"What the hell is going on?" The Empress Dowager stood up blankly, her eyes swept over the faces of Concubine Zhou and Lu Xiyao.

Exhausting the sourness in her heart, Lu Xiyao raised her eyes and looked at it, only to feel that there was a mist floating in front of her, Concubine Zhou's slightly opened red lips seemed to have a shaking poisonous needle, and the queen was covered by some strange color in her graceful and luxurious appearance, and the shallow smile at the corner of her mouth that never disappeared was more like a vicious curse!

Only the queen mother's suspicious eyes did not lose their innocence, although they were full of sternness, but there was no lack of trustworthy elements.

"Back to the Queen Mother, yesterday Xi Yao went to Tanzhe Temple to pray for blessings and make wishes, and when the thieves disturbed the believers, Xi Yao fled all the way with her subordinate sister-in-law, and later was rescued by Ling Xu's disciples three miles away from Lingxiao Palace, and Ling Xu's Dao Chang personally sent Xi Yao back home."

"Thankfully!" The Empress Dowager breathed a sigh of relief, "The mourning family remembers that the Empress Dowager often summoned those female crowns into the palace during her lifetime, and with them to protect you, you are finally in danger, fortunately!" Well, your identity is different now than before, and you can't go out as rashly as you did yesterday. ”

"Yes."

Concubine Zhou was still smiling like a flower, her head moved slightly, and her eyes naturally fell on Lu Xiyao's face, "When were you saved by the female crown?" ”

"Before nightfall."

"So how many hours did you run away before that? It's unbelievable that a deep boudoir woman from a family of poets and scholars can run away for several hours! At the moment, there are no outsiders in Xianxi Palace, you might as well tell the truth, did you escape to the vicinity of Lingxiao Palace by yourself yesterday, or were you kidnapped by lewd thieves? If they are taken captive by the whore······" The rest of the words Concubine Zhou replaced with a chuckle.

The queen mother looked at Lu Xiyao straight and couldn't make a sound for a while.

The queen sighed lightly, with a gentle and virtuous face, "Miss Lu, you also know how strict the rules for the selection of the prince and princess are!" The innocence of the selected ones cannot be questioned. ”

Lu Xiyao's pantothenic nose suddenly became numb, she knew that all the grievances had to be put away at this moment! Just to pray for the last time before the marriage is settled, ask the Buddha to add an insurance to the happiness he has worked hard to wait, and it ushered in the opposite result, not that the Buddha is unwilling to purify all sentient beings, but that people's hearts are too sinister, and their generosity and kindness are exchanged for other people's emptiness, such a lesson is unforgettable! She realized that all arguments would pale in comparison!

"Dare to ask Concubine Zhou, how did you know what happened to Xi Yao yesterday? The people of the Xicheng Terracotta Division have not yet learned the details, but you are like the ability to pass through the sky, could it be that you already knew about this in advance, everything is under your control, but you never expected that a weak woman in Xiyao would be able to escape from the deliberate framing of the thief? The day before yesterday, the second miss of the Zhou family visited the Lu family, Xi Yao told her about going to Tanzhe Temple to make a wish, yesterday those thieves were like having eyes, only staring at Xi Yao, and today Concubine Zhou Niangniang mentioned Xi Yao's experience so clearly, no one is a fool! People are doing it, and the sky is watching! ”

"I ······" Concubine Zhou got up suddenly, swept her eyes to Lu Xiyao, and after a while, she looked at the Queen Mother with low eyebrows, and was speechless for a while.

The Empress Dowager was shocked, "Concubine Zhou, what the hell is going on!" ”

Concubine Zhou bowed to the ground, "The queen mother, the concubines don't know where Miss Lu's nonsense begins!" The concubine repeatedly told the little sister to make friends with Miss Lu more in order to resolve the suspicions of the past, after all, the major event of the canonization of Princess Yue has been decided, and the marriage of the little sister has also been recognized. Most of the little sister obeyed the instructions of the concubine, so she went to visit the Lu family the day before yesterday and asked the queen mother to take a look! ”

Lu Xiyao fell to the ground, "Queen Mother, Concubine Zhou hasn't answered yet, how did she know what happened to Xiyao yesterday!" ”

At this time, with the support of the two palace maids, Qin Hui entered with a big belly. The Empress Dowager caught a glimpse of the Qin clan and immediately waved her hand, "No courtesy." You are all about to give birth, what are you doing in Xianxi Palace? ”

"Back to the Queen Mother, the first bank of the Shanggong Bureau is full, and the second bank must be opened again, and the concubines have come to report." Qin's Dao.

The Queen Mother shook her head a little impatiently, "Didn't I tell you?" The affairs of the treasury of the Shanggong Bureau are taken care of by yourself, and you don't have to mourn the family! Then he turned his head to stare at Concubine Zhou.

The queen and Concubine Zhou on the ground turned their heads to look at the Qin clan in unison, and there was a hint of complexity in their eyes. Concubine Zhou was stunned for a moment, and then met the empress dowager's scrutinizing gaze, and then remembered to respond to Lu Xiyao's question, "The empress dowager, this morning, a few foreign women came to Changning Palace to talk to the concubines, and inadvertently mentioned this matter. ”

Captured by a whore? Such a hasty conclusion! A wave of anger rose in Lu Xiyao's chest, thinking that she had been humiliated twice in the other courtyard back then, for the sake of the man she loved, for the sake of the queen mother being the caretaker of King Yue, it was still bearable, and at this time, a concubine unscrupulously framed and humiliated a woman who was about to become the princess of Yue, how could she let others swallow the bitter fruit silently!

However, without waiting for Lu Xiyao to speak, the queen said prostrately: "Queen Mother, Concubine Zhou has been speaking for Miss Lu recently, and she is also trying her best to assist her concubines in preparing for the dowry of King Yue's concubine. Turning to look at Lu Xiyao on the side, "A prince and princess were captured by lewd thieves, and this matter naturally spread quickly, and Concubine Zhou happened to learn the news early, which is not surprising." ”

Even you think I've been captured by thieves? Lu Xiyao couldn't bear it anymore, stared at the queen and said angrily: "The six palaces are exemplary, the mother is the world, how good it is!" Xi Yao is a folk girl, I only know that everyone in the world must be matched with virtue, but I don't know anything else! There is a bottom line for everything, and no matter how many wonders there are in the palace, they are limited to the palace, how can they be innocent people outside the palace! ”

"What did you say?" The Empress Dowager's eyes widened, and her expression was shocked, "The Lu family is presumptuous!" ”

The Qin clan withdrew his gaze from Lu Xiyao and said in a low voice: "Queen Mother, the concubine just heard it outside the door, please forgive the concubine for talking too much." Concubine Zhou said that she learned the news of Miss Lu's distress from the foreign women, in this case, she sent those foreign women to ask, isn't it clear what happened? ”

Concubine Zhou was shocked, and the corners of her mouth twitched slightly.

The queen mother's eyes swept over everyone at the scene, and then sighed helplessly, "This matter is over, you have to mention it again!" You all go back, and the marriage of King Yue will be postponed. ”

Hearing this, Lu Xiyao closed her eyes in disappointment, and the queen on the side secretly gritted her teeth and said something in a calm tone that was like adding fuel to the fire.

"Alas, what an unexpected thing it has been so far! The words are terrifying, Miss Lu's innocence ······"

Lu Xiyao smiled sadly, "The prince has his own rules to follow when marrying a concubine, since the people with noble status in the palace want to be the masters of King Yue, there must be a lot of stories behind it, how can Xiyao expect to get the pity of others!" ”

The Empress Dowager glanced at the queen in surprise and slowly walked into Lu Xiyao, "Are you resentful of the mourning family?" ”

"Xi Yao doesn't dare." Lu Xiyao paused, and then got up calmly, "The ancients had a saying: Qi Da is not a coincidence!" Although Xi Yao is humble, she thinks that she is a person who respects her name and observes festivals, and she wanted to restrain herself in front of the queen mother, and endure humiliation, but this move is tantamount to self-destruction! So how could Xi Yao swallow her anger? If there is justice in the palace, then Xi Yao will be innocent, otherwise, Xi Yao, as a people's daughter, is insignificant, so why bother to take her own name and honor inappropriately, and I don't know how to compete with others? The folk girl retired. ”

Lu Xiyao walked out of Xianxi Palace quickly, Qin Huifei stretched out her hand and wanted to hold her, but she withdrew her hand halfway. Concubine Zhou looked back at Lu Xiyao's back, and the meaning in her eyes didn't know whether she was happy or surprised, "She······ Good guts! ”

The queen on the side shook her head, "Alas, it is difficult for Miss Lu to prove her innocence, I am afraid that there are rumors in Beijing, the prince's marriage to the concubine is a matter of royal reputation, and the matter has come to this point, and the candidate for the princess of Yue can only choose someone else." ”

"The concubine thinks it can't be like this!" Qin said timidly: "Whether Miss Lu is innocent or not, it is not difficult to find out about this matter, not to mention that the golden book has been established, how will the world view the royal family if it is replaced at this time?" ”

The Empress and Concubine Zhou glanced at Qin's bulging belly almost at the same moment, and then quickly turned their heads sideways. The queen mother's gaze swept over the queen, fixed on Concubine Zhou's face, closed her eyes and muttered for a moment, then turned around and walked towards the inner room.

"It's also strange that the mourning family is troublesome, why bother asking for trouble? Well, let the emperor call the shots. It's just that after Qi Ming learned about this, he didn't make a fuss about the genius monster! ”

······

Zhu Qiming put one hand on the teacup, withdrew his hand after a while, and looked at Hu Hu indifferently, "What about the rising star?" There is always a limit to the elimination of evil. The emperor gave a hundred officials a decree, posthumously gave three generations, and sealed the wife and son, the descendants of the hundred officials will be superior to others, and they will not worry about their livelihood, no one dares to abolish such a graceful example! In addition, who would dare to touch such a privilege as to give and exempt the land of scholars and doctors! If someone really wants to touch the interests of scholars, it is nothing more than some unjust enrichment, for example, forcibly occupying people's land, concealing the annexed land and paying less land endowments, etc., and the real estate in Beijing is subject to taxes, and there is an estimate in Shuntianfu, it is said that the property tax of nearly 50 taels of silver should be collected a year, but in fact only more than 100,000 taels are collected, such a big shortfall, who is evading taxes? Shengdou Xiaomin? If the scholar doctor refuses to give up even this little benefit, will the Ming Dynasty be able to maintain peace and stability for a long time? ”

Hu Hu finally smiled, "I'm afraid things won't be so simple, some people who are eager for quick success and quick profit always like to hold on to the small sections and make a big fuss, when the time comes, everyone will be in danger, once they get to that point, sooner or later the world will be in chaos!" ”

Everyone is at risk? Chaos in the world? Why do you feel alarmist? Zhu Qiming said quietly: "Xiao Wang said that Xiao Wang's actions have absolutely nothing to do with the government!" ”

"It's not that the old man can't trust His Royal Highness, it's really that Xining has too many secrets hidden in him, and the old man has to be cautious."

"Is the secret on Xining's body related to the scholar? Lord Hu acted like this, but he was suspected of taking the opportunity to blackmail Xiao Wang. ”

"Your Highness wants more."

"Lord Hu might as well say it clearly, what should Xiao Wang do to meet Xining?"

"When I sent someone to persuade His Highness to invite himself to the domain, His Highness did not listen; Now I wanted to talk to His Highness again, but looking at His Highness's posture, it is useless to say more. Hu Hui's face floated resolutely, "Then let's wait for the time, and it's not too late to discuss this matter when His Highness can see Xining." ”

A scholar said outside the door: "Master, someone from outside has come to say that he has an urgent matter to see the distinguished guests here. ”

"I'll find the time!" Zhu Qiming muttered, bowed his head at Hu Hu, got up and walked out of the elegant room, crossed the wooden bridge, and saw Wang Lie in civilian clothes standing far away at the outer end of the corridor, with an anxious expression.

Zhu Qiming's heart sank and he quickened the pace under his feet.

Wang Lie hurriedly ushered in, "Your Highness, something big has happened! Listening to He Sizan, Miss Lu entered the palace today, Concubine Zhou, and the queen's mother talked about Miss Lu's experience yesterday, saying that Miss Lu's innocence was doubtful, and the matter of establishing a concubine was shelved, and Miss Lu left a letter at home, and now her whereabouts are unknown! ”