Taohuaxi

Chapter 67 Mother and son are suspicious of each other
"Ming Huidian" contains: Whenever a princess grows up, she should choose a match.Those who have children with neat appearance, dignified behavior and whose parents have tutors are allowed to apply to the Ministry to be selected by the inner government.The headquarters will first select the registered disciples and ask the Chief Ceremony Supervisor to meet at the Princes Hall to select them.

That is, the conditions for a prince-in-law of the Ming Dynasty: first, good looks, second, a clean family background, and third, a tutor.

Princess Ping Ning is the daughter of the Merciful Saint Empress Dowager Li and the same mother-sister of His Majesty. Therefore, her wedding has attracted more attention and is the most solemn event in the palace since the beginning of this year.

Because His Majesty trusted Feng Gao, he personally issued an order for the Chief of Ceremonies to select a son-in-law for Princess Pingning. Feng Gao was fully responsible for this matter.

The selection of the consort is completed.

In March, Feng Gao took Liang Bangrui to Beijing to renew the decree.

Liang Bangrui has a handsome appearance and a jade tree facing the wind. He is one of a kind in a million.

Queen Mother Li went to the guild hall in person and was very happy to see her from a distance.

Among the children, only the youngest daughter Ping Ning has not yet been engaged, so this matter can be handled, which is a great comfort.

Empress Dowager Li said to Her Majesty: "The Prince Consort Duanfang can tell the late emperor's spirit in heaven, and the descendants can comfort the heart of the family's beloved daughter."

His Majesty saw that Queen Mother Li had no objections, so he ordered the Ministry of Rites to fix the wedding date.

As we all know, His Majesty and Queen Mother Li had a disagreement over "national affairs."

The courtiers clamored for the crown prince.The eldest son, Zhu Changluo, was born to the Queen Mother.The Queen Mother was originally a lady in the palace of Empress Dowager Li.Queen Mother Li naturally supported the establishment of Zhu Changluo as crown prince.But His Majesty was hesitant and unsure.He favored Concubine Zheng, and Concubine Zheng was the dominant one in the harem.He placed his hope that Concubine Zheng would give birth to a prince in the future.

After His Majesty took charge, he tried his best to brush away the interference in the court by Zhang Shoufu and Empress Dowager Li in the early years of Wanli.How could he be willing to establish a son born from Queen Mother Li's family?

The mother and son were in a stalemate for a long time.

At this juncture, His Majesty thought that the marriage of Princess Pingning might ease the conflict between mother and son.

On the first day of April, the princess got married.

However, on the wedding day, Liang Bangrui suffered from nosebleeds and his dress got wet.

The ceremony was almost not completed.

Liang Bangrui was brought back from Jiangnan by Feng Gao himself.In order to cover it up, the eunuchs present quickly shouted: "The prince-in-law's wedding is a success! It's a good omen!"

When the guests watching the ceremony saw this, they all knelt on the ground and said: "The holy virtue is majestic, and it is a good omen. Congratulations to the Queen Mother, congratulations to Your Majesty, congratulations to the Consort, and congratulations to the Eldest Princess."

The Queen Mother did not become happy amid the congratulations.

She looked coldly at His Majesty and Concubine Zheng beside His Majesty, with a livid face and said nothing.

After the wedding, the Queen Mother watched Princess Pingning being carried into the bridal chamber by the palace people.A trace of unpredictable sadness appeared on her rich and round face.

The wedding has been held.

The announcement has been sent to all corners of the country.

Face is important in the Tian family.

It's too late to say anything.

That night, the lights of Cining Palace were not extinguished until dawn.

As for Your Majesty, he did not go to Concubine Zheng’s bedroom that night.He secretly summoned Feng Gao.

Feng Gao confessed the truth to His Majesty.The night before he left Yangzhou, the eunuch in charge of Chuxiugong went to see him holding a gold medal and issued an imperial edict, reproaching Feng Gao for choosing Liang Bangrui.

Chuxiu Palace is the residence of the Queen.The Queen Mother is the most important person in the harem, and Princess Pingning is the Queen Mother's biological daughter. It is natural that people from the Queen Mother's palace come to convey the order.

Moreover, the Queen Mother was first thrown into the cold palace by His Majesty for a month. It was the Queen Mother who went to the cold palace to pick her up personally and allocated the Chuxiu Palace for her to live.In order to appease the Queen Mother, Your Majesty always spends two or three nights in a month resting in Chuxiu Palace.The Queen Mother is the most cowardly. In the palace, she only obeys the orders of the Queen Mother and does not dare to make any mistakes.

Therefore, Feng Gao did not become suspicious and obeyed the order.

His Majesty frowned when he heard this.

The former eunuch in charge of Chuxiu Palace died in the first room of the palace due to heart palpitations on the eve of the princess's wedding.Now, the eunuch in charge of Chuxiu Palace has been replaced.

The so-called "inner court oral edict" has become a bubble without any basis.

No one can judge.

Untraceable.

The Queen Mother would never dare to interfere with the princess's marriage.Moreover, doing so would not do her any good.

Could it be that this is the Queen Mother's plan to drain the fire?

Feng Gao is the person appointed by His Majesty.The Queen Mother can blame "the princess's big wedding, entrusting someone to someone else" and blame it on His Majesty.Your Majesty will be ashamed to face the Queen Mother.Then, it would be difficult to argue with the Queen Mother about the establishment of a prince.

To small and big.

"Go to Cining Palace and see if the Queen Mother has rested?" His Majesty ordered a young eunuch.

Not long after, the young eunuch came back and reported: "Go back to Lord Long Live, the Queen Mother has not rested, and the lights in Cining Palace are still on."

His Majesty sat on the dragon chair and narrowed his eyes.

He felt that there was a hand playing games with him secretly.

Zhang Shoufu, he can execute him.

However, there was nothing he could do about his mother.

The black-hearted prime minister is lying on the dragon bed.The queen mother used to be so supportive and trusting of Zhang Taiyue.Now that Zhang Taiyue is dead, his mother is still fighting with him.Waves and clouds are strange.The palace has always been cold.

He asked Feng Gao: "What disease does Liang Bangrui have? Has it been found out?"

"Long live Hui, he has a fair complexion, a handsome appearance, and a tall stature. No one can tell that he is sick. However, the servant serving in the princess's house came to report that his nosebleeds continued and he could not perform anything before the wedding. The imperial doctor went to see him overnight. , said it was tuberculosis."

"Who proposed the candidate Liang Bangrui in the first place?"

"The sources of official documents from various government offices have been lost for a long time. What is certain is that everyone reported that Liang Bangrui is in good health and has no illness."

This net has been cast for a long time.

His Majesty smiled sinisterly.In a flash, he said to Feng Gao: "How have I always treated you?"

Feng Gao quickly knelt down and said: "Your Majesty treats his ministers with great kindness."

"Do you still remember that I ordered you to watch the leopards fight? Feng Gao, you are the last leopard left."

His Majesty picked up the tea cup, scraped the tea foam with the tea lid, and said slowly: "When you have to, you have to suffer. What should I say? Do you understand?"

Feng Gao was so experienced and intelligent that he immediately understood what His Majesty meant.

He bowed three times and said, "Long live Hui, I understand."

Feng Gao guessed that His Majesty was suspicious of the Queen Mother, but he also felt that it was impossible for the Queen Mother to use her own daughter's life-long affairs as a tactic.

No matter what, right now, he is the only one who can bear this sin.

Early the next morning.

The princess and the consort went to Cining Palace to serve tea.

The princess's eyes were red, obviously she had been crying all night.

After serving tea, the princess fell on the Queen Mother's lap and cried: "Mother, Queen..."

The Queen Mother hugged the princess and burst into tears.

"My son, I have suffered so much for you."

There is no precedent for a Ming princess to remarry.I can only close my eyes and endure it.

The prince-in-law cowered and knelt aside.

The Queen Mother said: "In order to spread the Ai family's decree, the whole country is looking for a doctor to treat the consort's illness."

The princess shook her head sadly and said: "Mother, it's useless, it's useless... Liang Bangrui's illness, he knew in his heart that he may not have much time. The Liang family is just a businessman, and they don't have the ability to see the sky. Son, minister. I can’t figure it out, why would the Chief of Ceremonies appoint him as the consort? My son is the daughter of his father, the emperor, and his mother, and the emperor’s brother’s biological sister. Why would the emperor treat his son like this?”

Recalling that when she was young, her father was still alive, and the brother-sister relationship between the emperor and her was so deep.

These words touched the heart of the Queen Mother, and the Queen Mother could not help but shed tears.

Barely holding on, the Queen Mother sent the princess and the consort away. The Queen Mother ordered the eunuch: "Go and ask Lord Long Live to come to Cining Palace."

"Back to the Queen Mother, people from the Qianqing Palace said that Long Live the Lord approved the overnight arrangements yesterday. The court has just dismissed at this moment. I'm afraid Long Live Lord has just gone to bed."

The tea cup in the Queen Mother's hand smashed to the ground with a bang.

The eunuch was startled, hurriedly retreated, and hurried to Qianqing Palace to deliver the message.

When His Majesty arrived at Cining Palace, the broken tea cups on the ground had not been cleared away.

He walked in through the brown tea juice and greeted the Queen Mother.

Then, he turned around and said sternly: "What do the slaves in Cining Palace do? Why don't they clean up the broken tea cup? What should I do if I hurt the Queen Mother?"

The palace people knelt on the ground and said, "Go back to Lord Long Live, the Queen Mother has ordered the slaves not to sweep."

Your Majesty did nothing more.

The Queen Mother waved her hand, and everyone in the palace retreated.

The Queen Mother said: "Your Majesty, are you still worried about hurting the Ai family now?"

When His Majesty heard the words, he leaned over and said with a smile: "How dare your son take what the Queen said? The Queen is the Holy Mother, and the son needs to be raised by the world. No one in the world dares to make the Queen sad."

"Really? You know about the consort's illness, right?" The Queen Mother said, breathing heavily: "The wedding was in red? Thanks to those slaves, I can say it. God knows whether it is a good omen or a bad omen. When your father left, I leave the world in your hands. You can even plot against your own royal sister, how can the world be governed?"

His Majesty quickly knelt on the ground.

He looked up at the Queen Mother and said quietly: "Mother, there are some things that my son didn't want to say clearly. But now that my mother has said this, my son wants to ask my mother, did she really not know about the consort's illness beforehand?"

The queen mother was stunned.

She looked at her son in disbelief.

His Majesty said: "Does the Queen still want me to issue an imperial edict to sin against myself as she did seven years ago? Unfortunately, there is no Zhang Taiyue in the world, and I am no longer the young emperor seven years ago."

He smiled, thinking that he had spoken what the Queen Mother was thinking.

"In the fourth year of Wanli, the Queen Mother asked Zhang Taiyue to imitate Huo Guang of the Han Dynasty, depose me and establish King Lu. Now, the Queen Mother knows that establishing King Lu is not feasible. Does she want to settle for the next best thing and want me to issue an imperial edict to sin against myself, and then, In compliance with the Queen Mother’s wishes, the palace’s son Zhu Changluo was made the crown prince?”

Suddenly there was thunder outside.

A spring rain fell from the sky.

The fine rain woven into a huge net, hanging from the clouds to the ground.

The Queen Mother's hands trembled and she pointed to Her Majesty: "You, you, you..."

His Majesty lowered his head and said: "I am the son of my mother. Filial piety is the beginning of the world. Don't worry, mother, I will not pierce this layer of window paper. No matter how my mother treats me, I will be filial to my mother as before. I admit this mistake." "

He got up from the ground and said: "I will issue an order to remove Feng Gao from his position as governor, put him in prison, and torture him severely. Feng Gao will confess, saying that he accepted bribes from the Liang family and was obsessed with money, so he chose the wrong consort. This Is the queen satisfied with the result?"

The Queen Mother said tremblingly: "Do you really think that the Ai family did this?"

His Majesty said nothing.

The Queen Mother shed tears, but smiled: "You are really a good son of the Ai family."

His Majesty leaned over and said: "The queen is in peace, and the son is leaving."

"Wait!" the Queen Mother called to him.

"The Ai family is going to prison to interrogate Feng Gao in person."

(End of this chapter)