The imperial city is dim, the long night is coming, the gradual ink is thick, the strange glow in the distance smears half of the sky, the Chengqian Palace is shrouded in the atmosphere of silence, there are palace people holding up candles at the corner of the eaves, the whole palace is filled with starry lights, cold and elegant, blending into this long and soft night, and the scene of singing and dancing in the Yikun Palace opposite is very different.

Concubine Xi's Yikun Palace is as bright as the stars on the dark blue night, there is no palace in the six palaces that is as lively as here, the long-lost glazed gilt palace lamp is hung in front of the boudoir, arrogantly indicating something, the palace gate ushered in a long queue, this scene makes the other concubines seen in the distance envious.

It turned out that the emperor stayed at Concubine Xi tonight.

Closing the moon-white curtain in the inner room of Qinglian Pavilion, Shen Shuzhao slowly sat back in place. Outside the door, Lu Rong picked up the candlestick and walked in quietly, bent over and lit a purple gold Langyun Ming candle beside her, illuminating the darkness in front of her as if she was in the deep cold winter, Shen Shuzhao stretched out her long jade finger and pushed it farther away from herself, the unpredictable fireworks shook in her eyes, and she said softly: "It's enough to light this one tonight." ”

"Yes." After Lu Rong answered, she blew out the candlelight by the bed curtain, the room was orange and yellow, Shen Shuzhao retired from the palace maid, leaving her to sit alone and ponder alone, every word Wei Yang said today made her feel like she was tightly bound by thorns, tormenting her heart, pondering repeatedly, and she couldn't guess the meaning of her words.

Shen Shuzhao felt faintly uneasy, she always seemed to feel that something big was about to happen, but she couldn't say why. Half an hour later, a voice suddenly sounded outside the door, "Come in." She said in a cold voice, and then the figure of that person slowly bypassed the screen, and Wang Xian's respectful appearance appeared in front of him, "Second Miss, the things you instructed the slave to do have been done, this is the "Records of the Captain" for you." ”

"Let it be."

"Okay."

Swinging her subordinates away, she flipped through them intently. This is a detailed record of Tingwei's record of the Xiao family's case, starting from the Queen Mother's fake murder of Li Chong, to leading people to investigate Xiao Zhuru's head step by step, and then mobilizing public opinion, so that the people who have been persecuted by the Xiao family appear one by one to accuse the Xiao family of bullying, everything is in order, and she can't find the slightest mistake, she has also gotten rid of the fate of being a concubine and a chess player, but why does she still feel so strange?

Blowing out the long candle, Shen Shuzhao took off the jade hairpin on his sideburns, changed into a dirty robe and lay flat on the cold bed and thought carefully, although she and the emperor were not husband and wife in her previous life, she clearly understood how the emperor was a diligent ruler, but now he took advantage of his reputation as a famous general and virtuous minister, and he also wanted to take advantage of the queen mother's use of the murder case to suppress the east wind to replace the real power of the Xiao family. How could he exchange the sorrow of a relative for the fall of another powerful family? This approach is completely different from the emperor she knows.

Harem, there are still many things she hasn't figured out.

Closing his eyes, he fell into total darkness.

The day came again, and the palace was full of life again, but the darkness never went away.

After Shen Shuzhao woke up and dressed up, Zhengfu was engrossed in the case file and studied it repeatedly, Wang Xian brought her a message from outside the house, "Second Miss, the slave maid heard a news from the Yongshou Palace, the Queen Mother took a group of concubines to Concubine Xi's Yikun Palace just now, saying that she was going to visit Concubine Xi's children and grandchildren. ”

"Yikun Palace?"

Shen Shuzhao immediately made it clear in her heart, it seems that the Queen Mother is finally going to make a move this time, Concubine Xi has stolen the limelight with pregnancy since she performed at the birthday banquet for the eldest sister, and now she still wants to frame her with a miscarriage after the eldest sister becomes a concubine, how can the Queen Mother be indifferent to this qiē?

It's just that...... After the emperor protected Concubine Xi who knew that she would not get pregnant for unknown reasons, he let Concubine Xi stay in the palace and not allow anyone to visit her, and comprehensively protected her food and clothing, and it is difficult to say whether the Queen Mother's trip will be successful.

"Wang Xian, this is a very important matter. You stay in the front hall of the eternal life hall, and if there is any situation, you can tell me at any time. ”

"The slave obeys."

Turning the page, Shen Shuzhao understood that at this time, opposite the distant Changle Palace, a good show was being staged.

The sky was overwhelmed by black clouds, the clouds were dense, the cold wind rushed into the window, and the candle flame that was lit by her because she felt dark shook it, and Shen Shuzhao stared at it, as if she saw the figure of the Queen Mother coming to Yikun Palace.

And in the Yikun Palace, in the magnificent main hall of Concubine Xi, there were several high-ranking concubines who followed the Queen Mother, she was surrounded by them, and Concubine Xi herself was very helpless because of the Queen Mother's sudden visit. Even though she was dressed brightly and gorgeously at this time, and her face was delicate and ruddy, compared to the concubines under the seat, she was still embarrassed to smile on the seat, and the Queen Mother sat next to her, looking at her calmly.

"The queen mother ......," Concubine Xi said in a rude voice, "The concubine didn't expect you to come over suddenly this morning, so she didn't prepare for it for a while, and the tea and pastries were a little slower, and I hope the queen mother can understand the concubine." ”

The Queen Mother smiled kindly, "It's already very hard for you to raise a fetus with peace of mind, and the emperor has always ordered that concubines are forbidden to come to visit you, so it is understandable that you are not well prepared." Mourning family thought that you were pregnant with your eldest son, and you couldn't sit still for a long time in Changle Palace, so you wanted to see your grandson so you came over, and these concubines also missed you, you wouldn't mind, right? ”

"Why, the queen mother is polite."

"As a parent, your own temperament will become much gentler, and the mourning family has changed too much when they see you today, and their speech is more gentle than usual. You see, these are all silver bracelets that the mourning family took from the library to give the future born child, accept it, and it can be regarded as the mourning family's wish for the child. ”

Concubine Xi instantly accepted with a smile, "How happy it would be if the child in my arms could know that the queen mother was so concerned, and the concubine is here to thank the queen mother for the reward for the child." ”

"In addition to that, the mourning family has also brought you a person."

"Who is it?"

"Do you know that there is a female doctor Xie who has served for decades by the side of the mourning family? Her diagnosis of the pulse is the first female doctor of the Wei Dynasty, when the first emperor was in the palace, when the princess was seriously ill, she was all diagnosed by herself, and when I came to see you today, the mourning family remembered that she should also bring her over, and asked her to diagnose the pulse for you, so that the mourning family is more relieved. ”

Concubine Xi's face changed slightly, and when she was close to this female doctor Xi, she appeared at the door of the hall, bowed to all the ladies, and then got up and walked towards Concubine Xi step by step. Concubine Xi saw that the Queen Mother's expectant and kind eyes fell on her, they obviously had their own ghosts, but they were all serious on their faces, waiting to see each other's jokes. She tightened her sleeves and began to fidget, while Female Doctor Xie walked in front of the concubines, getting closer and closer to her......

Concubine Xi was so anxious that she only stared at the entrance of the hall, biting her lip and saying nothing.

Outside the palace, the clouds were like a cover, the wind was gusting, the branches were swaying, and a yin wind swept every corner of the Changle Palace. The moon-white curtain was lifted by the wind, instantly extinguishing the candle beside Shen Shuzhao. She lined her hands and carefully flipped through the bamboo scrolls, her brows furrowed more and more, and there was no trace of life in the dim room, and the air was cold. She gasped as she closed the roll, and she sat down in disbelief as she felt an icy breath coming from the ground down her spine.

She looked at the court announcement submitted by the queen mother's courtiers, Gao Dezhong brought it to her, in this time the emperor's power purge, the people of the Xiao family seem to have suffered heavy losses, but those vacant positions, it stands to reason that the emperor should support his own forces to enter, but no! The people arranged by the emperor are not there, so many vacant seats ...... Whom exactly is it left for?

"Second Miss! There is a new situation! ”

Wang Xian's anxious voice appeared outside the house again, only to see him stumbling in and almost knocking down the screen, Shen Shuzhao immediately asked out loud: "What's wrong?" ”

"Second Miss, when the slave maid was chatting with people in the front hall before, I heard that the Queen Mother went to Concubine Xi's Kunyi Palace this time, and she brought a female doctor over!"

After Shen Shuzhao heard this, she quickly understood that the Queen Mother wanted to expose Concubine Xi's fake pregnancy in public so that her identity as the emperor's favorite concubine would fall off the altar, so she couldn't wait to continue: "And then? ”

"But just ...... The slave maid also learned from the mouth of the bystanders that the emperor, he, and he rushed to Yikun Palace with many people from the Long Live Palace. ”

At this point, the scroll in Shen Shuzhao's hand fell to the ground in an instant, making a clear "bang" sound, and her body was like a crumbling autumn leaf, trembling to the side, "What?" She said in a daze. Today, the purpose of the emperor's arrival can no longer be obvious, he is determined to oppose the queen mother! Can...... What about Wei Yang? She is the eldest sister of the emperor and the daughter of the queen mother, and if she is caught in it, she will only be more in a dilemma!

When Shen Shuzhao realized that the emperor might have a confrontation with the queen mother, her first thought was not that she was in danger of the Shen family, but that Wei Yang's safety was safe.

She clearly remembered that in the last two years of her life in her previous life, the emperor had been in a state of watching the fire from the other side, and he had never really suppressed the Shen family with his own hands, until the Xiao family lost power and she drank the wine, everything was fine, what happened in this life?

Shen Shuzhao looked at the dense dark clouds outside the window, recalled the man's always moody face in his previous life, and shook his head gently, "I thought...... I thought that the fall of the Xiao family was something he was happy to see, but it turned out to be wrong, very wrong. ”

Wang Xian saw her distracted appearance, and hurriedly knelt down, "Second Miss, what's wrong with you?" ”

"I didn't expect it, it turned out to ...... The fall of both families at the same time was what he was happy to see. She laughed self-deprecatingly, her slender back in the cold wind looking like a depressing dry spring. This day came faster than she thought, and then she turned to look at Wang Xian, "Where is the Queen Mother now?" ”

Wang Xian shuddered at her eyes, "It is said that the Queen Mother and the Emperor are preparing to go back to Changle Palace together, and the rest of the slaves and maids don't understand." ”

"Go look it up." Shen Shuzhao said coldly, "Inquire about all the emperor's itineraries, Gao Dezhong will stay in the palace and ask him best." ”

"Yes......"

After Wang Xian retreated, Shen Shuzhao stayed in the Qinglian Pavilion and sat on pins and needles, the dark clouds like ink gathered outside the window lattice in an instant, and a drop of raindrops smashed down, and the petals of the incomparably evil and cruel were released on the clean ground, and the small raindrops slowly condensed into a pool of stagnant water, and the storm and rain swept the remnants of the wind to the imperial city, and the figures of the vast nine-fold phoenix disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye, and the whole capital was shrouded in ruthless wind and rain, every household locked the door to avoid the rain, and the long streets and alleys were like an empty city.

Cold, lonely, a heavy rain that almost destroyed all life, fear hit her heart heavily.

She stared at the rain, feeling as if she had been abandoned in the unobstructed pouring rain, devastated, ruined, and unable to find a place to stay.

"Wei Yang ......"

Shen Shuzhao muttered her name, a very terrible thought lingered in her mind, if the emperor and the queen mother went to different opposites, where should she and Wei Yang go in the future?

She must tell the Empress Dowager about this, the emperor still has an attitude that he never thought of doing anything to the Shen family, but if he really wants the Shen family to be safe and sound, why should he repeatedly stand on Concubine Xi's side? Or is it - in fact, he also wants Concubine Xi to blame the eldest sister Shen Zhuangzhao for all the miscarriages!

Outside the window, the rain did not stop.

The cold wind doesn't stop.

After waiting for a long time, a vague figure ran from the wind and rain, soaking wet, and then appeared in front of the door of the West Wing. Shen Shuzhao walked over, Wang Xian squeezed the corner of her wet clothes, she felt distressed in her eyes, and hurriedly said: "The rain is so heavy, you can hurry up and change your clothes later." ”

Wang Xianqian smiled, "Thank you Second Miss for caring about the humble body of the slave maid, this little rain is actually nothing, what you want the slave to inquire about the slave maid has done so, the high school nobleman said that the news from the front, the emperor neglected to visit the queen mother because he was busy with court affairs, so after meeting the queen mother in Yikun Palace, he decided to accompany the queen mother, and the emperor and the queen mother should be about to return to Changle Palace at this time." ”

Shen Shuzhao nodded, and at the same time she kept another eye, "After the rain is a little lighter, you ask someone to go to Concubine Yuan's Chengqian Palace to have a look." ”

"The second lady doesn't have to be considerate of the slave maid, the slave maid can go to see it after a while."

"But you're soaking wet......"

"The slave maid is willing to do things for the second lady, if it weren't for the second miss's appreciation, the slave maid would always just do the cleaning work in the Qingliang Pavilion, it was the second miss who made the slave and maid rise to the subordinate status next to today's high school nobles, and the slave and maid are too late to be grateful, how could they shirk what the second lady ordered."

Shen Shuzhao felt warm in her heart, "Then you go, pay more attention to the rain on the road." ”

"The slave obeys."

Not long after, the heavy rain gradually decreased, and Wang Xian set off on the road again. Shen Shuzhao stood by the window and looked worriedly at the endless rain line, and then she learned from Huizhuang beside her that the emperor and the queen mother had come to Changle Palace together, and they were probably in Yongshou Hall at the moment. Shen Shuzhao paced back and forth in the house, the closer she got to the truth, the more frightened she felt, and when Wang Xian came back, an hour had passed, and the heavy rain had already stopped for a long time, she surrounded the panting Wang Xian and asked, "How is the situation in Chengqian Palace?" ”

"Huhu...... The people of Chengqian Palace said that the Yuan Concubine Niangniang was not in the palace at this time, and the palace maid said that the Niangniang had just received a message from the emperor, and the emperor came to the emperor's personal eunuch Yan Zhong, and he said that after the heavy rain, the emperor invited the ladies of the palace masters to go to a small banquet in the Long Live Palace, and the slave maid felt that it was wrong, the emperor was still in the Queen Mother's Changle Palace, how could the notice be so fast? It was too strange to think about it, so I rushed back non-stop. ”

"To a feast?" After Shen Shuzhao listened, she first took three steps back in disbelief, and then her head felt extremely painful, like ten thousand ants devouring bones, she had already deeply understood in her heart that this qiē was premeditated by the emperor, no matter what the queen mother's next move was, the emperor could let the eldest sister go out of the palace and meet Concubine Xi! And it was not invited as Concubine Xi, it was the emperor's own, it was really thoughtful!

However, he was not there, and the eldest sister was not sure what would happen next.

No, she must go to the Queen Mother now!

No one knew that this conspiracy was brewing.

It's too late......

It's too late.

Shen Shuzhao rushed out of the gate after instructing Wang Xian to stop Concubine Yuan, ignoring Wang Xian's call, she desperately ran towards the Yongshou Palace, extending an endless corridor, which was longer than usual and looked more desperate. All around were the palace maids hurriedly passing by the indifferent faces, not looking at her at all, under the feet was the rain-soaked stone road, the cold wind whistled past the ears, and the anxious love seemed to be taken away together, torn apart in the cold sky, flying in the sky that could not be touched.

The eldest sister must not go to the banquet!

Otherwise, every qiē may be ruined!

Shen Shuzhao only thought about Wei Yang's situation in her heart, what did she do wrong, God wanted to force her to live and die and push her towards this bottomless abyss who shouldn't bear this qiē at all?

"Is the Queen Mother in the Hall of Eternal Longevity?" She asked, grabbing a man casually.

That palace maid may have only heard of the second lady and never seen a real person, after seeing Shen Shuzhao's dress, she looked up and down a few times, and replied in an indifferent tone: "Where else can the Queen Mother be if she is not in the Yongshou Palace?" ”

After hearing this, Shen Shuzhao calmed down and continued to rush towards the Yongshou Palace, although she would doubt whether she had made a mistake in her judgment along the way, but soon reason occupied the high ground again, no matter how much she wanted to escape from reality, the emperor's mind was already very obvious. She was about to come to the Yongshou Palace, the white jade steps were so long that she almost slipped her feet because of the rain, and when she walked up, she spared one corner after another, racing against time to rush over, and finally her body and mind were overdrawn, and her footsteps slowly stopped, fortunately, the door of the main hall of the Yongshou Hall was close at hand.

It's almost there......

She breathed a sigh of relief and was about to move forward, when suddenly a man at the corner of the corridor grabbed her wrist tightly from her side and locked her firmly in her arms.

Shen Shuzhao was wheezing because of the trot, her body was very weak, she raised her eyes, but she didn't expect that the person who hugged her turned out to be Wei Yang!

She hurriedly said: "Wei Yang, you quickly send someone to stop Concubine Yuan, she must not go to the banquet!" ”

Wei Yang closed his eyes slightly, "What's wrong?" ”

"That's because ......" Shen Shuzhao's eager tears fell, she didn't want Wei Yang to face such a situation, but she had no choice, this was a cruel situation where she had to make a choice between her mother and her younger brother.

"Because of what?" Wei Yang gently pinched her chin.

Shen Shuzhao made up his mind, and finally said bluntly: "The emperor wants to let Concubine Xi's miscarriage be counted on Concubine Yuan!" ”

Wei Yang seemed indifferent, just attached to her sideburns that were scattered because she was in a hurry, "How do you know? ”

"I carefully flipped through the folds submitted by the queen mother's subordinates, although the emperor cut a lot of official positions in the Xiao family, but did not replace his people, which is already very suspicious. Secondly, it is fake that Concubine Xi is pregnant, why does the emperor protect her again and again? Sooner or later, Concubine Xi will use the reason of miscarriage to cover up that she is not pregnant, so who will guide her to have a miscarriage? Shen Shuzhao broke away from Wei Yang's embrace and seriously told her everything she knew.

Wei Yang lowered his head and looked at Shen Shuzhao with a pair of calm and deep eyes, in her eyes, Shen Shuzhao's original uneasy mood cooled down little by little, but it was not calm, but as if he was thrown into the cold winter deep water, life slowly disappeared in the blue water, surrounded by calm death, and the panic that no one knew was quickly swallowed up. She shuddered, not knowing why.

Wei Yang pressed his hands on her shoulders, and gently slid down her jade arm to the soft waist branch, this willowy and curly waist once turned over the clouds and rain in his hands, for love and love, □□ constantly. She stared at Shen Shuzhao's slightly unknown and frightened eyes, and said softly, "Are you afraid of me?" ”

Shen Shuzhao wanted to say no.

But Wei Yang, who was as calm as ice in front of her, couldn't find a trace of familiarity.

Isn't she talking about a- something terrible?

Why is there no expression.

Why not say a word.

"Wei Yang, now is not the time for us to talk about this, you go to stop Concubine Yuan, and I will go to find the Queen Mother." Maybe she felt that what she said was unreasonable, so she turned a deaf ear, Shen Shuzhao sighed and kissed her on the cheek, "Obedient, this is a very important thing, I will go over now." ”

Then she turned around and left, she didn't take a few steps, her wrist tightened, and when she looked back, it turned out that Wei Yang had grabbed her.

“…… Wei Yang? ”

She asked incredulously.

Wei Yang gently pulled her into his arms, and then leaned her against the wall of the corridor strongly.

"Don't go."

She said in a hoarse voice.