The news that the princess of the country of Jing had performed a dance at the birthday banquet quickly spread throughout Jing City. Many people that liked to join in on the fun started to speculate about the dance of the princess, her beauty. Some people even started to say that the Emperor would take the princess into the hougong.
The people of Jing City had seen many things and naturally guessed that the princess of the country of Jing wasn't purely performing a dance, but wanted to show off herself in front of the Emperor. A woman that worked hard to show off her good points in front of another man, if she didn't have any other thoughts, it would really be suspicious.
In a short period of time, the rumors about the princess of the country of Jing increased. Some people said that they saw the princess of the country of Jing buy clothes and jewelry from a certain store, and then saw her buy perfume from a certain store. All of these rumors had one similarity, it was that this princess was very beautiful, and could cause people to lose their souls at a glance.
The rumors spread more and more. It gradually became that the Dai Rong Princess of the country of Jing was extremely beautiful, and her heart was in love with the Emperor. But the Emperor was hindered by the Empress so he didn't take Dai Rong Princess into the palace.
The Empress had been married to the Emperor for two to three years. She even had a child, but she still took the position that the Emperor didn't allow him to take a hafei, wasn't that too domineering?
Some men felt that the Empress wasn't virtuous enough. Some women had a bit of jealousy and said that the Empress wasn't generous enough. In the end, Dai Rong Princess seemed to be the innocent and infatuated girl from another clan, and the Empress was the malicious first wife that used her status to bully her.
When the rumors outside reached Qu Qing Ju's ears, she was playing with Tun Tun on the little drum. After hearing Huang Yang's report, a hint of a smile appeared on her face as she commented: "Such a good story. When did the Emperor feel pity for a beauty like Dai Rong Princess, and when did he have to abandon her?"
When the entire room heard this, they all held their breaths and stood at the side, afraid that the Empress would be angry.
"The Emperor, as the master of Da Long, does he need to hesitate when he wants to take a woman? What to control the court, what to balance the hougong," Qu Qing Ju snorted, "Only a useless Emperor would rely on women to govern the court. Ben gong thinks that the people who spread these rumors have ulterior motives."
An unfounded rumor that involved the entire court and hougong. Even some of the important officials that He Heng used were dragged in. These officials became rebellious officials that took over the court. She, the Empress, was the mastermind behind these people, and He Heng became the painful emperor that was controlled by others.
There were many nobles and aristocratic families in the capital. Usually, there would be all kinds of news. This time, the statements were so uniform that there must be someone behind the scenes. These rumors were aimed at her and Zhong Yi Gong Fu. If He Heng had the slightest bit of displeasure towards her, then when this rumor reached his ears, the displeasure would turn from a little bit to a lot.
This method was not brilliant, but it was very effective. It ruined her reputation, affected the reputations of several officials in the imperial court, and even involved the vassal states. Right now, the envoys of the vassal states were still in Jing. If that Dai Rong Princess just peacefully returned to the country of Jing, what would the envoys of the vassal states think?
Thinking about it, Qu Qing Ju furrowed her brows. She saw Tun Tun's meaty claws grab the rattle-drum and laugh because it made a sound. Her brow slowly relaxed and she reached out to caress Tun Tun's face, suggesting: "Since there are so many rumors, why don't we let the rumors spread even more."
Huang Yang hesitated: "Niangniang, you mean … …"
"Right now, there are so many rumors in Jing, and it coincides with the Emperor's birthday. Are there people purposefully spreading the rumors? This kind of intention to shake the foundations of Da Long, it's too scary," Qu Qing Ju sighed, "As a person of Da Long, I really hate this kind of people."
Huang Yang heard this and his eyes lit up. He instantly responded: "Nucai understands."
Half a day later, some people in Jing started to be suspicious. Everyone knew that the Empress was virtuous and kind, and had a deep love for the Emperor. The Emperor's Imperial Edict of Conferring the Empress had even written that it was the favor of the Heavens to obtain the Empress. So how did it become that in just a few short days, the Empress was cruel and jealous, and the Emperor and Empress appeared to be united, but were actually apart? And those daren that were hurt by the rumors, they had done many good things for the people, why did they all become traitors?
Was it someone with ulterior motives that purposefully spread these rumors to harm the Empress and the other upright daren? Who was behind these rumors? Were these people the enemies of Da Long, or the traitors within Da Long?
There had never been a lack of intelligent people in Jing. When the original rumors had spread, they had detected that something wasn't right. Now that this speculation had come out, they found many suspects, such as traitors, people from the vassal states, Dai Rong Princess who wanted to enter the hougong, the Qin Family that was at odds with the Empress, and the brothers of the Emperor.
Gradually, more and more people started to doubt the previous rumors. They were filled with righteous indignation, and rolled up their sleeves in an attempt to catch the mastermind behind the scenes. As to whether these people were truly angry or just joining in on the fun, it was up to the benevolent to see.
In the Imperial Study, He Heng looked at the officials at the head of the table. They were all traitors that were in cahoots with the Empress in the rumors. Thinking about those messy rumors, He Heng smiled and comforted: "Beloved subjects, you don't have to blame yourselves. Zhen has never cared about this kind of false rumors. Zhen has eyes to see what kind of people you are, and not to listen to those rumors."
Tian Jin Ke's expression was grave as he stepped forward and raised his hands, declaring: "It was this subject's incompetence that caused these rumors to spread, and caused the reputation of Emperor and Empress to be tarnished. Emperor, please punish us." He was the vice minister of the Judicial Office. Even though he wasn't directly related to this matter, but he was still somewhat related.
Commander Sun of the Imperial Guards felt bitter. As the "traitor that worked with the Empress", he didn't just get hit by the rumors, he might even be punished by the Emperor for not stopping the rumors in time. When Tian Jin Ke had begged for forgiveness, he had knelt down first. This matter was directly related to him.
"Zhen has said, beloved subjects, you don't have to blame yourselves," He Heng stood from the imperial desk and personally helped the two up, "You are all pillars of the country. Zhen still hopes that you will do more for Da Long. How could I punish you for such a small matter?"
The hearts of the people present warmed. It was the good fortune of the officials to encounter such a wise ruler as the Emperor. In a flash, many of the old men had tears in their eyes as they knelt down to thank the Emperor for his grace. Inside, they decided to investigate the previous matter. Even though it had become a small matter because of the Emperor's trust in them, but they couldn't tolerate this kind of thing happening again.
"There is only one matter that zhen is very worried about. The Empress is a virtuous person but her reputation has been tarnished by someone with ulterior motives," He Heng sighed, "I hope that everyone will work hard to find the mastermind behind the scenes. At least, we can give justice to the beloved subjects and the Empress."
"Emperor, please don't worry. Chen and the others will definitely investigate this matter," Commander Sun raised his hands, "Right now, many people in Jing are starting to detect the evil intentions of the mastermind. Not many people believe the rumors. The Empress' benevolence and virtuousness can't be covered up by someone else's slander. "
Luo Chang Qing raised an eyebrow as he looked at Commander Sun. Who said that military generals didn't have enough brains? Wasn't this one's flattery very good? He raised his head to look at the Emperor. As expected, the smile on the Emperor's face had grown. He took a step forward, stating: "Right now, many people in Jing are starting to suspect the princess of the country of Jing, and the country of Duo Han, as well as … … the wang ye. This subject thinks that since the Emperor has treated the wang ye so well, they wouldn't do such a disdainful thing."
Luo Chang Qing would say this because this kind of speculation wasn't good for the unity of the Imperial House, and also because his granddaughter was married to Cheng Wang. But no matter the reason, his suggestion wasn't wrong.
He Heng nodded, replying: "Zhen's brothers are all loyal people. Zhen believes that they aren't that kind of people."
Not long after the daren left the Imperial Study, many people in the capital learned of the Emperor's words. Many people began to lament the deep affection the Emperor had for the princes. They also felt that if the princes were not loyal to the Emperor, then they were truly cruel and unscrupulous people.
In Cheng Wang Fu, after He Ming finished listening to the servant's report, he finally released a breath. He walked to the room of wang fei who was still in confinement. Seeing her holding the child, he smiled and asked: "Wang'er is still sleeping?"
Luo Wen Yao saw him come in with a smile and handed the child to the nursemaid, "Did something good happen?"
He Ming narrated the events from beginning to end. At the end, he sighed: "The Emperor and the Empress have treated us so well, but what I can do for the Emperor is limited."
"Wang ye and the Emperor are blood brothers, the relationship can't be calculated like this," Luo Wen Yao comforted, "A few days ago, Mu Jin, one of the Empress' attendants, specially came to see qie and gave me many things. Is all this because the Empress is waiting for qie to return the favor?"
"I was too narrow minded," He Ming smiled as he went forward to hug her. He didn't mind the filth of her confinement and sighed, "With Yao Yao here, I don't have any worries."
Luo Wen Yao laughed lightly, the happiness on her face clearly visible. She had her husband's favor and a son, what reason did she have to be unhappy?
In the rear hall of Tian Qi Palace, Qu Qing Ju took off her hairpins and ornaments. She rubbed her shoulders as she commented: "The weather is gradually getting colder."
Jin Zhan and Yu Zan put the hairpins and ornaments back into their boxes. Mu Jin used a rhinoceros horn comb to straighten Qu Qing Ju's hair. Hearing this, she said: "It's already late autumn, the weather is the most unpredictable at this time."
"That's right, winter is coming," Qu Qing Ju's lips curled, "I heard that the country of Jing's winters are especially cold. Entering the winter moon, it's a blanket of silver. I wonder what it will be like."
"The country of Jing is a bitterly cold place. When winter comes, the lives of the people aren't good," Mu Jin's hand was neither light nor heavy. She smiled as she said, "Nubi isn't knowledgeable. I just feel that if the people of Jing saw the prosperity of our Da Long, they wouldn't bear to leave."
"Really?" Qu Qing Ju took off the jade bangle on her wrist. She suddenly smiled and said, "Since they don't want to leave, why don't they stay?"
Mu Jin's hand paused. She didn't know what the Empress meant. She hesitated before asking: "Why let this kind of person stay, isn't that just adding trouble to others?"
"The dull days will make people forget the beauty of the past," Qu Qing Ju smiled, "Staying isn't necessarily a good thing. You have to know that the prosperity of others doesn't necessarily belong to you. If you dare to scheme against others, you have to think that others will scheme against you. "
When He Heng reached the rear hall, Qu Qing Ju had already changed into a nightgown and was leaning against the bed reading a book. He furrowed his brows as he came forward to warn: "Reading so late, don't hurt your eyes."
Qu Qing Ju obediently closed the book in her hands. She smiled as she replied: "Wasn't it boring, waiting for you to come back to sleep?"
This one sentence caused He Heng's thoughts to move. He took off the robe on his body and devoured the beauty.
After the two finally laid down on the bed in satisfaction, Qu Qing Ju leaned against He Heng's chest, "I see that your complexion hasn't been very good these past few days. Is it because of the rumors outside the palace? It's just some rumors. When these people get tired of it, no one will spread it. Don't let these things affect your mood, it's not worth it. "
"Which little heartless person am I angry for?" He Heng smiled helplessly, "This rumor is targeting you both openly and secretly. How can I not be angry?"
"This person is targeting me, it means that he hates me," Qu Qing Ju smiled as she replied, "He only dares to backstab me, it means that he has many things to consider. Why should I care about this kind of person?"
"You've thought it through," He Heng smiled. His tone suddenly changed, becoming slightly cold, "I've already found the mastermind behind it."
Qu Qing Ju widened her eyes as she looked at him, a curious expression on her face, "Who?"
"The Qin Family and the princess of Jing," He Heng smiled coldly, "The people from these two sides can gather together, they really have skill."
Qu Qing Ju first stilled and then snorted: "I just knew that Dai Rong Princess liked you. For you, she would do such a thing, she really is infatuated."
"Infatuated after seeing me once?" He Heng pulled the other into his embrace, "Don't wrongly accuse me. She was infatuated with my position, not me. I'm innocent."
The tip of Qu Qing Ju's foot traced along the back of his foot: "No matter what, this Dai Rong Princess liked you. However, why did the Qin Family get involved in this matter? "
He Heng sighed helplessly: "Did you forget that the Qin Family wanted to send someone into the hougong?"
Qu Qing Ju had an expression of realization. A beat later, she said: "If you were a wang ye, there wouldn't be so many women eyeing you."
Even though he was happy that his woman had a possessive desire for him, but the words didn't seem right. Was it only his status that attracted people?
"No, even if you were a wang ye, there would be many women eyeing you," Qu Qing Ju frowned, "I really want to lock you up and not let anyone see."
Such a complaint made He Heng's heart beat faster. He flipped over and pressed the other against his body, lightly kissing Qu Qing Ju's ear: "I was yours to begin with."
Qu Qing Ju's eyes met his. Looking at his eyes filled with deep emotion, she reached out to hug his neck.
"En, you are mine."
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