When Yinreng heard Hongxi's thoughts, he was startled. When he looked at the old man on the bed, he felt his heart clench.
Admittedly, the Emperor loved him the most, but if we were to say who could unconditionally trust him from beginning to end, it would only be Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang.
Yinreng sat by the bed, holding the old man's withered hand, and tears involuntarily fell from his eyes.
“Grandma Ukuma, it’s me, Baocheng.” Yinreng choked up.
Seeing him like this, Su Ma La Gu and the others who were serving him couldn't help but burst into tears.
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang barely opened her eyes and saw that it was her most beloved child. She managed a weak smile, her voice hoarse.
"Baocheng, don't cry."
Upon hearing this, Yinreng cried even harder, throwing himself onto Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang and sobbing uncontrollably.
"Grandma Ukuma, you must hold on, you must hold on!" Yinreng had a thousand words to say, but he couldn't utter a single one.
Before long, Kangxi rushed over. Seeing Yinreng in this state, he rushed to the bedside. Seeing that Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang could still open her eyes, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Grandma, why did you suddenly fall ill?"
Kangxi took Yinreng's place and sat by the bed. He carefully examined the familiar old man. He was fine when they met just a few days ago, so why did he suddenly become unwell?
Su Mala Gu, who was standing to the side, wiped away her tears and explained, "Doctor Hu said that the Empress Dowager is old and the temperature has been unstable since the beginning of summer, so she caught a cold."
Yinreng looked at the calm Physician Hu standing not far away. This was Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's personal physician. Although he was also called a physician, he did not work in the Imperial Hospital and was not subject to the orders of anyone except the Empress Dowager.
"Doctor Hu, is there any way to cure Ukuma's illness?"
Physician Hu shook his head, looked at the tender scene by the bedside, and advised, "The Empress Dowager has no other serious illnesses, she is just old."
He paused, then added, "The Empress Dowager is suffering by stubbornly enduring this."
Yinreng understood the meaning, but looking at his elderly relative lying on the bed, he couldn't help but feel a little sad.
After Kangxi got up from the bed, Yinreng stepped forward and said, "Father, Baocheng wants to stay and keep the old ancestor company."
Hongxi also stepped forward and said, "Grandson also wants to stay and keep Grandmother company."
When Emperor Kangxi first heard that Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang was seriously ill, his first reaction was to cancel the Mulan Hunting Ground. However, this news had already been released, and the hunt was not only for cooling off but also for negotiations with the Mongols, so it could not be changed easily.
Seeing that Yinreng had taken the initiative to stay, Kangxi felt very comforted.
“Alright, then Bao Cheng and Hong Xi will stay here to oversee the country and take care of the Ancestor.”
Just then, Guarjia and Wenxi, who had just entered the palace, also expressed their desire to stay. Kangxi was very pleased to see how sensible the family was.
So, after Kangxi left the palace with everyone, Yinreng and his family moved into Cining Palace.
Hongxi and Wenxi took turns staying by Xiaozhuang's bedside, feeding the old lady medicine, telling her stories, and talking about the funny things that happened between their friends. They had so much to talk about.
Yinreng focused on handling political affairs, but he would still set aside an hour each day to spend with his ancestor reminiscing about his childhood.
Guarjia took charge of the overall situation, which Sumalagu witnessed with gratitude and appreciation.
On several sunny days, Empress Xiaozhuang looked out the window and saw the flowers and birds frolicking outside. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, and she insisted that Sumalagu change her clothes.
Finally, having no other choice, they had to change her into the clothes she wore when she was a princess on the grasslands, and Guarjia and Sumalagu helped her sit in the courtyard to admire the flowers.
When Yinreng arrived, he saw the old matriarch smiling broadly as she looked at the flowers and plants in front of her. The look in her eyes was not like that of an old woman, but rather like that of a young girl who had just entered the palace.
Yinreng felt a pang of pain in his heart and hurriedly summoned the palace painters to quickly paint a picture to capture this scene as a memento for his father.
That night, Empress Xiaozhuang fell asleep happily after taking the medicine.
He never woke up again.
The next day, Yinreng quickly wrote to Kangxi and told his eldest son about the matter, instructing him to bring his brothers back immediately.
Since the emperor has not yet returned to the capital, Yinreng, fearing complications, has neither announced it nor sounded the death knell.
However, the palace has been closed to all.
Guarjia arranged for the Imperial Household Department to handle all matters related to the funeral. By the time Kangxi returned to the palace with his entourage, everything was ready.
It was only at this moment that the death knell tolled in the palace.
However, Yinreng had been staying by the coffin and crying ever since Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang passed away, and no one could persuade him to stop. He even cried himself unconscious the day before Kangxi returned.
When Emperor Kangxi did not see the Crown Prince at the mourning hall, he learned of the matter after asking around, and his heart was filled with mixed emotions.
“Hongxi, if I had known things were this serious, I wouldn’t have gone hunting.”
Hongyu pulled Hongxi aside to whisper something, but Hongxi comforted him, saying, "The reason I didn't tell you the details was because I wanted you to take this opportunity to get away and relax. It's just a pity that we're at the wrong time; your brother can't accompany you on horseback riding and archery."
Hongyu knew that the other party was referring to Lin Yin, and now he felt ashamed and embarrassed.
"I don't know what got into my brother at the time, he just liked her so much. Even though he knew something was wrong, he still wanted to go into the rockery to save her. But after calming down for a while, he realized he was being foolish."
He looked at Hongxi and said, "I never thought that my younger brother would have to worry about his older brother's affairs. I'm ashamed."
Hongxi sensed something was wrong. "Wait a minute, you just said that you felt like you were under a spell when you saw Lin Yin that day, and you still wanted to go to her even though you knew something was wrong?"
Hongyu nodded, puzzled. "Yeah. Thinking about it later, I guess that's what liking someone is."
"But a few days have passed, and you've already let it go. Isn't it too hasty of you to like someone like that?"
Hongyu felt embarrassed by what was said, but he himself also found it strange.
"There might be something else going on in this matter. Let's find a way to investigate after the ancestor's funeral is completely over."
Hongyu wanted to ask more questions, but seeing that the members of the imperial clan were taking turns offering incense, the two brothers kept quiet.
Because of the kneeling ceremony, the sons of several princes from outside the palace also came.
Hongsheng from Yinzhi's family, Hongshi and Hongli from Yinzhen's family, and Hongsheng from Yinqi's family also came.
Hongxi glanced at the two-year-old Hongli and felt an overwhelming sense of affection for him.
Hongzhou was already one year old at this time, but because he was too young, children under two years old were not allowed to enter the palace to offer incense.
Hongli was just two years old, so he was carried into the palace.
After the younger brothers finished offering incense, they were placed in the warm pavilion of the side hall. This was mainly because they were too young. Firstly, they were afraid that kneeling would cause them health problems, and secondly, they were afraid that the children would not be able to control their various anxieties.
Hongxi then walked towards Hongli, pinched his little face, and found it very amusing to see his innocent and clueless appearance.
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