I'm watching the gate in the jail

Inside the Forbidden City Ningqing Palace

"Where's your majesty? Why hasn't your majesty come to this palace to pay his respects at this hour?"

Waking up early in the morning to dress properly, the Empress Dowager Zhou, who was sitting on the golden chair in the main hall of Ningqing Palace, waiting for the emperor to come to pay her respects, was holding a jade ruyi and asked the palace people beside her.

The Ming Dynasty ruled the world with filial piety, so Zhu Jianshen, as an emperor, must of course lead by example, and make peace in the morning and evening. "Book of Rites" records that "everything is a gift for the son of man, the winter is warm and the summer is clear, and the morning is calm and peaceful."

After the daily court meeting, he would personally go to Renshou Palace where his aunt Empress Dowager Qian lived, and Ningqing Palace where his mother Empress Dowager Zhou lived, to pay respects to the two most distinguished women of Ming Dynasty.In order to show that although he is the "Son of Heaven", he is also the "Son of Man", and to be a role model for the people of the world with the attitude of filial piety to his mother.

It seems that Chen Shi has passed today, and the emperor has not yet come to pay his respects.Thinking of the conflict that broke out with her son yesterday afternoon, the Queen Mother Zhou stayed up all night, and today she is even more worried and scared.

The mother and son had quarreled countless times during this period of time over the matter of whether King Chong Zhu Jianze would go to the domain at the end of the year.

"Obviously they are fine, why should we only punish our mother and son?"

Due to too many considerations, Zhu Jianshen did not point out to the Queen Mother Zhou that she had joined forces with the abolished Empress Wu and used the old nuns of the Nei'an Letang to try to murder the emperor's heir, and he had already seen through it.It can be regarded as leaving some last faces for each other.

After Wang Zhi fully recovered, Zhu Jianshen removed the confinement of everyone in the harem.Only then did the Queen Mother know that the eldest son of the emperor and Concubine Wan Gui were both safe and sound, and it was only a small servant who had the accident.

She couldn't make a plan here, and wanted to make another plan, but she didn't expect to receive the news that the emperor asked Chong Wang to surrender to Runing in advance by the end of this year.

Zhu Jianji was the second son she and the first emperor gave birth to when Nangong was quiet.Unlike when Zhu Jianshen was born, Nangong lacked food and clothing, and there were almost no palace attendants, let alone a nanny to help raise the baby.

Concubine Zhou Gui raised the child almost by herself, and the youngest son has the deepest relationship with her.

Thinking about it now, although the days of the three of them in Nangong were difficult, there were more sincere feelings of ordinary people in the folk, and less the estrangement between father and son and husband and wife of the Tian family.

Why is it not the mulberry elm that was lost in the east?

But this eldest son, the older he gets, the more alienated he is from her.

The Empress Dowager Zhou was also dazzled by emotions for a while yesterday, and when the emperor greeted him as usual, she had a conflict with him because of the king.

She was an outspoken person, but she actually spoke the words that had been buried in her heart for several years. come out.

Zhu Jianshen was furious, he blushed, pointed at the Queen Mother Zhou for a long time with his trembling fingers, and finally choked out a sentence: It's not too late for the mother to have a younger brother now!On the left, there is just a lesson from the past of the deposed emperor.

As soon as these words came out, the Empress Dowager Zhou trembled with anger.

What will happen to the deposed emperor Zhu Qiyu?

Unexplainably "sudden death" and died!

So what if he has been the emperor for a few years, isn't he deposed once, and his wife and children have all ended up in a miserable end?

Who is the emperor cursing?

In a rage, Queen Mother Zhou raised the agate cup beside her and threw it at Zhu Jianshen.

At that time, Zhu Jianshen was so angry that he didn't want to pay any more attention to this troublesome queen. He turned around and was about to walk away, just avoiding the glass that was originally thrown at his forehead.

The agate cup landed on his shoulder, spilling the emperor's half body with tea.

At that time, all the palace people in Ningqing Palace, including Wynn and Zhang Min brought by the emperor, were all prostrate on the ground, too frightened to raise their heads.

"Wynn."

Zhu Jianshen wiped off the tea leaves stuck to the dragon's claws on his shoulders with his fingers, and instructed Wynn.

"Clean up the cups on the ground... Take it to His Royal Highness Chong Wang. Let him take it with him when he is in the feudal domain—this represents the wishes of my mother and my mother."

Wynn looked up and looked at the broken agate cup.

He turned his head tremblingly again, and looked at the Empress Dowager Zhou who was also pale.

The meaning behind the emperor's move is self-evident, this is no longer a "beating", but an upgrade to a "warning".

If the little prince insisted on staying in the palace, then the fate of this agate cup might be his fate.

"He is your real brother! He is your real brother of the same father and mother, how can you?"

Empress Dowager Zhou yelled sadly at Zhu Jianshen's back.

"The emperor's son is the son of my and Wan Shichang's direct relatives, and my first child. How can you do it?"

Zhu Jianshen turned his head, his pale eyes were full of mischief.

"In this world, there is no one who is not a parent!"

The Empress Dowager Zhou was so poor that she could only utter these words sternly.

This time, Zhu Jianshen walked out of Ningqing Palace with Huai En, who didn't even look at him, holding the fragments of the agate cup in his hands.

The Empress Dowager Zhou has never been treated like this.

She sat on the couch for a long time, and it was not until dinner time that she came back to her senses little by little.

The youngest son, Zhu Jianze, would come to Ningqing Palace to pay his respects after leaving his study every night, and then had dinner with the Queen Mother Zhou.

Now it's almost time to calculate, why don't you see him coming.Could it be that he was detained by the husband?

Soon, the palace servant Xia Shi reported that Wynn had sent the agate fragments to the Xiefang Palace. The little prince was too frightened to speak, so he sent someone to Ningqing Palace to spread the word, saying that the dinner at night was free and he would not come today Queen Mother, please be well, and come here to plead guilty.

The anger in Empress Dowager Zhou's heart was completely extinguished now.

She finally realized that her eldest son was not only her "son", but also an "emperor"!

To ordinary people, killing a brother is worse than a beast and mutilating siblings.

But for an emperor...it was nothing more than an ordinary thing.

If her husband hadn't killed Emperor Fei, how could she have changed from a concubine to a queen mother who was on an equal footing with Queen Mother Qian?

The Empress Dowager Zhou thought about it all night, and decided whether it was for her own sake or for the safety of her youngest son, when the emperor came to pay his respects early this morning, she should lower her figure appropriately, begging the emperor to show respect, and not to embarrass the child.

Who knew that the emperor would not be seen until it was almost at Yuzhong.

"Your Majesty, after His Majesty came down from court today, he went to Renshou Palace to pay his respects to Madam Qian. As the weather got hotter, Madam Qian's health gradually improved. Today, the Emperor accompanied her to talk a lot. I will be with Madam Qian later. For lunch, someone spread the word that I will not come to Qingning Palace to pay my respects today."

Xia Shi knelt on the ground and said cautiously while watching the unpredictable expression of the Queen Mother Zhou.

"in addition……"

"what?"

The Empress Dowager Zhou closed her eyes tiredly, and the powerlessness in her heart made this woman under 40 feel that she was "coming old" for the first time.

"His Royal Highness Chong Wang submitted the paperwork today, and he wants to become a vassal as soon as possible... His Majesty has already given his permission. At the end of this month, we will set off for the Runing fiefdom without further delay."

Xia Shi lowered his head and said.

"Runing, Runing is such a remote place. My son has never left the imperial city or Aijia in this life. He is only 13 years old...he is just a child."

He threw Yu Ruyi to the ground, covered his face with his hands, and cried loudly.

It's just that no matter how terribly the cry was, it couldn't penetrate the layers of palace walls.

This is a doomed separation of mother and child, with each other in this life and this world.

Leaning on the building and looking at the palace wall with tears in my eyes, I couldn't find it in my dream.

"The adults have worked hard all the way here."

Qiu's mother walked into the courtyard where Wanda lived with the housekeeper and a close-knit elder sister Jing, and after saluting on both sides, they sat facing each other.

Wanda wasn't polite at all this time, and took Xiaoqiu's mother's scrutiny thoroughly.

Counting Xiaoqiu's mother is not as old as his sister Concubine Wan Gui, she is only 35 years old this year.

It's just that the mature and prudent feeling on the other side made Wanda uncomfortable, but at the same time felt inexplicably familiar...

Listening to her and Yang Xiuxian exchanging pleasantries, and you coming and going with official accents, Wanda thought hard, but couldn't figure out where this familiar feeling came from.

Concubine Wan Gui would definitely not do this.His elder sister is lively, if she hadn't given birth to a child, she could dance sword astride a horse.

Outsiders would never have guessed that this Tian family couple is his brother-in-law Ai Jing, but his sister is restless.I don't know who the little prince will resemble more in the future.

Sister-in-law Zhang is not as strong as Mrs. Qiu, otherwise she wouldn't get sick from the anger of her elder brother and his concubine.

To say that Po La is still Guanghuai's aunt Po La, it should have something to do with her being from a military household.But Xiaoqiu's mother is much more dignified than that of the Yang family, and she definitely can't do anything like cursing in the street.

While Wanda was still racking his brains, Mrs. Qiu and Yang Xiuxian finally finished all the things that could be praised in this room, and turned to him, ready to get down to business.

"Master Wan, the person under the archway today..."

Mrs. Qiu looked at Wanda's young age, thinking that he was only two years older than her son, and he got his current official status because of a concubine and sister in his family, so it shouldn't be too difficult to deal with.Inevitably underestimated.

"Oh... that one."

Wanda also pretended to be stupid, "Don't worry, ma'am, Qiu Zijin is my good friend. This person committed the crime of assassinating the imperial court official, and I will definitely seek justice for you."

"Having said that...but..."

Mrs. Qiu was not worried about "fairness", she was afraid of Yuan Mingguang's nonsense, and told these Jin Yiwei about the secret Xin of the Qiu family.

"Hey, Ma'am, don't worry, Zuo Zuo is a 'death'. He cannot escape. You don't have to worry too much, Jin Yiwei will take good care of him. At that time, whether it is hanging or beheaded, we will bring him back The capital, you can't pollute the 'quiet place' of your Qiu family."

Wanda didn't want to get entangled with her at all, "Madam, I assure you. You will never see this person again in the future."

"No, it's not... the prisoner has been caught, why don't you interrogate him first?"

Mrs. Qiu still wanted to play officialdom with Wanda, and Yang Xiuxian smiled lightly.

"Ma'am, you are teaching us Jin Yiwei how to do things"

Yang Xiuxian respected her as Qiu Zijin's mother, and Qiu Zijin was their rare friend, that's why this woman made irresponsible remarks to them.If it was someone else, they would never give the other party a chance to speak.

Qiu's mother was at a loss for words for a moment, she looked at the two young men in front of her who were all smiling, but there was no smile in their eyes, and finally realized that she was too impulsive just now.

In any case, these two people are "officials", and any one of them is above her son.

"The woman is reckless, please leave."

After recognizing the form clearly, Mrs. Qiu stopped making unnecessary struggles, and saluted the two of them in a neither humble nor overbearing manner, and then left without haste with the servants.

"This Mrs. Qiu is really magnificent."

Wanda stood at the gate of the yard, watching them walk away from a distance.

When Mrs. Qiu entered the yard just now, only two people came in behind her.Now that she was leaving the courtyard, Wanda saw at least a dozen servants behind her, including mothers-in-law, middle-aged women, and three or five girls, big and small, walking by. To his sister in Zhaode Palace.

"I heard that Mrs. Qiu has contributed a lot to the Qiu family's current family business."

Yang Xiuxian also stood leaning against the door, looking at the crowd that was drifting away.

"Although the Qiu family used to be rich, it was not as large as it is today. The two hills behind, as well as the lime factory and the charcoal factory, were all managed by Mrs. Qiu after she married into the family."

Jin Yiwei's work efficiency is not low, and he has already heard a lot of news in just a cup of tea.

"The Qiu family originally started by selling tea and porcelain, and the scale can only be considered average. Even in the generation of Qiu Zijin's grandfather, it feels a bit like the sunset."

"As for Mrs. Qiu's family, it is the Huo family, a well-known wealthy businessman on the Huangshan Mountain. The commercial territory has nearly doubled, so the Qiu family is convinced of her."

Yang Xiuxian seemed to have thought of something interesting, and smiled at Wanda, "Xinghai, do you know? It is said that it was the Huo family who proposed to the Qiu family back then, and it was Miss Huo who insisted on marrying her."

"Is there such a thing? Isn't she married?"

This kind of rich family gossip is a hot topic wherever it is put, and Wanda listens to it with gusto.

"It is said that not long after Ms. Huo was born, there was a fortune teller who said that she would be an imperial wife in the future, and she would live a glorious life. The Huo family is also a family of merchants. Originally, seeing her daughter's ordinary appearance, she was afraid that she would not marry well. But after hearing that her daughter With such an encounter, how can I not be overjoyed? That’s why I raised Ms. Huo as a famous lady since I was a child. Instead of teaching her women’s weaving, playing piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, I taught her how to govern and manage a family...It’s a pity that Ms. Huo is a daughter, otherwise she I'm afraid it's not impossible to end the scientific examination by myself."

"Another female academic bully..."

Wanda was speechless.

"Then why did she marry Xiaoqiu's father later? If you want to be ordered to marry a scholar, that's right."

"Back then, Mr. Qiu was also very talented. He was good at reciting poems and making right sentences, and he was also very personable. That's why the Huo family would take the initiative to propose marriage after hearing about it. Who knows, you only know when you get married..."

Yang Xiuxian's expression was a little subtle.

The matchmaker said that Mr. Qiu was good flowers and rice. It was only when Ms. Huo got married that she knew that Mr. Qiu was a "smart face with a stupid stomach" and "an embroidered pillow with a bag of grass".

Apart from making two crooked poems and being good-looking, it is almost useless.

Moreover, he has a cowardly personality, often sheds tears in the wind, sighs at flowers, and is just a conservative talent in business, and has no intention of pioneering and enterprising. In addition, he is not clear about the few maids at home.

The most important thing is that Mr. Qiu is not the only son in the family. Although his father-in-law left early, there are still several younger brothers who are watching him eagerly, who can replace him at any time.

Miss Huo originally thought that she would point to her husband's prosperity, but after seeing how incompetent he was, she simply rolled up her sleeves and did it herself.Dismissed the maid, brought the account books, and intervened in the various businesses of the Qiu family.

Fortunately, besides being good-looking, the only thing Qiu's father has is "obedient".

He listened to his mother's words since he was a child, and listened to his daughter-in-law's words after getting married. She did whatever the daughter-in-law said, and she did whatever the daughter-in-law said.

Seeing that the Qiu family's business is getting bigger and bigger, they almost monopolize the local tea and charcoal business.The brothers of the same clan had nothing to say, and they respected this sister-in-law even more.

From then on, all the houses in the Qiu family were guided by the eldest grandma, especially after the old lady passed away.

Moreover, the former Ms. Huo and the later Mrs. Qiu have also found their real goal in life - to raise a son!

The husband is already a good-for-nothing, a dou who cannot be supported, and who cannot climb the mud on the wall, but the intelligence and astuteness shown by the son since childhood, let this woman find new hope on the road to "Mrs.

Not only the hope of Mrs. Qiu, but also the hope of the entire Qiu family.

Because Mrs. Qiu's performance in the past was too good and invincible, the entire Qiu family was full of blind confidence in her and Xiao Qiu born from her belly.

They firmly believed that Qiu Zijin would be the only hope of ending the Qiu family's reputation as a merchant-and it did.

This feeling……

When Wanda heard this, she couldn't help shivering.

Isn't this exactly the same as the legendary "Phoenix Male Classic Quotations" that say "I am the only college student in our village for hundreds of years" and "I am the only hope for our family"!

But Xiaoqiu is not a "Phoenix Man", but a "24k pure gold Phoenix" flying out of a golden nest.

"I now finally know what that familiar feeling is..."

Wanda stuck out her tongue secretly.

Mrs. Qiu's attitude...is just like a "dean of teaching" of the Ming Dynasty.

Just one look is enough to make the "student" Wanda feel fear both psychologically and physically.

"If you're afraid, I'm afraid. In order to improve her son, Mrs. Qiu didn't just force Xiao Qiu to study."

Yang Xiuxian sighed, "She will never allow anyone to stand in front of her son's official path. She will not allow anything to affect Qiu Zijin's appointment as an official. Even if it is nonsense."

Wanda and him looked at each other, and the two lowered their heads silently at the same time.

I hope they are overthinking everything, and Mrs. Qiu is not crazy enough to violate the national law.

The reception banquet prepared by the Qiu family for everyone was placed in the Rongdian Hall of the main house.

As a senior official of the fourth rank, Wanda naturally sat in the main seat.

Yang Xiuxian sat in the second seat, followed by Qiu Zijin's father, Qiu Zijin, Qiu's mother, etc. in order.

Although he was already faintly prepared for the Qiu family, Wanda was still looking forward to the local delicacies.

Speaking of Jiangxi, the most famous dish is Three Cup Chicken.Do not put any soup when cooking, just use a cup each of rice wine, lard and soy sauce to force out the salty and sweet taste of the chicken itself.Sweet and fresh, salty and sweet.

Also, although this place is considered to be in the border of Jiangxi, it is close to Wuyuan. Of course, the most famous dish in Wuyuan is stinky mandarin fish.

Although Wanda is from the north, it is not like the people of Jiangsu and Zhejiang in Ningbo, Shaoxing and other regions who come from "smelly like life", but they have been famous for this dish for a long time.

It is said that this dish is obtained after marinating and fermenting fish. The fish meat is like garlic cloves, smells bad and tastes delicious.He has been admiring his name for a long time in his "previous life", and he has never tasted it. Now that he is here, how can he not eat it?

Seeing all the delicacies served on the table, Wanda immediately felt that the trip was worthwhile.

It's no wonder that Xiao Qiu loves food so much, and looking at this table of delicious food, one can tell that the chefs of the Qiu family have profound skills.

I heard that rich families in the south of the Yangtze River have more than one cook and cook.Some specialize in Shandong cuisine, some specialize in Huaiyang cuisine, some specialize in local dishes, and some specialize in dim sum. The ostentation is not smaller than the small kitchen in Zhaode Palace.

Before the meal, it was usual to exchange greetings and praise the emperor.Now, for Wanda, this word has long been familiar to him, and he just opens his mouth.

After everyone bowed in the direction of the palace to the north, they finally sat down and prepared to have a formal meal.

"The adults are exhausted, and they have worked hard all the way."

The head of the Qiu family was indeed Qiu's mother, even if Shangguan was here, it would not be Qiu's father's turn to appear.

She raised her wine glass gracefully and signaled to Wanda and the others.

"Five days later, it will be my son's big wedding day. The adults must drink my son's wedding wine and be happy together."

"It's easy to say, easy to say. Congratulations to Mrs. Qiu, congratulations to Master Qiu."

Wanda drank the fine wine in the glass, and when she put down her sleeves, she glanced at Qiu Zijin who was drinking with her, and found that his complexion didn't look very good.

Wanda blinked at him curiously, and asked him what was wrong with his eyes.

To say that they had heard about this marriage when they were in the capital.

Qiu Zijin was married to the daughter of a wealthy family in Huizhou since he was a child. The girl's uncle was an official in Beijing and worked in the Ministry of Rites.After Xiaoqiu was in high school, that uncle once specially came to his residence in Beijing to congratulate him.

Back then, Wanda asked him what it was like to be married by someone else, and whether he would not be reconciled.Qiu Zijin's answer at that time was resounding: the parents' order and the matchmaker's words cannot be changed.

Hearing this, modern Wanda could only sigh.

At that time, he thought that Qiu Zijin had resigned to his fate long ago, and this time he went home to marry and obeyed his mother's order, and there was nothing wrong with it.

Now it seems... Could it be that something happened when he didn't know?

"Mother, uncles, it's better for Zijin's marriage to take a while."

Sure enough, as Wanda expected, Qiu Zijin put down his wine glass and said with a cold face.

What he did frightened everyone present except Jin Yiwei, especially Papa Qiu, who almost dropped the chopsticks on the table.

"Ah Jin, what are you talking about? This is not a place for you to mess around."

Mother Qiu put down her wine glass with a smile, turned her head to look at her pale son, "My lord is here, and so are all my uncles. What do you want to do?"

The threatening tone reminded Wanda once again of the fear of being caught by the dean when he skipped class and went to an Internet cafe to play games.

"Master, my son said... marriage, please wait a little longer."

Qiu Zijin opened his phoenix eyes, raised his head and said.

"Why? Everything is ready at home, the invitations have been sent out, and the betrothal gift has been delivered. Mother has planned everything for you, just wait for the worship."

Qiu's mother never expected that her son would make her unable to come to the stage at the reception banquet on the first day home.

"Because it was Miss Wei from Huizhou Prefecture who originally married her son's fingertips."

Qiu Zijin stood up, his face full of anger, "But why did I hear this afternoon that my son is going to marry Miss Rong from Changping? This Miss Rong has even lived in a courtyard in the back mountain, waiting for five In the future, we will worship and get married."

What?The bride was swapped?

Surprised, Wanda and Yang Xiuxian didn't expect this to happen, and they also looked at Qiu's parents with inexplicable faces.

If anyone sat down to say who was the most angry, then of course it would be Qiu Zijin.

After he left the ancestral hall in the afternoon, he met A Kuan, a boy who came up to ask for a reward, that is, the child who greeted him at the entrance of the village.

After chatting for a few words, he found out that his future wife had left her hometown and lived in another courtyard of the Qiu family.

Qiu Zijin felt strange at the time, Wei's family was in Wuyuan, and it only took half a day to carry the sedan chair, so why did he need to come to Qiu's house in advance.

It was only then that Ah Kuan consciously made a slip of the tongue, and told the truth in advance that the marriage would only be revealed in advance.

It turned out that after Qiu Zijin was in high school last year, the Wei family sent someone to urge them to come to propose marriage, saying that they would be at ease after the matter of the two children was settled as soon as possible.

Who would have thought that Qiu's mother, with her hands and eyes in the sky, would actually talk about another marriage for him in Beijing.

It is said that the family background of that family is more prominent than that of the Wei family, and it will also benefit Qiu Zijin's future official career.

Qiu's mother called off the Wei family's marriage on her own initiative last year. For this reason, the Wei family came to make trouble, and Miss Wei couldn't afford to get sick.

After Qiu Zijin heard this, he was filled with anger and had nowhere to vent his anger. He didn't expect his mother to be so arrogant.

Although he said that he had accepted his marriage a long time ago, everything will be done according to the etiquette, as long as it is what his parents say, there is nothing wrong with it.

But what is Qiu's mother doing, if it's not making him unrighteous?

And what did that Miss Wei do wrong to be humiliated like this?

"This...don't talk about it in front of adults. After dinner, mother will go down with you and talk about it."

Mother Qiu finally realized that Wanda and Yang Xiuxian were "outsiders", and it was not a good thing for the Qiu family to hear such family secrets.She stretched out her hand in embarrassment, trying to stop her son from continuing to be presumptuous.

"Mother."

Qiu Zijin flicked his sleeves and sneered, "You are so powerful, you have even been set up as the governor of the Zuofu in Beijing."

This official position sounded quite familiar, Wanda couldn't help being taken aback.

"It's okay, can't you see it, Xiao Qiu is having an attack on purpose."

Yang Xiuxian tugged on Wanda's sleeve and said in a low voice.

Wanda nodded.

Yes, Qiu Zijin was attacking on purpose, using an excuse to bluff in front of these two "shangguan".The purpose is self-evident, it is to disturb this marriage.

"What's your attitude? Is this how Tanhualang talks to his mother?"

Mother Qiu lowered her face.

"Even if Mother did something wrong, it was for your own good."

"There is no wrong parent in the world."

She said firmly.