The emperor squinted his eyes and leaned back in his chair to rest. He didn't care who the eunuch would serve him. Except for a few eunuchs who had followed him since childhood, the other eunuchs were dispensable. It didn't matter who he replaced.
"What time has it been?" The emperor asked, not knowing how long it had passed.
"Go back to the emperor, it's time to apply."
The emperor felt sore all over his body, and that feeling of powerlessness emerged again, which made him irritable. He couldn't sit still anymore, so he simply got up and walked out.
The eunuch followed silently behind him.
As soon as you leave the side hall where the imperial study is located, you can see a circle of courtyards surrounding it. Because the emperor ordered that the snow here does not need to be cleared, the snow in the courtyard has been covered with white in the past few days, making it look very pure.
Under the rare sunshine in the afternoon, it is very beautiful to see the white and green of some evergreen dwarf plants in the courtyard.
Ordinarily, this kind of snow scene, paired with trees, would be a unique sight.
However, there are only a few areas within the palace where trees can be planted. Trees are not allowed to be planted around the place where the emperor will stay, and short plants must be of a type that cannot hide people.
This is for safety, but makes it less fun.
The emperor has lived here for so many years, and he has long been tired of seeing the beautiful scenery. Now he is looking at the snowy scene, just in a daze, thinking about his thoughts.
"What is the queen doing recently?" Suddenly, the emperor asked this question.
The eunuch who followed silently was startled for a moment, and then replied: "Back to the emperor, the empress does nothing except stay in the palace and read books every day. In other words, except for the occasional reading, three meals a day and going to bed, she does nothing.
Don’t do it.”
What he didn't say was that the queen even had three simple meals a day.
The emperor would ask this question several times almost every year, and he would get the same answer every time.
After hearing this answer this time, the emperor didn't speak for a long time, and his expression looked a little lonely.
"Your Majesty, it's cold, so you can't stay outside the palace for a long time." The eunuch waited for a while and whispered.
The emperor nodded and turned back.
Pixiang Palace
"Xinping left the palace without being stopped?" Concubine Wu couldn't help but have a headache after hearing the palace attendant's reply.
"She is really too angry." Concubine Wu already knew what happened in the imperial study room, and she felt a little regretful about her daughter's temper.
I regret that I should have allowed the emperor to pamper and indulge me instead of strictly disciplining me.
But at that time, not long after the emperor had just killed the prince's family, the court was filled with blood, and a group of people serving in the palace were purged. Concubine Wu was also afraid at that time and did not dare to confront the emperor.
And now, it's time to taste the bitter fruit.
Although Princess Xinping was favored, she offended many people. Not even the two kings of Shu and Qi were close to Xinping.
Concubine Wu was also troubled sometimes. What would happen to her daughter if a new emperor came to the throne?
For a princess, there is a big difference between having the emperor's backing and not having the emperor's backing.
But it is useless to think too much about these.
She is not stupid, and naturally she will not offend the reigning emperor in order to please the adult prince. She is cautious and does what she needs to do when she should do it. This is the main reason why she has been favored and lived until now.
The female official on the side advised: "It doesn't matter if you leave the palace. Since the emperor has grounded the princess, returning to the palace early is also fulfilling the holy will."
"I'm not worried about this. It's just that the three months of grounding passed by in a flash. You didn't even have to wait for three months. During the Chinese New Year, the emperor will definitely be extra merciful."
Concubine Wu sighed: "I just can't figure out why the emperor suddenly lost his temper like this."
This is what Concubine Wu is most worried about and confused about.
Although the princess was indeed scolded for interfering in politics, to be serious, in the past, didn't Princess Xinping ask for many things from the emperor?
Those things, many of which are more serious than this, have never been scolded or banned.
It was just asking the emperor for help to let a Tai student who was mistakenly included in the list of people traveling to the southwest stay. This fact is really not worth mentioning.
What's more, both she and the emperor must be happy to see Princess Xinping divert her attention from Bianxuan. The imperial student who can attract Princess Xinping's attention can be regarded as a reserve consort.
Seriously speaking, this is still a good thing, why is it worthy of the emperor's anger?
Concubine Wu couldn't feel at ease because she didn't want to understand this matter.
"Aunt Xu is investigating Su Ziji. Is there anything wrong?" After thinking about it, Concubine Wu felt that the problem might lie with Su Ziji. She asked the female officer in front of her.
The female official replied: "Back to your Majesty, Su Ziji has a clean background. From being a boy to a scholar to being a scholar, everything went smoothly. There are no problems. There are no adulterers in the three generations of the Su family... It's just..."
"Just what?" Concubine Wu glanced at her.
"It's just that the person who went to investigate wrote back and said that Su Ziji had already been married before coming to the capital!" The female officer lowered her head and said.
"What? He already has a wife?" Concubine Wu really didn't know about this.
Although she is smart, she is more cautious, and her background is not bad. The people she has trained over the years do not dare to touch places that should not be touched easily, so it is easy to protect herself, but in terms of intelligence, she is indeed not as ambitious as she is even willing to take risks.
of those people.
"According to the information, he must have only turned seventeen during the Chinese New Year, and his parents are dead. Where did this wife come from?"
The female officer lowered her head: "My dear, I heard that his wife is the daughter of a bookstore owner. Because the bookstore owner was killed by an adulterer, they had a marriage contract. In order to take care of the orphan, they are mourning
I paid homage directly before..."
"So, that woman has not passed the period of filial piety?" Concubine Wu immediately grasped the key point of the matter.
"Back to your Majesty, that's it."
"That's not bad." There is no bridal chamber, just taking care of the orphan girl and briefly paying homage to the bride, so it's not so bad that it's hard to fight for.
Moreover, this should not be the reason for the emperor's anger.
I only found out about this kind of thing after my own investigation. Xinping probably didn't know about it yet, and the emperor probably wouldn't blame Xinping for seducing a married woman.
If Xinping really refuses to marry unless he is a Suzi, then it is not impossible to fight for it.
But now, is it true that Xinping will not marry someone other than Su Zi? Will the target change again after some time?
Concubine Wu fell into a headache again.
What is all this about?
First, he fell in love with a monk, and then he finally fell in love with a decent Juren. However, he had a wife, so couldn't he just fall in love with a talented man with no problems?
"Forget it, let's forget about it for now. Go and tell Aunt Xu that in the past three months, don't mention Su Ziji in the princess' ears...and don't mention Bianxuan either."
"I urge the princess to read more books and cultivate her moral character, you know?" Concubine Wu said, she was very worried in her heart. My daughter, do you know that the Holy Grace is so fickle and you should not waste even a little bit.