He looked towards his clan relatives: "Uncle of the acting king?"
Dai Wangxin said: "I am a senior citizen, but no matter how senior I am, I can't open my mouth to dig up the late emperor's grave!"
He looked embarrassed.
Ying Zheng looked at the prime minister again: "What do you think?"
The prime ministers were also in a difficult position.
The hall became anxious for a moment.
It was Concubine Zhang who finally broke the situation.
She wiped away the tears on her face and choked up: "I was in the deep palace in the past, and I heard the late emperor talk about the courtiers. He said that if things don't distinguish between right and wrong, you can ask Wei Zhongzhi. This man is the most honest person in the world. I wonder which one is Wei Lingjun in person?"
Wei Zhongzhi then went out and said, "The late emperor praised me so much that I am too embarrassed to pay it back." Then he respectfully greeted the concubine.
Concubine Zhang cried and said: "I dare to ask your Majesty, in compliance with the laws of our country, a wife killed several of her husband's children, causing her husband to die of illness and cutting off his children. What crime should he deserve?!"
The Queen Mother took a breath.
Wei Zhongzhi said without hesitation: "The wife should be given away first, and the waist should be cut off later."
Concubine Zhang added: "If someone kills several of the emperor's heirs, causing the late emperor to die with hatred and making Jiuquan uneasy, what crime should be committed?!"
Feng Mingda called out in a trembling voice: "Zhongzhi."
Wei Zhongzhi seemed to have never heard of it: "Such unheard of evil deeds should be executed in Ling Chi, the nine Yi tribes."
Concubine Zhang then turned around and glared at the Empress Dowager: "In that case, why not kill this woman immediately?!"
Wei Zhongzhi said seriously: "How can the Queen Mother be found guilty based on her words alone?"
Concubine Zhang smiled instead of getting angry: "In that case, why not open the coffin to find evidence?"
Wei Zhongzhi went to see the Queen Mother again: "The Queen Mother..."
The Empress Dowager's body was shaking unnoticeably, and she could hardly resist the urge to fall. However, even so, she still held on and said firmly: "I have already said that, I have never None of them have killed the emperor's heirs. The death of Princess Chongqing has nothing to do with this palace. The personal servant who served the princess died at the hands of the late emperor. If you have any doubts, you can immediately tell the confidants of the late emperor during his lifetime. Come and ask.”
"As for the matter of opening the coffin - the princes and princesses were buried in the imperial mausoleum. Although they were not buried in the same cave as the late emperor, they were still in the imperial mausoleum. The dragon-breaking stone has been put down. This dynasty has always been humble and immovable. Come here. When a Japanese palace passes away, a new mausoleum must be built instead of a mausoleum of the former emperor.”
The Empress Dowager closed her eyes tiredly: "If you want to disturb the earth and excavate the imperial mausoleum, it will disturb the late emperor and the deceased, and it will shake the country's feng shui and mess up the world. I have a clear name." It's a small matter, but it alarms the ancestors, and it's a big deal that ruins the peace of the world. This matter must not be done."
After saying this, she sighed and cried, feeling very sad: "I also know that I am doing this, and I am afraid that it will be difficult to win the trust of others. In this case, from now on, I will become a monk and serve the country. Chao He prays to the late Emperor that he will never leave Xingqing Palace again until his death. No matter whether it is the affairs of the harem or the Feng family, there is no need to let outsiders know."
Concubine Zhang said sternly: "You committed such a heinous crime and just became a monk, so you want to offset it?"
King Dai and other members of the clan remained silent, their eyes wandering uncertainly on the faces of the Empress Dowager and Concubine Zhang.
Ying Zheng was silent for a while, then suddenly turned to look at Feng Mingda.
Feng Mingda's hair stood on end, and a familiar shadow instantly fell over his head.
Immediately afterwards, he heard the emperor call out gently and helplessly: "Uncle."
Feng Mingda: Help, help! ! !
Ying Zheng asked warmly: "Uncle, how do you think this matter should be handled?"
Feng Mingda was sweating profusely. He lifted up his clothes and knelt on the ground. He said repeatedly: "The reason why Your Majesty calls you uncle is because the Queen Mother is your Majesty's mother. Today, the Queen Mother has become a monk and has nothing to do with the world. This also ends the sibling relationship with me. How can I bear the title of uncle? Your Majesty, please do not use this title again!"
Then he paused and said: "Since the Queen Mother has severed ties with the Feng family, I would like to ask you to remove the title of Duke Cheng'en. I hope your majesty will grant it!"
Ying Zheng sighed and said: "How did we get to this point..."
Feng Mingda clenched his teeth and hit his forehead violently on the gold bricks on the ground, again and again, until his head was broken and bleeding: "I am ashamed, I am scared! I hope your majesty will allow it!"
The rest of the people were silent.
Only Concubine Zhang sneered and said quietly: "The Queen Mother, you have left home and have no relatives in the world. Does Mrs. Feng's death still have anything to do with you?"
The Empress Dowager's eyes burned, and tears slowly flowed down her cheeks. However, the pain in her heart could not be described in words: "People from outside the country, where can I find my parents and brothers?"
Concubine Zhang chuckled twice, and she could not hide her joyful mood: "Feng Pushe, how do you think the court's case should be decided?"
Feng Mingda's forehead was still pressed to the ground, and the overflowing tears merged with the warm blood. He said word by word: "My mother lived a long life and died without any illness. What should I do to others?"
Concubine Zhang's laughter suddenly became louder. Without looking at the other people in the palace, she stood up, laughed, and walked out.
After a while, the strange laughter that seemed to contain sadness in the joy disappeared from everyone's ears.
…
After the emperor ascended the throne, the first grand palace banquet ended hastily.
Headed by King Dai and King Cheng, they sent away the members of the clan, and the prime ministers advised the nobles and ministers. Princess Zheng and Princess Wu exchanged greetings with their concubines, and everyone ate in a hurry. Many people He didn't even see the birthday boy himself, so he left the palace in a daze.
All the guests in Anfu Palace had dispersed, but the Empress Dowager did not return to Xingqing Palace. She went to get the scissors and razors, and she became a monk here.
Ying Zheng is still here, still sitting on the chair he was sitting on before.
At that time, the palace was silent. The palace and the servants were like living puppets, walking back and forth without making a sound.
The Empress Dowager seemed to have aged more than ten years instantly, and the hair on her temples was dyed with silver frost.
She sat slumped at the top, but she was no longer as high-spirited as before, and even the Zhai clothes she wore seemed to have lost their luster in an instant and turned gray.
The Empress Dowager raised her eyes, looked at the majestic young emperor in front of her, and called softly: "Your Majesty."
Her mind was running slowly and steadily, slowly connecting the things she had ignored in the past like threads: "The West Pavilion checked the old accounts in the palace, and the two palaces were repaired..."
Ying Zheng picked up the bowl of cold lotus seed soup in front of him and slowly took a bite: "Yes, Queen Mother."
After swallowing, he raised his eyes and looked directly at the empress dowager, who was now looking very old: "Your guesses are all right."
I ordered the concubine to check the accounts and personnel transactions in the palace for the past twenty years, just to force you into a corner and make you take the initiative.
You pretend to be kind and show your kindness to Tai Chi Palace. Why can't I follow the trend and let the concubine contact the former emperor's concubine to express filial piety?
Sure enough, you never thought that the defeated men left by the late emperor would jump out one day and give you a fatal blow.
What Princess Zhang lost was a prince, the Zhang family's hope for success, and the pinnacle of glory for the rest of her life. How could she be willing to accept it?
You have been the queen for decades and have maintained the Xingqing Palace like an iron barrel. Wind cannot blow in and water cannot pour in. There is nothing I can do. However, those solid cities in the world are often breached from the inside. Yes.
Concubine Zhang was the most favored concubine of the late emperor during his lifetime. She once again carried the hope of giving birth to a prince. When the momentum was strongest, it was even comparable to that of the middle palace. When the late emperor passed away, she retired to Xingqing together with the other concubines. In the palace, she can do things that I can't do!
"You," the Queen Mother looked at him in disbelief: "You know that I am going to..."
"I know, of course I know."
Ying Zheng said: "I know you want to poison me today, because today is the birthday of the Queen Mother, and there are so many guests. No matter how cautious you are, there will inevitably be loopholes. As far as you are concerned, this is the best The timing. I was even worried that you wouldn't be able to take advantage of it, and I took the initiative to propose to Feng Pushe to hold a big birthday banquet for you."
As if seeing him for the first time, the Queen Mother stared at him in shock for a long time, and then said: "How did you know that the death of Zhang's son was related to me? "
"Oh, I really don't know about this."
Ying Zheng admitted frankly: "You did it very cleanly back then. I think even the late emperor didn't catch the flaw. I tried to trick Concubine Zhang by exposing her to others."
The Empress Dowager's eyes were sarcastic and she said angrily: "In that case, how dare you——"
Ying Zheng said indifferently: "I don't need to know how Concubine Zhang's son died. I only need to be sure of one thing."
The Empress Dowager's pupils suddenly shrank.
Ying Zheng stared at her closely and laughed slowly: "You don't dare to open the imperial mausoleum, let alone conduct an autopsy!"
The Empress Dowager's eyelashes trembled almost invisiblely, but she remained silent.
"Mother, why do you continue to pretend to be deaf and dumb now that things have happened?"
Ying Zheng sneered and said, "You and I both know very well that after the coffin is opened, there will be no autopsy, because everyone will find that Princess Chongqing's coffin is empty!"
"So you know, you actually know everything?!"
The Empress Dowager was horrified. Looking at the emperor who looked as usual in front of her, she felt a chill running down her spine and her hair stood on end: "In that case, why don't you agree with Mrs. Zhang and insist on opening the coffin..."
"Of course it's because what the Queen Mother said makes sense."
Ying Zheng said calmly: "After all, I am the adopted son of the late emperor. How can there be any reason in the world to use the body of a human son to dig up the emperor's tomb? Furthermore, even if it is really found that Princess Chongqing's coffin is empty, how can it be done? How? How long did it take from investigating the case to analyzing it, and then catching the Feng family, the mastermind behind it?"
He looked at the Empress Dowager and raised his eyebrows slightly: "The Feng family is one of the first-class families in this dynasty, with bells ringing and cooking pots, hairpins and hairpins for generations, and I don't know how many high-ranking families are related to it. If I really don't leave you a trace of hope, All the children of the Feng family are having an attack. Although it is not enough to overthrow the dynasty, it is still annoying."
The Queen Mother was stunned for a long time, and finally realized his purpose, and suddenly burst into tears: "No wonder, no wonder Mrs. Zhang hates me the most, but doesn't kill me."
"To the Feng family, I am a married woman, so what's the problem if I die? But my mother... is the oldest person in the Feng family. Once she passes away, all the children of the Feng family will have to observe filial piety and resign and return to the capital."
She turned to look at Ying Zheng, her voice full of sarcasm: "Kill me, how can I sit back and watch my biological mother die and my mother's family be wiped out? Okay, what a vicious plan to catch them all!"
Ying Zheng smiled and made no comment.
He just slowly finished the bowl of lotus seed soup in his hand, and then praised softly: "My mother's intentions are indeed good. A bowl of lotus seed soup in summer will really make you feel at ease."
Chapter 23
The Empress Dowager's 61st birthday party ended peacefully.
But everyone knows that this is just an appearance.
On the day of the birthday banquet, why did the Empress Dowager not show up?
Mrs. Feng was still in good spirits before going out, so why did she die suddenly?
The most important thing is that on the second day of the birthday banquet, the Empress Dowager clearly issued an edict to become a monk, pray for the country, and consider herself as a foreigner. From then on, she no longer asked about human affairs. Feng Mingda also submitted his resignation as Duke of Chengen.
As for all these suspicions that are either hidden in the dark or exposed in the open, neither the palace nor the three provinces have given clear official comments.
However, after the Empress Dowager became a monk and Feng Mingda resigned from the title, the clan members and prime ministers headed by King Dai and King Cheng successively expressed their praises to her to show that her virtue was intact.
Then the pressure was put on the Queen Mother and the Feng family.
You know, Mrs. Feng is dead!
Although everyone said that it ended without any illness, who would believe it?
Something must have happened to make the Empress Dowager's mother die in an unknown manner. After that, the Feng family behaved honestly and with their tail between their legs. Even the Empress Dowager herself was treated as a living dead in the palace. ? !
People who know the truth cannot rush out and tell the truth. People who don't know the truth make guesses out of thin air, and finally come up with the most reliable answer, which is that the Feng family joined forces with the Queen Mother to assassinate the emperor in Anfu Palace, and they did not want to accidentally kill Mrs. Feng.
Otherwise it is completely impossible to explain!
From beginning to end, the emperor made no response.
