At the Hanging Flower Gate, Wu Shulai wanted to sing a newspaper inside, but was stopped by the emperor. The imperial doctor was in the bedroom to check Concubine Jia's pulse, and people came and went, but there was silence.

Qingcheng has been kneeling on the ground and has not risen, the queen sat on the kang, and said: "If the child in Concubine Jia's belly is well, this matter can also be restarted, if there are three long and two short, your sins will be heavy." ”

Er Qi was stunned, her face was full of tears, and she forced her body to kowtow and said: "This matter started because of the slave maid, and the queen will punish the slave and the maid if she wants to punish the slave and the maid, and the slave and the maid are willing to bear it." The queen said indifferently: "The pure noble concubine is your master, since you have made a mistake, how can she get out of it?!" Qingcheng is not afraid of being punished, but is just worried about the child in Concubine Jia's belly. She herself is a fertile person, and she has compassion for all the little beings in the world. Erqi was so frightened that she cried and said, "Master, it's a slave... The slave has harmed you..."

Qingcheng patted her shoulder and comforted: "Don't worry, Concubine Jia has been pregnant for three months, and the fetus is stable, as long as it is handled properly, it should not be a big problem." She raised her face to the queen and said, "Although this matter was caused by Er Qi, Meiyan and the others were also at fault first, please ask the queen to find out." After a pause, he said: "The lion lost its sense of proportion in order to protect the concubine, please spare the queen's life, and the concubine must be disciplined well in the future." ”

The queen wondered, "Lion? Where are the lions? ”

Qingcheng hurriedly explained, "The lion is the yellow-haired Pekingese dog, just now..." After a pause, he said with a restrained expression: "That beast behaves perversely, and it will be a scourge sooner or later if you keep it, don't ask for mercy, I will deal with it." Qingcheng wanted to persuade again, but when the curtain sounded, there were a few "Wangwang", and the lion rolled to Qingcheng's side with great joy, stretched out his tongue and licked the back of her hand.

The queen was about to have a seizure, but before she could open her mouth, the emperor had already entered, and when she saw Qingcheng kneeling on the ground, she was stunned at first. The queen hurriedly gave up her seat and led everyone in the room to say goodbye. The emperor sat down on the kang as usual and said, "How is Concubine Jia?" The queen said: "The imperial doctor is still in the diagnosis and treatment, but there is no result for a while." ”

The emperor snorted and asked casually: "What mistake did the pure noble concubine make, and let her kneel on a cold day." ”

The queen was reasonable, not afraid of the emperor's favoritism, so she said: "The palace maid of the pure noble concubine and the palace maid of Concubine Jia quarreled and fought in the Internal Affairs Office, and the beast she raised collided with Concubine Jia again, and the concubine wanted to order punishment, but the pure concubine was not convinced, and was commenting with the concubine." She spoke softly, carefully looking at the emperor's face, very respectful and humble.

But the emperor laughed, stretched out his palm and made a teasing gesture, and when the lion saw this, he jumped up his fingers and rolled into the emperor's arms. While stroking the lion, the emperor said slowly: "Last time, the noble man fell in your palace, and now it is Concubine Jia's turn, things are really coincidental, wherever the queen arrives, there will be accidents." ”

The meaning of his words turned out to be suspicious of her!

The queen's face suddenly changed greatly, and she quickly knelt on the ground and said: "The concubines are in charge of the six palaces, and they have always been cautious and tolerant. The concubines are diligent and diligent, and the emperor is still like this..."Speaking of the sad place, tears overflowed from the corners of his eyes. The emperor pursed his lips and smiled, and said, "I just said it casually, don't take it seriously, get up quickly." He glanced at Qingcheng again and said, "You can get up too." Qingcheng replied "yes" and helped the palace maid who was serving the tea to get up.

When the lion saw Qingcheng get up, he hurriedly broke free from the emperor's arms, jumped to Qingcheng's feet and went straight around. Qingcheng shouted lightly: "Don't make trouble! As if he had received a holy decree, the lion immediately became obedient, and lay on the ground in a half-crouching manner, and swept his tail straight away.

The emperor couldn't help but smile and said, "It still listens to you." He treated her puppies so kindly, which made the queen sour and jealous. The imperial doctor checked the pulse and replied, "Although Master Jia is injured on his waist, the fetal image is stable and there is no major problem. The emperor nodded and said, "It's okay, go down." ”

After the imperial doctor knelt down, the emperor asked coldly: "Erqi, tell me, what's going on?" Er Qi looked at Qingcheng, who knew that she was afraid, so he said, "Things are what they are, you just have to say." ”

Er Qi bowed his head to receive the moon in the Internal Affairs Mansion, and heard the palace people in the ear room talking about the ambiguous relationship between Qingcheng and Master Jian, and the personal servants of himself and Concubine Jia, who were tortured with a cane and begged Qingcheng to save his life, and said carefully, and finally said: "They also spread rumors, saying that when the pure master is promoted to concubine, the emperor will take the third elder brother to Yikun Palace for upbringing." This is really nothing, they chew their tongues indiscriminately, passing around, and then they will definitely say that the pure master is pampered and arrogant, and even the queen does not dare to exceed the ancestral rules..."She was already sharp-tongued, and her words were endless, and the more she talked, the more angry she became, and she was interrupted by the emperor's "presumptuous" for a long time.

He even allowed her to personally raise the third elder brother!

The queen seemed to have been hit hard in the chest by a boulder, and even the tips of her toes hurt. With a buzz in her head, she looked at the emperor in a trance, and he opened his mouth to say something, which exploded in her ears like firecrackers, but she couldn't hear anything clearly. Qingcheng was also startled, hurriedly lifted her skirt and knelt down, and said: "The emperor is angry, and Er Qi is loyal to the lord, so he lost his words for a while." ”

Of course, the emperor's anger is not that Er Qi is speechless, but that Jin Feng Qingcheng is a concubine, and if she asks her to raise the third elder brother in person, it is on the bed, he whispers in her ear, in this way, Qingcheng naturally will not say it outside, and there is no one to say.

Right now, there is a rumor of Yikun Palace!!

Er Qi thought that the emperor was angry with Lord Jian, and said with his fate: "The emperor is a clear man, Lord Jian has excellent medical skills, is a righteous gentleman, and the pure master is innocent, there is no trace of impropriety, those palace people who chew the root of the tongue are obviously jealous of the pure master's favor, so they made up such a big lie to frame the pure master, please don't believe it!" ”

In just a moment, the emperor's face returned to normal, and he didn't seem to take Jian Yuheng to heart at all, gritted his teeth and said: "There are many lowly people in the palace who put nonsense indiscriminately, and they love to have nothing to do and not spread rumors, and they can't wait for the palace to be calm every day." After a slight pause, he immediately said fiercely: "It seems that it's time to rectify the six palaces." ”

When Meiyan heard this, the seven souls took away the six spirits, and she was so frightened that she knelt down and trembled.

The queen forcibly suppressed the hatred in her heart, and said thoughtfully: "It's the concubine who has no way to discipline her, please forgive the emperor." The emperor ignored her, but just instructed Wu Shulai and said, "You go to the Internal Affairs Mansion and tie up all the palace people involved in this matter." When Wu Shulai saw that the emperor's tone was different, he responded for a long time, but retreated.

Qingcheng stood still without speaking, and at this time Fang spoke, and said: "Your Majesty, Master Jia is injured and resting in the dormitory, even if you want to investigate, you should go to the side for interrogation, don't disturb Master Jia's rest in Yanxi Palace." Only then did the emperor think of Concubine Jia, and said, "You are reasonable." He stood up and said, "I'm going to see Concubine Jia." ”

Concubine Jia wanted to get out of bed to say goodbye, but was stopped by the emperor. The emperor smiled and said, "Just lie down, you don't have to be polite." Are you comfortable? Concubine Jia still had a look of fear on her face, and said with a forced smile: "After the imperial doctor saw it, it was much more comfortable." The lion followed at the emperor's feet, and suddenly "Wangwang" barked twice, and Concubine Jia had palpitations and couldn't help but exclaim with "ah".

Qingcheng hurriedly held the lion in his arms and said, "Master Jia, don't be afraid, it doesn't hurt people at all, and its temperament is also kind, just now I was scared." She blessed her body and asked for a double peace salute, and said, "I will make amends for you on its behalf, and ask Master Jia for forgiveness." The emperor also smiled and said, "If something happens to Concubine Jia, I will naturally kill the lion to accompany the burial." Since it's okay, God has the virtue of a good life, so he spared its life, which can be regarded as a blessing for the child in your belly. Concubine Jia stroked her stomach, her face was full of maternal love, and she said gently: "The concubine listens to the emperor." The emperor was pleased, and said, "Very good." ”

The queen didn't want the emperor to be so selfish, so she was full of anger and had to suppress it in her heart, and when she returned to Changchun Palace, she breathed a long sigh of relief. Jean Shanrou prepared two pots of green plum wine and sat alone under the window to drink.

Er Qi was carried back to Yikun Palace, Hai An prepared the ointment to be smeared early, Qingcheng personally entered the lower room to help Er Qi with the medicine, Fang advised: "Don't be on duty these days, take care of it, stay for a while, I will let Hai An dial a little girl to make it for you." Don't run around strongly, if you leave the root of the disease, when you are old enough to leave the palace, you won't be able to marry a good family. Er Qi remembered that the emperor had been protecting himself in Yanxi Palace just now, and he felt very angry, and said with a smile: "The slave maid has stayed by the master's side all his life to serve, and he will not leave the palace." ”

Qingcheng smiled: "Don't say stupid things, if you have someone you like, just tell me." Whether it is the guards in front of the emperor or the prince and grandson, I go to ask the emperor, and there is always some hope. Er Qi inexplicably remembered the appearance of Jian Yuheng calmly walking from under the sun with the medicine box on his back, his face turned red, and he lowered his head.

Lede Haian bent down and smiled, and said, "Little hooves are thinking of spring." ”

The palace was silent, and the palace people kneeled at the bottom, Wu Shulai has always been rigorous and neat in his work, and together with Wang Jinbao, he tied up all the palace people who were nagging in the ear room of the Internal Affairs Mansion. The emperor asked them to give their own errands, only to find that among these people, there are not only Changchun Palace, Jingren Palace, Yonghe Palace, Zhongcui Palace, but even Shoukang Palace and Yangxin Palace. The emperor was furious, and ordered them to carefully confess when, where, and who they had found out the news, and then followed the clues to check down one by one. With such fanfare, even the old grandmother smacked her tongue when she heard it.

When the emperor used a late snack, Li Yu stepped forward with a green head and said, "Please turn over the brand." The emperor put down the fold, glanced at the vermilion lacquer plate, and saw the words "pure noble concubine" lying in the center, instinctively stretched out his hand, but held it up in the air, but suddenly stopped. Li Yu didn't know the holy will, held his breath, and didn't even dare to come out. Halfway through, the emperor flicked his sleeves and said, "Go ahead." Li Yu obeyed the order, but retreated.

When he arrived at the porch, he pulled Wu Shulai's sleeve and went to a secluded place, and asked, "Did the emperor quarrel with the pure master?" Wu Shulai was stunned and said, "What nonsense!" Li Yu lowered his voice and muttered: "I looked at the emperor's original intention to turn over the pure master's brand, hesitated for a moment, and changed his mind. Wu Shulai asked: "Whose sign did the emperor turn over?" ”

Li Yu said: "I didn't turn over the brand today, so I called." ”

Wu Shulai nodded thoughtfully, Li Yu still wanted to chatter, but the little eunuch in front of the emperor came over and said with a smile: "Grandpa Wu, long live the lord called you." Wu Shulai answered, straightened his clothes slightly, and hurriedly lifted the curtain and entered the hall. The Emperor stood up and stood by the window, the glass window wide open, and the stinging cold wind poured into the room, diluting the heating of the fire dragon. Wu Shu came to invite An, and asked respectfully: "Long live Lord, what do you command?" ”

The emperor still turned his back and asked indifferently: "I asked you to check Jian Yuheng before, but do you have eyebrows?" ”

Wu Shulai didn't dare to hide it, and said respectfully: "Back to the Long Live Lord, according to the investigation of the slaves, Master Jian has been on an errand in the imperial hospital since the first emperor's dynasty. The family has practiced medicine for generations, and his father has run several pharmacies in Shangjing, and the family is quite wealthy. He paused, glanced at the emperor, and said, "There is another matter, the slave does not know whether to talk about it or not." ”

The emperor suddenly turned around, his eyes were as dazzling as an eagle, and said, "Talk about what should be said, don't talk about what shouldn't be said!" Wu Shulai choked on his mouth, and said carefully after a while: "The slave found out that Master Jian and the pure master are cousins, and the pure master has been living in the Jian Mansion for several years before entering the hidden mansion. ”

The fire in the hall was bright, shining on the emperor's face, and it was a miserable white. Wu Shulai couldn't tell whether the emperor was happy or angry, so he held his breath and stood on one side. The emperor paced slowly, and the yellow velvet deerskin boots stepped on the bright mirror-like gold bricks, and there was a sound. I don't know how long it took before he said, "Go and summon Jian Yuheng." Wu Shulai said: "It's already past the hour, I'm just afraid that Lord Jian will go back to the house, it's better to be Ming'er..." Wu Shulai was so frightened that he knelt down and said, "The slave should die, the slave will do it." ”

Jian Yuheng returned home in the evening, had dinner, and was laughing in the old lady's room. The old lady said: "The pure master has no heart when he is small, and the words given by the emperor really respond to her temperament." Mrs. Jian said with a smile: "The pure master is favored, it is the creation of their Su family, and even our faces are also golden." The old lady took Jian Yuheng's hand and said, "You walk in the palace, you can often see her and the third elder brother, if she has any difficulties, but if we can help in the house, we have to say it when we come back." ”

Mrs. Jane was uncomfortable when she heard it, but she smiled and said, "After all, they are cousins, and they are too close to make people gossip." The old lady knew it and said earnestly: "I know what you're worried about, I'm always afraid that others will say that Yuheng is a stepchild, and give you a look." I can understand this selfishness, but if Yuheng and the pure master are alienated because of this, it will be against human ethics. ”

Jian Yuheng is a well-informed person, and said: "Grandma, mother, I will watch and deal with the affairs in the palace, the pure master is the master I serve, I should be close when I should be close, and I can grasp it, you can rest assured." Mrs. Jian hurriedly raised her eyebrows and smiled, and said, "I'm just worrying about it in vain, how can I not let their brothers and sisters be close, I still have this idea." ”

The old lady smiled and nodded, and was about to say something, when suddenly the curtain on the door was lifted, and a delicate-looking girl came in sideways and said, "Old lady, there is a word from the palace, and the uncle has entered the palace." Jian Yuheng was stunned and said, "Where is it transmitted?" ”

The girl said: "The slave doesn't know, you better go and ask by yourself, the palace people who spread the word are still standing at the door waiting." The old lady said: "You hurry up, come to the news at night, maybe there is an urgent matter." Jian Yuheng made a gesture and said, "The grandson retired." Mrs. Jane got up, sent him straight to the gate, and ordered the girls to fetch a copper stove, put it in his arms, and said, "It's cold, don't suffer the cold." ”

Jian Yuheng said respectfully: "Mother doesn't have to worry, I'll go back when I go." Rest sooner, don't wait for me. When I arrived at Donghua Gate, I saw the black palace wall towering, and a eunuch came out of nowhere, and said, "Is it Lord Jian from the Imperial Hospital?" Jian Yuheng hurriedly turned over and dismounted, and responded: "It's down." The eunuch said, "But I'm bothering you to run in vain." Jian Yuheng didn't know what it meant, and asked the eunuch who passed the word on the road, but he didn't know anything, and now someone suddenly appeared, and they were all fresh faces that he had never seen, and he was a little vigilant in his heart, and asked, "Where is my father-in-law on an errand?" How do you know I'm going to enter the palace? ”

The eunuch was holding a melon peel palace lamp in his hand, and said with a smile: "Lord Jian doesn't need to ask, seeing that it's going to snow, you should go back quickly." With that, he turned around and walked along the palace wall. Look at the messenger again, and there is no trace of him. Jian Yuheng wondered, and asked many colleagues on the second day, but they all said that they didn't know about it.

The emperor did not enter the Yikun Palace for a few days, Er Qi was anxious, and looked for Hai'an and said: "It must be my recklessness that made the emperor angry, and the relationship between the master and Lord Jian in the palace is boiling, and the emperor will inevitably have a grudge." Hai An smiled: "You are so sick and sick, don't worry about it." The emperor asked the Internal Affairs Office to track down the palace people who spread rumors, and the Shen Criminal Division has already locked up dozens of palace people, which shows that the emperor still believes in our master. Xu was busy with government affairs in the new year, so he didn't come. After persuading Er Qi, Hai'an returned to the East House, and saw Qingcheng standing under the window transcribing scriptures, his heart sank slightly, and he smiled and said, "Master, what do you want to eat for dinner?" ”

Qingcheng asked, "Is it snowing outside?" ”

Hai'an replied "yes", and said: "Look at the sky, you have to go down to Ming'er." Qingcheng snorted and said, "You let the kitchen prepare a copper pot, and the emperor said that he wanted to eat shabu-shabu, and it was just right to eat shabu-shabu on a snowy day." Hai'an opened his mouth, wanted to speak and stopped, and it took a long time to harden his heart: "The emperor may not come, I heard that I like to go to the palace of Lord Shu to eat these days." ”

Qingcheng's hand stopped, and the thick ink dripped on the rice paper, soaking and dyeing like a red plum in bloom. When the palace attendant saw it, he couldn't help but let out a soft "ah", and hurriedly bent his knees and said: "The slave and maid have lost their manners, please forgive the master." Qingcheng's eyebrows frowned, then stretched, and said lightly: "It's okay." She put down her pen, crumpled the rice paper that had been written too quickly, threw it on the ground, and said, "Take it all." Seeing that her face was gloomy, Hai'an didn't say anything else, just stood still.

In the afternoon, the snow fell heavier and heavier, and the palace people could barely open their eyebrows and eyes when they ran on the road. The subordinate room of Jingren Palace suddenly became noisy, and after less than a moment, it was immediately silent. Luo Qing hurriedly walked to the dormitory, and Concubine Xian got up from a lunch break, she was lazy and unfocused, seeing that she was flustered, she couldn't help asking, "What happened?" ”

Luo Qing glanced at her, and the palace people who were waiting around her all retired with blessings. When there were only two people left, Luo Qingfang said: "Master, it's not good, Father-in-law Cai in the kitchen was arrested by the people of the Internal Affairs Office, saying that someone accused him of spreading rumors." ”

Concubine Xian's expression was slightly abrupt, and she reprimanded lightly: "The more this is the case, the more you have to be calm, others haven't come to check, but you yourself have shown your feet first." Luo Qing calmed down and said, "The master is right." The slave and maid are afraid, if we continue to investigate like this, I am afraid that sooner or later we will find out. When the time comes..."Concubine Xian's round eyes glared and said, "Don't talk nonsense!" ”

Luo Qing knew that she was speechless, and hurriedly said: "The master is wise, and the slave and maid follow the teachings." "Concubine Xian originally just didn't want the queen to join forces with the pure concubine, and by the way, let the emperor have a gap between the pure concubine, but she didn't expect that the emperor would be so energetic that he wanted to investigate to the end, and he personally inquired, and there was no place to go to the door. She was already worried, but she didn't want to come so quickly. Outside, the wind and snow raged and there was a sound, and the sky was dark and gloomy, like night.

Concubine Xian whispered: "You go and prepare, when I wake up, I want to go to Shoukang Palace." I took two days off in a row, and the Queen Mother should be talking. Luo Qing listened to her words calmly, and seemed to be very sure, so she secretly breathed a sigh of relief and fell into her heart.

The next day, the emperor dispersed, and it happened that the snow stopped, so he changed into a white robe of Changjiang Silk Moon, wrapped in a black Xuanhu hood, and took a warm sedan chair to Shoukang Palace to ask for peace. The Queen Mother smoked a hookah, she was in good spirits, and when she saw the emperor, she smiled and said: "It's just in time, the mourning family has something to tell you." The emperor bowed down and said, "Lafayette looks much better today." ”

The Queen Mother said: "Concubine Xian came to serve the mourning family, and the mourning family felt comfortable. ”

Concubine Xian sat at the desk a few feet away, tapping the walnuts with a small silver hammer in her hand, her eyes were gentle, and she didn't seem to know that someone was talking about her. The emperor looked from afar, the dim snow light shone on her side face through the gauze window, lined with two clusters of pink and white peony flowers on the case, the posture was quiet and comfortable, but there was a sense of independence and shore Zhitinglan. After a while, she suddenly raised her head and smiled at the emperor, her eyes fluttering, and she couldn't take his eyes off.

The Queen Mother pondered the emperor's expression, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but smile, but she deliberately opened Concubine Xian and said, "The maple dew tea you brewed is the most flavorful, go and bring a pot to the emperor." Concubine Xian agreed politely, got up and hid in the backyard. The emperor looked at her back and disappeared, and Fang suddenly realized. The Queen Mother said: "I heard that in order to rectify the harem, you arrested everyone to the Shen Criminal Division." ”

The emperor said: "Since I ascended the throne, I have always treated the people in the harem with benevolence and righteousness, and I don't want those dog slaves to be unaware of what to do and what to do, and I have to make this decision several times. ”

The Queen Mother was still smiling at first, but at this time she gradually lost her smile, and said: "Seeing that it is the end of the year, do you still want to be bloody?!" After a pause, he said: "According to the meaning of the mourning family, so far in this matter, the minions who have been found will each go to the Internal Affairs Office to receive ten rods. ”

The emperor said, "It's really half-, son..."

The Queen Mother sneered: "Don't you know when you mourn? Isn't it just for the palace people to rumor that the pure noble concubine and the imperial doctor of the imperial hospital behaved ambiguously? Although you protect her, you also have to tell the truth about right and wrong. You like a pure concubine, and you don't stop the mourning family, but if she is really well-behaved, how can she spread such absurd words? What's more, how can you block it if you want to? The emperor never disobeyed the queen mother, and was afraid that Qingcheng would become more and more unhappy with the queen mother, so he said: "Okay, good, my son listens to you." ”

For a while, Concubine Xian stepped forward with maple dew tea, and the Queen Mother was already smiling, and said, "You present it to the emperor first, let him try it." Concubine Xian belched, and lightly handed the blue-glazed white-bottomed bird-finch porcelain bowl to the emperor, and I don't know who lost his mind, and the tea bowl went straight to the emperor.

Everyone was startled, and Concubine Xian was so shocked that she said again and again: "The concubine is rude...", but the emperor grabbed her hand and said with a smile: "It's okay, it's just that the robe is wet." It's you, are you hot? ”

Concubine Xian's face turned crimson, shyly broke free of her hand, and said, "The concubine is fine." The Queen Mother looked at it in her eyes and said, "Concubine Xian, what are you doing in a daze, why don't you hurry up and go inside to serve the emperor's wide clothes." The emperor got up and said with a smile: "My son will retire for a while." The Queen Mother smiled: "Go ahead." "Entering the inner hall, the palace people stepped forward to serve the clothes, the emperor raised his face, Wu Shulai understood, asked the palace people to put the dragon robe on the table, and quietly retreated.

The emperor said, "I always feel that you seem to be different today. ”

Concubine Xian took off her robe for the emperor, put on a royal blue satin robe, twisted the cloud dragon buckle on her chest, and said: "The concubines are like this every day, but the emperor's mood is different, so I feel different." The emperor nodded thoughtfully, and said good-naturedly: "You have a point. She leaned over and carefully tended with the clothes, he smelled the faint fragrance of her hair, and suddenly moved, and couldn't help but pull her waist heavily, if it weren't for the queen mother still waiting outside, he couldn't wait to press her to the couch immediately, and spoiled her.

Back at Jingren Palace, Luo Qing hurriedly asked the palace people to prepare hot water and wait for Concubine Xian to wash her hair and bathe. After retiring everyone, Luo Qing said in a low voice: "Master, let's use this spice sparingly, the slave is afraid of damaging the body." ”