Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 842 Shocking every step of the way
Since Zhu Shenzhui had talked about this with Xu Jingqiu today, he naturally had to explain it to her clearly to prevent Xu Jingqiu from falling into danger by accidentally falling into someone else's trap.

The harem is not a peaceful place. Although Xu Jingqiu is smart, she has never lived in such a place. You know, before, whether they were in their hometown or in Yangtou Mountain, they were simple, with only a few people in the family. But now it is different. She is the queen of the Ming Dynasty, and the two princes are also in the palace. No matter from which point of view, it is not too much to be careful.

When Zhu Shenzhui seriously told Xu Jingqiu something about Empress Zhang, Xu Jingqiu's eyes widened with shock.

"Your Majesty means that...back then...the death of the late emperor was related to Empress Zhang? This...this is impossible." Xu Jingqiu originally thought that Zhu Shenzhui only had personal opinions about Zhang Yan, or that he disliked the late emperor's empress, but she didn't expect that what Zhu Shenzhui told her was a shocking event.

"There were many mysteries surrounding the death of the previous emperor, especially the fact that he fell into the water before his death. It was almost the same as the story of Emperor Zhengde who fell into the water and then died of a serious illness. Moreover, both emperors fought fiercely with officials during their reigns, and both died young, and left no offspring. Doesn't this make people suspicious?"

Xu Jingqiu's eyes were filled with astonishment. She couldn't help but asked with her hands covering her mouth, "Even if that's the case, it might just be a coincidence. Why is it related to Empress Zhang? She is the Empress after all!"

"There are some things you don't know. Zhang Yan, that girl... " Zhu Shenzhui whispered about Zhang Yan's origins, her life experience, and her father's background, including some of Zhang Yan's behaviors after entering the palace, and even the causes and consequences of Zhang Yan's miscarriage, including some abnormal behaviors of Emperor Tianqi before he fell into the water, as well as the medical treatment and medication used by Emperor Tianqi after he became ill after falling into the water. After he finished speaking all of this, Xu Jingqiu, who was already shocked, could no longer imagine all of this. She had never expected that such a thing would happen in the world.

Xu Jingqiu had always had a good impression of Zhang Yan. After meeting her, Xu Jingqiu even felt sorry for her. He thought that Zhang Yan, who was about the same age as himself, had become a widow at a young age and had no children. What was the point of a woman having no one to rely on in her life, even if she had a noble status?

But what Zhu Shenzhu said today was beyond Xu Jingqiu's imagination. If what Zhu Shenzhu said was true, then Zhang Yan, a beautiful and weak woman, was really terrible. She could actually kill her own husband. The queen actually attacked the Ming emperor, and she was so cruel. What was she doing? What was she trying to do?

"Your Majesty, according to what you said, Zhang Yan is indeed a suspect, but after all, this is just speculation. As the empress of the late emperor, there is no need for Zhang Yan to do this. Could it be that Your Majesty has a preconceived notion and misunderstood her?" Xu Jingqiu calmed himself down and asked hesitantly.

"I asked Zhang Xijun and the Jinyiwei to investigate the death of the late emperor privately. Wei Zhongxian also had doubts before his death and informed Zhang Xijun. Although there is no solid evidence, Zhang Yan is highly suspected. Especially on the day when the late emperor fell into the water, Zhang Yan was fine, but suddenly found a reason to deliberately avoid it. Not long after she left, another person fell into the water. The two eunuchs who accompanied the late emperor into the water drowned on the spot. The late emperor was rescued even though he could not swim. After that, he fell into the water and became ill for a long time, and his condition became worse and worse. In addition, the inexplicable fairy dew appeared, which really made things full of doubts."

"Your Majesty, do you have any concrete evidence?" Xu Jingqiu asked anxiously.

Zhu Shenzhui shook his head: "The person who could set up this situation must be a very careful person. How could it be easy for people to find evidence? Besides, it has been more than ten years since the incident. The people involved have long since disappeared. It is impossible to track them down."

Xu Jingqiu breathed a sigh of relief and said hesitantly, "Since there is no evidence, it cannot be proved..."

"It doesn't matter whether there is evidence or not!" Zhu Shenzhui interrupted Xu Jingqiu before she could finish her words, "This is not an investigation, so there is no need for evidence. These suspicions are enough. Even if Zhang Yan is not the mastermind, she is probably an accomplice. As for her father, Earl Taikang, he has always been on good terms with the Donglin Party. In addition, the late emperor was attacking Donglin, and Wei Zhongxian suppressed the Donglin Party. If the late emperor had not passed away, the Donglin Party would have been gone long ago. From this point of view, it is reasonable for someone to take the risk."

"Your Majesty, do you suspect that the Donglin Party and the imperial harem colluded to attack the late emperor?" Xu Jingqiu asked in surprise, his eyes full of astonishment.

Zhu Shenzhui nodded and said, "Except for this reason, there is no other suitable possibility. After an event happens, whoever benefits in the end will be the most suspicious."

"Your Majesty, do you want to take action against the Donglin Party?" Xu Jingqiu asked nervously. It was not until today that she discovered that her husband's view of the Donglin Party was actually like this. She had always thought that although Zhu Shenzhu disliked the Donglin Party, he only targeted individuals rather than the group. After all, the current Minister of Rites Qian Qianyi was also a Donglin Party member. Wouldn't Zhu Shenzhu still use him? But she didn't expect that the fact was completely different.

"Take action? I'm not as reckless as the late emperor. The reason why the late emperor ended up like this was that he acted too hastily and acted too aggressively, which brought disaster upon himself. Although I am the emperor now, I am still far from controlling the world. Although the Donglin Party is not strong in the north, it is deeply rooted in the southeast. Once I force my way out, something will definitely happen in the south, which is not a good thing for my Ming Dynasty." "Dividing and disintegrating, and taking it slow is the best strategy, otherwise I would not have appointed Qian Qianyi as the Minister of Rites. With Qian Qianyi in the court, the Donglin Party can be appeased. After we take over the southeast and completely control the world, the Donglin Party will no longer be a threat."

After a pause, Zhu Shenzhui said to Xu Jingqiu, "Zhang Yan is the descendant of the late emperor after all. Since there is no evidence, there is no need to do anything to the current Empress Yi'an. It is okay to have one more person in the harem. Since I can tolerate Zhu Youjian, how can I not tolerate Zhang Yan? You don't need to see Zhang Yan on weekdays. Just send someone to keep an eye on her. You need to take good care of the harem. The people in the palace must be careful and guard against them. Don't be careless."

"I understand, Your Majesty, don't worry, I know what to do." Xu Jingqiu was a smart woman and a decisive woman. Although what Zhu Shenzhu said today had a great impact on her, Xu Jingqiu quickly came to her senses and knew what she should do in the future.

In addition, Xu Jingqiu also understood the real intention of Zhu Shencui's words. Zhu Shencui not only told her these secrets so that she could be prepared in advance, but also told her the dangers of the harem. He also used this incident to explain why Zhu Shencui had been delaying the matter of taking a concubine. Zhu Shencui was worried that another woman like Zhang Yan would appear in the palace.

By the way, Xu Jingqiu suddenly remembered something. One of the nobles who went to the princess to ask the emperor to take a concubine was the Lady of the Earl of Taikang. Zhang Yan's father, Zhang Shizhi, was the Earl of Taikang. Isn't this Lady of the Earl of Taikang Zhang Yan's mother?
What if these nobles went to the princess to tell her about this because Mrs. Tai Kangbo instigated it? Thinking of this, Xu Jingqiu couldn't help but shudder. If she really guessed it, it would be too terrible.

But the problem is that it is not a good idea to keep delaying this matter. As an emperor, Zhu Shenzhui can't have only her in the harem, right? Zhu Shenzhui still has to take concubines. Even if this is delayed, it will only be temporary. This matter must be resolved in the end.

Apart from Zhu Shenzhui, Xu Jingqiu also thought of another serious problem, that is, her eldest son Zhu Minlan is now the crown prince. According to the system, the crown prince gets married at the age of sixteen. Zhu Minlan is less than two years away from turning sixteen. The crown prince's marriage cannot be delayed. This is a big event. As a mother, she has to be careful in choosing the crown princess.

Not only Xu Jingqiu was thinking about this, Zhu Shenzhui was also troubled by it.

Zhu Shenzhui knew in his heart that delay was impossible, and the matter of taking a concubine would eventually be put on the agenda. Even if he was unwilling, the civil and military officials of the court would not force him to take a concubine to enrich his harem.

The same goes for the Crown Princess. It won't be long before someone will come out and bring up this matter, and Zhu Shenzhu won't be able to refuse. So Zhu Shenzhu has considered these two things, but he has never really made up his mind.

The harem of the Ming Dynasty was different from that of other dynasties. In order to win over the nobles at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, including the crown prince and princes and princesses, all married people from noble families. For example, Zhu Yuanzhang's crown prince Zhu Biao married the daughter of Chang Yuchun, the Yongle Emperor Zhu Di married the daughter of Xu Da, and Renzong married the daughter of the commander Zhang Qi. As for Zhu Yuanzhang's other sons, not to mention, they were all daughters of nobles and marquises.

But this situation underwent subtle changes after Renzong. Renzong's Empress Zhang was the daughter of a commander-in-chief. Although she was also one of the founding heroes, she was no longer from a prominent noble family.

Not to mention Emperor Xuanzong. His two successive empresses, Hu Shanxiang and Sun, were not daughters of noble families. One was the third daughter of Guanglu Qing Hu Rong, and the other was the daughter of Yongcheng County Chief Clerk Sun Zhong. From then on, the harem of the Ming emperors, including the empress, changed from daughters of noble families to daughters of commoners. Of course, these commoners were not real commoners. They were generally daughters of lower-level officials, and most of them were civil servants.

This was mainly because at the beginning of the founding of the country, the Ming royal family needed to win over the noble class. After all, these people were old brothers who had followed Zhu Yuanzhang to conquer the world. These people held military power, and by means of marriage, they were tied to the royal family so that they could get strong support in the military.

However, several decades after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, as the Ming Dynasty's rule became more stable and foreign wars gradually ended, the royal family's goals changed. The focus of winning over nobles turned to winning over civil officials. After all, conquering the world and ruling the world are different.

Moreover, although marriage with nobles has advantages, it also has disadvantages. The emperor's mother's family being too powerful will lead to excessive power of foreign relatives, which has happened in previous dynasties. For this purpose, the royal family changed the policy of marriage targets from nobles to civil officials, but also took into account that the power of literati and noble families would also create a situation of strong foreign relatives, so they deliberately chose from the families of lower-level officials. This resulted in the situation that starting from the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, the harem of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, including the empress, were all from humble families (commoners).

(End of this chapter)