Just four words were enough to startle Emperor Yongzheng so much that he almost fell off the platform.
Fortunately, Yinxiang was right beside him and quickly caught him, but the emperor almost lost his composure, which was clearly seen by everyone.
Hongli had already rushed forward, grabbed the little eunuch by the collar, and asked fiercely, "What nonsense are you spouting! The Imperial Concubine is perfectly fine!"
"Yes, yes, it's news from the garden. The Imperial Concubine's condition had been deteriorating, and she couldn't hold on any longer and passed away..." The little eunuch stammered as he finished speaking, trembling with fear, and he didn't seem to be lying at all.
Hongli swayed slightly, but fortunately Hongzhou was still conscious. He stepped forward to support his brother and asked the young eunuch, "Which imperial concubine has passed away?"
"It's the Imperial Concubine..."
"Which one! Which courtyard do you live in?"
"It's... the Imperial Concubine Ying Shui Lan Xiang..." The little eunuch was so frightened that he knelt down on the ground, but fortunately he still knew how to reply.
Upon hearing the words "Ying Shui Lan Xiang," everyone held their breath and then exhaled deeply.
Relieved, Hongzhou went up and kicked the little eunuch: "Get lost! What kind of talk are you spreading? Go slap yourself!"
Hongli's legs were so weak he could barely stand. He turned around, grabbed Yinzhen's arm without a second thought, and called out "Father Emperor," but tears were already streaming down his face.
Yinzhen grasped his shoulder, said nothing more, and ignored everything else, directly ordering: "Return to the capital immediately."
On the 14th day of the month, Yinzhen returned to the capital after a long journey. He had no time to deal with more matters and went to the Jiuzhou Qingyan in the Yuanmingyuan Garden first.
Hongli and Hongzhou naturally accompanied him, while Yinxiang and Yinlu went to prepare for the important event of the Winter Solstice Heaven Worship Ceremony. Fortunately, so far, things at Yuanmingyuan have been relatively calm, with neither bad news nor good news.
Countless matters awaited Yinzhen's attention, but he didn't even have time to change his clothes before heading straight to the Jiuzhou Qingyan Palace at the very back. Upon entering, he found the place completely calm, and a guess immediately formed in his mind.
First, she breathed a sigh of relief, then felt a pang of sadness—no one came to greet her with great enthusiasm, which meant that Qian Shengyan was still unconscious.
His eyes glistened with tears, and he paused for a moment before entering the inner hall. He ignored the greetings from Foerguchun and went straight to the bedside, looking at Qian Shengyan, who was still lying motionless on the bed as when he left.
"Why haven't you woken up yet..."
Yinzhen stood by the bedside for a quarter of an hour before he had to leave. The annual winter solstice ceremony to worship Heaven was a tradition that had been passed down since the time of Huang Taiji. On this day, the emperor would pray to Heaven on behalf of all the people in the world, hoping that Heaven would bless the year with a bountiful harvest and peace and prosperity for the country.
"The Winter Solstice is more important than the New Year," and unless the emperor was too ill to get out of bed, he had to go. Moreover, he had to return to the palace for three days of fasting before offering sacrifices to Heaven, and then set off from the Daqing Gate to the Temple of Heaven on the day of the Winter Solstice.
This year's winter solstice falls on November 18th, and it is now November 14th. Yinzhen must return to the Forbidden City today to begin his three-day fast.
He raised his hand to touch Qian Shengyan's face, but after lying down for many days, Qian Shengyan's once plump cheeks had become somewhat thin, making her look particularly pitiful. His hand hovered above her face for a moment, then clenched into a weak fist.
At least, there's no bad news.
Yinzhen hurriedly returned and left again. On his way back to the palace, he finally remembered that the wrong message had been sent. He ordered the Imperial Household Department to investigate and find out where the problem was. Moreover, he said, "Nian has already been demoted to a concubine. How could she be related to a noble consort? This kind of accusation and cursing of the noble consort must be thoroughly investigated for me. There must be no leniency!"
When discussing the funeral arrangements for Lady Nian, Yinzhen initially wanted to handle it hastily, but considering Nian Gengyao's past actions, he wanted to show leniency to avoid alienating the other officials. However, he also disliked that Lady Nian died at such an inopportune time, and even felt that it was a curse on Qian Shengyan, which was disgusting!
They simply didn't give her any posthumous honors, and buried her hastily with the rank of concubine, showing no mercy whatsoever.
After thinking it over all the way back to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Yinzhen still felt uneasy. He simply ordered people to collect and compile a list of Nian Gengyao's crimes, preparing to deal with him when he returned from the winter solstice.
Before the fast, Yinzhen issued another decree, this time addressed to Yinsi, ordering each banner to send a number of cavalrymen to guard around Yinsi's residence, and also to send four guards from the Upper Three Banners each day to accompany Yinsi on his comings and goings, ostensibly to accompany him, but in reality to monitor him.
After a three-day fast, one should not normally visit the sick or mourn the dead, but people from the Hall of Mental Cultivation went to the Jiuzhou Qingyan in the Yuanmingyuan Garden every day and returned to the palace before sunset. Anyone with discerning eyes could see what the Emperor was concerned about.
The Emperor, who has always believed in the interaction between Heaven and man, was so concerned about the Consort even during his fasting period. Everyone sighed, but unfortunately... the Consort has been seriously injured for nearly ten days and has not yet regained consciousness. Everyone felt that things were probably not going well.
On the day before the winter solstice, Yinzhen was really worried and summoned Yinxiang and Hongli to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to discuss the matter, but the topic was still Consort Xi.
He thought... to promote Consort Xi to a higher rank, to bring her good fortune, and see if it could help her recover faster.
"For saving the emperor, I originally intended to reward her after she woke up..." Yinzhen hesitated.
One Imperial Noble Consort, two Noble Consorts—this was a rule left by Emperor Kangxi. But look at the Imperial Noble Consorts of the previous two reigns, one from the Dong E clan and the other from the Tong Jia clan; both of them died soon after being granted the title of Imperial Noble Consort…
He felt it was an ominous sign, but... in desperation, he thought that perhaps Qian Shengyan was different?
What if this marriage, intended to bring her good luck, will wake her up?
After all, even the Taoist priests at Baiyun Temple said so, so what if it's true?
Yinzhen was also very hesitant. He summoned Yinxiang and Hongli to discuss with them whether to promote Qian Shengyan at this moment.
Yinxiang thought it was acceptable, and even felt that arrangements could be made for her funeral according to her rank as an Imperial Noble Consort—but he dared not say it.
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