Since the enthronement ceremony, especially after the news of Yun Yuan'e's conception came out, Queen Yu has secretly summoned Prime Minister Luo Yuan more than a dozen times.

But today, it was the first time that Yu Yuanji took the initiative to ask to see the queen.

Da Changqiu Liu Wu led Luo Yuan to the main hall of Changqiu Palace, instructed the chamberlain and the palace maid to put tea and snacks on the Yu Yuan, and took the other chamberlains and palace maids to withdraw from the hall as usual.

"Brother, we have also discussed it many times, and when it comes to the promotion of Zhi'er to the crown prince, we still have to set a purpose first. It's not a good idea to keep dragging it out. I'm not afraid of my brother's jokes, I, the queen, are actually just putting on a show. Your Majesty will never spoil the Changqiu Palace again. If you want to rely on me, the queen, to make the rank of "son and mother" become the crown prince, it is impossible! ”

"Niangniang, the minister is still the same sentence, Your Majesty has his own thoughts and decisions, and the minister still can't fully know what His Majesty's mind is, and we still can't act rashly. The matter of establishing a prince, if you are not careful, you will die and the clan will be wiped out. ”

"Brother, what else is there that I don't know. In the whole world, who doesn't know that His Majesty will definitely set up his son as the crown prince and then inherit the throne? ”

"That being said, but, Niangniang, don't we know your majesty's temperament?! What His Majesty wants is for the clan to return to the heart and the world to the heart, and if it is a little worse, His Majesty will not tolerate it. His Majesty's edict has already said that Xiao Jia is only temporarily renamed the king of the county and goes to Canaan to recuperate his body, and after his body recovers, His Majesty still wants to restore his title as the crown prince. ”

"This is all His Majesty's hypocrisy. Brother, can't you even see this? What do we care about fakes?! ”

"Yes, this is His Majesty's hypocrisy. However, this 'falsification' has already been announced to the world, and everyone in the world knows it, but it is not a simple falsification. As long as Xiao Jia is still alive, the title of this prince can only be vacant, and it will never fall on the head of Zhi'er. ”

"Since my brother understands this truth, why doesn't my brother think of a way to get rid of this crop?!"

"Niangniang, now that the crops are caged birds, it is easy for the minister to get rid of them. However, getting rid of the crops is a great disadvantage to us. ”

"Oh? What do you mean by my brother? ”

"Niangniang, the minister asked Niangniang a word, Niangniang thinks, who is the biggest obstacle to the rank of the crown prince?"

"You don't need to ask, it's naturally a crop. The elder brother also said just now that as long as Xiao Jia is still alive, the title of this prince can only be vacant. ”

"The minister will not say whether what Niangniang said is right or not. The minister asked Niangniang again, if the minister gets rid of the crops, then who will His Majesty crown prince? ”

"Naturally, it's a good rank."

"Mother is very wrong. Your Majesty's intentions are obvious, in order to show that Your Majesty is a great man, Your Majesty is now acting as a gesture of being forced to govern on his behalf by the last emperor's last orders. This stance will not change for several years. If during this period, Xiao Jia died, His Majesty would still choose a son from the line of the previous emperor to be the crown prince, and it would never be possible to be crowned as the crown prince. ”

"How is that possible? Aren't Xiao Cheng, Xiao Xiu, and Xiao Qin all sealed Hou? is not even a county king, how can he be directly promoted to the crown prince? ”

"Niangniang think about it, Your Majesty's edict is very clear, when the title of the crown prince is restored, these heirs of the first emperor will be rewarded separately. The implication is that the current titles of the heirs of the first emperor are temporary, and the real titles will not be determined until after the 'other rewards'. ”

"What the hell does Your Majesty think. According to what the elder brother said, wouldn't it be possible to be crowned the crown prince only when these heirs of the first emperor and the heirs of these heirs were all dead? This is ridiculous! ”

"Don't panic. The minister and the mother knew in their hearts that these were all faked by His Majesty to the people of the world. The minister knows this, the mother knows, and the county king and the clan relatives also know it. ”

"Then why did Your Majesty come here to hide your ears and steal the bell so much? This falsification is too obvious and too clumsy! ”

"Niangniang's words are wrong. Your Majesty has His Majesty's own deeper thoughts. ”

"Brother, you're here again. How could I not see what he was thinking? In my opinion, it is nothing more than hesitation. ”

The mother said cautiously. Since His Majesty ascended the throne, the minister has been wondering why His Majesty did not appoint another prince, but hung it in vain, claiming to leave it to the Jia. This is a falsification that can be seen by a discerning person at a glance, but why does His Majesty have to commit this falsification so carefully? Niangniang, the minister has told Niangniang many times that His Majesty's mind is very deep, and he is not so simple as falsifying the prince by such measures. ”

"It's not for the sake of falsification, so why did it come? Has my brother ever figured it out? ”

"Let's ask the mother a word first. According to Niangniang, what is Your Majesty's current priority, and who is the biggest enemy? ”

"In my opinion, his top priority is naturally to secure his throne. The biggest enemy is naturally Empress Xuanren and Xiao Jia and their family. If this family is not eliminated, he will not be at ease on the throne. After all, they are the bloodline of Emperor Longwu. ”

"The mother is wise. The minister agreed with Niangniang's first judgment that His Majesty's top priority was to secure his throne. But the minister dared not agree with Niangniang's second judgment? ”

"Oh?! Isn't his biggest enemy Empress Xuanren and her family?! Who else could there be? ”

"Niangniang, what kind of person is Your Majesty, the county king, clan relatives, and civil and military ministers have all expressed their support for Your Majesty, and he doesn't need to take care of the blood of the first emperor anymore. If he insisted on appointing his prince as the crown prince now, the minister concluded that there would be no opposition from the princes, clan relatives, and civil and military ministers. Please think about it carefully, Your Majesty suddenly succeeded to the throne after the snowy night, such a thing beyond common sense, who in the world has said a 'no' word? Don't forget, in this world, but the Emperor Longwu single-handedly beat it down, which of the princes and ministers is not afraid of the Emperor Longwu like a lion and a tiger, and respectful like a god? But His Majesty was able to turn the situation around overnight and quickly stabilized it, what kind of means is this? It's not like you and I can imagine, mother. ”

"So, what is Your Majesty for? Now that the whole world has returned to its heart, why is Your Majesty doing this? If you don't pass on your own country to your son, what's the use of doing this? ”

"As Niang Niang just said, there is one word that is the key, and that is 'returning to the heart'. The reason why His Majesty is so conceited is because the world has not yet completely 'returned to its heart'. It is one thing for the world not to dare to say the word 'no', but it is extremely difficult for the world to 'return to the heart' and say a 'yes' word from the bottom of one's heart. ”

"Brother is going around, I really don't understand."

". Your Majesty is not thinking about the present, but about the future. What he wants is not only for him to be the emperor, nor for his heirs to be the emperor, but for himself and his future heirs to be safe and stable, without any hidden dangers. To put it simply, there are three worries in His Majesty's heart: one is that the power of the king of Beiling County is too great, and it has become a big trend, and sooner or later it will be a disaster. The second is those who support the first emperor and the harvest in their hearts, but dare not say it on their lips, as soon as there is a stir, these people will never give up, and will definitely jump out to support them. The third is whether the new policy of coexistence and division of the county and the county and the county that he implemented can be implemented smoothly, and whether the effect will be very good. His Majesty is confident about other things, and there are only these three things, and His Majesty has no bottom in his heart. ”

"But what does this have to do with who is the crown prince? Wouldn't it be better and more stable to set up the prince early, determine the foundation of the country early, and break off those people's thoughts early? ”

"Niangniang, the relationship is great. Let's take a look at the king of Beiling County first. Niangniang may not know that during the great funeral of the first emperor, His Majesty and his ministers have already set out to get rid of the king of Beiling County, and the case of Rongya poisoning and killing Xiao Xun, in fact, we originally planned to poison the king of Beiling County, but we were mistakenly asked for the cup of poisoned tea, and by mistake, they were mixed in by the melting cliff, and finally coaxed over. But the king of Beiling County is estimated to have noticed something. His Majesty's determination to get rid of the King of Beiling County is also extremely resolute. Although His Majesty and the King of Beiling County still maintain their faces, they have torn their faces in their hearts. However, to get rid of the king of Beiling County, His Majesty has no reason. From the side of the king of Beiling County, if he wants to overthrow His Majesty and find a way to live, he must find some allies, but the king of Xiangting County has always been leisurely outside the court situation, and the king of Ganzi County is quite favored by His Majesty. After all, there is only one person who can use the king of Beiling County, and that is Xiaojia. ”

"Huh?"

"That's right, it's the crop! The reason why His Majesty kept the Prince's Fortune and claimed that he would re-entitle the crown prince to Kui Jia, the purpose was to let the King of Beiling County join forces with Kui Jia, so that His Majesty would become famous. When the time comes, as soon as His Majesty's army moves and the order comes out, the king of Beiling County and Xiao Jia will kill two birds with one stone. As soon as the king of Beiling County went, His Majesty's troubles were gone, and he also solved the problem of Xiao Jia and the other heirs of the first emperor by the way. Your Majesty's benevolence and righteousness come first, and the unkindness of the crops comes later, and the hope of the people of the world for the bloodline of the first emperor has been completely broken. ”

Empress Yu's heart was moved, and she thought for a while and asked, "But, if they don't collude, won't Your Majesty's plan be in vain?" ”

Yu Yuan laughed out loud and said, "Don't worry, Niangniang, the king of Beiling County has started to act." It's just that whether Xiao Jia will agree with the king of Beiling County, it's hard to say. Xiao Jia has been training with the first emperor for so many years, and he is by no means an idle person. The reason why His Majesty ordered the world to keep him the title of crown prince was actually to plant a thorn in the heart of Xiao Jia, so that he had ardent hope for the throne. ”

"As soon as my brother said this, I generally understood a little bit. I really can't see that Your Majesty can put such a big thought. Before, I thought ......, hey! ”

"Niangniang, even if Your Majesty gets rid of the King of Beiling County and the first emperor as he wishes, the minister thinks that Your Majesty will still not establish a rank as the crown prince."

"Oh?!"

"Niangniang, this is because there is another big thing in Your Majesty's heart, that is, the New Deal! His Majesty's implementation of the new policy can only rely on those county kings who are divided into feudal areas. If His Majesty appoints Zhi'er as the crown prince, then those princes who have been crowned kings of the county will never be at ease to implement His Majesty's new policy, because no matter how well they implement it, the throne has nothing to do with them. The second reason why His Majesty did not appoint the crown prince was to use the title of the crown prince to whet the appetite of the princes, so that they could do their best to implement the new policy, so as to win the favor of His Majesty. Niangniang, this is the most clever power trick, what bait is more tempting than the throne? ”

"Isn't that hopeless? He now only has a fictitious title of prince, no soldiers and no power, how can he compete for favor with those county kings who are divided? ”

"Niangniang, even if you want to fight, you can't fight them. Even if His Majesty is ready to choose one of his sons to be the crown prince, judging from the current situation, it will never be Zhi'er. ”

"Why? Because I'm not favored? When my brother says this, isn't it because he will be more ambitious?! ”

"Niangniang is angry, we are analyzing the current situation, not the time to be angry. The minister first said a rebellious word, if he is favored, Niangniang is not the most favored concubine, and Zhi'er is not the most favored prince. The minister looked coldly at it, His Majesty's favor for the other princes who were divided out was far above the rank. If it is said that he is virtuous, Zhi'er cannot be compared with the princes who have been divided. ”

Although Queen Yu doesn't want to admit it, she is very clear about her short-sightedness and talent. What he said is indeed the truth. The queen said helplessly: "Then what should we do? ”

"Niangniang, the minister means a few. The first is to buy enough time. Before Zhi'er has an absolute advantage to get the position of prince, we must try our best to protect the lives of Xiaojia. As long as the crops are here, His Majesty will not rashly appoint his son as the crown prince. Only then will we have time to turn the tables and win the Sacred Heart. Moreover, as long as the position of the crown prince is vacant, His Majesty's other princes will be covetous, and they will compete with each other openly and secretly, and we can just take the opportunity to reap the benefits of the fisherman. Therefore, Xiaojia is not only a bait for His Majesty, but also a pawn for us. In this respect, we are the same as Your Majesty. ”

The Empress nodded.

Yu Yuanji continued: "The second one, if it is compared to the talent, the rank is not comparable to those county kings and princes who have been divided. As long as they put a little effort into the new policies and pay more taxes, His Majesty's favor for them will inevitably increase day by day. Our disadvantage is obvious, and there is no good way to remedy it. Therefore, we can only work on 'virtue'. Zhi'er's only advantage is that he lives in the holy capital, which is closest to His Majesty. Therefore, the so-called 'virtue' is actually a word, that is, 'filial piety'. As long as Zhi'er wholeheartedly fulfills the filial piety of his courtiers and sons, he is. Although Zhi'er is average, he is still capable of doing this. Of course, this needs to be supervised by the mother herself. In short, the point of 'filial piety' is incomparable to other princes who have been divided, and it is also the only place where we have an advantage. Moreover, filial piety is also clumsy, and those princes who are divided into feudal areas rush to show their talents, and they are naturally hostile to each other. Therefore, Zhi'er sticks to the word 'filial piety', which is not only a strategy of last resort to promote strengths and avoid weaknesses, but also a wise move to take the initiative to advance by retreating. ”

The queen finally showed a smile and said, "Brother can be regarded as saying something that makes me feel comfortable. ”

Yu Yuan also smiled, and then said: "But Zhi'er is young after all, and I'm worried that Zhi'er's wrist is still too tender. Besides, just making a fuss about the word 'filial piety' in Zhi'er will not disgust His Majesty at most, but if you want to get his favor and reverse his perception of Zhi'er, it is still far away. Therefore, the most important thing about 'virtue' has to be done by the mother. ”

"Me?! I just want to do it, but I have to have the opportunity to get close to His Majesty. Brother's words are really ridiculous. ”

"Don't worry. Although Niangniang can't get close to His Majesty, Niangniang is in charge of the harem. Zhi'er's kung fu is on 'filial piety', but Niangniang's kung fu is on 'shun', that is, it is necessary to completely follow His Majesty's wishes, so that His Majesty is comfortable and happy in the harem. Therefore, the mother must no longer be jealous, let alone mean the concubine. Niangniang thought, once the princes who were divided into feudal areas fought, would the mothers and concubines of these princes in the harem be idle? It won't be long before the harem will be filled with smoke immediately. With all due respect, if Niangniang is still blindly jealous and mean, then Niangniang's advantage will be lost, and the rank will be exhausted. ”

"What advantages do I have? I'm just a queen who has fallen out of favor. ”

"Niangniang's words are wrong. Niangniang's biggest advantage is that she is in the middle palace. The identity of the queen is the advantage of the mother. Now that we know that those Zhaoyi and Jieyu will fight to the death for their sons, Niangniang, as the master of the harem, can't she just mediate in the middle and surpass them? ”

"It's not hard to mediate and overdo it, but what's the use? Will Your Majesty favor Nobunaga Autumn Palace and Zhi'er because I am in the middle and overpower?! ”

"Niangniang is right, it's obviously not enough to do this. The minister implored the mother to do not only these things. What the minister implored the mother to do was another thing. The other concubines never wanted to do this, and even if they wanted to do it, they would never be able to do it. Only Niangniang, as the queen of the harem, has the ability to do it and do it decently. ”

"What?"

"Protect Yun Jiao'e!"

"Huh?! It turned out to be the fox girl. Why should I protect her?! A hen that doesn't lay eggs, Ryukawa Maihime, is even pregnant, which is really unexpected. I hate to skin her and cramp! ”

"The mother wants to skin her and draw her tendons, and the other concubines want to skin her and draw her tendons. However, when Niangniang thought about it, what she did was to follow His Majesty's wishes. In the harem, what is His Majesty's greatest intention, it is this Yun Jiao'e. Yun Jiao'e is His Majesty's sweetheart. I think His Majesty's favor for her is by no means caused by a whim, nor is it a flattering pet, His Majesty really loves Yun Huan'e, and that kind of favor is not an ordinary love between men and women. Yun Jiao'e's exclusive favor is already inevitable, and no one can stop it. Niangniang thought, in order to invite pets, and even more so to invite pets to their sons, how could they let go of the favored Yun Jiao'e. What's more, Yun Jiao'e is also pregnant, and other concubines will regard her as a thorn in their side. The minister predicts that the harmful mud and dirty tricks in the harem, Zhaoyi and Jieyu will shake out a lot of them and use them on Yun Jiao'e. At such a time, if Niangniang does the opposite, what will His Majesty think of Niangniang? The queen has to understand in her heart that as a queen, sex is not the most important thing, but virtue and grace are the most important. The so-called virtue and grace, in the harem, is not to like what His Majesty likes, and to allow His Majesty to carry out his ambitions. If Niangniang can go further, when all the concubines are hostile to and poison Yun Jiao'e, Niangniang will take care of and cherish Yun Jiao'e for His Majesty, until she forms an alliance with Yun Zhuo'e, then the queen is of the same heart as Your Majesty. In this way, even if His Majesty sleeps in Yinglu Palace every night, he remembers the good of his mother in his heart. Yun Jiao'e will naturally blow the wind on the pillow for her mother. At that time, Niangniang will really be the mother of the world, calling for wind and rain. ”

"My brother has a point. However, if Yun Jiao'e gives birth to a prince, and His Majesty loves her so much, she will be crowned as the crown prince if she can't keep it. ”

"Niangniang, let's not talk about whether Yun Jiao'e gave birth to a son or a daughter, even if she gave birth to a son, there is no reason to be named the prince immediately. is still the minister's words, the title of the prince is reserved by His Majesty, and it hangs the appetite of those princes who are divided into county kings, and it will not be easily released in the short term. Mothers don't have to worry about this. Taking 10,000 steps back, even if Yun Jiao'e gave birth to a son and was quite favored after growing up, it would be sixteen years later. Sixteen years, our preparation should be enough. Moreover, although Niangniang was relieved, the minister thought that we didn't need to make a move at all, and those princes and their mothers who were divided into county kings would naturally take action against Yun Jiao'e and her children. ”

The Queen finally nodded in satisfaction.

Luo Yuanxuan continued: "If Niangniang decides to take such measures, then the minister implores Niangniang to be sincere and kind to Yun Jiao'e." Niangniang, the safety of Yun Jiao'e, as well as the safety of the child in Yun Jiao'e's belly, can be directly related to the position of the prince of Zhi'er. The minister thought that the more hostile the other concubines were to Yun Jiao'e and her children, and the more they tried to poison Yun Jiao'e and her children, the more opportunities Niangniang and Zhi'er would have. The better and more sincere Niangniang is to Yun Jiao'e, and the more Niangniang treats and cherishes Yun Jiao'e and her children, the faster Zhi'er's position as the crown prince will come. The more Niangniang saves and protects Yun Jiao'e and her children, the more stable Zhi'er's position as the crown prince will be. Mother, what do you think? ”

Empress Yu stood up and paced and thought for a long time, and finally agreed with Yu Yuan's analysis, nodded heavily, then stretched her brows, and said, "Brother, don't worry. My temperament, you know. Once I have decided on something, I will never give up. Actually, in the early years, I was jealous and mean, because I still had an emotional thought for Your Majesty, and now, there is no trace of this thought. All my thoughts are on Chi'er right now. Brother, just watch it carefully, I will definitely cherish and protect that Yun Jiao'e. ”

"The mother is wise. The minister also implored Niangniang to do a great thing that a very human being can do. ”

"What?"

"The minister implores Niangniang to be open to Empress Xuanren, and to treat Empress Xuanren leniently."

"Why is that?"

"Niangniang, there is no doubt that the crops will die. Rest assured. Moreover, the minister begged the mother to treat Empress Xuanren leniently, not because of the crops, but because of Empress Xuanren's maiden family. Don't forget that Empress Xuanren is not only the queen of the first emperor and the mother of Xiao Jia, but also the sister of King Xiangtingjun. Although the king of Xiangting County has always been leisurely outside the court, but His Majesty treats the first emperor and the harvest like this, the king of Xiangting County must be dissatisfied. As for how His Majesty treats the first emperor and the crops, Niangniang can't control it, and she doesn't need to care. However, Niangniang can be a little more tolerant and generous to Empress Xuanren, so that in contrast to His Majesty, Niangniang can take the opportunity to rein in King Xiangtingjun. Niangniang, if Zhi'er succeeds in seizing the crown prince and succeeding to the throne, then sooner or later he will have to rely on these county kings to support, and it is better to have one more ally than one more enemy. Now looking at the whole world, the only county king we can win over is the king of Xiangting County. If Niangniang treats Empress Xuanren with kindness, then King Xiangtingjun and that Rongzhu will also miss Niangniang's kindness. In this way, our odds will be increased by one percent. Moreover, this is something that other concubines could never have imagined and were never capable of doing. Therefore, it is also Niangniang's unexpected generosity, of course, it also requires Niangniang's unexpected big mind and unexpected decision. ”

"Brother, don't worry, I can do this. Empress Xuanren, the sister-in-law, has no stake in me, and she takes good care of me on weekdays. I'll just be lenient with her. It's still the same sentence, as long as it helps Zhi'er to ascend to the top, I will never give up. ”

"Niang Niang Shengming! In this way, it will be a matter of time before Zhi'er wins the position of the crown prince. Niangniang wait and see, Your Majesty's princes who have been divided into feudal titles will soon be fighting to the point of bleeding. Niangniang, there is one more thing at the moment, the minister wants to report to Niangniang. ”

"Brother, please speak."

Rongzhu recently wrote a letter asking for his fourteen-year-old daughter Rongyu. The minister is brave, please guess which family Rong Zhu is asking for his daughter. ”

"It's a rare thing. Is he asking for the son of his brother's family? ”

"It's not. Niangniang never imagined that what he asked for was the simple in Niangniang's palace. ”

"Jane?!"

"Exactly!"

"However, although Jian'er was raised by me, after all, she was born to a maid and came from a humble background, even if she was crowned the king of the county in the future, she was also a weak county king, and there was no big family to rely on. Rongzhu was born in a wealthy and noble family, how could he lower his stature so much, wronged his daughter, and married a weak county king? ”

"Niangniang, the minister is sure that he proposed this family matter at this juncture precisely because he values Niangniang's rank."

"This bend is too big, it was Jian'er who asked for a kiss, how did it get to Zhi'er?"

"Niangniang, what kind of heroic person is Rongzhu? Rongzhu's move, isn't it because he saw that Zhi'er would succeed to the throne in the future and Niangniang would become the queen mother in the future? The son is more precious than the mother, if the mother becomes the queen mother, Jian'er, who was raised by the mother, will naturally become the most noble clan from the weakest prince, and the situation and status will be very different. Moreover, now, the crops are in jeopardy, the general trend of the first emperor has gone, and the fusion casting is also a move to change the court. ”

"What about my brother's intentions?"

"The minister's meaning, Niangniang should push the boat down the river and do this favor. With this family business, the friendship between Niangniang and Rongzhu, King Xiangtingjun, and Queen Xuanren has also reached a higher level. Our chances of winning will naturally increase by another tenth. ”

"It's fine. Jian Er saw that she was already fifteen years old, but she was also at the age of marriage. Although Jian'er was born to a maid and was not from a high background, after all, I was raised by my side since I was a child, and in my heart, there was no difference between me and Zhi'er. There is such a layer, and Jian Er is not considered to have insulted the daughter of the Rongzhu family. On the other hand, this daughter of the Rongzhu family has a good background, and she has not wronged Jian'er. This matter is so decided, you can watch and do it. ”

"Niang Niang Shengming."