When Mei Rui was on duty, she was a little absent-minded, the little emperor caught the soft hair, she stood on the desk to grind ink for him, but the old god was on the ground, the little emperor bit the pen and looked at her for a long time, and suddenly shouted: "Rui Rui!" ”

"Huh?" Only then did she come back to her senses, "What did your majesty do when you call the slave?" ”

"You have something on your mind," the little emperor said very accurately, and put on a very knowing appearance, and took the opportunity to put down the pen, "If there is anything you don't understand, tell sù me, and I will solve it for you." ”

Mei Rui looked at the little emperor Lao Cheng's expression with a smile and said, "Thank you, the slave just didn't sleep well last night." ”

The little emperor looked at her face for a moment, "In this way, Rui Rui Liani has been thinking too much recently, and the whole person is a lot haggard." ”

What is she thinking, since the Zhao family was deposed, the Zhao faction in the court handed over to impeach Lu Zhi is countless, although these folds have to pass through Lu Zhi, and there are very few who can go to the little emperor, but those courtiers who have always been close to the Zhao family don't know whether they are indignant or why, after seeing that the folds they handed over were pressed down by Lu Zhen, they became more and more frustrated, and even knelt directly in front of the Zichen Palace, shouting to clear the king's side.

This crime did not come out of his mouth, and the courtiers who were noisy in front of the Zichen Hall were also dragged out by the Beiya Forbidden Army, but the grievances and resentment of the voice were heard a lot by the little emperor, and the little emperor played with the tassels that Mei Rui tied for him, and asked Mei Rui: "Rui Rui, they said that Lu Zhi was extremely evil, and he coerced the Son of Heaven and messed up the court, are these true?" ”

Once the suspicion arises, it will be difficult to dispel, Mei Rui's eyebrows jumped, and she put the Zhao family's matter aside for the time being, and said softly: "Who did Your Majesty hear such words from?" ”

"Who else is going to sue me, the Manchu Dynasty has been through ups and downs, and someone came to me here to shout grievances a few days ago, and was taken down by the people of Beiya, and then I asked Lu Zhi how the person was, and Lu Zhi only replied to me, "The little emperor pursed his lips, "He said that these things should be handled by him, and I don't have to worry about it." ”

He looked at Mei Rui very seriously, "Rui Rui, I am the emperor of Dajin, can't I even ask about these things?" ”

Mei Rui's back was cold, she forced a respectful and gentle smile, and said to the little emperor: "You told the slave maid before, in this imperial city, the only person who believes is Lu Zhi, why did you have such suspicions?" She knelt down, "The slave doesn't know what to do with you, and the little thing alone makes you suspicious of the loyalty of the guards, and I am afraid that even the guards will not feel good. ”

For the first time, the little emperor looked at her, "I don't remember you." He tugged at the corners of his mouth, "Okay, I'm going to practice calligraphy, you go out first." ”

Mei Rui was shocked to realize that the little emperor didn't know when he had this unique majesty of the emperor, and this kind of prestige came from suspicion, so he taught an emperor to be terrified uncertainly. She hung her head and withdrew, the autumn sky was clear, but she felt a little suffocated.

It just so happened that there was no errand here, Mei Rui took a leave and went to the cold palace, and the handkerchief handed by the Zhao family was carried in her arms, and she didn't know why she felt a little hot. The imperial city was originally solemn, but the cold palace seemed to be covered with a layer of dust, and it was extremely cold and silent in the sunset, and the guards guarding in front of the palace gate saw Mei Rui, and stopped her with a knife, and shouted: "Who? ”

Mei Rui showed her waist card, she walked in front of the palace, which was given to her by the little emperor, and she could pass in and out at will, and said to the guards in a gentle voice: "Your Majesty has something to say to the lady in the cold palace, and you can get through." ”

Since it was the emperor's will, and the person who came was only inferior to the Lu Protector in front of the emperor, the guards hurriedly got out of the way, but to be honest, they were not very willing to go to the cold palace, and it was enough to stay at the door and listen to those women crying in the town, and when they thought about leading Mei Rui in, the guards were a little embarrassed, and Mei Rui said very understandingly: "Just tell me, how to go to the palace where the lady is, don't bother to lead the way." ”

The guards were overjoyed, pointed from afar, and talked in detail, Mei Rui thanked him and stepped in, the cold palace was locked up with concubines who had committed great crimes but could not be executed, Mei Rui could hear the real babbling sound every step she took, like singing a song, singing Guangshan Yue.

Lu Zhen's sister also stayed here for a while, and then committed suicide without bearing the humiliation. Mei Rui followed the path pointed out by the guards and found the palace where the Zhao family was, and sure enough, as Huaizhu told her, even if the Empress Dowager Zhao was deposed and imprisoned in the cold palace, she was treated the best.

But no matter how good the treatment is, it is in the cold palace, there is no one to serve on her side, and there is a thick layer of ash on the cold and deserted palace room, and no one cares about it. Mei Rui raised her hand and knocked on the door, and said softly, "Niangniang." ”

When Zhao saw her, he looked a little dazed, "Jingchen." ”

She recognized Mei Rui as her father, and smiled at her stupidly, "Jingchen, you have been gone for so many years, and you are finally willing to come back to see me?" ”

When Huang Ru returned to her youth, there were waves in her stagnant eyes, and she murmured: "I told you at the beginning, when I hated to meet and was not married, you told me that it was my wishful thinking, let me respect myself, but I don't know how to write the word self-respect, I only know that if I am with you, I can do without any glory and wealth." I have already ordered someone to secretly check your affairs, you have a wife and children in Jiangnan, your wife broke off contact with the family for you, and lived a barren life with you, how can a good person like you bear to see her boiling oil every day, lighting lamps, sewing clothes and embroidering to subsidize the family? That's why you came to Chang'an to seek fame, so I can meet you. I don't ask for anything, I just ask you to look at me more, the first emperor has no feelings for me, after I set me up, I just want to appease the Zhao family, after all, the Zhao family is the founding hero, he is just a powerless prince, if you want to sit on the throne of the emperor, you can only rely on the Zhao family. ”

Zhao chattered about these things, but she sat there and didn't move, staring at Mei Rui in a daze, and made a voice like crying and laughing: "Does he think I don't know?" A person with such a dirty mind, how can he be worthy of being an emperor, he favors the Lu family, not because the Lu family is like the little son of the Lu family, his thoughts can not be understood by outsiders, and can only be relieved by the Lu family, the little son of the Lu family, a fairy and jade-like character, I have heard him shout in his dream more than once, Shao Jin. Bah! It's disgusting! ”

Mei Rui's hand slammed the edge of the door, Zhao was now delirious, her previous glory was erased in an instant, and she fell to the bottom in an instant, even King Xiang had never come to see her, and she was actually abandoned, she couldn't stand such stimulation, and her words became incoherent: "Even you, let me beg Daddy to find you the official position, but I want to go to the Lu Mansion as a staff member, and teach Lu Shao to study the class, he is so good, it is worth all of you to revolve around him?" ”

The hatred came inexplicably, and Mei Rui couldn't understand it, and Zhao suddenly laughed: "Okay, good, you all like him, I ruined him, the Lu Mansion fell, he entered the palace as a slave, and now he should never turn over!" A eunuch, where does the dignity come from, if I were him, I wouldn't be able to live in the morning. Who knew that the first emperor was a thief, and he fished him out of the court! ”

Probably Zhao's words are the closest to the truth of the year, she inexplicably hated Lu Zhen, and everything she has done since then has been extremely distorted, and there is no reason at all. Mei Rui couldn't help it anymore, and said in a cold voice: "Niangniang can't do it because of love, can she act recklessly like this?" ”

"Love but not?" Zhao laughed out loud, "Yes, the mourning family is love, but in fact, later, it doesn't matter if you don't get it, I can't get it, so I can't teach others to get it, so it's fair, isn't it?" Her voice seemed to be mixed with cold wind, and a voice blew on Mei Rui's back, "Doesn't he love his wife very much, and he only wants to gain fame so that she can no longer be so bitter, and he also plans to let her return to her hometown and return to her parents, how amazing." Coincidentally, I learned that there was an epidemic in the county where he started, and he loved her so much, and if she died of illness with resentment against him, it would have been very painful for him. ”

Mei Rui was cold all over her body, no wonder A-Niang could suffer from smallpox without leaving home, as she said, A-Niang's expression when she closed her eyes was indeed resentful, so that she didn't die and waited for her father to return to him and also resented him. Mei Rui didn't know what kind of hatred could make Zhao hurt her aunt thousands of miles away, just standing there, even her fingertips were cold, and her tooth sockets were bitten sore, but she said to Zhao very calmly: "He is indeed very heartbroken, after that, he lost his soul all day long, and with wine as a companion, there was no time to be sober anymore, and it didn't take long to follow him to send his wife, I buried him with my own hands, and my aunt, on the bank of the river in the south of the Yangtze River." ”

There is also a willow next to the tomb, and the grass is green every year, and the willow color is new, and the past grievances should be gone.

"Oh, he's dead?" Zhao muttered, "It's good to die, people have to die after all, even a wise person like Emperor Zhongwu can't escape death, but it's really embarrassing." She sighed and raised her hands to support her forehead, "Lu Zhi is also a good means, pleading the first emperor to kill his father, the first emperor's illness is like this, the nightmare that haunts him every day, either Lu Zhi or his father, it has become a chronic disease for a long time, and it can't be cured no matter what." ”

She smiled, "Look, this is retribution, he is willing to do it for Lu Zhen, and he doesn't even care about the relationship between father and son, no wonder Emperor Zhongwu has to come to him every night to find him in his dream to ask for his life, but Lu Zhi doesn't really accept him this love, cross the river and tear down the bridge, he Lu Zhi has always been a good player." He once used the mourning family as a stepping stone to ascend to the throne of God, but who knew that Lu Zhi regarded him as a stepping stone for revenge, that is, stupid or not? ”

"What did you say?"

Frightened, Mei Rui even forgot the rules, and opened her eyes slightly in disbelief, "Protecting the army, he ......"

"Yes," Zhao seemed to be a little more sober, tilted his head to look at Mei Rui, his eyes were crooked, and he actually looked like he was smiling, "He didn't tell you?" Also, how can he let you know about these things, even the emperor is kept in the dark. If the emperor knew that Lu Hujun, whom he had always respected, and his father, whom he respected, conspired to kill his imperial grandfather, would he still trust Lu Zhi so much? ”

Zhao was no longer crazy, Mei Rui also settled down a little, she pinched her fingertips into the flesh of her palm, and looked at Zhao coldly: "Is this what Niangniang called me today to sue me?" The sunset fell, and the cold palace never lit up, Zhao's face fell into darkness, more like a powerful ghost asking for his life, Mei Rui clenched her fists, and said: "These empty words, Niang Niang has not said it, I have been teaching you in the morning, it is what you just said, I will not believe a word." ”

She spoke urgently, as if she was taking a reassuring pill for herself, "What kind of person is the protector, I don't need to explain it to me, you slandered the relationship between the emperor and the protector, but it was just because of your love." The affection of comrades is not a habit of breaking sleeves, you can send people to harm my aunt because my father is indifferent to your affection, and this alone makes the emperor only use you as a stepping stone to ascend to the throne of God, and it is also natural. ”

Once her father was mentioned, Zhao's expression became confused again, this was a secret that she had hidden in her heart for a long time, until she was stripped of her glory and despair, she dared to take him out and appreciate it carefully, but only a pile of rotten residues remained, Zhao covered his face, fell on his knees, and sobbed: "Jingchen, why don't you be born at the same time." ”

The rest of the words were useless, Mei Rui was very upset, and Zhao's cry lingered in her ears and made her head hurt. She said that it was false if she didn't believe it, how could she forget the eulogy in the middle of the plum fragrance on a winter night-

If you don't wake up, you will hurt the survivors.

When he turned around, the imperial city was already brightly lit, and the eaves of the palace were hung with octagonal glazed palace lamps, which illuminated the Rui beast standing on top of the flying dragon, and Mei Rui held on to the door and couldn't help but shudder.

These things today must not be taught to the little emperor.

Thinking so, she stepped out. Zhao's cry was still there, and she turned her side and wanted to leave, but in the dim light of the cold palace, she saw a figure that was now five steps away from her, with her hands behind her back, obviously listening to what Zhao had just said.

Merry will be there in a moment.

The little emperor looked at her expressionlessly, and the golden dragon treading clouds in the dark clothes was often dressed, which looked hideous and terrifying in the darkness.

He said coldly, "Ruirui, what are you doing here?" ”