A kitten dressed as an empress

The early spring in the southern country was still very cold. Zhao Ran, who was wearing a heavy winter robe, held the stove in his hand, nestled behind his mother and had a banquet with his wife from a noble family.

Zhao Ran, who is now twelve, is as tall as a wicker. Although he has grown to the ear of his mother, he is still very lazy.

The banquet was held in a peach grove in Jiaofang Hall. It is said that this is the peach tree planted by the Empress herself for the Empress.

Although it is now March, it is still very cold. Most of the peach blossoms have not bloomed, and only a few sporadic ones have bloomed.

The families brought their children to the banquet, and they were very cautious. Zhao Ran has now followed the court to listen to the government. He has seen these scenes a lot, so naturally he is not as playful as he was when he was a child.

The queen mother doesn't like this kind of banquet even more on weekdays, but the position of queen must have some connection with these ministers and wives, so every time it comes to festivals, the queen mother always says that this is the time to test her acting skills.

Zhao Ran held back a smile not to pierce the queen mother's thoughts, but raised his hand to pick up the dessert on the desk and ate it in small bites.

The queen mother likes to make all kinds of small desserts on weekdays, and Zhao Ran likes the sweet and sour taste the most.

But the empress didn't like it very much, she only drank tea all year round and almost never ate sweets.

When the wife of the aristocratic family left the palace with their children in the afternoon, the queen mother lazily nestled on the low couch and waved, "Xiao Ran, give the queen mother a back beat."

Zhao Ran raised his hand and lightly tapped the back of the hammer and asked, "Why are there so many more people at the banquet today than in previous years?"

The empress poked her head and raised her hand to pinch Zhao Ran's cheek, saying, "Because the empress is looking for someone for you."

"But Ran'er is still young." Zhao Ran didn't like the dandy children of the family very much, even the daughters who led the family didn't like it at all.

Their words are full of calculations, and it is really difficult to get along with each other.

The aristocratic families above the court always want to use power for personal gain, and marriage has simply become a tool for their alliance.

"Xiao Raner, you can take a look first, otherwise, when the Empress proposes a marriage for you, there will be no choice at that time." The queen mother flipped through the words hidden under the soft pillow.

Zhao Ran lay on one side quite annoyed, and coquettishly called: "Mother, please tell the empress not to marry Ran'er."

The queen mother was unmoved at all, and raised her hand to pinch Zhao Ran's nose in response: "The queen mother can't do things in the court, so Xiaoran has to know by herself?"

As soon as these words came out, Zhao Ran knew that maybe the empress had discussed with the empress long ago, otherwise the empress would not have been so decisive.

Zhao Ran had a good understanding of their virtues at the banquet in the previous competitions with the children of the aristocratic families, and most of the young ladies of the aristocratic families just recited poems to relieve their worries, and didn't know how to care about important government affairs.

When Zhao Ran thought of choosing a future queen from the family, he felt aggrieved.

The three of them had dinner together at night, and Zhao Ran boldly flattered him obediently: "Mother, if I want to choose in the future, I will choose someone as virtuous as you as the future queen."

The queen mother was crushing the big pieces of meat with scissors. She glanced at the empress with a smile on her face and said, "Xiao Ran'er's mouth is so sweet today, is there some little conspiracy?"

"However, I feel that there is no one as virtuous as my mother in the family, so I really don't need to be in a hurry now." Zhao Ran said seriously without any embarrassment of being punctured.

But before the words fell, the empress shifted her gaze lightly and said, "I think Mrs. Xie's daughter Xie Chuan is just right for you."

Hey?

Mr. Xie, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, married a girl from your family, and adopted a daughter under his knees, Xie Chuan. This girl entered the military camp to train soldiers at her twelfth birthday. She is now the youngest female general in the Southern Kingdom at sixteen. Last year, a female soldier competed with a male soldier. , she singled out sixteen men and won without any effort.

In the Southern Kingdom of Chongwu, this person is the first woman to be so powerful.

However, Xie Chuan's appearance is relatively ordinary, because of his martial arts training, compared with ordinary noble girls, he is extremely ordinary.

The girl Shiliu should have been married long ago, but because of the great influence of the Xie family in the court, she only mentioned recruiting a son-in-law. Xie Chuan led the elite soldiers to beat the pirates and made another contribution earlier. I dare not enter.

This is obviously not the same type as the queen mother!

Originally, I wanted to take advantage of Kuamu to avoid risks later, but I didn't expect to fall into the pit directly.

Zhao Ran looked pitifully at his mother and asked for help: "Mother..."

"Xiao Ran, you can't judge a person by their appearance. That girl is quite nice." The queen mother replied with a smile, not intending to help her at all.

But you can't marry a tigress!

When the weather gets warmer, the peach blossoms in the peach forest are in full bloom. In spare time, the queen mother and the empress often spend most of the day at the swing in the peach forest.

Sometimes Zhao Ran went to explain his homework, and often saw the empress acting like a baby in her mother's arms.

The female emperor in the court is always decisive, no matter whether it is to revise the law or kill corrupt officials.

Such an empress trusts her mother very much, although sometimes the empress and the empress often have disputes, to the point where even the palace people outside can make noise.

But after the empress and the empress had quarreled, the two embraced each other very quickly and hugged each other very quickly. Several times, Zhao Ran accidentally caught sight of the empress pulling on the empress' belt.

When I was young, I didn't understand Zhao Ran and would ask curiously, but I didn't know until I was older that they were doing something shameful.

Miss Su and Xueshi Xia are often together in the Zangshu Pavilion. Zhao Ran can see the cold-faced Xueshi Xia looking at Miss Su with flushed cheeks in the hall several times when he borrows books.

I heard that the two of them were also married by the empress, and now they have adopted a young girl, as well as the children of several other senior ministers. I heard that even Xie Min, the official minister who has always been serious, was also married to a daughter of a noble family by the empress.

After more than ten years of political and legal amendments in the Southern Kingdom, most women now do not have to stick to their boudoirs to care for their husbands and children. Most of the women who come out of girls' schools are engaged in business or politics.

It is precisely because of more than ten years of political and legal revisions that there are as many laws in the southern country as two library cabinets can hold. Zhao Ran has a headache every day just knowing these laws.

A rare pastime is to go to the racecourse to ride horses and shoot arrows, but Zhao Yao did not expect to meet Xie Chuan, who coaches the guards in the palace.

It is rare for Xie Chuan to go back to the capital. He is currently the head coach of the Forbidden Army. He can enter the palace at will on weekdays, but he cannot wear weapons.

There are thousands of dark guards with great martial arts in the palace. Zhao Ran has learned some of them, but compared to Xie Chuan who has actually been on the battlefield, he is still a bit weak.

Zhao Ran was self-aware, but luckily the monarch and his ministers were different, Xie Chuan got off his horse and saluted. See: "Princess is well."

"Yeah." Zhao Ran kept his expression as tight as possible, held the rein and then turned around.

There are not many horse farms, so Zhao Ran chose a shady place to practice archery, and occasionally he would feed the foal food and grass to play with it when he was tired.

In summer, the sun was very harsh, but Xie Chuan never took a rest, and he never even took a sip of water from his water bag.

The Ouchi guards in the palace will conduct a selection test every six months, and if they fail, they will be kicked out of the Imperial Army.

Zhao Ran looked at Xie Chuan who patiently explained the essentials of the movements from a distance and sighed: "Why doesn't she feel tired?"

At dusk, the guards were all exhausted and supported each other to leave the racecourse. Zhao Ran heard a few guards complaining on the way back to the racecourse after going to the toilet.

"This is a good test, how we have been tossed."

"Ouchi's bodyguards are all selected from the family. Xie Chuan bullies the children of our family with his military merits. I don't think it's no wonder that we can't find a son-in-law now. We men who have eyes can see such a vicious person." woman!"

"Isn't that right? This inspection is just a show. It has to be as if it's going to the battlefield. If it's our turn to be the guards of the palace, we have to go to war. I'm afraid there are not many soldiers in the Southern Kingdom."

Zhao Ran looked at the guards from a height and said, "Stop for me."

"See the princess!" Several guards turned around and knelt on the ground in fear.

"What you said just now, you can say it again and listen." Zhao Ran leaned on the railing and inspected them.

The guards lowered their heads and did not dare to speak. Zhao Ran sneered and said, "If you dare to talk about the general behind your back, someone will arrest them, beat them fifty times, and immediately drive them out of the imperial army."

"Princess, please spare me!"

Those guards were arrested and dragged away.

Zhao Ran dislikes the ethos of the children of the aristocratic family who think highly of themselves, and especially likes to step down on women. Such bad behavior should be made an example to everyone.

But the princess is not an empress after all, so she can't take the power of life and death casually, otherwise the officials should talk about themselves.

Even if Zhao Ran is the only successor in the Southern Kingdom, he is still underestimated because of her status as a woman. On weekdays, if she is not serious, she will be punished by the officials, and if it is serious, the name of mediocrity will be spread among the people by interested people.

This kind of dirty water really kills people invisible, Zhao Ran thought more than once, if he was a man, would they still target him like this?

The queen mother responded to this, saying that no matter whether you are beautiful or ugly, male, female, old or young, all are born from the womb of a woman, and this is something that men cannot do.

Women are people who have treasures with them from birth, and those villains who can't get the treasures will try to snatch the treasures from women with evil deeds and words.

That's why women must be more confident and self-reliant, not to be harmed by others, nor trapped by others, and to live in the world with an open mind.

When Zhao Ran was young, Zhao Ran still wondered why the Empress gave herself so much homework, but now she understands how difficult it is to treat women in the world. If women relax because of this, the stigma and disaster will continue to pour on women, even if they become corpses. They will still be trampled under their feet.

Zhao Ran looked at the blisters on his palm, and planned to go back to the palace to ask his mother to apply the ointment on him.

Unexpectedly, when he turned around, he saw Xie Chuan leaning on the side of the pillar. This man walked silently. When did he come?

"You, what's the matter?" Zhao Ran quickly restrained his panic, and expressed his composure as much as possible.

Xie Chuan raised his hand and pulled out the arrow beside the pillar and said, "This minister just came to pick up the arrow, and didn't intend to disturb the princess."

It is hundreds of meters away from the racecourse.

Zhao Ran's eyes showed surprise and admiration: "You are really amazing."

"Princess, thank you." Xie Chuan saluted with an arrow in one hand, then turned and left.

From here, you can see the situation of the racecourse from afar. Even though the guards have retreated, Xie Chuan is still practicing alone until nightfall.

In the evening, Zhao Ran stretched out his hand to pick up the blisters from his mother, while praising Xie Chuan for his strength.

The queen mother pinched Zhao Ran's nose and said, "How did you become a little girl?"

"I just understand that you really can't judge people by their appearance." Zhao Ran responded with a blink of an eye.

What's more, Xie Chuan is not ugly, it's just that her skin color is darker due to years of military training and exposure to the scorching sun, and her facial features are still quite good-looking.

The queen mother packed the ointment and joked: "Why don't the queen mother and Mrs. Xie ask Xie Chuan if he wants to go to the palace to practice archery with you?"

"That's so embarrassing." Zhao Ran hugged the soft pillow and felt that it was a loss of the dignity of the princess.

"Maybe I already have a sweetheart. After all, there are many strong men in the barracks." The queen mother always likes to say some very strange words, but fortunately Zhao Ran is used to it.

After a long time like this, Zhao Ran almost forgot about it.

Unexpectedly, Xie Chuan came suddenly one day when he was enjoying the coolness in the water pavilion of Yuqing Palace and reading a script.

Zhao Ran was eating iced grapes, stepping barefoot on the wooden plank to tidy up the messy bamboo couch, holding several scriptures in his hands and hiding them under the pillow.

"Let her in." Zhao Ran sat cross-legged on the bamboo couch, holding a teacup in his hand to hide his panic.

Xie Chuan was still wearing the uniform of a red candle and black armor, his figure was particularly tall and straight, and he wore archery palm gloves on both hands, with a very serious expression.

"Could it be possible that the princess forgot to practice archery at the horse farm today?"

"It's too hot, I plan to go again in the evening." Zhao Ran actually forgot about this, and he didn't know that Xie Chuan was here to teach, so he had to admire the speed of his mother's work.

"If practicing martial arts is greedy for comfort, then I'm afraid it's better to give up as soon as possible." Xie Chuan saw that the princess was so slack, and there was no lack of contempt in his eyes.

This contempt just aroused Zhao Ran's competitive spirit.

So after several days in a row, Zhao Ran found himself tanned!

At night, the queen mother jokingly applied the ointment and said, "You love beauty so much at such a young age, who did you learn from?"

Holding the bronze mirror in one hand, Zhao Ran responded, "Why didn't I inherit the beauty of the Empress and the glowing face of the empress?"

"Xiao Ran'er is also very pretty, her big and round eyes are so cute." The queen mother pinched her cheek and praised.

"Queen, it's useless to be cute." Zhao Ran looked at the queen solemnly, "The empress said that the emperor should grow up to be imposing, and it's better to be scary."

But the queen mother laughed and said: "There are many kinds of emperors, Xiaoran doesn't have to be the same as the empress."

Zhao Ran expressed helplessness at the mother's laughter.

This summer training did not stop until the cold winter. Zhao Ran thought that Xie Chuan would not stay in the capital for a long time, so he gritted his teeth and stood up.

Who would have thought that Xie's family was worried about talking about Xie Chuan's marriage, so they probably would keep her for a while, and Zhao Ran became Xie Chuan's target to pass the time.

In the snow where the winter snow drifted, Zhao Ran tremblingly held up his long bow to shoot arrows. Because they were training together with riding and archery, it was difficult for horses to walk in the snow and it was easy to slippery, so it was extremely difficult.

Training together with Ouchi guards, Xie Chuan only trained in summer single clothes as if he was not afraid of the cold, but the boots were already soaked in snow.

At lunch, Zhao Ran took a small bowl of broth and sipped a small mouthful to warm his stomach. He turned his head to look at Xie Chuan, who was eating vegetarian meat buns with the guards, and realized that she was just trying to prevent himself and the soldiers from being special.

The guards in Ouchi are also ordinary single boots. If Xie Chuan has special treatment, it will attract criticism from the guards. She is fighting the criticism in her own way.

Zhao Ran sent someone to prepare a pair of boots that looked like single boots on the outside, but thick boots with fleece on the inside. These thick boots were the unique cold-proof equipment of the nomads in the Northwest, and Zhao Ran also wore boots on weekdays.

After the soldiers left the racecourse in the afternoon, Zhao Ran secretly gave the thick boots to Xie Chuan, but he refused without even looking at them.

Zhao Ran was so angry that he thought that he was just meddling in his own business!

"Why don't you want my reward?" Zhao Ran asked arrogantly.

Xie Chuan followed the horse with the reins in his hand and replied, "If the general does not share the joys and sorrows with the soldiers, it will be very difficult to win the battle. The princess kindly appreciates it."

This man is really stubborn!

In order to make Xie Chuan appreciate it, Zhao Ran generously rewarded each of the soldiers with a pair of thick boots, so she reluctantly changed into thick boots.

It's just that at the end of the month, when the internal secretary settled the accounts, the always gentle queen mother changed her temperament drastically when she saw the account books, she raised her hand and pinched Zhao Ran's ear and said, "Xiao Ran, you are really not in charge of the family, and you don't know how expensive the money is, so much money. "

"Don't be angry, Empress, I'll pay for it with my monthly pocket money."

This pocket money is the salary that the palace will give the princess every month.

So Zhao Ran didn't have any small money for several months, and he was also forbidden to go out of the palace with the empress and mother on the Shangyuan Festival.

Zhao Ran regretted it so much, he would not have competed with Xie Chuan if he had known earlier!

What's more, I didn't expect that after the mother had a banquet in the spring, the old story would be brought up again. The wives at that time praised the princess for the officers and soldiers, but only Xie Chuan knew the details, and looked over with complicated eyes.

Zhao Ran, who was so ashamed on the spot, decisively avoided his sight, thinking that he would be an idiot if he competed with Xie Chuan again!

As a result, 13-year-old Zhao Ran has learned a lot, and his mother politely cancels the archery training in the severe winter and heat.

It was another day when the spring was warm and the flowers were blooming. Zhao Ran greedily hugged the little white cat in Jiaofangdian and read the story book.

This little white cat has occasionally appeared in Jiaofangdian since he was a child, and his big amber eyes are extremely beautiful.

The fluffy hair is as white and flawless as snow, and the pink and tender meat claws are easy to hold and play with.

Zhao Ran has seen so many cats and dogs, but this little white cat is the most obedient and obedient. Unfortunately, the little white cat's whereabouts are unpredictable, and sometimes it is rare to hug it a few times a year.

Besides, the empress also liked this little white cat very much, so Zhao Ran didn't have time to hold it and play with it, and could only look at it greedily.

Such a stable life, until one day the princess' marriage to the empress was mentioned to the empress, which was suddenly broken.

Zhao Ran embraced his mother's arm and said coquettishly, "My queen, I really don't want to get married."

The queen mother covered her ears with her hand and said, "I'm just looking for a few peers to accompany you to study with. Then you feel that you get along well before you get married. It's not forcing you to choose a queen immediately."

Those companions were the unruly young ladies from the Su family, the Qin family, and the Song family. Zhao Ran stuck to his mother unwillingly and asked, "Then why is there no Xie Chuan?"

"Last time, Xie Chuan was forced to cancel as a training partner. This time, I still want her to accompany me. If you were Xiao Ran, would you still come here?"

Zhao Ran lowered his head and pillowed his mother's arm and muttered: "Then Xie Chuan is too narrow-minded. She refused me to give me thick boots that day, and I felt very embarrassed."

The queen mother pinched her cheeks and replied: "You still want to chase after others, I'm afraid it will be difficult."

No matter what, the three ladies officially entered the palace to accompany them, and Zhao Ran got a headache when he saw them. As soon as Mistress Su left the podium, she immediately lay down on the low table and pretended to sleep, but she didn't speak anyway.

After finally having a holiday in midsummer, Zhao Ran just got a little clean, and went to the racecourse to contact archery and ride horses at night when it was cooler.

Although Xie Chuan's training that year was hard and tiring, Zhao Ran's skills improved rapidly, whether it was riding and shooting or some boxing skills.

A few days ago, Spring Hunting Zhao Ran rarely received the empress' award, and he was very happy in his heart, so he still took time to practice every day, so as not to get unfamiliar with the technique.

One night when Zhao Ran was practicing, he didn't expect to meet Xie Chuan.

Both of them rode towards each other. Zhao Ran's tired cheeks were dripping with sweat, and his breathing was a little unsteady. Xie Chuan still had that wooden expression, but his heart was beating very fast.

Zhao Ran looked away awkwardly, tried to breathe steadily, and then glanced at Xie Chuan again.

Probably stayed in the capital for nearly a year, unlike the frontier barracks where the cold wind was exposed, it seemed to be a lot whiter.

"My minister sees the princess." Xie Chuan approached with one hand holding the rein.

"Pingshen." Zhao Ran looked at Xie Chuan inexplicably and couldn't calm down, he just felt extremely awkward, "Why hasn't General Xie left the palace to rest at such a late hour?"

Xie Chuan approached slowly, and the sound of horseshoes echoed in the silent racecourse: "In autumn, I will go to northern Xinjiang, so I borrowed the racecourse for training in advance."

Due to repeated pressure tests by the Chi State in northern Xinjiang, both countries have stationed tens of thousands of troops, and war may break out at any moment.

If we set off this time, it might not take three to five years for Xie Chuan to return to the capital.

It was obvious that he should breathe a sigh of relief, but Zhao Ran was a little bit reluctant, which was really strange.

Zhao Ran raised his hand and parted his thin hair from the side of his face, and said, "Then I wish General Xie a victory and come back as soon as possible!"

Xie Chuan still had that calm face, but asked abnormally: "I heard that the princess is going to have a wedding soon, who is she going to marry?"

The empress mentioned this matter several times, only urging Zhao Ran to choose the right one, but she never mentioned the matter of marrying the princess in the court.

Zhao Ran had one more thought, Xie Chuan is not a good talker, he usually talks very little in training, but this question is suspected of being a bit of a formula.

"The empress is in charge of this matter. I haven't heard of the details yet. I don't know how General Xie learned about it?"

Xie Chuan moved his eyes away and stroked the rein with his fingertips, saying: "The people in the capital are all discussing the candidate for the princess' wife. I heard that the Ministry of Rites is already preparing for the wedding banquet."

Zhao Ran felt that Xie Chuan was a little strange tonight, and he had never heard her say anything other than marching and fighting.

"Then maybe the empress already has someone in mind."

Because of sweating, Zhao Ran felt the cold again when the night wind blew, and wanted to leave the racecourse without talking any more.

"We hereby wish the princess a happy wedding in advance."

She didn't get married, so why was she in such a hurry to congratulate herself?

How strange!

At night, Zhao Ran talked about it while sitting on the low couch with his mother holding ginger tea after washing.

The queen mother's eyes suddenly lit up: "Xiao Raner, maybe he is interested in you!"

Zhao Ran took a sip of ginger tea and said, "Mother, are you sure she meant that?"

"If you think about Xie Chuan's outstanding military exploits at such a young age, he must be somewhat arrogant, so I am embarrassed to make you wait for her!"

"Why don't I sound unreliable?" Although Zhao Ran said so, the corners of his mouth were already raised secretly.

When the empress came back to eat, the empress mother talked to the empress about it.

I thought the empress would agree, but I didn't expect the empress to pour cold water on it.

"Xie Chuan is no less powerful than Xie Min. If you don't pay attention to her, she will have the military power in your hands in the future, and you will be in trouble."

Zhao Ran held the ginger tea and lowered his head as if discouraged: "Well, I got it."

What the Empress said was reasonable, the Xie family was too powerful, Xie Min was appointed as Minister of the Ministry of Officials, and Xie Chuan had a large army in his hands, so it would be easy to endanger the emperor's position at that time.

There can only be a struggle of interests between the monarch and his ministers, especially the emperor cannot be swayed by the personal feelings of his children.

Zhao Ran has read these words many times in books, so he naturally knows how powerful they are.

When the dinner table was quiet, the queen mother suddenly said: "Then marry her in, and then we will be a family."

"Is it really possible?" Zhao Ran's eyes lit up with stars.

The empress accepted the hot soup from her mother, and accepted the hesitant response from her mother's eyes: "You make your own decision on this matter. If she has evil intentions, the future of the southern kingdom may be destroyed in your hands."

The queen mother held the spoon and stuffed meatballs into Zhao Ran's mouth and said, "So, you must think carefully about this matter and act boldly, you know?"

"Yeah!" Zhao Ran hesitated to chew the meatball, but he mustered up some courage.

After dinner, Zhao Ran was going back to Yuqing Palace to rest, and was thinking of finding the little white cat to go back with him, but he couldn't see it again.

Holding the tea, the queen mother asked, "What are you looking for?"

"The little white cat is gone." Zhao Ran squatted beside the table and chairs looking for it.

The empress at the side stretched out her arms to embrace the queen mother and said proudly: "Maybe she went somewhere else."

The queen mother glanced at the empress, smiled a little stiffly and said, "Probably so."

Zhao Ran felt that the little white cat was really elusive.

After staying like this for a few days, Zhao Ran found that Xie Chuan would meet him at the racecourse every night. Although he didn't talk much, it was better than the original training.

She was going to northern Xinjiang in autumn, Zhao Ran was a little anxious but could only calm down.

One day, Zhao Ran deliberately did not show himself, but secretly squatted on the high seat in disguise to observe. He saw Xie Chuan entering the racecourse for training as usual. According to the usual time, he was supposed to show up, but he didn't show up until late at night.

Xie Chuan stopped training and turned his walking direction to wander around the entrance of the racecourse, looking outside as if looking around.

Finally, the guards who guarded the gate were recruited, and they did not know what to ask, and finally left the racecourse.

Zhao then came to ask the guards, only to realize that Xie Chuan was asking if he had been to the racecourse during the day.

This discovery made Zhao Ran both happy and panicked. The happy one was that Xie Chuan had indeed come for him, and the panicked one was afraid that she would plot against him.

After being so anxious for a few days, Zhao Ran could see people wandering alone in the racecourse every night, so he decided to discuss it with his mother.

Zhao Ran told the truth at dinner one day, and the queen mother was peeling garlic and responded, "I don't think it's better for you to ask her directly and see what she answers."

The empress took Xiaodie and took the peeled garlic and smashed it into soft mud with a stone hammer and said: "It's not good, you already know that she came for you, this means that the advantage cannot be exposed, why not make a plan and make a move?" Contest, if she is willing to give up the general's seal for you, then you can try."

"But I think Xie Chuan is more suitable for the battlefield than letting Xie Chuan stay in the palace." Zhao Ran raised his hand and turned over the boiling meat slices, dipped some sauce and ate them.

The empress ate the meat from her mother, Xu blushed because of the spiciness, took a few sips of tea before saying: "This garlic paste is too choking."

The queen mother looked at the empress's reaction with a smirk and said, "I didn't put much."

On the side, Zhao Ran felt that he was superfluous, and poked the meat with his chopsticks with his head down, complaining infinitely.

"Anyway, let's try her mind first. If Xie Chuan is willing to stay in the palace for you, then why are you still so entangled?" the empress said.

The queen mother loses weight every winter, but she eats most of the meat in the stove every time.

At the end of the midsummer season, the imperial palace held a poetry riddle party, only girls from families of the appropriate age were required to participate. Although it did not directly refer to choosing a concubine for the princess, but the word "age" was deliberately mentioned, which would inevitably make people think too much.

Zhao Ran never showed up at the night poetry meeting from the beginning to the end, but just watched the various poetry puzzles approaching the upper floor a little bit.

Zhao Ran didn't understand why the empress set up a poem riddle. After all, Xie Chuan was a military commander, so what if she couldn't solve it?

It was just unexpected that Xie Chuan solved the problem faster than ordinary people.

Only then did Zhao Ran realize that the empress was reminding himself that Xie Chuan was not only superb in martial arts but also outstanding in talent.

However, she did not rely on the women's literary examination, but chose the most difficult military examination to enter the officialdom. This is her cleverness and her cunning.

Zhao Ran suddenly felt a little lacking in self-confidence. Did such an outstanding person commit himself to himself only because he was the future empress?

But when Xie Chuan was only one door away from her, she stopped.

The two of them didn't speak through the screen, Zhao Ran was somewhat surprised to see that she hesitated and didn't speak.

If this screen is taken down, there is a high probability that the two will get married.

When Zhao Ran got up and was about to leave by the side door, Xie Chuan suddenly said, "Where is the princess going?"

"I just feel that I have been sitting for too long, so I went outside to blow some air to relieve my boredom."

The two came out from the side door one after the other, Zhao Ran took Xie Chuan to the top of the tower step by step, and saw that the sky was full of stars, especially bright.

No matter how prosperous the capital city is, the thousands of lights are not as bright as the starry night.

"Why did General Xie want to solve the riddle?" Zhao Ran actually regretted setting up this plan.

After all, Xie Chuan is like a bright fire, she will eventually attract the attention of thousands of people, but if he is not the princess, no matter how hard he tries, he will not be able to catch up with her.

"Weichen wanted to try it, so he came here." Xie Chuan leaned on the railing and looked sideways at the princess who was only one step away from him.

Zhao Ran looked sideways at Xie Chuan and said: "Today is to choose my wife. General Xie will go to war soon, so don't come to join in the fun."

"What if I have to come?" Xie Chuan stepped forward and asked.

"Aren't you a general?" Zhao Ran felt a strong offensive aura, leaning sideways on the railing and staring at Xie Chuan.

Xie Chuan is a very ambitious woman, Zhao Ran understands what the Empress is thinking at this moment.

If the future queen of the Southern Kingdom is not Xie Chuan, then the future emperor of the Southern Kingdom is likely to change hands.

If the young emperor can't suppress the contest among his ministers, he will be backlashed, so if he doesn't marry Xie Min, then the empress is likely to kill her with her own hands.

"You may or may not be a general, but your future empress position must be mine." Xie Chuan was still as calm as he had first seen, but his words were extremely aggressive.

Zhao Ran was aroused to be competitive and said: "Okay, then let's try."

At this moment, Wen Ruyan was eavesdropping next door, while Zhao Yao hugged her tightly and asked in a low voice, "Did they kiss each other?"

Wen Ruyan couldn't help laughing and said, "Xiao Ran is only so old, what are you thinking about?"

Zhao Yao lightly pecked Wen Ruyan's face sideways and said, "We don't have much time for her."

After all, there are only two years at most.

This blind date banquet about the princess spread very quickly among the common people. Not long after the two made their marriage contract, a conflict broke out in northern Xinjiang.

Chi country's provocative move was resolutely counterattacked, and it was defeated in just a few months.

But because of the long distance, Xie Chuan couldn't come back on New Year's Eve.

Zhao Ran was very generous at first, but later he wrote and sent letters every day, but in the end he only received a few words that had been read, and he completely lost interest.

Because the novelty of just getting engaged faded with time, and when the winter snow melted again, Zhao Ran officially entered the court at the age of fourteen.

Zhao Ran, who is constantly busy every day, has no time to write letters and send them to the frontier.

On the other hand, Wen Ruyan and Zhao Yao are very leisurely, sleeping until the sun rises every day.

Every time Zhao Ran went to his mother's queen to have dinner at night, he could smell a strong sour smell.

However, sometimes the documents Xie Min submitted from the border would include some local specialties of Chi country, but the documents did not ask her details.

Zhao Ran was angry and didn't reply to the letter, but would chase after his mother and talk about it.

In spring, my mother likes to barbecue the most, because the empress doesn't like to eat meat, so my mother always changes the tricks to make food for the empress.

"Take another bite." Wen Ruyan held the freshly grilled mutton skewers and approached Zhao Yao, pretending to be pitiful.

Zhao Yao could only lower her head and bite the grilled mutton that was charred on the outside and tender on the inside. The mutton skewers were very fragrant, but too greasy.

Wen Ruyan raised his hand with a handkerchief to wipe off the oil stains on the corners of Zhao Yao's mouth and said, "Is it delicious?"

"En." Zhao Yao was really afraid of Wen Ruyan's feeding.

At this time, Zhao Ran, who was usually gnawing on the skewers silently, felt that his heart was bubbling. Why did the empress and the empress act as if they didn't exist.

Why did that guy Xie Chuan have to wait until autumn to come back.

"Xiao Ran, you won't be sad if you come to eat skewers." Wen Ruyan deliberately dipped some more sauce and handed it over.

Zhao Ran chewed the mutton with bulging cheeks and said angrily, "Queen, do you think Xie Chuan doesn't like me at all?"

"Xiao Ran, this mutton skewer is sent by Xie Chuan." Wen Ruyan pinched Zhao Ran's small face, "Didn't you grow a lot of meat recently?"

"It doesn't look good to grow meat." Zhao Ran decided to pick a few vegetables to eat.

Wen Ruyan was amused by the plaintive tone, and teased lightly against Zhao Yao: "Xiao Ran'er obviously likes meat the most, but now that she has a daughter-in-law, she doesn't even eat meat."

"Mother, you are joking again." Zhao Ran said aggrievedly as he broke open the roasted sweet potato.

Zhao Yao embraced Wen Ruyan and responded, "Eat it again, after a while you will have to gain weight..."

Without saying a word, Wen Ruyan decisively picked up a piece of baked steamed bun and stuffed it into Zhao Yao's mouth, "I advise you to be kind."

"This is quite delicious." Zhao Yao cooperated and stopped mentioning Wen Ruyan's weight loss.

In spring, warblers fly and grass grows, but in the blink of an eye autumn comes, and the trees all wither.

The war in the country of Chi has come to an end. Because of the defeat of the country of Chi and the negotiation of peace, the southern country has obtained a large piece of plain farmland suitable for planting and a lot of salt mines.

The Southern Kingdom has been preparing for this war for more than ten years, and once it wins, it will be regarded as the shame of the bloodbath of the year, and the Red Phoenix Army has become famous again.

When the whole country was celebrating in the Southern Kingdom, Zhao Ran and Xie Chuan took advantage of the war break to get married, but news came from the Jiaofang Palace that the empress was seriously ill.

He thought it was just a little cold in autumn, but Zhao Ran didn't take it seriously. He didn't expect that his mother would fall ill, and even the imperial physician shook his head.

The disease came too quickly.

Wen Ruyan didn't want to delay Zhao Ran's marriage, so she still let them hold the wedding banquet first.

This wedding banquet is regarded as double happiness, one is to defeat the invasion of Chi country, and the other is to marry the princess.

In late autumn, Wen Ruyan was nestled in the bed, Zhao Yao beside him was feeding the medicinal soup, the windows were closed tightly, only the sound of the wind sounded like choking.

"It's so bitter." Wen Ruyan frowned and swallowed the medicinal soup.

Zhao Yao held Wen Ruyan's fingertips and wiped the medicinal soup at the corner of her mouth and said, "Good medicine tastes bitter and is good for the disease. After you drink this, I'll give you a taste of the candied fruit."

After drinking less than half a bowl of medicinal soup, Wen Ruyan felt a little nauseated, so she didn't drink any more.

"Then you rest for a while, I'll ask the palace servants to heat up the medicinal soup for later use." Zhao Yao comforted her softly by pressing on the crack of the quilt.

With candied fruit in his mouth, Wen Ruyan looked exhausted, leaned his head on Zhao Yao and said, "Don't be too hot, the old man said that I won't live past forty, you might as well think about finding a new wife, after all, you are still young .”

"Don't talk nonsense." Zhao Yao put her fingertips against Wen Ruyan's soft lips, lowered her head and kissed, and could vaguely taste the taste of the bitter medicinal soup, "I don't want anyone else to be my wife, it's better for you to live well than anything else. "

"Then you will die alone, how pitiful." Wen Ruyan felt that it was necessary to enlighten Zhao Yao more.

Zhao Yao put her arms around Wen Ruyan and said with a trembling voice, "Then don't leave me, it will be fine."

Wen Ruyan pinched Zhao Yao's cheek lightly with her fingertips and said, "How old are you, what nonsense are you talking about?"

In the late autumn night, the dead leaves of the Jiaofang Palace fell with the cold wind. When Zhao Ran knelt beside the bed, the queen mother had no strength left.

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