When the puzzle in his mind was completed, Hu Shanwei discovered with horror that Emperor Jianwen was more suspicious than Empress Dowager Lu, because a tiger without its claws is just a cat, and it would be difficult for Empress Dowager Lu to kill both Consort Fan and Wang Dianzheng in a short period of time.
As Emperor Jianwen was now monopolizing imperial power and was using iron-blooded means to reduce the power of the princes, in order to eliminate all hidden dangers and prevent Palace Lady Fan and Wang Dianzheng from accusing him of disobeying his orders and destabilizing his throne, Emperor Jianwen killed the two female officials without even frowning.
What made Hu Shanwei even more desperate was that no matter whether the real murderer was the Empress Dowager or Emperor Jianwen, with her ability, she was unable to avenge the tragic death of Concubine Fan!
She might even lose her life for it.
The opponent was too strong and Hu Shanwei was in trouble.
Unfortunately, this matter was too life-threatening, so Hu Shanwei did not dare to tell Shen Qionglian, Huang Wei De and others about his discovery to seek help, so as not to implicate others.
People in the palace discovered that ever since Concubine Hu accompanied Empress Dowager Lu, who had just "recovered from her illness," for a walk around the imperial garden, Empress Dowager Lu had been completely transformed. Not only did she look full of energy, but her personality had also changed. She went from being demanding and unreasonable to being amiable and kind, like a benevolent elder.
Not to mention how good she was to Emperor Jianwen and the crown prince, even Empress Dowager Lu changed her attitude towards Empress Ma, whom she had always looked down upon. She told her not to come to the Cining Palace to pay her respects every day, but to take care of her health and give birth to a few more legitimate sons for the emperor while she was still young. She also gave her many health-preserving medicinal herbs and supplements.
It was as if the previous incident of promoting the only two concubines in the harem to seek favor had never happened.
Empress Dowager Lu even hosted a banquet in the Cining Palace to invite the emperor and empress, and raised her glass to apologize to her son and daughter-in-law. "A few days ago, I don't know what happened. I couldn't control my temper. My body was hot and cold, and my mood was excited and irritable. The imperial physician and Liu Siyao both said that women in their forties will have exhausted kidney energy and mood swings. I have been strong all my life, but I can't resist the passage of time. During that time, I wronged the empress and quarreled with the emperor repeatedly. I even went crazy and wanted to go to Fengxian Palace to cry for Emperor Xiaokang. Thinking about it now, I am really ashamed."
When Empress Dowager Lu looks like a white lotus, she is very good at coaxing people. She is honest and it seems that she is truly repentant.
Emperor Jianwen was very happy to see his mother finally change her mind. At this moment, he was finally glad that he had intercepted the pot of poisoned wine in time. After all, his mother had done a lot for him. How could the mother-son relationship be severed? No matter how foolish his mother was, she was still his biological mother.
Emperor Jianwen was very emotional and said, "Don't blame yourself, mother. No one can stand the aging process. I am also at fault. I was too busy and didn't pay attention to the root of your illness. I will pay attention to it in the future and won't argue with you anymore."
Empress Ma was a virtuous woman, and she quickly excused her husband, "The Emperor was busy with all kinds of affairs in the court, and he only rested late at night and had to get up before dawn to attend court. He could not sleep more than two shifts a day. The Empress Dowager was ill, and I, as her daughter-in-law, should have noticed it first. Alas, I am ashamed. It was my fault."
Empress Dowager Lu patted Empress Ma's hand affectionately, "There is always a flaw in a hundred precautions. No one is perfect. Empress, please stop blaming yourself. The emperor is busy, and the empress is never idle either. She is either taking care of palace affairs or summoning the ladies of the imperial edict, and preparing various royal sacrifices. I shouldn't just vent my temper and not understand the difficulties of you as the empress. I am in good health, and there are a lot of palace servants around me to serve me. Don't bother the queen. The queen should take good care of the emperor and give me a grandson or granddaughter next year to enjoy his happiness..."
After everything was talked out, the family had a happy meal together.
After the meal, Empress Dowager Lu said that she missed her two sons, Prince Heng and Prince Xu, who were the biological brothers of Emperor Jianwen. They currently lived alone in their own mansion in the capital and had not yet married because they had to observe mourning for Emperor Gaozu.
Emperor Jianwen was melted by the warmth of his family. He was in the mood to weaken his uncles. His uncles, who had powerful armies and armies, were intimidating and he wanted to get rid of them as soon as possible. However, his two younger brothers were sensible and obedient and respected him as their elder brother. They were relatives, not enemies.
Emperor Jianwen then waved his hand and said, "I am busy with official duties. Although I want to be filial, I am powerless. Mother is lonely in the palace. I allow them to come to the palace anytime to chat with the empress dowager and relieve her boredom. Just think of them as my two younger brothers fulfilling their filial duties for me."
The couple was happy to come out of the Cining Palace on this rare occasion. The young couple held hands affectionately. Empress Ma praised: "Concubine Hu is amazing. Since she came back, the empress dowager has immediately become a different person."
Empress Ma believed that Hu Shanwei was a lucky general, or in the words of later generations, a koi fish, which would bring good luck if you forwarded it.
Emperor Jianwen was happy about his mother's transformation. "The Queen Mother is old and a little moody. You should bear with her. Her life... is really not easy."
Emperor Jianwen thought of his mother's kindness and was filled with emotion. No matter what, without his mother, he wouldn't be where he is today. If he were given another chance, he would still choose to intercept the pot of poisoned wine... at any cost.
Queen Ma pretended to be angry and said, "It's not easy for the Queen Mother, so how can it be easy for me?"
Emperor Jianwen coaxed his mother and wife, "It's not easy for Zi Tong either."
Queen Ma smiled at her husband and said, "My life is much easier than that of the Queen Mother, because I have a good husband like the Emperor."
These sweet words made the emperor very happy, and the young couple showed their affection to each other that night.
After receiving the imperial edict, Prince Heng and Prince Xu came to the Cining Palace to pay their respects to Empress Dowager Lu the next day. After that, the two brothers often went to the palace, especially Prince Heng, who came almost every day.
As a result, the conflicts between mother and son and between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in the harem immediately disappeared, and they became a loving family, a five-good family in the Ming Dynasty.
In this way, the harem entered September in an atmosphere of honesty, friendship, civilization and harmony.
The sky in September is so blue, so blue that it is sad. Empress Dowager Lu strives for a new goal. Judging from the frequency of Prince Heng's visits to the palace, she has persuaded her second son. Hu Shanwei is caught in a dilemma and becomes a trapped beast.
Rows of wild geese flew in the sad sky, sometimes forming the shape of “沐”, sometimes “春”, and sometimes “雷”. Hu Shanwei missed home, and no matter what he looked at, he saw the shape he was imagining.
It was the anniversary of the death of Consort Chengmu Sun again. Princess Huaiqing entered the palace, discussed the sacrifice with Empress Ma, and exchanged glances with Hu Shanwei.
Hu Shanwei understood and personally escorted Huaiqing out of the palace. Huaiqing secretly handed her an envelope under the cover of his sleeve. When they were in a deserted place, Hu Shanwei opened it and saw a note and a jade narcissus hairpin repaired with gold inside.
The handwriting was from Mu Chun. The Narcissus hairpin was broken by Hu Shanwei, who secretly collected the body and asked a craftsman to repair it with gold and transform it into a Narcissus hairpin.
The hairpin was Hu Shanwei's favorite. She carried it with her almost every day for the past fifteen years. However, when Hu Shanwei became a mother, Are liked shiny things and was interested in gold. She would always pick at her hair. She was worried that the sharp end of the hairpin would hurt her daughter, so she locked the hairpin in her dressing table. She usually tied her hair with a headband or covered it with a net scarf. She no longer used any sharp jewelry or beads that could be easily swallowed by babies. She became a gentle person.
Spring is here!
Hu Shanwei excitedly opened the note, but he almost tore it in half because he used too much force. It only contained a short sentence: "See you at Xiaoling Mausoleum."
Consort Chengmu Sun was buried in the Xiaoling Mausoleum.
When did Mu Chun hook up with Princess Huaiqing? Doesn't this expose the secret of faking death? Also, now that he's in the capital, what should A Lei do
Hu Shanwei was both happy and anxious, and immediately asked for leave to go to Xiaoling. There were only eight royal family members in the palace, and it was very quiet. Empress Ma thought that she missed Empress Xiaoci, so she agreed and said, "If Concubine Hu wants to go to Xiaoling in the future, just go and say hello to the Shangyi Bureau. You don't have to ask me every time. I trust Concubine Hu."
Xiaoling Mausoleum.
Hu Shanwei burned incense for the emperor and empress, and then went to the cemetery at the back where Concubine Chengmu Sun was buried. This was the world of Princess Huaiqing.
In the woods where the autumn wind suddenly blows, a fallen leaf falls in a zigzag shape.
Hu Shanwei arrived at the agreed location, but did not see Mu Chun.
Just when she was feeling lost, the hem of her skirt moved and a small stone hit the corner of her skirt and rolled to the edge of her shoe.
Hu Shanwei looked in the direction from which the stones came, but saw no one. It seemed that they were already young, yet they were still playing this kind of game.
Hu Shanwei pretended to be calm and said, "If you don't come out, I will go back to the palace." After that, he turned back.
Mu Chun's voice came from the woods on the left, "Come find me quickly."
Ever since Mu Chun became a father, he has transferred A Lei's childhood into his own childhood in order to make up for the regret of having a dead mother and a scumbag father when he was a child. Both his body and mind show signs of reverse aging, and he is going backwards the longer he gets older.
What is it like to play hide-and-seek with a 35-year-old middle-aged man
Hu Shanwei sighed. She knew why Mu Chun became like this and felt sorry for him. Forget it. She was already married. What else could she do? Of course she would spoil him.
Hu Shanwei turned around and followed the sound. She heard some movement behind a big tree and ran over to take a look. There was no one there. Just as she was wondering, a man appeared behind her like a ghost in broad daylight and hugged her from behind. "I just used a slingshot to shoot a small stone at this place. After playing the game so many times, you still fell for it. Haha."
Hu Shanwei looked sideways and saw Mu Chun wearing the uniform of the mausoleum guards, a big hat, and a beard, which was very different from before. But for Hu Shanwei, he would recognize Mu Chun even if he turned into ashes.
"Why are you here? Where's A Lei? How did you get along with Princess Huai Qing—"
"I miss you." Mu Chun interrupted Hu Shanwei's question and hugged her tightly, "A Lei misses you too..."
It turned out that Mu Chun entrusted his daughter to his father-in-law Hu Rong for raising, and rushed to the capital with Ji Gang. Along the way, various secret reports came in, saying that one prince after another was stripped of his power, and some were even forced to commit suicide by burning their entire families. The situation became increasingly tense.
The prince's younger brother and brother-in-law were successively demoted to commoners. Even Princess Qingyang, an elder with a high seniority, could not persuade Emperor Jianwen and was demoted to a princess instead. There was no room for retreat or negotiation. Not only the prince of Yan, but the entire royal family knew that a war was inevitable, because the prince of Yan was definitely not someone who would sit still and wait for death.
However, the Prince of Yan still could not act rashly - his four children were all in the capital, and if he launched an uprising, his four children would be in danger.
Therefore, Prince Yan sent Ji Gang, who had secretly reorganized the Jinyiwei, to set up a united front in the capital, win over all those who could be won over, pass on intelligence, and find opportunities for the four children to leave the capital and return to Yan.
Princess Huaiqing became the first person Ji Gang tried to win over because she worked so hard for King Zhou. Huaiqing was very disappointed with her nephew Emperor Jianwen because Princess Qingyang became a princess. She was very sad because of the loss of the princess. She had a close relationship with King Zhou, who had been demoted to a commoner. After Emperor Jianwen had eliminated all his uncles and consolidated his position, he might take action against the aunts.
Huaiqing had been pampered for half her life, and was pampered by the late emperor, Consort Chengmu, Empress Xiaoci, and her husband Wang Ning. She had enjoyed all the wealth and was used to being proud. How could she tolerate such a gap? Moreover, she already had a family and was even a grandmother. How could she bear to watch her descendants being bullied
If the nephew wants to cut her down, then the brothers will be the emperors instead. At least the brothers will not be so foolish as to cut down even the innocent princess!
So Huaiqing became one of the earliest members of the Prince of Yan's party, and it was not easy for him to enter the palace and deliver messages.
Especially when Huaiqing saw Mu Chun "resurrecting from the dead" and appearing with Ji Gang, he became more determined in his choice. The Prince of Yan even took the "dead" under his wing, and he had an increasingly good chance of dealing with his immature nephew Emperor Jianwen.
Thanks to Huaiqing's matchmaking and protection, the couple were able to reunite today.
Emperor Jianwen didn't recognize his relatives, so don't blame them for throwing themselves into the arms of Prince Yan. Hu Shanwei expected the royal family to split and defect, but he didn't expect Ji Gang to act so quickly.
"… When Ji Gang brings the Prince of Yan and the others back to Yan, the royal family will officially start fighting for the throne. You should quickly find a way to leave the palace, whether by pretending to be sick or faking your death. Let's go back to Kunming. A Lei has grown her first tooth. By the time we return, she will probably have two teeth."
Muchun wished he could take his wife home right now; he didn't want to miss his daughter's growth.
"I also want to go back soon. I'm about to find out the truth about Concubine Fan's death." Hu Shanwei told her husband about her recent discoveries in the palace, especially Empress Dowager Lu's frightening confession. "She said it was the emperor who did it. She also invited me to participate in the coup and put another son on the throne. She gets power and I get revenge. We each get what we want."
Just as Mu Chun was about to reply, Ji Gang, who was hiding in the tree and keeping watch, jumped down, his eyes sparkling with excitement: "What a good show, family members fighting each other, the way for Prince Yan to enter the capital and Jinyiwei to regroup has been shortened by more than half."
Meeting Ji Gang again three years later, Hu Shanwei was stunned. Ji Gang was wearing the same mausoleum guard uniform as Mu Chun, and he also grew a beard. He was still as handsome as before, but Mu Chun was still Mu Chun, but Ji Gang seemed to be two different people.
It's the eyes that have changed.
Ji Gang's eyes used to be clear and transparent, like the bright moon shining through the pines, or the clear spring flowing over the rocks. Now they were like an old well in winter, with a slight frost and a cold mat.
Seeing his wife staring at Ji Gang in a daze, Mu Chun's thirty-five-year-old vinegar made his teeth sour. He said to Ji Gang, "I don't care what you do, but you are not allowed to involve Shanwei."
Ji Gang didn't take it seriously and smiled at Hu Shanwei, "I have spies around Minister Bao. On the surface, the Ministry of Justice has sent many detectives to search for clues along the Yangtze River and at various docks. However, Minister Bao never even looked at the various transcripts that the detectives sent to the Ministry of Justice every day. He just put them aside. He also didn't take the copper lock that locked the door to the locksmith or the lock shop to find out where the copper lock came from."
"This perfunctory attitude is even worse than our Jinyiwei's previous handling of cases. Minister Bao, also known as Bao Qingtian, is famous for his fairness and strictness. Twelve people died in the Yangtze River shipwreck case, and Concubine Fan was a fifth-rank female official. Why did the upright and strict Minister Bao let such a serious case go unpunished?"
Hu Shanwei's hairs on the back of his neck stood up when he heard this. "Minister Bao clearly swore in front of me that he would investigate this thoroughly."
Ji Gang's eyes showed mockery, "Who has the ability to influence Minister Bao, the minister of state left by the previous emperor, and ask him to lie to you? Only the emperor can do that. It's rare that Empress Dowager Lu doesn't lie. So, if you want to avenge Consort Fan, you have to destroy the country to make the murderer pay the price."
The author has something to say: Remember the name of a Ming Dynasty Shangshu in one second, Bao Zhao (Bao/Zhao)
I will give out 100 red envelopes tonight ~ Good night everyone.