In the early spring, for Dongli, it is warm and cold at first, it is still the time when the plum blossoms are blooming, but in Nanxiu, it is already a hundred flowers blooming, competing for beauty, and it is very lively. The women of the harem have gone through a winter hibernation, and at first they come out from time to time to refresh their muscles, and occasionally wander around the imperial garden in groups of three or five.

Pei Gongcuo was not in such a good mood. Hua Mian disappeared last night, he stayed awake all night, and today he went straight to Huang Jue'an to find Wantao and Shuyu for questioning. The two of them were very loyal, insisting that they did not know where Hua Mian had gone, and even swore that they had never helped her escape, and that she had no intention of escaping. But it is also an indisputable fact that the majestic and arrogant yellow-headed bird disappeared inexplicably after her disappearance. They can't explain it, it's a ghost in their hearts. So he confined them in the courtyard, and if Hua Mian did not return, they would not leave for a day.

Depressed holding the snowball back to the palace, unconsciously walked to the Shuihua Palace, a figure knelt in front of him, he paused suddenly, saw that it was Xiao Yangzi, and said angrily: "What are you doing?" ”

Xiao Yangzi said aggrievedly: "Your Majesty, the slave was taken by Concubine Zhuang Xian today and almost died. Please also ask the emperor to call the shots for the minions. ”

Pei Gongcuo said impatiently: "What does she do with you?" ”

"Concubine Zhuang Xian sent the slave to Chuxiu Palace today, and as soon as she opened her mouth, she asked Concubine Burmese if she had a miscarriage. The slave said that the Burmese concubine was not pregnant, so how could she have a miscarriage. She said that the slave lied, and asked where the slave's parents were hidden by the Burmese concubine. The minion pretended not to know. She said that the slave couldn't help the slave because of her, treacherous, and betrayed the master to seek glory, so she took advantage of the fact that the Burmese concubine was not in the palace and couldn't protect the slave, so she let the slave beat the slave for forty boards and then put it in the firewood room to wait for the fate. ”

Pei Gongcuo frowned and looked at him and said, "How did you escape from the firewood room?" But why don't I think you look like you've been on a board? ”

"The minion hasn't finished yet. The slave was pressed to the ground, and when the board was about to fall, the queen mother arrived. As soon as she saw this battle, she asked, what is it that makes such a big fuss? Concubine Zhuang Xian was very surprised, and respectfully explained to the Queen Mother that the Burmese concubine was pregnant, but the emperor hid the entire harem, and it was impossible for the slave to be on an errand in Shuihua Palace not to know about it. The queen mother said that if the emperor ordered to be sealed, how could the slaves dare not listen, besides, it should be a happy thing to have joy in the harem, so why bother to take a slave to be angry. Seeing that the Queen Mother was so open-minded, the slave wanted to be angry for Concubine Myanmar, and on the other hand, he also wanted to get rid of Concubine Zhuang Xian's control, so he told the Queen Mother that the child in Concubine Myanmar's womb had been beaten out by Concubine Zhuang Xian's people, and it was because of this that Concubine Burma would go to the nunnery to pray for blessings. The Queen Mother didn't believe it. In order to increase his credibility, the servant said that he had seen Xia Er manipulate the meal of the Burmese concubine. The Queen Mother said that since she saw it with her own eyes, why didn't she expose her? The slave said that because the slave's parents were controlled by Concubine Zhuang Xian at that time, and now that they have been rescued by the emperor, the slave has nothing to fear. The Queen Mother was very angry, and she questioned Concubine Zhuang Xian, but what the slave said was the truth. Concubine Zhuang Xian's face was very ugly, she naturally denied it, and said that how could the queen mother listen to the words of a slave and question her own niece. The Queen Mother said that she would find out whether what the slave said was true, but before that, Concubine Zhuang Xian needed to meditate in the Chuxiu Palace. ”

Pei Gongcuo listened patiently to Xiao Yangzi for a long time, and said lukewarmly: "You can really arrange it, frame Concubine Zhuang Xian, don't say it, and pull me to be a shield." Now that the Queen Mother has already made decisions for you, what are you still looking for me to do? ”

Xiao Yangzi said with a sad face: "The slave thinks that the slave is not a choreographer, Concubine Zhuang Xian pays so much attention to the Shuihua Palace, and she can't get rid of the concubine's miscarriage in Myanmar." Later, the queen mother took the slave back to Cining Palace for questioning, and the slave found out that things were not as simple as the slave thought. ”

"Oh? What did the Queen Mother tell you? ”

"The Queen Mother said to the slave very seriously, Xiao Yangzi, do you know that there are some things that you can't say nonsense, otherwise you won't even know how to die. The slave naturally didn't want to die, so he had to swear to the Queen Mother that what the slave said was absolutely true. The Queen Mother asked again, have you ever said these words to the emperor? The slave just wanted to say that he hadn't said it, but after thinking about it, if there was no emperor covering, wouldn't it be easy for the queen mother to kill the slave? In order to save his life, the servant lied that the emperor knew about it. The Queen Mother asked again, what did the emperor say? The servant said that the emperor said that he would investigate clearly and give an explanation to the Burmese concubine. The queen mother's face became more and more ugly, she said, if you still want to live, this matter will end here, no matter how quiet, the emperor will persuade the mourning family to let him no longer pursue it, otherwise the mourning family wants to execute a little eunuch, and the emperor may not be able to save it. ”

When the words fell, Xiao Yangzi looked at Pei Gongcuo sadly, waiting for his fall, but saw him frowning and looking at the distant void, silent for a long time. He called: "Your Majesty? ”

Pei Gongcuo indifferently withdrew his gaze, stared at him for a long time, and sighed: "You, let me say what is good about you." If you say you're smart, you're smart, and if you say you're stupid, you're stupid. ”

Xiao Yangzi drooped his face and said: "The slave knows his mistake, but please ask the emperor to make it clear." ”

"Do you want me to tell you about the relationship between the Queen Mother and Concubine Zhuang Xian? Trying to get the Queen Mother to rescue you from Concubine Zhuang Xian, you can't figure it out. You exposed her niece's crimes in front of the Queen Mother, did you expect her to kill her relatives in righteousness? ”

Xiao Yangzi snorted: "Concubine Zhuang Xian will not give the slave a way to live, if the slave doesn't do this, there is only a dead end." ”

"If you fall into the hands of the Queen Mother, you will not escape death."

"But the Queen Mother has obviously spared the life of the slave."

"That's why I call you stupid."

"Huh? Your Majesty, the slave is the one whose heart is towards the Burmese concubine, and you have to save the slave's life for the sake of the Burmese concubine's face. It's not a pity for the slave to die, but the slave's parents still have to rely on the slave to provide for them to die. ”

"Okay, okay, it's okay if you don't mention her, I can't wait to throw you out when you mention her."

"Huh? Did Concubine Burmese do something wrong? ”

"I said that I should not mention her again. From today onwards, you take care of the snowball, and I will cover you. ”

Xiao Yangzi was suddenly overjoyed, and hurriedly kowtowed: "Thank you, Your Majesty." Then he got up with a very good eye, took the snowball from Pei Gongcuo's hand, and went to the imperial dining room to find food for him.

Pei Gongcuo patrolled the Shuihua Palace for a long time, only to feel that things were wrong, and his heart was very empty, so he finally sighed and turned to leave.

When passing through the Imperial Garden, he heard the sound of a woman laughing in his ears, and he couldn't help but stop to look, and then was quite surprised to find that the seven concubines left behind in the palace were gathered together except for Zhuang Ziyan, who was grounded by the Queen Mother, and was gossiping around the Queen Mother in the Lake Center Pavilion at the moment. He didn't seem to have seen such a scene of harmony for a long time.

Unintentionally gagging with them, Pei Gongcuo stepped and was about to leave, but he heard the Queen Mother call: "Your Majesty, today's spring is very good, since you are here, come and sit down, the mourning family just has something to say to you." ”

Pei Gongcuo's brows frowned imperceptibly, and in an instant, he moved to the pavilion with a kind face, and sat down on the stone bench beside her after saluting the queen mother under the courtesy and eager gaze of the concubines.

After chatting casually, the Queen Mother withdrew from everyone, leaving Pin'er to wait on the side. Seeing that everyone got up and left stupidly, she glanced at Fu Xin behind Pei Gongcuo and said, "Can Grandpa Fu avoid it?" ”

Pei Gongcuo raised his hand to stop him: "No need, I never avoid Fu Xin's affairs." When the words fell, he glanced at the backs of the concubines who were reluctant to drift away and said, "If the queen mother has something to say, you might as well say it directly." ”

"The mourning family doesn't plan to go around the bend." The Queen Mother took a sip of the teacup that Pin'er had just added water, and said, "Your Majesty, you are afraid that those women will be jealous and not make a noise about the fact that the Burmese concubine is pregnant, why do you even hide it from the mourning family?" ”

"It was for this." Pei Gongcuo smiled bitterly, "I wanted to wait for her fetus to be stable before telling my mother, but I couldn't keep it." I wonder how the queen mother found out? ”

"There is no such thing as an impermeable wall. The mourning family heard Xiao Yangzi say that the fetus of the Burmese concubine was harmed by Ziyan, I don't know if it is or not? ”

It turned out that Xiao Yangzi told the queen mother. This minion is really fast-talking. Concubine Zhuang Xian has always been virtuous, how could she murder my dragon heir, it must be Xiao Yangzi who made a mistake. ”

"The emperor can have this awareness, and the mourning family is very pleased. This matter involves Ziyan's innocence, and it is closely related to the reputation of the Zhuang family, in order to prevent rumors from spreading, the mourning family feels that it is better to completely shut his mouth. ”

Pei Gongcuo's heart was already cold, but his face was calm and calm: "What the queen mother said is very true, and I also have this intention." Therefore, I decided to let Xiao Yangzi stay by his side every day from tomorrow onwards, and he was not allowed to leave half a step. If he dares to talk nonsense, I will not spare him. ”

“……”

"I wonder what else the queen mother commands?"

The Queen Mother's expression stiffened for a short moment before she regained her usual dignity and kindness, and she said with a pleasant face: "That Burmese concubine, since she has only had a miscarriage for a short time, it is the time when she needs to recuperate, is it not appropriate for you to let her out of the palace to pray for blessings?" ”

"The queen mother has a heart, since she has made up her mind, I don't want to force it, so just let her go."

"There is still something unknown about the mourning family."

"But it's okay to talk about the queen mother."

"There has been no good news in the entire harem for more than three years, why did Concubine Mian conceive a dragon heir not long after she came?"

Pei Gongcuo expected that the Queen Mother would have such a question, so he was also calm, he smiled shyly and said: "If it weren't for the fact that the Burmese concubine was pregnant, I would have thought that there was something wrong with my body. ”

"I see." The Queen Mother suddenly said, "Could it be that Imperial Doctor Zhang's prescription has worked?" ”

Pei Gongcuo's eyes suddenly lit up and said: "The queen mother's words reminded me that eighty percent of this matter is the credit of Imperial Doctor Zhang. ”

"That's good, the mourning family finally has a hope. The emperor may not know that many of the harem concubines are quietly drinking the decoction of fertility every day, which also makes them suffer. I hope that the emperor will go to the palaces more and move around, so that the royal family can spread as soon as possible. ”

"This matter is not urgent, maybe it is just that the opportunity has not yet arrived. Didn't Concubine Burma go to pray for blessings? ”

The Queen Mother nodded and said, "I hope that God will have mercy and let the mourning family hug their grandson." ”

Pei Gongcuo smiled and said: "Look at what the queen mother said, why don't you just hug your grandson, I'm afraid that when the time comes, you won't be able to hug your grandson." ”

The Queen Mother couldn't help but smile and said, "That's the best." In addition, there is another thing, after the emperor has not been established for many years, there is no owner in the middle palace, and the ministers have long been discussed, can the emperor have a suitable candidate in his heart? ”

The smile on Pei Gongcuo's face couldn't help but stiffen: "I'm still considering." ”

The Queen Mother asked: "According to the mourning family, they have their own merits, but I don't know if the emperor can't make a choice, or do you think they are all unsightly?" ”

"The queen mother is too worried. As the queen mother said, they are all very good, which is why I can't make up my mind for a while. ”

"Even so, the mourning family doesn't force it, so the emperor will go and get busy if he has something."

"I also have some state affairs to deal with, so I won't accompany my mother."

After Pei Gongcuo left, the Queen Mother sat alone in the pavilion and pondered for a long time. The emperor's attitude towards Hua Myanmar made her look at flowers in a fog and couldn't figure it out. If he said that he loved her, how could he let her go out of the palace to practice? If he doesn't love her, why does he even have to take a little eunuch by her side to protect her? As for Zhuang Ziyan, she used to be very favored by herself, but what she is doing now is really disappointing. The emperor's heart is like a mirror, but he is afraid that he will talk about the words of respect and trust for her, and he will already be cold and alienated from her in his heart. Regardless of whether Hua Mian was a threat or not, she had to find another person who could replace Zhuang Ziyan and cultivate it separately.

With a flash of inspiration in her mind, she turned her head to look at Pin'er on the side. During the conversation, the emperor would set his eyes on her from time to time, and it seemed that he had not forgotten his feelings for her. If Pin'er can be included in the harem, it will be a big help to himself.

At this moment, the haze in her heart seemed to be blown away by a soft and warm wind, and the scenery in front of her became pleasing to the eye.