Outside the main hall of Jade Kun Palace, there were palace attendants stationed silently, looking like lifeless sculptures under the dim light and shadow.
Luo Junyao silently stepped into the main hall. The coffin of the Empress Dowager was placed quietly in the center of the main hall. Xie Yan and Princess Changling were kneeling in front of the coffin. Not far from them, kneeling Xie Xiao, Xu Chengyu and Qin Ning.
It didn't matter that Xie Xiao and Xu Chengyu were both young men. Qin Ning had been in poor health since she was a child. Even though she had practiced martial arts over the years and knelt for several hours, it was still too much for her.
Luo Junyao stepped into the palace and knelt down gently beside Xie Yan.
"You've worked hard today, have you slept?" Princess Changling looked sideways at Luo Junyao, her usually beautiful eyes were red, she looked at Luo Junyao and asked in a low voice.
Luo Jun shook his head and said: "I cried myself to sleep. Sister Huang, please let Ah Ning accompany Ah Cheng, lest Ah Cheng wake up later and not be able to find anyone and feel scared."
Princess Changling raised her head and glanced at her daughter. Qin Ning, who was extremely tired, saw her mother's eyes sweeping over her. She immediately put away the tired look on her face and said obediently: "A Ning is guarding my grandmother with my mother."
A trace of distress flashed across Princess Changling's face. She glanced at the three young men, sighed softly and said, "A Ning Chengyu, and A Xiao, please go and have a rest. Come back at dawn."
Qin Ning quickly shook her head and said, "I'm staying with my mother."
Princess Changling shook her head: "The queen mother doesn't want to see the younger generation suffering for her. You children can all go. I will go and rest when Chang Zhao comes over tomorrow morning."
Luo Junyao winked at Xie Xiao, and Xie Xiao pulled Qin Ning and Xu Chengyu to their feet, bowed respectfully to the spiritual throne, and then withdrew.
After the three juniors exited, Princess Changling said to Xie Yan and Luo Junyao: "Zhifei, you and Yao Yao should also go and have a rest."
Xie Yan raised his eyes and glanced at her, and said: "Shao Yao, go and have a rest. I will stay with Sister Huang on the first night tonight."
The Empress Dowager's only biological relative in the world is Princess Changling. She will stay here tonight no matter what, so Xie Yan naturally cannot leave Princess Changling alone.
Princess Changling said: "I am very confused now. You and Yao Yao have to work hard on the funeral. Yao Yao has been busy all day today. If Yao Yao is still here to spend time with me, how can he survive? Besides, I
There are some things I want to talk to my mother alone, so let me watch over you tonight."
Xie Yan looked at Princess Changling deeply for a long time, and then said: "Okay, Auntie Huang won't want to see you hurt your body for her, Sister Huang, take care of yourself."
Princess Changling smiled bitterly and nodded: "Don't worry, I still have two children. I haven't done anything for my mother, just these two days... I want to accompany my mother..."
Xie Yan took Luo Junyao's hand and walked out of the palace. He turned to Eunuch Huang who was kneeling at the door of the palace and said, "Mr. Huang, please look at the imperial sister."
Eunuch Huang leaned over respectfully and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty."
The two of them walked out of Jade Kun Palace. Xie Yan just stopped and looked back at the palace gate behind him. It was still quiet inside the palace gate. Even the sounds of mourning and music and performing rituals for the Empress Dowager had long since stopped. Passing through
From the palace gate, you can still see the ever-bright lamp swaying in front of the tomb in the main hall.
Xie Yan closed his eyes, and just now his face showed a trace of vulnerability and sadness.
Luo Junyao looked up at him and said softly: "I can't walk anymore, go sit over there for a while."
The two sat down on the stone steps outside Jade Kun Palace. There were no stars in the sky tonight, only a shallow crescent moon hung in the deep sky.
Luo Junyao leaned in Xie Yan's arms, held his hand and closed his eyes slightly to comfort him: "Don't be sad, Aunt Huang... I just went to reunite with His Majesty the late Emperor. At least... it's better than falling asleep like this day after day.
Much more. As long as you make her feel at ease, she will definitely be happy."
She was really tired. Xie Yan and Princess Changling had to stay in the main hall all day today, and all the trivial matters fell on her, Princess Changzhao, and the consort.
Xie Yan looked down at her and gently adjusted his position so that she could lean more comfortably. He gently patted her vest and said, "I'm fine, just have a good rest."
Luo Junyao said: "I can't sleep, Ayan, please talk to me."
"what you want to say?"
"Just say something." Luo Junyao whispered.
Xie Yan was silent for a while, and then whispered: "Shaoyao knows, because those people in Prince Mu's Palace... I never felt that there were so-called relatives in this world before I was eight years old. It was not until I was admitted to the palace... At the beginning, I had a bad temper
I am very withdrawn, unwilling to talk or interact with others. The emperor's uncle is always busy with everything, and even though he feels sorry for me, he can't take care of many things. He can only let the emperor's brother take me and let me study with him. But the emperor's brother is older
I am several years old and my basic skills are not very good. I actually didn’t understand anything at all in the beginning.”
Luo Junyao opened his eyes and raised his head to look at him seriously. Although Xie Yan was not a talkative person, it was obviously not compatible with his withdrawn personality.
Xie Yan raised his hand and rubbed the top of her head and said: "It was the aunt and the emperor who called my brother and I to the queen's palace for dinner every day. They personally enlightened me and asked the emperor to take me out to play. At that time.
I was still young and didn't understand the rules, so I thought that the emperor's brother had to eat with the emperor's aunt every day. Later I found out that as the prince, in addition to sleeping in the morning and dusk, the emperor's brother could only eat with the emperor's aunt a few times in a month.
There were more. At that time, there were not only the emperor brother and the emperor sister, but also many other princes. The emperor sister even fought with other princes because of me."
"Is there such a thing?" No wonder Xie Yan is so good to Princess Changling. It is indeed a friendship that they grew up with.
Xie Yan said: "We are all children under ten years old. Suddenly we met a foreign child with an unpleasant temperament. This child followed the prince every day. Naturally, those princes would not be happy. The prince herself is not two years older than us, and she is a
Girl. She didn’t allow those princes to bully me. Not only did those brats not listen, they even got worse. The princess got angry and took action herself. That was the only time I saw the princess fight with someone."
"What happened then?"
Xie Yan said: "Then everyone was brought to the emperor's uncle and aunt and received a severe punishment. However, the emperor's uncle rewarded the emperor's sister afterwards. From then on... those princes hated me even more. But I am twelve years old.
After that, they won’t be able to defeat me, and no one will dare to provoke me.”
"Although I haven't said it before, in my heart...compared to Uncle Huang, I always regard my aunt as my mother." A hand caressed her vest slowly, and Xie Yan looked up at the curve of the sky.
Yue, whispered: "I once promised the emperor brother that I would take good care of my aunt and the emperor sister. But...since the emperor brother passed away, my aunt's health has been not good. It has been delayed for so long...I also know
, she has been strong all her life, and it’s really hard to drag her along like this. But now that she is really gone, Sister Huang and I... have no mother, and Ah Cheng has no grandmother... "
"I'm still here..." The woman leaning on her arms said drowsily: "I will accompany Ayan..."
Xie Yan carefully took her into his arms and blocked her from the late spring night wind.
He lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead, "Okay."
In the early morning, before dawn, the sound of sobbing sorrow and crying came from the Jade Kun Palace in front.
Luo Junyao sat up and saw Lan Zhen and Lan Yin taking a nap beside the bed. He was awakened by the sound of her getting up and quickly got up and said: "Princess, are you awake?"
Luo Junyao looked at the signs that she was the only one lying on the bed. She had no memory at all and didn't know when she came back.
"Where's Ayan?"
Lan Yin said: "The prince sent the princess back, rested against the bed for a while, and then went to the Jade Kun Palace just after the fifth watch.
Luo Junyao calculated the time, which meant that Xie Yan could only rest for about an hour at most.
Without thinking too much, Luo Jun stood up, washed up, ate a few bites of breakfast and then went to see Xie Cheng.
Xie Cheng had also woken up and was being taken to have breakfast by Qin Ning and Xu Xinyu. His whole body was wilted.
Seeing Luo Junyao coming over, Xie Cheng immediately put down the spoon in his hand, jumped off the stool and ran to Luo Junyao, "Little Aunt Huang."
Luo Junyao leaned over and hugged him, and whispered: "Don't cry. After breakfast, Auntie Huang will take you to Jade Kun Palace. Okay?"
Xie Cheng nodded obediently, his big eyes shining with tears.
Luo Junyao sighed softly in his heart, hugged him back to the table and said, "I'm going to eat. If I don't eat and I'm hungry, I won't be able to accompany the imperial grandmother."
"Yeah." Xie Cheng sat down obediently, picked up the spoon and started eating breakfast.
"Shake."
"Little aunt."
Qin Ning and Xu Xinyu called in unison. Luo Jun shook his head and walked to the side to sit down and asked: "How is the imperial sister? Are you still in Yukun Palace?"
Qin Ning shook her head and said: "After entering the palace in the morning, my aunt persuaded my mother to rest in the side hall."
"That's good." Luo Jun shook his head and said, "You should also take good care of your mother, and don't let her hurt her body." The departure of the Empress Dowager was a great blow to Princess Changling, and she was really worried that she would survive.
Can't go down.
Qin Ning's eyes were a little red and she nodded: "I know, don't worry."
"Who is taking care of the children at home?" Luo Junyao thought of the ignorant baby in Princess Changling's home.
Qin Ning wiped her tears and said, "There is a manager and a nanny in the house. I will go back and see if everything is okay."
Luo Junyao raised his hand to hold her cold hand and said, "A Ning has grown up and can share the worries of the imperial sister."
Normally, Qin Ning would have choked her a few words, and she would act like an elder in front of Princess Anyang when she was still young. But at this time, Qin Ning really wasn't in that mood, and just reluctantly pulled the corners of her lips.
As the regent who presides over the affairs of the court, Xie Yan has to do more than just keep vigil for the Empress Dowager. There are many details of the Empress Dowager’s funeral, such as how to arrange the princes’ funeral in Beijing, when the Empress Dowager’s funeral will be held, and how many countries will come to attend.
How to place the messengers of condolences, how to put the badge on the Empress Dowager, etc. all need to be decided by him.
And the huge empire will not stop just because the Empress Dowager passes away. There are still many things going on every day.
Some important officials such as Luo Yun could take care of it for him, while others could only be handled by himself.
Therefore, after a few days, not only the sad and grieving Princess Changling became thin and haggard, but also Xie Yan, who had superb internal strength and could go days and nights without sleep on the battlefield, became visibly haggard.
Luo Junyao was also very tired. Fortunately, the seven-day officiating ceremony was finally over. She could not help but breathe a sigh of relief when she returned to the Regent's Mansion.
It will take time for the princes and nobles to rush to Yongshang. Not only the vassal kings and officials from various places, but even some small neighboring countries that have received great blessings will send envoys to express their condolences. Therefore, the Empress Dowager will not attend the funeral immediately.
The Empress Dowager will be buried with Emperor Gaozu, and Qin Tian Jian has already calculated the date, and the official funeral will not take place until the fifth day of June.
Nowadays, the Empress Dowager’s Zi Palace is parked in Yukun Palace, and some vigils are held every day until the fifth day of June, when a formal state funeral is held to transport the Empress Dowager’s Zi Palace to the imperial mausoleum.
Without the Empress Dowager, there would be no one in the palace.
As the center of Dasheng, the palace cannot live without people.
On the third day after the death of the Empress Dowager, courtiers wrote a letter requesting His Majesty the Emperor to return to the palace to live, but this proposal was rejected by Xie Yan.
Not only that, Xie Yan also announced that once the Empress Dowager's Zi Palace is moved to the imperial mausoleum, the harem will be completely sealed and all the maids and chamberlains in the harem will be released. Only the outer palace will be left in use until the emperor reaches the age of ten.
He took charge at the age of six.
This naturally aroused the dissatisfaction of many courtiers. The harem is indeed useless now, but in the eyes of many people, the existence of the harem itself has an irreplaceable significance.
In their eyes, Xie Yan's actions were a kind of transgression.
Where there is opposition, there is approval, but Xie Yan's decision is a different story in the eyes of other people.
Nowadays, there is only one direct descendant of the royal family: the emperor. The little emperor who is only seven years old obviously does not need a huge harem.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Dasheng has been in constant war over the years, and it is a time when financial resources are scarce. Blocking off the harem will not only save a lot of expenses every year, but also free up a lot of manpower.
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There is no master to serve in the palace, but no matter how streamlined it is over the years, the number of maids and maids in the palace still reaches 3,000, plus the number of guards.
It also costs money to support these people.
For a while, there was a quarrel in the court.
Luo Junyao placed the sleeping Xie Cheng on the bed, carefully pulled the quilt over him, then stood up and walked out quietly.
Zhu Siming and Xie Xiao were waiting respectfully outside the door. Luo Junyao looked at Zhu Siming and asked, "Are those children back?"
Zhu Siming said: "Back to the princess, I know that your majesty and the princess are going back to the mansion today, and those young gentlemen came here early in the morning."
Luo Jun shook his head and said, "Let Ah Cheng sleep a little longer and tell them when he wakes up. Let them spend more time with Ah Cheng these days."
Zhu Siming said: "Princess, don't worry, I understand."
Your Majesty has suffered the death of close relatives at a young age, and I am afraid he has not had a good rest in the past few days.
When we returned home just now, we fell asleep in the carriage, and the princess carried her back in person. Children grow fast, and the princess is already petite, so it was quite difficult to carry a seven-year-old child all the way.
Luo Junyao looked back at the room behind him and sighed softly.
Except for Xie Cheng's violent reaction in the first two days, he was very well-behaved and obedient in the following days. He ate when he was told to eat, and slept when he was told to sleep. However, his originally round face became thinner.
He often wakes up crying at night, which is really uncomfortable to watch.
But now Xie Yan is entangled in trivial matters, and Princess Changling fell ill as soon as the ceremony ended yesterday. Princess Changzhao has to help with the chores in the palace, and also helps take care of Princess Changling and her children, how can she be busy?
After much deliberation, Luo Junyao took Xie Cheng back to the Regent's Palace. At least there were a few friends accompanying him in the palace, and the atmosphere was not as oppressive as in the palace.
As for those noisy courtiers, she believed they couldn't compete with Xie Yan.
After instructing Zhu Siming to take good care of Xie Cheng, Luo Junyao took Xie Xiao to the study.
She had been staying in the palace for the past few days, and had no time to pay attention to things outside. Only then did she remember that she still had a lot of things to deal with, and couldn't help but sigh.
"Is there any news from Cao Jie these days?" Luo Junyao asked.
Xie Xiao said: "Princess, don't worry, we are busy these days, and Cao Jie is not idle either. The prince has ordered the princes and nobles from all over the country to return to Beijing to attend the funeral for the Empress Dowager, and Cao Mian is one of them. There has been no movement from Cao Jie these days,
I guess I am worried about this matter."
Luo Junyao thought for a moment, "That's right. If Cao Mian is allowed to enter the capital at this time, the Cao family may feel guilty."
Xie Xiao nodded and said: "The people we placed in the Feng family came back with news that someone secretly went to the Feng family a few nights ago. Although we couldn't see the true face, there is a high probability that it is Cao Jie."
Luo Jun shook his head and asked, "How are you doing with the Fang family?"
Xie Xiao said: "Don't worry, Princess. Although it is reasonable to say that the mourning period of the Queen Mother is not suitable for seeing blood, these people are seeking their own death and they cannot blame others."
