Chapter 16: Wrath

The daytime Chenguang is always difficult, the Empress Dowager Dou doesn't like summer the most, the sun is scorching, she likes the cold and is afraid of heat, especially when she can't go out for a walk, she feels even more bored.

Early in the morning, he leaned on the couch in a daze, and let Wang Yin'er read the recital next to him. Several handmaidens were fanning on the side, still feeling distraught.

At this time, the chamberlain came to report, Taiwei Song You, Situ Yuan'an, Sikong Ren Kui and the commander He Chang asked to see.

The Empress Dowager Dou sat up straight, after all, it was the three dukes who came to see her at the same time, and the Empress Dowager of one dynasty could not be too disrespectful. After seeing the ceremony, Song You first presented the invitation, but the Empress Dowager Dou didn't look at it, just put it aside, and said to Wang Yin'er, "Yin'er, the three adults are still working hard for state affairs on such a hot day, and reward each of them with a bowl of honey plums. ”

The three of them didn't have the heart to eat any plums, and they ate a few bites indiscriminately without knowing the taste, and then handed them over to the waiter. Song Youxian said, "The Queen Mother, the ministers, etc., are investigating the assassination of Liu Chang in the capital in the past few days, and now that the case has progressed, I have come to report to the Queen Mother." ”

Empress Dowager Dou raised her eyebrows slightly, "Okay, wait for the performance." ”

Song You pointed to He Chang behind him and said, "This is He Chang, the governor of the Weichen Mansion, he knows the beginning and the end of this case, and the minister asked the Queen Mother to listen to him." He is upright and upright, and everything he says is the words of a minister. ”

Empress Dowager Dou nodded and said, "I heard that this person, the first emperor had something to summon but refused several times, and refused to greet him, Yuan Situ once mentioned it to the first emperor, saying that he was a loyal and fair person." ”

Yuan An said, "Exactly, the Queen Mother still remembers the minister's words at that time, and the minister was terrified." ”

"Come on, Captain He, listen to how you state the case." She glanced at He Chang, her eyes flickering, but no one knew what she was thinking.

He Chang knelt down and shouted, "The Queen Mother is a thousand years old." After that, he stood tall and extraordinary.

Empress Dowager Dou nodded and thought to herself, this person is really different, or he can be reused, but I don't know if he can use it for himself.

"Queen Mother!" He Changdao, "Weichen has found out that Du Xianghou was killed near the Upper East Gate at that time, and his captain was killed at that time, Du Xianghou was stabbed twice, one in the chest and one in the abdomen, both of which were critical and killed at that time." ”

He glanced at the Empress Dowager Dou and saw that she was listening very attentively, so he continued, "At that time, the assassin of the people who were waiting in the countryside took advantage of the dark night and rainy days to hide and escape. The ministers also suspected that it was Liu Gang, the brother of Duxiang Hou, but Liu Gang refused to admit it. It was suspected that there was someone else, and the ministers and others investigated and learned that among the various prefectures, only Hu Ben Zhonglang was missing two attendants in his family. One is Dou An, and the other is He Shun. ”

Empress Dowager Dou's eyes were shining with an iron-gray light, her face began to turn purple, and her fingers touched the ring hard, but she bit her lip tightly and said nothing.

When Song You heard this, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine, and regretted it in his heart, the matter suddenly came to his master Dou Xian, and it was difficult for him to ride a tiger. It's just that at this time, I had to listen hard, and I didn't dare to interrupt.

He Chang had expected this a long time ago, looked at Yuan An, saw that he was silent, twisting his beard in his hands, nodded and motioned for himself to continue, and then continued, "The ministers and others had to look for him, and soon found He Shun's corpse, and also caught Dou Ben himself. According to Dou Cheng's treatment, this operation was personally arranged by Hu Ben Zhonglang to Dou Xiantai, ordered him to kill people, and after the matter was completed, he killed He Shun and killed him. Queen Mother, this is Dou Cheng's confession! He took out a silk book from his sleeve and handed it to the chamberlain to present to the Queen Mother.

"He Shun's body has been placed in the Tingwei Yamen. The Queen Mother, there has been a discussion among the ministers on this matter, but she is afraid of the prestige of Mrs. Dou and has not made a noise. At this point, the truth has been revealed. According to the Dou deal, Lord Dou blamed the Queen Mother for trusting Du Xianghou too much, and was jealous, afraid that the Queen Mother would alienate the general, so he made this decision, Du Xianghou is dead, Lord Dou, after all, is still the Queen Mother's relatives, although he did not take into account the Queen Mother's loneliness, but the minister felt that the Queen Mother was still-"

He deliberately dragged out his voice, but it was just right to provoke the anger of the Empress Dowager Dou. Sikong Ren Kui nodded and smiled, thinking that this person was really good at talking and intelligent, not only did he take Li Xia and the others off completely, but also quietly provoked Empress Dowager Dou's resentment towards Dou Xian, which is really strange.

The hall was silent, and there was an indissoluble air flow in the air, as if it would shatter with a single blow. The palace maids who held the fan forgot to fan, their faces were as white as paper, and there seemed to be a chilling buzzing sound flying in the sky, and everyone's hearts were beating faster, and the banging was so powerful that their ears were buzzing.

"Hammer!" The fan of the palace maid finally fell to the ground, and she fell to her knees tremblingly, kowtowing like pounding garlic, and she was so frightened that her soul was not possessed.

"Come on, drag them out, and kill them." Empress Dowager Dou said lightly, her voice was inaudible, but it made everyone shiver and tremble all over her body.

"The Queen Mother spares her life, the Queen Mother spares her life! The slave and the maid don't dare, the slave and the maid don't dare! The cry of the palace concubine gradually faded away, but it still stimulated everyone's ears, and it still echoed in the hall for a long time.

"Too, Queen Mother!" Song You had the highest status in the Third Duke, and although one hundred and twenty were unwilling, he still mustered up the courage to ask out loud, "Queen Mother, how do you want to deal with it, Lord Dou Xian, this matter is very important, please think twice?" "He originally wanted the Queen Mother to be light.

"Someone!" Empress Dowager Dou ignored Song You's words and shouted loudly, showing that she had already made a decision.

A chamberlain trotted in, "You go, send a message to Dou Xian, let him come to the Jiade Hall to see me, immediately, immediately!" The last few words of the Empress Dowager Dou were squeezed out of between her teeth.

"Ladies and gentlemen, take your leave!" She only said these words, and then turned her head and walked towards the inner court, her skirt fluttering, with a burst of fragrant wind, everyone heard her laugh for a while, but the unspeakable noise was unpleasant, like desolation, like anger, like helplessness, and like absoluteness.

Dou Xian was detained in the palace and placed under house arrest, and there was an immediate uproar in the government and the opposition. The majority of the people clapped their hands, and in the middle of the court, the wind was refreshing, and it seemed that even the stone beasts at the door were also drenched in joy, and they were proud.

The most uncomfortable thing was Dou Xian himself, who was imprisoned in the Jade Hall. The Yutang Hall is the closest to the Jiade Palace, but the Empress Dowager Dou has never come to see him, except for the palace people who deliver food every day, he is the only one who walks around in the huge palace.

The Yutang Hall is the place where Emperor Zhang's pear nobles live. The pear nobleman was weak and died after a year in the palace. The cold palace and cold courtyard, no one cleans it, and it looks empty and dilapidated. The corners of the wall were full of silk cobwebs, leaving only a couch for him to lie on, and only a residual fire was lit on the ever-bright lamp of the copper tree, which made the originally gloomy hall even more gloomy.

He felt like an abandoned mad dog, and no one would pay attention to barking if he wanted to. The night was silent, Dou Xian ran to the courtyard barefoot, rushed to the door and pounded the temple door hard.

"Come on, I want to drink, wine, bring me wine!" The doors of the temple were shut, and there was a creak with his thrashing, but no one answered.

"Come on, get the wine, Queen Mother, Queen Mother, you are my sister, you can't do this to me, I just killed a useless Hou Ye of the Liu family, how can you treat your brother like this." He roared, using all his strength.

The night was still quiet, and he was a little discouraged, and he hung down his arms weakly and sat down on the steps in front of the door. The stars in the sky were all watching his jokes, and their indignation was like a sharp knife cutting at his heart.

He remembered his luxurious mansion, the embroidered curtains, the Baoding animal pattern, a large group of wives and concubines accompanying him to drink and have fun, and the warm fragrance of nephrite seemed to be like yesterday's yellow flowers, scattered in a thousand ways. He knew that none of this was a dream.

He couldn't figure out why his sister, who had always been obedient to him, would suddenly be ruthless enough to lock him up here. Is he afraid of death? He's afraid! He's scared!

As soon as he thought of everything he had, he was about to leave him, and he was going to follow in Liu Chang's footsteps and end his life in the loess mound, and he was unwilling.

He knows the character of the Empress Dowager Dou, although she is ruthless, she attaches great importance to family affection, how could she kill her brother for a Liu Chang? But now he has no bottom in his heart, and this time she is really angry. And she may also kill herself on impulse.

Although he knew that he was guilty, at most he was just losing his office, but the intervention of the Empress Dowager Dou made it possible for him to really die in the palace.

He slowly paced back to the couch, slumped sideways on the couch, and fell asleep in tangle and fear.

In the unbearable silence, the sky gradually brightened, Dou Xian heard the squeak of the palace door, barely opened his eyes, and saw the waiter who delivered the food walking into the hall with a food box. He felt a fever all over his body, a splitting headache, and his bones were scattered, and he couldn't lift a finger.

"You, you go and tell Dou Jing and ask him to come to me, I have something to say to him." His face was pale, and his piercing eyes were confused.

"Tairen, I'm just a little eunuch delivering food, and I can't get out of this palace gate. The Queen Mother also ordered that if the adults had contact with outsiders, not only the slaves, but also the military officials outside, I am afraid that they would not be able to escape death. The adults should spare the villains! He put down the food box, glanced at it, Dou Xian, who was lying still, shook his head, and said, "My lord, isn't he sick, the servant will ask Cai Changshi later, if you want to ask the imperial doctor to come and treat the adult." ”

Dou Xian couldn't hear what he was talking about, his eyelids began to get heavier and heavier, and finally he fell asleep again.