Phoenix that can't smile

Chapter 776

When the Great Zhou Dynasty came to the end of the new year, the discussions among the women and concubines in the palace reached a climax.Concubine Min Gui's eyes reflected the distorted and mocking smiles of the palace family members, and her heart was as happy as eating honey.

"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is still the Empress Dowager, the elder of the Great Zhou Palace. Now that the court officials are ignoring Zhou etiquette and secretly ridiculing the Empress Dowager Ping, will it arouse the Emperor's wrath?" Xiner watched the palace officials discussing in full swing, and suddenly Worry up.

"Xin'er, this is called icing on the cake, that's great, don't worry, the maidservant Bao Si won't survive this year!" Concubine Min Gui cunningly let out a contemptuous smile from her red lips.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor has a decree to come to the Peony Palace at noon." At this time, the former imperial eunuch Xiao Dezi held the memorial of the respect room and went forward to greet Concubine Min Gui.

"The emperor has a deep affection for me." Concubine Min Gui deliberately used a jade hairpin to hold her temples, and smiled coquettishly.

At noon, the hungry Zhou Emperor Shui Jian entered the Peony Palace to eat, and the table was covered with sumptuous dishes served in gold vessels.

"Hahaha, looking at Aiqing's delicate face, I want to move my chopsticks, Min'er, today I will make you the Imperial Concubine of the Great Zhou Dynasty!" Shui Jian said with a flick of his sleeve, glaring at Concubine Min.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!" Concubine Min immediately went back to the bedroom, changed into a court dress, and knelt down to Shui Jian three times and kowtowed nine times.

"Hahaha, Aiqing, you and I still have so many courtesies?" Shui Jian couldn't help but stroking his beard and smiling.

"Your Majesty, the courtiers and concubines are the emperor's servants. How dare they disrespect the emperor, but these days, the court officials are making too much noise. After all, the Empress Dowager Ping is still the mother of the world. The palace slanders her and spreads those shameful things." Rumors, don't you lose face to my Great Zhou royal family?" Concubine Min Gui deliberately became concerned about Bao Si.

"Aiqing, Empress Dowager, you can let her fend for herself. Anyway, in front of the world, I will please the Queen Mother." Shui Jian's face darkened, and he gave Concubine Min Gui a look.

In the middle of the night, the palace lanterns were lit in the Peony Pavilion, and the smug Concubine Min Gui summoned Ma Wumen and Weihou Huagu, feeling very happy.

"Mother, speaking of Cheng Rong and Ming Chao, they are really useless. They tried their best to catch us spreading rumors and insulting the Queen Mother and them, but the emperor just fined us a few taels of silver, which really drove Cheng Rong crazy! Ma Wumen said complacently while drinking sorghum wine.

"Cheng Rong, I want him to be ruined and notorious!" When Concubine Min Gui mentioned Cheng Rong, she immediately showed murderous intent.

"Your Majesty, now that Xirong has captured the Kingdom of Yan and threatened Shuilongguan, why don't we think of a way to let the censor play it and encourage the emperor to appoint Cheng Rong and Ming Chao to lead the troops to recover the Kingdom of Yan, and then find a way to take the excavated Suddenly transfer them to another place, separate them, and then punish them severely!" Ma Wumen gritted his teeth and suggested loudly.

"Okay, use Xirong Boli's knife to kill these guys who are an eyesore, and let them go underground to be upright officials, ma'am, but in reality we still have to spread rumors everywhere, and we must call them corrupt officials. In this way, the people of the whole country will never know, they deserve it!" Weihou, who had a stern face, was even more vicious than Ma Wumen.

"Okay, three lovers, if I can successfully replace Empress Ma as the successor, I will definitely let the three of you share the world!" Concubine Min Gui raised her cup solemnly.

"Your Majesty, I'm overjoyed, the imperial concubine gave birth to a dragon son!" On the eve of the New Year's Eve, there were heart-piercing roars from the Peony Palace, and Xiao Dezi, who was overjoyed, rushed into Shuijian's study room happily, facing the water. Congratulations to Jian.

"Xiao Dezi, did I hear you right, is it male or female?" Shui Jian asked happily. ,

"The emperor is overjoyed, it's the little prince!" Xiao Dezi kowtowed repeatedly.

"Okay, I have even thought of a name for the emperor, so I will call him the heir! The throne must belong to him. As for Bao En, he is too honest, and I am afraid he will not be able to enjoy the country!" Shui Jian said happily.

On the eve of New Year's Eve, all the ministers congratulated the emperor for having another cub. Shui Jian was overjoyed, rewarded the ministers again and again, and announced amnesty for the whole world.

In the Kunning Palace in the deep palace, although Empress Ma was also happy for Concubine Min Gui, but he stared at the little prince Bao En in his arms with tears in his eyes, and couldn't help feeling very anxious.

"Prince Cheng, help me think about it. If the emperor's heir becomes the prince in the future, will he kill Bao En?" Empress Ma prepared a banquet and summoned Cheng Rong and Ming Chao tonight important minister.

"Your Majesty, don't worry, Zhou Li said that the elders are not the younger ones. His Royal Highness Prince Bao En is honest by nature and there is nothing wrong. What excuse does the emperor have for deposing the crown prince? Besides, the emperor's biological mother, Concubine Min Gui, is only a concubine, how can he compete with the empress for the throne? "Cheng Rong hurriedly comforted Empress Ma.

"King Cheng, the emperor has a decree, please go to Yangxing Palace to receive the decree immediately." At this time, the guard stepped forward and announced the decree to Cheng Rong. ,
After a while, both Cheng Rong and Ming Chao came to Yangxing Hall to pay their respects to Shui Jian. Shui Jian looked at the two important ministers kindly, and was very pleased in his heart: "Master Cheng, besides the harem, you are the ones I trust the most. Now Xirong Occupying the Kingdom of Yan, Shuilong Pass is in danger, and King Zheng's Qutu is now notorious, and I have transferred him back to Xinzheng. Now, if I want to resist Xirong's aggression, I can only rely on the joint efforts of my two lovers!"

"Your Majesty, my minister Cheng Rong Mingchao must do his best to turn the tide for the court!" Cheng Rong knew that someone had lied about him behind his back, so he quickly knelt down and obeyed.

"Okay, Cheng Aiqing, you and the prime minister command [-] troops, let's set off tomorrow!" Shui Jian said happily.

Three days later, Cheng Rong and Ming Chao led An Tong and other generals, swore to march, and reached the border. Marshal Boli of Xirong heard that only Cheng Rong and Ming Chao commanded the Zhou army, and he was overjoyed.

"Child Cheng Rong, without the help of digging, let's see how he wins? Angoli, immediately arrange some spies to spread some legends about Cheng Rong and Mingchao at the border, embarrassing them, and see how they have the face to command the army to fight ?” Bo Li suddenly laughed out loud.

For several days in a row, the streets and alleys of Shuilongguan were full of rumors about Cheng Rong and Ju Tu Mingchao generals. The rumors were very disgusting. Many strange people gathered together to discuss and took the opportunity to agitate the officers and soldiers.

"It's disgusting, it turns out that our military pay has been embezzled by King Cheng and the prime minister, so let's not fight this battle!" The soldiers at Shuilong Pass were immediately shocked.

"Soldiers and soldiers, I have already brought you your military salaries. As for who spread those rumors? Come, bring the villains up here." After a long while, Cheng Rong's big statue was erected on the top of the water dragon gate. In front of all the soldiers, Cheng Rong, Ming Chao, and An Tong paid out the military salaries, and ordered the Huben army to escort the captured Xi Rong spies.

"Yes, it's these few who spread rumors everywhere, so that everyone knows that they are the ones who provoked them, kill them!" Zhou Jun's generals scolded loudly when they saw these spies with treacherous eyebrows.

"Marshal, it's not good. I didn't expect Cheng Rong to be so powerful. He even closed the door of the water dragon gate, took out his salary, and paid the army salary to Zhou Jun first. We were caught by Zhou Jun because we were unprepared!" , An Geli, with a disappointed face, knelt in front of Bo Li and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Cheng Rong is really powerful, pass on the commander's order to attack the city immediately!" Bo Li was so angry that he blew his beard and stared, and directed the whole army to attack.

At Shuilongguan, people screamed and arrows fell like rain. Cheng Rong and Mingchao sent people to build trenches and ambushed a large number of crossbowmen. When they saw Xirong cavalry, they shot and killed Xirong soldiers. .

In Luoyang City, Concubine Min Gui’s movement to exclude Baosi has been in full swing. When the concubines of various palaces saw people from Jianjia Palace, they made sarcasm, and even insulted them secretly. The eunuch beat him, but Hui Yue tried his best to stop them.

In the middle of the night, the bamboo shadows in the Jianjia Palace were silent, and suddenly the backs of several men in black were reflected in the bedroom, and they rushed towards Baosi's curtain.

"What kind of thief dares to assassinate the Empress Dowager?" Mingyue and Huiyue had already guessed that the assassin would kill him secretly, and immediately lit candles, and the whole palace was brightly lit. The men in black saw that all the palace ladies were intercepting, and they looked down on them very much. Unexpectedly, more than a dozen Imperial Guards ambushed in Jianjia Palace, and then the assassins attacked. Before dawn, the assassins were all killed by the Imperial Guards.

"Your Majesty, it's not good. The assassin assassinated the Empress Dowager last night, and all of them were killed by Lord Jugtu's imperial guards!" At Chenshi, Shui Jian was sitting on his shoulders and went to the Shuilong Shuren Palace. Unexpectedly, the trembling little Dezi had rushed forward Come up and report.

"What? How dare an assassin assassinate the Queen Mother?" Shui Jian's gloomy face finally couldn't help it.

"It's really unreasonable. I have been patient with you royal family and nobles again and again. I didn't expect you to send assassins to follow the Queen Mother in addition to spreading rumors. I will kill you all!" Several princes scolded sharply.

"Your Majesty, someone dared to assassinate the Empress Dowager. It is really presumptuous and rampant, but your Majesty understands why the Empress Dowager was targeted by the assassins? Isn't it because the Empress Dowager caused troubles everywhere outside and caused many enemies?" Ma Wumen asked Shui Jian Reported.

"Ma Wumen, you are talking nonsense. The Empress Dowager Ping is virtuous and kind. How could she offend her enemies? You are a traitor!" Before Ma Wumen could finish speaking, King Yu swung his sword and chopped off Ma Wumen, and immediately went to court. a mess.

(End of this chapter)