sorrow
In a blink of an eye, it was the twelfth year of Yongping.
Since the beginning of this year, the Empress Dowager has started to become drowsy, and sometimes she can even sleep for a whole day.
Everyone knows that the time has come for this Empress Dowager, who has served four dynasties.
From being the Crown Princess in the Eastern Palace during the reign of King Sejong, to being the Empress who ruled the country during the reign of King Gojong, to becoming the Empress Dowager during the reign of King Munjong, and now to her current high position as the ancestor, the Grand Empress Dowager has received honors that many women dare not even dream of.
As the Empress Dowager's legitimate grandson's wife, Empress Li would go to the Cining Palace to take care of her husband whenever she had free time.
However, considering that the Empress Dowager was rarely lucid, she was only sitting in the Cining Palace while she was ill. But the Cining Palace was not as good as the Kunning Palace after all, and Empress Li was always on edge, afraid of being caught in any mistake.
In fact, Queen Li was almost fifty years old, and she had lost some energy when she gave birth to her youngest son. She felt exhausted after just half a month.
The Empress Dowager has not been in good health in recent years and has been ill on and off. Empress Li has to take care of the ancestors in the main hall, and the concubines in the harem have to take turns to serve the sick Empress Dowager in the side hall.
As a noble concubine, Li Qingping had to set a good example for the concubines below, so she went to the side hall to serve the sick the most times.
Li Qingping was also attending to the sick that day. After the empress dowager fell asleep, Li Qingping thought for a moment and turned to the main hall, kowtowed, and waited for a while before he saw Empress Li coming out.
Seeing that Queen Li looked listless, Li Qingping frowned.
"Is everything settled with the Empress Dowager?"
Empress Li asked this question as soon as she came out. After Li Qingping replied that everything was fine, she said, "Your Majesty, why don't you take a break for a while? I'll take care of you for a few days. You see, you've lost a lot of weight."
"The Empress Dowager also relies on you. I'm fine, so you don't have to run back and forth." Queen Li shook her head and followed Li Qingping out of the Cining Palace.
There was a sedan chair waiting outside. After getting in, Queen Li relaxed a little and leaned back.
"The imperial physician took our pulse today and said that our ancestor might not survive this autumn." Looking at the vermilion palace walls, Queen Li suddenly sighed. Li Qingping listened, staring blankly at the road ahead.
The sedan chair was carried steadily, but Empress Li and Li Qingping were not feeling stable.
Empress Li leaned back on the cushions, rubbing her forehead with her hand. She spoke in a low, hoarse voice, "Every time I close my eyes lately, I see my ancestor lying there, barely breathing... I also dreamed that the late emperor rebuked me and the emperor in front of all the ancestors of the Great Qi, saying they were unworthy of our positions."
After all, they knew very well how the throne came about.
Li Qingping twirled the jade ring on his knees and said softly, "Your Highness is too tired, that's why she has a nightmare. Dreams are always the opposite of what they used to be."
Today, the country is at peace, and Emperor Yongping has governed the country well to the best of his ability.
"Neither the Emperor nor I have a normal relationship with the late Emperor." Empress Li closed her eyes and sighed, "No new princes or princesses have been born in the palace in recent years. As the head of the Central Palace, I cannot shirk my responsibility. Furthermore, I'm exhausted from looking after the Cining Palace. Perhaps that's why I dreamed of the late Emperor."
"But at least there are so many grown children and grandchildren now. Even in dreams, the late emperor is still as picky as before."
Queen Li forced herself to smile sarcastically, but there was a subtle sadness in her eyes.
The twelfth year of Yongping was destined to be a year filled with sadness.
Before the news of the Empress Dowager's death could be heard from the Cining Palace, the death knell was sounded first in the Yongshou Palace.
In Yonghe Palace, Li Qingping listened blankly to the funeral bell and looked at the figures inside through the bronze mirror. She found that both she and they had aged a lot over the years.
Li Qingping thought back to the past few years. Although some concubines of lower rank had become pregnant, none had successfully given birth. She didn't know the reason. Was it human error or fate? Who knew? Anyway, the palace had been full of low-ranking concubines, and some had long been forgotten. Even she was like this, let alone Emperor Yongping, who didn't care at all.
Perhaps the only thing that caused some disturbance to Emperor Yongping was that Concubine Yi's seventh princess passed away at the end of the tenth year of Yongping.
The seventh princess, Yujun, was the first child born to Emperor Yongping after he ascended the throne, and her youngest daughter. She was beautiful and charming, and the emperor was somewhat doting on her. However, at the age of ten, just a few years before she was old enough to marry, she died of a sudden high fever. The process of her death was quite difficult; she suffered from a fever for over two weeks and became emaciated.
The death of the Seventh Princess was an indelible blow to Concubine Yi, especially the days when she had a high fever, which felt like a knife stabbing her heart every day.
Concubine Yi's eldest son, Prince Gong, had been predicted by the imperial physician to die before his thirties due to the Southern Tour Incident. Despite struggling to survive, Prince Gong passed away at the beginning of the tenth year of the Yonghe reign. Concubine Yi was heartbroken by the loss of her eldest son, and she became even more concerned about her two remaining children. Unexpectedly, the Seventh Princess passed away in her arms.
The tragic loss of a pair of children within a year almost broke Concubine Yi's spirit. Even the comfort from the Sixth Prince and Xuan was of no use. She simply locked herself in Yongshou Palace and chanted Buddhist scriptures all day long. Even this year, when the Sixth Prince was conferred the title of Prince Xin, she did not seem to cheer up.
If one's spirit is gone, one's life will end soon. But Concubine Yi managed to hold on for two years after the successive deaths of her two children, presumably because she was worried about her last child. Now that the Sixth Prince has been granted the title of Prince of a County and married under the pretext of bringing happiness to the Grand Empress Dowager, Concubine Yi's final wish has been fulfilled, and the anger she had been holding back has finally dissipated.
Many people sighed over the death of Concubine Yi of Yongshou Palace.
When Wan Shi was in the Qiandi Palace, she enjoyed such glory. She had given birth to the eldest son and came from an aristocratic family. This glory continued for several years in the palace, until she was granted the title of the first imperial concubine of Emperor Yongping. Until the incident in the eighth year of Yongping, Yongshou Palace fell from its heyday.
Another old person who accompanied Emperor Yongping from his residence to the supreme position has passed away.
However, compared to the previous Concubine Jin, Emperor Yongping still remembered the kindness of Concubine Yi. After all, Emperor Yongping did favor Concubine Yi, and Concubine Yi gave birth to four children for him, although now only one, Prince Xin, is left.
Emperor Yongping listened to the news of the death reported by his subordinates, sighed deeply, and ordered: "Confer posthumously the title of Imperial Noble Consort Minyi on Consort Wan, and bury her with the rites of an Imperial Noble Consort."
Honored in life and mourned in death, the posthumous title of Imperial Noble Consort Minyi was Wan's last glory.
Not long after Imperial Noble Consort Minyi was buried, the first snow fell in the capital. The first snow in late autumn made people feel infinitely desolate.
The Empress Dowager felt more energetic that day and summoned many people.
The Empress Dowager, the old princes of the royal family, some of her surviving family members, and finally Emperor Yongping, Empress Li and Li Qingping.
"Don't cry. I have lived to this age and have been almost free from illness and pain. This is a happy funeral." The Empress Dowager smiled lovingly and touched Emperor Yongping's cheek with her wrinkled hand.
Emperor Yongping burst into tears.
The Empress Dowager raised him when he was young, so naturally the relationship between the two was different.
"Yunchun, you were so young back then, but now your hair is a little gray. Seeing you have so many children and grandchildren, I have no regrets." The Grand Empress Dowager suddenly sighed, "You don't look much like your father and mother. Instead, you resemble Emperor Gaozong. Speaking of which, I can hardly remember what Emperor Gaozong looked like. He passed away too soon. Go and get his portrait so I can see it."
Emperor Yongping responded with tears and gasps.
Knowing that the Grand Empress Dowager was deliberately sending Emperor Yongping away, Empress Li and Li Qingping were extremely nervous. Li Qingping was especially nervous. She was only a noble concubine, and strictly speaking, not the Grand Empress Dowager's closest person. She was able to see the Grand Empress Dowager in the Cining Palace at this time.
The Grand Empress Dowager beckoned them both to come to the bedside. After a long glance, she smiled and said, "When the late emperor arranged the marriage, I knew the girls of the Li family were good. I never expected there would be three such good girls, and two of the best."
"Ancestor——"
"The Li family now has one queen, one imperial concubine, and one concubine in the palace. They are a thorn in the eyes and ears of many people."
The Empress Dowager raised her hand slightly to stop the two from making excuses.
"I'm not blaming you." Her voice was hoarse, yet filled with undeniable calmness. "I'm just reminding you—the Li family has reached its peak of glory. One more step forward will put us on the brink of collapse."
She turned her gaze to Empress Li, as if she saw through her an old friend from many years ago. "When your mother came to the palace to express her gratitude, I told her that everything that rises must fall. This is a lesson the Li family must remember. Now that you three sisters are like this in the palace... it's good, but it's also not good."
Queen Li's lips trembled slightly: "Grandson's wife understands."
"I know you have a chance of success, but too much wisdom will lead to harm. It is not a good thing for you to foresee your own end too early and pave the way for it too early." The Empress Dowager sighed.
Li Qingping suddenly shuddered and subconsciously grabbed Empress Li's arm. Empress Li didn't look at her, but only looked at the Grand Empress Dowager and smiled, "But there's no better way. The Li family isn't lacking in favor right now, but what they lack is wiggle room."
The Empress Dowager asked her, "What will you do if Yun Chun regrets it?"
"That means my granddaughter-in-law has made countless calculations, but she just can't understand the emperor's heart." Queen Li smiled bitterly, "But if we really want to save the Li family, sacrificing one person is enough."
Li Qingping seemed to understand, but also seemed not to understand what they were saying. He just stood there as a background board.
The Empress Dowager closed her eyes wearily, her voice so soft it sounded like a sigh: "Go. Let the Emperor come back."
Empress Li knelt stiffly, her fingertips cold. Li Qingping helped her up, and when they reached the palace gate, the Empress Dowager's vague voice came from behind:
"This year's snow fell so early and so heavily."
The next day at the beginning of the morning, the bell in the Cining Palace rang nine times.
The Empress Dowager died in her sleep at the age of ninety-one, making her the oldest person in the royal family of Da Qi.
The Emperor and Empress suspended court for three days and mourned in plain clothes; all members of the imperial family and officials wore mourning clothes. Her coffin was placed in Cihe Hall, and she was posthumously named "Grand Empress Dowager Xiaogongduanwencihui".
After the funeral, the emperor personally carried the coffin to Fengxian Hall, nearly fainting from grief. Empress Li, having spent days tending to the patient, fainted several times from weeping and was sent back to Kunning Palace for recuperation. After examining her pulse, several imperial physicians solemnly shook their heads, declaring that the empress should not continue to work too hard.
The Queen fell ill and the Empress Dowager was unable to show up, so all funeral ceremonies had to be presided over by Consort Ding Li Qingping.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
