"Niangniang, be careful of the steps." He Ming carried the lantern and illuminated the road ahead. Gu Rujiu smelled a sour smell inside, and took out a handkerchief to cover his nose.
However, it was much cleaner than she expected, with no turbulent sewage and no mosquitoes flying everywhere. After walking a few more steps inside, she saw Sima Xiang with a dirty face and tattered clothes.
In her memory, Sima Xiang was an extremely beautiful woman, and she was almost stunned when she saw such a person who was so embarrassed that she could hardly see her original appearance.
The room is very hot and smells bad. You don't have to think about it to know that being locked up here in the dark is such a painful thing for a lady from a noble family who has never touched the spring water from childhood to adulthood.
She didn't bring her own maids, and she didn't want them to see this. Bai Xian, who came in with her, stepped forward to fan her with a fan, and whispered, "Niangniang, it's sultry in the prison, don't stay too long."
"No wonder someone started to clean up this cell early this morning. It turns out that your noble person is coming," Sima Xiang felt embarrassed when she saw Gu Rujiu's first glance. But when she saw the other party's gorgeous clothes and beautiful decorations, the stars were sitting on the delicate small table, some people fanned, some held pots, and some came with incense burners, the embarrassment in her heart turned into endless hatred , "Our family has become like this, are you finally satisfied?"
"It has nothing to do with me when your family has become like this." Gu Rujiu suddenly felt that it was a bit boring to come here. Maybe she had negative thoughts in her heart, or that she actually had such an end to Sima Xiang, There is no sympathy.
Knowing that the other party once wanted to calculate her own life, her negative emotions finally extended, which made her think of "see what happens to her".
But when she really saw people, and saw this seventeen or eighteen-year-old woman, she seemed crazy and irrational, and she felt that this was really meaningless.
A person who is destined to have no good end, whether she sees it or not, is the same, and she doesn't even think that it's a relief.
Seeing Gu Rujiu's calm eyes, Sima Xiang suddenly became calm, she tucked her knees into the corner of the wall, and said after a while, "Are you here to see how embarrassed I am?"
"It was originally like this," Gu Rujiu lowered her eyelids and looked at her hand, "but after seeing you, I felt that I shouldn't come."
"Why don't you come," Sima Xiang sneered, "Isn't the emperor imprisoning me here just to please you? If you don't come, wouldn't his pains be in vain?"
Gu Rujiu didn't refute her, but said: "Yes, I don't want him to waste my time, so I'm here. There is a person who treats me like this, and I can't bear to let him down."
"Even if this man is ruthless, full of blood, and ambitious?" Sima Xiang sneered at the beautiful woman sitting at the table, "You never thought that one day in the future, he would treat you like this?"
Outside the hall, Jin Yang stepped on the stone steps and stopped. He stood in the dark doorway, looking at the woman sitting by the candlelight, he lost the courage to approach.
Perhaps, in his heart, he was still cautious about this feeling.
Gu Rujiu looked at Sima Xiang, shook her head with a smile, and remained silent.
"What are you laughing at?" Sima Xiang was full of resentment when she saw her smile, because it made her feel like the other party was watching her joke.
"I'm laughing at you, you don't understand feelings," Gu Rujiu's smile spread out a little bit, "whether a person is true to you or false, as long as you have a heart, you can feel it. Unless, no one has ever been nice to you, and also No one has ever been sincere to you."
"What is true or false, it's just some illusory things," Sima Xiang sneered, "In front of interests, things like feelings are often the most useless."
Gu Rujiu tilted her head and thought for a while, then shook her head and said, "Maybe you are right, but in this life, I still want myself to try to believe in a person. Life is only a few decades old, if you live in suspicion all the time, that's too much. tired."
"Did you believe it wrong?"
"That can only blame me for being blind," Gu Rujiu curled the corners of his mouth, "If there is such a day, it would be good to pursue the death of the same year, the same month, the same day."
Sima Xiang was stunned for a moment, then laughed loudly: "They all say I'm a lunatic, but in fact you are the real lunatic."
Gu Rujiu sat quietly, letting her laugh wildly, and after she was almost laughing, she said, "I saw you at the beginning of the year, you sat leaning against a flower, and you were as beautiful as a painting. At that time, I thought, Sima This girl in the family is so beautiful, if I were a boy, I would definitely be tempted by such a girl." She stood up and sighed, "I never thought that you and I have almost never met, but you want my life. Even if I fall under your schemes, there are other girls in the world, maybe they are more talented than you, maybe they are more beautiful than you, or maybe they live better than you, can you destroy everything?"
"But who said that the person who appeared in front of me at that time was you?" Sima Xiang recalled in a trance. The day she first met Gu Rujiu, it was the young ladies of the Li family who invited everyone to a party. At that time, Li Churou was still there, and Sima Li was also there. Now, and her hands were not contaminated with human life.
At that time, she carefully sat next to the lady in the hall, looking at Gu Rujiu surrounded by several girls from aristocratic families, her heart was full of envy.
What was she thinking at the time
It's like... If only I were her
Sima Xiang slowly raised her head and looked at the woman standing under the candlelight. She had bright eyes, white teeth, icy muscles, and jade bones. Even if she wasn't the most beautiful woman in the world, those eyes that seemed to be talking were enough to make many men fall for her.
She covered her face in a daze, knowing that today, she should not obey her mother's words and let her hands be stained with blood donation.
That night, when she went to her mother's yard, she saw her comatose mother and the blood donations all over the place, and there was a hint of happiness in her heart. If it weren't for such a mother and such a useless father, maybe she would be like Gu Rujiu, like the eldest sister, living a relaxed and personal life.
She wants to live with rights, gain a noble identity, want to leave such a family, and want to live a happy life like the lady in the hall, but she doesn't have any of these, she doesn't have all of them.
Putting down the hand covering her face, Sima Xiang looked at Gu Rujiu calmly: "I've been cursing you in my heart these past few days, I wish you could meet the most tragic things in the world." Speaking of which, she laughed at herself, " Maybe I was really wrong."
The corners of Gu Rujiu's lips moved, looking at Sima Xiang who looked like a withered shape, she turned to the eunuch behind and said, "Let someone wait for Miss Sima to wash."
When the news of Sima Xiang's death came out from the Sima family, she knew that Chen Jun would not let Sima Xiang live again. The other party can live until now, just because Chen Jun is waiting for him to come here to see Sima Xiang.
No matter what the grievances were in the past, at least let the other party go clean.
Sima Xiang stood up, walked to the door of the prison, and slowly blessed Gu Rujiu: "Thank you for the grace of the Empress."
"You..." After a moment of silence, Gu Rujiu sighed, turned and walked out.
"Queen Empress!" Sima Xiang suddenly stopped her.
Gu Rujiu turned back and saw that the other party's eyes were burning, as if there was a cluster of fire hidden inside.
"I wish the Queen's maiden phoenix to fly for nine days, and your Majesty to fight against the dragon and the phoenix," she slowly knelt down to Gu Rujiu, "My father is weak and incompetent, I ask the Queen's maiden to save his life."
Gu Rujiu stopped and nodded after a while: "If he didn't commit any wrongdoing, His Majesty would not kill innocent people indiscriminately."
"Thank you, Niangniang." She kowtowed heavily to Gu Rujiu, then fell to the ground.
Gu Rujiu turned her head and walked out step by step, Sima Xiang's voice came from behind.
"I only hope that in future generations, I will no longer be born into an aristocratic family."
She stepped down and her heart moved slightly, but she didn't look back. Halfway through, she turned her head and glanced at a corner, where there was a vague figure, but the other party was lying on the ground with his back to the door, unable to see who it was.
"Empress Empress?" He Ming saw Gu Rujiu's footsteps suddenly stopped and brought the lantern closer, "But you can't see the road?"
"Let's go." Gu Rujiu shook her head and walked out of this stuffy and hot place. She often exhaled a breath and looked back at the plaque of the palace. It was written with three big characters "Jinxing Palace". Gold paint, it looks dilapidated and bleak.
Back at the Zichen Hall, she went to take a bath first, and then returned to the main hall. Seeing Jin Yang, who was only wearing his jacket, was reading a book under the lamp, he said, "Reading a book at night hurts your eyes, so you should rest early."
When Jin Yang heard the words, he put down the book obediently, and said to Gu Rujiu with a smile, "Hibiscus out of the water, what a beautiful picture."
"Smooth tongue," Gu Rujiu walked up to him, stretched out his finger and tapped his forehead, "it's late at night, go to sleep." After speaking, she stretched out her hand to pull Jin Yang, and glanced at the book that Jin Yang put aside.
Didn't he say that the book was full of absurdity and nonsense a few days ago? Why are you holding it up now
Seeing that Gu Rujiu's eyes fell on the book, Jin Yang hugged her by the waist: "Go, rest with me for a long time."
The next morning, when Gu Rujiu was practicing calligraphy in the study, He Ming came in and said, "Niangniang, the girl you saw yesterday is gone."
The pen in her hand trembled slightly, and the tip of the pen dropped ugly ink dots on the paper, "I see, it's time to be buried."
"Yes." He Ming raised his eyes and looked at the desktop. On this piece of paper, the word tranquility was written. Before the words behind it could be used, the word was destroyed by ink dots.
it's a pity.
"What a pity..." Gu Rujiu put down her pen, turned around and washed her hands, "Bengong went to the garden for a walk."
"Yes." He Ming glanced at the word that was thrown aside, then bowed and followed. Qiu Luo, who was standing beside him, saw this and followed.
When Baolu wanted to keep up, Gu Rujiu said to her, "You don't have to go, just stay and clean up the study."
"Yes." Baolu's complexion turned white, and he bowed and stepped back.
The sun in the early summer morning was already very dazzling. Qiu Luo held an umbrella for Gu Rujiu to block the sun, and whispered, "Niangniang, Baolu she..." Before she finished speaking, she noticed that Niangniang's expression was flat, and she stopped in a hurry. Huotou: "The slave has gone too far."
Gu Rujiu shook the fan in his hand and said lightly: "Baolu is very good, but it's not suitable for staying in the palace." At first, Baolu was brought into the palace because of her stable temperament. Now, it seems that Baolu is not very suitable for it. life in the palace. On the contrary, Qiu Luo, who was younger than her, was more in her heart.
After walking for a while and sweating all over, Gu Rujiu felt that she was in a much better mood. When she was about to return to the palace, she met Concubine Wei, whom she hadn't seen for a long time.
"I have seen the Empress." Wei Taifei timidly walked in front of Gu Rujiu and saluted her.
"Taifei Wei." Gu Rujiu returned a half-salutation. Seeing the expression on Concubine Wei's reluctance to speak, she knew that today was not a coincidence, but that Concubine Wei had come to her on purpose.
Sure enough, the two walked into the pavilion without saying a few words, and Concubine Wei suddenly gave her a big gift.
"The Empress, please save me."
Gu Rujiu suddenly remembered that when she met Concubine Wei at Kangquan Palace a few years ago, she also said this to the Queen Mother. It's just that she was doing it for herself at that time, but this time it's probably for others.
"Taifei Niangniang, what do you mean?" Gu Rujiu motioned for the palace maid to help Wei Taifei up, she waved the fan in her hand and said, "But someone in the palace is neglecting you?"
"That's not the case," Wei Taifei said with a wry smile, "I shouldn't have asked you for this kind of thing, but I really don't know who to ask."
Gu Rujiu lowered her head and touched the teacup without speaking, because she couldn't agree to Concubine Wei's request.
Concubine Wei also seemed to know that Gu Rujiu was unlikely to agree to her request, but she still expressed her prayer, hoping that Gu Rujiu would be able to say a few words for her uncle in front of the emperor.
Now that the people of the Sima family have suddenly started to keep a low profile, it is comforting. It is a pity that her uncle was regarded as a rafter by the Sima family.
"Princess Concubine, this palace has always been concerned about the affairs of the previous dynasty, and I'm afraid you will be disappointed today." Gu Rujiu apologetically said, "I can't help you with this."
"Niangniang," said Concubine Wei, "as long as my uncle can save his life, I am willing to help you." My uncle has always treated her very well. No matter what, she had to find a way to save her uncle's life.
Gu Rujiu sighed and said, "Taifei Niangniang, why are you suffering? I really can't do anything about it."
"Niangniang," Tai Concubine Wei said anxiously, and even revealed a shocking secret, "Taifei Sun had an affair with King Rui in his early years!"
"Bang!" Gu Rujiu overturned the teacup in her hand, her face changed slightly, and she glanced at the palace servants who were waiting around. Fortunately, there were not many people with her today, and all of them were the confidants of Zichen Palace. Otherwise, if this word spread today, it must be Will cause an uproar.
He Mingqiuluo and others have long wished that they didn't have long ears, and had never heard this sentence. If such a royal scandal spreads out, it would smear the entire royal family.
"Taifei Wei, be careful." Gu Rujiu reluctantly calmed her expression. "It's not something you can talk about casually." She remembered that King Rui had a disability in his leg. After the emperor ascended the throne, he went to the fief. Taifei Sun was the palace he entered after he went to the fief. If the two had a relationship in their early years, why would Taifei Sun enter the palace
"Niangniang, what I said today is true." Concubine Wei said, "King Rui and Concubine Sun had already had mutual affection back then, but the Sun family was not very willing to let Concubine Sun marry Prince Rui, and the sons of the first emperor were not sealed after he ascended the throne. The people in Qin Tianjian figured out that Concubine Sun was a prosperous child, and the late emperor took her into the palace."
The reason why he robbed the woman his brother liked into the palace was just because the other party could give birth to a child, but the child could not be born, so he left the person aside. The behavior of the late emperor made people feel a little disgusting.
"How do you know these old things?" Gu Rujiu looked at Wei Taifei, with Wei Taifei's age and background, it should be impossible to know those old things.
"After I entered the palace, the late emperor was very fond of me. One day after he was drunk, he mentioned it to me," Wei Taifei smiled bitterly, remembering that the late emperor told her how powerful he was and how to make his brother Painful, I couldn't help but sneered, "At that time, I was young and ignorant, and because the emperor did not value them, he often bullied them. What if they came from a noble family, without the emperor's favor, they would still be tossed by my favorite concubine from a poor family.
Hearing this, Gu Rujiu frowned.
Seeing her frowning, Concubine Wei hurriedly stopped the sentence: "What kind of cause, what kind of fruit, if I end up like this, I can't blame others. But my uncle is not a heinous person, I beg the empress to replace it in front of the emperor. He begged for mercy to save his life."
"Taifei Niangniang," Gu Rujiu stood up and said word by word, "You forget all of them today, do you know?"
"Queen Empress, I understand," Tai Concubine Wei stood up and blessed her, "I also know some secrets, these secrets will be useful to you and the emperor. As long as you are willing to let my uncle die, I will know everything and say everything. ."
"Okay." Gu Rujiu raised her hand and took a deep breath, "I will convey these words to Your Majesty, you should go back to the bedroom first."
The death of the prince, the unjust case of Concubine Lin, the conflict between the concubines and concubines of the harem, one after another, the source of the disaster lies in the late emperor. As an emperor, to be proud of robbing his brother's beloved woman, how disgusting does he have to be to be able to do such a thing
Two days later, Zhao Jin's case of betraying the enemy was investigated. Zhao Jin was falsely accused by Wei Ting. Jin Yangnian worked hard in Wei Ting in the past, but he only took his Wusha and took back the house given to him by the late emperor. He did not want him. 's life.
When other officials who were originally attached to the Sima family saw this situation, they first breathed a sigh of relief, and then felt that their whole body was full of cleanliness. It seems that the emperor does not intend to liquidate all the officials of the Sima family. It seems that as long as they are loyal to the emperor and love the people in the future, they will still have opportunities for promotion.
The mountain in the heart was removed, and the atmosphere in the courtroom suddenly improved a lot. At least the officials dared to jump out and jump up and down again.
Officials have always liked a good reputation, whether they are loyal to the monarch and patriotism, or not afraid of power, as long as they have a good reputation, they will step in. Of course, there are also many people who sincerely serve the country and the people. But no matter which one it is, for their direct remonstrance behavior, it is a test of the emperor's patience.
When the late emperor was in power, because he did not like to take care of the affairs of the state, many officials were both direct and head-to-head. Unfortunately, this kind of behavior was completely useless to the late emperor. He could play whatever he wanted, so he Posthumous posthumous titles and temple titles do not sound like Ming Jun.
The officials thought that after the new emperor ascended the throne, he would not be like the previous emperor. As a result, they only guessed the beginning, but not the end. After the new emperor ascended the throne, he was indeed not as sluggish as when the previous emperor was on the throne.
But this guy doesn't take the usual path. No matter how the official jumps on his feet or pushes him to death, this guy won't get angry, but watch it calmly. In the next court, Yan Guan wants to say more, and now he will find out a bunch of this Yan Guan's dark history and discredit him, and Sven will no longer be.
To say that he doesn't like to listen to the good words of loyal ministers today, that's not true, sometimes he will still actively adopt it. So this also caused the mood of the officials to be like riding a roller coaster, sometimes good and sometimes bad.
What Yanguan wants to directly remonstrate is about the Queen's residence in the Zichen Palace. Although this is the emperor's private matter, in Yanguan's view, the emperor's family affairs are also state affairs, and it is okay for them to say a few words.
"Your Majesty, the queen has been in the palace for more than three months, and she still lives in the Zichen Palace. Wei Chen thinks that this move is not in line with the rules of the ancestors." Yan Guanjia said sadly, "I also ask the emperor not to indulge in the affairs of men and women, and let the queen move out of the Zichen Palace. ."
The official standing next to him looked up at the emperor's face, and silently moved a small step away from the official.
You said this kind of thing, what are you doing when you have nothing to say? Haven't seen Li Xiang or Zhang Xiang have spoken, how can you, a small official, be so reckless to point fingers at His Majesty's private affairs
Even if you want to leave a name for Qing Shi, you shouldn't pick this up for advice, right
Could it be recorded in the history books that in a certain month of the year in Delong, a certain official caused the emperor's anger because of the separation of the emperor and the queen, and the emperor took away the black gauze hat, which is very honorable
Let later generations see it, and they will only think that most of these officials are sick.
If the emperor is addicted to women's sex, and the concubines and concubines in the harem are like clouds, if you go to advise, it will be a good name to stay in the history books. Today's situation is completely different from being addicted to beauty.
Besides, you are talking happily in the courtroom, and you are not afraid of being sacked by the Gu brothers after you go out
"The queen is the mother of a country. Moving the palace is not a trivial matter. How can you easily move it?" Jin Yang said lightly, "I have my own ideas on this matter, so you don't need to say more."
"Your Majesty..." Yan Guanjia said without giving up, "There has never been a precedent for a queen to live in the Zichen Palace in Dafeng. Wei Chen is worried that this will disrupt the government!"
The clear point of this is that I am worried that the queen is ambitious and has ideas about your throne.
All the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty were silent, looking at this official's eyes as if they were looking at a fool.
It is illegal for the queen to live in the Zichen Palace, but you can't say that.
Saying this, is it to look down on the emperor or the ministers of civil and military affairs in the Manchu Dynasty, the queen can shake the country's capital by living in the Zichen Palace, how much incompetence does the emperor have to be able to lose the throne
Everyone looked at the emperor's face again, and sure enough, it was already gloomy as water. It seemed that if the speaker said one more sentence, he would be angry.
So the officials silently buried their heads in silence.