Kangxi’s Thirteenth Year, Fifth Month, Third Day
At the Tongjia Residence
Lanzhu was accompanying her father and mother for dinner. The dark brown sandalwood table was laden with a dazzling array of dishes, and the atmosphere was particularly harmonious in the quiet.
But just then, Lanzhu suddenly heard a dull bell ringing outside.
She hesitantly raised her head and looked at her father, whose face had suddenly turned grim. “Father, I seem to hear the sound of a bell?”
As a noble lady from a prestigious family, Tongjia Lanzhu naturally knew what such a bell in the capital signified. It was precisely because she understood that she hesitated.
She had just counted silently in her heart, not more, not less, exactly nine times.
In the capital, there were only four people for whom the palace would ring the mourning bell nine times: the Emperor, the Empress, the Empress Dowager, and the Grand Empress Dowager!
The death of any one of them would shake the capital, and today, it was actually quite easy to guess who it might be.
The Emperor, her cousin, was in good health, so it was unlikely. As for the Empress Dowager and the Grand Empress Dowager, she had just visited the palace a few days ago, and both seemed healthy, though extreme cases couldn’t be ruled out.
But given the current situation, the pregnant Empress was more likely. Hopefully, it wasn’t as she feared.
Beside her, Hesheli Shi also looked worriedly at her husband. “Master…”
“Don’t panic. Madam, prepare at home first. I’ll head to the palace.” As the current Emperor’s maternal uncle, Tong Guowei naturally had advantages others couldn’t match.
Being able to enter the palace freely with a waist token was one such privilege.
Fortunately, he had been quite busy lately, and Tong Guowei hadn’t had time to change his clothes after returning home today. Going out like this was fine, as speed was of the essence in such times. Changing clothes and being late would not be good.
The more critical the situation, the less Tong Guowei, as the Emperor’s maternal uncle, could afford to slack off.
“I understand,” Hesheli Shi stood up and, together with her daughter, saw her husband off at the courtyard gate.
After watching her husband leave, Hesheli Shi worriedly led her daughter back to the courtyard. Once seated, neither mother nor daughter had the appetite to eat.
Hesheli Shi signaled the servants to clear the dishes and then waved everyone out of the room, leaving only Nanny Yun by her side. “Yujin, don’t be afraid.”
Lanzhu shook her head after hearing this. “Mother, I’m not afraid.”
At thirteen, Lanzhu wasn’t really scared. Instead, she comforted her mother, “No matter who it is in the palace this time… Mother, you must trust Father.”
Was Hesheli Shi afraid?
She was!
But she wasn’t afraid of today’s palace incident!
Rather, she also felt that the person in trouble in the palace today was likely the pregnant Empress, who was about to give birth.
If it was indeed the Empress who passed away, could she really let her daughter withdraw from the selection three years later?
The cruelty of the harem was unspeakable. Hesheli Shi had seen countless private matters in the inner courtyard, let alone in the deep palace.
Hesheli Shi had a son and a daughter, but her eldest daughter was more cherished.
Not only because she felt sorry that her daughter couldn’t accompany her for long after marriage, but also because her Yujin was the most obedient and filial.
Her husband was the current Emperor’s maternal uncle, but such a connection wasn’t solid in the eyes of those in power. Since her daughter could remember, she had often been summoned to the palace. How could Hesheli Shi not have any suspicions?
But it was precisely because of her husband’s relationship with the Emperor that the Grand Empress Dowager chose a Gege from the Hesheli family as the nation’s mother among the top noble families.
At that time, the Emperor needed the support of the Hesheli family, and the Tongjia clan was slightly lacking.
Of course, Yujin was not yet six years old at that time. Although the Tongjia clan had other Gege, none were as significant as Yujin, which was also a reason.
But no matter what, Hesheli Shi was happy at the time because she never intended for Yujin to enter the palace.
But now, things were uncertain.
But no matter what, they had to try!
“Mother knows, there’s nothing much here. You should go back first. Be careful not to get bumped when there are more people later.” Such a grand mourning required a lot of preparation, and Hesheli Shi feared she wouldn’t be able to take care of her daughter later.
“Then…” Lanzhu wanted to say something, but seeing her mother’s determined expression, she said nothing more.
Her staying wouldn’t be of much help, and she didn’t want to add more trouble for her mother. “Then I’ll go back to the courtyard first.”
Lanzhu returned to her Fuchun Courtyard with her maid. Her usually gentle and beautiful face now showed a hint of worry.
Nanny Yun, seeing the worried expression on the Gege’s face, began to feel distressed. “Eldest Miss, don’t think too much. We just need to go with the flow. What happens in the palace doesn’t concern our residence.”
Lanzhu turned her head to look at her nanny, showing the innocence a thirteen-year-old girl should have, and then a faint smile appeared on her lips. “Nanny, I’m fine.”
“I’m just worried that Mother won’t be able to handle it later.”
After all, a grand mourning required entering the palace to keep vigil. With Father’s position, the Tongjia Residence would definitely not be left out!
She was young and could endure, but she feared her mother couldn’t. After giving birth to her brother, her mother’s health seemed fine, but Lanzhu knew she was still quite weak. It had taken years to recover to this point, and this time, all the effort might be wasted.
To Lanzhu, no one was more important than Father and Mother.
“Don’t worry, Gege. Madam knows what she’s doing.” Nanny Yun could only offer this dry comfort upon hearing her Gege’s words.
In a grand mourning in the palace, who could escape keeping vigil except for those few in the palace?
Half an hour later, Tong Guowei, who had entered the palace, sent a message back to the residence, saying that the mistress of the palace had passed away.
After delivering this message, the person hurried back to the palace.
Upon receiving the confirmed news, Hesheli Shi quickly had the servants remove all the bright decorations in the residence and replace them with plain white.
Lanzhu went to her mother’s main courtyard again.
After all, they might have to enter the palace later, and staying with her mother would give her peace of mind.
“Mother, have you prepared your knee pads?” Lanzhu asked her mother while she took a break.
“Look at my memory. You’re right, I should bring knee pads. A girl’s body can’t catch a cold.” Hesheli Shi patted her forehead.
“I was talking about you, Mother.”
“Although it’s almost summer now, the ground is cold, and your body can’t withstand the chill.” Lanzhu signaled Liu Chun behind her to bring out two pairs of knee pads, filled with thick cotton, which she had made for her mother a few days ago. It turned out they were just in time.
Hesheli Shi took the knee pads her daughter handed over, and for a moment, her eyes shimmered with a bit of light. “My little Yujin is so thoughtful. Mother will wear them now.”
Understanding her daughter’s intentions, Hesheli Shi didn’t say anything to refuse.
Her daughter’s filial piety was something she cherished greatly.
“Mother also prepared knee pads for you and your brother. You must wear them later.”
“I understand, Mother.”
However, Lanzhu and the others waited until the end of the hour without receiving any news from the palace about entering.
Hesheli Shi, seeing her daughter’s slightly dark circles under her eyes, finally felt a pang of heartache. “Yujin, you should go rest. There probably won’t be any news from the palace today.”
“Mother, you should rest too, or you won’t have the energy tomorrow.” Lanzhu was unwilling to leave.
In her view, if she left, there would be no one to persuade her mother.
“Alright, alright, Mother will go to sleep later. You should go back.”
In the Palace
Main Hall of the Palace of Heavenly Purity
Tong Guowei and the other ministers had been waiting here for almost two hours, but apart from Liang Jiugong coming once at the beginning, the place had fallen into silence, with no one daring to speak first.
There were many spies in the palace, and no one wanted to provoke the Emperor’s wrath at this time.
It wasn’t until late at night that an old minister, unable to stand, swayed slightly.
Standing beside Tong Guowei was his elder brother, Tong Guogang.
The two brothers glanced at the others in the hall and then stood a little closer.
“The Empress has passed away in the palace. I’m afraid there will be another wave in the court,” Tong Guogang glanced at his brother, a flash of insight in his eyes.
Their sister had already passed away, and now there was no Gege from the Tongjia clan in the harem. To maintain the glory of the Tongjia clan, their family must produce another high-ranking consort. Of course, if it were the Empress, that would be even better.
With the main Empress gone due to childbirth complications, this was not necessarily bad news for the Tongjia clan.
However, the current Consort Zhao was a formidable opponent!
Lanzhu from his brother’s family was not yet of age, and by the next selection, there might not be much chance of winning.
“Big Brother, do you think the Emperor is not announcing the mourning today because he’s concerned about…” Tong Guowei cautiously glanced around and then whispered to his brother.
“Be careful with your words!” His brother’s courage was still as bold as ever.
He didn’t even consider where they were, daring to speak like this.
At the end of the hour
The people in the Palace of Heavenly Purity finally awaited the master.
The twenty-one-year-old Emperor, who had been on the throne for thirteen years, exuded an increasingly heavy aura of authority.
Today, although Kangxi had a legitimate son, the passing of his original Empress filled his heart with torment!
When the master entered, the ministers in the hall all knelt down together. “We pay respects to Your Majesty.”
Sitting in the highest position, Kangxi looked at his two uncles leading the group, and his emotions suddenly fluctuated. “You may all leave.”
Kangxi didn’t have the energy to say much more to them. The matter of the Empress today had almost drained his spirit.
“Enter the palace tomorrow according to the rules.”
“We obey Your Majesty’s command.”
Even though everyone had waited in the Palace of Heavenly Purity for nothing, they dared not show any resentment on their faces.
However, as the Emperor’s maternal uncles, Tong Guogang and Tong Guowei walked out last. When most people had left, the more emotionally expressive Tong Guowei spoke first. “Your Majesty, please restrain your grief and take care of your health.”
Hearing this, Kangxi’s eyes reddened slightly, and his hand on his knee moved imperceptibly. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he only managed to say hoarsely, “I know.”
“Both uncles should go back. I’m fine.” The Empress’s passing was a significant blow to Kangxi, but he also knew he couldn’t fall.
Although the initial purpose of conferring the title of Empress on Hesheli Shi was not pure, after she entered the palace, they had gone through many difficult times together. Hesheli Shi naturally held a different significance for Kangxi compared to other consorts in the harem.
Being emotionally expressive didn’t mean he couldn’t read the situation. Tong Guowei had reached his position as an inner minister not just because he was the Emperor’s uncle. After saying this simple sentence, Tong Guowei bowed to the Emperor again and then withdrew.
Author’s Note:
The story begins. Today is a good day. Are there any little cuties around?