Chapter 184 This Shameless Person (Two Chapters in One)
The three generations before Emperor Dayong all admired Taoism. The "Tao Te Ching" says "reach the extreme of emptiness and maintain absolute stillness", and Confucianism also has "be quiet to cultivate oneself" in the "Book of Rites". Emperor Yongjia named the deposed crown prince as King Jing, and the profound meaning is obvious at a glance.
Not only did they glorify the dethronement as an "opportunity for self-cultivation," they also demanded that the deposed prince become as dead as a dead tree and completely withdraw from the power arena.
The title of Prince Jing was by no means a grace, but rather a way of nailing the deposed prince to the brink of power forever.
Prince Jing's fiefdom was thousands of miles away in Wangyou County. Emperor Yongjia issued an edict to change Wangyou County's name to Jingyou County, and from then on, this was where Prince Jing was imprisoned.
Although both were vassal kings, the treatment of Prince Jing was as different from that of the Eight Great Kings as heaven and earth.
The Eight Kings can have their own personal guard battalion of 5,000 people. Of course, this is made public.
The guards of Prince Jing's Palace must not exceed 500 people, and they are not allowed to interfere in local military and political affairs.
The Eighth Prince was only worried about whether he had enough money to support his private soldiers, while Prince Jing even had to worry about the expenses of the palace, because his annual salary was reduced by 70% compared to when he was the crown prince, and he had to support hundreds of people in the palace with his only annual salary of 3,000 dan.
In addition, the eight great kings inherited the throne without interruption, while the descendants of King Jing had their titles downgraded and were demoted to commoners after five generations.
With Prince Jing's dismal departure from the capital, the court officials enthusiastically requested the crown prince for the second time, and the third prince declined again.
At this moment, in the Fifth Prince's mansion, the Fifth Prince sneered repeatedly: "This hypocrite, this despicable villain, how can this be called modesty? It's extremely hypocritical and shameless!"
Eunuch Wang flashed in and whispered, "Fifth Master, Yang Shengqiu's proposal to marry Fifth Miss Feng has been finalized, and the two families have already exchanged engagement letters."
The Fifth Prince snorted coldly, "This Yang Shengqiu, I really overestimated him before. In order to climb up the social ladder, he even went so far as to marry the concubine of the Feng family, haha."
Eunuch Wang hurriedly said, "This old servant has found out something. Would you like to hear it just for fun, Master Fifth?"
The Fifth Prince glared at him and said, "You old bastard, you're so arrogant in front of me? If you have something to say, say it quickly. If you have something to say, fart quickly. I'm annoyed."
Eunuch Wang smiled, took a step closer, and said, "I have heard that Yang Shengqiu and Princess Huiming are having an affair."
The Fifth Prince was startled and raised his voice involuntarily: "Is this true? Who told you that?"
Eunuch Wang smiled mysteriously: "Fifth Master, do you remember Queen Meng?"
A flash of confusion appeared in the fifth prince's eyes. Who is Queen Meng?
However, he quickly realized that Queen Meng was the former Crown Princess, Empress Xiaokang.
"Remember, she's been dead for over ten years. Is this still related to her?"
Eunuch Wang explained, "After Empress Meng passed away, her dowry was taken back by the Meng family. Before Lord Meng retired and returned home, he left several of the shops to Princesses Huixin and Huiming. I think he felt that Empress Meng had no children and her little grandson was gone, so he left these shops to the two princesses so that they would be grateful to Empress Meng and remember her kindness."
The fifth prince nodded. Although the Meng family was not wealthy, they were well-off and could afford to give the two princesses a few shops.
"Go on." The fifth prince became interested.
Eunuch Wang continued, "One of the shops was dealing in antiques on Kaitai Street. Business wasn't good, but it was also good. Someone saw Yang Shengqiu, the top scholar, and a girl enter the shop one after the other. Yang Shengqiu walked through the street wearing a flower in his hair. Many people in the capital had seen him, so they recognized him at a glance. As for the girl, no one recognized her, but her clothes were a bit strange. She was wearing a silk dress that you couldn't buy in ordinary silk shops, but she only had a wooden hairpin in her hair!"
The Fifth Prince frowned slightly. "Just a wooden hairpin can't prove it's Huiming, right?"
Eunuch Wang smiled, "Don't worry, Fifth Master. Let me tell you everything. The night Princess Huiming was sent to Ci'en Temple, she pressed a wooden hairpin against her neck."
The old servant took some time to ask the two maids about the style of the wooden hairpin.
Fifth Master, you also know that the maids in the palace have sharp eyes. They can remember everything they have seen.
According to their description, the old servant drew the general pattern of the wooden hairpin, and asked several people in Princess Jiarou's mansion who had seen Princess Huiming. They confirmed that the wooden hairpin was carved by Princess Huiming herself and improved the pattern of the hairpin. The old servant then showed the pattern to the person who had seen the girl in the antique shop that day, and finally confirmed that this wooden hairpin was the one he had seen.
Fifth Master, think about it, this wooden hairpin was made by Princess Huiming, where did an ordinary woman get it?
What's more, it was in her own antique shop!
This shows that the woman who had a secret meeting with Yang Shengqiu in the antique shop that day was Princess Huiming!
Eunuch Wang’s words were well-reasoned, and the smile on the Fifth Prince’s face became more and more genuine, until he finally burst into laughter.
After laughing, he spitted a few times: "Shameless, too shameless, this Yang Shengqiu is even more shameless than the third brother!
Let me tell you, Huiming and Huixin usually avoid such lively occasions, so why did they come running over to offer themselves this time? But if Huiming and Yang Shengqiu had an affair, this would make sense.
The person Huiming went to Yujing Palace to meet secretly was not the boss, but that bastard Yang Shengqiu!
Bah, bah, bah, this guy is so disgusting, even more disgusting than I thought!
And the third brother actually promoted such a disgusting guy and even became his brother-in-law. I despise him, I really despise him! "
The Fifth Prince thought for a moment, then suddenly stood up. Eunuch Wang was startled. "Fifth Prince, this can't be rushed! We need to take a long-term approach."
The Fifth Prince laughed and said, "Old Wang, we are all very wise with age, but I think the older you get, the less courageous you become. Besides, don't I know that I need to take a long-term view? You don't think I'm going to complain to my father, do you? I'm not that stupid. Prime Minister Feng's family has a happy event, and I want to make his happiness even greater."
......
Inside the Ruyi Boat, Fatty Si drank a few sips of boiled water and finally stopped panting.
Xiao Zhen glanced at him and said, "You are too fat. Eat less."
Fatty Si grinned and said, "I'm fat from birth. Even drinking cold water makes me gain weight. I can't lose weight."
"What's the matter that makes you rush here?" Xiao Zhen asked.
Fatty Si laughed heartily. "You're absolutely right. I just had someone mention it to Mr. Wang, and that old eunuch immediately went to investigate. He not only went to the antique shop, but also to the palace and Princess Jiarou's residence. He got to the bottom of it all. I'm sure the Fifth Prince knows everything by now."
Xiao Zhen nodded and said, "Well done. For that deal, give Eunuch Wang a bigger share of the profits. This will make the Fifth Prince feel that our purse is secure. Money is a person's courage. He knows what he should do."
......
Ci'en Temple.
As everyone knows, nowadays, few nobles visit Ci'en Temple.
Both were built for the royal women, but Zizhu Temple has been renovated twice in the past ten years. The first time was to welcome Princess Jiarou's master, Yudan Zhenren, to come to Zizhu Temple for practice, and the other time was when the Empress Dowager and Concubine Qiao used their own money to renovate it.
Therefore, Zizhu Temple is magnificent, like a fairy cave. In addition to royal relatives, the wives of high-ranking officials in the capital also come to Zizhu Temple to burn incense every now and then, and some even live here permanently.
Ci'en Temple, on the contrary, has not been renovated for decades, and no one dares to mention rebuilding the Buddha's golden body.
The only ones who have left the palace and are still practicing in Ci'en Temple are two old beauties of Emperor Dezong (the father of the retired emperor) and one of the retired emperor's beauties.
It’s not that these three were the only ones who came to Ci’en Temple to practice since Emperor Dezong, but that all the others died, and only these three survived.
Now, Princess Huiming is the fourth.
She had been in Ci'en Temple for seven days, and during these seven days, she had been locked in a small meditation room.
Neither her maid nor her nanny could come with her, not even Chunying, who had grown up with her.
During these seven days, Princess Huiming only saw one person, an old nun who came to bring her food and clean her toilet every day.
The old nun had a gloomy expression, with deep and dense wrinkles on her face. The look she gave Princess Huiming was as sharp as a knife.
"You haven't eaten yet? Why can't you stomach simple meals? Do you still think you're a royal child? You're sent here at such a young age, how can you be a good person? You shameless bitch!"
Princess Huiming is still dressed like an unmarried girl. Those who can be sent here must be from noble families. If she had not done something shameful, how could she be sent here?
At first, Princess Huiming would make a few rebuttals, but in return the old nun would curse and insult her even more unscrupulously.
Gradually, she accepted her fate and stopped arguing. Instead, she huddled in the corner like a quail, letting the old nun vent her anger.
The old nun came again today, and for the first time she saw the empty bowl without a single grain left.
Finally, he couldn't hold it anymore and was willing to eat.
The old nun looked at her with contempt and turned away.
In the next two days, Princess Huiming, no, she is Huiming now, and no one here will call her Princess.
Huiming would eat every grain of the food delivered to her every day, even if there was not a drop of oil or even sand in the rice, she would force herself to eat it, because if she didn't eat it, she would hear even more unpleasant insults or even beatings.
Yes, every time the old nun came, she would hold a two-foot-long bamboo stick in her hand. It was very painful when the bamboo stick hit her body. She could only use her hands to protect her face and let the bamboo stick hit her delicate skin.
On the third day, which was the tenth day since Huiming came here, she finally met the second person.
She was an old nun in her forties, and also the abbess here, Pu Xuan. Huiming also knew the old nun from before, whose name was Pu Jing.
They were not palace maids, but members of the royal family.
Pu Xuan was widowed at a young age and had a hard time in her husband's family. She had no one to rely on in her natal family, so she became a monk in Ci'en Temple.
Pujing's situation was similar to hers, except that he was older when he became a monk.
Pu Xuan looked Hui Ming up and down, his eyes showing no joy, anger, or emotion.
"Now that you've figured it out, let's work together from today. You can see that this is the condition here. There are no incense offerings, and the money given by the palace is limited. If you want to fill your stomach, you have to work. We don't support idlers here."
Pu Xuan left after he finished speaking. Pu Jing took Hui Ming to where she worked and pointed to the monk robes piled on the ground. He said, "You can't do other work, so start by washing clothes."
Huiming has lived a life of luxury since childhood. Even though her status is embarrassing, she has never suffered a day of hardship, let alone doing rough work.
On the first day, she washed her clothes and tore them.
Get beaten.
The next day, the clothes were not washed clean.
Get beaten.
On the third day, the clothes were not washed until dark.
Get beaten.
On the fourth day, she got up late and when she arrived at the cafeteria, there was no food left.
The temple emphasizes not eating after noon. Others would have a full meal in the morning, then put two steamed buns in their arms, eat one at noon, and secretly eat another one at night when no one was looking, and they would get through the day.
But Huiming didn't even make it to breakfast, let alone lunch and dinner.
She was hungry all day, but she still had to work.
She fainted by the well and, needless to say, was beaten with a few bamboo sticks by Pujing.
At night, she was awakened from her sleep. In the mottled moonlight shining through the dilapidated window frame, she saw an old face.
"Who are you?"
"My last name is Quan. I used to be a beauty in the palace. I've been here for ten years."
Huiming understood that this must be the beauty of the retired emperor, who was sent here after the retired emperor went to Changshou Palace.
"Quan, Aunt Quan."
The beauty of the retired emperor would not be very old. At most, she would be in her thirties, just like Concubine Xu.
But the person in front of him looked like he was in his fifties or sixties.
Compared with the well-maintained Concubine Xu, they seem like two generations apart.
It can be seen that the environment has a huge impact on people.
Aunt Quan patted her and took out a dry and hard steamed bun: "Eat it, you can only survive if you have a full stomach."
Huiming took the steamed bun. This was the only person who had shown kindness to her since that incident, and she was very grateful.
"thank you."
Aunt Quan sighed: "When I first entered the palace, I was plotted against in the Imperial Garden. The Crown Princess happened to pass by there and proved my innocence, so I was not banished to the cold palace.
Unfortunately, good people don’t get rewarded. The Crown Princess passed away at a young age. I can only remember her great kindness in my heart.
Now you are here. Although they didn't tell me your identity, I know who you are. Your features and eyebrows are like those of Concubine Sun.
By the way, Consort Sun and my family are neighbors. I knew her before I entered the palace. Since you are Consort Sun's daughter, you are also the Crown Princess's daughter. I am not helping you, but repaying her kindness."
Huiming tried hard to hide the shame on her face. Since she was a child, her sister had told her more than once that their biological mother was killed by the Crown Princess and that the Crown Princess was their enemy.
It is their duty to accept the Crown Princess's dowry, as it is what the Crown Princess owes them.
But now, she has fallen to such a state, and the only help she has received is from the Crown Princess.
The woman had been dead for ten years, but she was still blessing her.
Fortunately, the room was dim and Aunt Quan could not see anything unusual in Huiming's expression. She told Huiming about the things in the temple.
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