Chapter 6: The End of Eternity 8. Guests
It was the seventh day of the sixth lunar month in the twenty-eighth year of Jianwu. It rained particularly heavily that day. Because of the heavy humidity, my legs started to ache again. My knees hurt so much that I could hardly walk. Liu Xiu was afraid that I would be bored, so he simply stopped reviewing the memorials. The two of us sat on the bed and chatted idly.
"Marquis Gaomi is seeking marriage for his sixth son Deng Xun. In terms of age, Deng Xun is two years older than Su He, but in terms of family background and character, they are comparable."
Liu Xiu massaged my legs and said nonchalantly, "Zili is only six years older than Suhe."
I smiled and said, "Age is secondary. Deng Xun is a very honest and kind man. He doesn't even have a concubine at home. After Su He marries him, he will naturally treat her wholeheartedly."
Liu Xiu immediately retorted: "That may not be the case. Deng Zhonghua has many wives and concubines, and with such a family tradition, Deng Xun may not be able to..."
I glanced at him and smiled secretly. He noticed it and suddenly smiled and lowered his head, and didn't say any more.
I pushed him and said jokingly, "You old man, you are so jealous even at your age. How old is this vinegar? Smell it and see if it is sour?"
I deliberately put my hand close to his nose and fanned it. Liu Xiu was embarrassed, but still pretended to be calm.
We were chatting and laughing when Dai Ang's shadow outside the door swayed slightly. He seemed to want to come in, but he stuck his head out and then retracted it.
"Scallop fish!" I called out, "Old man, are you trying to play hide-and-seek like a naughty boy at your age? Come in quickly!"
Dai Ang then walked in with a wry smile: "Your Majesty really loves to joke. I saw that Your Majesty was talking to you, so I didn't dare to interrupt."
"What is it? If you report something urgent, I will forgive you. If you report something unimportant, I will punish you!"
Dai Ang shouted, "Oh my, my queen, it's only a big event that's reported here - there's a murder in the capital!"
Liu Xiu stopped smiling when he heard this. I asked curiously, "Murder cases should be reported to the court! How can they be reported to the emperor?"
"The one who died was Liu Gong, the brother of Liu Penzi, the former doctor of the Prince of Zhao. The one who killed people was Liu Li, the Marquis of Shouguang! The court judge did not dare to make a decision on his own and reported it to the head of the clan. The head of the clan is waiting outside the palace gate. I came in to ask for your opinion on how to resolve this matter."
Liu Xiu didn't have any clear reaction, but I jumped up from the bed: "Liu Li killed Liu Gong? Why?"
"Uh..." Dai Ang hesitated for a while before replying, "According to the report from the court, Liu Li hated that his father was killed by Liu Gong, so he teamed up with others to kill Liu Gong to avenge his father!"
"Nonsense!" I slapped my hand on the bed in anger. "When did Liu Gong ever harm Liu Xuan's life? This Liu Li, I held him in my arms when he was a child, and I thought he was smart. How come he is so confused now that he has grown up? When Liu Xuan surrendered to the Red Eyebrows, if Liu Gong hadn't guaranteed his life, Liu Xuan would have died long ago. After Xie Lu killed Liu Xuan, it was Liu Gong who collected his body for him, and then he did not hesitate to break the law and kill Xie Lu to avenge Liu Xuan. If it weren't for Your Majesty's extrajudicial mercy and his loyalty to his friends, Liu Gong would have died long ago. This Liu Li is so stupid that he actually mistook his benefactor for his enemy! Such arrogant and ungrateful behavior, how can it not make people feel chilled?"
Seeing that I was agitated, Liu Xiu hurriedly spoke to comfort me, and at the same time asked carefully: "The report said that Liu Li had an accomplice to attack and kill. Could it be that Liu Li had an accomplice?"
Dai Ang looked embarrassed: "This is really a difficult matter. In recent years, the Beigong princes have been making friends with guests, and Liu Li has attached himself to the King of Pei. These party members are the guests of the King of Pei!"
"Bang!" Liu Xiu's face turned pale. He waved his hand and threw the wine cup on the bed far away. The wine in the cup spilled all over the bed. "This disobedient son who doesn't listen to teachings!"
I said solemnly, "He is not the only one who refuses to listen to teachings and refuses to change his bad habits. However, this wise king formed a clique and committed crimes without distinguishing right from wrong, killing people. This is too rampant!"
Just as he was getting angry, the Grand Chamberlain outside the door came in with something urgent to report. He could not wait for Dai Ang to leave, and he excitedly reported: "Your Majesty and the Queen, Beigong just reported that Queen Mother Pei has passed away!"
That summer, accompanied by thunderstorms, Luoyang City was swept by a bloody storm. A few days after the death of Queen Mother Guo Shengtong of Pei, the coffin was still placed in the mourning hall and had not been funeraled. King Liu Fu of Pei was arrested and imprisoned. Liu Xiu also issued an edict to all counties to search for all guests of the princes and execute the murderer of Liu Gong. The guests imprisoned confessed to each other, implicating more than a thousand people in the case. In the end, except for the more than a thousand people who were all executed, the rest were also punished according to the severity of their crimes.
Three days later, Liu Fu, who had been scolded and criticized by Liu Xiu, was released from prison. He and his brothers and sisters took care of his mother's funeral and sent Guo Shengtong's coffin to Mangshan for burial.
On August 19, the five princes living in the Beigong Palace - Liu Qiang, King of Donghai, Liu Fu, King of Pei, Liu Ying, King of Chu, Liu Kang, King of Jinan, and Liu Yan, King of Huaiyang - received the imperial edict to leave Luoyang and go to their respective fiefdoms to live.
The fifteen-year-old Zuo Yi Wang Liu Yan was retained in the Luoyang Palace on the grounds of his young age. Although the princes who formed cliques and gathered people were expelled back to their respective fiefdoms, I could not help but keep some tricks. Even though Guo Shengtong is no longer around and the guests who threatened the prince have been eradicated by the emperor, the princes who have grown up are all troublesome people. It is hard to feel at ease when they are far away, even if they do not hold military power.
After the five kings returned to their kingdoms, Liu Xiu convened a court meeting to find a mentor for the crown prince Liu Zhuang. The ministers in the court observed each other's words and expressions and unanimously recommended Yin Shi. Only Doctor Zhang Yi opposed it: "Your Majesty, are you appointing a crown prince for the Yin family? Or for the country? If it is for the Yin family, you can make him Marquis Yuanlu. If it is for the country, you should recruit talented people!"
After hearing this, Liu Xiu felt that Zhang Yi was able to speak frankly, so he appointed him as the Prince's Grand Tutor, and also appointed Doctor Huan Rong as the Prince's Junior Tutor, and rewarded them with carriages and horses.
After this matter was decided, many of the Yin family's wives took the opportunity to come to the palace to pay their respects and expressed their dissatisfaction in front of me, believing that Your Majesty was guarding against the Yin family.
I ignored these complaints, and there was no movement from Yin Shi. After a while, the ladies of the Yin family also fell silent and never mentioned the matter when they entered the palace.
I had some free time that day, so I suggested to Liu Xiu, "Deng Xun and Su He are both not young anymore, and it's rare that they are so in love with each other, so why not pick a date to arrange their marriage."
Liu Xiu did not reply to me immediately. He just sat at the table , drinking cup after cup. It was not until I could no longer bear it and went to grab his cup that he murmured to me with red eyes, "I'm sorry."
I feel a little sad, but more calm.
"You are also doing this for the good of the prince! To me, both sides of my hand are flesh and blood. I cannot give up either of them. On one side is my son, and on the other side is my brother. But the prince is still young after all, and he doesn't understand the ways of the world as well as you do. For him, you can kill more than a thousand guests and expel other adult sons. Why can't I do the same? Besides, my eldest brother has always been far-sighted. He has thought , so don't worry too much. The Yin family's children have never been petty families who fight for such pride."
"Yes, Yin Cibo has always seen things more clearly than anyone else!" Liu Xiu shook his head and smiled, "But I still want to thank you for your understanding!"
I smiled and said, "Zili is the crown prince, the future emperor, but he is still my son. Are you going to thank me for my son? There is absolutely no reason for that! Are you the only one allowed to think far-reachingly for your son, and I, as a mother, am not allowed to think more carefully for my son?"
Liu Xiu sighed: "Marrying you is indeed my greatest blessing."
He put his arm around me, and I leaned into his arms and drank a cup of wine directly from his hand. The sweet and spicy smell of the wine almost choked my tears: "It's better to drink less in the future. No matter what happens, I will stand by you and support you. You don't need to worry. You are not Emperor Gaozu, and I am not Empress Gao. There is nothing that cannot be discussed between husband and wife. Don't worry that I will be angry about such things. I am no longer the willful and impulsive Yin Lihua who always causes trouble for you." After a pause, I felt emotional and sighed, "Who made us the emperor and empress? The imperial family can only be like this. We have tried our best... Su He is still more suitable for Deng Xun. Zili can't afford her, and I can't bear to let her down. That child... I really like her."
Liu Xiu nodded, stretched out his arms and hugged me tightly.
Before Liu Qiang left, he left his eldest daughter Liu Qiu in the palace to accompany me, saying that she was to show his filial piety to his mother. I asked Liu Xiu to make an exception and confer the title of Princess of the County on Liu Qiu, and to assign the county of Bianyang as her fief. The little girl, who was only eleven years old, was flattered to receive such a great gift as soon as she entered the palace.
August is the time for recruiting concubines every year. The three-year mourning period is over, and this time Ma Yan also reported the names of his three cousins. When the Zongzheng entered the palace and presented the list of all the concubines, I deliberately picked out Ma Cheng's name.
"This Ma Cheng, let's select him to be in the Crown Prince's Palace!"
Although I couldn't see Zong Zheng's expression clearly through the bamboo curtain, I could tell from his tone that he was not satisfied: "Reporting to the Queen, this girl is only thirteen years old. I think it's better not to be selected."
"Aren't the women selected for the imperial court the girls between the ages of thirteen and twenty? Since she meets the age requirement, why can't she be selected?"
"Your Majesty, you don't know this girl, she is Ma Yuan's youngest daughter, I don't think it's appropriate to accept her into the family."
"Although Ma Yuan was stripped of his title and salary, his aunts and sisters were selected as imperial concubines of the previous Emperor Cheng and buried together in Yanling. In terms of family background, the women of the Ma family should be selected."
Zong Zheng was not a fool. Having said that, he could naturally tell that I was favoring Ma Cheng, so he said "Yes" and stopped objecting.
I thought for a moment and then said, "She is considered a member of the Crown Prince's Palace, but she will be transferred to serve in my palace first. Yin Suhe is about to get married, so let her fill this vacancy first. Shannan, tell the Shaofu to count both the salaries on Miss Ma without deducting any of them, so as to avoid trouble."
It's a hassle, but it's just an excuse. If I really want to do it, I won't be bothered by such a small matter. Shanan understood my thoughts and agreed loudly. Now, not only Zongzheng, but also the Dachangqiu who was waiting outside and the Huangmen palace maids who were serving him understood my intentions.
This Ma Cheng, no matter how disliked she is because she is the daughter of Ma Yuan, but after what I said today, she will be a new favorite in and outside the palace who is more worthy of care than Yin Suhe.
