mtl008 Chapter 660 Regret
Chapter 660 Regret
Emperor Shenwu wanted to protect Lan Qingwu at all times. When the 49th day was approaching, Emperor Shenwu became even more restless.
Finally, the day arrived. Emperor Shenwu personally carried the coffin, containing a single strand of Lan Qingwu's hair, in a golden nanmu coffin to the Imperial Mausoleum. The Queen Mother passed away, and the entire nation mourned. A vast procession of mourning filled the air. Wang Shuren, standing in the procession, stared at the whiteness, his face numb and haggard. He had never imagined she would leave this world so soon. Even at this moment, Wang Shuren felt nothing real.
After the Empress's coffin was brought to the Imperial Mausoleum for burial, Wang Shuren fell seriously ill. Throughout his illness, he kept repeating, "It's me who harmed you! It's me who harmed you! It's His Majesty... It's His Majesty who harmed you!"
Mrs. Wang heard Wang Shuren's confused words while he was sick, and she was so frightened that she quickly dismissed the servants in the house and served Wang Shuren herself.
That incident ultimately became a source of worry for Wang Shuren. After he regained consciousness, Madam Wang wept, "My dear husband, let's leave here! You're unhappy here, under the Emperor's suspicion, and constantly in pain. And now... she's gone too! Let's leave! Anywhere is fine!"
Wang Shuren was not surprised that Madam Wang could see through his thoughts. After all, they had been together day and night for so many years, and Madam Wang was quite intelligent. Wang Shuren's cheeks were very thin, and he regretted it. He said, "Madam, please don't misunderstand me. I have let it go all these years ago. It's just that she was in too dangerous a position. I was used to silently protecting her, but I didn't expect that my protection would be used by someone with ulterior motives, which brought disaster to her. Since then, her situation has been worrying and she has been hurt. Moreover, I have long been uneasy about Your Majesty letting her accumulate resentment. Her fate was determined by me, the people in the former court and the harem, and Your Majesty. I don't know if she will regret it later, but I do... You are right, it is time for me to leave!"
But Wang Shuren hadn't expected the Emperor Shenwu to refuse to let him go, instead sending the Crown Prince to repeatedly persuade him to stay. The Crown Prince recounted his doubts and difficulties in managing government affairs, earnestly pleading with Wang Shuren to remain in the Imperial City. He also stated that there was no official currently qualified to replace the Prime Minister. Wang Shuren was speechless.
A few days later, Emperor Shenwu returned from the imperial mausoleum, but he never mentioned again the matter of sending Lan Qingwu in the ice jade coffin to the border.
The Crown Prince saw that the Emperor was regretting his decision, but he could only remain silent. Frustrated, he went to the Seventh Prince, but the Seventh Prince calmly said, "Don't worry, Crown Prince. Father is just deeply in love with us, but he will figure it out. He can't bear to disappoint our mother! Wait a little longer! Wait for Father, give him some time, let him figure it out on his own!"
"My Queen Mother remains in the Ice Jade Pavilion with her youthful appearance unchanged. It won't matter if she stays there for a while longer. I will then send her to the border."
The prince looked at the seventh prince in surprise, but found that there was something transparent on his younger brother. He couldn't quite understand what it was, but he felt uncomfortable.
The Crown Prince said nothing more, but he paid his respects to the Emperor Shenwu in Qianzheng Hall every day. His mother's icy jade coffin was openly placed in his father's bedroom in Qianzheng Hall. The Crown Prince was not allowed inside, which made him increasingly uneasy and a little heartbroken. If his father continued to refuse to let go, he would be violating his mother's last wishes. If his father ever finally realized the need to let go, it would be extremely painful.
Ru Ping and Ru Han also accompanied Lan Qingwu to the imperial mausoleum to bid him farewell. Ru Han fell ill after returning. She secretly cried several times during Lan Qingwu's long coma, and each time she finished crying, she would force herself to stay awake and take care of Lan Qingwu again. This time, when Lan Qingwu was buried, Ru Han could no longer bear it and collapsed.
Ru Ping returned to Fengqi Palace with a calm expression. She had always been calm. Fengqi Palace was about to be sealed by Emperor Shenwu. Ru Ping looked at this familiar and magnificent palace, feeling not only melancholy but also relief. Without the Empress, Fengqi Palace, no matter how magnificent and exquisite it was, meant nothing to her.
Ru Ping didn't want to lose her composure in front of the Empress Dowager. She also knew that the Empress Dowager would not let her ruin her life like this, so she couldn't see blood in front of the Empress Dowager.
Now that the Queen had finally been sent away, Ruping returned to Fengqi Palace. She looked around calmly and slowly drew out a dagger that glowed with a cold light.
"Aunt Ruping, if the Queen Mother knew that you committed suicide in Fengqi Palace, would she forgive you? Would she still want to see you again?"
Ruping's hands suddenly began to tremble. She turned around suddenly and saw the prince looking at her with grief in his eyes.
"His Royal Highness..."
Ru Ping's voice trembled slightly: "I don't know how to live on. I... have nothing left..."
Ru Ping slowly fell to the ground and said, "I survived because of her, and because of her I can live well in the sunshine. Without the Queen, my life has no meaning..."
She was just a failed, shady secret guard. Because she was a woman, she was sent to the border to be with Miss Lan. However, she never expected that it would give her a new life. She would always remember the principle that the Queen taught them earnestly: "No matter what the situation, never give up your life easily!"
They are just worthless people, yet someone cherishes their lives so much!
The prince then squatted in front of Ruping: "Aunt Ruping, it was the Queen Mother who asked me to come here. She anticipated your decision and she is worried about you..."
Ruping's tears fell slowly, and she gradually became unable to cry. The emotions that had been suppressed and pent up in her heart after Lan Qingwu's death suddenly burst out. Ruping cried more and more in pain, and in the end, she was left alone.
The Crown Prince continued, "She said: 'Your Aunt Ruping is stubborn and values friendship. After the Queen Mother passes away, you must always pay attention to her and persuade her well. The Queen Mother only wants her to live a good life for herself, so that the sisterhood between her and me will not be in vain! Aunt, I understand your choice very well. I also know that perhaps I can only persuade you for a while, but I have something that you must do. Aunt, the Queen Mother's body has not been taken out of the palace for burial in the Imperial Mausoleum. Soon, the Emperor will send Xiao Qi to deliver the icy jade coffin containing the Queen Mother to the border. I have a question for you: Do you want to follow Xiao Qi to the border and stay there to guard the Queen Mother's body? And burn a few sticks of incense for the Queen Mother at all times of the year?'"
Ru Ping opened her tearful eyes wide before the prince was halfway through his words: "Your Highness, are you telling the truth? I... of course I will go!"
Ru Ping trembled slightly, and the prince nodded: "Aunt, please remember not to tell anyone about this, including Aunt Ru Han."
Ru Ping nodded hurriedly: "I know, I know. I didn't expect His Majesty to agree!"
The prince frowned slightly and said, "Aunt Ruping, please have a good rest for a few days. I will inform you in a few days."
The most difficult and most uncertain thing now is the attitude and decision of Emperor Shenwu.
The prince was worried, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't worried. As the days passed, Emperor Shenwu still showed no intention of preparing for this matter.
The Crown Prince finally couldn't help but test the Emperor Shenwu's will. Once, when they were discussing political affairs, he casually asked, "Father, that ice jade coffin..."
The Shenwu Emperor waved his hand calmly, "No need to say more! Go back!"
Emperor Shenwu dismissed the Crown Prince and hurried back to his bedroom. He walked a few steps to the ice jade coffin and gently stroked it, as if stroking Lan Qingwu's cheek: "Ruo Ruo, I'm back!"
"I regret it! I don't want you to be too far away from me. Actually, it's pretty good for us to talk every day, right? Will you blame me for being selfish and domineering again? Remember that secret underground room? I wanted you to stay there with me forever. At that time, I wouldn't let you go, and I couldn't accept that you might be pregnant with someone else's child, so I wanted to imprison you forever! Back then, you had to give me a cold shoulder every day, neither talking to me nor getting close to me, which made me even more furious!"
"How about this! We'll talk about it after a hundred days! I'll always be with you during this time and will never let you feel lonely, okay, weakling?"