The shadow of the country

Thirty, Kuang Fu

Three days later, the large team of the southern tour returned to Beijing in mighty form.On the day of arriving in the capital, the Empress Dowager and the ministers greeted her in front of the palace gate.The sedan chair carried by Marquis Zhongning closely followed the emperor's sedan chair.Zuo Jianyi doctor Ye Daren saw this, but frowned.Touring the south is nothing more than a tour. Although Marquis Zhongning saved the life of the late emperor, he was canonized as a marquis by the late emperor.But after all, he has no real power in his hands, and has no official position in the court, so he can't be regarded as an important minister at all, so he shouldn't travel with the emperor on the southern tour.But on this occasion, it is not easy to say anything in public.

There are no concubines in the emperor's harem, so the welcoming ceremony for returning from the southern tour was personally arranged and presided over by the empress dowager.The Empress Dowager walked before all the ministers. Although she was over sixty years old, she was still a beautiful woman.Not only is it well maintained, but it is also very dignified.Wearing a yellow satin gown, with bead tassels on the left side of the head, and a pair of phoenixes and beautiful ceremonies.It doesn't look old-fashioned, and it doesn't lose courtesy.

Yi Lan got off the imperial sedan chair, and after accepting all the officials bowing down, she saluted the Empress Dowager, "I pay homage to the emperor's grandmother."

The empress dowager acted elegantly and solemnly, helped him up and said with a smile, "Is the emperor's southern tour going smoothly? The emperor has been on this trip for so long, and the most important thing is to take care of the dragon's body."

"The southern tour went smoothly all the way. And the imperial doctor followed along the way, and the son and minister are in good health. Don't worry about the emperor's grandmother."

The empress dowager smiled, "The Ai family can rest assured. It's just that the emperor has been on the throne for several months, and there is still no one serving in the harem. The emperor should also accept some concubines, and then register someone in charge of the phoenix seal for you Let's take care of these harem matters. How is it like now? Even the ceremony of returning to the capital from the southern tour has to be presided over by the Ai family himself."

Yi Lan smiled awkwardly, and then hurriedly changed the topic: "Grandmother, the matter of becoming a concubine...I don't need to worry about it. Grandmother is already in the position of empress dowager, and she should take good care of her life. Instead, I want you to worry about it." It's my son's fault...it's windy here, my son will help you into the palace now, and I'll punish you with three cups to compensate you."

The Empress Dowager pretended to be angry, but she couldn't help but put on a kind smile on her face, "You can say it." Then she turned to the ministers and said, "Get up, all the ministers. The emperor returns to the court today, and the Ai family has already made people cry." Prepare a banquet for the emperor to cleanse the dust. All the officials will follow the emperor and Ai's family into the palace. Today is just a family banquet, and there is no need to be extravagant."

Although the Empress Dowager said that there was no need to be polite, all the officials knelt down together, "I will wait to thank the Emperor, and thank the Empress Dowager for the banquet." After speaking, they entered the hall.

A few days later, Yi Lan went to Lan Ling Palace, but she frowned deeply.When Mu Yan saw her, she immediately went up to express her concern, "Yilan? What's wrong?"

Seeing that Yilan was silent, Mu Yan finally understood, and said in a low voice, "Could it be that Lord Ye and the others are saying that I'm not good again?..."

Yi Lan sighed softly, "These old ministers have trouble with you alone. A small matter can be said to be a big matter. It's as if if you have more than one of you to accompany you on the southern tour, the country will perish. "

Mu Yan turned pale with shock, "You are the king of a country, how can you say such nonsense?"

Yi Lan rubbed the center of her brows, as if she was very tired, "Aren't you the only one? Wouldn't you be exhausted if everyone had to follow those red tapes? This morning, those admonishers headed by Ye Daren, a They all wrote letters like crazy. The rules set by the ancestors do not kill the admonitors. But if they beat them up, they will be fulfilled. You don’t know, in order to leave a reputation of being upright and dare to admonish in the history books of later generations, It is possible to contradict the emperor even if he risked his life. As long as the emperor orders to beheaded or the court stick, no matter whether the admonisher is right or wrong, the reputation of the admonisher will be preserved. If one beheaded, there will be another More to add. Even being an emperor can't afford to offend these people. They can't be killed or beaten, and it's useless to appease them. I really have nothing to do with them..."

In Mu Yan's impression, Yi Lan is rarely able to say "there is no way".Maybe being an emperor, even a small mistake will be magnified infinitely.But he really can't drag him down, it's okay for those ministers to scold him, but he can't let them say anything about Yilan.So he said softly: "Otherwise, I'll just leave the palace. If I compromise with them a little more, maybe they won't make things difficult for you anymore..."

"No, don't be in a hurry to leave. I'll try to prolong it for a while, maybe this matter will subside after a while." Saying that, Yi Lan smiled wryly again, "I really didn't expect that one day the king would You have to compromise and bow your head in front of your courtiers again and again..."

At this moment, Ye Tong has been standing outside the door for a long time holding tea.He heard what the emperor and Lord Hou said just now.He and his father had always been at odds. After his mother passed away, he ran away from home and was taken into the palace by Zhongninghou by accident.All of this is accidental, not deliberate planning.Now hearing the conversation between the two people in the hall, I feel that my father went too far, actually forcing the current emperor to be like this.And Zhong Ninghou was not as miserable as he described.So he sighed subconsciously and subconsciously.

Suddenly, the emperor's vigilant voice came from the hall: "Who is outside?"

Ye Tong immediately turned serious, and pushed the door into Lan Ling Hall with tea. "Return to the emperor, it's me. Serve tea to the emperor Houye."

Ye Tong moved a little stiffly and put the teacup in front of Yilan Muyan.His brows were tightly furrowed, and he said unnaturally: "Your Majesty, please talk slowly. Me, I'll take my leave first."

Ye Tong is so abnormal, how can she escape Yi Lan's eyes?But he didn't say anything, he just stared at Ye Tong with deep scrutiny and retreated all the way.He had asked his personal eunuch Mr. An to find out the details of Ye Tong's identity that day, so he naturally knew why he was so abnormal just now.However, Lord Ye has such an upright and upright character, and he would not be so stupid as to send his son to monitor or frame Mu Yan.That's why Yi Lan didn't intend to expel Ye Tong from the palace.

In the afternoon of that day, the Empress Dowager sent someone to Weiyang Palace to invite Yilan to come over.Yilan already guessed the reason, but she went anyway.In the Shoukang Palace, the Empress Dowager was sitting on the phoenix seat in front of her with a cold face, no longer the gentleness and kindness she had when she was picking her up on the southern tour that day.

Yi Lan had just arrived, and hurriedly greeted An and said: "My minister pays homage to the emperor's grandmother. The emperor's grandmother summoned my son to come here in such a hurry, what is the reason?"

"What's the matter?" The Empress Dowager snorted coldly, "I still don't know what the emperor did during his southern tour?"

Yi Lan forced a smile, "I just brought an extra Marquis of Zhong Ning with me, so it's not a big deal. Grandmother don't get angry, don't hurt the phoenix's body."

"That's not what the Ai family said!" The Queen Mother Taihuang reprimanded, "When the former deposed prince raised troops to usurp the throne, Marquis Zhongning saved your father's life, and he was indeed loyal. You also took him with you during your southern tour. It was you The monarch and his ministers are united, and this Ai family has no objection. It's just that the emperor has trusted him to the point where he can give him a blank handbook?!"

Yi Lan took a deep breath, knelt down to the Empress Dowager and said, "Grandmother, the letter was indeed given to him by my son-in-law. It's just to exempt the people in the area affected by natural disasters from paying taxes for three years, and there is no other intention."

The Empress Dowager's voice suddenly increased: "Then the emperor can guarantee that he will not do anything else with that handwritten letter? That handwritten letter has your jade seal and red seal on it. If he uses that handwritten letter to withdraw the silver from the treasury without authorization, once the treasury If you are empty, then your country will not be protected?!"

"Grandmother, Marquis Zhongning is not greedy for money. The late emperor gave him so many gold and silver antiques before, but he was not greedy. Besides..."

The Empress Dowager immediately interrupted him, "If he really has a plan, can you see it? You are the emperor, so they naturally flatter you. They pretend to be innocent in front of the emperor, but they are playing tricks and playing tricks behind their backs." , I have seen a lot of people like this before!"

"Imperial Grandmother. I grew up in the imperial palace. I have seen a lot of intrigues and sinister people in the palace. I know who is sincere and who is false. The imperial grandmother also said just now that I am the emperor. .The emperor insists on doing what he says, and it is hard to chase after what he said. In terms of what he said, the things that are rewarded are like poured water, how can they be taken back?"

The Empress Dowager was startled for a moment, and soon regained her majestic appearance, "It's not convenient for the emperor to come forward and say it directly, so the Ai family will help you. Come, call Zhongning Hou to the Ai family! The Ai family will interrogate in person!"

"Wait." Yi Lan turned her head and stopped the two palace servants.Mu Yan had never met the Empress Dowager, let alone her temperament.If Mu Yan came over, he must not be able to cope with the current situation.

Yi Lan looked at the Empress Dowager, knowing that her grandmother was most afraid of his political problems, so she said sincerely: "Grandmother, don't be in a hurry to retaliate. Didn't you just say that he is a loyal minister? For one object, a If the loyal ministers interrogate and thoroughly investigate, then all my courtiers will be chilled? How can we lose these important ministers if our country is to be stable? Besides, Marquis Zhongning has no real power and no soldiers in his hands. What kind of storms and waves can be caused by Emperor Zhang's handwriting? When the time comes, after the blank handwriting in Zhongninghou's hand is filled out, the ministers will definitely show it to the emperor's grandmother first. The emperor's grandmother nodded, and I will take it to the world. If the emperor's grandmother If it feels inappropriate, the handbook will be invalid. If the emperor's grandmother is afraid that someone else will use the blank handbook, she might as well block the news and let everyone who knows about it keep silent, then no one will know about Zhongning. Hou has this handbook in his hand. As for now, why don't you take back that handbook, Grandmother?"

The Empress Dowager has assisted the late Emperor since he came to the throne, and was the right-hand man of the late Emperor.Strategic and far-sighted and extremely smart and capable.She was silent for a long while, weighed the pros and cons, finally nodded slightly, and her tone eased, "Then let's do as the emperor said this time. The emperor will still put the country and the country as the most important thing in the future, and we can't take it lightly. The blank letter was promised to others. In fact, the emperor is still the grandson of Aijia in the end. Whether the emperor understands it or not, the emperor's grandmother will always help you consolidate this country and the throne, so that you can become a generation of wise monarchs. Aijia enters the palace four For more than ten years, I have been helping my husband and son before, and now it is my grandson's turn. Ai's family is old, so how much I can help my grandson..."

When the empress dowager said this, Yilan still couldn't help feeling a little moved, "Thank you for your support and understanding, my son and minister will have their own discretion in the future. The emperor's grandmother is a person who eats vegetarian food and recites Buddhism, and has helped the country for so many years. The Buddha will protect the emperor's grandmother's phoenix body and peace." , long-lived..."

The Empress Dowager caressed Yilan's cheek lovingly, and said slowly: "The Ai Family only wishes that the Emperor will be diligent in government and love the people all his life, and that the dragon body will be healthy..."

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☆, 31. Crossroads