[Qing Chuan] Mu Emperor's Grace

Facing Hongli's persecution, He Shen clenched his sleeves tightly, hesitated for a while, then knelt down and said, "The empress dowager told me to serve the emperor with all my heart, and to fulfill my duties on weekdays, and not to slack off..."

He Shen's mind was in a turmoil, but no matter how confused he was, he had no intention of bringing out the Queen Mother's edict at this time.

He Shen knew that what he had in his arms was a hot potato. If he handed it over rashly at this time, although it might be able to dispel Hongli's anger, it would inevitably give someone a handle, and he would be named the Twelve Brothers Party.

Hongli looked at him suspiciously, and said with a sneer, "He Shen, do you think I'm a three-year-old child? Do you really think I'll believe your nonsense?"

Under the gaze of Hongli's eyes, He Shen felt that all the thoughts in his heart could not be hidden. He dodged Hongli's gaze and forced a smile: "The queen mother misses the emperor most, she thinks I am a caring person close to the emperor, so I have talked a lot with me, some of them are... interesting things about the emperor's childhood... some are just recently remembered, and they are relatively trivial, after listening to them, I understand the emperor better..."

Hongli stared at He Shen with serious eyes, and said after a while: "The queen mother must have told you that I also had a naughty time when I was a child, so I was always punished, and Naqin was punished for me. ..."

A moment of bewilderment flashed in He Shen's eyes, and then he smiled and said, "The queen mother did tell me..."

After He Shen said this, he saw that the relaxed smile on Hongli's face gradually disappeared, replaced by a seriousness that had never been seen before. He heard Hongli slowly say: "He Shen, I used to go to the study, It’s true that I’ve been naughty for a while, but every time I go to pay my respects to the Queen Mother, I always report good news but not bad news. It’s impossible for the Queen Mother to know about things like my companion being beaten for me... "

He Shen's heart trembled, he was not good at fabricating lies, and now that Hongli exposed him, his face turned red.

Hongli approached Heshen, giving people an endless sense of oppression: "Heshen, don't lie to me..."

He Shen was panicked. The moment he received this order, he had already conceived the best possible and worst plan. If the emperor returned to Luan, he did not reveal the intention of abolishing the empress, and it was just a face to the empress. If there is no punishment from the gods, then He Shen will hide this Yizhi forever and bring it into the loess.

However, now the emperor is pressing every step of the way. If he can't give a perfect statement today, he can't escape the emperor's eyes.

At the moment when He Shen's thoughts were flying, Hongli was also carefully observing his expression. The young man's eyes were wandering, and his eyes were full of thoughts. Such a preoccupied appearance was the last thing Hongli wanted to see.

He raised his hand and gently rubbed He Shen's brows: "Don't frown, if the sky really falls, I will still be there to carry it."

He Shen took a deep breath, under the two offensives of the emperor's seriousness and gentleness, he was about to be overwhelmed.After a long stalemate, He Shen sighed softly to confirm that there was no one around, and then took out the edict from his sleeve and handed it to the emperor.

Hongli looked at the Yizhi in doubt, but raised his hand to press it down, and asked Chong Heshen, "Have you read all the contents here?"

He Shen nodded hesitantly, at the invisible cuffs of Hongli, He Shen clenched his fists tightly, suppressing a heart that was about to jump out of his chest.

Only then did Hongli unfold the Yizhi, and Heshen lowered his head in silence, not daring to look at the emperor's expression. After an unknown amount of time, Heshen finally heard Hongli's voice again, but the anger in those words was obvious "I'll ask you again, have you really read this Yizhi?"

Even though He Shen felt uneasy, he could only respond: "I dare not lie to the emperor, I have indeed read Yizhi."

"So... You know the content of the edict, but you still present it to me?" Hongli's face was terribly gloomy.

"Yes." He Shen made a final decision, making Hongli's complexion completely dark.

"It's written on it: Empress Bingde is gentle and respectful, and the empress dowager specially ordered her to practice the ritual of gentleness and purity, to respect the law in the deep palace, and to show that she is upright in the court. Do you agree with every word and every sentence?"

He Shen knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I dare not make unreasonable comments on the empress's character. I only know that this decree is the empress dowager's will."

Hongli looked at He Shen in disbelief, and said in a trembling voice, "The empress dowager? Even you have learned to use the empress dowager as an excuse to suppress me?" I wouldn't be surprised if anyone handed over this decree to me. Let me tell you the truth, even if I really want to abolish the empress, the old stubborn people in the court will do everything possible to stop me. But I really didn't I thought, in the end, you will submit this decree to me."

As soon as Hongli's anger soared, what he said was no longer merciful, he frowned and said, "You know better than anyone else how much I hate the one in the middle palace. Originally, I was still thinking about it with the queen's mind Depose her in the name of abnormality, and when the post is vacant, if those diehards still refuse to let go, I will let the post be forever on the grounds that the harem women are not blessed and no one can afford the post. If the land is empty, take it as a promise I made to you, no matter whether it is the harem or the front court, there will never be an emperor and empress hand in hand again..."

Hongli looked at Heshen, the longing in his eyes was now shattered by a decree: "Now it seems... I'm just pretending to be passionate."

He Shen shook his head desperately and argued, "Your Majesty! Listen to me!"

However, the emperor who was furious did not give He Shen a chance. His suspicious temper immediately flared up again, and he sneered, "He Shen, who exactly do you want to protect? Is it the queen? I don't think so..."

He Shen's heart trembled, he could almost predict where Hongli's words would turn.Sure enough, Hongli didn't give him any buffer time, but just shouted: "Heshen, isn't it the first time? You encouraged Shi Gege to go to the central government that day, and the queen mother interceded for Yongzheng. Today, the queen mother left and hasn't returned yet. Luan, you can't wait to hand over this decree to me, is Elder Brother Twelve so important? So important that you can ignore my feelings for him?"

He Shen said in his heart: Sure enough.He could imagine the emperor's anger, and he also knew that with Hongli's mind, he would have guessed that the real beneficiary behind this imperial decree was not the Ulanara family who had been completely despised by Hongli, but It's her son Twelve Elder Brother Yong Xing.

Hongli is now completely covered by anger. Perhaps in Hongli's mind, his mother, Empress Dowager Cixuan Kanghui of Chongqing, has always been a woman who devotes herself to worshiping Buddha and is tolerant and loving.When she was in the palace, she lived in seclusion, and all she did every day was copying Buddhist scriptures.Therefore, what He Shen knew about the methods of the empress dowager was a fantasy to the emperor.

"Your Majesty..." He Shen tried his best to argue about something, but his mood was very disturbed. Before he could organize his words smoothly, Hongli's reprimand sounded again: "What kind of benefits did Yongzheng give you? It's worth your money." To protect his own reputation?"

Hongli's eyes looked at the Yizhi repeatedly, his eyes seemed to burn a hole in the paper, and there was a trace of helplessness in his voice: "Heshen, isn't I treating you well enough? Isn't one honor and pet enough to make you feel at ease? You are so anxious to identify Yongxi, and you have found a way out for yourself so quickly, so you don't trust me so much?"

He Shen was taken aback by Hongli's angry questioning, he knew that now he couldn't argue with everything, and was obviously forced to do it, but in Hongli's view, it turned out that he was deliberately trying to find a way out for himself.

Hongli raised the imperial decree in Yang's hand: "Have you ever thought about how many people stared at what you did today, how many people did you know who witnessed you being left behind by the Queen Mother on the Qingque Boat that day?" Come down. If today’s incident gets out, do you think other people are fools and don’t know how this decree came about? Except for what you and Shen brought out, don’t think about it at all.”

The more Hongli said, the more his teeth itched to hate iron and steel: "If this news gets out, do you really think that other elder brothers will regard you as a guest tomorrow?" Hongli's anger once When the explosion broke out, his subordinates lost their importance, and Hongli threw that Yizhi straight at Heshen's face.

With a "pa", the pole on Yizhi slammed into He Shen's forehead.

He Shen covered his forehead and said softly, "Your Majesty... I didn't know that the Empress Dowager would give me such a decree, asking me to forward it to the Emperor..."

Hongli sneered: "Heshen, think about it yourself, who would believe this, with so many ministers, why did the Queen Mother find you? Except that you are someone the Queen Mother can trust..." Hongli said Halfway through, he suddenly stopped.

He Shen picked up the Yizhi from the ground and flattened it. Unlike Hongli's impatience, after a short period of panic, He Shen became calm and calm.

He looked at Hongli, nodded and said, "I'm not lying. Before I met the Queen Mother, I really didn't know there was such a decree. The Queen Mother entrusted the decree to me just because it could affect the emperor's mood." He Shen shook slightly. Shaking Yizhi in his hand: "Just like now..."

Hongli was stunned, and when He Shen saw that the words had reached this point, he simply stopped covering up and said bluntly: "As long as the emperor is furious, there are eyes everywhere outside the palace, and news will spread naturally. Maybe what I said now, It has also been heard, what the Empress Dowager wants is for everyone to know the existence of this imperial decree, and also know that this imperial decree was forwarded to the emperor by me..."

Hongli was stunned, he slowly stroked the jade finger in his hand, and said in a deep voice: "I... don't understand what you are talking about!"

He Shen moved his numb knees and said with a wry smile: "Your Majesty... Standing in my position, I have no right to argue. If I accept this decree, it will be a hot potato; if I don't, then It's disobedience to Yi's decree. If Yi's decree is presented to the emperor, the emperor will blame him and get angry; but if he keeps it secret, he is deceiving the emperor. This is the first time I feel... making a decision is so difficult, and whatever you do is wrong .”

Hongli slammed down on the stool, and now he felt that what He Shen said was somewhat reasonable.There was a storm in Hongli's heart, he never imagined that the Queen Mother was willing to do this for Yongzheng.

He held his forehead in frustration, waved his hands at Heshen and said, "Get up..."

He Shen stood up slowly, and was about to stand aside with his head bowed, when he heard Hongli calling: "Come here...that pole just poked you..."

Only then did He Shen come to his senses, and stretched out his hand to touch his forehead, and felt a swollen ridge, which hurt a little with his fingertips.

Seeing this, Hongli hurriedly pulled him to sit down, carefully inspected his injuries, and found that there was no bleeding, so he was relieved.

"Heshen, I..." Hongli frowned, with a tangled expression on his face: "From the time I was sensible to when I ascended the throne and took charge of the government, my mother put me first in everything, but as time went by, I was also busy with government affairs. Spending time with him, maybe Yongxin came to the empress's side and just gave her comfort..."

Hongli tried his best to explain for the queen mother, and He Shen listened to the hesitant words, knowing that the emperor's words were not only for him, but also for himself.

He patted the back of Hongli's hand lightly, and said softly: "Your Majesty, I understand that it is human nature for elders to love their grandchildren since ancient times." He Shen looked at Hongli's eyebrows and said with a smile: "What's more , The Empress Dowager chose me because she affirmed my ability, she must hope that I can assist Brother Twelve..."

Unexpectedly, before He Shen finished speaking, he heard a cold snort: "Brother Twelve? Regardless of his talents and abilities, his performance when the Queen Mother passed away shows that he has a lack of virtue. If Lanara made such a mistake, can it be assumed that nothing happened?"

He Shen was at a loss for words for a moment, he opened his mouth, and then remembered what Hongli had reprimanded him, but he still didn't say anything in the end.

It is really not a wise choice for him to intercede for Yongxin.

Hongli, however, took Heshen's silence as a sign of hidden worry. He said softly, "Heshen, I know that you know the trajectory of the dynasty's development, and naturally you know your own ending..." Hongli sighed: " Alas, it's no wonder you chose Yongxin instead of Yongyan..."

He Shen was stunned, he was about to speak, but Hongli stopped him by raising his hand: "You let me think about it... let me think about it..."

He Shen heard the meaning of Hongli's words, so he was even more shocked. Before Hongli could speak, He Shen knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I am not afraid of the future. Even if I really choose the crown prince in the future, no matter which elder brother it is, I have a clear conscience."

Hongli patted his forehead when he heard the words: "He Shen, where are you thinking? I'm thinking about giving you the title of Prince and Taifu."

He Shen looked at Hongli in shock, and it took him a long time to find his voice: "Your Majesty..."

"In this way, no matter who I appoint as the crown prince in the future, as long as you, as the Taifu, can preach and teach well, the new monarch will definitely treat you well, and will not repeat the same mistakes as the original one."

He Shen looked at the emperor almost aphasia, tears gradually blurred his eyes, he said softly: "I am so lucky to be loved so much by the emperor, Hongli, with your words, even if you want me to be buried in the future, I am willing to die." of."

Hongli wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, and said with a smile: "I really don't know what you are thinking in your heart, I don't want you to be buried, I want you to take care of the century-old foundation of the Qing Dynasty for me, so that the Qing generation, can prosper for a long time.”

He Shen's tears hit Hongli's lapel, and Hongli whispered in his ear, "Does anyone else know about Yizhi?"

Seeing Heshen shaking his head, Hongli stood up and threw the Yizhi in his hand into the brazier. Heshen stared dumbfounded at the flames that were burning more and more, gradually engulfing Yizhi.Hongli looked at the pile of ashes, and said slowly: "I don't want the third person to know about this matter."

He Shen bowed and said, "The servant obeys the order."

Until He Shen came out of the cabin, Hongli's words were still lingering in his mind.He looked at the cloudless sky and sighed softly.

Xu Shi relieved the burden on his heart, and He Shen felt that the days to come passed quickly, and the fleet had arrived in the capital at some point.

The news of the Empress Dowager's death had already spread to the capital, and the gloomy sky bathed the whole city in a sad and gloomy atmosphere.The majestic palaces in the Forbidden City have been decorated with white silk, from the princes to the cavalry guards, as well as the concubines, princesses, Fujins and wives of various palaces. Hongli led them to the Queen Mother's Zigong to cry.

Hongli glanced around at the officials and concubines present, and suddenly frowned and looked at the empty seat in front of Ling Guifei, "Where is the queen?"

The eighth elder brother came out at the right time and said: "Returning to the emperor Ama, the empress's phoenix body is against harmony, and she is sick in bed, that's why..."

As soon as He Shen heard this, he knew it was going to be bad. Sure enough, Hongli's already tense face became even more ugly: "Today is the time for the funeral of the Empress Dowager. I don't care how sick she is. If she can't get out of bed, Just lift her up."

Yong Zhen, who was kneeling in the crowd, trembled all over. He was in a state of panic when he suddenly heard a gentle voice from behind: "Your Majesty, this servant thinks that the empress is not recovering from her illness. To make the illness worse, the crying spirit was originally to express mourning, if this is the case, it would not be too late to make up for it after the empress recovers from the illness."

He Shen's voice was very calm and gentle, to Yong Xin's ears, it was like a life-saving straw.

Hongli looked at Heshen among the crowd, pondered for a while, and then ordered: "Just follow what Heshen said."

When the mourning and joy began, everyone began to cry. Among the white-flowered crowd, some covered their faces and wept in a low voice, some wept loudly, some just shed tears silently, and of course there were also those who were confused among the crowd, with dry eyes and no tears at all. .True and false, it is hard to tell.

Even people like He Shen, who were supposed to stay out of the matter, were all soured by the atmosphere.

When everyone was crying, they suddenly heard a woman's sudden cry from the main entrance: "Mother Empress! Why did you leave? What should the concubine do when you leave!"

Yong Xing's heart trembled, and he hurriedly turned his head to see his mother's empress wearing a lake-blue uniform, barging into the gate of the palace with loose hair. Her uneven long hair exposed the fact that she cut off her own hair in front of civil and military officials. in front of officials.

He Shen subconsciously looked at the eighth elder brother, seeing that Yongxuan's face was pale, he was obviously terrified.

Ulanara, however, didn't seem to notice the eyes of the crowd at all, with a strange smile on his lips, he stumbled towards the empress dowager's coffin.

Hongli hurriedly shouted: "Come on, pull this lunatic away." The guards outside the hall reacted very quickly, and quickly captured Ulanara.

Although Ulanara was captured, he struggled vigorously and showed no sign of illness at all, Hongli looked at Yongxuan with a sullen face, and said coldly: "What's going on? "

Yongxuan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and said in a trembling voice: "I... I don't know, obviously the empress's servant came to report that the empress is sick in bed, my son..."

Before Yongxuan finished speaking, she heard Ulanara's mouth wide open, and let out a piercing laugh: "Yongxuan, you liar, it's obvious that you want to imprison me in that scumbag palace. Here, people are sent to guard every day, for fear that the palace will escape. God has eyes, let me escape today, just in time for the funeral ceremony of the empress dowager, otherwise I don’t know how long I will be imprisoned by you!"

Hearing this, Yongxuan looked at Yongxuan with unkind eyes, but he didn't speak, but there was a vicious look in his eyes.

Hongli rubbed his temples wearily, and said to Yongzhen expressionlessly: "What the queen said is the truth?"

Yongxuan just wanted to shake his head, but was frightened by Hongli's eyes, so he could only reply in a dull voice: "It's the truth..."

Hongli frowned and looked at Yongxuan: "The empress is a model of the Sixth Palace and your elder, even if you supervise the country under the order, how can you... I see that you really regard yourself as the emperor of the ninth five, I forgot what is meant by seniority and inferiority!"

Yongxuan listened to the training with her head down, not daring to refute at all.After Hongli taught him a lesson, he turned his head to look at the crying woman lying on the empress dowager's coffin.

"Empress Dowager, why did you just leave? How could I survive without those little sluts of yours climbing up on the head of the palace one by one to do their best? Empress Dowager, if you want to leave, you will have to kill the servants. Let’s take the concubine away together, the deep palace is not a place for people to stay at all...that kind of place can eat people..." The queen let out a sinister laugh while talking, and some women led by the order When the young children heard the Queen's laughter, they all hid in their mother's arms.

Hongli looked at Ulanara's crazy behavior with cold eyes, and stopped after a long while: "Enough, don't you think it's shameful enough, the majestic mother of a country, who keeps talking about these gossips, but wears clothes at the queen mother's funeral." That's it. If you really want to, you should dress neatly and lead everyone in the harem to cry..."

The queen slipped along the coffin and fell to the ground. After listening to the emperor's words, she laughed softly: "Your majesty...my good majesty...Isn't it all because of you that I have become what I am today?" She grabbed the messy hair in her hands: "Look, how beautiful this hair is!" As she spoke, she pulled hard and tore off the tuft of hair. Some timid women were already scared to death. shouted.Hongli's face was as black as charcoal, and he said in a deep voice: "I see you, you are not qualified to be a queen at all! Come here, detain this crazy woman and keep it under strict guard!"

The Ulanara clan was imprisoned, but everyone in Zi Palace felt lingering fear, even the crying was not as coherent as before.Hongli looked around with a warning in his eyes. Some of the restless courtiers were swept over by the emperor, and their expressions were restrained.He Shen met Hongli's eyes unexpectedly, and at that moment, both of them saw the deep helplessness in each other's eyes.