Yinzhen took off his snow clothes and hat outside the door before coming in, and saluted in front of his great-grandmother's bed. The Queen Mother was very happy to see her great-grandson, because she could no longer speak, so she just smiled kindly.
"Why don't you come with the third elder brother and the others today?" Lan Qi stood up and touched the fourth elder brother's hand. Seeing that it was very cold, she took the hand stove aside and gave it to him. She also wanted to call Huanchun to serve some snacks, but she turned around.
Yinzhen suddenly said from behind, "I'm here to visit you, so they won't come. If they come to visit my great-grandmother, they will probably come together."
Lan Qi turned around blankly and asked in confusion: "Look at me?"
"Xiaohezi said that you almost fainted today." Yinzhen held the hand stove in one hand and freed his other hand. He gently pulled Lan Qi back and asked her to sit back next to the Empress Dowager. He said seriously, "Your Majesty, please
Take care."
Lan Qi was at a loss. She had always been cared for by the people around her, but she had also always seen her fourth elder brother feeling sorry for the imperial concubine. Occasionally she would think in her heart, how great it would be if her son loved her so much one day, but she knew that her fourth elder brother's heart
Having a biological mother is already very satisfying.
The Empress Dowager let out a weak laugh and squinted her eyes to look at the mother and son. Lan Qi knew what the old man was thinking, and even more aware that she had seen through her own thoughts. She couldn't help but blush, and casually touched the flower rope placed on the couch,
Then he changed the topic and asked Yinzhen: "Can you turn over flower ropes?"
Brother Si shook his head, frowned slightly and looked at the thing in her hand, and said with little interest: "This is for girls to play with." But just as he said this, he saw that Empress De Fei only moved her fingers slightly.
, a simple rope can be woven into various patterns in her hands.
"These two can also play." Lan Qi smiled and stretched out her hand towards her son.
"Yes, I saw Sister Duanjing playing with Wen Xian." Yinzhen nodded and looked at his mother reaching out. He didn't know how to refuse, so he could only put down the stove, awkwardly stretched out his fingers, and turned it in his mother's hand.
He turned again and moved the rope completely between his fingers. After a little tension, the rope completely fell apart.
The Empress Dowager looked at it and smiled. Seeing that her great-grandmother was happy, Yinzhen also smiled naively and said: "Although it is a girl's game, it is not easy. Great-grandmother, can you do it?"
The Empress Dowager seemed to clear her throat. Lan Qi knew that she was going to speak, and wanted to get closer to listen, but the old man's voice was much clearer than before, and said to Yinzhen: "Isn't what women do simple and easy?
The clothes you are wearing contain so much knowledge every stitch and thread. Knowledge is not only found in books. Yinzhen, you have to stand taller and see further. There are still many things worth learning for you in this world.
Something. In the future, when you grow up, you will be more courteous to the virtuous and corporal people. Most of the children of the royal family think that they are short-sighted. You have to go out and interact with learned and knowledgeable people."
The Empress Dowager spoke so many words in one breath, and the Fourth Brother listened attentively, with a gleam in his eyes, and promised his grandmother loudly that he would keep it in mind.
Lan Qi was worried about the old man's hard work, and wanted her to rest, but the Empress Dowager waved Yinzhen to her side, stretched out her old hand tremblingly to turn the flower rope with him, and Yinzhen awkwardly wrapped it around her hand.
After several rounds, he lifted up a mess. Lan Qi couldn't stand it anymore, so she reached out to help him, and then supported the hand of the great empress dowager to move it away. The fourth elder brother saw that the rope took shape in the hands of the great grandmother, and it seemed to be very complicated.
I had no clue for a moment, so I stared with wide eyes, hoping to see some clues.
When Lan Qi saw that her fourth brother showed such a cute and honest look, she couldn't help but smile. The depression in her heart was relieved a lot. She supported the hand of the Empress Dowager and pointed out to him which ropes to pick.
The fourth brother pursed his lips with a serious look on his face, and ran his fingers through the ropes. He raised his hand for a long time to pull the rope away, but in the end, the rope left in the hands of the Empress Dowager was stretched tightly, along with the hands of Empress Dowager De.
They were also tangled together. He tried to shake them off in a panic, but his fingers were also tangled.
The hands of the grandfather and grandson were tied together. Lan Qi stared blankly for a moment. The Empress Dowager laughed, and she also laughed loudly. Only the fourth elder brother blushed and said in a low voice: "
Concubine De, how do you untie it?"
One of Lan Qi's hands was not entangled, so she carefully untied the entangled flower rope. The Empress Dowager held Yinzhen's hand in her palm and gently rubbed it. She asked lovingly: "Does it hurt? Silly boy, next time.
Ask your sister to learn from it and ask her to teach you so that you can use it to coax your wife in the future."
The great-grandmother said this suddenly, and the fourth elder brother became even more embarrassed. His face, which was red just now, was also red at the moment, which made the Queen Mother very happy. She gently hugged her little great-grandson and said, "It's a pity that my great-grandmother can't wait."
That day will come, but I see that Yuxi is doing well, and knowing who my great-grandson’s daughter-in-law is, my great-grandmother will feel relieved.”
Lan Qi saw that the Empress Dowager was in good spirits and seemed to want to talk to the Fourth Elder Brother. She also saw that the Fourth Elder Brother was sweating profusely just now, and was afraid that he would catch a cold due to the wind, so she asked Yinzhen to accompany her great-grandmother, and she
He went to ask the palace maid to get some hot water to wipe him. He got up from the bed and stepped off the footrest. Suddenly, the little guy in his stomach started to churn. Lan Qi couldn't help but snorted, panted heavily, and held on to the lamp stand on the side.
Don't dare to move.
Lan Qi's movements shocked the Empress Dowager and her fourth brother. Yinzhen heard the moans and turned around to see his mother holding on to the lamp stand.
He looked at her body and asked: "Mom, what's wrong with you? Are you going to have a baby?"
The little guy in his belly seemed to be frightened by his brother, so he stopped punching and kicking him. He calmed down little by little, and Lan Qi's breathing gradually calmed down. Tears came out of his eyes for some reason, but the child in front of him seemed completely unconscious.
When he said something strange, he carefully supported Lan Qi and asked, "Mother, please sit down first. I'll call Huan Chun."
Lan Qi was pushed by Yinzhen and walked back step by step back to the Empress Dowager. The fourth elder brother nervously turned around to call someone and ran out suddenly, only to find his father standing at the door. Yinzhen pointed in in a panic, not waiting for him
When he opened his mouth, the imperial physician and palace maid followed him.
Xuan Ye looked down at his son and saw that his cheeks were red and his head was full of sweat. He had seen the scene just now and wanted to rush in to help Lan Qi, but his son was ahead of him. He could hear the "Eniang!"
I really saw Lan Qi's expression dull with my own eyes, and saw tears welling up in her eyes, but the child didn't seem to find it strange, or maybe he hadn't calmed down yet.
"Go and wipe the sweat from your forehead and neck. If you catch a cold in the wind, you will delay your homework in the study." Xuan Ye carried his son over, felt the wet sweat on his neck, and pushed him to his side.
The nuns at the side asked them to take Brother Si to wipe his sweat. When he came in again, he heard the imperial doctor say, "Don't worry, Madam, it's just an ordinary fetal movement. You and the fetus are both fine."
Lan Qi nodded absently. Seeing the emperor come in, the imperial doctor quickly saluted and repeated his words. When they all went out, the room became clear again. Xuan Ye saw Lan Qi's hand resting on the couch, covered by the emperor's grandmother's hand.
Her hands patted gently and slowly. Lan Qi turned to look at her grandmother, and couldn't help but burst into tears again, but the emperor's grandmother just smiled happily, smiling so happily.
Outside the door, Grandma Sumala heard the movement of the imperial doctor here. She was worried, so she pushed her body over again. Just when she saw the fourth elder brother wiping his sweat and about to go in, the prince politely saluted her.
Grandma hurriedly stopped her and said, "How can Si elder brother bow to this slave?"
Yinzhen smiled and said: "Huang Ama wants everyone to respect grandma, and we do the same."
When he said this, the imperial doctor came to Mammy's side and said softly: "Mother Sumala, I have something I have to say, but I didn't dare to mention it in front of the Empress Dowager and the Empress. Please give me some advice, Concubine De.
, if she continues to support her body, neither the adults nor the child will recover. It is impossible for a pregnant woman to work so hard, and the worst result will be disastrous."
The smile on Mammy's face faded, and her heart sank again. She took Fourth Brother's hand and said, "Fourth Brother will try to persuade Concubine De in a moment. What the servants said is no longer useful."
Yinzhen nodded in agreement and comforted his grandma: "I will explain it properly."
Entering the house again, he saw the same scene of picking flower ropes as before. The fourth elder brother followed his mother and stood in front of the door without going inside. He heard his mother laughing: "Why is the emperor so clumsy? He is not as good as Yinzhen, my concubine's hands are so weak."
It hurts."
The father said angrily: "What's the point of playing with this thing? Don't move around, it's getting tighter and tighter."
The hands of the three of them were also entangled together. Seeing that his father was as anxious as himself, Yinzhen hurried over to untie them. Xuan Ye seemed unhappy that he was embarrassed in front of his son, and said to him angrily: "It's so late.
Yes, go back early."
Lan Qi looked at her son infatuatedly and saw that he didn't have any strange reaction to the words "Eniang" just now. She didn't dare to make a fuss for fear of scaring him. Anyway, she could hear clearly that her son was calling her "Eniang" from the bottom of his heart.
Mom, even if she only hears it twice in this life, she will be satisfied.
Seeing his father asking him to leave, the fourth elder brother pursed his lips and did not dare to refute. Just as he was about to bow and leave, his great-grandmother suddenly stretched out her hand to him. Yinzhen stepped forward. The empress dowager gently shook his hand and said: "Yinzhen
Ah, when you grow up, you must respect your mother."
The fourth elder brother nodded vigorously: "My grandson knows that he will respect his mother." When he spoke, he turned to look at Lan Qi beside him, and took the opportunity to express the worries of the imperial doctor just now, "My mother, you are pregnant with the child, you really want to
Just take care of yourself."
Lan Qi's body trembled and she was speechless. The Empress Dowager laughed out loud: "Good boy, she listened to what you said. She stays here every day to make me feel uneasy."
But after saying this, the Empress Dowager seemed extremely tired. After taking a long breath, she closed her eyes weakly. Yinzhen stood aside at a loss. Finally, his father called him: "Go back."
Xiao Hezi and others from outside came in to wait on the fourth elder brother, put on his snow clothes and hat, and after bowing together, they left with the fourth elder brother. Xuan Ye helped Lan Qi get up and wanted her to go to the side hall to rest, but Lan Qi
Before she could stand up, the Empress Dowager slowly opened her eyes again, her pale face glowing with a beautiful red light. She looked at the two people holding hands with a smile. Lan Qi came up and asked softly: "Are you thirsty? It's agreed.
After a while, I will make some candied date tea for you."
The Queen Mother shook her head slightly and turned to look at Aunt Sumala who was standing aside. Aunt Sumala hurried to the couch. The old sister reached out to touch her face and said with a smile: "In the next life, I will serve you instead."
.”
Aunt Sumala smiled with tears in her eyes: "What are you talking about? In the next life, I will come to be your maid, and we will go horse riding together."
"Ask Xuan Ye to bring Atu back to keep you company, and you take care of her for me." The Queen Mother said, and Grandma Sumala promised, "I will take good care of the princess."
The Atu mentioned by the Empress Dowager was her youngest daughter, Princess Shuhui. Xuan Ye quickly said: "My aunt is feeling much better. She is already on her way to Beijing. She will be reunited with you soon."
"Really?" The Queen Mother was very happy and looked into the distance silently, as if she wanted to see her daughter on the way back to Beijing. She knew that she would not be able to wait for the child.
Lan Qi and Xuan Ye helped Grandma Sumala get up and sit aside. The Queen Mother looked at them quietly. She knew that Sumala would not be treated badly. She had nothing to worry about. She also thought of Yinzhen’s voice just now.
E Niang smiled and said: "It sounds really good."
The meaningless sentence was so nice that both Lan Qi and Xuan Ye didn't know what the Empress Dowager wanted to say. They wanted to get closer and ask, but the old man slowly closed his eyes and hummed something unknown in his mouth, pointing his fingers.
Beat the beat gently in front of your chest.
Although the melody hummed by the Empress Dowager had little strength, it was long and long-lasting, soothing and free. Lan Qi's eyes blurred as she listened.
Tune.”
In the long and melodious tune, there should have been horses, cattle and sheep, blue sky and white clouds, but Lan Qi's eyes were blurred, but she could only see the scene after scene of spending time with the Empress Dowager day and night in the past ten years, laughing, cursing, joy and sorrow, hugging each other back then.
Looking at Lan Qi who was whipped to the point of dying, the Empress Dowager told her that she had remembered this kindness; after giving birth to her fourth brother, she felt sorry for her mother and son being separated and adopted her in Cining Palace; in anger, she sneaked out to see Xuan Ye and punished her.
I knelt for several hours...all the past ten years appeared before my eyes.
Sadness and tears came overwhelmingly. The weak pregnant woman could no longer stand and relied entirely on Xuan Ye's support. She wanted to cry but did not dare to cry. She knew that the Empress Dowager liked to see Wu Yalanqi's smile.
"Emperor Grandmother." Xuan Ye supported Lan Qi and saw that the beat between the Queen Mother's fingers was getting slower and slower. He called out in a panic. The Queen Mother slowly opened her eyes. Xuan Ye was there and Lan Qi was there.
Sumala is also here, and the people who have given her the most love and care in her life are here.
The red light on her face gradually dissipated, but the kind smile froze on her face, and the Queen Mother closed her eyes in comfort again.
"Royal Grandmother..."
The long tune stopped, and the dormitory fell into silence. Lan Qi leaned on Xuan Ye, covering her mouth with one hand and shaking uncontrollably. Aunt Sumala threw herself at the master's side, tremblingly putting her hand between the Empress Dowager's breath, and the sad old man immediately cried out painfully.
Crying out: "Gege, don't leave me..."
Lan Qi's body went completely limp, and Xuan Ye was unable to support her. They fell to the ground together. The palace maids and eunuchs rushed in from outside. Seeing Huan Chun supporting his master, Xuan Ye rushed to his grandmother's side and grabbed her.
His hand kept calling her, but he couldn't wake her up again. His grandmother was gone, and the grandmother who gave him his life was gone.
"Royal Grandmother, you said that you would always stay with Xuan Ye..."
The emperor's cries spread from the palace, and the palace maids, eunuchs, and imperial doctors standing outside knelt down and cried bitterly. The cries came from the Cining Palace, as if shaking the world, and the north wind roared in, rolling up snow particles.
Beat everything in the world.
On the way back to Chengqian Palace, the fourth elder brother was surrounded and hiding aside from the wind and snow. Xiao Hezi used his body to shield his master from the wind and snow. Yinzhen suddenly smiled at him: "Xiao Hezi, I called E Niang today."
Xiao Hezi was stunned, and Si Age laughed again: "I finally called her Niang. I always wonder when I can call her Niang. I want to call her Niang, and I have always wanted to."
"Fourth Brother..."
Just when Xiao Hezi was about to speak, the heavy and deep bells suddenly echoed in the Forbidden City. The bells covered the wind and snow and spread to every palace road and every palace. Everyone listened blankly. Yinzhen couldn't help but ask: "
What sound?"
Xiaowazi realized that this was the death knell, and suddenly knelt on the ground and cried: "Brother Si, the Empress Dowager has passed away."
Yinzhen stared at him blankly, his little body stiff in the wind and snow.
On December 25, the twenty-sixth year of Kangxi's reign, Empress Dowager Zhaosheng, Borjigit passed away.
Awakening from an abyss-like dream amidst the heavy ringing of bells, Lan Qi saw the paleness in the room. Bu Gui and Huan Chun stood by the bed in plain clothes, in a trance, as if they had returned to the fifth year of Kangxi's thirteenth year.
moon.
"Are you awake? How do you feel? The imperial doctor said that you and the child are in danger, so you must take care of yourself." The nobleman came over and choked up as he spoke, "If anything happens to you again, call the emperor.
What should we do, what should we do?"
Lan Qi felt that her body was heavy and powerless, and her head was in chaos. She looked pale and listened to Sister Bu's words. She finally came to her senses. This was not the thirteenth year of Kangxi, but the twenty-sixth year of Kangxi. The Empress Dowager
Just before she fainted, she drove Hexi to the west.
Sadness welled up in her heart, and Lan Qi burst into tears without restraint. Bu Gui and Huan Chun both advised her not to be excited, but the pot-bellied person cried so hard that she couldn't breathe. She struggled to go to Cining Palace, and Huan Chun died.
He held him down and said, "If you move any more, Madam, you and your children will not be able to save themselves. Do you want to leave Long Live Master and go on your own?"
"Let me go with the Empress Dowager, she will be alone on the road, how lonely..." Lan Qi cried heartbrokenly, crying until she almost died. When she finally calmed down, she was already on the verge of death.
Bu Guiren wiped his tears and said to Huan Chun: "She calmed down for a while and then started to cry again. What's wrong with that."
When the Empress Dowager returned to Yaochi from the west, the palace quickly became a state where no one was in charge. Even though the old man originally lived in Cining Palace and did nothing, various people relied on him spiritually, and he was ultimately the backbone. Now the Empress Dowager is overly sad.
After falling ill, the imperial concubine's body also could not withstand the torment. Concubine Rong and Concubine Hui were too busy with the funeral rites. The emperor cut off his braids and stayed in mourning in Cining Palace, keeping vigil for his grandmother and could not be disturbed at all.
At the moment, no one can care about Concubine De, who is about to give birth. The Yonghe Palace, which was once favored by thousands of people, has changed overnight.
Lan Qi's body was hollowed out in the last days when she took care of the Empress Dowager. No one knew what kind of power supported her day and night in Cining Palace.
When Grandma said that Concubine De's body could no longer be used up, the Empress Dowager chose to leave. No one knew the coincidence here, as if everything was destined by God.
Lan Qi wakes up and sleeps, crying when she is awake. Compared to when she lost Yinzuo, she stayed in a daze all day without crying or fussing. This time, she did not hide the sadness and fear in her heart, but after all, she could not bear the weakness of her body day by day.
In the end, they could hardly even cry, and both mother and son fell into a great crisis.
But the imperial doctor said that because Concubine De was too weak, even inducing labor was very dangerous. If she had not been forced to induce labor naturally, she would probably have killed two people. Now Concubine De has no strength to give birth to a child by herself. By then, almost
It depends on the ability of the child in her belly. Whether the child and the mother can survive will be left to fate.
Fortunately, after two days of chaos, the palace was gradually getting back on track. Preparations for the Queen Mother's funeral had been started early in the morning. It was not sudden. It was just that the people involved were too sad to take charge of the matter, so it was a little chaotic for a while. The Imperial Concubine
She never cared about the affairs of the Sixth Palace, but this time she worked hard to take care of everything for the emperor. However, her health was very bad. She could not even walk when she returned to Chengqian Palace every night.
In the blink of an eye, it was already the first month, and the palace was gradually calming down. The imperial concubine was completely ill and could not take charge of the affairs, and the queen mother was also unable to leave her bed in Ningshou Palace. Although everything in the palace was in order, the sad atmosphere and the hesitation of no one making the decision were still diffuse.
in every corner.
On this day, the elder brothers dispersed from Cining Palace. After crying for several days, the children gradually got used to it. The elder brothers went back to their palaces one after another. The fourth elder brother took Xiao Hezi away, and Xiao Hezi followed beside him and whispered.
"I was waiting outside the door just now. I heard someone coming to report that Concubine De was in very poor health. Master, do you want to go and have a look."
Yinzhen looked at him nervously, remembering what the imperial doctor said that day, and hurried forward, telling Xiao Hezi: "Go back and see E Niang first, tell E Niang where I am, and I will go back immediately."
But halfway through, he stopped Xiao Hezi and said, "Don't tell E Niang, I will go back soon anyway." After that, he took Xiao Hezi around to Yonghe Palace by another road, and did not let anyone from Chengqian Palace.
Suddenly, the people in Yonghe Palace were very surprised to see Brother Si coming.
Huan Chun came out to welcome him, and while taking off his snow hat, he said, "Brother Si, can you please advise me? My eyes will be broken if I continue to cry."
Yinzhen walked in a hurry, sweating all over his body. When he entered the house, he felt that the earth dragon was burning the house and made him feel impatient. But when he suddenly saw his dying mother on the hospital bed, his whole body became cold.
"Eniang." Yinzhen rushed to the bed and took Lan Qi's hand, "Eniang, are you okay?"
Lan Qi, with tears in her eyes and a weak spirit, regained her composure. She saw her son in front of her and heard him calling her mother. She thought she was in a dream, so she smiled lightly and ignored her, but when Yinzhen called her again, she realized
Come here, my son is really here.
"I promised my great-grandmother that I will be filial to you in the future." Looking at his mother's appearance, the fourth elder brother thought that his adoptive mother in the Chengqian Palace was also seriously ill. His weak heart could no longer bear it, so he cried to his mother, "