"Your Majesty," she said, looking at her son, a warm smile rising at the corner of her mouth, "why did you suddenly come to me at this time?" ”

The voice contains the tenderness that is characteristic of a mother to her son.

Liu Ying stared at her mother, and there was sadness in her phoenix eyes.

"Queen Mother just now, did you dream of Sister A?"

He looked away and stared at the bronze crane incense burner burning silently in the dormitory, as if he didn't see the expression on his mother's face stiffen slightly.

"These days, I often dream of Ah Yan,"

"In the days that Ah Yan was lost, I dreamed of her all night long, thinking that she was suffering in an unknown place, and I, as a husband, had no way to save her, so I tossed and turned, unable to sleep peacefully. Queen Mother,"

He stood up from his footsteps, pulled up the sliding vermilion brocade phoenix pattern quilt for Empress Lu, and tucked it for her with a slight smile on the corner of his mouth, his movements were gentle and gentle, "-You say, where is Ah Yan now?" ”

The smile on Empress Lu's lips faded little by little, and her phoenix eyes raised slightly, "So many Lang Wei searched Chang'an City and couldn't find it, how could I, an old woman who had been in the deep palace, know?" However, I thought that Ayanji would be fine. ”

Liu Ying stared at her mother deeply, and after a while, Fang lowered her eyes, and a thin light of water flashed in her phoenix eyes, "The queen mother also said so, then I will be much more relieved." Sigh softly,

"You are really good," Empress Lu suddenly became furious, lifted the quilt, stayed barefoot, pointed to the man in front of him and scolded,

"It's just a woman who made you so desperate? The so-called big husband has no wife, in this world, there are so many good women, and many of them are more beautiful and well-behaved than her. It's all up to you, but you are only obsessed with that one, for the sake of a Zhang Yan who fell into this appearance, are you right about the first emperor who handed over the Han Dynasty to you? That's right—"

Have I worked hard for you for so many years?

"Queen Mother,"

Liu Ying raised her voice and suddenly looked directly at her mother with her flaming eyes, "-Even if there are so many beautiful and ingenious women in the world, they are not Ah Yan. ”

His voice slowly became sad,

"These days, there are no days for Ah Yan. I often remember over and over again the first time I saw Ah Yan, and the first time Ah Yan married into Weiyang Palace. That year. I am in danger in the northland, and after my safe return, the queen mother will accuse me of acting recklessly. At that time, I felt very sorry for letting my mother worry and fear me. But I have no regrets about going to the North to return to Ah Yan in person. These days, without her by my side, I feel restless eating and sleeping. I knew that I would love her so much in the future, and I would never have treated her coldly for years. ”

"Queen Mother,"

"Since you asked me to marry her as queen in the first place. Why can't you see us together now? I thought, maybe, if she doesn't come back. I won't be able to live. ”

"Smack-"

A clear slap mark appeared on Liu Ying's face, and Lu Houqi trembled with anger, pointing at Liu Ying and saying, "You unfilial son, I raised you so big." Is it just to send you to the emperor's position so that you can die for a woman? ”

"I want to do what you say you want to be."

The emperor's phoenix eyes turned red. Chong said, "Over the years, I have been trying to be a qualified emperor in your mind, isn't it good enough?" However, even if I am the emperor again, I want to be accompanied by someone who knows my heart. I've been through so much to get a Ah Yan. There are not many people I really love in this world, after Sister A's early death, except for the queen mother, I only have Ayan. ”

Why, you can't tolerate Ah Yan because of the queen mother?

Empress Lu stood barefoot on the brown-red lichen in the hall, looked at her son who was kneeling on the ground, and sneered, "What kind of love saint are you pretending?" After Chen Hu died, didn't you just come over? Aren't you still marrying a newlywed, and living happily with your beauty in your arms? ”

CHEN Hu,

Liu Ying was slightly stunned.

- This name, but no one has mentioned it in Weiyang Palace for a long time.

She was the wife she married when she was the crown prince, and she died unexpectedly before the death of the first emperor, and both mother and son died. Four years later, he married Ah Yan, there was no example of posthumous queen in the Han Dynasty, the first emperor lived in Changle Palace, and later, after he ascended to the pole, he moved into Weiyang, and the traces of that woman around him have almost all been erased.

"That's different." Liu Ying asked what she loved in her heart, and replied slowly.

"Ah Yan and Chen Hu are different."

"Chen Hu is my joy to see the flowers bloom, after the withering, I am very sad, but after all, I can still recover and continue to go down. But Ah Yan, Ah Yan ——,"

"Ah Yan is a bone in my life,"

Removed her, I'm afraid, I don't have the strength to stand upright at all.

"Mother," he finally bowed his head, and let out a bleak crying and laughing moan, "I don't want this. ”

"I also want to be right about the thousands of miles of rivers and mountains handed over to me by my father, I want to be filial to my mother, I want to be filial to my brothers, and I want to take care of all the people."

However, I miss Ah Yan even more.

"If I didn't have Ah Yan, I really don't know what would happen to me and what I would do. If I can't even protect the person I love the most, what does it mean for me to do this emperor? ”

***********

Wuxin Marquis Lu Lu entered the palace to see the emperor, and when he arrived at the door of the Xuanshu Palace, he heard the boy's weak and steady voice from the hall, "Farewell to the emperor." ”

It is Liu Hong, the king of Huaiyang.

He was stunned for a moment, waited in place, and saw Liu Hong's small blue-edged Xuan-colored Chen Liujin-clothed figure in the hall bowing upright on the silk-colored lichen, and then got up and retreated. turned around to reveal a weak but gentle face.

"See the king of Huaiyang."

Lu Lu bowed, and his posture was bright.

Liu Hong was stunned and said, "Don't dare to be." After returning the half-salute, he said with a smile, "Marquis Wuxin entered the palace, thinking that his father had a summons, so Hong didn't bother and went back first." ”

Xiao Huangmen came out of the hall and preached, "Everyone let Wuxin Hou enter the palace." ”

Lu Lu took off his shoes and entered the hall, and saw that the emperor was dressed in a mysterious body, leaning on the hall and looking at the back of Yu Yuan, the king of Huaiyang, through the palace door.

"Your Majesty—"

Liu Ying came back to her senses, coughed, sat up straight, and smiled absently. "After the New Year, the King of Huaiyang is already eleven years old, and I plan to let him go."

"Domain?"

Lu Lu was stunned and looked up at the emperor.

After a few months of not seeing, the emperor's face looked a little pale, and under his eyes, there was a blue-gray hue that could not be concealed.

"Your Majesty has made such a decision, and naturally you have a reason. Originally, the minister should not have put his beak," he replied in confusion, "but...... After all, the king of Huaiyang is still young. ”

He didn't feel sure what the emperor wanted.

Speaking of which. Although King Huaiyang's biological mother was from a humble background, Liu Ying currently has no other princes, and he is the only prince under the emperor's knees. Not to be ignored by courtiers. Now that Empress Zhang has lost her trace, the harem is in turmoil, but the emperor wants to send this only son out of Beijing at this time, what is the intention?

"It's not small."

Liu Ying pulled the corners of her lips and smiled, but she didn't reveal too much of a smile. "Several of his imperial uncles were also vassals at this age. I had this plan, but there were a lot of things after the New Year, and it was delayed until today. The voice suddenly changed, "I heard that you have a younger sister in your house, and she has been quite fond of the queen mother recently?" ”

Lu Lu became more and more surprised, and got up and bowed. "The courtier's qualifications are crude, but it was a little luck that she got the queen mother's blue eyes."

"Marquis Wuxin is too polite."

Liu Ying said lightly. "It will not be a bad thing to be liked by the queen mother. Speaking of which, he is the youngest daughter of the Marquis of Jiancheng, and he can be regarded as my cousin, although I have never seen it. I can't help but say something. I heard that the twelfth cousin is now in her prime. How about I point her a wishful husband? The young son of the Li family looks good, if it is better to marry a Qin Jin, it will not be in vain for you and Li. ”

"It's-"

Lu Lu was dumbfounded, and suddenly felt that the sweat was like rain, and in an instant, he soaked through the heavy shirt.

"How?" Liu Ying smiled slightly, and there was no joy or anger on her face, "Could it be that Wu Xinhou thinks that I am not a matchmaker enough?" ”

Even though Lu Lu was full of bitterness, he had to bow down and say, "The minister doesn't dare." ”

After this sound, Lu Twelve Niang and Lu Ru's life can be regarded as decided. The emperor's authority is more important than everything, and since he has made his words clear, he is the queen mother in Changle Palace, and he cannot change it.

With a "snap", the cup in Empress Lu's hand was thrown to the ground and shattered, "The emperor actually did such a thing-"

There was silence in the Changxin Palace, and the people in the palace were silent.

After a long time, Lu Houfang eased up and said tiredly, "After all, the emperor has grown up, his wings have hardened, and his mind has become sharper. ”

She did so much just to send Lu Ru to him. Liu Ying took the first step to gain insight into the opportunity and sent Lu Ru out to marry first, even if she persisted, what was the point?

"Queen Mother," Su Mo pinched her sore shoulders for Empress Lu, and persuaded with a reluctant smile,

"The slave really doesn't understand,"

Even if you don't like Empress Zhang, "You really value this twelve ladies too much." If it was the original Wei Niangzi, forget it, this twelve ladies, not a slave maid, no matter how good her face, morality, or heart are not top-notch. Even if she was married off by His Majesty, in addition to the twelve ladies of the Lu family, how many good women are there in the world. Even the Lu clan may not be able to find someone who is more beautiful than her and smarter than her, so why bother—"

Put all your thoughts on a little Lu Ru.

Empress Lu said irritably, "What do you know? ”

"Aru is not very good, there are indeed too many beauties in the world, but what I really want is a prince with the blood of the Lu family."

Although Lu Ru is not smart enough and not beautiful enough, she is the daughter of the late Hou Lu Shizhi.

He was born in the Lu family, and there are only two brothers in law, who are Zhou Lu Hou Lu Ze and Jiancheng Hou Lu Shizhi, after the establishment of the Han Dynasty, they are already in their prime, and their children are not prosperous. Among the two generations of children and grandchildren, there is only one unmarried woman in Miaoling, Lu Ru.

No matter how good other women are, the princes born are not surnamed Lu in their mother's family. can't guarantee the glory and wealth of the Lu family in the next life. As for those so-called Lu family members?

Lu Houfeng's eyes were slightly raised, and he snorted coldly.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, a family usually consisted of only parents, brothers and sisters, and once the brothers were old, the father would split up. His old father went from a single father to Pei County, and he had something to do with it. They say they are people of the same race, but they are far from being so close. Although the clan girl has the same surname as Lu Zi, if she only marries ordinary magnates, she will naturally cling to the emperor's uncle's family.

but

If they are given the qualifications to ascend to heaven in one step, serve the emperor, and even give birth to a prince one day in the future. In the future, this Prince Lu ascended the throne by luck, who will the mother and son remember in their hearts? Is it the maternal uncle of the bloodline, or the brother and uncle who once praised their superiority?

If it comes to that point, it is better to tolerate Zhang Yan. At least Zhang Yan remembers the affection, and it is a relative of the Lu family.

*******

The sound of water droplets hitting the dirt and rocks ticked and fell after a long time, like a heavy object hanging over my heart.

There is still a feeling of pain in the pulse on the left foot, which is caused by falling from the compound road that day, falling and injuring the ankle, which has not been well bandaged, and there is still a slight pain after so many days.

There was a small cup of water in front of him. Zhang Yan took the drink and felt that the coldness soaked through the five organs and six lungs. The chains clattered on her hands and feet, and she sat up straight, looking at the stone chamber around her once more.

It didn't look very big, but it was three or four feet square, the light was dim, and there was no sound from the outside world, and it was supposed to be located underground, only a small beeswax burned in the hall, shining a faint yellow luster. Zhang Yan lay on a wooden couch in the corner of the room, and when she didn't understand the current situation, only staying in the dark could bring her a sense of security.

There was a "ding dong", and the sound of the door opening overhead. After a while, I could hear the sound of people kicking and stepping down the steps, and the fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl in Tsing Yi combed a double snail on her head, came in with a food box, and put it in front of her, looking at Zhang Yan with a pair of big sparkling eyes, very curious.

Zhang Yan raised her head and smiled at her.

The maidservant, who brought her food and water every day, was a deaf and dumb person.

On that day, she fell from the two palaces, and when everyone was panicked and did not have time to react, a man covered her mouth and nose with a soaked handkerchief from the north, and she passed out in an instant, and when she woke up again, she came to this basement, and there was no one to be seen, only this mute woman often came to bring food and water for herself.

Thinking about it, the person who captured her was quite jealous of himself, afraid that he would never get the news out of his mouth.

But, it doesn't matter.

She leaned against the stone wall, her eyes closed.

No matter who the people behind the scenes are, if they capture her alive and put her under house arrest in this basement, they will never have the intention of trapping her here alive. As long as there is no moment of despair, she has patience and waits slowly.

I don't know how long the years have been, and I don't know how many days have passed, Zhang Yan woke up in a daze, and suddenly heard the sound of approaching footsteps on the stone steps outside, but it was not the mute girl—the footsteps were light and soothing, far different from the sound of the mute girl jumping out heavily.

She straightened up in the darkness and sat solemnly, looking in the direction the stone door opened.

As if a moment had passed, and as if it had been eternal, the stone door was pushed open from the outside, and the woman in blue walked in with a lantern, her face reflected in the flickering candlelight, which looked mellow and strange.

"I thought about it for a long time, who is it?" Zhang Yan exhaled,

"Both expected and unexpected. I still have to say, I really didn't expect: - it's you. ”

**********

You can guess who it is!