Phoenix Fight: The First Concubine

Chapter 118
As long as there are no major mistakes, such as behaviors such as giving birth to children during the filial period, generally speaking, not going too far can be tolerated.

Therefore, the princes did not let go of their work.

After getting rid of the clothes, Emperor Jianwu put on the dragon robe again, summoned the officials, and bestowed gifts on the Weibeihou Mansion. He did not attack the Weibeihou Mansion because of the queen's death, but instead became more honored and favored.

Murong Wei was summoned by Concubine Hui, and when she arrived at Chonghua Palace, she felt that the people in Chonghua Palace seemed more proud than before.

Seeing this scene, Murong Wei frowned unobtrusively.

When I saw Concubine Hui, although she was dressed plainly, the jewelry and clothes she wore were all low-key and luxurious. In fact, they were not really pure and clean, but instead gave people a sense of calm and elegance.

This feeling that the entire Chonghua Palace was filled with a sense of complacency and impatience made her uncomfortable.

"Come on, hurry up and sit here with my concubine."

Seeing her, Concubine Hui waved her hand quickly, with a smile on her face.

"I've been busy these days, and my daughter-in-law doesn't have time to greet you. It's really unfilial."

Concubine Hui sighed: "It's not your fault, who knew that the queen passed away suddenly, but Mingrui and you have done a good job, and the emperor is well-known. I praise you for helping the queen give birth. Your filial piety is commendable. Hey, I have a daughter-in-law like you in this palace, but she has won a lot of glory. You haven't seen Li Concubine's face, let alone how long it has been."

Concubine Hui's face was full of brilliance, and she was even more proud than before. Obviously, her life seemed to be very good recently, and she was even more proud of being compared with other concubines.

Murong Wei's eyes flashed, and she said softly: "Mother concubine has won the award, I just do what I should do. Besides, now that the mother is gone, the father is also in a bad mood. , the father and the mother are cousins, and the relationship has always been close. Now that they have lost their relatives, they are more sad than usual. The prince often said that we are children, we must be filial to our parents, otherwise it is disloyal and unfilial people."

Concubine Hui was startled when she heard her words. She was not a fool. Hearing Murong Wei's words reminded her not to forget that the empress and the emperor had a deep relationship. He expressed his deep condolences when he passed away, and used his tenderness to appease Emperor Jianwu's Yuzu.

In this way, how could Emperor Jianwu not look at her highly, even if he had someone to manage the harem in the future, he would actually just find someone pleasing to the eye.

"My daughter-in-law heard that the imperial concubine is fasting for the empress."

"Yeah..." Concubine Hui's expression changed slightly, and she quickly said kindly: "Isn't it? When I think of the Queen's sister's voice and appearance, I can't help but cry. Sigh, I will also save the Queen sooner or later, Save the little princess."

"My daughter-in-law also does it every day. May the queen mother and princess rest in peace in heaven."

Concubine Hui took her hand and said: "You are really a caring person, if I have such a caring daughter like you, I don't know how happy I am."

Murong Wei shyly said: "My daughter-in-law is your daughter, does the mother concubine treat me as an outsider?"

Concubine Hui was happy, and remembering Murong Wei's wedding ceremony, she asked someone to prepare a gift, which was a suet jade embellished with golden phoenix steps: "I know you did the wedding ceremony, but you didn't make a fuss about it. I was just thinking about it." What can I give you, today you are here, and I just gave it to you."

"Thank you, Concubine Mu, your vision has always been excellent."

Murong Wei glanced at the bu yao, but saw that the mutton fat jade was warm and bright, with warm tentacles, dotted on the bu yao with golden phoenix holding beads, it was just gold and jade shining, extraordinarily luxurious, so she thanked her repeatedly.

"Don't be in a hurry, talk to me, wait for Mingrui to come over to say hello, let's go back after having a meal together." Concubine Hui said to the big palace maid Jinse, "Go and ask someone to prepare a table of plain noodles." , now is to abstain from meat and fish, and this palace will also start fasting now."

Murong Wei thanked her, "Even so, the mother and concubine have lost their lives these days, and they still need to nourish themselves."

Concubine Hui sighed: "Isn't that right? This month has made people cry and lose weight. Think about it. When the empress was here, she was always a fair and upright person, but why did she go like this? Let's talk about it after the fasting." .”

As he spoke, his eyes turned red.

Murong Wei was speechless, thinking that this person who can get along in the harem to such an extent is indeed a fuel-efficient lamp.

If this is an Oscar statuette, it is no problem.

"Mother and concubine, let's take a closer look. The dead are gone, and those who come can be chased. Let's put our thoughts on the empress in the Buddha's incense in front of the Buddha. Presumably the emperor of heaven can also receive our sincerity. The prince plans to Set up a shrine for the mother in Beijing, and do things for the mother."

"Jiansheng Temple?"

Concubine Hui praised: "It's rare that Mingrui's filial piety is commendable. When the time comes, everyone will go to sacrifice, and the incense will be strong. Maybe the queen sister will become a god."

Murong Wei is not very interested in these things. Her idea is to let people promote high-yield varieties, at least so that people can eat enough, which is always a great merit.

Another way is to give relief to the people who have fled due to disasters, which is always a good deed.

This method of building a shrine was recommended by Li Jishan to Xiao Mingrui. Although it also meant to show filial piety, Murong Wei felt that it was a waste of money and people.

"The mother concubine also agreed, so it seems to be good." She smiled and said, but did not reveal her own thoughts.

Concubine Hui said to Jingyi, the maid next to her, "Go, let the people in Chonghua Palace settle down for me, and take good care of the empress sooner or later, don't be lazy and play tricks."

Murong Wei smiled wryly: "I wonder if they will blame me later?"

Concubine Hui said disapprovingly: "This is my order, besides, you reminded me, otherwise I would still be fascinated."

As for Xiao Mingrui, he was in charge of the ceremony together with the King of Qi, and was busy until the end of the noon court, before being summoned by Emperor Jianwu.

After entering the Xinuang Pavilion, Xiao Mingrui saw his father bowing his head to paint, so he stood on one side without saying much.

After Emperor Jianwu finished painting the orchids, he turned around and said, "Your mother used to like orchids the most..."

"Long Live Lord, don't be sad. You can accompany your empress when you see this painting. I think your empress will be happy too."

Gao Wugong was very thoughtful, and directly asked the emperor to make the painting a funeral object.

Jianwu nodded slowly after listening: "The queen will be happy."

"Father, queen, mother and wife are deeply affectionate, which really makes my ministers admire."

When he said these words, Xiao Mingrui looked very moved, but in fact he was very disapproving in his heart.

It's only when people are gone that they miss them like this. What did you do before?
If you really have deep feelings, how can you make a move to test the courtiers and son with that unborn child?
Now the queen didn't know if it was because of someone's tricks or what, she died of dystocia, and the child was not kept. It was a great miscalculation.

He and the others keenly felt that it was purely because the matter exceeded his original expectations and plans that his father was so furious. They vowed to find out the cause of the queen's death, and more of it was caused by insecurity.

May I ask, how can the lonely emperor who is the emperor feel at ease when there are such people who attack without anyone noticing?
But no matter how he guessed, for his father, he still has the admiration and admiration of a son.

The most emperor, Jianwu Emperor is undoubtedly excellent.

Jianwu sighed, and there was some nostalgia in his eyes. These days, his life is not very easy, especially depression, which makes his face that has always been very heroic and energetic become very tired, and his eyes are also a little bit Dark circles, obviously poor sleep.

"Your grandmother is the daughter of the Chu family. When your grandfather was the king of Langya, he saw the chaos in the world and the empire was about to fall apart. The prosperity of Guangwu Zhongxing."

Xiao Mingrui didn't know why his father suddenly brought up the story of his grandfather, so he just listened patiently.

"Your grandmother is a heroine, very remarkable. When your grandfather led the army to conquer, she organized healthy women and old people to work in the rear, taking care of the wounded and sick, and defending the city. She is a commendable woman. "

When mentioning his mother, Emperor Jianwu's eyes were full of reverence, "The daughters of the Chu family have a very strict family style, and the daughters born are also extraordinary. Like your mother, although not like your grandmother, she still manages the harem in an orderly manner, and never let her go. I am troubled by this."

Xiao Mingrui lowered his eyes, he didn't think that his father suddenly brought up this matter for no reason.

"I promised your mother to take care of the Chu family..." Emperor Jianwu turned his eyes to look at him: "I have already let your mother down, since I promised her to continue the glory of the Chu family, I have to fulfill this promise."

"Father respects love and nature, and he rewarded the Chu family today. I think the spirit of the mother in heaven will also feel comforted."

The eldest grandson of the Chu family and several grandchildren have been granted hereditary titles, isn't that enough?
Even if the Chu family is the mother clan of Emperor Jianwu, this kind of honor and favor is enough.

There are already two queens, is it possible to have another one?
As foreign relatives, the Chu family really has a lot of favors.

Moreover, the old man of the Chu family passed away, so he was the emperor's own uncle.

But his son, Emperor Jianwu's cousin, brother-in-law, and now Weibei Hou Chu Jizu is a greedy person, because Mrs. Chu Tai gave birth very late, he was spoiled unreasonably, and his temper was bad. It's bullying men and women, and he has done a lot of outrageous things in the capital.

If it wasn't for being from the Chu family, he would have been captured by Emperor Jianwu long ago.

But reprimand and reprimand are just good enough.

Mrs. Tai is too old, and she can't control this son anymore.

The queen is not stupid, she knows that once she goes there, the emperor may not be able to tolerate the Chu family one day, and it is possible to win the title sooner or later.

Taking advantage of the emperor's guilt and asking him to take care of the Chu family, Emperor Jianwu would absolutely agree.

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Mingrui had already figured out a lot.

But what did the emperor mean by these words?

Is it...

"Your mother has been with me for more than 20 years. In a blink of an eye, she also left. I am also old."

It can be seen that the Queen's death had a great impact on Emperor Jianwu, and he looked tired like never before: "Mingrui, I gave you the eldest daughter of Chu Jiren, the younger brother of Marquis Weibei, as your side concubine, how about it?"

Xiao Mingrui was startled, he didn't expect his father to say so much before, but for this!

At this moment, the tiredness on Emperor Jianwu's face disappeared, his eyes were piercing, exuding a knife-like sternness, stabbing straight at Xiao Mingrui.

He tensed up all over immediately, and after hearing this sentence, cold sweat dripped down his back.

Is this a trial or a real idea?

Weibeihou's younger brother, Chu Jiren, is not the biological son of Weibeihou's wife, but a concubine, so he is not qualified to marry into the palace.But if the eldest daughter is the side concubine, it is enough, even a little wronged.

Although she is the concubine's concubine's daughter, she is also the daughter of the Marquis of Weibei, and she can also be regarded as the queen's niece, so how can she be a concubine?

But fortunately, she was married into the royal family, and the side concubine also got the royal imperial certificate, so she is a serious daughter-in-law.

As for why the daughter of the younger brother of Weibeihou was chosen instead of the daughter of Weibeihou, it was because Chu Jizu, as the lord, had only one daughter and was a prostitute. Of course, it is impossible to let such a daughter be a concubine. .

Besides, Emperor Jianwu really didn't like that brother-in-law.

"Father..." Xiao Mingrui's thoughts turned and he immediately knelt down: "My son is terrified..."

Emperor Jianwu raised his eyebrows: "Why, tell me, don't you have no side concubine now? I'll give you one if your knees are empty. After the filial piety period, you can give birth to a son sooner. How to say, the people in your house are still Too little."

Xiao Mingrui didn't answer immediately. At this moment, in the Xinuang Pavilion, there was a sudden silence, only the sound of the pendulum of the grandfather clock carved with passionflower swaying from time to time.

click down.

One sound.

Straight into the heart!

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

The air seemed to freeze suddenly.

Under the strong coercion of Emperor Jianwu, Xiao Mingrui's thoughts were also running rapidly in an instant.

Is it a test?
Do you really want to trust each other?

But just now, inside and outside the words, the meaning revealed by the father is that he is tired, and has the intention to hand over the responsibility to the heir.

It seemed that the emperor wanted to hand over the throne of the empire to him.

If that's the case, it's really exciting.

But Xiao Mingrui didn't think that his father would say these heart-to-heart words to him without purpose, and show his tiredness in front of his son.

The male lion will show his strength at any time, otherwise he will be provoked by other young lions who covet the position.

Why such a show of weakness?
Xiao Mingrui didn't think that his father, who was less than 50 years old, would want to abdicate.

A man cannot be powerless for a day. As an emperor, how could he give up his power and retreat willingly!
If he marries the daughter of the Chu family, on the surface, he has gained the trust of his father, who entrusted him with the responsibility of taking care of the Chu family.

At least, in the eyes of outsiders, this is a sign that his father attaches great importance to him.

But under this too powerful temptation, he still remained calm after a brief shock.

A possible trap, there is delicious food in front of it, a very hungry person, you say step into the trap and eat delicious food, or try to bypass the trap and eat delicious food?

He looked up at his father.

At this moment, Emperor Jianwu was sitting on the dragon chair in front of him, with his hands folded, his left hand clenched tightly, his piercing eyes staring straight at him, but his body subconsciously leaned forward slightly, maintaining a somewhat nervous posture.

Although the royal father's eyes were very calm, it was still difficult to hide a slightly expectant look in them.

At this moment, he finally affirmed his idea!
He won't marry a concubine back, even if it's not to test him.

He promised Wei'er that he would be with her forever.

The daughter of the Marquis of Weibei, her status is not much lower than that of Wei'er, so what should Wei'er do if such a woman comes back and is the queen's niece?

Facing such a noble concubine, she really couldn't beat her or scold her.

He must not make things difficult for Weier.

Besides, he really didn't want another stranger between the two of them.

What's more, it's not that there is no way to turn this matter around. It may not be that he must marry the daughter of the Weibeihou Mansion in order to guarantee the power and status of the Weibeihou Mansion in the future.

"Father, my sons and ministers are terrified, and I really dare not wrong Miss Chu's family to be a side concubine."

Emperor Jianwu raised his eyebrows: "Why, you don't want to? Wronged, why did my son wrong her? Why, do you not want to marry, or are you dissatisfied with the marriage I arranged? Say!"

As he said that, Emperor Jianwu's expression was full of anger, but Xiao Mingrui could feel that after the surface anger, it was his father who relaxed his expression, and leaned his straight back on the back of the chair. There was anger, but the murderous look was not offended.

"Father, please report." Xiao Mingrui had already cleared his mind, and at this moment he was no longer nervous as before, and he was very calm.

"My minister is either dissatisfied with the arrangement of the emperor, or unwilling. I really can't hear it. For the sake of the country of the Great Qin, and for the sake of the emperor's wisdom not to be tarnished, the minister can only boldly refuse."

Emperor Jianwu tapped the back of the chair with his index finger, and asked slowly: "Talk about it, just let you marry a side concubine, how did you get involved with Daqin Jiangshan?"

"I read the history books the day before yesterday, and when I saw the story of Huo Guang and the death of Emperor Xuan's wife, Empress Xu, I was deeply moved."

Emperor Jianwu's eyes lit up, and he became calm again.

Huo Guang, a powerful official in the Western Han Dynasty and the half-brother of Huo Qubing, because of the scourge of the Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the prince and queen Wei Zifu committed suicide.In his later years, Liu Fuling, the son of Mrs. Qi, was established as emperor, and his empress was Huo Guang's granddaughter, Empress Shangguan.

Liu Fuling died of illness and had no children, so Liu Bingji, the grandson of Emperor Wu and Wei Zifu, was elected emperor.

Because Huo Guang's family has too much power, Huo Guang's wife wanted her daughter to be the queen, but Liu Bingji disagreed, and he issued an edict to "find the old sword", looking for a sword from the humble time.When the courtiers saw that the wind was turning, they all joined forces to ask Liu Bingji's original wife, Xu Pingjun, to be his queen.According to the rule, the queen's father must be named a marquis, but Huo Guang always refused.Later, he was granted the title of "Jun Changcheng".

This is the old sword love that has been passed down as a good talk since ancient times.

This aroused the dissatisfaction of the Huo family.Huo's wife actually took advantage of the opportunity of Xu's labor to instruct a female medical officer to poison her to death, and then Huo Guang put pressure on her to make Huo Nv the queen.Although Emperor Xuan was suspicious of Empress Xu's death, due to the situation, he had no choice but to show affection for Empress Huo.Emperor Xuan made the son of Empress Xu the crown prince, and Mrs. Huo Guang repeated her old trick, teaching Empress Huo to poison the prince's diet, but failed.

It can be seen how rampant his family's aura has reached.

The emperor and queen were abolished at will. Before Liu Bingji, there was a clan who was elected to the court as emperor, but because of this person's licentiousness, he was abolished by Huo Guang, and Liu Bingji was established as emperor again.

What's more, he just poisoned the queen to death and made his own daughter the queen. Emperor Xuan couldn't tolerate such behavior.

This is also the reason why the Huo family was wiped out after Huo Guang's death.

The reason why Xiao Mingrui talked about this story was to show that he had a deep affection for his wife, and he didn't want to marry a woman of noble background and put her in danger.

On the one hand, it is also emphasized that the Chu family has produced two queens for decades, and the family has produced a large number of talents, who have already occupied a considerable position in the court. Under such circumstances, it is inappropriate for the heir's harem to appear again in the future A queen or concubine.

If not, what Huo Guang did will happen again.

Regarding the monopoly of foreign relatives, one has to guard against it.

Emperor Jianwu scolded: "Absurd, how can the old things of the Western Han Dynasty be brought to the present? There is no such noble family in the court. Besides, your princess is also the daughter of the Murong family after all, how can she be a lowly Xu?" Comparable later?"

"Father is wise and wise, so he can naturally control the officials. However, it happened decades ago. At that time, when Mu Zong was in chaos, father still remembers it?"

Emperor Jianwu's eyes froze.

Of course he remembered this matter, Mu Zong's rebellion was the civil strife of the Great Qin Dynasty decades ago.

Because Mu Zong was young, he came to the throne in his teens, and he was very cowardly and incompetent.As a result, his uncle, Pingyang Hou Wang Tingxiang took control of the government, and later killed Mu Zong and wanted to usurp the throne. This caused turmoil in the world. Jiangshan continued the rule of the Xiao family.

Since Emperor Guangwu came to the throne, he has attached great importance to combating the dictatorship of foreign relatives.

At that time, the Chu family had a heroine like Empress Chu, and they always kept a low profile in their affairs, so Emperor Guangwu was not too afraid, but even so, they were always suppressed.

Until Emperor Jianwu came to the throne, the Chu family was still very low-key, and because the brother-in-law who inherited the position of Marquis of Weibei was incompetent, Emperor Jianwu did not pay attention to it.

But he is by no means unaware that although Marquis Weibei is an asshole, his eldest son is an extraordinary young man.

When the time comes when the son comes to the throne, if there is such a daughter of the Chu family among the concubines, she will definitely be named a noble concubine. If there is another son, she may compete with the crown prince born by the queen.

Of course, this is just a possibility.

Because the Murong family is not vegetarian either.

However, they are civil servants, while the Chu family are relatives, with deep connections in the military.

With such a foreign family as a backer, it will really cause instability in the court.

When choosing an heir, it is impossible for him not to consider everything. He has to consider all aspects, including the future that will last for decades.

The Chu family is indeed honored and favored enough, it is impossible to let them continue to be prosperous.

Having two queens is enough.

One more, sooner or later the arrogance will rise.

For the sake of future generations, he can't do this.

Emperor Jianwu looked at his son in front of him, with a faint smile hanging on the corner of his mouth.

He can think of these, instead of being dizzy, he rushes forward to agree to his marriage, which makes him very satisfied.

In the performance of this psychological game, the second son performed very well, fully possessing the qualities of an excellent emperor.

The vision should be long-term, not limited to the gains and losses of a city at a time, and the behavior should be calm and self-sustaining, not rash and aggressive.

Governing a big country is like cooking a small fish, and it is not a casual thing.

"I think you are as cowardly as a mouse!" He cursed, "Where is my son who was smart and courageous when he fought against the barbarians? A woman scared you like this? Don't you think I can't control the court situation anymore?" ?”

When Xiao Mingrui heard his father swearing, he was not worried, knowing that it was a sign of intimacy, instead he said with a smile: "The sons don't have the honor of the father. Moreover, the father is in the prime of his life, and he has been in power for fifty years. So what's the problem? Please don't say such arrogant words, father is the lord of the people, you should take care of your health, Daqin can't live without father."

This flattery made Emperor Jianwu very comfortable. Yuji had been in power for 50 years, and he would be 70 or [-] years old at that time. How could it take so long?

Emperor Jianwu felt that he was in good health, maybe there will be that time.

It was still early, and he still had plenty of time to choose an heir slowly, so he was not in a hurry.

Look again.

"Stop flattering me." Emperor Jianwu scolded with a smile: "Get up, what are you still kneeling for? I won't show you a side concubine without flattery, lest you throw out a bunch of reasons."

Xiao Mingrui thanked him and got up.

Only then did he realize that his back was soaked.

He said he was not nervous, but how could he not be under pressure at the fork point of this kind of decision-making.

At this moment, I was relieved, but also scared.

It seems that his decision is guessed right.

Emperor Jianwu had no intention of letting him marry the daughter of the Chu family.

This move was just to test whether he had ambitions, so he deliberately showed weakness and pretended to abdicate.

If you are eager for success at this time and act like you really want to be superior, but you don't know how to restrain yourself and cover up, I'm afraid that the father will turn his face and deny you immediately, and beat you to the bottom of the cliff.

(End of this chapter)