That year, that cicada, that sword

Chapter 614

Outside the hall, the sword energy soared to the sky, and the sword intent was majestic.

In the hall, only the mother and daughter were left, and the atmosphere between the two was delicate, and there was even some imperceptible embarrassment.

Everyone knows that the Empress Dowager and Her Royal Highness have been at odds for a long time. Some people say that because of the power struggle, the peony should have been held by the Empress Dowager. Empress Xu directly passed it on to her granddaughter Xiao Zhinan. Even when Xiao Zhinan was young, the eldest princess Xiao Yuyi was in charge of Peony, so the power struggle between mother and daughter is not entirely groundless.

Since ancient times, the Tian family has no relatives. I don't know how many fathers and sons have jealousy, fight, and even kill each other because of the word "Quan". It seems that it is not surprising that this is the case between mother and daughter.

Of course, this is just the wishful thinking of outsiders. As for whether it is because of this, only the two parties involved can understand it in their hearts.

Empress Xu slowly got up from the phoenix seat, looked at the vast wind and snow outside the hall, and said, "Zhinan, we mother and daughter haven't talked properly together for some years."

Xiao Zhinan hummed lightly.

Empress Xu turned her head and looked at this face that was very much like her mother-in-law. She felt annoyed for no reason. After taking a deep breath to suppress the anger, she said: "Although you are my mother-in-law My biological daughter, but I have been quite indifferent to you these years, do you know the reason?"

Xiao Zhinan hesitated for a moment, and said: "My daughter has heard about it, it seems that it is because I resemble the emperor's grandmother."

"The empress dowager." Empress Xu's face was covered with a layer of gloom, "If I hate you just because you resemble the empress dowager, will your majesty just let it go?"

Xiao Zhinan's expression was calm, and he couldn't see the meaning of sadness or joy, "Then why does the mother dislike her daughter?"

Empress Xu didn't answer, but asked instead: "You are in charge of Peony, so you should know about the accident in the first year of Taiping, right?"

Xiao Zhinan followed his mother's line of sight to look at the boundless wind and snow outside the door, nodded and said: "Of course I know, many people died in that temple accident, Kangle Gong Xie Chaozong died, the left governor of the Dark Guard Mansion Tang Chunyu died, and the Minister of the Ministry of War died. Zhang Haijiu, Minister of the Household Department Li Chen, Minister of the Ministry of Rites Zhou Jingchao, Commander-in-Chief of the Five Cities Army and Horse Commander Zhang Wubing were relegated, the first three died of illness one after another, and finally only Zhang Wubing survived."

Xiao Zhinan paused for a moment, then continued: "Also, my uncle also died of illness in the first year of Taiping."

"Death?" Empress Xu sneered, and said sarcastically, "You also believe that he died of illness?"

Xu Beiyou shook his head and said, "My daughter doesn't believe it, but there is no other record in Peony."

Empress Xu sneered softly and said, "That's right. At that time, Mudan still obeyed the orders of the Empress Dowager, so how dare she leave a few words to give others a handle."

Xiao Zhinan was entangled with his hands and fingers covered under the big sleeves, and muttered to himself: "I have never seen what kind of person uncle is, but I have only heard a thing or two from other people, and there are many praises for him. Knowledgeable, gentle and frugal, courteous corporal, has the style of ancient sages. I have never seen what kind of person the emperor's grandmother is, and I have heard it from others. The first emperor, some people said that she was arbitrarily jealous, took power in the imperial court as a woman, carried out acts of chaos, supported her relatives, and slaughtered loyal and good people."

Empress Xu stretched out her hand to support the back of Fengzuo's chair, and snorted softly: "Just now you said that many people died in the accident in the first year of Taiping, but you know that nine out of ten of those people died at the hands of the Empress Dowager, There is nothing wrong with this sentence of slaughtering Zhongliang, the king of the grassland is in great difficulty to control, and his schemes are not right, and there is nothing wrong with the sentence of supporting his relatives."

Xiao Zhinan frowned, and asked back: "The queen mother said that the emperor's grandmother killed my uncle?"

Empress Xu said coldly: "I didn't say that, but the reason why your uncle died is indeed inseparable from the Empress Dowager, if she hadn't repeatedly persecuted her, why would your uncle have chosen to leave the imperial capital and return to the central capital at that time? As a result, he was poisoned halfway."

Xiao Zhinan stroked his face lightly, and said, "It's because of this reason that my mother doesn't like me."

Empress Xu said calmly: "When you were young, you didn't feel that much, but when you grow up, every time I see you, I will think of the Empress Dowager."

She shook her body slightly, with complicated eyes, the mother of a country murmured to herself: "I married your father and emperor as a princess when I was 16 years old. What's the difference between a blind marriage and a dumb marriage?" I said, this marriage was arranged by the first emperor, and the empress dowager took a fancy to a girl from another family, so the empress dowager has always disliked me. If I am not careful, I will be blamed, and who can I tell, I don’t know how I survived for 20 years.”

Xiao Zhinan remained silent.

She was favored by her father since she was a child, and those cumbersome rules that have tortured her mother for many years are useless to her. It is naturally difficult to empathize with the pain of knocking out a tooth but only swallowing it mixed with blood.

Empress Xu let out a breath, and said with a bleak smile: "Until now, I still often dream about the Empress Dowager, and then wake up from the dream, my whole back is soaked."

Xiao Zhinan smiled wryly and was speechless.

She never knew that the queen mother would be so afraid of the imperial grandmother.

The empress dowager who looks very similar to Her Royal Highness has almost become the empress's nightmare, no wonder she is so cold and alienated from her own daughter.

Xiao Zhinan asked softly: "Then what about sister-in-law, she has changed from Princess Qi to Crown Princess, and will soon leave Qizhou to the imperial capital, will the queen mother treat sister-in-law like the emperor's grandmother treated you back then?"

Empress Xu didn't speak.

Xiao Zhinan said quietly: "There is also the matter of returning to the south. I don't know what the two of you said in Feishuang Hall that day, but he never stepped into the hall from the beginning to the end, and has been guarding the door. Has the mother ever thought about it? Since Nan Gui is the adopted son of Elder Han Ge, why did he take the surname Xu instead of Han? My father married me to Nan Gui, so he probably didn't want to make up for it..."

Empress Xu suddenly interrupted her and said, "Xu Beiyou has nothing to do with the Xu family. The Xu family only has one Xu Yi. Xu Cheng died as early as the first year of Taiping."

"Why?" Xiao Zhinan asked, "Why can't he be uncle's youngest son Xu Cheng?"

Empress Xu was silent, and after a long time she slowly said: "Do you think Han Xuan is a good person? Back then, the Empress Dowager suppressed your uncle with all her strength, did he ever say a word? Was it because he was afraid of offending the Empress Dowager because of this matter, and at the same time I am also happy to see that there is one less person who competes with him, but in the end Han Xuan was dismissed from office by the queen mother. Do you want to be a good person? Just want to get involved with our Xu family, and then try to seize the throne of Xihe County King? It's a big joke in the world."

Xiao Zhinan took a step back and looked at his mother with a complicated expression, not knowing what to say.

Empress Xu said coldly: "This father and son are extremely despicable."

Xiao Zhinan sadly said: "He is my husband, and now he is beating to death with those rebellious officials and thieves outside the hall, but the mother looks at him like this. If he knows, what should he think? How does the mother let the daughter deal with herself?"

Empress Xu looked indifferent.

(End of this chapter)