A few days after that, there was news that Lu Zongdao, the governor of the political affairs, had died of a violent illness at the age of 63.

The ministers were in an uproar.

The Queen Mother came to the memorial in person, gave 3,000 taels of platinum, gave the military department a book, and gave the title "Su Jian". So far, no one dares to violate the power of the Queen Mother Liu E.

In the second half of the month, the positive day of the "Changning Festival" finally arrived.

The celebration of the Changning Festival is unprecedented.

Early in the morning, the Empress Dowager Liu E put on a dark blue dress, wore a crown of flowers and plants, and wore pearls on her feet, and ascended to the Chongzheng Hall to accept worship.

First, the official Zhao Zhen led hundreds of officials to live for the queen mother.

The emperors of all dynasties only worshipped heaven and earth and ancestors, when did they kneel and bow for others?

When Fan Zhongyan, Yan Shu and others heard that the official family was going to bow to the Queen Mother's birthday, they almost died on the spot.

However, Zhao Zhengui is the Son of Heaven, regardless of the opposition of Fan Zhongyan, Yan Shu and others, in the name of the emperor, the Queen Mother bowed to her head, and hundreds of officials followed her to worship, praising in his mouth: "I wish the Queen Mother a long life and a long life." ”

Immediately after the prime minister Wang Zeng read out the congratulatory message, after that, Honglu Temple Qing introduced the Khitan, Dangxiang, Annan, Dali and other envoys to the Queen Mother in turn.

Back in the harem, the two eldest princesses, the two younger sisters of the first emperor and the two aunts of Zhao Zhen, led a group of princesses, county lords, and officials at all levels to live for the queen mother.

Subsequently, Ye Pei led the palace people to pay homage to the birthday of the Queen Mother Liu E, and Ye Pei kowtowed and said: "Erchen wishes the Queen Mother a long life and a long life!" ”

After that, tens of thousands of officials, women, relatives of the emperor, and foreign envoys were feasted in the palace. The official family decreed that the whole country would have a three-day holiday to celebrate the Changning Festival together.

In the evening, the lanterns of the Changning Festival are set off. The Empress Dowager Liu E took the officials and hundreds of officials to the Xuande Gate Tower to watch the lanterns.

I saw the whole Bianliang City dragon flying phoenix dance, flowers blooming thousands of trees, Ambilight, beautiful.

Looking down from the Xuande Tower, it is facing the royal street, and at this time, the royal street more than 100 steps wide is full of people.

Waiting for the Empress Dowager Liu E and the official Zhao Zhen to ascend the city tower, more than 100,000 people shouted at the same time: "I wish the Empress Dowager a long life", the sound shook the sky and the earth, and spread ten miles away.

After the Queen Mother Liu E personally lit a glass lamp, dozens of turtle mountain lights on both sides of the royal street were set off at the same time, illuminating the entire sky, and then the people visited and watched the lanterns, this night could not help but supper, and the liveliness exceeded the annual Shangyuan Festival.

Liu E smiled and waved her hand towards the city, feeling a lot of emotion in her heart.

A scene suddenly appeared in front of her, overlapping with today's scene, turning and turning like a marquee downstairs in Xuande Gate City, making her unable to tell what day it was......

It was the first time she came to Bianliang City forty years ago, and she happened to encounter the Shangyuan Festival Lantern Festival that year.

The whole of Tokyo Bianliang is immersed in a joyful and peaceful atmosphere, full of lanterns, illuminating like day, tourists weaving, Bianliang City as if there is no night, lively and extraordinary.

Bianliang City is prosperous, so prosperous that Liu E can't imagine it. All kinds of lanterns fill the streets, and the turtle mountain dozens of meters high is brilliantly lit, and Liu E has never seen such a magnificent giant lantern.

The streets are lined with high-rise buildings, and there are shops selling and selling one after another, and there is a wide variety of goods.

The girls on the street all wore beautiful ornaments on their heads, such as moths, snow willows, and golden wisps, and Liu E was dazzled.

Liu E, who was only wearing a single dress, looked around curiously, everything was so novel, her eyes were not enough, where could she care about whether it was cold or not.

Suddenly, a huge sound of firecrackers frightened her and hugged Gong Mei tightly......

Bianliang City is really as the legend says, full of gold and silver, and there are many nobles.

In order to make a living, twelve-year-old Liu E entered the tile shop to rap drum books for the nobles, she told countless stories of the ancients, she knew Wu Zetian, Yang Guifei, Han Gaozu, and Chu Overlord......

The smart and clever Liu E sang half of Bianliang City as soon as she sang, and she also met the nobleman in her life - Zhao Yuanxiu, who was the king of Han at the time, and Zhao Heng, who later became Song Zhenzong.

Zhao Yuanxiu fell in love with her at first sight and forcibly bought Liu E from Gong Mei, and because of Taizong's opposition, Liu E was kept in another garden by Zhao Yuanxiu.

Sixteen-year-old Liu E knew that it was difficult to be a "nobleman", and that year, her life changed completely.

She became a "nobleman" who did not worry about food and clothing, but she also lost her husband, lost her love, lost her unborn daughter, lost her qualification to be a mother, and she experienced too much pain.

She knew that the love stories in those books were all deceitful, fate tortured her like that, but she couldn't resist at all because she was humble.

No!

She wants to fight, she wants to change, she is inspired to be the master of fate, she vows to pay for it with blood......

After all these years, she did.

She tortured Princess Pan to death, angry with Queen Guo, she entered the palace, became a concubine, became a queen, but she can no longer be a mother, and the queen without her own children will not last long.

Liu E was ruthless, the little princes in the palace died of illness one by one, and no concubine could give birth to an heir, she had no children of her own, and she would never allow other women to have their own children.

Zhenzong had no heirs, so he raised the heirs of the eight kings as the crown prince, and the queen mother could only be Liu E.

The Shangyuan Festival in the first year of Tiansheng is also as lively and noisy as today, and the people downstairs in Xuande Gate City have also worshiped her.

However, there were still people in the hundred officials who did not submit to her, and that night, she sent Long Wei to assassinate her, and the waters of the Bianhe River were dyed pink.

On that night, she had a big quarrel with Long Wei Duyu Hou Sikong Qi. After that night, Liu E never saw him again.

Now, Liu E stands on the high tower and looks down on the whole world, no one challenges her authority, at this time Liu E is really like Wu Zetian in the "Picture of the Empress Wu Dynasty", so confident, so empty-eyed, the whole world bows at her feet, and worships her birthday.

A person can stand on such a commanding height, which is already the pinnacle of life, right? She should be satisfied, should she stop? What else did she want?

But she just wants to miss the night when she first came to Bianliang, and the night of the first year of the Heavenly Sage!

……

The longevity activities on the day of the Changning Festival were tossed from morning to midnight, tossing for a whole day, and it was not over until the people were determined.

Ye Pei followed Liu E to the Baoci Palace, first helped her change clothes and wash, and then served her to lie down. Ye Pei saw that Liu E looked tired, and wanted to leave, but Liu E was half-lying and called Ye Pei and said, "Stay and talk to me." ”

Ye Pei smiled: "Isn't the eldest lady tired? ”

Liu E also smiled: "I'm tired to the extreme, but I'm in good spirits." It was so lively just now, and now I don't want to lie alone. ”

"Shall I massage you then?" Ye Pei sat on the edge of Liu E's bed, massaged her, and asked, "Auntie, are you happy today?" ”

"Well, happy." Liu E smiled slightly, turned her head and said, "You just brought the palace people to give me a birthday today, and you haven't given me a birthday gift yet." ”

Ye Pei smiled and said, "Auntie, this time the time is urgent, I didn't have time to give you a birthday gift, but I have already thought of a perfect birthday gift, and I will give it to you later." ”

Liu E said: "Oh? I don't want anything that I buy only with gold and silver. ”

Ye Pei's eyebrows fluttered and said, "Naturally, it won't be this." ”

"Then I'm going to see what you ghost elf can come up with. cough cough cough ......" Liu E suddenly couldn't help coughing, and Ye Pei hurriedly helped her pat her back to smooth her breath.

It took a long time for Liu E to stop coughing.

Ye Pei pulled Liu E's wrist to check her pulse, and after a while, Ye Pei's brows became tighter and tighter.

"Lady, you have always been healthy, but now this pulse is ......"

Liu E withdrew her wrist, "It's just a little tired, don't make a fuss." ”

"But ......" Ye Pei looked at Liu E with some uneasiness.

Liu E smiled slightly, "Don't worry, I know my body, it's okay." ”

"If the eldest lady is unwell, she will rest for a few days, why do you have to work so hard?"

"I'm just old, and such a ceremony makes me tired, but it's much better to have you to relieve me."

"The eldest lady has a long life, she wants to live for a thousand years, how can she be old?"

Liu E pouted and smiled, "Do you believe these deceptive nonsense?" Dare to ask who in the world can live forever? It's just an auspicious word. ”

Ye Pei admires Liu E for being absolutely sober at all times.

"Mo Dao Sangyu night, for the sun is still full of sky. The aura of the eldest lady will always shroud us, but it's a pity that I can't share the worries with the imperial brother for you. ”

This made Liu E even more happy, "If you are willing to share my worries, I will be willing to teach you some." ”

"It's a pity that I'm not talented, I'm afraid that I won't be able to learn, which will add a lot of chaos."

"If you have this heart, I will be content."

"Why didn't the eldest lady let the royal brother take charge early? You also need to take a break. ”

Liu E smiled bitterly, "Silly boy, you don't understand." There are many times when I can't help myself, others think that I have the right to fall in love, and I don't let go of the official family, but how do they know the danger of this? I'm just afraid that as soon as I let go, people like Ding Wei will gather forces and harm the country! ”

Seeing that Ye Pei seemed to understand or not, Liu E said again: "Do you know that there was a coup d'état in Liao recently, and the Liao Shengzong Yelu Longxu was mourned, but the real queen was usurped by a servant girl, and Empress Qi Tian and the little emperor Yelu Zongzhen were both taken into custody, so that a servant girl took power." This gain and loss of momentum are in an instant! ”

"Big lady......" Ye Pei blinked at Liu E.

"You don't understand what I'm saying now, but you'll understand when you grow up. You have to hold on to what belongs to you, you can't easily give it to others what I left you, once you lose your rights, you will be worse than that Monkey King, you know? ”

Ye Pei seemed to understand something, but she was confused, she looked at Liu E blankly.

Liu E gradually closed her eyes, as if talking to herself, and said: "When I was young, I was like you, thinking that everyone is worth trusting, and the person you fall in love with is worth entrusting. Alas......"

Late at night, Liu E was already asleep in bed, and Ye Pei also fell asleep on the side of the bed.

Unexpectedly, when it was about to dawn, Liu E suddenly grabbed Ye Pei's hand and shouted: "San Lang, our daughter is back!" Frightened, Ye Pei sat up.

Liu E also woke up panting, it turned out that she had just had a dream. Ye Pei knew that Liu E and the first emperor were very affectionate, the first emperor was ranked third, this "San Lang" must be called the first emperor, but only Liu E herself knew what kind of dream she had.

Ye Pei rubbed his sparse sleepy eyes and asked, "Auntie, are you dreaming?" ”

Liu E eased her spirit, "Oh, it turned out to be a dream!" She looked at the tired Ye Pei and said, "Good boy, you have been with me for a long time, go back to sleep, you go and call Pearl in." ”

Ye Pei nodded, called Pearl Pearl, the maid who was keeping vigil in the outer room, and went back to Qifeng Pavilion to make up for sleep.

Liu E said to the pearl: "You go to pass on Ling Shang Palace." ”

Pearl asked in surprise: "Queen Mother, do you mean now?" ”

"Yes!"

Pearl did not dare to hesitate, put on her cloak, and went out with a lantern.

Soon, Ling Yun, the palace maid in charge of the Shang Palace Bureau, came to the Baoci Palace.

"Shanggong Bureau Lingyun see the Queen Mother."

Liu E said: "Lingyun, I still need some of the medicine you gave me before." ”

Ling Yun looked at Liu E worriedly and said, "Queen Mother, those are all tiger and wolf medicines, although they make you healthy on the surface, there are many drawbacks to taking them for a long time!" ”

Liu E smiled bitterly: "Of course I know its drawbacks, but how can I fall at this time?" Whatever you do, find it for me. ”

"Yes."

Liu E said again: "Lingyun, you are the person who has been following me since outside the palace, and you are also the person I trust the most in this palace, as long as I am there for a day, no one will dare to compete with you for the position of the Six Shang Palace." ”

Ling Yun said: "The kindness of the Queen Mother, Ling Yun has no teeth and does not dare to forget. ”

Liu E looked at the roof and said, "Now I only have one thing I can't let go, and that is the one in the Yongding Mausoleum—"

"You mean Jingshu?"

"'Jing Nu Qishu', this is still the name given to her by the first emperor, right? - Li Jingshu! I've been leaving her alive for years, and if I'm gone, I won't leave her alone, you know? ”

Ling Yun knelt down and said: "Queen Mother, it was our blessing for Sister Li and I to serve the Queen Mother together, if we say that in the future, we will both follow the Queen Mother." ”

Liu E said: "You have other things to do if you stay." Ye Pei's child is smart, but she is still immature, I think you will be able to take care of her and protect her in the future. ”

Liu E seemed to be explaining what was going on, and Ling Yun listened with a frown.

"I see that the army in front of the palace is commanded to make Di Qing also useful, if you go to Yongding Mausoleum, I will send him to go with you."

"Yes!"

When Ling Yun withdrew, Liu E couldn't sleep, she took out the painting "Smoke Willows on the Sui Causeway" again, looked at the backs of these two people on the painting, and suddenly coughed violently......