Empress Xie showed a touch of joy on her face, and hurriedly said, "Don't let the county lord of Huining come in yet." ”

The dark red curtain embroidered with golden blessing patterns was lifted, and a plump and slender young woman walked in. Her jet-black hair was tied in a bun with a few beaded flowers in the bun, and a string of crystal pearl tassels hung from her forehead, swaying slightly with her light steps. Her jade-like skin is revealing a touch of crimson, faint eyebrows, and slightly raised starry eyes, although it is not called the national color and fragrance, but it is also beautiful and lovely.

"I've seen the queen mother!" Lord Huining bent his knees and was deeply blessed, and his attitude was deferential and polite.

Empress Xie nodded with satisfaction, and immediately a palace maid stepped forward to help the county lord of Huining up, and moved an embroidered pier covered with thick cushions for her to sit down, and served tea and pastries.

Seeing that the county lord of Huining picked up the teacup and took a shallow sip, Queen Xie slowly spoke: "You came from the Queen Mother?"

The county lord of Huining hurriedly put down the teacup and said softly: "If you go back to Niangniang, Huining is from the Queen Mother's side." happened to meet the emperor who was also talking to the queen mother, so he kowtowed to the emperor. The emperor knew that I was thinking about my mother, asked a few gossips, and sent me over!"

After a pause, she smiled again: "Niangniang's body is good, seeing that there are still ten days to go before the New Year, I'm afraid there is something to do!"

"Yes! Every day when I open my eyes, I am busy with trivial chores, and my head hurts. Queen Xie took the bird's nest soup brought by the palace maid, only drank two sips, and frowned and waved for someone to bring it down. Na Juanpa printed the corners of her lips, and Queen Xie continued: "You have a heart, and you remember to come to the capital every year to see my aunt." It's just that this year seems to be a little late, but what happened on the way?"

The county lord of Huining hurriedly stood up, bent his knees and blessed, and said: "Before leaving, I accidentally contracted a cold illness once, so I postponed the trip." ”

Empress Xie laughed when she saw her sincere and frightened appearance, and said, "Sit down and reply, I will only ask casually, look at how fierce I am to scare your child." ”

The county lord of Huining pursed his lips and chuckled, and said: "Who doesn't know that Niangniang loves us juniors the most, if someone says that Niangniang is fierce, I will not agree to be the first one." ”

Empress Xie finally showed a satisfied smile and said gently: "You kid is caring, no wonder the emperor and the queen mother like you." It's a pity that Hui'er is not blessed......"

"Niangniang, the concubine is such a willow posture, naturally she is not worthy of the wise and martial arts of the virtuous king. The county lord of Huining looked stubborn, but a hazy mist floated under his eyes. It was as if the deepest wound in her heart had not yet been scabbed open, and the pain instantly made her unable to hold herself.

Empress Xie didn't expect that after so many years, the county lord of Huining was still angry about Liu Hui's refusal to marry. Seeing her crying, it was inevitable that she felt a little unbearable, so she stretched out her hand and patted her side, saying, "Silly boy, what a silly child." Don't look at it, go get some water and let the county lord of Huining wash his face. The latter words were instructed to the palace maids.

Immediately, a palace maid called hot water, brought a dressing box, served the county lord of Huining, washed his face, smeared balm, and brushed his hair again. After being busy, the county lord of Huining also calmed down.

Empress Xie smiled and said, "Don't stand, sit next to me, let's talk to my aunt and nephew!"

Hui Ning bent her knees and was blessed before she sat down on the kang at her feet. Another palace maid held a new tuft of suede dough and stuffed it on her waist, and she looked like she was ready to talk for a long time.

After a few words of gossip and a detailed inquiry about the situation at home, Empress Xie breathed a sigh of relief. At this time, the county lord of Huining took out a set of purses, fan covers, sachets, Luo Ying, and other items from his sleeve pocket.

I heard her say softly to Queen Xie: "Niangniang, the New Year's gifts sent to the palace were prepared by my father, but these are the jobs embroidered by Huining himself, if you don't dislike them rough, you will use them." ”

"You embroidered it yourself? I want to see if your craft has improved. Queen Xie took the top purse and put it in her hand to look at it carefully, and saw that the purse was finely needled and threaded, the embroidery pattern was exquisite, the colorful phoenix in the center spread its wings and soared among the auspicious clouds, and the eyes were embellished with rubies.

Rao is used to seeing treasures, Queen Xie, and she also had to admire: "What a delicate embroidery, Huining, you have a pair of skillful hands." I don't know which blessed person will be called in the future, that is really the ancestor of virtue. ”

Huining's face was slightly red, and she said, "Niangniang made fun of me again." ”

Empress Xie asked the palace maid to put away the things, and then she turned around and carefully looked at the county lord of Huining who was hanging her head and playing with the jade trick on her waist, and her eyebrows couldn't help revealing a hint of playfulness. Although the county lord of Huining is surnamed Xie, he is not from the same branch as Queen Xie. However, according to her seniority, she still has to call the queen an aunt. Because of the close proximity between the two provinces, the relationship is good, and they move around very frequently.

Back then, Queen Xie saw that she was well-behaved and wanted to point her to Liu Hui, which could be regarded as a solicitation. Of course, the eldest and capable second prince married the concubine who was the niece of his own family, which could also make Queen Xie feel more at ease.

Who knew that Liu Hui's kid was so uninteresting, he was willing to bear the emperor's anger rather than accept Huining. So the emperor who was furious sent out of Beijing, and only let him go to a small county order alone. At the same time, in order to appease the queen, he also gave Huining the title of county lord. Of course, Huining is not a royal bloodline, and this title is just a fictitious name, which makes her have more silver and rice every year, but she does not have a fiefdom mansion.

However, the final ending can keep Liu Hui away from the capital and away from the center of power, and Queen Xie is also satisfied. It's just that no one thought that Liu Hui was doing the county order in obscurity, and just when Queen Xie was almost forgetting him, he made a great contribution to confiscating the iron ore secretly mined by the Hu family, so that the Heini people were completely wiped out....... In addition, during that time, the prince made some troubles too much, and the emperor was angry and suddenly remembered that he still had such a son, so a holy decree recalled Liu Hui to the capital.

The next thing is a little out of Queen Xie's control. Presumably, the emperor didn't expect that although Liu Hui was not in the capital, Ji Huang, who grew up with him, secretly continued to help him accumulate strength. After he returned to Beijing, he was out of control, and the situation in the court, which was originally dominated by the crown prince, soon changed dramatically.

The emperor wanted Liu Hui to contain the crown prince, but he was afraid in his heart that he really had the intention of seizing the throne. So soon after Liu Hui returned to Beijing, he immediately gave him the title of King Xian, which completely severed his connection with the throne.

Of course, the struggle for power is all a matter for men. No one thought that the girl who was rejected for marriage gradually grew up, she was like a completely blooming hollow valley orchid, elegant, beautiful and full of luxury. It's just that she's the county lord who doesn't have royal blood, so she can't be high or low, and she delays her life's events.

Seeing that she has passed the best age to discuss marriage, if you want to find the right age, you can only choose among those widowers who have died of their wives. Hui Ning's heart is extremely high, so she naturally refuses. So after years of delays, the county lord of Huining gradually became an old girl.

But listening to her unintentional tone today, this girl has not forgotten Liu Hui. Although Empress Xie was surprised in her heart, she didn't show it on her face. Both of them were thoughtful, and neither spoke for a while. The room was quiet, except for the silver frost charcoal in the brazier that made a soft "crackling" sound from time to time.

Empress Xie already had a headache, so she frowned lightly and rubbed the corners of her forehead. Seeing this, Hui Ning hurriedly asked, "Niangniang is not feeling well?"

Empress Xie didn't speak, and the palace maid next to her replied: "If you go back to the county lord, our mother has been tired these days and has been having a headache." ”

"Have you seen the Imperial Doctor?"

Empress Xie shook her hand and smiled helplessly: "The imperial doctor will only let me recuperate, but there are so many things in the next year, everything is important, how can I have a chance to recuperate." Let's stay up, wait for the festival to be over, and then take a leave of absence from the emperor and recuperate for a while. ”

The county lord of Huining hurriedly said: "In the past two years, my mother has often had headaches. She was afraid of taking medicine, so I learned some massage techniques with an old gentleman, although it could not break the roots, but it could temporarily relieve the headache. If you feel uncomfortable, why don't you let me give you a massage?"

Empress Xie was uncomfortable, so she readily agreed. Let the palace maid take the jewelry on her head, spread her hair in a bun, and lie down on the warm kang. Immediately, a palace maid brought a thin quilt and gently covered her. The bright yellow satin was embroidered with large and intricate peony flowers, and the deep and light reds were entangled, and she looked a little dizzy, and hurriedly looked away.

The lord of Huining stood by the kang and took off the rings, bracelets, and bracelets on his hands. Rolled up his sleeves, cleaned his hands with hot water, and applied a layer of silky balsam, before probing his slender ten fingers into Empress Xie's long hair, and slowly and forcefully pressing them on the acupuncture points on the top of her head.

The county lord of Huining has worked hard, she not only recognizes the acupoints, but also the massage techniques are extremely sophisticated. It's not light, it's not heavy, it's very rhythmic. After a while, Empress Xie felt that her headache had eased a lot, she closed her eyes slightly, and a smile gradually appeared on her face.

Suddenly, a palace maid came in with a smile on her face and reported: "Niangniang, the emperor has come over for dinner!"

Empress Xie opened her eyes suddenly, and said suspiciously: "Why did the emperor think that he came here at this time? At this moment, her hair is in a messy bun and her appearance is untidy, which is not suitable for driving.

The county lord of Huining stopped, and assisted the palace maid to help Queen Xie up. Empress Xie raised her hand and brushed the messy hair on her sideburns, and the emperor had already walked in quickly. Seeing that Empress Xie was about to salute, she hurriedly stepped forward to help her and said, "I heard that you have a headache again, you must be tired these days." I'm going to come and take a look, are you getting better?"

Empress Xie straightened up and said with a smile: "Thank you for the emperor's memory, the concubine is already much better!" She glanced at the county lord of Huining, who was still curtsied, and said: "Huining, this girl is skillful, and she helped the concubine to massage, and now it is much better." ”

The emperor was wondering why Queen Xie, who had always paid attention to manners, would wear her hair and hair, and when she said this, he knew that it must be the county lord of Huining who was helping her with massage. So he nodded to Huining and said, "You are a good boy, get up!"

The county lord of Huining, who had been bending his knees and half-squatting, secretly breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly stood up. Empress Xie raised her hand and stroked her hair, and said with a smile: "The emperor will sit and drink tea first, and let the concubines go to tidy up!"

The emperor had already sat down on the kang with a big move, holding a string of one hundred and eight glass-inlaid opal Buddha beads in his hand. Hearing this, he waved his hand quite casually and said, "Go ahead!"

With a smile on her face, Empress Xie took the palace maid's arm and turned around and went to the back hall. The county lord of Huining originally wanted to go with her, but asked the emperor to leave, so she had to stand down and wait for the emperor to ask.

Who knew that the emperor did not speak, and the county lord of Huining was surprised, so he quietly raised his eyes and took a look. saw the emperor's hand on the small table, and he was quickly pinching the Buddhist beads in his hand. The thick and gray brows were slightly twisted, as if he was thinking about something annoying.

Only glanced at it secretly, and the county lord of Huining quickly lowered his eyelids and stared at the gilded enamel nine peach furnace at his feet. After a while, the emperor finally spoke: "Huining, I heard that you are returning to Beijing by boat?"

The emperor's tone was indifferent, but the eyelids of the county lord of Huining jumped suddenly, but in an instant, he regained his calm without waves. She replied obediently: "Yes, because the trip was a few days late, I was afraid that I would miss the solar term, so I took the waterway." ”

"Oh!" The emperor didn't say anything for a long time, the county lord of Huining didn't know why, and when he felt a little apprehensive in his heart, the emperor asked again: "Is the road going well?" The county lord of Huining's heart jumped again, and she had to quickly think about the intention of the emperor's question.

After hesitating for a while, she said: "Originally, everything went well, but when I passed through Gunzhou, I ran into the water bandits of Qingfeng Village. However, they robbed another cargo ship, and they were not frightened when they heard that the officers and soldiers of Gunzhou had also arrived in time. ”

"Water bandits?" The emperor was obviously not too surprised, he sighed heavily, and said bitterly: "The water bandits who were supposed to be in the Xinye River actually ran to the boundary of Gunzhou, when did my Dongqin actually go to such a realm." ”

The county lord of Huining and the palace maids who served with him, and the eunuch immediately knelt on the ground. It was quiet for a long time, and it seemed that only the sound of each other's breathing could be heard. Finally, the emperor said tiredly: "Get up!"

"Emperor Xie!"

The county lord of Huining stood up with some trepidation, and the emperor slowed down his tone and asked about the situation of the bandits. It's a pity that on that day, the cargo ship that the county lord of Huining was riding quickly moved away from the accident area, so she knew very little about the situation.

Seeing that he couldn't ask anything, the emperor couldn't help but show a little disappointment on his face.

At this time, the queen also pulled her hair back into a bun and walked out, seeing the county lord of Huining standing respectfully in front of the emperor, she didn't even dare to raise her head, she couldn't help but roll her eyes, and Ying Ying chuckled and broke the silence in the room: "The emperor came by chance today, and a bowl of wild partridge soup was stewed in the concubine's small kitchen today, as well as extremely fresh venison, roe deer meat, and a pot of warm Huiquan wine, which just drove away the cold on the emperor's body." ”

The emperor bowed his head and said: "Those venison and roe deer meat are just returned, and you want to drink a bowl of wild partridge soup." Huining also stayed, and there were more people to eat and be more lively. ”

The county lord of Huining was busy and said, "Yes!"

The emperor was really very interested in the bowl of wild partridge soup, soaked rice in the soup, and ate two bowls of soy melon and sweet garlic with some sauce. Seeing that Queen Xie only moved her chopsticks, she said that she couldn't eat it. He frowned and sighed: "In the end, I'm tired, now is not the time to be young, and I can't hold on to it." I look at Zhen Zhaoyi, Li Zhaorong is diligent and self-denying, gentle and courteous, and let them help you deal with harem affairs in the future. It's time for you to rest and recuperate. ”

The county lord of Huining, who was eating quietly with his head down, jumped his eyelids, and suddenly felt that the air around him seemed to be mixed with gel, and it gradually became viscous and made people breathless.