Long live Emperor Wu!

Chapter 77 It's Too Late
He returned to the Hall of Wude in despair. In the Hall of Wude, the emperor was still handling official duties, and there were still no less than the usual memorials on the desk.

He raised his eyes at his son and asked:

"Is Rhinoceros feeling better?"

His voice was tired, but still majestic and calm.

Li Shan stood at the foot of the steps, his head slightly lowered, and suddenly couldn't help crying, and asked:
"Aye... If sister Xizi is gone, and none of us are by her side at the last moment, won't we regret it for the rest of our lives?"

When the emperor heard this, he seemed to be unable to endure the pain. He held his hands on both sides of the table and bowed slightly, his shoulders and back becoming much more rickety. Then he straightened up again and said in a cold voice:
"I will regret it, but I didn't let the disease spread, make us both sick and die suddenly, and cause chaos in the court. Remember, you are the prince now. You can't always think about your own mood and pain. You have to think more. I wonder how the people of this world can be stable and how the foundation of the Tang Dynasty can be continued!"

When Li Shan heard this, his shoulders trembled slightly. After a while, he suddenly cried repressedly and said:
"Being a prince... is too painful."

When the emperor heard this, he raised his eyes and glanced at him. He seemed a little dissatisfied and a little anxious, but in the end he only said:
"Aye knows, you understand the truth. You are still young, just get used to it."

……

……

Wu Rou carried Princess Jinyang back and helped her drink the medicine before she fell asleep again, and she slept until dark.

It was still snowing outside, and the lights were on inside the temple, but it felt darker than usual.

Wu Rou stood by the charcoal basin and leaned against the bed. From time to time she would wet the towel to cool down Princess Jinyang. By now she was so tired that she fell asleep.

The maid next to her looked at Shi Chen, poked her gently with her finger, and whispered to her whether she should go to rest.

Wu Rou woke up from her daze and quickly looked at Princess Jinyang's face, seeing that she was frowning and sleeping uneasily.

She was afraid that she would have nightmares and would be uncomfortable, so she called her in a low voice:

"Princess...princess..."

Princess Jinyang gradually relaxed her brows, opened her eyes, looked at her for a while, and said like a mosquito:
"Wu Cairen, I saw my brother today. Am I just dreaming?"

Wu Rou smiled, with a joyful tone, and whispered:

"It's true. I carried you there, but you forgot?... You also promised me that you would get better."

Princess Jinyang seemed to be in much better spirits. Her pale lips curved like a crescent moon, showing a little bit of her teeth, and she said with a sweet smile:
"That's great. I also dreamed that my brother told me a story. His tone was the same as my mother's. After finishing the story, he kissed my forehead like he used to do when I was a child...it turned out to be true."

The smile on Wu Rou's face gradually stiffened, knowing that she was confused and still talking nonsense. She lowered her head sadly, looked at her cute big eyes, and asked softly and quietly:
"Princess, wouldn't it be better for me to accompany you? Wu Cairen will accompany you... His Highness the Crown Prince is busy with something, so I will accompany you."

"I want you two to stay with me...hehe..." Princess Jinyang said coquettishly.

"The prince said that when you are fully recovered, we will go out of the palace to play together. Wu Cairen has been waiting for this day, and the princess cannot delay my opportunity to leave the palace."

Princess Jinyang smiled and closed her eyes, as if she was very tired after saying a few words.

Wu Rou held her hand and pressed it next to her cheek. Her eyes were red, and she looked at her dreamily. She kept praying to the gods and Buddhas in her heart to bless her and make sure she gets better.

I don't know how long it's been like this...

"When will father come? I have something to tell him." Princess Jinyang said suddenly, her eyes still closed.

Wu Rou thought for a while and said:
"Tomorrow, it's too late today, it's already midnight."

Princess Jinyang's little hand shook her hard twice, and then said with unsteady breath:
"Wu Cairen...what if...someone bullies you in the future...I broke my promise...not counting."

Wu Rou burst into tears when she heard this. She held Princess Jinyang's hand with both hands and held back so she didn't make a sound. She pretended to be relaxed and said:

"That's right, if the princess is not well, what should I do? So the princess must get better, she must get better! Huh?"

"Wu Cairen..."

"Ok?"

"I'm so scared...it's so dark..."

Wu Rou cried and hugged her and said:

"It's okay, I'm here, I'll accompany you, don't be afraid, ah."

Princess Jinyang opened her eyes a little, her eyes seemed to be looking at her, but not at her, and said:
"I seem to have seen my mother..."

When Wu Rou heard this, her whole body shook, and then she couldn't help crying anymore in pain.

She had experienced the death of a relative. Before her death, she, Aye Warrior Yun, said that she had seen the deceased person, and she died not long after that.

She suddenly panicked. While waving for someone to call the medical officer, she cried and shouted to the palace maid:

"Go, hurry up and inform His Majesty and the Crown Prince, let them come and see Princess Jinyang, let them come and see Princess Jinyang!"

The whole hall of the Li Zheng Palace was in chaos.

Wu Rou knelt in front of the bed, grabbed Princess Jinyang's hand tightly, and shouted to her loudly:
"Princess! Cheer up! Look at me! Don't sleep! We have agreed that you will take me out of the palace to build a mansion, and we will also visit your elder brother. We will travel and play together. Go to Qianzhou.

There are so many fun and delicious things in this world that you haven’t seen yet!You are so young, you cannot die! "

But Princess Jinyang no longer responded. No matter whether it was the medical officer inserting acupuncture, cutting acupuncture points, or Wu Rou desperately calling her, she lay quietly, her brows were slack, and she was almost not breathing.After a while, the emperor came alone.

He only wore a pair of pajamas, with his hair in a loose bun, and a fur cloak wrapped around it, and he ran over in a panic.

After entering the palace, he first stood five steps away from the bed and was stunned. He saw the medical officer standing helpless, Wu Rou lying on the bed crying, and his daughter lying calmly, thin and small. The body was like a thin paper doll on the large bed.

"She... how is she?" the emperor asked awkwardly.

The medical officer quickly knelt on the ground, shook his body and replied:

"Already...I can barely feel my pulse. Your Majesty, forgive me! I have tried my best, but it is true that the princess was born with a weak body and there is no way to save her."

After saying that, he kowtowed to the ground.

The emperor's ears buzzed, and he felt that the whole sky was spinning, and Wu Rou's cries became hazy. He staggered over, sat by the bed, and called softly:
"Rhinoceros... Aye is here to see you."

Princess Jinyang didn't react at all.

The emperor looked at her face without blinking. After waiting for a while, he suddenly burst into tears. He reached out and picked up his daughter, held her tightly in his arms, and cried loudly.

……

……

Princess Jinyang died at the age of 11.

When she was dying, the emperor took one last look at her, held her in his arms and cried until dawn. Originally, the medical officers wanted to persuade him to leave the Li Zheng Palace to stay away from the risk of infectious diseases.

But no one dared to say anything, because the grief-stricken emperor trapped Prince Li Shan in the side hall of Wude Hall and never let him out from the beginning to the end.

Everyone knew that the emperor knew it in his heart. He knew there were risks, but he didn't care anymore.If anyone dares to persuade him at this time, he may really kill someone.

The coffin was kept in the Li Zheng Hall for seven days, and Wu Rou stayed in front of the coffin for seven days.

She cried until her eyes were swollen, and she couldn't bear to leave even half a step away. She stayed by the coffin day and night, hoping in her dreams that Princess Jinyang would come back to life.

On the night of the third day, suddenly the guard beside the prince, Yan Wei, secretly came to the Lizheng Palace to find her, saying that the prince wanted to see her.

Wu Rou was in a trance. She leaned against the coffin table. After hearing this, she looked at Yan Wei for a long time without reacting.

"His Royal Highness was trapped in the Wude Palace by His Majesty's decree and could not get out. He was going crazy and kept clamoring to come out to see Princess Jinyang. Moreover, he did not believe that Princess Jinyang was dead.

Wu Cairen, we can't stop him anymore. If we continue like this, we will be charged with disobeying the imperial edict.Please ask Mr. Wu to come with me and say a few words through the window to persuade him. "

Wu Rou's eyes swayed. She stood up holding the case, holding the edge of the coffin and looked inside. Under the candlelight, she saw that little figure still lying dignified and peaceful, no longer there. He can laugh and can no longer speak.

She turned a little pale with disappointment, and stood in a daze among the lights and candles for a long time before walking out without saying a word.

The Wudeden Hall is right next door to the Riseijeong Hall. After exiting the courtyard, you can enter another courtyard.

Now the defense of Wude Hall is entirely done by the guards of the East Palace.

Only a few of the regular guards of Wude Hall are here, and the rest followed the emperor to Li Zheng Hall.So Wu Rou easily entered the gate of Wude Palace and followed Yan Wei to the outside of a window of the palace door.

The snow outside has not completely melted yet, and when people stood outside, steam would rise when they opened their mouths. Wu Rou spoke with difficulty and shouted:
"Your Highness."

But her voice was completely hoarse from crying, and her hoarse voice was almost like a mosquito. She was stunned.

Yan Wei was also stunned, but he quickly conveyed for her:
"Your Highness, the martial arts man is here."

I heard the sound of something being turned over inside, and the sounds of several guards trying to stop me.

"Your Highness, Your Highness..."

"I won't open the window, let me pass!"

Li Shan rushed out of the corridor of the palace from the obstruction of the guards, and looked at the blurry figures outside. The people outside the palace were standing sideways, with dignified and calm demeanor, and they did not look sad.

The luck in his heart became stronger and he asked:

"Wucairen...are Xizi okay? If something happened, why wouldn't Father let me out?"

Wu Rou was silent for a while, then turned her head, looked inside and said:
"His Majesty has trapped himself in the Zhengzheng Hall for isolation. He will not be able to come out for three days. One of you two must be safe."

When Li Shan heard her hoarse voice, his whole body trembled.

The world suddenly became quiet and completely silent.

After a while, he violently clawed at the window lattice and growled in pain:
"Let me out! Go and tell His Majesty that I want to go out!! Let me see her, let me see my sister!"

The guards inside quickly grabbed him and advised:
"Your Highness...it's too late, it's too late!"

　After writing hundreds of words, I cried a lot of tears... and felt numb.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)