Episode 7 Sticking a knife in the queen's ribs

At this moment, at half past ten in the evening, in the imperial study of the Forbidden City, .

At this time, she was already asleep. But an hour ago, when he asked Xiaoqiang to see him alone, Zhu Yourong heard something and saw two things.

Zhu Yourong looked at a bundle of Pu'er tea cakes and a box of gem "candy" on the table, recalling Xiang Xiaoqiang's words, got up and paced, as if he had knocked over a five-flavor bottle in his heart.

…… This uncle of mine is too uncompetitive...... Jealous of Xiang Xiaoqiang, he even did this kind of framing method......

Xiang Xiaoqiang secretly admired Zhu Yourong's figure. It's this black velvet nightgown again, pacing elegantly, with his head and neck down, like a black swan.

This was the third time he had seen Zhu Yourong in his nightgown.

The first time I saw her for the first time, in the Changping Marquis Mansion. I didn't know her yet, and I called her "Miss Zheng", and she sprayed herself with a pants of tea...... The second time was on Chinese New Year's Eve, in the Purple Mountain Fortress, in her room. She had just been hurt by her uncle and wet nurse, and she was eating supper alone, looking very pitiful...... Xiang Xiaoqiang still remembers the feeling of surprise when she saw herself at a glance...... The third time, it's now......

Zhu Yourong glanced at Xiang Xiaoqiang with some shame, dodging his gaze.

Xiang Xiaoqiang whispered:

"Your Majesty, the minister came to see Your Majesty tonight, and it was also the minister's subordinates who strongly advised him to come...... Because, because the minister does not want to ...... I don't want Your Majesty to think that you have seen the wrong minister. Minister...... It doesn't matter how much the minister suffers outside, as long as His Majesty believes in the minister and understands the minister, His Majesty will not be hurt again, and he will not feel betrayed again, the minister ...... The minister was satisfied......"

Zhu Yourong's nose suddenly became sore, and he stopped under his feet. She faced Dobaoge, pretending to admire the porcelain, but tears were already swirling in her eyes.

It was very quiet in the study, and he muttered to Xiaoqiang behind him for a while, and said very seriously:

"In fact, according to the minister, the Hou Ye may not want to frame the minister. Hou Ye may really want to get this batch of orders, so he ...... I was confused for a moment and did this kind of thing. Alas, the minister...... It's too serious...... The main reason is that the price of Yuhua Cong's company is indeed too expensive, and I didn't know that it was Hou Ye's company at the time...... That's good, the minister will go back and think about it again, if the problem is not big, he will purchase Yuhuacong's military vehicle. It is better to support our own company than to make money for foreign companies...... However, there is a sentence that the minister must say, that is, the Hou Ye must lower the unit price a little more...... After all, it's not my own money that was spent, it was the money of the Ming Empire, and so many places in the Ming army urgently needed to be improved, so I couldn't help but save every penny...... These two things, although they are the kindness of the Hou Ye, but they are too valuable, and the minister is uneasy, and the minister will send someone to the Hou Ye back tomorrow. ”

…… There will be no more hurt, no more betrayal......

Zhu Yourong silently recited Xiang Xiaoqiang's words, and now the tears have been rolling down. She didn't dare to turn around, nor did she dare to raise her hand to wipe it, for fear that Xiang Xiaoqiang would find out that she was crying.

I am a princess and an empress, and I have grown up in the love of my relatives since I was a child, and I never knew what it was like to be hurt and betrayed...... Until one day, I finally tasted this taste, and this hurt and betrayal still came from the people closest to me...... Since then, he has isolated himself, and there are no relatives or friends around him, and some are just palace maids with low eyebrows and pleasing eyes. It's been a long time since anyone has cared about whether they will "be hurt again, feel betrayed again......

Xiang Xiaoqiang...... Xiang Xiaoqiang...... Why are you so kind? So know people's hearts? …… Moreover, you have fallen into the trap of your uncle, and you still refuse to believe it, and you still think of others in the good way......

As soon as I heard Xiang Xiaoqiang say it before and after, I understood that Xiang Xiaoqiang had ** into a trap. There are too many such things in the Ming Dynasty. But Xiang Xiaoqiang didn't know yet, he was still thinking about "supporting our own company in Daming, it's better than making money for foreign companies to make money", and still thinking about "There are so many places in the Ming army that need to be improved urgently, and we can't help but save every penny"......

"...... to the teacher" Zhu Yourong exhaled lightly, turned around, and said with tears in his eyes, "Xiang Xiaoqiang, you don't have to ...... tonight at all I believe in you, and I always believe in you...... Even if tomorrow I read the newspaper and the newspaper says you are greedy, I know they are wrong, you are right......"

"Your Majesty!" Xiang Xiaoqiang stood up and exclaimed softly, "You...... You're in tears......"

Xiang Xiaoqiang was originally very satisfied with his performance. These few words, each sentence is how to move Zhu Yourong and how to say. The purpose of tonight is to not only wash himself away, but also to bring down Zheng Gongyin, and to make Zhu Yourong feel that he is not a person who cares. It seems that the purpose has been achieved.

But what he didn't expect was how to make Zhu Yourong cry...... It seems that this Nizi has been fooled to the sore spot and moved her true feelings?

He noticed that Zhu Yourong neither called himself "Teacher Xiang" nor "Xiang Qing", but called himself "Xiang Xiaoqiang" for the first time and called him by his name......

Xiang Xiaoqiang's heart was also hot for a while, and he couldn't help but be a little moved, feeling that he was a little despicable......

Zhu Yourong's chest trembled twice, he exhaled deeply, and looked at Xiang Xiaoqiang with tears on his face, staring at each other.

Zhu Yourong suddenly stretched out his hands to Xiang Xiaoqiang.

Xiang Xiaoqiang was stunned, not knowing what she was going to do. Shake hands? Kissing hands? It shouldn't be hands...... This posture doesn't look like a hug......

A voice in Xiaoqiang's heart shouted: him! Follow the feeling!

He slapped his hands downward, pressed them together with Zhu Yourong's hands, and gently clasped his four hands together. This was the first time he held Zhu Yourong's hand...... It feels very delicate, very warm, and very delicate.

Zhu Yourong was in tears, but with a smile on his face, he said:

"Xiang Xiaoqiang, in the future, after class, I will call you Xiang Xiaoqiang, okay?"

Xiang Xiaoqiang's brain "buzzed", his blood surged, his chest was ecstatic, and a thought that he had never dared to think of rushed out, and began to go crazy...... Zhu Yourong is in love with me! The Empress is going to confess to me!! Oh my God, what have I done, don't be like this!!

He nodded dumbly.

But Zhu Yourong just smiled slightly, gently pulled out his hands, and said with tears:

"I don't have any friends anymore...... Xuanxuan is no longer my friend...... I really want a friend...... Xiang Xiaoqiang, do you dare to be friends with me? ”

Dare? What do you mean?

Xiang Xiaoqiang's face turned red and looked at her. What I was waiting for was not a confession, and I was disappointed in Xiaoqiang. But the remaining reason told him: as an empress, as Zhu Yourong, it is unprecedented to say "I want a friend very much".

He reminded himself: You must be calm, the Empress of the Ming Dynasty is in front of you, a noble lady who grew up with the best education since childhood. When she says "being friends", she can only understand "being friends" and cannot be understood as anything else. If you dare to think about it, you can only ask for a nail on your own.

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled, trying to make his gaze look deeper, and said in a very magnetic voice:

"Your Majesty, you are the Empress, I am the Commander of the People's Guard, and we are both people who are destined to have no friends...... Like you, I don't have a single friend, not even a relative, only subordinates and colleagues around me...... I feel this way every day...... How I wish I had a friend...... But, Your Majesty, if you want friends, why do you still ask me 'dare to be friends' with you? ”

Zhu Yourong was stunned, a little ashamed, and swallowed:

"Ah...... Xiang Xiaoqiang, you didn't ask me...... I...... I used to think that everyone said, 'A companion is like a tiger', that's why I think you are ...... Alas, what a stupid question I asked, if it is a real friend, how can there be a 'dare' or not a 'dare'? ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang's heart regained ecstasy. Although His Majesty didn't mean the kind of YY herself, after all, she invited herself to be a friend, which was already a great reward! He didn't dare to hope that he could really get along with His Majesty like a friend, but at least he got the status of "friend", and his status in her heart would be greatly improved in the future, and his "armor" would be much thicker when resisting various attacks from the outside world.

The most important thing is that Zhu Yourong is a person who is easily influenced by family affection and friendship in national affairs, and it will be much easier to expand his own power, expand his army, upgrade his armaments, and even try to unify China's crazy dream in the Ming Empire in the future.

"Xiang Xiaoqiang," Zhu Yourong stared at him and said hesitantly, "In my opinion, my uncle is likely to frame you...... It is likely that several newspapers will publish your bribery scandal tomorrow...... What are you going to do? …… I want to help you. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang was "surprised" and muttered:

"Won't you...... Although Marquis Zheng is a little confused, he doesn't really want to frame me...... Miss Zheng is also such a good person......"

Zhu Yourong tilted his head and stared at him, smiled, and said helplessly:

"Really, Xiang Xiaoqiang, I won't blame you. I'll help you, if I don't help you, you'll be miserable. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang looked down for a long time as if he had been beaten by frost, and then raised his head and said:

"How can I help?"

Zhu Yourong was also stunned, and was almost asked. yes, how can I help? Directly ordered the Metropolitan Procuratorate not to investigate? Decree that no newspapers should be published? …… How is this possible?

The only effective way is to let Xiang Xiaoqiang hold a press conference and tell the truth. Let Xiang Xiaoqiang tell reporters that His Majesty knows about this and His Majesty can testify.

Then, when the reporters came to interview him, he testified to Xiaoqiang.

But in this way, the Zheng family of the Ming Dynasty, a family of almost the same status as the Zhu family, the biggest and most loyal reliance of the Zhu Ming Dynasty, will become the center of the scandal. Moreover, the one who pushed them into the center with her own hands was herself, the Empress of the Ming Dynasty.

As long as he testifies to Xiang Xiaoqiang, then there is no need for any evidence, and the whole Ming Dynasty and the whole world will believe that the prince of Yanping of the Ming Dynasty and Zheng Gongyin, the Marquis of Changping, set up a bureau to frame Xiang Xiaoqiang, and they will not be able to take off this hat, and they will wear it forever......

The Zheng family, since Zheng Chenggong, has been dependent on the Zhu family and shared weal and woe, and the two families have married many times, and have been loyal to the Zhu Ming Dynasty for more than 200 years...... Strictly speaking, from Zheng Chenggong and Empress Changping downward, the Zhu family has the blood of the Zheng family flowing in their bodies...... Even if he is himself, although his name is Zhu, he is actually a descendant of the Zheng family......

In the past two hundred years, although there have been many similar small unpleasantness and small rifts, in the long river of time, it is just a small wave, and it has passed in one fell swoop...... For more than 200 years, there were no newspapers, no radio, no cameras, no phonographs, no telegraphs, no telephones, no globalization as it is now. In the two ancient times, no matter how big something happened between the two families, it would not be known to the whole country and the whole world, and it would not even leave the palace and the palace gate.

But now it is different, this small scandal will spread all over the country and the world, and will be recorded by many people, becoming an indelible shadow and an indelible rift between the two families.

Zhu Yourong stood up with a "whirl", pacing back and forth, his heart was full of anxiety and pain, and he glanced at Xiang Xiaoqiang guiltily from time to time.

…… He's his friend! The friend I just made, the only friend!

Xiang Xiaoqiang seemed to see through her thoughts, and smiled sincerely:

"Your Majesty, do you really consider me a friend?"

Zhu Yourong was stunned, stopped, and didn't dare to look at Xiaoqiang.

"yes."

She replied softly, her heart twisting like a knife, ready to be questioned.

Xiang Xiaoqiang stood up and smiled very boldly:

"That's fine. Since you really treat me as a friend, then I didn't say it, I took this matter for my good friend. ”

Zhu Yourong turned his face unexpectedly and looked at Xiang Xiaoqiang, not sure what he meant.

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled and said:

"It's okay, the newspaper splashed sewage and told them to splash it. The Metropolitan Procuratorate inspected me and told them to check it. As long as you, my only friend, trust me and understand me, then I will not hesitate to bear the world's infamy on Xiaoqiang. …… Really, don't look at me like that. ”

Zhu Yourong's face was pale, trembling all over, and tears flowed down his face. She muttered:

"No...... Other...... You don't want to ...... Let's think of another way...... I ......"

But she couldn't cry anymore and sat down slowly in her chair. She bit her lip and tried desperately to think of a solution, but all the nerves in her brain were no longer working, as if she knew that this was the wisest choice.

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled:

"Anyway, I have a clear conscience about this matter, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate came to investigate, but in the end, most of the evidence was insufficient...... As for the newspapers, whatever they say. It just so happened that I fought the Battle of Nanjing and the Battle of Pukou, and now my reputation is just right, and I am not afraid of a little sewage, and it stinks nowhere to go. ”

Zhu Yourong was silent. For a moment, she muttered in a mosquito-like voice, full of shame:

"What if...... What if the Metropolitan Procuratorate finds out the evidence......"

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled heartily:

"Anyway, I'm only responsible for you, and you only have one friend, if you really get to that point, you can protect me again!"

"Good!" Zhu Yourong blurted out, "I will definitely protect you!" ”

Immediately, an even stronger shame filled her breast, and she bowed her head as if she had done the most immoral thing in the world.

Xiang Xiaoqiang stretched out a hand to Zhu Yourong.

Zhu Yourong raised his head, like a frightened rabbit, looked at Xiang Xiaoqiang's encouraging smile, hesitated for a moment, and timidly reached out to hold his hand.

Xiang Xiaoqiang's big hand was warm and powerful, and a warm flow from friends and manhood spread throughout Zhu Yourong's body.

Xiang Xiaoqiang looked very happy:

"I have a friend today...... For the sake of this friend, I can stick a knife in both sides. ”