The weather is getting colder day by day, but the palace is bustling with activity.
Finally, the court finally calmed down, and someone brought up the matter of the early establishment of the prince again.
This has almost become the third old article. As long as the crown prince has not been established for a day, someone will always mention it, and even talk about the stability of the Jiangshan Sheji court. As long as they are civil and military officials, they are almost tired of this familiar routine and rhetoric.
But no matter how tired I am, I still have to mention it.
What does the minister do? Isn't it just to help His Majesty handle the government affairs and maintain the stability of the country and the country? Of course, this is just a superficial rhetoric.
But now it’s a bit of nonsense to talk about standing in line. As long as the three sons of Empress Su are on this side, they will never go wrong. Therefore, it is only out of obligation, routine, or even habit to ask for the crown prince to be established early.
This time, His Majesty, who was sitting high on the Dragon Throne, did not evade, but said that he would consider it.
In this way, almost all the ministers understood, it seems that His Majesty has always preferred the Second Prince. In this palace, the mother is poor and the son is more expensive, and the son is more expensive than the mother. It is true that there is no lie. If you change the son born by the empress, the attitude will be different immediately.
There is more than one person who has this kind of thinking, and it is even inevitable that they secretly discuss some things about Empress Su. After hearing what the master said, some sloppy ladies go home and turn their heads at a plum appreciation banquet or a wedding banquet in a certain mansion. Secretly discuss a few words.
It has been more than ten years since Empress Su's birth. Judging by His Majesty's attitude, I am afraid that this is the only one who has not drafted for so many years.
What good deeds did this person do in his previous life, what kind of incense was burnt on the Su family's ancestral grave, all the world's affairs were shared by such a person. At the end, I always add a sentence, look at us, I am really envious.
The news reached Zong Duo at the same time.
After hearing this, he studied in the upper study room as usual, and returned to Nansan No. 3 School after school.
It's just that after I came back, I couldn't help sitting in front of the desk for a long time.
"Master, don't think too much." Jin Zhong whispered, wanting to comfort the master.
Zong Duo first laughed, and then suddenly.
In fact, the gap has been widened invisibly in the past few years. He has a cough, and he will suffer from it when it is cold or when the seasons change. At this time, he can only recuperate behind closed doors.
Whenever he went out again after recovering from illness for a while, he would find something different. The gentleman who went to the study treated Zong Yue more closely, seriously, and carefully. Zong Yue seemed to have made some new friends, and his father didn't know when He started asking Zong Yue to go to the Qing Palace to discuss matters, and every time there was a banquet in the palace, there were always more people gathered around Zong Yue than him.
Both tangible and intangible things seemed to be telling him that the gap between the two was getting bigger and bigger, and it was impossible for him to become the prince. He even told his mother, but the mother's reaction was furious, making him stop thinking about it like that in the future, but when he turned around, he was deeply disgusted and even helpless by his cough, and told him to take good care of it. Never get sick.
Thinking of this, Zong Duo couldn't help coughing a few times, and Jin Zhong hurriedly approached, holding a cup of hot tea familiarly in his hand.
"Master, drink some to warm up."
Zong Duo laughed, he thought he would be like this all his life.
Because Zong Duo had a bad cough yesterday, Jin Zhong wanted to persuade him not to go to the study for a few days.
But now the Empress Dowager is imprisoned in the Xianfu Palace, and He Nian is also sent to serve the Empress Dowager, and there is no one around Zong Duo who can persuade him.
When it was almost noon, people from Qianqing Palace came suddenly and invited Zong Duo over.
Zong Cong is in Dongnuan Pavilion.
It seems that the meal has been passed on, and the kang table and the table below are full of various delicacies. Seeing Zong Duo walk in, Zong Cong pointed to the seat opposite, asking Zong Duo to sit down and use some.
It was Fu Lu who took people to serve the meal. He arranged it very carefully and thoughtfully. He probably knew Zong Duo's eating habits, so he served him a bowl of soup when he came up.
After drinking the hot soup, Zong Duo felt warm all over.
"Drink more if you think it suits your taste. This is sent by your lady Su. She likes stewed mutton soup most in winter. She said that drinking it to warm her body and drive away the cold is much more useful than those other tonic soups." Father There was some disgust in the emperor's voice, but Zong Duo felt that it was not the case.
As for what it was, he couldn't tell.
What he thought more was that this was mutton soup? The queen mother and the people around him never let him eat mutton or anything related to mutton.
Because the imperial doctor said that mutton is a hair product, which may induce his cough. He Nian Jinzhong even coaxed him when he was young in order not to let him eat it, saying that mutton smells too strong. Why are those Tatars and Jin people There is always a smell of mutton on my body that I can't get rid of all the year round, because I eat too much mutton.
But the soup that Zong Duo drank just now, not only did not have any strange taste, but was very fresh.
"My son thought that the mutton soup should have a fishy smell, but he didn't expect it to be surprisingly delicious."
Hearing this, Zong Cong smiled and said: "Your Madam Su said that she is good at cooking, but in fact it means that the stewed mutton soup can be eaten. She always said that the combination of fish and sheep is a savory word, and there is probably fish and mutton in it." Stew to enhance freshness."
"Miss Su has a wonderful idea."
Afterwards, the meal was very quiet, and Zong Duo was also eating, but he rarely moved his chopsticks.
When Zong Cong put down his chopsticks, he followed suit, and a few eunuchs came up and quietly removed the table. Zong Cong got off the kang and walked inside, and Zong Duo also got off the kang and followed.
"I don't know why the emperor called his son this time?"
Zong Cong, who was looking at a painting on the wall with his hands behind his back, turned around with a rather complicated expression.
"I called you here to establish the crown prince."
Zong Duo lowered his head, trying to smile easily, but found that he couldn't, so he could only say in a slightly hasty tone: "My son understands what the emperor means. Although my son is the eldest son, he has really failed me all these years." With such a body, it is not as good as the second brother. In fact, the son has also understood over the years that if he hadn't been concerned about the existence of his son, the father would not have sat and watched such a mess in the court and not stretched out his hands to take care of it."
Indeed, what Zong Duo said was not wrong.
And it was precisely the previous incident that prompted Zong Cong to make up his mind to establish the crown prince. If the crown prince is not established, the country will be unstable. This is not a false statement.
As the princes get bigger and bigger, people's hearts will become more and more restless. Even if you don't want to move, someone will push the most likely to be on the opposite side of each other.
Zong Cong has been on the throne for so many years, and he has already been able to handle the government affairs with ease, but what makes him feel the most unpredictable is still the people's hearts. Whenever he feels that he is already familiar with it, but the human heart will always teach him a new lesson, telling him that maybe the human heart will be a problem that he will not be able to understand for the rest of his life.
His mood was very complicated, and Zong Duo was more sensible than he expected. He patted Zong Duo on the shoulder, and said earnestly: "It's good if you understand. The Great Zhou Dynasty seems to be full of flowers, but in fact there are too many hidden worries. There can be no more chaos in the court. Only with one heart and one mind can we become a city. What the father wants to do There are some things to do.”
"In fact, a long time ago, my father wanted to tell you that the position of the prince is not easy to sit on, like sitting on pins and needles, like being placed on top of strong oil. Can't stand the pressure."
"It doesn't matter if you're not the crown prince. Take good care of yourself, and when you become an adult in two years, you will be able to share some government affairs for the emperor."
"You and Zong Yue are both good sons of the father. You are both brothers and siblings. I hope you can treat each other as brothers in the future, help each other, and rely on each other. I have come from the wall of brothers. I hope to see you doing the same in the future.”
It was rare for Zong Cong to say so many words, and it was the only time he spoke these heart-to-heart words to Zong Duo.
Knowing this, Zong Duo's eyes were filled with tears when he heard it.
"Yes, father, my son must remember."
This is a conversation between father and son, no one knows.
Even when Zong Duo went back, he didn't tell anyone.
And Zong Cong called Zong Yue over and said something, and no one knew what he said, so Pan'er found out that the father and son were mysterious. She asked what happened, but both of them agreed to cheat on her.
Winter goes to spring, and it's a new year.
This time, the establishment of the crown prince was finally settled. Maybe everyone knew it well, so that when the imperial decree was issued, no one was too surprised.
Zong Yue moved from the Nansan Institute to the East Palace, where his father used to live.
The prince is not called the prince just because he lives in the East Palace. When the identity is confirmed, everything that belongs to the crown prince will start.
For example, the crown prince has a special tutor. These people have been in the officialdom for many years or are some great Confucians who have read poetry and books. They will teach the prince from the way of life to handling the government.
And as the emperor, he will also take the future heir to deal with various courtiers, and teach him how to deal with the ministers, no longer limited to some superficial things like before.
Similarly, when sitting in the position of the crown prince, there are bound to be some vassals who choose the best. These people will be the crown prince's team after he ascends the throne. Of course, it's still early to say these things, and everything is just in progress.
In the next year, Zong Duo will be seventeen, and when the princes reach this age, they will start to discuss marriage.
The princes are all married on the 18th day, and then leave the palace to build a mansion. It is naturally much cheaper to have a mistress at this time.
This is Pan'er's business again, just like Wanshu's first marriage, she had a headache again, even more headache than Wanshu at that time.
Wanshu is already engaged, and it's just a formality, but Zong Duo doesn't even have a candidate for a prince and concubine this time. What kind of family and character to choose are all things to worry about .
This time Pan'er didn't dare to leave the matter to Zong Cong, after all Zong Cong was also busy these days.
There is a lot of waste waiting to be built on Phi Island, and the sea has not been calm recently. Whether the construction of Phi Island can even become a knife to contain the Jin people depends on whether the sea road is smooth, but there are frequent pirates along the coast. Zong Cong recently That's the thing about being busy.
In order to avoid suspicion and to be prudent, Empress Dowager Fu was annoyed by Pan'er.
She first sent people to inquire about all the high-ranking ladies in Beijing, and eliminated those who were not of sufficient status and had a bad family style. These things alone kept her busy for more than a month.
Then take it to the queen mother to discuss.
The queen mother also knew that she was difficult to do, so she helped her as a staff member, and cut some more, and finally settled on nine people.
Simply sending the Buddha to the west, the queen mother did not let Pan'er intervene, and took over the matter of informing Zong Duo. Choosing a sunny day, the Queen Mother ordered Zong Duo to be sent to Ningshou Palace.
After some gossip, the queen mother said the matter.
In fact, not to mention the emperor, the queen mother was a little too cautious when treating Zong Duo. Knowing that this child is innocent, but the identity is too special, and the body is not in good condition, so that it is neither light nor heavy.
"The grandson understands the heart of the imperial grandmother, but the grandson doesn't want to get married yet."
The queen mother was a little surprised: "Why don't you want to get married?"
Zong Duo thought for a while and said: "The grandson has been living in the palace for a long time, and he has never seen what the world outside the palace is like. What kind of woman is good, and the grandson has no basis at all. The grandson thinks that next year the grandson will also be I want to leave the palace to build a mansion, so I want to wait and see, the grandson wants to find a woman he likes, and she also likes the daughter of the grandson as his wife, and hopes that the emperor's grandmother will make it happen."
After listening, the queen mother couldn't help sighing.
I don't know what's wrong now, although she is getting older now, the word Xinyue frequently appears in her ears, which has never happened in the past few decades.
Is it because of the emperor and queen? So what triggered all this
Happy.
The queen mother couldn't help but sigh even more when she thought about the scene when Wan Rong told herself that she wanted to find a man she liked. Xinyue is good. When she was young, which woman never had the dream of "I wish to have a person with one heart, and never leave each other".
"Then the imperial grandmother will not force you."
After Zong Duo left, the Empress Dowager spoke earnestly to Nian Qiu who had also aged a lot over the years: "It's nice to be young."
Naturally, the prince must make preparations early to build a mansion. First of all, choosing a place to build a mansion is a big problem.
The Forbidden City has stood for many years, and the Great Zhou Dynasty has been passed down for several generations. Some good positions in the inner city have long been occupied by various royal relatives, nobles and ministers.
Fortunately, it is the royal family, and there is no shortage of princes and grandchildren, so the Ministry of Rites quickly chose a place.
Zong Cong took the map and looked at it carefully, and when he was satisfied, he asked people to show the map to Zong Duo. He even allowed him to decide how to build the palace.
Father is trying to compensate him.
Zong Duo knew it in his heart and didn't refuse, so he didn't go to the study much for the next year, but was busy building the mansion.
Negotiating with the Ministry of Rites of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, dealing with the Ministry of Industry, leaving early and returning late every day, it stands to reason that his body might not be able to bear such hard work, but this year's winter, he did not fall ill.
On the other side, Zong Cong was also thinking about what title to give Zong Duo.
After thinking about it for a few days, I decided on the word 'rui'.
In the spring of the twelfth year of Jianping, the eldest prince was granted the title of King Rui and left the palace to build a mansion.
Since then, it has become clearer and clearer above the court, and everyone has settled in their positions and performed their duties.
And the two-year period has come, and Zong Qian has been pestering his father for a long time, asking him to fulfill his promise and allowing him to go to Phi Island for training.
Zong Cong said, "It depends on what your mother wants."
So Zong Qian ran to grind the pan.
This child has been silent and indifferent for a year after he was older, and now he suddenly acts like a coquettish and idiot when he was a child. To be honest, Pan'er is not used to it.
She couldn't bear his pestering, You Qi Wanrong was also helping to speak, but she finally let go.
In fact, there is another level of consideration in Pan Erhui's promise. Zong Qian will always grow up. Instead of trapping him in Beijing and being encouraged to fight with his elder brother in a few years, it is better to let him open up his own area. world.
Ke'er travels thousands of miles, and her mother is worried, and it is natural to worry about it. It is not that Zongqian has not left Beijing before Pan'er is worried.
In front of the children who didn't dare to show it, Zong Cong was often 'tortured' in private. Sometimes she fell asleep in the middle of the night, and she suddenly said, Qian'er is still so young, can he go to the border
What can Zong Cong do, and he can understand her mood, so he can only try his best to appease her.
Finally came the day to send Zong Qian away.
The prince's trip was naturally unusual, Zong Cong simply arranged for him to go with the special envoy sent to Phi Island, first go to Fujian, and from Fujian to Phi Island by sea.
Pan'er naturally didn't see him off, but before Zong Qian left, he came and kowtowed to his mother.
After the people left, Pan'er cried for a long time, and the tears didn't stop.
She was afraid that being looked at by others would disrespect the empress, so she sent everyone down, and cried while clutching Zong Cong's sleeve. Crying for a while, stopping for a while, crying for a while, stopping for a while when thinking about it, Zong Cong just cared about being with her all day, and didn't even deal with the affairs of the court.
Fortunately, there are no major events in the court now, and a delay of one or two days is nothing.
"I don't know what will happen if he goes to Phi Island, that place is so dangerous."
"Don't worry, it's fine." Zong Cong patted her on the shoulder.
After waiting for two days, Pan'er's mood finally improved, and she couldn't help crying when Zong Qian was no longer mentioned, and then suddenly discovered something.
It seems that she hasn't seen Wanrong for a few days, including the day Zong Qian left, she didn't show up either.
Pan'er ordered someone to invite the fifth princess over, and only after they went to the princess courtyard did they know that the fifth princess was missing.
Jingren Palace immediately exploded.
At first Pan'er wanted to look for it without telling her, maybe Wanrong was naughty again, but no matter how hard she searched, she couldn't find it, so Zong Cong also knew about it.
Then the Queen Mother also knew.
Over the years, the queen mother loves Wanrong the most, and now the sky is about to collapse, so don't rush to find her. However, the maids who served Wanrong personally are gone, presumably Wanrong left on her own, nothing happened, this is the only thing to be thankful for.
In the end, it was Wanyu who made it clear that after Wanyu got married, Wanyu and Wanyu were the best. Wanzhen said that Fifth Sister once told her that when Zongqian went to Phi Island, she would go with her.
At that time, she thought it was just a joke, but she didn't expect this kind of thing to happen now, maybe Wanrong left with Zong Qian.
Needless to say, this possibility is the greatest.
It is impossible for the palace to lose someone inexplicably, the only possibility is that there is an 'inner ghost', and this inner ghost doesn't think about it except Zong Qian who is about to leave the palace.
Zong Cong immediately ordered his men to chase after him at a speed of 800 miles, and the news was delivered soon.
The fifth princess is indeed with the third prince.
And the fifth princess did not come back, saying that she would go to Phi Island with the third prince to visit her uncle.
When the news came back, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
I also feel that Wanwei is messing around, a girl is still a princess, and she ran so far just to visit her uncle.
But this reason is not unconvincing, and Zong Qian's accompanying manpower is sufficient, so in terms of safety, there is no problem. It's a bit of a violation of the rules, and I'm afraid of ruining Wanhua's reputation, but it's not a big deal to issue a password ban.
"Wannuan is also bored, and she will get married in two years. Maybe this is the last time she goes out for fun, so let her go." The queen mother said.
The queen mother has said so, what can Pan'er and Zong Cong say.
"As long as she goes out for an outing, I will send her back after a while." Out of Yongshou Palace, Zong Cong held Pan'er's hand.
Pan'er shot him a look, one was two, one was a loving father and the other was a grandmother who cared about her granddaughter, now they are not polite, what else can she say.
But what Pan'er didn't expect was that her daughter, who she thought would come back in a few months, took a year to come back, and even threw a bolt from the blue after she came back.