It doesn't matter who started the rumor. What matters is that the rumor has spread in the palace and may soon spread to the public.
Once some rumors spread among the people, they will become something that many ordinary people firmly believe in, and may even be passed down for hundreds or thousands of years, compiled into vernacular novels and operas, and become the topic of conversation for countless people after dinner.
"It must have been done by that woman Su Meidai."
Liu'an is the eldest son. In order to make Yun Duqing's position as the heir apparent more secure, Su Meidai will definitely find a way to eliminate the threat of Liu'an.
"That bastard." She was so angry that she was shaking all over. She lowered her head and asked the eunuch who was passing the message, "What else is being spread outside?"
"It is said...it is said that you and the Patriarch of the Du family were in love when you were young and promised to be together forever, but you were beaten to death by the late emperor..."
"That's enough!" Concubine Xu interrupted the eunuch and said sarcastically, "Are you going to be together forever?"
She really wanted to be with Du Qingke back then, but that worthless bastard said that it was an imperial decree and that as the young master of the Du family, he couldn't just care about his own pleasure.
Pooh!
The man's promise was not as good as the mud used for wall-pasting in the village. The mud at least could protect against wind and rain, but Du Qingke's waste could only bring shame to her.
I am ashamed that when I was young and ignorant, I fell in love with such a heartless thing.
If he wasn't still useful now, she wouldn't even want to look at him.
"Even you know these rumors. I'm afraid they have already reached the emperor's ears." Concubine Xu took a deep breath and said, "Go to the small kitchen and tell them that I will go to the kitchen myself."
She has been claiming to be ill and has not been at home these years, just because she doesn't want His Majesty to remember the mistakes she made when she was in the Qian Mansion.
But now, regarding this rumor, she must do everything she can to dispel His Majesty's suspicion.
She remembered that when she first arrived at the palace, there were no other women in the house. She once cooked a bowl of health-preserving porridge for His Majesty, who ate it neatly and praised her for her dexterity.
Having not cooked for many years, she had become very unfamiliar with the dish. She cooked it two or three times before she was able to make a bowl of Tremella and Longan Porridge.
After putting the bowl of hot porridge into the food box, Concubine Xu went straight to Taiyang Palace.
"Is Concubine Xu here?" At the gate of Taiyang Palace, Liu Zhongbao seemed to have predicted her arrival and bowed to her: "His Majesty is waiting for you, please follow me."
"Thank you, Eunuch Liu." Concubine Xu's heart skipped a beat. She looked at the palace door that was slowly opening, hesitated for a moment, and then walked in.
Liu Zhongbao reached out to stop the palace maid behind Concubine Xu and said, "Your Majesty is discussing matters with the Empress. No one else is allowed to enter."
Emperor Longfeng was sitting in front of his desk reviewing memorials. Apart from him, there was no one else serving him in the hall.
"You're here?" Seeing her come in, Emperor Long Feng put down his pen and said calmly, "Sit down."
"I haven't cooked for many years. I've been feeling better in recent days, so I made a bowl of tremella and longan porridge myself. Please have a taste, Your Majesty." Concubine Xu brought the porridge to Emperor Longfeng.
"I remember that you were not happy when you were given to the palace. You listened to the advice of the nanny and cooked a bowl of porridge. When you brought it to me, your hands were shaking." Emperor Longfeng looked at the porridge that was still steaming, "I don't know where you got the wrong information and thought I liked Tremella and Longan Porridge. In fact, I have never liked eating longan since I was a child, and I don't like eating porridge with longan even more."
Concubine Xu froze and looked at Emperor Longfeng in disbelief.
"But you just arrived at the palace and you are unfamiliar with the place. I don't want to make you feel uneasy, so I ate the bowl of porridge reluctantly." Emperor Longfeng walked to the window, looked out with his hands behind his back, but did not look at her: "Concubine Xu, take this bowl of porridge back."
Concubine Xu knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, I didn't know your Majesty's taste. I was wrong."
"Get up." Emperor Longfeng said calmly, "You didn't want to marry into the palace at first. We were both helpless. You don't know my taste, and I don't know your preferences. What's wrong with that?"
"Your Majesty!" Concubine Xu did not dare to speak out the rumors in the palace, but she had to find a way to dispel His Majesty's suspicion, so she could only say: "You are Liu'an's father, the emperor of Dacheng. As a concubine, I don't understand your taste. It's my fault."
"Although Liu'an is sometimes a bit reckless, he is a good kid." Emperor Longfeng said, "My uncle also had the same temper."
Concubine Xu did not dare to respond. Because of the late emperor's stupidity, the Empress Dowager's family died cleanly, and your majesty's uncle was not spared either.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Concubine Xu was delighted. By saying this, Your Majesty meant that he had no doubts about Liu'an's background?
What does it matter if that bitch Su Meidai is favored?
In the eyes of men, children are more important after all.
Emperor Longfeng saw Empress Su coming through the window and quickly sat back at his desk: "Concubine Xu, what kind of perfume do you use?"
Concubine Xu was bewildered. She often claimed to be sick, so why would she use incense?
"Stay away from me."
Not too far away, I'm afraid I can't explain it clearly.
"Your Majesty." Without waiting for the eunuch to report, Empress Su entered the palace directly. Seeing Concubine Xu kneeling in the room, she put the food box in her hand on the table and glanced at the porridge on the table that was no longer hot. "It's my bad luck to come here."
"You and I are husband and wife, so there's no such thing as coincidence." Emperor Long Feng opened the food box and said with a smile, "This snack is so beautiful." As he said that, he was about to take it and eat it.
"Your Majesty, wash your hands and test for poison." Empress Su patted the back of Emperor Longfeng's hand and looked at Concubine Xu who was kneeling on the ground with a half-smile: "Madam Xu, please stand up. You are weak and cannot kneel for long."
"Thank you, Her Majesty." Seeing Su Meidai's condescending attitude, Concubine Xu felt extremely resentful in her heart, but she did not dare to show it on her face. Instead, she looked grateful.
A maid from Mingyue Palace helped her up.
She watched His Majesty and Su Meidai eating snacks and chatting like an ordinary couple. She stood here, no different from the other candlestick decorations in the hall.
She thought that Empress Su would mention her past with Du Qingke and take the opportunity to discredit Liu An's background, but she said nothing. She even ordered people to send snacks to several princes in Zhangliu Palace after His Majesty praised the snacks for being delicious.
What exactly does Su Meidai mean by pretending to be virtuous in front of His Majesty?
"Princess, have you heard the rumors in the palace?" Chunfen whispered as she was combing Jiuzhu's makeup, "It spread everywhere in just a few days. I think there's something wrong with this."
"What rumor?" Jiuzhu asked curiously.
"Some people say that His Royal Highness Prince Huai is not His Majesty's bloodline, but the product of an affair between Concubine Xu and Du Qingke, the head of the Du family."
"How is that possible?" Jiuzhu shook her head and denied: "Prince Huai's eyebrows and nose are exactly the same as your Majesty's. No one with eyes can say such a thing."
Thinking of the gentle Princess Huai, Jiuzhu said, "I will go to Zhangliu Palace later and find a few sisters-in-law to play with."
Rumors can suddenly start spreading for only one reason: someone is spreading them deliberately.
My mother has always been kind and upright, and she will definitely not allow this rumor to continue to ferment in the palace.
"You stay with your elder brother and his wife for lunch. I'll be there later." Prince Chen walked to her side, lowered his head and kissed her forehead gently: "Wait for me."
The one who was feeling the worst at the moment was Prince Huai. He was of royal blood, but suddenly everyone around him suspected that his mother had cheated on his father, and they looked at him with a strange look in their eyes.
The worst thing was that when he met his third brother, Prince Jing, he saw him from a distance and turned around and walked away. With so many palace maids and eunuchs present, the third brother's behavior was almost like pointing at his nose and telling everyone, "Everyone, come and see, my eldest brother's identity is really problematic!"
I never thought that my third brother, who is usually quiet, could do things so insidiously. He is not a good person.
"My Lord, please stop walking around in front of me. Are you annoyed?" Princess Huai said, unable to bear it any longer. "What's the point of you getting anxious here? The most important thing now is not what those palace maids and eunuchs say, but whether the emperor believes you."
"Can I go before my father and tell him about this?" Prince Huai was so angry that he pounded the table. "This is like tofu falling into a ash pit. It can't be praised or criticized."
"You said this..." Prince Huai lowered his voice, "Could it be that Empress Su is plotting against me?"
Princess Huai shook her head slowly: "Father has already requested that Fifth Brother be made Crown Prince, why is it necessary for Your Majesty to do this?"
"As a woman, how can you understand the interests involved here?" Prince Huai disagreed with Princess Huai's words: "Don't forget, I am the eldest son."
"If you dislike me because I'm a woman, don't discuss things with me." Princess Huai finally overturned the table and said, "Go find those concubines of yours!"
Frightened by her sudden temper, Prince Huai's momentum weakened a bit: "It's just a rumor. I'm still Prince Huai now. Are you in such a hurry to cross the river and destroy the bridge with me?"
Princess Huai was so angry that she laughed. She raised the tea bowl beside her and was about to smash it when she heard Ming Jiuju's voice coming from outside the yard.
"Are you there, brother and sister-in-law?"
Princess Huai put down her tea bowl and hurried out the door: "Fifth brother's wife?"
"Sister-in-law, brother." Jiuzhu glanced at Prince Huai who came out with Princess Huai and bowed to them. "The weather is good today. My prince and I want to come to your place to ask for a lunch. I wonder if sister-in-law and brother are willing to do so?"
Before Prince Huai could respond, Princess Huai nodded with a happy expression, "Don't hesitate to give it up. Whatever Fifth Brother's wife wants to eat, just tell me. I will definitely satisfy her. Just don't mind."
"What delicious food is there? Sister-in-law didn't even call me?" Princess An appeared at the gate of the courtyard and walked in with a smile: "I just heard you mention lunch."
"If there's something delicious, you'll definitely be there." Seeing Prince Huai still standing there stupidly, Princess Huai raised her eyebrows and said, "Your Highness, why don't you go and tell the kitchen to prepare it?"
His fifth brother's wife came all the way from Qilin Palace just to help him debunk the rumors, so how come he doesn't have any wit at all?
Could it be that the future Crown Prince and Crown Princess really want to have lunch with the couple?
Prince Huai was startled, and his brain finally reacted: "Fifth brother and sister-in-law are so kind, how can a brother be stingy? I will go to the small kitchen and watch them prepare the ingredients." He glanced behind Jiuzhu, and Yun Duqing was not there: "I wonder when fifth brother will come over?"
"My prince has just been summoned by the emperor, and he will be here soon." Jiuzhu smiled: "Before leaving, his prince also specifically told me to ask my elder brother to prepare good wine and food, and he wanted to come over for a big meal."
Prince Huai smiled broadly: "Ah, eat as much as you want, eat as much as you want."
He had lived for more than twenty years, and for the first time he felt that Yun Duqing was so likable.
Prince Chen was in the Taiyang Palace. He followed Emperor Longfeng's example and finished his business. Then he stood up and prepared to leave.
Emperor Longfeng tried to stop him: "You still have memorials to review this afternoon, where are you going?"
"Father, I am going to have lunch at my elder brother's place today. Will you give me half a day off?" Prince Chen rubbed his hands and smiled: "My elder brother is the host, so I will eat more."
Emperor Longfeng was startled for a moment, then he smiled, a smile of relief.
"Go ahead." He closed the memorial in his hand and said, "I'll give you half a day off. Eat more."
The best way to dispel rumors is not to force people to shut up.
Instead, we use practical actions to make people feel that those rumors are jokes that only fools believe.
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