Li Jiaoer followed Ziyan to the end along the winding stone path under the shade of the willows, turned a rockery, and then passed a verandah, and arrived at the Qingfeng courtyard.

There are more than a dozen rooms in the small courtyard of Qingfeng, but the outer wall is not a stone brick, but a bamboo fence, and there is a pavilion behind it, the whole is on the shore of Lanyue Lake, facing the Zhaohui Pavilion that is feasting, and you can faintly hear the drama over there, tactful and melodious, because it is not real, it adds three points of emotional scenery.

Li Jiao'er looked up, and sure enough, she saw several palace maids in the pavilion, sitting around a woman wearing a crown on her head.

She hurriedly withdrew her gaze.

Ziyan stopped in front of the small courtyard and saluted: "Madam, Niangniang is in the pavilion, and the slave is waiting for Madame here." ”

"There is a female officer." Li Jiao'er said, walked through the small courtyard, and walked to the pavilion.

There were four inner eunuchs standing outside the pavilion, and when they saw Li Jiao'er coming over and hurriedly stopped her, one of the inner eunuchs said to the pavilion: "Niangniang, the wife of the Hou Shizi of Anyang, Li Shizi, asks to see her." ”

In the pavilion, the queen, who was closing her eyes and letting people press her head, heard it, opened her eyes, and said with a smile: "Let her come over, you guys retreat first." ”

The palace maids in the pavilion and the inner supervisor outside the pavilion should have retreated to the outside of the Qingfeng courtyard, and only two palace maids who served closely to serve the tea stood not far from the pavilion, waiting to greet them at any time.

Li Jiaoer walked into the pavilion, gave a full salute according to the rules, and said respectfully:

"Concubine Li has seen the queen, congratulations to the mother for her happiness like the East China Sea, and a thousand years of peace."

The queen smiled and raised her hand, and said softly, "Get up, come and sit beside me." ”

The queen's surname is Zhan, and after being a general, I heard that she would also dance with knives and guns when she was young and unmarried, but Queen Zhan, whom Li Jiaoer knew, spoke very kindly and treated people gently.

It's just that when she speaks, there will be some domineering things that she can't tell and can't refuse.

Li Jiao'er got up and sat down beside her obediently, still with her head down, looking very deferential.

The queen is wearing a phoenix robe dress today, but on the side of the dress, there are still rich and auspicious peonies full of flowers.

In fact, she has been married into the Hou Mansion for three years, and she has entered the palace to see the queen twenty or thirty times, but except for the time when she entered the palace when she first got married, and was pinched and looked at her face for a long time, she vaguely saw the queen's appearance, and at other times, she only saw all kinds of peonies on Queen Zhan's clothes.

said that she had vaguely seen the queen's appearance, because the queen pinched her face, and when she evaluated her appearance, she lowered her eyes - looking up at the king is a big taboo, the so-called emperor and queen are one, she is just a mere foreign wife, barely a royal relative, or less taboo.

Queen Zhan is used to seeing people's deference in front of her, but it is still rare to be like Li Jiao'er who is still timid after she is familiar, which is funny.

She didn't seem to dare to look up every time she entered the palace, so much so that Empress Zhan wondered if this lady would recognize her if they met in the people.

But seeing that she was scared, her demeanor was unexpectedly generous, and she didn't feel cramped.

She thought about it and said calmly: "There are only the two of us here, you don't have to be so careful about the rules, just make a scene over there, and you're not tired?" ”

Li Jiao'er still lowered her head, and there was no small movement of pulling the veil or having nowhere to place her hands and feet, so she only responded:

"Today is a good day for the mother, the concubine is very happy, how can she be tired?"

Empress Zhan was amused by her.

"Silly words, I'm tired, let alone you?"

Li Jiaoer flattered and said: "Niangniang is a blessed person, she must be tired of happiness today." ”

Empress Zhan laughed out loud: "This kid ...... I remember that this garden was designed by your great-grandfather outside of home? ”

"Yes. When my maternal grandfather was alive, he often said that my great-grandfather was grateful for the blue eyes of his ancestors, and his holy grace was unforgettable. Li Jiaoer said.

"This is the origin of family learning," Empress Zhan sighed and said with a straight face, "That's why you can make that palm treasure, I, I really want to thank Madame." ”

Li Jiao'er heard her say so solemnly, she panicked, and hurriedly got up and saluted:

"I don't dare to be a concubine, it's just a small skill, it's nothing."

"You kid, why are you always so polite?" Empress Zhan personally pulled her up, held her chin and asked her to look up, "When you talk to me in the future, raise your head." ”

Li Jiao'er felt the coldness of the queen's fingers, and the delicately trimmed long nails swept across her face, forcing her to raise her head, although her eyes were still down, she still saw the smile on the corner of Empress Zhan's mouth.

"Yes." Li Jiaoer can only be as good as flowing.

Empress Zhan took off a delicately carved and flaming red coral bracelet from her wrist and put it on Li Jiao'er's wrist.

Li Jiao'er was about to excuse herself, but Queen Zhan looked at her slender snow-white wrist and said indifferently:

"You don't have to resign, your small skills have saved the face of the court and saved ......"

It's just that before she finished speaking, she suddenly heard two voices outside the pavilion, one after the other.

"The queen mother, the son has seen the queen mother."

"Chen Xue Zhen, I've seen the queen's mother."

Empress Zhan also took Li Jiao'er's hand, closed her voice, and turned her head to look outside the pavilion.

Li Jiaoer also secretly squinted her eyes and looked over.

I saw Xiao Ning'an, who was wearing the prince's dress, and Xue Zhen, who was wearing a vermilion court dress, giving salutes outside the pavilion.

Li Jiao'er was pulled by the queen, and it was difficult to break free, so she could only bow to the prince and said, "Little woman Li, I have seen the prince." ”

Xiao Ningan had already walked up to the pavilion, his eyes did not squint, and he raised his hand casually: "Madame doesn't have to be polite." ”

Only then did Empress Zhan let go of Li Jiao'er, and turned to smile at the prince and said, "You weren't watching the play over there, why did you come over?" ”

As she spoke, she looked at Xue Zhen who was standing outside the pavilion again: "Zhong Jing is afraid that I have wronged your daughter-in-law, so I specially found it, right?" ”

Xue Zhen also respectfully did not look up: "Niangniang said that she laughed, today's Niangniang's Qianqiu, if the Li family can make Niangniang smile, it will naturally be her creation." ”

Li Jiao'er met Xue Zhen talking to the queen for the first time, and now she was full of thoughts, so she pricked up her ears and listened carefully.

When I paid attention, I heard a little different feelings.

Now the emperor and the empress are Xue Zhen's maternal uncle and maternal grandmother, the prince is his cousin, Xue Zhen is considered the emperor's family, and because he has always been valued by the current emperor, he has been an internal guard, and he has been the prince's companion, so the queen's attitude towards him is also a proper thing.

But somehow, Li Jiaoer always felt that their conversation was weird, one side seemed to be testing something, and the other side avoided being intimate with the queen.

With the idea, she felt that even the air in the pavilion was embarrassed.

Empress Zhan was silent for a few moments, and then said to Li Jiao'er: "Okay, you can go." In the future, if there is nothing to do, come to the palace with your mother-in-law often and talk to me. ”

Li Jiaoer subconsciously thought that it should be, but the flash of thought just now made her not agree immediately.

The queen, mentioned the lord of the county.

If it weren't for the extraneous branches of the envoys of the Chen State who implicated Xue Zhen, his mother-in-law would have lived in the temple with the eldest princess now, and she would not have come back.

At least the county lord doesn't want to get involved in the treacherous turmoil in the capital today.

The thought flashed, and Li Jiaoer secretly glanced at Xue Zhen who was standing outside the pavilion.

It's a pity that Xue Zhen also stood with his head down, and there were three steps between them, so let alone a look, he couldn't even give a gesture.

Li Jiao'er retracted her gaze sullenly, pondered for a moment and said to the queen with a smile:

"The mother is troubled, how dare the concubine bother more? But if the mother has a announcement in the future, the concubine is naturally willing to accompany the mother to talk. Niangniang, the prince, and the concubine retired first. ”

When Empress Zhan heard her say this, she smiled and bowed her head to make her retreat.

Li Jiaoer hurriedly walked down the pavilion and walked out.

But when she was about to pass by Xue Zhen, the prince who hated her to the most secretly tugged at her sleeve.

Li Jiaoer was slightly frightened by his movements, and hurriedly stopped and stood behind him.

Xue Zhen saluted at this time: "Niangniang and His Royal Highness have something to say, and the minister retired first." ”

After saying that, he turned around, and actually took Li Jiaoer's hand and left.

Li Jiaoer was dragged by him like this, looking dazed.

As soon as the husband and wife left, the crown prince Xiao Ningan said to Queen Zhan: "How can the queen mother ask her to meet her in private like this?" Let my father know, wouldn't you be suspicious? ”

Empress Zhan raised her chin, looked at the backs of Li Jiao'er and Xue Zhen leaving, and said lightly: "I, just want Your Majesty to know." ”

"Queen Mother," the prince was a little anxious, "why bother? ”

"Wu'er," Empress Zhan looked at him, "they don't want to wade into this troubled water, so I want them to wade in." The more chips you have, the less your Majesty will dare to talk about the abolition. ”

The prince was speechless.

Empress Zhan patted his hands: "An'er, in the future, infamy and notoriety will have a mother." It's yours, no one can snatch it. ”

*

Li Jiaoer was held by Xue Zhen, walked all the way through the corridor, and walked to the stone road under the shade of the willows.

He didn't walk fast, and he didn't need Li Jiao'er to work hard to keep up.

On the way, there will be guards, palace maids, and inner prisons, and when they see them, they will stop and give salutes.

Xue Zhen bowed to them in return, and he didn't stop, and he wouldn't let go of Li Jiao'er.

The more Li Jiaoer walked, the more panicked she became, and even he felt unreal when he grabbed his hand.

Until he reached the shade of the willows, seeing that there was no one left and right, Xue Zhen suddenly stopped and turned around.

Li Jiaoer, who followed, was shaken by him and almost hit him.

Li Jiao'er hurriedly stopped, and the tip of her nose was just an inch on his chest.

At this moment, she could even hear the heartbeat in Xue Zhen's chest, very quickly, very loudly, so loud that it changed the continuous drama on Lanyue Lake.

Because of family learning, Li Jiaoer wanted to come up and listen to it again, and asked him: Shizi, do you have a heart disease?

People's hearts shouldn't beat so fast and so loudly.

It's just that before she could get closer, Xue Zhen had already thrown away her hand and took a few steps back.

Li Jiao'er was shaken again, and the person suddenly came to her senses.

She raised her head and looked at Xue Zhen's disgusted and tangled facial features.

Yes, this is the third year that she has been married, tired of her annoying her, far away from her husband, Xue Zhen.

The hand that was pulled by him just now still had the feeling of contact, but now Li Jiaoer understood why when he pulled herself, she only felt unreal.

Because the palms of his fingertips were as cold as stones, like pieces of residual iron, without a trace of temperature.

Look, he hates himself like this, he doesn't like a human being anymore.

Even if she sees it through, at this time, she will still be wronged.

Because, she is a living person.

She retracted her gaze and asked softly, "Shizi, Fang Cai, did I do something wrong?" ”