After suffering a loss, the queen didn't dare to make any more trouble, and really knelt down all night. Kneeling for a long time, her knees hurt hotly, and her legs were sore. She felt that time was passing very slowly.

Before dawn, she saw the emperor walk out of the Heart Cultivation Hall and go to the Jinluan Hall to go to the early dynasty.

Since the emperor walked in front of the empress, it didn't take long for the ministers of the early dynasty to walk past the empress one after another.

The Jinluan Hall of the early dynasty is not far away from the Yangxin Palace, come in from the palace gate, you have to walk to the Jinluan Palace, and you can pass through the Yangxin Palace by taking a shortcut. Of course, it's okay not to go through the Heart Cultivation Palace, but you have to walk a little longer. Most officials are in a hurry, so they will take a shortcut and choose to pass through the Palace of Heart Cultivation.

The queen knelt at the door of the Heart Cultivation Palace, accepting the strange gazes of the ministers who walked past her, and her heart was naturally extremely uncomfortable, only she knew it. It was the first time in her life that she had suffered such a great disgrace. But she herself knew in her heart why the emperor punished her.

Naturally, she didn't dare to make trouble, and only hoped that the emperor would hurry up and go to the early court. The emperor said it himself, kneeling down to him in the morning. You don't have any jokes, you shouldn't tease her, right?

With such a punishment of kneeling, the queen's anger has decreased a lot.

Ordinary officials, whose official positions are not big, pass by the queen, avoid it, and dare not look at the kneeling queen at all.

When Xiangye passed in front of the queen, he didn't avoid it like others, but stepped forward and whispered a few words. Where does the queen dare to say, Xiangye naturally can't ask anything. Even if he asked, he didn't dare to reason with the emperor, obviously the queen was at fault first.

Song Liang walked past the queen and could see that the kneeling person was the queen, and he was extremely worried in his heart. Why was this queen punished for kneeling?

Before, the queen asked Song Liangjian to behead Chu Tiankuo, could it be that because Chu Tiankuo was the crown prince, the emperor began to pursue the matter? Song has no bottom in his conscience.

He thought that this stubble was over, but now it seems that the matter is not over.

Going to the early dynasty with a frightened mood, Song Liang found that it seemed that many courtiers looked wrong like him. For example, Xiangye, as well as several officials who were related to the queen, looked cramped and uneasy, and their faces were all unwilling.

The whole court hall is much duller than when the court is earlier than usual. Admittedly, the emperor's expression was not very good.

The courtiers watched what they said, and few of them came forward to speak. Only a few courtiers, when they encountered something urgent and had to report, stood up and started playing.

The emperor dealt with the matter of the courtiers, and announced in public that Chu Tiankuo was the crown prince.

Xiangye and the group of courtiers who were present yesterday naturally already understood. Other officials who were not present yesterday had also heard about it.

This matter has almost spread, and there are few people who do not know about it. When I recognized my relatives yesterday, there were so many courtiers present, and the fact that Chu Tiankuo was the crown prince was a foregone conclusion.

At this moment, the emperor is just telling this matter again, which can be regarded as public.

Naturally, no one is saying anything, and no one dares to contradict it. Just wait for Chu Tiankuo's case to be cleared and acquitted, and he can return to the palace to be his crown prince.

In the end, the emperor concluded: "Everyone, Aiqing, there is something to start, and nothing to retreat." ”

That's pretty much the end of the early dynasty.

"Congratulations to the emperor!" Many courtiers said in unison.

No one dared to come forward to question the queen's kneeling, and Xiangye didn't dare to mention it. It seems that everyone acquiesced to the fact that the queen was punished to kneel, which was a matter of course, and no one dared to come forward to speak for the queen.

The emperor kept silent to everyone about the queen, and he was a little sorry. He wanted to follow the vine and deal with the queen's party, but he didn't know that the queen's popularity was so poor. Presumably, the people who came here to the early court already knew that the queen was punished to kneel, and no one opened their mouths to intercede for her.

However, he thought about it, maybe this is the cunning of the enemy, they know that the queen has made a mistake, and they dare not intercede, so it is wise to protect themselves.

The ministers waited for a long time, but they did not see the emperor leave first. In the past, after the early dynasty, the emperor left under the eyes of the courtiers. This move made them feel a little strange in their hearts, and the fact that the queen was punished to kneel made people panic.

Fortunately, after a while, the emperor, who was still sitting on the dragon chair, had a calm face and said lightly: "Everyone, Aiqing, you can step back by yourself." ”

As soon as these words came out, many officials saluted and retired.

Song Liang finished his salute and was about to retreat quietly, and as soon as he took a step, he heard the emperor's strong voice behind him.

"Song Qing's family, stay!" At this moment, in Song Liang's ears, it sounded as weird as a conjuring spirit.

Song Liang only felt stiff, the blood in his whole body was boiling, and his heart was pounding in his chest as if it was about to fly. No way? I'm really afraid of anything. Just now, when he saw the queen being punished for kneeling, he had been panicking.

Stopped by the emperor, Song Liang's legs trembled slightly, and he turned around in panic. He spoke with difficulty: "Queen, what do you command?" Exhaling, he added: "The minister is willing to do his duty for the emperor." ”

Last night, the emperor looked through Song Liang's files overnight and had already mastered evidence of his corruption and crimes. I wanted to do him here, but then I thought that the queen was still kneeling at the door of the Heart Cultivation Palace, and she should be scared and scared again.

So, the emperor's face remained silent, and he smiled lightly and said, "It's okay." Song Qing's family, you accompany me to the Heart Cultivation Palace, I have a few words I want to ask you. ”

"Yes! Emperor! Song Liang's voice trembled a little when he replied, and he seemed to lack confidence. He could already smell the danger and feel the anger hidden beneath the emperor's calm countenance. This made him panic.

Along the way, Song Liang followed the emperor to the Palace of Heart Cultivation with anxiety.

When the queen saw the emperor coming down to the early court, she seemed to be looking forward to relief, and her tired heart suddenly relaxed. She opened her mouth and instinctively let out a call: "Your Majesty! ”

Her next words were to ask the emperor to pardon her for kneeling. However, when she saw Song Liang following behind the emperor, she swallowed the words that came to her lips hurriedly. The muscles of the whole body stiffened uncontrollably, and the whole person suddenly felt bad.

What did the emperor call Song Liang to do? An inexplicable panic welled up in the queen's heart. At this time, what she cared about was not when she would end her punishment, but what the emperor wanted to do? It is clear that the emperor's name is Song Lianglai, which must be related to the murder of Chu Tiankuo.

The queen's heart was beating fast, and her mind was like a bucket of paste.

When the empress was flustered, the emperor quickly came to her and said with a blank face: "Empress, you can get up." ”

His words counted, and he had promised her to kneel until the morning court, and the words had been spoken, of course, he had to fulfill them.

Hearing the emperor let her get up, the queen's tense nerves suddenly relaxed a little. Perhaps, she is thinking too much, right? She raised her eyes and glanced at the emperor, but she didn't see his emotions.

Now that the emperor pardoned her and told her to get up, of course she had to get up. It's just that she struggled to get up, but because she had been kneeling for too long, her feet were numb and she sat on the ground.

The emperor pretended not to see him from time to time, and did not say anything.

Seeing this, the palace maid waiting next to her hurriedly stepped forward to help the queen up.

If the queen hadn't been supported, her legs would have been so numb that she could barely stand. She couldn't help but sigh in her heart that the years are urging people to grow old, and the heroes don't mention the courage of the year. If she was young, what would such a punishment be for kneeling? In addition to hurting her face, it can't hurt her body at all.

It's just that when she was young, where would the emperor punish her for kneeling? At that time, they fought side by side, husband and wife were in harmony, where would it be like today? The more I thought about it, the more sadness welled up in my heart.

Now, she is old, but she has ended up like this. Her heart was sad and sad, and she opened her mouth numbly: "Your Majesty, the concubine has retired." ”

She was depressed and aching, so she was anxious to go back to the Tianfeng Hall to rest.

The Emperor rejected her request: "Wait! The queen is waiting here, and I have something to ask the queen in a moment. ”

He only promised her that she could get up after kneeling, but he did not promise her that she could leave. His punishment for her did not end. The best is yet to come.

After a pause, the emperor looked at Song Liang: "Song Qing's family, you go into the palace with me, I have something to ask you." ”

In the first year of Xingde, Hong Gaode proclaimed himself emperor, established the Great Western Kingdom, and set the capital of Fengcheng. In the early days of the establishment of the regime, the surrounding countries were eyeing the Great Western Kingdom and provoked wars for no reason. Before the expedition, Xu Guifei, the mother of Xigong, was 8 months pregnant. The emperor proposed an edict, if the prince was born, he would be named Hong Chengye, and the prince would be established, and if he was born a princess, he would be crowned Princess Changyu.

After Emperor Hong left the palace, Queen Xia made a plan to let Xu Guifei slip the fetus, who knows, the sky did not fulfill her wish, and the fetus in Xu Guifei's womb was born, and it actually survived.

"Your Majesty has already doted on Concubine Xu, and now, she has given birth to a prince again, and I see that our master and queen throne will not be able to be kept."

"Isn't it? Listening to the palace maid in the West Palace, the prince was born white and fat, very cute, his face resembled His Majesty, there was a righteousness between his eyebrows, and he must be a good emperor when he grows up. ”

This is the little palace maid in the queen's palace whispering in private.

Even if they don't talk about it, the Empress Xia knows that if she doesn't try to get rid of the prince, I'm afraid that life won't be better in the future.

She immediately summoned her elder brother Xiangye and Chu Xiang, the head of the imperial guard, to discuss countermeasures. They plotted to burn down the West Palace, which was carried out by General Chu.

At the critical moment, General Chu gave up the idea of harming the prince and exchanged his own son for the prince's exit from the palace.

Xu Guifei cried and cried, turned her heart sideways, picked up the hairpin, and used the tip of the hairpin to tattoo the word "heaven" on the prince's left shoulder. The stab is in the child's body, the pain is in the mother's heart, and after the stabbing is finished, Xu Guifei's painful liver and intestines are broken. She trembled and hung a jade pendant on the crown prince, which was given by the emperor himself, and there is only one in the world today.

Concubine Xu Guifei kowtowed to Chu Xiang, and said with tears in her eyes, "General Chu, please accept my three bows, your great kindness and great virtue, this palace will repay it in the next life." ”

"Niangniang, you can't help it, please get up ...... quickly" As he spoke, he heard footsteps outside, General Chu picked up the prince and hurriedly fled through the side door.

Xu Guifei fainted.

The person who came was the imperial doctor Feng Nanyang. Legend has it that this person was originally a man in the rivers and lakes, and his nickname was the fortune teller. He can pinch and calculate, not only has excellent medical skills, but also has extraordinary martial arts. He took away General Chu's son, performed light skills, shuttled freely in the palace, easily got rid of the pursuit of the palace guards, and left the city safely.

After Xia, he ordered people to burn down the West Palace, and Xu Guifei and a cadre were buried in the fire. During the inventory of the body, it was found that the body of a baby was missing. Plus General Chu Xiang's whereabouts are unknown. Empress Xia and Xiangye concluded that the prince was most likely taken away by Chu Xiang. So, Empress Xia secretly sent people to hunt down and kill General Chu Xiang.

In the fourth year of Xingde, the emperor returned triumphantly.

Xia Hou was shrewd and capable, and kept this matter a secret. Emperor Hong didn't believe that Xu Guifei really died in an accident. He often dreamed of the crown prince, and he has been sending people to investigate the matter secretly, but he has not been able to find out the truth, Chu Xiang disappeared, and Feng Nanyang also disappeared.

In the fifth year of Xingde, the queen gave birth to a son, and Emperor Hong named him Hong Cheng'an. The queen thought to herself, the emperor obviously did not have high hopes for this son. Empress Xia thought to herself, even if the emperor delayed issuing an edict and appointing a new crown prince, Emperor Rihong would die, and the throne would be her son's sooner or later. However, she still had some concerns, twenty-four years ago, she sent someone to hunt down and kill Chu Xiang, Chu Xiang was seriously injured and died, but the prince did not know who rescued him.

For more than 20 years, there has been no news of the prince. If the crown prince is still alive, then he will be the biggest threat to Hong Chengan's succession to the throne. Besides, once this matter is revealed, she and Xiangye will definitely be in trouble.

Emperor Hong Gaode reigned for 24 years, he worked hard, knew people well, the country was strong, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. Emperor Hong grew old and missed his lost prince more and more, and finally fell ill.

Knowing that Emperor Hong was ill, Feng Nanyang sneaked into the palace to see the emperor.

"Bold Feng Nanyang, you are guilty, you have been hiding for more than 20 years, and I have been sending people to look for you and General Chu for more than 20 years. Do you know about Concubine Xu? Emperor Hong cried with joy when he saw him.

"Your Majesty, the minister is guilty. When the queen wanted to burn down the West Palace, the minister arrived after learning about it, and the minister came one step late, and the prince had been taken away by General Chu. In a panic, Zhongchen rescued General Chu's son and handed him over to a foreign master to raise. For the past 24 years, I have been secretly searching for the whereabouts of the prince, but I have never found it. The ministers have the great trust of the emperor. Feng Nanyang was full of guilt.

"What a queen. Over the years, I have seen her keep to herself and teach the emperor carefully, but I never thought that she would be so vicious. I'm going to send her to the cold! Emperor Hong gritted his teeth angrily and slapped the imperial case.

"Your Majesty, you can't do it. There is no evidence, if the emperor does this, it will definitely cause turmoil in the court and panic among the people. Feng Nanyang persuaded.

"I can not pursue the queen's guilt first, but the prince can't be left behind, and I must find him back." The emperor was resolute, calmed down for a while and sat on the dragon chair.

"Your Majesty, look for the prince openly, and the prince will inevitably be framed. It's better to visit secretly. Feng Nanyang suggested.

Emperor Hong painted a portrait of a twenty-four-year-old man according to his own appearance, handed it over to Feng Nanyang, appointed Feng Nanyang as the minister of the Qin Mission, and gave Shang Fang a sword.

"Emperor, where are you?" Emperor Hong sighed.

In the twenty-fifth year of Xingde, the country of the Great West was peaceful and peaceful, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment.

Wunan Mountain in the northwest of Fengcheng, the imperial capital, after the heavy rain, the sky is exceptionally clear, the sun has tilted westward, and the clear blue sky has disappeared. In the afterglow of the sunset, the mountains still maintain the freshness and coolness after the rain, just like "after the new rain in the empty mountains, the weather is late in autumn." The realm.