As soon as this Lin Xu went out, she was invited into the palace by the mother next to Lin Concubine. In the carriage, Lin Xu's anger eased and he immediately regretted it.
"Mother."
Mrs. Lin also bit the bullet and got into the car, "The matter has come to this, I can only explain it to the empress."
Lin Xu was a little afraid of Concubine Lin, always felt that Concubine Lin's eyes were too sharp, her palms were sweaty, and she was holding tightly.
An hour later, the carriage stopped, and Lin Xu followed Mrs. Lin into the Yuhe Palace.
As soon as one foot stepped into the hall, she saw Lin Bin's sinister eyes looking at her. Lin Xu shivered subconsciously, and squeezed out a face that was uglier than crying.
laugh.
"Xu'er met my aunt." Lin Xu knelt at Lin Concubine's feet and straightened her back.
"Your wife sees your empress." Mrs. Lin also knelt down to salute, but she did not see Concubine Lin shout after waiting for a long time, and the two of them knelt anxiously with a fine layer of sweat dripping from their foreheads.
After a long time, Lin Bin sneered, "What are you doing kneeling, get up quickly."
Lin Xu glanced at Mrs. Lin, she was mentally prepared before she came, Lin Lin must have scolded her head and face, and rewarded her with a reward at the end, but Lin Xu was at a loss for being so calm now.
Lian Qiao helped Mrs. Lin to stand up, and the maid also helped Lin Xu to stand up. Lin Xu's eyelids twitched, and there was always an ominous premonition.
"Ma'am..." Mrs. Lin said nervously.
Concubine Lin waved her hand, "There is no need to mention anything. I have already heard about what happened in the morning. Xu'er was worried for Ming'er, and ran into the girl of Xiao's family in a moment of confusion. I am also very grateful that you can go to Xiao's family to apologize in time. I'm gratified, Xu'er really has a heart for Ming'er."
Lin Xu's brows twitched even more. She would rather Lin Bin pointed at her nose and scolded herself.
It made her uncertain of Lin Bin's intentions.
"Auntie, as long as His Highness is safe, Xu'er is willing to do anything."
Concubine Lin hid the disgust in her eyes very well, and patted Lin Xu's arm with a smile, "It's not in vain for Auntie to dote on you for being so sensible."
Lin Xu smiled mischievously.
The next moment, Lin Bin said, "Xu'er, you also know that Ming'er has been closely watched by the prime minister recently, and all of his hard work was wasted, and his power was suddenly reduced. Only when Ming'er is well can you be well."
Lin Xu's heart skipped a beat, and he had an ominous premonition, "What my aunt said is very true, and Xu'er understands. I don't know what orders my aunt has for inviting Xu'er and her mother into the palace?"
Concubine Lin had a helpless and hard-to-speak look on her face, so Mrs. Lin asked, "Your Majesty has something to say, but it's okay to say it."
"Mrs. Lin, it's like this. A few days ago, the eldest prince accidentally rescued a woman. This woman happened to be General Huang's daughter. Miss Huang wanted to promise her with her body, but how could General Huang's temper make Miss Huang be a woman?" Concubine?"
Lian Qiao uttered all of Concubine Lin's helpless words, Madam Lin's face froze when she heard the words, she looked at Concubine Lin, "Your Majesty..."
Lin Xu also came back to her senses belatedly, "Auntie, Xu'er doesn't mind marrying my cousin with the younger sister of the Huang family."
Concubine Lin glanced at Lin Xu, who was pretending to be stupid, and then at Lianqiao, who said again, "Miss Huang is interested in the position of concubine. The empress is concerned about the Lin family, so she didn't agree, but the current situation of Your Highness It is imminent, and there is no room for the empress to refuse."
"Auntie, it would be nice to have the position of equal wife, no matter how big or small she is with Xu'er." Lin Xu panicked and gave up the position of concubine. Wouldn't she be a concubine
It's better to let yourself die, Lin Xu refused to agree.
Mrs. Lin also helped out, "Your Majesty, think twice, this matter is no small matter..."
"Xu'er, didn't you just say that you were willing to do everything for Ming'er?" Concubine Lin asked, "General Huang holds 50,000 soldiers and is an important minister of the court. If you can win over Ming'er, Ming'er will be grateful to you." of."
Mrs. Lin looked at Pin Lin's tone, and it was likely that Lin Xu had already made a decision on the matter and let Lin Xu abdicate.
How could Lin Xu agree to it? A concubine is about to become a concubine, "Auntie..."
"My lady! I don't know what position Xu'er should take." After weighing the pros and cons, Mrs. Lin quickly stopped Lin Xu.
Concubine Lin glanced at Mrs. Lin, and said lightly, "Naturally, it is the position of side concubine. In fact, the position is not important. The important thing is that Ming'er's heart is for Xu'er. Look at me, isn't she also a concubine? Well, I still favor the harem."
"Side concubine?" Lin Xu stared, even Ping concubine she would not agree, let alone a side concubine, "Aunt, is this what Miss Huang meant, or Auntie you? Holding the position of concubine, it can be seen that she is full of ambitions, aunt, please don't lure wolves into the house."
Concubine Lin's expression darkened when she heard the words, "What nonsense are you talking about? This Palace is all for Ming'er's sake. Ming'er and the Lin family are one from beginning to end. Even if you are a side concubine, what are you afraid of if you have this Palace to support you?"
Lin Xu was startled, bit her lip tightly, and looked aggrieved.
"Your father has already agreed to this matter. You should make good preparations later on. I don't care about what happened in the morning." Concubine Lin obviously lost her patience and said displeasedly, "Retire."
Lin Xu seemed to be strangled by someone, choking and unable to say a word, Mrs. Lin knew that nothing could be changed, so she could only drag Lin Xu, so as not to offend Concubine Lin by talking nonsense.
"Yes, my wife is leaving."
Mrs. Lin grabbed Lin Xu and left Yuhe Palace. Lin Xu was full of reluctance, "Mother, why didn't you let your daughter talk just now, and your daughter should not be a concubine."
"Xu'er, today is different from the past. What can you change by yourself? It will only annoy the empress Lin and the eldest prince. If you fail to win connections, the eldest prince will be in more danger in the future. Do you want to look at the eldest prince?" The prince was demoted to a commoner?"
Mrs. Lin tried to persuade Lin Xu, but Lin Xu murmured and stopped talking. He was full of grievances. Originally, being implicated in marrying the eldest prince was enough of a grievance. Now that his wife demoted his concubine, Lin Xu wanted to cry to death.
"Be patient, Xu'er, these are temporary." Mrs. Lin kept persuading.
Lin Xu shook her head irritably, and followed Mrs. Lin out of the palace.
The night shrouded the Great Prince's Mansion
A black figure quietly appeared, and the courtyard was extremely silent, only the eldest prince stood in the courtyard, respectfully speaking when he saw the visitor.
"My lord."
"How are things going?" The hoarse and boring voice was a bit harsh.
"Returning to Your Honor, I have rescued Huang Ziying according to Your Honor's instructions, and I have revealed my identity unintentionally. Huang Ziying also sent someone to investigate behind his back. I must have thought about it."
The man in black nodded.
The First Prince couldn't help asking, "Honorable One, what about Marquis Zhao..."
"He can't find out anything even if you leave him alone, don't worry, we must find a way to make Huang Ziying completely devoted to you."
The eldest prince nodded, "Yes, thank you for your reminder, my hall is grateful for the disrespect."
Soon the figure had disappeared, the eldest prince breathed a sigh of relief, and murmured, "Zhao Zun! Zhao Zun!"
After a long time, a sneer appeared on the corner of the First Prince's mouth.
next day
Hongxiu told Concubine Xiao about Lin Xu, Concubine Xiao paused, "Concubine Lin didn't lose her temper, hehe, that's strange."
"Xiao Jiu!"
Qing Le rushed over in a hurry, and Qing Fei kept chasing after her.
Miss Xiao raised her eyes, "Why are you here?"
Qingle managed to catch her breath, drank a large cup of tea, and said, "Yesterday, Lin Xu went to Lin Concubine's place. Lin Concubine not only didn't scold, but rewarded a lot of things. Do you know why?"
Concubine Xiao shook her head. She really couldn't figure it out for a while. Logically, Concubine Lin's temper would definitely punish Lin Xu severely.
"Tell me, why?"
Qingle covered her mouth and smiled, "I went to find my uncle early this morning, and I overheard my uncle sighing, saying that the eldest prince had saved the life of General Huang's daughter Huang Ziying before, which caused Huang Ziying to secretly wish to marry the eldest prince. Then Lin Xu can only abdicate for the virtuous, and become a concubine to resolve yesterday's embarrassment, and because of her status as a niece, give some rewards to appease, hum!"
Concubine Xiao didn't care about Lin Xu's condition, but this change came unexpectedly, "How could such a thing happen? General Huang has been outside the customs before and only returned to Beijing a few days ago. How could the First Prince save Miss Huang?"
"I think so too, but according to my uncle, Huang Ziying sneaked back to the capital."
Qingle waved his hand, "The eldest prince is really lucky, seeing another Huang Ziying pop out when he is about to die."
Concubine Xiao rubbed her chin in thought. In her previous life, Huang Ziying had nothing to do with the eldest prince. General Huang later took refuge in the queen mother.
If this is the case, then the emperor will definitely win over General Huang for the eldest prince, and it is likely that he will agree to this marriage.
Xiao Concubine frowned, "The Eldest Prince is more than lucky. In my opinion, there must be someone behind his back pointing out. If he doesn't take action, there will be no place for him in the court, and the Emperor will abandon him."
Xiao Yu seemed to think of something again, "Wait for me for a while, I will write a letter."
This matter needs to be known to Zhao Zun, otherwise even if something is found out, with General Huang in the way, the emperor may not be able to punish the eldest prince.
Xiao Concubine bit her lip, the Eldest Prince must be removed as soon as possible, the Prime Minister's Mansion would be in more danger if left for a moment longer, Xiao Concubine knew that the Eldest Prince was a very mean and ruthless person, and hated the Prime Minister's Mansion very much in her heart, besides, the Eldest Prince couldn't wait to make a move Yes, Miss Xiao must make preparations in advance.
"Go."
Concubine Xiao hastily explained a few words, and sent Qingyu to chase after Zhao Zun. It was estimated that he had just left the city at this time, so there should be still time.
After a while, Concubine Xiao returned to her seat, "The Eldest Prince has climbed up to General Huang, and it can be regarded as a gold medal for avoiding death."
Qingle curled her lips, "Isn't that right, Huang Ziying didn't know what to think, but he fell in love with him."
Xiao Concubine smiled lightly, "What's the matter, no matter how smart a woman is, she can't match the sweet talk of a man. The eldest prince is so talented that many women in the capital would fall in love when they see him, let alone Huang Ziying, who is a pampered boudoir."
Qingle nodded, said a few more words to Concubine Xiao, and left.
Xiao Yu thought about it and told the right minister about it.
After listening to the right minister, he glanced at Xiao Concubine, "Xiao Jiu thinks that the eldest prince will fight against the prime minister's mansion when he gains power?"
"Of course, according to the eldest prince's stingy and suspicious temperament, if he does not use any means to achieve his goal, he will definitely have trouble with the Prime Minister's house. Xiao Jiu has already seen it clearly. There must be someone behind this who will give the elder prince some advice."
Xiao Yu expressed her worries.
Prime Minister on the right raised his eyebrows, and there was interest in his eyes, "Then who does Xiao Jiu think?"
Xiao Yu was silent for a while, not sure whether it was the empress dowager or the emperor, then she seemed to think of something.
"It's the emperor!"
Prime Minister on the right was slightly surprised, "Why is it the emperor?"
"How could Qingle overhear such an important matter, the emperor must have deliberately told Qingle to try his father's attitude." Xiao Concubine boldly guessed, "But why didn't the emperor just win over General Huang himself? "
The Prime Minister on the right did not hide his admiration for Xiao Concubine, "Because there are some personal grievances between the Emperor and General Huang, General Huang will never take refuge in the Emperor, so what the Emperor means is that the eldest prince and anyone in the Xiangfu can be wooed, but absolutely The Empress Dowager cannot be allowed to win over."
"But why does the emperor still tell his father, wouldn't it be better to let the eldest prince win him over directly? If General Huang joins his father, wouldn't his father's power be greater? What if his father joins the queen mother?"
The right minister smiled, "You just have to remember that the emperor will not do useless work. If you intervene for your father, you will surely gain some sweetness for the emperor. If you don't intervene for your father, the emperor will definitely help the eldest prince win over General Huang. Speaking of the Empress Dowager, the Emperor will naturally get closer to the First Prince."
The Right Prime Minister thought for a while and said, "If the First Prince gains power, he will definitely have trouble with the Right Prime Minister's Mansion. If this hot potato is thrown into the Right Prime Minister's Mansion, what should I do as a father?"
Concubine Xiao suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. Xiao Jiu thinks that the eldest prince is too dangerous. Father shouldn't pamper the eldest prince."
"Then what should I do?" Prime Minister Right asked indifferently, it was rare for him to be interested in talking with Concubine Xiao, and he always felt that this daughter had grown up a lot and became more and more sensible.
"General Huang enters the capital, and the military power in his hand is the target of public criticism." Xiao Yu frowned and pondered, and suddenly her eyes lit up, "If General Huang can't live in the capital, even if he has military power, he won't be a threat. When the time comes, find a way to get Huang Wouldn't it be better if the military power in the general's hands was divided into two, and then the soldiers and horses would be secretly transferred back to Beijing, so that the emperor could get more than 20,000 soldiers and horses for nothing."
The right minister raised his eyebrows and glanced at Concubine Xiao, "Who taught you this idea?"
Concubine Xiao was stunned for a moment, Prime Minister Right thought again that Zhao Zun had already left the capital, the news came this morning, so it should not be Zhao Zun.
"Father, Xiao Jiu thought about it on his own. He usually looks at the unofficial history and remembered some stories, so he boldly spoke up. After all, the emperor is just and righteous. Compared with making the queen mother more and more powerful, it is better to let the emperor and father share equal shares."
Concubine Xiao knew that in the hearts of Prime Minister Right, the Emperor and Empress Dowager Lian definitely favored the Emperor more.
The right minister snorted, "Father is clear about these matters, and I will discuss it with the emperor when I come back."
"Father." Concubine Xiao rolled her eyeballs and smiled mischievously, "Daughter heard that Liangzhou was extremely miserable, and the third prince suffered a lot there. If something happened to Liangzhou, the eldest prince is the elder brother of the third prince after all. It's not humane to speak out to obstruct, how can you say that the third prince is also the son of the emperor, all the ministers should not obstruct it, and Lin Concubine, she must feel sorry for the third prince, so let's dispatch him first and then talk about it."
Prime Minister Right glanced at Xiao Concubine fiercely, with a serious face, "Okay, go out quickly, don't mention this matter to anyone, you understand?"
Concubine Xiao stuck out her tongue, "Yes, Xiao Jiu will leave."
Prime Minister Right's eyes were full of admiration and pampering, he smiled and shook his head, "This girl has solved the urgent need of the truth."
"Master Xiang is very lucky to have such a smart daughter."
A man walked out from behind the screen, wearing half a mask on his face, the other half of his face was as gentle as water, but his eyes were extremely cold.
"After so many years, the emperor can't bear it anymore." The man mocked.
"This country belongs to him in the first place, and Dong Ming would not have stagnated if there hadn't been some incidents involved in these years."
Prime Minister Right sighed deeply, "The military power in General Huang's hands must be taken. If it falls into the hands of the Empress Dowager, it will be troublesome. Xiao Jiu has reminded the truth, and the person behind the eldest prince must also be investigated clearly."
"Don't worry, Mr. Xiang."
Right Prime Minister stood up, "It is estimated that General Huang will go to Beijing in a few days, try to find a way to delay it, Liangzhou has already made preparations, and this prime minister will go to the palace."
"yes!"
Prime Minister Right entered the palace and Emperor Dongming asked for a bargain, and the two quickly reached a consensus that Emperor Dongming didn't feel bad at all for whether the third prince of Liangzhou would suffer or not.
"Your Majesty, what if the right hand is playing tricks, and what if you don't give the Emperor military power?" Eunuch He worried.
Emperor Dongming smiled, "No, for so many years, although it has been rumored that the right minister is a traitor, the right minister has never contradicted what he said, and I can still trust what he says."
Only then did Eunuch He fall silent.
The cooperation between Emperor Dongming and Prime Minister Right became more and more smooth, and this time it was for himself, so Emperor Dongming had no reason not to agree.