imperial dream

In April of the eighth year of Jiayou (the night before Renzong's death), Empress Cao sat on the hospital bed and looked at the emperor who had been in a coma for several days, and cried - she has been his empress for more than [-] years, not to mention how gentle he is She is so considerate, because she knows that the emperor has never disliked her, even though she has done two things to be sorry to the emperor in her life: [-]. Killing Concubine Jing; [-]. Killing Concubine De.The emperor still treats her like that.The queen knelt before the bed, tightly holding the emperor's hand...

The emperor moved his hand, and the queen rushed over excitedly.

The emperor smiled and said, "It's so late, why don't you go to rest?"

"Your majesty, my concubine is sorry for you."

The emperor shook his head and said, "Go, I know everything!"

"If... if there is such a day for the emperor, I will be with you forever."

"The Great Song Dynasty needs you to maintain it. After my funeral, the new emperor ascends the throne and the world will be in chaos. For the sake of the smooth transition of the Great Song Dynasty, Zhen'er, I entrust the Zhao family to you."

The queen pulled him and said, "No..."

"Zong'er is not my own child, so he will definitely do extreme things, so Da Song entrusts you."

The queen cried and nodded, the emperor pulled her and said: "In the next life, would you like to be an ordinary couple with me?"

"Yes." The queen didn't expect him to remember this sentence. This is the oath he made with himself more than 20 years ago. It turns out that he has never forgotten it.

The emperor nodded with satisfaction...

"Empress." Someone reported outside the door.

"Come in." A eunuch came in and said after the ceremony: "Empress Qizuo, Concubine Li Gui of Leng Palace has just passed away."

The queen asked strangely: "Isn't she always in good health? How could it be?"

"Someone passed by the Leng Palace just now and found a figure shaking. When they went in, they saw Concubine Li hanged herself from the beam, leaving only a suicide note."

"Has anyone been to the cold palace in the past few days?"

"Empress Concubine De went to see Concubine Li this afternoon."

"I think Concubine Li came to know that the emperor is ill..." The queen guessed...

After a long time, the queen said: "Go down."

After the man went down, the queen opened the suicide note.

Just listen to the emperor talking to himself: "Agarwood rice dumplings in the Miluo River, and falling flowers by the Bianshui embankment."

The queen's hand holding the suicide note was trembling. It was this line of poem in the suicide note. It turned out that the emperor and Concubine Pang still had a story. Why did he hide it so deeply?

After a while, the queen returned to the emperor's bedside, "Help me up." The queen knew that the emperor must be feeling very sad at this moment, so she helped him up.

The emperor leaned in the empress' arms, took her hand and said, "Graceful burial for Concubine Li."

"Yes."

"Prince Xuan and all civil and military officials come to meet."

"Your majesty." The queen felt that the situation was not good.

"Go, I can't let the collateral take the throne."

"The prince is already an adult, he..."

"Although he is the crown prince, he is not born by me. I am worried that other princes will take the throne away after he leaves. Your strength alone may not be enough."

"The concubine obeys the order." The queen used the long pillow to stabilize the emperor, and went out.

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In the Palace of Funing.

It was the last time Renzong convened civil and military officials.

The ministers naturally knew that the emperor was returning to the light, and they couldn't kneel for a long time. The emperor took the hand of the crown prince Zhao Shu and said: "My dear friends, after my funeral, the prince Zhao Shu will ascend the throne, and Empress Cao will be the queen mother. It must be simple. I hope you will assist the new emperor and create a new chapter in the Song Dynasty."

None of the civil and military officials dared to respond.

The crown prince held the emperor tightly and said: "Father's condition has improved, and he will be in court soon."

"Retire!" The emperor let go of the prince and said only one sentence to everyone.

All the ministers withdrew, only the queen and the prince, and the princess was serving here.

The queen put her arms around the emperor, and the emperor smiled at them and said, "You will be a good emperor, and you can do more than me."

"Father." The prince sat on the side of the bed and pulled the emperor and said, "Don't think too much, your illness will get better."

"Your matter is settled, and I can retire." The emperor motioned to the queen to help him lie down, and after lying down with the help of the queen and the prince, the emperor smiled gratifiedly.

The queen looked at the emperor and cried...

They kept watch until dawn, and the emperor never woke up again...

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It seems to have returned to the Dragon Boat Festival more than 30 years ago. The emperor sat in a dragon boat on the Bian River, followed by several Ouchi guards.The fleet of other officials and people scattered around, and suddenly a woman in white stood beside a willow branch on the opposite bank, holding a bottle, as if collecting dew...

The emperor signaled the guards to come to the shore, and when he got on the shore, seeing her looking at the bridge, he said, "Agarwood rice dumplings in the Miluo River."

The emperor walked over and replied: "Enjoy the falling flowers by the Bian River embankment."

The woman looked back at him, then took a step back, ignored him, and continued to collect dew...

"Does the girl like the dew on the willow leaves?" the emperor asked curiously.

"Yes."

"I heard that the dew on the stamens can beautify the skin. I wonder if it is true?"

"The rarer the flowers and plants, the better they can absorb the nutrients in the stamens."

"There are a few rare flowers in the lower mansion. If the girl likes it, I would like to give it to the girl."

The woman in white looked at him for a long, long time, and finally did not answer, but smiled, and left alone with the maid.She is none other than Pang Feng, the daughter of Da Daren's mansion, and later Concubine Li.

Ever since Pang Feng entered the palace, the emperor often saw her go to collect dew in the imperial garden, he couldn't bear to disturb her, he just looked at her from afar...

end of novel