The next day, when Tao Fangfei went to the second bedroom of Xiao's house again, it happened that Princess Chaoren woke up and was leaning on the couch talking to Xiao Wu.
"Princess, Mrs. Tao is here."
Princess Chaoren and Xiao Wu looked at each other, and they both saw the meaningful smile in each other's eyes.
"Come in, please." Princess Chaoren waved her hand, and the arrogance and anger of the past returned to her face.
Tao Fangfei was invited in by the maid, and approached the bed with a smile, "Princess, you are fine, I saw you were still asleep yesterday so I don't want to disturb you, I was worried all night after I went back."
Princess Chaoren raised her eyebrows, "Thank you Mrs. Tao for your concern. I am fine for the time being. I also heard about what happened yesterday. Mrs. Tao has worked hard for the prime minister's house for many days. Now that she married a new daughter-in-law, she will throw the Tao family in the house." Put it aside, hey, even I feel sorry for the Tao family when I heard it."
Seeing that Princess Chaoren had a good attitude and seemed to want to get close, Tao Fangfei was overjoyed, found a stool to sit down, and immediately opened up the chatterbox.
"After all, the Xiao family's surname is not Tao. After all, I'm just an outsider. They don't regard the Tao family as relatives at all."
Tao Fangfei sighed, "It's the princess who suffered for nothing. Xiao Jiu is also ignorant. He was spoiled by his father and grandmother since he was a child. Knowing that it's so dangerous outside, he kicked the princess out of the house..."
Speaking of yesterday, Princess Chaoren's face was ashen, "She is a prostitute at a young age, and she is supported by a powerful father. She has a lot of capital, so she is naturally more self-willed than ordinary girls, even a princess in the palace. That's it."
Tao Fangfei shook her head when she heard the words, "To tell you the truth, my aunt persuaded her several times, and Xiao Jiu acted as if she had lost her mind, and insisted on helping her cousin. I don't know if she is really stupid or not."
"No matter how high your status is, she will marry someone sooner or later. She is not too young, so she should find a suitable marriage. In the past, that's all. Now my cousin has no official position, and he listens to his cousin everywhere. In the future, he will have a son-in-law. I don't care about Xiaojiu, and when she cries, I don't know what my cousin thinks, why he has his eyes on her, and I don't know about the reservedness of my daughter's family, just..."
"Ahem!" Princess Chaoren cleared her throat, and Tao Fangfei noticed Xiao Wu who lowered her head beside her. Xiao Wu was still a lady.
Tao Fangfei smiled sarcastically, "I'm taking the liberty, sister Wu, don't take it to heart, sister Wu has always been knowledgeable and considerate, compared to Xiaojiu, she is simply much better, and I don't know which family has such a blessing. "
Xiao Wu smiled when she heard the words, "Thank you Madam for your compliment. Speaking of which, Wu'er still wants to call Madam aunt."
Tao Fangfei immediately took off a jade bracelet from her wrist and stuffed it into Xiao Wu's hand, "Good boy, Auntie really saw you right."
Xiao Wu took it with a smile, and sat on the stool with her head half down, her words and deeds were elegant and graceful, which made people feel good.
Princess Chaoren glanced at Tao Fangfei, "Wu'er is right, we are still relatives, my cousin doesn't mind if I call you that?"
Tao Fangfei waved her hands again and again, "Why do you mind? We are a family, so we don't have to hide anything, just say it."
Princess Chaoren then said again, "Now that elder brother has been demoted from his official position, he must have offended many people after being an official in the court for so many years. The Tao family finally became an imperial merchant with years of hard work. Seeing the Tao family It's about to prosper, hey!"
When Princess Chaoren mentioned this, Tao Fangfei's expression changed.
"The elder sister-in-law is the concubine princess, so the eldest brother will naturally coax her to come. The elder sister-in-law is the way out for the eldest son. If the elder brother can no longer survive in Dongming, he can go to Xiyue and leave this mess behind. The requirements for the second house are very simple. The genealogy is enough, but the old lady insists on refusing to let it go, and she only cares about her own wishes, so what should the second room do?"
Now Tao Fangfei couldn't sit still anymore, "No wonder the whole family didn't refute what my cousin said. It turned out that she kept a hand. It was too much!"
Tao Fangfei never thought that the reason why the Tao family became an imperial merchant was related to the Right Minister, and it was all due to the Tao family's private career over the years.
As Princess Chaoren said, the Tao family managed to ease up, but now they are going to be implicated by the right minister, why!
"Cousin, this is also my guess, it may not be true, but the elder brother changed once he came back from Xiyue, and the capital of hundreds of officials is unwilling to do it. This is completely ignoring the Xiao family."
Princess Chaoren also sighed, Tao Fangfei stood up, "Princess, I understand, Xiyue must have promised greater benefits to my cousin, no wonder so many people persuaded my cousin to confess to the emperor, cousin He was also indifferent, it turned out that he was overthinking and didn't look down on the position of right minister."
"Auntie, Wu'er thinks that we should think of a way to keep the uncle's family in the capital completely. The second room doesn't want to compete with the first room, but just wants a name."
Xiao Wu suddenly spoke, and nodded towards Princess Ren, "For so many years, the second room has been in the post city without fighting or grabbing, now it's all about an identity, why is the eldest room so unfeeling."
The mother and daughter looked at each other and quickly turned away. Tao Fangfei was angry and said, "Auntie is indeed too selfish. At the beginning, my uncle intended to help Mrs. Du, but I don't know what tricks he used. Fortunately, The second cousin is a lucky person, to be able to marry the princess as his wife."
"Sister Wu is right, if my cousin stays in the capital city, he will definitely do his best to win glory for the Xiao family."
Tao Fangfei bit her lip, a little embarrassed, "My cousin is hard to guess, and others can't persuade me at all, how can I stay in the capital willingly."
Princess Chaoren smiled, "The old lady was also very strong-tempered when she was young. She suffered a lot and dragged the elder brother along to grow up. Everyone in the capital knows that the elder brother is a filial son and would never disobey the old lady."
Princess Chaoren clicked so far, Tao Fangfei looked at Princess Chaoren thoughtfully, seeing the cold light flashing in her eyes, she was shocked and shivered down the spine.
"Auntie, you should be more careful when you go out. The epidemic outside has not been completely controlled. If there is any news, just send a maid to come. You don't have to come in person. When it is safe, Wu'er will go to visit my aunt. "
Xiao Wu said it pretending to be unintentional, Tao Fangfei looked at Xiao Wu in a daze before she recovered, and hurriedly said, "Success, the Tao family welcomes you anytime."
Princess Chaoren looked sleepy and said a few words with Tao Fangfei, and then found an excuse to dismiss Tao Fangfei.
After the person left, the smile on Princess Chaoren's face disappeared immediately. She rubbed her tight forehead and sighed, "Does Wu'er think Tao Fangfei will do anything?"
Xiao Wu was thoughtful, "Tao Fangfei may not have the guts, but we can help her out."
Princess Chaoren raised her eyebrows, only heard Xiao Wu say something in a low voice, after hearing this, Princess Chaoren smiled, "This idea is very good, mother will arrange it in a while."
Xiao Wu nodded, if the epidemic was not too dangerous, she would not try her best to persuade Tao Fangfei.
"I heard that Tao Fangfei has a son and a daughter under her knees. Leaving aside the daughter, this Mr. Tao is the only blood of the Tao family. The Tao family looks at it like eyeballs."
Xiao Wu said lightly, "Mother, people like the Tao family who fall with the wind are not worthy of staying in the capital city."
Princess Chaoren smiled when she heard the words, and a cold light flashed in her eyes.
next day
Just as Tao Fangfei got up, the servant girl hurried over, yelling, "Ma'am, Ma'am, it's not good."
Tao Fangfei has been in a bad mood these past few days, so she glanced fiercely at the little maid.
"Who are you cursing early in the morning? Are there any rules?"
The little servant girl shuddered, and knelt down at Tao Fangfei's feet, "Ma'am, spare me, I will never dare again."
"Tell me, what's the matter!" Tao Fangfei asked a little impatiently. The weather was hot, and the anger in her heart was even worse, and she didn't like anything.
"Madam, quite a few shopkeepers came outside early in the morning, saying that they wanted to see Madam, and that something happened in the shop."
Tao Fangfei frowned when she heard the words, feeling an ominous premonition, she got up and walked outside regardless of how much she said.
Sure enough, there were five or six shopkeepers standing in the hall, all of them were anxious and sighed restlessly. When they saw Tao Fangfei coming, they immediately stood up.
"Ma'am, a few days ago, a silk and satin shop received a big deal, and it was about to deliver the goods, but last night, the warehouse suddenly caught fire, and the goods were burned to the ground. After two days, the owner should ask for the goods. How can this be good?"
"Ma'am, there is also a grain shop. The rice harvested at a high price this year can't be sold at all. Many of the worms are moldy. I don't know who deliberately made trouble. The selling price is half lower than ours. It's been two days. Not open yet."
"Yesterday, the pharmacy saw a patient who died after taking the medicine and returning home. Now the family is lingering at the door and refusing to leave. We insist on an explanation, saying that the medicines in the shop are all fake. The reputation of this shop It’s over, how many people are blocking the door and not allowed to open it.”
"Ma'am..."
Tao Fangfei's brain was about to explode after hearing all these things, and her face changed drastically, "What's going on here? How could such a problem arise?"
After finishing speaking, a little father-in-law came in, "Mrs. Tao, the Empress Dowager has an order to invite you to enter the palace immediately."
Tao Fangfei's eyelids twitched, and she gave a smile that was uglier than crying, "Yes, you are here waiting for me to come back."
A few people had no choice but to nod their heads.
As soon as Tao Fangfei stepped out of the room, Mrs. Tao was also invited out, "Fangfei, what's the matter with the queen mother's sudden call?"
Tao Fangfei shook her head, and the two entered the palace anxiously in the carriage.
"Snapped!"
Even the Empress Dowager picked up the teacup on the table and threw it on the ground with a look of anger.
"The pharmacy sells counterfeit medicines, the rice is low-quality rice, and the silks and satins were burned overnight. The Tao family explained this matter in this way. The Ai family promoted the Tao family to become an imperial merchant, not for the Tao family to discredit the royal family!"
Mrs. Tao and Tao Fangfei knelt on the ground, not daring to breathe, and looked at each other nervously, with puzzled faces.
"The Empress Dowager, please calm down. This incident happened too suddenly. Someone must have deliberately played tricks behind the scenes. The Tao family will definitely investigate and give the Empress Dowager an explanation."
Mrs. Tao hurriedly kowtowed to admit her mistake, but she was wondering in her heart who exactly was upset with the Tao family.
"That's right, Empress Dowager, the Tao family has always been cautious and will never make mistakes. Someone must have deliberately framed it."
All Tao Fangfei was thinking about at the moment was Princess Chaoren's words. In the eyes of outsiders, the Tao family and the Prime Minister's House were like grasshoppers tied to a rope. How many people had offended the Right Prime Minister's House over the years, and they dared not go to the Prime Minister's house It's troublesome, that's why I took my anger out on the Tao family.
The more Tao Fangfei thought about it, the more suspicious she became. It must have been done by the enemies of the Xiangfu.
The Empress Dowager Lian sneered again and again, "Framing and framing? In such a severe situation outside, which shop does not contribute money and effort, and you dare to obey the law and violate the law? This is a capital offense!"
Even the empress dowager got angry, and the faces of the two of them turned pale with fright. How could they stand up to such torture
He kept kowtowing to the Empress Dowager Lian and begged for mercy.
"My lady, please forgive me, my lady, please forgive me..."
Even the Empress Dowager glanced at the two of them with a gloomy face, "If you are the first offender, Aijia will give you a chance to make amends. Tao, you and Mrs. Xiao are direct sisters, and you have had a good relationship since childhood. When something like this happens in the city, the Right Prime Minister shouldn’t stand by and watch, since the Tao family lives on the throne, they should consider it for the court.”
Mrs. Tao nodded, "My lady said that the women will go to the Prime Minister's mansion to persuade the Prime Minister when they leave the palace. The women believe that the elder sister is a righteous person, and she will put aside personal grievances for the time being, and solve the epidemic in the city first."
After hearing this, even the Empress Dowager's expression eased a lot, and she hummed lightly, "Okay, get up, Ai's family will hear the news in three days, otherwise don't blame Ai's family for being cruel."
The two of them nodded immediately when they heard the words, and then retreated, their legs went limp as soon as they left the palace gate.
"Your Majesty, can the Tao family really persuade the Prime Minister?" Su'e frowned, the gate of the Prime Minister's Mansion was closed these days, no matter how many people the emperor sent to investigate, they all returned in vain.
Even the Empress Dowager had gloomy eyes, "It's up to the Tao family to choose. It's the Ai family who underestimated the prime minister. Chen'er must leave the capital as soon as possible. The fiefdom can't be left alone for a day. How many people are staring at it. Don't be careless."
The most important thing is that no antidote can be developed for a while, and Prince Chen is also a human being. If he is infected with the disease, even the Queen Mother would not dare to imagine the consequences.
She couldn't gamble with the life of Prince Chen, so even the queen mother had to compromise. In the whole capital, there was no one who was as capable as the right minister. Everyone was greedy for life and afraid of death, and they were unwilling to contact the epidemic. They either claimed that they were sick at home, or they were powerless.
Even the Empress Dowager believed that as long as the Right Minister was willing to take action, the matter could be resolved, even if a little troops were lost.
"It's a pity, this great opportunity was wasted, otherwise the right side will definitely be overwhelmed!"
Even the Empress Dowager can only choose between personal grievances, keeping the King Chen is the most important thing, and Emperor Dongming is a fool, no matter which one of the King Chen and the Right Prime Minister falls, it is Emperor Dongming who will benefit.
"Your Majesty, will the Emperor agree?"
Even the Empress Dowager frowned, "The emperor can't help but nod his head on this matter. No matter how we fight, the emperor still cares about the people. If something happens to the capital city, it will be of no benefit to the emperor. The emperor has never left in the past few days." In the Yizheng Palace, the emperor claims to be a wise king, and when something like this happens, he is more anxious than anyone else."
Even the Empress Dowager and Emperor Dongming had always been at odds with each other, but when it came to Dongming's foundation, Emperor Dongming would not sit idly by.
"Hey, there's no way around it. The imperial physician has been unable to figure out exactly where the disease was caused after several days in a row. Even the source has not been controlled. Aijia can't wait any longer."
Su'e really admired Prime Minister Right, obviously it was a trap set up by the Empress Dowager and Emperor Dongming, Prime Minister Right not only avoided it easily, but kicked the problem to Empress Dowager Lian and Emperor Dongming.
Even the Empress Dowager has no idea, she has fought with Prime Minister Right so many times, and Prime Minister Right is an old fox, if he would rather die than take over this mess, Prince Chen will have no way to get out.
Even the Empress Dowager began to regret that she shouldn't have acted so hastily, but happened to be caught in an epidemic.
Mrs. Tao and Tao Fangfei sat in the carriage and meditated quietly, both of them looked unhappy.
"Mother, my cousin made it clear a few days ago that he doesn't want to be an official anymore. My aunt also supports my cousin. If we rush to persuade him, it may not succeed."
When Tao Fangfei thought of Prime Minister Right's cold eyes, she couldn't help but feel chills in her heart, and couldn't open her mouth at all.
"My aunt and Aunt Du are mortal enemies, but I went to visit Princess Chaoren yesterday. If my aunt knew, I don't know what to think, and the day we left the prime minister's mansion, we accepted the bank note given by my aunt... "
Tao Fangfei hesitated to speak, she never expected that the right minister had such a high status in Dongming, resigned from office and stayed at home for the people, and even the queen mother tried to beat around the bush to find a way to invite him back. Couldn't find one.