It was already the fourth watch when Zhou Gu returned to the Duke Protector's Mansion. He didn't have the habit of climbing over the wall, so he walked through the main entrance.
Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, and there is a big court meeting. The old protector got up early to rush to the big court meeting. He happened to see him entering the house in the cold air, and he immediately asked: "Where have you been? Why did you come back?"
Zhou Gu glanced at the old Protector and said, "Went to the Guest House."
The old Protector didn't smell any alcohol on him and looked suspicious.
Zhou Gu walked inside and explained casually, "I'm not drinking, so I just went there to sit."
The old protector asked keenly: "With whom?"
Zhou didn't answer and went straight to the house.
The old protector understood that the drunken flower drink sold in Yingkefang came from Jiangning County. If he didn't know who opened it before, then the old protector now knows that it is Su Rong. So he went to see Su Rong.
?Only if you go to see Su Rong will you not answer his question.
He wanted to catch up and ask for details. After all, he came back overnight, but he was afraid that he would miss the time of the imperial meeting, so he could only press down, get on the carriage, and rush to the imperial meeting first.
Zhou Gu returned to Shuanglinyuan and was greeted by Ziye, "Master, where have you been? Why did you leave your subordinates in the mansion?"
In the past, no matter where the young master went, he basically took him with him. Recently, he really felt that he was no longer the young master's caring person. He actually didn't even know when the young master left.
Zhou Gu glanced at Ziye, said nothing, and entered the room.
Ziye hurriedly followed him in. Seeing that he was cold, he asked cautiously: "Sir, could you ask the kitchen to send water for you to bathe?"
"No need."
"Would you like to make a bowl of ginger soup and bring it over? It's so cold at night. I see you're completely frozen and you've caught the wind and cold." Ziye was a little worried.
"Need not."
Midnight stepped back and asked, "Can I get you a hand stove to warm your hands?"
"No." Zhou Gu raised his hand to interrupt his continuous questioning and ordered him, "Send two people to Nanchu to check on Yejia and Ye Guixue. I want to know everything about Yejia and Ye Guixue."
Midnight said "Huh?"
Zhou Gu stood still and said firmly to him: "Find two suitable people and set off today."
Ziye scratched his head and wanted to ask why, but looking at Zhou Gu's face, he nodded, "I'll do it now."
Zhou Gu said "hmm".
When he walked out at midnight, the room became quiet. Zhou Gu lay down on the bed. He didn't even take off his coat, so he slept with his clothes on.
Today's imperial meeting was different from the usual routines held on the first and fifteenth day of each month. Today's meeting focused on the scientific examination. The emperor urged several examiners to speed up the progress. The assassination case of Princess Qingping was also highlighted.
, reprimanded the minister of Dali Temple for his lax supervision of the prison, and actually let the prisoner commit suicide by taking poison in Dali Temple. It is really ridiculous. From today on, the Ministry of Punishment is strictly ordered to intervene, and the three divisions will investigate the case together.
After the court meeting, the emperor sent someone to invite the old protector to the imperial study room for a talk.
The old protector of the country was old. He only went to court during the year, and the emperor rarely saw him in a month. Mainly at ordinary times, when there was no big event, the old protector did not even attend the court meeting.
I will take a leave of absence.
The Emperor has not seen the old Protector for two months since he went to court today.
The old Lord Protector came to the imperial study and bowed his hands in greeting. The emperor quickly helped him, "I have not seen you for two months, Lord Protector. How is your health?"
The old Lord Protector coughed and took a breath, "Your Majesty, please take care of me. As soon as autumn comes, my body and bones are a bit overwhelmed. The wounds and illnesses I suffered in my early years are causing a faint pain every night. It's an old problem.
It’s not a big deal, it’s just that I’m so upset and so noisy that I can’t sleep.”
The emperor immediately said: "Let the Imperial Hospital take a closer look. If you need good medicine, I have it in my private treasury."
The old Protector nodded, "The imperial doctor often comes to the house to ask for Ping An's pulse, but there is nothing that can be done about the old disease. He tells me every day to take good care of him, but hey, I have been taking care of him for several years, and the more I take care of him, the more painful it becomes.", said
Then, he waved his hand, "But don't worry, Your Majesty, I can still hold on with my old bones."
The emperor lectured: "Since the old imperial doctor Chen sued him and left Beijing, the remaining imperial doctors in the imperial hospital are indeed a bunch of trash. In my opinion, we still have to post the emperor's list to recruit people for the imperial hospital. We must recruit people with good medical skills to be able to withstand the epidemic."
Yes. The imperial concubine also complained to me a few days ago, saying that today’s imperial doctors cannot use it because she caught a small cold and it will only take half a month to recover.”
The old protector of the country stroked his beard and said: "Old Chen's grandson is said to be promising. Why don't your majesty send someone to ask if he is willing to join the Imperial Hospital? He can't go wrong with the true legacy of the old minister."
The emperor clapped his hands and said, "If you don't say that I returned it to his grandson and forgot about it, I will send someone to ask later."
After the monarch and his ministers chatted for a while, the emperor got down to business and asked the old protector tentatively, "I heard that the daughter of Su Xu, the governor of Jiangzhou, many people think she looks a bit like Princess Zhenmin after meeting her?"
The old Protector nodded, "There is some resemblance."
The emperor said sternly: "Old Duke, tell me the truth. What was the reason why you and Su Xu arranged the marriage between the two families?"
The old Protector looked at the emperor and kicked the ball back, "What do you think, Your Majesty?"
The emperor wants to say how do I know? I don’t know many things about your Protectorate. He felt dissatisfied in his heart but did not show it on his face. He only said: "I just asked you because I couldn’t think of a reason.
When the government had an engagement with the Su family, Su Xu was still a young prefect of Jiangning County, and their family backgrounds were so different that unless there was a special reason, there was no way to contact them."
The old protector nodded, "Your Majesty said that there must be a special reason."
The emperor was waiting for him to continue, and then he saw that the old Lord Protector had shut up and stopped talking. He was angry, "Old Lord Protector! What? Can't you even say it to me?"
His voice was a little heavier, "If it were just a little concubine, I wouldn't want to know, but since she looks like Princess Zhenmin, I naturally want to find out. Don't you have to ask me to send someone to check her out?"
The old Duke thought to himself, you must have sent someone to investigate, but nothing has been found so far, so he is blocking me to ask questions today, but this is also the purpose of his attending the imperial meeting today.
So, he deliberately ignored the emperor for a while, then sighed with pretense of helplessness and glanced at Yu An, who was standing aside to wait.
Yu An was excited and looked at the emperor. The emperor nodded to him. He quickly retreated and closed the door of the imperial study room very wisely.
Only the emperor and the old protector were left in the royal study, and the old protector spoke: "It stands to reason that I promised Princess Zhenmin that I would not say anything about this matter until the day when the coffin was brought in.
.But now and then, as Su Rong grew up, she really looked too much like Princess Zhenmin back then. After the old minister saw her, he knew that this secret could not be kept a secret."
The emperor immediately sat up straight, "What do you mean?"
The old protector sighed, "Su Rong is the daughter of Princess Zhenmin and King of Nanchu. Before the princess died, she found the old minister and begged him to protect her daughter. The old minister discussed with her and made an arrangement between Su Rong and Zhou.
Gu’s engagement.”
"What did you say?" The emperor stood up. "Didn't she die in Wei? How could..."
Seeing the shocked look on the emperor's face, the old protector nodded affirmatively and said: "When Princess Zhenmin and her husband arrived at the Queen of Wei, they found out that they were pregnant. It was inevitable that they would be discovered, so they had to fake death and escape incognito. The late emperor and the queen mother also
Know this."
The emperor was stunned, "Why didn't I know? Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"Princess Zhenmin has a deep relationship with Your Majesty. I probably don't want Your Majesty to worry about her. It was only before Princess Zhenmin passed away that I found out that she was not dead and living in Jiangning County." Old Protector General Zhenmin County
The story of how the Lord found him and made the engagement was briefly explained.
The emperor took a step back, his expression still dazed, as if his mind was buzzing with the impact of this secret, and it was difficult to think for a while, "She went... eight years ago?"
The old Protector nodded, "I left shortly after the engagement was made."
The emperor paused for a while and then asked again, "Since the engagement was made before she died, why did Su Rong break off the engagement?"
These days, Su Rong and Zhou Gu broke off their engagement, causing an uproar in the capital and spreading to the palace. He had already heard about it.
The old Protector had no choice but to mention this matter sincerely, and it seemed that he was sincerely telling the emperor, "Brother Gu is unwilling to break off the engagement. But your Majesty, you know that the King of Southern Chu has no heir, Su Rong."
She is the only princess. For many years, the Queen of Nanchu has been sending people to assassinate Su Rong, and now it has become more and more fierce. On her way to Beijing, she was even more intercepted and killed by several waves of Nanchu people. Under such circumstances, Su Rong
Can Rong Rong continue to be an ordinary person? This is impossible. Therefore, she had no choice but to break off the engagement. After all, if this continues, sooner or later she will go to Nanchu to become a princess again. Otherwise, how will her life be like this?
Don’t we all have to live a life of being assassinated all day long? Only by sitting in that position can we avoid being preyed upon by others, right?”
The emperor gradually calmed down after hearing this, "So, she is going to Nanchu to seize the throne? And Zhou Gu..."
The old Protector held up his hand and said, "Your Majesty, Zhou Gu does not honor the Lord, Princess Daliang does not honor him, and neither does the Princess of Southern Chu."
It's not that he wants to be straightforward, but the emperor once intended to let Princess Zhou Gushang be. After being pushed away by him, the emperor connived at Qingping and Duanhua to entangle Zhou Gu. He may not have tied Zhou Gu to death as the consort or the commander's horse.
the meaning of.
The emperor paused, nodded slowly, without saying anything, and asked again: "How did Queen Nanchu know about Su Rong's existence?"
The old Lord Protector shook his head, "I don't know, either. According to Su Rong, someone killed her many years ago. Later it was found out that it was the Queen of Southern Chu."
The emperor's expression changed, "I want to meet Su Rong."
The old Protector nodded and shook his head, suggesting, "Your Majesty, I think you don't have to rush to see Su Rong. Once you see her, her identity will be completely confirmed. Many troubles will follow. You
It is not appropriate to summon her before you are ready. When you are ready, it will not be too late to see her again."
The emperor fell silent.
The old protector stopped talking, believing that the emperor would understand what he had to say.
The emperor naturally understood that as an emperor, he was already proficient in political power. As long as he calmed down and thought about it, he would soon understand that once Su Rong's identity was recognized by him, there would be a lot involved. The pros and cons of this had to be carefully weighed. I don't know whether it is a good thing or a good thing.
Bad things.
It is indeed not appropriate for him to see Su Rong at the moment, even if he has learned her identity, even if countless people in the capital have seen her now, and they are all suspicious of her because of her appearance, and the suspicion has been cast on Princess Zhenmin, but as long as he
If I haven't seen her for a day, her identity will only continue to be guessed by everyone, instead of being confirmed as the daughter of Princess Zhenmin.
He is the emperor, and his every move is closely watched. As for Su Rong, although she is currently a concubine, she is already involved in many mansions, and because she looks like Princess Zhenmin, every move she makes is also closely watched.
Under the attention of countless people.
The emperor was silent for a while, acquiescing to the old Lord Protector's suggestion, "Nowadays, except for the people in the Lord Protector's palace, who in the capital has learned about Su Rong's true life experience?"
The old protector shook his head, "I don't know, either, but Su Rong has lived in Princess Qingping's Mansion for many years. Princess Qingping also grew up with Princess Zhenmin since she was a child. It probably can't be hidden. Now Su Rong lives there again."
Shen Xian's residence, and Shen Xian and Xie Yuan have a close friendship, so it's hard to say."
What the emperor was most concerned about was not the people in Princess Mansion and Shen Mansion, but his princes, especially the prince. He simply asked directly: "Where is the prince?"
The old Protector thought that no matter what time, His Majesty would never forget to be wary of him, his own son, and would be extremely defensive. He shook his head and said, "I don't know."
"Since Zhou Gu knew it, he wouldn't tell the prince?" the emperor asked.
The old protector of the country said: "The old minister has been hiding this from Brother Gu. He didn't know about it until the past two days. Since the scientific examination, he has not been to the East Palace and has not spoken to the prince."
The old Protector simply played the ball straight and said bluntly: "If Your Majesty does not want the Crown Prince to know, I will strictly instruct him not to inform the Crown Prince when I return later."
The emperor paused, thinking that the prince was smart and even he was suspicious, so he might not be able to hide it from him. He asked this question just to test the relationship between the old protector and the prince. Since he had already tested it out
, he waved his hand naturally, "That's not necessary. The prince is the crown prince, and this matter is very relevant. If I find an opportunity, I will discuss it with him."
The old Protector nodded, "What your Majesty said is that this matter is a state matter and one should indeed be cautious."
