Shu Chengfeng took a deep breath: "If Grandpa is satisfied, then that's good. I... I have a bad temper too. In the end, there are things I've done wrong to you."
"Well, let's not talk about the past. I can no longer serve Your Majesty, I only pray that Your Majesty will be well."
Shu Chengfeng didn't leave that night; instead, he stayed at the Ye family's house.
This is a great honor.
The princes did not return until three days later.
By then, Duke Ye had already passed away.
By the time Yan Nangui and the others returned, Duke Ye was already preparing for his funeral.
The Empress Dowager was also heartbroken and fell ill.
At this time, the empress was unable to get up at all.
Yan Nangui was busy as soon as she returned to the palace, but fortunately, the Seventh Princess adapted to life in the carriage and returned full of energy.
Yan Nangui, on the other hand, has lost a lot of weight from exhaustion. If I had known it would end like this, I wouldn't have gone out.
The others who went out were in the same boat; they were all exhausted.
The key issue is that this trip was due to the Empress's matter first, and then the Duke of Ye's matter.
Apart from the Imperial Concubine, no one else had ever served the Emperor in bed...
Why bother?
First, we went to pay our respects to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager was ill and did not want to see anyone, nor did she need them to attend to her. It seemed that she was truly heartbroken.
Consort He and Yan Nangui walked together and said, "The Empress Dowager is truly heartbroken this time. Before his death, Duke Ye sent someone in to reprimand the Empress Dowager as her father. Then he passed away when His Majesty returned."
"Scolding?" Yan Nangui asked in surprise.
"Yes, it was a reprimand. I don't know the specifics, but I can guess it's because the Empress Dowager wanted too much," Consort He said sneer.
Yan Nangui nodded, indicating that he understood.
The group then headed towards the Empress.
The Empress managed to get up and meet everyone, but judging from her condition, it was clear that something was wrong.
In just a few months, people become as thin as dried-out skin.
Her face was sallow, her hair was dry and yellow, and it looked like she had lost a lot of hair.
After paying her respects and returning, Yan Nangui frowned: "Why does the Empress look like... she's been ill for a long time? Why has she lost so much hair?"
“It happened suddenly, just a few months ago. You saw me then, and I wasn’t like this,” Yuanhua said.
Yan Nangui frowned: "Judging from this, it really can't get better. The Imperial Household Department has done its best to prepare, so let's do whatever we can."
Although the Duke of Ye was His Majesty's maternal grandfather, he was still an outsider and the concubines did not need to do anything. However, if the Empress died, it would be a national mourning period.
I'll definitely be busy.
This July was unbearably hot, but everyone just kept busy and got through it.
After Duke Ye was sent away, Shu Chengfeng bestowed rewards and honors upon the Ye family as appropriate, elevating their status.
If nothing unexpected happens, this will be the last large-scale bestowal of titles and rewards upon the Ye family.
After all, no matter how capable someone becomes in the future, they will never surpass the achievements of Duke Ye.
As the palace prepared for the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Empress finally reached the end.
On the fourth day of the eighth month, His Majesty went to the morning court session early in the morning.
Then someone came to call Yan Nangui, saying that something bad had happened to the Empress.
In Fengxiang Palace, the Empress had not been able to eat anything for several days.
She looked at the crowd standing before her, but her vision was blurred. She wanted to speak, but couldn't.
She couldn't do anything she wanted to do; ever since she was locked up, she had been unable to do anything.
Those who serve me are no longer loyal.
Her mother was also killed by her family.
His Majesty no longer sets foot in Fengxiang Palace...
She just thought that if even one of those three children had been born, she wouldn't be in this situation.
No, there isn't.
I regret it. I regret marrying the emperor, I regret being born into the Ning family.
I really regret it.
The Empress thought this to herself and slowly closed her eyes.
They left without a sound.
The court had just adjourned, and Shu Chengfeng hadn't even left yet, when Eunuch Liu came running up crying, "Your Majesty, the Empress has passed away..."
The officials hurriedly knelt down.
The Ningguo Duke's family burst into tears instantly.
Shu Chengfeng sighed, "I will go see her now. Quickly help the Duke of Ningguo back. The Empress and I were husband and wife in our youth. If she were to pass away, I would be heartbroken. The Duke of Ningguo is old, please accept my deepest condolences."
In the inner palace, under the command of the Imperial Concubine and the Virtuous Concubine, white has been hung everywhere.
The princes have all changed into mourning clothes.
Whether they were genuinely heartbroken or feigning grief, everyone in the harem was in tears.
With the Empress gone, the entire palace was thrown into chaos.
Everyone had no choice but to work from dawn till dusk, after all, she was the Empress and could not be negligent in the slightest.
Even though His Majesty and the Empress had long been estranged, he still came to burn incense and paper money every morning and evening.
On the seventh day, it rained heavily.
The weather has also turned cold.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is just around the corner, but this year we'll have to skip it.
Just as Shu Chengfeng was about to offer incense to the Empress, one of the old women serving the Empress suddenly ran out and kowtowed in front of everyone: "Your Majesty! Her Majesty the Empress has been poisoned. She has been poisoned by mercury. This servant deserves to die. I followed the orders of the Ning family and now I regret it. Her Majesty the Empress died unjustly!"
After she finished speaking, she vomited blood, clearly indicating that she had taken poison.
Shu Chengfeng's face was as black as the bottom of a pot; everyone had already knelt down. This was utterly shocking. Even if the Empress had been poisoned, to reveal it in front of so many people, including members of the imperial family, was clearly a deliberate attempt to escalate the situation. Was the person behind this not after killing the Empress, but to force His Majesty to eliminate the Ning family?
Upon realizing this, Shu Chengfeng was naturally furious.
I've been so busy and tired lately.
He was also in a bad mood after the death of Duke Ye. Although he was heartless towards the Empress, her death was not a happy event.
Before I could even calm down, this incident suddenly happened.
This clearly hit the emperor where it hurts.
"Guards! Perform an autopsy! Drag this wicked servant out and grind his bones to dust for me! Seal off the Ning family residence immediately and give him a thorough interrogation!"
Everyone was shocked, especially Consort Ning and her son.
But they didn't dare to utter a single word in their defense.
"Seal off Fengxiang Palace for me! Investigate thoroughly by everyone!"
“Your Majesty, the Empress has already passed away. Where can we bestow titles now? No matter who did it, the Empress is the victim. Let’s take the person away for questioning elsewhere. The Empress’s funeral arrangements should still be carried out as usual,” Yan Nangui said.
Shu Chengfeng glared at her fiercely, but still nodded.
Yan Nangui thought, "If it weren't for my duties in the palace, would I even bother with you?"
"You two will be fully responsible for the Empress's affairs." Shu Chengfeng reached out and helped Yan Nangui to her feet.
This time, Yan Nangui glared at him.
Shu Chengfeng wasn't angry, but he also didn't laugh.
After a busy day, when they returned to the palace, Consort Ning and her son finally had time to talk.
"Mother, what's going on? How did the Ning family get involved?" The eldest prince was extremely flustered. The Ning family was his support; if the Ning family fell, he, the eldest prince, would be worthless.
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