When Zheng Yuheng returned to the palace, it was already cold and late at night.
　　Most of the lights in the Cining Palace were off, leaving only a small candle lit next to the palace guard on duty.
　　Because Dong Lingjiu exempted many of the formalities of opening the palace gates at night, Zheng Yuheng could enter the palace with the identity of an imperial physician without having to respond to the imperial edict.
　　He changed his clothes, stayed by the stove to warm his whole body, and then "bribed" the night guard with ease. Relying on the Empress Dowager's love and indulgence for him, he quietly entered the bedroom.
　　He tiptoed and spoke softly, sitting down by the couch, first turning the lampshade to check whether the candle was safe, then adjusting the four corners of the quilt, choosing the right angle, and seriously climbing into her arms.
　　Dong Lingjiu was not asleep to begin with. When she heard him come in, she didn't say anything, but closed her eyes and pretended not to know. When he got on the bed with courage, she raised her hands to hold his waist and gently tapped his back with her fingertips.
　　"What did I say?" She whispered, "Some cats call early in mating, and they love to crawl in in the middle of the night and can't wait for a day."
　　Zheng Yuheng's face flushed, and he was embarrassed. He had already given up. He rubbed over and stuck to Dong Lingjiu.
　　"I was wrong." He said, "I woke you up."
　　"No. I didn't fall asleep."
　　Dong Lingjiu's hand reached into his thin sleeve, from his fingers, along the blood vessels, bone lines, to his wrist. Her hand was warm and slightly hot, like a snake with heat all over its body, climbing up and wrapping around inch by inch.
　　Zheng Yuheng patiently let her touch him. Although he was embarrassed, he didn't hide, and thought even more shamelessly and disgracefully: If the queen really likes this body, he can give her everything.
　　Dong Lingjiu paused and said, "It seems that I have made you fatter."
　　Zheng Yuheng was stunned and asked tentatively, "Don't you like it?"
　　"No, I feel...very fulfilled." She smiled and said, "It's a pity that there is still no flesh on the face."
　　As she said that, she pulled her hand away and pinched his cheek, looking at Zheng Yuheng's pitiful expression.
　　In fact, he was not fat. Although he was well-fed in the Cining Palace, this was just normal physical development. Although there are not many people who grow taller at the age of 19, there are some.
　　Dong Lingjiu also realized it. She let her mind go and thought aimlessly. She didn't know if the little doctor Zheng would grow in other places besides his body?
　　But it was enough, don't grow any more. If the little doctor was not really obedient, she would have felt that it was a bit difficult to deal with.
　　Her thoughts were off track, and her fingers unconsciously rubbed the back of his hand. Zheng Yuheng was a little agitated by the touch, rubbed over, lowered his head and kissed her neck, stretched out his hand to grab a strand of hair on the couch, and repeatedly twisted it between his fingers, as if calming the fireworks in his heart.
　　He tried his best to be restrained, and pecked her lips like a dragonfly, from forehead to nose, and then pressed his lips against hers devoutly, observing her expression while letting his heart beat like a drum.
　　Dong Lingjiu did not stop him. Just as he was about to stick out his tongue, he suddenly asked in a low and vague voice: "How is things at home?"
　　Zheng Yuheng paused stiffly, his heartbeat was about to jump out of his throat. When he was suddenly asked this question, his brain was confused for a few breaths, and he paused before answering: "Everything has been properly handled. Father's injury is not serious, he is just angry. I prescribed a prescription for him to calm down."
　　Dong Lingjiu said: "The time for interrogating Shang Kai is set on the third day of the twelfth lunar month. Don't forget this. I have postponed the expedition to the northern border until after the New Year. We need to calculate the military pay and supplies for the expedition, all the estimable expenses for the troops, plus the accounts of various departments at the end of the year and the reported deficits. The Ministry of Revenue will be busy at least until the New Year. As for their internal false accounts..."
　　Zheng Yuheng lowered his head and kissed her lips.
　　Dong Lingjiu hooked his neck, stretched out her hand to pull out the last hairpin in his hair, and threw it aside casually. The hairpin rolled down from the end of the bed curtain, rolled all the way, and stopped with a ding.
　　He finally stopped with his lips red, with a tooth mark on it. He lowered his voice: "You bit me again."
　　Dong Lingjiu first stroked the tooth mark and apologized: "Why did I bite you again? Am I always so excessive?"
　　Zheng Yuheng: "Not excessive... not at all."
　　His eyes were like stars, and his eyes clearly said "You can bite me a few more times", but he still stopped to complain, which shows that he has honed his skills in vying for favor to perfection.
　　Seeing that he was staring at her reluctantly and pestering her for a kiss, Dong Lingjiu raised her finger and flicked his forehead, saying softly, "I don't even want to listen to you. I raised you to be so unruly." Zheng Yuheng
　　defended herself confidently, "Your Majesty's time for governing the country has passed. It's late at night and you should rest. If you can't sleep like this, you should have some fun. After I have served you, Your Majesty will naturally be sleepy."
　　Dong Lingjiu was speechless for a moment, thinking that there was a little bit of truth in what he said. He said helplessly, "Why can't I do anything about you. You are a scholar who is familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics and almost became the top scholar. Are there any scholars like you in the world?"
　　Zheng Yuheng said, "There are many people in the world who are more adept at currying favor with the powerful than me. There must be many scholars who try to please the Empress. "
　　Dong Lingjiu smiled: "They are in the court, trying to please me by writing memorials."
　　Zheng Yuheng kept silent, put her hand on his collar, gently rubbed her fingers, and said in a somewhat unbearable voice: "That way I can also..."
　　Dong Lingjiu said: "Then you won't listen to the business?" Zheng Yuheng
　　paused, and was very entangled in her heart. After a while of self-construction, she massaged her fingers holding the pen and said obediently: "Listen."
　　Dong Lingjiu deliberately embarrassed him, and at this time she joked: "Oh, but at this time, I have forgotten what I was going to say. I will tell you tomorrow, today..."
　　She picked up the slightly loose belt on the other person.
　　"Just have fun with Xiaosama Zheng."
　　...
　　Xiaosama Zheng really worked hard in many things.
　　He was willing to package himself as gentle, pitiful, simple and innocent, and let her actions and words command him to win her love. But sometimes, because of some wars about "dignity", he would go too far, causing Dong Lingjiu to pinch his earlobe and lazily call him a little bastard.
　　This sentence was completely different from when she scolded Meng Cheng. Her voice was particularly gentle, like a flowing hot spring, slowly eroding and tightening, able to trap people's hearts and souls in it, as if to merge with her.
　　Thanks to Zheng Yuheng's hard work and study, he made rapid progress. Dong Lingjiu tasted the rich sweetness of this kind of thing for the first time in a long time. She got up a moment later, and asked Li Ruixue for a bowl of bitter gourd tea while taking a bath and dressing.
　　Ruixue was a little surprised, because the Queen Mother's taste did not change often, but Kuding tea was good for health, clearing away heat and detoxification, so she immediately prepared it. When she handed it to her, she asked, "Your tea in the future..."
　　"Drink this for a few days." Dong Lingjiu took a sip, and suddenly said with a lot of thoughts, "At this age, I have to take care of my body."
　　She didn't say in detail. Ruixue didn't expect that the thing that changed the Queen Mother's mind was the increasingly difficult Xiao Zheng. She was puzzled, but she didn't know how to ask. After helping her dress up, she lowered her head and replied, "Minister Wen is waiting for you."
　　Before Zheng Yuheng came back last night, Dong Lingjiu sent someone to the Wen Mansion to pass on a message, asking Wen Haolan to come to the palace to meet the emperor early this morning.
　　"Yes." Dong Lingjiu stood up and said, "When he finishes writing the pulse case, he can go directly to the side hall behind the screen to listen. Maybe soon, he will work under Minister Wen, who is his immediate superior."
　　Even without mentioning his name, Ruixue knew that this was said to Lord Zheng, and nodded in agreement.
　　A moment later, in the west side hall of the Cining Palace.
　　The hall was furnished with desks and chairs, all burning warmly. Strands of sandalwood wafted from the incense burner with auspicious dragons and phoenixes, lingering endlessly.
　　Minister Wen sat on a chair, surrounded by eunuchs and palace maids waiting for orders. He was neatly dressed, but his eyes were dark blue, his expression was exhausted and tortured, his hands and feet were stiff, and he felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.
　　The sound of the corners of his robes rubbing against the floor of the hall was heard. Wen Haolan sensed it alertly, looked up, and immediately stood up and saluted: "I am Wen Haolan, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and wish the Empress Dowager good health."
　　Dong Lingjiu raised his hand and gently pressed it down, indicating that he should sit down without any formalities, and then took out a few memorials from the table in the order he remembered and folded them in his palm: "Looking at your appearance, you haven't slept well for a while, right?"
　　When this matter was mentioned, Wen Haolan's forehead was slightly sweaty: "I am ashamed of your majesty and the Empress Dowager. I am really guilty. My younger brother is a playboy and lazy. , but I do not have the nature and courage to embezzle or commit fraud, my background is extremely clean!"
　　Dong Lingjiu said casually: "Evidence has always been used to prove guilt, and empty words cannot prove innocence. If more solid charges have not appeared and are not made clear, even if your family is so poor that it can't even afford a patch, it may not be believed by others. "
　　Minister Wen sighed deeply, thinking of the case of Mr. Li Zhuo a few months ago. Everyone in the court and the country was in danger, and no one dared to randomly vouch for others.
　　Dong Lingjiu touched the cover of the memorial from top to bottom, memorizing it by heart, without even glancing at the names on it, and said lightly: "These are all memorials urging the Ministry of Justice to review the case. I kept them for two days. One of the officials from the Dali Temple wrote again, saying that the six departments are of the same blood, and you people are either teacher and student or classmates. Others will let your younger brother go for the sake of your Wen family's face, and put all the blame on those petty officials who neglected their duties and made random accounts."
　　Wen Haolan was sweating profusely. He immediately stood up and bowed his head: "Such a case of corruption and false reporting! If it was really done by us, please ask the Queen Mother to use severe punishment and kill a lot of people! It is definitely not a relationship like teacher and student, or classmate that can be buried. Please judge by the Queen Mother."
　　Dong Lingjiu nodded and said, "They didn't mean that at all. They submitted this memorial to punish you."
　　Minister Wen couldn't even stand now. He lifted his robe, knelt down, and bowed his head to the ground.
　　Dong Lingjiu asked Ruixue to help him up. He drank a sip of tea, which moistened his throat and softened his tone: "I know about the factional struggles in the court and the opposition. You have formed factions according to relatives, teachers, students, and places of origin, and fought for interests. It's a pity that you are still useful, and I don't want to kill you by mistake."
　　Her focus is not on the word "kill", but on the word "wrong". She is definitely not soft-hearted. In many major events related to the government, she tortured, interrogated, confiscated property, and implicated people without blinking an eye. She is very cruel.
　　Dong Lingjiu just doesn't like "wrong".
　　Wen Haolan's shoulders trembled slightly, and she whispered, "The Empress Dowager is so kind and generous. I thank her on behalf of my younger brother."
　　"Your brother..." Dong Lingjiu wanted to say that Wen Yanzhi was narrow-minded and made these wrong accounts to embarrass others and cause trouble, but halfway through her words, she saw the faint shadow behind the screen. She smiled knowingly, and was too lazy to appeal for her little friend in front of him. She just commented, "He should be brought up well."
　　Wen Haolan said, "I'll keep it in mind."
　　Dong Lingjiu put down the memorial in his hand and ordered, "Starting from today, I will withdraw the defense of the Qilin Guard in the Ministry of Justice, and you, Minister Wen, you are not allowed to run around and beg for help anymore. Keep your appearance in good shape and keep calm."
　　"Empress..." he blurted out in surprise.
　　"As long as you are not anxious," Dong Lingjiu continued, "it is others who are anxious."
　　Wen Haolan stopped talking, frowned and thought for a moment, and suddenly realized, "I thank the Empress Dowager for her teachings."
　　When he stood up to leave, he found that the screen beside him moved slightly. Wen Haolan paused for a moment, and then saw a snow-white royal cat jumping up the steps. In winter, it was plush and soft like a snowball. Its pair of mandarin duck eyes looked at him proudly and lazily.
　　It turned out to be Prince Zhaoye.
　　Wen Haolan was certain in his heart, and at the same time, he suddenly felt in a trance that he seemed to have been supervised by it for a long time.
　　The author has something to say:
　　Does the Empress Dowager who doesn't like to show her kindness in person have any idol baggage? (Holding her face)
　　Damn, I clicked the wrong one, I wanted to click the saved draft... Why did it post!