Jinghong Tower

Chapter 347 The Last Min Lan
There is a small building in the imperial garden, where the Empress Dowager Min Lan lived.

After experiencing the assassination and the wind disease, Min Lan is still alive.

She must live, the emperor wants to use her to demonstrate his filial piety.

The emperor couldn't remember when he last saw Min Lan.

It seemed like it was when Min Man was abandoned.

It seems like that was a long, long time ago.

It has been so long that the emperor has almost forgotten about Min Man.

When the emperor was still a prince, he had never met Minlan.

At that time, Min Lan lived in the Forbidden Palace, and he just knew that there was such a person.

Later, he was adopted by King Zhao. Although he was still a child at that time, he knew that he would never have the chance to sit on the throne again.

He wasn't sad, but he wasn't in a good mood either.

He wandered aimlessly in the palace and accidentally came to the Forbidden Palace.

Seeing the dilapidated palace, he was curious and climbed up to the top of the wall.

But as soon as he climbed up, he was discovered by the guards and brought before his father. The emperor was obviously very angry, but perhaps because he had been adopted out, the father did not scold him. Instead, he told him a story.

In the story, there is a woman named He Jinghong, who helped Taizu become emperor and made great contributions.

There is also a stupid woman named Min Lan in the story. She wanted to kill He Jinghong, but lost her brother's life for it, and she was also imprisoned in the cold palace by Taizu.

When my father talked about Min Lan, there was mockery in his eyes.

When the emperor thought of these past events, a sneer appeared on his lips.

Maybe it was God's will. After many years, Min Lan finally walked out of the cold palace.

Everything Min Lan did after she came out fully proved that some people's stupidity will not decrease with age, but will become worse.

It was because of Min Lan's stupidity that he, a prince who originally had no chance of becoming emperor, was able to sit on the throne.

The emperor smiled, and he suddenly wanted to meet Min Lan.

The emperor walked into the small building where Minlan lived.

Jinling is humid and rainy, especially for small buildings like this one built in gardens. The downstairs is extremely humid and is generally not used for living.

The stairs of the small building were narrow, only wide enough for one person to walk. Min Lan had been paralyzed in bed since she had a stroke, and it was inconvenient to move up and down the stairs, so she lived downstairs. She lived here even during the rainy season every year.

It is March now. Although the plum rain season has not yet arrived, the rain is continuous and the air is humid.

As soon as Eunuch Xia opened the door, a disgusting stench hit him in the face. Eunuch Xia quickly took out a handkerchief and handed it to the emperor. The emperor covered his nose, but still couldn't help wanting to vomit.

The walls were moldy and there were yellow urine stains on the quilt. The emperor had lived a life of luxury since childhood, but this was the first time he had seen such a scene. He stopped and retched.

The two palace maids who served Minlan were both gone, and no one knew where they had gone to be lazy.

Min Lan was lying on the bed, so thin that her bones were visible. At first glance, she looked like a skeleton, with only sparse white hair on her head. Her skin was gray and dead, her expression was hideous, and her cloudy eyes were full of bloodshot.

The emperor couldn't believe his eyes. This was actually Min Lan?
Even Eunuch Xia was shocked. He guessed that people in the palace would flatter and humble herself and would not serve her wholeheartedly, but he did not expect Min Lan's situation to be so miserable.

If a family raised a dog like this, they would be accused of being cruel.

What's more, this is not a dog, but a human. What's even more ridiculous is that she is not only a human, but also the most noble woman in the world.

The Empress Dowager!

Min Lan recognized the emperor. She stretched out her skinny hand and grabbed the emperor. The emperor stepped back in fear. Although he knew that Min Lan was lying in bed and couldn't get up, he still shouted loudly: "Don't come over here, don't come over here!"

Min Lan looked at him and suddenly smiled.

She grinned, revealing her dark purple gums; all her teeth had fallen out.

The emperor retched again.

Min Lan stared at him with a pair of bloodshot eyes, her eyes fierce: "You evil creature, you bastard, you bastard!"

The emperor still remembered that Min Lan had slurred speech after suffering a stroke, but he did not expect that her speech was gradually getting better now. Min Lan spoke the words just now very clearly.

Hearing that Min Lan actually called the emperor a bastard, Eunuch Xia shouted, "Grand Empress Dowager, stop talking nonsense!"

Min Lan sneered: "Zhou Wei is the bastard offspring of that beast Zhou Wen, so who can you be? You are just a little bastard born of a big bastard! All of Zhou Wei's sons are bastards, haha, you all are!"

The emperor's face changed drastically!

Zhou Wei is his father, Emperor Taizong!

Although the name Zhou Wen had not been mentioned for decades, the emperor knew who he was.

Zhou Wen is the brother of Taizu Zhou Chi!
Before he established his dynasty, Zhou Wen died. He was sentenced to death by slicing according to Taizu's military law.

But is Min Lan crazy?

As the biological mother, didn’t she know how many sons Taizu had?
Yes, she must be crazy!

The emperor felt that he should not come to this smelly and dirty place. Why should he come to visit a madman?
"Old Xia, go back to the palace!"

The emperor turned around and wanted to leave, but Min Lan didn't want him to go.

She had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, but the emperor never came. She asked the palace maids who served her to call the emperor over, but the two bitches not only refused, but also mocked and laughed at her.

If she let the emperor go this time, she would have no chance.

"Zhou Wei is not Zhou Chi's son, he is Zhou Wen's posthumous son, a bastard!
By the way, Zhou Wen is not Zhou Chi’s biological brother. He is the bastard offspring of Madam Di and Zhou Tongsheng. They are all bastards.

You guys are lowly from the root!

Hahahaha, bastards, all of you bastards!"

The emperor felt a chill down his spine, his body began to tremble uncontrollably, and his teeth chattered.

The names that Min Lan mentioned are from a long time ago and have long been forgotten by the world.

However, the emperor knew it, as he was very familiar with Taizu's past.

Zhou Tong is Taizu's uncle. Although Zhou Tong hunted down the young Taizu, he was very protective of Madam Di and Zhou Wen. Before Taizu returned to Zhoujiabao, Madam Di and Zhou Wen lived under Zhou Tong's protection.

When the emperor looked back on this history, he was also puzzled as to why Zhou Tong did not kill them all.

Only the eldest son was killed, but the second son was not killed.

And he also spoiled Zhou Wen into a playboy!
However, as descendants, they cannot question this. Therefore, the emperor has always believed that this was just Zhou Tong's kindness. He even laughed at Zhou Tong's stupidity.

But now think about it, if Zhou Wen is the product of the affair between Zhou Tong and Madam Di, then everything can be explained.

That’s fine, but why is Zhou Wei Zhou Wen’s son?
Min Lan on the bed was still gritting her teeth: "Bastards, all of you are bastards!"

The emperor turned around abruptly and glared at Min Lan: "Tell me again, whose son is my father?" Min Lan showed a weird smile on her face: "Zhou Wen raped a commoner woman and was cut into pieces by Zhou Chi! Madam Di, that old bitch, felt sorry for her illegitimate son, so she found a pregnant woman among the women who were abused by Zhou Wen, and the bastard born by that woman is Zhou Wei!
In order to leave this bastard for her illegitimate son, Mrs. Di put a knife to Zhou Chi's neck and forced him to raise this bastard under her knees. In order to make this bastard legitimate, she also found a cheap mother for him!

It's ridiculous that the woman was posthumously named queen, hahahaha!"

The emperor stared at Min Lan in disbelief: "Impossible, you are lying, you are crazy, yes, you are crazy!"

At this moment, Min Lan's thoughts were extremely clear: "Guess why Zhou Wei was so anxious to kill Zhou Chi that he didn't even want to wait for a day?

Because as long as Zhou Chi is alive, he will not be allowed to succeed to the throne.

Mrs. Di felt sorry for her illegitimate son who would have no descendants after his death, so she would definitely leave someone to take care of him, and tell him about his life story when Zhou Wei grew up.

That bastard Zhou Wei has been scheming since he was a child. He knew that he could never become emperor, so he killed Zhou Chi and Zhou Tong. Not only did he become emperor himself, he also passed the throne to you little bastards!
Fortunately, God has a good vision. You bastards are all short-lived. Your brother is a short-lived ghost, and so are you!"

The emperor's eyes were red with rage. He pointed at Min Lan and shouted to Eunuch Xia, "Cover her mouth. No, strangle her to death. Strangle her to death. Don't let her say anything more. Strangle her to death. Quick, quick!"

Eunuch Xia felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave. Oh my God, what did he hear?
Eunuch Xia felt as if a knife was hanging over his head. If he heard just one word of this secret, he would be dead. Moreover, he heard the whole thing!

The emperor saw him in a daze and kicked him: "Strangle her to death, quickly!"

The emperor was skilled in martial arts, and he used about 70% of his strength in this kick. Eunuch Xia staggered and fell on the bed.

The stench instantly filled into Eunuch Xia's nostrils. He vomited with a "wow" sound, but his mind became clear.

He covered Min Lan's mouth with one hand and tightly strangled Min Lan's neck with the other hand.

The ghostly voice finally disappeared, and the air around them seemed to be still. In fact, it was only a moment, but it seemed like a very long time had passed.

The emperor's eyes were red, his mouth was open, and he was breathing heavily, like a fish off the shore.

Eunuch Xia finally loosened his hand. It was clearly just an old woman who couldn't move, but he seemed to have used up all his strength.

He understood the emperor's character and knew that he would not survive after this.

The emperor may not kill him for a while, after all, he is still useful, but this time will not be long.

Eunuch Xia gritted his teeth, walked up to the emperor, and said tearfully, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has passed away! Please mourn for her!"

The emperor closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down: "Let someone collect the body first."

After all, anyone with a little common sense can see how Min Lan died.

"I'll leave this to this old servant, Your Majesty."

Before Eunuch Xia could finish his words, the emperor sighed and said, "I am tired."

The emperor had no one to serve him and walked back to his bedroom alone.

Min Lan was buried hastily, and the emperor issued an edict that this was a special period and the funeral should be frugal.

Even though she was the Empress Dowager, only members of the royal family in Nanjing were allowed to come to her funeral to pay their respects, and the coffin was kept for three days before being carried out.

There is no imperial mausoleum in Jinling. Of course, if Minlan died in the capital, she would still be buried with Taizu.

After all, Taizu did not depose her from the throne, so the succeeding emperors were not qualified to depose her.

Minlan was Taizu's empress until her death.

Everyone knows that she was disliked by Taizu.

Min Lan was hastily buried on a small hill behind Kaiyuan Temple, and the emperor did not even give her a posthumous title.

He Ran was still on the march, and the news of Min Lan's death had not yet reached her ears.

But Zhong Yi soon found out.

After all, he is a member of the Imperial Guard.

Zhong Yi frowned slightly, and a hint of disgust flashed in his eyes.

Fortunately, Min Lan died in Jinling, otherwise, if she was buried with Zhou Chi, Zhong Yi felt that he might blow up the imperial mausoleum.

Originally, Zhong Yi had forgotten about Min Lan, but Min Lan's death made him remember many things again.

He Mingyue was very confused. What happened to Commander Zhong?
In He Mingyue's impression, Commander Zhong is calm and reserved, and his emotions never show on his face, so no one knows what he is thinking.

But today, although Commander Zhong still had a blank expression on his face, anyone who was not blind could see that he was feeling lonely at this moment, just like an old man in his twilight years, reminiscing about the merits and demerits of his life.

He Mingyue took off the wine bag hanging around her waist and handed it to Zhong Yi: "Take a sip."

Zhong Yi frowned, but still took it.

He Jinghong loves wine like his life, and He Ran loves wine as well. There are many wine lovers in the former He family army and the current Ran army, but because of military discipline, they dare not drink too much.

Zhong Yi pulled out the cork, tilted his head back and took a sip.

It is cold when you enter the mouth and spicy when you hit the throat. The collision of ice and fire is complex and warm.

Zhong Yi shook his head.

He Jinghong said that children should not drink alcohol or they would become fools. He did not believe it and often secretly drank He Jinghong's wine.

Once, he got drunk and passed out. When he woke up, he was discovered by He Jinghong, who beat him up.

Strangely enough, after being beaten, he never craved for alcohol again.

Later, when he grew up, He Jinghong asked him to drink with her, but he would only drink one glass at most.

He couldn't understand what was so good about the wine and why He Jinghong liked it so much.

Zhong Yi took another sip. He didn’t know what kind of wine it was, but he actually felt refreshed after drinking it.

Zhongyi was drinking and thinking of many things.

He recalled his wedding night with Min Lan, but he refused to go back to the bridal chamber and instead dragged the guests to drink. Well, he got drunk that day and was unconscious. When he woke up, he was lying on the bed in the bridal chamber, and Min Lan was looking at him with resentment on her face.

Why did he get himself drunk that night?
It was a memory too distant for him to recall.

It seemed that it was because Madam Di forced him to marry Min Lan. In order to survive in the chaotic times, the Min family gave half of their wealth to Min Lan as a dowry. Although those things were dowries in name, they did not belong to Min Lan, but all became Madam Di's private property.

Thinking of Mrs. Di, Zhong Yi took another sip of wine.

He shook his head. Most of the decisions he regretted most in his previous life were because of Mrs. Di.

Tears flowed down his cheeks. Zhong Yi took another sip of wine. Tears mixed with wine flowed into his mouth and into his heart.

Zhong Yi turned around and saw He Mingyue standing behind him.

"The boss said that I did a good job as the commander of the Royal Guards."

He Mingyue didn't understand why, and nodded subconsciously: "You are the best Jinyiwei commander."

Zhong Yi let out a long breath: "You see, I didn't know what I was suitable for until this life. I didn't know it before."