Ning'an Hall is located in the southeast corner of the Imperial Palace, here is the Buddha Hall of the Tianxi Dynasty to worship the Buddha statue in the past dynasties, three years ago the Empress Dowager Xiao asked to move from the Cining Palace to Ning'an Hall to worship the Buddha, Emperor Yuwen Haotian gladly agreed to show filial piety. Since then, Cining Palace has been vacant, and Empress Dowager Xiao, who once held the power to call for wind and rain, became unconcerned about mundane matters overnight.

Before Bai Muguan entered the palace with Mama Luo, Wang Quan prepared gifts for her according to the rules and presented them to Empress Dowager Xiao.

The sandalwood-filled Ning'an Hall is very elegant, and it seems that it is indeed the best place for people with pure hearts and few desires to spend their old age in peace. However, Empress Dowager Xiao is not a pure-hearted person.

In addition to moving three years ago, Empress Dowager Xiao also ordered the dismissal of more than half of the palace people, leaving only a few quiet, honest and inconspicuous palace maids to serve. Who knew that she took the opportunity to drive away the eyeliner sent from everywhere, leaving only her henchmen and cronies by her side.

Stepping into the palace with the plaque of "Ning'an Hall", there was a faint sound of a young woman's laughter inside. Bai Muguan has been practicing martial arts since he was a child, and those who practice martial arts have a much sharper sense of hearing than ordinary people.

"Miss Bai, please come here." Mama Luo personally led the way with a respectful attitude, which was a courtesy to her.

According to the rules of the palace, Xiangyun and Wang Quan were not qualified to follow Bai Muguan into the palace, so they could only stand outside the palace and wait.

Crossing the threshold of black lacquer, the hall was very solemn and solemn. Looking up at the person sitting on the first golden silk nan wood carved phoenix chair, there is no doubt that he is the Empress Dowager Xiao. In addition, there are several young women sitting at the bottom, and they don't look like harem concubines.

Mama Luo bent her knees and said, "Queen Mother, Miss Bai is here." ”

"Biography." The voice that can't hear emotions is very majestic, and it makes it difficult to give birth to intimacy.

Bai Muguan folded his hands on his chest, smiled slightly, and walked towards the Empress Dowager Xiao step by step. Then she paused and knelt on her knees, and the words were round: "The courtier Bai Muguan visits the Queen Mother, and I wish the Queen Mother a healthy body." ”

"No courtesy." Empress Dowager Xiao's hand wearing red gold armor waved in mid-air, and someone from the palace stepped forward to help Bai Muguan up.

"Thank you, Empress Dowager."

This is the first time Bai Muguan has seen Empress Dowager Xiao. is obviously over sixty years old, but because of proper maintenance, her face and figure do not look old, only the fine lines at the corners of her eyes and the white hair on her sideburns truly reflect that she is no longer young and Shaohua has passed away. Wearing a navy blue embroidered gown with a hundred birds and phoenix patterns, inside is a dark purple brocade skirt, complicated ornaments and dark patterns all set off her fierce dignity, no matter how you look at it, it doesn't look like a person who worships Buddha.

"It turns out that you are Bai Muguan, it's really beautiful. Who said that she was a wild girl who grew up in Mobei Border, I don't believe it. The voice came from the high seat, but it was not what the Empress Dowager Xiao said, but what the beautiful girl who was next to the Empress Dowager Xiao said.

The person who dares to be so close to the Empress Dowager Xiao naturally cannot be underestimated.

The girl who just spoke was the youngest daughter of King Xixi, the county lord of Pingning, whose maiden name was Sima Ning. As a unique hereditary king with a different surname in the Tianxi Dynasty, King Xixi has a transcendent status in the court and the opposition. Sima Yunqian, the king of Xixi, was on the surface friendly with the Xiao family, but secretly supported the Empress Tong clan behind the scenes, so the emperor reluctantly regarded him as a neutral.

"Today, Ning'er and Xiyue entered the palace to talk to the mourning family, and the mourning family thought that they hadn't seen you yet, and many little girls were laughing and laughing in front of them." Empress Dowager Xiao's eyes showed the shrewdness and sensitivity of years of scheming, and at this moment, looking at the daughter of the Mobei general who has been in the limelight in the capital recently, she has already noticed some clues.

Bai Muguan secretly sighed in his heart, it was really a powerful character who sent Mama Luo to the East Palace to invite her and Yu Wenye, and now when he saw that he didn't come, he never mentioned it, as if there had never been such a thing. On the bright face, he smiled just right, and replied in a timely manner: "The courtiers are fortunate to enter the palace to accompany the queen mother, and it is naturally the blessing of the courtiers to welcome your old man's knees." ”

Seeing this, Empress Dowager Xiao nodded slightly, and said with satisfaction: "Yes, he is a child who knows the rules very well." ”

In addition to Sima Ning, who was standing next to the Empress Dowager Xiao, the next ones were Shangguan Xiyue, who was knocked down by Bai Muguan at the Hundred Flowers Banquet, Yao Xilin, the daughter of the Marquis of Weiyuan, and the two young girls next to the Xiao family. Weiyuan Hou Yao Qian and Bai Zhanyi used to be friends in the world, and Yao Xilin was also Bai Muguan's childhood friend in the capital. I haven't seen them for many years, and they have all grown up, but they can still distinguish the appearance of the past between their eyebrows and eyes.

It's hard to imagine Sima Ning's naturally sweet and soft voice, but the words he said were wrong word by word: "Queen Mother, she doesn't understand the rules at all!" Last time, I almost hurt Xiyue's sister and broke her face, and after returning to Beijing for so long, I knew that Lai was tired of the prince's brother in the East Palace and deliberately seduced. ”

Especially the last sentence, it provoked Bai Muguan. She raised her eyes to look at the girl in red, her gaze gradually cold, and finally revealed a fleeting coldness. Empress Dowager Xiao didn't have time to notice it, but Sima Ning remembered Bai Muguan's fearless cold eyes, which actually made her dignified county lord feel cold on her back.

"My Majesty's permission to stay in the East Palace is for your Majesty, is it possible that the county lord of Pingning has objections?" When he said this, Bai Muguan had already regained a smile and looked at Sima Ning, as if Fang Cai's cold warning eyes never existed.

Of course, Sima Ning knew that she was using Her Majesty to suppress herself, and knew that she couldn't say anything about her, so she turned to pull Empress Dowager Xiao's arm and said coquettishly: "Queen Mother, look, this Bai Muguan is so unruly, she dares to bully Ning'er." ”

Empress Dowager Xiao first smiled comfortably at Sima Ning, and then deliberately lowered her face and reprimanded: "Ning'er, it was you who spoke disrespectfully first, you offended others, and you didn't apologize to others quickly." ”

"Ning'er doesn't want it!" Sima Ning snorted lightly, his eyes were full of grievances, and the small mouth of the cherry blossom petals was upturned, staring at the Empress Dowager Xiao with teary eyes.

Her pitiful appearance made Empress Dowager Xiao's heart soften, and she no longer forced her to apologize.

Bai Muguan secretly sneered in her heart, she didn't care about Sima Ning's painless sorry.

At this time, Shangguan Xiyue followed closely and said to entangle: "I lost to you in the last competition because you cheated!" If we have the ability to ride and shoot today, please ask the Queen Mother to be the referee. ”

The Hundred Flowers Banquet was planted in Bai Muguan's hands in front of so many ladies and young ladies, and she would not eat this in vain. If you don't find fault and find a way to revive Miss Shangguan's prestige, it won't be the arrogant Shangguan Xiyue.

"Now that the weather is getting colder, it is inconvenient to ride a horse and open a bow. If Miss Shangguan wants to test riding and shooting, she might as well wait for the spring hunt next year, and Mu Wan is willing to compete with you at that time. Mockery flashed in Bai Muguan's eyes, to be precise, she almost laughed.

If she tried to ride and shoot, she was really afraid that Shangguan Xiyue, who was incapacitated, would lose all over the ground and find her teeth. Forget it, let's let Prime Minister Shangguan's family An Ansheng celebrate the New Year. It's not a boast, even if she Bai Muguan can't talk about a first-class archer, it's trivial to wear Yang in a hundred steps. Besides, she grew up on horseback, not to mention these delicate ladies in the capital, even the generals of Beiling Kingdom may not be her opponents.

"I think you're scared, right?" Shangguan Xiyue smiled wildly with self-righteousness, and the pride of the world overflowed in her eyes.

The girl straightened her waist and said, "I, Bai Muguan, have never been afraid of any opponent, including you, Miss Shangguan, of course." ”

At this time, Bai Muguan still couldn't figure out the intention of Empress Dowager Xiao to summon her. Do you just want to hear their little girls bickering? Or do you want to give her a dismount? But when you get off the horse, you don't need Sima Ning and Shangguan Xiyue, two uneducated little girls who love to find faults, to go into battle, right? Or maybe Empress Dowager Xiao wanted to knock on the side and tell her that before she knew it, she was already the target of the nobles in the capital.

That's right, she's too strong.

The truth of the tree is big, and Bai Muguan, who has not yet reached the pole, still can't understand it.

Yao Xilin, the daughter of the Marquis of Weiyuan, who had never had a chance to speak, asked coldly: "Mu Guan, you have finally returned to Beijing, do you still remember me?" ”

Yao Xilin is fifteen years old, her skin is like snow, her black hair is like clouds, her eyes are like autumn water, and her lips are like roses. It is considered a leader among the ladies in the capital.

"Of course I remember you." Bai Muguan tugged at the corners of his mouth and smiled back more kindly.

Empress Dowager Xiao pretended to be kind and earnestly taught: "On weekdays, the mourning family always listens to Xilin talking about you, now that you have returned to Beijing, you must get along well in the future, and walk around each other more closely." ”

Yao Xilin and Bai Muguan responded in unison.

The next thing is to accompany the Empress Dowager Xiao to use some pastries and listen to Sima Ning chatter about some interesting things. Because of the apparent shock of Empress Dowager Xiao, Sima Ning did not say anything to provoke Bai Muguan again. On the other hand, Guan Xiyue is sour and bites the word competition, which is really funny.

After about half an hour, Empress Dowager Xiao asked them to go out of the palace and go back.

Leaving Ning'an Hall, Bai Muguan breathed a sigh of relief, and couldn't help but laugh at Yu Wenye's fuss.

Although she hadn't figured out what the meaning of Empress Dowager Xiao summoning so many noble ladies by her side was? It won't be simple gossip amusement anyway! When Bai Muguan was a child, he heard his grandmother Jiang Shi say that Empress Dowager Xiao's methods and mentality were by no means comparable to ordinary people.

It was estimated that it was far away from Ning Antang, so Xiangyun relaxed and asked anxiously: "Miss, it is rumored that the Queen Mother and Her Majesty and the Queen are both at odds with each other, she didn't embarrass you, right?" ”

Bai Muguan shook his head: "No." Then he turned to the king and said, "Go back and tell Your Highness that you can rest assured." ”

Wang Quan asked, "Miss Bai doesn't go back with the minions?" ”

Bai Muguan replied with a smile: "It's still early, since I have entered the palace, I want to visit the new princess by the way." ”

Wang Quan hurriedly responded: "The old slave will go back to the East Palace first." ”

Treating the royal power, Bai Muguan is very respectful from the bottom of his heart, and never regards himself as the master: "Okay, today I am accompanied by the head of King Lao." ”

The Lama Temple where Concubine Xi lived was the closest concubine dormitory to Ning'an Hall, and it was rumored that Concubine Xi also liked to worship Buddha, so she specially asked Yuwen Haotian to live in a place close to Ning'an Hall to facilitate communication. Who knew that Ning'an Hall later returned to the Empress Dowager Xiao, and no one was qualified to go to Ning'an Hall to worship incense.

Bai Muguan and Xiangyun came to the Lama Temple at the speed of a leisurely walk, and it was nothing more than a cup of tea.

Concubine Xi Hu lived in the East Warm Pavilion, and the new princess lived in the West Warm Pavilion. According to the ancestral system of the palace rules of the Tianxi Dynasty, except for the princess born to the queen of the middle palace, she can have her own separate palace, and the rest of the princesses all live with their biological mothers. When the right age is married, the emperor will give a princess mansion outside the palace. As for the prince before he left the palace and opened the palace as an adult, he all lived in the Chaohui Hall to study and practice martial arts.

In the past few days, the imperial doctor stayed in the Lama Temple day and night to diagnose and treat the new princess, but she fell into the water for a long time and has been in a coma.

Concubine Xi Hu leaned on the chaise longue in Xinuan Pavilion, pinched her handkerchief and wiped her tears, the whole person looked in a trance, looking like she had suddenly aged ten years old, and even her hair was a lot grayer.

Concubine Xi's eyes were full of tears, and she muttered to herself repeatedly: "It's over, it's over, it's all over......"

Until the personal palace maid Xiang'er gently shook her and reminded: "Niangniang, Miss Bai is here to visit you and the princess." ”

Hu subconsciously shouted: "No! ”

Xiang'er persuaded a little embarrassed: "But Miss Bai came sincerely with a generous gift, she is now hot in the capital, and she lives in the East Palace." ”

After Hu Shi vented his emotions, he also came back to his senses slowly, thinking that the person who came was the daughter of General Mobei, who was quite respected by the emperor, he couldn't help but slow down and said, "You let her in." ”

Seeing that Bai Muguan was worried and did not gloat, Hu Shi sincerely opened his mouth with concern: "Concubine Xi, haven't you woken up with the new princess?" The courtiers brought thousand-year-old ginseng and the most precious deer antler paste in Mobei to the princess as medicine and nourishment, hoping that the princess could recover as soon as possible. ”

Hu Shi beat his spirit, and the corners of his mouth hooked up a bitter smile: "It's hard for the white girl to have a heart." ”

"Concubine Xi is not anxious, all the imperial doctors in the palace are masters of Xinglin, and they will definitely find a way to heal the princess." Although he had no friendship with Concubine Xi's mother and son, Bai Muguan knew in his heart that Yuwen Xinlian was an innocent victim this time. For every innocent person, she will always have a little more sympathy.

"I hope so." Hu Shi took a long breath and couldn't help but sigh with emotion, "On the day of the Hundred Flowers Banquet, she wanted to go to the pond to see the koi, if the palace didn't agree at that time and took her with her, she wouldn't be poisoned." ”

"Niangniang, don't blame yourself anymore, what is the truth of the matter, I believe that Your Majesty will give a judgment soon." Bai Muguan said a few words of relief.

She didn't tell the Hu family, since the people behind the scenes had already set their sights on Concubine Xi's mother and daughter, in other words, they had already set their sights on the Hu family, even if they didn't have this time, they would try their best to design the next time. She and Concubine Xi are not familiar with each other, so naturally there is no need to say more.

At this time, Xiang'er suddenly interjected: "The slave maid sees that the hour is not early, Miss Bai will not leave the palace again, and the palace door will be locked and she will not be able to leave later." ”

Hearing this, Bai Muguan habitually glanced at her. The seemingly smart and clever personal palace maid in front of her did not appear at the Hundred Flowers Banquet in Bai Muguan's memory, on the contrary, it seemed that Yuwen Xinlian was by the princess's side on the day she fell into the water.

Bai Muguan couldn't help but tremble in his heart, but when he looked at the Hu family, he didn't show anything wrong, but just quit the palace according to the etiquette.