Chapter 77: Chapter 77 Fifth Update Sun Doudou saw Sun Kui return and quickly stepped forward to greet him, "Master, you’re back." Sun Kui nodded slightly, then looked at Prince Dai and Minister Kong, who had already walked away, and asked Sun Doudou, "What happened? Why do Prince Dai and Minister Kong look so grim?" Sun Doudou shook his head and said, "I’m not sure." Earlier when Prince Dai and Minister Kong were in the Imperial Study, Sun Doudou was standing guard at the door and didn’t hear what they were talking about inside. "Master, as soon as you left, Minister Kong came to request an audience, and not long after, Prince Dai arrived." Sun Kui more or less guessed what was going on, "I’ll go in and serve, you keep watch at the door." "Yes, Master." Sun Kui walked quietly into the Imperial Study, bowed to the Emperor, and then said, "Lady Zhaoyi asked me to thank you on her behalf." The Emperor acknowledged with a sound and said nothing further. Seeing the Emperor not asking, Sun Kui dared not say more. As for why Prince Dai and Minister Kong looked grim, he dared not inquire. He quietly stepped aside to wait. After a while, he went out and had Sun Doudou bring a cup of hot tea. Sun Doudou quickly brought the tea, and Sun Kui took it inside, holding it with both hands before the Emperor. "Your Majesty, have a sip of tea and take a break." The Emperor put down the memorial he was holding, took the tea cup from Sun Kui, and as he lifted the lid, the aroma of the tea filled his senses. Previously, the Emperor drank tea prepared as tea powder, not this type. The tea he drank now was brewed, a habit he learned from Liang Zhaoyi. Liang Zhaoyi’s brewed tea suited the Emperor’s taste. Because the Emperor liked it, the entire palace switched to drinking this kind of tea. Later, the court ministers followed suit, and eventually, it became trendy throughout the capital city. This brewed tea was something Zhao Yao learned from Zhao Yao in his dreams. Dream Zhao Yao loved tea and was particular about it. After sipping the tea for a few moments, the Emperor inquired Sun Kui, "Is everything prepared for the former Empress’s memorial?" Sun Kui answered respectfully, "Everything is prepared." The Emperor put down the tea cup and sighed gently, "In the blink of an eye, she’s been gone for seven years." "Your Majesty..." Sun Kui, seeing the trace of sorrow on the Emperor’s face, didn’t know how to console him. "I owe her so much." Thinking of the late Empress, the Emperor felt full of guilt. Throughout his life, he wronged two people. One was his elder brother and the other was the former Empress. When the former Empress married the Emperor, he was often away on campaigns, and she managed everything at home without troubling him. She also took care of the families of his soldiers, allowing them to focus on the battlefield without worrying about their loved ones. "She never told me what she did, nor did she ever ask for anything." In his youth, the Emperor was quite careless and rarely paid attention to household affairs. If not for the Empress Dowager informing him of the former Empress’s efforts, he would have never known." Even at her deathbed, she didn’t ask for anything. She always considered him, never asking anything for herself or the Crown Prince." Sun Kui said, "The former Empress was a virtuous Empress." "She’d rather trouble herself than let me be troubled." Of all the people around him, only the former Empress never asked anything of him. "Even when she fell ill, she didn’t want me to know and worry about her." In truth, the former Empress had been ill since nine years ago. At first, it wasn’t too severe. To avoid letting the Emperor know, she ordered the Imperial Physician to keep it secret. Later, her condition worsened, and she couldn’t hide it anymore, only then did she let the Emperor know. "The former Empress didn’t want you to be distracted by her affairs." When she was gravely ill, the Emperor hadn’t been on the throne for long. The realm was unstable, with many court issues, and the Emperor often worked on memorials late into the night, sometimes not sleeping at all. "If only I had known about her illness earlier, perhaps she wouldn’t have left so soon." The Emperor was always troubled by the former Empress’s passing. He believed that had he discovered her illness sooner, it might have been treated in time. "Your Majesty, the former Empress deliberately kept it from you. How could you have known?" Indeed, the former Empress was excellent at keeping things under wraps. If not for the Emperor accidentally seeing her cough up blood one day, he might never have known about her illness. "It was my negligence," he admitted. While deeply respectful of the former Empress, his concern for her was lacking. Sometimes, when he was busy, he would even forget the former Empress’s existence. "Your Majesty, are you thinking of the former Empress?" Sun Kui had been serving the Emperor since he was made Crown Prince, and even back then, he noticed that the Emperor had no affection, only respect for the former Empress. "I feel as if I owe her." Although not passionate about romance, the Emperor wasn’t heartless. Though he didn’t love the former Empress, he recognized her sacrifices. Now that she was gone, saying he owed her was of no use. "Your Majesty, if you feel indebted to the former Empress, have the monks at Hulong Temple pray for her more." "This year marks the seventh anniversary of her passing..." The Emperor considered, "On her death anniversary, I will go to Hulong Temple myself to pray for her." "With you praying for the former Empress, her soul will surely find peace in the Western Paradise." "On her death anniversary, let there be no morning court." Upon hearing this, Sun Kui was taken aback and exclaimed, "Your Majesty, no morning court on that day?" "There will be none." The seventh anniversary of a loved one’s passing is a significant year, generally marked with grand memorials. Sun Kui subdued his shock and respectfully said, "Yes, Your Majesty." The Emperor bowed his head, resumed going through the memorials, and spoke no more. Sun Kui retreated to a corner, standing quietly, though within his heart, a storm was raging. The Emperor intended to forego court on the late Empress’s death anniversary—this was astounding! Although the Emperor had called off court three days after the late Empress’s death, he hadn’t done so since. Seven years later, the Emperor was again foregoing court for a day in her honor. Could it be that the Emperor chose this time to forego court as a gesture toward the Crown Prince? Perhaps, after giving the young daughter of Minister Kong in marriage to Prince Dai, the Emperor felt he owed the Crown Prince and wanted to make amends? Or maybe the arriving anniversary of the former Empress made the Emperor feel remorseful for her, leading him to soften towards the Crown Prince. Well, such matters are not for a servant like him to ponder. "Your Majesty, for the former Empress’s death anniversary, shall we add more items?" "Have the monks at Hulong Temple transcribe more Buddhist scriptures for the former Empress." "Your Majesty, would you like to add anything else?" The Emperor said, "No need to add anything further." With that, he waved Sun Kui away. At this moment, in Kunde Hall, Liang Zhaoyi was discussing the transcription of Buddhist scriptures with Yu Meiren and the others. "In a few days, it will be the former Empress’s death anniversary. Starting from tomorrow, let’s abstain and fast for three days, and afterwards, transcribe Buddhist scriptures for the former Empress." Each year on the former Empress’s death anniversary, Liang Zhaoyi and Yu Meiren would transcribe scriptures in her memory. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢 "Sister, this year marks the seventh anniversary of the former Empress’s passing. Are we only transcribing Buddhist scriptures?" Yu Meiren asked. "Do you have any ideas?" "According to tradition, we should also make lanterns. These must be handmade, and the lamps must also bear transcribed scriptures," Yu Meiren said, "Such scriptures are normally transcribed with the blood of kin to ensure the deceased receives them. However, we aren’t kin to the former Empress, so we don’t need to do the blood transcription." Pan Cairen asked, "If we make lanterns, will the former Empress receive them?" "Probably not, but they represent our heartfelt intentions." Liang Zhaoyi asked, "What kind of lanterns, lotus lanterns?" "Lotus lanterns can’t bear scriptures; they’re ordinary lamps, but we can draw lotuses on them." Liang Zhaoyi nodded, "Then after transcribing the scriptures, we’ll make the lanterns." She further asked, "Anything else we should do?" "The rest isn’t within our means," Yu Meiren remarked, "As per custom, the Crown Prince should go to a temple to pray for the former Empress for forty-nine days." "What about other Princes?" Liang Zhaoyi said, "Yao Yao and the others are also children of the former Empress, should they do something for her?" The former Empress was the legitimate mother, the mother of all Princes, so Zhao Yao and the others were obliged to pray for her. "In noble families, illegitimate children must pray for the legitimate mother, but in the palace... I’m not certain." Yu Meiren, being a local of the capital, was quite familiar with the local customs. On the seventh anniversary of the Empress Dowager’s passing, the Emperor followed protocol and went to Hulong Temple himself to pray for her for forty-nine days. As for other Princes, there weren’t any others. When the late Emperor ascended to the throne, despite holding a selection of court ladies and having several noblewomen enter the palace to be concubines, none bore the late Emperor any offspring. The Empress Dowager and the late Emperor didn’t have only the Emperor as a son. The Emperor originally had four older brothers and two sisters; he was the late Emperor and Empress Dowager’s youngest child. Before founding the kingdom, his four brothers and two sisters had all passed away. His two elder sisters died during his childhood in the turmoil of war. His four brothers perished on the battlefield. After the late Emperor ascended to the throne, he was already not young. Coupled with injuries sustained over years of campaigning, resulting in many aftereffects, he could no longer sire children. Fortunately, there was the Emperor, the youngest son. Otherwise, the late Emperor would have had to adopt a child from others. However, even the Emperor nearly lost his life once. Fortunately, he had great fortune and made it through.