When the pear blossoms on the banks of the Luoshui River bloomed like clouds and snow again, Emperor Mingde was too sick to get out of bed.

Li Jinyu knelt beside the bed with a medicine bowl and wept in a low voice:

"Father, my son has added some honey to the medicine, it is not very bitter, you can take a sip!"

Emperor Mingde smiled bitterly, he was almost powerless to shake his head, but he still asked if the King of Shu could send the talisman back.

Li Jinyu burst into tears and replied crying:

"Uncle Huang has already sent the talisman back, as for the employment of key positions in the Lianghu area, the son will take it to heart, and the father does not have to worry."

Emperor Mingde gasped for a "hmm", and then ordered An Jiang to call Shen Qingyang in.

Shen Qingyang and Mei Xue were both sitting in the outer room, listening to Emperor Mingde call him in, he glanced at Mei Xue and followed An Jiang.

kneeling down beside the bed and kowtowing to Emperor Mingde, Shen Qingyang waited for a while before hearing Emperor Mingde say:

"Qingyang, I have always regarded you as a son, you know that.

I know you've always liked Mei Xue, and now that I'm leaving, I want to fulfill your wish.

Look, how about I marry you and Mei Xue? ”

Li Jinyu, who was kneeling next to her, trembled and almost dropped the medicine bowl in her hand.

Shen Qingyang was silent for a long time before replying:

"Weichen only appreciates Miss Mei, and has no love between men and women.

Weichen likes the lord of Changle, and the queen mother and the princess also acquiesced in this matter.

Therefore, Wechen asked His Majesty to give the county lord to Wechen as his wife. ”

After speaking, Shen Qingyang kowtowed to Emperor Mingde again and said:

"Although Wechen is a lot older than the county lord, Wechen swears to His Majesty that he will be devoted to the county lord for the rest of his life."

Li Jinyu breathed a sigh of relief invisibly, and quietly wiped the sweat on her forehead with her sleeve.

Emperor Mingde smiled, tried to turn his face to look at Shen Qingyang and said:

"I know the friendship between you and Jinzhi, but you are the child I watched grow up, and I believe in your loyalty to me and Jinyu.

Forget it, I will fulfill you and Changle, after all, I will hand over Changle to you, and I am also the most assured. ”

Shen Qingyang's eyes were red, and he kowtowed heavily to Emperor Mingde to thank him.

Retreating to the outer room, Shen Qingyang glanced at Mei Xue, didn't speak, turned his head and walked outside.

Mei Xue hesitated, but got up and followed.

Luoyang is already the season of flowers, and even the wind is mixed with the sweet smell of flowers.

Shen Qingyang stood under the corridor, did not look at Mei Xue next to him, and only said lightly:

"Your Majesty will give me and Changle a marriage, and at this time next year, after the national funeral, I should get married."

Mei Xue was silent, and only whispered for a long time:

"Thank you, Lord Shen, for your success, and I wish you and the county lord a hundred years of happiness."

Shen Qingyang's eyes were red, and he twisted his face to endure the tears in his eyes before looking back at Mei Xue and said:

"I will treat Changle with my heart, you and Jinzhi should also be well, although the road ahead is long, I still believe that you will have a good result."

After speaking, Shen Qingyang turned around and strode away.

The spring breeze was gentle, but it still rolled up the corners of Shen Qingyang's clothes.

Mei Xue looked at his distant back, bit her lip and held back the tears in her eyes.

On March 16, the 22nd year of Mingde, the emperor died. A month later, the crown prince Li Jinyu ascended the throne and named the crown princess Xie Danqin as the queen, but did not make the crown prince.

In early summer, the house is lush with a few ginkgo trees.

An Jiang lay drowsy on the soft couch under the shade of the tree, the sunlight leaking through the branches and leaves, shining on his sparse strands of white hair, dazzlingly white,

The corner door opened quietly, and Mei Xue, dressed in a cool summer coat, led Jiu'er in.

Sitting down on the stone bench beside An Jiang, Mei Xue whispered:

"Eunuch, the last two Daoists who escaped from Dan Xinguan have also been found and have been secretly executed, you can rest assured."

Since the death of Emperor Mingde, An Jiang refused to take any more medicines, and he ate very little food, and drank half a bowl of gruel in the morning and evening a day.

Mei Xue knew that he had already had a will to die, so she no longer tried to persuade him, and only tried to find time to see him every day.

Hearing Mei Xue speak, An Jiang slowly opened his eyes and said:

"The prince fulfilled his wish for the old slave, please Miss Mei thank him on behalf of the old slave."

Mei Xue nodded, and didn't say much to distract An Jiang, only picked up the round fan on the table and slowly fanned him with a cool breeze.

When he returned to Lilac, it was already evening, Qin Li was waiting for Mei Xue at the door, and followed her as he walked and said the news that Song Zhijie had just delivered.

The seventh girl of the Xie family arrived in Luoyang today, and the queen Xie Danqin did not let her enter the palace to meet her on the pretext that she was busy, but placed the Xie family and her party in a house in Beijing.

The Xie family is hugely wealthy, and there are several mansions in the capital alone.

Qin Li continued to whisper:

"This is not something related to you, girl, but I heard that the seventh girl fell ill before she arrived in Beijing, and Mr. Song was afraid that they would ask the girl to come, so he asked the girl to be notified as soon as possible, so as to make preparations."

Mei Xue nodded, she was reluctant to get involved in the battle between the Xie family sisters, but she also knew that sooner or later she would not be able to avoid it.

Sure enough, the next morning, the Xie family came to the door, and it was the new aunt in charge of Kunning Palace, Mama Xie.

Mama Xie smiled and said to Mei Xue:

"Miss Mei, the old slave is here to invite you instead of Niangniang.

You also know that Niangniang loves the Seventh Girl very much, but now that Niangniang has just taken charge of the Inner Palace, everything is busy, and there are several children to take care of, so she is really busy, otherwise she will definitely take the Seventh Girl into the palace to take care of it personally. ”

Mei Xue smiled and nodded, but only sneered in her heart.

is anxious about Miss Xie Qi's condition, and Mama Xie is probably the first to bear the brunt. As for taking Miss Xie Qi into the palace, I'm afraid that Mama Xie is more anxious.

Mei Xue naturally couldn't refuse, so she and Mama Xie took a carriage to Xie's mansion.

The two of them sat in the carriage, and Mama Xie still didn't forget to remind Mei Xue openly and secretly:

"Our seventh girl is the only concubine of the big house, and she was raised by the old lady herself all her life.

In terms of pampering, even a few grandchildren in the house can't compare.

Let's just say this name, only the seventh girl is with her brothers and brothers to arrange the jade character generation and take the name Yuyan.

This is also the reason why you should trouble the girl to take a trip, ordinary doctors and women don't do anything, and those imperial doctors are all men, and they are afraid that their breath will be dirty, which will make the seventh girl feel wronged. ”

Mei Xue nodded, smiled and said:

"In this case, I should be more attentive to diagnosis and treatment, and Mama can rest assured."

Mama Xie smiled very satisfied, took out a bulging purse from her sleeve and stuffed it to Mei Xue.

Mei Xue had to take the purse, but she already had disgust in her heart, but she didn't show it on her face.

Such a noble seventh girl, she really has no interest in serving.

After all, she is just a "doctor who doesn't do anything", and she is also a doctor, and she probably has a bad smell of dirt on her body.

The Xie family's house is not too far from Lilac, with pavilions and pavilions everywhere, and the carved beams and paintings are full of wealth.

The soft sedan chair walked for a while before arriving at the gate of Xie Yuyan's courtyard, and there were already four mothers-in-law waiting at the door.

Behind the lotus-colored soft smoke tent, there was a beautiful woman with a delicate face, even if she was sick, her slightly frowning eyebrows were also indescribably charming and delicate.

But Mei Xue only glanced at it and shook her head in her heart.

This kind of Xie Yuyan is indeed very similar to the former crown princess Yang Shumin, but it is completely different.

Yang Shumin was born in Jiangmen, and was raised by the Empress Dowager Jing'an, and she has a dignified and elegant atmosphere, that is, she has been suppressed by Queen Shen for several years, and she has not changed her true colors.

And Xie Yuyan in front of her is like a tearful irise, so delicate that it will break when the wind blows.