Princess Lin'an's mind moved very quickly. She guessed that Master Zheng, who worked in the Imperial Hospital, should have some connection with the Empress Dowager, so she said, "He is so young, but he can make the Empress remember his name. He is really lucky. I have never asked about the person in front of the Empress, otherwise I would not be so abrupt."
　　She took another half step closer, and intimately helped Dong Lingjiu to adjust her step-shaking hairpin, and said gently, "If I had known this, why would I consider the daughter of the Zhu family? There are more than one noble family in the capital, and it would not embarrass the Empress."
　　Dong Lingjiu said, "It's not a big deal. I will go back and ask him. If he is willing to give up, you won't have to worry about it anymore."
　　Princess Lin'an said, "How can this be..."
　　The carp in the pond swam at the bottom of the water, layers of ripples spread outward, and the moonlight shattered.
　　Dong Lingjiu's cheeks and shoulders were shrouded in the hazy moonlight, and her gorgeous clothes with black background and gold patterns moved slightly in the wind. She supported her chin with one hand, not looking at the princess, but gazing at the far horizon.
　　She said, "Such a beautiful moonlight, sit down and take a look. Talking about these things all the time gives me a headache."
　　Princess Lin'an was drafting in her mind, trying to come up with a perfect response. When she heard her words, she was slightly stunned, and was touched for a moment.
　　She lifted her sleeves and sat beside Dong Lingjiu. She remembered that at that moment, she went to the East Palace several times, crying for the man who was now paralyzed on the sickbed, and she had spent countless efforts for him, but the King of Lin'an did not change his teachings and kept his words the same.
　　In the seventh year after the birth of the prince, Mu Xuehua finally ran out of hope. She almost moved to another courtyard and stopped seeing the King of Lin'an, which turned into a mocking scandal. Mu Xuehua endured ridicule, slander, and countless advice, and fell ill in less than three months. At that time, Dong Lingjiu sent someone to take her to the palace for a short stay.
　　That was the most carefree period of her life after marriage. During the months of recuperation in the palace, she sat opposite Dong Lingjiu's desk and played with a necklace, with an embroidery frame and hot tea at hand. In winter, she warmed a stove of wine, the wine was boiling, snow was flying under the eaves, red plums were blooming in the courtyard, and the whispers and laughter of the little maids came from the window.
　　When discussing some unimportant things, the emperor's sister-in-law and His Majesty would quarrel over trivial matters, and they did not avoid her presence. The two sometimes quarreled, but soon reconciled, respecting each other and treating each other with equal respect.
　　Dong Lingjiu, who was in her twenties, was as beautiful as a peony in full bloom, and she was too beautiful to look at. After she and His Majesty dealt with a difficult political matter, she would happily drink with Mu Xuehua, hug her who was unable to hold her liquor, and gently comfort her in her ear.
　　The sister-in-law said, "He is rotten to the core. Don't rely on him, rely on yourself."
　　She also said, "The prince is still young. Even I am worried about handing him over to the King of Lin'an. When you recover, I will help you take him back and raise him in my own hands, okay?"
　　Mu Xuehua lay in her arms, drunken, but when her sister-in-law's hand touched her cheek, she found her long-suppressed tears and cries from the contrast between warmth and coldness.
　　It was the Princess of Lin'an who was so cautious and treading on thin ice just now. The person sitting next to Dong Lingjiu and watching the moon with her is Mu Xuehua, the eldest daughter of the Mu family.
　　The bright moon at this moment is just like the flying snow at that time.
　　She let go of the anger that had been hanging in her heart and mentioned the child: "The prince hasn't been back for several years and I haven't seen anyone. I feel really bad. He is a rough man and forgets things. I'm afraid he will get into trouble and let General Geng Zhe report it to my sister-in-law."
　　Dong Lingjiu smiled and said softly: "Is it General Geng who has a bad temper, or is my temper so bad?"
　　Mu Xuehua said: "My sister-in-law has always had a good temper, but if you get angry, it will be a life-threatening matter. How dare I?"
　　Dong Lingjiu glanced at her hand. Mu Xuehua was targeted and schemed by her concubines in her early years, and a deep scar was left on her hand. Because of this, she always hid her left hand in her sleeve and refused to show it to others. However, at this moment, she ignored these old scars, as if these wounds on her heart had long since rotted into ashes.
　　"When my son was young, he was quite likable, and my sister-in-law even held him in her arms. But as he grew older, he became more and more opinionated, and sometimes he even ignored me." Although Mu Xuehua blamed him, there was a glimmer in her eyes, and she said to Dong Lingjiu, "If we get married, maybe his wife can be restrained. When I am old, I will be your nanny by your side, doing some chores every day, and listening to my sister-in-law talk about the most difficult government affairs and saints' books in the world..."
　　The water was sparkling, and the moonlit night was gentle.
　　...
　　Princess Lin'an stayed in the palace for one night, and left the palace after breakfast the next day.
　　Ruixue had been serving Dong Lingjiu all the time, almost never leaving her side, so another female official named Du Yuewan accompanied Mu Xuehua out of the palace.
　　After Princess Lin'an left, Zheng Yuheng came late around lunchtime. He returned to the palace from the old doctor's residence, changed his clothes in the Imperial Hospital, and reorganized his clothes, which delayed him for a while.
　　As soon as he entered the room, he was pulled aside by the maid who was looking out the door. The maid looked nervous, and quietly glanced into the hall, and whispered: "Sir, don't go in yet. My aunt asked me to ask you, since you have served for so many months, and the queen has been particularly kind to you, how come there is a marriage contract? Although our queen seems to be easy to talk to and a bodhisattva, you can't really make her angry..."
　　Zheng Yuheng was also stunned, and hurriedly said: "I just knew about this, how come even the queen mother heard about it?"
　　The maid questioned: "Sir, didn't you conceal it intentionally?"
　　Zheng Yuheng immediately explained: "If I deliberately concealed such a thing, or ignored the marriage contract in order to curry favor with the powerful, I would die a miserable death, Madam Jiang, I really don't know."
　　The maid surnamed Jiang was frightened by his oath: "What are you talking about, why do you make such a cruel oath? There are gods above your head..."
　　"I said this because there are gods." Zheng Yuheng said.
　　At this moment, Ruixue, who was walking over here to check the incense burner, coughed lightly. Madam Jiang immediately let him go, lowered her head and stood back in her original position.
　　Zheng Yuheng set out to enter the palace. He had been hiding in his teacher's house for a night, and got up in the morning to send the old doctor out of the capital. He was actually a little tired at the moment, but when he heard Madam Jiang say that at the door, he became energetic.
　　More than energetic, he felt a chill on his back.
　　Dong Lingjiu leaned against the couch, holding a bowl of sweet soup and tasting
　　it carefully. There were no memorials in her hand, but some idle books and articles. When Zheng Yuheng approached, she didn't raise her eyes, as if she didn't notice. Zheng Yuheng first asked Aunt Ruixue if the queen had taken the medicine. Ruixue whispered, "Not yet. It's on the stove. The queen drank the sweet one. That thing is too bitter. It will take a while."
　　Zheng Yuheng approached and saw Dong Lingjiu reading the imperial examination essays of previous years. He felt a little uneasy. He said, "I will check the pulse of the Queen Mother."
　　Dong Lingjiu looked up at him, looked at him carefully for a while, and said, "I told you to go home and rest, why do you look more tired than in the palace?"
　　She knocked on the edge of the couch, and Zheng Yuheng leaned on it, sat on the low stool brought by the maid, and moved closer.
　　Dong Lingjiu raised his hand and touched his cheek. He found that the Queen Mother liked to comfort others in this way, just like comforting a small animal. There was no ambiguity, no reserve between men and women, and no deliberate distance. She just felt that this was a good way to comfort.
　　Zheng Yuheng thought silently that this habit should be blamed on the cat. Aiai's temper was so bad and so spoiled, which was not unrelated to the comfort of the Queen Mother.
　　But this kind of comfort is also based on occasions and people. Meng Cheng, who was once the crown prince, may have received this kind of care from Dong Lingjiu, but since he ascended the throne, his mother has given him an extra layer of respect and courtesy, and there is a certain distance.
　　The queen is in a high position and has a kind of forgiveness and mercy for him that she would have for a lower position. Zheng Yuheng subtly noticed this and felt a little fortunate.
　　Zheng Yuheng answered frankly, "My home is a den of dragons and tigers. I could not go back yesterday."
　　Dong Lingjiu asked, "What happened?"
　　Zheng Yuheng thought for a moment and said, "I will be captured by my father to get married."
　　Dong Lingjiu gently criticized him, "You are telling your father on the accusation of being a son. Let the censor know. First, I will advise you of being unfilial. Then I will send you to the Ministry of Justice and beat you with forty sticks."
　　Zheng Yuheng was a little bit in awe, but still said, "Only Your Majesty knows, the censor doesn't know."
　　Dong Lingjiu couldn't help laughing. She didn't know how to blame him, so she said, "All the censors in the court are my eyes and ears, and I am their master."
　　Zheng Yuheng was silent for a moment. In such a conversation, his boldness seemed even more obvious. The young doctor actually reached out his hand, held Dong Lingjiu's wrist to comfort him, raised his eyes and said: "Are you unhappy? Then hit me, madam."
　　Dong Lingjiu was slightly stunned for a moment, and she didn't expect that young Master Zheng would go all out. She said: "Hit you? My hand still hurts. I have been told so much, so I might as well go back and get married tomorrow, and there is no need to come."
　　She pulled her hand back, and Zheng Yuheng heard the urgency, but she didn't let go, and held the queen mother's wrist tightly in her palm, and even raised her other hand to cover it.
　　He organized his words and expressed: "I didn't know about this matter before. Even if it was my parents' order, they never told me before yesterday. In my eyes, this is a fabricated thing! I haven't heard about it for eighteen years, how can it be heard by you immediately..."
　　As he said, Dong Lingjiu didn't respond, but lowered his eyes, and his eyes fell on his hands.
　　Zheng Yuheng followed her gaze and suddenly released his hand as if he had been burned. He lowered his head and said in a dry voice: "... I have offended you... I deserve death."
　　Dong Lingjiu retracted his arm and leaned against the edge of the couch. He didn't mind, but asked: "Is it true?"
　　Zheng Yuheng nodded.
　　Dong Lingjiu said: "Well, if you had fallen in love with the girl from the Zhu family earlier, and deceived me with false words, it would not be called "unfilial", and you should be beaten to death."
　　Even though Zheng Yuheng was sincere, he still felt cold when he heard this. He did not doubt the truth of the Queen Mother's words at all. He thought to himself: From a living Bodhisattva to a living King of Hell, it was just a thought. What kind of good temper is this.
　　He said bad things about Dong Lingjiu in his heart. Although the emotional changes on his face were very subtle, they still revealed a little.
　　Dong Lingjiu suddenly spoke up, teasing him with a smile: "The Empress Dowager is too bad and too difficult to get along with, isn't she?"
　　Zheng Yuheng subconsciously said: "No."
　　Dong Lingjiu said: "What do you mean?"
　　The young doctor pursed his lips, hesitated for a moment, and decided to use official language, stumbling slightly: "The Empress Dowager is like the sun and the moon in the sky, extraordinary and holy, with noble character, um..."
　　After leaving the palace, he also learned what flattery is.
　　"Auspicious snow." Dong Lingjiu interrupted him, "Bring my medicine to Doctor Zheng to try."
　　Dong Lingjiu took a sip of the sweet soup, stood up and turned his wrist, and asked the female official who served the documents to draft the imperial decree to grant marriage to the Prince of Lin'an and the daughter of the Zhu family.