Another year of the Spring and Autumn Annals has passed.
After entering spring, the capital barely warmed up, but it wasn’t long before it started to rain. These days, it has been continuously drizzling, making the finally warming weather cold and gloomy again.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the Prince Dai Mansion is even more chilling than the weather.
The Princess Consort Dai is dying.
Last year, the Princess Consort Dai finally gave birth to the firstborn son of Prince Dai. She had a difficult labor and almost died with the child, but fortunately, both she and the child survived due to their great fortune. However, since then, the Princess Consort Dai’s health has been very weak.
After giving birth, the Princess Consort Dai has been bedridden. In an effort to help her recover, Prince Dai invited numerous doctors to nurse her back to health, but it had no effect. Later, Prince Dai beseeched the Emperor to arrange for the Divine Doctor from the Xie family to diagnose the Princess Consort Dai.
The Emperor, knowing Prince Dai’s character well, understood that he would never have requested the Divine Doctor from the Xie family unless he was at his wit’s end.
With the Emperor’s decree issued, Duke Zhen did not dare to disobey and obediently arranged for the Xie family’s Divine Doctor to diagnose the Princess Consort Dai.
After feeling the Princess Consort Dai’s pulse, the Divine Doctor told Prince Dai that due to her previous difficult labor, her body was completely damaged, beyond the help of medicine, and even immortals could not save her. He advised Prince Dai to prepare for her funeral.
Prince Dai, of course, couldn’t accept this outcome, but since all the doctors said the same thing, he had no choice but to accept.
The Princess Consort Dai understood her own condition and knew after giving birth to her son that she didn’t have much time left. She had lived this long by relying on ginseng to sustain her life. Now, her body was like withered wood, and no matter how precious the ginseng or other medicinal materials, they couldn’t save her life.
Knowing her end was near, the Princess Consort Dai deliberately bathed, changed her clothes, and put on exquisite makeup.
Since falling ill after childbirth, not only did the Princess Consort Dai’s health deteriorate, but her complexion also grew increasingly lifeless. Once she saw herself in the mirror and could not believe it was her, for the reflection looked as terrifying as a ghost. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novᴇlfire.net
The Princess Consort Dai leaned against the bed, and her spirits and complexion suddenly improved greatly. With the addition of her exquisite makeup, she seemed to have returned to the days before her illness.
Prince Dai sat by the bed, holding the Princess Consort Dai’s hand with both of his. His eyes were red and filled with tears as he looked at her.
The Princess Consort Dai was Prince Dai’s cousin. The two had grown up together and were very close. In Prince Dai’s heart, the Princess Consort Dai was extremely important. Not only because she was his childhood sweetheart, but also because she was wise and virtuous. Over the years, she had always aided him with suggestions and helped him solve many problems.
"Cousin, in the future, you must take good care of yourself and our son." The Princess Consort Dai did not regret giving birth to Prince Dai’s child, nor did she regret losing her life for it.
Prince Dai held her hand tightly, his eyes full of sorrow and reluctance. His voice choked, "Princess..."
The Princess Consort Dai reached out and touched Prince Dai’s face, her eyes also full of unwillingness to part.
"Cousin, the happiest thing in my life was marrying you..." she said, as the light in her eyes slowly dimmed, her voice becoming increasingly weak. She spoke of their childhood, their early marriage days, and... she talked about many things.
Prince Dai listened quietly, tears streaming down his face.
Just then, a clap of thunder sounded outside, and a bolt of lightning tore through the overcast sky.
The Princess Consort Dai knew her time had come. Before leaving, she used her last ounce of strength to grip Prince Dai’s hand and gasped, "Cousin, you must take care of our son and never let him suffer any grievances..."
"Cousin, if you cannot care for our son, send him into the palace and ask my mother to care for him," she gasped, exerting all her strength. "Cousin, think thrice before you act in the future, and consult my mother... and Consort... after all, she is of the Wang Family... do not be deceived by her... you must keep an eye on her..." Just as she finished speaking, the Princess Consort Dai closed her eyes and breathed her last.
"Princess! Princess! Princess!"
The rain poured heavily outside, and inside, Prince Dai cried out loudly for the Princess Consort Dai.
Soon, the palace received the news of the Princess Consort Dai’s demise.
The eighth prince in Xingde Palace naturally received this news as well.
"So this Princess Consort Dai has finally died," Yu Hai said. "She was truly lucky to live an entire year longer." Under normal circumstances, she should have died during childbirth, but she had miraculously pulled through and lived an extra year.