Kunning Palace, inner hall
Queen Song was sitting on a cloud bed covered with soft mattresses, talking to Princess Yan Yiliu of Wei who had accompanied King Wei to the palace to pay his respects.
The granddaughter of Princess Nan'an, with beautiful appearance and heroic temperament, looked at Empress Song opposite with a smile on her face.
"Your Highness, Your Majesty the King of Wei is here." Xia Shouzhong, the eunuch of the Sixth Palace, held a fly whisk and white-soled official boots with gangster auspicious cloud patterns, stepped across the threshold, and quickly entered the inner hall, a high-pitched voice sounded.
Empress Song smiled gently, turned to look at the female officer and said, "Qingsuo, lead Princess Wei to see Concubine Rong." The female officer Qingsuo responded in a low voice, then walked lightly to Yan Yiliu and said : "Princess, come with your servant."
Yan Yiliu nodded and responded, his thoughts a little complicated.
Although my mother-in-law is gentle, she has had a lot of advice just now.
Not long after, the King of Wei entered the palace. A young man in a python robe with a handsome face looked panic-stricken. He greeted him with a great ceremony and said, "My son, I have seen my mother."
"Get up." Empress Song turned to look at King Wei who was kneeling on the ground. Her eyes fell on the slightly lost young face and asked, "Have you met your father?"
The father did not see his son. "When King Wei mentioned this, a trace of fear inevitably surged deep in his eyes.
The Empress of Song Dynasty had a graceful appearance, but she was not surprised. She was silent for a moment and winked at Xia Shouzhong.
Xia Shouzhong greeted, and all the maids and eunuchs in the palace retreated. For a while, only the mother and son were left in the palace.
Empress Song said: "There is a commotion in Beijing now. What is going on? Did you and your uncle find someone to cause trouble?"
"My mother, my son and I don't know about it either. I don't know Yu Shishou, who was the first to leave the Hanlin Academy." The king of Wei looked pale and shouted Qu Dao.
Empress Song's dark eyebrows condensed, her beautiful eyes showed thoughts, and she asked: "Then who is making the noise these days? Do you know how depressed your father has been in the past two days?"
Of course she believed what her brother and son said, so instead of Ran'er Shangshu, could she be a stupid young man from the Hanlin Academy who really cares about the safety of the country?
King Wei said softly: "My uncle said that someone is causing trouble secretly, and it's just the two families on the left and right."
Because Song Jing is a foreigner, it is difficult for him to enter the palace, especially at such a sensitive time. Even to avoid suspicion, he cannot enter the palace. Therefore, the uncle and nephew have private discussions about the recent turmoil, and they can only use the words of King Wei. Let the Queen of Song know what you have.
Empress Song's beautiful eyebrows were curved, her beautiful eyes filled with hope, and she said, "They have all gone to Weinan recently to be busy with the imperial mausoleum."
The King of Wei said in a low voice: "Mother, my uncle said that this is just a trick to deceive the bell. The order of the Hanlin Shang Shu does not require their personal deployment. Besides, the King of Chu has been in the capital these days, and the Shang Shu leader advocated the establishment of an heir. He is from the Hanlin Academy, and the bachelor of the Hanlin Academy is Liu Zheng. I don’t believe that there is no connection at all.”
Queen Song's phoenix eyes flashed and she asked, "Ran'er, do you have any evidence for what you say?"
The King of Wei shook his head and said: "How can such a thing be proven without torture? Now that the public opinion among the courtiers is rising, even my father is not in a position to be imprisoned."
Queen Song glanced at King Wei and said coldly: "Your uncle found those censors behind, right?" When mentioning this matter, King Wei hesitated and looked away.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he and his uncle couldn't ignore it.
Queen Song's beautiful face suddenly changed, her beautiful eyes were faint, and she scolded: "You are confused!" "Mother, son, minister..." King Wei's face changed slightly, and he muttered.
Seeing that her son didn't understand the connection, Empress Song said in a quiet voice: "No matter how others plot, you must remain calm. As long as the queen mother and your aunt are in the palace for a day, no one can touch you."
If she wants to replace someone else, she and her sister will be the first to be eliminated. Although she is worried about the uncertainty of the Eastern Palace, she cannot be anxious at this time. Moreover, she has been thinking about His Majesty's previous worries recently. To a certain extent, setting a reserve position early may give you peace of mind, but it can also easily be viewed as a target.
King Wei said: "Mother, this opportunity is once in a lifetime."
Empress Song's jade-faced Wanshuang said softly: "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? It's not like you don't know your father's temper. Do you know how angry your father is because of the turmoil surrounding the throne? I won't come to Kunning Palace these days. Don’t go to your aunt’s Funing Palace for dinner. Tell me, when you went to say hello just now, what did your father say?”
As the emperor's bedfellow, she knew her husband's temperament better than anyone else. She lamented more than once that Longzhi's struggle in seizing the throne was because he established the heir too early, which instead attracted all the royal parties to fight against each other. She didn't know how many important events in the country had been missed, so she waited and watched. The conduct of the disciples.
King Wei also realized the seriousness of the problem at this time, and in a loud voice, he told about the previous experience outside the study room in the Daming Palace, with a look of lingering fear still on his face.
Empress Song's delicate face showed a layer of worry, and she sighed quietly: "You are already angry, haven't you seen it yet?"
There is no need for formulaic greetings, just pointing at the nose and scolding, "I'm not dead yet!"
"Mother, my son heard this, but what should he do?" King Wei was also panicked now and said anxiously.
Empress Song said softly: "You go back and do your errands properly. You and your uncle have been more peaceful recently. Don't pay attention to this matter anymore. Your father is as wise as the ocean and will not be deceived by others. Besides, the queen mother always feels that there is something hidden in it." Making plans."
The swords, swords, shadows, and intrigues of Longzhi's dynasty were even more impressive than these. His Majesty's journey through dangers and great treasures were beyond the control of these young men.
Come to think of it, I don't know if I have other plans.
Xu is luring the snake out of its hole in order to lure out the sneaky person behind it.
King Wei's expression paused slightly and he said no more, "Then, Queen Mother, I will take my leave."
Empress Song frowned and said, "Your daughter-in-law is still with your aunt, why are you leaving in such a hurry?" After all, this child is still young, but now he is in such a mess that he has even abandoned his wife.
King Wei reacted and said, "Yes, Queen Mother." After saying that, he left Kunning Palace.
After King Wei left, Queen Song's face was filled with worry and she sighed softly.
The two children of her family were not very stable, and they were older than Jia Ziyu, but... Thinking of Jia Ziyu, Empress Song lost her sight, her heart palpitated, and she quickly came back to her senses.
She is really suffering from a demonic disease. Why do she keep thinking of the scene when His Majesty fainted that day? -
--
Prince Chu's Mansion, in the study room in the backyard————
The King of Chu, the Chief of the Palace Shi Fengci, the Chief Registrar Liao Xian, the Princess of Chu Zhen Qing, and the Concubine Liu gathered together to discuss the turmoil over the establishment of a direct descendant that had been raging in Beijing these days.
The King of Chu looked ugly, looked at Feng Ci who was sitting not far away, and asked: "Mr. Feng, what is going on?"
In the past few days, he felt as if he had eaten flies. He obviously noticed some officials in the capital and looked at him in a strange way. Feng Ci asked: "Your Majesty, how are you doing at the Hanlin Academy?"
"Gu Rang Concubine Liu asked her father-in-law, but he didn't know." King Chu said, turning to look at a beauty sitting not far away, and said, "Concubine Liu is here too."
Concubine Liu is wearing a lotus-colored dress. She is a young woman in her 23s and 24s. She has an oval face, a beautiful face, and a graceful manner. There is a bookish air lingering between Wen Ning's brows and eyes. Her pink lips are slightly parted and her voice is soft. Qing Rouju said: "Your Highness, it is true that the Hanlin editor is my father's student, but my father has been two deputy examiners and one chief examiner. There are many students in the Hanlin Academy. I usually don't pay much attention to this Yu Shishou. I don't know who he associates with. Too dense."
Liao Xian's eyes were lost in thought, and he whispered: "Is it really true that the noble people in the Han Dynasty are honest and outspoken, doing things for the sake of national affairs?" This is not impossible. People who read the books of sages may have their blood boiling up.
Feng Ci said coldly: "Your Majesty, I sent someone to investigate. Master Yu was awarded Jinshi at the age of thirty-five. Now he is thirty-six. He has wasted five years in the Hanlin Academy. He has an old mother and a wife and children. Because of his salary, It's meager, and I'm still renting a house in the city of Shenjing. It doesn't sound like I'm being honest and forthright."
How could these old Hanlin officials be so hot-headed that they were willing to take risks for the sake of fame when they were about to be wiped out by the officialdom?
"Perhaps it is because of this festival that he wants to gain a good reputation and seek a future. Now his name is being spread throughout the capital, and he has become a member of the imperial court.
The important officials in the hall paid attention. "Liao Xian frowned and said thoughtfully.
Zhen Qing's crystal-clear jade face was as if covered with clear frost. Under the willow leaves' slender eyebrows, her phoenix eyes were clear and she said, "My lord, I'm afraid this is unusual. I guess there must be someone here secretly playing tricks on her."
When King Chu heard this, he looked at Zhen Qing expectantly and asked, "Who do you think the princess is?"
His own princess is his virtuous wife, who often comes up with clever ideas, and he usually relies on her for advice. "Your Majesty, my guess is that I am the boss, Prince Qi!" Zhen Qing said quietly with her bright eyes flashing coldly.
As soon as these words came out, everyone in the study was shocked and looked at each other.
If Prince Qi were here, he would definitely exclaim that he finally figured out a way and Princess Chu Zhen Qing saw through it at a glance. Because Zhen Qing knew that her family didn’t do it, so who else could it be?
In addition to the King of Wei, there is also the King of Qi. The King of Wei has certain suspicions, but when there was such a movement just after the opening of the palace, I am afraid that the more likely ones are the King of Qi.
The King of Chu was silent for a moment, then hesitantly said: "Is it possible that the King of Wei and the Song family thought that the opportunity was once in a lifetime and couldn't hold it back."
"I guess he is the boss. Apart from him, there will be no other person." Zhen Qing said coldly, very confidently. King Chu: "..."
Zhen Qing explained: "Otherwise, among the three clans, this matter only involves the King of Wei and the prince, but only the Prince of Qi County is immune? Something is wrong."
The King of Chu frowned and asked in confusion: "But what does he want? If the father wants to make King Wei's younger brother his heir, wouldn't he be drawing water from a bamboo basket but in vain?"
Zhen Qing said coldly: "If my father wanted to establish the King of Wei, he would have done so long ago, and he would not have waited until today. So now the boss is making trouble like this, just to fish in troubled waters, frame the blame, frame the prince, and make the father think My lord, I want to roast King Wei on the fire."
Liao Xian's eyes lit up, he nodded, and agreed: "My lord, what the princess said is not unreasonable. The emperor has been in the imperial court for many years and has not established a heir for a long time. He originally wanted to observe the conduct of the kings, but the behavior of the king of Qi County is frivolous and absurd." , as far as the court knew, this was the reason why he was demoted to a county prince, and the prince of Qi was unwilling to do so, so he wanted to sow discord between the prince and the king of Wei. Suspicion, the Holy One is suspicious of the prince and the King of Wei, and the King of Qi County is reaping the benefits."
"But with such a huge momentum, Prince Qi has been staying in Weinan for the past few days. It doesn't seem like he was the one who caused the noise. Is it possible that King Wei was responsible for it?" There was a look of thought on King Chu's face. , said with a frown.
In the past few days, many courtiers have submitted memorials. It is impossible to say that they were all instigated by the King of Qi County.
Liao Xian shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, my official guessed that it was probably the King of Wei who saw the courtiers following Shangshu, so he took the opportunity to find someone to take advantage of the situation. However, he did not expect that the Holy Lord's intention was very strong, and he hit a snag, so he disappeared this morning. The matter of King Wei."
Perhaps driven by a secret force, the news that King Wei was reprimanded by Emperor Chongping had already spread.
The King of Chu pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Mr. Liao's words are not unreasonable. This is probably the reason. But will my father suspect that I am trying to drive a wedge between my own flesh and blood? Should I go to the palace to defend myself?"
"Your Majesty, you don't need to identify yourself, otherwise the description will get darker and darker." Liao Xian reminded.
Zhen Qing said softly: "What Liao Changshi said is true. Every movement is worse than silence. My father is bound to anger the prince. The prince will suffer the loss of being mute first."
Concubine Liu, who was not far away, was listening to several people talking about the situation of the court, with a look of embarrassment in her gentle and caring eyebrows. Just listening to the scheming of the people in the court, she felt like... Sleepy.
It is said that King Chen Qin of Chu and Concubine Liu met at a poetry meeting. Young ladies like Concubine Liu were not very interested in these things.
The King of Chu pondered for a moment and said, "But after this incident, it is not completely useless. At least my father's thoughts are clearer and he has no intention of establishing an heir."
"Your Majesty, there is no need to worry too much. If there is such a big fuss now, the Holy One will definitely send someone to investigate. Then the truth will come to light. It will be clear at a glance who is cheating and who is loyal!" Feng Ci said.
Zhen Qing said softly: "Compared to the eldest brother, King Wei is the direct descendant. The prince has no advantage because he can't rely on both sides. It can be said that he least wants to expose the direct inheritance. With the depth of my father's mind, as long as he thinks carefully about it, Therefore, there should be no doubt that the king
On my head. "
Feng Ci nodded and said: "What the princess said is reasonable. Your Majesty knows everything. If the prince is not involved, he will not be deceived."
The King of Chu nodded and sighed: "The tree wants to be quiet but the wind is not stopping. I just want to live a good life and go about my business and share my father's worries, but there are people who are pushing me."
After a few sighs, the King of Chu sent away Liao Xian, Feng Ci, and Concubine Liu.
After everyone left, King Chu picked up the tea cup, took a sip of tea and asked, "The princess often goes to Jia's house these days. How is their house?"
"Fortunately, I told the prince before that the Nan'an family is arrogant, and the Jia family does not have much to deal with the Nan'an family now." Zhen Qing's face was slightly beautiful, and she said: "But it is convenient for me to go to the Jia family often, so I can only let my second sister go there. , don’t let the friendship fade away.”
King Chu nodded and said warmly: "It's even more inconvenient for me to go to Jia's house. You and your second sister frequently go to Jia's house. Not to mention how good of a friendship you have built, at least you can't let Jia's side stand against King Wei. If you and your second sister are not helping each other, That's good, he is a member of the Emperor Father, he only recognizes the Emperor Father in his eyes, and now he is leading the troops to put down the rebellion. Talents like this from Zhuguo will be indispensable even for me in the future."
Zhen Qing said softly: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will make sure that there is no rift between him and Your Majesty."
She has her own plan for this matter. Once Jia Heng returns to Beijing, she will look for opportunities to take advantage of Jia Heng.
At this point, the King of Chu looked solemn, lowered his voice, and asked, "Have you heard about the news in Xianning?"
Zhen Qing nodded and said comfortingly: "My lord, there is no need to worry. Jia Ziyu already has a wife. This matter is extremely difficult. To say the least, even if the father really granted the marriage, Jia Ziyu would not turn to King Wei. Instead, keep a distance from King Wei, otherwise, where would you leave your father?"
However, when that time comes, it will be difficult to handle, so we still need to hold on to Jia Ziyu's... handle.
King Chu frowned and whispered, "That's the truth. Otherwise, if Jingying and Jinyi all fall to King Wei, the incident in Chonghua Palace will happen again."
This is why he no longer hopes to bring Jia Ziyu to his side. Jia Heng's identity is destined to be unable to support anyone clearly.
--Ningrong Street, Rongguo Mansion
After six or seven days, the good news that Jia Heng was granted the title of Yong Ning Bo gradually dissipated, and the family letters from the Central Plains finally arrived in Rong and Ning Mansion.
Because after all Jing Jing was not a military intelligence report, nor was it a memorial to the imperial court, and Jia Heng was not good at pretending to be a public servant, so he could not travel six hundred miles to deliver it urgently. Instead, he sent the capable people in Jinyi Mansion to deliver it to the manor.
At this moment, in the corridor of Rongguo Mansion, Ping'er was wearing a lotus-colored dress and holding a few letters in his hand. He quickly came to Daiyu's courtyard and looked at Zicuckoo who was carrying a wooden basin and a towel coming from the Moon Gate. , smiled and said: "Miss Zicuckoo, here is a letter for your girl."
Zijuan smiled and asked, "Is this a letter from the master from Yangzhou?"
"It was sent by Uncle Heng from Henan." Ping'er's delicate and picturesque eyebrows were filled with a smile.
"This..." Zijuan was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and then he was very happy. He quickly put down the wooden basin in his hand, quickly picked up the handkerchief and wiped his hands. He came closer and carefully took the envelope from Ping'er's hand. The handwriting on it is indeed Jia Heng's name.
Ping'er smiled and said: "Okay, I have to go to the other rooms to send them off. Here is a letter from the master."
Zijuan quickly thanked her, with a sweet smile on her rosy face, and said, "Then there is Sister Laoping. I will give this letter to our girl right now."
I thought to myself, it's really strange. Uncle Heng didn't write a whole letter to the girl before. Instead, the girl wrote a lot of "letters" to the uncle in the past few days, which are buried in ancient books.
In the courtyard where Daiyu lives, there are more than a dozen green bamboo poles in the southwest of the courtyard. The bamboo joints are green and the branches and leaves are luxuriant. The spring breeze blows through the bamboo leaves at noon in the late spring of March, making a rustling sound. The bamboo shadows sway and the green waves form waves.
In the side room, behind a desk with pens, inks, paper and inkstones, a girl wearing a pink cross-collared long coat with a red chrysanthemum pattern and a vermilion skirt lowered her head slightly, holding a book in her hand to read, demure and Sit and look attentive.
It was a spring morning, and the warm sun shone on the wisteria trellis outside the window, sparsely falling on the girl's petite shoulders and the pink stand-up collar.
In the middle coat, the sheep charm on the lake blue printed silk shawl exudes a warm brilliance.
"girl."
Zijuan held the envelope in her hand and came over happily, with a prosperous smile on her red face.
"What's wrong?" Daiyu looked away from the book, raised her pretty face, looked at Zicuckoo in surprise, and asked softly.
Zicuckoo smiled and said, "Girl, this is a letter from Uncle Heng. Take a look."
Daiyu didn't react for a moment, and was stunned for a moment. Then she quickly put down the book in her hand, with surprise on her pretty face, and asked: "Brother Heng's letter?"
Zicuckoo came closer, handed the letter over, and said with a chuckle: "It is sealed with fire paint. Wait a moment, girl. I will open it and show it to the girl."
Daiyu had no choice but to suppress her anxiety and quietly watched Zijuan open the envelope. She quickly took the envelope and saw the words "My dear sister Lin" written on it. Her heart palpitated slightly and her breathing became a little faster. Ruo Yucong's fingers gently pulled out two pieces of paper from the seal and read attentively.
A line of text about "Wandering Clouds Startling a Dragon" and "Iron Paintings and Silver Hooks" suddenly jumped into Daiyu's eyes, her eyebrows furrowed, and her bright starry eyes suddenly sunk in.
"When I arrived in Wang'an, I saw the words as if I had met each other: I saw a sudden farewell from Shenjing. In recent months, because it is summer, the flood control work on the Yellow River has become complicated. Therefore, I have been inspecting the river embankment with three or five followers in recent days. I looked up to see the surging river water and the vegetation. Yiyi, the spring breeze suddenly picked up on the embankment and the willows were piled with smoke. I suddenly felt that the gloomy eyebrows were dimly visible in front of my eyes. I once recalled what I said in February, when the wind was nice and the sun was beautiful, and I had a free time from official duties, I went out to the western suburbs of Shenjing to break willows. Later, due to the chaos in the Central Plains , led the troops to quell the rebellion but failed to make the appointment, I still regret it when I think about it... I only hope that my sister will take good care of her jade body and take good care of her body according to the medicine and diet. When she returns to Beijing, or it has already entered summer, we can meet her again. My sister was boating on the lake, admiring the hibiscus... I felt sad when I wrote the pen, but I was confused when writing the book."
Daiyu's face was as greasy as jade, and her peach cheeks were flushed as brightly as clouds and brocade. Her heart was beating loudly, and her slender jade hand holding the letter trembled slightly.
I accidentally saw the willows and smoke, which vaguely resembled her eyebrows, and then I thought of her? This is really...
Well, when you look in the mirror, you can tell that her eyebrows are indeed like willows, and it makes sense. Moreover, he remembered to take him out for a walk, so when he patrolled the river embankment, he thought of her.
In fact, this is the imagination of words, putting some emotions that cannot be expressed directly in the pen. If Jia Heng were to face him, he would never say these words.
Therefore, the letters written by Jia Heng are still mainly composed of greetings and greetings, but in the lines of the love letter there is already the feeling of "the mountains and rivers are vast, the fireworks in the world, none of them are you, and none of them are not you." It is not that I think of you crazily, but On a bright spring day, I suddenly saw the willows on the embankment, and I thought of Daiyu. The kind of unintentional carving, just like eating and drinking, is precisely the sincerity with a bit of poetry.
Of course, Jia Heng has voluntarily disappeared from the inspection of the river embankment with Princess Xianning.
No matter what, the words at this moment are like the threads of love woven into a big net, and the little sheep can only bleat in the net. Zijuan picked up the teapot and brewed Siam tea, and asked with a chuckle: "Girl, what did Uncle Heng write in the letter?"
At this moment, Daiyu read the text several times, put the letter in her heart, and said softly: "I didn't write anything at all. I just asked me to take good care of myself."
Looking at Xiafei's girl with bright eyes and cheeks, Zijuan smiled softly without breaking the point. She took the tea cup and said softly: "Do you want me to write a letter to the uncle? If you don't reply, I will." It’s also a loss of etiquette.”
Daiyu lowered her eyebrows and said softly: "Well, we can't be rude." She has been writing letters every day lately, but it's just hard to send them out.
Daiyu sat down, put away the precious letter, and was about to pick up the brush and write the letter. "By the way, is this letter just one letter or there are others?" Daiyu suddenly asked.
Zijuan didn't think much for a moment and replied: "Sister Ping'er said that she would send it to each room. I saw that she seemed to be holding several letters in her hand..."
At the end of the sentence, when I reacted, my voice became a little thinner.
Daiyu:? ? ? "
Several letters, this...
Seeing this, Zicuckoo knew that the girl had other thoughts.
, laughed and said: "Girl, it took a lot of effort for the uncle to write a letter, but he can't stay close to the girl alone. I heard that he even sent a letter to the second master. I think he asked about matters in the clan."
When Daiyu heard this, the weird feeling in her heart dissipated a little, her starry eyes were slightly angry, and she said: "I didn't even think of giving it to me alone..."
What does it mean to just write her a letter?
Could it be that both the Rong and Ning mansions are paying attention to this place?
