There was a light on in a room in the corner of Chenyou Palace. Xie Yan was sitting at the window with his sword eyebrows slightly furrowed, and there was a hint of impatience between his brows.
Xie Yan has been living in the palace since he was eight years old. He first lived in Chenyou Palace with his cousin, the later crown prince, Emperor Yongtai, now the late emperor.
Later, the cousin was officially canonized as a prince and moved to the East Palace, where he lived alone until he was fifteen years old.
Originally, his uncle and cousin said that they would set aside Chenyou Palace for him as his future residence in the palace, but Xie Yan firmly refused.
It's just that he lived here for several years, and those years can be regarded as the most peaceful and worry-free years in Xie Yan's life.
So every time he came back from the battlefield or was in a bad mood, he would always come here to sit.
But he didn't expect that Zhu would appear here so late.
"If you are fine, Queen Mother, please leave." Xie Yan lowered his eyes and said in a deep voice without looking at Queen Mother Zhu.
Empress Dowager Zhu's still young and beautiful face was stiff for a moment, and her long nails painted with light red khao were clenched tightly, leaving marks on her palms.
She took a deep breath and her tone quickly softened.
She looked at the man in front of her, sighed softly and said: "Zhifei, it turned out that I was wrong, but I did it for Cheng'er. Your imperial brother only has Cheng'er's bloodline left. If something happens to him,
Things, I..."
Xie Yan frowned slightly and finally raised his head to glance at the Queen Mother Zhu in front of him.
After a moment, Xie Yan just said slowly: "So, the emperor's sister-in-law doubts that this king will destroy A Cheng Zili?"
Empress Dowager Zhu shook her head repeatedly and said: "I, of course I believe in your character, but..."
"In this case, the Queen Mother only needs to take good care of His Majesty and wait until His Majesty grows up to take charge of the government. There is no need to worry about anything else." Xie Yan said.
Empress Dowager Zhu walked to the other side and sat down. She smiled bitterly and said: "Zhifei, don't blame the emperor's sister-in-law for being worried. But, there are some things... you don't want to do it, but it doesn't mean that others don't want to either. Even if you are the regent and hold the country in your hands,
Jun, but there are some things... that are not completely within your control, right?"
Xie Yan naturally knew what Empress Dowager Zhu meant. Even if she believed that Xie Yan did not want to usurp the throne, what about Xie Yan's subordinates?
Which one is more attractive, being a subordinate of the regent, or being a subordinate who has the merit of following the dragon in supporting the regent to ascend the throne?
Nowadays, there are so many noble children in the Yonghuang City. Although their abilities may not be high, their lives are more proud than anyone else. Isn't it because the elders in their families are the heroes who supported the emperor's ascension to the throne?
If it weren't for the power of the dragon, how could Luo Yun, an ordinary person from a peasant family who was still under fifty, become a general and a first-class Duke of Dingguo?
These are opportunities that many people in a peaceful world can encounter but cannot seek for throughout their lives.
Xie Yan was not angry because of Empress Dowager Zhu's suspicion. This was not the first time he had heard such words in these years.
It can even be said that Queen Mother Zhu’s suspicion is not wrong to a certain extent.
Seeing his silence, Queen Mother Zhu thought that his attitude had softened. She was slightly happy and continued: "You have not been in the capital in the past few years. How would you know how our mother and son lived? If possible, I would rather Cheng'er had not inherited the family.
With this position, we orphans and widowed mothers can live a peaceful life for a few days just by holding on to a family fortune."
"What does the Queen Mother want?"
Empress Dowager Zhu breathed a sigh of relief and said softly: "I made a mistake at the beginning, and it is right for you to be angry. Just think that the emperor's sister-in-law was confused and forget about it. The Empress Dowager has been worried about your marriage, and I
Thinking about it... would it be nice for you to marry Ajin?"
Xie Yan frowned slightly, "Ajin? Who?"
Empress Dowager Zhu was startled, then quickly came to her senses and said: "You haven't been back for a long time, so you must have forgotten. You have met several times in the palace. Ajin is my eldest brother's eldest daughter. Although
She is not a beautiful woman, but she is gentle and virtuous. Even if you don't like her, she...she will be a good princess."
Although there seems to be a slight gap in seniority, the royal family actually doesn't care much about this.
Throughout the dynasties, it is not uncommon for aunts and nephews to marry the same person.
"You encountered many assassinations on your way back to Beijing this time. Do you really not know who committed them?"
Empress Dowager Zhu said quietly: "Now King Ning is powerful in the court. Prime Minister Ruan's second son married King Ning's granddaughter last year. Taifu Su is old and weak. If you come back later, I'm afraid... my natal family
It's not disappointing, even though I have the heart to support Cheng'er, I'm still powerless. Zhifei, for the sake of the late emperor and Emperor Gaozu, please save Cheng'er."
Xie Yan looked solemn and did not answer.
Queen Mother Zhu became a little anxious and gritted her teeth and said, "Do you want me to beg you?"
Xie Yan said calmly: "I will not marry Zhu Jin."
Empress Dowager Zhu's eyes dimmed and she said: "The Empress Dowager has been worrying about your marriage. Even if you don't marry Ajin, you will marry someone else sooner or later. How many women are there in this imperial city who are worthy of you?"
Do you want to marry a girl from the Ruan family? Or a girl from the Su family? "
Xie Yan stood up and said: "I will only marry the person I want to marry. The Queen Mother does not need to worry. The Queen Mother now wants me to marry Zhu Jin. In a few years...who does she want Ah Cheng to marry?"
"..." Empress Dowager Zhu was speechless for a moment.
"It's getting late, Queen Mother, please move back to the palace." This was a clear way to drive people away.
"You're driving me away?"
"There are differences between men and women. If there is any important matter in the future, the Queen Mother can be summoned directly. There is no need to meet in private. It will damage the Queen Mother's reputation."
Empress Dowager Zhu felt a little sad, "You and I have known each other for many years, why do you want to be so open to others? You really still have a grudge because of what happened in the past."
Xie Yan said nothing, but the meaning of seeing off guests was clearly visible.
Empress Dowager Zhu smiled bitterly, said "that's all", stood up, opened the door and walked out.
Outside the house, a chamberlain and two maids were already waiting at the door with lamps.
Seeing Empress Dowager Zhu come out, she immediately bowed and saluted, "Your Majesty."
Queen Mother Zhu glanced at them lightly and said, "Let's go."
"Yes, empress."
Luo Junyao lay on the roof, watching the Empress Dowager Zhu and his entourage go away, and then secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as she was about to carefully exit from the other side of the roof, her body suddenly stiffened.
She turned around slowly with a stiff neck, and saw a person standing only two or three feet away from her.
The figure was tall and straight. When she lay on the roof and raised her neck, she felt that the figure was even more slender.
Under the moonlight, the man's black clothes had faint golden lines flowing. He tilted his head slightly, and his perfect outline, like a craftsman's carving, became more profound and three-dimensional.
Luo Junyao was still lying on the roof, awkwardly raising a stiff smile, and waved to him, "Your Majesty, good evening."
Gonna die! Gonna die!
Xie Yan won't misunderstand that she is a stalking voyeur, right?
Xie Yan was silent.
Luo Junyao was a little depressed, "I said I didn't mean it, do you believe it?"
Although he was standing on the roof, Xie Yan felt as if he was walking on flat ground. He was already in front of Luo Junyao in a flash without making any sound from the roof under his feet.
He leaned over, picked up Luo Junyao, and jumped off the roof.
Being held in someone's hand, Luo Junyao did not struggle.
Putting aside whether she can beat Xie Yan or not, in a place like this and at this time, she won't be able to reap the rewards of a real fight.
"What did you hear?"
"I didn't see anything!"
The two voices sounded almost at the same time. Facing Xie Yan, who raised his eyebrows slightly, Luo Junyao wanted to cover his mouth in annoyance.
Seeing the little girl's wilting appearance, a faint smile flashed across Xie Yan's eyes.
Luo Junyao glanced at Xie Yan carefully, and saw the smile in his eyes, and couldn't help but be stunned.
Although there is still no expression on his face, Xie Yan seems to be really smiling?
Can he really laugh?
Holding down his pounding little heart, Luo Junyao raised a hand and swore, "Your Majesty, I promise that I will never tell outsiders what happened just now." Her father was not an outsider.
Xie Yan raised his eyebrows slightly, "Oh, what guarantee do you have?"
"Guarantee my father's character!" Luo Junyao said firmly.
Xie Yan seemed a little curious, "Why don't you get your own guarantee?"
Luo Junyao was a little embarrassed, "Isn't it...that I don't have a good reputation? Are you afraid that the prince will not believe in my character?"
Xie Yan said: "That's not the case. Didn't you save my life?"
Yes, she is Xie Yan's savior.
No! Who knows if Xie Yan will repay kindness with hatred?
Xie Yan shook his head and said: "Go back, the palace may not be safe, so don't run around."
Luo Junyao was stunned for a moment, a little surprised, "Aren't you afraid that I will tell anyone?"
Xie Yan said: "Didn't you say you didn't see anything?"
All right.
Luo Junyao pondered for a moment, then said: "Your Majesty, someone deliberately lured me to Chenyou Palace."
It's just that she doesn't quite understand why the other party deliberately lured her to Chenyou Palace?
Is it just to catch Xie Yan meeting Queen Mother Zhu late at night? But what does this have to do with her?
The Empress Dowager Zhu was also acting strangely. She just wanted to be summoned by Xie Yanguang in an upright manner. Why would she do it at such a time?
If this happens to others, wouldn't it just cause misunderstanding?
"This king knows." Xie Yan said.
"Then...I'm leaving?" Luo Junyao asked tentatively.
Xie Yan nodded and said: "Go."
Luo Junyao no longer hesitated and ran away quickly.
Beautiful men are precious, but life is even more valuable.
Watching Luo Junyao's back go away, Xie Yan's expression gradually became cold in the night.
"Double shadow."
A dark figure walked out from the corner, bowed and said: "Your Majesty."
Xie Yan said: "Check the people who came in and out of Chenyou Palace tonight. And..."
Dieying quietly waited for Xie Yan's instructions.
After a long time, I heard Xie Yan say in a deep voice: "Check with the Queen Mother."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Dieying didn't ask anything about the Queen Mother. Since the prince gave the order, they would naturally do their best to check everything about the Queen Mother in detail.
"Go." Xie Yan raised his hand and pinched his eyebrows, waved to Duoying, turned around and walked back.
"Your Majesty." Duoying couldn't help but speak, but he hesitated.
"What else?"
The shadow said: "Will the Luo family..." Regardless of whether the two girls of the Luo family heard anything just now, the news that the prince and the queen mother met privately again late at night is very arousing in people's imagination.
Luo Junyao's awkward and stiff little face under the moonlight with a bit of concealed curiosity flashed through his mind.
Xie Yan said calmly: "The Luo family will not spread rumors randomly."
"Yes." Duiying bowed and responded.
Xie Yan understood what the Queen Mother meant. She was just afraid that over time, he would forget the friendship between the great ancestor and the late emperor and want to usurp her son's throne.
Five years ago, when the Three Kings Rebellion had just been settled, the Queen Mother came to see him.
It implies that as long as he is willing to sincerely assist A Cheng, she is willing to marry him with the dignity of the Queen Mother.
At that time, Xie Yan not only felt angry, but also felt ridiculous.
What made Xie Yan angry was not that Empress Dowager Zhu doubted him, nor that she wanted to remarry.
The imperial brother had passed away, and the Queen Mother was only twenty-six or seventeen at the time. Xie Yan didn't think it was a big mistake to have any ideas. Even if the Queen Mother did have a lover, as long as it did not affect the situation of A Cheng and the court, he would not
What opinions would you have?
However, the emperor's uncle and aunt were kind to him in raising him up. He and the late emperor grew up together, and he truly regarded the late emperor as his elder brother.
Compared to the late emperor who grew up together, fought together and was punished together, and went to the battlefield together through life and death when they grew up, the people in Prince Mu's Mansion were more like insignificant strangers to him.
Although he did not have much interaction with the Queen Mother Zhu, he sincerely respected the Queen Mother Zhu as his eldest sister-in-law.
When he heard what Empress Dowager Zhu said, he thought it was ridiculous, and for the first time in his life, he got angry at the Xie family members.
After that, Empress Dowager Zhu never mentioned this matter again, but she didn't expect that a few years later, the Zhu family would cultivate a new candidate to win over him?
He did meet the girl named Zhu Jin.
Six or seven years ago, that girl had just turned ten.
The Zhu family is an old clan of the previous dynasty, and their ancestors also gave birth to a queen from the Dongling Dynasty. The Empress Dowager Zhu’s father served as the minister of the Ministry of Rites in the late years of Dongling, and was a minister in the same palace as the great ancestor. Later, when the country was prosperous and the old and new changed, the Zhu family
Although they were the prince's in-laws, they did not have any outstanding talents. After all, the power in the court was divided up by new achievements.
Now Empress Dowager Zhu's father has passed away long ago, and only Empress Dowager Zhu's brother holds the title of Duke Cheng'en and the position of Right Minister of the Ministry of Industry.
The rest of the people are all petty officials or playboys who have no place on the stage. It's no wonder that the Zhu family is worried.
It was dark at night, and the noise on the Jade Terrace could be heard faintly, making Chenyou Palace even more silent.
Xie Yan's face was as dark as water, and he walked towards the depths of Chenyou Palace with his hands behind his hands.
