Burning incense as a sacrifice, looking at the dark coffin and the blank, sad or overwhelmed expressions on the faces of the people around her, Sheng Weiqiao felt somewhat sad.
Because there was Rong Ruibin in the palace, and she did not have a deep relationship with Princess Gaomi, she did not plan to stay at the funeral.
Just putting on the incense and leaving immediately seems too perfunctory.
At this moment, I asked Aunt Zhao for a while about the situation of the princess before her death. After a few words of emotion with Aunt Zhao, she said: "I am ashamed. Since I married into the Rong family, I have rarely served my mother and concubine. I thought I would be busy after this period. , there is always a chance to fall in love with the mother and concubine. Who knew... the mother and concubine would just die like this! I want to raise my son but my mother is not here. I really don’t know how to tell His Majesty this bad news later."
After telling lies with her eyes open, she saw people coming to express their condolences one after another. However, the condolences were obviously only half-interested in Tao An, but they wanted to get close to her. However, she was bored and said to Aunt Zhao, "Aunt Zhao, please bring this book with you." Let’s go and see some of the places my mother-in-law liked during her lifetime! For example, the pavilion behind the house.”
Aunt Zhao was obviously startled when she heard the mention of the pavilion, but immediately said: "Yes, please go this way, my lady!"
She accompanied Sheng Weiqiao to the pavilion behind the house. At this time, the weather during the day was already obviously hot. In the pavilion, which can be reached through the Jiuqu Long Bridge, the breeze was blowing and it was very cool. Looking out at the sparkling blue waves, it was so refreshing. Feeling relaxed and happy.
Sheng Weiqiao sat in the pavilion for a while and then said, "The mother-in-law will choose the place. This is really suitable for staying alone and recuperating."
"..." Aunt Zhao remained silent. After a while, she whispered, "But the reason why the princess often comes here to sit and sit is not because of the scenery here."
"Oh?" Sheng Weiqiao heard this and asked casually, "What's the reason?"
"...It's because this lake is unforgettable for the princess." Aunt Zhao was silent for a moment again and said, "Concubine Mo, the concubines of the prince back then, and the many concubine children of the prince...the so-called ' Almost all the people who got into trouble during the epidemic in the palace were in this lake!"
Sheng Weiqiao: “…………………”
Although she had heard about the so-called epidemic in the palace long before she married Rong Suihe, it was nothing more than a backyard fight, and it was a backyard fight in which Princess Gaomi was victorious. The deaths of Concubine Mo and others were definitely not The one who caught the epidemic in the middle of winter was killed by Princess Gaomi.
But one moment she was admiring the surrounding scenery, and the next moment she was told that this place was more than ten years ago, and God knows how many people died. The young queen couldn't help but feel heartbroken for a while, and then asked, "What on earth is going on here?" What's going on? Can aunt tell me something?"
"Back then, because of his honesty, the prince was filial, but he was not very expressive. On the other hand, the son of Concubine Mo was half a year younger than the prince. He followed his biological mother's debasement and was very good at flattering." Now that Aunt Zhao has said this. It was the place where Concubine Mo and others died, so they had no intention of hiding it from her.
Hearing this, he nodded slightly and said slowly, "The prince was under a lot of pressure at that time, and he really wanted to have outstanding and capable heirs to take care of his worries. No, over the past few years, every time he scolded the prince and treated the bitch born by Concubine Mo, he became very angry. It means to value him. The princess was very unhappy at that time, but Mrs. Qin persuaded the princess that the prince is the eldest son of the prince, so it would be a good thing for the prince to be extra strict. "
"Mrs. Qin said this without any malice."
"The main thing was that the Meng family had begun to rise at that time. What the prince had to face was the dual pressure from the Meng family and Duke Huan, as well as the support of the Empress Dowager Meng who relied on her dignity as the Queen Mother. The situation was very difficult."
"Mrs. Qin is afraid that if the princess goes to argue with the prince about this matter, it will make things worse for the prince. After all, the future of the palace depends on the prince."
Princess Gaomi, who was still young at the time, finally chose to compromise temporarily under her mother's persuasion.
After all, she, Zhao Ziye, was not only the royal concubine who was personally betrothed to King Gaomi by the late Emperor, but her family was not a small family that could be bullied casually, and Concubine Mo could not compare to her in anything except Concubine Mo as her aunt.
Even King Gaomi's attitude towards his wives and concubines was clearly that he valued and respected Princess Gaomi the most.
Therefore, Princess Gaomi did not have much sense of crisis in her heart.
In the end, what no one expected was that Concubine Mo thought too much: "Since the prince likes my children more, why should the title of prince be given to the eldest son?"
As for the existence of Princess Gaomi and the Zhao family, Concubine Mo didn't think it was a problem.
After all, it was an era when the Shu sisters were at their peak. The two sisters went from being humble dancers to concubines who favored exclusive houses and even the Queen Mother would shun them... Such an inspiring experience inspired many women who came from humble backgrounds or were in side wives. .
Concubine Mo was also among them.
It's just that the Mo family's family background is too low. Even though Concubine Mo started to try every means to promote her mother's family after she was favored, she still couldn't compare with the Zhao family, which has been here for generations.
What's more, Concubine Mo tested King Gaomi several times in private. Although King Gaomi was very dissatisfied with the crown prince, he respected the princess very much and had no intention of doting on his concubine and destroying his wife.
Concubine Mo was already in despair, "But at this moment, His Majesty was born."
Aunt Zhao's eyes gradually filled with mist. "The princess was just pregnant with His Majesty not long ago. When she calculated the time for the baby to be born, she felt a thump in her heart. She was worried that the baby would be born on the second day of the fifth day... The prince is very taboo about this."
"At that time, Mrs. Qin once persuaded the princess that it would be better to abort His Majesty to avoid having to endure ten months of pregnancy, which would only cause trouble for herself... After all, the princess already had two sons and one daughter at that time, so there was no shortage of heirs."
"But the princess is reluctant to give up. It may not be such a coincidence in the first place. Secondly, there are not a few children born on the evil moon and the evil day throughout the ages, and it is not seen that all of them have their parents killed. It can be seen that the so-called bad days are all rumors."
"But for the sake of safety, the princess found an excuse to leave the palace before giving birth and went to the villa, where she gave birth to His Majesty."
Facts have proved that Princess Gaomi's caution is necessary, because Rong Suihe landed on the fifth day of May.
In order to prevent her son from being known as a "suppressing father" as soon as he was born, the princess ordered her servants to wait for two days to announce the good news to King Gaomi, and announced to the outside world that Rong Suihe was born on the seventh day of the fifth lunar month.
Originally, this matter was covered up in this way, and neither the busy King Gaomi nor Concubine Mo in the palace had any doubts.
After all, Princess Gaomi at that time was famous for being virtuous and generous, and could be called a role model for a big woman.
They never expected her to hide such a secret.
However, Concubine Mo, who was trying her best to win the throne for her son, became suspicious and thought that the princess was doing well, abandoning such a big palace and running away on the eve of giving birth. It was very abnormal and there must be something inside!
And when she found out why the princess was giving birth outside, King Gaomi happened to be ill. This made Concubine Mo feel like she had found a treasure, and she immediately stabbed her in front of Concubine Mo!
Concubine Mo only had a son like King Gaomi. Whether it was out of the affection between mother and son, or out of consideration of the interests of both mother and son, she could not turn a blind eye to this matter.
So, there were grandmothers and grandmothers, and they joined forces to cause Rong Suihe to be homeless.
"Auntie, I have never understood that Concubine Mo's plot to murder Your Majesty was to protect the king; as for Concubine Mo, she must have wanted to attack her mother." Hearing this, Sheng Weiqiao frowned slightly and asked, "But Rong Qingzui, what about him? He was ten years old at the time, so he was still half old and should be sensible. But how did Concubine Mo convince him to target His Majesty and bring Princess Huihe with her? "
When Aunt Zhao heard this, she showed a deep sadness, pursed her lips, and after a while, she said softly: "This is because Rong Qingzui wants to be the heir himself!"
Seeing Sheng Weiqiao's astonishment, she smiled bitterly, "The prince is filial and virtuous, but his abilities are lacking... This must be familiar to the empress, right? Yes, when Concubine Mo was born with ambition, Rong Qingzui, who had become more and more sensible, also wanted to Since he is the legitimate second son of the princess and the prince, since the prince is so dissatisfied with the crown prince, why can't he be appointed instead?"
"But Your Majesty is the third legitimate son!" Sheng Weiqiao quickly reminded.
"But what if the real murderer of Your Majesty's exile is considered to be the crown prince?" Aunt Zhao asked, "The prince and the princess only have three legitimate sons. Your Majesty is living abroad, and the crown prince is the murderer... According to Rong Qingzui's idea, among the crown princes, If the throne is not his, who else could it be? In fact, the princess has always done things meticulously, so how could Concubine Mo possibly know the true date of birth of your majesty?"
"In the final analysis, the princess never thought of the need to guard against Rong Qingzui. After he overheard it, she went to tell Concubine Mo!"
Seeing that Sheng Weiqiao was speechless for a long time in surprise, Aunt Zhao took a breath and whispered, "Of course, Rong Qingzui was still too young at the time. He thought he could kill someone with a borrowed knife and successfully replace the prince. But he didn't know that Mo The concubine also has ambitions, and she is not inferior to him at all."
"What's more, compared to Rong Qingzui, Concubine Mo's power and status at that time was certainly not comparable to that of the princess, but it was far superior to Rong Qingzui!"
"So Rong Qingzui thought he had a good plan, but in the end he just made a wedding dress for Concubine Mo, and got nothing. Instead, he was disliked by the prince and the princess..."
When Aunt Zhao said this, she paused and raised her chin towards the lake not far away, "After the princess understood what happened, she got the prince drunk on a snowy night, and took the key to lock all the doors to the outer courtyard. , and ordered the guards not to leave their posts no matter what they heard or saw, and not to let anyone in or out! After that, they brought a group of dowries from their natal family, escorted Concubine Mo and others here, and asked them , do you know His Majesty’s ending?”
"At that time, the princess thought that His Majesty had died in a shipwreck."
"So, Concubine Mo and several others were pushed into the lake by the princess's own hands and drowned one by one!"
"First Concubine Mo's children, then Concubine Mo..."
"After that, the prince's other concubines and concubines..."
Aunt Zhao's eyes were filled with tears, her voice gradually choked up, "The princess was very scary that night. In the end, even Rong Qingzui and Princess Huihe didn't want to let go... It was the Crown Prince, Princess Qingfang, and the slaves, We knelt down in front of her and begged, and finally managed to save their lives, but the princess never wanted to see them again!"
"The next day after receiving the news, Mrs. Qin came to the palace in person and tried to persuade the princess to let the really young and ignorant Princess Huihe stay in the palace. The old lady took Rong Qingzui to Zhao's house to raise her."
"Before that night, the princess still had black hair all over her head."
"After that night, the princess's hair turned all white."