Chapter 518 The Queen's Promise
Cui Hong didn't even return home, and went directly to the harem from Qinzheng Hall, requesting to meet the queen mother and the queen.
He is the father of the queen, and it is most suitable for him to persuade the palace.
The request was immediately granted, and under the guidance of Zhongsi Supervisor Liu Jie, Cui Hong hurried to the Cishun Palace - the Empress Dowager Shangguan had been out of power for a long time, and her place was still the core area of the palace, only higher than the Tai'an Palace where the emperor lived. slightly lower.
The news of the move to the palace probably spread. Along the way, Cui Hong saw a large number of panicked eunuchs and palace maids. They forgot the strict rules and whispered in groups. Liu Jie occasionally reprimanded some people, but he He was also very worried. When he arrived at the Cishun Palace, he walked straight in. After crossing the threshold, he reacted.
The courtyard was crowded with people, most of whom were palace maids and wives. Cui Hong saw his daughter, Mrs. Ping'en Hou, and before he could say anything, he nodded and entered the living room under the guidance of another eunuch.
The queen mothers of the two palaces sat side by side on the soft couch, the queen and the concubines stood on both sides, and several princes and princesses were held by their mothers. At every turn, only Concubine Shu Deng Yun's son was still young and occasionally made a sound.
Cui Hong didn't dare to look up, took a few steps forward, and knelt down and kowtowed.
The eunuch asked Tai Fu to calm down, but Cui Hong was not polite, and immediately said: "The enemy army has broken through the Shenxiong Pass and is heading for the capital. The Queen Mother and the Queen should move to Luoyang, and the sooner you leave, the better."
The Cishun Palace is owned by the Empress Dowager Shangguan, but the Empress Dowager Cining is the one who really manages it. She said, "Is this the intention of Mrs. Cui alone, or is it everyone's decision?"
"The prime minister and others in the Qinzheng Hall jointly made a decision, and the minister was ordered to enter the palace for invitation."
Empress Dowager Ci Ning was silent for a while, then turned her head and asked Empress Dowager Shangguan, "How does Empress Dowager Cishun feel?"
The Empress Dowager Shangguan looked sick and said tiredly: "You decide, no matter what, I will not leave, the palace is my burial place, if the enemy really invades, I will commit suicide, and I will not add to the Great Chu. trouble."
Empress Dowager Ci Ning thought for a while, "This is also my opinion."
Cui Hong was taken aback, "The two queen mothers, this is not a joke. If there is an accident in the two palaces, the minister will not be able to explain to His Majesty in the future."
The Empress Dowager Cining said: "The Queen and the following, move the palace to Luoyang, and leave a few people to take care of us, so that we can always explain to Your Majesty?"
The queen and others immediately knelt down, the child in Concubine Shu's arms burst into tears, and Prince Qing held by Tong Qing'e also reached out to her grandmother, wanting to enter her arms.
Empress Dowager Ci Ning sighed, and reached out to call Concubine Shu and Concubine Hui, holding the baby in one hand and Prince Qing in the other, Empress Dowager Shangguan stepped aside.
The baby stopped crying in his grandmother's arms. Prince Qing bit his fingers and stared at Cui Hong, as if thinking about who this person is that can make everyone so scared.
When the queen was about to speak, the Queen Mother Ci Ning shook her head at her, "This matter has been decided, you go and pack your things, Mrs. Cui sees when it is better to set off. Let's all retire."
"The queen mother, please think twice." Mrs. Cui said.
"Before the Grand Master entered the palace, I have 'thought it twice'. I don't need to say more. Please arrange the transfer of the palace as soon as possible. What do you need the Cishun Palace to do with me, even if you bring it up."
Cui Hong knelt down and kowtowed again. There was really no need to be polite at this time, and said, "I have asked the two palaces to issue a decree."
Moving the palace is the decision of the minister, but in name, it can only be the will of the queen mother.
Empress Dowager Cining nodded, "I will send someone to give it to you later. Why are you all kneeling? Go and pack up, don't bring too much, you will come back later."
I don't know who took the lead, and there was a sudden cry in the living room.
Empress Dowager Cining waved impatiently, and Liu Jie and several eunuchs and palace maids parted ways to persuade them to leave.
Cui Hong also resigned, and the scene was a little chaotic after going out. He only had time to say a few words to his daughter, "I will send your mother and Trager over, you must keep them safe."
Cui Xiaojun snorted and asked, "Is the capital really unstoppable?"
Cui Hong stared into his daughter's eyes and nodded, "Mayi City has won a big victory. If your brother is still alive, you must ask His Majesty to keep him by your side. The safety of the Cui family is all up to you."
Cui Xiaojun felt ominous, "Father..."
"Go and pack up." The eunuch next to him urged, Cui Hong followed and left the palace quickly.
Cui Xiaojun handed his daughter over to Meng E beside him, "You go back first, I'll be there right away."
Meng E took the princess and returned to Qiuxin Palace first.
All the women in the yard panicked and did not ask for resignation.
Cui Xiaojun went retrograde and returned to the living room.
Empress Dowager Shangguan was reclining on the couch. Empress Dowager Cining was saying goodbye to her two grandsons. She said to Prince Qing, "Listen to your mother's words and stay close to your father and emperor. You will become an emperor in the future, understand?"
Prince Qing didn't understand, he only knew one thing, his grandmother seemed to want to leave him and let him go, so he burst into tears, holding his grandmother's hand and refused to let go.
Empress Dowager Cining was so sad, she first returned the little prince to Concubine Shu, hugged Prince Qing, kissed him twice, and handed it over to Concubine Hui Gui, looked up at the queen, and said, "Just in time for you to come, I want to say something to you. ."
"The queen mother, please speak." Cui Xiaojun hurried over.
Empress Dowager Cining grabbed the queen's hand, "Promise me that Prince Qing will inherit the throne."
"The Queen Mother..." Cui Xiaojun was extremely surprised and wanted to pull his hand back, but the Queen Mother Ci Ning held it tighter and tighter.
"I won't embarrass you. If you give birth to a direct son, the emperor will naturally be your son. If you don't have this luck, I want you to support Prince Qing."
"The queen mother, it's too early to say these things, and... and this kind of thing is not up to me."
"Don't be humble, the emperor listens to your words, and I want you to make a promise to fully support Prince Qing when necessary."
"The Queen Mother..."
"Concubine Hui has no family, so it's not a threat to your Cui family."
When Tong Qing'e heard that she was mentioned, she hurriedly knelt down with her son in her arms.
"Okay, I will do my best...to support Prince Qing's succession." Cui Xiaojun originally wanted to persuade the Queen Mother to leave the capital, but did not expect to take on such a problem.
"The queen raised Prince Qing for a while, and he is also your son."
"Yes, the Queen Mother, I will treat him like a biological child."
Empress Dowager Cining nodded and said to Concubine Shu Deng Yun: "What is yours is yours, not yours, don't fight, Mr. Hui Guifei, prince, this is her luck, your Deng family does not have this fate."
"I don't fight." Deng Yun said lightly.
Empress Dowager Cining breathed a sigh of relief and waved her hand, "Let's go, don't get in the way in front of me."
Deng Yun went first after saluting, Tong Qing'e followed, Cui Xiaojun retracted his palm and did not leave immediately, "Queen Mother, if Your Majesty is here, I will definitely not let you stay."
Empress Dowager Ci Ning laughed, "So I'm very glad that Your Majesty is not here. You are a good queen, and I used to have prejudice against the Cui family... Forget it, don't say that, you are soft-hearted, this is not necessarily a bad thing, serve the emperor well in the future, Try to let him take less risks. You are the daughter of the Cui family, you have long known that you will be the queen, and you will not understand my feelings. Even if the sky falls, I will not leave. Let's go, don't delay with me Time. Remember your promise today, otherwise, I will ask you to question in the underworld."
Cui Xiaojun felt a chill in his heart and regretted the promise just now, but he had no time to go back, so he had to bow and hurriedly retreat.
There were only two queen mothers left in the room, and the female officials and maids who were with them had disappeared.
After being quiet for a while, the Empress Dowager Shangguan said, "What's so good about Prince Qing? It's worth your painstaking efforts, and even the Cui family can forgive him?"
"Prince Qing was raised by me. He is my eldest grandson and my second son. And he succeeded him with the least interference from foreign relatives."
The Empress Dowager Shangguan sneered, "That's not worth forgiving the Cui family."
Empress Dowager Cining got up and turned to face Empress Dowager Shangguan, "Si Di was not poisoned by Concubine Cui."
The Empress Dowager Shangguan still didn't look up, "As you say, I've already avenged it anyway."
Empress Dowager Cining really wanted to tell everything she knew, and finally sneered, "Yes, you have already avenged."
Empress Dowager Cining walked to the door. She had always been in awe of Empress Dowager Shangguan, but now she has all disappeared. No matter how good Empress Dowager Shangguan is at power, she is a failed mother and is not worthy of envy.
The female officials, maids and eunuchs of the Queen Mothers of the two palaces were all standing outside, and the Queen Mother Ci Ning said loudly: "Those who want to stay stay, and those who want to leave leave, I will write a decree to forgive you."
No one left, and everyone suddenly knelt down together, still no one made a sound.
Empress Dowager Ci Ning didn't persuade her too much, her eyes stopped on Liu Jie, "You don't have to stay, Your Majesty still needs you."
Liu Jie shook his head, "Someone is in charge of Baoxi for His Majesty, I'm very relieved and won't leave."
The Empress Dowager Ci Ning smiled, walked to Liu Jie, and whispered, "Then go to Qiuxin Palace for me, and call Meng E, the maid next to the Queen, to Cining Palace."
"Yes, Queen Mother."
When Liu Jie brought Meng E to Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager Cining had already written the relevant decree, handed it to Liu Jie together with the empress dowager's seal, and ordered him to find the Empress Dowager Cishun. Prime Minister Zhuo Ruhe.
Meng E stood in front of the queen mother, not understanding why she was called.
"Are you going to leave with the queen?"
"Well." Meng E was not very talkative in front of anyone.
"That's good. Your Majesty has always trusted you."
"That was before."
"No, although Your Majesty won't let you stay by your side, but sending you to the Queen's Palace is the greatest trust. Hey, you know, His Majesty doesn't even trust the Queen to hand me over."
Meng E did not respond.
Empress Dowager Ci Ning thought for a moment and raised her eyebrows slightly, as if she just remembered that Meng E was still there, "After seeing Your Majesty, tell me, 'The palace is all right, don't worry anymore'."
"Your Majesty will ask clearly, if I don't understand, Your Majesty will check it out."
Empress Dowager Cining smiled and said, "You still know your Majesty better." Then she put away her smile and said solemnly: "It's okay to tell you, but you can only tell your Majesty, and never reveal it to outsiders."
"Yes, Queen Mother."
Empress Dowager Cining was silent for a while, "Sidi was not poisoned by the Cui family, he committed suicide. Empress Dowager Cishun and Yang Feng are both responsible."