female concubine

The carriage entered Chenhui Gate and stopped in front of the second palace wall. The woman in the carriage lowered the curtain and said slowly: "My wife has a lot of eyes, the prince will carry him in."

"Hands are sore..." King Chu was a little reluctant.

"Oh? Then the prince doesn't have to go to bed tonight, since your hands are sore anyway..."

She picked up the child by the lapel, and said in a low voice, "Your mother asked me to hold you, but I haven't accepted you." His hand went to poke the smooth chin of King Chu.

For them, the fault of the child's biological father cannot be forgiven, but Xiao Youqing has been taking care of this child day and night since he was born. Nearly a year has passed, and the growing relationship has already regarded him as her own. She knows that the king of Chu Having only been with this child for a short time, it is impossible for her to accept the pain she has encountered in a short time, but what the palace said just now made Xiao Youqing feel terrified.

——Dong Dong Dong——Dong Dong Dong——Ouchi's evening drums were beating, and Xiao Youqing said, "It's sun, let's go."

The King of Chu bowed out with the child in his arms. The golden light of the setting sun shone on the walls of the vermilion lacquer palace, and the autumn wind picked up his robe. The King of Chu felt that it was a little cold, so he gave the child to Xiao Liuzi, and ran back to the car to take out a big cloak, " It's cool, I'm going to live with my mother tonight." King Chu put a cloak on Xiao Youqing's shoulders, "By the way, has mother made things difficult for you these days?"

Xiao Youqing shook her head lightly, "My mother never summoned me after you left, and I was afraid that she would not listen if I explained, so I didn't dare to take Zongren to visit Zhaohua Pavilion."

"Mother, she..." King Chu held Xiao Youqing's hand, "Don't worry, Ah Xi, I'll talk to mother, now that I'm back, I'm here for everything."

Accompanied by the twilight drum of Ouchi, ministers came out from the side gates of each palace gate, and the cart frame was parked not far from the palace gate. Naturally, they couldn't avoid it, so they stepped forward one after another and said, "Your official has seen Chu King, Concubine Chu, Duke Qing."

The King of Chu nodded lightly in response, then leaned over and took the child beside him and walked towards Da Nei, bumping into Han Bang who was leaving the palace to go home.

Han Bang stepped forward and folded his scarlet sleeves, "I never thought that the prince would return to Beijing so soon. I have seen King Chu, Concubine Chu, and Duke Qing."

"Han, Du Chengzhi, this king didn't expect that Han Du Chengzhi's leapfrog promotion is really fast enough."

Han Bang bowed his waist, "Thanks to His Majesty's grace." He looked down at the child on the side of King Chu's leg, staring at the puffy eyes, "When the full moon was full, the little Duke was still in his infancy. I didn't expect that he would grow so big in the blink of an eye."

"There will be more things that Du Chengzhi can't think of in the future."

"This is true for the lower officials, and so is the prince, because the situation is changing rapidly, and no one knows what will happen in the future. Whether it is too late or not, it will be prosperous in the end, or the mid-day will shift, and the full moon will cause losses. No one can say for sure." Han Si bowed slightly towards the King of Chu, "The gate of the palace is about to be closed, the official will not be on duty tonight, the wife is still waiting at home, and the elders don't care about the official's meal, so the official will go out of the palace and go home. "

The king of Chu picked up Xiao Zongren, "Du Chengzhi has changed this brocade robe and gold belt, it is still the same as before, it really hasn't changed at all."

Han Si just cupped his hands and smiled, and immediately walked towards the palace gate.

"The time is too late, or the end will be good, this is not..."

"This is what King Goujian of Yue said. After adversity passes, times come and go."

Xiao Youqing glanced back, "This Han Si, one foot away makes people feel cold, the city is too deep." Xiao Youqing looked at the King of Chu again, "But what you told me in Goulan last year That matter, I can actually guess more or less."

The King of Chu stopped and looked at Xiao Youqing in surprise, only to see Xiao Youqing covered his mouth with a slight smile and said, "How could I not pay attention to a person like him, so I went to check his life experience and found some coincidences, after all, I am a concubine. It's the mistress of Chu Palace, and now I hold those account books in my hands."

King Chu continued to walk forward, bowed his head and smiled slightly, "It's true that you can't hide anything from my sister."

Xiao Youqing asked again: "Does the lord know that the right minister handed over his resignation letter?"

The King of Chu nodded, "According to the ancient rituals, scholar-bureaucrats can retire at seventy, and the Duke of Zhou has already passed Jiazi, so he can retire."

"Just one year after he was promoted to prime minister, he resigned, but my concubine felt that he wanted to withdraw because he knew about the current strife."

The King of Chu nodded again and said: "Zhou Shinan is a smart man who is good at forbearance. He has dealt with the court for 40 years, and he has been kind to his descendants. Now that he has achieved fame, he knows that he has come to an end. Your Majesty is old. Once he is the emperor and the courtiers, of course he wants to see you well." receive."

"If he resigns, there will be a vacancy in the Political Affairs Hall for a minister holding a seal. He has recommended two people to His Majesty."

The King of Chu laughed and said, "It must have been Liang Wenfu, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, and the Privy Council who both accepted the decree for Han Si."

Xiao Youqing nodded.

"Their qualifications are too low to convince the public, but His Majesty is a person who doesn't follow the rules, so maybe he will make an exception and be promoted against all opinions." The King of Chu walked for a while with the child feeling sore and turned around. He put it down, and waved to the servants who followed him.

Walking into the Wende Hall from the Taihe Gate on the right side of the Daqing Hall, the King of Chu looked up at the tilted plaque in front of the hall, slightly raised his eyebrows, took a deep breath, lifted his hem and walked up the steps.

Seeing the king of Chu and his family returning to the capital to face the saint, Zhao Ci smiled and walked forward, looking around, "The sixth king has lost weight, but he finally came back. Qishan stayed for more than two years, and the sixth king is still used to it? "

The King of Chu nodded, "I learned a lot, and Zhao Weng misses it."

"Six kings and princesses, hurry up and go in, the official family is in the palace."

The King of Chu entered the palace with Princess Chu and the child. The emperor who was handling government affairs on the throne seemed to be much older than the one she had seen before leaving Beijing, and his jade crown was covered with silver hair.

The king of Chu stepped forward, knelt down and said: "I invite you to be safe, and I wish your majesty all blessings."

The emperor stopped the pen in his hand, and slowly raised his head. He didn't raise his head when he heard the footsteps, but now he looked at the person who kowtowed at the table, and narrowed his old eyes slightly, "Get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

When the King of Chu stood up straight in front of him, the emperor seemed to see a familiar figure. The Mid-Autumn Festival had just passed and the young man in front of him was already 20 years old. "

The King of Chu folded his sleeves and bowed, "Thanks to Your Majesty, I am very safe in Qishan."

"You mean, I shouldn't recall you?"

"Returning to Your Majesty, I dare not. No matter how beautiful Mount Qi is, how can it compare to the one I grew up with?" King Chu bowed his head and raised his head from his sleeve, "Homeland."

"It seems that sending you to Qishan made you feel wronged, King Chu." The emperor rubbed his hands, "Take your wife and children to Zhaohua Pavilion to see your biological mother. Last time you returned to Beijing for so long, you didn't go. Son, filial piety is indispensable, if you don’t know, you might think that I won’t let you go.”

"Yes."

The emperor picked up his pen again, "Don't forget to go to Kunning Hall first, after all, the saint is your mother."

King Chu raised his eyebrows slightly, "Yes."

--------------

In Kunning Palace, Empress Shen was crying to her son with a resentful expression.

"Your Majesty is the Empress now. There are so many servants in the Palace of Kunning, and some complaints can't be kept on my lips. If His Majesty listens to it..."

"I moved from the side hall to the main hall, but what about your majesty, how many times have you been here this year?"

"Your Majesty is busy with government affairs..."

"Are you so busy that you can only go to Zhaohua Pavilion? My son, he has been reluctant to establish you for a long time, and now he has recalled the King of Chu to dote on Concubine Li Gui, will it?"

Zhao Wang looked at his mother and shook his head helplessly, "Why did your mother become so suspicious?"

"I see, His Majesty must dislike me for being old."

"Oh, mother..."

"Report to the sage, the king of Chu and the princess of Chu bring their sons to seek an audience."

Empress Shen sat upright on the seat, her resentment turned into a face full of disgust, "Oh, you're back so soon? You know you came to see me, the queen, but I don't want to see them, so let them go."

"Yes."

"Wait." King Zhao stood up to dissuade him, "The king of Chu traveled thousands of miles to return to the capital, and his majesty must have come to enter the palace this time. How can the empress not see you?"

Empress Shen hesitated for a moment, then immediately said: "Then let them in."

King Chu entered the palace and found that King Zhao was also there, so he took a sudden look.

Empress Shen raised her head when she saw this, and said contemptuously like a superior: "Why, the King of Chu hasn't made any progress in the past few years, and he doesn't even understand the rules when he sees me?"

The King of Chu frowned secretly and stepped forward, staring at him and knelt down slowly, "Minister, please be safe, the sage, and the sage will live forever."

"That's about the same. A courtier should act like a courtier. Mammy has taught you all the rules for so many years. You can't forget them all once you leave the palace."

"That is what the sage taught."

"Okay, get up." Empress Shen raised her hand.

The King of Chu helped Xiao Youqing get up together.

Empress Shen watched King Chu's every move, "Since there is nothing wrong..."

"Your Majesty, my son has something to say to Sixth Brother."

Empress Shen waved her hand, and two palace servants approached and helped her get up and walk towards the side hall.

King Zhao put down his hand and turned to look at King Chu.

"Youqing also wait outside the hall first." Xiao Youqing also took the child out of the hall.

"I haven't seen you for more than half a year. The sixth brother is darker and thinner than before. It seems that Qishan is not as good as they said."

The King of Chu bowed his head and smiled slightly: "King Lao Zhao is still thinking about it. It's not that Qishan is bad, it's just that I think too much about food and drink."

"Oh?" Zhao Wang raised his eyes and looked at Chu Wang, "I don't know what kind of thoughts can make you forget about eating and drinking?"

The King of Chu turned his head and glanced at Xiao Youqing who was carrying a child outside the hall, and smiled at King Zhao: "Of course it's a wife and a son."

King Zhao lowered his head and said with a sneer, "The King of Chu really has a deep affection for Princess Chu."

"Isn't King Zhao and Concubine Zhao not?"

King Zhao took a step closer, "But this king doesn't have such a good fortune as King Chu, who can stay with the one he really loves forever."

"Wei Qian doesn't quite understand Zhao Wang's meaning, please, Zhao Wang remind me?"

Zhao Wang turned his face coldly, "Wei Huan, what do you still want to pretend to be in front of me, pretending to be noble?" Zhao Wang frowned with a disgusted face, "If it wasn't for your design, how could she be yours? My princess, the deposed prince was so stupid that he gave power to you for nothing and ruined his own life."

Zhao Wang made a gloomy face again, "You have been hiding for so many years, so you should know about me and her during the three years you went to Sichuan."

The King of Chu turned cold and stared at King Zhao fiercely.

King Zhao smiled and said, "Yes, yes, that's the look..."

The King of Chu immediately softened his eyes, "Now I finally know why You Qing didn't want to choose you and bet on me," he said with a hooked smile, "Because, you are also stupid!"

The King of Chu turned his back to him with his sleeves in his hands, turned his head slightly and said with sideways eyes: "Want to sow discord? Have you forgotten, King Zhao? This king is not you, nor is he the prince. This king has enough trust in his first wife." , those of you who care about the past will only lose in the end, whether it’s for people or things.”

Zhao Wang took a step forward and cursed angrily: "Wei Huan, you sinister villain, don't think that His Majesty will really make you the crown prince."

The King of Chu lowered his head slightly, "I don't think I've ever said that I want to be the crown prince, right?" Then he stepped away.