AWB Chapter 357: The Death of Qingyi
Chapter 357: The Death of Qingyi
Chapter 357: The Death of Qingyi
Xiao An looked at Qingyi lying on the bed, holding her hand tightly. He knew it was goodbye, but he still wanted to escape, not wanting to face it. Qingyi looked at Xiao An's stubbornness and didn't know what to do. She also cherished time, not wanting to waste a single second, because she had someone who loved her by her side.
But time was of the essence. Clutching Xiao An's hand tightly, she pleaded, "Xiao An...promise me, you must promise me...you must tell my two children that I'm a good mother...I'm being selfish..." Qingyi sobbed as she spoke. She was a spy, and shouldn't have had feelings in the first place. Now, not only did she have feelings, but she was also carrying a child. She didn't regret it. But she didn't want her children to hate her in the future.
These were supposed to be her last words, but Xiao An pretended to be oblivious, staring wide-eyed at Qingyi and saying, "Qingyi, you were always a good mother. You should live well; that's the best thing for you." Qingyi moved her lips, but ultimately didn't speak. She knew her time was running out.
"Mother, Mother, please call the imperial physician to save Qingyi! I beg you!" Xiao An turned to look at the Empress Dowager standing there, holding Xuan Hong in his arms, kowtowing repeatedly as he spoke, his voice trembling uncontrollably. The Empress Dowager, however, acted as if she hadn't heard him, continuing to hold Xuan Hong and tease him from time to time.
Unmoved by Xiao An's request, Xiao An continued to kowtow, waiting for the Empress Dowager to agree to release Qingyi. "Xiao... Xiao An..." Qingyi, lying on the bed, called Xiao An's name as if she had used all her strength.
Xiao An, who was kneeling on the ground, quickly ran over, grabbed Qingyi's hand, and said, "Qingyi, Qingyi, I'm here, I'm here." Qingyi's face was as white as a sheet of paper, and her eyes were fixed on Xiao An, never leaving him for a moment.
"Xiao An, I've been stealing life... I've been stealing life for so long, it's been enough... enough. I don't hate anyone, and you must... you must not hate anyone either..." Suddenly, the hand fell from Xiao An's grasp and never moved again, and the eyes closed peacefully. Xiao An sat on the bed, holding Qingyi tightly.
"Qingyi, my Qingyi, I know you're tired. Sleep for a while, but don't sleep too long." He stroked Qingyi in his arms, speaking softly, his lips full of smiles, as if afraid of waking her. The Empress Dowager, standing to the side, saw Qingyi in Xiao An's arms, and two lines of clear tears streamed down her face.
Xuan Hong, who was being held by her, didn't know why, but he started crying too, his voice hoarse and desperate. Xiao An, who had been quietly holding Qingyi, saw Xuan Hong crying so sadly in the Empress Dowager's arms and seemed to be infected by it. He hugged Qingyi tightly in his arms: "Ah...! Why... Qingyi."
He let out a long roar, tears streaming down his face, yet he still couldn't accept the fact that Qingyi was gone. He wanted to leave with Qingyi, but thinking of Princess Xiangping and Xuanhong, he couldn't bear to.
Princess Xiangping, though only five years old, was unaware of what had happened. She only knew that Qingyi was asleep in Xiao An's arms, but she couldn't understand why they were all crying.
Xiao An looked at the hall covered in white cloth. In the center of the hall was a memorial tablet, but it was nameless, a blank tablet. He couldn't cry, he didn't know what to do. Even when Qingyi died, she couldn't be given a memorial tablet, and even Shi Du couldn't be buried.
Inside the main hall, an empty coffin, a blank memorial tablet, and white cloth covering the room. Those unaware of the situation found it eerie; those in the know only felt sorrow. Xiao An was also filled with grief. An empty coffin—the Empress Dowager forbade a grand burial in blue robes; only a cenotaph was prepared.
Outside the main hall, for some reason, the weather was gloomy; even though the sun was shining brightly, it always felt oppressively dark. A monk, holding a whisk, followed by guards, placed the corpse in blue robes on the ground, surrounded by a circle of firewood. Another man, a rugged-looking fellow with a somewhat ferocious expression, held a torch. For cremation, the body was to be cremated with its head facing west and feet facing east, surrounded by firewood; the one with the most menacing appearance was to conclude the ceremony.
To ward off evil spirits, Xiao An, as king, knelt before heaven and earth, and before his parents; that is, everyone knelt to show their sorrow. The sorcerer performed a ritual, sprinkling rain and dew onto the corpse and around it. The former prevented evil spirits from causing trouble, while the latter cleansed the impurities.
After everything was ready, just as the tough guy's torch was about to reach the firewood, it was suddenly blocked by a small figure. It was Princess Xiangping. Princess Xiangping looked at the tough guy and said, "The Queen Mother is asleep. What do you want to do to her?" Her tone couldn't hide her doubt, but it was even more stubborn.
She didn't want anyone near her mother, especially the tough man before her; she was certain he was sent to kill her. That was her intuition. But one person overturned her thoughts, turning them into hatred, and that hatred would define her entire life.
Xiao An stared wide-eyed at Princess Xiangping, who had suddenly appeared. He had no idea when she had appeared or what she knew. He quickly went over and picked her up, saying, "My precious princess, what are you doing here?" Princess Xiangping looked at Xiao An, who was holding her.
Somewhat resistant, she didn't know why, and stammered, "Duitang, that person... he tried to bully Mother... you... you... get him away, okay?" Princess Xiangping herself didn't know why, her voice grew softer and softer. She didn't know if her decision was right or wrong.
But the person lying there was none other than her own birth mother. She tried to break free from Xiao An's embrace with her small hands, but his strength was too great. She could only watch helplessly as the tough man lit the firewood beside the woman in blue, not knowing what to do. From that moment on, she developed a lifelong fear of fire.
After Qingyi's death, everyone involved was killed by the palace. Overnight, hundreds of guards, maids, and eunuchs died. The Empress Dowager declared that this was a grand funeral for the Empress.
Although she didn't understand the concepts of birth, aging, sickness, and death, the only thing she could comprehend at that moment was that this fire had taken her mother completely. Since that day, she would often tug at Xiao An's clothes tightly and ask him, "Father, where did Mother go? Did the fire... take her away?"
Xiao An never knew how to answer her. He wanted to say yes, but also wanted to say no. In fact, many times he wanted to push the responsibility onto himself, but he really didn't want to bear too much. After Qingyi died, he hated the Empress Dowager, but what could he do? The Empress Dowager was his birth mother, and no matter how much he hated her, it wouldn't solve anything.
He could only alleviate his inner turmoil with his indifference. He felt a strange sense of pleasure when he saw the Empress Dowager unhappy. But one day, he regretted it, realizing he had kept the secret for over a decade.
Six months later, the Empress Dowager fell ill, but Xiao An was inexplicably happy, feeling it must be retribution. The Empress Dowager hadn't let Qingyi go back then; now she was getting her just desserts.