The oil bottle of the Red Chamber

The Empress Dowager is the current grandmother, the eldest daughter of the Great General of Wuwei in the previous dynasty. At the age of 16, he was ordered by his parents to be a matchmaker, and promised by his father to be his favorite confidant—the later Emperor Taizu.

At that time, it was the last years of the first dynasty, because the last emperor was faint and cruel, and perverted, only caring for lust and ignoring the government.There are many parties and factions in the DPRK, and eunuchs monopolize power. They all focus on suppressing power and abandoning the country and the people.As a result, the common people suffered unspeakably, and the officials forced the people to rebel.The situation in the world is becoming more and more chaotic.

At this time, the mighty general was ordered by the emperor to lead the imperial court's [-] troops to various places to wipe out the rebels.It took many years to get close to success, but in the end, because of the collusion between the treacherous officials of the court and the vassal king, he died tragically in the schemes of his own people.

After the death of the mighty general, the emperor Taizu took over half of the soldiers and horses under the command of the mighty general in the name of avenging his father-in-law.Later, in the name of the old father-in-law, he raised troops to Jingnan, and the Qing emperor sided.In the end, it became clear that the previous court was wiped out somehow, and he himself changed the world by adding a yellow robe.

The empress dowager also rose because of this, and was named queen.Because at least one-third of the soldiers and horses who followed Emperor Taizu in the uprising were under the command of the mighty general, and the empress dowager was the eldest daughter of the mighty general, and she followed the emperor Taizu to mobilize troops and fight hard for many years. Chinese prestige is quite high.Even though Emperor Taizu continued to favor the new concubines after he ascended the throne, no one in the harem dared to rob the empress.

The Empress Dowager was influenced by her father since she was a child. Although she was a woman, she was intelligent, wise, resolute, and dignified, and her speech and behavior were not inferior to men.I never practice bitterness and jealousy, and I only care about raising my parents and children and managing the harem every day.

Later, Emperor Taizu passed away, and the Empress Dowager, who was fashionable as empress, assisted her parents and children to succeed to the throne, and was known as Emperor Taizong in history.The first thing Emperor Taizong did after he ascended the throne was to make his mother the Empress Dowager.After that, he made great efforts to govern, recuperate, appoint talents, and persuade farmers to teach farming and mulberry. All kinds of measures were done by the Lord Ming.How can heaven be jealous of talents? Emperor Taizong died young after only a few years on the throne.Only infants are left behind.

The empress dowager lost her husband in her prime, and lost her son in her middle age. After experiencing the heartache of a white-haired man sending a black-haired man, she was hit hard.However, he had to bear the grief to assist his grandson—that is, he succeeded to the throne today, and imitated the deeds of the young lords ascending the throne in the past dynasties, and selected six loyal and capable veterans from the court to serve as ministers to assist the young lord in governing the world.Known as the "cabinet" in history.

Afterwards, the young master gradually grew up, crowned and married, but those cabinet ministers who held important powers were unwilling to let go of their power, and obstructed the current pro-government overtly and secretly.At that time, the monarch and his ministers fought openly and secretly, and the atmosphere in the court was tense.

Today is the young emperor, and it is the time when his wings are getting fuller and his spirits are full of vigor.Seeing that he is an emperor but being restrained everywhere, Long Yan was furious and furious.He had conflicts and disputes with the cabinet ministers several times, but in the end he was always at a disadvantage because of his weak power.

On the one hand, the Empress Dowager taught the current holy gods and kings the art of checks and balances, and the law of forbearance, and on the other hand, she continued to mediate in the court to win the support of meritorious veterans such as the four kings, eight princes and sixteen princes.After several years, the cabinet power was finally eradicated and assisted the current pro-government to take power.

Seeing that the chances of winning are now in their hands, the Empress Dowager retreated bravely and lived in Shoukang Palace every day. She only knew how to pick flowers and weeds, spoil her grandchildren, and teach her great-great-grandson, and did not take the initiative to intervene in government affairs.However, the more the empress dowager is so indifferent to power, the more convinced the empress dowager's teachings today.Every time you want to make a major move or an important appointment, you must seek the advice of the Empress Dowager in advance.Even if the government is busy, there is no time to enter the harem.I still don’t forget to drive the Shoukang Palace and Shouning Palace every three days to pay my respects to the imperial grandmother and the queen mother.

Today's relatives are extremely filial, and they value love and righteousness. Now that the empress dowager has passed away, even if she is old and dying, it is a joy and mourning.However, the grief today cannot be lessened.Although hindered by the ancestral system of the palace rules, there are also hundreds of officials who have bitterly advised that "the country should not be without a king for a day, and for the sake of the country and the community, I implore the saints to reduce their sorrows."However, nowadays, the old rule of "every emperor observes the funeral for one day, so he keeps the spirit for 27 days" is not followed. He tried his best to make the empress dowager eat vegetarian food for three months.

In addition, the imperial edict is still issued to the world: all orders from princes and dukes, etc., will be guarded by the royal class in the imperial court.Those who have noble families are not allowed to have banquets and music for a year, and common people are not allowed to marry in three months.

As the crown prince of the country, the prince lost his mother when he was young, and he was taken by the present to teach him personally.However, nowadays the saint's heart hangs in the world, and he is busy with everything. Even if he loves the prince and lost his mother when he was young, he doesn't have much energy to take care of the prince.Therefore, the prince was raised by the empress dowager himself in Shoukang Palace when he was young.Even when he grew up and lived in the East Palace, the prince often visited the Empress Dowager in Shoukang Palace.And he developed the habit of going to Shoukang Palace immediately to seek advice from the Empress Dowager when he had disputes with his father, or when he had doubts in his heart.

This is exactly the same as his father.

The empress dowager has gone through three dynasties and assisted two emperors to ascend the throne successively. Naturally, her foresight and sagacity are not far behind.She not only raised the prince carefully, but also taught by the words and deeds of today's sages. Under the influence of the prince, his character, character, and knowledge of means are naturally deeply passed down by the empress dowager.

Besides, the Empress Dowager, as today's direct grandmother, has always been the most supportive of the orthodox, with her sitting behind the prince to assist, even if all the later brothers have grown up, all of them are outstanding, and they are eyeing the position of the crown prince, the prince has never been too much worry.It's just because behind him is the mountain of the Empress Dowager.

Now that the empress dowager is passing away, the prince seems to have had a spine removed.In addition to the grief, there was a faint sense of desolation and hesitation in my heart.Looking at the mournful faces of the brothers in filial piety, no matter how you look at it, you can feel that the other party is gloating; no matter how you think about it, you can feel that the other party is harboring evil intentions at the moment.

Such a suspicious mood is very wrong!The prince took a deep breath and shook his head dejectedly.For him, the status of the Empress Dowager does not only mean being his amiable great-grandmother, it is also the most favorable for him to sit safely in the position of the prince and succeed to the throne smoothly after his father's success in the future ensure.

Now that the biggest backer is gone, the prince instantly feels like he is missing something.Seeing that the father and the emperor are planning for the country and the country, they can't pay attention to the gift of the younger generation and keep the filial piety for the great-grandmother for three years, so they are full of regret and unhappy.The prince also remembered the teachings and upbringing of the empress dowager these years, and when he was impulsive, his highness had already knelt in front of the civil and military officials, the royal family and his family, begging his majesty to allow him to observe the empress dowager's filial piety for three years.

The prince's request was not only beyond His Majesty's expectations, even the civil and military officials were also greatly surprised.When they came back to their senses, they all praised the prince for his benevolence and filial piety.The current sage also showed approval, nodded to the prince, and praised the prince for his purity and filial piety.However, on the grounds that His Highness the Crown Prince is the heir apparent of the country and also has important responsibilities, His Highness the Crown Prince is not allowed to observe filial piety for three years.

In fact, he is sympathetic to the prince who was spoiled and spoiled since he was a child, and he is afraid that he will not be able to withstand the hardships of keeping the system.

Seeing this, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince felt more and more vigilant in his heart, although he was grateful for his father's empathy.What's more, he is also sincerely mourning the death of the empress dowager.Hearing this, he hurriedly opened his mouth to argue, only saying that his father is an emperor, so his words and deeds belong to the world, and he should not be too sad and slack off the government.However, he is a prince, with his father controlling the world, and many brothers assisting the government, his single-mindedness will not hinder the overall situation in the end.Therefore, I am willing to be a vegetarian and serve filial piety, and serve the Empress Dowager for three years.

I was also afraid that my son-in-law would not agree, so I spoke to persuade Your Majesty: "My minister is filial to my great-grandmother. Even if the food and clothing are poorer, it is just to make the East Palace conform to the etiquette in terms of food and clothing. Don't let those acts of filial piety in front of the parents' tomb be pure and filial. My son was brought up by his great-grandmother since he was a child, and he hasn't had time to serve his great-grandmother in the future. Now it is "the son wants to support but the relative is not there". The son is really ashamed, I also ask the emperor to allow his son to be filial to his great-grandmother."

Today is a disposition that values ​​love and righteousness. After hearing what the prince said, I couldn't help but think of the empress dowager's kindness in nurturing and teaching me, and instantly aroused a feeling of admiration.When he looked at the prince again, his eyes were full of tears, and he answered the prince's request.Don't care about any palace rules and ancestors.

When the civil and military meritorious officials of the Manchu Dynasty saw him, they all deeply felt the prince's benevolence and filial piety. They only praised and praised him, let alone objected.

Only those princes and grandchildren, seeing that the prince took advantage of his father's grief for the death of the empress dowager, to show off his benevolence and righteousness, secretly calculated.Some simple-minded, loyal and daring people use this to recommend the prince as a noble and mellow character, and some have ghosts and ghosts who have other calculations, so they don't take it seriously.There are even those who stand on the sidelines and wait for the pampered prince to be unable to bear the hardships before making trouble. There are also those who plan to fight between the snipe and the clam for the fisherman's profit, and are ready to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight... All kinds of words and deeds are at a loss for what to do.

Now let's not talk about the undercurrent of the situation in the palace.It is only said that the empress dowager passed away, and the whole country mourned.According to the system of imperial edicts, families of lords and officials in the court are not allowed to have banquets, music, or marriage within a year.

Youlao'an was ordered by the sixth grade. According to the regulations of the court, he must enter the court to accompany the sacrifices, mourn and guard the spirit every day.Later, when the mausoleum was invited to attend the funeral, Youlao'an rarely followed him back and forth.Mr. You Lao'an is old, so how can he stand such a toss, Chen sees her mother-in-law working hard, and when she rests at night, she can't help persuading You Ziyu to report to the court for sick leave, so as not to torment the old man.

You Ziyu smiled wryly when he heard the words, why didn't he feel sorry for his mother, but this time the empress dowager passed away, the saint was extremely mournful, seeing the saint like this, even the empress, the fourth concubine, etc., never excused sickness from going to the funeral of.The empress dowager did not personally send the spirit to the harem for the sake of power.

The nobles above are all so cautious, he is just a small official of the sixth rank, he doesn't have the face to go to the court to beg for favors, and turn around for his mother.At that time, let everyone know, and they will have to criticize him behind his back.

Speaking of this, You Ziyu couldn't help but sighed again: "What's more, my brother-in-law has already reported the old illness for his mother-in-law, and he still moved the prince with his mother-son love, and walked in the prince's way. Now Fang Teng moves out, there is no need to follow Go running around and work hard. Who am I on the stage? Now I’m going to the ministry to ask for leave, who do they think I am? They might even rob me, because I have an impure mind and my servant is disloyal.”

Seeing You Ziyu's embarrassment, Mrs. Chen had no choice but to persuade: "Don't be too impatient. I'll ask my brother tomorrow if there is any way to report the old lady's old illness, so let's move it out for now—"

Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by You Ziyu, who waved his hand and shook his head and said, "You better stop thinking about it. Do you think I never thought about this idea? It's just my brother-in-law who reported my mother-in-law's old illness." , still relying on the prince's love, now there are people who dare to talk behind their backs in person. He is popular now, and he is on the cusp of the storm, and there are ten thousand eyes staring at him at least if he talks up and down. Waiting to find his fault——it is best to stick to the prince because of this. We can't help him more, and don't cause him trouble. Besides, most of the funeral has passed, and the rest is just to send the spirit. Bite It's over if you grit your teeth and get through it. If you go to ask your brother-in-law for help now, I'm afraid he won't have such a big face in front of the prince. Why bother to say it in vain and make him annoyed."

When Mrs. Chen heard the words, she couldn't help but let out a long sigh, followed by a sigh.In my heart, I am glad that I was not able to inherit the imperial fate because I was remarried.Otherwise, there will be a lot of tossing back and forth, and I don't know whether the baby will be safe or not.

The husband and wife pondered for a while, and it was inevitable for Mrs. Chen to bring up the elder girl's marriage again—because of the country's filial piety this time, it was inevitable that there would be another delay.

Lying in You Ziyu's arms, Mrs. Chen calculated with her eyes closed: "The eldest girl is already this year. Girls of ordinary people's age, not to mention preparing to marry out of the court, even the children under their knees may be full of people. Crawling around. But the big girl is now..."

As Chen said, he let out a long sigh, and then said: "I think the family who is discussing marriage is good, their temperament and appearance, and family status are basically worthy. That family is also very satisfied with our eldest girl. Originally It's time to propose relatives and exchange Geng Tie. When I suddenly heard that the Empress Dowager passed away, the family's neck shrank, and there was no more news. I think it's also because our eldest daughter has become a 20-year-old girl. I'm an old girl, so I don't want to."

You Ziyu also felt a headache when he heard his wife nagging.Yin said: "It's all my fault. Over the years, because of outside affairs, I haven't put much thought on her. I actually missed her. There is really nothing I can do, and I can only look at him slowly."

It's just that at that time, there is no son of the right age in a well-matched family. I'm afraid it's either a successor or a successor, and she will have to be wronged.

When Mrs. Chen thought of this, she felt an indescribable aggrieved feeling in her heart.Even though the eldest girl is not her own, after all, they have been together for such a long time, and she has arranged a dowry for her and also looked after her, Chen has really spent her thoughts.In the end, it came to such a result that even if he sighed "God's will tricks people", it was hard to hide his melancholy.

The Chen family, who has always been big-hearted, has such feelings, let alone the big girl who is the party involved.It's just because she has always been peaceful, gentle and silent, and deeply taught by the female precepts.Even if she feels lonely, she refuses to show it to her face.It's just that his speech and behavior on weekdays have become more and more silent.

The second sister and the third sister saw it, so they could only try their best to persuade them.The effect is not very obvious.In the end, it was the third sister who came up with an idea, asking Mrs. Chen to take the eldest girl as a housekeeper and learn how to read the accounts and cook.Mrs. Chen also doesn't know much about Pao Ding's way, the only thing she knows is bad goose palm and duck letter, which is deeply liked by You Ziyu.Mrs. Chen taught the eldest girl all this dish.

The third sister searched and searched for a lot of stories about "women should be self-reliant and self-reliant" and told the eldest girl under the guise of the deeds of the previous dynasty.In the end, you couldn't get enough of it, so you dipped your pen and ink, imitating what your uncle and friend Xu Zichuan liked in the past, and wrote a lot of jokes.

While Chen's mother and daughter are busy getting rid of the eldest girl, uncle Chen Gui also encounters another turning point in his "career".