Chapter 133

Chapter 133

Su Peisheng's voice was so loud that Yinzhen could hear it from inside the hall.

He called them in. Seeing Su Peisheng and Zhao Song in a state of utter disarray, he asked in a deep voice—

"What happened?"

Su Peisheng glanced cautiously at Geng Shuning, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has passed away at the Fourteenth Prince's estate!"

Yinzhen was momentarily stunned and instinctively glanced at Geng Shuning, but said nothing and stood up.

"Prepare the horses!"

Such a significant matter required him to head to the Fourteenth Prince's estate immediately.

Geng Shuning didn’t move, just quietly watched Yinzhen hurry out, calmly recalling the glance he had given her.

Perhaps the Empress Dowager's death was too sudden, and his glance held no emotion, only a sense of calm, as if everything had been settled.

Perhaps he felt that the Empress Dowager's death was inextricably linked to Geng Shuning.

Indeed, Geng Shuning had calculated it; in the official records, no one stopped the Empress Dowager, and she had also brought about her own demise.

The Empress Dowager had clearly wanted her dead, and in a life-and-death situation, Geng Shuning wasn’t one to be easily pushed around. Pushing the Empress Dowager to her breaking point was already merciful.

The Empress Dowager, a devout Buddhist, was convinced by the black dragon and the two lines of text on the Buddha statue that she had a false phoenix destiny.

All the schemes she had upheld throughout her life had turned into a joke.

A woman who went mad, cared nothing for her life, and even became psychologically twisted could never accept such a fate.

This reasoning was something both Emperor Kangxi and Yinzhen could grasp.

Geng Shuning didn’t care what Emperor Kangxi thought; she hadn’t personally killed anyone, and that was already fair to her boyfriend.

If Yinzhen dared to bring up avenging his mother, she’d truly give up this life of wealth and luxury.

It wasn’t just the Empress Dowager who could seek death; there were plenty of ways to fake it.

*

As Geng Shuning waited at the Nine Continents Clear View, Yinzhen and Liang Jiugong quickly arrived at the Fourteenth Prince’s estate.

On the way, Lin Fu reported to Yinzhen that after the Empress Dowager entered the Fourteenth Prince’s estate, she had Xu Chang and nanny Wu Ya guard the courtyard, meeting no one except Yun Ti.

She also had her dinner in her own courtyard.

Until bedtime, the Empress Dowager had acted quite normally, only handing over all the items from her treasury to Yun Ti, holding his hand and lamenting that both mother and son had taken the wrong path, showing deep regret.

This gave Yun Ti some comfort.

He thought that as long as his mother realized her mistakes, and as long as his father and elder brother hadn’t stripped her of her title as Empress Dowager, and she only suffered some setbacks, she could eventually return to the capital. He felt much more at ease.

Having been worried about the Empress Dowager, he hadn’t slept well for days, and that night he slept particularly soundly.

By the time Yun Ti was awakened, the fire in the Empress Dowager’s courtyard had grown too large to control, and neither the Empress Dowager nor nanny Zhou had emerged.

After the fire was put out, only two charred bodies remained among the ruins.

The Empress Dowager left no final words, bringing her life to an end in a blaze.

*

When Yinzhen and Liang Jiugong entered Yun Ti's inner court, Xu Chang and nanny Wu Ya, overcome with grief, had already encoffined the Empress Dowager and nanny Zhou.

Imperial guards stood by solemnly, torches in hand.

Upon seeing the Emperor rushing over, everyone knelt to pay their respects, except for Yun Ti, who remained slumped on the ground, as if he were in a trance.

If so many things hadn't happened, Yun Ti might have jumped up and punched Yinzhen in the face, furious at his elder brother for pushing their mother to her death.

But at this moment, Yun Ti had no strength left to be angry.

He stared unblinkingly at the coffin where the Empress Dowager lay, his lips chapped, clearly parched from the heat and without a drop of water.

Yinzhen sighed, his gaze complex as he looked at the coffin, then crouched beside Yun Ti and patted his shoulder.

"Yun Ti, this is not your fault..."

His words seemed to snap Yun Ti out of his stupor, and he suddenly burst into tears, interrupting Yinzhen, as if he had gone mad.

"No, it's my fault. I disappointed Mother. I was weak, I drove her to—uh, wuwuwu..."

Yinzhen quickly covered Yun Ti's mouth and turned to order, "Everyone, leave! Su Peisheng, arrange for people to return to the palace immediately and have the body rest in the Cining Palace!"

Yun Ti's words could not be heard by outsiders.

After Tuoheqi led the others out, Yinzhen finally removed his hand.

Yun Ti, unable to care about anything else, banged his head on the ground, wailing uncontrollably.

"Mother was disappointed in me. She lived her whole life for me, but I'm a failure..."

"She didn't want any of her sons, she didn't want anyone. She wanted to punish us..."

Yinzhen frowned, "You must never say such things again. It was Mother's own choice. Do you want everyone to know that the Empress Dowager took her own life?"

Yun Ti stared at Yinzhen in disbelief, his swollen eyes wide with rage, and shouted—

"At a time like this, all you care about is the imperial family's reputation, without a hint of remorse!"

"How can you be so heartless? If it weren't for Geng—"

"Enough!" Yinzhen snapped coldly, cutting him off.

"Stop dragging others into this! No one forced the Empress Dowager to use the ancestors' influence in the Anyou Palace to destroy me! What do I have to repent for?"

"Should I repent for being raised by Empress Dowager Xiaoyi as an infant? Or for continuing to live shamelessly outside the Yonghe Palace when she repeatedly refused to raise me?"

He looked coldly at Yun Ti, "Or should I repent for ascending the throne, for not abdicating in your favor when our father handed the throne to me?!"

Each question struck Yun Ti like a blow, turning his rising anger into sorrow, which choked back in his throat, leaving him unable to speak through his tears.

He knew that the strained relationship between his elder brother and their mother was not Yinzhen's fault, and he also knew that their mother's favoritism and actions were not forced by Yinzhen. But who could he blame?

Blame the monk for not speaking clearly? Or blame himself for not being like Yun'e, who made it clear to everyone that he was a fool?

Yun Ti clutched at Yinzhen's robe, crying hoarsely, "Fourth Brother... we no longer have a mother... If there's a next life, I don't want to be born into the imperial family..."

Yinzhen could see that Yun Ti had lost the will to live, the veins on his temples throbbing, wishing he could kick his brother, who was now a heap on the ground.

If he couldn't even handle this much hardship, how could he ever dream of the throne?

Yinzhen also felt a pang of sympathy for his younger brother. If it weren’t for his birth from the Empress Dowager, Yun Ti might have already made a name for himself in the military by now.

He suppressed his anger and summoned Su Peisheng and Yun Ti’s personal attendant to escort him into the study. No matter what, he couldn’t let Yun Ti go to extremes.

*

By the time Yinzhen returned to Nine Continents Clear View, it was almost dawn.

Geng Shuning had been restless and rose immediately at the sound.

Yinzhen sat quietly on the edge of the bed, still carrying the faint scent of smoke, his face etched with exhaustion.

Geng Shuning leaned against the headboard and softly asked, "Who does Your Majesty intend to assign to oversee the Empress Dowager’s funeral?"

Everyone knew she and the Empress Dowager were at odds; she wouldn’t get involved. The most likely choice was Consort Qi, née Li.

But having Consort Qi oversee such a grand funeral would undermine the influence Geng Shuning had cultivated in the palace.

She favored having Noble Consort Yi take charge.

Yinzhen remained silent for a moment before answering, "Are you aware... the Empress Dowager won’t be interred in the imperial mausoleum?"

Geng Shuning understood exactly what he was implying.

Her expression remained aloof, "Is Your Majesty accusing me of using supernatural tactics to suppress the Empress Dowager in Anyou Palace?"

Was he holding her responsible for pushing his birth mother, who had never treated him as a son, to her death?

Yinzhen instantly detected the edge in Geng Shuning’s voice. He hesitated briefly before reaching out to draw her into his embrace.

Geng Shuning sidestepped his attempt.

She coldly asked, "I had indeed surmised the Empress Dowager’s true motives for leaving the palace. I couldn’t be sure, but I was almost certain. I genuinely didn’t consider informing Your Majesty."

Yinzhen didn’t force her to come closer. He just wiped his face and sighed softly.

"I'm not blaming you. Given the Empress Dowager’s nature, as long as the throne didn’t pass to Yun Ti, this outcome was inevitable. I just didn't expect it to happen so soon..."

"I've always understood your intentions, I..."

His expression grew increasingly complex, "I feel a void within. She never allowed me a moment of maternal warmth in her lifetime, but now that she's gone, I still feel some sorrow. And I feel even more for you."

His birth mother had always looked down on him.

Even after he ascended the throne, she regarded him as a thorn in her side. Even in her suicide, she had to make calculations against him. He never knew what he had done wrong.

He gently wiped Geng Shuning's flushed cheek with his finger.

"With the Empress Dowager's passing, the court and the harem must observe a hundred days of mourning. Marriages, funerals, and other ceremonies are prohibited. I cannot appoint an empress within a year. It's hard on you."

This little fox had been by his side for several years. To avoid having their child born as a commoner, she had been careful with timing and had taken contraceptive herbs, suffering greatly during her menstrual cycles.

The intelligence bureau had already confirmed that the Nian, Fucha, Donggo Shi, Guo Luoluo, and even Wanyan clans, along with his six younger brothers, all supported Geng Shuning. A joint memorial had even been drafted.

But now, it couldn't be submitted.

Geng Shuning's expression softened slightly as she looked at him with a mix of doubt and trust.

"When you left the garden earlier and glanced at me, were you thinking about all this?"

Yinzhen paused, his expression subtle, "At that moment, I wasn't thinking that much. I just felt some guilt."

At that moment, his thoughts were something he could never voice aloud.

The instant he learned of the Empress Dowager's passing, that thought leaped into his mind—Heaven had shown him mercy, sending Geng Shuning to his side to do many things he, as a son, could not.

The Empress Dowager's death was, in a way, a release for both him and Yun Ti... though it was unfortunate for the little fox, who would likely be seen as ruthless and cunning in the eyes of the old master and the Empress Dowager.

Geng Shuning, for once, understood Yinzhen's unspoken thoughts. She crossed her arms, tilted her chin up, and let out a light scoff, her expression unapologetically defiant.

"Who says I have to suffer? The Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Rites are busy preparing for the Emperor and Empress's grand wedding—they need time anyway!"

Even in death, the Empress Dowager wanted to make things difficult, having Noble Consort Yi handle her funeral arrangements. If spirits truly existed after death, the Empress Dowager would probably be fuming underground.

As for the matter of becoming Empress, her and Yinzhen's thoughts had always been different.

Being named Empress and being formally installed as Empress were two completely different things.

The former would involve a grand ceremony in the palace, where she, a woman who had never married in two lifetimes, would have to kneel and receive the decree, thanking the Emperor for his grace. How demeaning would that be?

What she wanted was a proper, dignified wedding, entering through the Meridian Gate in broad daylight, kneeling together to worship heaven and earth.

Once the decree to install her as Empress was delivered to the Geng family, the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Rites would need at least several months to prepare for the grand wedding.

Yinzhen was taken aback by Geng Shuning's words. He had already been married before, with the Ula Nara clan as his first wife, and now this little fox was also in the palace. He had never considered this possibility.

Geng Shuning narrowed her eyes, "It's not as if anyone will be waiting by the bed to collect the wedding gifts. When Emperor Shizong deposed the Empress, our ancestors also entered the palace through a proper marriage."

"Surely you don't mean you just want to see me kneel before the civil and military officials to receive the decree."

Yinzhen, momentarily forgetting his own sorrow, gave her a slight glare but honestly moved closer to the bedside, finally pulling the little fox into his arms.

"I can't stand the idea of you leaving the palace to prepare for the wedding. It's not as safe outside as it is with me. Once the decree to install you as Empress reaches the Geng family, when winter comes, will you be able to sleep alone?"

It was still the height of summer, and Geng Shuning pouted, pushing him away.

"You haven't even cleaned up... I'll just go back before the wedding."

Who said that once the decree was issued, she had to return to the Geng family to prepare for the wedding?

A life confined to the inner chambers wasn't suitable for a free-spirited soul like her, who had wandered through mountains and rivers!

Yinzhen also knew that if he wanted, he could keep Geng Shuning from returning, but it wouldn't be good for her reputation.

If the old master and the Empress Dowager really wanted to make a fuss about it, there would still be room for negotiation.

But now wasn't the time to focus on such details. They would have to wait at least a hundred days before bringing it up in court. After the Empress Dowager's seventh-day memorial, there would still be time to think things through.

He stood up, "I came back to clean up. Nanny Chen is currently managing the palace. Once dawn breaks, I'll have someone call for Noble Consort Yi to handle the funeral arrangements."

"If you'd rather not go, stay in the garden. Once the Empress Dowager's coffin departs the capital, I'll observe a few days of fasting and then return."

It was hot, and since the Empress Dowager had committed suicide, it wasn't appropriate to display her body publicly. The elaborate funeral procedures could be simplified.

Those who knew the details wouldn't dare to speak up, and without orders from the Changchun Garden, the censors wouldn't say much either. The Empress Dowager's body wouldn't stay in the Cining Palace for long.

Once the memorial ceremonies were completed, and the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household Department were ready, the Empress Dowager's coffin would soon be moved to a temporary resting place, where the subsequent procedures would take place.

After the coffin was covered in gold, it would be opened and placed in the underground tomb. This process would take at least a year.

Geng Shuning really didn't want to go, but she knew that if she didn't show up on such an occasion, it would be used against her by others when the time came for her to be installed as Empress.

She rose with Yinzhen, "I’ll go back to the palace with you, to steer clear of the old man. If he summons me, I might end up in a coffin before anyone else."

As for the Empress Dowager’s death, no one knows exactly how Emperor Kangxi feels about it, but Geng Shuning is still a little wary of the old man.

Yinzhen: "Stop talking nonsense!"

After a pause, he ordered outside, "Have a set of mourning clothes sent for Mistress Sui Ning to wear when entering the palace."

*

In the peak of summer, dawn breaks early. By the time the morning light appears, everyone who needed to know about the Empress Dowager’s death had already heard.

Some, living near the Fourteenth Prince’s mansion, even got the news in the dead of night. The whole household was ready early, waiting for the eunuchs to deliver the edict so they could quickly put on mourning clothes and head to the palace to pay their respects.

Earlier, led by the Nian family and the Prince of Xiang’s mansion, several families had jointly submitted a memorial proposing Geng Shuning as Empress. The memorial was indeed prepared and sent to the Prince of Xiang’s mansion, waiting only to be presented at the morning court.

Just as they were about to seal the deal, the Empress Dowager died. What a disaster!

Those who heard the news privately speculated that the Empress Dowager had taken her own life, quietly questioning the Geng family’s misfortune.

Especially while lining up to enter the palace, seeing Geng Jia De Jin’s ashen face, even Yun'e shook his head and sighed—

"Is this just a test of perseverance, or is heaven denying the Geng family the destiny of becoming the Empress’s kin?"

What he really wanted to know was, when his fourth brother was born, was he truly the Empress Dowager’s child?

Could it have been a surrogate birth? How could a real mother do something like that?

Yunxiang slapped the back of his head hard, "If you can’t talk sense, then keep your mouth shut, you idiot!"

"If this gets back to Female Official Suining, do you still want to make a profit with your ninth brother?"

You can imagine how shrewd someone who gets along with the Fourth Brother must be. Yun'e has aged but hasn’t gained any wisdom!

Yun Ti, like a ghost, turned his head at the sound and stared at Yun'e with a deeply sorrowful look.

If he were the tenth brother, would his mother still be alive?

Thinking this, his tears suddenly fell again.

Seeing Yun Ti staring at him with a face like his mother had died—well, she had—tears and snot streaming down, Yun'e felt a shiver.

He shrunk his neck, "Is Fourteenth Brother in shock? Is something wrong with him?"

The child takes after the mother, it's a long story!

Yunxiang, by chance, saw the curtain of Prince Lian's mansion's carriage being blown open by the wind and widened his eyes.

If he wasn't mistaken, the eighth sister-in-law who refused to return to the capital from Wutai Mountain had come back?

From Wutai Mountain to the capital is not close, how come there was no news?

He touched his forehead, feeling a bad premonition, and hearing Yun'e's words, he nodded subconsciously.

"Indeed, the troublemaker is back."