"The queen mother..."
As the sun was setting, Yuncheng walked into the East Nuan Pavilion of Changle Palace with a solemn expression, and greeted the Queen Mother.
"Yuncheng, why are you here at this hour?" The queen mother was dressed in a dark purple uniform, and was very surprised to see Yuncheng.
After Yuncheng made a confession, he said seriously: "My queen, my son has an 'important matter' to report to my mother..."
Yuncheng put an accent on the word "important matter", and the queen mother immediately knew that this matter was not easy.
The Empress Dowager waved her hand to make all the palace people in the East Nuan Pavilion retreat, leaving only her confidant Huang Nai beside her, and beckoned Yun Cheng to sit beside her, and asked: "What's the matter, tell me."
Yuncheng took a deep breath and said: "The person who was sent by the queen mother to investigate the second princess just came back and reported that the second princess disappeared in Guile County for three days after she left the palace privately. No one has seen her. trail..."
The Empress Dowager's face changed instantly, and she blurted out: "What?! Missing for three days!" A lonely woman disappeared for three days, making people dare not imagine what would happen...
Yuncheng confirmed the Queen Mother's guess with his eyes, and then said: "My Queen Mother, according to reports from those who inquired about the news, when the Second Princess appeared in front of people again, she looked haggard and disheveled..."
The queen mother closed her eyes, her face was extremely ugly, one can imagine what happened to the second princess.
Yuncheng continued: "My servant ordered people to continue the investigation, and later found out that a group of notorious bandits had haunted Guile County... After interrogation, that group of bandits admitted that they had kidnapped and killed the second princess during the time when the second princess disappeared. Defiled a girl, according to their description, that girl is undoubtedly the second princess..."
"Damn it!" The queen mother slapped the table angrily. I don't know if he is angry at the second princess for not being up to date, or because of the audacity of this group of bandits, "Where are those bandits now? The Ai family will cut them into pieces."
Yun Cheng hurriedly replied: "I have already been taken to Jingzhao Mansion. Don't worry, Empress, those gangs of bandits burned, killed and looted. They committed all kinds of crimes. According to the laws of our dynasty, they will be sentenced to death." The voice said, "The people sent by my son know how to measure, those bandits will never know that it is the second princess..."
The empress dowager's lingering anger still persisted, and after taking a deep breath, she said coldly, "Yuncheng, you should pay attention to this matter, and you must not let them talk too much!" A mere second princess was desecrated!
"Mother, my son understands." Yuncheng naturally responded again and again, then lowered his voice, hesitantly said, "... Mother, since the second princess has lost her innocence, do you think there is something strange about the cause of her death?" Yuncheng was also terrified when she said that, since she knew that the second princess had been insulted, she felt a strong sense of foreboding in her heart.
The Empress Dowager naturally understood Yuncheng's hint, and she was also very irritable, her face was as dark as ink, and she said to Huang Nanny in a cold voice: "You go to the Imperial Hospital in person, and take the Zhou Imperial Physician and Wang Imperial Physician who went to the imperial mausoleum to treat the second princess at that time. Call Aijia!"
"Yes, Empress Dowager." Huang Momo replied, and hurriedly went to invite someone.
After a stick of incense, Imperial Physician Zhou and Imperial Physician Wang rushed to Changle Palace sweating profusely. After saluting, the Empress Dowager did not cry out and let them kneel down. As a result, the hearts of the two imperial physicians "thumped", they raised their heads cautiously, and seeing the empress dowager's uneasy face, they suddenly became a little uneasy.
The Empress Dowager looked at Imperial Physician Zhou and Imperial Physician Wang coldly, and said straight to the point: "Doctor Zhou, Imperial Physician Wang, Ai Jia asked you why the second princess died suddenly?"
Imperial physician Zhou and Imperial physician Wang couldn't help being startled, with sweat pouring down their foreheads.
"Why? Is this question difficult to answer?" The Empress Dowager's voice was as cold and hard as ice. Seeing the reactions of these two imperial physicians, the queen mother still doesn't understand the tricks.
"Report to the Empress Dowager," Imperial Physician Zhou hurriedly replied, "His Royal Highness the Second Princess died because of dissatisfaction with the environment..."
The Empress Dowager turned her cold eyes to Imperial Physician Wang, and asked again: "Doctor Wang, do you think so too?"
Doctor Wang timidly wiped the sweat from his forehead with his cuff, and said: "...Yes, Empress Dowager, Your Highness the Second Princess is not acclimatized to the environment, which caused stomach discomfort, and finally had a high fever, and the treatment was not timely, so that's why..."
Both of them answered quickly and fluently, as if they had learned it by heart.
"Nonsense!" The queen mother's voice suddenly rose, "Aijia will give you another chance to tell Aijia honestly, how did the second princess die?"
Imperial Physician Zhou and Imperial Physician Wang glanced at each other quickly, but still resisted the pressure and insisted on the original statement.
"Okay, okay!" The Empress Dowager said with an angry expression on her face, pointing at them, "How dare you not tell the truth until now, the Ai family sees that the second princess was clearly killed by you, and dare to deceive the Ai family here! , since you don’t want to tell the truth, then the second princess must be the one who murdered you, murdering the royal princess, Aijia wants to punish you, copy and behead all the families, and implicate the whole family!”
Doctors Zhou and Wang were so frightened that their faces turned pale, and they kowtowed repeatedly: "Empress Dowager, please forgive me, I did not murder Your Highness the Second Princess. The Queen Mother, please be aware..." Their heads knocked loudly, and their foreheads were instantly bruised.
At this time, Yuncheng sighed from the side and said: "Two imperial physicians, the queen mother already knows about the second princess, and I just invited you here to confirm it. Why do you bother to hide it for the second princess? Right. Otherwise, the crime of murdering the current princess will really fall on your heads. Even if you are not afraid of death, you should think about your parents, wives, children, brothers and relatives at home? If you lose your own nine clans, how can you bear it!"
The Empress Dowager already knew about the second princess? The two imperial physicians were both heartbroken, and they couldn't help but looked at each other again, their eyes filled with surprise and fear.
So, is it really impossible to hide this
Seeing the two imperial physicians' expressions were loose, Yuncheng said again: "Let's be honest, the queen mother will spare your lives." Now the rumors about the second princess have been spreading in the capital, even if the imperial physician is killed. It's useless to talk to Doctor Zhou, so it's better to show them a favor and let them speak sooner.
"Why? Don't tell me, is it possible that you really want to die?" The Queen Mother said with a cold expression.
Now that this is the case, the two imperial physicians still dare to hide it, they hurriedly said in unison: "Say, I will tell the truth after this."
Yuncheng said eagerly: "Hurry up and tell me! After you two arrived at the imperial mausoleum, what exactly happened?"
Doctor Zhou took a deep breath and said in a trembling voice: "The Empress Dowager, Your Highness the Eldest Princess, the minister and Wang Taiyi were ordered to take the pulse of the Second Princess after they arrived at the imperial mausoleum. The pulse at that time was indeed unacceptable..."
Seeing that he hesitated to speak, the Empress Dowager's expression darkened, and she pressed her step by step: "Go ahead."
Imperial Physician Wang wiped his sweat and continued: "The minister and Imperial Physician Zhou prescribed a prescription according to the pulse of Her Highness the Second Princess... But three days later, the maid came to report that Her Highness the Second Princess was not well."
Doctor Wang hesitated for a while, and finally said vigorously, "After I passed by, I realized that Her Royal Highness the Second Princess had collapsed!" After speaking, he collapsed on the ground as if he had collapsed.
From that day on, Imperial Physician Wang and Imperial Physician Zhou felt like they were walking on a tightrope, and if they took a wrong step, they would fall into the bottomless abyss at any time!
Blood collapse!? Both the queen mother and Yuncheng gasped. Although they had a faint premonition in their hearts from the moment they knew that the second princess's innocence had been destroyed, they heard the answer from the imperial physician with their own ears. People are still shocked.
The majestic royal princess first fled the palace privately, so her innocence was tarnished when she encountered bandits on the road, and then died of a blood collapse. If word spread, the dignity of the royal family would be ruined!
Yuncheng collected himself, and asked sternly: "Didn't you say that the pulse of the second princess is not acclimatized? Why did she collapse in blood?"
"The Empress Dowager, Your Highness the Eldest Princess," Zhou Taiyi hurriedly explained, "I didn't know that at the time, and it was not until after the Second Princess died that a maid beside her was so frightened that she didn't know what to do, and then she revealed the truth. It is not Her Highness the Second Princess who is letting the ministers and others check her pulse through the curtain, but this court lady, and the reason why Her Highness the Second Princess suffered from arrhythmia is... because Her Highness took abortion pills without permission!"
Both the queen mother and Yuncheng were silent, and after a while, the queen mother squinted at the two of them, and asked sharply: "You two are really bold, to hide this matter like this!"
"The empress dowager, the ministers are really scared, so they discussed and kept this matter a secret." Doctor Wang fell on the ground in fear.
He and the imperial doctor Zhou have made plans to resign and return to their hometown after the news dies down in a few days, and take this matter into the coffin. If something so appalling and damaging to the royal family's reputation was reported directly to the emperor, they might have lost their lives on the spot. That's why they had no choice but to fabricate the pulse on the day the second princess died. It cannot be changed.
The Empress Dowager and Yun Cheng looked at each other, their faces were extremely ugly, but what had to be done had to be done, Yun Cheng said to the Empress Dowager solemnly: "Mother, this matter is really important, in my opinion, Let’s tell the emperor quickly.”
The queen mother nodded, and hurriedly ordered: "Mother Huang, go and invite the emperor... If the emperor asks, he will say that Aijia is not feeling well."
Huang Momo took the order and left Changle Palace in a hurry.
After a while, the emperor hurried to Changle Palace, and as soon as he stepped into the door of Dongnuange, he said anxiously: "Queen Mother, I heard that you are not feeling well?" Seeing that Yuncheng was also there, the emperor was startled.
Yuncheng got up quickly and said: "Young brother, don't worry, the queen mother is fine, but I have something important to tell you."
Hearing that the queen mother was fine, the emperor breathed a sigh of relief, only to find that there were still two imperial physicians kneeling in the hall, he couldn't help but feel a little strange.
After the emperor took his seat, the empress dowager ordered the imperial physician to explain the cause of the second princess' death again.
Following the words of the imperial physician, the emperor's face was so gloomy that water dripped out, and his heart was filled with anger. He looked at Zhou imperial physician and Wang imperial physician with cold eyes, and asked, "You two are so courageous!" These imperial physicians are really lawless, Such a major event, how dare to conceal it and not report it, and even tamper with the case at will!
"I deserve ten thousand deaths for my crimes." Imperial Physicians Wang and Imperial Physician Zhou trembled and kowtowed again and again.
The emperor's eyes were full of clouds. The second princess died of hemorrhage due to a private abortion. Then, how did the second princess get pregnant
The second princess is in a deep palace, so it's impossible... no! The second princess just escaped from the palace privately a few months ago, and the timing seems to coincide...
"Mother." The emperor was about to ask, remembering that the imperial doctor was still here, he forcibly endured and said in a deep voice: "Since the queen mother said to spare your lives, I will not want your life for the sake of the queen mother." , but..." After a pause, he said forcefully, "Capital crimes can be forgiven, but living crimes cannot be forgiven. Give me a severe blow of 30 boards, expel me from the imperial hospital, and never use it again."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness, and thank you, Empress Dowager..." The two imperial physicians kowtowed again. It is the blessing of the ancestors to leave a life this time!
"Come here, take me down for execution..." The emperor gave an order, and immediately a servant came forward and dragged the two imperial doctors down.
The Empress Dowager waved her hand to make Huang Nai, who was waiting on the sidelines, also retreat, and then seriously told the emperor the rumors about the second princess in the capital and what happened to the second princess after she escaped from the palace.
The emperor's face was even more angry, walking back and forth angrily.
Sure enough! It really was the fault of that escape!
The second princess, the second princess, how could he have such a debt collector! This is a disgrace to the royal family!
The emperor was furious, and the Queen Mother continued to say: "... Your Majesty, when the Zhang family was doing things for the second princess in the Yaowang Temple, the main hall of the Yaowang Temple was caught in a fire. If it was just like this, it would be fine, but these On a few days, Qin Tianjian looked at the stars at night and found that the Ziwei star was a bit dimmer than usual. According to Ai’s family, all these visions must be because of the second princess. He offended the Buddha when he was doing things, so he poured out the candle. That's why after he was buried in the imperial tomb, he defiled the royal family with his unclean body, and offended the emperor and ancestors who were buried in the imperial tomb. The astronomical warning, the Ziwei star is dim... "
The Empress Dowager continued with a serious face, "Your Majesty, the Second Princess must be moved out of the Imperial Mausoleum immediately, otherwise there may be a catastrophe!"
The emperor was silent for a moment, then nodded decisively and said: "Just follow what the queen mother said."
At this moment, the emperor's heart was both hostile and angry with the second princess. Such a good princess, if she stays in the palace obediently, how can such a thing happen! Now the city is full of troubles, she got pregnant before marriage, died of abortion, she really lost the face of the royal family!
What's even more shameless is that she was clearly not innocent, and after returning to the palace, she actually concealed it and didn't report it, and even tried to ask her father, the emperor, to marry Xiao Yi and marry Nangong Yue. If I had softened my heart for a moment that day and really let the second princess succeed, then Brother Yi must have a grudge against him from now on, maybe he thought he was deliberately humiliating the Zhennan Palace!
As soon as the queen mother heard the emperor's answer, she hurriedly called out: "Come here..."
The news in the palace spread quickly as if it had grown wings. The Queen Mother only gave the order, and Jingyang Palace got the news.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..." A servant entered the hall eagerly, saluted and said, "It's no good, the Empress Dowager has just issued a decree to move the coffin of the second princess out of the imperial mausoleum..."
"What?!" Concubine Zhang jumped up from the beauty's couch.
The third emperor clearly said yesterday that everything is going smoothly. The emperor already believes that the phenomenon of the Ziwei star is related to the second princess. He only needs to continue to plan in the court to achieve his wish. Why... What happened, why did the queen mother Would you make such a decree?!
A dignified princess was moved out of the imperial mausoleum after her death, and she was not given enshrinement. Could it be that she really became a lonely ghost
"Okay, why did the queen mother decree to move the second princess out of the imperial mausoleum... No, no, I will go to the emperor to make decisions..." Zhang Concubine rushed out with a pale face.
Zhang Bin just came out of the palace gate, and was immediately stopped by two servants.
The palace maid next to Zhang Concubine said sharply: "Bold! Who would stop your empress?!"
One of the servants said in a strange voice: "Miss Zhang, this slave is temporarily sealing Jingyang Palace according to the imperial concubine's order. No one in Jingyang Palace is allowed to go out. Please don't make things difficult for this slave!"
"Ma'am..."
The palace lady looked at Zhang Bin inquiringly, Zhang Bin was a little confused.
"How is this possible? The empress..." Concubine Zhang is not an idiot. First, the empress dowager ordered the coffin of the second princess to be moved out of the imperial mausoleum, and then the empress issued an order to seal her Jingyang Palace. There must be something she doesn't know What happened, otherwise the queen would never dare to give such an order at will.
Zhang Bin felt a sudden chill in her heart, she was at a loss for what to do for a while, and was forced to retreat step by step by the two servants.
"Mother and concubine..." At this moment, the third prince Han Lingfu rushed towards this side, but the two servants did not stop him, and the third prince followed Concubine Zhang into the Jingyang Palace.
"Emperor, have you heard? Your imperial sister has been moved out of the imperial mausoleum." As soon as she returned to the palace, Zhang Concubine grabbed Han Lingfu's wrist as if she had found a backbone, "Help me, imperial sister." , she, she..."
"Concubine Mother, the matter of the imperial sister is a foregone conclusion, so don't think about it anymore." Han Lingfu said helplessly.
"What do you mean by that?" Concubine Zhang screamed uncontrollably.
"Mother Concubine, I just got the news that the imperial sister didn't acclimatize and died suddenly. She, she had an abortion in private, and died of bleeding after taking the abortion pill!" Han Lingfu gritted his teeth almost every word.
Concubine Zhang was stunned, and said in disbelief: "How could your imperial sister do such a thing! Who deliberately poured dirty water on your imperial sister?!... No wonder your imperial sister will be moved out of the imperial mausoleum , It turns out that someone is spreading rumors and causing trouble!" Zhang Bin thought she was telling the truth, but it must be because someone was talking nonsense that the emperor and the queen mother were deceived.
"Emperor Zhang and Imperial Physician Wang who went to the Hunting Palace to treat the imperial sister have already admitted it!" Han Lingfu said wearily, "Even the gangster who defiled the imperial sister has been taken to the Yamen of Jingzhao Mansion... This is a child A little eunuch who was placed in Yongle Palace secretly inquired about it, otherwise my concubine would think that the Queen Mother would let Huangjie move out of the imperial tomb."
Concubine Zhang was chilled all over, and sat on the Arhat's bed weakly, muttering to herself with blank eyes: "...how could it be? How could it be like this?" She remembered the matter of the second princess leaving the palace privately before, Never expected that she would commit such a serious crime.
For a moment, Concubine Zhang didn't know whether to be distressed, or to be angry that she had lied to her.
"My concubine, didn't you notice something strange after the imperial sister came back that day?"
Concubine Zhang who was in a daze suddenly heard this, her eyes widened, and she raised her voice slightly: "My lord, are you blaming me?"
Concubine Zhang's sharp voice was harsh in Han Lingfu's ears. He took a deep breath, tried to calm himself down, and said, "Concubine Zhang, that's not what I mean. Please forgive me for my slip of the tongue." He pondered for a while, and then Said: "Mother, sister, once this matter happened, we were completely defeated. No matter what, we must not let uncle get involved again."
When talking about her natal family, Zhang Bin also calmed down, "Huanger, what do you mean..."
In a short period of time, Han Lingfu had already considered it properly, made a choice, and said: "It's just that I'm afraid I will wrong my uncle a little... Let uncle go to the confession first. The emperor should not pursue too much."
Han Lingfu was very irritable in his heart. He just felt that everything was not going well these days, and he didn't know what went wrong.
Today he made an appointment with Bai Muxiao, and he only hoped that Bai Muxiao's soft words could comfort him. Thinking of this, Han Lingfu didn't want to stay in Jingyang Palace for a moment, so he just said, "My son wants to deliver a letter to uncle, Mother and concubine stay in Jingyang Palace for a while, then left in a hurry.
Looking at the back of Han Lingfu leaving, Zhang Bin felt a chill in his heart.
For the first time, she felt that this Jingyang Palace was actually so big and so cold...
After Han Lingfu left the palace, he went directly to Taibai Restaurant. He had someone reserve a private seat on the third floor early in the morning, just waiting to see Bai Muxiao.
However, when he saw Bai Muxiao, what Han Lingfu waited for was not the soft words and soft jade he wanted, but questioning words, "Third prince. I heard the little girl mention today that Wangdu There are many rumors that the second princess lost her virginity when she was unmarried, what is going on? Why did it happen?!"
Han Lingfu felt a little relieved when he saw Bai Muxiao, but then he was startled suddenly, and blurted out: "What did you just say? How could there be such rumors in the capital..."
Bai Muxiao's tone was slightly reproachful, "I still want to ask His Highness, how did things turn out like this?"
Obviously they both agreed that day, the second princess was missing Xiao Yi, and her soul lingered in the world. Her various plans are also being hyped in this direction, but why did it evolve to the current situation
She lived in the back house of the Bai family, if she hadn't bought a shopping maid, she might have been kept in the dark until now!
It's just that it's groundless, and it may not be silent.
Bai Muxiao's eyes froze, and she suddenly asked: "Your Highness, tell me the truth, the second princess, she..."
Han Lingfu did not open a mansion, and lived in the deep palace for a long time, and no one dared to use such market rumors in front of him without authorization. It was only now that he realized that the rumors that were originally spread in the capital had turned into another version!
Second princess!
Han Lingfu clenched his fists tightly, thinking bitterly: His sister has already gone, and those street thugs are still talking about her innocence! It's unreasonable!
"Your Highness!"
Bai Muxiao's tone raised another point. Han Lingfu was already irritable in his heart, so he sat down, poured himself a cup of tea, drank it in one gulp, and said, "That's enough, don't bring this up again."
Bai Muxiao bit her lower lip. Although Han Lingfu didn't give a clear answer, but from his expression and demeanor, Bai Muxiao could tell that the rumors in the royal capital were probably true—Second Princess Really lost my virginity.
Therefore, such a bad situation has nothing to do with her plan at all. It's all because of the second princess! This is really Xiao He's success, and Xiao He's failure! The second princess is really muddy and can't support her, even if I want to help her, I can't.
Bai Muxiao sighed, shook her head in disappointment, sighed, and said: "Your Highness, you don't need to get angry with me, I just want to find out what went wrong with this matter... If you don't want to Just answer."
"You can't see what's wrong?!" Han Lingfu became more and more impatient, and blurted out, "In the end, if it weren't for you, the matter of Huang Jie would not have become a joke in the market, making Huang Jie restless! "
Bai Muxiao seemed to be struck by lightning, her face turned pale, and she looked at Han Lingfu in disbelief. She knew that Han Lingfu was in a bad mood, but no matter what, she shouldn't have said such things to her!
Doesn't he know that she is also heartbroken
Moreover, although she came up with the idea, he didn't object, did he? Now that something goes wrong, she is the only one to blame
He turned out to be such a person!
Bai Muxiao didn't want to stay here any longer, so she stood up suddenly, and strode out the door.
"Xiao'er, Xiao'er..." As soon as Han Lingfu said that, he immediately regretted it, and quickly stepped forward to grab Bai Muxiao, and admitted his mistake softly, "Xiao'er, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, I was just in a hurry. "
"Sometimes what people say in a moment of desperation is the truest reaction in the depths of their hearts." Bai Muxiao said coldly, "Your Royal Highness, you have a noble status, and I am a little girl with little knowledge. I shouldn't have made up my mind."
"Xiao'er, it's my fault, it's my fault, it's my indiscriminate words..." Han Lingfu hastily tried to comfort him again, "I know that everything you did was for me. Irritability..." He comforted Bai Muxiao with soft words, but a faint unhappiness welled up in his heart.
As an imposing prince, he has never been so humble. He has already apologized to her and admitted his mistake, so why is she still so persistent? He always thought that she knew the general idea and was not as pretentious as an ordinary woman...
While Han Lingfu was patiently trying to flatter and comfort Bai Muxiao, Nangong Yue, who was in the Zhennan Palace, was listening to Baihe's report, and she said in a bright voice: "... the coffin of the second princess has been taken away." They were ordered to move out of the Imperial Mausoleum, and even Concubine Zhang was banned in her own Jingyang Palace and not allowed to go out." Speaking of this, she became even more excited, and added, "They deserve it!"
Baihui on the side was farther ahead than she thought, "However, the Zhang family hasn't dealt with it yet."
The news from the palace was naturally delivered by Zhu Xing. While feeding Xiao Hui to eat raw meat, Nangong Yue said casually: "... the third prince has always been able to afford it. Since this matter is no longer possible, he will definitely do it." Order the Zhang family to stop, so as to appease the emperor."
Lily said indignantly: "Could it be so cheap that the Zhang family can't succeed?"
Nangong Yue teased Xiao Hui with the shredded meat, and said, "Unfortunately, even if the Zhang family wants to stop, it may be too late."
"Concubine Shizi." Lily's eyes lit up immediately, "...you must have an idea! What should I do next? This servant has convinced you this time, and you are that or something, with a clever plan!"
Nangong Yue smiled, but did not answer.
Nangong Yue knew in her heart that she was not a clever planner, and she was just pushing the boat with the current step by step.
If the second princess hadn't escaped from the palace privately because she was greedy for a married man, she wouldn't have been insulted and lost her innocence. After returning to the palace, if she hadn't continued to pursue poverty and still wanted to marry into the Zhennan Prince's Mansion to be a concubine with herself, she would not have been sent to the imperial mausoleum. She found out that she was pregnant in the imperial mausoleum, and she did not take medicine in private to have an abortion, let alone die of a blood collapse.
If Han Lingfu's mother and son and Zhang's family hadn't used the name of the second princess to plot privately again and again, the second princess would not have died without peace.
With all these things, Nangong Yue really didn't know what to say.
The deceased was gone, even if Nangong Yue knew that the second princess died of aborted blood, she didn't want to use it for anything, until she found out that the Zhang family was secretly planning something in the name of the second princess.
Nangong Yue has always believed in taking precautions before they happen, so she set up this situation.
Now that things have come to this, she doesn't believe that the Zhang family still has a chance to make a comeback!
-off topic-
Why do I want to see mother and child so much, true love against each other...