Xingwang's mansion, surrounded by trees, cicadas chirped one after another, extending the afternoon for a long time. Zhang Jihou was so hot that he couldn't sleep, leaning on the beauty's couch in a daze, the palace maid knelt on the edge of the couch and carefully fanned Zhang Jihou.
A maid came in from the outside with a food box. The maid at the door saw her and opened the bamboo curtain with a low eyebrow. Mammy saw Zhang Jihou who was in the inner room, and saluted: "Niangniang, the ice cream is here, you are refreshing."
It's August now, and it should be the season of autumn winds and red leaves in the capital, but in Chengtianfu, it's still sweltering and unbearable. Zhang Jihou was timid and could not stand the weather. He couldn't even sleep well every day. The only thing he could do was eat iced drinks to relax a little.
Zhang Jihou hurriedly brought it to her. She scooped a spoonful and put it in her mouth. Finally, her dull body came to life. Mammy stood by and looked at it and said, "Although this kind of gadget is good, you can't eat it often. It would be nice if there was ice. It's in the house, it's refreshing inside and out, and the empress can get a good night's sleep. ."
Zhang Jihou paused for a moment, lowered his eyes and said, "Chengtian Mansion is no better than the capital, Bingxian is closely used by the emperor, and this palace is not in the way."
In the Forbidden City, there are special people who make ice and store ice, and there are several ice cellars in the interior, but the configuration of Chengtian Mansion is completely incomparable to that of Beijing. The ice in the official cellar is used by the emperor first, followed by the important officials and dignitaries around the emperor, such as Lu Heng and Zhang Shoufu. and the like, and then rewarded those who served the emperor closely, and finally, it was Zhang Jihou's turn.
The distribution of ice is completely the weight of each person in the emperor's heart. Zhang Jihou, a childless and petless queen, was even ranked after Zhang Zuo and the eunuchs.
The maid snorted and sneered: "Nu maid naturally dare not compete with Long Live and Lord Lu, but Duan concubine is nothing, dare to rank before the empress. In terms of entering the palace, she is later than empress; in terms of position, empress is the queen, but She is only a concubine; in terms of decency, you are the daughter-in-law appointed by the Empress Dowager Zhang Sheng. Madam, my servant heard that the concubine was too hot last night, so I asked for two boxes of ice, and today I am entangled with the emperor to go to the lake together."
The emperor had two drafts. The first time was in the first year of Jiajing. The Empress Dowager Zhang Sheng Jiang personally selected several concubines for the emperor, including the Yuan Empress Chen and the successor Zhang. But after ten years, the emperor had no heirs for a long time, and the courtiers could not see it. In the tenth year of Jiajing, the first assistant personally requested the emperor to fill the harem. Emperor Yun selected nine beauties from the people to enter the palace, all of them were canonized as concubines, Duan Concubine Cao was one of the nine concubines.
Although it is said that there are beauties in the harem, the emperor is not only concerned with his face, but more about spiritual fit. Among all the beauties, the emperor loved Cao Duan concubine the most, and even the emperor of the southern tour was thinking of her. It was inconvenient to take a woman with him when he climbed the mountain to see Xianling two days ago. Later, when he visited Chengtian Mansion, the emperor took Duan concubine by his side every time. .
Zhang Jihou knew very well that where Cao Duan's concubine was entangled, it was clearly the emperor's will. Their emperor is smart and ruthless. If he hadn't been willing, those who dared to go with him would have been buried in the ground long ago.
But the people in Kunning Palace were reluctant to admit it, as if they could cover up the truth they didn't want to see if they pushed their mistakes onto other women—it wasn't the emperor's fault or their own fault, it was all the other vixen's fault.
Is Zhang Jihou willing? Of course she wasn't reconciled, but what else could she do other than endure it? The emperor does not want to do it for heaven and earth and play hard-to-get. Zhang Jihou still clearly remembers that the Yuan empress in front of her, Chen Shi, saw the emperor sizing up his concubine's hand during pregnancy. He became jealous on the spot, stood up and fell hard. cup.
Who is the emperor, how can a woman handle it like this, and she is immediately furious. Empress Chen was so frightened that she had a miscarriage and died of illness not long after. After the death of Empress Chen, the emperor followed the advice of Empress Dowager Jiang and established Concubine Zhang as his successor.
On the day when Queen Chen threw the cup, Zhang Jihou was also there. She saw with her own eyes how Queen Chen fell into the dust from a country. Zhang Jihou was frightened, and after ascending the phoenix throne, he was terrified and did not dare to care about the emperor's affairs.
However, it is wrong to manage this kind of thing too much. No matter it is wrong, the Empress Dowager Jiang has quite a few criticisms of Zhang Jihou, and the emperor does not like Zhang Jihou's pedantic and boring, and has no affection for her.
In addition to a title, her queen actually has nothing.
Seeing Zhang Jihou's desolate expression, Mammy waved the palace maids away. Mammy took the fan and sat on the foot of the couch to gently fan Zhang Jihou: "Niangniang, you can't bear it any longer. Not to mention Cao Duan's favor, why the concubine in the palace didn't come, no one else knows. Don't you know? When you go back, it is estimated that the belly is also big. If a prince is born, what will you do in the future?"
For this southern tour, Zhang Jihou, Fang Deconcubine, and Yan Liconcubine were originally chosen to accompany the driver, but before the trip, Yan Liconcubine was quietly replaced and changed to Duanconcubine Cao. The emperor took whichever concubine he wanted. Outsiders didn't know the way, but Zhang Jihou knew it.
Yan Liconcubine was removed from the Southern Tour list, not because she was disgusted by the Holy One, but because she was pregnant. Twelve years after the emperor ascended the throne, he finally waited for a child. He was afraid that something might go wrong, so he quietly concealed the matter. After the tour to the south and the fetus in Yan Liconcubine's womb has landed safely, the announcement will be made.
Except for the miscarriage of Empress Chen many years ago, this is the first time that a woman in the harem has received a good news. And in April, the emperor found out that Yan Libi was pregnant and kept it a secret. If it wasn't for Zhang Jihou in charge of the harem, she would not have known about it.
Counting the time, Yan Liconcubine's belly should be eight months old this month. The emperor sent the most capable eunuch around him to protect Li Concubine and ensure the safety of the fetus. Maybe when the southern tour goes, the palace will welcome new life.
Zhang Jihou seemed to have a stone on her body, her limbs were heavy, and she had no strength. She sighed: "What can Bengong do? Five years ago, Bengong drank so many secret tonics, but the emperor never came here, how did Bengong give birth? A prince? Well, maybe this palace has no relationship with children, even if Li Concubine gives birth to a prince, she will always be called the mother of this palace."
Mammy frowned and said hurriedly: "Niangniang, you can't take it lightly. The heir is now the biggest thing in the harem of the previous dynasty. If the emperor really gets a prince, he will definitely find a way to make the prince become a direct descendant for the convenience of the future. You don't have children by your side, even if you are willing to raise them, Li Concubine may not be willing to let them."
Zhang Jihou was stunned for a moment, and suddenly he reacted to his mother's words: "You mean..."
Mammy nodded into Zhang Jihou's eyes, and said nothing else. Zhang Jihou thought of the fate of the previous childless queens, and suddenly broke into a cold sweat.
Emperor Hongwu had an edict, and the princes of this dynasty had direct descendants, but no direct descendants. However, the reputation of the eldest son is not good. If the emperor really wants to pave the way for the prince, he will definitely make his son the eldest son.
There are two ways to change from a concubine to a direct descendant. One is to let the queen adopt the prince, and the other is to let the prince's biological mother become his wife. After all, the biological mother of the little prince cannot be changed, but the queen can change at any time.
Zhang Jihou is neither doted on nor family, she will be abolished and no one will speak for her. It's still good to be abolished. What if the emperor doesn't want to bear the reputation of being abolished for no reason, and wants her to "die of illness"
Zhang Ji's shirt was wet with sweat, but she didn't feel hot at all. Seeing that Zhang Jihou had understood, she put down her fan and pinched Zhang Jihou's legs lightly: "Empress Empress, there are concubines in front and concubines in the back, you have to plan for yourself quickly, or it will be too late. In this harem, it is impossible to walk without a backer, so you have to find someone to help you."
Zhang Jihou threw the veil angrily and said, "Why doesn't this palace want to find a helper? But these people in the harem are more snobbish than each other, it's easier to find a loyal one."
Zhang Jihou is not favored, and the emperor rarely spends the night in Kunning Palace. It is obvious that Zhang Jihou has no future. The people in the harem do not choose younger and more favored concubines. Why should they bet on Zhang Jihou? Seeing that the time was almost up, Mammy said, "Little people are just grass, and big people can make a promise. Why don't you look eastward?"
Zhang Jihou was stunned, thinking for a long time before he could react: "You mean, Empress Dowager Zhang?"
"Exactly." Seeing Zhang Jihou's talk, the mama tried to persuade her more and more for her twenty taels of gold, "The Empress Dowager Zhang is amazing, she was the empress and empress dowager of two dynasties in the Forbidden City, even if she is not as good as now. The original scenery and power in the palace are not comparable to ordinary people. Now that Empress Dowager Zhang Sheng has passed away, Empress Dowager Zhang is the only empress dowager, and the court will give Empress Dowager Zhang some face. If Empress Dowager Zhang is willing to protect you, say Maybe the emperor will change his mind and bring Li Concubine's prince to you as your own son."
Zhang Jihou frowned deeply, with hesitation on his face: "However, the emperor and the empress dowager are not close..."
"That was before." The mother said bitterly, "Once there was a biological mother, the emperor of course turned to the Jiang family. Now that Empress Dowager Zhang Sheng is buried, the knot between the emperor and the Zhang family is slowly untied. Empress Dowager Zhang is the empress dowager, The emperor has the most power to deal with the matter of the prince, Longsun. If she speaks, the emperor can't ignore it. Empress, this is the last person who can help you, you should seize the opportunity. "
Zhang Jihou was slowly persuaded. Yes, the Empress Dowager Zhang is the Empress Dowager after all. If she asks her successor to raise the prince, even if the emperor does not listen, the courtiers outside will make trouble. Zhang Jihou held the last straw tightly, and had no time to think about whether this straw could save his life: "Ben Gong and the Empress Dowager Zhang have never had any dealings. This is headless, how can the Empress Dowager Zhang help?"
Mammy squinted and smiled, knowing that it was done, and all the gold sent by Chang Guogong belonged to her: "Niangniang, this is not easy. The two younger brothers of Empress Dowager Zhang are still suffering in Nanjing. The Zhang brothers have a good word, how can the Empress Dowager not remember your kindness?"
·
Lu family.
Lu Heng was really busy these days, Wang Yanqing didn't go out for the rest of the time except for the first day to buy clothes. Fu Tingzhou was still in the city, and no matter how strict the precautions were, it would be better to eliminate hidden dangers from the source, so Wang Yanqing chose not to go out.
The life of the Lu family was very quiet. Wang Yanqing went to greet Mrs Fan in the morning. Sometimes when she met Mrs Chu, she would stay and tease Lu Zhan for a while. Lu Wen didn't come back for dinner at noon, usually the three of them took their children to eat, and only at night did they see Lu Heng and Lu Wen.
Lu Wen went home on time every day, but Lu Heng was much rarer, and sometimes he couldn't even come back for dinner. Wang Yanqing is not a character who likes to talk, except for three meals a day, she stays in Lu Heng's room and reads his old books. Occasionally, Lu Zhan would run over and look at Wang Yanqing with blinking eyes.
Wang Yanqing didn't know how to coax a child, so she could only put down the book and make up some gadgets for him such as butterflies and nets. Usually, it won't be long before the Chu family rushes over, embarrassed to say that it's causing trouble to Wang Yanqing.
Except for the trouble of not knowing how to coax the child, Wang Yanqing lived very happily the rest of the time. In the blink of an eye, she had stayed at the Lu family for seven days, and it was gradually time for the Southern Tour team to go back.
But in the last few days, some small episodes happened in the palace. Wang Yanqing was helping Lu Heng to make Lu Zhan's same butterfly pendant. He was shocked when he heard Lu Heng's words, and almost picked the wrong line: "You said, Empress Zhang interceded for brothers Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling?"
Lu Heng nodded: "When I first heard it, I thought it was unbelievable. This is a matter of the harem. The emperor asked Dongchang to investigate, but the eunuch revealed that Zhang Heling should have given benefits to the people around Queen Zhang, please ask Zhang Heling. The queen speaks to their brothers."
Lu Heng knew everything about the East Factory. In the past, because of its convenient status, the Dongxi Factory was often superior to Jinyiwei, but when it came to Lu Heng, it was the other way around. The Dongxi Second Factory was careful to please Jinyiwei.
Wang Yanqing dexterously retracted the line and asked, "Then what did the emperor say?"
"What can the emperor say?" Lu Heng shook his head amusingly, "The emperor is very angry, and he will write an edict on the spot to abolish the queen. The first assistant stopped the emperor after he said something, and he will make a long-term plan after returning to Beijing. However, I think Empress Zhang hangs. already."
In the past two days, the emperor personally climbed the Chunde Mountain to pay tribute to the Shanchuan Sheji, inspected the Xianling Mausoleum, met with the Taoist priests from Wudang Mountain, and toured the historical sites of Chengtianfu. He was in a good mood. Suddenly Zhang Jihou came to intercede on behalf of the Empress Dowager Zhang's younger brother, but it wasn't that he almost angered the emperor to death.
Zhang Jihou was still the empress who was recommended by the Empress Dowager Jiang, but now she pleads for Empress Dowager Jiang's enemy family, and it falls into the emperor's eyes, which is simply hate on top of hatred.
The emperor was hiding it from the outside world, but several close officials knew in their hearts that there should be good news in the harem. Empress Zhang was a bit redundant in the first place, and now she has violated the emperor's taboo, the position of the empress must not be retained.
Wang Yanqing thought of the fate of the last Hu Baohou, and sighed faintly. Seeing Wang Yanqing's mood, Lu Heng asked, "What's wrong?"
Wang Yanqing shook her head lightly, and said in a low voice, "It's nothing. I just sighed that women are like duckweeds. Even if you are a queen, your life and wealth are all tied to others."
A poor family woman has no family to rely on, and lives entirely on her husband's conscience. Although a high-level woman has the support of her father and brother, once she touches the interests of her father and brother, she will be sent away or abandoned immediately. To put it bluntly, all women in the world are forced to do so, no matter how high or low, there is no difference.
Lu Heng felt that this was a dangerous topic, and if he didn't answer, the fire would burn him. Lu Heng walked calmly behind Wang Yanqing, and leaned over to look at the half-knitted butterfly in her hand: "If you have to say no, who in the world will be happy? In the wild, for the people, and for the government, everyone will have a lot of bad results. The one who chooses the best is the emperor, and he can't freely decide the affairs around him. People live in the world, and they just ask for one to live up to themselves. The confused people are manipulated by others and go with the flow for a lifetime. The smart can make their own choices, but also bear it by themselves. as a result of."
Wang Yanqing also thought about it, the state of the world is like this, there will be no change to blame others, and it is feasible to grasp the things around him. From Zhang Jihou's point of view, it is indeed very embarrassing, but from the emperor's point of view, he is seriously choosing a cemetery for his parents, and the person next to the pillow suddenly runs over to say good things to the enemy. Why should the emperor bear it
Regardless of whether the result was what Zhang Jihou wanted, the words were spoken by her, and the bitter fruit could only be swallowed by her.
Wang Yanqing finally sighed: "It's just that she doesn't know people well. It's human nature to love money, and she can't say that she's backing her, but people around her hide it and deliberately guide the queen to do something. It's really abhorrent."
After Wang Yanqing finished speaking, she was surprised to find that there was no movement behind her. She turned around in surprise and looked at Lu Heng: "Why don't you speak?"
Lu Heng didn't want her to see his expression at this moment, so he stretched out his arms to surround her from behind and put his face on top of her head. Lu Heng asked, "What if it was a white lie?"
"That's also a lie." Wang Yanqing said, "This time the lie was well-intentioned, but with so many opportunities in the future, can you guarantee that he will be well-intentioned every time?"
"What if you don't lie to her anymore?"
Wang Yanqing snorted softly and said, "This kind of remark is self-deception. Take ten thousand steps back, even if the other party is telling the truth, but once you know that you have been deceived, even if you are willing to forgive in the future, you will no longer be able to show your sincerity. Bar."
Wang Yanqing felt the arm on her shoulder tighten, as if she was afraid that she would disappear if she let go. Wang Yanqing was surprised and asked, "Brother, what's the matter with you?"
After a while, Lu Heng's voice came in a low voice: "It's okay."
The author says:
Lu Heng: The arrow was hit in the knee.