Chapter 1113: Grand Finale: Return of an Old Friend (21)
Emperor Yongle was silent for a long, long time, so long that one could almost hear the frogs croaking in the pond and the cicadas chirping in the willow trees. He said, "You also have a choice. Qingzhen..."
"I had no choice from the beginning." Empress Xian De interrupted him, "My heart is entirely devoted to Your Majesty. How could I have the mind to make any other choice?"
Emperor Yongle was stunned, and Empress Xian De had already raised her wine bowl and drank the second bowl of wine.
"Your Majesty, do you see me differently?" Empress Xian De looked at him. "Do you also feel that this choice I made in this life is something I must make?"
"Yes." Emperor Yongle paused before saying, "You are very good. You are the best queen in Daliang. No one can do better than you. My mother loved you very much, and I also like you very much. You are intelligent, decent, generous and steady. You have managed the entire harem very well. I made the right choice in choosing you."
Empress Xian De laughed, almost crying. "So it is," she said. "The choice the Emperor must make is 'Empress Xian De,' not 'Qing Zhen.' I understand." She looked at the moon, a glint in the corner of her eye. Then, turning back, she was her usual gentle and composed self. "I've considered what the Emperor told me before," she said. "I think what he said is right. After all, it's my life, and I have to live it."
Emperor Yongle stared at her, feeling a lump in his throat. After a moment, he reluctantly asked, "Did they... find it?"
"Not yet." Empress Xian De smiled slightly, "But there's no need to rush these things. When the day comes, we'll just let nature take its course."
Emperor Yongle seemed speechless.
Empress Xian De picked up the wine bowl and said, "This bowl of snow wine is offered to His Majesty. We have been husband and wife for so many years. It must be the fate cultivated in previous lives, whether it is good or bad. However, although my life over the years has not been particularly good, it is definitely not bad. Thank you, Your Majesty."
Emperor Yongle also raised his wine bowl. A closer look revealed that his fingers, holding his wrist, were trembling slightly, as if he were unsteady. However, he concealed it perfectly, immediately covering it with his sleeve and downing the entire bowl.
After drinking a large bowl of it in one breath, it no longer tasted sweet and mellow. Instead, he felt a burning sensation from his throat to his internal organs, and the heartburn pain made him feel as bitter as life itself.
He saw Empress Xian De stand up and said to him with a smile: "In fact, this jar of wine looks like a lot, but it was empty after the emperor and I drank a few bowls. It's a waste of such a beautiful night, but it doesn't matter, there is a long time to come. I am very happy to drink with the emperor today, so I will go outside for a walk first. The emperor should also take a rest. It's getting late and the dew is heavy. Be careful not to catch a cold." She left leisurely.
Her departure was brisk, and thinking back on the words she had just spoken, it was clearly a farewell. Now the farewell words were over, the farewell wine was gone, and all that remained was, just like now, leaving his world step by step, and never returning.
Emperor Yongle turned his head to look at Empress Xian De's leaving figure.
Her back disappeared in the corridor without even turning her head back, and each step was particularly firm.
His heart suddenly ached, an indescribable pain slowly spreading from his heart to his limbs. His heart was beating so fast that it was almost twitching. He could hardly breathe and could not speak a complete sentence.
He suddenly fell off his seat!
Eunuch Deng, who was waiting nearby, was startled by the scene and rushed over. He helped Emperor Yongle up, but was shocked to see that he was terribly pale and his lips were trembling. He immediately called for the imperial physician and ordered the guards to send Emperor Yongle back to the Yangxin Palace.
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