Graceful Dynasty

Chapter 69: A sleep in Yangzhou

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"Master Qiu, can you let me see the prince again? I have something important to report to him."

Probably bad news again, the emperor moved his feet with difficulty, and after two steps he stopped to look at Empress Hui and her daughter, "Send Hui to the northern ward, and do not step out of the courtyard until death. The imperial consort Yan Yunshen and Princess Yanling are trying to confuse the royal bloodline, which is a heinous crime. Their titles shall be stripped, their property confiscated, and they shall be confined to Nianzi Hutong for life. The entire Yan family shall be exiled... Let them do whatever they want. I see that too many people have died recently, and I can't be so cruel..." He waved his hands randomly, "Let them do it."

"Empress?" The emperor laughed when he heard this. "But the Empress doesn't even listen to me. How can she still care about her dignity?"

She thought that the emperor never cared about her, so she was suddenly shocked when asked about her health. All the ups and downs came to her mind, but she couldn't say anything. She just lowered her head and replied, "Thank you for asking, emperor."

The queen was touched in the sore spot, and she was like a warrior, "Is the emperor going to listen to other people's instigation again? There has been unrest in the palace since the beginning of the year. First, Princess Xia Ling poisoned for no apparent reason, and then the death of Prince Xin implicated the eldest prince. Now the plan has come to my mother and me. Doesn't the emperor have any doubts at all about who is behind this?"

He gently lifted her collar and indeed found a very thin strangulation mark, but it was impossible to make a fatal strangulation mark with bare hands. So he led a few detectives to search the hall, and finally the precious bow used for decoration on the wall caught his attention. The bow was hanging crooked, and it was obvious that someone had moved it. Observing the bowstring, it was made of cow tendon and rubbed with yellow wax. With such strong toughness, it was very easy to strangle someone.

The eunuch shook his head, "Not for now. The prince may not be able to protect himself this time. When I came from the North Palace, the emperor was furious... So many things happened recently, even Prince Xin was involved. First it was the grown-up prince, and now it's the prince in the belly. Prince Min doesn't have much courage, so the prince is the only one who can do things, so the prince... is in a very awkward situation."

The prince said bluntly: "My son sent someone to throw it there."

Yes, as long as the queen recovers and proves that the prince wanted to harm her son, it will make sense in terms of emotion and etiquette - the prince was afraid of the queen's legitimate son and wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible, so he sent her to assassinate him. Unexpectedly, Wen Changyu ran into the gun and became a scapegoat. In this way, the Queen got rid of the prince and the child in Wen Changyu's belly in one fell swoop, and the emperor only had the children of Prince Min and Queen Hui. Prince Min's mother and the other two did not plan, so it was too easy to put a hat on them. Even if the emperor suddenly died and Prince Min succeeded to the throne, Madam Liang would be inferior to her, the legitimate queen mother. At that time, she, Hui, would still have the final say in the court and the country.

Without asking for help from others, the emperor kicked open the diamond-shaped door of the inner chamber when he could no longer bear it. Everyone in the palace looked at him in surprise. The emperor stared at the queen and approached her step by step, his tone sinister and terrifying. He said, "This is for your own good. You are injured and need to be treated. They are orthodox female doctors. They can examine you and prescribe the right medicine for you."

But strangely, there was no sadness or shock on the emperor's face, only endless coldness.

She clasped the gate tightly with both hands, not caring about the thorns on the wooden fence that pricked her palms, and said anxiously: "Qiu Ling, please think of a way for me and tell the emperor that Su Xinghe can prove his innocence. Please allow me to investigate this matter."

This is the struggle in the harem. There are many women, and they are cunning. She knew that it was better to take precautions before it happens, but the ladies in the East Palace could not interfere in the affairs of the North Palace, so everything could only be done in secret. She still miscalculated one step. She always thought that the queen would have her eyes on the child in Chang Yu's belly, but after Wen Tiying died, all the people who were planted there became useless. She herself was framed and imprisoned here, and she could not intervene in the affairs outside. The more anxious and restless she became, she wished she could break through this cage and fly into the North Palace in one breath.

Why invite a female doctor in at this time? The eunuch was a little confused, and then he looked at the prince. He bowed to the emperor and said, "Whether it is true or not, we will know if we send someone to check it out."

The prince smiled, and could understand his father's impulsiveness as a man. "Did your father order Chang Yu's Mao again afterwards?"

The princess, who had not been seen for six months, looked a little different. She used to be very thin, born with a small frame, and even if she gained some weight, she was only slightly plump. She was the least noticeable among the princesses since she was a child, with an ordinary personality and appearance. The emperor's father only had eyes for Xia Ling. Like her mother, she existed silently and would often be overlooked if she was not careful.

It is not uncommon to investigate a case while guilty, but usually the officials themselves are not involved. This time the suspect of murder is herself, and the emperor may not have the heart to investigate herself.

The emperor staggered, feeling so dizzy that he could hardly stand. The prince came forward to support him and whispered, "Son, please take your father back to Lizheng Palace. There is one more thing I want to report to you."

But strangely, there was no sadness or shock on the emperor's face, only endless coldness.

The E-Ting Ling was a reliable person. He was entrusted by someone and wanted to be loyal to him. When he arrived at the North Palace, he searched for the emperor and wanted to pass on the message to the Jinyi Envoy. However, when he saw the emperor's expressionless face, he became a little timid.

But man proposes, God disposes, and things got out of hand. But she didn't understand, no matter how big a fuss Chang Yu's death was, it shouldn't have affected the Empress, why did the things she had planned for a long time in the palace fail so completely overnight

This... How should I put it, whether it was Hui Shi or Chang Yu, he didn't take it to heart. Or maybe it was precisely because he didn't take it to heart that he gave them more opportunities to stir up trouble.

The emperor raised his leg and kicked her over. No one had known this secret for the past twenty years.

After watching for a while, there was indeed new progress. Gao Wuyou, who was in front of the emperor, came into the palace and reported: "The Shang Pharmacy has sent a female doctor to the palace."

The queen sat on the bed and stared at him, not knowing what he was going to do. When she came to her senses and struggled to get the child back, he stepped back and said, "Where did you get this child from? Deceiving the emperor is a capital crime. You were so timid before, but you learned to deceive the world after being the queen for two days. I really want my son to look at you in a new light."

The eunuch nodded helplessly: "Okay, considering our past friendship, I will tell you this, but God knows what the emperor is thinking."

The prince knew how honorable it was for a man of this age to have a child in old age. People tend to make mistakes when they are in a high spirit, and the ruler of the world is no exception. It is a little difficult to talk about Changyu, but it is necessary to not talk about it, after all, she is nominally pregnant with a prince. The prince considered it for a while before saying, "During the time when she was not in the palace, my son sent people to find her whereabouts and discovered that a man often appeared there. Now that man has been arrested by my son and can be interrogated at any time... Father, if Wen Changyu's child is born, it is better for Yanling's son to pretend to be a prince. At least Yanling's son has the blood of the Huo family in his body. Changyu's son is really not related to us at all."

But strangely, there was no sadness or shock on the emperor's face, only endless coldness.

The front hall was the last line, and no one could enter. She turned her head to look, and could vaguely see the phoenix bed behind the bead curtain and gauze. The queen's voice came slowly: "Your Majesty, I'm sorry that I can't come down to greet you. Please look at the child."

The queen on the bed was stunned for a moment, then immediately said of course. She sighed with some sadness, "If Chang Yu was here, the two brothers would be together, and the future would be so lively. Chang Yu died unjustly. If it weren't for her, I would be the one who died..."

As he spoke, he shook his head and walked out of the cell.

The emperor did not speak, but the prince took over, "Mother, it was your son who recommended you to be the queen."

It was a bit embarrassing to mention this emperor. That incident could not be brought to the table, and of course there would be no detailed record in the history books, so he could not remember the exact day.

The eunuch nodded helplessly: "Okay, considering our past friendship, I will tell you this, but God knows what the emperor is thinking."

He made a throwing motion, and Princess Yanling finally burst into tears: "No, no... Don't throw my child... This is my child..."

Looking up, the moon was in the middle of the sky. The young eunuch came over to report that people from the Inspectorate and the Ministry of Justice had already entered the palace.

The curtains were lowered one after another, and the diamond-shaped door was closed. Princess Yanling had been accompanying the queen all along, and when she saw the strangers coming in, she shouted, "Who are you!"

He raised his chin and said, "Let's go over there and listen to your instructions."

Everyone in the palace, including the emperor, was frightened by his action. He just stared at Princess Yanling and said, "A child of unknown origin is trying to confuse the royal bloodline. It would be a disaster if she kept him. It is better to kill her on the spot."

After all, not many people could enter the Queen's bedroom. The Emperor and the Crown Prince entered first, followed by the Supervisory Office and the Minister of Justice. The E-Ting Ling looked around, thought about his position, and followed them in without thinking twice.

The eunuch glanced at the prince, whose face showed no joy or anger. He turned aside and gave a signal with his eyes. The female doctors outside the palace took the order and entered the queen's inner chamber one after another.

The dead could no longer use the high bed and soft pillows. They had to use a hard board with two stools at the head and end to support it. The pregnant Chang Yu lay there with her back to the sky, covered with a white cloth. Her belly was as big as a mountain and her grave was very high.

He made a throwing motion, and Princess Yanling finally burst into tears: "No, no... Don't throw my child... This is my child..."

A female doctor replied, "We are from the Imperial Medical Bureau. We are ordered to come to the palace to treat the Empress. Please lie down and allow us to apply the medicine."

Wen Changyu's body was placed in Ningyin Pavilion, and the bedroom where she lived during her lifetime was also sealed, waiting for the Ministry of Justice to send someone to inspect it. This was not the first time that Ye Ting Ling had seen Changyu's body, but even the second time he looked at it, he still felt mixed emotions.

The emperor looked at the prince with a look of sadness. The eunuch had been in the palace for nearly twenty years, and had never seen the emperor show such a look. Was it because he was too tired and too desperate? The harem had been in trouble one after another. After all, he was a human being, and he could not rest in peace at his old age. It was very miserable for the emperor to be like this.

In fact, regardless of whether she gave birth to a boy or not, or who gave birth to a boy, she had no intention of letting Wen Tiying live. How could she leave such a big secret for others to hold? As soon as Yanling's child was born, she ordered Chang Yu to be killed, so that she could frame the prince and clear herself of suspicion.

The sound of a baby crying could be heard faintly in the greenhouse palace. When Wen Changyu was in trouble, the queen had already given birth to a prince. The emperor looked south across the palace wall and murmured, "Lord Qing, my father will trust you once more. I just hope you won't disappoint me."

The eunuch turned around and saw the chief physician in charge of the emperor's medical affairs, leading two female physicians wearing scarves, standing on the north-south corridor waiting for his orders. He knew about the female physicians. At the beginning, the eunuch was ordered to select skilled physicians from the official households and send them to the Imperial Medical Bureau to study medicine. They were placed in a separate courtyard and were not mixed with the students of the Imperial Medical Bureau. After they finished their studies, they were assigned to various princess mansions to serve the princesses' illnesses and diets, so they had no contact with the concubines in the palace.

The prince said bluntly: "My son sent someone to throw it there."

What kind of bullshit is this? The father and son, one lying down and the other squatting, looked at each other in silence.

The queen was angry and said he was slandering her. She turned to the emperor and cried, "My lord, you can't believe what he said. He planned it all. He wanted to get rid of the queen..."

The prince smiled, and could understand his father's impulsiveness as a man. "Did your father order Chang Yu's Mao again afterwards?"

Even a king could not withstand such a series of blows. After returning to Lizheng Hall, he was still confused. He slumped down in the armchair for a long time, and when he gradually calmed down, he said, "The Queen's surrogacy has been completed. Now it's Wen Changyu's turn to die. Tell me, why did your precious hairpin end up there?"

When the palace servants realized that she was in trouble, they immediately reported it to the Ye Ting Bureau. Why didn't they try to save her first? Because one look at her appearance showed that she couldn't be saved. She fell face up there, her eyes were half open, and her pupils were dilated. When the Ye Ting Ling came to investigate, they found tiny bleeding spots on her face. According to common sense, she should have died of suffocation.

The prince hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, calm down. I have my own reasons for doing this. Your Majesty, do you still remember the day you visited Wen Changyu?"

He raised his chin and said, "Let's go over there and listen to your instructions."

As he spoke, he shook his head and walked out of the cell.

He raised his chin and said, "Let's go over there and listen to your instructions."

"My son originally planned to kill Wen Changyu and frame Su Xinghe, but unfortunately the person who went there came back to report that the queen had already taken action before me."

The prince smiled, and could understand his father's impulsiveness as a man. "Did your father order Chang Yu's Mao again afterwards?"

No matter who he is, if there is a suspect, he must be arrested, although he does not think that a female official in charge of the Military Control Department would be so stupid as to leave such evidence at the scene for people to catch. Besides, if she wanted to kill someone, she didn't need to do it herself, she could just instruct a confidant to do it. But this kind of reasoning was not done by him, the E-ting Ling, he only had to do his job according to the doubts on the card, and the power of life and death would be decided by his master.

It has come to this, what else can it be? The emperor just felt that it was not worth it for him to go through so much trouble for a woman, but considering the hope of having a grandson, he reluctantly tolerated it.

The queen was confused and hurriedly got off the bed. Yanling's originally pale face suddenly turned as pale as rice paper. She took two steps forward, slowly raised her hands, and knelt in front of him begging: "Second brother, please don't... Don't..."

The emperor listened in the front hall and closed his eyes heavily. The temperature in the palace continued to rise with the noise from the inner chamber, and the emperor's anger continued to accumulate and rise. The eunuch saw that he was fiddling with the Buddhist beads in his hand faster and faster, and his face turned from pale to purple.

The murder weapon was found, and the bowstring and the marks of strangulation were matched. However, the previous search also found the shrimp-whisker hairpin, and no one claimed it in the greenhouse palace. Finally, someone pointed out that they had seen the Jinyi Envoy wearing it. What's more, the Jinyi Envoy had visited the greenhouse palace before, but did not see Chang Yu. So why this hairpin appeared at the crime scene is very intriguing.

"Empress?" The emperor laughed when he heard this. "But the Empress doesn't even listen to me. How can she still care about her dignity?"

What kind of bullshit is this? The father and son, one lying down and the other squatting, looked at each other in silence.

As a result, the Queen resolutely refused, causing chaos in the inner chamber.

The emperor had closed his eyes in despair, but was startled when he heard him say this: "What?"

The emperor raised his leg and kicked her over. No one had known this secret for the past twenty years.

After a long while, the emperor sighed deeply: "So what do you mean by deliberately framing Su Xinghe? Isn't she yours?"

"Empress?" The emperor laughed when he heard this. "But the Empress doesn't even listen to me. How can she still care about her dignity?"

The emperor shook his head, "Only this once."

But strangely, there was no sadness or shock on the emperor's face, only endless coldness.

The queen was angry and said he was slandering her. She turned to the emperor and cried, "My lord, you can't believe what he said. He planned it all. He wanted to get rid of the queen..."

"Are you referring to your son?" He said gently with a smile on his face, "In your opinion, the deaths of Xia Ling, Qing Feng, and Qing Luan should all be blamed on your son, right? Your son is the crown prince. When his position is threatened, I might take action. But you have also seen that your father loves and trusts you. There is no reason for your son to harm his closest relatives and siblings for such inexplicable suspicion. Do you know why these people died? They died of desire and ambition. They tried every means to drive your son out of this position. In fact, why bother? Just come and talk to your son, and he can give the throne of crown prince to them." After speaking, he lowered his eyes to look at the child in his hands, and said with pity, "He is too young to speak... Children are like this. Even if they want to cry, they will stop crying or making trouble if they are dipped in a little sugar water."

The E-Ting Ling was a little unsure about the current situation. He looked at the people from the Inspectorate and the Ministry of Justice, and saw that those officials were also drooping their brows and remained silent. As an official of the inner court, with his master and other high-ranking officials present, the E-Ting Ling decided to continue to wait and see.

Looking up, the moon was in the middle of the sky. The young eunuch came over to report that people from the Inspectorate and the Ministry of Justice had already entered the palace.

The emperor did not speak, but the prince took over, "Mother, it was your son who recommended you to be the queen."

Princess Yanling saw that the situation was not good, so she stood up. She bowed to the emperor and said, "Father, my mother has just returned from a near-death experience. Please take care of her."

The queen forced a smile on her lips, "I am the queen, I have my dignity."

The prince hesitated and said, "I want to use this opportunity to dismiss her Jinyi Envoy and let her stay in the East Palace and give birth to a child. And the Su family's position... The emperor should also understand it. I can't feel at ease with such a powerful family. It's best to take this opportunity to implicate and remove her from office to eliminate future troubles. But I'm afraid it's not easy to explain to Xinghe, so I can only continue the trick. I'll make it clear to the emperor first. No matter what happens in the future, don't expose me, okay?"

What went wrong? Perhaps it was because he was too impatient. Keeping Changyu was the best plan. With two pregnant women, the chances of having a son would be higher. No matter who gave birth first, the boy would be hers. It just so happened that when Shangguan Yin and Su Xinghe came, Yanling had already implanted. From the hour of Si to the hour of You, a full four hours, the child was born, a boy, and Wen Changyu was no longer needed.

After watching for a while, there was indeed new progress. Gao Wuyou, who was in front of the emperor, came into the palace and reported: "The Shang Pharmacy has sent a female doctor to the palace."

The prince hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, calm down. I have my own reasons for doing this. Your Majesty, do you still remember the day you visited Wen Changyu?"

As a result, the Queen resolutely refused, causing chaos in the inner chamber.

The queen's face turned colorful for a moment, but before she could refute, she saw him raise the child in his hands high up.

The queen was angry and said he was slandering her. She turned to the emperor and cried, "My lord, you can't believe what he said. He planned it all. He wanted to get rid of the queen..."

He made a throwing motion, and Princess Yanling finally burst into tears: "No, no... Don't throw my child... This is my child..."

After a long while, the emperor sighed deeply: "So what do you mean by deliberately framing Su Xinghe? Isn't she yours?"

The newborn prince was wrapped in a scarlet swaddling cloth and carried to the emperor by the nurse. One of the child's eyes had just opened a crack, and through that crack he was looking at his "father". The emperor took a look and felt a little disappointed. After thinking for a while, he reached out to tease the child again, "Empress, is this really my prince?"

The palace was silent for a while, and only Princess Yanling's miserable sobs could be heard. She had just given birth and was weak, so she had been trying to hold on, thinking that as long as she could deal with the visit from the emperor's father, she could leave the palace to rest. She didn't expect things to become so complicated. She had made very careful arrangements, but for some reason, she failed at the critical moment.

The emperor flew into a rage after hearing this, slapping his armrest and cursing, "Is this how you, as the crown prince, can be so magnanimous? You're so brave that you come to me and tell me the truth, thinking that I can't do anything to you?"

The prince hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, calm down. I have my own reasons for doing this. Your Majesty, do you still remember the day you visited Wen Changyu?"

After watching for a while, there was indeed new progress. Gao Wuyou, who was in front of the emperor, came into the palace and reported: "The Shang Pharmacy has sent a female doctor to the palace."

A female doctor replied, "We are from the Imperial Medical Bureau. We are ordered to come to the palace to treat the Empress. Please lie down and allow us to apply the medicine."

The prince lowered his body further and further, and his profile looked surprisingly pale under the firelight.

The emperor turned his gaze and looked at her. "Yanling, you are not feeling well. You need to have a good rest."

The prince smiled, and could understand his father's impulsiveness as a man. "Did your father order Chang Yu's Mao again afterwards?"

She was stunned, unable to recover. The emperor was extremely disappointed with her. "You are so shameless to pass your grandson off as your son. Where do you put me by doing this? Where do you put your own daughter? This child has your blood flowing in her veins, but the other half is Yan's! You, the daughter of a porter, want to overthrow the government and usurp the throne!"

Princess Yanling saw that the situation was not good, so she stood up. She bowed to the emperor and said, "Father, my mother has just returned from a near-death experience. Please take care of her."

The queen forced a smile on her lips, "I am the queen, I have my dignity."

A female doctor replied, "We are from the Imperial Medical Bureau. We are ordered to come to the palace to treat the Empress. Please lie down and allow us to apply the medicine."

Princess Yanling saw that the situation was not good, so she stood up. She bowed to the emperor and said, "Father, my mother has just returned from a near-death experience. Please take care of her."

Princess Yanling fainted, and Queen Hui collapsed to the ground, no longer having the strength to stand up.

As he spoke, he shook his head and walked out of the cell.

A female doctor replied, "We are from the Imperial Medical Bureau. We are ordered to come to the palace to treat the Empress. Please lie down and allow us to apply the medicine."

Princess Yanling fainted, and Queen Hui collapsed to the ground, no longer having the strength to stand up.

The doctor wanted to step forward, but the queen's reaction was as fierce as before. The emperor looked at her miserably and said, "The child is really yours, what are you afraid of?"

As he spoke, he shook his head and walked out of the cell.

As a result, the Queen resolutely refused, causing chaos in the inner chamber.

After a long while, the emperor sighed deeply: "So what do you mean by deliberately framing Su Xinghe? Isn't she yours?"

The emperor did not speak, but the prince took over, "Mother, it was your son who recommended you to be the queen."

The prince said bluntly: "My son sent someone to throw it there."

But strangely, there was no sadness or shock on the emperor's face, only endless coldness.

The queen was angry and said he was slandering her. She turned to the emperor and cried, "My lord, you can't believe what he said. He planned it all. He wanted to get rid of the queen..."

The emperor almost fainted after hearing these words. "There are such a bunch of monsters in my harem?"

When he was still the crown prince, he was assassinated while on business. When he was desperate, a poor family took him in. The family had a beautiful young daughter who fell in love with him while he was recovering from his injury. To repay her, he lied that she was the daughter of a minor official in a certain county and took her into Shaoyang Courtyard. Things like fate were changing in surprising ways every day. Even he himself did not expect that she would become his successor empress in the end. If she had behaved herself, for an emperor of his age, it would have been nothing more than an extra place by his side when he went to the underground palace in the future. As a result, a person of humble origin had such ambitions, which really fulfilled the saying that the form is exhausted and the appearance is exhausted.

The prince lowered his body further and further, and his profile looked surprisingly pale under the firelight.

At this time, Empress Hui was so frightened that her face turned pale, but she still gritted her teeth and insisted: "Thank you... Master, I am fine and don't need to apply medicine."

The emperor did not speak, but the prince took over, "Mother, it was your son who recommended you to be the queen."

"Master Qiu, can you let me see the prince again? I have something important to report to him."

After watching for a while, there was indeed new progress. Gao Wuyou, who was in front of the emperor, came into the palace and reported: "The Shang Pharmacy has sent a female doctor to the palace."

The queen forced a smile on her lips, "I am the queen, I have my dignity."

"What are you afraid of?" The emperor took another step closer. He looked like a stranger, even though they were twenty years apart.