Chapter 49
Chapter 49
What Prince Zhou said was also what Madam Zhou was confused about.
The relationship between the prince and His Majesty is not an ordinary adoptive father-son relationship.
Thirty years ago, after the Zhou family's kingdom was usurped by the Zhao family, the world began to fall into chaos. After several rounds of fighting, the kingdom finally returned to the Zhou family.
But the situation did not settle down because several factions of the Zhou family started internal struggles again. Several generations of Zhou emperors came and went like flowing water, and some were even driven off the throne after only one day.
Including the current emperor's kingdom, which was seized from his nephew.
But in fact, there are several generations of blood between the two.
Your Majesty is a branch of the Zhou family who wandered away in the early years. You did not grow up in the Eastern Capital but were born in Jingzhou. You have two brothers in your family, who are the two princes of Hexi and Hebei who were recently stripped of their fiefdoms.
In addition, there is a younger sister.
The only girl in the Zhou family was the prince's biological mother. However, due to her bad marriage, she became pregnant before marriage. She could not bear the blow and fell seriously ill.
She passed away when the prince was two years old.
Perhaps because His Majesty felt sorry for the prince who had no parents and no one to take care of him in the future, His Majesty adopted him as his son and raised him under his wing.
Therefore, although His Majesty is the prince's adoptive father, he is also his real uncle.
Moreover, Your Majesty's cultivation and care for the prince was no less than that for his own sons later on. In fact, compared with the other princes, the prince spent the longest time with Your Majesty.
His Majesty personally taught the prince to read when he was young, and when he grew up, he took him with him to his side on military campaigns. The relationship between father and son is even deeper than that between him and his biological son.
It is no exaggeration to say that the world today was conquered by the father and son together.
Later, when Your Majesty ascended the throne, in order to stabilize the country, the prince guarded the border for Your Majesty for ten years, until the court was stable and the army gradually became stronger, and then he withdrew to the Eastern Capital.
Your Majesty, recognizing his merits, personally granted him the aboriginal land of Zhongzhou in front of all the civil and military officials and appointed him as the Jiedushi of Zhongzhou.
During the ten years that he has been stationed in Zhongzhou, the prince has devoted himself to governing the people and has been loyal to His Majesty, reporting all matters, big or small, to the emperor.
The two princes of Hebei and Hexi were deposed because they were caught with real evidence, but everyone in Fengcheng knew that he was poor. He wore a pair of boots for a year and was reluctant to throw them away. What evidence could he have that people could catch him with?
Even though he was framed with fabricated accusations, the people who went to Hebei and Hexi to reduce the power of the vassal states were all people from the imperial court. But this time, His Majesty ordered a deputy envoy from Fengcheng in Zhongzhou to come and reduce the power of his own vassal kings.
It doesn't make sense.
But Mrs. Zhou was more patient than Prince Zhou. She looked at her son who wanted to rush out and fight with others, and sighed helplessly.
He wasn't stupid, but he tended to get impulsive. He called the person over and said, "Sit down."
How could Zhou Kuang sit still? He had disliked Xie Daoyuan for a long time. The last time he let Pei Yuanqiu go in front of him, he exposed his ambition to have something to do with both sides.
Afterwards, he sent his eldest son to the Eastern Capital. Since Xie Pushe resigned, several people who came to power later did not last long. They either died of illness or died suddenly.
The Menxia Province has long been in the hands of his right prime minister. If the eldest son of the Xie family goes to the Menxia Province to take up a post, isn't that equivalent to willingly sending a hostage over to make his position clear?
His two uncles were successively demoted, and now the only one who could block his path to becoming the crown prince was his father.
It is clear what the intention is, and it is hard not to be suspicious.
He wanted to go to the city gate to pull Xie Daoyuan back and ask him where his conscience was, but in the end he listened to Mrs. Zhou and sat back obediently.
Half of his butt was hanging on the armchair, and he obviously couldn't sit still.
Madam Zhou was too lazy to talk to him, and analyzed the matter with him in detail: "Whether the imperial edict is true or false, we must not act rashly. If His Majesty really wants to reduce your father's fiefdom, we, as subjects, should just sit here and wait. If it is false, we must not act at all. If the false becomes true, wouldn't it be just what people want, giving them a surprise?"
"An unexpected surprise?" Prince Zhou was stunned, frowned, turned around and asked Madam Zhou: "Then...what is the purpose of this?"
Mrs. Zhou was surprised that he understood, and asked him, "Who will be in trouble after this incident?"
Zhou Kuang understood it quickly and was shocked. "Mother, are you talking about the Xie family?"
Madam Zhou nodded, "Who else has seen the imperial edict from the court except the Xie family?" At this point, she couldn't help but admire it. "If that's true, it's a good plan. Kill two birds with one stone. If it works, it would be the best. Your father, the big hidden danger, can be eliminated. If it doesn't work, the Xie family can be uprooted with just the charge of treason, and your father will lose an arm."
It's a good deal anyway.
There were signs of this beforehand. The last time Pei Yuanqiu returned to Fengcheng, he might have already set his sights on the Xie family.
Deputy Envoy Xie actually allowed him to knock a crack into the iron egg of the Xie family.
Zhou Kuang disagreed. "Is Deputy Envoy Xie also a right-hand man? His qualifications are mediocre and he is not worthy of being promoted. I wonder how my father chose him back then. He thought he valued his loyalty. Now, let alone loyalty, he even dares to turn around and point the knife at his own feudal lord. The Xie family has produced such a disloyal and unrighteous person like him. It's simply a waste of money, but he cherishes his own little broom and insists on thinking he is a big shot."
Having followed Xie Shao in Fengcheng for more than ten years, I have heard a lot and now he is not ambiguous at all when he starts to curse people.
Madam Zhou looked at him like a monkey, "Why are you so excited? Did I say it was Deputy Envoy Xie?"
The right-hand man of Prince Jing's Mansion in Zhongzhou has never been Deputy Envoy Xie.
But it was Xie Pushe.
Xie Pushe was a Jinshi graduate. When Your Majesty first conquered the country, you were impressed by his talent and magnanimity and went to his house in person to recruit him.
Xie Pushe did not disappoint His Majesty. He found a balance between the new and old dynasties for His Majesty, which made His Majesty feel relieved.
Therefore, he was appointed as Zuo Pushe, Zhongshu Shilang, and Zhongshu Shizhong. He was the first left prime minister since the founding of Dafeng.
During the years when Xie Pushe was in office, he was an honest official, loyal and filial to his superiors, and did not show off his power to his subordinates. He was also known for valuing talent and had recommended many capable and extraordinary people to Your Majesty.
Up to now, half of the officials in the court have probably received his favors to some extent. How could such a person not be on guard when he came to the territory of Prince Fengcheng?
Madam Zhou continued, "When Xie Pushe resigned and went to Fengcheng, many eyes were watching him. He thought that he had been living a carefree life for these years, not asking about government affairs and not having anything to do with our palace, so he would not be targeted. But now it seems that even if he doesn't want to cause trouble and hides himself from the world, he still can't escape and will be found by others."
Prince Zhou understood.
He said, what virtue and ability does Xie Daoyuan have...
But after thinking it through, he became even more uneasy, and he jumped up from his chair, "What should we do now? Xie Daoyuan's move is to send the entire Xie family to the guillotine." Then he thought of Xie Shao, and hurriedly said to Madam Zhou, "I dare to guarantee with my mother that Brother Xie is an upright person and will definitely not agree with Deputy Envoy Xie."
At this time, Brother Xie must have known what Xie Daoyuan had done and would come to tell him.
But how could Xie Daoyuan let him leave the house? He might have locked him up by now. The more he thought about it, the more worried he became. "No, I'll go find Brother Xie now."
Before anyone walked out, a guard outside hurried in to report: "Madam, Prince, the third son and third mistress of the Xie family are here."
Speak of the devil, and here he comes. Zhou Kuang's face lit up with joy.
Mrs. Zhou was also surprised. "Please come in." As soon as she finished speaking, she saw a woman with a bright red neck suddenly pushed to the door, followed closely by Xie Shao and Wen Shuse.
Not understanding why, Madam Zhou and Prince Zhou were both shocked. Then they recognized that the disheveled woman in front of them was the wife of Deputy Envoy Xie, the eldest lady of the Xie family.
While the two were shocked, Xie Shao had already stepped in.
In the past, when the eldest lady came to the palace, she was always politely invited in by Madam Zhou. She was treated politely. She looked so embarrassed today, and it was obvious from Madam Zhou's astonished look.
He cursed the two traitors in his heart, and hesitated to go in.
As soon as they entered the palace, the knives in Xie Shao and Wen Shuse's hands were confiscated by the guards. They had already been brought to the palace, so there was no need to worry about the eldest lady playing any more tricks.
Seeing her standing there motionless, Wen Shuse lost his patience and pushed her hard on the lower back. The lady staggered a few steps and was forced into the house.
Just a moment ago, they received the news that Deputy Envoy Xie had closed the city gates and intercepted the prince, and then their wife was brought to the prince's palace. How could Madam Zhou and Prince Zhou never expect to see such a scene.
Prince Zhou was shocked and excitedly went to meet Xie Shao, "Thank you, brother..."
Xie Shao lifted his robe, knelt down in front of Madam Zhou, and said with his hands clasped, "The elders in my family are ignorant and foolish, and have been tricked by the treacherous people. They have offended the prince and Madam Zhou tonight. It is useless for me to persuade them, so I have to capture their family members and come here to apologize to you. How to deal with them is entirely up to Madam Zhou to decide."
One sentence clearly stated his position.
Prince Zhou turned around and looked at his mother again, with a bit of showing off in his eyes, and he said that Brother Xie would always stand on his side.
In the past, Mrs. Zhou had heard a lot about the deeds of the third son of the Xie family from her son. She knew that he was a good person and had secretly paid attention to him. He was indeed a reliable person.
However, she really came into contact with Xie Shao after he took up the post in the palace. After chatting with him face to face several times, Mrs. Zhou realized that a good father will have a good son, and the person who would inherit Xie Pushe's mantle in the future would probably have to be his own biological son.
Now seeing that he had brought the eldest lady to him, on the one hand, he admired his ability to see through the situation in such a short time, and on the other hand, he could not help but admire his decisiveness.
"Mr. Xie, please get up quickly." Madam Zhou called him by his official name, raised her eyes to look at Wen Shuse beside him, and said in a gentle voice, "There has been a sudden change in the mansion, and you two have been frightened. Please sit down first and I will tell you in detail."
The nanny at the side hurried forward, moved two official hat chairs, and placed them next to each other opposite Prince Zhou.
Once the two men sat down, there was only one embarrassed hostage left in the huge hall.
Mrs. Zhou looked up and met the eldest lady's eyes. She no longer had the enthusiasm and courtesy of the past, and her face was cold and indifferent.
Since she had already fallen into the hands of the other party, if she continued to struggle, she would only lose her dignity. The eldest lady smiled sarcastically, "There was a traitor in my family. I admit that I have fallen into such a state. But you, the traitors, will not have a good end sooner or later for what you did tonight."
"Whether it ends well or not, that's a matter for the future." Madam Zhou looked at her indifferently, "The winner is the king, the loser is the bandit, Madam, you should save your words. Your husband stopped my prince outside the city, and I'm very unhappy. Don't offend me again, otherwise, I'll be unhappy and take it out on you first. Even if I regret it in the future, you won't survive, right?" She turned around and ordered the nanny next to her, "Take the man away, and check the wound on your neck first." She frowned, made a "tsk" sound, and made a gnashing expression, "It looks scary, I'm afraid it's not shallow. Even if it's healed, it will leave a scar, which is just right, reminding the world and myself that I once betrayed the master."
The eldest lady was quite frightened on the way here. She hadn't felt the pain in her neck before, but when Mrs. Zhou mentioned it, she suddenly felt a pain in her neck again.
Especially the last sentence, it was as if she was nailed to the pillar of shame. The eldest lady became excited again, "Madam Zhou, this is the thief crying thief. My Xie family is loyal to Your Majesty and will not associate with the rebels. The imperial edict is in our hands, how can there be any rebellion..."
Before he could finish his words, he was picked up by the arm and carried out by the nanny.
As soon as the person left, the room became quiet. Mrs. Zhou looked at Xie Shao and Wen Shuse beside her. Since she had tied the person up, the position was very clear. There was no need to ask more questions.
The situation was urgent, and there was no time to beat around the bush. Madam Zhou asked directly, "Mr. Xie, what are your plans next?"
Xie Shao naturally knew in his heart that the current situation of the Xie family was probably more serious than that of the royal palace.
"I plan to leave the city tonight and go to the Eastern Capital with the prince to ask for an audience with His Majesty."
Madam Zhou's eyes were filled with admiration. She wanted to save the Xie family from the dire situation, so this was the only way for now. Knowing what he was worried about, she said, "Don't worry, Master Xie. Our palace is loyal to His Majesty and has no other intentions. Even if His Majesty really wants to reduce the power of the vassal, we will not resist. I believe that Your Majesty has the same idea as me."
As long as the palace does not come into conflict with Deputy Envoy Xie, it will give the Xie family a way out.
Xie Shao stood up and saluted, "Thank you, Madam Zhou."
"Master Xie, there is no need to be so reserved." Madam Zhou smiled helplessly, "It seems that Xie Pushe will eventually be tied to my palace. This is a blessing for my Jing Palace."
There was a sudden commotion outside, and soon a guard came in again to report, "Madam, Deputy Envoy Xie has rebelled and has surrounded the palace with his men."
It's expected, nothing surprising.
It doesn't matter if they are trapped. At worst, the people in the palace won't go out. But when Xie Shaoci and the prince go to Dongdu, they have to pass through the prince's Dongzhou first.
The prince must have thought of this point since he risked his life to set up such a trap. How could he let them see the emperor so easily?
But apart from this, there was no other way, so he turned around and told Zhou Kuang, "Call a few capable men and have them leave the city with Master Xie later."
Zhou Kuang volunteered, "I'll go."
Madam Zhou said bluntly, "Your father has already given his head to others by going ahead. If you follow him, do you want to be killed in one fell swoop and completely wipe out the descendants of Prince Jing's Mansion?"
Zhou Kuang:......
Now that the decision has been made, there is no need to rush. The journey to the Eastern Capital will take more than a day or two.
Madam Zhou took a look at the bloodstains on the two people, stood up and said, "Master Xie and Third Madam, go take a shower, change clothes, and rest for a while. I'll have someone pack some clothes. I'll take Master Xie out through the tunnel in an hour."
The treasures are here~ The map will really change in the next chapter (this chapter will give out red envelopes.)
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