concubines

On the day Princess Changping returned to the capital, there was a lot of voices inside and outside the capital. When the princess' carriage arrived at Zhengyang Gate, the people shouted for the princess to be a thousand years old. Qi Yunruo came to welcome the princess in person. Empress Qi couldn't help laughing.

"Princess," Qi Yunruo rode over and said, "The emperor originally wanted to greet you in person, but there was an accident in the palace today, so the emperor sent me here."

Li Yao worried: "Has something happened in the palace?"

Qi Yunruo said: "You don't have to worry, it won't hinder you."

Li Yao looked at Qi Yunruo, he was already the honor of the empress, but he was still as humble in front of him as in the Northwest, and couldn't help saying: "Your Majesty, you don't have to be like this."

Qi Yunruo shook his head, Princess Changping is the most respected person by the emperor besides the Empress Dowager, so naturally she is also worthy of Qi Yunruo's love and respect, it has nothing to do with status.Seeing the little boy hiding behind Li Yao, Qi Yunruo waved and said, "Prince Ayun, do you want to ride a horse with me?"

Ah Yun is very much like his biological mother, with fair skin and delicate eyebrows. Except for the beautiful amber eyes, he looks no different from a Han Chinese child. He wears Qiang leather clothes and boots, and his hair is braided into several small braids. He looked shy and fearful, Li Yao said softly, "A Yun, this is Uncle Qi."

A Yun said softly: "Uncle."

Li Yao told A Yun to come out of the carriage, Qi Yunruo carried him to the horse, and told him to sit in front of him. When the horse's hooves sounded, A Yun finally had a look of excitement on his face. Wang Huo is learning horsemanship, and now he dares to stay alone on the pony.

Li Yao's face in the carriage sank as the curtains were slowly closed. There were some things that she could hear on the road...

When the grandparents met in the palace, the empress dowager and the eldest princess Li Yao were crying, Qi Yunruo knelt down and gently pushed Ah Yun, the empress dowager said kindly, "Good boy, come here."

A Yun walked over, and the Empress Dowager rubbed his little face, "What a delicate and beautiful child."

Qi Yunruo said: "The little prince has beautiful eyes."

A Yun looked back at him, her long eyelashes flickering, Qi Yunruo said with a smile: "I think the little prince looks a bit like the emperor."

The Empress Dowager looked at A Yun carefully again, and agreed: "Isn't that right? It's said that my nephew, Uncle Xiao, our little prince A Yun really looks like the emperor."

Li Yao noticed that although the people in the Ci'an Palace were full of joy, they were surrounded by a faint melancholy. At this moment, the Empress Dowager said to Qi Yunruo, "Your Majesty, our grandparents and grandchildren are talking here. The prince went to find the two princes, I remember yesterday, did the emperor tell Yao Shaofu not to go to class?"

Qi Yunruo bowed and said: "Yes, the princes are resting today, I will take my leave."

Jing'er and Mu'er had been waiting excitedly outside the Ci'an Palace for a long time. They had no other playmates besides their reading companions. There had been no banquets in the palace in recent years, and no noble children had entered the palace. Gonglai, they heard that the aunt who married the Qiang nationality brought her son, they were all looking forward to it, Qi Yunruo led Ayun out, Jing'er ran over with Muer, and shouted: "My lord, is this Prince Ayun? "

"That's right." Qi Yunruo let go of his hand and handed Ayun into the hands of the two brothers. Ayun awkwardly hid behind Qi Yunruo, refusing to be pulled by Jing'er.

But Jing'er said softly: "Little prince, I am your cousin, are you hungry? I'll take you to eat."

Mu'er also said, "I'll take you to the school grounds." He knew that the Qiang people were good at archery and archery.

A Yun showed his head from behind Qi Yunruo, blinking his big eyes and looking at the two cousins, Jing'er tried to pull him again, A Yun looked at Qi Yunruo hesitantly.

Qi Yunruo said with a smile: "What does Prince Ayun like? We have prepared a lot of Qiang food here, and you can also try our Dakang food. If you don't want to stay in the house, there is a big horse riding field in the palace called The guards will take you on a horse."

"...Okay." Auntie nodded.

Qi Yunruo heaved a sigh of relief, Jing'er and Mu'er had each held Ah Yun's hand, bid farewell to Qi Yunruo and left.

Qi Yunruo asked the maids and servants to watch the three children carefully, and then went back to Zichen Palace.And Li Yao, who stayed in Ci'an Palace, also learned the whole story of the incident in the palace from the mouth of the Empress Dowager—in the past few years, officials have written letters asking the emperor to make Princess Chun the queen, to show respect for Yuan's wife , the emperor has been ignoring it all the time, and now another official has written a letter to change the titles of the second and third princesses, from "Shunjia" and "Roujia" conferred by the previous emperor to the princesses of the country, because these two princesses were born to the emperor's wife, It should be different from the titles. Now the title of the eldest princess is "Wanning". Like the second and third princesses, they are titles related to women's character. If the titles of the second and third princesses are changed, the identity of the eldest princess will be changed. can become extremely embarrassing.

In fact, Li Chen wouldn't be so angry if it was just the request of the courtiers who don't have eyesight, but the reality is that the second princess, Li Chu, told her father in person that she needed to change her title.

In the Zichen Palace, Li Chen asked in a deep voice: "Do you know what's wrong?"

Chu'er stiffened her neck and said straightly: "I am not wrong!"

Li Chen said: "You are not wrong? Who taught you these words? Have you forgotten the rule that the harem is not allowed to participate in politics?"

"Father, I did not participate in politics, this is a matter in the harem..."

Li Chen did not speak. The change of title seems to have nothing to do with the previous dynasty, but if the title of the first daughter is really changed, her biological mother's identity cannot be just a simple Princess Chun. Li Chen does not believe that this is Chu'er. What a six or seven year old girl can think of, after Chu'er came to tell him what he said, he ordered a thorough investigation of the people who served the second princess. Chen loves his daughter very much, he can't punish those palace servants who are loyal to his daughter severely.

When Qi Yunruo walked in, Qi Qifu, the courtiers on both sides, said in a divine way: "See the Empress."

Qi Yunruo waved his hand. He noticed that Chu'er's small body froze for a moment after he came in, and then turned sideways to salute, "Greetings to the Empress."

Qi Yunruo smiled and said, "Princess, please get up."

Seeing him, Li Chen softened his face, Qi Yunruo said: "The eldest princess is talking to the empress dowager right now, Prince Ayun is accompanied by Jing'er and Mu'er."

Li Chen nodded and said, "How's the lunch preparation going?"

"It's still early, there is still an hour before lunch. The Eldest Princess used pastries in Ci'an Palace. I also asked Jinger to get some food for the little prince. Lunch has been prepared since before dawn. You don't have to worry."

Qi Yunruo glanced at Chu'er with her head bowed, and sighed in her heart. Three years later, Chu'er still couldn't let go of her biological mother's death. This little girl was kind-hearted, but her obsession could never be eliminated. Qi Yunruo took the initiative and said: "Two Princess, are you going to see Ah Yun? He is your cousin."

Chu'er raised her eyes and looked at Li Chen anxiously, Li Chen said "Yes", and Chu'er quit.

After he left, Li Chen let out a long sigh.

Qi Yunruo sat beside him, held Li Chen's hand and looked at him, Li Chen smiled, Qi Yunruo said: "Prince Ayun looks very similar to you, and the Empress Dowager also said that my nephew, Uncle Xiao, hey, just looked It's a little quiet, I don't know if I can support a piece of land of the Qiang people in the future."

Now the Qiang people are already the territory of Dakang, and since Ayun was born, it was decided that he would be the master of that land.

Qi Yunruo suddenly smiled and said: "I heard that Mrs. Xin Yuan Guo, our Princess Zhuang Jing is very powerful, Cheng Sijie should not have the time to make trouble now."

To Xin Yuanguo, to Dakang, it is really like a chicken rib. If you fight, you will not get any benefits. If you don't fight, Cheng Sijie will pop up from time to time to scare people. Last year, he asked to marry Wang'er who was next to Li Yao. After hesitating for a long time, she followed Li Yao and Wang'er's wishes and married Wang'er. Wang'er is a Han Chinese and loyal to Dakang. It is also sufficient.Cheng Sijie has always kept himself clean, and there are not many people around him. After Wang'er married, he was strictly controlled, and he was not allowed to wander between countries. Cheng Sijie was also obedient, and there has been no movement recently.

Li Chen smiled, and thought of Chu Er again, he was strict with his children, but he was more loving, especially since none of the five children had a biological mother by his side, he had more patience and tenderness towards them, his The youngest daughter, Yinger, is the liveliest. She lived in the empress dowager's palace, and she gave great-grandmother a lot of fun. Yan'er is the eldest sister, and now she has seen her gentle nature. He is good at studying, but his eldest daughter, Chu'er, is paranoid and aloof, which makes Li Chen extremely headache, but there is nothing he can do.

During lunch, Li Yao and Li Chen were sitting together, Li Yao glanced at Chu'er from a distance, and said to his younger brother: "Your Majesty, what do you think?"

Li Chen said frankly: "I will not posthumously confer the title of Empress Qi, her character is not good enough to be the mother of the country, and, Eldest Sister... If she is posthumously named, she will be the Empress of the Yuan Dynasty, and she will share the coffin with the emperor in the future."

Li Yao suddenly understood, she glanced at Qi Yunruo, Qi Yunruo was lowering his head to coax Ah Yun to eat Dakang's dishes, with crooked eyebrows and eyes smiling.

Li Chen continued: "Yan'er is my beloved daughter, she is no different from the second and third daughters in my heart, if the second and third daughters are renamed Princess, how will Yan'er handle herself among the sisters in the future? I am afraid that there will be ups and downs in the marriage in the future, I love the three daughters equally and will not let them suffer alone."

Li Yao looked at Chu'er and sighed: "But I'm afraid that Chu'er doesn't understand your good intentions, and thinks that you have wronged her by not making her a princess."

Li Chen remained silent. As an emperor, he could be decisive in political affairs, but as a father, he was struggling to deal with his children.

After a while, Li Yao smiled and said: "Your Majesty, I have something to discuss with you when I return to Beijing this time."

"Sister, please tell me."

Li Yao looked at A Yun and said: "I want to find a Dakang woman to be my concubine for A Yun. After more than ten years, Han women may not be used to it all at once. I would like to ask you to find some suitable girls." , I will take her to the capital of the Qiang tribe, and when she grows up, I will choose her as Ayun's wife." This is not only for Li Yao's consideration for her son, but also to further dilute the Qiang bloodline of the Qiang leader.

Li Chen pondered for a moment, nodded and said: "This is feasible, and I will make an order tomorrow."

Although it is a separation of human flesh and blood, in the eyes of Li Chen and Li Yao, this is a very necessary measure for the long-term stability of Dakang.

Li Chen glanced at Chu'er suddenly, and said calmly, "Eldest sister, let's take Chu'er to live in the northwest for a few years."

"Your Majesty!" Li Yao exclaimed in surprise.

"The northwest is open. I hope Chu'er can change her mind. After two years, I will send someone to bring her back."

Li Yao nodded slowly, and after a while, she smiled and said, "I will treat Chu'er well, just like my own daughter."

"I trust Elder Sister." Li Chen not only believed that Li Yao could take good care of Chu'er, but also felt that Elder Sister's character could have the best influence on Chu'er.

In the afternoon, Li Yao was a little hesitant to pay her respects to Queen Mother Zhou.

Qi Yunruo also hesitated for a while, and said: "The title of Empress Dowager has not been deposed, you should still go to pay her respects."

Li Yao smiled and nodded, Qi Yunruo took the initiative to take her there, but Li Yao was afraid of his embarrassment, Qi Yunruo said: "In the past three years, the emperor has never seen the queen mother, and neither have I."

Li Yao sighed: "Birth mother and son, I don't understand why the queen mother is so cruel to the emperor. When I was still in the palace, the queen mother was gentle and kind to us, but she was cold to the emperor."

"She wants King Yong to beat the Emperor wholeheartedly," Qi Yunruo said.

Li Yao shook her head, and said no more, Jingyang Palace is the palace where the empress lives, and the Empress Dowager Zhou has lived here for decades since she entered the palace. When Qi Yunruo and Li Yao entered, the maid whispered that the empress dowager is still chanting scriptures.

Li Yao walked in lightly, knelt down and said, "Chang Ping pays respects to the Empress."

The Empress Dowager Zhou continued to close her eyes and chant scriptures in front of the Buddha as if she had never heard of it.

Li Yao had no choice but to stand up, Qi Yunruo stood outside the door and looked at them, in fact, this was the first time he saw the Queen Mother Zhou, the Queen Mother did not show up at the conferring ceremony last week, because of Li Chen's mind, Qi Yunruo did not propose to come to pay her respects The thing is, the woman kneeling on the ground closed her eyes, her gray hair was only tied with a cloth towel and a wooden hairpin, she was wearing a gray cloth, and her face was calm.

At night, Qi Yunruo stared at Li Chen who was sitting at the desk, and was dumbfounded.

Li Chen said indifferently: "Did you go to see the queen mother today?"

"……Um."

Li Chen didn't say any more, Qi Yunruo laughed, moved a chair beside Li Chen and sat down, Li Chen was planning to serve Chu'er's palace servants, nuns and guards.

"Are you really going to send the second princess to the northwest?"

Li Chen said: "She is stubborn, I can't do anything about it, the northwest is vast and the grasslands stretch as far as the eye can see, it might be better for her to be there than growing up in the deep palace."

Qi Yunruo has been to the Northwest, and he knows that it is really open-minded. He was just worried that Chu'er's body would not be able to bear it, Li Chen said: "Waiting on the way, she really doesn't feel used to it, just ask someone to send her back. It's nothing."

Qi Yunruo nodded.

When I went to see the Queen Mother Zhou today, Qi Yunruo thought a lot about it. At the beginning, Mrs. Zhao was abolished because of her participation in the Queen Mother Zhou's abolition of the emperor, but she was not directly involved in the conspiracy, and her life was saved.The year before last, when Ziyang Bo Qi Suxiao was in the filial piety of the country, he was deprived of his title and dismissed from office when he was having a banquet in the mansion.

Li Chen seemed to see what he was thinking, and suddenly said: "I remember when I was young, my grandmother told me that Qi Suxiao is a general, and if given a chance, he may have more achievements than General Qi Ran. "

Qi Yunruo was stunned for a moment, he thought for a while, and asked: "Your Majesty, if the late emperor hadn't seized the military power of the Qi family, and the Qi family army is still there, what would you do?"

Li Chen was silent for a while, and said frankly: "Maybe I will make the same choice as Royal Father, the Qi family army is a sharp blade, but if this knife is sharpened, it will hurt the master's hand at some point. "

If the late emperor hadn't sent Shui Linglong to approach Qi Suxiao, there would be no such person as Xiao Qi in this world. Li Chen's heart softened suddenly. Perhaps it was the superposition of many mistakes and grief that made Xiao Qi meet him. It was embarrassing and painful, but at this time Li Chen felt that luckily, the invisible hand of the heavens, turned the clouds and rains on the chessboard of fate, and sent Xiao Qi to him. Walking on it, he glanced at him from a distance.

It was that one glance that made them never regret.

Li Chen turned sideways, and kissed Qi Yunruo reverently on the forehead.