The New Year's Day of the Tian family is different from that of ordinary people. From the first day of the new year, there are various complicated ceremonies. Therefore, the only day when you can really reunite with your family is New Year's Eve.
According to the custom, after the concubines in the harem had a banquet on New Year's Eve, Zhu Qiyu took a few children and accompanied the Wu family to stay up late in Jingyang Palace.
As the days passed, Wu's forehead gradually turned gray. Perhaps because she was getting older, she especially liked the sight of her children and grandchildren around her knees.
There were sounds of firecrackers outside, bursts of laughter like silver bells from Sister Hui, and occasionally mixed with the sound of the palace maid worried about following behind. In the warm pavilion, Ji Geer sat neatly beside the emperor's grandmother's knees, using his little fist to help Wu
Shi gently tapped his leg.
Mrs. Wang was very heavy, so she went back early and rested. Mrs. Hang and Concubine Guo stayed with her, taking care of the two little ones. In the past year, Sister Yun and Brother Shu were both over one year old. Among the two,
Sister Yun was born a few days earlier, but basically the same.
On the warm and toasty couch, two little babies were drooling and toddling around. The two of them were talking so much that others couldn't understand what they were saying, but the two siblings were talking happily.
Zhu Qiyu sat next to her, holding a stove, chatting with Wu and watching the New Year together, but her thoughts had flown out of nowhere.
He was thinking about Xu Youzhen.
Speaking of Xu Youzhen, he was really fast and smart. After receiving the message from Shu Liang, he immediately took action. He first went to the Chen Mansion to persuade Chen Xun, and then went to the British Government to persuade Zhang Shi.
With his sharp tongue, he actually gained Zhang Shi's trust.
You know, because Zhu Yi's identity was involved, Shu Liang did not reveal much to Xu Youzhen.
Xu Youzhen knew that only Zhu Yi was planning to deal with Yu Qian.
Based on this simple piece of information, he was able to infer the rift between the Chengguo government and the British government, and then took advantage of the situation to amplify his own role. With a red mouth and white teeth, he persuaded Zhang Mi
Trust him.
This person is really not simple!
Recalling that time, when the army reported to Beijing and Xu Youzhen rashly proposed the idea of moving south, Zhu Qiyu couldn't help but feel a little surprised.
Looking back now, Xu Youzhen at that time, although her methods were a little immature, her abilities were actually beginning to show.
The biggest reason why he was refuted for his proposal to move south was that he was too unfamiliar with the situation in the court, and therefore misjudged the positions of many ministers.
However, putting these aside, he was indeed very proficient in how to confuse people's hearts and win over others. The idea of moving south was actually, to a large extent, based on the thoughts of the Queen Mother Sun, who was in a panic at the time.
And it was obvious that he had made the right choice at the time. However, because his involvement in the court situation was too short, he only took into account the thoughts of Queen Mother Sun and ignored the positions and voices of other ministers, so he suffered a violent attack.
refutation.
But once he masters enough information, using his ability to figure out people's hearts will be extremely terrifying.
What's more, there is... such a person, how should we use him...
"emperor?"
Wu's voice came, and Zhu Qiyu suddenly came back to his senses. When he looked up, Wu was looking at him with a frown, as if he was very dissatisfied with his absent-mindedness.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Qiyu said quickly.
"I'm sorry, concubine, I just remembered something, so I was distracted for a moment. It's my son's fault..."
These words aroused Wu's interest. She raised her hand and gently touched Brother Ji's head, sent him away to play with Sister Hui, then turned her eyes back to Zhu Qiyu and asked.
"Then the Ai family would like to know what kind of things can embarrass the emperor?"
Normally, Mr. Wu would not ask much about political affairs.
However, she knew her son better. Zhu Qiyu's behavior just now showed that he was indeed indecisive. Moreover, it was probably okay for her to ask about this matter. Otherwise, Zhu Qiyu would not have said so straightforwardly that he was worried about something.
God is gone.
Now that I have said that, it means that I really want to ask her opinion.
Therefore, Wu might as well ask.
As expected, after hearing this question, Zhu Qiyu hesitated for a moment, and then glanced at the Hang family and Guo family who were taking care of Sister Yun and Brother Shu. Seeing that no one was paying too much attention to this place, he spoke.
"Actually, it's not a matter, it's just a person, well, an official!"
"Mother, concubine, tell me, if there is such a person under my command, I know that he has no good intentions and no real loyalty, but he has a strong desire to advance and exploit the camp. In order to achieve his goal, he dares to take risks, and there is something in his heart.
Is it possible to use someone who is ambitious, but has a despised approach to his actions, and who adheres to the idea that those who achieve great things will not stick to trivial matters?"
This description...
Wu frowned, looked at Zhu Qiyu suspiciously, and asked.
"Has this person ever offended the emperor?"
Zhu Qiyu's expression froze slightly, looking a little embarrassed, and said.
"Why do you ask such a question, mother-in-law?"
Seeing this situation, Wu turned the beads in his hand and said.
"It seems that not only have I been offended, but I have been offended not lightly."
Seeing Zhu Qiyu's embarrassed look, Wu smiled and said.
"You are a broad-minded person. Although the Ai family is in the deep palace, you still know a little bit about the affairs of the outer court. Those ministers in the outer court have made mistakes. You have always been kind, even to those who know Nangong deeply in their hearts.
The most you can do is to be dismissed and go home. As for those who are offensive with words, disrespectful in front of the palace, and those who make you angry, you have never paid much attention to them, and you will not remember them in your heart."
"But just now, when you described this person to Aijia, it seemed that he had no redeeming qualities. He was neither loyal nor upright. Oh, and he was also mean-spirited. After mentioning so many shortcomings, he had no advantages at all.
carry."
"If this person really has no merit at all, it would be difficult for him to gain a foothold in the imperial court, and you would not be troubled by him. Therefore, he should at least be talented. However, your description was biased. This shows that,
You have quite a lot of prejudice against him in your heart, are Aijia right?"
Well……
Zhu Qiyu gave a bitter smile, couldn't help but pick up the tea cup and took a sip to cover up his embarrassment, put down the cup, he said.
"This man is indeed quite talented. Well, he is not the kind of talented person who writes in vain, but is an official who can do practical things. However, he is determined to be in the court and doing practical things is just his own way to get ahead."
"Aspiring to the court is not a problem. Who among the officials in the court does not aspire to the court?"
Although she knew clearly that Zhu Qiyu was avoiding the important and taking the easy, Wu did not point it out and followed his words.
"The emperor wouldn't expect it even if he thought about it. The whole court is full of honest and loyal ministers, so it is not unusual for there to be people in the court who want to advance."
"When the water is clear, there will be no fish. Zhengchen is used as a Zhengchen, and sycophants are used as sycophants. As an emperor, the most important thing is to be able to distinguish between righteous ministers and sycophants, and use them where they should be used. Don't trust the wrong person, that is.
Already."
There shouldn't be any problem with these words, but what Wu didn't expect was that after hearing these words, Zhu Qiyu unexpectedly fell silent, with a complicated look on his face. After a while, Fang murmured in a low voice.
"Yeah, you can't trust the wrong person..."
Seeing her son like this, Wu finally realized that this matter was not as simple as she thought.
She sat up straight on the couch, her expression became serious, and she said.
"It seems that there is something that the Ai family doesn't know about here. With the emperor's appearance, I think this person may not have offended the emperor."
At this point, Wu turned around and said a few words to Qingzhu who was serving next to her. Then Qingzhu walked a few steps forward, led several palace servants, and pulled the two girls who were still playing around.
The baby was hugged, and at the same time, the confused Hang and Guo were sent out.
When the people in the palace were almost gone, Qingzhu closed the door of Nuan Pavilion and asked a few confidant maids to guard outside. He and the two palace maids stood far away from the door and looked inside.
Then he nodded slightly to Mrs. Wu.
At this time, Mrs. Wu put down the beads in her hand, leaned forward, and asked with concern.
"Brother Yu, tell mother, what's going on?"
"Concubine, I want to kill him!"
A few simple words, chilling to the bone and murderous intent.
During this New Year's Day, the Nuan Pavilion was as warm as spring, but Zhu Qiyu's tone gave Wu a chill in her back.
She couldn't help but stand up, came to Zhu Qiyu, squatted on the ground with her knees slightly bent, and reached out to hold Zhu Qiyu's hand.
At this time, Wu discovered that at some point, Zhu Qiyu's hands were still tightly clenched into fists, and his handsome fair face was faintly twitching. It could be seen that these words were spoken through clenched teeth.
The bottomless eyes that were usually calm were slightly red at this moment, as if they were burning with raging fire.
Although she didn't know what happened, looking at her son like this, Wu almost shed tears.
Standing up, Mrs. Wu held her son in her arms with distress, patted his back gently and said.
"Brother Yu, don't be afraid, mother is here..."
After an unknown amount of time, the noisy people outside gradually subsided. Zhu Qiyu finally calmed down his emotions, raised his head slightly, broke free from Wu's arms, and bowed.
"Mother, my son has lost his temper."
His tone was calm as usual.
Seeing this situation, Wu Shifang breathed a sigh of relief. She stretched out her hand and pulled Zhu Qiyu to sit down next to her and said.
"What's going on? Can you tell my mother and concubine?"
To be honest, Zhu Qiyu's appearance just now scared her.
She could clearly feel that at that time, Zhu Qiyu's murderous intention was not fake.
Zhu Qiyu sat down and was silent for a long time. He didn't know where to start. He couldn't even figure out why it happened suddenly.
After seeing a hundred years of changes, he once thought that all his emotions had long been buried in the rise and fall of this dynasty over time.
Even later, when he saw Yu Qian and Zhu Qizhen again, he was able to remain calm, as if everything in the past had gone with the wind, and he lived only for the Ming Dynasty.
He has always thought so and done so.
However, at that moment, he didn't know why, but suddenly he lost control.
Perhaps it's because the carefree play of Sister Hui and Brother Ji outside the window is the sound of Sister Yun and Brother Shu's Yiyi playing not far away, which is the warmth and joy of this New Year's Eve reunion day.
It is the peace and calm of this moment.
Or maybe it was because Xu Youzhen's cleverness and scheming had succeeded again, it was his eloquence that once again moved the people he had once moved, and it was Zhu Qiyu's despair at a certain moment that came to mind again.
Or maybe it's just because of Wu's words...
Trust the right people!
But who is the right person, the one who can be trusted?
Not the sycophant, nor the Zhengchen...
So in the sentence just now, he wanted to kill, not just one person, but everyone.
Kill Xu Youzhen, kill Zhang Shi, kill Zhu Jian, kill Zhu Qizhen, kill everyone related to that incident, and kill...Yu Qian!
Even if he is reviled for eternity, so what?
Zhu Qiyu took a deep breath and said softly.
"Mother, there is a fire in my heart that can never be extinguished or buried. I thought it would disappear over time, but I feel that I have overestimated myself..."
As he spoke, Zhu Qiyu's voice became deeper, and he said with a hint of unexplainable emotion.
"I am so ashamed of my ancestors!"
"emperor……"
A gentle voice sounded in his ears, and Zhu Qiyu raised his head. Then, he saw Wu's eyes facing him. There was a little distress in her peaceful eyes, but she was extremely determined, just so quietly.
Looking at him, Wu said seriously.
"The Ai family knows that the emperor is a good emperor, not because you want to be a good emperor, but because you are already a good emperor!"
"Mother and concubine..."
Zhu Qiyu's eyes were a little confused, as if he wanted to say something.
However, Wu was one step ahead of him, saying.
"Brother Yu, do you really want to kill that official?"
"Don't tell the Ai family what kind of power he has in the court, what kind of people are behind him, or even what etiquette and rules protect him."
"Shu Liang is right outside!"
"You know better than Ai Jia what kind of person he is."
"In Dongchang, in Jinyiwei, three or five skilled men entered the house at night and killed them with one knife. After that, they ordered the person who did it to find a deserted place to commit suicide. Everything was clean and no one could find any traces."
"Why don't you do it?"
Different from the gentleness just now, Wu's eyes at this moment are sharp and pointed directly at people's hearts.
Zhu Qiyu couldn't help lowering his head under her gaze, and said in a panic.
"Mother, this..."
"Don't say anything that is against the rules. The mother-in-law is a member of the harem. It is obvious that all the methods are underhanded, as long as the goal can be achieved."
Wu's tone became more aggressive, pressing harder and harder, saying.
"Emperor, don't you just want to kill him? Why not?"
Zhu Qiyu said nothing.
He is also asking himself...
why not?
At this time, Wu sighed and held his hand tightly.
Looking at his raised head, their eyes met, Wu's tone became serious and firm again.
"Brother Yu, mother knows and has always known that you are a good emperor. You are not a murderous person. You are worthy of everyone, living and dead. You are my mother and I will always be proud of you."
As she spoke, Wu's tone paused, and there was a faint glimmer of water in her eyes, and she said.
"Mom knows that my brother Yu is very miserable. You can't tell Yun Niang, you can't tell Hang, you can't tell anyone, and you can't even... you can't tell mom."
"This is not a pleasant path, but it is the path you are destined to take."
"So, promise mom not to suffer on your own, okay?"
Outside the window, the snow has not disappeared.
The moonlight is as bright as water, shining outside the red walls of the palace...