Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-Three Chongguan Furious for a Beauty (1)
In the spacious and bright Qi Yuan Hall, the majestic Empress Wu with a phoenix crown, wearing a light yellow silk pleated skirt, sat behind the dragon table on the front porch, holding a small wolf hair in her hand, her head lowered, and swiping a pen to quickly correct the documents sent by the capital.
Even though there was a fine drop of sweat on his forehead, he didn't bother to wipe it off. His oval-shaped face was full of solemnity, and the occasional slight frown added a bit of worry about the country.
The diligence of caring for the people, at least in the eyes of Zhao Mingquan, the Shaoyin of the Luoyang Prefecture, who stood gingerly beside the palace.
Zhao Mingquan, a native of Shuozhou, Shanxi, was born into a family of officials for generations. His ancestor Zhao Kui was the governor of Yangzhou in the former Sui Dynasty. His father Zhao Cheng was the magistrate of Lantian County. He later surrendered to the Tang Dynasty during the rebellion at the end of the Sui Dynasty and took office in the Mansion of Li Shimin, the King of Qin at the time.
The deputy chief Bo, who participated in the "Xuanwu Gate Incident", died of illness soon after. Zhao Mingquan succeeded to the title of county male. During the Zhenguan period, he successively served as county captain of Jiao County and Sima of Qingzhou. Later, in the first year of Qianfeng's reign, he was transferred to Luoyang, the eastern capital, as Shaoyin.
So far, although the official position is not small, and he is a high-ranking official of the fourth rank, it is a pity that he is a local official. As usual, he is not qualified to go to court, and he rarely has the opportunity to visit Tianyan. Yesterday at noon, a decree came from the palace, saying:
Zhao Mingquan did not dare to neglect the Queen's summons. He handed over a sign to invite him early in the morning, and successfully entered the Qiyuan Hall. However, he had stood in the hall for nearly an hour, but he still did not wait for Empress Wu's call.
After being instructed, Zhao Mingquan couldn't help but beat a drum in his heart. He really couldn't understand what kind of drama Empress Wu was singing, but he didn't dare to say anything to disturb him. He could only stand in the hall and wait in fear.
With.
"Your Majesty, Zhao Shaoyin has arrived."
After an unknown amount of time, Empress Wu finally raised her head from the thick pile of memorials, straightened her body with a tired face, put the wolf hair in her hand on the pen holder, as if about to get up, and waited on the side.
Upon seeing this, Yan Desheng hurriedly walked closer and reported in a low voice.
"Oh? When did he arrive? Why didn't you remind me?"
As soon as Yan Desheng finished speaking, Empress Wu's expression suddenly darkened, and he scolded him with displeasure.
"Wei minister Zhao Mingquan, Shaoyin of Luoyang Mansion, comes to see the empress."
Zhao Mingquan was introduced to the palace by Yan Desheng. Seeing Empress Wu behaving like this, he couldn't just sit back and watch Yan Desheng being criticized, so he hurriedly stepped out from the side and greeted him loudly.
"Please wake up Zhao Shaoyin. I am busy with government affairs, so I have made Zhao Shaoyin wait for a long time. It is all my fault."
Empress Wu's attitude towards Yan Desheng was harsh, but she was very kind to Zhao Mingquan. She smiled, raised her hand apologetically, and apologized gently.
"I don't dare to do it. Your Majesty is diligent in state affairs and takes care of everything every day. I admire you in my heart. It will be a blessing to be favored by your Majesty for three lifetimes."
How could Zhao Mingquan dare to lose his etiquette in front of Empress Wu? He bowed and hurriedly flattered her. It was obvious that his beard-slipping skills were extremely good.
"Zhao Shaoyin is too complimentary. I am just worried that the children will not be able to do things properly. I am just a check. It is not a great move. That's all. Let's not talk about it. I heard that Zhao Shaoyin has a daughter who is still waiting to be married. I don't know.
But is that true?" Empress Wu obviously enjoyed the flattery offered by Zhao Mingquan. Although she was modest, the smile on her face became even brighter. Finally, she casually turned the topic to Zhao Mingquan.
On Joan.
"Replying to the Empress, I do have a daughter with a single name of 'Qiong'. She is fifteen years old and has not yet been appointed. I don't know, ah, I don't know, Empress, you are..."
Zhao Mingquan was able to get into the ranks of senior officials of the fourth rank, so he was definitely not a stupid person. After listening to Wu, Empress Wu suddenly asked about Zhao Qiong, and her heart was suddenly shaken. She already knew the purpose of Empress Wu calling her here.
It landed on Zhao Qiong, but for a moment she couldn't figure out what Empress Wu was going to do, so she had to ask tentatively.
"Fifteen? Well, you're not young anymore. It's time to get married. In that case, I will make a decision for you and find the right house for the little girl to get married. What do you think of Zhao Shaoyin?" Empress Wu said with a smile.
Pick, showed a mysterious smile, and asked unhurriedly.
"This... ah, it's all up to the Queen to make the decision. I have no objections."
It is a great honor for the Queen to propose marriage. It seems that we should have a good time to celebrate. The problem is that this matter is obviously not that simple. Zhao Mingquan just hesitated for no reason, and suddenly saw that Empress Wu's face had drooped.
He was so frightened that his legs and feet became weak, and he quickly changed his words.
"Well, that's good."
Seeing Zhao Mingquan nodded with interest, Empress Wu's face immediately brightened, and she pondered thoughtfully for a moment, and then continued: "Zuo Yu Lin Jun Qianniu Preparation (name of military attache, sixth grade)
(above) After Wang Yi is a hero, he has a dignified appearance and is a rare talent. He should be worthy of your daughter, so the matter is settled. What does Zhao Shaoyin think?"
"Ah, this..."
Zhao Mingquan only had one daughter, Zhao Qiong, and he always loved her very much. He held her in his hands for fear of falling and held her in his mouth for fear of melting. Otherwise, he would not have been willing to betroth her to someone else even at the age of fifteen.
He planned to find Zhao Qiong a happy marriage after the Chinese New Year, but he didn't expect that Empress Wu would take such a trick and appoint a martial artist. This was obviously not in line with Zhao Mingquan's original intention.
"What? Is Zhao Shaoyin dissatisfied with my words, huh?"
When Zhao Mingquan was hesitating about how to respond, Empress Wu's face turned gloomy and she snorted coldly. Wei Chen
"I don't dare, but I will obey the empress's decree."
Empress Wu was not a very kind person. This cold look on her face was so evil that a local like Zhao Mingquan could not handle it. Poor Zhao Mingquan was so frightened that he sweated profusely and his legs could not help but tremble.
When he got up, he didn't have the courage to show his strength, so he hurriedly bowed and accepted the order.
"Well, that's right. This is a happy event. It should be sooner rather than later. I think the day after tomorrow will be an auspicious time. It's better to make a decision earlier. If Zhao Shaoyin has no objections, then go back and prepare." Empress Wu didn't even think about it.
The son did not give Zhao Mingquan any room to resist, so he issued an eviction order without any doubt.
"Your Majesty is wise, I will resign."
At this point, Zhao Mingquan still had no courage to resist, so he could only kowtow obediently and retire. However, his steps out of the palace were extremely frivolous, and his back became rickety, and his whole person instantly seemed to have aged ten years.
Average age...
In the study room of Prince Zhou's Mansion, Li Xian, who had just had lunch, was not in a hurry to take a nap. Instead, he was holding "The Soldiers and Horses of the Duke of Defense" in his hand, opening them one after another. His mind was not on the book at all.
There was only one figure in his mind - Zhao Qiong. After meeting him yesterday, Li Xian's heart was a little confused. He tossed and turned last night and couldn't sleep well. He always wanted to see Zhao Qiong again. He had already thought about it.
He had made an excuse to go to Zhao's Mansion, but the courage he had been brewing for all night disappeared in the early morning. After wasting most of the day, he still couldn't make the trip. This hesitation made Li Xian even find it funny, but how could it be so?
He stood up and was about to go out. He had just arrived at the door of the study, but he turned back angrily, without it, just three words - timid! Then Comrade Li Xian finally understood that he was sick, and it was not an ordinary illness.
, a famous and difficult disease, the kind that is particularly difficult to cure - love syndrome!
I'm going to strangle you. Are you sick? Let's admit it, but we have to treat it. Stop playing and go find a "doctor"! Zhao Qiong's figure is always flashing in front of Li Xian's eyes. With an itchy heart that can't be scratched, he finally...
He mustered up the courage for the nth time and put the book he was holding on the table. He stood up suddenly, took a few beats, and strode towards the study door. But before Li Xian could turn around the screen,
There was a burst of hurried footsteps, and Gao Miao rushed into the study, sweating profusely. He couldn't stop his feet for a moment, and almost bumped into Li Xian's body. The rush made Li Xian frown immediately.
Got up.
"Your Highness, no, it's not good, something happened, something happened, something big happened..."
Gao Miao didn't even care about how ugly Li Xian's face was, and started shouting breathlessly.
"Speak clearly, tell me what happened!"
Li Xian knew very well that Gao Miao's temperament was not that of a reckless person who liked to bluff. Seeing Gao Miao being so nervous, his heart sank involuntarily, and with a straight face, he shouted coldly.
"Your Majesty, the palace, the palace, the confirmation letter came from the palace, the queen has issued an edict to marry Zhao, the daughter of Zhao Shaoyin, to Wang Yi, who is in the left Yu Linjun Qian Niu Preparation.
"
Gao Miao was frightened by Li Xianyi, and he breathed a little more quickly, but he did not dare to neglect and stammered out the news he had obtained.
"What? Say it again!"
As soon as Gao Miao said this, Li Xian's mind exploded with a "buzz". His eyes instantly became bloodshot and turned red. He roared angrily, stretched out his big hand, and lifted Gao Miao up to his chest.
.
"Your Highness, this, this is true, the palace, the palace has spread, it has spread, slaves, slaves..."
Gao Miao was Li Xian's personal companion. Yesterday he saw that there seemed to be a story between Li Xian and Zhao Qiong, so he paid attention to it. This time he accidentally discovered this message while checking various messages from the palace insiders.
Knowing that the situation was different, he hurriedly came to report Li Xian. Seeing Li Xian lose his composure at this time, his previous judgment was confirmed even more. Under the anxiety in his heart, tears and sweat were all intertwined together.
Son.
"Why is this happening? How can it be so? Why? Why?"
Li Xian felt a sudden pain in his heart, and stars were popping up in front of his eyes. He let go of his hand, put Gao Miao down, took two big steps back, and murmured, as if he was possessed.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, you, you..."
Seeing Li Xian's demeanor, Gao Miao immediately panicked. He didn't even bother to straighten his front that was messed up by Li Xian. He hurriedly rushed forward, stretched out his hand to support Li Xian's shaky body, and anxiously