Like Empress Dowager Chen, Empress Dowager Li was horrified and moved after hearing these words, got up and walked out.
When I arrived at the entrance of the palace, I saw the emperor kneeling in front of his head, the queen kneeling beside him and a little behind, and the two daughters kneeling side by side in the back row.
Zhu Yijun didn't do much exercise at ordinary times, and the stone slabs outside the hall were hard. By the time he knelt down, his face had already turned pale, and the pain in his knees caused sweat to drip from his cheeks.
The two daughters were not only pale, but also on the verge of collapse. Their little faces that were originally happy or angry were already covered with fine beads of sweat, and their lips were also a little dark.
The Queen's face was a little better, but after hearing what Queen Mother Chen had just relayed, Queen Mother Li was particularly concerned about her and said, "Queen, you get up first."
Queen Wang bowed and said, "Thank you, Queen Mother, for your kindness, but the Emperor is still kneeling. How can I stand up and ask Queen Mother to allow my daughter-in-law to be punished for the same crime as her husband?"
Queen Mother Li knew what she meant by putting the words "daughter-in-law" and "husband" in front of her. She was referring to Gang Chang, so she could only sigh, "Since the queen said so, let's all get up."
"Thank you, Queen Mother, for your grace." Now the four people said in unison.
But Queen Mother Li's face was still cold. She glanced at Zhu Yijun, Zhu Yao'e, and Zhu Yaoyu, and then turned her eyes to the Queen and softened a little. She said, "Xi'er, the Ai family knows what you mean by coming, but this matter is not just housework. You don't want to If you ask more, please go back to Kunning Palace and stay in peace."
Queen Wang was a little worried that once she left, her mother would continue to punish the emperor to kneel down and think about his mistakes. She was a little hesitant and did not understand the deep meaning of Queen Mother Li's words, so she hesitated to speak again.
Empress Dowager Li stretched out her hand to stop her, "Xi'er, the Ai family doesn't want to talk about it again."
Queen Wang was extremely filial and did not dare to say anything more. She could only look at the emperor deeply and said, "Your Majesty, I will leave this concubine."
Zhu Yijun nodded, "It's the beginning of autumn and the night is cold. You should go back to the palace to rest early."
The Queen turned to Queen Mother Li and saluted, saying, "My daughter-in-law, please leave."
Empress Dowager Li's face softened by three points, and she nodded, "There is no need to enter the palace. Empress Dowager Rensheng will let the Aijia convey it to you."
After the Queen left, Queen Mother Li's face turned serious again. She glanced at her son and two daughters again and said coldly, "For the Queen's sake, I will spare you the trouble of kneeling."
The three brothers and sisters did not dare to contradict and bowed silently.
Queen Mother Li glanced at Zhu Yijun again and asked, "Do you know you are wrong?"
Zhu Yijun felt in his heart that he was only doing it for his sister's good and had not done anything bad. Besides, he had been kneeling for more than half an hour, and his mother was still not relieved.
He was definitely dissatisfied, but he also knew in his heart that it would definitely not work to contradict his mother in person, so he could only say angrily, "I know I was wrong."
Queen Mother Li knew that he was dissatisfied when she heard this. However, Zhu Yijun was her biological son after all. He looked pale at the moment. Queen Mother Li couldn't bear to punish her anymore, but she was afraid that she would show her weak side and make her son lose fear in the future. He was lawless and had no choice but to harden his heart and say, "Since you know your mistake, you can come in and wait for me to discuss with your aunt and Mr. Guo how to punish me, and then we can make further calculations."
Zhu Yijun still replied angrily, "My son, I obey."
Empress Dowager Li did not argue with him, and said to the two princesses Zhu Yao'e and Zhu Yaolao, "I will argue with you about your affairs tomorrow. Go ahead."
The two princesses endured the pain in their knees and the numbness in their legs, bowed to their mother, and then left.
Queen Mother Li turned back to the main hall, and Zhu Yijun followed in silently.
After entering the main hall, Guo Pu stood up again and saw the Queen Mother and the Emperor.
Although Zhu Yijun felt aggrieved, he still respected Guo Pu. However, he was "a guilty person" at the moment, so he couldn't say much, so he just nodded and said, "Yuan Fu doesn't need to be polite."
Empress Dowager Li said politely, "Yuan Fu, please sit down."
Empress Dowager Li sat down by herself, but did not say anything about preparing a place for the emperor to sit. Zhu Yijun had no choice but to stay in the middle of the hall, treated no differently from ordinary children who were taught a lesson by their parents.
Seeing that the situation was a bit awkward, Queen Mother Chen was about to speak first and use gentle words to set the tone for the rest of the conversation. Unexpectedly, Queen Mother Li suddenly asked Guo Pu sadly, "Yuan Fu, you are the Prime Minister of the Three Dynasties, and you are above national affairs." Your views are far better than those of us women. Tell me, now that the emperor has lost his virtue, is he still fit to rule the world?"
This is truly shocking
Not only was Guo Pu shocked, Zhu Yijun and Queen Mother Chen were both stunned for a moment.
But Guo Pu reacted quickly at this time, but he did not lose his composure, nor did he kowtow in fear. Instead, he stood up, respectfully took off his official hat, held it in both hands, bowed and said, "The Queen Mother said, this is I blame the old minister for his futile teachings and his incompetence in assisting Bi. I would rather live up to the blame. The old minister has betrayed the great trust of the late emperor and has no face and dignity to occupy the position. He begs for his bones and returns to his hometown as an official."
Zhu Yijun also reacted at this time. He was so shocked that he knew that this was not the time to save face. He knelt down on the ground and kowtowed, "Mother, please calm down. I know I was wrong. I really know." wrong"
Then he turned to Queen Mother Chen, kowtowed and said, "Mother, please save your son."
Empress Dowager Chen thought about how the emperor, even though he was young, would come to Ciqing Palace to pay his respects every day regardless of wind or rain, and his respect for her was no worse than that of his biological mother. The child was always filial, and she suddenly felt unbearable. , comforted him, "Don't be afraid, Jun'er. You will inevitably need to think more when you are still young. It's not a big deal if you make a mistake occasionally. Just correct it in the future."
Empress Dowager Li ignored Zhu Yijun and just comforted Guo Pu, "Yuan Fu made harsh remarks. The Ai family is not blaming you. You should put your hat on first."
Who would have thought that Guo Pu was determined this time, and said in a deep tone, "The Queen Mother has clearly learned that the old minister thinks that although the emperor made a mistake this time, it is not a breach of morality. Zhongyong said that the world's greatest virtues are five, so those who practice it are three. They are kings and ministers, fathers and sons, husband and wife, brothers, and friends. The fifth is the highest virtue in the world. Wisdom, benevolence, and courage are the three highest virtues in the world, so those who practice them are the same."
"The emperor is knowledgeable, pragmatic and has broad connections, so he leaves the matter of selecting the consort in his hands. This is out of wisdom for the emperor to care about the brother and sister, and to work for the princess's lifelong happiness. This is also benevolent. The emperor knows that this matter is against the ancestral system, but still It is courageous to perform such a kind act. With such three virtues at the same time, I don’t know why the Queen Mother said that the Emperor is unvirtuous. If this action is unethical, it must be because I have no way to teach you, and I can only ask for a retreat. I hope the Queen Mother will think again."
Zhu Yijun felt reassured and burst into tears of gratitude for Guo Pu's "righteous speech".
After hearing this, Queen Mother Chen also nodded secretly, thinking that Mr. Guo is also a responsible person.
Only Empress Dowager Li sensitively discovered an important doubt, frowning and said, "Yuanfu said that he acted because of the love between brother and sister, and worked for the princess's lifelong happiness. Where did he start from saying this, and how did Yuanfu know?"
Guo Pu said calmly, "Gao Pragmatic is a disciple of the old minister. The old minister knows that he has been looking for young students of good character in Daxing County for the past six months. Later it was said that he selected a man who was seventeen years old and his name was Hou Gongchen. These days, he I often take this person with me, explaining his studies and teaching him etiquette. After what happened today, the old minister guessed that he must have been ordered by the emperor to select a consort for the princess."
As he spoke, he turned to Zhu Yijun and asked, "Excuse me, Your Majesty, but is this the case?"
Zhu Yijun knew that Guo Pu was helping him, so he naturally nodded quickly, "Yuan Fu sees things right, that's it."
Empress Dowager Li frowned, thought for a moment, and then asked, "When did Yao'e and Yao Lao meet Hou Gongchen?"
Zhu Yijun quickly said, "It was after my son and Gao Pingshi came back from visiting the mausoleum that they arranged to meet at the Nansha River Imperial Mansion." He paused for a moment, then added, "It's just that Yao'e met Hou Gongchen, and Hou Gongchen Gongchen did not see Yao'e."
Queen Mother Li calmed down a little, but realized something was wrong again and asked, "What's going on with Yao?"
Zhu Yijun complained in his heart and thought to himself, I don’t know what’s going on with Yao Yu.
He did not dare to lie any more at this time, so he could only tell the truth, saying that Yao Nai knew that Hou Gongchen was the consort chosen for his sister Yao E. As for why she secretly wrote love poems, he did not know.
Empress Dowager Li recalled the recent state of her two daughters for a while, her face changed, and she suddenly said decisively, "Yuan Fu, I'm afraid something may wrong you."
Guo Pu was startled and had no idea what he meant. He could only respond in the usual way, "The Queen Mother said something serious. I am nearly 70 years old, so I don't care about any grievances. All Queen Mother matters, but please speak frankly."
Empress Dowager Li nodded, but first said to Zhu Yijun, "Emperor, since Yuan Fu said that you are not immoral, the Ai family will not care about what happened before. However, you violated the ancestral rules and left the palace. Can you admit this mistake?"
Zhu Yijun did not dare to argue anymore and could only say, "I know I was wrong."
Empress Dowager Li said again, "Well, tomorrow you will issue an edict to accuse yourself, stating that you left the palace without authorization and violated the ancestral system. You will issue an edict to accuse yourself, but don't mention Yao'e and Yao's concubines. At the same time, although Gao Pingshi had no official position at the time , but he is your companion, and he knows the rules well, but he knows that you have violated the ancestral rules without admonishing him. He has failed the late emperor's entrustment, and his crime will be increased by one level. He will be demoted to three levels and transferred out of the capital as soon as possible. My sister is not allowed to return to Beijing to take up a post before she is married."
Zhu Yijun was very unhappy when he first heard that he was going to issue an imperial edict to sin against himself. He was even more unhappy when he heard that Gao Pragmatic was demoted to a third rank and transferred out of the capital. He said anxiously, "Mother, my sons and ministers can issue an imperial edict to sin against themselves. But this matter has nothing to do with Gao Pragmatic, he was just following the orders of his son."
"Don't the Ai family know?" Empress Dowager Li was furious and scolded, "Or do you want him to stay in the capital and be your brother-in-law?"
Zhu Yijun was stunned for a moment, and after a while he suddenly said in horror, "Why did Yao Nao write that poem about pragmatism?"
Queen Mother Li snorted coldly and said with great dissatisfaction, "Now you know what good thing you have done."
Zhu Yijun was speechless and murmured, "How could this happen?"
Queen Mother Chen sighed in her heart, secretly thinking that Gao Pragmatic was delayed by this, and she didn't know if it would have any impact on the future.
She thought for a while and said to Guo Puda, "Yuanfu, this matter may be unfair to your disciple, but this is also the best way to deal with it. You should make good arrangements. Even if you demote him to three levels, don't treat him too badly." , the emperor will definitely still use him in the future."
Guo Pu didn't know what to say, so he could only smile bitterly and said, "Old minister, I understand. Thank you Queen Mother for your kindness."
