Ouyang Fu left the Zongzheng Temple with half of her cheek swollen and red. Her eyes were extremely cold!
The maid was startled and hurried forward, "Princess, your face?"
Ouyang Fu said calmly, "It was just a mad dog that hit you. Don't worry. Follow me to the Prince of Qin's mansion."
The maids were extremely embarrassed.
Is it really okay to just call the prince a mad dog?
Ouyang Fu got directly into the carriage with a dark look in her eyes.
When he arrived at the Prince of Qin's mansion, he handed in a visiting card and asked for an audience.
The maid Aqing came to the study with a visiting card.
"Your Majesty, Princess Kang has sent a letter requesting an audience."
"No!" Gu Jiu was very straightforward.
Ah Qing continued, "Princess Kang said that if Your Majesty refuses to see her, she should give this letter to Your Majesty."
"Oh, she even prepared a letter."
"Exactly!"
"Bring it here for me to see."
Aqing handed over the letter.
The envelope was not sealed. Gu Jiu took out the letter and unfolded it to read.
Ouyang Fu's letter was written in a particularly straightforward and sincere manner.
The core point is that she didn't want to come, thought she was not qualified to beg for mercy, and felt it was shameful.
However, Concubine Shen insisted that she must come. As a daughter-in-law, she was not in a good position to go against her mother-in-law, so she could only go to the Qin Palace. Please forgive the Queen.
After reading the contents of the letter, Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows and smiled, "She is quite smart. She knows how to reduce my bad feeling towards her."
Ah Qing asked, "Has the Queen changed her mind?"
Gu Jiu shook her head. "Go tell her that she doesn't need to kneel and can go back to the palace directly. With her ability, she can definitely deal with Concubine Shen. Also, unless I summon her, she should not show off in front of me in the future. Otherwise, don't blame me for not caring about our old friendship."
"I obey your command!"
Aqing came forward and sent Ouyang Fu away.
Ouyang Fu was panicked after being warned by the Queen!
She wanted to say something to defend herself, but Aqing blocked her way.
"Your Majesty has been quite angry recently. Princess, if you really want peace, it's best not to say anything. Your Majesty doesn't want anyone to disturb you at this time."
Ouyang Fu smiled bitterly, "Thank you, Miss Qing, for reminding me. I understand."
"Princess, please go back."
Ouyang Fu sighed and got on the carriage back to the palace.
She went out for a trip, gained nothing, and was slapped instead. She just wanted to curse in her heart: Fuck!
Concubine Shen pressed on very hard, and when she learned that Ouyang Fu had returned empty-handed, she pointed at her nose and cursed her.
Ouyang Fu said nothing. When Concubine Shen was tired of scolding her, she stood up and said goodbye. She also arranged for the maid to keep an eye on Concubine Shen.
"The Concubine Dowager needs to rest and recuperate. No one is allowed to disturb her without my permission."
Several maids bowed and accepted the order.
Who is Ouyang Fu guarding against?
Of course, it was the group of women in the backyard, and the group of illegitimate sons and daughters.
In these troubled times, she didn't want to be distracted by the backyard and waste time fighting with the women in the backyard.
She asked for peace and wealth.
If she had to sacrifice someone in order to maintain peace and wealth, she would push that person out to take the blame without hesitation.
…
At the same time, the Pei family suffered a great misfortune.
Liu Zhao did what he said and took out his anger on his uncle.
The fifth elder of the Pei family was thrown into prison. Not even his children or grandchildren were spared.
Everyone knew that this was a case of venting one's anger, yet no one stood up to intercede for the Pei family.
This was probably because Liu Zhao had previously sent the families of Marquis Lu and Pei Meng to the northwest.
The court officials were filled with anger, but they could do nothing to Emperor Liu Zhao, so they directed all their rage at the Pei family.
Seeing the Pei family in trouble, one must applaud and vent the anger in one's heart.
The fifth old man of the Pei family cried and shouted in the imperial prison, saying that he was wronged.
"I am innocent! Someone, come here, I want to see His Majesty and plead my case."
"I am your Majesty's uncle. How dare you humiliate me like this? When I am released from prison, I will make you suffer."
No one paid any attention to his shouting.
He was imprisoned in the imperial prison, and seemed to be forgotten by the world except for the jailer who delivered meals to him every day.
Really miserable!
The eunuchs and middle and lower-level officials who were directly involved in forcing the emperor to abdicate were all dismembered. Their relatives and family members were imprisoned and their property was confiscated...
When they decided to force the palace, they should have thought about the result today.
It happened to be autumn, and the capital's Caishikou was crowded with people every day watching executions.
The blood dyed the sky of the capital red.
The harem seemed to have been combed with a comb. Many eunuchs and palace maids who looked honest and dutiful disappeared from the harem in the blink of an eye.
Everyone is in danger and the atmosphere is grim.
Gu Jiu came to Weiyang Palace to meet Empress Dowager Pei.
Empress Dowager Pei was almost going crazy. When she learned that Gu Jiu was coming to see her, she was so excited that she didn't even have time to put on her shoes.
"Please bring the Queen in."
These days, she has not received any news from the outside world. Trapped in Weiyang Palace, she is almost going crazy.
Gu Jiu arrived at the right time.
No matter what Gu Jiu's purpose was, she would be satisfied as long as there was someone to talk to her and relieve her boredom.
Gu Jiu received the warmest welcome ever from Empress Dowager Pei.
Looking at the warm smile on Empress Dowager Pei's face, which was so wrinkled, my heart skipped a beat and I subconsciously wanted to leave.
"The Queen is here! Come on, come in and sit down."
Gu Jiu coughed lightly. He was a little uncomfortable facing the enthusiastic Queen Mother Pei.
"Daughter-in-law pays homage to the Queen Mother!"
"No need to be so polite! We're family, no need to be so polite."
Empress Dowager Pei was in a good mood. At this moment, she looked at Gu Jiu and felt that he was pleasing to the eye no matter how she looked at him.
You look so good.
Look at her eyebrows, nose, and lips. I have never seen a woman better looking than Gu Jiu.
You can tell at first glance that she is a lucky woman.
Queen Mother Pei's gaze was too fiery, and Gu Jiu smiled awkwardly, "No tea to drink?"
"Yes, yes, yes, look at my brain. Someone, bring tea!" Empress Dowager Pei said cheerfully, "Are you and His Majesty all right?"
"Thank you for your concern, mother. Your Majesty is busy with government affairs and has not slept well recently."
"Hey, this man, being an emperor, has too many things to worry about. Tell him to take good care of himself."
"My daughter-in-law will definitely convey the Queen Mother's words to Your Majesty."
"That's great! These past few days, I've been thinking about you, worried that you're not feeling at peace. Alas, it was my own fault that I was foolish enough to be taken advantage of and hurt His Majesty. I regret it so much!"
Empress Dowager Pei started crying as soon as she finished speaking, and began to wipe away her tears.
Gu Jiu coughed lightly and said, "My daughter-in-law came here today to have a casual chat with the Queen Mother."
"Yes, yes, let's just chat about family matters. You should come here more often. The door is open to welcome you."
Gu Jiu pursed his lips and smiled, "Thank you, Queen Mother, for your kindness. His Majesty was extremely angry about what happened earlier and has ordered the Jinwu Guard to punish a group of officials and eunuchs. The palace maids throughout the palace have also been replaced."
"Those traitors who caused this rebellion should be severely punished!" Empress Dowager Pei was filled with righteous indignation. "They actually dared to storm into the Weiyang Palace and forcibly bring me to the Golden Throne Hall, putting Your Majesty in a precarious position. They deserve to die! If I had known their plan earlier, I would never have let them succeed."
"The Queen Mother has a kind heart. Your Majesty will feel comforted if he knows this." Gu Jiu said casually.
Queen Mother Pei wiped her tears and sobbed, "Your Majesty has had a difficult life since childhood, and I feel deeply for him. Unfortunately, I am clumsy with words and always mean well but end up doing bad things, causing the misunderstanding between us mother and son to grow deeper. But my concern and love for him have never changed."
"My daughter-in-law understands."
Queen Mother Pei looked at Gu Jiu, "Then, what exactly is your Majesty's plan?"
"What does the Queen Mother mean?"
Play dumb!
He must be pretending to be stupid!
Empress Dowager Pei is now lacking in confidence and dares not turn her back on Gu Jiu.
She asked cautiously, "Did His Majesty tell me about my future? And about the Pei family?"
"oh!"
Gu Jiu smiled meaningfully.
Don’t just say “oh”.
Let’s get down to business.
Empress Dowager Pei urged Gu Jiu with her eyes.
Gu Jiu picked up the teacup and asked softly, "What kind of result does the Queen Mother want?"
"My Lord?"
Gu Jiu nodded solemnly, "My daughter-in-law has come here specially to chat with the Queen Mother, so the Queen Mother may as well speak frankly."
Empress Dowager Pei began to pay attention to this issue.
She wanted so much, but couldn't say it out loud.
"I just want to be a queen mother and enjoy my old age. I want someone to accompany me every day to chat and have fun, to pass the time. From time to time, I want the ladies to come to the palace to pay their respects to me and tell me about the latest news in the capital."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "My Queen Mother's request is not high."
Empress Dowager Pei naturally praised herself, "I have always understood the principle of contentment. I am already old, what is there to fight for? Seeing you all doing well, I am already satisfied."
Gu Jiu said, "I already know what the Queen Mother is thinking. I will tell Your Majesty the truth."
"You must tell His Majesty that I have absolutely no intention of interfering with him. Besides, even if I wanted to, I would be powerless."
Empress Dowager Pei repeatedly stressed that she would not pose any threat to Liu Zhao's throne.
Gu Jiu listened but did not express his opinion.
As the conversation went on for a long time, Empress Dowager Pei started to talk more.
Chattering and reminiscing about the past!
Only after Emperor Chengzong Wende passed away did she realize what she had missed.
Now she can only keep a low profile and be a "harmless" queen mother.
"...I was blinded by the intrusion of the eunuchs, who rushed in, assaulted my men, and dragged me outside. I was nearly killed! At the time, I thought something terrible had happened in the palace and was scrambling to escape. I never imagined they were targeting Your Majesty, using me to harm Him. Damn it! Queen, this has nothing to do with the Pei family. They understand the importance of self-preservation and would never get involved in such a heinous act. I sincerely hope you can persuade Your Majesty not to vent your anger on the Pei family."
Gu Jiu said softly: "I'm afraid it's too late!"
Empress Dowager Pei covered her chest with her hands, looking frightened.
Her heart and liver were broken, and she was trembling with fear. "Could it be that His Majesty has already given the Pei family to..."
"The Jinwu Guards have been ordered to imprison the Pei family."
call!
Empress Dowager Pei finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling relieved that she was not beheaded.
Being imprisoned was certainly not a good thing, but at least there was still room for improvement.
She hurriedly asked, "Did His Majesty say how to deal with the Pei family?"
Gu Jiu said solemnly: "The fate of the Pei family has always been in the hands of the Queen Mother. Whether the Pei family lives or dies depends entirely on the Queen Mother's decision!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
