Blackening starts from the golden years

Half a month later, the palace.

"Press harder, it's not strong enough."

"If it's any heavier, the skin will be broken. Damaging the dragon's body is a grave sin."

"You are the queen, and we are one. Who dares to punish you?"

The official's headache came back. The queen massaged both sides of his head and said meaningfully:
"Ke Zheng in the past, Qi Mu in the present, these clean officials, all think that I am a hen that crows at dawn, and they wish to get rid of me as soon as possible."

"Ah, isn't that what censors do?"

The official advised:

"When Ke Zheng came to see me, his saliva almost sprayed on my face. Just bear with it. They all know that it was because my headache came back that I asked you to review the memorials on my behalf. Just think that they were scolding me."

After listening to the official's words, the queen smiled and said:
"You are my husband, I can't bear to let you go."

Hearing the queen say this, the emperor couldn't help but smile.

Just then, the noble lady came over and first glanced at the queen who was smiling.

At this time, the Queen also looked up at him. Not daring to meet the Queen's gaze, the nobleman quickly looked at the Emperor and respectfully reported:
"Your Majesty, the proofreader of Ouyang Xufeng's poem is waiting outside for you to see the immortal master."

"Baoyi wrote Qingci again?"

The official was puzzled:
"Why didn't he enter the palace himself, but asked Ouyang Xu to do it?"

"Xuan."

"Yes."

The nobleman withdrew respectfully, and soon he brought Ouyang Xu back to meet the emperor.

Seeing the emperor and the queen, Ouyang Xu bowed respectfully and said:

"May the government be safe, may the saints be safe."

"Ah."

Looking at Ouyang Xu, the official said calmly:

"Please present it to me. Stand up."

Ouyang Xu immediately knelt on the ground and pleaded guilty:
"Your Majesty, I am guilty of entering the palace in the name of a master. However, I have important matters to report to you. They concern the country and are quite urgent. I have no choice but to obey your orders. I hope you will forgive me."

After saying that, Ouyang Xu immediately bowed respectfully, prostrating himself on the ground. Looking at him, the queen had a hint of smile on her lips. These scholars and officials in the court like to exaggerate. They say that it is related to the country, but most of them just want to gain a good reputation. They know that the government is kind and will not punish the censors for their words, so they often make suggestions, saying that it is related to the country. But in fact, these censors dare not speak out about the major issues that really concern the country. They just want fame, and then use it as a stepping stone to rise to the top.

The real affairs concerning the country often involve the powerful and wealthy class in the court. These censors dare to argue with the officials, but they dare not offend the powerful and wealthy class in the court, because they all know that the officials will not do anything to them. But it is different for the powerful and wealthy. Censors without background can be killed at will, such as transferring them and sending them to Lingnan to be local officials, which is equivalent to a disguised exile. Tokyo is so prosperous, who wants to go to Lingnan to suffer?
Those truly powerful and wealthy people can easily kill those petty officials without any background with just a slight flick of the power in their hands.

Let's get back to the point. Looking at Ouyang Xu kneeling on the ground, the official said unhappily:
"Oh, what is this matter concerning the country?"

"Please ask the officials to leave."

Ouyang Xu said.

Hearing this, the emperor frowned slightly. He looked at the queen beside him and whispered:
"Queen, you should go back first."

"Yes, I'll take my leave now."

"Ah."

The official nodded, and gave the nobleman who was not far away a look to retreat.

After the Queen and the Nobles left, the Emperor looked at Ouyang Xu who was still kneeling on the ground and frowned:
"Stand up and speak."

"Thank you, Guanjia."

Ouyang Xu stood up and continued:
"I want to take part in the investigation of the sage in the palace, deceive the emperor and lie to the emperor, and use my lost chastity to cause chaos in the palace and steal the throne!"

"What did you say?"

The official's face suddenly darkened, but Ouyang Xu continued:
"I once gave my teacher, Mr. Ke, a painting of a night banquet. Later, the King of Qin sent someone to ask for it. The painting depicts a night banquet held by Xue Que, the transport commissioner of Xichuan Road. The face of a woman beating a drum is very similar to that of the Queen."

Hearing this, the official looked at Ouyang Xu and said:
"They just look similar, is that the evidence you're talking about? Do you know that criticizing the queen is a capital crime?"

"Since I have been promoted by the government, I am not afraid of death."

In front of the emperor, Ouyang Xu pretended to be ready to die, just like those Qingliu censors. He followed Qi Mu's instructions and continued:

"Wang Ai always likes to use cryptic language in paintings. The folds of the women's clothes in the paintings are the names of these courtesans. Your Majesty, you can find out by asking the King of Qin for the Night Banquet. When I entered the palace a few days ago, I unexpectedly saw the Queen's face. I felt like I had seen her before. Later, I remembered my Night Banquet. In addition, my teacher told me when he passed by Xijing that the King of Qin sent someone to ask for the Night Banquet. I felt very strange at the time. As a prince, he must have seen all kinds of rare treasures, so why would he ask my teacher for a mere Night Banquet?"

Hearing Ouyang Xu say this, the emperor couldn't help but fall into deep thought, his face gloomy. He knew that the queen used to be a maid in Xue Que's family, and those ministers of the Qingliu faction wanted to overthrow her, of course, their purpose was to fight for power. However, what did the King of Qin mean by sending someone to find Ke Zheng to ask for the Night Banquet Picture?
If his intention was to overthrow the queen, why didn't he take out the Night Banquet Picture?

The emperor was very worried about the queen. He was not an emperor with great talent and strategy. He preferred to cultivate immortality and seek the truth rather than power. However, he was not a fool. The reason why he let the queen and the harem interfere in government affairs was, on the one hand, because of his headache, and on the other hand, because he knew that the queen liked power and he liked her, so he was willing to let her review memorials on his behalf.

Some of the ministers in the court knew the identity of the queen, such as Ke Zheng and Qi Mu. Just knowing is one thing, and whether there is evidence is another. They all knew that the emperor favored the queen, but as long as there was solid evidence, even the emperor would have to compromise. As long as the queen was overthrown, the Qingliu faction would gain more power in the court. This was a party struggle, not that the Qingliu faction literati really cared about the emperor's family affairs.

If the queen did not interfere in state affairs and just stayed in the harem as an ordinary queen, the ministers of the Qingliu faction would naturally not care whether she was a concubine or not.

Only the fool Ouyang Xu didn't understand. He won the third place in the imperial examination and then entered the official career, but no elders in his family taught him what politics was. Qi Mu asked him to criticize the queen, and he naively thought that the emperor was deceived by the queen and didn't know that she was a virgin. He judged others by himself and felt that the emperor would definitely not be able to bear such a great humiliation, so as long as he spoke to the emperor and waited for the emperor to find out the truth, he would be able to rise to a high position.

He also wanted to take revenge on the King of Qin and Zhao Pan'er. At this time, looking at the emperor with a thoughtful expression, Ouyang Xu became more confident and said loudly:

"Your Majesty, when the late emperor appointed the saint as the prince's concubine, the edict clearly stated that she was from a good family. But if she had been a female musician for the Xue Que family, she would be a lowly person. If she had used her beauty to serve others, how can she be called innocent? If she had deceived the emperor and lied to her superiors, how can she be called loyal?"

"Shut up, that's nonsense!"

Hearing that Ouyang Xu dared to say that to the queen, the emperor was immediately furious. He picked up the inkstone on the table and smashed it at Ouyang Xu. The nobleman who was waiting outside the hall heard the emperor's roar and hurried in. He stayed at the door and did not dare to enter the hall without the emperor's summons.

Ouyang Xu was hit on the chest by the inkstone. He groaned in pain and quickly knelt on the ground.

At this moment, the official felt a tightness in his chest and a splitting headache. He held the table with one hand and pointed at Ouyang Xu who was kneeling on the ground with the other hand and said angrily:
"The Queen is pure and chaste, and is highly respected by the imperial court. How can you allow a lowly official like you to insult her with baseless rumors?"

Facing the official's angry gaze, Ouyang Xu bluntly advised:
"Your Majesty, the Empress is promiscuous and has committed a crime that is unforgivable. She first deceived the late Emperor and then concealed it from you!"

"Get out! Get out!" the official shouted angrily.
"Someone, get him out of here!"

"Yes."

The noble lady hurried into the hall, trying to pull Ouyang Xu away from the hall.

"do not come!"

Ouyang Xu shouted, he stood up directly from the ground, looked at the official in the high position and said tragically:
"Your Majesty, I have always known that the Saint and you, the Emperor and the Empress, are in love with each other, but since I have been blessed by the Saint, first I won the third place in the imperial examination, and then I entered the Censorate, I have no choice but to make this report. However, I am here today to restore order in the world, and I do not want to see you, Your Majesty, being bullied by lowly women again and again, which would bring disaster to the country!
Your Majesty, I have no foundation in the court, and I have only been back in Beijing for a few days. But if Your Majesty thinks that I am deliberately attacking the Queen Mother, I am willing to die in remonstrance."

After saying that, Ouyang Xu knelt down on the ground, took the inkstone that the official had used to hit him, and knocked it hard on his forehead. His head was immediately broken and bleeding, and he looked like he was giving advice at the risk of his life.

Seeing his actions, the officials and the nobles were stunned. Ouyang Xu was lying on the ground with a bloody head, looking at the official in a high position with a loyal look and said:
"Officials, honest advice is like a knife, it hurts to the bone, but the wise rulers in ancient times all accepted it with an open mind."

After saying this, he fainted in the hall.

Seeing that Ouyang Xu was so loyal and dignified, the emperor was very angry about his criticism of the queen, but he still appreciated his advice at the risk of his life. He looked at the noble lady next to him and said:

"Quickly call the imperial physician."

"Yes."

The noble lady quickly left the hall and went to ask for the imperial physician.

……

At the same time, in Xijing, in a private room of a restaurant.

Yuan Xudong and Qi Mu sat at the same table. Looking at Yuan Xudong, Qi Mu smiled and said:
"Your Highness, although Ouyang Xu is a lowly person, he is a good weapon to deal with the Queen. He has no background in the court, and this time he is giving advice at the risk of his own life. If the Emperor still cares about his reputation as a benevolent ruler, the Queen will surely be in big trouble."

"The government will protect her."

Yuan Xudong smiled and said that he and Qi Mu cooperated not because they really wanted to overthrow the queen, but to force her to submit, so he used the Qingliu faction to suppress the queen instead of doing it himself.

Anyway, the Qingliu faction has always been the political enemy of the Queen, so she naturally would not suspect Yuan Xudong. Moreover, she deliberately chose Ouyang Xu as her scapegoat. Ouyang Xu wanted to use this incident to attack him, but he didn't know that he was just a chess piece in Yuan Xudong's hand. If it weren't for Yuan Xudong's secret arrangement, a small official like Ouyang Xu would not even be qualified to be Qi Mu's dog. There are so many officials who want to be Qi Mu's dogs, so why would he, Ouyang Xu, do so?
If he wanted to remove himself from the matter of the Queen, he would become a victim as well. Ouyang Xu wanted to use this matter to harm him, which happened to be what Yuan Xudong wanted.

The reason why Qi Mu cooperated with Yuan Xudong was because he received news from the palace that the emperor's headache was getting worse and worse, and the imperial doctors were all helpless. The emperor was afraid that he would not live long.

If the emperor is gone and the young Prince Sheng ascends the throne, the queen will certainly rule the country from behind the scenes. At that time, he will definitely be dead. The emperor thinks that the queen is beautiful and kind-hearted, but Qi Mu sees it more clearly. From a household maid to the queen, now she is reviewing memorials on the emperor's behalf and exercising the power of the emperor. How can such a woman be a good person?
Qi Mu didn't want to die and his clan be destroyed, so he could only cooperate with Yuan Xudong, the most powerful prince. As for the queen, Yuan Xudong originally thought that she would cooperate with him, after all, Prince Sheng was not her biological son, but Yuan Xudong was wrong. The queen wanted to exercise the power of the emperor herself. Prince Sheng was young, which just met her requirements. She could rule the country from behind the curtain. As long as she controlled Prince Sheng, she would be the Wu Zetian of the Song Dynasty, and the previous prophecy case was not wronged.

Being in the vortex of power, there are no truly good people. It's a game of upper-level players, and small officials like Ouyang Xu are just pawns on the board.

As for the emperor, he is also a pitiful man. The Imperial City Division, the Palace Front Division, and even the eunuchs in the palace, which he relied on as his eyes and ears and minions, have long been riddled with holes. The commander of the Imperial City Division, Lei Jing, is Yuan Xudong's man, and there are people arranged by Qi Mu in the Palace Front Division. The eunuchs in the palace and the nobles around the emperor are the queen's people. The entire palace is riddled with holes, and the emperor is no different from a blind and deaf person. Therefore, there are many things he cannot see clearly.

Let's get back to the topic. Looking at Yuan Xudong, Qi Mu hesitated and said:
"Your Majesty, that painting of the night banquet..."

"It's not yet time."

"Yes."

Looking at Qi Mu, Yuan Xudong said:
"Have you arranged everything I asked you to arrange?"

"It's all arranged."

Qi Mu smiled and said:

"Our uncle has already arrived in Qiantang. He just took over the Ninghai Army yesterday."

"That's good."

Yuan Xudong smiled and said that he didn't like corrupt officials before, but he likes them now, because corrupt officials are easy to use and easy to kill. For example, Zheng Qingtian, the magistrate of Qiantang County, just used his big smuggling case to drag the queen's brother into it. If the queen dared not to cooperate, he would put her whole family in jail. With such a huge case, even the government could not protect her family.

As for Zheng Qingtian, between his death and the punishment of his entire clan, Yuan Xudong believed that he knew what to say and what not to say. Moreover, both the Imperial City Department and the Palace Front Department were under Yuan Xudong's control, which meant that the entire palace was under his control. It could only be said that it was difficult for him to lose in this situation. Now, he just wanted the emperor to pass the throne to him. He didn't want to usurp the throne unless it was absolutely necessary.

……

At the same time, in Tokyo, in the Imperial Palace, in the Queen's bedroom.

The nobleman told the queen everything he heard. He raised his eyes to look at the queen, only to see that she was still smiling, as if she didn't care about Ouyang Xu's criticism of her.

The Queen also looked at the noble lady and said with a smile:
"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Zhong. Ouyang Xu is just a small soldier. The more trouble he makes, the less favorable the government will be to Qingliu. Oh, and by the way, I will let the uncle take good care of your nephew in the army."

Hearing the Queen's words, the noble lady thanked her with an unnatural expression:
"Thank you, saint."

Looking at him, the queen stepped down from the phoenix chair, walked up to him step by step and said with a smile:
"Is your thank you sincere or fake?"

The nobleman was forced to retreat step by step by the queen. He was indeed loyal to the emperor, but the queen held his nephew hostage, so he had to obey the queen's orders and convey the emperor's news to her.

The Queen stopped and looked at the middle noble who looked unnatural, and said with a smile:

"You have served the emperor for many years. Are you really not annoyed that I hold your nephew hostage?"

Looking at the queen who was smiling but actually cruel and ruthless, the noble lady forced a smile and said:
"I only know that the more skillful the saint is, the more influential his words will be when he assists the new emperor in ruling the country."

The Queen did not comment on the noble's answer and seemed to be talking to herself:
"The emperor is a good and benevolent monarch, and also a good official. It's a pity that he can't protect me forever. I'm just trying to protect myself, that's all."

Hearing this, Zhong Guiren smiled. He did not believe a word the Queen said. He only knew that the Queen loved power. Compared to staying with the Emperor, she preferred reviewing memorials. It was hard to tell whether such an ambitious woman was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Go back."

"Yes, the slaves retire."

Watching the noble lady retreat respectfully, the queen's eyes flickered. She appeared calm on the surface, but her heart was surging. She wished that all those Qingliu faction censors would be tortured to death, their property would be confiscated and their families would be exterminated. They had tried time and again to uncover her most shameful past and pull her down from the throne of the queen. If she had not known that the emperor was merciful and would not kill the censors, she would have persuaded the emperor to kill them all.

However, the government was always unwilling to kill these scholars and officials. Ke Zheng and Qi Mu were both demoted, and now Ouyang Xu has emerged. If she were in power, she would kill them one by one. She would see whether the character of these scholars and officials was stronger or the beheading knife was harder.

In fact, she found the so-called integrity of these scholars and officials ridiculous. They all knew that the government would not kill censors, so of course they would not be afraid. If the government was not a benevolent monarch, how could these scholars and officials dare to pretend to be ready to die and give advice at the cost of their lives?

She had gone through so many hardships to get to the position she has today. How could she be content if she couldn't sit firmly in the position for a few more decades?

...(End of chapter)