The emperor said: "The night is cold and cold, be careful of cold." ”

Qingcheng smiled and said stupidly: "Why are you here?" She strode towards the emperor, and when she arrived, she was shocked to realize that she had lost her manners, and hurriedly stopped, her face was red with embarrassment, and she bent her knees and said, "The emperor is blessed with gold." ”

The emperor looked at her, and the night breeze blew through the rhombic window, blowing the fine strands of hair on her sideburns, which rose and fell. She lowered her eyebrows and lowered her eyes, her bedrobe was loose and slanted to one side, revealing her delicate shoulders, and her skin was white and tender, like jade cream. His heart rippled slightly, and he immediately fixed his expression, a trace of chill flashed in his eyes, and he said indifferently: "Get up." And he said, "I have something to ask you." ”

Qingcheng has not seen the emperor for a long time, but he feels infinite joy gradually overflowing from the depths of his heart, like stepping on the clouds, fluttering, and when the wind blows, he can fly. She looked at him with a smile in her eyes, like autumn water, and said, "What does the emperor want to ask?" ”

Seeing that she was straightforward and calm, the emperor was a little reluctant to speak, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "You sent someone to send two drawers of sour plums to Concubine Xian today?" Qingcheng didn't know what he meant, and said honestly: "Yes." ”

The emperor glanced at her, groaned slightly, and asked, "You pickled it yourself?" ”

Qingcheng vaguely guessed something, but he refused to delve into it, and said indifferently: "It was given to me by Master Qing, and I heard that pregnant people love to eat sour food, so I transferred it to Master Xian." Seeing that he frowned slightly, showing a tired look, she felt sorry in her heart, and couldn't help but raise her hand to hold his side face, and gently rubbed it: "The emperor's eyes are red, and I think there are many troubles." The emperor was stunned, and suddenly there was a trace of panic, if the matter of Concubine Xian's miscarriage was really involved with her, what should she do.

She asked, "Is the emperor still angry?" ”

But the emperor replied without a beginning or an end: "I believe in you." ”

Qingcheng smiled, a shallow pear vortex appeared on her lips, and said angrily: "What do you believe in me? The emperor covered the soft wattle on his face, rubbed it in his palm, and said, "I'm not angry. After a pause, he said, "It's getting late, you have a good rest, I'm gone." ”

Qingcheng said: "Doesn't the emperor stay here?" As soon as the words came out, his face was burned through. The emperor saw that her cheeks were crimson, shy and timid, and he was afraid that he would not be able to hold it back, so he went straight out and said, "I will return to the Heart Cultivation Palace." ”

Hai'an was stopped outside the hall by Wu Shulai with refreshments, before she bumped into the holy car head-on at the bottom of the steps, and saw that the emperor didn't even bring the honor guard, and only followed Wu Shulai to carry the lantern, looking like a secret, very frightened. Now seeing the smile on his master's face, the emperor was not dismayed, so he let go of the big stone in his heart.

Early the next morning, Qingcheng dressed carefully and was about to go to the queen's palace to say goodbye. When he got out of Yikun Gate, suddenly two eunuchs rushed over, blocked the way, and said: "The Queen Mother has a will, and the Xuansu nobles will go to Shoukang Palace." ”

Qingcheng didn't know what to do, and when he saw that the faces of the two eunuchs were as cold as ice, he couldn't help but feel cold. Hai'an looked at the situation, took two pearl pendants from his ears, and stuffed them into the hands of the eunuch wearing the yellow oriole python robe, while smiling: "I still hope to know how to give you some advice." ”

The eunuch quietly accepted the pearl pendant, his face was slightly pale, and he said in a low voice: "At breakfast, the queen mother said that she would give Concubine Xian Niangniang a decoction to replenish her body. ”

Hai An bluffed and said, "When did Master Xian have a miscarriage?" I didn't even hear the wind. ”

The eunuch became more and more inaudible, and said: "I don't know very well, I only vaguely heard that this matter is going to be investigated by the Lord in person, and it is another turmoil." After a few more smacks, he stopped saying no more, and led the people straight to Shoukang Palace.

Although Qingcheng Suri is not familiar with the world, when the matter comes, after a little thought, he will know the general situation. Shoukang Palace is burning with incense, and the thin white smoke surrounds the morning sun, slowly rising.

The Queen Mother leaned on the soft pillow of the Eight Immortals Zhu Shou pattern embroidered in ink, her face was pale and colorless, and when she saw the green orange coming in, she flicked her sleeves silently, and the saucer and tea cup on the kang table were "light and long" and shattered all over the ground. When the palace people inside and outside the hall heard the sound, they all held their breath and knelt down in the dark.

The queen's chest tightened, her shoulders half shrugged, and cold sweat broke out in her palms.

Qingcheng was quite calm, and said with a calm expression: "The concubine asks the queen mother to say goodbye, and the queen mother to say goodbye." The hard and cold gold bricks were splashed with porcelain shards, and she knelt on the ground, her knees hurt, but they were still quiet, like a mountain stream and a quiet lake.

The queen mother's eyebrows were far-reaching, and she didn't scream even when she knelt, and said in a deep voice: "It is a big crime to murder the emperor's heir, you are a small nobleman, if you plan without authorization, it will naturally be difficult to succeed, and you will not get much benefit." Say, "Who commanded you?" ”

Qingcheng knelt upright and said, "No one instructed him." The Queen Mother raised her eyebrows, and the gold-inlaid agate armor scraped on the pear blossom wood case, making a piercing "cutting" sound, she said: "What, do you still want to take the blame for others?" ”

Qingcheng had a clear conscience and said, "The concubine has not murdered anyone, so no one has instructed her." ”

The Queen Mother only thought she was quibbling, and said, "It seems that there is no need for punishment, you will not be recruited!" Then he shouted, "Someone! Several eunuchs and grandmothers went straight outside, and the leading steward said respectfully: "What does the Queen Mother command?" ”

The Queen Mother said: "Drag out the shin cane twenty, and hit it at the foot of the moon steps!" The mourners want to see how long you can be hard-mouthed. ”

The queen saw Qingcheng trembling all over, and softly persuaded her: "If you use a big staff, your little legs will be useless." It's better to confess and admit your mistakes to the Queen Mother, so that you can be exempted from punishment first. ”

The green orange eyes were like sparkling autumn water, and he said: "Since the pickled thing was not done by the concubine, the concubine will never admit it." The stubbornness between the eyebrows made the Queen Mother look a little sideways. When Mama saw that the Queen Mother was going to torture the concubine, she said: "The Queen Mother dissipates her anger, don't move your liver and burn your body." She snuggled up to the Queen Mother's knee, beat her gently, and said: "The slave maid heard that the Lord has a will to personally supervise this matter, and if the Queen Mother intervenes, I am afraid..."

The queen mother reprimanded: "The affairs of the harem should be handed over to the mourning family and the queen, when do you need to worry about the emperor." After a little hesitation, he eased up by three points, and said: "Ask someone to go to the Heart Cultivation Hall to see, if the emperor disperses, let him come." ”

Mama said, "The slave has already sent someone." ”

Tears oozed from the corners of the queen's eyes, and she said sadly: "The occurrence of such a murder is a bitter concubine." The concubine was derelict in her duties, and the emperor was asked to punish her. ”

The Queen Mother said politely: "You don't have to blame yourself too much, the days to come are still long, the days you are in charge of the harem are not long, and you can't be blamed for any omissions." The queen was flattered, and hurriedly got up and curtsied and said, "Thank you for your understanding." ”

The emperor dispersed the court, and was summoning the envoys of Gardan Tse Ling in the Palace of Nourishing Hearts, and the envoys paid tribute to several high-grade mink skins. The emperor ordered Wu Shu to come and receive it, and rewarded it according to the list that had been drawn up. The eunuch who passed the word from Shoukang Palace went to the front hall, and the guards in front of the palace naturally did not allow anyone to enter, and the eunuch was a very powerful person in front of Mama, knowing which was more important, so he went to the tea division to find Jing Tao, and talked about it carefully. Jing Tao didn't dare to snub the people in front of the Queen Mother, so she hurriedly found Wu Shulai's apprentice and asked him to enter the hall to spread the word.

Wu Shulai listened to his apprentice behind the curtain, and after a little consideration in his heart, he bent forward and called softly: "Long live the master..."

The emperor summoned the ministers, and if he did not give instructions, the palace people would not dare to disturb them. At this time, Wu Shulai actually took the risk of making a report, thinking that it was not an ordinary thing, the emperor glanced at him and asked, "What's the matter?" ”

Wu Shulai rolled his eyes, and the emperor knew that he was not good at speaking in front of everyone, so he waved his hand and said, "Kneel down." ”

When the ministers all retreated, Wu Shulai explained the summons of the Queen Mother in detail, and he said it softly and slowly, for fear that if he was not careful, he would provoke the anger of the saint and make him unable to eat and walk around. The emperor frowned between his eyebrows, faintly showing a look of anxiety, paused, walked out, and when he reached the bottom of the corridor, he ordered: "Go and call Concubine Qing." ”

Wu Shulai didn't know the holy will, so he didn't dare to ask more, but said, "Yes." He was about to give the order, but he heard the emperor say again: "Let her go directly to Shoukang Palace." Wu Shulai agreed, and the emperor didn't even change his clothes, so he started from Xuanyu.

After entering the Shoukang Palace, Concubine Qing was already waiting in Baoxia, and the emperor smiled slightly and said, "Let's enter the palace with me." ”

Qing Concubine saw that the emperor was dressed in a dark flower gown with a large right placket and eight treasure patterns that he only wore when he summoned foreign envoys, and her clothes were in a hurry, and her whole body was full of majesty, and her heart tightened for no reason. She said: "The concubine has seen the emperor. ”

The emperor's face was indifferent, and he suddenly took her hand and said in a low voice: "Wait a while, I will ask you, you will tell the truth, but you are not allowed to hide it." Qing Concubine had never received this holy favor, she was ashamed and happy, and before she could think about it, she said: "What the emperor wants to ask, the concubine knows everything." ”

The emperor smiled with satisfaction, let go of his hand, and strode into the hall.

He greeted the Queen Mother and said with a smile: "Galdan's envoy paid a few pieces of high-quality mink, just to make two robes for the emperor's mother." ”

The Queen Mother was very happy when she heard this, and said: "You also make two things yourself, don't keep worrying about the mourning family." After a pause, he said: "You should also listen to the people below, Concubine Xian's miscarriage is exactly the sour plum given by Su Guiren." ”

The emperor glanced at Qingcheng and saw her kneeling on the splinter, he was slightly stunned, and then calmly said: "The imperial doctor said that the sour plum has abortion medicine in it, and the sour plum was given by Su Guiren, and in the eyes of others, it is indeed Su Guiren who is the most suspicious." But I always felt that something was wrong. ”

The Queen Mother also nodded and said, "The mourning family also knows that she is a little nobleman, and she will definitely not dare to act so risky, because someone behind her instigation." He turned sideways and said, "If you don't have to be punished, I'm afraid she won't say who it is." ”

Qingcheng prostrate on the ground and said: "It wasn't done by the concubine, and no one instructed it, please ask the emperor to see it." ”

When the emperor saw her holding the porcelain piece with both hands, he felt pity in his heart, turned his face and couldn't bear to look at her, and only said: "Don't worry, I naturally want to find out clearly, and I won't let you be wronged in vain." He said: "Qing Concubine, Su Guiren's sour plums, but you sent them?" ”

Qing Concubine only heard that Concubine Xian had a miscarriage, but she didn't know that she had eaten the plums she made, so her teeth chattered with fright at this time, and she panicked and said: "It wasn't the concubine's order, it wasn't the concubine's order!" ”

The emperor said impatiently: "Reply carefully! ”

Qing Concubine had tears in her eyes, but she didn't dare to speak out, and said: "The concubine pickled a few jars of sour plums last year, and she never ate them, and she only took them out when the people of the former palace cleaned up the house. Except for Su Guiren, the other palaces have sent... No, no, no, the concubine knew that Concubine Xian was pregnant, and she was afraid that there would be extraneous branches, so she didn't send it to Jingren Palace, and the concubine didn't know that there was a problem with the sour plum..."

The emperor used to think that among the concubines, Concubine Qing was bold, but now he saw that she was not clear about a trivial matter, and he was very bored, so he interrupted: "You mean, except for Concubine Xian, everyone in the palace has your sour plum?" ”

Qing Concubine said timidly: "Yes." ”

The emperor turned his face to look at the empress and said, "Changchun Palace also has it?" ”

The queen didn't want the emperor to suddenly look at her, her heart jumped, and she said, "Yes, the concubine has done a lot herself, and she wants to send some to Concubine Xian." ”

The emperor nodded and said, "In other words, those two plates of sour plums may also have been given by others." ”

The queen said: "What does the emperor mean, is someone replacing the sour plums from it?" ”

The emperor said indifferently: "Whether it is or not, you can't make a conclusion. ”

The Queen Mother saw that the emperor's expression was faint, and Su Guiren knelt at the bottom, but he didn't even look at it a few times. But the more this is the case, the more he feels that he cares about it, so he said to Mama Yan: "The emperor has been sitting for a long time and hasn't drunk tea, you go and make a pot of mellow tea." ”

Mama Yan respectfully complied and quietly retreated. The Queen Mother said again: "You can get up too." ”

Qingcheng was already unconscious in pain, and his feet were numb like ten thousand ants. She kowtowed and thanked her before slowly standing up. As soon as the body moved, the knees were like fire, hot and hot. There were several scars on the palm of her hand, and it hurt like flesh in her heart, she didn't dare to squeak, and it was not time to cry out for injustice.

The emperor still didn't look at her, as if he didn't care at all, and said: "I'm afraid that a group of related palace people will be announced for careful interrogation, so that the truth can be revealed." ”

The Queen Mother said: "What's so difficult, it's Xuanlai." If the wind of murdering the emperor's heir is not stopped, it will be difficult for the mourning family to sleep and eat. ”

The internal affairs office did things neatly, and in less than half an hour, all the palace people related to the palace were tied up, from the little palace maid who sent sour plums under the Qing concubine to the little eunuch who presented sour plums to Jingren Palace, as long as they had touched and seen those two plates of sour plums, there was no mistake or omission. Since the emperor ascended the throne, there has never been such a big battle, and even the queen is quite surprised.

Wang Jinbao carefully interrogated in front of everyone, and it took most of the day to know that Pei'er of Yikun Palace gave the sour plums to the eunuch who guarded the courtyard gate of Jingren Palace, and the person who received the sour plums from Jingren Palace was the visit of Concubine Xian and the four palace maids in charge. Pei'er and Wan'er have a pair of calibers, and they know that neither of them knows the person who communicated with them that day.

The Queen Mother said angrily: "It is really bold to dare to use means under the nose of the mourning family!" Queen, even if you let it go to investigate, even if you turn over the harem, you have to find out the villain who is behind it. ”

The queen hurriedly got up and curtled her knees and said, "The concubine obeys." ”

A faint smile appeared on the emperor's lips, and he said: "You don't have to go through the six palaces, there are abortion pills in the sour plums, let the imperial hospital check the medication records of each palace recently, and you can find out the approximately." ”

The Queen Mother bowed her head and said, "The emperor has thought it through. Then he said to Qingcheng: "I was wronged by Su Guiren who knelt for a while." ”

Qingcheng breathed a sigh of relief, and hurriedly said: "The concubine is not wronged. ”

The Queen Mother smiled: "You kid, you have grievances, and you don't know how to justify a few words." ”

Qingcheng said firmly: "The concubine believes that there are gods in heaven and earth, and there is justice for herself. Seeing that the queen mother's smile deepened, the emperor put his mind at ease, got up and said: "I have set up a banquet for the envoys of Galdan in the Qianqing Palace, and it is not appropriate to sit for a long time. ”

The Queen Mother said: "Then you go quickly, state affairs are important." ”

Everyone in the hall bent down to see them off, Qingcheng's knees hurt, and his posture was slightly unnatural. The Emperor passed by her, stagnating for a moment, and finally walked away without saying anything. Qingcheng returned to Yikun Palace, took off his robe and saw that there were large bruises on his knees, and there were several cut scars, and the red was oozing blood. Er Qi wept and said: "The master has been wronged, and the boss doesn't even have words of comfort, which is really chilling." ”

Hai An said anxiously: "The slave maid went to the imperial hospital to ask for a doctor." ”

Qingcheng smiled and said, "Don't bother the imperial doctor, it's going around, it's alarming people, and there's a chew on the ground." He also said: "Take the aloe vera paste that the emperor rewarded before to relieve the pain, and then you quietly go to Master Jian in the imperial hospital and ask him to give you some plasters for tetanus." ”

Er Qi blurted out and asked, "The master and Master Jian are old acquaintances?" ”

Qingcheng was stunned, spread his palm flat and asked Hai'an to apply the medicine, and he didn't know how to answer his involvement with Jian Yuheng for a while, so he only said "um", which was considered a default. When Erqi went, Hai An said: "The master is wronged." ”

The green orange was medicated, cool and refreshing, much more comfortable, and the smile in the depths of the eyes gradually overflowed, like autumn water in the sun, sparkling. She said, "I'm not wronged. The emperor is willing to go to great lengths to get rid of my crimes, what is it if I am wronged by ideas. Besides, I just knelt down, and I wasn't beaten and punished, so it's nothing, who hasn't knelt a few times in the palace? ”

Hai'an applied the medicine, carefully bandaged it with white gauze, and said: "The master has a good heart and eyes, and he will have good fortune in the future." The voice fell, and only a mellow and warm male voice was heard: "The master has a good heart, and the slave's mouth is sweet." Hai'an turned his back to the door, suddenly heard someone talking, bluffed, hurriedly turned around and knelt down, and said, "Slave maid to the emperor to say goodbye." ”

The emperor sat down in front of the kang and waved his hand, "I'm thirsty, go and bring a bowl of tea." ”

Seeing that the emperor was full of wine, Hai'an thought that he had drunk wine at the banquet, and replied "yes", so he retreated and went to the teahouse to make a sobering soup. Qingcheng was about to get off the kang to salute, but the emperor had already lifted the silk quilt on her body and said, "Let me see your wounds." ”

Qingcheng was not wearing shoes and socks, her slender and slender feet were as clean as white jade, she was shy, shrunk into the quilt, and said, "It's all right." ”

The emperor grabbed her feet and said, "Don't deceive me, but it's a crime of deceiving the king." He slowly lifted his plain green satin pants, light and soft, for fear of touching her sore spots. He bowed his head, half-hunched over, and the pale white sun reflected his side face through the screen, casting a dark shadow on her, making everything more quiet and serene.

His breathing swept through a trace of confusion, and he gently blew on the wound, and said: "When I was a child, every time I practiced wrestling with my father and injured my elbow, my nurse was so gentle to blow for me. ”

Qingcheng smiled lightly: "The emperor's nurse must be a very kind and gentle person. ”

The emperor snorted and asked, "Does it hurt?" ”

Qingcheng shook his head, remembering what the emperor said yesterday, "I believe in you", his body seemed to be poured into the honey porcelain altar, sweet and happy, and said: "It hurts a little bit." The emperor only felt that her voice was tactful like a cry, and a pair of bright black eyes shimmered brightly, which was really moving, and he couldn't help but kiss the corner of her lips, and said in a low voice: "Does this still hurt?" ”

Qingcheng's cheeks were flushed, and he turned his face slightly, and said, "It's... It hurts a little bit. ”

The Emperor's kiss was hot and hot and pressed against her face, burning like fire. He had just drunk wine at the feast, and now he was sprinkled with wine, and he was not as shrewd and majestic as before. It was noon, Qingcheng had not yet had lunch, she reached out and pushed him, but the emperor only did not move, still leaned down, until she could not retreat, lying on the silk quilt, the emperor kicked the kang a few times.

Wu Shu came to wait in Langwu, so anxious that he was sweating profusely, the emperor took advantage of the gap in the banquet to secretly drive to Yikun Palace, thinking that he would just take a look and leave, and he didn't want to stay for half an hour and make a lot of noise, and it was not good to go in and call, so he could only look at the sky and be anxious.

Fortunately, there was a palace maid waiting inside, Wu Shulai found an opportunity, and whispered under the window: "Long live the lord, the ministers in front are still waiting for you to disperse." ”

The emperor was in a good mood and said, "Wash your face and drive." In a blink of an eye, he had already lifted the curtain and turned around and said, "Your knee hurts, don't send it away." Wu Shu looked into the brocade curtain, only to feel that it was dark and dreary, and there were a few women in palace clothes standing in a trance, and he couldn't help but want to take a few more looks, but the curtain had fallen suddenly.

The emperor said: "Call the imperial doctor to come and take a look at Su Guiren's injury, you are a slave in front of me, how do you become more and more ignorant." ”

Wu Shulai trembled, and said tremblingly: "Back to the master, the master has a miscarriage, and several important adults in the imperial hospital have been announced by the Queen Mother to go to Jingren Palace, slave..."

The emperor glared, the corners of his lips raised silently, and said lightly: "You are still reasonable!" ”

Wu Shulai became more and more frightened, and hurriedly said: "The slave will stay for a while and personally go to the imperial hospital to ask for someone." ”

The emperor hummed and said, "If you dare to be so careless next time, I will have to move your head." ”

Wu Shulai knelt down and kowtowed, "Thank you master for sparing your life." ”

Seeing that the saint was gone, Er Qifang took the medicinal herbs into the house to pray, Qingcheng spread out the yellow paper, looked at it briefly, and asked, "But Lord Jian personally gave it to you?" Er Qi replied "yes", and Qingcheng asked again: "Can you handle her?" ”

Er Qi thought for a while and said, "That's not true, it's just that when I came out of the Imperial Medicine Courtyard, I bumped into the palace people in Jingren Palace who were serving the soup medicine, and I glanced at the slave maid several times, and I didn't know what it meant." After a pause, he said, "Xu is still suspicious of the master in his heart." ”

Qingcheng put on his clothes, showed a melancholy look, and said, "But I really don't offend people, but people offend me." After a pause, he felt that his stomach was in a state of hunger, and he commanded, "Go down and cook the decoction, and ask the kitchen man to serve a meal." ”

Erqi had to go out, Hai'an entered the east house with a black lacquer and gold mirror, waited for Qingcheng to comb his hair in a bun, and held the bronze mirror high for the master to see. Hai An said with a smile: "Look at the slave maid, long live the master is different from others. ”

Qingcheng looked at the two moon orchids with new hairpins on her hair in the mirror, and smiled, like a lonely pear blossom in a spring night, quietly blooming.

Hai An said with a solemn face: "The master can be careful in everything from now on, since the slave can see it, and the other people in the palace can also see it, it is inevitable that he will be hated." The matter of sour plums, thinking about it carefully, the instructions behind it made people act very carefully, which not only allowed Concubine Xian to have a miscarriage, but also made the master suffer wrongs in vain. If it weren't for the emperor's intention to defend it, the twenty canes ordered by the queen mother to be punished, the master is afraid that he will not be able to escape. ”

Qingcheng's eyebrows gradually revealed worry, and said, "You have a point. After a pause, he said: "I'm afraid that the master has begun to hate me, and she is also strange and pitiful, she has been favored for several years, and she is pregnant for the first time, but she is not clear about it." There was a chill in his heart, and he said: "Even so, the emperor didn't pay attention to it at all." ”