Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Surprise

I don't know if it was because of the cold wind blowing on the road. When I went back, I felt a little pain in my forehead, and when I lowered my head just now, I found that my skirt and shoes were also wet from the tea. Forget about the skirt, Xiao Shan embroidered the pair of shoes with colorful lotus and mandarin ducks playing in the water. She found out, but she didn't know how to complain. I was in a bad mood, and my footsteps were impolite, and I stomped the floor all the way, and just turned around the corridor, there was a "boom", this time I really bumped into someone.

I covered my forehead, couldn't help but reveal my true nature, and blurted out: "You don't have eyes when you walk, go back to your own house and play!" There was also a faint panting sound from the opposite side, probably because of the pain, and then the man laughed: "Empress Empress, what a coincidence." It's still Li Hongqing, I don't know if it's because my words just now were too casual, but this time he didn't follow the usual salute, took a step back, and smiled: "Is this the second time? It seems that I have a good relationship with the empress today. "

This Li Hongqing, if his words are heard by people with ulterior motives, I don't know how they will be misinterpreted. Anyway, there was no one here, so I was happy to be casual, and smiled: "It's quite a fate, but Vice Commander Li's head is hard, and I have also learned it." "Don't dare, dare not, the empress's phoenix head is also as strong as gold and stone, it is very teachable to me." Li Hongqing laughed and joked, and Li Hongqing didn't suffer a bit. The two looked at each other as they were covering their foreheads, and suddenly they both put down their hands and laughed.

After laughing, the atmosphere is more relaxed. Li Hongqing looked at me and asked, "The Empress just came back from Long Live Lord?" I smiled and nodded: "Yes, is Vice Commander Li asking for information?" He also smiled, but lowered his head and said lightly: "You are not the one to do those things, empress, don't push yourself too hard." After finishing speaking, he didn't even take leave, just waved his hand casually, and he missed me and walked in the direction of the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Why force yourself?What's not to do those things?what to do

After he walked a little far away, I came back to my senses, turned around angrily and wanted to refute, and Xiao Shan's voice came from behind: "Miss? You were talking to Hong Qing just now?" I turned around and said, "Since when did you become so familiar with the person who spoke so freely that you called him 'Hongqing'?" Xiao Shan glanced at it bluntly: "Is it better than you being unobstructed?" I was so choked that I couldn't speak. Although I am your young lady, I am already the queen after all, okay?No mercy at all. Three days later, Xiao Huan followed the agreement and sent someone to send Xianxue outside the palace.

In the days that followed, I received news from outside the palace from time to time, knowing that his injury was getting better, and I gradually felt relieved. Not many days after Xianxue left the palace, the situation in the empire became tense. At the end of summer, there was heavy rain on the Jianghuai River for days, and the river burst its embankment. The fertile fields in the past have now become vast oceans, and tens of millions of victims have been displaced. The cabinet and the six ministries are extremely busy every day, and the fast horses conveying the latest disaster situation are always shuttling back and forth on the Zhuque Street outside Dawumen. In the middle of the night, the dull sound of horseshoes can be heard in the harem.

Misfortunes never come singly, not long after the catastrophe in the Jianghuai area, the Jurchen tribe who had long been unwilling to be vassals of the Great Wu in the Changbai Mountain area rose up at the right time, and within half a month the flames of war burned to Shanhaiguan. The empire has been prosperous and peaceful in the past forty years, and there are seldom times when there are internal and external troubles. In order to deal with emergency disasters and war situations at any time, my father stays in the cabinet's squad room day and night. A lot older. Xiao Huan, who has always kept a low profile for a long time, showed his swift and resolute skills at this time. He issued several unexpected decrees, replacing the coach of Shanhaiguan from the respected veteran Chen Wei with the Fuzhou general who trained troops strangely and did not respect dogma. At the same time, Qi Chengliang, a soldier in charge of the household department, dismissed Ren Qian, who was in charge of a moderate government, and promoted Zhang Zhuduan, editor of the Imperial Academy, as the right servant of the household department to preside over Jianghuai disaster relief matters.

I was secretly appalled that officials privately gave mixed reviews of their young emperor's actions. The Qi Chengliang and Zhang Zhuduan that Xiao Huan reused are both capable officials, and they are highly valued by my father. Zhang Zhuduan is my father's protégé. In this great opportunity to attack my father's power and cultivate his own wings, he promotes talents without sticking to one pattern. The mind and courage displayed in front of the courtiers are enough to convince many people.What's more, in just a few days, none of the decrees were targeted, accurate and sophisticated. His amazing familiarity and grasp of the abilities and temperament of the officials in the court and in the middle of the country, I believe the officials in the Manchu Dynasty have also noticed.

However, no matter how turbulent the previous dynasty was, the harem remained relatively calm. Because Xiao Huan often dealt with government affairs all night long and had no time to call concubines to attend the bedtime, I had nothing to do every day. I just played Pai Gow with Xiao Shan and Li Hongqing live. After the two chance encounters in the corridor that day, Li Hongqing and I bumped into each other several times in the palace. Because of the congenial temperament, I was so excited, I simply asked him to play in the palace. He is also an idler, relying on the privilege of entering and leaving the forbidden palace, he never refuses invitations, and arrives as soon as he is called.

Hong Qing is a very interesting person, he knows all kinds of unrefined tricks, he is good at pushing Pai Gow, playing dice, guessing fists, and drinking. Xiaoshan and I practice our skills with him every day. "After becoming a teacher from me, it is absolutely no problem to venture into the rivers and lakes." At the poker table, he boasted triumphantly. "Tch, that means you can fool us here." While expressing my disdain, I carefully turned over the cards I was dealt this time. Luckily, it turned out to be a set of human cards, which can be turned over. "Whether you're fooling someone or not, you'll know right away." Hong Qing pushed out all the chips in his hand, "I'll bet on Tianmen."

Tianmen is himself, I am the dealer, Xiao Shan has lost all his chips and came to my side to check the cards. He is so confident in himself?Could it be that he also has a big card in his hand? I don't believe it, the cards on the table have already been played almost, and it is impossible to play a card higher than the human card. "Hey" laughed twice, and I pushed out all the chips: "I bet on the dealer." "Good! Good!" Xiao Shan yelled from the side, "I bet all-in, Hong Qing is the best at bluffing. His cards must be small, so I'm trying to make a fool of myself." Hong Qing smiled unhurriedly: "Do you want to read the cards?" I began to doubt my own judgment, and now I can't regret it: "Look." He smiled and flipped over the cards: "Natural cards." Xiaoshan and I let out two screams. "It's certainly necessary to make false moves, but you also need to have one or two real ones once in a while, otherwise you won't be able to get along." Hong Qing took all the chips in front of him and commented complacently. I gritted my teeth when I lost, it was really not pleasing to the eye. "Come again, come again." I took off the suet jade bracelet in my hand, "I'll bet on this." "Isn't that bad? Others will say that I'm bullying two girls." Hong Qing smiled mischievously. "I'm afraid you are a ghost! I must kill you!" I rolled up my sleeves and waved my hand, "Xiaoshan, deal the cards." The murderous spirit was about to fight again, when the maid Jiaoyan next to her came over with a bowl of iced watermelon to cool us off from the heat. I saw some beads of sweat on her face, so I called out: "Jiaoyan also come to eat two yuan." She shook her head quickly: "How can this be done, servant girl..." I have always been casual, and Xiaoshan, the maid in charge, is not very serious. After a long time, although the maids in the palace will not yell at me like Xiaoshan, they are all a little more open, no longer like Xiaoshan. It turned out to be so timid and cautious. "You're welcome, our Chuxiu Palace doesn't have so many rules." I took her hand and pushed her down on a small stool beside me, "It's a hot day, and you've been busy for a long time, you can eat two yuan to quench your thirst." Jiaoyan didn't refuse any more, and sat down against the edge of the stool. I took her hand, didn't let go immediately, stroked the calluses on her tiger's mouth, and asked with a smile: "Have Jiaoyan practiced martial arts before entering the palace?" "How does your empress know?" Jiaoyan was obviously a little flustered, her clear eyes filled with fuss. "Whether you have practiced martial arts, it is easy to tell." I laughed. Over there, Xiao Shan had already re-dealted the cards, and she was jealous of gambling at the moment, so she yelled loudly, "Miss! Don't gossip, come and see the cards." I smiled at Jiaoyan, and continued to gamble. When I was envious of gambling, I could still feel a gaze falling on me all the time. The nights at the end of summer are still a bit difficult, not to mention the mosquitoes, there are often one or two crickets in the treetops in the corners, and they scream a few times in the middle of the night, which is very noisy. That night I was woken up again by the talkative Cicada, and I couldn't fall asleep for a while. Seeing that the hill on the small couch outside was sleeping soundly, I quietly got out of bed by myself without disturbing the other maids, and was going to stroll in the yard to enjoy the cool air. As soon as I walked to the corridor, I heard some faint voices in the front hall, and walked over curiously to have a look. The moonlight is like water, sprinkled all over the stone steps, and a slender figure is practicing palms. Her arms are round and round, her figure is like returning to the wind and flowing snow, drawing a smooth arc in the air, the sleeves are blown by the wind, and the faint palm wind reverberates. "Good palm." I clapped softly. "Who?" The person quickly covered her chest with her palm and asked in a low voice. The moonlight shone on her beautiful side face, and I could clearly see that it was Jiaoyan. Her clear eyes flickered, she hesitated again and again, and finally put down her arms, and whispered, "Empress Empress." "You're still practicing martial arts so late, don't you feel tired?" I smiled and walked over, "The palm technique is pretty good, did your master pass it on to you?" Jiaoyan shook her head: "It's my father." She bit her lip, "Empress Empress, you are a good person." I laughed a little: "You think I'm a good person so quickly? Then who is the bad person?" Jiaoyan lowered her head and pinched the corner of her clothes, held back for a long time, then suddenly said: "Long live!" She said this loudly, and I was startled by her. After looking around and not alarming others, I smiled at her: "Why do you say that?" Jiaoyan hesitated again, and finally gritted her teeth and said: "My father wandered in the rivers and lakes for a few years in the early years, but since he married my mother and gave birth to me, he has been farming near the capital for a living, and our family lives very comfortably. But some people from the palace came here two years ago and said they wanted to confiscate my family's land. My father was originally a fiery temper, and knew some martial arts, so he was not willing to obey, and we quarreled with them. Those people stopped my father indiscriminately. It's just a beating, and he is said to be disobedient and guilty. If he quarrels again, it will be a serious crime that will implicate the whole family. "My father was getting old, and he couldn't compete with so many of them. He was beaten so sick by them that he passed away in less than half a year. Without the land and without my father, my family couldn't live on. Later, the palace Recruiting maids here, my mother sent me in." Jiao Yan said, with tears in her eyes: "Those officials always say that they love the people like their own sons, and they want to be sympathetic to the people, it's all nonsense! They drove us to nowhere, how did they sympathize with us? I hate these high-ranking people to death. my lords." I listened carefully, and when Jiaoyan finished speaking, I held her hand and patted the back of her hand, "Jiaoyan, you practice martial arts after entering the palace, do you want to seek revenge from Lord Long Live?" Jiaoyan was stunned for a while, she lowered her head and didn't say a word. I knew that I was talking about her heart. Thinking of the assassination of Xianxue some time ago, I sighed: "I advise you not to hit the stone with a pebble... You have no chance of winning against Long live." Jiaoyan was a little surprised, she looked up at me: "My father said that his palm technique was taught by an expert outside the world, and it is rare to meet an opponent in the Jianghu. Although there are many guards in the palace, as long as I seize the opportunity, can I still do it?" Can't kill a pampered emperor?" I looked at her and smiled, and took a step back: "Use your most powerful moves to attack me, don't be afraid, just use ten percent of your strength." Jiaoyan was even more surprised; "Empress Empress..." I nodded to her: "It's okay, just come." Jiaoyan raised her palm and said lightly: "I'm here." Then she slapped her palm. This move of hers is indeed a formidable killer move. Not only does she open wide and close tightly, but she also hides countless rear moves. Before the palm reaches me, a gust of wind from the palm has already blown to my cheek. She attacked in front of me, and I lightly raised my hand. Jiaoyan looked at her arm firmly held by me in disbelief, and stammered: "This, this...how is it possible..." I let go of her arm: "This is the gap between us, the gap between Wanzai and me will only get bigger." "Long Live Lord?" Jiao Yan had recovered a little, "He also knows martial arts, how about his martial arts?" I paused, Xiao Huan's deep black eyes appeared in front of my eyes: "Unfathomable." Jiaoyan was a little dazed, and I patted her on the shoulder to comfort her: "So even if you avoid all the imperial guards and stay close to the emperor, you have no chance of winning." Even Xian Xue, the number one killer in the world, hadn't succeeded in the end, let alone a little court lady who knew a little bit of martial arts. "But..." Jiaoyan struggled to say as if she had just woken up from a dream. "Forget about it. If you can't sleep at night, you can still come here to practice. If someone finds out, tell me that I taught you the palm technique." I smiled at her, turned around and prepared to leave. "Empress," Jiaoyan called me from behind, "Do you hate Lord Long Live?" "Huh?" I turned my head strangely. "Do you hate Long Live God? You are so kind, but he treats you badly. Do you hate him?" Jiaoyan asked me. I am so nice?Thinking about it, this is the first time someone said that I am a good person. If Xiaoshan heard this, she would be the first to stand up and object, and then point out the bad deeds that I have punished her since I was a child. I smiled: "Jiaoyan, in fact, sometimes people's hearts are not what we imagined. We either like it or like it, and hate it or hate it. Many times, we don't know what we are thinking, whether we like it or hate it. Or neither like nor hate." I don't know if this simple-minded little girl understood, standing under the moonlight, she frowned. I smiled at her again, turned around and walked up the long corridor. The corridor was very dark, and my body gradually disappeared into the darkness. After walking for a while and turning around, Jiaoyan was still standing in the frosty moonlight, with a clear figure. The political situation has not improved, and the leaves on the branches have not yet turned yellow. Fortunately, Yiyong sent someone over to invite me to the Yikun Palace for a banquet just before dinner that day. I smiled and played with the respectful expressions on the faces of the maids she sent, thinking that this might be a grand feast. When the soldiers come, there will be generals to stop them, and when the water comes, there will be soil flooding. I told Xiao Shan not to prepare dinner tonight, so I took Jiaoyan there. The West Sixth Palace is not far away, and Yikun Palace will arrive soon. When I walked into the spacious front hall, Xing Yiyong had set up a table of delicacies. Seeing me enter, she hurriedly greeted me: "The concubine sees the Queen Mother .” I quickly helped her up: "Sister, what are you doing? Our sisters still have to see outsiders, and there are no outsiders here." Xing Yiyong stood up with a smile: "Even if the empress is close to the courtiers and concubines, this order of superiority and inferiority cannot be ignored. The empress is always the empress." I also smiled: "Sister is just too reserved, in terms of our affection, why are you still mentioning this?" Xing Yiyong continued to laugh: "Actually, my concubine has wanted to invite the Empress to come over for a long time. First, I came to thank the empress for the book. Second, I admire the empress's virtue, and I have been looking forward to talking with the empress." I couldn't help saying a few polite words to her, and the two of us entered the table together. Since Xing Yiyong invited me over, the three talents from her Yikun Palace were naturally also present. The banquet started, and Xing Yiyong and the three talents toasted me in turn.When it was Wu Cairen's turn to come over, she first raised her head and glanced at me quickly, then quickly lowered her head and raised her wine glass: "Please, empress." Some time ago she treated me badly, although Xiao Huan comforted her afterwards, but since then, she no longer pampers her like before.Without the grace, her life must be difficult now, and she probably understands a lot of things. I smiled and asked her: "How is Wu Cairen these days? Have you made new clothes?" Thinking that I was going to tease her again, Wu Cairen shook his head in a panic: "Don't dare, dare not, my concubine dare not." "Don't dare to do anything, dare not make new clothes?" I laughed. "Huh?" Wu Cairen was stunned. Enough playing with her, I smiled and went to pick up the wine glass in her hand. "Your Majesty, you can't drink." Jiaoyan who was standing behind me suddenly snatched the wine glass with her hands, held it up to her eyes and looked, "It's poisonous." "Jiaoyan knows how to distinguish poison?" I was a little surprised. "Mother, when I was young, I learned some tricks from my father to navigate the rivers and lakes." He said and showed me the wine glass, "This wine is phosphorescent, and you can tell it has been poisoned." Change the angle a little, and you can see the light blue phosphorescence reflected on the clear wine, I nodded: "So it's that simple." The martial artist over there had already knelt down with a plop: "Mother, I didn't inflict the poison, I didn't inflict the poison, I dare not, empress..." Because of fear, there was a cry in his voice. "Bold! The empress only punished you a little that day, but you actually poisoned her and wanted to harm her. You really have a heart like a snake and a scorpion." Xing Yiyong, who has always been graceful and magnanimous, suddenly slapped the table and stood up, with a serious expression on his face. Angry, she looked at me and said, "Mother, after you punished Wu Cairen in the Royal Garden that day, she cried to me, saying that the empress is narrow-minded, and she must repay her. I punished her severely at that time, because I didn't want the empress to do it for you. This kind of trifling matter wasted so much that I didn't tell the empress, who knows that she dared to harm the empress today, she really didn't know what to do!" Xing Yiyong was filled with righteous indignation, but I understood what she really meant, she knew that Wu Cairen had offended me, so in order not to hurt my friendship, she pushed this Wu Cairen out to show favor to me.Regarding today's poisoning, I believe she didn't directly dare to touch me, even if Jiaoyan didn't find out, she would definitely stop me before I drank it. It's a little strange, Xing Yiyong has been favored by the Empress Dowager, and now he can be said to be gaining more and more power in the palace, there is no need to please me, the empress. And I heard that her father, Xingyu, has gone against his political views and attitudes for many years during this period, and has a lot of wins over my father. The father and daughter did not know what was on their minds, and they played tricks all the way from outside the palace to inside the palace. I secretly sighed, and put on a magnanimous look: "Then sister said, how should I deal with this martial artist?" "Of course I told the truth to the Empress Dowager, and gave her a three-foot white silk, intending to harm the Empress, which is a capital offense!" Xing Yiyong said firmly. Wu Cairen, who was so frightened that he had been sitting paralyzed for a long time, heard the word "death crime", and shouted: "Empress Defei, you are so cruel...you..." He began to cry. I tapped the table with my fingertips, watching Wu Cairen convulsed from crying on the ground, his plump and round shoulders trembling, and raised my head and said, "Sister, although Wu Cairen is hateful, I didn't drink that glass of wine after all. No, my sister sold me face, and the matter of poisoning was exposed. This martial artist, I will tell my queen mother that I don’t like her, and let her be relegated to the cold palace. What does my sister think?" Xing Yiyong was taken aback for a moment, she probably didn't expect that I would let Wu Cairen go: "Your Majesty's kind heart makes this treacherous villain even more despicable and shameful." Although I'm not a kind person, I really don't have such a vicious heart to see such a young woman die because of me.What's more... God has the virtue of loving life, even if we are in this deep palace, we can't help ourselves. After all this tossing and looking at the table full of delicious food and wine, I lost my appetite and was about to leave my seat and go back to the palace.A little eunuch ran in in a panic, didn't know what to do, so he stammered: "No...it's not good, Long Live Lord is not good..." I was annoyed and scolded him: "What's not good or bad? Is it not good to just say it casually?" Then the little eunuch quickly knelt down, panting: "Really...it's really bad, Hall of Mental Cultivation...someone in Hall of Mental Cultivation saw Lord Long Live vomiting blood and passed out...It's terrible..." "What?" I stood up at once, turned my head and saw Xing Yiyong also had a panicked expression, she and I glanced at each other, and rushed out of the room at the same time. Hurrying to the front of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the situation here is already a little flustered. During this period of time, catastrophes and wars have taken place, people's hearts are already unstable, and now something happened to the emperor, and there are several eunuchs and maids in the corridor like headless chickens. run. I was so angry that I stood in the middle and shouted loudly: "The sky hasn't fallen yet! Why are you running?" The eunuchs and maids probably panicked for a while, and when they saw someone scolding, they immediately knelt down on the spot. "Give me back to their respective positions, and if anyone runs around, grab the stick and punish them for twenty!" My voice was stern. "Listen to the Queen Mother's order, and all go back." Hong Qing ran in with a group of imperial guards, but before they came, he shouted loudly. I saw Hong Qing, and when he approached, I quickly asked, "What's wrong with Long Live?" Hong Qing shook his head, also with an anxious expression on his face: "I just rushed over from home when I heard that Lord Long Live had an accident." He glanced at Xing Yiyong who was following me, "The concubine de concubine is also here, the two empresses don't need to Afraid, come with me." When we arrived at the inner hall, it was even more of a mess. The courtyard was full of shivering old imperial doctors from the imperial hospital. Many of them were disheveled and looked like they had just been dragged from their homes.Hong Qing broke through the crowd and took me in. As soon as I entered the hall, I saw Shi Yan blocking the entrance of the East Nuan Pavilion with a face full of knives. The door of the Nuan Pavilion was closed, so I couldn't see what was going on inside. After the lights came on, I noticed that the cuffs of Shi Yan's guard uniform were stained with deep black blood. Thinking of seeing Xiao Huan coughing on the table in Xinuang Pavilion that day, my heart skipped a beat. Did something happen to him? Just as he was thinking about it, the door of Dongnuange opened with a creak, and Li Mingshang, a doctor from the Imperial Hospital, walked out with a medicine box in hand, flicking the dust off his shoulders. Li Mingshang was probably the most idle official in this dynasty. Although he was in charge of the fourth-rank imperial hospital doctor, he had never been seen working in the imperial hospital. They are all back, it seems that Xiao Huan's situation is really not good. I went up to meet him, stopped his way, and called him: "Mr. Li." Li Mingshang knew me before I entered the palace, and greeted me with a smile: "Little girl, are you here too?" I cleared my cough, looked up to see that no one was paying attention to us, and pulled him to a quiet place in the corner of the hall: "Mr. Li, what's the matter with Long Live?" "I've been asked countless times today, how do you want me to answer?" Li Mingshang smiled leisurely, stroking the three beautiful beards under his chin. "Mr. Li!" What time is this, and he is still showing off, I am so angry with him that I have nothing to say. "Okay, let me tell you." Seeing that I was really anxious, Li Mingshang was willing to speak, but he still shook his head calmly, "Little girl, you are so anxious to ask me about the situation because you are afraid that you, the queen, haven't done it yet." Become a queen mother in a few days?" He is really not serious. It is absolutely treasonous words to spread to other people's ears. If he dares to tell me, he also dares to tell others.If it weren't for his excellent medical skills of healing the bones of the dead, he would have been killed countless times. As expected, I can't speak nicely to someone like him, so I made a gesture to leave: "Speak but don't talk." "You really want to listen?" Li Mingshang suddenly stopped me, his face became serious. I stopped and nodded. "Okay, because of our past friendship, I'll tell you. Except for the queen mother, no one else knows about it." Li Mingshang sighed and lowered his voice, "This kid's illness is very troublesome." I knew that the "boy" he was talking about was Xiao Huan, so I listened intently. "The imperial hospital said that this kid has a cold illness. If it is really a cold illness, it would be better, I would have taken care of him." Li Mingshang sighed again, "His body is full of cold poison, the world's most powerful person." Han's strange poison, ice and snow love calamity, was brought out from the mother's womb, if this kid hadn't practiced martial arts since childhood, plus my conditioning, I'm afraid he wouldn't even survive the age of fifteen." He shook his head again and again, a little annoyed: "This kid is really messy! His physique is much weaker than ordinary people, and he hurt his internal energy by fighting with people a while ago, so he didn't call me back quickly, and prescribed some medicine by himself. Deal with it! If you don’t move, just drag it around for a few days and nights without closing your eyes! Now it’s all right! I’m happy to be like this? I’m going to watch him in the palace again, and I can’t go anywhere for a month or two!” Probably thinking Li Mingshang was so angry that he had to stay in this dreary Forbidden Palace for a long time and couldn't go out to enjoy himself. I responded, and had to say some enlightening words: "There are so many things during this time, internal and external difficulties, he can't rest even if he wants to." Li Mingshang made a "hmm" sound, stroked his beard and stopped making a sound. His anger must have subsided a little. He suddenly smiled and patted my shoulder: "Little girl, if you really want to be the queen mother, I'm afraid you have to hurry up and give birth to a son for this kid." I froze for a moment, then smiled: "What is this?" "It's the truth." Li Mingshang smiled, "If this boy tortures himself like this, he might not live for a few years. If you don't hurry up and give birth to a son, what will the Queen Mother do?" Just as they were talking, the door of Dongnuange opened again, and Du Tingxin came out. Looking at her red and swollen eyes by the candlelight, she seemed to have been crying, and whispered to Shi Yan: "Brother Huan said it was too noisy, making these people feel uncomfortable. Walk." Shi Yan immediately sternly said to the people outside: "Long Live Lord ordered, each go back today." Shi Yan was tall and big, and his voice was not low. When he stopped drinking, the crowd resigned and dispersed a lot.I scanned and saw that Xing Yiyong and many concubines were still under the steps outside the hall, and did not leave immediately. Now is the time for all the concubines to show their love for their emperor's husband, should I also learn from them and continue to stay here? But even though it is early summer, the dewdrops are heavy at night, do I really want to imitate those women and stand under the steps? Before he could make up his mind, Li Mingshang grabbed my arm: "Little girl, since you're here, why don't you go in and see that kid?" As he spoke, he opened the door of Dongnuange, and pushed me inside with a wave of his hand. "No, Mr. Li, I didn't hear the announcement..." Before I could finish my sentence, I was already pushed into the warm pavilion. The door closed quickly behind you, this old man!I was very helpless, so I had to adjust my messy appearance, and took a tentative step inside. There was no one else in the warm pavilion, it was very quiet, the lights were a little dim, casting shadows on the curtains, and there was a strong smell of herbs in the air. I waited for a while, but still didn't hear any other sounds, so I walked in slowly. Turning the door of the inner room, you can see the bed with blue curtains. Different from the luxury of the palace in the apse, this bed that Xiao Huan usually used is unexpectedly simple. "Xin'er?" Xiao Huan on the bed suddenly said, his voice was very soft, "It's not that you don't have to stay here... go back to the palace and rest." I walked into the inner room, turned to the bed and saluted first: "Long live, I'm a concubine." There was silence on the other side, and after a while, Xiao Huan coughed lightly and smiled: "So it's the queen...excuse me." I thanked him and stood up, only then did I see Xiao Huan half-sit up with his hands propped up, his face was frighteningly pale, and his long hair was messily scattered on his shoulders. Speaking of which, this was the first time I saw him since I went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to intercede for Xianxue that night. He looks a little embarrassed, right?I took one look and looked away. Probably feeling embarrassed, Xiao Huan leaned lightly on the bed frame and smiled: "Why did the queen come in?" "The concubine didn't want to come in by herself, but Mr. Li pushed the concubine to come in..." I blurted out and suddenly felt a little annoyed. Am I in a hurry to explain to him? Fortunately, Xiao Huan didn't seem to notice it, and smiled: "That's right." After saying this, there was a long silence, and the dim yellow candle beside the bed crackled and jumped twice. The atmosphere was very dull, I waited, and said first: "Wanzai, why did you accidentally make yourself look like this?" "This," he didn't expect me to ask this question, he was stunned for a moment, then smiled, "It's nothing, the little eunuch who happened to bump into him was frightened, and ran out screaming, I couldn't even call him... the result Surprised so many people." Li Mingshang said that he had hurt his internal energy a while ago, so since I saw him sleepy in Xinuang Pavilion that night, he has been in poor health. I responded casually: "That is to say, it is the same as that night, if no one bumps into it, this matter will be hidden?" He was stunned again, and smiled: "There are a lot of things recently, so there is no need to cause trouble." I laughed, and there was some sarcasm in my tone unconsciously: "Long live really cares about the world, and you are dedicated to it." He smiled and raised his eyes to look at me: "Which emperor shouldn't devote himself to his people? This is his duty, and the empress praises it." There is always a coldness in the depths of his overly dark eyes, making it uncomfortable to see. I avoided his gaze, and suddenly felt a little impatient, and I didn't even want to open my mouth: "Mr. Li said, I am afraid that the fate of Long Live will not last forever. Give birth to a dragon son." His eyes flickered for a moment, then moved to my face again, staring at me quietly. After I finished speaking, I was suddenly startled. Such things as early death are usually taboos of the emperor, but I said it without thinking. Will he be angry? Before my cold sweat broke down, he smiled lightly, breathing heavily, but he seemed lifeless: "Okay." "It's a deal." I said quickly. "Well... it's a deal." He coughed and smiled lightly, probably a little tired, closed his eyes and leaned against the head of the bed. The yard also became quiet, with only the sound of his messy breathing left. I looked at his paler face under the candlelight, and turned my head out of the window. Two people who have nothing to say, even if they sit together, what they say is still hurting each other. It seemed like a long time before he finally spoke again: "The empress can step down." I stood up, took my leave and walked out. "Go back and eat something, don't go to bed on an empty stomach, lest you have to get up again at night." After I took two steps, he suddenly said behind me. "How does Long live know that the concubine didn't eat dinner?" I turned around in surprise. "My complexion is not very good... I also know medicine." He seemed to be smiling. "Well, I've made a note of it." I nodded, waited, saw that he had nothing to say, and walked out. Du Tingxin waited outside the door, watched me go out, and smiled at me.I smiled at her too, and walked across the main hall to the steps. The concubines who were waiting here earlier had probably been dismissed by Shi Yan, and the whole courtyard was empty. I looked up at the crescent moon that had just risen to the middle of the sky, and heard the low chirping of summer insects in the corner of the courtyard, I suddenly thought Author: How could I marry such a person?