The little lady in the dining room

Chapter 75 See You Again
On the night Concubine Hui received the imperial decree, Concubine Ping'an was taken to Roujia Palace, and Concubine Shu came early the next morning—not from Chen Sheng, but about half an hour after Chen Sheng.Lan Xin said that Concubine Shu's complexion is not good, and she has applied a little more makeup.

Concubine Hui laughed inwardly when she heard this, Concubine Shu was indeed quite knowledgeable, if His Majesty said she was "unwell", she would show "unwell" to others.

But even if Concubine Shu is interested, Concubine Hui doesn't want to see her this time - what's the point of seeing her?The holy will is left there, and it is impossible to take Ping An Diji back at this moment, saying anything is a waste of effort.

But she is Concubine Shu.If it was a concubine, or even a concubine Li who was only one rank lower than them, then Concubine Hui would disappear as well.Concubine Shu is in the same class as her, and if she rejects Concubine Shu, it will make people think that she is relying on power to oppress others.

So Concubine Shu was asked to wait in the side hall for about a cup of tea, and Concubine Hui went to see her.

Concubine Shu got up when she saw Concubine Hui coming: "Sister Hui Concubine."

"Sit down." Concubine Hui nodded, and went to take her seat herself, with a smile on her face, "I'm not feeling well, just rest in the palace, if there's anything else, it's okay to send someone to report, or I can go to the palace." Same."

"It's hot in summer, so I don't dare to bother my sister to go out." Concubine Shu smiled slightly, bowed her head in silence for a long time, and then said, "I want to see Ah Yao, can I?"

Of course, Concubine Hui couldn't stop her.

His Majesty said that Concubine Shu was unwell and she helped take care of Di Ji for a while, but he didn't say that Concubine Shu would stop her if she wanted to see her.Concubine Hui asked Lan Xin to lead Concubine Shu, but she wisely didn't follow and didn't disturb the relationship between mother and daughter.

It was nearly half an hour before Concubine Shu left. Lan Xin came in through the curtain and pushed aside the others, with a rather unhappy expression on her face, she leaned over and said, "Ma'am, Madam Shu Concubine brought food for Diji, and rice soup is still available." There are egg yolks. They left after feeding them over there, and before they left, they told a few nannies that Diji would go back to Yuehe Palace to get whatever she wanted to eat, so Madam won’t worry about it."

Concubine Hui froze slightly when she heard the words, she frowned and looked at Lan Xin without saying a word, she didn't understand what Concubine Shu was thinking.

If you suspect that she will harm Diji...

Such a stupid mind is not like Concubine Shu would have.Di Ji was placed in Roujia Palace, once something happened, she would be the one who could not tell clearly, she would only harm Di Ji if she was crazy.

Besides, it can't be done, can it?A girl, and a girl who is known to have no blood relationship with the royal family, why can't she tolerate it? ——Even if a real prince is in front of her, she can't do that. What is Concubine Shu thinking?

After contemplating for a moment, Concubine Hui had no choice but to temporarily interpret Concubine Shu's behavior as "earning love for daughters", she took a breath and told Lan Xin not to worry too much, just follow Concubine Shu's wishes, and said: "The person who came yesterday is very special. The district said that if the Ruan family wants to see Di Ji, there is no need to stop her, did she pass the message?"

"No." Lan Xin replied.

Concubine Hui sank: "Perhaps I feel that there are too many rules in this palace and I'm afraid. Wait for two days. If you still don't come, you can bring some snacks to her, and by the way, she can come to see Diji anytime. There is no need to worry."

This is the case in the palace, the more you can think of "everything", the better.For example, in this matter, no matter what reason Ruan Shi did not come, it would be better for her to take the initiative to invite her than to ignore it completely.With this sentence, even if His Majesty intervenes in the future, it has nothing to do with her—she invited him, but if he doesn't come, he can't be kidnapped, right?
The cicadas on both sides of the strait sing one after another, and it is particularly noisy when you are upset.When the wind blows, the stopped boat will sway slowly and slightly, and a ripple will extend on the water surface, which will disappear after a few circles.

In the blink of an eye, the Southern Tour has been going on for more than two months.

Stopping and stopping along the way, there are no major problems, but there are many scattered small things-for example, the price of some small places along the way is surprisingly high, or this year's drought has begun, and the local officials still insist on something that has not been reported yet.This is all easy to solve. If you call the magistrate to be held accountable, or send an imperial envoy to watch over and settle the matter, you will get a lot of praise.

So far, I am in a good mood, and I bought a lot of interesting things along the way, some of which I took with me for the time being, and some of which were sent back to the palace directly.For example, the sweet-smelling Snow Plum Blossom Brew was sent back to Sydney, and later a batch of candied fruit was sent to go with that wine...

But since arriving in Yuanzhou eight days ago, things have changed.

The incidents brought up by the imperial order and guards showed that there were indeed many exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes.The sky is high and the emperor is far away. People who should be "parent officials" are like local snakes. If they suppress things and don't tell them, Luo'an City will not hear anything.

The places along the river in the south were originally lands of fish and rice, and all of them were rich and prosperous. However, in these places, the scene of "people living in dire straits" has appeared. There are many people begging along the streets, and ordinary people are often dressed in rags. The refugees fled to other places... This is unknown for a while.

The emperor gritted his teeth with hatred, and arrested all the officials from these places without any mercy, and at the same time quickly transferred new people to take over.The arrested imperial guards interrogated him overnight, and they found out that something was wrong before dawn.

They were all the same, crying out for injustice, and vowed to act in accordance with the emperor's order, and all the taxes collected were turned over to Luo'an, admitting that they were not greedy.

——This is strange.Dare to insist in front of the emperor that he is "acting on the emperor's order", and talking nonsense with his eyes open is too much.Either he didn't want to live to the end, or he was telling the truth.

These people still want to die, but to be honest...

Anyway, Xie Zhao didn't see the overcharged tax money.

There are also two places where weapons were manufactured privately, and the imperial guards caught them. Now they all swear to God that they were forged according to the order, and all the finished ones were sent to Luo'an. There is absolutely no resentment—— — But Xie Zhao didn’t see him either!
It wasn't until the imperial edict was found from these people's mansions that the emperor's color suddenly changed, and he remained cold for a long time before he opened his lips and said, "Quickly tell the seven kings to see you!"

Four days later, the people in front of the Seven Kings reported to the emperor that His Royal Highness was tired and sick after traveling day and night.

The emperor sank for a while, his expression unchanged: "He can come here."

After another four days, the Seven Kings had caught up with Yu Jia, and he was so sick that he passed out as soon as he got on the boat.

So no matter how urgent the matter was, I had to put it on hold, why should I ask when people are dizzy?There is no other way but to let him rest in peace.

It went on like this for two days.The imperial physician replied that His Royal Highness was fine, and the fever was basically gone, but he didn't eat much, and the people in Shangshi Bureau were very anxious.It was still the same on the third day. After pondering for a while, the emperor ordered the boat to stop, and asked Shangshi Bureau to prepare meals again, and went straight to the Seven Kings boat.

The Seventh King lost a lot of weight. He heard that the emperor came to welcome him, but he was so weak that Ding Xiang couldn't support him. He worked hard with Zhang Kang to prevent him from falling.

"Brother Emperor..." The Seven Kings bowed their hands, the emperor didn't bother to pay attention to him, walked past him and sat down on his own, and said, "Ding Xiang go out."

Ding Xiang didn't dare to say too much, she made a gesture and led the others to leave together.The emperor looked at the Seven Kings and frowned: "How many times have you played this trick in two years?"

The Seventh King was shocked suddenly, and froze in place for a long while without speaking.

He didn't know that Brother Huang knew about it all the time!
The first time I did this was because I was naive at that time, it was pure anger, and I felt that my brother would be unreasonable when he became the emperor.Think about when I was sick when I was a child, my brother was the most anxious, that time he was punished to kneel down and punish him for not coming to see him, Xie Han was angry...

So he pretended to be on a hunger strike for several days, did not eat during the day, and ate secretly at night, which scared the Shangshi Bureau enough, and finally forced Brother Huang to come here.

Later, it was not just a prank.

He was always involved in the struggle between court and government, and he had to explain many things, but the emperor brother never had time to see him, so he could only repeat the old trick, and I have to say that this trick worked.

this time……

Xie Han made up his mind, and bowed again: "Brother Huang, I have heard about the matter here, but it really has nothing to do with me."

This is the truth, he was dumbfounded as soon as the incident reached Luo'an - which bastard dragged him in under the guise of holy will?
It was already cold when Shengjia set off to return to Luoan.The rivers in many places have been frozen, and the waterway has become difficult to walk, so they had to go by land instead.

Everywhere in the palace became tense. Many people heard that the second half of the trip was not going well. They even killed several corrupt officials. Later, the Seven Kings were also called to ask questions. .

As a result, it is difficult to say how His Majesty is feeling now, and no one dares to make mistakes, even the concubines who obviously don't see the Holy Face very often, are very careful, trying their best to figure out His Majesty's thoughts, and dare not wear too luxurious jewelry , The newly made clothes are also collected for the time being...

It's obviously the time when the New Year's Eve is approaching, and the palace is so dull.

On the evening of the seventeenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Shengjia entered Luo'an city in a mighty manner.

The imperial guards entered the city half an hour earlier to clear the way, ordering pedestrians and shops along the way to avoid, and residents not to open windows and doors, in case there are assassins hiding in it, and the ban was only lifted after Sheng Jia entered the imperial city.

Xie Zhao breathed a sigh of relief when he stepped into the Zichen Palace, he seldom travels so far, and after a long time, he was really "sick of home".

"Your Majesty." Ting Xian brewed hot tea and brought it up. He smiled and said, "Your Majesty is exhausted from the journey. Do you need something to drink at night? This servant is going to the imperial dining room to deliver a message."

Xie Zhao thought for a while: "Use hot pot."

Ting Xian answered "Nuo" and Fu stepped back, and the emperor called Chen Jijiang again, "Go and see what Sydney is doing, if you are not busy, call her."

I haven't seen her for a few months, and I still... miss her a lot along the way.

When she is not busy or when she is busy and meditating, she always pops into his mind suddenly, and the smile or bewildered look makes him stunned, and it takes a while for him to come back to his senses.

I don't know how she has been in the past few months - but there is nothing wrong with the imperial court, she eats, drinks, and plays with friends by herself, so she is probably quite at ease.

In less than a moment, Sydney will arrive.Because of the cold weather, she wore the cloak he gave her last year, but he almost didn't recognize it at first glance.

—she was small when she wore this cloak last year, and it hung down to her ankles, wrapping her like a lovely ball.

It seems that he has completely changed himself now, and the main reason is that he is a bit taller.The cloak that used to reach the ankle now almost reaches the calf, and it doesn't look short, but it makes the whole person slimmer and taller.

"Your Majesty, Sheng'an." Sydney bowed his knees and bowed down. Xie Zhaofang returned to his senses and stepped forward to help her. He couldn't help laughing and said, "Where did the beautiful girl come from? The stupid pear in the fruit plate has cultivated into a spirit?"

what the hell!

Sydney's first thought was "everything in the fruit plate has been cut into pieces, so it can't be refined."

It took a moment to realize that he was praising her, and her cheeks flushed immediately, her head bowed and her mouth flattened, unable to speak - she often had this expression when she felt embarrassed, but at this time Xie Zhao felt uncomfortable even looking at it vertically or horizontally. same.

Probably the difference between a little girl and a teenager.

It actually made him blush for a moment, and cough lightly: "Go to see Ayao together?"

"..." Xueli hesitated for a while before answering "No", feeling uneasy in her heart.

When Yu Jia arrived at Yuehe Palace, Concubine Shu was already waiting at the door.Respectfully gave a big gift, and while inviting the emperor to enter the palace, he talked about what happened to A Yao in the past few months.

Concubine Shu laughed and said: "When I was five or six months old, I heard her say 'Uncle' or something, and said that this child was early-witted, but later I found out that she just babbled and learned to chant after others, probably I didn't know what I was doing. What to say, I have only recently started to learn to speak seriously."

Children are like this. They can read words in the early days, but most of them don’t have much awareness. Even if they see others say it, they find it fun and learn it. They can only recognize people when they are nearly one year old.

The emperor smiled when he heard it, and when he crossed the threshold, he saw Ah Yao crawling up to him, protected by his nurse, and squatted down: "Learn to speak? Call me daddy."

A Yao tilted his head and looked at him, showing a somewhat unfamiliar "who are you", but he didn't mean to be afraid of strangers.

"It grows so fast." Xie Zhao hugged her, feeling novel.I have never been in contact with such a big child before, and I don’t know that it will grow nearly three inches after I haven’t seen it in a few months, and it is obviously heavy when I hold it in my hand. .

Sydney stood a few steps away watching, a little at a loss.

Xie Zhao looked up and saw her listless, remembering that the palace told her that she hadn't come to Ayao for a long time, knowing that there was something he didn't know, so he approached Ayao with a smile, and said to Xueli with a smile: "See Ah Yao is not happy anymore? Do you have something on your mind?"

Xueli's expression was dull, but Ayao didn't care about it, she stretched out her hand and pulled her palace sash, tugging at the tassels on it and giggling.Xueli was extremely conflicted, wanted to play with her but didn't dare, hesitated for a while and then grabbed tassels from her: "Di Ji..."

Xie Zhao suddenly shuddered.He looked at Sydney and then at A Yao, and asked with a faint smile, "Is this how you are born?"

Sydney's eyes are slightly red - this is the most unhappy thing for her in the past few months!

But she can't help it, Concubine Shu made her words so clear, if she behaves as usual, is it because she is making fun of herself?Because of this, she didn't see A Yao for several months, not because she didn't miss her, but because she didn't know what to do!
Seeing that he has noticed now, she doesn't know what to say, Concubine Shu is right next to her, so it's hard for her to sue Concubine Shu.

The emperor took a deep breath and withdrew his smile: "I actually heard that you only came once when Lord Mingxuan wanted to see Ayao, and you never came again after that, neither did you when Ayao was in Roujia Palace. Go and see, haven't you?"

Concubine Shu's face froze, she didn't feel that what she said that day was wrong, but the emperor's "hearing" made her feel scared - he was staring at the palace for the Ruan family.

Xue Li nodded, and said in a whisper: "There are many things in the imperial dining room..."

"You take five days to be a value." The emperor said to her.Xueli was bored, in a dilemma, and finally said truthfully: "The identities of the servant girl and the emperor..."

"Who reminded you of your identity?" The emperor glanced at Concubine Shu Ling Ran, and then said to Sydney, "I don't even despise you, why do you care about others?"

No matter how hard Xue Li was, she could tell that she was not angry at herself but at Concubine Shu. After looking at Concubine Shu, she looked away and smiled at A Yao: "A Yao!"

Ayao giggled.

Every word was like a slap in the face of Concubine Shu. She froze for a long while, and didn't turn her head when she saw the emperor. Finally, she knew that she had to make amends for this matter.He gritted his teeth and looked at Ruan Shi, but he couldn't bear to lose face in front of her. After careful consideration, he turned his head away fiercely, holding back and not saying anything.

The emperor didn't hear Concubine Shu's apology from the beginning to the end, and when he left Yuehe Palace, his face was not very good.Sydney was happy, the cloud that had weighed down for several months dissipated, and she looked carefree again.

The contrast between before and after fell into Xie Zhao's eyes, making him feel that she has been wronged too much these past few months.After looking at her smile for a while, he said: "I brought a lot of things back to Ah Yao, you can bring them back with Chen Jijiang, and show her in person to see what she likes the most."

"No!" Xue Li responded brightly, thinking in her heart whether she should let Dou Sha sew something with many tassels for A Yao to grab and play with.

Xie Zhao paused for a moment, then said, "I brought you something too..."

He didn't know why he was in a strange mood.As if it was particularly difficult to say, after finishing speaking, he turned his head and grabbed the fork of the dead tree by the roadside, not knowing what he was hiding.

(End of this chapter)