The aunt suddenly entered the palace at such an extremely unsuitable time, and the emperor naturally expected that something very urgent might happen. But even if he was mentally prepared enough in advance, when Mrs. Tai asked to quit everyone and tell the reason for the incident, he was still stunned, and only felt like he was in a dream.

After staring at Mrs. Tai for a long time, and making sure that this aunt who had watched him grow up since he was a child was definitely not a joke, he said with difficulty: "Auntie, this is too ridiculous, isn't it?" What about those things you're talking about? ”

Seeing that Mrs. Tai took out the small cloth bag and presented it with a solemn face, the emperor subconsciously reached out to grab it, but his hand suddenly froze halfway, and when he went to get something next, he couldn't help but tremble slightly. It was such a small oversight that the cloth bag fell to the ground with a dull sound.

The emperor still wanted to reach out and pick it up, but it was difficult to bend down, but Mrs. Tai picked up the things herself, and then opened the blue cloth bag in front of him, and sent the contents to him one by one.

"This is the ebony card of Shen Twelve, according to such a numbering habit, as well as the pattern on the back, it should be owned by the royal courtier, check whether this person is on the ship escorting the second prince."

"This embroidered belt and tassels should not be owned by ordinary people, you can also check it."

"But the most important thing is to send a boat down the wind and go to the big ports around the country to have a look and ask. As long as you arrive in Ningbo but there is still no news of the ship, I am afraid that this matter will be seven or eight points accurate, of course, but you still have to rush to Qiongzhou Mansion to take a look. ”

"Hmm." The Emperor agreed with some stiffness, and then buried his face between his hands. Although the second prince was not close to him, he was also disheartened because of the queen's indulgence of the second prince, and for more than a year, he completely gave up such a son because of the farce, but it was his son no matter what.

Although the love between husband and wife, father and son, has gradually faded away in so many years of conflicts and disputes, but suddenly learned that the second prince may be buried at the bottom of the sea, buried in the belly of the fish, and all this was caused by him expelling people to Qiongzhou Mansion to plant trees, he still couldn't help but feel like a heavy boulder in his heart, and the whole person was a little breathless.

"My aunt just said that the head of the Song Society of the Guangdong Guild Hall is in the Zhao Guogong Mansion? The captain and the people he rescued were also brought into Beijing? ”

After receiving his aunt's affirmative answer, the emperor said without hesitation: "Announcing him to enter the palace, he is not the only one, everyone else is also piggybacking, I am not in the mood to see them one by one, and it will save trouble if I see them together!" ”

For the emperor's request, Mrs. Tai could naturally understand, but she still explained: "Before I entered the palace, I instructed Jiuniang to take care of the Song Huishou, the Guangdong Guild Hall, and let her send someone to take a trip." However, the Mansion of Zhao Guo is close to the palace, but the outer city is far from the palace, and the city gate is also closed at this moment, so please don't be too anxious first, I'm afraid you will see Song Huishou first. ”

Seeing that the emperor was silent, Mrs. Tai left him first, turned around and came outside to call Chen Yongshou in person: "Gonggong Chen, you go to the Zhaoguo Mansion, the emperor has an edict to let my daughter-in-law bring the guests into the palace to meet you, in addition, don't forget the guests in the outer city, if the city gate is closed at this time, let Zhu Hong in the mansion accompany Gonggong Chen to run for you." ”

Although it was not the emperor who passed on the order, Chen Yongshou could not suspect that it was Mrs. Tai who falsely passed on the holy order, so he hurriedly responded to the order, but he was extremely puzzled in his heart. In the evening, if it is reasonable to summon Zhao Guogong's father and son, if you summon the eldest lady who enters the palace if she has nothing to do, it is not surprising, why did Mrs. Tai enter the palace first, and then the emperor summoned Mrs. Zhao Guo?

The most important thing is to bring the guests of the family to meet them, what guests are so important? Even asked the Duke of Zhao to send someone to pick him up in the outer city? Isn't it too late to wait until tomorrow morning?

Seeing Chen Yongshou leaving, Mrs. Tai turned around and returned to the hall, and seeing that the emperor was still maintaining the stiff sitting posture she had just left, she slowly stepped forward and said softly: "Your Majesty, when I heard the news before, it was just like you are now. However, it wasn't because I had any kinship with the second prince, it was because I thought about the impact of this matter. ”

"If it weren't for the fact that the crown prince had been established, this matter could have been made up by some ill-intentioned people with a thousand kinds of rumors! However, does the emperor really regret that he was abolished in the first place? Or do you regret making the third prince the crown prince? ”

"I didn't!"

The emperor burst out three words almost without thinking, and then suddenly realized that he was emotional. If the second prince really died, as a father, he would of course feel a little guilty and blame himself, and even be indignant after being shocked, but just like Mrs. Tai said, the bigger waves came from the malicious suspicion and speculation of others about this matter.

He has a clear conscience, but will there be fewer of those nonsense speculations? And the third prince is young, in fact, he can't talk about any team at all - he won't regard those classmates in Jiuzhangtang, or even Zhang Shou, as the team of the three princes. However, what will the queen who was deposed by him think? What will the subjects of the world think? Will anyone cast a suspicious eye on the Three Princes?

The emperor smiled bitterly, and his voice was a little dry and hoarse unconsciously: "I have always felt that whether it is Emperor Gaozong or Emperor Yingzong, one is an eccentric little son, one can't even suppress his sons, one really lives up to the wisdom of Taizu Taizong, and the other really can't bear the means to make a comeback after many years." But now look at myself, hehe, worse than them! ”

"Emperor Gaozong just chased his son, but he finally gave Emperor Yingzong, who broke a leg, a vassal king, and sent people far away. Even if Emperor Yingzong made his son troublesome housework, he always respected the Empress Yuan, and after his death, he not only mourned with poems and texts, but also cried blood for a while. In fact, I am not as far away as them, let alone the single-minded emperor. ”

"As for San Lang, he has been canonized as a prince for less than a month, but everyone praises him for being gentle and polite, studious, and having the style of a virtuous prince. How could I regret canonizing him as the crown prince of the East Palace? I just hate myself for not thinking it through, I'm afraid I'm going to cause him to be questioned, I can't help him! ”

Seeing that the emperor, who had always been flamboyant and conceited, was disheartened at this time, Mrs. Tai couldn't help frowning.

Originally, in her capacity, she should have gone to see the Queen Mother first, and then after discussing with the Queen Mother, she would come to inform the emperor of the news, however, thinking that the emperor was a little rebellious when he was a child, and even more so when he became an adult, even after the Queen Mother personally issued an edict to protect her name, he didn't appreciate it very much, so she thought about it again and again before coming directly to the Qianqing Palace.

But now she regrets that she didn't go to see the Queen Mother first, after all, if there is a Queen Mother here at this time, whether she is a slap in the face or a bad word, it is much more suitable than her as a foreign wife.

However, now, regret is already an afterthought, she settled down, and then said lightly: "I have been a daughter of the Yang family for 16 years, and a woman of the Zhu family for decades." The Queen Mother is my younger sister, her own son is the prince of the country, and now the eldest grandson and future son-in-law are also reused by the emperor. ”

The emperor didn't expect Mrs. Tai to ask such a question, and he didn't have time to think about it for a while, but Mu Ran nodded and replied, "That's right." ”

But as soon as the words came out, the dignified son of heaven felt that something was wrong. Mrs. Tai has never been a self-respecting person, how could she suddenly ask such an obvious question? And the next moment, he learned the answer.

"But did the emperor ever remember, whether it was the Zhu family, or the Yang family from which I and the Queen Mother were born, was it really only me and the Queen Mother, a pair of sisters, and Jing'er's family? I don't only have a son and a daughter, but that son is cowardly and mediocre, but he wants to be an official, I think he is at least not greedy, so he asked for the emperor's grace, and now he is only a senator in the south. ”

"As for the son-in-law, I think my daughter thought he was quite talented, I looked away again, in fact, he is a nerd who is arrogant and arrogant, looking down on Shangfeng, but he can't control his subordinates, and the official is in a mess, I don't bother to pay attention to him, and directly let him go back to his hometown to be his celebrity, anyway, he disdains the reputation of the Zhu family, and his family's property is enough for him to spoil!"

"And I and the Queen Mother and I have two brothers, both of whom are still alive now, but when the first emperor Ruizong was anyway, one was defeated and lost at the most critical moment, and the other was afraid to fight, so now they are all living and supporting in their hometown. Don't say any hereditary titles, even if there is no official, why? Because they are powerless, unburdened, and even resentful! ”

"But with a little self-knowledge of them, the Queen Mother will let them be rich idlers!"

Seeing that the emperor's complexion finally gradually changed, Mrs. Tai said word by word: "Since Emperor Ruizong was successful, the Queen Mother and I have agreed that the Yang and Zhu families, the capable ones occupy high positions, and the incompetent ones will be the guardian dogs and be rich idlers." But if you don't want to be a keeper, you have to rely on the fame and power of the family to come out and toss blindly, then you can't help it, how far to roll! ”

Mrs. Tai narrowed her eyes slightly, but it was murderous and fierce: "Even if these flesh-and-blood relatives may hate the Queen Mother and me to the bone, but so what? Instead of letting the incompetent drag down the family, it is better for the strong man to break his wrist! ”

"So, Your Majesty, I have done it when a strong man breaks his wrist, and the Queen Mother has also done it."

She even had a word hidden in her heart that she didn't say. I think that if it wasn't for Ge Yong to be the emperor's teacher, he insisted in front of the queen mother that although the emperor was extremely rebellious, young and high-spirited, and flying away, as long as he calmed down, he could still be a good emperor, and he would be angry after the emperor's pro-government, even if it was just such a son, the queen mother had the mind to re-hang the curtain and then train her grandson.

In the end, it didn't make it that far......

And the emperor didn't expect Mrs. Tai to mention the Zhu and Yang families, so he remembered that it was not only he who ruthlessly divorced his wife and drove away his son, but his mother and aunt Mrs. Zhao Guotai were also very strict and ruthless in treating their families, and even some outsiders felt that it was a bit excessive.

He also once tested the meaning of the Queen Mother, and asked if he wanted to make a petty official for the two uncles, but he was directly choked back by the Queen Mother: "When I was alive, I didn't think about it, if I wasn't there, whatever you let them be officials!" At that time, the world will only know that it is you, the nephew, who feels sorry for the uncle, and I, who is a sister, but I am ruthless, and that's it! ”

After Mrs. Tai laid out the facts and reasoned like this, when Jiuniang finally came to the Qianqing Palace with Song Huishou, the emperor's mood had completely calmed down. He was not furious, but looked cold and carefully inquired about the whole story again, and only when he asked all the details that Song Huishou knew, he bowed his head slightly.

"If the matter is confirmed, it is indeed as you said, and the Song family can be regarded as meritorious."

Song Huishou is as long as there is no fault, and he doesn't expect any merit at all, so he is simply grateful at this moment, and he is so excited that he can't even speak, so he hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed, and only said for a long time: "The emperor knows everything!" ”

For such compliments, the emperor has long been habitually deaf, at this time he just waved his hand indifferently and ordered Chen Yongshou to take people down first, he did not intend to let Song Huishou be next to him when he saw other people on Song's boat, because only in this way could the two sides be confirmed.

However, as soon as the others retreated, he found that only Mrs. Tai and Jiuniang's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were left in front of him, which was a little embarrassing. After all, Jiu Niang used to cultivate in the temple for more than ten years, in the final analysis, it was he who took Concubine Yu to the Buddhist temple on a whim to make incense, Zhu Jing raised Zhang Shou in the countryside and sent someone to take care of it, although this practice was approved by the Queen Mother, he also acquiesced.

As a result, that cousin has been a monk for more than ten years, Zhu Ying has not had a mother for more than ten years, and Zhang Shou has also lived in the countryside for more than ten years!

Therefore, the emperor reluctantly squeezed out a very unnatural smile and said: "For the life and death of Erlang, I really bothered my aunt and cousin tonight." ”

Jiuniang didn't have any resentment towards the emperor, but she didn't have any good feelings, so she was just faintly humble at this time. But Mrs. Tai said directly: "Since Song Huishou has entered the palace, and the people on the Song boat are also on the way, then Jiu Niang and I should also retire." If the emperor allows, Jiu Niang and I plan to go to Qingning Palace to say goodbye first. ”

Such a big thing, of course, it is impossible to hide it from the Queen Mother, and the emperor can only nod. However, after Mrs. Tai took Jiu Niang and her companion to leave, when she walked to the door, she suddenly stopped: "The emperor postponed dinner before, and now that people haven't come yet, please eat first." I heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and his brother live in the Zhaoren Palace, which is very close to each other, so please don't let them worry. ”

The emperor was slightly stunned, and when he came back to his senses, Mrs. Tai and Jiuniang had already left. Although he didn't have the slightest appetite at this time, he also knew that the movements here might not be able to hide from the third prince and the fourth prince. Even if he desperately wanted not to affect the two of them, he knew that it was impossible even if he didn't have to think about it.

Therefore, after a slight silence for a moment, he finally had to face it, and immediately opened his mouth and ordered: "Come on, pass the meal, let San Lang and Shiro come over and eat with me!" ”