Rule over Ming Dynasty

Qingning Palace has been reduced to ruins by a fire.

The Empress Dowager Zhou chose to temporarily live in the almost deserted Guanju Palace nearby. Originally, Guanju Palace was the residence of several Empress Dowagers, but those people died a few years ago.

Although she was not liked by Emperor Yingzong, she was the real winner in the harem.

Originally, she was just a concubine, and Yingzong's legal wife was Empress Qian. But later, as the biological mother of Xianzong, she was naturally canonized as the Empress Dowager during the Chenghua Dynasty because of her son's status.

Now Empress Dowager Qian has passed away long ago, and several concubines left by Emperor Yingzong have also died one after another. Not only has she become the Empress Dowager of a high status, but she is also about to celebrate her seventieth birthday.

In Guanju Palace, a ray of brilliant sunlight shines through the exquisite window lattices and falls on a screen.

Empress Dowager Zhou was used to a life of luxury. She wore a gold ring on her little finger and held up a steaming cup of Biluochun tea, sipping it very elegantly.

Biluochun has the effect of calming the nerves, which is probably the secret to her longevity.

Although the scale and environment of Guansui Palace could not be compared with Qingning Palace, she was, after all, the high and mighty Empress Dowager, and was still surrounded by dozens of palace maids who took turns serving her.

Empress Dowager Zhou smelled the fragrance of the tea, but her face suddenly turned cold: "What's going on? Didn't I order Song Cheng to be brought to Guansui Palace earlier? Wu Shen went out and didn't see anyone, why is Concubine He also missing?"

After learning that the emperor was going to send the Minister of Justice Song Cheng to investigate the arson cases at Qianqing Gate and Qingning Palace, she also planned to give Song Cheng some eye drops, so she sent someone to intercept Song Cheng and bring him to her side first.

However, the confidant she sent out has not returned yet, and the person she relies on the most, He Shang Gong, has not been seen for a long time. Things are developing in a direction that is beyond her control.

"Reporting to the Empress Dowager, I don't know. Should we send someone to look for it?" An old palace maid stepped forward cautiously, looking very nervous.

Empress Dowager Zhou held the teacup in her hand. Due to the experience she had accumulated in the palace struggles in her early years, an uneasy premonition surged in her heart.

Although she was the Empress Dowager, her helplessness was something she could not tell outsiders.

Over the years, the emperor has never set foot in Qingning Palace, and her family members have been almost wiped out. In fact, she has become a real lonely person.

Since the prince was not allowed to enter the capital, even if her son Prince Chong wanted to meet him, it would be impossible.

Emperor Hongzhi was no longer the Confucian scholar who would hide in the closet after being scared by him. Although he once wanted to put pressure on the emperor through public opinion, the effect was not satisfactory.

However, no one knows what kind of magic potion Zhu Youtang had for the civil and military officials in the court and the people of the world. Although they never came to Qingning Palace to pay their respects once, there was no voice from the outside world blaming this emperor who did not understand filial piety.

Looking back at her life as the Grand Empress Dowager, although there are quite a few eunuchs and palace maids around her now, it is nothing compared to the peak period.

Even though he was also in the palace, the news became increasingly blocked, at least he seldom heard about the emperor's latest condition.

Now she sent someone to intercept Song Cheng. As the most powerful Empress Dowager, her words were final. But the person she sent out lost contact, which made her realize that this harem was no longer her world.

It would be fine if the emperor came out to stop it this time. After all, no matter how arrogant the emperor was, his grandmother could easily suppress him.

What made her feel uneasy now was that the person who would be playing against her this time might not be the almighty emperor, but the Queen Mother or Queen Chang.

The former was the chess piece he had abandoned back then. After all, he chose her to enter the palace in order to jointly control the emperor. However, his son ignored the well-educated new queen and was obsessed with Concubine Wan who was out of his control.

The latter was born into the Chang family, a founding hero. The empress's ascension to the throne had nothing to do with her, and she was even a stumbling block to her ascension to the throne at one point.

If Queen Mother Wang or Empress Chang started to oppose her, her status as a grandmother would be greatly undermined, and the emperor, who was watching the fight from the sidelines, might give her a sharp blow at any time.

Just at this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps broke the silence of the main hall, and a eunuch stumbled in with a look of panic on his face.

what?
When the palace maids present saw Wu Shen with a bruised face and nose, they were so surprised that they couldn't close their mouths.

The most favored eunuch in Qingning Palace just went out and ended up in such a mess.

Wu Shen just opened his mouth and found that two of his front teeth had fallen out. He said, "Grand Empress Dowager, I am incompetent and failed to bring Song Cheng here!"

"What's going on?" Empress Dowager Zhou's face immediately darkened and her voice suddenly became louder.

Wu Shen immediately told the whole story with exaggeration. Originally, he went to Donghua Gate to intercept the Minister of Justice Song Cheng, but Eunuch Li, who had received the same imperial decree, relied on his large number of people and directly dragged him to a small dark room next to the palace gate and beat him up.

Although he had long realized that his status in the palace had declined, he had never imagined that it had declined so severely. He was beaten like this when he tried to intercept someone forcefully.

Fortunately, just now, he took advantage of the guards' laxity and had the opportunity to run back.

With a "bang", the teacup in Empress Dowager Zhou's hand suddenly fell to the ground, and tea and tea leaves splashed everywhere.

Her face instantly turned livid, her eyes flashing with anger and unwillingness: "You have to look at the owner before you beat a dog! She doesn't know how to respect the elderly. Doesn't she want to be the queen mother anymore?"

This……

As soon as these words were spoken, Wu Shen lowered his head silently.

Since ancient times, we have heard of deposing the queen, but we have never heard of deposing the empress dowager.

What's more, the emperor has the final say on this matter, and the conflict between her and the Empress Dowager can only be regarded as a discord between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

"Damn it! Damn it!"

There was an almost crazy stubbornness in the voice of Empress Dowager Zhou, as if she was a dragon whose reverse scales had been touched, and her whole body became ferocious.

At this moment, the atmosphere in Guanju Palace suddenly became depressing, and all the palace people were silent, for fear of accidentally angering the empress dowager who was in a rage.

Empress Dowager Zhou glared at Wu Shen who was kneeling on the ground, and immediately ordered: "Go, call the emperor here immediately, I want to see what he says!"

But after he finished speaking, Wu Shen did not move.

Before Empress Dowager Zhou could get angry, Wu Shen explained with a bitter face: "Your Highness, I am not allowed to set foot in the West Garden, let alone the Inner Palace!"

In fact, Empress Dowager Zhou lived a life of luxury, but she was unaware that the situation in the harem had already changed.

The status of the palace maids in Qingning Palace had already declined sharply. If they were to stay in the eastern area of ​​the outer court, it would be fine. But once a conflict came up with the empress dowager and the queen, they would be unable to move forward.

Now there are fewer and fewer people who are truly loyal to the Grand Empress Dowager. On the contrary, the Qingning Palace is already full of spies of the Empress Dowager and the Queen, and their every move has long been controlled. Wu Shen may still have some power in the Qingning Palace, but when he goes to other places, he is bullied everywhere, and his life is getting harder and harder.

"Damn it! I should have killed him and his mother together!" Empress Dowager Zhou slumped down in her seat in a daze, her hands clenched tightly.

She originally thought that as long as she insisted on eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures every day, the gods would be on her side, but now she realized that her situation was far worse than she had imagined.

Beijing City, Jintaifang.

A group of Jinyiwei dressed in bright Feiyu uniforms and carrying embroidered spring swords on their waists appeared on the street like wolves and tigers. They walked hurriedly with serious expressions on their faces.

"What happened?"

"The Northern Guard has been dispatched. Looks like someone is going to be in trouble!"

"It's been a long time since I've seen Jinyiwei doing their work during the day. This is a very serious matter!"

……

When the people on both sides of the street saw this team, they gave way and did not dare to be negligent. However, they knew that where the Jinyiwei appeared, something important must have happened.

For a moment, the originally bustling streets became silent, with only the footsteps of the Jinyiwei echoing in the air.

Just as people around were speculating, this team of Jinyiwei rushed straight to the He family, which was a well-known family in Jintaifang.

"What are you doing? Do you know whose mansion this is?"

"Go away!"

The doorman still seemed very arrogant when facing the Jinyiwei who came to his door, but the Jinyiwei captain in front of him didn't waste any time talking to him. He walked up and kicked the doorman to the ground.

He Yunfeng, the head of the He family, rushed over after hearing the news. Seeing the gatekeeper being kicked to the ground, his face suddenly darkened: "Under the feet of the emperor, even the Jinyiwei can't force their way into the mansion like this, right?"

"The Northern Pacification Office is carrying out its mission under the order of the emperor. Even if it is the royal palace, they will investigate it. What do you think of the He family?" said Mou Bin, the deputy director of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, wearing a Qilin costume and with eyes as sharp as an eagle.

He Yunfeng's face became even gloomier, so he threatened with a half-smile: "Aren't you afraid that this matter will be reported to the Empress Dowager?"

Snapped!
Mou Bin stepped forward and gave him a loud slap in the face.

He Yunfeng's fair and plump face was slapped particularly loudly, a bloody tooth flew out of his mouth, and the whole person spun around and fell to the ground.

"Are you stupid or dumb? I am the emperor's personal soldier, and you are talking to me about the Empress Dowager. You really can't tell the difference between the big and small princes!" Mou Bin lectured him before he could say anything, and then waved his hand: "Search!"

Ever since he was demoted, the emperor was his heaven, and the so-called Empress Dowager was nothing more than a piece of dirt.

The Jinyiwei seemed to be well-trained in controlling the He family. They then listed He Yunfeng's study and master bedroom as key search areas and soon found a secret compartment.

"Sir He, how do you explain these letters?" Mou Bin asked with a smile after receiving the letters.

He Yunfeng took a deep breath and tried to stay calm: "Master Mou, these are just some ordinary correspondence, what can it prove?"

"An ordinary letter? I'd like to see if you can still be so stubborn when you get to the Northern Pacification Office." Mou Bin put the letter away, waved his hand and turned to leave.

Originally, he was not a person who liked to use torture, but as he handled more and more cases, he realized that even the most righteous gentlemen were actually doing some shady things.

Now that the evidence is solid, he wants to see how long this man can hold out, whether he will be beaten to death by him or confess honestly.

Forbidden City, Kunning Palace.

Song Cheng, the Minister of Justice, knew that his wife was close to the Queen. Now seeing his wife appear in front of Kunning Gate, he knew that this was the result of the Queen's deliberate arrangement.

However, he was handling the case on imperial orders, so it was naturally impossible for him to be partial or corrupt, and he had no idea what the Queen was up to.

"Sir Song, Madam Song, please follow me in to meet the Queen!" An elderly eunuch appeared here and spoke very gently.

Song Cheng followed Yun Niang into the magnificent Kunning Palace. In fact, it was his first time here, and he didn't dare to look around.

When Empress Chang saw Song Cheng and Yun Niang coming in to greet her, she smiled and said, "Sir Song, your face is so dark and Yun Niang is so pretty. I didn't expect that you two would look like a couple standing together!"

"Thank you, Her Majesty, for the praise!" Song Cheng was slightly stunned at first, and then said seriously.

Yunniang's relationship with Chang Yourong is deeper than outsiders guessed. She said with resentment, "Empress, if you knew that you had such bad intentions in summoning me to the palace, I would find an excuse to refuse no matter what I said!"

cough!
When Song Cheng heard his wife's remarks, he immediately coughed to remind her.

"Yun Niang, you have misunderstood me! I asked you to come in because I wanted to reminisce about the past, but you and your wife do look like a couple standing together. How dare you say this to His Majesty?" Empress Chang and Yun Niang were like sisters, so she explained patiently.

The old maid standing next to them also chimed in, "Madam Song, I think you two look like a perfect couple, this is not something the Queen made up!"

"Thank you for the praise, Your Majesty!" Yun Niang felt very happy and expressed her gratitude.

Song Cheng did not forget his mission, so he took the initiative to speak: "Empress, I am here on the orders of His Majesty to investigate the Qianqing Gate and Qingning Gate arson cases. If you have nothing else to do, I beg you to come to the scene immediately to investigate!"

Seeing her husband so anxious, Yunniang secretly reached out and tugged at Song Cheng's clothes.

Song Cheng was unmoved. Now he just wanted to get to the crime scene as soon as possible to investigate instead of dwelling on the boring topic of whether he and his wife looked like a couple.

Although he could see that his wife had a good relationship with the Queen, if the case involved the Queen, he would definitely report the matter truthfully to the Emperor.

"Yun Niang said that you have no sense of humor, but now it seems that she is not wronged!" Empress Chang said lightly, and then clapped her hands: "Since Lord Song is eager to solve the case, then bring the person in!"

As applause broke out, a woman who had been tortured was brought in.

The maid in charge of the Ministry of Discipline was a capable middle-aged woman. She reported expressionlessly, "Your Majesty, this woman has confessed everything. She was the one who planned the fire at the Qianqing Gate."

what?
Song Cheng's mouth slightly opened. He had not even arrived at the crime scene when he was ordered to investigate the case, but he did not expect that the arson case had already been solved. (End of this chapter)