Kunming Hall, after a long time, Emperor Liu came to the palace again. For no other reason than the queen was ill.
In the hall, on the phoenix couch, Queen Fu was wearing single clothes and lying quietly, her hair was scattered, her lips were slightly white, her face was bloodless, and her graceful appearance showed obvious weakness. Her youth had passed away prematurely, and her once beautiful appearance no longer existed. However, none of this conceals her identity as the most noble woman in the world.
Although he was weak and not in good spirits, Fu Hou's eyes were still so clear and wise. He held the thin quilt in one hand and stared at Emperor Liu silently.
Feeling Empress Fu's gaze, Emperor Liu smiled and asked, "Why, haven't you seen enough of my old face?"
Fu Hou was really weak and his voice was a little low, so he responded: "I'm old and my appearance has faded. I'm afraid the officials will be tired of looking at my face!"
Hearing what she said, Emperor Liu showed a little embarrassment on his face and said, "How can I get tired of talking nonsense? Your appearance has long been engraved in my heart, and it cannot be erased by a few years."
As if to cover up something, Emperor Liu said with a slight guilt: "It's just that I've been a little busy lately and haven't been able to take care of the harem. I heard that you were sick, so I came right away..."
He looked at Emperor Liu calmly, seeing that he was a little embarrassed, and then said softly: "Are you busy with Lu Duoxun's affairs?"
Emperor Liu nodded quickly and asked, "Have you heard about this too?"
"These days, this matter has caused a lot of uproar and uproar in the city. How come we can't hear about it," said Empress Fu.
As he spoke, he sighed: "I heard that besides Lu Duoxun, many people have been arrested. It is so serious. Now that the government and the public are in turmoil, and people are uneasy, are you going to let it go?"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Liu couldn't help but frown, suppressing his slight impatience, and said, "Could it be that someone begged you to come here to stir up trouble?"
Seeing that Emperor Liu was worried again, Empress Fu was silent for a moment, thought about it for a while, and then said: "I am ill on the bed, and I can't even take care of myself. How can I manage the affairs of the court? I'm just afraid that you will be worried and hurt your body..." ..”
After looking at each other for a while, Emperor Liu's expression softened, and he reached out to smooth some of the hair sticking to Fuhou's cheek, and said softly: "If you are not feeling well, don't think about it. It's better to be healthy and recuperate, and the court will be in chaos." Can’t get up!”
Obviously, Emperor Liu had already planned this matter and his attitude was firm and could not be changed. In this regard, Empress Fu didn't say anything more on the matter.
While stroking the hair behind the talisman, Emperor Liu suddenly stopped and said with a hint of regret in his tone: "Your hair has turned so much gray too!"
The white hair on the head and the wrinkles on the face are probably the most obvious features of an old person. Hearing this, Empress Fu smiled slightly, her smile a little pale: "At this age, everything is natural, there is no need to sigh."
The couple chatted nonchalantly, and Empress Fu's personal female official approached the couch and said respectfully: "Guan family, the medicine has been boiled. It's time for the empress to take it!"
After looking at the steaming bowl of medicine, Emperor Liu stopped her and asked, "What kind of medicine is this?"
"Go back to the official's house and the imperial doctor will prescribe a nourishing and nourishing medicine!"
"Has anyone tried it?"
"Already tried!"
Emperor Liu then nodded, took the medicine bowl himself, and gestured to him: "Step back, you don't need to wait here!"
"Yes!" The female officer didn't dare to say anything at all.
Emperor Liu took the spoon, stirred it gently in the bowl, scooped up a spoonful, blew it slightly, and tasted it himself. With a smile on his face, he said to Hou Fu: "It's okay, the taste is not very good." Bitter, take medicine. Don’t think too much about those troublesome things. For now, just take good care of yourself."
Seeing Emperor Liu's careful and gentle service, Fu Hou felt a little touched, and his eyes became more soft and moved. In the whole world, Empress Fu is probably the only one who can allow Emperor Liu to do this.
...
After staying with Empress Fu in Kunming Hall for more than an hour, Emperor Liu just left. When leaving, he repeatedly told a group of people to take care of the empress, and directly threatened her life.
Although Emperor Liu behaved gently and peacefully in front of Fu Hou, not to mention smiling and telling jokes, he was not in a good mood and could not be relieved. He was worried that in recent years, especially in the past year, Fuhou's health had been deteriorating and getting weaker.
Emperor Liu was a little afraid, fearing that Empress Fu would suddenly pass away on an unpredictable day. If such a thing happened, he didn't know how to deal with it. Although he was extremely reluctant to think about it, those hateful thoughts always vaguely appeared in his mind, hurting Emperor Liu's spirit.
When he returned to Chongzheng Hall, Prince Liu Yang was already waiting there, and what he did was still Lu Duoxun's case. Regarding this matter, Emperor Liu made no statement except for his statement at the Chongyuan Hall meeting. After that, he made no statement at all.
All affairs were allowed to progress freely, and even on the surface they did not pay much attention. The progress of the situation was also left to Liu Yang to supervise and make decisions. This is also the reason why Liu Yang was able to go to the Ministry of Punishment to give instructions that day.
"Sit!" Looking at the prince, Emperor Liu was really not very interested and even spoke weakly.
"yes!"
Emperor Liu wanted to reprimand Liu Yang for Empress Fu's illness, but seeing Liu Yang looking tired due to busy state affairs, he couldn't say anything.
He opened his mouth and said softly: "Your mother is sick, please go visit her later!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Yang was slightly shocked, and immediately asked with concern: "How is the situation? It doesn't matter!"
"It's an old problem!" Emperor Liu sighed: "As people get older, either this is not good or there is something unpleasant. Go see her and act normal and don't show your worries on your face!"
"Yes!" Liu Yang responded melancholy: "I will go to Kunming Hall later!"
"By the way, how is Liu Zhao doing now?" Emperor Liu suddenly asked.
Liu Yang: "My tenth brother is now named Liu Shi. He is now serving as a county official in a certain county in China. He is responsible for prosecuting prison cases. It is said that he is doing a good job!"
Hearing this, Emperor Liu also showed a smile and ordered: "Bring me back! You are almost twenty-three years old. When you come back, let's settle the marriage first!"
"Yes!" Liu Yang responded, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Dad, is it because of mother's health?"
"Just think of it as a happy occasion!" After a pause, Emperor Liu said again: "Your mother gave birth to three of your brothers. You have been busy with state affairs all day, and Liu Min is far away in Anxi. Let Liu Zhao come back and fulfill your filial piety!"
"How is Lu Duoxun's love going?" Emperor Liu waved his hand and asked, his face gradually returning to calm.
Mentioning this, Liu Yang replied solemnly: "Now, according to the verification and deliberation of the Three Law Departments in the past few days, thirty-seven articles of conviction have been made. Now, the investigation and collection are still continuing!"
"Ha!" Emperor Liu said coldly, not knowing whether it was with emotion or something else: "Wang Yucheng only impeached him on fifteen articles. Before the investigation was completed, Xin Zhongfu and the others came up with thirty-seven articles?"
Liu Yang couldn't tell whether he was satisfied or dissatisfied with this progress, so he could only report the truth: "Among them, the crime of forming a party is the most serious, and there are hundreds of officials involved in it. Among them, there are those who convey benefits and exchange letters. Hundreds of people were identified. Within three days, 23 people came to the Ministry of Punishment to report themselves to Lu Duosun..."
"It seems that they have focused their investigation on the formation of cliques!" Emperor Liu sneered: "Everyone is criticizing cliques for personal gain and accusing parties of being together and opposing dissidents, but who in the imperial court does not form cliques?"
Emperor Liu's words made Liu Yang stunned for a moment. Isn't this what made him most angry? Sensing Liu Yang's doubts, Emperor Liu said calmly: "It's not easy to be a solitary minister! How can it be easy for a solitary minister to do errands and get promoted? There are shortcuts, and who doesn't want to have someone to depend on and a backer?"
Emperor Liu's words made Liu Yang think deeply and asked, "Would you like to inform me and change the direction of the investigation?"
"No need!" Emperor Liu denied directly: "Let them investigate!"
"In addition, in these days, many officials in the imperial court have petitioned to impeach Lu Duoxun, and many people have accused Lu Duoxun of violating the law..."
Emperor Liu was not surprised by this, but he still couldn't help but sneered: "Okay! Everyone jumped out at this time. What were they doing before the incident? How many of these people who impeached Lu Duoxun on weekdays? Are you actively flattering Lu Duosun?"
Liu Yang lowered his head subconsciously, knowing that Emperor Liu would react like this. After Emperor Liu calmed down slightly, Liu Yang asked for instructions again: "Father, no matter how conclusive the evidence is, Lu Duoxun has always denied it. However, his crime cannot be tolerated. The investigation is currently being carried out in an orderly manner, and it will eventually end." , I still need your instructions on how to convict and deal with Lu Dosun!"
