When Zhang Shouzhong and Sun Beiji also left the Sanxi Hall, about seven or eight palace people with raw faces passed by them under the leadership of Emperor Qitai's personal eunuch.

Zhang Shouzhong glanced at these people a little strangely, until Sun Beiji called out to him, and the two of them walked down the stairs.

In general, everything went smoothly, and until the last moment of his life, Emperor Qitai also maintained his usual style, and he was not sloppy in the matter of being good as a stream.

Emperor Qitai left a holy decree for the two of them, asking the Ministry of Rites to immediately start preparing for Chen Yicong's accession to the throne from now on, not to leave a gap, after his death, all funerals should be simple, and no more life and wealth should be lost. The ministries of Pingjing and the state capitals of the Great Zhou Dynasty were not allowed to do anything extravagant and extravagant in the name of the death of the new emperor.

All financial and material resources, at this moment, should be tilted towards the north.

After reading this decree in public, the courtiers in front of the Sanxi Hall also dispersed - this is the meaning of Emperor Qitai, in the last bit of life, he just wants his courtyard to be quiet, and there are no idle people.

The courtiers followed Sun Beiji and Zhang Shouzhong out of the courtyard and went to Zuoye Gate to wait.

If the emperor dies tonight, then they weep tonight.

If the Emperor doesn't die tonight, then they'll come back tomorrow night.

Not long ago, everyone was still vividly mourning for Emperor Jianxi, and it was only less than a month, and Emperor Qitai couldn't hold on.

I'm afraid that there are still many places in the Great Zhou, and even the news of Emperor Jianxi's death has not yet had time to be conveyed......

It is hard to predict how radical this change of power could be.

In the blink of an eye, it was the second half of the night.

Zhen and Chen Yicong both returned to Emperor Qitai's bed again, but Emperor Qitai could no longer open his eyes, his face became as white as paper, and his lips slowly turned purple.

Zhen took the water, did he use a clean handkerchief dipped in some water to moisten her husband's lips to prevent them from peeling and cracking due to dryness.

She couldn't do anything else but that.

When the ugly hour was about to come, Emperor Qitai began to have nightmares again, waking up and falling asleep, waking up and falling asleep, Zhen followed his instructions, and lit up this simple room as bright as day.

It was only at this time that Zhen suddenly noticed that Chen Yicong's face looked a little different from before - I don't know when it started, and there were more subtle hairy whiskers on his upper lip and chin.

These days, Zhen and the crown prince can only see each other briefly in the early morning or at night, and they never pay attention to this detail.

"Why is the Queen Mother staring at me?" Chen Yicong felt Zhen's gaze and touched his face a little unconsciously.

“…… You're starting to grow a beard. Zhen said softly, "Really...... Grew up. ”

Chen Yicong touched his mouth with both hands, he did find this recently, but these beards had just grown, they were still very soft, and they were light in color, and they were far from the time when they could start contouring.

Besides, he didn't have the mood or time to take care of these things.

According to the etiquette of the Great Zhou, parents who have a body and are exposed to the skin, whether it is hair or beard, should not shave easily, but this rule gives way to another larger rule - if the father is still alive, then the son must not grow a beard, and must shave frequently to show respect for the elders.

Therefore, some people have beautiful hair in their early twenties, and some people still have smooth mouths and temples in their forties and fifties.

“…… But I feel like I'm still far from it. Chen Yicong lowered his head and said, "I'm obviously still ...... Nothing. ”

"Think of your imperial grandfather." Zhen gently rubbed his son's head, "When he ascended the throne, he was in the same difficult situation as you...... He will also watch over you from heaven and watch over you. ”

"If the future ...... What did I do wrong? ”

"It is impossible for a man not to make mistakes, and it is even more impossible for an emperor not to make mistakes, to make a mistake once, to remember once, not to let the dead bleed in vain, to be able to do this...... That's enough. ”

Chen Yicong nodded.

He understands all these truths - but what really cares about him is the emotion of his mother's words.

Zhen sighed, but it was a pity that Emperor Qitai on the bed had no chance to see what Chen Yicong would look like in the future.

Thinking of this, she closed her eyes sadly again.

Chen Yicong sat next to his mother, so that Zhen could rest on him for a while.

At this moment, Zhen suddenly felt that there were no monarchs and ministers in Sanxi Hall, only a dying husband, and his sad wife and son.

Zhen held her husband's hand, listening to his breathing getting lighter and lighter, and after some time, she suddenly heard footsteps nearby.

"Niangniang," the eunuch on the side stepped forward, "Please move to the side hall with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." ”

Zhen thought he had misheard, "What did you say?" ”

"The emperor has ordered, after the ugly hour tonight, you can't stay vigil no longer in any case, please go to the side hall and wait, the prince should go back to the East Palace."

As he spoke, the eunuch took out an edict, and Zhen finished reading it with a frown.

"Please." The eunuch said, "We have also prepared a soft sedan chair to send His Royal Highness the Crown Prince back—"

"I'm not leaving." Chen Yicong immediately said, "I want to stay by my father's side." ”

"Your Highness, there is still the queen mother to take care of here......" the eunuch said helplessly, "Besides, this is also Your Majesty's will." ”

"Then I won't leave," Chen Yicong's voice was faintly angry, "I am also guarding the side hall with the queen mother!" ”

The eunuch turned his head and looked at each other with the palace people behind him, and finally looked at Zhen in compromise, "Then the queen mother, you ...... look"

"The main palace does not go to the side hall." Zhen gently twisted the corners of the quilt for Emperor Qitai, "This palace is guarding here." ”

"This ......"

"The emperor left such an edict because he was worried about the palace and the prince's body." Zhen said with red eyes, "This palace is not ...... to leave"

The eunuchs did not persuade them to say anything, but stepped back aside, and closed several windows that kept pouring in the cool breeze.

During this period, Emperor Qitai woke up a few times with a faint breath, but he seemed to be unable to recognize the person in front of him, but when he woke up for the last time, he grabbed Zhen's hand again, and he has been holding it since then and has not let go.

The moon slowly moved westward, and just as it was almost the end of the day, a whimper came from the Sanxi Hall again.

Emperor Qitai is still gone tonight.

Although Zhen had been expecting some kind of miracle, or even a return to the past, she felt that she had too much to say to her husband on the sickbed.

She clenched Emperor Qitai's hand, only to feel that the tears of tonight had caused pain in both cheeks, and her eyes were a little drowsy......

Suddenly, she felt that Chen Yicong beside her seemed to stand up.

The young man looked at the seven or eight palace people standing motionless nearby, and the alarm bell sounded in his heart.

"What are you still standing here for......" Chen Yicong's eyes were red, and his voice was lowered a little, "Why don't you sound the death knell?" ”

Emperor Qitai's personal eunuch stepped forward again.

"There is a will."

。