"Are you okay?" Ke'er looked at Concubine Qiu calmly.
"Your Majesty, I wonder if we can talk alone?" Concubine Qiu said with a hint of pleading in her tone.
Ke'er thought for a moment and nodded, then Concubine Qiu ordered the palace maid to take Duo Yu away, and she and Ke'er arrived alone at Qiushui Yiren.
Ke'er looked around the place. This was her first time in Qiushui Yiren in so many years. It was not as luxurious as she had imagined, but it was unusually elegant, which was in line with Qiu Shui's temperament.
Qiu Shui coughed a few times and said, "Ahem, Madam, I have something to say to you today."
"Say it." Ke'er's voice was still light, even with a hint of indifference.
"I... can't hold on much longer, cough cough... cough." Qiu Shui coughed a few times as he spoke, and his face turned slightly pale.
Ke'er looked at her doubtfully: "What do you mean?"
"Your Majesty, I can't live much longer. I know my own body well. If the Emperor hadn't used precious herbs to prolong my life, I would have died long ago." Concubine Qiu said with a sad smile.
"Are you... so serious?" I have known for a long time that Concubine Qiu was in poor health. I heard that this was the root cause of her illness since she was a child. Now it seems that she has reached the end of her life.
Qiu Shui nodded: "Well, so, I have a last wish that I would like to ask my queen to help me realize."
"You tell me, I'll try my best." Ke'er didn't understand why Qiu Shui came to her instead of the emperor if he had a last wish.
Qiu Shui knelt down with a pop: "Mother, if I die, I hope you will help me take care of Duo Yu."
Ke'er was extremely surprised. She never expected that Concubine Qiu would say something like this: "Qiushui, Duoyu is a princess. Even without you, the emperor will take good care of her."
Qiu Shui shook her head with tears in her eyes: "You don't know, since something happened to you that time, Duoyu's birth has made the feeling even more strange. The emperor leaves in a hurry every time he comes. No matter how much I plead, he refuses to look.
I glanced at Duoyu and I knew that it was because he was afraid that he would think of you and your child, so he did this. But Duoyu is innocent, and I will bear any sins. So, please and the emperor, please don't take the blame.
Hatred is pinned on a child."
"I didn't." Kerr said calmly.
Concubine Qiu grabbed Ke'er's hand and begged: "I understand your character, and only you can trust me with confidence. If I'm gone, I'm worried that Duoyu will not do well. At least, with Shen Yuyao's character, not
I will let her go."
Ke'er suddenly realized that she was worried that Shen Yuyao would harm Duoyu. According to this, it seemed that the emperor really didn't like this little princess. It seemed that Concubine Qiu and her daughter had not been living a very good life these years.
"Are you relieved to leave Duoyu to me? Aren't you afraid that I will harm her?" Ke'er asked in return.
Concubine Qiu smiled confidently: "You can't."
Ke'er's eyelashes flashed slightly: "Get up, the ground is very cold and you are not in good health."
Concubine Qiu kowtowed heavily on the ground: "Please accept Qiu Shui's instructions."
"Get up, I promise you, if you are no longer here, then I will take good care of Duo Yu." Ke'er didn't know whether it was out of pity or love for Duo Yu, but she agreed anyway.
Concubine Qiu immediately beamed with joy: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
After returning from Qiushui Yiren, Ke'er felt depressed. Qiushui's life was actually quite miserable and difficult.
"Ke'er, are you back?" The emperor stood up immediately when he saw Ke'er entering the door.
"Yes." Ke'er replied calmly, even the ritual of paying homage to the emperor began to fail, but the emperor did not complain at all.
"I heard that you went to Qiushui Yiren?" the emperor asked carefully.
"Well, yes, Qiu Shui said that if she dies, please ask me to take care of her daughter." Ke'er picked up the tea cup and said calmly.
The emperor was stunned and then asked: "You refused?"
Ke'er looked at him straight: "No, I agreed."
"Ah?" Obviously, the emperor was surprised.
"You agreed?"
Ke'er nodded: "Well, Duoyu is very cute, I like her very much."
Seeing what Ke'er said, the emperor didn't say anything, just looked at her drinking tea quietly...
"Your Majesty, does Mr. Hubu Ai have a wife?" Ke'er suddenly thought of something he had promised Miss Gao in Jizhou.
"How about having a head wife and two concubines?" The emperor didn't understand, so she asked politely why.
Ke'er nodded and put down the teacup: "Then please ask the emperor to issue an order to marry Gao Yingying, the daughter of Gao Yuan's wife in Jizhou, to him as his equal wife."
"Where do I start with this?" the emperor asked in surprise.
"Miss Gao is a friend I met in Yizhou. She admires Mr. Ai very much, so she asked me to have a chance to meet Mr. Ai and hold a red line."
The emperor nodded: "Well, I will issue an order to do it later."
"Okay, thank you." Kerr said calmly.
Seeing Ke'er like this, the emperor felt very distressed. She seemed to be a lot stranger to him...
The second day
The emperor brought a person, and Ke'er was immediately stunned. She looked at the woman in front of her. She was dressed in gorgeous clothes, elegant and luxurious, slightly fat, and beautiful in appearance. However, there were obvious scars on her face. Ke'er walked over excitedly,
He immediately hugged the woman and said, "Belle."
"Your Majesty, is it really... you?" Belle couldn't believe her eyes. This morning, the emperor sent a decree asking her to enter the palace to accompany the imperial concubine. She was still confused because she and the imperial concubine didn't know each other.
Why do you ask yourself to accompany you?
"Belle, how have you been in these years?" Ke'er said tearfully as she hugged Belle tightly and was reluctant to let go.
Belle nodded: "Well, the Marquis has been very good to me. Over the years, the Marquis has only had me as his wife and not even a single concubine. He has taken good care of me."
"Mother, what about you? How have you been living these years? Lord Marquis told me that you were dead. I thought... you were really dead." Belle said, crying.
Ke'er cried for a long time, calmed down her emotions, and briefly talked about what she had experienced over the years. Belle grabbed Ke'er's hand distressedly: "My dear, I have suffered so much for you for so many years."
Ke'er shook his head: "It doesn't matter whether it's painful or not, I'm used to it."
"Belle, do you have a child?" Kerr asked with concern.
Belle nodded shyly: "Well, it's a boy, over two years old."
"That's great, congratulations to you." Ke'er said enviously.
Reminiscing about old times with Belle lasted all day, until in the evening, someone came from the Marquis's Mansion and said he wanted to take his wife back. The young master started crying, and Belle reluctantly left.
After meeting Belle, Kerr thought of her past self and felt melancholy...
At this time, after lighting the palace lanterns, Jiu'er walked in and said carefully: "Mother, the emperor is standing outside the door. Do you want him to come in?"
Ke'er didn't speak, but continued to take off her clothes. Jiu'er added: "It's cold outside."
Ke'er lay quietly on the bed and said calmly: "Let him go."
Jiu'er sighed helplessly. She really doubted that the empress's heart was made of iron. Why was it so hard? Why couldn't she be moved?
Jiu'er walked out of the door and saw the emperor still standing outside the door, staring quietly inside. He walked over and comforted him: "Your Majesty, you'd better go back first. My Majesty... has gone to bed."
"Well, I'll watch for a while and then leave." Every time the emperor talked about his empress, there would be a trace of tenderness in his eyes.
a month later
News came from Qiu Shui Yiren that Concubine Qiu died of illness. Although she had already guessed that this would happen, Ke'er was still sad. Her daughter was still so small, she was still so young, and that noble woman fell quietly like a plum blossom...
Duo Yu was sent over by the palace maid. When he saw Ke'er, Duo Yu immediately rushed over: "Sister, please help me."
"How can I help you?" Ke'er asked with concern.
"They are evil. They all say that my mother-in-law is dead. I don't believe it. She was still fine yesterday and even fed me rock candy chains." Duoyu's voice was full of childishness, and Ke'er felt sad listening to it.
He pulled Duo Yu over and said, "Duo Yu, my concubine is not dead. She just went on a far journey and will be back for a long time. As long as Duo Yu is obedient and good, it will be fine."
"Look, I just said that my mother-in-law is not dead. She went out. Sister, you are so kind." Duo Yu showed a bright smile.
Ke'er felt sad: "Duoyu, you are not allowed to call me sister from now on. You must call me mother and concubine."
"Why?" Duoyu asked, blinking his big innocent eyes.
"Because when your mother-in-law left, she said that she wanted me to take care of you while she was away, so you have to call me mother-in-law."
Duo Yu thought for a while and nodded: "Well, for the sake of your beauty, I decided to call you mother-in-law. But if my mother-in-law comes back one day, I will call you sister."
Ke'er couldn't stop crying: "Good boy, be good."
"Concubine, why are you crying?" Duo Yu didn't understand why she was crying.
Ke'er held back her tears and said, "Because Duoyu called me mother concubine, I felt happy, so I cried."
Concubine Qiu died of illness, and the emperor was also deeply affected. Qiu Shui followed him for many years and never cared about anything. Children were her only request, but he never fulfilled his responsibilities as a good father and husband.
A man was drinking in the Panlong Palace, looking at Qiu Shui's relics. Such a woman left like this, leaving only Princess Duoyu.
Yulu Yaochi
Concubine Yu hugged the little prince and smiled sweetly: "Your Majesty, be good, come here, smile."
"Your Majesty, Concubine Qiu passed away due to illness." The palace maid reported in a low voice.
"Oh? Died, so soon?" Concubine Yu said disapprovingly.
"Where is Princess Duoyu?" She was more concerned about Duoyu's whereabouts.
"Princess Duoyu was sent to the imperial concubine for foster care."
"Haha, does she think she can fight with me because she is pregnant with Princess Duoyu? In her dreams, my son is the future emperor." Concubine Yu smiled sarcastically.
Seven days later, after performing a ritual for Qiu Shui, Ke'er went to Bao'en Temple alone...
I met Master Fuchen whom I haven’t seen for a long time...
"The poor monk respectfully welcomes the imperial concubine." The monks in the temple saluted.
"Master Pingshen." Ke'er said softly.
When he raised his head and saw Ke'er, Master Fuchen was stunned for a moment and then smiled. With the master's intelligence, he probably understood the mystery.
"Master, has there been any news about the King of Shu in recent years?"
The master shook his head: "The King of Shu has not returned for many years, and I am afraid he has left the realm of Nanyu."
Ke'er said with a hint of regret: "I was lucky enough to become close friends with the King of Shu, but only briefly. Later, I received a gift from the King of Shu in the palace and helped my friend escape the disaster. It's a pity that I didn't have the chance to express my gratitude to him back then.
"
"My dear, you don't have to be so obsessed with things. Destiny comes and goes, and everything has its destiny. It's better to just let it happen."
"The master is right, I should let go. Now, there is nothing I can't look away from."
"Do you want to do something for Concubine Qiu?" Master Fuchen asked kindly.
Ke'er nodded: "Well, there is another friend, his name is Beiying Liujia."