Ming Dynasty: At the beginning, the house was ransacked and the ancestral temple was burned down.

Chapter 218: Conspiracy to murder the crown prince! Wanli becomes suspicious!
Zheng Mengjing was really about to be pissed off to death by Zhang Chonghui.

But it’s more about being scared than being angry.

After all, it was Liu Ruyi and Concubine Qi, and even the traditions of the Zhu family such as Emperor Chengzu and Emperor Jianwen were brought out. For the women in the deep palace who are familiar with the temperament of the current emperor, it would be a lie to say that they are not afraid.

"My Lady, please stop hitting me. It hurts."

Zhang Chonghui pretended to retreat, but the more obedient he acted, the more Zheng Mengjing beat him.

"It hurts?" Zheng Mengjing scolded, "You also know it hurts? You deserve it to die of pain!"

"That won't do." Zhang Chonghui suddenly grabbed Zheng Mengjing's fist and said:

"If I die of pain, who will help you become the Empress Dowager?"

"You... are so insolent!" Zheng Mengjing quickly pulled his hand back, took a few steps back, and then continued to curse incoherently:

"You, you, you! How dare you touch me! I am the emperor's woman! You! Are you looking for death!"

"Oh." Zhang Chonghui ignored the threat and asked, "Do you still want to be the empress dowager?"

Of course Zheng Mengjing wanted to be the queen mother. She thought about it in her dreams, but she didn't dare to say it out loud. Besides, she didn't know what the intentions of the man in front of her were.

After hesitating for a moment, Zheng Mengjing asked Zhang Chonghui a question: "Why do you want to help me?"

Zheng Mengjing knows very well that there is no good thing in the world without any benefit, and raising a son is also for preparing for old age!

This man is either after money, profit, or...

The imperial concubine, who was able to bewitch the emperor, was very confident in her beauty.

However, Zhang Chonghui's answer was...

"Because I offended the prince." Zhang Chonghui explained without hesitation:

"Do you know why I always make excuses and refuse to go to the East Palace?"

Zheng Mengjing: "Why?"

"To be honest," Zhang Chonghui replied clearly, "Because I have a crush on a maidservant beside His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Ah...ah?" Zheng Mengjing was stunned...

This... is this something that can be said?
"My Lady, you know that men are all lustful." Zhang Chonghui started to make up a story:

"There is a very beautiful maidservant beside His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Everyone loves beauty, so I couldn't help but look at the maid a few more times and even talked to her.

As a result, this scene happened to be seen by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and he began to be dissatisfied with me. He even ridiculed me openly and secretly that I was sent by the Emperor to monitor him. "

Zheng Mengjing was also completely stunned. She didn't expect Zhang Chonghui to be so "honest" and dare to tell her everything!

At this point, the imperial concubine, who was cunning but not very smart, couldn't help but ask Zhang Chonghui a somewhat irrelevant question:

"How beautiful can that maid be?"

Zhang Chonghui was stunned for a moment when he heard this question, but then he understood the woman's strange thoughts, so he replied:
"She is not as beautiful as you, the Imperial Concubine, but even with that appearance, to me, she is already very beautiful."

Invisible flattery is the most deadly. No woman... No! Even men can't resist praise for their appearance!

Right, Daniel?
After hearing this, Zheng Mengjing raised his chin unconsciously, and the curve of his mouth corners was difficult to suppress, and even his tone softened unconsciously:

"You're so funny. I'm already an old lady, how can I compare to a young and beautiful girl?"

Zhang Chonghui knew very well that any woman who said such words was equivalent to saying: "Ah, hurry up! Keep going! Don't stop!"

"Your Highness, this is wrong. Women of your age are just blooming and are at their most beautiful and charming."

Zheng Mengjing naturally knew that Zhang Chonghui was just teasing her, but she just loved to hear such praise.

After all, she hadn't heard a man praise her like this for a long time, not even her emperor husband.

"Okay, let's get down to business." Zheng Mengjing straightened his face and asked, "You said you offended the crown prince, so you won't go to the East Palace. Does the emperor know about this?"

"Of course the emperor doesn't know." Zhang Chonghui suddenly became serious and said, "If the emperor knew about this, he would definitely think that I am no longer useful and would kill me directly!"

"Very smart." Zheng Mengjing said complacently, "Aren't you afraid that I will tell the emperor about this?"

"You are a smart person, my lady." Zhang Chonghui smiled flatteringly, but with a hint of threat in his voice:

"You should know that if you really tell the emperor about this, your fate will not be much better than mine."

Faced with this threat, Zheng Mengjing immediately said stubbornly: "The emperor loves me so much, don't try to scare me!"

"Scared?" Zhang Chonghui smiled and said, "Then go tell the emperor that I am of no use to you."

Zheng Mengjing was so angry that he took a few steps forward: "Do you think I dare not say it?"

Zhang Chonghui also stepped forward and said, "Well, you don't dare."

"Zhang Chonghui, you are so brave!"

Seeing Zheng Mengjing, who was angry and embarrassed, raised his hand to hit someone again, but this time, Zhang Chonghui was not so easy to talk to!

He grabbed Zheng Mengjing's raised hand, stared into his eyes, and warned in a deep voice:
"My Lady Imperial Concubine, please stop being so stubborn. Your relatives in the capital are all busy trying to avoid suspicion!
Zheng Guojiu was banished to Yingtian by the emperor again, to guard the tomb of Taizu with a group of old eunuchs!

You are in the capital now, and you no longer have your family to rely on! You can only rely on the emperor now!
But your beauty is still here, but the emperor's favor has already ended. Seeing how you get angry easily, I guess the emperor hasn't touched you for a long time, right?"

"You, you, you...you are so outrageous...how can you say such things to me! You..." Zheng Mengjing did not expect Zhang Chonghui to speak so boldly. She was so scared that she just wanted to pull her hand back quickly!

However, the man was so powerful that even if she, a weak woman, used both hands and exerted all her strength, she couldn't hit him even a little bit!

"Let me go! If you don't let go, I'll call for help!" Zheng Mengjing turned to threaten.

However, what she didn't expect was that Zhang Chonghui said without any scruples:
"Shout, shout louder, call all the people outside in!
Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you one thing, the boss behind this brothel is Empress Dowager Li!

If you just shout, Empress Dowager Li will know later that her good daughter-in-law had a secret meeting with a stranger like me in a brothel!"

When Zheng Mengjing heard the three words "Empress Dowager Li", he was completely dumbfounded...

The Imperial Concubine, whose brain was not very bright to begin with, did not care whether what Zhang Chonghui said was true or not. Anyway, she was completely honest this time, so honest that she even dared not pull her hand back.

There is no way, she is really afraid of this mother-in-law...

Seeing that Zheng Mengjing was frightened, Zhang Chonghui took the opportunity to exert his strength, with a seductive tone:

"Don't be afraid, my lady, we are both in the same boat.

In order to survive, I can not only help your Prince Fu become the Crown Prince, but also help you firmly ascend the throne of the Empress Dowager.

Your Majesty, although there are so many people in this capital, you are the only one I can rely on.

And the only person you can rely on is me."...

Zheng Mengjing didn't even know how he left the Shihua Pavilion.

When she returned to the Forbidden City in a daze, she realized belatedly how cruel the words Zhang Chonghui said to her were!
"Zhang Chonghui, are you crazy? That's the prince! You actually want to kill him!"

"My Lady, we can only take this gamble now! Time waits for no one. If the Royal Concubine of the Eastern Palace really gives birth to a grandson, the position of the Crown Prince will be even more stable! If Prince Fu still wants to become the Crown Prince at that time, it will be a fantasy!"

"But...but that's the crown prince! Killing him...will mean exterminating all nine clans! Besides...even if he dies, isn't the Dragon Grandson still here? What if the Emperor appoints the Emperor's grandson as the Crown Prince?"

"Silly, Jianwen was able to be made the crown prince because his mother, Lady Lu, had been appointed as the legitimate heir when Crown Prince Zhu Biao was still alive. If Zhu Biao had died a few years earlier, how could Zhu Yunwen have any chance?

If our crown prince dies, the eldest grandson of the emperor will only be a concubine-born grandson of the emperor in his lifetime. It is impossible for him to inherit the throne!"

"But... No, No! The prince is not that easy to kill! Even if we hire a killer, it's impossible. By the time the Royal Guard investigates, everything will be exposed! And even though the emperor doesn't like the prince, he still recognizes this son!"

"My Lady, the Emperor is indecisive. Why are you also indecisive? It seems that two different people can sleep in the same bed!"

"Hey! Zhang Chonghui, why are you scolding me? I'm not indecisive, I just... just..."

"Okay, don't worry, Madam Imperial Concubine. I've been in the Eastern Palace for so long, and I've pretty much figured out its defenses. There are only a few eunuchs guarding the gate. Let alone serious assassins, any strong man can kill his way in!"

"But...but the key is who should we find to kill? What if the criminal is caught...and gives us away?"

"It's easy. Just find someone who won't betray us, or even if he does, no one will believe him, to kill the prince."

"Ah? Where does this person come from?"

"My Lady, let me ask you, what kind of person would no one believe what he says?"

"Um... liar?"

"Wrong, you are a fool!"

……

"My Lady Concubine, My Lady Concubine!"

The voice of the head maid brought Zheng Mengjing back to her senses. Just when she was wondering why the maid was so excited, the maid's next words scared her so much that she broke out in a cold sweat!
"My Lady Concubine, where have you been? The Emperor has been waiting for you for quite some time!"

"Wha...what? The emperor is here?"

Zheng Mengjing was so scared that her legs went limp. She didn't expect that her emperor husband, who hadn't visited her for several months, would come to see her on this day!

This is not such a coincidence! Could it be...

Could it be that the Emperor knows something... ?
……

Zheng Mengjing was so scared that his legs and feet went weak, and Zhang Chonghui was not at peace either.

After Zheng Mengjing left, Zhang Chonghui stayed for a long time before leaving.

However, as soon as he walked out of the door of the wing, he was stopped by an acquaintance.

"Minghe, I saw that the woman's gait just now showed that she had given birth to a child. I didn't expect that you, at such a young age, could be as good as Cao A Man?"

Wen Tiren looked like he had been waiting for a long time to watch the show, and his smile was malicious.

"You followed me?" Zhang Chonghui said in an unhappy tone.

"How can you call it tracking?" Wen Tiren walked up, hooked his arm around Zhang Chonghui's shoulders, and said with a smile:
"As soon as I heard that you were coming to the Flower House, I rushed here without stopping, just to see you. How can that be called stalking?"

Zhang Chonghui also understood that Wen Tiren was not following him, but had someone specifically watch him in the Shihua Pavilion!

"What do you want to do?" Zhang Chonghui asked directly, "Who do you belong to?"

Wen Tiren looked puzzled and asked, "Whose people do you mean?"

Zhang Chonghui started to guess: "Shen Yikuan? Song Yingchang? Or... Wang Xijue?"

"Wow, do you have so many enemies?" Wen Tiren said with a smile, "It's a pity that I don't know any of these big shots you mentioned. I'm just a newly-minted scholar with no background."

Zhang Chonghui saw that Wen Tiren didn't seem to be lying, so he simply asked, "What is your purpose in approaching me?"

Zhang Chonghui was very confused. Why did Wen Tihen stare at him, a criminal, for no reason?
"Hey, didn't I say that a long time ago?" Wen Tiren replied:

"I said it when I first saw you. I only saw you from a distance and I felt that you were beautiful. To put it bluntly, I thought you were beautiful, so I wanted to make friends with you."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chonghui immediately shook off the arm that Wen Tiren had placed on his shoulder, and the next moment he frowned with some disgust and asked:

"You don't have any Long Yang feelings, do you?"

This time, Wen Tiren finally stopped laughing. He coughed twice awkwardly and explained, "Ahem, you misunderstood. I like women, too."

"You scared me." Zhang Chonghui patted his shoulder deliberately and asked, "Be direct. What is your purpose in approaching me?"

Wen Tiren didn't keep the secret this time and replied:
"That day outside the examination room, I saw you calm down Xiong Feibai who was about to beat up your friend with just a few words. At that time, I was just curious about what you said.

Unexpectedly, your friend took out a mirror and looked at me in it. In order to avoid embarrassment, I had to take the initiative to approach you and get to know you."

"And then?" Zhang Chonghui didn't believe Wen Tiren's words which were full of loopholes: "Is this your excuse for following me?"

"This..." Wen Tiren didn't seem to know how to explain it. He said awkwardly:

"Actually, I didn't ask anyone to follow you. It was a friend of mine who called me here specifically to help him urge you to pay back the money."

"Ah?" Zhang Chonghui looked puzzled.

"It's Feng Menglong. He has been thinking about the fifty taels of silver you owed him." Wen Tiren replied seriously.

"Is that so?" Zhang Chonghui smiled and said, "It seems that being your friend is not easy. You have to use this as an excuse. Since you are unwilling to tell the truth, there is nothing to talk about between us."

Zhang Chonghui was about to leave after he finished speaking, but Wen Tihen's next words made him stay.

……

Harem.

"My dear, where have you been?"

Zhu Yijun asked this as soon as he saw Zheng Mengjing. He seemed to have noticed something was wrong with his beloved, and he looked at her carefully.

Zheng Mengjing, who was guilty of a crime, was already nervous, and was frightened by being stared at like that.

Just when she was about to find an excuse to get away with it, the next question Zhu Yijun asked made her sweat profusely!
"My dear, why do you smell like sandalwood... a scent that only men have?"

(End of this chapter)