Golden Stage

It turns out that there is really a sentence or a few words in the world, which is enough to break your heart.

Yan Xiaohan thought in fear, "Is this written for me?"

He is like a person who is about to freeze to death in a world of ice and snow. When he is about to despair, he suddenly sees a little light. Whether it is an illusion or a phosphorescent fire, it seems to be grasping the last straw to save his life.

The original shape of the handwriting had been blurred, and it had no distinctive features at all, but Yan Xiaohan was still staring at those four words with burning eyes, as if he wanted to burn a hole in the white silk.If Fu Shen was present, he would probably be able to recognize that his bewildered energy is exactly the same as the symptoms of drug addiction in Kuang Fengcheng back then.

Qiu Yebai's drug addiction had been quit long ago, but the heart addiction cultivated by Fu Shen became more and more serious day by day.

Gradually, the boiling mood calmed down, Yan Xiaohan let out a long breath, his tensed shoulders gradually relaxed, and only then did he realize that his back was sweating profusely in such a cold day.

He carefully folded the white silk and put it away, as if he had absorbed a little warmth and strength from it, and walked slowly towards his mansion.

In a blink of an eye, it is the New Year.

Due to the frequent wars last year, the current situation was turbulent, and the country was in crisis, all the celebrations and ceremonies in the palace were simplified this year. Emperor Changzhi offered sacrifices to heaven and prayed.On the sixth day of the lunar new year, Mrs. Xue of Zhaoyi was pregnant. This was the first child welcomed in the New Year's Palace of the new dynasty.

When Yan Xiaohan heard the news, he felt very uncomfortable, so he privately asked the eunuch who was serving the queen to question him.He is now in charge of the Imperial Army in name, but in fact, because the emperor has no one available, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs has no eunuch to sit in charge, Yan Xiaohan still has to obey orders for foreign affairs.He is like the chief steward of the emperor's backyard, he wants to manage both the housekeeper and the servants, he is very reluctant, but there is nothing he can do.

When the capital city was broken, Princess Qi Fu Ling took her infant baby and fled to the south of the Yangtze River without any risk under the protection of the palace servants and Duke Ying's mansion.At the beginning of Emperor Changzhi's accession to the throne, Fu Ling was conferred the title of Empress of the Central Palace.The couple had a good relationship at first, but at the beginning of the new dynasty, in order to win over the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River, Emperor Changzhi took several women from aristocratic families as concubines.The queen is soft on the outside and strong on the inside, not good at fighting, after being neglected a few times, the two gradually became estranged.

Yan Xiaohan didn't notice the intrigue in the harem at first, until last year when the princess suddenly developed acne and fever, the symptoms were dangerous, and she almost survived, the queen became seriously ill because of it.After Yan Xiaohan heard about it, he paid attention, and asked people to conduct a private investigation, and found out from the empress's palace a maid who was secretly passing on news to other concubines.Under torture, the court lady confessed that she had wiped the princess's hands with a towel brought from outside the palace, and then the confession was presented to the imperial court. Changzhi Emperor Longyan was furious, but finally put it down gently, leaving the concubine in limbo thing.

From then on, Yan Xiaohan knew what kind of life the queen lived in the palace.Although Ying Guogong Fu Tingyi also fled to the south of the Yangtze River, he has always been a non-human being. He is only "talking is better than nothing". Fu Ling does not have a strong enough natal family to back him, so he naturally became the object of provocation by all the concubines.

Not long after, the concubine hanged herself in the cold palace for no reason.From then on, Yan Xiaohan would allocate a little time every month to ask about the Queen's situation.He didn't deliberately avoid people, and he didn't even mind people asking. He and Fu Shen were a legitimate family, and it was only natural to support Fu Shen's sister.

Needless to say, with this one action alone, Fu Ling's life in the palace was immediately improved.

Xue's father was one of the Jiangnan Four Scholars who participated in the discussion of the Yanying Palace. She was also the most favored among the concubines in the harem. There was no legitimate son in the harem. She was pregnant at this time. That's not good news.Yan Xiaohan asked the eunuchs, and heard that the queen was just depressed and had no other plans, so he stopped thinking about taking precautions for her, and only told the servants to be more careful, not to be tricked by someone with a heart.

However, the end of the world is unpredictable. During the Flower Festival on February [-]th, there was a sudden commotion in the palace. It is said that Concubine Xue Shu was bumped into by someone in the garden.

The one who bumped Concubine Xue Shu was the sweeping maid in the Queen's Palace. When she was interrogated, she made a bow to the Queen without saying a word, and then slammed her head into a pillar in the palace, dying on the spot.

This time the empress was justified and couldn't tell why, Emperor Changzhi was furious, at least he cared about the relationship between husband and wife, so he didn't impose a heavy punishment, and only ordered the empress to be confined for a month, closed the palace for reflection, and concubine Shu temporarily took over the six palace affairs.

Emperor Changzhi may not have known that the queen was most likely framed, but he didn't need the truth.Standing behind the Xue family are the noble families in the south of the Yangtze River, half the sky of the new dynasty. Emperor Changzhi still counted on these people to work for him, but the Fu family behind the empress was already an empty shell.Comparing the two, it is clear at a glance which is more important.For the sake of the overall situation, he can only choose to sacrifice the queen.

However, he forgot that there was also a "Fu family" in the court who was not surnamed Fu.

On February [-]th, the second day after the empress was grounded, Concubine Xue Shu was dragged from the bedroom to the cold palace. The courtyard in that area was dilapidated and few people came. A strong eunuch was thrown into an empty room.

This is the place where the concubine who framed the princess lived. After her death, the maids and eunuchs thought it was a bad place and would not set foot here easily.There was no one to clean it for several months, cobwebs were everywhere, and the courtyard was covered with moss. Concubine Xue Shu was thrown on the cold and dirty ground, and her icy muscles and bones were immediately covered with a layer of mud.

She was also raised pampered since she was a child, she had never been wronged like this before, and now she was shocked and frightened, she couldn't help but shed tears.

In the hazy vision, it seemed that someone was blocking the light of the sky. After a while, a pair of black boots stopped in front of her eyes, and a young male voice came from above her head: "That's her?"

The eunuch who caught the man had a fierce look on his face, but he was extremely respectful to this man: "My lord, it is Mrs. Xue."

The man let out a low "Yeah", walked past her and walked forward. Someone in front of him had already cleaned the table and chairs for him. He raised the hem of the brocade robe, sat down in front of Xue Shi, and ordered the servants to say, "Help her up." , the cloth in the mouth is gone."

The scarf in Xue's mouth was pulled out, she couldn't help panting, resisted the pain in her body and got up, but when she saw the person sitting in front of her, she couldn't help but startled.

Although the men she had seen were limited, all of them were young and handsome, with good looks, and this man was the most outstanding and handsome one she had ever seen since she was a child.

His brows were calm, and even when he was not smiling, there was a hint of gentleness. Seeing Xue looking at him in a daze, the corners of his eyes were slightly curved, and he asked, "Do you know who I am?"

Xue Shi suddenly realized that she lost her composure, hurriedly lowered her head, and muttered: "No... I don't know."

"My surname is Yan. I was ordered to command the imperial army. I have some friendship with my father, Xue Shangshu."

The three words "strict" and "forbidden army" were like a basin of cold water being poured on the head, and Xue's heart became cold for an instant, and there were only two words left in his mind: it's over.

Since the princess's accident nearly killed her last year, most of the concubines in the harem have restrained themselves, and have a little more respect for the queen—not respecting the queen, but fearing the person who backed her up and killed the concubine who murdered the princess.

Yan Xiaohan, the emperor's close minister and commander of the imperial army.

During the Yuantai Dynasty, Feilongwei was rampant and had power over the court, which made people's faces change. This person was the leader of Feilongwei. It is said that he acted strangely and had cruel methods. , Even in the new dynasty, Emperor Changzhi still reused it.

The amazement dissipated, leaving only panic, Xue retreated hastily, tremblingly said: "What are you going to do..."

"Concubine Shu," he asked nonchalantly, "Don't you know what I'm doing?"

"I don't know!" Mrs. Xue tried to remain calm, and said sternly, "It is a capital offense for foreign ministers to break into the palace without permission. If you dare to do something to me, aren't you afraid that the emperor will hold you accountable?"

Yan Xiaohan said: "I was ordered to guard the palace, so naturally I can't just sit back and watch a vicious woman like you bully the king. This is part of my job and responsibility. It seems that the empress should have heard of this officer, since If you know who I am, you should be clear about it, not to mention you, even if your father is here, I can catch you."

Xue said tremblingly: "You...I am the emperor's concubine, it's not your turn to intervene...I want to see the emperor!"

Yan Xiaohan sneered and said, "I'll call you Mistress, do you really think of yourself as Mistress?"

Although he was smiling, murderous intent was in his eyes, and he said coldly: "Framed the empress, murdered the emperor's heir, do you think you can walk out of this palace gate alive today?"

"...you are the empress's man, why did you help her?" Xue Shi was finally frightened into tears by him, and shouted incoherently, "I can give you whatever she gave you! You—"

"Because her surname is Fu." Yan Xiaohan interrupted her nonchalantly, "You framed the empress at the Flower Festival, just to violate my taboo, and you are looking for death."

Flower Festival?What does it have to do with the Flower Festival?

Mrs. Xue looked dazed, and one of the eunuchs standing beside her with her hands down was from the north. When she thought about the "Flower Festival", she immediately understood: Hey, isn't that the same person who married the Marquis of Jingning last year? day?

Master Fu Hou's whereabouts are unknown now, the queen is his only biological sister, no wonder Mr. Yan is so angry, Mrs. Xue is really unlucky, and fell into his hands.

After Yan Xiaohan arrived in the south of the Yangtze River, he did fewer things to send people to the west, but occasionally he made a move, but he became more surly and vicious.This kind of venting is actually useless, it's just that he was poked against the scales, and he hurt himself, and the offender should not think about it.

Holding a piece of white silk in his hand, the eunuch stepped forward and said softly, "Your Majesty, please."

Xue looked at Yan Xiaohan in disbelief, his eyes were tearing open, but the man didn't look at her, he was staring at a cluster of white flowers outside the window, wondering what he was thinking.

Seeing that she was still not moving, the eunuch said angrily, "If Your Majesty insists on not doing it yourself, I have no choice but to let the slaves send you on your way."

Yan Xiaohan turned his head at this time, and said calmly: "I heard that Concubine Shu was born in a noble family, she has read poetry and books since she was a child, and is good at singing and dancing. A fortune teller once said that you have a precious life, and you will be a good son-in-law. "Speaking of this, he couldn't hold back, and snorted a sneer from his nose: "There are such rumors all over Jinling City, I'm afraid the empress will believe it, and think that she is the next Wei Zifu."

"This white silk has given you enough face." Yan Xiaohan stood up with the armrest of the chair, looked down at her condescendingly, and said solemnly, "It's better to be more conscious. If you don't know good from bad, I will turn you into a Become the next Mrs. Qi."

If Xue Shi was struck by lightning, she was fluent in poetry and prose, and had read history books, so she immediately understood Yan Xiaohan's threat, and she also clearly knew that she was doomed today and would undoubtedly die.

Mrs. Qi, the favorite concubine of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, gave birth to her son Liu Ruyi. With her holy favor, she almost replaced the prince Liu Rong several times.After the death of Gaozu, Liu Ruyi was summoned into the palace by Empress Lu to be killed. His mother, Mrs. Qi, had her hands and feet cut off, her eyes and ears were removed, and she was made to live in the toilet by drinking medicine for sputum. *

The battle between concubine Shu and the queen is not just a battle for the harem, but a battle for the future heir, a quiet confrontation between the old ministers in the north and the upstarts in the south of the Yangtze River.

Yan Xiaohan walked away with a flick of his sleeves.

In the first year of Changzhi, on February [-]th, Concubine Xue Shu became insane after giving birth and became insane, so she hanged herself in the cold palace.

In the evening of that day, the sky and stars were scattered like snow, Changqiu Palace hastily announced the imperial doctor's pulse, and found out that Empress Fu was pregnant.