[It was difficult to give birth, but since I said I would resume the 4,000-word update, I still gritted my teeth and stayed up all night to code it out.]

Just when everyone in the Rongguo Mansion was in panic, Jiao Shun was invited to the palace again by the queen.

The reason was that in the afternoon of that day, the cabinet presented a memorial, which mainly criticized the New Policy on Engineering and Study as being inconsistent with ancestral laws and the Beijing-Western Railway, which was a waste of people and money.

I don't know how many envelopes are sent to the palace every day for such a book. There are many people who scold him more harshly than this. Even the queen who is not very involved in political affairs is already used to it.

However, this memorial still attracted great attention in the palace, and the person who wrote the memorial was none other than King Zhongshun Xu Yan.

In the former case, when he wooed the courtiers during the funeral, he had already aroused the vigilance of the Queen [Concubine Xiande]. Now, for the first time, such a memorial has been made. It looks like he has some ulterior motive.

Originally, the queen wanted to discuss countermeasures with Concubine Xian De, but she was strongly opposed by Concubine Wu.

All kinds of rumors about Jia Yuanchun have now spread to the palace. Concubine Wu is not very concerned about the "Lu Wu disaster", and she does not believe that Jia Yuanchun can control the government at all.

However, Concubine Wu was very taboo about the idea of ​​'impeding the master'. After all, if nothing unexpected happened, the next person to take charge of the family would be her son.

With the idea of ​​​​rather trusting her than trusting her, although she has not yet made it clear that she wants Concubine Xiande to be buried with the imperial mausoleum, she has begun to alienate Jia Yuanchun intentionally or unintentionally.

So when the queen was about to discuss matters with Jia Yuanchun, she decisively raised objections and recommended Jiao Shun.

To say that the person Wu Guifei and the Empress trust most nowadays is undoubtedly Jiao. Firstly, it is because they already have a handle on him, and they have gained a lot of understanding about him. Secondly, it is also because Jiao Shun's future prospects are basically

Tied to the prince's body.

Therefore, although the queen was a little worried that frequently summoning Jiao Shun would cause criticism, she finally summoned him into the palace.

The place of the summons this time was still in Qianqing Palace, but it was changed to the small hall of the side hall.

After waiting for Jiao Shun to receive the gift, the queen ordered someone to pass the memorial to him through the curtain.

Before Jiao Shun could finish reading the content, the always impatient Concubine Wu rushed to ask: "Master Jiao, what do you think King Zhongshun wants to do?"

What do you want to do?

Of course I want to be the regent!

When he was trying to win over the courtiers, Jiao Shun didn't dare to be too sure of King Zhongshun's intentions, but this memorial clearly exposed King Zhongshun's ambitions.

However, he did not rush to express his conjecture. Instead, he said respectfully: "This is a foreign court matter. Please invite the prince here so that I can give my opinion."

The more others looked down upon the prince's youth, the more he showed respect for the prince.

Besides, he is now the young master of the East Palace, so it is only natural that he should speak to the prince.

Although these words meant to remind you that the harem must not interfere with politics, Concubine Wu did not feel offended at all.

"That's right, that's right!"

Before the queen could speak, she said eagerly: "It's time to invite the prince!"

Naturally, the queen would not stop him, so she ordered someone to invite the prince to come over.

Taking this opportunity, the Queen and Concubine Wu talked about the recent investigation results. Although Concubine Rong bit her to death, she was wronged, but through covert investigation and secret investigation, it was discovered that several cats and dogs had died in succession in the Yanxi Palace.

No one cared about it at the time, but looking back now, all those cats and dogs died suddenly and without warning.

As a result, Concubine Rong was almost locked in as a suspect.

But problems also arise. Because Concubine Rong was suppressed by Concubine Wu a while ago, it was impossible to get around the blockade to get the poison. So when they first suspected her, they guessed that she probably got it when she was visiting for a wedding a while ago.

of poison.

But the time when those cats and dogs suddenly died was exactly when she was being suppressed and ostracized.

So how did the poison get into her hands?

In order to figure this out, Concubine Wu recently used some tricks on Concubine Rong, but Concubine Rong also understood that once she confessed, not only would she die without a burial place, but her family would also be harmed.

No matter how tortured or humiliated Concubine Wu was, she still refused to admit her guilt.

"I originally wanted to deal with that cheap maid, but at that time Concubine Xian De thought there might be something hidden in it and suggested that we continue to trace the origin of the poison, so..."

Just as he said this, the prince walked in with his short legs. He first met the queen and Concubine Wu respectfully, and then saluted Jiao Shun with joy on his face and asked: "Have you met Mr. Jiao? Mr. Jiao?"

, when will you be free to give me lectures again?"

Although he matured precociously, he is only seven years old now.

Jiao Shun chatted with the prince for a few words, and then handed the memorial to the prince to read.

The prince took it like a young adult and tried his best to read it. Although he didn't recognize some of the rare words, he still understood the general meaning. He couldn't help but scratch his head and said: "I knew that many people in the court were opposed to the New Deal, but I didn't expect that my uncle was like this."

.”

"Your Highness."

Jiao Shun solemnly raised his hands and said: "I'm afraid that the prince is submitting this memorial because the opposition to the New Deal is strong enough."

The prince obviously did not understand what this meant, and Concubine Wu also looked confused, but the queen seemed to have some understanding.

The prince waited for a while, but when he saw that the queen and Concubine Wu did not speak, he cupped his hands and said, "Sir, please give me some advice."

"I dare to speak nonsense."

Jiao Shun returned the greeting and continued to explain: "The Emperor has passed away, and now among the elder relatives in the court, only one person is loyal to King Shun, and His Highness is still in his prime..."

"You mean..."

When the queen heard this, she blurted out: "King Zhongshun intends to get involved in the regent position?!"

When Concubine Wu heard this, her expression suddenly changed, and she couldn't help but said angrily: "It's simply wishful thinking, he is so stupid and disgusting as a prince, how can he still have the nerve to seek the position of regent?!

"

"That's why this memorial was issued."

When Jiao Shun said this, he suddenly changed the topic: "Just now I heard the imperial concubine talk about the origin of the poison, and I suddenly remembered something. When the Queen Mother ordered King Zhongshun to supervise the trial, I noticed that his expression was different, and he seemed to have some ulterior motives.

"

At that moment, he explained the subtle changes in King Zhongshun's expression and his intention to lure out the suspect.

"Are you suspecting that King Zhongshun colluded with Concubine Rong to poison?!"

Concubine Wu, who couldn't keep her composure, asked again.

"I don't have any evidence, so I don't dare to make any judgments."

This seems to be a denial, but in fact it confirms Concubine Wu's guess.

Concubine Wu was about to grit her teeth and speak, but was stopped by the queen: "Since there is no evidence, don't jump to conclusions in advance."

"I obey the decree."

Jiao Shun lowered his eyes slightly, feeling quite disappointed. In fact, what he just said was a hint to the Queen and Concubine Wu that if they did not want King Zhongshun to be regent, they might as well put the poison issue directly on King Zhongshun.

But the queen obviously did not have such courage.

But it's no wonder, after all, he is the brother of the Supreme Emperor and the uncle of the current emperor. If you want to kill him, you will undoubtedly need some courage and determination.

Alas~

What a pity. If the virtuous concubine Jia Yuanchun had taken charge, things might have turned out...

No, if Jia Yuanchun had made the decision, perhaps before dealing with King Zhongshun, she would have sold the emperor's new policy to herself at a good price to consolidate her own power.

Thinking about it this way, it's fortunate that the queen made the decision.

However, after the queen temporarily suppressed her suspicion of poisoning King Zhongshun, she asked again: "From Mr. Jiao's perspective, how many of the important ministers in the court will support King Zhongshun?"

"It's hard to say."

Jiao Shun shook his head slightly at first, and then said firmly: "However, this memorial from King Zhongshun proves that at least for now, he has not been able to gain the support of the majority of people - otherwise, there is no need to rush to hand in this letter of nomination and expose it in advance.

own intentions."

It was indeed Jiao Shun who guessed correctly. King Zhongshun had been making countless promises overtly and covertly from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, but very few people actually expressed support for his regency.

This is because his previous reputation was too bad, and it is not an exaggeration to say that he is a stinky piece of shit that is hated by ghosts. Secondly, it is because many people think that "a boy can be taught". Although the prince is temporarily close to Jiao Shun,

As long as you give careful guidance and make some mistakes in engineering and learning at the right time, sooner or later the prince will be able to be a gentleman and stay away from villains, and put things right and get back on track.

With such an idea, how can we go to waste and introduce a regent?

In the final analysis, those who hate Gongxue and Jiao Shun the most today are actually the middle- and lower-class scholars who have been passive. Although the important ministers in the court saw the threat posed by Gongxue, they were not as anxious as the middle and lower classes showed.

This is also the reason why after the Chief Minister took office, except for Wang Zhe, Wang Ge Lao, no important ministers stood up to face the New Deal.

After King Zhongshun encountered obstacles everywhere, he consulted with his advisers and decided to take the risk of exposing his ambitions in advance and resorted to this trick of criticizing the New Deal. The purpose was to establish himself as a leader in resisting the New Deal and gain the support of the middle and lower classes first.

And then use "public opinion" to coerce important officials in the court.

Hearing that King Zhongshun had not yet received widespread support from the important ministers in the court, the queen was obviously relieved and asked: "How do you think Mr. Jiao should deal with this matter?"

"this……"

If Jiao Shun were to say it, it would naturally be to frame King Zhongshun with an unfounded crime and let the old guy follow the Supreme Emperor to receive lunch together!

But the queen had already rejected this plan before, so she asked Jiao Shun to come up with a second plan in such a hurry...

It’s not that there is nothing at all, but the problem is that some things can be done or not said.

Mainly, the fact that King Zhongshun wants to be the regent is just a private speculation, and even if it is not a speculation, given the current situation and the identity of King Zhongshun, it is not actually a heinous act.

Therefore, there is really no good and legitimate solution at this time.

He pondered for a long time, and finally he could only say: "Rong Chen, please consider it carefully."

The queen was not disappointed, after all, this matter was indeed somewhat troublesome.

After all, it was the mess left by the emperor, but he had been in a coma for more than a month. Even if he woke up occasionally, he would still be unconscious and there was no hope.

So Wen Yan tried his best to say a few words to Jiao Shun and let him out of the palace.

After Jiao Shun and the prince left one after another, Concubine Wu sat down opposite the queen with some frustration, gritted her teeth and said: "I think that bitch must have something to do with King Zhongshun, maybe..."

As she spoke, she made a somewhat obscene gesture to the queen.

"Bah~"

The queen spat and said angrily: "Every time King Zhongshun enters the palace, his every move is watched by someone. How could he be with Concubine Rong... But the origin of the poison should be carefully investigated."

After hearing this, Concubine Wu gritted her teeth and said, "When I get back, I will cook up that coquettish hoof. If she still refuses to say anything, don't blame me for being cruel!"

The queen hurriedly warned again: "You, please don't hurt her life. After all, there is no definite evidence yet."

Concubine Wu couldn't help but secretly pouted, the queen was otherwise fine, but she was too benevolent as a woman, always refusing to allow this or that.

However, although she is domineering, she still does not have the courage to kill the concubine without permission - after the prince succeeds to the throne, it will be another matter - so she reluctantly nodded and said: "Don't worry, sister, I am sensible."

As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something, and with a strange smile on his face he said, "Speaking of that bitch, I have some good things here that I want to show my sister."

"What good stuff?"

The queen saw her mysterious face, but also heard that she was related to Concubine Rong, so she couldn't help but feel a little curious.

Concubine Wu looked around, took out an envelope from her close-fitting clothes, shook it off and poured it out, but a few pieces of cardboard came out.

The queen recognized that it was the photo that Jiao Shun had produced last year, and subconsciously reached out to twist one of the photos to see what was on it.

As soon as I glanced at it, I immediately threw it back with an exclamation, and said with a red head and a swollen face: "You, what kind of nonsense are you talking about? You are so shameless!"

Concubine Wu was very proud. She picked up the Queen's discarded photo and admired it. She said, "This camera is really interesting. Look at how well this photo is reproduced. Unfortunately, it is black and white. If you add color..."

"You, who did you ask to take the photo?"

At this time, the queen suddenly thought of the key point, grabbed her and said: "Don't let this get out!"

"Why can't it be spread?"

Concubine Wu looked fierce and gritted her teeth and said, "If that bitch still refuses to confess, I will print more copies and have them posted on the door of the Zhou family, so that she can taste the taste of being ruined and worse than death!"

"Don't mess around!"

The queen was so frightened that her beauty turned pale, and she hurriedly admonished: "Once we are investigated by then, I'm afraid you won't be able to save your reputation, and it might even implicate the prince!"

After a pause, he reminded again: "You must keep an eye on the person taking the photo, don't let her leak the news."

After hearing that the prince might be implicated, Concubine Wu gave up the idea of ​​exposing Concubine Rong's "ugly behavior" to the public.

However, she still decided to use these words to intimidate Concubine Rong, so she picked up a few and put them away, and pushed the rest to the queen: "Sister, keep these for fun, I will go and cook that bitch first!"

"Why did you give me this thing?! Take it back, take it back!"

The queen was avoiding snakes and scorpions. She wanted to return it to Concubine Wu but did not dare to touch it. She could only watch as Concubine Wu walked away.

After Concubine Wu left, she picked it up with a blushing face, preparing to hide it in a safe place or simply burn it.

But having said that, these photos are indeed accurate. I don’t know where Concubine Wu learned it from, but she tied Concubine Rong into such a weird look. Not to mention that she was a man, her heart was beating wildly when she saw it.

In one of them, a bicycle was specially prepared, and the posture was inexplicably familiar...
Chapter completed!