Chonghua Palace
The night is as cool as water, and everything is silent. The evening breeze blows slowly. In the southeast corner of Tihe Hall, the trunks of the willow trees are wet. The green silk ribbons seem to be unable to bear the raindrops. They fall on the green bricks, making a clear clicking sound. , passed through the glass windows and reached the palace from a distance, making it increasingly quiet and unspeakable on a rainy night.
King Zhongshun, who was kneeling under the eaves of the corridor outside the hall, seemed to realize that something was wrong. He raised his drooped eyelids and stared at the bright light. He suddenly fell into the strange and quiet Tihe Hall. It seemed that every passing breath was felt by King Zhongshun. Days are like years.
In the palace, the Supreme Emperor opened his eyes slightly, staring at Emperor Chongping with his old and clear gaze, and said in a deep voice: "The matter is now at this point, the truth has come out, how do you think the emperor should deal with it?"
This is asking about Emperor Chongping's attitude.
Emperor Chongping's face was as dark as water, and he said in a cold voice: "This matter involves the safety of my father, Ji Yang, and my father can resolve it with just one word."
The Supreme Emperor was silent for a moment, then suddenly said: "Bring Chen Rong in! I want to ask him!"
King Zhongshun's real name is Chen Rong.
The eunuch gave an order and then ran out of the hall.
King Zhongshun was kneeling on the ground, anxiously waiting for any movement in the palace. Hearing what the eunuch said, he loudly said: "Father, my son and I have been wronged, wronged."
However, my voice was hoarse, weak, and I was short of breath. Just when I stood up, I hissed, and my knees and calves hurt like they were heartbreaking. They were so sore and numb that they were not my own.
Xu Guan shook his head and ordered: "You guys, help the prince go in."
Several young and strong eunuchs responded to the order and stepped forward to help King Zhongshun.
At this moment, Lao Wang was unable to stand very firmly, and was almost being held up by the prisoner's arms and thrust into the body and hall.
In the hall, the lights were bright and people gathered around. They all looked at King Zhongshun, whose face was ashen and almost unable to walk.
"Father, my son and I have been wronged, wronged." As soon as King Zhongshun entered the palace, he saw Emperor Chongping, the Supreme Emperor and others in front of the bright hall illuminated by candlelight, almost lying on the ground with their hands, crying.
"Unjustly accused?"
The Supreme Emperor sneered and said angrily: "Now that we have all the evidence, you are still here shouting about injustice? Chen Rong, have you lived as long as a dog?"
King Zhongshun was stiff, his face was pale, and he was about to open his mouth to defend himself.
"This is the incriminating evidence found from the secret room in your home! It's written in black and white, clearly!"
As he spoke, he threw the book in his hand to the ground and "swiped" it on the smooth floor tiles to King Zhongshun.
King Zhongshun raised his eyes and saw the blue-covered account book. His pupils shrank sharply and his heart instantly sank to the bottom. He walked a few steps on his knees and cried bitterly: "Father, Jia Heng's son and his ministers have long had a feud. This is his fault." I want to put my son and minister to death by using the agency to trap him! This book is fake! It’s fake! It must have been forged by Jia Heng’s son!”
Jia Heng frowned and ignored it. Gein's sophistry was so feeble at this moment that it was almost not worth refuting!
Princess Jinyang's beautiful jade face had a hint of frost covering her face. She glanced at the still quibbling King Zhongshun and felt cold in her heart.
With such rhetoric, everyone present must be fools, right?
Sure enough, Emperor Chongping shouted coldly, "Shut up!"
The middle-aged emperor's face was as iron as steel, and there was a lot of disappointment in his eyes. He said in a cold voice: "Even now, I'm still denying you! The person who supervised the construction of Gongling Mausoleum was you. Now that the mausoleum collapsed due to the earthquake, you are in charge of internal affairs." The staff of the government also personally identified you as being involved in the case, and the Jinyi Mansion even searched your home for evidence of incrimination. At this time, you just said that Ziyu framed you. Could it be that he could have prepared the books in advance to predict the future? Absolutely ridiculous! "
Even if he knelt down to beg for mercy, he would not be so disappointed. Now that his deeds have been exposed, he is still covering up his crimes and trying to pour dirty water on others, which shows that he has no repentance!
King Zhongshun: "..."
"Father, this is all done by the people below. I don't know about it. No matter how stupid I am, I don't dare to be on my father's auspicious soil..."
King Zhongshun became anxious and decided to change his direction.
"enough!"
The Supreme Emperor gave a deep shout, and the old and cold voice resounded throughout the palace, causing all the eunuchs to hang their heads. At the same time, all of King Zhongshun's words of recognition were blocked in their throats.
King Zhongshun had cold sweat on his forehead, his hands and feet were cold, and he looked at the emperor sitting on the Arhat bed in fear.
I heard an old, cold voice coming from the palace: "Chen Rong is greedy, despicable, arrogant, and ignorant. He was so stupid when he supervised the construction of the imperial mausoleum. Because of the death of Gongling mausoleum, the whole world was horrified. I sincerely say that there is no king, no father, no father." The loyal and unfilial person will be indignant by both humans and gods, and the punishment from heaven is deserved! Chen Rongyu is now dismissed as a spy, deposed as a commoner, and sent to Gongling Mausoleum to atone for his sins! The edict was issued and was widely heard by officials and people at home and abroad, so as to serve as a warning to others. Several vassals noticed his evil deeds. ,learn a lesson!"
The disciples who went to Gongling to build the mausoleum were punished with hard labor, and in cooperation with the jade spy, they were removed from the imperial family and demoted to common people. This almost completely deposed King Zhongshun.
As for the indignation of mankind and God, and the response of divine punishment, that is to say, the earthquake caused collapse. I really can't stand such unfaithful and unfilial people deceiving the superiors and subordinates. This also puts an end to some "prophecy" rumors.
Jia Heng listened to the Supreme Emperor's words of disposal and thought to himself, this emperor who has been in power for more than thirty years is very resolute.
And the treatment seems to be more severe than the seizing of titles and imprisonment that he wants.
If you seize the title and be imprisoned, you can still work as a pig in the palace, but the jade spy will be removed from the title and demoted to a commoner. He will have to go to Gongling Mausoleum and be punished with hard labor. At the age of King Zhongshun, he has to carry earth, wood and stones.
Dying in fear and panic is the final outcome.
In fact, as for expecting death, it is simply impossible.
Because generally speaking, unless there is a crime of treason, death will be given, and all will be killed.
But now, most of the people in the Zhongshun Prince's family do not eliminate the nobility, but their sons are reduced to the rank of county kings, and the other sons are reduced to the generals of the country.
This is called "special inheritance" in the Han Dynasty. If the inheritance is interrupted due to crime or death, the branch will be selected and downgraded to inherit the title.
However, these are the graces sent by Emperor Chongping to show that the emperor's grace is great and the clan harmony will at least be settled, or it will take three to five years.
When King Zhongshun heard that he was deposed as a commoner, he was shocked like a bolt from the blue. He was stunned on the spot. Then he reacted, raised his long beard, looked pale, his voice began to tremble, and said with tears: "Father, I know that I know Wrong, I know I was wrong, please have mercy..."
If he is deposed as a commoner, it is easy to be imprisoned, but now the general wants him to do hard labor?
Queen Mother Feng glanced at King Zhongshun, opened her mouth, and swallowed back her plea.
Playing tricks on the mausoleum matter has already touched the bottom line.
Emperor Chongping waved his hand, not wanting to hear King Zhongshun crying and repenting there, and signaled Dai Quan to take him down.
"Father, Your Majesty, brother, I..."
After several internal prisoners dragged King Zhongshun away, in the wind and rain outside, the sounds of begging for mercy gradually stopped being heard.
Empress Song's beautiful eyes narrowed, and her jade hands hidden under the cases clenched the handkerchief.
This brother was arrogant and domineering, and she actually didn't like him very much.
Princess Jinyang pursed her lips, her expression indifferent, and she couldn't help but glance at the boy in the python suit.
But he saw that the young man in the python suit had a calm face and a calm expression, completely unlike a young man who was younger than a weakling.
He thought to himself, it’s not like I wasted my time in vain.
Well, with this thought, I suddenly felt that it was a bit blasphemous to have such a thought in such a solemn and solemn palace, but my heart skipped a beat again.
For a while, the atmosphere in the hall was depressing, almost breathless.
Emperor Chongping looked gloomy for a moment, turned his cold eyes, looked at Jia Heng and Dai Quan, and said solemnly: "Jia Qing, Dai Quan, the Jinyi Mansion and the internal guards will investigate the corruption of this case thoroughly and prevent the rape from being committed outside the law. All officials involved in the case who are embezzling money will have their family assets confiscated to make up for the shortfall!"
Dai Quan quickly cupped his hands and said, "I obey the order."
Jia Heng also accepted the order.
The Supreme Emperor's disposition was a personal dethronement of King Zhongshun, but it did not mean that the Prince Zhongshun's palace had given up on other responsibilities, such as collecting property and filling the deficit, which would all be carried out later.
King Zhongshun has been in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for many years. For personal enjoyment, he has embezzled an unknown amount of government funds. Any shortfalls must be filled with the palace's property.
As for the officials from the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, I am afraid they will lose a lot of heads. After all, a vassal king has been deposed as a commoner.
After giving the order, Emperor Chongping had a look of tiredness on his face. It was obvious that he had been working hard all day, including earthquakes, investigating cases, and thinking about the court situation. His mind was a little tired. He waved his hand and said, "Go down and investigate." The case is over."
"Your Majesty, I retire." Jia Heng's face straightened and he accepted the order to retire.
As he spoke, Jia Heng strode out of Chonghua Palace.
At this time, the night was deep and cold, and the rainy night was cold. Jia Heng stood under the eaves in front of the Tihe Palace, looking up at the dark night in the palace. The palace lanterns hanging from the eaves illuminated the palace, and on the rainy night In the middle, it seems like a quiet picture scroll slowly unfolds.
The cold wind came slowly, which shocked Jia Heng's heart.
At this point, the fall of King Zhongshun was in vain, and all that was left was to eliminate evil and bring in the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
With this in mind, without any further delay, he walked towards the palace gate with a slightly brisk pace, guided by the two eunuchs.
However, just after leaving the corridor bridge of Tihe Hall, suddenly, a familiar call came from behind.
"Sir, stay."
Jia Heng was slightly surprised. He turned around and saw in the dim light, a girl with a graceful figure and delicate bones. She looked like a snow lotus standing on the top of an iceberg, cold and quiet.
Princess Xianning was wearing a long blue dress and holding an octagonal palace lantern in her hand. She was followed by two female officials. As she spoke, she came with slender steps. Under her bun with clouds and combed moonlight, her beautiful and beautiful face looked at the tranquility. In such a state, the bright eyes next to the tear mole are even more sparkling.
"Your Highness." Jia Heng's eyes couldn't help but soften a little. He looked at the girl, smiled and asked: "Your Highness, why don't you have dinner in the palace and come out together?"
"I'm not very hungry. The palace gate may be locked at the moment. I thought it would be inconvenient for my husband to go out, so I came to see him off." Princess Xianning's voice was as clear as water, and her cold voice was as gentle as water. But the sound is as clear as ice, and it has an indescribable strange charm.
Jia Heng nodded and said, "Well, Your Highness."
The two then walked along the covered bridge, holding umbrellas. At this time, the cool breeze blew and the leaves of the willow branches under the rockery in the distance danced.
"Is the injury on Sir's shoulder better?" Princess Xianning held a lantern to illuminate the road. The clear rain could be seen on the stone bridge. The vermilion palace lanterns near and far away looked like clusters of peach blossoms that bloom and wither.
Jia Heng smiled and said: "Your Majesty, I am thinking about you. After applying the medicinal wine, I feel much better now."
At this moment, my mind couldn't help but think of the touch of those jade hands gently kneading my shoulders.
"I just heard from Eunuch Dai that Mr. Dai has taken action with someone from the Ministry of Internal Affairs?" At the mention of medicinal wine, Princess Xianning's cheeks turned slightly red. Fortunately, Rushui's night was kind and understanding, covering up the girl's blushing face, and her clear voice had a hint of redness. Trembling, he said, "It sounds a bit dangerous."
This girl is not usually a good talker, and has zero emotional experience. Now walking with Jia Heng, she wants to say something, but she doesn't know where to start. She only has... clumsy concern.
Jia Heng said softly: "Actually, it's okay. There isn't much danger. I took advantage of people's unpreparedness and made a sneak attack. I killed him with the sword."
Princess Xianning's face was startled for a moment. She understood what Jia Heng meant and couldn't help laughing. Her eyes were full of stars and crescent moons, and she warned: "But sir, you still need to be more careful. As the saying goes, a son with a lot of money cannot sit down in the hall." .”
Jia Heng looked into the distance and sighed: "I am not the son of a rich man. All my honor and disgrace are given by the Holy One. I will go north to compete in the future. How can I hesitate because of the danger at this moment?"
Hearing this, Princess Xianning's heart trembled slightly, her clear eyes condensed, she looked at the young man and said, "Sir, you are truly a loyal and righteous man."
He was truly loyal to her father.
"I'm just eating your salary and sharing your worries." Jia Heng's voice was clear and upright, and the more understated he was, the more it made Princess Xianning and the following eunuchs feel an indescribable feeling of frustration.
Jia Heng added: "By the way, Your Highness was going to lead the troops on an expedition. If you have free time, you can go to the capital camp to observe the troops training."
"Is this...really?" Princess Xianning was looking at the young man's profile. When she heard this, she was quite surprised. She couldn't help but feel excited, and there was joy in her clear eyes.
Fortunately he still remembered what she said earlier.
Jia Heng nodded and said: "It's just that there is no war at this time. The Beijing camp is still training after eliminating the old and weak. Your Highness will take a casual look first."
Princess Xianning smiled and said: "Then I am looking forward to it. Where is sir? Do you often go to Beijing camp?"
"Of course, I will visit Beijing Camp regularly. If you are on the way, you can go together." Jia Heng raised his eyes and looked into the distance and said softly.
Princess Xianning nodded, her heart moved slightly, and she was in a trance for a moment, only to hear a "click" under her feet.
"Well, Your Highness, please keep an eye on the road. There is water on the ground." Jia Heng said softly and took Princess Xianning's arm.
It turned out that Princess Xianning was not paying attention and stepped into the standing water.
When Princess Xianning heard this, she was stunned for a moment, looked down at the water on the ground, frowned and said: "This..."
Looking at the frowning girl, Jia Heng couldn't help but laugh, and seemed to joke: "I don't pay attention when walking. I guess there is water in the shoes?"
Perhaps it was Jia Heng's chuckle that eased the girl's embarrassment, but this joke had a closeness to it. Princess Xianning's cold voice had a very rare hint of coquettishness, and said: "It's all my fault, sir, I have to talk about Jingying, so that's it." Lost my mind for a moment..."
Unlike those who are good at using beauty as a means to deal with straight men, coquettishness is just a conventional weapon in their arsenal. As a noblewoman of Tianhuang, Princess Xianning obviously does not need to use this. But exactly this time, her coquettishness changed from the past. More exciting.
Jia Heng gently let go of the girl's arm and smiled without saying a word.
Princess Xueyan of Xianning couldn't help but blush, and muttered: "There is some water in the shoes."
Jia Heng said softly: "Then go back and change later. The soaked shoes will be uncomfortable to wear."
This time it was the girl's turn to smile and say nothing, her eyes lowered and her heart filled with shame.
Maybe there are always scenes like that in life, where you suddenly go from a formulaic conversation to daily concerns, just like going from a straight, boring, flat and broad highway to a country road full of flowers and fields, villages and fields. It was during the bumps up and down, left and right, that my mood became more agitated. Even the plants, trees, bricks and tiles within my sight became vivid and bright during the winding journey.
Jia Heng said softly: "By the way, Your Highness Princess, you really don't need to call me husband all the time. You deserve it."
"I thanked you for your historical advice earlier. Please give me more advice in the future." Princess Xianning said softly.
This should be...a title unique to her, right?
Jia Heng nodded and said, "Then just follow His Highness."
Fortunately it's not... I'll give you more advice for the rest of my life.
While the two were talking, they had arrived at the palace gate.
Even though Princess Xianning deliberately slowed down her pace, she still arrived at the palace gate. Looking at the red lantern hanging in front of the palace gate in front of her, the girl inevitably felt a little disappointed.
"Your Highness, just send her here, I'm going back." Jia Heng paused slightly, turned to look at Princess Xianning, and said with gentle eyes.
Princess Xianning pursed her lips, handed over the octagonal palace lantern in her hand, and said softly: "Sir, hold the lantern for good lighting."
Jia Heng was startled for a moment, nodded, reached out to take the palace lantern that he had never received before, and left the palace gate without saying another word.
Princess Xianning watched the young man leave until she couldn't see the figure or the light anymore. The breeze came and blew a strand of hair on the girl's forehead. The hair swept over the tear mole at the corner of her eye and swayed her eyes. Only then did he come back to his thoughts.
"Your Highness, it's late at night, let's go back." The female officer Zhixia whispered from the side.
Princess Xianning sighed quietly and said "hmm" softly.
He walked towards the palace, but as soon as he arrived at the harem, he raised his eyes and saw the eldest princess of Jinyang. She felt weak and said in surprise: "Auntie, you have had dinner."
The eldest princess of Jinyang looked at the girl, her beautiful eyes were shining, and she smiled and said: "Xianning, did you just send Jia Ziyu out?"
Princess Xianning gave a soft "hmm" and asked: "Aunt, have the emperor, the queen, the emperor, and the emperor finished their meal?"
"I've all gone back now. It's a mess inside and out. I'm a little tired. I'm going back to rest."
"Where's aunt?"
"I plan to chat with your royal grandmother for a while, and I won't go back tonight. By the way, Chanyue is at your place, right?" Princess Jinyang asked.
Princess Xianning said: "Sister Chanyue went to sit with the mother and concubine for a while. She should be back by now."
The eldest princess of Jinyang smiled and said: "You sisters usually have a lot to say to each other, let her stay with you for a few more days."
She knew exactly what Xian Ning was thinking. Should she think of a way to stop her thoughts?
"Chanyue said that there are many rules in the palace and it's a bit boring. Why don't I go stay with my aunt for a few days." Princess Xianning said clearly.
Princess Jinyang: "???"
After thinking for a while, he said softly: "I have been a little busy these days. Just now your father asked me to keep an eye on the business of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and help check the account books. I will be busy with this matter these days."
When Princess Xianning heard this, her heart moved slightly, she nodded and said, "That's fine too."
After all, she was...later, and it was better not to mention some things clearly.
…
…
(End of chapter)
