"It was the Ai family who asked him to bring you here." A woman replied in a voice.

Zhu Cheng turned his head and saw an old woman in the palace dress standing at the door of the palace. He looked closely and found that it was Concubine Zheng, who was still glorious and luxurious. He hadn't seen her for a few years, and her hair was already snowing. Look at this towering and solemn palace, and a plaque hanging high at the door: Cining Palace.

Zhu Cheng felt sympathy in his heart. This woman, this strong woman, has reached the twilight years of her life. Her previous king's career was full of infatuation and hopes were like flowing water without traces. She lost the person she loved and could not see her children and grandchildren, so she could only live alone in the palace.

Although Concubine Zheng was hostile to Zhu Changluo before, after Zhu Cheng's handling, her relationship with Zhu Youxiao and Zhu Youjian had greatly eased and she had helped herself a lot. Thinking of this, Zhu Cheng smiled and said, "I have long wanted to come to the palace to greet the imperial concubine, but I have never had time. I don't want to work for the emperor to issue an imperial edict."

Concubine Zheng smiled bitterly and said, "You are all busy. It's been more than half a year. I haven't seen anyone alone."

As he said that, Concubine Zheng turned around and walked into the hall with a dragon-headed crutch. Zhu Cheng snatched forward a few steps and helped Concubine Zheng into the hall.

Concubine Zheng struggled to sit down on a cushioned chair. Before she could speak, tears couldn't stop flowing down. Zhu Cheng stood in front of her at a loss, not knowing how to persuade her.

After a while, Concubine Zheng forced herself to stop her sad voice and said, "Brother Cheng, do you think people have souls after death?"

Zhu Cheng thought for a while and said, "Maybe there is."

Concubine Zheng said, "Then why didn't Brother Jun come to me?"

Brother Jun is the name of Zhu Yijun, Emperor Wanli.

Zhu Cheng doesn't know how to answer.

Concubine Zheng didn't wait for his answer at all, and then said, "My favorite time is at night. When I fall asleep, I can dream of him. But in my dream, he is always very far away from me. I want to touch him, but I can't touch him."

When Zhu Cheng heard this, he felt sad. He was a soft-hearted person. Besides, in recent years, he saw Wanli and Concubine Zheng’s deep love. After Emperor Wanli accepted him as his grandson, he treated Concubine Zheng as his grandmother.

Speaking of Wanli, Concubine Zheng's face shone brightly and said in a dream: "I still remember when I was 14 years old, I was selected into the palace and was picking flowers. He came and hugged me. I don't know who he was, and slapped him, but he said the slap was so fragrant. I smelled my hand and just picked the rose, and it was a bit of a fragrance. From then on, he became my heaven, everything about me. I wanted the moon in the sky. He thought for a long time, brought a basin of water and told me that the moon was here. I knocked the water over him, and he was not angry. He just hugged me and wiped my face as a towel..."

When Zhu Cheng heard the love history between his grandfather and grandma, he was a little embarrassed, but he was inconvenient to leave.

Concubine Zheng suddenly grabbed Zhu Cheng's hand and said, "Brother Cheng, you are his grandson. Can you help me with something?"

Zhu Cheng said: "You said, grandson is listening."

Concubine Zheng said anxiously: "I haven't had a few years of life anymore. I just want to be buried with him after my death. Can you help me?"

Zhu Cheng was a little embarrassed and said, "The Ming Dynasty stipulates that only the queen can be buried in the same tomb with the emperor. Grandma is just an imperial concubine, so it may be difficult."

Zhu Cheng remembers historical records that Concubine Zheng’s tomb was located in Yinquan Mountain in the Ming Dynasty’s Thirteen Tombs Mausoleum Area. Although her tomb has a grand rule and many ground buildings, it is far beyond other burial tombs, but it is indeed the same as her beloved man.

Concubine Zheng said: "I know that only the queen is qualified to be buried beside the emperor, but before Brother Jun's trip, he left a will and posthumously named me as the queen."

Zhu Cheng sighed: "The late emperor was in conflict with the ministers during his lifetime. The imperial edict could not be left at the palace gate and was always granted the title by the cabinet. After his death, the ministers refused to listen to him even more. Emperor Guangzong Zhen once mentioned the late emperor's will, but the ministers all expressed their opposition, and the matter was left to nothing."

Concubine Zheng said, "Can the Ai family be separated from him in this life?"

Speaking of this, Concubine Zheng burst into tears.

Suddenly, Concubine Zheng knelt in front of Zhu Cheng with a "pitch". Zhu Cheng did not dare to accept her gift, and also knelt down at Concubine Zheng with a "pitch".

Concubine Zheng was also in a hurry to seek medical treatment. The only thing she could rely on now was Zhu Cheng.

When Zhu Cheng saw that Concubine Zheng could not get up, he was shocked and hurriedly shouted to his left and right: "You are blind, why don't you help the emperor up quickly."

The two eunuchs hurried forward and wanted to help Concubine Zheng up.

Concubine Zheng struggled hard and said, "I can't get up. If Brother Cheng doesn't agree to me, I can't get up."

Although the two eunuchs were in their prime, Concubine Zheng was desperate and could not pull them up for a while. The golden hairpin on Concubine Zheng's head fell all over the floor.

Zhu Cheng shouted: "If Grandma Huang doesn't stand up, I won't agree."

When Concubine Zheng heard this, she asked in disbelief: "If I stand up, will you agree, Brother Cheng?"

Zhu Cheng smiled bitterly and said, "Do I dare not agree?"

Concubine Zheng had recovered her sanity. Seeing that Zhu Cheng was still kneeling, she said, "Brother Cheng, you should be calm."

Zhu Cheng said: "Let me kneel for a while. Today, this matter is about to spread. Even if I have nine heads, I will not be enough to cut it."

Concubine Zheng was a little guilty and said, "Today, the Ai family has lost their composure. Brother Cheng, don't be disgusted. But you said you promised me, but what can I do to help me?"

Zhu Cheng said: "The emperor faces two major obstacles to be granted the title of queen, one is the emperor and the other is the minister."

Concubine Zheng nodded slightly.

Zhu Cheng continued: "The emperor's side is mainly caused by Grandma Huang himself... the evil made by Grandma Huang. Grandma Huang wanted his son King Fu to ascend the throne, which was a lot of blow to Emperor Guangzong Zhen. Now he was out of school since childhood. Although it was because of Li Xuan, the attendant of the Western Palace, at least half of the reason lies with you. Fortunately, I have been transferred from the passage, and your relationship with the emperor has eased. It was also caused by the emperor's later study."

Concubine Zheng said, "Yes, Li Xuanshi refused to let Zhu Youxiao go to school at that time. I sent someone to criticize her for a few words, and she reluctantly let it go."

Zhu Cheng said: "However, the emperor still holds a little hatred for you. In the past six months, the emperor has never visited you no matter what festival. Alas, the memories of childhood are always indelible."

Concubine Zheng said: "Then how can we make the emperor not object to my title of queen?"

Zhu Cheng said: "There was no way, but fortunately, the late emperor was kind and left a chance. The late emperor was like a kind parent, and distributed his family property to every child evenly. He gave Emperor Zhen of Guangzong, but gave the Fu King's Neiku. It is said that when King Fu King was named, the inner treasury was empty. Emperor Zhen of Guangzong did not observe that the inner treasury was empty, and he paid a lot of money to reward the Liaodong defenders. He spent all his income in recent years, and the inner treasury is still empty now."

Concubine Zheng trembled and said, "You mean..."

Zhu Cheng said: "Yes, I want King Fu to take out the money and land to clear the obstacles to the queen for Grandma."

Concubine Zheng said in a trembling voice: "How much do you want?"

Zhu Cheng said: "Half of the property and 80% of the land are no longer collected. The tax rights are given to the court and no longer required salt intake."

The Ming Dynasty was destroyed in Wanli. This sentence refers to the fact that Wanli gave King Fu too much land and taxes, especially the 1,300 Huai salt, which affected the national economy and people's livelihood, and even the border guards and military salaries. The consequences were extremely serious. Today, taking advantage of the opportunity of Concubine Zheng's rush to be the queen, Zhu Cheng wanted her to hand it over on his own initiative.

Concubine Zheng gritted her teeth and said, "Isn't this going to force me Xun'er to death?"

Zhu Cheng said: "Grandma, please calm down the thunderous anger, and listen to my grandson's words. Do you know how much of Fu King's family property is now? How many officials, gentry and people covet your son's property? Do you know? The Ming Dynasty did not allow the foreign king to raise soldiers. He walked in a downtown area like a child carrying gold, which would inevitably lead to disaster. Besides, the Fu King had a total of 20,000 hectares of land, which had occupied most of the fertile land in Henan, and even used the fertile land in Shandong and Huguang to supplement the fertile land. The court could not collect taxes, so what would you use to support the people? The people had no food to eat, and they would rebel and rushed into the Fu King's Mansion. It would be difficult to die at that time. As for taxes and salt, these ministers in the court had already attacked them in groups. They would have to pay them sooner or later. It would be better to pay them early than to pay them later and try to take the initiative. In fact, you can calculate yourself, and the remaining property is enough for the Fu King's family to pass on for generations."

Concubine Zheng fell on the chair. She just wanted to fight for more benefits for her son, but she didn't expect the consequences to be so serious. She murmured: "Can I return all the benefits I have fought for for my son to the court?"

Zhu Cheng said: "The more you fight for King Fu, the tighter the noose around King Fu's neck."

Concubine Zheng said, "Does the emperor want to attack his uncle?"

Zhu Cheng said: "The emperor will never touch his uncle. It is the officials and the people who want to be detrimental to King Fu."

Concubine Zheng burst into tears and said, "Zhu Cheng, you want to save Xun'er!"

Zhu Cheng replied affirmatively: "Grandma, Zhu Yousong and I are good friends. With me here, we will definitely keep the emperor's family safe for a lifetime."

Concubine Zheng said: "If I ask Xun'er to hand over the property, will it not necessarily make me the Empress Dowager?"

Zhu Cheng said: "If you can't be the Empress Dowager, you will return the original items."

Hearing Zhu Cheng's promise, Concubine Zheng gritted her teeth and said, "Okay, the Ai family will take charge of Xun'er."

Zhu Cheng said: "Grandma, the second obstacle to your title of queen is the ministers. These ministers are quarrel with you in the matter of "fighting for the foundation of the country". Time has changed. King Fu will no longer threaten His Majesty's throne. I will deal with it again. The ministers should not have much objection to your title of queen."

Concubine Zheng took Zhu Cheng's hand and said, "Brother Cheng, the Ai family depends entirely on you..."

Zhu Chengxin said, "Don't depend on me, I can't rely on it. You'd better pray that Emperor Wanli can bless me in heaven to persuade the two brothers Zhu Youjian and Zhu Youxiao. The descendants of the old Zhu family are very stubborn. If A Jian really disagrees with you to be the queen, I have to break my promise to you."

Zhu Cheng took the four treasures of the study and asked Concubine Zheng to leave a document.

Concubine Zheng also read the pen and ink well and wrote the documents immediately. Zhu Cheng blew the ink dry and put the documents in his arms.

In fact, it is relatively simple to convince Zhu Youxiao. He is a pragmatist and knows that money is hard to come by. He knows that as long as he gives Concubine Zheng a false reputation, he can get a fortune of thousands of yuan. With Wei Zhongxian's instigation, he will immediately agree.

The most difficult thing is to convince Zhu Youjian, because Zhu Youjian was not in charge and did not know that the firewood and rice were expensive, so he might not be able to let go of his hatred when he was young. Originally, the matter of enthroning the queen had nothing to do with Zhu Youjian, but Zhu Youjian was Zhu Cheng's brother, and Zhu Cheng would never do anything to be sorry for his brother, so persuading Zhu Youjian became the most urgent task to help the poor old woman realize her wish.
Chapter completed!