What a kid.
Looking at the sour plum soup in the white porcelain bowl on the small round table next to the Fifth Prince, Concubine Pang was slightly stunned, then she couldn't help but sighed, and then she shook her head gently: "Look at you, you are so impatient. What can I do if I tell you?"
Outside the palace, there were lush green trees and birds singing on the branches. The fifth prince knew that his mother was not really angry, so he said with a bit of grievance and helplessness: "You have been reluctant to let me choose a concubine, and you have not allowed me to leave the palace to start my own household. You have not told me anything, so what can I know? Everyone says I am a waste."
He really felt wronged.
His fourth brother is more than a generation older than him. Fortunately, although he got married early, he was unable to have children. Otherwise, his fourth brother's children would be almost the same age as him. What would he have to do
Prince Zhuang was about to give birth to a child, and he also had errands to perform. He saw that his father was relying on him more and more.
But what about yourself
The fifth prince was very confused. He looked at his mother's beautiful face, feeling a little puzzled.
Could it be that my mother and my grandfather's family really have nothing to ask for
"What a silly child." Concubine Pang laughed softly, then lowered her head to look at the osmanthus flowers floating in her sour plum soup, and said lightly: "You are clearly pure and kind, how can you be called a waste?"
She didn't wait for the Fifth Prince to refute, and stared at him with a pair of extremely charming cat-like eyes, and then asked: "Are you competing with your fourth brother?"
The fifth prince hesitated for a moment, but finally told his mother the truth: "Mother, why can't I compare with my fourth brother? Am I not our father's son?"
Whether it was his maternal family or his own relationship with his father, he didn't think he was inferior to King Zhuang in any way.
Moreover, the age difference between him and King Zhuang was too big, and there was no affection between them.
If one day he really needs to rely on his brother for food and survival, he will probably not be very happy.
Unexpectedly, the Fifth Prince would say this. Concubine Pang looked at him in surprise, and then she couldn't help but laughed softly.
She smiled with relief, then turned serious again: "You know all this, how can you still be called stupid?" After a pause, Concubine Pang continued: "Even if you don't compare yourself with others, you can't avoid being a thorn in the eyes of others when you were born in my belly. Since the canal transport case last year, Prince Zhuang has been deliberately trying to deal with your uncle. This is not the first time."
The Fifth Prince's face turned pale when he heard this. He had never heard Concubine Pang talk about these things before.
But Concubine Pang immediately changed the subject: "But you are different from your fourth brother. Your fourth brother wants to fight and strive to stand out because he is the oldest prince after the second and third princes got into trouble. His age is there. As a prince, he must have made some achievements to attract people to follow him."
Otherwise, what's the point of having a useless person who only grows in age but not in ability
The Fifth Prince seemed to understand, but not quite. He looked at Concubine Pang blankly.
"It's a good thing that he's anxious. The more anxious he is, the more likely he is to get into trouble." Concubine Pang looked at her slender white hands and curled her lips slightly: "Look, compared to him, how pure and honest your son is?"
The fifth prince suddenly realized.
Concubine Pang lowered her eyes while holding the sour plum soup: "Xiao Wu, you already know that you want to fight, that's good. Then you should open your eyes and take a good look, and you will know how big a storm is hidden under this calm."
It had rained all night, and the glazed tiles sparkled brightly in the sunlight, but Xu Yonghong had no intention of appreciating them. He followed the young eunuch into this familiar place, trying to remain calm.
Eunuch Xia was standing in the corridor. When he saw him coming, he smiled calmly as always and invited him in.
It would be harder than climbing to the sky to find any clues from the faces of these old foxes. Xu Yonghong knew it very well, so he just made up his mind and went straight into the imperial study.
Emperor Yuanfeng was sitting at the desk in the compartment. He didn't dare to look at it any longer. He walked forward quickly and knelt down in front of the purple-gold four-legged Qilin incense burner, shouting "Long live the emperor".
The study was silent, and he did not dare to look up. He only felt that his back was soaked with cold sweat before he heard Emperor Yuanfeng call out softly.
Xu Yonghong was feeling extremely nervous. What happened last night was undoubtedly a trap. Logically, there should have been a storm today, but now that he came in, he only felt tranquility, as if Emperor Yuanfeng had just summoned him in for a casual chat as he had done countless times before.
The more peaceful it was, the more uneasy he felt. He knew that all this was fake, including this moment of peace.
Sure enough, not long after, Emperor Yuanfeng said at the top: "Last night, the bell tower in Jingshan collapsed, did you know that?"
... ..it turned out to be because of this matter!
Xu Yonghong took off his hat and belt, then knelt heavily on the ground again without hesitation.
He could feel Emperor Yuanfeng's gaze on his back, that gaze was like a thorn in his back, almost tearing his skin apart.
After a brief silence, Emperor Yuanfeng said calmly: "Come in!"
Xu Yonghong closed his eyes.
The door was opened, and Chief Minister Yang Bo, Deputy Chief Minister Xu Shun, Minister of Rites Cen Ronghui, and Minister of Justice Gao Ping entered one after another, followed by Lord Wei and Xu Rui. They were all tied up and looked miserable. At this moment, they were escorted in by Song Heng, kneeling on the ground, their faces pale.
When everyone was present, Emperor Yuanfeng asked Xu Yonghong, "Did you kill Su Mingqing and Su An?"
His tone was gentle, but to Xu Yonghong, it was like thunder. His palms were sweating. After all this time, he had made up his mind. He fell to the ground and bowed heavily: "Your Majesty, please understand. I am terrified!"
"Fearful?" Emperor Yuanfeng sneered, and suddenly picked up the memorial beside him and threw it heavily in front of Xu Yonghong: "You are fearful? I think you are so bold! Seven people from the Su family died last night, and the collapse of the bell tower crushed several craftsmen to death. You have acted so recklessly, and you still dare to say that you are fearful?!"
As soon as Emperor Yuanfeng got angry, several cabinet ministers fell silent.
Everyone knows that this guy is a ruthless character who has emerged from the midst of swords and guns. Emperor Yuanfeng is actually extremely sharp, suspicious, irritable and easily angered. No one can predict what he will do next.
Xu Rui and Lord Wei both looked pale, and for a moment they couldn't even make a sound.
Xu Yonghong also felt cold all over. He tried to reach out and pick up the memorial several times, but he failed. When he finally picked it up and glanced at it, he fell forward with a pale face and said in despair: "I deserve death!"