EBE Chapter 487 Ordination at Jingxin Temple (Bonus Chapter)
Chapter 487 Ordination at Jingxin Temple (Bonus Chapter)
Gao Xian closed his eyes in pain.
He looked at Meng Ze lying on the ground, his blood staining the floor tiles red. Xie Yanli was pressing hard on his wound, his whole body trembling.
He was momentarily unable to discern whether he felt anger, regret, or sorrow.
The hatred of killing one's mother is unforgivable.
But Gao Qiyuan, his elder brother, was a victim, whose family was destroyed because of his mother.
After a long pause, Gao Xian finally took a deep breath and uttered two words with difficulty.
"Pass on the imperial physician."
-
An hour later, at Shou'an Palace.
Dead silence, dead silence.
Gao Xian sat by the bed, gazing at the Empress Dowager, whose body had long since cooled, his fingertips trembling slightly.
Her face remained dignified, but the former majesty had been lost in her eyes.
In the candlelight, her silhouette appeared exceptionally slender.
He held the white cloth in one hand, but hesitated to move.
After a long while, he finally took a deep breath and covered the Empress Dowager with a white cloth.
Gao Xian sat in front of the couch, staring blankly at the face he could no longer see.
In an instant, a flood of memories came rushing back.
He remembered that when he was a child, he was weak and sickly, and his mother would hold him and stay by his side night after night.
He was naughty and caused trouble, and his father wanted to punish him, but his mother pleaded for him in front of the palace.
But it was also she who sent him into the iron cage of imperial power, taught him to be indifferent, taught him to be ruthless, taught him how to strip away his emotions, and taught him how to ascend to power.
She was strict, cold, and even harsh.
But he knew that she truly cared for him.
But... the pain was too heavy, too suffocating, so heavy that it crushed her and him.
Now, she is dead.
Gao Xian suddenly felt a dull pain in his chest.
He lowered his head and buried his face in his palms.
Tears silently streamed down her face, without a sound, yet they couldn't be stopped.
"Mother..."
The hall was silent, save for the low, suppressed sobs of Gao Xian.
He knelt before the bed, tears streaming down his face, wetting his clothes.
He didn't know how long he had been crying, only that his chest felt empty and painful, as if a piece of it had been ripped out.
Just then, footsteps could be heard outside the palace gate.
Yuanxi stood at the door, hesitant and uneasy, not daring to approach.
He has been standing there for fifteen minutes.
This was the first time he had ever seen the emperor cry.
Yuanxi was unsure whether he should go in or not, and his forehead was covered in sweat from nervousness.
Just as he was hesitating, Gao Xian's voice suddenly came from inside the hall, "What are you doing standing there?"
Yuanxi trembled, then quickly stepped forward, knelt down, and kowtowed.
"say."
Yuanxi lowered his head and said in a very low voice, "Your Majesty, he has woken up."
Side hall of Shou'an Palace.
Gao Xian stepped into the hall and immediately saw the person lying on the couch.
Gao Qiyuan's face was ashen, and his chest was wrapped in thick gauze, from which blood still seeped faintly.
Xie Yanli sat motionless by the couch, as if he were trapped in the ruins after a storm.
Hearing footsteps, he looked up at Gao Xian.
He neither got up nor said a word.
Gao Xian took a few steps closer, his gaze shifting between the father and son.
Upon seeing him arrive, the imperial physician immediately stepped forward, knelt down, and kowtowed.
"Your Majesty, this gentleman is seriously injured. The dagger is pierced into his left chest, only an inch from his heart. He has also lost too much blood. If he had been any later, he would have died on the spot."
"Although the vital signs have been stopped and his life is temporarily saved, but..."
The imperial physician paused, hesitated for a moment, and then gritted his teeth and whispered.
"However, this injury has damaged the heart and lung membranes, making it difficult to insert needles, and the effectiveness of medicine is limited."
"After this, his qi and blood will weaken, and it will be difficult for him to recover to normal."
"He must be bedridden year-round, and even a slight chill could be fatal. He must not exert himself mentally or physically, must not get angry, must not walk for long periods, and must not travel far on horseback."
Gao Qiyuan listened and suddenly smiled.
It sounds like he's become a useless person...
Gao Xian pursed his lips, his heart filled with complex emotions.
Just then, Gao Qiyuan slowly spoke, looking at Gao Xian.
"The blood debt is hard to repay, and my life is not long either. I want to go to Jingxin Temple to become a monk and cultivate myself."
"A solitary figure amidst the ancient lamp and Buddha statue, I will never concern myself with politics."
He had barely finished speaking when he began to cough violently, the taste of blood rising in his throat.
After a moment, Gao Xian closed his eyes and spoke slowly.
"...I grant your permission."
The Marquis's Residence, Qinglan Courtyard.
It was late at night, and the room was brightly lit with candles.
Qin Jiuwei sat by the window, her brows furrowed, her eyes gazing anxiously towards the door.
It's been so long.
Xie Yanli did not return, and no news came back from the palace.
It's been all night.
She felt uneasy and couldn't calm down for a long time.
Could something really have happened?
She stood up, turned to look at Xiao He beside her, and said in a deep voice, "Go, bring me my cloak. I want to go to the palace."
Xiaohe was taken aback and was about to respond when suddenly a series of steady footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.
The sound of footsteps came from far to near.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she turned to look.
The courtyard gate was slowly pushed open, and a tall figure appeared in the moonlight.
It was Xie Yanli.
Several servants followed closely behind Xie Yanli, carrying a simple soft couch, walking slowly and carefully.
The person on the bed was deathly pale, with eyes closed, and thick gauze wrapped around their chest, with bloodstains faintly visible.
It was Gao Qiyuan.
Qin Jiuwei's expression suddenly changed, and she almost involuntarily rushed forward.
How could he be injured like this?
Xie Yanli reached out and took her hand, looking at her shocked and confused expression, and reassured her, "I'll tell you later."
Qin Jiuwei glanced at him and nodded.
He forced himself to suppress his panic and didn't ask any more questions.
Xie Yanli immediately turned around and said, "Take the person to the room on the left, be careful."
Several servants immediately responded and moved even more gently, steadily escorting Gao Qiyuan into the side room.
Xie Yanli then instructed, "Go and fetch the physician from the prefecture, immediately."
After taking care of everything, Xie Yanli led her into the house.
He turned around, glanced around, and ordered in a deep voice, "Everyone, go down and don't come in."
The maids inside the room obeyed the order and quietly withdrew.
"What happened? How did Father get so badly injured?" Qin Jiuwei asked immediately.
Xie Yanli lowered his eyes, his expression solemn.
"Father...killed the Empress Dowager."
Qin Jiuwei's expression changed drastically, her pupils dilated slightly, and she stood there stunned for a moment.
Xie Yanli continued, "After that, my father attempted suicide to apologize to the Emperor, but was rescued."
"His Majesty has granted my father's request to become a monk and go to a Buddhist temple."
Qin Jiuwei froze for a moment after hearing these words.
She lowered her head, her gaze falling on her hands hanging at her sides, her fingertips gently curling.
Things actually turned out this way...