The emperor passed away

and the saint passed away in the winter of this year.

It's not sudden. Zhao Chun has been unable to get up since the beginning of autumn. He was born with a congenital defect and had been sick since childhood. He spent more than ten years recovering from it with medicine. Then he contracted the disease again for some unknown reason, and he never got better again. , taking medicine is like drinking water. If you take it every day, your body will be empty.

Others don't know, but Yan Qing knows it best.

After winter, the weather suddenly turned cold, and there was heavy snowfall. The entire Jinming Palace was covered in a layer of white. Zhao Chun's illness was like the snow, getting deeper and deeper day by day.

Later, he fell unconscious and passed out. Yan Qing stayed in front of the bed, and the doctors from the Taiyuan Hospital knelt in the outer hall. At this time, they were really at their wits' end.

The judge from Taiyuan Hospital secretly informed Yan Qing, saying that he was afraid that His Majesty would not be able to survive this winter. Yan Qing refused to believe it. She was the most kind-hearted in the past and never scolded the servants below, but that time she rudely shouted in a low voice: "What do you do for food! Trash, all trash!"

She knew that she shouldn't express her anger. These imperial doctors had done their best. In the past three years since Zhao Chunjianzuo, the entire imperial hospital had been working hard. However, life and death were matters of destiny, and how could manpower compete with destiny.

She was just too scared, afraid that everyone she cared about would leave her, including her parents, brother, and Shen Zhu. Now she was afraid that she wouldn't even be able to keep Zhao Chun.

Zhao Chun stayed in front of the hospital bed all day long without clothes on, sometimes not even daring to close his eyes. Zhao Chun woke up from time to time, and his mind became increasingly confused.

That night, Zhao Chun woke up suddenly. The Nuan Pavilion was quiet, and he could hear the sound of the bells of the Western-style table in the corner of the hall moving.

The candlestick in the hall was half extinguished, and was separated by several layers of curtains, making it even more dim. He coughed twice, which alerted the eunuch on duty outside. Immediately, a low voice came, "Long live the Lord, are you awake?" "

He suddenly felt that his mind was much clearer, and his heavy body was at his disposal. Before the inner prisoner from outside came in, he was already half-sitting up.

"Where is the queen?" he asked hoarsely.

The eunuch Wang Ting'en came in and respectfully replied: "The Queen has been guarding Your Majesty for several days. Her body really couldn't bear it. The servants tried a lot to persuade the Queen, and finally they persuaded the Queen to go back to the palace to rest for a night."

Wang Ting'en stepped forward and gave Zhao a message. Another pillow was placed behind Chun to make him more comfortable. Zhao Chun coughed and then whispered, "Bring Jiang Weiren to me."

Wang Ting'en was startled, thinking that His Majesty might be confused at this time. Time has passed. If I suddenly call Mr. Jiang now, how many people will be disturbed? But when he looked up, he found that His Majesty's eyes were clear and clear, and he looked sober as he had never seen in recent days.

"But Your Majesty, the palace gate has been keyed now," he looked at Zhao Chun and said hesitantly, "Why don't you wait until tomorrow, I'll call someone as soon as possible..."

The palace door has been keyed, if it needs to be opened at night That's a big deal at the palace gate. If it's just a whim of His Majesty, those officials will be in trouble again tomorrow.

But Zhao Chun said very resolutely: "After receiving the key, I will use the fish talisman to open the palace door, go to Mr. Jiang's house, and pass on my oral instructions to him to enter the palace at night and come here to have an audience."

Over the past few months, this has happened. This was the time when the emperor spoke the loudest and clearest words, but Wang Ting'en immediately panicked. He knew that His Majesty was not confused. He ignored the etiquette and opened the palace door, which could only mean that he had encountered a last resort.

Wang Ting'en was in charge of the Supervisor of Ceremonies and had served Zhao Chun for many years. At this moment, his mind changed and he had already guessed the reason why His Majesty was so determined.

His nose felt sore and he choked out: "I accept the order."

When he was about to turn around, Zhao Chun spoke softly again. This time, his tone was not as decisive as before, but with a bit of hesitation and sadness, low and low. He said in a low voice: "Call the queen here too."

Jiang Weiren arrived very early because the eunuch who was summoned by order was not brought to his home, but to Wenyuan Pavilion.

Wenyuan Pavilion is where the cabinet office is located. It is guarded every night. It is opposite the Meridian Gate of the palace city, so you can get here quickly.

Wang Ting'en had been waiting outside the Ganlu Hall, and saw a group of people approaching from a distance. The tall figure in front of him, wearing a crane-feather cloak, was clearly the chief minister, Jiang Weiren.

Jiang Weiren also saw the eunuch who was in charge of the rituals. He saw the way Jiang Tingen looked at him. The majestic prince in the past had his eyes red now.

Wang Tingen called out "Master Jiang", his voice was already a little hoarse.

At this moment, Jiang Weiren was sure that what he had expected was good.

Jiang Weiren's reaction was beyond Wang Tingen's expectation. He thought that Mr. Jiang must be panicking when he was suddenly summoned so late at night. When he saw him, he would definitely be full of questions. He had just imagined how Mr. Jiang would ask him anxiously if he arrived.

But at this time, Wang Tingen found that Mr. Jiang was unusually calm, as if everything that was about to happen had been expected by him. And his eyes were far-reaching and resolute, as if he was ready to bear the storm that would come.

Later, Wang Ting'en heard from Xiao Huangmeng who went to look for Jiang Weiren that Mr. Jiang had been sleeping in Wenyuan Pavilion every night for more than a month and never returned home.

The chief minister may have already expected this day, and must have made all plans for it.

Wenyuan Pavilion is within the Great Inner Forbidden City. If the emperor summoned him at night to serve an imperial edict, he would not need to open the outer palace door and would not disturb more people.

Wang Ting'en finally understood that this chief minister's heart was as solid as a rock and as clear as a mirror.

When Jiang Weiren entered the palace, he saw that tables and tables had been placed in front of the emperor's couch, and all the writing, ink, paper and inkstones were ready.

Zhao Chun ordered Wang Ting'en to arrange this before he arrived. It was also at that time that Wang Ting'en confirmed His Majesty's intention.

This is going to be a testamentary edict.

Jiang Weiren looked calm as usual and knelt down to salute Zhao Chun.

The emperor on the sickbed was as sharp as his eyes at the moment. He looked at the chief minister he had chosen not long ago, smiled and said: "It seems that Aiqing has guessed why I announced that you are here."

Jiang Weiren remained silent. His words were already answered, the emperor's illness was beyond recovery, and that day would come sooner or later.

Zhao Chun was a benevolent and diligent emperor, but it was a pity that fate was not kind to him. If he were to let go and his youngest son ascend the throne, it would undoubtedly be the biggest test for this huge empire.

Jiang Weiren is the chief minister of the cabinet. If the imperial court is a huge ship, now he is the one at the helm. With the succession of thrones, if huge waves are set off, he will be the one with the heaviest responsibility.

He must be calmer than anyone else and more decisive than anyone else.

Zhao Chun had ordered the palace staff to light all the lampstands in the palace. At this moment, the huge Manna Palace was as bright as day, as if it had become the brightest beacon in this snowy night. But the master of the empire was lying on the hospital bed, his face turned rosy at this moment, his eyes were bright, and there was no trace that he was dying just before.

This is a flashback, Jiang Weiren thought silently in his heart.

"Your Majesty," Jiang Weiren had already sat in front of the table. He knew that there was not much time, and every word Zhao Chun said would determine the fate of the world, so he said, "Can we start?"

Zhao Chun shook his head, He answered slowly: "I still have to wait for someone."

After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Weiren finally heard Wang Ting'en's voice coming from outside, "Your Majesty..."

Yan Qing came.

Even Zhao Chun on the couch turned his face and stared outside the curtain, but Jiang Weiren had suddenly stood up.

The door of the Nuan Pavilion opened with a creak, and the sound of the whistling wind and snow outside became clearer. The cold air and drifting snow blew into the hall. He heard the sound of silk shoes stepping on the green bricks. The footsteps were a little panicked and eager. The next moment , he saw a slender figure entering the hall.

The scarlet cloak on her body had not been removed in time, and there were many snowflakes remaining on it that had not melted, all of which showed her urgency when she braved the wind and snow to come.

The edge of the hood on the head is a circle of white wind hair, surrounding a bright little face. At this moment, the cheeks are like red clouds stained with crimson. She stretched out a pair of thin wrists and took off the hood, letting him see clearly the tears in her eyes.

She didn't look at him, just handed the ride to the palace attendant, and then threw herself in front of Zhao Chun's bed.

She opened her mouth, but before the sound came out, tears were already falling down her cheeks.

"Your Majesty," she raised her head and looked at Zhao Chun with tears in her eyes, "My concubine is here, Your Majesty..."

Zhao Chun frowned, feeling distressed. What he was most afraid of was this moment, having to say goodbye to her.

He raised his hand and wiped her tears, then lowered his voice and said coaxingly: "Stop crying. Seeing you crying makes me feel uneasy when I leave..."

Jiang Weiren looked at her rustling hair. His shoulders were shaking, and the calmness he had just now seemed to be no longer enough.

Zhao Chun held Yan Qing's hand, then turned to tell Jiang Weiren, "Ai Qing, let's start."

Before Yan Qing came, Wang Ting'en had served him a bowl of ginseng soup. This was Zhao Chun's own order. He said I was afraid that I would lose strength later and would not be able to finish writing the edict.

But after all, he was physically weak and spoke slowly. The palace servants had already prepared the ink, and Jiang Weiren was writing and sitting upright.

Zhao Chun said to him: "Please record my intention first, and then we will meet with the cabinet at dawn to draft an edict and announce it to the world."

"I will obey the imperial edict."

"After I return, I will take the prince to Chengdu University. He will succeed me to the throne." Zhao Chun said slowly, "It's just that the new emperor is young, and I'm really worried about it. One is that my relatives will interfere with politics, and the other is that the inner palace will take over power. The ministers in the cabinet will act as police officers. Don't let the government fall by the wayside."

What he meant was clearly Concubine Cao. Although Yan Qing was the queen of the middle palace, she was not the biological mother of the new emperor, and the Yan family had also fallen into decline.

Zhao Chun rested for a short while and then continued: "The first assistant, Jiang Weiren, is the Taifu and the minister I entrust to you."

Jiang Weiren paused at the tip of his pen, and Zhao Chun turned to look at him and said, "The next few sentences These words are not an edict, but my private instructions to Jiang Aiqing. "

Jiang Weiren looked up and saw Zhao Chun smiling weakly. This time he no longer called him "Aiqing", but his name.

"Tingchen, you and I, the king and my ministers, have known each other for a long time. I gave the world to the prince, but I gave the prince to you. I hope you will serve me wholeheartedly in the future. I don't expect him to become a wise king who will go down in history. , at least, we can’t delay the ancestral society.”

“I will not give up even if I die!” Jiang Weiren kowtowed.

Zhao Chun nodded, "My mountain tombs and funerals must be frugal, and the sun and the moon change...The kings are crying in their fiefdoms and are not allowed to enter the capital...Civil and military officials are not allowed to leave their posts without permission. They will cry for three days and are not allowed to go." ."

After saying this last sentence, his meaning was finally over.

"These are the words I leave to the people of the world." He said, finally bowing his head to look at Yan Qing in front of him. Just now he was about to make arrangements for the funeral, but he didn't dare to look at her for fear of seeing her crying. , and couldn’t say any more.

Who is really not afraid of death? He is just an ordinary person, but he is the king of a country, responsible for the country, the country, and the burden of the people. He cannot let himself indulge in fear and sorrow.

Yan Qing was unable to cry anymore. Zhao Chun sighed softly. He was almost exhausted at this moment. Even he could feel that the life in his body seemed to be passing away little by little. He wanted to hold her hand tightly. But he also understood that this would not help at all.

When Yan Qing raised her eyes, she saw that his lips had turned white. He was still holding on for his last breath. He smiled hard and said to her: "Qing'er... I can't protect you from now on. You still have a long life, so cherish it." Myself..."

He lay there, his breath getting weaker and weaker, and his eyes finally looked at her steadily, as if he was deeply reluctant to let go, but also with the final relief.

Although they were a couple, he actually treated her like a brother and a father.

"No," Yan Qing grabbed his hand and held it tightly to her chest, as if she was afraid that if she let go, he would leave like this. She sobbed, trembling all over, "Don't leave, don't lose me." Get off me..."

Zhao Chun heard it, but he really didn't have the strength to reply. As if he couldn't bear to see her crying face anymore, he slowly closed his eyes.

It seemed like an extremely long time, but it seemed like it was just a moment. The warmth on his body dissipated, and the hand held by Yan Qing eventually became cold.

The first one to cry was Wang Ting'en, and then all the palace attendants knelt down and cried. The whole palace became a sea of ​​tears. Yan Qing was seen leaning over the edge of the couch, motionless, as if he had no life left. .

Before he had time to think about it, Jiang Weiren rushed forward and reached out to help her. He was afraid that she had fainted, but he saw her covering her eyes with her hands and a weak sob coming from her throat.

He didn't care about any etiquette, and he was not afraid even if she violated the rules. At this moment, she seemed to be drained of strength, so he let her lean on his arm.

She shook her head slightly and sobbed: "No more, I have nothing left..."

Her parents, brothers, including Shen Zan, and now Zhao Chun, all the people she cared about have been taken away by fate one by one.

Jiang Weiren watched quietly as her tears overflowed from between her fingers. Just like the times before, he had witnessed her loved ones leave her one by one. But this time, just like every time in the past, he was still powerless and helpless. People can understand the pain in his heart at this moment.

Yan Qing will never know what he said in his heart when he looked at her at that moment.

If God doesn't bless you, I will bless you.