The current place where the Empress Dowager lives is also the residence of the former Empress Ji Lingzi in the last period of her life, which is a small courtyard with a single door between the grass and trees.

Perhaps there is a stream passing by on the side of the courtyard, the trees are extraordinarily thick, and the vines of various colors are particularly dense, and the courtyard gate of the red lacquered copper ring is covered firmly, looking like a cave.

Different from the verdant outside, the courtyard is very simple.

Only a ginkgo tree in the southeast corner towers into the clouds, covering the yard covering an area of about one acre, making the brick ground covered with layers of moss, thick and soft to step on.

When the Empress Dowager travels, there are a lot of waiters, but there is not much left in the courtyard.

Yun Fenghuang walked in, and saw six or seven palace guards under the corridor, two of them standing with their hands down, waiting for the call inside.

The other older ones were a little more relaxed, took some needlework and thread, sat on the beauty side and did it without a match, and occasionally whispered a few gossips.

Sensing the entrance of the concubine, he glanced at it, but did not say that he had not moved.

Yun Fenghuan didn't care about them, and was led inside by the little chamberlain who had passed the word before.

Crossing the threshold, facing a Huanghuali inlaid mica silk painted Lao Tzu riding a green ox screen, the four corners are also inlaid with a pigeon-sized night pearl, exuding a faint color in the slightly dim room.

Behind the screen, the ground is paved with a stone blue bottom plain pattern, and the furnishings are similar to those of ordinary rich families, but the color tone is cold and simple.

The little chamberlain motioned for Yun Fenghuang to wait here, and he walked to the carved moon cave door on the side, there was a bead curtain hanging on the door, all of which were pearls with pale pink and soft light, not big, but the luster was the same, uniform and neat. The little chamberlain lifted the curtain and entered, and only came out after a while, and whispered: "The Empress Dowager will come out later." ”

After a while, the four palace maids came out with the Empress Dowager and sat down under the screen of the Huanghuali eight-fold silk beauty picture at the top.

The Empress Dowager is not very haggard these days, but her expression is much more indifferent.

Although she had never been enthusiastic about Yun Fenghuang and these people in the past, she was more condescending and careless at that time, not like at this moment, as if she didn't care about anything, and as if she had to care about everything.

"Get up." The Empress Dowager didn't look at Yun Fenghuan, she called out lightly, and asked bluntly, "Why did the queen suddenly change you?" Do you feel that it is difficult to serve your family? ”

"Back to the Empress Dowager's words, the Empress Dowager has no such intention, but the concubine thinks that these days are the Empress Dowager, Concubine Wan, Mrs. Roukun and Xuan Zhaoyi serving you, and she is uneasy, and she also wants to come and serve for a few days." Yun Fenghuang said softly, "I hereby ask the queen mother to come over and replace the concubine, and I also ask the queen mother not to dislike the stupidity of the concubine." ”

The Empress Dowager said lightly: "What's the use of disliking and not disliking? You all have ideas now, the queen is gone, you are here, the mourning family said that they don't want you, can you go back and change the queen? ”

This is not very easy to answer, and it is not appropriate to say yes or no.

If not, what if the Empress Dowager hits the snake with a stick and asks her to go back immediately to change the queen?

If so, it is disrespectful to the Empress Dowager again.

Yun Fenghuang pretended not to hear it, and said with a smile: "I haven't seen you for a few days, and now I see that your spirit is much better, no wonder, this place raises people when you look at the water and soil." The concubine came for the first time, and she regretted it a little in her heart. I knew that I would have come here two years ago. ”

"If you love to live, just find a place to rest by yourself." The Empress Dowager said lightly, "Don't come to the mourning family if you have nothing to do, the mourning family doesn't want to see you very much." ”

"The concubine body that the Empress Dowager said is sad, and the concubine body came here to serve you." Yun Fenghuan said softly, "If you don't want to be a concubine in front of you......

Everyone probably thought that she would talk about what the meaning of her coming here would be next, but Yun Fenghuan said, "Then the concubine will choose a place you can't see to serve you!" ”

"......" The Empress Dowager turned her head sideways, waved her hand, and motioned for the palace people to lead people out, but she didn't even bother to say a word to her.

Yun Fenghuang went out, and asked Qingdu to find the Taoist aunt of the Taoist temple: "The empress dowager promised the palace to stay, and asked them to prepare a place to live for the palace." It must be closer to the Empress Dowager, so as not to delay the filial piety of the palace. ”

However, in the end, the annex was four or five miles away from the Empress Dowager.

The explanation of the Taoist temple is that although there are indeed closer, they have not been inhabited for many years, and even if they are packed out for a while, it is not easy to live in them, because the cold of the accumulated years is easy to hurt people.

"This palace remembers that the residence of Lady Roukun is also very far away." Yun Fenghuang asked the Taoist aunt who was talking back and forth, "But I don't know whose residence is the closest?" This palace has changed with her. ”

The Dao girl lowered her eyes and said, "If you go back to the concubine Niangniang, the closest thing is you now." ”

"Did the queen live far away before?" Yun Fenghuang was a little surprised, "How can you serve the Empress Dowager if you live so far away?" ”

"I heard that this is what the Empress Dowager meant, Xiaoguan just provided other courtyards, but he didn't care about these."

Yun Fenghuang thought for a while and said, "It's okay." By the way, dare to ask the Taoist, how long has it been since he entered the Tao? ”

That Dao Gu was modest and said that she was only repairing some fur now, and she didn't dare to claim to be in the Tao: "Poor Dao has been in the view since childhood, and it has been more than 20 years now. ”

"Then the former queen was also there when she came here to practice?" Yun Fenghuang asked with a smile, "I don't know what the former queen was like here during her lifetime?" ”

…… After a while, the Dao aunt left, and Qingdu muttered: "This female crown keeps saying that she is a native of Shanyuanguan, but she doesn't know what to ask, so she is so arrogant!" ”

Yun Fenghuang smiled meaningfully: "Shanyuanguan has a close relationship with the royal family, and the friendship between the three generations of the Ji family's phoenix lords, if this palace asks everything, then it will be looked down upon." However, even if she doesn't say it, Hongu who should know has a number in her heart. ”

Qingdu let out an "ah" and said, "Did Niangniang find anything?" Could it be that there is something wrong with the former queen? ”

"There is no evidence whether there is a problem with the former queen, but there must be a problem with the queen mother staying!" Yun Fenghuang snorted and laughed, "What did the queen say to Xuan Zhaoyi and Mrs. Roukun before?" Because of the death of the former queen and Kang Jieyu, the empress dowager was in a bad mood, not only did she insist on staying in the Taoist temple despite Her Majesty's repeated persuasion, but also she was very picky about the queen and others who took the initiative to come to serve the sick...... Just now at Mrs. Roukun's place, I heard that the Empress Dowager was summoned, including ourselves, who doesn't think that this is the Empress Dowager who knows that the palace is coming, and wants to give Ma Wei? When the main palace first entered, it was ready to be harassed, but what happened? ”

She hooked her lips slightly and said, "The Empress Dowager let the palace come to her less!" ”

"Yes, this palace is not the kind of submissive sex, if the queen mother treats this palace the same as the queen, this palace will definitely make her unhappy!"

"But thinking about the origin and status of the Empress Dowager, even if she knows that this palace is not easy to mess with, will she put down her shelf and avoid fighting against this palace?"

Yun Fenghuang slowly exhaled and said affirmatively, "Before I came, this palace just wanted to see what articles could be done here in Shanyuanguan, but now it seems that this Shanyuanguan itself has articles!" It's not that the Queen Mother doesn't want to keep the palace by her side to point fingers and find trouble, but she is worried that the palace by her side will hinder her purpose of staying! ”

"Look at it again, whether it is the queen mother or the palace, but everyone who comes to serve the sick will be arranged far away......"

She sneered a few times, and after asking Chen Jing about the accompanying people, she asked him: "You can go out when it's almost dark later, and bring two people who are reliable and clever, and find out all the nearby courtyards, and then ...... Go to the Taoist temple and set a fire! Just be careful, don't hurt people just yet. ”

Chen Jing was shocked when he heard this, and said: "Niangniang also lives here tonight, what if the wind helps the fire really go away?" ”

This chief manager can talk a lot more than the predecessor Chen Zhu, obviously because he feels that Shanyuanguan has a close relationship with the royal family, and he doesn't dare to do this, but what he said is full of concern for the master.

Yun Fenghuan glanced at him with a smile and said, "What's the hurry, there are a lot of streams around here, and I'm afraid that there will be no place to avoid it?" ”

In this kind of place where there is a flow of water, she can fight eight at a time!

No more fear!

arranged the person who set the fire, and the concubine asked Qingdu to find someone else to guard the Empress Dowager: "Don't alarm the people inside, and see if there is anything abnormal after they find out about the fire?" ”

She was going to throw stones here to ask for directions, but that night, when she slept lazily, Qingdu hurriedly came in and asked her to move elsewhere: "Niangniang, it's on fire!" And look at the fire burning towards us! ”

"How did Chen Jing do things?" Yun Fenghuang was startled, and while getting up and dressing, he scolded Chen Jing for being a waste, "Didn't you say that you don't have to make a big fuss!" ”

Chen Jing is usually thoughtful, and Qingdu is willing to break down two sentences for him: "We only arrived yesterday, maybe he is not familiar with the terrain and the direction of the wind here...... Anyway, please leave quickly, we have to leave immediately! ”

Fortunately, since Yun Fenghuang planned to let his own people set fires, he was also prepared for the eventuality.

When she left the courtyard, the people immediately surrounded her and went to a small hillside nearby, saying that there was a living spring in this place, forming a small pool of water to avoid the fire, and that the hillside itself was not on the way of the line of fire.

When he stopped here, Yun Fenghuang had the time to turn back to see the place where the fire started.

Because there are no people in the mountains, there are borderless places all around, and the Shanyuanguan is a famous temple that has a close relationship with the royal family, and has received the most noble female relatives in the world, and even the holy drivers of the past dynasties have also come, so although the Taoist temple itself is not luxurious and not high-profile, the other courtyard is built very widely.

Almost all the remaining veins of a mountain are occupied in a staggered manner.

It is also dense in the mountains, and there are no high-rise buildings in it, which is not obvious, in fact, there are more courtyards in this area. At this moment, in the dark night of shadows and shadows, but seeing the stars, lanterns are lit everywhere or take refuge or watch.

I saw that the fire was a side hall of the Taoist temple, and I had never entered it when the cloud wind fence came, and I didn't know what it was doing, in short, the flames jumped between the thick smoke, staining half of the sky red, mixed with the shouts of the firefighters, which was particularly chaotic.

Looking at the direction of the wind, the fire was slowly moving towards the courtyard where Yun Fenghuang lived.

It's just that it didn't really burn down in the middle of the night, but was chased and splashed out halfway.

This is not the point, the point is that Chen Jing, who hid in Tibet in the second half of the night to cover up his whereabouts, took two guards to find a small hill, knelt on the ground and pleaded guilty to Yun Fenghuan: "Niangniang, the slave and maid are incompetent, and the slave and maid took the talent to touch the vicinity of the side hall, and the fire started." The slave and maid hid by the side and watched for a long time, but they didn't find the arsonist! ”

"You didn't set the fire?" Yun Fenghuang was taken aback, what kind of person is this, he has such a heart for himself!

…… It can't be Junjia's doing, right?

The problem that can be seen as soon as he comes, Chunjia can't see it for no reason.

The reason why they didn't set fire to it before was because the queen and their city were easy to be fooled by the queen mother even if they startled the snake.

But it's not the same here...... Well, wait, if this is what Chunjia did, knowing that she was here, she set fire to it but didn't tell her, she would have to go back with him!

Thinking viciously, Yun Fenghuan said in a deep voice, "Since I haven't found anyone, let's stop this matter first." Let's go and ask, what is the name of this water walk? ”

Chen Jing hurriedly said: "The slave overheard it on the way, saying that the incense and candles enshrined in the side hall were knocked over by the tanuki who jumped in, and the little Dao aunt who kept vigil was young and fell asleep, so she didn't find it burning in the temple in time." ”

Who is this reason to deceive, not to mention that Shanyuanguan, a Taoist temple that has always dealt with the royal family, will lack the manpower of the night vigil? If a little Dao Gu falls asleep, there will be no more arrangements, and all Dao Gu will not fall asleep.

Moreover, Shanyuanguan has never heard of walking in the water before, why didn't he go to the water in the morning and not in the water in the evening, but he walked in the water the first night he came?

Yun Fenghuang snorted and asked left and right: "How is the Empress Dowager doing there?" ”

"Niangniang, are we going to persuade the Empress Dowager to go back to the palace now?" Xuan Zhaoyi, who rushed over at dawn, didn't look very good, after all, there was such a big movement last night, how many people could sleep?

She asked Yun Fenghuan in an inquiring tone, "After all, such a thing just happened, and the Empress Dowager is only afraid that she will be frightened." ”

Concubine Wan, who was one step later, also meant this, and Mrs. Roukun was probably still angry with Yun Fenghuan, but she didn't show up.

"Let's go and greet the Empress Dowager later, and see what her old man means." Yun Fenghuang knew their thoughts, the Taoist temple was on fire, even if there was no danger, it stands to reason that he should persuade the empress dowager and other noble elders to leave and go to a safer palace.

But these concubines were ridiculed by the Empress Dowager during this time, and they were afraid to open this mouth with the Empress Dowager, so they hoped that she would step on the thunder.

However, Yun Fenghuang was thinking about exploring the details of the Empress Dowager, and when he heard this, he did not shirk it, and said, "If you are busy, this palace can go alone." ”

Xuan Zhaoyi immediately said: "The concubine suffered from the cold last night, but she was afraid of giving the empress dowager too sick." ”

Concubine Wan took a step slower to the reason for her mouth, so she could only swallow it and find a new one: "The concubine came in a hurry and her appearance was not neat, which hindered the view, and she didn't dare to go to the queen mother." ”

So the second concubine successfully resigned, and saw Yun Fenghuang take someone to greet the Empress Dowager alone.

After taking the face, the Empress Dowager preemptively attacked: "The mourning family treats well in this Taoist temple, the concubine will go to the water as soon as she comes, it seems that the concubine has nothing to do with the Tao, or go back to the palace to stay, don't be tired of the mourning family, there is no such a little purity!" ”