A few days later, a shocking news reached Tangquanshan: the emperor passed away, and the whole country mourned. The common people wear mourning for seven days, princes and officials wear mourning for twenty-seven days, and the folks forbid banquets, entertainment, marriage, and slaughter for forty-nine days...
The moment Yong Ruo heard the news, he was a little dazed.
I hadn't heard of the emperor's serious illness before, and his death seemed a bit sudden
The death of the emperor, does it have anything to do with... the fake eunuch caught by her mother
After all, the time is too tight, she can't help but make such associations.
Yong Ruo felt uneasy, changed into mourning clothes with a serious face, and ordered everyone in Zhuangzi to change into mourning clothes, and hung filial piety couplets, filial curtains, filial curtains and other things.
The Zhou family, Yongqiao and Yongmiao also changed into mourning clothes according to the etiquette. Zhou's heart is also very uneasy, and she has the same worry as Yong Ruo.
Thinking of the national funeral in Beijing, Yong Ruo was deeply worried for Feng Liao.
She is clear about Feng Liao's feelings for the emperor. Now, Feng Liao should be very sad, right
Without the protection of the emperor, he had to face the storms inside and outside the palace alone. Are his wings plump enough
She desperately wanted to go back to the palace. I want to give him some comfort, help and protection in his saddest and most difficult time.
But now is really not a good time to go back to the palace, she can only force herself to calm down and wear mourning.
When the mourning period was over and Emperor Daxing had already buried himself in peace, Xiao Guizi went to Tangquan Mountain again.
He lifted the "no entry and exit" ban in Zhuangzi, and sent Yongruo a painting.
Nervously, Yong Ruo slowly unfolded the scroll, and found that it was the "Strong Sketch" that he had left for Feng Liao before he left the palace.
Of course, this is a bit inaccurate. Because in addition to the five characters "Gaofeng Zhijincao" that she inscribed on the painting, there are fifteen more characters. Looking at the handwriting, these newly added words were inscribed by Feng Liao himself.
These twenty characters form a five-character quatrain:
The wind knows the strength of the grass, and the time sees the hearts of the people.
Fortunately, a wife and a confidant live and die in the same bed. â‘
Seeing this quatrain, Yong Ruo stayed for a while.
What Feng Liao meant was: to make her a queen? So let her restrain herself and wait for the right time in Tangquan Mountain
"Hey?" Yong Miao, who was looking at the painting with her, blurted out, "Sister, what does it mean that the emperor gave you this painting? Do you want to make you a queen?"
Zhou Shi and Yong Qiao looked at the painting in amazement, and at Yong Ruo, they couldn't believe it.
Mrs. Zhou shook her head and denied Yong Miao's guess: "How is it possible?! With our family background... can the empress dowager, those clan princes, and those ministers agree?"
Yong Ruoxin said: That's why Feng Liao asked me to restrain myself.
But I don't want to wait here anymore! I want to face all difficulties with him.
No matter what the future holds. At least for now... I want to keep him safe.
"It's just a painting, don't think too much!" Yong Ruo said lightly, without telling Zhou and the others the riddle in the painting.
Zhou and the others sighed dejectedly and said no more.
Both Yongqiao and Yongmiao secretly made up their minds: they must study hard and change their own families so that their sister's life in the palace will be easier in the future.
After dismissing the Zhou family and others, Yongruo asked Xiao Guizi again: "How did the late emperor die?"
Xiao Guizi's expression darkened, and he talked about the whole story.
The eunuch who was discovered by the Zhou family was named Hu Changshun, known as Xiao Shunzi.
Xiao Shunzi indeed belonged to the East Palace. But he was just a rough envoy eunuch, usually doing some chores, and never served Yong Ruo and Feng Liao up close.
After An Zimo secretly took Xiao Shunzi and his two subordinates away, he sent them to the East Palace.
Feng Liao realized that this matter was not easy, and in order to avoid a rift with the emperor, she handed them over to the emperor and empress.
The emperor and empress sent people to torture the three of Xiao Shunzi, and by following the clues, they uncovered a spy network that had been lurking in the palace for more than 20 years.
The leader of this spy network is the eunuch Feng Baoquan, the head of the imperial tea room.
Feng Baoquan was severely tortured and confessed several very serious things:
First, the sterilization pill on the emperor was given to the emperor by himself under the instigation of Empress Chen.
Second, to mourn the death of Prince Huai and Feng Liao's serious illness back then, he also sent people to do it. Of course, he also guessed that the first mourning prince was not the emperor's own son, but the son of the old British prince.
Third, Feng Liao was also given sterilization drugs by him! Feng Liao will be like Emperor Chengtai, without heirs for life! And it was Prince Ying Fengshi who instigated him to do so. Because Fengshi wants to copy the old story between Emperor Chengtai and Prince Laoying, so that Fengliao will adopt his son in the future.
Just the first two things. It has long been a fait accompli, and Emperor Chengtai has long accepted it.
The third incident dealt a fatal blow to Emperor Chengtai.
Emperor Chengtai couldn't accept it no matter what: he tried his best but failed to protect Fengliao! Feng Liao, whom he loves the most, has made the same mistake as him, and wants to suffer the same pain of extinction as him!
At that time, Emperor Chengtai was so angry that he vomited blood and fainted.
After waking up, Emperor Chengtai had signs of apoplexy.
But regardless of his own health, he summoned the imperial doctor Xu, who was checking Feng Liao's pulse on a daily basis, for questioning.
Doctor Xu couldn't hide anymore, so he had to tell the truth: when he asked the prince for the peace pulse in the first month, he discovered that the prince had been poisoned.
However, the prince didn't know how he was recruited at the time, and he was afraid that the emperor would be sad if he found out, so he strictly ordered him to keep it a secret, and he had to investigate it secretly.
Before the prince's investigation came to fruition, Xiao Shunzi was arrested.
Emperor Chengtai summoned other imperial physicians to take Feng Liao's pulse, and confirmed Feng Baoquan and Xu imperial physician's words: the prince was indeed given sterilization drugs, and he would have no heirs for life!
Emperor Chengtai couldn't take any chances anymore, and he was so angry that he had a stroke.
That night, he reluctantly confessed his funeral, and after asking all the ministers to help the crown prince ascend the throne, he let go.
The emperor died, and the crown prince ascended the throne before his death.
Feng Liao sent a mourning vigil for Emperor Daxing, while stabilizing the court situation, appeasing the clan, and eliminating the negative impact of her own sterilization—the emperor died because of this incident, and it was impossible to hide the truth from those princes and ministers.
Because Feng Baoquan accused him of being behind the scenes, Prince Ying Fengshi couldn't argue with anything, and was almost forced to commit suicide by hitting a wall in front of the emperor Daxing's spirit to prove his innocence.
Feng Liao tried her best to protect Feng Shi, thinking that he would not do such a thing.
After hearing these things, Yong Ruo only felt a chill all over his body.
At this moment, the resentment towards Emperor Chengtai in her heart was completely gone, only a touch of sympathy remained.
No matter how Emperor Chengtai treats her, he is really kind to Fengliao!
With this ending, she really... didn't know what to say.
If she hadn't left the palace, Fengliao wouldn't have been sterilized, and Emperor Chengtai... wouldn't have passed away so soon, right? !
This is really...
Xiao Guizi wiped away her tears when she talked about the end: "Mother, those black-hearted bastards, dare to murder the emperor like that, it is really a thousand cuts to kill the hatred! The emperor... the emperor does not know how bitter it is!"
Although Yong Ruo has not been canonized yet, it is not wrong for him to call "Niang Niang".
Yong Ruo let out a long sigh, and comforted him softly: "Thank you for your hard work! Go and rest! I will go back to the palace with you tomorrow."
Xiao Guizi was stunned: "Your Majesty, the Emperor didn't say that he would take Your Majesty back to the palace!"
"Then did the emperor say...that I'm not allowed to go back to the palace?" Yong Ruo asked with a half-smile.
"Not really."
"Then it's over?"
Xiao Guizi hesitated for a moment, and stopped objecting: "Your Majesty, it's fine if you go back! The emperor has had a hard time these past three years..." When he said this, his eyes were red.
Yong Ruo then found Luo Bu who had been stationed here for three years, and discussed with him about returning to Beijing.
At this time, the late emperor's funeral had just passed, and Feng Liao had not yet held the enthronement ceremony. Yong Ruo felt that it was inappropriate for him to return to Beijing with great fanfare, and planned to return to Beijing with only his confidant eunuchs and maids.
It takes three days by car from Tangquan Mountain to the capital.
If the horse gallops fast, it can be reached within a day. Even if those hiding in the dark want to intercept and assassinate her, they will have no chance to do so.
Luo Bu did not agree with her plan at first, but Yong Ruo said: "The emperor has just ascended the throne, and his foothold is not stable. It is still unclear who is behind Feng Baoquan's instigation. Women should be more careful after all. If I go back to the palace, maybe It can also ward off disasters for the emperor. If you are really loyal to the emperor, don't stop me!"
Rob thought about what happened in Lunan: that Niang Niangniang was indeed the one who saw through the ingeniously arranged murder. When she said that she was careful, she was not exaggerating at all.
He gritted his teeth and agreed to escort Yong Ruo Kuai back to Beijing tomorrow.
In the early morning of the next day, just as the sky was dawning, Yong Ruo wore riding clothes and a bamboo hat, wrapped his head and face with a shawl, and left Tangquan Villa under the worried eyes of the Zhou family and others. Go to the capital.
Each of them brought two horses, and they ran non-stop along the way, without encountering any disturbances, and entered the capital smoothly before sunset.
Because a person with extremely high riding skills had already returned to the palace to report the letter, the guards at the gate of the palace immediately let him go.
Yong Ruo, who is covered in dust and dust, enters the palace with Xiao Guizi, Hua Ruan, Jiao Zhu and others.
As soon as he entered the palace gate, Yongruo saw the emperor's honor guard not far from the palace gate.
Feng Liao was dressed in bright yellow, standing under the canopy, her figure was frighteningly thin.
"Ruoruo!" He yelled, and ran towards Yongruo without any regard for etiquette.
Yong Ruo also walked towards him quickly.
The two stopped half a step away from each other.
Yong Ruo carefully looked at Feng Liao.
There was no tenderness and childishness of a young man on that once very familiar face. The once soft facial lines have become sharp and hard, and the cheeks are a little sunken.
His lips are no longer as moist and delicate as before; his complexion is much paler and darker than before; and there are a few scattered white hairs on his sideburns!
Seeing Feng Liao like this, she suddenly felt a knife-like pain in her heart.
"Feng Liao... I'm back!" She whispered to him, her voice choked up uncontrollably, but she forced a little smile to him, "You don't seem to be well?"
Feng Liao had already carefully lifted off the shawl wrapped around her face, seeing the scars on her face, tears welled up in her eyes.
Hearing her words, he couldn't help laughing, and wept while laughing.
"You don't look too good either!" He said to Yong Ruo, "As long as you want to come back! Anything else is not important!"
He wrapped hers with his own, looked into her eyes, and said very seriously: "From now on, you will never leave me again! We... grow old forever!"
The two people who didn't look very good hugged each other deeply inside the gate of the Forbidden Palace.