There was a letter in front of Emperor Wen Zhao, and he saw it when he got up in the morning.
When I opened it, I saw that it belonged to Song Shouxun.
Song Shouxun didn't hide anything in the fold, and gave a complete statement of the matter before submitting it. How did Emperor Wen Zhao feel after reading it? He sighed and called someone: "Send it to the Queen!"
After the zhezi was taken away, Emperor Wen Zhao's nose was still sore. He thought that these two children really went to the Song family just to vent their anger. They had been having a relationship for a long time, and they were doing it for the queen.
They told Song Shouxun that the queen had a daughter and a son, and no one could bully the queen.
How can you not be touched by what you said?
This Song Shouxun was a villain, but he was an extremely smart man. He knew that this matter involved the Southern Tang Dynasty, and he would be doomed if he didn't express his intentions. So, he wrote a note and handed it over overnight.
He knew that I would be in a good mood after reading this excerpt! He also knew that this was an opportunity for him to confess himself.
Of course, if it weren't for this little calculation in this person's mind, he would probably never know why these two children went to the Song family.
Come to think of it, the queen might have cried at this moment.
Yes! The queen cried without uttering a word. She held the book in her hand and for some reason, tears fell down.
It was hard to describe the feeling in my heart, so the following report said: "Mrs. Cheng'enhou has arrived."
"Quickly please!" The queen stood up, cleaned her face with a wet handkerchief, looked in the mirror, and saw that nothing was wrong, then came out again. By this time, Mrs. Bai Shi, the Marquis of Cheng'en, had arrived.
Mrs. Bai was busy greeting her, and the queen helped her up, "Sister-in-law."
"Empress!" Bai quickly looked at the queen, and then asked hurriedly: "Are you okay?"
"No problem!" The queen pulled Bai to sit down. "I guessed that you had to enter the palace today, so I asked someone to wait for you. Sure enough, you came early in the morning! My brother and sister-in-law must have not slept well last night."
Bai held the queen's hand and said, "I said that day that I would marry Dongzhu to the Bai family. The Bai family is not a distinguished family in their hometown, but their sons and daughters are not incompetent. If Dongzhu's temperament is generous,
The family must be able to live a wonderful life! But who knew that I would marry into the royal family!" Others said that life in the royal family was good, but looking at my sister-in-law, I knew that there would never be a good life?! She clutched
Holding the queen's hand, her body was shaking, but she still had the courage to say in a lowered voice, "If not... let's call Dongzhu sick... if she is sick, move out, and the family can still take care of her, so that she will be rich all her life.
Live... I know this is taboo! But if I don't do this, I'm afraid she will cause big trouble sooner or later!"
The queen pondered for a moment, but still shook her head, "This is a calamity for the eldest prince, and it is also a calamity for the eldest prince and concubine. If you can get through it, the world will be open; if you can't get through it... then it must be because they are not good at practicing. What's more,
The most difficult thing to discuss is the matter between husband and wife! The children have to make their own decisions, and the elders cannot interfere. Sister-in-law, you and your brother should not worry. The Holy One knows me and my brother, and will never implicate you."
"What are you talking about? Our family is what it is today because of you. How can we be afraid of being implicated? I'm just afraid that something like this will make you sad in the palace." She is a childless queen, so such a prince and concubine would be unlucky.
It's her niece. I don't know what kind of resentment Concubine Xiao will have in her heart. As a relative of her family, and there is no prince, she can rely on a nephew like the prince in the future. Only by being honest can she not cause trouble to herself or the queen.
But the mother-in-law at home is really a confused old lady, protecting her brother-in-law and marrying the remarried woman. In fact, her first wife only has one son. When Dongzhu was still young, she said that she had no children and wanted to give birth to her second wife's niece.
It is not necessary to raise the child under the knee, even to adopt the stepmother. In this way, the child does not have to have a deep relationship with the stepmother, and it will be simpler in the future. But the Song family wanted to show his virtuousness at the time, and his brother-in-law, who did not know how to persuade him, was stunned.
It is safe to ask her to educate her first wife's legitimate daughter.
Who knew that this child looked innocent and cute when he was at home, but who knew that after marrying into the royal family, he would actually do some unreasonable things.
Mrs. Bai was really ashamed.
The queen sighed, to be honest, if the eldest princess had such a character as her sister-in-law, she would be truly blessed throughout her life.
Mrs. Bai then said, "Your eldest brother has taken over Zhongbao's child and has to raise it himself."
Zhongbao is the son of the Song family. He is eleven or twelve years old this year. He is neither too old nor too young. As a male, the head of the family taught him personally so that he would not let him get away with it.
The brother and sister-in-law had accomplished this, so the queen never mentioned the matter again. She said many comforting words to her sister-in-law, gave her a reward, and asked someone to send her out of the palace.
"Leaving the palace?" Concubine Xiao snorted softly as she sifted the spice powder through a fine sieve, "She was able to fall asleep when she went back, but she never thought about it, would I still be asleep? If I had known her family's
If the girl is like this, why should I ask for it in the first place..."
Aunt Xiao hurriedly said: "Mother, what are you talking about?"
Concubine Xiao finally stopped talking and said in a low voice: "Brother sent someone to send a message. He said that in the past two months, there have been many discussions about the throne. Since then, there are direct heirs and no direct heirs. There are people.
There is a slight flaw in saying that Shiro is a direct descendant, but it is not something that cannot be considered. The Holy One has always been undecided... I am also worried that the Holy One is really... Fortunately, Saburo and Shiro were crowned kings, so the rest are all
Not a legitimate son. There is nothing wrong with Rong'er being the eldest son and not having a legitimate eldest son. In addition, Rong'er has a sworn relationship with the Han and Lin families, and the friendship seems to be quite deep, so there should be no suspense.
How come the saint refuses to make this decision? Unless he has concerns!"
I just thought that marrying the Wu family would be a help, but I didn't want the Wu family to develop such a temperament in their daughter.
Concubine Xiao said angrily: "If the crown prince is appointed, the eldest son will be the prince. If the crown prince is appointed as the principal concubine, he can actually establish another one. There is no hindrance to delegating Wu as a concubine and going to the palace. What do you think this saint is?
What do you think?"
What did the saint think?
First, establishing a heir apparent is a big deal! How can one make such a decision easily when entrusting the country to the country?
Secondly, Li Chu is just bait. He can catch anyone with any kind of mentality, so why should he be anxious? What he is waiting for is someone to make trouble.
Are you making trouble? Tongtong is making trouble, but the storm is not rising. This is not allowed.
There was too much favoritism in the palace and Song Shouxun was too timid, so this matter failed to achieve the purpose of causing trouble.
what to do?
Tongtong took the time to discuss with Fourth Master, "Should we find someone to reveal this matter to the more upright censor, and ask the censor to impeach me and Han Siyuan. If we can impeach the Han and Lin families for their incompetence in educating their children, and for committing crimes,
This is even better."
Fourth Master didn't ask her to move, "Don't worry, go back and listen to the wind outside."
How to go outside?
The fourth master chuckled lightly, "I'm so confused that I can't go to the study now. Besides, if you have to fish with a vertical trap and don't put any bait, how can people bite the hook? Don't worry, just wait."
Sure enough, after just over a month, Emperor Wen Zhao called and summoned all the children to his side, "Everyone is not young anymore. At the age of fourteen, fifteen, fifteen or sixteen, they are all adults. Studying is a lifetime."
As long as you stay in the palace, you will just study hard. Every month, the teacher will give you some homework. You have read the books you should study and written the articles you should write. If you don't know how to do it, you will take the time to find the master to answer it.
.I will take an assessment at the end of the month! If you fail it three times, I'm afraid you won't be free. This is also to see if you can restrain yourself and achieve the ultimate self-discipline."
That's great.
Emperor Wen Zhao looked at them and said: "Dalang and Erlang, please stay with me for now. There are some temporary errands, please help me run errands."
The eldest prince and the second prince looked at each other, then raised their hands in response.
"Sanlang..."
When King Ping came out in a hurry, Emperor Wen Zhao said: "As you brothers grow older, you will eventually have separate houses. The dynasty is new and there are not so many ready-made mansions. If you go to the Ministry of Works and just take care of building a house, can you do it?"
"
King Ping couldn't ask for it, so he smiled and agreed.
When the fourth master arrived, Emperor Wen Zhao said: "Silang, go to the Ministry of Punishment to listen and take a look. Criminal law is a particularly important point in civil affairs and cannot be careless."
"According to the order!"
"Wulang, you go to the Ministry of Finance and listen more, watch more and talk less."
clear.
When it came to the sixth prince, Emperor Wen Zhao said: "You are the one who is running around the most unruly. It will be good for you to go to the Ministry of Etiquette and interact more with those bosses."
The Sixth Prince groaned, but still responded with a wink.
After settling the sixth prince, Emperor Wen Zhao looked at the Zhao brothers and asked, "Where do you two want to go?"
There are still the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War, as well as the Dali Temple, the Inspectorate, and the Domain Court.
Brothers Zhao Deguang and Zhao Deyi looked at each other. Each of these yamen was a heavyweight yamen, and they did not dare to choose.
So he just cupped his hands and said, "Listen to the sage's instructions."
With a smile on his face, Emperor Wen Zhao said, "Then you have one for Dali Temple and one for the Inspectorate." Then he turned his attention to Han Siyuan, "You go to the vassal courtyard." He said, "This is not fixed, change it.
, every yamen has to go through a round."
In other words, the chances of staying with the saint are the same.
As for Tongtong and Zhao Defeng, Emperor Wen Zhao said, "Go to Kunyuan Palace, follow the Queen, and help the Queen."
yes!
With this arrangement, everyone is free. Even if she has errands, she will occasionally ask her to visit the old lady of a certain house for her. If she doesn't want to go, the same thing happens when the queen asks her to go. Anyway, she is free!
Once you are free, you can leave the palace at any time.
Tongtong got up early to report to the Queen and asked if anything happened.
The queen laughed and said, "You want to go out again?" "I want to see the Lord of Yiyun County!" She really wanted to visit Mrs. Wang and see if she was doing well.
The Queen smiled and said, "The weather is getting warmer and it's a good day. Just go out with your people. You're not allowed to ride horses, so go in a carriage."
"Aren't you busy?"
The Queen nodded to her and said, "There is a wedding ceremony, I will leave Defeng to take care of it."
Tongtong hurriedly said goodbye, "I'll bring you some cakes from outside the palace when I come back." After saying that, he ran out.
When she came out, she happened to bump into Zhao Defeng. She hurriedly asked Tongtong: "Isn't there a silkworm wedding ceremony that needs to be prepared? Are you not ready?" "My Majesty, I think you are very capable, Princess. I will keep you for as long as I can. I will go out of the palace for a walk."
Before Zhao Defeng could speak again, Tongtong ran away.
Zhao Defeng looked at Tongtong running away with light steps, and couldn't help but feel a little envious in his eyes. The girl whispered, "Princess, how about we leave the palace too?"
Only when there are no distracting thoughts can you have fun. If you are like me and have things on your mind, can you play freely even after leaving the palace?
The girl then said: "But... the silkworm kissing ceremony is no better than others, and it is useless for the princess to learn this principle."
The haze in Zhao Defeng's eyes flashed away, and just as she was about to leave, she saw the eldest prince and his eldest princess coming this way. She hurriedly stepped aside and said, "I have met your highness."
The eldest prince's face was gentle, "The princess is here too? Why didn't you go in?"
"We've just arrived!" Zhao Defeng took a step back, "Your Highness, go first."
The eldest prince was speechless. He came here to pay his respects to the queen. When he saw the queen, he didn't salute first. He hurried over and helped the queen take the box in her hand. "You can't carry these things up and down anymore."
...or maybe the people below won’t take advantage of it, so just call me son.”
The queen jumped down while holding the eldest prince's hand, "I was impatient to control, so I sent all your father's people away, and now you are here again. If you don't move, you will feel weak all over." Then she asked,
"Why didn't you go to your father's side?"
"Don't worry! The second brother is going out today. When the second brother comes back, we brothers will go there together."
The queen patted the eldest prince's arm. This boy was really a kind-hearted man. She asked, "Have you mentioned it to your father?"
Yes! I sent someone to talk. The eldest prince replied, "I have some free time recently, so I came to talk to you."
"I'm impatient to talk to you. If you want to go out, just go out! Thinking about it, I'm worried..." He looked at Wu Dongzhu and said, "Leave your wife behind and help with Defeng. Kiss Canli
The Preparatory Ceremony Department sent us the charter, and there are many places that need to be changed."
The eldest prince agreed with a smile and turned to look at Wu Dongzhu, "Help me run errands, don't make your own decisions. People have two eyes, two ears and one mouth, which means that people must listen more, see more and talk less!"
This was already a warning. Wu Dongzhu bowed his head in response and did not dare to say another word.
The eldest prince then withdrew, and Zhao Defeng looked at Wu Dongzhu with a mocking expression. Wu Dongzhu turned around and saw Zhao Defeng, and then Zhao Defeng took it back.
The queen sent two people to compare the prepared sacrificial objects with the list, and deliberately separated them. One went to the east side hall and the other went to the west side hall, which caused a lot of commotion. As soon as they left, Eunuch Guo asked: "Why is such a thing possible?"
Give it to Princess Defeng?"
The queen smiled and asked: "How old is Princess Defeng this year?"
"Fifteen!"
Yes! She is already fifteen, a fifteen-year-old girl.
After asking this question, the queen remained silent.
Eunuch Guo exited the main hall and could see the east and west side halls at the door. The two side halls were very busy with people coming and going. The eldest princess sent people to inquire again and again, but Princess Defeng never sent anyone to ask.
Pass.
Who is smart? Princess Defeng?
Wrong! The really smart one didn't get involved in this kind of thing at all. She avoided leaving the palace.
After leaving the palace, Fourth Master and Han Siyuan were outside.
He had a previous friendship with Han Siyuan, so he was not polite and jumped on the carriage before it stopped. But as soon as he got on, the carriage still stopped, and then he saw the fourth child strolling over, walking along the steps step by step.
He walked up. He turned his face and asked Tongtong, "Why is he here?"
You naughty kid, you are actually superfluous.
Tongtong could only comfort him and said, "I haven't been out of the palace very often, so why don't you take me with you? Who is more familiar to you outside the palace?"
That's true! It's just that Shiro looks awkward.
Look! As soon as you get up, you naturally lean on the soft pillow, half tilted. But this is a girl's carriage, so you are acting a little too casually.
That's not all, he raised his hand to take the step sister's tea and drank it. This is too much!
Kinshiro, you are a scoundrel!
Just when he was about to scold him, his adopted sister asked, "Where are we going?"
Fourth Master chuckled, "Yao Yue Lou."
Han Siyuan looked at Fourth Master in surprise: "You are quite well informed."
What's wrong? Tongtong looked at Fourth Master, it's very lively outside the palace recently?
Fourth Master used a fan to lift up the curtains, "Every day I ask the waiter to come out to buy some small things and find out new things. I heard that Yaoyuelou is the busiest place in the capital recently. What news do you want to hear?
, that’s the most appropriate place to go.”
Yaoyue Tower, a five-story restaurant.
As soon as you step foot here, you will know that this place not only sells wine! Look at the beautiful maids walking back and forth, and look at the center of the stage, whether it is the band or the dancers, they are all stunning.
But there are so many male and female customers here, how could it not be so crowded?
As soon as the three of them stood still, a beautiful woman about 13 years old came over and said, "Please come upstairs to invite some distinguished guests."
Then go upstairs! I don’t want a private room, so I sit in the lobby. There is a table next to another table, so I sit down in the empty seat. The woman standing next to me brings tea bowls and fruit plates, one by one.
After setting it up, he stood not far away.
I opened the lid of the tea bowl and before I even drank the tea, I heard sounds coming from all directions.
"...There are only two single seedlings in the two palaces, and they are very favored by the palace. Such an incident is nothing..."
"No matter what, the Song family is still the ancestral family of the princess. They are blood relatives. How can they be like this? They are unruly and domineering, and have no respect for their elders..."
"The eldest son of the Han family is no less generous. The Song family is really eye-catching. We only know about such incidents. There are also many things that have not been reported..."
Only then did Han Siyuan realize that the people talking about him were actually talking about himself and his adopted sister.
How come this matter has spread so quickly that everyone knows about it?
He raised his hand and was about to slap it on the table. Tongtong pushed a piece of pastry over and said, "Brother, try it, it's really delicious!"
Han Siyuan looked at Tongtong, turned his face and looked at Shiro who was listening very seriously. He didn't understand what these two people meant for the moment.
After drinking a pot of tea and tasting the cakes, I got up, paid the bill, got into the carriage, and headed out of the city.
Outside the city, there were many tourists outing in the green hills. The three of them got off the carriage, and Han Siyuan looked at the Fourth Master, "What do you mean? Just tell me!"
The fourth master saw that no one was coming within tens of meters, and then he said: "Everyone knows about that matter, which means that someone has begun to make plans."
What are you planning?
"Thinking about how to use you. Two dandy boys are misbehaving in the capital. Immediately afterwards, the imperial censor will impeach you, and the saint will definitely ignore you... You are offending more and more people, and then what?"
What then?
"Then maybe one day, someone will "seek revenge", and something will happen to you. You two are the only ones in the two uncle's houses. The two uncles have reached middle age and have lost their flesh and blood...their loyalty to the Holy One
Is it consistent?”
It will be the same!
"That's what you think! But let anyone see that if it is really consistent, it is contrary to common sense. Therefore, they are sure that the Holy Sage and Han Lin will never be as close as one family. The two uncles are the saint and the Han Lin family.
The bond between the two Dukes of Yi, if they cannot always be loyal, then why will the two Dukes be loyal?"
Han Siyuan stopped talking. It is impossible for outsiders to know how Taizu arranged the two palaces. They would only think that the two palaces had heavy troops and great strength.
"Yes, that's right. In addition, the old princes are getting older. Do the princes and the royal family have such a strong friendship? If there is no such a big friendship, then power is the biggest temptation! Who can guarantee that
Will they resist? Once there is a rift, the world will be in chaos! Chaos is the opportunity for careerists."
Han Siyuan clenched his fists, "You mean, those people... moved!"
Yes! Moved! "Now it depends on your choice. If you are afraid of being targeted, then find a way to suppress this rumor quickly and stay out of it..."
"Don't even think about it! I have been investigating this case for several years." Han Siyuan looked at Tongtong, "I alone recognize this matter and it has nothing to do with you."
"If it has nothing to do with me, this situation will not work. So, whether I participate or not, if someone wants to kill us to create a rift, do you think I can survive alone?" Lin Yutong said and looked at him with a smile, "Since we are sworn brothers,
Then we will share weal and woe, life and death. How can there be any reason for the second brother to take risks alone? If you don't retreat, I will never retreat."
This made Han Siyuan hesitate. He had no right to ask others to take risks with him.
Lin Yutong laughed again: "We can't escape! From the moment people publicized this matter and exaggerated it, you and I have been in the game! Second brother, when we were our age, our elders were already planning for the world.
Okay. Now it's you and me, wouldn't you dare, second brother? For public purposes, only by getting rid of these monsters and monsters can the world be peaceful; for private matters, the family hatred is high, how dare you back down? Could it be that second brother thinks that I am a woman and looks down upon me?
Me?"
Han Siyuan gritted his teeth, then stretched out his hand, and when Tongtong's hand came over, he shook it hard, with a very solemn tone, and uttered eight words: "We share weal and woe, we live and die together!"
When he left the palace, he felt relaxed. When he returned to the palace, the young man became more restrained.
As soon as they entered the palace, they heard that the eldest prince had a quarrel with several censors in front of the imperial court, and now they are at loggerheads.
Gao Yushi sneered, "Your Highness, no matter how many reasons, it is a serious crime to rush into the Hou Men's mansion and insult the imperial officials! As Yushi, how can we not impeach? On the other hand, His Highness, because of his sworn loyalty, favoritism and selfishness.
Regarding the law, I dare to ask Your Majesty, if this is the case, who will uphold the laws and disciplines?"
Fourth Master, Tongtong and Han Siyuan listened outside for a long time and then left quietly.
At a time when courtiers were proposing to establish a heir apparent, it was unwise for the eldest prince to stand up to defend Han Siyuan and Tongtong. But it was precisely because of this defense that the bond of loyalty was solidified.
When the eldest prince came out, he saw Tongtong and Han Siyuan standing outside. He pulled them to the side and said, "This is wrong! Impeachment by the censor is not wrong, but it makes you suffer injustice..."
"Brother!" Han Siyuan looked at the eldest prince with a complicated look, "Brother, let's go to Yuntai tomorrow!"
Yuntai is not far from the capital, only two hours away. It is the place where Taizu and the two princes Han and Lin had a bloody sworn alliance.
Yuntai is located halfway up the mountain. There is a platform here, and later Taizu planted peach blossoms here.
At this time of year, the peach blossoms have buds, and they are as pink as the clouds.
Han Siyuan looked at the eldest prince and said all the speculations that the fourth master said yesterday: "...My sister-in-law and I will continue to make trouble, and we will have to be impeached by the censor..."
The eldest prince was stunned for a moment, and his expression gradually turned serious. He felt that what Shiro guessed was 80% accurate.
Han Siyuan was silent for a long time before saying: "At this moment, we are making such a fuss. If you don't protect us, you are unjust! If you protect us, the courtiers will think that you are too selfish and unworthy of being the crown prince! How should you choose, brother?
You have to think clearly."
The eldest prince was relieved, "So this is what you are worried about?" He walked over slowly, picked up the dagger, cut his palm open, and dripped blood into the row of drinks, then slowly knelt down, quietly
Wait quietly.
Han Siyuan glanced at Tongtong, then walked over, picked up another dagger, cut his left hand, and let the blood fall into the wine bowl. He watched the two people's blood fuse together, unable to distinguish each other.
Then he stepped back and knelt on the left rear of the eldest prince, looking ahead without squinting.
But Tongtong's eyes were full of flowers at the moment. She seemed to see three people, under the watchful eyes of everyone, becoming brothers and vowing not to be born in the same year, the same month and the same day, but to die in the same year, the same month and the same day.
She couldn't see the faces of these people clearly, but something else seemed to come to her mind, and for a moment she couldn't tell whether it was a dream or reality.
She pressed hard, then stepped over step by step, picked up the last dagger, rubbed it, and scratched it on her left hand. The pain freed her from the dream-like feeling, and she slowly lifted the dagger in her palm.
Blood dripped into the wine bowl, and then he slowly knelt down to the other side of the eldest prince.
Eunuch Qiu brought a bowl of wine to each of the three of them with a serious face, and the three of them bowed to the sky:
"Heaven above, I, Jin Sirong..."
"I, Han Siyuan..."
"I, Lin Chuheng..."
"I appeal to heaven that the three of us voluntarily become brothers with different surnames. We will never leave each other in this life, share weal and woe, and stay with each other in life and death!"
After saying that, he kowtowed three times, raised the wine bowl in his hand above his head, and then slowly sprinkled it on the ground.
He turned around, took the second bowl of wine, and offered another toast:
"The soil is thick, I, Jin Sirong..."
"I, Han Siyuan..."
"I, Lin Chuheng..."
"I am informing Houtu that the three of us have voluntarily become brothers with different surnames. We will never leave each other in this life, sharing weal and woe, and accompanying each other in life and death!"
He toasted the bowl of wine to Houtu, then stood up. The three of them knelt face to face, each with a bowl of wine, toasting each other, and then drank it all!
After getting up, Jin Sirong stood at the top, Tongtong and Han Siyuan stood at the bottom, knelt down and kowtowed three times to pay homage to the eldest brother.
Then Jin Siyuan stood up, Tongtong stood up and bowed again, kneeling once and kowtowing three times to pay homage to his second brother.
The two of them bowed in return, and then the ceremony was completed!
From this day on, we are brothers. In this life, kindness and righteousness come first and must not be abandoned.
Tongtong felt that she might have done something stupid that she hadn't done in many years, but she was also very grateful. She was grateful that she had met such people and that she was still willing to be so impulsive and willingly take on other people's burdens.
Carry it on yourself.
She stood here, looking at Fourth Master from a distance.
The fourth master smiled brightly, and Tongtong knew that he was not laughing at her for being stupid. He was really happy, happy that after all the things in the world, he still retained this innocence!