As Yinzuo became more and more famous in the court, his masters became more serious in training him. Yinzuo no longer had much time and energy to play around, and after a year, he lost a lot of weight.
It's the end of the year. Last month, the Empress Dowager was seriously ill. The Emperor personally wrote a prayer and walked to the Temple of Heaven to pray for the Empress Dowager. His filial piety was praised by the people. Unfortunately, the Empress Dowager's condition not only did not improve, but worsened.
As New Year's Eve was approaching, the Empress Dowager fell into a coma for several days. The princes had to kneel in the Cining Palace to take care of her, and the lessons in the study were stopped early.
The Imperial Noble Consort had just come out of her bedroom and almost fell down on her way out. Yinzuo bravely stood up and ran over to support her.
"My dear mother, are you okay? Did you fall?"
The Imperial Noble Consort, who had not seen Xiaoliu for a long time, forced a smile and shook her head. She lowered her voice and gave Yinzuo a few simple pointers.
"I'm fine, go back and kneel down. If your father finds out, he'll probably blame you."
"I see. I'm just worried about you~" Yinzuo sighed, not quite happy.
The Imperial Concubine smiled and patted his hands, saying with relief: "I know you are a good child. I have to report to the Emperor about the Empress Dowager's condition today. Go back quickly. Your mother is waiting inside. If anything goes wrong, you should take the prince in immediately."
"Well, don't worry, Royal Madam. I know everything."
Yinzuo is no longer a little boy who knows nothing. Over the past year, the fight between his elder brother and the prince has caused many disturbances. Even Nalan Mingzhu, the Prime Minister who supported his elder brother, was dismissed from the post of Grand Secretary. The emperor told the outside world that he would be retained at his discretion. In this way, his elder brother's side has already lost power.
In this way, the Crown Prince's position as heir to the throne will be more secure, and it is reasonable and logical to be on good terms with him.
If anything happens to Ukuma Ma, it is natural for the Crown Prince to take charge of the situation, so that the Imperial Concubine will not do anything and slander and frame others.
Fortunately, Kangxi lived in the Cining Palace. After Yinzuo sent the imperial mother to the door, he returned to his seat and knelt down.
"Are you okay?" Yinzhen in front asked softly.
Yinzuo shook his head, and soon realized that his brother couldn't see his movements, so he said, "It's okay, but you look a little pale, I think it's because you've been too busy these days."
Yinzhen pursed his lips. At times like this, even the emperor himself would stay by the bedside every day, and so would others.
"Okay, got it."
On December 25, the 26th year of the Kangxi reign, the Empress Dowager suddenly woke up and ate half a bowl of soup with Kangxi's service.
"Thank you for your hard work, Xuanye." The Empress Dowager said in a weak voice.
"The Grand Empress Dowager raised me for more than thirty years. Now I have only served her for a little over a month. It is not hard at all!"
"Look at you, your eye sockets are so dark, you haven't slept well these days, right? You are the emperor, you can't waste your health for an old woman like me. The government still depends on you, you are responsible for the entire Qing Dynasty, go back and have a good rest."
"I will listen to you. I will go back to rest after you fall asleep."
Although Kangxi had a smile on his face, he was extremely sad in his heart. The imperial physician had just examined his pulse and said that this was a sign of a last burst of vitality. He felt very uncomfortable.
"While I am still in good spirits, I have something to tell you. The crown prince is the heir to the throne, the foundation of the country, and cannot be easily moved. You promised Hesheli that you would protect him for the rest of his life. If he does anything wrong in the future, you, the emperor, should bear with him. Even if it is for the sake of his biological mother and me, you should forgive him once."
"Yes, I will remember the teachings of the Empress Dowager."
"And Tong Jia is a dignified and filial woman. I know you have been doing this for her good all these years. You are worried that you will be unlucky in marriage, so you have been reluctant to make her the queen. But she has no children and will not threaten the crown prince. It is better to find a suitable time to give her a decent gift."
Although the Grand Empress Dowager was ill, she was not confused. The Imperial Noble Concubine took good care of her, but she did not have any ulterior motives like the Noble Concubine did. This old woman saw all of this and kept it in mind.
"Yes." Although Kangxi still had some concerns in his heart, he agreed without hesitation.
"The previous emperor had few children, but you are blessed with more than a dozen. This is a good thing. You hope that they will all become successful, so you have arranged for people to teach them carefully. This is also good, but you must also remember that there is no room for two tigers in one mountain. Your other sons are too outstanding. How will the crown prince cope with it in the future? The ministers are standing on their own sides and biting each other. One day, it will endanger the government and will definitely become a disaster!"
Kangxi frowned when he heard this, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with doing so.
"They are all my sons, and they are brothers to each other. The crown prince has long been appointed, and his foundation is solid. It was all instigated by those treacherous ministers. I have already dismissed some of them as a warning to them. There will be no disasters in the future, and the Empress Dowager does not need to worry too much."
The Empress Dowager saw that Kangxi didn't care, so she sighed softly and said no more.
"Among your sons, I like Xiaoliu the most. He is lively and clever, kind and filial. Although he likes to play a little, he has often come to the Cining Palace to laugh and play over the years, which has brought me a lot of joy.
I heard that you asked several officials from the Hanlin Academy to teach him, so the child has no time to play. Even I haven't seen him for a long time, and I miss him very much.
He won't have to inherit the throne like the crown prince in the future, so it's okay to be a little bit indulgent. You must know that a tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. I just hope that he will live a smooth and peaceful life. Please don't push him into the fire pit."
Kangxi choked up. Xiaoliu was indeed loved by the elders. Even at this time, the Empress Dowager still took the initiative to care about these things.
"Yes, I will give orders to reduce his schoolwork, and I will not let anyone spread any unwarranted words in the future. Since you miss Xiaoliu, I will call him in to accompany you and serve you."
"Okay, Xuanye, actually I never told you that Xiaoliu's personality is most similar to your father's when he was a child. If I hadn't pushed him to that position, he would have been as carefree and happy as Xiaoliu. Do you understand what I mean?"
The Empress Dowager suddenly burst into tears and her eyes became empty.
"I understand that Xiaoliu will live a smooth and peaceful life as you wish."
The Empress Dowager wiped her tears and said to Kangxi, "Go ahead, let the child come in to keep me company, and you go and have some rest."
When Kangxi walked outside the bedroom, he put his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky, thinking about the person who had just been mentioned - his biological father, Emperor Taizu.
He was not a good father, nor a good emperor, but he was the biological son of the Empress Dowager. The late emperor wanted to become a monk because of the death of Consort Dong E, and completely ignored the fact that the Qing Dynasty was in a precarious and turbulent situation, and threw the throne to him when he was only eight years old.
The four regents surrounded the young him like hungry wolves, waiting for an opportunity to pounce on him. If it weren't for the Empress Dowager's strenuous protection, he would have been killed long ago and would not be able to stand here alive.
So all along, Kangxi hated him in his heart, but just now the Empress Dowager said that Xiaoliu was most like him, and Kangxi suddenly understood the inner struggle and pain that Emperor Shizu had been going through.
How could a kind-hearted person not feel painful when he was forced to engage in intrigue and manipulation, and watch his hands stained with blood and sin? He would probably be unable to sleep or eat all day long. His only hope was that lively and bright woman, Dong E. Unfortunately, Dong E also died of illness, which was the last straw that broke the camel's back.
Xiaoliu shouldn't have experienced the same tragic ending.
"Go and call the Sixth Prince over." Kangxi ordered softly.
"Yeah!" Liang Jiugong hurried to find someone.
When Yinzuo was found, he asked doubtfully, "Am I the only one going in? What about my brother the crown prince?"
"The emperor said that he would only let you go alone. I guess the prince will have to continue to stay here and maintain order." Liang Jiugong did not reveal too much.
"Go ahead, Xiaoliu. If you need anything, just come to me." The prince was very open-minded. He knew that Xiaoliu had always been popular with the elders. If he were to go and accompany them, he might not be able to do as well as Xiaoliu.
At the door of the bedroom, Yinzuo saw a bright yellow figure.
"Yinzuo pays respects to the Emperor."
"Get up."
Kangxi turned around, walked towards him, put his arm around his shoulder, and sounded a little tired.
"Go in on my behalf and keep your Ukuma company to cheer her up."
"Yes." Yinzuo couldn't help but say a few more words as he looked at his father, whose eyes were sunken and exhausted.
"Father Huang, you should also take good care of yourself. You are worried about Ukuma Ma, and we are also worried about Father Huang."
"Okay, okay, I'll go to the side hall to rest now. If anything happens, tell me immediately, Yinzuo!"
Yinzuo felt that the way his father looked at him was very strange, as if he was looking at another person through him. His eyes were sometimes gentle, sometimes violent, and the emotions were very complicated, which made people a little scared.
"Father Emperor? Do you have any other instructions?"
Kangxi was stunned for a moment, withdrew his hand from Yinzuo's shoulder, and avoided his gaze.
"Nothing, you're a good kid, go ahead."
Yinzuo then turned around and walked into the bedroom. There was a strong smell of medicine in the bedroom. He didn't know if it was his illusion, but in addition to the smell of medicine, there was also a special smell that made people feel uncomfortable. He often smelled this smell when he went to the hospital in his previous life. It was an ominous sign.
"Ukuma Ma, I haven't seen you for a long time. Do you miss Xiaoliu?"
The Empress Dowager smiled and waved at him, asking him to come over.
Yinzuo trotted to the bedside, sat on a stool, and held the Empress Dowager's hands with both hands very naturally, just like he did when he came to the Cining Palace to pay his respects before.
"It's all your fault. He arranged so many teachers to look after you that he had no time to come and see me. I was not feeling well during the last Mid-Autumn Festival, so I didn't get to see you. I missed you so much that I just scolded your father and told him to arrange less homework for you in the future."
The Empress Dowager lowered her voice, as if she was whispering something to her little great-grandson that she didn't want others to know, and she looked a bit like an old naughty boy.
Yinzuo happily rubbed his face on the Empress Dowager's palm, revealing a very bright smile, and he was extremely excited.
"Thank you, Ukuma! Ukuma really loves Xiaoliu the most~"
The Empress Dowager's eyes became extremely gentle, and her laughter could be heard outside.
The author has something to say:
We have got Xiaoliu's death-proof gold medal, so we can walk sideways in the future~
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