White Hair

Jiankang, Palace of Earthly Tranquility.

Renzong had been dead for several decades, but the Crown Prince had never ascended the throne. The Empress, therefore, remained in the Palace of Earthly Tranquility as the Empress.

Officials, nobles, and palace ladies all still addressed her as Empress, as if the past few decades had been nothing more than a long, silent wait.

The scene outside Palace of Earthly Tranquility today is different from usual.

Outside the palace gates, Crown Prince Zhu Ji stood ramrod straight, dressed in mourning clothes, his face solemn. The wind rustled the coarse hemp sash around his waist, making his already gaunt face appear even paler.

A moment later, a female official stepped out of the palace, approached Zhu Ji, and curtsied.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Zhu Ji remained silent, as if he had not heard.

The lady-in-waiting paused, remembering the Empress's instructions, then stepped aside to let them pass through the palace gate, and said softly:

"Her Majesty the Empress invites you in."

Zhu Ji then nodded slightly and stepped into the palace gate.

Inside Palace of Earthly Tranquility, the furnishings remained the same, but it was much quieter than Zhu Ji remembered. There was no incense burning or ceremonial guards in the hall, only a solitary lamp on the table, its flame as small as a bean, illuminating the hall in a dim light.

The Empress sat upright in the main seat, dressed in plain clothes and without makeup.

Zhu Ji bowed his head and walked into the hall, stopping about seven steps away from the Empress. He straightened his clothes, knelt on both knees, and performed a very solemn kowtow, his forehead touching the ground, remaining there for a long time.

The hall was completely silent, with only the crackling of the lamplight.

The queen remained silent.

Zhu Ji knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed against the cold gold bricks, never raising his head.

After a long silence, the Empress finally spoke, her voice so calm that no emotion could be discerned:

Get up.

Zhu Ji then raised his head.

The moment He looked up, His gaze fell on the Queen's face, and He froze instantly.

The Empress sat regally on the main seat, her face still serene and beautiful, but her once jet-black hair had now turned completely silver, so white it was dazzling and heart-wrenching. Her white hair was neatly tied back with a single plain silver hairpin, so simple and unadorned, yet more poignant than any jewels or precious stones.

Zhu Ji stared blankly at his mother's white hair, his throat tightened, and his lips moved a few times, but he couldn't utter a single word.

After all, Mother was Golden Core True Lord, living as long as Heaven and Earth, and sharing the same age as the Sun and Moon. Her appearance, her hair, and the spiritual energy flowing around her should have remained unchanged since time immemorial, like the stars in the sky, eternal and unshakable.

But at this moment, that head of white hair...

The next moment, He collapsed to the ground, his shoulders trembling violently, his sobs muffled:

"Mother... Your son is unfilial... Your son is unfilial... I failed to be there for Father in his final moments..."

He kowtowed heavily. But now he was Heavenly Immortal among the Loose Immortal immortals, his physical body as solid as metal and stone. When his forehead touched the ground, the gold bricks shattered inch by inch, yet his forehead only flushed slightly.

The Empress did not respond.

He simply watched his son, who was prostrate on the ground weeping, his eyes swirling with something indescribable, but he neither rose nor reached out to help him up.

Only when Zhu Ji's sobs gradually subsided did He slowly speak, His voice still very faint:

Do you know why the coarsest raw linen is used for the mourning ceremony?

Zhu Ji raised his head, his face streaked with tears, his voice hoarse:

"Your subject understands. The most severe mourning garment is made of the coarsest raw hemp cloth, with unstitched edges, to express extreme grief."

The Empress nodded:

"One term of mourning lasts three years, which is actually twenty-seven months. You've been in Qingzhou for sixty years. But your father, the Emperor, didn't live to see you return."

Zhu Ji trembled and was about to prostrate himself again.

The Empress raised her hand, stopping him.

"Stand up and speak."

Zhu Ji as instructed, stood with his hands at his sides, and dared not look directly at the Empress.

The Empress was silent for a moment, then suddenly said:

"On the night your father passed away, Taizong appeared."

Zhu Ji stiffened slightly upon hearing this.

After returning to Jiankang, He went straight to the Palace of Heavenly Purity. In the main hall, the Emperor's body lay quietly in the coffin, his face lifelike, his whole body shrouded in a very faint Human Dao radiance. That radiance was bright but not dazzling, fixing the Emperor's disintegrating body in place.

He was immediately shaken.

He had seen that radiance when he was young; it was the radiance of his grandfather's Human Dao Attainment Position.

After a moment of silence, He whispered:

"Mother, regarding the relationship between my grandfather and father... I was far away in Qingzhou and truly knew nothing. However, after returning to the capital, Palace of Heavenly Purity to see my father's physical body. Although his body had disintegrated, it was held in place by a layer of Human Dao radiance. That radiance... I recognized it; it was my grandfather's. As for anything else... I dare not presume to know."

The Empress withdrew her gaze and fixed it on Zhu Ji's face, looking at him for a long time.

There was no anger or blame in his gaze, only a bottomless weariness.

"I dare not presume to speculate..." He repeated these four words, the corners of his lips curving almost imperceptibly, but the curve contained no smile, only coldness.

"You've clearly been in Qingzhou for too long."

He did not continue the topic.

The hall was silent for a moment. The Empress picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and then spoke again, her tone even more subdued than before, as if she were discussing a very ordinary matter of state:

"When the late emperor was alive, he ordered the Grand Secretariat to send people to monitor the two kings of Han and Zhao. You have been in Qingzhou for decades. Do you know anything about the Prince of Han in Qingzhou?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ji's expression turned solemn, and he cupped his hands in greeting, saying:

"Your Majesty, the Prince of Han is in Qingzhou. He appears respectful, but in reality, he harbors great ambitions. During my years in Qingzhou, although I have not openly clashed with him, I have been secretly monitoring him. At present, although the Prince of Han has rebellious intentions, he has not yet made any substantial moves. As for the Prince of Zhao, he is far away in the Central Plains, so I do not know anything about him."

The Empress nodded and asked no further questions.

He gently set down the teacup and suddenly said:

"Has the Imperial Observatory chosen an auspicious time for the coronation?"

Zhu Ji replied:

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Observatory Bureau reports that the twelfth day of the sixth month next year, the year of Gui Mao, is auspicious for the Emperor to ascend the throne. Your Majesty, I have already ordered the Ministry of Rites to prepare the enthronement ceremony, and now we await Your Majesty's instructions."

After listening, the Empress remained silent for a moment before slowly saying:

"The twelfth day of the sixth month of the year Gui Mao is an auspicious day."

Seeing that his mother's expression had softened slightly, Zhu Ji pondered for a moment before solemnly speaking:

"Mother, I have another matter I would like to ask for your instructions."

The Empress raised her eyes and glanced at him.

Zhu Ji said, "When my father was alive, he posthumously conferred upon my maternal grandfather the title of Duke of Marquis of Xuancheng and my maternal uncle the title of Marquis of Xuancheng Duke of Xuancheng. Now that I have ascended the throne, I intend to promote my maternal uncle from Duke of Xuancheng, and also add the posthumous title of 'Zhongwu' to my maternal grandfather. My maternal uncle's eldest son will be the heir apparent of the Duke of Xuancheng, and his second son will inherit the position of Vice Commander of the Brocade Guard, a hereditary title. I wonder what Mother Empress thinks?"

After hearing this, the Empress remained silent for a long time.

"No need." He spoke slowly, his voice calm and soft, yet carrying an undeniable resolve. "Your father posthumously conferred upon your maternal grandfather the title of Duke of Xuancheng and upon your maternal uncle the title of Marquis of Xuancheng, which was already an excessive favor. Your maternal grandfather lived a simple life, never seeking vanity; your maternal uncle never held office, spending his entire life guarding his hometown. A marquisate was already a divine favor. Now that you have ascended the throne, the conferment of titles upon your maternal relatives should follow the established practice, and a marquisate is sufficient. A duke is too high; anything higher would be more of a curse than a blessing."

"Your Majesty's teachings have been remembered." He bowed deeply. "Then we shall do as Your Majesty wishes."

The Empress nodded and did not say anything more about the topic.

He stood up, walked to the temple door, looked at the gray sky outside, and said in a low voice:

"Your father reigned for eight thousand years, but he passed away too soon. The hearts of the people in the court are still unsettled; the flames of war have not yet died down in Nanzhao and the Southern Frontier. Your first task after ascending the throne is to stabilize the court and not to rashly resort to force. We should wait until the matter of Nanzhao is settled before making any further plans."

Zhu Ji bowed and said, "Your subject will remember Your Majesty's teachings."

The Empress did not turn around, but simply waved her hand gently.

"Go. There are still many things to prepare before the coronation ceremony."

Zhu Ji watched his mother's retreating figure; her white hair stood out starkly against her plain clothes.

He opened his mouth, but ultimately knelt down again, and whispered:

"Mother, although Father has passed away, your son is still here. After I ascend the throne, I will certainly abide by Father's last teachings, govern the country with benevolence, and serve you with filial piety. If Mother has any instructions, your son will obey them without question."

The Empress did not turn around, but simply waved her hand gently.

Zhu Ji bowed deeply and withdrew from Palace of Earthly Tranquility.

The palace doors slowly closed behind them.

The Empress remained standing by the door, gazing at the gray sky outside the palace, motionless for a long time.

White hair fluttered gently in the wind, like the last clump of withered reeds on the plain after the first frost of late autumn.

There is a word cloud:

Eight thousand years of empire history remain unchanged, yet one day the crane departs to heaven.

Looking out over Qingzhou Road, the air is cold.

Twenty-seven months into mourning, white hair before a solitary lamp.

The three leaders, having calculated every secret of heaven;

Emperor Taizong had unspeakable thoughts on his mind.

The Han and Zhao dynasties were separated by barriers; the Imperial Observatory recorded the year Gui Mao; the new emperor will ascend the throne tomorrow.

When will Mother return?

Only white hair remains, filling the hall with the wind.