PDLP Chapter 666 Visit
Chapter 666 Visit
Emperor Shenwu's brutality didn't end there. He ordered Li Zhong to investigate most of the palace. Where did this maid come from? Who was behind her? What was she planning? Over a dozen people implicated were beaten to death. Many concubines retreated to their own palaces, daring not to step out again. Imperial Concubine Jiang, however, couldn't ignore the situation. Unfortunately, she couldn't influence Emperor Shenwu. Even when she went to the Qianzheng Palace to pay her respects, the Emperor refused to see her.
The prince's Dongde Hall was also much quieter. The crown princess had ordered everyone not to leave the Dongde Hall during this period of time. She was also terrified in her heart, thinking that Emperor Shenwu was too cruel. She was just a little palace maid, but he had made the palace a mess. She once again witnessed the bloody and ruthless nature of the supreme imperial power.
The Crown Prince knew the Emperor Shenwu's anger and pain, and he could only let him vent his anger. He was also very angry, and no matter who tried to make a fuss about his mother's affairs, they would be unforgivable.
During the day, the palace was filled with a solemn and murderous atmosphere. In the dead of night, Emperor Shenwu lay alone on his bed, silently enduring the sharp pain from his heart. He gave up using his internal energy to nourish his body. Bit by bit, the pain was lingering on Emperor Shenwu's body like silk threads. His palms tightly grasped the coral bracelet left by Lan Qingwu, sweat dripped down his forehead, and he silently endured it all.
Just as the prince said, he was in so much pain. He could no longer use the "Worry-Free Dream" and could no longer see Lan Qingwu. This was the greatest despair for him.
Emperor Shenwu's health deteriorated rapidly. Lan Qingwu had been gone for only a few months, but he felt like thousands and millions of years had passed. Each day was so hard to endure. He could feel that his body was constantly failing, like the setting sun, with no hope of recovery.
On this autumn day, Empress Dowager Li, who was far away in Xi'an Temple, fell seriously ill. Due to the double blow of Lan Qingwu and Zhou Chengqiong, Empress Dowager Li had been ill for quite some time. Unfortunately, apart from the imperial physician and all the finest medicinal materials, Emperor Shenwu did not set foot in Xi'an Temple. Now Empress Dowager Li could no longer get up. When the news came, Emperor Shenwu was silent for a long time, and finally decided to go to Xi'an Temple. No matter what, the mother-son relationship between him and Empress Dowager Li must have an end in this life.
Upon learning that Emperor Shenwu had arrived at Xi'an Temple, Empress Dowager Li suddenly felt a surge of strength. She sat up, a glimmer of hope hidden in her eyes. Princess Mingzhu had already left, and Empress Dowager Li felt that there was room for improvement between them. She didn't want to stay in this sparsely populated Xi'an Temple praying for the country. She only wanted to return to the palace for the rest of her life, as that was the proper place for an empress dowager.
But things did not go as Empress Dowager Li had expected. When Emperor Shenwu, whose black hair was almost completely white, walked into the house, Empress Dowager Li was stunned for a moment. She did not expect to see Emperor Shenwu like this.
"Emperor...how are you..."
Emperor Shenwu did not respond to Empress Dowager Li. He directly summoned the imperial physician guarding Xi'an Temple and asked about Empress Dowager Li's condition. Empress Dowager Li usually lived a life of luxury and had no major problems. It was Lan Qingwu's death, especially Zhou Chengqiong's death, that stimulated Empress Dowager Li. She suffered from dizziness and headaches from time to time, and felt weak all over. She became depressed in just a few months. The emperor's son also ignored her. Because of the queen's poisoning, he exiled his own daughter and put up a name to pray for the country. He kept his own mother in Xi'an Temple. Empress Dowager Li was resentful, but Lan Qingwu still did not live long, and her granddaughter was not saved. In the current situation, Empress Dowager Li felt that both mother and son had suffered irreparable damage. But why did things turn out like this? Who was to blame?
After listening to the report from the imperial physician, Emperor Shenwu realized that it was because Empress Dowager Li was depressed. She was getting old and it was impossible for her to be free of some illnesses. In addition to taking good care of herself, she also needed to be in a good mood. Even Emperor Shenwu could not help Empress Dowager Li with this, as he himself could hardly protect himself.
The mother and son sat in silence. After a moment, Emperor Shenwu finally spoke under the expectant gaze of Empress Dowager Li: "You can return to the palace. I will erect a wall around the Cining Palace, and you can recuperate well inside! And Prince An has always pleased you, so I will order him to the Cining Palace to attend to you. This will help you feel better, but I can't do anything else! You don't have to return to the palace either, and you can stay here. I will send whoever you want to accompany you!"
Empress Dowager Li's eyes widened. "Emperor...is this the only way we can do this? After all, I am still your biological mother!"
Emperor Shenwu said calmly, "It is absolutely not my wish that we have reached this point today. We truly have nothing more to say to each other! From now on, I will satisfy you one by one if you require anything."
As for the rest, there is nothing we can do.
Emperor Shenwu knew that this might be his last time to see Empress Dowager Li. At this moment, he felt relieved and at peace, no longer burdened by the motherly love he had never received. "Just think that our mother-son relationship is not strong. I was never the son you imagined, and you were never the mother I dreamed of. I only hope that we won't be mother and son again in our next life!"
Emperor Shenwu turned and left. Empress Dowager Li was stunned for a long time, tears streaming down her cloudy eyes. She seemed to sense that their mother-son relationship had long since ended.
In the winter of the 34th year of the Shenwu reign, the now-white-haired Emperor suffered another heart attack. While ill, he issued an order to bring Empress Dowager Li back to the palace. He knew his own end was near, and after much deliberation, he decided not to leave such a difficult situation to his heir. After Empress Dowager Li was brought back to the palace, she remained in the walled Cining Palace. Emperor Shenwu ordered Prince An not to leave the palace until he died serving Empress Dowager Li.
Emperor Shenwu was walking alone on the path in the peach blossom forest. This peach blossom forest had not blossomed this spring. In early spring, on the day Lan Qingwu left the imperial city, this peach blossom forest began to wither, and it did not recover until the warm sun came. Emperor Shenwu looked at the broken branches and leaves and could no longer imagine the colorful appearance of the peach blossoms here.
"They say all things have spirits, weakling. Are these peach blossoms also mourning your passing?"
Emperor Shenwu turned around and went to the secret room under the bedroom of Qianzheng Hall, where he painted portrait after portrait. He painted the vivid Lan Qingwu in his mind under his brush again and again. Here, looking at Lan Qingwu in the painting, he seemed to see the life they had walked through hand in hand.
The Crown Prince watched the light in the Emperor's eyes gradually fade, his heart aching. This winter, the Emperor rarely attended court anymore, sometimes spending entire days and nights in his secret chamber. The Crown Prince practically single-handedly supported the entire court.
On this day, the prince went to Guoan Temple without telling Emperor Shenwu. The abbot of Guoan Temple had changed. The new abbot was Master Zhiyan. The old abbot, Master Kunhan, was too old to leave his meditation room.
The prince wanted to visit Master Kunlun. He arrived at the Zen room where Master Kunlun was staying without any obstruction, but found that the door of the Zen room was open. Master Kunlun was sitting in front of the main door with his eyes closed, reciting scriptures. Although his face was old, he was very kind. He was sitting in front of the main door, obviously waiting for the prince.
The Crown Prince bowed slightly. "Master Kunku, I have come to you specifically on behalf of my father. I have heard that you are friends with both my father and my mother. I also know that when my mother passed away, Master Kunku asked Master Buyu to bring my father a string of repaired soul-stabilizing beads, giving him a glimmer of hope. Today, I am asking Master Kunku to come out of seclusion on behalf of my father so that we can discuss emotions and reason, and thus help ease the knot in his heart."
Master Ku Ku's white beard trembled slightly, and fine wrinkles appeared on his eyelids. "Your Highness, I ask you, if there is a miraculous medicine in the world, can it save His Majesty? If there is a wonderful pill in the world, can it save His Majesty? Your Highness should know better than me. His Majesty has made his death wish known, and no one can save him!"