"why?"
In the quiet room, King Huai's dazed questioning voice sounded: "Mother concubine, why did you do this?"
He never imagined that the tender and frail mother who had been in his eyes all these years was pretending to be sick.
But why would she do this
Worried about Queen Su making things difficult for her
Afraid that other concubines in the harem will plot against her
But since the father and emperor ascended the throne, only Empress Su has been favored, and the concubines of the harem are jealous, and only Empress Su, why should the concubine feel so wronged
"Everything I do, of course, is for you." Concubine Xu looked at her son and said, "Liuan, you are the eldest son of your father, and the future throne should belong to you."
King Huai looked at Concubine Xu in astonishment. This ambitious mother became unfamiliar to him. In his memory, the concubine was gentle. She would not force the fourth younger brother to study like Zheng Lanyin did, nor would she let the second younger brother leave other brothers like Lu Zhaoyi did, and she never even mentioned the eldest son to him. Prince, etc.
"Now that the Su family has been canonized as the queen, what's the use of me even if I am the eldest son." King Huai accepted his fate: "Mother concubine, in the future... don't wrong yourself again. It's a medicine that is three-point poisonous, even if you don't get sick, drink it often. These bitter medicines are not good for your body either."
"If I wasn't frail and sick, how could Your Majesty let me go?" Concubine Xu lifted the quilt, walked to the table and sat down, sneering: "Your father is a man who is extremely good at forbearance. When the kings seized the throne, he didn't care much. He used his strategy, he couldn't bear it in the hidden mansion, and finally won the throne..."
"My father was clearly framed by other princes, so he was placed under house arrest in the palace for two full years." Huluo Pingyang was bullied by dogs, and he hardly wanted to recall what kind of life he lived during the two years under house arrest.
"But it happened that he was the prince who was banned and finally became emperor." Concubine Xu looked at her ignorant son: "Why is it him?"
"Royal father is destined to return. He has both talent and virtue, and is better than all princes." King Huai couldn't understand Xu Concubine's words even more: "Isn't this what it should be?"
"How can there be so many things in the capital." Concubine Xu raised her eyebrows: "With such a stupid temper, how will you win over courtiers in the future?"
King Huai frowned and did not speak.
"I used to think that your father was a gentle and kind-hearted person, but one day, I found that there was no warmth in the eyes he looked at me." Concubine Xu fell into her past memories: "In his eyes, I It's no different from the flowers and trees by the roadside, although he didn't kill me, he has no affection for me."
"Mother concubine, what are you talking about, why did the emperor want to kill you?" He looked at Concubine Xu in horror, thinking that she was confused and talking nonsense: "My son helped you to rest in bed."
"Sixteen years ago, the people of the King of England found me and asked me to steal a roster from your father's study. I promised that as long as I got the roster, I would protect our mother and son and take us out of the palace." Concubine Xu laughed at herself. : "When people are desperate, it is easy to lose their minds. I promised the King of England."
King Huai looked at Concubine Xu in disbelief: "Concubine Mu, you are lying to me, aren't you?"
How could the gentle and kind-hearted concubine in her heart be infatuated with her father and emperor to betray the palace
At that time, there were dozens of people in the entire palace. If the mother-in-law gave the roster to others...
He asked in a hoarse voice, "And then?"
"Later the King of England was defeated and died under the sword of Jin Jiawei. I don't know which floor tiles in the palace were stained red by the blood that came out of his body." Referring to this past incident, Concubine Xu felt regretful: "I had known that he would If it ends like this, I will never agree to him."
"You didn't steal the roster?" King Huai secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Stealed." Concubine Xu lowered her eyelids: "After the King of England was defeated, I burned this roster."
King Huai remembered something, when the mother and concubine burned things in the house, her eyes were red and she looked very sad.
"You told me back then that you were burning poems written for your father." King Huai sat down on the stool, "You're also lying to me?"
He thought it was the mother-in-law who saw the deep relationship between the father and the Su family, so she was so sad that she burned the things she wrote to the father. It turned out that there were no love poems at all, only the roster related to the life and death of the palace.
Concubine Xu did not admit it, but did not deny it either.
"I don't know when your royal father knew about this, but in order to let him dispel his resentment against me, I can only pretend to be sick every day and try not to let him notice me."
"But after the father ascended the throne, he gave you the position of concubine, and he also gave his son the title of prince." King Huai's mind was in chaos: "If he really minds, why would he give you the position of concubine?"
"You are the eldest son. As your biological mother, he only gave him a concubine position, and he didn't even have a title. Isn't that perfunctory enough?" Concubine Xu grabbed King Huai's hand tightly: "Liang, the Zheng family has been bestowed by His Majesty. Die, if you can't be the crown prince, I will die under the three-foot white silk like the Zheng family, do you understand?"
Concubine Xu's hands were frighteningly strong, and King Huai looked down at the hand that Concubine Xu was holding tightly: "The fourth brother's mother concubine is not because of poisoning the prince..."
"No, she died of stupidity." Concubine Xu interrupted King Huai's words: "After she met her mother's family, her complexion became better. It is not a secret that she secretly contacted the guards guarding the palace several times."
"The plan failed but I didn't know how to restrain myself. I provoke Su Meidai everywhere in the harem. Who will die if she doesn't die?" Speaking of Zheng Lanyin, Concubine Xu's tone was disdainful: "Yun Yanze was raised by her to be just like her. It's just a piece of shit. At a young age, he dares to publicize a virtuous king outside, who is both civil and military, and can't wait to put the word "gentleman" on his forehead."
"Mother concubine..." King Huai turned to look at the sunset that climbed up the window lattice: "Forget it."
"I don't want any storage seats, any dragon seats." He became less interested: "As long as we are all good, it is better than anything else."
"Bengong has endured for so many years, it's all for you, but you told Bengong to forget it?!" Concubine Xu took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes: "Did you know that when Zheng Shi was given death, How scared is the mother-in-law?"
"Don't you have the heart to watch your mother-in-law and step into Zheng's footsteps?"
The mother-in-law's cry was like a net, wrapping him tightly from head to toe, entangling him so hard that he couldn't breathe.
"Even if it's for the mother-in-law." Douda's tears fell on the back of King Huai's hand: "Liang, the mother-in-law only has you, if you don't even want to help me, I'm the second Zheng Lanyin, do you understand? "
King Huai almost fled, clutching the back of his hand wet with tears, and when he left Zhaoxiang Palace, he didn't even dare to turn his head back.
Concubine Xu slowly wiped away the tears from her cheeks and took a sip of the tea on the table.
The throne is so close at hand, why forget it
It is a pity that His Majesty has protected Su Meidai so well that she has no room to attack.
Neither Zheng nor Weiss is the biggest threat.
Su Meidai and Yun Duqing have always been a big worry for her until they get rid of them.
After walking out of Zhaoxiang Palace, King Huai buried his head and walked straight forward. The little eunuch behind him did not dare to ask any more questions, and trotted after him.
Not knowing how far he had gone, he gradually regained his senses and looked up to see the paper kite in the sky.
"Who is so bold to put a paper kite in the palace?" In the previous dynasty, there was a palace concubine who borrowed the method of putting paper kites to send letters to people outside the palace, causing a big mess. Therefore, although the harem of this dynasty did not expressly prohibit the release of paper kites, the concubines had a tacit understanding not to touch this thing.
"My lord, I don't know." He stayed behind the lord, how could he know who was putting the paper kite.
The afterglow of the setting sun filled the entire palace, and King Huai went around the palace wall and saw the person who put the paper kite.
"Sister-in-law, you can't pull it like this, it will tear the paper kite." Jiuzhu handed the paper kite traction thread in her hand to the spring equinox, and tied the skirt around her waist: "Wait, I'll take it off for you."
Before Princess Huai could react, she saw Ming Jiuzhu jump up the tree.
"Why are you still standing there, don't go to support the princess." Princess An reacted, and threw the thread in her hand to the maid behind her, and walked nervously to the tree: "Fifth brother and sister, come down quickly, this kind of thing is left to the maid. The eunuch is just fine, I was thrown myself."
"I got it." Jiuzhu threw the paper kite to the ground, got down from the tree in two or three times, picked up the paper kite on the ground and handed it to Princess Huai: "Sister-in-law, don't worry, the paper kite is not damaged at all."
Princess Huai took the paper kite, bent down and sorted out the hem of the beaded skirt with one hand: "If the paper kite is broken, you can do it again, but what if you fall?"
"This paper kite has a pattern drawn by my sister-in-law herself, which is different from other paper kites." Jiuzhu patted the folds on the skirt: "I'm used to climbing trees since I was a child, so I can't fall."
Princess Huai held the paper kite, and a smile appeared on her always steady and self-controlled face.
It has been a long time since she was as happy as she is now. Ever since she married King Huai and became a princess, her words and deeds can't go beyond the norm.
The mother-in-law was still seriously ill, but when she walked out of the yard and saw the two younger siblings sitting at the table making paper kites, perhaps they laughed too freely and made her leave everything behind and do such a bold thing.
"Thank you brother and sister." She fondly touched the paper kite and handed it to the palace maid behind her to keep it carefully.
"You don't need to say thank you for the little things." Jiuzhu took the paper kite thread handed over by the Spring Equinox, and looked up at the paper kite flying steadily in the air: "Sister-in-law, you are too serious."
Princess An followed by teasing: "Sister-in-law, you will roast a piece of venison for her at the roasted deer banquet later, even if you are thanking her."
"Okay." Princess Huai was infected by the happiness of the two younger siblings: "I will not only bake Jiuzhu, but also you, so as not to be biased by you."
"Injustice, I didn't say anything." Princess An went to pull Jiuzhu's arm, and before she had time to pretend to be pitiful, she laughed first.
Jiuzhu laughed along with her, and said while laughing, "It's better for sister-in-law and sister-in-law to bake for me. I'm thick-skinned and eat a lot, so I don't dislike your cooking skills."
Princess Huai felt that they laughed a little silly, but she didn't consciously laugh along.
She temporarily forgot that the mother and concubine were still ill, and as a daughter-in-law, she should not laugh.
Rules and etiquette are not important at this moment.
Maybe it was because the setting sun was too good, and Zhi Yuan flew too high, so high that it seemed that she also flew out of the rules and etiquette and changed back to the little girl she used to be.
"Sister-in-law." Jiu Zhu bent down and picked a flower that was blooming just right, and put her hand on her temples: "Flowers match beauty, which girl is the girl from?"
Princess Huai was stunned for a moment, and then laughed: "Where is the Dengzi, who can give women hairpins at will?"
"I'm intoxicated by the girl's beauty, how can I be a disciple?" Jiuzhu stared wide-eyed in mock astonishment: "Xiaosheng is so sad, and the girl needs to bake venison for Xiaosheng for an hour to relieve it."
"It turned out to be not a disciple, but a little liar who cheated on deer meat." Princess Huai squeezed her cheek gently: "That's it, for the sake of your good looks, I will follow you."
Standing by the side, Princess An looked at the sullen sister-in-law, and was coaxed by Ming Jiuzhu's three words to rejoice, and she pursed her lips and chuckled.
No wonder even the arrogant prince like King Chen softened his voice in front of her and protected her as an eyeball.
People who are used to seeing ugly human nature in the palace, if they can get a pure heart, it is the best gift from God.
Not to mention men, even women will soften their hearts in her eyes and smiles.
"Your Highness..." The eunuch who followed behind King Huai was a little uneasy. He never expected that the princess was also putting paper kites.
"Let's go." King Huai turned around and left, his shadow, stretched by the setting sun, was reflected on the palace wall, distorted like a person.
"Just now." The shadow stopped, still distorted: "Don't mention it to others."
"Yes." The little eunuch responded quickly.
He was a little surprised. With the temperament of the prince in the past, he would definitely ask the princess why she would laugh and play when her mother was seriously ill, but he didn't expect to hold back today.
"Jiuzhu, what's there?" Princess Huai noticed that Jiuzhu looked at the Moon Gate on the other side of the palace wall several times.
"It's nothing, it just felt like someone was looking at this side." Jiu Zhu retracted her gaze: "It might be a palace maid or an eunuch."
Princess Huai chuckled lightly, not taking things to heart.
As soon as he stepped into the gate of Zhangliu Palace, King Huai smelled the smell of barbecue spices.
Looking around, there was a large roasting table in the middle of the yard. The maids and eunuchs were busy around the roasting table. The second child played chess with Yun Duqing next to him. How boring.
Yun Yanze didn't know where he was, and there was no presence of him in the courtyard.
"Big brother, you're finally back." Wang An saw King Huai appearing, threw the chess piece in his hand, and walked towards King Huai in relief.
Playing chess with the fifth brother is too painful. Every move of the opponent will go to unexpected places, and there is absolutely no rule at all.
If it wasn't for the opponent winning him several rounds, he almost suspected that he was messing around.
Everything is for hugging your thighs!
"What are you looking for from me?" It was not until King An walked in front of him that King Huai slowly responded.
"I got fresh venison today, and we brothers have a good time together." King An grabbed King Huai's arm and pulled him to the table to sit down.
"Look, everything is ready, just waiting for you."
"Okay." King Huai nodded.
King Chen paused for a moment while picking up the chess piece, looked up at King Huai, and asked with a smile, "Brother, do you like to eat it roasted or cooked in a hot pot?"
"It's more delicious when it's roasted." King Huai cheered up: "There's no need to prepare a hot pot anymore."
"Okay." King Chen smiled vaguely, threw the pieces into the chess basket, and a piece jumped out.
King Jing stretched out his hand to pick up the piece, and by the way, picked a black piece from the white chess basket and returned it to the black chess basket.
"While roasting, brush a layer of oil and sprinkle a few sesame seeds, so that the wine tastes good enough." King Huai wanted to get drunk so he could forget what his mother-in-law told him.
The birth mother is seriously ill, and I still think about it. How to roast venison to taste good
really interesting.
King Chen chuckled lightly, grabbed a few pieces and played with them in the palm of his hand, and accidentally, a few more black pieces fell into the white chess basket: "Yi Big Brother's."
King Jing stared at the black pieces and turned his head after a while.
When the three princesses who put the paper kite came back, everyone sat down around the table, and Wang An said, "Did we forget something?"
Strange, what did you forget