Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 678: Affection and Ruthlessness
The emperor naturally anticipated that his aunt had suddenly entered the palace at such an inappropriate time, and that something very urgent might have happened. But even though he had made sufficient mental preparations in advance, when the lady asked everyone to leave and explained the reason for the incident, he was still dumbfounded, feeling as if he were in a dream.
After staring at the lady for a long time and making sure that this aunt who had watched him grow up was definitely not a joking person, he spoke with difficulty: "Aunt, this is too ridiculous, isn't it? Where are the things you are talking about?"
Seeing the lady holding out the small cloth bag and presenting it to him with a solemn expression, the emperor subconsciously reached out to grab it, but his hand suddenly froze halfway, and when he tried to take the thing next, he couldn't help but tremble slightly . It was just such a small negligence that the cloth bag fell to the ground with a dull sound.
The emperor wanted to reach out to pick it up, but he found it difficult to bend down. It was the lady who picked up the thing herself, then opened the blue cloth bag in front of him and placed the things inside in front of him one by one.
"This is the ebony plaque of Shen Twelve. According to the numbering convention and the pattern on the back, it should belong to the emperor's attendant. We can find out if we check whether this person is on the ship escorting the second prince."
"This embroidered ribbon and tassels should not belong to ordinary people. You can check it out."
"But the most important thing is to send a ship downwind to various major ports to take a look and ask questions. As long as we reach Ningbo and still have no news about the ship, the matter is probably 70% to 80% true. Of course, we still have to rush to Qiongzhou Prefecture to take a look first."
"Yes." The emperor agreed somewhat stiffly, and then buried his face in his hands. Although the second prince was not close to him, he was also disheartened by the queen's indulgence of the second prince. In the past year or so, he had completely given up on such a son because of the farce, but, no matter what, he was still his son.
Although the love between husband and wife, and father and son, had long since faded away in the conflicts and disputes over the years, he couldn't help feeling as if a heavy rock was pressing down on his heart, and he felt a little breathless when he suddenly learned that the second prince might have died at the bottom of the sea, or in the belly of a fish, and that all this was caused by him sending people to Qiongzhou Prefecture to plant trees.
"My aunt just said that the leader of the Song Club of the Guangdong Guild Hall is in the Duke of Zhao's mansion? Did he also bring the captain and the people he rescued to the capital?"
After receiving his aunt's affirmative answer, the emperor said without hesitation: "Summon him to the palace, not just him, but everyone else as well. I don't have the mood to meet them one by one, so it will be easier if we meet them all at once!"
The Madam Tai could naturally understand the Emperor's request, but she still explained, "Before I entered the palace, I told Jiu Niang to look after Song Hui Shou. I asked her to send someone to the Guangdong Guild Hall. However, the Zhaoguo Mansion is close to the palace, but the outer city is far from the palace, and the city gates are closed at this moment. Your Majesty, please don't be too anxious. I'm afraid you have to see Song Hui Shou first."
Seeing that the emperor remained silent, the lady left him behind and went outside to personally call Chen Yongshou: "Eunuch Chen, please go to the Zhaoguogong Mansion. The emperor has ordered my daughter-in-law to bring the family guests into the palace for an audience. In addition, don't forget the guests in the outer city. If the city gates are closed at this time, let Zhu Hong from the mansion accompany you, Eunuch Chen."
Although it was not the emperor himself who sent the order, Chen Yongshou could not possibly suspect that it was the madam who falsely sent the order, so he hurriedly obeyed the order, but he was extremely puzzled. It was late at night, and if it was to summon the father and son of Zhao Guogong, it would be reasonable. If it was to summon the eldest daughter who visited the palace every now and then, it would not be strange. Why did the madam enter the palace first, and then the emperor summoned the madam of Zhao Guo?
The most important thing is to bring a guest from home to meet the emperor. What kind of guest is so important? Even the Duke of Zhao's Mansion has to send someone to the outer city to pick him up? Is it too late to wait until tomorrow morning?
After watching Chen Yongshou leave, the lady returned to the palace. Seeing that the emperor was still sitting in the same stiff posture as when she left, she walked up to him and said softly, "Your Majesty, when I heard the news before, I felt the same as you do now. But that was not because of any kinship between me and the Second Prince. It was because I thought about the impact of this matter."
"If the crown prince had not been appointed, some people with ulterior motives would have made up a thousand and ten thousand rumors about this matter! But, does Your Majesty really regret deposing the queen and expelling the son? Or do you regret appointing the third prince as the crown prince?"
"I don't have any!"
The emperor blurted out three words almost without thinking, and then suddenly realized that he was acting on his emotions. If the second prince really died, as a father, he would certainly feel guilty and resentful after being shocked, and even angry. But as the lady said, the greater waves came from others' malicious suspicion and speculation about this matter.
He had a clear conscience, but would there be less messy speculation? The Third Prince was young, and in fact he had no team at all - he would not consider his classmates in Jiuzhang Hall, or even Zhang Shou, as the Third Prince's team. But what would the Queen, who was deposed by him, think? What would the subjects of the world think? Would anyone cast a suspicious eye on the Third Prince?
The emperor laughed bitterly, his throat unconsciously becoming a little dry and hoarse: "I have always felt that Emperor Gaozong and Emperor Yingzong, one favored the youngest son, the other couldn't even control his sons, one really failed the wisdom of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong, and the other really didn't live up to the means of making a comeback after enduring for many years. But now look at me, haha, I am worse than them!"
"Emperor Gaozong only expelled his son, but at least he gave Emperor Yingzong, who broke a leg, a vassal king and sent him far away. Even though Emperor Yingzong's son made trouble at home, he always respected Empress Yuan. After she passed away before him, he was not only heartbroken and wrote poems and essays to mourn her, but also cried blood. I am actually far inferior to them, not to mention the late emperor who was devoted to her."
"As for Sanlang, he has been crowned as the crown prince for less than a month, but everyone praises him for being gentle and polite, eager to learn, and having the demeanor of a virtuous crown prince. How could I regret crowning him as the crown prince of the Eastern Palace? I just hate myself for not thinking it through. I am afraid that he will be questioned by others. I am the one who should be sorry for him!"
Seeing that the emperor, who was always arrogant and conceited, suddenly looked disheartened, the lady could not help but frown.
Originally, given her status, she should have gone to see the Empress Dowager first, and then after discussing with her, inform the Emperor of the news. However, thinking of the fact that the Emperor had been somewhat rebellious since childhood, and even more so after adulthood, and even when the Empress Dowager personally issued an edict to depose the Empress in order to protect his reputation, he did not appreciate it, so she thought again and again before going directly to the Qianqing Palace.
But now she regretted that she did not go to see the empress dowager first. After all, if the empress dowager as her mother was here at this moment, whether it was a reprimand or harsh words, it would be much more appropriate for her, a lady from outside the court.
However, at this point, regret is too late. She calmed down and said calmly: "I have been a daughter of the Yang family for sixteen years and a wife of a rich family for decades. The Empress Dowager is my sister, and my biological son is a duke. Now the eldest grandson and future son-in-law are also highly valued by the emperor. People say that I have been honored and favored by the emperor. I am very grateful. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
The emperor did not expect that the lady would ask such a question. He did not have time to think about it and nodded woodenly, "That's right."
But as soon as the words came out, the emperor felt something was wrong. The lady had never been one to be proud of her family background, so why would she suddenly ask such an obvious question? And the next moment, he knew the answer.
"But does Your Majesty remember that whether it's the Zhu family or the Yang family that the Empress Dowager and I came from, are there really only the Empress Dowager and I, as sisters, and Jing'er's family left? I don't just have Jing'er as my son, I also have a son and a daughter, but that son is cowardly and mediocre, but he wants to be an official. I think he's at least not greedy, so I asked for Your Majesty's grace, and now he's only a councilor in the south."
"As for my son-in-law, my daughter thought he was quite talented, but I was wrong He is actually a bookworm who is arrogant because of his talent. He looks down on his superiors, but cannot control his subordinates. He is a mess in his job. I don't bother to pay attention to him and let him go back to his hometown to be a famous scholar. Anyway, he disdains the reputation of the Zhu family, and his family property is enough for him to waste!"
"And the Empress Dowager and I have two brothers, all of whom are still alive today. However, when the previous Emperor Ruizong rebelled, they suffered a great defeat at the most critical moment, and one of them was afraid to fight, so now they are all living in peace in their hometown. Not to mention hereditary titles, they don't even have an official position. Why? Because they have no ability, no responsibility, and even resentment!"
"But if they have a little self-awareness, the Queen Mother will let them live a life of luxury and leisure!"
Seeing that the emperor's expression had finally changed, the lady said word by word, "Since Emperor Ruizong's success, the Empress Dowager and I have agreed that the capable Yang and Zhu families will occupy the high position, and the incompetent will be a guard dog, living a wealthy and idle life. But if you don't want to be a guard dog, and insist on relying on your family's reputation and power to mess around, then I'm sorry, get out of here as far as you can!"
The Madam narrowed her eyes slightly, revealing a murderous look. "Even if these flesh and blood relatives may hate the Empress Dowager and me to the core, so what? Rather than letting an incompetent drag down the family, it is better to cut off the arm of a hero!"
"So, Your Majesty, I have done such a thing before, and so has the Empress Dowager."
She even had something else hidden in her heart. If Ge Yong had not been the emperor's teacher, and had insisted in front of the empress dowager that although the emperor was extremely rebellious, young and spirited, he could still be a good emperor as long as he calmed down, the empress dowager would have thought of re-establishing her rule and educating her grandson, just based on the emperor's chaotic behavior after he took power.
Finally, it didn't come to that step...
The emperor had not expected that the lady dowager would actually mention the Zhu and Yang families. Then he remembered that he was not the only one who cruelly divorced his wife and drove away his son. His mother, the current empress dowager, and his aunt, the lady dowager Zhao, were also extremely harsh and ruthless in treating their family members, which even some outsiders thought was a little excessive.
He had also tried to test the Queen Mother's opinion and asked whether to give his two uncles some small official positions, but was choked back by the Queen Mother: "Don't even think about it while I'm alive. If I'm not here, you can let them take any official position you want! By then, the world will only know that you, the nephew, love your uncles, but I, the sister, am cold and heartless. That's all!"
After the Madam's presentation of facts and reasoning, when Jiu Niang brought Song Hui Shou to the Qianqing Palace, the Emperor's mood had completely calmed down. He did not get angry, but asked Song Hui Shou again with a stern look about the whole story. After Song Hui Shou had told him all the details he knew, he nodded slightly.
"If the facts are verified and it is indeed as you said, the Song family can be considered to have made no mistakes."
Song Huishou just wanted to be blameless and didn't expect any merits. Therefore, he was so grateful at this moment that he couldn't even speak. He knelt down and kowtowed in a hurry. After a long while, he finally said something: "Your Majesty is very observant!"
The emperor had long been accustomed to being deaf to such flattery. He just waved his hand nonchalantly and ordered Chen Yongshou to take the person away first. He did not intend to have Song Huishou present when he met the other people on the Song family's boat, because only in this way could the two be confirmed.
However, when everyone left, he found that only the Taifu and Jiuniang were left in front of him, which was a bit embarrassing. After all, Jiuniang had been practicing in the temple for more than ten years. In the final analysis, it was his fault that he took Concubine Yu to the temple to worship on a whim. Zhu Jing raised Zhang Shou in the countryside and sent someone to take care of him. Although this practice was approved by the Empress Dowager, it was also tacitly approved by him.
As a result, the cousin was a monk for more than ten years, Zhu Ying had no mother for more than ten years, and Zhang Shou also lived in the countryside for more than ten years!
Therefore, the emperor forced out a very unnatural smile and said, "For Erlang's life and death, I really have to trouble my aunt and cousin tonight."
Jiu Niang didn't have any hatred towards the emperor, but she didn't have any good feelings towards him either. She just said a few humble words. But the lady said directly: "Since Song Huishou has entered the palace, and the people on the Song family's boat are also on the way , then Jiu Niang and I should also take our leave. If the emperor allows, Jiu Niang and I plan to go to Qingning Palace to report first."
Of course it was impossible to hide such a big thing from the Empress Dowager, so the Emperor could only nod. However, after the Madam Dowager and Jiu Niang bowed and left, they suddenly stopped at the door and said, "Your Majesty has postponed dinner before, and since no one has arrived yet, please have dinner first. I heard that the Crown Prince and his brothers live in Zhaoren Hall, which is very close to each other. Your Majesty, please don't let them worry."
The emperor was startled for a moment, and when he came to his senses, the lady and Jiu Niang had already left. Although he had no appetite at all at this moment, he knew that the movement here might not be hidden from the third and fourth princes. Even though he hoped very much not to affect the two, he knew that it was impossible without even thinking about it.
Therefore, after a moment of hesitation, he finally had to face it and immediately ordered: "Come here, serve the food, let Sanlang and Silang come and eat with me!"
