Kunning Palace was silent, with only a few palace residents lowering their heads and choking secretly.
Xu Qinghuan walked into the main hall, and the female official immediately came to greet her: "The empress is waiting for you."
Xu Qinghuan nodded and followed the female officer into the inner room.
Under the dim candlelight, Queen Yu was lying on the bed, her eyes widened and she had fallen asleep. The female officer was about to step forward to call her, but Xu Qinghuan shook her head: "I'll wait nearby for a while!"
She had experienced such pain in her previous life and knew how difficult it was to rest peacefully for a while.
The female officer nodded and slowly withdrew.
Looking at the skinny and haggard Queen Yu, Xu Qing felt sad and couldn't help but shed tears. Queen Yu had been proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting since she was a child. She was such a talented woman, but she ended up with this result.
In the past few days, she went into the palace and told Queen Yu what Nuer had done. She could always see a twinkling light in the Queen's eyes. Finally, Queen Yu sighed: "Hearing what you say, I really want to do it with Nuer."
Take a look."
Xu Qinghuan was thinking about this when a weak voice sounded.
"You came."
Queen Yu didn't know when she had opened her eyes and was looking at Xu Qinghuan in front of the bed.
Xu Qinghuan immediately stood up and saluted.
Queen Yu said: "Don't be restrained, I... called you over just to talk to you."
Xu Qinghuan stood up, picked up the Jin Tao, and sat a little closer to the Queen. Usually this was not etiquette, but now he couldn't care less about it.
Queen Yu was very happy to see Xu Qinghuan and seemed to be in better spirits: "Will you still be unable to sleep at night?"
Xu Qinghuan nodded: "It's still the same, but it will be much better if you walk around the garden more during the day."
Queen Yu couldn't help but smile: "Others have to take a good rest to get well, but you are different. It can be seen that the child in your belly is very energetic."
Normally, Xu Qinghuan would laugh along with her, but now looking at Queen Yu like this, she really wasn't in the mood.
"It's a pity," Queen Yu sighed, "We only met so late and don't have many opportunities to meet. It would have been better if we had met earlier. I always feel that there are still many things that have not been finished."
Xu Qinghuan's eyes were hot again, but he didn't want to choke up in front of Queen Yu: "You are calling me here in a hurry. Do you have something important to ask me?"
Queen Yu nodded: "Everyone in the palace said that Zhang Yuchi also made great contributions this time. He personally led people to Xuanfu to fight against the Tatars, and also sent people to Onan River to help. I want to ask you if these things are true
real?"
Xu Qinghuan did not hesitate: "No."
Queen Yu had already expected it and couldn't help but laugh: "I have known for a long time that the Zhang family is not a loyal person, but I didn't expect them to be so unbearable. When Northern Xinjiang encounters such a war, they are still thinking of making profits from it.
.”
After saying this, Queen Yu's voice became even lower: "The emperor tolerates the Zhang family because he is afraid that you will take slaves and use the Zhang family to contain you. I am afraid that Zhang Jingshu will be released from the cold palace soon. I
...I feel worried when I think that the Zhang family will inevitably do evil again in the future."
Queen Yu coughed for a while when she said this.
Xu Qinghuan immediately stepped forward.
Queen Yu covered her mouth and nose: "You stay away, I don't want to make you sick."
Xu Qinghuan said: "You were poisoned and it's not a problem."
Queen Yu still refused to turn her face away until the female officer came forward to serve her.
After a while, Queen Yu gradually calmed down.
Queen Yu's eyes were a little dazed, and her voice was softer than before: "Although I never thought about entering the palace and getting into such a cage, when the emperor came to see me and wanted to carry me into the palace, I also
It's not that he is completely unwilling, because I think he is full of ambition and dares to fight against the Queen Mother. He also likes reading and is good at calligraphy and painting. I... feel that this palace may not be as scary as imagined.
What happened was counterproductive. He had no true feelings towards me, he just wanted to use me to fight against the Queen Mother.
I have long been disheartened by him, but in the past few days, I have dreamed about what he looked like at that time several times. I also thought that as a queen, I had never done anything, and that I had been harmed by the Zhang family, so I wanted to finally do it.
one thing."
Empress Yu emphasized her tone: "While I am still the head of the harem, I will lead someone to get rid of Zhang Jingshu."
After saying this, Queen Yu looked at Xu Qinghuan.
Their eyes met, and Queen Yu's gaze was calm. Xu Qinghuan had already understood something: "So, Madam, you have sent me a message that you are here to ask about the Zhang family's actions in Northern Xinjiang, so as to make up your mind."
Queen Yu smiled: "You understand me after all."
"But you've just thought about it," Xu Qinghuan said, "You don't want to do this anymore."
Queen Yu closed her eyes: "I knew that Zhang Jingshu would be released, and she would definitely help the Queen Mother a lot when she walks in the palace in the future, but what's the use of getting rid of her? If Zhang Jingshu dies, someone else from the Zhang family will be sent to the palace.
, in the final analysis, the problem is not here, I am very sick and confused.
That's it, don't do anything else, and when it's time to give up, go quietly."
Xu Qinghuan said: "No one in this palace can see things more clearly than the empress."
"I'd rather live a confused life," Queen Yu said with another smile, "but I can't be confused now. I have something to entrust to you after my death."
Xu Qinghuan said: "My Majesty, just say that I will try my best to do what I can do."
Queen Yu nodded: "My father has no other achievements and is proficient in all kinds of etiquette. My brother is also the same. He is devoted to learning and has no understanding of the world. If they stay in the capital, others may take advantage of them. After my death, my father will ask to retire and return to his hometown. My brother
I also need to take care of my elders at home, so I asked them to go to Shanxi first and then to the southeast."
Queen Yu said and reached out to pull Xu Qinghuan: "Let them settle in the southeast." Her fingers tightened slightly at this point. "If you need my father and brother to preside over some etiquette matters in the future, they will do their best to help."
Xu Qinghuan looked at Empress Yu with slight surprise. The etiquette of asking a bachelor like Yu Guozhang to preside over was no small matter. For example, letting Song Chengxuan resume his status as King of Wei. Unexpectedly, Empress Yu had already guessed this. Empress Yu had never mentioned it to her before.
and passed.
Queen Yu nodded.
Xu Qinghuan was about to stand up and salute, but Queen Yu stopped her: "After arranging these things, my wish is fulfilled, and I have no worries anymore."
Queen Yu had some more words with Xu Qinghuan, but later she was already mentally exhausted, so she asked Xu Qinghuan to leave the palace.
Xu Qinghuan walked to the door and reluctantly turned to look at Queen Yu again. Queen Yu gently shook her hand and seemed to be in better spirits than before.
All the way out of the palace gate, Song Chengxuan was already waiting there.
"How is your empress?" Song Chengxuan asked in a low voice.
Xu Qinghuan shook his head: "I'm afraid there are only a few days left. We might as well stay in Beijing for a few more days." If the empress is in good spirits, maybe she will be summoned.
Song Chengxuan said: "I will ask the military advisor to help take care of Changzhou."
Back at the mansion, Xu Qinghuan told Song Chengxuan what the queen said: "The queen is a smart woman." If the emperor was willing to believe the queen, the entire Zhou Dynasty would not be what it is today.
The two people were talking, and the mother in charge came to report: "Uncle, eldest grandma, someone is here in the palace, and the queen is buried."
