The next day, Yinzhen entered the palace, bringing with him half a wild boar's meat.
Hongzhao also went with Yinzhen. He was so excited to hear that his sister had personally hunted a wild boar that he couldn't wait to show it off to Hongyan and his cousins.
Hongqing, in particular, must be incredibly envious of that weakling.
Hutu also wanted to go. She planned to go to Yonghe Palace to pay her respects to Consort De. After all, Consort De not only sent her gifts during festivals, but also on ordinary days, and asked her to come to the palace more often to keep her grandmother company.
Then, Yinzhen, with his two proud children and the spoils of war, strode into the palace with great pride and high spirits.
Changning chuckled to himself.
However, when they returned that evening, none of them looked well.
Hongzhao still had some tear stains on his face.
Changning's scalp was about to explode.
"What happened? You got into a fight again? You didn't win this time? That's impossible! Which brat is your match now?"
As a result, Hongzhao was still immersed in the atmosphere of sadness and grief, and he blurted out a sentence.
"Mother, when will you die?"
Changning?
"You brat, come here right now! I think you're asking for a beating! Let's see how I deal with you!" Changning was so angry that he wanted to find a straw to beat him up.
What a filial son!
Then Hongyan and Hutuli hurriedly stopped Changning and explained.
"Mother, no, Fei Yang'a misspoke. He doesn't want you to die."
"Alright, alright, can you please stop using that word all the time? It's creepy."
Hutuli pursed his lips: "Today we were at the Empress's place in Yonghe Palace, when news came that the Grand Consort had passed away. Fei Yang'a was terrified."
I see……
Changning understood and stopped hitting people, quickly pulling all three children into her arms.
"Alright, don't be afraid. Your mother is immortal. Your mother is the White Bone Demon and will never die in this life."
...
Hutuli was also very sad, and it must be said that when she heard the news, her mind went blank.
This is different from the last time Meng Guqing passed away.
This time, the role is "Mother".
She was the mother of the eldest daughter of Prince Zhi and her sisters.
Her first thought wasn't why the First Princess Consort had died, but rather what would happen to the eldest princess and her sisters? They must be extremely saddened.
Children are tender-hearted, and it must be said that they all felt a sense of kinship. The three children on the bus just looked at each other without saying a word.
Yinzhen was also pondering the matter and didn't have time to comfort the children. He thought Yaoxian should be able to resolve it, and if not, he would come again.
Little did anyone know, Changning's words would overheat the kids' brains.
The previous sad and upset atmosphere vanished instantly.
Hongzhao's thoughts followed Changning's.
"Mother, if you die you'll turn into the White Bone Demon, what about me? Can I turn into Sun Wukong?"
"You are Sun Wukong now. Even Sun Wukong has to write big characters. Have you finished writing ten big characters today?"
"..."
Hutuli whispered, "What about me? Can people really become immortals? Can I still be my mother's child in heaven?"
The last sentence almost brought tears to Changning's eyes: "My daughter is my little cotton-padded jacket, sob sob sob."
Unexpectedly, Hongzhao said, "But isn't the White Bone Demon's daughter also a White Bone Demon? Not a fairy. Besides, the White Bone Demon will be killed by Sun Wukong, so you'll have to be killed by me again."
Hutuli was so angry that he jumped up and down, grabbing Hongzhao's ear and yelling, "You brat, I think you're asking for trouble! Where's your temper?!"
"Alright, alright," it was Changning's turn to break up the fight.
Alright, Yinzhen, who was eavesdropping at the door, looked helpless yet doting; the topic had gone completely off track.
The mother and her three children spent some time being affectionate and cuddly, then enjoyed some desserts together. Eating some sweets can improve one's mood.
The children are no longer sad at all; they are eating cream rolls with their eyes crinkled with laughter.
Hongzhao was still immersed in his fantasy of becoming Sun Wukong, and asked excitedly, "Mother, do you think I'll still go to the Western Paradise to retrieve the scriptures after I become Sun Wukong? Can I just do a somersault?"
Before Changning could answer, Hongyan said to him, "Then you will continue to be suppressed under the Five Finger Mountain by the Buddha."
Hongzhao thought for a moment, then couldn't help but tremble: "Forget it then, I can't stand being suppressed for five hundred years. I won't even get to eat any good snacks." Then a new question popped into his head, "Then how will he relieve himself? Will he just poop in his pants? After five hundred years, he won't be able to..."
Before he could finish speaking, Hutuli flicked him on the forehead: "We're eating! Don't talk nonsense here, it's disgusting."
Seeing the children laughing and joking, Changning breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the children weren't that sensitive and were quite easygoing. However, when it comes to educational issues like death, it's still important to pay attention.
So before the three kids were ready to rest, Changning still tried to comfort them.
"Have you all read Zhuangzi?" Changning asked.
The three children nodded in unison.
"Birth cannot be refused, nor can its departure be stopped. What does this mean?"
Hongyan was the first to explain: "The arrival of life is irresistible, and once it departs, it cannot be brought back."
Upon hearing this, the three children's faces fell.
As expected, there was still a lingering doubt. Changning nodded: "Hongyan gets one point for his correct translation."
"I take heaven and earth as my coffin, the sun and moon as my jade ornaments, the stars as my pearls, and all things as my offerings. What does this mean?"
This time, it was Hutuli who answered first: "I take heaven and earth as my coffin, the sun, moon and stars as my jewels, and all things as my burial goods."
Changning nodded: "Zhuangzi already taught us this principle long ago. Even if we leave, it is not a terrible thing. Those who leave will disappear into the world again. All things in the world have a spirit."
Children readily accept the wisdom of the ancients. In their view, all knowledge in books is correct and right; since it's a principle in a book, it must be true.
From this perspective, death is nothing to fear.
Seeing their relaxed expressions, Changning continued, "The living are but passersby, the dead are those who return home. Heaven and earth are but an inn, all sharing the same sorrow of countless ages. Life and death cycle endlessly, it is simply the natural cycle. As long as there are people who think of us, who remember us, their spirit will endure. The world is vast, and humanity is insignificant."
"How profound!" The children suddenly felt that their mother was amazing and looked at her with admiration.
Changning was both amused and exasperated. She hadn't expected the children to understand much, no matter how intelligent they were, they were ultimately limited by their lack of life experience.
However, education is subject to delays.
She hopes that the profound truths she shared tonight will empower her children someday when they grow up.
Then it's time to soothe the child.
"After people die, they become stars."
Hongzhao pouted, "Mother lied to me again." He knew perfectly well that what she had just said about turning into Sun Wukong was all a lie.
"Really, there aren't any. Otherwise, tell me, where do the stars in the sky come from?"
Faced with Changning's question, Hongzhao was speechless, feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
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