After watching a whole play with the Queen Mother, Queen Wang left the Cining Palace.
　　But she did not return to Fengzao Palace where the Queen lived. Instead, she thought about it and went to the palace where the Emperor lived. Queen Wang was one or two years older than the Emperor. In the brief eye contact between her mother and the young imperial physician, she smelled a hint of something unusual.
　　Queen Wang came to Guiyuan Palace with only Peichun, a female official beside her. The rest of the people stopped outside the palace. She asked the Emperor's personal eunuch and learned that His Majesty was still handling government affairs. She sent someone to inform him and stepped in.
　　The two young couples had a good relationship. The Emperor occasionally called her "Sister Wang" in private. The Queen felt that her relationship with him was different from that of others, and she was a bit proud of the first wife. Therefore, although she was gentle in front of Queen Mother Dong, she had much more ideas in front of the Emperor.
　　Queen Wang entered the palace, raised her hand and gently moved the curtain, and walked to the imperial desk. The new emperor, who was only eighteen years old, was bent over his desk. When she came, he did not stand up, but stretched out one hand and held the empress's fingers, which were dignified and clasped in front of her.
　　The two hands were connected, like a suspension bridge in the distance.
　　"Why are you here?" Emperor Meng Cheng said, "Didn't you go to serve the Queen Mother? How was the play today? Was she happy?"
　　Queen Wang shook her head: "The Queen Mother said the play was good, but she didn't laugh. She laughed less today, so I looked at her quietly. Maybe she doesn't care much about these things."
　　Meng Cheng stood up disappointedly, and his other hand pressed on the memorials and files on the table. He took out the one he hadn't finished reading and said, "I have been on the throne for several months. After reviewing these memorials, I have to send them to the Queen Mother for selection and decision. I thought that when I was in the East Palace, I had learned how to govern the country, and I would be able to govern well after I ascended the throne. But for some reason, although the Queen Mother has not been in power and has not issued any imperial edict in my name, I dare not let her let go."
　　Queen Wang was silent for a long time. She was a little older, but she was still a girl in the boudoir. She could only taste a kind of reliance and dependence from her husband's attitude.
　　Meng Cheng also fell silent and drank the warm tea on the table.
　　Queen Wang saw that he was disappointed and remembered her purpose. She approached the emperor and whispered to him, "Although the play was not interesting, I saw a person today. My mother smiled at him."
　　Meng Cheng stared at her.
　　"Your Majesty, do you still remember that old doctor Liu Tong begged to return home? Your mother granted her permission, but he couldn't leave for a year or so. Instead, he was exempted from guarding the palace and recuperated in the mansion, so she recommended a doctor to your mother. Doctor Liu has an apprentice, the son of Zheng Shiyushi. Your mother asked him to check the pulse of the Cining Palace."
　　Meng Cheng said, "He is just a little doctor. Your mother has always had only the country in her heart and sought the welfare of all the people in the world. Don't think too much."
　　This rebutted half of Queen Wang's later words. After all, she only had sensitive and unfounded intuition, and she did not dare to speak about his biological mother's speculation and gossip in front of the emperor. She could only suppress her thoughts and said, "If he can serve the queen mother well and make her happy, it would be a good thing."
　　Meng Cheng nodded and said, "It is his blessing to be able to take care of the queen mother's health."
　　Queen Wang echoed a few words, and the couple talked about the things at hand, comforted each other, and then stopped disturbing each other. When she came out of Guiyuan Palace, the sky was setting and the crimson glow covered the sky.
　　Queen Wang boarded the sedan chair and thought slowly on the way back to the palace. She replayed the scene in the Cining Palace today in her mind. After thinking about it, she called out, "Peichun."
　　The female official Peichun stopped and said, "Your Highness."
　　"Go and take out the palace waist card." Queen Wang said, "In the name of this palace, I will reward Doctor Zheng for catching the imperial cat today and not frightening others. In addition to the reward, you have to give him a warning so that he will remember his identity."
　　After that, Queen Wang waved her hand, and Peichun nodded and left.
　　...
　　When Zheng Yuheng returned home from the palace, the sunset had passed, and the night was as cold as water.
　　He got off the carriage, and the servants who came to meet him in the Zheng Mansion came up with lanterns and hurried forward: "Why did the eldest son come back so late? I heard that other medical officers had returned home a long time ago, and I was afraid that the eldest son would encounter something bad."
　　Zheng Yuheng sighed.
　　The Queen Mother personally appointed him to take care of the Cining Palace. In the eyes of others, this was a great opportunity. It was a towering tree that could be climbed, which could allow people of humble origins to climb up. But in the eyes of the always upright teacher, he caught the "cat prince" and had the adventurous heart to show off and compete for honor and favor, so after leaving the Cining Palace, the teacher called him to the mansion and warned him.
　　Zheng Yuheng gently pulled his sleeves, and his palms were still hot and full of burning sensation.
　　"Did the eldest son suffer injustice?" The servant looked at his expression with a lamp, "What happened in the palace?"
　　Zheng Yuheng raised his hand to cover his cheek. Through the wide sleeves, the burning heat and pain were attached to his eyes. When he lowered his hands, his expression became upright and gentle, and there was no fault to be found.
　　He said, "Nothing happened. Father is home?"
　　The servant accompanied Zheng Yuheng into the mansion, with a bitter look on his face: "Master, he is waiting for you..."
　　Zheng Yuheng was stunned for a moment, and his footsteps on the threshold stopped for a moment. He looked at the servant for a moment, and felt that not only his palms were hot, but also his body, which had been in the Imperial Hospital for a long time, was slightly stiff.
　　"Again..." Zheng Yuheng paused and didn't say anything.
　　The two entered the courtyard. An elderly but dignified lady was sitting on a chair in the courtyard, looking down at the account book. She was the second wife of Mr. Zheng and Zheng Yuheng's current mother.
　　Zheng's father sat next to her, and on the other side were the children born to the second wife and the children born to the concubine. Zheng's father's two concubines were not qualified to come to such a scene. Standing by his hand was the son of the concubine, Zheng Yuxing, the second son of the Zheng family. When
　　the lady saw him coming back, she said, "Heng'er, come here."
　　Zheng Yuheng took a half step forward.
　　Seeing his vigilant and cautious look, Madam said to Zheng's father beside her: "It's because you always punish him and find faults with Heng'er. Even when I, as a mother, correct him, he gets scared. The master always tells me not to spoil him, which ruins the mother-son relationship between us."
　　Zheng's father looked heavy: "That's because he always makes mistakes! Didn't your mother call you over?"
　　Zheng Yuheng had no choice but to walk in front of his father, lift up his robe, kneel down straight, and bow his head: "Father, I wonder what mistake your son made?"
　　"You are still pretending not to know?" Zheng's father laughed in anger, "The daughter of your wet nurse, the maid who has followed you for more than ten years, actually embezzled public funds and went out to lend money! This is the imperial city, this is under the feet of the emperor! If you were not here, how dare she, a servant, do such a thing? After you went to the Imperial Hospital, your mother let her be the manager for your sake. You, the eldest brother and the eldest son, are not qualified to be the manager, but you can't even teach the people around you well. What kind of character can you have..." When
　　Zheng's father said this, he coughed repeatedly. The lady immediately comforted him, "Master, the matter has not been concluded yet. Maybe the girl is bold herself, and Heng'er doesn't know it."
　　As soon as she finished speaking, the second son Zheng Yuxing, who was only sixteen years old, followed up to comfort her, "Maybe mother has misjudged the person. The guilty maid probably has a bad temper and is born daring and reckless. It has nothing to do with your eldest brother."
　　These words sounded brotherly and respectful, but the lady heard them, but she stared at the second son secretly, and a little coldness flashed in her eyes.
　　Zheng's father said, "He doesn't know? Even if he doesn't know, he is still guilty of not disciplining her strictly. Bring the family rules!"
　　Since the maidservant in the accident has become a steward, she is no longer Zheng Yuheng's person. Even if she is not disciplined strictly, how can she be blamed on him? It's just that Zheng's father will not attribute the crime to his wife, so even if he is "maybe" guilty, he must be educated and punished, and it is also his fault.
　　Zheng Yuheng looked at the servants who had been holding the family rules beside him, and even felt a little accustomed to it. Since his mother passed away, he always "made mistakes" and always made his father angry. No matter how docile he was in the eyes of outsiders, in his father's eyes, he was still the culprit who took away his wife, a natural evil star who pretended to be well-behaved.
　　He was the son born by the first wife and the eldest son. He had a natural conflict of interest with his stepmother, concubines, and even other brothers and sisters.
　　Zheng Yuheng looked at his stepmother, then at his father, who was still angry and disgusted, and silently stretched out his hand towards the ruler.
　　Madam said, "Heng'er, don't be so stubborn. What's wrong with you saying a few words to the master? You said you would never do it again, and you would discipline the servants more in the future and beg for mercy from your father." The
　　second son also said, "Big brother, why don't you say a few good words to father?"
　　Zheng Yuheng thought it was ridiculous, but he held back his words and only said, "I will talk to father when he is willing to listen to me."
　　Seeing how stubborn he was, Zheng's father was furious. He repeatedly said that Zheng Yuheng was a bad person and refused to admit his mistakes, and ordered the servants to do it. The servant holding the ruler raised it high, but he could see the palm of the eldest son's hand under the lamp, and suddenly stopped, standing there at a loss.
　　"What's wrong? What are you standing there for? Beat him!"
　　The attendant said, "Master... the eldest son's hand..."
　　Although the old doctor loved him, he was always strict, so he didn't hit him lightly. Although it was not as severe as the family law, the delicate skin was already red and bruised. However, the injury would heal in a day or two. If the family law was added, it would take ten days or half a month for him
　　to recover. Writing and prescribing medicine would be affected. Zheng's father came forward and saw this scene. Thinking that he was indeed a little late today, he said, "Is this the old doctor punishing you? What mistakes have you made in the palace? If you implicate your family, I don't think you have the face to see the ancestors..."
　　Zheng Yuheng lowered his hand. He touched his heart. It was still warm, but a chill went down from his throat and went straight to his heart. Every time he thought that this helpless coldness would end here, it would always go deeper and break his defenses.
　　Not as good as the cat in the arms of the Queen Mother.
　　Zheng Yuheng felt sour in his throat and said nothing. He was a little angry at the bad-tempered cat. He thought that the cat was well-behaved around the Queen Mother, but why was it so mean to others? So aggressive? If only the cat hadn't run around, he wouldn't have to worry and disappoint his teacher.
　　The ruler fell down with a snap, causing a sharp pain in the old, hot wound. Zheng Yuheng took a deep breath, and his fingers curled up in an instant.
　　At this moment, a servant ran in from outside the door. It was the one who had just held the lantern for Zheng Yuheng. He hurriedly supported the eldest son, looked at the master's face, and stepped forward to report: "Master, someone is coming from the palace."
　　Zheng's father's face changed, and he sent away the concubines and asked: "Do you know what it is?" The servant
　　said: "They said they are here to see the eldest son."
　　Zheng's father glared at Zheng Yuheng fiercely and scolded: "Evil son, why don't you get up to greet the guests!" After that, he took his wife to tidy up her clothes and came to the lantern in front of the mansion. Sure enough, they saw the carriages and horses from the palace.
　　Peichun got off the carriage, with a token to leave the palace tied around her waist, wearing fine silk clothes and delicate hair. She saluted to Mr. Zheng first: "I greet Mr. Zheng and his wife."
　　The two hurriedly responded: "Good night, my lady. May I ask why I came here in the middle of the night? Do you have any instructions for the lady in the palace?"
　　Peichun looked behind them and said, "Is your eldest son here?"
　　Zheng's father invited Peichun in, and Peichun saw the young doctor Zheng. But the young doctor didn't look too good at this time. The gentleman was dressed properly, but there was some dust and dirt on the corners of his robe, and the fingers exposed outside his sleeves were shaking slightly.
　　Peichun said, "Today in Cining Palace, the Queen Mother's cat ran around, but it was thanks to Doctor Zheng that it was caught. The Queen Mother left you to serve her because she trusted you. The Queen Mother of Fengzao Palace is devoted to filial piety, and she thinks that Doctor Zheng is serious and careful, and can take good care of the emperor, so she sent me to reward Doctor Zheng."
　　After saying that, Peichun waved her hand, and the palace eunuchs took the reward off the car and put it in the courtyard.
　　Zheng's father and Madam Zheng were shocked and dumbfounded. The lady was silent for a long while, and she kept looking at Zheng Yuheng, her eyes full of "Since this happened, why didn't you say it earlier?"
　　Zheng's father was well aware of the power of the Cining Palace. He cleared his throat with a lack of confidence and suddenly said gently: "Heng'er has served well, and he has been doing his best for the Empress Dowager."
　　Peichun smiled and said: "My eldest son will serve the Cining Palace in the future. Please take good care of him so as not to delay the Empress Dowager's business."
　　Zheng's father's forehead was covered with cold sweat, and he said repeatedly: "That's right, that's right..."
　　Peichun said: "I still have some trivial matters concerning the health of the nobles in the palace. I need to explain them to the eldest son. I need to excuse me to talk."
　　All this happened too quickly. When Zheng Yuheng came to his senses, he had been pulled into an empty room by the people in the palace. Aunt Peichun, who had been so pleasant just now, stopped smiling and suddenly looked at him very seriously. After examining him, she said, "As the eldest son, it is a great blessing to serve the Cining Palace, but you must also remember your identity. The queen is the mother of the emperor, and the current emperor must pay respect to her. You should do your own thing and never have any unreasonable thoughts."
　　Zheng Yuheng didn't understand at first, but after a moment of thinking, he suddenly realized. He raised his eyes in surprise and found that Aunt Peichun was talking about a path he had never imagined.
　　In Zheng Yuheng's mind, the queen mother was no different from his other female elders, and he didn't have any improper thoughts at all. Just by looking at the queen mother Dong, he couldn't have the slightest intention of doing anything wrong.
　　Peichun warned, "If you cross the line, you will be sentenced to death by the side of the Queen Mother. You should know this."
　　Zheng Yuheng raised her hand and saluted, "Thank you for your advice, my lady, and... thank you for your help."
　　Peichun was very good at observing people's words and expressions in the palace. After entering the Zheng Mansion for a short while, she had already guessed most of the family affairs of the Zheng family, so she warned him.
　　She replied, "I dare not take credit for it. It is the name, power and status of the Queen Mother that helped you. If there is anything in this world that can pass unimpeded at the foot of this imperial city, besides the imperial edict of the present emperor, it is the Queen Mother Dong..."
　　Peichun stopped talking at that point, intending to let him understand that the Queen Mother is as high as the sun and the moon in the sky, and can only be looked at, not blasphemed. After
　　the people in the Zheng Mansion sent Aunt Peichun away, the lantern-carrying servant found an opportunity to rush to the eldest son and ask him if anything had happened and whether he had been questioned. The servant asked several questions repeatedly, but found that Zheng Yuheng was looking at something in the light.
　　He stood outside the mansion in the night wind, and looked at the red scars on the palm of his hand in the swaying light. When he curled up, he felt a numbing pain. He stared for a long time, and finally clasped his palm with his other hand: "...How could I do that? It's too offensive. I didn't even think about it."
　　"What are you talking about, sir?"
　　Zheng Yuheng just sighed and didn't explain anything.