into the bosom

Chapter 424 Hypocrite

Vacant is not completely deserted.Originally, a lot of people were left to take care of them, but since the rebels rebelled, in order to support the war, the treasury was empty, and the expenditure had to be reduced. Therefore, many people in the palace were dismissed, such as Akino Palace, which has no master to serve, and the vacant palace Naturally bear the brunt.

Therefore, even though it is not possible to stage a Liaozhai after entering the palace gate, it is still bleak.

The Empress Dowager and the Eldest Princess frowned, but Xu Jiao wandered around with great interest, this Mingye Palace was the place where the Eldest Princess and Princess Huiming grew up.Although there seems to be no good scenery to enjoy in this season, coupled with the lack of management, there are still many crabapple fruits hanging on the two crabapple trees in the center of the yard, under the residual snow and wrapped in ice, they are still bright red , looks very cute.

When Xu Jiao was watching with great interest, a series of footsteps came slowly. A woman dressed as a palace maid came in front of the Queen Mother and the others, squatted down and performed a blessed ceremony, "The Empress Dowager, Your Highness the Eldest Princess, and Princess Yingyue. All right, everyone, please go this way, my wife has been waiting for you for a long time."

The faces of the Empress Dowager and the eldest princess suddenly became ugly due to the presence of people, Xu Jiao also raised his eyebrows, and his complexion changed subtly.They entered the palace gate for a long time and did not see anyone coming, but now someone did come, and it was Linggu, the personal attendant beside Princess Huiming...

Xu Jiao looked around and narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking that Princess Huiming would meet here.

Xu Jiao was stunned, the queen mother and the eldest princess naturally had concerns in their hearts, and followed Linggu into the main hall with dark faces, but there was no one in the hall, Linggu kept walking, and they had to follow behind her again, all the way Arrived at the side hall.

This time, there are people in the hall. A woman in a homely dress is leaning against the window, looking sideways out of the window, listening to the movement without turning her head, and she has no intention of saluting. She just said quietly, "These two begonias The tree is stronger than before, and I still treat it like no one to take care of it, I'm afraid it will die long ago, but I didn't expect this tree to be much more affectionate than people."

"I still remember that when I was young, I was always greedy for that crabapple fruit. I always thought that such a beautiful fruit must be very delicious. The palace people picked it for me. I tasted it but found it very astringent. It was not what I thought it tasted at all. So I thought that I must pick the ones myself to taste." Princess Huiming's voice was rare and soft because of being caught in memories.

"That's right! So, you dismissed the palace guards and climbed up the tree by yourself, but you slipped and fell directly from the top. Your elder sister just saw it, and reached out to catch you regardless... At that time you Seven years old, and your elder sister is only 11 years old, how can you catch it, you two fell to the ground together, and your elder sister broke an arm to protect you." The queen mother took the words and told the story plainly. In the later stories, it was only because of illness and weakness that the words were inevitably light and weak.

Princess Huiming never looked back, her eyes were still on the two crabapple plants, and the corners of her mouth even slightly curved up, showing a trace of a smile.

"Sister really treated me well. At that time, I thought that my father and queen mother treated me equally well. No, it should be better than my sister. After all, I was the one who hurt my sister, but my father Whether it's good or not, the mother doesn't matter, but there is no reprimand, just coaxing softly, but sister, was scolded, the mother blamed her for not taking good care of her younger sister, and the father said that she acted recklessly and inconsiderately, and punished her for hurting her. Later, I copied the military book... At that time, I was sad for my sister, thinking that the father, the queen and the queen were really biased. It was not until later, when I became a mother, that I realized that the father and the queen were partial, but it was not me. But it is also reasonable It should, after all, I am not my own."

Speaking of this, Princess Huiming finally turned her head and looked over. Although she still had a smile on her face, her eyes were cold. Now, take care of yourself." After she finished speaking, she walked slowly to the low couch under the window, pulled her skirt and sat down.

There was a tea set on the low table on the couch. While they were talking, the water simmering on the small stove was already boiling. She picked up the kettle and started to cook tea slowly, with an elegant and calm posture, surrounded by misty white smoke Among them, it became more and more cloudy and foggy, making it hard to see clearly.

After walking for such a long distance, and saying the words just now, the Empress Dowager's complexion is already very ugly, sweat is dripping on her forehead...

The eldest princess silently supported the queen mother to the low couch, and sat down opposite Princess Huiming.The eldest princess and Xu Jiao stood silently behind them.

The room suddenly fell silent, only the noise of Princess Huiming making tea could be heard, the Queen Mother narrowed her eyes slightly, looking at the woman in front of her through the curling white smoke.

Princess Huiming let her look at her, and her movements were still orderly. After the tea was cooked, she smiled and offered a cup to the Queen Mother, "I haven't cooked tea for many years, and I don't know if this skill has deteriorated. I cook tea with my own hands. The handicraft was taught by my father back then, and he was often praised at that time, my mother might as well try it, if it is still the taste in my memory."

The Queen Mother didn't drink that cup of tea, she didn't even look away, she was still firmly fixed on Princess Huiming's face, "What exactly do you want to say in today's appointment? Don't beat around the bush like this, let's talk straight! "

"The Queen Mother used to be excellent at raising Qi, but now she is getting impatient." Princess Huiming laughed softly.

"The Ai family is getting old. I don't know how long this breath will last. I really can't stand any delay." The Queen Mother replied in a deep voice, the silent power soaked in power for half a lifetime permeated every gesture.

"Since the queen mother has already said this, I won't make any more detours. Earlier, my master sent envoys to send a message. I don't know what the emperor's plan is. Tomorrow will be New Year's Eve." Princess Huiming still She is smiling slightly, but there is sharpness between the lines.

He actually came here to ask for an answer. Is this really a matter of etiquette first?Xu Jiao raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Is it possible that you and my wife can talk about important government affairs?" The Queen Mother frowned.

"After all, there is the former affection, the empress mother should try to persuade His Majesty, otherwise, I am really afraid that he will get into a dead end and harm me, and I will never recover." Princess Huiming said every word, but every word was like a knife. .

"Bold!" The queen mother's complexion changed, and she sternly reprimanded.

"I'm just being bold. Does the queen mother still expect me to be like that silly little lady in the past, and let you round and flatten me?" Princess Huiming finally suppressed her smile.

The Empress Dowager has been pampered and pampered for so many years, even if Emperor Xian disobeyed her, she would not dare to speak harshly like this, she couldn't stand it immediately, when her complexion changed, she began to cough, with wheezing in the coughing sound, which was very loud. is appalling.

The eldest princess hurried forward, patted the back of the queen mother, took out a porcelain bottle from the skirt, poured out a pill, fed it to the queen mother, and took the cup of tea for the queen mother to drink After two mouthfuls, he turned his head to look at Hui Ming and said, "Enough, Aning!"

Princess Huiming's eyes flickered slightly, and her tone eased, but she didn't stop there, "Mother, with all due respect, what I said above is the best choice for you. , I'm afraid that both sides will be hurt, so why bother?"

"You don't need to say it so nicely. The Ai family and the first emperor raised you. They never thought that they raised a wolf, and they would kill the person who raised it! Your Meng family is a loyal family. How can you come out?" An unfaithful and unrighteous thief like you?" The queen mother gritted her teeth, these words were not insignificant, every word was full of hatred.

Princess Huiming sneered, "Loyalty depends on whether it is worth it or not. Loyalty depends on who you are loyal to. I am afraid that the empress mother will say that the secret order of the first emperor was forged and framed? Such a disgraceful thing, the first emperor naturally I dare not tell the empress mother, but the empress mother has been in the palace for many years, she is used to intrigue, and she is also the person next to the late emperor's pillow. I don't believe that there are some things that the empress mother can't guess. The empress mother is just pretending to be stupid, just like before. I have been missing for three years, and he has been secretly looking for my whereabouts. The emperor paid off, and finally found me, and the queen mother really believed it. Didn't the mother think about what happened to me in those three years, and took it seriously I don’t know how my father treats me? My mother, if I were a sister, would my father be willing to treat me like that? And my mother, is she willing to pretend to be stupid and ignore me?” Princess Huiming’s calm Finally being torn apart, his eyes were red and he stared at the queen mother, his canthus was about to burst.When she finished speaking, the tears in her eyes rolled down as if she was overwhelmed.

"What do you mean? What are you talking about?" The Eldest Princess looked at Princess Huiming who was wiping her tears, and then looked at the Empress Dowager who looked suddenly tired.

Xu Jiao's heart trembled slightly, three years...the three years of disappearance, could it be...she suddenly raised her eyes to look at Princess Huiming.

Wherever she looked, Princess Huiming sneered, "It seems that the father and mother really kept my sister a secret, and they didn't want her to find out that the parents she respected were the ones in this world. The most hypocritical person? You have done all the evil things, but you still want to keep a good name, why?"

"A-Ning!" The eldest princess raised her voice and yelled, seeing that the disapproval on Princess Huiming's face was no longer hidden.

Princess Huiming turned her head to look at the eldest princess, her beautiful eyes were soaked with tears, she glanced at Xu Jiao behind the eldest princess, then looked at the eldest princess again, and said with a smile, "I know sister's temperament, I’m afraid that the last thing you want to do is to be that foolish person, since they kept you in the dark, today I will let you see clearly who is right and who is wrong.”

"A-Ning!" This time the person who called Princess Huiming became the Queen Mother, she looked at Princess Huiming with a pale face and unspeakable pleading in her eyes.

However, it was this look that made the eldest princess shrink back. She turned her head, looked at Princess Huiming with burning eyes, and said, "Queen, let her talk! I want to see what she can say."

Princess Huiming looked at her, and pulled the corners of her lips, "It seems that sister really has confidence in the father, and even the iron-clad secret order is just regarded as my random fabrication?"

The eldest princess did not speak, but the corners of her mouth were tightened, and her calm eyes did not show any waves. Xu Jiao knew that the eldest princess really respected her father, but just... glanced at Princess Huiming, she Sighing quietly in his heart, as an insider who knew something about what the late emperor did, Xu Jiao was really afraid that the eldest princess' world view would collapse in a short while.

"Sister, do you still remember that year when I went back to my hometown to worship my ancestors, I disappeared on the way. I heard that sister made a special trip to search for me, but there was no clue at all. Did the emperor tell my sister, for my sake? For the sake of your reputation, don’t make it public, so you don’t let people look for it openly, but send people to look for it secretly, right?”

The eldest princess was in a trance for a moment, and without speaking, Xu Jiao knew that this was indeed the truth.

"Sister, do you really think that our good father sent someone to look for me secretly?" The ridicule in Princess Huiming's smile almost overflowed, "He didn't look for me at all, because I didn't lose it at all, and it was us at all. It was discussed early in the morning. How much I admired him at that time, how much I trusted him, and regarded him as my biological father. When he told me how my parents were plotted and slaughtered by the Jie tribe, he was in my heart So a fire of revenge was planted. I was raised by him and his mother. He knew my temperament very well. Under his deliberate induction, I hated the Jie people. For this reason, I have been since I was ten years old. I entered Wenlou to study arts, so that one day I could avenge my parents' blood. And I left at that time because my father felt that the time had come."

"At that time, Mo Chuo Chuluo subdued most of the tribes in the grassland, established Beijie, and became a Great Khan. He was ambitious, and his intention to get involved in the Central Plains was obvious. According to the father's plan, I want to Lurking beside Mo Chuoluo, getting information for him, and when the time is right, severely injuring the Beijia army, that can be regarded as revenge for my parents. Whether it is to avenge my parents or to help my father, at that time, I , really has no hesitation, what the father said, it is what it is."

"I'm about to set off, but my father told me that I am too simple, my likes and dislikes are written on my face, I am afraid that it will not be easy to deceive the scheming Mo Chuochuluo. Therefore, my father thought of a good one for me. a surefire solution."

Speaking of this, Princess Huiming paused for a moment, and let out a sneer, but her eyes were full of desolation and resentment, which almost turned into substance, bursting out of her eyes.

"Sister knows, what kind of method is that?"

The eldest princess did not speak, Xu Jiao noticed that most of the blood on her face had faded at some point, but the hand hanging by her side, hidden in the wide sleeve, was quietly clenched into a fist, the knuckles turned white, Still trembling uncontrollably.

"What about the queen mother? The queen mother and the emperor father have been husband and wife for half a lifetime. Maybe you can guess what he has planned for me?" Princess Huiming looked at the queen mother again and asked, her mouth was smiling, but her eyes were dark. It was cold, as if the remaining snow outside the house hadn't completely melted at this time, revealing a gloomy coldness.

Whether it is the queen mother or the eldest princess, I am afraid that one is really ignorant of this matter, and the other, although she knows some, does not know everything. After hearing all these things, her expression is dazed, and she looks at Princess Huiming blankly. , and no one spoke.

"You don't speak, I don't know if you didn't guess it, or you vaguely guessed it, but you dare not say it."

(End of this chapter)