On weekdays, Jiang You wished that she had been lingering on the sickbed, and she would not be too lazy to go to the banquet held after she recovered from her illness, but today it was like seeing a savior, for fear that Xue Yuan would come from Dongchang for a while, so he nodded busily and said: "The imperial grandmother has been in bed for a few days, and I have not found time to visit, and now that she is well, she will naturally go to take a look." She looked at the bitter gourd-faced grandmother, and felt that the more she looked at it, the more pleasing it became, so she took off a jade pendant from her waist and threw it to her.

Cong Yun thought that she would have to wait for a while before responding, but she didn't expect her to respond so happily, and even gave a reward, although she stayed by the side of the Empress Dowager for a long time, she was not happy for a piece of jade pendant, but she was still inevitably surprised in her heart, and paused for a moment before saying: "The old slave will go back to the Empress Dowager first." ”

Jiang You casually straightened his clothes and said, "No, it's not too early now, I will go with you, so I can ask the imperial grandmother and her old man to say goodbye." ”

Cong Yun was even more surprised, and couldn't help but raise his eyes to look at her, and then retracted his gaze and said, "Yes." Then he turned and led the way.

Jiang You asked Xiangyin to find a few precious medicinal materials to replenish the body and send them to the Empress Dowager first, and she and someone behind her sped up her pace and followed behind Cong Yun, she comforted herself as she walked, anyway, it was not to go to see the old witch, but to hide from Xue Yuan, and eat a meal by the way.

She was in a hurry, so when she arrived, there were only Concubine Shu and a few duchesses who were familiar with the Empress Dowager, and she stepped forward to salute the Empress Dowager, but she didn't even give Concubine Shu a frustration.

Probably with the support of her own aunt, Concubine Shu has been arrogant recently, seeing that she doesn't look at herself, she snorted coldly half-lightly, Jiang You naturally heard it, turned his head to look at her, and the contempt on his face was not hidden: "The concubine has an uncomfortable throat and goes to take medicine, what is the cough here, the imperial grandmother is weak after her illness, what if you pass the illness again?" ”

She thought in her heart that if this woman dared to fight back, she would drag down and knock on a few boards to get angry, and the Empress Dowager saw the cold light in her eyes in a blink of an eye, and reprimanded first: "You can't be wild here, if you make a noise, go back to my palace!" ”

Concubine Shu didn't know that she had been spared the pain of a meal of flesh and skin, her face was not angry, but she didn't dare to fight back, so she had to bow her head silently: "Concubine knows." ”

The Empress Dowager had long been stupid to her, so she didn't bother to say any more, and took Jiang You's hand and smiled slightly: "A few days ago, your cousin Changping and cousin Roufu had an awkward quarrel, thanks to you being transferred from it." She sighed and said, "It's just that Roufu somehow hurt his forehead, and that kid in Changping is a little violent, but he still won't do anything hurtful." ”

The masters who were in the courtyard that day were Changping and Jiang You, not Changping, is it Jiang You? She pursed her lips and quietly avoided her hand: "Cousin Roufu didn't know where to hear the rumors, I heard that the imperial grandmother was going to send her out of the palace, and she couldn't think of her left temperament for a while. ”

She didn't expect Jiang You to say it directly, and her expression froze for a moment before she said: "The mourning family treats Changping and Roufu as average, where are you willing to send her out like this?" ”

Jiang You nodded perfunctorily, and found a place to sit down at random, what the Queen Mother invited was nothing more than the wives of some dignitaries and dignitaries and the concubines who Xiaozong originally stayed in the palace, coming and going with those few faces, Jiang You looked a little annoyed, but in a blink of an eye, he thought of Xue Yuan's gradually approaching Danyan red lips, and felt that it was okay to be so annoying.

Everyone came one after another, and the Empress Dowager saw that people were almost there, and she bowed her head slightly, and was about to let the chamberlain announce the opening of the banquet, when she heard a newspaper singing, and then a plump figure walked in and bowed to the Empress Dowager: "The concubine is late, and I hope the Empress Dowager will forgive her sins." The voice is so charming that it makes people's bones crisp when they hear it.

Jiang You looked at it fixedly, and was a little surprised at a glance, it turned out that the finale was the very favored Concubine Rong, Concubine Rong was tall and plump, her face was charming and delicate, and she took up the word 'charming', she was very loved by Xiaozong at the beginning, and she was sealed all the way from the palace maid to the concubine, and after Xiaozong's death, she almost didn't show up in front of people, why did she get so fat when she saw it today?

It turns out that the glorious goose egg face has become a round cake face, and the seductive Danfeng eyes have also become small squinting eyes, if it is said that it is sad for Xiaozong, it will not be so, I have only heard that grief makes people thin, but I have never heard of it can make people fat into balls? Not only her, but many ladies present had this question, and they exchanged glances in private.

Concubine Rong was not very comfortable to be looked at, but she still sat down as usual, and Concubine Shugui, who she had never dealt with very well, covered her silk and smiled: "Sister, what's wrong?" It's only been a few months of hard work, and my sister seems to have weighed dozens of pounds, is it too comfortable to stay in the palace? ”

Concubine Rong is not a person who can swallow her anger, and when she heard this, she immediately ridiculed her: "My sister's life is a little smoother, no better than my sister who has been grounded in the palace for many days, no wonder these days have decreased a lot, and my sister is really envious when she looks at it." ”

Concubine Shu was very angry, the Empress Dowager looked at her on the side and didn't even bother to say, she was banned by Xue Yuan because of her quarrel with Xu Meiren, and in a blink of an eye, the scar forgot the pain, she really can't wait to lock Concubine Shu Guifei for a few more months, she directly scolded: "You don't shut up yet, you have to make some trouble!" ”

Concubine Shu hurriedly lowered her head, the Empress Dowager comforted Concubine Rong a few more words, raised her hand slightly and ordered someone to hold a banquet, Jiang You was happy to watch it from the side, and he couldn't wait for the two to quarrel more intensely, and he lowered his head when he saw the food being served.

The Empress Dowager seemed to be very affectionate to Concubine Rong, and smiled at her: "The mourning family heard that you are from the south, and this steamed sea bass is specially made by the imperial chef in the south, are you here to taste the authenticity?" So saying, he ordered a plate of whole fish to be brought in front of him.

Of course, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but eat the things she bounced, Concubine Rong got up and thanked the reward, barely lifted it, and then took the chopsticks and fish meat into the bowl, and saw that her face suddenly turned pale, as if she was enduring something, but the Empress Dowager was watching from the side, she didn't dare not eat, she picked it up and put it in her mouth, and swallowed it without even chewing.

Jiang You looked at her eating expression on the side, as if she was not eating fish, but eating like □□, she couldn't help but bared her teeth when she saw it, and was about to speak, when she saw Concubine Rong suddenly bend down and spit out all the fish and meat she had just eaten, and she couldn't stop vomiting sour water, and in a blink of an eye, the ground was a mess.

Jiang You didn't think anything when he saw it, at most he thought that Concubine Rong didn't like to eat fish, but most of the people present were from the past, and they were all shocked when they saw this, if it weren't for the suppression of the Empress Dowager above, they would have whispered in a low voice.

The Empress Dowager looked relieved, looked at Jiang You quietly, and said lightly: "You use it first, Concubine Rong will come with the mourning family." ”

Concubine Rong was shocked, and followed the side hall on the side of the Empress Dowager seven up and eight times, and saw her sitting high in the first seat, her face suddenly changed, and she slapped the case hard, and the tea bowl on the top jumped: "Concubine Rong, you are so bold!" ”

Concubine Rong's face changed slightly, and she knelt down hurriedly and said, "The Empress Dowager forgives her sins, concubine, concubine didn't do anything!" ”

The Empress Dowager sneered, her cloudy eyes couldn't see through, making it impossible to guess what she was thinking: "You didn't do anything?" You are obviously pregnant and pregnant with an heir, but you didn't let everyone know, could it be that you fornicated with someone and conceived wild seeds? ! ”

Concubine Rong was stunned, and then said in a mournful voice: "The Empress Dowager Mingjian, the concubine is indeed pregnant with the flesh and blood of the former emperor, but a few days ago, there was King Ning's plot in front, and recently there is the power of Dongchang behind, the concubine is afraid that she will not be able to keep the flesh and blood of the former emperor, so she has concealed it, not intentionally deceitful, please forgive me!" ”

This reason is reasonable, of course the Empress Dowager had known about her pregnancy for a long time, otherwise she would not have taken advantage of today's dinner to ask her to invite her to attend, and then forced her to explain, but her expression did not relax at all, and her face was still covered with frost: "How many months have you been in this belly?" Is it a male fetus and a female fetus that have been diagnosed? ”

Concubine Rong lowered her head, her eyes flashed, and she whispered: "It's a male fetus, it's almost five months, but it hasn't been pregnant yet." ”

The Empress Dowager checked the records of the Jingshi room, and knew that Concubine Rong had accepted the emperor's grace when Xiaozong was still there, and the days were about the same, she eased her expression when she heard the words, held her hand and patted it gently: "Good boy, it's hard for you to live in simplicity for so long, you can rest assured, there is a mourning family, and you will not be wronged." ”

Concubine Rong was so shocked that she suddenly raised her head: "Concubine, concubine doesn't understand what the Queen Mother means"

Fine laugh lines appeared on the Empress Dowager's mouth, densely intertwined: "Empress Zhang is dead, you are pregnant with a male fetus, the mother is expensive by virtue of the child, even if the emperor goes, there is a good future waiting for you, even if you are crowned the queen mother." She took her hand and patted it gently: "But you also have to figure it out, only the mourning family can protect this child, if there is no mourning family, your news spreads, and the mother and son have no way to live!" ”

Concubine Rong was startled, but when she raised her eyes, she met the Queen Mother's cloudy but sharp gaze, her heart suddenly jumped a few times, and finally lowered her head deeply: "But it's up to the Queen Mother to decide." ”

Jiang You faced the mess opposite, of course, he didn't have the heart to eat, ordered someone to say goodbye to the Empress Dowager, and turned around and returned to the Qianqing Palace with a long sigh, and saw Xue Yuan sitting at the table waiting for her.

Her steps faltered, and she was hesitating to turn around and run out, but he grabbed her wrist first, and brought it back to the inner room like an eagle catching a rabbit: "The emperor hurt the minister's heart like that in the afternoon, do you want to leave?" ”

Jiang You snorted: "I just came out of the mood, chanted a poem, and the palm print was too strict, right?" ”

Xue Yuan looked at her and squinted, but didn't answer her words, but instead forcibly pulled her hand and put it on the jade belt around his waist: "Wasn't the emperor very curious about eunuchs at the beginning?" Since I dislike the minister's 'there is nothing in the first place' today, it is better to spread this matter out and crumple it today, so that you can take a good look at that place, and when the emperor sees it and touches it, he will get used to it, and he will probably not dislike it anymore, right? ”

Jiang You hurriedly withdrew his hand: "Palm print, palm print, you are calm and calm, I don't dislike you, I, I am" She regrets not being at the beginning now, what does it mean to lift a stone and hit yourself in the foot? Just look at her.

Xue Yuan looked at her with a cold face, suddenly let go of her hand again, and lowered his eyebrows: "Was it the minister's willingness to be stabbed at the beginning?" The people next to him thought that the ministers were dirty and were not happy to be close to the ministers, but they didn't expect that even the emperor was like those laymen, and the ministers originally took the emperor as a confidant, but now they look at it, and all their thoughts have been put into water. ”

He pinched people's hearts to the point of fire, and within two sentences, Jiang You forgot about being slighted by him, and he felt sorry in his heart, and said with a look of shame: "It's all me, it's the sadness that I don't know the severity of what I said, and I didn't intend to offend the palm print." She looked left and right, and came over with a broken teacup: "I replace wine with tea, and I salute a cup of palm print, and I should make amends." ”

Xue Yuan lightly swept the tea cup she was serving, and said indifferently: "The emperor thinks that a cup of tea can send the ministers away?" Jiang You was stunned, and suddenly he stretched out his arms and hooked his neck and brought it to his side, ambergris slowly soaking into his nose, but he smiled kindly: "Does the emperor want to make the minister happy?" ”

Jiang You was a little drunk when he smelled the ambergris, nodded subconsciously, and he held her chin with his fingertips and sent it to his lips: "The emperor's ministers are happy." ”

The alarm bell in Jiang You's mind suddenly became loud, and he was about to push people away, when he heard a report from outside the eaves: "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has something to ask you to go to Concubine Rong's Palace." ”

Jiang You breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, and hurriedly jumped away to get out, but after listening to the report, he felt that something was wrong, and asked in a raised voice: "The Empress Dowager has something to do, let me go to Concubine Rong's palace?" Where's this? ”

Ma Cheng's voice outside was a little anxious, as if he took a breath, and then said: "The Empress Dowager has released words in the palace, I heard that it is, yes, it is Concubine Rong who is pregnant with the posthumous son of the emperor, and I heard that it is still a male fetus." ”

Jiang You was directly stunned in place, even Xue Yuan's face sank slightly, she subconsciously looked at Xue Yuan sideways, and before she had time to think about it, she blurted out, "Do I want to have a biological brother?" After she finished speaking, her mind became complicated again, thinking about her flesh and blood affection, and thinking about her if she wasn't an only daughter, wouldn't it be another time to seize the throne at that time?

Ancestral rules, the heir to the throne has always been to talk about men and women first and then on the concubine, that is to say, if there is no imperial concubine, then it must be succeeded by the imperial concubine, even if it is a princess, it is not allowed to cross, only when there is no concubine, can you choose someone from the princess to inherit the throne.

Xue Yuan's eyes were a little ruthless, but his face was calm, and he persuaded her to be relieved: "The emperor doesn't have to worry, whether this matter is true or not has not yet been decided, even if it is true, now that you have ascended the throne, can the Empress Dowager still pull you down from the throne?" ”

Jiang You lowered his expression slightly when he heard this, but his face was still complicated, and he didn't know whether to be happy or worried, so he sighed and said, "Then, then I will go to Concubine Rong's Zhaorong Pavilion first." ”

Xue Yuan smiled slightly: "You go first, and the minister will go back and inquire about the matter clearly before going over." ”

When I arrived at Zhaorong Pavilion, I found that there was already a circle of people inside, all of whom were concubines who could stay in the palace, and they came to look at Concubine Rong with some envy and some sourness, and reluctantly said some compliments.

As soon as Jiang You entered, he saw that the Empress Dowager was holding Concubine Rong's hand and was telling something, Concubine Rong had a smile on her face, nodded lightly from time to time, and when she saw Jiang Youyuan coming in, she hurriedly got up and saluted.

The Empress Dowager hurriedly held her down: "You are now pregnant with a dragon heir, and your body is golden, even if you see me, you don't have to salute." She looked at Jiang You with a vague look: "As the emperor of a country, for the sake of his heirs, he must not be rude to you." ”

Jiang You didn't answer, but looked at Concubine Rong's belly with some dazed and curious, Concubine Rong gained a lot of weight, but she couldn't show her stomach, she could only see that her lower abdomen was flat, which was a little different from the 'lower abdomen Gaolong' she read in the book, she wanted to ask a little and didn't know how to speak, so she could only stare at her stomach in a daze, and paused for a while before saying, "That's where the child came out?" ”

Concubine Rong looked uncomfortable for her, and subconsciously held her stomach to the side, but she didn't dare not answer her words, and only after a pause did she smile awkwardly: "If you go back to the emperor, how can you?" It takes ten months to give birth to a child, and of course it won't be so easy. ”

Seeing that Jiang You was a little absent-minded, the Empress Dowager coughed lightly, gathered the coral beads on her wrist, and waved her hand to let the people around her go down, and then opened her mouth without hurrying: "This child has been diagnosed, and it is a male fetus." According to the rules of our Great Qi Dynasty, the succession should be a man first, but the emperor is blessed, and this child's life is not good, so he has such a trick, since you have ascended the throne, the mourning family can't make you embarrassed" She looked at Jiang You with a long voice, and saw that she was still stunned, and was slightly disappointed in her heart, but she still said slowly: "But Concubine Rong and the emperor have to give one of the names of this child." ”

Jiang You originally thought that it was very novel that a child who was related to him was being conceived in his belly, but he was stunned when he heard this, and he was almost angry: "Grandmother Huang's words are a little inappropriate, right?" It's not the child I let Concubine Rong conceive, why should I be responsible? Let me give me a place?! Fortunately, I'm not a man, otherwise what would it be like to spread it? ”

The Empress Dowager was indeed speechless, and when she heard this, she couldn't hold her face a little, and said with a heavy face: "The father and son repay the debt, your father owes this child a position, so naturally it should be sealed by you, the one who is the daughter." She said slowly: "You don't have to worry too much, this child has not been born yet, even if he is born, he is fourteen years old from you, and it doesn't hinder you, your father's wish in life is to have a son, he couldn't look at it before he died, and after his death, he saw his son's identity Xuanhe, and saw that your sister and brother were harmonious, and he could be relieved to look at it in the sky." ”

Jiang You was extremely disgusted that she often took Xiaozong out to talk about things, and when he heard this, he couldn't help but sarcastically replied: "What position does the imperial grandmother think I should give to this Concubine Rong and the child?" Only one prince is afraid that he will bend him, should he simply be named the prince, and then the concubine Rong will be the queen? Or will I directly vacate this throne for him, and then move the queen mother out of the temple to make room for Concubine Rong?! ”

Hearing this, Concubine Rong, who was sitting on the side, turned pale, knelt on the ground and said in a trembling voice: "The concubine doesn't dare, the concubine and the concubine's son just want to be content if they can have a place in the palace." ”

Although Jiang You disliked the Empress Dowager, he didn't have much ill feelings towards her, and said with a sigh of relief: "The concubine is still pregnant with a child, let's get up first." ”

The Empress Dowager naturally heard the sarcasm in her tone, and said with a calm face: "Where did the emperor learn the rules?" How dare you speak like this to your elders?! She slapped the case hard: "It's impossible for the emperor to be unwilling, rules are rules, and the royal bloodline can't be buried in the palace so namelessly!" ”

At this time, a slender figure suddenly stepped in, bowed slightly to the people in the room, and his voice was as cold as frost: "The Empress Dowager's words are a little strange, the prince is not born yet, why do you talk about the position?" Since you talked about the rules of your ancestors, no matter how prominent the prince is, there are no rules for setting titles and positions in the mother's womb, right? ”

Concubine Rong heard this voice, her body shook, raised her eyes and circled around his face, and quickly lowered her head.

The Empress Dowager had long expected him to come, and she wanted to finalize the child's identity before he came, but she didn't expect it to be a step too late, so she could only say with a light expression: "Now that the emperor has gone, he will do extraordinary things in extraordinary times." ”

Xue Yuan raised his lips and smiled: "You also know that extraordinary things are done in extraordinary times, so now that the emperor is reigning and healthy, why are you in a hurry to give Concubine Rong this positioning point in her belly?" He glanced at Concubine Rong lightly: "Besides, the children in this month are the most likely to die, if one is not good, the title will be a name, this is a waste of effort, do you say?" ”

These words are □□ naked threat, the Empress Dowager's fingers sank into the Rong Tan on the armrest, her face turned blue and white, and suddenly she smiled again: "What the palm print said is that the mourning family is in a hurry, anyway, this matter has already been spread, so let's discuss it tomorrow morning." ”

Xue Yuan didn't expect her to let out the wind quickly, her eyes set off some waves, and she said in a rambling voice: "What you said is true." He took Jiang You with him, and glanced sideways at Concubine Rong who was sitting on the chair with her head down: "For the sake of old acquaintances, our family advises the concubine to do it for herself." After speaking, he pulled Jiang You and walked out directly.

Over there, the Empress Dowager took Concubine Shugui's hand out of Zhaorong Pavilion, and Concubine Shugui's face was full of eagerness: "Do you really want to crown that cheap concubine Concubine Rong as the Queen Mother?" ”

The Empress Dowager looked at her coldly: "Shut your mouth for me, how about a low background?" If your stomach is more angry than you, then it is stronger than anything else! If you can conceive a dragon heir, why bother so much with the mourning family? ”

The heir is the sore spot of Concubine Shugui, and her expression darkened when she heard this, and she hung her head and said nothing.

The Empress Dowager didn't look at her either, looked at the palace lamp in front of her and said lightly: "When this child is born, first, we can let our Zhao family have a reliance on the court and a struggle for power, so that the government and government will not be controlled by Jiang You and Xue Yuan, and it will also save us from being blocked in the back road, and secondly, the mourning family can also" She glanced at Concubine Shugui, thinking of her temperament, she still didn't say the plan behind.

Concubine Shu suddenly opened her mind: "But that child was born to Concubine Rong, that is, you helped her to be the queen mother, and she is not our Zhao family, so she may not have the same heart as us, in case she raises a white-eyed wolf again."

The Empress Dowager smiled slowly: "If the child's mother dies in childbirth, it is not justified for the imperial grandmother to raise her grandson." She looked at her well-maintained hands, "At that time, besides the mourning family and the Zhao family, who else can he rely on?" Who else can you turn to? ”