Chapter 74: No More Weddings
Mo Yunzhu's eyes narrowed immediately, and she followed her father in saluting.
"Your servant Mo Yunzhu has met Her Royal Highness the Princess."
The eldest princess Jun Fengxi raised her eyes with a cold gleam in her eyes as she looked at the father and daughter in front of her.
"General Mo and Yunzhu arrived quite quickly." The princess glanced coldly at Mo Yunzhu again.
"I also hurried here after hearing the bell. Princess, why don't you go in first?" Mo Tiancheng didn't want to be with this woman for a moment.
Not only did this woman cause him a lot of trouble, she also almost caused Feng Jinyu to die in her hands.
It's really terrible when women become jealous.
The eldest princess hummed and immediately hurried inside.
There were many court officials on the road, and no one knew what was going on. All the red and brightly colored things in the palace had disappeared. Some servants were running quickly with plates filled with white mourning clothes.
There were cries of grief in Ci'an Palace. When Mo Yunzhu and the others arrived, they saw palace maids kneeling outside.
Mo Yunzhu squeezed in quickly and saw many concubines, princes and grandchildren kneeling.
In the bedroom, there was constant crying.
Mo Yunzhu arrived at the door and saw the emperor, the empress, and several concubines kneeling in front of the bed.
The women cried sadly, especially the queen.
Mo Yunzhu saw Nanny Qin kneeling down holding the bed railing, her old eyes swollen like walnuts from crying, and her sad and grief-stricken look was heartbreaking to see.
The emperor knelt beside the empress dowager's bed, the dragon crown on his head had long been taken off, revealing a bun of gray hair.
"Mother!" As soon as the eldest princess entered, she rushed to the bed and screamed miserably, then she knelt on the ground and burst into tears.
"Mother, how could this happen? Wasn't you fine before? Why did you leave so suddenly? What should your daughter and brother do?" Jun Fengxi said while crying.
Mo Yunzhu knelt at the door, but her heart was cold.
The royal family has no family affection, but they are all good at acting.
"Imperial sister, our mother has passed away. Don't be like this. Take care of yourself." The emperor waited for the eldest princess to cry for a while before he began to persuade her.
Eunuch Gao immediately said anxiously: "Your Majesty, please also mourn. Once the Empress Dowager passes away, the funeral arrangements must be made by Your Majesty."
The Emperor then stood up, and his body trembled with obvious discomfort in his legs. The Empress quickly stood up and supported him.
"Your Majesty, please take care of yourself," the Queen sobbed.
The servant brought a chair for the emperor to sit down. The emperor rubbed his forehead and said, "My mother's health was indeed getting worse and worse. She had been suffering from a cold, but I didn't expect her to pass away so soon."
His voice choked as he spoke.
"Madame Qin, what happened? Wasn't Doctor Ji the one who took care of the Queen Mother? Why did the Queen Mother pass away so suddenly?"
"Yes, why did mother pass away so suddenly? Where is Doctor Ji?" The eldest princess stopped crying and asked immediately.
Only then did they notice that the back was filled with people kneeling.
"Mother!" A middle-aged man ran in crying, and Mo Yunzhu was almost bumped into by him.
However, she knew this man. He was the Queen Mother's biological son, Prince Deqing, and also the eldest princess's biological brother.
As soon as Prince Deqing arrived, he burst into tears. It was rare for a man to cry like this, but Mo Yunzhu could hear the true sorrow and pain in his heart.
The Queen Mother had a bad relationship with her daughter, the Princess, for a long time, but she was very loving and filial to her son, Prince Deqing.
Prince Deqing was also a smart man. He knew that if the emperor noticed his existence, he would die sooner or later, so he always lived a leisurely prince and only interacted with the Queen Mother during the New Year and other festivals.
This is also the reason why he can live safely until now.
"Fourth brother, the dead cannot be resurrected, so don't be too sad and take care of your health." The emperor advised.
"Royal brother, why did mother leave so suddenly, wuwu..." Prince Deqing's face was full of tears.
"I have asked someone to call Doctor Ji," the emperor said, then stood up, looked at the kneeling people and said in a low voice, "Everyone go out. The Ministry of Rites should prepare for the funeral according to the rules. Choose an auspicious day for the empress dowager's funeral and burial. The common people will mourn for a month, and all entertainment activities are prohibited. The royal descendants will wear plain clothes for a month, and they are not allowed to get married within a year."
Everyone knelt down and said "obey your order", and Mo Yunzhu also responded with her head lowered.
"Yunzhu, come here." The emperor suddenly called Mo Yunzhu's name with a kind smile on his face.
Mo Yunzhu was stunned for a moment, then immediately stood up, walked to the Queen Mother's bed and knelt down.
"Yun Zhu, you were the youngest that the Queen Mother loved the most when she was alive. For the next three days, you and the princes and grandchildren should stay with the Queen Mother and accompany her more, so that she can pass away with peace of mind."
"Yes, thank you, Your Majesty." Mo Yunzhu's tears flowed again. Looking at the empress dowager's pale and bluish face, sadness welled up from the bottom of her heart.
The Queen and several concubines were a little surprised, especially the Queen, who clenched her fists immediately when she saw Mo Yunzhu.
Before, she liked Mo Yunzhu very much because she was her daughter-in-law, well-behaved and sensible, easy to control, and the empress dowager liked her, so this would allow her son to move up to a higher level.
But he had never expected that he would become an enemy, putting the prince in the greatest crisis. The prince's affairs had not yet been investigated, and he was still lying in bed in the Imperial Hospital.
It's all this woman's fault. As long as she let Mo Huaiqing be the scapegoat, everything would be fine. But now, things are becoming more and more difficult.
But it’s good that the Queen Mother is dead. Not only does Mo Yunzhu lose a backer, but the prince also has a way out.
You can't just depose the crown prince right after the empress dowager passes away.
Soon, everyone in the bedroom followed the emperor away. The empress cried a few times, said a few polite words, and left with a group of concubines.
However, after the mourning hall is set up, the women still have to come to keep watch at night. The queen is also worried. She is in charge of the six palaces, and she will be busy if something like this happens.
"Madame Qin." Mo Yunzhu came to Madame Qin, knelt beside her, held her hand and started crying.
"Miss, wuwu..." Nanny Qin wanted to say something, but she burst into tears as soon as she opened her mouth. She had accompanied the Queen Mother all her life and they were like sisters, so she couldn't accept it all at once.
"Madame, please accept my condolences. I'll help you sit over there for a while." Mo Yunzhu quickly pulled her up. If she knelt down again, even at her age, Madam Qin would not be able to bear it.
Soon, the two of them came to a chair in a corner, and Mo Yunzhu whispered, "Mammy, do you know how the Queen Mother left?"
Nanny Qin held Yun Zhu's hand and sobbed for a long time before she looked around vigilantly, then looked at the eldest princess, Prince Deqing, and some of the younger generations beside the bed.
"Miss, you have come to see the Queen Mother before. Is it impossible for her to leave all of a sudden?" Nanny Qin asked in a low voice.
Mo Yunzhu nodded and said, "Yes, although the Queen Mother is in poor health, she will definitely not die within ten days. At most, she will be unconscious. But how could it be so soon? Is it... By the way, where is Doctor Ji? Why hasn't he come yet?"