"Okay, Mother, send someone to let me know as soon as you have any news."
"Yes, Ling'er, don't worry."
Du Caiyue thought lovingly that she was truly content to have this daughter in her life.
The mother and daughter spoke in the hall, the atmosphere was harmonious, and even the servants could feel the deep affection between them.
Suddenly, a maid ran in and reported, "Your Highness, the guards have come and say that His Majesty... His Majesty?"
"What's wrong with the Emperor?"
Hai Ling and Du Caiyue's expressions changed slightly. Could the Emperor have passed away?
The maidservant knelt down with a thud: "His Majesty is dying. The Crown Prince and others have already entered the palace. Please summon the Crown Princess to the palace immediately."
Unexpectedly, just after Princess Fengyao's carriage left the capital, the Emperor fell ill. This is truly a time of great turmoil.
Hai Ling sighed inwardly, knowing that it would be even more difficult to escape from the palace in the future. However, now was not the time to lament; as the Crown Princess, it was only natural for her to enter the palace.
"Mother, I'm going to the palace."
"Go, go."
Hailing, accompanied by Rouge and several guards from the Prince's Mansion, immediately left the General's Mansion, boarded a carriage, and headed to the palace.
Inside the palace, in the main hall where the emperor resided, a dense mass of people knelt—the emperor's concubines, his sons and wives, and high-ranking officials from the court, all kneeling in a single, dark layer.
Inside the palace, the emperor appeared to be in good spirits, though everyone knew this was merely a temporary respite before death.
The Emperor first summoned the Left Chancellor Xi Lingfeng, the Right Chancellor Sima Yuan, as well as Grand Tutor Ye, Jiang Batian, and other important officials of the court, and entrusted Feng Zixiao to them.
Everyone readily agreed, but what each person truly thought was unknown to others, and the emperor had no energy to care. His heart was filled with resentment, but ultimately he could not overcome the cruelty of life.
These high-ranking officials withdrew, and the Emperor then summoned the imperial concubines, as well as his sons and daughters-in-law, to give a speech urging everyone to live in harmony, avoid estrangement among brothers, and be united and loving. Hai Ling, kneeling in the crowd, rolled her eyes and cursed, "Damn it, old emperor, are you out of your mind? Who among these people doesn't want to be emperor? Let's not even talk about others, just take Prince Ning, Feng Ziyu. Does he not want to be emperor? If he didn't want to be emperor, why would he have his mother send his sister to the Northern Dynasty for a political marriage? Has he lost his mind? That's why old people are always particularly confused."
The emperor above was panting as he instructed his children, while those below were lost in their own thoughts. However, on the surface, everyone maintained a respectful demeanor, daring not to show the slightest impatience. They nodded repeatedly, playing the roles of obedient concubines and filial children perfectly. As for the woman, she had long since drifted off into her own world.
She had no affection for this old emperor whatsoever; the sooner he died, the better. Wasn't it this old emperor who had put her in this predicament?
Hai Ling was secretly enjoying herself. The Emperor called her several times but she didn't hear him. It wasn't until everyone around her looked at her that she became alert. She glared at them with a puzzled expression, wondering if there was something on her face. Why was everyone looking at her?
Crown Prince Feng Zixiao's face was dark and gloomy by the bedside. Even the usually gentle Empress Sima Lan looked rather unpleasant, her displeasure hidden in her pupils.
Fortunately, the Seventh Prince Feng Zihe, who was not far from Hailing, was the first to react. He reached out and pushed Hailing, then muttered softly, "Father is calling you."
"ah?"
Hai Ling opened her mouth and then pursed it again. It turned out that the reason she was being looked at was because the Emperor had called her, but she hadn't responded. But why did this old man call her? Hadn't he harmed her enough? Why did he still want to see her? Reluctantly, she got up, slowly walked to the Emperor's bedside, knelt down, and put on a sincere face. In fact, she had already cursed the Emperor hundreds of times in her heart.
"You are Jiang Hailing."
Feng Chang, panting heavily, stared wide-eyed at the maid kneeling before the bed. She was fair-skinned and plump, not at all like the rumors suggested. She exuded wisdom and a restrained, dignified aura. She seemed obedient to them, but deep down she possessed an air of arrogance. This girl seemed different from ordinary people.
After sizing up Hailin, Feng Chang felt a little puzzled.
Hai Ling looked up and stared directly at Feng Chang, genuinely startled. In her mind, emperors were supposed to be majestic and domineering, but the one before her resembled a withered tree, shriveled and lifeless, truly deserving of being a thousand-year-old corpse. However, his eyes held an overbearing and domineering air as he stared intently at her.
She couldn't be afraid of such a withered old man, so she spoke calmly.
"Yes, I am Jiang Hailing."
He was composed and self-assured, neither arrogant nor humble, and his responses were always controlled and natural.
This woman is no ordinary person; the thought flashed into Feng Chang's mind and wouldn't go away.
He turned his head slightly to look at his son, Feng Zixiao, and saw his son's undisguised disgust for this woman, so he couldn't help but sigh.
My son is still too young; he shouldn't be so open about it. This is definitely not a good thing.
As Feng Chang pondered this, he slowly spoke, "Let's support each other from now on, Crown Prince."
After saying this, he closed his eyes to rest for a while, and then ordered the people in the bedchamber: "You may all leave, but the Crown Prince shall stay."
"Yes, Your Majesty (Father)."
Apart from Crown Prince Feng Zixiao, everyone else withdrew, including the Empress.
The bedchamber was empty. Feng Zixiao reached out and tightly grasped Feng Chang's hand. His heart ached. Seeing that his father's time was coming to an end, and that he hadn't eliminated the Jiang family, allowing him to die without any trouble, he felt truly unfilial. Feng Zixiao painfully blamed himself.
Feng Chang closed his eyes, his breathing gradually weakening, but he still managed to utter his last few words.
"Xiao'er, treat Jiang Hailing well. This woman, this woman?"
He wanted to say that this woman was no ordinary person, but he couldn't finish his sentence before he could no longer speak. He closed his eyes for a long time, and tears of resentment slid down his cheeks.
Upon seeing his father's passing, Feng Zixiao no longer cared about the meaning of his father's last words. At that moment, he could not think of anything, and cried out in anguish, "Father!"
There was a low sobbing sound coming from inside the palace, and the eunuchs outside the door reported it all the way out.
"The Emperor has passed away. The Emperor has passed away."
Inside the main hall, everyone cried out in grief, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"
In the autumn of the eighteenth year of Haoyuan, on the twentieth day of the eighth month, Emperor Heng, Feng Chang, passed away at the age of fifty-eight.
Inside the palace, everything was in perfect order. The emperor had been seriously ill for several months, and the Ministry of Rites had prepared all the necessary items. So, as soon as the emperor passed away, he was immediately put into a coffin. White banners were hung everywhere inside and outside the imperial city, and from a distance, it looked like a vast white sea of fog.
A somber atmosphere pervaded the palace. Whether genuine or feigned, the emperor's death was no cause for celebration, and everyone was naturally saddened.