At the end of December in the fourteenth year of Zhenning, the late emperor was buried, and all officials went out of the city to see him off.
The construction of the late emperor's mausoleum had not yet been completed, but as soon as the cabinet's edict came out, the Ministry of Works immediately reduced the original size of the mausoleum and all ground construction was stopped.
When Emperor Zhenning was buried, the underground construction had been completed to nearly nine levels. The Ministry of Works originally submitted a memorial, suggesting that the coffin of the late emperor be temporarily placed in the imperial temple on Bijia Mountain, and that the late emperor be buried after the gatehouse, the hall of worship, the left and right side halls, and the kitchen were completed, but Bai Yuyang rejected the Ministry of Works' request.
Despite the obstruction of the Imperial Household Department, the cabinet quickly discussed the funeral rituals and ordered that everything be kept simple so as not to waste people's energy.
Therefore, Emperor Zhenning, who had worn gorgeous clothes and pursued pleasure all his life, was finally forced to die, becoming the emperor with the simplest funeral in the history of the Ming Dynasty.
At the end of the year, heavy snow blocked the roads, and Yang Wan became more and more ill, so Yi Lang asked her to recuperate in the Yangxin Palace and she did not need to accompany him.
The palace was deserted, but the empress dowager left a message before leaving, ordering Yang Wan to lead the Shangyi Bureau to welcome Concubine Ning back to the palace while all officials were attending the funeral.
At this time, the ceremony of the inner court had not yet been discussed, and the Shangyi Bureau was very hesitant about the ceremony of welcoming Concubine Ning back to the palace. The Queen Mother said that she would order the Shangyi Bureau to welcome her back, but during the period of mourning, how could the ceremonial guards be used? The Queen Mother's meaning was actually very clear - Concubine Ning was a crazy woman, even if she was temporarily welcomed back to the palace for consideration of Yi Lang's feelings, she could not be included in the ceremony of the inner court later.
Jiang Min went to see Yang Wan in person and said apologetically, "I'm afraid I have wronged Concubine Ning."
Yang Wan didn't know what to say, she just said, "It's only right to be like this during the mourning period. It would be a relief if we could bring Empress Ning back."
Seeing that she was not embarrassed, Jiang Min felt even more guilty, so he comforted her, "The ceremony planned by the Shangyi Bureau on the 24th, although the ceremonial guards cannot be used, the people are still complete."
Yang Wan thanked Jiang Min.
On the 24th, the whole city was covered with heavy snow.
Yang Wan stood in front of the gate of the Banana Garden holding an umbrella. The people from the Shangyi Bureau stood on both sides. The clothes held by the maids were newly made, but they were not the palace clothes of the concubines, but ordinary clothes. The guards of the Banana Garden opened the gate and said to Yang Wan: "Six people can go in to help the queen wash and comb her hair. The rest of you need to wait outside the palace."
Yang Wan turned around and took the clothes from the maid, and said to Jiang Shangyi, "I will take the palace maids from Yuan Chengqian Palace in."
"."
Yang Wan rolled up her skirt and walked into the garden.
Behind the garden gate stands a grove of plum trees. At this time the fragrance of the flowers is at its strongest, and the gorgeous plum blossoms are like pink jade, hanging in the grove.
There is a small path in the forest. As you walk along the path, you will see more and more flowers.
The palace maid who led the way was an elderly lady, very kind. As they walked, she said to Yang Wan, "Your Highness has not been able to leave the palace in the past few years, and she would occasionally stand by the window for a while. We initially thought that Your Highness missed His Majesty staying in the palace, but later we discovered that Your Highness was not interested. At the turn of spring and autumn, Your Highness would often go to the garden with Your Highness Jiang for banquets, and every time at that time, Your Highness would lock the door and sit quietly by herself. Finally, we gradually discovered that every time Your Highness opened the window, it was to look at the moon in the sky."
"moon?"
"Yeah."
The palace maid raised her head and looked up. "In the entire imperial city, the moonlight in the banana garden is the most beautiful. We didn't know how to appreciate it before. The queen told us that every winter night when the plum blossoms are in full bloom, just push open the window, and you will see the cold flowers, the cold moon, and the sweet fragrance. It is an extremely romantic scene. Unfortunately, it is still early now, and the queen can't see it today. Hey... look at me..."
The palace servant said in a low voice, "What nonsense are you talking about? If Your Majesty can return to the palace, what kind of scenery will you see in the future?"
Yang Wan changed the subject and asked, "Is your Majesty okay?"
"good."
The palace servant sighed, "She is willing to eat, sleep peacefully, and talk to us. She is also very cute... We rarely see Her Majesty smile. We told her before that the Highness is now the Emperor, but she only nodded when we heard it."
Yang Wan said nothing more and followed the palace servant to the palace gate.
There was a copper lock on the palace door, hanging coldly.
Yang Wan pursed her lips and looked at the lock. The palace maid hurried forward and said, "Miss Wan, please wait a minute. I'll open it now."
The sound of unlocking echoed in the deserted garden. As the lock was opened, the chain was immediately pulled out. The palace servant bent over and pushed open the palace door. A draught of wind rushed into the palace, blowing up Yang Wan's clothes.
The palace maid called inside. "Madam, Miss Wan is here."
Suddenly, in the silent hall, there was a sound of a teacup falling over.
Yang Wan hurriedly ran behind the ground cover.
In the side room behind the floor mask, tea bowls were scattered all over the floor. Concubine Ning had just gotten up from the couch, rolled up her sleeves, squatted down, and wanted to clean up the mess on the floor.
She was wearing a plain silk middle-length gown, with her long hair loose on her shoulders, and no makeup on her face. Although she looked energetic, she was very thin.
"Sister, don't touch me. Let me do it."
Concubine Ning raised her head, not caring about her burned fingers, and grasped Yang Wan's hand, the corners of her lips trembling uncontrollably.
"Wan'er..."
Yang Wan hurriedly held Concubine Ning's hand and replied, "I'm here."
The charcoal fire in the back room was not burning warm, and the hands of the two women were cold. They looked at each other, with thousands of words in their hearts, but no one could speak.
They didn't dare to cry, for fear of hurting each other.
Concubine Ning entrusted Yi Lang to Yang Wan, and two or three years passed in a flash.
The inner court was full of twists and turns. Although she was trapped in the banana garden, she was far away from the dangerous place.
But Yang Wan went in alone.
Concubine Ning didn't know how she had walked all this way alone, and she didn't even dare to ask her if she was doing well, because she clearly noticed that the person in front of her had a much different look than before.
This change does not mean a long period of growth for a girl.
Concubine Ning vaguely felt that she had not changed essentially, except that her skin had been thinned and her bones had been broken, making her look more sensitive and fragile.
Yang Wan didn't dare to look at Concubine Ning.
For Yang Wan, she is not only her sister, she is also the most elegant and sad person in the Ming Dynasty, like the cold moon.
She was already broken, and the person who could catch her had died tragically.
"Sister, you don't have much clothes on, go to the couch and cover yourself first. Let me clean up the things on the floor before I talk to you."
It took a long time before Yang Wan finally spoke.
She slowly helped Concubine Ning sit on the bed. She straightened up and took a deep breath, silently holding back the tears in her eyes. She rolled up her sleeves and squatted down to pick up the debris on the ground.
Concubine Ning held onto the edge of the bed and lowered her head to look at Yang Wan, "Wan'er."
"exist."
"Why do you look so bad?"
Yang Wan didn't dare to look up. She picked up the broken pieces and said while holding back a cough: "It's too cold this year. I caught a cold and haven't been feeling well since."
Concubine Ning held her hand, tucked it into her own quilt, and sobbed for a long time with tears in her eyes before she said, "Don't you think you have suffered a lot for Yi Lang?"
Yang Wan shook her head, "I do. He has always protected me. Sister, he has grown up now, and he will be able to protect you in the future."
"I don't need him to protect me."
Yang Wan was stunned.
"elder sister… "
"I don't want to go near him either."
Concubine Ning's voice was calm, and even no sorrow could be heard. She sighed, "The relationship between him and me as mother has been severed. He is the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and I am just an abandoned mad woman. I know that neither the empress nor the queen mother wants me to recognize the child. Let him live quietly in the Yangxin Palace and never see me again."
Yang Wan sat beside the bed, "Your Majesty misses you very much."
Concubine Ning held Yang Wan's hand and shook it gently. "I'm more afraid that he will ask me why I abandoned him and why I was imprisoned by your Majesty. Wan'er... I don't want to lie to my own child, but... Can I tell him what's in my heart? Will he accept it? Can he tolerate me going to pay homage to a slave?"
Yang Wan raised her head and wiped away her tears, her nose feeling a little hot.
"I understand."
She said with a frown, "I won't persuade my sister."
Concubine Ning looked down at her and said softly, "Don't cry, Wan'er."
"I didn't cry."
Although she said so, her voice was filled with tears. For a moment, her emotions were surging. She had no choice but to turn her back and lower her head to hold her brows.
She was unwilling to give up. She had rarely cried this year. Whether in front of Yang Lun or Yi Lang, she stood firm on her own position and bravely loved Deng Ying and wanted the best for him. But in front of Concubine Ning, she had to recognize the tragic core hidden between her and Deng Ying.
Concubine Ning held Yang Wan's shoulders and let her lean on her knees, "Forget it, cry, Wan'er, there's nothing wrong with crying in front of your sister..."
"Um."
Yang Wan buried her body in Concubine Ning's legs and put her arms around her.
Concubine Ning gently stroked Yang Wan's back and whispered in a low voice, "You are the factory official, how are you doing?"
Yang Wan said with tears in her eyes: "It's not too good, but it's not bad either."
Concubine Ning held up Yang Wan's wet hair and said, "You have always been so brave."
"No."
Yang Wan turned her head and closed her eyes and said, "Sister, do you know? I am the one who fears you the most."
After hearing this, Concubine Ning was silent for a long time. Finally, she slowly bent down, put her forehead against Yang Wan's face, and said softly, "Sister knows, sister also knows that for so many years, you did not allow yourself to be afraid. You suppressed the fear in your heart and bravely protected many people, including sister."
"I didn't protect my sister well."
Concubine Ning stroked Yang Wan's cheek and shook her head, saying, "You told me that one day, we will walk out of here. I have been waiting. Look, haven't I waited for you?"
Yang Wan felt heartbroken.
"elder sister."
"Um?"
"Do you want to leave the palace?"
"think… "
Concubine Ning raised her head and looked out the window.
Outside, the flower trees, like pink smoke, are hidden in clusters behind the clean snow curtain.
"I want to erase my name, identity, and past. Then..."
She swallowed the bitter taste on her lips and said, "Later, I will clearly associate my own name with his name."
"I'll take my sister away."
"What… "
"I'll take you out of here."
Yang Wan sat up straight, looked at Concubine Ning and said, "I won't be an imperial concubine, nor a queen mother. I will just be whoever you want me to be. You can pay tribute to him and remember him openly."
"Wan'er..."
"Sister, I don't know if what I did is good or not, and I'm not that arrogant. I don't dare to make decisions for anyone. I just hope that I can be transformed into a bridge, not to ferry people across, but just to be a way out for you. Sister, although I was born in despair, I live to give people hope."