The Shangguan family is not a big family like the Cui family, but it is not an ordinary family. Their ancestors have been officials intermittently, and the earliest can be traced back to the heyday of the previous dynasty.
In the twenty-sixth year of Emperor Wu's wonderful life, the fifteen-year-old eldest daughter of Shangguan's family married the then Donghai King E. On the day of leaving the cabinet, the sisters parted in tears, and the sister made a promise that she would take her to her side in the future. Three years later, this promise was fulfilled, and the younger sister also married into the palace and became a good person.
Shangguan's family education is very strict, and the names given to their daughters are not fat, the eldest daughter is named Xian, and the second daughter is named Duan.
Donghai Wang E originally had a princess, but unfortunately she passed away not long after she married. At that time, he was not yet a prince. He was sealed off on a remote seashore, away from the palace. He could only go to Beijing to worship in spring every year. He had to leave Beijing and return to the country within ten days. Marry her daughter to the King of the East Sea as a concubine.
In the palace, the name of the princess is the target of fierce competition among several lovers.
As soon as Duanliang entered the mansion, he understood the situation. Whoever gave birth to a son first, who would be the princess, was almost certain. My sister called her into the mansion just to increase her chances of victory.
This is a cruel and ruthless struggle. Apart from beauty and pregnancy, the parties involved have no other weapons. The beautiful person is not picky about his appearance, and he is versatile. He can recite poetry, dance, and occasionally chat with the King of the East China Sea. Chatting about the general trend and the imperial court structure, he has been favored for a long time. The only regret is that he has not given birth for several years after entering the government.
In the autumn of the twenty-ninth year of Zhongmiao, the Shangguan sisters ushered in a lucky moment.
In the beginning, it was a happy thing for everyone. The whole palace was full of smiles, and even a few competing lovers were willing to accept the defeat. The gold, silver, and silk that the King of the East China Sea rewarded to the people inside and outside was worth 10,000 taels of silver.
A few months later, the relationship between the Shangguan sisters became more delicate. The younger sister, Duanliang, had no intention of competing for the position of the princess, but it was not up to the two of them, nor was it entirely up to the King of East China Sea. There are officials stationed by the imperial court in Donghai, as well as Zongzhengfu, who is far away in the capital and acts only on documents and conventions. In their opinion, the love of the king of Donghai is irrelevant, and whether it is an elder sister or a younger sister has little influence. The only principle is that whoever gives birth to the prince first is the princess, there is nothing to argue about.
One night in the winter of that year, the two sisters had a long talk. A month later, the younger sister Duanliang had a miscarriage, and a few months later, the elder sister Xianliang gave birth to a son, and became the princess of the East China Sea. .
Duanliang never mentioned the content of that conversation to anyone, even if she was already a concubine, she had said a few words to the emperor.
Han Ruzi was startled, "But... what if the queen mother gave birth to a daughter?"
"She is willing to take risks, the important thing is that she can't lose to me." The imperial concubine told the past in a plain tone, and no one could see how many ups and downs in her heart were.
"The imperial concubine could refuse at that time, but the queen mother wouldn't... she wouldn't be ruthless, would she?" Han Ruzi was not particularly sure.
"Of course not, I am her sister." The Crown Princess smiled, and then the smile slowly disappeared, like an abandoned deep well, occasionally with dead leaves drifting in, ripples swaying, and there was no sound, "I It's her own sister. For that promise, I didn't get married for three years. When I entered the palace at the age of seventeen, my sister's request was more important to me than my parents' life. Even if she asked me to commit suicide, I would still have nothing to do with it. Do it without hesitation.”
Since the birth of the first prince, the luck of the King of the East China Sea has been getting better and better. The following year, he went to the capital to pay homage, and more than ten brothers were granted permission to stay in the capital. This was the first omen of Emperor Wu's abolition of the prince. I see it clearly, including Cui Shi, who has power over the government and the opposition.
Cui's family married one of her daughters to the King of the East China Sea. She didn't even ask for the title of princess, but only a good person. However, rumors abounded that this was an expedient measure, and that Cui Liangren would take the place of Princess Shangguan sooner or later.
That is, from this time on, the elder sister Shangguan Xian began to change, becoming more and more suspicious, feeling that everyone in the palace had been bought by the Cui family, and the only person who could be trusted was the younger sister Duanliang.
The prince, who had just turned one year old, was handed over to Duanliang to be raised, and Princess Shangguan tried to entangle her husband. He has always regarded him as my son, replacing the one I lost. Si Di also only recognizes me, but is very unfamiliar with his biological mother."
Han Ruzi could imagine the situation at that time.
Princess Shangguan succeeded, and Wang E of the East China Sea was already doting on her, but at this time, she only doted on one person, and looked down on other lovers, including Cui Liangren. But he is a man after all, and occasionally he will be with a woman other than the princess. At this time, the princess Shangguan will be very nervous. If she is seriously ill, she will grab her sister's hand and cry, asking her to swear that she will take good care of the prince in the future.
Almost all the benefactors and maids who were fortunate to have been blessed by King Elin of the East China Sea will soon receive the nourishing soup personally delivered by Duanliang. Unlike his jealous sister, Duanliang has a gentle personality and has a good reputation in the palace. Good, no one suspects she has ulterior motives.
"There is an abortion pill in the soup. I drank it back then, and the prescription is still there. I don't know how many fetuses I have aborted. I am the hoe in my sister's hand. I do these things not only for my sister, but also for Si Di, he grew up under my care, and I don't want him to have too many competitors."
When the concubine said these things, there was no guilt, and she was as ruthless as a hoe.
Han Ruzi felt a chill in his body, and then a question arose: Why were he and the King of the East Sea not removed
The brothers were born through a series of accidents and coincidences.
The Shangguan sisters can control almost everyone in the palace, with one exception, that is Cui Liangren. She is backed by a huge family.
Cui Liangren never concealed his coveting for the position of the princess, publicly claiming that the Cui family would push King E of the East China Sea to the throne, the only condition being that she would be the future queen.
Cui Liangren looked down on anyone, especially the Shangguan sisters, so when she was pregnant, Duanliangren's trick of delivering soup didn't work.
In fact, Wang E of Donghai rarely came to Cui Liangren. Before he became a prince, he didn't like the domineering Cui family very much. Under the influence of the princess, his impression of Cui Liangren became worse and worse, and he even regretted marrying her. Entering the door, it is impossible to go back, so you can only try not to meet.
Just like ordinary couples, sometimes there will be conflicts between the King of the East China Sea and the princess. The cause is not very big, but it is usually related to the jealousy of the princess.
But that time, the two of them had a quarrel that lasted for half a month. Even now, the concubine Shangguan still suspects that Wang E of Donghai deliberately created conflicts at that time, the purpose is to temporarily leave the watch of the princess, and feel fortunate with peace of mind. other woman.
"Emperor Huan is a good husband, a good emperor, and a man. It's not bad not to go out and steal, but you can't be free from the bad things at home."
Looking at the bewildered emperor, the imperial concubine smiled, "I'm also confused to tell you this."
It was during that conflict that Donghai Wang Elin was fortunate to have several benefactors and maids. Two of them were pregnant, less than ten days apart, triggering a war in the palace.
The pregnant woman is the daughter of the Cui family, and the maid is the mother of Han Ruzi.
Princess Shangguan made a big fuss, but it was useless. No matter how much Wang E of Donghai liked her, he would not get rid of his children. Princess Shangguan changed her tactics and mobilized everyone to speak ill of Cui Liangren. The identity of the prince.
The matter has come to an end. During the civil war in the palace, the pregnant maid with the surname Wang was ignored, and she never disclosed the news of her pregnancy to anyone. When she could no longer hide her pregnancy, she made an extremely bold move: She went to see the princess with her belly up, kowtowed and pleaded guilty, and asked the princess to let go of her and the fetus in her belly.
The princess had no other choice. Since she couldn't get rid of the child in Cui Liangren's belly, it would be redundant to work on a maid. The princess was kind and persuaded, and declared in public that she would treat the maid Wang's child as her own, and after learning that the maid Wang was likely to be pregnant a few days earlier than Cui Liangren, the princess wanted to stay.
Han Ruzi's heart skipped a beat when he heard it. It turned out that his life was in danger before he was born. It was hard to imagine how much pressure his mother was under at that time, and what kind of wisdom and courage she had to go to meet Princess Shangguan directly.
Han Ruzi missed his mother, and his heart ached slightly.
Donghai Wang E's two sons were born smoothly, one is Han Song and the other is Han Shu.
Cui Liangren was worried that his son would be poisoned by the people of the palace, so he made every excuse to send his son to the Cui family, staying for a few months at a time.
The maid Wang's family was not in the capital, and she was helpless. After giving birth to her son, she had not been granted a title, but she no longer needed to be a maid, and was arranged by the princess to live in a small courtyard and live a life like a prisoner.
Han Ruzi still had an impression of that yard, and it was a good impression.
In the thirty-six years of Zhongmei, Emperor Wu summoned all his children and grandchildren, and Han Ruzi also went, leaving behind a dark memory, in fact, it was also the result of a struggle.
Han Ruzi was not recorded in the family tree for a long time after he was born. To the royal family, he was a non-existent person. The maid Wang did not know where she heard the news that Emperor Wu had summoned his children and grandchildren. She spent all of her money and bought a slave. The slave turned to a family member outside the mansion to inform Zongzheng's mansion that Wang E of the East Sea had a son.
Zongzheng's mansion verified it and listed the emperor's grandson Han Song in the pedigree.
Han Ruzi was finally able to enter the palace to meet his grandfather Emperor Wu. After that, his position stabilized, but his mother received a series of revenge from the princess. It is not easy to survive until now.
"The Empress Dowager is a vengeful person. Once she has full power, she will continue to take revenge." The Crown Princess said.
The more Han Ruzi listened, the more startled he became, and his doubts became heavier. He asked, "What about you, just to avenge the fallen son ten years ago?"
The Crown Princess shook her head, "I have a son, not the one I fell into in a moment of confusion and cruelty, but Si Di, who was raised and raised by me - I want to avenge him."