Hearing Qin Yi's question, Chu Jinyao also became serious. She stood up and pondered for a while, as if hesitating for something, and finally said, "Is it the queen?"
Qin Yi was surprised, and then asked with great interest, "Why do you think so?"
"I just guessed." Chu Jinyao said.
"Of course I know." Qin Yi didn't care much, he still wanted to hear Chu Jinyao's reasons, "Although they may not really be able to touch me, but putting this aside, King Su is older and has a good reputation in the court. , King Lu is the son-in-law, and he is also the object of support of some old officials. But in the harem, the Queen, Concubine Shu, and Concubine Li all have motives, why do you think she is the Queen?"
"Because when I was in Xi'an that day, the dancer took the limelight as soon as she appeared. With the queen's character, she would never give a good look to this kind of woman. But at that time, she took the initiative to take us outside to watch the dancer dance. , I thought it was wrong at the time, and then something happened."
Hearing this reason, Qin Yi was obviously startled: "Just because of this?"
"That's right." Chu Jinyao said calmly, "Most women are jealous, and the queen is especially intolerant. How could she do things that make others pretentious? There are always demons. Besides, no matter how bold the eunuchs in Xi Nei are, no matter how bold they are. How dare you present a beauty to the emperor after talking with the empress. So in my opinion, the empress must have known what was going to happen next, so she took everyone out to watch."
The angle was so tricky that Qin Yi was speechless. Chu Jinyao looked at Qin Yi's face and said in surprise, "Am I right?"
"It's hard to say right now, but it's close to ten. There are not many people who can push so much energy in the front of the harem at the same time." Qin Yi glanced at Chu Jinyao and said, "But I don't observe that much as you do. It's not right because women are jealous." Qin Yi, from a political point of view, combined with the trends in the previous few sexes, and then analyzed the forces behind the people who speak out today, and then deduced the queen. . And Chu Jinyao's angle is obviously very strange, and what is even more strange is that she is still right.
Chu Jinyao chuckled and said, "Your Highness, although the back house is not as turbulent as the previous one, but since you are a human, you must have your own selfishness, and you can figure out a lot when you mix with women. "
Qin Yi was completely speechless, so it seemed that he still neglected the strength of the women in the back house. Although Chu Jinyao locked the queen by intuition, unlike Qin Yi, she only had a vague outline of the whole thing, and there were still many details that she didn't understand.
Chu Jinyao pestered Qin Yi to talk about it, Qin Yi deliberately refused, and then took it over and said: "The emperor went to Xi Nei to hold a banquet, and the queen must have known it long ago, as you said, even if Xi Nei's servants I wanted to make fun of it, but I didn’t dare to completely overtake the queen. The queen got the news, so she planned to do it all, let the dancer change into a turquoise dress, and let her catch fire in front of everyone, so that she would have a handle to bring everything to the East Palace Come up. As for those courtiers in the previous dynasty, the younger ones were dazed by the Four Books and Five Classics, and they always restrained me with the sage's set. I wanted to be a saint myself. Without being provoked, as long as someone in the courtroom starts, they really feel that the East Palace has lost his morals, and this will cause strange fires to fall from the sky, and the old fox will not rashly make a sound even if he feels something wrong, just like this, as long as someone incites One or two, then someone will say what they want to say."
The more Chu Jinyao listened, the tighter his brows became: "Aren't you afraid when they say that to you?"
"What are you afraid of?" Qin Yi smiled. "Impeaching the crown prince is called serving the people for the country. If it isn't, it's called not being afraid of power. Can I still scold them? That would make their reputation for honesty and integrity even more fulfilled."
The impeachment system in this dynasty is very extreme, and Chu Jinyao can only sigh when he hears it. She originally wanted to comfort Qin Yiqing, but suddenly found something wrong: "His Royal Highness, you said the day I fell into the water that the concubine was just passing by. Back then, before the impeachment that followed, you guessed all this. already?"
"Yes." Qin Yi said unhurriedly. Chu Jinyao looked at him and was speechless for a long time. She was worried that Qin Yi would be depressed these days because of being impeached. In fact, he guessed from the beginning that the queen was going to make a fuss about it, including being impeached now. And resignation, maybe he also guessed it.
"Since you know, why..."
"Why don't you stop it, right?" Qin Yi smiled, "Jin Yao, in my position, sometimes I'm not afraid of swords and arrows, but that they won't move. There is no seamless plan in the world, as long as they start , there is an opportunity.”
While Queen Qi and King Lu wanted to wait for an opportunity to bite a piece of meat off Qin Yi's body, Qin Yi was also watching them. If you can't kill with one hit, you have already lost.
It turned out that he had expected everything, and Chu Jinyao had to admit that he had been worrying for several days in vain. She sighed: "You were always right to dislike me before. It was me who was not worthy of being His Highness's opponent. Thank you His Highness for showing mercy."
Qin Yi smiled and tapped Chu Jinyao's forehead: "That's not necessarily the case. The Crown Princess can infer the real murderer with just a word from the Queen. It is fast and accurate. With this sharpness, you can become an assistant in the East Palace."
Chu Jinyao knew that Qin Yi would make a fuss about the phrase "most women are jealous" that she said, and sure enough, he mentioned it over and over again, and he didn't know what it meant to just accept it. Chu Jinyao rolled his eyes at him angrily, and said, "Since the fire was deliberately done by the queen, what about the concubine, why did she fall into the water?"
"It's hard to say." Qin Yi said indifferently, "Ask her who she offended, I'm afraid there are a lot of people in the harem who want her to have a miscarriage."
Also, the queen precisely arranged a trap. Taking advantage of the panic and chaos at the time, the queen pushed the concubine at the right moment. There was really no cost. On the contrary, the queen has big things to do, and she definitely doesn't want to make extra troubles. No wonder Qin Yi dared to say that the concubine was implicated at that time. At that time, Concubine Shu, Concubine Li, Concubine Hui, or any concubine could do it, but only not the queen. At that time, the concubine took her into the water together, and the queen was furious, but she had no choice but to add the part of falling into the water to the rumors of the harem.
Chu Jinyao wanted to understand the cause and effect, and then the most crucial question remained: "His Royal Highness, we watched with our own eyes that day. The dancer danced well, why did the skirt suddenly catch fire?"
Qin Yi sighed: "I'm also thinking about this issue. It's not difficult to break the current situation. It's a pity that we can't hit them hard just by bypassing this key point."
"You clearly said that you wanted to teach me how to play chess today, but you were thinking about the fire." Chu Jinyao snorted and gave him a smile, "I don't believe what you said anymore."
Qin Yi pinched Chu Jinyao's face in a funny way: "Rise words."
Chu Jinyao avoided Qin Yi's hand, and asked while letting go, "Your Highness, you said that the queen is engaged in such a big battle, what exactly do you want to do?"
Relying on this unwarranted fire, you want to overthrow Qin Yi? Somewhat naive. Qin Yi has not made a big mistake in these years. The only thing that people criticize is his bad temper, but it is not a mistake for the emperor to have a bad temper and not be able to unite the courtiers. So, what is Xiao Qi's picture after
After waiting for a while, Chu Jinyao didn't wait for Qin Yi to reply. Chu Jinyao looked up suspiciously, and saw the old god Qin Yi saying, "Don't you let me think about the outside world?"
Chu Jinyao was immediately blocked, unable to speak for a long time. After a while, she said faintly: "Your Highness, you really hold grudges, and you will pay attention to each other."
Qin Yi snorted coldly and did not answer. Chu Jinyao was cheeky and stared at him with eyes full of curiosity. Qin Yi really had nothing to do, so he vaguely pointed out: "There are some people in the folk who want to occupy an acre of land, but are afraid that the other party will not If he agrees, he proposes to take ten acres for nothing, and the other party will naturally not agree. When the matter becomes a big one, and even after alarming the government, he proposes that if ten acres are not enough, then how about giving him one acres of land, and most of the others will agree. already."
Chu Jinyao seemed to understand, but Qin Yi smiled without saying a word, lightly tapped Chu Jinyao's forehead, and said, "Just wait." Then he stood up and went out.
Chu Jinyao rubbed her forehead and faintly felt a doorway, but it was fleeting.
Because Qin Yi pretended to be mysterious and refused to explain it clearly, Chu Jinyao thought about it all day. In the afternoon, a palace maid brought a bowl of ointment from outside, Chu Jinyao looked at it for a while: "What is this?"
"Back to the Crown Princess, the new herbs have arrived this year, and the imperial pantry has boiled two ointments to nourish the body for the Empresses and the Crown Princess."
Chu Jinyao asked the maid to put the things down, and she stirred slowly with a spoon. The contents in the bowl were in the form of a paste, and there was a cool medicinal smell in the nose, not pungent, but rather refreshing. The old eunuch who came to deliver the things saw it and said quickly: "Prince Concubine, these two ointments are the most famous tonics in the court. They are made from ginseng and cooked ground, but they are not lit like using ginseng directly. Taking food as medicine, mild and long-lasting, nourishing yin and nourishing the face, is the most suitable for women's physique. If you take it on time every day, it can not only nourish yin and detoxify, but also the noble person's complexion will get better and better. It's just that there are not many people who cook medicinal meals in the imperial kitchen. , I can only make a few bowls in a hurry every day. Many mothers have nowhere to ask for money. This is the first batch of ginseng newly arrived this year. The effect of medicine is the best. Many mothers came to the imperial kitchen to say hello The servants are concerned about the difference between the superior and the inferior, and they dare not speak out after they are cooked, and they will be sent to the Crown Princess first."
"What about the Empress?"
"The Queen Mother has two bowls, which have already been delivered."
"I didn't know there was such a thing." Chu Jinyao smiled, took a sip with a spoon, and said, "It tastes really good. If you are interested, go out and collect the reward."
Seeing that Chu Jinyao's face was indeed satisfied, the old eunuch who delivered the things responded with delight and went out to collect the reward money. But as soon as the people left, the smile on Chu Jinyao's face suddenly stopped, Linglong brought the bowl over, Chu Jinyao waved his hand, and said, "No. No one dares to do anything with the things that were sent." The real reason Chu Jinyao was embarrassed to say, she didn't intend to eat it, but just accidentally swallowed it.
So, just bite the bullet and go on.
Linglong thought about it too, and put down the things in her hand. Chu Jinyao leaned on the armrest and sighed slowly: "I didn't think there was anything at first, but this eunuch talked for such a long time and praised this ointment so much that it was a bit deliberate."
Linglong became more and more worried when she heard it: "Prince Concubine, you just had a taste, do you need to call the imperial physician over?"
"It's useless." Chu Jinyao laughed, "I guess this medicine is indeed a tonic, otherwise the queen would not dare to send it over. The eunuch's words just suggested that eating this can improve your face, just think Lead me to eat more, preferably one daily. I think the problem is here, this ointment is really nourishing, but if I eat too much, I'm afraid it won't be right. I just tasted it just now, and it will be fine. "
Linglong was still worried, and planned to call the imperial physician in the name of Ping'an Pulse to give Chu Jinyao a pulse. There is no harm in being cautious, so Chu Jinyao agreed.
While they were talking, Mammy Hong came in. When she saw what was on the table, she was stunned, and then she looked at Chu Jinyao's face. Chu Jinyao saw it clearly, and said directly, "If you want to say anything, just say it directly, you don't have to look at my face."
Mammy Hong smiled awkwardly and asked, "Prince Concubine, is this Liangyi paste?"
Seeing that Chu Jinyao did not deny it, Mammy Hong understood in her heart: "Prince Concubine, Liangyi Paste is indeed a palace tonic, but it is a bit taboo to eat it."
"Oh?"
Seeing that Chu Jinyao didn't stop her, Mammy Hong dug out a small piece with a spoon, put it on the tip of her nose and smelled it, nodded and said, "Indeed, this recipe is a cold recipe, and it's reasonable to eat these recipes in the spring. That's right, it's just that the Crown Princess is naturally cold, and she fell into the water a few days ago, if she eats this often, I'm afraid it will hinder her children."
Mammy Hong was shocked by her speech, how important is the child of a woman, if eating this regularly will lead to infertility, the thinking behind this is too vicious. Linglong's face was indignant, Chu Jinyao stirred a few spoons with a spoon, and pushed it away with a respectful distance.
What she is most afraid of is that Empress Qi will play tricks in this area. She is a crown princess. If Donggong has no heirs for a long time, this is obviously extremely disadvantageous. Although it cannot be proved that this time it was the Queen's hands and feet, but the harem does not want her to get pregnant more people, the Queen, Concubine Shu, King Su, King Lu, every one of them is possible. The mastermind behind the scenes this time is really intentional, and even used the pretext of beauty to attract her. Which woman does not love beauty, if she is not prepared, if she really takes supplements every day, she will be killed for a lifetime. Chu Jinyao didn't plan to rely on medicine to get pregnant, but after today's move, she didn't even want to drink the monthly safety medicine. It is a three-point poisonous medicine, and a little more action is more effective than any panacea.
Chu Jinyao asked Linglong to pour the things, and then ordered the remaining cronies: "If the imperial pantry will send the Liangyi paste in the future, don't say anything, leave it first, and then quietly pour it out. Other than that, In the future, whatever comes from the outside must be carefully checked, understand?"
No matter who doesn't want her to get pregnant, it's not appropriate to startle the snake at this stage. Chu Jinyao took the things for the time being, which could not only paralyze the other party, but also gave herself a chance to obtain evidence. It was better than shouting out without any evidence now.
Several big maids held their breaths in response. Chu Jinyao looked at Mammy Hong and said, "Mammy has done a good job today and should be rewarded. I don't know what Mammy wants?"
Mammy Hong hurriedly bowed her head and said, "I don't dare to ask for a reward from the Crown Princess. The old slave has nothing else to do. He has been in the palace for a few more years and knows a thing or two about the medicines in the harem. Thanks to the Crown Princess's persistence, It is already the creation of an old slave."
After listening to Chu Jinyao, she smiled lightly, Mammy Hong showed her usefulness, and then secretly reminded Chu Jinyao of her original promise. Chu Jinyao understood Mammy Hong's thoughts, so she said, "Don't worry, mama, it's only two years, as long as you can live safely, that freedom is yours."
This is not so much a win, but a threat. Although Hong mama smiled, her heart felt tight. It would be better if the Crown Princess was courting her with kind words, but she was kind and generous, and she didn't pretend to be sympathetic. On the contrary, it made Mother Hong unable to understand Chu Jinyao's thoughts, and she felt awe in her heart unconsciously.
After Mammy Hong went out, Linglong packed up her things and said with lingering fears: "Fortunately we found it early, otherwise it would be broken."
Chu Jinyao remembered the moon letter that she had arrived on time, and her heart was also faintly anxious. She and Qin Yi have been married for almost five months, but there is still no movement in her stomach. Although she and Qin Yi are not big enough, Qin Yi is never anxious about children, but they are in a special position. Qin Yi needs a son-in-law, and so does Chu Jinyao.
So, Chu Jinyao really wanted to get pregnant.
Not only Chu Jinyao, but others were also staring at her belly. More and more people mentioned this matter vaguely, and some people gave her a recipe to ask for a child. Chu Jinyao was in a hurry, but she never planned to get pregnant by taking medicine and remedies.
She was trapped in the palace every day, and Yilai stretched out her hand to eat and open her mouth, and she was already delicate enough. If she took medicine from time to time and recuperated with medicine, she would be suffocated even if she was not sick. Chu Jinyao still thinks that the more active he is to keep his body healthy, but this idea is undoubtedly a bit rude in the aristocratic circle of thin and weak. Chu Jinyao remembered this and said, "My grandmother made me take medicine all day long to take care of my body, and she wanted me to see it as a disease of wealth. I used to run all over the mountains and the women around me did everything, but they never saw him. Sick. When I was five years old, I was chased down a hill for teasing people…”
Chu Jinyao suddenly stopped, Linglong listened to the fright, and the Crown Princess still rolled down the hillside? The reason is still to make fun of others and be chased and beaten? Linglong didn't know what to complain about, but when she saw Chu Jinyao stop, she was very surprised: "Prince Concubine, what's wrong with you?"
On the fifth day after the impeachment, the East Palace still did not make any statement, which made the righteous people in the court even more angry. The impeachment system, which was originally well-intentioned, has become more and more extreme. The literati are proud of their death remonstrance, but their "death remonstrance" has increasingly become a means of coercing their superiors, rather than actually asking for life for the country. Just like now, the prince, who has always been clear in government affairs, just did not act according to the ideas of the civil servants, and they were surprisingly angry.
The trouble was getting bigger and bigger, with the eldest son who didn't ask questions on the one hand, and the civil servants group filled with righteous indignation on the other, and it was difficult for the emperor to deal with it. In fact, if Qin Yi came out to admit his mistakes now, admitting that he had neglected self-examination recently, that his words and deeds did not meet the requirements of the saint, and then humbled himself again, the emperor and the cabinet would also be able to take advantage of the situation and the mud if the civil servants had the steps. However, the crux of the problem happened here. Back then, Qin Yi dared to shoot arrows and kill his servant in front of the emperor. The emperor, his own father, was angry and he refused to accept it, let alone a group of naive and arrogant ministers. Let Qin Yi take the initiative to admit his mistake, it is better to expect the emperor to be diligent in government one day.
Fan Shoufu, who knew the prince's temperament well, felt bitter in his heart. Because the prince resisted passively, Fan Shoufu was also angered, and all the papers for impeaching Shoufu were thrown out. At this time, some people took advantage of the chaos and suggested that maybe they could follow the example of the Lizong Dynasty, and in order to preserve the inheritance of the throne, in addition to the prince, another prince should be kept in Beijing. The East Palace is still the East Palace, but if something goes wrong with the prince, this other prince will be of use.
This kind of remark definitely means that people from other forces are muddying the water. Since the crown prince has been established, wouldn't it shake the orthodoxy of the prince by leaving another prince? If this kind of thinking is usually scolded by the courtiers, but now there is a quarrel in the courtroom, and Qin Yi's attitude of not admitting wrongdoing has made some civil servants dissatisfied, this statement has been approved by some people.
The emperor also gradually realized that the matter was a big deal. He really didn't understand it. It was just a small matter. How could it have developed into what it is today? In the past few days, he was not even interested in listening to the music, and the concubines in the harem rarely went there, but went to Kunning Palace to talk to Xiao Qi about his annoyance.
This was the reason why Xiao Qi was so favored. The most important thing was that Israel's servants could have a good few days and cater to the emperor's inner needs. Because the emperor is only willing to speak his heart to the queen, that is why the queen can have such a big influence in the harem of the former dynasty.
After Xiao Qi smiled sincerely, pretending to listen to the emperor's affairs seriously. Her smile today really came from the heart. Queen Qi had been helped by gods recently, and Dong Gong fell into trouble again and again under her calculations, and things went very smoothly. Xiao Qi was ecstatic, she also prepared a lot of back tricks, but she didn't expect any of them to be useless. Xiao Qi was secretly disdainful, and she wasted so much preparation for Qin Yi's calculation. Now it seems that it is nothing more than that.
Donggong had no counterattack. Although Xiao Qi thought it was strange, he also thought that his tactics were so powerful that Donggong didn't even have the strength to fight back, so he didn't take it to heart. After the emperor finished speaking, Xiao Qi pretended to sigh and frowned in distress: "My concubine is in the harem, but I don't know how many days have passed, so many things have happened outside. The prince has made great achievements in cooperating with the emperor to rule the world over the years. The elders of the cabinet all support the prince, and even the concubines have heard of the prince's reputation as a virtuous and capable prince, so why would anyone be dissatisfied with the prince?"
This sounded uncomfortable, the emperor frowned and ignored it, but continued: "I can't figure it out either, how could something the size of a sesame become what it is today."
The emperor was really immersed in sorrow, and he didn't notice that Xiao Qi was staring at his profile, with a gentle smile on his face, but this smile made people tremble: "Emperor, you just said that someone proposed to follow suit. Lizong Dynasty, keep one more prince in Beijing?"
"Someone said it."
"What do you think?" Queen Qi's voice was a little anxious, and although the emperor's ears were soft, his expression was firm when he shook his head: "No way. Li Zong kept the prince in Beijing because the prince was young and was afraid of the prince's life. However, it was only because of the crown that I kept one more. Now that Qin Yi is old and even married, there is really no reason to keep another prince. Besides, if this is true, the people below will inevitably think that I am treating Qin Yi. I am dissatisfied, and have the heart to set up another prince. He is my son after all, I know him, although he is arrogant and domineering, his eyes are higher than the top, but he is a talented person, and I can rest assured that he will take over this ancestral inheritance in the future."
The light in Xiao Qihou's eyes gradually dimmed, and finally turned into jealousy and resentment. She rolled her eyes, suddenly had a plan in her heart, and said with a smile: "The emperor's heart of a father is really touching, but it is a pity that the prince has never been close to us and cannot understand the painstaking efforts of the emperor. Your Majesty, look at this place in the palace. Accidents have occurred frequently for a period of time, and the fire that day was also burning strangely. First, the princess fell into the water, and then the prince was impeached. The East Palace seems to have bad luck. Otherwise, we invite people to enter the palace, do a good ritual, and give The prince and the prince concubine remove the bad luck?"