[Qing Chuan] No pet little promise

After seeing off Suo'etu, the prince let out a tired breath.

Leaning back on the chair, I used to think that this position was extremely glamorous.Now that I really sit up, I feel that every step is difficult.

Especially when there is a deep shadow in his heart.

These days, he often wakes up from a dream, where Huang Ama falls into the ice cave and stares at him.His eyes were tearing apart, he was furious and resentful, and he also carried some inexplicable expectations.

The prince is not a ruthless person. I can vividly remember how caring and caring Huang Ama was for him when he was a child, but he became like this in a blink of an eye.

Because of the inner torture, in just one month, he was haggard and emaciated.

In the eyes of outsiders, they only think that he is so exhausted because of serving the sickness and attending the funeral of the Daxing emperor. They all praise him for his pure filial piety and loyalty, only he himself knows it well.

I will probably never be able to get rid of that nightmare for the rest of my life.

In comparison, being busy with government affairs every day is a kind of relief.

Forcing himself not to think about those things, the prince shouted at the gate of the palace: "Come here, bring today's book here."

Immediately, a newly promoted eunuch in charge came in and offered tea.Two young eunuchs came up carrying the box containing the memorial.

Each book in it records important affairs of the government. In order to keep the secrets, only he, the emperor and important officials of the court, can hold the key of the box.

Taking out the memorial and stacking it on the imperial case, several young eunuchs withdrew.

The prince put those restless and sneaky emotions behind him, and began to focus on dealing with the government.

In this huge empire, there are a lot of government affairs accumulated in a day.

One of the most important ones was the arrival of Khan Tsengarabutan of the newly enthroned Jungar Khanate in the capital.

After that battle, although Junggar surrendered to the Qing Dynasty and became a vassal, it was only in name.Generally, one only needs to send envoys to pay tribute. This time, Ce Wang came to the capital in person, which can be regarded as giving the court enough face.

According to the rules, not only a grand reception, but also a marriage is required.

Speaking of the marriage, the crown prince only recently found out that the daughter of the Guo Luoluo clan who was planning to marry Cewang was actually the Chang Zai Wei clan who used to live in the Changchun Palace.

Thinking of this beauty, which was exactly the one he liked, and he was a little moved, the prince shook his head regretfully.

He is a person who knows the importance, and it is impossible to delay the important affairs of the government because of such lust.

First let the Ministry of Rites entertain him well according to the rules, and the formal worship will be held after he inherits the Datong.The prince thought.

The tribute of Cewang, the new Khan, marks the official surrender of the Jungar Khanate to the Qing Dynasty. This is a hegemonic country across the grasslands, which is different from small tribal countries such as Mongolia and Nanyang.

This tribute is a matter of great honor and will leave a strong mark in history.

When he ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor, he just received this honor, added momentum, and stabilized people's hearts.

After reviewing several memorials, he picked up the next one and looked at it for a few times. The prince's face showed anger.

Throw the memorial to the ground fiercely.

The loud noise startled the few young eunuchs waiting outside the hall, trembling and wondering whether they should enter the hall to clean up.At this time, a person came over.

The eunuch breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly turned around to communicate in the hall: "Prince, Prince Yong is asking to see you."

The prince's anger calmed down slightly, and he said to the outside of the hall: "Come in."

When Xu Zhen entered the hall, he saw the folder on the ground and calmly bent down to pick it up.

Inadvertently glanced at the inside page, it seemed to be a brochure signed by several younger brothers.He suddenly opened up.

A few days ago, the five younger brothers approached him, thinking of jointly signing a performance, and after the crown prince ascended the throne, they brought their respective mothers and concubines to the palace to serve as filial piety.

He refused, and the fifth elder brother and the others wrote the book by themselves.

Yinzhen lowered his eyes, this matter is human nature both emotionally and rationally, why should the prince be so angry.Was it the filial piety of the princes that hurt his selfishness?Or do you feel that the younger brothers don't trust him?

The prince is indeed very sensitive, sitting in this position, he is very guilty.

The younger brothers couldn't wait to take their mother away, so what rumors did they hear?Don't trust yourself?

It's just that these secret emotions must never be spoken out loud.

The crown prince took a sip of tea and said with a smile: "Just now I saw that Zhezi's hand slipped a bit, so let the fourth brother put it down for Gu."

Yinzhen replied, without moving his expression, and put the memorial on the top of the pile.

The prince sighed, "Huang Ama just left, you have worked hard."

"It's my duty to guard the spirit of the emperor Ama." Yinzhen replied calmly, and then changed the subject, "I came to ask the prince for a matter today. I heard that Cewang Khan is about to enter the capital. I don’t know if the prince has appointed someone to receive him.”

"What's the matter, do you have anyone you want to recommend?"

"It's the minister who wants to give it a try."

The prince was a little surprised, but after thinking about it, entertaining such distinguished guests is an easy, dignified and meritorious job.

He only thought that Yinzhen wanted to get a share of this glory, and said with a smile, "You have entertained him with the Ministry of Rituals before, and since that's the case, I'll leave this job to you."

He also remembered that those bastard younger brothers jointly signed up for the petition, and the fourth brother was older than them, but he didn't appear on the petition, which shows that he is really considerate of Gu.Seeing Yinzhen became more and more pleasing to the eye.

The two talked for a while before Yinzhen bowed and left.

After leaving the Qianqing Palace, Yinzhen's expression gradually turned cold.

If we were half-believing in Wei Rong's guess about the prince's patricide before, judging from the prince's subtle performance these days, he began to guess in that direction more and more uncontrollably.

***

Before Kangxi's funeral was finished, another news came.

The third elder brother who was imprisoned finally couldn't bear the guilt in his heart, and hanged himself in the middle of the night.

Although it surprised everyone, it was also expected.

The prince shed a few tears in the early court, and wanted to restore the third elder brother to the king, but was stopped by the courtiers.The crime of patricide is an unforgivable felony in this era, even though San Age did it unintentionally.

In the end, it was agreed that he should be buried according to General Feng En's specifications, but the bereaved family would not be held accountable for his crimes.

In this way, the court praised the prince for his generosity and benevolence.

***

A ray of white light appeared in the sky, breaking through the cover of the night.

In the early hours of the morning, most of the palace guards could not withstand the torment of drowsiness, and fell into a drowsy state.The palace people in charge of breakfast and other errands got up early and started a busy day.

This solemn palace is at the transition point from tranquility to activity.

A figure slowly climbed to the top floor of the side hall of the Hall of Preserving Harmony.

Looking at the light in the sky, Liang Jiugong's eyes, cloudy from crying too much, flashed a long-lost light.

"Your Majesty, this servant will go down to accompany you today." He murmured.

Although he couldn't see the day when the crown prince would be punished, he believed that there would be a moment when the sky and the sky would clear up.

Today, let him be the first chess piece to clear away the clouds and mist!

He closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and jumped forward.

The little eunuch passing by was holding the palace lantern, and suddenly the black shadow in front of him fell and hit the ground heavily.

Several young eunuchs screamed, breaking the silence of the lake like a pebble.

***

In the study of Prince Yong's Mansion.

Yinzhen stood silently in front of the table with his hands behind his back.

The grey-bearded Imperial Physician Lin knelt in the room, trembling for a while, unable to bear the oppressive atmosphere, raised his head tentatively: "My lord, I have told you everything I know, and there is absolutely nothing hidden."

Yinzhen lowered his eyes, "Doctor Lin has worked hard, you go back, remember what happened today, and don't let it out."

Physician Lin quickly withdrew as if he had received an amnesty.

Yinzhen's hand on the table trembled slightly, he had been secretly investigating the whole story of that night these days.

Now he is deeply trusted by the prince, and he is the oldest among the princes, and his efficiency in investigating these matters is much higher than that of the third elder brother.

Using coercion and lure, Imperial Physician Lin told all the details, including the bloodstain on the back of the prince's hand that night.Coupled with the few words heard by the guards.

The answer is self-evident.

Yinzhen is full of bitterness, until now he can't believe that the prince would do such a crazy thing, maybe power can really make a person crazy.

Not only the patricide, but also the death of the third brother.

Can such a prince still inherit the throne?The laws of heaven and the state cannot tolerate it!

Just as he was contemplating, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door, Xiao Shengzi pushed the door in and said hastily: "Master, it's not good, Liang Jiugong committed suicide by jumping off a building in the palace this morning."

His tone trembled. In the eyes of the eunuchs, Grandpa Liang Jiugong was the pinnacle of life.Today, unlike the previous dynasty, it is impossible for there to be people in the east and west who manipulate power. For example, Liang Jiugong is already the most winner in life among the eunuchs.In a blink of an eye, it ended like this.

Yinzhen's expression was cold, so there was no need for him to act.

The death of Liang Jiugong made it difficult for the crown prince to rest his head.

With Liang Jiugong's death, as expected, disturbances gradually arose in the court the next day.

Who told him to tell everyone before that he was going to guard the tomb of the emperor and guard the tomb of the late emperor for the rest of his life.Now he suddenly jumped off the building.

It was silenced!Everyone thought in unison.

Reminiscent of the third elder brother who committed suicide inexplicably before, gradually some rumors began to float secretly.

The prince was furious in the palace and severely punished several people who were in charge of guarding Liang Jiugong, but everything was in vain.

***

After nightfall, the Yonghe Palace turned off the lights early.

The long mourning and mourning vigil made all the concubines and palace people exhausted.

Concubine De has always been sympathetic, she has avoided many daily errands, and the number of people around her has also decreased, allowing everyone to rest early.

Nunnery Guan helped Concubine De untangle her hair, changed her pajamas and left.

Most of the lamps and candles in the sleeping hall were extinguished, leaving only the one on the table and case, and the dim light shone on Concubine De with disheveled black hair, like a bright moon shining brightly.

She walked to the dressing table and took out something from the hidden compartment under the base of the three-foot-high glazed mirror.

The crimson gemstone reflects the moonlight and emits a charming color.

It was the ring that the prince had lost before.

Concubine De stared at the shining gemstone and narrowed her eyes.

The net has already been laid, when should it be put away?

It's just that if you do it now, it will be cheaper for him again.

Her fourteen is still too young.

Concubine De clenched the ring tightly, her eyes darkened.

***

As dusk fell, the prince was sitting in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

After dealing with government affairs for a day, the prince was exhausted, not only physically, but also mentally tense.

Because of the death of the third elder brother and Liang Jiugong, there were gradually rumors against him in the court, but no one dared to speak out because there was no evidence.

Just wait until the enthronement ceremony, as long as he ascends the throne in good faith and cultivates his own power, who would dare to criticize the emperor.

It was the days before ascension to the throne, which were extremely difficult.

In such a tense state, he really wanted to find a place to vent it out, but now that there is a national funeral, women's sex and drinks are not allowed to be contaminated.

Being depressed, when the first guard Long Qing came in, he knelt down in the tunnel and said, "Your Highness asked me to wait for the investigation, and there is already a clue."

The prince raised his spirits, "Let's listen."

"That night, the emperor ordered everyone to stay under the bridge, and only took Liang Jiugong to the bridge. After Liang Jiugong came down, he called two young eunuchs and went to the west. Later, Mr. Liang said that he was ordered by the emperor to go to the west. Plum Blossom Grove picked two flowers and came back. But Beizhi looked carefully at the traces of his return route in the past two days. I am afraid that Manager Liang did not go to pick plum blossoms, but to call for someone. Especially Beizhi carefully looked at the surrounding venues, and Manager Liang came. Direction, there is a fourth footprint."

The prince was startled. He didn't fully believe what Liang Jiugong said about why Kangxi stayed alone on the bridge before, so he arranged a secret investigation by his confidants.Sure enough, there is a secret!

Liang Jiugong, this dog slave!The prince gritted his teeth, if he was not dead, he would have cut him into pieces.

Why was Huang Ama alone on the bridge at that time, was he waiting for someone?Who is this guy?

Long Qing speculated: "My humble guess, this person's identity should be very special, otherwise the guards under the bridge would not have retreated so far away."

When Kangxi summoned his courtiers or concubines, there was no need for the guards to avoid suspicion.

The prince's eyes were heavy, and he recalled that night when he looked in the direction Liang Jiugong was walking, there was a faint figure, but he disappeared when he looked closely, as if it was a woman.

Who is the one?So sneaky.

If he didn't know that his Huang Ama attached great importance to etiquette and rules, he would have suspected which minister's wife or clan wife...

As soon as I thought about it, I suddenly remembered a person with a special identity.

His expression moved slightly, and he blurted out: "Come here, bring Wei from Changchun Palace... no, Guo Luoluo!"