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A burst of shame and anger welled up in his heart, and the emperor slapped the railing of the pagoda with hatred. The material used in the glazed pagoda of Baoen Temple was very solid, and the railings were all made of hardwood. Not only was it not broken, it also shook the emperor's heart.
The dragon's claws hurt so much...aa
There was a violent cough, and the emperor fell ill again. The attendant hurriedly offered pills. This was a pill carefully prepared by the imperial physician. It was said to have miraculous effects. However, the emperor did not feel better after taking it for a while. He continued to take it every day, but it was better than nothing.
.
The emperor put the pill into his mouth and took the golden cup from the hand of the attendant. The cup contained pure rootless water, but as soon as the water entered his mouth, it was actually cold. The emperor was furious and threw the golden cup to the ground, spreading the water all over the floor.
, the emperor spit out the pills, flicked his sleeves and angrily walked down the tower, leaving only the eunuchs kneeling and shivering on the ground.
The emperor has been very angry recently. If these people don't take good care of them, they will be killed with a stick.
After returning to the Yangxin Hall, the emperor still kept coughing, his spirit became more and more depressed, and his anger became more and more intense. More than a dozen imperial doctors were rubbing their hands in worry in the hall. The emperor's illness was not serious, but he was not getting better, and there was nothing they could do.
, In fact, the patient's mood is very important. The emperor has been besieged by various worries, so it would be strange to be in a good mood, but this is not something that the imperial doctors can solve.
The imperial doctors discussed the solution with a gloomy face, but they still didn't have a good solution. It was too troublesome to treat the emperor. Light medicine would not work, and heavy medicine would be risky. Everyone was really at a loss. Suddenly someone said: "After taking the medicine, your Majesty's
The symptoms have not subsided but are getting worse. Could it be that... someone..."
I dare not say the following words, because if I say them, I will offend many people and cause many people to lose their heads. However, the culpability of the imperial doctors can be alleviated.
The discussion of the imperial doctors was immediately known to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so a massive investigation was launched in the palace, with the imperial kitchen as the core target. The radioactivity spread, even the eunuchs and maids of Qianqing Palace and Yangxin Palace were not spared. The emperor
The water you drink, the food you eat, the clothes you wear, and anything you come into contact with must be investigated from the root to the root, and no clues will be missed.
Cao Shaoqin is doing this very carefully, because he is the person who is most afraid of the emperor's death. No matter how powerful he is, he is just an eunuch. If the emperor dies, the new emperor will definitely deal with him after he ascends the throne. Old Cao
The relationship with the prince is not so harmonious. For the sake of his own future, he has to do his best to do this.
Previously, the emperor's dietary matters had been strictly controlled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. All ingredients were grown in special vegetable fields. Even the water and fertilizer used for watering vegetables were inspected. The drinking water was obtained from spring water according to strict procedures.
It was filtered several times. Before the food and water entered the emperor's mouth, there was a special taster to test the poison. If the emperor was poisoned, the taster should also have the same symptoms.
After some inspections, it was confirmed that the food was not poisoned, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs turned its attention elsewhere. After several investigations, the target was finally identified.
In the Hall of Yangxin, the emperor, with a bright yellow forehead bandage and a fox fur covering his body, sat in front of the desk and reviewed memorials. He coughed twice from time to time. Although he was feeling unwell, the emperor still insisted on handling government affairs in person.
Cao Shaoqin couldn't help but be moved.
"Your Majesty, the matter has been found out," Shaoqin said in a low voice. The emperor's eyebrows suddenly knitted together and then relaxed. You can go and do it.
…
A quarter of an hour later, a large group of guards suddenly appeared outside Concubine Xiao's palace. They kicked open the palace door without any reason and rushed in. Their murderous eyes and shining steel knives scared the palace maids into screaming, and everyone was ordered to squat down.
They were not allowed to move on the ground. One eunuch tried to run away, but was cut down with a knife. His blood flowed all over the ground, and the others were so frightened that they did not dare to express their anger.
Concubine Xiao is the biological mother of His Highness the Prince, and her status is quite noble. Although she has not yet been promoted to queen, she has already surpassed Concubine Shu and become the sixth palace. She shouted angrily: "I have rebelled against you! Who asked you to come!"
"
Cao Shaoqin walked in leisurely: "Your Majesty, this is the emperor's order, but we can't blame it. Come here, search it for me!"
The guards rummaged through the boxes and searched the cabinets. Concubine Xiao looked at this scene with a sneer and said to Cao Shaoqin: "If anything is found that should not be there, I will definitely punish you. If you can't find anything, I will have to punish you."
Go to the emperor and ask for an explanation!"
Cao Shaoqin smiled reservedly and ignored Concubine Xiao's threats. Within a quarter of an hour, the guard came over with a small doll: "Your Majesty, the Chief Steward, I found this under Concubine Xiao's bed.
"
Cao Shaoqin took the puppet and showed it to Concubine Xiao. The palm-sized puppet was lifelike, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, with steel needles inserted into its head and limbs, and the birth date written on its back.
Concubine Xiao's pupils tightened suddenly, and then she pounced forward, shouting at the top of her lungs: "This is a frame-up! This is a frame-up!"
Cao Shaoqin flicked his sleeves: "Bring it to our family!"
The guards had already rushed to capture Concubine Xiao, but it was useless to let her cry and struggle. When the maids and eunuchs following Concubine Xiao saw this scene, their faces turned pale, knowing that their death was coming.
The emperor played with the puppet in his hand, and the emperor showed a sarcastic smile: "Concubine Xiao is such a good mother. She thought that by cursing me to death, the third child could ascend the throne. Hum, it's a pity that my life is so hard."
Very, no one wants to kill me!"
When he first started talking about it, he still took it indifferently. But when he finally said it, the emperor couldn't help but Long Yan was so angry that he smashed the precious Duan Inkstone on the table to the ground, frightening the little eunuch outside the screen.
He quietly stood farther away. In recent times, more than 20 of the emperor's servants had been killed with sticks. The Yangxin Hall has almost become the Hall of the King of Hell.
Cao Shaoqin stood with his hands down, his expression indifferent. He waited until the emperor was angry enough and then said: "Your Majesty, what should I do with Concubine Xiao?"
"The title will be abolished and executed." The emperor said coldly, as if the person being executed was not his wife of many years, but an ordinary criminal.
"But, as for the prince..." Cao Shaoqin raised his concerns.
The emperor thought for a while that his ugliness should not be exposed to the public, so he will not make this matter public. He will execute him secretly. Let him go as far as the third child goes. I want to see how deep the relationship between mother and son is."
…
In the prison, Concubine Xiao, who had been stripped of her phoenix crown and harem, was dressed in white and sat blankly on the bed, muttering from time to time: "It wasn't me, I didn't do it." Her eyes were dull and her speech was unclear.
The cell door was pushed open, and a well-dressed eunuch walked in with an order to give the queen a pot of wine. I will serve you."
As he said that, he took the exquisite gold wine pot from the person behind him, poured a full glass of wine and brought it to Concubine Xiao, with a smile on her fat face.
Concubine Xiao trembled and took the wine glass tremblingly. Two lines of tears flowed out and dripped into the wine glass.
"Where's my son? I want to see Cheng Tai."
"His Royal Highness is well, I don't worry about you," the eunuch said.
"No, I want to see the emperor, I want to see the prince. I was wronged. Concubine Shu came to my bedroom the day before and sat beside the bed. She must have put down the doll. I was framed.
I don’t accept it, I can’t die!”
Concubine Xiao screamed at the top of her lungs, but was held down by two jailers. The eunuch said ferociously: "Mother, our family also knows that you may be unjust, but the emperor has made a decree and cannot take it back. For the sake of the prince's future, you still have to do it."
Go with peace of mind and stop making trouble."
As he said that, he squeezed open Concubine Xiao's teeth and poured the poisonous wine in. Concubine Xiao struggled and fluttered desperately, but her hands and feet were tightly held down. The imperial concubine was just like this in the dark prison cell.
He died quietly.
While Concubine Xiao was struggling, in a dark cell opposite, a young man was staring at this scene. His fingers were dug into the cracks in the hard wall, and they had begun to bleed. His teeth were clenched, and his lips were
Tears welled up in his eyes, but no sound came out.
Concubine Xiao died, and the eunuch went back to deliver the order. The jailer came over and opened the cell opposite. The young man wanted to see Concubine Xiao's body on the other side, but he was pulled back by the servant: "Your Highness, be careful."
The prince Zhang Chengtai could only glance at his mother's bleeding corpse like a stranger, and then left in a hurry. His mother raised him and taught him. Scenes of the past came to mind, and the young prince was heartbroken.
…
Someone from the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported to Cao Shaoqin: "Governor, according to your order, the prince was arranged to witness the death of Concubine Xiao."
What's your reaction?" Cao Shaoqin asked as he picked up the tea bowl and took a slow sip.
"There was no reaction. He took a look and left, as if the person who died was not his own mother."
Everyone in the Zhang family is indeed like this, they are cruel enough. Okay, you can go down." Cao Shaoqin waved away the servants, thoughtfully, and wanted to force the prince to do something crazy, but Zhang Chengtai did not fall for the trick, which made him
Somewhat disappointed.
…
Concubine Xiao was sentenced to death, but it was only said that she died suddenly due to illness. She was buried according to normal etiquette and buried in the imperial mausoleum at the foot of the Purple Mountain in the east of the city. After the funeral, the emperor's spirit weakened for a moment. After all, Concubine Xiao was accompanying her.
His concubines for many years had been virtuous in the past, but this incident was still a huge blow to the emperor.
The emperor is also a human being and needs comfort, so on the night after the funeral, he made an exception and came to Concubine Shu's palace. Concubine Shu was so surprised that she quickly dressed up and arranged wine, food and fragrant soup to serve the emperor.
After drinking for three rounds, the emperor finally put down his cold face and sighed: "Are they all looking forward to my death? Concubine Xiao was such a dedicated person, but she changed when her son became the prince. Did she want to give him the gift?
Damn her..."
Concubine Shu said: "Your Majesty is kind and kind, and the whole world knows it. It was Concubine Xiao who was so ignorant and obsessed that she actually came up with such a sinister way to harm Your Majesty. Eighteen steel needles, how could she get rid of them..."
The emperor was stunned, and suddenly turned to look at Concubine Shu. Except for Cao Shaoqin, no one else had handled the doll. How could Concubine Shu know how many steel needles were inserted into it?