"Now the situation is getting more and more tense. I advised the prince to make plans early, but the prince refused to listen. He is willing to listen to the girl. Why don't you advise me on your behalf?" Li Qidao.
"What are you persuading? What do you want father to do?" Huan Ci looked at him suspiciously.
Don't blame her for being careless, it's just that this person looked like he had no good intentions.
Li Qi laughed strangely: "Young lady, you don't have to doubt me so much. After these few months, I have figured out when will retribution take place. It's better to think of a way out later. Now the royal people are fighting fiercely, and it was us who made a sneak attack."
A good time?”
"Which one is the sneak attack?" Huan Ci frowned.
"Of course it's the one from Yingdu. Now is the critical moment. Zong Zhengche has suffered a big setback. Zong Zhenglu must take advantage of the victory and pursue it. If something unexpected happens at this time, I don't believe that he is willing to give up the fat piece of Zong Zhengche. But if he is willing
, the other side has a chance to survive, which is a good thing for us. It is better to stand on three sides than to torture two or two."
Huan Ci and his father looked at each other, inevitably a little shaken. What Li Qi said made sense, but when his father took action at this time, he clearly rejected Zong Zhenglu's conditions, but if he couldn't beat him, he would die himself. If his father
If you don't surrender, you will have to fight with the imperial court sooner or later.
Huan Ci only felt a headache and was in a mess. Her father always cared about the people, so he didn't want to fight, and she didn't want a war in her heart. After all, no one liked war, and she didn't want to stand opposite him.
But why should I ask my father to give in? If it weren't for the imperial court's pressure, my father would not have reached this point.
"Dad, my daughter doesn't understand this matter. Just make your own decision." She smiled at Huan Yuan with the corners of her lips pulled up, "I'm going back first."
"Come here, take the princess back to her room." Huan Yuan lightly knocked on the tea table, glanced at Huan Ci, and ordered the servants, "If you let her run away again, I will take care of you."
"No." The maid glanced at Huan Ci timidly.
No one in the whole house can control her. The prince entrusting her with this important task really gives her a headache.
However, Huan Ci was so depressed that she had already forgotten about leaving. Suddenly, she felt that she had come back at the right time. If it were a few days later and Zong Zhengche was completely defeated, she might have to
Even if you want to come back, you will be hindered.
"Dad, don't worry, I won't drag you down." Huan Ci raised his lips towards his father.
Staring at his daughter's retreating back, Huan Yuan suddenly felt a deep sense of powerlessness. After all these years of busy work, what had he given his daughter? He only had her daughter as a relative in the world, so naturally he wanted the best for her.
Give it to her. But in this situation, if he loses, how can he protect his daughter?
"Li Qi, please let me think about it again." He touched his beard and lowered his head in thought, so he could not see the flash of disgust in Li Qi's eyes.
After coming out of his father's courtyard, Huan Ci let the little maid follow her closely, thinking carefully about his father's words. When he walked behind a rockery, he suddenly heard two people talking above, and they mentioned Li Qi
.
Huan Ci hurriedly signaled the little maid to be quiet, while she stood there and listened to the people on the rockery talking.
"Is it possible? One is the Queen Mother and the other is an eunuch. How can such a thing happen?"
"Why not? The palace is lonely, and those eunuchs are looking for someone to eat. Li Qi has been in the palace for so many years. Isn't it possible that he is a simple-minded person?"
"But even if he wanted to find her, why would the Queen Mother fall in love with him?"
"I think he is ambitious and good-looking. He is lucky to be favored by the Queen Mother."
"Is it possible? The Queen Mother is at least ten years older than him, so he is willing to do such a thing?"
"You idiot, for the sake of your future, what does it mean to be ten years older? I deliver food to the Queen Mother every day. Although I have never met, I can still feel the fishy relationship between the two. I never thought that such a thing would happen.
You said that Eunuch Li ran out with the Queen Mother and asked her to threaten the Crown Prince, but now she is not provided with good food and drink."
"What you said is really strange. Could it be that it was planned from the beginning? The Queen Mother was tired of her life in the palace, so she begged Eunuch Li to take her out."
"Is that so? Who would let go of their life of glory and wealth and become a hostage? But I can't say."
"Sister, could it be that you have gone astray? If that is the case, the prince will not take care of it?"
"How does the prince know about their affairs? It's because I serve the queen mother every day, so I can tell. Alas! I don't know when this day will end. What will I do in the future when I serve such a master?"
The Queen Mother and Li Qi? Could such a thing happen?
Huan Ci looked at the little maid behind him in confusion, and saw that she was only eleven or twelve years old. She was blinking her big eyes and looking at her blankly, so he knew that she might not fully understand.
The little maid Hui misunderstood and was about to go around to the top of the rockery to scold the two of them when she suddenly heard someone speaking before she did.
"Little hooves, what are you doing hiding here? Your work is all done?"
"There's not much work to do today, and my mother didn't even ask us to take a break."
"How come you are not alive? The princess just came back today. Everyone is busy cleaning the yard and preparing for dinner. You two little hooves are just idle here. If people see it, they will say that I don't care about you."
"Who asked you to always work with them? As a result, I was assigned such an errand."
The three of them were quarreling as they walked, and their voices gradually became distant and distant.
After they could no longer hear any movement, Huan Ci turned back and looked at the little maid: "Do you know where the Queen Mother is being held?"
"It's in Lanyuan in the northeast corner."
"Where is Eunuch Li? Are you still living here?"
"He's still living. He's still in the courtyard next to Lanyuan."
Is that really the case? Huan Ci frowned slightly and already had a plan in his mind.
In her small courtyard, Ayao was leading everyone to tidy up. When she saw Huan Ci coming in, she went to greet him.
This time Zhao Jin also followed her back to Daizhou, and now he was standing at the door staring at her and smiling. After Huan Ci sent the little maid away, he hurriedly led the two of them into the back room.
"Let's eat quickly. After dinner, you can follow me out."
"Girl, you don't want to run away again, do you? I heard that the prince has arranged guards at the second door and the back door. I'm afraid it won't be that easy this time."
"You girl, am I that kind of person?" Huan Ci muttered depressedly. She looked at the closed door, beckoned the two of them to come over, and whispered: "Let's go see it later.
Look at the Queen Mother."
"Look what she is doing?" A Yao was really puzzled.
Huan Ci sighed softly: "I think something is very strange, so I want to investigate. You two will accompany me in a while, especially Zhao Jin. You know much more about men and women than A Yao. Wait.
You must carefully observe her expression later to see if there are any clues."
"Don't worry!" Zhao Jin nodded confidently.
"What about me?" Ayao asked.
Huan Ci smiled and pinched her face: "You can get along with anyone. Later, you can ask the maid next to the Queen Mother to talk. Firstly, don't make her suspicious, and secondly, you may be able to find something to say.
Come."
"I can do this job." Ayao said with a grin.
Huan Ci was amused by her and shook his head helplessly.
After having tea and food, the three of them went to Lanyuan together. The guard standing at the door looked at each other when he saw Huan Ci approaching. After hesitating for a moment, he opened the door for her.
The place where they live now is the palace that Emperor Wu used here. It is no worse than his father's mansion in Bingzhou, but it is still worse than the palace. But when they entered Lanyuan, Huan Ci was shocked by the scene in front of him.
All the utensils here are of the highest quality, the charcoal in the room is more abundant than that in her room, and even the tea she drinks is of the highest quality, which shows that the Queen Mother is indeed not wronged here.
"Who am I? It turns out to be my good granddaughter-in-law." Suddenly a familiar voice came from Toji.
Huan Ci smiled and looked back at the woman, who was the Queen Mother whom she had not seen for a long time. The woman's complexion looked more rosy than in the palace, but the few strands of white hair on her temples were more obvious than before.
"Your Majesty, you are well." She greeted the Queen Mother with a smile.
The Queen Mother snorted softly: "I don't go to the Three Treasures Hall for anything. I wonder why you came to the Ai family today?"
"No reason, I just want to see you." Huan Ci chuckled.
She had no feelings for the Queen Mother. Huan Ci felt that she must not have known about Zong Zhengche's plan at that time, otherwise she would not have been in a hurry to break up with Zong Zhengyuan.
"I'm grateful to the Queen Mother for taking care of me when I was in the palace. I just wanted to repay a favor to an old friend." She raised her chin slightly and motioned to Zhao Jin to put the supplements she brought on the table with a bright smile on her face, "Besides, you
I almost became a family, which shows that we are still somewhat destined."
Seeing the indifferent expression of the Queen Mother, she continued: "What's more, you are Tang'er's mother. She and I share the same sorrow. At that time, I was captured by the Yong people in Puzhou. She saved me once, and I am very grateful.
she."
Huan Ci felt a little moved as she spoke. In fact, she liked Zong Zhengtang from the bottom of her heart. If it weren't for these troublesome things, she would really want to make this friend.
Unexpectedly, the Queen Mother's eyes turned red because of these words. She wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and said: "In this life of the Ai family, the person I feel most sorry for is Tang'er. She is obviously my biological daughter, but
But I——"
Halfway through, the Queen Mother suddenly stopped talking and glanced at her gently: "In the past three years, she has been devoted to Fu Shen. No matter how many marriages I told her, she refused to obey. Don't think that I don't know that you are with Fu Shen.
I guess Tang'er also knows about that idea. Otherwise, why did she originally refuse to marry, but then she became willing after returning from Puzhou?"
Huan Ci narrowed his eyes at her, silently pondering what he said. Indeed, after returning from Puzhou, she felt that she was not as close to Zong Zhengtang as before, but at that time she thought it was because their marriage was approaching and she was too busy, so she didn't
Make time to deal with each other.
"I didn't expect there to be people like her in Miyagi. I thought they were all like you, either betraying their wives or their masters."
The Queen Mother looked at her deeply, her face full of wariness.
Huan Ci chuckled softly: "A person like Li Qi, who has been with you for more than ten years and can be so ruthless to you, there is no guarantee that he will not betray others."