Chapter 384 The Emperor...has passed away!
Wang Decai looked embarrassed. After hesitating for a moment, he couldn't help but speak, "Your Majesty, this... this fake death, it feels unlucky, I'm afraid..."
Zhang Chengyan waved his hand and interrupted him. "You don't know, I have asked someone to inquire about it in detail earlier. This is the method of 'destroying and then building'. There will be no bad things. You just need to follow my instructions."
Wang Decai didn't dare to say much. He just replied yes and hurriedly retreated to get down to work.
Not long after, the replies from the ministers outside the palace to the concubines in the harem arrived one after another.
In their letters, most ministers advised their concubines to stay in the palace and not act rashly. They should just pray sincerely for the emperor and wait patiently for news.
Seeing these replies, Zhang Chengyan felt a little relieved.
Although most of the concubines in the harem were hypocritical, these ministers were relatively honest and did not have any disloyal thoughts at the critical moment.
It's late at night.
When everything was silent, a rapid and dull bell sound suddenly pierced the night sky.
Bai Wutong was awakened by the sound of the bell. He sat up from the bed in an instant, looking alert, and asked in a stern voice, "What happened outside?"
Chan'er ran in in a panic, her face pale and terrified, even her voice was filled with tears, "My Queen, something terrible has happened, something terrible has happened!"
Bai Wutong frowned and urged anxiously, "What's going on? Stay calm and talk slowly."
Chan'er took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down before she spoke the complete sentence, "Your Majesty, the Emperor... The Emperor has passed away!"
"What did you say?" Bai Wutong felt his head buzzing in disbelief, "Death? How is this possible?"
Chan'er nodded heavily, "Your Majesty, it is absolutely true. Just now, the death knell has sounded, and Eunuch Wang has also sent down a message, asking all palace servants to go to the Yangxin Palace immediately!"
The news came too suddenly and Bai Wutong was not mentally prepared. But he could not care less at this moment. He hurriedly put on an outer coat and ran towards the Yangxin Palace.
When Bai Wutong arrived, many palace servants had already gathered in front of the hall, kneeling on the ground in dense crowds.
All the concubines also rushed over, and for a while, the crying was deafening.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, why did you leave us alone? Your Majesty..."
Wang Decai knelt in front of the hall and cried the most sadly.
The crying was heart-wrenching, as if trying to vent out all the sorrow in the heart.
Bai Wutong stood there blankly, looking at the chaotic and sad scene before him, feeling inexplicably strange in his heart.
Is Zhang Chengyan really dead?
This change was so sudden that it was totally beyond comprehension!
How could he suddenly die out of the blue?
Could it be that his previous injuries were not just a show, but real?
If not, why would he arrange such an unlucky drama? Isn't this cursing himself?
Bai Wutong was full of suspicion, and at this moment, Jin Weige also hurried over.
She walked straight to the front of the hall, fell to her knees, and cried bitterly.
She was not only crying for Zhang Chengyan, but also for herself.
In contrast, Bai Wutong just stood there in a daze, looking out of place and very eye-catching.
Wang Decai noticed her strangeness and asked with a sob, "Empress Zhao, what's wrong with you?"
Bai Wutong finally came back to his senses, as if he had just woken up from a dream. He slowly knelt on the ground and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, are you really gone just like that?"
Wang Decai burst into tears again, "Yes, Madam, just now, the Emperor suddenly vomited blood, and not long after... he passed away. Madam Zhaofei..."
“I don’t believe it!” Bai Wutong’s eyes widened. She had not been able to react to her grief in time before, so she could only use strong disbelief to cover it up. “I absolutely do not believe that the emperor will die! Stop crying, the emperor must still be alive, he must still be alive! The emperor is a wise ruler that is rare in a century, and he will accomplish great things in the future. How could he die so easily? He won’t die, he won’t die!”
Bai Wutong seemed to be obsessed with something, and shouted excitedly, "I order you all not to cry, and shut up! You are not allowed to curse the emperor, do you hear me?"
The palace maids and concubines present were frightened by her sudden action. Their crying stopped abruptly and they looked at each other, not knowing what to do.
To cry...or not to cry?
After Bai Wutong finished shouting, he rushed into the Yangxin Palace like crazy, wanting to confirm the situation with his own eyes.
Seeing this, Wang Decai hurriedly led his men forward to stop them, "Empress Zhao, you can't do this. Calm down. The emperor has already passed away. It will be useless for you to go in now!"
Bai Wutong's legs went limp. "How could the emperor die? This is impossible. He told me a few days ago that he wanted to watch Yunhe grow up together and watch Chaoyang get married in style. No, this must be a nightmare, a dream, right?"
She staggered to her feet, her eyes empty, and she muttered to herself, "I'm going to the Buddhist temple to pray for the emperor..."
As she spoke, she walked towards the Yongshou Palace where the Queen Mother was.
Wang Decai saw that the situation was not right and was afraid that she would do something extreme, so he quickly arranged for people to step forward to stop her.
But just as everyone approached, Bai Wutong's eyes went dark, his body went limp, and he fainted.
"Empress Zhao, please wake up. How are you?"
Seeing this, several female doctors hurriedly squeezed out of the crowd and quickly came to Bai Wutong.
Some of them pinched Bai Wutong's philtrum, some patted her back gently, and some carefully stroked her chest.
After a long while, Bai Wutong slowly woke up.
She opened her eyes dazedly and saw the doctor in front of her. She grabbed her hand and said, "The emperor must be alive, right? Thank God, this must have been a terrible nightmare, right?"
The doctor looked at her with eyes full of sympathy, and couldn't help but burst into tears.
Bai Wutong's heart tightened and his body froze instantly.
She slowly lowered her head and looked at the teardrop on her hand. As if all her strength had been drained away, tears welled up in her eyes again and flowed freely. "This can't be real. It must be a dream. It must be a dream..."
But the cruel reality was before her. No matter how she comforted herself, she could not change the fact that the emperor had passed away.
Compared to other concubines who just cried, Bai Wutong's reaction seemed particularly genuine.
From the initial disbelief to having to face the reality later, every change in her emotions seemed so natural, flawless and moving.
"Wang Decai, where is the emperor's body now? We want to see the emperor." Bai Wutong calmed down and asked in a hoarse voice.
Wang Decai bowed slightly, "Empress Zhao, ladies and gentlemen, please follow me."
With grief in their hearts, everyone slowly stepped into the hall.
I saw Zhang Chengyan wearing a gorgeous dragon robe, lying there quietly.
Obviously, someone had carefully prepared his appearance.
At this moment, his face looked peaceful, as if he was just sleeping.
When Bai Wutong saw his body, he wanted to rush over desperately.
Wang Decai was quick to step forward and stop her, "My queen, you can't do that! The dragon's body is so noble, you must not touch it!"
When the other concubines saw that Zhang Chengyan had really passed away, with his chest still and no breath left, they could no longer suppress the grief in their hearts, and they cried even more bitterly.
Once the emperor leaves, the situation in the palace will change dramatically!
Their future fate is also unknown!
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