Although the remaining one also had panic on his face, he still kept his composure. He hurriedly took two steps forward on his knees, paused and said: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. The common people entering the palace do not want to talk to your Majesty about what they have seen outside the palace. "
Ying Zheng saw that he was a little brave, so he looked up to him a little more, but did not show it on his face: "Then what are you here for?"
The man said: "The common people come to His Majesty's side to be villains."
Ying Zheng raised his eyebrows and said "Oh" with some confusion.
The man kowtowed again and said: "Today, the Holy Son of Heaven is everywhere, Yao and Shun are still alive - how can such a wise master not have villains around him? The common people are not talented, so they are willing to serve as servants of the Emperor!"
Even though it was Ying Zheng, he couldn't help but feel a little startled after hearing these words. Then he understood and appreciated, and his tone softened slightly: "What's your name?"
The man said: "The grassroots' surname is Cao, and his single name has the character Yang."
Ying Zheng said: "I heard your words and deeds, you are not an incompetent person. How did you end up like this?"
Cao Yang then solemnly bowed and said: "Your Majesty, don't you hear that if you use it, you will be like a dragon, but if you don't use it, you will be like an insect? It's not just common people who can get it, it's just a wise king who gets it at the right time!"
Zhu Yuanzhang exclaimed, "Young people are very wise!"
Wang Yue wiped his sweat and cursed in his stomach: Oh, this guy can lick better than me!
Ying Zheng admired his cleverness, his intelligence, and even more his intelligence in seeing through the current situation.
How can there be no villains around the emperor?
There must always be someone running for the emperor in the dark, sweeping away the treacherous people and acting as the treacherous person at the same time.
This kind of matter cannot be left to the hands of courtiers. They will bring out the ways of sages and ancestors to exchange passionate insults with the emperor.
We can't let the concubines and chamberlains do it either. Their living area has already determined their scope of action.
The only person who can do this is a villain who deceives the Holy Son of Heaven with his sweet talk and sword.
Ying Zheng nodded happily: "What official position do you think I should give you?"
When Cao Yang heard this, his heart moved, and he subconsciously wanted to say, "Everything is given by the Emperor, and I dare not ask for it." However, he thought of the Emperor he had seen since entering the palace, secretly guessed his heart, and finally paid his respects again. : "The common people are so bold that they dare to invite a black-clad guard to be a small official to share their worries with His Majesty!"
"Very good." Ying Zheng was pleased with his choice: "Do your job well and don't let me down."
Just as he was about to be taken to Chai Tongfu, the commander of the inner guard, Cao Yang kowtowed again and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I have something else to ask of you."
Ying Zheng's eyes paused slightly, but his tone remained calm: "Speak."
Cao Yang then said: "I still have an old mother in my family who is entrusted to Wang Lingjun's family. Now I ask for your majesty's permission to take her back and raise her in good health. Otherwise, if Wang Lingjun does anything illegal in the future, I may give you the favor of recommendation. Intimidation, or threatening the safety of my mother, what can I do?"
He also said: "If he can enter the palace today under the guise of asking His Majesty to listen to the common people's talk about folk affairs, he may not be able to do other treacherous behavior in the future, and I have to guard against it!"
Wang Yue, who was stabbed in the back: "..."
Wang Yue: "Huh????"
If I knock your mother, the whole Bengbu will live!
Damn that rebel! ! !
Ying Zheng also paused for a moment before continuing: "That's right."
The veins on Wang Yue's forehead twitched again.
So the matter was settled.
The two ministers and servants watched the play in vain, and it was difficult to show off in the royal study. When they walked out of the door and walked far away, they finally laughed out loud.
Dong Changshi said: "It's rare to see Wang Yue deflated, hahahaha!"
Feng Mingda also laughed. After laughing, his expression gradually became solemn. He looked at Cao Yang's leaving back and said softly: "He is a very thoughtful young man."
Dong Changshi said: "He was originally to be an independent minister. It is not good for him to bear the name recommended by Wang Yue. If he makes it clear in front of His Majesty, he will do things cleanly in the future."
It was early summer, the air was humid and hot, the sky was covered with clouds, and there was a faint sound of thunder. After a while, a thin drizzle of rain fell on the face.
Looking back, looking at the nine-level palace, Feng Mingda suddenly felt a layer of gloom in his heart: "Such a person has entered the black guard..."
Chapter 21
It's June, and the Empress Dowager's birthday is approaching.
Ever since she decided on the plan to draw out the firepower, she began to figure out how to kill people without spilling blood - that is, the mindless person died, but the blood must not be spilled on her body.
Otherwise, let alone participating in the selection of the next emperor as the former emperor and empress, she might not even be able to protect herself.
This requires that the emperor's death cannot be related to Xingqing Palace, let alone Cuiwei Palace.
After all, no matter how much fighting there is within the Feng family, in the eyes of outsiders, the empress dowager and Feng Shufei are both daughters of the Feng family, and the word "Feng" cannot be written in one sentence.
But in this case, the difficulty arises.
There are thousands of ways to kill a person, but it is even more difficult to remove an emperor without arousing suspicion.
The Empress Dowager thought about it again and again, and finally decided on the method of poisoning.
Poison poison, blood seals the throat.
But the question came again, how to make the emperor eat poisonous food?
Because it was the late emperor's filial piety period, the emperor did not move around the harem. He only took turns checking in between Taiji Palace and Xingqing Palace every day.
Not to mention the Tai Chi Palace. After the emperor ascended the throne, he arranged it like an iron bucket, making it impossible to reach out. Meals were sent from various places, and the meal boxes were sealed, and later the eunuchs tested for poisons. After trying it, I can't tell you how to poison it.
But if poison is poisoned in Xingqing Palace...
The emperor died in Xingqing Palace, how could the empress dowager get out of the relationship?
We have to find a place to have the banquet in a palace outside the two palaces to take advantage of the situation.
The empress dowager thought about this, and her thoughts gradually opened up.
The ninth day of this month is her sixty-first birthday. Although it is not a full birthday, the emperor ordered the event early. At that time, all the nobles and ladies of the clan entered the palace. The scene was mixed, and it was time to start. good time.
And the situation went as smoothly as she imagined——
Feng Lanruo received the imperial edict and concentrated on organizing the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet. He first worked with the Ministry of Rites to draw up the regulations, and then finalized the banquet list.
When the Empress Dowager celebrates her birthday, people from the Cheng'en Palace must come, and the royal family must be invited. Also, if you are a noble person in the capital, you have to send someone to ask the emperor if there are any ministers who want to show your kindness. …
I took a look at the list and saw that there were hundreds of people there.
Xingqing Palace is dead.
Firstly, the place is not that big, and secondly, many people have to handle it before and after the banquet, so as not to disturb the peace of the Queen Mother.
So the place for the banquet was decided on Anfu Hall.
…
The weather this year is also strange. It has been rainy since the beginning of summer. Things in the house will inevitably become moldy, and people always feel uncomfortable.
When June entered, the weather finally became sunny, and even the faces of the palace officials in Xingqing Palace became a little joyful. They all flattered the Queen Mother and said, "It is said that the Queen Mother is a blessed person. , your birthday is approaching and the sky is clearing up."
The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "You are a mouthful."
When I was out for a walk, I saw the lotus flowers blooming just right, and the fragrance was pleasant. I couldn't help but ordered: "When the Japanese palace celebrates a birthday in a few days, I ordered you to pick more lotus seeds to make soup. This thing is peaceful and calming. It’s most suitable in the summer.”
Left and right hurriedly said yes.
On the day of the Empress Dowager's birthday, people entering the palace had not stopped since early morning.
Although it was the first time for Feng Lanruo to organize such a grand ceremony, he managed everything in an orderly manner. The wives followed their rank and were led by the palace officials to sit on the banquet. The more honorable ones could even go to the Empress Dowager Come and talk.
In comparison, the clan members are much more comfortable - the married women are outsiders, and the clan members are members of their own family.
When the acting king, the most senior member of the clan, arrived, Feng Lanruo went to greet him in person, and respectfully invited him to the main hall of Anfu Palace where the empress dowager was.
The old princesses in the clan know her background, so they can't help but praise her in front of the Queen Mother: "After all, she is a person trained by the Queen Mother. She is as pretty as a flower and does things properly!"
Several higher-ranking concubines were dressed simply and elegantly, sitting at the bottom, smiling in agreement.
Next to her, Mrs. Feng was close to the Empress Dowager, her expression kind and kind, and her face was filled with pride.
The Queen Mother also laughed: "Stop praising her. This child is a little irritable when she is at home. It is rare that she has made no mistakes today. She is really Amitabha!"
Although Feng Lanruo was a concubine, she was still just a junior here, and she had an errand on her body. She chimed in with a few jokes, and then hurriedly apologized and left. Although she saw Mrs. Feng Si, she had no time to talk and exchange greetings. With a brief nod, he went to the front hall and continued his work.
This excitement lasted for more than half an hour, and when the emperor arrived in person, the atmosphere finally reached its peak.
Ying Zheng, wearing the Emperor's attire solemnly and neatly, went to the main hall to congratulate the Queen Mother on her birthday. He gave a solemn salute, showing respect and admiration as if he were meeting his biological mother.
The older princesses in the royal family began to praise the emperor's benevolence and filial piety.
Princess Zhou was also on her side, her eyes reluctantly looking at her son whom she had not seen for a long time. Seeing that he was thinner than when he left home, there were a few tears in her eyes. She quickly turned her head to hide it from others. Noticed.
The emperor is filial to his mother, and the empress dowager is as kind as an old grandmother. Knowing that today is the day of his death, how can he be stingy in showing off?
He is also a dying person.
The Empress Dowager called him to sit down, with a look of pity on her face, and asked the people around her: "Didn't you ask for the lotus seed soup? Bring it here quickly. On a June day, His Majesty came all the way wearing a coat, and it was inevitable that he would feel... The heat is unbearable.”
Everyone hurriedly brought the lotus seed soup up - of course not just one bowl.
The first portion belonged to the emperor, and Ying Zhengjing presented it to the empress dowager: "The empress is here, how dare I use it first? I should borrow flowers to offer to the Buddha!"
The Empress Dowager laughed: "This arrogant monkey took my flowers and presented them to me!"
I accepted it with a smile.
Ying Zheng received the second bowl.
After that, people from the inner palace came one after another and presented lotus seed soup to everyone in the palace one by one.
Then a princess expressed her love to the empress dowager: "It must be in the palace, where the emperor's dragon spirit is, the vegetation is extremely prosperous, and even the lotus seeds are extremely sweet!"
The empress dowager swallowed the soup in her mouth with a smile, and was about to speak when she suddenly felt as if something had fallen on Zhai Yi's sleeves. She glanced at the face of the princess across from her and felt panic in her heart.
Sitting next to her was Mrs. Feng - the Empress Dowager suddenly turned her head and saw Mrs. Feng's wrists loosening weakly. The bowl of lotus seed soup that she had only eaten two bites fell to the ground, soaking the hem of the Empress Dowager's solemn and gorgeous clothes. .
The Empress Dowager's liver and gallbladder were splitting: "Mother!"
A line of blood slowly overflowed from Mrs. Feng's lips, her eyes quickly dimmed, and she licked her lips a few times, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end it was too late.
She slowly fell into the Empress Dowager's arms.
The accident happened so suddenly that the Queen Mother even had the illusion that she had a nightmare, and she sat there in confusion, speechless.
