The next day, in the Shenwu Army.
　　Hong Hao was drunk and was carried into a carriage by his colleagues and transported back to the palace. He was still talking nonsense along the way, sometimes happy and sometimes sad. When he recalled the past, he cried and howled so loudly that he could be heard in the two alleys in front and behind.
　　After this incident, when Hong Hao returned to the barracks, these colleagues who didn't get along well with him in the first place made fun of him.
　　"General Hong can't drink much." The other party laughed, "He pulled the sleeve of a young doctor and cried. Look how scared he was. His face turned pale."
　　"The doctor was pale to begin with. He wasn't scared at all. He might have been thinking - where did this rude soldier come from? He mistook someone for someone else after drinking two sips of yellow soup. It's really embarrassing for the Shenwu Army."
　　"The prince didn't even pursue you." Hong Hao's friend patted his arm in surprise, "Don't you know the prince's temper? Normally, you can't get anything out of him even if you hit him with three sticks. If you really cause trouble, he's a ruthless person."
　　Hong Hao stiffened his neck and said, "As for the prince of Lin'an, when he first joined the Shenwu Army, I, Hong, could knock him down with one hand. He got married and will return to his fiefdom in the future. How can he hang around our military camp for the rest of his life?"
　　The friend laughed and said, "I heard from them that the prince talked to the young doctor for a few words. They seemed quite friendly. Who did you think he was?"
　　After asking this, Suddenly, no one responded. Hong Hao's face turned red and he said, "I was pecked in the eye by an eagle. I was really blind. How could I think that it was the late emperor who was there?"
　　Most of the military generals were straightforward and didn't have any secrets when talking to the civil officials. Even if they heard his words, no one made a fuss. They just thought that he was drunk. Everyone was laughing when a tall figure stood next to the weapon rack behind them.
　　A deep male voice interrupted.
　　"Who are you talking about?"
　　Hearing this voice, everyone's backs numbed and a chill ran straight from the heels to the top of the head. The soldiers immediately turned around, put away their smiles, bowed their hands and saluted, saying, "General Geng."
　　Geng Zhe raised his eagle eyes, scanned the crowd, and said, "Hong Hao, you tell me."
　　Hong Hao stepped out of the queue and said honestly, "I was invited to a banquet at the palace last night. After the ceremony, I drank too much with my colleagues and mistook a court physician for the ancient sage."
　　Geng Zhe frowned, "Do you know his name?"
　　Hong Hao looked honest, "I don't know."
　　He didn't know, but someone else knew. A Confucian general who had studied literature said, "It's Zheng Yuheng from the Imperial Hospital, now serving in the Cining Palace. He is the eldest son of Zheng Jie. His mother is very famous among the famous families in the capital. She is gentle and virtuous. She is a female doctor and has treated my wife."
　　Someone said, "That's not right. The wife of Zheng Shiyushi is not the one from the Liu family..."
　　"The original wife has passed away." The Confucian general said, "My wife went to pay her respects."
　　Everyone felt sorry for him, and knowing that General Geng Zhe was the confidant of the Empress Dowager Cining Palace, some of his words were okay, so they plucked up their courage and murmured while looking at the general's face.
　　"Serving the Cining Palace? No wonder he can sit next to the old gentlemen..."
　　"Not everyone has the favor of the Empress Dowager. He is very lucky to be honored."
　　"The Empress Dowager has been wise all her life. If she becomes incompetent because of this, even if you risk your life, you must get rid of this man-" "
　　Enough." Geng Zhe said, "This is the Empress Dowager's business."
　　Everyone quieted down.
　　The reason why the Shenwu Army was controlled by the Empress Dowager was because only the Empress Dowager could provide food and support these hundreds of thousands of people. You know, although the productivity of the country is not weak, it is also a huge expense to support and train hundreds of thousands of troops all year round.
　　This is an elite army, and the rest of the imperial guards and the Beijing guards add up to about 800,000. Among them, the armaments, food, and training of the Shenwu Army are more than three times that of the rest of the troops. The only ones who can barely surpass the Shenwu Army in terms of eliteness are the Qilin Guards under Dong Lingjiu and the Ziwei Guards directly under the emperor. But the Qilin Guards have a total of 5,000 people, and the Ziwei Guards have only more than 3,000 people, which cannot be compared with the army of more than 100,000.
　　It’s just that the status of these two guards is different. The Ziwei Guards are directly under the emperor, representing the supreme imperial power, and are the exclusive property of emperors of all dynasties. The Qilin Guards were established by Emperor Mingde in the fifth year of Xining. At first, they were just the personal guards of the emperor and the empress. Twelve years later, they have expanded from a small group of only 50 people to their current size.
　　Geng Zhe always had a gloomy face, and there was hardly any bright moment on this general's face. He said, "I'm looking for you because of the loss of food and wages during the suppression of bandits. I want to report the relevant documents to Her Majesty. I want to go to the inner court to meet you in person."
　　As soon as he finished speaking, several people in the crowd who were responsible for this matter immediately stood up and returned to the camp to get the relevant documents. The others were also surprised and came forward: "After holding it in for so long, the general finally thought about this matter."
　　Geng Zhe said: "Originally, the old ministers in the court were powerful, and Your Majesty could not say anything. I was worried about the Queen Mother's health and that she should not be overworked because of this matter, so I temporarily put it aside. Since the Zhang Kui case, the Empress of the Cining Palace has used a tough approach and purged the court and the country. In this case... this matter can also be mentioned."
　　His deputy general said: "400,000 dan of grain and grass were transported from the nearby province to the water area. On the way, more than 100,000 dan were lost. The grain and grass officer actually said that due to the climate, the grain was moldy and rotten, and it was all the cost on the way. In my opinion, if this matter is exposed, it is enough to be beheaded!"
　　Geng Zhe's face was as gloomy as water. He asked someone to take the remaining evidence and records. He turned around and wanted to leave, but stopped and turned around to warn: "Don't mention the things in the palace again."
　　...
　　In the afternoon, after a short nap, Dong Lingjiu got up to dress up. She saw Xuan Jingyun holding a colorful parrot and came over. She lowered her head and smiled, "Your Majesty, look, the palace has newly trained toys. I will send them to the Cining Palace to entertain you. Come, call one."
　　The parrot was trained and babbled, "Your Majesty, your Majesty, your Majesty, your Majesty."
　　Dong Lingjiu glanced at it and said casually, "Is it time for me to have some free time to entertain myself? If you have time, you might as well take care of the harem."
　　Xuan Jingyun's face fell, and she handed the parrot to Li Ruixue, slapping herself in the face and saying, "It's all my fault. I deserve to be beaten. Where is the little doctor Zheng? I have to ask him to coax you, your Majesty. I don't have the dignity to do that."
　　It was because these eunuchs in the Cining Palace always joked and Zheng Yuheng was so thin-skinned that he was embarrassed to accompany her for a nap.
　　Thinking of this, Dong Lingjiu couldn't help but give him a cold look, and Xuan Jingyun immediately lowered his head.
　　At this time, the female official in charge of dressing just dropped her hands and withdrew. Dong Lingjiu stood up and entered the main hall, and saw Zheng Yuheng sitting at the desk sorting out documents.
　　The young doctor had the qualifications to be an official, and Dong Lingjiu did not avoid him, so in a short period of time, his talents and insights had been fully utilized, and he was able to give Dong Lingjiu a lot of effective suggestions. His writing was beautiful and his calligraphy was neat, which was more outstanding than the female officials in the palace.
　　Zheng Yuheng did not wear an official uniform, but a plain casual dress with a few bamboo leaves embroidered on the collar. The collar was neatly tied, covering the neck, and the clothes were neat, with wide sleeves rolled up to the wrists.
　　Dong Lingjiu sat next to him, with an eight-point hot Yangtianxuelu next to her.
　　She took a sip of tea first, and did not directly look at the official documents before the nap, but held the cup, and said casually: "You are a bit blocked from the light from this position."
　　Zheng Yuheng was stunned for a moment, looked out the window at the bright light, and then examined his position, and obediently moved closer to Dong Lingjiu.
　　He was not far away, and this move made him seem even closer. Dong Lingjiu showed satisfaction, stretched out her hand to pull his collar, and Zheng Yuheng pressed against her side, almost smelling the faint sandalwood around the empress dowager.
　　Dong Lingjiu touched his cheek, and the coldness of not taking a nap with the kitten finally dissipated, and said softly: "Just here."
　　Zheng Yuheng's Adam's apple moved slightly, and his back straightened: "...Yes." It's not
　　that he didn't want to get closer to the empress dowager.
　　But Zheng Yuheng was very self-aware. As long as he was close to a certain range around Dong Lingjiu, he would covet the warmth of her palm - this was really not good. Everything he had now was because of the subtle similarity of fate with Emperor Mingde, and it was a grace that slipped from the hands of others.
　　He felt very complicated about this. Sometimes he thanked the sage for leaving the empress to him, and sometimes he was entangled in who the empress dowager was thinking of when she held him in her arms. He was in a state of contradiction for a while.
　　This cat-like temper that came and went appeared again.
　　Dong Lingjiu really indulged him and spoiled him. Even if Zheng Yuheng was sometimes hot and sometimes cold, she could treat him gently and calmly. Apart from being a little puzzled, she was not angry with him, just thinking that she did not understand young people.
　　The afternoon was quiet, and there were sparse bird calls outside the palace.
　　Dong Lingjiu would occasionally ask Zheng Yuheng a few questions. The distance between the two was getting closer and closer. In the end, Zheng Yuheng had lost the sense of boundaries. The hand that was grinding ink stopped and looked at her in a trance.
　　Dong Lingjiu did not notice that Aunt Ruixue, who was serving beside her, raised her hand to cover her lips and coughed lightly. Zheng
　　Yuheng did not hear it at all. He leaned his chin and stared over. He saw Dong Lingjiu's shaking earrings, which trembled slightly with her movements, like flowers heavily adorning the branches.
　　Aunt Ruixue coughed again.
　　Zheng Yuheng still didn't notice.
　　Fortunately, at this time, the bead curtain rustled. A blue-clothed eunuch knelt down and reported: "Report to the Queen Mother, General Geng wants to see you."
　　Geng Zhe? Dong Lingjiu's eyes did not leave the paper, and said: "Let him see you outside the curtain."
　　"Yes."
　　Zheng Yuheng finally withdrew his gaze, lowered his head on the surface, and silently acted as a docile vase, pretending to be respectful to the Queen Mother, without the slightest ambition to invade, looking very harmless.
　　Not long after, General Geng appeared outside the bead curtain. He saluted first, then greeted Queen Mother Dong Kunan, and when Dong Lingjiu looked up, he explained the matter of grain and grass to her directly, and handed all the relevant records and accounts to the female official. Ruixue handed it
　　over personally. Dong Lingjiu twisted a corner of the account book. Before she looked at it, she heard the smile disappear, and the gentleness and peace in her eyes disappeared.
　　Only the sound of the bead curtain colliding was heard in the room. A strong, deathly silence enveloped the main hall. This terrifying oppressive force quietly rose, filling every inch of the chilling air.
　　Dong Lingjiu watched for a moment, tapping the table with her fingertips slowly and steadily, making a thumping sound, and then suddenly stopped.
　　She said, "It turns out that not long after Meng Zhen passed away, someone dared to reach out for the military pay."
　　Geng Zhe leaned forward and said nothing.
　　"Resignation is too light." Dong Lingjiu slowly closed his eyes and said softly, "100,000 shi, fortunately with you here, nothing serious has happened... If the corrupt and parasites delay my family's major events due to their greed for money, I will not be able to repay them with a thousand cuts."
　　Geng Zhe said, "Please calm down, Madam, and take care of your body."
　　Dong Lingjiu silently stroked the wall of the cup and said, "If a general is fighting outside and suffers innocent injuries, failures, or even dies because of insufficient food and grass supply in the rear, corruption and infighting within the court, even history will not forgive me. Please rest assured, General."
　　Geng Zhe lifted his robe and bowed, knocking his head on the cold bricks and stones in front of the palace: "I will serve you all my life."
　　Dong Lingjiu asked him to stand up, and Geng Zhe looked up, and then he saw the handsome and favored Zheng imperial physician who was rumored to be extraordinary.
　　The two people's eyes met from a distance.
　　Almost instantly, Geng Zhe felt that there was something wrong with the behavior of this young doctor Zheng. He had no sense of boundaries with the Empress Dowager, but approached her naturally.
　　This would definitely be reprimanded. Geng Zhe guessed that the Empress Dowager was angry about this.
　　However, Dong Lingjiu did not do so.
　　She frowned, and moved her eyes to Zheng Yuheng as if to relax her spirit. She stroked the back of his hand and whispered: "Heng'er..."
　　"Your Majesty," Zheng Yuheng's eyes were clear and warm, "I am by your side."