The news that the imperial concubine was pregnant was secretly plotted, which caused a bit of a stir in the palace, but Chunjia cut the chaos with a sharp knife.
… Of course, it’s impossible for it to disappear all of a sudden and no one will even mention it.
It's just that I was afraid of the emperor's personal intervention and didn't dare to say it openly.
Gu Zhen was relieved when he first heard about it, feeling that his father still had weight for the emperor. And he was somewhat gloating about his misfortune, saying that Yun Fenghuang Sheng Chong was the one who was dearest to Chunjia, but when the overall situation was more important, wasn't it just a grievance
This emperor's favor only comes and goes.
Throughout the ages, there have been many concubines who could be said to be favored and seize the special house. How many of them could have died a happy death
In the final analysis, a woman in this world still has to rely on her family background. A strong natal family is the real foundation for success.
She was secretly proud of herself for two days, and when she got over it, she was frightened again: Chunjia was used to being forbearing, and when he was not strong enough in the early days, there were many scorns in the palace and harem, and even the palace officials often treated the emperor perfunctorily, but he He is always calm and calm, looking indifferent and indecisive.
In the end, a famous family like the Ji family was slaughtered at will... This...
Could it be that Chunjia was in a similar situation this time and doubted her, but because she still needed Gu Fangshu, she held back for the time being and waited for the war to end. Uncle Zhaowu and the Gu family were no longer needed, and then there would be another settlement after the fall
Otherwise, even if she did not directly handle this matter, it was indeed the work of the remnants of the Ji family. But it was obvious to everyone in the palace who least wanted the imperial concubine to have biological flesh and blood. How could Chunjia not even come over to ask
Even if Chunjia did not doubt her, as a queen, the concubine second only to the middle palace was murdered in the palace, and it was through the hands of the eldest son of the emperor. The emperor did not summon the queen to reprimand and blame her. Did you fail to take good care of the palace, thus giving an opportunity for traitors to take advantage of you? ?
"The Emperor is very scheming and ruthless." Gu Zhen was very worried, "He...has he given up on me and the Gu family?"
The more the queen thought about it, the more worried she became. Just as she was thinking about calling her family to discuss it, Mrs. Zhaowu took the initiative to hand over the letter to the palace.
When they arrived at Woxia Tower, they exchanged greetings for a while and hinted to the Queen that the situation was cleared. Then he couldn't wait to ask: "I heard that there was something wrong at Lanzhou Yeyu Pavilion two days ago, but everything was calm in Hefei. What's going on? ?”
"I was just thinking about telling my family." Gu Zhen quickly told the story in a few words, "... I guess it was the remnants of the Ji family who did it, but even though His Majesty also thought so, he didn't even mention it to me after that. I I'm wondering if His Majesty is already suspicious of us?"
Mrs. Zhaowu Bo was startled, and immediately comforted her: "Your father is currently fighting for His Majesty in Northern Xinjiang. Even if His Majesty doubts you now, can he still mention it to you? Wouldn't it chill the heart of the hero if he mentioned it? ! Your Majesty is a careful person and will definitely not do such a thing. At most, you can wait until your father returns to court before asking tactfully."
Gu Zhen said worriedly: "But if His Majesty doesn't think so, he already holds a grudge and is just waiting for his father to come back victorious and hide the bird behind his bow... What's more, the concubine's character is not unknown to the family. Even if Your Majesty doesn't have such an idea, as long as it's She came up with this idea, how can she keep providing eye medicine to our family these days? Think about how many high positions have fallen into her hands since the imperial concubine entered the palace? Even the regent, who is so powerful that even your majesty must respect her. "Uncle Wang has tried his best to cause trouble for the imperial concubine so many times, but which one has the upper hand? Even if our family is able to sit up straight, how can we withstand the imperial concubine's slander day after day?"
"..." Mrs. Zhaowu Bo pondered for a moment, then raised her head and said, "I came into the palace to see the empress today because I have something to do."
Gu Zhenqiang braced himself and asked what was going on.
"Didn't the imperial concubine's biological mother, Mrs. Jiang, come to the palace two days ago?" Mrs. Zhaowu Bo sighed, "Although she tried to restrain herself when she went back, she couldn't hide her joy. The family heard the news that the imperial concubine had borrowed a child. The steward of the palace let go a few palace maids who, although they were already old, had promised to stay in the palace for a lifetime. Those palace maids meant that they had found reliable family members to take refuge with, but in fact, people After leaving the palace, I was taken to a remote courtyard. My family tried to find out that the owner of the courtyard was named Jiang, and he was the Jiang family!"
Gu Zhen was startled and asked, "What do the concubine and her daughter want to do?"
"I heard that over in the Northland, the Jiang family and the Xie family are looking for smart, smart and good-looking girls to send here." Mrs. Zhaowu Bo said in a low voice, "At first, the family was still wondering whether the imperial concubine would give birth to a child. It’s difficult, these two families want to send young girls to serve in the palace so that the imperial concubine can continue to have children?”
"But I also found out that the girls they picked were all around two years old."
Mrs. Zhaowu Bo breathed a sigh of relief, "What do you mean by this?"
Gu Zhen thought for a moment, then his expression changed: "They... are they plotting against the tenth prince and the twelfth prince?!"
"If it's just the Xie family and the Jiang family, it doesn't matter even if it's the imperial concubine's idea." Mrs. Zhaowubo said slowly, "The key is that this matter started after the Jiang family left the palace. Do you think it's possible? What did Your Majesty promise to the Xie family and the Jiang family?"
Then what did Chunjia promise that made these two families act like this
The mother and daughter immediately thought of: the future crown princess!
"Over the past few years, my family has become aware of His Majesty's temperament." Mrs. Zhaowu Bo said, "Your grandfather and the others have discussed it and said that even though His Majesty loves the imperial concubine, he will not go beyond the overall situation. So there is no need to worry about the imperial concubine. His Majesty is not the kind of person who is soft-spoken and can settle trivial matters. He will never let the Xiao Yun family mess around because of his love for the imperial concubine. This is an important military and state matter that affects important ministers. The original country The fall of a Ji family in the court is enough to cause people to panic. That is because the Ji family has been causing trouble to the court for a long time, and everyone in the world knows that they forced Xiaozong to death in the first place and ignored Jin Shang in the back."
"If he can't tolerate people like ours who have never shown disobedience, then everyone in the high-ranking and wealthy families who are on his side now will be in danger!"
"Your Majesty has great plans and will not corrupt people's hearts so easily."
"So as long as your father makes meritorious deeds and atones for his sins, His Majesty will probably not deal with him harshly."
"Of course, Your Majesty dotes on your concubine..."
Mrs. Zhaowu Bo hesitated for a moment when she said this, and her voice was even lower, "Your grandfather and the others suspected that Your Majesty actually had no intention of abolishing the throne. Otherwise, he would not have tried every means to suppress the Xie family in the past two years. You see, the imperial concubine back then It was only at Jiji Yingying that the brothers betrothed to Princess Sui'an. As a result, Princess Sui'an was unable to have children. For this reason, the Prince Consort also resigned from office. Nowadays, although the Xie family still has some children serving as officials, most of them have been sent to other places. It’s unreasonable... However, His Majesty is also thinking about the imperial concubine after all. In this case, the most likely thing is to take this opportunity to promise the imperial concubine the future position of crown princess."
"If the daughter of the Xie family or the Jiang family has such good fortune, it will naturally be able to benefit the noble concubine, so that your majesty will not worry about the Xuanqing Palace in the future."
Gu Zhen said solemnly, "If this is the case, Your Majesty is thoughtful for your concubine, but what should I do, Mrs. Gu?"
The imperial concubine was already difficult enough to deal with. Even though the Xie family and the Jiang family had never become a serious and powerful family under the suppression of Chunjia, the King of Qin and the Seventh Prince under Yun Fenghuang's knees were both important ministers. Grandfather. Especially the seventh prince, Yin Qu was famous for doting on his daughter, and he was also very fond of his grandson.
Oh, this prince also has a direct aunt who became the Marquis Shouning's wife.
They are all elders who are willing to sacrifice their hearts and souls for him.
With such two cheap sons, even if Chunjia is gone and Gu Zhen is the Queen Mother, I'm afraid she won't be able to neglect her for a while.
If she is given another niece as a princess, who has the final say in the palace, Xiao Yun or her, Gu Zhen
Gu Zhen almost immediately thought of Queen Mother Yuan!
Which adoptive mother is willing to work hard for many years to have her peaches picked by a vixen who suddenly appears? !
Gu Zhen definitely wouldn't want to do it anyway.
"It's still early, we just have to be aware of it." Mrs. Zhaowu Bo persuaded her daughter softly, "Your grandfather and the others want you to calm down and stop doing anything else. As long as Your Majesty has no intention of changing the status of a bastard, your concubine will No matter how hard you try, it won't help. You've taken too many actions here, and it's not good for our family if you don't make His Majesty feel more sorry for her."
Gu Zhen said in annoyance: "Now my grandfather said that again. When I asked my family to help me and tell the remnants of the Ji family, no one objected. Otherwise, what can I do in the palace?"
"... Your grandfather and the others didn't think about it at the time." Mrs. Zhaowu Bo was a little embarrassed, but she still told her, "A few days ago, your father sent a letter back and stated his speculation, but he convinced your grandfather and the others... You know Yes, our family has never had any intention of being sorry to His Majesty from the beginning to the end. Besides, it has been many years since you entered the palace, and His Majesty has never favored you. This shows that there is some lack of fate between you and His Majesty. But through the ages, the two have been in love. There are very few things about Yue. Otherwise, why would people be obsessed with her like that? Didn't you say that at the beginning? As long as you guarantee your position as queen, as long as you guarantee that Qingci Palace is yours, nothing else matters. "
Gu Zhen bit his lip and said, "Yes, I still mean it now. But have you ever thought about it, mother? Speculations are just speculations, and His Majesty has not sworn to us that the position of the Queen and the position of the East Palace will definitely be It belongs to me and my children! Besides, people are subject to change. He was born in sorrow and died in happiness. His Majesty has been troubled both internally and externally since he ascended the throne, so he has been trembling with fear and did not dare to slack off at all. Now, in the DPRK, There is a regent, there are remnants of the Ji family in the country, and Wei He in the north also has ulterior motives. At this moment, your majesty can still be wise and put the overall situation first. But once these problems are solved, will your majesty still be so wise and powerful?"
She raised her chin towards Lanzhou Yeyu Pavilion and said in a low voice, "Who has a sweet mouth and a poisonous heart? Who in the previous harem doesn't know that? The concubines who were conferred by His Majesty after the wedding were fighting back and forth. It was intense, but at least everyone maintained their decency and treated each other with respect. Therefore, there were no changes in the eight years. As a result, Xiaoyun entered the palace only after a few years. From the queen to the concubines, everyone was not full of fear? That's it. Master, tell me, mother, if His Majesty really wants peace in the harem, or if he can control himself and take care of the general public, who among the three palaces and six courtyards should be pampered, should he pamper her?!"
Mrs. Zhaowu Bo frowned slightly.
Gu Zhen continued: "No matter how wise your Majesty is, you are still a human being. He was so filial and filial to his loving mother, the Queen Mother, and he no longer has any intention to oppose the loving mother and queen mother. But since the imperial concubine has become more and more favored, you see, now the loving mother and queen mother does not even come forward to speak or do anything. ! It can be seen that even though His Majesty knows everything in his heart, he still can't help but favor the noble concubine. He is like this now before he can sit back and relax, let alone in the future? "
"..." Mrs. Zhaowu Bo was silent for a moment and said, "Then what do you want?"
"My Gu family's only support is the Dingbei Army." Gu Zhen looked at her and said seriously, "Now even the Dingbei Army has been mixed with many people by His Majesty. He is just waiting for the war to end to find an excuse to call his father back to the Imperial Capital for talks. It is not known whether he can return to the army in the future. But... His Majesty is not a mediocre person and knows the importance. The army is out now and it is war time. He will definitely not touch my father, me or the Gu family. .”
Mrs. Zhaowu Bo stared at her for a moment and then said: "You want your father to... raise a thief to respect himself?! This is not easy to do. After all, many nobles' children who accompanied the army, especially the Wei family, are all counting on this contribution to be able to exchange for it. A reward. Even if your father finds a reason to let Wei He go, they will not agree to the easy credit!"
Gu Zhen pursed his lips and asked, "Then... from now on, what else can we do about the life and death of our family, apart from entrusting it to His Majesty?"
Mrs. Zhaowu Bo could not help but be silent at these words.
After a while, she said calmly: "I'll go back and discuss it with your grandfather."
Gu Zhen watched her leave quietly, with unbearable expression in his eyes. He remembered that when he was a child, he was at the Yanzhou border with his father and brother, and occasionally saw the border residents who were brutalized by Wei He who kidnapped him across the border... At that time, Gu Fangshu taught her that she was not of my race. His mind must be different, saying that the descendants of the Gu family should remember that Yi and Di are like animals, fearful of power and have no morals.
Although Gu Fangshu came from an official family, he was actually a commander who had been promoted step by step through the ranks.
When he was young, he often witnessed the cruelty of people being slaughtered by Wei He, so he hated Wei He deeply.
This time leading troops and Xifa to attack Hele was of course Chunjia's order, and he was also happy to see it happen... He sincerely hoped that Wei He would completely weaken, and then disappear like many foreign races in the past. .
At that time, Gu Zhen was a young man, and he often regretted that he was not a man, so he could not ride on horseback and draw a bow like his brothers, fight in front of the battle array, and defend the country's borders with Zhupaoze.
... Just a few years ago, when she accompanied Chunjia on a hunting trip, she seemed to be still a little distraught.
But since sitting in the back seat, Gu Zhen felt that he was becoming less and less like himself.
The still young queen raised her hand, touched her cheek, and smiled to herself.
I was thinking of what I had just said to persuade Mrs. Zhaowu: People's hearts are fickle.
In this turbulent world, who can remain unchanged
Gu Zhen clenched his fists and silently told himself: She was forced to do so, and those who achieve great things do not stick to trivial matters... Yun Fenghuang was so favored and so domineering and arrogant, but Chunjia indulged her in everything. If he was not so cruel, he would How can there be any good outcome if the Japanese are used as swordsmen and I are treated as fish and meat
Moreover, Yun Fenghuang was domineering and favored her mother's family. As a beloved concubine, she often tried to deflect the Jiang family of the Xie family. Once she became the queen mother, wouldn't it be a repeat of what happened to the Ji family
"I'm doing it for the Gu family, and also for the country..." Gu Zhen's eyes seemed to be filled with bloody and painful scenes that she had witnessed when she was a child. She was a little flustered, unable to bear it, and confused, and clutched the armrest, her expression following her mumbling over and over again. Gradually she became firm, "... It is by no means a blessing to the country for a person like the imperial concubine to gain power. As a queen, in order to eliminate hidden dangers, I sacrifice some peace on the border and help the country... It is natural! It is natural!!!"