CHAPTER 405: CHAPTER 373: THE EMPRESS DOWAGER PASSES AWAY (FIRST UPDATE)

In order to see her daughter one last time, the Empress Dowager had been sustaining her life with herbal medicine for the past few days, and the Shou’an Palace was filled with a pungent smell of herbs.

When the family of three arrived, Fanghua could hear the sound of a woman’s soft sobbing coming from the inner hall from afar.

Lu Xingzhou was not at liberty to enter the inner hall and stayed outside, greeted by the Chief Eunuch, Jiang Quan, of Shou’an Palace.

Even though he was not the Prince Consort, he was still the Empress Dowager’s son-in-law, and the servants of Shou’an Palace dared not show him any disrespect.

Fanghua held her son’s small hand and headed straight for the inner hall.

Upon entering, she saw several concubines kneeling in front of the phoenix couch.

The Empress Su, Princess Consort Qi, and Princess Consort Duan stood to the side, all looking with concern at the person on the bed. Seeing the younger sister-in-law, they politely smiled as it was not appropriate to greet her due to her civilian status.

Fanghua’s gaze fixed on her birth mother’s distorted face, her nose involuntarily tingled with sadness.

She still remembered that before she left the Capital, her birth mother was radiant and energetic, and even if she could not live forever, living a long life seemed not out of the question.

Who would have expected that in just two short years, she looked as if she had drained all her vitality, with a full head of white hair, devoid of any spirit, her eye sockets deeply sunken, cheekbones protruding, her eyelids drooping, having difficulty even seeing people clearly.

"Mother!" Fanghua stepped forward, kneeling with a thud before the phoenix couch, holding the Empress Dowager’s exposed hand with both of hers, feeling the pronounced veins on the back of her mother’s hand under her palm.

Upon hearing the voice, the Empress Dowager thought she was hallucinating, and with effort, she opened her eyes, clearly seeing Fanghua kneeling before the couch. Her face was filled with excitement, gripping her daughter’s hand, but unable to form long sentences, all her emotions condensed into a trembling, "Fanghua—".

"Mother, your daughter arrived late."

Fanghua choked up, almost unable to produce a sound.

"Good daughter, at last, I have seen you return."

"Mother..."

Some things only come to mind at the moment of separation by death, the good, the bad, the impulsive actions, the mistakes, the memories one did not want to revive, all flooding the mind in an instant.

She knelt before her mother’s sickbed, tears flowing uncontrollably.

As the official sister-in-law, Empress Su could not stand idly by at this moment.

She approached and said softly, "Fanghua, don’t be too sad."

Fanghua did not raise her head. After wiping away her tears, her voice was calm, "Your Majesty the Empress, could you please ask the others to leave first? I have a few words to say to my mother alone."

Empress Su nodded, no longer persuading her, and soon took Princess Consort Qi, Princess Consort Duan, and several other concubines to leave the Shou’an Palace.

After most people had left, Fanghua led her son forward with a smile tugging at her lips, "Mother, this is my and Lu Xingzhou’s first son, Yan Li."

Then she said to the little fellow, "Li’er, greet your grandmother."

Lu Yanli was initially frightened by the Empress Dowager’s frail appearance and took half a step back. Seeing his mother’s look, he dared not move again. Swallowing his fear, he softly called, "Grandmother~"

The Empress Dowager deliberately ignored his initial fear of her, and with effort, raised her hand to touch his head.

Mother and daughter connected in heart, Fanghua saw through what her mother wanted to say but could not express, and smiling, she said to her son, "Your grandmother wants you to listen to your mother in the future, Li’er. Quickly promise your grandmother that you will be a good boy."

Lu Yanli stared unblinkingly at the Empress Dowager and uttered, "Good boy~"

Though he did not articulate fully, the elderly lady understood and smiled gratifiedly.

Afterwards, Fanghua had Jiang Quan bring Lu Xingzhou inside.

Lu Xingzhou looked at his mother-in-law, whose life was nearing its end, and inwardly sighed, kneeling beside Fanghua.

Seeing him, the Empress Dowager’s previous calm shattered, and she became excited once more.

For fear that she might become breathless, Fanghua hurriedly rose to support her mother’s body, gently soothing her breath.

Leaning against her daughter, the Empress Dowager felt somewhat better and gradually could speak, instructing Lu Xingzhou, "After I leave, be loyal, be loyal to the Emperor."

Though somewhat puzzled, Lu Xingzhou kept nodding, "Alright."

The Empress Dowager was satisfied in her heart, and then raised her arm, placing Fanghua’s hand into his palm, her intention of entrustment was exceedingly clear.

Not wanting the elderly lady to expend energy by speaking more, Lu Xingzhou straightforwardly said, "Rest assured, mother-in-law. Your son-in-law will take good care of Fanghua for the rest of her life."

The Empress Dowager nodded, "To... to grow old together."

Lu Xingzhou and Fanghua exchanged a glance, both nodding in agreement.

Having said all she needed to, the Empress Dowager left with no regrets, saying she was tired and told the couple to leave first.

Fanghua understood her mother’s meaning, immediately shedding tears, and at the doorway, unable to resist, turned back once more.

"Mother—" she knelt outside the threshold.

...

In the summer of the 134th year of Great Chu, Empress Dowager Renyi passed away on her birthday, at the age of sixty.

The funeral bells tolled, and the entire nation mourned.

Throughout the Capital, whites were donned in mourning.

Fanghua, dressed in mourning clothes, knelt before the memorial hall, her eyes red and swollen, void of spirit.

The hour for mourning had passed, yet Princess Consort Duan saw that she refused to leave, and gently stepped forward to console her, urging her to take heart.

It would have been better if others remained silent, for their persuasion only brought tears to Fanghua’s eyes.

Having witnessed her birth mother’s last breath, she felt a profound fear of the cycle of life and death for the first time.

Princess Consort Duan said, "When the Empress Dowager was alive, she fulfilled all her wishes. She passed away peacefully, which can be considered a kind of celebratory funeral in some sense. You must learn to see it in this light."

As she spoke, she reached out to help Fanghua up.

Fanghua walked out of the memorial hall and saw Lu Xingzhou and the young child standing not far off in the corridor.

Princess Consort Duan smiled gently, "It’s the living who matter, is it not?"

Fanghua pressed her lips together, saying nothing, but her eyes slowly grew moist as she looked at her husband and son.

Not wishing to intrude on the tender family moment, Princess Consort Duan discreetly took her leave.

Lu Xingzhou, bringing the child, approached.

The little one, blissfully unaware of any troubles, sweetly called out, "Mother."

Lu Xingzhou said nothing, only taking out a handkerchief to gently wipe her eyes.

Such wordless comfort at that moment was all the more poignant.

Fanghua’s heavy heart quickly found solace, and she asked the man, "Have you taken Yanli for a meal?"

"Just finished," Lu Xingzhou nodded.

"And you?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "Waiting to eat together with you."

As a filial daughter, Fanghua adhered to customs, refraining from eating or drinking all day, keeping vigil by the memorial hall at night.

However, Emperor Guangxi had long ordered the abolition of old customs, allowing food during mourning, though abstaining from meat.

Fanghua nodded, taking her son’s other small hand, and set off as a family of three towards the dining hall.

Knowing her sorrow, Lu Xingzhou did not mention the Empress Dowager at the dining table.

After the meal, Fanghua went alone to see Emperor Guangxi, asking about the situation in the days before the Empress Dowager’s passing.

She always felt her birth mother should not have aged so quickly.

Emperor Guangxi, still in a fit of anger, blamed everything on Old Marquis Lu. Hearing Fanghua’s questions, he erupted, "It’s all the trouble your father-in-law has stirred up!"

Fanghua was bewildered, "The Old Marquis hasn’t been in the palace for forty years; how could he cause trouble?"

Emperor Guangxi dismissed the palace attendants and eunuchs, suppressing his rage, "Mother kept a piece of calligraphy by Mr. Liu, but for some reason, Lu Feng came to know of it and sought it in the palace.

I was told that on the day he entered the palace, Mother dismissed all the servants of Shou’an Palace. During that half hour, no one knew what they talked about, nor how Old Marquis Lu persuaded Mother. In the end, he left with the painting.

From that day forth, Mother seemed like a different person, not only ceasing to hate him but also asking me before she died to bestow honors on the Lu Family, saying their loyalty and valor deserved the title of First-class Duke, and to promote Marquis Wu’an to Duke Zhongguo, asserting that should the nation face peril in the future, the Lu Family would stand forth to restore a glorious era of harmony.

If it weren’t for her being seriously ill, how could Mother have uttered such nonsense?"

Fanghua furrowed her brow, "Didn’t Brother ask in detail?"

"In such circumstances, how could I inquire deeply?" Emperor Guangxi was convinced that Old Marquis Lu had played a role.

Fanghua felt something was amiss, "The Imperial Physician said Mother wasn’t ill, she passed naturally of old age."

So those words might not be nonsensical, and they might be hinting at something.

Emperor Guangxi snorted coldly, "Could it be that without the Lu Family, my throne would become unstable?"

"That’s not what I mean." Fanghua shook her head, "There’s an old saying that the words of a dying person are often kind. I think for Mother to say such unusual things before her death, she must have her reasons and intentions."

Pausing, she looked again at Emperor Guangxi, "Mother lived most of her life in hatred, firmly resolved against reconciliation with that person, yet she passed so peacefully, indicating she left no regrets in life.

In other words, Mother might have reconciled with Old Marquis Lu.

As for whether their ’reconciliation’ was Old Marquis Lu personally apologizing to her, or some misunderstanding between them being finally resolved, perhaps only the involved parties can answer that."