Zhao Bohu was looking at it with interest when he suddenly heard a timid female voice behind him: "My lord, my sister asked me to bring this hand stove to warm your hands. It's cold, so you'd better close the window! Be careful of catching a cold."

Zhao Bohu turned around, and Meng Ji was standing timidly behind him holding a small brass hand stove, his delicate face flushed with shyness. He smiled slightly, closed the window quickly, and asked casually: "Madam, are you okay?"

?"

"Everything is fine, sister. You asked me to serve the Duke." Meng Ji handed over the hand stove and picked up the copper fire tongs to add charcoal to the cauldron.

"My wife has just given birth and needs more rest these days. If you can, you can help her with household matters. Especially the fourth prince. The weather is suddenly cold, so you must take good care of her."

A warm color flashed across Meng Ji's face, and she agreed repeatedly. It was rare that her husband was in a good mood today. After talking to her for a long time, she became bolder. She asked with a strong look: "Is the king's illness the Duke of the country?"

Worried?"

After King Zhou Yi rode alone to the underground palace of the king's mausoleum that night, he was unsurprisingly caught by wind and cold. He had been ill for several days and only got better yesterday. Zhao Bohu looked calm: "That's not true. The prince is pure and filial, and he is on the king's bed.

I have been serving him untied for several days, and the king's fever has subsided. I have been able to eat some soup since last night, so I think it will be okay."

"No wonder the Duke is in a good mood today ------" Meng Ji was about to say a few words, but suddenly his uncle rushed in: "My Lord, an urgent silk letter came from the south, please ask the Duke

Let me read it."

Zhao Bohu took the silk book and glanced at it hurriedly. The more he looked at it, his face became darker and darker, and he said in a low voice: "Prepare the car, I want to go to the palace to see you!"

In the curtain of the main hall, Zhao Bohu presented a silk book to King Zhou Yi who was half lying on the couch. Ji Xie only glanced at it and felt a little dizzy. He put it aside and said: "Ai Qing, please tell me, I will read it alone."

No words."

"No!" Zhao Bohu said slowly: "The news came from the country that the Huaiyi tribe has been ready to move since autumn, recruiting troops and gathering troops. It seems that there is an attempt to attack Luoyi again."

"What?" King Zhou Yi stood up half straight: "Why did the Marquis of Sui come to deliver the message? What did E Yu Fang do? He is closer to Huai Yi, and the reason for sealing him in E is to let him defend the Central Plains.

Doesn't he understand that he serves as a barrier between the Central Plains and the Huaiyi and Chu barbarians? Is he a dead person?"

Xu Shi was impatient, and Ji Xie started to cough. The chamberlain Jia kept rubbing his back, and then he regained his breath. Zhao Bohu said: "Your Majesty, take care, and listen to me. Huaiyi will definitely do this for the Marquis of E."

Yes, you know it, but your Majesty also knows that for several generations, the E Kingdom and the Huai Yi Kingdom have been very close to each other. Their bones and tendons are broken. If not for this, why did King Wu not take the E Kingdom with him when he conquered the merchants?

The purpose of the country's control of the country is to sit on the wall and look at both sides. If we don't try to appease them, let alone relying on the country of Hubei to stop the Huaiyi soldiers from attacking the Central Plains, it will be difficult even to expect them to help each other."

"Then what should I do? Should I ask Gu to give him the Tonglushan Mountain? How can I explain it to Sui Hou? They are from the same clan as my Ji surname, not those with different surnames from the country of Hubei." Ji Xie was angry, remembering the last time Hubei controlled the country.

I felt disgusted by the aggressive attitude when I entered Beijing.

Zhao Bohu seemed to have made up his mind, and slowly raised his sleeves and said: "Your Majesty, I heard that the Marquis of E wanted to send his niece to serve in the palace, but he was rejected by the King. Is this possible?"

"Yes. Gu not only rejected E Yufang, but also rejected Jihou's invitation. What's more, what E Yufang wanted was a marriage, not a concubine for Gu. Apart from Ah Ji, Gu didn't want to make any other woman his wife.

After all, they are not worthy either." Ji Xie's words contained a sense of sadness.

"Your Majesty, the control of Hubei is no better than that of Jihou! The two countries of Ji and Qi were at odds with each other, so they had to rely on the king's power to protect themselves; but the country of Hubei was different. During the reign of King Xianmu, Huaiyi rebelled and once reached the Yellow River, if not

The Weihan Road suddenly froze, and they almost failed to break into Haojing. If the E country fought hard to resist, how could Huaiyi fight so smoothly? Your Majesty, Huaiyi often have a rebellious spirit, so they should not take it lightly. This is exactly what happened.

It’s a chance of life and death for the Great Zhou Dynasty!”

King Zhou Yi calmed down and had to say that Zhao Bohu's words made sense. However, did he really want him to appoint the daughter of the E family as his successor? Zhao Bohu looked at King Yi's face nervously, with mixed feelings in his heart.

At present, Duke Zhao of Zhou, who was a minister of the Shangqing State during the Middle Ages, has automatically stepped aside due to the affairs of the queen. He is the only one who has the trust of the King of Zhou and his son. Every move, word and deed is related to the rise and fall of the dynasty. He feels the burden on his shoulders all the time.

How heavy!

After a long time, I finally heard the long sigh of King Zhou Yi, full of desolate helplessness: "The decree is passed to pardon Concubine E and leave the cold palace. She will be named as his successor and given the queen's seal. However, she is not allowed to enter the middle palace and still lives in Xuan.

In Ning Palace, princes, princes and concubines do not need to perform the rituals of a legitimate mother to them. If someone dies one day, they will be buried alone, and they are not allowed to be buried alone in the royal tomb."

Such a queen is just a false name. If the governor of Hubei knew what was going on, he would not be satisfied. But there was no other way. Zhao Bohu knew that this was the biggest concession for the king of Zhou, so he could not push it too much.

He asked cautiously: "Then------according to the etiquette, after the new registration is established, you need to report it to the Ancestral Temple to offer sacrifices. This matter------"

"Gu is not feeling well, you can go and take Gu's place." King Zhou Yi was impatient, so Zhao Bohu had no choice but to leave.

Zhao Bohu had just stepped out of the hall with heavy steps when he saw Prince Ji Hu standing under the veranda. His face was ashen, his fists were clenched tightly, and the twelve-year-old boy's eyebrows were thick and straight, and his eyes were blazing with anger.

burning.

No, this child must have heard the conversation between the monarch and his ministers just now. Before Zhao Bohu could think of how to speak, Ji Hu spoke first: "I just delivered medicine to my father, and I heard everything the young master said.

"

Zhao Bohu was speechless for a moment, only to hear Ji Hu continue to say: "Young Master is a minister, and he and my mother are just acquaintances, that's all. But my father---hasn't he been thinking about my mother all the time? Why should I choose to do this?

How about making the woman who killed her his queen? Has he ever thought about me?"

With tears hanging from the corners of his eyes, the young man shouted loudly: "He thought it was just a false name. You all think it doesn't matter, but who has thought about it for me? Concubine Eci has become my father's stepmother. When I see her in the future, I have to call her mother."

, I have to fulfill my filial piety. How wronged must I be?"

Zhao Bohu didn't know what was going on, so he rushed up and took the young man into his arms, caressing his back and comforting him in a low voice: "Prince, I know you have been wronged. For the sake of the stability of the Great Zhou Dynasty, there is nothing we can do about it."

ah------"

Ji Hu buried his head in Zhao Bohu's arms and kept sobbing, as if he wanted to pour out all the grievances he had suffered during this period. At this point, he smelled a faint scent of sandalwood, which was the scent of sandalwood that he had felt since his enlightenment.

The smell that he often smelled made him feel at ease and gradually calmed down------

Half a month later, King Zhou Yi's edict to establish a new queen was announced to the world. E Shi was pardoned, stayed in Xuanning Palace, was given the queen's seal, and was named queen. As soon as the news came out, the country of E was filled with joy.

The governor of Ehou expressed his gratitude and vowed to be loyal to the Zhou Dynasty to repay the king's kindness. The commotion in Huaiyi gradually stopped.

Inside the palace of Hogyeong, it was a different scene. Along with the edict after the book was delivered, there was also an oral edict from the King of Yi, Jia, the chamberlain, who went to the palace to announce the edict, stating that the princes, princes and concubines did not need to go to greet the new queen every day, but only paid their respects on important days.

Just go ahead as ordered by the King of Zhou. Although the concubines still have to follow the system of greeting the queen every day, the problem is that the only high-ranking concubine in the palace now is the crazy Meng Jiang. This system is in name only.

As a result, everyone in the harem knew that Queen E was just a queen in the false name. Except for the treatment in food and clothing, she could not really exercise power in the palace. The harem was full of people who worshiped the superiors and despised the inferiors.

As time went by, E-sun's life gradually became less easy.

That's all. E-Shang knew in her heart that King Zhou Yi didn't want to see her, but there was one thing that couldn't be tolerated. According to the "Rites of Zhou", the appointment of a queen was a major event that required the temple to worship the ancestors, and the King of Zhou needed to accompany her.

The queen went to the Ancestral Temple, sacrificed three animals and told the ancestors of heaven and earth to know. In this way, the ancestors of the Zhou Dynasty recognized this daughter-in-law and completed all the procedures. However, the appointment was issued for many days, but King Zhou Yi was still unwilling to carry out this ceremony.

Ancestor worship ceremony. If the ceremony is not held, E-Shan's position as queen will become illegal. She is on pins and needles about this.

I can't remember how many times I came to the main hall to invite him, but the chamberlain Jia still came out to block him, and he still said the same thing: "The king is ill, and the ceremony will be discussed later. Please go back to the palace."

E-shang was unwilling to give in: "The king is ill, and I don't dare to force it. Can you please ask the prince or Duke Zhao to preside over it on your behalf?"

The face of the chamberlain Jia darkened: "How important is the ceremony for the Queen of Hubei, how can it be trivial? Don't lie, Queen of Hubei!"

How dare a chamberlain dare to show such a face to the empress of a country? E-sun came back angrily once again, and the palace maids beside her were newly assigned to wait on her. Due to the death of Fanji, the vitality of the harem was greatly damaged, and some new people had to be replaced outside.

, the nearby lords and princes also donated some people. This palace maid named Shuju was forced to send it by Yangzi.

The uncle was young but very discerning. Seeing the gloomy look on his master's face, he hurriedly tried to comfort her: "My queen, don't worry, your Majesty's decree has been given, and everyone in the world knows about it. Even if the ceremony is not held, who dares not to admit it?"

Are you the queen?"

E-shang smiled bitterly: "How do you understand? The relationship between the king and me has ended, and naming me as the queen is just a temporary measure. In order to appease my brother and subdue the Huaiyi tribe, how can you sincerely appoint me as the queen? I'm afraid that things will go wrong.

My position as a junior will also be taken back."

She suddenly stood up, looked south, and said leisurely: "Now, no matter the nobles or commoners in the country of E, everyone with the surname Ji is proud to be the mother of the country. They have a dazzling appearance, but I bear the pain inside." Leng Gong.

Isn’t she bearing the pain of being claustrophobic and being swallowed red flower soup? As a woman, she gave everything for the honor of her mother’s family, but what did she gain?
Chapter completed!