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On the 14th day of the twelfth lunar month, Lu Desheng continued to accompany the emperor in the palace.
Before leaving the palace, Lu Desheng adjusted Emperor Kang Cheng’s dragon robe and said with embarrassment, “Your Majesty, tomorrow is my daughter’s wedding, so I won’t be coming to the palace. I’ll return the day after tomorrow to continue my duties.”
Tomorrow was the 15th day of the twelfth lunar month, and indeed, Lu Desheng’s second daughter, Lu Songli, was to marry the youngest son of the Qin family.
Seeing Lu Desheng’s joyful expression and thinking about the heavy blow the Qin family was about to face and the possible involvement of his daughter, Emperor Kang Cheng sighed. It was disloyal for the Empress Dowager to bury her son before his time, and Lu Songli’s marriage to Qin Sheng had been an imperial edict, so he could not oppose the Empress Dowager’s wishes.
It was settled then. He would take measures to protect the Qin family. Lu Songli might suffer a bit in the beginning, but when the new emperor took the throne and re-employed the Qin family, she would live well again. After all, enduring hardship before enjoying prosperity was also acceptable.
Emperor Kang Cheng believed that the Qin family was still valuable in warfare, and as long as Song Mo wasn’t foolish, he would support the Qin family and make them useful to the Song family again.
The Qin family had always been submissive, and Emperor Kang Cheng felt that all rewards and punishments were part of the emperor’s grace. He never considered that they might harbor rebellious thoughts.
As Lu Desheng moved aside, the light returned, and Emperor Kang Cheng instinctively turned his head to the side.
Lu Desheng paused for a moment, having heard that people who were nearing death were particularly sensitive to light and often silent…
“Lord Lu, we’ll see you out.”
Lu Desheng felt a heavy weight in his heart. The emperor’s condition seemed to be worsening; he was only awake for about three hours each day.
After leaving the palace, Wei Zili handed him a brocade box. “Lord Lu, for your daughter’s wedding tomorrow, this is a gift from the emperor. There are many people around, so don’t open it here.”
Lu Desheng took it and nodded. “Rest assured.” He wondered what could be inside, as it didn’t seem very heavy.
Not long after Lu Desheng left the palace, the Empress Dowager’s carriage returned to the palace.
“Emperor, how did your health declined?” The Empress Dowager, who had been out of the palace for religious reasons, was shocked to see the emperor in such a frail state.
She had been angered by the Lu family recently, and the palace servants had suggested she go out for some religious comfort, which she did. She had been away for nearly two months, and when she left, the emperor was still in good health. Upon receiving news that the emperor’s health had worsened, she rushed back, only to find him in such a dire condition.
“Mother—cough, cough—”
The Empress Dowager quickly patted his back.
“My son, how could you let yourself get into such a state?” As his own flesh and blood, seeing him so close to death pained her deeply.
“And why didn’t you inform me sooner?” If she had known about the emperor’s worsening condition earlier, she would have returned to the palace sooner.
“Cough, cough, Mother, I didn’t expect—” Indeed, Emperor Kang Cheng didn’t anticipate his health declining so rapidly.
“Emperor, should we recall the Crown Prince?”
“Mother, the Crown Prince has already met with disaster.” Emperor Kang Cheng recalled the grim news he received a few days ago. Even though his mood had calmed somewhat after two days, it still pained him deeply to think about it.
The Empress Dowager was shocked. “What happened? Wasn’t the Crown Prince going north to lead the troops?” Then she became furious, “What was Qin Yue doing, allowing the Crown Prince to die in the northern borders? Does he intend to rebel?!”
Emperor Kang Cheng had to explain that the Crown Prince was killed by the Qiang Hu people at the border. He chose not to mention the Fourth Prince’s involvement for various reasons.
“Son, now that the Crown Prince has passed away, though we are in deep sorrow, you must quickly decide on the next heir to the throne,” the Empress Dowager said, not wanting the Da Li dynasty to fall into turmoil over an unclear succession. “Do you have a candidate in mind? The three grown princes are all rather mediocre—”
Emperor Kang Cheng interrupted her, “Mother, I have decided to make the Fourth Prince, Song Mo, the next emperor!” The late Emperor was right; a young ruler must be avoided! Fortunately, he had prepared three secret edicts to ensure the legitimacy of the succession.
The Empress Dowager was a bit surprised. “Alright, if you’ve decided, that’s good enough.” With her son’s decision, her own unsettled thoughts dissipated.
“Mother, you’ve just returned to the palace; please go rest in Chang Le Palace. I am also tired.”
On the 15th day of the twelfth lunar month, both the Qin and Lu families were decorated with lanterns and filled with festive cheer.
The Qin family’s welcoming procession was all set, with everything prepared except for the groom.
“Will Ah Sheng make it back in time?” Madam Qin asked Qin Heng seriously.
Something must have gone wrong. Madam Qin felt her heart pounding. Her younger son wasn’t someone who would act recklessly; such a significant event as his wedding couldn’t be taken lightly. Besides, he had promised his elder brother he would return, so he would come back unless there was an unavoidable reason.
Nie Yunnian, supporting her prominent belly, also began to sense that something was amiss.
Qin Sanlang patted her hand reassuringly.
He and Qin Heng exchanged glances. They had calculated that with Ah Sheng’s speed, he should be able to return to Chang’an today.
“Mother, don’t worry. He will make it back.”
“If you say he can make it, where is he now?”
“Probably still on the road? I’ve already sent people to watch the city gate. As soon as he arrives, he will be brought back immediately.”
“—Madam, Young Master, should we start the wedding procession? If we delay any longer, we might miss the auspicious time,” the steward said with a hard look on his face.
“Wait a bit longer!”
At the Lu family’s side, Lu Songli was dressed in wedding attire, waiting for the groom to arrive.
Only Lu Songli and her parents knew that Qin Sheng had gone to the Northern Borders and had not yet returned. Lu Zhiyuan and Lu Mingzhi only knew that Qin Sheng had gone out recently.
Madam Jiang: “Qin Sheng hasn’t arrived yet? There’s less than half an hour left until the auspicious time. Can he make it back?” Today’s wedding had three auspicious times; they had chosen the latest one. Any later, and it would not be considered a good time.
Lu Songli remained calm. “Father, Mother, don’t worry. Qin Sheng will definitely make it back.” Her confidence wasn’t unfounded; she trusted Qin Heng and the Qin family’s judgment. Since they hadn’t sent any message to cancel the wedding, everything must be proceeding as planned.
An Yuan Gate
The gatekeeper looked at Qin Sheng arriving with a corpse and felt his scalp tingle. Something must have gone terribly wrong!
As soon as Qin Sheng entered the city, a small steward from the Qin family rushed out. “Sixth Master, you’ve finally returned! Hurry, the wedding procession is ready, and we’re just waiting for you!”
A servant behind him led a horse to follow.
Li Wei quickly stepped forward. “Sixth Master, please head back first. I will stay behind and escort the Fourth Master back to the Qin family.”
Qin Sheng shook his head, handing his horse and his Fourth Brother to Li Wei. He took the horse prepared by the steward, placed the Fourth young master behind him, and mounted quickly, speeding toward home.
His previous horse, exhausted, knelt on its front legs and panted heavily.
“What’s that?” the steward who had delivered the message asked, his voice trembling. He had been so excited to see the Sixth Young Master that he hadn’t noticed the condition of the horse.
Li Wei replied in a low voice, “That is Qin Family’s Fourth Young Master, Qin Ming.”
The steward’s legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed.
Something terrible had happened!
When Qin Sheng arrived at the Qin family home carrying the Fourth young master, Qin Heng was the first to appear, followed by Qin Sanlang.
Qin Heng, struggling to control his grief, personally took Qin Ming from Qin Sheng and had the attendants assist Qin Sheng in tidying himself.
Qin Sheng, expressionless, allowed them to handle him.
Qin Sanlang stepped forward, taking Qin Ming and, along with Qin Heng, placed him in the prepared coffin.
After placing him inside, Qin Sanlang carefully arranged Qin Ming’s appearance. Seeing him lying peacefully in the coffin, tears could no longer be held back.
“Fourth Brother, get up! Didn’t you say you wanted to compete with Sixth Brother? Get up! I’ll join you in competing with him!”
In less than a quarter of an hour, Qin Sheng was ready as the groom, his attire immaculate, his hair neatly styled. His youthful features appeared sharper, and he looked refreshed, though the exhaustion in his eyes betrayed him.
After Qin Sheng was dressed in his wedding attire, Qin Heng patted his shoulder. “Cheer up and go welcome the bride.”
The Lu family also received the news that Qin Sheng had returned to Chang’an, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.