Prince Jing was already slightly drunk, he was displeased, he just drank his head down, the wine in the palace was long and strong, not as sharp and spicy as the burning knives outside the Great Wall. The feast was at its peak, and the drums and strings were ringing in his ears, and he felt that it was too much trouble. He drank two more glasses of wine and felt drunk, so he got up and went to change clothes. When I walked to the back hall, I felt that the night was as cold as water, and the cold air soaked my clothes. There were little autumn fireflies outside the window screens, like twilight stars flowing by.
Attracted by the chirping of autumn insects for a moment, he went down the steps, only to see that there were many palaces and gates, and the quiet night was like thinking.
"My lord."
He turned his head and saw an internal official, who was only over ten years old, saluting with a smile: "I have seen Master Eleven." Without waiting for him to say anything, he approached, Prince Jing never waited to see his internal officials, and said ignore. But the inner officer stretched out his hand to support his arm, and said: "It's cool in the night, I hope the prince will take care of it." Prince Jing felt his palm harden, as if something had been stuffed into it, the inner officer saluted in astonishment, and retreated with his hands down .
Prince Jing looked around for no one, so he raised his hand, and it turned out that in his palm was a delicately folded Fang Sheng. Fang Sheng folded the head very thinly, and the zigzagging Ruyi head turned out to be a thin piece of plum blossom paper with a lotus seed wrapped in the middle. Looking at the light leaking from the window of the back hall, I saw the writing on the paper: "The rain sways and the wind shakes the gold stamens to pieces, and the acacia branches are full of fragrant greens." The handwriting is weak, as if it was written by a woman. His heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly thought of the woman in green on the lotus-picking boat that day, covering her sleeves and smiling, looking forward to the brilliance, her heart almost jumped out of her throat. Sure enough, there is a line of fine words at the bottom: "Since I see a gentleman, Yunhu is not happy. Waiting for you to walk in Changgeng's way, I only hope that your heart is like mine."
His heart was in a mess, he just didn't know the identity of the woman in green. That day I saw her in girlish attire, but in the palace, even if it is an ordinary maid, as a prince, it is extremely inappropriate to make a secret alliance. The night wind was gentle and slightly cool, and the delicate fragrance on the paper seemed to be able to penetrate the heart and lungs. I can't help but think of those eyes, which are full of water, so soul-stirring, it makes one's heart throb. At that time, the singing was faintly blowing, and the sound of laughter from the front hall could be faintly heard. It is believed that Wu Zhaoyi played another song behind the curtain, which caused a lot of colorful sounds, thunderous laughter and loud noises. I was alone and a shadow was reflected on the blue brick floor as bright as a mirror. As soon as his heart gets hot, it doesn't matter if we meet each other.
Thinking of this, he walked down the steps, the surroundings were silent, his footsteps were already light, and there were two internal officials on duty at the Chuihua Gate, when they saw him coming out, they bowed and saluted, but he stopped him with a wave of his hand. As if idle under the moon, along the high palace wall, all the way to the west. I don't know how far I walked, turned around the palace wall, and saw a corridor. On one side is the high palace wall, and on the other side is the Changgeng Palace, so this narrow and long corridor is called the Changgeng Road. In fact, the night is getting dark, only the chirping of autumn insects can be heard, the sky is full of stars as bright as silver, and under the starlight, only the continuous glazed double eaves and the roof can be seen. Although there are scattered lights in the distance, everything is quiet and no one is heard. language.
After waiting for a long time, he finally saw a lamp like a star, gradually approaching, and he couldn't help but feel happy. It was a young girl with long hair who came with the lamp, she didn't say a word, she just nodded to him slightly, and then led the way with the lamp. He followed her through the narrow passage, and walked along the palace wall for a long time. I can't tell the direction in the darkness, I just feel that I have passed through several corner gates, and finally after going through the winding road, I finally see the buildings of the palace, and a corner of the eaves pierces the night slantingly. After stepping through the narrow door and turning into the screen, the room is not lit, and it seems to be a side hall. This kind of veranda room was always used by inner prisons or palace people on duty. The girl led him into the room, and after saluting, she quietly retreated with the lamp. As the last ray of dim light disappeared behind the door, he suddenly felt uneasy in his heart, and his nose Duan had already faintly heard a faint fragrance coming, it was the auspicious brain incense burned by the furnace commonly used in the palace, and he could hear footsteps in his ears, but it was someone entering the side hall in front, but hearing the rustling of clothes, he unexpectedly It seems more than one person.
He couldn't help being surprised, but when he heard a woman walking and talking, he couldn't hear clearly from a distance away, and suddenly he vaguely heard the word "Niang Niang", he was startled, and his eyes suddenly lit up, it turned out that someone was holding a lamp and picking up the curtain When he came in, the bright light came in suddenly, it was very dazzling, he couldn't help but cover his eyes with his hands, he had already heard people screaming in surprise: "Where did the bold and lunatic come from, dare to trespass on the queen's bedroom?"
His heart sank suddenly, so he could only open his eyes wide, but he saw the palace lamp was shining brightly, the person carrying the lamp was dressed as a female official, under the lamp he saw a beautiful woman, because her evening make-up had been removed, she was only wearing a plain white crane cloak, The long hair is like black jade flowing down the clouds, scattered on the ground, and the whole person is like a jade carving made of ice, with a faint brilliance. The female officer carrying the lamp had already stepped forward, as if intending to stop her.
He was so startled that he almost cried out: "It's you..." But he immediately noticed that this Lishu had a very different aura from the lotus-picking woman he saw that day. Although the woman picking lotus is almost exactly the same as her in appearance, her actions and behavior seem to be like the swaying shadow of a flower, with a dynamic mood, but the person in front of her is as quiet as a deep pool of autumn water, and the distance is clear and cold.
Lishu frowned slightly, before she could speak, the applause outside the door was already clearly audible, and the female officer hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, the emperor is here!"
It came so fast, a sneer smirked at the corner of her mouth, the emperor had already entered the gate of the palace, and the bright lights held by the inner officials were getting closer and closer, surrounded by bright lights, the emperor stepped into the apse, the leading inner officer Zhao Youzhi finally Sensing something was wrong, he stopped vigilantly, and the emperor also stopped, but when he turned the screen, everything was unobstructed, and the emperor seemed a little confused for a moment, looking at the two of them.
Someone gasped vaguely, the emperor's face seemed a little blue under the light, as if he found the scene in front of him unbelievable, so he asked, "Why are you here? What's going on here?"
Prince Jing had no choice but to kneel down, but did not make a sound, Rushuang remained motionless, standing there with a smile that was not a smile. "Tell me!" The emperor was finally furious, "What's going on?" Prince Jing was already dripping with cold sweat, knowing that his life was in danger today, he just kowtowed heavily, and reluctantly said: "My brother..." But he said no again Come up with a word.
The emperor was trembling with anger, turned his face away, his eyes seemed to burst into flames, he only looked at Rushuang, but Rushuang didn't seem to care, and said: "No matter what the concubine says, the emperor will not believe it. My concubine was murdered by someone today, so I have nothing to say."
The emperor's chest rose and fell violently, and his breathing was short of breath. Seeing that the situation was not good, Zhao Youzhi only called out: "Your Majesty!" The emperor had already exploded: "Come here! Send the order of the court!"
Zhao Youzhi called out again: "Your Majesty!"
This is a scandal in the imperial palace, and respect is related. Although the emperor is furious, he still understands that he is reminding himself that such things must not be spread. No matter how it is dealt with, it must not be known by the outside world, otherwise it will become a laughing stock of the government and the public. In the more than three hundred years since the opening of the dynasty, there has never been such a scandal in the imperial confinement—the emperor gave Prince Jing a savage look, his murderous intent suddenly arose, but almost immediately, he suppressed it forcefully: "Prince Jing is ashamed after drinking." , disrespectful in front of the emperor, uttering obscene words to deceive the emperor, and imprisoning Beiyuan, from now on you are not allowed to step out of the gate of the garden unless you follow the order!"
This is a confinement, Zhao Youzhi couldn't help but heaved a sigh of relief, and reminded Prince Jing: "Thank you quickly!"
Prince Jing froze there, and the emperor stared at him steadfastly, as if trying to gouge out two holes in him with his eyes. With a wink from Zhao Youzhi, an internal officer had already come up, he kowtowed to Prince Jing, and then set him up and left. The hall was silent at first, but at this moment, the copper leak in the deep part of the hall could only be heard, one drop, one click, another drop after a long time, like the sound of rain.
The emperor finally spoke: "Concubine Shu Mu's conduct has always been bad. From now on, her title will be revoked, she will be deposed as a commoner, and she will be confined to Yongqing Palace."
She stared at him with dark eyes, and she was as calm as water. The emperor said angrily, "Don't pull her out!" Then the internal officials mustered up the courage to come up to pull her, and she said calmly, "I will go by myself."
She was still wearing her pajamas, barefoot and she followed the officer down the steps, ignoring her.
In the early morning of the next day, Prince Yu learned the news, the forbidden court was completely concealed, and he only knew that Prince Jing had lost his manners after drinking yesterday and offended the emperor, so he was greatly reprimanded, so he rushed to see him alone before the morning court, intending to intercede for Prince Jing . But after waiting for a long time outside the gate of Yi, there was no call, and the emperor did not call for the early court until the end of the day. After a while, Xiao Huangmen passed the decree and stopped the morning court, only to find out that Concubine Qing was ill and died last night.
Concubine Qing has been ill for several years, so the death of her illness is not surprising. As usual, the palace issued a decree to the Ministry of Rites, ordering to discuss posthumous rites. He reprimanded concubine Shu Mu for her misbehavior, "although she took photos of the six palaces, she was mediocre and jealous", and she "failed to take care of" the long-ill concubine Qing, and she often "disobeyed her wishes", so her title was deprived and she was demoted. Common people, claustrophobic Yongqing Palace.
This was a big surprise, because the emperor was so complacent and loved him beyond control, he had a lot of disputes with the cabinet about his appointment as a concubine, and Cheng Pu was so angry that Cheng Pu fell seriously ill. Concubine Qing had been ill for a long time and had no favor, so it was an unexpected move to depose Concubine Shu because of her. Therefore, within a few days, rumors gradually started to spread among the government and the public. It was said that the death of Concubine Qing was caused by Concubine Shu, Mu Shi, so the emperor finally expelled the "Demon Concubine" Mu Shi into the cold palace.
Prince Yu didn't pay much attention to this rumor at first, because Qingliu had always disdained Concubine Shu, Mu Shi, so he took pleasure in other's misfortunes and created such rumors by taking advantage of Concubine Qing's matter. Unexpectedly, after a few days, the rumors gradually changed. It was said that Concubine Shu was abolished because she had an affair with the emperor's younger brother, Prince Jing Dingyong, and Concubine Qing broke the private meeting of the two, so Concubine Shu was secretly sent by Mu's family to poison her, the emperor deposed Concubine Shu in a rage, and imprisoned Prince Jing.
For a while, the rumors in the market squares and the teahouses and tiles spread even more vividly. Often three or five people sit down and wait for the waiter to pour tea, but after a few words, someone from the host and guest will always mention this "biggest joke in the world", talking about how Prince Jing and Concubine Shu have a secret alliance, and how Concubine Qing is. Sending the palace flower by herself but accidentally running into a private meeting between the two, how Concubine Shu became angry from embarrassment, how she sent her confidants to poison Concubine Qing in the porridge, and how the emperor visited Concubine Qing on her deathbed, and finally knew the truth. It makes... all the details are like seeing it in person, this kind of palace secrets is naturally the most curious, the speaker is full of mouth, and the listeners are amazed.
Prince Yu only found out after more than a month, because of his dignified body and close relationship with the emperor, no one dared to mention such things in front of him. But in the end, there was a lot of discussion, and it was really impossible to hide it. Only then did Prince Yu know that there was such a "joke" in the outside world, and he was immediately very worried and indignant.
Originally, during the autumn floods of the Min River, no less than 40 embankments burst, flooding tens of thousands of hectares of fertile land in 15 counties of three prefectures, and tens of thousands of victims were displaced. However, when the autumn is high and the horses are fat, the tribes of Qierwu take advantage of the situation and move southward to disturb Dinglan Pass. Because there will be rangers coming every year at this moment, the defenders are careless for a while, and they allow small workers to sneak into Dinglan Pass. Dozens of small works are carried out at the same time in the middle of the night The fire was set on fire, and the soldiers and civilians all over the city were unable to save them, and the city of Dinglan was burned to scorched earth overnight. Dinglan Pass is the most important gateway to the northwest of the imperial court. When encountering this change, the garrisons from Hezhou and Fanzhou in the pass were rushed north to help, and they fought fiercely with Qi Erwu's cavalry for a long time, but they were at a stalemate. Seeing that the northern battalion had to be dispatched to help, the so-called internal and external troubles, the emperor did not even stop the routine autumn hunting. As the head of the state, Prince Yu has been so busy that he has not closed his eyes for several days in a row. When he heard such a "joke", he felt dizzy for a while. As usual, "Go to Shangyuan."
Due to the bad weather, the emperor caught wind and cold, and was moved from the palace to Shangyuan to recuperate a few days ago. But none of the cabinet ministers followed, fortunately, it only took half a day for the fast horse to gallop, and from a distance, I could see a maple red like fire, as if burning half of the sky, covering the black glazed continuous undulations, which was the intoxicating autumn color of Shangyuan. Xichangjing has a warm atmosphere, and the deep autumn maple is always red in September, but the fire maple tree in Shangyuan is different from the usual ones. In July, the red leaves are like burning, so the view of maple in Shangyuan is a wonderful sight. The civil servants who accompanied Qiushou were rich in Confucianism and had a lot of singing words.
The emperor was in good spirits, but he was only described as a little clearer. He was wearing a jacket and sitting on the bochet, watching the little eunuchs put on a chrysanthemum stand. Standing behind him was Zhao Youzhi, the eunuch who was in charge of ceremonies. Seeing that Cheng Yuan had invited Prince Yu in, the emperor was still very happy: "I heard that you are very busy, why did you come here to see me?"
Prince Yu did the ceremony of seeing you without making a sound, the emperor ordered Cheng Yuan to help him up, and said with a smile: "Looking at how thin you are, it really makes me feel very sorry. Some small things, just leave it to the subordinates to do." , You must know how to take care of yourself.”
Only then did Prince Yu say: "I have an unfeeling request, I beg the emperor to allow it."
The emperor asked: "What is it?"
"Beiying rushes to help Dinglan Pass, but there is no suitable good general. My younger brother asks the emperor to pardon the eleventh younger brother's crimes and let him go out to lead the army."
The emperor's face changed slightly, but he smiled again in an instant: "The military generals of the Manchu Dynasty, why did you let him go?"
"Although the eleventh brother made a big mistake, he is always the emperor's mother. For the sake of empress dowager Xiaoyi, please forgive him."
The emperor remained silent, and the waterside pavilion became quiet for a while, only to hear a "boom" under the remnant lotus, perhaps it was a frog that had not entered the mud for a long time to dormant, and jumped into the water. The emperor looked at the gradually spreading ripples and said in a daze: "If there is any difficulty, please tell me."
How can such a "joke" be told to the emperor? Prince Yu frowned slightly forbearance, and said vaguely: "Actually, the eleventh younger brother has a rough temper, and the emperor knows him... Besides, there will inevitably be discussions among the outside world about how to deal with the eleventh younger brother."
The emperor asked: "What discussion?"
Prince Yu couldn't hide it, and in the whole world, apart from himself, no one among his relatives would tell the emperor. So he quoted the rumor a little bit, if he avoided the seriousness and downplayed it lightly, the emperor trembled with anger, stood up all of a sudden, stepped down from the throne, and walked back and forth in the water pavilion twice. Seeing his impatience, Prince Yu hurriedly said: "Fourth Brother, this must be spread by a villain with ulterior motives to tarnish Fourth Brother's reputation, Fourth Brother don't take it to heart. I have ordered Jiucheng soldiers and horses to investigate secretly. Find a way to stop the rumors.”
The emperor smiled angrily: "Okay, very good." He raised his eyes and looked at a pool of bleak lotus leaves, "It's so clever to teach people to spread such words, and they want to use this method to force me to come out of the pool." , restore the prince and entrust him with important tasks, or hand over military power, to show the world that there is no discord between my brothers. Hmph, unfortunately, I will not let him do what he wants."
"Old Qi, you go back to Beijing first." The corner of the emperor's mouth slightly raised, "As for who will lead the troops to Dinglan Pass, I have a good candidate—Prince Rui Dingzhan has been familiar with the art of war since he was a child, and he is brave and skilled in martial arts, so he will lead the army to the north. Battalion to help Dinglan pass."
"Fourth brother?!"
The emperor sneered slightly: "He thought that I would not give him the military power easily, so he thought of starting from Ding Yong, so that he could 'strike the east and the west'. Hey, don't you think I dare not, I just came to 'please enter the urn'."
The Northern Camp was set up by Prince Yu alone. All the officers are extremely loyal and reliable, and the northwest is deserted. As long as the imperial court secures the supply of food and grass, there is no fear of changes in the army. Hearing the emperor's words, Prince Yu also understood a little bit. The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly, with that seemingly indifferent expression again: "As for Ding Yong, let him out, let him out, and let him go on a mission to collect food for Prince Rui's army."
Collecting grain is a hard job like a hot potato. Because of floods, the two prefectures of Hejian and Hejian, where "the world is rich when Hejian is ripe", suddenly suffered a catastrophe that has not happened in a century this year, resulting in no crops. The victims fled north and became displaced. Countless illnesses and deaths occurred along the way, and the plague spread to several northern states. Several prefectures in the north are busy with epidemic prevention and relief, and at the same time they have to transfer food to the south for disaster relief. The officials, gentry and common people feel miserable. But the battle at Dinglan Pass is getting tighter, the army is about to move out, and the collection of money and food is imminent, which is like adding more weight to a hundred times. But Prince Jing Dingyong's character is rough and reckless, so he was sent to collect food, I am afraid that he will offend the big officials of the frontier.
After the discussion for a while, Prince Yu saluted and resigned, the emperor suddenly called him again: "Lao Qi." Seeing that Prince Yu stopped, the emperor paused again, and then uttered a sentence from his thin lips: "Yongqing Palace Li, you need to pay more attention to it, and don't let her die."
According to the rumors, if anything happened to Rushuang, who had been deposed as a commoner, it would definitely be rumored that the emperor became angry and "killed people to silence him". This move may have been planned by Prince Rui for a long time, so the emperor ordered him to do so.
Prince Yu said: "My brother understands."