"Teach the third elder brother to enlighten and read, and the slave and maid will live up to their trust, but please also look at everything calmly." Su Mala put down the mint paste in his hand and knocked on the leader's will.

raised his head and said: "No one is at fault, the emperor is the heart of the country and the people, heaven and earth can be expressed, he is just under heavy pressure, looking for a respite for himself, and I hope you will be more tolerant." ”

Yu'er said calmly: "I have my own plans, Su Mala, he is my son." ”

"Yes." Su Mala kowtowed again, and then quietly retreated to prepare his luggage.

Before leaving, Su Mala came to Jingren Palace, Yuan Xi heard that Su Mala was going to teach Xuan Ye to read and write, he didn't know how to be grateful, and wanted to kneel down to be grateful, but was stopped by Su Mala and said: "Niangniang is the person who knows the rules the most, don't mess with your dignity." ”

Yuan Xi tearfully agreed, and asked Su Mala to take a seat to speak, Su Mala did have something to explain, one begged Yuan Xi to take care of the queen mother, the other asked her to ask the queen mother and the emperor to calm down at a critical moment, and third, the imperial concubine.

"The slave knows that the mother has your pride and plans for the future." Su Mala said gently, "But the imperial concubine is a little worse after all, her efforts and intentions, the queen mother and the slave maid are all in the eyes, but as long as that heart is not completely in this Forbidden City, she will do inappropriate things, and the emperor will only blindly fulfill it." ”

"You and the Queen Mother probably already know." Yuan Xi bowed his head and said, "I refused the emperor's request and refused to tell the imperial concubine about her father's serious illness, and the queen mother must blame me in her heart." ”

"This doesn't make sense, it's a matter between the two of them, why blame an irrelevant third person, the Queen Mother will never be so confused." Su Mala said, "But the slave and maid selfishly hope that the mother can be more generous and tolerant, and who else can there be around the emperor?" Niangniang, if we don't feel sorry for the emperor, who else do we expect to feel sorry for? ”

Yuan Xi said with tears in his eyes: "Auntie, I have some regrets, but aunt, do you know how bitter my heart has been since Xuan Ye was sent away, the emperor didn't even have a word of concern, when he walked past Jingren Palace every day, did he think I couldn't hear anything?" ”

"The slave knows, and she knows." Su Mala appeased Yuan Xi and said, "Back then, the first emperor also passed in front of the gate of Yongfu Palace every day, and the Shengjing Palace was still very small, door to door, wall to wall. ”

"Yes."

"The Queen Mother knows all the grievances you have suffered." Su Mala said, "But the Queen Mother can survive those years and survive the storms again and again, and she will never live for grievances, Niangniang, once you figure it out, you will be relieved." ”

Not long after, Su Mala was leaving, Yuan Xi said that some of Xuan Ye's toy clothes were burned, and there were almost no old things left in Jingren Palace, and Vanilla They had sewn two cloth tigers recently, hoping that Su Mala would take them to relieve Xuan Ye's boredom.

"Lord Tong and Gongzi take care of it, you don't have to worry." Su Mala said, "The slave and the queen mother also said that the slave and the maid will come back every three or five times, and the slave and the maid will not be able to leave any side." ”

Yuan Xi sent Su Mala all the way to Shenwu Gate, and when she returned to Jingren Palace, she met Concubine Ning who was waiting for her on the way.

Concubine Ning did not follow Yuan Xi to Jingren Palace, but on the way, she made a long story short, she hoped that Yuan Xi would join her to ask the emperor and the empress dowager for orders, and the inner palace would manage the princes' study in the future.

This time, smallpox came in from outside the palace, that is, the people who went out were not properly controlled after returning to the palace, and the thirteen yamen were in charge of all the affairs of the inner palace and the deployment of palace maids and eunuchs, and the study should be the most important place, and such a thing could happen, which shows that they are not trustworthy at all.

Ning Concubine said: "The third elder brother will come back sooner or later, I admit that I am for the second elder brother, but it is also good for you, isn't it?" ”

Yuan Xi smiled faintly: "Sister Ning's intentions, I understand very well, but now is definitely not the time to mention this matter, in late autumn, it is the best time, at that time, we will discuss how to do it." ”

After she finished speaking, she walked forward, only to hear Concubine Ning say behind her back: "Wait for the imperial concubine to give birth?" ”

Yuan Xi looked back at her: "Sister Ning thinks so, maybe that's it." ”

Outside the palace, Su Mala did not go to the Eshuo Mansion to see the emperor, but sent her men to remind Wu Liangfu that the emperor must not be allowed to spend the night outside.

After she left the palace, she went straight to the third elder brother's residence, through the layers of guards, and in the boxy courtyard, the little elder brother was sitting on the steps and pouring the Luban lock.

"Mama." When Xuan Ye saw Su Mala coming, he threw away the toy and ran towards her, but standing in front of Su Mala, he would still look out of the door, looking forward to E-Niang coming together.

"Where's E-Niang?" Xuan Ye asked timidly, his eyes full of longing, "Mama, why didn't E-niang come?" ”

The third elder brother has already spoken very neatly, and he has not yet taken off his milky voice, and the weak little man can't help but feel distressed when he asks people to look at and listen to one more sentence.

"E-niang has to take care of the imperial grandmother, and Mama will take care of the third elder brother." Su Mala squatted down and took the cloth tiger from the little palace maid who was following on the side, "This is the toy that Eniang gave you, sleep with the third elder brother at night, okay?" ”

"Mama, Xuan Ye misses Eniang." The little guy was teary-eyed, and was picked up by Su Mala, and he was still looking at the empty door, but outside the door, he never saw his mother.

Pomegranate and the others came out, and they were pleasantly surprised when they saw Aunt Su Mala coming.

Su Mala said: "You tidy up a room and come out, and put up tables and chairs. From tomorrow, I will teach the third elder brother to read and write, two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon every day, and I can't delay it. ”

After the nurse took the third elder brother away, the pomegranate whispered to Su Mala: "The third elder brother is thinking about Eniang day and night, Mama, when can I let my mother go out of the palace to come and see, even if I take a look." ”

Su Mala sighed: "I'm afraid it won't work out these days, the imperial concubine's Ama has passed away." ”

Pomegranate was surprised: "Lord Eshuo is gone?" ”

At this moment, in Tong's mansion, the subordinates sent plain clothes, and Tong Tulai got up from the couch with difficulty, to change his clothes, and went to send his old brother.

Mrs. Tong didn't listen to her repeated persuasions, and said in a hurry: "How long can you live yourself, don't you count in your heart?" Don't think about me, for your children? How difficult it was for Yuan Xi to be in the palace was because of the daughter of that family. ”

Tong Tulai smiled: "The more this is the case, the more I have to be thoughtful, to show that our family is generous, and to show that Concubine Tong is generous, what do you know?" ”

"It doesn't make sense, what kind of woman will you move? Isn't your daughter a woman's family, and the queen mother not a woman's family? Mrs. Tong was angry, but she couldn't do anything with her husband after all, "That's it, if you don't let you go, you will be even more uneasy." ”

She stepped forward to change her husband's clothes, but before she could put on her clothes, she saw Tong Guogang coming and told Tong Guowei: "There are two things. ”

Tong Tulai said: "You choose to speak in advance." ”

Tong Guogang said: "The Queen Mother sent Aunt Su Mala to take care of the third elder brother, it is said that she wants to teach the third elder brother to read and write. ”

Mrs. Tong said: "Since the Queen Mother had her own study in Shengjing, Aunt Su Mala has followed the Queen Mother to read and write, and it is said that the first emperor also praised Aunt Su Mala's handwriting is better than that of the Queen Mother. My aunt is meticulous and thoughtful, and having her teach the third elder brother must be much better than those old pedants. ”

Tong Tulai listened with his eyes closed, and Tong Guogang said: "There is another thing that my son overheard about it, it is said that Uncle E Shuo changed doctors after the spring, and since then, his condition has deteriorated. ”

Tong Tulai opened his eyes and was quiet: "What do you mean?" ”

Tong Guogang said: "You said, will there be something strange, do you want to investigate?" ”

Tong Tulai sat down, waiting for his wife to put on boots for him, the man who once galloped on the battlefield now has no strength to bend down and put on boots.

But his brain is still very refreshing, and everyone has always regarded him as a reckless man who can only fight, but they don't want to think about how their Tong family can stand on the court from Liaodong to Beijing.

He touched his gray beard and said, "Go and investigate, but don't be quiet, let alone let anyone notice, even if we know the truth in the end, it will only remind Yuan Xi." Although E Shuo and I are friends of life and death, I am also on the verge of death, and I can't help him. ”

Mrs. Tong asked her husband, "What did Eshuo say to you that day?" ”

Tong Tulai smiled bitterly: "I can't rest assured of his daughter, but I also promised her that I would take care of Jiayin for him." ”

Mrs. Tong shook her head and sighed: "He doesn't want to think about it, for the sake of his daughter, we ......"

Seeing her husband waving at herself, Mrs. Tong stopped talking and instructed her son: "Aunt Su Mala, if there is anything missing, you send it immediately, we have more than enough to raise the third elder brother ourselves, so as not to trouble our third elder brother with some dog things in the palace." ”

The husband and wife wore plain clothes, and when they came to the Eshuo Mansion, it was already full of white lanterns, and the whole house was dressed in linen and filial piety.

Seeing Tong Tulai, Badu was crying, Tong Tulai persuaded a few words, and wanted to go to see the remains, but was stopped by Badu and said: "Master Tong, it's okay for others, so I won't hide it from you." The emperor and the imperial concubine...... Inside, it's inconvenient for you to get in at the moment. ”

Mrs. Tong turned around, and saw Mrs. Badu, who was dressed in mourning clothes, walking with red eyes, and said kindly: "Lord and Madame, please take a break with a cup of tea." ”

Mrs. Tong frowned slightly, then looked at Badu, and then looked at his woman, these two people seemed to have come here to be the masters of the house. She remembered that her son said that Eshuo changed doctors in the spring, and she was faintly uneasy, so she said that she would gradually follow his wife and left alone.