The east wind howled and the sky was cloudy. The winter snow was still remnant last night, and it was the coldest.Looking out from the slits of the sedan chair curtains, one can only feel that everything is gloomy, and the pines and cypresses that never wither through winter look particularly bleak among the fortified barriers.On such a day, the bright corridor is also lit. Looking from a distance, the red line is continuous and winding, as if there is no end. The green and white stone bases of the vermilion walls on both sides, golden glazed tiles, are decorated with resplendent and colorful paintings, and the patterns are mostly dragons and phoenixes. Although they are magnificent, they are not beautiful.

Jiang Chenyu thought, she didn't like the palace after all. If back then, if the decree came down and she was not the elder sister but she was chosen, I really don't know how to spend the rest of my life in such a deep inner courtyard... It is also fortunate that the elder sister is tactful and sophisticated, so she can do a job with ease, and the holy family is the most prosperous. Just thinking of this, the sedan chair stopped suddenly, and a voice came from the front: "Is the elder sister of the Jiang family in the sedan chair?" She drew up the curtain of the sedan chair, and saw a smiling face, leaning forward: "Aha! It really is the sister of the Jiang family! You are here to visit Mrs. Jiang today? Why didn't you know to tell me beforehand? If not I happened to meet here, I didn't know you were here..."

The young girl spoke very fast and spoke words like pearls. She was about thirteen or fourteen years old, her figure had not yet matured, her appearance was plain, but she had an innocent and innocent demeanor, making her look so delicate.It is none other than the current imperial sister, Princess Zhaoluan. Jiang Chenyu hurriedly got out of the sedan chair, leaned over and was about to bow down, Zhaoluan took her hand and said with a smile: "There is no need for extra courtesy between you and me. By chance, I will go to see it with you Look at Mrs. Jiang." How dare she refuse, but seeing that the princess was followed by only two maids in the palace without a chariot, she thought that she might not be able to sit in her sedan chair anymore, so she simply abandoned the sedan chair and followed her.Chatting along the way, the palace people on both sides kowtowed.

"Why is the princess here?" "I just finished seeing the Empress Dowager, and I was thinking of going to the front hall to see Brother Huang, when I ran into you. By the way, I heard that my sister passed away last month, but unfortunately I couldn't go to watch the ceremony. We haven't seen each other for half a year , my sister is even more beautiful than in my impression." Zhaoluan couldn't help but sigh, "In this world, only you, the number one beauty in Bi Country, are worthy of the name 'Chen Yu'." Jiang Chenyu blushed immediately, and said softly: "Princess's words made me ashamed, not to mention, in this palace alone, the nobility of Empress Xue and the elegance of Concubine Ji Gui are far beyond my reach. , not to mention...there is Mrs. Xihe, she is the number one beauty recognized by the Four Kingdoms."

Zhaoluan's face suddenly showed disgust, and he said with a "hum": "That demon concubine? It's better if you don't mention her, but I get inexplicably irritable when I mention her. .Do you know why I went to the front hall to see Brother Huang? It's because she made trouble again!" Jiang Chenyu was slightly taken aback, and when she was still confused, Zhao Luan had already pulled her through the Yuhua Gate, pointed at the Jingyang Palace from a distance and said, "Here, look." Looking around, through the railing pillars carved with Hanyu, I saw a woman kneeling on the steps outside the temple gate.

Because of the sky, the surrounding scenery is so bleak, suffused with gloomy blue-gray, only she, wearing a white mink fur, in such a scene, the white is dazzling, white, and white Thrilling. Although the distance was far away and his appearance was vague, Jiang Chenyu had already guessed that it must be Mrs. Xihe just based on such an imposing figure. "Why is she kneeling in front of the hall?" The corners of Zhaoluan's mouth curled slightly, and he said disdainfully, "It's a trick. She has been wronged, and she wants to get it back." Jiang Chenyu couldn't help being stunned again, couldn't help thinking: Is there anyone in the world who dares to suffer wronged by that woman?

For Mrs. Xihe, she has heard too much and knows too much. There is no other reason. Her sister regards this woman as her greatest enemy and hates her so much that even the entire Jiang family regards Mrs. Xihe as a scourge. Thinking about how to get rid of this stumbling block. However, thinking about it, there has been no time to act. Mrs. Xihe is currently being favored, and there is a tendency to "abandon the three thousand and favor only one person".Even, just because she likes colored glaze, the emperor ordered someone to build a colored glaze palace. From tiles to walls, from windows to doors, and ground railings, everything is made of colored glaze, colorful and brilliant.

Such extravagance, such corruption, caused the courtiers to be dissatisfied, and there were many discussions, but the woman who was discussed still showed her old self and did not restrain herself. "Hmph, she is so arrogant, there will be retribution sooner or later. When the emperor loses interest in her and doesn't dote on her, she will have to return all the blessings she got today." She can still clearly recall her sister's expression of gnashing her teeth at that time.Now, seeing this woman kneeling in front of the stage in such a cold wind, for some reason, a feeling of sympathy arises in her heart—this imperial palace is indeed right and wrong.

"However, I'm afraid I won't be able to get it back this time. Kneeling is for nothing." Zhaoluan gloated at the side, and she didn't know how Mrs. Xihe offended her, which made her so disgusted. Jiang Chenyu turned around and said, "Let's go." "Huh? Are you leaving now? I haven't seen enough. It's rare to see the demon concubine be unlucky..." Zhaoluan muttered dissatisfiedly, but still followed, and continued, "You know what? She offended the queen this time." Jiang Chenyu was startled.Huh? Speaking of that Empress Xue, she was born extremely noble, she was the daughter of the eldest princess of the previous dynasty, and she is the cousin of today's son. At that time, the first emperor personally bestowed the title of "Guardian Protector".Empress Xue is peaceful by nature, gentle and magnanimous, she is lenient to all concubines, and she devotes herself wholeheartedly to the Buddha, she rarely pays attention to the matters of the harem, so those matters of jealousy have never been related to her, how come Mrs. Xihe this time Offended her too?

Without waiting for her to ask, Zhaoluan has already explained in detail. It turned out that the queen came back from the Buddhist temple, and on the Dongda Bridge, she somehow met Mrs. Xihe's car. It should have been the concubine who gave way to the queen, but Mrs. Xihe refused, and the two sides were so deadlocked with.Originally, with the queen's temperament, she would not do anything to her, but it happened that the queen's seven-year-old nephew, Xue Cai, known as the number one child prodigy in the country of Bi, was also in the car.Seeing his aunt being humiliated, he sneered coldly, got out of the car and shouted: "A mere sparrow, how dare you resist the phoenix?" After he finished speaking, he took the whip from the driver's hand, and slapped Mrs. Xihe's horse hard. The son immediately jumped up in pain, but Mrs. Xihe plunged into the lake with the car...

Zhaoluan giggled and said, "I never expected that the demon concubine would have such a day! Oh my, little Xue Cai is so cute, it really hurts my heart." Jiang Chenyu couldn't help pursing her lips into a smile, Xue Caizhi's posture, she had learned it two years ago. That child has been a part of the scenery of the Imperial Capital since he was born, and in the past seven years, the older he is, the more wonderful the scenery will be.He was able to write at the age of three, compose poetry at the age of four, bent his bow and shot tigers at the age of five, and became an envoy sent by the State of Bi to the State of Yan at the age of six. The King of Yan laughed when he saw it: "There is no one in Bi? The envoy is an envoy." Xue Cai said to him: "Yan is the best jade in the country, and I am the best jade among people. What's wrong with the two?" The king of Yan was overjoyed, and named the thousand-year-old jade "Bingli" and sighed: "Being such an unparalleled jade jade is worthy of such a unparalleled and wonderful person." Since then, the title of "Master Bingli" has spread like wildfire, and has become famous in the four countries. Now, he stood up for the queen again, startled Mrs. Xihe's horse, and caused her to fall into the lake to make a fool of herself. With her temper, she definitely wouldn't let it go. "What are you afraid of?" Zhao Luan said nonchalantly, "Little Xue Cai is the empress dowager's sweetheart, even the emperor dare not do anything to him." While talking, Jianing Palace has arrived.The current emperor is still very young, and he has not long since ascended the throne, and there are less than a hundred concubines in the harem.Below the queen, there are noble concubines, wives, and noble three wives, who live in Duanze Palace, Baohua Palace and Jianing Palace respectively.Then there are nine concubines, beauties and talented people, but most of them have only false names and have not yet been confirmed.And her elder sister, Jiang Huayue, was granted the title of nobleman and lived here. Compared with the astonishing glazed palace Baohua, Jianing is dignified and elegant. There are three wintersweet plants planted in front of the house, and a little bit of light yellow is quietly blooming.The maid in front of the corridor greeted her early, and took the cloak while kowtowing: "The nobleman is talking about why the girl hasn't come yet." "Is my sister better?" "It's much better, but I'm weak and too lazy to move. Please come in." The maid said as she raised the windshield curtain and led the two of them in.Entering the inner room, I saw a woman sitting under a quilt, taking medicine in the hand of a court lady, with slender eyebrows and slender eyes, and her skin was like fat, she was extremely beautiful. Zhaoluan sniffed and wondered, "What is this medicine made of? It smells so fragrant! Give me a taste too." Jiang Huayue smiled lightly: "The princess is messing around again, can this medicine be taken casually?" Zhaoluan stepped forward to hold her hand and shook her, and said softly: "I said, why the nobleman smells so fragrant on weekdays, it must be because of taking this medicine. The nobleman just hides his secrets and refuses to let me Also followed by dipping in the light." Jiang Huayue didn't know whether to laugh or cry, she turned her head and said to her younger sister, "Why did you bring this living treasure?" Jiang Chenyu just pursed her lips and smiled, but didn't speak, but thought in her heart, as expected of her elder sister, even the princess can be coaxed Submissive post, in comparison, Mrs. Xihe is really not good at life. Hearing Zhaoluan triumphantly tell about Mrs. Xihe's falling into the lake again, her sister really had a surprised expression on her face: "Mrs. Xihe went to kneel in front of the hall?" "Well, I guess it's still kneeling there." As soon as I said this, a female official asked for an interview in a hurry. After entering, she leaned over and whispered a few words in Zhaoluan's ear. Zhaoluan suddenly changed his expression: "What? Are you telling the truth?" Jiang Huayue couldn't help asking: "What happened?" Zhaoluan stomped her feet and said: "It's over, I said that the demon concubine can do anything, I thought she was going to be unlucky this time, but I didn't expect her to hide such a trick, this is terrible! " Jiang Huayue and Jiang Chenyu exchanged glances, Jiang Huayue said softly: "Princess, don't worry, tell me first, what's going on?" "It turns out that Mrs. Xihe is going out of the palace today to run an errand under the imperial decree." As soon as this remark came out, not only her, but even Jiang Huayue's expression changed immediately: "What? Imperial decree?" "Yes, the emperor intends to hire Weng Yanrui as his teacher, and Yanrui was the teacher of the Yaofei's father during his lifetime, so the Yaofei received the imperial decree and went to confer the title in person. She didn't want to bump into the queen on the Dongda Bridge." and was thrown into the lake by Xiao Xue Cai..." Jiang Huayue sighed softly: "It's nothing in normal life, but there is a sacred decree, which represents the emperor, and it is a capital offense to violate Tianwei." "Ah, ah, what should I do? I said why she has been kneeling in front of the hall. If she wants to catch up on weekdays, the emperor's heart is so distressed that he has come out to help him personally. I am afraid that the emperor's brother doesn't know what to do now. No, I can't stand by and watch this matter, I'll go to the emperor's wife to see how to solve it." Zhaoluan hurried away while talking. Jiang Huayue suddenly grabbed her younger sister's hand, got up and said, "Come on, let's go and have a look." Jiang Chenyu hurriedly held her back, and said in a low voice: "Sister, it's better to avoid this kind of right and wrong?" Jiang Huayue smiled lightly, and poked her forehead with her finger: "What do you know? It's the right and wrong time, that's the time to use it." Immediately ordered someone to change clothes, after simple dressing, she took Jiang Chenyu with her Enpei Palace, where the Empress lived, unexpectedly walked halfway and heard that the Empress and others had rushed to Jingyang Hall, so they turned to Jingyang Hall. Just after passing the Yuhua Gate, I saw many people standing in front of the hall. It turned out that most of the concubines from various palaces had rushed over. The maids were supporting the pale queen. Zhaoluan stood beside her, looking at her with an angry look. Looking at Mrs. Xihe who was still kneeling on the ground.Jiang Chenyu took another look carefully, but he was a little disappointed that he didn't see the most talented Concubine Ji Gui. I saw Eunuch Luo, the chief eunuch, bending over and standing in front of Mrs. Xihe, and softly persuaded: "...Madam, you are a body of ten thousand gold. It's freezing in the cold weather. If you get cold, you will be fine. Let's get up..." Jiang Chenyu followed her sister quietly, and Mrs. Xihe's face also changed from blurred to clear, just like a painting, slowly outlined, dyed, and finally formed into a bright image: The long eyebrows condensed by the distant mountains in the mist, the pupils intertwined by the agile wings, the muscles and bones drawn by the continuous rain lines, the lips rendered by the petals with frost and dew... just like this It appeared in front of my eyes. One moment, it was still monotonous and pure white, but the next moment, it was already dazzlingly bright. At this moment, it was as if an invisible hand was waving in front of her eyes. The turbid world was suddenly clear and clear, the black and white world was instantly colorful, with countless charms, endless envy and surprises, all because of this one. The woman's appearance and posture were stirred up. Jiang Chenyu's whole body was shocked, and he didn't know where he was. Since childhood, the word she has heard most is "beauty".Everyone who saw her would exclaim in amazement: "This young daughter of the Jiang family is really beautiful." "Oh, this is Chen Yu, the name is proud and worthy. I really don’t know if it’s the blessings of several lifetimes of cultivation.” Just a moment ago, Zhaoluan had praised her for her beauty, calling her the number one beauty in the country of Bi.Although she humbly and immediately denied it at the time, it was impossible for her to say that she was not at all proud. However, at this moment, seeing Xihe's appearance for the first time, it was like a basin of cold water pouring down, chilling her from head to toe. This woman, this woman... is so lively, so glamorous, so beautiful! How could she not be able to do so? Suddenly, there was a little bit of shame. In my ears, Eunuch Luo said again: "Ma'am, your bones are always weak. If you kneel so long, how can you get sick in the future? You just stood by your side for a long time like a poor old slave. You can't afford it, and the emperor can't help it." Don't want to let this old slave go back..." Then, Xihe finally opened his mouth: "The concubine is ineffective in handling affairs, and even the imperial decree can't be kept. It shames the face of the sky, and I can't escape the blame for death. I implore the emperor to punish me." Her voice is also very unique, with a bit of blunt crispness, lazy charm, and the ending of each word is broken neatly and lingeringly. "Oh, my wife, how can the emperor be willing to punish you? Even kneeling is not willing to let you kneel, why don't you order this old servant to come out and pick you up? Get up quickly..." "If the emperor doesn't punish, the concubines won't get up." The tone was very light, but it made people feel a kind of persistence.Xi He stared straight ahead without looking at anyone, the corners of her lips raised slightly, and she smiled obstinately, lazyly and charmingly. Now even the father-in-law can't help it.Her attitude made it clear that she insisted on a result, and she would never stop there.He said he was punishing her, but in fact he was not targeting Xue Cai?And it was aimed at Xue Cai, but wasn't it actually aimed at the Queen? However, there was such a thing as the imperial decree falling into the water, which really gave her the most powerful opportunity. Looking at the queen again, her face became even paler, and finally she smiled sadly and knelt down on her knees.The female officials around all exclaimed, and Zhao Luan immediately stretched out his hand to help, and said anxiously: "Sister-in-law, what are you doing?" Empress Xue stared at Xihe, and said in a deep voice: "My nephew is stubborn and offended the imperial decree. It is because my concubine is incapable of discipline. If the emperor wants to punish, please punish my concubine. Xiaocai is young..." The voice was approaching. Choked up, but the word "ignorance" couldn't go on. Zhaoluan was even more angry when she heard this, and glared fiercely at Xihe, while Xihe was still looking straight ahead, her gorgeous face was full of sarcasm, unexpectedly she didn't even pay attention to the queen. Jiang Chenyu was secretly startled, and couldn't help thinking, what made her dare to be so arrogant? It is said that Mrs. Xihe was born in the market, her father Ye Ran was a talented person who failed all kinds of tests, and her mother Fang's made a living selling noodles, and was famous for her good noodles.Shan Weng Yanrui was tempted by her face, and accepted such a poor student as Ye Ran.Later, Ye Ran somehow became Qi'aohou's servant, but he was still doing nothing, drinking and sleeping all day long, his mother couldn't bear it, so she committed suicide and died.Not only did Ye Ran not restrain himself because of this, but he intensified it. In order to repay the wine money, he even mortgaged his daughter to the traffickers.This is how Xihe was sold into the palace.After she entered the palace, one night Ye Ran drank too much and fell into the water and died.In this way, she is really unaccompanied. Such a woman with no identity or background, although she was favored for a while by virtue of her extraordinary beauty, but the king's favor has never been long, how could she dare to be so aggressive and aggressive?Don't you leave a little way out for yourself? In the eyes of Jiang Chenyu, who was educated to be courteous and modest since childhood, this was simply unbelievable.Now when she looked at the woman who was ten steps away, she felt her heart thumping and palpitations. Inside the Jingyang Hall, there was still silence. Outside the Jingyang Palace, everyone had different expressions. The sky became more and more gloomy, and there were wisps of white spots in the cold wind. I don't know which female officer shouted: "Ah, it's snowing!" Jiang Chenyu looked up and saw snowflakes falling down one after another. In this weather, even standing is a kind of torture, and the hands and feet are cold, let alone kneeling.As for Mrs. Xihe, her hair was covered with crushed ice, could it be possible that she came here directly after coming up from the lake, without even drying her wet hair? Eunuch Luo turned around and said something, and immediately a little eunuch brought an umbrella, he put the umbrella on Xihe's head, and begged: "Madam, it's starting to snow now, and it's going to be night soon, You have been kneeling for an hour, even the iron can't stand it, I beg you, old slave, just get up..." Xihe was unmoved. Here, Zhaoluan also persuaded the queen: "Sister-in-law, this matter is not your fault at all, why are you kneeling? Since there was a purpose at that time, why didn't she say it earlier? Those who don't know are not guilty, and according to my court According to the law, the concubine should give way to the queen, sister-in-law, you and Xue Cai are not wrong!" Empress Xue gave a wry smile, but refused to get up. As a result, it became a stalemate between the two sides. The emperor was still unwilling to express his opinion, and when the matter was not over, a voice came from afar: "Xue Cai has violated Shengwei, and came to accept the crime—" Everyone looked up, and saw the seven-year-old boy rushing towards the front of the hall, cast a cold glance at Xihe, then knelt down, actually kneeling beside her, shoulder to shoulder with her. Now, the situation is even more chaotic.Zhaoluan hurriedly stepped forward to pull him and said, "Little Xue Cai, what are you doing now? Get up quickly." Xue Cai shook her head, her pink makeup and jade-like face was full of persistence, her eyes were black and bright like pearls looking at the gate of the palace, and she said loudly: "One person does things and one person is responsible. I beat the horse, and I killed the man. It has nothing to do with my aunt. Please read it to the emperor that Xue's family has no merit but has hard work, don't hold others accountable, only punish me, Xue Cai thank you!" After finishing speaking, he kowtowed to the ground with a loud bang. The white jade steps were cold to the bone, and the child kowtowed again and again, the skin on his forehead was broken, and the blood slowly flowed down, blurring such a handsome and delicate face, it was truly indescribably pitiful. Xue Cai had always been likable, but now that he suffered such a crime, everyone felt distressed, so he hated Xi He even more, why would such a child refuse to let go.And Xihe was kneeling at a very close distance beside him, watching him kowtow, his eyes flickering, he actually watched with relish, and finally he raised his lips and gave a faint smile, which seemed to be ridiculed, joyful and even more out of the way. Xue Cai's eyes changed in vain when he heard her laughter, he turned his head and looked at her with a complicated expression, then got up and said slowly: "Xue Cai understands. Xue Cai is willing to die to return the family's innocence." After speaking, she turned her head. He slammed into the side railing. The screams suddenly rang out. Fortunately, Eunuch Luo next to him, although old, was extremely fast, and he hugged him at the last moment, so although Xue Cai hit the stone slab, he just passed out. Empress Xue was so shocked that she almost didn't faint, and the female officials next to her tried to comfort her.It stands to reason that with such a disturbance, the emperor could no longer stand by and watch, but the hall was still quiet without any movement. why?Jiang Chenyu couldn't help feeling a bit suspicious.At this time, a group of people hurried up the stone steps and reported loudly: "Report to Your Majesty, Marquis Qi Ao has arrived. See you outside the main gate." A voice came from the hall: "Xuan." The voice was infinitely gorgeous, like silver sand walking on silk, sluggish and seductive. It was only then that the group of people realized that the emperor had been waiting for the young master for not making a statement.And as long as the young master comes, there will be nothing in this world that he can't solve.Everyone couldn't help showing joy, especially Jiang Chenyu, his heart was beating like a deer for a while, and his hands and feet were at a loss. Qiaohou Jiying. He is the younger brother of Ji Guipin, a hereditary first-class marquis, skilled in six arts, and capable of nine talents. He became famous as a young man, and the late emperor praised him, and bestowed the title "Qi Ao". The word Qiao originally comes from "The Book of Songs·Wei Feng": "Zhanbi Qiao, green bamboo Yiyi. There are bandits and gentlemen, who are like cutting like learning, like cutting like grinding." And the world thinks that these two characters are no longer the same. It suits him however. Jiang Chenyu once saw his father from afar at his birthday banquet, and since then, he has never forgotten it.At this moment when I heard that he was coming, I was shy and looking forward to it, and I saw a man in white clothes appearing outside the Yuhua Gate following the palace servants. Everything around suddenly faded away and ceased to exist. There was only one person left, walking slowly, step by step, with utmost calmness, as if from the other side of fate, walking over like a fleeting shadow. No words can describe his intoxicating demeanor even in case, no words can describe his aloof demeanor... If you have ever seen the scene of melting moonlight erupting thousands of miles on the vast grassland, you will definitely think of him Waist-length, shiny black long hair; if you have seen the scene of endless snow on the silent mountain top, you will definitely think of his white robe as light as wings and spotless. Black like ink, white like jade, other than that, there is no other color. So simple, so plain, yet so soul-stirring. Young master Ji Ying. It's him, it's really him, seeing him again... Jiang Chenyu's hand was slowly clenched in the sleeve.Just yesterday, my mother said with a smile: "The character and appearance of my family Chen Yu, in today's world, only the son of the Ji family is worthy of it. Our Jiang family, together with Xue and Ji's family, is Naibi The three great aristocratic families in the country are rightly matched. Chen Yu, what do you think?" The sister-in-law also chimed in at the time and said: "I think that Qi Aohou is such a romantic person, all the women of the appropriate age in the imperial capital are not looking at him eagerly, Chen Yu, this is really a good marriage, as long as you Nod your head, let's go to propose marriage. We must do it as soon as possible, otherwise, after a few more years, Princess Zhaoluan will grow up, and I'm afraid it won't be your turn." Now, looking at this man who is very likely to become her husband, she just feels that a heart is like a paint soaked in water, slowly melting away... Ji Ying walked up the steps, walked past Xihe, and entered the Jingyang Palace with the palace attendants.Xihe kept her head down, and did not raise her head until the palace door was closed, her jewel-like deep black pupils turned from shallow to thick, her expression was indistinguishable from joy to sorrow, and it was too complicated to see why. After Ji Ying went in for about a cup of tea, Eunuch Luo came out and summoned: "The emperor announces that the empress is here." Empress Xue glanced at Xihe, got up very uneasy and went in.Entering the hall, I saw the imperial physician was prescribing medicine for Xue Cai, while the emperor and Ji Ying stood aside and watched quietly.Empress Xue quickly knelt down and said: "The concubine has no way to teach my nephew, and I ask the emperor to forgive me." The emperor turned around and said with a slight smile, "Get up." The bright lights reflected his face. Zhao Yin, the current lord of the Bi Kingdom, was an extremely handsome young man with crooked eyebrows and always a smile that was not a smile.But Empress Xue knew very well that the pleasant appearance was just an illusion, and this young king surnamed Ji was notoriously cruel. She approached the couch anxiously, and said anxiously: "Prince doctor, did my nephew get hit hard?" The imperial doctor took the pulse for Xue Cai, turned around and saluted, "Go back to the emperor and queen, Mr. Xue is fine, just need to rest for a while to recover. But..." "But what?" "However, the wound on his forehead may leave a scar." Empress Xue trembled, and then looked at Xue Cai who was in a coma, feeling sour and guilty in her heart.Her nephew has been the apple of the eye of the whole family since he was a child. Not only is he intelligent, he is also one of the best in appearance. Now his face is disfigured, although it is only on the forehead, but it is flawed after all. When she was feeling sad, she sensed a certain gaze, and she raised her head, only to see Ji Ying smiling at her and saying, "Man, a mere scar is nothing, the queen doesn't need to worry about it." Empress Xue glanced at him gratefully, and then turned her gaze to Zhao Yin, Zhao Yin's brows were faint, and he remained calm.She knelt down again, and said in a mournful voice: "Your Majesty, Xiao Cai was young and ignorant, and she offended Mrs. Xihe..." As soon as she said this, Zhao Yin raised her hand to stop her from continuing. Empress Xue thought to herself: It's over, this catastrophe is inevitable. At this time, a handsome eunuch came quietly from the side hall, and Empress Xue recognized that it was Zhao Yin's confidant Tian Jiu. After he came in, he knelt down and called "Your Majesty". Zhao Yin immediately turned around and said, "How? Have you brought it?" "Yes." Tian Jiu said, took out a long box from his bosom, and presented it to the emperor respectfully. Zhao Yin opened the lid, raised his eyebrows again, smiled at Ji Ying who was beside him, "Qi Ao really has a plan, this way the matter can be settled." After speaking, he turned around and handed the box to Empress Xue. Empress Xue took it full of doubts, and saw a spool of yellow silk inside. When I unfolded it, the first thing that caught my eye was the four characters "Zengyi Ahan". question. Zhao Yin said leisurely: "Does the Queen know what this is?" Empress Xue hesitated for a moment, then replied: "But... the Zengyi Agama Sutra that was transcribed by the late Emperor himself?" "That's right. Does the Queen know where it came from?" "I heard... the former Empress Dowager Chaoyun was seriously ill. The late emperor copied this "Zengyi Agama Sutra" by himself to show her filial piety, and prayed for her longevity. Since then, this sutra has been enshrined in Dingguo Temple, and it is regarded as an example of filial piety in the world. .” Zhao Yin nodded, and there was an unspeakable emotion in his eyes, which made him look even more elusive: "Didn't the empress and little Xue Cai just come back from Dingguo Temple today?" Empress Xue's heart shook, she suddenly came to her senses, and said in shock, "What does the emperor mean?" Zhao Yin turned his eyes away, stared at a bottle of bronze human head Si Chen Spirit Beast next to the desk, and smiled without saying a word.Seeing him like that, Empress Xue knew that she had guessed right - she didn't expect the emperor to help her! I heard that the Empress Dowager's phoenix body has not been harmonious these days, if she claimed to retrieve this imperial scripture from Dingguo Temple for the Empress Dowager, things would be completely different today. She is a concubine, and she has the emperor's scroll in her hand. Even if Xihe has the imperial edict, she has to respectfully avoid it.In this way, the matter of Xue Cailing Xihe falling into the water together with the imperial decree can be reduced to a minor matter... Empress Xue was shocked. Surprised by accidental favoritism: Zhao Yin, her husband, she has been married to him since she was fourteen years old, and it has been six years now.He has always had good etiquette and lack of intimacy towards her, so he can truly be regarded as respecting her like a "guest".Five years ago, he was overwhelmed by Ji Hu's peerless talent. Three years ago, he favored the gentle and pleasant Jiang Huayue, and now he is even more admiring of the beautiful Xihe, and everyone knows it. However, in today's matter, he chose to defend her... For a moment, five flavors were mixed, a little sweet and a little bitter. Immediately knelt down respectfully, and said gratefully: "My concubine, thank the emperor for his kindness!" Zhao Yin's eyes still stayed on the copper beast, and he said leisurely: "Queen, today's matter is over. The queen is the mother of the country, and the peace of the harem is the most important thing. I hope that there will be no more incidents related to this matter in the future. follow-up." Empress Xue understood that this was a warning to her not to hold a grudge against Xihe and wait for an opportunity to retaliate because of this. It seemed that although the emperor helped her on the surface, his heart was still on Xihe's side.The slight ripples in her heart that had finally settled down with this sentence, she lowered her eyebrows and lowered her eyes, trying to keep her voice as calm as possible: "Yes, my concubine, please remember." "Very good." Zhao Yin finally turned his head, glanced at the eunuch next to him and said, "Luo Heng, go announce the decree." The imperial decree must have been written by her before entering the hall. Hearing the order, Eunuch Luo hurriedly opened the hall door, walked up to Xihe under the curious eyes of all the beauties, shook off the imperial edict of yellow satin, and read aloud: "Wei Wei For four years in Tubi, the year is Xinmao, and on the 17th day of the second lunar month, Yihai, if the emperor said: "In the play! The etiquette of the interior, the use of mutual respect, the righteousness of giving in the middle, and the rectification of the family. Counselor. The seventh son of Xue Su, the middle man of the Autumn Mansion, is a filial friend, intelligent, talented, good at his words, and sensitive in words and deeds. Following the Queen Mother's order, he started to revise the law, to highlight the prosperity of our dynasty, and to show the meritorious deeds of the previous emperor. Although the emperor's decree has been misunderstood today, Offending Tianwei, the word Naixiao is the first, and will not be held accountable. The other wife, Xihe, is soft and upright, and Shuwen is publicized outside. She is bestowed with the title of Yongle, ten strings of pearls, a hundred pieces of silk satin, and a thousand taels of gold. Fang. Qin this." The four palace doors were wide open. Xi He, who was kneeling outside the door, and Empress Xue, who was kneeling inside the door, raised their heads at the same time, their gazes facing each other. In the eyes of Jiang Chenyu, who fell to the side, he felt that the scene was so weird, as if floating in the ocean, so it quietly flowed past the sight of the two women. And Xihe Suli still had a faint smile on her face, but there was a weary look in the smile, making it impossible to guess what was going on in her heart. Eunuch Luo walked up to her and reminded, "Ma'am, don't you thank me?" Only then did Xihe withdraw her gaze from Empress Xue's face, her whole body trembled as if she had just woken up from a dream, then she raised the corners of her lips and smiled extraordinarily enchantingly: "Thank you, my lord, Long live, long live, long live." Jiang Chenyu let out a sigh of relief, the matter was finally resolved.Turning his eyes to look into the hall again, he saw Ji Ying standing beside the emperor's dragon case. Although his expression was peaceful, the emperor looked at him with admiration. It seems...he came up with this solution, right?Only the young master can handle things in such a peaceful and simple but most practical and effective way. Xihe stood up staggeringly with the support of the maids, but after all, she knelt for too long, halfway up, she fell down again.The imperial physician rushed out quickly, and Eunuch Luo ordered someone to set up a soft sedan chair, and carried Xihe back to Baohua Palace. After the disturbing crowd left, the Jingyang Palace finally found peace. Jiang Chenyu was just about to go back to the palace with his sister, when he suddenly saw Ji Ying coming out of the palace, their gazes crossed inadvertently, Jiang Chenyu's heart beat suddenly and he almost stopped breathing. However, Ji Ying's gaze didn't stay on her face any longer, he quickly swept away and left in a hurry. The silent evening wind blew his robe, and the palace lantern dragged his shadow on the ground, forming a long path, peerlessly quiet and elegant. Jiang Chenyu stared at his back obsessively, until Jiang Huayue pushed her hard, and teased: "Still watching? No one is there." Jiang Chenyu's face flushed, just about to defend herself, Jiang Huayue took her hand and said, "Let's go back." Back in Jianing Palace, Jiang Huayue stepped back and let go of her hand, her expression became very complicated, and finally she let out a long sigh. "elder sister?" Jiang Huayue said in a low voice: "I didn't expect that Qi Aohou would be such a character... Hehe, this matter was solved so easily. It's thanks to him that he can figure out the queen mother's order!" Jiang Chenyu lowered his head and smiled: "Isn't this good? A fight was resolved without bloodshed..." Jiang Huayue gave her a white look: "You are fine, as long as you can see Ji Ying, what's wrong with you?" "elder sister……" "But it made me happy for nothing. I thought that Xihe would be able to fight the queen this time and lose both. I didn't expect Ji Ying to be killed halfway. The emperor waited for so long in the study, and he was really waiting for him to come to put out the fire. This time, Xihe fell into his hands!" Jiang Chenyu pondered and said: "The reason why Mrs. Xihe is so aggressive is because she caught the imperial decree falling into the water, but Xue Cai also carried the imperial scroll of the late emperor on her body at that time. The word filial piety is greater than the sky. In front of Yujuan, I had to give in. Although this move is simple, it is also wonderful." "Why did you have the emperor's imperial scroll on you back then? It's clear that you went to Dingguo Temple to get it now." Jiang Huayue snorted, suddenly remembered something, and started giggling. "What are you laughing at, sister?" "I'm laughing at Xihe's tricks, and kneeling for so long." Jiang Huayue said as she loosened her hair, and sat down in front of the dressing table to remove her makeup. Losing it for nothing... Chen Yu, do you know where Xihe lost today?" Jiang Chenyu hesitated and said, "Because...Your Master interfered?" Jiang Huayue stared at her: "You, seeing Qi Aohou, it's like losing your soul, your mind is full of your young master!" Jiang Chenyu blushed, seeing her like this, Jiang Huayue could only smile and shook her head and sighed: "Okay, okay, let's take it as a reason, but this just explains the most important point—— Although Xihe is favored, she has nothing but the emperor's favor." 姜沉鱼心中一颤，听懂了弦外之意。 “今日这事若是换了我，我都不需要自己去殿前跪乞，只需让父亲联同朝中的大臣一起上折子，痛诉皇后教侄无方，纵侄行凶，导致圣旨落水，触犯天威。到时候，一本接一本的折子压上去，就算有先帝的御卷那又怎么样？也保不住薛氏一家。所以啊……”姜画月一边慢条斯理地梳着长发，一边得意道，“再倾国倾城、再三千宠爱又怎么样？没有家族背景和朝中势力在后头撑腰，这皇宫阿修罗之地，又岂是区区一人之力所能左右？” 姜沉鱼低下头，没有接话。 “我以前还是太抬举她了，视她为劲敌，现在再看，也不过如此。事关薛氏时，便连皇上也只想着如何护住薛氏，而不是如何给他的宠妃要个公道。所以说，泥鳅终归还是泥鳅，再怎么折腾，也翻不出池塘……” 姜沉鱼突地起身，道：“姐姐，我要回去了。” 姜画月一愕，随即明白过来，眼中闪过一丝嘲讽，笑道：“我知道你觉得这争风吃醋、明争暗斗的事情恶心，不爱听。但是想想你可怜的姐姐我，每天都活在这样的日子里，指不定哪天被算计了的人就是我呢。罢了罢了，这其中的滋味，外人又岂能懂得？我也只是一时牢骚而已，你不爱听，我不说了便是。” 被她这么一说，姜沉鱼不禁惭愧起来，上前握了她的手道：“姐姐，我不是不爱听，只是……” “我明白的，不说了。”姜画月看向铜镜中的自己，纵然眉目依旧如画，但眼眸早已不再纯粹，哪还是当初那个待字闺中不谙世事的姜大小姐？再看身后的妹妹，只不过三岁之差，却恍似两类人。她已因经历风霜而憔悴，而妹妹却依旧被家族所庇佑着，像晨曦里的鲜花一般纯净。一念至此，不禁很是感慨：“想来咱们家最好命的就是你，不但父母宠如珍宝，而且听说还给你安排了同淇奥侯的婚事？” 姜沉鱼咬着唇，半晌，轻点下头。 “多好，你对他不是仰慕已久了么？如今，终于能得偿所愿了。” “此事还没成呢……” “怎会不成？当今帝都，能配得起那个谪仙般的人儿的，也就只有妹妹你了。”姜画月淡淡一笑，“他的本事你今日里也见识到了？皇上对他极为倚重，不但朝中大事，现在便连后宫内务都开始听他的了。姬、姜两家一旦联姻，就不怕薛家了。瞧，你的眉头又皱起来了，一听到这种争权夺势的事情你就厌恶，傻妹妹啊，你嫁的夫君不是平民百姓，而是当朝重臣，你又怎脱离得开这是非之地呢？” 姜沉鱼心中清楚姐姐说的是事实，正因如此，反而觉得更加悲哀。她对姬婴，是真心倾慕，可对家族而言，却更看重联姻的好处。这世间，果然一旦沾染了荣华富贵，便再无纯粹可言。 姜画月从梳妆匣中取出一支珠钗，钗头一颗明珠，足有龙眼大小，散发着莹润的光。 “这是宜国使臣进贡来的稀世之珠，当今世上只有一对。皇上分别赏了我与曦禾一人一颗。这颗叫长相守，她那颗叫勿相忘。我请巧匠将它打制成钗，如今送于妹妹，就当是给妹妹大婚的贺礼吧。” 姜沉鱼连忙跪下谢恩，恭恭敬敬地接过，珠钗入手，映得肌肤都变成了幽幽的蓝色。 姜画月凝望着那支钗，眼神柔软，却又溢满沧桑：“愿你真正能如此名一般，与良人长相厮守，恩爱白头。” 长相守……么？What a great name. 姜沉鱼捧着那支钗，心中百感交集。然而，这时的她和姜画月都不曾预料到，正因为这对明珠，她们，以及曦禾，还有今日这起事件所关联到的所有人的命运，全都纠缠在了一起。 叫长相守的，恰恰分离。 叫勿相忘的，偏偏消弭。 一腔悲欢古难全，世事从来不如意。