blue bird song

Chapter 123 Xuanyuan Xiayu (3)
Qing Que has no way to sympathize with a woman who has had bad thoughts towards Xiao Congcong.A mother may be tolerant and generous to those who harm her, but she will never forgive those who harm her children.

Empress Zhang humbly endured her shame and pleaded for her two younger brothers, "I have nothing to do with concubines, please Your Majesty, for the sake of the late emperor, pardon the crimes of Zhang He and Zhang Yan, and spare their lives."

Now, no matter how reluctant Empress Zhang is, she has no choice but to pretend to be obedient, and can no longer be arrogant.She used to despise the whole world, because the world belonged to her husband, and her husband doted on her, respected her, and put her first in everything.

However, that is a thing of the past.

In the past, when her two younger brothers committed crimes, they were shielded and protected by the emperor's brother-in-law, not to mention that they were sent to prison, and they were reluctant to say even serious things.Now, things are changing, she has no good plan, so she can only kneel in humiliation in front of King Liao and Princess Liao, begging for her two younger brothers' lives.

The emperor said slowly: "Brother, during his lifetime, he was diligent in political affairs, frugal in nature, good at accepting advice, and praised by the government and the public. The only thing he was criticized by others was that he indulged his relatives and treated the Zhang family too preferentially. Sister-in-law, this is all thanks to you. Your gift."

You are not only the sister of Zhang He and Zhang Yan, but also my brother's wife and the queen of the Celestial Dynasty.Have you ever thought about my brother, or the common people in the world?As long as you are willing to restrain yourself a little bit, Zhang He and Zhang Yan will not be so arrogant, and your brother will not be criticized for this.

Empress Zhang felt angry, but she didn't dare to argue with the emperor, she just admitted her mistake.

The emperor smiled softly, "Zhang He and Zhang Yan have no fear in their hearts. They dare to get involved in anything and say anything. Sister-in-law, if the two of them die unexpectedly one day, it will be all because of you. Yes You pamper them, protect them, and spoil them like this."

Empress Zhang turned pale with shock, and begged bitterly, "Your Majesty, spare their lives!" I am your emperor's wife, and I have already knelt in front of you, so humble, you still refuse to raise your hand and let Ayan go, Ah He?

The emperor summoned Annan's envoy to come back, and the court clothes had not arrived in time to change.At this time, he was dressed in a dragon uniform with a dragon collar and wide sleeves in the twelve regiments of bright yellow.Empress Qi beside him was also dressed in palace attire of the same color, her spirit was high, her color was unparalleled, and she was a perfect match with the emperor.

Empress Zhang knelt in front of the emperor and Empress Qi, tears gradually blurring her eyes.Liao Wang, Liao Wangfei, you deceive people too much!You are nothing but the princes and concubines of the princes, the first emperor and I are emperors, and you are ministers...

Upside down, upside down, what kind of world is this.

Empress Zhang loved her two younger brothers to the bone, so she had to lower her figure and beg bitterly for them.What a lofty person she used to be, but at this moment kneeling in front of the empress to beg for mercy, she looked extremely humble and insignificant.

"I will spare them from dying for the time being." The emperor said in a cold voice, "I have promised to be kind to you, Brother Emperor. This is the first time you begged me, and I have agreed. This is the first time and the last time. In the future, if the Zhang brothers violate the king's law again, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

The emperor waved his sleeves and left.

Empress Qi smiled and said, "Sister-in-law is busy with her natal family's affairs, so I won't invite you in. Sister-in-law, please walk slowly." Following behind the emperor, he also went back.

The servants and court ladies hugged the emperor and empress Qi like stars holding the moon, and drifted away.

Empress Zhang stared at their backs in a daze, feeling ashamed and hated at the same time.In front of Empress Zhang is the Queen's bedroom facing south, Kunning Palace.The roof of the hall with yellow glazed tiles and double eaves is nine rooms wide, magnificent, dazzling and beautiful.

She had lived here for more than ten years, enjoying the honor of the empress and the favor of Emperor Hongzhi, reaching the pinnacle of her life.Now, she is wearing shabby clothes, kneeling in front of this palace to plead guilty with a humble expression.

How can it be.

As the sun set, the figure of Empress Zhang kneeling on the ground was extremely bleak.

The next day, the emperor sighed to several cabinet ministers, "Empress Zhaomu, for the sake of Shouninghou and Jianchangbo, didn't think about tea and food, and washed her face with tears, so she went to please her. The emperor's sister-in-law was so sad, although the Zhang brothers The matter involves treason, and I can't bear to delve into it."

Yang Daqi's eyes showed admiration, and he bowed respectfully, "Your Majesty is wise and benevolent, I admire you, and I obey the order."

There is no doubt that the Zhang brothers want to rectify, but they should not be too hasty.Otherwise, it will arouse the resentment and even resistance of Hongzhi's old officials, and the loss outweighs the gain.

Emperor Hongzhi was a good emperor, very popular.Although it has been more than a year since he passed away, there are many courtiers who remember him in memory of him, some tearfully mention him, and some cry bitterly.Empress Zhaomu was the person he loved most during his lifetime. If the Zhang brothers were brought to justice directly, it would be too harsh and inhumane in the eyes of Hongzhi's former officials. I am sorry for Emperor Hongzhi under Jiuquan.

To the Zhang brothers, to put it more elegantly, it is "slowly map it".To put it bluntly, it's a blunt knife cutting flesh, take your time.

The most important thing is to win people's hearts and stabilize the court situation.

Xu Dashi and others also agreed, "The emperor is lenient, and the ministers are grateful." Zhuo Cifu was originally the second assistant. After the former chief assistant left his post, he should have moved forward, but he was still the second assistant, and he felt depressed.He thought for a moment, and said to the emperor, "Although the emperor is kind and can't bear to punish them, he can't let them out again to cause disaster. I think it's better to be imprisoned for life to warn the world."

Zhuo Cifu was angry and wanted to argue with the emperor.Aren't you going to let the Zhang brothers go to gain a good reputation?I won't let you go, I won't let you gain the good reputation of being generous and benevolent, and treating the late emperor's widow kindly.

The emperor is very talkative, and there is nothing wrong with it, "Zhuo Qing's concerns are also reasonable. If we let them go, there may be another disaster."

Zhuo Cifu was startled, did he know the truth?Did the emperor not intend to let the Zhang brothers go at all, just waiting for someone to speak out against it?

Zhuo Cifu was very upset.

Coincidentally, after Li Shoufu's youngest son was in a coma for many days, he passed away due to the ineffectiveness of medicine and stones.The emperor sighed very much, "Li Qing must be extremely sad, it's pitiful." He was ashamed to release the Zhang brothers again, but kept them in prison as before.

After news of the emperor's intention to release the Zhang brothers came out, the old courtiers loyal to Emperor Hongzhi were very grateful and praised the new emperor's mind and tolerance.There were also courtiers who hated the Zhang brothers deeply and demanded severe punishment. The emperor comforted them one by one, "The prison is strict, and the two of them can no longer do evil. Please wait for a little peace and don't worry."

Although the emperor treated Empress Zhaomu leniently, thus benefiting the brothers Shouninghou and Jianchangbo brothers, he was willing not to pursue their conspiracy to abolish the establishment.But Li Shoufu's youngest son died at the hands of Uncle Jianchang. If the Zhang brothers were released in this way and let them get out of prison in a big way, how could they be worthy of Li Shoufu who devoted himself to the court and died after his death?The emperor was in a dilemma, so he had to continue to lock up the Zhang brothers.

"Your Majesty, it's difficult." Whether it was the veterans who supported Emperor Hongzhi or the officials who had followed Li Shoufu for many years, they were all very grateful to the new emperor and could understand the new emperor's embarrassment.

The Zhang brothers were locked up like this, and the charges have not been determined for a long time.Empress Zhaomu in the harem was worried day and night, wondering how the emperor would deal with the Zhang family, and whether the two younger brothers could escape the predicament and escape with their lives.

Empress Zhang lived in fear and worry, and became haggard day by day.

The situation of Zhang Yan and Zhang He in prison is not good.They each live in a small cell, which is very simple, but far from home, one is in the sky and the other is underground.The two of them were full of resentment, and they were not angry when they saw the servant, "Where is my sister? Why don't you help me out?"

"Your Majesty, if things go on like this, the two uncles may... not be able to last long." The servant replied tremblingly.

Empress Zhang's heart, liver, lungs are hurting, can Ayan and Ahe last long?Isn't this killing me?

Empress Zhang had the cheek to beg Empress Dowager Shao, "You have the most compassionate heart, please persuade the emperor to spare my two younger brothers."

Empress Dowager Shao looked at her with a smile, "I really don't care about the court affairs. Even if someone wants to abolish my own son and appoint someone else, I don't care."

Empress Zhang raised her head suddenly, looked at Empress Dowager Shao in surprise, and fled in despair.

Her two younger brothers wanted to abolish the emperor, the son of Empress Dowager Shao, and the son of King Yi.

"Ayan, Ahe, you are all for me." After Queen Zhang went back, she threw herself on the couch and cried, "You are all fighting for my injustice, and you have come to this point for me to be the empress dowager! "

It has to be said that Empress Zhang is passionate about herself.Zhang Yan and Zhang He didn't do it for her wish, they clearly wanted to continue to be the uncle of the country and continue to behave unscrupulously.For the sake of Queen Zhang?If you really think about Queen Zhang, you will do less evil.

The second year of Jiaxing was a very good year for the Celestial Dynasty.During the year, the weather was smooth, there were no major disasters in the whole country, tax revenue increased, and food storage in Taicang increased; Mongolia in the northwest and Jurchen in the northeast were blocked from the Great Wall, and Japanese pirates on the southeast coast were also hit hard one after another.

The situation is very good.

Many measures taken by the new emperor to check Huangzhuang, clean up the farmland of his relatives, and return the land to the people were also praised and sought after by civil officials.The court situation is very stable.

The treason case of the Zhang brothers, which had attracted countless attentions from the courtiers, did not cause bloody killings because of the tolerance of the new emperor.The members of the Zhang clan were secretly glad that some clever people had resigned and returned to their hometowns, away from the troubled places in the capital.

The new emperor's extraordinarily gracious treatment of the Zhang brothers not only won him a reputation for generosity, but also won him the support of many Hongzhi old officials.Look, those who conspired to abolish him were tolerated because they were the late emperor's brother-in-law. What kind of mind and measure is this.Such an emperor is worth following.

Because of the tragic death of Li Shoufu's youngest son, the Zhang brothers were not acquitted in the end, but were imprisoned in the name of homicide. "The emperor has exhausted his benevolence and righteousness." Among the courtiers, no one pleaded for the Zhang brothers.

If it's just to lock them up, you'll have to babble even more. Do you feel sorry for Li Shoufu?

The Zhang brothers struggled to survive in the dark prison, Zhao Mu, and Queen Zhang walked on thin ice in the harem. The three siblings who were once invincible fell from heaven to hell at the same time, living a miserable life that was unimaginable before.

Zhang He had been emptied by wine and sex, and died of illness not long after he was in prison.Empress Zhang suffered a few years in the harem, and died of depression.And Zhang Yan, after spending ten years of dark time in prison, was finally charged with homicide and beheaded at Caishikou.

On the day Zhang Yan was beheaded, many people surrounded Caishikou on the third and outer floors, all of whom were victims of his misfortune. "He robbed my family's field!" "He took my family's land!" "My family is poor, and my youngest son was sold to him, and he tortured and killed him within a year!" The scolding to Zhang Yan was painful. The sound is endless.

After Zhang Yan was executed, some people rushed up to eat his meat. The scene was quite terrifying.

At the corner of the street, a plain-clothed woman stood alone, watching Zhang Yan's head beheaded by the executioner quietly and without blinking.Seeing the moment when Zhang Yan's head fell to the ground, tears streamed down her face.

Brother, all the enemies who killed you will have their retribution.

God has eyes.

The woman in plain clothes went to the suburbs to worship her elder brother He Ding, wiped away her tears, left the capital, and returned to her hometown.She never married, but after she returned to her hometown, she picked a child from the family and adopted it to her elder brother He Ding, who raised the child carefully.

This is all for later.

(End of this chapter)