Chapter 20 Chapter Twenty

After the imperial physician's decoction continued to pour in, the queen finally woke up at the moment of Haishi.The queen's face was no longer as pale as before, but had a little coral-colored blush, and she had the strength to speak slowly. She coughed a few times, and through the thin plain gauze screen, she saw a bright yellow shadow outside, knowing that the emperor was guarding outside, her cold heart that was as cold as powder warmed slightly, and said with difficulty: "Your Majesty..." Qi Lu heard the words: "Your Majesty, the empress is awake. You..." The emperor's expression was painful and exhausted. He had refilled the strong tea at hand several times.Hearing Qi Lu's invitation, he stood up and said, "I'm going to see the queen."

The queen's palace has a strong smell of herbs, mixed with the decadent smell of a woman who is about to die.That smell is like a rotten flower that blooms deep in the ground. The gorgeous petals and plump juice are still there, but it has shown signs of black rot and wilting. The emperor suddenly felt pity and pity, but he also unconsciously remembered the appearance of Xiyue before he died when he went to visit Xiyue.Xiyue's dying face gradually overlapped with that of the empress, the emperor frowned, with a chill in the corner of his mouth, he still sat in front of the empress' bed, and said softly, "Empress, are you awake?"

Two lines of tears fell from the corners of the queen's eyes, gliding weakly across her pale and wrinkled face, and said slowly: "Your Majesty, my concubine has been married to you for many years. I know that my life is numbered. But Chenqie never thought that when I opened my eyes, I could still see you by my side. Your Majesty... Chenqie, Chenqie is really happy." The emperor's tone was as soft as the wind in March, ironing and warm: "Queen, don't say such depressing words. Rest well, you are just frightened after falling into the water, and you will recover after a while."

The queen wanted to shake her head, but at this moment, shaking her head was already very tiring for her. After a long time of effort, she just tilted her head slightly: "Your Majesty, I know my own body. No blessing, I can't keep your elder brother who is born in the same family. Now at least Jingse has a good home. The concubine begs the emperor not to let Jingse stay in mourning for three years before getting married because of the concubine's death. Next year, next year will be a good one It’s the beginning of the year. Otherwise, it’s just as if she’s married to Mongolia long ago, and next year it’s just a make-up ceremony. She’s already seventeen, and she used to be reluctant to get married, but now she can’t afford to delay.”

The emperor nodded, and there were faint tears in the corner of his eyes: "Jingse is the only daughter of the empress and I, and I will definitely cherish her. The empress is at ease." He pondered for a moment, as if he had made up his mind, "Otherwise , I will make an exception and allow Jingse to set up another mansion after she gets married, and stay in the capital with her son-in-law." The queen's eyes lit up, and she was quite happy: "My concubine thanked the emperor. Your majesty, but this concubine still has one thing to ask. I know that I am not blessed, and God will not love me. I am afraid that time is running out. "She struggled to get up, but there was nothing she could do.The emperor stretched out his hand to support half of her body, and wanted to speak out to persuade her, but seeing her persistent face, he had no choice but to say: "If the queen has anything to say, just say it."

The queen leaned on the emperor's arm, and clearly felt that his hand was not very strong. Although she was supporting herself, she had restrained distance and strength.These years, he and her have been a married couple in terms of status, but why isn't this love for each other the same?Such a strong and warm body never belonged to him alone.The queen suddenly felt infinitely miserable, and only felt that the heart that had been so strong for half a lifetime was turned into a pile of ashes.Countless words struggled to come out of her tongue, and she gasped for a moment.Only then can I calm my mind: "Your Majesty, I know that I will die soon. Although I can't let go of my friendship with the Emperor for many years, I also know that the sky cannot be without the moon, and the harem cannot be without an owner." With dignity, I solemnly said, "The concubine, as the master of the six palaces in charge of Fengyin, recommends a successor to you. The pure noble concubine Su gave birth to the prince and made great contributions to the community. Serve carefully, be gentle and praise her, her virtue is enough Take charge of the harem behind the concubine and succeed the queen."

There was a coolness in the emperor's eyes, like the last frost in late autumn, covering the boundless wilderness.He still has the most gentle and appropriate smile, which makes people unconsciously feel close: "The queen is worried, you will be fine." The queen bit her dark purple lower lip and shook her head with all her strength: "I know that I can't do it anymore. The second princess, the second elder brother and the seventh elder brother of the minister are all waiting for the concubine below. Your majesty, the pure noble concubine she ..." The emperor's smile sank, and he managed to rise again: "Queen, you shouldn't think about these things. Queen is not only a title, a status, but also a person next to me. That's something I should measure, not you."

The queen's complexion gradually turned blue, like a piece of deep blue jade, but without the slightest radiance, her smile was as miserable as a leaf rustling: "Your Majesty, forgive me for speaking too much. Pure noble concubine, concubine Shu, even if you want to The courtiers and concubines are not worried about choosing another woman as the middle palace. But there is one person, absolutely not." A cruel and resentful light flashed in her eyes, "The noble concubine Xian was born in the Ulanara clan, how vicious the late emperor's Jingren palace empress is, You know it. The descendants of such a woman will definitely not be able to enter the main palace."

The emperor's calm tone was still the same, but there was a trace of obvious indifference: "Queen, I have said that you are too worried. If you are too worried, I will not listen." There was uncontrollable pain in the queen's eyes, jumping and almost bursting out sparks: "Your Majesty, since the concubine married into the hidden mansion, you only call the concubine Fujin. The concubine has to be loved by the emperor and is in the right position." Gong, but you only call my concubine the empress. Fujin and the empress are just a status and title." She gasped, "Your Majesty, you haven't called my concubine by name for a long time, you...do you remember the concubine's name?" Concubine's name?"

The emperor sat on the edge of the bed and patted the queen's hand comfortingly: "Queen, you are not in good health, don't worry about it anymore." Wherever the emperor's fingertips pass, there is a man's unique warmth, which makes the queen's body gradually chill, giving birth to endless greed.Once, once upon a time, these hands were what I longed for.But there was never a day when these hands truly belonged to him.On this day, it brushed against someone's rosy and delicate cheeks; on that day, it might stay on someone's plump and fluffy black hair.The queen was thinking in such a trance, a gleam of heartache and unwillingness flashed in her eyes, like a shooting star across the sky, but it lost its brilliance in just a moment. "Your Majesty, the name of the concubine, the name is... Langyan, which means 'Langmei Blessed Land, Guanghua among girls'."

The emperor nodded, with some warmth in his eyes, and said softly: "Your name. It looks like a queen." "Your majesty!" The queen leaned on the bed, suddenly raised her body, and shouted fiercely.That voice was too hasty and sharp, with the crisp sound of jade breaking. Immediately, a palace maid came in from outside and called carefully: "Your Majesty, what orders does the Empress have?" The emperor waved his hand gently: "Go down. The queen just called me." He paused, and then ordered, "No one is allowed to come in and disturb my conversation with the queen without my summons." The palace people retreated respectfully, the empress's expression weakened, half of her thin shoulders leaned against the blue-colored tent inlaid with five-bat-golden threads, and the whole person seemed to be a shadow, vaguely imprinted there.There was a broken and choked sob in her throat: "Your Majesty, why does this concubine want you to be called by your name like a wife? Is it so difficult? Sometimes my concubine is really unwilling and afraid." The emperor snorted lightly, as if he couldn't believe it: "Afraid? You are the eldest daughter of the Fucha clan, the former Prince Bao's wife Fujin. My queen in the middle palace, what is so scary about you? The so-called reluctance is just because you are greedy. Too much, just unwilling to be satisfied." The candlelight brightly illuminated the drowsiness of the room, but it seemed that it could not illuminate her gloomy state of mind.At this moment, she didn't look like a noble daughter who was the mother of the world, but like some kind of damp plant that shrank in a corner and couldn't see the sun, timid and humble.She didn't know where her thoughts wandered, and she said foolishly: "The concubine has been taught how to be a regular wife since she was in her boudoir. She is a husband and a child. She is in charge of family affairs. It is a blessing for the concubine to be able to marry the prince. The concubine knows it by herself. Since the news, every day has been joyful and full of anticipation. Even if it is known that Zhu Ying married the emperor first, the concubine is just a little sad, and then forgets about it. But the emperor, until the concubine married From the day I gave it to you, the concubine knew that his life was not easy. You have so many concubines, except for the family sister Zhu Ying, the Gao family is delicate, and she has Ama to help you: Ulanara is proud, born But they are noble. The two of them specialize in favor, and even the concubine, the concubine, had to give them two points. Why did the emperor care about the grievances? In your eyes, wives and concubines compete for favor, but it is a trivial matter, but in the eyes of the concubine, But it is a matter of honor and disgrace. Fortunately, they compete with each other and there is no peace. But the concubine knows that no matter who wins, the next one is to fight for the position of Fujin. And later Jin's charming, Su The concubine found out that she was naive. It turned out that she had never really had a complete husband. But the concubine could not complain, hate, let alone tell it, and lost her status as a self-study. The concubine really wanted to endure , I really want to be a good wife, worthy of my many years of upbringing. But my concubine is just a woman, I want to get the love and affection of my husband, watching you go in and out of the concubine's pavilion every night, watching them charming you, as the main wife , although I disdain to please you like this, but how can I feel better in my heart!" The emperor didn't seem to bear it, and he didn't want to listen any longer. His tone was so indifferent that he couldn't hear any closeness or alienation, as if he was an irrelevant person, he just said: "The empress is too worried." "Worried too much?" A cold and disdainful smile bloomed on the queen's lips, like a white and glamorous flower, blooming in the distance between the ice and snow, "The concubine is not worried, but has to think." You praised Gao Xiyue's family background, and her father Gao Bin! You supported Wulanara Ruyi secretly, even when she was in the cold palace, you still kept her piece of silk by your side, and you never forgot her things How can ministers and concubines be stable? The position of empress is good, but since the past dynasties, there have been many cases of favored concubines bullying empresses. The more women you like, the more children you will have. The concubine and the children of the concubine are receiving less and less favor. How can the concubine not be afraid, how can he be reconciled? The concubine...the concubine will not live in such fear for a day and cannot live in peace." "Unable to live in peace?" The emperor faced each other coldly, with a disdainful smile on his lips to draw a clear distance between Chuhe and Han, "You have a noble background, the status of a first wife, both children, and you are in the middle palace. What else do you have?" Why not be safe?" The queen's breathing was gradually suffocated, rapid and heavy, and the sound was like a misplaced drum beat, beating desperately.Suddenly, there was a great pain in her chest, his alienation turned out to be her despair.Such unprecedented despair occupied her body and mind that was about to be broken. "Your majesty, you treat your concubine as if you are indifferent, and the concubine has never been able to grasp your heart. The concubine knows that you are going to make fun of me, but have you ever thought about it? Empress, the people in the Six Palaces are gathered together, and the servants are standing on the top of the peak. The servants have nothing to rely on, if your mind changes, everything that the servants have that seems to be safe will disappear." The queen's cry She was full of sorrow, she was a very imaginary person, how could she withstand such intense emotions, she had to lie on the bed and pant on her back, like a fish that was about to dry up after being out of the water for too long, the palace was extremely quiet Occasionally, the blue sparrow boat undulates evenly and gently with the fluctuation of the water surface, like the cradle gently shaken by the mother in the distant time, urging people to sleep, straight to sleep.The red candle on the gold-plated candlestick has been burning for a long time, and the tears of the candle are slowly falling down, clicking, clicking, like coral beads. The emperor quietly listened to the subtle noises around him. After a long time, he was also moved: "Queen, you have never said so much to me, never. So even I don't know, so you are so unstable. , so scared. It’s just a queen... People can’t have too many wishes, too many, and even the gods won’t bless them. I am not born of my aunt, and I have suffered a lot of grievances since I was a child, so I especially hope that my crown prince can be a queen I was born in the first place. So I respect you, tolerate you, and cherish the two elder brothers you gave birth to. Even if Yong Cong is still in his infancy, I already have the intention of establishing a heir, you all know this. For Ah My buddy's reputation in the future, many things, I will turn a blind eye and close one eye. I just don't know." The emperor suddenly slowed down, leaned down, with a slightly mysterious look, and whispered in the queen's ear: "Other It’s nothing more than a matter, I’ve heard that it’s just dirty ears, just clean them up. But in a few days, it will be the birthday of Emperor Zhemin, and I’ve always wanted to ask you, your sister Zhuying, who is she? How did she die? Don't you feel uneasy every time she dies on her birthday?" As if thunder rumbled over the sky, the queen's body shook violently, she opened her eyes wide and said in a turbid and tearful voice, "Your Majesty, there have been rumors in the palace for many years that the concubine was jealous of Zhu Ying's birth of the eldest son, so she killed him. Kill her! So you think so too!" The emperor's handsome face was full of doubts: "Then what about A Ruo, since A Ruo was comforted by you, then Mei Concubine and Yi Concubine's children died in vain, so naturally it was you, right?" The queen's voice was suddenly mournful, and she threw it high into the clouds, then raised her right hand and pointed to the sky again, and said, "I swear, I swear by the honor and well-being of the entire Fucha family for a hundred years, Zhu Ying's death is definitely not the result of my minister's death." The concubine did it! And the sons of Concubine Mei and Concubine Yi were indeed persecuted by Concubine Xian, so don’t do anything about concubines!” The emperor stretched out his hand, and gently held her right hand that swore to the sky, and said gently: "The queen is really sick and confused. If the oath is useful, what do I need to do?" The queen's bleeding lips trembled violently: "Everything I have done in my life is to preserve the noble glory of the Fucha family, and to be worthy of the glory that the Fucha family's ancestors bought with blood and sweat! If you have no choice, the minister Why should the concubine put people to death and leave a suspicion of threatening the entire Fucha clan? Your Majesty, the concubine loves his son for selfishness, and wants Yonghuang to fend for himself. Let them die! What's more, let's get rid of the sons of Concubine Mei and Concubine Yi! The two of them come from humble backgrounds, so what if they give birth to the prince, they will definitely not shake the position of the concubine, what are the concubines bothering to do?" "What are you doing?" the emperor snorted, "You have already made it clear that it is for the Fucha clan that you miss so much! Ruyi's aunt was the former emperor and empress. You have always been afraid of her background, and you don't like her temperament. Except for the sons of Meizhen and Concubine Yi, besides Ruyi by the way, wouldn’t it suit you? Besides, Concubine Mei and Concubine Yiniang were from lowly backgrounds, so if Ruyi and Concubine Huixian gave birth to a prince, you would think it was Are you shaking the position of the son-in-law? Even for the imperial concubine Huixian who has always obeyed you, didn’t you give her such a precious emerald bead wrapped with silk and red gold lotus bracelet to prevent the future? Even if Ruyi entered the cold palace, Snake bites fire, diet harms you, you can do it with ease!" There was a moment of dead silence that almost drove one mad.The queen laughed hoarsely, as if she had exhausted all her strength, and said sadly: "Yes, the concubine is to prevent the noble concubine from giving birth to a child, and because she hates Ruyi's publicity in the past, so she punished her after she entered the cold palace. The torture was also because Gao told his concubine Ruyi to curse Yonglian in the cold palace and wanted to kill him to vent her anger. But the fire in the cold palace and the poisoning of Ruyi, I really don't know!" She hated to the extreme, looking at him in confusion. Looking around, the thin hands are like stumps in the snow tightly entangled with the apricot-colored twisted silver thread tassels hanging from the bed curtain.The tassels were originally extremely tough, and her hands were strangled with blue or purple marks. The queen held on tightly, as if this was the only way to support her body that would fall down at any time.Her originally gentle and dignified almond eyes were rounded, and her nucleus was almost popping out. She hissed mournfully: "These things, who harmed the concubine? Who wanted to kill the concubine?" "Who wants to kill you?" The emperor couldn't bear it anymore, and said contemptuously: "You have committed evil, you can't live. You killed yourself yourself!" The queen's eyes jumped, and she stared at the emperor suddenly, from hot to cold, her expression was almost crazy: "It turns out that the emperor knew about these things a long time ago, but he forbears to ask his concubines until now. Is this your right?" Grace or the injustice of my concubine?" The emperor's expression was as calm as water, and the sharpness of his words was hidden in his leisurely tone: "I know a little about what you have done these years from other people. You have some personal morals, but you are my queen. As As an empress, you are thrifty and self-effacing when you bear children for me. You are not jealous and bitter towards your concubines. Let you become a stain in my country and age, and let the royal family become the laughing stock of the world." Just like a gorgeous robe, even if the bottom is eaten by moths and ants, and it is dilapidated, he still has to keep the appearance of gold and jade.After many years of husband and wife, of course there is no shortage of kindness, but she repeatedly pushes her forward and never understands his point, and eventually accumulates the kindness of those years into an unspeakable boredom.It was only when he thought of the innocent smiling face of their common child that his emotions eased a little.He knew that she was gentle by nature, not as harsh as he knew later, and he also knew that she would try her best to maintain such gentleness, but in the future, she would eventually become estranged gradually, leaving only the politeness that is due to etiquette. The queen listened quietly, all emotions gradually calmed down under her restraint, and finally returned to the usual grace and peace.She struggled and struggled, and finally supported herself and bowed down, and said coldly: "The emperor cares about the face of the royal family and his own face to protect his concubines, it is really a holy grace." She raised her face and looked at the emperor, "Since it is The emperor's favor, the concubine has to repay the favor, so I will forgive the concubine and say it bluntly. It is true that the concubine is doing her best for the Fucha clan, but why don't you do everything for your own heart? You have such a temperament, although you are wise and smart, but Those close to me are all hurt by this. Up to now, the concubine has been responsible for the evil done by the concubine. But no matter who is the successor, with you one day, I am afraid that the end will not be better than that of the concubine today The concubine just opened these eyes and watched from the sky!" Emperor Shi Shiran stood up, not paying attention at all, walked to the red sandalwood carved peony table, glanced at the refreshments on the table, and said in a deep voice: "There is no definite number of things in this world, does the queen still think about the cause and effect behind her? The queen It's better to take care of yourself, the days between me and you are still long." When the emperor walked outside the pavilion, a gust of cold night wind blowing over his face, silently attached to his body, like an unexpected invasion.He shivered unconsciously, the anger that he was trying to suppress in his heart suddenly sprang up thick tongues of fire, and the burning smell of his flesh when he was licked and burned, there was a hint of pity.Such an upright and dignified woman, when she was dying, would be so mournful.He never thought that a daughter of a prominent family like her would yearn for his tenderness like his own concubines from humble backgrounds. At that moment, a thought almost shook his mind like rolling thunder.If, what Lang Ye said is true; if, she has not done so many wrong things. If, all the frustrations to Ruyi and the harem are really limited to A Ruo's ignorance and cruelty. So, has this woman been missed by him a lot? In a moment of ignorance, he suddenly recalled that in the past, when the red candles were flickering into pairs, he had sincerely looked forward to getting a virtuous and gentle lady from a famous family to accompany him as his wife for life. Lang Ye, although it was not his own choice, it was still a very good choice.The moment he met with the golden silk silk and red cover, she also said sincerely and expectantly: "The concubine is willing to use the century-old glory of the Fucha family to be with her husband, to bear children for her husband, and to be a virtuous wife." room." Perhaps in the past, they all sincerely hoped that the future would be bright and beautiful without any danger. But in the end, he and she lost their common children one by one.The eldest daughter, the second son, and the seventh son.The only remaining one, Jing Se, is now going to marry as a woman, and she is not allowed to marry her. Is this the only thing that can be left behind from a decades-old marriage? The emperor shook his head vigorously, as if he wanted to get rid of the trouble of this displeasure, he simply walked forward.Li Yu had already brought people to wait outside. Seeing the emperor coming out alone with his hands behind his back, he looked at the emperor's expression and asked obediently: "The emperor's face is not very good-looking, is he worried about the condition of the empress? The emperor is really affectionate." , has been with the empress empress." The emperor didn't answer, Li Yu hurriedly stopped talking, and asked respectfully, "Your Majesty, it's late at night. Please, where are you going?" The emperor raised his face and said without thinking, "Go to Concubine Xian." Li Yu resoundingly agreed, helped the emperor and said, "Hey, the emperor gets up." A group of people meandered, but after a few steps, they could only hear loud wailing behind them, and the palace people burst into tears.Zhao Yitai rushed out, knelt down outside the queen's blue bird boat and cried out in grief: "The queen passed away—" The emperor was stunned, and a cold wind rushed into his eyes unexpectedly, pulling his eyelashes, such a subtle and almost imperceptible pain, like fine cracks, gradually spread.His voice was suddenly sad, scattered like broken beads in the deep night: "Yong Lian, Yong Cong, don't be afraid if you are underground, your mother-in-law is here to accompany you."