In Renshou Palace, Empress Dowager Zhuang is dealing with the backlog of official business in recent days.

In the end, she is getting older, and it took a long time for her to recover from a serious illness, and it was only at this time that she finally realized more deeply how difficult it was to recuperate in the countryside.

Leprosy is not an ordinary cold, and the contagiousness alone makes everyone daunted, and I don't know how those two fools dared to take her in.

Besides, the conditions at home are already very poor, and I have eaten the last meal without the next meal, and I have to raise a sick number.

Empress Dowager Zhuang sighed.

"Queen Mother, do you think of your days in the countryside again?" Gonggong Qin asked with a smile.

"Hmm." Empress Dowager Zhuang did not deny it, "At that time, they deceived the mourning family that they had tuberculosis, and asked the mourning family not to go out, so as not to get sick and give the villagers too much." ”

Gonggong Qin was surprised: "Do you really believe it?" ”

Empress Dowager Zhuang sighed: "Can the mourning family not believe it? The mourning family doesn't remember anything at that time. ”

Gonggong Qin thought about it: "That...... And then? ”

Empress Dowager Zhuang recalled: "Later, about ten days and half a month, they ate at the same table with the mourning family. ”

"Ah......" Gonggong Qin was surprised, "Healed in half a month?" ”

"Nope." Empress Dowager Zhuang shook her head, "It's just that it's not infectious, and I continue to take the medicine for half a year." ”

Ordinary people don't do this, and even if leprosy is cured, they will be shunned like snakes and scorpions.

"Miss Gu and Xiao Xiu treat you sincerely, and the slave is happy for you." Father-in-law Qin's words came from the bottom of his heart, he met the Queen Mother when she was beaten into the cold palace.

He is a little eunuch in the cold palace, and he was favored by the virtuous queen and wanted to serve by his side.

After the virtuous queen came out of the cold palace, he was also taken out, and in the blink of an eye, he had accompanied the queen mother through ups and downs for decades.

There are many people who befriend the Queen Mother, but there are very few who really feel sorry for the Queen Mother and do not ask for anything in return.

If the Queen Mother is not the Queen Mother, then they will not be the Queen Mother who sees them.

Miss Zhuang always complained that the Queen Mother loved Miss Gu more than her own family, but Miss Zhuang didn't want to think about it, did she really have half of Miss Gu's sincerity to the Queen Mother?

Most of my life has been walking alone, and the heights are unbearable, who would have thought that they would meet such a few caring people in their twilight years?

"It's Xiao Xiuzhuo......" Gonggong Qin also saw that there was something wrong between the Empress Dowager Zhuang and Xiao Xiuzhuo, although he was the Empress Dowager's confidant, but the Empress Dowager didn't tell him everything.

He guessed half of the Queen Mother's thoughts, but the other half couldn't be guessed no matter what.

"Is it because he looks like the deceased little marquis?"

He asked cautiously.

The Queen Mother did not poison Marquis Xiao, but the emperor didn't believe it, Xuanping Marquis didn't believe it, and no one in the world believed it, but I was afraid that even the Zhuang family thought it was the handiwork of the Empress Dowager Zhuang.

The difference is that the Zhuang family will not complain about the Queen Mother.

can always be wronged by others, the queen mother sees someone so similar to Marquis Xiao, she is afraid that she also has a pimple in her heart.

Of course, this is what Gonggong Qin thinks, and it is unknown whether the Queen Mother thinks so.

"Mourning ......" Empress Dowager Zhuang was about to say something, when a palace maid's panicked voice came from outside the study, "Your Majesty!" Your Majesty, you can't go in! ”

"I am the Son of Heaven! The whole world is gone! A mere Renshou Palace will be blocked out once or twice, do you want to rebel! ”

It was the emperor's angry shout.

Empress Dowager Zhuang frowned impatiently and glanced at Duke Qin.

Gonggong Qin walked out with a stubborn brush, and said to the palace maid: "You stand down." He saluted the emperor again, "Your Majesty, please." ”

"Humph!"

The emperor glared at everyone coldly, and threw his sleeves into the study of the Empress Dowager Zhuang: "The Empress Dowager is really a good means!" I'm not idle to recuperate in Renshou Palace, I have to be ugly! The Queen Mother can't see that I have a clean day! ”

Father-in-law Qin, who chased in, looked at the Queen Mother, and then looked at a room of palace people with pale faces, and his face became ugly.

Empress Dowager Zhuang said lightly: "You all retreat." ”

"Yes." Gonggong Qin and a group of palace people retreated.

Mrs. Zhuang glanced at the emperor expressionlessly, and threw the fold in her hand on the table: "What are you crazy about!" ”

The emperor sneered: "I should ask the Queen Mother about this, what is the Queen Mother crazy about?" Isn't it enough for you to listen to politics? Aren't you satisfied with controlling half of the country? Isn't it fun to force my mother to go to the nunnery? How vicious are you going to be? Do you have to kill all the people around me one by one! ”

Empress Dowager Zhuang frowned and said, "Who did the mourning family kill again?" ”

"Huh!" The emperor stood in front of the desk, looked at the dignified and majestic Empress Dowager Zhuang and sneered, "Which one is the Empress Dowager singing?" Do you dare not admit that you have done everything? ”

Empress Dowager Zhuang's eyes flashed with coldness, but her expression was still not salty or light: "The mourning family has done too much, I don't know which thing you are referring to." ”

The emperor laughed angrily: "Finally admit it, you are a mad poisonous woman!" What do you have to come to me! Why did you kill Zhang Zhangshi! How did she mess with you! ”

"Zhang's business?" Empress Dowager Zhuang frowned strangely.

The emperor angrily pointed at the Empress Dowager Zhuang: "Less garlic!" Last night, Zhang Zhangshi was summoned to Renshou Palace by the Queen Mother, and he committed suicide by hanging himself when he went back! The Queen Mother dared to say that you didn't kill people! ”

Empress Dowager Zhuang sneered, raised her eyes lightly, and hooked the corners of her lips as if mockingly: "What if it was killed by the mourning family?" ”

She slowly stood up, walked out from behind the desk, and walked towards the emperor step by step, "Can you abolish the mourning family, or can you kill the mourning family?" Even if the mourning family kills all the people around you, what can you do with the mourning family? ”

"You poisonous woman!" The Emperor raised his hand!

"Your Majesty!"

Xiao Liulang walked in quickly, threw away his crutches, hugged the emperor's hand, and blocked the Empress Dowager Zhuang behind him.

Seeing the young man who suddenly blocked in front of her, Empress Dowager Zhuang was stunned.

The young man was thin, his legs and feet were not good at walking, but he did not hesitate to stop the emperor's courage.

The emperor was furious: "Xiao Liulang, get out of the way!" ”

"Not the Queen Mother." Xiao Liulang said solemnly, he didn't let go, and he didn't let go, "It's not the queen mother, it's the minister." Last night, it was the minister who called Zhang Zhangshi over, and it had nothing to do with the Queen Mother. ”

The emperor was so angry that his lungs were about to explode: "Even you speak for her!" One of you...... All to her! Xiao Liulang! You're the new champion I hand-picked! ”

Xiao Liulang said with a straight face: "The minister is His Majesty's minister, and he is His Majesty's champion, and because of this, the minister does not want to see His Majesty make mistakes." What Your Majesty does today, the historians will make a note in the future, Your Majesty is a Ming Jun, and he should be a great meritorious, and he will not ruin his reputation for a hundred years because of impulse. ”

The emperor asked sadly and aggrievedly, "Am I wrong?" Am I wrong? ”

Xiao Liulang said: "Your Majesty is not wrong, and the Queen Mother is not wrong, it is the minister who is wrong." The minister should not come to Zhang Zhang, if His Majesty wants to blame, blame the minister. It was the minister who killed her. ”

"You...... You ......" The emperor was so angry that his eyes were blood-red and he trembled.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you have to hear what happened." Father-in-law Wei entered the house to persuade him.

His Majesty held back the emotion that could go wild at any time and nodded: "Okay, you said, what are you looking for Zhang Zhang, why did you kill her!" ”

Xiao Liulang can't say that he is investigating a case from 14 years ago, the timing is not right, and the evidence is not enough.

Xiao Liulang thought for a while and said, "The minister returned something to her for others, and when he returned it to her, the minister found that her emotions were not quite right. ”

This is the truth, Zhang Zhangshi's mood was really not right when he got the broken inkstone, but Xiao Liulang didn't think too deeply about it at that time.

Now that I take a closer look, I am afraid that there is a deeper bond and relationship between Zhang Zhangshi and the old sacrificial wine than imagined.

"Who are you delivering for you?" The emperor asked.

"The minister can't say." Xiao Liulang said.

If he doesn't say that the emperor won't guess?

How many people in the world can work and personally go to the palace to deliver the message? Since it is an end with Zhang Zhang, it must be about the same age as Zhang Zhang.

A name is on the horizon.

"Spread the Huo sacrificial wine!"

"Let go! Do you want me to send Huo sacrificial wine to the queen mother's bedroom? Follow me to the Imperial Study! ”

"Yes." Xiao Liulang let go.

The old sacrificial wine was summoned to the palace.

The emperor didn't give him a chance to confess to Xiao Liulang, so he directly asked Xiao Liulang to take him down, and then began to interrogate Zhang Zhangshi and the old sacrificial wine.

The emperor didn't tell the old priest that Zhang Zhangshi was dead.

But what kind of essence is the old sacrificial wine?

You can guess that something is wrong.

Ordinary people will try their best to clear up the relationship with the female officials in the palace when they are interrogated, after all, blaspheming female officials is a felony, but the old sacrificial wine feels that this matter is not simple.

He barely thought about it and said that he had an unknown past with Zhang Zhangshi, and there was a love token between them, and last night he asked someone to return the token to her, which was regarded as an understanding of their relationship.

The emperor's eyes were cold: "Why is it over?" Is it because of the Queen Mother? ”

"Don't dare! The minister is because ...... His life was not long in coming...... "The old sacrificial wine began to pretend to be sick and sell miserably, all kinds of tears and white lotus methods," ...... If Your Majesty doesn't believe it, you can call the little miracle doctor, who diagnosed the terminal illness for the old minister. ”

……

Coming out of the imperial study, the old sacrificial wine saw Xiao Liulang, who had been waiting for a long time.

"I'm sorry to bother the teacher." Xiao Liulang said guiltily.

The old sacrificial wine sighed: "It's not your fault, it's me who didn't think it through." ”

"Teacher's Reputation ......"

The old sacrificial wine waved his hand: "I don't have any reputation at all, although I and her are not what I said to Your Majesty, but in the end...... I also failed her. She...... It's my wife's sister. ”

The wife's sister-in-law was raised to another village since she was a child, and the two sisters recognized each other when they grew up.

Before his wife died, he held his hand and asked him to take care of his only sister Zhang Xiu no matter what.

Zhang Xiu wanted to marry him, but he didn't want to marry her, so she entered the palace in a fit of anger.

He fought fiercely with Zhuang Jinse, in order not to implicate Zhang Xiu, he didn't let people know the relationship between the two, otherwise he was not the only one who was exiled back then, and there was also his wife and sister Zhang Xiu.

After all, the first emperor ordered to exile his entire family.

"When she was twenty-five years old, she came to me when she was released from the palace, and asked me again if I would like to marry her. I said that I would take care of her for the rest of my life and treat her as my own sister, and then she smashed my inkstone. Afterwards, she regretted it so much that she paid me a new one, the one I asked you to return. When she gave it to me, I didn't hold it steady and accidentally broke a piece of ...... She laughed and said that this was a bit of a. ”

The old priest sighed when he said this, "Forget it, don't mention the old things, she definitely didn't commit suicide for love, her death is strange, I asked Your Majesty for grace to send her on her last journey, you can go with me." ”

Xiao Liulang: "Okay." ”

The old sacrificial wine and Xiao Liulang went to the Shanggong Bureau in the company of Gonggong Wei.

In the previous dynasty, the people in the palace would cause disaster to their families if they hanged themselves, and this dynasty abolished this law, but the dead were not allowed to enter the earth for safety, and could only be thrown into the wilderness.

The old sacrificial wine gave Father-in-law Wei a bag of silver.

Gonggong Wei excused himself for a long time and didn't excuse himself: "I have taken care of it, and the body will be sent to the mass grave outside the West City Gate later, you can send someone to wait there." ”

"Thank you, Grandpa Wei." The old priest thanked him.

Xiao Liulang examined Zhang Xiu's body, and it was indeed self-hanging, without any traces of fighting or struggling.

Then Xiao Liulang found out about a situation, and he paused.

"What's wrong?" The old sacrificial wine came over and asked.

Xiao Liulang didn't speak, but raised Zhang Xiu's left wrist, and there was a mole on it.

The old sacrificial wine was stunned: "How could it be ......?"

Oh, yes?

How could it be Zhang Xiu?

Many details that had been overlooked last night flashed through Xiao Liulang's mind one by one.

When Zhang Xiu saw him for the first time, he was so frightened that he almost fell, he thought that she Qin Gonggong and others thought that he had seen a ghost, but after thinking about it, he and Zhang Xiu didn't seem to have met.

She shouldn't have known him.

Even if she knew, her reaction was a little too big.

When he told her that he was investigating a palace man with a mole on his wrist, she knew that what had happened back then had been exposed.

But she didn't know that Xiao Liulang was investigating, and she only thought that the person who investigated the truth was her brother-in-law's old sacrificial wine.

The old sacrificial wine is Xiao Heng is teacher, and it is reasonable for him to investigate Xiao Heng's death.

The reason why she walked so desolate and lonely was probably that she had already decided to die at that moment.

He used death to atone for his brother-in-law and his apprentice, and also used death to escape and report the incident to the mastermind behind the scenes.

What kind of mood did she have to frame Zhuang Jinse back then? What kind of mood did you feel when you found out that Xiao Heng, who had been poisoned by herself, would one day become a closed disciple of her brother-in-law?

The old sacrificial wine's throat was swollen and painful: "It's all for my ......"

Zhang Xiu's blame for Zhuang Jinse must have been because Zhuang Jinse disagreed with him, causing him to be exiled and almost dying.

But who would have expected that he and Zhuang Jinse did not become rivals in the end, but Zhang Xiu took his own life in vain.

Father-in-law Wei has taken care of it, and they can take Zhang Xiu's relics away.

Zhang Xiu's relics are very simple, several sets of clothes and a makeup box, the box contains a few pieces of jewelry that can no longer be old, and dozens of silver tickets are hidden in the mezzanine of the box, all of which are written with the name of the old sacrificial wine.

There is also an inkstone given to her by Xiao Liulang yesterday.

The eyes of the old sacrificial wine are red.

"Teacher." Xiao Liulang said softly.

"I'm fine." The old sacrificial wine wiped away the old tears, packed up Zhang Xiu's relics, packed them with baggage, and stumbled when he walked out.

Xiao Liulang held him up.

The old sacrificial wine's voice trembled: "I...... I'm really fine. ”

Bang!

The inkstone slipped out of its baggage and smashed to the ground.

The old sacrificial wine bent down to pick it up.

Xiao Liulang said: "I'll come." ”

He picked up the inkstone first, "I'll take it." ”

The old sacrificial wine did not insist.

His mood was very complicated, his mind was chaotic, he felt that he had harmed Zhang Xiu, and he also felt that he had harmed Xiao Heng.

He choked up, "You...... Don't blame her...... You blame me...... It's me...... She's ...... for me."

Xiao Liulang sighed: "It's not that she will have others, the real hateful is the mastermind behind the scenes, and the teacher should not blame himself, what happened back then has nothing to do with you, and there was nothing about last night." ”

Since he wants to check, he will find this step anyway.

The relationship between the old sacrificial wine and Zhang Xiu only accelerated the process, and did not change the result.

Zhang Xiu's end was already doomed from the moment she stretched out her poisonous hand to an innocent four-year-old child.

He can forgive, but Heaven does not.

The old sacrificial wine went to collect Zhang Xiu's body, Xiao Liulang did not follow, forgiveness was his greatest kindness, and he would not prepare for her funeral.

Xiao Liulang went to Renshou Palace.

Empress Dowager Zhuang continued to look at the folds presented by Mrs. Zhuang in the study, and the folds passed through her hands before returning them to the minister and presenting them to the emperor in the court.

Gonggong Qin waited on the side, and when he saw Xiao Liulang, his eyes lit up, and he said to the Empress Dowager Zhuang: "The tea is cold, so the slave will go and make a pot of hot tea." ”

Empress Dowager Zhuang glanced at Xiao Liulang: "Hmph." ”

Gonggong Qin retreated with a smile and took the rest of the palace people down.

"What are you going to do?" Empress Dowager Zhuang looked through the folds and asked lukewarmly.

"Passing by." Xiao Liulang said.

Both of them are people who will die if they explain more, and neither of them will open their mouths to break the ice first.

"I'm leaving."

It's not a big deal, so I'll just take a look.

He always knew that the relationship between the emperor and the queen mother was not harmonious, but he didn't have it to be like this.

Somewhat worried.

Empress Dowager Zhuang looked at him and turned around, cleared her throat, and asked, "Why do you speak for the mourning family?" ”

Xiao Liulang said lightly: "There is no reason, the food of the king bears the worries of the king, and the courtier is duty." ”

The father-in-law of Qin who was eavesdropping outside was dying, the duty of a shit courtier, does it burn his mouth when he says a word of human speech?

I'm dying, I'm dying!

The emperor and the queen mother were not in such a hurry, after all, the emperor was really infuriating, but Xiao Xiu was dedicated to being the queen mother, and they misunderstood that Qin Gonggong was really scratching his lungs!

obviously cares about each other so much, why do you have to make it a stranger!

Let's go.

The inkstone in Xiao Liulang's hand slipped and fell to the ground, he bent down to pick it up, and the purse in his arms fell out.

Seeing the purse, Empress Dowager Zhuang's eyes moved slightly.

It was a birthday gift given to him by Empress Dowager Zhuang on Xiao Liulang's birthday on Chinese New Year's Eve, and there was also one in the small clear space.

Empress Dowager Zhuang embroidered the bluegrass herself, and the embroidery was too ugly like a weed, so she let the old sacrificial wine improve it, embroidered it into a piece of green bamboo, and added some stitches to the stitches.

But it's not too pretty.

Empress Dowager Zhuang snorted: "Why are you still wearing such an ugly thing, isn't it a shame?" It's a person who has become a Hanlin official. ”

Xiao Liulang didn't say anything, took his purse back into his arms, and continued to walk out.

Come back!

Empress Dowager Zhuang opened her mouth, but in the end she didn't say the words on her lips.

If she wasn't so awkward, she wouldn't have carried so many black pots.

Although she did do a lot of bad things.

She threw the fold in her hand irritably, and her mood was spilled through!

Suddenly, Xiao Liulang, who had disappeared, turned back again.

He came back too quickly, and Empress Dowager Zhuang didn't even have time to restrain the irritability in her eyes.

He took a deep breath, as if he had mustered up some kind of courage, and asked in a low voice, "Why don't I have one?" ”

"Huh?" Empress Dowager Zhuang was stunned.

Xiao Liulang clenched his fingers, his face turned red, but he continued to muster up the courage to ask, "Why don't I have a token?" ”

Why doesn't Insugung Palace have anything for me?

…… Don't you want me?

His tone was as usual, but there was a grievance in his eyes that couldn't be hidden.

Empress Dowager Zhuang's heart was pinched.

That grievance poked her heartache.

She lowered her eyes and whispered, "Mourning family...... Thought you didn't want it. ”

"Why I don't want to ......"

Before he finished speaking, Xiao Liulang paused.

The mourners think you don't want it.

The amount of information in this sentence is enormous.

My aunt's Xiao Liulang won't want it, and Xiao Heng won't want it.

Empress Dowager Zhuang knew who he was.

also remembered that he had "poisoned" Xiao Heng, and knew that Xiao Heng had always been jealous of her, disgusted with her, and hated to stay away from her.

"You haven't thought about it...... "Ask me?"

"The mourning family has thought about it, but the mourning family ...... Afraid. Empress Dowager Zhuang almost used up her life's courage and face to confess her emotions.

Because I cared too much, I was afraid of rejection, so I rejected the possibility of rejection first.

She would rather carry the black cauldron a thousand times than have a heart-to-heart confession.

Her self-esteem is so strong, it's just so twisted.

But the trace of grievance in Xiao Liulang's eyes shattered the self-esteem she had saved for decades.

"I don't want it." Xiao Liulang turned his face and said, his tone was aggrieved and awkward.

He's a screw-up guy, too.

He's too ashamed to say it.

And he's still a kid.

In front of the old man is.

Empress Dowager Zhuang looked at him directly, her eyes shining: "What did you say?" ”

"Nothing!" Xiao Liulang walked out expressionlessly.

Before he walked out of Renshou Palace, Gonggong Qin chased after him and said with a smile: "Xiao Xiu, please stay!" You forgot something! ”

"I didn't."

"Yes, yes! Please come with the minions and get it! ”

Xiao Liulang was taken by Gonggong Qin to a side hall of Renshou Palace.

Gonggong Qin pushed open the door and said with a smile, "Please." ”

Xiao Liulang stepped inside.

The huge side hall, as far as the eye can see, is full of bookshelves, and the shelves are full of books.

And by the sunlit windowsill, there is a desk, the four treasures of the study on the table exude a faint fragrance of ink, and there is a brocade box in the center of the table.

Gonggong Qin took the brocade box over: "Give it." ”

Xiao Liulang opened it and found a token of Renshou Palace lying inside.

Gonggong Qin sighed and said, "The Queen Mother has already prepared it, but for some reason it has not been taken out. There is also this side hall, which was also transformed by the Queen Mother, and the slaves didn't understand what the Queen Mother was doing at first to transform such a large library pavilion, but today I finally know the purpose. ”

They just have a small house, or a small courtyard, but does he own such a large library?

Xiao Liulang is incredulous and indescribable.

He stood there dumbfounded, like a stunned little derpy chicken.

It was at this moment that he lost the breath of youth and adulthood, and became a little innocent and youthful.

It is helpless to be forced to grow up, and it is a kind of luck and happiness to be spoiled back to children.

"Xiao Xiu." Seeing his stunned appearance, Gonggong Qin shook his hand in front of his eyes, "Don't be happy. ”

"I wasn't too happy." Xiao Liulang said without changing his face, and walked out with the brocade box in his arms.

Father-in-law Qin with black lines on his face: "......"

Xiao Liulang walked most of the Renshou Palace with his hands and feet with crutches in one hand and a brocade box in the other, and the palace maids and eunuchs of Renshou Palace were stunned.

Looks like a dog, is it so mentally retarded when you walk?!

Xiao Liulang had already left Renshou Palace, but after a pause, he turned back again.

He stood outside the study of the Empress Dowager Zhuang.

Didn't go in.

Empress Dowager Zhuang said nonchalantly: "There is no need to thank you, the mourning family is numb." ”

Damn, what she just said was enough to make her regret it, she was defeated in this kid's grievances because of the evil.

Give her another chance, she stabbed him in the heart a hundred times with a knife, and never admitted that she was afraid of being rejected by him.

Xiao Liulang pursed his lips, poked his head in from outside the door, and sued very childishly: "Auntie, Mrs. Zhuang bullied me!" ”

After that, he ran away in a puff of smoke!

Well, for the first time, I was so naïve and ashamed that I forgot that I was still a cripple, and as soon as I ran, I tripped directly, rolled down the steps with a croak, and fell on the grass!

Everyone: "......"

They simply couldn't see it.

The corners of Empress Dowager Zhuang's lips were slightly hooked, and in the next second, she regained her indifferent look, and said majestically and domineeringly: "Master Xuanzhuang!" ”

------Off topic------

Maybe I stayed up too late some time ago, and I was very tired, and I could sleep directly in front of the computer desk.

There are more updates this month than last month, and every day I can basically guarantee seven or eight thousand words, sometimes nine thousand, which is a terrible overdraft.

In fact, on Monday, the editor informed me to reduce the update, and I was going to save the manuscript to explode the update, and I said to the editor that I would not reduce the update before the specific date came out, and let the readers read a little more, and I would increase the intensity of the code word every day to determine the date, and I should be able to complete the task.

But I didn't expect to update seven or eight thousand every day and hand in two extra drafts at the same time, which was completely overdrawn.

There are not many updates today, so please forgive me.

I'll adjust my condition as soon as possible, good night.