When the convoy to pick up the Fourth Prince from Zhenbeihou's Mansion arrived in front of the Zhenbeihou's Mansion, the Zhenbeihou's Mansion was completely white. The old lady is at the level of a princess, and there are procedures for the funeral, but now Zhenbeihou is far away in Yancheng, his life and death are unknown, and the news cannot be communicated. I had to keep all the accounts. The eunuch in the palace said outside the door that he was here to take the fourth prince back to the palace, and someone conveyed it.
This decree was not issued to anyone in Zhenbeihou's mansion, so the people in Zhenbeihou's mansion did not need to come out to receive the order, but the people at the door were all from Zhenbeihou's mansion, so naturally they would not tell the fourth prince directly, but It was reported to Lao Guan, and Lao Guan went to find Su Wanniang, who was in charge of the mansion.
Su Wanniang and Liu Shi had just had some breakfast with Yang Shi in the lobby, after crying for days, Yang Shi felt dizzy and disheartened. She put down the porridge bowl and asked, "Is Wen'er still not eating?"
Su Wanniang sighed: "I asked my sister to eat a few mouthfuls yesterday, but she cried after swallowing it, and finally vomited it out again..."
Yang was about to cry: "Don't be sick..."
Su Wanniang hurriedly said, "I'll go and persuade her later and give her some rice soup."
Yang asked, "Where's Qiang'er?"
Liu said: "He ate with Da Lang and Xiao Lang, and he still ate something."
Mrs. Yang nodded, and Su Wanniang said in a low voice: "Mother, the battle report says that the second elder brother has won. I think Yancheng should be free soon." Now that the overall situation is settled, it is time to tell Mrs. Yang the good news.
Yang frowned slightly, and said weakly: "I didn't want to say anything bad at first, but your second sister-in-law is too rude. Grandma passed away and never came back..."
Su Wanniang winked at Xia Qing at the door, Xia Qing went out, looked around, and said simply to Su Wanniang, "No one." The Hou Mansion dismissed the servants before the killing, and now there is no one in the yard.
Only then did Su Wanniang whisper to Yang Shi: "Mother, the second sister-in-law is not in the temple..."
Yang was surprised: "Then where is she?!"
Su Wanniang lowered her voice: "She went to the border and stayed with the second brother."
Yang Shi was so startled that she covered her heart with her hands, and blurted out: "She...she is so courageous!"
Liu Shi thought that she had been guarding here since Shen Yi left. After a few years, why didn't she want to go to the border to find Shen Yi? With tears in his eyes, he said with a smile: "Second brother and sister are really affectionate."
Su Wanniang said to Yang Shi: "Second sister-in-law is very sensitive, she is the second brother's military adviser, mother, this matter must not be spread."
Yang nodded again and again: A woman showed her face in the barracks, and she committed some misconduct. If this is leaked... Yang sighed deeply: "I really don't care, you can figure it out, I want to lie down for a while."
Liu Shi and Su Wanniang hurriedly supported Yang Shi, and went to Yang Shi's bedroom. Yang Shi was lying on the bed, and told Su Wanniang that Shen Wen must eat some food. Mrs. Liu and Su Wanniang bid farewell and went to the council respectively. Lao Guan came to see Su Wanniang and said to her, "Someone from the palace has come to pick up the fourth prince."
Su Wanniang frowned: "Go and ask him, if he wants to go back, he can go back with them, if he doesn't want to, just say he's sick and wait a few more days."
Lao Guan responded and said in a low voice: "I heard someone outside said that the crown prince has been abolished."
Su Wanniang's eyes widened: "Really?!" Lao Guan nodded, and Su Wanniang hurriedly said, "Go get someone to inquire and give me a letter." Lao Guan left in a hurry.
An hour later, Laoguan sent a message to Su Wanniang, saying that the news was true. Su Wanniang was excited, Shen Wen's plan for so many years really succeeded. She hurriedly went to see Shen Wen, Shen Wen was dressed in filial piety, half kneeling in front of the coffin decadently, he had no strength to cry any more, just staring blankly.
Su Wanniang whispered to Shen Wen: "The prince has been deposed."
The victory came, but Shen Wen didn't feel happy, instead he sobbed again: "Grandmother...grandmother..." I didn't wait for this day.
Su Wanniang also wanted to cry, but seeing that Shen Wen was already skinny, she knew that she couldn't go on like this, so she quickly comforted her: "Don't torture yourself like this, grandma has a spirit in the sky, and she won't like to see you hurt like this sad."
Shen Wen murmured: "It's my fault..."
Here it comes again, Su Wanniang bears the bitterness, and comforts Shen Wen again and again until Shen Wen calms down, she then persuades Shen Wen to drink some rice soup. Seeing that Shen Wen drank the soup and did not vomit, Su Wanniang was secretly relieved, thinking about the fourth prince, she left the mourning hall. Sure enough, she saw someone waiting for her, saying that the fourth prince wanted to thank her before leaving.
At this time, Mrs. Yang was on the bed, and Shen Wen was still immersed in grief. Su Wanniang did not intend to disturb them. In her mind, the fourth prince was her future husband. At this moment, the two of them just met, but for the sake of etiquette, Su Wanniang So I went to find Shen Qiang, and took him to the front yard to meet the Fourth Prince - on the one hand, I shouldn't meet outsiders privately, on the other hand, the Fourth Prince would like to thank the Hou Mansion for its protection, and the longest man in the Hou Mansion at this time The master is Shen Qiang, and it was also Shen Qiang who saved the fourth prince. It is very appropriate for him to meet the fourth prince.
With a sullen face, Shen Qiang followed Su Wanniang to the front yard. Su Wanniang led Shen Qiang to salute the fourth prince, and the fourth prince hurriedly returned the salute. When he saw Su Wanniang was next to the black and strong boy, he understood Su Wanniang's intentions. He said to Shen Qiang: "Thank you, Fourth Prince Shen, for your help." He is older than Shen Qiang, and he is the prince, so he cannot salute Shen Qiang.
Shen Qiang stared at the fourth prince and asked, "Do you know who ordered the killing of my family?" It was the question he kept asking.
Su Wanniang shook her head at the fourth prince, and the fourth prince hesitated for a moment looking at Shen Qiang, and said: "The person who gave the order has already been deposed from the position of prince, and he has already been punished."
When he got an answer, Shen Qiang's eyes lit up. He looked at the fourth prince carefully, as if he wanted to remember this different person, and said, "I want to meet him."
Su Wanniang shook her head again, the fourth prince looked at Shen Qiang and hesitated for a moment, then said: "I'll ask for you..." Very tactful.
Shen Qiang nodded: "Okay, you go ask, and then tell me..."
Su Wanniang was frightened into a cold sweat, fearing that Shen Qiang would say something more, she hurriedly saluted the fourth prince and said: "Your Highness, take care, if there is anything, you can send a message."
The fourth prince was reluctant to part with him, but he also knew that he could not stay any longer, so he said goodbye to Su Wanniang and Shen Qiang, helped Ding's servant out of Zhenbeihou's mansion, boarded the carriage in the palace, and returned to the palace.
The capital was full of jubilation, and people could be heard talking about the prince's dismissal everywhere, and some even set off firecrackers. Someone loudly praised the wiseness of the emperor, and condemned the immorality of the prince...
The Fourth Prince knew that this was not the decision of a Mingjun, but the result of a struggle between all parties. He didn't know whether he should like it or be sad, but felt depressed—one was calculated here, one was his biological father, and the other was him. His half-brother, according to blood, is closer to him than others, but he was sent to die by these two people as soon as he came back that day, so how could he have the slightest favoritism towards them? But at the beginning of the human relationship, it is the bond of the family, and doing nothing to the relatives and elders is the deepest darkness, right? If this matter was revealed, how many moralists would point their noses and scold him, telling him that without his father, he would not have been born in this world, how could he not help his father when something happened, but choose an outsider? Even if he defended his actions with reasons such as adhering to morality or taking into account the people of the community, he is still ashamed of his personal morality... While struggling with himself, the fourth prince was wary of returning to the palace, not knowing whether it was bad luck or good luck.
Back in the palace, the fourth prince was immediately led to see the emperor. In his impression, the emperor was still the elder with a majestic expression that day, so when the fourth prince entered the bedroom, he was surprised when he saw the old emperor leaning on a pile of pillows with twitching corners of his mouth. In order to hide his surprise, the fourth prince hurriedly bowed his head and saluted: "I have seen Father." Oh my god! It's only been ten days, but the father seems to be ten years old! That's why Second Miss Shen wants to enter the palace, right? - Speak to the emperor the words of "the terminally ill"! In the deep palace, who would dare to say to the emperor, "You are seriously ill"? Even if the emperor is really ill, everyone still has to say good things. Here, the eunuchs and palace maids would smile when they saw the emperor. The emperor had never seen someone like Miss Shen Er in his life, and dared to tell him that his life was not long. These words killed the emperor half his life...
The emperor raised his hand to signal the fourth prince to approach, and the fourth prince limped and walked out of the bed.
The emperor signaled Ding's servant: "You, go out."
Servant Ding had no choice but to bow his head and backed out.
The emperor patted the side of the bed, "Come... sit... sit... here..."
The fourth prince lowered his head, moved carefully, and sat on the edge of the bed. He was getting closer to the emperor, and he could see more clearly that the emperor's face was gray, old and haggard. The fourth prince hadn't had contact with this father for a long time, but the relationship between father and son , blood is thicker than water, seeing the emperor so defeated, the fourth prince's nose was sour, the feeling of guilt became stronger, the balance in his heart tilted, he couldn't help asking softly: "Is there any order from the emperor?"
The emperor snorted, and said, "You...you can take over the country first."
The fourth prince hurriedly got up and saluted: "Father! The child is disabled and has never participated in government affairs before..."
The emperor waved his hands weakly: "Just go and learn..." Then he closed his eyes.
The fourth prince immediately felt that his limbs were bound by the net, and he felt extremely heavy, but seeing the emperor in such a situation, he also knew that someone must represent the emperor in the council, so he didn't argue any more.
The fourth prince came out of the bedroom, and Eunuch Sun followed him out, saying: "Your Highness is coming with your servants, and your servants will introduce some of your servants to His Highness..." The fourth prince supported the arm of Ding Neishi who came over, limping, Walking very slowly, it took a long time to reach the side hall. Several civil servants came up to salute, the fourth prince politely returned the salute, but did not ask any questions, and listened to the reports of several civil servants absentmindedly, without even glancing at the memorials piled up like a hill on the desk next to him, wishing he could tell the "things" Don't care about yourself and hang it high" these words were written in a horizontal couplet and pasted on his forehead.
After finally waiting for the words of several people to come to an end, the fourth prince hastily expressed his fatigue and got up to say goodbye. Eunuch Sun wanted to arrange for the fourth prince to live in a palace near the emperor, but the fourth prince insisted on going back to his old courtyard. In the evening, he and Ding Neishi finally walked into the residence he had left for almost four years.
Sunset on the western mountain, the shadows are long and slanted. The fourth prince supported Ding Neishi's arm and stood in his familiar yet unfamiliar courtyard. He felt sad for a moment, and almost cried: he came back again, and returned to this place that made him suffocate but also carried countless memories of his growth. place. No one has lived in this courtyard since he left. The eunuchs and maids are busy moving the capital recently, and no one has cleaned it.
Ding Neishi lost all energy to tidy up the house in the imperial mausoleum. Seeing the ruins, he asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, why don't you spend the night elsewhere?" They left Jiang's house in a hurry that day, so naturally they didn't bring any bedding. Household utensils are used by other people in the Zhenbeihou Mansion, but in the palace, things in the palace cannot be used casually. But in this situation, I really have to live in another palace.
The fourth prince shook his head and said, "Just make do with it for the night. Tomorrow you go to Jiang's house to pick up our things. Don't make too much trouble. He doesn't want to stay here for a long time!"
Ding Neishi had no choice but to find someone, cleaned out the dormitory, let the fourth prince go to bed first, left the palace the next day, and brought a cart of belongings from Jiang's house, and finally made this place habitable again.
Ding Neishi used money to sort out the past relationship, and soon got the cause and effect of the prince's deposed, and told the fourth prince in detail when he came back. The fourth prince nodded silently, and did not accuse the prince angrily, Ding Neishi deeply felt that the fourth prince was very generous.
The fourth prince started to go to Dianmao to work every day, but he only sat for a day and rarely spoke.
In the first few days, the civil servants thought that the fourth prince had just arrived and was not familiar with political affairs, so naturally he would not talk much, but in the following days, the fourth prince did not do anything at all, and any memorials were "allow me to think twice", and they were dismissed at once. He didn't take care of the simplest affairs, complained of headaches at every turn, asked Ding's waiter to give him a massage for half an hour, and resigned in the afternoon to rest, and never made any decisions.
With the emperor's illness, the matter of moving the capital is gone, and the fourth prince is naturally in no hurry. The others don't know if the capital will be moved, and they dare not break up their luggage, so they can only wait day by day.
Although the fourth prince lived in a daze, many things happened inside and outside the palace.
The prince in claustrophobia was woken up from his dream by three people one night, and someone said: "This is for Miss Lu!" They didn't say it was the princess, but it probably meant that the Lu family no longer recognized this husband-in-law. Then he started beating the prince, scolding while beating, which was many times more vicious than the concubine's scolding at the beginning. The prince's nose was broken, his head was cracked, his hands and feet were all broken, and he was kicked into a eunuch. After the imperial doctor bandaged him, he was almost like a dead person encoffined.
Not only that, but the few remaining women in the prince's harem were also left behind. Some were beaten, some were disfigured, and Sun Fengyi, who told the prince and concubine to leave, had his tongue cut off.
The prince said vaguely that someone from the Lu family had beaten him, but in fact, everyone could see it if he didn't say it. The Lu family is the gate of the Three Prime Ministers. It has operated a network of civil servants for nearly a hundred years, so old disciples are all over the government and the public. In such a family, the eldest son's eldest daughter, the favorite granddaughter of Mrs. Lu, is considered the most important woman in the Lu family. How could she be beaten to death by her husband? Women of the Lu family may not be favored, but they must be respected. If the Lu family did not take revenge on the death of the crown princess, how would the women of the Lu family gain a foothold in their husband's family in the future? Couldn't anyone have confidence in a woman from the Lu family, humiliate her? Even if the crown prince has not been deposed, Mrs. Lu will not make him feel better, let alone if the crown prince is deposed, if he does not act ruthlessly at this time, when will he wait
Someone told Eunuch Sun, and Eunuch Sun knew that the emperor hated the prince very much now, so he didn't tell the emperor. So what if the prince said it was the Lu family? As long as the Lu family said that someone had framed her, they would dismiss it completely. Even if it was really done by the Lu family, they couldn't catch a single hair. The prince is now an abolished prince, and there was no possibility of being used again because of his attempt to kill his father. Now that his face is broken, let alone think about it.
When the fourth prince heard the news from Ding Neishi, he was horrified: his elder brother, who was superior to others since he was a child, was enlightened by a famous teacher and established a prince. After all these years, he was regarded as under one person and above ten thousand people. In the end, it can be seen that the world is hard and the retribution is unhappy.
While he was feeling emotional, someone outside the door begged to see him, saying that it was Mr. Cao Liu of the Ministry of Rites.
The fourth prince naturally didn't know that this was the person who had entered the gate of the third prince's mansion back then, and wanted to tell the third prince the granddaughter of the Lu family, so he just invited someone in.
After saluting, Liu Shilang glanced at the fourth prince's legs, and said with a smile: "Your Highness, although you and I have never met, I see His Highness is very kind."
The fourth prince smiled, but didn't respond. This is how he does these days: Say nothing, just smile.
Liu Shilang said: "I know that His Highness has not married a wife yet. My mentor, Mrs. Lu, has a granddaughter under her knees. She has a beautiful appearance and a gentle temperament..."
The fourth prince suddenly realized: So it was for this! The crown prince supported by the Lu family fell to the ground, and the third prince was about to come back, so they wanted to find someone else to replace the crown prince.
The fourth prince shook his head with a smile and said: "I have a disability, so I am not worthy of a famous family."
Liu Shilang waved his hands and said: "Your Highness is too humble! Your Highness is the son of a phoenix and a grandson of a dragon, how can you not be worthy of a famous family? Your Highness, don't miss out on a good marriage."
The fourth prince was just about to refuse when he suddenly remembered the tragic situation of the prince being beaten. Now he is surrounded by a servant in the palace. It is too easy for Mrs. Lu to punish herself, so she still smiled and said: "No, this matter must be dealt with." I shouldn't think too much about letting my father decide." I pushed it out first.
Liu Shilang stood up and said goodbye: "In this case, I will take my leave. Your Highness must think about it carefully. This opportunity must not be missed."
The fourth prince nodded and agreed: "Alright, waiter, go slowly." He sent the man out.
There was no one in the room, the fourth prince raised his head and sighed, and said: "Brother Sanhuang doesn't know when he will arrive in Beijing, I really can't wait."
After hearing the fourth prince's behavior, Mrs. Lu smiled and said: "He is cautious." The visitor nodded in agreement: "The fourth prince has always avoided disputes, and it seems that he does not want to block the third prince's limelight."
Old Madam Lu laughed again: "He doesn't want to block, but it doesn't mean that the emperor doesn't want to block..." He ordered again.
Marquis Pingyuan and the third prince's army finally arrived near the capital. Hundreds of miles away, Marquis Pingyuan said to people: "Let people line up in front to open the way, and the drums and music will be played together to announce the good news to the people. The three princes have defeated Beirong and returned victorious." Already!" The sergeants were ordered to leave, and after a while, cheers rang out from around the originally quiet team.
The voice became louder and louder, spreading to the capital like a tide: The third prince defeated Bei Rong! we won!
The capital was lively a few days ago, and now it is even more lively. People have received good news. Although the army is still a hundred miles away, the streets are full of firecrackers, pipes and gongs, resounding throughout the capital, even in the palace. They all heard the deafening commotion outside the palace.
The sleeping emperor was woken up and asked what was the matter. Eunuch Sun stepped forward and said in a low voice, "It is reported that Marquis Pingyuan and the third prince returned to court and won a complete victory. They are now a hundred miles away from the city. The people are celebrating."
The emperor's lips were trembling, and his face looked a little ferocious due to muscle spasms. He said slowly: "They... unexpectedly..." He couldn't say the whole thing, but now he understood—now that the righteous soldiers have won a complete victory, so at the beginning Those failures are fake! Marquis Pingyuan lied about the military situation! Intentionally lured the prince to copy and kill the two governments! ... They came back, the people celebrated, and the hearts of the people wanted to make themselves and the crown prince who ordered the killing of the two mansions ashamed! If he hadn't sacrificed the prince, he would have had to give up the prince when the army arrived at the city! The imperial forest army that I sent must have been eliminated by their design, and the army left in the city is not enough to compete with them. If they really do something, the common people will probably help the righteous soldiers, just like when they ransacked the two prefectures... Someone planned twists and turns in the back After this matter, step by step, he forced down the prince and even himself! It must be someone from the third prince's side! Marquis Pingyuan must also be involved in it, he really has an objection in his heart!
The emperor gasped: "Let... let the fourth prince come!" Then he struggled to get up and wrote an imperial edict with his own hand.
The fourth prince rushed over upon hearing the call, and saluted the emperor. The emperor trembled his lips, and said to the fourth prince, "I want to make... make you... the crown prince..."
The fourth prince knelt down in fright, and said to the emperor: "Father! No! The child is disabled and cannot be the crown prince!" The family affection generated by the emperor's sickness these days was immediately burned by the anger in his heart: make him the prince ? He has no money and power, and the Lu family has just lost the crown prince, so they will definitely come to assist him. The third prince has long been full of staff, both civil and military, and now he has returned to the court in victory. If he receives the edict, the previous pattern will be formed again in the court. , and embarked on the path of Prince Li... The emperor is such a good father!
The emperor knew that anyone would try his best to refuse at this time, lest he was probing, so he handed the edict he wrote to the fourth prince: "Don't be afraid, I am the emperor, and I can order you to be the prince. Now I have chosen you! I have written Well, you are now the prince, and after a thousand years, you will be enthroned as the emperor..." It stands to reason that you shouldn't be so hasty, but now that the emperor is ill, all officials cannot see him, and the court is in chaos. I don't know what will go wrong in the middle. It's better to hand it over to the fourth prince directly. This is related to the future of the fourth prince. I think the fourth prince will take good care of it.
The fourth prince shook his head again and again: "The child is too stupid to take on this important task!"
The emperor smiled grimly: "During your period of supervising the country, you have achieved outstanding results. If you become a prince, you can ascend the throne and become emperor in the future. The emperor should not be humble." Don't worry about the seat! What's this? emperor! Lord of a country! Son of Heaven! Who doesn't want to be? The fourth prince is hypocritical, he doesn't know what ecstasy looks like!
The fourth prince said in his heart that I didn't do a single thing during the period of supervising the country, and I kept it for the third brother. What is the effect? Laziness is more or less the same. Isn't this putting me on the fire? He could only say repeatedly: "Father! Don't do it! The child really doesn't have the ability..." Who wants to be the emperor? Look at you now, is this a good day
The emperor coughed a few times, and said viciously: "What is ability? I said you can, and you can! Besides..." He motioned the fourth prince to get closer, and the fourth prince suppressed his reluctance, moved forward a few inches, The emperor cocked his mouth and said, "I heard that you ran to Zhenbeihou's mansion, and the black dragon from Zhenbeihou's house shot and killed the people who followed you..."
The fourth prince was taken aback, black dragon? Oh, it's that boy, he blinked and said, "That's the fourth son of Marquis Zhenbei, although he's a bit darker, he's not a dragon..."
The emperor interrupted: "It's a dragon! It's the Shen family's escort, the black dragon! Whoever he follows is the emperor!..." A stream of saliva dripped from his mouth.
The fourth prince looked at the emperor with some fear—is the father crazy? In order to push yourself up, you just made up nonsense? He stepped back a little and said, "Father, this, the son said, respect ghosts and gods and stay away..."
The emperor waved his hand angrily: "This is the last instruction of the Taizu! Remember, you have to declare your will in front of the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty. If you are embarrassed, I will give this edict to the servant Sun and let him read it!"
The fourth prince was anxious, and hurriedly said: "Father, let the child announce the memorial himself!"
Contempt flashed in the emperor's eyes, he nodded and said, "Okay... you... you read it yourself..."
He really wanted to see the expression on the face of the third prince, Ping Yuanhou: so what if you forced the palace? The imperial crown prince is a cripple! Surely you can't see it? Then besides him, for generations to come, you also have to bear the word "usurpation"!
The fourth prince seemed to be able to see what the emperor was thinking. He lowered his head, not daring to look at the emperor any more. In order to suppress his sudden urge to pinch the emperor's neck, he stood up, saluted and retreated, and left the emperor's bedroom.
Seeing that the fourth prince had left, the emperor panted and said to Eunuch Sun: "They... are all... all of the same virtue!"
Eunuch Sun said anxiously: "Your Majesty, don't get angry. The imperial doctor said that Your Majesty needs to rest."
The emperor coughed weakly and lay down again.
The fourth prince hurried back to his residence, sat down at the desk, asked Ding's servant to light the incense, and opened the edict to read carefully, trying to find out if there was anything that could be tampered with. Bow, I will be able to inherit the great order, and I am now registered as the crown prince, who will succeed me to the throne, that is, the throne." It is impossible to change the word "four" into the word "three" and add his own name. The fourth prince scratched his head and scratched his head. Greatly worried. After thinking for a long time, he picked up a stick of incense and started to burn it on the imperial decree little by little...
When the fourth prince finally finished burning the word "four" and his own name, he lowered his head and said to Waiter Ding, "You will put two braziers next to me tomorrow." After the fourth prince finished speaking, he did not hear Waiter Ding's answer for a long time. , he looked up, and saw Ding Neishi on the side with a dumbfounded expression—the fourth prince is actually burning the imperial decree? ! The fourth prince smiled and asked: "Do you not understand why I am like this?"
Waiter Ding nodded, and the fourth prince sighed—this matter must be explained clearly to Waiter Ding, so that he can cooperate with him. The fourth prince put the imperial decree aside, and said: "In the current situation, the third prince is the eldest, and the elders and younger ones are in order. It is not right to stand up for the young and not the elders. The third prince proposed to store grain a few years ago, and he also proposed to strengthen the army. All the things that were considered were presented one by one, and everyone in the government and the public saw his foresight. The Beirong invaded the country, and the three emperor brothers led the army to fight against the enemy, and they were respected and loved by the people. Now that he has won the Beirong, he must be expected by all. Why didn't the father make him the crown prince?"
Ding Neishi replied without thinking: "Because the emperor doesn't like him?"
The fourth prince nodded: "For the sake of selfishness, the emperor did not appoint the third brother, will it be considered fair in the eyes of the court officials and the people? Will he respect me?"
Waiter Ding shook his head slowly, but said in a low voice: "Yes, but that is an imperial decree, the emperor must be because His Highness is responsible."
The fourth prince twitched his lips: "Royal father doesn't really think that I have a responsibility, but he just throws me out to disgust Brother Three. Tomorrow, Brother Three will lead the army back, and I will accept the decree and become the prince. I have to resign honestly and give up my seat to Brother Sanhuang. Even if Brother Sanhuang is kind and righteous, if he doesn’t kill me, I will lose all my face. The left and right are the same result, why don’t I leave myself a way out ? As soon as Brother Sanhuang ascended the throne, he wrote a note at random, which is also an imperial decree!" At that time, I was waiting for him to give me a marriage.
Waiter Ding looked back at the window, and whispered again: "But now, the emperor is still the emperor, your highness is against the decree."
The fourth prince snorted: "If you don't tell others, who will know?"
Waiter Ding quickly shook his head: "I will definitely not tell others!"
The fourth prince said: "Of course I believe in you, that's why I tell you the truth. Even if the third brother doesn't have all the honors and we are equal, I will not accept this order." Ding's servant showed a questioning look, and the fourth prince and a half He said to himself: "In this family, brother Sanhuang has never harmed me, and he has helped me several times in the past. His staff once went to the imperial mausoleum and said that brother Sanhuang will take care of me for the rest of my life. If such a brother, I Accepting the emperor's will is to strike from behind his back and become his opponent. You say, I have a conscience in doing this? But I am worthy of my mother's teaching? She has said to me many times, the heart of harming others No, no pain, no gain, if you do something bad, sooner or later you will get retribution on yourself."
Ding Neishi nodded, and said with some sobs: "Your Majesty is a kind person, she is very kind to others, and has never hurt anyone..."
Speaking of his mother, the fourth prince was also a little sad. He thought of the illusion and the splendid palace he saw at the bottom of the cabin. His mother told him that if you were selfless, you could come back... For the purpose, she told me... not to keep it private."
Ding Neishi said again: "Your Highness, being an emperor is not for selfishness, can it also be for the common people? Being a wise king can benefit the world, Your Highness is such a good character..."
The fourth prince shook his head: "The people who spread these words must be emperors full of selfish desires. I have read the history of so many dynasties, and I can say with certainty that none of the emperors is a real wise emperor. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was also old and fatuous. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty’s Zhenguan rule, the per capita wealth of the people was not as much as the Sui Dynasty overthrown by the Tang Dynasty, but the Sui Dynasty abused the power of the people and attacked Goryeo three times, causing many people to lose their lives. The most devout and Buddhist Emperor Liang Wu spread temples all over the Southern Dynasties, Poor and magnificent, the monks and nuns were rich, which aroused public resentment. He also covered up and condoned all kinds of evil deeds of the clan, causing chaos in Hou Jing, bloodbath in the capital, and he himself died of hunger and anger in the temple... I have not found an emperor who can lead China into long-term peace and stability, In fact, this is not surprising at all: Master said, my life has a limit, but my knowledge has no limit, learning is endless, and things are endless. How much truth can a person comprehend in his life? How can an emperor know everything about the world and the world? No one is perfect, can one be noble and affectionate when one becomes an emperor?" Thinking of his father's disposition, the fourth prince sneered and said, "Well, being an emperor will make people become heartless and heartless wicked man."
Ding Neishi has been in the palace for a long time, and he knows that accompanying the emperor is like accompanying a tiger, not to mention that the emperor is not a good person, how many good queens and concubines are there in the harem? Good people like Concubine Jiang Shu, Concubine Chen, and Concubine Mei in the past don't live long. Waiter Ding Nei sighed: "It's not easy to be an emperor."
The fourth prince twitched his lips: "It's easy to do, the most important thing is to balance all parties, so that the power of the family, the rich, the powerful, the relatives, the generals, the Qingliu, etc., will ebb and flow, and no one will be too big. In order to maintain their own power, they must coexist with each other to ensure the operation of the bureaucracy. As for the people of the world, there are officials to manage slavery, extort and oppress, and the emperor's decree comes from the imperial court. The way..." Thinking of the misery he saw when he traveled north, the fourth prince sighed deeply: "So, it is useless for anyone to be emperor. This is a system issue. If you become a foolish emperor, it will naturally harm the country. Min, if you become an emperor who did not do much bad things, become a wise ruler, let this system last longer, and wait for the next foolish ruler to subjugate the country... It is really not worth sacrificing your life for such an unflattering position .”
Waiter Ding Nei asked, "Sacrifice your whole life?"
The fourth prince explained: "In this world, everything has a price. The more you get, the greater the price you pay. The more precious you want, the more precious you must give up. Being an emperor, I have to sacrifice my life." Seeing that Ding Neishi was still looking at him, the fourth prince further explained: "If you have a magic weapon, it can give you gold, silver, treasures, all kinds of delicacies, and even beauties. You can't hide this magic weapon. , can only be carried on the body, and everyone knows that you have this magic weapon, and everyone wants this magic weapon, and what is even more frightening is that you also understand that everyone is jealous of this thing, so tell me, how should you live?"
Waiter Ding thought for a while and said, "I have to build a very big castle to protect myself, and I have to find a lot of people to protect me."
The fourth prince said: "But how can you guarantee that none of the people you are looking for wants to take away your magic weapon? Even your family members may be jealous of your treasure, can you guard against it?"
Waiter Ding shook his head: "I can't help it."
The fourth prince asked again: "Do you think you can still have friends and relatives?"
Waiter Ding shook his head again: "That's enough, I don't know if the people who are kind to me are for my magic weapon, maybe I can't trust them no matter what?"
The fourth prince agreed: "That's what it means. For this magic weapon, you have to give up your freedom, family affection, and friendship. You will be lonely, without relatives and friends, living in suspicion and fear every day, and you will never be able to live a peaceful and happy life." Life. People are different, some people think it's worth it, and some people think it's not worth it. If you have no worries about food and clothing, would you still want this magic weapon?"
Waiter Ding finally understood: "It's better not to ask for it, who wants to suffer such a big crime." - The fourth prince is saying that he doesn't want to be a prince or emperor. If the fourth prince does not become the emperor, he will be an idle prince in the future and will definitely not live in the palace. He moved outside, so it would be convenient for him to meet Rose by himself... Waiter Ding asked the fourth prince earnestly: "Are two braziers enough for tomorrow? Do we need to put four? Put them all in front, back, left, and right?"
The fourth prince smiled: "It doesn't need that much, just put it next to me."
Waiter Ding went to prepare.
When the 100,000 troops of the Third Prince and Ping Yuanhou arrived outside the capital, the sun had already set and the soldiers had no purpose not to enter the capital, so they could only station outside the city.
It was a sleepless night, and the capital was full of joyful songs and dances, and people were busy putting up lanterns and festoons, preparing to celebrate the victory of the victorious army the next day. The people from Yan's Academy arrived in the capital, met with the officials and officials, and the arranged residence was also arranged in the whole city at this time. The process of the third prince's entering the city must be warm and grand, and no one can stop him.
When Su Chuanya arrived in the capital, he immediately went to the Zhenbeihou's Mansion. Seeing the funeral in the mansion, he went in and cried. Meeting Su Wanniang, the two of them naturally shed tears. Su Chuanya wanted to see Shen Wen, Shen Wen was physically and mentally damaged now, Su Wanniang refused to let him see, and seeing that there were no adult men in the mansion except Shen Qiang, she forced Su Chuanya to live with Qin Quan and drove him out of Zhenbeihou government. Su Chuanya didn't give up, she came here every two or three days, but later on she couldn't even see Su Wanniang, at most she had a cup of tea inside the door and had to leave.
It was getting dark, and when it was time for dinner, Su Wanniang said to Shen Wen, who was lying on the bed in a sluggish state: "You should have some porridge. The third prince of Marquis Pingyuan and the others have left the capital, and it is time to enter the city tomorrow. We are all ready to welcome them." She helped Shen Wen up, set up the small table on the bed, put porridge bowls and spoons on it, and told Shen Wen about the things in the capital.
Shen Wen silently took a sip of the porridge and put it down again. The crown prince has fallen, the third prince must become the prince, the emperor will not live long, and once the third prince ascends to power, she should start preparing for the evacuation of her father and brother... But she feels very tired now, and she can't cheer up. The old lady's death dealt a heavy blow to her, and she has not recovered yet.
In the middle of the night, the emperor woke up with a pain in his abdomen and tried to say: "Water..."
After a while, no one answered, the emperor opened his eyes and saw a person standing beside the bed.
The weak light at the foot of the bed illuminated the outline of this person. The emperor blinked vigorously, trying to see this person's appearance clearly, but he suddenly found that this person's left arm was missing. He was startled, and broke out in a cold sweat in an instant. A thought flashed through his mind. Before he could think it through clearly, the man said: "The prince was beaten to the point where his nose bone was completely broken, his skull was cracked, and his hands and feet were broken." If it is connected again, it will not be able to carry objects.”
The emperor's heart beat wildly, he recognized who it was, fear and panic filled his mind, he shouted: "Ping Yuanhou... the traitor... come... come here..." Although he shouted hard, the voice that came out was just a dull voice. Hoarse hissing.
Eunuch Gu said slowly: "I ordered the sleeping holes of a few people outside, but they couldn't hear them for a while."
Knowing that no one was coming, the emperor tried to calm himself down, his articulate words were beginning to become unclear, and he couldn't lift his hands, he mumbled, "You... if you kill me..."
Eunuch Gu snorted: "So what if I just kill you? You are already half dead. I just need to..." He pointed his finger at the emperor's neck and said softly: "Put a little harder, Your Majesty, I won't be able to wake up tomorrow It's..." His hand touched the pulse on the emperor's neck...
It was the first time in the emperor's life that he really faced death. Blood rushed to his head, his eyes turned black, his saliva flowed, and his tongue seemed to double in size. She withdrew her hand and said, "But I won't let you die before me. I will come to accompany you. In the future, no matter what, I will go one step earlier... to see her first."
The emperor understood, and said with difficulty: "Chen... Chen... concubine..."
In the darkness, Eunuch Gu's expression was blurred, and he whispered, "In the next life, she will be my wife." After speaking, his figure flashed and disappeared.
Soon, there was movement outside the house, and the emperor wanted to shout, but there was a crackling sound in his throat, and he couldn't speak.
Many angry thoughts churned in his mind: Marquis Ping Yuan took in Eunuch Gu, he had already prepared for it! Eunuch Gu misses Concubine Chen! He is a eunuch! I am the emperor, but now I am being coerced by eunuchs! The emperor was so angry that he was almost ashamed...Suddenly, he seemed to see the young Concubine Chen Guifei again, saluting gracefully, bowing her head with a smile... The sun illuminated her hair into gold, and when she looked up, there seemed to be infinite tenderness in her eyes...
The emperor suddenly felt something split in his chest, and the pain made him almost die.
How old was Concubine Chen at that time? I was still young at that time. How many times have you whispered to each other in the garden, how many times have you accepted the green tea that she handed over... What happened next? The emperor struggled to breathe in the pain, it turned out that he couldn't tolerate Concubine Chen's betrayal because he cared too much! He thought that he had always doted on Concubine Chen Gui, but in fact Concubine Chen knew his thoughts like the back of the palm of her hand, she had been obedient to him for more than ten years, treated him infinitely tenderly, and completely spoiled him! He couldn't stand her not thinking what he thought and doing what he did, and she couldn't stand her putting the third prince ahead of him, so he had to punish her! For so many years, he couldn't fully accept the third prince, and even let him die, he wanted her to hurt! It made her regret not being on her side... It's just that if people really have souls after death, and she saw what she did, if there really was a next life, she would definitely not be with her...
The emperor's muddy tears and saliva flowed on the pillow...
Time passed, thousands of rivers and mountains, an old man lying on the bed, was bruised all over by the impact of memory and pain.