When the brocade curtain was completely opened, a beautiful woman with towering temples, a waist like a willow, and a face like a hibiscus appeared in front of Liu Ziqiu. He began to believe the legend.
Time is like a butcher's knife, which makes people grow old. But this butcher's knife obviously did not leave many marks on Queen Xiao's face. Although she was already in her forties, she still looked like she was just twenty.
She is a young woman in her early years, and her face is flushed and charming. Without the moisture of a man's rain and dew, a woman who has been widowed for half a year will never be so radiant. Liu Ziqiu can be sure that something must have happened between Empress Xiao and Yu Wenhua.
What.
Among the women Liu Ziqiu has ever seen, Queen Xiao is not the most beautiful. Gao Xiuer, Wang Guizhi, Tuoba Qianyu, all have stunning looks, and their appearance is not inferior to that of Queen Xiao. Fan Lihua, Lin Qiaoer, etc.
Xue Ye'er, whom I just met, also has an appearance that is as beautiful as a fish or a wild goose. From the perspective of looks alone, these women all have their own merits. If we really want to compare them, Xie Yun's baby daughter Xie Muyu should be the most beautiful.
But compared with Gao Xiuer and Xie Muyu, Queen Xiao has a mature charm. This mature charm has an appeal to men that those young girls cannot match. However, there are many mature women, and Lin Qiaoer is one of them.
In addition to maturity, Queen Xiao also has an indescribable noble temperament. This kind of nobility is innate. Even if an ordinary woman becomes a queen, she cannot learn this kind of nobility. Queen Xiao is originally from the Western Liang Kingdom.
The princess was later selected as Yang Guang's princess, and until her mother honored the world, this nobility had already been deeply rooted in her bones.
There is an old saying that goes, if you want to be an empress every day, you have to rob the emperor. Perhaps it was her noble temperament that attracted five men, including Li Shimin.
However, Liu Ziqiu has already developed considerable immunity to beautiful women. When facing Empress Xiao, no matter how beautiful, mature or noble he is, he can quickly return to normal. He handed over his hands and said: "I came too late to save you, which frightened your Majesty. Please punish me!"
When Yang Guang was able to squeeze out Yang Yong and ascend to the throne of the crown prince, it was half of Empress Xiao's credit. With her wisdom, how could she not understand her situation, otherwise she would not have been able to commit herself to Yu Wenhuaji. It is obvious that Liu Ziqiu asked for the punishment.
It was a polite remark, but how could Empress Xiao take it seriously? Even if she really wanted to punish Liu Ziqiu, no one would do it for her, not to mention that Liu Ziqiu had no fault at all.
Empress Xiao waved her hands and said, "Ai Qing has done a great job in rescuing you. The Ai family is going to give you a generous reward. How about punishment? I wonder what reward Ai Qing wants?"
However, Liu Ziqiu said seriously: "As long as I receive the salary of the Sui Dynasty, I should serve the Sui Dynasty and I don't dare to ask for rewards."
In fact, not long after Liu Ziqiu became brigade commander, Yang Guang passed away. He didn't even get a penny of salary. To say this was to put money on his own face. As for the reward, Liu Ziqiu definitely wanted it, but he couldn't leave it to him.
He proposed it himself. If he wants to command his army to pacify the world, he must be famous. Now that he has made Yang Tan the emperor and controlled Empress Xiao, he can definitely learn from Cao Wei's story and coerce the emperor to order the princes. But his starting point
If it is too low, a small brigade commander who wants to become a powerful prime minister all of a sudden will inevitably become the target of public criticism. He needs to stabilize the position first, and then make progress slowly, so he should try to be as humble as possible.
But Liu Ziqiu's humility turned out to have ulterior motives in the eyes of Empress Xiao. Of course she didn't know what Liu Ziqiu was thinking, but she knew that now she had to rely on Liu Ziqiu to provide her with food, and there really was nothing to reward Liu Ziqiu.
Apart from the title of queen, the only thing Empress Xiao can do is her body. Empress Xiao is very smart, but she also has a timid weakness. Yang Guang is so happy with his achievements that he appoints treacherous people, so Empress Xiao has long been willing to persuade him.
, but did not dare. Because of her cowardice, when Yu Wenhuaji threatened her life, she succumbed obediently. Now, the entire Longxi Palace has fallen into the hands of Liu Ziqiu, and Liu Ziqiu can also threaten her life, so no matter Liu Ziqiu
She will agree to any request.
Since Empress Xiao had already conquered the world, she didn't care about sacrificing herself again. When she heard that Liu Ziqiu asked for an audience, she made preparations and changed into thin regular clothes. But after all, it was not something worth publicizing, so Empress Xiao
Only then did she let Liu Ziqiu come in alone. At first, she thought Liu Ziqiu was just a rough soldier, but now that she saw Liu Ziqiu in person, she realized that he was tall, young, and handsome. Even if she committed herself to him, it would not be unacceptable.
Hearing that Liu Ziqiu did not ask for a reward, Empress Xiao's face turned slightly red, she lightly opened her red lips and said, "My dear, there is no need to be polite. Sit down and talk."
In the whole room, except for the low couch where Queen Xiao sat, there was no other place to sit, not even a futon. If Liu Ziqiu really wanted to sit down, he could only sit next to Queen Xiao. This low couch was just
Empress Xiao's lunch break place was small in shape, and if two people sat on it, they would be very close to each other. Empress Xiao not only showed her attitude of being at your disposal, but also a kind of test for Liu Ziqiu.
The expression on Liu Ziqiu's face froze for a moment, then he bowed and said, "There is no room for a humble minister in front of the empress."
Empress Xiao was not a naturally dissolute woman. She was just greedy for life and afraid of death, so she had to endure humiliation in shame. It was not her fault that an ant was still living an ignoble life. But after all, she was the empress of the dynasty. Although she did not reject Liu Ziqiu, she did not
She might have taken the initiative to throw herself into his arms. Seeing Liu Ziqiu's serious face, Queen Xiao was also a little confused about Liu Ziqiu's approach, and said in a deep voice: "General Liu's loyalty to the country, how can he not be rewarded? The mourning family generation
The emperor has drafted a decree to make you the general of Zuowei and the general manager of Hexi!"
Liu Ziqiu smiled and said: "I'd like to express my gratitude to you, the emperor is still in Weiding City in Xihai County. Isn't it a little too early to reward a minor official now?"
Liu Ziqiu was still very satisfied with the position of General Manager of Hexi Road, but General Zuowei had no practical significance to him. However, he wanted to remind Queen Xiao that the current emperor was Yang Tan, whom he supported.
Instead of Yang You, who was supported by Yu Wenhuaji, his position as the general manager of Hexi Province could only be announced by Yang Tan.
Empress Xiao then remembered that Fan Lihua had said that Liu Ziqiu had proclaimed Yang Tan as emperor. This was Liu Ziqiu's sphere of influence, and Yang You could only give up his position and continue to be his acting king. But regardless of Yang You or Yang
Tan, they are both Empress Xiao's biological grandsons, she has no idea of favoritism. Remembering that Yu Wenhuaji said that Yang Tan had died in the rebellion, and now she heard the news about Yang Tan, Empress Xiao couldn't help but blush.
He nodded and asked, "Is Tan'er okay?"
At this time, Empress Xiao looked like the grandmother of an ordinary child, with only concern in her eyes. Liu Ziqiu couldn't help but secretly sigh, and quickly said: "The emperor is very good, and I have found a playmate for him."
After all, Empress Xiao had experienced court battles, so she didn't believe Liu Ziqiu's words, and secretly murmured, "What playmate? I'm afraid you sent him to monitor Yang Tan."
But this time she misunderstood Liu Ziqiu. Liu Ziqiu had no special intention in letting Jin Xiaohu and Yang Tan be together. He just wanted their two children to play together. Although Yang Tan was a puppet emperor, Liu Ziqiu had promised Fan Lihua
, to ensure his safety, they dare not let him be with the children of nomadic families outside to avoid any accidents. As Jin Xiaohu is disabled, Lin Qiaoer is afraid that he will be ridiculed by other children, and is not willing to let him be with other children.
As a result, Yang Tan and Jin Xiaohu came together naturally and became each other's playmates.
Although she thought this in her heart, Queen Xiao's expression remained unchanged and she said calmly: "That's very good. I wonder what else Liu Aiqing has to do when he comes to see the Ai family?"
This was indeed a question in Empress Xiao's mind. She didn't think Liu Ziqiu would be so loyal. As soon as he got the news about her, he rushed to pay her respects. Liu Ziqiu neither asked for rewards nor coveted her beauty. There must be other things.
attempt.
Liu Ziqiu said respectfully: "I am here to pay my respects to the Queen, and to inquire about the whereabouts of His Highness the King of Yue."
The Great Sui Dynasty was the dynasty established by Yang Jian, and the Yang family was the orthodox one. However, Empress Dugu was too tight on Yang Jian, and Yang Jian had no chance to find other women. Therefore, the Yang family only had five brothers, Yang Guang. And Yang Guang successively
After harming all his brothers, he even refused to let go of his eldest brother Yang Yong's youngest sons. Now among the Yang family's children, only Yang Hao, Yang Jun's son, Yang Gao, Yang Guang's son, and Yang Guang's two sons are left.
There are two grandsons, Yang Tan and Yang You, and one whose whereabouts are unknown is Yang Tong.
At first, Yang Tan was among those whose whereabouts were unknown, but he was rescued by Liu Ziqiu, allowing Liu Ziqiu to become famous. Now that the world is in chaos and heroes are everywhere, what if Yang Tong does not die like Yang Tan, but falls to someone?
In the hands of some people with good intentions, it will become a threat sooner or later, so Liu Ziqiu wanted to confirm it.
Empress Xiao suddenly covered her face and began to cry bitterly, leaving Liu Ziqiu at a loss. It was neither advisable nor advisable. After a while, Empress Xiao stopped crying and sighed: "When Dong'er died, the Ai family was beside him.
At that time, a big snowball rolled down the hillside and hit Dong'er's head. Dong'er's life was also miserable. There was a sharp stone stuck in the big snowball, and a big hole was hit in Dong'er's head.
The blood is flowing...wu..."
As she spoke, Queen Xiao began to cry again.
Unexpectedly, Yu Wenhuaji did not lie about this matter. Liu Ziqiu couldn't help but blame himself. He should not have allowed Empress Xiao to recall the tragic scene at that time. He hurriedly advised: "Please express your condolences, His Highness the King of Yue must not want the empress to be so sad."
I would like to choose an auspicious day to go and pay homage to the late emperor and His Highness the King of Yue, and I would like to ask for your permission."
Empress Xiao wiped her tears and nodded: "Liu Aiqing is indeed commendable for her loyalty, but the Ai family has another request."