Seeing that he didn't say anything, the Queen Mother already had the answer in her mind.
He laughed at himself, "I have been confused my whole life, and I am only now becoming more sober. I have been confused for too long, and God has refused to let me become more sober, so now he has come to take me away."
"Mother, I really don't blame you anymore. We are not saints and sages, and I have also been angry and hurt you on purpose. We are mother and son, so how can we be estranged for life? Look, the princes and princesses have come to see you. You must get better soon so that you can enjoy the company of your grandchildren and family."
Ning Chen's eyes were slightly red, and he still couldn't hate his biological mother.
Even now that the Queen Mother is about to pass away, her heart is filled with reluctance and pain.
He had always longed to be close and harmonious with the Queen Mother, but had never gotten it. Now that the Queen Mother had come to her senses, their relationship could be eased, but such days would not last long.
"I feel relieved with your words, but I still have something to ask of you." The Queen Mother held Ning Chen's hand for the first time.
Her hands were extremely cold and her skin was loose, as lifeless as she was.
Ning Chen nodded, "Just keep talking, mother."
The Queen Mother looked at Qian Shunrong who was standing beside her.
Then he said, "Tell Su Yu to leave, don't take her back to the palace, she can't survive there. Even if she can live a good life, she will be imprisoned for the rest of her life without freedom. So ask her to swear not to marry again, let Daimao accompany her, and live somewhere else, at least she can be free."
"Aunt!" Qian Shunrong suddenly burst into tears and knelt beside the Empress Dowager's bed, covering his face and crying.
The Queen Mother reached out and touched the top of her head. "You are a good child. It was my family and the Chen family who ruined you, but you are still young and have a long life ahead of you. You can't waste all your time."
Qian Shunrong burst into tears and just nodded.
Ning Chen naturally would not refuse since the aunt and niece were like this.
After doing all this, the Queen Mother asked to hug the Fourth Prince.
This was her obsession. When she was young, she was not close to children and had never hugged Ning Chen. Now she wanted to make up for it. The fourth prince, who was young and very much like Ning Chen, could make the empress dowager feel relieved the most.
The Fourth Prince stepped forward and the Queen Mother was helped to sit up. She looked at him with particularly gentle eyes.
He reached out and touched the Fourth Prince's face, then carefully held the child in his arms, tears streaming down his old cheeks.
The empress dowager finally couldn't hold on for the one or two months the imperial physician had said.
Perhaps because the knots in her heart were untied, the Queen Mother passed away on the night of the fourth day.
Qian Shunrong knelt in front of the empress dowager's bed until dawn, watching people from the palace carry the empress dowager's body back to the palace for funeral ceremonies.
Ning Chen fulfilled his promise and let Qian Shunrong go.
She abandoned her surname, changed her name to Yu Su, left Kyoto, and Daimao followed her.
From then on, the emperor's modesty and gentleness disappeared from the world, and there was only Lady Yu who traveled around the world alone.
Although time was tight, everything went very well because Ye Jun kept a close eye on it.
The most terrible thing is kneeling before the spirit body. Not only do you have to kneel, you also have to cry.
How much affection can anyone have for the Queen Mother? So they are all pretending.
But fortunately, the mourning only lasts for one day.
It was hot in June and the coffin should not be kept for a long time, so it was placed in the late emperor's tomb after nine days.
To be buried with the late emperor.
During this period, Ning Chen adjusted his mood relatively quickly, at least he never locked himself up alone.
The main reason was that the Queen Mother was relatively sober in the few days before her death and did not suffer too much.
The knots in the hearts of both mother and son were untied, so they didn't feel so sad anymore.
Ning Chen knew the severity of the Empress Dowager's injuries. She was being kept alive by painkillers and ginseng. It would be better if she died sooner.
One must observe mourning when one's biological mother dies.
When Ning Chen ascended the throne, he only observed mourning for the late emperor for one year because the harem was empty. Now it is different, so he should also observe mourning for three years according to the rules.
The plan for the northern tour was naturally shelved.
During these three years, according to the rules, she was not allowed to stay in the harem, favor concubines, get married, play around, or hold banquets or parties except on major festivals.
The last few rules were not a big deal, but the fact that concubines could not be favored by the emperor made the beauties in the harem complain.
How can you win favor like this? Even the emperor won’t come.
Of course, this only applies to other concubines.
Ning Chen still often went to Zhaochun Palace for meals, and would also ask Ye Jun to go to Jiuchen Palace.
It was the day of mourning, and except for Ye Jun and Qi Shunrong, no concubine had met the emperor in private.
Qi Shunrong suddenly fell ill at that time, and Ning Chen went to see her.
It was also because of this illness that Ye Jun pointed out that Qi Shunrong's heart was empty now. Without any concerns, he had no faith. How could he live well
Therefore, the fifth prince can be given to her to raise.
With children laughing and making noises around you, you may gradually become more lively.
Ning Chen thought it made sense, so he agreed to the request.
After the fifth prince had a mother, he was also formally named Yuzhe.
For this reason, Qi Shunrong specially brought the fifth prince to Zhaochun Palace to express his gratitude.
She also knew clearly who had sincerely helped her.
When the Seventh Prince passed away, she was completely desperate. It was Ye Jun who used her love for the Emperor to push her to live on. Later, she couldn't get enough of the Emperor's love, but slowly gave it up. Ye Jun then sent her the Fifth Prince.
For Qi Shunrong, these two things were life-saving graces.
This trip to Zhaochun Palace was not only to express gratitude, but also to show his stance. He decided to be in the same boat with Ye Jun in the future.
Seeing that everything in the harem was headed by Zhaochun Palace, Yi Zhaorong became anxious and panicked.
On the one hand, he was unwilling to give up on pushing the third prince to the position of crown prince, and on the other hand, he was afraid that Ye Jun had dealt with many people in a row and he was afraid that he would be the next one.
So starting from the second year of mourning, Yi Zhaorong kept making small moves, which were harmless but always annoying.
It’s like there’s a grasshopper jumping around in front of you. If you want to catch it, it’s unnecessary, but if you don’t catch it, it’s really unsightly.
So Ye Jun finally couldn't help but called Yi Zhaorong to Zhaochun Palace and set up a table.
"The mourning period is three years. I don't want to cause any trouble with you. I know what you are thinking, but the future ruler of Nanqi must be a virtuous one. The third prince is smart, and my fourth prince is not bad either, but the children are still young. Can you guarantee that if you take the throne now, you will not be pulled down in the future?"
Yi Zhaorong trembled her lips and was unable to respond for a moment.
Ye Jun lowered his eyes and pushed the teacup in front of her.
"You have been in the palace for many years and have given birth to a child, but you are still a concubine. The Third Prince is old and it is hard for him to save face. If you are sensible today and promise me to behave well during the three-year mourning period, I promise to make a suggestion to the Emperor to promote you to a concubine. If you do not agree, I also have a way to make you stay in the position of Zhaorong for the rest of your life."
At this moment, Yi Zhaorong felt extremely depressed.
She wanted to refute, but when she met Ye Jun's eyes, she lost her momentum.
Indeed, Ye Jun has this ability at this time.
After weighing the pros and cons in her mind, Yi Zhaorong gritted her teeth and decided to keep a low profile for the time being and wait for the future.
So he picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp.