Chapter 375
For a long time, Han Ruzi and his mother had been alone, and a large family of relatives suddenly appeared. His first reaction was that there was a fraud, but after carefully reading the official document sent by Donghai Kingdom, he felt that he should not make a hasty conclusion. , After a little thought, he decided to go to the palace to see his mother.
Relatives are usually the source of trouble, but if they are found, Han Ruzi must not hide it from his mother, who is after all their mother and son's closest relatives.
Just before the arrival of the emperor, the Empress Dowager Cining had heard the news, and as the person most affected by it, she behaved very calmly.
"Hey, there's a lot of things happening in the local area. What are you looking for in the past so many years? Besides, who knows if it's true or not? If there is a little deviation in the middle, wouldn't it make the world laugh?"
"If Donghai Kingdom is not sure, it will not be reported to the court. Mother may wish to pay attention." Han Ruzi handed the official documents of Donghai Kingdom to the palace maid, and the palace maid passed it on to the Empress Dowager Cining.
The Empress Dowager Ci Ning quickly read it again, "Donghai Kingdom is really attentive, there are a lot of witnesses and physical evidence, many things I don't even remember, they can find out..."
Empress Dowager Cining shook her head, still not too concerned.
Han Ruzi stepped forward and said, "Does mother have any memories of her childhood? Maybe it can be used as a confirmation."
Empress Dowager Ci Ning frowned slightly, thought for a while, and said, "Does Your Majesty really want to find relatives?"
"Of course, in any case, they are my mother's family and my uncle. As stated in the official document, I didn't intend to sell a daughter, but was murdered by a traitor. Now my grandfather is still there, and there are many aunts and uncles. , If it is true, it is a great deed.”
Empress Dowager Ci Ning thought for a while, then waved her hand to screen away the maids and eunuchs in the room, and then said to the emperor, "Mrs. Ping'en Hou is the daughter of the Cui family. I always feel uneasy with her in it."
Regarding Mrs. Pingenhou, there was only one sentence in Donghaiguo's official document, claiming that when she passed through Donghaiguo, she once mentioned the matter of looking for her family for the queen mother. Han Ruzi was also puzzled by this and advised: "No matter what Pingen is. What is Madam Hou's thoughts, as long as this is really my uncle's house, I must bring them to the capital, and my mother will never feel lonely again."
Empress Dowager Ci Ning smiled, "I have survived the most difficult times... Also, 'the poor are in the busy city and no one asks, and the rich have distant relatives in the mountains', not because of your majesty, Donghai Kingdom will not be so dedicated. I can't forget everything, just remember... There is a child who often calls me 'Miss'. I don't know if this happened before or after being kidnapped, but I have this impression. Donghae This matter is not mentioned in the official document of the country, if your majesty is interested, you will send a credible person to check."
"Understood." Han Ruzi already had a candidate in mind.
Empress Dowager Cining was still not at ease, and added: "Don't be impatient about this matter. My life in the palace is very good. As long as Your Majesty is safe, I have nothing else to ask for. It's not that I have to find a group of relatives."
"I'm not very sure, I will never accept a relative casually."
The Empress Dowager Ci Ning smiled again, "Okay, it's up to Your Majesty to deal with it, I won't say more, don't need to report everything, just give me a result in the end."
"Yes, mother."
"It's been cold recently. How many layers of futon do you have in the House of Marquis? Have the people in the house prepared charcoal? Zhang Youcai is too young, should we find a more mature eunuch to manage..."
Empress Dowager Cining was more concerned about her son's room and board. Han Ruzi replied one by one, reassuring her mother, and then left, treating the search for relatives as a major event.
The next afternoon, Mrs. Ping'en Hou entered the palace to meet the Empress Dowager Cining. She couldn't hide the anxiety in her heart. It was all expressed on her pale face. As soon as she entered the house, she knelt down to the Empress Dowager.
When Empress Dowager Cining was still Wang Meiren, she didn't have a good impression of the Cui family. It was a kind of hatred mixed with a lot of jealousy: it was also a side room, and the mother of the King of Donghai, relying on her own strength, was able to be domineering, even several times. Threatening the status of the main wife, but Wang Meiren can only hide, worrying about the lives of herself and her son all the time.
Empress Dowager Cining didn't let Mrs. Ping'en Hou get up, and the female officer beside her was in charge of the questioning. After a few words, she understood that this was a woman who was obsessed with power, purely to please herself, but she didn't know that behind this woman's stupidity, Is there a conspiracy of the Cui family?
Mrs. Ping'en Hou received a death order from her father, and after a few questions and answers, she still refused to leave, and shamelessly recommended herself, willing to go to Donghai Kingdom to check the authenticity of the Wang family.
The Empress Dowager Cining agreed, but emphasized one point: "The court has its own decision on this matter. You can go to the East China Sea if you want, but don't say that it was sent by me, let alone interfere with the court's investigation, understand?"
Mrs. Ping'en Hou kept kowtow and promised not to talk nonsense. After leaving the palace, she only felt a layer of cold sweat all over her body, but she felt puzzled. Anger, what is my father worried about?
Mrs. Ping'en Hou immediately went to the Cui Mansion to see her father. After going through the details, she finally said: "The Empress Dowager Cining...it seems to be a good conversation."
Cui Hong sneered, and now he can explain to his daughter, "Empress Dowager Cining has endured for many years, how can she be the kind of person who can't hold back when she's in trouble? Even if she has doubts in her heart, she won't show it in front of you."
"But she agreed with her daughter to go to the East China Sea..."
"Of course I agree. The Queen Mother still thinks that the search for relatives is fraudulent. She asked you to go to Donghai Kingdom not to check the truth, but to take the blame after the accident."
Madam Ping'en Hou was taken aback, and then she came to her senses. The Empress Dowager Ci Ning simply set a trick for her, "If... what if that family is real?"
Cui Hong said coldly: "Then you are a traitor to the Cui family. The Queen Mother Cining may need you. When the Cui family falls, she will take care of you slowly."
When Mrs. Ping'en Hou left Cui Mansion, she was in a state of despair, and her heart was like a mirror. Even her father was not at ease. She simply took the initiative to send her to the Queen Mother's mouth as a small prey.
If there is indeed a fraud in the East China Sea, the Cui family will never admit that it is related, and Mrs. Ping'enhou has to bear it alone. If there is no problem with the Empress Dowager Cining's family, the Cui family will also be wary of this eldest daughter from now on.
Mrs. Ping'en Hou's status was too low, and neither of the two forces took her seriously.
Mrs. Pingenhou regretted it too much. After thinking about it, she could only go to one person for help. She hated this person, but she also needed this person's guidance.
The King of the East Sea received his cousin and congratulated her with a smile on her meritorious service.
Mrs. Ping'en Hou didn't dare to accuse the East Sea King, and after a while of friendship, she said her predicament, "What can I do? When I go, I will either offend the queen mother or anger myself, good brother, no matter what you have to do for yourself. I'll come up with another idea, a good man will do it to the end."
The King of the East Sea smiled and shook his head, "Oh, I didn't expect you to be so lonely. When I gave you an idea, I asked you to make a decision after discussing it with the Cui family. I didn't expect..."
Mrs. Ping'en Hou's teeth were really itchy with hatred, and she had to put on a wry smile on her face, "I'm too stupid to understand what you mean, this time you can be more detailed, don't let me make random decisions alone."
Donghai Wang looked embarrassed and thought for a while, "Okay, I gave you the idea at first, so you can't throw your hands halfway."
Mrs. Ping Enhou thanked him repeatedly.
"You feel embarrassed now. You don't think you can please the Empress Dowager Cining and the Cui family at the same time, right?"
"No, the key is that I can't afford to offend either side."
"Why did the Empress Dowager Cining and the Cui family have a grudge against the Cui family?"
Mrs. Ping'en Hou was taken aback for a moment, and then she laughed dryly, "Because... Concubine Cui?"
The King of the East Sea nodded calmly, "Yes, in fact, there is no deep hatred between the two sides. You can also understand the real reason. It is nothing more than a battle in the harem. Although my mother is also in it, I still have to say this, because it is the truth."
Mrs. Ping'en Hou nodded. This is indeed the truth, and she really understands that jealousy is the same everywhere. The emperor has the worries of the harem, and the Houmen don't worry. In order to keep her position in the Miao family, she does not know how to hate, fight There have been so many women, but she didn't understand what the King of the East Sea was saying now.
The East Sea King waited for a while, seeing Mrs. Ping'en Hou's face still blank, she couldn't help laughing, "You really... I've talked about this, you still don't understand?"
"Understand what? Good brother, you made it clear."
"If Marquis Ping'en still has two favorite concubines, do you deal with them at the same time, or do you win one against the other?"
"Of course..." Mrs. Ping'en Hou finally understood a little, "You mean that the Empress Dowager Cining and the Cui family can actually join forces, so that I won't offend anyone, but instead please both parties?"
The East Sea King nodded.
"But when you join forces, you have to have an enemy. Where is the enemy?" Mrs. Ping'en Hou thought for a while, "The Empress Dowager Cishun? She doesn't care about the political affairs anymore, and the Shangguan family has been emptied..."
"Has the Shangguan family collapsed? Who provoked the rebellions in the East China Sea and Qi Kingdom? Who was the one who elected the King of England as emperor? Now that the rebellion has been levelled, the first evil has not been caught."
"Is there anyone in Shangguan's family who has not been arrested?"
King Donghai shrugged, "I don't know, isn't your son going to Yunmengze to suppress the bandits? Let him find out."
Mrs. Pinnhou nodded in agreement.
Seeing that she was still not very enlightened, the East Sea King had to speak more clearly, "Don't just stare at Shangguan's house, but also those robbers at sea."
"What does the pirate have to do with the Empress Dowager Cishun?"
"It has a lot to do with it. The most important force among the rebels comes from Yishi Island. The islanders claim to be descendants of Chen Qi, and they have been secretly planning this rebellion."
"Well." Mrs. Pinnhou had heard of these things.
"A man from Righteous Island, whose name was changed to Meng Che, was once a guard in the palace and was brought into Beijing by the Queen Mother from Donghai Kingdom. When something happened here, he ran away and participated in the rebellion. He was one of the leaders, and his whereabouts are unknown now. , either hiding in the East China Sea, or hiding in Yunmengze."
"I've heard about this."
"Look, you know everything, why not tie it all together?"
Numerous thoughts popped up in Mrs. Ping'en Hou's mind, "You are so right, it's too weird, it's too weird, good brother..."
"That's all I can say. You can go home and think about it." The King of the East Sea saw off his guests.
When Mrs. Ping'en Hou left the palace, she found all the lost souls, but secretly determined that she would not act rashly this time.
The king of Donghai in the mansion poured himself a glass of wine. The biggest flaw of the empress dowager Shangguan was Meng Che. The king of Donghai did not tell Mrs. Ping'enhou that Meng Che's sister was now the emperor's most trusted bodyguard.
On the other side, Han Ruzi found that the Queen Mother's search for relatives was a good opportunity for him to establish a relationship of mutual trust with the court, especially the Prime Minister Shen Mingzhi.
(I'm quite busy, I can't make it out in Chapter 2, I apologize to everyone, and try to make it up on Sunday.)