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Chapter 705

August 15th, if Imperial Concubine Yi was still alive, would be the day when all the concubines would go to pay their respects.

Now that Imperial Concubine Yi is gone, everyone should have come to Imperial Concubine Ning's palace to pay respects. However, the Emperor made arrangements in advance to avoid disturbing Imperial Concubine Ning, and changed the ceremony to go to Imperial Concubine Yi's palace to pay respects, which was equivalent to paying respects.

Qi Wanyi also arranged for mooncakes produced by the imperial kitchen, sweet and sour carp and sweet osmanthus lotus root made with local ingredients to be distributed to each palace, plus autumn clothes customized according to the rank. Ten taels of silver per person were given as the Mid-Autumn Festival benefits for the harem.

Jiang Yuebai wrote a letter to Concubine Yi to greet her, and also sent her six strings of beads designed by her herself and handmade by the palace maids Fuling and Platycodon as a gift.

When Li Beichen heard the news, he was in a dilemma. The two had always been close friends and often communicated with each other, so what should he do?

When she was at a loss, Molan put aside her own life and volunteered to try to imitate Concubine Yi's handwriting and write a reply to Concubine Ning.

Previously, when Concubine Yi wrote to Jiang Yuebai, she always waited by his side. She had observed many times, so she was very careful about the details.

After Molan imitated and wrote a letter, Li Beichen studied it carefully and found that the handwriting and tone were quite similar, so he agreed to the plan. At the same time, he asked Moyu and Molan to give Jiang Yuebai a suitable gift in return.

I can only keep it a secret for the time being.

Mo Yu and Mo Lan discussed it and decided to give Concubine Yi a piece of calligraphy that she had written on a daily basis and wrapped it up as a return gift.

Jiang Yuebai was very happy to receive the letter and calligraphy from Concubine Yi, and ordered people to hang them in the house. He did not notice anything wrong. After the news was passed to Li Beichen, he was relieved. But he still felt uneasy in his heart, worried that Jiang Yuebai would turn against him again if she knew about it.

Li Beichen did not lie to Meng Zhao. After leaving Changchun Palace, he went back to Qinzheng Palace to review memorials. He took a lunch break during the holidays. He finished reviewing in the afternoon and felt a little tired. He went to the funeral palace to pay respect to the empress dowager.

While he was chanting, he thought of Concubine Xiao who would come to pay homage every day. According to the monk's request, after completing a whole set of procedures, he went to visit Concubine Xiao.

Concubine Xiao was in a very bad condition and was coughing up large amounts of blood.

When someone is on the verge of death, he will send someone to frantically invite the emperor.

Not only did Concubine Xiao not send anyone to invite him, but when Li Beichen arrived, she dared to block him outside the door, saying that he was ill and unlucky, and was afraid that his serious illness would scare the emperor and he would not see him. If this is against the emperor's will, please give me poisoned wine, just don't punish the innocent palace maids.

After relaying these words, Xiao Guiren's two young palace maids knelt on the ground trembling with fear, not daring to look up.

These words were so outrageous that the two maids were afraid that the emperor would beat them to death on the spot.

Li Beichen stood silently with his hands behind his back outside the palace of Concubine Xiao. The main queens Qi Wanyi, Concubine Xie, and the prince were waiting respectfully at the side, all trembling with fear, not daring to say a word.

"Your Majesty, please have some mooncakes. They are filled with egg yolks and are said to be delicious." The prince took out a mooncake from the imperial kitchen and handed it to Li Beichen with both hands.

Li Beichen declined politely, "You go back with Concubine Qi first. I'll come back later. Thank you, noble lady, you go back too."

The three of them immediately knelt down and saluted before leaving. Bater held Qi Wanyi's hand and looked back at the emperor who was sitting on the steps at the door, "Mother, why is the emperor sitting on the steps?"

"He's waiting for the noble lady to open the door."

Bater asked curiously, "Whoever the emperor tells to open the door must open it. How dare Your Majesty disobey the emperor's order?"

When Qi Wanyi was asked, she patted Bater's head and tried hard to come up with an explanation, "Maybe it's because the noble lady is an immortal. Immortals are different from us mortals, and they are not in the same realm."

Bater thought about it and felt that what his mother said made sense. "So that's how it is. The noble lady really does look like a fairy. She is beautiful and doesn't like to talk. She always likes to wear loose white clothes."

Qi Wanyi wanted to say that the only people who like to wear white clothes are immortals and ghosts, but in the end she said nothing. She was afraid that if she said it, Bater would turn around and tell the emperor. This is an unpredictable child.

Qi Wanyi touched Bater's head and said, "Yes, you are right. Wash your hands and eat some fruit first."

Bater carefully placed the mooncake in his hand on the plate, and immediately became happy as he imagined sharing it with the emperor.

Li Beichen sat on the steps, looking up at the bright moon hanging in the deep blue sky.

Very round.

But, I’m afraid Concubine Xiao won’t survive tonight.

In his mind, he could see Concubine Xiao dressed in white, silent and cold. He couldn't help but think of a line from Zhuo Wenjun's poem: "As white as snow on the mountain, as bright as the moon in the clouds."

When Concubine Xiao was called by him to serve him with writing materials, she was dressed simply and plainly, with almost no decoration, and her words and actions were very proper, without any provocativeness.

The same is true when serving the emperor in bed.

Many times they just slept in the same bed, and nothing happened. Concubine Xiao would neither toss and turn, nor would she sneak over to touch and tease him like other women did.

She slept quietly, falling asleep earlier than Li Beichen. Her sleep quality was very high and she did not wake up once during the night.

Li Beichen thought that Lady Xiao was either an extremely pure person or a high-level white lotus. The former was rare in the world, while the latter was common.

She wants to be different from others even when she dies. Which type is she?
Concubine Xiao, who was lying on the couch, coughing so hard that she was about to cough out her lungs, heard that the emperor was sitting on the ground outside the palace. She was a person who had never cried even when she was tortured to death by illness, but suddenly burst into tears.

"My lady, why don't you let the emperor in?" The little palace maid beside her whispered.

"No. You must not. Go and close the door. Qiu Kui, go and pour me a glass of water." Concubine Xiao's eyes were already red from coughing, and she struggled to give the order.

The two maids who were serving her heard the order and ran away in a panic. Concubine Xiao quickly pulled out a pair of scissors from under her pillow, hardened her heart, closed her eyes, and stabbed her neck several times...

"My Lady!" The two palace maids were completely confused upon seeing this bloody scene.

"Don't come over, there are bugs inside!" Concubine Xiao shouted with all her might with her last breath, and then she died.

The two young palace maids were trembling all over, and were so stiff that they could not move or speak, because it was too bloody and horrible.

After a long while, they opened the door in panic, with tears on their faces, and ran out.

Just then they ran into the emperor who was walking in in a hurry. They knelt down with a plop, raised their hands and pointed into the room, trembling all over and unable to speak.

Seeing this, Li Beichen ordered, "Liang Xiaobao, go in and take a look."

One of the maids finally came out of her rigid state and said tremblingly, "The young lady she, she, she used scissors to commit suicide. She, she, she, said there were bugs, so the emperor should not go over there."

Another palace maid nodded desperately, "Yes, yes, young lady, young lady, yes, that's what you said."

He shook his head again, "No, no, I can't."

Li Beichen and Liang Xiaobao immediately understood the key information of the incident from the words of the two stammering palace maids.

Just then, Qi Wanyi, who received the news, hurried over, followed by the young master.

Li Beichen lowered his voice and ordered, "Noble Lady Xiao has left, and the evil spirit is very strong. Take the young master away quickly. Don't leave the palace tonight."

As he was speaking, Concubine Xie also ran over.

"Go back, you go back too. Don't make trouble."

Lady Xie asked hesitantly, "Sister Xiao?"

Li Beichen said irritably, "Get out of here now."

From the emperor's attitude and the palace maid trembling on the ground, Qi Wanyi guessed that Concubine Xiao might have committed suicide, and immediately ordered everyone to follow her and leave.

After everyone left, Li Beichen took a deep breath, recited it five or six times, and quickly calmed down.

The eunuchs who came with him included Liang Xiaobao and Xiao Yinzi, plus six imperial guards.

After Li Beichen told Xiao Yinzi to leave to do something, he ordered the palace servants who served Xiao Guiren to go in and wrap Xiao Guiren's body in a quilt and carry it out. He also ordered two imperial guards to move wood from the backyard.

The other four went to gather Qi Wanyi, Concubine Xie and the palace maids in Qi Wanyi's palace, and had them guarded by two guards to avoid any complications.

The door of Jingyang Palace has been locked. No outsiders are allowed to enter.

After the firewood pile was built, the four young palace maids placed the blanket wrapped around Concubine Xiao on top, leaving only the black hair on her head visible. Li Beichen ordered the palace maids to enter the room and pile all the blood-stained items used by Concubine Xiao on top.

After the fire was lit, red flames quickly shot up, making the faces of the onlookers red.

Liang Xiaobao rushed back in time, gave poisoned wine to all six palace servants serving in Xiao Guiren's palace, and pushed them into the fire.
During this period, Li Beichen listened to the two young palace maids telling the story of Concubine Xiao's death and her last words.

Li Beichen was moved and also admired.

Not clinging to love, not involving others, living towards death. It is rare in the world to be so righteous and brave.

But he used to think that Concubine Xiao was a high-level white lotus, playing hard to get just to attract his attention.

I even suspected that Concubine Xiao was sexually apathetic, a lesbian, or had a crush on someone before entering the palace.

Today I know that he is a noble and indifferent person by nature, independent and free, and has no interest in human love at all. It is not what I thought at all.

The quilt was licked by the blazing flames and gradually disappeared. Li Beichen only felt depressed.

The scene of Concubine Yi leaving appeared vaguely before his eyes.

A bloody smell suddenly rushed out of Li Beichen's throat, his vision went black, and with a "puff", a mouthful of blood spurted out and splashed far away.

"Your Majesty!" Liang Xiaobao immediately reached out to support him.

Li Beichen waved his hands weakly.

Liang Xiaobao said earnestly, "Your Majesty, please take care of yourself. I am deeply saddened."

Li Beichen’s eyes went dark and he passed out.

"Your Majesty," Liang Xiaobao held the emperor firmly and ordered Xiao Yinzi beside him in a deep voice, "Come and hold him. You two should clean up the mess and deal with it all. The rest of you should follow me back to the Qinzheng Palace!"

Liang Xiaobao calmly commanded the guards to evacuate quickly, and his calmness and rationality were astonishing.