Under the same rain curtain in Luoyang City, Li Hong came to the garden in the rain, the back of the purple shirt was wet with rain, but the front placket was relatively dry, which showed that he was running in a hurry.

In a gazebo, Li Zhi was dressed in Yanju clothes, although his face was still weak, his smile was very kind: "Why don't you let Zhang Shun follow, and you don't have an umbrella, what if you get cold?" ”

Li Hong smiled and took the silk handkerchief handed by Li Zhi, wiped the rain from his cheeks, he has always been old and calm, but at this time in front of his father, he is just a carefree child, and said with a smile: "Come to meet with my father, I don't want to bring outsiders." This is...... Freshly grilled venison? ”

"I know that you love to eat, and I have always ordered people to keep it," the father and son of the heavenly family, noble and prominent, but the family affection is no different from that of the ordinary people, Li Zhi handed over a glass of warm wine to Li Hong, "Take a sip to warm up your body first, eat slowly, and accompany you here for your father." ”

No matter how busy the affairs of the court are, as long as he is free, Li Zhi will specially arrange to meet Li Hong in this confined garden, and eat and talk like an ordinary father and son, which is also the reason why Li Hong is particularly close to the two saints.

His favorite food was right in front of him, but Li Hong didn't move his chopsticks, but looked at Li Zhi carefully, and asked worriedly, "How is my father doing lately?" Can the head wind still be tight? ”

"I have nothing to do for my father, and I used the new prescription prescribed by Si Yao, and the whole person is much soothed. But you, so young, why did you faint a few days ago? Don't take it seriously, call more doctors for illness in Pingsuri, and remember not to be careless. ”

"Yes, it's all the fault of the sons, a while ago because of his own private affairs, he clashed with the Duke of Zhou, as the crown prince, not only can he not share the worries of the country, but he makes his father, queen and mother angry, it really shouldn't be ......"

Previously, Li Hong was angry at the crown as a red lotus, and beat Helan Minzhi well, although he was reasonable, in the end, it also set off a lot of turmoil in the court, so he should naturally ask Li Zhi for guilt.

"I can't blame you for this," Li Zhi was very happy after not seeing Li Hong for a long time, his body was much more comfortable and light, but he still supported his head with his hands to prevent sudden dizziness and discomfort, "It's Minzhi's child, it's too unpleasant." I didn't know before that your mother was so crazy and did so many ridiculous things outside, and even when Taiping went to your aunt's house as a guest, he even coaxed and deceived all a dozen of Taiping's maidservants into adultery...... If you hit him that day, it would be a lesson to some extent, otherwise I don't know what kind of trouble would have arisen. Your queen mother invited your aunt to the palace, and before she could say anything, your aunt knelt down and pleaded guilty. After these two days, I will immediately restore your right to supervise the country, and you will have to worry more about many things in the court. ”

"Yes," Li Zhi and Empress Wu did not blame, Li Hong's expression relaxed, revealing two points of confusion, and said, "Father still remembers, three years ago, when Erchen was born at the age of fifteen, it was also here, and Father Emperor once said that if Erchen had a beloved...... You can tell your father. ”

No wonder Li Hong mentioned the beating of He Lanmin, it turned out that he had something else to ask for. Father and son were connected, and when he saw Li Hong like this, Li Zhi knew that he really had a heart for that girl. Three years ago, when Li Hongfang turned fifteen, Li Zhi told him that if he had someone he liked one day, he must tell him about this father. Needless to say, Li Zhi has no regrets about being a monarch and a husband for half his life, but when he thinks of his father Taizong, there will always be a trace of melancholy in his heart.

When he was still the crown prince, he didn't have the courage to tell his father that he was in love with Wu Meiniang. After Taizong passed away, Wu Meiniang was filled into the Ganye Temple, and he did not have the position and courage to take her out immediately, which made her suffer in the Ganye Temple for several years. This is also the reason why no matter what Empress Wu does over the years, as long as it does not hurt the country, Li Zhi will not care about her. He didn't want his son to be like himself, tossing and turning alone because of the constraints of status and other constraints, and he was sad. Listening to Li Hong say this tonight, Li Zhi is not only happy to be trusted by his children as a father, but also relieved, with a smile on his pale face, and said lightly: "What Hong'er said is the girl named Red Lotus?" You kid is a solid eye, there are so many civilian generals in the East Palace, you can choose one at random, let the girl be named in his house, and just bring it in, how can it be kept outside, but it is much more eye-catching than being placed in the palace. ”

"What my father said is," Li Hong smiled gently and shyly, his appearance took the strength of Li Zhi and Empress Wu, both the comfort of a man, and the delicate and handsome, "I was stupid before, I was afraid that she would not be used to life in the palace, and the restraint was uncomfortable, but now it seems that many things can not be solved by restraint, once you suppress yourself too much, you will lose your mind when it comes to the end." It's just that the queen mother ......"

"You are not young anymore, and you should be accompanied by someone, otherwise you will not even have a warm heart. As a father at your age, you have already become a father, and recently I and your mother have been looking for a crown princess for you. Marrying a wife and marrying a virtuous person, you understand this principle, put the person you like by your side, and have someone to manage the East Palace for you. These two days are auspicious days, and if you like that girl, let it in first, and as for your mother's side, your father will speak for you. ”

"Thank you, Father!" Li Hong was overjoyed, got up and knelt down and kowtowed.

provoked Li Zhi to laugh and cough: "Okay, get up quickly, no wonder Fang just stirred around with chopsticks, but this venison has not been bite, now I am relieved, eat it quickly." ”

Li Hong smiled shyly, picked up the wine cup, drank the newly brewed wine of the previous year, and tasted the venison. Li Zhi watched him eat with a smile, sipping tea beside him, and asked Chi Chi: "Hong'er, that kid...... Have you been living in stargazing all these years? ”

When he was in the study in the afternoon, although Li Zhi did not express his position, Fan Ning's age and appearance were all in line, so how could he not worry. Li Hong understood his father's thoughts, and told him what he knew about Fan Ning: "Yes, listening to Shen Yan, Li Jucheng said that Fan Ning was the orphan he picked up on the street when Yonghui was flooded in the fifth year, and he has always been raised by his side, and he is like his ancestors. Fan Ning was not in good health, so Li Jucheng asked her to practice martial arts since she was a child. Thanks to the fact that he has been practicing martial arts since childhood, otherwise I am afraid that I will not be able to overcome the crises of the previous times......"

"Not well?" Li Zhi's worries were difficult to hide, and he asked Li Hongdao, "Is it congenital deficiency, or is it ......?"

"Erchen doesn't know much, but he just listened to Shen Yan, and now it's okay."

"That kid and the kid of Xue Rengui's family, did they know each other by urinating?"

"Yes," in the study today, everyone could see that Fan Ning and Xue Ne's closeness was unusual, and Li Hong did not hide it, "Father and Emperor should know that it is better for sons and daughters to urinate and be cautious since childhood." Since the day he met him, Erchen knew that he liked Fan Ning, and it was only in the past two years that he met her...... Erchen didn't know what the queen mother looked like when she was young, and when she first saw her, she only thought she was familiar, and didn't think that she might be stable. But when she was tried in Jingzhao Yin's Mansion that day, she was wronged, and she got up and kicked the villain, and somehow, Erchen suddenly felt that she was a little similar to the queen mother......"

A girl at such a young age should be very afraid of being wronged like that, but she did not show any fear, and she was really like a martial queen. Li Zhi sighed silently, and suddenly remembered that more than ten years ago, when he wanted to establish Wu Zetian as the queen, he was opposed by the eldest grandson Wuji and Chu Suiliang and other ministers. At that time, Chu Suiliang spoke wildly, and actually said insulting words such as "Wu Zhaoyi once served the first emperor", so angry that Li Zhi's face turned red, and when he didn't know how to reprimand, a cold female voice came from behind the screen behind him: "Why don't you kill this fang!" ”

Perhaps from that moment on, the eldest grandson Wuji and Chu Suiliang understood what kind of woman they were facing, but it was too late to hate, and then they were exiled from their homes, and it was expected that their heads would fall to the ground.

Li Hong saw Li Zhi holding his forehead and was stunned, thinking that he was unwell, so he hurriedly asked, "Is my father dizzy?" Do you want to call a doctor? ”

"It's okay for my father," Li Zhi retracted his thoughts, still looking at Li Hong with a gentle smile, "I see you eat so much, but you are in a hurry to go back and talk to that girl?" ”

Li Hong was seen through by his father, scratching his head and being silent, his handsome cheeks faintly hot. Li Zhi is a person who has come over, how could he not understand, patted Li Hong's shoulder, and said with a smile: "I will order the imperial chef to make another one, and Hong'er will take it back to the East Palace and eat it with that girl." ”

"Thank you, Father." Li Hong was overjoyed, and after chatting with Li Zhi for a while, he took the food basket prepared by the palace people and hurried to the East Palace.

Li Zhi looked at Li Hong's back, and a smile curved into the corner of his mouth, as if he saw himself more than ten years ago. The joy of meeting his beloved, he still remembers it in his heart, and there is a faint sweetness in the aftertaste. It's still there, the man...... Is it still the same? Li Zhi's eyes were mixed, and he stood up with his body propped up, and slowly walked through the door.

It was late at night, and it was dark all around, only the study room on the side of the Great Cause Hall was still brightly lit. Li Zhi pushed the door and entered, and called to the vague figure in front of the bookcase: "Mei Niang." ”

Wu Zetian stood up and hurriedly stepped forward: "Why hasn't Your Majesty rested yet?" Don't be too tired when the head wind is just healing......"

"Fang met with Hong'er and asked him about fainting a few days ago, and it should be fine." Li Zhi's head is getting more and more windy, it has affected his eyesight, everything is hazy recently, and now looking at the martial queen, he feels like she looked like she looked like she first met more than ten years ago, obviously she is such a charming face, but the eyes reveal a firm and powerful that men can't match, Li Zhi can't tell how he was attracted to her, and when he came back to his senses, he was out of control.

"The concubine looked at Hong'er as if she had grown taller again," Wu Zetian helped Li Zhi to sit down at the table, and when Li Hong was mentioned, she faded away from her usual coldness, and was full of the gentleness of a mother, "Before, the concubine said to Your Majesty that the daughter of Weiwei Shaoqing Yang Sijian has a very outstanding appearance and character, and she can be the choice of the crown princess, what does Your Majesty think?" ”

"The children are all older," Li Zhi's words seemed to mean something else, and there was a little more imperceptible hesitation in the eyes of the person beside him, "The Yang family is good, and in a few days, you can make the division count the eight characters...... Mei Niang, today's child, is it our clear snow? ”

Princess Anding was born on the eighteenth day of the first month of the fifth year of Yonghui, that day of heavy snowfall, the blue sky is like washing, it is a good omen of Ruixue harvest year, so the princess milk name "Qingxue". Wu Zetian heard Li Zhi's question, quietly withdrew his hand, his face turned cold for two points, and replied: "Your Majesty, the concubine went to Yousi to check, and today you have two herbs in your prescription, which are not as warm as before, and the medicinal properties are strong enough to awaken Your Majesty." The concubine dared to ask, was it His Majesty's order that the head of the Punishment Department brought the nurse and the girl, or did someone deliberately set up a situation? ”

"I don't want to talk to you about that," Li Zhi's expression finally cooled down, but in the blink of an eye, the two of them changed from a warm husband and wife to a rival emperor, "Mei Niang, how dangerous Yonghui is in five years, I know in my heart, it is not easy for us to come hand in hand, so I won't blame you." But I want you to tell the truth, that child, is it our Qingxue? ”

Everyone said that the emperor was sick and weak, and the queen of heaven was in power, but Wu Zetian knew that the control of this huge empire had always been firmly in the hands of this elegant and gentle man.

Wu Zetian took off the phoenix hairpin, bent down and bowed: "Within ten days, the truth and falsehood are clear, if the concubine is really wrong, but His Majesty will punish it!" ”

Since the case of the Hongwen Pavilion Courtyard, Xue Ne has been sleeping at night, he thought that he was so concerned because of the case, but today the unsolved case is at the top, but he still has a good sleep, and he knows that all the tossing and turning is because of Fan Ning.

Early that morning, Xue Ne was in good spirits, summoned the little servant to bring a copper basin of tea, and planned to clean up and go to Deye Temple to investigate the case. After finishing the tea and cleaning his hands, he saw Fan Ning coming from outside the door angrily, forking his willow waist, and said angrily: "There is such a big thing, you are still dressed here!" ”

"What's wrong?"

Just seeing Fan Ning, Xue Ne couldn't help but smile at the corner of his mouth, so angry that Fan Ning pinched him twice, but he was reluctant to use any strength: "Are you still laughing?" Your grandfather is about to return to court, do you know? ”

"When I was in the prison of the Criminal Department before, I heard Xue Wang say it. Goryeo has been pacified, and the emperor summoned my father back to Luoyang, what happened? Is there anything wrong? ”

"It has been spread all over the street, your father has accepted a beautiful woman as a concubine, it is said that the woman is very beautiful, and your father will not even leave the road when he sees people...... I said that your father looks like a butcher, and at first I thought he was an honest man, but why did your mother guard his home, and he could still come nonsense when he went out to fight! ”

"It turns out that this is such a thing," Xue Ne was worried that something would happen in the palace again, but at this time he breathed a sigh of relief and said disapprovingly, "Father naturally has his plans, I plan to go to Deye Temple for a while, do you want to ......?"

"Do you think it's a trifle?" Fan Ning couldn't figure out why Xue Ne was so concerned about himself, his eyes were full of hesitation, his cherry lips pursed, and his peach blossom eyes were red, as if it was not Xue Rengui who wanted to take a concubine at this time, but Xue Ne himself.

Xue Ne saw Fan Ning's expression, suddenly woke up, and hurriedly explained: "No, no, don't misunderstand." The mother knew about the concubine. It is a great honor for our Xue family to be able to pacify Goryeo this time, but everything depends on good and evil, you are extremely smart, you must know what is the most taboo for military generals since ancient times......"

Fan Ning was stunned, and immediately understood what Xue Ne was referring to. Since ancient times, the military generals were the most taboo to fight Goryeo, and they died soon after. Xue Rengui's return with a great victory is naturally a great joy for the country, but for the Xue family, the extreme dignity is also extremely subtle and dangerous. Just like the extravagance and waste of Hou Huo, the champion of the Han Dynasty hussar general, after his great victory, Xue Rengui named himself a lustful name, and Natiele was a concubine, which was also to break the glorious image in the hearts of the people and reassure the lord.

Fan Ning realized this, his mood was even more complicated, and he apologized to Xue Ne: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said your father's ...... like that."

"It's okay, you feel sorry for my mother, I understand." Xue Ne held Fan Ning's little hand, and the two of them blushed in unison, and a question arose in their hearts at the same time, that is, why they could hold hands so unabashedly in the previous ten years, and how could they be so ashamed now. Xue Ne endured his suspicion and continued, "You don't have to worry, even if I really have a future in the future, like my father, I will take you back to the mountains and forests, or go back to my hometown in Jiangzhou to open a Hu cake shop, if I can't sell it, I will give it to you to eat...... In short, I live up to you. ”

"How can I eat so much," Fan Ning was indescribably moved in his heart, his long eyelashes trembled, but he said, "Besides, who wants to go back to his hometown with you." ”

"You agreed last night," Xue Ne knew that Fan Ning was deliberately scolding him, but he still took it seriously, "If you don't go with me, I'll go with you, and wherever you go, my Hu Cake Shop will open wherever you go, don't try to deny it." ”

The little guy waited outside the door, I don't know if I heard the conversation in the door, and the curve of the exposed half of the side face seemed to be snickering. Fan Ning was extremely ashamed, glared at the little guy twice, no longer argued with Xue Ne, and said, "Aren't you going to Deye Temple?" I'll go with you. ”

"Okay, let's have breakfast first, and the people sent by Empress Wu to protect us will also arrive, and then we will set off."

With that, Xue Ne led Fan Ning to the front hall. Fan Ning was not used to being so close to him, and always felt that those subordinates were secretly snickering, so he quietly withdrew his little hand. Xue Ne didn't say anything, and two points of loss that couldn't be hidden flashed on his slightly childish handsome face.

Breakfast was just some seasonal new dishes and soup cakes, and the two of them gossiped while using them, and soon heard the report from the next person, saying that the person sent by the Queen of Heaven was here, and from today onwards, he would accompany Xue Ne to investigate the case in Shendu.

Xue Ne hurriedly got up and wanted to go to the front hall to greet him, but Li Yuanyan jumped in, followed by several Dragon and Tiger Army soldiers.

Fan Ning opened his mouth to stammer, and the soup cake picked up by Fang fell back into the soup bowl, stirring the clear soup and splashing half a foot: "You are the person sent by the Queen of Heaven?" You're not kidding us, are you? ”

"What are you talking about," Li Yuanyan glanced at Fan Ning and expressed her dissatisfaction with her looking down on herself, "Of course, the queen of heaven assigned my grandfather, but the emperor has something to look for my grandfather, and I am here today." ”

Not only Fan Ning, but even Xue Ne quietly breathed a sigh of relief, afraid that the two of them would delay their work, so they hurriedly said: "It's not too early, let's go to the scene immediately to have a look." ”

The group drove from Xue's Mansion to Deye Temple by carriage, because the remains of the princess were lost, and the guards here were nearly twice as many as before. After entering the Deye Temple, Xue Ne went to inspect the princess's coffin under the leadership of the abbot, while Fan Ning waited with Li Yuanyan in the small pavilion in the front yard.

"Feels complicated, doesn't it?" Li Yuanyan looked at Fan Ning in a skirt, although she was not convinced, she had to admit that this girl was really beautiful, "How do you feel when you see that it may be your own grave?" ”

"I'm not Princess Anding," Fan Ning smiled and replied neatly, "Master said that I picked it up on the side of the street when there was a flood, and Xue Lang also said that there is something else hidden in this case, and I believe them." ”

"Listening to the implication of your words, you two are getting better?" Li Yuanyan knew that this day would come sooner or later, but she still couldn't help but feel sour in her heart, she wrapped the tassels on the long sword, trying not to show her emotions, "I really can't understand, you are so similar to the queen of heaven, and your age is right, if you change others, I can't wait to go up and recognize it, why are you hiding like crazy...... You know, if you are a princess, not only will your marriage with Xue Lang be much cheaper, but you will also be of great benefit to his career in the future, have you ever thought about these things? But don't be dizzy for a while, what kind of heroes and heroes will be too late to regret when the time comes. ”

"I'm not a princess, why do I want to confuse my father?" Fan Ning knew that Li Yuanyan's words had two crooked truths, but she and Xue Ne's temperament did not agree with this reason, "Xue Lang has always wanted to rely on his real skills to make achievements, and he doesn't even want the title of Duke of Pingyang County, so where will he rely on any princess to take the throne?" ”

Fan Ning's words are not bad, Li Yuanyan always thought that Xue Ne was young and didn't understand court affairs, but now that he has reached the age of the crown, he didn't expect to be so stubborn. Now that I meet this Fan Ning, they are also the same temperament, from this point of view, the two of them are really a match made in heaven.

If this kind of thing is spread on the head of their British government, they will never give it up, I really don't know who is right and which is wrong, who is stupid and who is good, Li Yuanyan said again: "This is true, but you can figure it out, whether you are a princess of Anding or not, you will offend the queen of heaven." After all, this matter has too much impact on her, and she will always worry that someone will take you to talk about things again, and it will probably be against you. If you recognize the identity of the princess, you can at least have a status and the protection of the emperor, at least you can save your life. ”

Li Yuanyan said that Fan Ning did not think about it, but she would rather have a vacant position in her parents than live her life in confusion. What's more, she was born ** free, no matter how luxurious Daming Palace and Ziwei Palace are, they are just a cage for her. Since Xue Ne said that when the dust settled, he would resign and take her away, she was convinced that as long as she had this belief, she would have no regrets even if she died immediately.

Li Yuanyan saw that Fan Ning was silent, but with a shallow smile on her face, guessing that she and Xue Ne had a plan, and secretly scolded herself for just eating salty radishes and worrying about it, and she was about to blurt out a sentence of "That's it", when she heard a loud noise from the place where the princess stopped, she was startled and rushed out with Fan Ning, and called in unison: "Xue Lang......"