The Ugly Empress

Concubine De couldn't hear the ambiguity in Xue Junliang's mouth, but suppressed the sourness in her heart, looked at Teng Yun slightly with a smile, and said: "The concubine heard that the king wants to accept a newcomer, so this is it?"

Xue Junliang didn't shy away either, and said, "How does Concubine De feel?"

Concubine De pretended to be very virtuous and said with a smile: "Your Majesty's eyesight is naturally good, and my concubine also heard that Lord Hou used soldiers like a god, and even my concubine was shocked three times by this name in the harem."

Xue Junliang said: "Is it really such a famous name?"

Concubine De brought up the dishes in the basket with her own hands, and said: "That's natural. Even if I visit a garden, I can still listen to the palace people say a few things about Lord Hou. It appeases the hearts of the people, and everyone from top to bottom submits... These things are not quite understood by the concubines, but they must be very famous."

Concubine De was afraid that Xue Junliang would feel that she was interfering in government affairs, so she added the last sentence deliberately, pretending to be hearsay.

Teng Yun didn't interrupt a word, the three of them were in the pavilion, Xue Junliang was sitting, Concubine De was standing aside serving vegetables, Teng Yun stepped back two steps away, and stood respectfully with his hands down.

Seeing Teng Yun standing so far away, Xue Junliang raised his eyes and smiled at him, "Concubine De praises you so much, Gu doesn't even know that you still have such a great reputation."

Teng Yundao: "The humble minister is terrified, and dare not hold his hand in front of the king."

Xue Junliang stood up suddenly, grabbed Teng Yun's wrist, brought him back to the table, pressed his shoulders, made him sit down, and said with a smile: "Don't be restrained, there are no outsiders here."

When he was talking, he intentionally approached Teng Yun's ear, and breathed in his ear, as if it was very ambiguous. Concubine De noticed it, but King Xue didn't let him sit down.

Concubine De smiled and said: "When I saw Master Hou today, the concubine felt that the king has good eyesight. The master is handsome and talented, and has wisdom. The concubine should congratulate the king in advance...but..."

As she spoke, she seemed a little hesitant, and said: "It's just that Lord Hou is a man after all. If the king wants to accept Lord Hou into the harem, will the ministers of the dynasty..."

She didn't say anything up to this point, the meaning was already obvious, and both Xue Junliang and Teng Yun could understand it.

Xue Junliang nodded and said: "Gu is also worried about this matter. If you want to accept Tengqing, all the officials at court will say that Gu is fatuous and obsessed with men.

Teng Yun sneered in his heart, thinking to himself, isn't this your purpose, and you want to show a merciful appearance.

Xue Junliang said: "Thanks to Concubine De for reminding King Gu, Gu has thought of a good way to let the ministers know that Gu is not just a whim..."

He paused, "That's it... I will make Teng Qing a noble concubine when the time comes, so that everyone will not underestimate Teng Qing, don't you think so?"

Not only Concubine De, but also Teng Yun couldn't help being taken aback. Although there are many people in Xue Junliang's harem, King Xue is not obsessed with women, and the harem is relatively calm. temper.

Xue Junliang doesn't like concubine flattery, nor is he addicted to alcohol. The concubine can't do what she likes, so naturally she doesn't want to be bored. Concubine De is already in a better position. It's because Concubine De has an older brother, and Yu Chen has repeatedly made military exploits in the army. He also played an important role in the war against Teng country back then, but because he fought all the year round, he was a little proud of the credit. Later, he was defeated by Teng Yun and was called back to Beijing by Xue Junliang, so he sent Xue Houyang there.

Over the years, King Xue has neither promoted nor demoted any concubine. Teng Qianyi is considered one of the unfortunate ones. Concubine De wanted to climb up, even if she couldn't ascend to the sky and become queen in one step, but she had a backer, how could she Can also be promoted to the imperial concubine.Unexpectedly, King Xue actually wanted to make a man a noble concubine.

You must know that people who are higher level are elated, and the etiquette is different when they meet each other. Concubine De has a thousand plans, and she never thought that she would make a wedding dress for Teng Yun. King Xue just followed his own words and sealed Teng Yun.

Although this was not said in front of everyone, nor was it an imperial decree, but Junwu jokes have always been like this, and Xue Junliang never joked.

Teng Yun doesn't want to enter the harem, he only hopes to go out of Beijing, now his father has been reduced to a commoner, and the remaining few followers have gone back to Teng Kingdom, occasionally glanced at Teng Shang, it seems that there is nothing wrong with him now, Xue Houyang He did his best to Teng Shang. Under such circumstances, Teng Yun wanted to leave a long time ago, and staying in the capital would always be like walking on thin ice.

It's a pity that Xue Junliang doesn't seem to want to let him go...

Teng Yun said: "Your Majesty loves me so much, I'm afraid this humble minister deserves it."

Xue Junliang poured him a glass of wine with his own hands, and said with a smile, "Teng Qing just likes to be humble."

After he finished speaking, he gave Teng Yun some small dishes with chopsticks, Concubine De looked awkward standing on the side, the maids and servants stood outside the pavilion to serve, she seemed like a servant of cloth dishes.

Concubine De was born in a famous family, and she was the youngest one, so naturally she never served anyone else, so it's okay to ask her to serve Xue Junliang, at least she still has a picture, but watching Xue Junliang put his own food to Teng Yun, the fire in her heart began to go up. Take a risk.

Concubine De held her breath, pretended to be virtuous, filled the cup for King Xue, and said with a smile: "This wine is made by my concubines, Your Majesty, don't dislike it."

As she spoke, she also filled the glass for Teng Yun, and accidentally poured it all over him. The weather was not yet warm, and the warm wine cooled quickly, but Concubine De couldn't help shaking her hand, and spilled the whole pot on On Teng Yun.

Teng Yun reacted by taking a step back in time, but he was still sprayed a lot. Concubine De was surprised by a series of apologies, and Teng Yun couldn't say anything, and he was worried that he would have no chance to escape.

Xue Junliang naturally wouldn't get angry over these trivial matters, even if he saw something, it was unnecessary, he just said: "Teng Qing, go change your clothes...Jiang Yu."

He called out, and Jiang Yu came over with great eyesight, and said, "Your Majesty, this way please."

When Teng Yun heard this posture, Xue Junliang didn't let him go, saying: "Don't bother, I can change it myself."

Xue Junliang smiled and said, "Could it be that Teng Qing is upset? How about the lonely person taking you to change clothes?"

When he said that, he actually put his arms around Teng Yun's waist, Teng Yun trembled, and hurriedly took a wrong step, saying: "I dare not..."

Jiang Yu led Teng Yun to change clothes in the nearby empty hall, and happened to see a man walking towards him from a distance. The man was not short and looked very strong. He was wearing the official uniform of a general.

Seeing Jiang Yu, the man smiled and said, "Boss Jiang, Your Majesty is in the garden."

Jiang Yu replied respectfully: "That's right, it's just that I'm eating now, and the general will go over later..." After finishing speaking, he added, "The concubine De is also here."

When the man heard that Concubine De was there, his face became a lot happier in an instant, and he said: "That's just right, I'll go and have a look too."

He was about to leave as he said that, he caught a glimpse of Teng Yun behind him, stopped suddenly, and said with a smile: "I heard that there is a Marquis who ascended to the sky in one step, the one with scars on his face, and the saint wants to accept him as a woman make?"

Teng Yun listened calmly, just glanced at the man, didn't look too much, and said with a smile: "The general has heard a lot, I also heard that the lame is General Tiger, the sky has been cloudy recently, since Teng went to court, I haven’t seen the general before, does your leg hurt badly?”

That person had a thorn in his mouth, and it was none other than Concubine De's elder brother Yu Chen. Yu Chen returned home injured because of a confrontation with Teng Yun. Although he was treated promptly, the root cause of the disease was in his left leg. It would recur every cloudy and rainy day, even if he was walking normally. There will also be slight incongruities.

Teng Yun smiled and said: "Teng is also kind, the general might as well ask the imperial doctor to take a look, maybe you don't have to suffer in rainy days."

Hearing his sarcasm, Yu Chen immediately flew into a rage, and shouted: "What do you know, you brat! This is a wound from the battlefield, which is different from the dirty scar on your face."

Teng Yun said with a smile: "Don't do to others what you don't want. Since the general thinks it's not good, why bother to ridicule others?"

Yu Chen said: "You do have a sharp mouth, but if you have a sharp mouth, you are probably a sycophant who will harm the country and the people. I heard that you were just a sword-bearer officer before. You have served the king several times before you can climb to this position?"

Teng Yun's face darkened, Yu Chen finally saw his face change, and said again: "I don't know what you are capable of, but you have come to serve me, the general, before entering the palace."

Teng Yun's face was even more ugly, and he said coldly: "The general respects himself."

Yu Chen felt that it was cheap, so he just laughed "haha", but at this moment he heard a sneer, Xue Junliang actually came from behind, and said: "Yu Chen, you are really getting bolder, even the person chosen by the lonely king Want to think about it?"

Yu Chen was still smiling, but the smile was fixed on his face, and he looked extremely stiff. He quickly knelt on the ground to pay his respects and said, "The last general... The last general is just joking with Lord Hou, it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter."

Concubine De followed behind and sweated a lot. Before she got close, she heard her elder brother teasing so unscrupulously. If she was an ordinary person, it would be fine. If she was a court lady, maybe she would reward him, but this person is King Xue. It was a favorite, and it had been announced in front of all the ministers. It is clear that he did not take King Xue seriously. If this hat is covered, the crime can be big or small.

Xue Junliang put his hand on Teng Yun's shoulder, seeming to have a very friendly relationship, and said with a smile: "You are not making fun of Teng Qing, you are obviously making another joke."

Yu Chen trembled when he heard this, he could only kowtow violently, and said: "The general dare not, the general just heard that Lord Hou is close and doesn't put on airs, so...so..."

"So you are unscrupulous?"

Yu Chen raised his head to peek at Xue Wang's expression. Although the other party was still smiling, the words he said didn't have any warmth. It was cold, like an ice pendant.

Concubine De couldn't help interjecting: "Your Majesty, my brother is honest, but occasionally he gets messy, and it's not just a matter of being by His Majesty's side. Doesn't Your Majesty know him well? Just forgive him once, and see him like this. Next time, we will make up our minds." I dare not."

Only then did Xue Junliang slowly restrain his smile, and said: "It's just that you get used to it casually, so you become disrespectful. Teng's army has already surrendered, and Gu also said that regardless of past suspicions, Teng Nanhou is a lord, and you are better than him. You are quite a bit older, shouldn't you be calmer than him? Next time if Gu finds out that you have misbehaved, Gu will definitely not let you off lightly, please thank Teng Nanhou and Concubine De."

Asking Yu Chen to thank Teng Nanhou, he was not convinced, but not thanking would definitely anger King Xue, who is not easy to get along with, don't look at how kind and benevolent he seems to be when it comes to the surrender of Teng Kingdom, In fact, in terms of cold-heartedness and cruelty, Feng Wang is simply not the same as him.

Although Yu Chen claimed to have great merit, he didn't dare to boast in front of Xue Junliang, so he had to pretend to thank him, and kept saying that he wouldn't dare to do it again.

Xue Junliang then said: "De

The concubine is not in good health, and she is afraid of being caught in the wind and cold after being out for a long time, so she should go back first. "

Concubine De couldn't help but leave when she heard that King Xue was chasing him away, so she reluctantly turned her head three times, and finally knelt down and went back.

Only then did Xue Junliang say: "Where did Yu Chen come from, I don't remember letting you pass the sign into the palace."

Yu Chen hurriedly said: "The last general came from the military plane, and he came here for the time of Lang Jing."

"Oh... what happened to Lang Jing?"

Yu Chen said: "Your Majesty wants to transfer Lang Jing to Mingshui, I'm afraid it's inappropriate. Lang Jing is a group of rebels. Although His Majesty benevolently released Lang Jing and let him perform meritorious service and atone for his crimes, but let him go to Mingshui, lest the soldiers will not accept it. At that time, it will disturb the morale of the army."

Seeing that King Xue seemed unhappy, he suddenly felt that King Xue had already made up his mind. Wouldn't it be a slap in the face to retort? It’s okay to say nothing.”

Xue Junliang said with a smile: "Then according to the general's opinion, what kind of official position should be entrusted?"

Teng Yun was held by Xue Junliang, and he couldn't move. Hearing him ask this question, if it was him, he would definitely not say anything. After all, King Xue's tone is already angry. How can a king ask his subjects what to seal for others? Officials, isn't this against the way of monarchs and ministers.

But Yu Chen hadn't noticed it yet, and said, "Why don't you give Lang Jing an official position as chief bookkeeper..."

Xue Junliang laughed, "Director? Let Lang Jing go all the way to Mingshui just to let him manage the paperwork? Let him write the residence report more beautifully?"

"This this……"

Yu Chen finally realized something was wrong, and said, "The last general also wants to share the king's worries, for fear that the generals will not accept it."

Xue Junliang didn't speak, but looked sideways at Teng Yun, and said with a smile, "What do Teng Qing think?"

Teng Yun tried his best to lean back, but Xue Junliang insisted on getting very close to him. When the two talked, their breaths could almost touch each other.

"This minister thinks that although Lang Jing is a guilty minister, there is no doubt about the employment. Since His Majesty has decided to let him go to Mingshui, he should trust Lang Jing. After all, the Marquis of Zhenjiang is still in the capital, and Lang Jing is a person who values ​​love and righteousness. , I definitely dare not be unsatisfied... Besides, Lang Jing is resourceful, but he is not very well-known these days. Just to take advantage of this, it is better to designate him as a general and assist the commander-in-chief. Zhang Hong will definitely not take him seriously. Disturb the enemy. Especially Mingshui is located on the frontier, and the wars are ever-changing. With Lang Jing in charge, he will not be caught off guard."

Yu Chen hurriedly said: "Lang Jing is a civil servant, he can't lift his hands, maybe he can't even lift a knife, how can he be named a general?"

Teng Yun said with a smile: "March and war don't just depend on whoever has the most horses. Sitting in the camp, you can still be invincible."

Yu Chen stared at Teng Yun, thinking that Teng Yun was aiming at him everywhere, before he had time to speak, Xue Junliang said: "In this case, let's take a step back and give Lang Jing the title of joining the army... Yu Chen, you think Lang Jing is too deep , He is indeed a rare talent, now go to Mingshui, I will seal you as a general, I hope you can get rid of the past, if you exclude others because of these trivial matters, I will definitely not forgive you lightly."

Since Yu Chen fought in the war, he had only been a member of the army and a partial general at the beginning, and then he was the commander-in-chief.

If Feng Langjing was partial to the general, he would definitely not accept it, but when it was his turn, he felt that this official position was too low and he had underestimated himself.

Although Yu Chen was dissatisfied, he didn't dare to say any more, so he withdrew.

Xue Junliang let go of Teng Yun after he left.

Teng Yun thought for a while, but still couldn't help but said: "Excuse me, I don't think it's appropriate for Your Majesty to send Yu Chen."

Xue Junliang didn't seem to take it seriously, and said, "Why, are you still angry at what Yu Chen said just now?"

"I don't dare... It's just that your Majesty named Yu Chen a partial general. According to Yu Chen's nature, he will definitely not accept it. I am afraid that there will be a gap between the general and the general, and the soldiers and the people will be unlucky."

After hearing this, Xue Junliang restrained his frivolous expression, and sighed: "Do you think Gu never thought about it? But who else can Gu send over? Now that everyone is looking at the scenery of Xue Guo, they don't know Gu's painstaking efforts. There are many, but there are very few generals who killed the enemy in the battle. They are either brave or arrogant... Hou Yang can't move lightly. , Feng Guo will definitely feel that he is alone and has no one under him, and will be even more unscrupulous at that time."

As he spoke, he glanced at Teng Yun, "You're right, the soldiers and the common people were the unlucky ones in the end. Naturally, Gu couldn't bear to watch his own people suffer."

Teng Yun was silent for a long time. Although he didn't know how much of Xue Junliang's words were true and how much was false, he still couldn't help feeling a little agitated. After all, his father couldn't even say these words.

"My minister please order Ming Shui."

Xue Junliang looked at him and couldn't help laughing: "Are you going?"

"Exactly, if...if His Majesty can trust me, I am willing to go."

"That won't do."

Xue Junliang smiled and said: "It's not that I can't trust anyone, but you are Gu's new concubine. If you leave, who will I marry?"

Teng Yun was taken aback by his teasing, then his face turned red, and then turned white again. < Xue Junliang just stopped laughing, stretched out his hand to hold Teng Yun's hand, and said in a gentle voice: "Gu was just joking, I won't bother you now... Wannianhou stayed in the capital for a long time, I just want to put him back, let him go He sits in the Teng Kingdom, and you...you are also a resourceful talent, you will naturally be useful if you stay in the capital, if Yu Chen can't handle it, you can go later."

Teng Yun's hand was being held by him, and his face was already feverish. Listening to his soft words at this time, it seemed very gentle, and his wrist was also hot. Teng Yun didn't twitch, and he didn't twitch.

And his words seemed familiar, at that time Xue Junliang often teased the queen, and finally said "I won't trouble you", and lightly exposed the front.