Emperor's death
Emperor Yongping's gaze finally swept across Li Qingping's still cold and distant face, and he finally turned and left. Liang Pei'an followed closely behind, his palms already wet with sweat.
Liang Pei'an has been serving Emperor Yongping since he was a teenager. It has been decades now, and he has never seen the emperor make concessions like this.
The words that Emperor Yongping had not finished saying could no longer be said, like a fishbone stuck in his throat, which he could neither spit out nor swallow. At that time, seeing the Imperial Noble Consort's almost cold courtesy to the Emperor, Liang Pei'an felt suffocated for the Emperor, but he did not dare to say a word to smooth things over.
In Yonghe Palace, Yun Su approached cautiously: "Master, do you want to change clothes?"
Li Qingping nodded slightly.
After changing into casual clothes, Li Qingping's fingertips stroked the cool jadeite on the phoenix crown. After a moment's silence, he instructed, "Put this formal dress away properly." She paused and said, "In the future... I'm afraid I won't have many opportunities to wear it again."
Three days later, the black belt with a dragon and cloud pattern and a jade coiled dragon hook was embroidered. Li Qingping personally inspected every stitch to ensure it was impeccable before having Fu'an deliver it to the Qianqing Palace.
Emperor Yongping touched his belt, wondering what he was thinking.
Soon, everyone noticed that something seemed to have changed in the palace.
The Imperial Noble Consort remained largely confined to Yonghe Palace, occasionally visiting Fengxian Hall to burn incense for Empress Xiaoshu Renxie after receiving permission. However, Emperor Yongping would occasionally visit Yonghe Palace. He would not eat or stay overnight, and sometimes he and Li Qingping would even stare at each other in silence, one sitting by the window embroidering while the other read memorials at the table over a cup of tea.
The years passed slowly within the palace walls.
In the 20th year of the Yongping reign, Emperor Yongping promoted all his sons who had left the palace to establish their own courts to the rank of prince. Even the deceased Prince Gong was posthumously conferred the title.
In the 21st year of Yongping, the Crown Prince and He's eldest son also got married.
He Zhao's eldest son, Zai Tong, was named Prince Hui by Emperor Yongping after his wedding. About half a year after the wedding, Prince Hui announced the good news to the emperor and the imperial concubine: it turned out that the princess was pregnant.
In fact, before Prince Hui, Prince Gong's eldest son had also been married, but neither the princess nor the concubines were happy for a long time. The child in Princess Hui's belly was the first great-grandson of Emperor Yongping. Moreover, he was the grandson of the legitimate son. For the entire Emperor Yongping and even the entire imperial family, this child was of extraordinary significance.
This symbolizes the orthodox eldest grandson. If nothing unexpected happens, he will be the master of this dynasty in the future.
Emperor Yongping himself was not a legitimate son, and he only won the throne by chance when Zhengtong met with an accident. He used his status as the eldest son to fight his way out. If the throne had been inherited by legitimate sons and grandsons after him, it would have been a good story.
Although not his own grandson or great-grandson, Li Qingping was still very much looking forward to the birth of Prince Hui's first child. He was also a little worried because he had heard that the Princess Hui had asked the imperial physician for help because she had a headache, and unexpectedly, the pulse diagnosis was good news. Knowing that the Princess Hui was not in good health, Li Qingping wanted to ask the imperial physician to check on her every day.
Emperor Yongping said she was too nervous.
Li Qingping was looking through the inventory at the time, selecting the reward for Princess Hui, without even looking up: "Your Majesty, I don't understand. This is a token of my great-aunt's kindness."
Emperor Yongping was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Yes... I am also going to be a great-grandfather."
It turns out they are all that old.
At this moment, they were no longer emperors and concubines, but just ordinary great-grandfathers and great-aunts, looking forward to the arrival of new life.
Ten months later, the time was ripe and the eldest grandson of the Eastern Palace was born. Emperor Yongping personally named his great-grandson Lingcheng.
With the birth of her great-grandson, the continuation of the Great Qi imperial lineage was a matter of great satisfaction for the Empress Dowager, who had no regrets. She passed away in the 23rd year of the Yongping reign and was buried alongside Emperor Wenzong in Tailing. Adding to the many concubines and imperial concubines who passed away over the years, the number of those who remained in the Xianshun Dynasty was dwindling.
And the people of the Yongping Dynasty gradually grew old.
First it was Concubine An of Changchun Palace.
Concubine An Zhang raised the fourth son, Prince Yong, and Prince Yun. Concubine An, already frail when she gave birth to Prince Yong, had a weak constitution that limited her lifespan. Even with the meticulous care she received over the years, she was no healthier than anyone else, passing away in the late summer of the twenty-fourth year of the Yongping reign, at the age of fifty-eight.
Emperor Yongping posthumously conferred the title of Noble Consort Anshun on Consort An and held a funeral with the rites for a Noble Consort.
This year, Li Qingping was sixty years old. Emperor Yongping was also sixty-five years old. Compared with many emperors in the past dynasties, Emperor Yongping was also a long-lived emperor.
In the 25th year of the Yongping reign, Emperor Yongping once again experienced the pain of losing a child since Prince Gong. This refers to the loss of an adult child.
For years, the Emperor's second daughter, Princess Changle, Yuzhen, had been estranged from her husband, living with her only daughter, Princess Roujia. She suffered from a profound depression, which she ultimately died of. The most painful part was that Princess Changle's forty-fourth birthday arrived two days after her burial. Yuzhen never lived to see another full year.
Emperor Yongping loved his daughters the most. When the news of the death reached the palace, he was in disbelief and grief-stricken. In a panic, he denounced the prince consort for being so heartless as to kill the princess.
Upon receiving the imperial decree to leave the palace for the funeral, Concubine Jia of Xianfu Palace wept until she fainted. Her sixty-year-old body could not withstand such grief, and she fell seriously ill. Concubine Jia had only one daughter in her life, and she cherished her like a precious jewel. Ultimately, she was unable to resolve her daughter's grief, leading to her death from depression. Heartbroken, she passed away a few months later. After her death, she was first posthumously named Concubine Jia, then given the title Rong, becoming Concubine Rongjia.
With the departure of Consort Anshun and Consort Rongjia, only Consort Zhuang remained of the four concubines in the harem. However, by this time, Emperor Yongping no longer had much time for the harem, and he casually promoted Consort Jing, who had held the position of concubine for over twenty years, to Consort Jing, and Consort Qi, who had a son, to Consort Qi.
However, Concubine Qi was too grief-stricken to recover after losing her eldest son, and when she gave birth to her youngest son, she was murdered and nearly miscarried due to spotting. In fact, her situation was similar to that of Concubine Anshun. After being named a concubine, she died of illness in the spring of the 26th year of Yongping before the canonization ceremony could be held.
Concubine Qi was not posthumously honored. She was not the most favored by Emperor Yongping, and her family background was not very good. The dignity of a concubine was enough for her.
Concubine Rong's health hadn't been good in recent years. She'd been so eager to prove herself in recent years, taking on so many palace duties, working day and night that even the strongest of bodies couldn't sustain it. But despite her intermittent illnesses, she could probably hold on for a few more years.
That day, Li Qingping was leaning on a soft pillow looking at Qiuju outside the window when Emperor Yongping came wearing a cloak and coughed from time to time as he walked into Yonghe Palace.
Li Qingping glanced at him.
Ever since Princess Changle died, Emperor Yongping has been coughing frequently and his hair has turned completely white, as if he had aged ten years overnight.
"I dreamed of the Queen last night."
After Emperor Yongping sat down, he drank a cup of tea alone before speaking slowly. Li Qingping withdrew his gaze from Qiuju and looked at the old emperor quietly.
"This is the first time I've dreamed of her in all these years." Emperor Yongping looked a little dazed. "The moment I dreamed of her, I wondered: how could a couple who supported each other to reach the highest positions end up like this, with death as the bargaining chip?"
Li Qingping frowned and said nothing.
Fortunately, Emperor Yongping didn't ask her to answer. He sighed, "She asked a lot of questions. The Li family, the crown prince, He Huang. And then you and Concubine Ke."
He paused here, his Adam's apple moving, before covering his face and continuing, "But in my dream, I couldn't answer a single question. Only when I looked at her face did I remember... it seemed like I hadn't had a proper conversation with her in years. Then, when she became seriously ill, I was so busy with state affairs that even that final half-hour private conversation was filled with calculations."
Li Qingping finally spoke, his voice as calm as a deep pool of water: "Sister has never blamed the emperor."
She recalled how Empress Renque had once held her hand and said, "Once you enter the imperial palace, it's like entering a bottomless abyss." But this wasn't just about the concubines in the harem. Anyone born and raised in the imperial family couldn't escape the temptation. The emperor was no exception.
There are so many "helplessness" hidden in the royal family. It was only when Empress Renque paved the way for everyone but did not leave a way out for herself that Li Qingping realized how much helplessness was hidden in that "helplessness".
"She only hopes that the prince is safe, the Li family is safe, and the children are all well."
Emperor Yongping said self-deprecatingly: "But did I really do it?"
Prince Dun Hexian and Prince Hua Hexun had not returned to the capital for more than ten years. Li Qingping and Concubine Ke were trapped in Yonghe Palace and Huangzhuang respectively.
"A few days ago, He Zheng came to pay his respects and said that Qingyan's headache had recurred and the pain kept her awake at night. I thought... after the New Year, I should let her return to Beijing and live in a garden outside the capital, closer to the children."
Li Qingping's fingertips finally felt a hint of warmth. Although Concubine Ke had been served by others during her years at the imperial farm, she still didn't have the same smooth life as in the capital, and she had developed many problems. Now that Emperor Yongping said he wanted Concubine Ke to return to the capital, the stone that had been hanging in his heart for many years finally fell a little.
She didn't say thank you, but just nodded gently: "Qingyan likes the hustle and bustle. The garden in the suburbs of Beijing is better. It's more comfortable than the imperial manor."
"Of the people who walked out of the palace with me back then, only you, Concubine Ke and Concubine Jing are left." Emperor Yongping sighed at last, then stood up and returned to the Qianqing Palace.
In the autumn of the 27th year of Yongping, Emperor Yongping was seriously ill and the Imperial Hospital was helpless, which basically announced the end of the fifth emperor of the Great Qi Dynasty.
On his deathbed, Emperor Yongping summoned the Crown Prince and several important ministers to instruct them on his affairs. In the end, he left only Li Qingping behind.
"Qingping..." He breathed weakly, "I... am leaving..."
Li Qingping held his hand, tears streaming down his face: "Your Majesty..."
Emperor Yongping actually still had the energy to laugh: "You haven't cried in front of me many times. This should be the last time, right? In fact, I am actually a little happy that you can still cry for me."
Li Qingping was actually very sad.
She was so sad, she thought in surprise as she burst into tears.
She might not have loved Emperor Yongping, but after all, they had been together for so many years that even without romance, they could still sense a familial bond. While Emperor Yongping did many things that resented her in order to maintain balance in the court and harem, he certainly didn't harm anyone connected to the Li family. Furthermore, upon ascending the throne, Emperor Yongping did favor Li, and this preference persisted. He bestowed upon her the prestigious title of Imperial Noble Consort, and since he no longer appointed empresses, the Imperial Noble Consort became the head of the harem. In effect, Emperor Yongping had elevated the Li family's daughter to a supreme position.
It seems to be saying that the most powerful person in Emperor Yongping's palace can only be a girl from the Li family.
Emperor Yongping watched her cry, his fingertips trembling slightly, but in the end he just patted the back of her hand gently.
"I... decree that you and Concubine Ke be buried with Empress Renque a hundred years from now. Right next to my mausoleum." Emperor Yongping smiled. "But if you both don't want to, I've already said there's no need to force it."
Finally, Emperor Yongping and Li Qingping said, "Let me tell you a secret."
Li Qingping looked at him puzzledly.
"Actually, I've seen you before you married into the palace. Your eyes caught my eye the first time I saw them. It's rare to find a girl with eyes as clear as yours in the royal family. I've been thinking, if I could find a girl with eyes like yours in the future... how wonderful it would be." Emperor Yongping's voice gradually faded, but with a touch of satisfaction: "Fortunately... Cancan is here."
His voice gradually faded, and his hand slowly lost strength, resting on Li Qingping's palm, no longer moving. Outside the hall came the sound of funeral bells, one after another, hammering heavily on everyone's heart.
Li Qingping held Emperor Yongping's cold hand, tears silently sliding down her cheeks.
On September 23rd, the 27th year of Yongping's reign, the emperor died in the Qianqing Palace at the age of 68 when the clock struck three times at night.
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