Since Zhao Juan and Wang Zang entered the Imperial Palace, the Empress Dowager Dou ordered someone to investigate the background and actions of these two people in detail, in order to search for evidence of her so-called crimes. In the blink of an eye, several months passed, and the old Empress Dowager Dou saw that there were no more ripples in the court and the situation had stabilized, so she summoned Bai Zhihou Xuchang to signal the closure of the case.

"Xuchang, has the matter of Zhao and Wang been verified?" The old empress dowager Dou's demeanor was calm and calm that the overall situation had been decided.

"The Empress Dowager, the affairs of Zhao and Wang have been confirmed." Bai Zhihou Xuchang replied respectfully, "These two are from the Confucian Shen Gongpei, in the early years of the founding of the Yuan Dynasty, he recommended his teacher Shen Gongpei to be the doctor of Taizhong, changed the calendar of the Son of Heaven, discussed the affairs of the Ming Hall, and everything he said and did was to abolish the old Huang and respect Confucianism, His Majesty was deeply puzzled, so the court made waves, and asked the Empress Dowager to behead these two people to set an example!" ”

"Humph! Killing these two people is not enough to vent the hatred in the hearts of the mourners! The old Empress Dowager Dou said hatefully, "If it weren't for these two people to confuse the public, how could Your Majesty be here!" It's even more hateful that these two people let His Majesty not have to ask for the Changxin Palace in front of the Manchu Dynasty and hundreds of officials, how dampenable their hearts are! Thinking of this, the old empress dowager Dou couldn't calm down, and couldn't help knocking on the dragon's head crutch heavily, which made Xu Chang tremble for no reason, and hurriedly said: "The empress dowager is angry!" ”

Although the old Empress Dowager Dou suffered from eye disease and blurred vision, this did not affect her decision-making at all, and she pondered for a moment and asked, "Where is Dong Zhongshu, a native of Guangchuan, now?" ”

Xu Chang responded: "Back to the Empress Dowager, Dong Zhongshu is still clothed, waiting for the official residence of Chang'an." ”

The old empress dowager Dou snorted coldly, and said unexpectedly: "Isn't his three strategies of heaven and man quite appreciated by His Majesty?" Why, Your Majesty didn't give him an official position? ”

Xu Chang replied respectfully: "I heard that Dong Zhongshu has no intention of career, as early as the first emperor in the name of the doctor everywhere to preach the way of Confucianism, this time I saw His Majesty to ask for the edict, so I specially came to Beijing to set up the name of Confucianism." ”

"Hmm..."The old empress dowager Dou bowed slightly, noncommittal.

Xu Chang saw that the old empress dowager's attitude was unclear, and he didn't dare to make a claim, so he hesitated for a moment and asked, "The empress dowager, what should Dong Zhongshu do?" ”

The old Empress Dowager Dou pondered for a moment and said, "Didn't Dong Zhongshu ask His Majesty to order the princes and kings to leave the capital?" Then let him go to the princes and kings to take up a false position, and taste the bitter fruits he has planted! ”

"The Empress Dowager is clever!" Xu Chang couldn't help but praise, "This person preaches the way of Confucianism everywhere, and now let him be limited to the hands of one of the princes, see how he will preach it in the future!" ”

"And that Shen Gongpei, since he is old, the mourning family will no longer pursue it, and will be sent back to Ludi on a later date!"

"No!"

-----

The dust has settled.

Liu Che knew that if he went to Changxin Palace to intercede for Zhao and Wang again, he would definitely anger his grandmother, but he was so anxious that he couldn't care about it, so he once again entered Changxin Palace.

"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is taking a break, Your Majesty, please go back!" Chunhua, the palace maid who has served the Empress Dowager Dou for many years in the Changxin Palace, said in a good voice.

Liu Che was not surprised when he heard this, and said with a smile: "The imperial grandmother is resting, then I am waiting outside the door, and when the imperial grandmother wakes up, I will go in again!" With that, he stood in front of the temple by himself.

Chunhua didn't say much when she saw this, and turned around and entered. A few hours passed, and no one came out of Changxin Palace, Liu Che raised his numb legs, secretly suppressed the anger in his heart, and continued to wait.

"What, hasn't Your Majesty left yet?" In Changxin Palace, the old empress dowager Dou took a sip of tea and asked Xiang Chunhua.

The old palace maid nodded and said, "Your Majesty is still waiting outside the door!" ”

"Let him in!" The old Empress Dowager Dou said slowly.

"No!" Chunhua answered, walked out of the hall, and said to Liu Che: "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager will see you!" ”

Hearing this, Liu Che hurriedly followed the old palace maid into the palace, and saw that the old empress dowager Dou was drinking tea, so he hurriedly bowed down and said, "Grandson has seen the imperial grandmother!" ”

The old Empress Dowager Dou nodded slightly and asked, "The mourning family heard that His Majesty has been coming to Changxin Palace for a long time, why did it matter?" ”

Liu Che squeezed out a smile and said in a good voice: "Imperial grandmother, everything happened to Zhao Juan and Wang Zang is the fault of the grandson, and please don't want to meet them." ”

"Humph!" The Empress Dowager Dou sneered and said, "If it weren't for these two people bewitching Your Majesty, how could Your Majesty make a mistake?" ”

Liu Che suppressed his resentment, and said in a low tone: "The imperial grandmother is angry, you can punish your grandchildren as much as you want, I just ask the imperial grandmother to spare their lives!"

The old empress dowager Dou did not move at all when she heard this, still holding the tea cup in her hand and sipping tea with her head down. Seeing this, Liu Che had to stand on one side, not daring to make a sound.

After a long time, the old Empress Dowager Dou put down the teacup and asked indifferently: "What if the mourning family does not spare them?" ”

Hearing this, Liu Che knelt down and begged in a mournful voice: "Imperial grandmother, grandson knows that it was grandson's recklessness that angered the imperial grandmother, and the imperial grandmother will be responsible for the punishment and let the grandson bear it!" I just ask the imperial grandmother to spare these two! ”

"Your Majesty is the emperor, how dare the mourning family punish you?" The old Empress Dowager Dou said coldly, "It's just that Zhao Juan Wang Zang doesn't know what to do, and he dares to openly question the mourning family in the court, how can the mourning family swallow this breath?" ”

"Imperial Grandmother..."

"Needless to say, the mourning family has made up its mind! If you make it, you'll be able to see them for the last time. The old Empress Dowager Dou got up and threw down a sentence, and was helped away by Chunhua.

At this time, the fingertips were already red in the palms, Liu Che understood that no matter what he said, he could not change the final result, and he couldn't help clenching his fists at the moment, swallowing all the anger, and said in a low voice: "Grandson retire!" ”

-----

The cell was dark and damp all year round, and Zhao Juan Wang Zang had already expected this danger, and since the edict of the Imperial Governor's Mansion was announced, he had waited for the last moment peacefully.

Liu Che was sad in his heart, and his steps seemed to weigh a thousand catties, Han Yan accompanied him into the cell, and the jailer saw that the emperor was coming, so he hurriedly opened the cell door and bowed down quietly.

"Your Majesty..."Zhao Juan Wang Zang saw Liu Che coming, leaned down and bowed.

Liu Che hurriedly stepped in, lowered his body to help the two close ministers, and choked up: "It's useless that I have made the two Aiqing suffer!" ”

Zhao Juan said: "Since you are Your Majesty's courtier, why bother? ”

Wang Zang also said: "The ministers will die for Your Majesty, but you can't accompany Your Majesty in the future, please cherish Your Majesty!" ”

Liu Che's heart was like a knife, he held back his tears, held the hands of the two of them and said: "You all know my heart, and I swear that I will seek justice for the two Aiqing in the future!" ”

Zhao Juan Wang Zang nodded deeply, and watched Liu Che slowly lean down: "Farewell to Your Majesty!" ”

That night, the two took off the ribbon around their waists, hung themselves on the prison beam, and hanged themselves.

Dou Ying and Tian Wei were immediately dismissed, and the old Empress Dowager Dou promoted Bai to Hou Xuchang as the prime minister, without the post of Tai Lieutenant, Wu Qiang Hou Zhuang Qingzhai was the imperial historian, and Shi Jian was appointed as the commander of Lang, and the new policy during the Jianyuan period was like a ripple on the lake, and soon it returned to calm.

-----

Since the failure of the New Deal, Liu Che is more like an eagle with folded wings, and no matter how ambitious he is, he can't be less than realistic. The government made Liu Che disheartened, but fortunately, there was still his beloved woman in Changle Palace to comfort his sorrows, which was the only bright color left in his life, every time he thought of her gentle and bright eyes and smiling face, he had a kind of warmth of a tired bird returning to the nest.

"Queen Mother, why is there no trace of her husband today?" Wei Zifu was nowhere to be found in Changle Palace, and Liu Che couldn't help but ask about his mother.

When the queen mother heard this, she did not answer, but only said to the palace people in the palace: "You all go down!" Cover the inside of the temple! ”

"No!" The palace people carefully lowered their bodies and retreated from the hall one by one, and gently closed the wide hall door.

Seeing this, Liu Che didn't know what was going on, and his heart became more and more uneasy, "Queen Mother, what happened?" Where did the husband go? ”

The Queen Mother sighed slowly and said, "The mourning family has sent her to the Chufang Palace. ”

What the? Pick up the Fang Palace? Liu Che was stunned for a long time, and said angrily, "Queen Mother, the Fang Palace is the first emperor's cold palace, how can you treat her like this?" You know that Erchen is with her..."At this point, Liu Che turned his head and left, "Erchen is going to find her!" ”

"You stop for the mourners!" The Queen Mother's stern voice sounded behind her, but Liu Che's footsteps did not slow down in the slightest.

"You're only going to hurt her!" The Queen Mother shouted.

Liu Che couldn't help but stop when he heard this, "She is just a scorn in your imperial sister's mansion, but you get close to her every day in the name of asking for peace from the mourning family, and now that she has gone to the Chufang Palace, you are so eager to find her!" You have been in the palace for many years, and you know that there are many eyes and ears in the palace, but you want to act so recklessly, have you forgotten the matter of Zhao Juan Wang Zang? The Queen Mother's stern voice was a little reproachful.

"Erchen hasn't forgotten!" Speaking of this scar, Liu Che felt another pain in his heart, "What does the matter of the previous dynasty have to do with the son-in-law?" If the son had canonized his son-in-law as a wife, he would not have been in such an embarrassing situation! ”

"Canonization is absolutely impossible!" The Queen Mother categorically denied it.

"Why not?" Liu Che's heart sank, and he turned around and said, "Could it be that the queen mother also wants to follow the example of the imperial grandmother and restrict my every move?" ”

"Che'er, you have been smart since you were a child, why are you so confused now?" The queen mother was gloomy, looking at Liu Che with disappointment in her eyes.

"Queen Mother, even you say the same thing!" Liu Che shook his head in disappointment, and the anger accumulated for many days poured out, "There is the empress dowager in the court and the queen mother who is worried about me, and the queen in the harem is in charge of me, I just want to be with a woman I like now, and the queen mother can't say anything, what is the use of me as the emperor?" ”

Seeing Liu Che angry, the Queen Mother didn't say a word, and after Liu Che finished speaking, the Queen Mother said coldly: "The emperor can go and send the jade seal to Changxin Palace, and the mourning family will immediately pack up and move out of Changle Palace." With that, he walked straight into the inner room with a cold face.

Liu Che saw that his mother was angry, and he couldn't help but regret it, so he didn't dare to say more, so he lowered his head and walked to the inner room, and when he looked inside, the queen mother was sitting on the edge of the bed, hiding her face and crying. Seeing this situation, Liu Che knew that he had hurt his mother, so he hurriedly knelt down on his knees and persuaded him: "Queen Mother, it is the son's fault that the son does not choose to speak, you don't want to be angry anymore!" ”

The Queen Mother opened her phoenix eyes slightly, tears rippled, and sobbed: "Che'er, how can you be so ignorant? How can the queen mother not know your intentions for Wei Zifu, but now that you have just ascended to the great treasure, the foundation is not stable, and you have angered your imperial grandmother in the new policy last year, except for Zhao Juan Wang Zang, it is just your imperial grandmother's move to kill chickens and monkeys, you will not know! Now the situation can save you is only the eldest princess, because she will do her best to maintain Gillian's position as the queen, if you insist on setting up Wei Zifu as your wife at this time, I am afraid that Gillian will categorically not allow it, and then it will anger the eldest princess, and your throne will be worried! ”

The Queen Mother's words were like a slap in the face, which made Liu Che suddenly wake up. Now that he has no power in the court, if he loses the maintenance of the eldest princess Liu Xuan, I am afraid that his imperial grandmother will really find another candidate among the heirs of the line of Liu Wu, the king of Liang, to inherit the unification.

Thinking of this, Liu Che couldn't help but understand his mother's hard work, and couldn't help blaming himself: "The queen mother thinks about her sons everywhere, it is the sons who are stupid and hurt the queen mother's heart, it is the fault of the sons and sons, and it is the fault of the sons!" The successive blows made Liu Che take off all his defenses in front of his mother and cry like a child.

The Queen Mother hugged her son distressedly and said softly: "Che'er, the Queen Mother watched you go from King Jiaodong to the Prince of the East Palace, and then to the Great Treasure, every hardship you suffered, every step you took was seen in the eyes of the Queen Mother, as long as it was good for you, the Queen Mother was willing to do anything!" It's just Che'er, there are some things that the queen mother can't replace you, now that you are sitting in the position of the emperor, you have to endure what ordinary people can't bear, your imperial grandmother is more arbitrary, after all, she has entered the old age, how long can she get the power alone? You have been here for a long time, are you afraid that you won't be able to wait for the day when you will regain control of the river? ”

Liu Che knelt on his mother's knees and said, "Queen Mother, the sons and daughters know!" Erchen will definitely endure what should be done and what should not be done in the future, Erchen understands that Erchen will never let the queen mother shed a tear for Erchen again! ”

When the Queen Mother heard this, a smile appeared on her sad face, and she looked at her son kindly, knowing that this proud son had never let her down.

Since the incident in Changle Palace, Liu Che has not only gone to the court to discuss the rules and asked for political power, but almost handed over the real power to the Empress Dowager Dou, and he took Han Yan to hunt on horseback in Shanglin Garden, thirty miles outside Chang'an City, and greatly expanded Shanglin Garden, adding many amusement places, during which he collected many rare treasures and gave them to the eldest princess Liu Xuan, which made the eldest princess smile.

Liu Che deeply understands that time has power, and the only thing he has to do now is to wait, wait for the old Empress Dowager Dou to pass away, wait for himself to regain imperial power, and wait for the day when the real king will reign in the world!

"Zifu, you must wait for me!" Liu Che said silently in his heart.