Chapter 144 One Step Away

This was the first time that the Prince Regent brought up the eldest son after Gong Xiangxiao left the Palace of the Prince Regent.

Lu Shi pursed her lips, and said first: "If the father wants the son to die, the son has to die. No matter what, Shou Ninghou is the prince's direct son, and the prince should treat him as he should!"

She habitually provoked the relationship between the Prince Regent and Gong Xiangxiao before she continued, "Although I am insensitive, I also know that I am only mediocre in terms of talent and appearance, and in terms of family background, I am not as good as Ji. Daughters of everyone like Luo, Meng, Yin, and Ouyang. Back then, they were able to serve the prince only because of their adoptive father. In this case, how could the concubine expect to be able to really control the prince? The reason why Marquis Shouning has been increasingly abandoned over the years Yu Wang Ye, in the final analysis, this is the meaning of Wang Ye himself."

"The Marquis of Shouning was young and ignorant, but how could the concubine not understand?"

Lu sighed, "The prince is not a person who is greedy for beauty. The backyard has always been clean all these years is an example... How can he be bewitched by his concubine and dislike the eldest son who was born with a loving wife when he was young?"

But over the years, people in the world, including Gong Xiangxiao himself, felt that the regent became a stepfather when he had a step-wife, and he disliked Gong Xiangxiao everywhere.

It can be seen that this was intentional by the regent.

The regent's eyes were a little strange, and he said: "So you know it all? That's strange. Gu Cong started to arrange a retreat for Xiao'er so long ago. It is logical that you think he is not pleasing to the eye, but how can you let Zhen'er Don't talk about it in the mansion, and now you want to push him to show his face?"

Gong Xiangzhen is Lu's own flesh and blood.

Over the years, Lu's love for him has also been sincere.

Knowing that the future is unpredictable, even the regent himself has no confidence, so he arranged for Gong Xiangxiao's life ahead of time. The regent was very surprised that Lu himself was willing to share the joys and sorrows with the regent, let alone his son?

"If the lord succeeds, Zhen'er will go out to help you now, so there is no need to talk about the future." Lu smiled, walked to his side to pour tea for him, and said softly, "If the lord fails, even if Zhen'er has been hiding in the mansion Here, even if the prince asks someone to send him away quietly, what will happen to him as a child who is only eleven years old? To put it bluntly, even if he dies in a corner, the concubine will not know. , might as well fight vigorously!"

Seeing the regent looking at her with playful eyes, she turned her mind and said with a smile, "The prince knows that the concubine is just a foster daughter accepted by her adoptive father, and she came from a humble background in her early years."

"But with the background of the prince, it may be hard to imagine how humble the background of the concubine is."

Lu said slowly, "I was too young when my adoptive father took me in. I don't mean I can't remember the details, but I can't and dare not think about it. Every time I think about it, the most vivid feeling is that I am hungry." Did you know? After I became a foster daughter to my adoptive father, the reason why I was beaten the most was stealing food. Although I knew that there was enough food at the time and I would not starve, I still couldn't help it... Zhen'er is too young He has been raised in the mansion and has no experience. I don't think that he is being sent away by the palace at this moment. Without the protection of the two of us in the future, he can live a good life. I don't doubt the loyalty of the prince's people , but the world is unpredictable, what if the loyal person gets lost with him? What if something goes wrong with the loyal person? At Zhen'er's age, even if he was stuffed with a bunch of gold, jewels and jade objects, it would be nothing more than a reminder. "

"Although the concubine is humble, the prince is the blood of Shenzong, and Zhen'er is also the blood of Gongxiang."

"Even if he loses, he should lose frankly, and record his life and death in the history, instead of coming and going without a trace, and even living among the people in the future, insulting those rural people!"

"..." The regent was silent for a long time, then chuckled, and said, "Gu unexpectedly found out about Aifei's heart today."

Lu's asked: "Then the prince Xu Zhen'er showed up?"

But the regent did not give a clear answer, only said: "Think about it again."

... When Mrs. Lu returned to her room, she felt that her underwear was soaked through.

She let out a sigh of relief, and ordered her left and right to prepare hot water for bathing and changing.

Soaking in the bathtub full of flower petals, feeling the comfort of the hot water on the skin and body, Lu Shi relaxed a little, but was immediately startled by the familiar footsteps coming from behind the screen, and subconsciously tensed up again.

"Don't worry, my concubine, it's the servant girl who will take care of you to take a bath." A callused hand stretched out from behind, lifted a wooden ladle, scooped up a spoonful of flower petal water, and poured it over her shoulder, the voice was very loud. Light and brisk, she sounds like a bright and lively maid.

But Mrs. Lu froze for a moment, and then opened his mouth as if he came back to his senses, his voice was hoarse due to tension: "Just now I have told the prince as you said, but I am not sure what the prince will think or do."

The maid smiled softly: "Your Majesty, don't worry, the maid said earlier, you just need to do as the maid told you, and you don't need to be responsible for the rest."

Lu was silent for a while, then whispered: "What will happen to my son then?"

"The young prince is only ten years old. His majesty has always been generous. Naturally, he is better than Tongshou Ninghou." The maid said firmly, "Of course, this must be what the prince did and did not offend your majesty very much. Otherwise, it would be Thunder The rain and dew are all due to the grace of the king. The empress is smart, so I don't think the maidservants need to talk too much."

Mrs. Lu shouted a little excitedly: "How is this fair?! Gong Xiangxiao's lowly maid gave birth to a son without doing anything, just making a fuss in a daze, and finally became a Marquis, my son... my son is young and innocent, I This mother even sold her adoptive father and husband for her sake, so why is she a Marquis?! Besides, if Gong Xiangji really loves him, it is clearly Gong Xiangxiao! If he does something that offends His Majesty in the future, Isn’t Gong Xiangxiao the one who should be punished?!”

Why should she vent her anger on her son? !

"My lord, don't be impatient." The maid softly comforted, "Don't forget that today I am not the grandson of the Empress Dowager, but I have some respect for the Empress Dowager... Over the years, the Marquis of Shouning has always loved the Empress Dowager. Under his knees, the little prince has been living in seclusion, and since he landed, he has never greeted the empress dowager! You said who is the empress dowager protecting when the mansion is about to fall?"

Lu Shi pursed her lips and said hastily: "But this is the prince..."

"Yes, the lord has never let the little lord go out, we all know about this." The maid said lightly, "but why is this? As the lord's pillow, the princess doesn't even know this. ?”

"..." Lu said reluctantly, "Maybe it's because my son has been weak since childhood..."

The maid laughed: "The concubine really knows how to joke. The little prince is only ten years old this year, and he looks good at riding and shooting. He is still weak. Wouldn't maids and these people die anytime and anywhere?"

These words made Lu's heart feel cold even though he was in the steaming bathtub.

The maid behind her has served her for many years, and suddenly spoke to win over her on behalf of Chunjia, how could she be persuaded by a few words?

But the maid knew the situation of Gong Xiangzhen like the back of her hand, which made Lu family have to consider, if she refused, would Gong Xiangzhen still be able to live well?

She has been working hard all these years, just such a son...

And what the maid said was quite right, no matter how much Gongxiang Ruoji was supposed to be the emperor's younger brother, it didn't work out.

Chunjia didn't come to power with any other status, he was the heir of Emperor Xiaozong.

Let the men all over the world judge, who has an heir and would choose to let his brother inherit the family business?

Especially the regent and Xiaozong are not the same mother.

The imperial decree to enshrine the emperor's younger brother was not able to come down back then. Now that the regent mentions it again, it is difficult not to make people question that he is just trying to usurp the throne, and he means to be an uncle bullying his nephew.

The most important supporter of the palace, Gu Fangshu, is now unable to protect himself. Since the Gu family has become a descendant, the relationship with the palace has been estranged... Although the Lu family still holds hope in their hearts, they understand rationally. If Gongxiang sends it, it may be difficult to turn it around.

Unless Chunjia has something good or bad.

Otherwise, according to the pace and patience of the emperor since he took office, the regent will not be given any chance at all.

Instead of waiting until Chunjia is ready to give the palace a one-shot kill, it is better to take the initiative to surrender. This is of course a disservice to the regent, but to save Gong Xiangzhen, at least it is to leave a little blood for him, right? ?

Just like that, Lu's was half-persuaded and half-coerced into the water.

It's too late to regret it now, she collected herself, and said in a low voice: "It might be because of guarding against the murderous hands in the palace. After all, the grievances between the prince and the Ji family have never been shallow... There are two people under his knees." A son, Gong Xiangxiao, as His Majesty's companion, has been in and out of the palace for many years, if Zhen'er also often enters the palace, if one day the two children are gone, what will we do as husband and wife?"

The maid smiled and said, "Wangfei is acting as a maidservant or foolishly coaxing you? Didn't Marquis Shou Ning just go out, and he didn't see the little prince show his face?"

"...I don't know." Lu's throat felt a little dry, and he swallowed his saliva before he could speak, and said in a low voice, "I also mentioned this matter two years ago, especially after Gong Xiangxiao left. But The prince said that Zhen'er is young, and his academic performance is not outstanding. If he is in front of people now, everyone will at most give a few polite compliments, which is not meant to be a blockbuster. I think it makes sense, so I listen to the prince and urge Zhen'er day and night Work hard, thinking that after he has completed his studies, it will not be too late to go out with the prince to gain experience."

She asked a little uneasy, "Could it be... the prince lied to me?"

The maid smiled lightly: "The concubine is the wife of the prince. How can the maid know about things that you don't even know?"

She helped Mrs. Lu wash it up quickly, went to the side to wipe her hands with a handkerchief, and said without raising her head while wiping: "My lord has been resting in the study for the past two days and didn't come to the backyard, this is not good. The more this is the case, the more the concubine should comfort the prince...Even if the prince refuses to come to the backyard, you should give him some soup to show his concern?"

If it's just a simple gift of soup, Lu's has done a lot before, so it doesn't matter, but...

This maid said so now, presumably it is not so simple.

Lu's subconsciously grasped the edge of the tub, and said in a deep voice, "What do you mean?"

The maid said slowly: "There is a bottle of medicine under your dressing table, and you don't need too much, just a little at a time."

"...You want me to kill the prince with my own hands?!" Lu took a breath, pressed his chest subconsciously, and said hastily, "No...I...I don't..."

"Princess, please think about it." The maid turned around, walked slowly in front of her, and said softly, "Your Majesty has not touched the Regent's Palace in the past two years, it is absolutely impossible to forget! After all, His Majesty is in charge , there are more than a dozen heirs under his knees, how could he still need an uninterested regent king to be in the court?! Now that Wei Changkong is appointed an official, it is obvious that he intends to attack the regent palace! Now the prince's subordinates are thinking There must be many people who fall into His Majesty's eyes! But His Majesty is kind after all. The Regent doesn't care about the relationship between uncle and nephew, and he is ambitious, but His Majesty always values ​​the relationship between family and family."

Without giving Mrs. Lu too much time to think, she continued to seduce, "Didn't the concubine just say that the little prince has made all kinds of contributions with your own mother, so it doesn't make sense that he should still be the same as Shouning Hou, only occupying the position of marquis?" ?Since this is the case, now there is an opportunity to inherit the kingship before you, do you really want to refuse?"

"As long as the regent is gone, the Marquis of Shouning has already broken with the palace, and there are only two male heirs under the prince's knees. This prince, if it doesn't belong to the young prince, who else can it belong to?"

"Of course, the young prince will definitely not inherit the position of regent. That is also a reminder."

"But even if it is the prince before the regent, can't the empress be satisfied?"

"I..." Lu's heart was in turmoil, she only felt that her mouth was very dry, and her fingertips were trembling a little. Ever since she gave birth to Gong Xiangzhen, she has been thinking all day about how to squeeze Gong Xiangxiao away and make her own The son is in charge.

Now this title is only one step away from their mother and son, this...

The maid seemed to see her entanglement, and persuaded her gently: "Besides, the empress did not do this to harm the prince. Originally, the prince couldn't see the situation clearly, so he insisted on being a chariot with his arms. There is no future for the Hefu! The most grievous thing for the empress is that if the prince is really confused, it’s fine. But what does the prince want to send Shou Ninghou away? Isn’t it obvious that the one who really loves and cares is Shou Ninghou, but just sit idly by? You and the little prince accompanied him to the underworld?! Your empress has been worrying for many years, the prince gave life to the eldest son of his first wife, but left death to you and the little prince, are you willing?"

"Now you have made a decision, but you are sacrificing the prince to preserve the mansion. Speaking of it, the prince has no way out, you just try to protect the palace as much as possible, and save the prince's posthumous name, don't you?"

Lu's heart was pounding, she felt her thoughts were boiling, and she didn't know what she was thinking for a while, she just asked subconsciously: "If...the name behind the prince...is it true...?"

"Your Majesty is benevolent." The maid smiled, leaned close to her ear, and said softly, "It's just like the Ji family, how can there be less honor? What a nonsense Your Highness Princess Minghui is, isn't she still doing golden branches and jade leaves? Your Majesty is tired of it." Yes, an old man like the regent has always been ignorant, so how could he anger the innocent young prince? If the regent is gone now, His Majesty will feel sorry for the young prince who lost his father's protection at such a young age. The grace of your orphans and widowed mothers? Don't forget that His Majesty was also an orphan and widowed mother who came to the Imperial Capital back then, as the saying goes, how could His Majesty not show mercy?"

Mrs. Lu opened her mouth slightly, and her expression was blurred by the dense white mist. After a while, she gasped and said, "You...you step back! I'll think about it carefully!"