The old man in the imperial city

When the queen raised the fetus, the queen mother took care of it alone. The fourth elder brother was born at full term, healthy and tender.Except that the emperor always likes to look at the fourth elder brother with scrutiny, the empress dowager and the imperial concubine all like this baby boy.

The direction of the wind in the palace has changed significantly, and Concubine Tong, who was originally devoted to following the Queen Mother, was hit the hardest.

She naturally noticed that once the fourth elder brother was born, the queen mother's attitude towards the third elder brother was different.Originally, she could not count on the emperor's favor, but this time the queen mother has a grandson from her own family, and she can't even remember the third elder brother who is half of Han blood.

Amnesty means that the birth of the fourth elder brother's son in the middle palace is affirmed by the emperor. Concubine Tong dare not complain. For several days in a row, she pretended to smile and flattered the queen mother in the Palace of Compassion, and held the third elder brother in her arms at night. He said: "Third elder brother, you have to fight for Er Niang from now on."

The third elder brother is young, but he can also distinguish the happiness and anger of the people around him. He was depressed for several days and tried his best to show off his cuteness to please the Queen Mother and Er Niang.

All the emperors and concubines knew this clearly, and of course they were indifferent.From the emperor's point of view, they all grew up like this back then, so there was no reason to be reluctant to part with their father.

It's just that Yinhu is afraid that the treatment of the second uncle will also be affected by the birth of the fourth elder brother.No one knows better than him the situation of the unfavored elder brother in the palace.Concubine Ning's second elder brother has not been liked by the queen mother in the past two years, and it is largely because of him.

So the imperial concubine did not go to discuss politics and wait for the emperor's pen and ink for a few days, and went to Changchun Palace to drink tea and eat snacks at Concubine Ning, teasing the second elder brother.

The emperor was not particularly dissatisfied with this, and it was true that Lao Ba did not need to appear in person when discussing politics, anyway, he could discuss it under the covers at night.He was just worried about whether the tea outside Chengqian Palace was tampered with by the Queen Mother.The Mongols have a lot of weird medicines, but he has suffered a lot.

Even the empress looked like she had been in drought for a long time, and Concubine Ning had given up her desire to compete for favor.Dong E's made five suits with her, but the queen mother didn't need a reason to vent her anger.She has very complicated feelings for the imperial concubine, but the situation in the palace has long made it impossible for her to choose.

The imperial concubine treats the second elder brother with kindness and kindness, and the status and treatment of the second elder brother in the palace has also increased. Although he is not as flattering as the fourth elder brother, the legitimate son, he is better than the third elder brother who is struggling to survive.Concubine Ning knew that the queen mother would not wait to see her until she died, so if she said something disrespectful and deserving of beheading, even if the fourth elder brother did not live to be an adult, the queen mother would rather choose the third elder brother than her own son as the crown prince. Tighten the imperial concubine's thigh to show loyalty.

The rest depends on God's wishes. The emperor lived a long life, and she and the second elder brother lived a smooth life. Otherwise, she would not be able to escape the fate of being angered by the queen mother.It's useless to press the cow's head without drinking water. What the queen mother is most afraid of now is that Dong E's stomach will suddenly have goods. She dare not count on her increasingly rebellious son.

So the queen mother, in the name of caring about the emperor's harem, sent her confidantes of the Taiyuan Hospital to the Compassionate Palace for lectures, and asked why there was no news about Yulu, the exclusive emperor of the Chengqian Palace.

The Tai Hospital has been threatened by the emperor from top to bottom, and even the response is well prepared in advance.She insisted that the imperial concubine was delicate and timid, her two miscarriages were too close to each other, and she was so busy with palace duties that she didn't have a good rest. If she didn't conceive, she could live a few more years. If she really got pregnant, she would lose her lifespan. Neither is good.

The Empress Dowager thought about it when she heard the words, and asked calmly, "It's not good to call it big or small. If you make it clear, don't cover it up. You are the emperor's slave, so you should do your best to share the emperor's worries."

The imperial doctor explained it in a long and eccentric manner, and the general meaning was understood by the queen mother: Dong E's family can live for seven, eight or ten years without having a son who is sick. If you give birth to elder brother, you can't support him.

The Queen Mother was very satisfied with this trial, she suddenly felt that it was not a bad thing for the harem to prosper, and the herbal medicine in Chengqian Palace could be stopped for a while.

The queen mother and the emperor hoped that the imperial concubine's stomach would also have good news in line with the wish of retreating from the south to the north.The Chengqian Palace was unprecedentedly clean, and the emperor touched his younger brother's stomach almost three times a day, expressing his expectations for him.

Yinhu was not in a hurry at all, and refused to take the Yizi Yimu soup prescribed by the Tai Hospital.

He felt that Yongzheng's testimonials made his head crazy that day, and he actually agreed to such an unimaginable thing as giving birth to a son for him.Afterwards, she often went to Concubine Ning's place to listen to her nagging about childbirth and parenting. When she was alone, as long as she thought about the details, she would inevitably regret and struggle.

It's a pity that the man keeps his word, he can't really learn from the capriciousness of the fourth child, so he simply pushes it all to God's will.

If God wants him to give birth, he will give birth.

If he couldn't protect her after birth, or gave birth to a girl, he would rather die than bother.

Although the emperor could not wait to let the Imperial Hospital cook Yizi soup for three meals a day and send it to Chengqian Palace, he also knew that no matter how much donkey-hide gelatin and scutellaria baicalensis wasted, his brother would not open his mouth.

So Yinzhen can only carefully observe and serve his younger brother, and continue to use the grand blueprint and picturesque rivers and mountains as bait, and the two brothers draw cakes to satisfy their hunger.

The more calm Yinhu was, the more irritable the emperor became.

The more irritable the emperor was, the more calm Yinhu became, and it was easier for him to order the emperor to serve tea and pass the water bridge to loosen his shoulders.

This kind of atmosphere is strange and weird, Yinhu had to resort to political affairs to play sloppy eyes, and divert his elder brother's covetous eyes.

Yinhu's excuse was: "In another three or four years, Yanping Wang Zheng's will recover Taiwan, and from now on the separatist regime will be called the king to fight against the Qing Dynasty. The fourth brother has always planned ahead, why not deal with it as soon as possible?"

It's war again, Yinzhen is really not good at this.When it comes to war, it involves troops, food and salaries, as well as protracted pressure and separatism.

So the emperor said: "Just wait for the Zheng family to drive away the Dutch. In a few years, after Zheng Chenggong died, wouldn't it be better to send troops while the Zheng family was in trouble? Hurrying to send troops at this time? The south is not very peaceful."

Yinhu looked at him contemptuously: "It sounds good to say that the emperor is seeking stability, but the fourth brother is self-proclaimed and timid and afraid of tigers. The brothers are fighting against the wall and defending against the enemy's humiliation. At this time, the court only needs to send troops to help Zheng's fight against the Dutch. The hearts of the Han people will be more towards the imperial court, and the attack on Taiwan will be justified, and this account should be settled by the younger brother for the fourth brother?"

For the sake of his younger brother's mood, the emperor swallowed his anger and did not dare to complain at all.

In the middle of the night before yesterday, Lao Ba tossed and turned, his life-saving ravings woke him up.

Yinzhen could clearly hear Lao Ba calling "Lao Jiu", if it wasn't followed by "Brother, I'm sorry", he would have woken up his younger brother on the spot and asked "Are you sorry for me"!

By daybreak, the emperor's dissatisfaction had been replaced by a guilty conscience, and he remembered that Lao Jiu's death was a bit disgraceful.No matter how much he hated Lao Jiu, that ending seemed a bit too much.Hey, why was he so impatient back then?Why is there no one around who dares to fight to the death?

On the bright side, Lao Ba is still in various awkward situations because of the birth of a son.The emperor put himself in the situation of being pregnant with his son with a big belly, and then it was commonplace for him to look at his face every day and try his best to please him.

The matter of the Zheng family in Taiwan became a punching bag for the imperial concubine, mocking the emperor's inaction because a man is not worthy of being an emperor.

Yinzhen wanted to ask if he was a man, don't you know?

But when the words came out of the mouth, it became: "What do you think about taking Oboi to fight at sea? If you lose, I will just punish him for leading the army. If you win, it's his fate. Just find another excuse to kill him. If he is lucky enough to fight on the Dead Sea, I will make him loyal and brave, and allow his sons and grandchildren to succeed him." After speaking, the emperor himself began to feel guilty, as if he used this method to deal with the old eight one party back then.

Yinhu hesitated for a moment, then said: "Oboi's leadership may not be enough to subdue the crowd. It would be good if he died, but if he wins, I'm afraid that he will be too powerful to be eliminated. The disciples of the Eight Banners of Manchuria will definitely lose in the water battle. , but can Oboi command the navy of the Han army? The candidate for the lieutenant should also be carefully considered."

Yinzhen also thought of the right and wrong after Nian Gengyao was killed. The emperor has always been unable to please such things as killing heroes.

Yinhu said again: "Is it better to have a prince in charge? Like Prince Jane?"

Yinzhen followed his younger brother's train of thought and said, "Prince Jian is worse than Prince An, at least Prince An is absolutely loyal."

Because of the relationship between his grandfather and father-in-law, Yinhu usually avoids talking about Prince An. He only said: "My brother remembers that Prince Jian has almost disappeared in the past few years. It's good not to go. In fact, my brother thinks that the court's participation in the war is nothing else. Keep an eye on those red cannons of the Dutch, they will be the bargaining chip in the confrontation with Taiwan in the future."

The emperor's eyes immediately filled with tenderness when he heard this, and he said to his younger brother in a low and pleasant voice, "It's all up to you."

As soon as Yinhu heard this, he thought: This is the end of talking about political affairs?He still has more to say.

Yinzhen paid attention to his younger brother's fidgeting for a while, and finally sighed: The matter of giving birth to a son is still too exciting for Lao Ba, or is it because Zhen and the Queen Mother put too much pressure on him?

In the end, the emperor could only speak by himself: "In two months, the imperial court will send troops to the south, and I think Mongolia is planning to put pressure on me."

Yinhu understood the meaning of the emperor a little bit, he didn't say a word, and felt that the timing was just right in his heart.

Yinzhen continued: "What the Queen Mother means is not to bully the women sent by the Mongols and at the same time let the Mongolian Eight Banners die first. If it's just Hong Chengchou's messy things, I'm not afraid of a few Mongolian princes. If you add Regarding the matter of the Zheng family in Taiwan, the Mongolian side really needs to be appeased first."

Yinhu was bored for a long time, and said four words: "The overall situation is the most important."

Yinzhen was about to look up to the sky and sigh, how much he wanted to hear his younger brother say: "Fourth brother, don't go, let's take care of everything together." Is it so difficult to advance and retreat together, and we can't ask for it in two lifetimes?If it weren't for the fact that Lao Ba didn't want to see him, he really didn't want to mention the matter of moving the palace.

Yinhu hesitated again: "What about government affairs?"

The emperor almost vomited blood, this sentence was really not what he wanted to hear.

However, Yinzhen still knows the current affairs and said: "Reporting to the mansion, I will send people every day. I can also come every other day. Those invitations will not bother you. You choose some topics to think about, and don't bother writing too much. Tiao Chen, let someone go to the Qianqing Palace and Zhen will come over. It is easier to talk than to write."

Yinhu nodded. Although he felt that the fourth child was too sticky, he still wanted to repay his kindness for bothering him.

Yinzhen was still saying: "The heat is still severe, so don't be too greedy for ice. Women's bodies are no better than men's. If you get cold, you will fall to the root of your illness."

Yinhu's face contorted for a moment, and finally he just replied: "Fourth brother, don't be too greedy for cold tea, drink less cold tea, and don't always open the windows when you settle down at night."

Yinzhen decided to stop, he just wanted to give Lao Ba a little private time to calm down, and it wasn't a farewell to life or death, so he talked as if Lao Yan flew away and never came back.