Due to Xiao Yu's voluntary confession, an old case that had been discussed and suspected for three years quickly came to light.
Not only the government and the opposition were shocked, but even the common people were talking about it.
The prince of the dignified East Palace had the intention of killing his father and murdering the monarch. In order to cover up all this, he did not hesitate to frame a loyal and sincere subject. What is even more absurd is that after the incident, he married the other party's daughter as if nothing had happened, and even got a benevolent and righteous one. good reputation!
While everyone was stunned and contemptuous, they had some sympathy for the past crown princess and the current queen, but instead diluted the ambiguous speculation in the past.
A beautiful woman from a famous family is already eye-catching, and her fate is so ill-fated, it has become more and more the object of common people's talk after dinner.
After the three divisions closed the case, Xiao Kezhi personally reviewed the case file, which not only restored Chu Qianyu's innocence, but also, according to the usual practice, posthumously named him the Duke of the State and his wife was the Lady of the State.
As an empress, Chu Ning finally ceased to be the daughter of a criminal minister, and returned to being the noble daughter of the previous noble family, and her identity no longer had to be criticized.
In prison, Xiao Yu committed a lot of crimes and was punished for several crimes. However, he was already frail and sickly, and now he is desperate. Before waiting for the execution day, he couldn't support it at night, vomited blood and died.
Xu Rong on the other side seemed to feel something, and two days later, he was also whimpering in the cell.
According to the guards in the prison, he was old and frail. He lay on the low couch in the dead of night and died silently. When he was found the next day, he was completely cold. The hair crown is not messy at all, just as it was before his death.
As for Zhao Yu'e, Nian confessed his guilt at the last moment. During the interrogation, he explained it very clearly. In the end, he was not sentenced to death, only his status was reduced, and he was sentenced to exile and hard labor. The same goes for his brother Zhao Lun.
When the news reached the Tai Chi Palace, Chu Ning sighed for a while, but his heart slowly relaxed.
"It's all over." She smiled at Cui He, and the two walked in the direction of the sixth round together.
Over the past few days, she has roughly read the archives of the six bureaus, and has also called the female officials to ask questions. She has gradually become familiar with the general affairs of the palace, and she has become more and more comfortable with it.
Now that the beginning of the month is approaching, and the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, there will be a banquet in the palace, and there are a lot of things. She personally presides over it, and she is always very busy during the day.
Since knowing the truth, she has imagined in her mind countless times, what will happen when she wishes one day. Maybe weeping, maybe laughing, maybe calm.
But when it really came to this time, it was unexpected. In addition to comfort, it was more of a sense of loss.
Fortunately, she has regained the focus of her life and will not lose her direction because of her wish.
"Yes." Cui He followed her, straightened her back, showed a relaxed smile, and said heartily, "His Royal Highness just look forward."
The two went to Ye Ting Palace to have a look, asked some questions, and checked the progress of the banquet preparations. It was not until evening that they completed all the affairs and returned to the Nectar Palace.
When passing by the place where the servants and maids worked, Chu Ning kept his mind, stopped deliberately, and asked a few more questions.
"Who is in charge of the palace maids here? How many people are there? How are the daily arrangements?"
The female officer in charge hurried forward and answered them one by one, making the matter simple and clear, but at the end she was afraid that something might happen, and asked, "Is there any order from Your Highness?"
Chu Ning smiled, shook his head and said, "But I suddenly remembered something, so I just asked casually."
Saying that, she went in to have a look, picked a few people over and asked a few questions, and left after she knew it.
Cui He didn't know why, and when he arrived at the Ganlu Palace, he asked, "Your Highness suddenly cares about the palace maids in Ye Ting, but what are your plans?"
Chu Ning changed the dress he was wearing outside, wiped his face with a towel, nodded while drinking tea, and said, "Yes, I heard from my aunt earlier that the queen mother wanted to read and read at home, but she never had the chance. I want to go in and see."
She knew that women from commoner backgrounds entered the palace as palace maids, and they were completely inferior to the women of the official family. They could read and read, and were promoted to female officials, but their talents were not necessarily inferior to others, but they were missing an opportunity.
"Among them, they should be like the empress dowagers. They have the heart to study, but they are trapped in their backgrounds. I just asked a few of them, and one of them said that they are willing to learn mathematics. I think if there is a chance, they should help They can also choose more talents for the palace."
Cui He didn't expect that she was thinking about this: "It's naturally good for His Highness to think so!"
She is a slave herself. Because she was born in the Chu family, she has the opportunity to read and write, and the governor is well-mannered. She lives better than ordinary people's homes. In the face of other ordinary women, she naturally hopes that they will have the opportunity to see a wider world. world.
"I'll mention it to Your Majesty tonight." Chu Ning has been thinking about this for a long time, and now that the case is over, it's time to do something, "Cui He, the female officials of the Sixth Bureau have their own positions, if I want to To do this, you will have to open a school for the maids in the palace to teach them literacy, math, and women's red, etc., you need to have a special person in charge, are you willing to take on this role?"
She and Cui He have been with each other for many years, and they know each other's temperament very well. She knew that Cuihe was an assertive and courageous person. If Cuihe was an ordinary maid all her life, although Cuihe would not be unwilling, she would feel guilty. Now that she has the opportunity, she can teach Cuihe how to use it. .
Cui He was stunned for a moment, looked at her for a moment, and then nodded hesitantly: "I - this servant is naturally willing, and I will never fail His Highness's trust!"
She understands that this is an opportunity for herself, and while she is happy, she also feels that she has a long way to go.
…
At night, after Xiao Kezhi inspected from outside the city, it was late to rush back to Ganlu Palace.
Chu Ning had already eaten dinner, but the flax cakes and mutton soup for him were still warm by the stove. When he saw him coming back, he had someone put it on the table, and he personally took off his robe and handed him a hand towel. Go over and wipe his face.
He took it with a smile, and while wiping it, he couldn't help but hug her and kiss her twice.
Chu Ning smiled and touched his chin, which had a little stubble, and shrank his head and pushed him: "It hurts me!"
Not only did he not back away when he heard the words, but he rubbed her neck intensified, and said in a low voice, "But it has grown out without repairing it for two days. An Ning can help me with this, okay?"
Chu Ning pulled him to sit next to the food table and let him eat first: "Okay, I'll take care of it for His Majesty in a while."
Hearing this, the speed at which he chewed the flax cakes also accelerated, but after a while, he swallowed the two cakes into his stomach with the soup.
The waiter had prepared the knife, towel, hot water, etc. Chu Ning simply asked him to lie down on his back and put his pillow on his lap. He first dipped a towel in the hot water, warmed and softened the beard on his chin, and then put it on his back. Scrape it carefully with a knife.
Where the knife crossed, the green stubble of the beard that appeared, was taken away one after another and returned to level.
Xiao Kezhi felt contented for a while. Although he was lying on his back, he refused to close his eyes. He just stared at Chu Ning's focused and careful face, and couldn't help but raise the corners of his lips.
"Don't move!" Chu Ning was startled, and the knife in his hand quickly moved away, for fear that it would cut his cheek, "I almost cut it."
Only then did Xiao Kezhi regain his senses.
Strange to say, he used to be a stern person, but when he was in front of her, he seemed to have taken off some disguise, and he couldn't help showing a relaxed smile.
After a while, Chu Ning put down the knife, covered him with a towel, and then smeared a thin layer of facial grease to complete it.
"Okay, look at your majesty, how's it going?"
One of Xiao Ke's bones got up, looked at the bronze mirror left and right, and said with satisfaction: "An Ning's craftsmanship is naturally good, even better than myself!"
Chu Ning covered her lips and smiled, raising her head proudly: "That's natural, Your Majesty is not as patient as me."
"Yes, I should reward your patience well..."
Saying that, he simply pulled her into his arms and rubbed her neck with his smooth lower jaw.
"Your Majesty - don't, I still have something to say!" Chu Ning felt the change in his movements, giggled and avoided, "I went to Ye Ting today."
Xiao Kezhi glanced at Shi Chen and knew that she did have something to say, and it happened that he also had something to say, so he stopped and asked, "What did you do?"
"I met the handyman there and asked a few more questions."
She said what Mrs. Xu had said before, together with the plan in her heart.
"I want to set up a school in the palace to teach these ladies of common origin to read, read, and learn skills. If there are outstanding people, they can be promoted like those women from everyone's background and become female officials. Your Majesty What do you think?"
Xiao Kezhi listened carefully. At this time, he couldn't help sitting up straight, took her hand, and said, "I think it's very good. I never thought about this, but you paid attention."
His impression of his mother was before the age of twelve. At that time, although he remembered that his mother seemed to love reading, he never thought about it, but she paid attention and came up with such a method.
"I am in the court now, and I am gradually promoting some insightful people from a poor family. Although I want to do it slowly, I have made some progress. You can do this in the palace, which is also in line with my opinion. It's really good to set an example for the world."
He said, with a touch of emotion in his eyes: "If my mother could see this matter in the spirit of heaven, she would definitely agree with it. When she was in the palace, she didn't have the opportunity to study well. You can be considered for her. I have fulfilled my original wish, Aning, I am very grateful."
She knew that he understood his intentions: "Aning wants to do his best for His Majesty. Now that we are married, His Majesty's mother is also my mother. Even if he is gone, I know that His Majesty still misses him."
"Yeah, I miss you, you understand..."
He sighed softly, pushed out the window to look at the stars in the sky, and whispered in his heart to his mother, who had been dead for many years.
She reached out and hugged him gently, pressing her face against his chest.
The two were silent for a moment, and he whispered: "I also have something to tell you. Aning, on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, I plan to hold your canonization ceremony, okay?"
"Canonization Ceremony?" Chu Ning was stunned for a moment, then raised his head to look at him, "But, but my robes and accessories are not ready yet—"
"You don't have to be busy with this. I have already asked the people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to do it. After two days, I will send it to you to try it on." He had been thinking about this for a long time, as early as when she was connected to the Tai Chi Palace. , I have already thought of this day, "On that day, the Mid-Autumn Festival will be celebrated in the whole world, and then the canonization ceremony will be held to let the people all over the world celebrate this matter. At the banquet at night, there are also hundreds of officials to celebrate for you."
"Besides, the Mid-Autumn Festival means reunion. When we are together, we will have a family, and we will ask for a good omen."
Chu Ning heard that he was so eloquent, and knew that he had already thought about it: "Then listen to Your Majesty, I will just arrange the banquet, and leave the rest to Your Majesty."