On October 22nd, with the support of the Queen Mother and the Empress, Rong Jinyue finally got married as scheduled.
No matter what she has done in the past or what lessons she has learned, the princess's wedding is a happy event for the royal family. What's more, her marriage was granted by the Queen Mother herself. Even if her mother-in-law and her royal brother lost power, the princess's wedding ceremony was not much shabby. .
The huge procession of seeing off the bride set off from the palace. Rong Jinyue solemnly bid farewell to the Queen Mother, the Emperor and the Queen, got on a sedan chair and left the imperial city where she had lived for seventeen years.
When she left, she didn't know whether it was resentment, hatred, or fear. Rong Jinyue only remembered that she knelt down and begged the queen last night to see her mother-in-law before getting married, but the queen didn't agree.
The fate ahead was uncertain. She didn't know when she would be able to return to the palace. She didn't know whether her mother-in-law would survive until the day she came back.
She could only plan one step at a time.
But the moment she stepped out of the palace gate, Rong Jinyue, who was sitting in the luxurious sedan, gently closed her eyes and swore in her heart that if there was even a little chance in this life, she would make the prince and his wife pay a heavy price!
After the lively palace banquet, news came from the cold palace.
The deposed concubine Gu passed away.
When Emperor Mu heard the news, he couldn't help but be startled: "The Gu family is gone?"
"Yes." The palace attendant who came to report knelt on the ground, lowering his head in fear, "I just...just died half an hour ago..."
Emperor Mu was silent and took a sip from the teacup in his hand. He thought that the last time he saw Mrs. Gu, her physical condition was not very good and she was kicked hard by him. It was rare to be able to survive until now.
He put down the tea cup, held his forehead with some irritability, and said in a calm voice: "She is already a waste concubine, so just follow the rules of a waste concubine. There is no need to report to me anymore."
"yes."
After the palace attendants left, Emperor Mu stayed alone in the palace and meditated for a long time.
Everyone is going to die.
Although the Gu family was self-inflicted, they had once achieved great prominence. Emperor Mu felt a little sad when he thought of his love for the Gu family when he was young. The Gu family's once glorious and prominent family seemed to have fallen from a high platform and become all in vain.
There is definitely no regret. Based on what Gu has done, he has done his best to allow her to live for so long. However, the issue of life and death always seems to be related to every parting of the people around him.
The person I once loved passed away, and I felt that I might not have much time left in my life. When I get older, I will face the problem of death at any time.
Therefore, it is time to go out for a walk as soon as possible while your body can still move and your legs can still walk, so that you will not have any regrets at the moment of death.
Thinking of this, Emperor Mu raised his voice and called Yang Dexi in: "Pack up some gold and silver, and then go and report to the queen that I will leave the palace in three days and let her prepare."
Yang De was surprised: "Your Majesty, is this too sudden?"
The Emperor has just left the palace after Gu's death?
"Just report it to the queen." Emperor Mu waved his hand, "Now that the prince can take charge of his own affairs, my leaving the palace will not have any impact on him. On the contrary, it will make the ministers more loyal to the prince."
"yes."
Yang Dexi personally led people to Shuhuang Palace and reported the matter to the queen. The queen leaned on the couch tiredly and weakly: "Eunuch Yang, please tell the emperor that I am weak and may need to rest for a few days. "
When Yang Dexi heard this, he immediately showed concern: "The Queen is unwell? Have you summoned the imperial doctor?"
The Queen sighed lazily: "The imperial doctor has been summoned."
"Yes, I will report back to the emperor right away."
When Emperor Mu heard the report from Yang Dexi who had left and returned, he couldn't help but be startled: "Is the queen sick?"
"yes."
"I'm going to see if Hao Duanduan suddenly feels unwell?" Emperor Mu stood up and walked out, "There's no need to drive, I'm walking over."
"Yes." Yang Dexi followed step by step.
Emperor Mu stepped out of the palace gate and looked at the palace where he had stayed for half his life. As he walked, he couldn't help but fantasize: "I don't know what the outside world is like. Yang Dexi, how old were you when you entered the palace?"
"Go back to the Emperor, the palace where this slave entered when he was eight years old."
"What does the world look like in your impression?"
"Old slave's hometown is too poor, and it may be different from other places, so it cannot be used as a reference for the emperor." Yang Dexi recalled the hometown in his memory, "The year when old slave entered the palace, there was a famine in his hometown, and many people starved to death... everywhere They are all refugees fleeing famine. They eat bran, wild vegetables, and tree roots. I heard that some of them are so hungry that they even change their sons to eat..."
Compared with the palace, one is a wealthy and beautiful town, and the other is a hell on earth. The nobles in the palace can't imagine such a scene.
Emperor Mu's expression changed: "Changing his son to eat?"
"Yes." Yang Dexi nodded, "There are three slave brothers and two sisters. The family can't afford to support them anymore. The two sisters were sold to a brothel in exchange for some food. At that time, officials were recruiting eunuchs who volunteered to enter the palace. My parents sold the slave for two taels of silver and went to the palace to become eunuchs..."
Emperor Mu paused slightly, his face complex and shocked.
This was the first time he heard Yang Dexi talk about the past. Although it was a long time ago, Emperor Mu had never experienced the tragic scene of people starving to the point of eating. Emperor Mu had never even heard of it.
And Yang Dexi's age is actually about the same as the emperor.
So that is to say, when Emperor Mu was the young prince, the Chu State experienced a serious famine, and many people starved to death in that famine.
Emperor Mu said calmly: "How are your parents, brothers and sisters?"
"My parents have passed away a long time ago, and my two sisters are gone." Yang Dexi bowed, his tone neither sad nor joyous, "In a place like a brothel, there is no way for an old and lustful woman to survive."
Although they were young when they were sold into brothels, once they entered, they had to learn the rules, how to serve others, and various talents, and then make money for the madam.
Yang Dexi knew nothing about it before. After he gained some status in the palace and had the opportunity to learn about the brothel, he realized that the best age for a brothel woman to receive clients was only a few years. The older she got, the less able she was to survive.
What's more, in these troubled times, ordinary people cannot guarantee that they will live to the end of their lives. How can two girls from a brothel expect to have a good death?
Emperor Mu felt a little heavy. He didn't expect that Chu State would still have such difficult times.
He secretly swore in his heart that he would never let Chu State experience such famine again in his lifetime.
