As the only princess born from the Zhou family of the late Empress Dowager and the biological sister of Xianzong's mother, Princess Chongqing was favored by both Chenghua and Hongzhi dynasties, and she could be said to be the most noble princess in the world at that time.

Prince Consort Zhou Jing came from a scholarly family and loved reading. He was deeply favored by the Emperor Xianzong and often accompanied him in his retinue. He was in charge of the clan's residence and enjoyed an unparalleled reputation.

Zhou Xian has been in and out of the court since he was a child, and his magnanimity is far beyond the comparison of the nouveau riche Qingyun Hou and the descendants of the Changning brothers. Zhou Xian also looks down on the domineering behavior of these two uncles and their relatives.

In the eighth and twelfth years of Hongzhi's reign, the prince-in-law and the eldest princess passed away one after another. Zhou Xian gradually distanced himself from his uncle's family by observing filial piety.

Especially after the death of the Empress Dowager Zhou in the 17th year of Hongzhi, the Zhou family did not restrain themselves at all, and Zhou Xian became more and more distant from the two families.

Although they move around less, they are still related by blood, and it is impossible to completely separate them. Moreover, there are always a few cousins ​​with whom they have a good relationship. If they really want to come to him, he will not refuse them all at once.

Today, Zhou Xian was invited out by Zhou Shi, saying it was for a drink, but actually he wanted to ask for something.

Zhou Xian said hello to Zhang Hui and several others. He had rarely visited the palace since the death of the eldest princess of Chongqing. He did not recognize Liu Zhong, but after all, he had been walking in the palace since he was a child and was very familiar with the palace people. Look.

Based on Liu Zhong's words and deeds and Zhou Shi's attitude, he had already guessed that this was probably an internal official around the young emperor.

It's just that he is not as fawning as Zhou Shi, and he also shows a bit of noble reserve when greeting each other.

Zhou Xian still paid more attention to Shen Rui. Although he was as calm as Shen Rui and never said a superfluous word, he also noticed the details of Zhang Hui, Liu Zhong and Shen Rui's relationship.

Since Zhang Hui and others refused to have a banquet, Zhou Shi couldn't force them to go, so he had to let them go angrily.

Zhang Hui and the other three walked far away, and turned around to see the Zhou family cousins ​​entering a restaurant. Zhang Hui then whispered to Shen Rui: "Don't look at the late Empress Dowager, Qingyun Marquis, Changning Bo, and the Zhou family are not as good as before, but Zhou Xian

It doesn’t have much influence here, and it’s quite favored by the saints.”

His voice became even lower, almost a whisper, "In early September, the Ministry of War issued an order to investigate military attachés' excessive food intake. The Jinyiwei side was also cut down and downgraded, and Zhou Xian was written at the front of the fold. He was the first to be demoted.

Super, but the emperor was stunned and didn't touch him."

Shen Rui was stunned for a moment, then realized that Zhang Huifeng also knew about the life lawsuit between Shen and Zhou's family. This was a tactful way to tell him that if he wanted to seek revenge from Zhou Xian, he had to consider Brother Shou's attitude.

Shen Rui laughed dumbly and only nodded to show that he understood, but did not say anything. Although Zhang Hui thought too much, he also appreciated the reminder.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the restaurant. The Shen family had to hunker down quietly for now, and wait for the day when the Zhou family and the Zhang family would slowly settle their accounts...

*

Above the restaurant, Zhou Xian also quietly watched Zhang Hui and the others walking through the streets, their figures gradually disappearing into the crowd.

Zhou Shizheng kept talking about how Liu Zhong gained face in front of the emperor, and complained that Zhang Hui had become busy recently and it was difficult to get an appointment. Besides, Shen Rui was observing filial piety now and didn't have much new things to do. It was so strange.

Boring.

Zhou Xian sneered in his heart, Zhang Hui's face was full of impatience, but this stupid cousin didn't see it at all. Why didn't he refuse the date? Wasn't it clear that he wanted to stay away from you?

Zhou Shiyuan is a man without scheming, which is actually very popular among Jin Yiwei, who has a lot of people. Everyone usually prefers his colleagues who are dumber than those who are more thoughtful. But the worst thing is that he has a big mouth and can't keep his words in his heart.

He is so stupid and bold that he dares to say anything.

When the former Empress Dowager Zhou was still alive and Zhou had this golden Buddha as his backer, it didn't matter what happened.

But now that there is no backer, Zhou Shi's flaw will be fatal.

Zhang Hui was frightened away because he heard Zhou Shi's "unobstructed speech". This is a palace, and if Zhou Shi said anything fatal, the people listening could not be guaranteed to be silenced.

Therefore, Zhang Huicai secretly used money to find Shangguan to transfer his duties. He was no longer in the same class as Zhou Shi, and his usual contacts were reduced.

After Yan Yin and the concubine selection incident, Zhang Hui wanted to stay far away from the Zhou family.

In fact, Zhou Shi was not completely stupid. Since the death of Empress Dowager Zhou, no matter how careless and heartless he was, he could still feel the changes in the attitude of the people around him towards him.

But he himself did not know the real crux of the problem. He only thought that everyone in the world was snobbish and had a sense of the coldness of human nature and the coldness of the world.

When Zhou Jiayan caused trouble, Brother Shou rarely asked him to accompany him, and his good friends in the past were gradually drifting away. Zhou Shi also became anxious. In addition, as he got older, he also became more and more knowledgeable about managing connections.

is important, so I chose a "good-tempered" buddy like Zhang Hui.

"Already the emperor knew the heir of the late Minister of Finance?" Zhou Xian looked away and fiddled with his chopsticks while serving food on the table, as if he asked unintentionally.

Zhou Shi originally came to look for Zhou Xian on other matters, but now that he met these three people, he couldn't help but seek advice from his cousin, who had always been close to him: "Yes, I met the late emperor when he went out to play in the palace.

.Although Shen Rui is young, he can play many tricks, which is very fun. Brother Xian, tell me, should I also look for some fun things?"

However, he could not recall at all that there was a human life between the Shen family and the Prince Consort's Mansion.

Zhou Xian's eyes were dim and incomprehensible, and he only said lightly: "When the emperor was in the East Palace, it was okay to have fun. Now that he is in charge of the world and has many things to do, it's better to put fun aside."

Seeing Zhou Shi's unconcerned look, Zhou Xian sighed inwardly and said in a more serious tone, "Don't think what I said is just clichés. You are not a child anymore and you are on duty in the palace. You should pay more attention to the court."

The elders are currently focusing on the emperor's studies, and they are most jealous of those who lead the emperor to play, so don't bump into them!"

Zhou Shi agreed in his heart, but he couldn't help but said sternly: "Why don't I know about Chao Shang? A few days ago, Chao Shang was making a fuss about Shen Rui and his second uncle being dismissed from office. Brother Xian, you

Let’s just say that Shen Rui and his second uncle have bad moral character, but Shen Rui still managed to catch the emperor’s eye and work with Zhang Hui

, and Eunuch Liu! - Brother Xian, you don’t know that this little Eunuch Liu is the person closest to the emperor now. Eunuch Liu, Eunuch Liu, Jin Liu, and his companions can’t stay with the emperor as long as he does in a day. You said Shen Rui

Why are you getting close to them? You are just trying to coax the emperor to have fun!"

Zhou Xian's eyes flashed, and then he lowered his eyelids and said calmly: "Everyone has his own destiny. It is his destiny that he got the emperor's attention. Your family's situation is different now. If you listen to me, then work as a servant in a down-to-earth manner.

, don’t think about it.”

Zhou Shi is the grandson of Zhou Yu, the uncle of Chang Ning, and Zhou Yu is a tougher existence than his brother Zhou Shou. He has always been unscrupulous. During the Hongzhi period, he once confronted Zhang Heling for seizing the farm. The slaves of the two families traded weapons with each other.

After a fight, the lawsuit was brought before Emperor Hongzhi, who had to fight each other forty times to resolve it.

With a grandfather like Zhou Yu who could cause trouble, and without the protection of the Empress Dowager, Zhou Shi could not learn to behave with his tail between his legs in the palace, so sooner or later someone would find an excuse to fix him.

Today's little emperor is not as kind a person as the late emperor.

Looking at the matter of Yan Yin, it was just a slap in the face, and looking at the checks and balances in the matter of selecting the concubine, it was already trying to manipulate the Zhou family and the Zhang family.

Zhou Xian also heard reports from his servants that the Zhou family and Zhang family's farms have not been completely cleared up. They are masters who are unwilling to suffer losses, and conflicts will inevitably arise again later.

Seeing that Zhou Shi was not one to listen to advice, Zhou Xian also knew Zhou Shi's character well, so he didn't say much, and thought in his mind that it would be better to stay away from Zhou Shi in the recent period.

The meal was tasteless and ended hastily. Zhou Shi asked Zhou Xian for two things, but Zhou Xian was vague and did not agree.

After they parted, Zhou Xian returned home and called his confidants and staff to the study.

"Today I met the heir of Shen Shangshu's family." Zhou Xian looked solemn. "He was meeting with Zhang Hui, the second son of the British Duke, and the little Eunuch Liu next to the emperor. I heard from Zhou Shi that the emperor had already I recognize him and we used to play together."

The steward was the first to react. It was this steward who took care of Zhou Mao's "drunken drowning" incident. He was a little surprised and said: "How did he climb to such a high branch? Could it be that his father-in-law Yang Ting has a relationship there? This old slave Just send someone to keep an eye on him!"

The staff said: "The students thought that Dong Weng was overly worried. After Shen Cang passed away, the students also paid attention to it. He has some talents and learning, but now he is just a little scholar. It is unknown whether he can win the imperial examination and whether he can pass the imperial examination. The emperor is still young, so he only likes him for fun for a while. You will see in two years, he will be an official, how can he catch the emperor's eyes."

The staff member paused and then said: "The Shen family is in a lot of trouble right now, I'm afraid it won't last long. Moreover, we already gave the Shen family an explanation at the beginning, so don't worry."

In the view of the staff, after Shen Cang passed away, the Shen family had nothing to fear, and the Shen Luo incident had long been settled.

Clan nobles like Zhou Xian knew how important the emperor's favor was, because all their rights and status came from the emperor's favor.

Shen Rui is nothing, but what if it is Shen Rui who is favored by the emperor?

Another little emperor who is still young and has an unpredictable temperament. God knows how far the emperor will support his favorite.

The steward said worriedly: "What Mr. Wu said is true, but after all, this boy has a good wife. Then Yang Tinghe..."

The staff member smiled, somewhat like an outsider, and said: "Yang Tinghe is not as good as the three elders now, so he has no time to take care of this little son-in-law."

But Zhou Xian suddenly asked: "Last time, did it mean that Yang Tinghe's family members confronted the Zhang family in the palace?"

The steward hurriedly replied: "That's what happened. After hearing the news, I sent someone to find out more about it." Then he repeated what happened in the palace that day.

Zhou Xian walked back and forth in the room for a few times and suddenly said: "If I inform the Shen family about what happened that day..."

The staff and housekeeper all changed their expressions and said in unison: "Master, think twice!"

Zhou Xian raised his head and closed his eyes, exhaled deeply, and couldn't help but scold Zhou Mao a thousand times in his heart.

The eldest princess of Chongqing has a very deep relationship with her concubine. Although the concubine has concubines living with her, he treats them and their concubines coldly.

And the eldest princess is so noble, but her concubines and concubines are like mud on the ground, and she doesn't even bother to step on them, for fear of dirtying her shoes.

Of course, the concubines and concubines in Zhou's Prince Consort's Mansion, where the eldest princess is still alive, will not grow up as noble as the concubines and concubines in Zhou's Concubine's Mansion, where the princess died young and was headed by a concubine.

But they are both concubines of the Prince Consort's House, and they are all familiar with each other, so comparisons with each other are inevitable.

That Zhou Mao is a man with hollow eyes and a big heart. He has been envious of Youjiazi's royal guard for many years, and was ignored in the princess's house. He feels that his future is hopeless. When he meets his relatives, people who are not related to the Zhou family and the Zhang family can get it.

Yin Feng can't help but feel the desire to curry favor.

Qingyun Marquis, Chang Ningbo, and the Zhou family were the eldest princess's biological uncles. He knew that it was useless to flatter him, so he concentrated on hugging the Zhang family's thighs.

To this end, they even went so far as to set up a matchmaking process and introduce a sister from the same mother to Zhang Yanling's nephew.

At that time, Zhou's consort had passed away many years ago, and Chun'an's consort had taken over the clan's mansion. The filial piety period for the eldest princess of Chongqing had just passed, and Zhou Xian still had Ding You at home, so the consort's mansion was at its weakest.

At that time, Emperor Hongzhi favored Empress Zhang and the Zhang family in order to consolidate his position as the crown prince. It was at the time when the Zhang family was at its most powerful.

The Zhang family came to the Prince Consort's Mansion to propose marriage in such a big way, knowing that they wanted to use their power to suppress others.

Thinking about it, the Zhang family also wanted to take revenge on Zhou Shou and Zhou Yu for fighting over the farmland.

Zhou Mao's aunt knelt in front of Zhou Xian and cried hard, saying, "Although I am a humble slave, I am the master of the Prince Consort's house and the daughter of the princess. How can a noble person match a country boy with muddy legs!"

Zhou Mao, on the other hand, scolded his aunt for being ignorant, trying hard to smile favorably at Zhou Xian, saying all kinds of flattering words and praising the Zhang family, but his eyes were shining with pride, as if he was saying

What can you, Zhou Xian, do?

Zhou Xian looked at the farce between mother and son and thought to himself, these people all take themselves too seriously, what do they mean by a concubine, a concubine, and a concubine?
To be continued...