Inner city of Guanyun City, Lingyun Lane.
This is not the bustling streets of Guanyun City. On the contrary, it is extremely quiet.
The Right Prime Minister's Mansion is located in the middle of this street, covering a very large area. There are towering ancient trees and numerous buildings. It is quiet and elegant, yet majestic.
In the study room of the main residence of the Right Prime Minister, the powerful Right Prime Minister Zhuo of the Wu Dynasty was carefully brewing a pot of tea.
There were only a handful of people in the entire Wu Dynasty who could drink tea in his study, and at this moment there was such a person, sitting casually in front of him.
He is also an old man with gray hair. He is the head of Tianji Pavilion. He has a nice name, Zhou Tongtong!
"That kid is quite capable. He actually found out about me. Tongtong, you heard what that kid said to me in Juhua Hall yesterday. What do you think?"
Zhou Tongtong laughed, "What can I think? Just like now, lying down and thinking."
Zhuo Yixing raised his eyebrows slightly, "The old eunuch went to Zhengyang Palace."
"The water temperature is perfect, hurry up and serve the tea... He can go if he wants, it's no big deal."
"Your Majesty's daily records from those three years are still missing?"
Zhou Tongtong suddenly sat up, snatched the tea leaves from Zhuo Yixing's hand, turned down the fire a little, took five long tea leaves from the tea can and put them into the teapot.
"This is the Buddha's hand from the Fan Kingdom! ... As for those three years' diary, I advise you not to persist in searching for it. I know what you're all worried about, but I still hold the same view—Fu Xiaoguan's identity is completely unimportant!"
Zhuo Yixing looked up at Zhou Tongtong and said two words: "Reason?"
"The Crown Prince has been in the Eastern Palace for four years now. Although he is not a good person, he has not done anything wrong. Fu Xiaoguan was born and raised in the Yu Dynasty. According to the information from the Tianji Pavilion, this boy does not have great ambitions for power. As long as you don't provoke him, he will not bite anyone indiscriminately."
Zhuo Yixing frowned, "But what if he is really your Majesty's son? What if your Majesty really acknowledges this son?"
Zhou Tongtong sighed, "It's been so many years. If Your Majesty wanted to acknowledge me, why wait until today? Also... I might as well tell you that the diary of those three years has been in the hands of the Empress Dowager."
In other words, His Majesty actually knew Fu Xiaoguan's identity a long time ago!
So the Queen Mother took away the diary of those three years... Does this mean that she doesn't want this illegitimate child to come back and recognize his ancestors?
"So, those awful things you've done have actually caused His Majesty to worry—His Majesty is a lovestruck man, and you, I, and all the officials know this. And this literary gathering was precisely because of the awful things you and Empress Xiao did... It's counterproductive, that's basically what I mean."
Zhuo Yixing's brows furrowed even more. He was simply trying to eliminate the hidden danger. This hidden danger stemmed from a rumor that had spread in the palace a few years earlier, saying that Emperor Wen had been infatuated with Xu Yunqing in Jinling during his youth... and that they had a son named Fu Xiaoguan!
Then he naturally sent people to Linjiang to investigate, and the news he got was that this Fu Xiaoguan was a playboy in Linjiang, who did not understand poetry and prose, did not study the Four Books and Five Classics, loved to seek pleasure, and exuded the brilliant aura of a good-for-nothing from head to toe.
Such a person is certainly not worth his effort. He thought that even if His Majesty knew, He would never tell the world about such an illegitimate child.
So neither he nor Empress Xiao paid any attention to Fu Xiaoguan anymore, but they never expected that this useless guy with golden brilliance would suddenly become famous last year.
He actually wrote amazing poems and became a great talent in Linjiang, and his poem "Song of Water Melody" was even included in the first row of the thousand-stone tablet!
This surprised him and Empress Xiao. They looked at Fu Xiaoguan again and agreed with each other - Fu Xiaoguan had concealed the truth for sixteen years!
This boy's scheming is truly terrifying!
So, the first hijacking happened in Nanjing last year.
When they kidnapped Fu Xiaoguan, they did not intend to kill him, but to send him back to the Wu Dynasty secretly, because both Zhuo and his entourage and Empress Xiao wanted to see what this young man who had endured for sixteen years looked like.
Of course, Fu Xiaoguan still had to die in the end, but before he died, he had to satisfy the curiosity in their hearts.
Of course, this plan failed in the end, and then there was the news that His Majesty was going to convene a national literary conference today - according to Zhou Tongtong, His Majesty knew about the kidnapping, so His Majesty's attention was obviously on the illegitimate child three thousand miles away!
Could it be that the hijacking really caused His Majesty to change his mind?
Zhuo Yixing was silent for a few breaths, then asked, "How did you know that the three-year diary was in the Queen Mother's hands?"
"The Empress Dowager went to Guanyuntai on the second day of the second month of this year. She said this herself."
Zhuo and his group frowned even more tightly. After so many years, why would the Queen Mother reveal the whereabouts of the three-year diary on February 2nd of this year?
Without access to the diary, it was impossible to confirm Fu Xiaoguan's identity. Of course, Zhuo and his entourage shared Empress Xiao's sentiments: Fu Xiaoguan's presence had brought immense instability to the Wu Dynasty's court. Especially now, with his fame spread throughout the country, Fu Xiaoguan's prestige among students and common people was so high that, compared to the Crown Prince... it was simply far more dazzling.
It took so many years for the Queen Mother to reveal the whereabouts of the diary, which sent a signal that made Zhuo and his party extremely uneasy: the Queen Mother approved of the illegitimate child!
What will happen next?
Will Your Majesty admit it in person?
Will Your Majesty even take Fu Xiaoguan to worship in the Taimiao and be included in the royal golden book?
But since His Majesty already knew that Fu Xiaoguan was his son, why did he issue such an imperial decree to betroth Wu Linger to the winner of this literary competition?
Could it be that he wanted to confuse Empress Xiao and me?
I once thought that your majesty's decree was too hasty - what if Fu Xiaoguan was not dead, what if he was really your majesty's son, what if he won the first place, what should I do?
But after hearing what Zhou Tongtong said, Zhuo and his party understood that this was the maze set up by His Majesty.
His heart gradually sank to the bottom, but he asked unwillingly:
"When Your Majesty went to Jinling again, was he sure he had a relationship with Xu Yunqing?"
"You are questioning the ability of my Tianji Pavilion!"
Zhou Tongtong poured two cups of tea, pushed one over, and took a deep sniff. "Your Majesty and Xu Yunqing not only had a relationship, but Xu Yunqing is also pregnant with Your Majesty's dragon seed."
"Are you sure it's Fu Xiaoguan?"
Zhou Tongtong looked at Zhuo Yixing and asked, "Who else do you think it could be?"
Perhaps in order to completely dispel Zhuo's group's idea of taking risks again, Zhou Tongtong said:
"During the time Xu Yunqing was giving birth, Empress Yu Chaoshang took her to the palace. She was personally accompanied by Her Highness Yu Yu, the wife of Marquis Dingguo. The people from Qingfengxiyu Tower also kept a close watch on her for 12 hours. And among them, there just happened to be one of my people!"
"Empress Shang and His Highness Yu Yu?"
"right!"
Zhuo Yihang stood up, holding his teacup, and paced back and forth in the study. "So, Queen Shang and His Highness Yu Yu must know who Xu Yunqing's child is?"
"In fact, the Queen Mother of the Yu Dynasty also knew about the child, but she's dead. Now, in this world, besides the Queen Mother, Your Majesty, you and me, I'm afraid only Empress Shang, His Highness Yu Yu, and Emperor Xuan know that the child is Fu Xiaoguan."
"What's going on with Mr. Fu?"
"...Don't ask about this."
Zhuo Yixing took a sip of the tea, but could not taste the flavor of the tea at all.
His mind was not on the tea at all, but on Fu Xiaoguan again.
"Empress Xiao will take action against Fu Xiaoguan."
"Your hair is graying faster and thinner than mine, and there's a reason for that. Since His Majesty was having such a pleasant chat with Fu Xiaoguan at Guanyun Terrace, he certainly wouldn't watch Fu Xiaoguan die in Guanyun City."
This time, Zhuo Yixing was silent for a long time, sat down at the tea table again, stared at Zhou Tongtong and shook his head.
"I'm afraid you're wrong this time. I know Empress Xiao better than anyone else!"
Zhou Tongtong was slightly stunned, then she remembered that the relationship between the Zhuo family and the Xiao family in Guanyun City was not ordinary.
But then he smiled calmly, "You may understand Empress Xiao, but as Empress Xiao's husband, Your Majesty... I'm afraid he understands her more deeply than you do."
"Actually, I really hope that Fu Xiaoguan dies at the hands of Empress Xiao! Before His Majesty announces his identity!"
This is easy to understand. Your Majesty did not announce Fu Xiaoguan's true identity to the world, so in the eyes of the people of the world, Fu Xiaoguan is of course an insignificant person. If he died, at most the world would lose a talented person.
What this world lacks the least is talented people.
Once Fu Xiaoguan died, Empress Xiao would feel at ease. Although the one in the Eastern Palace was naughty, the throne could be inherited stably, which would be beneficial to the Wu Dynasty in every way.
Zhou Tongtong looked up at Zhuo Yixing and said, "I really admire you. Last year, when Fu Xiaoguan just showed up, you stabbed him with your sword. When Fu Xiaoguan came to Wu Dynasty and was in the border town, you stabbed him with your sword a second time. As an old friend, I must tell you carefully, don't stab him a third time!"
Zhuo Yixing took a deep breath. He naturally understood what Zhou Tongtong meant.
His Majesty likes Fu Xiaoguan very much, and he must be aware of his two actions. Although he has not blamed him, if it happens a third time - His Majesty will not have such a good temper!
After all, Wu Chao's surname was Wu and not Xiao, so he nodded very seriously, thinking that Eunuch Gao might be in trouble this time.
"You said... Empress Shang and Emperor Xuan concealed the intention of Xu Yunqing's child. Could it be that they wanted to threaten Your Majesty?"
Zhou Tongtong drank the tea in her cup in one gulp. "Could you please not focus on that trivial matter? The Empress Dowager's birthday on the tenth day of April and the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony on the ninth day of April, commemorating the tenth year of His Majesty's accession to the throne, are the most important events for us right now."
He poured another cup of tea. "You can even pay attention to the literary gathering. There are only seven days left until the Cold Food Festival on March 25th. These things are the most important."
"Your tea is very good. I'll take this pot away."
Zhou Tongtong stood up and said, "As for Fu Xiaoguan, if Empress Xiao behaves properly, Fu Xiaoguan will still be the talented Fu Xiaoguan. But if Empress Xiao behaves unruly, he will still be unruly..."
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