The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 456: There is no peace in the Taiping Palace

In the Taiping Palace, in an inconspicuous Guanyin Pavilion, Zhu Xiu met Li Sanniang, the Queen Mother of Zhaosheng.

Not yet 50 years old, she looks as old as an old woman in her [-]s or [-]s, with gray hair and a stooped waist. She only wears an old gray three-treasure robe with long sleeves, covering her withered and thin body.

If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, it would be hard to believe that such a shabby and aging woman was the empress dowager of a country.

Although Li Sanniang, the former empress dowager, had nothing to do with the Zhou Dynasty, Guo Wei clearly issued a decree to express to the world that he was willing to respect her as the empress dowager without any loss of honor.

This can be regarded as the last trace of dignity given by Guo Wei to the Liu Han Dynasty.

Zhu Xiu did not dare to neglect and bowed respectfully.

Li Sanniang sits cross-legged on the futon, with the altar and the golden body of Guanyin behind her.

There were several memorial tablets placed on the altar table. Zhu Xiu took a glance and found that the memorial tablets were those of Liu Zhiyuan's father Liu Zhi, her husband Liu Zhiyuan, their three sons, Liu Chengxun, Liu Chengyou, Liu Chengxun, and their adopted son Liu Yun.

There are no titles or posthumous names added to the tablet, only names such as "Dead Husband" and "Dead Son" are written, which is no different from the tablets enshrined in ordinary people's homes.

Li Sanniang twisted the beads in her hands and said with a smile: "No need to be polite, there is no Queen Mother here, only an old woman who worships Buddha devoutly."

Zhang Gui took a futon and Zhu Xiu took it. After thanking him, he sat cross-legged in front of Li Sanniang and bowed his head slightly.

Zhang Gui also sat down cross-legged.

The young eunuch Zhang Dejun was busy serving tea and water.

There is a smell of butter floating in the small palace, presumably from the ever-burning lamp on the altar table, and there is a sense of tranquility unique to the Buddhist pavilion.

Zhu Xiu looked at the wrinkled old woman in front of her and couldn't help but sigh.

To this day, Li Sanniang doesn't know that Liu Chengyou died due to her painstaking design more than two years ago.

It can be said that he was the culprit who killed Emperor Yin.

Facing Li Sanniang, Zhu Xiu inevitably felt a little ashamed.

Not because of killing Liu Chengyou, but because of causing an innocent mother to lose her last biological son.

More than two years ago, Li Sanniang was perhaps the only innocent person in the turbulent changes that shook Kaifeng and eventually led to drastic changes in the world.

It's a pity that she is just a woman after all. After Liu Chengyou took over the imperial power, she had no ability to influence the direction of the court. She could only watch Liu Han's country being dominated by her good brother Li Ye and her most doted youngest son Liu Chengyou. It created a chaotic atmosphere, and eventually ended up with the country being ruined, the family destroyed, and a brutal death.

Zhu Xiu knew that if Liu Chengyou had not died, Kaifeng City would not have been destroyed so quickly, and Li Sanniang would not have been able to continue to enjoy honors in the new dynasty as the queen mother of the previous dynasty.

No matter how much Guo Wei cared about his old relationship, he would not allow Li Sanniang to continue to live in the world and let the remnants of Liu Han defend Kaifeng in her name and not surrender.

When Liu Chengyou died, people in Kaifeng were in chaos, and Yedu's army successfully entered the city. The remaining Liu Han were just clowns and had nothing to fear.

Guo Wei took advantage of the situation to welcome Li Sanniang as the queen mother, and let her continue to enjoy the supreme honor in the new dynasty.

For more than two years, Guo Wei's favor to the Taiping Palace has not diminished, but he has never set foot here again. He only asks Concubine Dong to visit Empress Dowager Li on his behalf during the Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and New Year's Day every year.

The grudges and friendship between them were wiped out more than two years ago.

Zhu Xiu was in a daze. In Li Sanniang and Guo Wei, he saw the sadness and helplessness that belonged to an era.

Once upon a time, the friendship between Guo Wei and Liu Zhiyuan was so deep, and after Liu Chengyou executed Guo Weiman's family, the hatred between him and the Liu family was so deep.

"We haven't seen him for two years, but Mr. Zhu is still as charming as ever." Li Sanniang's chuckle revealed a trace of old age.

Zhu Xiu said hurriedly: "The Queen Mother's body is as healthy as ever."

"Hehe, I'm old and useless." Li Sanniang shook her head and sighed, "Last year after dinner every day, Zhang Gui even helped me to walk around the Taiping Palace.

Since this year, I feel tired even if I walk half a circle, and my legs are in pain even if I take even two steps.”

Zhu Xiudao: "Why don't we invite old doctor Yuan Jingrun to come into the palace to diagnose and treat the Queen Mother?"

Queen Mother Li waved her hand: "It's an old problem. In the early years, Yuan Jingrun had acupuncture and applied medicine, and it got better. Now it's just a recurrence of the old disease. Just follow the previous prescription and take medicine."

Yuan Jingrun is old and has difficulty moving, so it's better not to bother him. "

Zhu Xiu thought for a moment and then said: "Old Master Feng's granddaughter is a direct disciple of the old imperial doctor. She has excellent medical skills. When I leave the palace later, I will go to the old master's house and invite Lady Feng to come into the palace and become the Queen Mother." Acupuncture."

Empress Dowager Li said with great interest: "Is that Mrs. Feng who is in love with you? The words of three families competing for a son-in-law are indeed true!"

"Uh" Zhu Xiu blushed and scratched his head in embarrassment.

Queen Mother Li chuckled softly, her eyes full of love, as if looking at her own children and grandchildren.

"You should tell me, among Madam Fu, Madam Feng and Madam Shi, which one do you like best?"

Empress Dowager Li was very excited: "I am an old acquaintance with Feng Dao and Fu Yanqing. I want to summon the two ladies into the palace to meet them.

The Shi family has lived in Jingzhou for a long time, so I am not very familiar with him. I have seen Shi Kuangwei in the early years, and I have the impression that he is a Shatuo warrior with no long hair. His appearance is a bit unsatisfactory. I don’t know what the daughter he gave birth to looks like."

Zhu Xiu smiled and said: "The Queen Mother has a good memory. General Shi has a head injury, so he has not grown his hair for many years. The Queen Mother can rest assured that General Shi's appearance is indeed not very beautiful, but Mrs. Shi inherited her mother's appearance and the fitness of the Shatuo woman." , tall and tall with handsome features, she is an exotic beauty.”

Zhang Gui snickered and said, "If it weren't for the beauty, how could Mr. Zhu never forget her?"

Queen Mother Li smiled heartily: "You young people, you still pay too much attention to beauty. You must know that marrying a virtuous wife, taking concubines, and having sex. Whether the wife is virtuous or not is related to the prosperity of the family and cannot be solely based on appearance."

Zhu Xiudao: "The Queen Mother's lesson is correct, but wouldn't it be better if she could have both beauty and virtuousness? In the eyes of Wei Chen, the ladies from the three families are all beauties with both wisdom and beauty."

Empress Dowager Li smiled happily, "I guess I heard it. Mr. Zhu wants to enjoy the blessings of the whole family and take all the ladies from the three families into his arms."

Zhu Xiu said hey: "The Queen Mother's discernment is as sharp as a torch, how can I hide this little thought from you!"

Empress Dowager Li smiled: "You, as the officials say, you are just a greedy and cunning little slippery man!"

Zhang Gui helped: "Master Zhu Hou is a handsome man in the world. He is a successful young man and he is handsome. What girl wouldn't like him when he sees him!
If the miscellaneous family is a woman, they still can't move their legs when they see Master Zhu! "

Zhang Gui's powdered face smiled very horribly, and combined with the high-pitched laughter emanating from the drake's throat, Zhu Xiu's hair stood on end, giving him a chilling feeling as if Tang Monk had fallen into a goblin cave.

Empress Dowager Li asked with concern: "Even if you like the wives of the three families, you still have to choose one of them to be your main wife. Do you have a favorite candidate?" Zhu Xiu said honestly: "We haven't thought about it clearly yet. I'm afraid I can only wait for the official to do so." Family resolution.”

Queen Mother Li smiled and said: "According to the official's wishes, they must want you to marry Fu's wife."

Zhu Xiu was a little surprised. Empress Dowager Li had lived deep in the palace for a long time without even leaving the palace gate. How could she be so sure of Guo Wei's thoughts?

However, Queen Mother Li did not explain, she just smiled and said nothing.

In fact, based on her understanding of Guo Wei, it is not surprising to have such a guess.

Empress Dowager Li chuckled and said, "When the official marriage is granted, I will issue an edict to let the lady enter the palace and accept the imperial decree and canonization. I will also check it for you by the way."

Zhu Xiu hurriedly said: "Thank you, Queen Mother, for worrying about this humble minister."

Empress Dowager Li sighed and said quietly: "There has been no happy event in this palace for a long time. Taking advantage of the fact that Taiyuan County Duke and you are getting married this time, it is time to liven up the excitement and get rid of the bad luck."

Zhu Xiu felt a little strange from Empress Dowager Li's expression and tone, she seemed to have a feeling of loneliness and sadness, that feeling, as if a person knew that he was going to die soon, and wanted to take advantage of the last time to feel the joy of the world .

Zhu Xiu was startled and quickly shook her head to dispel the random thoughts in her mind.

Empress Dowager Li has indeed lost a lot of weight, and her whole body is showing signs of aging that can be seen with the naked eye, but she has not yet reached the point where her oil is exhausted.

According to the historical trajectory, she still has at least a few years to live.

"I heard that your mother accidentally fell into the water on her way north to Kaifeng and injured her heart. Will she get better after recuperating?" Queen Mother Li asked again.

"The Empress Dowager is concerned about you. My mother's condition is still stable. Thanks to the diagnosis and treatment of the elder doctor, she has improved greatly."

"That's good." Queen Mother Li smiled, "How old is your mother?"

"Reporting to the Queen Mother, my mother was born in the third year of Emperor Ai Tianyou's birth. She is now forty-six."

"Oh, I am as old as I am. Haha, we are really destined."

Empress Dowager Li thought for a while: "I heard that the official canonized your mother as a fifth-rank official. According to the etiquette, the appointed woman should enter the palace to thank the queen.

Now that the throne of the harem is empty and Concubine De is seriously ill, I will ask your mother to come to the palace and confer a royal title on her. "

Zhu Xiu said hurriedly: "The queen mother is not bothered by trivial matters, so let's let the officials of the Ministry of Rites handle it."

Empress Dowager Li smiled and said: "When you are old, it is not easy to find a companion with whom you can talk. Many people in Huainan believe in Buddhism, so you can talk to your mother about Buddhism."

Zhu Xiu still wanted to politely refuse, but Zhang Gui gently tugged on his sleeve.

Zhu Xiu hesitated for a while, and then said: "My mother is just a peasant woman and does not know etiquette. If there is any conflict after entering the palace, please forgive me the Queen Mother."

Seeing that he agreed, Queen Mother Li said happily: "Don't worry. I and your wife were in Hedong back then, and they often went to the fields to farm in their spare time. I am also a farmer myself, so I will definitely be able to chat with your mother."

Empress Dowager Li asked about his experience in Jiangning again. Zhu Xiu picked some interesting and novel stories to tell her, and his witty remarks made Empress Dowager Li laugh.

When it was almost time for Youzheng, Zhu Xiu was about to resign and leave the palace. Empress Dowager Li hesitated for a while and sighed: "There is one more thing I want to trouble you with. The singing bowl I used to chant sutras was lost a few days ago and has never been found. Zhang Gui went to the palace bureau to ask. I called several times and thought about asking for another one, but there was no reply. Could you please help me find one and bring it to the palace?"

Zhang Gui interrupted and said angrily: "There are people in the Taiping Palace with unclean hands and feet. They even dare to steal the Queen Mother's Buddhist utensils!"

Empress Dowager Li lowered her eyebrows and just sighed without denying it. It seemed that similar situations had happened more than once.

Zhu Xiu was surprised and said: "Who is so bold and so presumptuous!"

Zhang Gui said angrily: "Not just magic weapons, two years ago in Kunning Palace, a little thief even dared to covet the emperor's treasure."

"Zhang Gui, don't talk nonsense!" Empress Dowager Li frowned and scolded, Zhang Gui had to shut up angrily.

Zhu Xiu was shocked, knowing that Empress Dowager Li didn't want to talk too much about the matter, so she didn't ask further questions. She stood up and left. Zhang Gui saw him out of Guanyin Pavilion.

Walking along the palace corridor to Chengtian Gate on the right, Zhu Xiu saw no one around and whispered: "Just now, eunuch Zhang said that someone coveted the emperor's destiny treasure. What happened?"

Zhang Guidao: "Two years ago in Kunning Palace, the Empress Dowager ordered the old slave to move out the emperor's life treasure and prepare to present it to the official family. That night, some thieves dared to tamper with the treasure box, took out the treasure seal, and even wrapped it All the yellow silk was thrown on the imperial case. Looking at it like that, he must have taken the precious seal in his hand and played with it.

Unfortunately, no one got the stolen goods together. When the old slave arrived, the thief had already escaped. "

Zhu Xiu thought for a while and said: "The only people who can enter Kunning Palace are the guards in the inner palace who were on duty that day. This bold person should be among the guards who stayed in the palace that day!"

Zhang Guidao: "My servant also knows that the thief should come from the Forbidden Army of the Inner Palace, but the Empress Dowager has an order not to pursue it, so I have to let this matter go. Until now, even the officials have never known about it."

"Is the Queen Mother worried that if the officials know about it, someone's head will fall to the ground in anger?" Zhu Xiu asked.

"That's right!" Zhang Gui shook his head, "The Queen Mother is kind-hearted and said that many people have died in Kaifeng City after such great changes, and no more lives can be lost without reason."

Zhu Xiu also expressed admiration: "The Queen Mother is so kind!"

Zhang Gui said angrily: "The Queen Mother is kind, but some servants look down on others and don't take the Taiping Palace seriously, let alone the Queen Mother! There is always a shortage of expenses in the Taiping Palace, and the palace bureau is always perfunctory. After all, even the charcoal that should have been supplied throughout the winter last year was only enough for two months.

The Queen Mother ordered the old slave not to argue with others, save money and be patient and it will be over.But the Queen Mother’s leg disease recurred last winter!If this continues, how can the Queen Mother's phoenix body bear it! "

The more Zhang Gui talked, the more aggrieved and angry he became. He wiped away tears, not for himself, but because Empress Dowager Li was being challenged by villains, but he was powerless. He felt angry and sad.

Zhu Xiu said in a deep voice: "The honor of the Queen Mother cannot be trampled by any villain. Don't worry, eunuch Zhang, I will definitely report this matter to the officials and put the palace in order!"

Zhang Gui gratefully handed over his hand and said: "This matter all depends on Lord Zhu! Alas~ Lord Zhu doesn't know something. The Queen Mother has no honor, but in fact few servants in the palace will take it to heart.

There are those who gossip, and the words they say behind their backs are unpleasant to listen to!
In this imperial court, the warmth and warmth of human nature are the most obvious. The Queen Mother is kind and does not care about them. But this old slave will never allow these nasty things to insult the Queen Mother! "

Zhu Xiu was in awe and said: "Eunuch Zhang is really a loyal and righteous man. Please accept my respects from my subordinates!"

With that said, Zhu Xiu ignored Zhang Gui's obstruction and bowed.

"Please take care of the Queen Mother, eunuch Zhang. Within a few days, the atmosphere in this palace will definitely change!"

"Master Zhu Hou, walk slowly!"

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(End of this chapter)