Emperor's Grace

Leng Gong.

The bleak autumn wind kept beating on the dilapidated gate, making rustling noises. In front of the gate, an old vine tree with only remnants and dead leaves tilted its neck, and its posture was twisted and growing towards the direction of the eaves. There were crows quacking and flapping With its wings, it flew over the dead branches and flew away, shaking off a few withered and yellow leaves.

He Huailing stood in front of the door, squinting his eyes slightly, his eyes glanced at the desolate and dilapidated roof of the cold palace, and did not move for a long time.

The eunuch on the side reminded him in a low voice: "Master Hou, let's go in quickly."

He Huailing closed his eyes and walked forward slowly.

The door of the main hall opened again, bringing in the sparse sunlight that was not bright outside. Zhu Yunjing, who was sitting on the ground leaning against the wall in a daze, heard the voice, turned her head, and was stunned for a moment when she saw the person coming in, her pupils shrank , his eyes slipped past the imperial decree in He Huailing's hand, and landed on the two things held in the hands of the eunuch beside him.

It was a glass of wine and a white silk, Zhu Yunjing frowned subconsciously, and then suddenly opened her eyes wide.

He Huailing looked at him, the former proud and noble crown prince was knocked into the dust, shrunk in this dark cold palace, with disheveled hair, disheveled clothes, no demeanor at all, his pale face no longer had the previous high spirits, glowing There was only confusion and helplessness in the bloodshot eyes.

He Huailing's heart shrank violently, she looked away and couldn't bear to look any more, and said in a hoarse voice: "Your Highness, accept the order."

Zhu Yunjing didn't move, there seemed to be tears in his eyes that were about to fall, He Huailing sighed softly, and unfolded the imperial decree.

The last word fell, and there was a deathly silence in the empty and dilapidated palace. After a long time, Zhu Yunjing burst out laughing, tears streaming down her face while smiling.He Huailing couldn't bear it, and motioned to the eunuch beside him: "Put down your things, lead people out first, and close the door, as long as I'm here."

The eunuch hesitated for a moment, followed his instructions, put down his things, led the others to retreat first, and closed the door of the main hall.

He Huailing stepped forward, knelt down in front of Zhu Yunjing, and supported his shoulders with both hands: "Your Highness, look at me."

Zhu Yunjing's originally extremely beautiful eyes were filled with lifeless gray, and water kept bubbling out. He Huailing's hand touched his face, wiping away his tears that seemed to flow endlessly: "Your Highness... "

Zhu Yunjing's tear-stained eyelashes trembled slightly, and asked hoarsely, "Why?"

"...The imperial guards caught a eunuch who was cleaning the cold palace at Xihua Gate, and found the jade pendant you were wearing next to him. The eunuch said you gave it to him, and asked him to go out of the palace to deliver a message to Jingnan Camp The commander-in-chief's residence."

Zhu Yunjing was stunned, and closed her eyes after a while, with a sarcasm on the corner of her mouth: "I really have a crushing defeat."

"Your Highness," He Huailing frowned, "I don't believe you would do such a thing."

"It's no use if you don't believe it. The emperor believes it. He has completely given up on me. He wants to kill me. He actually wants to kill me..."

Zhu Yunjing's voice trembled, as if he was extremely sad, He Huailing asked him in a deep voice, "What's going on?"

Zhu Yunjing shook her head, opened her tearful eyes and looked at He Huailing, and said, "I wrote a blood letter of confession, and handed it along with the jade pendant to the eunuch who brought me food, asking him to Sending it to Xuande Hall, I just want to remind father and emperor to give me another chance for the sake of mother and queen, I never thought of rebelling, if I have that ability, I won't be reduced to this point."

He Huailing was speechless, and after a long time, he said with difficulty: "... His Majesty has already bestowed poisonous wine and white silk."

"Heh," Zhu Yunjing lowered her head, "I didn't expect you to be the one who came to see me off on the road in the end."

He Huailing's eyes darkened: "Do you want to die?"

"Do I have any choice?" Zhu Yunjing's eyes fell on her almost transparent white fingers, and she laughed at herself, "Who would get tired of work and want to die, I am, I haven't had enough good times I was wronged to death like this, and I am afraid that there will be no one to burn paper money for me after death, so how could I want to die."

After he finished speaking, he frowned fiercely, raised his eyes and looked at He Huailing: "help me, find a way to get me out, do you have a way? If you ask me that way, I have a way, right?"

He Huailing looked at him deeply, his eyes met each other, Zhu Yunjing saw some emotions surging in He Huailing's deep pupils, he thought that He Huailing was hesitating and struggling, his heart was beating wildly, the desire to survive surpassed everything , rushed forward and grabbed He Huailing's sleeves: "You save me...you save me, you must save me!"

"Your Highness..."

He Huailing seemed to want to say something, but Zhu Yunjing interrupted him as soon as he opened his mouth. He grabbed He Huailing's shirt, and the expression on his face was already distorted: "He Huailing, save me! You owe me this!"

Zhu Yunjing took He Huailing's hand and put it on her abdomen, tears streaming down, choked up and said: "Touch and see, this belly has been around for more than four months, and it's your child inside, I'm pregnant Your child, you can't just ignore death and let our father and son die together!"

He Huailing's eyes widened suddenly, full of shock and disbelief, and the hand on Zhu Yunjing's abdomen trembled unconsciously.The fetus in Zhu Yunjing's womb seemed to sense something, and rolled along, punching and kicking in response to the other father who touched him through a layer of belly.

Zhu Yunjing was sweating profusely from the pain, and tears fell down together. He Huailing hugged him into his arms and hugged him tightly, with a trembling voice: "Your Highness..."

Zhu Yunjing raised her head in his arms with difficulty, pleading in her eyes: "Can you save me... I beg you, I don't want to die, even for the sake of the child, save me, I... ..."

"Stop talking," He Huailing hugged him tighter, as if begging him, "Stop talking, Your Highness, I will help you, I will definitely help you."

The news that Emperor Zhaoyang was about to bestow the death of the crown prince had spread throughout the palace. Zhu Yunxuan, who was still studying in the Chonghua Palace, rushed to the imperial study immediately after hearing about it. He wanted to see Emperor Zhaoyang, but was stopped outside. He lifted the hem of his clothes and knelt down. While kowtowing, he shouted loudly inside: "Father! I beg you! Save my brother's life! I beg you!"

No one paid any attention to him, until Zhu Yunxuan's forehead was bleeding, the eunuch next to the emperor came out, and reminded him with a troubled face: "Your Highness, you should go back, Your Majesty is not feeling well, just vomited blood I fainted for a while, and the imperial doctor is still inside, so he won't see you right now."

Zhu Yunxuan burst into tears: "Why did the father give the elder brother to death? Why?!"

"...Here, His Majesty's imperial decree, the Marquis Dingyuan who delivered the decree has already gone to the side of the Leng Palace, it is useless for you to kneel here."

Zhu Yunxuan stumbled to his feet, turned around and ran in the direction of Leng Gong.

He Huailing hugged Zhu Yunjing who was already limp in her arms, raised his hand to brush away the hair that was wet on his face with tears, lowered his head and gently rubbed his face with the tip of his nose, Zhu Yunjing closed his eyes , a rare obedience, it seems that he will not resist whatever He Huailing does to him at this moment.

He Huailing looked at him like this, heartbroken and helpless. After a while, when Zhu Yunjing calmed down a little, he took out a pill from his arms, handed it to Zhu Yunjing, and lowered his voice: " You have used this medicine before."

There was a trace of doubt in Zhu Yunjing's watery eyes, and He Huailing explained to him in a low voice: "The fake death medicine, it should be the same medicine that you asked someone to steal Xu Hanlin from prison before. People will lose their breath, as if they have passed away, and the imperial doctor can't detect it. The effect of the medicine lasts for three days, and then they will wake up naturally. Don't be afraid, just take the medicine, and I will arrange the next thing .”

Ever since Zhu Yunjing's accident, He Huailing had been carrying this medicine with him. He originally planned that it might be useful in an emergency one day, but he didn't expect that day would come so soon.

Zhu Yunjing held the pill, still hesitating, He Huailing sighed: "Your Highness, I won't lie to you, what's the point of me lying to you now? If you are willing to trust me, just take the medicine Bar."

Zhu Yunjing looked at He Huailing, his eyes flickered, he didn't believe in He Huailing, but when he was about to die, there was no other way to choose.

After a moment of silence, Zhu Yunjing put the medicine into his mouth and swallowed it neatly.

He Huailing still hugged him and did not let him go. Zhu Yunjing couldn't lift up his body at all, so he leaned against him and didn't move. He Huailing's hand was still on Zhu Yunjing's stomach, stroking carefully and gently, feeling the belly. For more than four months, he hadn't noticed the tenacious vitality of the fetus.The overwhelming emotions finally turned into soft fingers, fully occupying his entire mind.

Zhu Yunjing closed her eyes, and reminded He Huailing feebly: "Help me wrap my stomach tightly, so that no one will see it when I collect the body."

He Huailing untied Zhu Yunjing's clothes according to his words, and untied the cloth strips wrapped around his abdomen. His eyes touched the more conspicuous belly against his thin waist. The cloth strips were wrapped tightly again.

I don't know if the feign death medicine will hurt the child, and then Zhu Yunjing, He Huailing is vaguely worried, but the medicine has already taken effect, and the person in his arms seems to have fallen asleep. Some trembling.

A quarter of an hour later, when the eunuch who had been waiting outside the door for a long time came in again, Zhu Yunjing was already lying on the ground motionless, the two things on the table, the white silk hadn't moved, but the wine glass was already empty.He Huailing stood aside with a serious expression, and told the other party: "The abolished prince has been executed, go report to His Majesty and prepare for the funeral."

With a 'bang', Zhu Yunxuan who rushed into the door stumbled forward with red eyes, and a moment later, his heart-piercing cries sounded in the hall.

He Huailing stood aside silently, closed his eyes, and sighed silently.