East Palace, small school field.

Brother Shou wore a fur coat, picked up a feather arrow, put it on the bowstring, and shot it at the target forty paces away.

The "whoosh" arrow landed on the target, but it was outside the red heart, and the tail of the arrow trembled. There were also several arrows on the target, three of which were in the heart, in different positions; The other branches, although outside the red heart, are not far from the red heart position.

"It's only been a few days, and it's been like this" Brother Shou threw the bow and arrow in his hand into the arms of a small chamberlain next to him, rubbed his wrist, and said that, his face was hard to hide.

There were two brocade guards standing next to him, and one said with a round face: "Your Highness hasn't come to the school for more than a month, but one of them hasn't missed the target, it's really talented...... Humble duty is to open the bow every day, and the results cannot catch up with His Royal Highness. ”

Another said: "That is, the lowly position and Zhang Hui's archery skills are considered medium among colleagues, but they are inferior to His Royal Highness." ”

Brother Shou glanced at the two of them, and said, "Don't be humble in front of Lone, Lone knows that you are among the sons of the princes, and you can be regarded as superior......"

This round-faced guard is Zhang Hui, and the other person is Zhou Shi, the nephew of the Empress Dowager.

In the Jinyi Guard on duty in the East Palace, these two people are not only young, but they are both active, so they voted for Brother Shou's temper and often took them with him.

Last month, because Brother Shou taught the in-laws of the National Uncle's Mansion, Uncle Zhang Guo entered the Middle Palace to complain, and Zhang Niangniang punished the people in the East Palace. It's just that Queen Zhang didn't go home in a daze, the maid was a house slave, and it didn't matter if she was killed; Jin Yiwei is a meritorious descendant, and there is a lot of involvement in the back, but it is just a reward of twenty boards of small punishments and big commandments.

Although the East Palace was hindered by filial piety, she did not stop Queen Zhang from teaching the people of the East Palace, but when she was seriously ill, she continued to reward the people of the East Palace, but she took the opportunity to win the hearts of many people.

Even if he complained in his heart that the East Palace was willful, causing everyone to suffer from the pond fish, he also transferred his resentment to Empress Zhang.

In the past few years, the dark tide in the palace has surged, and it can only be heard sporadically outside, but it is rumored that there are noses and eyes in the palace. Those who are a little more well-informed have heard one or two sentences in their ears.

The wiser think that they are deaf and blind; If you are not smart, you must ask more questions or two, and ponder in your heart.

This week, he was not a smart one, he didn't dare to talk nonsense in front of Brother Shou, and when he returned to the duty room after accompanying Brother Shou to practice archery, he couldn't help but say to Zhang Hui: "I heard that Mrs. Jin of the Marquis of Jianchang ordered Mrs. Jin to take over a lot of in-laws' families to enter Beijing, and she wants to do Mrs. Peng Chengbo's old things...... With such urgency, those rumors are not groundless, and if so, His Highness is really pitiful......"

Zhang Hui's eyes widened, and he hurriedly walked to the door, looked around, and was relieved to see that no one was there.

In fact, he was too careful, there are other Jinyi guards on duty in the imperial city, and there are only two rooms in the East Palace.

"My brother, how dare you say anything? If a sentence and a half reach Niangniang's ears, it will ......be a fatal thing," Zhang Hui said nervously.

Although he has always been bold, he also knows that the monarch and the minister are taboo, and before entering the palace, he was ordered by his grandfather and brother to meet the order, and he was instructed and instructed; On the contrary, it was Zhou Shi, because he was the son of a relative, and the queen mother was the backer in the palace, and he was very arrogant.

Zhou Shi lowered his voice and said: "I didn't say anything, the old man in the palace, who doesn't know a thing or two?" Where in this world is there anything that covers the heavens with one hand...... It's just that I pity Nannei, who is also a phoenix......"

Zhang Hui hurriedly stood up: "Why is Brother Zhou drunk without eating?" Brother Zhou dares to say these words, but the younger brother doesn't dare to listen to them."

Seeing this, Zhou Shi hurriedly said: "Okay, okay, I won't say it." There's no one else here, and you're too bold......"

"The younger brother is not as good as the eldest brother Zhou, and he has the Queen Mother as a backer; You don't know what is going on in our house, although my eldest brother is now an heir, but my uncles have never given up. If I make a mistake, it's a trivial matter for me to be unlucky, and it's not a pity to die if I hurt my brother," Zhang Hui said.

Zhou Shi said with a sense of rejoicing: "The lord's family, for the sake of the title, the flesh and blood have become black corns, let alone the heavenly family?" Fortunately, there is only one His Royal Highness in the palace now, otherwise it would be really hard to say, I heard that when the Second Highness fell back then, the middle palace loved it like a treasure......"

Zhang still had no scruples when he met Zhou, and he only felt that his temples were "thumping".

Earlier, I thought that Zhou Shi was good, and he had to rely on the mountain, but he didn't have much scheming, but now that he is familiar with him, he found out that he has a big mouth.

How can the affairs of heaven be talked about? One or two sentences of the ban on China came out, and if it was not said, it would lead to turmoil in the previous dynasty.

He complained in his heart about the Empress Dowager, the old lady is really old and faint, even if she has a dislike with the Middle Palace, she should not let such rumors spread in the palace. Where are there so many "heard" and not "heard"? With the emperor's love for the queen, if no one connived, this rumor would have been spread for several years?

It's just that when this rumor spreads, where is the queen who is hurt? Even His Royal Highness the Crown Prince can't fall well.

If you can spread the word today, and if you can't say it tomorrow, you will be able to spread rumors about your father's blood, which is a major event that shakes the country's foundation.

Zhang Hui had already made up his mind in his heart, saying that he would change shifts and stay away from Zhou Shi, otherwise he would be implicated at some point. It is no secret that the discord between the empress dowager and the queen is no secret, and when she doesn't catch Zhou Shi's handle, the queen can "use the topic to play" and give Zhou Shi twenty boards; If you really want to catch pigtails, can you still have a good week? The guards of the East Palace, when the time comes, they will not be able to say that they will suffer again.

Zhou Shi didn't know how to go, but his thoughts had already scared Zhang Hui away, and he said with some expectation: "Why didn't Your Highness leave the palace?" Shrinking in the palace all the time, this day is boring......"

Zhang Hui yawned and pretended to be tired: "I rested late yesterday, I'll squint ......for a while."

Zhou Shi stopped talking.

Spring sleepy, autumn and summer, napping, can't wake up in winter and March.

Zhang Hui and Zhou Shi are both teenagers, it is the time for snooze, and they get up early in the morning, and they really go to sleep at this time during the lunch break, and after a while, there is a slight snoring sound in the house.

One time later, two people, one tall and one short, walked out next door, wearing soft-soled boots, walking quietly.

It wasn't until he returned to the warm pavilion that the short figure said, "Mrs. Jin really instructed Shou Ninghou and his wife to choose someone."

The tall man stood beside him and said, "The slave and maid have not heard of it, maybe it is just the gossip that the Zhou guards heard."

The short figure was not someone else, it was Brother Shou, the lord of the East Palace.

Just now, Zhang Hui was scared, for fear that others would hear it, but he didn't know that "the wall has ears". And through the brass pipe, the conversation between the two people who are not loud can be heard really clearly.

"Why should the big companion fool the lonely? If you hadn't listened to the message, would you have been able to recite this every week? Thinking about it, if they don't worry about being lonely, they will naturally pinch the crown princess candidate in their hands. Brother Shou said angrily.

The chamberlain next to him said worriedly: "The selection of concubines in the East Palace has rules to follow, His Royal Highness is only thirteen this year, if the Zhang family really wants to be here, it is too anxious, I don't know what other reasons are?" ”

When Brother Shou heard this, he seemed to be suspicious: "Yes, why?" Has Otomo heard anything else? ”

The attendant hesitated, shook his head, and said, "The slave has never heard any news......

Brother Shou said unhappily: "Now that Lone is going to be blind and deaf, if you want to hear two truths, you have to be a thief, and even your eldest companion won't tell the truth Lonely?" ”

The inner servant hurriedly said: "The slave and maid don't dare"

"Hmph, Gu knows, you are all afraid of the Middle Palace, there is no Lone in your eyes" Brother Shou said angrily.

The attendant hurriedly knelt down and said: "The slave and maid are afraid of His Royal Highness, and they have been inseparable since ancient times, and the slave and maid are afraid of being loyal to their ears."

Brother Shou stood up and kissed the waiter to get up: "What is the big companion, if you talk about intimacy, who can compare to the big companion and the lonely?" Over the years, the eldest companion has accompanied Lonely, and Lonely has been better. ”

The chamberlain was not someone else, it was Liu Jin, the companion of the East Palace. It has been seven years since Hongzhi entered the East Palace in the ninth year of service.

Liu Jin said excitedly: "It is the luck of a slave to be able to serve His Royal Highness......

Although Liu Jin is not in his forties, he is actually fifty-three years old. Since he entered the palace at the age of six as a servant and was an adopted son for the great eunuch, Liu Jin is not inferior to the current Emperor Hongzhi, the son of heaven, who is familiar with the inner court. Even if he committed a capital crime in his early years, he was still pardoned and placed in the East Palace as the crown prince, which shows the importance that Emperor Hongzhi attached to Liu Jin.

Liu Jin is a person who came out of the inner school, and he is an unusual internal servant.

He is not only dignified and elegant like a gentleman, but also knows literature and history, and knows the past and the present.

The most important thing is that he is extremely "loyal" and serves the master "intimately", not only to the joy of Brother Shou, but also to be thoughtful in front of the emperor, otherwise he would not have squeezed out several other attendants in the East Palace and became the companion of the East Palace.

Before, Brother Shou was very convinced of the big companion next to him.

However, after being reminded by Yang Tinghe, Brother Shou "traced back to the roots", and finally remembered where his jealousy of the Middle Palace began. Seven years ago, when Liu Jin was on duty in the East Palace.

At that time, King Wei mourned the king, and Brother Shou was only six years old at the time, which was already the age of his first memory.

The atmosphere in the palace has always been solemn, the empress dowager mentioned the matter of the concubine again, Kunning Palace was gloomy because of the mourning of the king, the middle palace was found to be pregnant again, and the emperor also refused to accept the draft again, and the atmosphere in the palace gradually improved.

However, when there was no one around, Liu Jin often looked at Brother Shou and was worried. Brother Shou was puzzled and asked Liu Jin, but Liu Jin always changed the topic.

It wasn't until Princess Taikang landed that Brother Shou overheard the palace man: "Amitabha, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is finally safe......"

Another palace said: "If you give birth to a little prince when you die, your Royal Highness the Crown Prince will have no way to live?" There is the Queen Mother, who protected the emperor back then, and now she also protects the prince."

The previous one said: "The emperor loves the queen, what if the emperor asks for it...... Although the emperor values the crown prince, it is because there are no other princes, not to mention others, that is, if the king is still alive, whether there is a place for the prince to stand is two words......"