The reason why Tang Fan was impeached was because someone saw him entering and leaving Wang Zhi's house in the capital, and that night, Wang Zhi went to the East Palace to visit the prince.
Cabinet ministers and eunuchs had a close relationship, which was a taboo.
Regardless of whether there is a direct connection between the two, the coincidence of time is enough for people with ulterior motives to connect them, so the official's name for impeaching Tang Fan is also very clear, that is, watching the palace with ulterior motives.
According to the procedure, Tang Fan had to think about it behind closed doors at home, and could no longer go to the cabinet office, and then defend himself.
But I don't know what went wrong in the middle. His memorial did not reach the emperor, and the matter was postponed indefinitely, and Tang Fan did not get a reply from the emperor, so he had to stay at home all the time, and the return date was uncertain.
This is really a funny thing. It's not that Liu Jian and Xu Pu have not gone to the first assistant, Wan An, and asked him to intercede for Tang Fan. Wan An agreed on the surface, but did they actually go to the emperor? , No one knows, anyway, if the emperor doesn't speak for a day, Tang Fan will not be able to return to the cabinet for a day.
Liu Jian, Xu Pu and others obviously saw Wan An's perfunctory behavior, so they went straight to the emperor, wanting to ask in person, but they were told that the emperor's dragon was ill and no one was there.
At this point, Tang Fan didn't know that his side's every move was being watched secretly.
As a last resort, in order to avoid suspicion, the contact between him and Wang Zhi was forced to be interrupted.
Wang Zhiyuan also hoped that Tang Fan would help him solve his doubts, but unexpectedly, Wan Dang started to attack first and cut off his foreign aid directly.
In order to avoid suspicion, Tang Fan could no longer contact him for the time being. Of course, if he had to contact him, it was not impossible, but in this way, it would undoubtedly be easy to teach others the tricks and put Tang Fan in danger.
Although Wang Zhi is not a saint who repays his grievances with virtue, he can't do anything to implicate his friends.
Now it's up to him.
Shang Baojian's life is far more leisurely than serving the emperor, but Wang Zhi can't go to the East Palace frequently to visit the prince. He must know that his duties are not much related to the East Palace. If he always goes in and out of the East Palace, he will easily fall into In the eyes of people with a heart, it causes trouble.
He needs to find a breakthrough elsewhere.
Wang Zhi very much hoped that the news that Tang Fan passed on to him was wrong, and the prince was fine.
But then, what Wandang did would seem strange.
Because it was Concubine Wan's idea to ask the prince to pray on behalf of the emperor, and now instructing the official to impeach Tang Fan, the shadow of Wan Dang is faintly visible behind it.
If there is no conspiracy, why does Wandang go to great pains to do so many things
But if we want to talk about conspiracy, could it be that the heavy rain caused the prince to gonorrhea, which was something that Wan Dang could have calculated in advance
If they are bold enough to exchange the prince, where will the opportunity come from
He still remembered that in order to prevent accidents on the way the prince went to the sacrifice in person to pray for blessings, he and Tang Fan and others had pre-estimated what might happen to the prince on the way.
They finally found that the most dangerous possibility was during the time when the prince entered the Chongzhen Longevity Palace.
Because then only the prince will stay in the quiet room alone. If someone is already lurking inside and taking the opportunity to assassinate, no one can guard against it.
In view of this, on the eve of the Prince's departure, Sui Zhou led someone to search the inside and outside of the quiet room, confirming that it was impossible to hide people there and that there was no secret room.
In addition, the prince was accompanied by someone throughout the whole process. Under the watchful eyes of the public, it was impossible for the prince to be replaced.
When Wang Zhi thought of this, he remembered something Tang Fanping said every day.
There will never be a perfect person or thing in this world. The so-called perfection is probably just the flaws that we have not paid attention to.
Wang Zhi tried to imitate Tang Fan's thinking to restore everything that happened that day.
Then he thought of a key point.
A key that has probably been overlooked by all.
carriage.
Yes, the carriage.
When everyone's attention is focused on the most likely dangers and vulnerabilities, another danger is ignored.
After the prince left the palace, apart from being in the quiet room, the only chance to be alone was on the carriage, which was even longer than the time he spent in the palace.
The convoy was mighty, and the movement was not small. If something happened in the carriage and the sound could be controlled, it would most likely not be discovered.
What's more, the carriage was specially made to imitate the emperor's car on the eve of the prince's departure from the palace. Before that, there was no horse-drawn carriage specially designed for the prince to go out of the palace.
Thinking of this, Wang Zhi couldn't sit still. He directly found his cronies, who was a small leader of the palace supervisor, and he usually did the chores of distributing and sweeping.
"You go to the supervisor, try to find the car that the prince used to leave the palace that day, and check whether there is any abnormality." He said to the other party.
"What do the ancestors want to check?" The man didn't know why. "The prince's carriage has been used for a long time. I don't know when the prince will leave the palace next time. According to the apprentice, I am afraid that the carriage has been dismantled long ago."
Wang Zhi didn't expect this, and when he heard the words, he was stunned: "Can you still find the parts?"
The man smiled apologetically and said, "Yes, yes, but those wheels, carriages, etc. must have been put into the warehouse of the supervisor. Which one the ancestor wants to check, you can tell the apprentice, so that the apprentice can have a good idea."
Wang Zhi said, "Go and see if the carriage has a place to hide people or something."
The man was dumbfounded: "Huh?"
Wang Zhidao: "This is a big matter, you must not talk about it outside, otherwise you and I will not be able to end well, understand?"
The man nodded again and again and walked away.
Today is the ninth day of the first lunar month, an unusual day.
On the almanac, it is written: Everything is inappropriate.
This is the fourth day of Tang Fan's impeachment. He is idle at home. Based on Wang Zhi's understanding of him, this person is probably happy to take the opportunity to be lazy at home.
The crown prince's condition was still lingering and intermittent, neither serious nor fully recovered. The imperial doctor's words were still vague, which was their usual style.
Since the official leave system in Daming is different from the previous dynasties, the official holiday does not go directly from the Spring Festival to the Lantern Festival, and has to come back to be on duty in the middle, so today is also the day when the yamen works.
Since the emperor had been sick for many days, all affairs were decided by the cabinet. At this time, the cabinet ministers should be busy reviewing official letters sent from various places in their respective duty rooms.
Of course, they may also be in a meeting, but Liu Jian and Peng Huayinzhi will always have disputes because of disagreements. Without Tang Fan present, Liu Jian and the others are even more disadvantaged.
This seems to be no different from other days. Perhaps because the smell of the new year has not completely dissipated, the joy on the faces of the palace people has not subsided. Even the clothes seem to be much brighter than usual, and the headbands that tie their hair are brand new. The smell of spring is everywhere.
The cronies who helped him go to the department supervisor to inquire about the news have not yet returned, but for some reason, Wang Zhi always felt a little uneasy.
This unease comes from his intuition that he has been immersed in the ups and downs in the palace for many years.
As if something was about to happen.
Is it a good thing or a bad thing
Wang Zhi looked up at the sky.
The sky is boundless blue, the clouds are rolling and the clouds are smooth, the cold of winter gradually passed, and even the geese began to appear, passing over the head, leaving a long geese chirping, lingering in the ears.
Although he was only in his twenties, and he had only returned to the palace for a few years, he felt that his life in the desert was like a previous life.
He grew up in the palace since he was a child, but he was not used to the palace. Even though the palace here was majestic and magnificent, in Wang Zhi's eyes, it was not as pleasant as the scenery outside.
If he had a choice, he would naturally not be willing to come back.
Wang Zhizheng walked along the long palace road, followed by two small yellow gates.
This is the direction to Renshou Palace. He is going to see the queen mother, so that he can find someone to meet the prince through the queen mother's mouth.
Because of the slight unease in his heart, he quickened his pace, and the two little Huangmen behind him almost couldn't keep up, and they were sweating profusely.
Suddenly, the figures of several palace servants rushed out from the corner in front of them. They ran towards Wang Zhi with pale faces and hurried footsteps. Seeing that they passed by Wang Zhi and others, they turned a blind eye to him.
Wang Zhi recognized them. These people were all maids and eunuchs of Zhaode Palace, who were responsible for serving Concubine Wan.
To be able to make them panic like this, there is no doubt that something big has happened.
He grabbed a palace maid who ran past him and asked, "What happened?"
The palace maid seemed to notice Wang Zhi only then, she looked like she was about to cry: "Wang, Eunuch Wang..."
"What happened, why are you so panicked?" Wang Zhi was even more impatient than she was.
The palace maid's companion had already rushed forward, and didn't notice anyone was left behind. She panted and said, "Concubine, something happened to Concubine..."
"What happened?" Wang Zhi was startled, but his face remained silent.
The palace maid stammered: "Previously, your majesty had been fortunate to a palace maid in Zhaode Palace. After the empress found out, she was furious and called the maid over to reprimand her. As a result, I suddenly fainted..."
This is indeed something that Concubine Wan would do.
Wang Zhi stayed by her side for several years, and no one knew better than him what Concubine Wan was like.
Half of her tyrannical temperament was born, and the other half was favored by the emperor.
Although Concubine Wan no longer forbids women in the harem to give birth to dragon heirs, if she finds out, the other party will inevitably be scolded and reprimanded, not to mention that the concubine still talks back in front of her. With the character of Concubine Wan, how can she not be agitated? Furious
It would not be difficult to understand if Concubine Wan fainted because of her anger.
Before, her health was not very good, and she would occasionally suffer from heart problems and sometimes dizziness, but she didn't need to be bedridden like an emperor on weekdays, so she looked better.
If Tang Fan was here, he would definitely care about the fate of the palace maid who angered the imperial concubine, but Wang Zhi has seen this kind of thing so much that after hearing it, he wouldn't take it to heart at all. What he cares more about is Another thing.
Is there anything wrong with the princess
Thinking of this, he let go of the palace maid and let her run after his companion with tears on her face—of course she was not worried about Concubine Wan, but about her own destiny.
Wang Zhi stopped and did not continue to walk forward. He asked Xiao Huangmen, who was following him, to go directly to Zhaode Palace to inquire about the news, while he turned into a palace next to him where the sundries were piled up.
"Aren't you curious why I brought you here?" Wang Zhi asked another Xiao Huangmen who was following him.
The other party's name is Wen Sheng, who has been in the palace for many years and is a few years younger than Wang Zhi.
Wen Sheng was silent for a moment: "Wang Gong always has a reason to do things."
His taciturnity is actually clumsy with words, but in the palace it is best to avoid being talkative. What Wang Zhi likes is his taciturnity and loyalty.
Wang glanced at him bluntly, just as he was about to teach a lesson, the little Huangmen Wenyuan, who he sent to Zhaode Palace to inquire about the news, had already returned.
After going back and forth, the face of the other party became very ugly, and it was almost comparable to the few palace servants just now.
Seeing his expression, Wang Zhi's heart sank, and he immediately threw out the words of Wen Sheng's lesson.
"how?"
"Concubine, Concubine..." The other party's tongue was even a little knotted, and it took a long time to smooth it. "The imperial concubine died!"
Wen Sheng's face changed greatly, and he couldn't help but glance at Wang Zhi.
Wen Sheng immediately admired it when he looked at it.
Because Wang Zhi not only kept his face unchanged, but even his voice was calm: "Are you sure?"
In fact, after hearing the news just now, Wang Zhi had already anticipated and prepared in his heart, so he was not too surprised.
Wen Yuan hurriedly said: "It should be correct! There is a lot of crying in Zhaode Palace now, and the little ones dare not approach for fear of attracting attention, so they can only secretly find a few people to inquire about news, and they all say that there is no breath."
Wang Zhi: "Has the imperial doctor passed by?"
Wen Yuan: "Not yet, but it's been so long..."
He didn't go on, but the meaning was obvious. It's been so long, even if the imperial doctor rushed over, he probably wouldn't be able to rescue him.
Wang Zhi listened, his face sinking like water, and he didn't say a word.
Wen Yuan and Wen Sheng looked at each other, not daring to disturb his thoughts.
For Wang Zhi, Concubine Wan had the grace of knowing and being promoted to him, and he was shocked by the sudden death of the other party. If there was no sadness at all, it would be false.
But the sadness is fleeting, and what Wang Zhi has to face is more and more serious problems.
In the harem, the death of a concubine is very common, and if she is not the queen, it will not make any waves.
However, although Concubine Wan is not the queen, her status is better than that of the queen. She did not directly intervene in the government, but the influence of the Wan Party is everywhere.
Although the Wan Party has power and power, they do not have the ability and conditions to rebel. Since the Ming Dynasty, there has never been a case of ministers rebelling.
Their domineering comes from the connivance of the Son of Heaven.
And the reason why the Son of Heaven indulges them, in the final analysis, is to love Wu and Wu, and it is in the face of Concubine Wan.
Although today's son indulges them, in the final analysis, Wan Dang's reliance only comes from Wan Guifei.
Without Wan Guifei, their arrogant capital will no longer exist, like a palace built with ice and snow, which melts at sunrise.
It is conceivable that with the death of Concubine Wan, many people who were oppressed by the Wan Party and dared not speak out will take the opportunity to take the opportunity to take grievances, take revenge, and scatter the trees. It will fall apart soon.
But the people of Wandang are not idiots. Who is willing to hand over the power already in their hands, and who is willing to sit still
They are bound to fight back, or even strike first.
Once the news of Concubine Wan's death spreads, it will surely cause internal and external unrest, and all parties are ready to move.
This day is going to change.
After Wang Zhi heard the news, he didn't stop for a moment, and immediately walked in the opposite direction of Zhaode Palace.
"Wang Gong, where are we going now?" Wen Yuan asked.
"East Palace!" Wang Zhi didn't look back.
After Tang Fan was impeached earlier, Wang Zhi felt that it would be easy to start a panic if he went to the East Palace, but now he has changed his mind.
When Concubine Wan dies, Wan Dang must be in a hurry. If there is something abnormal about the prince, this is the best time to expose the truth!
The East Palace didn't even know the news of Concubine Wan Gui's passing away. The crown prince could not afford to be ill, and he had not invited the master to come to study for several days.
Because of the Lord's illness, the people in the small palace did not even dare to speak loudly, for fear of disturbing the sick prince.
Wang Zhifeng's arrival caught everyone off guard.
When Cui Yong next to the prince heard the news, he hurriedly greeted him: "Hello, Mr. Wang, are you... ?"
Wang Zhi didn't have time to chat with him, so he immediately asked, "Where's His Royal Highness?"
Perhaps because he was too aggressive, Cui Yong didn't dare to hide it: "Your Highness is resting inside, I'll go ahead and give it to you..."
Before he could finish speaking, Wang Zhi had already pushed him away and rushed in.
Cui Yong was shocked, and saw Wang Diao striding to the couch of the prince, and said to the prince, who was half lying on the bed reading, "Your Highness, I'm rude!"
Under the surprised look of the prince, he grabbed his left wrist and looked down at it.
With the bright light coming in from outside the hall, Wang Zhi was able to clearly see the skin texture on the palm of the prince's left hand, including the very faint traces of old wounds on his little finger that couldn't be found without looking closely.
The scars are there!
Wang Zhi couldn't say whether he should breathe a sigh of relief, or was angry with Tang Fan for being unreliable.
At this time, Cui Yong had already snatched it up, and he pushed Wang Zhi away, protecting the prince with a protective attitude: "Wang Zhi, you are so bold!"
Wang Zhi naturally didn't let him push him, and when Cui Yong got started, he took the initiative to avoid it.
"Please forgive me for my abrupt crime, Your Highness." Wang Zhi cupped his hands, and before the Prince asked any questions, he repeated what Tang Fan had asked him to investigate.
The prince didn't get angry after hearing this, but just laughed: "Could it be that Tang Ge always suspects that I have been ripped off?"
Cui Yong's expression also relaxed: "Eunuch Wang's joke this time is too big. I follow His Highness all day long. Is His Highness true, can't I still notice it?"
Wang Zhi shook his head with a solemn expression: "I'd rather be joking, but Tang Fan has always been a person who can be entrusted with important things. He would say this, and he must have proof. If such a thing happened, the consequences would be disastrous. , that's why I risked my death to find the truth."
Having said that, his eyes are still fixed on each other, as if he will not give up the idea of finding flaws.
The prince looked calm and did not show any panic because of Wang Zhi's words. Instead, he took the initiative to say: "In this case, Eunuch Wang may wish to test me. You and I have known each other for several years, and only the other side knows something about each other. Yes, it is absolutely impossible to know all of them.”
Wang Zhi also made sense when he heard it, so he asked, "When Wynn recommended his ministers to His Highness that day, he said something, does His Highness still remember?"
The prince thought for a while and said, "I can't remember them all, but Wynn's general idea is that you are strong in martial arts and have a relationship with Concubine Wan. If I accidentally offend Concubine Wan, I can ask Eunuch Wang to act on her behalf. Turn around."
Wang Zhi was noncommittal, and asked again, "Wynn once commented on Tang Fan's character in one sentence, does His Highness still remember?"
This time, the crown prince didn't need to think about it, he opened his mouth and said, "Although he is a civil servant, he is loyal to his liver, righteousness, and righteous shoulders.
Now Wang Zhi has no doubts.
Because when Wynn said these words that day, only the prince was present with him. Even if someone pretended to be the prince and pretended to be lifelike, it would be impossible to learn these words one by one.
Wang Zhi heaved a sigh of relief: "Thank you, Your Highness, for clarifying the doubts. This minister is reckless. Please forgive me."
The prince said: "You and Tang Ge are doing everything for me. I am not grateful enough, how can I blame it? It's just that I was lingering on the bed today, and just heard Cui Yong say that Tang Ge was driven home. Is there any such thing? What can I do to help him, how about going to the father and emperor?"
Wang Zhi said, "I'm afraid Your Majesty won't have time to see you now."
The prince was taken aback: "Why?"
Wang Zhi said slowly: "Because just now, Concubine Wan passed away."
The Crown Prince and Cui Yong both snorted and were stunned.
Before they could react, someone from the East Palace came to report the news of Concubine Wan Gui's passing away.
This incident came too suddenly, not to mention the prince, even Wan Dang probably wasn't mentally prepared at all.
In everyone's imagination, if someone were to die prematurely due to illness, that person must be the emperor who was always sick, not the more healthy Concubine Wan.
The reason why Concubine Wan went to great lengths to abolish the crown prince was that after the emperor a hundred years later, she would be able to become the queen mother.
In the end, the emperor was still alive and well, and the prince was still alive and well, but the one who always wanted to take everything in his hands took the first step.
Nothing is more impermanent and absurd than this.
At this time, the palace must be troubled. Wang Zhi has no time to care about the prince's reaction. After confirming that the prince is not a fake, he hurriedly left the East Palace and returned to Shangbaojian.
Xiao Huangmen, who had gone to the Si Shejian to inquire about the news under his order, also returned, and he told Wang Zhi a very important message: there was indeed a problem with the car that was taken by the prince to Chongzhen Longevity Palace.
The problem is that there is an extra four or five feet square bottom slot under the car, which is big enough for the next person to curl up in it.
Wang Zhi, who originally thought that Tang Fan was looking for trouble, didn't have time to let go of the big stone in his heart, but was swayed by this news again.
The author has something to say:
small theater:
Wang Zhi: Hahahahaha! After waiting for so many chapters, it's finally time for Lao Tzu's special session! See how I kill the Quartet, domineering, sideways, hugs, hugs, and finally reach the pinnacle of life!
Suizhou: Why did the eunuch hug from left to right
Wang Zhi (squinting): Are you laughing at me
Sui Zhou (face expressionless): No, I'm just reminding you.
Wang Zhi: I hold Tang Mao Mao on the left and Tang Mao Mao on the right.
Suizhou: I asked about my embroidered spring knife first.
Wang Zhi: Oh, are you afraid of you? If I don't beat you down today, I won't be named Wang! (rolls up sleeves)
Suizhou: What's your last name? Meow? Roar? quack? what? grumble
Wang Zhi: Mother, how did you write such a person!