Rebirth of His Royal Highness Prince Chenghu

Qingyao and Kangxi served the Grand Empress Dowager ginseng soup, and soon she woke up. When Kangxi saw his own Royal Madam awake, tears flowed down his face.

The Empress Dowager smiled and raised her hand to wipe Kangxi's tears. Her voice was not as loud as before, "Why are you crying? Xuanye has become a Marfa. It's a pity that you didn't see Chenghu's two children."

Kangxi said: "Madam, both children look like Chenghu. If you want to see them, I will ask Chenghu to come out of the palace and bring them to you."

The Empress Dowager said: "No, it's better not to bring the children here when I'm in this state. It would be bad if they were scared."

Kangxi: "Madam, you will get better."

"I have lived for so long, and birth, old age, sickness and death are all common things. Don't be sad." The Empress Dowager's voice was a little unstable.

Kangxi: "The Imperial Madam..."

The Empress Dowager said: "My dear, Xuanye will be depending on you from now on. He has a bad temper, so please try to persuade him."

Qingyao: "Madam, your granddaughter-in-law will take good care of Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager, don't worry."

The Grand Empress Dowager said: "Tuantuan, you should help your father more in the future. If you have anything to say, both you and your father should speak up."

"Mother Wuku..." Chenghu knelt on the ground and moved forward a few steps.

The Empress Dowager said, "Su Moer, I entrust Xuanye and his mother to you. Please take good care of them for me."

"Don't worry, Princess. I will take good care of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. Otherwise, I would not have the face to see you." Su Malagu knelt solemnly on the ground and kowtowed.

The Empress Dowager spoke a few words intermittently, nodded with satisfaction, smiled, and closed her eyes...

"Royal Mama!"

"Mother Huang Wuku..."

When the people outside heard the noise, they all knelt on the ground and started crying.

On February 25, the 40th year of the Kangxi reign, the Empress Dowager passed away.

The eunuchs sang loudly the words of the Empress Dowager's death, and the words spread to every corner of the Forbidden City.

Having depended on the Grand Empress Dowager for decades, Kangxi could not accept the sudden loss of his dearest Royal Madam.

The bells in the Forbidden City rang first, followed by the deep tolling of bells from temples inside and outside the city.

The whole city was shrouded in a solemn and inexplicable atmosphere of silence.

Qingyao stood up and walked out of the bedroom. After leaving the Cining Palace, she began to arrange for people in the palace to notify the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Clan Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Imperial Observatory to enter the palace.

In a short while, the entire Forbidden City was covered in white. Everything was prepared. They only needed to provide the things and everyone would get arranged.

In less than half an hour, they had removed all the red, and where it couldn't be removed, they covered it with other colors. Everyone was dressed in white.

Qingyao returned to the mourning hall in the main hall. Kangxi was kneeling in the front, and behind him were Chenghu, Yinzhen, Yinreng, Yinzhi, Yinzhen and other imperial princes.

On the other side, the Empress Dowager was at the front, with an empty seat behind her, followed by the Crown Princess, Consort Hui, Consort Yi, Consort Rong, Consort De, Consort Wen, Consort Tong, etc. Next came the wives of the princes and the royal family.

Kangxi was so heartbroken that he fainted several times in the mourning hall. He could not even swallow rice porridge and felt as if his body was numb.

Seeing him faint from crying, Qingyao hurriedly said, "Chenghu, Baoqing, quickly help your royal father to the side hall, and then summon the imperial physician."

Chenghu and Yinzhen hurried forward to help Kangxi to his feet and led him to the side hall. The imperial physicians were already waiting there. After examining him, they all shook their heads and sighed. "Your Majesty is in deep sorrow, and his heart is in tatters. No medicine can cure him."

Qingyao's worries intensified upon hearing this. She knew full well that Kangxi and the Grand Empress Dowager had a deep bond, and that if things continued this way, Kangxi's health would be compromised. So she approached the other princes and whispered, "My dear princes, now that the Emperor is in this state, you must all work together to manage the palace affairs for the time being and not cause him any more worry."

Although the princes were also immersed in grief, they nodded in agreement. Crown Prince Chenghu, in particular, understood the weight of his responsibility.

At this time, the Empress Dowager spoke slowly: "Qingyao, you have always been smart and capable. Please take care of it these days." Qingyao responded respectfully.

In the side hall, Kangxi slowly regained consciousness, his eyes hollow. He murmured, "Grandma, how could you have passed away before your grandson could fulfill his filial duty?" Everyone wept as they listened. Outside, the tolling of the funeral bells continued, striking as if in everyone's heart. The entire palace was enveloped in a thick atmosphere of sorrow.