fleeting photos

For several days in a row, Jiang Zhao was busy with work and had no time to go to Xie Jin again.

At the beginning of April, spring and summer are at the right time, and the temperature is right. After a while, I am afraid that it will heat up.

And April 27th is Wanshou Festival, which is Jiang Zhao's 19th birthday.

After Jiang Zhao came to the throne, he said that he would keep filial piety for the late emperor for three years. The late emperor passed away in June, and this year is the day of filial piety, but this day is after the Longevity Festival, so Jiang Zhao ordered that this year's birthday should be kept simple.

This does not require too much work from the Ministry of Rites, except for worshiping the sky and offering sacrifices to the ancestors, as in previous years, it is handed over to the harem Zhao Taifei.

Qin Duan, the Prime Minister on the right, reported the court affairs to the emperor in the Imperial Study Room. After the report was finished, Jiang Zhao approved a few notebooks after the case. He raised his eyes and saw that he had no intention of kneeling down, and asked doubtfully, "Master Xiang still has something to do." report?"

Qin Duan said: "There is one thing that I don't understand, and I want to ask Your Majesty to explain it."

Jiang Zhao put down the imperial brush, leaned back slightly on the soft back of the throne, and said with a smile, "Master, please tell me."

Qin Duan slightly nodded and said: "I heard from Qian Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites that Your Majesty invited Prince Kang to Beijing to meet you on the Longevity Day this year?"

"It's true." Jiang Zhao nodded and said, "I haven't seen the emperor for a long time. I heard that he is in good health recently, so I ordered him to bring the princess and princess into the palace. What's your puzzlement about this?"

Emperor Taizong had three sons. Among them, Jiang Yu, the eldest son, had a good name and was also the candidate for the crown prince that Emperor Taizong favored. Unfortunately, he died young and died of illness when he was 16 years old.

The second son, Jiang Min, has mediocre qualifications and has never been favored by Emperor Taizong.

And the third son, Jiang Yan, is the most intelligent, but unfortunately he was born weak and not suitable to be the king of a country.

Therefore, after the death of Emperor Taizong, without establishing a prince, the second son Jiang Min was promoted to the throne, and he was the first emperor.

Jiang Yan was granted the title of King Kang, and he dragged his family to settle in the fiefdom, and was not allowed to enter Beijing unless ordered.

The first emperor was probably wary of King Kang. He reigned for 19 years, and the number of times King Kang re-entered Beijing can be counted with a single slap. But perhaps it was a trick of fortune that King Kang’s body, which was often accompanied by a medicine pot, could live longer than the first emperor. Long.

Jiang Zhao was not familiar with her imperial uncle, she had met twice when she was a princess, and once after Emperor Kang went to Beijing for the funeral after the death of the first emperor, Jiang Zhao was already the emperor at that time.

After that, Jiang Zhao never summoned him, and Kang Wang never entered Beijing again.

In fact, Jiang Zhao could somewhat guess what Qin Duan was thinking. After all, although King Kang was weak and childless, besides Jiang Zhao, he was the closest person to the throne.

And, he's a man.

Sure enough, Qin Duan said: "Although the prince has no intention of political affairs these years, he only does rest and recuperation, but after all, he is the blood of Emperor Taizong. In terms of relatives and estrangements, he should be the most advanced. However, the late emperor did not like him to enter the capital. Your Majesty thinks that For what?"

Jiang Zhaodao: "If there is no father's last wish, if there is no Marshal Lu, he should be honored as the Ninth Five-Year Plan."

"Since His Majesty can see clearly, why did you call him into Beijing?"

"I have my own plan in mind."

"Your Majesty, let the old minister talk too much."

Qin Xiang and Zuo Xiang were about the same age, and they were a hale and hearty old man. He was born with an upright face, and his temperament was indeed in line with his appearance.

"In the past, King Kang was weak, even inhumane, and had no children under his knees. If it weren't for this, the first emperor would not be the first emperor."

As the elder of the three dynasties, Qin Duan is the clearest about what happened back then.

"But His Majesty also knows that he has taken good care of him in recent years. He even got a daughter the year before last. He came from Luodi to announce the good news. His Majesty also personally named Anle Princess."

As Qin Duan said, he raised his eyes to see the emperor's expression, but saw that Jiang Zhao was calm and calm, without any expression of contemplation.

He frowned, couldn't help but increase his tone, and said meaningfully: "Your Majesty, if he can give birth to a daughter, he can give birth to a son. When Prince Kang's mansion has a son, aren't you afraid of changes in the court?"

Speaking of this, Qin Duan originally thought that the emperor should always take the seriousness of this matter to heart, but seeing that Jiang Zhao was not a little flustered, he even smiled: "Master Xiang is always thinking of me, I am deeply moved, but King Kang He is my uncle, my elder, when An Le was born the year before last, I should have met him."

"But Your Majesty..." Qin Duan wanted to speak again, but was interrupted by Jiang Zhao raising his hand.

"Mr. Xiang." Jiang Zhao looked at him, with a smile on his lips, and said softly: "I have my own plans in my heart about this matter, and I hope that Mr. Xiang will trust me a little more. I will never disappoint Mr. Xiang. .”

At the beginning of Jiang Zhao's enlightenment, because she was still loved by the late emperor, she was specially sent to the Wenhua Palace to study with the princes. Although she was still young at that time, she was always puzzled, but she was the most obedient and pleasant.

At that time, Qin Duan would occasionally go to the Wenhua Palace to be a teacher, so he and Jiang Zhao also had some teacher-student friendship.

Including Jiang Zhao's accession to the throne, Qin Duan, as the auxiliary minister, devoted himself to the emperor's kindness.

He is different from Zhao Heng. While Zhao Xiang is the country and the king, he always has some small thoughts of his own, while Qin Xiang is upright all his life, he would rather bend than bend, and is more respected by Jiang Zhao.

The two monarchs and ministers looked at each other, Qin Duan felt helpless, but he also knew that His Majesty had grown up now, and there was a gap in his chest. Although he was straightforward, he also knew that the monarch and his ministers were different, so he should not contradict His Majesty.

Today is benevolent, but Qin Duan has lived for so many years, and he has never made progress.

"The old minister understands."

Qin Duan clasped his hands together and was about to say goodbye when he suddenly saw Director Gao hurried into the imperial study, rushed to His Majesty's side, and whispered something in her ear.

But seeing the face of the emperor who was still talking and laughing just now changed suddenly, he jumped up and said sharply: "What you said is true?"

Gao Sheng'an quickly said: "It's absolutely true, it was the Yousizheng Xu Yiren who begged Aunt Qingshi, and Auntie is outside the hall now, Your Majesty can summon her to ask."

Jiang Zhao's face was pale, so he didn't have the heart to ask again.

She immediately put everything behind her, got up in a hurry and walked out from behind the case, bypassing Qin Duan and going out of the hall.

It was Gao Sheng'an who calmed down and said with a smile: "Don't blame Xiangye, Your Majesty has some urgent matters to deal with, please go back to the mansion first, if you have other matters to report, please come back tomorrow."

Qin Duan cupped his hands and said: "The old man is fine, and he is about to leave. Manager Gao should hurry up and follow His Majesty."

Secretly saying that Qin Xiang is really understanding, Gao Sheng'an hastily cupped his hands and said, "Then our family will be excused first."

After finishing speaking, Gao Shengan trotted steadily, and hurried to catch up with Jiang Zhao.

Jiang Zhao sat on the imperial chariot, and Qing Shi trotted beside her. Seeing her gloomy complexion, she couldn't help comforting her: "After receiving Xu Sizheng's words, this slave girl knew that the situation was urgent, so she hurried to find His Majesty. Nothing major has happened yet, Your Majesty, don't be impatient, if we rush to Tai'an Palace now, we will surely keep Xie Sizheng safe and sound."

After hearing her words, Jiang Zhao's expression finally relaxed a bit, but his face was still watery, and he said coldly: "Concubine Zhao is kind on the surface, but she is the most mean. This matter falls into her hands, and she must not be kind."

Qingshi trotted all the way, panting slightly, hearing the words: "Xie Sizheng is not an ordinary court lady after all, the female officer of Gong Zhengsi is also considered half a courtier, if any major punishment is to be done, I still have to ask His Majesty for instructions."

"It's a serious crime to be promiscuous and mess up the palace. If Concubine Zhao is determined to give her some trouble first, it will be too late for me to go there by now!"

The more Jiang Zhao spoke, the more excited he became, he raised his hand and patted the armrest of the imperial chariot suddenly.

Qingshi raised his eyes to look at her, the young king stared forward, his eyes were reddish, the hand that had touched the handrail was clenched into a fist, and the veins were about to pop out of the blue veins after using so much effort.

"Hurry up," she ordered sharply.

The palace people who carried the imperial chariot didn't say a word, but accelerated their speed even more.

When carrying a chariot for the emperor, the most important thing is to be stable, so even if you speed up, it will not be so fast that it bumps.

Therefore, although it was a little difficult, Qing Shi could barely keep up with the pace. Seeing Jiang Zhao staring straight ahead with angry eyes, obviously holding back something, she dared not speak to her again.

Not long after, Gao Sheng'an also caught up, and the two looked at each other, both of them were speechless.

Jiang Zhao had never realized that the distance from the Imperial Study Room to Tai'an Palace was so far, she hated the size of the palace at this time, as long as she thought of how Xie Jin would be hurt in Tai'an Palace, she could not control her hostility at all .

Concubine Zhao.

She slowly recited the name several times in her heart, as well as the palace man who reported on Xie Jin, and those people who were testified in the palace Zhengsi, Jiang Zhao didn't care what was right and what was wrong, she just wanted them all to pay the price.

Even if you are a violent and stupid king.

But now in Tai'an Palace, Xie Jin was being suppressed by two guards and knelt on the ground. In front of her was Concubine Zhao who was sitting upright, holding a teacup in her hand, looking down at the person kneeling in front of her, the corners of her mouth curled up in disdain.

"Yuan Qi has never been close to women, so why did he fall in love with you? Didn't you deliberately seduce him?"

Concubine Zhao usually has a virtuous and virtuous appearance to the outside world, but at this time she is completely sarcastic, and said with a strange air: "You don't look like a young woman, but your methods are not low. With a bit of beauty, seduce the guards of the imperial army, and promiscuously mess with the palace, it is really courageous."

Xie Jin was forced to press his shoulder blades, and he could hardly raise his head. Hearing what she said, he felt annoyed in his heart, but he could only swallow his anger and said: "This servant did not intentionally seduce, I hope the empress dowager will see clearly."

"What else is there to be aware of?"

Concubine Zhao handed the teacup to the palace attendants, raised her chin and said with a sneer: "You were arguing with Yuan Qila, and you were accused in front of this palace that day. I was afraid that you would be framed, so I specially sent someone to Gongzhengsi You have been investigated, and you were forced to come here with evidence, do you still dare to have any doubts?"

Yuan Qi never shy away from others' words, even though Xie Jin wanted to avoid suspicion, many of his colleagues knew about them and occasionally made fun of them, so Xie Jin took it lightly.

But I never thought that it would really cause trouble because of this.

Even though she had already broken with Yuan Qi, it was obvious that Concubine Zhao was only targeting Xie Jin and had no intention of arresting Yuan Qilai to deal with her together. Naturally, Xie Jin would not drag him into the water.

She knew that a catastrophe was imminent, and she was doomed, so she didn't explain anything.

Concubine Zhao, on the other hand, was even more proud to see her bowing her head on the ground, resigned to fate.

"Xie Sizheng, as far as I know, you are the daughter of a criminal minister. You were granted the honor of the late Emperor Longen. You were never assigned to the frontier. After serving in the palace for a few years, you were promoted from a maid to a female official, and became the Zuo Sizheng of the Palace Secretary."

"As for Gong Zhengsi's responsibilities, you should be more clear than Ben Gong.

But you are disrespectful, disrespectful, knowingly breaking the law and having an affair with the guards, which shamed the entire harem, are you guilty? "

Concubine Zhao's eyes were sharp, and she stabbed Xie Jin fiercely like a knife.

Although Xie Jin didn't argue, but he didn't want to be insulted by her, so he said: "Your Majesty, you are serious, the servant girl has nothing to do with Yuan Shiwei now, even before, she was only in love and polite, and never surpassed her in the slightest." .”

"You still dare to speak hard?" Concubine Zhao's complexion changed, and she winked at the palace servant next to her.

A plump old nanny stood up, her eyes sparkling, and she listened to Concubine Zhao's order: "The crime of adultery is a heinous crime, and you dare to talk back to me. Aunt Cheng, teach her how to speak!"

"The servant obeys the imperial concubine's order!"

The old nanny called Aunt Cheng rolled up her sleeves, walked up to Xie Jin, and winked at the two guards, who loosened the restraint on Xie Jin a little, allowing her to raise her head.

"Snapped!"

Aunt Cheng pinched Xie Jin's slender neck with one hand, and slapped her hard on the face with the other.

This palm touched the flesh, exhausting all strength.

Xie Jin's face was turned to one side by the beating, and fingerprints instantly swelled up on the white and smooth skin. She only felt a buzzing in her ears, and half of her face swelled up rapidly, and the pain suddenly hit her.

The two guards were stunned by Aunt Cheng's slap for a moment, and they lowered their eyes and dared not look again, but Aunt Cheng did not change her expression, and said with a sneer: "The concubine is the master of the harem, how can you be a lowly servant girl?" Talking back at will? This old slave will let you learn the rules and learn how to talk to noble people today!"

After finishing speaking, several more slaps slapped Xie Jin's mouth, bleeding out.

I thought Xie Jin would be crying and begging for mercy after these few slaps, but it was beyond Concubine Zhao's expectation, not only did she not beg for mercy, she even gritted her teeth and refused to show even a cry of pain.

"He has a backbone, but this backbone is not worth two taels of money."

Concubine Zhao yawned lazily, and said casually: "Where you are, you must know who you are, and don't think about reaching the sky in one step. Yuan Qi has his own wife who is well-matched. As for you, Xie Sizheng, you should go back to the Yeting Bureau go."

She stretched out her hand, and a young court lady came to help her. Concubine Zhao stood up slowly, walked up to Xie Jin, looked at her carefully, and sighed: "It's a pity for this beautiful little face."

She stretched out her hand and poked Xie Jin's swollen cheek covered with fingerprints. Xie Jin had a conditioned reflex to dodge, but Aunt Cheng's neck was still firmly pinched by Aunt Cheng, so she could only poke it a few more times. .

The tingling sensation was mixed with the unbearable stinging pain, Xie Jin couldn't help but shed tears, the tears stained Concubine Zhao's finger, she shook it in disgust, and said coldly: "I really think you are an iron man."

Her eyes were slightly cold, and she exchanged a glance with Aunt Cheng. Aunt Cheng understood, and when Concubine Zhao stood a little further away holding her handkerchief, she raised her palm high again.

Just as the slap was about to slap down hard, a high-pitched voice suddenly sang from outside——

"His Majesty is here!"