On the tenth day of the eighth month of the fourth year of Yonghe's reign, the prince's posthumous title was announced, and a day was chosen for the funeral.
But this time, there was no edict issuing a general amnesty at the same time, which also confirmed the court's anger at the murder of the prince.
On August 11, the imperial court issued another imperial edict to adopt King Fang Wei of Jin'an County as the prince and establish him as the crown prince. Since both the emperor and the queen mother were holy and disobedient, the country could not live without a king for a day, so in addition to the two imperial edicts on the adoption and the appointment of the crown prince,
He also issued an edict for the prince to supervise the country.
The number of carriages entering Beijing gradually increased, and the inn and posthouse became lively, welcoming guests from all over the country.
"...I really didn't expect that I came here for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's wedding, but the happy event turned into a funeral."
"…The clan from Wuyue came to Beijing much earlier than us. Have you met Prince Yanping?"
"...I came early and left early. I said I was sick and couldn't get up. I left Beijing and went back to Wuyue yesterday."
Two clan members in the corridor laughed and whispered. At this point, one of them smiled meaningfully.
"...It's not all a funeral, there are also happy events." He said, "To catch up with the prince's funeral, and also to catch up with the new crown prince's canonization, it really kills two birds with one stone. It saves us running back and forth, maybe..."
When he said this, he looked around and lowered his voice.
"Maybe we can even catch up with the new emperor's enthronement ceremony."
The other person heard this and hurriedly stretched out his hand to slap him and shush him.
"That's not something you can say." He whispered, looking around.
"Why can't you say it?" The first clan member laughed in a low voice, "Why can't others say what I did?"
Although a few days have passed since the Palace Incident, and the curfew in the capital has been lifted, the death of Prince Xuanwen and the rebellion of Gao Lingbo and Chen Shao have just spread in the capital. That night was full of fireworks, cannonballs and garrison.
The melee between the army and the soldiers on the street added a lot of mystery to the incident, comparable to the candlelight ax shadow of Taizu Taizong.
"...But in this way, the position of emperor has returned to the lineage of Taizu."
They said that someone was crowding next to them.
"Don't talk nonsense." The visitor warned, "I heard that he is not only from Taizu's lineage, but also has Taizu's legacy in his actions."
He said this to Wainunou.
"How did Prince Yanping leave? He was escorted away by soldiers. He really didn't save any face."
This is the first time everyone has heard about this. We thought it was the Prince of Yanping County who avoided it on his own, but we didn't expect that it was the Prince of Jin'an County. No, Prince Wei didn't give him face.
The two looked surprised.
"We have started to supervise the country, and our attitude is very tough." The man continued in a low voice, "Yesterday, I reprimanded a minister and threw a memorial on his head in front of everyone in the court."
After hearing this, the two of them looked even more surprised.
"Here, after following His Majesty for so long, why do you have such a bad temper?" they said in surprise, "Where is the slightest bit of His Majesty's generosity and kindness?"
The man nodded at them.
"So, everyone, please be careful." He whispered, "Don't be killed like a chicken."
As they were talking, they heard a commotion outside the door.
"Princess Xiu has arrived."
Princess Xiu! The biological mother of the prince!
"Did Princess Xiu also come to the post house?" People in the hall asked one after another.
"No." said the person who came in from outside. "Of course I went to the prince's residence."
"Can she enter the East Palace? Although the queen does not listen to politics, she still holds the jade seal. Isn't this a slap in the queen's face?"
"Isn't it possible that the Puyi dispute will begin before you ascend the throne?"
The hall immediately became abuzz with chatter.
"If it is really Taizu's legacy and his strong character, then it's really hard to say." A person in the corridor on the second floor shook his head and sighed.
In the midst of the chaos, another burst of excitement was heard outside.
"No, no." Someone ran in and said, "Princess Xiu was driven back."
As soon as this statement came out, the whole hall was in an uproar.
"...I was stopped outside the gate..."
“….I didn’t even let you in through the door…”
"... He said that if you want to have an audience, you can request it from the palace... There is no reason to meet in private, let alone stay in the prince's palace..."
"...Princess Xiu left crying..."
More news spread in the hall.
The two people who originally spoke looked at each other.
"I didn't expect that the first chicken to be killed was Princess Xiu." One person murmured.
And the discussion about this matter in the hall also became noisy.
"It's really too much. Her biological mother should be treated like this. She's just trying to gain fame, but she doesn't even care about the most basic human ethics."
"Yes, yes, it's too much."
The people on the second floor laughed and pointed downstairs.
"Did you see that there are two ways of saying the same thing?" He said, "No matter how you do it, some people will say it is wrong. Seeing it is unfilial, and not seeing it is also unfilial. It is difficult to be a good person and do things."
"It seems like it would be better for the prince to have a tougher personality." The person next to him said with a smile, "Otherwise, with such an adopted status and such a chaotic rise to power, if he has a soft personality, he will definitely be restrained and drooled.
Kill him."
"Oh, by the way." The person from before thought of something again and looked outside, "The prince hasn't moved into the East Palace yet? Still living in the Prince's Mansion?"
"Yes." The man nodded, "It is said that the Crown Princess is not in good health and it is not appropriate to relocate."
"Isn't the Crown Princess a miraculous doctor? Why is she in poor health?" The first person said with a smile, "Is it because doctors don't heal themselves?"
"Then I don't know." The man shook his head, "The prince travels between the palace and the prince's palace every day. All court affairs are handled in the emperor's palace. No foreigners are seen in the palace and no court affairs are discussed. The wives are not allowed to visit."
"That's really strange." The first person smiled and looked out the door, "So the funeral of Prince Xuanwen and the ceremony of canonizing the crown prince mean that the crown prince will not be seen."
It's a bit of a pity.
………………………………………….
"What's so busy outside?" Banqin asked, looking out and holding a bowl of soup in his hand.
"It's nothing." Su Xin said, "It doesn't concern us."
Their job now is to protect and serve their wives, and they don't need to worry about anything outside.
"How is the Crown Princess today?" Su Xin asked.
Banqin lowered his head with a depressed expression.
Su Xin sighed and stopped asking. The two of them turned around and walked into the hall. At a glance, they saw Zhou Hui sitting indoors.
Zhou Xueyi seemed to have fallen asleep by closing his eyes for a few moments, but when Ban Qin and Su Xin approached the inner room, he suddenly opened his eyes. When he saw it was them, the vigilance in his eyes disappeared and he closed his eyes again.
.
"Sixth Young Master." Su Xin stepped forward and said, "Go and have a rest, we are here."
Zhou Hui ignored it.
Banqin shook her head at Su Xin, and Su Xin stopped talking. The two of them helped Cheng Jiaoniang give the medicine and wiped her hands and face.
"...My wife's injury healed very quickly."
"Yes, it's time to change the dressing again tomorrow, right?"
The two of them talked in a low voice.
"I remember the past." Banqin said, "That time, my wife suddenly fell asleep and fell asleep."
Before Su Xin could answer, someone spoke first.
"no the same."
Su Xin and Ban Qin turned to look at Zhou Hui.
"It's different." Zhou Hui said again.
That time it was coma, this time it was injury, that time it was because of herself, this time it was because of him.
Zhou Hao closed his eyes tightly.
"But it was also very dangerous that time. Neither the imperial doctor nor the doctor could do anything. Later, it was His Royal Highness who woke the lady up with just one sentence." Su Xin continued, smiling.
Banqin nodded and looked at Cheng Jiaoniang on the couch.
Although his face was still pale, it was not as scary as the previous few days.
only…..
Her eyes slowly swept over.
The difference was that he was asleep that time. This time, no one who saw him would think he was asleep.
My chest didn't rise and fall, my body was stiff and straight...
There is no heartbeat, no pulse, let alone being served, even hearing it will scare you to death.
Banqin lowered his head and burst into tears.
"Don't worry." Su Xin's words rang urgently in her ears, "Last time it was the prince who woke up the lady, and he will be able to do it this time too. His Royal Highness has always been with the lady and even talked to her."
Banqin wiped away her tears and nodded.
"Yes, yes." She said hurriedly, as if she was denying the possibility by being slow. She looked out the window and saw the daylight gradually slanting. "Is His Highness the Crown Prince still going to be back very late tonight?"
The funeral of Prince Xuanwen was about to take place, and there were many court affairs that had accumulated since the emperor fell ill. His Highness the Crown Prince left before dawn and came back at sunset, and he came back later and later.
But no matter how late it is, he will come here to rest.
only……
Su Xin looked at Zhou Hui.
"Sixth Young Master." She walked over, knelt down and said, "You have been up for several days. You'd better go and have a good rest. Don't stay here all the time. This way, everyone will not have a good rest."
Zhou Hui seemed to be asleep and didn't hear anything.
"Sixth Young Master," Su Xin said anxiously, "You are going too far. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess are husband and wife. You, what are you doing here as an outsider?"
"What's wrong with the couple?" Zhou Hao said slowly, raising his eyelids slightly, "Haven't you heard a sentence? A couple who are close friends and distant relatives."
Su Xin stared at him.
"Sixth Young Master, why are you worried about His Highness?" she asked suddenly.
Are you worried about His Royal Highness?
Banqin suddenly raised his head and looked over.
Why?
The prince is so kind to his wife, why is he still worried?
Zhou Sheng said nothing and lowered his gaze.
The room fell into silence, and the footsteps outside the door could be heard clearly.
"Eunuch Jing."
Su Xin came out in a hurry and saw the person coming to give him a gift.
"It's okay, it's okay. Your Highness will be coming back later today. Please let me come back first and say something to the Crown Princess." Eunuch Jing said with a smile.
Suxin and Banqin hurriedly saluted and said yes.
Eunuch Jin then walked into the inner room, saluted Cheng Jiaoniang who was lying on the couch, and asked with concern how she was doing today.
Suxin and Banqin answered one by one.
Eunuch Jing looked at Zhou Hui again.
"Sixth Young Master, how are your injuries?" he asked.
"As you expected, my injury has healed." Zhou Hui said, looking up at him.
These words always sounded a little strange, so Duke Jing smiled sarcastically.
"That's good, that's good." He said, while thinking of something else, "Oh, by the way, Sixth Young Master, General Zhong's people have arrived in the capital, would you like to meet them."
After he finished speaking, Zhou Hui looked straight at him.
"I don't know why I want to see him." He said, "I used to be his old subordinate, but now I am in the garrison."
Eunuch Jing laughed.
"We are only close to our old friends," he said.
"If you have anything to ask, just ask. I'm sleepy and need to rest." Zhou Feng interrupted him.
Su Xin and Banqin's eyes turned back and forth between the two of them, with some doubts in their eyes.
Hearing this, Eunuch Jin smiled again.
"That's right. Your Highness wants to reward you based on your merits." He said, "I wonder if General Zhong also deserves credit for the garrison's suppression of the rebels this time? What was your agreement with General Zhong? Your Highness, the Crown Princess..."
Before he finished speaking, Zhou Hui stood up.
"If I say that I did not arrange this matter in advance, let alone who she saw and said to whom, would you believe it?" He said, "I know what I did, and what others think about what they did.
, it has nothing to do with me, and don’t ask me, I don’t know.”
Eunuch Jing was startled and then smiled.
"Yes, yes, I naturally believe what the Sixth Young Master said." He said, bowing and saluting, "That slave has resigned."
Eunuch Jing withdrew and the room became quiet again.
Ban Qin and Su Xin stopped talking and looked at Zhou Hui blankly.
Zhou Hao didn't look at anyone, with a dull look on his face. He took off his clothes, sat down and leaned on his desk and closed his eyes again. Although he seemed to be asleep, his body was so straight that he seemed to be able to spring up at any time.
Seeing Eunuch Jing come out, Mr. Gu hurriedly came over to greet him.
"How was it? What did he say?" he asked in a low voice.
Eunuch Jing shook his head.
"It's the same as Fan Jianglin and Li Mao said." He said,
Mr. Gu frowned.
"...The Crown Princess didn't tell me what to do...she just asked me to make some things for self-defense on the road. She didn't have any other instructions...Isn't it right to prepare some weapons for a long journey? What's more, my sister has always behaved well.
cautious."
"...Those fireworks? I asked my master to make those fireworks. Master said she would give me a chance to verify the effect, and then she took them away without saying what they would be used for... Specially given to the queen? I don't
I know, I really don’t know...Master didn’t arrange anything for me, and he didn’t say anything to me...As you know, my master doesn’t like to talk much. When I became an apprentice, I just watched her fireworks.
I realized it myself..."
"...My master often says that the person who does it has no intention of doing it, but the person who sees it has the intention. Are you thinking too much..."
The doer has no intention but the watcher has intention; the speaker has no intention but the listener has intention?
Can such detailed arrangements for all aspects of this matter be made by just looking at it?
"What's there to hide in this?" He said angrily, "The great power of protecting the Lord from the dragon's power, even if it's something shameful, it's just to let you know and I'm aware of it, it's not to announce it to the world.
, what tricks are these people doing?"
Eunuch Jin was silent for a moment.
"Perhaps, there are no deliberate arrangements made for His Highness?" He said, "Just as Fan Jianglin said, prepare weapons when traveling, and Li Mao said, study and improve and test some fireworks and bombs, Zhou
The young master said that he didn’t know that Gao Chen wanted to harm the prince at that time, and the garrison only came to guard the city because they noticed the movement in the city, and he didn’t know that Gao Chen and Gao Chen were plotting rebellion..."
Mr. Gu interrupted before he finished speaking.
"Isn't it a deliberate arrangement? Is it all human nature? It's human nature to prepare weapons when traveling, it's human nature to guide disciples, it's human nature to care about the empress, it's human nature to know that there will be chaos when a weak prince takes over the throne?" He said
He glared and said, "It's human nature to do this? Do so many people understand that this is the case? Do you believe it?"
Indeed...it's so incredible, so unbelievable.
Eunuch Jing rubbed his hands and said nothing.
Mr. Gu looked towards the inner courtyard and frowned.
"Actually, these people who know the art of witchcraft and blessing are like this." He said suddenly, "They also know that the secret art cannot be seen by others, so they do things in a pretentious manner. When asked, they will say something that can be said but is very unspeakable.
.”
He shook his head.
"Whatever, anyway, the overall situation has been decided now, so I won't talk about the past. It's just better not to hide things by yourself in the future. For example, when you suddenly ran back from Qingyuan Station that night, why didn't you say something?
, this way you can bring more people with you, and you won’t be stuck at the city gate for too long.”
"Perhaps Her Highness the Crown Princess herself doesn't know what happened..." Eunuch Jing said with a smile.
Mr. Gu stared at him.
If you don't know why you are running, Mr. Jinggong smiled and raised his hands to show that he was wrong.
"Everything is good, but this is not good. If anything happens in the future, I hope Her Highness the Crown Princess will tell you in advance. We are all one family." Mr. Gu continued.
after……
Eunuch Jing couldn't help but look back at the inner house.
"Maybe there will be no future." He murmured.
If it is really Wu Zhu's backlash, then there is no solution.
No future?
Mr. Gu's heart skipped a beat and he couldn't help but look back. His expression changed for a moment.
………………………………………………………………..
The night was deep, and the lights were still on in the emperor's palace. Fang Bocong, who was sitting in front of the desk, closed the last memorial and raised his hand to rub his eyes.
"Father," he whispered to the emperor lying on the couch, "I have finished reading, and you have heard how I dealt with it. What do you think?"
The room was silent and no one answered.
"If there is anything wrong, please give me some advice, father. I have to resign." Fang Bocong said, saluting.
Only then did the chamberlain on the side bend over and help him get up.
"Your Highness, why not stay in the palace?" the chamberlain said, "it's too late today."
Fang Bocong shook his head and said nothing.
The chamberlains hurriedly put a cloak and hood on him, and left the emperor's palace in a crowd.
Swaying lights dotted the palace, suddenly stopping at one place.
Seeing Fang Bocong looking in one direction, the palace lights were as bright as day, and the servants felt a little uneasy. That was the place where Prince Xuanwen's body was laid to rest.
"Your Highness is tired today, why not..." the chamberlains whispered.
Before he finished speaking, Fang Bocong had already walked over there.
The chamberlains had no choice but to hurry up and call for people to follow.
The chambermaids and maids in mourning clothes retreated one after another, and Fang Bocong slowly walked to the coffin. The ice surrounding it made the place feel as cold as an ice cellar.
He slowly sat down and looked at the coffin.
"Brother Six," he said, "I'm going to send you away."
At this point, his voice became hoarse and he could no longer speak.
Never seen again, never again.
He lowered his head.
"elder brother…"
Suddenly there was a sound in my ears.
"Brother, save me..."
Fang Bocong suddenly raised his head and looked in front of him. There was a little child in the coffin reaching out to him.
"Brother, brother, help me..."
Sixth Brother? Sixth Brother!
Fang Bocong stood up in ecstasy and stretched out his hand, but someone stopped his hand.
"Cheng Fang?" He looked at the person beside him, surprised and happy, "Quick, hurry up and save Sixth Brother..."
The woman in front of her looked blank and shook her head.
"No." She said, "We can't save him and let him die. Otherwise, how can we punish Gao Lingbo?"
Fang Bocong looked at her and felt his breathing stagnant.
No, no.
"You forgot." The woman in front of him looked at him and smiled numbly, "If you don't leave the capital, how could Gao Lingbo come to kill you? If Brother Six is not dead, how can Gao Lingbo kill you? Fang Bocong, have you forgotten? You are all bait.
.”
Bait...
It's all bait...
"Brother! Brother, save me!"
Fang Bocong sat up suddenly, panting, his eyes were dim, and the green curtain broke into his eyes.
Someone looked at him from the side, and he turned his head sharply.
Zhou Hao, who was sitting on the low couch by the window, was sitting up and looking at him.
There were footsteps outside the inner room curtain.
"Your Highness?" the maid's voice came with concern.
It's a dream.
Fang Bocong sat upright.
"What time is it?" he asked.
"It's a quarter after Mao Chu." Su Xin replied, "It's still early. Your Highness, please rest for a while."
Fang Bocong looked inside the couch and saw Cheng Jiaoniang An Ran. He was sitting and cast a shadow over her, making his body that had lost weight look even more petite.
He reached out and gently picked her up and asked her to turn over, then pinched the corners of the quilt, stood up, and went straight out.
Seeing Fang Bocong washing and changing clothes and leaving surrounded by the chambermaids, Suxin and Banqin turned around. Zhou Hui had already laid down in the inner room, sleeping facing the window. He seemed not to notice that there was one more person and one less person in the room.
Sleep.
"What the hell is this?" Banqin couldn't help but whisper, "It's simply ridiculous. How could His Highness allow him to do this?"
"Because His Highness indulges Madam." Su Xin murmured in a low voice, "What Madam values and likes, Your Highness will naturally also cherish and tolerate."
Banqin was silent for a moment.
"I hope my wife will wake up soon." She lowered her head and murmured in a low voice.
………………………………………………………………..
The sky was dim and bright, but the city gate had been opened, and a group of people galloped out, conspicuous in the blue light.
"Your Highness, where are you going?" Eunuch Jing followed Fang Bocong and said urgently in a low voice, "It's really too dangerous."
"It's not dangerous, the dangerous time has passed." Fang Bocong said, as his face hidden in the hood flickered in the wind, "The prince is about to mourn, the court affairs have stopped, I can take a walk."
Eunuch Jin had no choice but to follow closely.
Fang Bocong's horse suddenly stopped and he looked in one direction.
"Oh, Your Highness, over there is the tomb that the Crown Princess built for the Maoyuanshan brothers and Cheng Silang." Eunuch Jing said in a low voice.
Cheng Silang.
Fang Bocong exhaled softly.
"Speaking of which, I haven't visited him yet." He said, "At any rate, he died because of Gu."
"Your Highness, how can you say that!" Eunuch Jing shook his head and said decisively.
Fang Bocong said nothing and urged his horse to pass.
There is a fence around the tomb and it is kept clean.
Fang Bocong dismounted and walked over.
"...Your Highness has never read the calligraphy of Maoyuan Mountain." Eunuch Jing said, "It is indeed beautifully written."
That's natural.
A smile appeared on Fang Bocong's lips, his eyes swept over these tombstones, and his smile suddenly froze.
That's...what?
He took a step forward suddenly.
What's this?
"What is this?" he asked.
Eunuch Jing was startled by his sudden movement and quickly looked over.
"This is the word Cheng." He leaned over and read, "Hey, why is it only engraved with one word? Is this also engraved by the Crown Princess? Is it not finished?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Fang Bocong burst into laughter.
Eunuch Jing trembled in fright and looked at Fang Bocong in astonishment.
The young man laughed, raised his head, and dropped his hood, revealing his face.
"Now, you can finish carving."
he said with a laugh.
"Now, you can finish carving!"
Now, the carving can be finished! Now, the carving can be finished! (To be continued)
