Chapter 34 The Sisters' Enmity
The Shangguan family is not a rich family like the Cui family, but it is not an ordinary family either. Some of their ancestors have been officials intermittently, which can be traced back to the heyday of the previous dynasty. The high is the prefect of the county, and the low is the county magistrate, which can be regarded as a standard official family.
In the twenty-sixth year of Emperor Wu Zhongmiao, the fifteen-year-old eldest daughter of the Shangguan family married the then King E of the East China Sea. On the day she left the court, the sisters parted with tears. The elder sister made a promise that she would take her younger sister to her side in the future. Three years later, this promise was fulfilled, and my sister also married into the palace and became a good man.
Shangguan's family education is very strict, and the names given to their daughters are not fanciful at all. The eldest daughter is named Xian, and the second daughter is named Duan.
Wang E of the East China Sea originally had a concubine, but unfortunately she passed away not long after marrying. At that time, he was not yet a prince, he was sealed in a remote seaside, away from the court, and he could only go to Beijing to worship in spring every year, and he had to leave Beijing to return to the country within ten days. The possibility of being favored by Emperor Wu was very low, so no dignitary would like to Marry her daughter to the king of the East China Sea as a princess.
In the palace, the title of princess is the target of fierce competition among several lovers.
As soon as Duanliang entered the mansion, he understood the situation. Whoever could give birth to a son first would be the princess.
This is a cruel and ruthless struggle. The parties involved have no other weapons except beauty and pregnancy. The appearance of the beloved is not to be picky, and he is versatile. He can recite poems, dance, and occasionally chat with the king of the East China Sea. Chatting about the general situation and the court structure, she has been favored for a long time. The only regret is that she has not had a child after several years in the government.
In the autumn of Zhongmiao's twenty-ninth year, the Shangguan sisters ushered in a lucky moment. The two conceived successively, and the younger sister Duanliang was half a month earlier.
In the beginning, it was a happy event for everyone. Everyone in the palace was smiling, and even the benefactors who were competing were willing to accept the defeat. The gold and silver cloth that the King of the East China Sea rewarded people inside and outside were worth tens of thousands of taels of silver.
A few months later, the relationship between the Shangguan sisters became delicate. The younger sister, Duanliang, had no intention of competing for the position of princess, but the matter could not be decided by the two of them, nor by the king of the East China Sea. The officials stationed by the state-owned imperial court in the East China Sea, as well as the Zongzheng Mansion far away in the capital, who only acted according to documents and conventions, in their view, the love of the King of the East China Sea is irrelevant, and whether it is a sister or a younger sister does not matter much. The only principle is that whoever gives birth to the prince first is the princess, there is nothing to argue about.
One night in the winter of that year, the two sisters had a long conversation. One month later, the younger sister, Duanliang, unfortunately had a miscarriage. After a few months, the older sister, Xianliang, gave birth to a son, and became the princess of the East China Sea. .
Duanliang never mentioned the content of that conversation to anyone, even though she was already the empress dowager, when she faced the emperor, she would mention it in a few words.
Han Ruzi was terrified when he heard that, "But...what if the Queen Mother gave birth to a daughter?"
"She is willing to take risks, and the important thing is that she can't lose to me." The Queen Dowager told the past in a flat tone, and no one could see how many ups and downs there were in her heart.
"The imperial concubine could refuse at that time, but the queen mother won't...won't be cruel?" Han Ruzi was not particularly sure.
"Of course not, I'm her own sister." The imperial concubine smiled, and then the smile slowly disappeared, like a deep well that was abandoned, occasionally with dead leaves floating in, ripples, and there was no more sound, "I It's her own sister. Because of that promise, I didn't marry for three years. When I entered the palace at the age of seventeen, my sister's request was more important to me than my parents' fate. Even if she asked me to commit suicide, I would never marry her. Do it without hesitation."
Since having the first prince, the luck of the king of the East China Sea has been getting better and better. The next year, when he went to Beijing to worship, more than ten brothers were allowed to stay in the capital. This was the first sign that Emperor Wu would abolish the prince. I understand, including the Cui family who is in power.
Cui married one of her own daughters to the king of the East China Sea, and she didn't even ask for the title of princess, she just wanted to be a benefactor, but rumors spread all over the place, saying that this was an expedient measure, and that Cui Liangren would sooner or later replace Shangguan's concubine.
That is to say, from then on, sister Shangguan Xian began to change, becoming more and more suspicious, thinking that everyone in the palace had been bought by the Cui family, and the only person worthy of trust was sister Duanliang.
The prince who just turned one year old was handed over to Duanliang to be raised, while Princess Shangguan tried every means to entangle her husband. The imperial concubine did not want to talk too much about the young emperor. I have always regarded him as my son, replacing the one I lost. Sidi also only recognizes me, but is very strange to his biological mother."
Han Ruzi could imagine the situation at that time.
Concubine Shangguan succeeded, and Wang E of the East China Sea had always doted on her, but now he favored only one person, and looked down on other lovers, including Cui Liangren. But he is a man after all, and occasionally he will visit women other than Princess Xing. Every time at this time, Princess Shangguan will be extremely nervous. If she is seriously ill, she will hold her sister's hand and cry, and ask her to swear that she will take good care of the prince in the future.
Almost all the lovers and maids who have been blessed by King E of the East China Sea will soon receive the nourishing soup personally delivered by Duanliang. Unlike his jealous sister, Duanliang has a gentle personality and has a good reputation in the palace. Well, no one suspects she has ulterior motives.
"There is abortion medicine in the soup. I drank it back then, and the prescription is still there. I don't know how many fetuses I have aborted. I am the pickaxe in my sister's hand. Not only do we get rid of weeds, but I don't even leave decent seedlings. I do these things not only for my sister, but also for Sidi, he grew up under my care, and I don't want him to have too many competitors."
When the imperial concubine said these things, she had no sense of guilt, she was really as ruthless as a pickaxe.
Han Ruzi felt a slight chill in his body, and then a question arose: Why were he and the King of the East China Sea not eliminated?
The birth of the two brothers was the result of a series of accidents and coincidences.
The Shangguan sisters can control almost everyone in the palace, with only one exception, that is Cui Liangren. She has a huge family as the backing, and all the slaves around her are brought by herself, so no one else can touch her.
Cui Liangren never concealed his desire for the position of princess, and publicly claimed that the Cui family would push Wang E of the East China Sea to the throne, and the only condition was that she would become the future queen.
Cui Liangren looked down on anyone, especially the Shangguan sisters, so when she was pregnant, Duanliangren's trick of giving soup could not be used.
In fact, Wang E of the East China Sea rarely visited Cui Liangren. Before he became the prince, he didn't like the domineering Cui family very much. Under the influence of the princess, his impression of Cui Liangren became worse and worse, and he even regretted marrying her. It is impossible to go back after entering the door, so we can only try not to meet each other.
Just like ordinary couples, the king and concubine of the East China Sea sometimes have conflicts. The cause is not big, and it is usually related to the princess's jealousy.
But that time, the two had a rather stiff quarrel, which lasted for half a month. Even now, Shangguan Empress Dowager still suspects that Wang E of the East China Sea deliberately created conflicts at that time, with the purpose of temporarily leaving the concubine's surveillance, and enjoying peace of mind. other women.
"Emperor Huan is a good husband, a good emperor, and a man. It's not bad if he doesn't go out to steal fish, but he can't live without the fish at home."
Looking at the bewildered emperor, the imperial concubine smiled, "I'm also confused, to tell you this."
It was during that conflict that King E of the East China Sea was lucky enough to have several lovers and maids, and two of them were pregnant, less than ten days apart, which triggered a big battle in the palace.
The pregnant lover is the Cui family's daughter, and the maid is Han Ruzi's mother.
Princess Shangguan made a big fuss, but it was useless. No matter how much Donghai Wang E liked her, he would not get rid of his children. Princess Shangguan changed her tactics and mobilized everyone to speak ill of Cui Liangren. The identity of the son.
The matter came to an end. During the civil war in the palace, no one paid attention to the pregnant maid surnamed Wang, and she never revealed the news of her pregnancy to anyone. When she could no longer hide her pregnancy, she made an extremely bold move: He went to see the princess with a straight stomach, kowtowed and confessed, and asked the princess to let go of her and the fetus in her stomach.
The concubine had no other choice. Since the child in Cui Liangren's womb could not be removed, it would be superfluous to work on a maid. The concubine persuaded her with good words, and publicly declared that she would treat the maidservant's child as her own, and after learning that the maidservant was likely to be pregnant a few days earlier than Cui Liangren, the concubine wanted to stay.
Han Ruzi was terrified when he heard it. It turned out that his life was in danger before he was born. It is hard to imagine how much pressure his mother was under at that time, and what kind of wisdom and courage she had to face Shangguan Wangfei directly.
Han Ruzi missed his mother, and his heart ached a little.
Two sons of Wang E of the East China Sea were born smoothly, one named Han Song and the other named Han Shu.
Cui Liangren was worried that his son would be poisoned by the people in the palace, so he found all kinds of excuses to send his son to Cui's house, staying for several months at a time.
The maid's natal family is not in the capital, and she has no one to rely on. After giving birth to her son, she has not been given a title, but she no longer needs to be a maid. She is arranged by the princess to live in a small courtyard and live a life like a prisoner.
Han Ruzi still had an impression of that courtyard, and it was a good impression.
In the thirty-sixth year of Zhongmiao, Emperor Wu summoned all his sons and grandchildren, and Han Ruzi also went, leaving a dim memory, which was actually the result of a struggle.
Han Ruzi was not recorded in the clan genealogy for a long time after his birth. To the royal family, he was a non-existent person. Maid Wang got the news that Emperor Wu summoned her children and grandchildren from nowhere, so she spent all she had to buy a maidservant, and the maidservant was transferred to a family member outside the mansion, and informed Zongzheng Mansion that Wang E of the East China Sea had a son.
The Zongzheng Mansion found out and listed the emperor's grandson Han Song in the genealogy, and at the same time issued an imperial edict, accusing the princess of being jealous and immoral, and ordering her to repent immediately.
Han Ruzi was finally able to enter the palace to meet his grandfather Emperor Wu. After that, his position was stabilized, but his mother suffered a series of revenge from the princess. It was not easy to live until now.
"The Queen Mother is a vengeful person. Once she has full power, she will continue to take revenge." The imperial concubine said.
The more Han Ruzi heard it, the more startled he became, and the doubts became more and more serious. He asked, "What about you, are you just to avenge the fallen son more than ten years ago?"
The imperial concubine shook her head, "I have a son, not the one I fell in a moment of confusion and cruelty, but Sidi, whom I raised with my own hands—I want to avenge him."
(seeking collection and recommendation)