When Luo Wei saw that the palace servant was so frightened, he became even more certain that Empress Dowager Liu’s death was not natural. There must be something going on.
“Where are the imperial physicians?” Prince Xin asked, “Haven’t they gone to take a look?”
The palace servant seemed not to have heard Prince Xin’s words at all and just kept kowtowing, begging Long Xuan for his life.
“Your Majesty, it’s better to go and have a look in Xiangnian Hall,” Luo Wei said to Long Xuan, “This palace servant may be too frightened to speak.”
“Let’s go,” Long Xuan said. There was something implied in Luo Wei’s words, and he naturally understood it, but it wasn’t the time to argue, and he didn’t want to quarrel with Luo Wei either.
Prince Xin walked a few steps behind Long Xuan who was about was going to Xiangnian Hall. He suddenly remembered something, stopped abruptly, and stood aside.
“Everyone, wait for me here,” Long Xuan said to the few people in the room.
“We obey the order.” Luo Wei and the others said in unison, and followed Long Xuan out of the inner room.
Long Xuan hurriedly went to Xiangnian Hall on a sedan chair.
At this time, Luo Qi stood with Luo Wei and whispered, “Something seems off about this. Why would this palace servant be so scared?”
“We’d better stay away from his affairs,” Luo Wei glanced at the courtiers whispering in the courtyard and said to Luo Qi, “I’m curious, though, what did he say to you, Elder Brother? Did he threaten you?”
When the courtiers in the courtyard caught Luo Wei’s gaze, they immediately fell silent and stood still, waiting for Long Xuan to return from Xiangnian Hall.
“No,” Luo Qi smiled at Luo Wei, “You were reckless today. What if you angered His Majesty?”
Luo Wei leaned against a pillar, looking at Luo Qi with a grin.
“The Empress Dowager has died, and you’re still laughing?” Luo Qi hurriedly blocked Luo Wei from the courtiers’ line of sight, “Do you think you’re still the regent?”
Luo Wei’s smile disappeared. Luo Qi’s concern seemed unnecessary, but it still touched him. Now that the war was settled, the military power in the hands of his two elder brothers was enough to make Long Xuan wary. As long as these two elder brothers were not harmed by Long Xuan, there was nothing to fear from him.
Prince Xin felt uneasy and wanted to talk to Luo Wei several times, but seeing Luo Wei and Luo Qi whispering to each others, he didn’t dare to disturb the conversation between the two brothers, especially since what he wanted to say involved secrets of the imperial family that Luo Qi couldn’t hear.
When Long Xuan arrived at Xiangnian Hall, white cloth had already been hung over the gate of the hall, but there was no sound of crying. It was still the same as when Long Xuan had come last night, as if it were an empty hall. But since the person living inside was his birth mother, Long Xuan got off the sedan chair and stepped in.
Several palace servants and eunuchs were kneeling outside the chamber where the Empress Dowager Liu had slept. They didn’t start crying until they saw Long Xuan walk in.
This was not sincere, it was just a show of mourning for Long Xuan which only made him feel more irritated. He said nothing and pushed the door open to enter the chamber.
Empress Dowager Liu was still lying on the bed opposite the door. She had been covered from head to toe with a plain silk quilt by the palace servants. This time, even if Long Xuan shouted at her again, Empress Dowager Liu wouldn’t respond.
Long Xuan stood in front of his birth mother’s bed for a while before reaching out to pull down the silk quilt. Empress Dowager Liu’s face was pale, her eyes wide open, and a piece of her tongue was still sticking out of her mouth. Long Xuan’s hand trembled a little, but he still pulled down the silk quilt. A green bruise, like a thick blue and black thread, circled around Empress Dowager Liu’s neck. Long Xuan’s hand slackened, and the silk quilt slipped from his hand. He didn’t need to look down again, nor did he need to call for the court physicians and palace servants to inquire further. His birth mother had hanged herself in this palace room.
Long Xuan sat beside Empress Dowager Liu, looking at his mother’s body. Long Xuan couldn’t tell whether he felt sad or relieved. He wanted to close Empress Dowager Liu’s eyes, but they wouldn’t close. He also wanted to push her tongue back into her mouth, but the body had already stiffened. The tongue, which was the softest in life, was now as hard as iron. Long Xuan tried for a long time but couldn’t push it back in.
“Suicide?” Long Xuan finally gave up, withdrew his hand, and said to Empress Dowager Liu, “So it turns out that you really hated me and just wanted to make me an unfilial son. No, that’s not right. I was already an unfilial son to begin with. But, Mother, now that you’re gone, who else do I have?”
Empress Dowager Liu’s face was contorted, and one could no longer see her former beauty.
As Long Xuan sat there, he thought about his life with his mother. As he did, memories of Long Xiang emerged in his mind, but Long Xuan couldn’t reminisce about too many things. Their family of three rarely had the opportunity to be together. In the end, Long Xuan realized that the clearest thing he remembered about his birth mother was their conversation last night. “He will never love you” was the last thing his mother actually said to him.
Long Xuan sat with his birth mother’s body for a long time. So long that Prince Xin, who was waiting in Changming Hall, couldn’t wait any longer and came to find him.
“Your Majesty, Prince Long Yi requests an audience. Your Majesty?” Prince Xin called several times outside the room.
Long Xuan heard Prince Xin’s call and looked at the face in front of him. She had died of suffocation due to hanging and her face had turned hideous.
“Your Majesty?!” Prince Xin was already knocking on the door outside.
Long Xuan pulled the silk quilt that had just covered Empress Dowager Liu back over her, muttering to himself, “Those who commit suicide cannot enter the imperial mausoleum. Perhaps you chose this path because you didn’t want to see Father in the afterlife? But Father has never been in the imperial tomb. Is it too late to tell you this now?”
“Your Majesty! Prince Long Yi requests an audience!” Prince Xin’s voice outside the door became more urgent.
“Come in,” Long Xuan replied.
Before Long Xuan could finish his words, Prince Xin had pushed the door open and walked in. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Long Xuan was fine, and then looked at the body of Empress Dowager Liu on the bed.
“Uncle.” Long Xuan called Prince Xin.
“I pay my respects to Your Majesty,” Prince Xin hurriedly saluted Long Xuan.
Long Xuan raised his hand, “Uncle, please rise.”
After Prince Xin stood up, he came closer to Long Xuan. He looked at him carefully again and saw that his expression was still the same as usual, without signs of sorrow. Only the corners of his eyes were a little red.
“Uncle,” Long Xuan looked at Prince Xin, “Before her passing, Imperial Concubine Mother had left behind a last request for me. She couldn’t bear to part with me and Prince Yu, so after her death, she hoped to be buried in a place where she could watch over us brothers.”
“Where does Your Majesty intend to bury the Empress Dowager?” Prince Xin immediately asked. Did he just hear from Long Xuan that Empress Dowager Liu wouldn’t be buried in the imperial mausoleum?
“For now, I will think about a temporary burial site,” Long Xuan said. “After I pass away, I will bring her back to be buried together.”
Boundless Dao 
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