Cousin Chitose Chitose

In the palace, Empress Dowager Liu was having lunch with the emperor, and the atmosphere was very happy.

"Aijia remembers that these are the dishes that the emperor likes to eat. The emperor eats and sees if it suits his appetite. If it doesn't suit his appetite, Aijia will ask them to make it again."

Although Empress Dowager Liu is over [-] years old, she still looks like a person in her [-]s, well maintained.Perhaps because she has been in a high position for a long time, she looks quite powerful, and she is not so easy to get close to.

Although she deliberately lowered her posture in front of the emperor, she still made people feel unapproachable.

The emperor didn't seem to care much about this, so he just smiled and said: "The cooks here are naturally excellent, and they are very suitable for me."

The emperor is 15 years old this year, and although he is quite majestic in his gestures, compared with a shrewd and capable person like the Empress Dowager Liu, he still looks a bit young.

"That's good, that's good. It's been a long time since we two have had dinner together like this?"

"Yes, my mother is busy with affairs, and I always don't have time to have dinner with me. I hope that I can take charge of the government as soon as possible, so as to share my mother's worries."

Empress Dowager Liu's smile faded: "Your Majesty is still young. Although Ai's family has high hopes for you, they are also worried that you will not be able to handle these government affairs well. Important national affairs are not trivial, and they cannot be handled just by talking about them." OK."

A trace of sarcasm flashed in the emperor's lowered eyes: "Everything is difficult at the beginning, I will share part of it for the mother first, what does the mother think?"

As if he was afraid that Empress Dowager Liu would disagree, the emperor said again: "In this way, the mouths of those ministers can be blocked, so that they don't have nothing to do all day long, always saying that the queen mother should follow Wu Zhao, and the rooster rules the morning."

Hearing this, Empress Dowager Liu's eyes sharpened.

The emperor said gently: "My mother is concerned about the country and the people. No one understands my mother's heart better than me. As long as those people see my mother teaching me how to deal with government affairs, they will not be able to say anything. Naturally , I don’t know anything about government affairs, and it’s not going to go smoothly for a while, so I always need my mother to teach me for a while.”

After hearing the emperor's words, Empress Dowager Liu said after a long time: "The emperor is the lord of the world. According to Yi Ai's family, those who rely on the old to sell the old should be dealt with easily. Put it in your eyes!"

The emperor showed a look of panic: "Mother, this can't be done. Before the death of the father, the emperor gave thousands of instructions to let the ministers listen to the words of these ministers. How dare the sons violate the meaning of the father? It is the mother. If you If we really want to deal with these heroes for no reason, I'm afraid it will chill the hearts of the people below."

"Aijia just said that casually." Empress Dowager Liu sighed.

If she could really deal with those difficult old men, she wouldn't need to be so troubled at all.

Empress Dowager Liu's tone became gentle again: "Emperor, the Ai family knows that you feel that the Ai family is taking power and refuses to return it to you. But you don't think about it, the ancients said, get married and start a business. You are just unstable now. How could the Ai family trust you to take care of the country's affairs?"

The emperor's heart skipped a beat, and he understood the point.

If Empress Dowager Liu didn't want to hand over power to him at all, then there was no need to have this meal with him and say such things.

But now that she has let go, it can only prove that she can't stand the pressure of those old ministers.Or, she already knew that the list fell into the hands of the emperor.If she refuses to make concessions, the emperor will contact the team left by the late emperor, and then gradually erode her power.

Empress Dowager Liu glanced at the emperor and said, "If there is a virtuous empress to persuade the emperor to make progress, the Ai family will not have to worry about anything."

The emperor took it for granted: "This matter is easy to handle. According to the rules of the ancestors, when the royal family selects concubines, they should gather all the official girls of the right age and screen them one by one. At the end, the one with the best conditions is the queen. I don't care about these things." I fully understand, but thinking about it, there must be a reason for the ancestors to make such a rule, the queen mother said, isn't it?"

Empress Dowager Liu naturally didn't dare to say that Daqi's ancestors' rules were wrong, but choosing concubines in this way obviously didn't meet her wishes.

"There is nothing wrong with choosing a concubine in this way. It's just that the position of empress is no small matter. Only a woman with both ability and political integrity cannot be qualified. The emperor's cousin Jia, the emperor also knows. There is no one who doesn't like her. If she is the queen, the Ai family doesn't have to worry about anything—what does the emperor think?"

Liu Xijia was only a few months younger than the emperor.

At that time, when Liu Xijia was just born, the Empress Dowager intended to match her niece with her own son, but at that time Emperor Taizong was still there, and so was the Empress Zhonggong. Although she was favored, she was only a little concubine.She has no place to intervene in the prince's marriage.

Later, although Emperor Taizong left, the little emperor also had his own opinions, and he didn't like Liu Xijia who was tired of being around him from time to time to please him.Therefore, Empress Dowager Liu's wish has never been realized.

At this time, Empress Dowager Liu used her pro-government as a bait to ask the emperor to make Liu Xijia her queen—

Empress Dowager Liu and the emperor looked at each other, and in each other's eyes, they both revealed the meaning of never giving in.

After a long time, the emperor said: "My mother also knows that Liu's cousin, just a while ago, just went incontinent in the Marquis of Changning and lost her reputation. Such a woman is not qualified to enter the palace as an ordinary concubine, let alone Is it the Queen?"

"Zhen, I don't want to be humiliated and laughed at for the rest of my life, saying that I can only marry such a queen."

Empress Dowager Liu raised her eyebrows: "In the future, she will become a queen, and everyone will naturally forget what happened today."

The emperor said quietly: "Many people saw the incontinence incident among the cousins ​​of the Liu family that day. Now, the news may have spread to the common people. Even if they dare not discuss it, will they forget about it? Give your son one or two points for your love for cousin Liu's family?"

"Your Majesty!" There was a hint of warning in Empress Dowager Liu's voice.

The emperor was very disappointed: "Mother, do you really insist on forcing your son to marry Liu's cousin? Mother, where will I be placed? Where will the royal dignity be placed?"

"Mother, you know that establishing a queen is a major event for the family and the country! Even if I agree to make my cousin the Liu family as queen, the ministers and clan members below will never agree to such a woman with a flawed reputation as the mother of the world! "

When Empress Dowager Liu heard this, her complexion became more and more gloomy.

She knew that the emperor was right.

With everyone's strong opposition, she really wasn't sure about helping Liu Xijia to the queen's position.

But if Liu Xijia couldn't be the queen, would she want to watch other noble girls marry the emperor, and then deal with her together with the emperor?

No, she will never sit back and watch all this happen.

Just as Empress Dowager Liu was about to speak, she heard the emperor say, "Actually, I don't necessarily have to marry the cousin of the Liu family. The cousin of the Liu family is also very good. The queen mother said, isn't it?"

Liu Xihui?

Empress Dowager Liu turned her eyes and gradually relaxed.

In front of Empress Dowager Liu, Liu Xihui was never as favored as Liu Xijia.But when Liu Xijia's hope of being the empress is very slim, letting Liu Xihui enter the palace as the empress seems to be a good choice.

After all, Liu Xihui is also a daughter of the Liu family, and she is very filial to the Empress Dowager Liu on weekdays.If he enters the palace in the future, he will naturally be of one mind with Empress Dowager Liu.

"Your cousin from the Liu family, although not as smart as your cousin from the Liu family, is still a good girl. If you choose her to be your queen, the Ai family has no objection."

"But it suddenly occurred to me that the cousin of the Liu family is the daughter of Duke Cheng En. The father of the cousin of the Liu family...doesn't seem to have any titles, and her father is only a fourth-rank official. In this way, the identity of the cousin of the Liu family is If it lacks some, I'm afraid I won't be able to be a queen."

Before she had time to be happy, Empress Dowager Liu raised her heart again.

The emperor smiled and said: "Look, mother, how about I conferred the title of Hui on my cousin from the second rank concubine? In this way, I can show my cousin's intelligence, and it coincides with my cousin's name."

The empress position in hand is about to fly away, of course Empress Dowager Liu is not happy.

But what the emperor said was indeed reasonable, and he couldn't refute it.

At this time, Empress Dowager Liu was secretly annoyed, why did she patronize promoting her younger brother on weekdays?

Although Liu Xihui's father is now a fourth-rank official, his status is not low, and he has a sister who is Mrs. Hou, but according to her status, it is not enough to be a queen.There are many aristocratic families in Beijing, and many of them have better backgrounds than Liu Xihui.

In the past, Empress Dowager Liu thought this was very good. There was a certain gap in status between Liu Xihui and Liu Xijia. The former could not threaten the status of the latter, so naturally he could only assist the latter wholeheartedly.But now, Liu Xijia can no longer enter the palace, and Liu Xihui can only be an ordinary concubine. Empress Dowager Liu naturally feels that everything is not good.

"Sister Hui is your cousin after all. Isn't it inappropriate to only confer the title of concubine? Let's make her a first-rank noble concubine. Although she is not your uncle's direct daughter, she is also your uncle's niece. You have to give her Some decency."

Empress Dowager Liu said: "After thinking about it for a while, the Ai family should carefully consider the position of empress, and don't be in a hurry. This time, I will first choose a few concubines to serve the emperor in the palace. After a few years, when the candidates are selected, If you have made enough preparations, it will not be too late for the emperor to seal you up again."

As long as there is a few years of buffer time, Empress Dowager Liu will naturally have a way to help Liu Xihui to the position of queen.

"With sensible children like the imperial concubine to take care of the emperor, the Ai family can gradually hand over the matter at hand to the emperor."

If you want to achieve your goals, you will naturally have to pay a certain price.If the emperor is willing to do what Empress Dowager Liu said, Empress Dowager Liu doesn't mind giving him a little bit of sweetness.

The emperor was amused, the queen mother always played such tricks, she was not tired of it, but he was too tired.

"The queen mother always considers the problem comprehensively, so let's do what the mother says."

The emperor's eyes darkened.

Empress Dowager Liu insisted on letting him make Liu Xihui the noble concubine today. I hope she will not regret it in the future.

The emperor remembered that Liu Xihui, that cousin, was always behind Liu Xijia, simple and honest, hard-working, even if Liu Xijia bullied her, she never cared.But when the status and status of the two are reversed, will Liu Xihui treat Liu Xijia as before?

The second room of Liu's family has been oppressed by the eldest room for so many years, does it really have no idea?

……

After the emperor left, Empress Dowager Liu snorted coldly: "Look, the species crawled out of Aijia's belly, after hearing a few provocations from outsiders, it turned out to be divorced from Aijia."

At such a time, Nanny Li, the confidant of Empress Dowager Liu, could not agree with her, saying that the emperor was wrong, so she had to persuade her: "The emperor is still young, so naturally he can't understand your intentions. When the emperor grows up, he will Understand, only you are the closest person to him."

"Small?" Empress Dowager Liu shook her head: "He is not young anymore. He has grown to the point where he can compete with Aijia for power and profit."

"By the way, today is Ci Shun's death day, and the emperor went to offer incense to her again?"

Nanny Li was stunned: "Although the first emperor once abolished Empress Cishun, he later restored the status of Empress Cishun. Anyway, Empress Cishun is also the emperor's aunt in name. Come to think of it, the emperor's etiquette is like this." Being thorough is also to shut the mouths of those people outside."

Empress Dowager Liu sneered and said, "Why are you blocking the mouths of other people? Don't fool the Ai family anymore. The Ai family sees that the emperor was influenced by the late emperor, and he is more respectful to Empress Cishun than the Ai family."

Nanny Li said cautiously: "Master, don't create any quarrel with the emperor. After all, the emperor still cares about you, master. After he ascended the throne, although he respected Empress Cishun in every way, he didn't posthumously confer Empress Cishun as the Queen of Cishun." Queen Mother."

Mother is more valuable than child.

Empress Dowager Liu can have such a revered status today, thanks to the emperor.Nanny Li naturally didn't want the relationship between Empress Dowager Liu and the emperor to be too tense.

But the emperor wanted to be in charge, and the Empress Dowager Liu was unwilling to let go of power. The conflict between the two was inevitable. Nanny Li really didn't know how to ease the relationship between the world's most respected mother and son.

Empress Dowager Liu rubbed her temples: "That's because he knows that Aijia will never agree! He doesn't want to go against Aijia for a dead person."

"I don't know when, the first emperor was on guard against the Ai family. He didn't let the emperor get close to the Ai family, taught the emperor to respect the Empress Cishun, and the ministers in the court, under the instruction of the late emperor, always opposed the Ai family. Do you think , is the Ai family fighting with the emperor and the clan now? Wrong, the Ai family is fighting with the late emperor!"

"If the late emperor hadn't left so many hole cards for the emperor, why should the emperor, a young child, compete with the Ai family!"

Upon hearing this, Nanny Li lowered her head and remained silent.

This kind of important matter is no longer something she can easily intervene in.

She was a little worried in her heart, and always felt that a bloody storm might be right in front of her eyes.

……

A group of people left the palace in a mighty manner and drove towards Liu's residence.

Cheng Engong's people saw the decree officer coming from the palace from a distance, and hurried to report to Cheng Engong: "Master, there are people coming from the palace, I am afraid that the eldest lady's wedding is coming soon!"

When Cheng Engong heard the words, his heart skipped a beat, and he was overwhelmed with ecstasy: "I have said that, with the help of the Empress Dowager, there is nothing that cannot be done."

Mrs. Cheng Engong also recited Amitabha Buddha three times in joy: "Fortunately, we did not agree to the marriage at the Marquis of Changning, otherwise, wouldn't Jiaer's future be delayed? Back then, when Jiaer was just born, there was The Great Immortal gave her orders, saying that she was destined to be noble, and now, it can be regarded as fulfilled! I don’t know if the Great Immortal is still around, but when I look back, I should give him a good life.”

The two hurriedly arranged their appearances, ready to welcome the envoy of the emperor.

Unexpectedly, after a long time, no envoy from the emperor came to the door.

Cheng Engong couldn't help being a little puzzled: "It stands to reason that there is only such a small distance, no matter how slow the pace is, we should have reached it."

Mrs. Cheng Engong persuaded: "Master, wait a little longer, I can't eat meat tofu in a hurry."

At this time, a servant ran over staggeringly: "Master, madam, the people from the palace... went to the place where the second master is!"

"What, could it be that the envoy from the palace found the wrong door???"