The queen was pregnant, and even the Shoukang Palace was exempted, almost staying at home, and devoted herself to raising a baby in the dormitory. Concubine Xian had the emperor's dictation, did not dare to slack off, let alone make any attempts, and went to Changchun Palace every two days to visit.

The two have a grudge against each other, but they are still harmonious and friendly in front of people. After Concubine Xian left, the queen suddenly faded away, revealing a tired look, leaning on the pillow on her side, only to feel dizzy. Shanrou knelt on the side of the kang and rubbed the queen's shoulders, and said softly: "If the master is annoying, I won't see Concubine Xian in the future." ”

The queen was lazy, raised her hand to look at the enamelled tortoiseshell armor under the light, and said, "See, of course I want to see." ”

Shanrou was puzzled, and the queen continued: "First, I can't let the emperor think that I am stingy, and I am always worried about the old things of the past. Second, she is in charge of the six palaces, if I have any three long and two short, she doesn't want to get rid of it! If I don't see her, won't I give her a reason to shirk? ”

The curtain of the door outside rang slightly, and a palace maid came in, and said on her knees: "Master, the Internal Affairs Office sent someone to give birth, saying that Master Jia was born." ”

Shanrou was startled and said, "Born? ”

The queen sat up straight and asked, "Is it a man or a woman?" The palace maid said: "It's a brother." The queen was stunned for a while, although Concubine Jia is a foreign woman, but the child is a serious royal master, and her status is not the same. She got up and said, "Wait for freshening, I'll take a look." ”

Shanrou said: "You have been suffering from back pain for the past few days, it is better to let the slave maid visit on your behalf..." ”

Feng drove to Yanxi Palace, and sure enough, the outer hall was already full of visiting concubines. Everyone was the only concubine who looked at the horse, and when they saw the queen, they were all surprised, and they all asked for a big gift. The queen glanced at it with a smile, except for Lu Guiren, who had just cut off the concubines, the big and small concubines in the harem had all arrived, and Yingying Yanyan stood all over the room, all beaming.

Wang Guiren stepped forward to support the queen and said with a smile: "You are pregnant, but you have to look carefully at your feet." Master Jia just walked carelessly, so he was born prematurely. He smiled again and said, "Fortunately, there is the protection of the gods, and the mother and son are safe." Concubine Xian stepped aside and asked the queen to take the throne. The queen looked at Concubine Xian, took out Fengyi, and asked, "What's the matter?" ”

Concubine Xian said: "According to what Concubine Chen pointed out, Concubine Jia wanted to go to the Imperial Garden for breakfast, but when she got up yesterday morning, it rained a little bit, and moss grew on the ground, which was wet and slippery, so she accidentally fell. ”

The queen nodded and said, "Fortunately, Concubine Jia is fine, and you can also breathe a sigh of relief." After a pause, he suppressed his smile and said solemnly: "It can be seen that there are still many omissions in the palace, the ground is wet, why don't the palace sweepers sprinkle some grass ash, and besides, the palace people on the side of Concubine Jia should also mention it, how can you let the master Hu come." On the surface, he was talking about Concubine Jia, but in his words, he blamed Concubine Xian for poor supervision.

Concubine Xian tasted it in every way, and said forcibly: "The queen has learned a lesson." ”

The queen hummed lightly and asked, "Have you told the emperor?" Concubine Xian had a faint sneer on her lips and said, "I have already sent someone to spread the word." He said with a worried face: "From Changchun Palace to Yanxi Palace, it is not far, but it is not close." You have to be careful if you are pregnant with the dragon heir, if you slip on the road like Concubine Jia, you will be in trouble. ”

She spoke neither lightly nor seriously, with a worried look, so that the queen had no way to refute, so she could only suppress her anger in her heart, and said with a smile: "Concubine Xian is reasonable, I was pregnant that day, and the emperor ordered me to ignore the trivial matters in the palace for the time being, and asked me who in the palace can control the harem, I said that Concubine Xian is steady and cautious, and now it seems that she is really thoughtful." The implication is that Concubine Xian's right to assist this time is not the emperor's will, but the queen's recommendation.

With such a mouthful of honey swords, you come and go, and anyone can understand it. It's just that the two of them are in high power, and no one dares to interject more, and the room gradually quiets down. From time to time, there was a cry of "Wangwang" outside the house, and a bright yellow ball rushed into the door curtain and threw himself into Qingcheng's arms. Qingcheng hugged the lion, rubbed its head, and said in surprise, "Why are you here?" The queen's face was embarrassed, and she was about to reprimand, when she heard a eunuch singing outside: "The emperor has arrived!" ”

The room was suddenly lively, and everyone was full of smiles, as if they were extremely harmonious, and no one wanted to make a fuss in front of the emperor. The emperor was dressed in an apricot yellow river silk single gold dragon coat, wearing black satin cool pointed boots, which was reduced a lot, and he looked more and more long and jade, heroic and mighty. He slowly walked in and said with a smile, "So you're all here." The queen led everyone to salute and said, "Congratulations to the emperor for having a dragon son." The emperor smiled and asked, "Is it all packed?" ”

A palace man stepped forward and said: "Go back to the emperor, it is filthy and heavy, and the emperor should look at Master Jia again tomorrow." The emperor nodded and said, "You go and tell Master Jia, just say that I will stay outside, so that she can recuperate with peace of mind." The palace man answered, "Yes," and went into the dormitory to reply. For a while, he tiptoed out again, and said in the tone of Concubine Jia: "Master Jia said, thank you Lord Longen, the emperor doesn't need to remember, the concubine's body is very good." With that, he respectfully retreated to the side and stood down.

After a while, a grandmother hugged the fourth elder brother out to show the emperor, the emperor teased it, and ordered the concubines to take a look, Fang Chaoxian said: "Wait a minute, you pick a few pieces of Zhu Hai jewelry from the Internal Affairs Office to give to Concubine Jia, and then..." He looked up at the decorations in the house, and said: "It's too shabby here, not worthy of Concubine Jia's identity, the place that should be repaired will be repaired, and the furnishings that should be replaced will be changed. ”

Concubine Xian bent her knees and said, "The concubine obeys the order." ”

Concubine Shu hadn't seen the emperor for a few days, so she said boldly: "Your Majesty, there are many mosquitoes in spring and summer, and the concubine made a sachet medicine bag for the fourth elder brother, take a look, okay?" She presented a tiger stripe gold silk sachet, and the emperor glanced at it and said with a smile: "Tiger tiger, tiger head and tiger brain, the meaning is good." When Concubine Shu saw the emperor's praise, her heart was overjoyed, and she was about to thank her, but she heard the emperor say: "But the fourth elder brother is still a baby, and it is best not to use medicine until it is absolutely necessary." ”

The nobles and Jin nobles, who didn't deal with Shu Concubine for a long time, were secretly amused, and they all showed disdain, and Shu Concubine lost face, but she didn't dare to squeak, so she had to whisper: "The concubine is not thoughtful, so the emperor laughed." The emperor said, "It's always good that you have this heart." Concubine Shu couldn't help but feel arrogant, secretly glared at Jin Guiren and the others, and sat down.

The emperor sat for a small meeting and wanted to go back to the Heart Cultivation Palace, so he casually asked, "Who wants to go with me?" "Everyone wants to go along the way with the saint, but no one dares to speak, for fear of annoying the emperor. The lion circled the emperor several times, and screamed at the top of his voice. The emperor kicked it twice, but it still stuck to the emperor like a dogskin plaster, and the emperor smiled dumbly and said, "You will invite pets!" ”

Qingcheng got up and said, "The concubine will go with the emperor." After speaking, he blessed the queen, Concubine Xian and others. Although the emperor did not speak to her since he entered the house, he kept an eye on her face. Seeing that she was sullen and forced to laugh, knowing that she was jealous, when he passed by her, he took her hand and joked in a low voice as he walked out: "You masters and servants have the same heart." Out of Yanxi Palace, Qingcheng pouted and said: "I'm not inviting pets, I'm afraid that the lion will go to the Heart Cultivation Hall with you." ”

The spring day was fine, and because it had rained at night, everything was as clear as if it had been washed. The air is mixed with the fragrance of flowers, trees, herbs, and rain, and it is moist and more fresh and pleasant. The vermilion wall is towering, and the blue sky falls straight to the end of the palace street, and the sun framed by white flowers pours like a displaced. The two of them walked slowly on the palace street, the guard of honor followed a hundred steps away, and Qingcheng pouted: "I'm not here to invite pets, I'm afraid that the lion will go to the Heart Cultivation Hall with you." ”

The Emperor laughed and said, "Listen to your tone, as if a lion can't go with me." You don't know, just now I just passed through the Yikun Gate, and it followed the smell to find it on its own. It can be seen that it likes me more than it likes you. Otherwise, why didn't I go to Yanxi Palace with you? ”

Qingcheng looked at him and said, "Didn't it make enough trouble in Yanxi Palace last time?" I don't dare take it out of the house. The emperor nodded thoughtfully and said, "I see, no wonder it wants to run out to find me, it turns out that you don't let it go out to play." After a pause, he said triumphantly: "That's why it likes me more than you!" Qingcheng didn't fall for him, and said: "Forget it, I raised it, and I am its owner, of course I like me more." ”

The emperor deliberately wanted to tease her, but after a while, he smiled and said: "Then let's compare and see who the lion likes more." ”

Qingcheng was already a little sullen, the emperor coaxed her, but she was also bored, and said: "It's really boring, aren't you in a hurry to go to the Heart Cultivation Palace to summon the courtiers?" ”

The emperor said happily: "Those old men in the military aircraft department, if they have nothing to do, they will gossip about me, I have been annoyed for a long time, and today is the right time to teach them a lesson and let them wait for a while." He patted Qingcheng on the shoulder and said, "Besides, I want to know if the lion likes you a little or something like me at the moment." ”

Qingcheng looked up at him and said, "Then how do you want to compare?" ”

The emperor thought for a moment and said, "Let the eunuch carry the lion a hundred meters away, and then let go of it, and whoever it pounces on first, even if he wins." Qingcheng finally had a slight smile on his face, and the shallow pear vortex bloomed on his lips, like crape myrtle flowers in summer, layered on top of each other, pretty and fragrant. She said slyly: "What about the person who loses?" The emperor said: "If you lose, you will promise the winner a condition." After a pause, he said solemnly: "Ren, what, article, piece!" ”

The green orange fox said suspiciously: "You are determined to win!" ”

The emperor winked at her and said, "What I want to do, there is nothing I can't do!" Qingcheng let out a "huh" and said, "Did you bring broken ribs with you?" The emperor said: "I will not go down the wrong path, you can rest assured!" ”

At this point, Qingcheng had no choice but to say: "Compare to compare!" ”

The eunuch held the lion far away, and when he saw the emperor flick his sleeves and signal, he let go of his hand. As soon as the lion swooped down, Qingcheng and the emperor both hunched their waists and stroked their palms towards it, and said in their mouths: "Lion... Come here... Lion... Come here! ”

Although the lion is close to the emperor, it is raised by Qingcheng in the end, and it is a mother to give meat, and it flutters its calves and pounces on Qingcheng. Qingcheng raised his eyebrows and opened his arms to catch it, but in an instant, the emperor suddenly leaned in, grabbed the lion in front, and shouted contentedly: "You have lost!" ”

Qingcheng was funny and angry, stomped lightly on his foot, and bit lightly: "You are a fool!" The Emperor leaned back with a smile and said, "I said that whoever it throws into will win!" Qingcheng didn't choose to speak, and said: "You said don't go crooked!" ”

The emperor saw that her angry and coquettish appearance was really cute, and laughed and said: "What kind of crooked and evil ways, I am obviously above board!" Otherwise, you call the little five sons and them to come over and confront each other! Calling the two little eunuchs to come over and confront each other, he was embarrassed to say that Qingcheng couldn't hold back his laughter after all, chased after him and grabbed the lion in his arms, and said, "It's obviously you who are cheating!" The emperor's eyes had been following Qingcheng deeply, and when he saw her smiling, Fang breathed a sigh of relief, and dodged left and right to tease her.

Concubine Xian and the others heard the emperor's laughter from a distance, and the guard of honor of the holy driver stopped in front, and she couldn't cross it, so she stopped the sedan chair and waited in a secluded place. Luo Qing came to the front and asked about the situation, but she was afraid that Concubine Xian would be angry, so she couldn't say clearly. Concubine Xian understood as a mirror in her heart, and said with a calm face: "The emperor favors pure noble concubines, and it is not strange that the two are close." I am the main position in the palace, and I am the assistant of the sixth palace, can you still be jealous, if you have something to say, just say it, don't swallow and vomit, lose your bearing. ”

Frightened, Luo Qing hurriedly told in detail, and said, "Why don't we go around the mezzanine." ”

Concubine Xian couldn't bear it, so she nodded and said, "That's very good." ”

Out of sight is out of sight.

Back at Yikun Palace, Qingcheng was lazy, and then took a nap. When I woke up, it was already evening. The sunset is like orange blood, sprinkled over most of the sky, obliquely reflected in the house, illuminating the room brightly. Qingcheng freshened up a little, stood under the porch and watched the palace maids check the newly picked petals today, store them in jars, and make them into dew pastries and the like tomorrow. Hai An picked up a green forged silk jacket from the house, waited for Qingcheng to put it on, and said, "In case of the Long Live Lord, do you want to apply some rouge?" ”

Qingcheng brushed his sideburns and drooped his hair, and said, "Yesterday, I was greedy for hot pot, and I had two acne on my cheeks, so I wiped the aloe vera dew, and I didn't rub the rouge." As he was talking, Er Qi came to report with a smile and said, "Master, long live the Lord has arrived at Yikun Gate." Qingcheng was busy helping Hai'an to greet him, and the emperor only followed Wu Shulai and two personal attendants, and without waiting for Qingcheng to salute, he took her hand and said with a smile: "What are you doing?" Qingcheng said: "I just took a nap and didn't do anything." ”

The emperor led her to the palace and said with a smile: "I have been thinking just now, what do you want me to do?" was so distressed that he didn't even bother to listen to Zhang Tingyu handing over the sign to speak. He paused, pretended to look at Qingcheng cautiously, and said, "Tell me, what can you do for me?" Qingcheng glanced at him, pretending not to know what he said, and only asked, "Why do I want to help the emperor?" ”

Hai'an held the tea, the emperor sat on the kang, drank two sips, and said with a smile: "Don't pretend, the bet on the palace street, only two hours later, you forgot?" I don't believe it! ”

Qingcheng muttered: "It's obviously you who are cheating!" She stood on the edge of the kang, the slanting sun had fallen behind the mountain, only the glow of the sun, smeared around her, scattering a faint layer of silver light. The emperor stretched out his arms and took her in front of him, looked up at her, and said with a wry smile: "Little thing, don't talk back!" Qingcheng looked down at him, for he was sitting, and his whole body was shrouded in her shadow. His eyebrows are in the sideburns, his forehead is smooth, his eyes are as quiet and gentle as a deep pool, the bridge of his nose is high, and his lips are smiling.

She couldn't help but reach out to hold his face and asked softly, "Then what do you want me to do?" ”

The emperor pulled her to sit beside him and said, "I want to leave Beijing Weifu to go on patrol, cross Handan to the Yellow River, and go all the way to the south." First, come and see the water defense of the Yellow River, and second, to observe the suffering of the people. ”

Qingcheng heard the meaning of his words, and said worriedly: "It's already hot in early summer, but I'm afraid that the road is far away, and the Holy Communion can't stand it." Besides, I heard that there is a gap in the Yellow River from time to time, and it is flooding, what should I do if you happen to hit it? This is not a trivial matter, but it must be considered in the long run. After a pause, he said, "Could it be that you asked me to accompany me on patrol?" ”

The Emperor pinched her cheek and said, "As you said, the road is far away, and there are floods. He couldn't help but praise: "When I listen to you, I feel that I am knowledgeable, and I don't know where you heard it from the deep palace mansion." ”

Qingcheng said: "Although I am in the deep palace, I also know how to read and learn words, and sometimes I go to the Heart Cultivation Palace to serve, and when I see the official newspaper, I will also look at it twice." After a moment's notice, he asked, "How long will it take?" ”

The emperor said: "At least until May and June, at most until July, I will return to Beijing, and I will leave tomorrow." ”

Qingcheng thought for a while, and said, "Okay, I'll let Hai'an pack up his daily necessities later." The Emperor shook her hand and said, "I don't want you to suffer, and if you don't want to go, it's too late." Qingcheng's mouth curled and said, "Didn't we make a bet?" I can do that. After a pause, he asked carefully, "Who else did you bring with you besides me?" ”

The emperor said: "Since it is a micro-service, it is a secret, and its whereabouts cannot be revealed, and there are few people with it." Only Fu Heng and Hongday were on the chauffeur, and other affairs were arranged by Zhang Tingyu and Ortai. As for me, I pretended to be a tea merchant who went to Xinyang, and you are my girl. Speaking of the latter, the emperor realized the meaning of Qingcheng's words, and said with a smile: "You still think that I want to bring all the people in the harem to play!" ”

Qingcheng's face turned purple and said, "Can't you pretend to be a lady?" It has to be a girl! ”

The emperor sneered, and said with a flamboyant tongue: "Whoever goes out to run errands and takes his wife with him, the little girl with a caring and warm quilt is serious!" Now that he had made up his mind, Qingcheng didn't dare to slack off, so he immediately called Hai'an into the house and rummaged through the cabinets to find a few dresses and jackets. She loves to be thrifty, her clothes are mostly green and plain, and the materials are all high-quality tribute satin, but the color is calm and unassuming, plus she is specially dressed up, if she is not a clear-eyed person, it is really difficult to see that she is a royal noble.

The next day, before dawn, no one was alarmed, and dozens of yellow gauze palace lamps quietly sent the holy car to Xihua Gate. The men and horses sent by Zhang Tingyu were already waiting outside the palace gate, and when he saw Qingcheng, he was slightly stunned, and he didn't want the emperor to bring his daughters, so he had to bow and salute. Qingcheng stood beside the emperor, and accepted it generously, before helping the eunuch to get into the carriage.

The carriage was covered with gray cloth and satin, and it was inconspicuous, but inside it was spacious and comfortable, with small couches and tables and stools. The emperor was afraid that Qingcheng would be sleepy, so he sat on a small stool and made a small couch for her to rest. All the way to Handan Daming's Mansion, Fang Xun Inn stationed.

On the surface, it is a micro-service to go out on patrol, but the work inside is very sufficient. There are not only Ouchi guards pretending to be servants and butlers accompanying him, but also imperial guards who specialize in breaking the back and heading. Ten miles away, there are even elite soldiers of the Eight Banners Brigade and the Cavalry Battalion on standby at any time, and they can come to the rescue in time with a code.

Fu Heng has always done things without counting the cost of silver, in order to avoid extraneous branches, he wanted to buy an inn, but he didn't want the store to inherit the ancestral business, and no one wanted to sell it. In addition, the time was urgent, and he didn't have time to make more preparations, so he had to find a way to find a first-class room in the largest inn in the city for the emperor to live in.

The shopkeeper was very happy to see that there was a big business. led the little two to the door to greet them, but was stopped by the guards with murderous faces. The guests who come and go every day in the inn, the shopkeeper is also well-informed, knowing that this person is by no means as simple as a tea merchant, so he quietly speculated in his heart, but at most he thought that it was Lord Qincha, and he didn't dare to think about it anymore.

Although the number of attendants has decreased and decreased, the cooks and imperial doctors are indispensable. Zhang Tingyu stared at the cook and finished the meal, tested the poison himself, and presented it to the emperor. Qingcheng changed into a homely moon-white robe, did not dare to wear a hair ornament, only wore a square bun, and a pair of green jade pendants were decorated on his ears. She sat beside the emperor and ate together, Zhang Tingyu didn't even dare to raise her head, put down the meal, and retreated outside the door.

Qingcheng has lived in the deep palace for a long time, and he feels very novel, and even forgets that he is tired, eats two large bowls of rice, and praises the food made by the cook. The emperor smiled and said, "When you get home, let the cook be an errand under you." Qingcheng was busy thanking him, thought about it, and said mischievously: "Thank you, master." ”

The Emperor nodded, pleased with the role she played. At night, the two rested on the bed to keep warm, the guards guarded the door, and Zhang Tingyu and Fu Heng lived in the wings on both sides, listening to the movement with their ears pricked up, for fear that something would go wrong. Qingcheng was shy, biting her lip, not daring to make a sound. The emperor is also a little taboo, the movements are gentle and soothing, sometimes Qingcheng has no intention of moaning "master", the emperor is like really having an affair with his own girl, the more he is interested.

After all, it was outside the palace, and the emperor was much lax, and he got up on the solstice. Qingcheng had already ordered someone to prepare hot water and washing things, and waited for the emperor to wear it, so he asked, "What are we going to do today?" Before dawn, she faintly heard the noisy voices of people outside the house, the sound of horses, and the clatter of unlocking and opening the door, and she felt excited.

The emperor saw through what she was thinking, and said, "When you have breakfast, I will take you out for a walk." Since he is aware of the people's feelings, he has to stay for two days everywhere. He added: "I'm hungry, it's getting late, it's better to use breakfast and dinner together." Stay out and grab some seasonal snacks for you to try. Qingcheng happily agreed, and went out to order someone to pass the meal.