bayedsolid Chapter 293: Past Events [1]
Chapter 293: Past Events [1]
Shen Yijie looked at the floor tiles, thinking about what else he didn't know about the Xu family. He was also wondering what had happened that made the empress dowager change her mind.
The Queen Mother's return now means that she still has the key evidence in the Xu family case that Xu Yuan does not have.
But she didn't take it out more than 20 years ago, so why did she take it out today?
You know, the Queen Mother and Xu Yuan's grandmother were close friends. Even after the Queen Mother entered the palace, the two of them never lost contact.
At this moment, Shen Yichuan didn't know what to say and could only remain silent.
Only Xu Yuan and Bei Yu looked at the Queen Mother at the same time.
The Queen Mother said, "Unless the old man of the Xu family comes back to life, no one can explain what happened today except me. But more than 20 years have passed, and it has long become an old story. Just treat it as a story."
The Queen Mother was old and didn't like standing for long periods of time, so she found a chair and sat down.
Bei Yu wanted to say something, but the empress dowager looked at him, so he had to stop and swallow his words.
The Queen Mother said, "The Xu family is an old official of the previous dynasty. For dozens of generations before them, they were all well-known and meritorious officials. At the end of the previous dynasty, the emperor was absurd, and the people were living in misery. The ancestor of the Bei family rose up in rebellion. Upon hearing the news, the Xu family immediately joined them and, together with their ancestor, established the Tianqi Empire."
"After Tianqi was founded, the Xu family submitted to the emperor and was willing to assist the Tianqi Bei family. At the same time, in order to prevent the Xu family from seizing power, the Bei family and the Xu family made an agreement that the descendants of the Xu family could not enter the palace, could not become concubines, and could not cause trouble to the government. This agreement was passed down orally until now. I should have told the emperor, but the Xu family is gone, so the agreement is invalid."
Xuyuan had never heard of this agreement.
I guess even her father Xu Wenxian doesn’t know.
Bei Yu said: "Since there is such an agreement, why did my brother marry the daughter of the Xu family?"
"This matter has to start with the life experience of the late emperor." As the Queen Mother spoke, her eyes dimmed.
"Although the late emperor was not born of a legitimate wife, his mother was the most favored concubine in the harem. She was even gradually replacing me. It was precisely because of her favor that she died in the power struggle at a young age. Your father wanted to pass the throne to your brother, but he had no reason to do so. So, he thought of registering him under my name, so that he would be considered a half-legitimate prince."
"I was the empress at that time. Although I didn't like the late emperor, I couldn't bear to treat a child who had lost his mother harshly. I wasn't too warm to him, but I wasn't too cold to him either. He grew up day by day, and his desire for power became stronger and stronger. At the same time, your father's health also had problems, so the matter of appointing a crown prince could not be delayed."
"The court officials are divided into two groups on this matter. The group headed by your father wants to make Beimin the crown prince because he is the eldest son. The other group, led by Prime Minister Xu, insists on making you the crown prince instead of the eldest son."
After the Queen Mother finished speaking, she looked at Bei Yu.
Bei Yu reacted belatedly and said immediately, "How could it be? I had no relationship with the Xu family at that time, so how could the Xu family..."
"This is what makes the Xu family so praised. The Xu family is loyal to Tianqi, but not to the Bei family, because in their eyes, the most important thing is the common people. The reason why the Xu family opposes the establishment of Beimin is also very simple, because Beimin likes to fight. Facts have proved that the old man of the Xu family has a good eye for people."
Bei Yu was silent.
What the Queen Mother said was true, Beimin was warlike, especially after he ascended the throne.
Immediately choose to go to war against Geshu.
In the end, he also died in that war.
If Beimin had not died, it would not have been his turn to sit on the throne.
But Beiyu could never have imagined how everything would turn out like this.
"The Xu family has many students, and Prime Minister Xu is old. Your father was at a loss and thought he could just delay it for a day. But your brother couldn't sit still. He went to the Xu family to propose marriage even though he knew Xu Xi was already engaged. He kept saying that he would not marry anyone but you, and it caused a lot of trouble in the capital."
"It is also because of this that Mr. Xu has another plan in mind. The Xu family cannot marry into the royal family. If Beimin insists on marrying, he will not be able to sit on the throne. But Beimin doesn't know this and feels complacent that he has been recognized by the Xu family."
"Like Beimin, the ministers in the court were also unaware of this. When they saw that the Xu family and the Shen family had broken off their engagement and married their daughter into the palace, they immediately wrote a letter to request that Beimin be made the crown prince. On one hand, there was the generations-old agreement between the two families, and on the other hand, there was the eldest son whom they loved and relied on. Your father, the emperor, ultimately chose Beimin. He made Beimin the crown prince with lightning speed, disregarding the agreement between the two families."
"Just like that, Prime Minister Xu, who thought he was doing it for Tianqi's own good, made the most wrong decision of his life. Beimin also knew the truth about the Xu family's daughter's marriage, but he would not tell it because, at that time, he was still immature and could not possibly go against the Xu family. So, he planned something else."
Shen Yijie said: "Slandering the Xu family for treason."
As soon as Shen Yijie finished speaking, several people in the hall looked at Shen Yijie.
Including making a wish.
She has always known about Shen Yijie and Xu Xi's marriage.
It was because the Xu family broke off the engagement that Xu Ze and Shen Yifeng got married.
But it was not until today that Xu Yuan knew why the Xu family broke off the engagement.
Then when did Shen Yijie know about it?
Shen Yijie said: "The marriage between the Xu and Shen families has also been passed down from generation to generation. The late queen and I grew up together, but family and national affairs always come first. So when the late queen came to cancel the engagement, I couldn't refuse, but I never thought that this would change the fate of the Xu family."
"That's right. Bei Min thought Xu Xi's marriage into the royal family was the beginning of his natural ascension to the throne, but he never imagined that it was a last resort by the Xu family to remove his power. Old Master Xu thought that a marriage would end Bei Min's fantasy of the throne, but he never imagined that for your father, a verbal agreement was not as important as the only child of his beloved concubine."
"With no opposition from the ministers in the court and the support of your father, Beimin ascended the throne smoothly and began to think about annexing the surrounding small countries. At first, he would ask Prime Minister Xu for his opinion, but later, he simply stopped asking and sent troops directly. The grudge between him and the Xu family became deeper and deeper with each expedition, until Beimin was ready to attack Geshu."
"Geshu is a grassland tribe that has always advocated peace and has never had conflicts with foreign nations. Therefore, Mr. Xu strongly opposed Beimin's sending troops. At that time, Xu Xi was giving birth. Beimin might have wanted to use Xu Xi to threaten Mr. Xu to give in. But Prime Minister Xu's words that Xu Xi had nothing to do with the Xu family put Beimin off the idea and bluntly said that if Beimin dared to send troops, he would run into a wall and die in the meeting hall."
"Mr. Xu is the Queen's father and the Prime Minister. Bei Min naturally doesn't dare to force Mr. Xu to death, so he compromised temporarily and privately accelerated the pace of slandering the Xu family for treason."