Chapter 7 This Love Will Never End 2. Ascension
After the Fengshan ceremony was completed, the emperor returned to Luoyang on April 5th. On April 11th, he issued a general amnesty and changed the reign title to Zhongyuan, changing the 32nd year of Jianwu to the first year of Zhongyuan.
After returning from Mount Tai, Liu Xiu's health had not been good, and my legs were often in severe pain. At this time, the news of the death of Quanjiao Hou Ma Cheng came, which made people feel that everything was going wrong, so they simply held several weddings in succession to bring good luck.
First, Princess Yuyang Liu Liliu was married to Guo Kuang's son Guo Huang. A month later, Princess Liyi Liu Shou was married to Yin Jiu's son Yin Feng. Liliu was unwilling to marry at first. She did not recognize Guo Kuang as her uncle, so she refused to marry no matter what. After I persuaded her, she reluctantly agreed. Before the marriage, she told me that if her uncle's family dared to disrespect her, she would divorce Guo Huang immediately.
When I married Liu Shou to Yin Feng, I considered the fact that this child had been spoiled since she was young. She had to eat the best food and use the best things. When she was young, I thought that the material conditions in the palace were not as harsh as they were in the early days, so she was allowed to have whatever she wanted. While the material conditions were met, she also encouraged her princess arrogance. It was not that I, as a mother, was partial to such a girl . She was really not suitable to be married and a good daughter-in-law. I didn't want to see her being wronged in her husband's family in the future. With her temper, she would definitely make family affairs bigger than national affairs, so I was prepared a few years ago. It is better to marry someone familiar than to marry an outsider. My family members are her in-laws, and they are also considered as our family members, and we can take care of each other.
Liu Shou was a child who had never grown up and had not yet developed feelings. Even though she was seventeen years old, her mentality was very much like that of a child. Eating, drinking and having fun were the focus of her life. She didn't care at all about what kind of person her husband was.
After participating in the Fengshan ceremony, Liu Qiang, the King of Donghai, did not return to Lu, but returned to the capital. After staying in Luoyang for more than half a month, he wrote a letter requesting to return to his fiefdom, but Liu Xiu rejected the letter and refused to approve it. So, after marrying off my two daughters, I found a husband for Princess Liu Qiu of Bianyang - Dou Xun, the grandson of Dou Rong. Under the pretext of arranging a wedding for Liu Qiu, I temporarily had a reasonable reason to retain the King of Donghai.
Liu Xiu laughed and said, "I have an addiction to matchmaking. I always love to help people find marriages, and I am very busy."
"Qiu'er is the eldest granddaughter of the Liu family. If we marry her off, maybe next year we can become great-grandparents! Isn't this more meaningful than you leading thousands of troops to climb that damn Mount Tai?"
I know my nagging is of no real value and even a bit far-fetched, but I can't control my mouth and I just love to argue with him.
Now he is old, and I am also old, over fifty, my eyesight is blurry, my teeth are loose, but I talk more than usual. Fortunately, Liu Xiu's temper has not changed, he is always gentle and smiling, no matter how many times I repeat it, he will never get tired of it.
"One moment you worry about getting old too fast, the next moment you think about becoming a great-grandfather. Which one can you take care of?"
I interrupted: "These are two different things!"
Liu Xiu smiled but said nothing.
After a pause, I couldn't help but mutter, "As for Ah Cheng, I saw that Zi Li treated her kindly, and the two of them were inseparable as soon as they met. Zi Li also begged me many times to let me transfer her back to the Prince's Palace so that we could have a legitimate relationship. I'm not stupid. He is now obsessed with Ah Cheng, so he comes to my palace every day. If I give Ah Cheng to him, can I still see him every day?"
"Don't speak so badly of the prince. He has always been a filial child!"
"Tsk!" I laughed and spat, "Who doesn't know what you men are thinking? You're so fake! I know what Zi Li is planning now. He wants to get Ah Cheng pregnant, and then take her away from me with a clear conscience... Hey, Old Liu, let me ask you, these two children have been together for quite some time, why is there still no movement from Ah Cheng? But her niece, Jia, the head of the clan reported that she is pregnant again."
Liu Xiu coughed lightly to hide his embarrassment and said awkwardly, "How can I, as a father-in-law, know about the affairs of my son and daughter-in-law? You are also confused to ask me about this."
I was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Don't pretend to be serious in front of me. I know your wicked mind very well."
He turned away and quickly interrupted the conversation: "I say, Madam Yin, is your leg feeling better?"
"What's the point of getting better? It's impossible to get better! Just leave it like this. Can I still expect to be as energetic as when I was young? My bones are stiff now. When my knees hurt, I can't even lift my legs, let alone stretch them!" When he said this, he couldn't help feeling sad again. Only when he got older did he realize how ignorant and reckless his impulses were when he was young.
Liu Xiu came closer to me with a smile and gently massaged my calf muscles: "Soak your feet for a while. You must have worked hard climbing such a high mountain."
I curled my lips: "When I am with you, is there any day that is not hard?" I paused, looked up at his loving and pitying eyes, and couldn't help but curl up the corners of my mouth and smiled, "But I don't regret it. I think if time can go back and let these forty years start over again, I will still choose to be with you."
He suddenly pulled me into his arms and hugged me with all his might until I was almost suffocated by him. I shouted, "Old Liu, you took the wrong medicine! If you strangle me to death, who will scratch your back?"
Liu Xiu chuckled and didn't let go, but he relaxed his strength a lot.
He and I leaned against each other, speechless for a moment.
By the end of the year, Mingtang, Lingtai and Biyong were completed. These were the only palaces Liu Xiu spent money to build in his life, but they had nothing to do with his own enjoyment.
As the three palaces were built, Liu Xiu's health began to decline rapidly, but even so, he worked harder than usual. He went to court at dawn every day and did not rest until noon. He continued to meet with the three dukes and the generals to discuss court affairs until midnight. Liu Zhuang could not stand it anymore and found an opportunity to persuade his father to take care of his health and rest.
Unexpectedly, Liu Xiu kindly replied to his son: "I enjoy being busy like this, so I don't feel tired at all!"
Liu Zhuang wanted to persuade him again, but I stopped him.
In the dead of night, watching him talking with the ministers under a lamp, his spirited expression, I could only swallow my tears and say, "This is his last time, let him do what he likes."
Liu Zhuang was very shocked. I could only smile at him with tears in my eyes and encourage him: "Your father is using his last bit of strength to teach you to become a qualified emperor!"
"Mother!"
"That's it! Make him happy, kid, you have to work hard! Try to make your father feel relieved..."
The Han Empire, with its people's hearts becoming more stable and its economy gradually prospering, entered a new year. As the empress, I began to stay by the emperor's side all day long. Even when he was in court, I insisted on sitting behind the curtain and waiting, listening attentively to his arguments with the ministers.
We didn't have many words to exchange with each other. He spent more time with ministers, his children, and the heirs of the country. All I could do was to stay by his side, accompany him, watch him, and listen to him...
On the first day of February, Liu Xiu was finally unable to get up to attend court, but he insisted on staying in the front hall. Without saying a word, I had some luggage packed up and moved in with him.
The front hall is divided into front and back halls, and the front hall is where the court meets. After Liu Xiu fell ill, the Imperial Physician Commander and Imperial Physician Assistant brought many imperial physicians to the palace, the Imperial Commandant Zhao Xi went to the southern suburbs to offer sacrifices, and the Minister of Works Feng Cang and the Minister of Civil Affairs Li Xin reported to the ancestral temple and worshipped the gods.
From beginning to end, everything went smoothly.
I didn't sleep a wink the whole night, just stayed by his side, counting the sunrise and sunset every day .
Five days and four nights passed like this, and Liu Xiu was awake less and less. This day was the fifth day of the first lunar month, and the sunset glowed over every corner of the front hall, shining brightly on the pillars.
Liu Xiu suddenly said clearly: "It's so beautiful!" All the people who were guarding the night in the hall stood up in surprise.
I knelt beside him and held his withered right hand: "Yes, it's beautiful." I answered him with a smile, just like every other question and answer session in the past few decades, relaxed and casual.
Liu Xiu smiled. Although his face was covered with dust and he looked very old, in my eyes, his smile was still the same as the one I first saw in the farmland that year, pure and flawless, full of contentment and happiness.
I helped him sit up. He didn't look at the ministers and officials kneeling on the ground below. He just held my hand and said, "Xiu Li...Jiang Shan, I will trouble you in the future...They...may not be bad kids. I hope you can...help them more..."
I nodded: "I know. I will definitely hand over the beautiful country to the prince intact. That is your wish, and it is also mine."
He smiled gently, and I held him in my arms as we watched the sunset. Until the light gradually dimmed in the hall, he took out a two-foot square gold and jade box from his pillow and handed it to me in front of everyone.
I took it with one hand and felt a sinking sensation in my hand. My heart also sank with the heavy weight.
Seeing me take the jade box, he suddenly let out a long sigh, his frown relaxed, and his expression became unusually relaxed.
My eyelids slowly drooped, and I felt the body leaning on my shoulder getting heavier and heavier.
"I'll wait for you..." He said three words in a low voice.
Tears welled up in my eyes, and I cried so hard that I couldn't speak. I hugged him and cried loudly, "A man should not regret his words. Since you said you would wait for me, you must wait forever! Even if you are a sage king, you are not allowed to leave me and secretly become an immortal! Even if it takes until the seas run dry and the rocks crumble, until the earth ends... you must wait for me! As long as I don't come, you are not allowed to ascend to the immortal world! Do you hear me? Do you hear me?"
I cried miserably, and there was even more sobbing from below. After a long while, a barely audible voice came close to my ear, saying weakly: "Xiu...wait, Yin Ji...remember...see you later..."
My shoulders felt heavy and the breath by my ear suddenly stopped.
I felt as if in a dream, holding his limp, heavy body in my arms, not daring to move an inch.
The only remaining glow in the hall finally dimmed. I hugged Liu Xiu tightly, and tears silently dripped down his cheeks.
The imperial physician immediately stepped forward to feel the emperor's breath and pulse, and then there was a whisper. Finally, no one knew how much time had passed before Dai Ang shouted in grief, "The emperor has passed away—"
"The Emperor has passed away—"
"The Emperor has passed away—"
"The Emperor has passed away—"
Loud shouts spread out one after another, and the hall was filled with wailing. Liu Qiang, Liu Zhuang, Liu Cang, Liu Jing, Liu Yan, Liu Jing and a group of imperial grandchildren burst into tears.
After a while, the three dukes rushed over from the meeting place in the front hall after hearing the news. Dai Ang asked for instructions behind me, but I just hugged Liu Xiu and cried, ignoring him. He could only shout out in a choked voice: "The queen has ordered the three dukes to take charge of the funeral!"
Zhao Xi, Feng Yu, and Li Xin entered one after another, all wearing white Zen robes and white caps on their heads. Zhao Xi bowed and reported: "Replying to the Queen, according to the regulations, the city gates and palace gates are closed! The Huben, Yulin, and Langzhong offices are on martial law! The imperial city is on martial law inside and outside!" As he spoke, a large number of close attendants and eunuchs rushed into the hall with weapons in their hands, stood on both sides, and waited strictly. The princes and grandchildren who were still crying and kneeling on the ground were so scared that they stood up in panic.
I lowered my head and took one last look at Liu Xiu, who was peacefully closing his eyes in my arms. I gently kissed him on the forehead and said in a hoarse voice, "Don't worry, I will continue to support this country for you! You can have a good rest... Remember, wait for me!"
Zhao Xi stepped forward and took Liu Xiu from my hands. I got off the bed, and as soon as my feet touched the ground, everything in front of my eyes suddenly went dark. If Shanan hadn't been quick to hold me, I would have fallen to the ground.
"My queen! You must take care of yourself!"
I clenched my teeth, held my breath and nodded: "Yes, I understand!" Although I said it forcefully, my tears couldn't stop rolling down.
With tears in my eyes, I watched Zhao Xi, Feng Qiang, and Li Xin lay Liu Xiu's body flat on the bed, stretch out his limbs and straighten them, then take off his clothes and start giving him the final bath. I felt like I was being cut by a sharp knife, the pain was piercing my heart and lungs. I couldn't hold it back any longer and burst into tears, crying and shouting, "Xiu'er - Xiu'er - Xiu'er -"
The familiar voices called out, but they could never bring back his response.
Shanan pulled me back with all her strength. I was heartbroken. Everyone in the room was crying, and the crying shook the entire imperial city.
After a while, the three ministers finished the cleaning, and a palace guard presented yellow cotton, silk, a gold-thread jade coffin and other items. Zhao Xi put a white jade cicada into Liu Xiu's mouth, then took a piece of yellow brocade and wrapped the body layer by layer.
How could I bear it any longer? I cried out incoherently and fainted. There was a constant buzzing in my ears, and gradually the sound became clearer from vague. It was Liu Zhuang hugging me and crying bitterly.
I slowly woke up and found myself half lying and half sitting on the couch. Looking back, I saw that the clothes had been gathered and a body wrapped in a gold and jade coffin was lying steadily on the bed. The jade box that Liu Xiu gave me before his death was placed next to the body.
Zhao Xi walked up to me, knelt down, and said, "Please, Queen, announce the late emperor's will!"
I was helped to the bedside, and as soon as my hand touched the cold jade box, tears rolled down my cheeks again. Although the jade box was not locked, there was a purple seal with the emperor's seal on the lock. After breaking the intact seal and opening the jade box, a layer of yellow brocade was revealed, and a piece of white silk was neatly placed on the satin.
I took it out tremblingly and handed it to Zhao Xi. Zhao Xi, Feng Yu, and Li Xin all bowed together, and all the officials at the steps outside the palace also bowed.
Zhao Xi unfolded the silk and said in a loud voice: "The late emperor issued an edict saying: 'I will not benefit the people. All should follow the system of Emperor Xiaowen and be frugal. Provincial governors and officials of the rank of 2,000 stone should not leave the city, and should not send officials or report via mail.'"
As soon as the will was read, all the officials below the steps burst into tears.
I held the jade box in my hands, crying so hard that I couldn't even breathe. At this time, Shanan suddenly said, "Hey, there seems to be something under the jade box..."
I looked down and saw that the yellow brocade at the bottom was uneven, as if there was something underneath, so I reached out to lift it up. When I lifted it up, there was indeed another layer underneath, a piece of clothing that was folded very neatly. Although the fabric was fine, the color had faded and turned yellow.
Liu Zhuang knelt forward and carefully took out the clothes from the bottom of the box. Liu Zhuang held the collar, Liu Cang and Liu Jing each held a sleeve, and Liu Jing knelt on the ground and straightened the hem of the clothes. The clothes were spread out in front of me, and it was an old straight-hem long gown for women.
As the straight-hem gown was opened, there was a rustling sound, and something rolled down the fabric, and fell at my feet amid the exclamations of everyone.
I stood there stiffly, motionless. Liu Jing was the closest to me, and he bent over to reach out to pick it up. I shouted, "Don't touch it!" He was so scared that he quickly retracted his hand.
I supported myself on the edge of the bed, and slid down to the ground bit by bit. As soon as I stretched out my shaking hands, tears blurred my eyes. I held the bunch of withered ears of corn tightly in my palms, and the plump grains swayed slightly as my hands trembled.
"Xiu...wait, Yin Ji...remember...see you later..."
Yin Ji... remember... see you later...
"This is for you."
"Yin Ji, see you later!"
Yin Ji, see you later...
A long time ago, there was a stupid girl who took off her long gown and forgot to take it back. She just thoughtlessly dragged her brother away and ran away... Then, a young man with a beautiful smile caught up with her car and gave the stupid girl a bunch of freshly harvested ears of corn...
Nine ears on one stalk, showing off the best in the class!
"This is for you... Yin Ji, see you later!"
“Ah——” I cried hoarsely, pressed the ears of corn tightly to my heart, and bent over in tears.
She was a very dumb, stupid and slow-witted girl, but she really waited for a very long time for the words "see you later"... He gave her a lifetime of happiness, and she always thought that she fell in love with him first, and that she was the first to have feelings for him... But she never knew that because of her clumsiness, she made him wait for so long.
Xiu...wait, Yin Ji...remember ...see you later...
"Xiu'er...Xiu'er...my Xiu..." I bent over, holding the bunch of ears of corn tightly, calling his name helplessly.
