Chapter 144 The East Palace family affairs are declining one after another
After talking about the business, the atmosphere naturally became harmonious, at least that's what Emperor Liu thought. When he got excited, he asked Li Chongju to take him around his mansion.
In fact, there is nothing interesting to see in the Heyang Duke's Mansion, not to mention the desolation in winter. Li Chongju himself is not a person who enjoys himself. There are no wonders and beautiful things in the mansion. The only thing worth visiting is probably that building.
Spending hundreds of gold to build a Buddhist temple, Emperor Liu also went there to receive the influence of Buddha's sandalwood and had a meditation session with an old monk who was stationed in the palace.
The palace prepared a vegetarian meal, and Emperor Liu did not find it simple, so he shared it with Li Chongju, took a short break, and then left leisurely in the afternoon.
What Emperor Liu didn't know was that after he left, Li Chongju ordered people to seal up the Buddhist hall, and at the same time, he gave money to several monks supported by the mansion and sent them back to the Buddhist temple.
On the way out, Emperor Liu sat quietly in his carriage, his body trembling slightly as he went, his face calm, but there was a little meditation deep in his eyes.
The conversation with Li Chongju was of course both true and false. Regarding the issue of Wude Si, he did think seriously. At this point, it is really difficult for anyone to gain his trust. Wude Si is such a person.
A sensitive organization, after much deliberation, could not find a suitable candidate, and the only one was Li Chongju.
Of course, as he said, Emperor Liu really only intended to let Li Chongju do some transitional work to clean up Wude Si Haosheng and then give him his freedom.
Although Li Chongju was old, he had the ability and prestige, and Emperor Liu would do what he promised. Therefore, Li Chongju acted like he was sitting on pins and needles and walking on thin ice, which was a bit funny in the eyes of Emperor Liu.
As for his strong belief in Buddhism, it was not worthy of Emperor Liu's concern. After all, suppressing Buddhism was no longer the political correctness of the court. He was old and had some faith and sustenance. For peace of mind, it was not worth blaming.
"The love we had in the past is actually hard to get back!" After pondering for a long time, Emperor Liu couldn't help but sigh slightly.
"Officials, do you want to go back to the palace?" Yantuo asked from the car door while traveling. Generally speaking, Emperor Liu always liked to spend a whole day when leaving the palace. It was still early now, so he asked this question.
"Go back!" Emperor Liu responded coldly, and soon gave instructions: "Go to the East Palace!"
...
Due to historical reasons, the scale of Bian Palace has always been small, and the overall look is cramped and stingy. Compared with the well-planned and grand layout of the inner and outer cities of Tokyo, the imperial city is completely incompatible.
The palaces inherited from three generations also retain too many traces of the old times, but similarly, although Bian Palace is not as majestic and magnificent as Ziwei City in Xijing, only here can Emperor Liu find the time of hard work and hard work.
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Over the years, officials continued to report that the current Bian Palace was not worthy of the majesty of the Tian family and suggested that Kaifeng Imperial City should be rebuilt, but Emperor Liu rejected all of them.
The unwillingness to carry out any more large-scale construction and spend a lot of money on palace construction is one of the reasons. Using the palace to recall the past shows that one has not forgotten the original intention. This is also one of the reasons, although it is a bit self-deceiving.
As for the Bianliang East Palace, as part of the imperial city, its layout was even smaller. Emperor Liu's six-horse chariot could not pass through the palace gate, so he had to change chariots to enter.
When Emperor Liu arrived, because the Crown Prince Liu Yang was handling state affairs in the Guangzheng Hall as usual, it was the Crown Princess Murong who led the crowd to welcome him. Obviously, there was not much preparation for the Emperor's arrival, and the reception seemed to be in a hurry.
Although there were many and mixed people in the East Palace, there were only three concubines and two emperor's grandsons who had status. Emperor Liu's attention was obviously on his two grandsons.
Waving her hands for everyone to stand up, Concubine Zhao saw her and gently pushed the emperor's grandson Liu Wenhuan. Liu Wenhuan was also smart and took the initiative to step forward. With a straight look, he bowed respectfully and paid homage: "My grandson is here to see your grandfather. May your grandfather live long and prosperous.
Stay healthy!"
"Haha! It's cold on the ground, get up soon!" Emperor Liu showed a loving expression and reached out to help Liu Wenhuan up.
Seeing this, Liu Wenji on the side looked up at his aunt, Murong, and then at his biological mother, Xiao. The biological mother didn't react at all, but her aunt looked at her with encouragement. Then she stepped forward with her calves and also paid homage. However, she was
Emperor Liu stopped him directly.
Emperor Liu had actually been paying attention to the three concubines of the crown prince. Even in front of him, the subtle gap was obvious, especially the crown prince and concubine Zhao, both of whom had a slightly aggressive look in their eyes.
On the contrary, Concubine Xiao, who was standing at the side and back, maintained her usual low-key and restrained look, with a calm expression. Even her position was very elegant and in no way conspicuous.
Probably because of his historical reputation, Emperor Liu still looked at Xiao Yanyan twice more, even though he had met her several times, with scrutiny in his eyes.
Emperor Liu's eyes were always very intimidating and he felt something. Xiao Yanyan lowered her head subconsciously and her posture became more humble, as if she wanted to hide herself.
Soon, Emperor Liu withdrew his gaze. Emperor Liu really didn't have much interest in the prince's family affairs. His consistent attitude was that if he couldn't manage his family, how could he govern the country.
"Why don't you see my little granddaughter?" Emperor Liu noticed that one person was missing.
With a smile on her face, the Crown Princess said softly: "A visitor from Kunming Palace has been summoned into the palace by the Empress!"
Emperor Liu suddenly realized: "Yes, you sons, grandsons and daughters-in-law should also go to the palace to see the queen more often!"
"yes!"
"Your Majesty, it's cold outside, please sit down and serve tea in the palace!" Seeing this, Murong invited him diligently.
Hearing this, Emperor Liu shook his head and said: "Since Liu Yang is not here, I won't stay any longer. I am here mainly for my two grandchildren. Tell Liu Yang, Wen Huan, and I will take Wen Ji away."
Yes, let them stay in the palace for a few days!"
"Yes!" Concubine Murong naturally did not dare to object and obeyed.
After giving the instructions, Emperor Liu turned around, held one in each hand, hunched his back slightly, and left slowly with his two grandchildren. With a kind face, he chatted with them intimately.
Not only Liu Wenhuan but also Liu Wenji said something, which made Emperor Liu laugh several times.
The three concubines of the East Palace looked at the retreating figures of Emperor Liu, his grandfather, and his grandson, and looked at each other. Concubine Zhao took the lead and bowed low, then left without saying much.
Concubine Xiao was obviously more respectful, her attitude was very gentle, and she resigned. The Crown Princess who was frowned by Concubine Zhao, saw Concubine Xiao's behavior, her face softened a bit, and smiled at her and said: "Mr. Yan Yan Don’t be in a hurry to go back to the palace, come sit down with me and have a chat!”
"Yes!" Xiao Yanyan naturally did not object, and her posture was very low, as if she was not the prince's favorite concubine, but a humble servant.
In response to this, the Crown Princess was naturally in a better mood. For her, compared to Concubine Zhao who was like a hedgehog, Concubine Xiao was as obedient as a sheep and always made her feel happy.
Emperor Liu, who didn't care at all about the overt and secret fighting within the East Palace. Accompanied by his two grandchildren, was very happy along the way. The gloom in his heart seemed to have dissipated a lot with this kind of company, and his whole person also lost its gloomy shell.
However, after returning to the palace, Emperor Liu received unexpected and sad news: An Guo Gong Gao Huaide passed away...
The 20th year of Kaibao seemed destined to be a year of bad luck. When the government and the public were still immersed in the sadness of Gao Huaide's death, bad news came one after another.
On the second day of the twelfth lunar month, Xue Juzheng, Duke of Ji, also passed away in his mansion. He was seventy years old. It was a pity that this Duke died. We don’t know how he contracted a bad disease. The cause of his death was due to poisoning caused by taking cinnabar.
On the seventh day of the lunar month, Prime Minister Wang Pu, who was ill at home, died suddenly as promised.
For a time, everyone in the imperial court was a little confused when faced with this series of mourning news. The death of three Yuan ministers had a huge impact on the imperial court. The imperial court lost three pillars, and the balance of power at the upper levels continued to change. After Lu Yu, it was completely broken.
At the same time, the death of the three heroes seems to be telling something that that period of glorious and glorious history is constantly fading away regardless of human will...