generation hero

Feng Cong also quickly came out of the bathroom, and Shen Jingxuan said, "The Empress Dowager has sent someone to tell you and the lady of the Wang family to return to the palace today, and the prince will also enter the palace with you to explain what happened last night to the Empress Dowager and the emperor."

"Has it been sent back to Changgui Palace?" Feng Cong asked.

Shen Jingxuan nodded and said: "Xiao Shanzhi went back to Beijing early this morning."

"Back to Beijing?" Yuan Tang couldn't help laughing and said, "Isn't it? Is he so afraid of losing face?" But seeing Feng Cong and Shen Jingxuan looking at each other, they were clear in each other's eyes.

Yuan Tang: "?"

Shen Jingxuan showed a sneer, and said: "Partly because of what happened last night, and partly because yesterday His Majesty asked the ministers to discuss in the court hall who will succeed King Huan in Guangling next year."

"So fast!" Yuan Tang exclaimed in surprise.It's not even the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Shen Jingxuan said: "Your Majesty wants to take control of the Shangjun Army Mansion as soon as possible, and I'm afraid he won't wait until next summer. In the beginning of spring, King Huan will be recruited back to Beijing."

Feng Cong asked, "Who does the Xiao family recommend to come out of town?"

Shen Jingxuan said: "It was only proposed yesterday, and it has not been decided yet, but I guess Xiao Shizhong is the most likely to be appointed."

Yuan Tang frowned and said: "But isn't Xiao Shizhong the center of the court? Once he leaves, the Xiao family will lose one person in the court." After more than half a year in Beijing, Yuan Tang has also learned about the gates of the court. The two brothers Xiao Xiezhi and Xiao Shanzhi are the most important ones. Both of them are close officials of the central government and hold great power. The attendant Xiao Xiezhi is at the center, and Xiao Shanzhi is at most his brother's minions.

Yuan Tang didn't have a deep impression of Xiao Shizhong. He was completely different from the high-profile Xiao Shanzhi. Xiao Shanzhi is rarely mentioned.

"Xiao Shizhong's position in the court is not irreplaceable." Shen Jingxuan said, "The Xiao family has fought against the Wang family for many years in the court, and Xiao Shizhong still cannot replace Wang Shangshu. It is difficult to make further progress. If the power of Shangjun's military mansion is obtained, the Xiao family will get Caizhou and the three northern states of Shangyun, which are unmatched by anyone inside and outside the court. At that time, if they unite with the party members in the court, the Wang family will be in decline."

"Xiao Shi's middle-aged seniority is the head of the Xiao family. He has mastered the Chinese army for many years. No one is more suitable than him. Not to mention the Xiao family, even the entire imperial court can't find anyone who is more suitable to go out of the town."

Yuan Tang still remembered that Zhou Xianpei had taught him popular science before entering Beijing. The important town in the west of Great Xia, that is, Caizhou where the Zhan family was located, Qian Xiyi, the governor of the Western Governor's Mansion, had a good relationship with the Xiao family, and was classified as a faction of the Xiao family. , he also noticed Shen Jingxuan's wording and said, "Is he the only one who is the most suitable?"

Could it be that even the Wang family couldn't find a more suitable person than Xiao Shizhong.

Shen Jingxuan nodded.

Shen Jingxuan touched the teacup to his lips, raised his eyes to look at Feng Cong, and said, "Did the queen mother ever tell you who the Wang family would send out of town? The qualifications of other people are definitely not as good as Xiao Shizhong, and if the quality is not very good, I'm afraid it will be difficult Compared with Xiao Shizhong."

"You don't need to listen to me here," Feng Cong casually reclined on the couch, and said, "I don't know much. Wang Shangshu is about the same age as my uncle, so it is not suitable for him to leave Beijing. Wang Qu has never led a soldier. I can't help it, the rest of the Wang family's nephews and nephews have never practiced martial arts. Instead of coming to me to ask, it is better for the prince to go directly to the Qingliang Hall to ask the queen mother, and the queen mother might be willing to discuss with him at this time."

A cunning flashed in Shen Jingxuan's eyes, and said: "His Royal Highness is extremely difficult in front of His Majesty and the Xiao family. After all, he and His Majesty are biological father and son, how can they disobey the will of their father and lord."

Feng Cong didn't take it seriously.

Shen Jingxuan put down his teacup and got up, and said: "The crown prince asked me to inform His Highness that we will leave in an hour and return to the palace, and please prepare for it. The two ladies of the Wang family will have the Crown Princess taking care of them."

Feng Cong waved his hand casually and said, "Got it."

After Shen Jingxuan left, Yuan Tang asked, "Why did Third Brother Shen help His Royal Highness to find out?"

Feng Cong said: "He is looking for things in his position. He is now the prince's servant, so he naturally wants to do things for the East Palace."

The reasoning is true, Shen Jingxuan will be an official in the future, there is nothing wrong with being able to serve the prince, the prince is the prince, and the prince will become emperor in the future, Shen Jingxuan will have a bright future with him.

Yuan Tang felt a little empty in his heart, and there was always a feeling that everyone was about to part ways. His expression was written all over his face. Feng Cong looked at it and smiled: "What are you thinking, your third brother Shen is still your third brother. The Wang family recruited him." In the court, he also has to be successful in order to gain a firm foothold, if he can gain the trust of the crown prince, it will be a good thing for him and the Shen family."

Yuan Tang also knew that Feng Cong and Shen Jingxuan had different ambitions. Although the two were friends, they could not walk on the same path. Shen Jingxuan had the Shen family behind him, and his talent and character should not be buried. While Feng Cong was unrealistic, Feng Cong obviously hoped that Shen Jingxuan could find another way out.

Shen Jingxuan has already found his own way, so Feng Cong, of course he also has his own persistence, he has no nostalgia for Xia Guo, he just wants to leave Xia Guo, and Yuan Tang still wants to fulfill General Yuan's last wish, to glorify Yuan's family .

Everyone has something to do.

Thinking that one day in the future, he might have to part with Feng Cong, Yuan Tang felt a little sad. His relationship was already full of difficulties before it even started.

Feng Cong didn't notice Yuantang's depression, and an hour later, they and the prince and concubine drove back to the palace.

In fact, the prince was also very unlucky. It happened at the banquet in his other village. Feng Cong beat people, and Xiao Shanzhi ran wildly all over the village. To deal with the aftermath, we must give the queen mother and the emperor an explanation.

After arriving at Changgui Palace, the Crown Princess, Yuan Tang and others entered the harem, while the Crown Prince went to the Emperor's Palace of Discussion.

The concubine was very polite to Feng Cong and Yuantang. She first confessed to the queen mother, and then reported to the queen mother what happened at night. Probably because Feng Cong and Yuantang preserved the reputation of Mrs. Zhao, the concubine tried her best to speak for them good words.

The Queen Mother had already known about the farce in Biezhuang last night, so she quietly listened to the Crown Princess and then said with a smile: "What should I do? Sending them back will break them." She said a few words to comfort the Crown Princess, and rewarded the Crown Princess with many things.

After the Crown Princess left, the Empress Dowager first asked Tao Neishi, "How long has the Crown Prince been in the Palace of Political Affairs?"

Tao Neishi said, "A full quarter of an hour."

The queen mother nodded, first asked people to take Wang Yao and Wang Yan back to the room to rest, and then ordered the palace people to disperse. Knowing that the queen mother was going to give Feng Cong a lecture, Yuan Tang raised his eyes and secretly looked at Feng Cong, while talking to the palace. People slowly retreated outside the palace.

He wanted to go back to his residence and wait for Feng Cong, but Su Wan who had come out together stopped him and said, "Your Majesty, talk to Your Highness for a while, you and I will wait outside the hall."

Qingliang Hall is the most comfortable and cool place in the entire Changgui Palace. The roof is high, the eaves are deep and the corridors are wide. , When the weather is hot, the window sash can be propped up with wooden sticks for ventilation, or the window sash can be disassembled in one piece, and a layer of gauze is pasted on the window to prevent outsiders from prying.This place is suitable for living in summer, the only downside is that the wooden windows have almost no sound insulation effect, so when talking in the hall, Yuan Tang and the others can hear them sitting outside the porch.

The queen mother sighed and said helplessly: "It's too reckless."

Feng Cong didn't answer, the queen mother said: "I heard that you have seized the witness, but this morning you let him go back to Beijing with Xiao Shanzhi. In order not to let me intervene, you are willing to let Xiao Shanzhi go?"

The so-called witnesses of course refer to He Lifang and the three servants of the Xiao family who were tied up last night. These people were all taken away by Xiao Shanzhi this morning. Even if Xiao Shanzhi cannot be dismissed from office, he can be punished for a crime of disrespect to the royal family.

Feng Cong said: "I have already taken revenge. The queen mother has been worrying a lot recently, so I dare not worry about it anymore."

The Empress Dowager sneered: "It's no revenge to beat him up. You really think it's a child's play. Don't you know why he designed it like this?"

Feng Cong sat down on the cushion and said, "Why are the designs the same?"

"Oh, you child." It didn't sound like the queen mother was angry, but she wasn't in a good mood either. Yuan Tang felt that the queen mother should have a headache for Feng Cong.

Feng Cong bowed down to the Queen Mother and said: "If I do something that makes the Queen Mother feel wrong, I will accompany you first. If the Queen Mother is still not satisfied, you can continue to lock me up or drive me out of the palace. "His apology was not sincere at all, like a spoiled grandson playing tricks on his elders, or provoking the Queen Mother.

Yuan Tang listened impatiently outside, a little worried about Feng Cong, Feng Cong's resistance to the Queen Mother is getting stronger and stronger, his relationship with the Queen Mother is just a superficial paper, after the last time he was grounded, he became more perfunctory towards the Queen Mother From an ordinary person's point of view, it is extremely disrespectful to his grandmother. Feng Cong is not a rude person. Yuan Tang faintly sensed that the estrangement between him and the Queen Mother might be related to the death of Prince Wenxi.

The Queen Mother said: "Such rampage is not good for you at all. You should learn to endure and accumulate your strength in the dark. Only in this way can you really hit your enemy. A few arrogant words, punches and kicks, can make you feel better." Doesn't work and doesn't get you anything you want."

Feng Cong said calmly, "I don't want anything at all."

"Confused." The Queen Mother said, "If you don't want anything, you will lose everything. Compromise and concessions are not to make you shrink back, but to help you not to be humiliated, to protect what you want to protect. You shouldn't always do it just to get angry with me." Doing things that are not beneficial to yourself, hurting the enemy by one thousand and self-defeating eight hundred, can only appear weak and deceitful, anxious and disorganized."

The Empress Dowager's tone became severe, teaching Feng Cong with the majesty of an elder, and it also seemed to hate that iron can't be made into steel.

Feng Cong said calmly, "Do you want me to compromise like my father?"

Su Wan, who was sitting beside Yuan Tang, held her breath suddenly, and Yuan Tang also felt that the atmosphere in the hall was subtly cold at the moment.

Just when he thought that Feng Cong was going to anger the Queen Mother again, the emperor's father appeared outside the Qingliang Hall, and Suwan hurriedly preached: "The emperor is here."

Yuan Tang and Su Wan were both lying outside the hall, the emperor walked in a hurry, stomping heavily on the wooden corridor.

"My son came to pay my mother's respect." The emperor said, seeing that Feng Cong was also in the hall, the emperor was furious, and lightly reprimanded: "You are here too, really...really..."

Feng Cong bowed and knelt there, but the queen mother asked him to stand up first.

The Queen Mother smiled and said: "Why are you so rushed as soon as you come here, as if you want to ask a crime, you are also getting old, you should take more rest to yourself, don't always get angry."

"Mother's queen," said the emperor, "since Hongyi is here, my son just said that he actually chased and beat Shilang Xiao Shanzhi at the prince's banquet last night. Since the Great Xia Dynasty, no royal family has described it as arrogant enough to beat him." Courtier. If this continues, I don’t know what troubles he will cause. If the mother doesn’t have the energy to discipline him, she will teach him to her son. For the sake of my brother, my son will never let him do anything wrong again.”

"Sure enough, Xingshi came to inquire about the crime." The Empress Dowager You said with a smile.

"Mother!" The emperor said dissatisfied.

"Okay," the queen mother raised her voice slightly, and said slowly, "I'm not being disciplined. Your Majesty should know what happened last night. It involves the Crown Princess' natal family. I don't want to hurt the Crown Princess' face. Family matters can be discussed behind closed doors. If outsiders are involved, I won’t let the old lady off easily. I didn’t ask Xiao Geshi why he left Changgui early today to return to Beijing, but His Majesty came to me to ask. "

"Empty words are useless," said the emperor, "Mother can't blindly protect him. As a royal family, you should abide by the rules and set an example. If you are so arrogant and rude, how can the world obey and enshrine me as a clan."

"Whether it is empty talk or not is not yet a conclusion," the queen mother said flatly, looking at the emperor.

"Actually, even if the emperor doesn't come today, I'm going to invite you." The queen mother said, "The children are naughty, and the elders just need to pay more attention. There is no need to get angry." There was no maid in the palace, so the emperor had to go up to help her in person. She said: "The emperor said something about the rules, which reminded me of something. I should have mentioned it to you a long time ago, but I forgot it when I got old. I remembered it today. Let’s beg for favor with the emperor.”

The emperor said in fear and fear: "The son dare not, and the mother can tell the son to do whatever there is."

The queen mother smiled and said: "I want to ask for a throne for Hongyi. He is not too young among all the brothers, but he has never had a title."

The hall was silent for a while, and the emperor said: "He just committed murder and wounded people last night, so it's fine if he doesn't get punished, why does my mother ask for a seal for him? How can he be a king for his talents?"

Yuan Tang was also a little surprised when he heard it outside. The queen mother always wanted Feng Cong to be king, but she never mentioned it, and she never asked the Wang family to write a letter to the court. She suddenly mentioned it at this time, and I'm afraid it broke the emperor's heart to ask for a crime.

Perhaps because the natural mother-child relationship and filial piety cannot be violated, the emperor and the empress dowager fought fiercely in the imperial palace, but the emperor himself always appeared submissive in front of the empress dowager, and the empress dowager was always calm.

The queen mother walked slowly in the hall and said: "You were only one year old when your father named you king. You are so young, how can you tell that you are a man of character?"

The emperor was speechless by the queen mother's reply. As a biological mother, the queen mother has a natural advantage.

"You just talked about rules, so I'll tell you rules," said the Queen Mother. "What kind of rules are you delaying in granting Hongyi the title of king? I remind you, old lady. You still come to talk to me. You want me to discipline him. He must have a reputation. He grew up outside, so he is not as famous as his brothers. How can you make him obey the rules? After he is crowned king and has status, he will naturally know how to respect..."

The emperor gave a soft "huh", and the queen mother seemed to be in a better mood as she talked, and asked the emperor again: "I heard that you have mentioned the matter of letting your uncle leave the town at the court, and you have someone to take over." Is it?"

The emperor became extra cautious and said, "I haven't decided on anyone yet. Does my mother recommend any suitable candidates?"

The queen mother smiled and said: "The old lady has not asked about the government for many years. How can there be any candidates? I just listened to the rumors flying all over the sky. Let me ask you one more question."

Yuan Tang admired the mother and son, everyone pretended to be confused.When it came to government affairs, the emperor was a little bit annoyed, and then the conversation with the queen mother became a bit bland. Before the emperor left, the queen mother specially reminded the emperor that she would ask the Wang family to hand over the letter of invitation on the next court meeting day.The emperor did not make a statement, but only said that the matter of becoming a king would be decided after discussion. Fortunately, the queen mother did not let him agree immediately.

When the emperor walked out of the Qingliang Hall, he still seemed to be thinking about something. There was a cold wind outside, and the sky turned gloomy. The Queen Mother suddenly said in the hall: "The emperor walks slowly, let them take an umbrella before leaving, Suwan, go get an umbrella." .”

Su Wan hurriedly responded, the emperor's eyes flicked over Su Wan, and then suddenly paused, then fell on Yuan Tang who was beside Su Wan, Yuan Tang felt the emperor's gaze, and hurriedly bowed his head.

The emperor stepped forward and said, "Are you Hongyi's attendant?"

Before Yuan Tang could answer, Su Wan, who had already got up and took a small step back, said first, "Return to Your Majesty, it is Yuan Shi reading."

"Oh," said the emperor softly, "I remember his father was General Longxiang Yuan Guang."

"Exactly." Su Wan said.

After the emperor left, the queen mother seemed a little tired, so she let Feng Cong go back.

Back at the residence, Feng Cong was a little silent. He didn't mention the matter of becoming king, and Yuan Tang didn't take the initiative to mention it. They all knew that the queen mother would ask for Feng Cong's seal sooner or later, but after being crowned king, when the queen mother collected those who supported Wenxi As the prince's man, she planned to let Feng Cong go.

One day before the court meeting, the prefect of Dan County, Zhan Fang, was first impeached. It is said that Zhan Fang had neglected his duties in office, but he searched monks and temples before accomplishing anything, which almost caused a civil uprising in Dan County.

Changgui Palace is not far from Dan County. This incident caused quite a stir in both the court and Pengwu. The Xiao family wanted to demote Zhan Fang to a commoner. Although Zhan Fang's uncle did not hold important positions, he had been in court for many years , mobilized all the connections of the Zhan family to protect Zhan Fang, and went to the palace several times to meet the queen mother.

In the end, the Ministry of Officials removed Zhan Fang from his position and ordered him to return to Beijing for trial.

This treatment is better than being demoted to a commoner, but it also makes the Zhan family extremely dishonorable.

Immediately afterwards, Wang Shangshu asked for Feng Cong's seal at the Great Court Meeting, and the seal he asked for was like a heavy hammer that smashed the court into pieces and crackled.

The first one to stand up against it was naturally the Xiao family represented by Xiao Shizhong, and there were also many people who supported Feng Cong. In addition to the Wang family, Dr. Taixue Jijiu also jointly signed a letter asking the emperor to give him the title of King Cong as soon as possible. .

As the person concerned, Feng Cong himself lived in seclusion in the Qingliang Palace like a normal person.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the weather is getting cooler, and the itinerary to return to Beijing is scheduled before September.Changgui Palace is cool and pleasant in summer, but not so comfortable in autumn.

One day in late August, the crown prince came to Qingliang Hall to pay his respects, accompanied by Shen Jingxuan, who found Feng Cong and Yuantang while the crown prince was talking with the queen mother.