yellow door

At this time, several people in Qiantai Palace had different expressions, which were very different.

Because of this, the Empress has nothing to do with her. Although Concubine Xian was annoyed at the beginning, her face is now peaceful.Concubine Li Xian listened to Xiao Shupin's explanation of the reason, her face was only full of resentment and sorrow, she turned her head slightly from time to time, and looked at Concubine Xiao proudly.Since Xiao Shupin spoke back just now, she lowered her head again, not daring to look at others.Concubine Xiao Gui's expression was unpredictable, she couldn't tell whether it was shock or anger, hatred or fear.

As for the three princes standing next to them, their faces were full of panic, looking around, and if the eyes of the three met, they quickly moved away again.

Wen Sheng got angry before, but now his expression was normal, he just turned the jade finger on his thumb expressionlessly, making it impossible to guess what was going on in his heart.

Everyone was waiting impatiently, but Li Jibao came in and said: "My Majesty, the fifth prince and his attendant Chang Xiu will meet you outside the door."

Wen Sheng asked Li Jibao to call the two of them in, and after a while, he saw the fifth prince, Wen Mu, bringing a young eunuch in. Wen Mu was not surprised when he entered the door and saw everyone here, so he just knelt down first. He said: "I send my respects to the emperor, the queen and all the empresses!"

The queen is the mother of a country, and it is not wrong for all the princes and princesses in the harem to call their mother queen.

"My maidservant Chang Xiu kowtowed to the emperor, empress and all the empresses, wishing the emperor a long life, a thousand years, and a thousand years for the empress."

Wen Cheng asked Wen Mu to get up, and then looked at the little eunuch kneeling on the ground called Chang Xiu behind him, but his eyes flickered slightly.

He originally thought that the one who could provoke the princes to fight must be a wretched servant who flatters the horse, but what he didn't want to see was a boy of twelve or thirteen years old with clear features and a beautiful face. His expression was dull, and he didn't see the cringe and humbleness in the eyes of ordinary servants.

Although Wen Sheng didn't ask Chang Xiu to get up, he couldn't help feeling that the little eunuch was quite interesting. He was about to speak, but suddenly his expression changed slightly, and then he just asked, "Are you Chang Xiu? It is said that it is you Are you guilty of provoking masters to fight?"

Chang Xiu only kowtowed again and said: "This servant serves Your Highness the Fifth Highness, but you can't make His Highness far away from misfortune, and instead fall into His Highness's unrighteousness. This is because this servant has neglected his duty, and this servant is guilty."

"Look at how good this little mouth can talk, no wonder it can win over the masters..."

"Concubine Xian!" Concubine Li Xian hadn't finished speaking, but was interrupted by Wen Sheng impatiently. The queen next to her saw her, and an imperceptible smile flashed across her face. At that moment, she only felt that Concubine Xian was relying on the emperor's favor. , but he was not on the table at all, and now he didn't care about the rules at all, and dared to interrupt when the emperor asked questions.

Concubine Li Xian saw that Wen Sheng's face was not hesitant, she just kept her mouth shut, but her eyes on Chang Xiu became more and more ruthless.

"Since you know the crime, do you have any objection to sentence you to be expelled from the palace?" Seeing that the emperor had just reprimanded Concubine Xian, everyone thought that he would punish Chang Xiu lightly, and they didn't want him to speak in a low voice, before asking the reason, What he said was the heavy punishment of being expelled from the palace.

One must know that if he was not directly executed with a stick, he was hit with a board. As long as the torturer did not intentionally maim a person and stay in the palace, there would always be food and clothing costs.Instead of eunuchs who are normally released from the palace, before they leave the palace, they first have to be beaten to show the emperor's prestige - the master has the virtue of being good at life, spare your life, and let you out of the palace, you have to bear in mind the mighty kindness of the emperor , must also bear in mind the majesty of the royal family.

The eunuchs who really left the palace and were punished could not take their personal belongings with them, but they were in slavery. Besides serving people, the eunuchs had no skills at all, and ordinary people and officials could not use them. Therefore, going out like this, Not to mention the injuries all over the body, if there is no family outside to support, I am afraid that I will not even be able to find a way to make a living in the end, and I will only end up with an unhappy death.

The eunuchs were released from the palace by Shi En because their identities had been changed and they had saved enough money. However, for ordinary eunuchs in the palace, it was the best way to die in the palace and return their corpses to the ancestral hall. good place to go.

After hearing the emperor's words, Chang Xiu only bent down and knelt down on the ground again, but before she could speak, she heard Mu say: "Report to the emperor, my son has objections, although my son knows that fighting with brothers is against the father's teaching, But the father wants to drive people away without asking why, but the son refuses to accept it."

"Since he has pleaded guilty, what else do you have to say?" Although Wen Sheng's face was still expressionless, there was a hint of a smile in his eyes.

"Chang Xiu just admitted that he didn't serve his master well, but the minister didn't hear him admit that he provoked the ministers to fight. If it was just because of poor service, the minister would expel him from the palace. Isn't the minister just like what my father said in the past, I have lost my tolerance and the style of a gentleman?"

Wen Mu's words were directed at the emperor secretly, he only said that he had lost his gentlemanly style, but as everyone saw, it was the emperor who wanted to chase people away, if the emperor really drove Chang Xiu out just like that, I'm afraid that instead, I will fall into the tongue of "lost tolerance, gentleman's style".

"Okay, even if he is only guilty of dereliction of duty, then your brothers say that you did it for him, but there is no such thing." Hearing Wen Mu's words, Wen Cheng didn't seem to notice the hint in his words, and just narrowed his eyes. Squinting his eyes, he continued to ask.

Wen Mu gave a cold snort, and said: "Although Chang Xiu has committed negligence, I don't realize that I made a mistake. What the brothers did, in view of the teachings of the sages, I dare not harm the sage's hearing. It can only be said that my son is ashamed of their words and deeds, ashamed to be with them."

Everyone's expressions changed greatly when they heard this. Wen Mu's words were not insignificant. If they really obeyed his words, then Wen Min and the three of them had committed an unforgivable mistake. If what he said was false, Then his words of slandering his brother are enough to make the emperor severely punished, even the three of Wen Min, who had been standing by the side without saying a word, knelt down in fright, and said repeatedly: "Father Huang Shengming, my sons and ministers will never stop Dare to do something against the holiness, Wen Mu blood spit on people, I hope the father will investigate carefully."

The noble concubine, virtuous concubine, and concubine Shu who were next to her also knelt down and said, "I hope the emperor will find out." Naturally, only Concubine Xiao was asking Wen Sheng to find out that Wen Mu was not a false accusation.

Wen Sheng's face became gloomy after hearing Wen Mu's words, and he just said: "Since you say that the actions of the three of Min'er violated the holiness, do you have solid evidence? Otherwise, I can only punish you for slandering and slandering your brothers." The crime committed by him is this Chang Xiu, and he must be punished for both crimes."

When Wen Mu heard this, he just knelt down, with a stubborn face, and didn't say a word, but Chang Xiu, who was next to him, kowtowed in shock and said: "It's all the slave's fault, it's all the slave's fault, the matter is indeed caused by the slave, The slaves are willing to accept the punishment, and I beg the emperor not to blame His Highness."

After only a short while, Chang Xiu's forehead became red with pain, and even some blood was seen on the skin.

Wen Mu, however, only stared at Wen Sheng with piercing eyes, and said, "I don't realize that I'm wrong, I don't dare to disobey the holy order, but I never regret what I have done."

Li Jibao who was standing next to Wen Sheng saw the scene below, hesitated for a moment, then walked up to Wen Sheng's side, lowered his head and said a few words in a low voice, Wen Sheng's face immediately became extremely ugly after hearing this.Wen Mu saw it, but his heart moved, and he understood what Li Jibao said in a blink of an eye.

Since Li Jibao is the most powerful eunuch in front of the emperor, he is naturally capable. Just now he sent people to find Wen Mu and the two, and by the way, he also sent people to ask the three eunuchs who were accompanying the prince and Liu Sui who was present at the time. Son, there are too many people asking, and after comparing the cases, we will naturally understand the whole story.It's just that the emperor didn't inquire before, and he didn't want to offend the ladies in front of him, so he kept silent all the time. Now, seeing Wen Mu not answering, the emperor's expression was extremely ugly, so he stepped forward and gently reported what happened .

After hearing Li Jibao's words, Wen Sheng first glanced at the group of kneeling people, then groaned heavily, and said, "I know the general story, get up, and that one named Chang Xiu, don't kneel too. "

After hearing this, everyone got up. The empresses only looked at Wen Cheng in amazement because they didn't know what happened, but Wen Min and the princes looked horrified. They lowered their heads and looked at each other with uncertain expressions. Mu, on the other hand, looked calm and looked at Wen Sheng firmly, while Chang Xiu lowered her face, unable to see the expression on her face clearly.

"Whether Lian'er and the three of them are right or wrong, it's your fault that you caused a dispute in the palace because of a little slave and even hurt your own brother. Do you understand what I said?"

Wen Mu only stared at Wen Sheng with wide-eyed eyes, and after a while he opened his mouth and said, "I only know that 'the prince breaks the law and commits the same crime as the common people', 'the people are the most important, the community is second, and the king is the least', The father also said to his sons and ministers, 'Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it'. If you can't sympathize with the hard work of the low-ranking people just because you are in the upper position, take it for granted and treat the lower-ranking people as human beings Look, the minister there doesn't know what the meaning of these words is."

"Presumptuous, you dare to retort when your father lectures you." Seeing Wen Sheng's words, Concubine Xiao Gui not only did not follow the trend, but even retorted plausibly, fearing that he would offend the emperor, she hurriedly spoke out.

Wen Sheng ignored Xiao Guifei's words, but only looked at Wen Mu with interest, and said: "Since you have made such a big topic, then the emperor wants to ask you, you should have learned, "Do not seek the overall situation Those who do not seek the world are not enough to seek a moment." Those who are in a superior position look at the overall situation. It is necessary to sacrifice some people occasionally for the sake of the overall situation. The small person of the individual, the big one of the country, you are now For the sake of a slave, the brothers fight against the wall, disturb the peace in the palace, and spread it outside the domain, only when the princes in my court are at odds, fighting each other, lacking etiquette and benevolence, even so, you think you are right ?"

Wen Mu had already opened his mouth to refute the emperor, he was no longer afraid, he just paused first, and then responded: "The imperial concubine once said to my ministers that I don't want my ministers to have great achievements in martial arts and martial arts, as long as I If the subject can grow up in peace, he will be satisfied with being named a prince. But if the subject can't even protect the people around him now, what ability will he have to protect the people under his rule in the future?"

Ignoring Concubine Xiao's gaze, Wen Mu continued: "'If one family is dead, why should the country be in the world?' If one person can't be protected, how can we protect more people in the future? How can we convince the people under our rule? Myself? How can I make them fight against the outsiders for the sake of the country? My son thinks that there is no conflict between what he said and what the emperor said, and his meaning is only 'the greatest of the country'."

After some conversations, Wen Mu turned the questioning of the emperor into a daily test and answer between father and son.

Concubine Li Xian's eyes flickered when she heard these words. Although she didn't know whether it was true or not that Concubine Xiao Gui only wanted him to be a prince, Wen Mu had already said that in front of the emperor. Wen Mu's action of fighting for the reserve, then she is talking about honey and swords, duplicity and duplicity, and she has lost the position of fighting for the reserve.Thinking of this, even the wound on Wen Min's face couldn't stop the smile gradually forming on her lips.

The same words were spoken, but the queen frowned slightly after hearing the same words, and secretly marveled that she never knew before that the fifth prince, Wen Mu, still had such insight and courage.Although she had heard before that Wen Mu had changed his temper over the years and slowly made progress, but in front of others, he was at most smart and quick-witted, and now it seems that this child is probably hidden in his daily life. Clumsy.

In the beginning, she only regarded the eldest prince Wenzhi as Wen Fang's great enemy. Over the past few years, the imperial concubine Xibian'er has indeed restrained herself a lot, but what she sees now is probably not only the covetous Wenzhi, but also the Wen Mu, who said he wanted to let the prince out, was not easy to get along with in his heart.

Wen Sheng listened, but laughed loudly, and the laugh was settled, Fang said: "Okay, okay, it's rare that you have this insight at such a young age, and it's even rarer that you have this indomitable heart. Only what you said Although there is some truth to this slave, he has to be punished, not only because of his dereliction of duty, but also because he doesn't know the seriousness, and when he sees the prince's disrespect and fails to stop and persuade him, he should be punished, so even if he is not punished to leave the palace..."

"Your Majesty," the empress who had been silent next to her suddenly said, interrupting Wen Sheng's words, and said, "Since this slave is in front of the Fifth Prince, the punishment should be left to his mother and concubine to decide. You have surpassed the concubine like this." To make a decision is not to make Sister Xiao sad."

The queen's words seem to be thinking about Concubine Xiao's face, but in fact she wants to trap her in a dilemma - if the punishment is too severe, I'm afraid Concubine Xiao and Wen Mu's mother and son will have a rift because of a slave. After all, it was obvious that Wen Mu was devoted to protecting that servant just now; but if the punishment is light, I am afraid that Concubine Xian and Concubine Shu will be dissatisfied, and the grudge with Xi Gong will only deepen from now on.

Sure enough, as soon as the empress said this, Concubine Li Xian's face immediately changed slightly, but before she could speak, Wen Sheng said: "That's fine, since this matter was caused by the fifth prince, it's okay for the noble concubine to decide."

Hearing what the emperor said, Wen Mu couldn't help but relax, and finally let out a sigh of relief.

All eyes turned to Concubine Xiao Gui, only Chang Xiu still bowed her head and stood below.

So, I saw Concubine Xiao get up, saluted Wen Sheng, and said: "Since the emperor let the concubine be the master, the concubine should only take orders. Mu'er hurt the other three princes because of this slave, and the concubine is not only ashamed Concubine Xian and Concubine Shu feel deeply that they have betrayed His Majesty's grace, so this is only an apology to the Emperor, and also to the two younger sisters."

After finishing speaking, she yelled towards the door again: "Come on, someone, drag this slave down, and give him sixty punishments."

"Niang Niang!" When everyone heard this, they were all surprised, even Wen Mu couldn't help shouting, and Chang Xiu, who had been standing there with her head bowed, trembled all over her body.

Everyone looked at Chang Xiu——with such a thin body, how can she still survive under the [-]th responsibility?