Imperial City, Xingqing Palace.

In the spacious courtyard, a middle-aged woman in a golden brocade dress sat on a large chaise longue, closed her eyes, and let the breeze blow her long hair scattered haphazardly, revealing a few strands of hair that were gradually graying.

There were four palace maids standing next to the woman, and the palace maid behind her gently pushed the chaise longue, causing the chaise longue to shake rhythmically and slightly.

The palace maids on the left and right sides each hold a one-person-high banana fan and fan it gently, which not only cleverly blocks the glimmer of light reflected on the woman's face, but also brings a gentle breeze.

The last maid sat on her knees and massaged her legs with great skill.

"Lian'er, what time is it?" The woman asked softly as she looked at the darkening sky.

"Back to the Queen Mother, it's time now, but the Queen Mother is going to eat?" The palace maid behind her replied.

The Queen Mother shook her head and said: "At this time on weekdays, this girl Nian Yi should have come to the palace to accompany the mourning family for dinner." There is no one to see today, and the mourning family wonders if there will be some accident on the road. ”

Lian'er said with a smile: "His Royal Highness the county lord is very intelligent, he has always been eccentric, and no one in this Chang'an City knows the county lord, so he shouldn't encounter any trouble, but I think there are probably some things that have been delayed for a while." ”

"If it's a weekday, you don't have to worry about it. It's just that in the past few days, so many mountain monks have come to the city. Although these people have given face to the royal family on the surface, they must not be completely constrained by my Tianqi's rules. The Queen Mother was a little worried: "I'm afraid that Nian Yi has a conflict with these people." With Nianyi's temper, even if he is wrong, he will not bow his head and admit his mistake. ”

The Queen Mother thought for a while and said: "Lian'er, you quickly go and let people go out of the palace to inquire about the news of the county lord, Nian Yi This is the first time that he has not entered the palace so late, and the mourning family is always a little relieved." ”

"Yes, Queen Mother." Lian'er stopped what she was doing and hurriedly turned around and left. Before he could take two steps, he bumped into a young man in a black suit.

Seeing the appearance of the person who came, Lian'er let out a "ah", and hurriedly stepped back two steps and saluted: "Slave Yuelian see Your Majesty." ”

His Majesty the Emperor of Tianqi, Ji Qingchen nodded, and waved his hand to show that there was no need to be polite. Then he walked quickly to the queen mother, knelt down on one knee and said, "The son is here to say hello to the queen mother." ”

"Didn't the mourning family say it all, it was just before. Now that you are the emperor, you can only worship the heavens and the earth, and you can no longer do this great gift when you see the mourning family. The Queen Mother said helplessly.

"After all these years, Erchen has long been used to it. Now it is extremely unnatural to let the sons and daughters stand and salute when they see their mothers. Ji Qingchen stood up, walked behind the Queen Mother, took over from the palace maid Yuelian just now, and continued to push the reclining chair.

"Tell me, what is the purpose of coming to the mourning family this time?" The Queen Mother closed her eyes and lay down in a more relaxed position.

"What did the Queen Mother say? It's okay, so the minister can't come to visit the queen mother? It's also excellent to be able to accompany the queen mother and talk about homely things," Ji Qingchen said aggrievedly.

The Queen Mother snorted coldly: "The words are good, but I haven't seen Your Majesty come over to chat with my old thing." Your brothers are all virtuous, and when you grow up, your wings are stiff and you fly. If it weren't for the fact that there was still a girl Chu who came to accompany the mourning family every day, she really couldn't stay in this palace for a day. ”

"What's the matter, the queen mother is not old at all, who doesn't know that the queen mother was the first beauty of my Tianqi back then. The thing that Erchen admires most about his father in his life is that he can marry a woman like his mother. Unlike Erchen, the harem is full of vulgar fans, not as good as the queen mother. "Ji Qingchen is serious.

"Flim Tongue, I learned these things from your father." The Queen Mother scolded with a smile.

Ji Qingchen smiled, then glanced left and right a few times, and wondered: "Why didn't I see this girl Nianyi today, I said how is this Xingqing Palace so clean, if she is there on weekdays, even the nearby Jianing Palace and Anqing Palace can be tossed by her." ”

"The mourning family was also wondering just now. In the past, if something could not come, she would order the servants in the house to come to the palace to inform her. But today no one has come to report it, nor has she seen her figure. The mourners were worried that she might have run into some trouble on the way. Speaking of the righteous daughter she loved, a trace of worry appeared on the Queen Mother's face.

"With Nianyi's identity, let alone in Chang'an City, no one dares to provoke her even in the entire Tianqi Territory. Unless ......" Ji Qingchen frowned: "Unless she has a conflict with those mountain monks in the city."

The people who came to Chang'an City to watch the battle between Longhu Mountain and Wudang Mountain this time were all the elders and seniors who were quite prestigious in the various sects, or the proud sons of heaven in the younger generation. ”

"What kind of Taoist orthodox competition is going to be held in the palace, when so many mountain people have entered the palace, what about the safety of your harem concubines and other brothers and sisters." The Queen Mother complained: "Is it possible to expect you, the mortal emperor, to be able to control those mountain immortals?" ”

Ji Qingchen sneered: "Erchen naturally can't control them, but Erchen has sent shadow guards to monitor every part of Chang'an City, if it's just a few mountains and wild cultivators making trouble, the shadow guards can still deal with it."

As for those big sects, now the seventh brother is also in the city, not to mention whether the seventh brother can be the opponent of these people, but after all, he is still the personal disciple of Mr. Dongfang in Tianyi Pavilion, even if it is a sect like Wudang Mountain and Longhu Mountain, he is unwilling and does not dare to form a bond with Tianyi Pavilion. ”

"You are the emperor, you think it's okay." The Queen Mother closed her eyes, "By the way, call Qingyuan over for dinner, the mourning family hasn't seen him for several days." ”

"Seventh brother, he is not in the palace at this time, he said that he has been away from home for too long, and now he is not very familiar with Chang'an City, so Li Yi, the commander of Tianlongwei, has been accompanying him to wander around the city for the past few days." After Ji Qingchen finished speaking, he carefully looked at the Queen Mother's face.

Sure enough, the Queen Mother's face immediately turned ugly when she heard this, and she snorted coldly: "Wandering around the city? As soon as he was born, he ran around in the city with that Li Yi every day, how unfamiliar could he be. I'm afraid that the mourning family has visited Liu Ruyan's restaurant every day, right?

Hmph, if it weren't for the mourning family......"

Hearing this, Ji Qingchen's heart moved, and he asked carefully: "Queen Mother, Erchen has always been puzzled by something. My fifth brother and I were both brought up by you after your mother, so naturally we were close to you. Why did you leave your mother after the birth of your seventh brother? The son also asked his father many times about this matter, but the father did not inform the son. ”

The Queen Mother was silent for a long time, and finally sighed and said: "The mourning family can't tell you about this matter for the time being, and you will know it in the future." ”

"Erchen knows." Ji Qingchen nodded, but he became more and more curious, every time he asked about his father and mother, they were reluctant to mention it, could it be that there was a secret in it?

"Twists and turns, don't you get down to business?" The Queen Mother reminded.

Ji Qingchen said "oops", "Look at my memory, my son came here to discuss Yunxi's marriage with the queen mother." ”

"Huh? Yunxi, this girl has reached the age of talking about marriage so soon? The Queen Mother was a little surprised.

"The queen mother has always paid little attention to Yunxi, and it's normal that she can't remember......"

The Queen Mother nodded and said: "This girl is a good girl, but she is too wooden, not as lively as Nianyi." But if you think about it carefully, the mourning family really cares too little about her, and she is really ashamed of her biological mother. Your Majesty has already chosen a husband for her? ”

"In three days, it will be the day of the competition between Zhang Zhangjiao of Wudang Mountain and Lu Tianshi of Longhu Mountain, and it is also the birthday of Yunxi, when the heroes and heroes of all major sects will gather in the palace, Erchen thinks that if there are some young talents among them, the teachers and characters are excellent, maybe they can make friends with them, if they can fancy each other with Yunxi, it will be better." Ji Qingchen said.

"These mountain immortal masters, can they look at mortal women?" The Queen Mother asked.

"My Fair Lady, good gentleman. Yunxi's appearance is a first-class good in my Tianqi, and Erchen thinks that even those who cultivate the Tao may not be tempted. After saying this, Ji Qingchen quietly stretched his neck and looked at the Queen Mother's face.

This idea is a bit selfish for him, if he can marry the royal princess to a certain high-ranking family on the mountain, maybe it will be a big help for the royal family in the future. Although it is somewhat unfair to Yunxi, the royal family has always been the most ruthless.

As a princess of the royal family, in a sense, from the day she was born, her fate was destined to serve as a tool for royal marriage.

The Queen Mother stretched out her fingers, gently tapped the armrest of the chair, and was silent for a while before saying, "This matter needs to be done better." At that time, Concubine Xi asked the mourning family before her death, and she must find a good in-law for Yunxi in the future. Don't marry Yunxi at will just because of your teacher's background. After all, she is still my Tianqi's princess, and she must be beautiful when she gets married, and she can't be wronged at all. ”

Ji Qingchen breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said: "Erchen obeys orders, Yunxi is also Erchen's sister, Erchen will not suffer her, and he will definitely choose a wishful man for her." ”

The Queen Mother nodded and closed her eyes again.

"There is one more thing, the queen mother, the seventh brother, since he has returned to Tianqi now, and his cultivation has been successful, how about the son sent him to assist General Chu in the army?" Ji Qingchen asked.

The Queen Mother waved her hand, "Don't worry about this matter." The three of you, brothers, you are today, a true dragon in the world, and naturally you need to sit in Tianqi to strengthen my Tianqi national prestige.

Qingming is my Tianqi's sharpest sword, and with his military talent and performance on the battlefield, he will inevitably succeed Yun Kuo as my Tianqi's general in the future.

As for Qing Yuan, he is like an eagle with wings spreading, he will only fly higher and higher when he becomes an adult, he will not stay in the palace all the time, and there is no freedom in the palace that he loves. ”

Ji Qingchen nodded, "What the queen mother said is very true, and the sons actually thought of it, but the seventh brother can't stay in Tianqi to assist the sons, so it is inevitable that there will be some regrets." ”

"From the day the famous Mr. Dongfang came to Tianqi, Qing Yuan is destined to be farther and farther away from us in the future." The Queen Mother said quietly: "But you don't need to worry. Now, with my Tianqi's national strength, Daduan and Qingyun can barely have the strength to fight only if they join forces. But if the two countries want to join forces, unless the little emperor of Qingyun can let go of his father's murder.

As for those mountain immortals, the mourning family knows that the magical powers they have shown in the past few days are a bit unbelievable to you. But there are rules on the mountain, and if they interfere in the affairs of the world without permission, someone will naturally punish them, so you don't have to worry. ”

"The queen mother seems to know everything about the mountains?" Ji Qingchen said curiously.

The Queen Mother was stunned and replied casually: "The mourning family is just hearsay." ”

Ji Qingchen nodded, unimpressed.

Just as Ji Qingchen was thinking about how to make it natural for him to leave, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a pitch-black shadow on the ground moving rapidly out of the corner of his eye, and suddenly came to the queen mother's recliner.

The shadow stood still, and began to slowly rise from the ground, until it turned into a pitch-black figure and stood in front of several people.

Shadow Guard, according to legend, is the guardian of the Tianqi Royal. No one knows how strong the shadow guard is, although there are less than a hundred people, but the first emperor commented that the shadow guard alone can be worth 10,000 elite soldiers. Their usual image is that of a shadow that lurks everywhere, and when it's time to strike, they will turn into a pitch-black human form and deal a fatal blow to the enemy.

Ji Qingchen remembered that he had asked his father, since the shadow guard was so powerful, why didn't he use the shadow guard to wage war against the enemy country? With the strength of the shadow guard, whether it is an assassination or a frontal fight, it is invincible on the battlefield.

However, his father said that the Shadow Guards were not "people" in the true sense of the word, they were just creatures who had signed a contract with one of Tianqi's former ancestors. This contract allows them to protect the Imperial City of Chang'an for thousands of years, but it also restricts their freedom, and if they leave Chang'an City, they may completely disappear from this world.

At the end of this conversation, Gide also said intentionally or unintentionally, "It's been too long since that contract was signed, and I always feel that the shadow guard seems to want to find a way to break the contract." It may be that I am suspicious, but in the future, when you succeed to the throne, remember not to rely too much on the Shadow Guards, and completely put your own life and that of the royal family in their hands. ”

"See the Queen Mother, Your Majesty." Ying Wei's hoarse voice interrupted Ji Qingchen's thoughts.

"What?" Ji Qingchen asked.

"Back to Your Majesty, the county lord rode a horse on the way to the palace at night, and the Taoist priests forcibly blocked the way after knowing the identity of the county lord, forcing the county lord to apologize." Shadow Guard replied emotionlessly.

"Sure enough, I was guessed by the mourning family." The Queen Mother sat up, "Did those Taoist priests take the initiative against the county?" ”

"Tianlongwei Deputy Commander Zhang Xiu and Right Prime Minister Li Ping arrived in time, and they had already negotiated with the Taoist priest of Longhu Mountain, but the other party did not appreciate it."

"In that case, this matter can't be good." The Queen Mother narrowed her eyes and said in a cold tone, "If you gather the power of the Shadow Guard, can you take down those Taoist priests?" ”

Ying Wei shook his head and said, "If it's just a few ordinary Taoist priests, it's just that the Heavenly Master of the Heavenly Master's Mansion seems to be among them." Lu Tianshi should have felt the existence of his subordinates and others, and his subordinates who were oppressed by his own Dao Qi could not take a step forward, so his subordinates had to come back and report the situation to the Queen Mother and Her Majesty. ”

"That's how a sect master acts?" Ji Qingchen's expression also became gloomy, "Could it be that he Dragon Tiger Mountain can ride on my head?" ”

"The Queen Mother and Your Majesty don't have to worry, when the county lord had an accident, the Seventh Prince happened to be at the scene, and the Seventh Prince had already seriously injured the aggressive woman." Shadow Guard said.

Ji Qingchen breathed a sigh of relief, "But since the seventh brother has already made a move, presumably that Lu Tianshi will not be able to sit still." ”

The Queen Mother nodded, and then said to the shadow guard: "Continue to inquire about the news, if the Seventh Prince can successfully resolve this matter, let him and the county lord enter the palace to see the mourning family." ”

"Yes." The shadow guard bowed his head and saluted, then slowly melted into the ground, turning into a black shadow and leaving quickly.

"Queen Mother, if that Lu Tianshi suddenly makes a difficulty, the seventh brother is still young after all, can he handle it?" Ji Qingchen said with some concern.

"If it were someone else, it would be unlikely. However, Mr. Dongfang's personal disciples, several of his senior brothers are now those who are standing on the top of the mountain, and presumably Qing Yuan will not be bad. The Queen Mother said quietly, but she still looked at the north from time to time, as if she wanted to see some clues.

——

——

Chang'an City, Jide Restaurant.

The middle-aged Taoist held the sword in his right hand, the horizontal sword in his chest, and his left hand protected the junior sister who was already a little sluggish behind him, staring at the man in white on the third floor of the restaurant opposite.

The middle-aged Taoist has a heavy face, although his junior sister has a perverse personality, but when it comes to strength and Taoism, she can be regarded as an outstanding group among the younger generation. But today the young man seemed to have seriously injured her with his hands, and he didn't even see how he did it.

Thinking of this, the middle-aged Taoist looked back at the young Taoist priest at the back, and the young man still just looked up at the sky, as if everything that happened had nothing to do with him.

"The poor road is Xu Yuanchun of the Heavenly Master Mansion of Longhu Mountain, and the family teacher is the contemporary Heavenly Master of the Heavenly Master Mansion, and this is the junior sister Lin Xiuying, I don't know your name? Is it a senior master on the mountain? The middle-aged Taoist said in a deep voice, secretly hoping that the other party would be able to retreat after hearing the name of the master.

The man in white did not answer, but a middle-aged man dressed in black walked out behind him.

"It's General Lee." Li Ping said softly, "So that's the ......."

"The Seventh Prince." Zhang Xian also breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Yi glanced coldly at the four Taoist priests below, as a soldier, he was born with loyalty and respect for His Majesty, and now these outsiders dare to speak disrespectfully to His Majesty, even if the Seventh Prince is not here, he dares to swing a knife.

Li Yi said coldly: "Seeing my Tianqi Seventh Prince, don't you still salute?" ”

Li Ping and Zhang Xian were the first to react and hurriedly knelt down to salute, and although the surrounding people were full of curiosity about the legendary Seventh Prince, they also knelt on the ground due to their fear of the natural majesty of the royal family. Including that Miss Chu.

Chu Nianyi secretly raised his eyes to look at the Seventh Prince, who once only existed in the mouths of His Majesty and the Queen Mother, and couldn't help but be a little stunned. Even the women in the city who came over to see the excitement at this time had only one thought in their minds at this time.

There are such good-looking men in this world!

It seems to be a merry fairy from the sky, although it is close in front of you, it makes people feel far away in the sky.

At this time, downstairs, only the four Taoist priests of Longhu Mountain were still standing in place, not moving. Xu Yuanchun, who was standing at the forefront, was already sweating profusely.