral bells were heard from afar in the palace, and the deep and desolate sound spread.
The ministers who were on their way to court were stunned when they heard this.
The bell tolls nine times, it is the death knell for the emperor!
The court officials knew about this, the people knew about it, and Jiaojiao knew about it too.
The carriage arrived at the Imperial College, but Jiaojiao was reluctant to get off. He lowered his head and looked at his hands, squeezed his little hands, and straightened the jade pendant hanging on his waist. This was given to him by his uncle last night, who said he carved it himself. Although it looked ugly, Jiaojiao liked it very much. At this time, he saw that it seemed a bit messy, so he lowered his head and straightened it again and again with his hands.
After finishing his hair, he touched his hair bun, straightened his collar, and finally looked at his shoes. After making sure that there was nothing messy, he didn't know where to put his hands. He was a little at a loss for a moment, and suddenly felt a tightness in his chest and a little breathless.
He clenched his fists and took two deep breaths. When he still felt short of breath, he pounded his aching chest with his small hands, lowered his head and breathed deeply through his mouth. A drop of water suddenly fell on his indigo robe. Jiaojiao wiped it with her hand in a panic, but found that the more she wiped, the more it appeared.
Yin Zheng, who had just left the Imperial College, rode back. When he saw the carriage quietly waiting at the gate from afar, his heart skipped a beat. He jumped off his horse and rushed to the carriage in two steps: "Jiaojiao."
Jiaojiao, who was trying hard to wipe the water stains, raised her head and looked at her father with pursed lips. After a moment of silence, she suddenly threw herself into her father's arms, tightly grasped his clothes and cried loudly.
"Wow, Daddy... Daddy, uncle... uncle is lying... wuwawa..."
"My uncle is so mean... wuwuwu... he lied to Jiaojiao..."
"Jiaojiao... Jiaojiao... I don't like him anymore... Uncle is so mean... Woohoo..."
Jiaojiao buried her head in her father's arms and cried breathlessly. Yin Zheng soothed her back and coaxed her in a hoarse voice: "Don't cry, don't cry, Jiaojiao, be good, don't cry..."
Jiaojiao cried until her voice became hoarse, and she didn't stop until she fell asleep from crying.
Yin Zheng sat in the carriage, gently patting Jiaojiao's body which was still twitching in her sleep, and his heart ached with pain.
In the 13th year of Dezheng, Emperor Yongzheng passed away, and Crown Prince Huo Shi'an succeeded to the throne and changed the reign title to Yongyuan.
Jiaojiao cried for several days in a row, and it rained heavily all over Dayong during those days.
On the day of Emperor Yongzheng's burial, Jiaojiao, who had been crying for him for several days, followed to carry the coffin. He also stuffed several hand warmers into Emperor Yongzheng's coffin, but none of them had charcoal fires lit.
Emperor Yongzheng had found his own tomb when he was in power. He did not bury himself in the renovated imperial mausoleum because he really hated the feeling of restraint. So he found a place with good feng shui and scenery, and asked Huo Shian to bury him there. At the same time, he also remembered to bury the remaining half handful of pine nut candy with it to prevent him from having a bitter taste in his mouth after he passed away.
After today he will be buried in the cemetery of his own choice.
After returning home that day, Jiaojiao fainted from crying. After waking up, she fell ill and was sick for several days. After she recovered, she lost several pounds and the baby fat on her face was almost gone.
The world consciousness that saw this scene was extremely anxious, and quickly stuffed the successfully intercepted soul of Emperor Yongzheng back to Tuanba Tuanba.
Ten days later, heavy rain fell from the sky. Amidst thunder and lightning, a new tomb was split open by lightning. The heavy rain washed the surrounding soil in. A pale hand stretched out from the grave. The fingers were covered in blood, and several nails were scratched out. Fortunately, there was no one here. If there was someone, six of the seven souls would have been scared out of their wits.
Emperor Yongzheng, having crawled out of his grave in a disheveled state, sat before his own grave, spitting out the muddy water from his mouth. He fumbled for a pine nut candy from his bosom and tossed it into his mouth, pondering with a deep expression, "Could this be a resurrection?"
Chapter 3! I continue to lie down~~
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