The emperor did not come into contact with Taoist priests only after he ascended the throne. In Shen Yuli's memory, he seemed to have always been respectful to cultivators.

So this time, the palace suddenly sent someone to ask for immortals to visit the Tao, which did not attract the attention of outsiders at first, at most, some people in the court were worried about two sentences, saying that the emperor has become more and more ridiculous recently.

But mortals have gained wealth, and they all want to be rich for a long time, so it is common for emperors to seek immortals throughout the ages, and the world is very accustomed to it, and they dare not persuade it.

No one expected that in less than two months, these Taoist priests had another big incident in the palace.

It's actually very simple, the job of a Taoist priest is to catch ghosts! During this period of time, there are always people in the palace who say that they can't sleep well, since Chongxu Zhenren was burned to death, concubines, princes, princesses and palace people have more or less encountered some strange things, and there are almost lost their lives due to nightmares, all kinds of signs indicate that there are unclean things in the palace, and there are a lot.

So after nearly two months of preparation, the Taoist priests finally arranged it and held a grand ceremony in the palace.

found an hour that is said to be the most yin, and set up a stage for practicing mantras and making a fuss all night.

The next day, a healthy and disease-free concubine fell flat and died for no reason;

On the third day, the Taoist priests involved in the ritual had blue spots on their bodies at the same time, and they were fine if they didn't touch them, but when they touched them, they hurt all over their bodies, as if something had taken root in them.

The fourth day was even more miserable: the emperor suddenly fell ill with a high fever, and was carried back to the dormitory directly from the Qixiang Palace, and after that, he began to talk nonsense, and he did not wake up for two days in a row.

This has become a big deal, and there is a sudden chaos inside and outside the government and the opposition.

The major event of "establishing a prince" that no one dared to mention before has become imminent, but the position of the prince seems to have become a hot potato. At such a special time, Shen Yuli, the only prince who was crowned king, inevitably became the focus of the attention of the world.

It is not his turn to enter the palace to serve the sick, and it is impossible to sit idly by in the mansion. So under the strong advocacy of Ye Guifei, Shen Yuli took Huanlin back to Tingshuixuan in the palace, and went to the emperor every morning and evening to greet him.

But he only watched the emperor get more and more emaciated day by day. was a fierce general in the world back then, and now he is only in his forties, and he gradually has a bit of the taste of old age.

The imperial doctor only said "evil", and the Taoist priests said that they had killed too much and were wronged by the souls, in short, it was obviously a matter of ghosts and gods, and it was beyond the power of man.

A few days later, while the emperor was sober, the courtiers euphemistically mentioned the matter of establishing the prince, and said that there was no one more suitable than the fourth prince, King Qing.

The emperor crossed his fingers and counted the surviving princes, and had the heart to find a sentence to refute it, but he couldn't think of it for a while.

His favorite few dead deaths, waste wastes, implicated implications, are simply God's ......

Wrong!

The emperor sat up with a sigh of relief, and coughed again and again in a hurry: "No, no!" The fourth is not good! Lilao Jiu! I want to make Lao Jiu the crown prince! ”

"This ...... Your Majesty," several old ministers present all looked embarrassed, "His Royal Highness the Ninth is indeed very intelligent, but his biological mother Qian first pretended to be a male son of the Second Highness, and then taught the Second Highness to fight for power and profit for the younger brother, obviously she already coveted the throne......"

"Isn't that just right?" The emperor tugged at his beard, feeling weak: "If she wants, I will give it to her!" ”

Several officials were stunned, unable to figure out what this operation was.

The emperor coughed and wheezed, leaned on the pillow and sneered: "The Qian family is not a thing, I know. Two Boys...... Yue'er is greedy for power, and I still remember it. But the four of him, mother and son, have wisdom and strategy, and they also have extraordinary courage, but you must also admit it. ”

The officials thought for a moment and nodded in unison.

The emperor smiled heavily, quite proud: "That's right!" I'm going to die, what do you want a benevolent, loyal and filial prince to do? I'm going to choose someone who is smart and has the means! The little eight and nine are all good, you can look at and choose one! ”

"Your Majesty, by all means!" Several officials were frightened, and they rushed to kneel on the ground, shouting one after another: "Your Majesty, governing the country with benevolence and filial piety is a long-term solution!" The Eighth Emperor and the Ninth Emperor are intelligent, but their hearts are unpredictable, and they are still young, so they are really not suitable to be the prince! Your Majesty, if it is decided to be elected as a virtuous and capable person, you must not be the king of Huangkou Xiaoer, so as not to change the people's hearts ......"

"Hmph, virtuous and capable!" The emperor sneered, coughing angrily and looking like he was about to vomit blood: "You guys...... The one who chooses is not necessarily ...... Ahem, it's not necessarily any better! ”

After saying a word, she coughed so much that she couldn't raise her head, and Concubine Ye next to her was frightened, and hurriedly signaled the eunuchs to drive the officials out, and called two little palace maids to help the emperor lie down.

The emperor was unwilling, patted his hand on the edge of the bed and looked straight out, his neck stretched out: "Call, call them back!" Intended! I want to make Xiao Jiu the crown prince......"

"Your Majesty!" Ye Guifei held down his hand and persuaded softly, "Those old ministers must have discussed it outside, and you suddenly said that you want to establish His Royal Highness Jiu, they will definitely have a dispute!" Why don't you take a break and wait until your body is better, and then call them in for a lesson! The matter of establishing the prince was originally said by His Royal Highness, where is their turn to make noise? They're bullying you right now! ”

The emperor was pressed by her hand, and the more he couldn't start the bullet, he struggled a few times and had to lie back honestly, panting: "You can also see it...... Are they bullying me? ”

Ye Guifei sighed, with a sad face.

The emperor closed his eyes, as if he wanted to rest for a while, but his heart moved and he became angry: "Lao Tzu has been dominating the world for so many years, and he is going to be bullied by a few people who can only play with the pen!" Why are they! This world belongs to me, and I will pass it on to whomever I want to pass it on! ”

"Yes, the whole world belongs to Your Majesty." Ye Guifei squeezed out a smile and comforted softly: "So Your Majesty must take care of your body, and you have to personally manage the world for thirty years, so there is no need to worry about the establishment of the reserve." ”

"Humph, hey! Ha! The emperor uttered a few syllables one after another, and he didn't know whether he meant sorrow or anger, but he couldn't say anything.

Ye Guifei helped him tuck the corners of the quilt, put down the curtain, and tiptoed out.

When several old ministers saw her, they all gathered around, and asked with their mouths and mouths: "Niangniang, what does Your Majesty mean by him?" ”

"What does Your Majesty mean, how dare our people speculate?" Ye Guifei sighed, with a sad face: "A few days ago, I said that among the remaining princes, only King Qing is still a little successful, but now he is ......."

She wiped her tears with a handkerchief and sighed: "I don't understand the affairs of the court and politics, and I don't dare to persuade them." Let's talk about inviting Sister Xianfei to come and get an idea, I'm sick! My Majesty, if Your Majesty has a ...... There are three long and two short, and in the future, it will not matter whether the four highnesses or the nine highnesses will succeed to the throne, they will all rely on your support, they are all the same. ”

"Niangniang, then Your Majesty, he ......" The new prime minister glanced at the hall and stopped talking.

Ye Guifei wiped her tears and said: "Today's spirit is better than yesterday, maybe God blesses, and it is unknown if you can see better." I have already said that I don't need to visit you today, but if you have anything to say, come back tomorrow! ”

As soon as she had finished speaking, the attendant next to her stepped forward to lead the ministers out, and they were not allowed to linger any longer.

When Ye Guifei saw people walking away, she sat down with a sigh of relief, patted her chest and said, "I went back and forth every day, and I was tired to death!" Is there anyone out there? ”

The palace maid hurriedly said: "Your Highness is kneeling outside after lunch, the nineteenth princess is watching the slaves and maids boiling medicine, the eighth and ninth highnesses have come down and left, and the fourth highness is still interrogating those Taoist priests." ”

Ye Guifei sat and thought for a while, and said, "I have a heart." So far, it's good that there is no chaos in the palace. You go and ask someone to boil some good ginseng tea and send it to His Royal Highness, and ask him to share it with the people around him; Then ask the imperial dining room to prepare some stomach-warming snacks for His Royal Highness Jiu, I see that he likes to eat some spicy food every day, you remember to tell him to eat less, so as not to hurt his stomach. ”

The palace maids around them agreed one by one and immediately ran to do it, and the rest of the princes, princesses and concubines in the palace were also comforted, so although everyone was panicked these days, there has been no major incident.

Of course, most of this is due to Ye Guifei's unfazed and well-managed palace affairs.

But at this time, the officials who walked out of the palace gate were not in the mood to sigh that the noble concubine governed the palace well. When they thought about the emperor's words and deeds today, they all felt a little disturbed.

A squire couldn't help it, stroked his palm and sighed: "A few days ago, I was obviously tired of the Eighth Emperor and the Nine Emperors, but now I am sick and confused, why do I think of those two again?" Huangkou child, what kind of climate can it become! ”

The prime minister shook his head and shook his head: "People love their children in their old age, and there is no way to do it." His Royal Highness has made too much trouble in the past half a year, no wonder it is suspicious; Although His Royal Highness the Eighth and Ninth Highnesses have a mother who made mistakes, she is young and likable after all, and His Majesty has a change of heart for a while. ”

The Ministry of Rites next to him sighed: "Your Majesty's mind is not difficult to guess, but what should we do?" Could it really be that he made that undecided child who was only a little smart the prince? This looks...... Maybe when he will succeed to the throne, when the time comes, the lord Shaoguo is suspicious, and the world is ......"

"Alas!" The prime minister sighed, "Who doesn't say so!" The world is undecided, and someone should be needed to make a decision, where can Huangkou Xiaoer do it! Fortunately, His Majesty has not yet issued an edict today, and there is still room for maneuver at this time. Ladies and gentlemen, when we see Your Majesty tomorrow, we must thoroughly analyze the pros and cons! ”

"Wu Xiang rest assured," several officials bowed their hands in unison, "I will write a recital when I go back tonight, and read it to Your Majesty in person tomorrow!" Your Majesty is just sick, and he is not confused, and there is no reason not to listen to advice! ”

The prime minister was deeply moved when he saw this, and he also returned the salute at the moment and said goodbye to everyone.

After a while, all the officials left in their own cars, and the little waiter from the Ministry of Officials followed into the car of the Prime Minister's Mansion and said in a low voice: "Teacher, which one do you think Your Majesty is singing today?" ”

"Which one else can it be?" The prime minister smiled leisurely, "People are about to die, and it is inevitable to be willful." Let's just accommodate it, there are still so many days ahead, what do you care about with a dead man? ”

The waiter was stunned and surprised: "What does the teacher mean...... Just follow him? ”

He thought for a moment and smiled again: "Actually, it doesn't hurt to follow him." Those two little ones used to look smart, but in fact, most of them were due to their sister's guidance. Now that there is no mother and sister behind him, I am afraid that he will not be able to become a big tool. Your Majesty wants to exalt them, and let's just be the courtiers! ”

"That's not going to work!" The prime minister's face sank, "Three years old looks old, do you have a real child when you are a royal family?" Those two little things are ghostly, you know what they are thinking? ”

The squire didn't change his mind when he heard what he meant, and he was a little puzzled for a while: "What does the teacher mean, insist on helping King Qing?" ”

"Of course!" The prime minister's expression was very solemn, "I still say the same thing: among the existing princes, only he still has a little bit of human appearance." He also has a throne in his body, which shows that His Majesty attaches great importance to him. Who else is up to the task? ”

The squire echoed and smiled again: "The student understands what the teacher means." Tomorrow, even if it is a dead admonition, the students will be sure that the Fourth Highness is the most suitable candidate for the crown prince! ”

The prime minister smiled, and the two nodded to each other, and thousands of words were tacit.

To establish a crown prince, of course, to establish the king of Qing, this is something that the new prime minister Wu Yu'an has long decided.

Other princes are either arrogant or noble or have their mothers to rely on, but only these four princes have lived a beggar life for more than ten years. Such a foundationless person will of course be grateful to the person who helped him to ascend to the throne.

Only such a person can be kind to others without reservation when he repays his kindness, because he knows how rare this friendship is.

Of course, there's more to it than that.

The four princes are different from the eight princes and the nine princes who have been smart since childhood. His biological mother is an honest and conscientious thread girl, how smart can she be from a small family? The son born is naturally stupid.

Although Mrs. Zhao praised the four princes, Prime Minister Wu had his own opinion: the so-called "blockbuster" is just a little foundation saved by secretly studying and working hard a few years ago.

This is not a groundless speculation on the part of him Wu, but it can be first revealed from some things that happened some time ago: this fourth prince is not half smart and clever in front of the emperor, he can only cry and kowtow, slap his beard and pat the horse, otherwise he will honestly admit his guilt, where is he smart?

If you want to say that you are smart, the little follower next to him who can't tell whether she is a eunuch or a servant girl is still a little clever. But it's not a big deal, that girl is a troublesome ancestor, and when the time comes, it's over to find a reason to kill her.

The more Prime Minister Wu thought about it, the more he felt that his choice was simply thoughtful and impeccable. He can almost see the days when he will support an honest, stupid and inappropriate emperor in the future, and he will be in power.

Yes, who doesn't want to go to the highest place of splendid glory in the future of ten years of cold windows?

……

The Taiji Hall in the palace, which was renovated for Taoist priests, was still magnificent and prosperous a few days ago, but now the atmosphere is terrifyingly depressing.

Outside the door, hundreds of Lin guards hung long knives on their waists and kept patrolling, and there were also tall eunuchs guarding the door with expressionless faces. Although the Taoist priests were not tied, everyone understood that it was a matter of one sentence to kill them in the palace.

What a real person, what a living immortal, now all of them are lambs under the hands of the butcher.

At this moment, the Taoist priest led by him was kneeling on the ground, trembling and grabbing the corner of Shen Yuli's clothes, raising his head and crying: "Your Highness, there will be no mistakes in Taoism, and evil people should not win the right, there must be villains in this matter, and the grass people are wronged!" ”

Shen Yuli kicked him away and sat down: "This king is here to listen to you tell the truth, not to listen to your quibbles!" ”

"Your Highness, you have been wronged!" The Taoist priests cried even more, kneeling and kowtowing together like a group of toads, and the cry shook the sky.

The commander of the guards next to him couldn't help but take a step forward, drew his sword and said, "Your Highness, this group of moths still wants to quibble!" Kill it! ”

"The grass people are wronged!" It was still the Taoist priest who was the leader who rushed forward and cried: "Even if Your Highness doesn't believe in Taoism, you should believe in evil and humble and dare not harm others!" This time, Sun Meiren died violently without illness, then Cao Min and others contracted a strange disease, and now His Majesty's high fever does not go away...... None of the piles and piles are anything that evil can do, it is clear that someone is taking the opportunity to make trouble, wanting to subvert my country and blame us and other grass people! ”

"Yo, you still remember that you are a 'grass people'!" Huanlin jumped in from the outside, kicked away the two Taoist priests who were in the way, and rushed to Shen Yuli and continued: "A group of 'grass people', is it worth others to blame you for His Majesty's life?" Are you a 'straw farmer' or a 'straw bale'! ”

The Taoist priest led by "We ......" almost died of anger, seeing that Shen Yuli was very indulgent to Huanlin, he hurriedly suppressed the foul words on his lips, and lowered his head and said, "The girl misunderstood." Of course, this matter is not directed against us, but through our hands to murder His Majesty, and we have only suffered it on behalf of others! ”

"!" Huan Lin rolled his eyes, "It's obvious that you are not good at what you do, and you have annoyed the 'demons' in this palace, and you have turned a small thing into a big thing!" I don't know who gave you the guts, you dare to come to the palace to practice after learning half a bottle of vinegar, you deserve to be weird! ”

Taoist priests have always been sought after by people as immortals, but this time they were suddenly scolded by a little girl in person, and everyone felt that they couldn't hang their faces, and they couldn't wait to peel off a layer of skin to hide in their arms.

Shen Yuli pulled Huanlin to sit down and asked, "What do you know?" ”

Huan Lin took the ginseng tea he handed over, raised his head and drank it, wiped his mouth and said: "The great beauty said, these stinky Taoist priests have a hole in their brains, and they don't ask the reason for it, they don't ask the way, and as soon as they come up, they want to use the same set of spells to deal with evil spirits to beat them to death!" The great beauties got angry, saying that they had never harmed innocent people before, and since these stinky Taoist priests said that they were 'evil spirits', then they would do what evil spirits should do - these Taoist priests couldn't survive! ”

"Isn't that okay?" Shen Yuli frowned, "They did such a thing, and there was no harm to themselves?" ”

Huan Lin picked up the snacks on the table and began to nibble on them, and said vaguely: "The big beauty said no!" She said that they didn't dare to do anything if they were serious Taoist priests had merit, but this group of bastards who were selling their fame and cheating money were easy to kill. Let's wait for the blue thread on their arms to reach their hearts, and nine out of ten will die! ”

A group of Taoist priests were shocked. The man in the lead rolled his eyes, and suddenly pounced on Huanlin: "Help!" The grass people know that they are wrong, and ask the fairy lady to help! ”