the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, Meng Zhaiyue returned to the palace to live.
　　Not only did she come back to accompany her mother, but to a large extent, the princess's return to the palace actually increased the workload for Meng Cheng and Zheng Yuheng... Regarding the various measures in the memorial, Meng Cheng agreed with some of them, but sneered at others, and it was difficult to convince him. After Meng Zhaiyue returned to the palace and presented it to Dong Lingjiu, Meng Cheng finally shut up.
　　The reason for his disagreement was also very normal - sometimes, to be kind and benefit the people, it is necessary to sacrifice part of the monarch's centralization and the rationality of the ruler. The little emperor is not stupid, how could he not see it.
　　In winter, Dong Lingjiu put down the book, and the princess and the emperor sat opposite her respectively. In front of her were the meals and food presented by the kitchen of the Cining Palace. In the center was a pot of soup that had been boiled for several hours, and it was presented together with a small stove with white charcoal. The flame moved slightly, making a sound of tiny bubbles breaking.
　　There were a table full of delicacies, but the two of them had no appetite. They sat there obediently waiting for Dong Lingjiu to speak. After the Queen Mother finished reading the "Da Yin Law Commentary", especially the points that the two had argued about for many days and marked, she didn't say anything, but said, "Let's eat."
　　After that, she was the first to raise her hand and pick up the chopsticks.
　　Since the death of Emperor Mingde Meng Zhen, Meng Cheng has been busy and restless in managing the government. He has been struggling and gaining experience in the past two or three years. Meng Zhaiyue has also experienced marital changes, remarried, and worshipped Mr. Wang, the Minister of the Dali Temple, as a teacher. If you think carefully, their family has not had much time to sit down and have a good meal.
　　Meng Zhaiyue accompanied her mother to eat. Seeing Meng Cheng coming over by himself, she couldn't help asking, "Where is the emperor's sister-in-law? Why didn't she come?"
　　Meng Cheng thought to himself, I thought you were going to argue with me in person, why would you ask her to listen? He paused and said, "The Queen specially invited you to Fengzao Palace. You came to my mother. I guess she will be waiting in vain."
　　The princess stretched out her tone and said "Oh". She lowered her head and took a small bite of rice, thinking in her heart - good brother, don't I know you? I guess he thought that he would not be happy with this meal, so he didn't invite his sister-in-law to come, and he didn't want to say it in front of my mother, so he blamed me.
　　They grew up together. Without Dong Lingjiu's intervention, they can be said to be the worms in each other's stomachs.
　　Meng Zhaiyue reached out to take over Ruixue's work and served Dong Lingjiu a bowl of soup. While doing it, she said to Meng Cheng: "What about the little prince? Why don't you bring him here to see?"
　　Meng Cheng said calmly: "The child is upset, can you coax him?"
　　Meng Zhaiyue stopped talking.
　　There were no outsiders at the moment, so they also quarreled during the meal. Otherwise, they would not speak in public or in front of foreign officials.
　　Dong Lingjiu listened quietly the whole time, without saying a word, and ate slowly. She tilted her head to look at the window beside her, her eyes looking at the distant place where the sky and the earth meet.
　　Auspicious snow means a good harvest, and it has been falling one after another recently. The New Year is coming soon, and the palace can't sweep it all, so she told the little maids and eunuchs in the palace not to play with ice. First, it is easy to neglect their duties, and second... every year many people fall because of ice. If you are not careful, you break your legs and become disabled, which becomes a lifelong problem.
　　Dong Lingjiu doesn't often speak up for things, but when she speaks up, Du Yuewan will definitely take care of it carefully, so since the beginning of winter, no one has heard of anyone breaking their legs while skating, but there are still people playing in the snow behind the scenes... Most of the palace people are thirteen or fourteen years old, which is the age when they are very playful.
　　Dong Lingjiu was thinking that after the snow fell, the wall would probably be piled up one more level. The old houses in the northwest corner were where the palace people lived. It would be bad if they collapsed... Before she finished thinking, she saw a shadow passing by the window outside. It just walked past, then took a few steps back and turned to look at her.
　　Dong Lingjiu smiled subconsciously, then restrained herself and gestured to him, meaning that Cheng'er and Yingying were there. Her movements were a little blurry because of the curtains.
　　Zheng Yuheng misunderstood and blinked at her, then his figure passed by the window - looking for a back door to come in.
　　Ever since Master Zheng got used to walking through here, even the eunuchs and maids on duty in the front hall couldn't stop him. The small door at the back was guarded by people under Aunt Ruixue, who had long been "infiltrated" by him. They were all accomplices of Master Zheng.
　　Zheng Yuheng came in from a direction that neither Meng Cheng nor Meng Zhaiyue expected, and just like last time, as soon as he stepped into the Cining Palace, he seemed to have found a sense of security. He buried his head and went in without even looking. The only thing in his eyes was Dong Lingjiu. He stretched out his hand to push Aunt Ruixue away, sat down next to Dong Lingjiu neatly and habitually, took the utensils, and continued to pick fish bones for her, saying, "... Crucian carp? Don't you dislike eating this?"
　　Dong Lingjiu turned to look at him.
　　Seeing that she didn't speak, Zheng Yuheng raised his head in confusion and looked at her for a moment.
　　Dong Lingjiu said, "Yingying loves to eat."
　　"Ying... Oh..." Zheng Yuheng continued to lower his head to pick bones, "Yesterday in Guiyuan Palace, she scolded His Majesty for having only selfish thoughts in his heart and not knowing what he was talking about. They were both very angry. They had to go back to rest and talk today, and fight again tomorrow." Halfway through
　　, he suddenly thought, Yingying loves to eat? Why should this dish be served when the princess is not here? Zheng Yuheng suddenly felt a chill on his back. He looked up and saw the two people sitting opposite him.
　　The little emperor's eyes were cold. Her Royal Highness
　　Princess smiled with a dagger hidden in her heart.
　　Zheng Yuheng silently clenched his chopsticks and hid behind Dong Lingjiu. Unfortunately, the Queen Mother was frail and could not hide him even in the thick winter robe.
　　The light from each of the other's four eyes was like a steel knife. Zheng Yuheng could only secretly complain, thinking that you two came to the Cining Palace to "seek justice", why didn't you tell me, I have clearly persuaded both sides for several days...but this brother and sister didn't take me at all. They don't take my
　　little dad seriously at all.
　　Now it's good, you two are on the same front.
　　When Zheng Yuheng was about to burst, Dong Lingjiu said: "Add a set of bowls and chopsticks for Junzhi."
　　"Yes."
　　Not long after, Zhao Qing placed a set of brand new tableware in front of Zheng Yuheng.
　　Although it was not the first time for him to sit at the table for dinner, he had just talked about the little emperor and the princess, which made him feel not only wrong but also guilty. He had to take the meal silently and pretend to be dead.
　　The atmosphere of this meal seemed to be even weirder.
　　Dong Lingjiu did not care. She was becoming more and more casual about her children's affairs. In simple terms, it depended on fate. Children and grandchildren had their own blessings. She would enjoy the blessings regardless of them. She changed her attitude of working hard and calculating carefully in previous years. She felt that many things were "trivial matters" and Cheng'er and Yingying could handle them by themselves.
　　As for quarrels and debates... the road to the right path is always tortuous.
　　After the meal was over, Dong Lingjiu drank tea and rinsed her mouth, and then suddenly said to Zheng Yuheng: "How deep is the snow outside?" Zheng Yuheng
　　: "The deepest place is above the calf."
　　Dong Lingjiu pondered for a moment and said: "Good... but also not good. Although it is a good omen, it is troublesome to clean up. Have you seen this?"
　　She pointed at the book that Meng Cheng and Yingying quarreled about.
　　"I saw it." Zheng Yuheng said honestly, "I have been accompanying him to persuade him these days."
　　Meng Cheng snorted, "You only persuaded me."
　　"Thanks to Lord Zheng." The princess smiled and held her chin up, "I have listened to your advice a lot."
　　Zheng Yuheng was speechless. The little emperor's tail was shattered when he touched her. Not only was the princess not innocent, she also learned what it means to be yin and yang... Who taught her this? Xu Bingbi?
　　Dong Lingjiu coughed lightly.
　　The two immediately pretended to be well-behaved.
　　"Since Mr. Wang asked Yingying to hand in the revised 'Explanation of the Great Yin Law', he must have approved of it. If the emperor has any opinions on these things, he might as well consult with Wang Siqing instead of debating with your sister here."
　　Meng Cheng said, "Mr. Wang is a minister. He must be loyal to the monarch but also control the monarch. This is the drawback of the minister's 'loyalty'. If the monarch cannot be transformed into their ideal, no matter how loyal they are, they may hinder their sons and ministers."
　　Dong Lingjiu said, "That's right, but Yingying is just his disciple and a princess. Even if you win the debate against her, what will you gain? Since you want to discuss with Yingying, she must have the benefit of letting you win."
　　Meng Cheng said, "This..."
　　At this moment, Meng Zhaiyue suddenly interrupted. "As long as my brother gives me a position in the Dali Temple, I will bow to my brother, and you can naturally urge Mr. Wang to revise some of the parts... And in this way, won't our family have more weight in the court? My brother won't be so stingy."
　　Meng Cheng might refuse anything, but there are two points he won't. One is to use "a mere woman" to belittle a woman's talent. With such a pearl in front of him, he can't accept it at all. Instead, using "moral etiquette" to discipline is more in line with the little emperor's mind; the other point is that for Meng Zhaiyue, his biological sister, her noble bloodline is unquestionable, and Meng Cheng doesn't think there is anything wrong with her wanting to control some court officials and hold some power.
　　Dong Lingjiu stopped listening after hearing this.
　　She was just guiding casually. If Meng Zhaiyue didn't understand, or Meng Cheng didn't want to, she wouldn't deliberately manipulate the lives of the two children, so she simply didn't participate, but lowered her eyes to look at the dark patterns on Zheng Yuheng's clothes.
　　Zheng Yuheng noticed her gaze: "What's wrong?"
　　"Nothing." Dong Lingjiu reached out and touched the clothes spread on his legs, "This one looks good."
　　Zheng Yuheng's heart was pounding, and he was easily aroused. His ears turned red, and he said, "Do you like light blue?"
　　Dong Lingjiu raised his eyebrows and whispered, "Whatever you wear, I like."
　　Zheng Yuheng's Adam's apple rolled, and he moved his gaze back in an attempt to cover up his mistake. He didn't hear what Meng Cheng and the princess were saying at this time. After a long while, he whispered, "...It looks good... You can't touch my legs."
　　Dong Lingjiu: "..."
　　"There are others." He said, "It's not good for others to see me. What about my reputation?"
　　Dong Lingjiu was angry and amused. He stared at him for a long time, then raised his finger to pinch his earlobe, stroked his hot skin, and said close to him: "Zheng Aiqing, your reputation has been ruined for a long time--"
　　Zheng Yuheng blushed from his ears to his neck, and said: "...That's fine, that's fine..."
　　He responded randomly, then pulled Dong Lingjiu's hand down and put it on his leg, whispering: "Then you can continue to touch..."
　　Dong Lingjiu: "..."
　　This face is really good-looking, but sometimes I really want to control the water in his brain, so that I can raise fish in it.
　　...
　　The last major event before the New Year was that "Da Yin Law Commentary" was presented to the Government Affairs Hall. Almost everyone in the court had a copy of the excerpted version, and it even flowed into the wealthy families in Beijing. Some frivolous students commented on it in an attempt to attract attention.
　　At the same time, Princess Zhaoyang, who participated in the compilation of "Shuyi", also became the first "female Shaoqing" since the founding of the country, and became Mr. Wang's assistant and subordinate in both official and private capacity. On the day she received the official seal, she took off her Luoshang and gorgeous clothes, wearing a simple official robe, a belt and a crown, and looked like a man. People suddenly realized at this moment that the princess's eyebrows and eyes were no different from those of the current emperor, and they were all filled with the indifferent and noble aura belonging to the descendants of the Meng family.
　　This was certainly not smooth sailing.
　　Even if all the officials in the capital were uneasy about this matter, at least Dong Lingjiu had never worried about it. Instead, she was very relaxed and leisurely. She was even in a good mood and chiseled a piece of ice on the largest lake in the palace and went fishing in the round hole in winter.
　　Her health was obviously better than in previous years. In the past few years, she would never dare to go out fishing at this time of year. Even Du Yuewan, who was serious and serious, could not help but be more friendly to Zheng Yuheng because of this, and attributed it to the medical skills of the imperial physician.
　　But Zheng Yuheng himself understood that in terms of medical skills, his teacher was experienced and skilled, but if he only treated people and not their hearts, if he planned and endured for others for years, and thought about thousands of things in his head, how could he not lose his energy and spirit? Dong Lingjiu's health improved, largely because she had let it go. Since
　　that night on the lakeside pleasure boat next to Luoyue Temple, she has become visibly more casual, which is really a good thing.
　　Zheng Yuheng was not among the officials who were overwhelmed, and he felt that this matter had nothing to do with him. But he was not particularly happy at the moment, because Dong Lingjiu asked Xu Bingbi to accompany her fishing, and the two were talking there from a distance.
　　"What can't I listen to?" Little Master Zheng held the hand warmer that Dong Lingjiu stuffed into him, and looked at the hand warmer embroidered with a phoenix.
　　"We are in the same boat." Zhao Qing stood aside, holding a thick cloak in his hand. The cloak on the queen's body was covered with a lot of snow. It was sent from the Cining Palace not long ago. "What can't I hear?"
　　The two looked at each other and sighed together.
　　"It should be about the princess's private affairs." Aunt Ruixue came from outside the pavilion, overheard, and said casually, she took the cloak from Zhao Qing's hand, "I'll go. I'll go with you. I've seen the princess's appearance when she was a child. The queen will definitely not avoid me."
　　Zhao Qing said faintly: "Aunt..."
　　"Don't worry." Li Ruixue said, and hurried to the lake.
　　After a while.
　　Another sigh sounded in the pavilion, and another sentence "What can't I hear..." said, occupying the third position, and looking eagerly towards the lake together.
　　Not far away, Xu Xiang was helping the queen mother to collect the pole, and lowered his eyes to listen to her.
　　"...Actually, I don't want to ask about serious matters. How well you are doing can be seen just by looking at Yingying." Dong Lingjiu said, "But there is one thing. Yingying asked me to advise you. Please listen to what I say."
　　Xu Xiang lowered his head and said pleasingly, "I was saved by the Queen Mother. I will not disobey the Queen Mother's orders."
　　Dong Lingjiu weighed his words, looked at the carp jumping around on the fishhook, and said leisurely, "Don't consider other male favorites for her, and don't advise her with words like 'in preparation for childbirth'."
　　Xu Xiang's hand that took off the fishhook suddenly paused.
　　"What about preparing for childbirth and other human affairs? You are much more stubborn and closed-minded than Yingying. Even I have never urged you about these things," she supported her chin and looked at him, "You are so young, why do you have to urge me?"
　　"But I will eventually..."
　　"Okay." Dong Lingjiu said, "I don't like to hear this. Do you think there are really people in the world as virtuous as you? In my eyes, the word virtuous is mostly used as an insult, not a compliment."
　　Xu Xiang took the fish off the hook, put it in a bamboo basket, then bent over and knelt down.
　　"The ground is cold, you've hurt yourself kneeling, my daughter will be worried again. Get up."
　　Of course he would not disobey Dong Lingjiu's words. Xu Xiang always felt that the Queen Mother had given him a second life and regarded him as his second parents, so he got up again.
　　"I think it's hard for you to give up this idea," Dong Lingjiu thought for a while, "but she doesn't like the ones you found. Listen to me, if you find one like this, she will definitely be happy."
　　Xu Xiang asked, "Please teach me, Queen Mother."
　　"She should be thin, tall, handsome, taciturn, not noisy, treat people and handle things properly, without any mistakes. It's best to hide your thoughts and let her guess. And she should be proficient in the Four Books and Five Classics, Laozi and Zhuangzi's studies, and it's best to get the second or third place in the imperial examination... Forget about the first place. The first place scholar is easy to be ungrateful even in the opera." After
　　Dong Lingjiu finished speaking, she saw that he was in deep thought, so she said, "Do you understand? Go back if you understand."
　　Xu Xiang then left with a thoughtful look on his face.
　　He walked out of the lake, passed the palace road, passed the palace residence, and then went out of the palace gate, all the way to a small house under the imperial city wall that the emperor personally approved for him. Because he was thinking about this, he bumped into a pine tree in front of the house that was taller than the wall.
　　Xu Xiang stepped back in pain, looked at the green snow-covered pine tree in front of him, and suddenly realized that the Empress Dowager was talking about him.
　　The author has something to say:
　　From this point of view, the male character is still feudal (x)