As night fell and red candles flickered, Zheng Lanyin adjusted her accessories over and over again.
"Bai Shao, Hong Mei." She called out twice, and only Bai Shao came in. She was preoccupied with her own thoughts and didn't notice this at all: "Hasn't the person who's going to pick me up for the palace banquet arrived yet?"
Qianyi Pavilion was very remote, close to the three imperial palaces to the west. Even if she opened all the windows and doors, she could not hear the sound of the music at the annual banquet.
"At this time of year in previous years, the annual banquet would have almost begun. Is it because I live in a remote place that the palace maids who invited me to the banquet have not arrived yet?"
"Do you think my clothes look good? Does it make me look shabby?"
"My lady." Bai Shao poured a cup of hot tea for Zheng Lanyin, but she waved it away with one hand: "Take it away. I have put on my lip balm with great difficulty. You can't smudge it. Go outside and see if the palace maid who invited me to the banquet has arrived."
Tea splashed out of the teacup and splashed onto the back of Bai Shao's hand, which soon turned red. She wiped the water off the back of her hand and bowed to Zheng Lanyin: "Okay, Master, I'll go check it out right away."
She walked out of the door. Hongmei, who was sitting in the yard eating melon seeds, raised her head and said with a mocking smile, "Are you punished again?"
Bai Shao covered the back of her hand and said nothing.
"Since we have worked together for many years, I advise you to find a new master as soon as possible and get out of here." Hongmei spit out the melon seed shells in her mouth: "The master has lost power, and you are just wasting time if you stay here."
"As slaves, do we have a choice?" Bai Shao looked at Hong Mei and said, "Don't do anything that would betray your master."
"You are so loyal to her, how did she treat you?" Hongmei stood up and patted herself: "She said she would let you out of the palace when you turned 25, but what happened? You are already 28 this year, and you followed her to this shabby place to be beaten and scolded, and treated coldly by other palace servants."
"Go and take a look at Mingyue Palace. Even the dog they keep at the gate is more prestigious than us."
"You want to work in Mingyue Palace. Does Mingyue Palace want you?" Bai Shao said kindly, "The palace cannot tolerate servants who betray their masters. Hongmei, don't get yourself into trouble."
"If you want to be a loyal dog, don't drag me into it." Hongmei sneered at her and took out two taels of silver from her pocket: "After tonight, I won't be working here anymore. You can keep this little money."
Bai Shao watched Hong Mei walk away with her waist twisted, and reached out to hold the two taels of silver on the stone table. There were only a few concubines in the palace, and Hong Mei was a first-class maid by the master's side. Even if these concubines wanted to maintain their superficial kindness, they would not allow Hong Mei to work in their palaces, so as not to be accused of adding insult to injury.
Apart from the Empress in the palace, who else would dare to accept Hongmei?
Maybe... it's an assignment for the Palace Province, or the Shangyi Shangshi and other places, which can also recruit people.
The silver was warm, Bai Shao put it in her sleeve, walked out of Qianyi Pavilion, and strolled in the palace alleys. On the night of the New Year, the palace ladies could also put on rouge, wear silk flowers, and gather in groups of three or two to chat and laugh.
From time to time, laughter could be heard coming from the palace wall. Bai Shao stopped, leaned against the wall and looked up at the sky. Above her head was only the pitch-black sky and a lonely red lantern.
She knew that no one would invite her master to the New Year banquet, and she also knew that if she went back now, her master would only vent his anger on her.
The wind was a little cold. She covered her aching belly and thought of the girl with the bright eyes and the cloak she had draped over her.
Warm, soft, with a faint fragrance.
If this palace was a thorn bush that stretched as far as the eye could see, then that girl was a little magpie that accidentally landed on the thorn bush.
She has a pair of free wings and a happy, moving voice.
"Ming Xiaozhu." The King took two steps, turned around and said to Jiuzhu who was following him, "Let Xiangshen stay with you at night, and take her with you no matter what."
Jiuzhu nodded: "Okay."
"Then let's go." He looked towards the main entrance of the hall and waited for Jiuzhu to walk beside him before stepping into the hall.
"His Royal Highness Prince Chen has arrived, and the Lord of Ming County has arrived."
The people who were laughing and talking in low voices immediately fell silent, stood up, looked at the man and woman at the door, and greeted the King.
Some people were also secretly observing the expressions of Ming Jingzhou and his wife. Last time, His Majesty held a banquet to celebrate the centenary of Concubine Su, the Ming family's daughter showed up with Concubine Su. But this time, she was accompanied by Prince Chen. What exactly was the Ming family's attitude towards these princes?
Sun Caiyao put down the teacup in her hand and saw that the seat where Prince Chen took Ming Jiuzhu was the first in the list of county chairmen.
The seating arrangement at the royal banquet was very particular about order and rules. Ming Jiuzhu, the daughter of an outsider who was given the title of county lord, sat higher than the county lords with royal blood. The clerks from the Ministry of Rites who were in charge of seating arrangement did not step forward to stop them, but instead saluted the two people.
"Fourth brother's wife." Princess Jing, who was closest to her, greeted her with a smile: "This is your first time attending a palace banquet as a member of the royal family. If there is anything you are not used to, just tell me."
"Thank you, Third Sister-in-law." Realizing that she had been staring at Ming Jiuzhu for too long, Sun Caiyao quickly retracted her gaze and nodded and smiled at Princess Jing.
"Have you seen the old county lord who is under the Ming county lord?" Princess Jing smiled and spoke in a friendly manner. "Her great-grandmother was a royal princess. Originally, there was no title for girls of her generation. When my father fell into trouble, the old county lord secretly asked someone to send something to the palace. Later, when my father ascended the throne, she became close to Concubine Su's mother. His Majesty remembered the kindness she showed him when he was in the Qian residence, so he made an exception and gave her the title of county lord."
Close to Concubine Su?
Sun Caiyao had some impression of this old county chief. In the past few years, this old county chief had always sat at the first position in the list of county chairmen. However, after entering the palace today, she sat in the second position without thinking.
The people in the palace are all clever foxes who are extremely good at assessing the situation.
After giving all the instructions that needed to be given, and even peeling two fruits for Jiuzhu himself, the Prince of Chen got up and left.
After taking two steps, he turned back and said, "If someone makes you unhappy, feel free to hit him in the face with the cup. If it breaks, it's my fault."
"Your Highness." Xiangshen couldn't help but smile: "Don't worry, I will definitely take good care of the county master."
Jiuzhu touched the cup carefully. It would be a pity to throw such a delicately crafted cup at someone.
Xiang Xian noticed her actions and suspected that no matter what the prince said, Lord Ming might take it seriously.
When the prince finally walked away, turning back every five steps, Xiangshen poured a cup of tea for Jiuzhu. Jiuzhu found an embroidered cushion under the table, dragged it out and placed it next to Xiangshen: "Aunt, please sit down first."
"Thank you, County Lord." Xiangshen sat down behind Jiuzhu, glanced at everyone present, and smiled gently.
This kind of small embroidered cushion was originally prepared for the masters' attendants, but the noble families had strict hierarchy, so most of these embroidered cushions were useless, and less than two or three out of ten slaves could sit on them.
She quietly explained to Jiuzhu the identities of everyone present, regardless of gender, their family relationships, and how close they were to the royal family. She explained everything clearly.
Jiuzhu looked at her with admiration: "Aunt is so amazing."
"I am a fourth-rank female official in charge of Mingyue Palace. If I can't even figure out these things, how can I have the face to serve Her Majesty?" Xiang Jun was amused by Jiuzhu's admiring eyes. A female official like her would be honored by the royal family for her whole life when she gets old. Even low-ranking officials would have to pay their respects to her when they saw her.
Because your Majesty is a noble concubine, she is half a rank higher than the palace maids serving other concubines.
The eldest maid of honor was the master's right-hand man and mouthpiece, so some maids of honor and eunuchs would secretly go to the master's family in the name of their master to ask for favors. The family of the master's family could not enter and leave the harem at will, and even if they were deceived, they would not know it.
"Your Majesty has arrived!"
After the announcement was made three times in a row, the court officials and their wives stood up, turned their heads, and saluted in unison: "Long live His Majesty. Long live His Majesty. Long live His Majesty."
After bowing three times, Jiuzhu heard the county lord beside him say in an old but powerful voice: "Long live the queen."
"Long live your Majesty!"
The old county lord glanced at Jiuzhu, and Jiuzhu also glanced at her.
The two of them uttered this prayer almost at the same time.
The civil officials looked hesitantly at Concubine Su who was standing with His Majesty. The huge phoenix hairpin on her head was shaking so much that it hurt their eyes.
All the royal family members followed suit and shouted, should they shout or not?
In previous annual banquets, although Concubine Su accompanied His Majesty, everyone just greeted her vaguely with a "Greetings, Her Majesty the Concubine". Who brought bad behavior this year?
There was a moment of silence in the hall until the two Ming brothers, Minister Wu, and officials above the third rank of the Ministry of Rites all made bowing gestures, and then everyone came to their senses.
"May your majesty live a thousand years."
This time, most of the officials and their wives in the palace bowed down.
Seeing the increasingly joyful smile on His Majesty's face, everyone understood that this was the result His Majesty wanted.
He Tingyu sighed, and when he sang the third prayer, he ignored the anger in Minister Yang's eyes, bowed and said, "Long live the queen, long live the queen, long live the queen."
The third time the chant was resounding and in unison. Emperor Longfeng took Concubine Su's hand, walked to the high seat and stood still: "You all share my feelings, and I am deeply moved."
Thoughts?
What's your intention?
"I have known the Concubine since we were young. Over the years, she has given birth to my princes, managed the harem, and has been respectful and modest, never complaining..."
Managing the harem?
Your Majesty has been on the throne for so many years, when has there ever been a new person in the harem?
As for the four words "courtesy, modesty and humility", as long as Your Majesty does not feel embarrassed when saying them out loud, they can pretend to be so.
"Over the years, the Imperial Concubine has always been with me and has always shared my worries, but I have been so busy with government affairs that I have always neglected her."
When the other concubines heard this, their expressions varied. His Majesty was either in Taiyang Palace, Mingyue Palace, or on the way to Mingyue Palace. How could this be called neglect?
The more the civil officials listened, the more they felt that what Your Majesty said was not right. What does Your Majesty want to do?
What do you want to do?
"Recently, a minister made a memorial saying that the palace cannot remain without an heir. I was tossing and turning, unable to sleep at night, and finally had to admit that what this minister said made sense."
The ministers looked at each other, trying to guess who was the meddling person.
When Your Majesty first ascended the throne, he wanted to enthrone the noble concubine as empress, but in the end he gave up because too many ministers objected.
They originally thought that His Majesty's feelings for Concubine Su were so deep only because he was with her day and night in the palace. When more women entered the palace later, the feelings would naturally fade, and men all understand.
Who would have thought that in the more than ten years since His Majesty ascended the throne, there has not been a single new person in the harem. Everyone tried to stop him from making Concubine Su the empress, so he simply did not make one, leaving Concubine Su the only one in power in the harem.
As His Majesty took the throne and gained control of the military power, they no longer dared to mention the matter of establishing a queen in front of His Majesty. They were afraid that His Majesty would get excited and make Concubine Su the queen, and they would not be able to stop him.
So who did this?
The officials from the six ministries looked at each other. Ming Jingzhou and Ming Jinghai exchanged glances and lowered their heads in silence.
Your Majesty is clearly making things up.
"The Imperial Concubine Su is virtuous, obedient, prudent, and respectful. She is worthy of being my empress." Emperor Longfeng finally said the words that scared countless officials: "Tomorrow I will take the Imperial Concubine to worship the ancestral temple and canonize her as empress."
Concubine Su Gui's beautiful eyes trembled slightly, but under the gaze of her ministers, she did not reveal her emotions and only maintained a reserved smile.
Although she didn't know when His Majesty started planning this, she knew that he must have been planning it for a very long time.
"His Majesty……"
"What?" When Emperor Longfeng didn't smile, the court officials would remember that he was the final winner among many princes competing for the throne.
"You were the ones who didn't want me to have a queen at first, and you were the ones who wanted me to have one later." Emperor Longfeng's eyes turned cold: "Does it mean that you have to have the final say in my harem?"
"I dare not!"
"What are you afraid of?" Emperor Longfeng fell silent. The whole palace was silent. Many people did not want Concubine Su to be the empress, but in front of His Majesty's majesty, no one dared to be the first to speak out.
Someone secretly glanced at the two brothers of the Ming family out of the corner of their eyes, but at this critical moment, the two of them were like old monks in meditation, with their heads down and not moving.
Some people also went to see the father-in-law of several princes to see how they would react. But they were as steady as old dogs, and their attitude was even more submissive than that of the two brothers of the Ming family.
They are all going crazy. When Concubine Su becomes the empress, Prince Chen will be the legitimate son. If Your Majesty wants Prince Chen to succeed to the throne, it will be a legitimate thing to do.
"Tonight is a night for the emperor and his subjects to enjoy themselves together. You, the ministers, do not need to be too reserved." As the atmosphere became increasingly tense, Emperor Longfeng smiled, as if he was the benevolent emperor as usual: "Everyone, please take your seats."
Yun Yanze's hands hidden in his sleeves were trembling slightly, and his forehead was covered with cold sweat.
So that’s it. So that’s it.
In recent years, whether they were secretly raising advisers or interacting with their in-laws, my father watched with a cold eye. It turned out that it was all for today.
My father locked them up in the palace. Everyone knew that they had made mistakes and were punished, but no one knew what crimes they had committed.
Which of the princes' in-laws hasn't done some small tricks in private?
They didn't know what the emperor had found out, and they didn't dare to gamble with the family's honor and status. So tonight's annual banquet was a gamble between the emperor and these outsiders.
My father bet that they would not dare to object, that they would be afraid, and that they would compromise.
Whether it was the Zheng family, his mother, or him, they were all chickens that were about to be beheaded, and the remaining in-laws and princes were all monkeys being played around by their father.
There is nothing more clichéd and tacky than killing the chicken to scare the monkey.
But it is also the most effective means.
No one wants to be the chicken that gets beheaded, even though being a monkey would make people laugh.
"Your Highness?" Sun Caiyao gently held his hand and picked a snack for him: "Try this snack."
“Thank you.” Yun Yanze took the snack, took a small bite, and put it on the bowl. He did not touch the snack until the cold dish was served.
"County Master Ming, please try this lotus root dumpling." The old county master who sat next to Jiuzhu smiled and said, "It's crispy on the outside and fragrant on the inside, very delicious."
"Thank you." Jiuzhu thanked him and picked up a lotus root and put it into the bowl.
"Ming County Master grew up in Lingzhou. I heard that Lingzhou has many mountains and rivers and is rich in nine-hole lotus roots. If you break the lotus root nodes, you can pull out very long thin threads. I wonder which kind of lotus root, Lingzhou or the one in the capital, will produce longer threads?"
Jiuzhu raised her head and looked around for the person who was talking, but she couldn't find him after searching for a while.
"County Lord, I am here." When Yang Shilang saw Ming Jiuzhu's eyes moving around and not seeing him, he stood up and said, "Excuse me, County Lord, what does it mean that the lotus root is broken but the silk thread is still connected?"
Ming Jingzhou put down his chopsticks, wiped the corners of his mouth, and looked at the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue who was speaking with a half-smile.
As for Prince Chen, who was sitting in the prince's seat, his expression had completely darkened.
Everyone's eyes were on Ming Jiuzhu. Sun Caiyao thought she would be uneasy, but she was not. She just sat there with her big eyes full of confusion, as if she didn't understand why the other party would ask such a strange question.
"Sir, I am very sorry." Jiuzhu smiled apologetically at Minister Yang, "I grew up in a Taoist temple and have never planted lotus roots. If you are interested in these, I will write a letter and ask the elders before answering your question."
"Your Majesty, in my opinion, no matter where the lotus roots come from, they are still connected after being cut, but this does not mean that they are related to each other." Minister Yang did not care about Jiuzhu's answer. He bowed and looked at Emperor Longfeng on the high throne: "The relationship between His Royal Highness Prince Qi and the Zheng family is exactly like this. He has been the grandson of the Zheng family since he was born. This is not something he can choose. The Zheng family has brought everything upon themselves, but His Royal Highness is innocent. Please Your Majesty, please understand."
Jiuzhu understood that the other party didn't care about her answer at all, but was just using her to plead for Prince Qi.
People in the capital have dirty hearts.
"It's not that it can't be torn apart." Jiuzhu explained this problem to the other party very seriously: "As long as you stand far enough away when you pull it apart, the thread will break. If it doesn't break, it must be because you didn't stand far enough away."
Minister Yang turned his head to look at her. He did not expect that the daughter of the Ming family would speak at this critical moment.
Smart people should choose to shut up at this moment.
"You must not have been in the kitchen before." Jiuzhu saw the other party looking at her and explained patiently and kindly: "But it doesn't matter, you will understand it in the future."
Minister Yang frowned and said, "Thank you, County Master, for clearing up my confusion."
Now you can shut your mouth.
"You're welcome." Jiuzhu said with a smile, "If you still don't understand, you can try to open it yourself."
Minister Yang no longer paid attention to Jiuzhu, walked to the center of the hall, and said loudly to Emperor Longfeng: "Your Majesty, please restore the title of the Fourth Prince, and do not let outsiders hurt the father-son relationship between you two."
Originally, he wanted to use the topic of "broken mariage" to impress His Majesty with his emotions, but this beautiful wish was disrupted by Ming Jiuzhu, and everything became out of place.
I thought that this little girl who was raised in a remote county was not valued by the Ming family and was timid and cowardly, so it would be easiest to fool her. But I didn't expect that she would completely disrupt my rhythm.
If he had known this would happen, he would not have chosen her as the lead-in.
"It's New Year's Day, I wanted to leave the account to be settled after the new year, but unfortunately someone is so impatient." Ming Jingzhou smiled slightly, touched the things in his arms, and waited for Minister Yang to continue speaking.
Ming Jinghai lowered his head and took a sip of wine without saying anything. Since he was a child, his third brother has always been a smiling but treacherous person. I'm afraid he had already calculated what would happen today.
The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue is impulsive and has great respect for Prince Qi. If he heard some rumors about Prince Qi and pleaded for him at the annual banquet, it would not be surprising.
But for Prince Qi at this time, this was not a plea, but pushing him into the fire pit.
"Minister Yang, today is a family reunion banquet. We will discuss matters concerning the court after the court session begins." Emperor Longfeng raised his hand to stop him from continuing: "I think Minister Yang has drunk too much and needs to go out to sober up."
"Your Majesty, I am not drunk." Yang pushed away the eunuch who was trying to support him. "Your Majesty said this is a family dinner. Prince Qi is your child. Why can't we talk about his affairs now?"
Concubine Su glanced at Yun Yanze, whose face had turned blue. If she hadn't been concerned about the man beside her, she would have laughed out loud. Perhaps Yun Yanze himself hadn't expected that Minister Yang's honesty was a double-edged sword, which he could use to stab others, but also to hurt himself.
"His Highness Prince Qi is virtuous, humble, considerate, and filial to Your Majesty. How can Your Majesty bear to ignore his filial piety because of other princes?" Minister Yang said loudly: "Your Majesty's action, not only I, but other gentlemen also sympathize with Prince Qi's experience."
The officials sitting around Minister Yang all shrank their necks. They didn't know who the "other officials" were, and it had nothing to do with them anyway.
As for the representative of the "other princes", His Royal Highness Prince Chen smiled, drank a glass of wine, and waited quietly for the next performance.
"Father." Yun Yanze knew that he could not let Minister Yang continue speaking. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he had to stand up and express his attitude.
"Your Majesty." Ming Jingzhou saw Yun Yanze standing up and stood up as well: "I think what Minister Yang said makes sense. His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi is your prince. There is nothing that cannot be mentioned at the family banquet."
He Tingyu looked at Ming Jingzhou in surprise. This shouldn't be the case. Minister Yang is a straightforward person who does things without considering the consequences. How could Ming Jingzhou be so reckless?
Seeing Ming Jingzhou stand up, everyone put down their chopsticks, vaguely feeling that something was wrong.
"Before entering the palace, I found out some things about the Zheng family and Concubine Zheng. I chose to remain silent because I could not bear to see Prince Qi see the miserable faces of his relatives on New Year's Eve." Ming Jingzhou took out a thick stack of things from his arms. There were various loan notes with interest, confessions of enclosed land, and even evidence that Concubine Zheng bribed officials of the royal stables.
"In the fifth year of Longfeng, Concubine Zheng used the excuse of being seriously ill to let the fourth prince stay in the palace to take care of him, but secretly sent assassins to Lingzhou to assassinate Concubine Su and His Royal Highness Prince Chen. Fortunately, Concubine Su was kind-hearted and saved a drowning girl on the way, so she did not go out as planned."
"In the sixth year of Longfeng, the Zheng family allowed their clansmen to enclose hundreds of acres of land, causing dozens of farmers to lose their farmland and become homeless."
"In the eighth year of Longfeng, the Zheng family accepted a bribe of 5,000 taels of silver and helped others obtain a seventh-rank county magistrate position."
"In the tenth year of Longfeng, Concubine Zheng beat a palace maid to death and covered it up by saying she was seriously ill. Unfortunately, the family of the palace maid is still waiting for her to return."
"In the spring of the eleventh year of Longfeng, two eunuchs in Concubine Zheng's palace died suddenly. The cause is unknown."
"Longfeng..."
As Ming Jingzhou listed the evidences one by one, the entire hall became so quiet that not even the sound of breathing could be heard.
In front of so many royal relatives, court officials and ladies of honor, all the crimes committed by Prince Qi's biological mother and his maternal family were laid out clearly, almost destroying all hopes of Prince Qi to ascend the throne.
Unless all other princes died, the throne would no longer be available to Prince Qi, although these things might not have much to do with Prince Qi.
"Sir, the Minister." Zhou Rui swallowed his saliva and asked Li En with his neck shrunk: "Brother Ming, what's wrong?"
In front of so many people, all the face of Prince Qi was torn off, even if it was a life-and-death blood feud.
I've never seen him have any opinion towards Prince Qi before, so why did he pin Prince Qi to the ground and slap him hard in the face today?
Ming Jingzhou was still enumerating the crimes of Lady Zheng and the Zheng family, even including the fact that the Zheng family owed a cloth shop two hundred taels of silver.
"Your Majesty, this is the relevant evidence I have found." After stating all the charges, Emperor Ming Jingzhou Longfeng bowed deeply and said, "I beg Your Majesty to severely punish these evil officials to serve as a warning to others and give justice to the people."
Everyone looked at the thick stack of evidence placed in His Majesty's hands, thinking in a daze, Ming Jingzhou was the Vice Minister of Rites, not the Vice Minister of Justice, nor the Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple, right?
As if this was not enough, Ming Jingzhou looked up at Yun Yanze, who looked miserable: "Your Highness, my daughter said something very well. There are no lotus roots that cannot be cut, only cooks who are not careful enough. Please do not blame me for revealing these things today. I did not intend to target you, but for the people of the world."
"Your Highness is magnanimous and benevolent, and loves the people. I think you can understand my passion." He turned his head to look at the dumbfounded Minister Yang, and sighed: "If it weren't for Lord Yang, I wouldn't be willing to say this at this time today."
Cruel, so cruel.
After you hit someone in the face, you have to make them say with their own mouth that it didn't hurt at all.
Prince Qi glanced at Ming Jingzhou and said reluctantly, "Lord Ming is right. It was my maternal family that made the mistake."
"It's not just the Zheng family that's at fault." Ming Jingzhou added with a smile, "Your Highness's biological mother, Lady Zheng, is also at fault."
"Father." Prince Qi knelt in front of Emperor Longfeng in a trance. He no longer wanted to know how others were looking at him at this moment. He rested his forehead on the ground, unable to even utter a word of pleading.
Ming Jingzhou dared to say these things in front of so many people, he must have solid evidence.
When he turned his head, he saw Ming Jiuzhu, who was sitting at the first place in the row of county chairmen, picking up a piece of lotus root and putting it into his mouth.
It seemed as if everything that happened in the hall was not as important as the lotus root in front of her.
Noticing his gaze, she looked up.
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