From that month on, no one in the Sixth Palace hoped that Concubine Xian would recover from her illness and return to normal more than Gu Zhen.
She even secretly began to copy scriptures and pray for the concubine, hoping that Yuan Zhiniang would be free of her illness overnight and be alive and kicking...
However, God was not in his favor. According to the news coming out of Yanhong Palace, Concubine Xian was getting worse every month. After hearing that, she was going to die anytime, anywhere.
In that case, it was quite reasonable for the Empress Dowager Yuan to summon the empress to scold her: "...How old is the eighth prince Ruming when a good child is like that? He is very ignorant. Otherwise, he will lose his mother. , how pitiful will it be in the future? Of course, the queen is not to blame, but if not the queen, I would be more concerned about it, so that the witnesses would not die overnight, and at least the Ai family would be able to track down the real culprit and avenge the virtuous concubine. , In the future, when the Eighth Prince grows up, he will have an explanation! But now..."
The Queen Mother began to wipe her tears and whispered consolations. Gu Zhen endured the pain of vomiting blood and knelt down to apologize, saying that everything was not her fault, and that she could not fault her loving mother, the Empress Dowager, the good concubine, and the Eighth Prince. Taking advantage of the situation, she probed: "My daughter-in-law really has no face to offend the Eighth Prince. Please, can you please help Concubine An to take care of the Eighth Prince for the time being? Ruming's daughter-in-law asked to see the Eighth Prince and thought of the poor sister Xianfei. Is it true..."
Her tears were barely brewing, so Empress Dowager Yuan looked over with tears in her eyes and a surprised look on her face: "So, Concubine Xian and my wife are so pitiful. I beg the Eighth Prince to be raised by Concubine An, and that's okay." Concubine An is not good, but what is Concubine An's status? According to the rules of the palace, the adoptive mother wants to be higher than the biological mother. I...do I feel that I can't fault the good concubine? Do I deliberately humiliate the poor eighth prince? !”
After saying that, he burst into tears!
At that time, even the attendant Zhan Liu couldn't help but say something about the queen: "The Queen Mother is already sad enough, why does the Queen need to beg to say such words to hurt the Queen Mother's heart? Even if you don't like the Eighth Prince, you don't have to be in the Queen Mother's heart. Just say that before!"
"...I don't mean that." Gu Zhen pinched his palms hard to suppress the urge to get angry, and said to the Queen Mother Yuan with a smile, "Mother, my daughter-in-law is ashamed of herself and feels unworthy to take care of the eighth prince. I don't have any other meaning. Don't worry too much. It's also true that your daughter-in-law is straight-tempered and close to the mother. She thinks and says whatever she wants without thinking carefully. Please don't ask the mother to have the same experience as her daughter-in-law. How could the daughter-in-law not like the eighth prince? The daughter-in-law herself is not lucky. , you cannot personally continue the heirs for Your Majesty, the eighth prince is red and ruthless, and my daughter-in-law will like it just by looking at him."
At that time, her heart was so filled with hatred that she was almost bleeding: according to Yun Fenghuang's advice during the summer vacation, Empress Dowager Yuan and the Prince Xingning Mansion would, after confirming that Yuan Zhiniang had given birth to a healthy prince, leave the mother to keep the son and give it to herself. Raise and replace the prince born by Gu's daughter in order to seize the Eastern Palace!
This was already very embarrassing for Gu Zhen and the Gu family.
Can it be said that from the current point of view, the actual arrangements of Empress Dowager Yuan are more vicious and dirty than what Yun Fenghuang said!
In Gu Zhen's view, if the eighth prince is born and Yuan Zhiniang is gone, then the benefit is of course whether the child will be recorded in her name and become the legitimate son, but... as the bastard son whose adopted mother-in-law passed away, is this an honor? Bastard!
The eighth prince should be grateful to her.
Even Empress Dowager Yuan and Xing Ningbo Mansion should also thank her.
But what happens if it is clear
Although the Eighth Prince remembered Concubine Xian's name, he was not considered his legitimate son, but Concubine Xian's illness worsened and she was harmed by others. The only clue and many witnesses were that she was killed in the lap of the queen.
So she couldn't find the evil leg in one day, but she couldn't fault the virtuous concubine in one day, and she couldn't fault the eighth prince in one day.
If she adopted the eighth prince under such circumstances, it would not be grace but not atonement.
Suddenly, when the eighth prince grows up, will he be grateful to her
No, he didn't round up and thought it would be good if the queen denied his mother-in-law's enemy.
Although Qun Qinzhen didn't care about the gratitude of her cheap son, after all, she cared more about the third prince and the King of Chu, but!
Outsiders don't think so.
People who don't know the truth will think that the Queen cannot afford to fault the Eighth Prince.
The Queen should be cruel to the Eighth Prince no matter how nice he was, but the Queen should be cruel to the Eighth Prince.
If the Eighth Prince is not the Eighth Prince, then Gu Zhen can probably rely on his natal family to suppress those gossips and opinions, but the Eighth Prince is not alone.
Empress Dowager Yuan and Prince Xingning's Mansion will definitely add fuel to the flames and kill the "fact" that the empress cannot afford to make mistakes against him.
Gu Zhen's teeth were itching, and he deeply regretted that he had ignored Yun Fenghuang's reminder before. He could not resist Chunjia's persuasion and carried the eighth prince to Chongchang Palace.
That's nothing like a hot potato, that's simply an ancestor!
Is what Yun Fenghuang said an understatement? After raising that child, why would he be questioned by Chunhuo Palace for any trouble
How about bringing an ancestor to you and serving him with three sticks of incense in the morning, noon and evening, but it’s not enough? ! !
Gu Zhen didn't know how she got out of Chunyou Palace. When she returned to Chongchang Palace, she didn't even bother to change her dress, so she sent someone to send a message to her family and ask them to help make up their minds.
The old man of the Gu family was very calm: "Although the empress dowager is mean and ungrateful, she is also a ungrateful person. Not to mention that Bidong is not a foolish and filial master. Where is our house, let alone the empress taking good care of her? The eighth prince, even if he deliberately raised the eighth prince, couldn't the royal family be very good at abolishing the queen? At most, the loving mother Queen Mother would find trouble, how big a big deal? Let the queen be patient, and don't make the family trouble for such a small thing. Legs. Otherwise, if you displease Bidong, the gain will outweigh the loss."
He was speaking completely from the standpoint of the Gu family. He felt that after learning from the Ji family's lesson, as a descendant of the family, you should not act on matters that are not important. Otherwise, it would be easy to fool the foolish emperor.
For a discerning person like Chunjia, if he makes many small moves, he might start accounting at some point, and then the liquidation will begin.
So even if he is not afraid of the loving mother-in-law and the Xingning Bofu, but good steel is used on the blade, that kind of thing will not really affect the status of the queen and the status of the Gu family... Mr. Gu doesn't want to bother.
He himself had never been a daughter-in-law and had never been angry with his mother-in-law, so he didn't take it seriously.
Mrs. Zhaowu Bo and Gu Zhen's mother-in-law did not feel the same way as Minghong. The relationship between her and her mother-in-law was not bad. They got along politely after getting along for a few years. Even thinking about it, she felt uncomfortable. Well, not to mention the situation of my daughter
Therefore, he fought for his daughter in front of his father-in-law: "Father, even so, how scheming is the empress dowager, a loving mother? If she had a grudge in her heart and would blindly tease the queen for eternity, how could the queen endure it?"
"The empress dowager, the loving mother, is not from a decent family. The Yuan family of Fuyang seems to be confused, but she is not a prominent family in the place." Old Mrs. Gu waved his legs and said, "Even if she doesn't like the empress, how can she be wrong in the palace?" Is the palace in your lap? At most, it doesn’t sound good to shut up, and the queen just pretends that she didn’t hear it? Many mothers-in-law are difficult to get along with, and many daughters-in-law can stand it. How can the queen stand it? The queen can’t stand it. She's grown up now, so I don't want to treat her like a little girl and protect her everywhere. I don't have to let her think that way. On the contrary, it will be easy for her to develop a weak mind."
Mrs. Zhaowu Bo was angry but didn't dare to say anything, so she could apologize and say, "No, my daughter-in-law didn't think it through well."
After returning to the palace and telling Gu Zhen what had happened, the mother and daughter hugged each other and cried. They both felt that the confinement period was too sad.
"How about if you don't tell me you're sick?" Mrs. Zhaowu Bo thought about it and gave her daughter some advice, "Or just let the trusted imperial doctor prescribe some prescriptions. A serious illness is just one thing, and I'm afraid it will be over. Give it to the princes, and move the eighth prince out as a matter of course."
Gu Zhen frowned and said, "I didn't pick him up that day, so that's what he thought. Can Bidong have a sharp eye and tell me frankly whether he is pretending. I'll ask you if I can at that time... I'm afraid it's hard for Bidong to explain."
At that time, you can see the importance of the emperor's favor. If Yun Fenghuang is pretending to be ill, the emperor will most likely not expose it.
He would even help her out.
However, Gu Zhen did not receive that kind of treatment - Mrs. Zhaowu Bo frowned and thought about her father-in-law's words for a moment, then suddenly said: "Then please follow my grandfather's wishes?"
Seeing Gu Zhen's confusion, she sneered: "Didn't my grandfather say that with our family's status, even if I deliberately raise the eighth prince to be a good person, it's not a good thing? Well, I will seriously raise that little prince." Raising things to death! The empress dowager, a loving mother, sent three nieces into the palace to serve the emperor, but they only had so little flesh and blood as the virtuous concubine gave birth to the emperor. I wonder if the eighth prince has a lot of good things and two shortcomings. Let’s see if they can do any harm again? Anyway, my grandfather said that the emperor would not abandon the queen because of such a little thing. In this case, what should I be afraid of? As for offending the mother-in-law, the Empress Dowager, I will give the eighth prince to the throne, and will I owe Xian Is there any difference between the concubine, mother and son?"
Gu Zhen hesitated. Because she was infertile and had been left out in the palace for many years, did she have a sincere love for her adopted children? She also had the eighth prince whom she did not want to adopt. Although she had many grudges, she could still poison her legs with such a young child. ,That…
"Is that the time when you are soft-hearted?" Her mother became anxious when she saw this. She frowned and shouted, "I don't think that little thing is soft-hearted, but the empress dowager and the virtuous concubine are very good. Will the Xingning Bo Mansion mistake me for being soft-hearted?! I think about the entrustment of my family, and then I think about myself! Moreover, I have always been picked on by my loving mother, the Empress Dowager, and I am in the mood to take care of the other children in my lap? Don’t forget to take care of me. Su Ruming is pregnant, and her innocent and ignorant temperament cannot be taken care of by me. Let alone give birth to the Donglai Emperor's heir, I'm afraid she won't even be able to save her own life!"
"..." Gu Zhen sighed after being persuaded and said, "He knows, mother, don't worry, he will feel aggrieved. In fact, the eighth prince is also innocent. What does he know at such a young age? But he is lying in front of He killed so many elders and took his life forcefully."
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhaowu Bo sneered and said: "If his elders are wrong, he will feel very sad and will definitely pick him up in advance. By then, everyone will be in peace, that's all. But if they don't feel sad, then I am not the one who gave birth to the child, but why should I care? The third prince and the King of Chu are the heirs in Gu Su's belly. Which one doesn't need me more?"
The mother and daughter then decided on this plan, so it would be difficult to implement it for the time being.
Lord, I wonder if Concubine Xian took her last breath. Compared to Concubine Xian, who had been lying on the bed for a few months, the Eighth Prince has been doing well from birth to now. If he could have done well before his biological mother passed away, How can Empress Dowager Yuan and Prince Xingning give up and give up
Even if Mr. Gu categorically said that the emperor would not depose the eighth prince, but if the empress did not care about the concubine's mistake and even deliberately put the eighth prince to death, it would be detrimental to the concubine in the future.
After all, there is a Yun Fenghuang in the palace who is watching with eager eyes.
Although Yun Fenghuang Zhiming did not publicly express his coveting for Donggong and Qingci Palace, no one would think that he was a pure-hearted master.
"First, take good care of your son. When the wise concubine is gone, Chunwu Palace will be picky over and over again, making it impossible for the eighth prince to take care of him." That was the plan of the mother and daughter.
Yun Fenghuang watched with cold eyes. He heard that the queen was very sad at first. After returning from Chunwu Palace that day, her legs and fingers were trembling, as if she was furious. But since Mrs. Zhaowu came into the palace, My mood seems much better.
Although he did not appear to be in a bad mood outside, he had returned to normal in private. He often held the third prince in his arms and joked with the King of Chu... He suddenly frowned: "Mrs. Uncle Zhaowu, please help her." What idea did she have to make her think that the Eighth Prince's matter can be solved?"
Didong Chen Jing pondered: "It shouldn't be the case? After all, the empress dowager, a loving mother, tried every means and even took advantage of the virtuous concubine before sending him to Chongchang Palace. How could the empress refuse so easily?"
"Then how can the Queen be so relaxed?" Yun Fenghuang leaned back and said calmly, "I should have known very well what the Queen was like in the past two months. At that time, I wonder if she had any tricks up her sleeve, so I just Do not believe!"
I just asked Chen Jing, how did the queen miss the eighth prince during those two months
Chen Jing said: "Everything is as usual... Oh, the Queen doesn't really pay much attention to the Eighth Prince privately, so if you want to beat the attendant, you must take good care of the Eighth Prince."
Yun Fenghuang's eyes rolled, he thought for a moment, and seemed to be saying to himself: "That's a bit good... I told her before that the Eighth Prince was a hot potato, and she clearly listened to it... After that, my loving mother She was very angry at the Empress Dowager's actions... But no matter how angry she was, it is said that she would not dare to neglect the Eighth Prince, lest she be troubled by her loving mother, the Empress Dowager? "
"Could it be that the Empress Dowager was angered by the actions of her loving mother, so she would vent her anger on the Eighth Prince?" Chen Jing guessed.
Yun Fenghuang shook his head and said: "The queen comes from a famous family and has been in the palace for many years. She is used to sticking to the rules, but she is not the kind of person who doesn't follow common sense. Even if she angers the eighth prince, unless she has an idea, she will never ignore such a trivial matter. , giving the mother-in-law the Queen Mother an excuse."
After all, the eighth prince Ruming was very young, and when Gu Zhen came up to him and yelled curses at him, Concubine Xian, Empress Dowager Yuan, and the Xingning House... he couldn't understand.
Making pretense to stabilize Empress Dowager Yuan so as to buy time to think of wrong solutions was what Gu Zhen would do in Yun Fenghuang's opinion.
That's not what most people would do.
As for blocking the news from Queen Mother Yuan...
Those few people from Taoli Palace were silenced in Chongchang Palace. If nothing unexpected happens, they should be denied the responsibility of Empress Dowager Yuan.
In that situation, Gu Zhen was so stupid that he believed that his neglect of the Eighth Prince could not be concealed from the Empress Dowager Yuan!
So…
Yun Fenghuang narrowed his eyes and asked abruptly: "Let me tell you, if the Queen Mother had not raised the Eighth Prince to be a good boy and a bad boy, how could the Empress Dowager, a loving mother, have done anything to get her?"