Chapter 176 The eldest son, abandoned by his mother, Li Jia, is gone; the official story is that she died of an emergency...
Li Jiashi is gone. It was said to be an acute illness, but Cheng Qianyue knew she had committed suicide.
When the news arrived, Cheng Qianyue couldn't quite describe her feelings. She did dislike Li Jia, but hearing of her death didn't bring her any joy. It was like when your nemesis suffers misfortune, you think they deserve it, but what if they died? Would you gloat and say it was a good thing they died?
Cheng Qianyue let out a long sigh.
She felt neither happy nor sad about Li Jia's death; if anything, she felt a little sentimental and puzzled.
Cheng Qianyue knew that Consort Li Jia had come to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to meet the Emperor. Consort Li Jia's greetings were even presented to Yinreng in her presence. Then, on the day of Consort Li Jia's audience with the Emperor, Yinreng returned from the front with a furious expression. Cheng Qianyue knew then that their conversation hadn't been pleasant. However, to avoid suspicion, she didn't ask what they had discussed. She hadn't asked then, so she certainly wouldn't now. She was still puzzled; as the saying goes, it's better to live a miserable life than to die a good death, why would Consort Li Jia be so despondent as to commit suicide? But thinking about it was useless; after all, the dead should be respected. She looked down and instructed, "Proceed with the funeral rites for Consort Ke according to custom."
After giving instructions regarding the funeral arrangements, Cheng Qianyue rubbed her temples. Even now, she still had a feeling that things were spiraling out of control. She thought that now that Li Jia was gone, the conflict between them and Hongxi had truly escalated to a head.
Hongxi will probably hate her to death.
By this time, Xianfu Palace was already adorned with white banners. The official cause of death for Lady Li was a sudden illness, with no blemishes on her record, so the mourning hall was arranged according to the rank of a concubine. However, Yinreng did not bestow any posthumous honors upon Lady Li, and she even attended the morning court as usual. Furthermore, Lady Li was not well-liked in the palace, so few people went to pay their respects. Apart from some lower-ranking concubines who kowtowed, only younger members of the family went to mourn according to protocol; no one else showed up.
Inside the main hall, Hongxi knelt before Li Jia's coffin, weeping bitterly. When the news of Li Jia's death arrived, his first reaction was disbelief. His mother had endured years of loneliness and hardship; how could she have become so fragile now? But when he arrived at Xianfu Palace and saw Li Jia's body already prepared for burial in the coffin, Hongxi truly realized that his mother was no longer alive.
Hongxi was devastated and could barely stand. After regaining his composure, he immediately summoned the palace maid who had served Lady Li Jia closely and asked her what had happened. He learned that his mother had met with the Emperor at the Hall of Mental Cultivation and had hanged herself that very night. His eyes were red, and his hands trembled as he asked, "What did Mother and Father say that day?"
Pearl, prostrate on the ground, sobbed as she answered, "Your Majesty apologized to the Emperor, saying that everything that happened before was Your Majesty's idea alone, and had nothing to do with you."
Hongxi's pupils trembled violently; such a reply nearly shattered his mind. After a long, long silence, he asked again in a hoarse voice, "Did Mother leave any last words?"
Pearl slowly shook her head and replied with a sob in her voice, "Before the Empress dismissed everyone, she only gave this servant one instruction."
"What did you say?"
"Her Majesty has asked me to convey a message to you, hoping that you will take good care of your health in the future."
Take care of yourself. Mother only told him to take care of himself, didn't she say anything else?
Hongxi lifted his head from the prayer mat and burst into uncontrollable sobs facing the coffin, nearly fainting from his grief. It was as if he wanted to use this funeral to shout out everything within him. The pain and regret of losing a loved one, the pride he once held so dear, and his shattered self-esteem—these emotions surged through him like a flood bursting its banks. The overwhelming pain twisted and coiled, transforming into vines that tightly bound his heart and throat.
The Grand Consort Niohuru was terrified by his frenzied behavior and rushed forward to comfort him. Seeing that he was about to faint, she hurriedly ordered someone to help Hongxi to a side hall to calm him down. Inside the side hall, she knelt before Hongxi, her eyes filled with tears, and said, "Your Highness, please take care of yourself. Don't let the Empress leave in peace."
Hongxi continued to shed tears, and finally closed his eyes after being comforted by others.
As evening fell, the initial sacrificial ceremony for Lady Li Jia concluded, and apart from the palace servants who had been attending to her, almost everyone else had left. Hongxi emerged from Xianfu Palace with faltering steps and said to the Grand Consort, "You go out of the palace first; I will go to Yangxin Hall to pay my respects."
To be honest, he didn't know what he was going to do at the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Was he going to pray for posthumous blessings for his mother, or to seek some comfort from his son to his father? But once inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Hongxi couldn't say anything. He knelt on the ground, his throat choked with sobs, tears streaming down his face.
Yinreng had already heard about his grief at the funeral hall. Seeing Hongxi like this, he couldn't help but sigh, and then gently comforted him, saying, "Hongxi, you must pull yourself together." He walked over and patted his shoulder heavily, "I don't know what to say to you, but you must know that no matter what the future holds, you will always be my son."
Yinreng paused, then continued, "Your mother did have flaws in her character, but she is now deceased, and I do not wish to pursue the matter further." This decision was made after much deliberation. In fact, when the news of Li Jia's suicide reached the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Yinreng's first reaction was anger—anger at being disobeyed, anger at being cursed. He felt that Li Jia's actions were revenge against him.
Moreover, that day in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Lady Li Jia had openly admitted her resentment and hatred, so it wasn't surprising that she was now taking her own life to retaliate against him. Perhaps she was doing this to show the world that he, the Emperor, was an unjust husband and an unkind father. But Yinreng didn't intend to tell Hongxi any of this. Although he was furious, he ultimately decided not to pursue the matter of Lady Li Jia's suicide, not out of pity for the life taken, but to protect Hongxi's reputation.
His only leniency towards Li Jia was because she was Hongxi's mother. He never wanted his child to experience the pain of losing a loved one like he had, but now that Li Jia was indeed gone, he could only hope that Hongxi could be strong and understand his good intentions.
Even though he had decided not to make Hongxi the crown prince, Hongxi was still his son.
Hongxi stood there, stunned, not even knowing how he left the Hall of Mental Cultivation. All that remained in his mind was the Emperor's comment: that his mother had flaws in her character. Was his mother really so worthless in the Emperor's eyes? Little did he know, in his eyes, everything his mother did was for him! Yet, he hadn't even seen his mother one last time.
Hongxi left the palace gates in a daze and boarded the carriage to return home. He felt utterly exhausted, so tired that he could barely keep his eyes open. Not long after, Delu came in and whispered, "Your Highness, I saw the carriages of the Second and Third Masters ahead of us, probably waiting for us."
Hongxi didn't look up, but simply hummed softly and said in a low voice, "Have the carriage go quickly."
As soon as he finished speaking, the carriage sped up, overtaking both groups that were stopped by the roadside. When the groups met, Hongxi glanced out the carriage window and saw Hongjin and Hongyan alight from their carriages and stand by the roadside, bowing to him. But now, Hongxi no longer felt that receiving their respect was of any importance.
In the past, when he lived in the palace, he regarded them as rivals. But now that the three of them have left the palace, they have all become the emperor's discarded pawns.
At first, Hongxi didn't understand why Hongjin and Hongyan accepted the idea of leaving the palace to establish their own residences so readily. Later, he realized: it made sense. The position of Crown Prince would either fall into the hands of the Fourth Prince Hongchao or the Fifth Prince Hongyao, and Hongchao and Hongyao were, in any case, Hongyan's own brothers. As for Hongjin, he was on good terms with Hongyan and had shared hardships with him. So their future was worry-free. Unlike him, he was completely alone and destined to be viewed with suspicion by the new emperor.
Hongxi's head began to throb. There was still one thing he couldn't understand: when exactly did it begin? When did he become a pawn in the Emperor's eyes? Was it when he pleaded for the disgraced officials, or when he pleaded for Li Changning? Or had the Emperor never considered him as his successor from the very beginning?
A strong sense of resentment inevitably welled up in Hongxi's heart.
From childhood, he was a prodigy, standing out from the crowd even when studying in the Imperial Study. He aspired to be the late emperor's most outstanding eldest grandson and the emperor's proudest son. But why did he end up in this state? The praise and adulation he once received are now like yesterday's flowers, and the mocking carriages outside his door seem to be mocking him, showing that no matter how hard he tries, he is destined to never get what he wants.
But by what right? He had known what power was since he was a child. Recalling his father's fall from grace and his experiences in the Imperial Study, he vaguely understood how important power was. Therefore, he dreamed of one day obtaining it, and thus could not accept falling from grace again.
In an instant, Hongxi clenched his teeth.
The Emperor kept calling him his son, but he felt no respect whatsoever from the Emperor. If the Emperor's respect meant making him a subservient prince under his younger brother, that was truly laughable.
So, Your Majesty, Father Emperor, what exactly do you value? Are your words true or false? Can you tell me?
Hongxi pondered deeply, then exhaled a deep breath:
He has lost far too much for that goal. He must take back everything he has lost.
He can't give up; there's no going back.
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