In the past few days, a rumor has been circulating everywhere in the palace: He Zhongtang He Shou's death was not because he had epilepsy, but because of a curse more than a hundred years ago.

At first, Fei'er heard someone talking and didn't pay attention to it. But this rumor spread more and more. In the past few days, I have hardly seen the shadow of the emperor, and occasionally I see him with his eyebrows locked and his heart heavy. Yang Fei'er said in her heart: If you say too many lies, it will become the truth. It seems that it is really a lot of money.

She went to find Chu Tianzhao privately and found that he had also gone out of the palace to run errands. Yang Fei'er was about to suffocate to death, and when she walked back, she happened to see Xiao Chengzi, the eunuch next to Yuanyuan, whispering with another palace maid. She quietly approached and was about to eavesdrop, when Xiao Chengzi and the palace maid discovered her at the same time. The little palace maid was so frightened that she ran away, and Fei'er grabbed Xiao Chengzi and asked, "What the hell is that curse, you tell me what you know in detail from beginning to end." ”

Xiao Chengzi was so frightened that his face turned pale, and he knelt on the ground and begged for mercy: "The girl spares her life, the little one doesn't dare to talk nonsense, and the emperor knows that he is going to cut off his head." He squeaked there, and Yang Fei'er sneered: "Hmph, then aren't you afraid that I will tell the emperor that the rumors are all spread by you?" ”

Xiao Chengzi was shocked: "Girl, I don't, you must not say this, otherwise Xiao's life will not be saved." The small ones still have a high hall in the world and need to be fed. Ask the girl for mercy. "The little eunuch knew that the emperor was good to Yang Fei'er, so he didn't dare to make a mistake.

Fei'er saw that he was quite pitiful, so he said kindly: "Then you tell me about the rumors, and I promise not to tell others." And the dozens of taels of silver you owe me have also been written off. ”

Xiao Chengzi saw that the matter had come to this point, and if he wanted to refrain again, he was afraid that he would be retaliated by Yang Fei'er, so he gritted his teeth and began to talk about the whole process of the matter.

It turned out that as early as more than 100 years ago, Emperor Jianwen had a closest minister named Fang Xiaoru, who was loyal to Emperor Wen. After Ming Chengzu Zhu Di usurped power, Fang Xiaoru vowed not to surrender. Yao Guangxiao, the first strategist of Ming Chengzu, once knelt down and begged Zhu Di not to kill Fang Xiaoru, otherwise "the seeds of reading in the world will be extinct", and Ming Chengzu agreed to him.

After the fall of Nanjing, Fang Xiaoru closed his door, cried every day for Emperor Jianwen in mourning clothes, Ming Chengzu sent people to force him to see him, Fang Xiaoru cried in court in mourning clothes, and others repeatedly persuaded him to submit, he just didn't belong to him. Later, Ming Chengzu wanted to prepare an edict for enthronement, and everyone recommended Fang Xiaoru, so Zhu Di ordered someone to summon him from prison. Fang Xiaoru howled in public, his voice resounded throughout the palace, Ming Chengzu was also quite moved, and walked down the hall to say to him: "Sir, don't be like this, in fact, I just imitate Zhou Gongfu Bi Chengwang." ”

Fang Xiaoru asked rhetorically: "Where is King Cheng?"

Ming Chengzu replied: "I have self-immolated." ”

Fang Xiaoru asked, "Why don't you become the son of the king?" ”

Cheng Zu said: "The son of King Cheng is too young. ”

Fang Xiaoru said: "Why don't you become the king's brother? ”

Cheng Zu said unhappily: "This is my family matter!" And asked people to give the pen to Fang Xiaoru, saying: "This matter must be Mr. ”

Fang Xiaoru threw the pen on the ground, crying and scolding: "Death is death, what's the big deal." But to help you draft the edict, that is absolutely impossible. ”

Cheng Zu secretly suppressed his anger and said, "Aren't you afraid that it doesn't matter if you die, you will be connected to the nine clans?" ”

Fang Xiaoru replied in a louder voice, "What if you kill my Ten Clans?" I'm not going to compromise with you. ”

Zhu Di was so angry that he hated his hard mouth, and ordered the corners of Fang Xiaoru's mouth to be cut open and torn to the root of his ear, and all his relatives, friends and his students were arrested. Every time he caught someone, he brought them to the front, but Fang Xiaoru was indifferent at all and didn't raise his head.

Ming Chengzu was completely desperate, and he also made a heart, counting Fang Xiaoru's friends and protégés as one clan, and together with the clan, they became the "Ten Clans", and a total of 873 people were all executed in Ling Chi!

On the day of the execution, the sky was pouring rain, as if he was also crying for this loyal and courageous man. Fang Xiaoru turned his palms to the sky and shouted loudly: "Zhu Di is disloyal, unfilial, unkind and unjust. After the twelfth, the country is not guaranteed, and the sky has eyes! ”

The executioner cut down with a knife, and the execution site was miserable, and it was really the tears of those who saw it, and the faint people were terrified.

Yang Fei'er also sighed when she heard it, and she said in her heart: That old man is too stubborn, can't you lower your head and admit your mistakes? It is really confusing to have so many people to accompany you to the funeral.

She then asked, "What about then?" ”

Xiao Chengzi looked left and right, but there was no one, so he said secretly: "Now it is the twelfth generation since Cheng Zu Lafayette, some people say that He Zhongtang's death is in response to Fang Xiaoru's death curse." Because He Zhongtang's ancestors were beheaded. However, I also heard that someone rescued Fang Xiaoru's youngest son regardless of life and death, and after his Fang family's lineage was not broken, now they want to take revenge on the court. ”

Yang Fei'er laughed and said, ", pure." ”

sent away Xiao Chengzi, and Fei'er wandered all the way back.

Walking into the courtyard, she felt that the atmosphere was a little wrong today, and everyone looked cautious with their heads down. After entering the door, she saw that the emperor was also there, and Yuanyuan sat next to the emperor and beat the emperor's back. She hurriedly stepped forward to give a salute, saying that it was a salute, and the emperor specially allowed Yang Fei'er not to kneel on the ground. This is undoubtedly a great gift, and it also shows that the emperor attaches great importance to Yang Fei'er.

Yang Fei'er bowed to the emperor, and then asked, "Your Majesty, why do you have time to see Yuanyuan today?" ”

The emperor smiled reluctantly: "I am really worried about my heart, and I want to talk to your sisters." ”

Fei'er asked, "Your Majesty, if you have anything on your mind, you might as well tell us about it, and let me see if there is anything that can help." Even if I can't help, I can tell jokes to the emperor. ”

Yuan Yuan also said: "Yes, the emperor, you just tell our sisters and let us share your worries." ”

The emperor was used to Yang Fei'er's informality, and when he saw Yuanyuan, he couldn't help but smile: "It's still your sisters who can speak, and the troubles in my heart ran away when I heard you speak." ”

Fei'er said: "You better talk about it, how uncomfortable it is to hold it in your heart." ”

The emperor became serious, and he asked: "Recently, there has been a lot of rumors in the palace about Fang Xiaoru being killed by the Ten Clans, I don't know if you have heard about it?" ”

Fei'er and Yuanyuan looked at each other and nodded.

The emperor continued: "He Zhongtang's death has already been said to be a curse. However, this afternoon, Yang Yichang, the secretary of the Ministry of War, died inexplicably in the secret room of his own home. I asked people to check, and Yang Shangshu was slashed to death by someone 300 times. ”

Yang Fei'er asked, "Is it a vendetta?" The enemy is too fierce. ”

The emperor shook his head and said, "I don't know for the time being, because the door of the secret room is locked, and there is no other passage in the secret room." The murderer couldn't have killed someone and locked the door behind him. ”

Yang Fei'er said strangely: "Is it difficult to be a ghost if you are not a human?" That's outrageous, isn't it? ”

The emperor said: "It is widely rumored inside and outside the palace that it is a curse to kill people, and I am having a headache about this." and Fang Xiaoru made a poisonous oath before the temporary, saying that our Daming River will definitely perish in the twelfth generation after Chengzu. This twelfth, isn't that my dynasty? ”

Yang Fei'er said disapprerovingly: "Your Majesty, how can there be so many curses in the world? This is nothing more than rumors. ”

The emperor shook his head painfully and said, "Now that the rumors are about to spread outside the palace, there will definitely be some chaos if this continues." They all said that He Zhongtang's death may be an omen. ”

Seeing that the emperor was depressed, he had completely lost his former majesty, and comforted: "This rumor of the emperor must not be extended outside the palace, otherwise it will be used by people with bad intentions, and I am afraid it will be unfavorable to the emperor." ”

Yuan Yuan was worried that the situation would be uncontrollable if the situation developed, so he took the emperor's arm and said coquettishly: "My sister is right, the emperor has banned such rumors from continuing to spread as soon as possible." ”

The emperor sighed and said, "I also thought about it, but the emperor's uncle dissuaded him and said, 'The mouth of the people is more important than the defense of Sichuan'. He said that if I ordered the rumors to be stopped, ordinary people would be more likely to think that it was true, and it would be unimaginable at that time. ”

Yang Fei'er thought for a while and said: "What the prince said is not unreasonable, the most important thing now is to prove that the death of the two adults has nothing to do with the curse, it was murdered by others." ”

The emperor hurriedly asked, "Why did Miss Fei'er say this?" ”

Yang Fei'er said: "Forgive me for being bold, I never believe in any curses, superstitions, they are all used to scare people." There are no demons or monsters in the world at all. Demons and monsters are in people's hearts, and greed in people's hearts is the most terrible curse. I think that this matter must have been deliberately murdered, and then someone deliberately spread rumors to make people mistakenly think that it was because of Fang Xiaoru's curse. The murderer can continue to commit crimes, or get away with it. ”

The emperor whispered to Yang Fei'er and Yuanyuan: "I don't believe that they are cursed. Later, I sent someone to investigate, and what did you guess? ”

Yang Fei'er had actually heard what Xiao Chengzi said about someone stealing Fang Xiaoru's youngest son, and felt that the emperor would definitely say this, but she pretended not to know anything and looked at the emperor with expectant eyes.

Sure enough, the emperor said in a little shock: "The spies reported that although Fang Xiaoru was connected to the ten clans, some people admired his loyalty and secretly let his youngest son go. He Zhongtang and the ancestors of the Ministry of War Shangshu were once officials responsible for supervising and arresting the Fang family, so their descendants were also murdered by the descendants of the Fang family. ”

Yang Fei'er said in her heart: Dizzy, what kind of spy are you? What you know, even the little eunuchs and palace maids know, I'm afraid it's been spread all over the city, you still think this is some kind of confidential thing. Maybe the spy you sent out has already been bought off by the mastermind.

Yuan Yuan was scared when she heard this, and the emperor put his arm around her and said with relief: "Concubine Ai, don't worry, I will never let that rebellious person hurt you." I have secretly sent someone to track down the descendant of the Fang family, and I will find him whether he lives or dies. I don't believe he's that capable! ”

Yang Fei'er suddenly thought of something, and said to the emperor: "Your Majesty, I think I should be able to find out the cause of death of the two adults." ”