C264 (2/2)
”Imperial Concubine Rong, stop talking!” Xuan Ye suddenly interrupted Rong'er's words in a soft voice. ”The crown prince should return to the palace to rest. The counselor's shop has prepared food for us. We should also go take a rest.”
”Your servant commands!” The consultant was excited as he heard the order.
When Rong'er saw it, Rong'er understood what Xuan Ye meant. He was telling Rong'er that he would treat himself with care, so that the Empress Dowager wouldn't worry about him in the sky and they wouldn't worry about him. Xuan Ye didn't say anything, but he nodded emphatically and turned around to look at Yin, ”Si'er, go back to the palace and rest.”
”Huang'ma, you will not rest. I will not rest either.” Yin Ying said sensibly.
Xuan Ye nodded his head in gratification. ”Huang Ama will go to rest, and you will also go back to rest. Someone send His Highness back to the palace!” Xuan Ye instructed.
Rong'er walked over to Yin He, took the coat from the eunuch, and put it on Yin He. ”Rong's mother knows that the crown prince misses his great-grandmother, but only if the crown prince is healthy and safe will he be able to leave!”
Yin He nodded, ”Rongniao, you rest early too!” Finished speaking, he saluted and left.
Rong'er supported Xuan Ye to a warm pavilion beside the Mourning Hall. Ever since the empress dowager fell ill, Xuan Ye had always stayed within this warm pavilion so that he could serve the empress dowager at any time.
The imperial kitchens had been preparing the food all this time, so it was quickly brought in. It was light porridge. He went to Xuan Ye's side to feed him. Xuan Ye did not refuse, but asked Rong'er to feed him one mouthful at a time, even eating a bowl of porridge. The counselor had been worrying about Xuan Ye for the past few days, so he was happy and said, ”Thank god the emperor has finally eaten.”
Xuan Ye looked at Rong'er and softly said, ”It was I who had worried everyone.”
”Everyone understands that the emperor is filial, that the empress dowager passed away, and that the emperor is grieving. However, the emperor is the Son of Heaven of the Great Qing. ”The emperor knows that the empress dowager has worked hard all her life to carry the mountains and rivers of the Great Qing Empire. The emperor cannot let the ancestor down!” Rong'er said gently.
”Yes, I will rest. I will eat!” Xuan Ye hummed softly. ”It's already so late. You should hurry back to the palace and rest. The palace has to be managed in all aspects, and Imperial Consort Yi's body isn't feeling well even in winter. You still have to take care of her.”
”Yes, Your Majesty is going to rest. Your concubine will be returning soon. Your majesty, rest assured, helping Imperial Noble Concubine Yi and Imperial Concubine Wen to look after the harem is your humble concubine's duty.” Rong'er said softly and stood up to leave.
”You've worked hard.” Xuan Ye nodded tiredly.
Walking out of the chamber, Rong'er passed through the mourning hall and walked in again. There were also buddhist monks and palace maids and spiritual ministers standing guard there, gazing at the empress dowager's coffin from afar, their vision blurring once again. The scene before her seemed unreal, she really hoped that this was a dream, and after waking up from the dream, the empress dowager would look at her benevolently, telling her to cherish the feelings the emperor had for her, to never be jealous, to tell her to forgive the emperor, to get along with her sisters … The candles inside the mourning hall swayed violently a few times before a cold wind blew in from the door. The cold feeling on her body was so distinct that it clearly told her that this was not a dream. The empress dowager had really left …
”Old Ancestor, Rong'er misses you …” Looking at the empress dowager's coffin, her tears flowed even faster. In the spring, the empress dowager smiled at Rong'er and said, ”Rong'er, is the soup comfortable?” Rong'er melted under the empress dowager's smile, his tears already blurring. The empress dowager's smile within the mist became more and more blurry, like the thin fog in a spring of soup. Rong'er wanted to see the empress dowager's smile with all his might, but it grew further and further away. ”Old ancestor, Old ancestor …” ”Chenqie really misses you …” Rong'er cried in the mourning hall...
Although Xuan Ye had eaten, he continued to cry bitterly and his body became extremely weak. The ministers repeatedly exhorted him to return to the palace and to rest well, not allowing him to do so. On the second day of the first month, when the Emperor's overseer offered wine to the Emperor, the Emperor's student Liu Qizui and five hundred other officials expressed their disapproval that the Emperor's three years of mourning would not be feasible. On the fourth day of the first month of the month, the Cabinet Kings, Beler, Bey, and other ministers of the civil and military all played together.
After everyone's admonishment, and in order for the empress dowager's spirit in heaven to be at ease, Xuan Ye finally listened to the ministers' commands. He replaced the days of submission with those of months, twenty-seven days of submission, and so on, and so on. He refused to accept it, and his heart could still guard the empress dowager, as long as the empress's heart remained filial piety for the empress dowager, the result would be the same. Xuan Ye agreed, and in the end decided to follow the old twenty-seventh day, but he still had to show his filial piety.
He moved the coffin to the funeral director of the empress dowager who was near Xiao Ling. Xuan Ye did not bring the empress dowager back to Sheng Jing to be buried with Tai Zong, which was the last wish of the empress dowager. When the empress dowager was still alive, she had asked Tai Zong to pass away, and it was not good to open the mausoleum to Tai Zong. Since she had already entered the Central Plains, she wanted to stay closer to her son.
Xuan Ye complied with his last wishes. In April of 27 years, Kang Xi placed the empress dowager temporarily in the ”temporary palace” next to the Shunzhi of the Changri Mountains.