At midnight, Qingyan had already fallen asleep, but Su Peisheng was quietly calling for Yin at the door. Li Dequan told Yin to hurry to Chenggan Palace.
Yin reluctantly let go of Xiao Guai, letting her sleep with his blanket. He then instructed Su Lan to give Xiao Guai some warm water when she woke up, saying that he was doing his homework in the study.
Qingyan didn't get much rest that day, and didn't wake up at all. She slept until after six o'clock. When she opened her eyes, the sound of clappers could be heard outside.
"Princess, quickly change into mourning clothes. The Empress Dowager has passed away." Su Lan heard from the maids of the princes' quarters that Dong E Wan Ning had miscarried yesterday. The trouble of calling the imperial physician had alarmed the Empress Dowager. At midnight, the princes were all summoned to Cining Palace by His Majesty.
Qingyan touched the bed beside her; it was already ice-cold. Yin must have passed away earlier.
Damn it!
She slapped her forehead in frustration. She should have made Yin change into specially made undergarments so that his knees wouldn't feel cold when he was mourning.
"Sulan, did you give the undergarments prepared for Sisi to Su Peisheng?" Qingyan asked in a low voice.
It's not the hottest time of day yet, otherwise Qingyan would have had to figure out how to deal with Yin's mourning clothes.
“Yes, Su Peisheng specially asked the Fourth Prince to change into those clothes before he went.” Su Lan understood Qingyan’s worries. The Fourth Prince was afraid of the hot weather and had already started wearing summer clothes.
Qingyan counted on her fingers the time when the Empress Dowager passed away in a daze, which did not match the historical records. Could it be that she, this little butterfly, had tricked Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang to death?
"Sulan, wasn't the Empress Dowager in good spirits? How could she have become like this overnight?" Qingyan was puzzled; something was clearly wrong.
Su Lan quickly told Qing Yan about Dong E Wan Ning's situation. Dong E Wan Ning was still recovering from childbirth, and Consort Rong clearly disliked her as a jinx.
puff!
You reap what you sow!
No zuo no die!
These two statements are absolutely true. Before yesterday, Dong E Wan Ning must have taken advantage of Yin Zhi's favor to make things difficult for Dong E Shi. Only Dong E Shi and her sister know how the miscarried child died.
"Sulan, keep the servants brought from the mansion in check. Anyone who dares to utter another word should be beaten to death without even reporting back to me!" Prince Yin's residence is entrusted to Su Peisheng to keep an eye on, and there will definitely be no trouble.
"Yes, this servant is awake." Su Lan put away all the colored jewelry on Qing Yan's body, and only used a silver hairpin to tie her hair up.
After a quick breakfast, Qingyan, supported by Sulan, prepared to go to Cining Palace.
As soon as she entered the courtyard of Cining Palace, she heard crying inside. The concubines had arrived at Cining Palace early and seemed to have been kneeling in the courtyard all night.
Yin Genjue Luo arrived at the doorway, and Qing Yan looked at her helplessly.
"Little darling, follow behind me in a bit, and don't make any unnecessary movements." After hearing Yin's advice, Lady Yingenjueluo told Qingyan.
Qingyan nodded. In the next few days, she would obediently remain invisible. Even if Kangxi hated the Empress Dowager in his heart, he would forget the past after she died.
Today, the main hall of Cining Palace is covered in white, and in the very center is a coffin made of Phoebe zhennan wood, inside which lies the old lady dressed in the empress's court robes.
"Just now, His Majesty delivered an imperial edict, saying that the Empress Dowager left a will stating that she would not be buried with Emperor Taizong, as it would be beneath her dignity." Qingyan knelt behind the princes' wives, while the wives of the princes from the imperial clan expressed their doubts about the edict.
However, who would dare to disobey Kangxi's orders behind his back!
Qingyan understood long ago that the Empress Dowager did not want to be buried with Hailanzhu. Only Consort Chen lay beside Emperor Taizong, and even Zhe Zhe was buried in the left-hand tomb chamber.
When Yin spoke to Qingyan, she was stunned.
"Shut up! How dare you speak of His Majesty's decree?" The Princess Consort of Prince Yu looked coldly at the woman who had spoken, her eyes filled with disgust.
Qingyan glanced at the woman out of the corner of his eye. She was about thirty years old and did not look like a Manchu noblewoman. Her brown eyes were more like those of a Mongolian noblewoman.
Since the death of Emperor Shunzhi, it has become rare for the primary consorts of the imperial clan to be noble Mongolian women.
"Yechuk, you should say less. You also belong to the Borjigit clan," a fifty-year-old primary wife said, kneeling behind the two women with a sorrowful expression.
Qingyan chuckled. That princess was still young and didn't understand what the future held for these Mongolian noblewomen after the Empress Dowager was gone.
Emperor Kangxi would certainly not favor a noblewoman from Mongolia, let alone allow a prince of Manchu-Mongol descent to ascend the throne. In Qing history, there is no trace of Mongolian concubines in Emperor Yongzheng's harem. They were either betrothed but did not live to see Yongzheng ascend the throne, or they perished in the power struggles within the harem.
“Crying~” A little Sura on the left side of the coffin cried out loudly.
They immediately shut up and burst into tears. Qingyan bowed while grieving, her right hand clutching a small handkerchief as she wiped away her tears.
The women kneeling around her all had a certain smell on their handkerchiefs, and Qingyan used the pungent smell of the space to make her tears flow continuously.
On the other side, Yin was also moved to tears by Qingyan's small gesture. He was the only one among the princes who cried directly without any external aid.
The mourning ceremony made Qingyan feel indifferent.
Of the hundreds of people who went inside the main hall, how many were truly grieving for the Empress Dowager?
Apart from Su Mo'er and the Empress Dowager, the rest of the people were just there for show.
As evening approached, the mourning finally ended. The concubines arranged their night watch schedules, and the rest of the people left one after another. When they arrived at the prince's courtyard, Qingyan threw her small body onto the soft couch, feeling completely exhausted.
Now, in the Prince's residence, all the bright colors have been replaced, leaving only the plain colors of mourning.
"Fourth Brother, I'm so tired!" Qingyan nestled in Yin's arms, pouting as she complained, "I wanted to come over, but you weren't here!"
"Little Darling, our wedding needs to be moved up. We'll get married as soon as Fourth Uncle is done with his work!" Yin felt a bit of a headache.
The mourning period lasted 27 days, and less than half a month after the mourning ended, she was to marry Qingyan.
"What?!" Qingyan thought she had to observe three years of mourning.
"I will get married within 100 days of mourning. The Vice Minister of Rites said that the Empress Dowager once said that she hoped to see me get married." Yin couldn't help but smile sarcastically.
The Empress Dowager treated all the other princes except for Yinqi. Yinqi tried to please the Empress Dowager, but he never received a smile from her.
"My God!" Qingyan was completely baffled. Not only did the old lady have a son, but she also said she wanted to see the fourth son get married.
Is this being opened incorrectly?
"It's just Father's order. Behave yourself during the mourning period. Father is quite indifferent to the Old Madam," Yin instructed. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
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