generation hero

Chapter 42

The queen mother actually recovered from her illness and returned to the Kangxin Hall. The queen mother was waiting for them in the main hall. Yuan Tang was still wearing wet clothes, Feng Cong had gray marks on his left cheek, and he was very embarrassed.

The fire burned until dawn, everyone prayed for blessings, the palace people were alert, and the fireworks suddenly started, the palace people protected the concubine and the prince to escape, no one was injured or injured, which is considered a blessing.

The Empress Dowager wore her hair in a bun and looked good. She sipped the ginseng tea that Su Wan handed over, and after listening to the palace man's report, she asked, "Who is it?"

Feng Cong said, "Xiao Shanzhi."

The queen mother smiled and said two "good" words in succession, her expression made no secret of her admiration for Feng Cong, and she also praised Yuan Tang as "smart enough", telling them to go back and rest.

Yuan Tang was nervous all night, and in the second half of the night, he fought the fire with the palace people. He was so tired that he couldn't open his eyes. He returned to Xiangju like Feng Cong Youhun, and wanted to fall down when he saw the bed.

Feng Cong said, "Don't sleep, you're cold." Then he stripped Yuan Tang's clothes off and threw him into the tub.

Yuan Tang regained consciousness in an instant. After all the troubles, it was dawn. Feng Cong half-dragged Yuan Tang back to the room. Just as Yuan Tang touched the soft couch, he reached out and wrapped Feng Cong under the quilt. Feng Cong struggled twice , and simply lay down with his arms around Yuan Tang.

Yuan Tang wasn't sleepy anymore, and asked, "Why did it suddenly catch fire?"

Feng Cong said: "They wanted to arrest me, but I ran away. I don't know where they touched the candle."

Yuan Tang said: "I can't find you outside, but I'm in a hurry."

Feng Cong rested his chin on the top of Yuantang's hair and said, "I led the monk to the east hall, and the smoke started to rise. The emperor thought he saw my father, and he was hiding in the hall, and he hadn't had time to escape."

Yuan Tang: "..."

Feng Cong said, "Go to sleep."

The Baoxiang Hall was completely destroyed, leaving only a pile of black charcoal, but the effect of "praying for blessings" was remarkable. Not only did the Queen Mother recover from illness, but Wang Shangshu also recovered quickly, and he was able to go to court the next day.

After the court meeting, the queen mother recruited Wang Shangshu into the palace.

"How to deal with the fire in Baoxiang Palace?" asked the Queen Mother.

Wang Shangshu stroked his beard and said, "Xiao Shanzhi is the first to blame."

The Queen Mother nodded.

Wang Shangshu said: "There are traitors hidden among the mages he introduced into the palace. They ran into the holy car at night, causing the Baoxiang Palace to catch fire. The holy car was frightened, and the concubines and princes and princesses were also frightened. Now he has been removed from his position. Order him to be confined at home. Xiao Xiezhi tried his best to save him, but only to save his life."

The queen mother said: "Xiao Shanzhi is still too impetuous to be provoked."

Wang Shangshu said: "If he hadn't remembered His Highness's grudge and wanted to take this opportunity to tie His Highness out of the palace, there wouldn't have been such a fire."

The Empress Dowager was in a good mood and asked, "What happened to Baoxiang Palace that day?"

Wang Shangshu said: "Xiao Shanzhi wanted to send His Highness out of the palace in the name of praying for you. The monks he sent accidentally set fire to the West Hall, and did not check in the fireworks. People saw a group of people suddenly appearing in the smoke, thought they were thieves, and entangled with them."

The Empress Dowager said, "Whose power did Hong Yi borrow?"

Wang Shangshu thought for a moment before saying, "I think it's the prince."

This time even the queen mother felt a little surprised, her eyebrows raised.

Wang Shangshu said: "I can't be sure. The palace guards on duty at night belonged to the right guard battalion, and some people from the left guard battalion led by the prince also entered the palace, but they were only guards, and there were not many people, and they were not close to Baoxiang hall. The fire When the fire started, the palace guards saw the monks panicking, and someone shouted that there were assassins, so the palace guards used force to stop it. But the situation is critical, and the palace people should be more vigilant."

The Empress Dowager walked to the window facing the light yellow light of the warm sun, gently touched the window lattice, and said: "Hongshao has grown up too, his father appointed him as the crown prince, but he did not allow him to discuss politics, and he only favored Hongshen. It's really outrageous to be young and old."

Wang Shangshu silently nodded, and after a while he said: "Now that Xiao Shanzhi has been convicted, the Xiao family has lost support in the court, Xiao Xiezhi dare not leave the town rashly, His Majesty has ordered to recover Xiao Xiezhi's edict to leave the town that night, I have also suppressed the edict to change the title of Prince Wenxi."

Speaking of Prince Wenxi, the Queen Mother frowned slightly.

Wang Shangshu said regretfully: "It's a pity that it's still a step too late. Your Majesty has made up his mind and hastily ordered General Weiyuan Hu Feiyuan to return to Shangjun as the deputy general. When King Huan retreats next year, Hu Feiyuan is not easy to deal with."

"If you miss a move, even if you make another move, it will be messed up. There is nothing to be afraid of." The Queen Mother said lightly.

Wang Shangshu agreed: "Xiao Shan's crime this time not only disrupted the arrangement of the Xiao family inside and outside the court, but also seriously injured the vitality of the Xiao family. Although His Highness Hongyi's move was late, it was as powerful as a broken bamboo. It really worked. .”

The queen mother said happily: "Who made the Xiao family have such a useless minister, who is also dry and angry, and lost outside the court, huh. The so-called 'hits must be saved', your majesty changed the title of Dalang, and indeed Hong Kong Yi is in a hurry, and this time he only wants to bring down the Xiao family, so that the change of title cannot be done." She also instructed: "The matter of giving Hongyi the title of king must be done immediately, don't delay."

"Yes, I have already urged the Ministry of Rites. Your Majesty has already agreed, and it can be done before the winter festival." Wang Shangshu said: "I heard from Ah Qu that His Highness also reminded him to be cautious in his words and deeds."

The queen mother showed a gratified expression, nodded, and said: "This child still misses the past. Although his temper is not like his father's, his responsibility and energy are no different from his father's."

Wang Shangshu glanced at the Empress Dowager's expression, and tentatively said: "Then about His Highness's marriage... Your Majesty is now sixteen, and is at the age of marriage."

"Wait a little longer," the Empress Dowager sighed hesitantly, "It's not so easy for Hong Yi to listen to other people's arrangements."

Wang Shangshu didn't mention this matter anymore, and reported some upward moves before leaving Kangxin Hall.

The queen mother recovered from illness, the concubine and the prince and grandson still came to pay their respects to the queen mother as before. When the prince came to Kangxin Hall, the queen mother left Shen Jingxuan to speak.

Liuxiangju

When Shen Jingxuan saw Feng Cong, he immediately sneered: "You are more courageous every time, and you can't wait to poke a hole in the sky. The last time you made a big fuss in the other village was not enough, and now you have set fire to Baoxiang Palace."

Sitting cross-legged, Feng Cong retorted: "I didn't set the fire, and I don't know how it started."

Shen Jingxuan poured tea for himself.

Feng Cong was rather dissatisfied with him: "Why are you passing a note to the little general when you have nothing to do?"

"Just to remind you." Shen Jingxuan said, "You blame me instead."

"Let him wander into places of right and wrong..." Feng Cong muttered.

"Did I cause you trouble?" Yuan Tang said.

"It's not your problem, you're fine." Feng Cong said.

If he hadn't maintained his manners, Shen Jingxuan would have poured a cup of tea on Feng Cong's head. He said to Yuan Tang, "Don't pay attention to him, he's kind enough to be a donkey's liver and lungs."

"This time there is no danger," Shen Jingxuan said, "Is the Empress Dowager really sick or is she faking it?"

The three looked at each other, not knowing whether it was true or not. Yuan Tang felt that the Queen Mother could fight for another 100 years.

The Empress Dowager stayed in Shen Jingxuan's Palace, and when it was almost evening, Suwan came and three of them went to Kangxin Palace for dinner. The two girls from the Wang family usually followed the Empress Dowager to eat.

Wang Yu just got a bunch of glazed necklace rings, and she hurriedly showed it to Yuan Tang, and Yuan Tang praised her again and again, which made her giggle.

The holy car stopped in front of the Kangxin Hall, and the emperor strode towards the hall with a gloomy expression on his face. Suwan asked the maid to inform the Queen Mother, and led the youngsters to hide behind the large mica screen.

The Empress Dowager came out from the apse, her clothes swaying over the brocade pattern on the lichen.

"It's really timely. The emperor has eaten, why don't you just eat here."

"Queen," said the emperor, "did you send Marquis Yunyang to Huizhou?"

Feng Cong, Yuan Tang, and Shen Jingxuan exchanged glances behind the screen, and Wang Yu was also clutching the handkerchief to meditate, only Wang Yu still looked innocent and ignorant.

"Because he avoids me and Wang Shangshu, Wang Que has not been an official for many years. Now that he is old, he should do his part for the country. Your Majesty should be sympathetic to me and support my natal nephew. There is a veteran Xu Shiji in Huizhou, and Wang Que will go to office. Inspector, suitable."

The empress dowager's tone has always been soft and gentle, but the emperor was furious: "Xu Shiji is a veteran of the three dynasties, and sooner or later he will step down from the position of town general. By then, the Huizhou military mansion will not belong to Wang Qu. The mother's mother's family has already connected through the Zhan family. Make an agreement with the Qian family to become the in-laws of the sons and daughters, and Caihui and the two prefectures will become Wang's pockets from now on."

Feng Cong and the others were even more surprised. Shen Jingxuan shook his head, expressing that he didn't know about it either.

The emperor said: "My mother didn't intend to let a member of the Wang family succeed Shangyun from the beginning. Everything was arranged by you. Wang Qu's appointment in Huizhou and win over Caizhou is your goal."

The queen mother leaned on the soft couch, and her voice became softer: "What is in the pocket is not in the pocket, this is the country of the Feng family, the Wang family, the Xiao family, the Shen family or the Zhan family are all just subjects. The emperor has already become a man. Grandpa is dead, no matter how you talk, you are still so careless, and you always do things without thinking about the first and the last, how can you make me feel at ease like this."

The hall was so quiet that a needle could be heard, the emperor asked: "Mother, in your heart, will I never be as good as my brother?"

As soon as this remark came out, both Yuan Tang and Shen Jingxuan looked at Feng Cong. Suwan didn't dare to let them listen any longer, and hurriedly led them away from the side door. Feng Cong stood still at first, and Yuan Tang looked at him with some concern. Cong moved away.

Walking out of the Kangxin Palace, several people heard the emperor roaring: "...he is the one who destroyed the country...", and the Queen Mother's voice also became stern.The palace guards outside were silent.

Wang Yu still didn't understand what happened, so she was afraid to hold on to Wang Yu's crony.

Su Wan maintained her composure and confessed to several people, and then assigned the palace servants to deliver the meals to their residences, and arranged for them to have their own meals first.

The three of Feng Cong returned to Xiangju.

"A few days ago, Zhan Fang helped his uncle's coffin to return to his hometown, and it was the empress dowager's plan." Shen Jingxuan said with a sigh.

Yuan Tang was puzzled: "Didn't it mean that Marquis Yun Yang was not good at public affairs and military equipment, and the Xiao family didn't set up obstacles?"

Shen Jingxuan glanced at Feng Cong, and said: "Xiao Shanzhi has just been convicted, and while the Xiao family wanted to save him, His Majesty wanted to set up Shangjun Town first, and had to deal with Wang Shangshu who had returned from illness, and the opportunity has been lost. .”

They all became the queen mother's pawns, and they were all just part of the game. The Shen family, the Zhan family, including Feng Cong, all attracted the attention of the emperor and Xiao family. Withstood Xiao's suppression and the emperor's suspicion.

In the end, it was the Wang family who reaped the benefits of the fisherman.

Feng Cong laughed lightly, and Shen Jingxuan laughed too, and said, "Forget it. It's rare to get together today, and I don't care about these troubles. Who cares who he will be with, who he will be with, and whether he has any wine?"

The wine is naturally available, and the sky is like snow at night, and the small red clay stove is warmed with the Qinglu wine stored in the palace, and the fragrance of the wine fills the room.

Yuan Tang couldn't drink, so he used tea instead of wine. Feng Cong and Shen Jingxuan drank one cup after another with roasted venison. Four or five stoves were set up to warm them in turn.

Yuan Tang never knew that Shen Jingxuan could drink so much. After drinking, his cheeks were flushed, his eyes were hazy when drunk, and he was a little more beautiful than usual. , dare not look up.

Infected by the smell of alcohol in the room, Yuan Tang also felt a little dizzy later on. Even though he hadn't drunk, he still felt that he was going to be drunk.

In the night, Yuantang was awakened by a chill, the room was pitch dark, the leftovers on the table had been cleaned up, the small stove under the couch was still glowing red, Shen Jingxuan was sleeping on the other side of the soft couch, covered with a brocade quilt, Yuan Tang originally built a bed, but when he flipped it, half of it was kicked away, so he woke up from the cold.

The south window was still open, and Yuan Tang was about to close it, when he found snowflakes like jade flakes falling from the air, a thin layer of white had accumulated under the window and on the low wall, the night was silent, only the snow fell .

Perhaps it was just too quiet, and even the slightest noise could not be melted into the night, Yuan Tang vaguely heard someone talking, but Feng Cong was not in the room.

The place where they drank was another spacious living room next to the study.

Yuan Tang poked his head out of the window a little, but he didn't see Feng Cong, but he saw the palace servants accompanying the Empress Dowager sitting on the porch. He passed through the Nuan Pavilion, pushed open a crack in the partition, the study room was lit, and both the Empress Dowager and Feng Cong were in the study.

"...Grandmother is very sorry that I can't let you out of town Shangyun," said the Queen Mother, "Fortunately, the imperial court can't invite your uncle back to Beijing so quickly, and it won't be too late for you to make the county king after a while. "

"I have nothing to do with whether the county king is named or not." Feng Cong said flatly.

"I thought you wouldn't say such impulsive things anymore." The queen mother frowned and said, "You have your identity, bloodline, and intelligence. Would you be willing to stay in a Buddhist temple or hide in the countryside for the rest of your life, and I ignored you when you were growing up?" , can now compensate you and put you back where you should be."

Feng Cong said: "The Empress Dowager did not ignore me, but she was busy with government affairs in the past, and the Wang family did not have to worry about supporting her."

The queen mother was dissatisfied and said: "Do you have to say that grandma's good intentions are so ulterior? Well, you can think so, but I don't think it conflicts with what I want to treat you. Grandma still hopes that you can Have a good time."

"Then I should thank you for your trouble?" Feng Cong said.

"You...you child, really..." The queen mother couldn't find the words to reprimand Feng Cong for a moment, she sighed: "You use this attitude to welcome your grandmother?"

Feng Cong moved, turned around and brought a pot of hot water from the stove to the Queen Mother's knife and fork. The Queen Mother looked around the study, saw a bookcase in the corner, walked over to open it, and said, "These are your father's... ..."

The hot water gurgled softly in the pot, and the sound seemed unreal in the quiet snowy night.

Feng Cong said: "Does the Queen Mother regret killing my father?"

The Empress Dowager's body shook suddenly, and her shadow swayed weakly on the curtain. Yuan Tang tightened her cuffs and tried very hard to control her breathing.

"I didn't kill him," the Queen Mother's voice trembled like her body: "How can you slander your grandmother like this and say such outrageous things."

"Have you been so resentful all this time? Kneel down, kneel down!" Yuan Tang had never seen the queen mother lose her composure like this. Su Wan, who was guarding the door, also noticed the abnormality, and couldn't help leaning towards the door.

Feng Cong turned his back to Yuantang's side, put down the water bottle, and knelt in front of the queen mother.

The Queen Mother trembled with anger, looked around, took out a wooden stick used for making a sand table from under the blueprint, and beat Feng Cong severely, the wooden stick broke within two strokes.

Yuan Tang seemed to be drawn into his heart too.

Feng Cong stood up, faced the Queen Mother, and said, "Yes, you didn't kill it yourself, because at that time you were inducing the prince and children to murder my mother, and at the same time, you were too busy collecting power to care about other things."

"And your husband and son have conspired to poison my father. The news of my mother's death is another reminder you gave him. You didn't kill him yourself, but you killed him."

The coldness in Feng Cong's words was crushed and scattered like snow on a winter night, covering all sounds and perceptions.

"I wanted to stop it," the queen mother sat down on the soft couch with eyes full of shock and pain, "but it's too late..." Su Wan couldn't stand it anymore, bowed into the room, supported the queen mother, and reprimanded: "Your Highness You can't..." Seeing Feng Cong's expression, she unconsciously fell silent.

The Empress Dowager closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her eyes became somewhat clear, she waved her hand, Su Wan hesitated for a moment, and retreated outside the door.

"About your mother, you can hate me. She is not wrong, but the status of the princess is not suitable for her, and your father cares too much about her," the queen mother said: "You can't doubt my intentions for your father. It's already very unfavorable, he should marry a lady, so as to stabilize his position and ensure his safety, I just didn't expect... I didn't expect..."

"The first emperor also had to do so. Your father has always been the pride of the first emperor and me. We are proud of him. He is our best son. This will never change."

Feng Cong seemed to disdain to hate, he said: "The empress dowager is so proud, even if you make him feel uneasy all the time?"

The queen mother said: "As long as I am still in this world, I will never let anyone touch his title. You don't have to be angry about this matter, no one can shake him. After I go, you can continue to keep the title for him." ,you can do it."

Feng Cong said: "Since the queen mother wants to support me as the backing of the royal family, can I also exchange some bargaining chips with the queen mother? You have to exchange something with me for what you get from me. Of course, I am the son of the queen mother's son." , this whole body is your blood, but the other half belongs to my mother. Let me exchange some of those things for A Niang’s other half."

The queen mother was displeased with Feng Cong's statement, but she didn't want to have an attack right now. She narrowed her eyes and said, "What do you want?"

"I can cooperate with the queen mother, and I will be dispatched by you from now on," Feng Cong said, "I hope my father will be named Emperor Wenxi, and my mother will be named queen, and I will be buried in the imperial tomb with my father."

"What! This...your uncle won't allow it." The queen mother seemed to have never looked at Feng Cong seriously, she looked at him through the firelight, "Is this what you have always thought? You shouldn't think so, and you shouldn't say that Come out, your uncle has been on the throne for nearly ten years... at least you shouldn't think so now."

"If I thought about it," Feng Cong asked, Yuan Tang couldn't see his expression, but he was almost sure that his eyes must reflect sarcasm and sharpness, "If I thought about it, would it be because it was out of date and out of place? He was obliterated in Xia Kingdom, just like my father."

"Shut up!" The Queen Mother scolded: "Changing the title of emperor is related to the country, and not only your life, it is not a joke, nor is it a bargaining chip that you should use to make things happen."

The fine snow fell silently, bringing the cold air into the room.

"Queen Mother, I've always wanted to ask you," Feng Cong said seriously, "If you knew what the late Emperor and His Majesty did, would you have saved my father? You would still be like them."

Yuan Tang saw the Empress Dowager's eyes flicker.

Feng Cong said: "I don't understand your struggle. I only know that if Father is still there, Queen Mother, you should not be able to influence the court situation in the harem like you are now. Queen Mother, do you know that Father died? The last time he saw me, he made me swear never to take revenge."

The queen mother seemed to have suffered a blow from the void, she opened her mouth tremblingly, she did not make a sound, all kinds of expressions of surprise, remorse and grief appeared on her face, and finally she burst into tears.

In the snowy night, the palace servants supported the Queen Mother to leave the Liuxiang Residence, her back looked a little thin.

Feng Cong pulled the partition, his eyes fell on Yuan Tang's face.