Dong Gong Mei

The rain stopped, the setting sun shone obliquely, and a rainbow spanned Chang'an.

In front of the square of the Purple Palace, three thousand imperial guards were lined up, guarding it like an iron barrel.

Inside the palace, the imperial physician had already left, and Li Xuanye was standing guard by the emperor's bedside, his mind heavy with worry.

He knew that the emperor was in poor health, but he did not expect that this day would come so soon.

Li Xuanye gently held the emperor's hand.

Due to years of illness, these hands are skinny.

Once upon a time, it was these hands that taught him how to write, how to comment on calligraphy, and how to be a prince.

But now, he held it and felt no response.

Li Xuanye could hardly breathe.

Cao De brought hot water and prepared to clean the emperor's face. Li Xuanye took the cotton towel and said, "Let me do it."

Cao De knelt aside and watched the prince wipe the emperor's face with his own hands.

As I looked at it, my eyes became a little blurry.

The emperor never woke up after fainting, and was unable to eat. A layer of dead skin formed at the corners of his lips.

The prince dipped a cotton towel in water and gently placed his fingertips close to the emperor's lips, moistening the dead skin bit by bit.

  If he wasn't full of filial piety, how could he be so considerate?

If he hadn't served her so often, how could he have been so skilled?

When the warm water soaked his skin, the sleepy emperor seemed to feel something and suddenly moved his lips.

Cao De's eyes lit up, and the prince had already held the emperor's face: "Father!"

"Prince..." The emperor raised his neck with great effort and tried to stand up with difficulty, "Help me up..."

"Father." Li Xuanye supported the emperor's body and let him half lean on the pillow.

The emperor took a few breaths, his frail face looking sharp: "I feel that I don't have much time left. You have been the crown prince for many years, and you have never made any mistakes in supervising the country. I have no worries, but..."

He turned his head and looked at the desk, "Cao De, bring the writing brush and ink. I want to draft an edict."

"Hey..." Cao De responded and hurried out, "Announce, the Minister of the Chancellery, please come to see me..."

Li Xuanye was stunned: "Father?"

There was a rainbow in the sky, and a few rays of light leaked through the bright windows, swaying and shining in the hall.

The Minister of the Chancellery came quickly and bowed: "Your Majesty, I am Xue E, and I pay my respects to you. Long live your Majesty."

"Xue E." The emperor tilted his head and ordered, "Kneel down and listen to me."

"Yes." Xue E straightened his robe, held a book in one hand and a pen in the other, knelt beside the imperial couch, bowed and listened quietly.

Li Xuanye looked over and saw the bright yellow brocade unfolding, streaming with light. The Shangshu Ling picked up his pen and was about to draft.

The emperor closed his eyes and recited slowly: "I have been on the throne for twenty-nine years. Now I am old and tired, and my brilliance is gradually fading... and there is the Crown Prince Xuan Ye, whose virtue is comparable to the sun and the moon, and whose virtue is in harmony with the four seasons..."

The Minister of the Chancellery took note, word for word, not daring to look up, for fear of disturbing this moment that would go down in history.

The emperor looked calm and peaceful as he continued, "...I am now passing the throne to the crown prince. I have ordered the officials to prepare a ceremony and announce it to the world. From ministers to common people, everyone should be informed and there should be no mistakes."

"Yes." Xue E wrote the last word towards the colorful rainbow light and carefully handed it to the emperor: "The edict has been drafted, please review it, Your Majesty."

"Hmm..." The emperor didn't even look at it, just closed his eyes and said, "Make an edict..."

"Yes..." Xue E bowed in response. The Secretariat was responsible for drafting and issuing imperial edicts, but it was not something he could decide alone. It had to be submitted to the Prime Minister. But now... the Prime Minister was the Crown Prince's uncle, so he should have no objection.

Then he carefully closed the scroll, bowed and left. Peace returned to the hall.

The emperor then looked at the prince, and seeing that he had knelt on the ground without him noticing, he gently called out, "Get up."

Li Xuanye lay motionless.

The emperor leaned on the pillow and said weakly: "I have been ill for many years, and the affairs of the court are in a mess. Thanks to you, I can have a moment of leisure... This country will always be yours, I should have taken a rest long ago..."

Li Xuanye felt extremely confused as he listened to these earnest words.

The emperor, holding on to a trace of clarity, asked again, "I heard that... Zhao Xiwei changed his confession in the case of the Secretary's Office?"

Li Xuanye felt heavy-hearted and was silent for a while. After he had calmed down, he said, "I will take care of the affairs of the previous dynasty. Father, just focus on recuperating."

"Prince." The emperor frowned slightly. He said only two words, and then he felt very uncomfortable. He said intermittently, "...I know you...I know you are thinking of our old relationship and have many hesitations...But this is a state matter and cannot be neglected..."

Li Xuanye raised his head and said, "First, this case is of great importance. Second, the evidence is incomplete. Third, it involves the secret art of prophecy. If we convict him arbitrarily, it may cause an uproar in the world."

"Well..." The emperor felt quite weak after saying so many words.

But he refused to stop there: "...Even if there is no evidence, Zhao Ziyi cannot be kept!"

It was rare to see the emperor being so decisive and ruthless. Li Xuanye was stunned: "According to Father's will, we should kill without mercy?"

The emperor smiled coldly, and a hint of hostility flashed across his sickly face: "Yes!"

He held his breath and continued speaking in one breath: "... Zhao Ziyi abandoned Shen and married Xu... in order to climb to the position of prime minister; and he conspired with Shen to poison your mother, for some ulterior motive. For this purpose, he even killed his unborn son... He dared to abandon his wife, daughter and son today, and he could kill the king, steal the country and seize the world tomorrow..."

His breath was short and his chest was rising and falling. "This person must not be allowed to stay."

Li Xuanye was silent for a long time before he said, "It's just that Zhao——"

He looked at the emperor, "She protected the Zhao family and burned the evidence. Although her actions are hateful, her feelings are pitiful..." He paused, "After all, she once stood up for me, and I don't want to take her life."

The emperor was silent.

After a long while, he finally spoke: "...I ascended the throne when I was young, and it has been twenty-nine years..."

He rested his head on the bed, his voice becoming fainter and fainter, "Time flies, my hair has turned white in a flash, this year I am only thirty-nine years old...but your mother has been gone for fifteen years...that year, I was only twenty-four..."

He became emperor at the age of ten, but was controlled by the empress dowager and was just a puppet.

Nineteen got a wife, who was both talented in civil and military affairs, and had great courage and insight. She helped him seize power and influenced the court for him.

He gradually grew from a puppet emperor to a powerful figure and had his own power.

He loved her and respected her, abandoned all the palaces for her, and was devoted to her alone.

However, within five years, she passed away.

That year, when he was twenty-four years old, he lost her completely.

He endured those sleepless nights and heart-wrenching days, but also suffered from a lot of illnesses.

"...I have been dreaming a lot these days. I dreamed of the Mid-Autumn Festival of that year. She and I went on a trip together. The long river in the sky was rosy and the moon was bright on earth..."

Li Xuanye only felt a sharp pain in his chest and dared not listen anymore.

The emperor could not bear to recall the past, nor could he bear to let the prince hear it again: "My son," he called softly, "Do you understand what father is saying?"

Li Xuanye suppressed his surging emotions and said, "Your son... understand."

The emperor let out a long breath and said, "When the imperial edict is issued tomorrow, you will be the emperor of the Li family." (End of this chapter)