When Emperor Jianwen passed away, he was buried for forty-nine days. Now it was Emperor Jian'an's turn, but it was inconvenient to hold the same funeral ceremony. This was because Emperor Jian'an had been dead for more than a month and had been placed in an ice coffin to prevent it from rotting. Now we have to do it as soon as possible
Buried.
The unlucky Minister of Rites had been killed in the imperial mausoleum, and now everything in the Ministry of Rites fell on Xie Jun, the minister of Rites.
Xie Jun suppressed the joy and excitement in his heart and seriously asked to see His Highness the King of Shu to explain the matter clearly and ask His Highness the King of Shu to make a decision.
Sheng Hong was not good at making opinions, so he went to Jiaofang Palace to meet Empress Dowager Yu.
The white-haired Queen Mother Yu, who was getting older, was lying on the bed without getting up. She said feebly: "The Ai family is old. It is up to you to make the decision on these matters."
Sheng Hong said respectfully: "How dare I, my son, make the decision on such a big matter? Please ask my mother to show me."
Empress Dowager Yu was happy in her heart but did not show it on her face, so she sighed with difficulty: "The forty-nine days of suspension are the regulations for the emperor's funeral. Changing it without authorization will always end up with a bad reputation of disrespecting the emperor. Although the Ai family
She is the emperor's legitimate mother, and she dare not make decisions easily."
Sheng Hong responded calmly: "In that case, let's stay silent for forty-nine days! Even if there is some strange smell, no one dares to say anything."
Queen Mother Yu: "..."
If Emperor Jian'an's body was allowed to rot before being buried, she, the Queen Mother, would have to bear a lot of infamy.
Queen Mother Yu's blood surged, and she suppressed her anger and changed her words: "How can this be done? Let's bury her on the 21st day after the death!"
Sheng Hong cupped his hands and responded: "My sons and ministers will obey the mother's wishes."
After Sheng Hong left, Queen Mother Yu exhaled the turbid air in her chest and her eyes became gloomy.
Emperor Jian'an died, which she had expected. The Ningxia kings, Lu kings and Min kings joined forces to rebel, but they could not escape the word of death. King An was young and inappropriate, and the King of Shu became the only candidate to inherit the throne...
Queen Mother Yu once again deeply regretted her obsessive behavior that day.
If I had known today, I really shouldn't have issued a decree to summon the King of Shu and his wife back to the capital.
Sheng Hong's prowess was revealed for the first time, and he had no shortage of strategies and means. Xie Mingxi was even more shrewd and cunning, and quite difficult to deal with. The chaos she expected of the kings competing against each other did not appear, but instead succeeded to Sheng Hong's side.
Now that I think about it, it's really hateful and annoying.
However, she did not have no way to suppress the King of Shu.
Empress Dowager Yu called Zhilan over and whispered: "Go to Hanxiang Palace now and bring Concubine Mei into Jiaofang Palace. Just say that the Ai family is too sad and needs someone to accompany her."
Is Hanxiang Palace far away? It is better to put people under house arrest in Jiaofang Palace in order to feel at ease.
Zhilan responded softly and retreated.
…
Half an hour later, Zhilan came back with an ugly face, kneeling on the ground and not daring to say a word.
Queen Mother Yu's heart sank and she asked coldly: "What's going on? Could it be that Princess Mei dared to disobey the Ai family's will?"
Zhilan lowered her head and replied tremblingly: "To inform the Queen Mother, I went to Hanxiang Palace and found out that Princess Shu was also in Hanxiang Palace, accompanying Queen Mei."
Empress Dowager Yu issued an edict a few days ago, ordering Concubine Mei to "rest in peace". However, she did not explicitly ban her. As the daughter-in-law, Princess Shu insisted on visiting Concubine Mei in Hanxiang Palace, and no one in Hanxiang Palace dared to stop her.
"The slave passed on the Queen Mother's instructions, but Princess Shu opened her mouth and angrily rebuked the slave..."
Queen Mother Yu's eyebrows moved slightly, anger flashed in her eyes, and her voice became colder and harsher: "What did she say?"
Zhilan gritted her teeth and continued: "Princess Shu said that the Queen Mother is the most generous and kind-hearted. Knowing that Princess Mei was frail due to illness, how could she summon her to Jiaofang Palace regardless of her health? Princess Shu also angrily scolded the slave for her own actions.
I advocate that discrediting the Queen Mother will damage the reputation of the Queen Mother..."
The more Zhilan spoke, the lower her voice became.
She was well aware of Queen Mother Yu's temperament. When she heard Queen Mother Yu's slightly rapid breathing, she knew that Queen Mother Yu was extremely angry at this time.
Zhilan was also filled with grievances.
If it were Empress Xiao who had a gentle temperament, she would definitely be wary of Empress Dowager Yu and be very polite to her.
Princess Shu was many times more powerful and difficult to deal with than Empress Xiao. There was a knife hidden in her smile, and when she spoke sarcastically, there were even more victorious arrows, hurting people invisible.
No matter how dignified she was in the palace, she could only bow her head in front of Princess Shu.
After waiting for a long time, Zhilan waited for Queen Mother Yu to whisper through gritted teeth: "That's it, the Ai family won't move on Concubine Mei for the time being. Go and pass on the Ai family's wishes and ask Concubine Shu to kneel in the mourning hall as soon as possible."
As a slave, you can only obey orders.
The unlucky Zhilan bit the bullet and went to Hanxiang Palace again.
…
Concubine Mei's mood at this time was no better than Zhilan's.
News in the palace came one after another. Even though she was under house arrest in Hanxiang Palace, Concubine Mei knew that Emperor Jian'an had been assassinated long ago.
Before he could rejoice for the King of Shu, Xie Mingxi barged into Hanxiang Palace.
When Mrs. Mei saw her daughter-in-law, she reflexively felt a little scared. Before she could say a few words, Zhi Lan came.
Concubine Mei had been in the palace for many years and had an intuitive sense of approaching danger. As soon as she saw Zhilan, she guessed it and trembled with fear.
Unexpectedly, before the shadow of impending disaster completely enveloped her, Xie Mingxi had already forced Zhi Lan back with a few words.
As soon as Zhilan left, Concubine Mei couldn't sit still and asked Xie Mingxi in panic: "How can you scold Zhilan?"
Xie Mingxi's eyes flashed and she asked calmly: "She is the maid and I am the princess. She tries to figure out the master's will and makes her own decisions. Why can't I scold her?"
Mrs. Mei: "..."
This ability to confuse right and wrong is simply beyond ordinary people's imagination.
Concubine Mei was stunned for a moment, then whispered: "I know you want to protect me wholeheartedly. However, the Queen Mother will never let me go easily... You should do the most important things, and there is no need to worry about me."
The most important thing!
Even Princess Mei knew that it was inevitable for King Shu to ascend the throne.
Xie Mingxi twitched her lips, wondering whether she should laugh at herself.
You really can't be too stubborn in life. Sheng Hong made it clear that day that she had no ambitions for the throne, and she had no intention of entering the central palace.
Times have changed, but the current situation makes it impossible to retreat.
The couple avoided this topic with a tacit understanding, but they both knew the upcoming fate in their hearts.
Sheng Hong was busy organizing the funeral of Emperor Jian'an, and she had no leisure time in the harem. She did not go to the mourning hall, but entered Hanxiang Palace. Concubine Mei was Sheng Hong's biological mother. If Empress Dowager Yu wanted to control Sheng Hong, she must first kill Concubine Mei.
The concubine is in control.
As expected, Mrs. Yu couldn't wait to attack Mrs. Mei.
"There is no need to worry, mother and concubine. Just relax and rest in Hanxiang Palace."
Facing such a powerful daughter-in-law, Mrs. Mei did not dare to say anything and could only nod.
