Although he also suffered the pain of losing his father, the sudden death of Emperor Hongzhi this time was still a great blow to Empress Zhang. Her life has always been smooth and smooth, even if the Ministry of Rites selected the crown princess, she was also in one fell swoop, this married couple and beauty, the husband is the son of heaven, but more clean and self-loving than the folk rich man, for many years has not accepted a concubine, the only regret is that in addition to Zhu Houzhao, her other son and daughter died halfway.

However, she never thought that her husband was only thirty-six years old, and this little wind and cold would make him return to the west so gently and skillfully, leaving Zhu Houzhao and her orphan and widow in the world. For her, the sky is undoubtedly falling. At this moment, although she had woken up, her head was still groggy, and even her eyes seemed to be out of focus.

"Mother, Mother......"

"I'm not sick, I don't need to take medication." Empress Zhang suddenly burst out these words, and then found that the curtain had been raised high, and she was very angry for a while. However, after supporting her body and sitting up straight, she saw clearly that it was no one else kneeling in front of her, it was Zhu Houzhao, her eyes suddenly blurred, and she stretched out her hand and gently rubbed her son's cheek.

"Of course the queen mother is not sick, but she is very good at taking the medicine of those quacks!"

Although Xu Xun tried his best to persuade Zhu Houzhao not to overturn the boatload of people in the Tai Hospital, Zhu Houzhao was still angry, and at this moment, he was a quack doctor. Seeing that Empress Zhang looked confused, he reached out and grabbed her right hand and said, "The queen mother is just sad and hurts her mind, just rest well." There's so much to do these days, you need to get some rest. ”

"Well, you too...... From now on, this burden left by your father will have to be carried by you! Speaking of this, Queen Zhang couldn't help but feel sad again, and she couldn't help but shed tears, "Pity you for being so big, you have to bear the most bitter and tiring burden in the world......"

"Queen Mother, Erchen has grown up, Erchen will work hard!" Zhu Houzhao interrupted Empress Zhang's sad voice, and then said word by word, "Erchen has something to discuss with the queen mother today. If it weren't for those quacks who used drugs indiscriminately, my father wouldn't have given up so quickly, and now we are all regretful and sad, but how can we be cheap! Therefore, Erchen has ordered someone to take the eunuch Zhang Yu, the eunuch who is in charge of the Imperial Pharmacy, and the eunuchs who are in charge of the medicine, as well as the leaders of the Tai Hospital, and they must be punished for their crimes! ”

Empress Zhang didn't take much care of state affairs in the past, unless she was guilty of Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling's two younger brothers, she would not let Emperor Hongzhi punish those people anyway. At this time, when she heard Zhu Houzhao talk about punishing these eunuchs and imperial doctors, she hesitated slightly, and then asked, "Who are they?" ”

"Zhang Yu, the names of the eunuchs below won't be able to remember all of them for a while. There are also Shi Qin, Liu Wentai, Gao Ting and ...... from Tai Hospital"

Before Zhu Houzhao could finish speaking, Empress Zhang suddenly interrupted: "Then how are you going to punish their crimes?" ”

"According to my meaning, Cun Yan is also cheaper than them, of course they should be killed to make an example!"

"It's not going to work!" Although Empress Zhang was heartbroken by the death of Emperor Hongzhi, Zhang Yu brought Liu Wentai to diagnose and treat a headache and brain fever. Not to mention that in addition to these, she has another scruples. So after only a pause, she lowered her face and said, "They deserve to die for their crimes, but whether they are demoted, exiled, or on the border, there are always years of hard work, and it is just a matter of saving a life." ”

"Queen Mother!" Zhu Houzhao was anxious all of a sudden, Huo Ran stood up, "Do you also believe the nonsense that Zhang Yu and Liu Wentai said, and any minister is born with their power, or is it ...... Or maybe the reason why my father had an accident this time was because he took some pill and planned to ...... with your mother I'm going to have another brother and sister with my mother......"

In this last sentence, Zhu Houzhao suddenly lowered his voice. Even so, Empress Zhang still burst into tears when she heard it, and it took a long time before she said, "Since you know everything, then ask me?" Houzhao, I didn't come out for four years after I got married to your father, and the queen mother and ministers of the two palaces tried every means to make your father take a concubine, and he didn't know how much pressure he was under for this, and thanks to Zhang Yu and those people in the Tai Hospital, so he had you. As for this time, your father told me that you were alone and wanted to leave you a younger brother or sister......"

"But the queen mother, this is not the reason why these quacks killed their father!" Zhu Houzhao knelt in front of the bed again, looked at Queen Zhang and said softly, "Queen Mother, even if they had merit back then, they have already been rewarded." To put it mildly, the queen mother had two pregnancies later, but her younger brothers and sisters died one by one, God knows if there will be a reason for their medication error? As for this time, the father must have been bewitched by Liu Wentai, he killed his father with this messy secret recipe, how could he still spare him! ”

"This ...... You have a point. ”

Empress Zhang finally felt a little moved. Although Liu Wentai is easy to use, people are also careless, and she even said to Emperor Hongzhi because of the piece of dragon and phoenix Chengxiang jade presented by Xiao Jingjing during the Qianqiu Festival this year, saying that she wanted to reinstate his court sentence, but now that her husband has passed away in his prime, these are no longer comparable to the love between husband and wife and the pain of the heart. However, after thinking about it, she finally hesitated and said: "However, if the previous ones are spread, your father's reputation for many years will ......."

"Queen Mother, Yingming can't be eaten as a meal!" Zhu Houzhao suddenly became more anxious when he heard this, "Erchen will be the emperor in the future, can't they let them not scribble?" In this way, I don't even know what to say, Xu Xun, you come in! ”

His shout immediately startled Empress Zhang. Seeing that there was no movement outside the door, she breathed a sigh of relief, and immediately said angrily: "You kid, why are you so reckless, you even let a foreign minister enter the Qianqing Palace, but who am I, how can I see him easily?" ”

"You are my queen mother, and you are also the queen mother of the future Ming Dynasty, what does it matter to see my henchman." As soon as Zhu Houzhao turned around and saw that Xu Xun had not come in for a long time, he was immediately happy, "Xu Xun, what are you still doing there, it's not that you haven't seen the queen mother!" Besides, didn't my father just summon you the night before he died? ”

Hearing this, Empress Zhang couldn't, so she could only reach out and put down half of the curtain. Sure enough, the next moment, she only heard a sound of footsteps from far and near outside, and after a while, she saw someone saluting in front of the bed, and hurriedly said goodbye, and then said: "Xu Xun, these few days of rushing around thanks to you." The prince is young, since you have his trust, you must mention more in everything, and don't let him be surnamed Hulai......"

"Queen Mother!" Zhu Houzhao saw that Empress Zhang regarded herself as a child again, and immediately puffed up, "Xu Xun, the queen mother is worried that punishing Liu Wentai and others will hurt her father's reputation, you hurry up and help me persuade her!" ”

Xu Xun just stood outside the door, and the words of the mother and son inside were almost heard clearly, at this moment he was calm, and said calmly: "What the queen mother was worried about before was that since Liu Wentai dared to take refuge in Wenyuan Pavilion, it must not be that the three pavilion elders want to protect him, but that he took these points that the queen mother was worried about as a threat, and his heart can be punished!" However, the more such people are, the more they can't be let go easily, otherwise the law of the country doesn't say, just ask the queen mother and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince when they think of the emperor who died young, won't they always be upset? ”

Seeing that Empress Zhang didn't speak, and Zhu Houzhao nodded at him again and again with encouragement, as if hinting at continuing to take strong medicine, Xu Xun paused slightly, and then bowed his head deeply again: "Again, forgive the minister." Before the emperor reigned in his prime, almost everything was decided by the three elders of the cabinet, and the first six Shangshu were also old ministers with many history of three dynasties and four dynasties. Now that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is about to ascend the throne, it is different from the previous emperor's surname or style, if you can take advantage of this matter to promote some young courtiers who are young and promising and willing to assist, it is also to have more help in the foreign court. ”

"Ahh

This was what Empress Zhang really said. She grabbed the sheet under her at once, took a deep breath and asked, "Xu Xun, where did you start with this?" ”

"The queen, the three elders of the cabinet are all honored by the emperor when he is alive, and the emperor has also entrusted His Royal Highness the crown prince to them, according to the folk saying, it is to entrust the lonely minister. The character of the three elders can be trusted, but no one is perfect, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is young, in case there is a little discord between the monarchs and ministers after ascending the throne, in the eyes of outsiders, they will inevitably feel that the fault lies with His Highness. Moreover, it is always these old faces who decide major matters, these people are often stubborn and difficult to convince, and the young officials who are similar to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in terms of age and surname have to work hard for seniority and wear out all the sharpness, so that they can enter the cabinet ministries. ”

Empress Zhang still seemed to understand it, but Zhu Houzhao's eyes lit up, and he patted his thigh vigorously and said: "Xu Xun, I understand what you mean, this is called Xiang Zhuang Wu Sword Ambition in Pei Gong!" Did you send someone to let those young officials outside play a heavy punishment for Liu Wentai and others? The three of them in the cabinet must still have to grind, and when the time comes, those officials will be on my side? ”

The dignified prince spoke like a gang on the street, Xu Xun couldn't cry or laugh in his heart, but thinking that it was indeed similar to this reason, he had to nod, and then added: "Of course, it can't just be those young officials, you must find someone with weight to lead." This person must be old enough to be senior......"

"I know I know, that is, I can hold on...... Don't talk nonsense, tell me, who is it? ”

Seeing that Zhu Houzhao was impatient, and Empress Zhang also stretched out her hand to open the curtain, Xu Xun opened his mouth and spit out two inaudible words in a low voice. In the blink of an eye, Zhu Houzhao immediately nodded heavily, then simply stood up and patted Xu Xun's shoulder vigorously: "Okay, good!" Just do as you say, as for Liu Wentai, he was immediately sent to the prison of the internal official prison to squat, I don't want to see him again for a moment! It's best to put two more rats and cockroaches in it, so that he can't sleep well and eat well! ”

(To be continued)