Clan House

In the side hall of Xianfu Palace, Emperor Xuanqing was helped in by Chen Jingxian to rest.The delivery room was filthy, and Yu Zhaoyi gave birth in a tragic way, so it was enough for the queen to guard it all by herself.He Qi failed to catch the prince, so he immediately returned to Xianfu Palace to return to his command.Emperor Xuanqing was already unwell, and when he heard that Song Jingxin had escaped, he spurted out a mouthful of old blood and passed out.

He fainted so suddenly that he didn't even have time to tell He Qi to go out of the palace to arrest the prince.Chen Jingxian hurriedly summoned the imperial physician, who was about to move the emperor back to Qianqing Palace, but was stopped by the queen.

Because Emperor Xuanqing fainted suddenly, the palace people shouted quite loudly, reaching the queen's ears.The queen hurriedly put aside Yu Zhaoyi, who was having a difficult labor, and ordered the Xianfu Palace to be sealed off, staring at the imperial physician who came to give the emperor a pulse.

The imperial physicians exchanged glances with each other, and said tremblingly under the threatening eyes of the queen: "Your Majesty has been poisoned after taking the elixir. For the past year, I have used the prescriptions that are eloquent and eloquent, supplemented by health-preserving exercises, although they are somewhat effective. , but it’s just a gentle delay. And recently, I’ve been feeling ups and downs, worried, and anxious, I’m afraid it’s..."

The queen glanced over Lingling: "How long can you hold on?"

"Your Majesty's acupuncture can make His Majesty speak, and it may last for three or two days."

The queen frowned, three or two days is too short to make arrangements.

Seeing the Queen's expression, the court envoy considered the proposal: "Maybe please ask the Taoist priest Wei Yan to come and have a look?"

After Weiyan came, he didn't think of a better way, and after discussing with the imperial physician, he still decided to give the emperor acupuncture.Yu Zhaoyi next door was still howling, and the queen didn't care about other things. She told the palace staff to take care of the pregnant woman, and called a young eunuch to come out and tell Gu Minghui to report.

After the injection, the Son of Heaven woke up leisurely. He looked around and knew that his time was approaching.He has been confused all his life, and escaped half his life by cultivating immortals, but before he died, he was quite sober.Seeing that Taoist Weiyan's thin body still looks like a fairy, he couldn't help laughing at himself: "The fairy is really lying to me, how can there be a fairy in this world?"

"Pindao has never seen a fairy before, so he dare not speak nonsense whether he exists or not." Wei Yan said.

"Old cunning," Emperor Xuanqing sneered, "You told me to accumulate merit and manage government affairs, not to accumulate people's wishes for me, but because you think I am stupid."

"Your Majesty is wise!" Wei Yan didn't deny it, apparently also felt that Emperor Xuan Qing was stupid.

Emperor Xuanqing raised his eyelids to look at the Taoist, with hatred in his eyes: "You go, go back to your deep mountains and old forests to practice. I won't kill you, and I don't want to leave another tyrannical infamy before I die."

"He Qi..." Emperor Xuan Qing ignored Wei Yan and turned to look for the commander of the imperial army.

He Qi was guarding at the gate of the palace, a little far away from the crowd, when he heard the words, he came to kneel in front of the emperor's bed.

"Have you found the crown prince?" Emperor Xuanqing asked.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty. I dare not leave the palace to arrest the prince without obtaining the order."

Emperor Xuanqing coughed twice, his face turned red, and he said again after a while. "To capture Song Jingxin with all my strength, I will see the dead body if I live!"

The queen crossed her arms and took two steps back.Just as He Qi responded, before he could leave, he was stopped by the emperor again.

"You lead the forbidden army to guard the Xianfu Palace. From now on, no one is allowed to leave without my order. Anyone who communicates with the outside world will be killed immediately! Also, order the five armies' governor's mansion. From now on, no one will see my order. Do not accept orders from anyone!"

The empress stopped, but Emperor Xuanqing didn't look at her. He breathed a sigh of relief and said, "The empress has taken good care of Yu Zhaoyi next door, and must ensure that the prince is born safely. This matter is urgent, so you don't need to worry about other things. "

Queen Nuo Nuo should be, but did not leave.

Emperor Xuanqing grabbed Chen Jingxian's hand: "Chen Banban, you are the person I trust most now."

Chen Jingxian squeezed out two tears, sobbed closer: "Your Majesty is in the prime of life..."

"Don't talk about those useless things," Emperor Xuanqing interrupted him, "Quickly summon the Zong Renling, the Zuo Zongren, and the six cabinet ministers to Xianfu Palace to meet me, please stay calm and don't disclose the news."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, this servant must be careful." Chen Jingxian received the order, but the wrist was still firmly grasped by the emperor.

"Also, for the Mid-Autumn Palace banquet tomorrow, courtiers, clan relatives, princes, wives and children at home who are above the fifth rank in Beijing must attend the banquet, and must not be absent." Emperor Xuanqing thought about it and continued to order, "These people only need to enter After entering the palace gate, the imperial guards were ordered to guard by the Taiye Pond, and no one was allowed to leave the palace without my will."

"The slave obeys the order."

On the Imperial Street, Song Yi and Gu Minghui met on a narrow road.

"What a coincidence, Gu Shangshu also went to face the saint?" Song Yi asked with a smile.

"There is an important matter in the court that needs to be decided by His Majesty," Gu Ruhui blew on his beard and said, "Your Highness also wants to see His Majesty? If it's not urgent, please wait, after all, state affairs are important."

"I can't wait," Song Yi said leisurely, "This king also has important matters to discuss with His Majesty. It is related to the crown prince, but the country is the capital!"

"It's a coincidence, my lords!" Xun Kuan, Minister of the Ministry of Rites, waved a coquettish fan and moved closer, "To face the saint together?"

Gu Ming gave him a blank look.

"Hey, the two of you are the pillars of the country. I'm just taking care of some red tape, so don't be in a hurry!" Xun Kuan said with a smile.

The three of them jostled each other and walked towards the palace gate, and saw the chief eunuchs who were in charge of ceremonies dispatched in unison.

"Hey, what a coincidence," Chen Jingxian choked, "Your Majesty summoned the clan mansion and the six ministers to discuss matters in the palace, and the slaves are still waiting to go to the yamen of the ministries, so you and the others came here together..."

The three of them were led into Xianfu Palace, although they felt strange, they remained calm.In the main hall, Yu Zhaoyi had already passed out, and was poured ginseng soup by the mothers-in-law pinching her chin.Song Yi followed Chen Jingxian into the side hall, and saw that the hall was full of people, so stuffy that people couldn't breathe.

The current situation is slightly different from what Song Yi imagined.Although he knew that Emperor Xuanqing's fate was not long, he unexpectedly fell ill outside Yu Zhaoyi's delivery room.If people get mixed up in a hurry, it is easy to make trouble.Song Yi entered the hall and saw Emperor Xuanqing lying on the bed, but he didn't come close.He gave Weiyan an extra look, confirming that the emperor was dying.

After only a short while, Emperor Xuanqing became dizzy again.He saw that the three of Gu Minghui had come early, and he really harbored evil intentions, presumably they had already been waiting outside the palace.He stared at Xun Kuan with heavy eyes, thinking that this man was a jester who was promoted by his green words, and also remembered that Wei Yan was recommended by Xun Kuan's connections, and suddenly felt desolate in his heart.

Gu Minghui and Song Yi, Emperor Xuanqing didn't want to take advantage of any of them.According to the previous plan, he would get rid of Song Jingxin first, then deal with the Gu family and Song Yi, and pass the throne to Yu Zhaoyi's little prince.The six cabinet ministers have their own factions, but Xun Kuan is the only one who has been supported by himself, or can be used as an auxiliary minister.

But now, when he was about to die, Emperor Xuanqing was wise for a while, and found that Xun Kuan could not be trusted either.For a while, there was no one to entrust.

"Is everyone ready?" Emperor Xuanqing asked.

"Your Majesty, they are all here." Chen Jingxian approached and replied.

"Go and get the seal, I'm going to cough... plan to recruit." Emperor Xuanqing panted and said, "If I can't get up, I will accompany you to write for me."

"I... In short, the cabinet can do the embellishment." Emperor Xuanqing breathed out, closed his eyes, and said in resignation after a long time: "Imperial concubine Wenshi, in order to win the favor of the emperor, she pretended to be the prince with her natal son. Crown Prince Song Jingxin The identity is not correct, I have verified it, and ordered him to commit suicide. The crown prince removed the jade certificate, and to the outside world... it can be said to have died of illness..."

Everyone was stunned, there was no news about this before.Even though the emperor is in front, there are still voices of whispers.The queen and Gu Minghui looked at each other, and they both saw shock in each other's eyes.Even Chen Jingxian, who was closest to the emperor, was so frightened that he almost sat down on the ground.Some of the cabinet ministers may have good friends with Song Jingxin, such as Mao Ziru, a scholar of the Wenhua Palace, and the two sides are already fighting.

"Your Majesty, the status of the crown prince is a big deal. Is there any evidence for this?" Xun Kuan asked.

As soon as Emperor Xuanqing opened his mouth, a mouthful of phlegm stuck in his throat, causing his cheeks to turn red.Chen Jingxian panicked, and casually brought an imperial physician up to check.

"Let me speak for your majesty," Song Yi said, "there is real evidence, and there are all witnesses and material evidence. If you have any doubts, you can ask witnesses from the prison for questioning. But this matter involves the face of the royal family, and it has to come out of this palace gate. , so don't spread the word..."

Everyone looked at the Son of Heaven, Emperor Xuanqing had already breathed a sigh of relief, and nodded slightly.

After calming down for a while, Emperor Xuanqing continued: "If Yu Zhaoyi's child is a prince, he will pass on the throne to him. The queen has been married to me for many years, and I can't bear it. After a hundred years, the queen will not stay in the Forbidden Palace. Come to the imperial mausoleum and recite scriptures for me. As for the rest of the concubines in the harem, they will all be buried, regardless of whether they bear children or not."

Empress Gu's body swayed and she almost fell, but was supported by the palace servants.Gu Minghui looked at the emperor, seeing that the emperor was also staring at him, and felt a chill down his spine.

"The prince and grand master are getting old. After I leave, there is no need for him to worry about the government anymore. Let him return to his hometown to cultivate." Emperor Xuanqing continued, "The six cabinet ministers each perform their duties and protect my son well."

Everyone knelt down and said in unison: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, the ministers will definitely do their best and die."

Emperor Xuanqing wanted to sneer, but he didn't have the physical strength to support him to complete this action, so he had to continue to say: "King Qin, King Wei, and King Chu are going to the fief today, and they are not allowed to leave the fief without an order."

As soon as the ministers got up from the ground, they all looked at King Chu after hearing the words.But seeing Song Yi's expression was indifferent, he had no objection.King Gaoyang was about to say something, but when Song Yi didn't speak, he retreated.

When Emperor Xuanqing said this, he was actually a little scared, thinking about how to deal with the rebuttal.Seeing that Song Yi didn't respond, he continued: "The emperor is young and unable to handle the affairs of the court. The supervisor of rites has assisted in managing the affairs of the court for many years, and he has reviewed the memorials on my behalf without any mistakes. A hundred years later, Chen Jingxian will be the regent, and the supervisors of rites will be in charge of the government. The pen assists the government until the emperor's son becomes an adult..."

Before the Son of Heaven could finish his words, a pot exploded in the side hall.Even Chen Jingxian himself did not dare to accept this honor, and was so frightened that he threw away his brush and knelt on the ground, his official hat crooked.

In order to prevent the eunuchs from chaotic government, the Taizu of this dynasty strictly restricted the words and deeds of the eunuchs.Even though the supervisor of ceremonies had the duty of assisting the emperor in reviewing memorials, he only sorted out documents and took care of seals, and had no authority to intervene in government affairs.Chen Jingxian was a relatively honest eunuch who had followed Emperor Xuanqing since he was a child, but he was really intimidated by this compliment.

"Your Majesty's words are inappropriate. How can you entrust the important affairs of the country to the hands of eunuchs!"

The person who spoke was Fu Yan, Shangshu of the Ministry of War. This person has always been upright and quite principled.As soon as Fu Yan opened his mouth, everyone echoed.

"The empress dowager hangs the curtain, the prince regents, and the ministers assist the government. Which method will not work. No matter how much your majesty trusts Chen Jingxian, you can't treat the country as a trifling matter!"

"Your Majesty, please take it back!" All the ministers agreed.

Emperor Xuanqing knew that it would be difficult to achieve this, so he said forcefully, "I have made up my mind, and you will not be able to resist the order."

"Your Majesty swears not to be an official in the same court as the eunuch." Fu Yan knelt down and took off his hat. "If your Majesty does not take back the order, please remove him from his position as Minister of the Ministry of War."

Emperor Xuanqing stared angrily.Gu Minghui saw the timing, pulled Mao Ziru to his knees, and the rest followed suit.Song Yi winked at King Gaoyang, and everyone in the clan's mansion also knelt down.

"If your majesty is worried about the monopoly of the auxiliary ministers, you can order the queen mother, the regent, and the auxiliary ministers to assist the government at the same time. Anyway, your majesty knows that these factions will not be able to unite anyway, and they may play a role in checking and balancing each other. "

Emperor Xuanqing heard the sound and went to see Song Yi, his eyes rolled like dead fish: "You have a good idea, I won't let you be the regent!"

"Your Majesty is worrying too much. I have never thought of being a regent." Song Yi replied respectfully, and then turned his finger on Chen Jingxian: "Could it be that this eunuch is bewitching the king's heart and instigating His Majesty to be suspicious of the minister."

Chen Jingxian was so scared that he almost peed: "No, no..."

The crowd didn't listen to his argument, and they didn't know who started it, they rushed up and pressed the palm-printed eunuch to the ground and beat them.

"You guys, be presumptuous!" Emperor Xuanqing was so angry that his neck and heels turned red, and seeing Chen Jingxian's dispirited appearance, he had nowhere to vent his depression.

Chen Jingxian was beaten until he yelled, "Your Majesty, help me", several Bingbi under his command joined the battle one after another, unwilling to lose the battle.

When the courtiers were fighting with the eunuchs, no one noticed that the emperor's face was getting redder and redder.Emperor Xuanqing lay flat on the bed, staring at the roof of the tent, his face, hands and feet were swollen red and purple.His eyeballs were swollen outwards, and he was struggling to breathe. After holding it in for a long time, he suddenly kicked his legs and froze.