Chapter 400

Chapter 400 Nanny Li wiped her tears. "When the Empress heard the news of Consort Yun's passing, she vomited blood and fainted. The imperial physician said that grief harms the body, and that mouthful of blood drained all of Her Majesty's strength. I fear... she may not survive the day." Nanny Li felt that the more tears she wiped away, the more there were, and the handkerchief in her hand was completely soaked through. The Emperor's thick brows furrowed deeply, and the aura radiating from him was exceptionally oppressive. The Emperor: "And what of that Xia Dynasty spy?" Jing Wu replied from behind: "Reporting to Your Majesty, he has already been sent to the Department of Punishments for interrogation." "Pry his mouth open. I want to know who sent him to harm my Empress!" "Yes!" The Emperor continued: "Imperial Physician Jiang is to be thrown into the Imperial Prison, and send someone to summon Imperial Physician Xie to the palace immediately. Not a moment's delay." The Emperor paused. "Investigate how Imperial Physician Xie's youngest son fell ill. I do not believe there are this many coincidences in this world!" At first glance, this matter appeared to be a carefully orchestrated scheme by the Xia Dynasty. But neither the Emperor nor Nanny Li and the others could understand—what was the Xia Dynasty trying to achieve by staging such a play, forcing the Empress to her death?! After dismissing the others, the Emperor sat by the bedside, his gaze deep as he looked at the Empress. His throat moved for a long time, yet he did not know what to say. They were husband and wife bound by marriage, yet they had never given each other their true hearts. Nearly ten years of marriage had made them friends, made them family—but they had never been in love. After he ascended the throne, the distance between them had only grown, and all they could discuss were the affairs of the harem. Now that things had come to this point, the Emperor found himself at a loss for words. The Empress slowly regained consciousness, and after a long moment mustered enough strength to look at the Emperor. Her tone was very calm: "Your Majesty, does this concubine not have much longer to live?" The Emperor: "...Imperial Physician Xie will arrive soon. With her here, your health will improve." The Empress curled her lips into a faint smile. "Imperial Physician Xie is only a physician after all. She can cure illness, but she cannot save a life. Your Majesty must not make things difficult for her." "The Empress is still as perceptive as ever." The Emperor uttered this praise with a hint of bitterness, and suddenly recalled what Eunuch Shian had reported about the events in Fengyi Palace. Upon hearing the news of Consort Yun's death, the Empress had been filled with fury, grief and indignation. Yet even with her heart aching unbearably, she had still been the first to realize the other party's intentions, decisively convicting the spy of the crime of sowing discord between emperor and empress, and ordering him dragged out and beaten to death. With this act, the Empress had protected the reputation of the Emperor and the Yu Dynasty, and had foiled those who sought to drive a wedge between them. Such boldness and vision—not to mention in the harem, even among the ministers of his court, there were few who possessed it. The Empress's lips moved slightly, when suddenly she heard the sound of crying. "Who is weeping?" The Emperor also looked outside. Eunuch Shian reported in a low voice: "Reporting to Your Majesty and Her Majesty, it is Consort Wen weeping outside." "Consort Wen was alarmed by the news and is insisting on seeing Her Majesty." The Emperor's gaze fell upon the Empress. The Empress said in a faint voice: "Let her wait outside. When this Ben Gong has some strength... I will see her shortly." "Yes." The Empress said slowly: "Your Majesty, this concubine knows her end is near... and knows that Your Majesty's refusal to allow the Xia Dynasty envoys into the capital was to protect this concubine." "For Your Majesty's kindness, this concubine is deeply grateful." The Emperor's throat moved, and he said in a deep voice: "Shian, tell the Empress about her mother." "Your servant obeys." Eunuch Shian stepped forward with his head bowed: "The Xia Dynasty's front lines have suffered defeat after defeat. The Xia Emperor, being incompetent, repeatedly humiliated the Empress's mother in the harem, resenting that she could not plead on behalf of the Xia Dynasty. He then cast the Empress's mother into the Cold Palace, where repeated humiliations left her gravely ill." "Ten days ago, word came from the Xia Dynasty that Consort Yun had passed away, and that they would send someone to the capital to report the mourning. Your Majesty, mindful of Her Majesty's health and fearing the news would disturb her, deliberately arranged for the Xia envoys to be housed outside the capital." Eunuch Shian said with some indignation: "Who would have thought that the Xia envoy harbored sinister intentions, deliberately arranging for someone to infiltrate the palace and cause trouble, harming Her Majesty's health and attempting to sow discord between Her Majesty and Your Majesty. Truly detestable!" Having been husband and wife for so many years, the Emperor naturally knew what the Empress most wanted to hear right now. That was why he had called Shian to speak of Consort Yun of the Xia Dynasty. After listening, the Empress slowly closed her eyes, and a single line of tears silently slid from the corners of her eyes. "Your Majesty, although I was compelled by the Xia Emperor to come to the Yu Dynasty for a marriage alliance, it was also my own choice!" The Empress suddenly opened her eyes wide—dark, calm, and resolute—and broke into a radiant smile. Like a night-blooming cereus slowly unfurling in the dark, she said: "This concubine has no regrets." Those few light, casual words struck the Emperor's heart like a heavy hammer. After a long silence, the Emperor finally said: "I married you, and I have no regrets either." For the Empress, had she remained in the Xia Dynasty her whole life, she would only have endured years of hardship, only to be married off to whatever husband was chosen for her. Even if she had become a princess consort, her life would have been nothing more than managing the household, bearing children, and serving her in-laws. Being a daughter-in-law of the imperial family was harder than being one of an ordinary family. But the power and glory she had enjoyed in this life—how many ordinary people dreamed of such things? What the Empress had sought her entire life was nothing more than this. For the Emperor, the Empress may not have borne him a legitimate son. Yet looking back over the years, the Empress had managed his household, honored his elders, and raised his children—all beyond reproach. They had also maintained mutual respect and harmony, like guests treating each other with courtesy. Having seen the chaos in the Retired Emperor's and his brothers' households, the Emperor was quite satisfied with the Empress. For people like them, speaking of love and affection was far too insipid. Rather, the years they had walked side by side proved that both their choices had been correct. After a moment of deliberation, the Emperor seemed to let out a soft sigh. "I intend to have Consort Wen raise the Second Princess. What does the Empress think?" The Empress replied weakly, "That is also what I have wished for. Now that Your Majesty has spoken, I am naturally overjoyed." The Empress had rarely spoken soft words or bowed her head in her entire life. Yet on the verge of death, she suddenly became gentle in demeanor—likely she had a request to make. The Emperor knew that for someone as prideful as the Empress, asking for a favor was equivalent to bending her back. After all, they had been husband and wife for many years, and the Emperor softened once, choosing to ask first. The Empress's breathing grew increasingly rapid, as if she were in great discomfort, yet she still struggled to maintain her composure: "I have never begged Your Majesty for anything in my life. Before I die, I only wish to ask Your Majesty for two things." The Emperor: "...Speak." "First, I beg Your Majesty to treat Consort Wen well. She is my only remaining kin." The Emperor actually wanted to say—didn't the Empress still have a young younger brother? But thinking of the Empress's cold nature, he recalled that she had never met that younger brother, had never spent time with him, and thus did not acknowledge him as a brother. The Empress: "Second, I beg Your Majesty... do not let the Xia Dynasty off!" The Emperor's eyes lifted slightly, carrying a hint of heaviness and a trace of barely perceptible surprise. The Empress's tone concealed too many complex emotions, and she finally said: "The Xia Emperor treated my sisters and me as discarded pieces, and humiliated my mother in countless ways. He is unworthy of being a father or a husband, lacks the vision of an emperor, and sits unworthily on the throne—a shame to all!" "I now offer Your Majesty my final blessing... may the realm be unified!" Hearing these words, the Emperor felt a subtle tremor within. Like a shallow wave rising on the sea's surface, yet quietly shaking the entire ocean. The Emperor: "I accept the Empress's blessing, and I too look forward to the day when the realm is unified." A faint, satisfied smile suddenly appeared on the Empress's face. With the obsession that had kept her alive fading away, her voice grew increasingly faint: "After I die, has Your Majesty considered who to make Empress?" The Emperor looked down at the Empress: "Does the Empress have any thoughts?" "Noble Consort Zhao is intelligent and magnanimous. Though she lacks some ruthlessness, she is also a decisive person." "Now that we are no longer in the prince's residence, and Your Majesty is no longer the Prince of those days, this harem needs someone gentle and benevolent." The Empress's voice grew softer and softer: "Consort Jingshu is too self-serving, Consort Wen cannot bear the burden, and Lady Hua and Zhaorong Huizhao are unfit for great responsibility... If a new Empress were established, the harem would surely fall into chaos." "Your Majesty allowed Xie Jiang into the Imperial Medical Academy and supported Xie Jing into the Ministry of Personnel... didn't you already have a plan in mind?" When the Empress's words fell, the bedchamber fell into dead silence. The Emperor gazed at the Empress's bloodless face and let out a deep sigh. "In this world, I fear no one will ever understand me as well as the Empress." The Empress smiled, no longer able to make a sound. After who knows how long, the Emperor sighed deeply. "Attendants!" Nanny Li and Eunuch Shian, who had been waiting at his side, both stepped forward. The Emperor rose, expressionless. "Transmit my oral edict: the Empress has passed away. The entire nation shall go into mourning!" Nanny Li's eyes widened as she stared at the Empress lying motionless on the bed, her breath catching for a long moment. "Empress!" That cry of profound grief seemed to be squeezed from her throat, like a blood-stained blade, piercing through the black clouds shrouding Fengyi Palace and dyeing it in a hue of blood.