Although Zhu Ying usually likes to join in the fun, after the emperor made such a clear statement, she immediately pulled Zhang Shou's sleeve without the Madam reminding her. And Zhang Shou also didn't want to stay at such a delicate time.
In such a delicate place, I immediately planned to resign. Unexpectedly, at this moment, the Dowager Madam got in front of them.
"Your Majesty, it is rare for you to enter the palace. I plan to go to Qingning Palace to meet the Queen Mother and discuss how to celebrate the birthdays of Princess Yongping, Yingying and Zhang Shou. I will take them to leave first." The Queen Mother said.
He bent his knees for a moment, and then said calmly, "I should report everything inside this situation to the Queen Mother."
The emperor was indeed worried that the Queen Mother would come in person or have someone summon him to Qingning Palace for questioning after learning about this matter - after all, he could no longer endure it for a moment. Therefore, the Queen Mother was willing to take over the difficult task of going to tell the cause and effect.
, how could he have any reason not to be willing? So, while nodding in agreement, he added a few more words.
"I also asked my aunt to report to my mother, saying that I was disheartened, so I had to make up my mind to depose the queen. However, since we have been married for many years, we should save some dignity for her, so I planned to depose her as a concubine and move her out of Kunning Palace, but from now on
From now on, I will not appoint another queen. As for the affairs of the harem, if the queen is unable to do what she wants, let Mingyue take care of it."
When the second prince heard that his father once again made clear his intention to depose the queen, his heart had already sunk to the bottom of his heart. But when he heard that the emperor had decided not to stand as queen, he seemed to see a glimmer of light - because in that case, at least the princes
They were all concubines, and the two young and ignorant brats, the third prince and the fourth prince, would not be above him.
But when he heard that the emperor did not choose a palace concubine, but asked Princess Yongping to take care of the affairs of the palace, he was shocked, angry, and at the same time deeply regretful. His eldest brother was always pretentious.
At least he had a good relationship with Princess Yongping on the surface in the past, but he didn't like the sister who always acted like a talented girl at all, so he and Princess Yongping couldn't be friends at all!
After secretly "inviting" the chef of the Yangzhou Guild Hall to his home as if kidnapping him, he tasted the food and felt it tasted good. He also heard that the queen was on a hunger strike in the palace, so he finally decided to
I wanted to show some filial piety in order to earn some reputation for myself, so I planned to send some delicious food to the palace, so that my mother would not starve like this without the royal kitchen.
Who knew that it was a coincidence? He just heard the news that the queen was vomiting and having diarrhea and was shouting that someone was poisoning him. In order to protect himself, he had an idea and claimed that Zhang Shou framed him. But he never thought that this would lead to such a serious matter.
s consequence!
Naturally, the wife would not care about the second prince's anger and regret. Since the emperor asked him to send a message to the Queen Mother of Qingning Palace, she naturally agreed. However, the emperor's instructions just now were really no small matter. She took Zhang Shou with her
After leaving Qianqing Palace with Zhu Ying, she couldn't help but sigh at her granddaughter and future grandson-in-law, who were supporting her on the left and right.
"Three feet of ice does not freeze in one day."
Zhang Shou knew that she was lamenting that the upcoming incident of abolishing the queen was by no means sudden, but because the emperor's long-standing dissatisfaction with her came to a head today, and the relationship between husband and wife was completely ruined. But this kind of housework in the palace,
But he didn't want to comment at all and simply remained silent.
Zhu Ying murmured softly: "I heard from Concubine Yu that the queen was not like this back then... She was a rich lady in her family who was famous for being dignified and virtuous."
The Queen Mother shook her head, but did not speak. The Queen Mother indeed took a fancy to the influence of the Queen's mother's family in the Yingzong Dynasty, and heard of the Queen's virtuous reputation, so she made the decision to appoint such a Queen to the Emperor. Of course,
The emperor was indeed very satisfied with such a queen at that time. The best evidence is that he did not go to other concubines for three or four years after marriage.
But just because she had a taste of being the lord of the Sixth Palace, and had been held in the palm of the emperor's hand for many years, the queen naturally forgot to put on that layer of virtuous disguise, and her jealous and mean side gradually emerged. But she
But she didn't expect that when she no longer concealed those ugly shortcomings, but there were other women in the palace, how many more days would she be able to have?
As for the future, it can be said to be a vicious cycle. Of course, if the queen makes mistakes, the emperor is not without mistakes, and the queen mother is also not without mistakes. The Taizu of this dynasty once said that if the emperor is lustful and ruthless, he can accept beautiful women
, open branches and leaves, if there is love but no desire, and the harem only favors one person, then the other concubines can send him to marry another. As for the heirs... Are there still few royal families with the surname Zheng in the world?
It's just that for so many years in this dynasty, even if the king favors one person, he has never really dispersed the harem...
The Queen Mother sighed secretly as she walked. When she entered the Qingning Palace, Yuquan, the female official beside the Queen Mother, had already come out to greet her. She followed them in with a smile and saw the Queen Mother sitting on the soft couch in the middle. When she saw her, she stood up quickly and stepped forward.
They bowed first, and when the Queen Mother took her to sit with her on a soft couch, she did not exchange any greetings. She relayed the emperor's words and detailed what she had seen and heard in the Qianqing Palace.
Even after the incident, there was no news in Qingning Palace. Even Zhu Ying hurried to Qianqing Palace after learning about the incident. It was the Queen Mother who instructed her to calm the impatient emperor, but at this moment, she heard that
Upon seeing these latest details, the Queen Mother could not help but rub her eyebrows gently with her fingers, feeling unspeakably upset.
She also wanted to drag it out for a long time, so that the emperor would not have the reputation of being a queen. Throughout the ages, emperors who had deposed their queens would lose most of their good reputations. Even Emperors Jing Jing and Han Guangwu, who were known as Mingjuns, were left behind because of their dethronement.
But now it seems that this step is inevitable. Fortunately, the fact that the emperor does not intend to establish a queen can barely stop some people's mouths.
However, the emperor actually planned to let Princess Yongping manage the harem instead of any concubine. This is really whimsical... This is not the era when the eldest princess of Eyi was in charge of the harem and raised Emperor Zhao of Han!
After thinking about it, the Queen Mother suddenly noticed the little movements of Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying standing aside.
Zhu Ying was seen holding Zhang Shou's sleeve with one hand and shaking it slightly. Zhang Shou waved his hand gently as if he wanted to break away. In the end, he lowered his hand as if to compromise and let Zhu Ying hold his hand.
Xiuxiu even patted her hand gently, seeming to comfort her and calm her down.
After being stunned for a moment, the Queen Mother suddenly realized the reason for Zhu Ying's little move.
It's a shame that she never asked the two of them to sit down! As for the people in the Qingning Palace, they were probably stunned by what the Dowager said about the abolition of the marriage, and they forgot about it.
Thinking that in the past, the emperor and the empress had such harmony, and when they showed all kinds of intimacy in front of him, the emperor also ignored the concubines, but in the end the two of them still ended up like this. Now I see this pair of little children.
The Queen Mother couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, and then she said: "Zhang Shou, please sit down and talk with Yingying."
Zhu Ying was used to being carefree in front of her great aunt, the Queen Mother. She just wanted Zhang Shou to be less formal. When she heard this, she immediately smiled, pushed Zhang Shou forward and sat down together, and then opened her mouth and said
"Queen Mother, it's almost the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the birthdays of Ah Shou, Mingyue, and I are coming soon. Grandma just told the Emperor that she wanted to discuss with you what to do about our birthdays!"
Madam Dowager suddenly frowned. The emperor was about to depose the queen, and she just used this as an excuse to see the queen mother. Why did Zhu Ying take it seriously? Zhu Ying was usually willful, but she was always very measured!
However, what she didn't expect was that Zhang Shou also smiled and said: "Queen Mother, Yingying has proposed to the emperor before that since the selection of the royal chef will start soon, the first day of the preliminary competition will be set on August 10th.
5. Firstly, the Mid-Autumn Festival is already lively, and secondly, it is a good thing to enjoy with the people. As for us, we just took advantage of our birthdays to go there and have some fun."
At this point, he said sincerely: "Besides, since everything in the court and palace is busy, we might as well make the first day a grander one. If we can use such excitement to dilute the recent troubled situation in the capital,
Haze, that would be perfect."
At this moment, the Madam and the Queen Mother exchanged glances at the same time, and at the same time they suddenly understood.
How to celebrate birthdays is only secondary - Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying are already seventeen, so young and not celebrating their birthdays. However, this day happens to be the Mid-Autumn Festival, and combined with the so-called imperial chef selection competition before
…
That can indeed divert the attention of the people as much as possible! Let them put more interest in such a grand event instead of talking about the royal family's secrets.
Mrs. Tai clasped her hands gently, and then said with a smile: "When I was in Qianqing Palace, I heard that the emperor had just retained the chef of the Yangzhou Guild Hall in the imperial dining room? This news should also be released, so those outside will definitely
It’s going to explode!”
The Queen Mother hesitated slightly: "If it is publicized, wouldn't the Queen's poisoning also be widely spread?"
Zhu Ying understood the meaning of Mrs. Tai and couldn't help but said with a smile: "Queen Mother, what grandma means is that people should know that this so-called poisoning is purely the queen's own fault. In fact, it is nothing, so the emperor not only kept the
When a chef works in the imperial kitchen, the news can't help but spread, which shows his openness and magnanimity."
She raised the corner of her mouth as she spoke: "It's just a gag order anyway, and all kinds of news will be spread later. Why don't we also help and divert other people's attention from the so-called palace secrets to other things?"
? Food is the most important thing for the people, so by selecting the royal chef, ordinary people can also experience the world's delicacies and various ingredients. I think this is quite interesting."
"You, as long as Zhang Shou says it, you can agree to it!"
The Queen Mother said something with a smile but not a smile. Seeing that Zhang Shou was still sitting calmly with a frank expression, she couldn't help but swallow back the teasing that was on her lips, and then said thoughtfully: "
Since the emperor also agreed before, then this matter is not a bad idea."
Zhu Ying immediately beamed with joy. Although she didn't like the queen, what did it have to do with her after she was deposed? She finally waited until her second birthday with Zhang Shou, so she didn't want to let these messy things ruin her interest.
!
So, without thinking, she stepped forward and sat down next to the Queen Mother, smiling and acting coquettishly.
"Your Majesty, although the Emperor nodded and allocated some money, and the news spread, and Ah Shou also enlisted the help of Mr. Liu, the money is not too much, and the people are not too much. If you have money, there are people
To recruit people, how about you just leak some money and people from between your fingers and come out to us? In this way, I can also go out to promote your banner and say that the Queen Mother also agrees with this selection."
"You, not only do you not make people worry, but you also like to cause trouble. Let me tell you, what are you good at?"
The Queen Mother laughed out loud at Zhu Ying's scoundrelness. She reached out and poked the girl who once looked like a little pink dumpling. When she turned her head and saw Zhang Shou smiling and enjoying himself, she finally softened her heart. She was older.
Now, after going through so many things, how could I not be touched at all by looking at such a sympathetic golden boy?
"Yuquan, go open my box and weigh fifty taels of gold. Tell the outside world that the emperor wants to select the imperial chef fairly. I support it, but since he has taken the imperial kitchen into the palace and it is no longer under the control of Guanglu Temple,
The inner treasury has been opened to do this, so as the Queen Mother, I might as well come to help and contribute fifty taels of gold."
For Zhu Ying, who has received countless good things from many elders since she was a child, fifty taels of gold is really nothing. She has endless red gold necklaces, large and small South Sea pearls, and jade of various textures.
The gems polished by skilled craftsmen in Ceylon and other places in Southeast Asia, as well as the emeralds that have been paid tribute by a small state in the southwest since Emperor Taizu... are all in boxes.
But the fifty taels of gold granted by the Queen Mother at this time represented her approval of what she and Zhang Shou had done. Therefore, she naturally happily went over and took Zhang Shou to thank her, and then excused herself to leave a place for Mrs. Tai.
After talking to the Queen Mother, she smiled and dragged Zhang Shou out first.
As soon as she left, the Queen Mother sighed: "I really hope that as Yingying said, people will forget about deposing the Queen."
"It's impossible to forget, but it's possible to pay less attention." Madam Tai's view was naturally cautious, but then she smiled and said, "When Zhang Shou initially bothered with this matter, he wanted to make people not only focus on Cangzhou, but also on Cangzhou.
The matter of Lusi and Jiuzhangtang was not left alone, but I did not expect that such a big thing as the abolition of the empress would suddenly come up. How effective it will be depends on how much trouble they can make."
A place like the palace is naturally not suitable for whispering. In fact, Zhang Shou just followed Zhu Ying to visit Qingning Palace for a while - and this is not really a very spacious place. In fact, it took less than a quarter of an hour to wander around.
It was over - then the Queen Mother ordered someone to call them in, but it turned out that the Queen Mother was going back to the house.
In addition to the fifty taels of gold that Zhu Ying "begged" forcibly, Zhang Shou also got an inkstone and a bloodstone seal - the former he could not identify as good or bad, but the latter he realized at first glance was valuable.
As for the title of rewarding him with these two things, the Queen Mother directly used the best reason - birthday gift. And Zhu Ying simply left with a box of good things.
After leaving the palace, Zhang Shou, who did not ride in the sedan chair again this time, said goodbye to his wife, but even took Zhu Ying with him. When they arrived at Xiao Cheng's house and saw Lu Sanlang, Zhang Shou said
He said bluntly: "Lu Sanlang, show your best ability. For the first primary election on August 15th, you can create the greatest momentum for me in advance!"