Tangli Fried Snow

On the ninth day of the tenth month, autumn was in full swing in Kyoto. Looking at the fallen leaves covering the palace grounds, Xue Li couldn't help but sigh that she had been in this ancient world for more than a year. She had woken up at this time of year in the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, after recovering from a serious illness and needing many days of rest to fully recover.

She was redeemed by Wen Xiangli and taken to the Tiger Head Army camp. To please him, she washed his clothes in the icy river every day. She was then taken away by Jin Cheng, kidnapped by Duan Jingyu, and even escaped to live on her own for a few months, which was quite thrilling and exciting.

In the blink of an eye, I have lived in this era for more than 300 days. The past few months have been filled with hardship and displacement. Now I am a senior palace maid in the Empress Dowager's palace. All I have to do every day is run errands. Apart from having no freedom and an uncertain future, I am temporarily free from worries about food and clothing and am relatively stable.

Early in the morning, a palace attendant rushed over to inform the Empress Dowager that the Emperor was dying and that she should go and see him immediately.

The Empress Dowager had only eaten half of her breakfast when, pale-faced, she threw down her chopsticks without saying a word and hurriedly went to the Emperor with her entourage.

Shirley, Ruyi, and a group of palace maids went along. The palace was in full autumn, with beautiful scenery, a perfect time for appreciating autumn colors and chrysanthemums. But now, no one cared about such things; everyone was anxious and only knew to hurry on their way. When they arrived at the emperor's bedchamber, they felt the biting cold wind and a chilling sense of impending winter.

Several anxious ministers and young men in fine clothes sat in the outer hall. Prime Minister Li, Shen Shibai, Lu Tingwei, and other ministers and vice ministers of the six ministries were all pacing anxiously.

Before everyone could pay their respects to the Empress Dowager and exchange a few words, a commotion suddenly broke out inside. It turned out that the Emperor had vomited blood!

Everyone was shocked, and the Empress Dowager immediately went into the inner palace.

The Empress was terrified, wiping the blood from the Emperor's mouth while calling out for the imperial physician. Tears streamed down her face.

Sherry knelt on the ground and cautiously looked up. His Majesty the Emperor had been bedridden for more than a year, and he had become skin and bones. Now he was vomiting blood, which was probably due to gastrointestinal bleeding. Given his physical condition, even if he were taken to the intensive care unit and put on a tube, it would be of no use. It was clear that his time was coming to an end today.

Several imperial physicians stepped forward with calm faces to take the emperor's pulse, perform acupuncture, and administer herbal medicine. Just as Shirley had expected, the emperor began to vomit again as soon as the medicine was administered, this time vomiting up a mixture of medicine and blood.

Before long, besides the six high-ranking officials, the Crown Prince and some princesses and concubines also arrived. The Crown Prince rushed to his father's bedside, and upon seeing his father's face as pale as paper, he was so frightened that he knelt down with a thud. The Emperor's bedside was filled with his wives, concubines, and children. At this moment, he lay on the bed, his eyes tightly closed, breathing heavily, perhaps his mind was racing through his entire life.

It was unclear who started crying first, but a series of suppressed sobs gradually filled the inner hall.

Palace maids and eunuchs carried things in and out, and the beaded curtain swayed back and forth, its crisp, jarring sound mirroring the restlessness and anxiety in people's hearts at that moment.

A royal physician knelt on the ground, his body trembling like a leaf in the cold wind. He said to the two most noble women in the Song Kingdom, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, His Majesty's passing will be in the next two days. Please make preparations for the Song Kingdom as soon as possible."

Before the Empress and Empress Dowager could speak, amidst gasps from the crowd, the Emperor vomited violently again, then his eyes rolled back and he collapsed straight onto the dragon bed.

The Empress let out a desperate cry and threw herself onto the bed; her scream was piercing and heartbreaking. The Crown Prince also knelt and moved toward His Majesty's bedside. The scene was filled with desolation and sorrow, and the weeping of the people on the ground grew even louder.

The Empress Dowager trembled all over, her face ashen, her hands shaking as she did not know what to do.

As soon as the imperial physician came forward to examine the emperor's condition, the empress could only collapse onto a palace maid and weep bitterly.

A commotion erupted inside, and the high-ranking officials in the outer hall held their breath, listening intently to the commotion. Soon, several renowned scholars arrived, the most famous of whom even the lowly palace maid, Xue Li, knew: he was none other than the Emperor's tutor, Wen Fengzhang. In this dynasty, only when drafting extremely important documents such as the edict of accession, the deposition and installation of the empress, the establishment of the heir apparent, and the summoning of envoys were these scholar-officials ordered to be stationed outside.

Seeing the old man's wrinkled face and bright eyes, looking so calm and collected, Prime Minister Li was extremely anxious. He was about to get up and check inside, thinking that it would be safest to issue an edict to pass the throne to the Crown Prince while His Majesty was still conscious.

To everyone's surprise, the old man stepped forward and blocked his way, saying, "Prime Minister, please calm down. His Majesty and the Empress have not yet summoned the ministers. Let's wait a little longer."

Prime Minister Li's old face was contorted with rage, veins bulging. He stared at this stubborn old man for a long time before finally letting out a cold snort and sitting down with a flick of his sleeve.

Looking around, one could see a group of ministers, all dressed in red or purple robes, talking in twos and threes with their heads down, each harboring their own secrets and looking anxious.

The newly powerful ministers in the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Revenue were all trusted advisors of the Empress. The veteran ministers in the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Works were all loyalists of the Chancellor and the Crown Prince. The two camps were clearly divided, outwardly united but inwardly estranged, each harboring their own agendas.

Seeing the old man's impatient appearance, Shen Shibai chuckled and said, "Prime Minister Li, Lord Wen is right. Please be patient and wait a little longer."

At this moment, a commotion broke out in the inner palace, followed by the Empress's angry rebuke, which seemed to be directed at Crown Prince Zhao Hehua.

The chief eunuch beside the emperor rushed out and whispered to Prime Minister Li, "Something terrible has happened. The Crown Prince tried to poison His Majesty, but was caught red-handed by the Empress."

Everyone was shocked. Prime Minister Li could not wait any longer and rushed into the inner hall first.

Although the Empress held great power, she had never spoken to the Crown Prince so harshly. They were all outside and had no idea what was happening inside. Before they even entered, there was the sound of utensils hitting the ground, accompanied by the panicked cries of the palace servants.

When everyone went inside, they saw that His Majesty the Emperor seemed to have already passed away, with large patches of blood on his mouth and body. Water mixed with blood had spilled onto the ground in a copper basin, leaving the area in a mess.

No one had time to clean up what was on the ground. Those kneeling inside, seeing that the emperor had breathed his last, began to wail and cry out in deafening cries. The empress and empress dowager were entangled with the crown prince kneeling in front of them, and the scene was chaotic.

At this point, the Empress Dowager still had to step in and hold things together.

The Empress Dowager shouted sternly, "Shut up, all of you!"

Everyone immediately fell silent. The emperor on the bed was not dead. As if in a final burst of energy, he pointed at the trembling, fearful crown prince on the ground. Whether he was blaming him or about to pass the throne to him, it was unclear. His lips trembled a few times before he finally breathed his last.

Someone announced, "His Majesty the Emperor has passed away."