Gongshang Confidante

Shanyin Temple is far away from the capital. It is a female temple located in Nanji Mountain. Because the concubine of the previous dynasty took refuge here to practice, some people know it. It is said that this temple is the place where the ancestor Doumu was born. Because it belongs to the royal land, it is hidden in the mountains, and the road up the mountain is steep and narrow, so few people come.

It's golden autumn, the path is covered with thick fallen leaves, the maple leaves on both sides are bright red like fire, and there are people and horses all the way in the mountains.

In the crowd of people walking, only a phoenix chariot carrying the Jiuhua Baoding was particularly eye-catching.

The phoenix chariot is ornately decorated, and it is carried up the mountain by four strong and strong men. All four of them are sweating profusely. Two of them are supporting the chariot, and then four others are preparing to replace it. It can be seen that the road up the mountain is extremely steep.

"Everyone cheer up, if the Empress Dowager makes a mistake, you slaves can't afford it," the maid scolded,

Sitting in the phoenix chariot was Su Xin, the former Empress of Su, who has now been promoted to empress dowager. She supported the phoenix crown on her head and said impatiently,

"Qiu Shi, how long until you arrive at the temple?"

Qiushi stepped forward and said, "The Queen Mother, there is about half a stick of incense time, do you want to rest first?" The Queen Mother Su frowned, and thought to herself, since Ren'er came to the throne, she was the Queen Mother, and she wanted to be famous for a while. The queen of the Duan Dynasty, assisting the diligent government, and the descendants of the descendants will praise the good name,

It can be said that the group of old courtiers headed by Shi Zhongyu emptied her power. Even the new emperor who obeyed her since childhood was unexpectedly opposed to her regency. Now she can only take charge of the harem. Neither can participate.

She couldn't lose face, so she found a reason to pray for the emperor, and went out of the palace to go to the hidden temple in the mountains. Only this female temple is in the wilderness, so if she knew it, she would go to the Sanqing Temple, which is very close to the capital.

"Empress Dowager?" Seeing her in a daze, Qiu Shi said, "Forget it, it's important to pray, don't miss the auspicious time." Empress Dowager Su waved her hand and sat back on the phoenix chariot.

When we arrived at the gate of Shanyinguan, there were few people there, only two children swept the fallen leaves with a broom. Cursed the little boy,

The two little boys were wearing Taoist nun clothes, with fair faces, one was quite young, only five years old, and stood there fearfully, the other was eleven or twelve years old, neither frightened nor frightened, they just saluted respectfully, "See After the Empress Dowager, all the things needed to pray for blessings have been prepared in the temple, please enter the temple."

The big man carrying the sedan chair stared at the little Taoist nun in a dazed way, but she said, "The view of the hidden women on the mountain, men are not allowed to enter, and I hope you all wait at the foot of the mountain." After finishing speaking, she asked Queen Mother Su without squinting, " Invite the empress dowager to enter the temple",

The Empress Dowager Su did not step forward, but folded her sleeves and glanced at Qiu Shi. Qiu Shi understood, and said, "Where is your temple master? Why don't you come out to meet him? You are so courageous."

"Fengqin", the younger Taoist nun frightenedly dragged her slightly longer sleeves, the female Taoist named Fengqin, calmly, just said, "The Lord has an appointment with an old friend, and I have already ordered , do not disturb",

"Presumptuous, you little temple masters, you're putting on airs, it's really..." Qiu Shi was in a hurry, and was going to give Feng Qin a slap in the face, Feng Qin didn't hide, raised her head, her eyes flickered, He looked straight at Qiu Shi.

Empress Dowager Su smiled lightly, "Okay, Qiu Shi, why bother with the little Taoist nun, since that's the case, let's go in first." After finishing speaking, Empress Dowager Su walked in, Qiu Shi gave Fengqin a sharp look, and withdrew her hand, Feng Qin looked at her indifferently.

The Empress Dowager Su's face was slightly gloomy as she walked in. The new emperor's ascension to the throne is the time to establish his prestige. Even if the temple master is a concubine who has converted from the previous dynasty, if she refute her face today, she must find a reason to punish her for being disrespectful crime.

Fengqin is leading the way, with a slender figure and slow steps. She is wearing a gray Taoist robe, her brows are indifferent, and she is not alarmed.

Entering the quiet place, Fengqin prepared to pray for all matters, and acted according to the rules. Empress Dowager Su looked at her carefully, and saw that her appearance was fragrant and jade-carved, her skin was icy and smooth, as quiet as a pine tree growing in an empty valley, and her spirit was as bright as a moon shooting a cold river. , when she smiled by chance, she was as beautiful as Xia Ying Chengtang, she was really a beauty.

Isn't it a pity that such a beauty hides in the valley, but her family background is not eye-catching, so it's better to be a court lady by her side. Dismiss Shanyin Guan, and let the Guan master learn a lesson.

The more Empress Dowager Su thought about it, the more satisfied she became, and she said, "Little Taoist, who is there in your family? Can you read?",

"There is no one in the family. Fortunately, the Lord has adopted me and taught me how to read," Fengqin replied without saying a word. Empress Dowager Su stretched out her hand and looked at her kindly. Follow me to the capital?",

Fengqin was startled, and suddenly felt that someone was pulling her clothes, looked sideways, Xiaodaotong looked at herself with tears in her eyes, she turned around and bowed her hands and said, "Thank you, Empress Dowager, it's just that the poor Daoist has been raised by the spectator. It is a single-minded practice, and there is no heart to set foot in the world of mortals",

"Little Taoist nun, you don't know how to flatter." Qiushi raised his hand to hit him, but the Empress Dowager Su stopped him, and said with a smile, "You know, I am the Empress Dowager, and the temple master is just a small temple master. I want to win someone, she But I can't stop it, besides, beside me, I will protect your prosperity and wealth",

Fengqin blushed, and there was no greed in her clear eyes. The words of refusal turned and turned on her lips, but she just stood there, "I, I, don't want Fengqin, leave, woohoo", five Year-old Xiaodao was still young and had been with Fengqin since he was a child. When he heard that she was leaving, he cried with tears and snot mixed together.

"It turned out to be the empress dowager. I don't know why she has chosen the Taoist girl of the original temple. It's not a good idea to spread the word." Someone behind said, the empress dowager turned to look,

A girl stood under the tree, about [-] years old, with a beautiful appearance, wearing a Taoist crown, a Taoist robe, and a dust whisk in her hand.

"Thinking about it, this is Master Yusan." Empress Dowager Su chuckled, raised her head, and met Shang Yusan's gaze, exerting all her might.

"The Empress Dowager", Master Yusan held his whisk in his hand, and only bowed to her, "Bold, you and others don't bow down to salute when they see the Queen Mother!" He stood still, and immediately cursed,

"Salute?! Can she bear it?!", a lazy voice came from behind the real Yusan, causing Qiu Shi to explode immediately. Empress Dowager Su was also shocked and angry. What is the prestige.

A person came out from behind Reverend Yusan, dressed in a white shirt, with an immature face and sharp eyes, she looked at Empress Dowager Su, and smiled slightly, "Queen Su, how are you?",

"Emperor... Your Majesty...", Qiu Shi backed away in shock, her legs softened and she knelt down on the ground, "You court lady, you are arrogant and vicious", Zhou Chiyu snorted coldly, his face darkened, and Qiu Shi was frightened all over his body. trembling.

"Zhao... Zhaoning...", Queen Mother Su saw Zhou Chiyu approaching, her face was full of shock, she took a step back hastily, thinking of the days of captivity that made her life worse than death, her heart shuddered, and she clenched her hands tightly. hand, straightened his back, and snorted coldly, "Zhou Chiyu, I didn't expect you to hide here",

"I'm not hiding here, so why don't you want the throne back with your son?" Zhou Chiyu smiled, she stepped forward slowly, looked at Queen Mother Su, raised her chin, looked at her from top to bottom,

"When I abdicated to the emperor, I had only one condition, that is, you were not allowed to be regent. Now it seems that those old officials and the emperor have fulfilled their promise."

"It's just you", Zhou Chiyu shook his head helplessly, "Only the harem is left in power, and you are still so arrogant and domineering, which makes people hate you",

Empress Dowager Su's face turned pale, "Come, come, man, give it to me, take it, take it..." Those who followed into the women's temple were all court ladies and mothers-in-law, frightened by Zhou Chiyu's slight sternness at this moment, they all shuddered. Dare to act rashly.

Zhou Chiyu laughed twice, stretched out his hand to hold Su Muxue, didn't bother to look at the Empress Dowager Su, brushed her shoulder, and walked forward, a gust of wind blew past the Empress Dowager Su's face, making her feel trembling, her hands clenched tightly,

It wasn't until Zhou Chiyu walked by that Empress Dowager Su breathed a sigh of relief, and suddenly felt that she had lost all face and prestige, and her face was so ugly that she wanted to stand up, but she lost face instead, holding her breath in her chest, and the depression was hard to get rid of.

Empress Dowager Su took a deep breath, and was about to speak, when she widened her eyes suddenly, and suddenly remembered that lazy voice, that woman in a splendid red robe, with a peerless face, looked at her proudly. Her lips curled into a sneer,

Why, she would, how could she, and Zhou Chiyu, Queen Mother Su's mind was in a mess, but her face turned pale and pale repeatedly, and her lips faded to blood.

"Did I tell you that you are not allowed to enter the palace?" Those low words, with the arrogance and arrogance of that day, once lived in the palace.

Condescendingly looking up at herself as a civilian girl.

If Zhou Chiyu was just reminding her of her momentary frustration, the person in front of her reminded her of her humble past.

After all, she was the most gorgeous Zhou, and behind her was the imperial concubine who was favored by the former emperor and relied on by the Ning family army.

Empress Dowager Su's back was a little arched, her nails had been embedded in her palms, trying desperately to raise her eyes to face her, she, she was still the same, with the arrogance of being loved all over, and the beauty of recklessness.

Empress Dowager Su pursed her lips, wanted to speak, but couldn't open her mouth with difficulty, her thoughts were confused, thinking of just now, she put on airs of a queen mother, pretending to be kind, but forcefully begging Feng Qin, it really made her life worse than death at this moment.

"It's really boring. The past and the present are the same." Ning Zimu sneered, and said, "Ah Qing, let's go." The Queen Mother Su looked slowly, and saw the former Qing Sheng, and they carried each other together. And go, dismissive.

"Stop", the Empress Dowager Su opened her mouth, her voice was hoarse, Qiu Shi raised her head blankly, for some reason, the Empress Dowager was quite calm in front of the Emperor, why she lost her composure at this moment.

Wanting to be provocative, wanting to tell the people in front of her that she is just a downcast concubine of the former court, and she is the most powerful empress dowager in the current dynasty, as long as she hooks her fingers, she can arrest them all and behead them .

Empress Dowager Su's chest was heaving violently, she stiffly wanted to turn her head to stop them and humiliate them severely,

"Here, I have nothing to say to you. If you want to talk, just talk to her. After all, you have all sealed the same..." Ning Zimu didn't finish speaking, and only turned to the last one left behind Master Yusan. Alone, blinked.

Empress Dowager Su thought to herself, in this life, the time when she could be more miserable than when she was reduced from empress to prisoner was at this moment, as if she had fallen from the supreme dignity into the muddy soil.

Dressed in a white shirt, she was slender, with a restrained and cold demeanor, and wise eyes with a sense of the world. It was her, it was her, the empress dowager who was so famous all over the world. Empress Dowager Su almost fell to her knees, and she also It should have done so.

"There's no need to be too polite," Duan Ruohua said lightly, which surprised the others. "As the empress dowager, she should share the emperor's worries and manage the harem. If you are not talented, you should not interfere in government affairs, let alone bully others."

The court ladies and wives stared dumbfounded at the white-clothed woman in front of them, wishing to slap themselves twice when speaking to the empress dowager, maybe it was in a dream.

Empress Dowager Su couldn't speak, her ears were buzzing, her mind went blank, so she nodded stiffly, waiting for Duan Ruohua to leave.

In the remaining days of the Queen Mother Su's life, there was not a single day that she did not regret. Why did she come to Shanyin Temple to pray for blessings?

"Su Xin should restrain herself this time." Zhou Chiyu hooked the corners of his mouth, and pulled Su Muxue to the outside. Thinking of the concubine and queen mother from the previous dynasty behind him, Zhou Chiyu couldn't help laughing suppress.

"Your Majesty, the incense candles are all ready," Xia Ling said, "Don't call your Majesty again after you say it, Xia Ling, you don't have a long memory." Zhou Chiyu smiled and knocked on her head, but Xia Ling suddenly looked at her. Not far away, his eyes were shocked, tears quickly accumulated in his eyes, and he covered his mouth with one hand,

There stood a Taoist nun with a sallow complexion, carrying firewood, with a dull expression, staring straight at Xia Ling with pursed lips, then turned to look at Zhou Chiyu, and the things in her hands fell to the ground.

Zhou Chiyu gradually suppressed his smile, put his hands behind his back, and didn't speak for a long time. The nun was full of tears, knelt down on the ground, and kowtowed three times to Zhou Chiyu. The skin on her forehead was also broken, black and red.

"Let's go", Zhou Chiyu turned around and walked towards the outside of the temple. Xia Ling smiled and nodded to the nun with tears in her eyes, wiped away her tears, and followed Zhou Chiyu away.