The letters sent back from Huaizhou were sent at least twice a month at the beginning. After the twelfth lunar month, none of the letters will be in the future. Although Jiang Lao wanted to know what was going on there, there was nowhere to go, and he was a little uneasy. .

Around the twelfth lunar month, Jinling was snowy, and it lasted more than ten days, and the snow was too thick. Emperor Zhaowu gave the courtiers a 10-day rest, and took his concubine and some confidant courtiers to live in the palace very close to the hunting ground. For a period of time, by the way, hunting to relieve boredom.

In the past six months, although Emperor Zhaowu has been indifferent to Concubine Yun, the treatment is the same as before, except that she no longer walks to Concubine Yun. Concubine Yun sees nothing less than what she deserves. Instead of serving the emperor, she doesn’t do anything. I have everything. I almost wake up in dreams. Emperor Zhaowu is going to go hunting in the winter. Usually she will follow. This year, I don’t even bother to follow. Pian Sheng Jia and the queen want to show off this time in front of her. Her favorite, Qin Yun's name was written in the roster of her accompanying concubine.

Concubine Yun Gui was annoyed by Jia and Queen's short-sightedness. Seeing Jiang Lao unhappy, when she went to the palace, she also took her with her to relax.

As soon as Jiang Lao got off the carriage, he saw Hu Tang waving at her in front of the palace gate.

Hu Tang was dressed in red, and ran to Jiang Lao in a few steps, with a big smile, "I'm so happy to hear that you will come."

Madam Hu and Emperor Zhaowu are distant cousins, and Hutang can call Emperor Zhaowu an uncle. General Hu was stationed on the border and had no children at his knees. Emperor Zhaowu had some thoughts of compensating him. There was another kind of view of General Hu’s daughter in Jinling, so that General Hu did not dare to feel rebellious, and he was very towards Hu Li Hutang good. Even if courtiers often asked him to participate in a general Hu's daughter for wanton and arrogant lack of control, he turned a blind eye to this kind of winter hunting, the exchange would take Hu Tang with her, let her live the addiction of fighting and killing.

Jiang Lao was not surprised to see Hu Tang.

With a bow on his back and an arrow in his hand, Hu Tang smiled heartily: "I will go out hunting these few days. Wait, I will bring you a little rabbit back."

Jiang Lao was stunned.

Hu Tang has been with her for so many days, knowing Jiang Lao’s temperament, realizing that she can’t see the **** scene of killing and killing, annoyed for a moment, hurriedly put the arrow in his hand back into the quiver, sighing. Said: "Hey, I was wrong, this girl is a little tired of hunting."

She jumped to Jiang Lao's side,? ? "You haven't been to this palace before. This palace is very vast. Merlin and the mountain behind you are very fun. I will show you around."

Jiang Lao knew that she was taking care of her. He smiled softly, remembering something, and took Hu Tang's hand and asked: "Have you ever heard from your father about the news from Huaizhou?"

General Hu was garrisoned in the north and Huaizhou was in the south. Jiang Laoming knew this but asked this way. He was really desperate.

Hu Tang shook his head, looked at Jiang Lao's somewhat bored expression, and asked her, "Are you worrying about His Royal Highness Nine?"

Jiang Lao sighed hesitantly, "I almost ask everybody."

But everyone is like Hu Tang, knowing nothing.

Rong Ming told her to stay in Jinling because she was afraid that the three of them would become tigers, but in the past few months, apart from worrying about staying in Jinling, she has not been able to help much at all.

I heard from her father that some people in the courtroom did speak bad things to Emperor Zhaowu from time to time, but Master Liao from the Ministry of Engineering steadily suppressed the rumors, and the methods were more flexible than her back house girl.

She felt that she was useless.

Jiang Lao and Hu Tang walked into the palace together, and when they passed through the corridor, looking at the unfamiliar scenery here, Jiang Lao's eyes lit up slightly brighter.

Maybe here, I can inquire about any news.

Regardless of the movement of Emperor Zhaowu, the movement of Empress Jiahe is easier to find in this palace than in the orderly palace.

Hu Tang looked at Jiang Lao worried and said to her: "If I hear anything, I will definitely tell you..."

Concubine Yun Gui arrived one day earlier than Jiang Lao. Although Jiang Lao and Hu Tang lived on the east side of the palace, their courtyards were separated by a hundred steps and landed in two directions. When they reached the cross road, they separated. Jiang Lao was killed by the palace lady. Leading to Concubine Yun.

Before arriving at Concubine Yun, Jiang Lao led her court lady here and asked where the Empress Jiahe and Emperor Zhaowu were.

The residence of Empress Jiahe is close to that of Emperor Zhaowu, but the place where her aunt lives is a bit remote.

The difference between being favored and out of favor can be clearly reflected in the trivial matters of Sesame Dian.

Jiang Lao could feel the depression of her aunt's life in the palace. Once this was unfavorable, the things he could get before would be like floating clouds, and he couldn't grasp it anymore.

Her sister-in-law loves to compete with others, and she may not be able to swallow such a breath today when she is assigned to such a remote courtyard.

Jiang Lao was very afraid that Concubine Yun would not be able to think about it. He was taken to Concubine Yun Gui by the maid along the way, thinking of ways to amuse her, only to see a smiling beauty holding a small dress and catching a cat.

Concubine Yun Gui is trying to put on a small brightly colored dress for Pomegranate.

seem

good mood.

Jiang Lao finally settled down.

Concubine Yun Gui dressed the pomegranate. Seeing Jiang Lao coming, she held the pomegranate and went over, "Look, I personally made this pomegranate, and I will make one for you in the future."

Jiang Lao looked at the little clothes she wore on Pomegranate, which was as clumsy as the stitches she embroidered. His expression showed the same resistance as Pomegranate. He took a step back and weakly shouted "Auntie".

Concubine Yun Gui laughed, "I won't scare you anymore."

She sat next to Jiang Lao, "I see you are unhappy these few months. I call you to come here. Don’t think about Huaizhou anymore. When it’s time to come back, His Royal Highness Nine will naturally come back. It’s useless if you are anxious. ."

Jiang Lao understood this truth in his heart.

But it's not that you can make yourself worry-free if you figure it out. It was the first time she had tasted the feeling of worrying about a person like this.

She lowered her head and said, "There has been no news from Huaizhou for more than a month."

Last month, she collected a lot of medical books related to the epidemic from Jinling and sent them to Huaizhou. There was no reply, and she didn't know if those medical books arrived.

"I don't see the worries on the emperor's face. There should be nothing wrong. If you can't receive the letter, don't panic. Maybe you lost the letter on the road."

Jiang Lao was downcast, and Concubine Yun Gui rubbed her head, "Don't worry about Huaizhou, you also worry about yourself."

Her face became a little cold, "You pay attention to the queen. I will go to her to serve tea today. She seems to want to know whether you are here or not. Although I didn't tell her to know, this is not something that can be concealed. You Getting married with the Nine Princes hindered her way. I have been fighting with her for so many years, and I know her temperament clearly. She seems to be stingy and stingy in her. If it is unpleasant to her, she bears it. After a few years, I have to ask for it at the end. I'm afraid she is thinking of the law against you."

...

Queen Jiahe is staying with the seventeenth prince.

The seventeenth prince was next to Queen Jiahe, watching her write a letter, and said anxiously: "Mother, four months have passed, why don't you call General Xi to do it?"

"There are some things that I have to do without knowing it."

Jiahe Queen frowned.

If Rong Chen died on the battlefield easily, Emperor Zhaowu might give him a name in exchange. Think about the anger that Rong Chen told her to suffer. Such a result could not be tolerated at all. Even if Rong Zhao died, she We must also find a way to get him to die on the charge of treason, and make him a sinner with a stinking legacy.

She finished writing the letter and handed it to her confidant

take away.

The anxious look on the seventeenth prince's face did not diminish.

"This month is a bit weird. The letter from General Xi has been delayed, and the son is a little worried."

"Don't build up the ambition of others to destroy your own prestige." Empress Jiahe glanced at him, "Last time I was in my palace underestimating the enemy, General Xi had been in the army for twelve, and he had fought on the battlefield for more than ten years. How could he not be able to beat a crippled hairy boy? You are at ease."

The seventeenth prince narrowed his mouth, and Empress Jiahe taught him to call out, "You should think about how to get along with your father, what did you do with your father this morning? Tell the queen to listen."

"I played a few games with my father."

"Your father is in a good mood today. It doesn't matter if you win him a few more rounds. You can also ask him to see your ability. It's just the last one. You must win him. Don't hurt his mood."

"That's how the children acted."

"Emperor father seems to be very kind to me these days." The seventeenth prince took out a ruby ​​snuff bottle from his sleeve. "Queen, this is what the emperor has rewarded me."

Empress Jiahe took over the little snuff bottle. The things used by Emperor Zhaowu are naturally expensive, but she is not someone who has never seen the world before. Isn't it a valuable thing in the Fairview Palace? She just saw the meaning behind the object and smiled crookedly.

Today Emperor Zhaowu rewarded the seventeenth prince's snuff bottle, as if to show her the day when Emperor Zhaowu passed the throne to the seventeenth prince in the future.

I saw Qin Yundeping her before changing her eyes, disdainful of Qin Yun's spoiled temperament. Now that the Feng Shui flows on her, she is even more arrogant, holding the red jade snuff bottle in her hand and leaning back. Chin, said to the seventeenth prince proudly and confidently: "You don't want to cause any trouble in front of your father, he will definitely give you more rewards in the future."

The seventeenth prince listened to the voice of Queen Jiahe and said to Queen Jiahe: "Mother, I went outside the palace this morning."

Queen Jiahe wrinkled his brows, and just about to ask why he would go there, he heard the seventeenth prince say, "I saw the carriage of Ning'an Bo Mansion."

Queen Jiahe's eyes lit up and she sneered, "My palace guessed that she would come. Qin Yun is not favored now, and has no children. Don't you expect her little niece to relieve her boredom?"

She smiled, her expression suddenly cold, "Since she is here, you don't have to ask Mr. Bai to walk outside her shop every day. You instruct someone to get him to find Mr. Bai."

The seventeenth prince was hesitating and asked, "Is it really possible?"

Queen Jiahe slowly said: "Young Master Bo has good eyes."

Jiahe Queen couldn't figure it out. It's a good girl from the uncle's family. It's not difficult for a good person to marry. Why did she fall in love with the disabled person?

Thinking left and right, the only explanation was that she saw Rong Zhen's face, just as Emperor Zhaowu saw his biological mother at a glance.

Since it is a color-loving person, it is not only Rongchang that looks good in this world.

Bai Yushu's reputation as a beautiful man is outstanding. Although from her point of view, the color is still inferior to Rong Ming, but fortunately, he is healthy, and it is not much stronger than a handicapped person. What's more, his eyes are charming, and when he looks at people, he is tender, and as long as Jiang Lao is a color greedy person, he will definitely not be able to resist the gentleness in his eyes.

The little girl's family, and met such a good-looking man a few times, maybe they began to feel that this is the real fate.

The Queen Jia and the Queen laughed in time.

Once the bait she released, Jiang Lao could bite the bait, and she would definitely publicize her deeds of not observing women's way and make her be spit, and then she would be counted as revenge for stopping her and making her angry.

...

During the few days Jiang Lao stayed in the palace, Hu Tang often came to look for her. She knew that Jiang Lao didn’t like killing scenes, so she never talked about hunting scenes in front of her. Instead, it was because she saw Concubine Yun dress pomegranates. Looking at the clumsy stitches in her little clothes, she inexplicably gave birth to blind confidence in her own embroidery skills.

Hu Tang often brought needles and threads to find Jiang Lao's embroiderers to play with.

On this day, Hu Tang hadn't come all day, and when the dusk fell, Jiang Lao was looking for someone to find her. Hu Tang was dressed in snow, fighting with his teeth, and came in tremblingly.

Jiang Lao hurried her to the stove to make fire.

Hu Tang's frozen body softened a bit, still shivering, and said to Jiang Lao: "Guess, what did I hear when I slept on the tree in Meilin just now?"

The Meilin in the palace is a place where both men and women can go. Jiang Lao wants to know the news of Huaizhou from others. Bai Liri often goes there. Today, because he couldn't wait for Hutang, he stayed in the yard to wait for her. I didn't go there.

She shook her head and said that she couldn't guess.

Hu Tang asked her, "Have you heard of the name Bai Yushu? A well-known beautiful man in Beijing."

"I was just trying to hide from my mother who took me home, so I got up the tree in a hurry. I wanted to take advantage of no one’s effort to get down quickly. Who would have thought that he suddenly stood under the plum blossom tree and stopped. It was only two or three hours that caused me to endure another afternoon of freezing in the tree. This man is really amazing. He looked up at the plum blossom and his movements did not change much. I was scared to think he was looking at me."

Hu Tang hugged her arms, and they couldn't get warm for a long time. His face was red from the cold. Jiang Lao handed her a cup of hot tea, "Maybe it's just a plum lover, and it's nothing more than a snowy day."

Hu Tang immediately turned his gaze to Jiang Lao, "What matters is not that he is enjoying the plum blossoms, but what matters is that I heard him under the tree, chanting your name."

Jiang Lao was slightly stunned, and Hu Tang said again:? ? "He called Xiaosi to go and see if you have come here, obviously waiting for you specially under the plum forest tree."

"Wait for me?" Jiang Lao felt a little weird, "I never knew him."

Hu Tang put down the tea, leaned in Jiang Lao's ear, and muttered softly, "I eavesdropped on the speech between him and his young man. He was assigned by the queen and wanted to seduce you, red, apricot, out, and wall."

Jiang Lao was completely stunned.

"real?"

"Naturally it is true."

Jiang Lao smiled in anger, "Who do you think of me?"

She doesn't follow the rules, but she doesn't do anything inconsistent.

"Who said no? The next trick." Hu Tang warmed her body and wrapped her arm around Jiang Lao. "But I'm curious about how good-looking Bai Yushu was to be known as a beautiful man. I only saw the top of his head in the tree. The hairpin was more complicated and beautiful than the one I used."

"Go and see?" Hu Tang whispered in her ear.

Jiang Lao had nothing to do in his free time, and after thinking about it, he couldn't ask that Bai Yushu to wait there eagerly.

She is not afraid of the shadow leaning, and she is not afraid of what others say.

But the flies are flying in front of you, and you have to wave your hand to hit a dozen, otherwise it's really annoying to go around.

"Go and take a look." Jiang Lao said.

But when she went out, she suddenly had another idea in her heart.

"When does he stay in Meiyuan?" She closed her steps and asked Hu Tang next to her.

"I listened to his impatient, grumpy tone, and it seemed to be there all the time except when he was eating."

"Then, as long as you enter Merlin at the time of dinner, there is a loft in Merlin, and you can wait in there first, and you can look at him from a distance without having to deal with him face to face."

Hu Tang nodded, "It's almost time for lunch right now, should we find a maid to visit the plum garden?"

But Jiang Lao did not tell anyone to go out.

Hu Tang was impatient, and wanted to do it once he thought about something. Otherwise, she held Jiang Lao by the hand and said, "Don't you want to go over and take a look?"

"Don't think I'm talking nonsense, Bai Yushu really has been under the plum tree, waiting for you to appear." She squashed, for fear that Jiang Lao would not believe her.

"I naturally believe you, but I just thought of some fun things." Jiang Lao blinked at Hu Tang, "Don't go today, I'll find someone to stare at. He will wait for me in Meilin, do you change Plan to do something else."

With the fierceness of Jiahe Queen's methods she knew, she shouldn't just call this person named Bai Yushu, just stay under the plum tree and wait for her to appear.

She has to find out first.

It just so happened that Bai Yushu was aired for a few days.

Since he wanted to seduce her red apricot out of the wall, he should freeze to death by himself under the tree...

After sending a maid to inquire for a few days, seeing that Bai Yushu hadn’t done anything unusual besides waiting under the plum blossom tree, Jiang Lao felt relieved and boldly pulled up Hutang, waited early in the pavilion in the plum garden, and asked someone to guard him. Once they enter the pavilion, they can't call others in, holding the sleeve furnace, and looking at the outside from time to time by the window on the top floor.

When he saw the figure appearing in the snow, Hu Tang's eyes lit up, "This is Bai Yushu?"

She stared at the figure for a long time, and said with emotion: "No wonder some people say that the young boy of the Bai family has a good appearance when he meets people, and he is really good-looking."

Jiang Lao glanced at it casually, then closed his gaze back, not much interested, "I'm watching, it's not so good-looking."

Hu Tang raised his eyes and glanced at her, "Don't hold him and compare with His Royal Highness Nine, you hold him and compare with the little servant behind him, don't you immediately feel better?"

"His little boy..." Jiang Lao glanced down after hearing the words, but unlike Hu Tang said, he felt that Bai Yushu was beautiful, but his heart was strange. He said to Hu Tang, "Tang'er, don't you think , His little boy looks too ugly?"

Large families choose maids and small servants, and most of them like to choose good-looking ones, and they won't lose the master's face even if they are taken out.

And the young man next to Bai Yushu...Even if she has no malice and no derogation in her eyes, she can only say that the young man's appearance is not even ordinary.

Not only is the appearance ugly, but the figure is a little short.

Set off his master full of Yushu Linfeng.

Jiang Lao frowned.

If she can't see it, change it. After seeing it, look at Bai Yushu's movement of looking up at the plum tree, and the thin clothes that can show his slender figure, she feels that deliberateness is revealed everywhere.

Jiang Lao muttered, "I have long heard that Lord Bai's son is not healthy, and it is difficult to heal him if he has the best doctor. Seeing him dressed so thinly in the snow, I sympathize with those doctors."

Hu Tang looked at her questioningly, and Jiang Lao said, "No matter how good medical skills are, you can't cure a disobedient patient."

Jiang Lao beckoned Ming Shao to come in, and gave her a few words.

Hu Tang was listening, and suddenly he had a new understanding of Jiang Lao.

I always feel that she looks delicate and weak, why sometimes her mind is quite dark?

...

In the winter, Bai Yushu was clinging to a fan and dressed in plain white clothes. He stood under the plum tree and waited, looking up at the plum blossoms. They looked beautiful, like a painting, as if they could become immortal in the next second.

But when he was waiting under the corridor, he stiffened and didn't wait for Jiang Lao to come out once, so he couldn't help being a little impatient.

I was about to ask the young man next to me whether the news from the queen was true or not, a call suddenly came from behind.

"This son."

Bai Yushu looked back and was overjoyed when he saw the person coming.

Although he had never met Jiang Lao, he knew what the maid beside her looked like. Seeing Ming Shao was like seeing Jiang Lao. He smiled slightly and asked, "You are?"

"Boss Ning'an, the maid next to the four girls." Ming Shao glanced at the ugly servant behind Bai Yushu, thinking about what Jiang Lao had told her, she couldn't help being very disgusted with Bai Yushu, she said: "Girl Tell me to come over and ask you something."

Bai Yushu knew that his hard work in freezing the past few days had not been in vain, shook the fan with some joy in his heart, smiled lightly and nodded frequently, with a knowing expression, "What do you want to ask, but it doesn't hurt to say it?"

His language is gentle.

Ming Shao coughed and coughed, as if he couldn't bear it, but instead he said what Jiang Lao taught her, "The girl asked me to ask, son, which shop did you use for the powder?"

Bai Yushu stagnated, as if he didn't hear clearly, "What?"

"The girl asked me to ask, which shop did you use for the powder, son?" Ming Shao raised his voice when he heard the back of his ear, "Master, can it be convenient, tell us?"

Bai Yushu's face changed.

"Just... just want to know what fan I use?"

Other people in the plum garden looked here one after another. Bai Yushu suddenly realized something and became anxious, "No, I am not a fan. I was born to be like this."

He has always been most proud of his appearance, but he has modified a little before going out, how can he count as a Fu fan?

This maid also has a problem, just ask, why is it so loud? If people can also see him, wouldn't they laugh at him for lacking masculinity?

Ming Shao made a cut, "If you don't tell, don't tell, you don't have Fu Fan, you can see it at a glance."

Bai Yushu's face was embarrassingly red, "I have been standing here for four days, and your girl only saw the powder on my face?"

He shuddered from the cold, looking a bit pitiful, reflecting what he said he had been standing here for three or four days.

"Ah, the girl put it another way, it's really uncommon for people to stand in the snow for three or four days in such a cold day and so thinly dressed."

Bai Yushu sighed in relief, shook the fan, and his demeanor regained his grace.

"Have a good mind, either dress thickly or stay in the house."

Bai Yushu is going crazy, "My father is not sick!"

"Tsk."

Ming Shao followed Jiang Lao’s instructions step by step, driving people to jump, and then confessed: “My girl knows who sent you here. Instead of putting his mind on a serious place, Mr. Bai will not entangle him again, otherwise. , See you once, call once."

Bai Yushu knew that the queen had let him come. It was no play. Originally thinking that Jiang Lao was so beautiful, and the queen arranged for him to do this kind of business, he was not at a disadvantage. He didn't expect that not only would he not see each other, he would send a maid instead. When he came out to ridicule him, he hated Jiang Lao's inaccessibility in his heart. He was already furious, but his face was still pitiful. He bit his lip and said, "I... Although I was coerced by others, what I did was what I did. , Each piece comes from the heart."

How to deal with this? Jiang Lao never taught Ming Shao. She didn't. She simply turned her head and ran. Bai Yushu couldn't give up. Seeing Ming Shao running back, she knew where Jiang Lao was. Face, eyes lifted, and looked up sadly and melancholy.

He raised his face and looked forward to Jiang Lao's look at him.

He knew how attractive his face was. When he went to the brothel, he was the most sought-after guest of the girls there.

When she saw what his face looked like, she might have other thoughts.

Jiang Lao paid attention to the movement below, and naturally saw Bai Yushu's look up.

She frowned in disgust and closed the window directly.

After closing the window, he shivered in a bitter cold.

"I really don't want to see this man again."

Jiang Lao's face was bored, and Chao Hutang complained in a low voice.

Just now, Bai Yushu's arm-wrapping motion and pitiful expression could not go away in her mind, causing her to shook her head in disgust.

Suddenly stopped.

She seemed to have seen such a pitiful and weak state in someone...

I haven't only seen it once or twice, but I think it's very familiar.