Xie Hengwu's words were so straightforward that Queen Mother Cui was shocked.
After being stunned for a moment, joy flashed in her eyes, but her face pretended to be harsh and scolded: "What are you talking about! This is in the palace!"
Xie Hengwu's crying weakened after hearing this, as if he was frightened, and his whole body was trembling with pain.
Empress Dowager Cui sighed, and her tone softened slightly: "Don't cry yet. Tell the Ai family what is going on."
Xie Hengwu twitched and told half-truths and half-false things about "Xiao Yanzhou" deliberately avoiding her a few days ago.
Empress Dowager Cui comforted her: "That's because the emperor was burdened by the political affairs of the previous dynasty. How can we tell that he dislikes you? Besides, when you saw the emperor that day, he didn't go to your palace, right?"
Xie Hengwu's heart trembled.
Mrs. Cui indeed had many spies in the palace.
Now that she knows this, should Xie Hengwu be suspicious...could the bumpy sedan meeting "Xiao Yanzhou" that day also have something to do with Queen Mother Cui?
If there were no accidents on the way, she would have arrived at Wenyuan Pavilion earlier, and she might have passed "Xiao Yanzhou".
So... Empress Dowager Cui has been monitoring the two of them, and she also suspects that "Xiao Yanzhou's" attitude has changed.
Xie Hengwu's thoughts were spinning, but he just nodded blankly, as if he was thinking about Queen Mother Cui's words. After a while, she started sobbing again.
"But the Queen Mother... Even if your Majesty summons me these days, you won't say anything to me and send me back early. It's as if you are a different person."
The speaker has no intention of listening but the listener has the intention. Queen Mother Cui narrowed her eyes and her gaze became sharper. On that side, Xie Hengwu was still minding his own business and said:
"The Queen Mother had many words with me in the past. Those women who entered the palace before me were all rejected by Your Majesty and then died. I... I am really scared... wuwuwu."
Queen Mother Cui was actually impatient to listen to her meaningless cries, but she was very interested in what she just mentioned.
She paused, forced out a kind smile and said, "You said the emperor seemed to be a different person...what do you mean?"
Xie Hengwu raised his eyes, and through a layer of tears, the figure of Queen Mother Cui was hazy and distorted.
She thought that Mrs. Cui had indeed asked about it.
Since Xiao Yanzhou wanted to confuse those who stayed in the capital, she would help him and make the water even more chaotic.
"Reporting to the Queen Mother, this is... Your Majesty used to let me polish my ink, but now, he won't let me get close to him."
Queen Mother Cui raised her eyebrows slightly: "When did this happen?"
"Yes...it was after I invited Your Majesty to visit Shicui Palace that day..." Xie Hengwu started to cry again as he spoke, "Mother, is that why Your Majesty is dissatisfied with me? If I had known this, I would definitely not Will do this..."
Empress Dowager Cui lowered her eyes and said sadly: "It's hard to tell the Ai family. Even the Ai family doesn't understand the emperor's thoughts. The Ai family has seen those women. One moment, they were like flowers. The next moment, they were covered with white cloth. Wrap it up and carry it out..."
Queen Mother Cui would naturally not tell Xie Hengwu that the reason those women died was because they were spies planted by others.
Of course, Xiao Yanzhou couldn't keep these people around. It would be fine if they could stay calm, but they still didn't give up and tried to find out more.
Queen Mother Cui's pause was meaningful, and Xie Hengwu hurriedly raised his tearful eyes to look at her.
Empress Dowager Cui sighed quietly and stared outside the palace: "Do you know the origin of Changning Palace?"
Xie Hengwuxin said that she was not from Beijiang, and she would be damned if she knew.
Even so, she answered the words very sensibly and said blankly: "I don't know who I am... Please give me some advice from the Queen Mother."
"This is the residence of the Ai family when they were concubines. Changning. Changning is safe and healthy. It is also close to the late emperor's residence. It is one of the best places in the palace."
"But there are a lot of women in the palace, and there are a lot of troubles. The more the late emperor values the Ai family, the easier it is to attract grudges."
"Later, the Ai family was framed, and the late emperor believed the slander for a while and stopped setting foot here. Changning Palace really became the place of Changning."
"You see, the emperor's favor is so unpredictable. Only if you can stand firm can you survive in the harem."
Queen Mother Cui's words can be said to be from the bottom of her heart to Xie Hengwu. If she didn't know what Queen Mother Cui An was thinking, she would be extremely moved.
But Xie Hengwu knew that most of Queen Mother Cui's words were lies.
I'm afraid Queen Mother Cui herself didn't expect that Xiao Yanzhou had already taken her here one step ahead of her.
According to Xiao Yanzhou, Changning Palace was not a good place to begin with. Queen Mother Cui probably reversed the cause and effect. She was probably framed by someone before giving Queen Chen the opportunity to move the palace here.
"Empress Dowager, what do you mean...?"
She hesitated to ask, her face blank and somewhat enlightened.
Queen Mother Cui smiled leisurely: "Good boy, you still have the Aijia."
"As long as you are willing to listen to Aijia, Aijia will definitely protect your life."
Xie Hengwu's expression changed suddenly, ranging from panic to joy.
"Mother...the Queen Mother, what do you want me to do?"
Queen Mother Cui had a smile on her lips, as if she was very satisfied to finally hear Xie Hengwu say these words.
She held up her palm, and someone came in carrying a jade pot. He poured a cup and handed it to Xie Hengwu.
Queen Mother Cui nodded: "Drink it."
Xie Hengwu took the jade cup, but hesitated before drinking: "Empress, this is..."
"Since you said you would listen to Aijia, drinking this glass of wine won't be a problem."
With a bang, the door of the main hall behind him suddenly closed.
Xie Hengwu shuddered and almost failed to hold the jade cup steady in his hand.
"The Aijia will not harm you, what are you worried about?"
Queen Mother Cui spoke slowly, with a smile on her lips, but it was a bit scary.
Xie Hengwu lowered his eyes, and little by little, the jade cup gradually came closer to his lips.
Queen Mother Cui is almost asking her to do some real work.
Otherwise, she would not have done this in such a hurry and straightforwardly. If she were the daughter of a minister, Queen Mother Cui might have been more tactful in her methods.
The question now is, is this wine... normal?
Either Queen Mother Cui just wanted to deceive her, or there was something real.
For a time, Xie Hengwu had countless conjectures in his mind.
Preventive medicine? Or a poison that requires regular doses of its antidote?
Now there were several pairs of eyes around her staring at her, and the main hall door was closed again, so there was no way to hide.
Xie Hengwu's movements continued, and his lips were already touching the jade cup.
The smell of alcohol hit me, much like the aroma of the fruit wine Wang Ying'er handed me when I was in the Nuan Pavilion.
Xie Hengwu couldn't tell whether there was a problem or not.
She thought that she had done enough for Xiao Yanzhou.
Xie Hengwu closed his eyes, raised his sleeves and drank the wine in one gulp.
The sweet and greasy liquor passed through his throat, and Xie Hengwu couldn't help coughing. But that's it. After coughing for a while, there was nothing unusual anymore.
Queen Mother Cui looked at it with satisfaction, and then she was willing to explain:
"This is a cup of plum blossom liqueur. It's a bit greasy on your throat, but you'll be fine. You don't have to worry." She motioned to someone on her side to take the things down, and the door to the main hall opened again.
"You are very obedient, Aijia...I like obedient people."
Xie Hengwu Congshan Ruliu knelt down and said hoarsely, "I would like to thank the Queen Mother for your mercy."
Listening to her voice that was hoarse from the sweet wine, the smile on Queen Mother Cui's lips grew wider.
—
"Xiao Yanzhou" said that he had been out of the palace for two days, but on New Year's Eve, he still had not come back.
Seeing that the time for the palace banquet was getting closer, Zhao Quan couldn't help but become anxious.
In order not to expose any flaws, Huo Heng also followed "Xiao Yanzhou" and left. Zhao Quan stayed in the palace and sent people to the national temple several times to ask questions, but the answer he received was that the time had not come yet.
The time has not yet come. This is a profound statement.
But more importantly, the palace banquet cannot be without someone who is in charge of the overall situation.
Zhao Quan thought again and again and approached Queen Mother Cui.
If "Xiao Yanzhou" was here, Queen Mother Cui would definitely not show up.
Firstly, their relationship was tense, and secondly, Empress Dowager Cui must have heard the rumors about Shen. In order to avoid suspicion, she did not show up if she could.
But it's different now. "Xiao Yanzhou" hasn't returned to the palace yet, so she must take charge of the overall situation at the palace banquet.
Naturally, Empress Dowager Cui would not let go immediately. She suspected that Xiao Yanzhou did not show up on purpose, and repeatedly asked Zhao Quan why the emperor had not returned to the palace.
Zhao Quan knew that the real reason was that Xiao Yanzhou had not reached the capital yet, but he could not explain this reason.
He could only answer vaguely, saying that "Xiao Yanzhou" thought that two days of praying was not sincere enough and that it needed to be longer.
As we all know, Xiao Yanzhou never believed in ghosts and gods.
These words sounded like a joke to Queen Mother Cui.
She raised her eyes coldly: "The emperor can't, or doesn't he want to?"
Zhao Quan insisted on this statement and said many good things. After all, the palace banquet cannot be without people, so Empress Dowager Cui had to agree.
When Xie Hengwu learned about this, it was already half an hour before the palace banquet.
She couldn't help but worry.
Zhao Quan said before that Xiao Yanzhou would come back before New Year's Eve at the latest.
But it's New Year's Eve now, and Xiao Yanzhou hasn't returned yet. Could it be that something happened on the road?
As soon as this idea came up, Xie Hengwu rejected it.
No... If something happened to Xiao Yanzhou so easily, how could he have sat in this position for so many years?
Even so, she still felt uneasy.
Li Luo looked at her little master's appearance and sighed in her heart.
The young master obviously cares about His Majesty, why do he always pretend not to care?
--
Although the New Year's Eve palace banquet without Xiao Yanzhou was lively, the atmosphere was always a little strange.
Xie Hengwu wore a loose Zhai suit and sat at the table as a mascot.
Fortunately, except for Cui's people, almost no one cares about her.
Perhaps Duke Jingguo should also be excluded.
"That sachet is very beautiful. Beauty took the trouble to make it."
The Duke's wife stepped forward and said with a smile on her face, and motioned Xie Hengwu to look at her waist.
"What I have seen over the years is that beauty's craftsmanship is the best."
Xie Hengwu didn't hate this kind woman. Although she deliberately wanted to please her, when she saw that she liked her, she couldn't help but smile:
"Madam, you are so complimentary. I am a clumsy person and cannot be worthy of your praise."
The Duke's wife smiled, said a few words to her, and then went to talk to the other ladies.
Cui Lujin's Ruoyouruowu gaze drifted towards him, which made Xie Hengwu feel very uncomfortable.
She lowered her eyes and drifted to the other side, feeling something strange.
Where is King Qin?
