When night falls, the palace is quiet and peaceful, and the strong smell of medicine lingers.

Empress Yuan sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the peaceful and carefree emperor Xiao Zhe who was sleeping quietly on the bed, and couldn't help crying.

Guo Rui waited carefully on the side, looking at the empress's haggard appearance, knowing that she had been guarding the Heart Cultivation Hall for several days, and she had exhausted her efforts to take care of the seriously ill emperor, but he did not say anything to persuade him, just silently stood by the bed and carefully observed the emperor's condition.

"Guo Duzhi, do you also think that I and the prince are guilty in your heart?" The queen straightened her face and asked.

Guo Rui lowered his head, knelt down very respectfully, and said, "The minister doesn't dare, Niangniang's words are going to put the minister to death." He spoke softly, neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Yuan laughed at himself: "You don't need to be like this, there is no one else now." I don't dare to say it, I'm afraid that's what I think in my heart. can say a word that can be learned from the sun and the moon, since I married the saint, I have hoped for him to be well, and I have never thought of calculating him, let alone murdering him. ”

Guo Rui was silent for a while, looked up at Yuan, and said in a deep voice: "Niangniang's words, the minister believes it." In fact, the saint's body and bones have been in trouble since last year, and it is difficult to heal, and the saint himself knows very well, but the government is complicated, and the society is in trouble, and he can't stop. Today's situation is inevitable. The illness of the saint is not the responsibility of the mother and the prince. It's just that if the mother said this for the future, in order to make herself feel better, the minister also felt that it was unnecessary. After all, you and the crown prince have not done nothing. ”

Yuan Shi got up suddenly, as if he was startled by himself, and stared at Guo Rui with an angry face.

Guo Rui's face did not change, and he looked at her calmly and calmly.

After the two confronted each other for a long time, Yuan slowly sat back again, took a deep breath, gradually regained his calmness, and said, "I know that if the Holy Lord goes, you are not afraid of life and death. ”

"No, the mother is wrong, and the minister is afraid of death. If the saint does not allow the minister to die, then the minister must live despite all the hardships. ”

Yuan Shi looked at him and asked, "In this way, if you dare to say what you just said, you really believe that it is my responsibility to lie down in the Holy Heaven now." ”

Guo Rui was silent for a while, and sighed: "Niangniang should never attack Princess Heng." ”

Yuan smiled dismally: "That day, I said, I didn't, but he didn't believe it." Now, I still say, I don't. ”

"Mother, in this matter, there is no difference between direct and indirect. It wasn't your bidding, but you acquiesced afterwards. This is a holy taboo. ”

"Hehe......" Yuan chuckled again and again: "Big taboo? His taboo will always be related to Rokuro, to the person at the top of his heart. For this taboo, I have forbearance over the years, and the friendship between husband and wife so far, he can throw them all away. By the way, what did he say that he was alive that day, saying that he would imprison me in Fengyang Palace. Hehe......" She smiled wryly, tears welling up in her eyes again.

Guo Rui shook his head slightly and said: "Niangniang only blindly blames the saint, but have you ever thought that if this matter was not related to you, the saint would not have been so angry that he would lie on the sickbed because of the heartache." ”t.

Yuan's laughter stopped suddenly, and he looked fixedly at the dragon bed without saying a word, but his hazy vision flashed the angry face of the day.

"Queen, I can't believe it, this is what you will do!" Xiao Zhe angrily threw a piece of music in front of her eyes. "Liulang's daughter-in-law was chased and killed, and I wondered who had eaten the bear's heart and leopard gall; I really didn't expect that there would be dirty drugs. He threw out another letter.

After Xiao Zhe came in, he sent all his attendants, including Guo Rui.

Her heart sank, her eyes were dark, and she almost didn't stand firm, instinctively holding on to the back of the chair on the side, trying to calm down.

"The last thing I want to find out is you." Xiao Zhe stroked his heart and said angrily: "I secretly sent someone to Taining about the matter of Liulang's daughter-in-law, but I don't want to get such a confession. What, you're trying to rebel? ”

She raised her head and was stunned, and resolutely denied it: "Your Majesty's words, murder and heart, if the concubine has the intention of rebellion, she will die immediately." ”

Xiao Zhe pointed to her hand and kept trembling: "The matter has come to this, and you still have a lot of quibbles." He picked up the piece that fell on top of the small table, and said, "You have a good brother, I don't know how many hurtful things he has done for you and the prince for so many years!" ”

As soon as she heard him, Xiao Yihe was involved

, and hurriedly clarified: "This matter has nothing to do with the prince, he doesn't know at all." ”

Xiao Zhe frowned, his breathing was short, he stepped back to the table and chair, sat down slowly, gasped, and said, "Why do you want to attack Qingxi, let's talk about it." ”

She knew that she couldn't hide it anymore, so she breathed steadily, took a step forward, knelt straight in front of him, and said, "On the night of Shangyuan, on the city tower, Your Majesty handed Princess Heng an object. Later, the concubine mentioned a few words to the brother who entered the palace to greet him, and the brother had the heart to write it down. Later, when the elder brother entered the palace, he was informed that he had sent someone to assassinate Princess Heng in Yongning, and the concubine was also shocked when she knew about it, and severely reprimanded her brother, but fortunately it did not cause a catastrophe. I only made a big mistake with my brother, but after all, he is the brother of the concubine, so can the concubine report it in person? His Majesty's coming today is also a relief for the concubines, who have not been able to sleep peacefully since they knew about it. The crown prince has no knowledge of this matter, and hopes that His Majesty will find out. ”

Xiao Zhe slapped the table and roared, "You still don't tell the truth!" Just for the sake of me, you want the life of that child in Qingxi? You're going to fool me with this reason? Queen, I'll give you another chance, you'll talk about it when you're done! ”

Her body trembled slightly, and the fear in her heart was even worse, but years of high-ranking life in the deep palace had made her develop a look that was not out of order. She bowed and said: "Previously, Liulang asked to leave Beijing, and the prince never stayed together, so the concubine taught the prince to care for Liulang, and the brothers are of the same heart. The royal brothers are in danger, and it is the world that is endangered......"

With a bang, the blue and white porcelain tea set on the desk had already overturned to the ground.

"Ridiculous!" Xiao Zhe shouted angrily again. "So, you also drugged her, and you also killed Rokuro's heir?"

She stalked her neck, and somehow, the grievances of these many years suddenly came to her heart, and she didn't want to beg for mercy in a low voice. She said calmly: "Although this is not the concubine's idea, but in the end, the concubine did not stop it, and the concubine confessed to this sin." Yes, the concubine can treat Liulang like a parent, but His Majesty's attitude makes the concubine feel cold. The concubine doesn't know what treasure you gave Princess Heng, and the concubine can't let Liulang's child become a threat to the prince in the future. ”

Xiao Zhe's breathing became more and more rapid, the hand on his chest tightly grasped the clothes, looked at her incredulously, and said bitterly: "You are hurting my descendants!" Since you married into the palace, I have respected you, and even if Su Hua later entered Beijing, I never thought of changing you to the position of queen. I have said more than once that the queen can only be you, and the prince will not change people, and I am ashamed of you in my heart. I never thought that the queen, who had always been dignified and pure and filial, had so many resentment and calculations in her heart. You've disappointed me so much! ”

She looked directly at him, and suddenly smiled sadly: "Your Majesty respects me and respects me, and he treats his concubines as the adults in the Jinluan Palace." But the concubine is the wife you are marrying, shouldn't she be loved by her husband? Hehe....... It's boring to talk about that nowadays. The concubine has long recognized the fact that you only love your Suhua alone, and she has also put it down for many years, and only wholeheartedly helps you take care of your family affairs, hoping that you will be well and the country will be prosperous. You said that the concubine blamed the calculation, and the concubine asked, even if the concubine blamed and calculated you, is there a reason for the incident? ”

Xiao Zhe's lips moved slightly, and he didn't say anything after all. He stood up with the table and chair, and walked towards the door of the temple step by step.

With tears streaming down her eyes, she knelt forward and said, "This matter is all because of the concubines, and I hope Your Majesty will give your brother a light hand." The concubine is willing to bear all the sins alone. ”

Xiao Zhe paused, didn't turn to look at her, and said softly after a while: "Yuan Yi was involved in the case of Taining's private manufacturing of weapons, how do you bear his guilt?" ”

"What?" She was breathless and slumped to the ground.

"Queen, no matter how many grievances you have, I can't tolerate this matter. From now on, you will introspect yourself in Fengyang Palace, and you must not take half a step out of the palace gate and wait for the follow-up treatment. ”

She didn't care what he was doing to her at the moment.

If the elder brother is involved in the case of the illegal manufacture of weapons with conspiracy against the crime, then the entire Yuan family will be in dire straits, not to mention his position as the queen, even Xiao Yihe's position as the crown prince is in jeopardy.

"Your Majesty......" She just wanted to say something, but saw that the leg that Xiao Zhe had just taken did not fall to the ground, and he was a person

It's already planted forward.

All kinds of things are vivid in her mind, and now Xiao Zhe has been lying on the sickbed for many days, sometimes sober and sometimes confused, the imperial doctors said it tactfully, but she knows that the emperor is afraid that time is short.

She didn't know how she had been these days, and she couldn't tell what kind of mood she should have, she only knew that she didn't want to leave the Heart Cultivation Palace, she didn't want to leave him.

She retracted her gaze, looked at Guo Rui again, and said leisurely: "Guo Duzhi, you have served the saint for many years and are the most loyal, don't worry, I won't let the prince hurt you in the slightest." ”

Guo Rui smiled slightly, showing that he didn't care: "Now the political affairs of the DPRK and China are handled by His Royal Highness the Prince, and the minister thinks it is the safest." To put it irreverently, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also grew up watching his ministers. What kind of nature he is, the minister knows. The minister also believes that His Royal Highness will not embarrass the minister. At the same time, the Holy Lord also believes that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will become a Ming monarch. Therefore, there is no need for you and Your Highness to worry about them, the Holy One has never wanted to shake the foundation of the crown prince. ”