Guo Chong sat down with a cough. Qian Delu poured a cup of tea. Guo Chong almost spilled the tea because of his excitement. He took a few sips from Qian Delu's hand and then slowly calmed down his breathing and coughing.
stop.
He raised his eyes and saw the three people in front of him still kneeling there. He couldn't help but get angry and shouted loudly: "If you don't retreat, are you going to piss me off to death in front of me?"
Lu Zhongtian said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, calm down. If Your Majesty is angry with us because of this matter, please be punished. The old minister was also very hesitant and felt that this matter should not be reported to the Emperor. After all... this is related to
The royal dignity and face. However, if I don’t come to report, it will be an act of disloyalty. After much deliberation, I decided to come. Even if the emperor is angry, I can’t report the truth. "
Guo Chong said angrily: "Lu Zhongtian, you still say such things. This is obviously false, and you actually came to report it seriously. Are you really confused or pretending to be confused?"
Yang Jun said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, calm down. Both the old minister and Prime Minister Lu believe that this matter is true. That's why they came to report it. This matter is related to the royal family's face. It's okay if I don't know about it. If you know it and don't report it, it is disloyal. Your Majesty
Mingjian.”
"Is this true? Are you crazy? I don't understand my own affairs. Is it as bizarre as what you said? Are you making this up? What a big joke." Guo Chong shouted.
"Your Majesty, it took Vice Prime Minister Wu two months to find out this matter. There are witnesses and testimonials. If this were not the case, how dare I come to report it?" Yang Jun said in a deep voice.
Guo Chong's eyes fell on Wu Chunlai's raised butt, and he shouted sternly: "Wu Chunlai, what evidence do you have? I want to hear it. If you are talking nonsense, I will never forgive you."
Wu Chunlai trembled with fright, raised his sweaty face, swallowed his mouth and said: "Your Majesty, please calm down. I will report this matter as it is. I dare not say any nonsense. Otherwise, I will die without being buried."
land."
Guo Chong shouted coldly: "Then you might as well tell the truth!"
Wu Chunlai nodded repeatedly, organized his words, and said softly: "Your Majesty, I know this matter unintentionally. It was last year. When I entered the palace to meet the Holy Spirit, I happened to meet a man named Lu from the Lin family.
The dancing girl came into the palace. The emperor knew that I had some connection with Lin Jue, and had some contacts in the past, so I had seen the green dancing girl. I was just a little puzzled as to how this concubine named Lin Jue could be so casual.
Going in and out of the palace? I asked the servants a few words and learned that it was Concubine Rong who summoned her to the palace. I didn't pay much attention at the time. After all, it was common for Concubine Rong to interact with the families of officials outside. Officials'
It is not unusual for family members to enter the palace to serve the empress, so I didn’t pay much attention to it. Well...until one day, I was invited to be a guest in the palace of His Highness Prince Huai. I didn’t know why he mentioned this matter during the conversation. His Highness Prince Huai said, this
He had some impressions of the woman named Lu Wu, saying that he once heard from Concubine Mei that this girl often went in and out of Concubine Rong's palace, and... her appearance and behavior were somewhat similar to Concubine Rong. Concubine Rong seemed to like her very much,
He was often summoned to the palace to talk and he was also rewarded with many things. At this point, I felt that this was a bit strange..."
Guo Chong shouted angrily: "How bold. It turns out that the topic of your relationship behind the scenes was actually about palace matters. Guo Xu is also immature. Does he still have any rules for saying these things to foreign ministers? You bastards."
"Your Majesty, please calm down. I deserve to die. This matter has nothing to do with His Highness Prince Huai. It was I who first mentioned the matter of Green Dance entering the palace that time. His Highness Prince Huai just said what I said. If Your Majesty wants to blame me, I am willing to accept the blame."
"I don't know what to say, so I shouldn't talk about these things." Wu Chunlai kowtowed.
Guo Chong snorted and frowned, knowing in his heart that officials had banquets and socializing in private, covering a wide range of topics. In fact, affairs in the palace were a very common topic. Although it was suspected of being taboo, if you want to care about it, then it's okay.
I don't know how many people will be arrested.
Wu Chunlai continued: "His Royal Highness King Huai told Wei Chen that the emperor had actually known about this matter for a long time, and asked His Highness Prince Huai to go and investigate the matter. His Highness Prince Huai said that it was inconvenient for him to investigate Concubine Rong's matter. After all,
He is an elder, so I would like to ask you to pay more attention to this matter. Otherwise, I would definitely not dare to investigate this matter."
Guo Chong was stunned, frowned and shouted: "Nonsense, when did I ask him to investigate this matter?"
Wu Chunlai said softly: "His Royal Highness King Huai said that the emperor himself said it last summer in Cuiwei Palace... Could it be that King Huai lied?"
Guo Chong suddenly remembered. Last summer, he went to Cuiwei Palace to wander around, and overheard the private conversation between Guo Xu and Mei Fei, mother and son. He couldn't bear to disturb their mother and son's conversation, so he stopped outside to take a break. As a result, the mother and son took a break.
As they talked, they talked about the similarity in appearance between Concubine Rong and a concubine of the Lin family. The two of them actually speculated on the relationship between this woman and Concubine Rong. Guo Chong rushed in and stopped them. He was really thinking at that time
Having doubts, maybe he actually asked them to investigate secretly. Afterwards, there was a rebellion in the Qingjiao, and everything in the court was complicated, so he almost forgot about it. Guo Xu led the army and did not investigate the matter.
It is also possible to tell Wu Chunlai about this and ask Wu Chunlai to investigate secretly. In this way, I have wrongly blamed them.
"Keep talking." Guo Chong snorted coldly.
Wu Chunlai nodded and said: "I know that such a matter is related to the royal family's reputation and the emperor's majesty, so I have never dared to speak out. I just did some small investigations secretly. But the more I investigate, the more I feel that the matter is not simple.
Concubine Rong was also very kind to this green dance. She gave her the privilege of entering the palace at any time. She summoned her to the palace every three or five days to have a talk and rewarded her many times. She seemed to like her very much. I was suspicious of her.
Next, I wanted to know the background of this woman named Lu Wu. So I sent people to Hangzhou to conduct a secret investigation and found some unusual clues. The specific situation has been written clearly in the memorial.
I suspect that this girl is the daughter of Lu Feiming, the Minister of Rites, who suffered a fire that destroyed his family. The case became an unresolved case at that time. Although Lu Feiming died, his wife and three children escaped the disaster. In order to find out the matter, I
After several months of secret investigation in Hangzhou, I finally found Lu Feiming’s widow Chen. Mrs. Chen had already married someone else anonymously, but I still found her in the huge crowd."
When it comes to finding Lu Feiming's widow, Wu Chunlai still can't hide his pride. Indeed, that is indeed the key to the whole thing. If you find this Mrs. Chen, the matter will come to light. And only he, Wu Chunlai, can
Thinking of starting with this Chen woman, King Huai Guo Xu also wanted to find clues, but compared to himself, King Huai was obviously less resourceful. He only knew how to investigate in the capital, and he didn't know how to find another way.
Guo Chong said coldly: "You have worked so hard. Shouldn't I reward you?"
Wu Chunlai said hurriedly: "I don't want rewards. In fact, I am very conflicted in my heart. I know that this matter is of great importance, and I am actually frightened. But if someone deceives you and does something that damages the reputation of the emperor, I will
How can I just ignore it? How can I maintain the majesty of the emperor and the honor of the royal family? After I found the Chen woman, she quickly revealed the inside story of the whole matter. In fact, in early February, I had already learned from the Chen family
I got clues about the whole thing from the woman's mouth. But I didn't dare to believe her words alone. Out of caution, I still looked for evidence to verify the facts she confessed. After everything was confirmed, I didn't dare to commit suicide.
Special, so I reported the matter to the two important ministers of the court, Prime Minister Lu and Privy Yang, and asked them to make a decision. After careful consideration, the two adults felt that the matter could not be hidden from the emperor, and must be reported to the emperor for the emperor to decide. After all... this
It involves... Concubine Rong... That's why today, I came with the two adults to report and ask the Emperor to make a decision. If the Emperor does not want to publicize this matter, I will immediately destroy all the evidence, and this matter will never happen again.
No one knows. In short, the emperor makes a wise decision, and the ministers can only report the truth."
…
Wu Chunlai told the truth. Lu Feiming's widow Chen had been secretly brought to the capital as early as the 22nd day of the first lunar month. Wu Chunlai interrogated Chen in person. Chen knew that the matter was of great importance and refused to speak at first.
It wasn't until Wu Chunlai brought Chen's children to her and ordered them to be tortured. When she threatened to kill the two siblings in front of her, Chen finally faced the children's screams for help.
collapsed.
Mrs. Chen was fully aware of what happened back then. Mrs. Chen herself gave birth to a son, but in the end she got a daughter. Lu Feiming naturally had to confess the secret of the whole matter to Mrs. Chen before doing so. Although Mrs. Chen was reluctant, she still
For the sake of her husband and the safety of her family, she had no choice. She naively thought that after her husband did this for Concubine Rong, they would have nothing to do with each other anymore, and the family could live a peaceful life from now on. So she
She reluctantly agreed with tears in her eyes. That night, the weak Chen watched helplessly as her husband took the child out and brought back a baby girl soon after.
Mrs. Chen knew that this baby girl was the daughter of the Crown Prince and Concubine Rong, and she took good care of her in every possible way from then on. It was more of awe and worry than love, fearing that something would go wrong and cause trouble in the future. Eight years passed like this.
In the past eight years, she did not dare to ask her husband what happened to her son who was sent to the Prince's Mansion. She cried countless nights, but no one knew about it.
However, disaster still happened. That night there was chaos and a fire broke out in the house. Her husband was not at home. She was at a loss when a group of strangers broke in and told her to take the children and leave immediately. Someone wanted to kill their whole family.
She said that her husband had died on the long street. Mrs. Chen was confused and her whole body was numb. The only belief in her heart was that her children could not die here. So she followed the group of people into the carriage.
, left the city. Then she ran all the way south. She felt unsafe wherever she went. After arriving in Hangzhou a few months later, she finally couldn't go any further. Because she left in a hurry, she didn't have time to bring anything with her.
All the jewelry and items on my body were pawned clean, and I had no money left. I was completely destitute.
The winter in Hangzhou seems to be even colder than that in Beijing. I huddled under the stone railing bridge in Hangzhou to avoid the cold wind. The three children around me were cold and hungry, crying sadly. That kind of coldness to the bottom of my heart, and helplessness to the bottom of my heart.
The feeling made Chen desperate. She really wanted to throw her three children into the cold river and end it all. But she was unwilling to do so. She didn't know what happened. She didn't understand why her peaceful and happy life had changed overnight.
She was broken. Her husband's life and death were unknown, and the children around her were innocent. How could she bear to let them die with her?
Just when they were struggling and suffering, a carriage stopped in front of them, and a beautiful-looking woman came to her. She frowned at the mother and daughter.
"Hey, it's so pitiful. How could we end up like this in such a cold weather? I need a little maid at home. Sister-in-law, if you sell your children, I can take one home. I promise to treat her well and not teach her anything.
She endured hardship," the woman said.
Mrs. Chen was shocked. She had never thought of selling her children. Besides, she had heard that there were brothels that robbed their daughters by fire and bought their daughters and sent them to the fire pit. How could she do this? She immediately hugged her three children tightly.
Shake his head.
The woman nodded and said: "It turns out that the slaves misunderstood. I saw that the little girl had a straw mark on her head, and thought she was for sale. It turned out not to be the case. Yes, who is willing to sell his own flesh and blood? If not,
In a desperate situation, who is willing to let his children leave him?
Where are you? It's my fault. I have five taels of silver here. Sister-in-law, please take it and buy some food for the children. You can't survive such a cold day like this. The adults can survive it, but the children will get sick.
He will die."
The woman handed over the five taels of silver, sighed and turned to leave. Chen took the five taels of silver and didn't know what to say. The five taels of silver were life-saving money, but Chen suddenly thought: Five taels of silver will do the trick.
What should I do if I run out of money to meet a temporary emergency? How many days can these five taels of silver last? The woman is right, the children will die. Instead of doing this, why not find a way for them to survive? Follow yourself
Even if you lose your life, so what?
"Madam, go slowly. Are you really buying me to be a maid? Are you not a trafficker in a brothel?" asked Ms. Chen.
The woman turned back and said with a smile: "So you are afraid of this. My family is from the Lin family in Hangzhou. I am the second wife of Mr. Lin in the third room. My family has a son who is ten years old this year and lacks a little maid to play with. So I want to buy a maid.
Accompany him. If you don't believe it, you can ask others. I believe it. My husband's name is Lin Boming."
Mrs. Chen nodded and said: "No need to ask, I believe Madam. We fled here and are now living here without any relatives. If Madam is willing to take you in, the slave family will be very grateful. But I will not sell my children. This is my eldest daughter Qing
Ping, she just turned eight this year. Madam can take her there and just give her a mouthful of food. I don’t want money. As long as Madam is kind and gives her food and clothes, and treats her better, that’s it.
.”
The woman sighed: "You don't look like an ordinary girl. I'm afraid you are in trouble. Hey, my situation is not good, otherwise I will take you all back. But it can't be done. You don't want to
Money, what should I do with these two children? In this way, the twenty taels of silver I give you is not money to buy people, but just as money to support you. I will take your eldest daughter away. If you want to come back and meet me in the future, I
Maybe you. What do you think?"
Mrs. Chen burst into tears of gratitude and knelt on the ground and kowtowed. The woman dropped a money bag, then looked at the little girl standing aside with her eyes wide open and a delicate face, and said: "What a handsome little girl, your name is Qingping? Follow me.
Would you like to go? I have a young master at home, and you can play together from now on. Well, the name Qingping is not very good, and my life experience is Ruping, which is a bit miserable. I will change your name to Green Dance. Can you come with me?
"
The little girl Qingping nodded, turned to look at Mrs. Chen and said: "Mom, don't cry, Ping'er knows there's nothing you can do. Mom, please remember to come to me. Mom, you must remember to come to Ping'er. Brothers and sisters, I
I will miss you."
Mrs. Chen hugged her and cried loudly. The little girl wiped her tears, hugged her brothers and sisters and kissed them a few more times. Then she took the woman's hand and got into the carriage and drove away. Ms. Chen ran after the carriage for a few steps and saw
When Qingping's little face peeked out from the car window, her heart broke. The two children behind her started crying again, and she had to stop.
The carriage disappeared. Mrs. Chen turned around and took the money bag, and found that it was heavy inside. When she opened it, she saw that it was not just twenty taels of silver, but ten taels of silver ingots, a pair of bracelets and a gold hairpin, which were worth at least three or four dollars.
Twelve taels of silver. The woman did not tell lies. She did not have much money. She even gave her jewelry to herself. Mrs. Chen was grateful and felt even more relieved. This shows that this woman has a kind heart.
She would be harsh on Qingping. The reason why Chen let Qingping go with the woman was not because she was reluctant to part with her biological children, but because she protected Qingping in the end. Qingping's status is different, she is the wife of the prince and concubine Rong.
My daughter, she and her children can die, but she cannot.
With those dozens of taels of silver, Mrs. Chen and her two children survived this winter. But she could not move forward. The money was spent very quickly, and it was gone in a few months. Fortunately, Mrs. Chen learned the lesson when she was in her boudoir.
I bought some silk cloth and embroidered it to make handkerchiefs and sachets and sold them for money. But the meager income was not enough to support my two children. Although it was cheap to live in a small inn, the cost of staying in the hotel was also a huge expense.
. It is a sign of Chen's birth, and some unscrupulous people often come to harass her. The old shopkeeper of the inn saw this, and deliberately arranged for him to find a place for the three of them, mother and son. Chen
At first, he firmly disagreed, but the situation forced him to have a pair of children crying for food, and idle men and gangsters always came to disturb him. It was impossible to survive like this, so he gritted his teeth and stamped his feet, and agreed.
The old shopkeeper was very responsible and found a home for Mr. Chen, a small businessman with a relatively gentle personality. His family was average, but at least he could survive. The businessman's wife died of illness three years ago, and he had no children in the family. He wanted to continue his marriage with a vision.
Gao. However, after seeing Ms. Chen, she was attracted by her ladylike temperament and did not dislike her carrying a pair of oily children. So in the spring of the following year, Ms. Chen married her deceased husband after a year of mourning.
Got this merchant.
In the days that followed, Mrs. Chen wanted to visit the Lin family countless times and find Qingping. But after thinking about it, she gave up. It was not because of anything else. She was really afraid. She was vaguely aware of the
The tragedy happened because of Qingping. It was difficult for her to stay anonymous now. If Qingping came back, there might be another disturbance. Moreover, she inquired and learned that Mrs. Wang regarded Qingping as her own and had seen her several times.
Qingping accompanied Mrs. Wang and the handsome young man to play in the market, chatting and laughing very harmoniously. It would be unfair to the lady to take Qingping back at this moment, and maybe Qingping herself would not want to.
In short, despite all kinds of entanglements, Chen chose not to break this rare peace.
Twelve years have passed in a flash, and Ms. Chen never expected that someone would still come to her door twelve years later. Two years ago, her husband died of illness, and Ms. Chen supported her family's shop by herself, and her life was also difficult.
It was peaceful enough. However, that night, when a dozen men with vicious looks broke into the house in the middle of the night, Mrs. Chen knew in her heart that the matter was not over yet.
