The queen wanted to laugh, but she was unable to do so, so she wanted to lie down.
The emperor saw this and personally helped the queen. After the queen lay down, she calmed down for a while and said, "The things I gave to the children are all in the box."
Your Majesty, "I will share it among them."
The queen was a little out of breath, but she still tried to raise her head to look at her children, her eyes full of reluctance. Finally, she set her gaze on the emperor's face, used all her strength to finally smile, and slowly closed her eyes.
She felt the death quietly, with the crying of her children in her ears. She did not tell the emperor that she would marry him in the next life. It was not that she did not want to, but the emperor did not regret it in this life, but it did not mean that he was willing to marry her in the next life.
The emperor felt the queen's hand slowly getting cold, but he didn't let go. He sat quietly listening to the children crying, and his eyes slowly turned red. His wife had passed away, taking away all her past, leaving him with only beautiful memories.
The emperor raised his hand and stroked his wife's hair. He felt the white hair was a little prickly, and his heart was empty. After a while, he said to Eunuch Zhang in a deep voice: "Go and make the arrangements."
The sound of crying began from the Queen's bedroom and slowly spread throughout the entire palace. Some women in the harem were happy, some were gnashing with hatred, but no one was sad for the Queen.
The bell rang, and the whole capital knew that the queen was gone.
Zhulan and Zhou Shuren were still awake. They had already changed their clothes. When they heard the voice, they looked at each other, but neither of them said anything.
Time passed little by little before Zhulan spoke, motioning the maid outside to come in, "Go tell the Crown Prince's wife that all the decorations in the courtyard have been removed."
The maid also heard the bell and was ordered to quickly go to the main room to deliver the message.
Zhou Shuren, "Without the Queen in the palace, there will be no peace again."
"Only fools would stop. The Crown Prince's position is secure, and the Emperor will not appoint another Empress."
"Hey, don't think the emperor is calm, but he is also a human being. The anger in his heart is directed at Chuanzhou."
Zhulan thought of the death of the emperor, "He's going to be cruel again."
Zhou Shuren's tone was a little weak, "Our son sends evidence back to the capital from time to time, which only adds fuel to the fire of the emperor!"
Bamboo orchid, "... "
It’s true!
Everyone in the capital lost their sleepiness after hearing the bell, especially the Wen family. The Wen family had two main supporters, the Queen and the Crown Prince. The Wen family was not worried even though the Queen was ill. The Emperor valued his legitimate wife so much that no one dared to provoke the Queen even if she was recuperating. As long as the Queen was alive, the Wen family was not afraid of anything.
They are a little panicked now. The prince's actions in recent years have shown that he does not rely on the Wen family. Without the buffer of the queen, everyone in the Wen family is worried.
Some people were terrified, but naturally some were happy, and there were more happier people. Without the queen to help the prince, there was no one to mediate the rift between the most honorable father and son in the royal family. This was a great thing.
The second prince was both angry and happy. He was angry that the queen would choose a day to pass away, which had really screwed the second prince over. He was happy that the crown prince no longer had the queen's protection.
There were too many evil spirits coming out tonight.
The next day, Zhulan got up, changed into plain clothes, and looked out the window. The weather was good today.
If you listen quietly, you can still hear crying. Compared to the sincere crying of the death of the retired emperor, the crying of the death of the queen seems fake.
The people of the capital city didn't feel much either. People were so realistic. They knew who was good to them, and the queen didn't do anything that would make the people remember her.
The Queen's funeral was grand. The Emperor and the Crown Prince were truly sad. Not to mention the Wen family, the others all kept their Jiang Shui handkerchiefs in their hands.
There were no common people seeing him off at the funeral, and it seemed like a show despite being a very grand funeral.
The emperor's wife died. No matter how well he concealed it, the pressure around him was very low.
Zhou Shuren didn't move forward either. He could still talk about the death of the retired emperor, but the emperor would have to deal with the death of the empress on his own!
Chuanzhou, the imperial edict from the capital was sent to all the states. All the states already knew who would be the chief examiner for the autumn examination this year. The chief examiner for Chuanzhou was Zhou Changzhi from the Hanlin Academy, assisted by the Chuanzhou academician.
When the imperial edict arrived in Chuanzhou, the first thing to do was to investigate who Zhou Changzhi of the Hanlin Academy was. After the investigation was completed, everyone fell silent after reading it.
The prefect of Chuanzhou frowned, "This man is not only the fourth son of Marquis Zhou, but also the biological brother of the Princess of Qin. He is a bit tricky."
When everyone looked at each other, it was not only difficult but also fatal!
Chang Zhi also took Ding Jue back to the provincial capital. Back at the rented courtyard, Chang Zhi investigated a lot of evidence. He did not go out after he came back, but Ding Jue went out from time to time.
Today, Ding Jue came back with a strange look on his face, and the servant noticed, "What's wrong with you?"
Ding Jue took a deep breath and asked, "Our master's name is Zhou Changzhi?"
The servant responded and smiled, "Did you hear the news?"
Ding Jue paused for a moment, admitting it, "So you are the chief examiner for this year's autumn exam?"
The servant patted Ding Jue's shoulder and said, "What's the big deal? Your Excellency must have a reputation when he appears in Chuanzhou."
Ding Jue still had some doubts about life, and asked cautiously, "Is your father the Minister of Revenue, Zhou Hou?"
The servant said, "This news spreads fast."
Ding Jue felt complicated. No wonder he hinted again and again that it was dangerous to continue investigating the Master. The Master did not care. There was really nothing to be afraid of with such a background. Even the officials in Sichuan Province could not match his background.
Ding Jue reacted, "Now that the decree has arrived, when will the Lord show up?"
The servant said, "No hurry, no hurry, there is still a long time to go before the Autumn Examination!"
Ding Jue thought that he also had the title of a scholar, so it was no wonder that the adults always advised him to look forward as life was long. When he followed the adults, the adults would talk to him about the officialdom and tell him interesting stories. His horizons were broadened and he no longer harbored hatred and regrets every day.
The servant muttered, "Fool, you don't know how to seize the opportunity right in front of you."
The master had been making secret visits along the way and had met many people like Ding Jue, but only two of them really caught his eye. The other one was Liu Mingsheng, and only Ding Jue had been following the master.
Ding Jue knew it clearly and pursed his lips, "Me."
Changzhi came out, "Are you back?"
The servant smiled, "Sir, he already knows who you are."
Changzhi smiled, "Is it a surprise?"
Ding Jue was a little reserved, no longer as casual as before, "It's indeed unexpected."
Changzhi asked, "What were you talking about just now?"
Ding Jue pursed his lips and said after a moment of silence: "Sir, I."
Chang Zhi raised his eyebrows. The exposure of his identity made Ding Jue feel uneasy. "You want your fame back?"
Ding Jue's face flushed, "Sir, you are a good official."
He saw everything the adults did every day. He knew clearly that the adults were teaching him, but when he thought of the lives of his elder brother and mother, he could only sigh.
Chang Zhi did not force Ding Jue. He just hoped that Ding Jue would be able to bear it after the truth came out. This is also the reason why he kept comforting Ding Jue.
Ding Jue breathed a sigh of relief, "Sir, it is enough for me to learn from you."
So he still couldn't get over the hurdle in his heart.