According to the precedent, the imperial banquet was still set up in the Zhaotai Hall on the pickaxe pond in the inner garden. I don't know why, it seems that Emperor Yuan Shanjian is only particularly interested in the Zhaotai Hall in the huge inner garden.

It's just that the Zhaotai Hall is full of high-ranking officials and nobles, and the rest of the seats can only be set up in the reed curtain under the corridor of the hall. Wuwei General Hou He, naturally could not be in the Zhaotai Hall like his father Yuzhou Thorn Shi and Situ Hou Jing, and his official rank could only be in the reed curtain outside.

This is the first time that Hou He was fortunate to enter the inner garden for a royal banquet, and it was also because of his father Hou Jing. When the staggered planning was staggered a few times, the singing and dancing stopped and came again, I didn't know how many people were drunk and how many woke up, and the scene was already chaotic. Hou He also took the opportunity to escape and leave with the snooping heart of curiosity and prying eyes in the palace forbidden inner garden.

The inner garden is very large, and it is not as orderly as the front court and the harem. The garden is full of peaks and hills, the trees are tall and the grass is dense, the flowing water is murmuring, and there are too many places to contain and contain. Even if there are many people entering the palace for today's imperial banquet, in fact, only the Zhaotai Palace, which feasts the ministers, has the most people, and many of the rest have been inaccessible for a long time. What's more, today's slaves and eunuchs in the palace are all driven by the Zhaotai Palace, and no more people have extra attention to other places.

Once Hou He walked to no one's place, Fang felt that the Imperial Garden was huge. Looking up, there are several Yaotai Qiong Palaces hidden among the hills and forests, and the lofty towers and pavilions in the distance seem to reach the sky. He didn't know where to go, but followed a wide road. After walking for a while, I felt that there were more and more people in the palace, and the women in the palace were gorgeously dressed and acted like fairies. The palace people walked in turn with plates and boxes in hand, and they all went to a temple in front of them.

Hou He went to the place where the palace people went, and the palace was more beautiful than the Zhaotai Palace, and he saw the endless flow of palace people coming and going at the palace gate from a distance. Hou He thought secretly, I don't know who is inside, but it is so lively here. While he was guessing, a palace man came up and asked in surprise, "Why is the general here?" This is the place where Her Royal Highness the Queen set up a banquet for foreign women. Please leave quickly, General. ”

Hou He looked at this palace person, although he seemed respectful, but there was a trace of undisguised coldness and disgust in his tone, presumably it was the palace people who were highly valued by the queen's side who had such an arrogant attitude. Although Hou He was not convinced, he only responded, and the palace people didn't bother to say much, so they turned around and left.

Hou He, who was about to leave, reluctantly glanced at the closed temple door. Unexpectedly, at this time, the door of the palace opened, and a girl walked out, not wearing palace clothes, so that people could see at a glance that it was not a palace maid, and looking at her demeanor and actions, it can be seen that her identity is not high, and she should be a little maid.

Hou He felt that this little maid was very familiar, so he couldn't help but take a few more looks and pay more attention. After thinking hard for a long time, the lightning flashed in my mind, and a scene suddenly became clear.

Before the battle of Tongguan, on the outskirts of Yecheng, he went out of the city to hunt with the general Gao Cheng, and the general was humiliated by Gao Shen and Gao. At that time, there was a girl from afar watching, full of relatives, very moved. And the familiar little maid in front of him was the maid next to the girl at that time.

This girl had shocked him immediately. After I went back, I inquired and found out that this girl was Li Zu'e, the second daughter of Li Xizong, the Taishou of the Shangdang. However, before he could marry again, news came: Gao Huan, the prime minister, was the second son, and Gao Yang, the prince of Taiyuan, asked to marry the little lady who was born in the Li family of Zhao County as the bride.

Hou He was disappointed, first regretting that he was too slow to move and missed the opportunity, but then he felt that this matter was very strange. He clearly saw that Li Zu'e was full of concern and grief for the humiliation of the great general Gao Cheng, and if it wasn't for the deep concern for it, it would never have been like this. It's just that why did he become Gao Cheng's younger brother and Taiyuan Gong Gao Yang's wife in a blink of an eye?

If you don't see a person who is as virtuous as a womanizer, the general Gao Cheng is very important, even if it can't be said that everyone in Yecheng knows it, at least all the officials know it, and of course Hou He can't know it. That's why I think it's strange, the little lady of the Li family can be called a rare and beautiful person in the world, why did Gao Cheng let it go so easily? Just let it to his younger brother Gao Yang? Gao Cheng turned a blind eye to beauty, but it seemed that the little lady of the Li family couldn't let go of him in her heart.

I suddenly saw this servant here today, so is it that Li Zu'e, the Duchess of Taiyuan, is also in this hall? Thinking of this, Hou He felt itchy in his heart, and he couldn't wait to go into the temple to find it in person. Although he can't do anything with this Duchess of Taiyuan, it's good to have a good time.

Hou Hezheng was thinking wildly in his heart, and suddenly saw several servants surrounded by a noble person walking up from the side of the main hall, and it was in this direction that he came. It was this noble man who shocked Hou He's heart, and threw away all the thoughts that made him itch in his heart just now.

He could tell at a glance that this noble man was the princess of the prince and the general Gao Cheng, the younger sister of Emperor Yuan Shanjian, and Princess Yuan Zhonghua of Feng Yi. It's just that Yuan Zhonghua was supported by the maid, and he seemed to be quite uncomfortable. Hou He naturally had no intention of caring about this.

Just now, Hou He was still full of charming thoughts, but all of them disappeared at this moment. As soon as he saw this princess, he immediately remembered her husband, the general Gao Cheng.

In the camp of Pujin Pass, her husband, the general Gao Cheng, had no head or brain, and the whip that he had whipped on him made him remember it deeply. Hou He suffered this humiliation in front of the sergeant in the battalion, which was tantamount to a lowly slave and maid, and his face was lost.

Hou He even thought that it was Gao Cheng's father, Gao Huanshang, the king of Bohai and the prime minister, who wanted to pay homage to his father Situ Hou Jing, why did Gao Cheng dare to be so arrogant and rude? Even if he is a high-ranking official, he is not an ordinary passerby.

Thinking of this, Hou He's gaze was full of hatred when he looked at this princess again. Seeing Yuan Zhonghua and his party coming, Hou He had to hide behind a tree to avoid being discovered. Fortunately, the princess was led by the palace people to the side hall not far away, and Hou He breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as he was about to leave, he turned around and glanced to see if the maid of the Duchess of Taiyuan was still there, but there was a big surprise at a glance. Not only was the maid there, but when the palace door opened, it was actually Li Zu'e, the Duchess of Taiyuan, who walked out of it. The servant went up, and I didn't know what to say, but the master and slave actually walked to Hou He.

Li Zu'e's high-haired dress at this time showed her elegance and peerlessness, and the solemn decoration was different from the appearance he saw for the first time in the suburbs of Yecheng. The last time it was a little casual, although the beauty of the beauty is not diminished, in Hou He's opinion, it is not as good as the icing on the cake under the gorgeous decoration now.

Li Zu'e's radiant appearance made Hou He feel dizzy for an instant. Seeing her coming here, Hou He was unwilling to hide, and it didn't seem appropriate not to hide. When he couldn't make up his mind, unexpectedly, Li Zu'e and her maid Wan'er also went in the direction of the side hall where the princess Yuan Zhonghua went just now.

Seeing that they had turned the direction and gradually moved away, leaving only their backs vaguely visible in the bushes, Hou He was greatly annoyed, and he didn't know what he was thinking, as if he was enchanted, he chased after him, and he couldn't help himself at all.

The new Empress Gao Yuanjun was met by the internal and external women today, and naturally her two sisters-in-law were indispensable: the princess, the general's wife Yuan Zhonghua and the Taiyuan Duchess Li Zu'e. What's more, Yuan Zhonghua has a dual identity, the eldest sister-in-law has become a sister-in-law, and she has always been good friends with Gao Yuanjun.

Yuan Zhonghua has been recuperating well in recent days, and his body has improved a lot, but he is always depressed and unavoidably affected. Today, I met the new queen, congratulated everyone, and drank more at the banquet, Ah Jiao saw that the princess had too much wine and was afraid that she would hurt her body again, so she helped Yuan Zhonghua out and rest for a while.

Li Zu'e's maid Wan'er came to talk to the Duchess of Taiyuan because the princess of Jibei came to talk to the Duchess of Taiyuan at the banquet, but she accidentally knocked over the jade cup and stained Li Zu'e's dress, so Wan'er sent someone to get clean dresses. Li Zu'e and the queen came out to change their clothes, but Wan'er told her wife that she saw that the princess had drunk a little more and was helped to that side hall by Ajiao. Li Zu'e thought about going to see her eldest sister-in-law, and she happened to change her clothes, so she also went to the side hall.

Yuan Zhonghua walked forward, Li Zu'e followed, the two of them and the slaves and maids beside them, no one expected that these would be clearly seen by the secret military general Hou He. No one thought that there would be a man like Hou He secretly snooping here. No one would have thought that Hou He would dare to chase after him.

Outside the Zhaotai Hall on that side, Cui Jishu, the waiter of the Yellow Gate, was just about to enter the palace, when suddenly a small eunuch hurriedly ran over, and when he approached him, he whispered, "Cui Shilang, the maidservant of the princess of the General's Mansion has sent someone to come, and she has something to return." ”

Cui Jishu looked up in the direction of the little eunuch's finger, and sure enough, he saw a familiar little maidservant, who seemed to be serving the princess Yuan Zhonghua. Cui Jishu often goes in and out of the General's Mansion, and he has a good memory, so he can also know a thing or two about the slaves and maids who are close to the prince and the princess. Since he was the person next to the princess, he didn't dare to slack off, and hurriedly asked the little eunuch to call the little maid for questioning.

Outside the side hall over there, Hou He was already obsessed with it, and followed the Duchess of Taiyuan Li Zu'e all the way. This side hall is a secluded place, and it is hidden in the bushes, and today the slaves and maids in the palace have gone to the Zhaotai Hall and the place where the women are ordered to meet, for sending. This side hall was empty, and there were no outsiders, so Wan'er found this place to let the lady change her clothes.

Hou He only saw the master and slave, he vaguely remembered that the princess Yuan Zhonghua seemed to be coming here just now, but now he couldn't see any traces of people in the hall, which made him feel in a trance, and secretly thought that maybe the princess was not in this hall.

At this time, Li Zu'e and Wan'er, who followed behind her, had already walked to the bottom of the steps outside the hall. Hou He followed a few steps. I didn't want to go too fast, and I was flustered, and he didn't take the path to the side hall, he came from the grass under the tree, and in the panic, he tripped over a black leather boot under his feet by a weed, and Hou He also fell to the ground, making a loud noise.

Li Zu'e and Wan'er were startled when they heard such a loud voice behind them, and quickly turned around to look.

In the Zhaotai Palace, Cui Jishu returned and hurriedly entered, and whispered a few words in the ear of the general Gao Cheng when no one was paying attention. Gao Cheng's every move was noticed, and he knew it in his heart, but he still frowned uncontrollably. However, he didn't get up and leave for the time being, turned his head and whispered something to Cui Jishu. Cui Jishu took the order and left.

The expression on Gao Cheng's face was as calm as ever. The emperor on the throne, Yuan Shanjian, watched it for a long time, but at this time, he really didn't see anything unusual, so he just gave up.

Gao Yang, the Taiyuan Gong in the corner of the palace, also paid great attention to the changes in the eldest brother's every move, knowing that Cui Jishu must have something to report, and the eldest brother's frowning must be a matter of concern, but the eldest brother was able to endure it in the end and did not leave the table, so it can be seen that it is not a big deal.

When Gao Yang inadvertently looked out of the hall, he happened to see Yang Su's gaze, which also seemed to be inadvertently met. Gao Yang immediately turned his head, and when he saw that no one was paying attention to him, he got up decisively and left.

And the moment Gao Yang walked out of the palace gate, he didn't know that his eldest brother Gao Cheng was holding a sip in his hand and watching his departing back thoughtfully. When Gao Yang's shadow disappeared, Gao Cheng put down the jade in his hand and looked up at his father sitting across from him.

Prime Minister Gao Huan was intimately exchanging words with Situ Hou Jing, seemingly unaware of the scene at all.

Outside the side hall, Li Zu'e and Wan'er turned around together and saw a military attache they didn't know. This man is dressed in a gauze robe, and I don't know who or why he stumbled here. felt that it was very strange for this person to appear here, and Li Zu'e was a little suspicious in her heart.

Hou He's head was slightly crooked, because he had fallen, and there were some mud and grass clippings on his gauze robe, and he was still holding the black leather boots that had just fallen in his hand, staring at Wan'er who turned around, completely forgetting his situation at this time. Such a strange appearance is no wonder that Li Zu'e's master and servant are suspicious.

"Who are you? Dare to trespass here! Wan'er stepped forward and asked Hou He.

Because Wan'er stepped forward a few steps and blocked the middle between Li Zu'e and Hou He, Hou He was blocked by her and couldn't see Li Zu'e, so he was in a hurry, and he also stepped forward, but he didn't know how to reach out and put Wan'er away, walked straight to Li Zu'e, and said hurriedly, "Wuwei General Hou He, meet the Duchess of Taiyuan." Thinking about the salute, he found that he was still holding the black leather boots he picked up, and he was immediately embarrassed, and he put on the boots in front of Li Zu'e without regard for the dignity.

Li Zu'e is the daughter of Li Xizong, the Taishou of the Shangdang, and she is a high-born family, even if her appearance is overwhelming, she admires many people, but she has never seen such a rude person. Hou He's actions made Li Zu'e extremely disgusted, and he took a few steps back to hide his face with his sleeves, and he didn't even bother to say anything to him, looking very disgusted.

Wan'er, who was pushed away by Hou He, was also so angry that she was stunned for a while, she was a lady's confidant, and no one had ever dared to do anything to her like this. Because she was in the way, Hou He was annoyed, so she used a lot of strength, and Wan'er almost fell. Wan'er turned around at this time and saw that Hou He dared to approach the lady, and immediately shouted angrily, "The madman is rude, don't retreat!" Is the Duchess of Taiyuan something you can watch casually? ”

But Wan'er was afraid that the three words "Taiyuan Gong" would not be enough, so she added, "Do you know that the eldest brother of Taiyuan Gong is the prince of Bohai Wang, the general?" ”