After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the weather gradually became colder. On this morning, after practicing as usual, Beigong felt that his mother was about to get up, so he changed his clothes and went to greet his mother. The sun didn't seem to have woken up yet, hanging lazily in the sky, and the light emitted did not have a trace of warmth. A little maid was half-asleep in the yard sweeping the yellow leaves that had fallen to the ground last night.

Bei Gongru came to his mother's room, and Concubine Ping was carefully combing her younger brother Gongzi Sheng's hair. Her technique was very gentle, for fear of hurting the little one. Bei Gongru greeted her and stood aside. Concubine Ping waited until her brother's hair was tied up steadily, and then she turned back to Bei Gongru and asked, "Have you been busy with business lately?" ”

Bei Gongru smiled and said, "Mother Lao is worried. Everything is fine in the court, and in a few days, the family group will go to the country to marry Xiao Zhenji. ”

Xiuying was surprised next to her: "So fast! Here, Ji Ji is still sick, and my sister is about to get married? ”

Concubine Pinggui smiled indifferently and said: "In the past, she was pampered and indulgent, and her eyes were empty. The lord has just got the cultivation of the fish moon of Lirong, so he ignores the others, and he can't afford to be angry with his heart. Stretched out his hand and pointed to the remnants of the flowers that fell in the yard, and said: "The most important thing is that the world can't stay, and Zhu Yan is a mirror and a tree." This has been cool since ancient times, why hasn't she understood it yet? ”

Bei Gong was afraid that his mother would be sad, so he said: "This time it's the marquis, I'm afraid that if Zhen Ji gets sick, they will lose a chess piece in this palace." So as soon as I heard that Ji Ji had been sick for a few months, he hurriedly married his little daughter, and Ji Ji's sister came over, as if she was only fourteen years old. ”

Concubine Ping nodded when she heard this and said, "That's not surprising, your father has Xiuyuyue, so he feels that the color of these three palaces has been lost, and naturally he doesn't have the heart to accept a new lady." ”

Gongzi Sheng's maidservant Qiao Lian said sourly on the side: "Yes, the slave maid heard that it was not cold this day, and the lord was afraid that Yueji grew up in the south and couldn't stand the cold winter in the north, so he asked the dressing room to prepare a white fox fur early, and ......" Qiaolian saw Xiuying's eyes and suddenly closed her mouth.

Concubine Pinggui couldn't see any joy or anger on her face, and said, "Okay, take Sheng'er down." He turned around and said to Beigong Ru: "You should also retreat." ”

Beigong walked out with a salute, thinking to himself: It seems that her father loves her very much, and I hope she can forget all the things in the past.

Peacock Taichung, Ji Ji's illness is getting worse day by day, Gongzihua knows his mother's thoughts, and has sent people to invite his father several times. Since Xiu Yuyue lived in the palace, the hearts of other ladies have been much worse, and Ji Ji often called her sick in the past to coax Xiangong to visit, Xiangong thought that she was jealous again, and did not take it to heart.

On this day, it was drizzling outside, and it seemed that the peacock platform with the words of the warblers and swallows on weekdays was getting colder and colder; In Ji Ji's room, the bed was half-hidden by a screen, but wisps of agarwood were seen curling from behind the screen.

After taking the medicine, she slowly opened her eyes, and saw her son-in-law Hua, who had been taking care of herself these days, and asked breathlessly: "Hua'er, has your father been here?" ”

When Gongzihua heard his mother ask, he said sadly: "Here, when I saw that my mother was asleep, I said that I would come back later." ”

Ji Ji laughed miserably, and then kept coughing for a while, and then struggled to say: "In the past, your father said that he liked to watch me sleep quietly. After saying that, he coughed again and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Gongzihua hurriedly persuaded: "Mother, close your eyes for a while." Then the child went to his father. ”

Da Zhenji stretched out her thin hand, grabbed Gongzihua's arm fiercely and said, "Wait a minute, I'll go and invite you after I'm done dressing." ”

Gongzi Huaqiang held back his tears and asked the maid to bring the makeup, seeing that the heavy powder could not cover his mother's haggardness, he walked out of the room quickly, afraid that his mother would see him crying.

After thinking about it for a while, he ran to Chao Yingxuan desperately, as a son, this is very unruly, but at this moment he can't take care of a lot. When he came to Chaoyingxuan, Gongzihua knelt outside the palace gate and cried loudly: "Father, my mother is not good, please ask my father to go and see her." ”

As soon as I finished shouting, I saw a maid running out with a panicked face, and when she saw Gongzi Huabai, she said, "Childe, the lord and Mrs. Yueji went boating on Lantian Lake, and they are not in the palace." ”

Gongzihua's face twisted together angrily, and he raised his head and shouted to the sky: "How can you be so ruthless? "A punch slammed into the ground.

When I returned to the Peacock Terrace, I saw the maids carefully cleaning the rouge gouache that had been sprinkled on the ground. Gongzihua picked up the bronze mirror thrown on the ground and quietly placed it on the case. Zhen Ji opened her eyes slightly, and when she saw her son coming back, she was about to get up.

Gongzihua said softly: "Mother, let's rest." ”

He just shook her head and gasped and said, "Bring me my harp." ”

Gongzihua helped his mother, let her lean on him, and said, "Mother, let's play it when it's ready." ”

He coughed again, her body trembling violently, and she kept shaking her head. Gongzihua had no choice but to ask someone to bring the piano that his mother played on weekdays.

Zhen Ji trembled and stroked the strings slightly, and said, "This string and column are all the kindness of me and your father. With that, he coughed again, his cheeks flushed unusually red.

"Bring the scissors, bring them," she suddenly screamed.

Gongzihua closed his eyes and nodded, and a maid ran to get scissors. He had the strength to cut the strings, but only one of them was broken, and he vomited a mouthful of blood and fainted. Gongzihua couldn't hold back any longer, hugged his mother and cried, and stayed by his mother's side for two nights.

However, it was said that the welcoming team led by Han Shitong had just returned to Daju City on this day, and that is, they entered the Qionghua Hall to return to the public. Zhao Yuanmin asked in surprise: "Why did it arrive in seven days?" Doesn't it take more than ten days to walk the road that is usually taken by the envoys of the country? ”

Han Shitong replied calmly: "This time the incident happened suddenly, the little princess of Zhenguo was halfway through, and she was unwell, so I didn't dare to delay too long on the road, for fear of accidents, so I changed the route." ”

When Beigong heard this, his heart tightened.

At this time, I saw Zhao Yuanmin's face gloomy and said: "I have been leading the people of Zhenguo to take detours, just to prevent them from figuring out the shortcut from Zhenguo to Liuguo, you might as well point out this road to others." ”

Han Shitong's face turned red, and he argued: "There is a reason for the incident, is it possible that this little princess has a good one on the road, and you will take responsibility?" ”

Zhao Yuanmin snorted, tilted his head to the side, and sneered: "Now the people of Zhenguo must have secretly drawn a map." They have always been undead to our thief, which day the soldiers will come to the city, and you will take responsibility? ”

Han Shitong has been up and down in the Huan Sea for many years, and in an instant, he said calmly: "There is a great general, why should I worry?" ”

At this time, Xiangong made a round and said, "Since you have arrived, hurry up and prepare for the reception banquet for the family group." ”

Han Shitong bowed down and said: "I have instructed Yu Ying to prepare all kinds of delicacies, and the wine and food utensils at the banquet are all made of gold and jade. Xian Gong nodded with satisfaction.

Beigong Ru hurriedly said: "Father, don't do it." These Chinese people will definitely make them even more greedy when they see the splendid mountains and rivers of our Liuguo and the abundance of materials. ”

"Hey," Xiangong waved his hand and said, "It is said in the 'Book of Changes' that 'Fengheng Yuda' means that the Taiping World must show its strength to other countries, so as to deter them. Don't worry about it. ”

Beigong had no choice but to return in a huff when he heard this.

When he came to the residence of the teacher Hu Xu, Beigong Ru described to him today's events in 1510. After hearing this, Hu Xu frowned and asked, "What do you think?" ”

Beigong Ru sighed and said worriedly: "I think that a war with Zhenguo will be inevitable one day. The best strategy is to strike first, the middle strategy is to prevent problems before they happen, and the next strategy is to block. ”

Hu Xu agreed: "Yes, we have to take precautions. Ru'er has grown up, and everything that the teacher can teach has already been taught. I want to set off in a few days to go to the country to find out the truth and the terrain, so as to prepare for your future expedition to the country. ”

Beigong Ru was greatly moved, bowed deeply and said: "The teacher brought Ru'er's kindness, Ru'er can't repay it." But the teacher is here, at least one or two years, if there is no teacher to mention it, I am afraid it will not work. ”

Hu Xu patted him on the shoulder and said lovingly: "Ru'er can already stand alone, and with Zhao Yuanmin's secret help, I can rest assured." ”

The master and apprentice discussed the plan carefully. After a few days, Beigong Rucai reluctantly bid farewell to Hu Xu, until the backs of Hu Xu and Zhong Rong disappeared at the end of the road, and then turned the horse's head back to the palace.

In the evening of that day, Xiuying quietly said to Concubine Pinggui: "I heard that Zhen Ji is not good. ”

Concubine Ping Gui was embroidering a new sachet for Gongzi Sheng, and when she heard this, she raised her eyebrows and said, "Oh? I guess there aren't many people visiting her. In the past few days, she has been busy marrying her sister Xiao Zhenji, and the lord has some time, and he is also going to Chaoyingxuan to accompany Yueji. ”

Xiuying replied, "Exactly. ”

Concubine Ping Gui smiled and said, "Although she is pampered and mean, she has met each other, let's go see her." ”

When I came to Peacock Terrace, I saw that the scene was really bleak. The fallen leaves on the ground in the courtyard were not cleaned, and they were blown up by the cold wind, and they floated in mid-air for a while, and then slowly spun and quietly fell to the ground.

Concubine Ping Gui stepped into the room of Zhen Ji and saw a little maid dozing off by the bed, so she woke her up and asked, "Where is your son-in-law?" ”

The little maid hurriedly bowed and said, "The son is afraid that Mrs. will not be good tonight, so I will go and prepare first." After saying that, he began to cry lowly.

Concubine Ping nodded and said, "You go, I'll talk to your wife for a while." ”

The little maid thought that these days, no one had come to visit Madame, and it was good to have someone to talk to her.

Concubine Ping waited for her to walk out, slowly sat down on the round stool next to the bed, and whispered, "Madam, what do you think?" ”

Ji Ji opened her eyes and saw that it was her, and said falsely, "Why did you come to see me?" ”

Concubine Ping said with a smile: "The big guys are busy holding a wedding banquet today, and the lord marries your sister today." If you listen carefully, can you still hear the sound of liturgical music? ”

Zhenji's face turned pale, and she said with difficulty: "You, you ......" Concubine Pinggui looked at her coldly, stood up, walked over and pushed open the window, turned her head and stretched out her hand to point to the courtyard outside and said, "Madam, look at this painting beam, Pian Pian saw Xinyan coming again." ”

Ji Ji spit out a mouthful of blood with a 'wow', and Concubine Pinggui smiled and walked out with Xiuying.