What he said lacked logic and was not believable.
“But he is the emperor, and the emperor’s words are imperial edicts. Even if he didn’t give any reason and just made Suan’er stay in the palace and not let him go home, we wouldn’t dare to say anything. But the emperor came up with a bunch of random excuses, so we dared not say anything even more…”
Those guards were supposed to be protecting people, but in reality, they were also monitoring them.
Three years have passed, and the emperor only allows Liu Suan to return to the Liu family home to reunite with his family during the New Year.
In the eyes of ordinary people, this is the highest honor and favor.
But in the eyes of the Liu family, this was house arrest.
"The emperor wanted this fortune teller who was born for the fate of the country, but he was afraid that the Liu family's status was too high and their achievements would overshadow the emperor. So he promoted the Liu family while keeping the fortune teller under house arrest in the palace, which was a way of controlling our Liu family."
“In recent years, many people have criticized the Liu family, keeping a close eye on their every move, waiting to bring them down.”
After entering the palace at the age of thirteen, Liu Suan and the Liu family's heads were hanging on a wire that could break at any moment.
The Celestial Master is responsible for predicting the fortunes and misfortunes of the emperor and the dynasty. He will be confined to the Celestial Master's Mansion for his entire life, forbidden from marrying. If he is not careful, the entire dynasty will be destroyed.
Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger.
The Liu family regretted their decision and didn't want Liu Suan to continue as the Celestial Master, but it was too late.
If he doesn't do it, the emperor will only kill him and the entire Liu family.
"The court is in turmoil, and the Liu family has been caught in the vortex. My husband is afraid that if he falls too high, he will fall too hard. He also wants to leave a way out for Suan'er and the Liu family. Now he is slowly training people, preparing to retire and return to his hometown..."
The Liu family had been in officialdom for many years, so how could they not understand the emperor's mind? When Liu Suan was ten years old, Liu Sihong submitted a memorial requesting to retire and return to his hometown.
The emperor did not agree.
Zheng Wei even secretly poisoned Liu Suan, hoping to make him seriously ill so that the emperor would spare him.
The emperor sought out imperial physicians, renowned doctors from across the land, to treat him.
The emperor placed Liu Suan in the palace to reduce his contact with his family, which was to distance him from his family and to control the Liu family. At the same time, he used the Liu family outside the palace to control Liu Suan and prevent him from having any disloyal thoughts.
A double-edged sword.
"Later we realized that our child's fate was sealed the moment he grasped the counting rods on his first birthday, when a strange phenomenon occurred in the sky..."
“Without an imperial summons, I cannot enter the palace. I cannot even see my own child…” Zheng Wei said with a hint of despair. “There are still four months until the New Year, so if you want to see him, I'm afraid you can only wait until then, or…”
Zheng Wei changed the subject slightly, "Find your own way into the palace."
Su Deng certainly couldn't wait four months.
Then the latter is the only option.
Su Deng looked at Zheng Wei and said, "Madam Zheng told me all this because she trusts me or wants me to save Liu Suan. I wonder if you have any way to get into the palace."
Zheng Wei smiled and said, "You're a smart kid."
She does have a way.
This method cannot be used by them, nor can it be used under normal circumstances; otherwise, if the emperor discovers it, the entire family will be executed.
But Su Deng was an outsider; no one in the entire capital knew her. In addition, an opportunity had recently presented itself.
The crown prince recently came of age, and the emperor is selecting a consort for him.
The targets were almost all daughters of high-ranking officials.
"You want me to go and choose a concubine?" Su Deng frowned.
Zheng Wei shook her head, "The rules for selecting concubines are too harsh and complicated, but you can go along disguised as a maid."
When a daughter from an ordinary family enters the palace to participate in the selection of imperial concubines, she is naturally not allowed to bring any servants and must be searched.
But there is one person who doesn't use it.
The eldest daughter of General Zhenwei's mansion.
Zheng Wei had some dealings with the lady of the Zhenwei General's Mansion, and that same day she took Su Deng to the General's Mansion.
She didn't hide anything, only saying that she was worried about her child in the palace and wanted to find a maid to go in and check on him, and also to bring him some clothes that she, as his mother, had made herself.
They were only a few streets apart, yet it felt like a life-or-death separation.
The general's wife had always felt some pity for Zheng Wei, and after she cried for a while, she softened and agreed.
She sized up Su Deng and said, "This child's appearance is too striking. If she doesn't want to be noticed, she should disguise herself as a maid and go into the palace to conceal her identity and keep a low profile."
Su Deng understood that her words were meant to help her, but also served as a warning.
They feared she might have ulterior motives and cause trouble after entering the palace.
Su Deng didn't care about that; her goal was simply to enter the palace and see Liu Sangua.
The daughter of the General of the State is named Gu Zhi, and Gu Zhi has no intention of entering the palace to be selected as a concubine.
However, the General's Mansion is too powerful, and it also controls the 300,000-strong army of the Great Jin Dynasty. It has no leverage over the palace, so the palace has long been wary of it.
Since the previous generation had no daughters, the emperor could not marry a daughter of the Gu family to control them, so he could only have General Gu guard the border year after year, while Madam Gu was left in the capital.
This generation has a Gu Zhi.
Although Gu Zhi enjoyed martial arts, frequently visited military camps, and even fought in two battles, she was still chosen by the emperor.
This so-called selection of a concubine was actually a pre-arranged decision to make Gu Zhi the Crown Princess, in order to control the Gu family.
As for the other officials involved in the selection of concubines, they would choose the daughter of the official who was difficult to control and keep her in the palace to become the crown prince's concubine or a concubine of any of the princes.
As the emperor, how could he not have the right to decide his own marriage?
If the emperor is displeased, anyone can be killed. As a minister, how could you dare to force the emperor to take wives and concubines by threatening to die?
The emperor had so many concubines, but they were all daughters of officials and ministers from various parts of the Jin Dynasty. Even if they were kept in the palace as maids, it was a form of house arrest and control, so that those officials would not dare to rebel or have any disloyal thoughts.
Some ministers wanted to become relatives of the emperor and sent their daughters to the palace, while others did not want to but had no choice.
Therefore, unless Gu Zhi dies, the Gu family has no other choice.
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