inspire-indiana Chapter 62 What exactly did the Prince Consort do wrong?
Chapter 62 What exactly did the Prince Consort do wrong?
Then there's Princess Xincheng, also known as Princess Hengshan County. She and her "rational" brother were born of the same mother. After Sizi left, he doted on this younger sister even more.
Moreover, Princess Hengshan always had a pitiful look on her face, and Brother Zhinu couldn't help but feel tenderness towards her.
Thinking to himself, "My dear sister from Hengshan County, you must get married soon. You can't stay so depressed. I won't let you waste your youth!"
I remember back then, in the first month of the first year of Yonghui (650 AD), my brother Lizhi decided that as soon as he removed his mourning clothes, he would immediately start preparing for the wedding of Princess Hengshan County. He planned to marry the princess off in the autumn of 650 AD after a year of mourning.
Unexpectedly, this plan was met with strong opposition from Minister Yu Zhining.
In addition, there was that incident with Xincheng last time with the "fake little ox" that Li Shiji brought.
“Your Majesty, you can’t be in such a hurry! Children must observe the mourning period for three years. You’re rushing them like this!” Yu Zhining said in a serious tone.
The rational elder brother had no choice but to turn to the aggrieved Princess Hengshan and say, "There's nothing we can do but bear with it for now. After all, we are princes and princesses. But don't worry, sister, I've been keeping this matter in mind!"
So, on the 23rd day of the fifth month of the third year of Yonghui (July 4, 652 AD), three days before the princess's three-year mourning period was over, her brother, Zhili, finally couldn't hold back any longer and directly changed his sister's title from Princess of Hengshan County to Princess of Xincheng, and increased her fief by 5,000 households to celebrate her marriage.
"Now it's finally over! My dear, you can finally get married in style!" Emperor Gaozong was overjoyed.
Despite the many twists and turns in their marriage, Princess Xincheng and her husband had a harmonious and loving relationship after marriage, and were extremely happy.
Si Zi remembers that the epitaph reads: "Harmonious zither and lute, melodious resonant sheng and huang."
Emperor Gaozong laughed heartily, "This is the sweet life my sister should have!"
Princess Xincheng finally got married in 652, but their marriage didn't even last seven years. In 659, her beloved husband passed away.
In the fourth year of Xianqing (659), the Changsun family suffered a calamity. After Changsun Quan was exiled, Princess Xincheng's reaction was not so optimistic.
"Rationality" thought: "This Xincheng girl is really unlucky. Ever since I used Meiniang to destroy my uncle's group, and her husband was implicated and died, she has been like a helpless little rabbit all day long."
"Waaaaah, brother, your behavior towards Zunyi is really a disaster! You've spoiled your sister-in-law too much and now you're taking it out on our own uncle."
"Reason" said, "Little sister, you can't talk nonsense. I'm a fair emperor. It's just a matter of finding a suitable husband. I'll definitely pick a 'peerless beauty' for you, or at least one who won't break your heart! Let's have a 'consort selection,' let them showcase their talents, and I guarantee it will make you very happy!"
Xincheng was indignant, but didn't want to argue directly with "Rational Brother," so she simply stopped dressing up.
Everyone thought that Princess Xincheng was making a silent protest. In reality, this princess, who had been pampered since childhood, had encountered a series of setbacks. The grievances accumulated in her heart were like boiling asphalt, which had nowhere to be vented and solidified, leading to severe depression.
Xincheng is not the kind of princess who is obsessed with handsome men, but a woman with deep emotions and a strong sense of justice.
Whenever she witnessed her relatives scattered and abandoned after being crushed by imperial power, her heart felt as if it were being struck by an invisible hammer. Every day, her face was filled with sorrow, and she was too lazy to even put on her exquisite makeup. It seemed that even the strength to comb her hair had vanished with her sorrow.
She was like a flower that had lost the sunlight, barely able to bloom.
The palace maids, harboring ulterior motives, whispered amongst themselves while trying to recommend new hairstyles and clothes to her, completely ignoring her "helplessness." It was Xiao Si who, upon hearing this, became worried.
In reality, Si Zi knew that Meiniang was nothing more than her brother's tool, the Empress... Brother Zhi Nu only seemed weak, but he was actually a ruthless character. Otherwise, he wouldn't have become the emperor. Moreover, he was the most secretive. It was hard to say whether Changsun Wuji had used him or he had used Changsun Wuji.
Haha, speaking of this, we need to add some spice to this palace drama.
No one could have imagined that one day in a parallel universe, Si Zi and Meiniang sat down for a lovely afternoon tea, chatting about these palace secrets, and the scene went like this:
“Sister-in-law Meiniang, you know, our brother Zhinu, on the surface, seems as docile as a little lamb, but do you know what? He’s actually a Wolverine in sheep’s clothing, or rather, Iron Man in dragon robes!”
"Haha, you little girl, you're getting sharper and sharper with your words. But you're right, Brother Zhinu's mind is as deep as a well in the palace. You never know what treasure you'll pull out of him the next second."
"Yes, yes, sister-in-law, you don't hate my uncle Changsun Wuji, do you? It seems like he's the one manipulating everything behind the scenes, helping Brother Zhinu rise to power. But who knows if my brother secretly planted something on him, making him think he was the one fishing, but he ended up being the fish on the hook instead?"
"Haha, little sister Sizi is so clever despite her small size. Aren't I also a sharp sword against Changsun Wuji? In this palace, everyone is acting. It's just a matter of who has the better acting skills."
"Yes, my sister-in-law is amazing. She defied everyone's wishes and became the empress. No matter who is using whom, I'm just a nobody. I still have to be careful not to get dragged into this drama. I can't become cannon fodder. I still have to accumulate nine good things!"
Mei Niang said, "Don't worry, sister, I'll do at least one thing for you—help Wei Zhengju clear his name."
Sizi was overjoyed: "That's great! Then the hurricanes in the Americas in dark matter will be calm."
Back in 659, Xincheng, who had become a widow at the age of 25, still didn't comb her hair, wash her face, see anyone, or speak a word!
Seeing this, "Rationality" felt a pang of sadness: "Oh dear, my good sister, you really have no idea what to do! With me around, what kind of husbands wouldn't you want? They'd line up to marry you!! Don't worry about being a second or third husband, even a fourth or fifth would be fine!"
So, he made a snap decision and issued an imperial decree that same year, remarrying her to Wei Zhengju—a Tang Dynasty imperial son-in-law.
"Don't worry, sister. He comes from a distinguished family; they're a very powerful one! I want to show you that it doesn't necessarily have to be a son of the Changsun family. If he's an interesting consort, his life might not be so bad."
Let's take a look! How powerful is the Du family of Jingzhao? It's the story behind the saying, "The Wei family in the south of the city is just a hair's breadth away from heaven!"
During the Western Han Dynasty, Wei Xian, Wei Xuancheng, and Wei Shang, three generations of their family, all held high-ranking positions, making their family famous and a prominent clan in Guanzhong.
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Wei family was already renowned as a top family in the Sanfu region.
Whether in the Han Dynasty, the Wei and Jin Dynasties, or the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Wei family of Jingzhao always had a group of high-ranking officials, prime ministers, ministers, and generals, making them unique among the clans of Guanzhong.
During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the Wei family of Jingzhao reached its zenith, producing seventeen prime ministers in the Tang dynasty alone!
The Biography of Liu Chong in the New Book of Tang states: "In Guanzhong, there are also so-called 'prefectural surnames,' with the six major surnames of Wei, Pei, Liu, Xue, Yang, and Du listed first."
In other words, the Wei clan of Jingzhao was a representative of the Guanzhong prefectural clans (the gentry west of the Xiaoshan Hangu Pass), and had a huge influence.
The "Biography of Wei Shu" in the Old Book of Tang also mentions: "Some people say that since the Tang Dynasty, no family has been able to surpass the Wei family in terms of prosperity."
This statement is enough to prove the glorious status of the Wei family of Jingzhao in the Tang Dynasty.
During the medieval period, the Wei clan of Jingzhao enjoyed an extremely high reputation; even Emperor Wen of Sui praised them as a "clan of nobles for a hundred generations"!
Thus, Wei Zhengju became the son-in-law of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, and married Princess Xincheng. In addition to his powerful family, he also held a high official position, becoming the Palace Attendant, which sounded incredibly prestigious.
However, their remarried life lasted only three or four years. One day in the third year of Longshuo, Princess Xincheng suddenly left, like a speeding car with a ticket already bought. Wei Zhengju felt as if he had been bitten by a dog, and he was in so much pain that he couldn't even speak.
He thought to himself, "This princess is so heartless! She didn't even say goodbye before leaving. She came and went like the wind! And she left me with a huge sinkhole!"
Thus, the matter escalated from "Where did the princess go?" to "What exactly did the prince consort do wrong?!"
When Zhinu's brother heard about the princess's sudden death, he was devastated, as if a bomb had exploded in his heart. He couldn't accept it at all: "This is not scientific! Why could my little sister Xincheng also leave so suddenly?!"
He was already devastated by his inability to protect Princess Jinyang from back then, so he poured all his love into this younger sister. In the end, she only lived a little over ten years longer than Princess Jinyang.
He immediately decided to investigate Wei Zhengju, and also to give himself an explanation.
Poor Wei Zhengju was dragged into the interrogation room, where he listened to the guards asking with stern expressions, "What exactly happened between you and the princess?"
The injustice he felt was so profound it could fill a tragic novel:
"I'm just a prince consort who isn't loved by the princess. It was you who arranged the marriage in the first place. I really haven't done anything wrong!"
But what came out of his mouth was: "I really didn't abuse her! The rumors are too outrageous."
As a result, the more he tried to explain, the worse it got. Wei Zhengju was eventually convicted and taken to the execution ground without even the chance to appeal.
Sigh, what a world this is like.
When Xiao Si was running through the distorted space as a one-horned rhinoceros, she saw a man who looked like a prince consort roaring there, which terrified her. She never expected that the howling monster was Wei Zhengju!
The grievances in Wei Zhengju's soul were like a hurricane sweeping across America, devastatingly heartbreaking: "Where can I go to seek justice?! No one should marry this princess anymore!!"
At the time, Si Zi was just watching the show and passed by without realizing that this person was Xin Cheng's sister's husband.