On the twenty-seventh day of the first lunar month, there was an endless battle in the court over who to send to govern the Japanese pirates. Everyone can see that this is a sure-win war, so the various parties are fighting fiercely, and everyone wants to take a share of the war.
The previous dynasties fought openly and secretly, but the emperor did not show favor to either side. After the court disbanded, he dealt with memorials as usual, and when he was tired, he came to the harem to rest. Today, he was fortunate to be Concubine Cao Duan. After listening to the officials shouting about the day's war, the emperor was upset and just wanted to find a relaxing place to rest.
Concubine Cao Duan is gentle and lively, with a lot of witty words, which is very popular with the emperor, and the eldest princess is also eight months old, which is the cutest time for children. Although the emperor has three princes, but the prince is involved in the establishment of the heir. No matter what the character of the three concubines were, they became profitable after giving birth to the prince, and every word was carefully calculated. Therefore, the emperor did not like to go to the palaces of Concubine Zhao, Concubine Kang, and Concubine Jing.
Some active-minded old people in the palace saw this situation and ran to Duanfei Palace more and more diligently. Concubine Cao Duan was favored at a young age, and the eldest princess tied the emperor's heart, and it was only a matter of time before she became pregnant.
Concubine Duan was young and healthy, so she might give birth to a prince next time. Although there are three elder brothers on the fourth prince, all of them are neither the direct descendant nor the elder. Who can be established as the prince depends on whose biological mother is more favored. At this point, before Concubine Duan's son was born, he had already taken the lead.
The people from Yikun Palace picked them up familiarly, and Concubine Cao Duan and the emperor went to see the eldest princess together. Afterwards, Concubine Cao Duan and the emperor returned to the main hall to be alone. Concubine Duan was charming and beautiful, gentle and smiling, but she had a lively temperament when they got along, and she always had a lot of witticisms to tell the emperor.
Most of the officials in the court are in their forties and fifties, and there are very few young people that the emperor can get in touch with, so he doesn't like dignified and lifeless women. Hasn't he listened enough to the sermons of the cabinet ministers? Concubine Cao Duan's lively and interesting character was deeply liked by the emperor. He didn't need to think too much, just listen and relax.
Being alone late at night, the emperor quickly got up and undressed with Concubine Cao Duan. After the cloud and rain, the emperor fell asleep with satisfaction. After the emperor fell asleep, Concubine Cao Duan quietly got out of bed and went to the side hall to bathe and change clothes.
The palace people followed to wait on Concubine Cao Duan to take a bath, but no one noticed that a dozen palace maids walked into the bedroom. Even if others see it, they won't care, maids, it's normal to wait in the bedroom, what else can they do other than climbing the bed
Therefore, no one ever noticed that after those palace maids approached the bed of the palace, they pulled out a rope. The other palace maids were a little scared, and quietly pulled the sleeves of the person in front: "Sister Yang, this is the emperor, do we really want this?"
"Of course, we've already agreed." A woman with thick eyebrows, big eyes, square face and high cheeks stood at the head. It was she who held the rope in her hand and said firmly, "We have to collect dew before dawn, and we are so tired. I can't sleep all day, and I have to be toyed with by those Taoists and fed a mess of medicinal pills. You forgot how Sister Xiumiao died? If we don't start, we will die in his hands sooner or later."
The emperor believed, listened to the words of the Taoist family, sucked the wind and drank the dew, collected the dew drops before the sun rose to make drinks, and completely delegated the authority to Tao Zhongwen, and let the Taoist priest make elixir for him.
Tao Zhongwen's elixir needs to use the menstrual blood of the virgin, and finding a woman in the folk cannot guarantee purity, so this glorious task is handed over to the show girl in the palace. These maids have to brave the cold to find dew, and also to collect menstrual blood for Taoist priests. Women's menstrual periods are different. For convenience, Taoist priests use medicinal pills to adjust the date of the maids' monthly appointments, so that they can send monthly letters together at the specified time.
Taoist priests are much more convenient, but many palace maids suffer from irregular menstruation and weak health, unable to support the dew collection work at all. In order to keep these girls pure, Tao Zhongwen does not allow them to eat meat and grains, and only allows them to eat very few vegetables every day.
Many palace maids were tortured to death. Yang Jinying and others watched their seniors being carried out one by one. They were uneasy, knowing that they would die sooner or later if this continued, so they took the risk and wanted to kill the emperor. In this way, no one would force them to collect dew and concoct pills again.
Encouraged by Yang Jinying, the remaining fifteen palace maids gathered up their courage and walked towards the emperor behind the bed tent. They climbed into the bed, some held the emperor's upper body, some held the emperor's arm, and Yang Jinying knotted the rope and put it around the emperor's neck. Yang Jinying said that she was not afraid, but her body was still trembling when she started.
This group of palace maids committed the murder all on the spur of the moment. They had neither plan nor experience. The maids who pulled the rope did not push hard in one place, while Yang Jinying tied the rope into a dead knot just now in tension. The emperor was not strangled to death, but woken up. The maids became more and more afraid, and at this time the rope was stuck in a dead knot and could not be tightened any more. The maids panicked and had to pull out the hairpins and hairpins on their heads, without even looking, and stabbed the emperor indiscriminately.
But their attacks were incoherent, and none of them landed on the point. The palace maid Zhang Jinlian saw that the emperor could not be killed, and thought to herself, is this the blessing of the real dragon? She was completely panicked and didn't dare to look directly at Long Yan again.
Yang Jinying called Zhang Jinlian from behind several times, but Zhang Jinlian didn't look back and ran away like crazy. There were 16 palace maids in total, and even if there was one person missing, they would still have an absolute advantage in power. But Zhang Jinlian's departure was like a heavy hammer, and the already shaky alliance of the palace maids broke up in an instant. The two palace maids who tied the rope kept shaking, and suddenly fell to the ground with their legs soft, and the noose suddenly loosened.
Yang Jinying whispered and they continued to exert their strength, but this time, no matter how Yang Jinying scolded, the palace maids couldn't stand up. Yang Jinying took the rope and wanted to continue her efforts to kill the emperor, but her hands kept shaking and she couldn't use any strength.
At this time, the panicked shouts of the steward came from outside, and there were also voices such as "rescue the driver" and "the queen". Yang Jinying's body trembled fiercely and fell to the ground, the rope in her hand slumped helplessly to the edge of the bed.
The first thought in her mind was, it's over, she can't live.
·
Jin Yiwei, who was on duty at the palace gate, was very frightened when he heard the eunuch's message, and rushed all the way to Lu Mansion. He knocked on Lu Heng's door overnight. When Lu Heng heard that someone had murdered the emperor, his face changed greatly, and he took the knife and left without a word.
He entered the palace with the fastest speed. At this moment, the Forbidden City was pitch-dark, but the air was full of turmoil. Lu Heng quickly rushed into the Yikun Palace. The Yikun Palace was already full of people. Lu Heng swept it roughly and saw many people from Queen Fang.
According to the informant, the palace maid Yang Jinying and other 16 people tried to kill the monarch, but they did not succeed when they tied the rope to a dead end. When the accomplice Zhang Jinlian saw that the assassination had failed, he ran to Queen Fang to report. Empress Fang hurried to Yikun Palace and rescued the dying emperor.
Lu Heng entered the hall with a sullen face. There were many people standing in the hall, and the rope around the emperor's neck had been untied. At this moment, the emperor was lying unconscious on the bed, and Empress Fang was standing on the side weeping. When everyone saw Lu Heng coming in, they consciously gave way: "Master Lu."
Lu Heng ignored Queen Fang, Zhang Zuo and the others, and strode towards the bed. He half-knelt on his feet, looked at the emperor's face carefully, and then went to check the emperor's pulse. Fortunately, those palace maids did not do anything, and the emperor was still alive.
Only now did Lu Heng have the intention to check the traces. The scars on the emperor's neck were red and fresh, and there were stab wounds on his body. The wounds were small and shallow, and they were disorganized. There are fingerprints on the hands and arms of the emperor, depending on the thickness and depth, they belong to different people, which is consistent with multiple crimes.
Judging from the current information, it is indeed a few palace maids who were daring and committed monarchy, not the empress, Zhang Zuo, and the others under the guise of palace maids.
Lu Heng breathed a sigh of relief. Empress Fang was the first to arrive. Only Empress Fang knew about the situation at the time, and the possibility of the thief shouting to catch the thief could not be ruled out. But Empress Fang has no son, and if the emperor dies, Empress Fang won't get any benefit. Lu Heng couldn't think of the meaning of what she did, so she temporarily ruled out Queen Fang's suspicion.
Lu Heng stood up from the bed and asked, "Where's the imperial physician?"
Zhang Zuo replied, "The Empress has called the imperial physician and is rushing to the Yikun Palace."
Lu Heng frowned slightly, Empress Fang was the first to arrive at the scene, and Lu Heng came a moment later. After Empress Fang rescued the emperor, she was not busy calling the emperor's doctor. What did she do during the quarter of an hour
Lu Heng asked calmly, "Where's the murderer who murdered the emperor?"
Empress Fang ran out of the Kunning Palace late at night. She didn't put on her makeup, she just twisted her hair at will, her face was wrinkled and puffy, and she was not in a good state. She squeezed the handkerchief and said, "I have been detained by this palace."
Lu Heng nodded: "Thanks to the Queen for saving me tonight. Escorting is the duty of Jin Yiwei, so I dare not disturb the Queen. Where are the prisoners?"
Empress Fang clenched her handkerchief tightly, clasped her fingertips, and said, "It is not a pity for these lowly servants to die. They have already been executed by this palace."
Lu Heng squinted his eyes slightly, and the expression on his face became more and more secretive. Are those palace maids dead
Why is Queen Fang so anxious to execute the murderer
Lu Heng didn't ask any more questions, calmly instructed his subordinates to investigate the danger, took advantage of the situation to control the Yikun Palace, squeezed Empress Fang away invisibly, and replaced all the people around the emperor with Jinyiwei. Soon, Jin Yiwei came with the imperial physician. The imperial physician was also quite frightened when he saw this situation. He forced himself to calmly check the emperor's pulse, and then went to see the wound on the emperor's neck.
Lu Heng had been standing by the side, seeing this and asking, "Emperor doctor, how is the emperor?"
"Blessed by the emperor, the holy bow will be fine." The imperial physician stood up and said cautiously, "but the emperor fainted due to being too frightened. How to do it, we have to wait for the holy master to wake up and then check the pulse."
Lu Heng reassured himself, the emperor is not poisoned, it's okay to be in a coma, he personally guards here to see who can make waves.
At dawn, the city gate had just opened, and a thunderstorm had quickly spread throughout the major official residences. When Xia Wenjin heard the news, he was so frightened that he dropped the teacup in his hand to the ground: "What, the emperor was murdered by the palace servant?"
"Yes." The person who reported the report also looked horrified and said, "It happened in the first half of the night yesterday, and the palace gate was under martial law in the second half of the night, and the next thing will not come out."
Xia Wenjin was dumbfounded, and after a while, he came to his senses, and hurriedly asked, "Who is standing in front of the emperor now?"
"Jin Yiwei." The person who reported the report replied, "After what happened last night, Empress Fang was the first to arrive, and then Commander Lu led her into the palace. Now all the passages of the Yikun Palace are taken over by Jin Yiwei, no matter how much more Things, the little ones don't know."
Xia Wenjin changed his clothes and hurried into the palace. On the way, he saw officials who went out in a hurry like him. The officials of the cabinet and six ministries gathered in the palace, and they pressured several times, but failed to see the emperor.
Jin Yiwei does not eat hard or soft, Xia Wenjin's majesty is useless at the moment, he can only wait in the palace. The shadow of the sundial changed from short to long. When Xia Wenjin was about to lose his hunger and thirst, the eunuch finally came back and brought the holy decree: "The emperor is awake, Lord Shoufu, please come with the servants."
The emperor was lucky not to be strangled, but was in a coma for a long time. His throat was burning like fire, and his body was hurting. He dreamed that someone was killing him. He woke up from a nightmare, panting violently, unable to distinguish between dream and reality. At this time, there were steady footsteps around, and someone was half-kneeling in front of the bed, with a calm and firm voice: "Your Majesty, it is too late for this minister to rescue him. The traitor has already been killed, and the inside and outside of the Yikun Palace are covered with brocade-clothed guards. No suspicious person will be let near."
The emperor recognized that it was Lu Heng's voice, just like the sea of fire last time, he always appeared by the emperor's side at the most dangerous time, reliable and powerful. The emperor's heart slowly calmed down, and his vision resumed before his eyes. He saw that there were many guards in brocade standing outside the bed tent, and the sleeves of the female officials and servants were tied up, exposing all their arms. The female officer brought Qingshui, and after being interviewed by everyone, she was allowed to present it to the emperor.
Everything was orderly and orderly, which greatly appeased the emperor's panic. The emperor looked at the bright red in the hall, and some understood why Emperor Hongwu had given Jinyiwei such bright clothes.
Just like now, the gorgeous flying fish suits can be recognized from the crowd at a glance. These tall, heroic and carefully selected good family members guard every corner, patrolling and interrogating well-trained.
This is his personal soldier, and looking at it makes people feel more secure. Especially the figure standing beside the emperor's bed, slender and straight, indestructible, like an enlightened beast guarding the emperor's side, as if he could predict all dangers in the world, and his strength and intelligence were all at their peak.
The emperor had just experienced a murder in his own home, and it was not until he saw Lu Heng that he could finally be sure that he was safe.
After the emperor drank water and medicine, his mood recovered a little. The chamberlain reported that the lords of the cabinet had been waiting in the Qianqing Palace, and the emperor reluctantly cheered up and summoned Xia Wenjin for an audience.
With the emperor's current situation, he would definitely not be able to explain his official duties. He asked Xia Wenjin to come in just to prove that he was safe, and to calm the hearts of the courtiers outside.
After the emperor summoned Xia Wenjin, he was soon tired again. But Emperor Kong was tortured by exhaustion but couldn't sleep. The vassal king wanted to kill him, the White Lotus Sect wanted to kill him, the emperor could accept it, but the palace maid wanted to kill him, how could he prepare
This accident had a greater impact on the emperor than being betrayed by those closest to him. If the most humble palace maid wanted to strangle him, who else could he trust? The emperor was repeatedly frightened, opened his eyes suspiciously and suspiciously, tormented others and tormented himself. After tossing until it was dark, the emperor finally couldn't bear the exhaustion, and fell asleep with his body tense.
Lu Heng stayed by the emperor's side, and when the emperor fell asleep, Lu Heng quietly exited. Lu Heng walked out of the dormitory with a solemn expression on his face.
Lu Heng saw the emperor's heart disease, the emperor did not doubt Lu Heng, but the emperor's sense of security in the outside world had collapsed. If the courtier intends to kill the monarch, even the ten tribes can be executed, but the palace cannot be separated from the palace maids and eunuchs.
Taking a step back and thinking about it, even the palace maids at the bottom can kill him. Who else can the emperor trust in the palace maid, the servants, and the concubines
Lu Heng sighed silently, it is easy to save the car, but difficult to finish. The emperor should be cured of his physical illness now, but his mental illness is difficult to cure. If the emperor can't get out of the shadows, how can he govern the country
The emperor had just fallen asleep, and no one inside or outside dared to speak loudly. Guo Tao followed behind Lu Heng and whispered, "Sir, the queen took Concubine Cao Duan and the eldest princess away."
After the emperor was assassinated, Jin Yiwei quickly took control of Yikun Palace, but the other party was the queen after all, and she was the first hero who came to rescue him. Queen Fang took Concubine Cao Duan away in the name of interrogation, but Jin Yiwei could not stop her.
Lu Heng frowned when he heard Guo Tao's words. When Empress Fang put Yang Jinying and others to death, Lu Heng felt that something was wrong. The sixteen maids involved, including Zhang Jinlian, who went to tip off the news, were all spared and were silenced before Jin Yiwei arrived. Now, Empress Fang has also taken Concubine Cao Duan away.
As a foreign minister, Lu Heng focused all his energy on the emperor today, and did not pay any attention to the real master of Yikun Palace, Concubine Cao Duan. Lu Heng hadn't asked, but based on his experience in handling cases, the most unlikely person behind the palace change was Concubine Cao Duan.
Concubine Cao Duan was favored when she was young and had a daughter under her knees. Her father was a prefect in Fujian. What did she plan to murder the emperor? And still in her own palace, there is no such stupid way to be stupid.
What does Queen Fang want to do
The emperor's heart ailment has not been resolved, and there is trouble in the harem. Lu Heng hadn't slept all day and night, and now his temples were hurting. Guo Tao also felt that the matter was extremely difficult, and asked in a low voice, "Sir, when Long Live wakes up, I will definitely ask the whole story of this palace change. The court lady who committed the crime has been killed, how do we investigate it?"
Lu Heng also wanted to know how he was going to investigate. Others could torture, coerce and lure others, but the other party was the queen, what could Lu Heng do
Everyone was eagerly waiting for Lu Heng to make up his mind. Although this matter has fallen into a dead end, they must have a way. Lu Heng's head hurt even more. He was about to use the strategy of slowing down his troops when suddenly his eyes lit up and he thought of someone.
He seems to have a solution.