Concubine Wu Hui's sudden illness was like a knife that cut off the strings, the sound of breaking shook Li Longji's heart, and the remnants of the strings that were played crossed the flesh and bones of the children, and it hurt fiercely. She lost weight at a speed that everyone could see, and in less than half a year, she lost all her former glory.

It wasn't until one day that Yang Yuhuan played the pipa in order to relieve her mother-in-law's boredom, and Concubine Wu Hui reacted for the first time. She first turned her head stiffly, staring quietly at the pipa in Yang Yuhuan's arms, and then stretched out her hand.

This night, as soon as Li Longji arrived at the door of the Jiaotai Palace, he heard a long-lost pipa sound.

Although he was rusty, he recognized that this was Yueniang's timbre. He still remembers that on that Shangyuan night decades ago, he and his brothers were on the street, and saw the girl Wu Guanyue sitting next to a group of folk musicians, dancing on the strings, playing a clear and energetic tune. But when she came to her side and became a concubine, she gradually stopped playing the pipa. He was also quite sorry, thinking that he would never hear it again in his life.

Just when he thought that Concubine Wu Hui had improved and stepped into the main hall briskly, he heard a "bang", and the music suddenly stopped. He hurriedly walked into the inner room, and saw that the pipa bone on the ground was broken, and Concubine Wu Hui shrank back on the couch, and trembled and stretched out her hand to point to the window: "It's you ......"

Everyone in the hall followed Concubine Wu Hui's point, but they only saw the shadow of the branches outside the hall reflected on the window, and nothing else.

After a few more days, Li Longji learned: "Concubine Hui saw the three people? ”

Xiao Jiangyuan nodded and said: "The minister has already investigated, it is indeed just the shadow of the tree on the window, as for why Concubine Hui was mistaken for the three concubines, the minister does not know." ”

Since the death of the Sanshu people, it has been rumored that the Sanshu people died unjustly, and the culprit is Concubine Wu Hui. Now Concubine Wu Hui can see the shadow of the tree as a person who has come to entangle and ask for her life, in the eyes of others, it has confirmed their speculation, but in Xiao Jiangyuan's opinion, it is just Concubine Wu Hui's own heart.

Based on Xiao Jiangyuan's understanding of Concubine Wu Hui, saying that she was out of fear or guilt, Xiao Jiangyuan didn't believe it. It has always been her own person who can shake Concubine Wu Hui's heart. Xiao Jiangyuan just didn't understand, the three concubines were dead, King Shou's bright future was close at hand, and Concubine Wu Hui had clearly won, why didn't she have the slightest attitude of a winner, but at this time, she fell into her own worries and depression? She still allowed herself to be so sick, could it be that everything she had done for so many years had been forgotten? Could it be that she didn't want all the wishes she had been striving for?

- What exactly does she want?

At this time, it was dusk, Li Longji and Xiao Jiangyuan were standing in front of the Jiaotai Palace, watching the sky gradually sink, and the lights in the hall were gradually brightening, full and warm, just as Li Longji felt from Concubine Wu Hui for many years, but Li Longji's heart was as cold as falling into a cold pool.

He had already canceled the sickness of several of his children, and asked them all to return to their mansions, and to forget whatever they heard and saw in the Jiaotai Palace. Even Princess Taihua, who had never been to the Taoist Temple far away, was directly sent by him to Princess Yuzhen.

Xiao Jiangyuan couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Maybe when there are many children, the parents will inevitably be partial, but her Ah Lang clearly sensed the possibility behind this, but he still preserved the children in this way. Concubine Wu Hui's life is not in vain.

As for the palace people and chamberlains who served in the Jiaotai Palace, their luck was not so good. Except for Gong Zheng Wu'er, who served closely, the rest did not enter the court, and they could not come out again in this life.

Wu Su'er lit the lights in the hall and respectfully guarded the door of the Jiaotai Palace. Li Longji asked Xiao Jiangyuan to wait for him outside the hall and walked in alone.

As soon as he stepped in, Li Longji was slightly stunned. Tonight's Concubine Wu Hui did not shrink on the couch, but sat in the position where she sat most often in the main hall, her long hair was pulled at will with a hosta, which was the most leisurely and homely. There was a brocade box beside her, and Li Longji looked a little familiar, but he couldn't remember anything.

Seeing that she tried to glue the pipa that had been broken before, with a serious expression, Li Longji said lightly: "What if it is glued, even if you connect the broken strings, it is still a pipa, and it will no longer produce a good sound." ”

Concubine Wu Hui made a move, tried for a while but to no avail, and then simply put the broken pipa aside, and then held the brocade box in her arms.

Seeing that Concubine Wu Hui was silent, she didn't pay attention to herself, and only stroked the brocade box like a baby, Li Longji was angry for a while, picked up the brocade box and threw it casually: "I know you're not crazy!" ”

Concubine Wu Hui hurriedly threw herself towards the brocade box, and the whole person fell to the ground. Her hosta fell, her long hair fell out, and she was very embarrassed, but she only cared about the contents of the brocade box, and didn't care about anything else.

Only then did Li Longji see clearly what was in the brocade box. He also finally remembered that after the canonization of Concubine Wu Hui, he had transferred the Zhai clothes and back crown worn by the abolished queen Wang to her, and the crown was in this brocade box at that time. He didn't expect that Concubine Wu Hui took good care of them, and even the brocade box was as good as new.

Because there was no queen back then, Li Longji had no reason to remake the crown of Zhai Yi to give Concubine Wu Hui a new and exclusive one. Although Zhai Yi and Houguan themselves are noble enough, they are old after all, and even if Li Longji makes Concubine Wu Hui treat her like a queen, she still has regrets. In the end, although she was his wife, she was not his queen.

The anger turned into a dagger, stabbing Li Longji in the chest again and again. He pulled Concubine Wu Hui to stand up, clasped her shoulders with both hands, and looked at her fixedly: "You won't be crazy, and you're not afraid of those three rebels, let alone believe in any unjust souls asking for your life." Tell me, what the hell is going on? What are you worried about depression? ”

Seeing that Concubine Wu Hui was still holding Zhai Yi in her hands, holding the phoenix crown, carefully checking whether they were damaged, and she was never more cautious, Li Longji gritted his teeth, directly snatched the phoenix crown with one hand, threw it on the cold and hard floor tiles, and pulled the Zhai Yi hard, making a cracking sound.

Concubine Wu Hui was stunned for a moment, and then pushed Li Longji hard. Concubine Wu Hui had ever been so disrespectful to Li Longji, Li Longji was unexpected, and staggered back a few steps before finally standing firm. He met Concubine Wu Hui's sad and resentful gaze, and listened to her voice in a dumb voice: "Are you here to ask the teacher about the crime?" ”

"Even you think I'm the culprit?" Without waiting for Li Longji to answer, Concubine Wu Hui laughed at the window as if she had heard a joke, "You saw it, right?" Why are you coming to me? I have only paved the way for you, and if you do not harm my heart, how can you get there? It's your own choice, how can you blame me? You will only dare to come to me...... But I didn't want you to die, I never wanted you to die! ”

Although the words were said to the Sanshu people, Concubine Wu Hui's eyes were always staring at Li Longji: "They all say that the three of you are wronged, but your grievances against me and him are true, and it is true that you want to force the palace, do you have to wait for your desire to expand day by day, and wait until you turn the palace into a mutiny and succeed before you are wronged?" You have been stupid all your life, and you refuse to give up after you die, thinking that you are defeated and died because of my frame-up? It is clear that you are seeking your own death, you should not contact all the princes to stand on the side of the abolished prince, this is the cause of your death! It is that he has no father-son affection for you, only life and death as a king! The one you should be looking for is him, it's him! ”

"As for my ......" Concubine Wu Hui tucked the only remaining Zhai Yi in her hand to her chest, and approached Li Longji step by step, "I just want to be the queen, is this wrong?" Since entering the palace, I have kept my duty, never have a trace of disrespect for the queen and queen, I have made friends with other concubines with my heart, and I really love the princes and princesses, I love you, relieve your worries, and have children for you, am I not good enough? Even compared to the queen and queen, I am even better! I am the most competent woman in your entire harem to be the queen! ”

Tears pierced her smile and rolled down one by one, her voice was choked, and there was a lot of incomprehension and grievance in her tone: "I want to walk on the throne of the queen cleanly, what's wrong with this?" Am I right to provoke a fight, wantonly compete for favor, and then abandon the idea of good and evil, persecute those innocent children, and stir up the entire harem? Do you have to be as ruthless as your aunt and grandmother to become a queen? I don't believe it, I don't believe there's only one way! I can't put the blame on others because of my own experiences and expectations, and then think that I am justified and justified, say something hurtful and unreasonable, and do those things that are intolerable. I'm not that kind of person, I'm not ...... But why can't I do it after all? Is it really just because my surname is Wu that I can't be a queen? ”

Concubine Wu Hui had already vaguely sensed something before she wooed Zhang Jiuling. Seeing that after she was exposed, Li Longji did not blame herself, and she was even more sure that the matter of abolishing the prince was never something that she could control alone. The reason why she almost succeeded, and then really succeeded, was just because that was exactly what Li Longji wanted.

Just like the abolished queen of the year, after the abolition, he can do what he wants, and if he does not establish the queen, he also wants it. Therefore, as soon as the courtiers objected, he was as good as he went. He knew exactly what she wanted, but he never changed any of his decisions for her.

Ironically, it was only after years that she finally learned this.

"You never wanted to make me your queen, did you?"

It's not so much a question as a statement, and by the time she asked, she already knew the answer.

So without waiting for Li Longji to answer, she asked again: "That...... Who do you want to erect? ”

Li Longji's face was blue and white, and he slowly clenched his fists. Concubine Wu Hui saw through him and exposed him. She let him have nothing to hide, and also let him know that everyone in this world can blame her, but he can't.

He should be resentful, but why not? Why did he not do anything wrong, but instead of getting any relief, he was more miserable?

In this bloody battle, in the end, there is no understanding of right and wrong, no one is innocent, and no one is a winner.

Only the woman in front of him was left in his eyes, the woman who had accompanied him for half his life. She was clearly more painful than him, and this pain was all given to her by him.

"Yueniang......" Li Longji stepped forward calmly, hugged Concubine Wu Hui into his arms, and actually regained a little of his former gentleness, "You are so smart on weekdays, why can't you always figure it out in this matter - can't I stand up to anyone?" ”

Wife, Qi also. If there is only one person in this world who can sit on an equal footing with the emperor, or even fight against each other, then there is only the queen. This is true of Empress Taizong Wendeok, and so is the Emperor and Empress Ten. In the past, the Emperor and Queen of Heaven followed the example of Emperor Wen and Empress Wenwen and called the two saints, which further consolidated and improved the identity, power and status of the empress, making the empress officially a figure who was both an inner court and an outer court. As long as the queen is powerful enough, she can control the government and become the real master of the country.

This is the reason why Concubine Wu Hui wants to be the queen, and it is also the reason why Li Longji insists on abolishing the queen and no longer establishing the queen.

After all, Li Tang had paid too much price for this. Whether it is rumors or trees, he knows too well how powerful a woman will have when she becomes smart, so he wants to completely end the red makeup era in his hands and not give it any chance to fight back.

At this point, how could Concubine Wu Hui not understand what Li Longji meant? She suddenly lost all her strength and fell into Li Longji's arms.

Li Longji hurriedly hugged her to the couch and hugged her tightly. He knew that her time was running out, but he was never ready to lose her, he was even a little panicked, he didn't know what else to do for her, so he could only listen to her intermittently and helplessly: "Then after Yueniang's death, can San Lang fulfill Yueniang's wish?" ”

Concubine Wu Hui said as she presented the only remaining fragment of Zhai Yi in her hand to Li Longji.

Li Longji was just about to reach out to pick it up, but he saw that the faint blue fell weakly on the edge of the collapse with Concubine Wu Hui's hand.

The swan song of the Tang Dynasty