Emperor Chengqing did not have many heirs, only six princes and four princesses. Among the six princes, the second prince and the sixth prince died young, and there are only four princes living today.
The eldest prince, Zongzheng Qinghui, came from the common room when Emperor Chengqing was hiding in his residence. This year, he was thirty one. In addition to the prince concubine, the prince's mansion also has two side concubines and several concubines, and the eldest grandson of the emperor comes from one of the side concubines.
The biological mother of the eldest prince Zongzheng Qinghui was born in a humble family, and because of her contribution to giving birth to the emperor's eldest son, she was conferred the title of Noble Ping after Emperor Chengqing ascended the throne. The eldest son of the emperor didn't have much weight in Emperor Chengqing's mind.
The third son, Zongzheng Qingguang, whose birth mother was the side concubine of Emperor Chengqing when he hid in his residence, was conferred the title of Concubine Virtue after Emperor Chengqing ascended the throne. Zongzheng Qingguang is twenty-three this year. He is a second-rank cabinet bachelor, so when the position of the crown prince is not determined, relying on the power of his mother's family, the third prince has the highest voice among literati.
After the third prince, all those born in the palace were princesses. It was not until the birth of the fourth prince Zongzheng Qingqi that the deadlock was broken.
The birth mother of the fourth prince, Wanqi Lan, is an autonomous ethnic minority in the northwest of Dashang. There are only forty to fifty thousand, and the emperor of Dashang dare not deal with them easily.
In order to stabilize the situation in the northwest, no matter how the dynasties change, every emperor wins over the Wanqi family. Wanqilan, as the little princess of Wanqi's generation, voluntarily entered the palace of the big business and married the already Emperor Cheng Qing, who was over forty years old, also caused quite a stir at that time.
In order to express the importance attached to the Wanqi family, Wanqilan overwhelmed those old people who lived in the palace when she first entered the palace, and was named Lan nobleman. In her homeland, her treatment in the palace is the same as that of concubines.
Zongzheng Qingqi is only ten years old this year. Compared with her elder brother who has grown up and started a family earlier, she can only be regarded as a child. In addition, her biological mother Lan Concubine was born in a minority tribe and has alien blood, so the possibility of inheriting the throne is almost impossible. Zero, the two elder brothers in front set their sights on the younger fifth prince Zongzheng Qingzuo.
Speaking of the fifth prince's biological mother, she is indeed a person not to be underestimated.
Emperor Chengqing was relatively stingy when it came to entrusting the female family members of the harem, otherwise, as the birth mother of the eldest prince, even if he was not favored, he would not be just a nobleman. It is not too much to be named a concubine.
In Emperor Chengqing's harem, apart from the empress who died young, there were only two first-rank concubines, Concubine De and Concubine Hui. After Concubine Hui died of illness three years ago, Concubine De was the only one.
It is precisely because of Emperor Chengqing's stinginess in dealing with the harem's female relatives that it highlights the unusualness of the birth mother of the fifth prince.
Concubine Jiang, born as a court lady, was favored by Emperor Chengqing after he was drunk. She was named a nobleman at the beginning. After giving birth to the fifth prince, she was named Concubine Jiang. Above all concubines.
The sixth prince who died young was also born of Concubine Jiang. Because he felt sorry for Jiang, who was still a concubine at that time, Emperor Chengqing, regardless of the objections of his courtiers, canonized him as the first concubine of the five concubines. At that time, she followed Cheng Qingdi's concubine De, with the phoenix seal in her palm, and jumped from the lowest maid in the harem to the most noble woman in the harem.
Nowadays, Emperor Cheng Qing is obsessed with elixir and pursues longevity, so he is almost out of luck in the harem, but Concubine Jiang still has the ability to let Emperor Cheng Qing go to her Fengqi Palace in his spare time.
Now in the harem, there are two groups of forces, one group is concubines born to noble women headed by Concubine De, and the other group is concubines born poor and headed by Concubine Jiang Guifei.
Of course, apart from these two groups of forces, there are also concubines like Lan who do not rely on each other and concentrate on living their own lives, but there are not many concubines like this. , even if the two do not help each other, it will not attract hostility from either side.
In this harem, grass on the wall has always been bad.
Because of his obsession with alchemy, Emperor Chengqing's body became more and more depraved. Now not only the former court, but also all the women in the harem are waiting for Emperor Chengqing to make a decision on which prince to be the crown prince.
As the most favored and trusted eunuch of Emperor Chengqing, Xiao Chu may not hope that the eldest prince and the third prince, who have grown up and have their own decisions, will ascend the throne.
In this way, the two younger princes, the Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince, naturally became his best puppets to support.
Many people think that Concubine Jiang has a better chance of winning. Compared with Lan Concubine, who was born in the Wanqi family and was aloof and withdrawn, Concubine Jiang and the eunuch Xiao Chu, who were also born as court ladies, obviously have a common experience. , and Concubine Jiang can only rely on the favor of Emperor Chengqing, without the help of her mother's family, and without the protection of the emperor, Concubine Jiang will be alone and helpless in this deep palace. If Xiao Chu wants to support a puppet Obviously Jiang Guifei's mother and son are more appropriate.
These words were only circulated in a small area, but many court ladies and eunuchs took it seriously. Even though Emperor Chengqing's health was getting worse and the days of visiting Fengqi Palace were decreasing, the palace people not only did not dare to skip the rules of Fengqi Palace, Whenever something good comes in from outside, it is always like when Concubine Jiang is in favor, and it is sent to Fengqi Palace all at once, and then sent to other palaces after Concubine Jiang has finished selecting.
The other concubines dared not speak out against the actions of the eunuchs. Who let the servants listen to Xiao Chu's orders? It depends on the owner to beat a dog. What's more, in the eyes of most people, the actions of those eunuchs and maids are all Xiao Chu's actions. Privately ordered.
The acquiescence of Xiao Chu, the governor of the East Factory, to their actions also made them believe in their own guesses. Now, before Emperor Chengqing died, there were people in the harem who respected Concubine Jiang and the fifth prince.
The eldest prince and the third prince saw it in their eyes and were anxious in their hearts, but it was a pity that Xiao Chu had many followers in the former court and the harem, and the Jinyiwei under his control was notorious, so it was hanging over everyone's heads Without a complete grasp of the knife, who would dare to attack him.
I didn't see that Li Yushi was falsely accused of despising the imperial power and sent to prison after just reading his book in the court.
The old and fatuous Emperor Cheng Qing blindly believed in Xiao Chu's words. I am afraid that now that he said which prince he wanted to be the crown prince, Cheng Qing would agree to it without even thinking about it.
Nowadays, those who have a bit of backbone will retire and return to their hometowns, or they will be Dudu Xiao's answerers, and those who want to insist that Emperor Chengqing manage the government personally above the court, and they can only end up like Li Jinzhong in the end.
The traitor is in power, and the big merchants are ruined. All their courtiers can do is follow the trend and protect themselves wisely. It's sad, sad.
At this time, some old officials couldn't help but fantasize in their hearts, if Yan Zhaonan, the general of the town, was still alive, and the Yan family would have heirs, with their utter loyalty to the great merchants, wouldn't it be true that a sycophant like Xiao Chu would There was no chance of being on stage at all.
But that's just a fantasy, Yan's family died tragically, not even the whole body was left, with such a bloody example in front of him, Da Shang, how dare there be such a loyal minister.
*****
"Your Majesty, Eunuch Xiao is here."
Emperor Cheng Qing was fifty and five this year, but he looked no different from an old man in his seventies, with white hair, a thin figure, and abnormal flushing on his face, he looked crazy, without the air of an emperor.
After hearing the little eunuch who was waiting beside him say that Xiao Chu was coming, he became excited, hurriedly got off the dragon chair, took the brocade box in his hand, and climbed down the steps like offering treasures. Yan Chu saluted him and helped him up.
"Look, Aiqing, this is the latest elixir refined by Daoist Qingyun. I took one, and I just felt swayed. As the Taoist said, I feel like riding the wind and wanting to go. I want to keep taking this elixir." , soaring in the daytime is not illusory."
The brocade box in Emperor Chengqing's hand was opened, and there were dozens of golden pills inside. I don't know if this color was formed naturally during alchemy, or if it was dyed with some kind of pigment in the later stage. I have to say that the other party's The technology is still superb, the elixir is full and round, and the golden color on the outer layer is slightly fluorescent, and it really does not look like an ordinary thing.
It's no wonder that Emperor Cheng Qing was so excited this time, obviously he really regarded this box of pills as something good.
"Such a fetish alone must be shared with Ai Qing."
At this time, Yan Chu, who appeared in front of Emperor Chengqing, had changed his clothes. The red clothes before were stained with blood and were too aggressive. Now he was wearing a moon-white brocade robe with It is embroidered with a python pattern, which is no different from a dragon pattern at a glance.
Condensing the flirtatious aura in his body, Yan Chu at this time looks just more out of the ordinary than handsome, beautiful and eye-catching, but it is not enough for people to see him for the first time, and they will consciously associate him with demons and charms in one piece.
Emperor Cheng Qing admired his Aiqing, looked at the pills in the brocade box, picked and picked inside, picked out a pill that was a little smaller, and handed it to Yan Chu with distress.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the medicine."
Without any hesitation, Yan Chu took the pill and swallowed it gratefully.
"As your Majesty said, after taking this pill, you will feel a faint warmth in your stomach. I think this is its wonder."
Yan Chu's words made Cheng Qing Emperor very happy. He carefully hid the remaining elixirs, and looked at Yan Chu and laughed.
Daoist Qingyun was right, Xiao Chu was indeed his lucky star, and the other party was born to assist him, the emperor of all ages.
Before, he had doubts about the words of Daoist Qingyun, but several things happened one after another, which verified the original prophecy of Daoist Qingyun one by one. Save him, I'm afraid he will die on the altar that time.
And Xiao Chu also suffered from heart palpitations because he blocked an arrow for him that time and hurt his heart.
In order to pursue the way of longevity, it was Xiao Chu who loyally managed the government for him and recruited all capable people and strangers in the world for him. When everyone thought his attempt to live forever was a daydream, only Xiao Chu still supported him. Every decision, in the eyes of Emperor Chengqing, Xiao Chu is not only a loyal minister, but also his confidant.
Otherwise, he would not have rewarded him with such a precious pill.
Emperor Cheng Qing had already made up his mind that when he ascended to the sky, he must bring Xiao Chu, a loyal servant, with him, and when he reached the heavens, he would be made a little god.
The emperor in the world, how can there be a god who is at ease.
"How's that old slave Li Jinzhong's interrogation going?"
Emperor Chengqing hadn't gone to court to deal with the government affairs for a long time, and any important matters in the court were presented in the form of memorials, and these memorials were reviewed by Xiao Chu on his behalf.
Yesterday, he suddenly wanted to listen to the government on a whim, but Li Jinzhong, a rebellious minister who relied on the old and betrayed the old, tried to threaten him with a bumper, asking him to behead a loyal minister like Xiao Chu in public, and then readjust the government.
Ridiculous, I don't know what to say!
In the eyes of the already crazy Emperor Cheng Qing, what Li Jinzhong did was just to hinder his advancement, so after Xiao Chu sued Li Jinzhong for fear of disobedience, Emperor Cheng Qing asked Xiao Chu to generalize him without thinking about it. He grabbed it.
"Master Li..." Yan Chu showed hesitation.
"But it's okay to say, I forgive you for not being guilty."
Seeing Xiao Chu's attitude, Emperor Cheng Qing frowned. Why, could it be that Li Jinzhong still refused to accept his emperor's decision
"Master Li..."
Yan Chu concealed his own role in it, and only repeated Li Jinzhong's words of cursing him as a traitor and Cheng Qing's incompetence.
With Emperor Chengqing's increasingly ugly face, he changed the subject: "Lord Li also said that twenty-three years ago, if it weren't for him, how could His Majesty have so easily removed the more than 30 members of the Yan family and the Yan Mansion?" There are more than two hundred servants and hundreds of guards."
He has been silently observing Emperor Chengqing's face. Amid the sudden change in his expression, Yan Chu said considerately: "At that time, I angrily reprimanded Lord Li. No one knew that the whole family of Yan's family was slaughtered by bandits." In addition, Yan Zhaonan colluded with the small country of Fanbang and hid the dragon robe in the mansion for the purpose of rebelling. Such a disloyal minister can be punished by everyone and has a relationship with His Majesty. I didn't dare to make decisions about everything at the beginning, and I was afraid that Master Li's nonsense would hurt His Majesty's reputation, so I could only ask my subordinates to gag Master Li's mouth and torture him severely, wanting to know who encouraged him to say Saying these words is slandering His Majesty."
"That's right, Li Jinzhong's nonsense, I also want to know who is instigating him behind the scenes."
Emperor Cheng Qing's ugly face returned to normal slightly, and he glanced at Xiao Chu with satisfaction.
Everyone in the world said that he favored eunuchs, but they didn't think about it. Apart from his favor, what future could this kind of extinct slave have? There are no other eunuchs involved, so he is more at ease when he is favored. Anyway, no matter how much power they control, they are destined to be unable to cause trouble.
Others said he was stupid, but Emperor Cheng Qing thought he was very smart.
Xiao Chu is his usual knife, pointing at where to hit, but he bears all the infamy for him.
Today the other party mentioned that he had been buried in his heart for many years, but he didn't want to displease him in the Yan family where he was mentioned, but it was just dissatisfaction, and more anger in his heart was directed towards Li Jinzhong.
That rebellious minister actually threatened him with the matter of Yan's family back then, he really thought that he was thinking of his old feelings and dared not do anything against him.
"You don't need to intervene in Li Jinzhong's matter. I will send first-class guard Zhang Fan to interrogate him."
Emperor Cheng Qing waved his hand, he didn't want Xiao Chu to get involved in those matters.
As an emperor, a once successful emperor, even though the theory of longevity has corrupted his mind, the most basic learning of emperors is still soaked in his blood, so although he trusts Xiao Chu, a rootless person, the same He was also afraid of him, and suppressed him in other ways.
Zhang Fan
Yan Chu's eyes flickered slightly, the other party was indifferent, unexpectedly he was Emperor Chengqing's confidant, when encountering such a difficult problem of the Yan family, the other party's first thought was him, one can imagine that the other party The status in Emperor Chengqing's mind.
In the past, the original body ruled out dissidents in and out of the palace, but he ignored Zhang Fan, a first-class bodyguard who was relatively silent in the past. If it wasn't for the temptation this time, he would not have known that Zhang Fan was Emperor Chengqing's man.
In front of Emperor Cheng Qing, Yan Chu naturally had a calm expression and agreed repeatedly, but in his heart, Yan Chu had other decisions.
*****
"Your Majesty, do you think Master Xiao will really support our fifth prince to be the prince?"
In Fengqi Palace, a gorgeous and eye-catching woman was reclining on the beauty couch, pinching the grapes peeled by the palace maid with her long and white fingers, and there was no strong emotion in her eyes.
"What? You want to know? Why don't you go to Mr. Xiao Chang to ask for Ben Gong."
The beautiful woman turned her body slightly, and the loose skirt opened with her movements, revealing half of her white and delicate breasts, as well as a deep gully.
Because of her reclining movements, the gully seemed more unfathomable, and also more mysterious and alluring. Even though she was also a woman, the palace servants beside her couldn't help sniffing, feeling hot inside.
Jiang Fengjiao put the crystal grapes into her mouth, and licked her moist lips with the tip of her red tongue. She couldn't help but sneered at the shy gaze of the palace man, and the pair of proud twin peaks on her chest stood out even more. .
Both were born in the palace, but managed to climb to this position. Jiang Fengjiao has always known better than others how to use the capital she was born with. Those noble-born, reserved and artificial women in the harem are also the existences that she despises and envies .
In order to climb to this position, she gave up her self-esteem, and now she is only close to the door, so she will naturally not let the good situation go to waste.
The palace people only thought that what she just said was a joke, but Jiang Fengjiao knew that she was serious.
Most of the castrated eunuchs in the palace were psychologically distorted. Jiang Fengjiao was used to the bad habits and abnormal behavior of those eunuchs in the past.
The rules in the palace are also inhumane, a bunch of dead men, you let him stay with a group of delicate but also unsatisfied court ladies, as time goes by, how can there be no problems, don't look at the eunuchs physically No, but to give a woman physical satisfaction, the eunuchs don't have to do it themselves.
Jiang Fengjiao has a beautiful appearance. As early as when she was a little palace maid, she had been coveted by many eunuchs, big and small. Those perverts who cut off their children and grandchildren, some of them used torture methods on the bed. Perhaps because of psychological distortion, they Some of the behaviors of men are worse than normal men, especially some eunuchs who have climbed to high positions, they will not shy away from some of their behaviors. Jiang Fengjiao has seen her sisters in the same room limping back several times, taking off their clothes , there is not a piece of intact flesh on the body.
Because of that experience, Jiang Fengjiao swore that she must be a master, so as not to be insulted by those perverts.
But she never expected that she had already climbed to the position of noble concubine, but in order to have a higher status, she still had to act like a eunuch.
Xiao Chu has a good reputation among the court ladies, because he is powerful enough, and also because he is handsome enough. Compared with other ugly and older eunuchs, he is obviously a better destination for the court ladies.
It's just that after staying in the palace for so long, I haven't heard that he has the willingness to meet the court ladies. Everyone said that he has a high vision. Now he doesn't meet the food. It's probably because he doesn't like any of the court ladies who are courteous to him.
They are all eunuchs who have become eunuchs since childhood. When those eunuchs gain power, the first thing they do is to buy land and houses outside the palace, then marry a woman with a clean family background, and adopt several heirs. This is almost all eunuchs. Reading is also the life that all eunuchs most yearn for.
There is no reason for Xiao Chu to be different from other eunuchs, at most he has greater authority and vision than other eunuchs.
Jiang Fengjiao brushed lightly on her fair skin, she and Xiao Chu were of the same type, she could see the other's wolfish ambition.
For an eunuch like him, is there anything more exciting than putting a stunning beauty like her under him? What's more, she has another identity, that is, Emperor Chengqing's favorite woman, and also the queen of the harem. The highest ranking concubine.
Can Xiao Chu resist the temptation of pressing the emperor's woman under him
Jiang Fengjiao is very confident in her body. She firmly believes that the crown prince's position will eventually belong to her emperor's son, and the queen mother's position will eventually belong to her.
No matter how much she paid for this, she would be happy with it.
*****
"Young lady, the fourth prince has returned to the palace."
The inside of Yan Yun Xuan was full of joy, because the fourth prince, Zongzheng Qingqi, had returned.
The princes who have reached the age of six will be sent to the residence of the princes in the front hall. Every month, there are only five days to get together with their biological mothers. Therefore, every time the four princes return to the palace, it is like a holiday for the palace people of Yanyunxuan The presence.
"Qi'er has lost weight."
Looking at the young emperor's son, Wan Qilan's cold face softened involuntarily.
"Mother and concubine."
Zongzheng Qingqi is not very tall, but she acts like a little adult.
He took a sip of the tonic soup that Wan Qilan had been cooking early in the morning, and seeing the loyal servants in the palace who were only served by his mother and concubine, he couldn't help but let out the anger he had received in the palace school.
"Father is really stupid, actually trusting Xiao Chu that sycophant so much, if my brother, my brother, ascends the throne and takes power, the first thing to get rid of is that sycophantic."
Zongzheng Qingqi's face was full of dissatisfaction, and he didn't know what kind of anger Xiao Chu had received because he was in the palace school.
"Boom—"
Wan Qilan's expression was a little unnaturally stiff. The soup spoon she was holding in her hand fell to the ground. Fortunately, there was a thick blanket on the ground and the spoon was not broken, but in this way, the blanket was stained. Soup, I'm afraid it can't be used either.
On the one hand is the beloved young son, on the other is the former lover, the two have conflicts, and for a while, Wan Qilan doesn't know how to adjust.