Wish You All the Best - Chapter 114

Chapter 114

The Emperor slowly opened his eyes.

"Li Yuangui, where is Lady Zhen?"

A moment later, he asked in a murmur.

"The Imperial Grandson has been keeping vigil by Your Majesty’s bedside, refusing to leave. The Grand Preceptor then brought Lady Zhen into the palace, asking her to look after His Highness these past few days."

"Go, summon Lady Zhen."

The Emperor commanded.

……

Jiafu had been in the palace for several days, keeping Ci’er company.

Throughout the day, Ci’er had stayed by his grandfather’s bedside, refusing to budge an inch. It was only when night fell that Jiafu brought him back. He had finally fallen into a deep sleep, but even in his dreams, one hand remained firmly gripped around Jiafu’s finger.

For the past three years, Jiafu had dreamed of nothing more than holding her son as he slept. Now that her wish had finally been granted, she had not expected it to be under such circumstances. How could she sleep? She held that soft little hand that was hooked around her finger, staring at his sleeping face until deep into the night. Half-asleep and half-awake, she suddenly heard Cui Yinshui’s soft call from outside the curtain. She woke immediately, turned over, and got off the bed. Upon going to the outer room, she learned that the Emperor had just awoken and was calling for her. She changed her clothes and hurried to the Chengguang Palace. Upon entering, she saw that the Emperor, who had been in a coma for days and had only woken briefly a few times, was now sitting up, draped in a robe. Though he looked gaunt and withered, his eyes were exceptionally clear, and his spirit was strangely vigorous, as if he had already recovered from his grave illness.

A sense of foreboding swept through Jiafu’s heart. She stepped forward and knelt before the couch, performing the ritual obeisance of a subject’s wife. A moment later, she heard a voice from above: "Lady Zhen, like You’an, you still do not wish to call me Father-Emperor?"

Jiafu was slightly startled and looked up to find the Emperor’s eyes fixed upon her.

Her heart was in turmoil. Just as she hesitated, she saw the Emperor smile slightly—a smile that seemed to carry a touch of self-mockery. "Rise. Forget it; I know that not everyone in the world desires this throne. Because of me, you and Ci’er are mother and son by nature, yet you cannot acknowledge one another. I am already gratified that you do not hate me..."

The Emperor suddenly began to cough, and Li Yuangui hurried forward to pat his back.

The Emperor’s coughing eventually ceased, but his breathing remained abnormally rapid.

Jiafu rose from the ground, picked up a cup of warm medicinal broth from nearby, and offered it to him.

The Emperor shook his head and pushed the medicine away. When his breathing grew steady, he gazed off into the distance, lost in thought for a moment.

"Lady Zhen, I summoned you for no other reason than the fact that just now, I had a dream. I dreamed of things from my youth... I just wanted to find someone to talk to..."

"I possess the world, wealthy beyond measure, yet now, on my deathbed, I cannot find a single person to speak with. Just now, I remembered the clothes you presented to me on my fiftieth birthday. Although I never wore them, I am very grateful for your kind intentions..."

"If Your Majesty has words to say, please command me."

Jiafu suppressed the sorrow welling in her heart and spoke in a low voice.

"Lady Zhen, do you know why I was so insistent that Ci’er must be Emperor?"

A moment later, the Emperor asked suddenly.

Jiafu stared at the Emperor on the sickbed.

"When I was young, due to a twist of fate, I lost my love forever. Later, I committed grave mistakes that could never be rectified. No matter how You’an views it, in my eyes, this throne is the greatest compensation I can offer."

"I was born into the imperial family, and throughout this life, I have experienced fratricide, father and son forcing one another, and the betrayal of clan members. I know he is ashamed of his origins, but the blood of the imperial family flows through his veins. That is undeniable, and it is the source of all transgressions."

"Since it is his misfortune to be born as my son, Xiao Lie’s son, then in this life, the only path is to reach the pinnacle."

"I have failed many people in this life. As for the consequences of this arrangement, I dare not predict."

"Few things in this world can be perfect. Since he was born into the imperial family, he must make the world crawl at his feet!"

"Better to hold the knife to slaughter others than to be the meat awaiting the blade on the block!"

"In my view, that is the only way to ensure a lasting legacy!"

The Emperor finished his words in one breath. He began to gasp again, and his entire body seemed to collapse of all energy. His shoulders slumped, and he fell backward, only to be caught by Li Yuangui and eased back down.

"That is all I have to say. You may return, and take good care of Ci’er—"

After a long moment, the Emperor closed his eyes and said in a low voice.

Jiafu knelt, kowtowed, and rose to retreat. As she stepped over the palace threshold and walked a few steps, she turned to glance at the deep silhouette of the building outlined against the night sky, tears streaming down her face.

……

Although it was the night of the Lantern Festival, due to the Emperor’s condition, cabinet ministers remained on duty in the East Pavilion.

Tonight, aside from Pei You’an, Zhang Shiyong and Lu Xiang were also on duty. The two spoke in low voices about the Emperor’s condition.

"His Majesty is blessed with heavenly fortune; he will surely turn danger into safety this time..."

"Lord Pei, you are also well-versed in medicine. Do you have a way? Lord Pei?"

Receiving no response, they turned their heads to see Pei You’an walking out of the East Pavilion, his figure disappearing beyond the door.

Pei You’an stepped out into the night and came to a halt.

The high palace wall divided the world outside and the world inside into two separate realms. Outside, the night was aglow with the lanterns of the festival; inside, the deep palace and heavy courtyards were layered with shadows. A few palace lanterns fluttered in the night wind, casting flickering, dim pools of light on the ground that only added to the sense of isolation and loneliness.

Pei You’an tilted his head slightly, staring absently at the brilliant night sky beyond the walls. After a moment, he walked forward, finally stopping before the closed gates of the Chengguang Palace.

He stood outside the door for a long time, but eventually, he turned and slowly walked away.

When Jiafu returned, Ci’er was still fast asleep. She lay down beside him, fully clothed, thinking of the audience with the Emperor.

She knew in her heart that this had been the final act.

Those words—perhaps the Emperor had originally wanted to say them to Pei You’an, or perhaps, as he himself claimed, he merely wanted to find someone to talk to.

She closed her eyes, pondered for a moment, and eventually rose to go out. She opened the door, intending to call Cui Yinshui to request Pei You’an’s presence from the East Pavilion, when she saw a silhouette standing below the steps.

The full moon of the Lantern Festival hung high in the clear, empty sky. The man’s figure was faint, his face like moonlight.

Pei You’an had come.

Jiafu hurried out to meet him, took his slightly cool hand, and led him inside.

Pei You’an sat by the bed, watching Ci’er sleep. After a moment, he rose gently to leave. Jiafu followed him to the door, where he hugged her and smiled. "I suddenly missed you both, so I came over. I must return to the East Pavilion. You should sleep."

Jiafu wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him. "Cousin, the Emperor summoned me earlier and said a few things..."

Jiafu recounted the conversation and added, "His Majesty didn’t ask me to relay a message to you, but I thought... in his heart, he likely hoped you would know."

Pei You’an was silent for a moment. He kissed her and said in a low voice, "I must go. You should sleep."

……

"A-Jing... I have been a scoundrel my entire life..."

"I have made my grandson the Emperor. I do not know if it meets your approval. If you are displeased, when you meet me, feel free to scold me..."

"A-Jing, if time could return to what it was, I would have gone to propose to your father early, to make you my wife..."

Xiao Lie murmured to himself, the hand clutching the jade pendant tightening—tighter and tighter. His gaze fell upon the darkness of the palace ceiling that the candlelight could not reach, his eyes seeming to pierce through the gloom into the boundless, distant void.

Whoosh—

A burning pillar of light from a firework shot up from the direction of the Lantern Market, piercing the void and blooming in mid-air into a massive, gorgeous flower of fire, illuminating nearly the entire night sky over the eastern side of the imperial city.

The fireworks gradually died out, dissolving into the night.

"Physicians! Physicians! Save the Emperor—"

A sudden, piercing cry shattered the deathly silence of the palace.

The group of imperial physicians, led by Dr. Hu, who had been waiting outside the Chengguang Palace, rushed inside in haste.

When Zhang Shiyong and Lu Xiang were urgently summoned from the East Pavilion to the Chengguang Palace, they saw a figure already standing outside the hall.

The man’s back was straight and lean, standing there motionless. It was the Imperial Grandson’s Grand Preceptor, Pei You’an.

Soon, He Gongpu, Liu Jiushao, and other ministers received word and arrived outside the hall one after another.

"Proclaim Pei You’an, Zhang Shiyong, and Liu Jiushao to enter for an audience..." A palace attendant hurried out, drawing out his tone as he proclaimed the imperial decree.

Zhang and Liu followed Pei You’an inside. They saw the Emperor lying flat on the dragon bed deep within the inner hall. It appeared he could no longer speak; his eyes were half-open, half-closed, neither sleeping nor awake. On the ground nearby, a line of physicians knelt, while Li Yuangui stood at the foot of the bed holding the imperial decree, his face etched with sorrow.

"Pei You’an, Zhang Shiyong, and Liu Jiushao, hear the decree—"

Li Yuangui took a step forward and proclaimed.

Zhang and Liu immediately followed Pei You’an in kneeling, prostrating themselves on the ground.

The Emperor, knowing his end was near, decreed that after his passing, the Imperial Grandson would succeed to the throne. All funeral rites were to be simplified; days would be counted as months, and the officials and people of the world were permitted to cease mourning after twenty-seven days, with no restrictions on marriage. The remaining concubines in the palace were exempted from being buried with him and were to be well cared for. Before the young Emperor assumed personal rule, Pei You’an was appointed as a Gu-Ming official (an official appointed to assist the successor) to oversee both internal and external state affairs. Zhang and Liu were granted the noble rank of Pillar of State to jointly assist in court matters.

Zhang and Liu wept, following Pei You’an in kowtowing and accepting the order.

The Emperor on the dragon bed remained lying there with his eyes closed, motionless.

"Three lords, the imperial will has been delivered. The decree is received; you may withdraw!"

The two men held the imperial decree in their hands, bowing and backing away as they wept.

Pei You’an also rose from the ground. His steps were exceptionally heavy as he slowly retreated to the entrance of the hall. He stopped, and slowly turned his head.

Xiao Lie, on the dragon bed, had opened his eyes at some point and turned his face outward.

The palace candles flickered, and the Emperor’s gaze was fixed upon his retreating figure—his eyes fixed, motionless.

Pei You’an’s silhouette froze for a moment. Suddenly, he turned and hurried back to the side of the dragon bed.

Under the gaze of Zhang and Liu behind him, he knelt once more before Xiao Lie and, with solemn precision, performed a formal kowtow.

His forehead touched the ground, and he remained prostrate there, motionless for a long time.

In that very moment, the Emperor’s eyes revealed a look of gratification and relief, such as he had not felt for a long, long time.

He stared fixedly at the figure kneeling before his bed, never to rise. A faint, ethereal smile appeared at the corners of his lips. He let out a long breath and slowly closed his eyes.