Huan Rong

Jiankang, Taicheng

After a night of rain, a thin layer of frost formed on the ground.

In Changle Palace, eunuchs and servants were busy cleaning up the porch in front of the steps. They saw several family members from afar surrounded by Sima Daofu, and they immediately stepped aside.

The fragrant wind hit, and the sound of talking and laughing floated by my ears.

As if hearing something funny, Sima Daofu smiled brightly.If you look closely, you will find that there is a mockery in the smile, full of cold irony.

When all the people went to the front of the hall, an eunuch immediately came in to report.

After a while, Ah Mai walked out from the hall and invited Sima Daofu and others to enter.

It was mid-winter, the southern land was damp and cold, and the cold wind drifted by, almost soaking into the bones of people.

The carved windows of the outer hall are closed, and the light is slightly dim.After entering the inner hall, it suddenly became much brighter.

On one side, there is a standing screen in front of the couch, with sandalwood as the frame and white jade as the fan.The jade face is finely carved with peonies and peonies in full bloom, which is graceful and luxurious, and exquisite workmanship.

More than ten tripod lamps are placed against the wall to brighten the room.Bursts of fire flickered, but there was no smoke.

Princess Nankang sits in front of the screen, and Mrs. Li is at the lower right.

There is a low couch in front of the two of them, on which there are several scrolls of bamboo slips.There are two other pieces of silk cloth cut into squares, even though they have been folded, there are still black handwriting faintly showing, Luan soaring phoenix Zhu, the brushstrokes are flying, Sima Daofu recognized at a glance that this is Huan Rong's handwriting.

A cooing sound came into the ears, and the gray-black pigeon flew up with fluttering wings, passed over the heads of the crowd, and landed on the wooden frame in the hall.

Knowing Mrs. Li's hobbies, Sima Daofu is not surprised.The female relatives behind her had different expressions, both curious and unavoidably surprised.

It has long been rumored that the Empress Dowager is very sympathetic to Mrs. Li, but seeing it with her own eyes, she is still surprised.

Neither concubine nor sister, the mistress and concubine's room got along so well, and it was like this long before Emperor Xuanwu's death, which can be called a miracle.

"Auntie."

Sima Daofu didn't see him at all, and after saluting, he sat on the futon prepared by the maidservant.

The female family members of the clan woke up like a dream, and they blessed themselves and saluted one after another.Only when Princess Nankang was awakened did she sit down, her movements and expressions were cautious, revealing a bit of deliberate caution.

"Why are you here at this time?" Princess Nankang put down the bamboo slips, just covering the silk cloth in front of her.

Mrs. Li lowered her head slightly, prepared a cup of honey water with her own hands, and sent it to Princess Nankang.

"Come to say hello to my aunt." Sima Daofu smiled, "Not long after my brother and sister-in-law arrived in Beijing, the official family is not in Jiankang, my brother didn't get the order to enter Taicheng, and my sister-in-law was thinking about greeting the Queen Mother. It happened to come across one."

True coincidence?

Princess Nankang raised her eyebrows, took a sip of honey water, noncommittal.

Mrs. Li nodded and smiled lightly. She was gentle and beautiful, a beauty like water, making people feel no threat at all.

Seeing that the Queen Mother did not speak, the Madams were unavoidably a little apprehensive.Thinking of the purpose of entering the palace today, he had to pull himself together, watched the Empress Dowager's expression, and spoke carefully, seeing that the other party had no intention of getting angry, he began to try to hear her voice.

Princess Nankang has gone through the world, and it doesn't take a few people to tell the meaning behind it.

Mrs. Li is icy and intelligent, she is smiling, but her eyes are getting colder and colder.

It has been a long time since the Queen Mother made a sound, and the hearts of the few people became more and more uncertain, and their voices became lower and lower, like gnats.In the end, he couldn't hold on any longer, and the hall fell into silence.

Sima Daofu picked up the tea soup and covered the sarcasm at the corner of his mouth.

She knew it would be like this.

Send a girl into the palace?Fortunately, these people can figure it out.Don't say that the emperor won't agree, the queen mother can't even think about passing this test!

What about being Sima?

Just because the official family is the empress dowager's own, they would not choose Sima's girl as the empress.Not for the queen, enter the palace to be a beauty?At any rate, they are of the blood of the former royal family. Even if they are demoted, the rules should not be broken. Fortunately, they can really speak!

Thinking of this, Sima Daofu couldn't help being a little funny.

Compared with these people, that slave looks smarter.Since the Zen position, he has always lived in the mansion and never went out unless necessary.

Mrs. Wang had long wanted to divorce, and she did not want to face Sima Yao all day long.I borrowed Wang Yun to invest in the emperor, and I can reuse my real talents and learning. After entering Qingxili, I moved out of the palace and returned to my home.

Regarding this, the Empress Dowager turned a blind eye to it, and everyone understood what she meant, and they would not say anything more about it.Unexpectedly, because of this incident, the former princes and kings who returned to the capital roughly estimated the Queen Mother, and gave birth to the idea that they shouldn't have, and wanted to send the girl into the palace!

Putting down the lacquer cup, Sima Daofu couldn't restrain the corners of his mouth from turning up.

Probably because I have stayed in Fengguo for a long time, I don't know what kind of temperament the officials and the Queen Mother are.

"Queen Dowager..." A female family member tried to speak. She was originally the concubine of Wuling, but later became a marquis due to the demotion of the princes and kings. She had to leave the feudal country and move to Jiankang.

In another case, being able to live in Jiankang for a long time may not be a bad thing.

The problem is that the Son of Heaven is Zen, and the Sima family has become the "former royal family", so the situation is somewhat difficult after all.Don't put a knife on your neck, and you need to be careful in everything you do, so as not to be caught by others and cause undue disasters.

For the sake of stability, sending girls into the palace is a shortcut.

The empress dowager was born in the Sima family, and Sima's blood flowed from the official family. After a girl enters the palace, she doesn't expect to be a queen, she should be able to be a concubine and a beauty.

If the prince can be born smoothly, the queen mother will always take care of her.

In this way, even if the Sima family is not a royal family, they can still maintain their current wealth and status, and it is not impossible to rule the court in the future.

However, although the idea is good, it is a mirror image after all.

Just as Sima Daofu ridiculed secretly, he had stayed in the feudal state for a long time, and he didn't know the behavior of Princess Nankang and Huan Rong, and he couldn't figure out the situation in the court, couldn't see how much he was, and daydreamed about things that didn't belong to him. Sooner or later it will stumble.

Now it's just to see if the Queen Mother still cares about blood relationship.

Gu Nian's words are bound to politely refuse, to dispel their wrongful thoughts.If not, just be ruthless, and these families who moved into Qingxi will learn a lesson, not to mention losing their lives, they will also win titles and become ordinary people.

There is no need for the Empress Dowager to appear in person, as long as there is a little bit of wind, the Jiankang gentry will take action in advance and completely trample these few families into the mud.

pity?

Sima Daofu sneered.

Back then, who helped Father, and who pitied her?

The same cold heart and lungs, but it's just a feng shui cycle.

In the end, several people returned without success, and they were somewhat frustrated when they left the palace.Fearing that the empress dowager would be dissatisfied, they didn't dare to show their faces, and just put on a smiling face, thinking about entering Taicheng again next time.

Sima Daofu did not leave together, stayed alone in Changle Palace, took out a letter from his sleeve, and presented it respectfully in front of Princess Nankang.

"What?" Princess Nankang didn't open it immediately, but looked up at Sima Daofu.

"The news from my aunt." Sima Daofu said, "It is said that Huan Ji is seriously ill, and [-]% of them won't survive the spring of next year."

"What did King Qi say?" Princess Nankang opened the letter, scanned it roughly, and asked with a frown.

"It was my uncle who sent someone to deliver the letter." Sima Daofu didn't feel sad at all, "I'm here to ask my aunt for instructions. I think I will go to my aunt after January."

Huan Ji was terminally ill. It was not only the recurrence of his old illness, but also the depression in his heart, which could not be relieved.No matter how many miraculous medicines there are, and no matter how skilled the doctor is, the disease cannot be saved after all. For him, death may also be a kind of relief.

Huanxi, like him, spends the whole day drinking as a companion, obviously he won't be able to survive for a few years.

Huan Xin still held hope, thinking that one day he would be able to ascend to court again, and disdained to be with these two people.

Now that Huan Ji is seriously ill, he may die at any time, and because of emotion and reason, Sima Daofu should go to Gushu.

It's a pity that the couple had long been divorced, and they hated each other. Sima Daofu delayed his departure until January, and didn't even think about seeing her husband for the last time.According to her thinking, it would be best for Huan Ji to die early and go directly to the funeral, so as not to cause trouble for each other when dying, and the two would hate each other.

"Since that's the case, let's do as you wish." Princess Nankang didn't say much, but just gave a few casual instructions and put the matter aside.

Everyone in the Huan family knew that Huan Rong was at odds with Huan Xi and Huan Ji.

In the early years, Huan Xi and Huan Ji conspired together and almost killed Huan Rong.Now that Huan Rong has ascended the throne as emperor, Huan Xi and Huan Ji have no future.Being able to stay in Gushu and keep the current title is already Huan Rong's "brotherly love", if he thinks about other things, it is completely impossible.

Thinking of her unconscious son back then, Princess Nankang couldn't help but frowned, she closed her fingers little by little, and crumpled the silk cloth.

"Sister." Mrs. Li reminded softly, "Second Young Master is seriously ill, sister should also send someone to take a look."

In any case, Princess Nankang, as the mother-in-law, always has to do something to save face.

"I know." Princess Nankang nodded, not for herself, but for Huan Rong not to be criticized by the world, she must do what should be done, even if she hates Huan Ji utterly.

Sensing that Princess Nankang was in a bad mood, Sima Daofu knew it and didn't make a sound.

After a while, the maidservants entered the palace and brought new tea, and the stagnant atmosphere was relieved.

"Xin'an, if someone finds you again, push them all away." Princess Nankang said in a deep voice, "If you just want to be entangled, you may as well tell them bluntly. It is best not to have such thoughts again, I will not agree."

"No." Sima Daofu responded, and finally he couldn't suppress his curiosity, and asked, "Could it be that Auntie has someone to choose? The surname is Qiao or Wu?"

In her opinion, Huan Rong will always get married.

The queen's choice will be decided sooner or later.

"No hurry." Princess Nankang said, "If someone asks again, just say so."

Not urgent?

Sima Daofu was very puzzled.

The emperor has reached the crown, and it is time to get married.Don't worry, is it because you didn't choose the right person, or which girl the Queen Mother is looking for, and the other party hasn't nodded her head yet?

I heard earlier that when the Son of Heaven was in Youzhou, the Xie family of Chenjun intended to get married.

Wang Xie Gaomen?

If that's the case, things really can't be rushed.

Looking at Sima Daofu's appearance, he could tell that she had lost her mind. Princess Nankang had no intention of explaining, but just changed the topic and sent her out of the palace after a few idle words.

The door of the palace was closed, and the room returned to silence.

Princess Nankang closed her eyes and pinched the center of her brows.

Mrs. Li moved lightly with lotus steps, knelt down behind Princess Nankang, rubbed her fingers together, and gently rubbed her forehead.

"Sister, don't worry about it. Once the officials control the court and keep their promises, all these troublesome things will be solved."

"En." Princess Nankang nodded, took Mrs. Li's hand, and lay down on her lap, "If you count the days, it's time for Gua'er to arrive in Youzhou."

"If there is no delay on the way, we can probably arrive at Xuyi City now." Mrs. Li smiled lightly, exhaling like blue, her eyelashes trembling slightly, like butterfly wings in the wind.

"According to the letter sent back, at least March will be away." Princess Nankang opened her eyes, her fingers wrapped around the black hair hanging in front of her eyes, "I heard that the Qin family moved the capital to Chang'an, I wonder if Gua'er has other thoughts."

"Sister," Madam Li lowered her head, "Officials always have rules."

"I know." Princess Nankang let go of the crow feather between her fingers, and there was a bit of worry in her voice, "I'm just afraid that Gua'er will be hurt."

"The official family is the king of a country." Madam Li smiled, "If my sister is worried, you may as well write a letter to the official family and ask them to follow the example of the late emperor and snatch people back."

"Nonsense." Princess Nankang wanted to tighten her expression, but she couldn't hold back and laughed on the spot.

"Why, my concubine is wrong?" Mrs. Li pretended to be wronged, and Shi Xin would feel pity.

"I know you're joking." Princess Nankang sighed, "Qin Xuanmin is a hero in this world, don't make jokes anymore."

"Sister, how could it be him?"

"Why not him?" Princess Nankang snorted.

I didn't expect it at first, but now I have contacted all kinds of people, and the answer is ready to come out, so I don't need to bother at all.

"Everything in the world can't be done as you wish." Princess Nankang suppressed her smile, but didn't say anything else.I only hoped in my heart that Huan Rong would not be heartbroken.

Mrs. Li smiled lightly, and ran her fingers down Princess Nankang's hair, her long eyelashes drooping, casting fan shadows under her eyes.

Perhaps, she should try a new fragrance.

At the same time, Huan Rong and his party arrived outside Xuyi City.

Looking at the tall and majestic city walls, seeing the long queues in front of the city gates, seeing the caravans loaded with goods, and the loud voices of people, I am used to seeing the prosperity of Jiankang, and I can't help being in awe.

Xun You was rewarded early, and led the officials of the government office to welcome him out of the city.

Because the car was too conspicuous, the road was blocked by the people a few miles away from the city, Huan Rong had to change his mind halfway, put off his plan to enter Xichengfang City, and entered the city through the south gate instead.

Even so, it still couldn't stop the enthusiastic crowd.

The people of Xuyi lined the road, and the voices of "officials" and "long live" were endless.The official dialects of Luoyang and Wu are intertwined, and there are also a lot of Hu Yin mixed in.

Nancheng is where the state government and barracks are located, and few ordinary people enter.

Everyone simply gathered in front of the city gate to greet the emperor, and even the state soldiers who maintained order were pushed aside.

At the place where the big scorpion passed, the flowers fell like rain, all made of colored silk and cloth, and the grand occasion was no less than that of Jiankang City.The girls of the Hu nationality had no silk flowers to throw, so they simply took out precious stones and gold ornaments to express their "loyalty" and "admiration" to the emperor of the Han family.

A girl from the Hu nationality who had just entered the Bai nationality was even more decisive, grabbing a palm-sized golden horse and throwing it at Da Ren.

How much gold weighs, you don't need to think about it.The Hu girl threw it as soon as she said it, which shows that she has a lot of strength.What's more, this horse is solid!

A ray of golden light flew towards the sky and hit the shaft of the car with a bang.

A golden light flashed in front of his eyes, and Huan Rong broke out in a cold sweat.

It seems that the waist drum and so on are trivial, and gold should be listed as the number one weapon spectrum!

During Huan Rong's stay in Xuyi, Qin Ce and the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty finally arrived in Chang'an.

Standing under the city gate, Qin Ce blushed slightly, unable to hide his excitement.

After years of anticipation, this day has finally arrived!

The accompanying people have their own thoughts and plans for the future.The only thing in common is that they don't dare to provoke Qin Jing and his cavalry easily, and will subconsciously avoid a few steps when they see a black horse with black armor.

Qin Jun greeted him out of the city, and behind him were many officials and powerful people near Chang'an.

When the two sides met for the first time, they were quite polite on the surface, and they jointly appointed the King of Qin to rule the north, and then set the world.What is the idea behind the smile, only you know.

Qin Jing escorted Qin Ce into the city, saw the layout of Chang'an and the planning of Fangshi, turned to Qin Ju and raised his eyebrows.

Qin Jun rode his horse and approached, and said in a low voice: "My mother told me to let you see her as soon as possible after you enter the city. A Ke and A Xiu will go together, and don't pay attention to those gossiping people. If the father asks, I will I have to deal with it."

"En." Qin Jing nodded, without questioning the arrangement.

The brothers walked side by side, whispering from time to time.It was less than ten steps away from Qin Ce's car, but it seemed to be thousands of miles away, and there was always a clear distinction between them.