"Meizi, comb the mourner's hair."

The sad and solemn atmosphere of the funeral has dissipated, and the Queen Mother Sun has a long-lost smile on her face.

Overnight, she changed from the queen to the queen mother, and moved from Kunning Palace to Xianxi Palace. She is only thirty-two years old, and the afterglow of the country and the city is still on her face, but the fine lines at the corners of her eyes tell the ruthlessness of the wind and frost, and the years are urging.

"Huh!" The palace maid named Meizi answered, picked out a jade comb, and trotted to the queen mother's side.

Meizi is nearly twenty years old, fair-skinned, and has thin eyes and thin lips, so she is inevitably suspected of being a person of right and wrong.

Seeing that the Queen Mother looked very good, Mei Zi opened the conversation box while combing the Queen Mother's hair: "The new monarch's accession to the throne is the destiny of heaven, which is orthodox, and the Queen Mother is finally at ease." She didn't say that the Queen Mother was at ease, but that the Queen Mother was at ease, so she naturally wanted to be more tactful.

The Empress Dowager ordered the harem concubines to be cautious in their words and deeds, and the Empress Dowager felt a little aggrieved in her heart, and after listening to Meizi's words, she frowned, "Orthodox?" The emperor's era name happens to be 'orthodox', coincidentally! However, this year, we have to continue to use the era name of the first emperor, and we can only change the yuan next year. ”

"'The heroes and heroes in the world, Jiang Zuo's beautiful husband', could it be that Zhou Gongjin is really reincarnated? Doesn't the Queen Mother think it's funny! "Meizi served the Queen Mother for four years, in the past, when the palace was in full swing, she always derogated the Queen Mother's opponents in the ears of the Queen Mother, and won the favor of the Queen Mother.

The Queen Mother glanced at Meizi, "What's so funny?" The warlock praised Qi Yue, just listen to it, and can you go to your heart? Some people use things to make trouble, confuse the public, and mourn the family in their hearts. ”

Zhu Qiyue is only a prince, not a prince, although the queen mother has some doubts in her heart, but she is not afraid of it.

Meizi nodded and said, "Oh, yes, if it weren't for King Yue's insistence on refusing to 'brother to brother', it would definitely take a lot of twists and turns for the emperor to ascend the throne." ”

"This matter is over, and there is no need to mention it in the future." If King Yue or King Xiang is the throne, the Queen Mother is not completely unacceptable, after all, it is a compromise when the two major forces are at loggerheads, and there is no need to linger.

"Yes! As long as it's not the man who trespasses. ”

The Queen Mother's face became gloomy. She's trying to control her emotions. A year ago, she had already spoken out, and now she had to take care of her identity.

She knew that the "man" in Meizi's mouth meant her concubine Zhu Qiyu. She wanted to forget the old grudges, but at this moment, she was stirred up by the plums.

If Zhu Qiyu becomes the emperor, his biological mother who was born as a cheap maid will inevitably be one of the queen mothers of the two palaces, and she is the master who counts. And her queen mother is just a decoration.

What's even more terrifying is that Hu Jixiang, who has been suppressed by himself for many years, will join forces with the to find his mother and son to settle accounts after the autumn.

The speed of the confluence of the secret forces of the harem concubines far exceeded her expectations, before and after the death of the first emperor, the courtiers who forcibly promoted Zhu Qiyu's succession were able to fight against the people who advocated Zhu Qizhen's succession, if it were not for the empress dowager, the consequences would be unimaginable.

But the Empress Dowager has always only weighed the trade-offs from the perspective of the country, and there is no difference between the harem concubines and the prince, which makes the Empress Dowager worried, after all, the public heart is valuable, and the private relationship is reliable.

Mei Zi became more and more energetic the more he spoke: "The warlock of the rivers and lakes actually threatened that person to have the air of an emperor, which is obviously nonsense!" ”

Suddenly, the Queen Mother snatched the comb violently and fell to the ground hard, and with a "snap", the comb broke into several pieces.

Meizi was shocked, and hurriedly knelt on the ground, "slave maid ······" Trembling and speechless.

A servant girl whose status is so humble that she can no longer be humble can talk about the prince so recklessly, maybe she hasn't spoken for a long time, and her head is suffocated.

But the Queen Mother didn't seem to care, she glanced at Meizi, gathered her anger, chuckled a few times, and said slowly: "Look at what scares you, get up." ”

Meizi got up and hung her head with palpitations.

The Queen Mother looked at the broken comb on the ground and said: "The first emperor is newly mourned, besides, the identity of the mourning family has changed, it is not as bright as before, this jade comb is too bright!" Not to mention the jade comb, many things in this Xianxi Palace should be replaced. ”

Meizi let out a sigh of relief, and a light smile appeared on her face again, "The slave will go to the imperial prison to pass on the queen mother's decree." ”

"No need, the royal supervisor spent a lot of money when the mourning family moved to the palace, so let's use it first, stay until the New Year's Eve next year, let the inner servant go to the lamp market, and use the mourning family's private money to procure some."

Mei Zi said: "The queen mother is right, there are all kinds of things in the lamp market, and they are cheap and good. ”

"You go to make an inventory, and the mourning family is worried that they will forget about it in the future."

"Yes!" Mei Zi answered, and then changed a comb to comb the queen mother's hair, and then retreated to the side hall to make a book.

As soon as the door curtain moved, the palace maid and the queen mother, known as the "female Zhuge ", walked in, she was about twenty-four or five years old, with big eyebrows and big eyes, and her smart eyes made the entire main hall bright.

The red knotweed went to the side of the desk to elegantly distribute the vegetables and prepare breakfast for the Queen Mother. "The Queen Mother, on the night of the emperor's accession to the throne, the Empress Dowager secretly saw the head of Qingsong Road, and the head of Qingsong Road left a bunch of silk books, which was inadvertently seen by the imperial supervisor Xining."

The Queen Mother shook her head, "Since it is the secret matter of the Queen Mother, Xining shouldn't talk too much!" ”

Seeing that the Queen Mother wanted to get up, Hongli walked over quickly and helped her to the side of the desk and sat down. "The silk book is not a big deal, Xining said it alone and listened to the slave maid, there is his sincerity in it."

The Queen Mother started to eat and asked casually: "What does the silk book say?" ”

"Where the turtle and snake stay, the Jiangnan Palace, the talent of spitting and feeding, and the life of the people."

The Queen Mother frowned and threw herself into the case. The last two sentences are easy to understand, which means that there is an assistant like Zhou Gong, but he can't escape the fate of the people. Who is this? ”

"The northern spirit animal, named 'Xuanwu', is shaped like a turtle and snake, commonly known as 'turtle and snake'. Among the kings of Jiangnan, only the king of Yue did not go to the domain. The mansion of the king of Yue is just outside the Xuanwu Gate. "The red man moved slowly, spitting pearls, like an outsider.

"So, do you mean King Yue?" The Queen Mother was stunned.

A hint of laughter rippled in the red knotweed eyes, misty and deep. "King Yue is at ease, how can he bear the reputation of a virtuous king?"

The Queen Mother suddenly felt that she owed King Yue a great favor.

King Yue is at ease, which paves the way for his son to ascend to the throne, and he is still suspicious of his son, what a big joke!

Suddenly, my heart moved, and I seemed to have an understanding.

"It's Qi Yue!" The Queen Mother exclaimed: "The words of the Taoist may not be believed!" People with a heart see that Qi Yue is smarter than children of the same age, and it is unknown whether he is secretly playing tricks. ”

But the Empress Dowager seemed to believe it. The Empress Dowager intended to choose a writer for Prince Yue. ”

It turns out that all the rumors surrounding Zhu Qiyue are only about Sheji, not the emperor! The Queen Mother was finally relieved. I also heard that the Empress Dowager personally inquired about his studies, and expected that this move must have a deep meaning, so he stared and pondered.

Seeing that the Queen Mother was silent, Hongli said quietly: "Even if the prophecy comes true, it will be many years later, and His Royal Highness the Prince Jiren has his own natural appearance." At present, the most touching event in the harem is the emperor's reward. The new monarch ascends the throne as usual to be promoted to the royal family, I don't know which clan can come out on top? ”

The three words "Zhu Qiyu" burrowed into the queen mother's mind, she was like seeing a fly, and she no longer had the slightest appetite.

If Zhu Qiyu is crowned king, he is afraid that he will be given the palace outside the palace, and he will be outside the palace, and the secret situation is far beyond the control of her, the queen mother.

Originally, there was the Empress Dowager, and she was worried about the sky, but the Empress Dowager was old, and she might be driving away one day, so she had to take precautions.

"Many treasures have fallen in Kunning Palace, you go and carefully pick out a few rare things, take them to the mourning family, and send them to Qi Yue."

"Yes!" Red knotweed replied. She couldn't figure out whether the Queen Mother's move was natural, or whether she wanted to pull one person up and suppress the other, and she was a little embarrassed for a while.

At this time, the Empress Dowager sent someone to pass on the Empress Dowager. The Queen Mother didn't dare to slack off, and hurried to Qingning Palace on her shoulder.

After receiving the gift and giving the seat, the Empress Dowager said unhurriedly: "Several ministers have written to please crown the second prince Qi Yu as the prince." The first emperor left an edict, and you have the right to listen to the government, so naturally you can't help but ask your opinion on this matter. ”

The Queen Mother's heart sank, but her face did not change her normal color.

"There are not many heirs of the first emperor, only two young sons, so naturally they have to be cherished, but the first emperor is newly mourned, and it is rash to let Qi Yu be sealed together with ordinary clan relatives at this time. It is better to wait for him to become an adult, and then canonize him with a solemn ceremony to comfort the spirit of the first emperor in heaven. ”

"Besides, the prince is subject to the compliance system when he is an adult."

"Of course, the Empress Dowager is still in charge of this matter, and the concubines dare not speak out."

The Empress Dowager raised the lamp to drink tea, and then calmly returned to the case.

"Your words are not unreasonable, it seems that if the emperor himself does not make up his mind, this matter will have to be put aside for a while."

The Empress Dowager is joyless and carefree, her words are edgeless and angular, and she is graceful.

The two chatted for a while, and the Queen Mother got up to say goodbye.

Out of Qingning Palace, the Queen Mother rushed to Qianqing Palace in a hurry, she was worried that if the emperor moved the idea of making Zhu Qiyu the prince, she would not be able to stop it if she delayed a little.

When they came to the Qianqing Palace, all the chamberlains and palace maids did not know where the emperor was going, and only said that the emperor went out early in the morning and did not let people follow. The Queen Mother had no choice but to wait in the Qianqing Palace.

At this moment, Zhu Qizhen and Zhu Qiyu were in the Yongsu Palace, the former was lying on the desk, the latter was lying on the chair, and both of them were asleep.

Coming to Yongsu Hall early in the morning, Zhu Qizhen led his younger brother to read, reading and reading, Zhu Qizhen remembered the teachings of his father before his death, and couldn't help crying. As soon as he cried, Zhu Qiyu also cried.

This kind of thing happens almost every day, Zhu Qizhen, as the Son of Heaven, although he is young, he still knows how to maintain the prestige of the Son of Heaven, he doesn't want people to follow and see his gaffe.

They wept weepingly and fell asleep.

The tears in the corners of Zhu Qizhen's eyes did not dry.

Zhu Qiyu's biological mother, Concubine Wu, walked in.

The footsteps woke up Zhu Qizhen, and when he opened his eyes, he saw that it was Concubine Wu, who was busy getting up and preparing to greet An, but was grabbed by Concubine Wu and held it with both hands.

Concubine Wu took out a Supa and half-knelt to try to remove the tears on his face. "The emperor is sincere and filial, and everyone in the former dynasty and the harem knows it, and they all miss the great virtue of the Son of Heaven. But the last words of the first emperor are still in his ears, and the emperor should mourn, take care of the dragon's body, and take state affairs first. ”

Zhu Qizhen nodded. For as long as he could remember, he had always felt that the concubine in front of him was very amiable and always brought him motherly warmth.

He turned his head to look at Zhu Qiyu, who was still sleeping, and a strange feeling came to his mind.

The two used to play together, but they didn't remember much. From the day of his father's funeral, Zhu Qiyu has been by Zhu Qizhen's side all the time, and the kind of unrelenting attachment makes Zhu Qizhen unforgettable.

The adult male protagonist in the palace died suddenly, and the two little male protagonists naturally came together, relying on each other, watching the unpredictable future.

Whenever Zhu Qizhen wanted to listen to the government, Zhu Qiyu would hide from afar and wait, as long as Zhu Qizhen waved his hand, he would run over in a hurry, so that even if Zhu Qizhen had a big event, he couldn't bear to drive his younger brother away.

He hasn't really realized that he is the Son of Heaven, but he has deeply felt that he is a brother.

Bidding farewell to Concubine Wu's mother and son, Zhu Qizhen went straight to Qingning Palace. After entering the palace gate, he trotted to the front of the Empress Dowager to greet Anli: "Grandson respectfully invites the imperial grandmother to Ann!" ”

The Empress Dowager stepped forward to help Zhu Qizhen up, led him to the front of the seat, and the two sat down side by side.

The Empress Dowager said gently: "These days the early dynasty is exempted, and the government is discussed in the Yongsu Palace, does the emperor have any difficulties?" ”

"It's not difficult, the five assistant ministers are very attentive, besides, isn't there still an imperial grandmother?" Zhu Qizhen looked relaxed.

"Eh, the imperial grandmother can't ask everything!"

The Empress Dowager leaned down, feeling that she could be at eye level with Zhu Qizhen, and then continued: "Let's put it this way, the imperial grandmother has a cane in her hand, but the imperial grandmother herself is the emperor's crutch. Oh, when the courtiers are doing things, you have to listen carefully, listen clearly, think clearly, think clearly before speaking, otherwise, the emperor said so casually, and the ministers will be difficult to do, after all, the Son of Heaven is a joke! ”

Zhu Qizhen smiled and said, "Grandson has thought one thing clearly, and he will make Qiyu the prince." ”

The Empress Dowager's face was shocked, and she asked softly, "Have you really thought clearly?" ”

Zhu Qizhen nodded and said: "In a few days, a few clan relatives will be canonized, if the grandson doesn't even care about his younger brother, but goes to canonize the clan relatives next to him, wouldn't it be a show to the world, is this acting?" ”

The Empress Dowager turned her worries into joy and said with a smile: "Since the emperor has spoken, who dares to disobey!" ”

Zhu Qizhen was overjoyed, got up and said, "Grandson, let's go and draft a book!" ”

Besides, the Queen Mother waited left and right in the Qianqing Palace, but she never saw the shadow of Zhu Qizhen, and she was very anxious.

A chamberlain ran over panting and said, "Someone just saw the emperor with Concubine Wu and the second prince, but I don't know where to go at the moment, I only know that Concubine Wu and the second prince have returned to Fu'an Palace." ”

The Queen Mother got up angrily, got on her shoulders, and went straight to Concubine Wu's Fu'an Palace.

Before coming to Fu'an Palace, the queen mother's mind was racing: the emperor is benevolent and easy to be taken advantage of, I don't know what kind of ecstasy soup the cheap maid is pouring into the emperor!

Without waiting for the inner servants to pass the word, the Queen Mother broke into Fu'an Palace, only to see Wu and Hu Jixiang talking happily.

The two only turned their heads and glanced at the Queen Mother, and the smile on their faces was swept away, and two words were clearly hung out: Disappointed!

Concubine Wu stood up and saluted, while Immortal Master Jingci sat still.

Zhu Qiyu hurriedly stepped forward and saluted: "Son-in-law Qi Yu respectfully invites the queen mother to Sheng'an!" His whole body stiffened with nervousness, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

It's really dog meat that can't be on the table! The Queen Mother sneered: "Look at you like that! The mourning family is not a tiger. If it weren't for the power behind them, she wouldn't want to be angry with such a person.

Zhu Qiyu's hands also trembled.

The Queen Mother couldn't help but scold: "You are also worthy of being a prince? It's no wonder, who called your mother a! ”

Hu Jixiang said in a deep voice: "Didn't you slap yourself in the face? Yu'er's biological mother is Sister Wu, but her mother-in-law is your queen mother! ”

The Queen Mother was so choked that she almost broke her breath, and she really wanted to have a flop like she had in the past. She's brewing.

Suddenly, Jin Ying, the eunuch of the celebrant Bingbi, walked in, glanced at everyone in the palace in surprise, and after saluting separately, he saw Zhu Qiyu kneeling on the ground, so he walked straight to him and said with a smile: "Your Highness listens to the book." He unfolded the book and preached: "The sons of the Son of Heaven will be crowned kings, and the descendants will be passed down from generation to generation. My younger brother Qi Yu, specially awarded the canonization of the treasure as the king of servants, Erqi is diligent and loyal and filial, pro-virtuous and loving the people, Yongdu vassal auxiliary, admirable and unslack! ”

Before Zhu Qiyu could thank him, the Queen Mother's sigh came.

"Providence!"