On the twenty-third day of the lunar month, Su Mochen, the head of the household department, and his henchmen were arrested, and Ruyue Zhai was served in a pot because he received a large amount of official silver from the northern kingdom to bribe the officials of the imperial court. Although Su Mochen never showed up, but his subordinate household member Wailang never dared to lose half of his benefits, a large amount of silver was stored in a secret stronghold, and under the threat of killing the head, the Tang clan confessed Su Shangshu.

The big case was solved, and there was a lot of discussion in the court. A day later, the academician of the Hanlin Academy, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Officials, and the general of Xiaoqi jointly wrote a joint letter: Qin Wang Muchi is far away, ambitious, filial piety, and virtue, both inside and outside, and the wind is clear, and the government and the opposition are forward-looking, which is actually the choice of the prince. On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, the king of Qin was appointed as the crown prince and announced to the world.

The palace was lively and jubilant, and the second sister-in-law of Qiu killed the duck that had been raised for half a year, and said that she would move to Weiyang East Palace after the first month, and the ingredients in the dining room were all tribute treasures, where did you need to feed the ducks by yourself. Cai Ling sandwiched a piece of roast duck leg for Yuan'er, and listened to Manyundao, "Actually, you don't need to raise ducks by yourself in the palace." I couldn't help but laugh.

In the afternoon, the carriage stopped at the gate of the palace, and it was the Queen Mother who passed Cailing and Biluo into the palace to meet together. Since Yuan'er left Hanzhang Courtyard after recovering from illness, she saw Biluo, and it has been more than a month now, and when they met again, Cai Ling noticed her bulging lower abdomen, and couldn't help but be stunned, and suddenly found that she was also looking at herself vigilantly, so she quickly looked away, leaving only a kind smile on her face.

became someone else's aunt, knew the hardships of raising a child, and felt pity when she saw pregnant women, where is the original hatred? But Biluo didn't think so, and her hostility towards her continued unabated, and even kicked the small stool far away after stepping on Maza, she had practiced kung fu, and with one foot Mazha turned over and rolled into the corner. Cai Ling was silent, and only waited for the maids to bring another Mazha before getting into the carriage.

Today, she is neither annoyed nor afraid of sharing the same car with Biluo, and even willingly gives her the middle seat and only nests in the corner. Entering the palace gate, Biluo had a ride, she could only walk, and she was not envious, only calmly walking through the alleys with blue bricks and red walls.

Before leaving, the words were still lingering in her ears, and she had tried her best to suppress it, but her heart was still fluctuating.

"The sisters in the palace have spread the news, Lord, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wants to appoint four girls as the crown princess, His Majesty has not said anything, and now he is waiting for the Queen Mother's decree. The Queen Mother treats the girl kindly, how can she disagree now? Manyun took her hand and was very excited.

"Why are you crying?" At that time, she was carefully tying the cake box, and wanted to take the pastries from the wooden cake shop to the palace for Xuan Niangniang to taste, when she heard this, her hand movements were slightly sluggish, and when she looked up, she saw that Manyun's eyes were full of tears.

"The slave is happy for the girl." Manyun couldn't help but be overjoyed, she didn't meet the four girls for the first time in the palace, she was just a small tea-making palace maid in Ziwei Palace, but she had seen the four girls waiting for the third highness in the Yujing Pavilion, waiting from morning to dusk. On a summer afternoon, the three princes loved to read books and enjoy the lotus in the Yujing Pavilion, but in those days, the four girls were in the palace, and he couldn't hide from them. People say that the four girls don't know the height of the sky, and how can the three princes, who have no friendship with her, have good results. I didn't believe it at first, but now I finally see her open and see the moon, how can I be unhappy?

Cai Ling's mood is very complicated, as if when she was a child, she had to make a flower jacket embroidered with a hundred butterflies, the female red was embarrassed, how many needles were pierced in her hands, and finally it was made and it coincided with the cold weather, but she found that it was only so when she wore it on her body, because the process was too painful, so she couldn't help but think about whether it was worth it.

In the Yujing Pavilion, the Queen Mother and Biluo sat together and ate refreshments with a smile. When Cai Ling entered the hall, the Queen Mother did not raise her eyes to look at her, until she saluted, and the Queen Mother said, "Sit." "Aunt Chun brought a small stool and placed it one foot away from the brocade couch.

She quietly listened to the hardships of Biluo's morning sickness and the meticulous care of His Royal Highness San's attention to her, and tried her best to be obedient. After a long time, the Queen Mother looked at her, "I heard that the Hubu Su clan was arrested this time, and you have a lot of credit." ”

"Cai Ling doesn't dare to ask for credit." She bowed her head.

"In terms of rewarding meritorious deeds, it should be so." The Queen Mother took a sip of tea, and then spoke in a flat tone, "As the crown princess, you can't mix with people in the market anymore." ”

The phrase "Crown Princess" had just come out, and the tea lid in Biluo's hand was not held steadily, and how many water droplets splashed into the teacup, but she didn't care, she just stared at Cai Ling tightly. If it was at the beginning, Cai Ling was naturally not afraid, but now it is known that Biluo is a spy killer in the north, and taking her life is like killing ants, so she is naturally weak-hearted.

Unexpectedly, in order to let her know the difficulty, the Queen Mother actually used the knife Biluo. The heart was like a drop of blood, but the face was calm as usual, and suddenly remembered living with the Queen Mother when she was a teenager, and she shouted outside the house: "The Queen Mother and Grandma come and see, what a beautiful sunset reflected in this pond full of lotus ponds." The Queen Mother came out, "Girl, if you like to watch, the mourning family will let them make you a lotus pond in the Prime Minister's Mansion." At first, I thought it was preference, but now I know that it was indirectly driving her away, and how obvious the estrangement was, she didn't even know it at first.

Kowtow again, she was sonorous and powerful word by word, "The people's daughter Jiang Cailing has no ambition and no talent to assist the prince, and now she only asks for the grace of the queen mother, and allows the people to stay in Chang'an City, study mulberry scheming, and sell wine." ”

There was silence in the hall, only the thumping sound of her forehead touching the white jade floor, and after a while, the Queen Mother said quietly, "Good!" Just this word, like a red-hot iron branded on her heart, came from the bottom of her heart, and gradually spread throughout her body.

"What you say here doesn't count. Since you have such an idea, you can talk to the prince about the Chinese New Year's Eve banquet. The Queen Mother's tone was already gentle, but there was a faint sense of infinite majesty, Cai Ling shuddered, and the Queen Mother said, "Get up and sit down." ”

She obediently got up, put a smile on her face, and listened to them talk about their daily life and the past. Those things about Shen Muchi, no matter how detailed and interesting they are, are none of her business.

The Queen Mother has never objected to her liking Shen Muchi, but when it comes to the position of the Middle Palace, she already has a favorite candidate in her heart, which is the concubine of General Yang's family. Why should she pursue it hard, in the end, she is just like Biluo, she thinks she is smart but she is confused.

Coming out of Ziwei Palace, Biluo sat on a chariot, and when he left, he said that he would send a carriage back to Andemen to pick up Cailing. Ever since she had been able to leave Shen Muchi's will, Bi Luo had become much less hostile to her. She smiled and thanked her.

I have worked hard, but I still shed two lines of tears in the imperial garden. In the haze, she saw Xuan Niangniang coming surrounded by several palace people, and she hurriedly raised her sleeves to wipe away her tears.

Before the person knelt down, Xuan Niangniang held her with both hands, "Greetings are not allowed, don't talk about these false courtesies." ”

"These are the best-selling pastries at Mumu Cake Shop." She opened the exquisite boxes one by one, "Ling'er has already tried one of each box when she came to ensure safety." In the blink of an eye, she returned to her former naughtiness and stuck out her tongue.

Xuan Niangniang ate a piece of mung bean cake and asked softly, "Why is it called Mumu Cake Shop?" ”

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince loves his family's pastries." She replied in a low voice.

"What's the name of your treasure shop?" Xuan Niangniang asked again.

"Twilight Xuan." Cai Ling muttered.

"And why?" Xuan Niangniang did not forgive.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince loves Yu Moyan's paintings, and only Fei Yixuan can find them in Chang'an City, so Ling'er bought them and renamed them Duchi Xuan." She stubbornly explained.

"Now that everything is in front of me, why are you sad?" Xuan Niangniang stroked her shoulder and said.

She shed a few more tears before she burst into tears and smiled, "Because Dusk Chi Xuan and Mu Mu Cake Shop need to change their names now, Ling'er is worried about affecting business. ”

Xuan Niangniang saw her naughty appearance, and couldn't help but laugh, and after eating another piece of pastry, she said, "Chi'er has been growing up since she was a child, and she loves to hide her heart, and this palace has never seen him fight for anything, until for you, he said to his father that although the country is important, the position of the crown princess is only given to one person, and he doesn't care whether she is in a high position or not, and the person who is identified will not change it." ”

"The Identified ......" When her eyes were full of tears again, she kept her eyes open, not wanting them to stay.

"Bengong thought that he had liked you a long time ago, but the Jiang clan and Bengong were on the same page, so he hid all his intentions. If he hides for too long, he will get tired. Silly girl, haven't you ever noticed? Xuan Niangniang's eyes were also moist.

It turned out that in the carriage that night, he said lightly, "This king is tired", which comes from this.

But in those years, she was busy pursuing him, he was busy avoiding her, on the one hand, she had to create many opportunities to meet him, and on the other hand, she had to deal with the gossip about her in the girlfriend circle. Daddy was tired of her because of this, her brother was ashamed of her, and everyone in the capital said that giving birth to a son would not give birth to Bai Mingyi, and giving birth to a daughter would not give birth to Jiang Cailing. Bai Mingyi is the stupid son of the Hou Mansion, when he was eight years old, he set fire to half of the Hou Mansion and burned himself to death by the way, Jiang Cailing is the living her in front of her! Where could she see his friendship? At that time, if he was willing to chat with her with a smile on his face, she would have been satisfied.

"It's too late now." Cai Ling secluded road.

"Hongu has guessed everything." Xuan Niangniang didn't have the slightest blame in her eyes, "It's just a pity for you." If life outside the palace is smoother, this palace will also be happy for you. It's just, can you really let it go? ”

"Ling'er put it down." She herself doesn't know how many words she has said recently, "I can let go", and many times the more she says, the more it seems to persuade herself, whether she really lets go, who can say clearly.

"That's good." Xuan Niangniang said softly, "Then why are you crying?" ”

Cai Ling's nose was sour, and she even forgot to claim herself, "I just don't understand why all the elders don't like me." My father's and mother's favorite children have never had my share, and now they don't even ......" She didn't dare to continue: In order to prevent her from becoming the crown princess, the Queen Mother would rather let Biluo have murderous intentions.

"How could it be all?" Xuan Niangniang took her over, "This palace is also your elder." ”

She leaned on Xuan Niangniang's arms, smelled the faint ambergris and gardenia, and felt unprecedented warmth, so she wanted to lean on it all the time. Until the maids said in unison, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Jin An." ”

In his memory, he loved to wear moon white, snow blue, purple and occasional water green, and now he was wearing a black satin robe embroidered with four claws and dragon patterns with gold piping.

Such a person is willing to give her whole heart no matter when and where. But life is not easy, death is not worth it, what she wants is nothing more than self-preservation.

Xuan Niangniang and Shen Muchi gossiped a few words before leaving, he wanted to send each other, but Niangniang did not allow it, only surrounded by palace people. Yaoyao heard Niangniang's light cough, and the two looked at each other, and Niangniang had already turned the alley.

"Just came from Dali Temple." Parallel to the inner courtyard of the palace under the Zhu wall, she had nothing to say.

"Hmm." That's all he answered. Recently, in getting along with each other, he has long been not as arrogant as before, but today he is suddenly indifferent for some reason. She sighed faintly, as unfathomable as him, how could she easily let people see through her heart.

"I haven't congratulated you on becoming the crown prince yet." Cai Ling turned her face sideways to look at Shen Muchi's white jade gold crown adorned with Dongzhu on her head.

He also turned his face to look at her, but his eyes stayed on her forehead, his thick eyebrows frowned slightly, his eyes gradually deepened, his fingers were raised and not yet covered, Cai Ling had turned his head, and the slender fingers were only hanging in mid-air.

On his forehead is the blood mark left by kowtowing in Ziwei Palace, Shen Muchi is a smart person, since he sees such a situation, he can naturally guess the matter to eight points. Cai Ling just waited for him to ask, and she told him about today's events in 1510.

But he withdrew his hand, didn't say a word, just buried his head and continued to walk with her. At dusk, the jackdaws are crying, the shadows of the trees are swaying, and there is an indescribable depression. A group of palace people passing by neatly bowed down to the side of the palace wall and greeted the prince, and Cai Ling slowed down and followed him.

He suddenly stretched out his hand from the gold-trimmed dragon embroidered robe, grabbed her wrist, and she did not break free, only dragged by him on the palace road of Weiyang.

After stepping up the stone steps, the two finally climbed the Yuhua Pavilion before the sun set. The city tower here is the highest place in the imperial palace, and the scenery of the palace and even Chang'an City can be taken into the eyes outside the four walls.

He pulled her to the west, watching the round sunset towards the mountain, the afterglow of the sunset reflected the city like a fairyland, Cai Ling had never seen the long and safe appearance of the morning and night was so demure and beautiful, so he unconsciously immersed in it, "Is there a wooden cake shop over there?" ”

Because the word "Mumu" sounded similar to his name, he felt a little remorseful as soon as he spoke, but Shen Muchi looked at her gently, "That's right." ”

When the sun slowly sets, the city is lit up with sporadic lights, and the scenery is even more peaceful and far-reaching. He took her hand and came to the east, "The Dongxi Building is there, and the lights are the brightest." ”

She smiled triumphantly, "It's because the business is good." He didn't refute, but said, "You can come up at any time if you want to see it later." ”

She was a little stunned, the purpose of this trip was like this, he wanted to tell her that Weiyang Zhong had his own place to go to relieve her longing for Dongxi Building. But she wants more than that, she wants to be a song about wine in Chang'an City, just to make money and work hard without fighting with people's hearts.

"Your Highness...... "She decided to learn from the pain and speak earlier, "when will ...... release?"

She was thinking about what to call herself. Now that he has become a prince, it is naturally unorthodox to be commensurate with his "you and me". If the self-proclaimed "slave maid" immediately loses the aura of being able to negotiate with it, the "concubine" is even more unsuitable.

A gust of wind blew, hiding the rest of her words in a whistling voice, and the chill began to rise, and she folded her arms. Shen Muchi glanced at her and immediately wanted to take off his big hat. He was wearing a prince's court robe, with a four-clawed dragon pattern, where did she dare to trespass, and took two steps back.

Shen Muchi retracted his movements and stood by the city wall again, his face calm but his eyes were extremely deep. He has known Jiang Cailing for more than ten years, in the past, she was naughty and naughty, I don't know how thick the sky is, where is she willing to put the prince in her eyes, dare to talk back to the former prince at the palace banquet, and choke the eldest brother to sit aside and drink wine. Now she is obedient and sensible, but she is submissive, but she makes him unhappy.

"Not cold?" He asked.

"It's not cold. It's still a little hot. She said hurriedly.

"Still a little hot?" He asked again.

"It's a little hot." She wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.

"You take off one for me to wear. I'm cold. "The tone of the beak is ridiculous. Where did she dare to let the prince wear women's clothes, just the brain supplement had already laughed, and he also laughed slowly. As soon as the atmosphere eased, she recalled that in the passage just now, he no longer called himself "this king", and it was natural that he had changed his identity and claimed to be different, but he seemed to use "you and me", and his heart was surging, but he only felt that he had heard it wrong.