Although it is already the end of the first year, Bianjing is still very cold in spring.
In the garden of Yifeng Pavilion, the lingering snow can be seen, the flowers and trees are bleak, and a group of expressionless guards have tightly surrounded an attic where Princess Gun and Liang Huaiji are imprisoned.
There was the sound of a piano escaping from the cracks in the doors and windows, soft and peaceful, diluting the solemnity of the garden.
Through the windows lined with light yellow glass, one can see the smoke from the furnace indoors and the fragrance of ink curling around the curtains. If it were not for the withered wintersweet in the vase on the table, one would not be able to imagine that the owner here has been imprisoned.
Many days.
The person playing the piano is Liang Huaiji, a eunuch in his twenties, fair and thin, with soft facial lines, the kind of look that makes people feel close to him.
The princess had not slept for five days and four nights, so he first laid out a comfortable lounge chair for her, and then played the piano for her, choosing some soft and soothing music, hoping to soothe the already nervous woman.
In addition, there is a mandala in the incense burner...
The princess was completely unguarded against him. She leaned on the lounge chair, smelled the scent of goldenrod flowers, and listened to the unhurried music. Her eyelids became heavier and heavier. Although she opened her eyes occasionally, she saw him playing the piano there, and soon she
It will close again.
Finally, her breathing became even and she fell into a deep sleep.
After Liang Huaiji finished playing the song, he stood up slowly. For fear of waking the princess, he did not dare to approach and just stood aside and stared. He entered the palace at the age of seven and studied piano, chess, calligraphy and painting at the Hanlin Calligraphy and Art Bureau for another seven years. At the age of fourteen,
He was transferred to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, became the senior class of internal affairs, entered the Miao Zhaorong position, and served the princess. It has been ten years now.
For ten years, they were inseparable, they talked about everything, and they were inseparable. They had long blurred the boundaries between master and servant. A feeling that was not allowed in the world gradually grew in his heart.
He also knows that this feeling cannot be tolerated in the world, so he has always maintained restraint. Moreover, he also feels deeply inferior to his own incomplete body and is unwilling to taint the princess's golden body. Little does he know that the more suppressed he is, the more this feeling will become.
The more his body gnawed at his bones, how many times it made him get up in the middle of the night, pouring cold water over his body, how many times it made him look at himself in pity and feel dejected.
But he never expected that the princess would have the same deep feelings for him. The reason why the princess got angry during the Shangyuan Festival incident was all because Yang had humiliated him. After the incident got serious, in order to protect him, she
He even did not hesitate to turn against the emperor and empress...
Liang Huaiji was just an ordinary person. He did not have as strong nerves as the big shots. He was completely stunned at first, and then fell into fear. But gradually, the fear subsided, and his guilt and worry for the princess completely took over.
He thought about the situation carefully and knew that only if he tried to leave voluntarily could he avoid the situation from intensifying and reconcile the princess and the empress.
Now, he finally put the princess to sleep and stared at the pretty face that was sallow and had no luster at all. Even after she fell asleep, she still looked worried.
Suddenly I heard her murmuring in her sleep: "Dad, Mom, Huirou is wrong, don't let me go..." As she said this, two tears fell down.
Liang Huaiji stretched out his hand to wipe away the princess's tears, but he retracted halfway and let the tears slip into the corner of the princess's mouth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Sir, Liang Huaiji has come out." Hu Yandui walked into the palace quickly, not caring that the five princes were still there, so he reported to the official.
"Oh?" Zhao Zhen sat up and said, "Huirou...are you okay?"
"It's okay. I'm fast asleep."
Hearing that his daughter was fine, Zhao Zhen breathed a sigh of relief, sat down and said, "Who is so capable that he can get Liang Huaiji out?"
"He came out on his own." Hu Yandui whispered: "He added tranquilizing medicine to the incense burner, and after the princess fell asleep, he came out."
"Oh..." Zhao Zhen nodded with a strange look on his face and said, "I'm not crazy."
"Father, for this plan, please quickly ask Empress Miao to accompany Huirou." Zhao Zongji played the role of a loving brother to the end and said: "Don't let her wake up and do stupid things!"
"That's true." Zhao Zhen nodded and said, "Let the Queen and Concubine Miao go over." He touched his chin and said, "But she has been pampered by them since she was a child. I'm afraid it will be counterproductive."
"I have a candidate." The other four were not prepared for this, and they could only watch Zhao Zongji steal the show: "Huirou's close friend Chen Liu, as long as she is here, Huirou will never do anything
Something stupid happened." My heart said, even if I want to do it, I can't do it...
"Ms. Chen Liu...you mean Liu Yue'e, right?" Zhao Zhen's eyes lit up and he said, "That's right, call her into the palace quickly."
After everyone retreated, Zhao Zhen asked Lao Hu again: "Where is Liang Huaiji now?"
"Already in custody, awaiting release."
"Bring him here."
After a while, Liang Huaiji came and knelt down.
"Why did you come out?" Zhao Zhen asked.
"My slave was very scared at first," Liang Huaiji said, "I finally came to my senses slowly, and I can no longer drag the princess down."
"Are you not afraid now?" Zhao Zhen said calmly.
"Afraid." Liang Huaiji whispered.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you." Zhao Zhen sighed: "Otherwise, the princess will not be able to escape."
"The princess and the slave are innocent." Liang Huaiji suddenly raised his head and said: "If the slave has false words, he would rather be an eunuch forever!"
"Does it mean you are innocent if there is no such thing? Your actions have gone beyond the realm of master and servant!" Zhao Zhen snorted coldly.
Liang Huaiji lowered his head and was speechless. Zhao Zhen was also silent. After a while, he spoke again: "Tomorrow I will give an order to expel you from the capital and serve as a sweeper in Xijing."
The punishment was not heavy, but it was obviously merciful. In the hands of other dynasties, even other emperors of this dynasty, Liang Huaiji had 100 pairs, but fifty pairs would have died.
But in fact, Zhao Zhen let him live not out of mercy, but out of pity for his daughter. Huirou must not have wanted him to die...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The princess slept for two days and one night before she woke up. During these two days and one night, Zhao Zhen had already been under pressure and issued an edict to strip her of her title, demoted her to the princess of Yi State, and still lived in the palace. The princess's house was dismissed.
Liang Huaiji was appointed as a sweeper in Xijing. Everything has been declared to the world and cannot be changed.
Zhao Zhen was thoughtful and asked Liang Huaiji to write a letter to the princess, explaining that he left on his own initiative and was not forced by others. Because if the stalemate continues, I will only die, so it is better to leave on my own initiative and strive for leniency from the officials...
…
After reading the letter, the princess cried so much that she almost fainted. She firmly refused to believe that Liang Huaiji was a person who was afraid of death. She thought that this was a conspiracy to separate them, and even Liang Huaiji had died unexpectedly.
The officials comforted her with gentle words and even swore and swore, but the princess just didn't believe it, so she had to call Liang Huaiji back again and let her see her.
Liang Huaiji said those words again, and the princess stopped crying. After Liang Huaiji left, she stopped crying and became silent.
Facing everyone who tried to persuade her, she only had one sentence: "Give me back Liang Huaiji!"
It was not just once or twice that she tried to hang herself in the palace. Concubine Miao Xian was so frightened that she invited Liu Yue'e into the palace to accompany her. She stayed by her side all day long, not daring to leave her for a moment.
Later, with Liu Yue'e's help, the princess no longer sought life and death, and she became more energetic.
In that room, Zhao Zhen was already annoyed to death by the noise asking the princess to return to the palace. The ministers believed that since the princess was married to Li Wei, it would be inconvenient to live in the palace for a long time. When outsiders learned about it, they also laughed at it. It is better to still
Go back to the princess's house and live in harmony with the harp and harp.
In fact, they are the ones who are making fun and ridicule.
Zhao Zhen saw that his daughter had finally become normal. He was afraid that she would get sick again after leaving the palace, so she would not agree. Unexpectedly, those people who were honest and upright went to Zhao Zongshi and asked him to also persuade the emperor.
Zhao Zongshi didn't want to get into trouble, but he had already become one with the officials, or in other words, was kidnapped by the civil service group. What's more, in order to shape his image as a wise king, he was not afraid of breaking his words and remonstrating, and annihilating relatives for justice. So he wrote:'
Daughters of the heavenly family should abide by human ethics, show filial piety to the world, honor the virtuous people, and honor our royal family... Therefore, the princess of Yi State should be sent back to the palace to be in harmony with the consort.'
In addition, they also requested the abolition of the stipulation that "the Lord's house should be demoted to the first rank of Zhaomu". It was hoped that in the future, when a princess descends, she must perform the aunt-in-law ceremony and serve her uncle like an ordinary bride.
As soon as this statement came out, everyone in the world praised him as a virtuous person, and countless people came up to support him.
Zhao Zhen was forced to do nothing, but he didn't want to agree at all. However, as an emperor, he must not act casually.
At a time when he was running out of options, Zhao Zongji, who was repairing the river on Hebei Road, came back and firmly disagreed with letting the princess return home. He said that the princess was not recovered from her illness, was in a daze, and could not bear the slightest stimulation. He wanted to let her go back now.
Force her to death?
But his voice was still too weak, not to mention the New School Party members, Sima Guang, Zhao Bian and others, who refused to speak for him. In the end, the officials couldn't bear it anymore and had to agree to let the princess return to the house.
This incident was regarded as a victory by the ministers, and Brother Zhao Zongshi was secretly delighted, thinking that this meant that the power of the Song Dynasty had slowly been transferred to them.
But at this time, tragedy happened.
After learning that she was going to the palace, the princess, who had been very quiet, only said that she wanted to visit the spring scenery of the Imperial Garden for the last time.
Everyone did not doubt that he was there, so they accompanied her to the garden to relax. As they walked, the princess said she wanted to drink water from the sweet well, so the servants moved the stone slab covering the well. Just as they were about to fetch water, the necklace around the princess' neck suddenly suddenly
It broke and the beads spilled all over the floor. She was so anxious that she burst into tears. This was the only souvenir Liang Huaiji gave her.
The palace people hurriedly searched for beads all over the ground. The princess ignored the dissuasion and bent down to search. After searching, she came to the edge of the well and suddenly jumped in. No one around her could hold her back...
Fortunately, Liu Yue'e was present and rescued her quickly. Apart from being soaked all over, the princess was fine.
Concubine Miao Xian held the princess and cried her whole life. Zhao Zhen also burst into tears, fearful of her.
After the news came out, no one dared to mention the matter of returning the princess to the palace.