A Thousand Hills

Chapter 328

Therefore, before discussing how to deal with the fifth prince, the two advisers around the prince turned their faces first.Li Xiang left the East Palace in a fit of anger, he was so angry that he burst into tears, he realized that he was really lame!Prince, Prince, he was not like this in the past!

Li Xiangxin felt depressed and wished he could spit out a mouthful of old blood.

Li Xiang returned to the house with a look of vomiting blood, and Xu Shaonan, the nephew of the family who acted as a meticulous worker, greeted him, served him with tea and water, and said, "Uncle still needs to take care of his health, don't work too hard."

Li Xiang waved his hands and let out a long sigh, "You can't control the world."

Xu Shaonan said, "Uncle, don't worry, my nephew went out to see, the epidemic situation is much better now. Although there are few people on the street, the street is clean. Even the people who are isolated are much less than before. My nephew thought about it, and then In a month and a half, the epidemic will be over."

"That's good." Regarding the epidemic, the fifth prince is really a practical person.It's just that Li Xiang is not upset about the epidemic.Glancing at his nephew, Li Xiang was even more complicated, and after a short rest, he went to the study to read, but he didn't even have dinner that night.

The news of Li Xiangyu's anger in the East Palace quickly spread to the fifth prince's mansion. At the same time, the eldest prince and the third prince also knew about it. After all, Zhao Xie and Xie have been in charge of the palace for many years. , The news of the two of them is still very well-informed.

Both Zhao and Xie told their sons, "I don't know if it's true or not, so be careful."

The Fifth Prince has an extra layer of verification here. In addition to the news from the palace, there is also Xu Shaonan, the secret agent who delivered the news. Therefore, the Fifth Prince even knew about Li Xiangwei's dinner that night.The fifth prince discussed with his wife, "Could it be that Li Xiang and Donggong have turned against each other? This is unlikely, Li Xiang and Donggong have always been close."

Xie Moru said, "Li Xiang is different from Ning Jijiu. Xu Shaonan served by his side. Li Xiang doesn't know why. If Li Xiang is a man, he first transferred to Shaanxi and Gansu, but he was actually implicated in the scientific fraud case." However, the case of scientific fraud itself has nothing to do with him. He has been in Shaanxi and Gansu for several years, and he can be called a capable minister. Although a person like him is interested in the Eastern Palace, he cherishes his feathers and pays more attention to his reputation. He has lived to this age. With such a status, it’s okay to push the prince. No matter how much, Li Xiang is afraid to do it. Ning Jijiu is the most famous person, and his heart is higher than the sky, and his life is thinner than paper. He and my grandfather are of the same class. A Jinshi, it is said that he also contributed to His Majesty's personal administration, and was exiled by Princess Fusheng because of this. He was later transferred back to the imperial capital and has not been promoted for many years. Like my grandfather, he survived to the position of Shangshu cabinet, he is still just a little How can he be willing? He wants to get more from Donggong than Li Xiang. Li Xiang's purpose is nothing more than the position of chief assistant. But Li Xiang is now a cabinet minister. Even if he can't be the first assistant in this life, his position is not low. Ning Jijiu is different. If the East Palace is not in the top position, he is afraid that he will end up in the position of a mid-level official for life. So, let me say, Ning Jijiu He must be wholeheartedly looking for the top position in the East Palace, and he has no intentions. But Li Xiang, the top position in the East Palace is the icing on the cake for him, but if the East Palace can't get the position, he can still do it at his age. Li Xiang, My mind is still shaking."

The fifth prince said, "Tell me, is Li Xiang really falling out with Donggong? Or is he pretending to show others?"

"It doesn't matter if he really turns his back on him or not. A person like Li Xiang cherishes his reputation more than his life. It's impossible to do anything out of the ordinary. Rather, he would rather sacrifice wine. His rank is not high. When he encounters this golden opportunity, he will definitely die." Yes."

The fifth prince said bitterly, "What a villain!" Then he said, "Young brothers Zhi, it's rare to be honest."

Xie Moru said, "Azhi and the others didn't grow up with my aunt. They were slightly older, and they were all taught by my grandfather and father. The most soft-hearted in my natal family is Mo You. They believe what they say, Qi Why did Madam send her to Fujian to reunite with her brother-in-law in a hurry, because she was afraid that the Ning family would do something wrong."

The fifth prince became even more tired of Ning Jijiu after hearing this, because this villain's luck came, and he couldn't stop it.The fifth prince's epidemic prevention work has indeed achieved great results, but it may be that some people are born with weak resistance, especially the old officials in the court.No, the head of the Hanlin Academy died of illness.Right now, he doesn't dare to make a big fuss, Xu Xueshi is a sensible person, and confessed that his family must cremate his body after his death.Once Xu Xueshi died, the seat of the second-rank head of the academy became vacant, and the crown prince was not polite, so he gave this seat to Ning Jijiu as an agent.

Because it is an agent, it is difficult for the cabinet to say anything.After all, the crown prince has said, "Everything is in the hands of the father, and the father is in charge." One sentence also blocked the mouths of the princes.

Ning Jijiu's promotion was nothing to others, and Li Xiang's face became even uglier.

When Li Xiang went to the East Palace, he got the crown prince to persuade him, saying that Ning Jijiu was in a hurry, so he didn't think about it.But Li Xiang is so old-fashioned, and a villain like Ning Jijiu should not be alienated for a while, nor should he be promoted to an official rank.Since the prince is willing to be promoted to the official rank of Ning Jijiu, he is determined to be satisfied with Ning Jijiu, where is "unthinking", in the prince's heart, the one who is unthinking is probably Li Jun!

Li Xiang simply stopped talking, let the prince and Ning Jijiu discuss it.

Li Xiang refused to help, and Ning Jijiu's plan to transfer Jing Nangong Liu Fufeng and others out of the imperial capital was not very effective. After all, since he was just a little Jijiu and had no foreign qualifications, he wanted to start a war. It's really a compliment to Ning Jijiu!
There is no way to move the war, and the East Palace has no good ideas for a while. After all, the fifth prince is not slippery, and there are Empress Su and Princess Wenkang sitting in the harem, even if they want to fool the Empress Dowager Hu.The two sides were stalemate for a while, but the court was rarely stabilized.

Li Xiang didn't expect to take care of the East Palace any more, but went to Beichanghou's mansion for a visit.As the Minister of the Ministry of Officials, Marquis of Beichang is the head of the six ministries and a minister of the emperor's heart. However, the Minister of the Ministry of Officials does not enter the cabinet, so the friendship between Marquis Beichang and the people in the cabinet is not deep.However, he and Li Xiang had known each other since they were young, so they had some friendship.Now that Li Xiang is here, he won't say something cloudy and misty.The Marquis of Beichang asked Li Xiang to talk about it in his study, and Li Xiang sighed, "In my whole life, even when His Majesty was in charge, I never felt so difficult."

The Marquis of Beichang was very surprised when he heard this. Although he and Li Xiang had a friendship, they each had their own bosses, and they had not yet reached the level of mutual understanding.Li Xiang suddenly expressed his emotion, which made Beichang Hou not know how to answer it.Marquis Beichang reacted quickly, sipping tea, "The difficulty is only temporary, and it will be fine when His Majesty's dragon body recovers."

"Yes." Li Xiang replied indifferently.

After sitting in Beichanghou's residence for a long time, Li Xiang got up and said goodbye.

Senior officials have their residences, and Li Xiang's sedan chair turned two turns along the Qingshiban Road, and somehow arrived at Su Xiang's residence.Li Xiang didn't mean to visit Su Xiang, but he caught a glimpse of the closed animal head gate of the Su Mansion from the light veil of the car window, and suddenly felt a shock in his heart: the old fox, Su Mo, has been working since His Majesty fell ill. Sick!

Li Xiang would not think too much about talking about others.

However, Su Xiang is different.

Back then, Li Xiangguan was the Minister of the Household Department and the second in the cabinet. He was younger than Su Xiang, and everyone thought he was the best candidate for the next Chief Assistant.At that time, His Majesty also had great trust in him, and even appointed him to be the chief examiner of Chunwei. At that time, Li Xiang also thought that he would be the one after Su Xiang.But in that year, the fraud case broke out, and because of his involvement in the case, he was transferred from the imperial capital to serve as the governor.

That year, who recommended him to be the chief examiner of Chun Wei?

Li Xiang is not a stupid person, thinking about it, he knows that it must be Su Laohu's handwriting.He was transferred away from the imperial capital without bloodshed... Every time Li Xiang thought of this matter, his teeth itch with hatred, but he had to admit in his heart that old fox Su was not shallow.The same goes for this old fox. He sees that he is a master of the academy, he will get sick if he says he is sick, and he will die if he says he is dead.Old fox Su is only sick and never dies... The more Li Xiang thinks about it, the more frightened he becomes.

When Prime Minister Li returned home, he ordered his old wife to prepare some medicinal materials, and was going to visit Prime Minister Su.

Mrs. Li said, "It's already noon, there's no one to go to see people at noon. What's more, it's in Su Xiang's house, it's not suitable to go after noon. Why don't you go tomorrow? It's the Dragon Boat Festival, and it's also the festival. Master and Su Xiang He has been an official in the court for many years, and Prime Minister Su is ill, so the master should go and see if it is a big festival."

Li Xiang agreed.

On the second day, the morning meeting ended, and Xu Shaonan was waiting with a gift box in his hand.Although Li Xiang knew that this nephew was here to be a spy by his side, to be honest, this nephew acted neatly and thoughtfully, which was not bad.

Li Xiang went to the mansion in person, Su Buyu greeted him and went out, Li Xiang spoke softly, expressing concern, "I wanted to come over to see the old man's body, but I kept doing this and that, so I delayed it. I don't know, the old man How is it now?"

Su Buyu invited Li Xiang to the flower hall to serve tea, and said, "Uncle Lao remembers that my father is still the same, neither getting better nor getting worse. It's just that this disease is not easy to see, except for my nephew, but some people Relatives and elders came to visit, but my father didn’t see each other, I’m afraid I’m sick. Please forgive me.”

Seeing Su Buyu alive and kicking, Li Xiang thought to himself, your fox father hasn't given you the illness yet, so it seems that the old fox is fine.While thinking about it, Li Xiang only said, "The old man has always been like this. He puts others before himself in everything. How can we not let people miss him. Without the old man in the cabinet, we have lost our backbone."

Hearing these words was insincere, but Li Xiang was extremely sincere no matter his expression or voice, which made Su Buyu's goosebumps goosebumps, and said politely, "My father is also worried, but he doesn't live up to it. After taking decoctions every month, most of them are drowsy. When he is a little awake, he remembers the affairs of the court. The more impatient he is, the slower he will recover from his illness. I can't persuade him every time."

"We still have to reassure the old man."

Li Xiang and Su Buyu were talking about Su Xiang's body, when suddenly they heard a bell ringing outside, their expressions changed drastically, they immediately got up and ran outside, the bell rang 27 times.Li Xiang's face was as white as paper, trembling all over, Su Buyu's face was also extremely ugly, the clock was not struck casually, 27 is the number thirty-nine, and only His Majesty, Empress, or Empress Dowager would strike three nine in the whole world Among them, the rest, even the princes, grandsons and concubines passed away, and they would not be able to ring the bell.

Li Xiang's tears were already falling, he knelt on the ground with a plop, and shouted, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" That kind of grief did not seem to be fake at all.

Su Buyu had many years of experience, otherwise he might not be able to shed tears at this moment, Li Xiang was so eloquent, Su Buyu also cried, he was not crying for the emperor, he was crying for himself.Ruined!He bet his treasure on King Min!It's better to resign earlier and go back to seclusion. His Majesty will go, and it is natural for the crown prince to ascend the throne. Hey, what can I do with my younger sister.

As Su Buyu thought about the future, tears rolled down his jade-like cheeks.

There are not a few people who do Su Buyu think this way, even the fourth and fifth princes who are on an epidemic prevention mission, when they hear the bell, they also think that their father is gone!The faces of the two of them became even paler, they didn't care about other things, they hurried to the palace one by one on a fast horse.

Almost all the ministers who qualified for the ranking stopped their errands and gathered in His Highness Zhaode.The princes can go directly to the Zhaode Hall. As soon as the fifth prince entered the Zhaode Hall, he swayed and rushed over, hugging his father and crying loudly!The fourth prince also cried terribly, no less than his fifth brother.With cold hands and feet, the eldest prince passed by, lifted the fifth younger brother's shoulders vigorously, and said with tears in his eyes, "Fifth younger brother, father is well, yes, it is the empress who was murdered!" As soon as the eldest prince finished speaking, the fifth prince He passed away directly.

It was not Emperor Zhaode who died.

But Empress Su.

Empress Dowager Hu's tears flowed like a river, and she took Princess Wenkang's hand and said, "My family is narrow-minded. Over the years, I have been treating the queen badly because of the consecration. The queen is a good one, thanks to her." , if it wasn't for her, the emperor would have..." He was even more sad as he spoke, beating his chest with one hand and saying, "Ai family is ashamed!"

Queen Mother Hu was very guilty.

Princess Wenkang's eyes were also slightly red, and she had to comfort her mother, "Mother, don't think so. Right now, there is still a matter of mourning for Empress Daxing, and it is up to the empress to decide."

"The empress died for the emperor, and what happens after her death, I can't wrong the empress." Empress Dowager Hu was very grateful to Empress Su.

Concubine Zhao's complexion is also very ugly. What happened today, if Empress Su hadn't tasted the soup, the prince and grandson on duty would be the First Prince and the Dalang of the Fifth Prince's House. On the head of the son and the fifth prince.Concubine Zhao Guifei also turned pale, half frightened and half angry, she said, "There is a lot of commotion outside, all the servants beside His Majesty have been taken down, what happens next is up to the Eldest Princess to order!"

Queen Mother Hu said angrily, "If there is anything else to order, kill them all!"

Princess Wenkang said, "We have to find out what's going on, and see who dared to murder the emperor, so we can deal with it."

"These heartless things! How did the emperor treat them, and they poisoned the emperor!" Empress Dowager Hu cried again when she thought of this, and it was Princess Changtai who stepped forward to persuade her "Grandmother, don't be too sad. I'll go with my grandmother to have a rest. I'll leave things outside to my aunt and the others. If the traitor is found out, he will be punished severely!" Princess Changtai and the third princess helped the queen mother go Resting in the room, Princess Wenkang is also in charge.

It was a coincidence that Queen Mother Hu was very worried about the health of the queen's son, so she went to visit her every day.As the Dragon Boat Festival was approaching and the weather was getting hotter, Empress Dowager Hu also wanted to take advantage of the coolness in the morning, so she got a little earlier, and when she arrived at Zhaode Hall, she was just in time for the freshly decocted medicine to be served.Empress Dowager Hu, as a mother, has a motherly heart and wants to feed her son medicine, but at her age, she has been pampered and pampered for many years, how can she take care of patients.What's more, Emperor Mu Yuan was in a coma.Seeing that Empress Dowager Hu was trembling and unable to feed her, Empress Su said, "The empress dowager is coming all the way. It's hot now. You might as well take a rest first, and let your daughter-in-law serve your majesty." Empress Su took the medicine bowl. First tasted the warm soup and medicine, but it was still palatable, just this one mouthful, Queen Su died instantly.

At that time, everyone in the side hall was frightened.

Why did Empress Dowager Hu cry like that? It was not only Empress Su who saved her son's life, but if it wasn't Empress Su, she would be the one who fed poison to her son herself.Rao Empress Dowager Hu has always been confused, and every time she thinks about this matter, her liver and gallbladder are still torn.

It is not only the Queen Mother Hu who is heartbroken, but also the eldest prince and the big man Mu Mu, both of whom have cold hands and feet, and even more honest and honest like a big man. It is not the grandmother who can taste the medicine for the emperor's grandfather, but himself.

The fifth prince fainted suddenly, Zhaode Hall was in a hurry again, and everyone rushed to carry the fifth prince to the side hall.Fortunately, there is an imperial doctor in the palace, so everything is convenient. Imperial doctor Dou came in tremblingly, and the fifth prince woke up with the injection, and spit out a mouthful of blood when his head tilted, which scared Da Lang so much that he kept shouting, "Father, king!" !Father!"

Imperial Physician Dou hurriedly took the fifth prince's pulse, and said, "It's okay to be in pain for a while." Seeing the fifth prince gritted his teeth, a pair of bloodshot eyes stared straight at the prince. The voice seemed to be squeezed out from between the teeth, asking, "How did the queen mother be murdered by the villain!"

The crown prince gave the fifth prince such a look that he couldn't hold his breath and turned his back on it. What does the fifth prince mean by this? Could it be that the lonely king succeeded!The prince still had the gentle face of a good brother, sitting next to the fifth prince's couch, and said in a gentle voice, "Fifth, just take a good rest, the lonely king is about to ask Dou Taidoctor, what's the matter with this medicine?"

Imperial Physician Dou knelt down, knocked his head, murmured, and said in a mournful voice, "I guarantee the lives of the nine clans. This medicine is brewed by me. The dregs are still there, so there is absolutely no problem!"

The fifth prince couldn't understand, and roared angrily, "I'm asking how the mother was murdered!"

The prince turned pale when he yelled at him, Dalang choked up and told his father about the matter, Dalang said, "Someone should have tried the medicine before it was served, but the emperor's grandmother was poisoned and died just by touching her lips slightly." .”

The fifth prince picked up the teacup at hand and threw it at the prince's feet. He is ordinary in martial arts, but he has been fighting abroad for many years with great strength. With a bang, broken porcelain was scattered everywhere, and the prince's face changed drastically. Your empress blocked the poisonous killing for your father, you have resentment in your heart!"

The fifth prince jumped off the couch, stepped in front of the prince, stared at him intently, and his voice was so loud that the roof could collapse, the fifth prince roared, "Whoever dares to harm my parents, I will definitely punish him with blood!" blood!"

The fourth prince was afraid that the fifth prince would fight with the prince, so he hurried to pull the fifth prince's arm. The fifth prince threw it away, stared at the prince, and said coldly, "Also, the prince doesn't want a queen on the left and a queen on the right. Call her Queen Mother! Otherwise, I will also be called Empress Xianhu from now on!"

The eldest prince and Zhao Shiyu said, "At that time, I saw my heart beating wildly, but you didn't see that the fifth child looks like he is about to peel the prince alive."

Zhao Shiyu sighed, "Your Majesty really has ninety-five fates." You can't die like this, but Empress Su blocked the disaster for Emperor Mu Yuan. I have to admit that maybe there is a destiny in the world.

"That's right." The eldest prince had lingering fears in his heart, "There is no need to talk about the empress's character. My mother and concubine said that she is the most amiable person. Although she doesn't take care of many things, I see that she is better than the emperor's grandmother." Many." Hearing this, Zhao Shiyu couldn't help but slander that he was better than Queen Mother Hu alone.The eldest prince continued, "If it weren't for the empress, Dalang and I would not be able to tell each other even if we had [-] mouths, so one of them must be folded in." Moreover, it is very likely that the one who folded in is the eldest prince, not for anyone else. The eldest prince loves to show filial piety, and Da Lang is not good at competing with his uncle, so every time it is their turn to form a team, the eldest prince is the one who feeds the soup.

The First Prince was a witness at that time, and he described the situation with Zhao Shiyu in detail. Zhao Shiyu sighed, "Not only is His Majesty's life prosperous, but the Empress Dowager's fate is also undeniable." Such an old fool, his luck is indeed extraordinary.

"Isn't that right." The eldest prince said, "I heard from the princess that the emperor's grandmother is crying like something."

Zhao Shiyu said, "The empress dowager is definitely grateful for her passing away like this, but the current epidemic in the city may not be easy to deal with."

"Yeah, that's what Lao Wu said." The eldest prince said with emotion, "I used to dislike Lao Wu the most. I thought he would flatter my father. I didn't expect him to be so sensible. The people were removed, and the epidemic outside the city was also at a time when the epidemic was severe, so Lao Wu took the initiative to say that the funeral ceremony will be reduced, and after seven days, he will stop at the Huangzhuang outside the mausoleum, and the funeral will not be too late after the epidemic has passed."

This is what the fifth prince can say.The death of the empress is a major event for the country, not to mention, Empress Su died for Emperor Mu Yuan to taste the medicine.

Empress Dowager Hu refused to treat Empress Su badly. The crown prince was a prince, and Empress Su was his aunt, and he was close to falling out with the fifth prince.

However, the prince was really wronged, and said to Li Xiangning, "You don't see the appearance of the fifth child, and the lonely one has eight mouths. I'm afraid he will think that this thing is done alone!"

Ning Jijiu was angry, "The fifth prince has such a big face, how can he take his anger out on His Highness because of the queen's great behavior. It is also the queen's blessing that the queen can taste the medicine and die for her majesty! Could it be that he is resentful!" Ning Jijiu As expected of the prince's confidant, the monarch and his ministers have a tacit understanding.

Li Xiang looked at the prince silently, and asked, "I don't know why the queen was poisoned?"

The prince said it was even more unlucky, and said, "Father's decoction has always been cooked by Imperial Physician Dou himself, and the dregs of the medicine have been checked, and there is no problem. The waiter of the medicine was also fine. It was later discovered that the medicine was placed on the white silk cloth wrapping the spoon. The Secretary of Shenxing has already gone to interrogate him, but I don’t know what the result is? The old fifth, Gu said that the third division should interrogate this He insists on being cautious about the matter, he really has no eyes on the king!"

People in the imperial capital have their own thoughts, such as the crown prince, but it is a pity, why is it Empress Su who died?For example, the five princes, although they cried loudly in the mausoleum, they were not without rejoicing. If Emperor Mu Yuan did not predict, their life would be difficult in the future. It is a pity that Empress Su passed away, but luckily it was not Emperor Mu Yuan.

Although the fifth prince said that the funeral will be held after the epidemic, but the first seven still have to be guarded. The emperors, grandchildren, princesses, princesses and courtiers have ordered that anyone who is in good health must enter the palace and cry in the mausoleum. Not eating or drinking, he was so emaciated that he passed in front of the mausoleum several times.

Seeing this, the fourth prince was really worried, and quietly ordered someone to invite Princess Xie over.The Fifth Prince was carried to the side hall of Xuanwen Palace to rest. Xie Moru brought a food box. The meat raised by the Fifth Prince since returning to court last year had lost weight in the past few days. Hong said, "Why are you here?"

"Come and see Your Highness." Xie Moru's complexion was not very good, she did not persuade the Fifth Prince, but said, "Back then, when my mother passed away, I was as hurt as Your Highness."

The fifth prince immediately burst into tears, Xie Moru hugged him with both arms, and said softly, "At that time, I really wanted someone to hug me like this." But, there was no such person.

The fifth prince was crying, and Xie Moru's shoulders were all wet. The fifth prince choked up and said, "What's the point of this throne? If we had known this, we might as well take our mother and queen to live a quiet life."

Xie Moru hugged the Fifth Prince and did not speak again.

Quiet day.

In the past few years, is it because her mother is not quiet enough, or is Queen Su's life not quiet enough?
This throne, this country, is soaked with the blood and tears of her ancestors, with her many years of painstaking planning, and her husband's eight-year battle, this country, this throne, the greatest authority in the world, I have exhausted If you want to get it in your youth, it's nothing more than not wanting to continue living that quiet life!
In mid-May, Master Xue and Xia Qingcheng arrived at the imperial capital under the escort of Jiang Xingyun and his party.

(End of this chapter)