After the Shangyuan Festival passed, the dynasty was copied and opened.
As soon as the court opened, it was extremely lively. The eldest prince and the second prince stared at the position of the new prime minister, wishing they could stay in the palace at night and not return home.
They scrambled to recommend their party members to succeed the prime minister. At this time, whoever can make His Majesty listen to his words will have the upper hand in the fight for the crown prince.
For this reason, many ministers in the court wrote to Emperor Ning, some recommended ministers who were worthy of great positions, and some echoed the statement of the First Prince or the Second Prince.
Even the old saying of setting up a prince was turned up by some courtiers.
Emperor Ning was annoyed by the noise for a long time, so he had to hide in the harem from the imperial study.
"Your Majesty has been very upset recently. My concubine made lotus seed pigeon soup with her own hands. It clears away anger. Would you like to use one, Your Majesty?"
In Tsinghua Palace, Concubine Xian brought a round purple sand bowl with her own hands, and the fresh fragrance of lotus seeds overflowed.
Emperor Ning took a deep breath and said with a smile: "I can tell it's Aifei's handicraft when I smell it. Although there are many concubines in the harem, there are not many who cook for me like Aifei for twenty years. "
His gaze fell on Concubine Xian tenderly. Concubine Xian has a eldest prince who is about forty this year, but the relationship between the two is still deep.
This feeling is not the lust of young men and women, but a kind of tacit understanding like a friend, but also like a relative.
Concubine Xian nodded her head slightly, her face flushed, "I have no other skills for small matters, I can only serve Your Majesty with a little thoughtfulness. If Your Majesty can be at ease, I will be satisfied."
Emperor Ning took the round bowl in her hand, touched her cold fingertips, and held it with great distress.
Concubine Xian withdrew her hand with a smile, "It's okay, the concubine accidentally dipped in cold water when washing lotus seeds."
Emperor Ning sighed and put down the soup slowly.
"There is no queen in the palace. You are in charge of the harem for me. You have to take good care of yourself. Some things are the duty of a slave, so you leave them to do it. I don't like people who don't keep their duties."
His tone was suddenly serious, Concubine Xian hurriedly said: "Yes, my concubine has been taught."
She vaguely felt that there was something in Emperor Ning's words, as if he was annoyed at who did not keep his duty.
After a moment of silence, she slowly moved behind Emperor Ning and massaged his shoulders and neck, which was always a place where he was always sore.
Emperor Ning suddenly realized that his tone was serious, "Scared you? I'm not angry with you, I'm angry. He is an old minister who has assisted me for decades, and the number one in my heart is Gu Hou, the second one is him. Who would have thought that he would be so ignorant, assassinate Gu Hou Shizi in order to fight for power and gain, and left me with a lot of trouble!"
Concubine Xian said slowly: "Your Majesty is talking about the candidate for the successor, right? A country cannot live without a Prime Minister. Since Prime Minister Yin has resigned, this candidate needs to be found quickly."
Emperor Ning said: "Why don't I know this truth? Yin Yan left me a candidate, and I also think it is very suitable. Ke Yizhao and Chengzhi each recommended ministers, and they refused to give in to each other. They also recommended people who had a good relationship with themselves." minister!"
Concubine Xian hurriedly knelt down, "It's the concubine who has no way to teach the son. Although Yizhao is the elder brother, the second prince is the first prince. He doesn't understand the rules, how dare he argue with the second prince?"
When she said such things on weekdays, Emperor Ning would always comfort her. The eldest prince is the elder brother, and his status is no lower than that of the second prince.
He also told her not to be so inferior, so as not to make the First Prince feel uncomfortable.
But today, Emperor Ning did not speak.
Concubine Xian knelt down on the ground, her heart became more and more uneasy, she just felt that Emperor Ning's eyes were always on her head.
After a long time, that gaze slowly retracted.
He stretched out a hand in front of his eyes, "Get up, Yi Zhao is already an adult, he has his own thoughts, which are beyond your control. You have been in charge of the harem for many years and have not mentioned any unreasonable thoughts to me, and I understand it. "
Concubine Xian's mouth was a little stiff, and she stood up slowly while supporting Emperor Ning's hand.
He doesn't understand.
A woman doesn't say what she wants outright, but that doesn't mean she doesn't want it.
She just understood that if Emperor Ning didn't take the initiative to give her some things, it meant that he didn't want to give them.
Otherwise, the empress would not have remained vacant for so many years.
Concubine Xian said respectfully: "My concubine thinks that Yi Zhao will not have any wrong thoughts. He has been well-behaved and sensible since he was a child. As the eldest son of His Majesty, he will share his worries and labors and fulfill his duty."
"I'm afraid that he's done too much of his duty."
Concubine Xian suddenly raised her head, Emperor Ning's words were like a thunderbolt, hitting her directly on the head.
After a while, she tremblingly said, "Your Majesty means..."
"Does my concubine know, why did I name Yi Zhao this name?"
Concubine Xian said: "The concubine knows. Yi Zhao is an assistant, and Zhao is bright. Your Majesty hopes that Yi Zhao will assist His Majesty and be a bright and upright person."
"yes."
Emperor Ning patted her hand, "I not only hope that Yizhao can assist me now, but also hope that he can assist the next king well, do you understand?"
The woman's hand was withdrawn calmly, trembling violently inside the wide sleeve of the palace dress.
She understood this meaning since the first prince was born.
The queen did not give birth to a son, and she, a concubine, gave birth to the eldest son of the emperor. At that time, there were many complaints between the queen and the queen's mother clan.
In order to appease the grievances of the middle palace, Emperor Ning named the First Prince this name, which was almost equivalent to telling others that it was impossible for the First Prince to inherit the throne.
Yizhe, assistant also.
What Concubine Xian didn't expect was that after so many years of Queen's death, Emperor Ning still had no change in his thoughts.
She has worked hard for so many years, and managed the harem virtuously for him, but after all, she did not get the slightest favor from him...