In the hot Luoyang City, even the wind is stingy to give a trace of coolness, and the irritable sultry heat is made impossible to sleep by the sound of cicadas. Erzhu Ying'e leaned against the poplar tree, watched the poplar catkins fall one after another, and listened to Erzhu Zhao chattering over and over again, "This ghost place can roast people, and every day I watch this group of nuns dangling in front of me, I can see Lao Tzu that even women don't want to touch it, and that dish can fade out of the bird." E'er, go back with your brother, what's so good about being an imperial concubine, and she will be sent to be a sister-in-law at any time. If you want to follow your brother's words, kill the dead eunuch who guards you, and my brother will take you back to our Zhuchuan, ride a horse and shoot arrows, so happy. ”

Ying'e didn't bother to pay attention to him, she was thinking about whether her father would enter Beijing one day, and whether she would see Yuan Ziyou at that time. She suddenly blushed when she thought of this, glanced at Er Zhuzhao jumping up and down and didn't pay attention to her, so she hurriedly wiped her sweat with a handkerchief, but was seen by Qihua who was waiting on the side, and smiled at Ying'e, Ying'e pretended to be angry and glared at her, and gently waved her hand to tell her not to speak, otherwise her brother could drive her crazy from morning to night. She coughed lightly, and pulled down Er Zhuzhao, who wanted to climb the tree, "I didn't let you accompany me here, I think Daddy just let you protect me on the periphery, you talked to yourself and beat the guards, and forced Bai Cheng with a knife, insisting on staying in this Jingwu Garden to accompany me." I don't blame you for doing bad things recklessly, but you complain about who made you not free, without eating, drinking, and having no women? ”

When Er Zhuzhao saw his sister mention women, he had already fallen in love with the girl Qihua, and pointed at Qihua with a shy face, "Brother is not for you, if you want to thank your brother, it is better to reward your girl to your brother, that girl is really smart, looking at my brother is itchy." ”

When Qihua heard that Er Zhuzhao was looking for Ying'e to ask for herself, she was so frightened that she looked at Ying'e in horror for fear that she would agree. Ying'e has known since she was a child that this brother has a reckless and feminine personality, and as soon as she knew about personnel, she would lewd all the maids and slaves in the house who were a little beautiful, and later his mother was afraid that he would have a reputation for prostitution, so she looked for relatives for him everywhere. It's just that Er Zhuchuan who knows Er Zhu Zhao is willing to send his daughter to the fire pit, and in the end he had to spend a hundred gold to marry the adopted daughter of the head of the Uroran clan, and this woman named Uroran Erya also let Er Zhu Zhaoan divide it for two months, and soon he got tired of this wife again and continued to have fun.

Ying'e would not give Qihua to him, and she also wanted to prevent him from getting angry again when she was away one day, so she decided to completely stop his thoughts, so she pointed to Qihua and said, "My brother really has good eyesight and has taken a fancy to my most beautiful girl." Whoever is around me can take it if my brother sees it, but I can't give it to you, because I am not favored in front of the emperor, if I have the opportunity, she will serve the emperor on my behalf, brother, I am afraid you will not be able to move her. ”

Er Zhu Zhao said angrily, "My brother hurt you in vain, and the nunnery stayed with you, but you didn't even want to give your brother a good girl." Alas, this married daughter is really not a family member. ”

Ying'e gave Qi Yu a look and asked her to enter the house, pretending to be angry and slammed Er Zhu Zhao with her elbow, "It turns out that my brother didn't really come to accompany me, but came with a fancy to my girl, then you should go back quickly, tell your father that I don't need you, and you don't have to worry about going back and being punished." ”

Er Zhuzhao thought that Ying'e was really angry, and coaxed again and again, not daring to say anything more.

At the right time, Ying'e saw Bai Cheng hiding at the door and leaning out, knowing that he had something to say, because she was afraid that Er Zhuzhao, a reckless man, would not dare to come in, so she probed her head and looked into the courtyard. Er Zhu Zhao also saw Bai Cheng, stepped forward with an arrow, and pulled Bai Cheng into the door with his collar, "You people who are neither men nor women like to be sneaky, and Lao Tzu's fists are itchy when you look at them." ”

Bai Cheng trembled and smiled, "The slave has something to report to the mother, seeing the general and the mother talking, I don't dare to come in, it's not sneaky, it's really not." ”

Ying'e drank and ordered Er Zhu Zhao to let go of Bai Quan, and let Bai Cheng enter the room to speak, but Er Zhu Zhao didn't dare to follow. After entering the house, Ying'e saw that Qihua's eyes were slightly wet, and she was in a hurry to ask Bai Quan, so she didn't care too much. Bai Cheng replied that Liu Teng already knew that Er Zhuzhao had broken into Yaoguang Temple, and because Er Zhurong had arrived outside the city and would go to the dinner party tomorrow, he made a favor to ask Yuan Xu to let Ying'e return to the palace. Yuan Yi mobilized the elite of the Imperial Forest Army to deploy in the Xilin Garden of the banquet, and if Zhu Rong made a move, he shot directly with chopsticks. Although the Queen Mother can meet the courtiers in person, most of the ministers are afraid of Liu Tengyuan, so it is difficult for the Queen Mother to appeal.

Ying'e sighed, "I can go back to the palace and see the Queen Mother again, but it is not in vain to come out of this experience, in vain, has the whereabouts of that letter been discovered?" ”

Bai Quan shook his head and said, "Liu Teng has always been cautious, confidential documents are never placed in this mansion, he is now in the outer courtyard, according to his previous thoughts, the slave boldly guessed that it would not be placed in a very far place, so that it is inconvenient to retrieve it due to unexpected things, but it must not be his daily favorite residence." Therefore, there is a Yongsi Hall in the west of the city, and the Hongyu Building in the north of the city is mostly possible, these two places are not known to be his residence, Yongsi Hall is a medical hall outside, and Hongyu Building is a wine shop, and the shopkeeper inside the hall has been a master of the interior, if there is no secret, why do you need to do so. ”

Ying'e pondered for a moment, asked him to retreat first, and then discussed with Er Zhuzhao to prepare to throw stones to ask for directions, but now naturally he didn't dare to startle the snake, which alarmed Liu Teng, so he decided to contact Yuan Ziyou first to discuss countermeasures. Unexpectedly, Yuan Ziyou and Yuan Zizhi deployed all their efforts to explore Liu Teng's mansion at night, and they were not in the mansion for a few days, so they failed to communicate with each other. The two sides can only follow their own arrangements and proceed quietly.

On the day of the banquet, Ying'e was welcomed back to the palace by Wang Zhao, who was sent by Yuan Xu, and she knew that this chief guard had been arranged by Yuan Yi to guard the Jiafu Hall for a time, and after Yuan Yi was killed, he was sent to the outer court. Ying'e wondered why Liu Teng would arrange him to pick him up, was it a temptation? She looked at Wang Zhao who saluted to her suspiciously, and asked lightly, "There is General Lao, I am just a cold palace concubine who treats crimes, and I have to bother the general to pick it up, should I be happy or sad?" ”

Wang Zhao lowered his eyebrows and replied, "Today, even the cracks in the trees are full of sunlight, and the emperor ordered the ministers to pick up the mother back to the palace. ”

Ying'e understands that they have made arrangements, but she always feels worried, and it is inconvenient to ask more, perhaps she is afraid to bear the variables behind the arrangement. At this moment, she wanted to see Yuan Ziyou and listen to his words of comfort, as long as she had a firm look, she could forget all her fears.

After returning to the palace, Ying'e finished bathing and dressing, and then went to Xianyang Hall to meet Hu Fanyi, and then Hu Fanyi led the concubines to Xuanguang Hall to welcome the Queen Mother out of the palace. When Xuanguang Hall greeted the Queen Mother, Hu Fanyi couldn't help but tremble slightly, Ying'e could see that she was trying to suppress her emotions, she wanted to see the Queen Mother but was afraid, and the woman in front of her who had been tortured for almost a year was still so powerful that people didn't dare to look at it directly.

After scanning the crowd, Empress Dowager Hu asked in a low voice, "Queen, are all the concubines who should come?" ”

Hu Fanyi knelt down and played, "Enlighten the queen mother, except for Concubine Pan, who is unwell, in the harem, they all came to welcome the queen mother to the banquet." ”

The Queen Mother nodded, and saw Ying'e kneeling in a blue-green beard dress, so eye-catching, she was a little relieved and a little worried. She looked up at the red sun in the sky, and did not avoid the dazzling sun, and when she looked at the concubines on the ground, she ordered everyone to get up, Guangshu court, and Hu Fanyi helped Deng Yuan to Xilin Villa.

On that day, on the road of Xilin Villa, the wind was blowing, and the shadow of a spear appeared from time to time in the sunlight gap on the ground. Ying'e looked up, as if she could hear the breath of the hidden guards from behind the high wall, what Bai Cheng said was true, Liu Tengyuan really deployed heavy troops, just waiting for them to throw themselves into the net.

Ying'e couldn't help but look at the Queen Mother who had already stepped down, only to see that she suddenly pulled over Yuan Xu, who came to ask for peace, and asked lovingly, "The emperor has a good diet these days, a regular schedule and rest, and the palace people can take care of him?" ”

Yuan Xu thought that his mother would definitely reproach him when he came out, after all, he was imprisoned and lost King Qinghe, but he didn't expect the Queen Mother's greetings to make him tremble. The awe of the Queen Mother is a barrier that he can never step over, no matter how much he gritted his teeth and how determined he was behind his back, he gradually felt guilty after being teased by her greetings. He tried his best to control his emotions, and over the years he had learned to hide his emotions in front of the Queen Mother, "The sons and ministers are all good, and the queen mother is worried." ”

The Queen Mother smiled lovingly, "Xu'er has grown up, and the queen mother is not around, which is the best growth for Xu'er, it seems that it is really the queen mother's mistake, she should have let go of Xu'er a long time ago, and Xu'er doesn't blame the queen mother." ”

The Queen Mother said one by one, and the Yuan Xu who called him was sad, and the one who called him the most praised when he was a child should be Concubine Li, he lightly pushed away the hand held by the Queen Mother, and said respectfully, "Queen Mother, the banquet has been prepared, and the Queen Mother is respectfully invited to the table." ”

The Queen Mother was touched by his indifference, the corners of her slightly trembling mouth trembled, and soon turned into a smile, and walked into the hall with a thousand graces under the support of Yuan Xu and the concubines, and the ministers knelt on the ground and shouted three times for the Queen Mother Chitose, long live the emperor.

After the Empress Dowager Hu sat down in the hall, she let everyone get up and take their seats, looked around at the ministers under the steps, and said with a faint smile, "The mourning family has not been in the court for a long time, it is difficult for you to remember the mourning family, and General Erzhu is even more thousands of miles away to congratulate the mourning family, and the mourning family is very pleased." General Erzhu, I salute you for a cup, and thank you for your dedication to my Great Wei and the stability of my northern border. After speaking, he raised the wine glass in his hand and saluted Er Zhurong.

Er Zhurong saw the queen mother who he missed in his heart, although his appearance had not changed completely, but the haggard in his eyes made him feel distressed, and Er Zhurong was even more sure that she must have suffered. He hurriedly got up and went out of the ranks, knelt down at the foot of the steps, put the cup above his head with both hands, and said in a loud voice, "The Queen Mother is a far-sighted talent, a great honor, a thunderbolt, and a sun and a moon." The ministers guard the northern frontier, day and night remote sensing of the Queen Mother's virtue, the Queen Mother's grace, the minister's liver and brain are difficult to protect one or two, and I am willing to drive the Queen Mother for generations. ”

Er Zhurong kept saying that he only valued the queen mother, so that Yuan Xu was dissatisfied, and Yuan Yi ate the cloth vegetables in front of him as if nothing happened, just waiting for Yuan Xu to attack.

The Queen Mother was aware of everyone's mentality, her phoenix eyes closed slightly, and she smiled, "General Erzhu has worked hard and made great achievements, and the emperor knows how to make good use of it." It's just that the emperor is young after all, and he occasionally hurts the hearts of you old ministers, so please look at the face of the former emperor and the mourning family, do your loyalty, uphold the righteousness of hoeing and treachery, and live up to the holy grace. ”

Yuan Xu couldn't help but glared at Hu Fanyi, who was about to give him vegetables, when he heard the word hoe rape, and was so frightened that Hu Fanyi retracted his hand and silently moved his body to the side. Yuan Xu put the chopsticks in his hand on the table, got up and said, "I am young, the queen mother has been guarding for a long time, but when the queen mother is pure and cultivates the Buddha, Lord Yuan and Gonggong Liu are solid outside the dynasty, and the harem is stable inside. ”

The corners of Yuan Yi's mouth rose, and he saluted proudly with Liu Teng, "Loyal to the emperor, it is incumbent on the ministers to do their duty, what the ministers do is still insignificant, how can the emperor work hard." ”

Xi Kangsheng snorted from his nose with disdain, and Yuan Yi turned his head to look at him, "Why does General Xi have something to say?" ”

Xi Kang got up and took two big steps, and his bell-like voice resounded through the hall, "I'm a rough person, I don't know your crepe words, they sound awkward, isn't it a banquet?" The Queen Mother, the Emperor, the minister recently learned a new set of swordsmanship, the minister vulgarly named the Lux Dance, and is willing to have fun with the Queen Mother. ”

The Queen Mother read the killing intent in Xi Kangsheng's eyes, and sighed in her heart, is he a reckless general, can't he see the soldiers standing on call outside the door? She knew the current situation, and it didn't make any sense to argue with Yuan Xu about who was right and who was wrong, and she saw Er Zhurong's expectant eyes on her.

Er Zhurong didn't get up, and echoed Xi Kangsheng, "I have heard for a long time that General Xi's swordsmanship is outstanding, but this swordsmanship has never been appreciated, wait and see, I, Er Zhurong, am also willing to sacrifice ugliness to help General Xi." ”

Ying'e heard her staring at her father closely, hoping that he would notice her hint, but Er Zhurong pretended to ignore it. Ying'e suddenly didn't understand her father's behavior, such a tense environment made her feel suffocated, and then she remembered to search for Yuan Ziyou in the crowd, but found that Yuan Ziyou was not there, she thought to herself that it was right, according to Yuan Ziyou's identity as a waiter, such an occasion was not suitable.

At this time, Er Zhurong had already started to beat Xi Kangsheng in person, and with the tune of "Eilechuan", Xi Kangsheng twisted his body and entered the dance floor. He himself is a fat man, his clumsy body has no beauty, but he hovers up and down flexibly, rolls left and right, and his sword is as fast as a dragon going out to sea, and the sharp blade hisses like the wind breaking through the birch forest, and under the red light, the sword slashes through the silver light. Er Zhurong gradually increased the frequency, Xi Kangsheng glared at the fierce light, and jumped up like a fierce bear to pounce on the sword and pointed at Yuan Yi, so frightened that Yuan Yi pushed up the case to avoid the block, and smashed the cup. Immediately, on the roof beams, behind the screen, outside the palace gate, in an instant, Yuan Sifu led hundreds of soldiers to pour into the main hall and wait, and for a while the swords were tense, so he was not nervous. The ministers in the palace were frightened by this situation, and they were looking for a place to hide, Liu Teng was afraid of startling Yuan Xu, so he arranged for Bai Cheng to lead Yuan Xu and the concubines out of the inner room, but he held a sword to stop the queen mother who wanted to enter the inner hall with Yuan Xu.

Xi Kangsheng roared when he saw this: "Yuan Yi, you are a chaotic minister and thief, the queen mother and the emperor are mother and son, why can't you dare to stop the queen mother from entering, Lao Tzu cut you." ”

Hou Gang on the side relied on the fact that he was the father-in-law of Xi Kangsheng's son Xi Nan, and wanted to step forward to stop him, but was pushed away by Xi Kangsheng. Looking at the gradually strong smell of gunpowder, Hou Gang sent Yuan Xu and the concubines to the Xuanguang Palace to protect under the hint of Yuan Yi, and Guangluxun Jia Can pulled Yuan Xu from the side and hurried away, separating the Queen Mother and the emperor. When Ying'e had no choice but to follow everyone out, she only saw that Yuan Yi had been stabbed in the left arm by Xi Kangsheng, and Yuan Sifu was stabbed to death by Xi Kangsheng with a sword when she was protecting Yuan Yi. The sound of fighting behind her back, the sound of swords and axes is endless, she is terrified when she hears it, will her father be regarded as a member of the same party when he strikes Xi Kangsheng? She wanted to take a few more looks, but Qi Wan was afraid that she would be injured by mistake, so she dragged her and ran out of the hall.

That night, she was in the Pujia Palace, and the information that Qi Yu secretly heard was that the Queen Mother was re-imprisoned in the Xuanguang Palace, Xi Kangsheng was executed, and her father fled. However, she can only guess the specific details, in the night wind, the wind blowing through is full of blood, Ying'e can't help but feel sick to her stomach, spit out the day's food, watching the dusk moon in the sky gathered by clouds, she feels that the danger is getting closer and closer to her.