Jiang Changning talked to his children and gave his grandchildren some instructions, "All of you go out. I have something to say to His Majesty."
After the children, grandchildren and the imperial doctors had all retreated to the outer hall, Jiang Changning slowly said, "Your Majesty, please hand over the people serving me to the Crown Princess."
"I will ask the Crown Princess to properly place them."
Jiang Changning took a breath and said, "Your Majesty, after I leave, please pick someone you like to stay by your side."
"You still don't believe me. I don't want anyone else but you. You are the only one I love." Emperor Xuanzhi said with tears in his eyes.
"Your Majesty, I don't disbelieve you. I do believe you, but Your Majesty, I am leaving soon. I can't stay with you anymore. I am worried about you." Jiang Changning also burst into tears.
"Don't leave, stay with me."
"Your Majesty, why me?" Jiang Changning suddenly asked.
An orphan girl sat on the throne of empress for more than twenty years. All the emperor's children were born by her, and the emperor even set up six palaces for her.
"I don't know. When we first met in the temple, I knew I wanted to marry you, and then I took great pains to plan and have you betrothed to me." Emperor Xuanzhi thought of the past with a gentle smile on his face.
Jiang Changning looked at him infatuatedly for a long time, then slowly said: "Your Majesty, take care. May the Great Qin Empire last forever." After talking for so long, she was tired.
"Ning'er, Ning'er, don't sleep, open your eyes and look at me, Ning'er."
But no matter how much he shouted, Jiang Changning did not give him any response. An hour later, Jiang Changning died without a breath.
The eunuch shouted in a shrill voice: "The Queen is dead!"
"Empress!" Xiulan and the others all knelt down and cried bitterly.
"Mother!"
"Grandmother!"
The Crown Prince and others also wailed in pain. Emperor Xuanzhi lost his beloved wife, and they also lost the Queen Mother who had protected them.
On the tenth day of the eighth month, Jiang Changning died in Qiyuan Palace.
According to the rules, the funeral ceremony for the empress should be slightly lower than that for the empress dowager.
However, Emperor Xuanzhi verbally ordered that the funeral rites for the empress be the same as those for the empress dowager.
The next day, princes, nobles, civil and military officials wore plain clothes and performed the ceremony of consolation.
Mourning clothes must be worn for 27 days, and local officials and ladies of high rank are the same as those in the capital.
Ordinary people, regardless of gender, age or status, must wear mourning clothes for three days and plain clothes for twenty-seven days.
The whole country was in mourning.
From the day of hearing the news of the death, slaughtering was prohibited in the capital for 49 days, and outside the capital for 27 days.
Music and sacrifices were stopped for 100 days, and marriages were banned for one year for officials and three months for the common people.
Although the Ministry of Rites and eunuchs were taking care of Jiang Changning's funeral, Emperor Xuanzhi still stopped attending court for seven days and stayed in front of the coffin.
Chang Youzhong looked at Emperor Xuanzhi, who was sitting in front of the coffin, almost like a statue. He sighed, turned around and went out to find the crown prince, "Your Majesty, His Majesty has not eaten all day."
The prince thought for a moment and did not personally deliver the meal. Instead, he called his son over and said, "Xiaosheng, take the food box and go have dinner with your royal grandfather."
Because of the generation gap, he is always a bad boy in front of his father, while his son is a good grandson.
Let his good grandson go and keep him company, I think his father might be able to use it.
Song Sheng carried a large food box and walked up to Emperor Xuanzhi, "Grandfather, the imperial kitchen has delivered the food. Xiao Sheng brought it specially for me to eat with you. Is Xiao Sheng very obedient?"
Emperor Xuanzhi didn't have much of an appetite, but when he saw his grandson in front of him who looked exactly like his wife, his heart softened, "Xiaosheng is the best."
Accompanied by the chants, Emperor Xuanzhi ate half a bowl of rice and drank half a bowl of soup.
Chang Youzhong saw this and felt relieved and breathed a sigh of relief.
Seven days later, Emperor Xuanzhi issued an edict to give Jiang Changning the posthumous title: Empress Chengderen.
On the 27th day after the funeral, Empress Cheng Deren's coffin was sent to the Feng'an Hall of the Tai Mausoleum instead of being directly buried in the underground palace.
This is what Emperor Xuanzhi meant, "Wait a hundred years for me to enter the underground palace with the empress."
After Jiang Changning passed away, the head of the harem was missing, and some people began to move and covet the supreme position.
Concubine Zhao felt that she had a chance, so she went to Emperor Xuanzhi to flatter him, "Your Majesty, you have lost a lot of weight. I feel very distressed when I see you."
"Chang Youzhong, you are very courageous." Emperor Xuanzhi said coldly.
"Your Majesty, I dare not. I don't know why Concubine Zhao is here, but I will definitely investigate thoroughly." Chang Youzhong knelt down and said.
"Drag her out, demote her to a commoner, and send her to Changxiang." Emperor Xuanzhi's cruel words made Concubine Zhao look ashen.
"Your Majesty, please spare my life. I just want to care about Your Majesty. I...mmmm!" Concubine Zhao's mouth was covered and she was dragged out.
The other concubines in the harem soon found out about this. Park sneered, "How stupid."
The next day, Emperor Xuanzhi stated at the morning court, "My only empress is Jiang."
It showed that he had no intention of appointing another queen, and Emperor Xuanzhi handed over the power of the harem to the Crown Princess. He let the Crown Prince and his family move into Chonghua Palace.
In the spring of the 32nd year of Xuanzhi's reign, Emperor Xuanzhi was critically ill.
Under his gaze, Chang Youzhong read out the will: "I am ill and will not recover. This is the will of heaven. I order my eldest son, the Crown Prince, to succeed me tomorrow. All the princes and royal family members must follow the instructions of our ancestors. You, the civil and military officials, should do your best to guide the Crown Prince and employ talented people. You must not be lazy and protect the imperial cause."
After reading it, Chang Youzhong handed the edict to the prince with both hands.
The prince took the edict, kowtowed, stood up, and took three steps back.
"Ning'er." Emperor Xuanzhi was in a trance, and it seemed that there was a ball of light in front of his eyes. In the ball of light, Jiang Changning was standing there gracefully, with a smile as beautiful as a flower.
Emperor Xuanzhi smiled, "Ning'er, Ning'er."
His head tilted and he died.
The imperial physician knelt down and touched him, his face filled with grief, "Your Majesty, he has passed away!"
Everyone in the hall burst into tears.
The emperor's death was like a mountain collapsing, and the whole country was in mourning.
The late emperor's coffin was kept in the palace for twenty-seven days before being sent to Tai Mausoleum.
The coffin of Empress Chengderen, which had been placed in the Feng'an Hall of Tai Mausoleum for seven years, was finally buried in the underground palace of Tai Mausoleum together with the coffin of Emperor Xuanzhi.
The bond between husband and wife is to be buried together.
Husband and wife sleep together when they are alive and are buried together when they die, fulfilling their duty as husband and wife.
But at this time, a minister in the court said, "The tomb of Concubine Park should be moved there and buried with the late emperor."
The new emperor was staring at him with hatred and scolding him.
The white-haired Prince De stepped out and said, "When the previous emperor ascended the throne, he had already made a decision on the Park family. Now that you are saying this, are you trying to disobey his order?"
With the support of Prince De and others, the new emperor issued an edict to erase all traces of the Park family.
The historical records say: Emperor Xuanzhi of the Qin Dynasty was respectful, frugal, diligent, and caring for the people. The court was peaceful and the people were prosperous. He died in the 32nd year of Xuanzhi.
Empress Jiang, who is sincere, virtuous and benevolent, has a radiant beauty.
Since the Emperor and Empress got married, they have been in perfect harmony.
The new emperor changed the reign title to Jian'an the following year, and appointed Princess Meng as empress and his legitimate son Helian Songsheng as crown prince.
When the previous emperor passed away, the new emperor was enthroned, and the throne was passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years.
There will be a spin-off.
(End of this chapter)