==Chapter 167==

The king of Chu stayed in the study of Zichen Hall until dark, and there was no sign of coming out.

It was still Mumu who remembered that it was dark and wanted to go home to find his mother, and he was clamoring to find his father and go home, so Emperor Chengyuan ordered Ruan Ronghai to come and summon the king of Chu.

The king of Chu came out of the study, his face could be seen to be tired, but his eyes were bright, and he seemed to be very excited. After he thanked the two scholars and gave gifts, he hurried to the dormitory of Emperor Chengyuan behind the Zichen Palace, and after picking up Mu Mu, the father and son got into the carriage out of the palace.

On the other side, Mu Fan and Mu Hong were also sent to the Heluan Hall and the Chunhe Hall respectively, and they were taken care of by their grandmothers.

Jiu Niang had been waiting for a long time, and was about to order someone to go to the palace to investigate, when she heard a report that the King of Chu and Mu Mu had returned. The family of three had dinner together, the king of Chu went to bathe and wash, and Jiu Niang knew from his son's mouth that he had two more playmates today.

After putting her son to sleep, let the nurse take her away, Jiuniang returned to the bedroom, and the king of Chu was half-leaning on the bed, not asleep, as if thinking about something. Jiu Niang didn't bother King Chu either, she went to the bathroom lightly to wash and came back, quietly touched the bed, and went to the inner position to lie down.

The light in the room dimmed, and the lights were turned off when the lotus branch went out, leaving only a night light in the corner of the room. The light is yellow, not dazzling, and only a faint light is projected through the gauze tent.

The king of Chu lay down and encircled Jiuniang into his arms, and then she opened her mouth to ask about Mu Mu's two playmates.

"Don't worry about it, it's just a trick played by King Zhao and King Cheng who rushed to the hospital when they were sick." King Chu said lightly. The big palm under the lower touched the soft hand, as if there was a memory, and it wandered carelessly on it.

"Then Mu Mu will play with them, nothing will happen, right?" Jiu Niang couldn't help but care about her son's affairs, especially this time Zhao Wangcheng Wang Ming had other intentions.

"Don't forget what that place is."

Jiuniang had an epiphany.

Yes, that is the Zichen Palace, the territory of Emperor Chengyuan. Judging from Emperor Chengyuan's recent treatment of Mu Mu, he could not and would not let Mu Mu have anything to do in Zichen Palace, so her worries were unnecessary.

Thinking about it like this, Jiu Niang was relieved. After coming to her senses, she found out what the king of Chu was doing, and before she could say anything, she was gagged.

Today's King Chu seems to be very excited, and after an incident, Jiu Niang only felt that her waist was sore and unbearable, and she was hit by him vigorously. Finally relieved, she was about to stay in the bathroom to clean herself, but she was pulled by him and pressed under her body.

Jiuniang is not resisting this kind of thing now, to put it bluntly, she has also tasted it, and she has been married to the King of Chu for nearly three years, and the King of Chu has always been the only one, and what men are looking for other women for, it is nothing more than for this, so she is also happy.

It's just that today is a little too much, and after one another, she doesn't even have the strength to get up and take a bath, and before falling asleep, she muttered: "What's wrong with you today, why are you so excited?" ”

The king of Chu caressed her sweaty smooth back, and her narrow eyes burned in the darkness.

Excited? Maybe.

*

The next day, when Mu Mu followed the King of Chu to the Zichen Palace, Mu Fan and Mu Hong were already waiting there.

Emperor Chengyuan didn't speak, so naturally he stayed as usual, and Mu Fan and Mu Hong played with Mu Mu for another day.

It's just that the longer they get along with Mu Mu, the more Mu Fan and Mu Hong can feel the difference in treatment, for example, Mu Mu can go to the back bedroom to see the emperor's grandfather at will, and he will be called to eat at noon and take a nap in the emperor's grandfather's bedroom, and they have not been summoned to see each other since yesterday, and the lunch is also used by the two of them alone. The palace attendants of Zichen Hall didn't treat them very well, although they were all respectful on the surface, but the two of them could still feel the coldness and alienation behind their respect, which was completely different from the flattery and affection of Mu Mu.

Mu Hong is okay, he has not been treated very well in the Chengwang Mansion since he was a child, and he has seen too many highs and lows from the minions. But Mu Fan is not good, although he is not very popular in Zhao Wangfu, in the end there is a concubine mother-in-law, his mother-in-law is not favored but her personality is pungent, although the mother and son have stumbled, but they have also survived.

The days of not being taken seriously are difficult, and when he was a child, he would ask Ah Niang why his father did not treat him. His mother naturally didn't dare to talk about the royal secrets, so she could only appease her son and say that he was the eldest son of King Zhao and the eldest grandson of the emperor, and one day their situation would change, and everyone would come to hold him. That day finally came, Mu Fan enjoyed the taste of being praised by thousands of people, and his father also changed his earlier coldness and began to pay attention to him. It's been too long, how can he bear to return to his previous state again, and go to the stinky feet of a little milk baby.

He is resentful, unwilling, aggrieved, and jealous, so naturally he will not be like that dog-legged Mu Hong to please Mu Mu. If it comes down in a few days, the difference will come out, Mu Mu treats Mu Hong more affectionately, but he is not very close to him.

Mu Mu's attitude naturally affected the attendants serving in Zichen Palace, and these attendants couldn't help but look at Mu Hong a little differently, but they still treated Mu Fan as usual.

It's like a vicious circle, the grievances in Mu Fan's heart are getting worse day by day, and finally one day he can't help it.

Mu Mu was pushed to the ground, and he was just stunned for a moment, unable to figure out why he gave the little brother a toy, but he didn't take it, and pushed him. Then he reacted to the pain in his elbow and back, and immediately began to cry.

"Mu Fan, what are you doing!" Mu Hong scolded while hurriedly pulling Mu Mu who fell to the ground.

At this time, several attendants standing on the side also reacted and hurriedly rushed up.

"Little master, are you alright?"

"Where it hurts, tell the slave."

In fact, there was a thick fox skin mattress on the ground, how could Mu Mu fall painfully, but the place where he fell was a little unlucky, and there were a few toys on it, so it hurt him.

Mu Mu rarely cries, the reason why he cries is that Mu Fan's attitude scared him, he is only so old, where can he understand the malice in the eyes of people, but he feels that this brother's attitude is a little scary. Then it was because it really hurt, and the hall was burned with a dragon, warm as spring, so he only wore a thin little jacket, and if he fell on those hard objects all of a sudden, it would definitely hurt.

Xiao Luzi's face was full of chagrin, and his godfather asked him to look at the little master, which was to entrust him with a heavy responsibility, but now something happened under his nose. It was also that he didn't expect that the eldest prince of Zhao Wangfu would be so stupid, and he would dare to make a move on the little master in front of everyone's eyes, what was he thinking in his head!

It is also Xiaoluzi and others who have entered a misunderstanding, in their opinion, if they were an adult, or any person with measurements, they would not do such a stupid thing. But it just so happened that Mu Fan was just a child, or a child who just seemed to understand anything, and was a little crooked, how could he weigh the pros and cons, his head was hot for a while, so he did it.

Xiao Luzi lifted Mu Mu's clothes and saw two red bruises on his white and tender little body, and he wanted to eat Mu Fan alive. He secretly suppressed the resentment in his heart, and said to Mu Fan with a smile: "The little master is still young, even if the little master is dissatisfied, he shouldn't push his younger brother." ”

At this time, Mu Fan also realized the strictness in it, and his little face turned pale with fright, and his lips trembled, "I, I didn't ......."

Xiao Luzi snorted: "Childe, it's better to think about how to explain to His Majesty." After speaking, he picked up the smoking and sucking Mu Mu and walked away with a group of attendants.

"Idiot!" Mu Hong sneered on the side.

*

It's actually a small thing.

To put it bluntly, it was a little conflict before the child, and then one of the parties moved on impulse. If it is changed in an ordinary person's house, and they are cousins, it will be gone, and the children do not hold grudges, maybe they can play together again when they turn their heads.

But under the fuss of the eccentric Emperor Chengyuan, it is not a trivial matter.

It was the first time he had seen the little chubby boy who had always loved to laugh crying like this, and in addition to Xiaoluzi, in order to clear himself up and sue on the side, the imperial doctor came to check the injury, and when he lifted his clothes, Emperor Chengyuan suddenly darkened his face.

"At such a young age, he was so vicious that he was cruel to his younger brother. Ruan Ronghai, let King Zhao take people back and discipline them well. ”

This sentence alone was enough to send Mu Fan from the clouds to hell.

Let my grandfather say that he is evil, this label will be on Mu Fan for the rest of his life, and he can't wash it off. And this time, King Zhao tried his best to send Mu Fan in, but he had a big plan, and if he was sent away at this time, could King Zhao spare him.

Mu Fan was sent back to the Chunhe Palace, King Zhao hurriedly came, and after understanding the situation clearly, he was already unstable and gave Mu Fan a slap on the spot.

Concubine Liu was also very annoyed in her heart, she didn't expect this grandson to be so ignorant, but seeing King Zhao actually beating the child, she couldn't help but feel a little more irritable in her heart.

"What did you do to him?"

"Something that is not enough to achieve and more to lose!"

Mu Fan was already frightened stupid at this time, so he could only shrink into the arms of his grandmother on the side, not daring to cry if he wanted to, not daring to scream. After Liu Guifei gave a look, Mu Fan, who was pale, was hugged down.

King Zhao paced back and forth in the hall like a trapped beast: "How is this good, this little beast was sent back, Mu Hong is still staying in the Zichen Palace, this time the king is going to laugh to death." ”

Liu Guifei raised her eyes and glanced at her son, and reprimanded: "Can you not put the cart before the horse, now it's not a matter of whether King Cheng laughs or not." ”

"What do you think you should do now, concubine?"

Concubine Liu Guifei rubbed her eyebrows and sighed helplessly: "That's it, this plan is a helpless move, and the palace doesn't expect much." Since it can't be done, I simply don't think about it anymore. This palace has long told you that your father has never been a person who will change his decisions because of a milk baby. It is impossible for him to look at the King of Chu differently because of a milk baby. ”

"Then what do you mean—" King Zhao's pupils shrank, "Could it be that my father really has the idea of changing the crown prince?" ”

Liu Guifei tightened her eyebrows and let out a sigh of relief, "Maybe that's the case." ”

"So what are we going to do?" This is the third 'what to do' that King Zhao said in a while, which is enough to see him flustered.

"What can I do? Let's take another look, the left is not only in a hurry. ”

*

This palace is said to be big and big, and it is said to be small and small, and there is something going on, and it will not take long for the palace to know.

The only thing that can be called water that can't be splashed is the Zichen Palace.

Every day, Zhongshu Province has a recital sent to the Zichen Palace, and there are often confidential officials in the three provinces who are summoned to meet with them, but very few people know that these officials are not only Emperor Chengyuan, but also the King of Chu, and most of those recitals are also directly sent to the hands of the King of Chu.

The only people who knew the inside story were those close ministers, but since they could be summoned by Emperor Chengyuan at this time, they must be people who were extremely relieved, and these people also lived up to Emperor Chengyuan's expectations and kept silent about their experience in the Zichen Palace.

The court seems to be extremely calm, but in fact there are countless waves hidden in it, with the heavy snowfall, the time finally entered the wax moon, the weather suddenly cleared, although it was still cold, but it couldn't help but make people feel happy. At this moment, a major event occurred in the court, and the crown prince personally resigned from the position of prince. The excuses used are nothing more than being weak and overwhelmed, living up to the expectations of Emperor Chengyuan and the ministers, and so on.

Before everyone could react, Emperor Chengyuan agreed, and then a holy decree was issued, which shook the entire government and the opposition.

Emperor Chengyuan played by the quasi-prince, and named him King Hui, and at the same time named the king of Chu as the prince, and held the crown prince canonization ceremony on a certain day.

This holy decree made the cold Layue suddenly hot, and the tide in Chang'an City surged, and there were many discussions in secret. There are not many courtiers who can be questioned, because Emperor Chengyuan's previous actions have such signs, but many people have been attracted by the favor of the little emperor's grandson, but they have not focused on their father King Chu.

The crown prince's body is weak all the year round, and among the remaining adult princes, King Zhao is the king of Chu and the best, especially the king of Chu There is no obstacle to doing it badly. Going back to the origin, the King of Chu is no worse than King Zhao Cheng, or even better, and it seems not surprising that he has a favored eldest son, who will be the King of Chu, that is, the crown prince.

Especially in the three provinces, several close ministers who were deeply trusted by Emperor Chengyuan already knew in their hearts, and seeing that these few people did not question it out loud, others naturally did not dare to say anything.

For a time, the palace of the king of Chu was full of people, but the king of Chu closed the gate of the palace, and he still ran between the Zichen Palace and the palace every day as before, and did not have private contact with the courtiers.

And these two holy decrees were a complete shock to King Zhao and King Cheng, they never expected that Emperor Chengyuan would take them by surprise.

In the blink of an eye, it was Chinese New Year's Eve again, because the Chengyuan Emperor Dragon was in poor health, and this New Year's Palace was very deserted. The next day, the first day of the new year, is also the first year old, the custom is to hold a large court meeting, is not only the civil and military officials to meet, but also the envoys of all parties come to worship. Due to Emperor Chengyuan's illness, he naturally could not attend, and the crown prince Mu Jinting acted on his behalf.

After this incident, although Mu Jinting has not yet gone through the official crown prince canonization ceremony, it can be regarded as deserved, you must know that even the first prince and now King Hui have not left Emperor Chengyuan and acted on behalf of the court alone.

At the beginning of the new year, the first major event of the Ministry of Rites was to start handling the crown prince's canonization ceremony, and at the same time, the palace province and the palace province also began to be busy with the prince's relocation of the palace.

It's just that this matter was rejected by the current crown prince Mu Jinting, who said that King Hui had lived in the East Palace for many years, and King Hui was now sick, and the move to the palace was postponed and there was no hurry.

The officials of the Ministry of Rites were very embarrassed, because this matter did not conform to the regulations, and it stands to reason that after the prince was crowned king, except for the prince, he had to move out of the palace, either to build a mansion outside the palace, or to leave the fiefdom, and there was no such thing as staying in the palace and not leaving. King Kehui's identity is extraordinary, and there is Emperor Chengyuan, since the prince has said it, others are not easy to question.

Emperor Chengyuan was very happy when he learned about this.

*

In fact, this matter is not impossible to solve.

Today's palace is the merger of the two palaces left over from the previous dynasty, and is divided into Taiji Palace and Daming Palace. Taiji Palace was built in the Sui Dynasty, because it was the main palace of the old Tang Dynasty in the previous dynasty, and it was also the political center and national symbol at that time, so it was also called "Da Nei". After Gaozong repaired the Daming Palace in the previous dynasty, it was renamed "West Interior", and the Daming Palace was "East Interior". After Gaozong, most of the old Tang emperors moved to the Daming Palace, and the political center was shifted because of this.

However, because of its lofty status and the very different meanings it contains, the Taiji Palace has not been abandoned and has always existed as a government affairs institution. In particular, the Taiji Hall is still held here every time there are great gifts such as enthronement, funeral, sacrifice, and pilgrimage. For the convenience of doing things, the east side of the Taiji Hall is equipped with the Menxia Province, the Hongwen Museum, the History Museum, and the west side is equipped with the Zhongshu Province and the Sheren Courtyard, etc., which are the offices of the prime minister and the emperor's close ministers.

Therefore, compared with the Daming Palace, which has a very strong sense of appreciation, Taiji Palace is the most orthodox palace. The Taiji Palace is divided into three parts, of which the central axis is the Taiji Palace, and the left and right are the Yeting Palace and the East Palace. This East Palace is the place where the prince lives seriously, because Emperor Chengyuan took pity on the first prince Yuanzhang since he was a child, and compared with the Taiji Palace, the scenery and environment of the Daming Palace are better, so the East Palace of the Taiji Palace was abandoned, and the Prince Yuanzhang moved to Penglai Mountain in the Daming Palace.

Of course, the place where the prince lives is the 'East Palace', and the East Palace of Taiji Palace just solves the current problem.

After consulting with all parties, the crown prince Mu Jinting decided to move the palace to the east palace of Taiji Palace, and the 'east palace' of Daming Palace did not move. It's just that the East Palace of Daming Palace must no longer be called East Palace, but returns to its original name 'Penglai Mountain'.

The East Palace has not been used for many years, so it has to be repaired, and at the same time, the crown prince's canonization ceremony has also begun to be in full swing.

March.

After more than two months of intense preparation, Mu Jinting finally passed the crown prince's canonization ceremony and became the rightful prince. At the same time as the crown prince's canonization edict, there is also an edict to canonize Jiuniang as the crown princess, but the crown princess's canonization ceremony will definitely be carried out after the crown prince's canonization ceremony, which is another big project, and it is not urgent for the time being.

In addition, now the prince's family should also move to the palace, but there are still a few places in the east palace that have not been repaired for the time being, and Mu Jinting has been busy getting familiar with the government recently, so he can only postpone it.

Jiuniang has been very busy for nearly half a year, and Cheng Wenjing is also busy with her own marriage, so the two rarely meet.

Now that the King of Chu has ascended to the throne of the crown prince, Jiu Niang has also become the crown princess, and naturally someone will come to congratulate her. No matter how busy Cheng Wenjing is, she will come to the door to congratulate her at this time.

"Where's Mumu?" After Cheng Wenjing sat down, she asked.

"He went into the palace with his father every day, and served by His Majesty's side, and now I have the least when I see my son." Jiu Niang complained.

"This is your blessing, and others can't envy it." Cheng Wenjing still speaks so unabashedly, but it's not her anymore.

Is it a blessing?

Sort of, indeed. Even Jiu Niang didn't expect things to go so smoothly, it felt like a dream, and suddenly the King of Chu became the crown prince, so close to that position, and Emperor Chengyuan didn't seem to have any signs of wanting to take power.

The king of Chu said that Emperor Chengyuan was a smart person, and Jiuniang felt that no matter how smart a person encountered this kind of thing, he was probably not as chic as he imagined. After all, the prince is still there, and Emperor Chengyuan's stubbornness in the matter of the prince is still vivid, and now he is changing the prince so quickly, which really surprises Jiuniang.

In fact, let alone Jiuniang, why don't others do the same.

Well, now the crown prince is no longer a prince, but King Hui. The King of Chu is no longer the King of Chu, he has become the crown prince, and until now Jiuniang is still a little unaccustomed to this sudden change in title.

"How's your deal?" Jiu Niang asked.

In the past two years, Mrs. Cheng has been busy worrying about her daughter's marriage, and she chose to choose the past, and set a marriage for Cheng Wenjing last year.

The man is a subordinate of Cheng Wenjing's father, Huaihua General Cheng Jiyang, in his early years, surnamed Ning, named Zefeng, this person has no father or mother, dares to fight, and at the age of only 20 years, he won the rank of a five-grade guerrilla general.

In the past, Mrs. Cheng would never choose such a person as her son-in-law, even if Cheng Jiyang praised this person a lot. But since Wang Shilang's incident, Cheng Wenjing has not shown it on her face, but her behavior is quite frustrated, and her marriage is also extremely unhappy. When she was in a hurry, she yelled not to marry.

And Cheng Jiyang also began to question Mrs. Cheng's vision, earlier because of Mrs. Cheng's face, it was not good to question Wang Shilang of the Wang family, and now that Wang Shilang harmed his daughter like this, Cheng Jiyang has a lot of opinions.

From the point of view of Cheng Jiyang, a man is too weak and useless, and people who read a lot are cunning, so they are a good match like these sons and daughters in the family. But in Cheng Jiyang's heart, he is a good match, most of them are strong, bearded, and very rough behavior, such a person can't get through Mrs. Cheng, so Ning Zefeng once again entered the eyes of the Cheng family and his wife.

This person started with military merits, and his family background is a little thin, but the Cheng family's family background is not bad. And without a father or mother, Cheng Wenjing doesn't have to serve her mother-in-law after marrying, and she doesn't have to deal with her sister-in-law, the family situation is simple, and Cheng Wenjing can be in charge of the family after marrying. Especially this person is a person that Cheng Jiyang admires very much, and he is a person from Cheng Jiyang here. And although he was born in the army, his appearance is not rough, and he can be called handsome, so it is okay for Mrs. Cheng to see it.

In the past two years, Mrs. Cheng has been heartbroken for Cheng Wenjing's marriage, and her requirements have gradually been lowered, and people who couldn't see it in the past can now see it. The key is that this person knows Cheng Wenjing, and he is a colleague with Cheng Wenjing's brother, and his character is first-class, which can be regarded as a good match.

The only bad thing is that Ning Zefeng is stationed at the border pass, if Cheng Wenjing marries him, he will probably leave Chang'an to live in the future.

And Cheng Wenjing has also been forced by Mrs. Cheng in the past two years, seeing that it is Ning Zefeng, an 'acquaintance', she thought about it for two days, and then readily agreed. According to Cheng Wenjing's statement to Jiuniang, what kind of love and love is too ethereal for her now, her father, mother, brother and uncle all say that it is good, it must be good.

Hearing Cheng Wenjing say this, Jiuniang was a little sad, probably because she and King Chu have a very good relationship now, and she also hopes that Cheng Wenjing can get a one-hearted person. It's just that emotional things are never ethereal, and sometimes some people can't meet one in their lifetime, so at least choose one that is good for themselves.

Jiuniang hadn't seen Ning Zefeng, but since the Cheng family had said it was good, it would not be too bad, and she could only bless her loyally.

"The wedding date is set for August, and after I get married, we won't see each other." Cheng Wenjing looked reluctant.

Jiuniang was stunned for a moment, and comforted: "It's okay, your fiancé can't stay at the border forever, maybe there will be a time to call back to Chang'an." ”

Cheng Wenjing nodded, smiled and quipped: "Yes, now you are the crown princess, and you will be the queen in the future." With your pillow blowing in the wind, I'm waiting for you to back. ”

Jiuniang knew that Cheng Wenjing was joking with her, so she pretended to be forced to be helpless and said: "Okay, okay, when the time comes, I will definitely blow the wind hard next to the pillow of my Royal Highness, and strive to blow you back." ”

The two looked at each other and smiled, the laughter drifted far away in the spring breeze, and the people in the palace knew that the crown princess was in a good mood at this time.