The empress is pregnant, and the emperor's incense continues

On the second day, a fire suddenly broke out in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. The Qintian Supervisor observed the stars at night and said that the Ziwei star was dim. Combined with various signs, some court officials reported it.

"Your Majesty, if there is a fire in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, our ancestors must be angry. Why don't we ask a young man to go and worship instead of the Emperor?"

Why didn't the emperor go in person? Firstly, the emperor could not leave the palace easily. Secondly, if something happened again, wouldn't it mean that the ancestors would blame the emperor.

If the prince is allowed to perform the sacrifice successfully, it means that the ancestors are no longer to blame, and if there is a problem with the sacrifice, the blame can be passed on to the prince.

Seeing the emperor bowing his head in deep thought, the minister continued: "The purple star is dim, maybe something has hindered the emperor's luck. The fire in the Taimiao happened to be a warning. Letting the prince go out of the palace to worship can also allow the ancestors to protect our court."

The emperor thought about Ziweixing's gloomy words. It was probably because he had been plagued by nightmares for more than half a year, and now the dragon body was out of harmony, which affected Ziweixing.

It would be a good idea to let the prince go out to pay homage on his behalf, but who should go to the palace?

The fourth prince? Absolutely not.

There has been a lot of noise in the court about the establishment of a crown prince. If the fourth prince were to replace him, wouldn't it mean that the courtiers would once again believe that the fourth prince was the candidate for the crown prince.

Considering that he was plagued by nightmares because the Queen was worried about the Sixth Prince, it was easy for the Emperor to make up his mind to let the Sixth Prince pass.

"Pass an order to have the Sixth Prince Li Heng offer sacrifices to the Imperial Ancestral Temple on my behalf."

After this imperial edict, some people felt that the sixth prince was not favored, and the emperor pushed him out just to make his ancestors blame him. He was clearly taking the blame.

However, some people thought about the matter of establishing a crown prince, and wondered whether the emperor really wanted to establish the sixth prince as the crown prince?

No matter what others thought, Li Heng's people used every opportunity to spread rumors around the fourth prince.

"I heard that the emperor has always wanted to establish a sixth prince, but the sixth prince was not in good health before and could not have children. You see that the sixth prince's concubine was pregnant and did not keep the child. You know that the sixth prince is not in good health. If the sixth prince is pregnant, Son, the emperor said that the prince will never consider other people."

"Isn't that right? The sixth prince is the legitimate son of the middle palace. The first prince and the first queen passed away one after another. The emperor did not have the heart to punish the sixth prince. Now he is teaching him carefully and is waiting for the right opportunity to confer the title of prince."

"I also heard that since the court officials asked for the crown prince, the emperor has frequently summoned the sixth prince. Each time he talks for a long time, and he has also given many items from the emperor's youth to the sixth prince."

The rumors, true or false, reached the ears of the fourth prince. Thinking of the emperor's recent suppression of him, he believed that the emperor might really want to establish a sixth prince.

"Concubine, do you think the emperor really has this plan? He has always wanted to make the sixth prince the crown prince."

The imperial concubine was dubious about the rumors and said puzzledly: "If the emperor wanted to make Lao Liu, why would he make me the queen? Moreover, the emperor has always treated Lao Liu poorly. It doesn't seem like he wants to entrust the country to his country."

"He made you the Queen because he was worried that the Sixth Prince would embarrass you after he ascended the throne, so he gave you the title of Queen, which fulfilled the years of love between you and your husband."

The fourth prince's words made the concubine frown slightly. She still didn't believe that the emperor had that intention, and advised: "Nowadays, our mother and son are in the spotlight. If we do anything wrong, we will be in catastrophe. Don't believe those rumors. Wait until I can make you queen." , you are the legitimate son of Zhonggong, and I cannot run away."

"But the sixth child is also the legitimate son of the middle palace. His mother has not been deposed. If it is just about status, he is still in front of me. In the past, the son was favored by his father, so naturally he was not taken seriously. I don't know recently. What's the matter? My father is very cold to my son. Every time he goes to pay his respects, he is sent away by the eunuch, but the sixth child can enter the royal study."

As he spoke, the fourth prince actually choked up, wondering why his journey was becoming more and more difficult.

The imperial concubine loved the fourth prince, and finally escaped from the joy of being crowned queen.

"I'm going to find the emperor to find out what's going on?"

In the imperial study, the emperor had just sent away Li Heng who was about to go to the Ancestral Temple to worship, when he heard that the imperial concubine asked for an audience.

The smile on his face disappeared instantly, but after a moment, the emperor put on a gentle expression again and invited the imperial concubine to enter the palace.

"How are the preparations for the Queen's Conferment Ceremony going?"

The emperor asked himself to be as gentle as possible and personally helped the concubine up, showing his intimacy.

"The border is unstable and I am busy with state affairs. The imperial concubine has to personally handle the ceremony. I feel wronged to you."

"I'm not wronged. I'm happy in my heart."

The imperial concubine snuggled into the emperor's arms and said coquettishly: "Now the preparations for the ceremony and the state banquet are almost complete, but there is just one problem that I don't know how to deal with."

"What problem makes my beloved concubine so embarrassed?"

"When conferring a queen, sacrifices need to be made in the ancestral temple. When I concubine the concubine, the fourth child will be the legitimate son. The fourth child will be in front of the sixth child. I want to let the fourth child stand in the front.

It's just that there has been a lot of debate in the court recently about the legitimate son of the Empress of the Yuan Dynasty. The sixth prince is the legitimate son of the Empress of the Yuan Dynasty. According to the old etiquette, he must stand in front of all the princes. I don't know which prince should stand in front, for fear that the minister will find something wrong and embarrass the emperor. , Your Majesty, do you see? "

According to etiquette, heirs have always been direct descendants since ancient times. Doesn't the emperor know that the imperial concubine's plan is to use the sacrifice to raise the fourth prince's status a little more?

Sitting in front of the ministers, it was confirmed that he was the eldest prince. The emperor thought of Xiao Jiujiu in his heart and pretended to be confused: "It's just a standing position. That day is the ceremony of conferring the queen. People pay most attention to you. The imperial concubine can arrange other things as she pleases. What do those ministers say?"

"I have long disliked those old-fashioned things. Mr. Du is right. This is my family matter. The imperial concubine is the mistress. You can make the decision."

The emperor talked a lot, but did not give the concubine a clear answer at all. The concubine said reluctantly: "If I had made the wrong arrangement, those ministers would not have scolded me to death. I just became the mother of the country, and I did not follow the etiquette and law." Isn’t the ancestral system not very good?”

It’s not very good and you still ask? The emperor cursed in his heart and said with a smile: "If your concubine wants the fourth child to stand in front, just do it boldly. I won't blame you."

The smile on the imperial concubine's face gradually froze, and she forced a smile and said: "I don't mean that, I just think that the fourth brother is so old that no elder brother can stand behind the younger brother."

The emperor snorted coldly and said with a half-smile: "Since Lao Liu has made things so difficult for the imperial concubine, I won't let him go on the day she becomes the queen. He will stay in the palace honestly."

"this?"

The imperial concubine was thinking about the gains and losses. Although it would be unsightly for the sixth prince not to attend, it was indeed a way to suppress the sixth prince. When the time comes, everyone will see that the imperial concubine is the queen and the fourth prince is the eldest son.

After the sacrifice, the fourth prince's status became more stable, and the imperial concubine smiled and said: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

At this time, Li Heng had just come out of the Ancestral Temple to offer sacrifices. The sacrifice went well. The accompanying princes and three princes of the imperial court all recognized the status of Li Heng's eldest son.