noffsinger Chapter 22 Passing away
Chapter 22 Passing away
Since the beginning of spring on the 28th, the Imperial Noble Consort's health had been fluctuating, and it only began to improve slightly as summer approached. However, this improvement was short-lived, and her condition returned in June. In less than half a month, she was already on the verge of death.
Recently, Yinzhen has not come to the Imperial Study for several days. It is said that he asked Emperor Kangxi to move to a side hall of Chengqian Palace to attend to him during his illness, and he has been staying there day and night without leaving his side.
Because of the Imperial Noble Consort's illness, Emperor Kangxi has been in a very bad mood lately. Not only did he punish several servants in the Qianqing Palace for making mistakes over trivial matters, but he also lost his temper in court, causing panic in both the court and the harem.
"Father, you should eat something. You barely ate anything at noon. If you don't eat now, how can your body take it?"
Of all Kangxi's children, he valued Yinreng the most and loved him the most. Seeing his son getting anxious and upset because of him, even though he was feeling down and had no appetite, he couldn't bear to refuse his son's wishes. However, the food that he used to think tasted pretty good now tasted bland, but it wasn't much better.
"It seems like I haven't seen that brat Yinzhuo for several days. What has he been busy with these past few days?"
It's no wonder that Kangxi would ask this question. In recent years, Yinzhuo has been favored by Kangxi and can be said to be a frequent visitor to the Qianqing Palace. It is almost unprecedented for him not to appear in the Qianqing Palace for several days.
"Father, Sixth Brother should be in Chengqian Palace now. I heard that he has been rushing to Chengqian Palace as soon as he leaves his study. I suppose he is worried that Fourth Brother will overthink things if he is alone, so he thought he would go and keep him company."
To be honest, Yinreng was quite envious of Yinzhen at this time. Although his biological mother, Consort De, hadn't treated him well, he had never lacked maternal love over the years. His adoptive mother had only him as her child and must have cared for him deeply. And now, in his most heartbroken and sorrowful moment, he had a biological brother, Yinzuo, who was willing to treat him with sincerity. On the other hand, he himself was second only to the emperor, all alone...
"Hmm, Xiao Liu is a good one. You should visit Chengqian Palace more often when you have time, keep an eye on things for me, and also take good care of the Fourth Prince. Things are in chaos there right now, and the Fourth Prince is a stubborn person. He probably won't say anything even if he's been wronged. As for the Imperial Noble Consort... sigh, never mind..."
If we were to say who Kangxi owed the most to in the harem, it would undoubtedly be the Imperial Noble Consort. The Imperial Noble Consort came from Kangxi's maternal clan, and was not only his cousin but also his childhood playmate. The two had grown up together since childhood, and their affection for each other was beyond question.
Her illustrious birth brought the Imperial Noble Consort a high rank, but it also destined her to never have a child of her own. Kangxi was her family and her husband, but he was also the emperor of the Qing Dynasty. He was unwilling and unwilling to allow another prince in his harem to have a status comparable to his crown prince. This is why he hesitated for so many years to change the jade tablet for Yinzhen.
The knife hanging over one's head will eventually fall. Even if one is unwilling to face it, that day still came. On the seventh day of the seventh month of the twenty-eighth year of Kangxi's reign, at the hour of Hai (9-11 PM), the Imperial Noble Consort's condition suddenly worsened. Kangxi was not in the palace at the time, but upon hearing the news, he rushed back to the palace late at night and stayed by her side without leaving her side.
On July 9th, the Imperial Noble Consort had been unconscious for two whole days. All the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital gathered at Chengqian Palace, but they were all helpless. Kangxi knew that the Imperial Noble Consort's days were numbered. After much deliberation, he followed his heart and issued an edict to confer the title of Empress upon her, hoping that this action would bring his Empress divine favor. However, things did not go as planned. Just one day after Kangxi issued the edict, on the tenth day of the seventh month, at the hour of Shen (3-5 PM), this Empress, who had not yet been conferred the title, passed away in Chengqian Palace.
After Empress Tong passed away, Emperor Kangxi was naturally heartbroken and suspended court for five days. He also put on mourning clothes and ordered all other concubines, princes and below to do the same. On the eleventh day of the seventh month, the coffin of the late empress was laid to rest in the main hall of Chengqian Palace.
Upon learning of the Empress's passing, Yinzhuo rushed to Chengqian Palace with his entourage. Amidst the chaotic crowd, he immediately spotted Yinzhen kneeling blankly before the late Empress's coffin. However, this time, he didn't offer any words of comfort. Firstly, he truly didn't know what else to say besides "please accept my condolences." Secondly, he knew that this was ultimately a hurdle for Yinzhen alone, one that he had to overcome alone, no matter how difficult. All Yinzhuo could do at this moment was to stay by his side, so that he could see him when he turned around in his deepest sorrow.
Emperor Kangxi was ultimately a ruthless emperor. His only act of kindness towards the Empress was to make her his wife before his death. However, he showed no pity for Yinzhen, the child the Empress loved. As Yinzuo grew cold-hearted, one could almost imagine how difficult Yinzhen's life would be in the palace. A child of only twelve years old, having lost his mother's protection and not being favored by his father, lived a life of constant sycophancy and oppression. How well could the adopted son of a dead Empress possibly live?
Not long after, the Empress's coffin was moved to the Xiang Hall outside Chaoyang Gate. The somber atmosphere in the palace, which had been somber since the Empress's death, finally eased somewhat. Apart from Yinzhen, Yinzuo and others resumed their studies in the Imperial Study.
Besides going out of the palace during the day to pay respects to his mother, Yinzhen also had to catch up on his studies in the evenings. Once, when Yinzuo went to see him, he saw Yinzhen silently shedding tears in front of a purse. To prevent him from overthinking, Yinzuo shamelessly squeezed into the courtyard and even skipped several days of classes to accompany Yinzhen out of the palace a few times. Kangxi turned a blind eye to this. This went on until December 20th, when the late Empress's coffin was buried in the imperial mausoleum, and everyone finally had a chance to breathe a sigh of relief.
During this period, they ate and drank poorly. Yinzhuo was alright, he just looked a little thinner, but Yinzhen was so thin that he almost became unrecognizable. The Spring Festival was only a few days after the funeral. Although everything in the palace was simplified this year because of the Empress's death, the New Year still had to be celebrated. Apart from Chengqian Palace, the atmosphere of the New Year gradually returned to the inner palace.
"Mother, when Fourth Brother comes later, please don't look so unhappy. At least smile when you see him, that will make him feel more at ease..."
Since the Empress is dead and Yinzhen's jade tablet has not been changed, he is still Consort De's son. With the New Year approaching, it is only right and proper for him to come and pay his respects to Consort De. However, Consort De is clearly still the same Consort De, and her attitude towards her son will not change just because the Empress has passed away and Yinzhen has returned to her side. Yinzuo is very worried about this, and he came to Yonghe Palace early in the morning. Before leaving, he did not forget to give his mother a few words of advice.
"You brat, do you still remember I'm your mother? These past few months you've been running around at the Fourth Prince's feet, doing whatever he wants. Anyone who didn't know better would think the one who left Chengqian Palace was your mother. Besides, he's the Empress's son. How could he be uncomfortable in my little Yonghe Palace..."
Consort De had someone bring out the one-year-old Yinzhen, placed him on her lap, and personally fed him rice cereal from the bowl. She clearly hadn't heard a word Yinzuo had said earlier.
“Mother, I think you’ve forgotten you even have a son like me. Ever since Little Fourteen was born, how long has it been since you’ve properly looked at your son? I’ve been studying so hard lately that I’ve lost so much weight. You’re not only ignoring me, but you’re also trying to turn the tables on me. I don’t think you’d care even if I were someone else’s son.”