Chapter 183 Blessings to the Empress Dowager (Extra Chapter: The Death of Yinreng) ^^……
The day Yinreng left was a beautiful day, with the sun shining brightly and not a cloud in the sky. In the morning, he looked up at the sky and said he wanted to go to the imperial field to check on the radishes he had planted. He had personally sown the seeds this spring, and by April the radish seedlings had grown tall and lush green. Yinreng would go to check on them from time to time, and not long ago he said that they would be ready to harvest and eat in about a month.
Cheng Qianyue knew he cherished the little plot of land he had cultivated, and considering his earlier demeanor and the recent lack of rain, she nodded in agreement. However, before he left, Cheng Qianyue cautioned him, "Just go and take a look, but if you want to water the land or catch bugs, don't do it yourself. Leave it to the servants." With his slender frame, what if he injured himself bending over to lift the buckets?
Yinreng happily agreed, but little did he know that he would never return.
Cheng Qianyue waited inside for a long time, still wondering: it's almost noon, why hasn't he returned yet? He can't possibly be stubbornly watering the fields, can he? She waited and waited, growing increasingly impatient. Finally, she decided she had to go check. Just as she was about to order a sedan chair to be brought to take her to Yutian's place, a message came from outside saying that Hongyan had come to pay his respects.
Cheng Qianyue sensed something was wrong the moment Hongyan entered from outside, because Hongyan's eyes were red and he looked travel-worn. Her heart skipped a beat, and a bad feeling surfaced in her mind.
As expected, Hongyan knelt before her, tears streaming down his face, and said sorrowfully, "Empress Mother, Father Emperor..." His throat tightened. Cheng Qianyue stared wide-eyed at him, silently questioning. Hongyan then said, word by word, "Empress Mother, please take care of yourself. Father Emperor has just passed away."
Although Cheng Qianyue sensed something, she still doubted her ears at the last moment, standing there dumbfounded. She felt like she couldn't come to her senses, her brain felt rusty and almost immobile. After a long while, she finally managed to stammer out, "When?" How could it be so sudden!
Hongyan replied with a sob in his voice, "Just now, someone came to report that Father Emperor was inspecting the Imperial Fields, but unexpectedly, while walking... Father Emperor was then carried to Wanshu Hongxia, but by the time the imperial physician arrived, it was... too late to save him..."
Cheng Qianyue swallowed hard, still somewhat dazed, but thankfully, her rationality had reached its peak. "The Imperial Household Department's supplies are all ready. Have them brought out." A coffin had been prepared for Yinreng's sixtieth birthday, supposedly to bring good luck; now it was ready to use. She stood up from the couch and said, "I'll go see him." But she had only taken a few steps when she tripped and fell. Luckily, Hongyan caught her quickly, preventing her from falling.
Cheng Qianyue realized that her legs were weak and powerless, but she whispered to Hongyan, "I'm fine." She truly felt that she was very calm and composed, because she had been preparing for this day for a long time. In recent years, Yinreng's health had not been very good, and coupled with the fact that he was much older than her, she had known from the beginning that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Yinreng would definitely pass away before her, and she had mentally prepared herself for this over the years.
Cheng Qianyue took a few deep breaths, finally calming herself down before continuing to walk out. Soon, her servants carried her to Wanshu Hongxia. At this moment, many people were already kneeling inside, but Cheng Qianyue's gaze was not on them. She only saw Yinreng lying peacefully on the bed as usual, seemingly asleep.
Cheng Qianyue slowly moved over and sat on the edge of the bed, taking his hand in hers. To be honest, she didn't think he was dead, because his palm was still warm. She said, "Your Majesty, I've come to see you." But all she got in return was Yinreng's silence and the weeping of those around them.
Their weeping overwhelmed Cheng Qianyue, who broke down in tears, prostrating herself on Yinreng's body and wailing. Finally, she seemed to drift into a daze, unable to remember what else had happened that day, or how she had emerged from the sea of red clouds.
Now that Yinreng had passed away, his funeral was next. However, Cheng Qianyue did not appear during the days when his body lay in state. She didn't know what she was avoiding; did she think that as long as she didn't see Yinreng lying in the coffin in his burial clothes, she would still be alive?
In fact, she always felt that Yinreng was still alive, after all, she hadn't been with him every moment of the past years. She thought Yinreng was away on business. However, this self-deceptive illusion would be exposed, especially after Yinreng's coffin left the Forbidden City, when Hongyan came to pay his respects. Every time he came to see her, and the servants announced that the Emperor had arrived, she always felt that Yinreng had returned from his business trip, only the person who entered was not Yinreng but Hongyan. Only then would she realize that the Emperor had changed, and she had been promoted to Empress Dowager.
Cheng Qianyue truly grasped the fact that Yinreng was gone one evening. That night, a fish soup was placed on her table. Fish soup alone wouldn't have been anything special, but radishes were added. Looking at the bright green radish slices in the soup bowl, she asked the servant beside her, "Are these radishes from the Imperial Country?" She wondered if they were ready to eat by now.
The attendant beside him said, "Your Majesty, these radishes are indeed from the Imperial Country. They were just dug up today."
After receiving an affirmative answer, Cheng Qianyue smiled gently: "He always thinks about this, so he can finally eat it." She served the soup herself, but when she looked up, she found that she was the only one sitting at the table. There was nowhere to put her soup, and no one to listen to what she wanted to say.
Cheng Qianyue suddenly realized the truth: Oh, Yinreng is gone, she can't eat anymore. She placed the soup bowl in front of her, unable to muster any energy. After a long, long time, she picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of radish, chewed it a couple of times, and for some reason, she felt an overwhelming urge to cry.
Cheng Qianyue waved her hand to dismiss the servants around her, silently looking at the fish soup in front of her. Before long, her heart clenched and tears streamed down her face.
As she cried, she thought: Cry, cry, she should have had a good, good cry a long time ago, it seems a little too late to cry now.
After crying, Cheng Qianyue gradually let go of her grief. She slowly adapted to life without Yinreng and accepted the fact that she would have to live the rest of her life alone. She had planned carefully; she shouldn't dwell on her sorrow, she should look forward. But she couldn't help but reminisce about the past. As she reminisced, a question automatically surfaced in her mind, a question she had been pondering for the past few days.
What's the problem?
She was conflicted about whether her intense feelings for Yinreng were love. It's kind of funny, really, that someone her age was still thinking about love and romance.
But she just couldn't help thinking about it.
Cheng Qianyue recalled most of her life and was quite certain that Yinreng loved her. If we use modern standards, love is where money is; in ancient times, it would be where rank is. Therefore, Yinreng definitely loved her; there was absolutely no doubt about it.
And what about her? Did she love Yinreng?
Cheng Qianyue thought that she must love him. After all, the scope of love is so vast, encompassing everything and taking on countless forms. No matter how love begins, no matter how tumultuous the process, as long as the two people are in perfect harmony in the end, then it is undoubtedly love. Moreover, the word "love" is so great; no matter how sharp or heavy something is, as long as it is associated with the word "love," it will gain a touch of tenderness.
Therefore, she loved him. No one could help but love someone who occupies the majority of their life. Whether it was sweet embraces, arguments filled with conflicting words, or even helpless compromises, they all made up her and Yinreng's life. If one's life were a painting, then it would be no exaggeration to say that Yinreng was absolutely the most vibrant stroke in her life, to the point that memories of him would shine brightly in her mind.
After figuring things out, Cheng Qianyue couldn't help but sigh, suddenly feeling a bit lonely. She had felt lonely before after her children grew up, but that loneliness was different from the loneliness she felt now. Although Hongyan and the concubines often came to pay their respects, and Wulinzhu, Hongchao, and Moyaqi would come to chat and cheer her up, she could even invite Fan Shi and others over to play cards and chat if she wanted. Oh, you might ask, what about Lin Jia Shi? Well, she'd long since left the palace to enjoy her grandchildren at Hongjin's residence. However, although Cheng Qianyue couldn't avoid being idle, these people were ultimately different from Yinreng. There were some things that no one but Yinreng was suitable to listen to.
Later, Cheng Qianyue came up with a plan. She simply got two pets for company. She had actually wanted pets for a long time, but when Yinreng was the Crown Prince, her family had to live under Kangxi's watchful eye, and she was too timid to do anything. After Yinreng ascended the throne, there were too many things to do in the harem, and she forgot about it. But now, she could say her wish had come true. The Imperial Household Department sent her a Persian cat and a Pekingese. She named them Xiao Bao and Xiao Cheng. Hehe, together they mean Bao Cheng, Yinreng's nickname. Having them around was like having Yinreng with her.
Since getting pets, Cheng Qianyue's quality of life in her old age has improved dramatically. Sometimes she goes out to walk her cats and dogs, plays with them, and the day is over in no time. Anyway, she's old and doesn't know how much longer she has to live, but she'll live happily every day as it comes. She's seen and experienced everything in her life, so dying doesn't really have any impact on her.
That day, after walking Bao Cheng, Cheng Qianyue returned home and stroked each of their little heads. A short while later, after eating, she felt sleepy. There was nothing she could do; as people get older, they can't sleep at night and are easily sleepy during the day. She took off her clothes and lay down on the bed, with Xiao Cheng lying beside her and Xiao Bao nestled next to her.
She slowly closed her eyes, thinking that no matter what, she would live the rest of her life well. This was her motto: no matter what happens, live well, until the day she closed her eyes.
I don't know when that day will come, but I hope it will come later.
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Author's Note: Oh my god, it's finally finished! Thank you everyone for your support along the way, and thank you all for liking this story! Yay!
From the very beginning, I wanted to write a story with rich layers, combining everyday life with plot, sweet romance with the weighty realities of feudal society. I feel like I've achieved that goal, hahaha.
However, writing this article was indeed a bit tiring for me. After all, in my eyes, this book is more of a documentary or realistic literature? Because it does not glorify or celebrate suffering—the suffering of women and the suffering under the oppression of feudal society—some parts of the article are quite chilling.
So, thank you again to all the readers who finished reading. Thank you for your understanding and support. I experienced the story of an ordinary person living under a huge dynasty from the perspective of the female protagonist!
Okay, now I'm going to start advertising.
Because writing this book left me exhausted, I'll write a lighthearted, enjoyable story next time to recover. After all, having experienced the oppression of power, I also need to experience its allure. [Evil laugh][Evil laugh]
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Copywriting:
Xiao Lingyu had barely won the Best Actress award when she was transported to another world. The moment she opened her eyes, she found herself in an antique-style mourning hall. She shakily crawled out of the coffin, exchanging bewildered glances with a group of officials offering their condolences. Before she could even speak, she coughed up a mouthful of black blood.
Xiao Lingyu: What the heck?! Am I poisoned?!
Then, a huge crowd surged over, all addressing her as princess.
Xiao Lingyu: ......
After understanding the situation, Xiao Lingyu had a headache. There was good news and bad news. The good news was that the original owner of this body held an extremely high status; she was a princess appointed by the late emperor and had wielded great power for over five years. The bad news was that the princess had many enemies in court, and this poisoning was a case of plotting against her, with the culprit still unknown.
Xiao Lingyu: This is a cursed start!
But what could she do? To avoid dying again, she decided to play the role of a powerful princess. But things took a strange turn. A casual order revealed the spy among her accomplices, and a careless action exposed her political enemies.
Everyone: As expected of Her Highness the Princess, she is resourceful and handles things with ease.
Xiao Lingyu: ......
Q: What should I do if everyone thinks she's unfathomable?
Hey, what do you suggest we do?
Whatever happens, happens, at least another day has passed!
Don't miss out! Save this if you like it! [doge emoji]
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