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墨書 Inktalez
5
The world is at peace, swords and spears are stored away, and horses are released in Nanshan. Without war, the glory of warriors is at odds with the peaceful reality, and the title of Duke of the Nation seems so obtrusive.
Yong Emperor Every time he visited, I felt like a soulless body. When the empress died in childbirth, it was a double tragedy. Yong Emperor decreed to the world: Consort Rong of the Liu clan will manage the harem and take on the responsibilities of the empress! In reality, besides the palace maid Huan'er, I couldn't control anyone.
Huan'er is the one I brought from the Xiang Mansion. I couldn't bear to see her suffer every day with just a dim light. I asked the eunuch I bought to inquire about the outside world, and he brought back a message: "Madam, there's a rumor in the streets that General Yang is getting married... The match arranged by His Majesty is for the youngest princess, Princess Wanying!" My heart ached, but I also felt a sense of relief. I hope for peace in the world from now on, with no danger to the Liu and Yang families.
Inside and outside the imperial city, the ends of the earth are within reach.
After three years in the palace, the emperor finally allowed me to visit my family and bestowed a full set of royal carriages. I knelt to thank the grace of heaven and felt the unfathomable power of heaven. When the royal carriages arrived, my father led the entire family to greet me. I first received the courtesy of his subjects, and then knelt before my parents in front of the palace attendants.
It was very grand and formal. Before the palace gates were locked, I returned to the palace in the royal carriages.
The emperor has issued another decree: The Duke of Protecting the Country is bringing his new wife to "pay respects," specifically to visit the Empress Dowager and the Queen Mother. It is emphasized that they must not neglect the proper etiquette, and they are instructed to also pay their respects to the young prince.
Is it really necessary to adhere to the proper etiquette? It's just killing with kindness!
6
With no internal worries and external troubles resolved, the days of the Yong Emperor are becoming more and more prosperous. He has also been selecting new concubines one after another. Huan'er, who has been with me for many years, was chosen by me for marriage, but she ended up marrying a guard. However, she only occasionally leaves the palace to accompany her husband, and most of the time she remains by my side. She said she can't rest easy if she's not by my side.
Huan'er Not a palace maid, but my sister.
Emperor Yong In the fifth year, the Yang family welcomed a new member, and Yong Emperor took me to congratulate them.
The capital was shaken, and everyone praised the emperor's great kindness.
Young Master Yang is named Nianyu, which sounds a bit soft. The Yong Emperor also mentioned that he doesn't know how Grand Secretary Yang Shenyan came up with such a feminine name for his grandson. Only I know that my childhood name is Yuer.
Emperor Yong Once again, he came to my palace, dismissed the palace attendants, and sneered, "Now, have you given up hope?"
I remained silent.
He leaned in, and I said nothing, allowing him to do as he pleased.
Because of my disobedience, he flew into a rage and kicked me off the bed. He called the eunuch to bring in two newly arrived stunning beauties into my presence, and they did everything they could on my bed.
I remained unmoved.
After they were done, he sneered, "I won't depose you. After all, you are Jingshun's mother. But you have disappointed me. This place will be your lifelong cage!"
"Please make it clear, Your Majesty, how have I failed you?" I summoned the courage to ask.
"The authority of the emperor cannot be violated, and the trust of a father cannot be deceived. You all will not forget what I did for you when you were young, will you?" he spoke in a deep voice. "How dare you forget the crime of deceiving the emperor?"
"When I was Master Tao Zhu, I once wanted you to be the Empress Yang Yuxuan, but you always refused. Does that mean in your heart, I am not even as good as a subject?"
So that's how it is.
"I understand! I deserve to die!" I bowed and pleaded guilty.
"I will not grant you death, but I will make you suffer more than death by comparing you to him!" He swept his sleeves and left.
7
In the eighth year of Emperor Yong's reign, the Prime Minister Liu Menglong, who was already old, had not yet submitted his resignation. The censors submitted a memorial, stating that during the recent holiday, the Liu family's residence was bustling with visitors, and there were suspicions of forming factions and seeking personal gain. The Emperor, considering the advanced age of the Prime Minister, did not thoroughly investigate or hold him accountable, but instead confiscated the Liu family's property, dismissed the Prime Minister and his relatives from their positions, and expelled them from the capital.
In the twelfth year of Emperor Yong's reign, the Minister of Rites, Yang Shenyan, was accused by the censor of "speaking on behalf of the Liu family, criticizing his own father, and failing to fulfill his duties as an official, thus betraying the grace of heaven." Yang's father was imprisoned, and the Lord Protector's old injury recurred. However, Princess Wanying's tears spared him from further imprisonment, but he was still expelled from the imperial city.
Whenever I think of this, the Yong Emperor came to the place where I lived, and while he was imposing his power on me, he asked, "Do you recognize my authority? The safety of the Liu and Yang families depends entirely on you. Have you disappointed me greatly!" All is past.
In the 20th year of the Great Qian era, a strong enemy has risen in the northern border again!
Yong Emperor issued a decree for the Qian Dynasty to select generals!
It is easy to obtain a thousand soldiers, but hard to find one exceptional general.
In the old days, the Lord Protector led 200,000 troops to the north, and nearly 120,000 people were killed. He himself was also left with injuries and illnesses. The whole country was watching, and there was no one else in the world who could surpass him. Urgent reports kept coming, and the Yong Emperor couldn't sleep or eat in peace. I have been in the palace for nineteen years, and the Yong Emperor has once again visited my cold palace.
"I allow you to meet him, are you willing to go?"
I know what he's up to. "Your Majesty, he is already useless, like a spent oil lamp."
Emperor Yong sneered, "Whether he is useful or not is for me to decide. Whether you are willing or not is what I want to know!"
8
The defeat of the Yang family was so humiliating that it brought tears to people's eyes.
Fifty miles away from the capital, there was a village with a few thatched cottages, where the Lord Protector and Princess Wanying lived a hard life on a few acres of thin fields.
The once valiant general now stooped with age, while the once delicate princess had become a common village woman. Our affair was known throughout the land. As a mediator, it was not only difficult to broach the subject, but also caused those who heard to change color. "Sister-in-law, please return. My husband is ailing and frail, his bones are dry and brittle. Please return to my brother, killing is nothing, and death is not to be regretted. If I am to be reborn in the next life, I will not be a member of the royal family again!" Princess Wanying listened to my plea and gracefully served tea.
The palace maids all turned their heads as I walked by.
I brushed my sleeves and stood up, saying, "In that case, I won't stay any longer."
Huan'er I left the palace maids behind and angrily scolded Princess Wanying, "How dare you be so disrespectful to the princess?"
When the emperor mounted the carriage, Yang Yuxuan knelt down and said, "I respectfully send off the empress, please return safely, Your Majesty. I dare not refuse the emperor's command!" Looking back, Princess Wanying wept uncontrollably. Several days later, Lord Protector led the army into battle once again.
Emperor Yong led the officials to the ten-mile pavilion to have a farewell banquet with the Grand General. Yang Yuxuan was the commander, and the prince Jingshun was the supervisor carrying the emperor's sword. The Yong Emperor did not believe that someone whose family he had destroyed would be loyal to him.
The prince's personal expedition not only concerns the Yong Emperor's well-being, but also the fate of the nation. After the army marched beyond the borders for several months, there were frequent reports of victory: the northern army trembled at the renowned General Yang's might and retreated at the mere mention of his name! Soon, the royal army will return in triumph to the capital.
9
The color faded, Emperor Yong no longer wants to waste his energy on me, but he doesn't mind hurting me with his words.
"Every time I think of you being my support, I can't sleep at night, I lose my appetite, only by having you by my side can I find comfort!"
"If you oppose me, the consequences will be on your father and his father!"
"On the day my son Jingshun returns to the court, it will be the end of Yang, a dying rabbit and a cooked dog, a bird in the hand, all are the tactics of an emperor!"
"Do you have the heart to hurt your sister?" I asked.
" Emperor Kang Forty years into his reign, the Emperor fell ill, which initially seemed minor. However, his close eunuch secretly reported that the Emperor intended to favor Third Prince. Fearing potential unrest, I paid 5000 taels to the hospital's official to switch the medicine, and the problem was solved. Later, the late Emperor passed away, leaving me as the sole ruler, and Third Prince fell seriously ill."
Shocking turn of events!
"Finally surprised you once! So, I am greatly pleased." Emperor Yong was very pleased, clapping his hands and laughing heartily.
Two young eunuchs entered, each carrying a tray. One tray held a bowl of medicine, and the other held a hammer.
"From my mouth to your ears, it is enough." He ordered the eunuch, "Take good care of the lady."
10
Before returning to the court, my younger sister, Princess Wanying, and my Huan'er both fell ill and passed away. Prince Jingshun urgently reported from six hundred miles away that General Yang Yuxuan, who was leading the northern campaign, succumbed to his old injury and perished on the battlefield. As for me, my mouth is full of sores and I cannot speak, my ten fingers are festering, and I am unable to paint or write.
Jingshun pays a visit., we looked at each other and shed tears without a word.
Emperor Yong passed away after 20 years.
On the night of the new emperor's ascension, a silent green gauze sedan chair was carried out of the imperial city by the imperial guards, changing to a carriage and heading north without a sound, traveling day and night for 800 miles until reaching a deep mountain. There, a brave warrior on horseback received them and escorted them to a courtyard.
In the small sedan is my empress dowager of this country.
A man with a hunched back and sunken chest, no longer with the youthful vigor of his younger days, stands leaning against the door, he is my late Mr.Yang.
We hold hands and gaze at each other, sighing at our white hair.
The new ruler who ascended the throne is my son, Jingshun. 11 years ago, I learned that Mr.Yang would go on an expedition. Maid Huan'er disguised herself as me in my chamber, while I went out to meet Mr.Yang disguised as Huan'er.
That night, we became true husband and wife, and that night I conceived my child, Jingshun. Emperor Yong's decree summoned me into the palace. My father already knew the emperor's unpredictable nature, and feared that both the Yang and Liu families would have a difficult end. I went to the brothel to learn how to use pigeon blood to fake my virginity.
My son Jingshun is learning to speak, and I am teaching him about the ways of the world, teaching him about the conflicts between brothers and the lack of righteousness in the royal family... My son is smarter than his uncles.
On the day when Mr.Yang was about to go to war, Huan'er took the opportunity to scold Princess Wanying and, avoiding the palace attendants around me, sent a letter to Mr.Yang with my tearful plea: he is the real father of Jing'er! Joining the expedition with my son can avoid disaster and help him establish his career.
My son wrote in his letter that "General Yang died on the battlefield," but in reality, he was protected and escaped by Mr.Yang's personal guards.
Just like Emperor Yong replaced the Emperor Kang, my son has murderous intentions. I am his biological mother, and my speechless and heart-wrenching pain touches a son's heart. My son understands the reasons behind all this.
In this lifetime, my son will never see me or Mr.Yang again, and I will never enter the imperial city with Mr.Yang again. It is widely known that the imperial power is inherited from Emperor Yong, and his mother Consort Rong has passed away. With the new emperor ascending the throne, all the willow trees outside the palace walls have been removed.
(End)
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