As soon as New Year's Eve passes, time enters the new year.
When a new king succeeds to the throne, at the beginning of the new year, he should change his reign.
The first day of the first lunar month is the first day of the Jingping Era.
In the capital city, in the inner harem, the night is dark.
It was just after Yinzheng (four o'clock in the morning), the lights were lit in the Yanshou Palace, and the eunuchs and maids in the hall knelt on the ground.
"The Queen Mother...what's wrong with you?"
"Has the imperial doctor been sent to you?"
"Someone has already gone!"
"Slave dog, why don't you go and hurry up with a few people..."
In the dormitory, the eunuchs and maids were busy in a huddle, and all of them were working as hard as they could.
Don't blame them for being panicked, it's just that the current mood is too scary.
I saw the Empress Dowager Li, lying on the bed with her eyes open, and kept chanting: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."
The eunuch on the side kowtowed and said, "The Empress Dowager...has sent someone to invite the Emperor. The Emperor will be here soon!"
But Mrs. Li didn't seem to hear it. She was still shouting at this moment, but her voice was getting smaller and smaller.
Finally, Mrs. Li closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Everyone at the scene was scared to death, fearing that something might happen to Mr. Li.
The attendant nun quickly approached the bed and stretched out her hand to feel Li's breathing, fearing that something might happen to Li.
But the hand was only halfway out when Mrs. Li, who was lying on the bed, suddenly opened her eyes, and the nanny was so frightened that she quickly took her hand back.
"Help the Ai family up!" Li said in a serious tone.
At this moment, Mrs. Li has returned to normal, not at all like the "possessed" person she was just now.
Several palace maids who were approaching quickly stepped forward and helped Mrs. Li up from the bed.
"Change, everyone else exit!"
"yes!"
In the Yanshou Palace, the Li family had absolute authority, and all the irrelevant people withdrew from the hall.
Soon, Mrs. Li changed into her robe and walked to the main hall door alone.
"Open the door..."
Apparently Li was not in a good mood, so no one dared to say anything at this time, and the palace door was slowly opened.
The night was dark and quiet outside, with only the sound of the howling wind.
A palace maid brought a cloak and carefully applied it on Li.
"Show off...the Imperial Ancestral Temple!"
The Imperial Ancestral Temple, as its name suggests, is a place where emperors of all dynasties are enshrined and sacrifices are held.
"The Queen Mother...at this time..."
Mrs. Li raised her eyebrows and said in a stern tone: "Didn't you hear what the Ai family said? If you dare to talk too much, you will be shot with a stick!"
No one dared to persuade her any more, so they quickly found a chariot and sedan chair, and carried Li to the Ancestral Temple.
Although the Imperial Ancestral Temple is within the city, it is outside the palace, so it still takes a lot of effort to get out.
In Qian'an Palace, Zhao Weilong had already stood up, and several eunuchs were dressing him.
"Your Majesty, news just came...the Empress Dowager has gone to the Imperial Ancestral Temple!" A eunuch stood outside the dormitory to report.
What were you doing in the dormitory at this time? Zhao Weilong was full of suspicion and at the same time he was very wary.
There was always a gap between him and the Empress Dowager, so Zhao Weilong was always on guard against him.
"Have the imperial doctors looked at it?"
"Reporting to the Emperor, the Empress Dowager left the Yanshou Palace before the doctors arrived!"
At this time, Zhao Weilong was about to put on his crown uniform. He turned around and said, "Go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple!"
"According to the order!"
At the other end, Mrs. Li had arrived outside the Ancestral Temple and stepped off the chariot sedan.
Incense candles were burning day and night in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and the twenty or so eunuchs on duty were all kneeling in the snow to welcome Mrs. Li's arrival.
"You are all waiting outside, I will go in alone!"
"According to the order!"
Mrs. Li walked slowly up the steps. Through the main entrance of the hall, she could see the portrait of Taizu of the Jin Dynasty.
Mrs. Li walked into the main hall and did not stop in front of the nearby shrine of Taizu Taizong. Instead, she went directly to the shrine of Emperor Tai'an.
The portrait of Emperor Tai'an is hung above the shrine, with the words "The Emperor Shenzong of the Jin Dynasty shows his position as emperor" written on the front of the altar.
The candlelight flickered, making the portrait of Emperor Tai'an uncertain in light and dark, and the atmosphere in the entire Ancestral Temple was particularly cold.
Li picked up three incense sticks, lit them on the candlestick, and then inserted them into the incense burner.
Looking at the portrait in front of her, Li said slowly: "Your Majesty... I am about to take action!"
Naturally, the person in the portrait couldn't speak, so Li didn't say much at the moment, but just knelt on the futon.
Then, Ms. Li started her performance.
"Your Majesty... I know you are alone in heaven. I know it in my heart, and I am also heartbroken..."
Li's crying was so loud that the eunuchs and maidens kneeling outside could hear it, but they could not understand her meaning at all.
While everyone was wondering, they saw a group of people coming to the gate of the Imperial Ancestral Temple. It was the emperor's guard of honor who had arrived.
The sedan chair landed at the palace gate. Zhao Weilong also heard the sound of crying and howling. He didn't understand which song it was.
But there is no doubt that crying at the Ancestral Temple on the night of the first lunar month is bound to cause trouble, even violent winds and huge waves.
Zhao Weilong stood there, thinking about all the possibilities, but in the end he had no clue.
So he planned to go in and find out the matter himself.
"Is the Empress Dowager inside?" Zhao Weilong asked.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is in front of the late Emperor!"
Taking steps, Zhao Weilong walked forward, and soon he appeared in front of the main hall.
Standing outside the main hall, Zhao Weilong bowed and saluted: "The Empress Dowager, your grandson is here!"
Li raised her head, looked at Zhao Weilong and said, "Your Majesty, you're here. Just come!"
"Why is the Empress Dowager like this?"
"It is disrespectful to cry at the Ancestral Temple at night and disturb the ancestors and gods. But tonight, the late emperor's dream made it difficult for the mourning family..."
Upon hearing the mention of the late emperor, Zhao Weilong glanced at the portrait in front of him, and then asked: "I wonder what dream the emperor entrusted him with?"
Zhao Weilong could already guess that the key to the matter lay in the content of the dream.
"Your emperor told you in a dream that he was alone in the sky, very lonely, with no one to talk to!"
"I'm suffering every day, like water and fire..."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Weilong immediately changed his color.
According to what Li said, Emperor Tai'an was not happy at all in the Paradise, and had reached a state where the gods were restless.
As the successor king, it is not an exaggeration to say that Zhao Weilong was immoral and unsettled the spirit of the late emperor, and this will affect the foundation of Zhao Weilong's rule.
Therefore, this matter must be dealt with as soon as possible.
Knowing that the matter was almost complete, Li continued: "The late emperor told the Ai family in his dream that he had enjoyed all the wealth and glory in this world, and it would not be a pity to be buried with him with precious treasures..."
"Right now, he just wants someone to talk to!"
"The late emperor loved Concubine Duan the most during his lifetime. In order to let the late emperor's soul rest in peace in heaven, Ai Jia felt that... it would be better for the emperor to give Concubine Duan a burial, which would relieve the late emperor's worries and loneliness!"
This sentence is already a dagger, revealing Li's true purpose.
Zhao Weilong was greatly shocked, but he did not expect that Li would play this trick.
It is easy to ask Concubine Duan to die. After all, Concubine Duan's power in the court has been defeated, but this is not just a matter of human life.
He, Zhao Weilong, was able to obtain the throne, and Concubine Duan played a huge role in it. Killing Concubine Duan would show that he was mean and ungrateful.
What's more, while overthrowing Concubine Duan's power in the court, Zhao Weilong also accepted many officials from Concubine Duan's family. What would happen to those who killed Concubine Duan? This is also a question that Zhao Weilong has to consider.
While Zhao Weilong was thinking, he heard Li say: "Your Majesty... Concubine Duan and the late Emperor have a deep love. She must be willing to go with the late Emperor!"
But after hearing these words, what Zhao Weilong was thinking about was how to eliminate Li's influence in the court.
It's fine for the Empress Dowager to take care of herself as long as she can, but he can't bear to be in trouble every day.
"This matter... needs to be considered in the long run!"