In the Qingming Pavilion, Shen Zhe was curtsimming to the emperor, and when he saw his cousin, Xiang Ye was not in a bad mood, walked to the table and threw a fold to him, and said with a smile: "The salt merchants are almost unable to hold on, they all expect Qiu Zhenyu to help, but the old fox is not so stupid, he has always wanted to make a profit, and he is not short of money, how can he be greedy for their filial piety." ”

Shen Zhe carefully read the folds a few times, and said with a gentle expression: "They must not have expected that the emperor would deal with them for two years. ”

Xiang Ye said coldly: "They think that I am a reckless man, and they will only shout and kill." It's not strange, after all, their former masters were all soft persimmons for others to knead, and now they don't let them hit a thousand holes on my body, how do you know how powerful I am. ”

Shen Zhe folded the music and put it back on the table, his demeanor was elegant and peaceful, he didn't look like a general on a bloody battlefield at all, but marching and fighting didn't necessarily have to be burly and domineering, and gentle people could also have wit and courage.

Maybe Shen Zhe's temperament is more suitable for being a civil official, but the weight of military power can shake the country, and the emperor naturally has to hand over it to the most trusted arm.

Shen Zhe's parents died young, and when he was two years old, he was sent to the Jizhou palace to join his aunt, and the queen mother raised the poor nephew as if he were her own son. And the original wife of the old prince of Jizhou gave birth to a pair of children who only left a daughter, and the old prince of Jizhou died young, leaving no more children, inherited the throne at the age of thirteen, and Xiang Ye, who had almost no brothers and sisters, was accompanied by Shen Zhe when he was young.

Shen Zhe has been following Xiang Ye since he was sensible, and even the master of enlightenment and enlightenment is also his cousin, and the relationship and trust between cousins for more than 20 years is far better than that of some compatriots and siblings. Ten years ago, when Xiang Ye decided to raise troops to challenge the mediocre imperial power, a fifteen-year-old boy followed his brother all the way to the capital without hesitation.

"By the way, what do you have to do with me?" Only then did the emperor remember that it was his cousin who took the initiative to see him.

"There's something I want to ask you for." Shen Zhe explained his intentions, "The queen mother wants to choose a wife for her ministers, and at the family banquet the day after tomorrow, she will choose a woman of the right age for her ministers." Your Majesty, the minister doesn't want to start a family yet, can you say a few words for the minister. ”

Xiang Ye laughed: "It's not a way for you to hide year after year, if the queen mother is ruthless one day, I'm afraid you will send the woman directly to your bed." ”

Even Shen Zhe's serious expression was a little gentle, and he said helplessly: "Cousin, I'm not joking. ”

Xiang Ye frowned and sank his face, and said unhappily: "For the queen's sake, the queen mother is complaining a lot to me, but that woman is very powerful, and she coaxed the old lady as soon as she entered the door." At the moment, except for going to the Shangyang Palace, there is no way to let the queen mother dissipate. What's more, it was you who followed me to fight back then, so the marriage was delayed, and the queen mother always blamed me, do you think I have a position to speak for you? ”

Shen Zhe remembered the queen he saw in front of the Longevity Palace in the morning, under the beautiful and peaceful back, could he be such a scheming person? But he smiled, what kind of person is the queen and what does it have to do with him, that's the emperor's business.

"Sure enough, it's Qiu Zhenyu's daughter, and she must have learned the cunning of that old fox." The emperor was a little impatient, what he said and did last night, everything that happened today, if he were an ordinary woman, he would have been scared a long time ago, and even such a thing as a mother and daughter meeting was forbidden, but that person was not only not afraid, but also not sad and sad, that temperament that was so calm as if he was beyond the world, was it true, or was it pretended?

Obviously, she is a girl from the countryside.

Shen Zhe didn't know that the emperor was surging these thoughts, so he only sighed softly with a look of embarrassment: "My aunt seems to have a good temper, but it is precisely because of her good temper that she can't bear to disobey her." ”

The emperor smiled evilly, it was the intimacy between their brothers, and said angrily: "You don't like women so much? Do you know that what the queen mother is worried about is not that you are getting older, she is worried that you will not be infected with Longyang. ”

"Your Majesty!" Shen Zhe shook his head again and again, a gentle person is not good at dealing with such jokes.

"That's it, since I don't embarrass you, I will definitely not let the queen mother embarrass you." Xiang Ye dotes on his cousin very much, he is a tyrant in the eyes of the world, and there are always a few tenderness in his heart to leave for the people he cherishes. My cousin is twenty-five years old, and he has never had any thoughts about starting a family, and the Queen Mother has long been impatient, and he has been in the way for many years, so naturally this time, he also wants to help him.

While they were talking, Zhou Huai entered the door with a cautious face and asked the emperor: "The emperor went to the Shangyang Palace, did he have dinner?" Concubine Niangniang also sent someone to ask where the emperor was having dinner tonight. ”

The emperor's good mood suddenly dissipated, and he said coldly: "Don't go anywhere, leave the general for dinner in Qingming Pavilion." ”

Shen Zhe hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, the minister made an appointment with the military department Shangshu tonight to check the camp of the Imperial Forest Army, and he is leaving." ”

Xiang Ye glared at him, and was about to get angry, when he suddenly had an idea, and said, "Then I will go with you." ”

Zhou Huai asked tremblingly on the side: "Your Majesty, ...... the Shangyang Palace?"

Shangyang Palace, naturally, had to wait for the emperor to return, so after Min'er had dinner here, he took a fragrant bath and changed his snow-white bedclothes, and waited on the bed early, so that he could be ready to take over at any time.

The rules of concubines taking over are inherent in the palace, and most people have to follow them in this way, and a few who are favored can be freer, such as the concubine's Anle Palace, there are no such rules. In this case, the queen of the middle palace deserves more honorable treatment, but Qingya told Min'er very clearly that this is a special order from the emperor, and the queen must wait for the bed according to the rules.

But Min'er didn't care, she didn't care when she heard about it, she didn't feel wronged because she was mistreated, it seemed that no one in this world could make her care except for Mrs. Yuanzhou Qiu and her biological mother Bai, of course, including the emperor and everything in this palace.

Because I don't care, grievances are not grievances, and disgrace is not disadvantage, my grandmother taught Min'er when she was a child, and the aura of gold, silver, jewelry, and brocade clothes is nothing, and once lost, it will be eclipsed. Only the strength and dignity of the heart will always support oneself, which does not need to be given by others, and it will never be lost.

The night was long, and Min'er had been kneeling on the bed for almost two hours, a position she had to maintain, so that when the emperor came, she would salute him on the bed. She sat quietly and waited, not knowing what she was thinking, and there was a little joy in her indifferent expression, which surprised the palace maids who accompanied her, and their queen mother was too good-tempered.

Finally, there was movement in the courtyard, the lights from the approach bridge all the way illuminated the door, the emperor came from the barracks, the palace people followed nervously behind him, Zhou Gongcheng was worried about whether he wanted the heirs to prepare hot water and serve the emperor to bathe in fragrant soup.

Xiang Ye broke in without any scruples, and saw the woman kneeling on the bed at a glance, the peaceful temperament of her weak body was really annoying.

"You ......" Xiang Ye only walked a few steps, and was about to say something to Min'er, when there was a sudden sound of hurried footsteps outside the door, the eight hundred miles that had the privilege to travel unhindered were urgent, and even the Shangyang Palace could enter, and the panting person ran to the door of the palace, holding a letter and said, "Your Majesty, Qiangshui Pass is eight hundred miles urgent." ”

Xiang Ye immediately took it, and read the letter under the bright light, maybe he was in a bad mood because he came to see the queen, and this time he was even more angry, and Gonggong Zhou saw that the green tendons on the emperor's forehead bulged.

"Bastard!"

The emperor was furious and ordered Zhou Huai to immediately summon the six ministries and cabinet ministers into the palace, and in a fit of anger, he threw the letter on the ground, and rushed out without caring about the woman on the bed.

The sudden bustle suddenly dispersed, Min'er watched quietly, she also saw the letter that was still on the ground by the emperor, she got up from the bed and walked over, carefully picked it up, and folded it carefully.

She was only doing these things with good intentions and no other purpose, but the person who went suddenly came back and asked in a cold voice, "What are you looking at?" ”