"There's a reason why the fifth is like this."
Luo Huaiyuan sighed and spoke to Yan Yan in detail.
It turned out that the fifth prince, Luo Jing, was secretly born by a low-ranking concubine named Li Cairen back then.
When we mention this, we must talk about the battle between Empress Xiao and Concubine Xu.
At that time, as soon as Concubine Xu entered the palace, she showed an unparalleled aura, rising from the lowest level of dressing all the way to the position of concubine. For such a threat, Queen Xiao naturally would not allow her to develop like this.
One is the head of the six palaces, the other is the emperor's favorite concubine, and the battle can be said to be evenly matched.
As the saying goes, the fire at the city gate affects Chiyu, and the concubines of other harems are the fish that are affected.
On the surface, Empress Xiao was tolerant and generous, but in fact her methods were sinister and vicious.
Of course, these are invisible on the surface, but after a long time, no one is a fool. From the time when Emperor Xi was still a prince, he was married until he ascended the throne. His children were not prosperous. Before Concubine Xu gave birth to the second prince, there were only two princesses who were born to concubines and concubines, except for the prince born by Empress Xiao.
Concubine Xu was pregnant with a child before giving birth to the second prince. Because of the miscarriage of the empress, Concubine Xu's personality changed greatly, and she became tit for tat with the empress. The situation in the harem gradually became tense, and some people who were planning and calculating were all turned to both sides. The queen occupies the main seat, and there are quite a few vassals, but Xu Guifei was favored in front of Emperor Xi, and it was not that no one took refuge. The harem gradually formed a two-legged situation, and there was a small group of people who wanted to take refuge and no one wanted it.
Li Cairen is one of them.
Li Cairen was fortunate to be pregnant by accident.
At that time, the situation in the harem was even more tense.
Not long after Emperor Xi ascended the throne, the throne was unstable. In the previous dynasty, two kings who stayed in Beijing jumped up and down to collude with courtiers. The harem was turbulent and turbulent. There were always pregnant concubines in the palace who had miscarriages for no reason, or died of dystocia. In the past few years, no one except the noble concubine and the queen could give birth to an imperial heir.
Li Cairen is timid by nature, and is always afraid that he will be harmed, and the second most important thing is that he is afraid that he will lose his life. After thinking about it, I finally made an absurd decision, that is, to hide the news of my pregnancy, and wait until the right opportunity to make it public.
It would be impossible to replace others, but this Li Cairen lives in a remote place, is timid and does not like to communicate with others, and has no friends in the palace. In this huge harem, it is not as conspicuous as a humble servant.
The fifth prince was born under such circumstances, and the various hardships that Li Cairen suffered during this period are of course needless to say.
It stands to reason that the children have been born at this time, and they can be made public. But at that time, the battle between Concubine Xu and the Empress had already heated up. During the period, Concubine Xu had another miscarriage after giving birth to the second prince. The third prince born to the Empress also died at the age of two. Li Cairen saw this situation even more. dare not say.
This collection is nearly six years old.
In fact, in the past six years, the situation in the harem has entered a stable stage. When the Empress Dowager passed away, Emperor Xi also solved all the affairs of the previous dynasty. The singing and dancing were in the middle, and it would be a bit too much to make trouble in the harem. Empress Xiao and Concubine Xu also understood that they couldn't do anything about who they were, and gradually formed a situation of disagreement between their faces and their hearts.
The fifth prince was like this when he was discovered. It was more serious then than now. He was like a little doll carved out of wood. He couldn't cry, laugh, or speak. He didn't even blink his eyes.
At the same time, Li Cairen also appeared in the eyes of everyone, but she was crazy at this moment.
According to reports, Li Cairen hid him in the dark room for six years in order to prevent the Fifth Prince from being discovered. Afraid that the fifth prince would be heard crying, he tied his mouth with a cloth, leaving only his nose to breathe, and never taught him to speak, let alone let his confidants talk to him, for fear that the child would be sensible and would go out. run.
Emperor Xi had few heirs, and ecstasy was followed by rage.
But this is already the case, and Li Cairen's appearance is also very pitiful. He can only find an imperial doctor to slowly treat him, but it has not been effective. The imperial physicians said that the Fifth Prince's body was fine, and his ears could hear, but his whole body was closed since he was a child.
Li Cairen was named a concubine, but he passed away not long after. Because of his mute illness, the fifth prince was able to protect himself and grow up safely.
Many times, Luo Huaiyuan felt that he was quite miserable. In his previous life, he was in such an environment, and the reason why he never wanted to commit suicide and go back to the modern age. Except that his nerves are thicker than others, and there is a more miserable person as the bottom.
There is happiness in comparison. At least he has a mother who is long-winded but desperately protects him. At least he is not alone.
Sometimes human nature is so absurd and funny.
A few years ago, the fourth prince, who was still a small group, played with the fifth prince.
He thinks this little guy is really funny, no matter how tricky he makes him laugh, he always doesn't laugh. And the fifth prince is good-looking, like a porcelain doll when he was a child, and everyone has a love for beauty. So sometimes the little fourth prince would say a few words to the fifth prince, but only rarely and behind his back.
The little fourth prince once said to the fifth prince, in fact, you are fine, unlike me.
For the first time, the fifth prince showed what could be called emotion, something called daze. After that, he looked up at the narrow sky surrounded by the palace wall. The fourth prince had followed him, but he still didn't know what he was looking at.
But he also learned one thing, this old fifth is not a wooden man.
Yan Yan felt very uncomfortable, an indescribable feeling filled her heart, making her feel uncomfortable in her nose and throat.
"Do you complain?"
Luo Huaiyuan laughed: "What are you complaining about? You can't control your birth, but you must believe that you can control your future. You see, I want to go out of the palace, so I went out, although I'm back now, but let's I can definitely go out. Look, I want to marry you, so I will try my best to deceive you back and be my daughter-in-law."
Yan Yan is a bit ridiculous, every time he talks to him seriously, he can always make people feel weird.
Obviously it was all sentimental just now, wasn't it
***
On the first day of the new year, Emperor Xi, the master of the entire Daxi, was very busy.
Early in the morning, it is necessary to go to the temple of the ancestors to worship the ancestors, and then there is the great court meeting to accept the congratulations of the ministers and the envoys of the state. On occasions like the Great Court Meeting, only the Crown Prince can go with him, but the other Princes don't have to go.
Luo Huaiyuan and Yan Yan had to go to Fengqi Palace to pay New Year's greetings to Empress Xiao, and then to visit Ma Cairen.
Ma Cairen now lives in a remote palace courtyard in the harem. Because of her merit in giving birth to the fourth prince, although she has been downgraded to the status of a talented person, she is still treated like a concubine.
The palace where Ma Cairen lived was not very big, but fortunately, it was a single-family house and had nothing to do with her.
Seeing his son and daughter-in-law coming, Ma Cairen couldn't help but smile.
She was slightly fat, with a round face, only in her thirties, but her temples were slightly pale. From the point of view of dress and appearance, Ma Cairen does not look like a palace concubine, but like the wife of a squire's family.
Ma Cairen especially liked Yan Yan, and when he saw her, he held her hand and kept telling her the embarrassing things about Luo Huaiyuan when he was a child.
Luo Huaiyuan looked embarrassed, this was the first time Yan Yan would be embarrassed to see such a cheeky person.
At noon, I stayed at Ma Cairen's place for lunch. Ma Cairen's place was quiet and no one came. The family of three sat together and had a very hearty lunch.
After lunch, Yan Yan went to change, and Ma Cairen quietly pulled Luo Huaiyuan aside to talk.
"This daughter-in-law likes it. Son, you are so insightful that you actually found such a beautiful daughter-in-law back."
Luo Huaiyuan was a little proud, but also a little embarrassed.
Ma Cairen lowered his voice: "I saw that you didn't go out of the palace, so I thought maybe there was a shot over there. Listen to what my mother said, before you leave the palace, you must not let your daughter-in-law have a body."
Luo Huaiyuan was stunned for a moment, as if this was what he meant.
"The prince has never had a male heir. If you have a daughter-in-law at this time..."
When he said this, Yan Yan came out of the room, and Ma Cairen hurriedly fell silent.
"What's wrong?" Yan Yan glanced at Luo Huaiyuan's strange expression.
"It's okay, it's getting late, let's go back."
Yan Yan nodded and said goodbye to Luo Huaiyuan and Ma Cairen before putting on their respective cloaks and leaving.
***
On the evening of the first day of the new year, it is customary for the palace to hold a 'blessing feast'.
This kind of banquet is a state banquet. First, it is to entertain the envoys of various countries and to show the prosperity of our country. Second, it is also to give banquets to hundreds of officials. State banquets are divided into three levels, and banquets of this level are usually set in Jiying Hall.
The Jiying Hall occupies a large area and faces south. It is divided into front and rear halls, east and west halls and side halls. The blessing banquet was held from the afternoon to the end of the Xu hour. It was a lively event that was rarely seen in the palace.
Back at the Xianyun Palace, Yan Yan and Luo Huaiyuan just took a short rest, then prepared a fragrant soup to bathe and changed their crowns to the Jiying Palace. For a feast like this, both the prince and the prince's concubine must be present.
When the two chariots arrived, the Jiying Hall was already very lively.
As the prince, Luo Huaiyuan was in the main hall, while Yan Yan accompanied the empress and other palace concubines to have a banquet with the foreign women in the west hall.
There were already many foreign women in the west hall, all of them wearing regulatory crown uniforms, their faces were blurred, and it was difficult to tell who was who. However, Yan Yan has already seen two people, that is, her grandmother, Mrs. Zhen Guogong, and her aunt, Mrs. Shen Er. Mrs. Zhenguo is a first-class lady of the country. She is of high rank and high reputation. She sits at the top of the first column on the right.
Yan Yan, who was following behind the queen, winked at the two of them.
All the wives stood up, knelt down three times and knelt down nine times and shouted for a thousand years for the goddess. Before Mrs. Zhen Guo could bow down, she was helped by the queen herself, and she said with a smile, "How can I make my aunt bow to me."
Mrs. Zhen Guogong said: "This is the rule, the old lady should worship the goddess."
In the end, they gave up, and everyone took their seats according to the pre-arranged seats.
Lu Xiuling sat next to Yan Yan, but Yan Yan ignored her and just sat there with her eyes half down, like an old monk in meditation.
Not long after, the feast began.
A ritual official sang the lyrics, and all the people in the hall stood up for a while, kneeling three times and nine kowtows and shouting long live my emperor, long live, long live. After the ceremony, they took their seats again.
After a short while, the sound of silk and bamboo playing music sounded on the west stage, and a group of graceful and graceful palace performers arrived at the venue and danced to the music.
There is nothing delicious about a feast like this. It seems that the dishes served are beautiful and exquisite, but in fact, after so long, it has already become cold, that is, it looks good. The dishes of this kind of state banquet also have another name called 'kanpan', which means that it is just for viewing. Of course, it is impossible to make everyone hungry, so some snacks and drinks are also served to satisfy hunger.
Yan Yan and Luo Huaiyuan didn't eat anything to support their stomachs before they came, because they accidentally slept late, so they had to rush over after they got up. Like some people who often participate in this kind of feast, they have all the experience. After they have eaten enough, they will not be disrespectful by eating too much after they come, and people will not be hungry.
The banquet here in the west side hall is very boring, and all the foreign women uphold their status, they all smile and do not show their teeth, and they do not go to eat on the table. Looking over hastily, except for Gong Ling dancing in the field, everyone else was sitting in a daze. Laughter and applause can be heard from time to time in the main hall. It is said that men's banquets are much more interesting than women's banquets. There are not only singing and dancing, but also various juggling and martial arts programs.
The very bored Yan Yan said that she was very jealous of Luo Huaiyuan, but in fact she also wanted to watch the fun.
The main hall was really lively, with all the princes and ministers gathered together, as well as the envoys from various countries who came to pay tribute. These people from Fanbang dress strangely and look different from those from Daxi. At the very beginning of the feast, several places in the Fan State paid tribute to Emperor Xi with some rare treasures, which made Emperor Xi's Longyan happy, and said hello.
Luo Huaiyuan, who was sitting below, rolled his eyes and used chopsticks to grab the food in front of him. What rare and exotic treasures are just some local gadgets. For others, it is naturally unseen. For Luo Huaiyuan, who has several lifetimes of knowledge, he can only conclude with the sentence 'long hair and short knowledge'.
The Pan states that came to pay tribute this time include Ryukyu, Fusang, Siam, Koryo and many other small countries. Since Daxi opened the sea ban, businessmen and officials from these small countries have flocked to Daxi. One is to trade and prosper the local economy, and the other is to enhance the friendship between the two countries.
Daxi has always occupied a position of light weight in these small countries. Some of these small countries are vassal states of Daxi. For example, Goryeo has always been a vassal of Daxi. Every dynasty and every year will send people to pay tribute to Daxi. Therefore, Prince Misong, who came to pay tribute this time from the Kingdom of Goryeo, was very favored by Emperor Hee.
Of course, there are vassal states like Goryeo, and some come for the friendship between the two countries, such as Siam and Ryukyu. These two places are far from Dahee's homeland, separated by a sea, so naturally there is no need to photograph Dahee like Goryeo, who is close at hand. flattery. Another example is Fusang. The relationship between Fusang Kingdom and Daxi has not been very good. In the early years, the coastal area of Daxi was infested by pirates, and many of them were under the banner of Fusang Ronin.
Daxi people have an instinctive sense of disgust towards Fusang people, all because they have heard pirates looting the coastal area. And the Fusang people have an innate condescension to the Daxi people. They think that the big country is nothing more than this, and some Fusang ronin who can't get along in the mainland can beat the Daxi coast and collapse, which is really a disgrace to their reputation.
However, due to Daxi’s opening of the sea ban, the maritime merchants who came to trade are like crucian carp crossing the river, and the local resources of Fusang are in short supply. After trading with Daxi, the domestic embarrassment will be greatly alleviated, and with very complicated feelings, so this The Fusang kingdom also sent envoys to Daxi.
It's just that the two countries have had a long history of grievances, plus the Fusang people are vulgar and do not understand etiquette, and the officials in charge of receiving these barbarians at Honglu Temple are also very disdainful of these barbarians.
The Fusang envoy who came to Daxi this time was a daimyo under the Jianglu shogunate, whose name was taboo Kana City Source, and was called Kana daimyo. Said to be 'Daimyo', but it was a vassal under the local shogunate system, similar to a landowner in Daxi Country, who changed his name to daimyo because he took a lot of his land to join the shogun.
This is why the officials in charge of reception at Honglu Temple look down on this line of fusang barbarians. Have you ever seen a landowner sent by another country to establish friendship in the past? You must know that the emperor they met was Daxi's emperor. No matter in terms of identity or status, this was not equal. Daxi people thought it was rude and insulting.
It's just that the people of Fusang can't be blamed for this. There is civil strife in Fusang, and the emperor's government has already existed in name only. According to Daxi's theory, the shoguns of the shogunate from all over the world must at least send a leader. But if the shogunate really came, I am afraid that a soldier leader would come to their mouth.
Because the so-called shogun of the shogunate at that time was only equivalent to a hundred households in Daxi, not even a thousand households. Of course, the power in his hands is definitely different, but since he is a general, we count how many people you have in your hands.
However, Daxi is a big country, and his bearing is naturally different, so this time, the Fusang country was also invited to the list. It's just that his seat and the attention of Emperor Xi are definitely not as much as those of Goryeo and other countries.
This was the first time that Kanai came to Daxi, which naturally surprised him, especially after he came to the capital, he refreshed his horizons again and again.
Of course, he is not a fool, and he naturally understands that he and others are somewhat looked down upon. Even being despised again and again is an annoyance for everyone! In particular, seeing Emperor Xi constantly courting (giving wine) to the envoys of other small countries, but ignoring him, made him even more angry.
He stood up with a swipe, cupped his hands and said in unfluent Chinese, "Your Majesty the Emperor of Daxi, I have something to say."
In fact, the reason why Kanai was sent this time is because he can speak Chinese, although he is not very fluent. There are many daimyo under the shogunate, and the competition between daimyo and daimyo is fierce. In order to obtain the qualification of Daxi as an ambassador this time, Kana Daimyo has spent a lot of time. This is thanks to the fact that he has a concubine Daxi who was kidnapped by pirates to Fusang, and has a ready-made teacher. His progress is far ahead of others.
Putting these aside for the time being, when Emperor Xi saw the Fusang envoy was so unreasonable with etiquette, his face turned cold at first. He moved his eyes, and Zheng Haiquan on the side stepped forward: "Please tell me the name of Kanai."
Kanai Chengyuan bowed his hands: "It is said that Daxi's soldiers are strong and strong, everyone is martial, and there are many people with high martial arts skills. I have heard of it in Fusang. But I am also a world-famous warrior of Fusang. On occasion, why don't you find some people to let them compete? One is to connect the friendship between our two countries, and the other is to make a difference."
Is this guy here to smash the field
The envoys of Ryukyu and other countries are all looking at Kana Castle with strange eyes, and this kind of request is actually made on this occasion. If you lose, you will be embarrassed in front of the envoys of all countries, but it will be ridiculous. If he wins, will Emperor Daxi become angry and send troops to destroy your Fusang
As for why these envoys would guess that Fusang would win, because the Fusang warriors were indeed world-famous, world-famous for their ferocity. If you don't win, you will have to open your abdomen. If someone throws your life on you and fights you, the original combat index of fifty will be raised to one hundred.
"I have five adopted sons, and I heard that your country's princes are also five, why don't you let them compete?"
When Kanai Chengyuan said this, everyone was shocked.
Not to mention other things, everyone knows that the princes are all pampered, and saying that they are highly skilled in martial arts is actually nothing but praise. There is one who is highly skilled in martial arts, and that is the third prince, but the third prince is only eighteen years old, and he can't compare to the Fusang warrior who licks blood with a knife.
Moreover, the adopted sons mentioned by Kana Chengyuan are also tricky. Some famous names in Fusang will raise a number of dead men. In fact, they are thugs. Only those with the highest martial arts skills will be adopted by the big name. status and luxurious living.
Few people from Daxi know these inside stories, but Ryukyu and Goryeo are adjacent to each other. These shameless Fusang ronin not only looted the coastal area of Daxi, but also suffered from Ryukyu and Goryeo. Naturally, they understood the clues among them.
It's just this kind of occasion, how can you make a sound reminder.
Not to mention whether it will offend Kana's name, if Emperor Daxi is arrogant and arrogant and refuted in public, it is also a matter of consideration.
Emperor Xi was not an incompetent person either. Seeing the expressions of the envoys from Ryukyu and other countries, he had already guessed that something was wrong.
Unexpectedly, before he could say anything to test the depth, the prince suddenly stood up, walked into the field, pointed at Kanai's name: "You are extremely arrogant, and today I will let you see the majesty of my Daxi."
Emperor Xi froze, and Luo Huaiyuan covered his face below.
What is a pig teammate
That's it!
As soon as the prince said this, it was equivalent to roasting the other princes on the fire. If he wins, it is good. If he loses, it will be called a shame. Moreover, the dignified and dignified prince competed with the adopted son of a landowner of a small country. How did the prince come up with this idea
Luo Huaiyuan believed that so many ministers of civil and military affairs were present, and every minute he refuted the name of Kanai and went back crying to find his mother.
But the matter has come to this point, it is already difficult to ride a tiger.
The prince did something stupid, and he didn't realize it yet, with one hand in front and the other behind his back, holding it in a majestic manner.
As everyone knows, there are already countless people who want to scold the mother, which is why the prince is orthodox, and there are still people who want to join the line of the second prince. Regardless of status, such a reckless generation, I am really afraid that this great ancestral foundation will be defeated by him.
The second prince smiled decently and kept silent, waiting to watch the prince's good show.
When this matter reached the queen, the queen's graceful and decent smile finally froze.
He didn't care whether to attract attention or not, he turned his head and told the people around him meticulously.
The Queen's strangeness naturally attracted the attention of others. In a short while, what happened in the main hall has been spread here.
For these noble ladies, Fuso people are equivalent to evil spirits. All of them covered their hearts, for fear that they would hear some scary news.
And Yan Yan thinks more, if it really compares to martial arts, what will Fatty do?