Immediately, Empress Chen thought that Zong Duo was already seven years old and knew a lot of things, so she had nothing to hide. After all, he was not afraid of doing anything, but he was afraid of people talking about it.
For a while, she had a lot of thoughts, thinking a lot, feeling sad, angry, helpless, and wronged, but in the end, all of these were not suitable to be presented in front of her son.
She collected her emotions, took a long breath, supported Zong Duo's shoulders and said, "Duo'er, you have to know that you are a descendant of the middle palace, as long as the queen mother is still sitting in the position of queen for a day, no one can surpass you. You Don't overthink it too much, it doesn't matter what your father thinks, after all, establishing a crown prince is a major national event, and there are so many courtiers watching. Besides, there is your great-grandfather, you just have to be yourself so that others don't pick and choose, The rest, the queen mother and great-grandfather will take care of it for you."
"But my grandmother just made such a joke a while ago, and everyone is laughing at the Chen family now. Could it be that my son's failure to become the crown prince this time has something to do with it?"
Empress Chen was slightly stunned, not knowing how to answer for a while, thinking about the words passed in from outside the palace, she said: "The Su family deliberately made things difficult for your grandmother, and your grandmother also came to apologize, but the Su family has never seen her."
But things have already happened, and the consequences have already been caused. It would be a lie to say that there was no impact. After all, because of this incident, the reputation of the Zhonggong family was also damaged.
Zong Duo didn't speak, he was a little impatient with his mother's reassurance.
He always listened to his mother's words, he had to maintain his demeanor as the eldest son, he had to study hard and excel in his studies, and he didn't have to worry about the rest.
But what happened
The result is not as good as Su Guifei's words, not as good as Zong Yue's joyful kneeling in front of his father, not as good as Zong Qian's acting stupid, and even worse than being graceful.
The second sister was right, the father could not see what they did behind their backs, because the father always went to Concubine Su and saw Zong Yue and the others many times, so it was inevitable that he would have a preference.
On the contrary, the father seldom went to Kunning Palace, and even they were treated coldly.
If at this time, they still continue to hold it for the so-called ridiculous face, the situation will only become more and more embarrassing.
At this time, Zong Duo could not say anything to complain about his mother, but his mentality had gradually changed. This change was very subtle, but it increased day by day.
He just couldn't help wondering, if the queen mother was favored by the emperor like Concubine Su, would all of this not happen
He will be the most beloved son of the emperor, and he will also be the prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty. The honor, glory, and decency will all belong to him alone, instead of him who is born in the middle palace and has to compromise.
It's a pity that these conjectures are destined to be fruitless, and Empress Chen is also relieved to see that Zong Duo is not as depressed or sad as she thought.
Telling him to study hard, and letting He Nian and the others take good care of him, she left in a hurry.
She is going to deal with the matter of asking for the crown prince next time. If it fails this time, there will be a next time. One day, His Majesty will not be able to withstand the pressure and will definitely seal Duo'er as the crown prince.
At this time, she didn't know that Chen Jian, the pillar of the Chen family, was facing a dilemma.
The dilemma is whether he should resign from his old age.
The Han Dynasty emphasized that the king and the scholar-bureaucrats ruled the world together.
Although with the change of dynasties, this definition has been compressed by generation after generation of emperors, but it is still the same in general.
It is mainly reflected in that, unless it is an important occasion, the ministers do not have to kneel before seeing the king, and it is also reflected in the fact that the emperor will not easily kill civil servants or ministers, or ransack their homes or exile, and always give the civil servants some dignity.
Another example is that even if the emperor does not want to listen to the minister's remonstrance, he still has to show obedience to the remonstrance on the surface, just like Zong Cong, even if he hates such a pedantic official like Yan Benqing, he will still keep him. It is also reflected in the fact that if the minister reaches a certain age and writes to beg for the bones, the emperor will always keep them for a while, even if he doesn't keep them, he will give condolences every now and then, and even reward him with something.
Only in this way can the harmony between the monarch and his subjects be shown, and even the emperor is not a person who crosses the river and demolishes bridges, and people take tea for cold tea.
This kind of situation usually happens when the monarch and his ministers have a tacit understanding with each other. It seems that with Chen Jian's identity and status, he... for the first time to submit a letter to become an official, as the emperor Zong Cong must not agree, and he has to say something to stay talk.
If the minister is just acting, one time is enough, the emperor and the minister have face for each other, and both sides benefit. But if the minister is really thinking about retiring, or if he is old enough, it would be outrageous not to resign, and naturally he will have to make a second pass.
This time it will be affected by the status of the minister, and even whether he is trusted and reused by the emperor. If some people are not important, or not so highly valued, the emperor will generally agree this time.
In the same way, if not, naturally there will be a second time.
Generally, it will not exceed three times. If it exceeds three times, the emperor will feel a little uncomfortable. I will give you honor and cooperate with you in acting. After submitting the passbook three times, it may be returned.
It is not that such a thing has never happened in the past dynasties. The minister deliberately acted on his favor, and the emperor allowed him to do it in a fit of anger, and then this person was dumbfounded.
When Chen Jian was enthroned by Zong Cong, he had to beg for bones once, but Zong Cong persuaded him to keep him.
Seeing that he had been procrastinating for too long, he had another session at the beginning of this year. It stands to reason that the third time should have come, but he kept procrastinating.
If there is nothing to do in normal times, he will continue to procrastinate with his old face at worst, but His Majesty said something like this before in the court. A foothold in the court
In particular, Mr. Wang Ge has been full of energy recently, and his attitude is only waiting for him to step down before taking over. With such a combination of both sides, Chen Shoufu's situation is embarrassing.
Embarrassed, always find the steps to go down.
Chen Jian went back and thought about it, and discussed it with his eldest son, Chen Pingwen. The next day, he fell ill at home due to an accidental cold.
Naturally, this matter has to be reported to the cabinet, and even the Qianqing Palace has to deliver a letter, or the emperor will ask me what is going on when he sees that you will not come to court.
Knowing that Chen Shoufu was sick at home, Zong Cong didn't say anything, and expressed some concern, but he didn't send the imperial physician to Chen's residence.
If the imperial physician was sent, it would be a sign of the emperor's importance. If the minister was ill only for the sake of saving face, then there would be a step down. After a few days, news would naturally spread that the imperial physician had returned to his youth and that a certain minister had recovered from his illness.
But if His Majesty doesn't send an imperial physician, how should the next play be performed? Could it be that he will be fine? Heal without medicine? What did you do during this illness
Not only is the face incomplete, but also the inside is not guaranteed.
Chen Jian was angry and impatient, and he had also been the chief assistant for these years. Whether it was the first emperor or the ministers of the court, no one had ever shown him such shame. Zong Cong's crossing the river and demolishing the bridge made him lose his composure.
A gaffe is a gaffe, the airs have already been set up, and the play is about to continue, Chen Shoufu can only continue to be sick.
Empress Chen handed the letter out of the palace at this time, one can imagine how the Chen family felt.
Afterwards, Empress Chen also learned about the situation of the Chen family. Now it is not a matter of establishing a crown prince, but of whether her grandfather's position as chief assistant can be kept, and if not, what should be the next step.
As Chen Shoufu has been sick for more than ten days in a row, some things in the cabinet are bound to be affected without the first assistant, so Zong Cong ordered Wang Cifu to take charge of the cabinet affairs temporarily, and sighed in front of the courtiers that Chen Shoufu has dedicated himself to the court for so many years , It’s really hard work, he is sick at home now, I am very worried.
As the saying goes, listen to the voice, if you can't hear the Sacred Heart again, the courtiers for so many years should be in vain, and many people now understand what His Majesty means.
So gradually there were rumors outside that Chen Shoufu fell ill, and His Majesty was very worried, wishing he could not replace him.
This statement sounds fine at first glance, but the taste is different when you taste it carefully, and it is even more different when you hear it from the victim's ears.
You, Chen Shoufu, are old enough to be obedient, and you should retire as soon as you have to, so why bother your Majesty to worry about you while occupying your position.
You worry about your ministers, can you bear it
There are only a few positions on the left side of the cabinet. If the first assistant is resigned and the second assistant is promoted, there will naturally be vacant positions below. Some want to join the cabinet, some are already cabinet ministers, and want to go further, these are all surging undercurrents.
And this undercurrent was just after the winter solstice... after the heaven sacrifice, it gathered into a torrent and broke Chen Shoufu's persistence.
He simply wrote a letter to beg for the bones, and at the same time privately started to help Chen Pingwen enter the cabinet. All of this happened at a leisurely pace, it seemed that the weather was calm, but in fact, the vortex in the hall could have swept one person down.
For a harem concubine like Pan'er, nothing seemed to happen, and Chen Shoufu was about to retire.
Of course it's not limited to her, because Zong Cong's few words, coupled with Feng Hai's news, and Feng Hai's previous order to take over a bookstore in Beijing. Together, let her figure out the general evolution of the matter.
This time Zong Cong didn't try to persuade him to stay too much, but he followed suit and approved Chen Shoufu's letter. In order to show his favor, Chen Jian also reserved the Sanjie of a first-rank Guanglu doctor, which probably means that even if you become an official, the imperial court will still give you a salary, and take care of you for the rest of your life.
After finishing the matter, Zong Cong came to Jingren Palace that evening.
Seeing that he was in a good mood, Pan'er knew why, but didn't say it clearly.
In a good mood, he even helped Pan'er go to the yard to feed the fish. Pan'er stood on the porch and looked at his rare relaxed look, and cursed secretly in his heart.
It's not that he has a black belly to kill the first assistant who has not been standing for many years without bloodshed. Pan'er even guessed that he hadn't responded to the matter of confronting the prince before, and was just waiting for this to happen.
Fortunately, she is still worried about affecting the government or something, bah, I am really worried.
Thinking about it this way, Pan'er was actually very happy, walked over, took the fish food from him, and said angrily: "There are only a few fish, if you let you feed them like this, they should be fed to death. The fish cannot be fed too much at one time."
Zong Cong rubbed his nose, a little embarrassed, and waved his big hand in a flash: "After all, this pool is a bit small. The government affairs were busy in the first year of the Yuan Dynasty, and I will go to Xiyuan next summer. There are many fish over there. When the time comes Feed how you want."
You can feed it however you want, right
"Your Majesty seems very happy today?"
Zong Cong glanced at her, saw that her eyes were slightly bright, and she seemed to be teasing, and immediately thought of his lack of stability, he couldn't help but feel ashamed. After all, he was happy, and in front of her again, he felt like joking.
He made a worried gesture, and said: "Chen Shoufu's illness is difficult to recover, and he has no choice but to retire. How can I be in a good mood when I lose a pillar of grief?"
Pan'er also frowned, with a look of concern: "Then, do you still need your majesty's dinner? Let's use some, the concubine specially ordered the imperial dining room to cook several dishes that your majesty likes. Your majesty is considered a veteran Worrying should not affect the meal, or it would be a pity."
It was okay before, but the last sentence finally changed its meaning.
He leaned forward, almost face to face: "What a pity."
She didn't collapse, and laughed: "Of course it's a pity that His Majesty can't eat his favorite dishes, but Qian'er must be very happy. Father eats less, and he can eat more..."
"Naughty!" He stretched out his hand to hug her waist, but she refused to let him hug her, and hid back.
The maids and eunuchs who were serving at the side immediately dodged, and those who couldn't dodge also averted their eyes, not daring to look more.
The two were laughing and joking, when suddenly there was a soft voice calling Father Huang not far away.
Turning around to look, only to find that it was Zong Duo.
Not only Zong Duo, but also Zong Yue and Zong Qian.