Ye Minzhao left Yangxing Zhai, but left behind little Hanzi who refused to leave for a while. Yulan tossed and turned all night and could not sleep at all. He got up early the next day, but as soon as he went out, he found that Ye Minzhao had sent a special

The battalion guards came to protect him, but as soon as Yulan walked outside, two soldiers in neat clothes and holding swords came out to stop him.

Although he had expected it, Yulan was still furious and asked Xiao Hanzi: "What does this mean?"

Xiao Hanzi had to be extra careful and careful in his service last night, showing the spirit of serving the emperor, but Yulan ignored him, obviously she was angry with him. Xiao Hanzi bowed and explained:

"Princess Qi, this is someone sent by the Emperor to protect you!"

"To protect me? I think they are here to put me under house arrest!" Yu Lan sneered.

Xiao Hanzi glanced at Yulan: "Princess, what the emperor means is that as long as you promise not to leave the palace, you can come and go in the entire Forbidden City! If you feel bored living here, I will take you around!

"

Xiao Hanzi saw that Yulan's face was getting worse and worse. After thinking about it, he couldn't help but persuade him: "I have always been with the emperor, and I know the emperor's feelings for the princess best. Over the years, the emperor has never forgotten you.

Ah, if the emperor hadn't been thinking about his old feelings and issued an imperial edict, you would have no room to resist. The reason why he

If you are unwilling to do this, it still means that he has you at the top of his mind! The servant said something that should not be said, but his arms cannot hold his thighs. This is not good for you, your natal family, or the regent's palace, so why not just

..." The little emperor saw that Yulan was nostalgic for old friendships, so he kept little Hanzi, and also wanted to persuade her.

Yu Lan was furious after hearing what he said. Before he could finish the rest of his words, she cut off: "Shut up! Get out of here!!" Over the years, she was still the first

This was the first time she lost such a temper. She was someone who had been in a position of power for a long time. This attack was also quite powerful. Little Hanzi was startled and did not dare to say more: "I'll get out of here, I'll get out!" and ran away in despair.

Far away.

On the other side, the Queen Mother of Cining Palace also received a tip: "Has Yang been brought into the palace?"

"Yes!" Chen Jia lowered his head and replied.

The Queen Mother pondered for a long time, "Rescue her as soon as you come in! It's better than the Emperor running to the Regent's Palace all day long. It used to be that we were far apart, so naturally she looked good in everything. Now that we can get along day and night, maybe the Emperor will get tired of her after a while.

Got it!"

"The Queen Mother clearly sees thousands of miles! This is exactly what she said!"

The Queen Mother waved her hand: "You don't have to tell me these nice things. This matter really gave the Ai family a headache! The Ai family also thought about killing the Yang family with a glass of poisoned wine and preserving the emperor's name, but the emperor

The Ai family knows his temper best, and I am afraid that the relationship between mother and son will be ruined from now on... The Ai family is also in trouble!"

Chen Jia carefully said every word: "The Queen Mother is right! I thought that the regent has been missing for so long without any news, and now I am afraid that he will not come back! The palace without Ye Yichen is like a tiger without its claws and legs.

Fear! Why don't you just obey the emperor's wishes and give the Yang family to the emperor as his concubine in the next decree? That's all.

The emperor is thinking about this! Nowadays, the imperial court is full of waste. The emperor has so many important things to do. It is not an option to spend too much energy in the harem! As for what people outside say? We, the Jinyiwei of the West Factory and the East Factory, are not just doing it.

, whoever dares to talk nonsense will be arrested and killed directly. These people know that they are afraid, so naturally they will not talk nonsense!"

The Queen Mother said: "This matter is not as simple as you said. Now that the emperor has temporarily secured his throne, there are actually undercurrents inside and outside the court. Ye Yichen's influence in the middle and lower ranks of the army cannot be eliminated in a day or two. Now the Yang family

It is really not the right time to accept her as a concubine. The Ai family should think carefully about it!"

Chen Jia had always admired the Queen Mother's foresight and was naturally very convinced by these words. The Queen Mother asked again: "Are there any bad rumors outside now?"

"But there are some rumors. My servants have arrested those who gossiped."

"It is better to defend the people's mouth than to defend the river!" The Queen Mother sighed, and then continued: "But now is an extraordinary period, so you must work harder and never let words and deeds that are not conducive to the emperor spread! The regent princess entered the palace.

The information must be kept absolutely confidential! Don’t let anyone know!”

"yes!"

"It would be great if there was a big victory over Hunan and Hubei!" As long as we can win a victory against the Shu Han troops, even if it is not decisive, the little emperor's prestige will be established, and there is no need to be like this now.

Very trembling.

After Chen Jia went down, the Queen Mother summoned the aunt in charge of Cining Palace and said: "Go and invite the Queen, Concubine Shu and Concubine Yi to the Ai family!"

Although the main purpose of choosing these two concubines was a political marriage to consolidate Ye Minzhao's control over the army, the Queen Mother was also satisfied with their appearance and character. After all, after so many years of life-and-death political struggle, she finally helped her son win the

After winning the throne, I don’t want to wrong my son too much now.

Queen Shen, Concubine Shu, and Concubine Yi received the summons from the Queen Mother and arrived at Cining Palace very quickly. After the ceremony, the Queen Mother gave them seats and looked at the girls below. They all had bright eyes and white teeth like flowers and jade.

The temperaments of spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums each have their own characteristics. Even the queen mother found them pleasing to the eye. The little emperor should be at the age of eating marrow and knowing the taste. Why didn't he bother to take a second look at the two concubines?

The Queen Mother is really puzzled!

Queen Shen said: "I wonder what the queen mother's instructions are for calling her children and ministers to come?"

The Queen Mother smiled kindly, her communication skills were so strong. During these days, she had no airs about Queen Shen, Concubine Shu, or Concubine Yi. The Queen Mother was easy to serve, and she lived a good life after the first and second concubines entered the palace.

They were all quite comfortable, so the three of them didn't seem too restrained.

The Queen Mother said: "There is nothing else to do. I just got a few taels of good tea yesterday. I am bored today, so I called you over to drink tea with the Ai family to pass the time!"

Concubine Shu is the grandson of General Zheng. Her whole family is a military general. Her father and brother are soldiers. They have a cheerful temperament. She has also developed a straightforward and outspoken character. She is very lively. When she heard this, she smiled and said: "

Queen Mother still feels sorry for us! We just feel like we don’t know how to spend these boring days. Don’t you think so, Sister Queen, Sister Yifei!"

Empress Shen and Concubine Yi also responded: "Sister Concubine Shu is right. Your mother is generous and kind, and sets an example for the world. She is a role model for us!"

Everyone was chatting and laughing, and after a while, the palace maid who was good at tea ceremony made tea and served it to everyone one by one. While everyone was drinking tea, they were flattering the Queen Mother and talking. The atmosphere was joyful for a while.

The gossip was almost over, and the Queen Mother finally turned to the topic: "The Ai family sees that in recent days, the emperor is busy with the government affairs of the previous dynasty and does not hang around in the harem much..."

Queen Shen and the other three people were able to stand out and enter the service of the young emperor. Naturally, they all have exquisite hearts. As soon as the Queen Mother said these words, the scene became strangely quiet. Queen Shen and Concubine Yifei Shu's faces were all burning. The emperor couldn't help but They were willing to enter their room and caused trouble for the Queen Mother to personally intervene, which made them lose a lot of face. The Emperor refused to summon the emperor, so the Queen Mother naturally would not blame the Emperor, but would only blame them for their lack of charm.

Queen Shen then stood up and said: "The sons and ministers are all ignorant and have not served the emperor well. The queen asked the mother to bother herself."

The Queen Mother smiled kindly, waved her hands and said: "Sit down, sit down! The Ai family's own son, the Ai family, knows that the emperor wants to be the Holy Lord of the generation and establish the unshakable foundation of the Great Chu for eternity. He He is so absorbed in the affairs of the court that he sometimes neglects you. The Ai family will advise him more on this matter! As for you, you should also pay more attention to the emperor on weekdays, and show your face in front of the emperor when you have nothing to do and act coquettishly. Something like that... think of more ways to capture the emperor's heart! If nothing else, the Ai family wants to have the emperor's grandson in their arms as soon as possible!"

In fact, the three of them had had this idea for a long time. The reason why no one dared to carry it out was because they were afraid that Meng Lang would offend the Queen Mother and the Emperor, and if they were labeled as charming and charming, not only would they be unable to steal the chicken, , but even the family may be implicated. That’s why they didn’t dare to act rashly.

Seeing that all three of them were blushing, the Queen Mother laughed and said: "The Ai family knows that you are all noble girls, but these feelings are accumulated over time. You can act boldly and confidently, because the Queen Mother will make the decision for you in everything!"

"Yes!" All three people agreed, their voices like mosquitoes. Is this an order to seduce the emperor? All three people felt strange in their hearts.

Empress Shen left the Cining Palace and did not take a sedan chair. Instead, she slowly walked back to the Kunning Palace with her personal maid Bi Tao. She was thinking about her thoughts while walking. It was already mid-spring, when the grass was growing and the warblers were flying. In this season, the palace is full of birds and flowers, a scene full of vitality.

The queen's thoughts were very deep. Before entering the palace, her great-uncle British Duke Shen once taught her some words and deeds, which gave her a clear understanding of the current situation. She knew that it was the time for the emperor to calm down. When she was at home, it was also the time when her position in the palace was the most stable. The Queen Mother's gentle attitude toward her and her closeness to her was as good as mother and daughter, which explains the problem.

If she does not take advantage of this opportunity to give birth to the emperor's eldest son as soon as possible to stabilize his position. In the future, when the emperor is older and there will be countless beauties in the three palaces and six courtyards, there will be many variables. Whether the Shen family's grandson can become the prince will be a big deal. It’s hard to say.

Nowadays, everything in the palace is about stability. Concubine Shu and Concubine Yi are not as good as me in family background, and even their appearance is worse than mine, just to highlight her supreme status. I don't want to have disputes in the harem, it is my best Opportunity. However, the emperor did not even enter his own door. No matter how good the opportunity was, he could not give birth to a son out of thin air!

After all, the Queen was only a teenage girl. Although she had been carefully cultivated by her family, she was finally a little bit out of control. She thought again, what did the Queen Mother mean by what she said to the three of them today? Mr. Shen I once told her that the Queen Mother was the most heroic woman in the world, more capable than most men. So when facing the Queen Mother, although she was calm on the outside, she was trembling in her heart. She woke up. She was full of energy. She chewed every word of the Queen Mother over and over again in her heart.

The Queen Mother's words today must have profound meaning. Thinking of this, she asked Bi Tao: "Is there anything special happening in the palace recently?"

Bi Tao thought for a while and said: "It seems that there is nothing special! Oh, by the way, I heard that the emperor recently asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs to clean up the Yangxing Zhai. It seems that he attaches great importance to it. The emperor has to ask once every morning and evening. Everyone in the palace is here It is speculated that the emperor may want to accept a new concubine. However, the regent princess came yesterday. Because Luo Yao could not leave the house for a long time, the emperor asked someone to place her there! Talking about accepting a new concubine is all nonsense! "

Queen Shen's heart moved slightly when she heard this: "Princess Regent? Has she left the palace today?"

"It seems not!"

Queen Shen hesitated for a moment: "Let's go see the Princess Regent!"

Bi Tao did not move and persuaded in a low voice: "Mother, the regent is dead and the regent's palace is in decline. Why should we get together at this time? What if we make the emperor unhappy?" This maid was also carefully trained by the Shen family. Only then did I have this insight.

"What do you know? Just follow my orders!"

Cining Palace is in the west of the Forbidden City, but Yangxing Zhai is in the east. There is a big difference between the two places. Empress Shen sent a young eunuch to carry a sedan over. Empress Shen got on the sedan and passed through Yuehua Gate and Sunjing Gate. While at the Yangxing Gate, Queen Shen stopped her sedan chair and found that there were more than a hundred guards with swords guarding the Yangxin Gate.

Empress Shen was slightly surprised. When she arrived at Yangxing Zhai, she found that the person guarding the door was actually the little Hanzi who was always beside the emperor.

"Queen? Why are you here?" Little Hanzi looked at the queen who suddenly appeared from the ground in shock.

The queen was very polite to him, a popular figure in the royal family, and said with a pursed smile: "Why, I can't come here?"

Little Hanzi quickly raised his hand and slapped himself: "Your Majesty, please forgive me! Your Majesty, please forgive me! Look at this slave's bad mouth! I just didn't expect..." He raised his eyes and glanced at Queen Shen before continuing: " You came here because..."

"I heard that the Princess Regent is here, so I just came to pay a visit!"

"Then please come in!" The queen is the master of the harem, so there is no reason to ask her to wait. Xiao Hanzi asked a young eunuch to pass in and led Queen Shen into the courtyard of Yangxingzhai. Yulan Staying in the room, feeling depressed, I heard someone announced that the Queen had arrived. I felt that the boss didn't want to come into contact with Ye Minzhao's harem, but he had to work up his energy and go out to socialize.

Queen Shen saw a 17 or 18-year-old woman coming out accompanied by two maids. She was dressed very plainly, wearing a lake blue embroidered water-patterned bra, a white skirt, and a head of black and shiny hair. Holding the arm, only a pearl hairpin is fixed behind the head, and there are no other jewelry embellishments on the head and hands.

The regent Ye Yichen is famous, but her princess is very low-key and doesn't interact much with the ladies of the capital. Empress Shen has only heard that she was from the Yang family. Because she was filling in a house, she was still a concubine. No matter how outstanding she is, She is not that outstanding. When I saw her today, I only thought that her beautiful appearance and picturesque eyebrows were second to her. Her calm and graceful temperament, which is both inside and outside, is beyond the reach of the beauties in the palace. .

The appearance is brought out from the mother's womb, but the temperament is cultivated the day after tomorrow. With the Qi and the body, who can deny that she is a woman with such a temperament? Compared with her, Empress Shen knew that she Even though there is not much difference in appearance between Concubine Shu and Concubine Yi, they look a lot more youthful.

Without much reason, Empress Shen suddenly felt jealous in her heart.

This was the first time for Yulan to see the little empress. When the emperor got married, Yulan was observing mourning at home and could not attend the emperor's wedding. Naturally, she never saw the little empress. She only saw Empress Shen ten years ago. At the age of three or four, she has fair skin, a slim figure, and is quite majestic and bright. Although people in ancient times generally matured precociously, she had a calm and steady energy that she never had when she was that old.

"My concubine, Mr. Yang, pays homage to the Empress! I didn't know that the Empress was arriving, so I didn't come far enough to greet you. I hope you'll forgive me!" Yulan bowed gracefully, her posture was elegant and pleasing to the eye. She was obviously well-educated and well-educated.

Queen Shen believed in her own judgment even more.

"Auntie, please wake up quickly. We are all members of our own family, why should we be so polite to outsiders?" Queen Shen's attitude was very gentle. She said so, but did not ask her personal maid to help Yulan stand up until Yulan bowed politely. , she just stepped forward and took Yulan's hand, obviously to make Yulan understand and let her see clearly that the queen is the first among thousands of women in the world.

Yulan knew this trick very well.

The queen pretended to be intimate but pointedly said: "I have long heard that my aunt has outstanding appearance and extraordinary talent. When I saw her today, she certainly lived up to her reputation!"

Yulan said calmly: "The Queen is ridiculous! The Queen empress's mother-in-law has set an example for all the people. She is the most noble and noble. The beauty of my concubine is really not worth mentioning!" Yulan felt very helpless. He was already in a bad mood, and this time again Here comes a jealous person. I’ve heard before that Ye Minzhao doesn’t often enter the harem’s bedrooms. Is this here to settle a score with me?

After all, she lived to be thirty years old in her previous life, and now she was asked to compete with such a teenage girl. She was really not in the mood, okay? She couldn't help but feel even more angry at Ye Minzhao for roasting her on the stove.

Although she was very unhappy, Yulan had no choice but to patiently invite the queen to the Yangxing Zhai and ask the queen to sit on the upper seat. The queen pretended to shirk and sat down. Yulan sat down next to accompany the prime minister. Yulan said: " I wonder what your Majesty’s orders are when you come here?”
To be continued...