female concubine

——Late spring and early March——

The morning sun gradually rose above the head, and the slanting light from the east window gradually shortened bit by bit. The Zhiguan Jin of the Bell and Drum Academy sometimes reported the exact time with an ivory card filled with gold powder, "Zhengsi time!"

The rooster sang and sang loudly: "The morning light is shining, thousands of households are open, and the ministers are paying homage... It's the right time!" Immediately after fifteen beats of the drum, all civil and military officials who came out of the Zichen Hall passed the Wende Hall, and the drums sounded Cover up their arguments shaking their heads and sighing.

Three full hours had passed since the court meeting started at [-] o'clock in the fifth o'clock. When the court officials came out, their feet were so numb that they had to move slowly while supporting the wall. "Do you think that Han Shangshu's tendon is wrong today?"

“How come you see?”

"They are all reformists, and Fang Zhiyan is the most important minister in the government. After being demoted several times, he still returned to the central government. It is not good for Han Shangshu to impeach, but he wants to impeach the confidant who was hand-picked by the government, and... "The court official held the wat board and hung it down, "The impeachment was successful, what's the reason?"

"What's the matter? Look at the left prime minister, and then look at the right prime minister. Which of them is not a latecomer and ranks above Han Shangshu. Han Shangshu has been with the official family for so many years, but he has never squeezed into the ranks of prime ministers. If it were you , don't you have any complaints in your heart?"

"It seems to make sense..."

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In March of the 29th year of Qianyuan, Han Si and Yu Shitai jointly impeached Zhang Hou, the right minister, Fang Zhiyan, a member of the Privy Council, a deputy minister, several court scholars and servants, and other emperor's attendants. The emperor dismissed the prime minister, which won the support of some conservatives and civil servants. In the middle of March, the emperor ordered Liu Miaoyi, a scholar of the Imperial Academy, and his servants to enter the palace. They drafted an imperial edict to remove the general with white hemp in the lock courtyard of the academy. On March [-], Shangshu Youpushe and Zhongshu Shilang Zhang Hou were dismissed, and they were transferred from the capital to Liangzhe Road, and Fang Zhiyan, who knew the Privy Council, was dismissed from the country and transferred to Lizhou Road as Xingyuan Mansion. The magistrate, together with no fewer than ten high-ranking officials who were demoted, alarmed a group of ministers and wrote letters to intercede.

Wang Wenfu's more than ten memorials in a row were all rejected, and his request to meet the emperor was also rejected, so he went to the Imperial Academy in desperation.

"Is Your Majesty really confused?" Wang Wenfu patted the table with an ivory wat board, "How can you send important ministers abroad at such a time? I don't know what the officials are thinking. Could it be that they are really confused?"

"Don't be impatient, Wang Xiang. The officials have their own considerations." Liu Miaoyi comforted him.

"What kind of consideration is this? Is it true that the officials are like those emperors, cunning rabbits die, and lackeys cook? Fang Zhiyan and Zhang Hou spent their entire lives for the New Deal. It can be said that they have ruined the heart for the emperor, and also blocked all the sharp knives for the emperor. , Now the New Deal has not succeeded Your Majesty..."

"Prince Wang!" Liu Miaoyi said loudly, "Prince Wang is not ignorant of the current body of the official family. With Prime Minister Wang and many female officials, Xinzheng will not be deposed."

Wang Wenfu suddenly thought of the emperor's entrustment when offering sacrifices to heaven, but he was still dissatisfied with the emperor's actions, "Aren't you afraid that those meritorious ministers will be chilled by your majesty's actions? If your majesty does this, even if they are not chilled, I will be chilled and worthless." .”

Liu Miaoyi asked: "What is the purpose of the New Deal? To be an extremely human minister? To give power to the government and the public? Or for the country and the people? If the latter, the law of the country has been established, so why care about the name."

"This is not a matter of fame or reputation. The emperor holds a sharp blade, and we will wait for it. How can we bear to be abandoned by others."

Liu Miaoyi relayed Wang Wenfu's words to the emperor.

The emperor lay on the wooden couch and sighed heavily, "I knew he would say this."

"I also feel that His Majesty's move... really hurts my heart."

The emperor shook his head and pointed at himself, "How many years do you think I have to live?"

Liu Miaoyi was stunned with her eyes open, and immediately knelt down, "The official is..."

"I'm nothing. I'm just an ordinary person with a lot of mind. The female officials gain power because of me. Because I am the emperor, the power of the courtiers lies with the emperor. There are tens of thousands of civil and military officials in the court. Female officials are less than one in ten. If I It's gone, where should you go? Will the successor continue to continue the New Deal? I know that the most fundamental thing lies in people's hearts and education, but all of this is ultimately in the hands of the superior. There must be another empress like the previous dynasty, I am not afraid of becoming a sinner of the Wei family, I do not owe this family anything."

Liu Miaoyi raised her head, feeling sour in her heart, "I implore the officials to take care of your body."

The emperor turned his head and looked at the kneeling Liu Miaoyi, "I can feel that my limit is in these few years, and I don't know how long I can last, so there are some things..." The emperor took a deep breath, "I still have to I want to please you."

In the late March of the 29th year of Qianyuan, Han Si, the Minister of the Ministry of Military Affairs drafted by the Imperial Academy, was appointed as the Minister Youpushe, and the Minister of the Zhongshu Officially paid homage to the prime minister. Knowing the affairs and military affairs of the Privy Council is in charge of military affairs, and at the same time is in charge of the military affairs of the Privy Council.

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At the beginning of April in the 29th year of Qianyuan, the emperor suddenly issued an edict to build the imperial mausoleum ahead of schedule, and appointed Prime Minister Han Bang as the envoy of the mausoleum, Sitian Jian as the mausoleum administrator, and Xue Jin, who was in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as the mausoleum's superintendent.

Then the ministers asked the emperor to stop and withdraw all the envoys on the grounds that it was unlucky to build the mausoleum in advance, but the emperor refused.

The ministers remonstrated and worried: "Your Majesty has only passed the destiny, and it is too early to build the imperial mausoleum..."

"It's just a mausoleum, and it's not like you just lie down after repairing it. In your hearts, there are probably many ministers who hope that I will go to see the late emperor sooner."

"The ministers are terrified." The emperor's words frightened all the ministers.

"All the mausoleums of the previous dynasties started to be built at the beginning of the emperor's ascension to the throne. The first emperor is like this. Why, I, the king of later generations, now follows the ancient law, and you are not willing?"

All the ministers failed to persuade and remonstrated, so they had to return in vain, shaking their heads and sighing on the way away.

"Your Majesty has become more and more moody in recent years, even talking..."

"Has Li Shilang also noticed it? It seems that the rumors in the palace are true, the emperor..."

"Hush!" Zipao took the wat board and knocked on the Feipao beside him, "Speak carefully, speak carefully."

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——Kunning Hall——

The inner servant entered the inner court from the inner east gate to Kunning Hall and behind the woman who pruned the flower branches, "Saint."

"What's the matter?"

"The government issued an edict to build the imperial mausoleum, but the courtiers failed to persuade them, so they called the minister of the Ministry of Industry and ordered him to recruit migrant workers to Gong County to build the imperial mausoleum. Si Tianjian said that the official summoned at the beginning of the month planned to build the imperial mausoleum in Jinling , and then considering the inconvenience of offering sacrifices in the future and making future kings spend extra money to worship in Jinling, it was canceled again.”

"She... is actually more contradictory than anyone else." Xiao Youqing put down the scissors.

"The official's construction of the imperial mausoleum ahead of time is..." the servant choked up.

"Kui Guang take them all out, I want to be quiet."

The servant looked at Xiao Youqing's back who refused to look back, crossed his hands and bowed, "Yes."

After the sound of footsteps gradually picked up, the scissors in Xiao Youqing's hand slipped down, and then he took a few steps back, turned around and propped himself on the stone table, looking sideways at the Funing Hall facing south, his eyes flushed.

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Zhan Shifu, the young prince of Zhan Shifu, then relayed to the crown prince what was discussed at the court meeting today.

"The government insisted on building the mausoleum before his death. No matter how much Ren Baiguan tried to persuade him, the government couldn't take it back. In the afternoon, he ordered the minister of the Ministry of Industry to go to the people to recruit civilians to prepare to start the construction of the mausoleum."

The crown prince almost slipped off the chair, his lips were pale, and his complexion was as bad as his lips, "Building the imperial mausoleum, Your Majesty..."

Prince Shao Zhan sighed, "Now the courtiers' hearts are all inclined to His Highness, as long as His Highness does his duty as a minister and son of man, then..."

"That's my father!" The crown prince grabbed Shao Zhanshi's skirt with red eyes.

Prince Shao Zhan looked at Crown Prince Wei Xu in astonishment. This was the first time he had seen him get angry in all these years as a member of the Han Palace until he came to the East Palace.

The crown prince let go of the man, and immediately walked past him and went straight out of the hall.

Prince Shao Zhan Shi turned around and called out: "But the officials are really ruthless to you!"

The Crown Prince paused, clenched his hands in his sleeves, "Don't you think Shao Zhan has a father?"

Prince Shao Zhanshi reminded: "Is His Highness still longing for it now? Longing for this impossible thing, he can give you everything, or take it all away at any time, and set you up just because you are his only son. An act of desperation."

"Leave this country aside," the Crown Prince lowered his hand, "I don't have only one adult."

Zipao rode a steed through the street, and almost collided with a horse in the middle of the aisle. Wei Xu hurriedly lifted the reins and stopped abruptly. The old men who were pushing the carts were so frightened that they fell to the ground, and at the same time spilled vegetables all over the floor.

Wei Xu hurriedly jumped off the horse, bowed his waist and helped the old man up, "Old man, are you okay? Do you want to find a doctor for you?"

The old man opened his eyes wide and looked at the red jade belt around his waist. He lined up the square jade belt. He wiped his retracted hand and knelt down and said, "It's the villain who has no eyes and has offended His Highness. I hope His Highness will forgive me."

Wei Xu hurriedly helped him up again, and picked up the spilled vegetables one by one, "I ran into you in a hurry, and it's my fault if I made a mistake."

A few attendants came after them on horseback, and dismounted one after another to tidy up all the vegetables in that area. Then Wei Xu pulled out a ring from his hand, "I didn't bring any money with me when I went out, so I use this ring as an apology. I still have something to do, right?" Living."

The old man was at a loss as to what to do with the ring that the crown prince had thrust in. The group mounted their horses and hurried away westward.

The attendant rode to the side of the crown prince, "Even if your highness rushes into the palace, you can't dissuade your majesty, and what's the use of dissuading you about the imperial mausoleum? "

The crown prince immediately pulled up the reins again, looked up at the vermilion lacquer imperial city in front of him and stopped, "I'm just... sad and depressed."

Shortly after the group of people stopped not far from Donghua Gate, they were chased by a servant riding alone, "Your Highness!"

"His Royal Highness!" The attendant immediately jumped down, knelt down and said, "Go back to the East Palace, Your Highness, the Crown Princess..."

Wei Xu's bloodshot eyes widened, and he immediately pulled the rein horizontally, turned it around and turned back to the east, "Drive!"

Si Tianjian selected the site of the mausoleum after many rounds of investigations. He was divining the auspicious day when the construction of the imperial mausoleum would start.