When the emperor left the palace

, Yan Qing heard Fuying mention that Empress Dowager Ciyi was choosing a husband for the Qinghe County Lord.

"If there is a suitable one, I think Empress Dowager Ciyi will issue an edict to marry her. Princesses of our Dayu have always chosen Fengtai to choose their husbands," Fuying commented, "The head of Qinghe County is really beautiful. After all, Mr. Jiang "It's nothing

," Yan Qing said calmly, "Your Majesty is close to the Qinghe County Lord. In the past two years, the two of them have been like brothers. Don't our Majesty have a lot of face

for the Qinghe County Lord ?" Everyone in the court valued the fact that she was the wife and sister of the chief minister, and the people in the court who wanted to get married were like crucian carp crossing the river. Of course, there were also some people who valued family status and felt that the Xue family was not worthy of honor, so It's hard to avoid it, but in the end it's the former that's the most common.

Cao Dingzhen was really concerned about this matter. Firstly, Qinghe kept walking in front of her, and often accompanied Zhao Yuan, and she also had feelings for him.

Secondly, in the first half of the year, Cao Yu was dismissed from his post, and the Cao family lost its backbone. Although the other children of the Cao family had high positions in the court, they no longer held any real power. Now she has to avoid suspicion again, and the young Cao family still needs the help of the chief assistant.

The children in Beijing love polo, Cuju, etc. There is the best horse farm in Beijing in Xiyuan, which is as big as a square. The ground is filled with oil and is as smooth as cutting. The fences around it are high and the flags are fluttering. It is the prince of all dynasties. It was my favorite place to play polo with my clan members. Nowadays, the students from Nanban often play games on the polo field in Xiyuan.

There are viewing booths around the racecourse, and the Buddhist pavilion in the middle is the main viewing stand. Most of the time, the Buddhist pavilion is vacant. But these days, you can always see the figure of Empress Dowager Ciyi and the Qinghe County Lord arriving. The shed was full of noble ladies from Beijing's aristocratic families. When they saw Xue Shiying coming from a distance, they were respectful and courteous on the outside, but they were mostly unhappy in their hearts.

When the descendants of the clan on the field saw that Queen Ciyi was coming, they had to cheer up and put on a good show. The competition on the field was quite exciting.

The disciples of the clan at the racecourse all have extraordinary skills, which always attracts the attention of the ladies in the embroidery studio. However, no matter how exciting the competition is, Xue Shiying's expression is always indifferent, and her eyes only glance over every time. He surpassed everyone and never stayed too long on anyone.

Wen Ying, Cao Dingzhen's personal maid, also sighed in private: "Look at me, I'm afraid none of the gentlemen on the field has caught the eyes of the Qinghe County Lord!"

Cao Dingzhen's usual love for Xue Shiying is not fake. She knew that no one liked this girl, so she wasn't angry at all. She just sighed: "The Aijia originally wanted to find someone she likes, but it seems that the Aijia can only make the decision for her."

Marriage is a matter between parents. Fate, the words of the matchmaker.

At this time, Empress Dowager Cao was still worried about Xue Shiying's marriage, but news came from Jiang Mansion that the Lord Qinghe County was ill. At first, he thought it was a minor illness, but later, he could not get out of bed.

Empress Dowager Cao sent the imperial doctor to see her and let her recover in peace.

A few days later, Chen Min hurried to Yan Qing's Renshou Palace.

"What?!" Yan Qing stood up in shock after hearing his report, "You said His Majesty is missing?"

"His Majesty deliberately avoided the master, took two Xiaohuangmen with him, and then gave it to the person on duty in front of him He left a verbal message saying that he was going out of the palace to do business and not to make any announcement.

In fact, Zhao Yuan also said: "Don't make any announcement. If Empress Dowager Ciyi finds out, you will be killed!"

Chen Min didn't say this ! Dare to tell Yan Qing, he only said anxiously: "Master has sent people out of the palace to search, but the huge imperial capital still has to be found... Master does not dare to specialize in such a big thing. If Empress Dowager Ciyi knows about it, I am afraid that Your Majesty will be punished later. I am asking the Queen Mother for your order. How should I deal with this matter? "

Yan Qing was pacing back and forth in the same spot, sweat dripping from his forehead. Since Zhang Fang already knew this, he must have already done it. The Jinyi Guards were ordered to be dispatched, but as Chen Min said, in the huge imperial capital, it was unknown which direction Zhao Yuan would go.

"Go," she stopped and told Chen Min, "bring the chief minister here."

She had never seen him since that night in Yaohua Palace, and the discussions in Wende Palace were always separated by curtains. , never looked at him.

Yan Qing didn't want to see him, but at this moment, there was really no other way.

Zhao Yuan and his party arrived at the back door of Jiang Mansion. The servants of Jiang Mansion opened the door. When they saw a strange young man saying that he was looking for a young lady, he sent them away with a cold face.

Zhao Yuan took out a jade tablet from his arms. The small seal on the lower part was written by the Supervisor of Ceremonies. The servant was literate and saw that the jade tablet was from the palace. He hurriedly went in to pass it around. After a while, he folded it back and invited them. Enter the mansion.

The servant followed Xue Shiying's instructions and led several people directly into her yard. As soon as Zhao Yuan entered the moon gate, he saw Xue Shiying waiting for him in the corridor.

Seeing him coming, Xue Shiying was about to salute him, so he stepped forward to help her up. He had grown quickly, and standing opposite Xue Shiying, he was already as tall as her.

He whispered: "This is here incognito, don't make any noise, and these false courtesy will be waived."

In order to prevent his identity from being discovered by the people in the house, Xue Shiying asked the servant to lead the person directly to his courtyard. Now she can only ask him to go to the main room and send all the servants around her, leaving only the two yellow gates he brought.

"Your Majesty, you are going to scare me to death..." she whispered.

"I heard that you were sick and seriously ill. I was worried so I wanted to come and see for myself." He didn't even sit down after entering the room, so he looked at her face carefully and said with a frown, "Why did the Queen Mother send the imperial doctor?" It's no use coming here?"

Xue Shiying smiled and replied weakly: "It would be better if my daughter is sick. It would be better if she stays sick for a year and a half..."

Although she said this, how can she really be sick? It took her a year and a half to soak herself in cold water on this autumn day before she could get such an illness as she wished, but the wind-cold syndrome would eventually be cured.

Zhao Yuan was very familiar with her, and Zhao Yuan could figure out what she was thinking, and he was not stupid. Listening to what she said, although he didn't know that she had caused the disease herself, he also guessed that she was borrowing it from her. The illness was hiding something, so he asked: "Sister, do you...don't want Empress Dowager Ciyi to grant you a marriage?

" Zhao Yuan called her "Ajie", which shocked her, and even claimed that she did not dare to overstep her bounds, but Zhao Yuan insisted on calling her that, saying that since she was the adopted daughter of Empress Dowager Ciyi, she should be considered his Ajie.

"But Your Majesty, my daughter's status is low..."

Zhao Yuan said at that time: "Then I call you this in private and don't let others know, okay?"

This call lasted until now.

Xue Shiying's eyes were dark and his head was lowered. Although he didn't answer, Zhao Yuan already understood in his heart.

Zhao Yuan sighed and said in a low voice: "If I grow up and can personally govern, then whatever you want to do, sister, I will let you do it."

Xue Shiying looked up at him. The young man's eyes were filled with regret and melancholy at this moment. A majestic emperor can have such a helpless look, but even if he personally governs the country in the future, will he really be omnipotent? At least love and people's hearts are things that even the supreme imperial power cannot change.

With tears in her eyes, she said with emotion: "Your Majesty will know in the future that there are some things that you can't get even if you ask for them..."

For example, a person's love...

When Jiang Weiren arrived, Yan Qing sat down At the Kang table, he looked anxious, thinking about where Zhao Yuan would go, and didn't even notice that he had entered.

The tea that the palace servants had just poured was left on the Kang table. She looked dazed and stretched out her hand to serve the tea, but the tea cup was still hot. When her fingers touched it, it was so hot that she retracted it.

There was a "hiss" in her mouth, but before she could recover, Jiang Weiren strode forward, took her hand over and looked at it carefully.

Fortunately, it was just the tip of her finger that was burned red, so it was nothing serious, but he still felt a little distressed and held her hand tightly, as if he couldn't bear to let go.

Yan Qing immediately saw the person coming and quickly pulled his hand out of his palm, as if his palm was hotter than the tea cup.

Seeing her defensive look, he put a slight smile on his lips and said softly: "I see the Queen Mother."

Seeing his current casual attitude, Yan Qing was so angry that his forehead twitched, "Jiang Weiren, you don't have to do this. Go even further!"

After not seeing her for many days, he couldn't compare to how calm she was. Even her angry look made him greedy.

But he didn't dare to really offend her, and stopped getting closer. He only lowered his voice and said, "I know everything. I also asked the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Division to look for her secretly. Even though your Majesty is messing around this time, he won't really do it." Li Jing can be found as long as he is in the capital."

After hearing this, she looked up at him again, and saw his serious and calm expression, and her heart was half relieved.

In fact, she didn't panic as soon as she saw him. She still remembered that in the first year of Jiayou's reign, on the tower of Nanxun Gate, a hundred thousand soldiers from Beiqi came to the scene, and the entire country of Zuo was in danger.

She stood side by side with him, watching the continuous fighting outside the city, until the long night was about to end, and all the sounds of fighting outside the city disappeared. He whispered to her in the drizzle: "Don't be afraid..."

It seemed that he was there, I'm really not afraid anymore.

Zhao Yuan returned to the palace at night, but as soon as he walked in front of Jing Yao and others, he saw Zhang Fang's figure who had been waiting for a long time.

Seeing that it was just Zhang Fang, he breathed a sigh of relief, and the first thing he asked was: "You didn't alert the Empress Dowager Ciyi, did you?"

Of course Cao Dingzhen didn't know, but when he returned to Ganlu Hall, he saw Yan Qing in front of the hall, and Standing behind her was none other than Mr. Yuan Fujiang.

He looked at Yan Qing's expression and saw that her face was calm and she said with a guilty conscience: "Empress..."

Yan Qing stared at him, her chest heaving, and she wanted to speak, but she didn't know what to say. Zhao Yuan did not dare to say a word, but fortunately Jiang Weiren said: "Ye Feng Liang, please go to the palace."

When Zhao Yuan left the palace, he expected that Yan Qing would know that in his opinion, the mother was the one who was strict, and the empress had always doted on her. Even if he was angry, he couldn't bear to scold himself.

But Yan Qing's look today made him a little panicked. After entering the palace, he lowered his head and whispered: "My Lady, don't be angry..."

Yan Qing turned around after hearing the words, but his eyes were red, "Do you know, if If you don't return to the palace tonight, I will kneel down to the Fengxian Hall tomorrow to ask for the blessings of the late Emperor's spirit..."

"Empress!" Zhao Yuan was shocked by her words.

"But if you are out there, there is really something wrong with you," Yan Qing said with a trembling voice and choked with sobs, "How should I explain to the late emperor?"

Hearing such words, Zhao Yuan was so frightened that he knelt down and said sadly: " It's my son's fault,

please calm down..." Although Yan Qing was angry, she was soft-hearted after all. Seeing him like this, she felt distressed and was about to help him. Jiang Weiren stood silently but saw that she wanted to step forward. He reached out his hand first and helped Zhao Yuan up.

Zhao Yuan remembered that when he was giving lectures in the past, Yan Qing would take him to the Wenhua Hall every day to listen to the lectures of the imperial lecturers. He would stay behind the curtain in the hall in all weathers. He knew that she was soft-hearted. After being taught by her husband, she cried and called "Empress". As expected, Yan Qing ran out without caring about anything and held herself in his arms.

This was also why she was so anxious after he had been missing for half a day.

Jiang Weiren saw the shame on his face and said, "Your Majesty, the night is cold and the Queen Mother Shengyi couldn't let go, so she kept waiting for Your Majesty outside..."

After hearing this, Zhao Yuan looked at Yan Qing's red eyes. Eyes filled with heartache, she lowered her head and said, "Don't be sad, Madam. A Yuan will never let Madam worry about you again."

Seeing him return to the palace, Yan Qing's anger was already half gone. She had been worried for so long, and she was in trouble again. The night wind was blowing, and now I just felt tired.

Jiang Weiren and Yan Qing walked out of the Ganlu Hall together, and then accompanied her down the white jade stone steps. The carriage stopped not far away. Yan Qing walked a few steps, then suddenly turned around and saw Jiang Weiren had stopped walking and was looking at his back.

Surrounded by palace people, he no longer dared to be rude, so he stood in the night and looked at her quietly.

"Fortunately, Your Majesty is back tonight," he whispered, "otherwise, I would be really afraid that your Majesty would not rest tonight."

Although his expression was calm, there was pity in his eyes, and there was also a trace of something like No regrets.

"The empress cares so much about Your Majesty that she doesn't even care about her own body," he said with a faint smile on his lips, unable to distinguish between sadness and joy, as calm as if he was stating a fact, "In the final analysis, it is still because of the late Emperor..."

His words Stopping here, Yan Qing was slightly startled, as if she didn't dare to look at his eyes at this moment, and hurriedly turned her head away, pretending not to understand the meaning of his words.

"I leave." He whispered, then turned and left.

As soon as Yan Qing raised his eyes, he saw the retreating figure in the night. He was thin and slender, so he looked even more deserted. There was a yellow door holding a lantern beside him. The candlelight lengthened his shadow, and his Li-colored t-shirt almost melted into the night.

The night wind ruffled his clothes, and at this moment, his lonely back seemed to be full of loneliness.

Yan Qing thought of what he had just said, and felt her heart stagnate, and unstoppable sadness filled her chest, almost drowning her.