The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 235 Seriously ill
The first day of the first month of the twenty-first year of the Yongle reign.

It was New Year's again, and the Princess's mansion was decorated in red inside and out. Red silk, red cloth, red lanterns, and various colorful lanterns were hung high. Li's children played in the courtyard, and the sound of firecrackers echoed in the air.

The New Year season is no longer as cold as the coldest days of winter, but the occasional cold wind blowing from the northern plains still makes people want to wrap themselves in thick clothes to keep warm.

Li Xianmu had been sitting in front of the ancestral hall for an hour. He stared blankly at the red lanterns in front of the hall. When the winter wind blew, the lanterns would float up, and when the whirlwind passed, the lanterns would fall down, and the cycle would repeat itself.

The mansion was already desolate, with only a few plum blossoms blooming in the cold at the corner of the wall, bringing a trace of life.

Just now, while he was paying respects to his father, he received news that "he died in Lin'an on the 21st."

In the twenty-first year of the Yongle reign, Princess Lin'an passed away.

It is now the twenty-first year of the Yongle reign. Li Xianmu does not know how he walked out of the ancestral hall. He sits here, but does not know what he is thinking.

His father had passed away a long time ago, eighteen years ago, and now, his mother was also about to pass away. At over sixty years old, death seemed normal, but Li Xianmu had never thought of it.

He sat there blankly for a long time before slowly emerging from his emotions.

Then I thought of something even more crucial!

This year is the twenty-first year of Yongle's reign. If his mother passes away, he will have to observe a two-year and three-month mourning period. He will then have to return to the court in the twenty-fourth year of Yongle's reign. If he remembers correctly, his father once conveyed a crucial message: "The emperor will die in the twenty-fourth year." In the twenty-fourth year of Yongle's reign, Emperor Zhu Di will pass away!
In ancient political struggles, observing mourning was a very important tool.

In practice during the Yongle reign, Zhu Di would usually choose to revoke the mourning period, but Li Xianmu was different. He was a thorn in the side of countless people, and if he wanted to revoke the mourning period, there would inevitably be a torrent of public opinion pressing down on him.

Countless thoughts churned in his mind, and Li Xianmu didn't know which path was the right one.

……

"What's wrong with Mu'er?" Princess Lin'an sensed that Li Xianmu's condition was not quite right and asked gently.

Li Xianmu felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this, and his eyes reddened. "Mother, I'm fine. My second brother is stationed far away and we haven't seen each other for years. We're just happy to be reunited as a family."

Princess Lin'an sensed the insincerity in his words, but she didn't ask any further. If Li Xianmu didn't want to talk about it, then he wouldn't.

Despite the festive atmosphere of the New Year, Li Xianmu felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness. The thought that this was the last New Year he would spend with his mother filled him with deep sorrow.

Li Qi also sighed, but there were some things he had to tell Li Xianmu, especially the matter of mourning. If they could prepare in advance, they could preserve many things after their political influence waned. If it happened suddenly, they would be caught off guard.

"Mother, this is your favorite food, eat more."

“Mother, this is something I obtained from a merchant in Southeast Asia. It’s a rare item that we don’t have in our Great Ming Dynasty anymore.”

"Mother……"

Princess Lin'an felt that something was wrong with her son, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. In any case, she was very happy that her son was taking care of her, and she would eat half a bowl more at mealtimes.

As May approached, Princess Lin'an's health deteriorated. She fell ill but did not recover well. Li Xianmu personally attended to his mother, and many affairs of the court were gradually handed over to others.

……

In July, a heavy rain fell in the capital.

The rain, stretching from the sky to the ground, seemed to be pouring down from the heavens. Several rivers outside the capital gradually filled up. After the rain, Princess Lin'an, who was feeling a little better, was helped to stroll around the mansion. When she passed the pond in the princess's mansion, she saw that the withered lotus leaves, which had been knocked down by the rain, were all lying alone and crooked on the surface of the pond.

Looking at this scene, Li Xianmu felt a chilling and piercing unease.

Just as she was about to help her mother leave, Princess Lin'an suddenly said, "When your father was still alive, he told me a poem by Li Yishan: 'Leaving behind the withered lotus to listen to the sound of rain.' Seeing this scene today, I finally understand the meaning of the poem."

Li Xianmu's eyelids twitched immediately. Li Yishan was Li Shangyin. This line came from "Staying Overnight at Luoshi Pavilion and Sending My Thoughts to Cui Yong and Cui Gun," a poem written by Li Shangyin to mourn his deceased father and to express his own loneliness.

In Li Xianmu's view, it was rather unlucky for his mother to recite this poem at this time. He forced a smile and said, "Mother must have misremembered. Li Yishan's poem is 'Leaving withered lotus leaves to listen to the sound of rain,' not 'withered.' It is about the scenery of autumn. Now it is the height of summer. If Mother likes withered lotus leaves, I will accompany Mother to visit the garden to appreciate them in late autumn."

Zhang Wan smiled gently and said, "Yes, Mother, these withered lotus leaves in the courtyard are from the wind and rain. They will only be withered in autumn. I once saw a painting of withered lotus leaves by a master, which was very desolate."

Mother, please rest well. In a few months, your daughters-in-law will accompany you to the garden.

Princess Lin'an smiled upon hearing this, but did not respond. If she didn't leave, no one else could leave either.

Princess Lin'an stared at the pond filled with withered lotus leaves, as if she could see the lotus flowers and leaves being broken by the storm. Suddenly, she said out of the blue, "Mother may not be able to wait until late autumn."

what?
Most people were stunned, wondering why Princess Lin'an would suddenly say such a thing. Only Li Xianmu felt a chill run down his spine, as if an electric current was drilling into his scalp.

He felt he could barely maintain his smile. "Mother, what are you saying?" The others also came to their senses, their faces filled with panic. In an instant, they all knelt down. "Mother, please don't say that."

"You may all rise." Princess Lin'an calmly told everyone to get up. She didn't know why, but as she walked here, she suddenly felt a flash of inspiration, as if she could see her own time of departure.

Zhang Wan and the others then shakily got up from the ground, not even having time to brush off the dust that had settled on their skirts. They all surrounded Princess Lin'an with lingering fear, saying, "Mother, we will never say those things again. You will surely live to be a hundred years old."

"Living to a hundred years old is such a wonderful wish, but how many people can actually achieve it?" Princess Lin'an stopped talking when she saw that her daughters-in-law were about to kneel down in panic again. "I'm a little tired, let's go back to the room."

Only then did the group feel relieved and helped Princess Lin'an back into the house. Li Xianmu maintained a smile on his face, but his heart was already empty.

He knew about some special aspects of the family, and his mother's sudden words today were definitely not an accident, but rather she may have truly sensed that her time was coming to an end.

Five days after that day, Princess Lin'an's condition suddenly deteriorated rapidly. That day seemed to have taken away all her energy and spirit, and she fell into a deep coma.

After waking up from her coma, Princess Lin'an actually laughed. Li Mao was still out of town and had just sent a letter. Li Fang and Li Xianmu were both in the room. When they saw their mother wake up, they rushed to her bedside.

"Mother, how are you feeling?"

"The imperial physicians should have already told me about my health, right?" Princess Lin'an actually laughed. "This time, it's really not going to work."

"Mother……"

Princess Lin'an interrupted Li Fang, saying calmly, "It's just a matter of life and death. Everyone has to go through this day. There's no need to make a fuss. Your father admired Emperor Gaozu of Han's attitude towards life and death the most. You should learn from him."

“The sons have remembered.”

Is Mao'er on his way?

"Second brother is on his way. Judging by the time, he should arrive today."

"Okay, your mother will wait for him."

Princess Lin'an looked somewhat tired. As she spoke, someone walked in from outside and whispered, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince has arrived."

After the imperial physician left the mansion, he must have gone to the palace to report to the nobles, which is why His Highness the Crown Prince came in such a hurry.

"Please!"

As he spoke, Zhu Gaochi and his Crown Princess Zhang entered, and everyone in the room bowed to the three of them.

Zhu Gaochi first sighed and patted Li Xianmu on the shoulder, everything was understood without words.

"His Royal Highness."

Zhu Gaochi then bowed to Princess Lin'an and said, "Greetings, Aunt."

"Your Highness, there is no need for such formalities."

Zhu Gaochi stepped forward and sat down in front of the sickbed, took Princess Lin'an's hand, and said in a low voice, "Aunt, Father Emperor asked me to tell you to take good care of your health. This is a thousand-year-old ginseng king that Father Emperor took out from the national treasury. He will have it boiled into a soup later, and it will surely help you recover your health."

"I'm sorry to have troubled you, Your Majesty," Princess Lin'an replied weakly.

In March of this year, Zhu Di launched his third northern expedition. At that time, Princess Lin'an was in good health. However, in May, Princess Lin'an fell ill and her condition did not improve. In June, Zhu Gaochi mentioned her in a letter. Zhu Di cherished his younger sister, Princess Lin'an, and immediately replied that he would bestow upon her a thousand-year-old ginseng king.

Zhu Di probably didn't expect that Princess Lin'an's health would suddenly deteriorate. However, another month had passed, and the army had long since penetrated deep into the grasslands to pursue the fleeing enemy. Now, it was impossible to send a message.

Zhu Gaochi had a premonition that his aunt might not be able to hold on before his father returned.

If my father knew about this, he would surely be extremely grieved.

Zhu Gaochi sat for a while longer, and then Li Mao finally returned. Knowing that the Li family had something to say, he got up to take his leave.

Li Xianmu escorted the Crown Prince out of the mansion.

Zhu Gaochi stopped in front of the mansion gate and patted Li Xianmu on the shoulder again. "Mingda, life and death are predestined and wealth and honor are determined by fate. Your aunt's matter is also a matter of fate. Take care of your health. This huge Li family still needs you to support it. You can't fall down."

Li Xianmu said in a deep voice with a slightly nasal tone, "Your Highness, rest assured, I know what I'm doing and will not delay important matters of the court."

Zhu Gaochi didn't say anything more. He turned around and got into the carriage with the Crown Princess Zhang, leaving the princess's residence. Li Xianmu turned around and went back to his residence, entering his mother's room. At this moment, the room was crowded with people, some sitting and some standing.

(End of this chapter)