Referring to this cause and effect, I couldn't help but sigh: "I thought that Xia Zhu's move was just to attach himself to Zhang Meiren and gain support, but I never thought that the cause was so complicated. ”

"The abolition of the Middle Palace is a matter of social affairs, and it has never been an emperor's family affair......" Mr. Zhang slowly unfolded the edict I returned to him and asked me: "Do you know why Empress Guo was abolished?" ”

I replied with the verdict in the palace: "Because she competes with the concubine for favor." ”

Mr. Zhang bowed his head: "Offending Long Yan because of the competition for favor, that is just a small inducement." As is the practice of the dynasty, the emperor's decision-making, if it is related to the middle palace, must first be discussed with the emperor. If the emperor does not agree, it will be difficult for the emperor to assert his own ideas. ”

For the first time, I realized that there was a deeper background to the post-abolition incident that I had heard many times: "So, it's Lu Xianggong......"

"That's right, she offended the then Prime Minister Lu Yijian." Mr. Zhang recounted the past, "In the second year of Mingdao, the Empress Dowager Zhang Xian collapsed, and after she hung the curtain for 11 years, she was only pro-government. Jinshang then discussed with Lü Yijian to depose all the Empress Dowager's henchmen, and Lü Yijian also advised him and drew up a list of ministers to be removed. Jin Shang returned to the forbidden middle school and told Empress Guo about it, and Empress Guo asked him: 'Is he Yi Jian alone not attached to the Queen Mother?' It's just that he is witty, adaptable, and can behave in front of the queen mother and the official family, so he is thoughtful. So Jinshang decided to leave even Lu Yijian. The next day, Lu Yijian listened to the ministers announcing the dismissal of officials in the court, and suddenly heard his name being sung, he was very shocked, but he didn't know why. He knew that Yan Wen should have dealings with him, and when he heard Yan Wen tell the reason, he was dissatisfied with Empress Guo from then on. Only half a year later, it is back in phase. Later, Jinshang complained to him about the queen's jealousy because of Shang Meiren's affairs, and he and Yan Wenying said some things that added fuel to the fire, and Guo Hou was immediately deposed...... Now Xia Zhu's situation is similar to Lu Yijian, there is a sympathetic minister of the middle palace on the king's side, he will inevitably be worried, not to mention that he colluded with Yang Huaimin, Yang Huaimin may have arranged the middle palace in front of him, it is not known...... In addition, listening to the children who served in the Privy Council, the next day after the thief, the Privy Council officials mentioned that the queen was in danger on the eve of danger, and if the command was determined, they all praised it, but Xia Zhu smiled dryly and said: "The middle palace has a lot of rules and regulations behind the curtain. ’”

I heard the implication of this statement: "He is not only afraid that the queen will interfere in politics now, but also afraid that she will follow the chapter and present stories in the future, listen to the government and reuse the new minister?" ”

Mr. Zhang looked at me and said, "Be careful...... Now the official family Eucharist Corning. ”

I was startled and hurriedly bowed my head and remained silent.

Mr. Zhang said again: "What you just said, Xia Zhu intends to attach Zhang Meiren, and there is also a reason for this." Zhang Meiren wooed Xia Zhu and Wang Zhen through Granny Jia and gave them many gifts, but Xia and Wang were greedy by nature and cared about the Middle Palace, so the two hit it off. ”

I thought back on the incident, and the more I thought about it, the more shocked I became: "After the incident of the thief, Xia Zhu resolutely opposed letting Yu Shitai try the case outside, and Yang Huaimin killed the last thief...... Perhaps, even killing the first three thieves that night was also instructed by him...... Could it be that this incident was planned by Xia Zhu at all? ”

"He has that motive." Mr. Zhang said, "Even the maid in the queen's pavilion may have been instructed by him to seduce the thief in order to obtain a reason to control the prison and shake the middle palace...... In my opinion, the queen realized that she was framed by someone at that time, so she insisted on killing Shuangyu, otherwise, the will of the woman who can be easily seduced by others is already weak, and under the exercise, what confession can't be said? ”

"I see......" The question had a reasonable explanation, and I was able to extract some clues from the messy case.

Mr. Zhang sighed gloomily and said, "But this is just my speculation, and there is no evidence to submit it to the official family." ”

"Today, Shengming has seen Ouyang Xiu's case very clearly, and he will definitely not wronged the queen, not to mention, there is Chen Xianggong and they speak for the queen......" I wanted to make Mr. Zhang feel relieved, but when I mentioned Chen Zhizhong, there was suddenly another question, "However, why does Mr. Chen Xianggong think that Chen Xianggong will definitely speak for the queen?" As far as I know, he is not part of the New Deal. ”

"Of course, he was against the New Deal." Mr. Zhang replied, "However, he hates Xia Zhu even more. ”

He continued to explain my doubts: "When Xia Zhu was guarding the western frontier, he appointed Chen Zhizhong as the envoy of Shaanxi to pacify the economic strategy, but Chen Zhizhong and Xia Zhu disagreed, and in the end, they were on the same page, and they each went to the court and asked for their resignation. Previously, Xia Zhu was recalled to be the prime minister, and he was in the same column as Chen Zhizhong, but all the counselors and imperial historians said that the two had a dislike and should not be allowed to work together, so he was reappointed as a privy envoy. Therefore, if Xia Zhu wants to conspire to change the Middle Palace, Chen Zhizhong will not sit idly by. ”

I immediately thought that although Chen Zhizhong opposed the New Deal, he had always been honest and self-respecting, and it was not difficult to understand that he was not used to Xia Zhu. I used to hear Jinshang praise the princess for Chen Zhizhong's loyalty and not using power for personal gain, saying that his son-in-law begged him to reward him for being an official, and he replied: "The official position belongs to the state, and it is not a thing in the bedroom, how can you give your son-in-law at will!" Jinshang greatly appreciated this, so although the counselor repeatedly said, saying that Chen Zhizhong did not learn and did not know how to do it, and was not the prime minister's material, Jinshang still insisted on taking him as the prime minister, but said to the ministers: "Zhizhong will not deceive me." "If he had admonished, he would have considered it carefully.

Thinking of He Tan, I took the opportunity to ask Mr. Zhang: "Then what about He Yushi?" What did he have with Xia Zhu? ”

"It's not that he has a personal grudge against Xia Zhu, but he has always been honest and outspoken, and he once defended Shi Jie." Mr. Zhang talked about He Tan's old affairs again: "Last year, Xia Zhu wanted to further frame Fu Bi, so he slandered that Shi Jie was not dead, but was instructed by Fu Bi to cheat death, and quietly went to the Khitan to plot to raise troops, and Fu Bi was the internal response. Subsequently, it was also suggested that the coffin of Shijie be opened for verification. At that time, Tai Jian didn't dare to say anything, and He Tan tried his best to defend Shi Jie in front of Jinshang and criticized Xia Zhu's sinister intentions...... In addition, watching him talk about Yang Huaimin this time, I think his heart is like a mirror, and he must know the merits of this, so he dares to pin his hopes on him. ”

"And Bachelor Zhang......" I asked again.

Mr. Zhang snorted: "When you were my student, you were not as diligent and inquisitive as you are now." Seeing that I was ashamed, he stopped laughing and continued to explain: "Zhang Fangping was also in favor of implementing the new policy back then, but he didn't intervene deeply enough to get out. He is also a potential supporter of the Middle Palace, if he decides to lock the courtyard and draft an edict, whether it is to abolish the Middle Palace or respect Zhang Meiren, he will definitely admonish first. ”

After many years, I was taught by Mr. Zhang again, and I nodded frequently, and couldn't help but ask, "What about Liang Shi?" Why didn't he go along with Xia Zhu's resolution? ”

Mr. Zhang didn't answer directly, but asked me: "Let me ask you, I didn't ask you to show Liang Shi the edict at the beginning, why did you unfold the edict when he was there?" ”

I told him what I thought at the time: "I have heard people say that since the national dynasty, the privy envoys and the privy deputy envoys have often been in harmony, such as the Zhenzong Dynasty, Kou Zhun and Wang Sizong, Wang Qinruo and Ma Zhijie, all ......."

Mr. Zhang bowed his head and said, "Since you know, why do you ask me?" ”

I was stunned for a moment, then I looked at him and smiled. The emperor of the dynasty has always paid attention to checks and balances of power, in order to prevent the two governments from ruling autocracy, usually the secondary positions of the two governments will not be held by the ruling party, so the prime minister and the deputy minister and the governor, the privy envoy and the privy deputy envoy often belong to different factions in the court.

The final result of the night did not affect our good mood for the moment. After a while, an attendant came from the Ying Pavilion and informed Mr. Zhang: "Chen Xianggong, Liang Shumi and He Yushi are leaving the Ying Pavilion at this moment, it is getting late, the forbidden door is closed, it is inconvenient to leave the palace, and they will stay in Han Yuan tonight." Ask Mr. Zhang to take notes in the Inner East Gate Division. ”

Mr. Zhang agreed, and asked casually: "When they go to Hanyuan, do they have to lock the courtyard?" ”

The chamberlain replied: "No, it's just a stay in Hanyuan, and there is no draft." ”

The next morning, Qiuhe came to me, in a trance, his eyes were still stained with tears, but the corners of his mouth were smiling.

"Huaiji, just now I went to the Funing Hall to ask for an official ......," she said, "and he told me that, in fact, he did not want to change the Middle Palace. ”

I was naturally overjoyed to receive this clear answer, but I also noticed Akiwa's strange expression, and was deeply skeptical of her way to find out the truth of Imagami, so I asked her, "How did you ask him?" Why did he say this? ”

Qiuhe tried to keep a smile as much as he could, and told me slowly, "I made a promise to him back then, asking him to fulfill my wish. He asked what it was, and I said, "My wish is to look at the side of the queen's long companion." ”

"Ah......h Although I can fully understand her kindness and think that she has made the appropriate choice, I still can't help but feel sorry for her, "What about your wishes?" Your true desire has just been given up? ”

She shook her head and said compassionately, "Let's talk about it...... Think about it, don't ask me again......"

She turned around and walked gently outward, looking like she was not giving up. Walking to the pavilion door, he seemed to think of something, looked back again, hesitated and said: "Later, the official asked me to convey a word to Mr. Zhang, and I don't know whether to say it or not." ”

"Oh, what is it?" I asked.

"He said: Spreading the word Zhang Maoze, he has been running around for days and has worked hard." Qiu He retold it, and added: "When he said this, his expression was very peaceful, not like he was angry, but he didn't smile either. ”

Now, I finally understand why I don't like Mr. Zhang today. hesitated again and again, and finally told him what to say. And Mr. Zhang was very calm, and there was no panic that ordinary people would have when they heard the king's warning, so he only replied calmly in three words: "Thank you." ”

Seeing that I was surprised, the corners of his lips raised slightly: "Do you think I'm so cheeky that I don't go to bow down and apologize?" ”

I can't answer, just head up. I admire him very much in my heart that he can be so calm, if he changes to others, how can he dare to be in the palace when he listens to what he says today?

He looked at me silently for a long time, and suddenly asked a question that seemed to have nothing to do with it: "How did Empress Guo die, do you know?" ”

"Sick and dead." I said, thinking about it, and adding the rumors I had heard before, "Some people say that Yan Wenying was poisoned." ”

Mr. Zhang shook his head and said, "She was buried alive." ”

This is probably the most shocking thing I've heard in the past few days. There was no reaction for a while, and he only stared at Mr. Zhang in a daze.

"After the abolition, for Jinshang, it was originally out of a momentary anger, and he regretted it afterwards." Mr. Zhang told me, "Once, when he visited Houyuan and saw the shoulder used by Empress Guo, he immediately felt nostalgic for the old and was quite sentimental, so he filled in the words and sent Xiaohuangmen to the Yaohua Palace where Empress Guo lived and gave her the words. Guo Hou relied on the rhyme and harmony, and his words were very sad. Seeing it sad, he sent someone to her and promised her that he would summon her back to the palace. When Lu Yijian and Yan Wenying heard about it, they were very scared and worried that Empress Guo would retaliate in the future. At this time, Empress Guo occasionally felt a cold, and Yan Wenying led the imperial doctor to see him, but somehow, the illness became more and more serious. Within a few days, Yan Wenying announced that the medicine stone was spiritual, and Concubine Jing died of illness. ”

I had heard these things talk about before, so I asked Mr. Zhang, "Didn't the people in the palace say that Yan Wenying poisoned the medicine to death?" ”

Mr. Zhang said: "The poison was given, but it was ****, which only aggravated Empress Guo's condition, but did not cause death for a while." Maybe he felt that if he was poisoned by heavy medicine, the symptoms would be too obvious. At that time, he was fasting in the southern suburbs and was about to return. Yan Wen was afraid that he would visit Empress Guo when he returned, so he forcibly carried her into the coffin to collect her when Empress Guo was still out of breath. ”

I imagined how Empress Guo felt at that time, shuddered, and asked him, "How did Mr. know about this?" ”

Mr. Zhang replied: "At that time, I was working in the Imperial Medicine Hospital, and one day I was ordered to deliver medicine to Guo Hou, but when I arrived at her residence, I saw that a coffin had been set up in the courtyard, and a group of palace attendants were crying in front of the spirit. Yan Wenying wiped his tears and came over to me and said that Empress Guo had died last night. When he saw that I was hesitant, he ordered the coffin to be opened for me to examine it. Of course, at this time, Empress Guo had been restrained, as if she was asleep in a normal posture, but she was still frowning, as if she was in pain. I accidentally glanced over the lid of the coffin they had lifted, and saw a few marks on it from my fingernails...... I was immediately suspicious, so I excused myself that since the expensive medicine had been delivered, it was inconvenient to return it, so it was better to put it in a coffin for burial. So he took the opportunity to take advantage of the medicine to slightly lift the sleeves of Guo Hou's clothes, and found that her fingers were bruised and purple, and her skin and nails were broken, thinking that she had scratched them while struggling desperately in the coffin......"

"No more." I couldn't bear the tragic situation in my heart, and I couldn't help but interrupt Mr. Zhang's narration bluntly.

Mr. Zhang was silent. After a while, I asked again: "Mr. has seen Empress Guo's fingers, but was he not framed by Yan Wenying later?" ”

"I guess he has that heart. However, he soon became unable to protect himself, and he could no longer care about me. Mr. Zhang said, "Although he said that Empress Guo died of illness, the court in the palace was suspicious, so there were rumors that he was poisoned." Some officials asked Jin Shang to push the living conditions of Guo Hou and investigate the matter carefully, but although Jin Shang was sad, he did not respond to the request of the counselor, and only ordered to bury Guo Hou with the queen's etiquette. Yan Wenying once loudly reprimanded the medical officer when he stayed at the Zhaitai Temple today, and the counselor saw that Jinshang did not want to investigate the cause of Guohou's death, so he used this matter to impeach him. As a result, Admiral Yan Wenying was released out of Beijing. Soon after, Yan Wenying died in Lingnan. ”

"Then have you told the official about this?" I asked him.

"Nope. If he doesn't want to pursue it, why should I bother? He has his own reasons, and we don't have to speculate about the divine will. Mr. Zhang replied, and then turned to look in the direction of the Middle Palace, his eyes solemn, "But since then, every time I touch the edict of the abolished queen, I will remind myself that I must not let this happen to the current queen." ”

"So," he said lightly, looking at me again, "it's nothing to be coldly stared at." As long as I am still in this house, I will do what I should do. ”

I would like to ask him, if he really angers Jinshang because of this, is he not in danger of being expelled from the palace? But after all, I still didn't ask. Thinking about it again, for so many years, although Imagami doesn't like him, he has always tolerated it, so there must be some kind of tacit understanding between them.