Song Yinghuai's words made Empress Ma's face change several times in succession, and a series of coughs followed one after another.
"I... I don't want your life..." Empress Ma gasped repeatedly, struggling like a flickering candle in the wind. "I've already lost one son. I don't want to lose another..."
"Mother." Tears finally slid down Song Yinghuai's temples. "Tell me what you want me to do. I'll do it even if it costs me my life."
A real man doesn't shed tears easily, but at this moment, he didn't care about such things at all.
He didn't expect that Empress Ma didn't scold him even once, nor did she roar hysterically or question him. Instead, she only said that she didn't want to lose another son.
This was even more painful than asking him to pay with his life.
After Empress Ma's emotions calmed down a bit, she trembled and reached out her hand to trace his well - defined handsome face gently. She said in a trembling voice:
"Actually, I've always known that you've suffered a lot of grievances... You were favored by your father when you were young. You were forced to leave your birth mother and be fostered under my care. Your father favored the crown prince and often let you be bullied. You've really endured a lot of grievances for many years."
Song Yinghuai swallowed hard. Finally, he only said, "I'm not aggrieved. It's enough for me to have your love, Mother."
Empress Ma sighed. "I know that the crown prince has done many things that angered both heaven and man. If he dies, the common people will probably clap their hands in joy. He was spoiled. I can't blame anyone... But he's the flesh that fell from my body. I just can't bear to take action against him myself."
"Mother!" Song Yinghuai called out again.
Empress Ma waved her hand. "Let me finish..."
"Now that you've taken action, there can't be no heir apparent in the Great Ye. I think that you're both intelligent and valiant, and your character is upright. If this country is in your hands..."
"Mother!" Song Yinghuai raised his voice and finally interrupted her. He kowtowed to her forcefully. "I don't dare to covet the position of the heir apparent. Please choose someone else, Mother!"
Empress Ma was stunned. "You've done all these things... You didn't do them to be the heir apparent. What on earth are you thinking?"
"I did it for Caiyu, for the Lan family, and for all the common people in the world." Song Yinghuai said frankly. "Father has been reluctant to depose the crown prince for a long time. Caiyu and the Lan family have always been held hostage by the eldest brother. The common people in the world have also suffered because of him. I had no choice but to take such extreme measures."
"But I don't want this country, Mother. The eldest brother still has a child. Zhu'er has a correct moral character and a gentle personality. He looks like a benevolent king."
"I've already done something that I'm sorry for you, Mother. I definitely can't take the country from the eldest brother!"
Empress Ma looked at him in shock. "You..."
Song Yinghuai kowtowed again. "I beg you, Mother, to leave an imperial edict and give it to Father. Ennoble Song Xiuzhu as the crown prince's grandson so that he can inherit the throne in the future. I will do my best to assist the crown prince's grandson to become a wise king! Please grant my wish, Mother!"
A hibiscus petal floated in from outside the palace with the wind and landed on Emperor Guangwu's eyebrows and temples.
The emperor seemed to be dreaming of something. His face began to tremble violently.
In the dream, there were clashing swords and horses, and there was also a pair of gentle eyes that always watched him like water, as if always smiling.
The young Empress Ma reached out her hand and stroked his face, then stopped at his ear.
There was a small scar there, which was left during the great battle of Poyang Lake.
Empress Ma smiled at him. "Your Majesty, I have to leave first. Please take good care of your dragon body!"
"Xiuying!" Emperor Guangwu watched her gradually transparent body and roared in panic. He suddenly woke up from the dream.
The dazzling sunlight shone through the high palace window and twisted into a whirlpool, making his eyes sting.
The sound of crying like a tide rang in his ears, making his head buzz.
Emperor Guangwu felt his head was about to explode. He couldn't help roaring, "What are you crying about!"
Eunuch Cen knelt on the ground and wailed, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! You've finally woken up!"
"The empress has passed away! Your Majesty..."
Emperor Guangwu felt that Eunuch Cen's voice seemed both very close and very far away.
It was like an unreal illusion.
"What..." Emperor Guangwu murmured absent - mindedly. "Who has passed away?"
Eunuch Cen: "The empress! The empress..."
Emperor Guangwu suddenly came to his senses.
The scene in the dream where Empress Ma was saying goodbye to him was still vivid in his mind.
He suddenly threw off the quilt and got out of bed, then rushed towards Changchun Palace.
His feet felt as soft as if they were stepping on mud, making him stumble like a baby learning to walk.
Eunuch Cen followed behind and wanted to support him, but was thrown off by him.
"Xiuying, Xiuying..."
Emperor Guangwu murmured in his mouth. "Wait for me, wait for me... Let me see you one more time..."
The distance between Yangxin Hall and Changchun Palace was clearly only a short walk, but Emperor Guangwu felt that he had walked for a lifetime.
Heart - rending cries resounded in Changchun Palace.
The voices of the maids and eunuchs rose and fell one after another.
Emperor Guangwu's heart sank to the bottom. He staggered in.
The scene that greeted his eyes made his liver and gall tremble.
His wife, with her hair neatly coiffed again and her eyes tightly closed, was as quiet as she usually was when lying beside him.
But the surrounding cries told him that his wife would never wake up again after this sleep.
In the middle in front of the canopied bed, Song Yinghuai was kneeling upright.
The noise outside didn't make him turn his head.
Emperor Guangwu stumbled towards Song Yinghuai and roared hoarsely, "Where's the empress? Where's the empress?"
"Father!" Song Yinghuai's collar was grabbed by him. Kneeling on the ground, his face was pale and his black eyes were full of tears. He said in a trembling voice, "Mother... has passed away!"
"Scoundrel!" Emperor Guangwu raised his hand and slapped him. "Why didn't you save her?!"
"Didn't they say that after taking the medicine, she could survive this winter?"
"You liar!"
Song Yinghuai didn't move after being slapped. He just silently lowered his head.
Eunuch Cen knelt at Emperor Guangwu's feet, hugged his leg and cried, "Your Majesty, please calm down. This is not Prince Yan's fault! The empress was so angry after hearing the news of the crown prince's death that her condition suddenly worsened! It's all the fault of the Kings of Qin and Jin!"
Right.
The crown prince was also dead!
Emperor Guangwu suddenly realized.
He had lost his son and his wife in succession.
His eyes suddenly went blank as he looked at the motionless woman on the bed.
Suddenly, he felt that this was God's retribution for him.
Because of his path as an emperor, his brothers who were as close as hands and feet had all ended up badly.
So God gave him the same retribution, making his relatives end up badly as well.
A sweet and fishy taste welled up in his chest.
"Pfft!"
The blood spurted out of his mouth and drew an arc in the air.
"Your Majesty!"
Eunuch Cen's panicked voice rang in his ears.
He fell down again with a thud. When he turned his head, he saw Empress Ma sleeping quietly.
The sound of the funeral bell rang faintly from the depths of the imperial city. Through the thick sky, the sound wave spread to every corner of Shangjing City.
Whether they were the royal family, officials, merchants, or ordinary people, they were all shocked and stood still on the spot.
Then, a tsunami - like cry and wail resounded in the whole Shangjing City and lingered for a long time.
"Empress..."
Caiyu suddenly grabbed Han Fen who was in a hurry. Her face was panicked. "Brother Han, what's going on?"
Han Fen had a cold face. "The empress has passed away!"
After saying that, he left, leaving Caiyu standing there in a daze and shocked. She took a few steps back.
The empress had passed away?
Why was it so sudden...
What about Song Yinghuai?
The empress was the elder he respected the most. Would he be very sad?
Although she had made up her mind to leave, she still worried about Song Yinghuai's state.
She asked someone to look for the Kings of Qi and Zhou and tried to find a way to enter the palace, but those two had already been notified to enter the palace.
She went to the post - house again. As an important official of the emperor, Xiao Rencheng had also been ordered to enter the palace and stay by Emperor Guangwu's side.
As a foreign envoy, and with the Tartars having amassed troops outside Yanmen Pass, Lan Jinxiang was surrounded by Wen Zilong with the Five - City Garrison.
Lan Jinqin wanted to accompany her but was ruthlessly rejected by Wen Zilong. She had no choice but to return to Wutong Courtyard.
Caiyu didn't even know that so many sudden changes had taken place in just a few days after she returned to the Prince Yan's Mansion!
She stood in the city, wandering aimlessly, until Sheng Jiangli pulled her into a carriage...