The fifth and sixth brothers were stripped of their titles of princes and demoted to generals defending the country.
Concubine Luo and Concubine Chen both ran to the palace to cry.
Secluded farmland and occupation of fertile land are not new phenomena.
The fifth and sixth brothers were at least princes appointed by the late emperor himself, but they were stripped of their titles just because of this incident. It is obvious that they were taking advantage of the situation.
For this kind of thing, usually a minor punishment would suffice, such as a fine of one year's salary or an order to return the occupied fertile land, etc...
Why do you have to take away the titles of kings from them?
Concubine Luo and Concubine Chen cried in Chang'an Palace, expressing their grievances and dissatisfaction.
Gu Jiu rubbed his eyebrows and felt a little headache.
"My two concubines, do you think that His Majesty is taking advantage of this situation?"
The two didn't dare to say yes, nor did they dare to say no.
Staring intently, everything is said without words.
Gu Jiu sneered, "Before you come to the palace to complain to me, could you please first ask the Fifth and Sixth Brothers what they did in the past?"
"How come you don't understand what the Queen is saying?" Concubine Chen said cautiously.
"Your Majesty, is this what the Empress is saying? Besides retiring to the fields and occupying good farmland, have the Fifth and Sixth Princes done other things that have angered God and man?" Concubine Luo was much more direct.
Gu Jiu took a sip of tea and said, "You should ask the fifth and sixth brothers about this matter. If you ask me, my answer will always be that I don't know."
"Please give me a hint, Your Majesty." Concubine Chen asked cautiously.
Gu Jiu smiled and shook her head, "I have said everything I need to say. I will not keep you two for dinner. Send you away!"
Xu Yousi took four or four steps forward and said, "Please come in, my two concubines!"
Concubine Chen stood up and prepared to leave.
Concubine Luo was not willing to accept it. "The Queen never tells you a word of truth. She's really too cold. Thinking back to when we were in the palace..."
"Is Concubine Luo going to bring up old scores with me?" Gu Jiu interrupted her impatiently. "If you want to bring up old scores, fine. I'll take this opportunity to bring up some old matters."
Concubine Luo was speechless.
Concubine Chen secretly pulled her sleeve, signaling her to stop talking.
Faced with the gloomy Gu Jiu, Concubine Luo finally gave in. After all, she didn't have the courage to go against Gu Jiu.
The two left the palace and returned home to question the fifth and sixth brothers.
When Xiao Shuer died, the fifth and sixth brothers had not yet reacted.
It is simply believed that Xiao Shuer was executed because of her misconduct.
It was not until the Jinwu Guards arrived that the two gradually reacted.
Starting from Xiao Shuer's death, Emperor Liu Zhao began to settle old accounts.
The two brothers were terrified. Because they were under house arrest, they couldn't even leave the courtyard, let alone go to the palace to plead for mercy.
I just hope that Emperor Liu Zhao will show mercy to me because we are brothers.
In the end, both of them were stripped of their royal titles and demoted to generals defending the country, which actually made them feel relieved.
At least he was not demoted to a commoner, and at least he was not imprisoned in the Zongzheng Temple.
Thank God.
By the time Concubine Luo and Concubine Chen came to ask the two about the matter, they had already accepted the reality and calmed down.
They told everything they had done that year in detail.
Upon hearing this, the two concubines scolded the two men for being stupid.
"That bitch Xiao Shu'er is clearly using you like a pawn. You two fools are so foolish as to run errands for her. Tell me, what benefits did you receive from Xiao Shu'er back then?"
The fifth brother was a little unhappy. "Everyone is dead, and the emperor has already made his decision. What's the point of asking about what happened back then? Just knowing the general idea is enough."
Concubine Luo raised her fist and hit Lao Wu. "You idiot! How could you be so stupid! You were taken advantage of, and you still covered up for that bitch. Tell me, what benefits did she give you?"
"No good! We simply don't like the fourth brother. If we have the chance to teach him a lesson, we won't let him go."
Lao Wu said impatiently.
Concubine Luo was so angry that her heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys all ached.
What an idiot!
She didn't expect her son to be so stupid.
He was actually instigated by Xiao Shu'er's words and ran to bribe the censor and tried to kill the fourth brother.
It's so stupid.
Concubine Luo gnashed her teeth and said, "Xiao Shu'er, that bitch! It's a good thing she died early, otherwise I would have torn her face apart."
The fifth brother secretly rolled his eyes. "There's no need to be so aggressive, mother. Besides, the other person is already dead. It will only make you look ungracious."
"Beat you to death, you bastard! Xiao Shu'er is graceful, but I am not. That's how you were deceived by her, isn't it? I've long seen that bitch Xiao Shu'er is not a good person. She is so coquettish all day long and has no sense of being a widow. She deserves to die. Lao Wu, I'm warning you, you must learn this lesson. If you do it again, I'll break your legs."
Lao Wu agreed impatiently, muttering secretly, "The person is dead, can't you say a few words less?"
Concubine Luo was so angry that she fell backwards.
…
Prince Dun Liu Yan was particularly happy.
The fifth and sixth brothers were stripped of their titles of prince. From now on, he and the fourth brother were the only brothers who still held the title of prince.
He specially ordered people to prepare a banquet, and he ate and drank in the study with his two concubines, feeling very proud.
Princess Cui of Dun County was standing under the eaves, with an expression neither happy nor sad.
The Queen's words had already reached her ears.
The Queen Mother asked her what she was afraid of.
At this moment, she was also asking herself, what was she afraid of?
She was born into a top family in Hedong, and her status, family background, talent, and appearance were all outstanding. She was completely worthy of marrying Liu Yan as his second wife.
But these years, her life has been a mess.
Tolerance everywhere!
What is she afraid of?
Why should she tolerate them?
She was the Princess of Dun County, appointed by the late emperor. As long as she didn't make any mistakes of principle, her position would be as secure as Mount Tai. Even Liu Yan, the Prince of Dun County, couldn't do anything to her.
Facing the wind, Cui laughed at herself.
After all, I care too much about what others think, which restricts my actions and makes my life a joke.
It's really not right for a princess to live such a miserable life.
There was some lascivious music coming from the study.
Servants stood in various corners, looking at her curiously.
They must be laughing at her. As a princess, she is only fit to stand under the eaves.
The maid felt sorry for her.
"My Lady, are we still going to stand here?"
Cui twisted her handkerchief, smiled coldly, and called a few maids, "Follow this princess in."
Bang!
She kicked open the study door.
This kick was earth-shattering.
Not only did the servants not understand it, but the people in the study were also frightened.
The two concubines were afraid of Cui at first, but then they started laughing. With the prince around, the princess couldn't do anything to them.
Prince Dun Liu Yan put down his wine glass, extremely dissatisfied, "What are you doing? I didn't call you, get out."
Cui glanced at him coldly, pointed at the two concubines, and ordered the maid, "Drag these two bitches out and sell them directly."
"Who dares!" Duke Dun smashed his wine glass. "Cui, what do you want to do? This is my study. It's not your turn to make the decision."
Cui still ignored him and angrily scolded the maid, "What are you all standing there for? Didn't you hear what I said? I suspect these two bitches are in league with the rebels. Why don't you drag them out right away? Do you have to wait until the Jinwu Guards show up?"
The old women did not hesitate any longer, and rushed forward like wolves and tigers, grabbing the two concubines and dragging them out.
The two concubines were scared.
"Your Majesty, help me! I don't know what a traitor you are! Your Majesty, help me!"
Prince Dun Liu Yan was stunned for a moment, "What traitors? What does it have to do with the Jinwu Guards?"
In the short time she was stunned, the two concubines had been dragged out by the old woman.
The shouting faded away and the study finally became quiet.
Cui waved her hand, and the servants quickly closed the study door and stood guard outside.
Bang!
Prince Dun Liu Yan slammed the table, "Cui, speak up! What did you just say about traitors and Jinwu Guards? What do you mean by that?"
Cui smiled coldly, "I'm bluffing, can't your Highness see that?"
Prince Dun Liu Yan was shocked and pointed at Cui. "You, you actually dared to make up stories to scare me. You bitch..."
"Shut up!" Cui scolded harshly. "No sooner had the fifth and sixth sons been stripped of their titles than the prince rushed off to drink and revel with his concubines. He's practically telling the world you're gloating over their misfortune. Aren't you afraid that if it gets out, the censor will report you."
"The Imperial Censor reported me, so what? Can you stop me from drinking?"
Cui scoffed, "Do you really think that the Fifth and Sixth Princes were stripped of their titles because they lived in seclusion and occupied good farmland? That was just an excuse for His Majesty to exploit. His Majesty can use this as an excuse to punish the Fifth and Sixth Princes. If His Majesty dislikes you and the Censor reports you, His Majesty can use this as an excuse to exploit. The Fifth and Sixth Princes are in trouble, and instead of thinking about how to protect yourself, you're gloating over their misfortune. What else can you say but foolish?"
"Stop talking nonsense."
"Whether I'm talking nonsense or not, you know better than anyone else."
Cui took a deep breath and emphasized again, "I came here today just to inform you. The government is in financial difficulty and cannot afford to support so many people who waste money and food. Therefore, I have decided to clean out the women in the backyard. As long as half of them are eliminated, we can ensure the balance of income and expenditure."
"What did you say? You want to drive all my women out of the mansion? Are you crazy? Who gave you the courage? Who allowed you to do this?"
Prince Dun Liu Yan couldn't believe it at all.
Cui chuckled coldly, "I don't need anyone to give me courage, nor do I need anyone's consent. I am the Princess of the County, appointed by the late emperor himself. I have the final say on all matters in the palace and the backyard. Besides, there is a precedent for this. When the late emperor was still in the palace, I looked up the information and found that every five years, Empress Dowager Pei would purge a group of people. If you say that I did something wrong, it's the same as saying that the late emperor and the empress dowager did something wrong."
"Don't give me that! Do you think you're qualified to use chicken feathers as a token of authority?"
Cui pursed her lips and smiled. "The day the late emperor personally appointed me as the Princess of a County, I've had this qualification. Are you dissatisfied? Fine, let's go to the palace and argue. Let's see whether His Majesty and the Empress support me or you."
Prince Dun Liu Yan never expected that Cui would change her attitude so quickly.
He pointed at her, "You bitch!"
"Shut up, Princess! I was personally appointed as the Princess of a County by the late Emperor. You insulted me and called me a bitch. Are you dissatisfied with the late Emperor?"
"Bullshit! Cui, if you dare to touch my woman, I will not let you go."
"Then bring the horses over!"
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－－
After four days of going out, all my manuscripts are gone!
So I was late today!
Continue writing and saving drafts!
The second update will be a little late, Yuanbao is going to have a meal first.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
