Some people say that when people get older and their hearts soften, they will naturally pity the old and cherish the poor, or in other words, pity the old and cherish the weak.
However, both the Queen Mother and the Emperor sneered at this sentence. If you want to have room for compassion, you must first ensure that you are strong. Otherwise, how can a person who has nothing use pity to help others? In addition, Lao
There needs to be something to pity when you are weak. If you are the kind of guy who never dies but is a thief, or an ungrateful weakling, then you are simply helping a white-eyed wolf!
Therefore, although the Queen Mother and the Emperor provided many benefits to the clan, there was only one prerequisite: the clan must be obedient and observant of etiquette.
For example, the emperor personally agreed to choose a son-in-law with the two princesses of the right age. Their fathers and ancestors all stood firmly on the side of Emperor Ruizong and the current Queen Mother and the emperor until their death. As for the other several princesses,
, for example, Si Hewang, whose son had just been expelled from the clan and was seriously ill, had two daughters at home, but who would care about this?
And the reason the emperor threw out also blocked the mouths of the civil and military officials. Isn't it natural for a father to choose a son-in-law for his daughter? And there is no orphan girl in the same clan whose father presides over the marriage. As the real member of the royal family, the emperor
Chief, isn't it natural for you to preside over the marriage? As for the other county chiefs and daughters with lower titles, no one wants the emperor to take charge of them all.
Because that means the court may have to spend a lot more money!
Although the repercussions of such an incident were quite large, they were mainly concentrated among the children of officials, so the common people only had a small discussion. The repercussions were not as strong as before when they heard that the prince's concubine was selected from the seventh rank or below and from scholars. However, the emperor casually said
As soon as I said it, everyone in the etiquette department was so busy that their legs were broken, because the pre-application and preliminary screening were entirely their responsibility.
After the eunuch Chu Kuan, the eunuch of the Bureau of Rites, Bingbi, came to contact the Minister of Rites with a smile, and copied a list of more than a hundred people to apply for the election, some people who wanted to make some small moves also stopped.
It would be fine if the sieve screened out some trash that everyone knew was worthless. But if it screened out people the emperor might be interested in, the result would be really disastrous.
In this chaotic atmosphere, even though Princess Yongping's last Yuehua Lou literary party ended only a few days ago, no one cares about the feelings of the talented person who won the first prize in one fell swoop but was ignored in the end.
Even Princess Yongping herself did not receive as much attention as this incident. People were at most discussing behind their backs who this talented princess would end up with.
In the afternoon of that day, when the carriage that came out of the palace finally landed at the gate of Zhao Guogong's mansion, the porter in front of the door learned who the visitor was from the guard who informed him. Naturally, he was stunned.
You must know that although the Zhu family is technically both a noble and a relative, Princess Yongping and the eldest lady have been at odds for many years. Princess Yongping will never come to the house unless there is a big day like Mrs. Tai's birthday.
Several porters rushed inside to announce someone, and some came forward to greet the loaded sedan, saying some nonsensical flattery. It was not until Mother Li and Mother Jiang came out at the same time, bringing the words of the Tai Madam, that they were relieved and let go.
Mother Jiang arranged for the accompanying guards and servants, and in the end, only two maids followed Mother Li to protect the sedan and went straight inside.
When Princess Yongping stepped down from the sedan chair on the high ladder, the first thing she saw was the woman standing at the entrance of the hall to greet her. For her, compared to the woman she would always see on various occasions a year,
A few times ago, the lady in front of me, who was wearing a long autumn-colored dress, with no jewelry in her shiny black hair, and a pair of white jade bracelets on her wrists, looked very strange.
However, facing the somewhat indifferent eyes, she instinctively trembled in her heart, then lowered her head, bent her knees slightly, and called softly: "Aunt, long time no see."
Even though she returned to Zhao Guogong's mansion from Zhaoming Temple, these days, the person who is traveling around here and there to attend banquets to make her presence felt is Zhu Ying, while Jiuniang lives in seclusion. At this time, Princess Yongping, as her aunt is called, she
Naturally, she felt that it was an extremely unfamiliar experience. She couldn't help but feel dazed for a moment, and then she reached out her hand for support.
But the moment her hand was about to touch someone, Princess Yongping took a step back like a snake.
Seeing this scene, the corners of Jiu Niang's mouth dropped slightly, and then she said calmly: "I don't dare to call you princess like this. I didn't know you would come here suddenly. Mom had a cough when she got up early in the morning and was not feeling well, so she asked me to greet you here. I also asked the princess
Please apologize. Yingying went out to a banquet this morning and had to do accounting in the afternoon, but she happened to be away."
Princess Yongping knew she had done the stupidest thing in the world as soon as she subconsciously stepped back. Even though she was not like the heartless Zhu Ying, she didn't even notice such a thing, but she did.
It didn't mean to show it, especially at this critical moment. She bit her lip, but in the end she found that she couldn't make up for it.
Can she still say to Jiuniang, I'm sorry, I just lost my head for a moment? As for why I lost my head, is it because I thought that you might be my biological mother? You know, when Concubine Yu went to Zhaoming Temple to visit Jiuniang, except for her real
She was too young, so during the years when she was taken with her every time, she almost always used various excuses to shirk it. In the end, Concubine Yu only took Zhu Ying with her.
She lowered her head deeply and said in a low voice: "I'm not here to see Zhu Ying... I'm here to see Mrs. Tai and Auntie."
When Jiuniang saw Princess Yongping, she already had such a guess in her heart. She nodded lightly, then turned around and led the way. Although behind her might be her biological daughter who was finally born with great difficulty, but as early as Princess Yongping
After treating each other coldly and coldly at a young age, and later even avoiding him, she felt cold. Even though Concubine Yu repeatedly apologized, she had already determined one thing in her heart.
Her only daughter is Zhu Ying, to whom she owes a lot. And the one she feels most sorry for is her future son-in-law Zhang Shou, who has been sent to the countryside because of the Queen Mother's taboos. As for being the sweet daughter of heaven since she was a child, Wan
How could she climb up to Princess Yongping, who was loved by thousands of people but stayed away from her?
Princess Yongping followed Jiuniang into the main room of Qing'an Hall with mixed emotions. After bypassing the partition screen, she saw the Madam leaning on the soft couch in the middle, seemingly closing her eyes to rest. On the footboard in front of the soft couch, a figure
The little girl was beating her legs for the madam. It was not until she seemed to hear their footsteps that the madam opened her eyes slightly.
But immediately after, she sat up straight with the help of two girls on the side, and then took off her shoes and got off the ground.
Seeing this scene, Princess Yongping hurriedly took two steps, stepped forward and offered support: "I am a junior, please don't be too polite."
"It's rare for a princess to come here, so I neglected her."
The madam bowed slightly and nodded, but after all, she waited until Princess Yongping took her seat before she sat down. When Jiuniang came over and stood by her side, she gently held her daughter-in-law's hand, and waited for a moment of hesitation to sign her body.
Sitting next to her, she grabbed the beauty cone from the little girl's hand and beat her legs again and again. She didn't stop her, she just smiled at Princess Yongping.
"Princess, something good is about to happen, why do you have time to come here?"
The four words "good news" were like sharp steel needles, instantly piercing Princess Yongping's heart. She tried her best to put aside all worries, raised her head and looked directly at the dowager and said: "Auntie, I know it is really presumptuous to come here today.
It’s rude, but even though I told my father, he didn’t take it seriously. I...I don’t want to get married!”
Mrs. Tai had already anticipated Princess Yongping’s intention to come, and the words she heard at this time did not exceed her expectations. After all, if Princess Yongping has a sweetheart and takes the emperor as a person, as long as it is not a mess,
Cats and dogs will definitely be happy to fulfill her wish. But luckily, Princess Yongping said she didn’t want to get married, so the emperor naturally wouldn’t agree.
She leaned on the big pillow, glanced to both sides, and saw that Mother Li immediately left quietly with Yutang Yulan and the two little girls, while the two palace servants who had just come in with Princess Yongping also hurriedly left.
Then she said softly: "Princess, are you worried that Concubine Yu will be lonely after you get married, or are you worried that after you get married, you will no longer be the apple of the emperor's eye?"
The first half of the sentence was exactly the reason Princess Yongping wanted to come up with, but the second half of it struck her heart again. She gritted her teeth and wanted to deny it, but Mrs. He did not give her a chance at all.
"Ever since you followed the emperor out of the palace, but on the pretext of appreciating talents, you held a Yuehua Tower literary meeting, and the competition was about craftsmanship, not poetry and poetry, I knew that you had a big heart. Of course.
, if you were a prince, you probably wouldn't be so blatant. You made an appointment because you are a princess and Concubine Yu has no son, so the emperor won't care."
Princess Yongping never expected her thoughts to be hidden from those smart people, but when someone exposed her so directly, she still couldn't avoid being ashamed and angry. At this time, she simply said: "So what? The queen will be in the palace
All the concubines, princes and princesses regard me as a thorn in their flesh, if I cannot appear valuable, am I at her mercy?"
"The Queen Mother and the Emperor are still here." The Dowager Madam simply uttered a few words. Seeing that Princess Yongping was speechless, she suddenly smiled and said, "Princess Deyang's situation is much worse than yours.
But how did she do it? The third and fourth princes are still princes after all, and the emperor even enlightened them personally. If we say they are more tabooed than you, how did they do it? "
"Princess, this is not the Han and Tang Dynasties. Even if you are rich in knowledge, you cannot recruit countless talents. Even if you recommend talents and the emperor wants to use them, it will never be exceptional. Therefore, it is time for you to stop. If you really appreciate someone, you like it.
Who can tell the emperor directly that with the emperor’s love for your daughter, he will definitely agree to it."
Princess Yongping finally couldn't sit still anymore. She stood up suddenly and said angrily: "I have admired more than one person, but I just hope that they will be the pillars of the imperial court, and I have never thought of marrying them! I
It’s not like Zhu Ying, who just looks at people’s good looks and sticks them to them like candy! Why should women have to marry, why can’t women be officials and govern!”
Seeing Madam Tai's eyes slightly narrowed, her face clearly turned cold, Jiu Niang threw away her beauty cup casually, her face filled with anger. Princess Yongping knew that not only had her purpose of coming today been completely in vain, but she was also deeply troubled.
I offended them, but all the unwillingness and grievances in my heart burst out at this moment.
"You think I am a princess, my mother only has me as her daughter, and my father loves me so much, so I live a good life in the palace... But my father's love is just rootless duckweed! Mother is so
She has always been indifferent to me for many years. No matter how much I try to be kind to her, she never seems to feel it. It seems that Zhu Ying is more like her daughter than me!"
"It turns out that you have been jealous of Yingying." Jiuniang smiled and said something that made Princess Yongping frightened and angry. However, she has been so tempered for so many years and didn't care at all about angering this golden girl.
.
"Yingying has a clear temperament of love and hate, and she never hides it, so there are many people who like her, and there are also many people who hate her. The emperor likes her because he likes her unpretentious straightforwardness, and the Queen Mother has always been very kind to me.
She is cold, but she also likes Yingying, precisely because she is the same as the Queen Mother and the Queen Mother before, being resolute, decisive and straightforward, and not caring about what others think."
When she said this, a faint smile appeared on her face: "I used to stay away from Zhaoming Temple because of temporary anger. Every time she came to see me, she would chatter about her own affairs, no matter how big or small. Every time, she
She would beg me to come back. When I kept silent in response, she would also lose her temper, but the next time she came back, she would still be the same Yingying and would not complain."
"A person who always speaks out once he has something on his mind, who is always cheerful and cheerful, and a person who has something on his mind but only keeps it depressed and flatters with a fake smile, do you think that based on your father and your mother's many years of experience and vision, they will
Can't you see? Do you think they like Yingying more just because Yingying may be their biological daughter? "
Princess Yongping was already shaken by Jiuniang's words. However, although she tried her best to stabilize her body, she fell directly back into the chair when she heard the next words of the Madam.
"Yingying is a carefree person, so before she met Ah Shou, she never thought too much about the past. After she met Ah Shou, she just stood up for him and didn't think about it at all.
Three people were born on the same day. Is there any other hidden secret? I don't know where you heard it or noticed it. I just want to tell you one thing."
"Since you did that back then, no matter whether there is any doubt or evidence in the future, you are the daughter of the Emperor and Concubine Yu, Princess Yongping. Yingying is the daughter of Jing'er and Jiuniang, the eldest lady of our Zhao Guogong Palace.
.The Emperor never goes back on his words, and Jing'er and I are the same."
Having said this, the Madam sat up straight again and said calmly: "So, whether you don't want to get married or you think those who are eligible are not to your liking, you shouldn't come here, but should tell her clearly.
Your Majesty, if you think women should be more than just husbands and children, then you should tell the Emperor instead of coming here for help. Outsiders cannot interfere with royal affairs!"