Red Mansion Rebirth: Ghost Phoenix

Wang Xifeng's hands trembled, and her face changed instantly, but she still forced herself to calm down and said softly:

"What do you say to the outside world?"

"Since he had caught a cold and returned to the other palace, he naturally went to soak in the hot springs to get rid of the cold. But he fainted inside, and the palace maids found him too late, so he drowned."

Emperor Chongzhao stated the reasons given by the Supreme Lord with a stern face, repeating every detail word for word. After a moment of silence, he said, "I intend to tell the public that he died of illness."

Wang Xifeng also remained silent for a long time before she whispered, "It should be so."

Emperor Chongzhao looked at her for a while and smiled: "Didn't you first cause her to end up like this? Why are you feeling sad again?"

“I…” Wang Xifeng was stunned for two more breaths before she looked up at the sixteenth moon outside the window. “I just feel that the world is unkind…”

The saying "Heaven and earth are unkind, and treat all things as straw dogs" actually means that natural physics treats all equally, without distinguishing between high and low.

But when Wang Xifeng used it here, she was clearly criticizing Taishang and lamenting his "unkindness" and "heartlessness".

Emperor Chongzhao understood what she said, and instead of refutation, he remained silent. After a long while, he whispered:

"The Supreme is sentimental, the Supreme is forgetful..."

Wang Xifeng was originally sitting next to him. When she heard this, she couldn't help but lean her body slightly and lean on his shoulder.

Emperor Chongzhao's eyebrows moved slightly, and he curved the corners of his mouth. He lowered his head and asked her, "Are you not afraid of me? Are you like your father?"

Wang Xifeng laughed softly and whispered, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I am smart and care-loving, and my passion is most easily expressed...

"People like me won't live long.

"So, don't be afraid."

Emperor Chongzhao's heart skipped a beat and he let out a long breath. He raised his arms, hugged Wang Xifeng's shoulders, and looked at the full moon outside the window together.

"After three years of studying, I will recite a poem about the moon for you to hear."

"Bedside Ming..."

"another."

"When I was young, I didn't know the moon..."

"cough."

"...Oh! The bright moon rises from the Tianshan Mountains, among the vast sea of ​​clouds!"

"Concubine."

"I am not very literate, so please teach me, Your Majesty."

"..."

"His Majesty?"

"Nung, moon and new moon."

Wang Xifeng really couldn't help it, she lowered her head not wanting to look at Emperor Chongzhao's face, and coughed at the same time.

The crow waiting outside the window immediately opened its mouth: "Ahhh, quack, quack, quack!"

……

Emperor Chong Zhao returned to the Purple Palace with a breath held. He was lying on the bed when he remembered his business in the Yinyu Palace today. He sat up suddenly, opened the bed curtains, and shouted impatiently:

"Call Chen Duo!"

Chang Ying chuckled outside the door, then agreed loudly and sent someone to find Chen Duo.

Chen Duo arrived very quickly, and even Emperor Chongzhao was surprised: "What are you doing? Squatting outside the Purple Palace in the middle of the night?"

"In reply to Your Majesty, regarding the matter in the inner temple, I am thinking that if Your Majesty is not asleep, I will report it to you. If He is asleep, it is the same to report it tomorrow morning."

Chen Duo glanced at the unhappy Emperor Chongzhao and felt that he had come at a wrong time.

Emperor Chongzhao asked angrily, "What's the matter?"

"I have checked all the names on the handkerchief.

"Six of them have died of illness, seven have gone to remote prefectures, and the remaining fourteen have been imprisoned in the dungeons of Jingzhao Prefecture and Chang'an and Wannian counties.

"Tonight, I have interrogated those fourteen people, and nine of them have confessed everything. They are the spies that the Zhen family had deployed in the capital twenty years ago.

"Over the years, the Zhen family and these people have supported and helped each other, and their influence in the court is extremely great.

"It's just that they didn't expect the emperor to abdicate suddenly, so they were not well prepared. Their original plan was to push other princes to the throne."

Chen Duo paused here, then suddenly laughed, raised his head, and asked in a low voice with a sly look, "Your Majesty, do you know why they are unwilling to assist you?"

Emperor Chongzhao sat on the bed, turned his head and looked at Chen Duo: "Why?"

"Because the royal family, the princes, and each mansion has beauties sent by the Zhen family, and they are all favored.

"Only in the Chengwang Mansion and later the Eastern Palace, no beauty could come near you!"

Chen Duo smiled slyly, "For this one, you have to go back and thank our Queen!"

If it weren't for Queen Mo's powerful means, the Zhen family's beauty trap would have worked long ago!

Emperor Chongzhao sneered: "I married a jealous woman, what is there to be proud of?"

Chen Duo chuckled twice: "The Queen is a good fence-maker, how can she be called a jealous woman? She is really talented!"

Emperor Chongzhao still had a stern face, but his voice was much softer: "Anything else?"

Chen Duo stopped smiling and said seriously, "I received the news of Concubine Zhen's death this afternoon, so I released her to Jia Jing."

Emperor Chongzhao's eyes narrowed slightly: "What did he say?"

"He was very calm." Chen Duo said in a deep voice, "He just said: This is how it should be."

Emperor Chongzhao suddenly remembered Wang Xifeng's words "It should be so", and his heart was slightly moved.

"I tried to coax him into saying a few more words, but Jia Jing said directly that his earthly ties were over and he would be leaving soon. I beg Your Majesty to allow him to return to the Taoist temple for the sake of his ancestors."

Chen Duo sighed.

Emperor Chongzhao sneered: "He still has the nerve to mention his ancestors?!"

"Is he thinking that he can die in the Taoist temple as a monk? Then he won't have to be buried in the Jia family's ancestral tomb and won't have to face his ancestors?"

Chen Duo guessed for a moment, then shook his head and whispered, "But the alliance between the Zhen and Jia families and the Northern Palace must not be known only to Jia Jing and the Concubine Dowager.

"The Rongning and Ning mansions should have nodded too much."

Emperor Chongzhao narrowed his eyes and suddenly asked, "Have you checked which one of the Jia family members Zhen Shi discussed marriage with before she entered the palace?"

"It was Jia She." Chen Duo said affirmatively, but hesitated for a moment and whispered, "When Zhen was in the capital, the Zhen Mansion and the Rong and Ning Mansions visited each other frequently because they were from the same hometown and old relatives.

"It seems that Zhen and Jia Jing were at that time...

"Later, when Zhen returned to the south as a new widow, Jia She wanted to marry her and sent someone to ask about her. But at that time, Jia Jing claimed to be a Taoist and gave the title to Jia Zhen...

"If he plans to fake his death and leave the capital under the guise of practicing Taoism and then ascending to heaven, and then go to Jinling and take the Zhen family away, it is not impossible."

Emperor Chongzhao was silent for a long time, and then whispered: "For a woman, I would rather sacrifice thousands of people in my clan...

"If Lord Ning knew about this, I'm afraid he would not be happy to let this unworthy descendant return to the ancestral tomb...

"Okay, I'll grant his request."

Chen Duo thought for a moment and said softly, "Then I'll arrange it and have someone watch it. Maybe we can find something else."

Emperor Chongzhao was silent for a while, then suddenly pointed at Chen Duo as if he had realized something and said, "This is what I asked you to do.

"Tomorrow morning, after He Ke leaves, go see the Imperial Concubine and ask her to give you some advice on what to do with Jia Jing.

"If it's you, the Jia family must not be innocent.

“Although the Nanfu incident happened before, and the Supreme Lord has hinted that no major actions should be taken in the near future, I cannot swallow this anger.

"You should consult the imperial concubine to see if there are any tricks, and make arrangements in advance!"