Queen Mother Cui looked at the tearful beauty, her eyes deepened with sarcasm, but there was a compassionate smile at the corner of her lips.
"Silly boy, it's too late for the Ai family to like you, so why bother to make things difficult for you?"
"The Aijia will help you." Empress Dowager Cui caressed Xie Hengwu's cheek lovingly, and said in a scolding tone, "It's true that the emperor doesn't understand the rules. Could it be that he doesn't understand the rules? Look at the Aijia, he understands yes……"
Xie Hengwu raised his teary eyes and looked at Empress Dowager Cui in surprise: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty means..."
Empress Dowager Cui stopped at the right time and said softly: "The emperor has his own reasons for doing this, and don't blame him. He loves you so much, how can he be willing to let those people talk about you behind your back?"
Empress Dowager Cui praised and criticized Xie Hengwu's complexion slightly. Although this change was fleeting, Queen Mother Cui still noticed it.
She smiled with satisfaction in her heart.
It's so easy to deal with idiots.
All it takes is a show, a small favor, or a few words to pry her defenses off.
…
Xie Hengwu left Shou'an Palace with slightly red eyes, and it was the nun beside Queen Mother Cui who sent her out.
She forced a smile and thanked her grandma softly.
Grandma patted Xie Hengwu's hand comfortingly, watched her leave, and then walked to Shou'an Palace.
As soon as he turned around, the sad look on Xie Hengwu's face disappeared completely.
Just kidding, how could she really be deceived by Queen Mother Cui's few words?
Although Empress Dowager Cui had not stated her purpose clearly this time, Xie Hengwu had already guessed it.
She believed that Queen Mother Cui would look for her again.
Her eyes were indifferent, her red lips were pursed into a straight line, and the slight redness in the corners of her eyes no longer looked pitiful, but instead made her look more sick.
If Zhao Quan were around, you would find that Xie Hengwu's expression now looks three-thirds similar to Xiao Yanzhou's.
Li Luo was waiting outside the palace and saw Xie Hengwu with red eyes. She couldn't help but worry: "What's wrong, little master?"
Xie Hengwu smiled slightly: "Nothing, the play chosen by the Queen Mother is a bit touching, it's just a temporary emotion."
Li Luo was doubtful. Ever since she started serving Xie Hengwu, she had never seen Xie Hengwu cry. But now that she said that, Li Luo wouldn't ask any more questions.
Xie Hengwu stayed in Shou'an Palace for an hour, and the news naturally reached Xiao Yanzhou's ears.
Xiao Yanzhou didn't say anything, but his expression was so gloomy that ink dripped from his face.
Zhao Quan told Huo Heng to quickly send someone to keep an eye on him.
As soon as Xie Hengwu came out, the people who were sent to follow him returned to Zichen Palace and reported the situation to Xiao Yanzhou.
"...The beauty walks freely, her complexion is the same, but..." The visitor tried to think back, "It just seems like... her eyes are a little red."
Xiao Yanzhou raised his eyebrows: "What do you mean?"
The man wanted to say that maybe the beauty had cried, but after receiving Zhao Quan's warning look, he chose to shut up.
"I don't know...perhaps it's because we are far away, and I may have made a mistake."
Xiao Yanzhou snorted: "Trash."
After the man exited tremblingly, Zhao Quan stepped forward and said,
"Your Majesty, please calm down. After all, Shou'an Palace is the residence of the Queen Mother, so it's not good to keep an eye on her too closely." He said, "If Your Majesty is concerned about whether the beauty is in trouble, why don't you go and ask in person?"
Xiao Yanzhou glanced at him, the sinister look in his eyes startled Zhao Quan, and he lowered his head involuntarily.
"When did you become so talkative?" Xiao Yanzhou asked slowly, his voice as gorgeous and deep as ever, but it made Zhao Quan feel an extremely strong killing intent.
"Your Majesty, I forgive you, I didn't mean it!"
One of the reasons why Zhao Quanneng stayed with Xiao Yanzhou for so long was that he fell to his knees very quickly.
Xiao Yanzhou knocked on the table, and the soft sound seemed to hit Zhao Quan's heart.
"Why don't you let him finish?"
Zhao Quan sighed, as expected, he still couldn't hide it from His Majesty.
"I'm worried... Your Majesty will be in chaos if you care..." Zhao Quan stumbled as he felt the sharp gaze falling on him and moved away.
Zhao Quan was indeed very worried. It was not that he thought Xiao Yanzhou cared much about Xie Meiren, but that he felt that this gave Xiao Yanzhou a good excuse.
Making excuses for Queen Mother Cui to cause trouble.
Just like this, Xie Hengwu will become the target of public criticism. Zhao Quan was selfish and did not want her to become a victim of the struggle between Xiao Yanzhou and Queen Mother Cui.
It's unclear why he had this idea. Maybe he thought it was rare for someone to be by Xiao Yanzhou's side. Zhao Quan didn't want this person to disappear so quickly.
Xiao Yanzhou gave a faint hum and sneered: "In your eyes, I am so careless about the front and back?"
Zhao Quanxin said no...
But of course he didn't dare to say it out loud, so he just laughed and said, "No, no, I didn't mean that."
Xiao Yanzhou frowned impatiently: "Get out."
Zhao Quan was ordered to "get out" as if he had greased his soles.
Xiao Yanzhou pressed his eyebrows, feeling an inexplicable irritation welling up in his heart.
she cried?
Why did he cry when he saw that woman?
Zhao Quan's worry was not wrong. Xiao Yanzhou did have the idea of going to Shou'an Palace to raise troops to investigate the crime at the beginning.
Only being interrupted by Zhao Quanyi, he calmed down.
Xiao Yanzhou recalled the night before leaving the palace, when she lay on his shoulder and sobbed softly.
So fragile, so pitiful.
What on earth did the woman say to her?
Xiao Yanzhou squinted his eyes and paused with the pen in his hand. The tip of the pen, which had absorbed ink, left a large black ink halo on the paper.
--
The bright moon is hanging high tonight, the weather is clear, and the bright moonlight outshines the surrounding stars.
Even though Xie Hengwu was afraid of the cold, he didn't even stay in the hall. Instead, he stood in the courtyard wrapped up thickly and looked up at the moon.
When Xiao Yanzhou walked into the courtyard, he saw Xie Hengwu raising his head high with his back to him. The hood of the cloak on his head was about to fall, and the moonlight gilded the surrounding fur collar with a soft silver edge.
Xiao Yanzhou thought of the little fox under the moon that he had seen in the hunting ground for no reason.
He raised his hand and flicked it, and a strong wind swept by, blowing her hood off.
Xie Hengwu felt a chill on his head. When he lowered his head, he caught a glimpse of Li Luo who seemed to be suppressing a smile. He looked back and saw Xiao Yanzhou standing not far behind him.
"His Majesty?"
Her eyes lit up, seemingly delighted.
Xiao Yanzhou looked at her quietly, his eyes lingering on her eyes for a long time.
No longer popular...
"Well." Xiao Yanzhou put his hands behind his back, as if he was not the one who just made trouble, "What are you doing?"
Xie Hengwu bent his eyes: "Of course I'm looking at the moon. Your Majesty, the moon is very big today, isn't it?"
Xiao Yanzhou then glanced at the sky.
Indeed, today's moon is a bit unusually big, as if it will fall.
Xie Hengwu gathered up her skirt and walked up to him and asked softly: "Your Majesty, are you looking for a concubine?"
This was the first time Xiao Yanzhou came to Shicui Palace to look for her at night.
Xiao Yanzhou coughed and said, "Come for a walk with me."
Probably because she had been here for a while, she was no longer surprised by Xiao Yanzhou's strange requests.
Xie Hengwu did not doubt that he was there, and asked Li Luo to change to a hotter hand stove, and then followed Xiao Yanzhou out of Shicui Palace.
On the long and narrow palace road, the moonlight stretched the figures of the two people. Xie Hengwu walked a few steps behind Xiao Yanzhou and quietly looked back.
The two figures reflected on the ground were walking side by side. Xie Hengwu tilted his head, and the shadow on the ground also tilted his head, as if he was leaning on Xiao Yanzhou's shoulder.
Xie Hengwu looked back and glanced at Xiao Yanzhou in front of him.
When he said "walk around", it seemed like he really just walked around without saying a word.
Seeing that Xiao Yanzhou didn't notice, Xie Hengwu became a little bolder.
She raised her hand, looked at her own shadow and raised her hand, and then flicked Xiao Yanzhou's shadow on the head.
Xie Hengwu grinned silently, not noticing that the person walking in front had stopped.
It wasn't until someone held her wrist that she slowly raised her head to look at Xiao Yanzhou.
The latter looked at her with a half-smile but didn't know how long it had been since he discovered it.
Xie Hengwu, who was caught in the act, coughed and said to cover up: "The stove is too hot, I'll let it air out."
Xiao Yanzhou didn't respond, and the hand holding her wrist slowly moved up to wrap her palm.
Xie Hengwu's cold palms clearly indicated that she had just told a clumsy lie.
She gave a flattering smile at the right time.
Xiao Yanzhou chuckled, squeezed her hand with unknown meaning, and let go of her.
Xie Hengwu curled her hands, and his warmth seemed to still remain in her palms.
Nervously, she looked around. The palace lanterns on both sides were dimly lit. This was not a place she had been before.
"The Queen Mother is looking for you?" Xiao Yanzhou's tone was calm, as if he was asking casually.
Xie Hengwu knew that Xiao Yanzhou would definitely know about this, so it was not surprising that he would ask about it.
"Yes, the Queen Mother said that a troupe has come to the palace and invited me to come and watch it."
Xie Hengwu smiled. Under the moonlight, her smile was soft, like a blossoming lotus with dew.
Xiao Yanzhou observed her carefully and found nothing unnatural in her expression.
He rubbed the jade ring on his finger and said in a deep voice, "What's the show?"
Xie Hengwu paused and hesitated for a while whether to tell the truth.
I don't know if Xiao Yanzhou's eyes can penetrate deep into Shou'an Palace... If so, Xiao Yanzhou will definitely find out if she told a lie.
But if not, then if she told the truth, wouldn't it arouse Xiao Yanzhou's suspicion?
The play chosen by Queen Mother Cui is really both straightforward and subtle.
Although they... could still sleep together in the other garden, Xie Hengwu believed that the relationship between the two was not yet complete enough to fully trust them.
He just has a good impression of himself.
In the end, she didn't dare to take the risk and said vaguely: "I can't name it. It's probably a popular folk opera. It's quite novel and lively. The Queen Mother seems to like it very much."
Xiao Yanzhou raised his eyebrows: "What's the content?"
Xie Hengwu seemed to think about it for a while before he said: "...it's no different from what was written in those storybooks. I thought only young girls liked reading these, but I didn't expect that the Queen Mother would also like them."
"Script?" Xiao Yanzhou asked back.
Somehow, Xie Hengwu could hear a little nervousness.
"Yes." She smiled and took a few steps forward to Xiao Yanzhou's side. "Hasn't Your Majesty heard of it? This thing is quite popular in Nanliang, and the noble ladies I have good friends with will read some of it."
She thought that Xiao Yanzhou was busy with political affairs every day, and maybe she had never heard of it, so she told the story in detail that she would have told.
Xiao Yanzhou stared at her and pursed his lips, wondering if her previous tricks might have been noticed by her.
"...Speaking of this." Xie Hengwu turned around and looked at the overlapping shadows of the two of them, as close as lovers. She chuckled, "Your Majesty, walking under the moon is really like the plot in a storybook. .”
