Chapter 259 Extra 2: What if Hongzhao died in front of Yinzhen? (3)
Many people came that afternoon. The Empress came and cried, Princess Jinghua came and cried again, and then Consort Jing and Consort Hua came. Everyone started wiping away tears as soon as they entered the door, but soon the Emperor ordered them to be sent back.
The Ministry of Rites had just decided to remove Hongzhao from the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and now his head had been separated from his position. Although others had temporarily taken his place, they had learned from the previous example and dared not offend the Emperor at this time.
The night was completely silent, and the Hall of Mental Cultivation was even more so. The palace servants who came and went wished they could hang their shoes on their heads as they walked, for fear of angering the emperor, whose emotions were already fluctuating. Only Yinzhen's lonely figure remained in the side hall.
Perhaps because it was so quiet, Yinzhen could hear the sound of his heartbeat as he sat there. He even bent down and leaned over to listen carefully to Hongzhao's chest.
There was no sound at all.
The sound of your own heartbeat is your own.
He frowned bitterly and lowered his eyes. A few drops of medicine leaked from the bowl he was holding, adding a few dark brown stains to the moon-white brocade quilt.
The medicine Zhou Qi brought had been reheated several times, but Hongzhao still couldn't swallow a single bite. At this moment, Yinzhen could no longer deceive himself into believing that Hongzhao was still alive.
He himself was still recovering from a serious illness, and his emotions had been fluctuating too much. After a day of this, even if he gritted his teeth and tried to hold on, he had no strength left. He could only sit with his upper body leaning against the bedpost, while Hongzhao's head rested in his arms.
The servant said he was afraid of Hongzhao, but now that he was holding his own child, he couldn't muster even the slightest other thought.
Now that he was alone, the afternoon's hustle and bustle had faded, allowing him to take a closer look at Hongzhao. This situation reminded him of a scene from the past.
Back then, Hongzhao was tricked into contracting the plague and his life hung by a thread. He was held in my arms like this, a tiny little person burning with fever, unlike now, when he is cold and stiff.
He was in his arms, holding his hand and saying that he wanted to be his son in the next life, and that his father must remember him and recognize him in the next life.
What was his reply?
He told Hongzhao not to talk nonsense, saying that the idea of an afterlife was very unlucky. In fact, there was another reason: he had never believed in the afterlife.
But now, as he stroked Hongzhao's slightly frizzy braid, the bitterness rising in his throat made him want to bite a piece of flesh off his own mouth.
With great effort, he opened his trembling lips and looked down at the child in his arms. Tears fell onto Hongzhao's cheeks, which he then gently wiped away with his hand.
"Father promises you, you must remember to come and see Father."
"You've got a good memory, you certainly won't forget. But your father is getting old, what if..."
Yinzhen acted as if he were having a conversation with Hongzhao. Although he didn't receive a response, he couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth as he spoke. He reached out and gently touched the end of Hongzhao's hair, where something cold was particularly noticeable.
It was the jade buckle that he put on himself. The two jade buckles, one above the other, hung at the end of Hongzhao's hair, reflecting a sparse light under the moonlight.
Yinzhen's hand lingered on it for a moment, then he lovingly stroked it twice before gently brushing aside the stray hairs and taking one of them off.
Even at this point, he was still afraid of hurting his Hongzhao.
The jade buckle was removed from one person's hair and transferred to another person's hair.
Yinzhen looked at the jade buckle that the father and son each had now received with satisfaction and couldn't help but nod—"This will serve as proof, so Father can find you wherever you go."
Despite being utterly exhausted and uncomfortable, Yinzhen's mind was constantly preoccupied with the person in his arms, leaving him no peace for even a moment. He forced himself to sit there until dawn.
Actually, he didn't feel that time was long. The days he spent with Hongzhao never seemed to pass quickly, and it was the same now. He just felt that it was too short, too short.
When Su Peisheng pushed open the door early the next morning, he saw the emperor, who had maintained the same posture all night.
It turns out that people really can age overnight. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but after not seeing the emperor for just one night, he felt that the emperor's whole demeanor had become somewhat aged and frail, and even his hair had turned gray and mottled.
"Your Majesty, shall we still hold the morning court session today?"
Yinzhen mechanically turned his head, and when he spoke, his voice was rough, like sandpaper being rubbed against the ground—"Dismiss the court."
Su Peisheng had expected this, so he wasn't surprised to hear the Emperor say it. He then added, "Your Majesty, Zhang Tingyu and E Min are requesting an audience outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation. They say they've come to discuss the matter of the Crown Prince."
Upon hearing the words "Crown Prince," Yinzhen reacted more strongly, taking a moment to process them. He then gently placed Hongzhao back on the bed from his arms, moving his stiff, numb, and cold legs and spine. As he moved, it felt as if an electric current was running through him, causing him to furrow his brow involuntarily.
"Tell them to go inside and wait," he said.
The sudden death of the crown prince was not only unbearable for the emperor and empress, but also for the ministers, who were deeply distressed by the tragic news.
After all, the Crown Prince was intelligent and accomplished, loved and valued by the Emperor, and trusted and respected by the ministers. He had grown into a mature and capable heir apparent, and everyone was full of expectations for the future, hoping that the Crown Prince could lead the Qing Dynasty to achieve something great.
You might not find many crown princes like this even if you search through history books. Even if Crown Prince Zhu Biao passed away, at least he left Emperor Taizu with a grandson, Emperor Huizong. But suddenly, the most perfect crown prince, nurtured with the full strength of the nation, is gone, unmarried and childless, leaving nothing behind.
If he had died of a serious illness like Zhu Biao, that would have been one thing, but he was murdered. Even without thinking, one can imagine how the Emperor must feel.
Yinzhen sat silently on the dragon throne; a night of quiet sitting was enough to make him appear calm on the surface.
Yinzhen sat silently on the dragon throne. A night of quiet sitting had made him appear much calmer on the surface. His sinister gaze was particularly frightening on his thin and aged face, making people afraid to meet his eyes.
He listened as the people below spoke one after another about "Crown Prince" and "condolences," each sentence concerning arrangements for Hongzhao's funeral. He listened silently without uttering a word.
"Your Majesty, I believe that the Duke of Pei is a veteran of two dynasties, and his daughter has committed such a serious crime in the palace, which should not be tolerated. However, the entire Duke of Pei's family is involved, and implicating nine generations of his family would be too much. I urge Your Majesty to consider the stability of the previous dynasty and reconsider."
After talking for a long time, everyone's mouths were dry, but the emperor was determined not to say a word, so they had no way to continue. But as soon as they stopped, a report came from behind and made everyone shut their mouths.
This statement is indeed true. A Han Chinese who can be granted the title of Duke must have had considerable connections and achievements. If his entire family were investigated, it would certainly implicate many of his relatives.
But even so, who would dare to actually say it? The Balin tribe during the Mulan Autumn Hunt is a clear example of what happened before. At least that time the Crown Prince wasn't seriously harmed, but now they've been wiped out.
Upon hearing these extremely grating words, Yinzhen unusually raised his eyes, his cold black eyes suddenly narrowing as he slowly relaxed his furrowed brows and adopted a more relaxed sitting posture.
"And you? Does anyone else have anything to say?"
His tone was calm, as if he were asking about a trivial, unrelated matter, but a dangerous undercurrent was already surging within it.
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