After the rebirth, Aijia and Bamboo Horseshoe printed him

Three years later, in the 28th year of Taiping, at the end of summer.

The alchemy room on the west side of the Taiji Hall is shrouded in smoke all the year round. Several Taoists kneel and stand on the four sides of the cauldron, holding cattail fans in their hands, and smelting the magic elixir in this furnace.

He Jieyu and Zhu Yuexuan stepped into the room, lightly waved the whisk in his hand, and filled the room with white smoke.

"From tomorrow onwards, I'd like to ask you brothers and sisters to use the previous pill formula."

Everyone responded one after another, Zhu Yuexuan didn't stay any longer, and after saying a few words of greeting, he turned and left.

The court lady Qing'er followed her footsteps, and quickly replied in a low voice: "The empress sent someone to tell you not to attack too hard, the empress wants His Majesty to be seriously ill now, but he will have to be cured in a few months. "

Zhu Yuexuan gave a "tsk" and said in dissatisfaction: "Sister He always talks about me like a child, how can I not know?! Your highness is only six years old, if the emperor is gone now, The crown prince is firmly on the throne, and the concubine Jia has to laugh alive underground, so I don't want to take advantage of her."

Qing'er was a little tangled: "Is this how the servant will report back to the empress and Qi's handprint? This is not very good."

Zhu Yuexuan glared at her: "You idiot, wouldn't you make up some nice words to go back?"

Qing'er secretly stuck out her tongue, smiled and ran away.

This summer went early, and the heat was just over. It was only hot in the afternoon, and it became slightly cooler at dusk.

The weather was excellent, the first batch of grain harvest in the south was good, the world was stable, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, but there was a panic inside and outside the court.

The emperor, who had always been physically strong, suddenly fainted and fell down in the early court.

There was an uproar.

Concubine Zhuang Ning Chan had just returned from the Empress Dowager's palace, and the anxiety and worry of the old man was heart-wrenching, and her voice of "what to do" made her even more flustered.

The emperor fell seriously ill, and she felt sad and sad, but she couldn't help thinking about the future.

If the emperor... goes away like this, the prince succeeds to the throne and the concubine Jia is dead, Zhou Shuhe will become the only empress dowager in the palace. The empress dowager is old and weak, and has no control over her. Relying on the hands of Zhou Shuhe.

Concubine Zhuang has been rebellious all her life, and she really can't stand this aggrieved air.She paced around the main hall of Zhongcui Palace for a long time, and when it was completely dark, she finally gritted her teeth and made up her mind.

"Come on, let me go to the palace. Qi Zhangyin found it and asked him if the cooperation he proposed last year can still be counted."

Of course, the proposal of cooperation is still counting. In fact, Qi Yu has been waiting for her for a long time. When he was led by the maid to step into the threshold of Zhongcui Palace, he felt the long-lost, vicious sense of pleasure.

Six years ago, Zhou Shuhe gave birth to Chu Chengyan, and he never dared to forget for a moment the pain he suffered. The concubine has stayed in Zhuang until now, but it is because too many people's "help" is needed to praise and kill the prince, and people with powerful backgrounds in the palace There are too few high-ranking concubines.

Only she, Ning Chan, is a concubine in the harem and has family support in the previous dynasty. What's more, she also bears the empress dowager's family affection on her body. The emperor values ​​filial piety, so she is the most punishing.

Seeing Qi Yu coming, Concubine Zhuang avoided his courtesy, and said straight out of her heart: "I am willing to cooperate with you to make the prince's succession easier, but why did you find me? Your Majesty has great trust in you." What’s more, the crown prince also regards you as a minister of humerus, no matter what, you can be the most powerful eunuch in Daning, what can this Palace bring to you?”

Qi Yu said with a smile: "Your Majesty is very precious to the empress, and the prince's filial piety is also very respectful to his aunt. Only you, Concubine Zhuang, can help slaves deal with the empress."

Concubine Zhuang was poked in the center of her mind, her heart skipped a beat.

"Why do you want to deal with the queen?"

Qi Yu's tone was cold, and there was just enough ferocity in his eyes: "Maybe the concubine Zhuang doesn't know that the slave and the empress have an old relationship, but the slave is burdened by the family and suffers, but the empress treats her like scum. She tried every means to trap the servants to death, so as not to reveal the secret and damage her innocent reputation of Zhou Shuhe."

Concubine Zhuang's eyes flickered.

Concubine Zhuang has checked these things, and when she found out about this, she thought she had dug up a treasure. On second thought, if the emperor knew about it, he would never allow other people who knew the truth to live, so it was her trump card, but it was also her secret weapon. Double-edged sword.

She has never dared to leak it rashly.

Concubine Zhuang didn't comment, she just stared at him: "What do you want to do?"

Qi Yu smiled: "Your Majesty's heart is unshakable, but the prince is still young, if the slaves tell him that the death of the concubine Jia was killed by Chu Huaizhang on the way to the palace three years ago, it was a tragedy planned by the empress ?”

"Is this true?"

"Slaves can make it come true."

Concubine Zhuang pondered for a moment, then asked again: "Tell me, how is Your Majesty's health?"

"My mother's day is sad."

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the face of this humble servant girl in front of her, and her eyelashes cast a long black shadow under his eyes. Concubine Zhuang looked at that shadow and felt that he was like a swamp that swallowed people's hearts, and she just needed a swamp .

"What will I do? What can I get?"

Qi Yu raised his eyes and said softly: "Your Majesty is seriously ill, the government and the public are in turmoil, His Royal Highness has not yet reached the crown, and it is the first time that he has obtained the power to oversee the country without His Majesty's interference. He can't hold back many aristocratic families. Help him, let him understand who is truly worthy of respect...Mu Concubine."

Such a result can be said to be exactly as expected.Concubine Zhuang took a deep breath, politely gave Qi Yu a seat, and presented another box of gold and silver. The two of them came and discussed with each other, and stayed until dusk.

Qi Yu stepped out of the Zhongcui Palace, and Concubine Zhuang summoned the palace lady Hong Yao on her back foot, and ordered: "What happened on the road to the palace the year before last, you send someone to find out from the palace. No matter whether you start from the middle or send out the forces at home to investigate, the movement of half a fly must not be missed."

Although Hong Yao didn't understand, she was used to her character of keeping her word and doing what she said, so she knelt down and left.

Concubine Zhuang has been a master in the palace for half her life, so she is naturally not a person who believes what others say. What's more, according to the information she has found in the past, after the Qi family was convicted, Zhou Shuhe visited him in prison, even seven years ago. It was also Zhou Shuhe who was rescued by Qi Yu rushing into the flames in the Hegong fire.

Such deep friendship cannot be faked.

Speaking of accidents, it probably happened after the summer vacation. Since then, Qi Yuming has helped Zhu Xuanyue countless times secretly, making the little Baolin who was born as a prostitute become Jieyu who is not fading. Empress, Zhou Shuhe, as the queen, is still loved by the emperor, but like her Ning Chan, she almost has no chance to sleep with her.

Therefore, the trip to the summer resort that she did not go to in order to represent Liugong became the key point.

Concubine Zhuang really hoped that they would turn against each other, but it had to be a real enmity.

In the afternoon of the third day, the red medicine brought a satisfactory result to Concubine Zhuang.

The truth about the summer resort at the beginning is really worth pondering. The concubine Jia intends to collude with Chu Huaizhang to kill the king of Chu. Zhou Shuhe will use his plan to lead Chu Huaizhang to jump back and kill the concubine Jia. .

What's more interesting is that she was afraid of leaving the team privately and Chu Huaizhang's unclear things would attract people's tongues, so she begged the emperor to hide this matter, and put the experience of missing with Chu Huaizhang for half a day on the dead concubine Jia .

In this way, no one would collude with Chu Huaizhang to harm the prince, and the concubine Jia also had good intentions. If a noble and good person was killed, besides the person who harmed her, the servants in charge of the guards would naturally also be blamed.

Qi Yu helped Zhou Shuhe, but was pushed out by her to take responsibility for the crime. It is natural for such a wolf-hearted person to have enmity with him.

But if it is said that this is a play played by the two of them...

Concubine Zhuang hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and said with a smile: "Forget it, who would set up such a long game and just wait for me to take the bait?"

Hong Yao was a little dazed: "Ma'am, what are you talking about?"

Concubine Zhuang smiled: "It's nothing, you send someone out of the palace, and tell your brother that your majesty is seriously ill and will die soon. The crown prince is young, and although his name is justified, the real power at hand is not as good as that of Zhao Wang's uncles and lords." , the courtiers also have their own thoughts, and it will be troublesome after all. It just so happens that apart from the Chen family, the princess's natal family, there are no aristocratic families standing behind him, so why not let my Ning family be his backing."

Dark clouds swept across and heavy rain was approaching. When the first raindrops hit the ground in the evening, Zhou Shuhe followed Jiyue and was walking out of the Tai Chi Hall with Sui Sui.

The summer rain came mercilessly, and the strong winds and torrential rain made a crisp sound when it hit the floor tiles. She took back her steps, sighed, and stopped under the small pavilion in the courtyard.

The palace servants standing beside him were very winking and wanted to go forward to serve, Zhou Shuhe shook his head to signal him to step back, then took Sui Sui's hand and asked, "Do you want to watch the rain together?"

Sui Sui cheered softly: "Wow, Mommy, it's raining so hard."

Zhou Shuhe sighed: "At the beginning, you were the one who clamored to start school early, but now it's been more than two years, and the teacher hasn't taught you some literary expressions? You've been babbling around all day, just like your fourth uncle!"

Sui Sui shrank his neck: "Well... Then, come a little later... What rain, wash away all the lead?"

A chuckle came from behind: "Your Highness is going to talk about Lay Qing'an's 'a gust of wind and rain at night, wash away the flames'*?"

When Zhou Shuhe heard a familiar voice, he hurriedly turned his head to see that it was Qi Yu.

Before she could take any action, Sui Sui rushed over first, raised her head and looked at him with sparkling eyes.

"Wow, Qi's palm print is so powerful, all I want to say is a sentence!" After finishing speaking, he sneaked a glance at Zhou Shuhe as if thinking of something, coughed lightly and said seriously, "I have a heart, and if you think about it, I can actually do it!" People too."

When he said this, his hands were behind his back, like a pedant, Zhou Shuhe couldn't help laughing, and said intermittently while panting: "Hey! Silly boy, it doesn't have to be."

Qi Yu shook his head and laughed secretly, leading the dazed Sui Sui over, shaking the two oil-paper umbrellas in his other hand, and explaining why he came.

"I said I would like to take care of you, but these people in the palace are always noisy when they come and go every day. Your Majesty is tired. He has fallen asleep now. I saw that it was raining outside, so I wanted to bring you an umbrella."

Zhou Shuhe laughed for a long time before straightening up, took the umbrella in his hand and put it on the stone table: "It won't be long since the rain will last, and I will be covered with damp when I go back to the palace with the umbrella, so it's troublesome to ask someone to carry the sedan chair. It’s also nice to watch the rain.”

Qi Yu said with a smile: "Your Majesty is indeed an elegant gesture."

"..."

Zhou Shuhe looked at him speechlessly: "At such a grown-up man, he still imitates the tongue of a six-year-old child. It's so weak."

Qi Yu nodded and said humbly, "It's not as good as your mother laughing loudly."

Although Sui Sui didn't understand what was so funny, he could see that the two of them were making fun of themselves, curled their lips unhappily, left the two villains behind, pulled Jiyue to squat on the ground, and played with being trapped in the pavilion. Ants from the shade come.

Zhou Shuhe withdrew his gaze from him and turned to look at Qi Yu. He seemed to have slowly gained half an inch in height in the past two years. She had to raise her neck slightly to look directly into his eyes.

"I heard that before I brought Sui Sui to serve Ji, the prince also came here. Your Majesty is quite happy."

Qi Yu smiled inexplicably: "In the past, the prince supervised the country and discussed matters with several trusted ministers of His Majesty. He said that he supervised the country, but in fact it was just a symbol of imperial power. But this time, His Majesty was so ill that it was too late to arrange too much. There are too many, we can only really let go, now the government and the public are in a panic, although he reprimands the crown prince for being stupid, he is at ease in his heart."

Zhou Shuhe glanced at him, implying something: "The prince is not an incompetent person. He treats his courtiers politely and is willing to accept advice humbly. There are no natural or man-made disasters these days. He will preach according to the law and there will be no troubles. Presumably the current chaos is a deliberate move by some people."

Qi Yuxiao accepted the title of "certain people", and said confidently: "Your Majesty's ridiculous praise."

"..."

Zhou Shuhe gave him a gouged look, said nothing, and stood shoulder to shoulder with him in front of the rain curtain under the pavilion.

She knew that Qi Yu understood everything she wanted, and could properly put away all the hesitation and intolerance in her heart.

Just like her compassion for the prince.

It is difficult for Zhou Shuhe to express this emotion in words. No one can tolerate others trying to hurt her own child. Many times, she wished to dig out the corpse of Concubine Jia from the ground. It was too easy for Chu Huaizhang to kill her. So much so that she was full of malice towards Chu Chengji.

But...he is really a good prince, a child who respects his aunt, and more importantly, he is a gentle brother.

Chu Chengji is very kind to Suisui.

Zhou Shuhe looked at Suisui with a complicated expression. He didn't know what he was talking to Jiyue, and while he was talking, he said in an embarrassing tone, "Brother Prince taught me."

Sui Sui also likes him very much.

Zhou Shuhe thought about whether to let the prince succeed normally, since Chu Huaizhang is dead anyway, isn't he?According to the previous life, the prince can still live for ten years. She let Emperor Taiping die earlier to make way for the prince. up to you.

But in the end she still denied this idea. People's hearts are changeable. Zhou Shuhe will never be able to place his life and death on the hearts of others. If the prince really ascends to the throne with her acquiescence, he will become suspicious when he is the emperor. When she is jealous, it will bring her a lot of unnecessary trouble.

Why bother yourself.

It's just that she has softened her heart to some extent. She wants to hold power, but she doesn't necessarily have to let the prince die.

Qi Yu had no likes or dislikes towards Chu Chengji, but he was just a stumbling block of fair appearance. Since Zhou Shuhe couldn't bear it, he just showed mercy.For example, to create some chaos and difficulties for the prince, so that the emperor can put his mind at ease for a while, then if the princelings in the future make some actions that despise the emperor's prestige, compared with the two before and after, it must be the prince who is affected by others—such as Zhuang Concubine and the Ning family's instigation and instructions, not that he was born rebellious and disrespectful to his father.

It's hard to say whether it's useful or not. In fact, neither Qi Yu nor Zhou Shuhe has any intention of keeping Chu Chengji, but he treats Sui Sui with a little effort, so they follow their hearts and get what they want with a little effort. Just peace of mind.

The fate between people is actually very simple. The kindness of a drop of water is returned to a drop of water, and the kindness of a spring is returned to a spring.

As with love, so with hatred.

In the third month of the prince's supervision of the country, the court gradually stabilized, and the tide turned into an undercurrent. Although the turmoil has not stopped, at least it is no longer chaotic.

After the end of the court meeting, Zhou Shaochen, the councilor's official, walked out of the palace with a crowd of people in red and purple.

An Ming, who is also a court official, squeezed over from behind, patted him on the shoulder suddenly, stepped in front of him, and showed a bright smile: "Good morning, Mr. Guojiu."

Zhou Shaochen couldn't help frowning: "Master An, please don't say such words."

An Ming let out a "bad" sound, and rolled his eyes: "I know, I know, Mr. Zhou doesn't want others to think that you are taking advantage of the empress. Nepotism is hard to say."

Zhou Shaochen shook his head, not knowing what to say for a moment.

As the direct elder brother of the current empress Zhou Shuhe, Zhou Shaochen has never talked about his relationship with the empress since he became an official.It's just that if you don't talk about it, no one will know about it. No matter what you say, someone will know to make it easier for him, so that he was born with Jinshi, and he has been in the fifth rank in Beijing for more than three years. If he didn't deliberately keep a low profile, I'm afraid that a fourth-rank member can afford it.

And An Ming was one of the people who knew his identity and had been trying to make things easier for him.

Zhou Shaochen has always kept these people at arm's length, except for An Ming, who is lively, enthusiastic and loves to play, and sometimes speaks a bit rashly, but gets along very easily, as if in his eyes, A's younger sister is a queen and B's younger brother is a cook They are all the same, the former can reward him with several official titles if he pleases well, and the latter can give him a few delicacies if he pleases well.

The two have been colleagues for more than two years, and they have become good friends after getting along like this. In the past, Zhou Shaochen always laughed when he teased An Ming, but in this situation, the emperor is seriously ill and the prince is in power. The turmoil was everywhere, and a string was stretched in his heart, so he pulled his friend aside and explained in a low voice.

"My Zhou family has a small family, and I have no foundation in the capital. It must be very difficult for the empress to ascend to the position of queen. As the second brother, even if I can't help the empress, I will definitely not add to her. Trouble. If someone listens to your words of country uncle, it is absolutely impossible to start from me and trip her up."

An Ming had a hippie smile on his face: "It's like just now, Zhao Wang's cousin started from the crown prince's natal cousin and tripped the prince?"

Zhou Shaochen's face darkened, and he said with a flick of his sleeves, "This is even more inappropriate."

An Ming laughed loudly. He was half a head shorter than Zhou Shaochen, and he looked a little funny when he forcibly hooked his shoulders and put his back on his back.

"Okay, okay, let's not talk about it, then my brother invites you to have a drink in Xinyuelou. If you don't go to the place where the wine is drunk, you won't be able to fart loudly with two sticks."

Xinyuelou is the most popular restaurant in the past few years. If there is no background in this place in the capital, you can't even get a hot spot as a beggar. Naturally, Xinyuelou must have a backer, but who is the backer? People can know.

An Ming seemed to be a frequent visitor here, the guy in the lobby saw him, and took him to the fifth floor where VIPs were received without saying a word.Walking along the pavilion path made people dizzy, Zhou Shaochen followed him into the private room, and looked up before entering the door, but there was no sign on the door.

The environmental layout of the Crescent Building is nothing to say, even a small pair of tableware is carved with gold and jade. Along the way, no matter whether it is the lobby or the private room, it is magnificent and not vulgar.

Zhou Shaochen's money belongs to his wife Fang Jing, and he never got enough money to squander in the Crescent Tower, so he was a little dazed for a while.

After a few rounds of food and drink, both of them relaxed, and they couldn't help talking about what happened in the court today.

"There are so many children in the Chen family, so if there are young ones, there will naturally be bad ones. Even the crown prince, it is difficult to control whether the white body cousin of the crown prince's concubine in his hometown is kind or not." Zhou Shaochen sighed, "But these are all trivial things. His Highness has always been impartial and impartial, and today he has said that if the bullying of men and women is true, he will never bend the law for personal gain."

An Ming raised his glass and put it to his lips, and smiled: "Brother Zhou has worked with the Crown Prince and has always respected him. If you compare it, your nephew, His Highness the King of Chu, is not close to the Crown Prince."

These words were a bit out of bounds. Even after drinking some wine, Zhou Shaochen couldn't ignore the deep meaning. He frowned, and said coldly, "Brother An, what do you mean?"

An Ming didn't answer him, and drank the dirty wine in the glass in one gulp: "Brother Zhou, did you hear anything?"

Zhou Shaochen was slightly taken aback, there were indeed some sounds, which seemed to be coming from the private room next door, he carefully distinguished for a while, it was the voices of Ning Kuo, Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment, and Chen Changqing, the official censor.

In other words, it was Concubine Zhuang's elder brother and the prince's father-in-law who were discussing matters together.

Zhou Shaochen glanced at him hesitantly, took a deep breath, and walked to the wall in three steps at a time, listening to someone's corner.

An Ming was happy to think for himself, and he had two crispy roasted pigeons all to himself. He sizzled and sucked the last wing, just in time to see Zhou Shaochen returning to the table with a dazed expression.

In fact, Ning Kuo and Chen Changqing didn't say anything, it was nothing more than some common things that officials and officials protect each other. For a more appropriate truth.

Zhou Shaochen murmured: "It's the prince..."

An Ming shook the jug and filled it up for him: "That's not true, the prince is a man of benevolence and righteousness, so he wouldn't do such a thing that harms people's lives, but he is too young, and the power in his hands is vain. There are no loyal ministers and good generals who are truly serving the country and the people around him, he will be deceived by others, and he will also be coerced by kindness."

He raised his chin and pointed to the back of the wall: "If you are standing in the place of the prince, and your wife is crying and begging you to save her cousin, but you refuse with righteous words, she has no choice but to go elsewhere and someone else will help her." Protecting her elder brother, don't you want to send him to prison? It's not good to repay kindness with complaints."

"So..." An Ming looked at Zhou Shaochen with a smile, "When there are more and more people like this, and they all gather around the prince, he will not be a good emperor. What's more, now that the Ning family is also involved, the Concubine Zhuang was a As a result, the Empress almost died on the delivery bed, and you will make the Empress very sad if you are with these people."

Zhou Shaochen heard about this for the first time, and all the things about the prince, the emperor, the country, and the people were forgotten. He was stunned, and he stood up suddenly: "What did you say? Xiaohe, No, ma'am, she..."

"Hey, what's the rush? It's the old Huangli calendar many years ago." An Ming motioned him to sit down. "It's all rumors in the palace. I listened to it occasionally. I don't know exactly what happened, but this The thing is to be honest, anyway, the Empress and Concubine Zhuang are quite at odds."

Yes, it's all old calendars.

Zhou Shaochen sat down slowly, thinking in a daze.

After coming to Beijing, he also entered the palace a few times, and was able to reunite with his sister whom he hadn't seen for many years, but the palace was not a good place to talk, and the empress was not a little girl from Huxiang County, so he didn't know what to say, she seemed I didn't want him to say anything more.

Only when he first entered the palace, Empress Zhou looked at the lines in the corners of his eyes and said with a smile, "Second brother will look like this when he is in his 30s."

Said it as if he was surprised that he was still in his 30s.

Zhou Shaochen couldn't figure it out, but he also felt a little sad from it. There were many years between their brother and sister, and the younger sister lived alone in the palace, and he couldn't help it.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but muttered to himself.

"Alone..." An Ming said "tsk", and his tone seemed to have a bit of deep meaning, "Brother Zhou, don't be too sentimental, beggars have three poor friends, even in the palace, the empress will know each other Bring the person."

Zhou Shaochen shook his head to suppress the waves in his heart, and fixed his eyes on him: "I won't talk about family affairs, what is the purpose of Mr. An listening to this ear today?"

Xiao Er served another portion of carved candied fruit, the sweet and sour taste was just enough to relieve the fat of the roasted pigeon. An Ming quickly picked up a plum and put it in the bowl, but didn't eat it.

After Xiaoer left, he laughed and said, "Isn't it obvious? I just hope that Brother Zhou will not be this princeling again. This is also what the empress means."

"So you're doing something for your mother."

"Yes."

"What do you think now, ma'am?"

"My lady doesn't want the prince to be the emperor."

Zhou Shaochen nodded: "Before I entered the house, I found that there was no sign outside the door. I thought that the VIP area was more private than the one next to it. The only way to enter is the little second. Not naming the private room can also prevent others from finding the distinguished guests along the door. But if we really pay attention to privacy, how can we hear the sound of the cubicle? The famous Crescent Building will not even have a soundproof wall. "

An Ming laughed, and said cheerfully: "Brother Zhou has a bright eye, this is indeed not an ordinary private room, but the Crescent Building is specially used for listening to the corner of the wall. I am deliberately taking Brother Zhou to experience the secret affairs of the princelings, lest you My head is full of dreams of being a good ruler and a good minister, and I want to serve a prince who has no benevolence and literary talent, but is at a loss when it comes to practical matters."

Zhou Shaochen drank a glass of wine, and did not refute: "So, the Crescent Tower is also your mother's property?"

"Yes and no."

"how to say?"

An Ming got up and poured wine for both of them: "The innkeeper of Xinyuelou is named Liu Gui. Now the innkeeper Liu is busy with other things. The real manager in the dark is a lady surnamed Xi. Wearing a hat and veil, even we don't know who she is. And Liu Gui is a businessman who was brought into Beijing from Zhenbeiguan by Governor Qi, and Mrs. Xi also has a close relationship with him, so many people think that Xinyuelou It's the property of Qi's palm seal, so donate some money to show respect."

"But in fact, this building was funded and built by the empress. The purpose is not to solicit money, but these—" he knocked on the wall beside him, "these channels can be used to listen to the private affairs of the rich and powerful."

"There is the Overwatch Council on the surface, and there is the Crescent Tower in private. Everything inside and outside the capital cannot escape the hands of the two of them. It is different from the crown prince's virtual power. This is a real means."

"Then Brother Zhou thinks it would be good for His Highness the King of Chu to ascend the throne?"

Zhou Shaochen slowly closed his eyes.

The prince values ​​benevolence and filial piety, and has always respected his aunt. He joined the prince's party only after confirming this point. If the prince ascends the throne, it will be better than Zhao Wangcheng's uncles and step-brothers to Zhou Shuhe.

In fact, it’s not that Zhou Shaochen has never thought about the King of Chu. After all, he is his nephew. It’s clear at a glance who is closer, but the King of Chu is not yet seven years old. The situation of the latter is complicated, perhaps it is better to let the prince succeed to the throne normally, while the former...

Zhou Shuhe is his own younger sister. How could it be possible for a lively girl who loves to play and make troubles to become a female politician with power and skill?

If she really wants to hang the curtain, there must be a huge shadow behind her.

for example--

Zhou Shaochen didn't want to think about it, but the words had come to an end, he had to think about it.

"An Ming," he said bluntly, "You say you work for the empress, so are you from the empress or from Dudu Qi?"

An Ming said calmly, "Is there a difference?"

Zhou Shaochen heard that the veins on his forehead were popping out, and he almost roared angrily: "What do you mean, why are you asking that!"

"Brother Zhou, keep your voice down. It would be bad if you are heard by the two adults next door, Chen and Ning." An Ming didn't understand, so he picked up chopsticks and put a plum in his mouth, and said in a cohesive voice, "The empress and Dudu Qi are of one heart and one mind. , Although His Royal Highness Chu is still young, everyone has his own destiny, he is a good man who can be assisted by capable people, it doesn't matter whether I belong to the empress or the governor, after all, I belong to His Royal Highness Chu."

Only then did Zhou Shaochen come to his senses. An Ming didn't know anything about Hu Xiang's past. What he said just now was about his position, not...not those things that he tossed and turned many times in the middle of the night, and didn't even dare to tell his wife Fang Jing. .

No, that is impossible.he told himself.Zhou Shuhe is a noble empress, no matter how powerful Qi Yu is, he has already been reduced to a mere eunuch. How can he tarnish the phoenix in the sky?He helped her son, but he just formed a party to keep his power and wealth, so that he could be his nine thousand years old steadily.

But even so, he still felt uncomfortable: "According to what you said, if His Royal Highness the King of Chu ascends the throne in the future, wouldn't he still rely on the breath of an eunuch?"

An Ming's expression was slightly surprised: "Qi Dudu has a bad reputation. Although there are hidden secrets, it is normal for you to feel that he is a traitor, but His Royal Highness is behind the Queen, and the Empress will naturally protect her." he."

Zhou Shaochen frowned: "After all, the empress is just a young woman in her early twenties, neither the generation of Empress Lu nor the talent of Ban Zhao. How can I help the young emperor to come to court and give me a peaceful and prosperous world in Daning? After all, Why don't we just watch the eunuchs control the government."

An Ming looked him up and down, and sighed: "Brother Zhou underestimates your mother, and really doesn't understand our governor."

What he said annoyed Zhou Shaochen, and he couldn't help but sarcastically: "What? Do you know your master better than me? That's right, you work under the eunuch, and you naturally know how to please the master by your ears and eyes. I think you approached I also have ulterior motives. Don't worry, I won't do anything against my mother, but you go back and tell Qi Yu that I won't let him bring the young master into chaos!"

In fact, Zhou Shaochen's long and eloquent passage was purely bluffing. He is a small fifth-rank court councilor with a low family background, so he can't control the general situation of the world.But he just wanted to say, if he didn't say that, he couldn't help but think about it, either thinking that Qi Yu was on the side of the King of Chu because of some unspeakable things, or thinking that he would be in power in the future, He will use this to coerce Zhou Shuhe to do some unspeakable things.

An Ming didn't care about his sarcasm, and said with a smile: "Brother Zhou, don't blame me, my brother said that you underestimated the Empress Empress because you only saw her as a younger sister, and felt that she was weak and helpless, and didn't know people well; The reason why you don't know the governor is because you listened to the rumors in the market and thought he was greedy for position, Mulu, and ruthless, but there is something else hidden in the matter."

Zhou Shaochen snorted coldly with disdain, skipped the paragraph about Zhou Shuhe, and pointed at Qi Yu sarcastically: "Could it be that the thing about him being greedy for ink, the governor of Qi Dadu, is a lie? It's just that Miss Qi Liu got married with ten miles of red makeup, let alone a lady from an aristocratic family. It is nothing more than the dowry battle of the princess and the lord. No one knows that Dudu Qi will not refuse anyone who comes with money. It is nothing to take money from others and not do things for others. The accusation is poured on Qingliu scribes who disdain to bribe, this is the 'hidden secret' in your mouth!?"

"Hey! Calm down, calm down," An Ming served him a bowl of mint Dengxin soup, forced him to drink it with his eyes, and said slowly, "Brother Zhou, you also know that when the water is clear, there will be no fish. Muddy waters, those who are honest and upright are either small people like you and me, or they will die young, and Governor Qi is naturally unwilling."

Zhou Shaochen sneered and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by An Ming.

"As for the Qingliu you mentioned...Brother Zhou's words are wrong. There is no such thing as Qingliu. The word Qingliu is just an excuse. The things committed by those people can't be more true. It's just that since ancient times, literati and those high-ranking The biggest wish of the big family is nothing more than the reputation of the former and the latter. Governor Qi wants them to pay their lives, but he is also willing to keep their names. If he takes a step back first, those aristocratic families will also tacitly allow him to enforce the law and no longer hinder the Overwatch Council from handling the case. "

"The one who seeks the name gets the name, and the one who seeks the truth is pragmatic. Daning needs a pragmatic assistant. What's wrong?"

What's wrong with that?

Zhou Shaochen thought about it over and over again for more than a month, and gradually figured it out, there was nothing wrong with Qi Yu's talents in the world, and now he was in a high position and still had his original aspirations.

What he really cared about was not the political twists and turns, but the situation of the fifth younger sister.

Back then Zhou Shuhe only explained to her mother Li Rulan the reason for her entry into the palace, but the others, whether her father or siblings, thought she just wanted to enter the palace to be a female historian so that she could reunite with Qi Yu.

They were all against it. After all, no one would want their relatives to degenerate and chase after a sinful slave.Whether it's a pity or a pity, after all, the proud son of the day has already fallen into the dung, why should he pay for the girl raised by his Zhou family?

It's just that Zhou Shuhe insisted, and Li Rulan insisted on protecting her. In addition, the draft period was getting closer and closer, so she had no choice but to follow her wishes.

Zhou Shaochen prayed day and night, hoping that Zhou Shuhe would either not be selected, and slowly choose a good husband after returning home, or be selected as a concubine, a woman who became the real dragon emperor, and when she knew what is the real glory , will no longer be full of unrealistic dreams.

God showed mercy and let the fifth younger sister become a concubine, and even now she is the most honorable woman in the world, but God seems to have not really granted his request. Those childish stubbornness of her childhood, when she walks here, seem to have something to do with her. May have become true.

He felt ashamed, but he didn't want to think about his sister like this. His conflicted emotions disturbed him so much that he couldn't sleep. Until Yinshi, the maid who was called up lit a candle and stepped into the bedroom. He finally decided to ask Qi Yu for clarification. .

His wife Fang Jing woke up vaguely and wanted to change his clothes. Zhou Shaochen softly comforted her to sleep, put on the official robe and stepped out of the house under the service of the maid.

This day is the Grand Court Meeting, Zhou Shaochen entered the palace through the east gate, and was going to go directly to the gate of the Qi Mansion to stop people after the next court. He was thinking about something in his heart, and his mind slowed down a bit, and he waited for the officials to salute and shouted "" Long live Your Majesty, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live Your Majesty", he suddenly realized that the person in power sitting on the dragon chair today has turned back into the emperor again.

And the prince... he looked around secretly, his heart fell suddenly.