Linzhi

"After coming back, do you feel that everything is good in Chang'an, and you don't want to leave from now on?"

A cup of sweet-scented osmanthus and silver dew was brought generously by the court lady and placed in front of He Rong.

The emperor not only stayed with He Rong to narrate, but also kept him to eat. The grandparents and grandchildren set up meals in the side hall of Zichen Hall, and the emperor was rarely in a joking mood.

He Rong: "To be honest, since I came back, I only have four words to describe it."

The emperor raised an eyebrow.

He Rong: "It's like walking on thin ice."

The emperor was not angry, but smiled and said: "Is it so terrible to discuss politics in the upper court?"

He Rong: "I have never been out of the cabinet to participate in government affairs before. Thanks to His Majesty's trust, I traveled thousands of miles to the Western Regions and did those things. Now that I think about it, I rely on nothing more than a newborn calf's aura of not being afraid of tigers. Now that the matter is completed, I am discouraged." Now, looking at the senior and important ministers in the court, the ministers have no experience, no one can compare with them, so I have to keep silent and listen more and learn more."

Emperor: "Anyway, you keep a straight face all day long, and I don't see any fear or panic."

He Rong: "I'm born with this, the corners of my mouth tend to cramp when I laugh too much."

When he said this, his expression was serious, and even Ma Hong beside the emperor couldn't help but secretly smiled.

The maids served the dishes one after another, and the emperor signaled to finish eating, so He Rong stopped talking and focused on eating.

Many courtiers were lucky enough to eat with the emperor, but most of them were trembling and did not dare to eat more. They had to keep an eye on whether the emperor had finished eating, so that they could put down the dishes anytime and anywhere to avoid losing their manners.

He Rong was not affected, he also took a chicken leg and a chicken wing, ate up the meat, and put the bare bones on the table.

Ma Hong's eyes almost popped out. He had never seen anyone who had dinner with the emperor dare to be so comfortable, including King Qi.

The emperor was getting old, and his appetite was not big, but he aroused his appetite, so he ate more than before.

Ma Hong was a little overjoyed, and thought that in the future, he would ask His Majesty to let Mr. Ango enter the palace to accompany him for meals from time to time.

The emperor asked He Rong: "What did you eat when you were in Turkic?"

He Rong: "Mutton, boiled and sprinkled with salt, cut into pieces with a knife in one hand, and eaten with one hand. There are also mustaches, mainly meat."

The emperor laughed: "That's not bad. I also heard that Princess Zhending wants to be your matchmaker and let you marry Jia Luo's younger sister."

He Rong: "Yes, I declined."

Emperor: "Marry your husband and follow your husband. Even if you marry, you can bring someone back to Chang'an."

He Rong: "Bring her back, she will leave home thousands of miles to stay in Turkic, and the minister will also leave home thousands of miles. Since you can't have the best of both worlds, you might as well give up."

The emperor smiled: "I can't see that you are so passionate in your heart. Lin's daughter was not able to marry you, but she was unlucky."

He Rong didn't think he was "passionate", and he was noncommittal about the emperor's evaluation.

The emperor: "This marriage, speaking of it, is also my responsibility. How about this, if you are interested in a young lady from any family, I can give you a marriage, even if the other party is not qualified enough, you can also give me the title of side concubine, so that you can marry me." You have lovers who will eventually be married."

He Rong pursed his lips: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness, but I have no interest in anyone for the time being."

The emperor wondered: "You won the third-rank patent for the Gao family, don't you mean her?"

He also thought that his grandson was ingenious and wanted the woman he liked to have a higher status so that he could be worthy of him, so he came to him to ask for a title.

It is difficult for most people in the world to imagine that a man would pay for a young and beautiful woman, not out of desire or love, even the emperor was not exempt.

He Rong: "Your Majesty misunderstood. I didn't mean to accept Gao as a side concubine. Gao has the ability to Tao Zhu, so it's a pity to put it in the inner house."

The emperor chuckled: "You want her to help you with things. It is not contradictory to marrying her. Giving her a title can make her more determined. You are still too young!"

He Rong didn't want to make more excuses, so he kept silent.

Emperor: "Forget it, I don't want to take care of your own affairs, but no matter who you like, your wife must be the right one. Do you understand what I mean?"

He Rong got up and said, "Your Majesty, although Lin didn't get married at the beginning, she is my fiancee after all. Now that the fragrance has passed away and the jade is gone, I am lonely and helpless in the underworld. I am afraid that it will be difficult to reincarnate, so I want to marry Lin. Tablet, let her officially enter."

Not only Ma Hong was taken aback, but even the emperor was very surprised: "You want to marry a dark relative? You can think about it, the status of the first wife is very important. No matter who you marry in the future, her status will not be able to surpass Lin. You If there is someone I like in the future, I will definitely feel that I have wronged her."

"Yes, I have thought it through."

In fact, He Rong made this decision, apart from not wanting his father to mess up the mandarin ducks, there was another very important reason.

Now the situation in the court is chaotic, each stands on the top of the mountain, if one is not careful, he will marry someone who is already in line with King Qi or King Wei, and set fire to his backyard, and with his current status as an upstart, he wants to marry a commoner with no background It is definitely impossible for a woman to be a regular wife.The wife is Qi Ye, once married into the door, she is completely different from concubines and the like. It requires the respect and care of the husband, and it is impossible to give up casually if he feels dissatisfied.

To sum up the above factors, instead of this, it is better to use Lin as a shield, and it can also leave an impression of love and righteousness on others.

The best of both worlds, He Rong didn't think there was anything wrong.

If the Lin family knew about it, they would only be grateful.

The emperor stared at him for a moment, and finally let go: "You can discuss this matter with your father yourself, as long as he agrees, I don't care about you."

He Rong also breathed a sigh of relief, and bowed his head in thanks.

The two chatted a little more, the emperor coughed, and Ma Hong seemed to be used to it, ordering someone to bring a spittoon and warm water in an orderly manner, and stroking the emperor's back.

He Rong: "Your Majesty, please take care of the dragon's body for the sake of the world."

Finally, the cough stopped, and the emperor sighed: "I think back then I mounted my horse to shoot arrows and dismounted to chase dogs, but now I can't even draw the three-stone bow."

He Rong: "I can't draw the bow of the three stones even now."

The emperor was amused by him, and pointed at him: "Are you still embarrassed to say it? Look at your Goro, he is a good man with both civil and military skills. Learn more!"

He was also a little tired, so he asked He Rong to go back first.

After He Rong resigned, the emperor said to Ma Hong, "Help me to lie down in the back hall for a while."

Ma Hong showed worry: "Your Majesty, the villain should go and invite the imperial physician."

Emperor: "Worry!"

Just as he lay down, he changed his mind: "Forget it, I can't fall asleep just after eating, I'm sitting on the soft bed, you go and get the bottom portion of the desk."

Ma Hong knew about the item. The emperor went to pay homage to the crown prince that day, and when he saw the item on the imperial chariot on his way back, his face changed, and he became furious, and drove away the king of Qi who was sitting on the imperial chariot to chat with him. Going down, Ma Hong was also confused at the time, but he didn't dare to ask in detail.

After he came back, the emperor put that thing at the bottom of all the memorials and didn't mention it, but now he suddenly remembered it, or he never forgot it.

Ma Hong was a little uneasy, and held the memorial to the emperor.

Opening the page again, the emperor's reaction was much calmer than last time, his expression didn't even change, he read it word by word, and handed it to Ma Hong: "You also have a look."

The powerful Emperor Wende would never let eunuchs participate in political affairs, so Ma Hong tried his best to avoid suspicion. Now that the emperor asked him to read it, he had to read it.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."

Emperor: "Do you think the above is credible?"

Before Ma Hong could answer, he said to himself again: "Nine times out of ten it is true. I had doubts about Chen Wuliang's case back then, but later King Qi closed the case beautifully and there is no trace. Busy with other things, although he had some doubts, he didn't bother to ask, anyway, death is like a lamp being extinguished, Chen Wuliang put down the Nanman rebellion, after all, he deserved merit, so we should give him some face."

The emperor turned his head to look at Ma Hong: "Do you know what is hidden behind this incident? What makes me sad is that although King Qi was in charge of the Ministry of Punishment at that time, Dali Temple was not in charge of him. Unconsciously, it must be that the Ministry of Punishment and the Dali Temple have conspired in collusion, that is to say, before I knew it, King Qi had already covered the sky with one hand, to such an extent!"

Hearing this, Ma Hong's heart was beating wildly, his legs softened, and he couldn't help kneeling down: "Your Majesty, calm down..."

The emperor sneered: "After so many years, I have long since stopped being angry."

Ma Hong said cautiously: "Forgive the villain for being abrupt, but the villain just doesn't understand. After so many years, the case has long been dusty. Who would suddenly uncover this case, hide it on the imperial chariot, and present it to His Majesty specially?"

The emperor said indifferently: "Who do you think it will be?"

Ma Hong: "The villain doesn't know."

Emperor: "Do you not know, or dare not say?"

Mahone said nothing.

Emperor: "The person who can put this memorial in the Prince's Mausoleum must not be an ordinary person. Ordinary people have no motivation to do so. Who would want to make King Qi unlucky?"

King Lu, or King Wei.Ma Hong answered in his heart.

And he is more inclined to do it by King Wei.Because the matter of offering sacrifices to the prince is jointly led by the Ministry of Rites and Zongzheng Temple, and King Wei happens to be in charge of the Ministry of Rites.

Of course, King Lu is not without suspicion. He also has good reasons for wanting to do this, and he can also frame King Wei.

Ma Hong secretly sighed, feeling confused.

"My three sons..." the emperor shook his head, "If it's just for the sake of success, it doesn't matter if you let one of them be the heir apparent. This dynasty died for three generations, and it ended in their hands."

When it came to the inheritance of the throne, Ma Hong had no room to speak, he kept silent and his mouth was tightly shut.

The emperor was just muttering to himself, and had no intention of consulting him.

Although I know many things in my heart, it is not so easy to make a choice.

Thinking of He Rong, the emperor sighed again.

It's a pity that he is the grandson of the emperor, not the prince, if the prince...

Let alone He Rong, even He Zhan might be better than choosing one of the three kings.

It's a pity that they are not only the grandsons of the emperor, but also the eldest grandson of the emperor.

……

He Rong didn't know what the emperor was thinking, let alone that the emperor's heart was even shaken for a moment because of him.

As soon as he returned to Prince Lu's mansion, He Tai called him over.

He Rong thought that his father would get angry and scold him because he blatantly refuted his opinion today, but when he looked over, He Tai's face was unexpectedly calm, and there was also his step-concubine Pei.

After He Rong saluted and greeted him, Mrs. Pei said kindly: "Sanlang, I heard from your father that you have done a good job in discussing politics in the early court. It is a shortcut to win the favor of the emperor by opportunism, and there is a price to be paid for taking shortcuts, thank you for dissuading him in time this time, so as to prevent your father from making even bigger mistakes."

She didn't care about He Tai's face at all, which made He Tai a little embarrassed, but he had to express his position: "The princess is right, this matter is reckless for my father. When Qiao Dong proposed this timing to me, I thought your majesty loves his son." Sincerely, I will definitely agree, so I instructed Liang Shilang to bring it up during the Xiaochao meeting, who knows that it is still ill-considered."

He Rong immediately looked at this stepmother differently.

You must know that He Tai's nature is not bad, the bad thing is that his ears are soft. After all, their brothers are only sons, and it is impossible to remind their father all the time. Although Yuan Shi dared to speak, he didn't have the knowledge. It's a peace of mind.

Being able to make He Tai say such introspective words, it can be seen that the Pei family is also extraordinary.

He Rong said: "Your Majesty understands father's filial piety, and did not blame father."

He Tai coughed lightly, hiding some embarrassment: "Your Majesty has kept you in the palace for so long, but what did you say?"

He Rong: "Your Majesty invited me to have a meal, and didn't say anything, just gossip."

He Tai was a little sour: "I have been in the palace so many times, but I still haven't had a meal from His Majesty."

He Rong twitched the corners of his mouth, a little speechless at Lao Tzu's jealousy of his son, and then said that he wanted to marry Lin's memorial tablet.

He Tai's eyes widened, and the anger that was finally calmed down by Mrs. Pei was ignited again.

"You are trying to piss me off! You have made great achievements and come back. If you are not of the same royal blood, Shangzhu would be more than enough. You are going to marry a dead man?!"

Pei had no choice but to say: "Your Highness, calm down."

He Tai said angrily: "How do you make me calm down! Look at what he has done, and ran to His Majesty without saying a word, did he still take me as a father seriously?"

He Rong: "At the beginning, you persuaded His Majesty to give you this marriage. Now it is only natural for me to report to Your Majesty first."

"Then I didn't let you marry a tablet!"

He Tai was about to die of anger, he picked up the small bowl in his hand and threw it at He Rong without even thinking about it!

He Rong's body turned slightly to one side, and he dodged swiftly, but the small bowl flew straight out and hit He Mu on the forehead who just came in from the outside.

Hearing an ouch, He Mu clutched his forehead and sat back down on the ground, his whole face was dazed, he didn't know why he was in trouble.

Everyone: "..."

The maidservants on the left and right hurriedly helped He Mu in, but saw that his forehead was already red and swollen.

Mrs. Pei hurriedly sent someone to bring the medicine.

He Mu was very resentful: "If the son makes the father dissatisfied, the father will just say it. Why didn't he even say it, so he did it!"

The corner of He Tai's mouth twitched: "It was Saburo I was going to hit, it was purely an accident, you should apply the medicine first."

He Mu was surprised when he heard that, his third brother has been calm since he was a child, yet he can still make his father angry like this.

"Sanlang, what's the matter?"

He Rong didn't want one more person to talk about him, so he didn't answer, but brought up another matter: "Just now I had a meal with His Majesty, it seems that His Majesty doesn't eat much, and the dragon's body is also a little unwell."

Still angry, He Tai glared at him, and said just now: "Your Majesty's dragon body hasn't recovered much since years ago, and because of the wind and cold, he has been out of court for a few days. Everyone is very worried."

He Rong: "Did Your Majesty never mention the establishment of a crown prince?"

He Tai shook his head, not hiding his disappointment.

Whether or not he wants his father to be the prince is no longer a question, but an answer that the whole family agrees on.

Sailing against the current, not advancing but retreating, the He family is in such a situation now, especially after He Tai became king, he couldn't help himself, step by step to regain the position he once stood, whether it is to save his life and future , or because of the hope of the people around him, he can't help but retreat.

He Mudao: "Although Your Majesty has not established a crown prince, he has successively granted Sanlang Wulang the title of title. Presumably, he has a tendency in his heart, but he has not yet made up his mind."

He Tai: "Forget it, the emperor's heart is unpredictable, and my proposal today may disappoint His Majesty again."

The Pei family suddenly said: "Speaking of which, the Pei family and Concubine Yin are still somewhat distantly related by blood. Next time when I enter the palace to pay her respects to Concubine Yin, let me inquire about it."

He Taichi questioned: "Concubine Yin pays homage to Buddha all the year round, she doesn't seem to care about ordinary matters."

Mrs. Pei smiled slightly: "Your Highness does not know. Although the noble concubine does not care about world affairs, she is quite respected by her majesty. When I went to see the noble concubine last time, her majesty happened to be here. From my point of view, the noble concubine and her majesty speak and behave freely. Unlike those unfavored concubines."

He Rong didn't deal with Pei's many times, but he was deeply impressed by her calmness and wit.

Compared with He Tai, Pei's words are more convincing to him.

So he said: "What is the situation of the noble concubine in the harem?"

Mrs. Pei: "The noble concubine is in the harem, and has always been famous for not caring about world affairs. King Qi and King Wei each have their own concubines. It is impossible to win over the noble concubine for no reason. Moreover, the noble concubine is not in charge of palace affairs. At first glance, it seems that she has no power. She is powerless, but the imperial concubine's expenses in the palace have never been deducted because of this, and her status is even higher than that of the biological mother of King Wei of Qi. Her status in the eyes of His Majesty is evident. The imperial concubine has no sons under her knees, only one married far away in the south of the Yangtze River daughter."

This is the advantage of marrying a concubine. In the past, He Tai had no biological mother, and no concubine to enter the palace to entertain. He knew little about the situation in the harem, and his sons couldn't help him no matter how capable they were.

He Rong murmured: "What kind of temperament does the noble concubine have? In your opinion, since she has no children, is it possible for her to secretly support her father?"

Mrs. Pei thought for a while: "I can't say it well. The imperial concubine has always been independent in the palace. I have been in the palace a few times, and I can be regarded as the imperial concubine's favor. I can often sit and chat in her palace. The imperial concubine She is also quite easy to talk to, not a difficult person to get along with, but she must not be willing to take the risk if she hastily sided with His Highness."

He Rong: "Your Majesty is a wise lord, not just someone in the harem will listen to slander, so we don't need the noble concubine to say good things for our father in front of your majesty, and the noble concubine doesn't have to take risks, just talk to us occasionally , so that we don’t pretend to be blind.”

Mrs. Pei smiled: "Why should people help us and let us know?"

He Rong also smiled: "It depends on the father."

He Tai didn't know why the topic turned to himself, he said in a daze, "What can I do? I can't get my hands in the harem!"

He Rong: "If you are a human being, you will have demands. Even eminent Buddhist monks hope to promote Buddhism, and the noble concubine is no exception. If my father can promise that one day after he inherits the great rule, he would like to promise you as the queen mother, and with the gift of the queen mother." , to take care of the noble concubine every day, and then recall my aunt, uncle and their family from the south of the Yangtze River, so that the noble concubine can see her daughter from time to time and enjoy her grandchildren, the noble concubine will definitely be moved."

He Tai hesitated: "Will this work?"

He Mu also said: "Father, if it will work, I have to let my mother try it first to know."

He Tai finally nodded.

Several people chatted for a while, and then parted ways.

As soon as He Rong left the main courtyard, someone stopped him: "Sanlang!"

He turned his head, and He Mu strode towards him, the red envelope on his forehead became more obvious, looking a little funny.

He Rong tried his best to look away: "Brother called me?"

He Mu patted him on the shoulder: "Knowing that you like sweets, I asked your sister-in-law to make some copper coin cakes, and the new tea sent by Zongzheng Temple a few days ago, come and sit?"

He Rong: "Okay."

When turning around, pulling the skin on his neck and face, He Mu hissed and covered his forehead: "Don't tell me, father has really strong hands."

He Rong coughed lightly, wanting to laugh a little: "Let the eldest brother take it on my behalf."

The two came to the courtyard where He Mu lived. When Song heard the news, she came out to welcome her, and said happily, "Sanlang hasn't been here for a long time, come in and sit down!"

He Rong: "I'm here for sister-in-law's coin cake."

Song was delighted: "Yes, yes! Eat as much as you want, and bring some back if you don't have enough. You sit down first, and I'll get someone to serve it."

The two brothers sat down separately.

He Mu grows elm money in this courtyard.In autumn, the leaves are all over the ground, but there are still bunches of heavy branches hanging on the branches, most of which are still light in color.

He Rong looked up, as if he was fascinated.

He Mu just laughed: "Do you want to eat elm money?"

He Rong shook his head: "I'm afraid the taste is not good now, I have to wait until next spring, when I will let someone pick it in the yard of my eldest brother."

He Mu convinced him: "It's not winter yet, you're already thinking of spring, and you don't need to send someone over then. He Xin likes to eat elm coins the most. I'll ask him to pick some and send them to you!"

He Rong smiled slightly: "Then it's settled."

He Mu sighed: "Since you returned to Beijing, we brothers haven't sat down to have a good chat. You have lost a lot in the past two years in Turkic, and you haven't brought back the meat yet."

He Rong: "Brother has also lost weight."

He Mu: "Actually, you were born and died outside, and it's not easy here in the capital. I don't have an official position, so I can't follow my father into the court. I'm always afraid that my father's words and deeds will offend His Majesty one day. Fortunately, there is no danger."

He Rong: "Eldest brother is the eldest son, and he will be crowned son in the future. He has no official position right now, and is just dormant for a while."

What he seemed to say casually, immediately touched He Mu's heart.

He Mu was startled, and then said: "Now that there is Princess Pei, it might be possible to have a son or not."

Even though he said this, he couldn't help but heaved a sigh of relief. He Rong would say this to prove that the other party was still on his side.

After all, they are brothers in need for more than ten years, He Mu comforted him a little.

It just so happened that Mrs. Song brought someone to bring some refreshments, so the two brothers turned to chatting about other topics.

In the evening, He Mu simply asked He Xiu and He Xi to come over together, and asked the cook to make a pot. The brothers sat around the stove and talked at night. They all ate profusely, and felt the joy they hadn't seen for a long time.

After drinking, He Xiu uttered the truth, and when He Xiu got drunk, he pulled He Rong with one hand and stopped He Zhan with the other, envious of them being able to ride the battlefield and make great achievements, and yelled that he wanted to go out for a while, not to mention being named a prince, at least not Nest in the capital.

This can be said to hit He Xi's mind, he also began to cry about how miserable and boring he is now, his lifelong dream is to see the way of heaven, and in the end he was even banned from becoming a Taoist priest, he must run away from home, and so on, making everyone dumbfounded.

After the banquet was over, Wen Jiang returned to the room, and Wen Jiang had already prepared a hangover soup, which was served hot.

"Isn't Langjun still going to Yang Langjun's place tomorrow? Let's take a rest earlier after drinking the wine-knowledge soup."

He Rong was drunk, remembering what he said to his father and brother after answering in the hall today, his usual calmness and self-control became a little chaotic, and he couldn't help but blurted out: "Wen Jiang, do you think that I am actually an ambitious man?" people?"

Wen Jiang was puzzled: "Why did Lang Jun say that?"

He Rong shook his head, did not answer her words, but continued: "It's just that I'm always used to using high-sounding excuses to cover up my actions? It's the same for Gao, and it's the same for Lin."

Wen Jiang was silent for a moment: "Who is not ambitious in life?"

He Rong propped his forehead, eyes hazy: "Then what is your ambition?"

Wen Jiang: "Live well."

He Rong: "Me too."

The author has something to say:

There are several reasons why the emperor didn't set up the emperor's grandson. I saw that everyone only guessed one, that is, the practice of setting up a son's son is generally not surpassed, unless the son is dead, but there is another more important reason. You didn’t guess it, and it’s impossible for the emperor in the text to say it clearly. You can guess first. If you guess correctly, you will get a red envelope. If you don’t guess correctly, you will see the situation later~

He Mu: Who will sympathize with the bag on my forehead?

He Xiu: I want to make contributions.

He Xi: I want to run away from home.

He Zhan: I also want to eat elm coins【?﹃?】