The courtiers respectfully saw off the holy driver and filed away.
Not to mention the turbulent undercurrents and violent storms that followed, Empress Dowager Ji glanced at her father and brother under the Danqi with a complicated expression, and silently turned to follow Chunjia - Empress Ji did the same.
In the side hall, Yun Fenghuang was quietly giving instructions to the young chamberlain in front of Yan Yin.
After a while, she straightened her clothes, walked out of the palace door, and went to the palace road to wait for Chunjia and the others.
"The Concubine Xian is here? Just in time." Empress Dowager Ji was expressionless, holding the Queen's hand. She didn't look at her when she came from a distance. When she got closer, Yun Fenghuang leaned down to salute, and then she whispered, " The Chao family who was beating the drum mentioned the death of Concubine Shu. The Ai family has just discussed this matter with His Majesty, and it’s up to you... "
Before he finished speaking, there was a sudden exclamation from behind!
Everyone looked back in surprise, and saw a palace man rushing towards him, kneeling down in front of Chunjia, and reported in fear: "Your Majesty, just now the slaves led Chao family into the harem from the side door, but they encountered a soldier who suddenly rose up and wanted to kill Chao family. ! Fortunately, the soldier Luo Xun reacted quickly and stopped him, otherwise Chao's life would have been in danger!"
Chunjia's eyes were slightly shocked and angry, but he soon came to his senses and said angrily: "How unreasonable!!! Outside the great dynasty, beside the royal bedside, someone dared to kill someone and silence them. Does this act have the emperor's father in his eyes?" ?!”
He immediately asked, "How is Mr. Chao doing now?"
The palace man prostrated himself on the ground and replied in a trembling voice: "Chao is not in danger, only slightly injured... However, the injuries are in the throat and arms!"
Yun Fenghuang quickly cooperated, pulled Chunjia's sleeve, and said softly: "Your Majesty! The thief's intention is clear at a glance! This is to kill Chao family and silence her, so she can't tell the truth in detail for a while, so as to gain a chance. , try to silence me again!"
"I understand!" Chunjia laughed angrily and said, "Who is the soldier Baoqi? Have you found out?!"
The palace man trembled visibly, and then said tremblingly: "Yes... yes... he is the cousin of Haixi Hou Shizi's wife and mother. He was recommended by the queen a few years ago to guard the imperial palace!"
There are seven ranks of officials in front of the prime minister's door, let alone the imperial chariot.
It has always been the custom for the Imperial Guards to select young men from the clan's aristocratic families, who are poor in culture and rich in martial arts. In such an era, even in peaceful and prosperous times, it is rare for ordinary people to see meat and fish. It is impossible to cultivate a strong body, and it is not easy to As for whether there is a way to practice martial arts, even if you are lucky enough to embark on this path, without the combination of medicinal materials and meat, and without the guidance of famous teachers, it will be difficult to go far;
Only the children of our family, who are well-dressed, well-educated, and well-educated, are particularly dandy and unremarkable. When they grow up, they will dabble in civil and military affairs under the supervision of their father and elder brothers, and have the ability to defend the imperial court and their demeanor.
Secondly, the wealth and confidence of these people are often tied to the king, and their loyalty is generally guaranteed.
The third thing is that in this life, the imperial examination is important.
However, the palace examination is held every three years, and only three or two hundred people are awarded for each ranking.
Unless he is really talented and knowledgeable, and he has to be lucky enough not to meet a teacher who just doesn't like his writing style, he will inevitably lose his reputation.
Even if a wealthy family can afford to hire famous teachers, some of their children will inevitably be eliminated.
If there are not many heirs, the father and brother can still try to get a few more titles. If there are many descendants, and the elders cannot take care of them at all, then choosing a person with a majestic appearance and outstanding martial arts to serve as a bodyguard in front of the emperor is that. A good way out.
Even when Chunjia was still a puppet, Jian was of no use in the emperor's heart. She guarded the Taichu Palace for several years, and the elders in the family helped run it and mobilized it. It is said that she served the emperor, and some credits are not mentioned. Rare promotions are justified.
The soldier who was trying to kill Chao and silence him was one of the imperial guards who had been arranged by his family to help Empress Ji because he was unable to study.
In those days, the gold-plated surveillance was accurate, but now it is impossible to argue - even without carefully observing Chunjia's face, Empress Dowager Ji can be sure that this matter must be a frame-up arranged by the emperor!
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid this is a fraud!" Empress Ji immediately knelt down to argue, "My natal sister-in-law's cousin is definitely not such a vicious person! Furthermore, Mrs. Chao's words are only one-sided..."
Before he could say anything, Yun Fenghuang said lightly: "Queen, it's better not to say such things for now. I just came early and listened to some of the high-minded talks of the adults in the temple. Then Chao went to court at the beginning. At that time, didn’t Mrs. Ji swear that all her accusations were nonsense and that Mrs. Ji could not be more innocent?”
"The results of it?"
"The evidence is irrefutable. Is it possible that your Majesty came a step too late and didn't hear or see?"
"Therefore, I would like to ask your Majesty to speak carefully and allow Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly before it is too late."
"Otherwise, if you are swearing here, it will not look good when the results come out."
"I don't know. I thought the Ji family is like this. They won't shed tears until they see the coffin!"
Empress Ji said coldly: "What Concubine Xian said is too one-sided! What Chao said happened far away in the north, and I am in the palace, so I don't know about it. But since I recommended that cousin in the first place, With His Majesty, he naturally understands it."
"How can I not know what this person's character is like?"
"There must be something behind his actions!"
"Moreover, Mr. and Mrs. Chao were only injured but not dead. Why is Concubine Xian in such a hurry to implement the matter?"
"Is it possible that you have a guilty conscience?!"
Yun Fenghuang thought to himself, what is this palace guilty of? The assassination of the Chao family by the armored man was arranged by me and asked by the people in front of the imperial court. The details were all ordered by me personally. I guarantee that no matter how hard you struggle, you will only be able to cut off your wrist... I can't be more at ease in my heart.
She said gently and gently: "The Queen is overthinking. I am just afraid that the Queen will be too anxious and say too much, so that she will not be able to step down afterwards."
Empress Ji ignored her and kowtowed to the emperor and asked: "Your Majesty, please be aware of the situation. Not to mention that Chao is not dead, even if she is killed on the spot, there is no room for excuse for the relationship between the perpetrator and me." , will he be identified as the real culprit who murdered Concubine Shu and ordered her to be silenced? Although I am not sensitive, I have been the queen for many years and have taken care of the palace affairs. I have never made any major mistakes. How could I do such an unwise thing? matter?"
Chunjia stood down from a high position and looked down at her. After a moment, he raised his chin and told the palace servant who reported the news: "Go and check! The Imperial City Secretary will report the results within today!"
The Queen breathed a sigh of relief and was about to thank her, but at this moment Yun Fenghuang reminded her: "Your Majesty, I also feel that the Queen's words are so precise, and she may really think that the person is not someone who would kill anyone. Then why don't you bring your family along with you?" Do you want your relatives to check it out? Maybe there is something wrong with the people around you, and this move is not what he wanted?"
"Yun, you!!!" Empress Ji was furious, and Empress Dowager Ji, who had been silent all this time, suddenly raised her head and glared at Yun Fenghuang.
However, Yun Fenghuang said nonchalantly: "The Queen Mother, the Queen Mother, if all the members of this family are innocent, this move will also give them justice! Otherwise, those who don't know outside will think that this family is all that kind of person." How terrible is it for a mistress who has vicious thoughts and kills at the slightest disagreement. Will anyone still associate with them in the future? I'm afraid it's hard to even talk about marriage to the children of the right age in the family... I am also doing this for their own good. "
The Queen Mother almost wanted to vomit blood, but Chunjia felt that it made sense: "What Concubine Xian said is absolutely true, let's just do it."
Let the Imperial City Secretary confiscate that family first, and then follow the clues to check their in-laws and find out the real culprit... I also want to know who the real culprit is. Who is it? Then of course the emperor will say Have the final say.
Empress Dowager Ji's face turned green. She was the natal cousin of the wife of the Marquis of Haixi, and was a close relative of the Ji family. The family's official position was not high, but because he was the natal cousin of the future mistress of the Ji family, their relationship was very strong. He is very close, so he has been entrusted with many important tasks - the kind that cannot be revealed to others - he knows a lot of secrets!
The most important thing is that there are many children in this family and they are scattered all over the country. Even if the Ji family starts to kill them immediately, they may not be able to kill them in a while!
Another problem with having many children is that there will inevitably be mixed results.
As long as there are a few weaklings among these people, for Ji, especially for Ji, who is facing the charges of murdering Dingbei Military Academy Lieutenant Qi Jiulu and coercing Qi Jiulu's wife Chao Jingyou to falsely accuse the concubine Xie, and is in the process of deliberation. It’s nothing more than adding insult to injury!
And the problems don’t stop there!
At the beginning, Chunjia was just a vassal king in a remote place. He came to the imperial capital in a hurry and had limited manpower.
In addition, the Ji family deliberately controlled this unruly successor, and placed countless people in the harem. Among the imperial guards in the Taichu Palace, there were countless people who were recommended to the position by the Ji family.
Otherwise, Yun Fenghuang would not have been able to find the target so quickly after just giving his instructions.
At the moment, something is wrong with the cousin of her natal sister-in-law, whom Empress Ji personally recommended. What will happen next? What's next
This method of throwing dirty water is not clever, but no one can deny that it is easy to use.
Especially when the emperor gradually gained the upper hand, even if everyone knew what was going on, on the scene, this was evidence of Ji's guilty conscience!
"Emperor, this is inappropriate." Empress Dowager Ji's face turned slightly pale. She knew that now was not the time to use status to pressure others. This move would only make the emperor resent Ji more and more, which would lead to his methods becoming more cruel and nasty. But now at her side, the queen obviously couldn't convince Chunjia, so she had to speak, "Not to mention that the matter of the royal tomb has not been implemented yet, your mother Yuan and Queen Qu are still in bed, so it's okay if we don't grant a general amnesty and pray for blessings from the world at this time. , how can one concubine’s words affect so many people?”
"And when the second prince and the third prince were entrusted to your mother, Queen Qu, to raise them, it was because they wanted your mother, Queen Qu, to protect the two children."
"As a result, due to the accident in the royal mausoleum, your mother, Queen Qu, fell ill, and the two children had to be raised by the concubines."
"According to Qin Tianjian's words, this is already a bit risky."
"After all, how can the blessings of Mrs. Yaoning and the Ouyang family be compared to that of your mother, Queen Qu?"
"If innocent people are implicated now, it may be detrimental to the emperor's heirs... Emperor, what do you think?"
These words are more of a threat than persuasion: If you insist on pursuing the case ruthlessly, then if any of the emperor's heirs in the palace make any trouble, the Ai family will also hold Yun Fenghuang accountable. Just fanning the flames and not caring about the life or death of the emperor's heir!
When the time comes, the Ai family will not let Yun Fenghuang go!
—Or do you think you can take good care of all the royal heirs, both born and unborn in the palace? !
Yun Fenghuang heard this threat and smiled slightly. He was about to retort, but as he spoke, he suddenly remembered that he had reminded himself two days ago that he had been in the limelight enough during this period.
If he continues to be so invincible, I'm afraid the impression that he is smart and capable and does not require too much care and pity from him will become more and more solid in Chunjia's mind.
As a dignified emperor, should he not give his care and pity to lowly maids like Luo Hanyi and Ouyang Fulu
How can this be done
Yun Fenghuang decisively changed his mind to shock, then anger, and then... he lowered his head and bit his lip, showing an expression of quickly thinking about countermeasures.
At this moment, Chunjia had finished calculating, and as she expected, he gently held her palm to comfort her, and said slowly: "What the Queen Mother said is absolutely true. In this way, we will only conduct a thorough investigation of the family of the soldier, and leave the rest for the time being." whether!"
Only this family is implicated
Queen Mother Ji Queen Mother Ji still felt a little pain in her heart, but she quickly weighed it. Since she had lost the first move, it was impossible not to draw some blood now.
I could only endure my anger and heartache, and nodded: "Your Majesty, you are wise!"
Empress Dowager Ji asked Yun Fenghuang again: "Chao is like this now, what are you going to do?"