AWB Chapter 259: The Emperor's Death (Part )
Chapter 259: The Emperor's Death (Part )
Chapter 259 The Emperor's Death (Part )
As soon as Concubine Yi finished speaking, Yinreng slowly cast his gaze towards Yinzhen, pondering the matter in his heart. To him, this matter was actually no big deal and he could handle it easily no matter what. However, at this moment, he was not sure what Yinzhen was thinking.
Yinzhen stood there, his brows furrowed slightly, a look of confusion on his face. Judging from the emperor's current state of mind, if E'niang insisted on staying here, she would probably suffer some hardships and suffering.
But this truth must be clear to E'niang herself. However, even knowing this, E'niang still insisted on staying and taking good care of Huang's father. This shows that she sincerely hopes to be by his side.
After a moment of silence, Yinzhen looked up at Concubine Yi's slightly haggard but still resolute face, and finally nodded gently, agreeing to let Concubine Yi stay in Changshun Garden. So, everyone decided to temporarily place Concubine Yi there, and then hurried back to the Forbidden City.
On the way back to the palace, Yinreng and Buerhe conferred quietly. After a brief exchange, they reached a consensus and decided to hand over the various palace affairs to Jingyi for the time being. After all, there was a more important matter that needed to be addressed: going to Ciren Palace, where the Grand Empress Dowager was staying, to inform the retired Emperor of his critical condition.
Since Yinreng ascended the throne, the Grand Empress Dowager had lived in seclusion, rarely appearing in public. Despite this, Yinreng and Burhe knew they could not let the Grand Empress Dowager hear the news through other channels.
Because they were worried that if the news was misdelivered or caused unnecessary misunderstandings, the elderly Empress Dowager might not be able to withstand the blow, or even cause unpredictable consequences. Therefore, the two of them rushed straight to Ciren Palace, hoping to report everything to the Empress Dowager in person.
Nanny Naren walked hurriedly into the hall, bowed respectfully to the Grand Empress Dowager and said, "Your Majesty, the Emperor and the Empress have come to pay their respects!" Upon hearing this news, the Grand Empress Dowager was startled and a look of surprise appeared on her face.
You know, it wasn't a festival, nor was it a special occasion, so if only the Empress came to pay her respects, it would be considered a common occurrence. After all, the Empress was always filial, always concerned about the well-being of the Grand Empress Dowager in Ciren Palace. She would often come to visit with many gifts, and sometimes even forget to greet the elderly concubines living in the backyard.
However, the Emperor is so busy with his affairs and the palace is so complex that even a single visit to him is a rarity. How could it be such a coincidence that he and the Empress came together today?
Soon, Nanny Tuna led the Emperor and Empress slowly into the inner hall. They approached the Grand Empress Dowager, knelt down, and said, "Grandson and granddaughter-in-law pay their respects to the Imperial Madam. May the Imperial Madam live a long and healthy life!"
Seeing this, the Empress Dowager smiled and quickly raised her hand to signal them to stand up. She said warmly, "Good, good, get up quickly! Buerhe, come and sit down next to me."
Upon hearing this, Burhe obediently moved to sit beside the Grand Empress Dowager. The Grand Empress Dowager reached out and gently grasped her hand, asking with deep concern, "My dear child, how are you feeling lately? Are you taking good care of yourself? Are your hands and feet still as cold as before?"
For a moment, the love and care between the grandparents and grandchildren was beyond words, and this scene had been going on in Ciren Palace for several years. It had often happened since Bull and his mother had given birth to three little ones and were not in good health. Everyone had long been accustomed to it.
Buerhe replied with a smile on his face, "Replying to the Empress, my granddaughter-in-law's health has improved a lot after this period of recuperation! The imperial physician said that from now on, as long as she pays attention to maintenance, she will be no different from an ordinary person. There is no need to be so cautious."
If Burhe had simply declared himself fine, the Grand Empress Dowager would certainly not have believed him. However, when she mentioned the imperial physician's advice that he needed careful care, for the Grand Empress Dowager, who had weathered decades of hardships in the palace, it meant that there was indeed no major problem.
After all, she was well aware of the ways of the court Chinese medicine practitioners - minor illnesses were often described as extremely serious, but if they were truly cured, they would definitely give advice such as taking good care of themselves.
The Empress Dowager didn't exchange many pleasantries with Burhe. She turned her gaze towards the two men, thinking to herself: "The young couple came together today, so they must have something important to tell each other." So, she asked directly, "But what's going on? Even the Emperor has come with us today."
Yinreng calmed himself down a bit, sorting out his chaotic thoughts before he slowly spoke, "Actually, I've been busy lately. After visiting the Emperor today, I suddenly realized it's been a while since I've paid my respects to the Emperor's mother. So, I've brought the Empress and I to visit you."
The Grand Empress Dowager became unusually perceptive at this point. "There must be something fishy going on here! If this were merely a simple greeting, I would understand that the Emperor has been so busy with government affairs lately that he has no time to visit. Besides, the Empress is at your service, and I have everything I need, so why should I worry? You chose this moment to visit today, so something serious must have happened. Who is in trouble? Could it be Xuanye?"
It is no wonder that the Empress Dowager could make such a guess so quickly. It was just because Yinreng had just mentioned the Supreme Emperor inadvertently, and when she thought about the fact that Xuanye had secretly taken elixirs in the palace before, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but have an ominous premonition in her heart.
She hurriedly reached out and tightly grasped Burhe's hands, so tightly that even Burhe felt a slight pain. The Empress Dowager anxiously inquired, "Did something go wrong with Xuanye? What happened to Xuanye?... By the way, Concubine Yi also left the palace today. Has she returned? If she has, please send for her to see me immediately."
After saying this, the Empress Dowager turned around and winked at Nanny Naren beside her, indicating that she should go to the Yiku Palace to invite Concubine Yi.
However, at this moment, Yinreng suddenly spoke up to stop them, saying, "Wait a minute, there's no need to go. Concubine Yi hasn't returned to the palace today. She's currently accompanying the Emperor in Changchun Garden. What do you want to know, my grandson will tell you in a moment."
Seeing Yinreng's expression and emotions, the Empress Dowager's weathered eyes narrowed slightly, and she understood most of what was going on. She gently raised her hand and waved towards the servants in the room, signaling them to leave.
After everyone left, the whole room suddenly became extremely quiet. Only the Empress Dowager stared at Yinreng without saying a word.
Yinreng had originally intended to explain the matter to the Grand Empress Dowager in a more tactful manner, but now facing the Grand Empress Dowager's all-seeing eyes and the solemn atmosphere, he knew that any roundabout words would be of no avail.
So, he took a deep breath, calmed himself, and then mustered up the courage to speak: "Madam, the imperial physician said in the memorial submitted two days ago that the emperor had previously taken excessive amounts of elixirs for a long time, causing serious damage to all of his internal organs.
According to the imperial physician, if his luck is good, the emperor may have about six months to live. However, in the later stages, he will probably be bedridden, unable to move.
Even more unfortunately, today, when I went to visit the Emperor with my ninth brother, we had a fierce argument with him over the Tong family. Especially when I mentioned betrothing Jingyi to Hailancha, the Emperor flew into a rage and fainted on the spot.
After the imperial physician rushed over to treat him, he told me that if the acupuncture points were stimulated with gold needles, the emperor would be able to recover and move freely for three days; but if he was allowed to wake up on his own, he would be in a state of confusion and sleep, and would have to lie in bed for a whole month.
I really can't bear to see that Baturu, who was so brave and powerful in my mind, can only lie sickly on the bed, struggling to survive.
After careful consideration, I have finally agreed to allow the imperial physician to perform acupuncture on him. Now, I have hurried back to the palace to report this to the Imperial Madam. After all, the Imperial Madam's condition is already dire, and I'm afraid his remaining days are few and far between, at most only a few short days."
However, all of this was merely Yinreng's carefully crafted rhetoric. Although the Empress Dowager did not fully understand the details of the situation, she was convinced that her filial grandson would never lie on such a major matter.
Thinking of this, the situation on Xuanye's side must have been extremely critical. Recalling the past years, Xuanye's various filial acts and meticulous care for her, the deep mother-son friendship between the Empress Dowager and Kangxi suddenly surged into her heart like a tide.
She slowly stood up with Burhe's careful support, her eyes filled with grief and reluctance. She said softly, "Since this is the situation, I really want to go to Changchun Garden to see the emperor one last time."
Upon hearing this, Yinreng exchanged a glance with Buerhe, then nodded without hesitation and said, "Since the Imperial Madam has such a wish, your grandson will do his best to fulfill it."
Immediately afterwards, he quickly began to arrange all matters related to his trip to Changchun Garden, not daring to delay for even a moment.