"The empress is so kind and virtuous that I will never forget you. From now on, I will..."
Yun Fenghuang interrupted Concubine Shu impatiently: "Stop talking about these words. I want to ask you, what happened to the second prince this time? Even if you don't like him, he is of His Majesty's flesh and blood, so how come he doesn't even look like that? Don't you want to do something? If it weren't for the news coming from Shan Yuan Temple, the Queen would be worried that the Empress Dowager would use the topic to a bad end. It would not be so easy for me to convince the Queen, and a big matter would be reduced to a trivial matter!"
"... I dare not hide my identity from your Majesty." Concubine Shu held the veil and hesitated for a while, then let everyone exit. Only the second concubine was left in the room, then she moved her body and whispered, "I am indeed not very good. I like the second prince. After all, after his biological mother was a criminal, His Majesty is not close to him. But I really have no intention of harming him... The reason why I didn't let the dowry serve me is because I am worried... about the remnants of the Ji family!"
Yun Fenghuang frowned: "What?"
"A centipeded insect is dead but not stiff. The Ji family's demise was sudden, so the henchmen it had snagged over the years were almost unscathed. Although some of them were just grassroots, they fled after seeing that the direct line of the Ji family had been destroyed. However, There are also some people who are stubborn and stubborn and still want to be loyal to the Ji family... So I am worried that the second prince, as Kang Jieyu's biological son, will be paid special attention to by them." Concubine Shu bit her lip, "They will not care about it then. If something happens, I and my children may be affected!"
This makes sense.
After all, the twin princes were not under his knees, so Yun Fenghuang really didn't expect this taboo.
After pondering for a while, he asked, "You have no doubt that something happened in front of you?"
"... I really can't think of who did it." Concubine Shu thought hard for a long time and said calmly, "Otherwise, I must have said it just now."
"Then this matter is a bit troublesome." Yun Fenghuang said slowly, "On the surface, the queen and the concubine De have promised to help cover it up. They insist that it is a rumor that the palace servants threw the prince into the pool. The truth is that when a palace official was playing with the prince by the pool, he accidentally fell and the prince fell into the pool... In this way, the Queen Mother had no reason to ask for guilt. But your Majesty must know the truth of the matter. No matter how bad the biological mother of the second prince is , after all, they have royal blood flowing through them. If His Majesty had not cared about their lives at all, he would not have taken them back to the palace and handed them over to the Queen Mother and you and the Queen to raise them."
"Now that they were openly murdered in broad daylight in full view of the public, how could your Majesty not get to the bottom of it?"
Concubine Shu's face changed color when she heard this, and she hurriedly leaned over and pulled her sleeve, begging her for help.
Yun Fenghuang sat motionless and said: "If I didn't want to help you, I wouldn't say these words to you. It's just that I have never paid attention to the second prince before, let alone the people around him. In this moment, I will , where can I find out the whole story? If you think about it again, you have been raising people in front of you. Even if you don't care about them, you have asked about them a few times after raising them for so long, right? You are more familiar with me than I am after all, right? Is there really no sign of anything suspicious?”
"..." It was about her own vital interests. Concubine Shu was very nervous. She bit her lip and thought for a moment, then said uncertainly, "Could it... be the work of the remnants of the Ji family? After all, how could it be such a coincidence that Shan Yuan Guan only preached it?" After hearing the news about those two princes, the second prince was killed? Could it be that they didn't want those two people to go on quietly and wanted to sacrifice the second prince in exchange for the empress dowager to bargain with His Majesty so that they could save the former empress or Kang Jie Yuzhong? one of?"
"I have just discussed this speculation with Queen De and Concubine." Yun Fenghuang shook his head and said, "Do you think His Majesty will agree?"
Concubine Shu said: "Yes, your Majesty will not agree, but even if your Majesty does not agree, if it had not been for the great help of the empress and the empress dowager, I would certainly not be able to escape the blame! The downfall of the Ji family was certainly the work of the regent, but the family My grandfather also made contributions in private. If there are people who are resented by the remnants of the Ji family, how can I not be among them?"
Moreover, "Kang Jieyu was born to twins! Even if the second prince is gone, there is still a third prince with the blood of the Ji family! Especially the third prince is now in front of the queen. Even if he does not have the title of legitimate son like the fifth prince, , but the empress is unable to have children, and she treats the two princes as her own children! Let me say something heartbreaking. Perhaps in the eyes of the remnants of the Ji family, sacrificing a second prince can not only criticize me, but also take revenge on my grandfather. , and it will allow the Third Prince to win the sympathy and compassion of His Majesty and the Queen, and given the Third Prince’s situation, it will be easier for him to be reused when he grows up.”
Sure enough, urgency brings wisdom.
Yun Fenghuang never thought that Concubine Shu was very smart, but now she really made some sense in order to atone for her sins.
Indeed, although he was also the prince born to Ji Muzi, and the second prince was still his elder brother, his situation was really not as good as that of the third prince.
After all, Concubine Shu's status is not as good as that of the Queen. The most important thing is that Concubine Shu can give birth to a child by herself, so she will not pay too much attention to the second prince, and even dislike him a little.
It is conceivable that even if the second prince grows up in front of her, he will definitely be the kind of person who does not love his mother and will fend for himself.
The third prince was different. Gu Zhen couldn't give birth himself, and he only adopted him after he had been in the palace for ten years and had nothing to do. He had feelings for him. Even though he now had the fifth prince under his knees, Gu Zhen did not say that he would not care about the third prince, but he still treated him as his own flesh and blood, and very much hoped that Chunjia could treat this prince equally.
If the third prince and the fifth prince grow up under the guidance of Gu Zhen, then when the time comes to establish the heir apparent, the fifth prince, as his nominal legitimate son, will have considerable advantages, and the third prince will become his natural helper and will inevitably be relied upon.
If the fifth prince takes over the throne in the future, then the third prince, not to mention becoming the next regent, will definitely stand out among his brothers and come from behind.
Looking at it this way, it seems that it is not impossible for the remnants of the Ji family to sacrifice the second prince...
"It is possible, but without evidence, it is not possible to convince His Majesty with empty words." Yun Fenghuang pondered for a while and said, "In this way, you are pregnant now, so you should not worry too much. I will give you How about you give me a decent explanation in seven days, and I will explain it to His Majesty on your behalf?"
This is actually a hint to Concubine Shu, if you can't do it yourself, just ask your family for help. Seven days is enough for your Ouyang family to discuss and even prepare perjury.
... After leaving the Broken Bamboo Pavilion, Yun Fenghuang did not ask Bu Nian to go back to Lanzhou Yeyu Pavilion, but instead ordered him to go to Xingxin Hall where Chun Jia was.
"I heard that Concubine Shu is happy?" When they arrived at the place, they went in to see him. Chun Jia was reviewing the memorial. When he saw Yun Fenghuang coming in, he called out casually and asked, "How is the second prince?"
His tone was very calm and casual, without any hint of joy or anger.
"The second prince hadn't woken up when I left. Concubine Shu did have a happy pulse and seemed to be in good spirits, but she was very anxious about the second prince." Yun Fenghuang discussed what he had discussed with the queen and Concubine De. After speaking again, "What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Chunjia didn't have any objections. After all, although he was not afraid of the Empress Dowager and the Regent taking advantage of the situation, one more thing was better than one less thing, so he nodded in agreement and let it be done.
But the emperor then frowned and said to Concubine Shu: "I asked her to raise the prince. She is pregnant now. Didn't she care about it before?"
"I also feel that what Concubine Shu did was inappropriate." Yun Fenghuang said, "But she happened to be found out to be pregnant, and it's hard for me to say harsh words. I'm afraid that she won't be able to bear it and will treat the emperor's heir. not good."
Chunjia said disapprovingly: "When the palace concubine is pregnant, she still has to set rules for the master, so she still comes here? Since Concubine Shu has done something bad, she deserves to be punished. If she can't bear it, it's her own problem. .”
She just said that since Concubine Shu didn't care about the second prince, she wouldn't let her raise him. Anyway, there were several heads in the palace who had no heirs, so there was no need to worry about finding someone willing to take over.
Yun Fenghuang thought for a while and said: "As for the throne without heirs, although there are several, Concubine Wan is still young and may not be able to have biological flesh and blood in the future. If the second prince is handed over to her, it will be difficult not to Repeating the mistakes of Concubine Shu. On the other hand, Mrs. Qingshu entered the palace during His Majesty's wedding. She has been unable to do anything for these years. Earlier, the imperial doctor diagnosed that she was suffering from three corpse insects. There is no hope for the future. Your Majesty thought how?"
"Just Mr. Cui." Chunjia nodded and said, "The two princes on the left and right are still young, so there is no need to wait for him to wake up. Concubine Shu has not taken good care of others before. Now that she is pregnant, how can she be more careful? ? You ask Ms. Cui to go to the Broken Bamboo Pavilion immediately to pick him up."
So Yun Fenghuang returned to Lanzhou Yeyu Pavilion and sent someone to report the good news to Cui Lianye.
After a while, Chen Jing came over to report, saying that Concubine Shu couldn't help but cry after hearing the news. She said that she was just negligent and had no intention of not caring about the second prince... But the emperor's oral order had been issued, and Cui Lianye finally got such an opportunity. Where? Will you give in
Without any explanation, he took the second prince away.
"Sure enough, he is your majesty's biological flesh and blood after all. Even if your majesty usually doesn't pay much attention to it, he is still distressed after all." Qingdu said to Yun Fenghuang, "Mrs. Qingshu has nothing at her knees. Even if the second prince's biological mother is the daughter of the guilty minister, Qingdu must be Mrs. Shu will not treat him badly. It is much better for the Second Prince to follow Mrs. Qingshu than to follow Concubine Shu."
Yun Feng Huang said: "Isn't it?"
But the most important thing is because Chunjia now plans to win over Cui Wan, right
When the emperor kept a low profile and bided his time, the giants in the temple were the Ji family, the regent, Zheng Ju and Cui Wan. Although there were differences in strength, overall the Ji family was the dominant one. Although the other three also had gaps with each other. and fighting, the overall situation is to fight against the Ji family, thus showing a subtle check and balance.
Later, when Chunjia came into power, he teamed up with the regent and Zheng Ju to suppress the Ji family, but paid little attention to Cui Wan. He even poached Cui Wan and robbed his nephews and students...
I don’t know if it’s the heat of the moment or Cui Wan finally learned the correct posture of being a loyal minister to Chun Jia. In short, the second prince was transferred to Cui Lianye to raise him. It was definitely not just the emperor who wanted to find a reliable mother and concubine for his biological son. So simple.
So Yun Fenghuang was suspicious again. Could it be that Chunjia did what happened this time
After all, there was a purpose in bringing the prince to Concubine Shu to raise. It was not just to arrange a foster mother for the prince. Now he would have to be taken away from Concubine Shu. Even if Concubine Shu didn't value the prince, there was no reason why he would not be given to Concubine Shu. Concubine, especially the Ouyang family behind her.
But now, let alone taking away the second prince, the emperor would punish Concubine Shu again, and Concubine Shu would not have the right to cry out for injustice.
Of course, this is just a guess. After all, he is his own flesh and blood. Maybe the emperor is not so cruel
"We'll see what the Ouyang family says in two days." Yun Fenghuang thought, "That old guy Ouyang Yanran is not a fuel-efficient lamp."
After three or four days of this, before the Ouyang family asked Concubine Shu to tell the "truth", Shan Yuan Guan sent the bad news first, saying that the former queen and sister Kang Jieyu died of a sudden illness.
After learning the news, Chunjia quietly ordered a grand burial, but not in the royal mausoleum.
The Empress Dowager, who was already ill, made a request to go to Shanyuan to see her two nieces and nephews for the last time.
Of course Chunjia didn't want to agree. After all, the old lady was so old. Even if the palace was not far from Shanyuan Temple, the mountain road was rugged. Who knew whether she could withstand the bumps
Even if you can bear it, seeing the corpse will be a thrill, and it may be a good thing and a bad thing.
He didn't really hope that the Empress Dowager would be alive. The problem was that Ji's sisters were going, and Ji's Empress Dowager was not with them. What would be the discussion outside
You have to delay it for a while, wait for the limelight to pass, right
But this time the Empress Dowager lost her temper and asked someone to pack up the chariot and set off. The emperor personally rushed over to persuade her. She directly said that if she was not allowed to leave, she would jump off the chariot now!
Even with the height of the phoenix chariot, there is no guarantee that anything bad will happen if it falls, but with this kind of attitude, it is obvious that he is unwilling to compromise.
After weighing it again and again, Chunjia finally got out of the way: "Grandma Imperial, please wait a moment, and my grandson will go with you!"
He then put down his government affairs and temporarily accompanied the Empress Dowager on the trip. Before leaving, he told the Queen that the trip would last for about three or four days. This was because the Empress Dowager was old and not in good health, so she might need to rest in a Taoist temple. It takes two days to leave and return. Otherwise, if you want to express your condolences, you can go quickly and come back the same day.
As a result, she did not come back for five or six days. The queen was worried and sent someone to inquire. She learned that the Empress Dowager had finished her condolences and suddenly announced that she wanted to stay in Shanyuan Temple to practice and did not intend to leave!
Of course Chunjia disagreed, but the Empress Dowager refused to leave. He couldn't drag the person back on the phoenix chariot, and there was a stalemate.
"What's all this?" Gu Zhen frowned and called Yun Fenghuang to him for discussion, "How old is the Empress Dowager? Why are you still like this? You're fine now, Xing Xin There are so many troubles accumulated in the palace, but Your Majesty can’t get away from it! I have decided to go to Shanyuan in person to watch your Majesty serve on Your Majesty’s behalf... What do you think?"
Yun Fenghuang said: "This is a good move. But after the empress leaves, the third and fifth princes are still young, what should they do?"
"Of course I entrust it to you." Gu Zhen said matter-of-factly, "Otherwise, in such a big palace, who would have the confidence to protect them? Moreover, I am not going alone. I plan to bring Concubine Wan, Mrs. Roukun, and Xuan Zhaoyi to the palace as well. Bring it with you, otherwise no one will take turns when you go there, and I'm afraid the service won't be attentive."
... Let's just pay it back to Mrs. Roukun. Concubine Wan and Xuan Zhaoyi are afraid they won't hate you to death.
Both of them are still able to have children at such a young age. Now that they are in high positions in the palace, the queen and concubine are recognized as incapable of having children. Concubine Shu, Concubine Xian, and Concubine Shao are all pregnant. Concubine De has a daughter and is busy with palace affairs. Concubine Xie's low profile is often forgotten, so it was a good opportunity for Concubine Wan to compete with Xuan Zhaoyi for the chance to sleep with her and try to conceive.
As a result, the queen was so virtuous, which effectively ended the hope of these two women getting pregnant.
How depressed must these two be
However, Yun Fenghuang also knew that Gu Zhen's move was not directed at Concubine Wan and Xuan Jieyu. She just considered that after she left the palace, she needed someone to take charge of the overall situation: Yun Fenghuang.
Pregnant concubines are not suitable to travel and travel to serve their elders, and the children are still young, such as Concubine De, Concubine Xie, and Mrs. Qingshu, and it is not suitable to leave.
After all, if the third prince and the fifth prince are entrusted to Yun Fenghuang, the number of children that Yun Fenghuang needs to take care of at the same time suddenly increases to six. We can't let the second prince, the third prince, and the fourth prince also go to Yun Fenghuang, right
Yun Feng Huang couldn't even see it with his three heads and six arms.
Who's to blame if something goes wrong then
So we can only choose from the children. Among them, Jia Pingye has now taken refuge with Yun Fenghuang, which can be regarded as betraying the former empress to a certain extent. Let her go to the Empress Dowager. It is also the place where the former Empress died. This is not for the Empress. Is the Queen Mother causing trouble
Further down, Yi Xing'en, Qu Hongzhuan, Ping Zhenyi, etc. were all promoted from the palace concubines. Since they were from a humble background, they had only just learned the rules of the palace concubines. It would be difficult for them to win the attention of the Empress Dowager.
It might even be misunderstood that the concubine of noble birth was unwilling to go and sent these people to fool them.
In short, Gu Zhen's hatred was settled this time... Yun Fenghuang felt funny in his heart, and did not remind me. He only said: "Then I will obey the orders of the empress."