Jiao Luan

Chapter 450

In Deng An's memory, he hadn't stepped into the Compassion Palace for a long time, as if it had been a lifetime ago.

Although the Empress Dowager has been out of business for a long time and lives in seclusion, every plant, tree, brick and tile in the Palace of Compassionate Ning still exudes vitality, especially the pea green plant in the peony bushes. Deng An, who was accustomed to luxurious things, still couldn't help but glanced at them several times.

People in Daliang love peonies, especially the delicate and hard-to-flower "bean green" peony, such as this peony in the garden of Cining Palace. The green color is so pure that it can be regarded as a rare treasure.

"Eunuch Deng?" the servant leading the way couldn't help shouting when he saw Deng An stop.

Deng An returned to his senses, and his attitude was much more polite: "Let's go."

It can be seen from this that although the queen mother is not the emperor's biological mother and has seldom seen each other for many years, the emperor still cares about the queen mother very much.

Entering the hall and walking inside, the light is getting darker, and the layers of gauze curtains are gently fluttering due to the opening of the doors and windows, sending bursts of faint fragrance, intoxicating.

Deng An vaguely remembered that both the Empress Dowager and the Empress were fond of incense.

For some reason, the layered gauze curtains and the lingering scent made him feel a little uneasy for no reason, and his footsteps couldn't help but slow down.

"Eunuch Deng, the Empress Dowager is waiting for you inside, please go ahead." A palace lady with a high bun came up to her and led the way gracefully.

Deng An waved away the inexplicable nervousness in his heart, followed in silently, and saw the Queen Mother.

Deng An was a little surprised when he saw the Queen Mother.

A woman in the palace, no matter how noble her status is, will look a bit old-fashioned when she is in her sixties and has lived in depression for many years.

But instead of giving people a sense of twilight, the Empress Dowager's eyes are extraordinarily bright, like an old pine tree, which is as green as ever despite the wind and rain.

"Slaves pay homage to the Queen Mother."

The queen mother narrowed her eyes and looked at Deng An carefully.

About forty years old, tall and tall, not at all like the common servants in the palace, not to mention slender and short, and often hunched over, the humbleness is revealed from the bones.

This Deng An has a handsome appearance. If you met him outside, you would never think that he is an internal servant. It would be more believable to say that he is a guard.

Is this why he became Concubine Hua's confidant, even though he participated in such a shocking secret, he still lived peacefully until now?

Although the queen mother knew that this thought was a bit angry, there was still a hint of disgust flashing in her eyes.

The Queen Mother remained silent for a long time, while Deng An remained calm and kept his head down.

After a long time, the queen mother sighed softly: "You are the manager next to Concubine Hua Gui, right? Ai Jia remembers that when Concubine Hua Gui was still Jieyu, you followed her, right?"

Deng An respectfully replied: "The Empress Dowager always remembers that as soon as the servant girl enters the palace, she will follow the imperial concubine."

"You entered the palace?" The queen mother frowned, "What year did you enter the palace?"

"Slaves and servants entered the palace in the first year of Taiping."

"The first year of Taiping? You must have been a young man at that time, right? There are not many people in the palace who only entered the palace at your age."

Deng An couldn't figure out what the queen mother was thinking, but he understood one thing, it was certainly not that easy for a woman to be the queen mother, and I'm afraid she wouldn't gossip with him as a servant.

No matter how he guessed in his heart, Deng An replied honestly: "You are right, the slave girl was 14 years old that year."

"14 years old? Did something happen in the family?" The queen mother asked lightly.

Deng An frowned quietly, and replied: "Before the slave girl entered the palace, her father passed away, her mother was seriously ill and was bedridden, and there were still a few younger brothers and sisters to support at home. palace."

The queen mother took a deep look at Deng An, and suddenly smiled: "Yes, the Ai family knows that you have three younger brothers and two younger sisters. Now the two younger sisters have been married for many years, one is married to a wealthy family in the suburbs of Beijing, and the other is married to a wealthy family in the suburbs of Beijing. The guards in the palace, uh, that brother-in-law is now the head of the guards, right?"

"Queen Mother?" Deng An finally couldn't help raising his head, his heart skipped a beat.

The queen mother didn't seem to notice Deng An's strangeness, and continued: "Your three younger brothers have a good future, and one of them is an official. It seems to be the head of the household department, right? Although the official position is not high, it is a good job. Deng An, You are very good at making arrangements for your younger brothers."

Deng An knelt down with a plop, dripping with cold sweat.

At this time, he no longer knew that the queen mother was coming for him, and it was true that Bai had been in the palace for so many years.

Even after the queen mother kept a low profile for so many years, the emperor suddenly mentioned that he would celebrate the queen mother's birthday, and the imperial concubine naturally took over the task and sent him here.

Is there anything less suspicious than the imperial concubine taking the initiative to send him here?

Deng An thought deeply and was terrified, and finally couldn't help but glance at the Queen Mother.

The corners of the Queen Mother's lips were tensed. From this angle, the nasolabial folds on her cheeks were somewhat obvious, and she finally showed a bit of an old look.

This old man has an undeniable coldness and tenacity.

The queen mother smiled slowly: "It seems that Eunuch Deng is a smart person. I just don't know, would you be willing to trade yourself for the safety of your younger siblings and their family?"

Deng An had anticipated this outcome since the Queen Mother mentioned his family, and at this moment, his horror was no less than that of a violent storm.

However, he can become Concubine Hua's right-hand man, and his calmness and determination in situations are beyond ordinary people's. Immediately, he stretched out his hands, pressed his forehead to the ground, and said in a trembling voice: "Where did this servant make a mistake, please let the Queen Mother know. This servant will definitely know everything. There are endless words."

The queen mother smiled with satisfaction: "Very well, the Ai family likes people who know current affairs. Then, Eunuch Deng, tell me, what happened to the little prince you took away from Guanju Palace 22 years ago?"

Deng An slumped to the ground, staring up at the Queen Mother in astonishment: "Queen Mother, you—"

"The Ai family just wants to know what happened to the little emperor's grandson!" The queen mother's lips trembled slightly. Although she knew in her heart that the poor child who was supposed to be the first prince of Daliang had already turned into a dry bone, she still wanted to hear it with her own ears. .

Deng An's thoughts changed sharply, and he was silent for a while.

"Say!" The queen mother slapped the table hard and stood up abruptly.

At that moment, Deng An suddenly understood that some people are still ferocious beasts even if they have been sleeping all the time. If you treat him as a weak lamb, you are wrong.

"Slaves... don't know..."

"I don't know?" The queen mother raised her voice, "Deng An, don't test Aijia's patience. You should be crazy, you should be crazy, you should be dead, Aijia doesn't mind saying it first than prying your mouth open Bad breath."

Deng An closed his eyes and said slowly: "Queen Mother, I really don't know whether the little Huangsun is alive or dead. Back then, the slaves took the little Huangsun away from Guanju Palace, put him in a wooden barrel, and let him go secretly. Into the moat."

The Empress Dowager never expected to hear such an answer. You must know that once the women in the harem make a move, there is no reason to cut the grass but not the root.

"Deng An, don't tell the Ai family, your master has such kind intentions to save the little emperor's grandson a chance."

Deng An raised his head and said softly: "Queen Mother, the slaves are from Yanzhou."

　There is one more tonight.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)