Old Madam Liu took a sip of tea and then slowly said, "It's a long story, all of which are from the past dynasties. First, he was a man of extraordinary intelligence, and second, he was appreciated by the current emperor. The crown prince appointed by the late emperor was originally the legitimate prince born to the late queen. Although the current emperor is the eldest son of the late emperor, he was born out of wedlock. Our Taiyan has always valued legitimate and illegitimate children, and the family property and title are inherited by the legitimate son rather than the eldest son."
"Our current emperor has always been very outstanding among all the princes, and he loves to be the first in everything. The former crown prince is kind-hearted and forgiving. He regards the current emperor as his brother and never cares about these things. Later, the former emperor was seriously ill, and the palace was suddenly under martial law. An imperial edict to depose the crown prince was sent to the crown prince's mansion. When the news spread, no one in the former crown prince's mansion survived. It was said that the former crown prince disobeyed the order and intended to rebel with Princess Huaiyang, who was born of the same mother. The Eastern Investigation Bureau and the Embroidered Uniform Guard were ordered to execute him."
Yu Jiao felt her heart surge with emotion after hearing just a few words. It turned out that this was how Emperor Mingzheng came to the throne. She remembered the ruins she could see in Zanmao Hutong every time she went out. It was said that it was the former residence of Princess Huaiyang. It turned out that the ruins were once stained with blood.
"Not long after the tragic incidents at the Crown Prince's Mansion and the Princess Huaiyang's Mansion, news of the late emperor's death spread from the palace. Lord Shen, who was not yet the Prime Minister at the time, and several other ministers said that the late emperor left a message before his death, appointing the current emperor as the crown prince and passing the throne to him."
When Old Lady Liu spoke of this, her expression was unusually solemn, and her heavy eyes fell on Yu Jiao's face.
Although the old lady spoke of this in a calm tone, it gave Yu Jiao the illusion that she was suppressing her grief.
Yu Jiao couldn't eat anymore. She put down her chopsticks, stood up and sat next to the old lady. She hugged her arm and asked, "Grandma said so much, but she didn't mention what Cheng Zhangyin did in this."
Old Madam Liu patted the back of her hand. The two of them sat together very intimately. She poured Yu Jiao a cup of hot tea and said, "The Eastern Jishi Factory was not valued by the late emperor. It was only established to control and balance the Jinyiwei. Cheng Ying was the leader of the massacres of the former Crown Prince's Mansion and the Huaiyang Princess' Mansion. At that time, he was just an unknown eunuch. No one outside the palace had heard of his name. After the current emperor ascended the throne, he promoted him to the position of the Chief Seal of the Imperial Household Department. It was a step to heaven. After that, everyone knew the three words Cheng Chief Seal."
"It turns out that he was able to become the seal holder of the Imperial Household Department because he helped the current emperor eliminate... and sit on the throne." Yu Jiao felt a little emotional. No wonder Emperor Mingzheng favored him so much. It seemed that since then, Emperor Mingzheng had trusted Cheng Ying very much. In his mind, Cheng Ying should be more reliable and useful than court officials.
Cheng Ying's honor, favor and power were all given by Emperor Mingzheng. Eunuchs are easier to control than court officials. As long as Emperor Mingzheng withdraws his favor, the eunuchs will not be able to cause any trouble. Cheng Ying can only rely on the imperial power of Emperor Mingzheng to continue to hold a high position and power.
Yu Jiao thought again that the princes now lived in the palace and did not move out of the palace to have their own residences. According to the rules, they should build residences outside the palace after they grow up. However, Emperor Mingzheng did not allow several princes to build residences outside the palace. He was probably afraid that after the princes built residences outside the palace, they would have too close contacts with court officials, win over and establish their own power, then revisit the past and be forced to abdicate by their sons, which would be detrimental to his throne.
"Everyone wants to climb up the ladder, especially those who work in the palace. Once you are used to the supremacy of power, you will be more easily influenced by it." Old Lady Liu reminded Yu Jiao, "Sometimes fighting for power is not necessarily out of greed. When you are in it, you have no choice. Some people will die if they don't fight."
Yu Jiao nodded. If the late prince had made preparations in advance, perhaps he would not have ended up in such a tragic way.
"Let's not talk about these things. They are all irrelevant to our inner house." The old lady took Yu Jiao's hand and said with a smile, "I asked you to come here today because of Tao'er. Your mother was partial to him because of Wei Mama, so she inevitably did things inappropriately. He has lived with you for a while, and it's tiring for you, a half-grown girl, to coax him all day long. It's time for you to move back to the East Garden."
Yu Jiao always treated Tao Ge'er as if he were Fei Ge'er, like a younger brother. She said, "Madame Wei went to my courtyard before. Tao Ge'er was reluctant to go back to the East Garden. He was attached to his elder brother, and he lived in my courtyard to be closer to Fufeng Pavilion."
The old lady touched Yu Jiao's head and said, "Grandmother knows that you are kind-hearted and treat Tao'er well from the bottom of your heart. However, although Tao'er has the mind of a naughty boy, he looks like an adult man after all. It is not appropriate for people to see him living in your courtyard."
Yu Jiao's eyes widened slightly, she had never thought about this. Madam Liu treated Tao Ge'er like her own son, and the servants in the mansion also treated Tao Ge'er as their master, but he was Wei Ma's child after all, so they should consider the differences between men and women. Everyone in the mansion knew that Tao Ge'er was mentally retarded, so naturally they would not gossip, but if outsiders saw it, it would not be appropriate.
The old lady mentioned this matter entirely for her sake. Yu Jiao said hurriedly, "Grandma is right. I will persuade Brother Tao to move back to East Garden tomorrow."
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