"Wende Hall is not a forbidden area, so of course I won't blame you! However, whether I can forgive you today depends on your own performance." The tone of his words suddenly changed, Zhao Heng reached out to take the tea cup, and raised the corner of his mouth slightly.
.
After the words fell, he quickly raised his face and coughed lightly, "Ahem!"
"Your Majesty, be careful!" Liu E immediately put down the tray, walked quickly around behind him, and raised her hand to gently tap his back.
"Your Majesty, please go to the Imperial City Department to see how the gunpowder arrows are being made." The right squad knew that Liu Chenggui was not worried about Zhao Heng's health at all, so he decisively made an excuse and retreated.
Most of the other eunuchs and maids also saluted Zhao Heng with a wink and quickly exited the Wende Hall.
In the blink of an eye, only Zhao Heng, Liu E, and the two female harem officials who had always served Zhao Heng the most attentively and who were the most liked by the latter were left in the huge Wende Hall.
"Okay, stop beating me. With the little strength you have, you might as well scratch my itch!" Zhao Heng felt hot and quickly put down the tea cup. He then pulled Liu E from the back to the front and gently put it down.
on the lap.
"Your Majesty, you haven't finished drinking the tea soup that I made with my own hands!" Liu E practiced juggling when she was a child. Although her figure is petite, she is extremely flexible. She bent her body upward at an angle that ordinary people cannot achieve.
He bowed his head, raised his head, and looked lovingly into Zhao Heng's eyes, his voice full of magnetism.
"No hurry, no hurry! Let the tea cool down a little longer." Zhao Heng shouted, "No hurry," but he moved very quickly. In the blink of an eye, he lowered his head and kissed Liu E's red lips fiercely.
Liu E greeted her politely, and her lotus-like arms gently wrapped around Zhao Heng's neck. The two hugged each other for a long time like they did when they had an affair for the first time, as if they were back ten years ago in an instant.
After a while, Zhao Heng finally put Liu E down reluctantly, picked up the tea soup again, and drank it all in one gulp.
Both of their faces were a little flushed, and their hearts were burning. However, they both knew after all that the Hall of Wende was where the king of a country handled government affairs, and they did not dare to go any further.
"I, my concubine, go back to your residence and cook a few side dishes with your own hands, waiting for the Holy Emperor." With her eyes wandering, Liu E boldly made a decision for Zhao Heng.
Because of her humble background, Zhao Heng almost lost her position as crown prince. Therefore, after being admitted to the harem, Zhao Heng tried to make her a noble concubine several times, but was blocked by veterans Lu Mengzheng and Empress Dowager Mingde.
Today, her title is still that of a talented person. The place she lives in is just a side hall in the harem, which is similar in size to ordinary people's homes in the south of Bianliang City.
However, this small side hall was given a somewhat "homey" feel by her. Zhao Heng, who had been in and out of the palace since childhood, felt that every time he walked in, all the fatigue and stress from his body dissipated.
"Well, I'll go there in a minute. At least it's really passed the Youshi hour, so that the Queen Mother won't know about it and nag me for neglecting government again!" Although Zhao Heng was not tired today, he still wanted to taste Liu E and what he had done with his own hands.
He nodded at the taste of the food and smiled like a naughty boy skipping class.
Liu E stood on tiptoes and pecked Zhao Heng's face gently like a bird. Then, she walked happily towards the back door of Wende Hall. Before her feet could jump over the threshold, Zhao Heng came from behind.
The voice said, "Wait a minute, I've already dealt with the things that need to be dealt with. I might as well leave with you."
"This..." Liu E turned around, the expression on her face was not only surprise, but also a bit uneasy, "The Holy Lord pities me, I just know it in my heart. It's better to finish the things at hand before going.
Otherwise, if the veterans outside know about it, I will be blamed again."
"Whatever, if they are willing to remonstrate, I will listen with my left ear and listen with my right ear!" Zhao Heng thought for a while and waved his hand disdainfully.
After being emperor for six years, his power has gradually become more and more stable, and he no longer needs to be as tolerant as he was when he first came to the throne, even if his ministers are making unreasonable troubles.
There are not many old ministers left who can make him fearful. Including Lu Mengzheng and Lu Duan, if he wants to remove them, it will only be a matter of frowning at the right opportunity.
However, Lu Mengzheng has already written twice in a row to beg for the body, but he rejected it. If he writes another letter this month, he can complete the tacit agreement between the monarch and his ministers and return to his hometown to take care of his old age. Therefore, he does not need to bother anymore.
Go and drive the other party out of Bianliang.
As for Lu Duan, he has always been "not confused about big things and invisible about small things". He will not interfere with his family affairs. He is also happy to keep him in the court as a symbol of harmony between the monarch and his ministers.
"After all, it's better not to let them gossip." Liu E herself did not dare to be as arrogant as Zhao Heng. She hesitated again and again, biting her lip and shaking her head gently, "I will go first, to the entrance of the Royal Garden.
I will wait for His Majesty. Your Majesty will handle two more memorials and then follow. In this way, we meet by chance instead of leaving the Wende Hall together. No one can pick bones from the eggs anymore."
"Hmm..." Knowing that Liu E was thinking about himself, Zhao Heng felt a little clogged in his heart.
He felt very guilty for not being able to give his favorite woman the title of concubine. Now, he wanted to return to the harem together from Wende Hall, but they had to separate and leave like they were having an affair, which made him feel even more unbearable.
"Your Majesty, there are only two hundred and twenty steps from the Wende Hall to the Imperial Garden. But there are more than one thousand five hundred and seventy steps from the Imperial Garden to the place where I live! The days ahead for us will be long.
, why bother fighting for this moment?" Liu E was very smart and instantly guessed what Zhao Heng was thinking, smiled, and gave some touching advice.
"Well——, that's fine!" Although Zhao Heng had a frivolous temper, he could listen to the advice, pondered for a moment, and then nodded slowly.
The days ahead are long, he is only thirty-six, and Liu E is a full ten years younger than him, so there is no need to fight for a moment of pride. As long as he is willing to persevere, he will be able to help Liu E become a noble concubine sooner or later.
Thinking of state affairs and family affairs, he had to act according to his own ideas in the end, and he felt happy again. He quickly returned to the Imperial Bookcase, pretended to handle the two memorials, and after seeing that the time was almost up, he waited for the eunuchs and maids.
He got off and walked quickly to the harem.
When they arrived at the entrance of the Imperial Garden, Liu E had already greeted him politely. She knelt down to salute him first, and then took the initiative to fall one step behind and walk with him.
Walking this way is actually not very convenient. Every time Zhao Heng wants to look at Liu E, he has to turn his head slightly. However, the master of the harem is still Queen Guo, and the Queen Mother Mingde whom Zhao Heng respects has always paid attention to rules, so
, since the two pretended to have met by chance, they did not dare to go too "overboard" at the beginning.
However, after walking for more than three hundred steps, there were fewer and fewer idle eyes around, and the two of them started walking side by side. Just like ordinary couples, they walked in the dusk and sea of flowers, peacefully and peacefully.
Peaceful.
"It's my concubine's fault for distracting Your Majesty." Liu E suddenly stuck out her tongue and apologized softly. "I shouldn't have disturbed Your Majesty, but for some reason these days, whenever I can't see you, I
When I arrived at the Holy Land, I became extremely panicked."
"Between you and me, what's the point of disturbing or not?" Zhao Heng smiled and shook his head lovingly, "The Chinese New Year has just passed, and I don't have anything major to deal with."
"Then I would like to congratulate the emperor. The ancients said that only when there is peace and prosperity, the emperor does not have to do anything. The less things the emperor has to do now, the closer the peace and prosperity will be to the Song Dynasty." Liu E quickly took it.
Huantou, his eyes were full of admiration.
Zhao Heng didn't care how the courtiers outside flattered him. But he enjoyed Liu E's admiration. He smiled and deliberately waved his hands modestly, "It's still early. I have to work harder for a few more years."
"Some time ago, my eyes turned red when I saw the emperor, but I couldn't do anything to help. I really hate myself for being useless." Liu E lowered her head, with a bit of self-pity in her tone.
"You helped me. I may not be able to eat everything in the imperial kitchen. But you cook it, and I can eat a lot every time." Zhao Heng smiled again and stretched out his hand to rub Liu E's cheeks.
hair.
That is to say, in Liu E's place, he could always find the feeling between ordinary husband and wife. If he were anywhere else, he would always be a monarch and his subjects. Even his queen Guo, when she faced him naked, it felt like she was in court.
"This is all I can do. However, if the Lord likes to eat, I can make it in different ways every day." Liu E sighed in a low voice, and then she smiled and waved her small fist, full of fighting spirit.
"That's not necessary. You are too tired. You will also be jealous of other concubines." Zhao Heng smiled and shook his head gently.
"I am not tired, and I don't care if others are jealous. The more jealous someone is, I will make her more jealous." Liu E smiled and shook her head, her face full of stubbornness and naughtiness that only a girl can have. Then she put away her smile.
, advised softly, "Your Majesty, please pay more attention to your health. No matter what happens, don't let yourself get too tired."
"I'm not tired either." Zhao Heng felt relieved, stretched out, and responded with a smile, "The tired days are completely over. The Red Lotus Sect caused trouble on Yongxing Military Road and was uprooted by Kou Zhun.
.”
"The bandits who participate in politics are really powerful!" Liu E widened her eyes and clapped her hands gently, "The Holy One is even more powerful. He knows people and uses them well, and his medicine can cure diseases!"
"Of course, he is the right-hand man specially trained by the late emperor for me." Zhao Heng stroked his beard and nodded proudly, "Moreover, when I was still the prince, I got to know each other well and we worked together to handle many major events!"
"Then I would like to congratulate the Holy One even more." Liu E was happy to hear this, lifted up her skirt, and bowed down gracefully, "The Holy One and the bandits participate in politics, just like Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty and Wei Zheng, Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang, and, and..."
She wanted to give a few more examples of how a king and his ministers get along well with each other, but she couldn't find a suitable partner in her head. Suddenly, her voice became unsustainable.
"Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and Yao Chong, Duke Huan of Qi and Guan Zhong, Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty and Xiao He..." Liu Heng didn't mind that she didn't read enough, so he took over the conversation with a smile.
"The Holy One knows so much!" Liu E suddenly looked full of admiration. However, after a moment, she blinked her eyes a few more times and asked cautiously, "However, I heard someone say that the Holy Lord is beside me.
There cannot be only one virtuous minister, otherwise it will easily cause the virtuous minister to be domineering and exceed his authority, leading to eventual disharmony between the king and his ministers..."
These words were not in line with her usual style, so when they came out of her mouth, they seemed extremely blunt. Immediately, Zhao Heng frowned sharply, "Who taught you to tell me this? Kou Zhun has offended you.
What?"
"Your Majesty, please calm down. I am aware of my guilt!" Liu E shivered with fright and fell to her knees decisively, not daring to raise her head to look into Zhao Heng's eyes. "My concubine, I heard what the Queen Mother said. I don't think so."
I know whether it is right or not, but I believe that the Queen Mother will never harm the Holy One."
"It's the Queen Mother, asking you to advise me not to rely on Kou Zhun alone in everything?" Zhao Heng was stunned for a moment, and most of the anger that had just surged in his heart was extinguished. There was still a vague surge of anger.
A touch of relaxation.
"My concubine, I don't know if the report is accurate. My concubine, I only know that the Queen Mother will not harm the Holy One. It is rare for the Queen Mother to say a few words to me, and I dare not let her down. She is an old man..."
Liu E raised her hand, wiped her eyes a few times, and answered more cautiously.
"The Queen Mother will not harm me! You are right!" Zhao Heng felt pitiful for Liu E in his heart, and stretched out his hand to slowly pull her up. "However, in the future, if you repeat her words, tell me directly, don't beat around the bush, lest you
I misunderstood you."
"Well!" Liu E sniffed and responded in a low voice. Immediately, she raised her head again and looked at Zhao Heng with eyes with wet tears, "Your Majesty, you are really not angry anymore. If you are angry, I will
You can just kneel down for a while longer. Otherwise, I’ll give you a board and ask you to do your magic!"
"Nonsense!" Zhao Heng was so amused that he shook his head and laughed, "How could I be willing to slap you! Besides, I'm not angry either. I'm just surprised that the Queen Mother suddenly thought of you."
"It should be, it should be that after seeing the Holy Emperor, he always loves me so much, so she changed her mind." Liu E raised her hand and rubbed her eyes again, smiling with tears in her eyes. "A mother can't defeat her son after all.
.”
The second half of the sentence is just a reasonable explanation.
No matter how much Empress Dowager Li disliked Liu E, she could only accept her existence after such a long time. Therefore, she began to take the initiative to contact her and teach her how to assist her husband.
However, Zhao Heng was still unable to make Liu E his concubine. The two biggest obstacles were one coming from the Queen Mother and the other coming from Lu Mengzheng.
Lu Mengzheng immediately resigned and returned home, and the Queen Mother also recognized Liu E. Next, he will get his wish.
"That's it!" Thinking of this, Zhao Heng was elated, "The Queen Mother has finally recognized you. I will soon fulfill my promise back then and make you my concubine. I will never go back on what I promised you."
"Really?" Liu E's eyes lit up, and her face instantly filled with joy. However, the next moment, she smiled and shook her head, "Actually, as long as I can stay with Your Majesty, I will always be a talented person."
, it doesn’t matter. I like it..."
She quickly looked around, her face was reddish, and her voice was weak, "I like Your Majesty, I liked you from the first time I saw you. I used to be very scared when I was with Your Majesty, but, but, ever since
No regrets!”
"Me too!" Zhao Heng gently hugged Liu E's waist, as if holding a priceless treasure.
While they were feeling tender and affectionate, there was suddenly a burst of messy footsteps behind them. Immediately after, Liu Chenggui, the right squad member who had previously made excuses to avoid him, chased after him in a hurry. Regardless of the expressions of Zhao Heng and Liu E, he bowed.
He personally reported: "Your Majesty, something happened on Jingdong East Road. Zhang Wengong, the left army patrolman of Kaifeng Prefecture who went to track down the Chunyang Sect, was assassinated at the city gate the evening before yesterday. He himself and more than 20 soldiers accompanying him, none of them survived!
