She has already reached this point, and the Empress Dowager Xi still doubts her.

The Empress Dowager Xi took a deep breath, with a faint trace of tiredness in her tone, turned around, personally helped Zike up, and personally tidied up the folds of Zike's clothes, and said slowly: "Go back." ”

With disappointment and complexity in her words, Zike's originally dry eyes instantly welled up with tears, and the Empress Dowager Xi couldn't help but support her and walked towards the front by herself.

The slowness in his steps is with the traces of time after all, and Zike almost crushes a mouthful of silver teeth.

She knelt slowly behind the Queen Mother Xi, silently, not as tragic as before, but with a hint of desperation.

She said slowly: "The slave is sorry for the Queen Mother, I released the news." ”

The Empress Dowager Xi seemed to have expected it a long time ago, she kept walking, as if she couldn't hear what Zi Ke said, Zi Ke saw this and hurriedly said: "But the Queen Mother, don't you want to know why the slave sent the news to the old princess?" ”

Empress Dowager Xi's footsteps paused slightly, her voice mixed with the night wind, with a cold chill and said: "Although Li'er is the adopted daughter of the mourning family, she is considered a member of the royal family after all, and her marriage is the same as Hong'er's marriage, which is inextricably affected by the political affairs of the previous dynasty, and you are not the only one who wants to promote this marriage." ”

Zike was sad, the poignancy in her voice was like a desperate mother, she shook her head desperately on her chest, letting tears crisscross her face, she said: "Queen Mother, the slave maid has been an orphan since she was a child, and she was only ten years old when she was bought into the house, except for the maid, the slave and maid have no other relatives, what the previous dynasty, what political affairs, the slave and maid don't understand——"

This is what the Empress Dowager of the West knows, if it weren't for Zike's simple background, she wouldn't have kept her by her side, in fact, she had thought about it a lot, but no matter what, she couldn't think of a reason for Zike to betray herself.

She said in a deep voice, "Why is that? ”

Zike took a deep breath, and then said, "Because of the county lord, because of the mother-"

Empress Dowager Xi became more and more puzzled, she turned around to look at Zike, and saw that she had already cried into a tearful person, but she couldn't bear to say: "For the sake of the mourning family and the county lord?" ”

Zike seemed to be able to foresee what was about to happen, and she simply said in one breath: "The mother and the heir are difficult, although the first emperor loves you very much, but there is no son-in-law, no matter what your background is, this posterior position is unstable after all, and it is like this that you took in the county lord who is also an orphan." may be blessed by the sky, and since then, Niangniang has had His Majesty - the slave and maid take care of Niangniang while taking care of the little county lord. ”

Speaking of this, she really brought a little sincerity, she slowly stretched out her hands, compared the size and said: "The county lord has been weak and sick since he was a child, like a cat, and his cry is also very weak, sometimes the nurse sleeps, and the slave and maid sit in front of her small bed, thinking that although she and the slave are orphans, she is luckier than the slave and the maid, she has the favor of the mother, and the favor of the emperor." ”

Empress Dowager Xi looked at her silently, as if she couldn't bear to interrupt her words, Zi Ke continued: "Just watch and watch, the county lord will leave, will run, and will whisper to his aunt." You don't know how happy the slave is. Later, when she grew older, the slave could see the regent's intentions for the county lord, but the slave didn't like the regent, and he was scheming and scheming. ”

There was hatred in her eyes, and that feeling was very similar, a mother who was embarrassed and angry, but the Empress Dowager Xi never knew that Zi Ke actually had such feelings for Li'er.

Zike's expression was a little stubborn and crazy, she looked at the Queen Mother Xi and said: "The county lord is the treasure of the palm of the mother's hand, how could he have been so disappointed by him, the slave maid thought, I must watch the county lord marry well and live happily, so as to calm the resentment in the slave's heart——"

The Empress Dowager Xi said: "So you want to promote this marriage with Prince Kang's son?" ”

Zike nodded and said: "Yes, Prince Kang's son, no, now he is already a little prince, young and promising, the slave maid has explored, the huge fief is now being taken care of by the little prince, the people are harmonious, and I think he is also a young talent-the slave maid thought——"

She hesitated for a moment, and suddenly said with a wry smile: "The slave and maid don't know why, I mentioned it to the lady a few times, but the mother didn't want to, so the slave and the maid moved the old princess's thoughts, and the slave and the maid went to the old princess and said, you are willing to marry the county lord to the little prince, but Your Majesty is hindered by the power of the regent, so he doesn't dare to nod, and begs the old princess to think of a way——"

After speaking, she leaned over and made a deep salute, did not get up, and said: "The slave is sorry for the mother, and she has failed the mother's love-"

Empress Dowager Xi had a bad premonition in her heart, and before she stepped forward, she saw Zike get up from the ground and quickly hit the rockery on the side.

Empress Dowager Xi's face changed suddenly, and she said quickly: "Zike, what are you going to do?" ”

Zike didn't hear it, but just crashed towards the rockery, as if with the determination to die, the Queen Mother Xi saw that she couldn't stop it, and called in a row: "Come on, come on——"

The accompanying palace people, although they were retreated by the Queen Mother of the West, did not go far, and it happened that there was a little palace maid waiting next to the rockery, seeing this, she hurriedly used her body to block, although she slowed down some strength, but Zike seemed to have used all her strength, she was knocked and staggered two steps, and the two of them crashed into the rockery together, and Zike's forehead suddenly bled like a note.

The little palace maid could not care about the pain in her back, and shouted: "Come on, come on, come on—help—"

The Empress Dowager Xi was helped to come forward, took a look at the palace lamp in her hand, and hurriedly said in a loud voice: "Go and call the imperial doctor, quickly, send people back to Yikun Palace——"

Immediately, the little eunuch stepped forward and walked towards Yikun Palace with Zike half-supported by his hands and feet.

At this time, someone noticed the little palace maid sitting on the ground, and someone who knew her stepped forward and said with concern: "Ah Zhu, are you okay?" ”

Ah Zhu shook his head, pursed his lips and smiled: "I'm fine, thank you sister for your concern." ”

Seeing that the group had already walked away, the palace maid hurriedly pulled Ah Zhu and said, "I see that you just hit the rockery, and it must have been broken, I'll help you go back, and the imperial doctor will come over in a while, and I'll take a look at you by the way." ”

Ah Zhu thanked him in a low voice, and slowly let the palace maid hold him, and slowly walked back.

The palace maid looked at Ah Zhu's inconspicuous appearance, and said with a smile: "Looking at your usual silence, this time the reaction is quite fast, and I don't know what Aunt Zike and the Queen Mother said, they made such a big fuss——"

Ah Zhu reacted dumbly, as if she didn't know the meaning of her words, and the palace maid saw that the hint could not be made, and she also knew Ah Zhu's stupid nature, so she also asked directly: "Just now, your position is closest to the Queen Mother and Aunt Zike, but what did you hear?" ”

Ah Zhu was so frightened that she took two steps back, almost falling, she waved her hand again and again and said: "Don't dare, don't dare, the master let me retreat, Ah Zhu doesn't dare to eavesdropping-"

The palace maid saw that she couldn't ask anything, so she also gave up, and she sighed and said, "If Aunt Zike is okay this time, your good days will come in the future." ”

Ah Zhu didn't answer, just pursed her lips, looking very responsible.

The palace maid was bored, so she stopped talking, quickened her pace, and walked towards Yikun Palace.

This incident caused a lot of trouble, and even alarmed the emperor and Jiang Li'er, who were originally going to sleep.

Both of them rushed over with a soft sedan chair, and when they saw that the Empress Dowager Xi was fine, it was Zike who broke her forehead, and couldn't help but be a little puzzled, Ning Hongping retreated and asked, "Queen Mother, what happened?" ”

Empress Dowager Xi looked at Jiang Li'er, who was standing behind Ning Hong with a concerned face, sighed and said, "It's okay, it's just that I accidentally hit my forehead, and the imperial doctor has already gone in to take a look, saying that there is no big problem, but it has alarmed the emperor and Li'er." ”

Ning Hongfang had only seen the injury on Zike's forehead, no matter how he looked at it, it didn't look like he had accidentally bumped into it, but when the queen mother said this, she must not want to say it, so he simply didn't ask, just nodded and said, "It's okay." ”

Seeing that Jiang Li'er was still looking inside, the Empress Dowager Xi said in a deep voice: "Li'er, the mourning family is not worried about those clumsy girls, you go in and help the mourning family keep an eye on it, if there is anything, come and tell the mourning family immediately." ”

Jiang Li'er was not at ease, but now that she had the consent of the Empress Dowager Xi, she hurriedly got up and left.

After Jiang Li'er left, Ning Hong said, "Does the queen mother have anything to say to her son?" ”

Empress Dowager Xi nodded and said, "Today, what is your impression of Ning Yu?" ”

Ning Hong was stunned for a moment, and then said: "I look like a handsome character, talking extraordinary, behaving appropriately, and being polite." ”

Empress Dowager Xi smiled and said, "You have a high praise for him——"

Ning Hong said: "It's not a praise, this little prince is already famous, and now it seems that he really deserves his reputation." ”

Empress Dowager Xi got up slowly, walked to the bronze mirror, gently took off the hairpin ring on the top of her head, put it next to the dowry, and then said: "If you marry Li'er to Ning Yu, what does the emperor think?" ”

Ning Hong seemed to know what the Empress Dowager Xi was going to say, so she was not surprised at all, but smiled and said: "If the queen mother really wants to marry the county lord to the little prince, just let the county lord accept the flowing jade bracelet today, why bother to ask her son now?" ”

Empress Dowager Xi's face was a little embarrassed, she seemed to be very unaccustomed to fighting for the emperor's opinion, for so many years, she was like a shield, she had been in front of Ning Hong, helping him deal with cumbersome political affairs, but now he had to admit that Ning Hong had grown up, and he grew up faster and better than she imagined.

She didn't even know whether she should be relieved or how, and the inextricable emotions finally turned into a sigh, she removed the heavy red agate earrings of the earlobe mountain, and said with a smile: "Although Li'er's marriage is a family matter, it is a state matter, and the mourning family wants to hear the emperor's opinion." ”