During the time when Su Zhen left Kyoto City, earth-shaking changes had already taken place in the palace.
It turned out that the prince was incompetent, and there were many rumors of discord with the queen. But just a few days ago, the prince and Xiao Chuhong teamed up to rectify the army officers, and even King Qin was imprisoned in the sky prison.
For this reason, Concubine Yu went to the emperor's palace several times to intercede on behalf of Shang Yici, but Shang Yu frame refused to summon her because of her busy official duties. However, other than that, he had not summoned other concubines to attend his bedchamber in recent days.
Since the prince no longer held back, devoted himself to participating in court affairs, and quickly cleared out the King Qin faction, many people have defected to him.
However, due to Su Zhen's absconding and causing trouble in the Taifu's Mansion, and the fact that Xiao Chuhong, who commanded 100,000 Xiao family troops, was ordered to be detained in the General's Mansion by the emperor, and due to the different public opinion directions among the people, there was a dispute over this, and most of the courtiers still chose to wait and see.
.
There was a turbulent undercurrent in the previous dynasty, and the queen, who was firmly in charge of the harem, seemed to have no intention of getting involved in this matter. She continued to act like a generous and kind queen, and took care of the affairs of the palace with peace of mind. She even devoted herself to the preparations.
The draft is about to start soon.
...
The night was getting darker, and the stars and moon were all shrouded in thick dark clouds. Hundreds of extremely luxurious carriages drove out from various mansions, and noble ladies and their daughters-in-law dressed in costumes boarded the carriages.
The flowers are becoming more and more charming, and the girls from each family are either charming or dignified, trying their best to show their best side.
Now that the draft is coming, and the emperor is in his prime, even if he cannot choose a concubine, if the prince and the princes fall in love at first sight, he can directly enter the East Palace or the palace.
However, these official daughters are all pampered and pretentious, and they all want to compete for the position of the few principal concubines.
As for the so-called concubine... who would be willing to be suppressed all the time? The difference in identity can be said to be a world of difference.
They were not yet married, and their faces were covered with veils. After they stepped onto the carriage with the support of the maids, the wheels rolled across the bluestone slabs and drove towards the palace.
The palace was brightly lit, with red palace lanterns twinkling and hanging high up. The palace guards patrolled back and forth. The palace residents all smiled and poured into the Shaohua Palace holding trays.
Compared with the last palace banquet held to welcome Xiao Chuhong's return, this time it was more grand. The concubines from the harem came early, all dressed up, just to win the emperor's special attention. If they can successfully sleep with them,
I will take the opportunity to find a way to win over the emperor's heart. By then, she will soar into the sky, and I am sure she will be able to replace the "out of favor" Concubine Yu and become the favorite in the harem.
Courtiers or their family members kept entering the Shaohua Palace, but some ministers looked extremely ugly, as if they were just recovering from a serious illness. Although they were not feeling well, they had to come to attend the palace banquet.
The courtiers who had not been affected could not hide the sarcasm in their eyes, and they were talking eloquently. They were afraid that a disaster was coming.
After the palace banquet is over, the censor will surely continue to have impeachment papers before the emperor's case.
If the emperor can be ruthless, there will definitely be a major change of blood in the court. Otherwise, those 'borers' hidden in the court will surely grow like weeds in the spring breeze.
...
The interior of Shao Hua Hall looks very lively, but the happy scene is actually a scene of some happy and some sad.
Several ministers who were always on good terms with each other sat together and toasted and chatted, their faces showing pride could not be concealed.
"Colleagues, have you heard about what happened in the city this evening?"
The minister who spoke first was already older, probably around sixty years old, and his hair and beard were already gray. His face was full of traces of time, and when he squinted and smiled, there were a few pinched buns at the corners of his eyes.
of smile lines.
"Master Wen, you just said this, and you are not afraid of incurring hatred for nothing."
"You said everything was fine during the day, but towards night, some people had their homes turned upside down, and the reputation they had accumulated over the years was destroyed in one fell swoop. You all said, isn't this sad and deplorable!
"The man who was called Mr. Wen raised his head and took a sip of wine and said cheerfully.
The corner of his eyes glanced at the livid and silent officials sitting in front of the case, and his smile deepened.
"Lord Wen is absolutely right. The villain capsized his boat in the gutter, and it was nothing for others to watch."
"But it's strange to say that the Ministry of Punishment has clearly arrested many villains who committed crimes in Kyoto under the guise of conspiracy. They were quiet for only a few days before they resurfaced."
Master Wen stroked his beard and said with a smile, "I'm just afraid that the person behind the scenes is here to target tonight's palace banquet."
An official covered his lips with a wine glass and said in a deep voice, "Actually, I heard that Su Zhen came back to seek revenge. Otherwise, why would there have been such a commotion as soon as the news of his appearance came out? It would be too rampant.
Already."
"He and Xiao Chuhong seem to have an unclear love of splitting peaches. If he really returns to Beijing at the Hongmen Banquet tonight, he might really show up."
Another person said disdainfully, "This is the imperial palace, does he think it is the Taifu's residence?"
"That's impossible to say..."
Their voices became lower and lower. Gu Hongrong, the right minister who was at the head of the table of civil servants, wore a black official hat and a bright red official robe. He turned a deaf ear to the noisy sounds around him and just drank by himself, picking up palace maids from time to time.
Take a few bites of the side dishes prepared for him.
Behind him, sitting on the table were Gu Wenyu, the eldest son of the Right Prime Minister, and Gu Yunshu, the second son of the concubine. During the last trial, Gu Wenyu failed to frame Gu Yunshu, and even sent people behind to follow Shang Yici's men, trying to
They planned to eradicate Gu Yunshu, but unexpectedly he returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion intact.
But after the beating, he noticed that Gu Yunshu seemed to have changed. He used to smile like a spring breeze, but now he is always silent, and from time to time he holds the bamboo hairpin in his hair in a daze.
I thought that Gu Yunshu had changed his temper, but only to realize that he dared to follow Xiao Chuhong to rob the prison car. Not only did he not escape with him, but he returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion openly and honestly.
His father must have taken the wrong medicine, otherwise why would he go to the emperor to plead for mercy? This was a serious crime that could have harmed the nine clans, but in the end the emperor claimed that he was just being imprisoned for the sake of the right minister.
During those few days, Gu Yunshu was ridiculed and ridiculed by her brothers. However, no matter how much they angered her, Gu Yunshu just sat under the sycamore tree in Zhiqiu Garden and played chess with herself. She looked calm and indifferent at all.
I can't see why he felt depressed and lonely after being dismissed by the emperor.
Until the prince and Xiao Chuhong joined forces in Huanyu Mountain to resolve the crisis...
Gu Wenyu heard that in addition to the three of them who returned to the palace that night, there was also Master Qingmiao and a young monk. In addition, it was said that there was also an important guest with him, and it was for this person that the palace held this banquet.