Renji
Queen Li held on for more than a year, and only when the Li family had established a firm foothold in their ancestral home did she finally close her eyes.
Before closing her eyes, Empress Li had a secret conversation with Emperor Yongping for half an hour. During this period, the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess, the Fourteenth Prince Hehuang, Princess Mingjing Yujin and Princess Huaishuo Ping'an all arrived one after another, but were still stopped outside the palace.
"...Okay, I promise you."
There was not much noise in the hall at this time, but it was enough for people outside to hear that the conversation ended with Emperor Yongping's compromise.
When Emperor Yongping came out of Kunning Palace, he happened to meet Li Qingping and Concubine Ke who were rushing over. The three of them were speechless for a while when they faced each other.
When did people who had been together for decades end up like this?
It was Li Qingping who bowed first and said, "Your Majesty, I will go in to visit the Empress first."
"..." Emperor Yongping pressed his brows and nodded: "You can go in."
Empress Li lay on a soft couch in the inner hall, her breath as weak as a thread. It had only been less than a month since the Lunar New Year, and a light snow was still falling outside the window. No matter how hot the heating in the hall was, she could no longer feel any warmth.
Over the past year, the palace watched as the once graceful and elegant queen was gradually devoured by illness, and now only a pile of bones remained.
In the palace, the Crown Prince He Zhao was already crying in front of the bed. The man in his thirties was now as sad as a child, begging his mother not to leave him.
"Silly child, what nonsense are you talking about?" Queen Li looked at the Crown Prince lovingly. The child had grown so tall and was no longer a child who needed his mother's support to walk unsteadily.
After He Zhao grew up, Empress Li basically didn't have to worry about anything. However, she was his mother after all, and Empress Li had just done the last thing for the child. With Emperor Yongping's promise, the position of the crown prince would be more stable.
"My greatest regret is probably that I won't be able to see you take the throne." Empress Li shook the Crown Prince's generous hand. "He Zhao, you must be more calm and cautious in the future."
The Crown Prince responded with tears and gasps.
Queen Li waved to the other children to come over and gave them instructions one by one.
First is Yu Jin.
"Yujin, you are not my biological child. You have even been raised by your aunt since you were five or six years old. I don't think I have given you anything except the title of legitimate daughter. You are the eldest daughter, and the status of the eldest son and daughter has always been extraordinary. After He Yan's death, the emperor cherishes you even more. As long as you behave yourself, you will be safe for the rest of your life."
Peace again.
Empress Li moved her lips several times, but in the end she kept it a secret: "Your health is not good, and I am sorry for you. Don't cry, or you will have to drink bitter medicine again."
Ping'an was not afraid of taking the medicine and sobbed intermittently.
Finally, there was Hehuang. This little child, barely eight years old, was to be separated from his mother. Empress Li felt the most for him: "Hehuang, from now on, you must obey your aunt's orders. Do you understand? Your mother can't grow up with you, so you must not act naughty."
Children of the imperial family were precocious, and He Huang understood what this scene represented. A few days ago, he had been crying and making a scene, demanding the imperial physician heal Empress Li, threatening to cut off their heads if they didn't. Empress Li had rebuked him harshly, and he had finally panicked when he saw his mother coughing up blood. Now, the mere thought of that blood-soaked handkerchief filled him with fear, and he could only listen obediently: "Mother, mother, your son understands."
After the children were all taken care of, Empress Li's spirits became noticeably worse. She asked the children to leave, leaving only Li Qingping and Concubine Ke behind.
Li Qingping and Concubine Ke knelt in front of the couch, their folded hands tightly holding Empress Li's cold hand.
"Sister..." Li Qingping's voice choked with sobs, knowing what Empress Li wanted to hear most right now. "The Li family has settled down in our ancestral home, don't worry. My great uncle sent a letter a few days ago saying that the ancestral home has been repaired and the plaque in the ancestral hall has been repainted. They are all waiting for you to pass away peacefully."
Li Qingping's great uncle, the biological father of Empress Li and Concubine Ke. Empress Li's eyes lit up a little, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth: "Okay... okay, I feel relieved with this."
Her gaze passed over Li Qingping and Concubine Ke and looked at the snowflakes flying outside the palace, as if she saw that snowy night many years ago when the girl was embroidering her wedding dress under the candlelight, full of thoughts.
"Soon... it will be the thirty-seventh year since I married the Emperor."
In the spring of the seventeenth year of Xianshun, Empress Li became the Princess of Xuan.
Thirty-seven years have passed, and Queen Li is only in her fifties now. It seems that she has been trapped in the high gates of the prince's mansion and the vermilion walls of the imperial palace for most of her life.
"Qingping, Qingyan, I have to go first." Queen Li's voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible. "Remember... you must not only continue to live, but also live beautifully. Be patient and wait -"
Before he finished speaking, the skinny hand suddenly dropped.
"Empress!"
"elder sister--"
"The Queen has passed away!"
Suddenly, the Kunning Palace erupted in weeping. Li Qingping collapsed before the couch, sobbing uncontrollably. The sister who had protected her for half her life was finally gone.
At the beginning of the 15th year of Yongping, Empress Li of Kunning Palace passed away, and the whole country mourned.
When the death knell rang, Emperor Yongping was somewhat stunned. His mother had passed away in the thirty-sixth year of Xianshun, and at the end of the twelfth year of Yongping, he had seen off the grandmother who had raised him. Now, in just over two years, even his first wife had passed away.
The bells of mourning whirled over the palace, each thump making Emperor Yongping's heart ache. He stood under the eaves outside Kunning Palace, the hem of his dragon robe swaying slightly in the cold wind.
Suddenly, Emperor Yongping recalled a similarly snowy day in the 36th year of Xianshun's reign. It had been shortly after the winter solstice, and the palace was filled with weeping. He was the only one frozen in place, unsure how to cope with this sudden departure.
Emperor Yongping's attitude towards Empress Li was actually not much different from that towards Concubine Xian at that time.
Similarly, there was closeness. After all, a husband and wife of over thirty years held the closest possible bond, not to mention their shared quest for the throne. But there was also a greater sense of distance. Empress Li was too perfect, a daughter-in-law tailor-made for the Li family. Over the years, she had made few mistakes, leaving Emperor Yongping feeling powerless whenever he faced her. In recent years, suspicion had grown, and there was even more concern about the Li family's growing power.
But Queen Li was too smart. She made all preparations and used her death to save all the people she wanted to protect.
Li Qingping and Concubine Ke were crying in Kunning Palace, and the Crown Prince and others who had just rushed in were also crying. Emperor Yongping subconsciously took a step to take a look, but stopped as soon as he took a step - he was afraid of seeing the lifeless bones, and even more afraid of facing the regret of "37 years of marriage".
Three days later, the draft of the empress's funeral rites was presented to the emperor. Emperor Yongping stared at the words "Posthumous title: Empress Xiaoshu," his fingertips repeatedly stroking the edge of the rice paper. Suddenly, he said, "Add the characters 'Renque' and call her Empress Xiaoshu Renque."
To restrain oneself and return to propriety is benevolence, to be cautious is sincerity. This is what Queen Li's life was all about.
"I promised the Queen that the three generations of the Li family will be safe, the Crown Prince will be safe... and you and Concubine Ke will be safe too."
That night, Emperor Yongping summoned Li Qingping and said softly, "Since I have agreed, I will not go back on my word. But there are conditions. Do you agree?"
Li Qingping's eyes were swollen from crying, but she was just forcing herself to hold on, smiling bitterly as she said, "Your Majesty has already made up his mind, so why bother to ask me about this? Your Majesty, just issue your decree."
Emperor Yongping looked at her quietly, feeling deeply powerless.
Soon, imperial edicts were issued one after another from the Qianqing Palace.
The first decree promoted Consort Ding of Yonghe Palace to Imperial Noble Consort, Consort Wan of Zhongcui Palace to Imperial Noble Consort Wan, and Consort Zhuang of Qixiang Palace to Imperial Noble Consort Zhuang. Imperial Noble Consorts were to reside in Yonghe Palace, remaining in seclusion and not allowed to leave without imperial decree; Consort Ke of Chengqian Palace enjoyed the same benefits as Noble Consorts and was granted special permission to live in the Imperial Manor. Consort Rong and Consort Wan, both in the palace, would jointly oversee the affairs of the six palaces, assisted by Consort Jia, Consort An, and Consort Zhuang.
The second decree ordered the Crown Prince He Xuan to serve as regent, with daily memorials to be approved jointly by the Crown Prince and the Cabinet. The third son, Prince Dun He Xian, was to guard Longyuan with his family; the fifth son, Prince Hua He Xuan, was to relocate his family to Yuzhou.
The third rule is that no relatives of the Li family within three generations are allowed to enter officialdom, and they will never be punished unless they commit serious crimes such as treason, in order to fulfill the queen's will.
Fourth, from now on, there will never be another empress in the Yongping Emperor's palace, to comfort the spirit of Empress Xiaoshu Renxie.
When the four imperial edicts were issued, the entire court was in an uproar.
The harem was also in turmoil. Emperor Yongping would not have another empress, leaving Li Qingping as the sole and most respected Imperial Noble Consort, though confined to seclusion within the palace. Power over the six harems was dispersed among the two Imperial Noble Consorts and three Imperial Consorts, while Consort Ke was banished to the imperial estate, completely excluded from power.
The previous dynasty felt that the emperor's heart was unfathomable. He made the Crown Prince regent, a gesture of respect for him, but then he sent the two princes closest to him out of the capital.
What does this mean?
You say that the Li family's in-laws were suppressed, but if the queen was not reinstated, the Li family would be the only queen's family in this dynasty, and their status would still be transcendent.
Alas, the emperor’s heart is unfathomable, unfathomable!
Only Li Qingping knew that Empress Renque used her last breath to strive for the best outcome for the Li family, the Crown Prince, her and Concubine Ke.
But Concubine Ke went to the imperial farm and He Xuan left the capital, so it is unknown when they will meet again.
——
The door of Yonghe Palace was locked on the day Empress Xiaoshu Renxie entered the underground palace.
When the copper lock was closed, there was a crisp sound, as if someone had locked up the past thirty-seven years of palace history inside.
Li Qingping stood in the courtyard and looked up at the sky above the palace wall. It was so blue and so vast.
The palace walls are so high that they trapped so many people.
Recently, Concubine Rong and Concubine Wan have been at loggerheads. Entering the palace at the same time, one with a powerful family background, the other with a prince by her side, they now both hold the title of Concubine, each vying to be the most powerful in the harem.
That day, the concubines came to pay their respects to Li Qingping, but Rong and Wan completely ignored the fact that there was an imperial concubine sitting above them.
Of the three concubines, Jiafei and Anfei relied on their seniority to remain insulated. When the two imperial concubines argued fiercely, they would twirl their Buddhist beads and say, "It's better to be calm and composed, as anger is harmful to the body." Zhuangfei remained as dignified and composed as ever, but the look she gave Li Qingping was filled with unspeakable sorrow. Below them, Jingpin, Qipin, Lepin, and Xupin, who had only been conferred the previous year, were all in a state of anxiety.
In this deep palace, some people want power, some pray to gods and Buddhas, some are crazy and mad, and some are sober and cautious.
Li Qingping watched the farce below with cold eyes and just lived quietly.
How long can I live to leave?
Live until the crown prince ascends the throne.
Just wait for the prince to ascend the throne.
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