There is a starving ghost in Qingyun Temple

Li Yun raised his eyebrows and nodded thoughtfully.

"Your Majesty, I ran out secretly. If my senior sister finds out, I will start asking questions again. Huikong, I'm leaving!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he ran back.

Li Yun looked at his staggering, chubby figure walking away with a look of doting on his face.

In November of the 15th year of Yongping, the saint personally issued an order to appoint Li Ke, the Marquis of Dongchang, as the General of the Auxiliary State, and the Prince of Jingbei as the General of Zhongwu.

The army under the command of Li Ke set off toward the northwest in a mighty manner, heading to Ganzhou to train [-] northern troops. The Beidi barbarians, who had vowed to invade the six northern states in recent years and made the people of the six northern states miserable, would be driven out of the territory of the Zhou Dynasty.

This time, the saint issued the decree directly in the court. It is said that even the Queen Mother only learned of the news that day. Such a military order is like an arrow on the string and must be issued.

Everyone in the court was thinking carefully, taking power and planning, and no one dared to take sides easily.

After going to court that day, the Empress Dowager rarely left Juxian Palace and went to the Xuanming Palace, where the saint lived.

The Xuanming Hall is brightly lit with candles, quiet and quiet, and a faint medicinal fragrance lingers, seemingly permeating every corner of the hall.

The saint's body has always been weak.

A few months ago, I got a good prescription from the folk and a hard-to-find medicine for bones and muscles called Dilongteng. After taking the medicine for several months, the muscles and bones of my legs and feet have improved a bit. Unfortunately, I have been infected with wind and cold recently, and I have been suffering from headaches and coughing for the past few days.

"My son, I have seen my mother, cough, cough, cough."

Li Chen stood up and greeted his mother, Queen Mother Guo. His nasal voice was thick and weak, and he couldn't help coughing lightly.

"Get up, you're already in such a bad body, how can a saint be so strong?" Empress Dowager Guo looked at him kindly, her eyes filled with distress and reluctance.

She raised her hand to support him briefly, and then signaled the servants behind her to help the saint onto the couch.

Queen Mother Guo sat on the other side of the couch, and two young slaves knelt on the couch with great discernment, carefully smoothing out the pleats on her gorgeous dress.

"It's rare for the Queen Mother to come to visit her son in person, so I naturally have to pay my respects in person." Li Chen coughed twice and motioned to the personal eunuch behind him to serve tea to the Queen Mother, "Mother, please have some tea."

Aunt Yingzi, the personal female officer behind Queen Mother Guo, took the tea bowl and handed it over respectfully and carefully.

Queen Mother Guo took the tea bowl and was about to touch it to her lips when she suddenly froze and stopped suddenly.

"Today's tea is a bit hot." Empress Dowager Guo spoke in a deep voice. Although her face was not angry, she was not cheerful either.

As soon as these words came out, the four eunuchs behind Li Chen were so frightened that they knelt down, kowtowed, trembled, and lay on the ground to plead guilty.

This sentence was deliberately said to Li Chen. The sage is like the scalding hot tea, which stings the hand and hurts the heart. It is becoming more and more displeasing to her.

boom--

She put the tea bowl down hard.

Several deep and shallow wrinkles had already appeared in the corners of Queen Mother Guo's eyes. Her soft and kind eyes darkened, and a hint of cruelty suddenly appeared in her eyes, like a wolf and a tiger, unstoppable.

Li Chen was used to seeing this, and his eyes were calm, and he said calmly: "Aunt, please put the tea bowl further away for the Queen Mother first. Be careful that the Queen Mother burns her hands."

Aunt Yingzi bowed her body respectfully and carefully took the tea bowl from the Hut table. The green teacup with dark patterns was placed alone on the square Hu table not far in front, as if waiting for a severe and cruel judgment.

Empress Dowager Guo had a gloomy face and allowed Aunt Yingzi to take the tea bowl. She could not understand her son more and more.

"The Aijia don't know that the saint's body is not strong yet, but his heart is becoming more stubborn and cold. Even the Aijia will be deceived by you, the saint!"

Li Chen promulgated the decree early today, and even Empress Dowager Guo waited until she retired from the court before getting the exact news from close officials in the court.

"What does this mean, Queen Mother? The Marquis of Dongchang has always been a brave man who is accustomed to fighting, and the Prince of Jingbei is also a young man with both civil and military skills and a high ambition. If this expedition goes well, there may be a great chance for the victory of the [-]-strong army. ." Li Chen deliberately emphasized his tone, as if he meant something.

Queen Mother Guo raised her eyebrows and said in a gloomy voice, clearly showing displeasure: "What does the saint mean? The Ai family can't understand."

"Mother, Yuan Ji colluded with foreign enemies and collaborated with the enemy to treason, causing our [-] soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty to die tragically and in vain on the battlefield. Is this the suitable candidate that the mother said?"

"You, you -" Queen Mother Guo slapped the saucer suddenly, her cheeks trembling slightly with anger.

"Mother, you are getting old." Li Chen said coldly, "The tea should be cold now, I think it's a good time to drink it."

"You, you bastard, don't blame the Ai family for not reminding you that the prince of Jingbei cannot be reused. He, he is the son of Li Jing and the grandson of Princess He Jing! He is the person that the Ai family hates the most. grandchildren and children!”

Li Chen took a sip of the warm tea and asked casually: "My son, I have never understood why my mother hates my third brother so much."

Queen Mother Guo was startled and immediately stopped talking: "You, you don't need to know. Aijia is your biological mother. Aijia personally sent you to sit on this throne. How could Aijia harm you?!"

"Mother, let me say -" He raised his eyes to look at her, his sharp gaze making her mind suddenly become drowsy.

"What are you afraid of, Queen Mother?"

"Saint!" Empress Dowager Guo yelled through gritted teeth.

"Mother, for so many years, my third brother has never done anything arrogant, and now he is far away from the court, has no soldiers and no power, and only holds a free and idle official position. He has not even set foot in Chang'an City for many years. "

"Even if Li Jing is like this, what about his arrogant mother and Concubine Jing? And what about his uncle Wu Weihou who has a lot of troops?"

"Concubine He Jing has always lived in a Taoist temple, devoted herself to worshiping Buddha, and has never been involved in any affairs of the court. Marquis Wuwei has been conscientious in marching and training troops, and has never done anything inappropriate. What's more, Zhong Ming's literary, Tao, and military strategies are all worth mentioning. A person of great importance. Cough cough cough——"

Although Queen Mother Guo was angry, she still felt sorry for him because he kept coughing. She gradually calmed down and quickly ordered someone to bring him warm water and herbal tea to moisten his throat.

Her good son, a good saint in the world, has always been kind and generous. There are some things that she has to do herself.

"Do you really think that Li Jing is innocent and loyal?"

Li Chen was stunned for a moment and asked in confusion: "What does this mean, Queen Mother?"

"That's all." Queen Mother Guo clapped her hands and looked at him with distressed eyes, "The sage is right, the Ai family is getting old, and it's time for the Ai family to let go of many things."

Queen Mother Guo ordered several attendants who were kneeling on the ground to serve the good saint.

When she turned around, her face had returned to peace and tranquility, and her smile was kind. But his eyes were deep and cold, and he had a plan in mind.