Empress Dowager Li was wearing a shroud and lying in a heavy, cold coffin.
It had only been a few hours since she died, and Empress Dowager Li's complexion was not completely green yet. She looked as if she was asleep, as if she would wake up at any moment.
Finally dead!
What a great death!
Queen Mother Yu stood beside the coffin, looking at the body of Queen Mother Li, her heart almost overflowing with joy.
This old pious woman had suppressed her and rubbed her against her for decades. The person she hated most in the world was the old pious woman in front of her.
From the first day she married Emperor Jianwen, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law hated each other and disliked each other. As a daughter-in-law, she was born at a disadvantage. Her husband who claimed to love her was also a filial son, but most of them turned a deaf ear.
Turning a blind eye. She suffered for several years because of this.
At that time, she was still young and immature, and she didn't know how sinister the human heart could be.
After giving birth to her daughter Changping, the Empress Dowager Li came to visit her in person. She ordered someone to bring her a bowl of tonic soup, and comforted her quite gently, telling her to bloom first and then bear fruit. Then she would have a son.
She was flattered by her mother-in-law's rare tenderness. Without doubting his presence, she drank the bowl of slightly strong-smelling tonic soup.
This was the beginning of her nightmare in the future.
In the following years, no matter how hard she nursed her, she never became pregnant again. However, her husband, who loved her deeply, needed children and had to bring concubines into the palace. Soon, concubines and princes were born one after another.
She gradually became a virtuous and virtuous wife, a good queen praised by everyone, and the aunt of a bunch of bastards.
Her heart was sunk in the ice, day after day, year after year.
Much later, she learned that there was a secret medicine in the palace. After taking it, it would be difficult for women to get pregnant again.
More than ten years have passed, and things have changed. The imperial doctors in the palace have changed a lot. The maids around Queen Mother Li have also changed a lot. Without any evidence, just guessing, there is nothing that can be done to Queen Mother Li.
She could only knock out her teeth and swallow blood.
More than once, she made an angry vow in her heart that she would retaliate tenfold and a hundredfold so that Queen Mother Li would die a miserable death.
When Emperor Jianwen died, Emperor Jian'an succeeded to the throne. She had no scruples anymore and tormented Empress Dowager Li to the point of death. Unfortunately, Emperor Jian'an's life was short-lived. After Sheng Hong ascended the throne, Xie Mingxi also took action to save the old Qianpo from fire and water.
.
Unexpectedly, the old godmother choked to death on a lotus seed.
God is really wise!
There was a lotus character in her maiden name, and the old godly woman choked to death on lotus seeds. It seemed that there was an invisible hand of fate that avenged her.
Queen Mother Yu stood beside the coffin for a long time.
Everyone was kneeling in mourning, and when they raised their eyes, they could only see the mournful back of Queen Mother Yu.
Only Xie Mingxi, standing next to Queen Mother Yu, could clearly see the almost cruel pleasure in Queen Mother Yu's eyes.
After a long time, Queen Mother Yu lamented: "The Ai family came to see the Empress Dowager in person for the last time, which can be regarded as a filial piety among the Ai family. I hope that the Empress Dowager can be reunited with her children and grandchildren when she goes underground."
After finishing speaking, he turned around tremblingly and left the mourning hall.
…
Empress Dowager Yu supported her sick body and came to the funeral hall in person, showing her filial piety and putting an end to gossip.
After a few days of silence, Queen Mother Yu never showed up again.
As the queen, Xie Mingxi led a group of sisters-in-law and imperial ladies to kneel to the Queen Mother Li. A Luo and a group of cousins also came to kneel for an hour every day.
The courtiers also have to keep vigil.
6636 days later, the body of Empress Dowager Li was buried in the imperial mausoleum.
The emperor and the empress had to observe filial piety for another year.
The imperial censors who were about to submit a memorial to ask the emperor to open the harem and elect concubines had to stop and wait until the one-year filial piety period had passed before mentioning the matter again.
As the emperor, he loves the queen and the ministers in the palace and has nothing to do with him. However, the emperor has no one at his knees except Princess Duanrou. It is right for him to accept the concubine into the palace and spread the branches and heirs for the inheritance of the Tian family.
Fortunately, the emperor is very young. He is twenty-two this year and will be twenty-three next year. Emperor Jianwen did not have an heir until he was twenty-seven.
These rumors inevitably reached Xie Jun's ears.
Xie Jun's official career went smoothly after he became the Minister of Rites. The emperor loved the queen and was courteous to his father-in-law. Xie Jun was so proud that his only regret was that the emperor had no intention of granting titles to the Xie family.
It seems that the hope of becoming Duke Chengen is gone.
Xie Jun had no choice but to put all his hopes in joining the cabinet.
He knew his own weight best. Xie Jun knew that his talents and learning were acceptable, and his ability as an official was acceptable, but he could not say how to stand out. His greatest advantage was that he was the Queen's father-in-law and the Emperor's father-in-law.
He also hopes that Xie Mingxi can give birth to a legitimate prince as soon as possible. In this way, Xie Mingxi's position as queen can be as stable as a mountain. The prosperity and wealth of the Xie family can be maintained safely for decades.
Xie Mingxi did not leave the palace for a while. Although Xie Jun was the queen's biological father, he had no right to enter and leave the harem at will. This "father's heart" was "conveyed" to Xie Mingxi by Xu when he entered the palace to pay his respects.
"...The death of the Empress Dowager is too unlucky." When speaking in private, Mrs. Xu was not so particular, so she spoke frankly: "Just a few months after leaving the country for the mourning period, the Empress Dowager returned to the West again.
.You and the Emperor must observe mourning for another year."
"You cannot get pregnant during the period of filial piety. If you do this, you will have to wait another year before you can have a son."
Speaking of which, Sheng Hong and Xie Mingxi are quite pitiful. After giving birth to Ah Luo, they first observed mourning for Emperor Jianwen for three years, followed by observing the national mourning for Emperor Jian'an for one year, and now they have to observe mourning for Empress Dowager Li. That's why Xie Mingxi came out
She is pregnant during her filial piety period and will not give birth until the end of next year.
It's so impatient to do the math.
Mrs. Xu counted the time with her fingers, and then whispered: "...Ajun specially told me yesterday that after entering the palace today, I must have a good talk with the Queen about the heir."
"The Emperor and the Queen Mother were a young couple with a deep love for each other. However, men's hearts are the most changeable. Let's just say that when the late Emperor was still alive, he and the Queen Mother were also a loving couple. Later, they didn't go to the palace one after another.
Accept concubines?"
"You must have a son before you can truly gain a foothold in the palace. Otherwise, you will be like the Queen Mother, busy making wedding dresses for others..."
Xie Mingxi listened indifferently and didn't take half of the words to heart.
Empress Dowager Li's death was too sudden. Now that I think about it, it was also beneficial. Sheng Hong and she had one more year to plan and arrange things calmly.
Ah Luo is six years old this year and will be seven next year.
According to Daqi custom, a child is truly raised only when he or she is over eight years old.
Sheng Hong wanted to make his daughter the crown princess, but he had to wait a few years before doing so.
After one year, maybe we can keep it for another three years... By then, A Luo will have grown up.
