And just as Yu Qingyi and her party were hurrying toward the Capital, inside the Imperial City of the Capital, Emperor Chengping also received Yang Zhengshan's memorial and the items he had sent.
The current Emperor Chengping almost no longer concerned himself with affairs of court. Though his body had not yet reached the point of being at the end of one's life, it was not far off.
He spent most of each day in a drowsy haze, with only a little over an hour when he was awake and clear-headed. His hands and feet no longer obeyed him, and he could not even walk on his own.
Birth, aging, sickness, and death were the common lot of mankind. Even if you were the Son of Heaven, before birth, aging, sickness, and death, you were nothing but a grain in the vast sea—small and powerless.
The wheel of life rolled ever forward. No one could halt its steps, and no one could evade its cycle.
At this moment, Emperor Chengping had just woken from his afternoon nap. It was the time of day when his spirits were at their best.
Eunuch Chen entered the bedchamber with several young eunuchs carrying a few boxes.
"Your Majesty!" he called softly.
"Mm!" Emperor Chengping lifted himself slightly and leaned against the soft couch. Looking at the Lotus Seed Porridge on the table before him, he shook his head faintly and said in a weak voice, "Take it away. We have no appetite!"
Eunuch Chen did not force him. He gave the young eunuch beside him a look, and the young eunuch immediately stepped forward, bowed, and carried the Lotus Seed Porridge away.
"Your Majesty, Marquis of Jing'an sent two things from Chongshan Town. This old servant thought they were quite good, so I