On the eve of Emperor Rongsheng's burial in the imperial mausoleum, a solemn and heavy atmosphere permeated the entire palace.
At this critical moment, Granny Qiu rushed over in a panic, her steps hurried and disordered, as if she had brought terrible news.
"Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened! Something has occurred at Jingxian Palace!" Granny Qiu said breathlessly, her voice filled with anxiety and fear.
Jiang Chuwei was startled and quickly asked, "What happened? Tell me quickly!"
Granny Qiu took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and then said, "News just came from Jingxian Palace that Consort Jing has actually... has actually hanged herself!"
Upon hearing this astonishing news, Jiang Chuwei's eyes widened in shock. She never expected such a thing to happen, and for a moment she was in a daze.
Her first thought was, how could Consort Jing love the late Emperor so much? To the point of committing suicide for love.
Granny Qiu's face turned extremely grim. She continued worriedly, "The Dowager Consort's suicide is a heinous act! And if word gets out, it won't do Your Majesty any good. Those who don't know the truth might even think that Your Majesty has mistreated them!"
Jiang Chuwei knew this was no small matter, so she immediately said, "Let's go! Let's go and take a look!" After saying that, she led her entourage and hurriedly headed for Jingxian Palace.
Upon entering Jingxian Palace, everyone saw Consort Jing lying quietly on the bed, as peaceful as if she were asleep.
However, the pale face and closed eyes indicated that life had quietly slipped away.
Upon seeing the Empress arrive, a palace maid quickly presented her with a will.
Jiang Chuwei took the suicide note and glanced at it briefly.
The message in the suicide note expressed nothing more than that Consort Jing was willing to follow the late emperor in death, as a sign of her loyalty.
Jiang Chuwei sighed softly and murmured to herself, "What a devoted woman, but I wonder if such deep affection is worth it..."
Overwhelmed with emotion, she realized that this matter must be reported to the Emperor as soon as possible.
After all, Consort Jing was of noble status, and the Emperor had to decide how to handle her funeral.
Before long, the Emperor arrived upon hearing the news. He came to the bedside of Consort Jing, gazed at her silently for a moment, and his face did not show much sadness or surprise.
The Emperor did not seem to think there was anything wrong with Consort Jing's choice.
During the Daqing Dynasty, there was never a traditional custom of concubines being buried alive with the emperor.
However, if a concubine willingly followed the late emperor in death, people would not be surprised or blaming her.
All I can say is that she is deeply devoted to her love.
After all, personal emotions and decisions are often difficult to measure using common sense.
Consort Jing made the resolute decision to follow the late emperor in death, which surprised everyone.
But since she has made up her mind, others can only respect her wishes.
Therefore, Lin Muheng said, "Tomorrow, she will be buried in the imperial mausoleum along with the late emperor."
Jiang Chuwei stood quietly by the bed, her gaze fixed on the lifeless Consort Jing lying on the bed for a long time, and a sense of sorrow welled up in her heart.
Is life really so insignificant? Besides, even if she were to go with the late emperor, she wouldn't be the one buried with him.
For the sake of a man, especially the emperor who had never treated her well for more than a decade, Consort Jing was able to make such a resolute decision to give up her life.
Wouldn't it be better to live a good life? Besides, the late emperor specifically entrusted the Ninth Prince to her care before his death.
Thinking of this, Jiang Chuwei couldn't help but shake her head slightly and sighed inwardly, "It seems that the late emperor entrusted the wrong person this time!"
Just then, the Ninth Prince, with his short legs, spotted Consort Jing lying motionless on the couch.
He rushed to the bedside and cried out, "Mother!" But no matter how he called out, Consort Jing did not respond.
Seeing that his mother ignored his cries, the Ninth Prince burst into tears, his sobs growing more heart-wrenching: "Mother! Why won't you listen to me, Mother?"
Jiang Chuwei saw the little figure crying so heartbrokenly, which was very distressing.
This child has had a truly tragic fate. First, he lost his biological mother. He had finally managed to develop a close relationship with Consort Jing, whom he had just begun to grow fond of. Now, however, he has suffered this misfortune and has been cruelly abandoned by Consort Jing.
So, what will become of this child? Who can provide him with warmth and love, and accompany him as he grows up healthily?
Jiang Chuwei felt a headache coming on.
At this moment, after hurriedly arranging Consort Jing's burial, Lin Muheng left again in a hurry.
As the ruler of a country, he had mountains of political affairs to deal with every day, leaving him no time to attend to anything else.
Not only that, but at night, he also had to personally go to keep vigil for the late emperor.
After all, national affairs come first, and she knew this principle well.
Then, Jiang Chuwei turned her gaze to the Ninth Prince standing to the side. The child was still young and looked extremely pitiful and helpless.
She frowned and pondered to herself: We can't just leave him to those eunuchs to take care of, can we?
You should know that the palace is full of opportunistic, sycophantic lackeys.
What if they don't take good care of the Ninth Prince and something goes wrong?
After all, he was the emperor's own brother.
Thinking of this, Jiang Chuwei ordered, "Quickly take the Ninth Prince to Fengning Palace!"
Upon hearing this order, the eunuchs and palace maids responsible for looking after the Ninth Prince were initially taken aback, but then their faces lit up with joy, and they could not contain their excitement.
After all, everyone knows very well that Fengning Palace is the residence of the current Empress.
The fact that the Ninth Prince can now reside here means that he will grow up healthily under the Empress's guidance.
In this way, the Ninth Prince's situation will definitely improve a lot, and the lives of those of us who are servants will naturally be much better as well.
However, at this very moment, the Ninth Prince, still an infant, was already crying his heart out.
The little one was crying loudly while calling out "Mother" incoherently.
Unfortunately, no matter how much he cried out, Consort Jing, who was lying quietly on the couch, remained unresponsive, as if she had fallen into a deep sleep.
Before long, the palace servants, following Jiang Chuwei's orders, carefully carried the crying Ninth Prince away from the place.
With the departure of the Ninth Prince, the once bustling Jingxian Palace instantly became much quieter. Only a few sobs could be heard occasionally.
Immediately afterwards, the eunuchs and palace maids busied themselves in an orderly manner, beginning to arrange the affairs after Consort Jing's passing.
Jiang Chuwei stood quietly in place, took one last deep look at the scene before her, and then softly instructed the palace maids and eunuchs beside her: "You must do your best to handle this matter and make sure there are no mistakes."
After giving her instructions, Jiang Chuwei slowly turned around and walked away with heavy steps. But as she left, she couldn't help but think to herself, "Consort Jing! For a heartless man, you're willing to sacrifice your life. Is it really worth it...?"
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