The Legend of Zhen Huan Reborn: Overthrowing Zhen Huan to Become the Queen Mother

The Queen Mother never got to see her first Qianqiu Festival.

At the end of March, Shen Meizhuang gave birth to a baby girl, and the Empress Dowager named her Jinghe.

Jiang Ruyin led all the concubines to kneel in the outer room. At the instruction of their own mother, several princes and princesses had red faces and tears in their eyes.

"...Old Fourteen..."

There were faint voices in my ears, but I could not hear the emperor's voice.

Finally, with a long sigh, Su Peisheng sang in a tearful voice: "The Empress Dowager has passed away!!"

In early April, Empress Dowager Yu Hongci Yonghu passed away.

......

The Emperor stood quietly in the Empress Dowager's chambers. Everything that had once been familiar now shone with an endless sense of sadness. The air seemed to still linger with the scent of the Empress Dowager's usual incense, but she was gone, leaving only this cold and gloomy silence.

His eyes were red, and his lips were trembling slightly. He seemed to want to say something, but his throat seemed to be choked by something, and he couldn't utter a word for a long time. His hands clenched unconsciously, and his knuckles turned pale, as if this could help him grasp the warmth that had disappeared.

Slowly, with heavy steps, he approached the couch where the Empress Dowager had often sat, each step weighing a thousand pounds. The gentle whispers, the kind words of persuasion, the angry scolding and the pleading, all faded away in time. Images of the past flooded back like a tide, his heart aching. Finally, unable to hold back, a tear slipped silently, hitting the brocade, leaving a small dark stain.

His adoptive mother and his biological mother both left his life one by one. He was 42 years old this year. His biological mother was 60 years old and his adoptive mother was 29 years old.

(Because the emperor's age for ascending the throne was lowered by ten years, the empress dowager's age was also lowered by ten years. Compared with the historical empress dowager, she died six years later. Therefore, the empress dowager in this article lived to be 60 years old.)

Compared with losing his two empresses, a greater fear - death - lingered in his heart for a long time.

At the threshold of the outer room, Hongxuan tried to break free from Jiang Ruyin's hand and move forward, but was held tightly.

Jiang Ruyin silently shook her head at him and whispered, "Suochun, take Hongxuan back and don't let him run around."

After a long time, the emperor came out with a haggard face, staring at Jiang Ruyin in a daze.

Jiang Ruyin pulled his hand and said, "Your Majesty, you are tired."

The emperor did not answer, but stretched out his big hand to stroke Jiang Ruyin's smooth cheek.

"How old?"

"I have served the Emperor for ten years and am now twenty-five years old."

The emperor walked out blankly, his voice carried by the wind into Jiang Ruyin's ears: "Twenty-five, how young..."

Jiang Ruyin shuddered, gathered the cloak on his shoulders, and ran to tie the cloak tightly for the emperor.

The emperor wandered like a ghost near Wuling Spring Scenery, looking at the island covered with peach blossoms, the emperor gazed into the distance.

“The sky is high, the earth is vast. Man, after all, is insignificant.”

Jiang Ruyin avoided answering, "The wind is strong by the lake, Your Majesty, please take care of yourself."

The emperor also turned a deaf ear and moved to the boat.

As they approached the island in the center of the lake, a delicate fragrance wafted through their air. Vast swathes of vibrant red watercolor adorned the palaces and temples with a picturesque, dreamlike quality. The emperor gazed with a frown, unsure if this beauty had captured his heart.

After reaching the shore, all the palace servants along the way bowed their heads and saluted silently.

Going straight into Taohuawu, in the empty palace, the treasure bed with hollow carvings of dragons and phoenixes was removed and replaced with a golden Buddha statue.

The doors and windows of the palace were tightly shut. In the past, the empress disdained incense, and the hall was only adorned with fruits and vegetables for a touch of fragrance. Now, the emperor was choked by the curling smoke of sandalwood as soon as he entered. Amidst the haze, the empress knelt before the Buddha. Her hair, untied, was tied into a low ponytail with a wooden hairpin, meticulously placed against her cheeks. Her once well-maintained features were now significantly thinner, her cheeks sunken, her cheekbones more prominent, as if she had suffered a serious illness, haggard and weak.

As the emperor drew closer, he heard the empress muttering, "Please, Buddha, bless my aunt with a peaceful journey and the emperor with long and healthy life. I have been a vegetarian for many years but have not received the Buddha's favor. I am willing to reduce my remaining life span by twenty years in exchange for my husband's safety and health."

"The Queen has lost weight." The emperor sighed softly.

Jiang Ruyin did not answer.

The emperor waved his hand, and Jiang Ruyin understood and retreated.

Approaching the Empress, the Emperor spoke softly, "You are three years younger than me. If you shorten your lifespan by twenty years, won't that mean you will have twenty years less to spend with me?"

!

The queen looked back in surprise, and the dark circles under her eyes and the red bloodshot in her eye sockets were clearly visible to the emperor.

"Your Majesty..." the Queen called out with a sob.

"Xiaoyi..." The emperor's eyes were deep and he reached out to stroke the queen's cheek.

This gentle look is what the queen has been longing for for countless days and nights.

She closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks, "I am old, but the Emperor is still as mighty and powerful as ever."

The emperor softened his temper for once. "You were betrothed to me when you were ten years old, three years younger than me. If you were old, how could I be so powerful?"

(Historically, Empress Ulanara of Yongzheng died in the ninth year of his reign at the age of fifty-one. The age of this article is reduced by ten years, to thirty-nine.)

On May 26, the third year of Yongzheng's reign, the empress recuperated in the Old Summer Palace.

On April 14, the seventh year of Yongzheng's reign, the empress recovered from her illness and took charge of the six palaces again.

The next day, the emperor fell ill. Chen Xun and the others all said it was a cold, but the emperor not only had a fever but also kept talking incoherently. The empress waited by his side without taking off her clothes.

On April 28, the Empress Dowager's birthday, the Emperor recovered.

"It is the spirit of my aunt in heaven who is blessing the emperor." The queen said sobbing.

The emperor had just recovered from a serious illness and looked very sick. "Queen, please don't cry. The affairs of the harem are complicated and cannot be separated from you. Go back and rest."

"With Concubine Fang and the others around, I feel at ease. But no matter who I leave the Emperor to, I cannot feel at ease." The Queen wiped her tears.

The emperor was slightly surprised and suddenly felt that the queen was very different.

Patting the Queen's hand, the Emperor said with relief, "You are very different from before. I am very pleased."

The empress burst into laughter and shook the emperor's hand. A jade bracelet appeared on her skinny wrist. "I have thought a lot. I have nothing else to ask for, as long as I can be by your side and see your face. Even if I don't become the empress, I will be satisfied as a palace maid."

"You're still wearing it."

"I dare not forget it at any time."

Twenty-nine years ago, the emperor and the empress fell in love for the first time.

The young man has handsome features, is steady and gentle; the young girl is shy and timid, with a delicate and beautiful appearance.

Xicheng lifted the red veil and spoke softly to comfort the beauty. They both drank the wedding wine, but he was hesitant to make any promises.

A pair of jade bracelets were awkwardly put on the girl's fair wrists, and the boy carefully asked if it hurt.

The girl blushed and shook her head. The boy held her hand and said seriously, "Xiaoyi, so this is the ring. We will see each other day and night."

The boy said this while staring into the girl's eyes, and the girl also looked at him without blinking.