Work overtime

Chapter 766

"No, you will be fine. It's so cold, and we still have to eat hotpot together. Your novel isn't finished yet, so don't leave it unfinished. I'm still waiting to see the happy ending." Jiang Yuebai wanted to go out and call Nian Zhaoyi in, but he was afraid that if he let go, Rui Zhaoyi would not be able to hold on.

"Okay, I'll try my best." Rui Zhaoyi said with her dying breath, even with a smile on her face.

By the time Jiang Xian had put on his clothes and rushed over, Rui Zhaoyi was almost dying and was only hanging on for one breath.

Jiang Xian disinfected the area and rushed to perform a caesarean section on Rui Zhaoyi, without even having time to administer anesthesia. The moment the fetus was taken out, Rui Zhaoyi passed away with her eyes wide open, without even having time to look at her lovely Sixth Princess.

The Sixth Princess' umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck three times, which was very dangerous. Fortunately, she was rescued in time and Jiang Xian knew how to perform a caesarean section. Otherwise, if she had forced the birth through the birth canal, she would definitely not have been able to save both of them.

Jiang Yuebai stood there in a daze, holding Rui Zhaoyi's cold hand, unable to believe that she was gone. She was extremely sad, but couldn't cry. It was as if her tears had dried up.

This feeling of sadness is just like when I first learned that Concubine Yi had passed away.

Rui Zhaoyi is not only a super talented and hardworking platinum writer who has written dozens of touching books, but she is also Jiang Yuebai's best friend.

Li Beichen rushed into the delivery room, hugged Jiang Yuebai, and closed Rui Zhaoyi's eyes. In Li Beichen's arms, Jiang Yuebai trembled all over, shaking like a sieve, and fainted.

Jiang Yuebai fell seriously ill and did not recover until the spring of the following year. During this time, all palace affairs were handled by Concubine Lu.

Rui Zhaoyi was posthumously named Rui Fei, and the child was given to Nian Zhaoyi to raise according to her will. Xiao Wu was also sent back to Jiang Yuebai.

Li Beichen named the sixth princess Li Zirui, nicknamed Ruier.

Concubine Rui's unfinished manuscripts, letters to Jiang Yuebai, and some of her belongings were sorted and collected by Concubine Lu. She kept crying while packing her things.

"You haven't finished your book yet. How can you just leave now?"

After Lu Jieyu returned, she cried in the room holding the notebook written by Concubine Rui. She couldn't accept that this lovely girl who often quarreled with her, competed with her for the first place in literature, and loved to eat braised pork trotters, was gone like this.

She didn't have the chance to tell Concubine Rui that, in fact, she loved watching those melodramatic love stories that she always ridiculed. They accompanied her through countless long nights and comforted her lonely soul that longed for love.

She just didn't want to admit that she actually needed love too.

It was also during the sorting of the relics that she learned the secret of Concubine Rui. She wrote several thick diaries, which were filled with her ardent love and longing for the emperor, her worship and admiration for the queen, her inferiority complex, and her envy and blessing for the love between the queen and the emperor.

Concubine Lu had been hesitating whether to take it out and give it to the emperor. In the end, she decided to keep the secret for Concubine Rui. If Concubine Rui were alive, she would not let this love see the light of day. She would just keep it in her heart silently, blessing from afar without disturbing her.

In fact, she also has her own secrets. In managing the affairs of the harem, she often deals with Jiang Xian, and she falls in love with his kindness and dedication.

Every time I see him, I am so happy.

But she could only love him secretly, not daring to reveal even a little bit.

The Empress was seriously ill, and the Emperor allowed Jiang Xian to enter the palace to see the Empress. But he still had to follow the rules, and two concubines had to be present at the scene.

She took the opportunity to secretly observe Jiang Xian from the side, watching him examine patients, prescribe medicine, and pack up his medical box.

Jiang Xian always exudes a very free and easy temperament in his every move, although he looks gentle and serious. Concubine Lu thought that this was probably what Jiang Xian was like.

She also wanted to get sick and let Jiang Xian take care of her. But she knew that she was just wishful thinking. Even if she was sick, it would not be Jiang Xian's turn to see her. As a hospital envoy, he only treated the queen, the emperor and the legitimate prince.

Unlike Concubine Rui, she could not write this love into any words, she could only hide it in her heart and melt it into her dreams. Falling in love with Jiang Xian made her feel painful but also sweet and fulfilled.

She was very grateful because the emperor needed her to manage the palace affairs, so he would not favor her.

However, after Jiang Yuebai fell ill, Li Beichen almost stopped favoring others. The concubine sent by Prime Minister Ye was favored for three consecutive days and was promoted to Liangyuan.

Those who came in much earlier than her were just noble ladies, such as the once favored Xuan Liangyuan. It is said that if there is good news, she will be promoted to a concubine directly?
Who would be happy about this? Besides, Ye Liangyuan was new to the party, but she was very good at talking. Normally, newcomers would lower their heads and dare not say a word when being "taken care of" by the elders, but she was not easy to mess with, and she fought back. But Yu Guipin and Lu Jieyu were not bad either, and they often teamed up to fight against each other.

No one wanted to pay attention to Ye Liangyuan.

Once when she came out of Kunning Palace, she approached Consort Nian and said, "Sister Nian, I heard that the ginkgo leaves in Jingren Palace are golden and beautiful right now. I wonder if I can go and take a look."

"What a pity! All the leaves have fallen off. There's nothing to see." The always gentle Nian Zhaoyi rejected her directly.

Her own sister is in the palace, who dares to bother her? Is she looking for the wrong person? What's more, she is a person who is always against the world.

Of course, her sister, Concubine Hua, ignored her. They didn't have any friendship at home, let alone in the palace. When Ye Liangyuan went to pay respects, Concubine Hua either said she was unwell or had to go to the Queen's hospital. Unknowingly, Ye Liangyuan became a lonely person, and even the Emperor was not as lonely as her.

In addition to being busy with government affairs, Li Beichen would stay with Jiang Yuebai and visit the princes and princesses from time to time.

Jiang Yuebai's serious illness made him a little anxious. He was worried that Jiang Yuebai's life span would be insufficient because of the life span he had borrowed from him. So he wished he could be by her side all the time.

But he can't.

He still had many things to worry about, the most worrying of which was the nomadic people in the north.

There was a heavy snowstorm outside the Great Wall, and the temperature was extremely cold, freezing many cattle and sheep to death, and the herdsmen suffered severely. The Oirat began to invade the Tatars eastwards and killed Tatar nobles. Yesizha himself was not as prestigious as Huanhuanqier, and his military ability was far inferior to his father, and his pattern and mind were even more so. He received various benefits from the Ming Dynasty, especially important materials such as food, but did not extend the favor to the tribal leaders and tribesmen who had been conquered, but only left it to his own tribesmen.

The various tribes within the Tatars were not convinced by Yesizha and were very dissatisfied with his monopoly. Natural disasters and the invasion of the Tatars did not unite the Tatars, but instead made them more divided. Many tribal leaders launched attacks on Yesizha, trying to challenge his position. The Inner Mongolian grasslands fell into chaos again.

The originally divided Tatars were beneficial to the Ming Dynasty, as it allowed the Tatars to consume their own forces, but the internal chaos led to more frequent and severe border invasions.

Sun Shangli, the Minister of War, suggested, "Kill him while he's ill."

Li Beichen chose to refuse. It had been less than two years since the alliance was signed, and the two princesses were still there. He could not act rashly for the time being. It was not the right time yet.

Li Beichen ordered Ye Sizha to redistribute the supplies originally distributed to the tribes below to avoid further internal fighting. But Ye Sizha's logic was that these people had already rebelled, so they should not be given anything, otherwise it would strengthen the opponent's strength and weaken his own. Of course, he directly disobeyed the order and instead asked the Ming Dynasty to send troops to assist him in fighting back.

There was a great deal of controversy in the court about the measures that the Ming Dynasty should take, and the specific details needed to be discussed repeatedly. So Li Beichen held meetings with the State Council every day to discuss the issue.

"Those who dare to offend the Ming Dynasty must pay the price for invading the border. Only by hurting them will they learn to be afraid," Li Beichen sneered, "Those who take money but do not do anything must be taught a lesson."

While stabilizing and opening up the border market, we will resolutely crack down on intrusions in border areas, show no mercy in combating the use of violence to obtain resources, and will not be constrained by two-way marriages.

No matter where the people are, they all yearn for a stable and prosperous life. No matter where the young people are, they are all passionate young people with dreams.

Li Beichen sent people to persuade the tribes that had separated from Yesiza to directly submit to the Ming Dynasty, and provided them with supplies to tide them over the difficulties. He also persuaded the young and middle-aged people of these tribes to migrate to inland areas to settle down and start businesses, and to find a new life.

On the other hand, they secretly lobbied and divided the nobles within the Yesizha tribe, asking them to lead their tribesmen away from Yesizha and helping them buy houses and land in the capital to settle down, while their tribesmen migrated and dispersed to the border or inland areas for resettlement.

As for the Waqi tribe that invaded the Tatars, the Ming Dynasty would order the garrison to lure the enemy deep into their territory, and then break them up and defeat them one by one.

This year's Wanshou Festival was as lively as previous years, with people from all over coming to congratulate.

It was just that Jiang Yuebai was seriously ill, which made Li Beichen worried and not very happy. When all parties heard that the queen was seriously ill, they all had their own thoughts. For example, the issue of the next queen and the issue of the heir to the throne.

But Li Beichen did not give these people the opportunity to imagine and operate. At the morning court on his birthday, he officially announced that his eldest son, Li Chengji, would be the crown prince. If there is a legitimate heir, the heir will be the crown prince; if there is no legitimate heir, the eldest son will be the crown prince. This is a basic consensus across cultures, races, and economic development levels, and it is also a long-standing historical tradition.

Although all the ministers were shocked, they all immediately congratulated and paid homage.

The three-year-old Crown Prince Li Chengji was guided to kneel in the center of the hall and kowtow to his father.

This was his first time to come to the place where his father held the morning court.

It was so magnificent and solemn. His father sat high up in the golden throne room, looking down at all living beings, so majestic and domineering that the little second prince felt awe and pride.

Led by Liang Xiaobao, he walked steadily along the steps to his father.

"Father~"

"Come, sit next to father. From today on, you are the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, and you will sit in this position in the future."

"Thank you, father~" Li Chengji touched the armrest of the dragon throne happily.

Li Beichen took his son's hand and asked him to sit on the edge of his chair to accept congratulations from officials and envoys.

Li Chengji sat upright as if he was attending a class in "kindergarten", with his hands on his legs, a firm gaze, thin lips slightly pursed, and a faint smile. He did not look like a three-year-old child, but seemed to be born in this position.

Li Beichen was very satisfied with his second son's performance.

It was already eight or nine in the evening when Li Beichen returned to Kunning Palace. As an emperor, his birthday did not belong to him. It was more like a festival that belonged to everyone.