The eldest son of the emperor shed tears and nodded randomly.
When the queen saw him, she didn't talk too much about the trivial matters of life. She just told him in a concise and concise manner: "Be a wealthy and idle man, don't make friends with military nobles, and don't accept any more retainers. I'll say bad things about the Sixth Prince in front of you." They are all traitors who want your life. Just remember their names and hand them over to the Sixth Prince, and he will deal with them."
The eldest son of the emperor responded with sobs.
The queen said sternly: "Swear in front of me that you will definitely be able to do it! If not, my soul will be uneasy even under the Nine Springs!"
The eldest son of the emperor was frightened by his mother's harsh words and quickly did what she said.
"What I am doing today is my destiny. It is no one else's business. It is no one else's business."
The queen's tone was half gone, and her expression softened with exhaustion: "You govern Confucianism, which emphasizes filial piety above all. After I die, you will serve me for three years just like you did when your father passed away." Don’t go out or entertain guests during the new year, son, can you do it?”
The eldest son of the emperor nodded vigorously and said with red eyes: "Mother, my son can definitely do it!"
The queen seemed to be responding, but also seemed to be sighing: "That's good."
She turned her head sideways and thought: Three years should be enough for the world to look away from an adopted prince.
And with the ability of the Sixth Prince, he will definitely be able to completely control the situation of the court.
That afternoon, the queen got up and drove back to the palace.
The emperor heard about this, but he didn't go to visit. If the emperor didn't go, how could the other concubines dare to go?
Especially because of Princess Changhua's incident, the queen had a grudge with the noble concubine. Even though both parties turned the page over in unison, they didn't really turn over the page. Who knows.
However, the Queen's confidants were so loyal that they went to report to their master: "Now someone in the court is advising Your Majesty to choose a concubine for the Sixth Prince. My Majesty, are we..."
When the queen recalled this incident, she felt as if she was from another world.
She once wanted to put a little effort into Shuanghong next to the imperial concubine, but if she thought about it again, she would just find it ridiculous.
Why bother.
It wasn't just Shuanghong, another face vaguely appeared in front of her...
The queen sat up straight and ordered: "Go and invite someone here. I have something to tell her."
…
The Queen seems to be different from before.
This was the first thought that Yun Wei, the former emperor's eldest concubine and now the daughter of the Mo family's great son, had after seeing her.
Most people will change.
Yunwei bowed step by step and stood in front of the queen's hospital bed without saying too many words.
The Queen knew her character and didn't care. Instead, she asked her straight to the point: "Does Your Majesty intend to marry you to the Sixth Prince?"
Yun Wei was startled for a moment, then shook his head: "Your Majesty had such thoughts, but he quickly changed his mind. One of the reforms is to change customs. He cannot order the people to reform their customs at the same time. Let the successor marry his former eldest sister-in-law as his wife."
The queen nodded and asked, "So, will the new sixth prince's concubine still come from the Mo family?"
Yun Wei nodded: "That's true."
The queen asked: "Is this part of the contract between the Mohist family and the state of Zhou?"
When talking about this matter, Yun Wei hesitated for a moment, paused, and then said: "That's true."
The queen continued clearly: "You want to promote the Mohist ideas through the combination of Mohist believers and the country's supreme ruler, and then influence the next generation of monarchs as the mother of the country, right?"
Yunwei remained silent.
And this in itself is a kind of agreement.
The queen laughed softly: "Is the girl the Mo family is planning to introduce this time as outstanding as you?"
Yunwei's attitude was very humble: "Her talent and intelligence are far better than mine."
The queen finally sighed: "Then, let me tell you the final result - this road is impassable."
She said: "The sixth prince's character is exactly the same as his father's. They may be different in subtle details, but when it comes to controlling their envoys, they are the same kind of people!"
"The power of a country must require this kind of monarch. Only people like them can achieve hegemony. However, this kind of character is absolutely self-interested and will only benefit themselves and will never benefit others."
"Whether it's courtiers or concubines, they are all objects of his control, but they can never share the power that belongs to him. This is his inverse scale. If anyone wants to touch it, he will definitely die. land!"
"The Mohists want to shape a successor who conforms to their own ideals at will. What a naive idea. Where do you put the emperor's ideas? Let him put aside his desire to shape his successor and fulfill your wishes. If he can do it, wouldn’t he be a saint?”
Yun Wei was stunned when she heard this, but subconsciously retorted: "But His Majesty did promise the Mo family that the crown prince's concubine will only be a girl from the Mo family..."
The Queen smiled when she heard this. This was a mockery without any malice: "My eldest son was once the future crown prince that everyone thought, and you were once his first wife. So now, Tell me, can you really influence his decision?"
Yunwei hesitated.
The queen gave the answer: "You can't."
"You can make him surrender temporarily through words or force, but you can't change his inner thoughts and external behavior - you are such an outstanding woman, especially you can't change an incompetent prince. , how can you expect a woman like you to change a talented and powerful monarch?"
"How can you guarantee that a girl from the Mo family will definitely give birth to a heir apparent for the sixth prince?"
"All your Majesty can promise is that a girl from the Mohist family will be the crown prince and his concubine. This sounds indeed very beautiful - but what is the difference between what you get and what I got in the past?"
The queen showed her scars nakedly in front of her: "I am your majesty's wife. My mother's family is strong enough. I gave birth to your majesty's eldest son, but it is also me." "Today, you have suffered a total defeat. Why would you, or that outstanding Mohist woman, spend decades repeating my failure and suffering the bitterness that I have experienced before?"
"Moreover," she looked deeply at her former daughter-in-law and said thoughtfully: "You have followed your father around the countries since you were a child. You are a woman with extraordinary knowledge. You should also have your own ambitions. Right? It's just that you mistakenly projected your ambition on the flashy position of the prince's wife."
Yunwei looked thoughtful, and after a few moments, he sincerely bowed to the queen: "Please teach me!"
The queen said: "When entering the royal harem, I hope to realize my political ideals as a concubine. I can't say that this road is dead. I can only say that in the harem of the current two generations of Zhou emperors, , is an impossible dream."
"The Queen is just a subordinate of the Emperor. She cannot really make a voice. Life and death depend on the Emperor's thoughts."
"You should go to the previous dynasty, use your talents and abilities to find an official position, and stand in the court like a man. The title of nobility in this dynasty is not limited to military merit. You can also make great contributions to the world, and this way Will the Mo family lack the merits of ?"
"I know that there are people in the Mo family who are officials in the court, and there are people who have obtained titles based on their merits, but they are not you. If you want to follow a woman's path outside of the Mo family, then go ahead."
"Don't be fooled by the queen's aura of being a little king, and don't be moved by the vanity of a noble concubine who is the same as a prime minister. I would rather squeeze into the court as a woman and be a petty official than covet the so-called wealth in the harem. !”
Yun Wei's face showed a look of thinking, and she frowned from time to time. She was puzzled, confused, and relieved, but the queen didn't want to say anything else to her.
"This is just my personal opinion. Let me tell it to people who I think are worthy of it. It may be right. Of course, it may also be wrong. You can make your own decision."
She waved her hand, indicating that Yun Wei could go out.
The latter looked at her with a somewhat complicated expression, bowed to her sincerely, and withdrew.
The queen leaned on the hidden bag and coughed slightly. After she recovered her breath, she said again: "You can leave now."
Shuanghong came out from behind the curtain, looking suspicious, but also as if she had some realization.
She asked: "What is the purpose of your Majesty asking me to come and listen to this conversation?"
The Queen paused for a moment before replying with a smile: "There is no purpose, just out of a little guilt."
Because of my previous desire to drag you into the water.
After talking for so long, she was already very tired, but looking at this young girl, she still held on and said, "Can your family background be comparable to mine?"
Shuanghong shook his head: "No."
The Queen then said: "Then, when you walk into the Vanity Fair like me and participate in the fight between you and me, how can you get better results than me?"
She lay back and looked at the exquisite patterns on the curtains with dull eyes: "There are two arithmetic books on the table. You can take them with you. I'll stop here."
Shuanghong scratched his head hesitantly, saluted to her hesitantly, picked up the two books from the table, and left in a hurry.
The emperor learned from the imperial physician that the queen's death was approaching, but he was silent for a moment and ordered the concubine to see her off, but he had no intention of going.
Shuanghong asked in confusion: "Your Majesty, what does this mean?"
Concubine Quan told her: "It was out of the last bit of compassion and paternal heart."
Ming'er is already the confirmed successor, and she will be the future Queen Mother. Let her witness the loneliness and loneliness of the Queen on the verge of death, and dispel any possible resentment. For the Queen's two children, , is a good thing.
Speaking of this, Concubine Quan looked sad: "Who in the deep palace is not pitiful."
Shuanghong pouted: "Look, slave, that bitch Tang Zhaoyi is not pitiable!"
Concubine Quan burst out laughing.
She sighed almost inaudibly, took off most of the hairpin, stood up and said, "Let's go."
That night, the queen passed away.
Her death was like a drop of rain falling on the sea, briefly causing ripples, and then quickly calmed down after a few moments.
Chapter 218
The queen's funeral was very simple--relative to her status.
Although the emperor's eldest son has been succeeded, and although Princess Changhua is currently under grounding, no one can deny that the empress is the emperor's original wife and the empress of Zhou Dynasty.
She received the funeral rites that a queen should have, but other than that, she did not receive any routine favors for her mother's family. Even her posthumous title was Zhongzheng Heping - Empress Xiaohe.
The death of the queen was a big event for the state of Zhou.
The funeral ceremony of a mother of the country was jointly organized by the Ministry of Rites, Zongzheng Temple and Taichang Temple in the outer court, while it was jointly prepared by Quan Guifei and the provincial and ministerial bureaus in the inner court.
Because the sixth prince was so popular in the outer court, Concubine Quan had to find fault with every irregularity and simplicity in the funeral ceremony, and tried not to bring any stain on her son, making people think that her mother and son were like this. It is so rampant that even the deceased’s funeral arrangements must be reduced.
It is true that the emperor has shortcomings that are heart-warming, such as being ruthless and turning his back on others, but he also has a reassuring advantage - that is, when it is time to take responsibility, he will not shirk the blame and escape, but will face it. Difficult to get up.
For example, at this moment, after observing Concubine Quan's attitude with a cold eye and confirming that she was as humble and courteous as before, the emperor took the initiative to accept the possible criticism from public opinion against the concubine's mother and son, and ordered himself to reprimand the Ministry of Etiquette for the funeral ceremony. The preparation specifications were too high, and the expenses of the household department were too high.
In this way, he will inevitably leave a bad reputation in the history books as a stingy person with no kindness to husband and wife, but it does help the imperial concubine, mother and son escape the current moral dilemma.
It's not that we are unreasonable and unwilling to let go of the deceased, but His Majesty is determined to do this, and there is nothing we can do.
Concubine Quan was relieved when she heard the emperor's edict - he was willing to take over the pot, which was the best thing - even though this pot was originally born of him.
On the contrary, Shuanghong saw the emperor treating his first wife so coldly, and could not help but recall the tragic situation of Concubine Quan's decline overnight, and couldn't help but feel some subtle sympathy for her because of the queen's words that day.
"The deceased has passed away. Your Majesty is like this. Queen Xiaohe is also pitiful..."
After hearing this, Concubine Quan shook her head: "No, the queen actually doesn't care about this."
She had some vague guesses about the queen's death, but she would not tell Shuanghong.
Concubine Quan just said: "I am a mother, the queen is also a mother, and the mother's heart is the same. Death is inevitable, so what is the afterlife? If you can exchange this for your children, Shelter is always worth it.”
