Chapter 378 Guarjia Wenyuan (End)
Chapter 378 Guarjia Wenyuan (End)
Yinzhen's favor for Wen Yuan was like weeds in spring, growing wildly and without any scruples.
In the past, when there were sacrificial ceremonies that required elaborate preparations, he would always drag Wen Yuan along, under the pretext that "my beloved concubine and I are in tune with each other, and this will surely move heaven and earth."
The festivals and celebrations that originally belonged to the concubines in the harem also became the stage for Wen Yuan alone. The rare treasures he rewarded to Wen Yuan were countless, almost filling up the entire Yongshou Palace.
In the teahouse, the storyteller slammed the gavel and told the story vividly: "It is said that on that day of the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony, the Emperor went with Empress Qi. The Empress Qi was truly a fairy from heaven, so beautiful that she was beyond description..."
The audience was mesmerized by the performance. Someone interrupted and asked, "Sir, is this Empress really that beautiful? How does she compare to the former Concubine Nian?"
The storyteller stroked his beard in a pretentious manner and said in a low voice, "This Empress is not only beautiful, but also has a close rapport with the Emperor. I heard that every time the Emperor reviews memorials until late at night, the Empress is always by his side, serving him tea and water. The two of them have a deep bond and friendship that makes others envious!"
Another listener couldn't help but say, "The Emperor treats the Empress like this, holding her in his hands for fear of dropping her, and holding her in his mouth for fear of her melting. He favors her like no one else in the harem!"
The discussion in the teahouse flew into the Forbidden City and into Yinzhen's ears as if it had wings. At that time, he was reviewing memorials in the imperial study, while Wen Yuan sat beside him bored, fiddling with the ashes in the incense burner.
Hearing the report from the secret guard, Yinzhen's lips curled up unconsciously into a smile, as if the best things in the world were in his hands.
"Your Majesty, these common people are really interesting. They actually compare me to a fairy from heaven." Wen Yuan smiled softly with her hands covering her mouth, her eyes full of charm.
"I am not as good as they say. It's just that Your Majesty favors me."
"They are right. In my heart, Yuan'er is the Lady of the Nine Heavens who has descended to the earth. She is the most beautiful woman in the world." Yinzhen put down the red pen in his hand, took Wen Yuan into his arms, and said affectionately.
……
A dozen years is neither long nor short, but it is enough to change many things.
A dozen years is enough for a newborn baby to grow into a prince who can stand on his own, and it is also enough for a young girl who has just entered the palace to transform into a queen who rules the country.
Yes, Wen Yuan, the once arrogant and domineering imperial concubine, has now become the empress of the Qing Dynasty, ruling over the six palaces.
During these ten years, Yinzhen's favor for her never diminished in the slightest. Instead, it grew stronger with the passage of time, like a fine aged wine, mellow and intoxicating.
For Wen Yuan, it was Yinzhen's love that nurtured her from a climbing trumpet creeper to a lush paulownia tree over the past decade.
The night was as dark as thick ink that could not be dissolved, and the occasional cries of crows added a sense of desolation.
In the Yangxin Palace, Yinzhen was dying on the dragon bed. His former majesty and sharpness turned into weak gasps at this moment.
Wen Yuan sat on the bed, her slender fingers gently massaging Yinzhen's acupuncture points. The youthfulness of her eyes and eyebrows had long since faded, replaced by the grace accumulated over the years and a hint of imperceptible fatigue.
"Your Majesty, are you feeling better?" Wen Yuan's voice was as gentle as a feather brushing against her heart. She raised her head, her eyes full of worry and pity.
Yinzhen opened his eyes with difficulty, and his cloudy gaze fell on Wen Yuan's face, as if he wanted to carve her appearance into the depths of his soul. He weakly raised his hand, wanting to touch Wen Yuan's cheek, but it fell down powerlessly.
"Yuan'er..." He used all his strength, his voice so hoarse that it was almost inaudible.
"I... ahem... I'm afraid I'm going to... break my promise..."
Wen Yuan's eyes turned red instantly. She held Yinzhen's hand, pressed it tightly against her face, and tears silently rolled down her cheeks.
"Yinzhen, what nonsense are you talking about? You will get better, you will definitely get better..."
Yinzhen just smiled bitterly and shook his head. He tried to stay awake and said incoherently: "I... ahem... promised you... to take you to... Jiangnan to see... the red plum blossoms all over the mountains..."
Wen Yuan burst into tears. Over the years, everyone in the world knew how much Yinzhen loved her. He broke countless rules for her and even turned against the court officials just to make her smile.
Now, he couldn't even utter a complete sentence.
"Yuan'er... don't cry... cough cough... I... just... go first... you... you have to take care of yourself..." Yinzhen's voice became weaker and weaker, his hands fell limply on the side of the bed, and his eyes, which were once as sharp as an eagle, gradually lost their luster.
"Yinzhen! Yinzhen!" Wen Yuan cried heartbreakingly, but the only response she got was deathly silence.
Yinzhen, the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, finally closed his eyes peacefully on a quiet night after experiencing half a life of ups and downs.
He walked very peacefully, as if he was just asleep, with a faint smile on his face. Perhaps, in his dream, he was walking in the plum blossom forest in the south of the Yangtze River with his beloved woman...
Wen Yuan only felt a roar in her ears, and everything in front of her eyes began to blur and distort, as if she was thrown into a kaleidoscope and was spinning rapidly.
Yinzhen's face gradually disappeared in her eyes, replaced by a void of white. She felt a strong sense of weightlessness, as if she had fallen from the clouds, or floating in the boundless universe.
After an unknown amount of time, she fell heavily onto a patch of soft grass, the intense pain causing her to groan. She struggled to open her eyes, but the dazzling sunlight caused her to subconsciously raise her hands to block them.
"Host, congratulations on completing the mission. You have successfully captured the target character and are about to leave this world."
An emotionless mechanical voice sounded in her mind. Wen Yuan was stunned for a moment, then she realized that this was the voice of the system that brought her into this world.
Wen Yuan, or Chu Huan, the last image in her mind was the relieved smile on Yin Zhen's face before his death. He was free, but she had to start all over again.
The system's cold voice was like a death warrant, reminding her that she was about to leave this world and return to that cold reality.
Chu Hua felt as if her consciousness was thrown into an old blender. The world was spinning, and all kinds of memory fragments mixed together, giving her a splitting headache.
When everything finally calmed down, she found herself in space.
"Where... am I?" Chu Huan struggled to sit up, but found herself feeling weak all over, as if she had a serious illness.
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