When Xi came into this world, he knew that his A-Tong would not live to be a hundred years old.
Even if a broken, remnant soul unknowingly enters the cycle of reincarnation, it cannot withstand the pressure of a hundred years of calamities in the human world, suffers endless hardships, and dies young.
But how could he stand by and watch her be tormented by the cycle of reincarnation?
He always thought that he must take good care of her, so that she would never suffer again in the rest of her life, and he would carefully nurture her, perhaps...
I hope to see her smile for a few more years.
In the seventh year of Yong'an, just after the Empress's twenty-third birthday banquet, Tongsu caught a cold.
At first, it was just some minor ailments, but for some reason, the medicine didn't help, and it even got worse.
Within a few days, they were so sick they couldn't get out of bed.
"Hurry up and take His Majesty's pulse! If anything happens to His Majesty, none of you will live!"
Xi's heart was filled with endless panic and disbelief.
He even lost his temper with the imperial physicians. He stayed by Tongsu's bedside day and night, and in addition to ordinary medicines, he also had countless rare and precious herbs found and refined elixirs and medicines in the next room using divine methods.
But it was of no use.
When Tongsu barely regained consciousness from her deep sleep, she vaguely heard the joyful cry of the palace maid Qinghe: "General, His Majesty is awake! His Majesty is awake!"
Xi was venting her anger on the imperial physician when she heard the commotion. She rushed over, threw herself at her bedside, and took her hand.
I dared not use too much force with my fingers, but they still trembled uncontrollably.
Tong Su forced her eyes open and saw that he had his lips tightly pursed, dark circles under his eyes, and even stubble that had not been cleaned off. His expression was one of rare despair and haggardness.
"Don't cause trouble for the medical staff," she chuckled softly. "The imperial physicians are all very dedicated. I guess my time is almost up. How can human effort save me?"
When the Empress was eighteen, she married Xi Chenzhou, the former Marquis of Zhenbei and Grand Marshal of the Army. Xi Chenzhou was then made the Empress's consort.
Since the title of "Imperial Consort" was unprecedented, and there was no such etiquette in the Book of Rites, all the regulations were without precedent, which almost caused the officials of the Ministry of Rites to turn their hair white with worry.
Tong Su and Xi Chenzhou didn't mind at all. Rather than the lonely and isolated imperial family, their relationship was more like that of an ordinary couple, full of love and harmony.
The palace servants and court officials pondered the matter and realized that His Majesty always addressed Xi Chenzhou as General, and Xi Chenzhou still attended court as a subject and commanded troops, without becoming a "virtuous wife who only manages the harem" simply because he had "entered the palace".
They continued to address him vaguely as General or Marquis.
Tong Su had only said a few words when she felt a sharp pain and itching in her trachea. She turned her head, covered her mouth with a handkerchief, and coughed violently.
Her body is getting weaker and weaker. Even a cough feels like she's coughing up her lungs, and it even brings out the saline solution that makes her eyes water. When she puts down the handkerchief, her eyes narrow and she clutches it as if she wants to hide.
—They failed to hide.
The handkerchief was snatched away by Xi Chenzhou.
He unfolded it slightly and saw the glaring red specks inside. His heart ached, and he silently and quickly threw it into the spittoon and brought over the medicine.
"Drink your medicine quickly."
He tried his best to maintain a calm and composed demeanor, restraining the violent, destructive grief within him. He moved with utmost gentleness, supporting her tenderly, and desperately swallowing the desolation and bitterness in his heart.
...She had started coughing up blood.
"Once you've recovered from your cold, I'll take Your Majesty to the Shanglin Garden for a horseback ride. From the south, they've presented us a black and white bear with a憨厚 (honest and simple) appearance that only eats bamboo. Didn't Your Majesty see it in a book before? It had a litter of cubs. Wouldn't Your Majesty like to hold one?"
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