When Hu Shanwei heard what Arei said, he knew that she really understood. As a palace lady, she had to remain neutral in the dispute over the royal succession - the palace lady had to agree with the emperor's position, and the crown prince, the crown prince's grandson, and the King of Han were all just clouds.
If you want a palace lady to be your right-hand man, there is only one way: become the emperor.
Once you become emperor, Concubine Hu will be yours.
A Lei is Hu Shanwei's younger sister. Her position must be consistent with that of her sister. If her sister asks her to be neutral, she must be neutral and cannot be biased towards any side.
Hu Shanwei was worried about his sister, fearing that she would be involved in the brutal struggle for the throne.
Are said: "Sister, in my opinion, there is no such thing as the Crown Prince and the Prince of Han, only Brother Xiaoji and Brother Shuikeng who grew up together. Just like in the eyes of the emperor, there are only two seriously injured grandsons. I am very worried about them. I went to the palace just to see with my own eyes how badly they were injured, that's all."
Are gave the standard answer, which was to agree with the emperor's position.
You have to trust A Lei. Hu Shanwei nodded, "Okay, go ahead."
At the same time, in the Crown Prince's Palace.
Zhu Zhanji pressed Wang Zhen to ask, "You are the prince's man, right?" After a brief pause, Wang Zhen knelt down and said, "The Imperial Household Department sent me to the Crown Prince's Palace, so I am naturally your Highness's man."
Zhu Zhanji did not say "you are my father's people", but said "you are the prince's people", using position instead of family name, which is already a conflict of position.
Because father and son are connected by blood and share the same blood. However, the crown prince and the grandson of the emperor, both of whom are heirs, are actually in a competitive relationship. There are two heirs and only one throne. When Zhu Zhanji was canonized as the grandson of the emperor, he was already his father's rival.
Zhu Zhanji was not so easily fooled. His arm was injured and he had eight stitches sewn with needle and thread. His legs were intact and he could walk freely. He lifted the quilt with his left hand. Wang Zhen hurriedly stood up and put a fur coat on him. "Your Highness, it's the first month of the year. Be careful not to catch a cold."
Zhu Zhanji's right arm was wrapped like a pumpkin, so it was easier to put on and take off the cloak. He avoided Wang Zhen, took the cloak with one hand, and put it on himself. "I know that although I treat you well and regard you as my confidant, and often entrust you with secrets. But the prince saved your life. Back then, Xie Jin was plotted against and framed for having a secret meeting with the prince. You were accidentally shot and dragged to the Ministry of Punishment and were almost beaten to death. It was the prince who let bygones be bygones and got you out and sent you back to the inner school to complete your studies. Because you are both good in character and learning, you have the opportunity to stand out and be arranged by the prince in the palace of the crown prince to be the prince's spy."
"Your life and your future were actually given by the Crown Prince. It is really difficult for you to be loyal to me. Why don't you return to the East Palace and serve the Crown Prince? This way you can be more loyal to him."
In the past, Zhu Zhanji was only the eldest grandson of the emperor. When he lived in the Eastern Palace, being loyal to the crown prince meant being loyal to the eldest grandson of the emperor. But since Zhu Zhanji moved to the Crown Prince's Palace, it was equivalent to setting up a new household. Being loyal to the crown prince and being loyal to the crown prince were two different things.
You can only choose one.
Wang Zhen knelt down again after hearing this and said, "Please, Crown Prince, please don't chase me away. I admit that it was indeed the Crown Prince who placed me in the Crown Prince's palace, but I have never betrayed the Crown Prince. I only reported some insignificant things to the Crown Prince."
Zhu Zhanji listened and shook his head slowly, "You betrayed me and the prince. I definitely don't need you anymore. Go away."
Wang Zhen knelt a few steps and hugged Zhu Zhanji's little bird legs. "If I leave this palace of the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince will not dare to use me. I will just be a useless chess piece and work as a copyist in the Imperial Household Department for my whole life. No matter how stupid I am, I know that the Crown Prince is the future of the Ming Dynasty. I am a rootless person, just like a vine, I can only survive by clinging to a big tree. Now, the two big trees in the palace are already covered with vines, and I can't squeeze in at all. I only want to be with a small tree that has not yet grown up, sharing hardships and wealth."
Zhu Zhanji kicked Wang Zhen away and said, "I don't believe you."
Wang Zhen rushed over again and hugged Zhu Zhanji's legs as if he was holding on to a life-saving straw. "I really did not betray Your Highness. I have a huge secret that I would rather keep to myself than tell the Crown Prince. I am loyal to the Crown Prince!"
Zhu Zhanji did not kick Wang Zhen away this time and asked, "What secret?"
Wang Zhen's eyes fell on Zhu Zhanji's injured right arm...
At the same time, A Lei arrived at a side hall of the Qianqing Palace where Zhu Zhanhe was settled. He lay on the bed with a layer of dressing on his back and buttocks, which felt cool and relieved the burning pain.
At this point he had been marinated in the dressing and even his breath smelled of medicine.
The effect of the anesthetic had worn off, and Zhu Zhanhe slowly woke up. His pupils adjusted their focus on their own, and his gaze first fell on the pillow, where there was a dragon, a five-clawed golden dragon!
Zhu Zhanhe was horrified: Princes all have four-clawed dragons, and the five-clawed dragon is a decoration unique to the emperor. Could it be that I was knocked unconscious for several years by an exploding cannon, and during this period my father succeeded in the rebellion and ascended the throne to become emperor
"Are you awake?" A Lei held a kettle with no lid and a hollow straw stuck in it, so that the patient lying prone could drink water. "Would you like some water?"
Zhu Zhanhe then realized that his mouth was dry, so he held the straw in his mouth and gulped down half of it before sighing with satisfaction, "Sister A'lei, what year and day is it now? Where is my eldest cousin?"
My father's rebellion was successful, and the crown prince is definitely gone. Zhu Zhanhe is concerned about Zhu Zhanji's safety.
Is he crazy? A Lei was a little worried and explained, "It is the 27th day of the first lunar month in the 13th year of Yongle. At 11:00 pm today, your father invited
The Crown Prince was reviewing the troops, and a cannon exploded. You used your body as a shield to protect the Crown Prince. You were seriously injured, and the Emperor was very worried. He ordered the Jinyiwei to carry you to the palace for a consultation with the imperial doctors. "
I thought many years had passed, but it turns out not even a single day has passed!
No wonder the pillow is in the shape of a five-clawed golden dragon. This is the Emperor’s territory.
Zhu Zhanhe had been lying there for a long time and wanted to change his posture. However, as soon as he moved, the wound on his back began to ache. Zhu Zhanhe was in so much pain that he broke out in a cold sweat. He wanted to shout out loud, but was afraid that Arei would worry, so he forced himself to swallow the liquid.
A Lei wiped the sweat off his face and took out a wooden ox as big as a fist. "It must hurt a lot. I'll give you something to cheer you up."
Zhu Zhanhe took one look at the wooden ox and forced a smile, "I stopped playing with this when I was seven."
A Lei placed the wooden ox on the desk and pointed to the big clock in the corner and said, "Just wait. When the hour comes, the wooden ox will automatically start moving."
After hearing this, Zhu Zhanhe immediately became interested and focused his attention on the wooden ox, temporarily forgetting the pain in his back.
Tick-tick!
The hammer beneath the large clock in the corner swung from side to side.
The grand clocks in the Crown Prince's Palace all swung in unison at the same tempo.
Wang Zhen let go of Zhu Zhanji's bird leg and crawled back on his knees. He took a deep breath. He had a premonition that this was the moment that would decide his fate, and he hoped that he had made the right bet.
Wang Zhen said: "This secret is the mystery of the cannon explosion during today's military parade. So far, the Prince of Han is the biggest suspect. The emperor has ordered Lord Ji to surround the Prince of Han's mansion and imprison the entire palace. The Tiance Guard has also been recalled and returned to the Imperial Guard."
"Because of this incident, the King of Han has lost his trust in the Emperor. Ever since the harem rebellion last year, the Emperor was poisoned by a traitor and fell seriously ill. His health is not as good as before, and his paranoia has become more serious. Therefore, the King of Han has lost his trust today. It will be extremely difficult for him to regain the Emperor's trust in the future."
"After this incident, the one who benefited the most was the Eastern Palace, whose position as crown prince had been in turmoil recently. Firstly, the Prince of Han broke his promise and is no longer a threat to the crown prince. Secondly, His Highness was injured and almost lost his life. So the Ming Dynasty will only have one crown prince, and that is the crown prince."
Zhu Zhanji listened, his eyes became more and more serious, "You mean... the prince is the mastermind behind the cannon explosion?"
Wang Zhen shook his head repeatedly, "Not the prince."
Zhu Zhanji pressed, "Who is that?"
Wang Zhen raised her head and her eyes met Zhu Zhanji's. "I dare not say it. I have not told anyone this secret, including the Crown Prince. Because I am only loyal to the Crown Prince."
The two looked at each other for a long time, and Zhu Zhanji raised his uninjured left hand and said, "Go on."
Wang Zhen swallowed his saliva, "Your Highness inspected the Tiance Guards today. First, he tested the bows and crossbows, and then the muskets. Every time the muskets were fired, bullets and gunpowder needed to be loaded from the muzzle, and then they were tightly pricked with a cleaning rod to complete the loading process. Your Highness shot three times today, and he personally loaded bullets and gunpowder twice. I have been standing beside Your Majesty to serve you. I saw that when Your Highness loaded the gunpowder for the last time, he took advantage of the cover of his cloak and pinched a small handful of □□ in his hand and hid it in the secret pocket of his cloak."
"At the last artillery inspection, His Highness walked around a cannon, carefully looked at the structure of the cannon, and even touched the muzzle. It must have been at that time that gunpowder spilled into the barrel. There are generally two reasons for a cannon to burst. The first is that the barrel is too thin or deformed, and the second is that there is gunpowder residue in the barrel. But when the artillery is inspected, they will wipe the cannon spotlessly clean, so how could there be gunpowder residue? Moreover, neither the King of Han nor the Prince of Han expected that His Highness would personally inspect the Tiance Guards, and even use various weapons himself, so it is impossible for him to tamper with the cannon."
"So, my secret is that Your Highness improvised and personally created this barrel explosion accident. When Your Highness watched the siege drill, he knew that the cannon was extremely powerful when fired, and that cannon fodder would fly everywhere. The Prince of Han would definitely extend the fuse to ensure Your Highness's safety. Your Highness wanted to take a chance. On the one hand, the powerful Prince of Han would fail and lose the emperor's favor. On the other hand, he could resolve the crisis in the Eastern Palace and make the emperor trust the prince again."
"Don't worry, Your Highness. I have already secretly cleaned the narcotics residue in the secret pocket of my cloak and stuffed a piece of pine and cypress spices in it to dispel the smell of smoke and prevent anyone from suspecting Your Highness. I have not told the Crown Prince about all this. Your Highness suddenly doubted my loyalty just now. I guess it was because when he secretly cleaned the secret pocket of my cloak, he touched the spices in the cloak, so he became suspicious of me."
After he finished speaking, the room fell into silence, with only the ticking sound of the grandfather clock's pendulum swinging from side to side.
Zhu Zhanji was silent for a moment, then reached into the secret pocket of his cloak with his left hand, took out a small piece of pine and cypress incense, threw it into the brazier, and asked again: "In your opinion, why should I risk my life? This matter is beneficial to the prince."
Wang Zhen said: "Of course, Your Highness is filial and can't bear to see the prince trapped and depressed all day long."
Zhu Zhanji tapped the table with one hand, "Speak human language."
Wang Zhen said, "If the skin is gone, where will the hair be attached? The prince has been regent twice, and there has been no idle work in the court. His ability to govern the country is obvious to all, and even the King of Han admires him. Although many civil and military officials in the court do not like the prince's bad behavior and bring disgrace to the state, no one doubts his ability."
"Your Highness has no political experience and power. Even if he bypasses the Eastern Palace and gets the throne with the Emperor's favor, he will most likely follow the path of Emperor Jianwen in the future. Your Highness is still so young. Only when the Eastern Palace is stable can the Crown Prince's Palace be stable. Your Highness is so young, but he has such a broad view. I admire him and am willing to serve you loyally, even if I die for you."
As soon as he finished speaking, at eight o'clock in the evening, the big clock began to strike.
Ding ding!
At the same time, the big bell in the room where Zhu Zhanhe was recuperating in the Qianqing Palace rang.
The wooden ox on the table began to move automatically, and a little shepherd boy playing the flute suddenly popped out from its back.
Zhu Zhanhe, who was lying on the bed, screamed in excitement, forgetting the pain. "This is great! I want this one, don't let anyone snatch it from me!"
Seeing that he liked it, A Lei also became happy and teased, "Didn't you just say that you won't play after you turn seven?"
Zhu Zhanhe laughed foolishly.
The author has something to say: The answer is revealed, and only a few people guessed it right, so I’m giving out 250 red envelopes tonight, so please leave a comment.
Congratulations to reader Jiuwo for receiving a big red envelope of 100 points.
№17 Netizen: Jiuwo Comment: "Hu Shanwei" Score: 2 Published: 2019-07-06 22:37:00 Reviewed chapter: 257
Speculation: First suspect: Crown Prince Xiaoji himself. Second suspect: Ji Gang. Thanks to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated me with nutrient solution~
Thanks to the little angel who cast [mine]: Gudong is coming! 1;
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated [nutrient solution]:
Endless Haze 150 bottles; Tiantian, Yikuang Orange 20 bottles; Qianqian Yuwei, Qianqian mm, Qingxuan Zhubai Zhou 19, 34377785 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!