Imperial City

The autumn hunt in Chengsheng's sixth year was destined to be uneven.

On the first day of the siege, something happened to Wei Qi. Not to mention, on the second night at the Forbidden City, there was news that the Empress Dowager was critically ill.

The fast horses delivered the letters, and the sweaty horses rushed five hundred miles, day and night, people didn't know how many times they changed, and several horses were exhausted, and finally arrived at the Mulan paddock the next night.

The secret letter was passed from the outer city to the inner city all the way to the emperor's tent, and the candles in the tent were full of light.

At this moment, the emperor was leaning over his desk to see the arrangement for hunting tomorrow.Wei Qi bent his legs and leaned against the head of the couch while flipping through a book while gnawing on a sour pear.

Already ate two tonight.

The emperor didn't even raise his head, and from the corner of his vision, he caught a glimpse of him abandoning the core in his palm, staring at the book, and reaching out to get the pear, so he had no choice but to say: "Are you planning to get sick again?" Always greedy , How can I not be sick.

He still remembered what Wei Qitou had tossed about when he first came back here.

Wei Qi raised his eyes to see His Majesty's expression, stopped his hands awkwardly, "No, I just didn't notice for a while, I don't remember how much I ate just now."

The emperor is not stupid, how could he believe his words, it's just a trick.

He put down the scroll, and then fetched the wet towels that were placed on several sides beside the couch to wipe off the juice stained on his palms.

The emperor was still frowning, and these things on the couch before the rest of the meeting would have to be replaced.

People from outside invite me to meet Sheng, and send an urgent message to the Forbidden City.

When people entered, they hurriedly knelt down to pay their respects.

The letter folder was presented, the emperor opened it, his complexion changed drastically, he threw the letter away and said in a deep voice, "Anxi! Pass down the order, a thousand elite guards will follow me back to the palace immediately, and the rest of the troops will set off early tomorrow morning, so hurry up. "

"Hey, I obey the decree." Anxi stepped forward to salute, "Just, please tell me, under what name should this decree be delivered?"

The emperor stared blankly at the words on the letter, "The ancestor is critically ill."

Anxi was shocked, and said loudly: "This servant is going to pass the decree!"

The words are like thunder, breaking all the peace brought by the night.

The eunuchs rushed in one file at a time.

Wei Qi sat blankly on the couch and couldn't recover for a while.

Several servants waited on the emperor to change his uniform and put on a cloak.There was gradually greater movement outside the imperial tent, the sound of footsteps, the sound of horseshoes and the sound of armor clashing between actions, it was really sudden.

But half a cup of tea was almost ready, and a thousand elite guards were surrounded outside the emperor's tent, ready to go.

Before the emperor left, he just glanced at Wei Qi, and strode out of the tent without saying anything.

But the glance he cast was very deep, and seemed to contain countless emotions. The latter felt as if he saw fragility and sadness in those deep eyes.

However, the emperor's face was cold and hard, Wei Qi was not sure if he was right, maybe it was just his own imagination.

He was also in a dull mood, knelt on the couch enduring the pain in his legs and feet, bowed respectfully and kowtowed to send off the holy car.

Outside the account, the emperor left behind his most valued chief of the imperial guards, and whispered to Anxi: "It's good to watch him."

Anxi responded respectfully, "Hey."

The emperor paused for a moment, and then said: "If you go on business again, you don't have to go back to the palace."

The matter of falling from the horse has not been investigated in the future, so he really can't feel at ease.

The former trembled all over when he heard this, and quickly knelt down and said, "I understand! I will do my best, and I will return to the palace within ten days to serve you and work for you."

There was water in his eyes, he knew that the Holy Majesty must be sad at this moment, and he couldn't leave Wei Qi at ease.

But the matter was serious, and the former had only just been injured, so he really couldn't take him with him.

The imperial chariot rode his horse away, and thousands of riders accompanied him lightly, wearing stars and wearing the moon, day and night, galloping all day but still one step too late.

There was still an hour's journey away from the Forbidden City, and several guards who reported the funeral collided with Yu Jia.

The emperor seemed to have lost his breath in an instant. His beard was unshaven, his face was not clean, and he was much haggard in just one night.

The emperor came to the city, the city gate was wide open, the night was dark, and the streets were lit with white lights to welcome the emperor.

The people stayed at home and prayed for the emperor and the empress dowager who passed away.

The sweaty horse galloped on the empty outer city street, and the sound of the horse's hooves crushed the silence.

The bells of Beihai Chanfu Temple and the Yongle Bell in the Forbidden City ring together, and the bells are mighty.

The emperor galloped like a flying arrow into the outer city from Yongding Gate, passed through Zhengyang Gate to the inner city, and returned to the imperial city from Daqing Gate.

Then pass through Chengtian Gate and Duan Gate, and finally enter the Forbidden City from the middle gate of Meridian Gate.

The palace gates opened and closed again, as if they were locking a strong and cold emperor's heart.

The emperor returned to the palace late at night, and the whole palace greeted him.

The emperor got off his horse in front of the gate of Qianqing, and his gait was a little unsteady.

Everyone in the harem greeted him, "My Majesty, please mourn."

The shouts were so loud that the emperor ignored them.

Galloping all the way to Shoukang Palace, Concubine Jing and other high-ranking concubines, the prince and princess, knelt outside the gate of Shoukang Palace, all dressed in filial piety, crying endlessly.

The emperor looked around with a dazed expression.

In Changle Fuhua, the Empress Dowager was lying on the couch, her complexion was pale, but her expression was still peaceful.

The emperor seemed to be unable to stand, he tried his best to keep walking to the bed.

"Grandmother..." Finally, her eyes turned red and her words choked up.

"Grandson is late." The whispers dissipated in the gloomy palace.

On August [-]th of the sixth year of Chengsheng, the Empress Dowager of Shoukang Palace died.

In the Zigong Feng'an Palace, the emperor stopped court for nine days, and still followed the system of changing the sun and the moon, and had to serve onyx for 27 days.

There are several feasts in the main hall, and Jiandan is on the right side of the door, riding from the prince to the captain, and the princess, Fujin, and the wife are salty.

All the soldiers and civilians in the capital, the men remove the crowns, the women remove the earrings, and the whole city hangs plain silk.

On August [-]th of the sixth year of Chengsheng, the Chengde Forbidden Army rushed back to the palace one day before the Empress Dowager was buried.

Wei Qi and the others returned to Qianqing Palace in plain silk filial clothes, and after a little grooming, they rushed to Feng'an Palace to cry.

The entire palace is white, princes and ministers are constantly coming in and out, the faces of palace maids and eunuchs are sad, and there is sadness everywhere.

Wei Qi and others knelt outside the gate of Feng'an Palace, and Anxi went inside to face the saint.

The emperor knelt in front of the coffin in plain onyx, with a white cloth on his forehead, and his long hair was cut short and tied behind his head.

To describe it as haggard, it turns out that it has lost a lot of weight.

That's right, An Xi thought, after taking vegetarian diet for eight days, it is inevitable that he will lose some flesh and blood.

According to the etiquette system, it was only necessary to keep the spirit for six days, but the emperor insisted on stopping the court for nine days. All the officials praised the saint's filial piety and could not bear to object.

The emperor made an exception and cut his own hair to show his grief.

"Your Majesty." An Xi knelt down to pay his respects.

"Where are people?" the emperor asked, his voice was low and hoarse, indifferent, and he couldn't hear the emotion in it.

"Responding to your words, Wei Qi is kneeling outside Feng'an Palace right now." An Xi paused for a moment, then said, "He's safe and sound."

After all, he didn't report the extra incident on the road, the Holy Majesty was already upset at this moment, since he was fine in the end, it's better not to add more trouble.

"Send someone to send him back to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, look after him."

There are many people in this place, people come and go in and out of the palace, and it is most likely to cause trouble.

"Whoo."

Wei Qi knelt for less than half an hour before he was sent back to Qianqing Palace.

On the second day, Zigong left the palace from Donghua Gate and was buried in the imperial mausoleum.

In the evening, the emperor, who had been kneeling for nearly a whole day, returned to the Qianqing Palace.

An Xihou accompanied him in the inner study, and it was Yin time after he finished approving the papers for the day. (three o'clock in the morning)

The emperor returned from the inner study to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. On the way, he asked Anxi, "Where is Wei Qi?"

"If you come back to the Holy One, Wei Qi and others are in the servants' courtyard."

The former was silent for a few moments, "Are you resting?"

Anxi paused, only thinking about it for a moment, and then said, "Returning to you, Wei Qi may also be sad, and he hasn't rested yet."

The emperor looked at the white lantern hanging in front of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and said, "Call him here."

"Hey, this slave will send someone to pass him on."

In the courtyard behind, Wei Qi lay down on the couch and fell into a deep sleep.

Originally, it took ten days to arrive in Beijing, but in order to catch up with the burial of the ancestors, he rushed to the Forbidden City in eight days, and one can imagine the rush.

And there was almost an accident on Wei Qi Road.

If Anxi hadn't been cautious, he might have gone to the imperial mausoleum with the ancestors in Shoukang Palace at this moment.

Wei Qi fell asleep with great difficulty, but was awakened again after only two hours.

Little Qianzi shook him lightly, and seeing that he finally opened his eyes, he hurriedly said: "Master Wei, someone from the Hall of Mental Cultivation has been sent, and the Holy Majesty is calling you."

Wei Qi was still in a daze at first, but when he heard the word "Holy One", he was so frightened that he immediately woke up.

He patted his face and turned over.

"Quick, get dressed."

"Whoo."

When Wei Qi arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he saw Anxi waiting outside with someone.

The Hall of Mental Cultivation was pitch black, and no light had ever shone through.

Wei Qi wondered, did the Holy Majesty rest or not?If you haven't rested, why is Mr. An not serving inside? If you rest, why ask yourself to do it?

He asked An Xi in a hoarse voice, "Master An, can the Holy Majesty take a rest?" '

Anxi shook his head silently, winked at Wei Qi, waved him away, and told him to go in quickly.

The latter bowed and saluted, took a deep breath, and opened the door to enter.

The heavy vermilion lacquered wooden door creaked and was slowly pushed open from the outside.

In the darkness, the emperor's figure moved slightly.

He called Tui Anxi and others, and sat alone in the quiet Xinuang Pavilion.

The two white paper lanterns under the corridor cast Wei Qi's figure on the wooden door frame, and his figure was reflected in the strong plain cotton cloth, making him look very slender.

The door opened and closed, and the sound of slight footsteps gradually approached from the main hall.

The emperor closed his eyes, raised the jug and took a sip of wine, counting the faint footsteps of the people who came.

It turns out that the Hall of Mental Cultivation is so spacious, and it takes so long to get here.

Tonight was really unusual, Wei Qi narrowed his eyes and walked forward cautiously.

Although he walked many times on weekdays, he knew that there was no object in front of him, but he was still a little scared. He had night blindness.

"Here." The footsteps approached, and the emperor opened his eyes.

Wei Qi covered his mouth, choked his throat and let out a low cry, staggering in shock.

The emperor was sitting under the arhat bed next to him, and he didn't even see it.It was really unexpected that the majestic emperor sat down on the cold floor tiles like this.

The former grabbed his arm and pulled him down.

Wei Qi knelt down, propped his hands into the person's arms, and swept down the white porcelain jug placed on the marble tiles with his foot.

The wine jug rolled and rolled on the black floor tiles, and the strong aroma of wine spread out.

Wei Qi hurriedly pressed against the emperor's chest and wanted to stand up.

The emperor kicked the jug away, put one hand on his back, and pressed the man into his arms.

"Don't move." He whispered.

Wei Qi was stunned because he was very close and smelled of alcohol.

He seemed to hear the sadness hidden in His Majesty's voice.

The emperor's palm gradually exerted force, grabbing Wei Qi's arm and pressing on his back, the strength was a little out of control.

"You broke my wine, you have to pay for it." He looked like an unreasonable rogue child.

Whispering, with a soft voice, it swept Wei Qi's ear, penetrated into his heart, and gradually dispersed in his limbs.

The latter panicked.

But the emperor hugged him tighter and tighter, and the veins on the back of his hands were bulging.

Wei Qi spoke softly, his voice was even lower than the emperor's, and he had difficulty breathing, and he muffled out a sentence: "The servant has nothing to pay for."

The whole family has lost money, you have completely lost your grandmother tonight, and I have been unaccompanied as early as 12 years ago.

The emperor stared at the emptiness and darkness behind Wei Qi, embraced the warm body in his arms, and said in a daze: "Then stay with me, stay with me."