Force a good concubine

Cold sweat oozes from the back, as if returning to the evening when the master and apprentice broke up, Gu Yan tried his best to straighten his back, and put on a posture of not giving in, "I also said earlier, Mr. Cheng , The country is easy to change, but the original heart remains unchanged, and the temperament of the Gu family, Gu Yuan will not be able to change it in this life."

"I can't change it," Cheng Su took a step back, pointing to a few figures who were walking quickly from the other side of the long street, with a playful smile on his face, "I said earlier that you and Lu Chuanming matched— Dare to fight with His Majesty, and write a letter bluntly saying that the Tian family seized his wife, and your irresistible bad temper, isn't it a natural match?" Seeing that Gu Yuan's face turned paler, she moved closer to Gu Yuan, Seeing Gu Yan avoiding him in disgust, he only chuckled again, and walked away with the horn lamp.

Just when the palace gate was about to release the key, several young eunuchs came over with large copper oil pots, and filled the underground palace lantern at the gate of the palace with oil to change the wick. The half-bright light gave a clear look at those figures: there were two men and one woman. The one on the left was Xu Huan, who was wearing a half-worn blue silk jacket and skirt, and the one on the right was Lu Chuan, who was wearing a jade-colored official silk and leather robe. Gu Yang was much taller than when he left home. He was wearing a brand new blue padded robe, his little face was flushed by the north, and he was waving happily to himself.

Seizing a wife——Gu Yan suddenly realized why the queen mother hurriedly swept him out of the palace, and couldn't help but smile bitterly.Sure enough, it was the man's usual method, he never acted rashly, but whenever he was in trouble, he would hit the vital point directly.Da Qi always paid attention to Qingliu. Although the harem is the emperor's private business, as long as it has something to do with the reputation of the previous dynasty, the courtiers will compete to die.Because of this, although there are many widows from Emperor Taizong down, they are very cautious in the draft and canonization, and they are not willing to be contaminated by the suspicion of those melon fields.The emperor was about to take charge of the government, and the subjects of the four directions watched helplessly. They were several times more cautious than usual in every move. How could they be involved in such unclear entanglements?

The emperor was in the palace at the moment just listening to the empress dowager slowly explaining the reason, he was very surprised in his heart, but his face remained calm.Not long after she woke up, her voice was still a little weak, but there was no guilt in her eyes: "Mother, son is the one who is married to Gu Yuan, but I don't know who dares to pretend to be like this?"

After three days of farewell, the Empress Dowager should have looked at her with admiration, but the Empress Dowager did not expect that the emperor's face would thicken several times in just twenty years, and she was taken aback before she said, "Gu Yuan's confession has also been read by Ai's family, and she confesses that she has a marriage contract with the Lu family." , has the emperor forgotten?"

The queen mother has always been soft-hearted, the emperor made up his mind not to admit it, but he changed his tone on the face: "Naturally, my son never forgets, it's just this moment and that moment. These days, my son and her have been in love with each other, and we have become a husband and wife. , although she has a marriage contract with the Lu family, she has not yet been married, even if it is judged according to my Daqi law, she should be the son's person-the queen mother," she straightened up and kowtowed to the queen mother on the pillow Said, "The queen mother has always been tolerant, this time it will be done for my son and A Yuan!"

The emperor was not at all shy about his children's affection, so boldly speaking out, the empress dowager remembered the words written in the inner daily life, and couldn't help being even more annoyed that Gu Yuan had spoiled the emperor.It's just that although she was very reluctant in her heart, she couldn't bear to refuse when she looked at the emperor, and she was not good at lying, so she endured it for a long time and said: "The emperor will personally sacrifice to the ancestral temple in the future, and I will worry about these things in the future. Let's rest first!"

The empress dowager's refusal meant disapproval. The emperor was a little disappointed and wanted to speak for Gu Yan. Seeing the empress dowager's face pondering for a moment, he changed the topic.

The emperor is not entangled, it can be seen that the love for Gu Yuan is not too deep, but just confused for a while.The Empress Dowager secretly breathed a sigh of relief, accompanied the emperor to dinner, and told the servants around the emperor again, before returning to her bedroom to rest.

"What's going on?" The emperor waited and waited patiently, until Cui Chengxiu came to inform the queen mother that she had rested, and then sent the two chief eunuchs around him to question, "Who reported such things to the queen mother?" ? Why don’t I even know about the wind?”

When the emperor went on tour, the palace in the capital had its own eyes and ears. Actually, the eyes and ears were not too slow. It just happened that the emperor fell ill and couldn't manage affairs. However, these responsibilities must not be shifted to the emperor. The two looked at each other and immediately said in unison. Kowtow to plead guilty.

"The matter has come to this point, why do you blame me?" The emperor couldn't hold back the anxiety in his heart, and his tone was even more decisive, "I think it's because I'm so sick that I don't know what to do, so I delayed—tell me, what is it? Who did the trick?"

The Empress Dowager never hides anything, and the reason for this incident is very simple, but it is extremely hard to be caught off guard.The two chief eunuchs muttered a few times, kowtowed a few more times, and lay down on the ground, not daring to say anything.The emperor frowned: "As long as I tell the truth, it doesn't matter what offends me, just tell me!"

"Yes." Wei Fengchun glanced at Cui Chengxiu, and said boldly, "My lord, someone from Beijing sent a letter, saying that Princess Gong had entered the palace, so the old lady called the people in Qinghe Hall to ask about it." I asked about Miss Gu's affairs. After careful inquiry, I found out that someone in Miss Gu's family had an affair with the nanny of Prince Gong's son, so I asked her to deliver the message in front of Princess Gong, saying that Miss Gu was forced to rape her. , suffering in the palace, begging Princess Gong to be the judge, and there is Miss Gu's handwriting to testify."

The emperor was suddenly alert: "What handwriting? Why didn't the queen mother show it to me?"

Cui Chengxiu kowtowed with a bitter face: "The servants are overbearing. Earlier, the queen mother took it and asked the servants to check the handwriting. They all read it first. The old lady of the queen mother ordered that the young master is not in good health. It will not be too late to read it when he recovers in the future. , so as not to be sad."

The empress dowager did not allow the emperor to read it, because she must have thought it was Gu Yuan's handwriting, and the words in the letter must be unpleasant. The emperor's face turned pale, and the corners of his lips tightened: "Bring it!"

"Yes." There was no joy or anger on the emperor's face, his eyes were dark, which made Cui Chengxiu even more afraid. He kowtowed and went out, and soon came over with a carved boxwood box, and presented it to the emperor.

Inside the box was only a piece of plain paper floating lightly, which was the style that the emperor rewarded Gu Yuan for his daily practice of calligraphy, but it was not in the format of an ordinary letter. It opened with a famous poem from the former dynasty: Bo. The sharp sword is not in the hand, why make many friends? If you don’t see the sparrows in the hedges, you see the harriers throwing themselves into the ravine? Come and thank the boy."

The lines of the poem are not obscure and difficult to understand, they can be read clearly by anyone who is fluent in writing and ink. Every line is a sigh of being trapped in a net, and there are several lines of notes under the poem, which make the explanation even clearer: "Set up a heart for the world, and a life for the people, To create peace for all ages, the book makes things happen, but I don’t want to meet a strong beam, suffer humiliation, swallow tears and pretend to be happy, and live like years. Brother Fu Ken remembers the old covenant, and when he helps, sister Yuan bows her head a hundred times."

The emperor only felt that the handwriting hurt his heart, and he gritted his teeth and read it twice carefully. It was the handwriting of Gu Yuan that he was used to. Even the paper and ink he used were the same as the one he gave to Gu Yuan. There is a trace of doubtful flaws.She squeezed the thin piece of paper tightly in her hand, her eyes swept across the faces of Cui Chengxiu and Wei Fengchun, and her voice was still faint: "Even the people from the Luanyi Bureau came to look at it? What did Zheng Luan say? Lin How do you say it?"

The emperor's piercing gaze made people's hearts pounding, Cui Chengxiu didn't dare add fuel to the fire, and didn't dare not answer, so she had to bite the bullet and say: "There is no news from Aunt Zheng, but Admiral Lin has seen it, she said, she said—— "

"say what?"

"My lord Lin said that she is a military official and not good at calligraphy. She just thinks that the writer is done in one go, without those usual pretentious techniques." Seeing the emperor's face turned pale, the two of them panicked together, ignoring etiquette , walked up to the emperor on his knees, served tea and handed towels one by one, and comforted him repeatedly: "Slaves and servants are presumptuous, Miss Gu has not read this letter, if you think about it, you will definitely be able to see that there is something strange—— —”

"Show her what to do!" The emperor's heart was full of anger, sadness and pain, and it became a mess, causing her eyes to turn black.She closed her eyes, but the words on the paper floated up and down in her heart and mind, burning her heart achingly.

Being humiliated, swallowing tears and pretending to be happy—it turns out that this is how she views herself and everything in the palace. It turns out that her carefully planned arrangements only make her feel like years. It turns out that she was blindfolded by those covers in the past. The depression was extremely cold, but through the pain, she could see the truth that she couldn't see normally.Didn't I see her smile for the first time when I was talking about government affairs with her?Didn't Zheng Luan and Lin Yuan mention to themselves both openly and secretly that they regretted that Gu Yuan could not stand in the court?In the confession of Xu Sanniang from the Shangyi Bureau, didn't it also write in black and white that Gu Yan's gaffe in the palace examination of the Luanyi Division that day?The queen mother never asked Gu Yan, isn't it just because the evidence has been conclusive, and she is worried that those words will be spoken word by word from that mouth, so as to save herself a bit of dignity?

"Here, show her what to do?" The emperor fell back on the big pillow, and unconsciously squeezed the piece of paper into a ball with his fingers, "Let her tell me these words herself, tell everyone? Let everyone Everyone knows that I am a lustful and stupid king who forces his subjects? Let everyone know that she doesn't like me, she despises me, and lives by my side like years?"

"I won't ask her. You don't have to panic, I won't die for such a trivial matter!" The emperor waved his hand to stop the two people who were panicking and going to ask the imperial doctor, straightened up, took a few deep breaths, although his face was still pale , but his expression returned to his usual indifference, and a cold smile appeared on the corner of his lips, "Someone wants to establish a heart for the world, a life for the people, a peace for all generations, and her career as a scholar. Let her do it! I am the Son of Heaven, I can accommodate people from all over the world, I can accommodate people from all over the world, and I am used to those flattery tricks, so why can't I tolerate her? Since she is not willing, I will not force it. At the beginning, I promised to send her out of the palace, and now the timing is just right. The two of you sent an order to Lin Yuan, telling him to send someone back to Beijing. Before the Gu family has returned to their hometown, send 500 taels of silver to her. This can be regarded as my acquaintance with her. One game - go!"

The emperor was in a hurry, Wei Fengchun was still a little ignorant, but Cui Chengxiu was quick-witted, and understood what the emperor couldn't say in a second.If Gu Yuan was really wronged, and met someone from the Luanyi Bureau, knowing that the emperor was awake, they would not be able to tell the difference, should the emperor make the decision for her?Seeing that it was a good opportunity to make a great contribution, he kowtowed to the emperor, and immediately passed the decree to Lin Yuan overnight.

This hazy hope became the emperor's life-saving straw, and he was worried even when offering sacrifices to the ancestral temple. After the ceremony was over, Cui Chengxiu was summoned on the way back to ask: "Have you sent the money for A Yuan?"

"Yes." Cui Chengxiu just got a reply from Lin Yuanyuan, and she just felt a bitterness in her heart, "The Gu family is renting a house in Beijing now, Miss Gu is with her family, and the person who gave the money I was also there at the time, the little lady collected the money, and then——"

"Then what!"

Cui Chengxiu was determined, but she spoke fluently: "The little lady didn't say anything, didn't ask anything, she collected the money, and sent someone back. The person asked the neighbors of Gu's family to inquire, and they all said that although Gu's family is a newcomer , the future husband-in-law is very good, he is a celebrity in Prince Gong's residence—"

The emperor still had a smile on his face, but that smile was as frozen as the surface of a frozen lake: "Future husband? Very good?" She suddenly laughed, "Leaving the palace, just in time for Chinese New Year, just in time for Koenke , just got married, it really is a good time, good plan! Good inquiry! Otherwise, wouldn’t I miss a congratulatory gift for her?”

Cui Chengxiu didn't dare to look at the emperor's face, so she just kowtowed bitterly, and felt even more miserable in her heart - Gu Yan deceived the emperor like this, it is a crime that cannot be punished, the emperor can't deal with it too much, just implicating the Prince Gong's mansion, it becomes a crime again How can I always get involved with myself every time I do such a job?

On the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, the day when folks sacrifice to the stove, it is also the day when Dajia returns to Beijing.It was the first time that the emperor presided over the Winter Sacrifice in person, and the ostentation when he went out of Beijing and returned to Beijing was extremely grand.The emperor of Daqi has always been close to the people. The two sides of Tianjie Street are not covered with yellow curtains. They are only selected by Jingweili with five steps and one post. They hold iron guns to separate the small people and the big drivers who observe the ceremony. There are also bead curtains on the dragon chariot. Gao Juan couldn't help the common people to pay their respects.The emperor wore a black gauze leather crown and a crimson gauze robe, and sat upright on the throne holding a jade gui. His face was a little pale, but his appearance was even more clear. The dignified demeanor of life and death can be mastered by moving one's voice, making people awe-inspiring and not daring to offend.

"Today is indeed the true son of destiny," Lu Chuan and Gu's family went out to watch the ceremony with the neighbors. With their good eyesight, they took a rough look at the emperor's imperial appearance on the dragon chariot. Huan praised, "It really is a dragon and a phoenix, extraordinary!"

Xu Huan's eyesight is not very good, but he just listened to Lu Chuan's description while recalling and regretting. Gu Yuan quietly followed behind the two, listening to the two talking and laughing, but he returned to the moment when he raised his head and met the emperor's eyes. For a moment—the emperor glanced at his face, without a trace of joy or surprise, as indifferent as if he was just the most inconspicuous one among the thousands of subjects ruled by the emperor, which made Gu Yuan's heart instantly cold—the emperor has the most important reputation, Lu Chuan Mao Maoran made such a fuss, and Princess Gong was implicated again. I'm afraid that the fate between the emperor and himself is really broken.