mesbooks Chapter 427 The Emperor's Final Instructions
Chapter 427 The Emperor's Final Instructions
Upon receiving the news, the concubines and princesses in the harem rushed to the emperor's bedchamber in tears.
All the ministers came out and knelt in front of the hall, leaving the space to the concubines and princesses in the harem. Now, apart from the palace servants, only the Crown Prince and Xia Yu remained in the hall.
"Your Majesty, you've finally agreed to see us... Waaah." The mournful cries of the palace concubines could be heard intermittently from inside the hall.
"Father, Father, your daughters are here! Please open your eyes and look at us..." The princesses who had already married had not yet arrived. At this moment, the only ones kneeling and crying in front of the dragon bed were the two princesses who had not yet come of age.
Xia Yu knelt on the ground, watching the concubines and princesses enter one after another. Their attire was very casual, indicating that they had rushed here after receiving the news. However, the Empress, the favored Consort Jiang, and her daughter, Princess Yue, were not among them.
"Stop crying, everyone, I have something to say..." The crying in the hall made the emperor feel somewhat irritated.
His words plunged the hall into silence, with only soft sobs remaining.
However, the Emperor did not speak immediately, but instead lay on his dragon bed with his eyes closed. Everyone knew that he was waiting for the Empress and Consort Jiang to arrive.
Those who have survived under Consort Jiang's rule are all shrewd individuals, not because these concubines are particularly cunning, but because they are obedient and perceptive. They have quietly lived their lives in the harem all these years, without vying for power or influence, yet their monthly allowances and provisions are plentiful. Why bother fighting for that fleeting, illusory favor? They clearly see that the Emperor's entire heart is with that wretched woman; no one can outdo her. A few outstanding beauties used to try and rival Consort Jiang, but now they're probably rotten to the bone.
The Empress arrived before the people in the palace had to wait long. If she hadn't been wearing her usual empress's robes, Xia Yu wouldn't have recognized her as the Empress.
Although her face bore the marks of time, Xia Yu could tell she was exceptionally beautiful. But her beauty differed from the flamboyant beauty of Consort Jiang. Her beauty was understated and serene. When she entered, Xia Yu smelled sandalwood, a common incense in Buddhist halls. It seemed the rumors that the Empress devoted herself to Buddhism and secluded herself were true.
This was Xia Yu's first time meeting the Empress. Last time, even when the envoy from Mo Ke arrived, the Empress declined to attend, citing illness.
Upon seeing her enter, all the concubines and princesses quickly knelt down to pay their respects.
"Rise, all of you." The Empress's voice, like her personality, was calm and reassuring. Unlike the other concubines, she did not weep. She simply sat quietly by the couch, looking at the man she had once loved, without saying a word.
Perhaps sensing someone watching, the emperor opened his eyes, and it took him a moment to see the empress's face clearly.
"The Empress has arrived!"
"Your Majesty, it's me. How are you feeling?" The conversation was calm, yet Xia Yu felt a strange pang of sorrow. The fact that she could remain so calm and composed in the face of her seriously ill husband probably meant that her heart was already dead.
"Empress, I have failed you..." The Emperor looked at the Empress, who had been married to him for more than twenty years. The woman he had wronged the most in his life was the Empress.
"Your Majesty is too kind. I understand." Understanding, but not agreement. The Empress hated this palace; this square courtyard had confined her for life. If he didn't love her, why did he marry her in the first place? She had asked herself this question many times. But she didn't need to ask again and again; she already knew the answer: the Emperor had valued her family's prestige in court and her father's military power.
Fortunately, the Emperor wasn't heartless and didn't discard her family after using them. Although her father had been stripped of his military power, her family still retained their honor, receiving personal gifts during festivals. The Emperor loved Consort Jiang, but with the Jiang family holding military power, they couldn't produce another Empress to rule the inner palace. Therefore, while she possessed the honor and title of Empress, she received no imperial favor. Consort Jiang enjoyed the Emperor's boundless affection, but could only remain a Consort.
But she heard that the Emperor had adopted the newly appointed Crown Prince into the Imperial Concubine's family. "Heh, he really is devoted!" the Empress thought to herself upon hearing this news.
Just then, I heard a series of chaotic footsteps outside.
"Your Majesty..." Consort Jiang's weak voice came from outside the hall. Everyone turned to look and saw two palace maids supporting Consort Jiang's arms on either side, with the wet nurse carrying Princess Yueyue behind them. More than twenty palace maids followed behind. Their procession was even more grand than that of the Empress.
"Zhen'er..." Upon hearing Consort Jiang's voice, the Emperor opened his eyes, struggled to lift his head, and looked towards the palace entrance. The two palace maids supporting Consort Jiang quickened their pace, escorting the frail Consort Jiang to the Emperor's bedside.
The moment the Empress saw her enter, she rose from her seat without hesitation and sat in the armchair brought by the palace servants, giving that seat to the couple in the palace to reunite.
When they saw each other's appearance, they were both stunned for a moment. They hadn't seen each other for a few days and both looked so haggard.
"Your Majesty..." Consort Jiang cried out in sorrow, then buried her face in the Emperor's arms and began to sob.
The Emperor held Consort Jiang's back, stroking her gently to comfort her.
"Zhen'er, you... have lost weight," the Emperor said with pity.
"Your Majesty, Zhen'er's heart is breaking... Waaah... Our son is gone... It feels like a piece of my heart has been ripped out!" Since the death of the eldest prince, she hadn't seen the emperor, and they had both fallen ill. At this moment, she had endless grievances and pain in her heart that she wanted to cry out to the emperor.
"Cough cough... Zhen'er, my heart is the same as yours, that is also my son." The emperor held his beloved woman, thinking of the son they shared, and his heart ached beyond measure.
The kneeling concubines watched the pitifully weeping couple with detached amusement, as if watching a play. Over the years, which of them hadn't seen Consort Jiang's coquettish antics? But now that the Emperor was nearing his end, Consort Jiang still only knew how to act coquettishly, showing no concern for the Emperor's health. They truly didn't understand what the Emperor saw in her.
"Ahem, Your Majesty, only a few princesses who are to be married have not yet arrived; everyone in the harem is here." The Empress cleared her throat, reminding the Emperor to get down to business first, lest he suddenly pass away.
The Emperor felt his life force draining away, so he mustered his strength, patted Consort Jiang's back, and pushed her out of his arms.
"Crown Prince, Wenfu, come closer." The Emperor suddenly called out to Zhou Luo and Xia Yu.
The Emperor's words successfully drew the attention of everyone in the room.
'Crown Prince? Where did this Crown Prince come from! Isn't the First Prince dead?' Almost everyone thought this, except for the Empress and Consort Jiang.
Then they saw the boy kneeling behind them, whose face was remarkably similar to the emperor's.
"Father"
"Father"
Zhou Luo and Xia Yu simultaneously addressed the Emperor as "Father." Their use of this title startled Consort Jiang and the Empress. There was no way around it; Xia Yu's title of "Princess Wenfu" was so newly bestowed that it was still fresh in everyone's memory. Apart from the ministers outside the hall, no one else knew about it.
"Your Majesty, didn't you betroth my maiden Qile to the Crown Prince? And who is Lady Wenfu?" Consort Jiang couldn't hold back any longer and asked on the spot.
The others found Xia Yu calling the Emperor "Father Emperor" strange, but hadn't had time to think about it deeply. But Consort Jiang was different. She knew the Emperor had betrothed his niece to the Crown Prince as his wife, so what was Lady Wenfu doing now? Was she a concubine of the Crown Prince?