Queen Sun

Chapter 53
The spring was cold and cold, and Ruoshui's cough was a little bit worse. After eating the decoction prescribed by the imperial doctor, he felt bitter for a while.Silently let Danyun put on a thick robe for herself, walked out of the bedroom, felt that the air seemed to be more unobstructed, and then asked aloud: "Have you checked it out? What exactly is it?"

Dan Yun nodded with some embarrassment: "Yes, Miss, according to Princess Gao Yang, what I found was a piece of paper, on which a woman was drawn, and some words seemed to be written on it."

"What do you think it will be?" Ruoshui asked indifferently.

Dan Yun hesitated for a while: "Miss, have you...have you seen it?"

Ruoshui turned his head and looked out the window: "Actually, you all know it too, right?"

"Miss!" Lianyun hurriedly knelt down, "Miss, you also said that it is already a thing of the past, so why bother?"

Ruoshui smiled lightly: "Mind? No, now I'm waiting for someone who really cares to speak out."

"Miss, you mean Your Majesty?" Dan Yun asked worriedly.

"I've known it for so long, but I always try to test it out." Ruoshui paused, "Is he trying to convince himself, or me?"

Dan Yun hesitated and said: "But if His Majesty really speaks out, once..."

Ruoshui Yanbo is calm: "If you cover it like that, something will happen sooner or later, why don't you make a decision as soon as possible."

"But miss," Dan Yun lowered her voice, "Do you think His Majesty even knows about Master Chu?"

Ruoshui shook his head lightly: "That's absolutely impossible, how could brother be the kind of person who digs his own grave?"

There was deep helplessness in the downcast eyes of the light cloud, watching the lady walking all the way, how can the pain and hardship in it be described in words, I only hope that this time, His Majesty can truly walk with the lady.

A few months later, a very ordinary day, at sunset.

Li Shimin stepped into the inner room of the Lizheng Hall, and seemed a little displeased. After asking about Ruoshui's illness, he took the booklet from Zheng Ji and looked through it.

For half an hour, Ruoshui noticed that Li Shimin's body hadn't moved, so he got out of the couch, walked to his side, and called softly, "Second brother, do you want to eat?"

Li Shimin was obviously surprised: "Ah, it's so late, let them pass the meal."

The meal was eaten in silence, only occasionally hearing the sound of chopsticks crossing each other, if Shui knew that something might happen soon.

Sure enough, in the middle of the night, Li Shimin waved away all the palace people, sat up slightly from the couch, and asked, "Did you ask Dan Yun to ask Gao Yang for some questions?"

Ruo replied calmly and calmly: "Yes, I asked Dan Yun to ask."

Li Shimin paused, seemingly unintentionally said: "It was the imperial concubine who told me that Lian'er thought she had made a big mistake, and told her crying that the female officer next to the queen came to find her."

"What exactly does Second Brother want to ask?" Ruoshui asked bluntly.

Li Shimin's eyes avoided: "Oh, it's just this matter."

Ruoshui's eyes fell on Li Shimin: "Second brother, why don't you ask, why am I looking for Gao Yang?"

Li Shimin smiled reluctantly: "I won't ask about such trivial matters. Your health is not good these days, so you should go to bed early."

"What am I hiding from my second brother, and what is my second brother hiding from me? In fact, it should be a matter of different paths leading to the same goal." Ruoshui's eyes flashed a flash of determination, and it is already the beginning of June. once.

"Ruoshui!" Li Shimin called out heavily, "I don't know what you're talking about, and I don't allow you to say any more."

On Ruoshui's pale face, there was a compelling expression: "To this day, don't you still believe me?"

Li Shimin closed his eyes tightly, this is not a question of belief or disbelief, but a question of past and present. "Ruoshui." There was a hint of pleading in his words, "Stop talking." Today, let yourself be cowardly.

Ruoshui was about to speak, but suddenly coughed, as if even his lungs were aching. Li Shimin saw his wife frowning in discomfort, and hurriedly put water to her mouth, while stroking her back.

"Second brother." Reluctantly suppressing the coughing in his voice, Ruoshui took Li Shimin's hand and said, "I know what my second brother is hiding from me, so I have been waiting for my second brother to ask me, but..."

Before the words were finished, Li Shimin seemed to be stepped on a painful spot, and there was an indistinguishable thunderous anger in his deep voice: "What do you want me to ask you? Are you asking why Yuanji regards your little statue as a treasure, or asking Wu Desi?" Why did you hug Yuanji so tightly when you were young? Or what I really want to ask is, did my wife really love my younger brother?" After a moment of silence, "Ruoshui, how do you ask me? Have to export?"

Ruoshui's gaze passed through Li Shimin, as if he was answering, and also seemed to be talking to himself: "In the past, our relationship was not intimate, but we knew each other, just like almost every husband and wife between aristocratic families. Similarly, we know that the glory of the family and the imperial power of the world are the most important. Every time you are willing to open up, whether it is a country or a woman, and I am responsible for maintaining order, first the concubine of the palace, and then the Tang Dynasty In fact, what's wrong with living like this for the rest of my life? But I'm still moved by you, not because you are my husband, nor because of everything we have experienced, but because you exchanged your heart for me It’s all about my heart. Second brother, to Yuanji, I won’t say anything or never, family affection, maybe I have added some guilt and liking, but my identity and responsibility doom us to have nothing more between us, I am the one who is sorry for him, and that will never change."

It's not that she doesn't know that in the past, Ruoshui didn't have love for her. If she had love, she would feel pain and jealousy, and she wouldn't accept one woman after another so magnanimously, and she wouldn't look at herself so calmly forever.But now, even if there is love, he is bound by the heavy responsibilities of the empress and the laws of the royal family. Perhaps, in his whole life, he will not be able to see the pure love after Ruoshui throws away his reason, just like, in this life, they must all love each other. Sitting on the top of this mountain, until being sent to the imperial mausoleum.

"Ruoshui." Li Shimin stared at his queen with struggling eyes, "If I could understand earlier...wouldn't we not have those pains in the past, and we could be like this now, right? "

Ruoshui's eyes suddenly showed a sympathetic understanding, even if you are as expensive as the emperor, you can't turn back time, you can only mourn the past in the present, and mourn the present in the future. "It's useless, second brother. In the past, you would never stop for me. At that time, you were a hero. A hero can not be bound by the rules of the world, and the desire to conquer goes hand in hand. Until now, you want to be a Mingjun, but Mingjun You can no longer indulge arbitrarily, so you start to look for the tranquility after exhaustion, so you see me."

"No, that's not the case." Li Shimin retorted mutteringly.

Ruoshui smiled lightly and remained silent, so it was not the case for himself, how could that high-spirited young hero be the person his elder grandson fell in love with, even if he met the right person at the wrong time, it would still be a tragedy after all.

Li Shimin looked at Ruoshui's smile uneasily, with three points of pity, five points of love, and two points of indifference.He didn't want to see her like this, crying, laughing, surprised, angry, he just wanted to see a pure and clear woman in front of him.The weeping smile she held in Yuan Ji's arms, the blurred enthusiasm on her face that night after she came back from Wude Hall, as far as I can remember, all the wantonness of emotion she had ever had was because of Yuan Ji, not him.

"Ruoshui, you..." Li Shimin stopped his voice suddenly, gently withdrew his hands from Ruoshui's body, and said in a hoarse voice, "Ruoshui, give me time so that I can truly forget that past..." After finishing speaking , Turned and left almost as if escaping.

time?Hehe, Ruoshui's mouth raised a sour smile, who will give me time?His hesitant eyes, evasive words, all of these, it turned out that he was too naive. How could a man emperor easily tolerate the queen's past with or without it?What did you lose to?God?past?or love?

Lying on the couch, heart-piercing coughs followed one after another. She barely propped herself up and reached out to fetch tea, only to hear a crisp sound, and the cup slipped from her hand.

"Miss, what's the matter?" Guangyue and Danyun almost ran in from the door, and were immediately startled by Ruoshui's weak appearance. When His Majesty left, they thought that the lady needed to be quiet, so they didn't dare to speak rashly, but now In the end what happened?
Seeing this, Danyun turned around and went to the imperial doctor Xuan, but heard Ruoshui's intermittent but firm voice: "Stop, no one is allowed to go out, help me to lie down, and pour me another cup of hot tea."

"Miss, with your appearance like this, how can you not be called an imperial doctor?" Dan Yun said anxiously.

Ruoshui only felt that his breathing became more and more difficult, and the voices of Danyun and the others in his ears gradually became blurred, and the last trace of consciousness stayed outside the door, as if another figure rushed in, who could it be at this time?
She seemed to have slept in the dark for a long time, and slowly opened her eyes, only to see Cheng Qian's anxious face.

"Mother, you've been in a coma for three whole days." Chengqian's desperate eyes showed a gleam of hope, and he picked up a bowl of soup medicine from the side, "Come on, mother, drink the medicine first."

Ruoshui shook his head, and slowly wanted to sit up. When Cheng Qian saw him, he immediately helped his mother up: "Mother, what do you think?"

"Give me a glass of water." Ruoshui felt that his throat was dry and sore as if it had been burned, "Chengqian, why are you here?"

Chengqian said with lingering fear: "That day, I happened to come to you, but I saw you fainted, mother, let me call my father, he has been here for more than two days, and was just persuaded by the imperial concubine empress. to rest."

"Chengqian, go and call your uncle, Mingyao, and Qingque." Ruoshui said out of breath.

"Mother, what are you talking about. It won't be too late to see them again after you recover from your illness."

"Go, go!" Ruoshui tightly grasped Cheng Qian's arm, the look in his eyes made Cheng Qian have no choice but to respond.

Chengqian staggered out of the inner room: "Aunt Guangyue..." He suppressed his grief and brought Ruoshui's meaning to her, then hesitated for a while, then turned to face Qingyun on the other side and said softly: "Aunt Danyun, tell father and mother that you woke up."

Ruoshui vaguely heard Cheng Qian's voice, and smiled gratifiedly. In fact, since the beginning of the year, the more and more frequent attacks of asthma made him understand that maybe this body is coming to an end soon.But she has been deceiving herself and telling herself that fate can be changed. Now, please return everything to where it should end. Finally, take another look at your beloved children, the elder brother who has depended on each other for many years, and...

"Ruoshui, you're awake!" Li Shimin returned to Ganlu Hall for a while, but his heart became more and more uneasy, so he turned back, but met Danyun when he was about to arrive.

Ruoshui stared blankly at the familiar face, speechless for a while.Chengqian, who was on the side, knelt by the couch and cried: "Father, the medicine is all ready, and the body is not recovering. My son, please pardon the prisoners and save them into Taoism. I hope to be blessed."

Li Shimin gently held Ruoshui's hand: "Okay, what Chengqian said is right, I will issue an edict right away."

Ruoshui smiled shyly, it turned out that this day has really come: "Second brother, life and death are determined by human power, not to mention that only faith will bring success, I never believed in those things, even if I did it, what's the use?"

Li Shimin's mouth was full of words, but he couldn't speak them out. If he had known that Ruoshui was so sick that day, how could he have said such words, and how could he have left!

At this time, Ming Yao and the others also ran in with sad faces.

Ruoshui regained his breath for a while, and slowly swept his eyes over Chengqian, Mingyao, Qingque, and Changsun Wuji, and said, "Guangyue, go and bring Mozi and Sizi here."

Mingyao burst into tears when she heard this, Qing Que held her sister's hand tightly, suppressing her grief.

When the two innocent children were brought over, Ruoshui said to the crowd: "Chengqian, Qingque, Mingyao, you three are about the same age, you must support each other and take good care of the last son and the younger son. Understand?"

After saying a word, Ruoshui gasped again: "Brother...I've handed over Chengqian to you, and for...I'll watch him and protect him, okay?"

Changsun Wuji looked at the younger sister whom he loved since he was a child, as if he knew that the end was approaching, his tears couldn't stop streaming down: "The imperial doctor, why isn't the imperial doctor here?"

Chengqian said sadly: "Uncle, mother has been in a coma for three days, and when she woke up, she didn't even want to drink any more soup."

"Brother, promise me, you must keep Chengqian." Ruoshui felt that his strength was losing little by little.

At this moment, Changsun Wuji didn't understand the deep meaning of Ruoshui's words, so he burst into tears and said, "Guanyin maidservant, brother promises you."

Hearing her brother's answer, Ruoshui relaxed her body, closed her eyes and wanted to fall asleep, but the heart-wrenching cries of Mo Zi and Si Zi cheered her up a bit. Looking at the pair of young children, she burst into tears. Finally, it slowly flowed down, reluctant, there is still too much reluctant here.

"Ruoshui, Ruoshui, talk to me." Li Shimin grabbed his wife's thin shoulders almost out of control.

Ruoshui sighed softly, if you don't blame him, how can you blame him.The relationship between husband and wife that was supposed to stay in Zhenguan for two years was dragged on for eight full years by my arrival. How many times of estrangement, how many times of companionship, it's not that I don't love, but I'm tired. This body is already tired, and my heart is also tired. It's the same, end here, end when it's time to end, stay together, it's better to forget each other in the rivers and lakes.

What do you say?Ruoshui shook his head, and a familiar voice suddenly appeared in his ear——

"Shall I say it for you? Say your last goodbye to Li Shimin?"

It was the eldest grandson, Ruoshui nodded with a smile, and then fell into the endless darkness.

Li Shimin looked at Ruoshui and opened his eyes again, but those eyes seemed to have returned to a more distant past, and said the last three sentences in a familiar but unfamiliar voice:
——"Xuan Ling has been serving His Majesty the longest, and he is cautious and cautious. He has all the secrets and schemes, and he has heard about them, but he has not leaked a word. If there is no serious reason, I hope you don't abandon him."

——"The concubine's family is fortunate to be married to relatives. It is not a virtue, and it is easy to be in danger. It is preserved forever. Be careful not to deal with power, but it is lucky for foreign relatives to be invited by the court."

——"The birth of a concubine is not beneficial to the time, and death should not be expensive now. And the burial is hidden, so that people don't want to see it. Since ancient times, the sages have all advocated frugality, but in the world of innocence, mountains and tombs are erected, and the world is exhausted. Smile for those who know. But please bury it because of the mountain, there is no need to raise a grave, the coffin is useless, and the required utensils and clothes are all made of wooden tiles. If you die in a frugal way, you will not forget your concubine."

Three sentences, every sentence is not about personal feelings, every word can be recorded in the annals of history and passed down through the ages, these are the last words of an empress to an emperor when she is dying, but not the parting words of a woman to her lover. It is the last advice of a woman who understands the world, but it is not what Li Shimin wants to hear.In the end, he still lost the most precious woman in the world. After 23 years of husband and wife, they could only cry alone, feeling ashamed.

(End of this chapter)