In the Qi Mansion, Mr. Qi, who is already very old, has white hair and beard, and looks very old. Only the glint in his eyes from time to time tells everyone that he is not an ordinary old man.
The others are all old foxes who have known each other for many years, so there is no need to mince words when talking. Therefore, everyone expressed their opinions directly and unabashedly in front of him.
This person said that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had a temperament that would lead to life and death, and if he ascended the throne, all the courtiers would be nothing more than puppets in his hands. Some people disagreed with his point of view, "Then according to what your Excellency said, we should support idiots like King Yu to ascend the throne?"
Some people even recommended the little prince born by Xu Zhaoyi, which was met with cynicism from others. "Yes. We should nominate this young prince, and then wait for His Highness the Crown Prince to take the Wen and Lu families to kill the young prince and us on the spot. Oh, by the way, it doesn't have to be His Highness the Crown Prince. Maybe His Royal Highness Prince Yu will be unable to restrain himself and kill all of us before His Highness the Crown Prince."
They kept arguing and arguing until late at night with no results.
The night breeze was slightly cool, and the candlelight swayed slightly as it blew into the house. Mr. Qi opened his eyes and remembered the message sent by Lu Bingxi, the Crown Princess's natal brother, during the day.
The tone of the message was clearly written by Her Majesty the Crown Princess, with only a few words. "If your Majesty is so determined, why wait until today?"
Thinking of this, Mr. Qi let out a long sigh and thought to himself, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has really made a good marriage. The Fanyang Lu family is now in the limelight, and the help they can provide to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is worse than that of the Gu family of His Royal Highness Prince Yu." There are too many. Her father, brother and children are all talented people, and the good reputation of the four generations and the three princes will be passed down for a long time. These noble families are not as good as this famous family in terms of longevity.
Moreover, His Highness the Crown Prince is a legitimate Crown Prince. Do I really want to risk the lives and reputation of the entire family for the illusory benefits promised by His Highness Prince Yu?
The Empress Dowager also sent news from the palace, saying that His Royal Highness the Prince always pays attention to etiquette and will never fail her as a grandmother. In this case, it is better for the Queen Mother to be a senior elder in peace and stability, so that she can naturally be respected by His Highness the Crown Prince and benefit the entire Qi family. "
"Ahem," Mr. Qi coughed twice and said, "Comrades, I have been an official in the imperial court for decades. I have read the books of sages and done things that are loyal to the emperor. Now that His Majesty is still unconscious, I will wait for you. What we should be worried about is His Majesty's situation. As for who will ascend the throne in the future, Your Majesty will establish a prince as soon as possible, and my country will be stable and the gold will be intact."
As soon as everyone heard this, they knew that Mr. Qi wanted to take the lead in supporting His Highness the Crown Prince. Immediately, everyone echoed in various ways.
Late at night, everyone dispersed in twos and threes, leaving only Mr. Qi standing alone in the atrium, looking up at the moon like a silver plate above his head.
It is now August 13th, and in two days it will be the Mid-Autumn Festival, which symbolizes reunion. Mr. Qi's face remained unchanged, but he was thinking secretly in his heart, "I just hope that His Royal Highness can ascend the throne smoothly, and don't let my decision drag the entire Qi family into the abyss."
In the past few days, the East Palace, which had been renovated like an iron bucket by His Royal Highness, had many more guards. Anyone entering or leaving the East Palace must undergo strict interrogation.
Since that day when he sent the Crown Prince to court, Lu Bingzhen had never seen Xiao Min again. It was only late at night that Lu Bingzhen could feel that there seemed to be an extra person beside him.
Before falling asleep, Lu Bingzhen always asked the maid to wake up the Crown Prince when she came back. Unfortunately, every time he asked about Zhu Shi, Xue Cha, Cai Bing and Rong Xue the next morning, he could only see the four of them with miserable faces saying, " I dare not, my servant, because His Highness the Crown Prince does not allow us to wake you up."
On this day, His Royal Highness unexpectedly returned to Jinghe Palace during dinner time. As soon as Xiao Min entered Jinghe Hall, he asked all the maids serving him to step back. Lu Bingzhen felt that his expression seemed to be hiding some kind of wind and rain, "A Rui, have you sent a message to the Qi family?"
Xiao Min asked the question, but his tone was full of determination.
Lu Bingzhen had never thought of hiding it from him, so he nodded and affirmed, "Yes. After I learned the news from Zhu Shi that day, I was worried that the Empress Dowager and the Qi family behind her would be deceived by others, and in the harem, The mother was harmed, so I asked my brother to send a message to the Qi family."
Hearing Ah Rui's calm words, Xiao Min's expression changed several times, and finally he sighed in frustration. Xiao Min held Ah Rui's shoulders and said seriously, "A Rui, can you leave all these external matters to Gu? I married you because I hope you will be happy and be able to rule the world with Gu, rather than risk doing these things. "
Xiao Min saw Ah Rui shake his head and retorted calmly, "Qingyan, no power in this world comes easily. If I can only be the one to enjoy the benefits behind your back, then I am not worthy of being with you." Together you rule the world."
There is another sentence that Ah Rui has never said, "If power comes from another person's hand, then this power can also be easily taken away by this person." And she, Lu Bingzhen, never wanted to be that person who could only let others take what they wanted. A person who passively accepts the rights given by her husband.
With a wry smile and stroking his forehead, Xiao Min sighed in his heart, "Mr. Lu deliberately disclosed this matter to the officials and staff of the East Palace, just to make them fear A Rui and never dare to interfere with her participation in politics. .”
The effect was immediate. Although the officials and staff of the East Palace did not say anything publicly, they secretly lamented that A Rui was indeed a qualified Crown Princess.
However, when Xiao Min thought of Wang Jian's doubts about whether His Royal Highness the Crown Prince could take care of A Rui when he said this, he felt filled with anger and jealousy.
Yesterday, the head of the Imperial Hospital, after working with several other imperial physicians to diagnose and treat His Majesty, cautiously told Xiao Min in private, "Your Highness, Your Majesty's condition is much better than before, and his pulse is stable and stronger than before. More. Maybe your Majesty will wake up today."
Hearing this, Xiao Min breathed a long sigh of relief. If not necessary, Xiao Min still hopes to be able to ascend the throne in a legitimate and smooth manner without any complications. As for whether His Majesty would hurriedly depose the current Crown Prince and establish His Royal Highness Prince Yu as the Crown Prince after he woke up, Xiao Min never thought about the possibility of success.
In the past few days, the royal family members, courtiers Qingliu, and noble families all stood in line quietly. Anyone with a discerning eye knows that His Highness the Crown Prince is already unstoppable. Now, even if His Majesty wants Yi Chu, he will only end up being an overlord.
But in Xiao Min's mind, the scene when Wang Jian said these words that day kept recurring.
That day, Xiao Min got a bit of respite from the wait. He immediately wanted to go back to the East Palace to see the face that he had not described in detail for several days.
As soon as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's honor guard turned the corner of the palace gate, Xiao Min, who was walking in the chariot, heard a familiar voice. "I, Wang Jian, would like to pay my respects to His Highness the Crown Prince. Could His Highness the Crown Prince please listen to what I have to say?"
At first, Xiao Min was in a hurry to see Lu Bingzhen and didn't pay much attention until Wang Jian mentioned Lu Bingxi who was now working under him.
Xiao Min understood in an instant that Wang Jian was a drunkard who didn't care about drinking. Wang Jian didn't have anything to say to His Highness the Crown Prince. He clearly had something to say to Him about His Highness the Crown Princess.
Eunuch Fu Shuang led Wang Jian to a place out of sight, and then stepped down to allow His Highness the Crown Prince to interview Wang Jian.
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince, is a master of martial arts. Why do you have to rely on His Highness the Crown Princess to contact the Qi family in such a roundabout way? If someone catches the handle, Her Highness the Crown Princess will be accused of Si Chen. Her Highness the Crown Princess is not greedy for power. Marrying into the East Palace only after being rich and noble, she is really considered by all the people in the world."
Xiao Min, who was also worried after hearing this, did not explain that he had no knowledge of the matter in advance. Instead, he asked provocatively, "I and Your Highness the Crown Princess are one and the same as husband and wife, and work together. These things are naturally the responsibility of Your Highness the Crown Princess." You know what you can't do, but you do it. What does it have to do with outsiders like you?"
Wang Jian was speechless, but Xiao Min, who seemed to have the upper hand, also felt uncomfortable. Xiao Min was angry and jealous. He was angry that A Rui married him for the sake of all the people in the world, and he was jealous that Wang Jian cared about A Rui so much. Even though the two got closer and closer after their marriage, it was still difficult for Xiao Min to determine whether Wang Jian would always have a place in Ah Rui's heart.
Seeing Ah Rui so calm now, Xiao Min felt a headache. Even though he knew that Ah Rui was not an ordinary lady with no ability to protect herself, he was still worried that the storm of the change of dynasties would affect her.
"That's all, this message will be passed on as soon as it is passed on. But Ah Rui, you must keep these people by your side and protect them every day, and never let them leave you for half a step."
With that said, Eunuch Fu Shuang brought four women dressed as palace maids. Their aura was similar to that of Zhu Shi and Xue Cha, and A Rui noticed their identity almost immediately.
"My servants are pear branches, durian calyx, citrus aurantium, and pine knots." The four women saluted crisply as they spoke.
Seeing this, Ah Rui turned to look at Xiao Min. She originally wanted to say that she was in the East Palace every day, and the East Palace was extremely well guarded and did not need the protection of these female secret guards. But when Xiao Min's worried eyes were touched, and the blue-black color appeared in his eyes because he hadn't had a good rest these days, Ah Rui swallowed the words as soon as they came to her lips.
Nodding, A Rui said obediently, "Okay, Qingyan, I promise you. No matter where I go during this period, I will let them follow me every step of the way."
Xiao Min felt slightly relieved and took Ah Rui into his arms. The maids and eunuchs waiting around them receded like the tide, leaving only the two of them quietly enjoying the rare and warm time together in the stormy weather.
