Chapter 174 Chapter Eighteen

On August 20, 1780, Luo Wang Li Luo of Meishan was defeated in Hanshui. On September 11 of the same year, Li Luo's three sons and two daughters died in Wutong Terrace of Meishan. , General Xu Su personally supervised the beheading, and after a single order was thrown away, there were dozens of ghosts without owners. That day, Mei Xiang came in from outside the hall, a few snow-white petals fell on her body, and she looked slightly stunned.Qiu Sui called her a few times before she came to her senses and said in a dazed way, "I just heard that Luo Wang's side concubine Xu has been found."

Xu?Xu Su's younger sister, Xu Yuning? Qiu Sui patted his chest quickly and said: "It is considered to be found. I heard that General Xu Su lost his father and mother when he was young. There is only such a sister who depends on each other. He loves this sister very much. Now he has made such great contributions to His Majesty. It would be a pity if something happened to Miss Xu." Mei Xiang frowned slightly, her expression seemed to be surrounded by a layer of faint blue smoke, the tall candle as thick as a forearm shone brightly, illuminating her face a little pale, she lowered her voice like a strong wind The young bird of the weather said in a high-pitched and deep voice, "I heard that it was found on Luofu Mountain. It was hung on a dead tree in Luofu Mountain, and both legs were taken away by wild wolves."

After hearing the scream of "ah", Qiusui's face turned pale instantly. Chu Qiao's heart suddenly turned cold, and a trace of chill surged up from the bottom of her heart, like milky white cigarettes in an incense burner, circling and turning leisurely. The moonlit night was cold, and the singing and dancing in the distant Roufu Palace resumed, and silk and bamboo were in full swing.Madam Ziming is now Concubine Rou, the most powerful and highest-ranking concubine among Li Ce's concubines. A few days ago, she was diagnosed as pregnant by the imperial hospital. In two days, she will go to the palace outside the palace to raise her baby.

This long night, amidst the hustle and bustle, is filled with dead silence, so long. In this way, another half month passed, summer went to autumn, and after a few cool rains, the air became cold and humid.The summer lotuses are scattered, and there are black lotus leaves on the Taiqing Pool. In Jinwu Palace today, no one has the mood to invite a pool of hot springs to stay in bloom. The Southwest experienced chaos, Xuefu City was close to Meishan, and the student inn that Chu Qiao carefully managed was also destroyed in the flames of war, leaving only a ruined building.Mei Xiangjingjing and the others couldn't help feeling a little more sad when they heard this. Li Ce said that he could rebuild it for her, but Chu Qiao lost interest. After all, this Simon, she won't live long.

Chu Qiao lived in Jinwu Palace like this, day by day, watching the sun slip through the vermilion window, waiting for another day to come. She seldom saw Li Ce. After Luo Wang's incident, although Bian Tang's army was at a loss, the Southwest clan was wiped out, but the treasury was full and flourishing.Li Ce seemed to have changed his temper and became extremely busy. Even the singing and dancing in the harem hadn't been heard for a long time. Autumn is fading, light and shadow are floating, and two months are quietly passing away.Chu Qiao got up early in the morning and opened the window, only to see that there was a thin snowfall outside, and a few sycamore trees outside the window were covered with a layer of white trees. She lived in the school and had not seen snow for a long time. Mei Xiang and the others saw it They were all very happy, while Jingjing took a group of little maids out to play, wearing a bright red satin cloak, looking cute and cute.

Zhuge Yue's letter arrived again. In the past few months, due to the impact of the Bian Tang war, Li Ce's pressure on Daxia's border has been greatly reduced, giving Zhao Yang a chance to breathe.Last month, under the pretext of training, Zhao Yang drove the Southern Army to quietly enter the Western Day Camp, 30 miles outside Zhenhuang City.At that time, the Northern Hu area happened to be hit by a snowstorm. Zhao Che went to the Northern Hu area, but was not in the capital. Zhuge Yue immediately took five thousand Qinghai Imperial Guards to the West Daying Camp, and confronted Zhao Yang for more than three hours. Wei Shuye arrived in time, there is a high possibility of a big mess.

But when he wrote the letter, he didn't mention it at all. Chu Qiao only learned about it from the mouth of Tieyou's guards. Thinking of the danger of 5,000 troops against 30,000 southern troops, she only felt a slight chill on her back. Beads of sweat come. Emperor Xia's time is running out, and he has not been in court for more than two months. The battle for imperial power in Great Xia is intensifying. If you are not careful, you will be in danger of defeat.When Chu Qiao had nothing to do, she would also go to the Buddhist hall and copy two volumes of the Lan Zhi Sutra from the Peace Sutra. Firstly, it could pass the time; For those who want to bless.

Sandalwood incense was wafting from the Buddhist hall, and through the lingering smoke, looking at the majestic Buddha statue, Chu Qiao suddenly thought of the Empress of the Tang Dynasty whom she only met once.That afternoon, when she woke up from her sleep, the gentle woman looked at her quietly, and told her very quietly that she was going to persuade Li Ce not to demolish this Buddhist hall to enshrine Huanxi Buddha. At that time, Li Ce was still the prince of the Tang Dynasty who was messing around, but now, he is the emperor of the Tang Dynasty who lives and kills, talks and laughs. Qiusui is now the aunt in charge of Mi Heju. The little girl grew up in the palace, she has sharp eyes and ears, and she looks at Chu Qiao suspiciously from time to time, frowning and whispering: "I met you this time." Girl, I feel that girl has something more than last time."

Chu Qiao raised her eyebrows slightly, and asked, "Oh? What's more?" Qiu Sui smiled lightly, and ran through Chu Qiao's black hair from top to bottom with a horn comb in his hand, and said quietly: "The girl came back from Yanbei last time, and she was like a lotus at the end of summer. gone." "yes?" Chu Qiao tilted her head, her pale fingers running through her thick hair, her face in the mirror was like a willow on the shore of a lake that has survived the cold winter, the sharp look in her eyes was gone, as if the soldiers and horses in those ten years were nothing more than a mirror image.Now she is living in the Jinwu Palace, waiting in horror, the years are like water, and finally gave her a few moments of peace.

At the end of the year, she met He Xiao. The winter wind was cold, she was wearing a silver-tipped fur cloak, and when she and Mei Xiang passed Baizhe Pavilion in Shanglin Garden, they happened to meet He Xiao who had just come out of Yixin Hall. He is now the envoy of Bian Tang's Southern Battalion, a third-rank official, and he is highly regarded by Li Ce.Even this harem is frequented. Since Chu Qiao left without saying goodbye, it was the first time they met again. After meeting suddenly, the two of them couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.He Xiao's lips twitched for a moment, as if he wanted to call your lord, but in the end the words remained on his lips, and he called in a low voice: "Miss Chu."

Swipe back, take only Meixiang, and go up to Baizhe Pavilion. He Xiao was dressed in a navy blue court dress, calm and handsome, with a charm and demeanor tempered through hardships on his face. Mei Xiang stood outside the pavilion, when the wind picked up, the hem of Chu Qiao's cloak was blown up, like a wisp of green smoke.She didn't speak for a long time, just stood facing the wind, the pavilion was very high, below was the outlet of Taiqing Pond, which was also repaired into a stream of running water, and the clear water flowed, making a rushing sound.He Xiao's voice sounded from behind, quietly and calmly. "It's windy here, and the girl is weak, so let's go back earlier." "Isn't the wind in Yanbei stronger?" Chu Qiao turned her head, her face was very calm, her eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of shimmering light, making it difficult to see through. "He Xiao, are you blaming me?" He Xiao bowed his head and said: "This subordinate dare not." "If you say you don't dare, you're just being weird." Chu Qiao smiled bitterly, and the smile lines slipped across the corners of her mouth, and disappeared in an instant: "Whether you believe it or not, you and I have fought side by side for many years, and I always regard you as my best friend. I am leaving, not abandoning you." "I see." He Xiao suddenly raised his head, his eyes were as calm as ever, not as good as the prestige on the battlefield, he said quietly: "I never blamed you, you just thought of us and arranged the best way out for us , I understand all of these." This is the first time that He Xiao has called you and me to Chu Qiao. He looked at her quietly with his eyes, and said slowly: "These years, I have been watching you walk step by step with my own eyes. The pain in your heart, I understand everything. Sometimes I think, maybe I was selfish at the beginning. If I had figured it out, I would never have let the situation push you to such a situation. Even if the Southwest Township envoy became a bandit and was annihilated, You shouldn't be asked to take on this responsibility, to fight against the King of Yan, and to get to where you are today." Chu Qiao shook her head. She wanted to say that there was an irreconcilable conflict between her and Yan Xun. Even if there was no Southwest town government envoy, there would be other reasons. The problem would erupt sooner or later, but it was delayed. problem. But He Xiao didn't wait for her to finish, and said directly: "After all, you are just a young woman, but we at that time ignored it." He raised his head, smiled very gently, like an elder looking at his junior, and said quietly: "Your Majesty said that only when you completely abandon the past can you find true peace. I no longer call you an adult, It’s not about resentment and alienation, but I hope you can let go of your burden and live a good life for yourself.” The dew deposited on the leaves fell with a swish, and splashed on Chu Qiao's soft white embroidered shoes. She frowned slightly, and a touch of emotion rose from her heart, so sour. "Although Bian Tang is warm, but the weather is cold now, the girl should go back earlier." After all, he moved away and wanted to let Chu Qiao leave, but Chu Qiao suddenly called out: "Brother He." He Xiao was taken aback for a moment, and suddenly raised his head to look at her. Chu Qiao said quietly: "You and I have been together for many years, and we have lived and died together many times. To me, you are like a comrade-in-arms, and even more like a relative." Xiao Xiao's wind passed through the forest, and He Xiao's eyes trembled slightly. For a long time, he still maintained that posture and took a step back quietly, and said in a deep voice: "I'm going to the southwest to take up my post. Maybe, there will be no chance to see each other again. .” Sure enough, he already knew. Chu Qiao's fingertips were slightly cold, looking at He Xiao Moli's figure, she could only feel a trace of sourness lingering in her throat.She nodded quietly, said, "Take care of yourself," turned around and got out of the pavilion. Just a few steps away, I suddenly heard a voice behind me: "Xiao Qiao, take care all the way." She turned her head immediately, only to see that He Xiao was still standing quietly in the same posture, the wind blew through his clothes, the blue court clothes had green sandalwood-colored blue sea cloud patterns, and the pale blue tuft around his waist was already Dilapidated, it is still the belt of the beautiful army in those days.He just stood there quietly, without even raising his head, as if what he just said was not his own. Chu Qiao stood silently for a moment, then finally turned around and walked in a random direction. Turning around a few times, finally Shanglin Garden could no longer be seen, Chu Qiao raised her head, only to find that she had come to Fulan Mountain outside Roufu Hall by accident.The name of the mountain is actually just a pile of fake stones. The surface is all carved with white jade, which looks fluorescent and clear.But Chu Qiao looked at this pure white rockery at this moment, but felt a little bit of coldness pervading from the bottom of her heart, like a worm with tentacles, entangled her in circles. "Miss?" Mei Xiang cried out with some worry. Chu Qiao didn't speak, her eyes were slightly frozen, she looked at the wintersweet plants on the rockery, but she seemed to have penetrated there and looked far, far away. "Miss, everyone in this world has different thoughts, but you only have one heart, and you can't take care of so many people." Mei Xiang's words rang in her ears, but Chu Qiao didn't seem to hear clearly, the wind was so strong, she suddenly felt a little sad. "Commander He has followed you for so many years. Given time, he will definitely understand that there is always a banquet in the world. Don't be too sad." Chu Qiao turned her head, and suddenly stretched out her hand to hug Mei Xiang's shoulder, and said softly, "Mei Xiang, if you want to go, just let him go." Chu Qiao clearly felt that Mei Xiang's body froze suddenly, her back straightened, like a rabbit that had been disturbed by someone.After a long time, a pair of arms slowly encircled Chu Qiao's back, and Mei Xiang's voice whispered in Chu Qiao's ear, "I can't bear Commander He, but I can't bear Miss even more." The afternoon sun shone brightly on the ground, and the sky was so high that no cloud could be seen. "Miss, stop worrying about others. Master Zhuge is not a completely good person, but he is the only person in the world who is wholeheartedly for Miss. For Miss, he is willing to kill people, set fires and sacrifice himself to become a demon, or he can put down the butcher knife and become a Buddha immediately. Such a person will never be found again with a lantern." Mei Xiang laughed suddenly: "As for Commander He, he will always look away, just like me, this kind of thing can't be forced, each of us will have our own karma." The freedom of the blue sea and blue sky is what she has been praying for for many years. She raised her head, and vaguely saw the man's innocent eyes, expecting the cold wind, the great summer court to be full of rain and clouds, is he alright?In the blink of an eye, it was the New Year again. This year has experienced repeated turmoil, perhaps in order to dilute the sluggish atmosphere after the Great War. At the request of all the officials, Li Ce ordered a spring banquet to be held vigorously. On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, Li Ce hosted a banquet for all the officials in the Imperial Palace, set up a one-year examination to express his affection, greatly praised those with outstanding political achievements this year, and gave officials of the third rank and above the honor of eating together in the hall, and sat down in person. The first Qianqiu poem, ordered the servants to copy it, and presented a copy to each courtier. The harem is also decorated with lanterns and festoons. Banquets are placed all the way from the Yixin Hall to the Shangqing Palace. There are endless colored squares and countless lanterns. The colorful silk lighting is used to form auspicious patterns such as longevity and eternal solidity. They are pasted on the vermilion walls and blue tiles. , Splendid lanterns, singing and dancing filled the air, a magnificent color. Li Ce came several times to invite her to the banquet together, but Chu Qiao didn't like such grandeur and excitement, so she lightly shied away.I only brought a group of court ladies and servants to clean and prepare in my own palace, held a banquet by myself, and prepared utensils such as keeping the year old. On the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, one after another green cloth carriages drove into the main gate of Jinwu Palace, and after being informed, they headed all the way towards Mi Heju.However, after the carriage arrived, boxes of things were brought down, causing a sensation in the entire harem. All the maids and servants rushed to Mi Heju to find out what happened, and even some wives who could not hold their breath rushed over. up. There were twenty carriages and two hundred boxes of nanmu wood, big and small. After opening the boxes, everyone's eyes suddenly lit up, full of pearls.Jadeite, grandmother's stone, ruby, cat's eye, white jade, oriental beads, brocade yarn, Suzhou embroidery silk and satin, precious furs, antiques, calligraphy and painting, etc., all the luxury that the world can imagine are almost condensed in front of our eyes.Not only that, but there are also Zhuchai, Yingluo, palace clothes, jade shoes, and jewelry that some girls like.Top-grade flowers, complete corals as high as three feet, rare orchids, curtains and screens inlaid with Edom beads, Yu Ziming that can glow at night, and some rare objects from overseas, such as matches, telescopes, glass ornaments, simple The chime bells, the dresses of Fanren women, the precious specialties of Hudi, various medicinal materials that are priced at gold, and so on. What is even more ironic is that there are still a few boxes of very rough local products, which look similar to sweet potatoes. Chu Qiao studied them for a long time before suddenly realizing that this is the Qinghai soil melon that he had written to himself. Smelling it in the nose, there is a slight fragrance, and the sweetness suddenly rises in the heart, I just feel that all the pearls and jades added together are not as good as these ugly earth melons. Presumably the locals heard that the king of Qinghai wanted this thing with all his heart. Not only is it very big, but each soil melon is also tied with a circle of red thread, wrapped in red Xibu, which looks nondescript. A small piece of letter paper was placed in the melon, she picked it up, unraveled the gold thread with her tender white fingers, and saw a large article written in extremely thin and flying handwriting. He is always like this, even when he writes letters, he speaks in an awkward tone, talking about the weather, politics, and the development of the local economy. Portal, be careful of doors and windows before going to bed, and guard against villains. Once Li Ce saw that Zhuge Yue's confidence was half-dead, and cursed that Zhuge Yue was a veritable villain who actually slandered others behind his back.At that time, Chu Qiao looked at the man who secretly opened other people's letters but acted out of righteousness, and felt that what both of them said was true. Today's letter is not very long. After the short beginning, the ink seems to be much thicker. It seems that the man has meditated for a long time, and the ink has dried up. He wrote it again: "Because I have something to do, I can't spend the spring banquet with you. Next year, when the spring is warm and the flowers are blooming, I will fulfill my promise and wait for me." Surrounded by noise and exclamation, Chu Qiao held a piece of thin letter paper in her hand, but felt that the surroundings were calm and gentle, the wind passed silently, the startled swallows were singing, the flowers were blooming and the leaves were green, even though the winter was cold, there was still a sense of spring in her heart Jingming. That night, Chu Qiao, Mei Xiang, Jing Jing, Duo Ji, Ping An, Qiu Sui and other maids Mi Hejuli, Chu Qiao cooked the kitchen herself. Although the cooking skills were mediocre, the modern cooking methods still made these guys bluff. I was stunned for a moment.At the beginning, everyone was still a little restrained, but gradually they let go. There are few men in this palace. Duoji is gentle and gentle, but Ping An is eloquent, telling jokes to everyone, and making all the little maids laugh. laugh. At midnight, fireworks were suddenly set off outside. Chu Qiao and the palace staff ran into the courtyard, stood under the sweet-scented osmanthus tree and raised their heads, looking at the sky full of fiery trees and silver flowers. Jingjing, Pingan and the others led the little maids to set off the firecrackers, and the crackling sound rang in the ears. Chu Qiao covered her ears and was surrounded by the crowd, her face was red, she was wearing a new fluffy jacket, like a Children who didn't grow up. It has been many years since she came here, and this is the happiest New Year she has ever had. Even if the person in my heart is not around, the years are still quiet and peaceful. There was still laughter and laughter outside, Chu Qiao leaned over the desk, and sketched with a few strokes, they were two lifelike Q-version cartoon characters, small bodies with big heads on them, one smart and handsome, one serious and awkward, two small Standing on a high hillside, people stare blankly at the front side by side, with a hint of silly cuteness. In front of them, there is a vast grassland with herds of cattle and sheep. In the far distance, there is a large area The blue water. She wrote two words at the end of the letter in very serious handwriting: waiting for you. No more exhortations, no more inquiries, she thought, she had to be completely selfish once, and she had to be serious and self-willed once, and she had to believe once more. Putting down the letterhead, she put on her cloak and ran out to find Mei Xiang and the others. Unexpectedly, as soon as she walked out of the hall, a bunch of white petals came around her, like a bunch of snow, sprinkled on her body. Everyone laughed in unison, the sound pierced through the fiery trees, silver flowers and fireworks in the Jinwu Palace, and spread out flutteringly.The winter in Bian Tang is always very short, and it is already March in a blink of an eye. A few days ago, there was news from Huai Song that Prince Huai Song, Prince Jinjiang, led a group of officials who supported him to ask the Imperial Hospital to announce the emperor's physical condition on the grounds that Emperor Song had a different body, but Nalan Hongye flatly refused, which caused a bit of trouble . When Li Ce mentioned this matter, he frowned slightly, and said lightly: "If it's okay, why don't you shut up those people's mouths?" Chu Qiao also didn't answer, she vaguely guessed something, it must not be her alone, I'm afraid there are countless pairs of eyes staring at Huai Song, and the woman who has propped up Nalan's Building for many years by herself , at this moment, how should we deal with the hidden arrows and guns? She couldn't help thinking of the slightly scribbled letterhead she saw in Yanbei many years ago: "There are trees in the mountains, and the trees have branches, and the heart is pleasing to the king, but the king does not know." Even though it looks as tough as iron on the outside, there will be sad times after all, who can be as firm as ever? On the ninth day of March, Li Ce's second son, Li Qiao'an, died of typhoid fever at the age of three.When he heard the news, Li Ce was inspecting the dam in Xianghu Lake, and hurried back, but only had time to see the child's body. Li Ce now has two sons and a daughter. The eldest son is six years old and the daughter is four years old. The child who died was Mrs. Nanyun's son. After the child died, Mrs. Nanyun was so sad that she couldn't get sick and died three days later. After all, the child was too young to be put into the coffin, so he was only cremated in Nantian Temple and kept in the temple. Li Ce drank too much that night, and it was the first time Chu Qiao saw Li Ce drunk. No matter what time it was before, he seemed to be sober, even if he couldn't walk, his eyes were still clear. That night, he grabbed Chu Qiao's hand and asked repeatedly: Am I killing too much?Am I killing too much? His strength was too great, Chu Qiao's wrist hurt, the hall was extremely quiet, the cold wind blew in, raising misty dust all over the ground, the frogs were chattering among the willows, but it was even more peaceful, and the copper crane top was coiled Drops of red candle tears melted on the candlestick, just like a woman's clear tears rolled over the cheeks dyed with rouge, silently drooping down. On the second day, Li Ce named Mrs. Nanyun as Concubine Yun, and buried her in the imperial tomb, so that her father and brother in the family could enjoy the mourning and honor. In the blink of an eye, it was May, and Mrs. Ziming, who went to Huangzhuang to have a baby, returned to the palace and gave birth to a son. The palace was closed for Daqing. Li Ce named the child Qingrong, and bestowed the title of King Rong. The head of the three concubines takes the title of noble concubine. The maids in the palace were all talking about this noble concubine in private, saying that she had a son in such a short time in the palace, and that she had climbed to the concubine position, and her ascension to the next position was just around the corner. However, some people said that she came from a humble background, her family has declined, her father is still a criminal minister, even though her elder brother is gradually showing his edge in the court, but after all, he is inconvenient and unable to ascend to a high position.Without the support of her family, it would be difficult for Concubine Ming to achieve anything. Chu Qiao didn't want to inquire about Li Ce's affairs in the harem, and she paid little attention to them on weekdays.Suddenly remembered something, and asked Qiu Sui, "Why didn't you see the Empress Dowager in the imperial concubine's canonization ceremony?" Qiu Sui replied: "After the death of the first emperor, the Empress Dowager left the palace and went to Anyin Temple. She hasn't returned to the palace for many years." Chu Qiao suddenly came to a sudden, thinking of the empress dowager's long life, she couldn't help but sigh. Just after April, Bian Tang is already a warm spring breeze. A few days ago, Zhuge Yue sent someone to send her a pair of Hudi Biwing Birds. They are very beautiful and brightly colored. It is said that this kind of bird has been born in pairs since childhood. , if one is dead, the other will never live alone. Chu Qiao likes to feed them by herself every day, and renamed them Lovebirds, she loves them very much.The female bird seemed to have a very good relationship with Chu Qiao. Gradually, even if it was released from the cage, it would not fly far away. It would just hover around the hall, and occasionally land on Chu Qiao's shoulder, rubbing her cheek with its neck. The male bird looked It is always very angry, and the room is full of flying and screaming, making all the little maids laugh. Li Ce also seemed to like these birds very much, and always came to tease them from time to time. One night, when Chu Qiao was sleeping, she suddenly felt as if someone was watching her. As soon as she opened her eyes and sat up in the dark, she immediately fell into a firm embrace. The man's breath was very familiar, his breathing was a little low, and it sprayed on her neck one after another, with a strong smell of alcohol.He hugged her so tightly, as if he had exhausted all his strength, it almost hurt her, she didn't struggle, as if she could feel his loneliness and pain through the cold clothes, she stretched gently He reached out and patted him on the back. The moonlight shone miserably on their bodies. The men's clothes were embroidered with thin dragon patterns with red thread. The silk thread was so thin that it seemed to melt into the bright yellow, and the faint veins seemed to ooze blood. wrist. Gradually, Li Ce let go of her, the smell of alcohol welled up, and his breath was filled with the clear aroma of wine. Chu Qiao asked cautiously: "Li Ce, do you regard me as her?" Li Ce was taken aback for a moment, turned his head to look at her, and raised his eyebrows slightly. Chu Qiao suddenly felt a little embarrassed, as if she had inadvertently broken someone else's secret child, and said softly: "I heard people say that Princess Fu lived here before." Li Ce looked at her intently, his eyes were so far-reaching, like a secluded ancient well, with a clear deep meaning and a turbid pulse.At that time, Chu Qiao might not be able to understand his eyes, she just felt uncomfortable being looked at by him, and she was slightly worried. "Ah……" Li Ce suddenly chuckled, and then lazily said in that elongated tone: "Fu'er's figure is much better than yours." That night, after Li Ce left Miheju, he went to Concubine Ming's Roufu Hall. As soon as he walked out of the hall, Chu Qiao saw a shining thing on the table. It was Li Ce's jade finger, and she hurried to the window. Shouted: "Li Fox! Your finger!" Li Ce turned his head and smiled at her brightly. Under the moonlight, his smile was dazzlingly beautiful. "A moment in spring night is worth a thousand gold, I'll come back tomorrow to get it!" After finishing speaking, he headed towards the Roufu Hall. Chu Qiao held the wrench finger and glared hard at the mischievous emperor. When she turned around, her toe accidentally kicked on a raised threshold, which hurt her heart. She frowned and sat down. I saw that there was a lot of blood, which stained the white nightgown red. There was a sudden panic in her heart. Around the fourth watch, there was a sudden sound of hurried footsteps, Chu Qiao felt a little uneasy in her heart, she didn't sleep well, so she sat up suddenly.It happened that Mei Xiang and Qiu Sui rushed into the hall, everyone's face was pale, and they said like ashes: "Your Majesty has been assassinated!" "boom!" In the dark night, the white jade finger suddenly fell to the ground, but it didn't break, it just knocked off a corner, and rolled away along the Guanghua floor. When we arrived at Yixin Hall, the whole hall was full of crying, and the entire imperial hospital was waiting outside. Several senior imperial physicians gathered inside, and saw pots of blood being brought out continuously. Like a sharp knife, it pierced deeply into the bone marrow, causing severe pain. Qiu Sui said that Li Ce was stabbed when he was staying in the imperial concubine's hall at night. The wounded person was an old eunuch who claimed that Lord Luo was his benefactor. Chu Qiao tightly clenched her fists. At this time, she is not allowed to enter the inner hall, and she is not even qualified to kneel and cry outside.She frowned suspiciously. Leaving aside the fact that Roufu Hall was heavily guarded, Li Ce was surrounded by first-class guards. How could an old eunuch of unknown origin sneak into the inner hall and succeed in the assassination?Speaking of Li Ce's own skills, he would never let strangers get close easily without noticing it. She looked from a distance, and saw a woman in thin clothes kneeling alone in a small square directly in front of the main hall, her temples were disheveled, and her face could not be seen clearly because her back was facing her. Qiu Sui said, that is Concubine Ming, who has been kneeling there since the beginning. At this moment, the door of the main hall suddenly opened, and Sun Di led a group of loyal courtiers to meet him, and asked nervously, "How is your majesty's injury?" The leading old doctor wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Your Majesty's life is safe, but you still need to rest." As soon as these words came out, the concubines let out a loud cry at the same time, and heard that the noble concubine Ming collapsed on the ground as soon as her body went limp in the square. "Master Sun, His Majesty wants to see you." The old doctor said, then turned his eyes around, and suddenly said after seeing Chu Qiao: "There is also this girl." All of a sudden, all the ambiguous and strange glances came together, Chu Qiao took a deep breath, walked forward calmly, greeted Sun Di, and walked into the hall under everyone's gaze. The hall was airtight and filled with a strong smell of medicine.Sun Di went in first, came out after a long time, and said to Chu Qiao: "Your Majesty is not in good spirits, so make a long story short." "clear." Chu Qiao nodded, and walked into the inner hall, passing through layers of vertical mantles, Li Ce was lying on the almost huge dragon bed. His complexion was indeed very bad. Chu Qiao had never seen him like this before. His face was ashen, his eye sockets were blue, and his lips were almost bloodless. When he started to panic, he suddenly showed a weird smile, and said in a hoarse but relaxed voice, "Scared you to death." Going back in time, the years flow back in an instant, and they seem to have returned to the day when they first met, the young prince was dragged off the horse by her and punched him heavily, his nose was bruised and his face was swollen, and he screamed in pain At the same time, he smiled strangely at her, like a heartless disciple. "Li Ce..." She cried out in a trembling voice, and saw a deep knife cut across his chest, just one more inch would have pierced his heart, she looked at him in fear, her scalp was numb, and she wanted to grab him hand, but dare not, just repeatedly said: "It's okay, take care of it slowly." "Originally," Li Ce said intermittently, "I originally wanted to prepare a dowry for you these few days, but now, it's cheaper than Sun Di. I don't know, I don't know if he will embezzle." Chu Qiao forced a smile, and said softly, "Don't worry, I'll go and see him." "Yep." He seemed to be very tired, and after just saying these few words, his face turned even paler, Chu Qiao said quickly: "Go to sleep first, don't talk anymore." "Jojo, stay with me." "Okay." Chu Qiao nodded quickly: "I'm not going anywhere, I'll stay here with you." Li Ce fell into a deep sleep. During this period, the imperial physician came to change his medicine once. Chu Qiao saw the wound with her own eyes, and her doubts about his injury grew deeper, but now is not the time to deal with these matters. Three days later, Li Ce's injury improved, and his face looked much better. This morning, Chu Qiao was fanning him in the inner hall, when she heard a commotion outside, she raised her eyebrows to see, Qiu Sui rushed in, leaned into her ear and whispered: "The empress dowager has returned to the palace." Chu Qiao was startled, and hurried out. Before leaving the gate of Yixin, she saw the queen mother's phoenix driving towards her. She greeted the queen mother and followed her all the way back to the hall of Yixin.The maid opened the curtain, and the queen mother was wearing a plain blue single dress. Chu Qiao raised her head to see, she couldn't help being shocked, but she hadn't seen her for a few years, but the queen mother seemed to be a different person, very old and out of shape.His head was full of white hair, deep wrinkles, and his eyes were almost sunken and red. As soon as she got off the sedan chair, tears flowed, and she said sadly, "Where is my Ce'er? How is my Ce'er?" "Reporting to the Empress Dowager, Your Majesty is fine and just needs to rest." The Empress Dowager scolded while weeping: "You gang of slaves, how do you serve? If the emperor has something to do, you will all be buried with me!" After finishing speaking, he went to the Hall of Yixin. The servants were so frightened that they all knelt on the ground, not daring to lift their heads. No one dared to stop the Empress Dowager, Chu Qiao followed behind and entered the Hall of Yixin.Li Ce was still sleeping at this time, the moment the Queen Mother saw him, tears fell, and she leaned forward tremblingly, as if she wanted to touch his face. A court lady beside the empress dowager walked up to Chu Qiao, frowned and said, "Who are you? Why are you here? The empress dowager came to see the emperor, and other idlers immediately avoided." Mei Xiang frowned, and was about to speak, when Chu Qiao stretched out her hand and tugged at her sleeve, nodded and said, "Understood." After all, they left the Yixin Hall with Mei Xiang. "Miss? The emperor asked you to accompany me." Chu Qiao sighed, and said, "My mother is back, why should we stay here?" Qiu Sui said from the side: "I didn't expect the Empress Dowager to love the Emperor." At this moment, Master Sun Di came from the front, was slightly taken aback when he saw Chu Qiao, and asked, "Why isn't the girl in the Yixin Hall?" Mei Xiang hurriedly said: "The queen mother is back and kicked our young lady out!" "Queen?" Sun Di was taken aback when he heard the words, turned around and strode towards the Hall of Yixin. He said in a deep voice, "Who brought the Queen Mother back? The news of His Majesty's assassination is not known outside? Why did the Queen Mother come back?" At this moment, a violent scream suddenly came from the Hall of Yixin, Sun Di and Chu Qiao were taken aback at the same time, they suddenly pushed open the door of the Hall of Yixin, and rushed in together! The Empress Dowager was holding a dagger in her hand, her pale face was covered with blood, and she had a stern expression, but she was still that gentle and kind woman, standing in front of the bed like a devil, hissing: "I Kill you! I kill you! I want to avenge Luo Er!" Chu Qiao's mind suddenly turned pale, like the wind from the extreme north, howling and sweeping past.