Chapter 195 Fainted
Shoukang Palace.
Although it was still snowing outside, the emperor could not interrupt his daily health regimen.
He practiced boxing in the warm and spacious room and recovered from his illness. Concubine Zhen, who had never entered the small Buddhist temple again, also accompanied him. Although she was much younger than the emperor, this illness had damaged her foundation and she had more white hair. From a distance, the two of them really looked like a pair of wealthy and idle people.
"Wrong, wrong, this is how you should do it."
The retired emperor looked very serious when demonstrating to Concubine Zhen.
When the concubine was ill, she thought she was going to die several times and wrote several poems for him.
My husband is like the bright moon, illuminating my sick body.
The quilt is cold in the long night, and the lovesickness is true.
Recalling the first time we met, the peach blossoms reflected the two of us.
Your heart is like the warm sun, warming my deep dreams.
For example, where are the spring flowers and autumn moons now? Do you know how deeply I miss you?... and so on.
Each song brought back memories of the past, and filled his heart with infinite tenderness and...family love.
When he was young, the queen also wrote poems for him.
They still have some interactions with each other.
But after the queen passed away, although there were many concubines in the harem, no one wrote poems for him anymore.
Many of them can compose poems and couplets, but they mostly compete with each other.
Occasionally, she would present a poem, which would mostly use scenery to express her feelings. This 'feeling' was not love for her husband, but praise for his grace, because he was the king.
Only Concubine Zhen is different.
In her heart, he was not only a king, but also a husband.
The emperor cherishes this relationship.
Especially after the crown prince passed away, his sons seemed to be still the same, but the emperor always felt that something was missing.
There is a purpose in their filial piety and concern.
Sometimes the emperor would feel sad when he recalled the past.
If he had one less son, he would worry that something would happen to one of them and the dynasty would be unstable, but if he had too many sons, they would fight with each other like black-eyed chickens.
Prince...
The retired emperor knew very well that his growing suspicion of the crown prince was due to their instigation.
It's just the past, it's gone.
The dead always give way to the living.
When they were little, each one of them was so cute. He held them in his arms and coaxed them, hired teachers for them, and found study companions for them.
The emperor considered himself a loving father and could no longer bear the pain of losing his son.
He opened one eye and closed one eye.
When you get old, it’s easy to be confused.
Sometimes being a little confused can make life easier.
The emperor didn't want to embarrass himself anymore.
In fact, he has always been reluctant to embarrass himself.
He just wants to live a long life.
Of course, in the process of living a long life, one must also enjoy wealth and glory.
Concubines who are too young may be okay to spend a night with occasionally, but they are also obstacles that prevent him from living a long life.
The emperor was very restrained towards them.
He has experienced so many women in his life, and now... he just treats her as a toy.
Therefore, the old man cherished Concubine Zhen, who had been with him for decades, even more.
Especially after her health deteriorated.
"Yes, that's it."
Seeing Concubine Zhen's beautiful figure shaking her body, the emperor smiled happily.
"No."
Concubine Zhen laughed, "I can't do it as well as the Retired Emperor. Retired Emperor, you have an upright posture, standing like a pine tree, sitting like a bell, and walking like the wind. You are still as handsome as you were back then."
"Hahaha! You, you only know how to tease me!"
"Who said that?"
Concubine Zhen seemed to be wronged. "If you don't believe me, ask Dai Quan."
"The Emperor..."
When the emperor looked over, Dai Quan smiled and patted his belly, which was much bigger than when he was young, and said, "Look at my belly, and then look at yours, and you will know that the concubine is right."
“Hahaha~~~”
The emperor laughed.
Of course, there is also pride in the laughter.
Because of his poor health, he has always paid great attention to maintenance.
When he was 29 years old, he fell seriously ill and was about to entrust his son to the care of others. As a result, the prince, who was in his teens, took over everything. The prince stayed by his bedside every day, trembling with fear, handling government affairs. He also posted a notice among the people to invite famous doctors, and finally he recovered.
Then, year after year, I would get sick several times every year.
Long-term illness makes a doctor...
The retired emperor tried hard not to think about how busy his prince had been for him over the years.
"Grand Emperor," Concubine Zhen felt that there was something wrong with the Grand Emperor's laughter, so she hurriedly brought a cup of tea over, "Have a cup of jujube tea, and I'll walk around the palace with you later."
“Okay, okay!”
The emperor suppressed his wandering thoughts and enjoyed his stomach-warming jujube tea.
However, just as he took a sip, he heard hurried footsteps outside the hall, but when they arrived at the door, they only knocked gently.
"What is it?"
Dai Quan glanced at the emperor, walked quickly to the door, and asked softly outside.
If it was a small matter, he would just deal with it directly.
Now that Concubine Zhen is here, everything else... is basically a trivial matter.
"Eunuch, something bad has happened. Old Lady Shi from Rongguo Mansion wants to see the Emperor. She..."
"What's wrong with her?"
The eunuch's voice outside was not low. Concubine Zhen could tell that she couldn't stop him and he was determined to see the emperor.
She asked with pretended concern before the emperor spoke.
"Old Lady Shi burst into tears and insisted on meeting the Emperor."
"Please come in!"
The emperor's voice was majestic.
It's snowing outside. If it's not a big deal, the old lady won't come to see him.
"yes!"
The eunuch outside breathed a sigh of relief and hurried over to announce the news.
"The Emperor..."
Concubine Zhen seemed to be considerate and said, "How about inviting the emperor as well? It's snowing heavily, and it's probably not a small matter for Sister Shi to come over."
The words are normal.
However, she knew that the retired emperor was very wary of the emperor because of those who returned victoriously.
The Jia family is an old family of ministers, and everyone around her has been telling him in a tactful way that if he calls him the emperor, the retired emperor will surely be worried that everyone will think he is old and will join the emperor's side.
Huh~ Concubine Zhen knew clearly in her heart that the Jia family was still the emperor's people on the surface, but in fact, they had long been on the emperor's side because of Shen from Ningguo Mansion.
I just regret that the emperor was deceived by them.
The old lady Shi allowed her son to do that. Now that she has something to do, she has to go to the emperor...
Concubine Zhen felt that she had to let the retired emperor see clearly who the Jia family really belonged to.
Anyway, based on her understanding of the emperor, he would definitely pay attention to whatever happened to the Jia family.
"……allow!"
The retired emperor had no idea how much his good concubine's mind had turned in such a short period of time.
Anyway, he is feeling very uncomfortable now.
Dai Quan sensed it and quickly winked at his trusted eunuch.
"yes!"
The young eunuch bent over and backed to the door, then carefully opened it to summon the emperor.
The emperor was slightly satisfied.
He can't give the emperor too much face now.
If Dai Quan goes, it would be too much of a show of respect.
But in fact, the emperor at this time didn't care about face at all.
He had already decided that he didn't need to have face in front of his father.
In fact, many years ago, he was the most shameless person in the palace.
He now only cares about the Ningguo Mansion family.
"Tell our people to leave the city immediately and search for me."
The emperor was so anxious that he wanted to turn around, "We must save the lives of Shen and Jia Zhen at all costs."
The old lady of Rongguo Mansion came to the palace at this time. Although she did not ask to see him, she came in crying and did not hide anything from him, the owner of the palace.
The emperor just didn't expect that those people could be so bold in broad daylight.
"What are you still standing there for? Go now."
"yes!"
The leader of the secret guards waved his hand and left quickly with his brothers.
But the emperor still couldn't feel at ease.
A few days ago, when he saw people from Shuntian Prefecture and Jinwang Mansion wandering around the capital, he felt something was amiss.
I specifically asked the secret guards to investigate.
He originally wanted to watch the fight between Dong Xiaoquan and Prince of Jin, and have some fun on the side, and also see if he could help, but he found out that the source was from Ningguo Mansion.
The emperor was waiting for something good to happen.
This year, whenever he met Ningguo Mansion, it would be beneficial to him.
Since Dong Xiaoquan didn't report it, the investigation must still be ongoing.
Everything he takes seriously is a big deal.
The emperor was looking forward to the day when he would report back.
But Dong Xiaoquan has not taken any action yet, and Shen's life or death is unknown.
The emperor was so angry that he wanted to smash things.
Pick up the pen? The black jade pen holder is hard to put down.
Pick up the cup...
From the official kiln.
Although one cup is nothing, if he breaks one, the whole set will be ruined.
This set costs dozens of taels of silver, enough for an ordinary family of several people to live on for two years.
The emperor was reluctant.
He relied on the official kiln to support him when he rewarded others.
Finally, he took the approved memorial and slammed it twice on the jade table.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor Retired has summoned Old Lady Shi."
Eunuch Liu hesitated to speak, but there were some things that could not be concealed, "At this time, Concubine Zhen should also be with the Emperor."
emperor:"……"
Bang bang~~He pounded the folder a few more times.
Prince Jin came back in such a miserable state, and he thought that Concubine Zhen would be more honest given her intelligence.
But she didn't expect that once her father's attitude towards him changed, she would hold him back behind his back.
OK OK OK...
The emperor was so angry that he immediately looked for Jiangnan's memorial.
Jiangnan submitted several memorials impeaching the Zhen family.
But because of the relationship between the retired emperor and Concubine Zhen, he stayed in the center.
But now, he doesn't want to stay.
Just show it to the old man.
Humph, if you want to stay here, then come here yourself, old man!
The emperor was too angry.
But no matter how angry he was, he was not as angry as when Lady Jia saw Concubine Zhen calling her "old sister" and acting very intimate with her.
This vicious woman...
Grandmother Jia was so angry that she almost couldn't breathe.
"The Emperor..."
The old lady knelt on the ground, holding her chest. Her body was shaking. The tears she had been holding back for a long time fell in strings. "Please help me, Your Majesty!"
The way she looked at Concubine Zhen, full of hatred, helplessness, heartache and despair, deeply touched the retired emperor.
The preferential treatment shown to Concubine Zhen was largely due to the Shi sisters who married into the Jia family.
He got along well with Daihua and Daishan, and they both married sisters from the Shi family. His concubine Zhen called them "sister"...
"Tell me slowly, what happened? I will take care of it for you."
"Retired Emperor, please send someone out of the city immediately to rescue my poor niece-in-law, Shen!"
The old lady was crying, but that did not stop her from speaking clearly.
She was not like ordinary women who would speak incoherently when they were excited or crying.
"Ever since she was assassinated along with Prince Jin on August 15, Shen has been feeling uneasy and has not dared to go anywhere. This time, my nephew Shi Ding was favored by the Grand Emperor and was awarded the title of Marquis of Zhongjing for his meritorious service in the border town. Since he was hosting a banquet for relatives and friends in Meiyuan, I went to persuade her to join us."
The assassination on August 15th was shrouded in doubt.
It seemed that Prince Jin was unlucky to be assassinated, but no matter what the truth was, the old lady believed that with the wisdom of the retired emperor, he must have noticed something.
On that day, Shen was ordered by the emperor to find an opportunity to marry the prince's daughter into the Jia family.
Grandmother Jia knew that the emperor was old, and no matter how incompetent the Prince of Jin was, he was still his son.
In the court, he had to rely on Prince Jin's hand to control the emperor.
She had done this kind of thing, using one son to suppress another.
But Grandmother Jia also knew that each son was different.
Both of her sons were useless, but the emperor's sons were different, especially the crown prince.
After the crown prince died in such a decisive way along with his family, the retired emperor became paranoid and began to suspect all his sons.
That's why the throne fell into the hands of the current emperor.
The older the emperor got, the more he regretted his decision. Otherwise, he would not have married Qin to the Jia family.
By bringing up the matter of August 15th, Lady Jia was implicitly saying that Prince Jin was closely related to today's events, and secondly, she was talking about the Crown Prince's daughter.
The old lady believed that the emperor knew how good the Jia family was to Qin because of Shen.
If Shen were to die, the grace of saving my life would be gone.
The prince's daughter no longer had any support in the Jia family.
"To prevent any accidents..."
Grandmother Jia glanced at Concubine Zhen, and she was so nervous that her face turned pale. "We took most of the guards with us, but on the way back to the city, someone said that Jia Jing from Taixuan Temple had a high fever for a few days. Jia Zhen found a doctor and took eight people to see his father. But before he had left for a long time, someone ambushed him on the road, intercepted the convoy, used fire and crossbows, and forced Shen's carriage to a side road. Now we don't know whether she is alive or dead!"
The Emperor: “…”
His face had turned livid.
Although it was rare for him to be confused, he knew that this matter was closely related to King Jin.
Moreover, the Jia family was also on guard against Prince Jin.
They made concessions again and again, but the King of Jin kept pressing on.
"Someone come!"
When calling for help, he clapped his hands twice.
A gray-robed eunuch appeared silently from nowhere, "Your Majesty!" He bowed, as if waiting for orders, "Your servant is here."
"Go, find Shen, protect Jia Zhen, and save Jia Jing!"
"yes!"
Before he finished speaking, Dai Quan's eyes blurred and he could no longer see the man. He only heard a slight sound of a door opening in the back hall.
Hiss~ gone?
Dai Quan had sweat on his forehead and he lowered his head quickly.
"Don't worry, sister-in-law. I will give you an explanation for this matter!"
Such a mess is useless and cannot be helped. It cannot distinguish between inside and outside. What's the use of it?
The emperor was so angry at Prince Jin that he felt dizzy.
He knew very well what the final result would be if he used such a son to suppress the emperor.
All his loyal old ministers would be forced to the emperor's side by that idiot.
This is what the emperor can't tolerate the most.
Shi Ding is his man.
The first thing he did when he entered the palace was to pay his respects to him at Shoukang Palace.
The King of Jin is visiting Shi Ding's guests...
The Jia family and the Shi family, one has two dukes in one family, and the other has two marquises in one family.
He held it up for the world to see.
He is telling the world that he is still alive and still cares about his old ministers.
Prince Jin...is so brave.
"Dai Quan, passed on to the emperor, passed on to Dong Xiaoquan, passed on to Zhu Si."
The emperor was furious. "Dong Xiaoquan is in charge of Shuntian Prefecture, and Zhu Si is in charge of Wucheng Bingmasi. What do they do for a living?"
"Father!"
The emperor who had hurried over heard it and started shouting before he even entered the palace, "Father, you can't be angry!" As he walked in, he said, "If Dong Xiaoquan and Zhu Si have done anything wrong, tell me and I will scold them."
At this point, the emperor seemed to have just noticed Lady Jia kneeling on the ground, "Old Madam Shi, you…"
"Sister-in-law, get up quickly."
The emperor finally realized that the old lady was still kneeling.
He glanced at the usually clever Concubine Zhen and said, "Emperor, please give me a hand."
“I don’t dare!”
Grandmother Jia kowtowed to the emperor respectfully again and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for taking charge of my Jia family."
After saying this, she wanted to get up.
But Concubine Zhen looked clearly guilty and worried that Prince Jin would be discovered.
If she had her way...
Along the way, the old lady was worried, anxious, angry and resentful. She had just wanted to explain the situation to the emperor, and she had to suppress her physical discomfort. Now she had been kneeling for a long time, and as soon as she stood up, her eyes went dark.
If she were in the palace before, she would definitely press it, but now...
The old lady fainted the moment the emperor extended his hand.
Fortunately, the emperor was young and noticed that something was wrong with the old lady. He quickly helped her up and said, "Quick, call the imperial physician!"
…
Shen Ning naturally had no idea about the situation in the palace.
When they followed Fan Daming and Wen Peilan back to the scene of the accident, the fire on the road had already been extinguished. Jia She and Xing Shi were not in the car, but were waiting eagerly with a group of servants.
"It's sister-in-law. Sister-in-law is back."
Xing's cloak was covered with snow.
The master was worried about the Dong family and didn't want to get into the car to avoid the snow. He kept sighing and stamping his feet outside, scaring himself.
Naturally, Xing couldn't sit still in the car.
She came down and stamped her feet and sighed.
It's too cold.
Stamping your feet can not only relieve frozen feet, but also relieve anxiety.
Where will the sister-in-law's carriage fall?
Unlike Wang, Xing felt that she and Shen Ning had always had a good relationship as sisters-in-law, so her worries were genuine.
Now that he saw that the person was fine, he immediately came forward with joy, "Sister-in-law, you scared me to death."
Xing was filled with joy and fear, and tears began to fall.
"...Sister-in-law, you were attacked again?"
Jia She only saw the three of them and his face turned pale.
The other party is playing one ring after another, and Big Brother and Zhen'er...
"yes!"
Shen Ning answered Jia She and Xing Shi at the same time, "I'm fine, but I'm afraid something has happened to your eldest brother and Zhen Er, so... "
"I've asked someone to notify Zhen'er."
Jia She hurriedly said: "If we are lucky, we should have caught up with him by now."
What if I'm unlucky? Shen Ning didn't get off the horse at all.
Following Wen Peilan, she didn't suffer much.
"Whether I catch him or not, I have to go and see."
The old lady's carriage is gone, so she must have asked for reinforcements.
If she waited here, the government might not be aware of the dangers from Taixuan Temple and Jia Zhen...
"Sister-in-law, do you have any soft cushions or leg rests in your car?"
"Ah? Yes..."
Xing glanced at her maid, who hurriedly climbed onto the carriage and took out the sheepskin mattress that Xing used to cover her legs.
"Perrin, use it to block your way, how about we walk a little further?"
"Can!"
There's nothing wrong with that.
Wen Peilan had encountered even colder conditions when he was escorting an escort to the north.
What is it now? Wen Peilan swung his long whip, rolled up the sheepskin mattress, and wrapped it around him. Shen Ning grabbed it from behind, rolled it up, and protected his hands. "You don't have to wait here any longer. Go back immediately. The soldiers will be here soon. Just show me the way when they get there."
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