Cao Yang solemnly paused: "I accept your order."
…
The weather in June is really hot, and the chirping of cicadas can be heard throughout midsummer.
Ying Zheng got tired of staying in Taiji Palace, so he drove to the West Pavilion.
When the palace servants who came and went saw the emperor's guard of honor from a distance, they bowed their heads respectfully and obediently, expressing their respect for the highest power in the world in the most humble and submissive manner.
The people in the palace are like grass on the wall, and they are best at observing the direction of the wind.
In the past, when the emperor first ascended to the throne, the palace was dominated by two palaces. Xingqing Palace, where the Empress Dowager lived, firmly dominated the Taiji Palace.
But now...
There was only one voice in the entire palace.
That is the emperor.
As for Xingqing Palace, it has long been neglected.
At the same time that the Empress Dowager became a monk, the purge of the remaining forces in the inner palace of the late Emperor and the Empress Dowager officially began.
The internal servants or palace servants who served the late emperor in the past and are still serving in the palace at this time have found suspicious details in the archives. In recent years, the empress dowager and even the other concubines have placed various details. , as well as the female officials of the Shanggong Bureau who have been in charge of everything in the harem for decades...
The Empress Dowager's Xingqing Palace was thoroughly plowed. Wu Jieyu took the lead and Xue Meiren cooperated to inventory all the palace rooms in the Xingqing Palace, count all the utensils in the warehouse, read all the documents carefully, and keep one No paper can be dropped.
All the attendants who had served the Empress Dowager were killed with the cane, and a few more honest and sensible ones were selected to serve in the small Buddhist hall in Xingqing Palace. If nothing else happens, the Empress Dowager will probably spend the rest of her life in the small Buddhist hall. Years passed.
Along with this purge, the harem changed drastically. Concubine Feng Shu, who used to be the first among the concubines and the people in the palace who were rushing to flatter her, suddenly became a thing of the past.
The Empress Dowager's loneliness is a foregone conclusion. As the daughter of the Feng family, Concubine Shu will inevitably remain lonely.
Wu Jieyu and Xue Meiren stayed up all night. At noon on the second day, they brought the calculated list to Ying Zheng and reported back: "It is roughly the same as what was recorded in the account books of Xingqing Palace. It is just what was recorded in the late emperor's private treasury. There were a lot of rewards, but they were nowhere to be seen.”
Ying Zheng had already understood this and was not surprised. He encouraged the two of them and then motioned for them to leave.
In the space, Zhu Yuanzhang laughed out loud: "Come on, the Queen Mother is cold. She can finally sleep with her eyes closed in the palace."
Li Yuanda was thinking outside the palace: "Tell me, what is Feng Mingda thinking about now? Will he continue with his previous plan?"
Li Shimin shook his head and said: "Up to now, there is still no plan. There is no hope. Let's wait to die. Say goodbye!"
…
The Feng family was in a gloomy mood at this time.
Today, the Feng family entered the palace originally to witness history, watch the death of the emperor, and celebrate the birthday of the empress dowager. What they never expected was that the fire was lit and their own house was burned.
Mrs. Feng died on the spot, and Concubine Zhang suddenly revolted. The Empress Dowager was forced to become a monk to avoid trouble. Feng Mingda had no choice but to resign from the Duke of Cheng'en.
There were several thunderclaps in succession, each one louder than the last.
Mrs. Feng went in vertically and came out horizontally. On one side, the emperor and the two clans of King Dai and King Cheng and the prime ministers agreed on the final result. On the other side, they quickly found a few servants to take Mrs. Feng. His body was moved out of the palace.
Come on, this is the palace!
Ordinary people would feel unlucky when an outsider dies in their family, let alone the Tian family? !
If the Empress Dowager was still the Empress Dowager at that time, that would be it. As her biological mother, Mrs. Feng could be considered a relative of hers. But now that the Empress Dowager has become a monk, you have no relatives with the royal family. Why would an old woman put a corpse in our house for no reason? !
Get out quickly!
With a dull expression on his face, Feng Mingda, together with several servants, carried Mrs. Feng's body to the Feng family's carriage. After politely thanking several people, he silently got on his horse and returned home.
Mrs. Feng died of poisoning, her eyes bulged, her face turned blue, and the blood foam overflowing from the corners of her lips gave off a faint stench.
Her two daughters-in-law, Mrs. Feng and Mrs. Feng, sat next to them, looking at the body of their mother-in-law who had honored them for most of their lives. No one said a word and no one shed tears.
Mrs. Feng Si felt a little sentimental, but not much.
Mrs. Feng was not very kind to her bastard, and she was even more indifferent to her bastard-in-law. Of course, Mrs. Feng did have this ability in the past. She was inferior to others and had nothing to say. of.
Naturally, if you do this, don't expect Mrs. Feng Si to have much respect for Mrs. Feng Lao, or to be heartbroken after her death.
The slight sadness is just the sadness caused by the sudden death of someone whom I have seen for a long time, or even the emotion of the impermanence of the world.
Mrs. Feng, on the other hand, fell completely into despair, to the point where she could no longer shed tears.
The Empress Dowager became a monk and Mrs. Feng died unexpectedly. Is this the end of the matter?
No!
Although the emperor didn't say anything, the clan didn't say anything, and the prime ministers didn't say anything either, Mrs. Feng knew clearly that at this moment, the same doubt must be floating in their hearts -
If the Feng family didn't have a guilty conscience, why would they have done this? !
The empress dowager was forced to become a monk, and she did not dare to pursue the case even after her biological mother died. She even took the initiative to resign from the Dukedom of Cheng'en. What kind of heinous crime did the Feng family commit that they were willing to use this to cover up? !
They haven't launched an attack now because they haven't found any evidence for the time being, but after today, the Feng family's plan has been exposed. It's only a matter of time before the Feng family's plan comes to light.
There is also the death of Mrs. Feng...
This is not only the death of one person, but the death knell of the entire Feng family!
The most senior member of the Feng family passed away. From Feng Mingda, who was the right servant of Shangshu and the prime minister of the dynasty, to all the children and heirs of the Feng family who were officials outside, they all resigned and returned to the capital to observe their filial piety. This time , I’m afraid there will never be another day to leave.
For the first time, Mrs. Feng forgot her manners, and did not even pay attention to Mrs. Feng Si, who was also in the carriage. She leaned weakly on the hidden bag in an almost rude manner.
Her only daughter Zhu Niang, her sons, her babbled grandson and newborn granddaughter, and even her mother’s family...
Where the power of heaven is, thunder falls, how many people can be saved?
Mrs. Feng smiled miserably, her face as white as paper.
After walking in silence like this, we finally returned to Feng Mansion.
The servants of the Feng family carried Mrs. Feng's body into the main courtyard with panic-stricken expressions. They wanted to ask their mistress about the funeral ceremony, but when they touched the expressions of Feng Mingda and Mrs. Feng, they stopped and cautiously Withdrew.
The couple sat opposite each other and were silent for a long time. Finally, Feng Mingda got up and went to the desk. He wrote a letter of divorce and handed it to Mrs. Feng: "The matter has not happened yet. You Take Zhu Niang and go back to your parents’ home.”
Mrs. Feng looked at the familiar handwriting on the divorce letter and finally shed a tear.
She cried quietly.
But soon, she turned into the dignified and solemn mistress of the Feng family. She wiped away the tears on her face with a handkerchief and tore up the letter of divorce in two or two strokes.
"If the emperor wants to ask questions, how can he escape with a letter of divorce? If he is lucky enough to escape, even if the disaster has not yet come, he will be looked down upon."
Mrs. Feng said: "Since the Emperor has not launched an attack yet, there is no need to rush into chaos. Let's attend to the funeral for my mother first. As soon as we can, we can ask her to live a more dignified life."
Feng Mingda held his wife's shoulders, and after a long time, he said: "Thank you very much."
Mrs. Feng hugged him and choked up: "I have been the daughter of the Chen family for seventeen years and the wife of the Feng family for thirty-two years. I have been loved by my parents at home. After I got married, my aunt treated me very well. We have been married for more than thirty years without any differences. My son, this life is enough and I will die without regrets!"
Feng Mingda was touched and burst into tears for a while.
The couple felt sad for a long time, and then cheered up to take care of Mrs. Feng's funeral. After today's events, it was expected that the number of visitors would be sparse, just for the sake of the son of a human being. Women, you should always do your best.
Mrs. Feng went to the inner room to change into mourning clothes, and ordered her subordinates to prepare for the funeral in an orderly manner. After Feng Mingda changed her clothes, she went to the courtyard of the fourth room in person.
Mr. Feng Si and Mrs. Feng Si were wondering about today's events. Suddenly they heard someone coming to report that it was the eldest master who was visiting. Their expressions all changed and they hesitated to invite the person. Come in.
Feng Mingda got straight to the point and said: "Fourth brother, if you still think that you are a member of the Feng family, then listen to what the elder brother says and let's separate our families."
As soon as Fourth Master Feng finished listening to the first half, he subconsciously wanted to frown - he thought that Feng Mingda was repeating the same old tune and was going to use the same arguments as the Feng family to kidnap him morally.
Therefore, after hearing the last sentence, Fourth Master Feng was really shocked.
Feng Mingda had no time to pay attention to what he was thinking in his heart, and looked sad: "I was greedy for a moment, and it was a disaster. The destruction of my family and clan was just around the corner. You were not involved in it, and you drew a clear line with us long ago. , your daughter is the current concubine, if the Feng family can survive a breath of blood, it must be your heir."
Fourth Master Feng's expression changed several times, and he didn't even care that the two brothers were already fighting: "Brother, why are you doing this?!"
Feng Mingda smiled bitterly and said: "You don't need to ask more. Even if you know, it will just add to the trouble."
He said: "The fields, manors, gold and silver accumulated by the Feng family over the generations will all be confiscated to the national treasury. If I give them all to you now on the pretext of dividing the family, it will only displease the emperor and do you no good." Don’t use these external things, but there are thousands of books in your home. Take all of them with you, except for those rare and rare copies!”
Fourth Master Feng seemed to see him for the first time. He licked his lips several times and called out again: "Brother."
He wanted to say something more, but Feng Mingda waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to say more.
Finally he smiled and said with sadness: "I think of the ancestor of the Feng family, Duke Wen Xiang. He was a weak scholar who was not good at riding and shooting. He only relied on his wealth of knowledge to discuss strategies. He helped Emperor Taizu conquer the world and was granted the title of Duke. He never thought about his son. Sun was unfilial and fell into this situation today."
Feng Mingda sighed: "Fourth brother, after I die, you should resign from office. Even if you are out of filial piety, don't be an official anymore. Just like you said before, go and open an academy. Become a teacher."
Fourth Master Feng stopped talking and just looked at him sadly.
Feng Mingda smiled again: "Teach your children and grandchildren well. The future of the Feng family depends on you."
After saying that, he stood up and said, "Fourth brother, I'm going. There's no need to see you off."
Chapter 26
Mrs. Feng had already grown up, and her birthday materials and funeral supplies had been prepared a long time ago. Mrs. Feng was in charge of everything. For a while, although the servants and maids in the house were walking in a hurry, everything was still orderly. .
Not long after, Mrs. Feng Si changed into filial piety clothes and went to the main room to help.
When Mrs. Feng met this sister-in-law, who had just had a quarrel with her a few days ago, her heart was full of emotions. In the end, all her emotions turned into a long sigh.
She saluted Mrs. Feng Si as an equal: "Brothers and sisters are here."
Mrs. Feng Si returned the gift: "Sister-in-law."
…
Due to Mrs. Feng's untimely death, Feng Mingda and all the Feng family's children in Beijing resigned from office. The emperor obviously had no intention of stealing his love, so he agreed.
Feng Mingda was not surprised at all, and ordered his servants to distribute the obituary notices throughout the capital.
Fourth Master Feng was beside him but stopped talking.
Feng Mingda knelt in front of Mrs. Feng's soul and said calmly: "It's our business whether we send it or not, and it's their business whether we come or not."
After the obituary notice was sent out, very few people came to pay their respects.
Fourth Master Feng had also witnessed his father's funeral ceremony back then - at that time, the late emperor sent envoys to pay homage, the empress dowager returned to Ning's mother's house, the Chang'an clan and nobles had arrived, the house was full of guests, and there were only officials below the fifth rank. It's just a matter of leaving a name with the concierge...
Compare this with the neglect of the family today after Mrs. Feng passed away. Even though he has a weak relationship with his aunt, he can't help but feel a bit sad and desolate.
When the tree fell and the hozens scattered, he felt so deeply for the first time that the Feng family of the Hairpin family had indeed ushered in its end.
At this moment, there are even more people discussing this matter in Chang'an.
