A Complete Explanation of the Negative Textbooks of the Imperial Examination

Chapter 116: Gossip

Cheng Huizhen knelt in the palace and said slowly, “Queen Mother, I suddenly remembered that something big will happen this year.”

“You said it a long time ago.” Empress Dowager Cui’s voice was lazy and looked very heartless, “What did you say at the beginning of last year? You said that you knew about Rong Ke’s itinerary and guaranteed her She would be assassinated, and later, she sneaked back to Chang’an with someone, and killed King Jiang An in front of everyone’s eyes, why didn’t you mention a word?”

Cheng Huizhen’s voice was dry: “I…forgot that it was the second month of the leap.”

“Forgot?” Empress Dowager Cui sneered briefly, “You said you forgot, okay, about Yin Xiaowei, Empress Dowager Wu’s illness, and reopening the system, Why didn’t you say a single thing? It’s a waste of me to think of your merits. After Rong Ke returned to the palace, he insisted on taking you from Yonghe Palace to my palace, but you have done anything for me in the past year. ? Now, you are coming and asking me for grace, why should I believe you?”

The real reason Cheng Hui really couldn’t say, she could only increase her tone and swear: “Empress mother, don’t worry, what I said this time must be the truth! , I managed to escape today. Empress Dowager, you must believe me!”

“Spy?” Empress Dowager Cui doubted, “Is this true?”

“It’s true!”

The Empress Dowager Cui had doubts about Cheng Huizhen’s knowledge of the future, but when she heard this, she was miraculously relieved. Rong Ke can never go wrong. Since she has found out that Cheng Hui is really abnormal, then Empress Dowager Cui really believes that Cheng Hui is really coming.

“Who are the spies you speak of?”

“It’s a little girl, just bought by my side.”

“Where are the people?”

“I was sent.”

“Absurd!” Empress Dowager Cui shouted loudly, “You bastard, you let the spy out? It’s better to stay by your side as a handle, but you let the other party out without any damage?”

Cheng Huizhen shrank from being scolded and defended in a low voice: “Otherwise… I found out the inner response, can I still support her?”

The Empress Dowager Cui was so angry that she gave him a headache. She covered her forehead and waved her hand as if giving up: “Well, tell me, you remember something.”

Cheng Hui was really happy, she modified the news she overheard a little, and said it in her own mouth: “I remember that this year, Empress Dowager Wu’s health… With the opportunity to pay homage, Princess Gan Ning will attack King Zheng, just like King Jiang An.”

The Empress Dowager Cui didn’t take it seriously, she straightened up halfway when she heard it, and finally took a breath: “She wants to attack Mingzhi?”

Cheng Huizhen was silent. Empress Dowager Cui thought she was the default, but in fact Cheng Hui really didn’t know.

However, Empress Dowager Cui was preconceived, and the more she thought about it, the more likely it was: “Yes, looking at Empress Dowager Wu’s posture, it is all dependent on medicinal materials to survive this year. Can you **** someone with the King of Hell? At that time, Empress Dowager Wu will hold a ceremony. All the princes, princes, and wives will enter the palace to worship, and weapons are not allowed in the deep palace. Isn’t this a sheep entering the tiger’s mouth? If Gan Ning seizes this opportunity It’s as easy as the palm of your hand to make trouble.”

Empress Dowager Cui thought to herself, almost unable to sit still: “No, I have to find a way to stop this… When will Empress Dowager Wu die?”

Cheng Huizhen shook her head: “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Empress Dowager Cui was stunned, “Could it be that you can’t even remember the seasons and months?”

“It’s been so long, I really can’t remember.” Cheng Huizhen was talking nonsense with her eyes open.

The Empress Dowager Cui froze in her heart and wanted to curse, but she held back: “Forget it, I didn’t dare to count on you. It’s a little tricky if you don’t know the time, and I can’t guard against it every day. When the time comes to pay homage to my grandmother, Mingzhi cannot shirk, nor can he enter the palace with weapons…”

The Empress Dowager Cui sighed deeply: “What can I do!”

Cheng Huizhen did not speak, for fear that she would be remembered by Empress Dowager Cui. Empress Dowager Cui thought about it for a while, and then said with determination: “As of now, I can only find a foreign job for Mingzhi and let him go to the foreign government to hide. When the Cui family is watching, Gan Ning will still be there. Dare to go to my Cui family’s territory to spread wildness?”

…

In Yonghe Palace, Rong Ke was staring at Rong Lang and writing. The temple door was knocked gently three times, and the rhythm was very neat. Rong Ke glanced back, stood up silently, and said to the palace maid, “Serve the saint carefully, I’ll go out for a while.”

Rong Ke dragged her long skirt and walked outside the hall. On the long dark corridor, only two people followed Rong Ke. After confirming that there was no one around, the palace servant lowered his voice and replied, “Your Highness, there is news from Xia Feng that it is already done.”

“She’s at Cui’s now?”

“That’s right. We also heard news from our eyeliner in Wende Palace. Today, Empress Dowager Cui retired from the palace and had a secret conversation with Lady Cheng. Soon after, it was rumored that the eldest lady of the Cui family had entered the palace.”

“Very good. Where’s that girl, is she out?”

“Everything is as expected by Your Highness, Lady Cheng really had to release her in full, and we don’t have to spend any effort.”

“That’s enough.” The bells at the corners of the eaves made a jingling sound in the wind. Today is rarely sunny. The clear sky, “Next, just wait.”

“Your Highness, the monkey in front of the Tai Chi Hall, I don’t know what happened. After feeding it for a long time, it is still very energetic.”

Rong Ke couldn’t help complaining: “This person says he’s sincere and sincere, don’t you know how to find a weaker monkey over here?”

The palace people don’t know why, so I dare not talk to them. Rong Ke lost her temper, and her reason returned. She said, “Increase the dose and continue feeding. I don’t believe that it still doesn’t work.”

The palace servant Nuonuo agreed, and before they finished speaking, they heard hurried footsteps behind them. It stands to reason that other people should avoid this kind of occasion, and should not be disturbed without authorization. This person came here on purpose, presumably because of a major event.

Rong Ke turned around and saw Song Xue running out of breath: “Your Highness, there is a battle report!”

Rong Ke’s expression immediately became serious: “Where did it come from?”

“Tuyuhun. Now the scouts are in the Hall of Two Rites.”

Rong Ke didn’t care about anything else, she turned around and walked forward: “Inheritance Xihou enters the palace.”

Last winter, it snowed heavily. Although there is no snow this winter, it is bitterly cold. The Turks were beaten out of the southern desert, and it was not a climate, but the nomadic people living in the northwest were still wandering on the border of Xuan Dynasty. After two consecutive years of bad times, the people of the Tuyuhun tribe could not survive, and their eyes would naturally focus on the northwest border.

Liangzhou was attacked, and immediately stopped staring at the internal disputes, and turned to the foreign enemy. Rong Ke negotiated with several ministers overnight, and appointed old general Geng Rui Geng as the chief marching officer of the West Sea Road, and appointed the Marquis of Chengxi Xiao Jingduo and the governor of Liangzhou as the marching chiefs of each road to attack Tuyuhun.

When Xiao Jingduo left, the ice and snow in Chang’an had not melted. He was instructed in the early court to stand in front of all the ministers, took over the military talisman, and led the troops to counter Tuyuhun.

It is the dream of many generals to fight back against foreign enemies. Although the Xuan Dynasty has passed four dynasties, most of the officials in the DPRK have fought with the army, not to mention military generals, many civilian officials have been ordered to follow the army. However, after a long struggle for the title of marching director, a young man snatched it away.

Xiao Jingduo won the military leadership from the siege, and his reason for fighting with the generals of his uncles and fathers is also very tenable. He once cooperated with the old general Geng Rui, He also nearly wiped out the Turkic tribes.

Xiao Ying also fought for this expedition for a long time, but the right to lead the army was finally snatched by the eldest son. Xiao Ying’s face is extremely ugly. It is a good story for father and son to be officials in the same dynasty, but it is a joke for a father to be surpassed by his son. When he turned back, he was suddenly shocked to realize that Xiao Jingduo, who was only at the seventh rank at the beginning, has moved forward step by step over the years, and now it is astonishingly close, almost no worse than him.

This son’s name is Duo, which is the voice of the military. The career is extremely fast, but it may restrain the family.

Xiao Ying had a sullen face throughout the early morning. She was keen on power like him, and she couldn’t accept that she was about to be surpassed by her son. The words of the master back then were like a spell, echoing in his ears over and over again.

Until the dispersal dynasty, Xiao Ying did not have a good face towards Xiao Jingduo, as if it was not his son but a political enemy who was about to go out into the barren land. But these Xiao Jingduo didn’t care either. After eating and dispersing under the corridor, he immediately entered the palace and went to see Rong Ke.

“Your Highness.”

“Are you here?” Rong Ke said, “Tuyuhun is uninhabited, deep in the interior, I heard that the temperature changes a lot in the morning and evening. You led an expedition to Tuyuhun this time, although there are five other paths. The marching general will help, but don’t be rash, and put your life first.”

“I understand.” Xiao Jingduo paused for a while and said, “I’m leaving, you take care of yourself. Let’s put the matter of King Zheng and the Cui family aside for a while, there is no need to rush them, wait for me to come back It’s never too late to start.”

How can these be done by people. But Xiao Jingduo is about to go to war. Naturally, Rong Ke will not say these words directly, just nod: “Okay.”

“After I leave, the people on the right side of Yin Xiaowei will be left to you, and I will find someone else to do things. By the way, you can no longer casually observe the people’s situation.”

Xiao Jingduo did not speak, just stared at Rong Ke silently. Rong Ke was stared furiously, sighed, and said, “Okay, I promise you that I will stay in the palace these days.”

That’s right. Xiao Jingduo was slightly relieved and said, “I’m leaving, take care of you.”

“You too, cherish it along the way. Don’t lead people to raid in person, and put your own safety first.”

“…good.”

At the end of February in the third year of Qianyuan, Xiao Jingduo followed the army, left Chang’an, and ran towards Tuyuhun in the distance.

Not long after the army left, King Zheng asked for orders to go to the governor of Qizhou.

Although most of the kings in the royal family served as prefects, most of them were remote leaders. The kings lived in the Chang’an palace, and apart from their names, they did not interfere in local government affairs. These matters also have the local long history to worry about, and it is not necessary for the prince and the county king to go there in person. But this time King Zheng said that he was willing to go to Qizhou to take office in person.

The princes disliked the remoteness and desolation of the outer state, and were unwilling to leave Chang’an. King Zheng took the initiative to ask for his life, which won praise from the court. Rong Ke obeyed public opinion and agreed.

King Zheng is the only son of Queen Mother Cui. Although these arrangements were made by Queen Mother Cui, she felt distressed when King Zheng really wanted to leave Beijing. It was not until the end of April that King Zheng’s reliance continued to drive out of Chang’an.

In the Wende Hall, the maid was fanning Empress Dowager Cui: “Empress Dowager, what’s wrong with you, you have been unhappy these past few days?”

“Wenzhi left, and I always felt uneasy and uneasy.”

Zheng Wang’s name is Rong Wenzhi. He is fourteen years old now. Although he is not young, in the eyes of Queen Mother Cui, he is still a half-old child. How can she rest assured that her son will go out to Beijing alone? far away? Now that King Zheng has only been away from Beijing for half a month, Empress Dowager Cui has begun to think wildly.

“The queen mother is too much. His Royal Highness Zheng went to Qizhou, where is Qinghe County. With Cui’s elders watching, he must be extremely safe and appropriate.”

His nature is very pure and impulsive. Although Qinghe has family elders, there will be no problem with reasoning, but it is always more reassuring for me to guard him in person.”

“What the Queen Mother said is very true!” The palace maid Hao shook the fan gently and said with a smile, “The Queen Mother occupies the right time and place, what do you want that you can’t do?”

This is a joke. Empress Dowager Cui knew that the palace maid was deliberately trying to please her, but she still felt at ease. Her son was of the blood of an aristocratic family, and he was born nobler than those of the concubine. Mingzhi was even older than Rong Lang and had a higher rank. Rong Lang, a barbarian who came out of Longxi, has no family background and no fame, why should he occupy that position? The royal family in the world has exchanged so much back and forth, and only their Qinghe Cui Clan remains unmoved.

The Empress Dowager Cui thought about it and felt that she had a heavy responsibility on her shoulders. She wanted to plan for her family and recall her son to her as soon as possible. Thinking like this, she was full of strength, stood up and said, “Let’s go, follow me to the Wude Hall. If Gan Ning really dares to attack the Dianyi, I will definitely ruin her reputation this time, and it will be difficult to continue the regent. .”

When they arrived at the Wude Hall, Empress Dowager Cui stood aside, watching the palace and the younger princesses busy. The Princess and the Jing County are the most laborious. They do almost everything themselves. The other two eldest princesses are of the same generation as Rong Ke, but they do not have the confidence and privileges of Rong Ke. They spend every day in the Wude Hall. Just stay all day.

The Empress Dowager Xia was also there. Empress Dowager Cui never had a good face when she saw the former crown princess. In Empress Dowager Cui’s heart, she would not put this too quiet and gentle daughter-in-law in her eyes.

The eldest princess of Xin’an also entered the palace today, sitting on the side and talking to the Empress Wu: “Grandmother, are you feeling better? Dalang is also in the palace today, and has long been shouting to see you. , I’ll ask him to greet you after they leave school.”

The eldest son of the eldest princess of Xin’an is Zhou Yun. Zhou Yun is fifteen this year, and the eldest princess of Xin’an has long asked for grace to let her eldest son come in to accompany the emperor to study.

The Empress Dowager Wu was tortured by the pain and had little energy, so she said with all her strength, “Okay.”

The Empress Dowager Cui resigned after watching it for a while. When she walked to a place where no one was there, Empress Dowager Cui asked, “Where’s Cheng Huizhen, didn’t she say Empress Dowager Wu is here in these few days? I looked at it, why Empress Dowager Cui is dying soon, but it doesn’t seem like she is going to go in these few days. ?”

“This…” The palace servant hesitated, “Slave will call the lady officer Cheng.”

However, after a long time, the palace servant came back with a worried expression and looked at Empress Dowager Cui carefully: “Empress Dowager, it seems that Lady Cheng is not in the palace. Do you want to send someone to her house to look for it?”

“Aren’t you?” Empress Dowager Cui was surprised and waved her hand, “Well, don’t bother. I don’t know the specific day, although it will be more troublesome, but this time we will not set up a game, we need to prepare in advance. The manpower is Gan Ning. We just need to wait for the work, and when the time comes, we will scold Gan Ning for being unfaithful and unfilial, and we will have the support of a wealthy family. At that time, Gan Ning will have to give up the position of the princess regent no matter what.”

Everyone knows in their hearts that everything can be solved by solving Gan Ning. If they depended on the 12-year-old little emperor and the gentle and gentle Empress Dowager Xia, how could they sit on the throne for so long?

But there is only one Ganning. Gan Ning is extremely troublesome. She is cruel and ruthless, but she is extremely talented in political affairs, and she can hardly be forgotten. In the past few years of her regent, everyone hated her for being cruel, but she was picky at the slightest in political affairs. not come out. She is very tightly bound to officials. With the deterrence of Yin Xiaowei, ordinary officials are even less afraid to make mistakes, and the tendency to accept bribes is suddenly relieved. Because of Rong Ke’s iron-blooded methods, the people are thriving. With the blessing of political achievements, it became more and more difficult for Empress Dowager Cui and officials of the Cui Department to overthrow Gan Ning.

No mistakes can be found in major matters. For the present, they can only start with Rongke’s private morality. The aristocratic family has always been a moral high ground. If she is criticized by the aristocratic family for her own moral detriment, no matter how capable or smart she is, she has to obediently give way.

“After Cheng Huizhen enters the palace, let her come to me immediately.” Queen Mother Cui said.

“Yes.”

The Empress Dowager Cui was waiting for an opportunity in the harem, but she did not know that Rong Ke was also waiting.

The world-famous monkey in the Taiji Hall doesn’t know whether it has seen too many people or what. One day, a doctor from the Imperial Physician’s Office suddenly wrote a letter to report that they had fed diamond powder to the executed people in the past few days. After a long time, it would indeed cause continuous vomiting of blood and severe pain in the abdomen, which was exactly the same as that of Empress Dowager Wu.

There was an uproar in the whole court, and many people realized that the monkey that Rong Ke put in the Taiji Hall was just to attract people’s attention, and incidentally to respond to the Queen Mother Cui, and secretly she had already arranged another line , specialized in testing diamond powder. Now there are various regulations clearly written in the memorial, and no one who has read the memorial can say that this is a fabrication. The poison of diamond powder in Empress Dowager Wu is a certainty.

The Queen Mother Cui was thinking of ruining Rong Ke from her reputation not long ago, but she herself fell into this predicament first.

, many people in the DPRK and China made criticism.

If this was really done by Empress Dowager Cui, it would be too vicious, and she also used horse money to confuse her eyes, trying to frame Rong Ke and Chengxihou. Rong Ke made people publicize it among the people, and let the people see what the famous queen mother of the world was doing behind the scenes.

At this time, Cheng Huizhen disappeared. Empress Dowager Cui finally realized that she had been tricked.

What Empress Dowager Wu is about to die, what Gan Ning wants to attack King Zheng, these are all fake, her real purpose is to divert Empress Dowager Cui’s attention. Empress Dowager Cui had been focusing her attention on the monkey. The monkey had not had any problems for a long time. Empress Dowager Cui thought that this method could not be found, so she was very excited to let people publicize her innocence. From the very beginning, it was the idea of mingling the plank road and darkening Chen Cang.

However, Empress Dowager Cui has been in the palace for more than ten years and has a strong influence in the palace. Empress Dowager Cui insisted that she didn’t know anything about it, but she pushed out a few palace staff from the palace and killed them, pushing all the charges to the self-assertion of the next person, and even inciting public opinion, saying that these people were originally Rong Ke buried in the text. The spy in the Hall of Virtue is now helping Rong Ke to frame her.

The Empress Dowager Cui is very confident. She did not leave any traces when she poisoned her. Several palace maids and servants who mixed diamond powder into Empress Dowager Wu’s medicine also died one after another, even if Rong Ke confirmed it What if the Queen Mother Wu’s illness originated from diamond powder? There is no direct evidence now. What can Rong Ke do to her with just one mouth?

What the Empress Dowager Cui thought was right, Rong Ke did not get the hard evidence. Empress Dowager Cui has been operating in the palace for more than ten years, and it is extremely difficult to obtain evidence from her palace. However, Empress Dowager Cui obviously did not expect that the reason for defending the people is more than that of Fangchuan.

When Empress Dowager Cui heard the news from the palace, she scolded angrily: “Rong Ke, this villain!”

Rong Ke let people compose the story of this incident into a ballad and sing it in the streets and alleys of Chang’an. People in the world always believe what they want to believe. The royal daughter-in-law poisoned the mother-in-law and then framed the princess regent. This is even better than the drama. Obviously, the evidence has not yet been obtained, and the people have already spread it.

The Cui family united with all the ministers and sent a letter to Rong Ke overnight, asking her to rectify the rumors in Chang’an, and not to frame the reputation of Empress Dowager Cui for no reason. The Empress Dowager Cui in the palace was also in a hurry: “How dare Rong Ke! If it is the right move, she will be open and aboveboard. What kind of ability is it to use rumors to slander her!”

The Empress Dowager Cui obviously forgot that this was not a slander. The poison of the Empress Dowager Wu was indeed hers.

The palace maid said cautiously: “Empress Dowager, King Zheng has sent a letter back, saying that they have already settled in Qizhou.”

The Empress Dowager Cui was stunned for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed: “Wenzhi!”

She stood up with a slam, and all the hair on her body was frightened: “How could I forget, Wenzhi is still outside! I just said that when Wenzhi left Beijing, why did Rong Ke have nothing Said, let it go generously, it turns out that she has been waiting for this day! Cheng Huizhen, this bitch, she must have colluded with Rong Ke long ago, and deliberately lied to me! Come on, send a letter to King Zheng, I am here The palace can hold on, let him not act rashly!”

However, when Empress Dowager Cui understood all this, it was too late.

The Yin Xiaowei was surrounded by a circle outside Wende Hall, and the palace servants were only allowed to enter, not to go out. Empress Dowager Cui’s handwritten documents were detained before leaving the palace.

Rong Ke took the letter, looked at the words “My son personally opened” on it, smiled lightly, put her hand on the candlestick, and burned it to ashes.

There are countless crimes in the world, but there is only one crime that can uproot a family and make it never supersede. Since ancient times, generals, princes and noble families have been unavoidable.