Empress Jiahe took out the letter, unfolded the letter and looked down, the angry expression on her face eased.

The contents of the letter made her happy, and even a smile appeared on her lips.

Her heart finally became at ease.

The seventeenth prince raised his eyes tremblingly, glanced at his mother, and finally asked timidly, "Mother, is this grandfather's letter?"

Empress Jiahe was already in a happy mood, she summoned the maids to offer the candlesticks and burned the letter.

Looking at the flames burning on the letter paper, she said to the seventeenth prince unhurriedly, "This letter was sent by General Xi."

Some people in Huaizhou, which is located on the southern border, rebelled with foreigners. Two months ago, Emperor Zhaowu sent Xi Zimo, who was stationed in the south, to lead his troops to suppress it.

The seventeenth prince's eyes lit up when he heard the words, "Is the war settled?"

Jiahe Queen shook her head.

The seventeenth prince was stunned in surprise. He looked at Empress Jiahe and smiled happily, thinking that the war was settled...

Xi Zimo's father used to be a henchman of his grandfather. This time, there were less than 1,000 rebels. Xi Zimo brought nearly 10,000 soldiers to fight. ?

Queen Jiahe lowered her voice, "Xi Zimo first sent a letter to Ben Gong and your grandfather, asking us to help him find a solution."

The seventeenth prince stood upright, looking like he was thinking carefully.

When Empress Jiahe saw that he was seriously thinking about it, she was amused, and she tapped his forehead with her finger, "The way General Xi wants is not the way to win the battle."

"Then you want the Queen Mother to help send someone there to treat and save people?" The Seventeenth Prince asked.

The letter has been burned.

Empress Jiahe brushed off the ashes on her golden finger-guard, answered nonchalantly, and said unhurriedly: "Xi Zimo first sent a letter to Ben Gong and your grandfather, Huaizhou and Jinling are far apart, and your father and emperor don't care much. The barbarians who invaded in Huaizhou paid attention to the news and did not pay too much attention to the news there. Now only we know what the situation is in Beijing. Xi Zimo will listen to our arrangements and send a letter to your father in a few days. ."

Rong Ting was able to move a little of their power in Beijing, but those few people were just a few pawns, even if they were broken, it wouldn't affect the overall situation.

The foundation that the Xu family has built for decades is deeply entrenched, how could he be able to destroy it in a moment?

Jia and the Empress took the reassurance pill, and An Yi said: "In Huaizhou, the people who raise troops are not terrible, they are just dogs that make trouble. After a few fights, they will be honest. What is terrible is the epidemic that gradually spreads. Since it is an epidemic, now Huaizhou is Over there, whoever goes whoever dies, this is an opportunity that God gave to Ben Gong."

As if the seventeenth prince was awakened, he suddenly returned to his senses, "The mother's meaning is, let General Xi ask for an order to move the rescue soldiers, and find a way to tell the ninth brother to go there?"

Empress Jiahe was finally satisfied, and nodded towards the seventeenth prince, her smiling face showing a bit of sinisterness, "Even if the epidemic can't take his life, it's General Xi."

...

The seventeenth prince took a deep breath. He was instinctively afraid of the disease that could kill people.

If the mother arranges this way, she will miss the opportunity to save people.

But if Rong Ting can be brought down...

The seventeenth prince lowered his head, "Mother, you are right."

He went into the inner room and moved the ink set, and went to the Empress Jiahe. "Then reply to General Xi and ask him to send the letter to the father as soon as possible."

Seeing that her son knew her intentions, Empress Jiahe laughed softly, but stopped him, "It won't be too late to write a letter until the palace banquet is over."

She instructed slowly, "You have to remember that when your royal father finds out about this, you must feel pity for those soldiers who died of illness, and persuade your father to pursue and seal the dead soldiers."

The seventeenth prince nodded and put down the wolf pen.

Empress Jiahe gently touched his head, "Why do you want to come to today's flower viewing banquet?"

"I heard that the father will come, I want to see the father."

Queen Jiahe was overjoyed.

If the son can take the initiative to show his mind in front of his father, it will be better.

After she finished dressing, she took the chariot and took the seventeenth prince to see Emperor Zhaowu.

At the palace banquet in the palace, if Emperor Zhaowu wants to appear, he must be accompanied by the emperor and the empress.

Even if Emperor Zhaowu hurts Qin Yun again, he will still be polite, and he will not let the concubine spoil the queen's face.

Only at this time, Jiahe Queen Fang Jue raised her eyebrows.

She looked at the seventeenth prince, and her thoughts about the future were all tied to him.

Now that her queen's seat has been firmly established, as long as her son is good enough, she will be the most honorable woman in the Da Zhao for the rest of her life.

Even if the son doesn't live up to his expectations, that's fine.

She has her own way to help him get the throne.

She will pull out all the roadblocks one by one, even at the expense of some innocent people.

Queen Jiahe closed her eyes and fell asleep.

The seventeenth prince carefully glanced at Empress Jiahe, and when she finally stopped looking at him, his shoulders slumped as if he was discouraged.

Because of what Empress Jiahe said, he was a little excited that Rong Ting would be sent to Huaizhou, but he was uneasy, afraid that Rong Ting would come back alive in exchange.

He should have died in Yecheng.

But with General Xi...

No matter how big his life is, he can't come back alive.

The seventeenth prince made up his mind and accompanied Empress Jiahe to meet Emperor Zhaowu.

After leaving the Golden Palace, he walked towards Changyi Garden.

The palace banquet was held at Changyiyuan.

The eunuch behind him kept up with every step, and it was quite difficult.

He was panting behind the seventeenth prince, and asked strangely, "Who is your Highness in a hurry to meet?"

The seventeenth prince slowed down when he heard the words, he shook his head and said, "No."

The hair on his forehead was blown by the breeze, revealing a somewhat tired brow.

He was born more like the Xu family, only a pair of eyes were different.

It's not that the shape is different, it's just that the look in the eyes is different, and it looks different.

He was very young, but his eyes were not full of energy, and he was not even comparable to his grandfather, who was in his sixtieth year. His eyes were supposed to be clear, but he was full of tiredness.

When the eunuch saw that the Seventeenth Prince was going to Changyiyuan, his expression became anxious.

He was the one who Queen Jiahe arranged to be by the seventeenth prince's side to prevent him from causing trouble and to remind him of everything.

He chased the Seventeenth Prince and reminded: "Your Highness, although the Empress didn't ask for it later, she didn't want to invite you to the banquet after all. You listen to the servants and go back to the academy, lest the Empress will blame you in the future."

The seventeenth prince turned back and gave him a vicious look, "I know it."

It seems that he was dissatisfied with the discipline of the accompanying eunuchs. After the seventeenth prince finished, he scolded him in a low voice, "dog slave".

Although his voice was low, he called the accompanying too much monitor.

His face was embarrassed for a moment, he dared not speak his anger, and he felt a wicked anger in his heart. Seeing the seventeenth prince turned around and turned towards his back, he spat in his heart.

In front of the queen and the emperor, he was a coward who dared not speak easily, but he was able to show his prestige in front of the servants.

He was wronged by the master and felt angry in his heart. He didn't dare to show his face, but secretly thought that when he returned to Queen Jiahe, he said that the seventeenth prince was in a hurry to run to the banquet and was too interested in having fun. Queen Jiahe could not avoid it. I have to teach the seventeenth prince a lesson again, and I can breathe a sigh of relief for myself.

The seventeenth prince went to Changyiyuan.

The laughter and laughter that he could hear in his ears became clearer and clearer, and his eyes seemed more and more lonely.

There are separate seats for men and women, and when he passed the East Courtyard where the female family members were, he paused.

Looking over the hanging flower door, he glanced in and found the person he wanted to see, with a bit of sourness in his eyes.

At the same time, he caught a glimpse of the eunuch who had been behind him staring at him.

So his eyes fell into it for a moment, and then he retracted it like a dragonfly.

The seventeenth prince hid all his emotions, his face sank in displeasure, and hurried to Xiyuan.

...

Jiang Raocha raised her eyes and glanced out at this time. Except for the palace maid who occasionally passed by, there was no other figure outside the door. She took her eyes back and looked to her side.

Beside her, besides Hu Tang, Hu Li was also there.

The two sisters have a natural tacit understanding, so that they can easily make each other laugh.

Hu Li was not as bright and lively as her younger sister. After she promised her, she dressed up a lot. When she mentioned her sweetheart, her face was shy, and she would use a fan to cover her face when she smiled. Jiang Rao looked at her like this, it is hard to imagine. What she looked like when she first saw her and Hu Tang.

Hu Tang was still the same in the past and now, sharing the table with other noble ladies, still not good at waving his hair, just a simple bunch.

Ignoring some of the unpleasant words around her talking about her, she sat next to Jiang Rao, laughed so hard, and fell directly on Jiang Rao.

The fan used to cover my face has long since been thrown away.

Jiang Rao didn't understand why they laughed so hard, but from time to time they picked up Hutang who was laughing back and forth in front of her sister, lest she fall.

Palace maids file in and serve dishes. During the autumn harvest season, there are many delicacies and seasonal fresh fruits, which can make one’s appetite open at a glance.

Jiang Rao has always been cautious, and doesn't like to eat too much outside. One by one, he peeled pomegranates to play and piled them on the porcelain plate in front of him.

Seeing that she didn't eat much, Hutang thought she was in a bad mood, and thought she was talking with Huli, which made Jiang Rao feel cold, so she hurriedly peeled a pomegranate and handed it to Jiang Rao, looking at it as if to please, "Nian Nian why do not you talk?"

Jiang Rao's eyes were looking outward, and after hearing Hutang's voice, she came back to her senses, took the small handful of pomegranate seeds, and the seeds were red, she smiled, "I'm looking at today's palace banquet. Come on, Xie Xi is not here."

Hutang is rough and careless, rarely caring about others. After hearing what Jiang Rao said, he looked around and said in surprise, "It's really not there."

Hu Li came closer and said, "Xie Xi is not in good health. It's autumn recently, and the weather is getting colder. There are many people in the capital who have caught the cold. Maybe she has caught the cold, so it's inconvenient for her to go to the banquet."

"More than once." Jiang Rao shook his head, "Xie Xi never came."

Naturally, she wouldn't make a fuss because Xie Xi didn't come back.

In the past six months, every time she has the opportunity to attend a banquet, she will look for Xie Xi's figure. At other banquets, she had seen Xie Xi and Princess Xiang several times, and at the royal banquet in the palace, but never saw them.

Ming Ming Princess Xiang and Queen Jiahe are direct sisters, so close to each other, they will not forget to send invitations to Xiang Wangfu.

There was a sudden chill on her body, she looked up and saw that Empress Jiahe was sitting at the table at this moment, and when she passed by, she glanced at her.

Even if she was discovered, Empress Jiahe did not avoid her eyes.

Instead, he smiled at her, and then looked away.

Queen Jiahe's lip color painted with Dan Kou was more red than the pomegranate in her hand, like blood like the setting sun, Jiang Rao looked at it, and felt as if a needle had fallen in her heart, she always felt that Queen Jiahe's eyes were a little bit Not right.

The smile is too full, with a hint of pride, and pity and sympathy for her.

That kind of pity and sympathy from the top.

This made Jiang Rao suddenly uneasy.

After Empress Jiahe was seated, she never looked in her direction again. Jiang Rao's uneasiness in her heart still couldn't be smoothed away. Hu Li glanced at Jiang Rao, saw her face sullen, and said with a slight smile: " Isn't it just a few dozen days every year to leave the cabinet? Why do you look so unhappy?"

Hu Tang and Jiang Rao got close, and Hu Li naturally took extra care of Jiang Rao.

Jiang Rao glanced at Empress Jiahe, who was at the top. She couldn't speak ill of Empress Jiahe in front of her face in such a crowded place, shaking her head and saying it was okay.

Hu Tang has already come over, his eyes are fierce, "His Royal Highness is bullying you?"

Jiang Rao laughed, "No."

After returning to Ning Anbo's mansion, the female officer of the ready-to-wear bureau held the ready-made wedding lining and waited in her courtyard, asking her to try it out to see if it fit.

Jiang Rao's expectations for beautiful wedding dresses are even greater than that at that wedding. She always likes to dress nicely and neatly. She has few opportunities to wear wedding dresses in her life. She is curious about what her wedding dresses look like, and she wants to get married early. One day comes.

When the female official was measuring her size, Jiang Rao asked quietly, "Has my aunt ever seen my wedding dress?"

"I have seen."

"Does it look good?" Jiang Rao blinked, looking very curious.

The female official laughed, "Girl, you have to ask me every time I come back, aren't you tired?"

"The wedding dress can only be seen the night before the wedding date at the earliest, otherwise it will ruin the luck." The female official put down the ruler in her hand, "You are born beautiful, and you look good in everything you wear."

It seems that there is nothing to say.

Jiang Rao pursed her lips, and the female official said with a smile, "The divorce period is only two days away, girl, please spend more time with your parents, otherwise, in a blink of an eye, your days in the boudoir will be gone."

Jiang Rao laughed and asked the maid to give the female officer a handful of golden leaves, "I know, thank you aunt for the suggestion."

After Jiang Xingzhou assumed the title, he became more and more busy.

Jiang Qin's is a little more relaxed than him, but it is not leisurely, and the burden of the central feeder is all on her shoulders.

Jiang Rao couldn't help anything in the officialdom, so he helped Jiang Qin's rationale.

But she is willing to help, but Jiang Qin is reluctant to keep her daughter busy. In her opinion, in the future, when her daughter becomes a parent, she will be in charge of the central feeder a lot, and she will not have to do any work at home. The lazy girl is fine, making Jiang Rao both funny and sad. It was only at this moment that she became a pro, and many things were really different.

It was because she and Rong Ting knew what this marriage was all about, and others would regard them as a serious couple, and she would no longer be able to live in Ning An Bo Mansion for a long time.

Jiang Rao suddenly remembered the way Queen Jiahe looked at her at the banquet.

The thorn on the apex of the heart still hasn't been pulled out, and still feel uncomfortable when think about it.

The discomfort finally subsided after half a month.

Half a month later, Xi Zimo's letter was sent to Emperor Zhaowu.

He asked the court to send troops to support him, and Emperor Zhaowu agreed to various requests in Xizi's letter, and Rong Ting led the troops to Huaizhou with provisions.

On the day of the decree, Emperor Zhaowu invited Jiang Xingzhou into the palace.

Huaizhou and Jinling were thousands of miles apart, and even if they traveled overnight, four or five horses would not be able to reach them. When Rong Ting left, the wedding would definitely be delayed.

It is naturally good for Jiang Xingzhou that her daughter can stay at home for a few more days.

But he also knew that if Jiang Rao knew the news, she would be so anxious to tell her that her wedding would be delayed, how sad she would be.

He looked at Emperor Zhaowu, frowned slightly, "Can't we send troops from other places?"

"The cableway in Huaizhou was washed away by the rain, which caused a lot of trouble for the transportation of grain and grass. It is most suitable for Ting'er to handle this matter. The queen also helped me to find a high-ranking person and made a fortune. My arrangement is to obey God's will. "Emperor Zhaowu felt a little ashamed, "This time, I have wronged your Ning'an Household, and I will make up for your daughter's 100-dollar betrothal gift."

Jiang Xingzhou didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He prepared more than a hundred dowries for his daughter, but it was too small, how could he covet such a dowry?

He glanced at Emperor Zhaowu, and felt that he could not see through Emperor Zhaowu's mind.

People who have been on the throne for so many years, how can it be so easy for others to see the joy and anger in their hearts clearly.

Jiang Xingzhou stood up helplessly, and Xie En took the order.

He often went in and out of the palace to paint, knowing that Emperor Zhaowu seemed to be gentle and generous, with a gentle style, but he was full of arrogance and arrogance in his bones.

But he had never seen Emperor Zhaowu hear and believe in these strange and chaotic things, and he felt that the emperor's heart was unpredictable.

Jiang Xingzhou was led out of the palace by the palace servants, thinking as he walked, how to tell Jiang Rao the news.

Replacing is tricky.

He has beaten mandarin ducks many times, and this time, no matter how good his daughter is, I am afraid that he will have to play with him and annoy his old father.

Jiang Xingzhou stopped and looked at the wisps of clouds above his head.

He pursed his lips, and confirmed in his heart that there was a more suitable candidate than him.

After Jiang Xingzhou left, Emperor Zhaowu drove to Jinxiu Palace.

He usually only stays with Queen Jiahe on the 15th, 16th, or 2nd day of every month, and he never stays there much.

Recently, she often took the initiative to find Queen Jiahe.

Empress Jiahe counted the days. This month, Emperor Zhaowu spent more days with her than with Qin Yun. While she was flattered, she became faintly complacent.

In the past, Qin Yun stole her limelight, but now she has the phoenix seal in her hand and the favor of Emperor Zhaowu, which makes her much stronger than Qin Yun.

After extinguishing the candle, the queen looked at the man lying beside her across the night.

She was boneless and leaned towards his shoulder softly, just as she was about to softly call out "Your Majesty", Emperor Zhaowu turned over and turned his back towards her.

The queen's face darkened.

Although Emperor Zhaowu stayed with her, he had no intention of getting close to her.

She frowned and lay down too, gritting her teeth angrily.

Although he was a little angry, the annoyance in his heart quickly dissipated when he heard the sound of breathing beside him.

As long as Emperor Zhaowu is willing to come to her often, even if he doesn't get close to her, it can always show that he is tired of Qin Yun.

She is the only head of the Six Palaces and the most favored concubine of Emperor Zhaowu. In the future, the crown prince will only be in the hands of her son.

She slowly closed her eyes, ignoring that the eyes of the man sleeping beside her were always open, and the light in his eyes was as cold as water, so cold that if anyone saw it, he would definitely feel shocked.

...

During breakfast, Jiang Xingzhou told Jiang Rao that she had to enter the palace to see Concubine Yun today.

Jiang Rao still didn't know what was going on, but a sudden movement in his heart made him think carefully.

If you can enter the palace and go to the Shangyi Bureau in the name of my aunt, maybe

Got a chance to see her wedding dress.

Jiang Rao was very excited, and went away happily. When she arrived at Shuxiang Palace, Concubine Yun stepped forward and took her hand.

Yun Guifei thought about what she was going to say to Jiang Rao for a while, and her palms became cold.

Jiang Rao was not surprised by this intimacy, and gently shook the hand of Concubine Yun, "Auntie, is there any way you can ask the maid to get my wedding dress from the Shangyi Bureau? I want to take a look."

"Just a glance, it's not a broken rule." Jiang Rao emphasized.

The little girl's carefree action made Concubine Yun feel annoyed, Jiang Xingzhou threw her a hot yam, but she bit the bullet and said to Jiang Rao: "Yearnian, your marriage, I'm afraid it won't be on schedule..."

Jiang Rao was stunned for a moment.

"Why?" she asked.

"Huaizhou was invaded by barbarians, and General Xi led troops to suppress it, but an epidemic broke out there. The emperor... asked the ninth prince to lead troops to support."

Jiang Rao's face suddenly turned pale, "I don't want to."

Concubine Yun Gui spoiled her and followed her in every way.

But she couldn't change the imperial decree, so she could only persuade Jiang Rao, "The wedding date is just moved back, and when he comes back, you will be married again. Don't worry, if you want to see the wedding dress, I will find someone here. Bring you the wedding dress, okay?"

"I'm not worried about marriage." Jiang Rao frowned, "I don't want to look at the wedding dress anymore."

An inexplicable panic crept into her heart, causing her pale face to not return to blood, and the color of her delicate lips even paled, "In Huaizhou, there is something wrong with the epidemic, and he is not a doctor, I am afraid of him. This time, it is to die."

Her fingers clenched inadvertently, panicking to death.

When Yun Guifei saw that she was in a hurry, she was also in a hurry.

"I'll help you find the emperor", this sentence just reached her mouth, but she swallowed it again.

Emperor Zhaowu often accompanied the queen during this time, so he left her in the cold.

She could feel the man's neglect of her, but unfortunately she couldn't think of the reason. She tried to return to Emperor Zhaowu several times to be courteous, but she didn't win the man's heart back.

She quit.

Emperor Gou loves whoever loves him, as long as he doesn't treat the Qin family badly because he doesn't like her, even if he is banished to the cold palace, she will be happy and lighthearted.

But at this moment, couldn't find a place for niece, so felt powerless.

If knew it earlier, would fight for more favors.

"Is there no way to change it?"

Concubine Yun Gui shook her head, "The imperial decree has been issued."

The rhythm of Jiang Rao's breathing was messed up. Before entering the palace, she wanted to see the joy of the wedding dress.

In a happy mood, I was smashed by this sudden bad news, "Why is it him?"

"General Xi asked His Highness the Ninth Highness to go to Huaizhou to repair the plank road. If he refuses in person...he can't refuse, General Xi's letter only leaves him a way, either lead his troops to go there, or he can only be regarded as a The only person who is greedy for life and afraid of death. In exchange, the queen went to the temple to find someone to make a fortune, Huaizhou is the only way, and the ninth highness must go. Every year, don’t think too much, just stay in Jinling and wait for him to come back.”

Jiang Rao's heart dropped like a stone, and it became more and more heavy.

She recalled the look that Empress Jiahe gave her.

There was a smile on his lips, and the corners of his brows and eyes were all high above, with thorns of sympathy and pity.

Jiang Rao was finally annoyed by being stabbed, and her beautiful face sank in anger.