Hibiscus Tent: The Prime Minister’s palm is reborn

We rode non-stop all the way and finally returned to Nancheng Palace before it was locked.

They did not go through the Lutian Gate, but chose the Hualin East Gate.

Enter the East Gate of Hualin, walk through Hualin Garden, and pass the Cold Palace to return to the harem.

Although the route is really roundabout, it is not easy to be noticed and it can also avoid the Shangshu Terrace, so it is worth the trouble.

This place is already secluded, and with the snow falling, it seems even quieter.

Suddenly, the sound of horses neighing was heard. The imperial guards on duty were surprised. When the person came closer, they took a closer look and found that it was Chunyu Zuowei.

It was unexpected, yet reasonable. I thought he was here for inspection.

Before he could call out "Sir", he turned around and saw that it was a woman following closely behind him. He was stunned for a moment, because although she looked familiar, he could not remember where he had seen her before.

"grown ups."

The imperial guards saluted respectfully and looked at Liang Qian's face without disguising their gaze.

Chun Yubei understood everything and thought that the woman was a palace maid who was sent out of the palace to do some official business by the Queen Mother.

Liang Qian cooperated very well and took out the pass token.

After the inspection, the imperial guards questioned the man carefully for a few more times. Seeing that the man had a neither humble nor arrogant attitude and could answer all questions about the affairs in the Hanguang Palace fluently, they let him go.

Liang Qian saw this and was very satisfied.

She definitely didn't want to see these imperial guards turning a blind eye and letting suspicious people pass just to please their superiors.

When the palace gate was no longer visible behind him, Liang Qian looked ahead and said calmly, "This man could be of use."

Chun Yubei was slightly surprised and couldn't help but observe the expression on her face.

Since leaving the village, Liang Qian has never spoken a word to him again.

She didn't say anything, and he kept silent too. He just followed her on horseback and only glanced at her occasionally.

Although he didn't know what the two of them talked about in private, judging from the fact that Yuwen Jue gave him freedom before leaving, it was clear that he should only obey her from now on.

Besides, there seemed something wrong with the way they parted.

He had known her for quite some time, but he had never seen her like this before. She was like a frozen lake, without a trace of life.

"Okay, I'll see if there's any vacancies later and let him fill them."

Chunyu Bei responded with his mouth, but his eyes were fixed on the person, and he said casually: "There is something I haven't had time to tell you. From now on, I will only receive this salary."

Liang Qian paused, turned her head to look at him, surprise flashing in her eyes.

Chun Yubei met her gaze calmly and sighed: "Didn't you ask for it? You just don't trust him?"

The winter Hualin Garden was silent. Liang Qian was silent for a moment, then looked up and smiled at him: "Yes, I don't trust him."

This smile is really ugly.

Chun Yubei frowned. He didn't expect that they would be unhappy because of this matter, but he felt something was wrong. He didn't bother to think about it and just said, "I am willing to be loyal to him because - in short, I have my own reasons, and I asked to hide it from you. As for him sending me here, it is definitely not to monitor you. You should also know -"

"unimportant."

Liang Qian interrupted.

"It doesn't matter now."

She knew that Chunyu Bei had misunderstood, but she didn't want to explain any further.

She just walked forward after she finished speaking.

If we delay any longer, it will be dark.

Liang Qian rubbed her cold hands and covered her almost frozen face with them.

Yuwen Jue asked her why she would rather go with Gao Qian than trust him and stay with him?

Gao Qian had also asked her this question in the inn in Linchuan.

Her words sounded so reasonable.

But he just stared at her quietly for a while, then laughed with a mocking look in his eyes.

She gritted her teeth and glared at him, but he still just smiled.

Only after he had laughed enough did he lower his eyes and sigh.

He said: Liang Qian, you are so stupid.

……

Chun Yubei looked at the lone figure and had no choice but to chase after him.

He used to live a simple life, and his thoughts were even simpler, all he had to do was to keep completing his killing missions.

But after more than half a year, he suddenly felt a little sentimental, and it seemed that being a simple death warrior would be good too...

He couldn't understand Qi Jun, he couldn't understand Yuwen Jue, and he couldn't understand the witch even more.

People’s hearts are complicated, and their emotions are even more complicated.

Chun Yubei shook his head.

He knew that no matter what she thought in her heart, once she returned to the palace, she would become the scheming empress dowager again, very different from the woman who had been riding a horse and crying in the wind not long ago.

Just as I walked out of Hualin Garden, I vaguely saw someone waiting by the cold palace.

Chunyu Bei swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

Regardless of the severe cold and snow, the palace maid stretched her neck to look in the direction of Hualin Garden, until she saw two figures vaguely walking on the corridor in the distance. Her heart jumped, and when she saw that it was the person she had been waiting for, she could not help but feel overjoyed, and then she breathed a long sigh of relief.

After waiting in fear for a whole day, I finally saw the person come back.

The palace maid ran forward hurriedly.

"Empress Dowager, Lord Chunyu."

He bowed when he was still a few steps away.

Liang Qian glanced at the falling snow on the palace maid's shoulder, and it was obvious that she had been waiting for a long time.

"Jinlan asked you to come?"

The palace maid nodded in agreement and gave a general account of the situation in the palace. While speaking, she led Liang Qian to the palace room that had been prepared early in the morning to change clothes and make up.

Liang Qian finally understood.

As soon as she left the palace, Lu Wanying came to the East Hall of Taiji Palace and said that she had important matters to report. The palace servants just said that the empress dowager was not feeling well after the morning court and needed to rest for a while, so she refused to see anyone.

Unexpectedly, Lu Wanying didn't buy it at all. After a few words, she tried to force her way in. No matter how the palace maids and eunuchs tried to dissuade her, it was useless.

Fortunately, Jinlan appeared at the critical moment and said that the Queen Mother wanted to meet with foreign ministers to discuss the war between the two countries, and she had no time to summon the Concubine Dowager.

Lu Wanying stood guard in front of the palace until she saw the foreign ministers enter the palace, and then she reluctantly returned to Yaohua Palace.

Everyone then breathed a sigh of relief, because who would have thought that she would come to Hanguang Palace again after lunch.

But this time he did not say he was here to see the Queen Mother, but to see the Emperor instead. He was still staying in the side hall of Hanguang Palace, and he would not stop until he saw the Queen Mother.

Everyone on duty in the palace knew that Concubine Lu was different from the previous concubines. Even though the Lu family in the court today no longer had the glory of the past, they could not neglect her.

Not to mention that Lu has a perverse personality.

The palace maid said this with a sad face.

Liang Qian had already made up her mind, and after a simple tidying up she was ready to go out to the mirror hall.

When she left the house, she couldn't help but take one more look. She remembered that this was the room where Huang Yu lived when he was recovering from his injury...

"Queen Mother."

Just as she stepped over the threshold, someone called her from behind.

Liang Qian turned around and saw a palace maid holding a large banner, her eyes full of panic: "Empress Dowager, this... this piece of clothing, what should we do with it?"

After she asked, she lowered her head, looking trembling with fear, as if what she was holding in her hand was not a big banner but a hot potato.

Liang Qian looked at Da Hui and remained silent for a moment.

It's no wonder that the palace maids were so scared. A discerning eye could tell that this was a man's clothing. Although it didn't look conspicuous and gorgeous, those who knew the business could tell from the workmanship and materials that it was definitely made for the inner palace and was definitely not for ordinary nobles.

What's more, this was not what they had prepared for her when she left the palace.

Liang Qian's expression remained unchanged: "Send it to Hanguang Palace."

The palace maid was startled and replied with trembling hands, "Yes."

When I looked up again, the man in luxurious clothes had already walked out the door.

The palace maid knelt on the ground with her head lowered, lost in thought.

This clothing is clearly different from the usual ones in the palace and looks really weird. Even if it really came from the palace, how could the current Clothing Department sew clothes for adult men?

As soon as we arrived at Hanguang Palace, someone heard the noise and came out.

"It's really difficult to see the Queen Mother nowadays!"

Lu Wanying stood at the door and bowed simply, looking her up and down with suspicion.

"There are so many things going on these days, so if you don't have anything to do, don't walk around casually." Liang Qian glanced at her indifferently and walked towards the palace while speaking.

Lu Wanying frowned.

Liang Qian didn't look at her again, but turned to ask the eunuch beside him how the emperor was doing.

Gao Yang has caught a cold these two days.

The eunuch lowered his head and answered carefully, including when he had eaten, what medicine he had taken, and how many times he had woken up from his coma...

It can be said that every detail is included.

After listening to this, Liang Qian nodded slightly and said, "I will go see the emperor."

Lu Wanying couldn't help but frown as she looked at the man who ignored her.

She gritted her teeth and shouted at the back:

"The Queen Mother has not shown up all day. Has she been in the Taiji Hall discussing matters, or has she secretly gone somewhere else?"

The sudden sound startled everyone and they all knelt on the ground with their heads down.

The hall was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Seeing this, Lu Wanying couldn't help but frown. She knew what Liang Qian had done in the former court and the harem after Yang'er succeeded to the throne.

I have heard palace maids and eunuchs whispering that all the ministers in the court were deceived by this beautiful queen mother. Although she spoke and behaved politely and gently, she was actually cruel and ruthless. Let alone other things, with just one order, nearly thirty lives were lost in and outside the Renshou Palace, and even my aunt...

Perhaps it was because it had been a while since the incident happened and there was no one to gossip about her anymore, and she had always been so nice to him that he gradually forgot the words he had overheard and unconsciously regarded her as Liang Ji from the Grand Tutor's Mansion.

But in fact, even I once said that she looked very much like my aunt.

Questioning her so loudly now was undoubtedly a provocation to her in public.

Lu Wanying pursed her lips and clenched her palms.

Liang Qian stopped her feet, turned her back and sneered: "I wonder when the Empress Dowager's schedule will be asked about by a concubine?"

Her voice was like the cold wind outside the palace mixed with snowflakes. Lu Wanying hesitated for only a moment. After all, there was no friendship between them.

Just as he was about to speak, he was interrupted by Liang Qian.

"Please leave the palace, Concubine."

"Leaving the palace?"

"Yes, leave the palace," Liang Qian turned back slowly, her tone revealing a bit of fatigue: "As far as I know, your mother has been in poor health recently. I think you might as well leave the palace to accompany her. Of course, if you want to leave Jinye like Zhou, I can also--"

Lu Wanying exhaled, shook her head and smiled: "Why do you always want to drive me away? Is there really no room for me in such a big palace? Or are you afraid of something?"

Liang Qian frowned: "Afraid?"

"Yes, you are afraid of the Lu family." Lu Wanying stared into her eyes and walked forward step by step.

"If you weren't afraid, why did you ask me to leave the palace again and again? I really don't understand. Are our Lu family members so annoying to you? But don't forget that you can have your current status thanks to our Lu family. But now... is it that you are no longer popular, or have you been planning to destroy the bridge since the beginning?"

Liang Qian was stunned. In her opinion, Lu Wanying was just a spoiled and somewhat eccentric girl, but the person in front of her was unusually sharp and even had some inexplicable hostility.

Even though she discovered the secret that Lu Wanying was hiding in her heart, she didn't find it difficult to understand, and she didn't look at her strangely.

However, at this moment, she suddenly felt a little unsure whether she should just give in to her.

Liang Qian said frankly: "Aying, there is nothing in the palace that you want."

Lu Wanying raised her eyebrows slightly and looked at her with amusement: "I don't even know what I want, how can the Queen Mother know?"

Liang Qian looked at the person in front of her, but recalled some rumors from her previous life.

It was heard that there were many noble men from the Jinye City who came to ask for the hand of Shangshu Ling's only daughter, but Miss Lu had very high standards and rejected them all. Later, she even made a bold statement that if she was not satisfied, she would rather remain single for the rest of her life.

As if to verify her determination, he even found a master in Zixiao Temple and often went to the palace to accompany the empress dowager in chanting scriptures and reciting Buddhist scriptures... He never changed even when the empress dowager was paralyzed on the couch.

At that time, I had only seen her from afar a few times in the palace. When I heard people talk about her, I felt not only admiration but also a bit of envy.

But in this life, after actually getting along with her in the Grand Tutor's Mansion, I felt that the rumors were just rumors. Her eccentric appearance did not make her look like someone who could calm down and recite scriptures.

What caused her change? And why did she insist on staying in the palace?

Liang Qian had no intention of pursuing the matter, nor did she want to say more to her: "If the Concubine has nothing else to do, please return to Yaohua Palace. I am also tired."

After saying this, he waved his hand, and the eunuch kneeling on the ground immediately understood, stood up and made a gesture of invitation.

"You are tired after a long day, so go back to your bedroom and settle down."

"How dare you," Lu Wanying's voice sank, and he raised his hand to slap him, "How dare you, a mere eunuch, speak to me like that!"

The slap was delivered with great force, and the eunuch was caught completely off guard and got hit hard. He tilted sideways and almost fell.

He ignored the pain on his face and stood up again with his swollen face.

Lu Wanying endured the discomfort in her palm and gritted her teeth as she looked at Liang Qian: "Is the Queen Mother going to attack me too?"

"… Queen Mother, you, what happened to you?"

At this moment, Qian Ming helped Gao Yang out from the inner hall.

Lu Wanying pointed at the eunuch who was beaten and said, "Your Majesty, look, even this guy dares to ignore me. Whose power and courage does he rely on?"

Gao Yang looked at Lu Wanying, and then said to Liang Qian, "Empress Dowager, the Concubine Dowager knew that I was ill, and she stayed by my side for most of the day. I think she was anxious and tired, so she accidentally offended the Empress Dowager with her words. Please don't take it seriously."

After saying this, Gao Yang started coughing.

Qian Ming nervously rubbed his back to calm him down, but he brushed Qian Ming away, walked up to Lu Wanying, and advised: "How can the concubine do this in front of the queen mother? It's too rude. Let it go this time, but if you do it again, I will never forgive you."

Then he turned to look at Liang Qian: "What does the Queen Mother think?"

He was dressed thinly, and his pale face had two blushes due to coughing. He was out of breath after just a few words.

Liang Qian's eyes stopped at the two people, one big and one small. After a moment, she nodded and smiled: "Since the emperor said so, then forget it."

Lu Wanying wanted to speak again.

Under his sleeves, Gao Yang gently pulled Lu Wanying and signaled to the palace maid beside him with his eyes.

"Why don't you send the concubine back?"

Lu Wanying pushed Gao Yang's hand away, looked straight at Liang Qian, curled her lips, and her eyes were full of mockery.

"I will not let my father die in vain, and I will not let our Lu Group become a stepping stone that is used and discarded by others!"