Liangzhou is the largest state in Dachu, but it is also the one with the smallest number of people, just because most of the territory of Liangzhou is next to the desert, only the foothills have occasional oases, and a few small towns have been built.

The most terrifying thing about the desert is the unpredictability, not only the temperature, but also the terrain, the fierce cold wind that seems to blow from the mouth of the crack in the sky, makes the terrain of the dunes change rapidly, once you walk in, it is almost impossible to find an accurate reference, sometimes you just spin in place, but you can't get out.

Someone once said that what is more terrible than death is waiting for death, and if you strayed into the desert, you are basically waiting for death.

On the night of the retreat of the coalition forces, the cold wind was biting, and the snow was overwhelming like goose feathers, reducing the visibility to a very low level, Cui Yi was angry and took people to chase him, and soon disappeared into the snowstorm and never came back.

The desert in the wind and snow, like the bloody mouth of an unknown beast, cruelly devours the lives of all who come close.

After the three-day blizzard ended, the weather cleared, and the only thing left on the wasteland was vast, and the distant mountains and ravines were snow-white and dazzlingly bright, and the coalition forces had disappeared, and only more than 70,000 rebels remained in place, at a loss.

Before the soldiers died, the emperor disappeared, and everyone panicked, if Cui Yi really couldn't come back, they would all be capital crimes. And as a person who insists on not being chased, Bailizan is a capital crime among capital crimes, even if he is punished by the Nine Clans.

Bailizan continued to send people to find Cui Yi's whereabouts, and on the other hand, he wrote a letter of guilt and sent them back to the capital without stopping.

This is the bad news in the hands of Zhiying.

Several people in the hall were silent, Cheng Fengyi stroked Zhiying's back and gestured to Yang Qiong with his eyes, Yang Qiong just shook his head silently. Indeed, in the current situation, there is no other way than to hope that the people sent out by Bailizan can find Cui Yi, after all, getting lost in the desert is different from being besieged in a certain city, and it is not something that can be changed by manpower.

Zhong Yuanshan read and looked at the letter, and after a long time, asked, "What are Niangniang's plans?" ”

Zhiying's heart was confused, and she said blankly: "I don't know...... I ......"

Zhong Yuanshan said solemnly: "This matter must be hidden from other people in the court, otherwise those civil officials will definitely take the opportunity to make trouble." ”

Zhiying nodded, her voice hoarse: "Don't worry about this, I have already told the people of Yaohua Palace that they are not allowed to reveal half a sentence about this matter, how can the emperor finally defeat the country in my hands?" ”

"Niangniang is thoughtful, ordinary people hear such news at first glance, but I am afraid that there are already six gods without masters, and I can't care about this much," Zhong Yuanshan sighed, "Liangzhou is thousands of miles away from the capital, even if we have a heart, we are powerless, the emperor has his own heavenly appearance, presumably there will be no problem, what we have to do is to stabilize the court, and we can no longer let people with ulterior motives take advantage of the situation." ”

Cheng Fengyi said: "There are many people in this Yaohua Palace, even if the master has an order not to say it, I am afraid that those people below will not realize the seriousness of the problem, and the news will leak out with a mouth......"

Yang Qiong sighed: "The mouth of the people is worse than the mouth of the people, if the people under the head want to go out and talk nonsense, no one can stop it, since it can't be stopped, it is better to simply leave it alone, and try to use another thing to attract everyone's attention, maybe it can also play a role." ”

All three nodded, but what could be bigger and more eye-catching than the Emperor having lost?

Zhong Yuanshan got up and said: "If you want to hide from others, you have to do it quietly, we have been in the palace for too long, we are afraid that it will attract people's attention, it is better to go back first, if there is any new situation in Liangzhou, Niangniang will send someone to pass it on at any time, and after the minister goes back, he will send more people to keep an eye on those restless people in the court, and the garrison in the palace will also be strengthened, and the safety of Niangniang and the prince and princess will be made more troubled." ”

Yang Qiong has taken over the position of Long Wuwei's envoy since he was still the master, responsible for the deployment of the palace internal guards, Zhong Yuanshan said this, he naturally agreed immediately, and the two knelt down one after another, leaving only Cheng Fengyi to accompany Zhiying, so as not to be afraid of her alone and cranky.

That night, Cheng Fengyi stayed in the palace and slept with Zhiying.

"Does my sister believe in the number of fate?" After Xiaoqiu blew out the lamp and retreated, Zhiying curled up in the quilt and asked in a low voice.

Cheng Fengyi stroked her hair: "Some people are flying and prosperous, saying that they are destined, and some people are destitute to live their lives, and they also say that they should be like this, in fact, the fate is the most unbelievable, what will happen to you in the future, it is all based on what you are doing now. ”

Zhiying opened a pair of eyes in the dark, and her eyes were full of lingering anxiety: "But sometimes no matter how hard we try, what we change is only the process, and we can't change the ending, so what should we say?" ”

Cheng Fengyi said with a smile: "Until the last moment, how do you know what the ending is, whether you are swayed by you?" ”

Zhiying was depressed in her heart, but she couldn't tell her all kinds of things in her past life and this life, she knew very well in her heart that this winter was a catastrophe in Cui Yi's life, once she couldn't get through it, all the hard work in the previous six years would be in vain, she changed the process, but she couldn't change the ending, and the sadness at the end of this life will only be more and deeper than the previous life.

"Sister, I have an idea."

"What?"

Early the next morning, Zhiying changed into the auspicious clothes she wore for formal occasions, put on heavy makeup, and drove to this huge and empty palace, a long-forgotten corner - Yanshou Palace.

After Cui Jie fled the capital, his biological mother Rong was captured by Cui Yi and has been under house arrest in Yanshou Palace, cutting off contact with the Rong family for a whole year. It wasn't until Cui Yi's whereabouts were unknown that Zhiying once again had the idea of going to Liangzhou in person, thinking about who should sit in the imperial court, that he suddenly remembered the former queen mother.

After Rong's house arrest was placed under house arrest, there was only a monthly money for the female pickers, and there was only a personal palace maid around him, a whole year passed, Zhiying thought that she would be because she couldn't stand the gap from the queen mother to the women, and she looked decadent, who knew that after stepping into the gate of Yanshou Palace, she saw that this master and a servant were having a snowball fight, and the people who were fifty miles away from Rong's family were actually red like a young girl, how could they look half frustrated.

The women of the Rong family are really more vicious than men, and they are stronger than men.

The palace maid of Yanshou Palace noticed that there was someone at the door, and when she saw that it was the imperial concubine who arrived, she hurriedly threw the snow ball in her hand and came forward to ask for peace, and the Rong family also straightened up and looked at it with a smile.

"I haven't seen you for a year, are you okay?" Zhiying stepped forward under the support of the palace maids and eunuchs.

Rong smiled freely: "The woman who has entered this palace, which one is not involuntarily, and where can you talk about whether it is good or not, you are now the imperial concubine, and you have put such a big pomp and circumstance to me, should you just want to ask me how I am doing, if you have anything to say, you might as well say it directly." ”

Zhiying handed over the stove in his hand, Rong did not take it, but said: "Only people with cold hearts need to be warmed, my heart has long been dead, I can't feel cold, and naturally I don't need these things." ”

Zhiying nodded silently and said, "Go in and sit down." ”

The queen mother, who once had the glory and the limelight, only wore a simple old cotton jacket, and sat face to face on the cold couch with Zhiying, who was dressed in brocade clothes, and the palace maid squatted outside the door to boil water, and couldn't drink tea for a while, Zhiying simply said: "Do you remember that two years ago, also in this weather, you asked someone to bring me from Yaohua Palace, saying that you wanted to accept me as a righteous daughter?" ”

"It's been so long since I, an old man, don't remember it." Rong is an understatement.

Zhiying touched a nail, and was not discouraged, but continued: "At that time, I couldn't figure out your intention to do this, but later the first emperor sent someone to call me to Wansheng Palace and rewarded me with a bowl of saffron, and I suddenly figured it out. ”

Rong remained silent, but his eyes narrowed slightly, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened a little.

"In this palace, men have men's ambitions, and women also have women's ambitions," Zhiying said slowly, "Men sitting on the dragon chair are considered to be the pinnacle, but women are different, above the queen, above the queen mother, above the queen mother, and the queen mother, no matter how many kings in front of the stage change, women with wrists will only stand like a thousand years of pine." ”

"The first emperor is your biological son, how vicious his heart is, you must know better than me, how can he allow you to be the queen mother, and tell him everything, and you yourself are not willing to be a queen mother who is restricted by your son, so you think of me."

When she said this, Rong suddenly chuckled: "Eldest grandson Zhiying, you are really a smart person, a hundred times, a thousand times, ten thousand times stronger than your sister, Cui Yi can be trained by you to be what he is now, if you were the one who married Jie'er at the beginning, maybe we would all have a better life than now." ”

Zhiying smiled faintly: "Impossible, you think too much." ”

Zhiying's original intention was that if she married Cui Jie, the two of them would only die faster and more miserably, but Rong seemed to be wrong, and laughed: "Since you know the true face of Piercing Jie'er, naturally you will not be willing to marry him, I just said casually, you don't have to take it to heart." ”

"Say, you came to me, did Cui Yi have an accident?"

Zhiying couldn't help but take a breath, and a tingling sensation came from under her ribs. She has always known that the Rong family is a smart woman, from the fact that she did not deliberately exclude Cui Yi after becoming the queen, it can be seen that if she wants to become a powerful queen and queen mother, it is not enough to suppress the opponent alone, you must know how to balance the forces of all parties, keep Cui Yi, you can contain Cui Jie, Cui Jie If you want to get rid of Cui Yi completely, you must rely on the Rong family and rely on her, and the Rong family skillfully used Cui Yi to achieve his control over his son.

It's a pity that Emperor Jingzong was old and confused, and helped Cui Jie to exile Cui Yi to Yanzhou, which caused the Rong family's carefully planned organ for many years to be scrapped once, if it wasn't for Cui Yi's rebellion later, Cui Jie had no time to fight with her nest, but I was afraid that the Rong family would have been calculated to death by his own son.

The Rong family smiled and seemed to be full of interest: "The Rong family has collapsed, and you came to me just because I am the biological mother of the first emperor, and this point is useful to you?" What do you want me to do, and what can you give me? ”