After giving birth to Yun Duoduo, she was exhausted and passed away.
Unexpectedly, he was murdered.
[Consort Shu, I have wronged you!]
The somewhat blurry face of Consort Shu appeared in Yun Beiye's mind.
"I ordered that Consort Shu's Hibiscus Palace be cleaned every day. Has that been done?" Yun Beiye rubbed his temples, looking exhausted.
Yun Duoduo's birth mother, Bai Jieyu, died on the night of childbirth. Yun Beiye immediately ordered that Bai Jieyu be promoted to the rank of Consort Shu and had people guard the Mujin Palace and clean it every day.
Yun Beiye couldn't think of any other way to make amends to Consort Shu, so he could only preserve the place where she had once lived.
"Your Majesty, someone cleans it every day."
"Hmm, does Duoduo know about this?" Yun Beiye could imagine how sad Yun Duoduo would be if she knew about this.
"Your Majesty, the Ninth Princess visited Linhua Palace yesterday."
Yun Duoduo went to Linhua Palace yesterday, and today, Consort Li hanged herself.
It seems that Duoduo knows about this.
"Alas, it's all my fault. I'm sorry to Consort Shu and to Duoduo."
"And Consort Li's daughter, Hua'er, I also feel sorry for Hua'er."
Zhao Zhongquan felt a pang of guilt as he looked at Yun Beiye.
Just as Yun Beiye was blaming himself, the curtain of Zichen Palace was lifted.
"Your Majesty, the Seventh Prince requests an audience," Xia Zi said at the door.
"Seventh brother? Let him in."
The seventh child was also a pitiful one.
Yun Yiqiu looked sorrowful as he walked in with his head down and knelt before Yun Beiye.
He overheard the conversation between her mother and her younger sister yesterday.
He simply couldn't imagine that his usually gentle mother could do such a thing.
He also missed his deceased sister very much, but he never thought of taking anyone's life. He was shocked and furious at his mother's actions. He didn't know how to face his mother anymore, so he sat in the Buddhist hall all night.
But he never expected that his mother would leave him like this and commit suicide. When he returned to Linhua Palace, only his mother's cold body remained.
Yun Yiqiu was heartbroken. There was nothing left in this world for him to cherish.
However, he cannot die, he cannot go with his mother; he must pay for these sins.
"Father, I request to become a monk to pray for my mother and to see her off on her journey."
"To atone for the mistakes my mother made, I am willing to spend my life in a temple, eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures." Yun Yiqiu's tone was sincere and his expression was firm.
This is both a prayer for my mother's well-being and an act of atonement for her sins.
Zhao Zhongquan was greatly shocked; he stood there with his mouth agape, unsure of what to say.
A prince who had enjoyed wealth and honor for over a decade was now forced to spend his life in a temple, eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist prayers, accompanied only by the dim light of the lamp.
[Seventh Prince, can you endure that loneliness?]
Yun Beiye looked at Yun Yiqiu kneeling in front of him with a complicated expression.
[It's all my fault. I failed to manage the harem well and didn't devote enough energy to my son.]
This is what led to all of this.
Yun Beiye could sense Yun Yiqiu's sincerity. He nodded, looked at Yun Yiqiu, and slowly said, "Go, I grant your permission."
Yun Yiqiu bowed deeply to Yun Beiye as a way of thanking him for raising her.
Once he leaves the palace and enters a temple, we may never see each other again.
After performing the salutation, Yun Yiqiu stood up and gave Yun Beiye a deep look before resolutely turning and leaving the Zichen Palace.
...
Just after seeing Yun Yiqiu off, Xia Xiazi came to report: "Your Majesty, the Empress requests an audience."
"Let her in."
Zhao Zhongquan poured Yun Beiye a cup of warm tea. "Your Majesty, please have some water."
Yun Beiye felt a sore throat and drank the tea in his cup in one gulp.
Empress Zhaoyuan looked grief-stricken. She slowly walked in, knelt on the ground, and took off her phoenix crown, placing it on the ground.
She was now dressed neatly and wearing light makeup, unlike when she appeared at Shouchang Palace early in the morning, disheveled and unkempt.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
"His Majesty must already know about what happened at Linhua Palace."
"All of this is due to my dereliction of duty. My sister, Consort Shu, actually died from the oleander pollen of Consort Li."
Empress Zhaoyuan sighed, her face full of self-reproach.
"Back then, when Consort Shu was pregnant, I should have carefully observed her diet."
If other poisons or a larger dose of oleander were administered, the imperial physicians would not have failed to detect it. However, with such a small dose administered over a long period of time, the imperial physicians could not detect it.
Yun Beiye glanced at the Empress with dissatisfaction. "Hmph, it's not like this is the first time you've neglected your duties."
Empress Zhaoyuan was so frightened that she hurriedly knelt on the ground, "Your Majesty, please calm down!"
"It's all my fault!"
"Your Majesty knows your mistake, Your Majesty will do your utmost to rectify the harem!"
Yun Beiye looked at the Empress, his sinister eyes flashing with cold light.
If none of this had happened, Duoduo would have had her biological mother to protect her for life, and she wouldn't have had to endure so much at such a young age.
"I request permission to go to Ganye Temple to pray for my sister, Consort Shu!"
Empress Zhaoyuan knelt before Yun Beiye, awaiting his judgment.
"Go, go to Ganye Temple and repent properly."
Yun Beiye waved his hand, and Empress Zhaoyuan quickly left Zichen Palace upon seeing this.
Only Yun Beiye and Zhao Zhongquan remained in the Zichen Palace. Yun Beiye sighed, his face full of guilt: "Do you think Duoduo will blame me?"
"Fifteen years have passed before Consort Shu's innocence was finally restored."
"Duoduo must have been investigating the truth all along."
Zhao Zhongquan quickly comforted her, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. Your Majesty is busy with countless affairs of state and is burdened with state affairs. The Ninth Princess is so kind and intelligent, she will surely understand."
Yun Beiye remained silent, staring blankly at the memorials on the table.
...
The next morning, Yun Duoduo, Empress Zhaoyuan, and others went to Ganye Temple.
Along the way, whenever Yun Duoduo had a spare moment, she would start copying scriptures, preparing to hold a grand Buddhist ceremony for her mother at Ganye Temple to pray for her well-being.
In addition to Ganye Temple, the palace also invited a holy monk to perform a ritual for Consort Shu's soul, and Mujin Palace was also renovated.
Although Consort Li was guilty of grave sins, she was still a member of the imperial harem, and her affairs were arranged by the head maid.
In no time, the news that Consort Li had murdered Consort Shu spread like wildfire throughout the palace.
Everyone knew about Consort Li's suicide and the Seventh Prince's decision to become a monk, which left the palace maids and eunuchs deeply saddened.
Yun Beiye was furious upon hearing this and ordered that no one in the palace should mention the matter again.
He couldn't let Yun Duoduo hear so many rumors and discussions when she returned, and he certainly wouldn't allow royal affairs to be used as gossip fodder.
...
Zhao Zhongquan invited many skilled craftsmen from the common people to renovate the palace and began preparations for the coming-of-age ceremony.
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