In the Ruoxi Palace, Emperor Liu Hongjing was sitting on the bed, holding the portrait of Concubine Xi, looking at the six-stringed piano she had often played under the west window, and the furnishings in the hall were still the same as when Concubine Xi was alive, and even the fat powder makeup box she used on the dresser was well preserved. Hearing the briefing, he looked up in displeasure.

"The concubines see the emperor." Duanmu Yunji saluted.

"What are you going to do?" Liu Hongjing looked at her coldly.

"The concubine heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was killed, so she came over to comfort the emperor and ask the emperor to mourn and take care of the dragon's body." Duanmu Yunji said with a low brow.

Liu Hongjing's sharp gaze swept over her face, and he sneered: "Prince, isn't it just what you want?" ”

Duanmu Yunji knelt down suddenly, raised her eyes and said, "What did the emperor say about this?" Although the concubines were saddened by the emperor's refusal to appoint the crown prince according to the ancestral system, the emperor was heaven, and the emperor's decision The concubines could only accept their fate, and never dared to think anything wrong. ”

"It's better not to have any ideas! Go down, I'm tired and want to rest. Liu Hongjing glared at her coldly.

"Huo'er will return to the palace soon." Duanmu Yunji was still kneeling on the ground.

"I know."

"Your Majesty, the concubine has never been favored by you since Concubine Xi entered the palace, and the concubine did not dare to complain, but the concubine hoped that the emperor could give Huo'er a little love, after all, the palms and backs of the hands are the emperor's meat." Duanmu Yunji looked up, her eyes full of resentment.

Liu Hongjing looked at her, half silent and speechless, and there was silence in Ruoxi Palace.

"Huo'er has a meritorious service in pacifying the Liukou in the north, and the concubines don't ask the emperor to reward Huo'er, but only ask the emperor to give Huo'er a trace of his love for the prince, and the concubines will be satisfied." Duanmu Yunji saw that the emperor was silent for a long time, and knelt on the ground again, whimpering.

"Go down, I have my own measure." Liu Hongjing waved his hand, stood up with his back to her, and stopped talking.

Duanmu Yunji got up from the ground, knelt down and quietly withdrew from the palace, and returned to Qingning Palace with the support of the palace maids and eunuchs.

"Liu Ruoxi! You slut! You've been dead for more than ten years, but you still occupy the emperor's heart! This palace is a glorious life, and the great cause of Huo'er's life is all destroyed in your hands! This palace can't settle this account with you for several lifetimes! She sat in front of the mirror, looking at herself in the mirror, her eyes filled with the flame of hatred. The lonely deep palace, what about the country and the city? "In the abandonment of donations, in the kindness of the reluctance."

In the imperial capital of Xiling, on this day, a group of five people entered from the city gate one after another, the two sons in front were dressed up, followed by two maids and a chubby child, and the child was holding a sable in his arms that looked around like him.

"Big brother, the imperial capital is really lively." The child is Xiao Gudong, the first two sons are naturally worry-free and Yunshang, and the little maid is Ni'er and Xiaohui girl.

Worry-free glanced back at Xiao Gudong and said, "Be quiet in the middle of noisy, don't lose your nature in the bustle." These words were often taught to them by their master Mu Shi, and Xiao Gudong stuck out his tongue and said obediently: "Disciple obeys Master's teachings. ”

"That's right." Carefree touched his head. They walked around a few streets, stopped outside Sima Taifu's door, walked up the stairs without worry, raised their hands and grabbed the knocker on Taifu's door and knocked a few times.

The family members of the Taifu family opened the door and looked them up and down.

"Please inform the Taifu, the disciples of the Sanqing Dao Guanmu Shidao Dao came to visit the Taifu." Worry-free.

The family returned the salute and asked them to wait for a while, and then turned around and ran to report.

After a while, Mrs. Sima came out tremblingly with the support of his family, and Lao Yuan beckoned to them: "Come in, come in and talk." ”

Worry-free hurriedly took Yunshang and them into the courtyard and bowed their hands to pay homage to Master Taifu.

"No need to be polite, good boy, I haven't seen you for a few years, and you've grown so tall, it's so good! That's nice! Sima Taifu stretched out his hand to help them up, and looked at them one by one lovingly, he hadn't been to the Sanqing Taoist Temple for several years, and they had all grown from children to adults.

"The master asked the disciples to greet Master Taifu's well-being." Worry-free arched his hand.

"Dao Chief—" Sima Taifu wept bitterly, tears flowed for a long time, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has suffered a martyrdom, and it has been in vain that Dao Chief's many years of careful cultivation have been wasted—" He cried in a trembling voice, and he was about to faint.

"Master Taifu!" Wu Wu was anxious, hurriedly supported him, and whispered in his ear: "My lord, the prince is fine, the prince is on his way to Kyoto, and he will soon enter Beijing." ”

Taifu stopped crying, looked at him with wide-cloudy eyes, and said in surprise: "Really? ”

"Worry-free this journey is specially for reporting, my lord, let's enter the house, please listen to the detailed report of worry-free." Carefree whispered.

When Sima Taifu heard that the prince was fine, his spirits were refreshed, and he took the worry-free hand and turned around and walked briskly inside: "Let's go in." ”

Yunshang and Xiao Gudong hurriedly followed behind them.

Mrs. Sima took them into the inner study, and after the servants served tea, they were all dismissed and retired, and everyone sat down and told Mrs. Sima in detail about the prince's journey.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince can still survive after falling into the cliff, it must be blessed by the gods, Amitabha!" After listening to the worry-free speech, Master Taifu folded his hands and chanted the Buddha in a trembling voice.

"His Royal Highness and the Lord of Tanglin will return to Beijing soon, in order to avoid plotting on the road, Lord Taifu asks Emperor Ming to send the Imperial Forest Army out of the city to welcome the return of the prince." Worry-free said.

"Good! I will immediately enter the palace and face the saint, and you will now rest in the house. After Mrs. Sima finished speaking, he inspected a few people lovingly, and his eyes fell on Xiao Gudong, who had been standing beside Yunshang obediently.

"Good boy, if you like to eat, just eat, grandpa asked the girl to take you to the yard for a walk." He said as he stroked Little Gollum's head.

"Thank you, Grandpa Taifu." Xiao Gudong gave his hand decently and thanked him crisply. The sable in his arms jumped on his shoulder, opened his dark eyes, and looked at Master Taifu very kindly.

Master Taifu laughed, beckoned a girl, and ordered her to take Xiao Gudong out to play.

"Master Taifu, there is one more thing that needs to be explained to Lord Taifu." After Xiao Gudong went out, he said without worry.

"You say." Sima Taifu said.

"Regarding the lord of Tanglin County, Xiao Zhu specially told him to report truthfully without worry." Wuwu told Mrs. Sima about Luo Lianyi's natural cinnabar red mole on his forehead, and he was planted by Queen Tanglin to devour his heart and scatter poison.

"The old thief of Qiyu is so vicious!" Sima Taifu's brows were twisted into knots, and he said after a long groan: "In this way, the emperor must not be allowed to meet this county lord, for the safety of our Xiling, we must kill her!" ”

"Kill her!" Yunshang stood up and exclaimed, and several girls also looked at each other, their eyes full of fear. If they had never seen this county lord, maybe they wouldn't have thought much of killing her, but in the canyon, they had already befriended her, and she was so beautiful and lovely, how could they bear to kill her?