Shengshichun

Chapter 367 King Yan
The young and old of the Pei family were waiting for the queen outside the courtyard.

The queen looked at them, took a deep breath and said, "Is it because of King Yan that you really persuaded me to come here?"

Fu Zhen pursed his lips and looked at the ground, and then said with shame: "This matter concerns His Highness and His Highness King Yan. I dare not act rashly, so I had to make this decision."

Pei Yu and his wife also helped to say good things: "She is really young and ignorant, please forgive her."

The queen sighed deeply: "I don't blame her." After saying that, she looked at Fuzhen: "Since you know this matter best, you can follow me back to the palace now."

Pei Yu was puzzled: "It's getting late now, but my Majesty still has a decree to issue? Why don't you stay for a dinner and then meet His Highness again? We should get together more often."

The queen said: "Don't be nagging. If I ask this girl to follow me into the palace, I won't miss a hair of hers."

Pei Yu quickly said yes.

The Queen added: "Yi'er is willing to go back to live in Wanbin Tower, that's fine. It's not convenient for me to leave many people to follow him. You first send someone for me to take charge of his safety. I have just told him that he will not leave for the time being. I will leave Beijing and agree that I will look for a residence tomorrow. I will not bother the second master about this matter. You will help him to complete it.

"I know that although he promised me to stay, I can't be sure what the future will be like. I'm just trying my best to retain him.

"Zhen'er already knows his past very clearly. I hope you will obey his wishes and not expose him without his consent, let alone mention it to the emperor. As long as he is safe and well, I will feel at ease. "

Pei Yu, his wife and Fu Zhen all knelt down to receive the order.

The queen took a long breath, turned around and looked at Yang Yi standing in the silent courtyard behind her, and left with tears in her eyes.

The queen came out in a carriage. After Fu Zhen followed her into the carriage, she was silent for a moment, then turned to tell the middle-aged guard who came out of the carriage: "Xiao Yun, do you remember He Zhao and Chen Song?"

Xiao Yun nodded: "I remember."

The queen said: "He Zhao is right here. You stay, go find him, and then - stay and work with him."

Xiao Yun's calm face showed shock. He stared at her for a moment, and when she waved "Go ahead", he accepted the order and quickly entered the Pei Mansion.

After seeing all this, Fu Zhen looked back and said, "Congratulations to your Majesty that your long-cherished wish has been fulfilled and that you will reunite with His Highness. Your Majesty's heartache will be gone. May everything go well from now on."

The queen took a deep breath and did not reply, but her peaceful face clearly agreed with these words.

Fu Zhen added: "Commander Xiao is the first-class general beside the queen. The queen is really well-intentioned."

She didn't know why the queen was bringing her into the palace at such a late hour. She didn't dare to ask questions, so she could only talk a few words to resolve the boredom.

The queen lowered the car curtain, and the dim light of the night pearl dimly shone in her eyes: "Didn't you mean to make me feel ashamed by your words?
"If he follows the army all the way to Beijing, even if he is not the prince, he will make great achievements and enjoy great glory.

"That incident caused me to have no choice but to obey him and hide among the people. He wasted more than twenty years in vain. In order not to arouse suspicion, I could only leave Xiao Yun alone to go to him on my behalf." Protecting him, what kind of good intentions is this?"

Fu Zhen couldn't see her blaming herself so much, so he tried to persuade her a few more words, but when he saw that her back was straight and she was back to the energetic look she had been a few years ago, he knew that she was really seeing her biological son. , the energy and spirit have also recovered. So even if you blame yourself, it doesn't matter. Besides, anyone who hears about Yang Yi's experience will feel sorry for him. How can a mother not blame herself?
Then he stopped talking.

After the carriage walked for a while, she suddenly looked at the queen again.

The queen was in a trance at the moment, but she seemed to have recovered from the sadness of meeting Yang Yi. There was a solemn look on her face.

"Just say what you want to say. I have something to say after I finish speaking." The queen did not look at her, but noticed her expression. At this time, she lowered her eyes and rested her left elbow lightly on the Kang table next to her.

Fu Zhen said casually: "I do have something I would like to ask your Majesty to tell you. Your Highness has respected my mother as my sister since she came that day, so I also called Your Highness uncle. But earlier, I heard that Your Highness also called me uncle." My father-in-law is "uncle", and my father-in-law and Prince Rong did talk about being of the same generation. In this way, His Highness is definitely the same generation as Minzhi. This generational relationship is messed up. How can I call His Highness "Mizhi" in the future? good?"

The queen contemplated deeply and said, "If he is willing to enter the palace and become a prince, there will be no need to discuss seniority with you."

"that is."

"He has called your father-in-law uncle since he was a child. It's hard to change that."

Fu Zhen said: "My mother also feels that she cannot be called the eldest sister of His Highness, so why not——"

"Why not, let him call your mother his aunt." Before Fu Zhen could finish speaking, the queen revealed her decision, "Your grandfather, Mr. Ning, was the one who saved his life. He should be two generations younger. He is called the same generation as your younger brother."

Fu Zhen was stunned: So she and Yang Yi are equal?
This solved the seniority issue, but didn't she also take advantage?

"Isn't this appropriate?"

"That's it."

The Queen made the final decision.

Fu Zhen naturally couldn't say anything more.

Thinking that the Queen just said that she also had something to say, she took advantage of the situation and said, "I wonder what your Majesty's orders are when I announce that my wife has entered the palace?"

The queen's expression became serious, and she looked ahead for a moment: "I will go see King Yan later. You can come with me and wait outside the door."

Fu Zhen's heart skipped a beat. In fact, after all that happened today, she estimated that the Queen would confront King Yan next.

This matter is beyond everyone's expectations. It's okay for the deposed prince to struggle. After all, he has a throne to inherit, and it has already begun to spread. If Yang Yi returns to the palace to seize the throne, then the deposed prince will lose if he loses. Dropped a lot of people.

The King of Yan is a sick child. If the emperor has other choices, he will not choose him as the prince. Moreover, he is not married yet, and he is not even sure whether he will be able to give birth to an heir in the future. In this case, he can welcome back Yang Yi. Big brother, it is the most appropriate thing for you to be his idle prince with peace of mind, and with Yang Yi’s character, he will never be able to tolerate even a sick brother. It can be said that if Yang Yi is in charge of the country, he can only be good to King Yan. harmless.

And he was still stirring up trouble in front of Yang Yi and instigating Yang Yi's trust in the queen. Although it only delayed him for seven years, if it hadn't been for him, what if Yang Yi had already come to Beijing to find Mrs. Ning?
In short, letting the queen expose King Yan face to face was also an important purpose of Fu Zhen's move.

But she didn't expect that the queen would drag her into the palace. At this moment, was it appropriate for her to be an outsider present?

After thinking for a moment, she asked: "Does the empress want me to confront His Highness Prince Yan?"

"If I want to confront him, why should I go to you? Wouldn't it be better to let Yi'er meet him directly?" When the queen said this, her eyes became cold, "Of course Yi'er won't do it, he disdains it. But he No matter how disdainful he is, I have to make things clear, otherwise I won’t have the confidence to see him again.”

At this point, the queen pursed her lips.

Fu Zhen was seriously doubtful, but it was hard to ask further.

The carriage quickly drove into the palace, and the soft sedan parked inside the palace gate took the two of them directly into Kunning Palace.

King Yan's palace is on the east road. After taking a short rest in Kunning Palace, the queen took Fu Zhen out of the palace through a small door and along the corridor to the outside of King Yan's palace.

It was already dark at this time. Most of the lights in the palace had been put out.

But the lights were still on in Prince Yan's palace.

Inside the ajar door of the palace, the flower windows are slightly open, the autumn breeze blows gently, the curtains are fluttering, King Yan is leaning on the brocade couch with his hair loose, holding a volume of poetry in his hand, but his eyes But he stared blankly at the ground. The eunuch walked in lightly carrying a bowl of soup. After taking a look at him, he gently placed it on the kang table next to him.

"Your Highness, it's time to take medicine."

King Yan did not move, so the eunuch urged him again.

He then put down the book, stretched his long-bent fingers, and stretched them over the charcoal pot in front of him to warm them.

"Mother, why did you go to bed so early tonight?"

The eunuch lowered his head and said, "It is said that the empress has been in poor spirits these past two days, so she went to bed early."

"Then why has she been in low spirits these past two days?"

The eunuch was asked.

King Yan withdrew his gaze from his face, looked at the ground again and said, "I heard that Pei Zhan's wife has been entering the palace frequently in the past two days, as if there is something going on with the queen mother."

The eunuch said, "General Pingxi's wife has indeed visited the palace more frequently in the past two days. However, the empress seems to like her quite a lot. Maybe she was just sent to the palace to talk to relieve her boredom."

"But in the legend, Pei Zhan's wife doesn't sound like someone who only relieves boredom." King Yan's eyes were dark, and his green face was slightly absent-minded, "I always feel that there is something else going on between them. ”

The eunuch thought about it after hearing this, and responded after a moment: "Even if there is something else, it's nothing. The Pei family has a high position, and now is the time when the court relies on them, so there will always be more contacts."

"But, Mrs. General Pingxi, she is Ning Bochi's granddaughter." King Yan raised his head slightly, "The eldest brother is in the capital right now. Seven years ago, he was going to the capital to see Mrs. Ning. Do you think he will go to the capital this time? Will you go find Mrs. Ning?"

The eunuch obviously couldn't answer.

King Yan sat up and took in a breath of air as he stood up. He covered his chest and coughed. After the asthma subsided, he said: "When did my father decree that I should be the heir apparent? My second brother has already been killed two or three times." It’s been months, and my father’s health is not very good, so there is no reason for him to drag it down.”

The eunuch stepped forward and gently helped him along his back: "It should be soon. I heard that the Ministry of Rites has been working on this matter. Your Highness hates the Emperor and Empress deeply and will not return to the palace. Prince The position will only be yours, Your Highness.”

"But if it continues like this, I don't know if I can wait any longer."

"Your Highness, please never say such depressing words!"

"Isn't it like this whether you say it or not? It's not like I can live a few more years if I don't say it."

"Your Highness!"

The eunuch choked up.

"Your Highness!"

At this time, the palace servant's voice came from outside.

"Your Highness, the Queen has arrived."

King Yan looked up at the door, then he stood up, walked a few steps forward, and reached out to open the door.

The palace attendant who reported the report was standing at the door, and behind him, the queen was walking in from outside the palace door.

"Mother!"

King Yan crossed the threshold.

The queen stopped in front of him, looked at his face for a while, and then said: "Why are you still not asleep? Have you taken the medicine?"

"It's still hanging there to dry, and I haven't drunk it yet."

The queen withdrew her gaze and walked in. She looked around the room first, then looked back and signaled to the eunuch she had brought over: "Wait at the door."

The eunuch nodded and closed the door.

At this time, Fu Zhen also walked in from the door accompanied by the maid beside the queen.

When King Yan's eunuch saw this, he couldn't help being surprised: "You——"

"This is your Majesty's will. Go down."

The queen's eunuch interrupted him decisively and pointed at him coldly.

The latter suppressed his doubts and bowed down.

The queen's eunuch leaned over and gestured to Fu Zhen, giving her the seat under the door.

Inside the tightly closed palace door, the queen was already sitting on the brocade couch where King Yan had previously sat. She glanced at King Yan and pointed to the end of the kang table: "Sit down."

After he sat down, the queen pushed the dried medicine to him: "Drink the medicine first."

King Yan obediently picked up the medicine bowl, tilted his neck and drank it. Then he grinned at the queen, raised his sleeves to wipe his mouth, and placed the empty bowl on the table.

The queen was sitting against the light, her eyes hard to see clearly.

"I remember when you took medicine when you were a child, you always cried and refused to take it. You couldn't bear the pain at all. After many years, you got used to it."

King Yan nodded slightly: "I have been drinking it for more than ten years, and no matter how bitter the medicine is, it is no longer bitter. As long as I can keep this body and bones and be able to serve as a filial piety under the mother's knees for a few more years, I will be a blessing to my son."

The Queen looked away and said slowly: "Among the Emperor's three princes, your life is actually the best.

"When the second child was born, the country had just been established. There were still many evils in the northwest, southwest and Lingnan that had not been eliminated. We were all busy with government affairs, and the national treasury was very empty. In fact, when he was a child, his treatment was no different from that of the ministers' children.

"Not to mention the boss. When I was pregnant with him, I was running around here and there. Taking advantage of my youth and big belly, I stayed up all night to sew for the soldiers. At that time, there were not enough soldiers and horses. I had to rely on myself a lot. The day I gave birth to him. In the morning, I also cooked for everyone together with the families of my generals.

"At that time, the emperor's army was only an inconspicuous force in the south and lacked funding. When I was young, I often followed the adults to eat and drink.

"Later, the emperor became famous, and many people defected to him. He also received a lot of funding, and finally no longer had to starve. At that time, he had to learn how to use the army from his father. Shi Chang was injured here and there.

"Only you," the queen said, looking at King Yan, "when you were born, the world was peaceful. In those years, the weather was good and the harvests everywhere were good.

"The harem is full, prosperous from top to bottom, and civil and military officials govern harmoniously. They all have the time and energy to teach you your talents."