The little lady in the dining room

Chapter 144
When the court's decree was delivered to the Xuanzheng Palace that day, the courtiers who had just arrived in the palace were a little surprised, and then exchanged greetings with the eunuch who delivered the decree, but no one asked any more questions rashly, and left after thinking about it.

If there is no major event, the emperor will not be dismissed at will.The last time the face-to-face was for Emperor Ping'an, Shi and a nanny were killed that day.What is it this time...

Everyone can't figure out why.

Zichen Palace.

When Wei Chen entered the palace, the palace people had already been pushed back, and only the emperor was in the palace, standing with his back to him and hands behind his back.

Wei Chen bowed, "Your Majesty."

"Where's the empress dowager?" The emperor didn't turn his head, but Wei Chen replied calmly, "I'm temporarily detained in Fusi, Beizhen."

"The empress dowager dares to move without authorization, so you don't want to die?"

Wei Chen sighed a little: "Then His Majesty wants the minister's life directly, or should he hear the reason first?"

The emperor suppressed his anger and turned around after a moment of silence: "Speak."

Wei Chen nodded: "It was His Highness the Seventh Prince who sent someone to look for the minister, saying that the Queen Mother went to see him at night, and wanted to ask him what he meant again. His Highness Seven did not agree to what the Queen Mother said, but he was worried that the Queen Mother would rush back After the palace, I will do things on my own, so I asked the minister to go."

The emperor turned pale, nodded, and Wei Chen said again: "Another reason is that I feel that... this matter cannot be handled in an ordinary way. The Qu family is too tightly hidden, and it is really difficult to find out the evidence of the crime before questioning it." ;Your Majesty, please use this to raid the house in advance and then investigate the crime in detail!"

The emperor was obviously shocked, and frowned at him for a moment: "I can't do this."

If it is another family, it is fine, but the Empress Dowager's natal family is absolutely not.People in the world will use the word "filial piety" to crush him to death, and he knows the importance of it too well.

But Wei Chen's expression did not change: "The minister will not let the queen mother go."

The emperor was startled: "You..." He looked at Wei Chen in disbelief, and then he breathed a sigh of relief, "I thought you never said that."

Whether it's disrespect or threatening the emperor, any one of them is enough to kill Wei Chen.

But Wei Chen shook his head: "If your Majesty does not run a composer, I will not let the Queen Mother go."

"Are you crazy!" The emperor finally roared, and suddenly grabbed Wei Chen's collar, "Let the queen mother go! I will cover this matter for you! If you bet on it for another day, the court will know about it No one will be able to save you then!"

"I beg your Majesty to investigate the Qu family!" Wei Chen's voice was louder than the emperor's, he gritted his teeth for a while, and then calmed down again, "I don't need your majesty to rescue me. After finishing the Qu family, your majesty will let the Ministry of punishment handle the minister! But this time Things can't, can't be delayed any longer! Your Majesty, why did you revive the Imperial Guard in the past? It was for the stability of the country! Now a group of rebels are confident with the support of the Empress Dowager, and if they act according to common sense, the world will change hands! The knife, when will it come out at this time!"

The emperor is angry.

In a daze, being questioned by Wei Chen aroused memories from several years ago.

That was when he was the crown prince, the court was messed up by the aristocratic family, but he couldn't do much.When he couldn't do anything, he simply kept silent and asked the late emperor in a half-joking tone behind his back to take over the power of the defeated Imperial Guard.

It was really young and frivolous at that time.He checked all the imperial guards who had been hereditary for more than three generations, and as long as there were young men in the family who were just fifteen or sixteen years old and eagerly waiting to succeed their father, he would call them into the East Palace.

That day he asked them in high spirits: "The Royal Guard was defeated by your father and my father. If I want to return the Royal Guard to the old style, will you work for me?"

How easy it is to arouse the blood of a teenager.That day Wei Chen was there, Lu Yong was there, and Shi Zhan, who was a few years younger than them, was also there. Many officials who have more than a hundred households in the Imperial Guard today experienced that exciting scene.

So they always felt that they were working for him, and that dying for it was as normal as eating and sleeping.

But after years of living together, he has changed.

He was the crown prince at that time, and he thought that he had bought a group of vigorous officials without any effort, and he thought that he would always think that it was normal for them to work for him.

But it wasn't like this as time went by, after practicing martial arts and drawing the bow with them, it became more and more impossible for him to watch them turn into corpses with a snap of their fingers.

then……

He remembered every sentence about the appearance of the corpses, and they overlapped with their once vivid appearances, turning them into nightmares.

These nightmares made him often feel in the dead of night that the words he said back then were wrong.He could put it in another word, say "fighting side by side" or something like that, he shouldn't make them feel that it's right to die for him.

The emperor laughed weakly, and after a long time, he let go of Wei Chen weakly: "Go, go and copy the Qu family, Yu family, Wu family, Lu family, and Nangong family. If there is any resistance, shoot and kill."

Wei Chen nodded in response: "No."

"Before that, go and bring Sydney back to me, as well as Su Zixian." The emperor took a long breath, his eyes filled with determination, "Zhen will help you protect the Su family, and I won't let you because of this incident." It is a crime. However, no other arbitrariness is allowed.”

"No, thank you, Your Majesty." Wei Chen's tone became much lighter, and there was even a hint of a smile.He cupped his fists and retreated away. When he stepped out of the hall, he saw a row of court ladies passing by the long steps. For a moment, he was fascinated to feel that there was Su Zixian inside.

In the afternoon, the city of Luo'an, shrouded in bright sunshine, seemed to become restless in an instant.

The imperial guards who were originally investigating the case gathered outside the residences of several families and noble relatives, and surrounded them with water.Then someone came forward and knocked on the door, and when the door opened slightly, without waiting for any further questions from the guard, he rushed in to grab the person.

At this time, Sydney had just settled down in Liugeyuan.This day's experience made her feel too shocking. Ever since she heard that Wei Chen had brought people to arrest the queen mother, she had been uneasy all the time. Later, Wei Chen went to pick them up and she was relieved. As soon as she entered the palace, she heard that Several big families were ransacked.

Sydney was stunned.Such a appalling court struggle... I have never seen it before!
Others avoid it, and she seems to be very embarrassed at the moment-this matter has something to do with her, but it has nothing to do with it; but it doesn't matter, the emperor is her husband!

Xueli was at a loss and rubbed Yuxiang's big head, Yuxiang was so annoyed that she let out a "wow" and grabbed her arm.

She looked at Nanny Bai tremblingly, and asked, "Mommy, what should I do now?"

When I just returned to the palace, I should have gone to the Zichen Palace to meet the emperor, but now that such a big incident happened, do I still need to go to see the emperor?

She originally thought that she would spend a while in Zichen Palace tonight.After being separated for more than a month, she already had a lot of things to say, but when he went to look for her at home last night, she didn't have that many chances to finish her words.

But now, wouldn't it be better for her not to bother him?
Sydney thought a little sadly.It's okay to let her hold back those words, but she is also very worried about him at this time. She wants to ask how he is, but will it make more trouble?

Looking at her expression, Nanny Bai knew that she wanted to see the emperor, but the matter was so big right now that she didn't dare to make up for Xueli.

After thinking about it carefully, she said: "How about this, my lady, you can cook something that tastes like His Majesty for dinner, and send someone to Zichen Hall to pass a message after you are done. If Your Majesty is willing, come over for dinner, if not come , which means he is really busy."

After weighing it over, Sydney thought it was a good idea.

After hesitating among various delicacies, she decided to prepare a barbecue.

It will feel hot after eating barbecue in a few days.But now it's the turn of spring and summer, and the night is still cool, so it's just right to eat this.

Sydney felt that baking in a small stove was boring, so she asked Fugui to find a big stove to bake directly in the yard.It’s really hard to find, Fugui went to the imperial dining room and searched but couldn’t find it, then went to Shangshi Bureau to ask Zou Shangshi, Zou Shangshi also said no at first, but then suddenly remembered: “No! !"

There were actually two such stoves prepared in Shangshi Bureau.Four feet long and two feet wide, charcoal is placed inside, and there is a compartment underneath that is open at both ends. The copper plate between the compartment and the charcoal has small holes to facilitate ventilation and fire.This was prepared by the late emperor. At that time, there were more envoys from Luo Wu than now. When they came, they clamored to eat barbecue. The stove was not good and they found fault, so these two large stoves were specially prepared.

now?Go dreaming!Dare to clamor for enthusiasm?Danwan Kokuni knelt down and spoke!
Zou Shangshi had fun while taking Fugui to find the stove. Fugui looked curious and asked her with a smile, "Ma'am, what are you laughing at?"

Zou Shangshi laughed again, told him the origin of the stove, went into the door of the warehouse and continued to laugh: "At that time I was still a little maid, how many years has it been? I never thought of this The things can be taken out and used again—but for His Majesty to use well, I am happy to see it!"

Fugui thought carefully, and carefully wrote down the story here, and immediately told Sydney when he returned to Liugeyuan.Sydney listened to him while chopping the beef, and when she put the beef pieces into the seasoning bowl to marinate, she also thought about this old thing.

Ever since she knew him, but before she knew he was the emperor, he had been troubled a lot. From time to time, courtiers picked on him, and the queen mother even came to him every now and then.

But comparing this kind of thing... In fact, he really did a good job!The last time the Luowu people came here, they also came here, but finally they went back after giving the big ceremony. He is very capable of governing the country.

Most of the time, she was thinking that if he didn't take things so seriously and didn't push himself so hard, it might be easier for him.People, you still have to treat yourself better, look at how he has been mean to himself recently...

She could tell at a glance yesterday that he was very tired!

He better come over tonight, and then she can untie him!

While thinking about this and that, Xueli turned her head and put the sliced ​​steamed buns on the bamboo sticks, and then started to prepare the fish fillets.

In the Zichen Palace, Xie Zhao felt that this seemed to be the most thrilling day since he ascended the throne.The Imperial Guard came in non-stop and reported the progress outside one by one. A moment ago, it was said that the important people of each family had already entered the prison of the Imperial Guard, and the servants also found their own places to be imprisoned first. He was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

The method Wei Chen forced him to use was a little risky, but it was still a method.It is true that he will agree, but also because he has the bottom of his heart.

One is because the seventh brother understands in his heart, and the other is because he holds the military power in his hands.

So if the courtier wants to scold them, he can scold them. Anyway, he copied all the houses of the five surnames, and it is impossible to give them back the copied things.Besides, after a severe trial, you can always pry your mouth open. Once the charges are revealed, most of the courtiers' mouths can be blocked.

The bigger trouble will be on the imperial guard.Wei Chen's "abuse of power" is a bit arrogant this time, how to rescue him from it, he hasn't figured it out yet, if it can't be done, he will force it.

Xie Zhao thought about it, he breathed lightly, looked at the sky, and ordered Chen Jijiang to pass on the meal.

Chen Jijiang stepped forward with his head lowered, and bowed: "Your Majesty, just now... just now, Liugeyuan came to report that Mrs. Ruan prepared a barbecue and wanted to invite Your Majesty to have a meal; then..."

Chen Jijiang took a sneak peek, then lowered his head even lower, "Concubine Hui has also come to report something, and said she has something to say to Her Majesty, please go to Roujia Palace for dinner."

This made the emperor startled for a moment.

After a little thought, the decision was not difficult to make.There is no such thing as "choose one or the other". Concubine Hui has invited him to Roujia Palace for meals quite a few times.

Just go and hear what's up with Concubine Hui, and then he can go to Xueli again.Concubine Hui took care of the harem, it wasn't that she wouldn't look for him when she couldn't make up her mind, he couldn't ignore it.

So the emperor got up and said, "Go to Roujia Palace."

In the brightly lit Roujia Palace, everyone held their breath tightly until the voice of "Your Majesty is coming" finally let go.

The emperor entered the Qingxin Hall, and the dinner was ready.In the brightly lit hall, the delicacies were exquisite and beautiful. Concubine Hui greeted him at the desk: "Your Majesty, Sheng An."

"Sit down." Xie Zhao said casually, deliberately not to bring the troubles ahead to the harem.

The two sat down together, Concubine Hui was silent for a while, then smiled and brought him a shrimp with garlic vermicelli.

The peeled prawns are steamed and taste fresh.Topped with minced garlic, vermicelli, and a little oyster sauce.

Xie Zhao saw Concubine Hui pick it up with her own hands, so she picked it up and took a bite without asking any further questions.Concubine Hui unconsciously grabbed the handkerchief with both hands under the table, a little nervous: "This is what the concubine just learned to do..."

The emperor was slightly taken aback.

Concubine Hui raised her eyes slightly, and asked again: "Is it delicious?"

He had never seen Concubine Hui cook.After being surprised, he answered "Yes", and then put down his chopsticks: "What do you want me to do? Tell me."

Concubine Hui was a little guilty, and involuntarily glanced at Chen Jijiang in anxiety.Chen Jijiang could only lower his head and pretend he didn't see it, and he didn't dare to make a sound.

She silently cleared her throat: "The concubine heard that His Majesty ordered the imperial guards to imprison the Queen Mother, and even ransacked the homes of several noble relatives..."

The emperor's eyes narrowed: "This is a matter of the court."

"Yes..." Concubine Hui fell silent, lowered her head and thought for a while, then smiled again, "Your Majesty, let's eat first, other things... we will talk about other things later!"

The emperor felt a little strange, and frowned at her for a while.But she just couldn't see his suspicion, and she picked up vegetables for dinner, took a bite of the fried pork ribs with double peppers in front of her, and picked another piece for him.

She said: "The ribs taste good, Your Majesty, try it."

what happened?

For now, the emperor endured the doubts in his heart and took the chopsticks to eat.The atmosphere at the table was extremely abnormal. In the past, if he came to her place, it would be when he had nothing to say, and she would answer without saying a word; but today she kept saying that this dish is delicious, and that dish is delicious. It was a little light, and he didn't know how to deal with it.

Concubine Hui kept serving him vegetables.He always remembered in his heart that she was Concubine Hui, and would always give her face in such trivial matters, so he ate whatever she picked up, and in the end, the meal was actually quite full.

When he put down his chopsticks to indicate that he was full, Concubine Hui also put down his chopsticks.The palace lady brought tea and a copper basin to serve and rinse his mouth. After wiping his mouth, he asked again: "What's the matter?"

Concubine Hui's smile froze slightly, she looked at the leftovers in front of her eyes, and said, "Let them clean up here first, Your Majesty, please... take a moment to talk?"

He nodded, followed her into the bedroom, and then Concubine Hui sat casually by the couch, and Xie Zhao sat by the desk.

Concubine Hui's eyes trembled a little, she was quiet, she also walked to the table, sat down on a round stool not far from him, and said with a slight smile: "I want to ask... about the selection this year, your Majesty's plan What should I do? The roster of the family members has already been submitted to the concubine by the Shangyi Bureau. His Majesty did not keep anyone last time. This time..."

"You make up your mind." The emperor sighed, "There is no need for concubines. If you think that concubines and dowagers need to have female officials, you can decide to keep a few, and draw up the positions for me to have a look at. If the palace wants to add people, just leave it to the concubines to choose, and let them decide the positions."

"No." Concubine Hui nodded in response.

The emperor smiled slightly: "Is there anything else?"

"No more." Concubine Hui shook her head.

"Then I'm leaving first, and you can talk back when you have something to do." Xie Zhao got up easily, thought for a while, and then praised her, "That shrimp dish is well done", and then walked out.

After walking three or five steps, Xie Zhao suddenly felt his body sink: "Your Majesty..."

He stopped abruptly and lowered his head in astonishment, Concubine Hui's arms tightly encircled him, both hands were trembling unceasingly, yet they clasped each other tightly.

Xie Zhao felt extremely surprised: "Concubine Hui, you..."

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, can you..." Concubine Hui's profile was pressed against his back, she was about to shed tears, and finally forced herself to say the words, "Can you stay in Roujia tonight?" palace!"

The emperor was surprised, and after a moment of bewilderment, he immediately went to break her hand away in shock.

"...Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" Concubine Hui tried her best not to let go, but she couldn't hold back his strength.After he forcibly released her hand, she still wanted to grab his sleeve, but just as she grabbed it, she staggered and fell to her knees.

Xie Zhao subconsciously struggled again, and suddenly saw her fall down there with tears all over her face, and for a moment she didn't have the courage to help her up.

He snatched the door as if fleeing, and after a few breaths of relief, he raised his eyes to look at the panic-stricken palace people in front of him.

He calmed down fiercely: "Concubine Hui is not feeling well, please serve her to rest earlier."

(End of this chapter)