Chapter 206
A few days after Yu Ying returned from Prince Jing's Mansion, she heard some things from Princess Jing.
The queen was emotionally unstable, and many concubines in the palace and nobles outside the palace were punished under various pretexts.
What caused an even bigger uproar was that the granddaughter-in-law of the Ningde Marquis was invited into the palace, but for some reason she was accused of misbehaving in front of the palace and was punished to kneel for an hour.
If she had just been punished, it wouldn't have caused any major trouble. But unexpectedly, the granddaughter-in-law of the Ningde Marquis's family didn't know she was pregnant. She fainted after kneeling for only half an hour and had a miscarriage.
Ningde Hou was furious and reported the queen to the Dayuan Palace.
It was rumored that the Empress was probably insane, just like the deposed Emperor Huo.
Yu Ying had doubts in her heart, so she told Fu Wei about them.
Yu Ying: "The Queen, who loves power and will do anything to remove obstacles for her son, is incredibly determined. If her hopes were truly dashed, she might go mad. But now there's still a chance. It's strange that she's been reported to be insane before she's even reached her limit."
Fu Wei had heard about the Queen's strange behavior a long time ago.
He said calmly, "As you said, it's not a desperate situation, but it's madness. There are only three possibilities."
Yu Ying: "First, he's really crazy, second, he's planning something, and third, what is it?"
Fu Wei stared at her and uttered a few words in a soft voice.
——The emperor’s intention is to follow it.
Upon hearing this, Yu Ying's face darkened and she felt a chill in her heart.
Fu Wei: "The Queen's maternal family, the Gu family, has made contributions, and even the King of England, who almost became the crown prince, has made contributions. This may reveal the Gu family and the King of England's decision to execute Huo Shan first and then report to him. However, the harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs. What the Queen did has already touched the emperor's bottom line."
Hearing this, Yu Ying began to think about it.
First, she didn't quite believe that the queen was really crazy.
Second, it is hard to explain how he pretended to be crazy and stupid and planned to seize the throne.
Third, think about it carefully, it may be possible.
Sometimes she thought that the new emperor was benevolent, but if she thought about it carefully, the Zhou Emperor also had to fight on horseback and ascend to that high position step by step on a road littered with bones.
Emperor Zhou had great ambitions and was also kind, but he was undoubtedly also an ambitious man and politician.
He has the decisiveness and ruthlessness of an ambitious politician.
These are also what the emperor of this generation should possess.
What about the wife? If she touches the bottom line, she can be abandoned after weighing the pros and cons.
Thinking of this, Yu Ying was not surprised.
The position of queen can be retained, but the power that comes with it will be taken away.
The emperor hinted to the queen, "If you know how to handle current affairs, the King of England will have a chance to seize the throne." In order to pave the way for her son, the queen could only sacrifice herself and go along with it.
This can also suppress the Gu family.
Fu Wei thought more deeply.
The emperor took away the queen's power and suppressed the Gu family. This was also giving the King of England an opportunity to get rid of the burdens of both.
If the King of England could understand this, he could rely on his political achievements to compete with Zhou Yi.
But Fu Wei did not hope that the King of England could understand this intention.
*
The emperor was unwell, so he asked her to recuperate in Kunning Palace. The concubines, the princes' maids, and the other female relatives in the harem did not have to pay their respects there.
They said it was to cultivate their minds and recuperate, but everyone knew that regardless of whether they were sick or not, the empress had already angered the emperor.
In short, he was placed under house arrest, but the queen position still gave the Gu family the greatest face.
Kunning Palace was blocked off.
King Jing begged his father several times to be allowed to see his mother. After being refused entry outside the palace three times, he was finally allowed to enter.
The hall is spacious and solemn, which makes people hold their breath for no reason.
Emperor Zhou looked at his second son in the palace and said he was not disappointed, but that was a lie.
The eldest son died young, and as the legitimate son, he was the one on whom all hopes were placed.
But this expectation eventually turned into disappointment.
Even though he did not do anything wrong, he was wrong for not keeping his mother and maternal grandparents in check.
Even when he was in Yuzhang, he was not confident in handing over the Zhou family's century-old foundation to the head of the family who was being led by others, let alone the current empire.
The King of England lowered his head and said, "Although the Queen Mother has made mistakes, she is now ill and as a son I should serve her. Even if I cannot serve her, I should at least go and ask for your respects. I also beg the Emperor to grant me the grace to see the Queen Mother."
After he said this, there was no response for a long time, and he never looked up, giving in.
It is a confrontation between father and son, and also a stalemate between the monarch and his subjects.
After a long while, Emperor Zhou spoke: "It's okay to meet her. Your mother is no longer conscious. You can judge for yourself whether what she said is true or not."
Don't let him down again.
The King of England was slightly stunned, as if he had not expected his father to agree so easily.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your permission."
King Ying came out of the Dayuan Hall and hurried to his mother's hall.
When I walked outside Kunning Palace, I felt it was deserted.
When I came here before, I saw so many officials’ ladies and palace maids, but it was nowhere near as deserted as it is now. There wasn’t even a hint of the bustle that an emperor’s palace should have.
Now the gate of Kunning Palace is closed, and eight eunuchs are guarding the palace alley with solemn expressions, guarding against the people inside and outside.
As the eunuch opened the heavy gate of Kunning Palace, what the King of England saw was a desolate courtyard with no one sweeping the fallen leaves.
This is not recuperation at all, it is clearly house arrest in disguise.
The King of England felt heartbroken.
If the mother was really ill, and the mistakes made due to the illness were not big mistakes, the couple had no understanding for decades, but instead abandoned her like a piece of trash after achieving success.
Emperors have been ruthless since ancient times. His father had only seized power for half a year, yet he was already so ruthless?
He stepped over the threshold and entered the courtyard.
Just then, a maid came out of the small kitchen carrying food to the palace. When she saw the King of England, she immediately showed a look of surprise and said, "How come His Highness is here? If the Queen knew His Highness was coming, she would definitely smile."
The King's eyes fell on the tray in Mammy's hand, his brows furrowed. "Is this all Mother wants to eat?"
There was one meat dish and one vegetable dish. There were only a few slices of meat, and the vegetable dish was not very fresh.
Mammy was stunned for a moment, the smile on her face faded, and she felt a little embarrassed: "It's not like this every day. The Ministry of Internal Affairs sends a few days' worth of food at a time. Today happens to be the last day, so new food should be sent tomorrow."
When the King of England heard this, anger suddenly surged in his heart.
How dare the Imperial Household Department! Even though my mother was confined to Kunning Palace, her position as empress remained unchanged, and even if her allowance was reduced, it would not be reduced to this extent.
At this moment, a voice was heard from the hall: "But Sanlang is here?"
Hearing the sound, the King of England changed direction and hurried into the hall.
I saw his mother, dressed in plain clothes and with a pale face, about to come out. When she saw him, she suddenly stopped.
There was a moment of surprise on her face, and then tears filled her eyes and she shouted, "Don't come over!"
The King of England paused.
"Go back and don't come here again. Your father doesn't like you coming to see me."
The King of England was silent for a moment, then said, "Only if the Emperor agrees can I see the Queen Mother."
The Queen sighed and said, "I know. Without that man's order, how could you come to see me?"
"Come this time, don't come next time. If you come too often, it will have a great impact on your future."
The King of England frowned and remained silent.
Seeing this, the Queen wiped away the tears from her eyes and said nothing more, only whispering, "Go back. Your father doesn't like you coming to see me."
King Ying: "Mother, it will be very difficult to seize that position. Most of the court officials now support Zhou Yi, not to mention that King Pengcheng and the forces in Lingnan are all standing behind him."
By the end, a look of dejection was visible on his face.
The queen closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After a moment, she opened her eyes, glanced at him, and then turned around: "Well, whatever you want."
With her back to her son, the queen said weakly, "As long as you can escape unscathed, I have nothing else to ask for."
There seemed to be a thin layer of mist in the King of England's eyes.
"Mother..."
When the Zhou family took over the imperial city, all the names changed.
It has been a long time since I called her "Mother".
The queen still had her back to him and waved her hand gently: "Go away."
"Madame He, escort His Royal Highness the King of England out."
It seems that he has really given up on letting his son compete for that position.
Her back looked particularly lonely in the dim hall. She walked slowly into the inner hall and disappeared from the King of England's sight.
The King of England watched his mother's departing back in silence, with a myriad of thoughts in his mind.
Get away with it?
If Zhou Yi really became the emperor, could he escape unscathed?
Can he save the queen mother who once harmed him?
Maybe Zhou Yi would not touch his mother, but his mother would have to stay in this square palace for the rest of her life and die alone.
He glanced around the empty, silent and lifeless palace, feeling a pang of sadness in his heart.
After a long while, he asked Nanny He beside him, "Has the Queen Mother been ill recently?"
He recalled that every time he saw his mother before, she looked pale and not in good spirits, but he had never seen her emotionally unstable.
Nanny He was silent for a moment, lowered her head and hesitated for a moment before she said, "The Queen has always been very good."
The King of England became suspicious and said nothing more. He then said, "Take good care of your mother. I will come to see her next time."
After saying that, he glanced at the dishes on Nanny He's tray again, his brows furrowed, and there was a cold look in his eyes that could not be dispelled.
Then he turned around and left Kunning Palace.
After everyone left, Nanny He carried the tray into the queen's bedroom.
He placed the tray on the table, walked behind the master who was sitting in front of the dressing table, placed his hands on the master's forehead, and gently massaged it: "Your Highness, when he left, his expression was particularly solemn. I think he was worried about what happened to you."
The Queen closed her eyes and said calmly, "Sanlang is still not decisive enough. We need to force him."
What does it matter if Zhou Yi has a huge force supporting him? When he is making a desperate attempt, how can distant water save the nearby fire?
Nanny He: "I am just worried that Your Highness will hesitate."
Upon hearing this, the Queen opened her eyes and looked at herself in the bronze mirror. She was silent for a long time, as if she had made a decision: "Then give me another strong dose of medicine."
*
After the King of England left the palace, he thought carefully about his mother's madness on his way back to the palace.
Judging from my mother's condition, she doesn't seem to be crazy.
And it was hard for him not to care about Nanny He's words, "The Empress has always been very good."
After returning to the mansion, he sat quietly for two hours and then called the guards.
"Investigate the imperial physician who treated our mother, and also investigate all those who previously served in Kunning Palace."
After investigation, several imperial physicians said that the queen had symptoms of insanity, but the symptoms were mild and she needed rest.
From interrogation with the palace maids and eunuchs who had served her closely, it was learned that the queen was emotionally unstable, had difficulty sleeping and eating, and was becoming increasingly haggard.
Everything seems to be fine, but there are problems.
The King of England had examined the symptoms of madness and had also heard about what Huo Shanrong had done when he was insane. He had nightmares at night, slashed with a knife, was suspicious all day long, and had a very bad temper. Countless palace maids and eunuchs lost their lives because of his madness.
But his mother did not have these symptoms, she just had a strange temper.
Let’s make a bold guess. If the mother was not ill, why would she do such an offensive thing?
My mother is not a stupid person. She would never do such a thing that hurts the enemy by a thousand and hurts herself by eight hundred. She was so tired that she was confined to Kunning Palace. If she were not crazy, she would definitely not do such a thing.
If it wasn't madness, what could have driven the mother to do this?
There was a possibility, but at this moment, he was unwilling to think about it further.
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