Chapter 97 Death
On November 20th, the 26th year of the Kangxi reign, the weather was gloomy and it looked like it would rain at any time, and everyone felt heavy in their hearts.
On this day, Kangxi, the Crown Prince and important officials of the court set out from the Qianqing Palace and walked to the Temple of Heaven to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth and pray for the Empress Dowager, who was 75 years old and seriously ill.
Under the watchful eyes of the public, Kangxi climbed the steps leading to the Temple of Heaven step by step until he reached the top.
Kangxi took the three incense sticks handed to him by the monk.
The wind blew, and the misty smoke drifted to the ninth heaven in the direction of the wind.
If there really are gods and Buddhas above the Nine Heavens, and if these gods and Buddhas in the sky are really spiritual, they would definitely be able to sense that the aroma of incense contains Aisin-Gioro Xuanye's most pious wishes.
I, Aisin-Gioro Xuanye, Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, am willing to sacrifice my own life in exchange for the good health and longevity of my most respected grandmother.
Kangxi made a silent wish in his heart.
Then Kangxi knelt down, performed the complete ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows, inserted the incense into the incense burner, and stood up again.
Just at this moment, rays of sunlight completely tore apart the haze, and golden light sprinkled on the ground, like a miracle.
Kangxi remained calm as he faced his ministers, watching them kowtow to him and shouting, "God bless the Qing!"
Kangxi did not feel much in his heart. He had done everything he should do. Now he just wanted to return to the Cining Palace as soon as possible to accompany his grandmother.
Maybe praying really does work.
The next day, the Empress Dowager actually woke up from her coma, and her condition was even better than before. At least now the Empress Dowager could sit up, stretch, and speak.
Looking at her grandson with red eyes, the Empress Dowager touched his head as she did to the young Kangxi.
"Xuanye, the Royal Grandmother made you worried."
Seeing the deathly look in the Empress Dowager's still loving eyes, Kangxi held back his tears and shook his head, "Grandson is waiting for you to get better before teaching me."
The Empress Dowager smiled with relief, "I have nothing left to teach you."
Looking at her life, she married Huang Taiji from Mongolia when she was a teenager, and then moved into the Forbidden City from outside the Great Wall. She never thought that she would stay in this city for most of her life.
As a woman, she supported the foundation of the Qing Dynasty alone, even though she was ruthless to her husband and at odds with her son. Fortunately, she still left a good enough emperor for the Qing Dynasty.
Kangxi knelt in front of her bed with red eyes.
After going around in circles for another half a month, Kangxi handed over all the precious medicinal materials that could be used and those that could not be used to the Imperial Medical Bureau, hoping to prolong the life of the Empress Dowager.
He didn't ask for too much, he just hoped that the Empress Dowager could spend another New Year with him.
It’s a pity that life and death are determined by fate.
On December 25th, the Empress Dowager entered her final moments of death.
On this day, it was snowing heavily, and the eaves of the Cining Palace and the trees in the courtyard were covered with crystal icicles.
But no one cared about the weather at this time.
There were many people kneeling in the courtyard, including the imperial concubines, the princes and princesses, and the royal family. As there was no room for them to kneel in the courtyard, many concubines of lower rank knelt outside the Cining Palace.
There were only a few people in the room: Kangxi, the Empress Dowager, the Crown Prince, Imperial Noble Consort Tong Jia, Su Malagu, and Consort Xuan who was crying so hard that she couldn't speak.
Several people gathered around the Empress Dowager's bed, and she began to tell her last words one by one.
She glanced at the Empress Dowager, Concubine Xuan and Sumalagu, the three people who lived under her wing. In the end, what worried her most was the relationship between the Qing Dynasty and Mongolia.
"I know you have been afraid of Mongolia for a long time... But Xuanye, I want you to promise me that the Qing Dynasty cannot be hostile to Mongolia."
"I agree... I will listen to my grandmother..." Kangxi quickly agreed. At this moment, no matter what, he was unwilling to contradict the Empress Dowager's opinion.
"That... that's good."
The Empress Dowager looked at Crown Prince Yinreng again, who was also extremely grief-stricken at the moment, and his body could not help but tremble slightly.
Seeing the Empress Dowager looking over, Yinreng quickly stepped forward and shouted, "Ukuma Ma..."
"Mammy is here." The Empress Dowager replied weakly, "It's a pity that I can't live to see Baocheng's wedding."
Then he told Imperial Noble Consort Tong Jia, "I know you are weak, so when I die, don't worry too much about the funeral. Take care of yourself first."
Tong Jia nodded with red eyes.
"Okay, call the children in. I want to see them again."
The eldest prince, the third prince, the eldest princess, the second princess...
After the Empress Dowager had met everyone, she held Kangxi's hand again and told him that he did not need to bury her with Taizong.
She and Huang Taiji were destined to be together by accident in this life, and she didn't want to go down there and disturb his sleep.
After saying this, the Empress Dowager seemed to have lost all her energy, and her hand slipped from Kangxi's.
"Grandmother!" Kangxi shouted.
A group of people came forward and surrounded the bed.
The Empress Dowager glanced at everyone's face one last time with a nostalgic look, and finally closed her eyes forever.
"Royal Grandmother!"
"Ukuma Mama!"
Unfortunately, the Empress Dowager could no longer hear.
Boom—boom—boom—
The heavy death knell rang in everyone's heart.
Everyone looked up at the heavy snow falling from the sky.
The only Empress Dowager of the Qing Dynasty who lived through four dynasties passed away.
The next second, cries rang out one after another.
Yuying had been kneeling in the snow for so long that she felt numb. She hadn't reacted yet when the crying sounded suddenly.
Seeing that her own queen was still staring blankly, Qingdai hurriedly and carefully reminded her: "My queen, please cry...you have to cry out loud..."
Qingdai was afraid that someone would notice Yuying at this time and accuse her of disrespect.
Yuying reacted quickly.
But she couldn't cry. She felt her whole body was frozen, and even her tears were frozen in her eyes.
So she hardened her heart and twisted her thigh, which caused her to cry in pain.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs acted quickly, and soon the palace was hung with white banners. A mourning hall was also set up in the Cining Palace for those who came to mourn to pay their respects.
Tong Jia led a group of concubines to kneel in front of the mourning hall. Not only that, she also had to receive clan ladies and did everything herself.
The weather was cold in winter, and many concubines even fainted from crying or fell ill from the cold and were waiting for Tong Jia to make arrangements. The empress dowager and the princes and princesses also had to be taken care of. Tong Jia had not rested for several days.
Since the death of the Empress Dowager, Kangxi has not spoken a word, nor eaten or drank. He sits in front of the coffin and has no interest in anything.
Even if the prince came to persuade him, it would be useless.
Liang Jiugong was so anxious that blisters appeared on his mouth.
At this time, Wei Zhu gave him an idea, "Master, how about we let Concubine Jin give it a try?"
Liang Jiugong glanced at Kangxi's figure. Even the Crown Prince couldn't do anything about it, so would it be helpful if Concubine Jin came?
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