Fake concubine, real queen

After leaving the palace and boarding the chariot and horse back home in front of the Supreme Harmony Gate, Mrs. Gong was still in a daze——

Without him, the portrait of the eldest daughter of the He family in Fanyang that he just peeked at was so impressive that it is still lingering in front of Mr. Gong...

Yu Yicheng called his old friend all the way, but he still didn't respond, and thought he was bewitched.

Yu's residence and Gong's residence were on the way, and Gong and Yu had worked together in Yizheng Pavilion for many years, and they had a good friendship, so they rode together in a carriage. At this moment, the groom outside had stopped the carriage, and Master Yu knew that his home had arrived. But he was worried about leaving behind his old friend who had been in a daze all the way, and thought, don't tell me you're getting old, and you just got caught in the evil wind in the palace, isn't there something wrong?

He was hesitating a little, thinking whether to ask the coachman to stop and say hello to the entourage brought by Mr. Gong, but suddenly he felt his cuffs being pulled.

Turning his head to look, he saw Mr. Gong looking at him seriously, and said, "Old Yu, I think something is wrong with this."

Yu Yicheng didn't realize what he was talking about for a while, and said blankly: "What's wrong? Didn't the emperor agree to all the reports today, but... the emperor looked in good spirits today, and it's rare that he didn't find fault with you and me. Could it be Yuan Fu? Is this what you're talking about?"

The emperor was still in Qiandi at the beginning, and when he did not inherit the great treasure, he was in charge of the Ministry of Criminal Affairs and the Ministry of Industry. Not weak, still the usual style, never hindering anyone's age or high morals, so he lowered the requirements and made an allowance for others.

So every time something happens, even if it is Gong Yun, Yu Yicheng, Wang Ting and the up-and-coming Zhezi, as long as he is asked to see something inappropriate, he will never turn a blind eye like the emperor who has passed away. If one eye is passed, they will be called back and dealt with again without discrimination.

Mrs. Wang is thoughtful, and usually he never said much, he just smiled and took the booklet and went back to rewrite it obediently. At the end, he did not forget to praise His Majesty for his hard work, which is a blessing to the country; Mrs. Gong is more irritable and hot-tempered. I don't know how many times I have vomited bitterness with my old friends in private.

So it's rare that His Majesty didn't find their fault today, Master Yu would think about it, which is quite reasonable.

It's just that Mr. Gong saw that he was completely puzzled, and became even more anxious, saying: "What, I'm talking about the matter after the election of Your Majesty!"

Yu Yicheng was stunned for a moment, and then said: "Oh, that's what Yuan Fu said... But hasn't the Department of Internal Affairs been selected?"

"I just heard from Zhao Neiguan that both the empress dowager and the concubine have their eyes on the same one, which is good. The emperor values ​​filial piety the most. Presumably since the empress dowager likes it, he will obey his mother's order and get married properly."

"I was worried a few days ago. Although His Majesty agreed to the post-election matter this time, I don't know if it was just to perfuse us. After all, the people in the Department of Internal Affairs will always listen to His Majesty? If the time comes If you can't choose, let it go, the court will have to make trouble again, and then you and I, Brother Dunmu, will be caught in the middle, and it won't be annoying enough..."

Hearing that he was making a fool of himself, Gong Yun couldn't help but let out a heavy "Hey" and interrupted: "That's not it, maybe you didn't hear it just now, the girl selected is from Fanyang He's family, Changyang..."

When he got to the point of speaking, he thought that the He family had already been promoted to noble, so he quickly changed his words: "Duke Yong's family!"

Yu Yicheng was silent for a moment, and said: "Of course I heard it. Didn't you just say that you are a cousin who has passed the fifth service? It's also... It's not considered a violation of the late emperor's edict."

That's right, when the first emperor passed away, the imperial edict to inherit the throne and the emperor's third son, Pei Zhaoheng, not only clarified the matter of passing on the throne, but also entrusted another matter——

In the future, the descendants of the Pei family can no longer choose the daughters of nobles and court officials in Beijing to enter the palace, especially those who succeed to the throne and inherit great treasures, let alone be the next ones.

It can be seen how deep the shadow of the former emperor was on the Chen family's domination and chaos over the past twenty years. Naturally, this move was to prevent his relatives from taking power in the future, but everyone also had a faint premonition. The thing was written in the will, and the one I was wary of, probably... was He Gu, who had already won the trust of the third prince at that time—the younger sister in the family who was never married and had the same mother.

The late emperor's overthinking was not unnecessary. After all, he was careful to sail for thousands of years. If He Zihuan really changed his body and changed from the emperor's brother-in-law to the emperor's wife-in-law, it would be over... , I really don’t know how to call the wind and call the rain and do whatever I want.

Gong Yun said worriedly: "You, why are you so brain-dead? Even if the five clothes are really released, isn't it still surnamed He? Break the bones and connect the tendons. If this marriage is really done, then General He will see you The new empress calls out to her cousin, can the middle palace help him? Is the pillow wind blowing in the emperor's ears every day? At that time, it will be He Zihuan's distant cousin, or his own younger sister, who will be in charge of the middle palace. What's the difference?"

"I just took a look at it, and Miss He... who was born... is really indescribable. With such a dignified appearance, the emperor can still say the word 'very good'. After all, the daughter of the Lihe family Isn't it for the purpose of promoting the He family? If this matter gets out, it will definitely shake the government and the public!"

"I think this matter has a lot to do with it. Now that the court has some weight, the only ones who can barely persuade His Majesty are you, me, and Brother Dunmu. In this case, I will ask someone to go to Fanyang to check the family background of Miss He. For the details, call Brother Shang Dunmu in two days, and we will discuss this matter again."

Gradually, Yu Yicheng's expression became serious, and he realized that what Gong Yun said was indeed not alarmist. After pondering for a moment, he nodded in agreement.

Two days later, Gong, Yu, Wang Ting and Mrs. Wang met again in the teahouse of Gong's mansion.

It's just that Mr. Gong never expected that after he confessed all his worries to Mr. Wang on the other side, Mr. Wang only twirled his beard, shook his head and smiled helplessly.

Wang Tinghe said: "When General He was enlightened by me when he was young, he also called me a teacher. Yuan Fu is not ignorant of this matter, but today he is not afraid that I will be biased with He Gu, and still asks me to discuss this matter. Trust is more important than me. "

Gong Yun said: "Brother Dunmu has been an official for many years, and his conduct is obvious to all. Naturally, I can trust Brother Dunmu, and I also know that Brother Dunmu is definitely not a person who clings to power and power. I really have no idea today, so I invite you here , Now that His Majesty wants to choose the eldest daughter of Fanyang He's family as the queen, I'm afraid... I'm afraid it's really inappropriate. The only ones who can persuade His Majesty to persuade His Majesty are us old fellows. That's why I want to invite Brother Dunmu, the three of us Let's go into the palace together to persuade His Majesty..."

But Wang Tinghe shook his head and said: "I was about to say, if Yuan Fu is for this matter, please forgive me that I will not go with Yuan Fu and Chong Nian."

Gong Yun was startled, and said, "Brother Dunmu, you are..."

Wang Tinghe looked at him and the silent Yu Yicheng, and said slowly after a long while: "Yuanfu, Chongnian, I know that you two are also dedicated to the country, it's just that the temperament of today's boss has passed so many years." Is it possible that you still don’t understand? The matter after the election, since His Majesty agreed, he has already planned in his heart, it is not something that you and I can interfere, not to mention you and me, the late emperor has come... ..."

When Wang Tinghe said this, he shook his head with a helpless smile. Although he didn't mention the following words, Gong and Yu were smart people, so they naturally understood what he meant.

Yes, that year when the abolished prince collapsed, even though he did not establish a successor heir, the emperor clearly secured the position of heir in the late emperor's heart, but just because of a small matter, he was still able to irritate the late emperor in order to insist on what he wanted. Long Yan was furious——

He has never been a person who is willing to compromise, be hypocritical and obedient.

There was silence in the Gong Mansion teahouse.

Wang Tinghe stood up, cupped his hands and said, "If there is no other important matter, Dunmu will leave first."

Yu Yicheng said in a shy voice: "...Brother Dunmu, do you want us to stand on the sidelines?"

Wang Tinghe had already turned around and was about to leave, but he stopped when he heard the words, and looked back at Yu Yicheng, the smile on his face faded a bit, and he said lightly: "A few days ago, Lu Yue was dismissed."

Gong and Yu were taken aback for a moment, not knowing what he was suddenly doing with Naluyue.

"Although Zhao Bingzhi is not very talented and has a self-willed temperament, his teacher Lu Yue is different from him. He is indeed a man of poetry and books and understands things. In the early years, I had a good relationship with Lu Yue. My brain is a bit roundabout, but I am not a bad person, and my virtue is not bad, but I still parted ways with him later, do you two know why?"

Hearing what he said, Gong Yun realized that Brother Dunmu, who is now in a high position and holds the top position in the Yizheng Pavilion... He also had friendship with Lu Yue, who showed his ugly face at the court meeting a few days ago, so he couldn't help being a little surprised , said: "...why?"

Wang Tinghe raised his head and closed his eyes for a moment, then opened his eyes again and looked at them and said slowly: "Back then, Lu Yue asked me, why did I explain, why not? Why? I answer Lu Yue, if the morals are not right, don’t do it; if you can’t do it, don’t do it.”

"He listened but snorted, thinking that my so-called 'powerless' was just an excuse for cowardice and retreat, not what a man said. If there is something in the heart and yearning for it, then you should overcome all difficulties, and you should know that you can't do it. And for this, even though he died nine times, he still has no regrets—"

When Wang Tinghe said this, he shook his head and said: "People only have one life, but Brother Lu has to die nine times. This is the difference between me and him—Brother Lu can die nine times for the sake of the way of admitting death in his heart. I, Wang Tinghe, don't want to be like him. There are so many ways in the world, and manpower is boundless. What can be achieved is only a drop in the ocean. Since I was young, I have known that reading is for achieving and benefiting the world, not for one day To be able to die by bumping into a pillar in the palace of government affairs, even if the death is vigorous, even if the death will last forever, it will be known all over the world."

"Keep this life, the way that Dunmu can practice, and the things that he can do for the common people and the common people. I don't know how many things. Even if there is no ink in the history books and no name in the book a hundred years later, I still have no regrets."

He talked in a cloudy manner, and finally saw Gong Yun and Yu Yicheng on the other end with blank expressions, as if they didn't understand, but they didn't think it was embarrassing. Brother Nian, I will take my leave first."

After Elder Wang left, Gong Yun turned around and asked his old friend in confusion, "What do you mean by Dun Mu's words just now? Do you understand?"

Master Yu was silent for a long time, and finally summed up the four words very concisely——

"Dunmu is telling us to..."

"Mind your own business."

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

The people in the middle palace chose this matter, and it soon spread in the court.

The empress was selected from the He family, and indeed, as Boss Gong expected, there was a wave of moderate waves——

It's just that this turmoil was slightly different from what Boss Gong had guessed in advance, and it was not a big disturbance, either because the emperor was secretly suppressing it, or because although the candidate for the queen came from the He family, he was not the same as Yong Guogong. The relationship is not too close, or because of a series of accidents over the past few days, and after witnessing the current situation of Lu and Zhao's master and apprentice, the thorny heads have also begun to recognize in their hearts, and become heroes by recognizing current affairs. ——

That's all, that's all, the emperor's willingness to become a queen was already a surprise, he didn't intend to go his own way and have a lifetime of masculinity with General He.

As for who the emperor is willing to choose to be the queen, and whom he is willing to promote, they don't bother to ask any more.

In short, no matter how bad it is, the choice of empress must pass the eyes of the empress dowager. If her own son begs for a wife, the empress dowager will not be disinterested, right?

The courtiers all remembered how caring and picky she was in choosing a son-in-law for the late eldest princess.

Miss He was able to pass the test of Empress Dowager Chen, no matter her character or appearance, she must be good.

This time, Lu Zhongcheng and Dr. Zhao, the assassins of Yushitai, were gone. Looking at those in the Yizheng Pavilion, the courtiers seemed to have no intention of persuading the emperor to consider the candidates for the central palace. The bosses and elders kept silent, and the subordinates naturally learned to be obedient, and they had to weigh themselves in their hearts, how much they weighed, and whether they were qualified enough to be that early bird.

Thus, the slight disturbance caused by the post-election incident disappeared in such a thunderous and rainy manner.

As for the rumored Duke Yongguo congratulating the young Lord who has a very difficult relationship with His Majesty, there are naturally many people who are waiting to see his jokes, thinking that since the Emperor has finally settled down, after getting married, he will know the benefits of a woman Well, General He's old friend who didn't show up on the stage will inevitably be left out in the cold.

There were those who gloated for a while, those who were waiting to see his jokes, and those who sympathized with him. He Gu didn't comment on the sarcasm hidden in the words of those people, or the subtle and subtle reassurance, but continued his usual style——

Play stupid.

It's just that this time it's not for the sake of keeping a low profile, but because he knows in his heart that bigger storms are yet to come, so where is he going right now?

It is far from necessary to care about it.

----------

With candidates for the middle palace, the new emperor's marriage was quickly settled. Si Tianjian picked and picked, and chose an auspicious date that was perfect for both horizontal and vertical views.

The first day of July.

Although it is earlier, but today's marriage has been dragged on for too long, good days are hard to wait for, it is not incomprehensible that the appointment is earlier now, anyway, the Empress Dowager and the Concubine will definitely help out, and the Secretary of Internal Affairs is not the same Can't handle it.

The emperor's marriage was a huge event, and the news quickly spread across the streets and alleys as if he had grown legs. For a while, no matter the streets and alleys in Beijing or Beijing, traffickers, men, women, and children, the conversation after dinner became the topic of the new emperor. later things.

Someone said: "When General He returned to Beijing, our emperor was standing on the tower in front of the palace gate. Although I only took a look at it from a distance, hey! Don't mention too much about his appearance..."

He wanted to say handsome, but when the words came to his lips, he also felt that something was wrong, so he quickly changed his words and said: "...Don't mention how majestic, how wise and powerful! I really don't know that the empress selected for the emperor in the palace, You have to look good to be worthy of the emperor! That must be a fairy-like figure!"

Someone next to him sneered and said: "I was also next to you that day, Liu Laoliu, don't brag, after such a long distance, even if the emperor is really on the tower, what can you see?" Another person said: "Liu Laoliu is I'm bragging, my cousin works in the Sitianjian yamen, helping the nobles, he said he saw it with his own eyes..."

The person who spoke mentioned this point, looked around, and then put his head under the tea stall among the crowd eating sunflower seeds under the sun and whispered: "He said he had seen that... that portrait with his own eyes, tsk , but it is really not flattering, the face is square and the ears are wide, the eyebrows are like two fire sticks, Liu Laoliu even boasted that he is a fairy, I think even the Marshal Tianpeng descended to earth, it is better than..."

Liu Laoliu was so embarrassed by him, his face was red and his ears were red: "What nonsense, just make up the empress, if I sue you to the yamen, you will have to eat and walk around."

The dark-faced man who claimed to be a relative working in the Sitianjian was not afraid when he heard the words, he just smiled and handed Liu Laoliu a handful of melon seeds, saying: "Hey, why are you serious? A joke, it's all a joke. For a magnanimous person like Sixth Brother, don't be as fussy as me."

That Liu Laoliu snorted, but was obviously calmed down by his words, and those who went down the donkey along the slope did not mention reporting to the officials.

Seeing that he was no longer angry, the black-faced man turned his head and smiled secretly, and said in a low voice: "Let me tell you, my cousin may not have seen the portrait very clearly, but the birth date of the Queen's Empress, Si The Tianjian wanted to calculate the auspicious dates for the emperor's grandfather, and then copied the booklet and sent it to Fengxian Hall, but he must have seen it right... Guess, what's going on?"

When he said this, he deliberately put a lid on it, and stopped talking.

When someone couldn't help being curious and urged him in a low voice, and asked him "what's the matter, tell me quickly", he said in a low voice: "This future empress's horoscope, who do you think is the same day as the nobleman in Beijing?"

"with who?"

"Today's Duke Yong, General He who killed the Rong Dog from Chenghe!"

Someone was taken aback and said, "Wang Gou'er! Don't dare to talk nonsense!"

But Wang Gou'er said, "Why am I lying to you? Believe it or not."

Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, but in their hearts they all thought of the very wicked rumors that His Majesty and General He had a habit of cutting off sleeves that spread in Beijing years ago.

"Really the same day? How can there be such a coincidence?"

"Could it be that... the emperor deliberately picked a woman who was born on the same day as General He and whose surname is He, so as to relieve the pain of not being able to stay with him in this life?"

"But it's nothing more than being born on the same day. They have the same horoscope. How can there be such a coincidence in the world? They both have the surname He. I don't believe it, unless they came out of the same mother's womb."

"Wang Gou'er, did your cousin see it clearly? It's real or not, isn't it even the time... Eh? Wang Gouer?"

A few idlers chatting in the tea stall turned their heads to look, only to find that the dark-faced man who was sitting next to them just now, who called himself Wang Gouer, had long since disappeared.

There are no impervious walls in the world.

The rumor that "Miss He" is exactly the same as Mr. He's birth date spread back to the court officials' ears as if they had grown legs overnight——

A stone stirred up a thousand waves.

Ordinary people may still not understand what this matter means, but the court officials have been fooled for a while, and only then came to their senses——

The same date of birth, the same age, both are from the Fanyang He family, how can there be such a coincidence in the world?

What "Miss He"?Thinking about it carefully, only the internal officials of the Department of Internal Affairs have really seen this Miss He. Who and what does "Miss He" look like? have no idea.

Now, it doesn't matter who "Miss He" is, anyone who is not stupid knows who "Miss He" means to His Majesty.

The officials and officials quickly recalled——

The emperor didn't really imitate Gao Zu, and vigorously wrote a man clearly on the jade plate of the patriarchal book, and established him as the central palace, but it was even worse than——

He was smart enough to set up a guise of Empress He's to silence all civil and military officials. He wanted to let everyone in the world know who the Empress really was, and at the same time to preserve the power and position of Duke Yongguo in the court. manage.

At that time, Emperor Gaozu's Zhonghui Empress Wen, although Gaozu had made Gaozu risk the world's disgrace to become the empress, but in the end, Empress Wen only had the symbol of empress on her head, but she had no authority in the previous dynasty. As for the past hundred years, only the label of Empress Zhonghuiwen remained. Except for the court historian, no one even remembered his last name.

The emperor is smart. In this way, He Zihuan can get both the fish and the bear's paw. How can there be such a good thing in the world?

It's a pity that this rumor came from nowhere and suddenly awakened all the officials, but it came too late. It was almost the end of June, and the Department of Internal Affairs had already made preparations for the emperor's wedding. Even if he wanted to play impeachment and asked the emperor to think twice before acting, he couldn't find anyone who was willing to take the lead in the discussion and who really had that weight.

On the contrary, there were a few old officials, although they did not enter the Yizheng Pavilion, they were officials in the three dynasties, and they were quite old. They entered the palace together a few days before the emperor's wedding, but they didn't know how the emperor dealt with them. It was dark, and these elders came out of the Lanzheng Palace, and went home together in despair.

Afterwards, someone went to look for them again, but these people closed the door to thank the guests, and did not mention anything after the confrontation.

The first day of July will soon arrive as scheduled.

In fact, He Gu knew well why Brother Heng was in such a hurry to let Si Tianjian's people set the wedding date so urgently.

He could wait, but the little bastard in his stomach had already been six months old. Baoyin was born a little prematurely. Although this time since he returned to Beijing, Miss Yan had been watching him and he was well-raised, but after all, at the beginning of the year After two months of dealing with the Beirong people in Wuling Mansion, I suffered some bumps and fatigue. No one can guarantee that this child will get tired of staying in his father's stomach one day and want to come out sooner. .

This child will definitely not be able to follow his surname He anymore, He Gu knows it well——

Of course he needs an aboveboard background.

General He stood in front of the court and touched his slightly swollen belly except himself. Looking at Baoyin, who was riding a small wooden horse and fighting Lan Xiao heartlessly in the small courtyard outside, he looked melancholy Long sigh.

In recent days, He Gu has been very lethargic. No matter how loud the commotion outside is, he just refuses all visitors and sleeps in the dark at home. Fortunately, he has moved to the new Yongguo Mansion. This place is close to the palace. The West Street, where the nobles and relatives of Lord Jingzhong gather, is far away, and it would take a lot of effort to harass him, so he had to hide quietly.

Baoyin saw her father from a distance, her eyes lit up, she immediately threw the small wooden sword in her hand, ran over, hugged her father's leg and said with aggrieved eyes: "Daddy, you have been asleep all day!"

He Gu touched the top of her head, and was about to hug her, when Baoyin stretched out a pair of slender arms from behind, and lifted the little girl from He Gu's lap.

He Gu was taken aback for a while, but soon came back to his senses, and said with a smile, "Brother Heng, why are you here?"

The palace is very close to the Yongguo mansion. Since moving here, Pei Zhaoheng would come here without warning. At the beginning, He Gu was a little unaccustomed to his elusiveness, but now gradually, he also Get used to it.

Pei Zhaoheng held Baoyin in his arms, looked at him and said in a warm voice, "Zihuan think about it, what day is tomorrow?"

Of course He Gu remembered what day tomorrow was.

He was melancholy just now, and he was also melancholy about this.

"Has Zihuan made up his mind?"

"..."