It’s not even summer yet in the capital, but thunder has already started to roar.
Ever since the Fourth Prince passed away, Emperor Longqing's mood has become like the summer weather, changing from time to time like a child's face.
There were rumbling thunders in the sky, and few people in the capital could sleep.
Censor Chen got up early. Seeing that Mrs. Chen Fang also got up, he sighed and said, "If you really can't bear it, why not report the birth?"
This is also a common occurrence.
All civil and military officials had to go to the court to mourn and observe the rites according to their rank.
This time, the matter was about the lifeblood of Emperor Longqing. In addition to ordering Prince Zheng and others to enter the palace, he also specifically announced to the world that families with titles were not allowed to hold banquets within a year, and common people were not allowed to get married for three months.
Civil and military officials as well as imperial edicts also had to go to the court to mourn in turns.
After the body has been kept in the palace for twenty-one days, it will be moved into the imperial mausoleum.
It takes more than ten days to travel from the imperial mausoleum to the capital, and adding on the days the body is kept, it will take about a month in total.
Not everyone can endure this month.
If there is no one left at home, the birth will be reported and there is no need to arrange for mourning and sacrifice.
Fang yawned repeatedly, but she yawned suddenly after hearing this, and then shook her head decisively: "At this time, no matter who doesn't want to go, I have to go. Otherwise, if the queen remembers it, won't I bring disaster to our family?"
She sighed, rubbed her eyelids worriedly and sat down. After drinking a sip of cold tea, she felt her heartbeat calm down. She looked at Censor Chen for a long time before saying, "Master, to be honest, my right eyelid has been twitching these days. I am really scared."
Censor Chen also came forward and sat next to her. Hearing this, he also sighed: "It is such a troubled time."
It just so happened that this happened at this time, and Emperor Longqing was forced into a corner.
There was something wrong with the way he looked at Emperor Longqing these days.
Fang paused, pursed her lips and said, "Besides, a few days ago, Princess Jin..."
She coughed and said, "The Princess of Jin had originally been demoted to a commoner, but because of this incident, His Majesty immediately said that the Princess of Jin had a curse in her heart and was disrespectful to the Fourth Prince, and gave the Princess of Jin a white silk..."
This incident cast a huge shadow on all the imperial eunuchs. After this incident, even Concubine Peng De went to Fengyi Palace and Yongqing Palace where the Fourth Prince's body was kept to mourn every day.
Emperor Longqing's attitude towards Concubine Peng De seemed to turn cold in an instant.
Censor Chen's right eyelid couldn't help but twitch. He was silent for a long time before saying, "Now, the only thing we can do is to be careful with our words and actions."
The fourth prince is dead, but what happened after his death has become a mystery.
How he died is still unknown.
When Fang first entered the palace, she was shocked when she saw Queen Fang.
Queen Fang had completely lost her ability to manage affairs. She knelt in front of the Fourth Prince's spirit with a stiff look in her eyes. Her eyelids were twitching as she stepped forward to carefully persuade him. Suddenly, she asked her in a daze, "They said that the leopard's claws were poisonous and it tore Ah-Man's legs apart, so the poison invaded his internal organs."
Fang's scalp went numb when she heard that, and she was so scared that she didn't even know how to respond.
Queen Fang's murderous eyes fell on Concubine Peng De, who was kneeling on the ground crying as if her son had died.
At that time, Fang had a premonition in her heart.
She looked at Censor Chen, hesitated for a while, and then asked him softly: "You said, is the death of the Fourth Prince... "
Censor Chen could not answer this question. He exhaled, glanced at Fang, and frowned, saying, "This matter has caused panic among the people. No one knows what the Jinyiwei will find out in the end. It's just..."
He looked at Fang and emphasized, "It's just that Prince Zheng stayed in the palace. Pingxi Hou Shen Chen and Prince Bei'an also stayed in the palace. They said it was convenient for them to rest and mourn. But what do you think this means?"
Fang's eyelids began to twitch again.
What does this mean? Of course she knew what this meant. At least it meant that Emperor Longqing was determined to find out who had harmed the Fourth Prince.
Fang no longer bothered to hide her feelings and directly grabbed Censor Chen's sleeve and said, "Master, who did this and put the blame on the Fifth Prince and Concubine Peng?"
"You just know it's a frame-up?" Censor Chen raised his eyebrows, stood up and began to put on his clothes: "Don't say these words in front of the Empress. After all, the Empress still regards Consort De as her mortal enemy."
Fang gave him a reproachful look, "I'm not that stupid. I just think that although the Fourth Prince is dead, the ones who benefit the most are Concubine Peng De and the Fifth Prince, but how can Concubine Peng De be so brave?! Not to mention that her family has already fallen and the situation is hopeless, just say that recently, she has clearly been in an advantageous position. The Fourth Prince is ill, and the Emperor's mind is on the Fifth Prince. She clearly sees it very clearly, so she always gives in to the Queen. When the previous dynasty was in turmoil, she was able to keep her hands and feet steady and not let people speak for the Fifth Prince. She is so sharp-eyed and sharp-eared, how could she do such a stupid thing as killing the Fourth Prince?"
Keeping the Fourth Prince would be much more advantageous for Concubine Peng De.
If she wasn't crazy, she shouldn't be so rash.
Even Fang knew this truth, so there was no reason why Concubine Peng De would not know it.
Censor Chen coughed twice, not hiding his inner sarcasm: "Look, even you know the truth, doesn't the emperor know it?"
Fang became even more worried: "Is His Majesty still so cold to Concubine De?"
"The colder he is, the angrier he is probably." Censor Chen did not hide his feelings. He put his crown and belt in place, turned his head and looked at Fang and said, "He only has one son left, the Fifth Prince. If you were him, what would it matter if it was the Fifth Prince who did it?"
Could it be that the fifth prince was really killed
Is it realistic
He is no longer the same person as he was twenty years ago. He is in his prime and does not have to worry about not being able to have a son. If something happens to the Fifth Prince now, does he have to rely on the baby in Concubine Lin's belly, whose gender is not yet known, to inherit his throne
So let alone the fact that it wasn't Concubine De, even if it was Concubine De, he would suppress the matter.
And since it wasn't Concubine De, how angry would he be
Censor Chen held Fang's hand and stared at her: "When the emperor is angry, millions of people die. He hasn't vented his anger yet, so his anger is even more terrible. If you can persuade the queen, please do your best. If you really can't persuade her, don't force it. Just stay in your place and don't cause trouble, and don't say anything to offend the Concubine De."
It seemed that Emperor Longqing could no longer hold on.