The Beloved Imperial Consort

In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, a group of courtiers lowered their eyebrows and lowered their eyes.

Emperor Yuan Cheng just lost his temper in court. Former Qingzhou Governor Guo Jianping was removed from his post for investigation, and Song Yu, the general soldier, was suspended from his post and handed over to the Ministry of Criminal Justice for review. The rest of the important criminals are all in custody and will be tried again later. He also ordered the Minister of the Ministry of Officials to present the candidate for the new governor within three days. Emperor Yuan Cheng has always acted vigorously and resolutely, and this time is no exception.

After retreating from the court, Emperor Yuan Cheng looked towards the princes without a trace. However, the eldest son Zongzheng Chunzheng and the crown prince Zongzhenghui were friendly and respectful, and they talked shoulder to shoulder. The sixth prince, Zong Zhenglin, had a cold face. Facing the courtiers' compliments, he only nodded his head, showing a little impatience. On the other side, the fifth prince, Zong Zhengming, had a gentle smile and was very dignified, greeting three or five courtiers.

Emperor Yuan Cheng watched all the scholars, and then led the chief eunuch Gu Changde to the imperial study, his eyes were dark and hard to see.

The change in the court really caught everyone by surprise. In private, there are dark waves, all staring at the vacancy that has been removed, and how to place their confidants and subordinates.

Zong Zhenglin was the same as before, he had nothing to do with himself and was very indifferent. He made it clear that he didn't want to get entangled in this matter, and those who didn't know thought that the big Qingzhou case had nothing to do with him.

But the fact is that His Highness the Sixth Highness had made the idea of ​​Qingzhou long before the crown prince. After that, without leaving a trace, push the boat along the way. What should be arranged has already been arranged. From then on, the princes will definitely compete openly and secretly, and the staff from all walks of life will be frequently mobilized. And his people, in this battle, will be promoted by them personally, and the post of governor is not far away from being included in the bag. This matter is secret, even Wei Zhen and other confidants don't know about it. It can be seen that the hidden power in Zong Zhenglin's hands should not be underestimated.

Although the crown prince is older than Zong Zhenglin, it is a pity that he is very happy and a little impetuous, focusing on immediate interests. He was established as a prince since he was a child, and he has always been bossy and superior to his brothers. Many things were taken for granted, relying on Emperor Yuan Cheng's favor and favor, he did a lot of unruly things in private.

As for the sixth younger brother Zong Zhenglin, while trying to win him over, he was on the defensive, but in his heart he felt that the sixth brother was dull and unreasonable, so he really looked down on him. It's not that Zong Zhenglin is not threatening, as long as he is a prince who grew up in the palace, it has never been easy, so everyone has to be on guard. Not to mention the fact that the sixth brother Zong Zhenglin usually behaves like a clique, even if it is a disguise, after all, his foundation is weak and his qualifications are low, so he still can't stand up.

Now the biggest thorn in the side is still the eldest prince Zongzheng Chun! Concubine Li's mother's family is a century-old family, Zongzheng Chun's grandfather is the Duke of Anguo, and his uncle occupies the post of commander of the army, so the help is not insignificant.

This time, taking advantage of the governor of Qingzhou to slap Zongzheng Chun, it can only be regarded as interest. More accounts, more time, settle with him!

But on Qingzhou side, Mu Xiyao is not idle either. Although she is a woman in the inner courtyard and her information is restricted, she can often get a few words from Mu Daren and Yu Shi's gossip before dinner.

Today, Master Mu told Mrs. Yu that he will not be at home for dinner in a few days, because the fifth prince will go to Jinzhou on business in the near future, and he will stop in Qingzhou for two days when he passes by.

As soon as the word "Five Princes" came out, a person's name suddenly jumped into Mu Xiyao's mind: Fifth Dynasty (yìzhāo)! !

In the fifth dynasty, this man is a great talent! Foresight and foresight, its wisdom is close to that of demons. Non-chief strategists cannot compete with it! He studied under Mu Yuanzhen, a famous scholar of a generation. This person has no ambitions, but he has no intention of taking the imperial examination, and he has a strong character. He just waits for the Ming Lord.

As famous as the ingenuity of the Fifth Dynasty, this man loved his wife as much as his life. Even if his wife was murdered by someone when she was in her boudoir, it was not easy to bear children, and she had only one daughter, she didn't care about it in the fifth dynasty, and even disobeyed her mother's order and vowed not to take concubines. It is inevitable that the wife will be scolded by her mother when she is at home, and she will live separately with her wife and daughter all year round, so she will only have one wife and one daughter all her life.

The wife and daughter of the Fifth Dynasty in the previous life were once entangled with dudes in Fahua Temple outside Qingzhou City. It happened that Zong Zhengming passed by and offered a helping hand. In the evening of the same day, in the Fifth Dynasty, he handed over the greeting card and came to the door to thank him. He chatted with the fifth prince until late at night before leaving. Since then, the two have known each other.

After Zong Zhengming returned to Beijing, he wrote many times to express his admiration for his talent and wanted to hire him as an aide. In the fifth dynasty, Zong Zhengming was a dignified man, courteous and corporal, modest and benevolent, and had his own political opinions. I feel that although he does not have the talent of a holy master, he also has the potential of a wise king. He also felt grateful for his kindness in helping his wife and daughter, so he voluntarily entered the mansion to plan for him.

Zong Zhengming benefited from it, and in the future struggle to seize the heir apparent, he benefited many times. Even more unknowingly, with the help of the eighth prince Zong Zhenghan, the prince was seriously injured in one fell swoop, and the eldest prince was blamed for disobedience, which made Emperor Yuan Cheng furious, and the title of the eldest prince An Wang was abolished, and he was enslaved for life. Ban Shengjing. For such a dramatic change, the Fifth Dynasty has contributed a lot.

But I don't want some villains in the fifth prince's mansion to be upset that the fifth dynasty will be reused, fearing that it will be shaken and split the vested interests. The noble lady of the middle school isolated the wife and daughter of the Fifth Dynasty everywhere, mocking and insidiously speaking to the two of them, and her words were unbearable. It also implies that the wife of the fifth dynasty has no virtue and monopolizes her husband. Even though the two wanted to avoid it, they didn't avoid what happened afterwards. Under the secret urging of someone with good intentions, the young girl of the Fifth Dynasty was accidentally pushed into the lotus pond by the concubine daughter of the fifth prince, and suffered a serious illness.

In the fifth dynasty, what a protective person, his beloved wife and young daughter are his untouchable rebels! As shrewd as he is, how can he not guess what's tricky inside, but he doesn't want his wife and daughter to be half wronged because of this. So he used his means to leave safely with his wife and daughter, retreated completely, and never came back. Mu Xiyao suspects that the six princes, Zong Zhenglin, have written all these things here.

Now that you remember this, you must not miss this person in the Fifth Dynasty. Check the date carefully, it is this month, the fifth dynasty, the whole family went to Qingzhou to visit friends. On the 16th, his wife and daughter went to Fahua Temple outside the city to offer incense and make a wish.

Mu Xiyao just entered Yingshuixuan, so she asked Huilan to summon someone.

After half a stick of incense, I saw a tall young man walking quickly, just now I stood still, and then I saluted Mu Xiyao respectfully. This person has clear eyes, a strong body, and steady and powerful footsteps. He has learned martial arts at a glance.

This person is Zhao Qing, the younger brother of Mu Jingzhen's bodyguard Zhao Yun, who is twenty-one years old. When Mu Xiyao went out on weekdays, Zhao Qing accompanied her to protect her. Mu Jingzhen simply assigned Zhao Qing to Mu Xiyao, who was considered half of Yingshuixuan. Mu Xiyao got Zhao Qing proudly, and asked him to follow her every time she went out, and asked him to go out to buy and do errands even if she needed something on weekdays. After a year of observation, it was found that Zhao Qing was honest, capable, and flexible in mind. What is rare is that he not only understands martial arts, but also can read and write, which is a useful talent. Finding him this time is for a big event.

"I called you this time because I need you to do something." It was rare for Mu Xiyao to sit upright, with a serious and serious expression. He also ordered all the serving maids to retreat.

This was the first time Zhao Qing saw the second young lady acting so cautiously, so she immediately cheered up and waited carefully.

Mu Xiyao said again, "This matter is of great importance, even if an adult asks, you can't say it. Except for me, it can only be heard by one person! Can you do it?"

What is "can only enter one ear"? That is to say, apart from Mu Xiyao herself, only Zhao Qing knew about it.

Hesitating a little, Zhao Qing boldly looked at Mu Xiyao, then bowed his head and said, "Zhao Qing will do his best." Dare to answer like this, Zhao Qing is not without consideration.

It has not been two years since Mr. Mu asked Zhao Qing to follow the second lady, but Zhao Qing is a smart person, so he can naturally see some clues. In Yingshuixuan on weekdays, Second Young Lady acts differently from her elders. Just looking at her young age, she can take care of her yard so that there is no water leakage, and one can know that this is not innocent and ignorant of world affairs on the surface. Sometimes Zhao Qing even felt that he had never seen clearly the second lady who was only thirteen years old, as if what he saw was just a superficial appearance.

Second Miss arranges the affairs of everyone in the courtyard on weekdays, it seems that it is not out of interest, as if there is some kind of connection, but she can't see it. Even though he had such a strange thought, Zhao Qing didn't mention it to anyone, and only focused on doing the errand assigned by the master. This is why Mu Xiyao only fell in love with him.

"On the sixteenth day of this month, I will go to Fahua Temple..." In this way, Mu Xiyao slowly told Zhao Qing about the preparations that he needed to make that day, everything was detailed and meticulous.

The more Zhao Qing heard it, the more weird his expression became, but he never asked any questions. He just wrote it down silently and bowed to leave.

On the 16th, the sky cleared up, and the warm sun in early winter made people feel happy.

Mu Xiyao took a group of guard maids, bid farewell to Yu Shi, got into the carriage, and went to Fahua Temple.

Today, Mu Xiyao deliberately dressed up to cover up her usual lazy and enchanting appearance, giving her the appearance of a lady from a big family, a noble lady from an official family. The materials used are also the best in Qingzhou, even the cloak trimmed with brocade in the color of concubine Xiang, and the incense on it is also a new famous product "Tingzhi" from the fragrance hall.

In the carriage behind, all the maids are neatly dressed, all in a neat and decent manner, fresh and unassuming. The bodyguards are all carefully selected, tall and strong men, uniformed in dark blue clothes, very energetic. Zhao Qing is particularly outstanding.

At the foot of the Fahua Temple Mountain, Mu Xiyao got off the carriage, her expression changed, as if she really came to the mountain to make a wish, hoping to pray for the blessing of the Buddha, so as to keep the family safe and healthy.

As the only insider, Zhao Qing followed a group of female relatives, and glanced at the extremely pious, holy and dignified expression on his young lady's face. Pretending to be the same as everyone else, it is very hard to endure.

When they arrived at the gate of the temple, Mu Xiyao only left the maid to follow, and the rest of the guards were waiting outside. After entering, they burned incense, made prayers, predicted good and bad luck, and asked Hui Lan to donate money for sesame oil, and went through the cutscene. At noon, I had a fast meal in the temple and had a little rest before I estimated the time and took people away.

Zhao Qing saw his second young lady coming out at the door, beckoned everyone to follow, and walked slowly down the mountain. But I was very curious in my heart, what is the reason for the second lady to put so much effort into arranging this event?

What's more, there are two gangsters and scoundrels arranged by him on the official road. Who is he trying to stop? Although he completely obeyed his orders, he didn't know the reason behind it. Just as I was thinking, I heard noises coming from the front.

There was a flash of brilliance in Mu Xiyao's eyes. She wasn't in a hurry to rush over, she just kept her head down, still acting like a lady, as if she didn't know what was going on ahead. He just turned around and ordered Zhao Qing to investigate.