Chapter 126 A few days after the Emperor's death, those who needed to be punished should be dealt with...
Two or three more days passed, and most of the people to be dealt with and the vacancies to be filled had been dealt with, finally allowing Yinreng to breathe a sigh of relief. Once he had some free time, he thought back to the months he had spent in the West Garden, which had truly been comfortable and leisurely. Thinking about it, he longed to go back.
His Majesty doesn't like to see people these days, so he moved from Danning Residence to the back. Why don't we go to Qingxi Study to pay our respects later?
Just then, Chen He suddenly tumbled in from outside, losing one of his shoes. Yinreng's smile vanished, his brow furrowing as he scolded, "What's the matter with such a panic?!"
Chen He's eyes widened, his face turned pale and then blue, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud, trembling as he cried out, "Your Highness, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!"
At this moment, a large number of people were kneeling in Qingxi Study. Everyone held their breath and trembled with fear, as if this were not Changchun Garden but a towering mountain peak, where even the slightest breath would send shards of ice piercing their lungs. However, once Yinreng arrived, everyone found their pillar of support.
Yinreng hurried to the warm pavilion and saw the imperial physicians crowding around the bedside. The Emperor lay on his back, a handkerchief covering his forehead. He knelt on one knee by the bedside and whispered, "Father? Father." But only the Emperor's faint breathing answered him. Yinreng's heart sank, and he felt dizzy.
At this moment, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy said, "His Majesty fainted outside just now. When I arrived, His Majesty had a high fever. Although I have administered acupuncture to cool His Majesty, the effect is minimal." He hurriedly kowtowed, "Your Majesty is incompetent." Following his words, the other imperial physicians also kowtowed.
Yinreng gritted his teeth and said, "Go fetch well water to wipe the Emperor and help him cool down."
The eunuch hurried out, and the imperial physicians all agreed. Yinreng rose from the ground, his steps unsteady. Chen He quickly led men forward, half-supporting, half-carrying him to a seat. Yinreng breathed heavily for a few moments, then suddenly spoke: "Liang Jiugong, tell me, what exactly happened!"
Liang Jiugong hurriedly walked over from the bedside and knelt down, replying with a mournful face: "Your Highness, this morning when His Majesty woke up from his nap, he said he dreamed of cranes, which was a good omen, so he went to the Crane Pavilion. His Majesty admired the cranes for a long time and even fed them himself. But who knew that in the afternoon, His Majesty came out of the Crane Pavilion and fainted after taking only a few steps."
Yinreng slowly exhaled, said nothing, and waved his hand to dismiss him. Just then, the imperial eunuch brought well water, and Yinreng immediately stood up and sat by the bed, saying, "Give me a handkerchief." The water in the wooden basin was icy cold, and his hands became red and swollen in no time, but he was completely unaware, wiping Kangxi's face, neck, and hands again and again.
Kangxi slowly opened his eyes only after it had completely darkened.
Afraid of disturbing him, Yinreng said softly, "Father?"
Kangxi hummed in response, his old and frail appearance, his dim, yellowish eyes hazy, as he asked, "Is it Baocheng?"
Yinreng suppressed the bitterness in his heart and hummed in agreement, "Yes, Your Majesty." As he answered, he gestured for the imperial physician to come quickly and take his pulse.
Kangxi grunted, chuckled, and after a moment said in a deep voice, "Bring here the Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet."
"Father!" Yinreng's voice suddenly rose, and when he saw the imperial physician beside him, who was taking his pulse, shaking his head with tears in his eyes, his heart sank to the bottom. Meanwhile, Kangxi was still speaking, "Summon the Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet... Li Guangdi... Wang Yan... Ma Qi." He paused and said, "I forgot, Ma Qi has been demoted to the north by me." Then he added, "Summon all the princes as well."
Yinreng gritted his teeth, signaling Liang Jiugong to go out and deliver a message, while he continued to wipe Kangxi's forehead. Unexpectedly, Kangxi directly grasped his hand, placed it on his chest, and patted it, saying, "Don't bother, I know what I'm like." As he spoke, he actually grinned.
When Kangxi smiled, Yinreng couldn't hold back his tears and choked out, "Father Emperor."
"Hmm." Kangxi responded, "Ma Qi, although he is stubborn, is quite capable. The Fucha family also has many important officials in the court. After I leave, leave him out for a year or two, and then summon him back. That way you can continue to use him."
"Please stop, Father Emperor, please stop." Yinreng was already sobbing uncontrollably.
Kangxi didn't stop there. "I've dealt with many people lately. You need to know who to bring in and who to punish."
With tears streaming down his face, Yinreng said, "Your son understands, your son... understands..."
"Good." Kangxi smiled with satisfaction, then raised his hand and said, "Hasn't the person arrived yet? Urge them, go and urge them again."
About fifteen minutes later, the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet and all the princes except for the Eighth Prince arrived. Kangxi said in a deep voice, "Li Guangdi, announce the decree."
Li Guangdi, with a sorrowful expression, said "Yes," and got up from the ground. He then took out an imperial edict from his sleeve. Clearly, this was a secret edict; it was unknown when the Emperor had given it to him. Li Guangdi composed himself and read it aloud before everyone: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Now that I am sixty years old, I truly rely on the silent blessings of Heaven, Earth, and the ancestral temples… The Crown Prince, since infancy, has held the position of heir apparent for over thirty years. He personally attends to all matters, his actions align with Heaven's virtue, and he closely resembles me. He will surely be able to inherit the great throne…"
After Li Guangdi finished reading the secret edict, he saw no movement from the Crown Prince and said softly, "Please accept the edict, Your Highness."
Yinreng then came to his senses and staggered as he kowtowed, saying, "Your subject... receives the decree..."
Kangxi took a few deep breaths, then said, "The Empress Dowager is advanced in years. If I were to pass away, you must all offer your condolences." After hearing their replies, he looked at Yinreng with hazy eyes and said, "Crown Prince, you value brotherhood and must treat your brothers well." He paused slightly, then continued, "Your eldest brother, Baoqing..."
Yinreng immediately replied, "Your subject will restore your elder brother's title of Prince and build a garden so that he can spend his later years in peace. Your subject can guarantee that the lineage of Prince Zhi will never be broken."
Kangxi nodded with satisfaction and said, "Good." After a while, he added, "Eighth Prince... no matter what he did before, he is still your brother."
Yinreng said, "Yes, no matter what he did before or what he will do in the future, I will spare his life."
"And...and..." Kangxi said haltingly, "Your mothers will all leave the palace and be cared for by the princes..."
"Your subject understands," Yinreng replied solemnly.
Kangxi slowly exhaled, as if all his last bit of energy had been exhausted. He weakly murmured, "I was planning to go hunting with you in the Southern Garden this spring, but I have to break my promise." His eyes, dark with despair, gazed at the bed curtains above the bed. His lips moved slightly. "I still remember your first hunting trip. You shot a deer and a rabbit, and the tanned pelts were made into a pair of boots for me." He smiled. "Unfortunately, over the years, those boots were eaten away by insects. I finally had them repaired... but I can't wear them anymore..."
Yinreng sat below, tears streaming down his face. All the resentment and forbearance of the past years seemed to vanish in these words, leaving only pure fatherly love. Back then, there was never any suspicion or suppression between him and the Emperor; there was only a son's adoration for his father and a father's love for his son. The sweeter those days were, the more painful Yinreng was now.
Kangxi's voice gradually lowered, and the light in his eyes completely faded: "I saw it, I saw the Empress Dowager and your mother come to pick me up... Baocheng... call me 'Father' one more time... call me 'Father' one more time..."
The rest of the conversation vanished completely.
Yinreng hurriedly raised his head, his lips trembling: "Your Majesty...Father..." After a while, he struggled to crawl to the bedside, reached out and touched Kangxi's breath, then sat heavily on the ground, breaking down and crying: "Father!" This was followed by the wails of everyone, and the room was immediately filled with sobs.
After a long while, the princes, led by the Fourth Prince, knelt beside Yinreng and urged him to take care of his health. The Fourth Prince, his eyes red, said sorrowfully, "Father has passed away. I believe the country cannot be without a ruler for even a day. I beg the Crown Prince to succeed to the throne, to take charge of the overall situation, and to handle Father's affairs after his death..."
Yinreng stared blankly at the Fourth Prince, tears streaming down his face again. "Fourth Brother!" he cried. The two brothers embraced and wept bitterly. After a long while, Li Guangdi and the others persuaded Yinreng to prioritize the greater good.
With tears welling in his eyes, Yinreng said, word by word, "Have someone help Father Emperor change his clothes..." Then he added, "Spread the word, post white notices everywhere!"
——
At this moment, in the East Fence Study of the West Garden, Cheng Qianyue was not sleeping soundly. In fact, ever since the Fourteenth Prince arrived, she hadn't slept well at all. This kind of situation, with no news at all, was truly torturous. Sometimes she even wondered why the Emperor was so cruel; couldn't he just be straightforward and direct?
That day, she tossed and turned until very late before finally falling asleep, and even then, her sleep was very light, mostly hazy. Around two or three in the morning, a sudden noise came from outside. Cheng Qianyue woke up with a start, cleared her throat, and called out loudly, "What happened?"
A moment later, Lin Quan'an's voice came from outside, sounding somewhat anxious: "Master, this servant has something important to report."
Cheng Qianyue's mind raced, and she said, "Bring a screen." Soon a screen was placed by the bed, and Ruoyun and others helped her dress. Lin Quan'an knelt outside the screen, his head pressed tightly to the ground: "Master, a message just came in from outside; the entire manor must be decorated with white!"
A white banner?! Who died?
Cheng Qianyue jumped to her feet, but because she stood up so quickly, she lost her balance and fell back down. Fortunately, Lin Quan'an spoke quickly and said sadly, "His Majesty passed away early this morning."
"Huh?" Cheng Qianyue was stunned. After she came to her senses, she immediately asked, "What about the Crown Prince? How is he?"
Lin Quan'an quickly replied, "The Crown Prince is currently overseeing the situation at Changchun Garden!"
Taking charge of the overall situation?
Cheng Qianyue: What nonsense are you spouting? I know each word individually, but I can't understand a single sentence when they're put together.
Seeing that no sound came from behind the screen for a long time, Lin Quan'an hurriedly reminded him, "Master, you must take it easy." Ruoyun also said, "Master, please catch your breath and come to your senses!"
Cheng Qianyue's body reacted much faster than her mind; upon hearing their words, tears immediately streamed down her face. After a while, once she had dressed, she continued, "Don't cause any disturbance in the courtyard; follow the Crown Princess's instructions in everything."
It wasn't until Cheng Qianyue put on the hastily made mourning clothes that she gradually came to her senses. But she still couldn't believe it: This isn't right! Where the hell did this happen? Wasn't the Crown Prince supposed to be deposed? How come the Emperor has died? Is this even historical fact? Could this not be the Qing Dynasty she knew?!
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