The sixth day of the first lunar month in the sixteenth year of Guangde.
At this time in previous years, the streets should have recovered a bit of prosperity, but now not only are all industries in depression, but also a city full of chills and coldness.
After hurriedly eating breakfast, Sun Shaozong walked from the back house to the front yard, and glanced at the guards patrolling the street from the door.
It has been nine days since the sudden death of the prince, and he was also imprisoned in his own courtyard for eight days, but even in retrospect, he still cannot help but feel that the world is impermanent.
When he came out of the prison that day, he rushed to the Prince's Mansion, walked around the garden three times and five times, and waited for a long time before seeing the late arrival of the Crown Princess Shanshan.
However, unlike the last time, this time the Crown Princess was indifferent, with a posture of refusing people thousands of miles away across the middle of the bed.
Wasn't it very enthusiastic last time
At that time, Erlang Sun was still slandering her heart, saying that she was probably used to acting in small theaters and could not control the 'elegant hall'.
Who would have thought that as soon as the prince next door shouted, the princess put her lilac tongue on her gums and wanted to commit suicide on the spot!
Sun Shaozong, who was also at a loss, reacted quickly, and stepped forward and pinched the crown princess' cheeks, which prevented her from dying.
I thought this was surprising enough.
Who knew that just when Sun Shaozong had a headache and how to continue this rotten play, there was an uproar next door, and after a while, news came out that the prince 'mistakenly' took the medicine pill and died in retrograde!
It was also a loss that he, Sun Erlang, had seen it before, and in a panic, he tried his best to hide the identity of the crown princess, and helped her walk over the wall and back to the back house.
Otherwise, if someone sees the 'adultery' on the spot, I am afraid that I will be wrongly accused of being the first suspect of murdering the prince.
Of course, it's not necessarily all wrong.
Because he was in a place of suspicion, Sun Shaozong had been ordered to ground his feet at home—mainly because there were too many important officials present, otherwise he would not have been grounded but imprisoned—and did not participate in the subsequent investigation.
But after thinking about it for the past few days, a face became clearer and clearer in his mind, and at the same time, there was that solemn promise:
"Erlang most likely looks down on me, but if Erlang is of any use to me in the future, it's okay for me to sacrifice my life!"
It's really unpredictable!
When we met in Yangzhou seven years ago, who would have thought that a playboy with a good skin would have the courage to assassinate the king seven years later
Thinking about what he did, he probably didn't want to be humiliated in front of others...
Sun Shaozong was moved, but he couldn't bear it.
Shaking his head, shaking off the turmoil in his heart, his eyes crossed the courtyard wall and looked in the direction of the palace.
Now that nine days have passed, I don't know what the emperor will make. The sudden death of the prince is certainly a big event, but for the sick Emperor Guangde, confirming the new heir is probably the top priority.
…
Imperial City.
In the past, the Qianqing Palace, which was still heavily guarded, was now three steps, one post, five steps and one post, and the surrounding wind and rain could not penetrate.
In the bedroom in the east-central area, Emperor Guangde's hoarse and low cough continued to echo in the hall.
He managed to stop his coughing. He tried his best to support the huge bags under his eyes, staring at the blood red on the silk handkerchief that the palace maid had to hide in a panic, until the silk handkerchief was put into the tray by the palace maid, and the little eunuch held him out of the palace. Then he slowly closed his eyes.
"Brother Emperor, Brother Emperor!"
At this moment, a burst of surprise calls, accompanied by the sound of hurried footsteps, crashed into the hall, only to see King Zhongshun three steps and two steps to grab the bed, trying to hold Emperor Guangde's hand, but he seemed afraid. It hurt him, and finally he just called emotionally: "Brother Huang, you are awake!"
Emperor Guangde slowly opened his eyes again, looked at King Zhongshun seriously for a while, and then hissed: "So it's fourth brother you."
"It's my brother!"
King Zhongshun was a little hairy when he was staring at him, and he took a half step back without a trace, and said with a smile: "Brother Huang, after hearing the bad news of the prince, you have been in a coma for nine consecutive days, but you have made your younger brother anxious."
"Is it."
Emperor Guangde tried his best to smile, but suddenly asked inexplicably, "Who else?"
"Who else?"
King Zhongshun was stunned for a moment, then he looked out the door subconsciously, and said suspiciously, "There is no one else besides my brother."
"It's not enough just because you're afraid."
Emperor Guangde looked out the window, as if he could penetrate many barriers, and said faintly: "There should be those two old and immortal ones, right?"
King Zhongshun was stunned for a moment, but the suspicion on his face gradually dissipated. His originally humble body also stood up unknowingly, and confronted Emperor Guangde condescendingly.
After a long while, he raised his hand and waved gently, and all the eunuchs and palace maids in the house silently retreated.
"Brother Emperor."
King Zhongshun smiled and said, "When did you find out?"
"If you wake up and there are strangers waiting around you, you will also notice that you are wrong." Emperor Guangde said, sighing faintly: "In addition, the first person who came over was you, what else do I wonder about? of?"
"only… "
Emperor Guangde's half-open eyes shot out some turbid cold light: "You have never been a counselor in a government military aircraft, even if you have the help of an old man, you can temporarily isolate the inside and outside, but once the news leaks, you are not afraid of being with me, a person who is dying. Are all the jade and stones burning?"
After a pause, he added: "Don't forget, the main and deputy generals of the three battalions and one guard have either been convicted when the Emperor Taishang, or participated in the case of Duke Zhen Guo [the Queen Mother's family], it is absolutely impossible to accept that The old stuff is making a comeback!"
"At that time, if someone raises the army, do you think that the shrimp soldiers and crab generals around the Emperor Taishang will be able to resist?"
"Hahaha… "
King Zhongshun burst out laughing, shaking his head with great pride: "I have to thank the emperor for this. If you hadn't been in a hurry to put the prince to death, I'm afraid there might not be a way to break the game!"
"Prince Teng?"
Emperor Guangde frowned and muttered in his mouth: "Zi Teng, Wang Zi Teng, is it related to Wang Zi Teng?"
Suddenly he opened his eyes wide and blurted out, "Bohai Sea Master?!"
"Sure enough, nothing can be hidden from the eyes of the emperor! Three days ago, the 25,000 troops of the Bohai Sea Division had left the southeast of Liaoning, and they will arrive in Beijing via Tianjin Wei in a few days. In addition to the sudden death of the prince and the doubts about the identity of the grandson, who else can stop this king's brother and his brother, and obey the sky?!"
Facing the high-spirited King Zhongshun, Emperor Guangde was indifferent for the first time.
After a long while, he sighed and said, "You and my brother are compatriots from the same mother. For decades, the ruler and the minister have never had any quarrel with each other. Why is this so?"
"Ha ha… "
King Zhongshun laughed again, but his eyebrows were a little bit more hideous than before: "Why is this? I originally thought that I would never compete with you for the throne in my life, but he is a eunuch and a junior, but In the name of a prince, you dare to humiliate me in every possible way..."
"That's your nephew after all, not to mention... not to mention he's already dead."
"so what?!"
King Zhongshun swept away the sleeve of his robe and almost hit Emperor Guangde in the face: "After he dies, wouldn't it be the turn of the little wild kind who did not know where to find him to be the heir?! Do you still want me to be like a slave? Like, knelt down at the feet of a four-year-old little wild breed and pretended to be ugly?!"
He took a few breaths violently, and after he gradually calmed down, he casually bowed his hands to Emperor Guangde: "Brother Huang, you can spend a few days in peace here, my brother has something important to do. I'm here, stay away."
Saying that, turn around and walk out.
"Fourth!"
Emperor Guangde turned his body with all his might, gritted his teeth and said, "Are you really so heartless?!"
"Desperate?"
King Zhongshun turned his head and saw that the corners of Emperor Guangde's mouth were bloody, and his face was sad and pleading. Instead of the slightest sympathy in his heart, he suddenly felt a little joy, and he couldn't help but joked again: "How can my brother be heartless? People? I have relocated the concubines and concubines at the beginning in Jingren Palace. When the emperor's elder brother Bintian Queen, the ministers and brothers will cherish the emperor's brother with them from time to time. Maybe they can help the emperor's brother to achieve many sons and more grandchildren. long-cherished wish!"
"you you… "
Emperor Guangde almost didn't catch his breath, gritted his teeth for a long time, and suddenly asked, "Is the virtuous concubine also in it?"
"nature!"
King Zhongshun said as a matter of course: "She is the most fertile, how could Gu Gu have the heart to leave her alone in the cold palace?"
Hands over again: "Brother Huang, the younger brother retire."
After speaking, he turned around and walked away, but this time, he still failed to get out of the palace door smoothly, and was stopped by a flustered little eunuch:
"My lord, my lord! Something big has happened!"
The little eunuch shouted twice, then leaned closer to King Zhongshun and whispered.
King Zhongshun only heard two sentences, his expression changed greatly, and he blurted out, "How is this possible, there are obviously heavy troops guarding it, and it's hard to fly!"
The little eunuch whispered again with a bitter look on his face, and without saying a few words, King Zhongshun shoved him away, ran out and shouted, "Someone, come here!"
Inside the hall.
Emperor Guangde tried his best to prop up his ears and listened to the chaos outside.
Soon after, a smile gradually appeared on his face. As the smile grew stronger, the hoarse laughter could no longer be contained. Blood splashed from the mouth and nose of the straight laugh, and he refused to stop for a moment.
continue tomorrow