Queen is the top

After He Jingyi and Shi Yuqing ascended the empress throne together, they pardoned the world according to the usual practice, reduced and exempted taxes, and at the same time conferred the three princes He Mingfeng, He Mingbo, and He Mingxuan as county kings, and sent them to their respective fiefdoms.

He Mingbo was conferred the title of King Ji and sent to Qizhou. He Mingxuan was young and Cheng Yingzong was reluctant to leave him too far away. After discussing with He Jingyi, he was conferred the title of King Zheng and sent to Xingzhou.

Because He Mingfeng decided to travel around the world, he declined the title and land fief, and was persuaded by the Supreme Emperor and the Empress Dowager for a few days, but they also knew in their hearts that He Mingfeng's move was due to being deceived by Concubine Hui for many years, depressed, and almost killing the Empress Dowager. Feeling guilty, I still can't untie the knot in my heart, I want to go out to relax and relieve the dead knot in my heart.

It was useless for the Supreme Emperor and the Empress Dowager to persuasion, and in the end they could only give in, and repeatedly asked him to send letters to the palace from time to time to report that he was safe, so that everyone could rest assured.

This request was naturally agreed by He Mingfeng. He promised to only travel for a few years and return to Changping Capital after seeing the vast and beautiful rivers and mountains. He also promised He Jingyi that he would stop being lazy in government affairs and concentrate on assisting him.

In front of the mighty and majestic Daming Gate, the farewell ceremony was just halfway through. He Mingbo took the princess and He Mingxuan to kneel down to worship the Supreme Emperor and the Empress Dowager, and then bowed down to their own mothers to thank them for their years of nurturing.

According to the rules, after being made the king of the county, his mother was made the concubine, and he should go to the fief together with the king of the county. Since Cheng Yingzong is still living in the harem, the concubines will naturally stay in the palace, but Cheng Yingzong does not He forced them to stay in the palace, and asked their opinions considerately. If he was reluctant to part with his son, he could go to accompany him.

He Mingxuan's mother, Lan Zhaoyi, was conferred the title of Concubine Lan by the Supreme Emperor after the rebellion was put down because of her meritorious service in reminding the empress dowager to avoid being murdered by Concubine Hui.

Because she respects the Supreme Emperor and the Empress Dowager, she is willing to stay and continue to serve them. Zhen Zhaoyi also decides to stay. Because of the hard work of the two in raising children and the proper and considerate service of the Supreme Emperor and the Empress Dowager for many years, He Jingyi will be Lan Guifei. Canonized as a concubine, Zhen Zhaoyi was canonized as a concubine Zhen, and Rujieyu was conferred as a concubine.

Because the Supreme Emperor had not many concubines in the first place, apart from the empress and the dead Concubine Hui, Duan Zhaorong, and Chun Meiren, there was only Concubine Lan Gui, Zhen Zhaoyi, Ru Jieyu, Fing Meiren, and Li Meiren, there were less than ten people in total. In addition, Fen Meiren and Li Meiren died of illness, leaving only four of them to accompany the Supreme Emperor to live in seclusion behind Penglai Lake.

He Mingbo completed all the ceremonies in an orderly manner, with a respectful expression, he bowed to He Jingyi and Shi Yuqing, exchanged blessings and precious words twice, then with a smile on his face, he took his princess and turned to the carriage As he walked, his noble and indifferent demeanor, respectful and decent etiquette, won everyone's appreciation.

After him, He Mingxuan took a step forward and knelt down towards the empress, stood up and raised his eyes to look at the two of them, opened his mouth, and was about to say some words of blessing, but his eyes were unconsciously fixed on the gentle and smiling Shi Yuqing's face On the next day, he had to stutter a few sentences to the blessings spoken by the empress before he could finish.

He Jingyi saw through the melancholy and nostalgia in his eyes, raised his eyebrows, raised his chin slightly, and gave him a cold glance.

He Mingxuan still didn't realize it, and still stared at Shi Yuqing stupidly, until he saw He Jingyi moved his body slightly, took a step forward to block Shi Yuqing, raised his hand and patted his shoulder, and heard his slightly chilly voice say, " The sixth brother has a smooth journey, and when he arrives in Zhengzhou, he must help the emperor manage it well."

He Jingyi's words seemed to be placing hope and entrusting him with a great responsibility, but the princes and ministers who were on the scene to see him off all knew in their hearts that the title and status bestowed on his brother by the new emperor were all empty positions without any real power.

Only by gaining the trust of the new emperor, being named a prince, and staying in Changping will he have the opportunity to participate in the center of the court's decision-making.

If the two go here, if they can't make great contributions to become the prince, they will just live an idle life and amuse themselves until they die.

This is the life of many county kings in the Dacheng Dynasty. For the county kings who have no desire to fight for power and profit, such a life is comfortable and carefree, but for the princes who failed in the battle for succession, and the county kings who have ideas and ambitions for the throne, This day is painful.

He Mingxuan's sight was blocked by He Jingyi, and he moved his gaze to him helplessly. Hearing his unsalty entrustment, and seeing the coldness in his eyes, he was startled, swallowed his saliva, and moved away. He bowed his eyes, bowed his head and cupped his hands respectfully, and said, "Thank you, Brother Huang, I will definitely live up to Brother Huang's entrustment."

Then he said two words of blessing to the emperor that he had already memorized, and finally he reluctantly looked at Shi Yuqing who was hugged by He Jingyi's side, turned around and walked towards his carriage.

Each of them brought all their family members with them. He Mingfeng had one main concubine, two side concubines, and ten concubines to accompany him.

He Mingxuan sent the Supreme Emperor, He Jingyi, the Empress Dowager, Lan Taigui and others who could not be returned early in the morning to send away a lot of silver and treasures, and went alone, because this also caused Lan Taigui to return. He was very dissatisfied with his strong dissatisfaction, and almost forced him to marry the noble lady whom he had long been in love with, but in the past, he was filial and obedient to Concubine Lan Tai, but this time he was very persistent, even after the empress dowager persuaded him, he did not change his mind.

The two were accompanied by thousands of people for protection, and more than a hundred servants accompanied them. The local officials of Xingzhou and Qizhou had already arranged everything to welcome the arrival of the two county kings.

Everyone watched the two people's team leave. Shi Yuqing looked at him with the upper half of his body stretched out in the carriage, and waved to him. He Mingxuan, who was walking away from the team, turned his chin helplessly and moved away. line of sight.

His appearance made He Mingxuan's already chilly heart even colder, he withdrew his hand awkwardly, and sat back in the carriage.

His behavior made one of the people present pay attention. That person remained calm and kept a gentle smile. He glanced at He Mingxuan, then at Shi Yuqing, narrowed his eyes slightly, and thought about it .

He Jingyi secretly heaved a sigh of relief when he left. Although Shi Yuqing didn't have any thoughts about him at all, and even hid himself from seeing him, there was such a person around him who had been coveting his beloved. He was displeased, but the Supreme Emperor loved He Mingxuan, and he couldn't be cruel to him, so sending him away now was the most satisfying result for him.

He looked down at Shi Yuqing, who was wearing the exquisite red empress brocade robe beside him, and seeing him smiling thoughtfully, he patted him on the shoulder lightly.

He Jingyi knew that Shi Yuqing's worry was not He Mingxuan who had just been sent away, let alone He Mingbo who had only met once or twice. Teacher Qiao Huang.

After seeing off He Mingxuan and He Mingbo, the Supreme Emperor and Empress Dowager, He Jingyi and Shi Yuqing were sent off respectfully by the ministers, each bringing dozens of palace servants back to their own palaces.

Sitting in the luxurious sedan chair owned by 18 people only owned by emperors, Shi Yuqing hung his head sullenly and did not speak. Seeing this, He Jingyi, who had been holding his hand, said softly, "Your sister and second brother are just traveling around the mountains and rivers. , it’s not that they won’t come back, besides, they are still in the palace, and they can still see her every day.”

"I know." Shi Yuqing said softly, still frowning, "Although my elder sister is a hero among women, she does not give in to men, but she was born in a noble family and has never left Changping. How can I not worry about traveling in the rivers and lakes."

He Jingyi smiled, and his tone was still gentle, "I heard that your elder sister knows martial arts, medicine, and can distinguish poison. She has these skills and is a smart woman. She will definitely not teach others to bully her. Besides, Second brother is also with her, nothing will happen, Lan Jun can rest assured."

Shi Yuqing also knew these truths, but for Shi Qiaohuang, the eldest sister, his desire to protect her was no less than Shi Qiaohuang's for him, and his worries could not be alleviated.

He remembered He Mingfeng mentioned by He Jingyi, and couldn't help but raise his head and ask, "Jingyi, do you think the second prince is a beloved man who can be entrusted for life?"

He Jingyi raised his eyebrows, and his eyes were slightly surprised, "Why do you ask like that? Who has taken a fancy to the second brother?"

"A person as smart as Jing Yi didn't realize it?" Shi Yuqing smiled unexpectedly, "When my elder sister was injured, the second prince was by his side, and my elder sister looked at him with the same eyes. As gentle as water, it is obvious that each other has intentions."

He paused at this point, turned his chin to look forward, and said leisurely, "It's just that I thought that the second prince had set so many traps to frame the queen mother, even though he just listened to the villain and mistrusted the slander, There is no malice in the heart, but after all, the scheming is too deep. My elder sister is straightforward and smart, but she has never had the heart to harm others. Compared with this, I worry that if the second prince does not treat her sincerely, let her What should I do if I suffer a loss."

He Mingfeng knows that He Jingyi often visits the Empress Dowager, and he also heard the Empress Dowager mention that he was taking care of Shi Qiao Huang's injury, but he only thought that He Mingfeng felt guilty for hurting Shi Qiao Huang, and he didn't care about the relationship between men and women. consider.

One is because he didn't think deeply about it, and the other is that after the pacification of the chaos, he had to assist the Supreme Emperor to deal with a lot of affairs, so he rarely saw the two of them, so naturally he didn't know if they were in love with each other.

He Jingyi looked at Shi Yuqing's worried face, held his hand, and said with a smile, "Mr. Lan, you don't have to worry so much. The second brother works steadily. If you really agree with your sister, you will naturally not let her down. Besides, your sister Such a powerful and intelligent woman will not be easily bullied by men, will she?"

Shi Yuqing thought of her sister's usual style of handling things and her ability to respond quickly, and said with a slight smile, "That's true. No one has ever suffered from her, and she has never suffered from others."

Jing Yi saw that his eyebrows were stretched slightly, and he was in a much better mood than before. He relaxed and said with a smile, "Besides, the second brother and your sister will not leave until they see the mother and the queen giving birth, so don't worry about it."

Shi Yuqing's thoughts were attracted by the Empress Dowager's birth, and she nodded, "I have already ordered people to start preparations. The Empress Dowager's age is not as good as when she was young, so you need to be more careful. It's a pity that I don't know much about it. How to deal with the affairs of the harem, thanks to the help of Concubine Lan, Aunt Su and Eldest Sister."

He Jingyi nodded, because of the lessons learned from the past, the empress dowager was quite cautious in giving birth this time. The imperial physicians and personal candidates who served her were all personally inspected by the emperor, He Jingyi, Shi Yuqing, Su Jin, Lan Taigui and other close people. Selected, several midwives and grandchildren were found out by the Supreme Emperor, fearing that there might be any danger hidden in the dark.

"The empress mother mentioned to me before that he was worried that I would have to deal with the affairs of the previous court and that it would be too hard to manage the harem, so he suggested that Concubine Lan Taigui be in charge of the harem. I thought that Concubine Lan Taigui was stable and gentle, and she had saved the empress mother. Fate, I think it's pretty good, what does Jing Yi think?"

The empress dowager's words hit He Jingyi's meaning. Shi Yuqing is the empress, in charge of the Phoenix seal, and the empress dowager is expecting to give birth. People from all bureaus in the harem asked Shi Yuqing for instructions according to the regulations. The empress dowager originally intended to promote Shi Qiao Huang to the Dashang Palace to manage all the affairs of the harem, but Shi Qiao Huang wanted to travel far, and he couldn't find a suitable candidate for a while, so he could only accompany Shi Yuqing to handle it every day.

At this time, after listening to Shi Yuqing's words, he thought about Concubine Lan Taigui's character and family background. For the current situation, she is indeed the most suitable candidate. She has always been low-key and unassuming. She has a close relationship with her mother, and she is still respected by the queen after being scolded several times, and she can't find any faults in her character.

Concubine Lan Taigui's father is a minister of the Ministry of Rites and holds an important official position, but has little real power to control the government, and her son was also given a fief, and since He Jingyi ascended the throne, he and Shi Yuqing have been living in the front hall , because there is no one in the harem, thousands of maids are released from the palace to marry on their own. Although the harem is large, there are not many things. Concubine Lan Taigui has lived in the palace for more than ten years, and she is familiar with the affairs of the palace. She is in charge of the harem , He Jingyi had no objection.

Although all appointments in this palace require the consent of He Jingyi, but he has already entrusted the power of all matters in the harem to the Supreme Emperor and the Empress Dowager, asking for his and Shi Yuqing's opinions is out of respect for them.

"It's still the empress mother who is considerate. It is indeed too hard for Lan Jun to take care of the harem, and the harem is complicated, so it's better to leave it to Concubine Lan." He Jingyi leaned towards him again and put his arms around his shoulders. , said softly, "Lan Jun's talents only need to manage the previous court with me."

Shi Yuqing put her arms around his waist with a smile and said, "I don't work hard, most of the things are still done by Jing Yi."

He Jingyi smiled, saw the dark circles under his eyes, hugged him and said, "I'm really busy these days, does Lan Jun feel so tired?"

Shi Yuqing hurriedly shook her head, her starry eyes were dazzling, and she said excitedly, "It's hard work, I can accompany Jingyi to deal with national affairs and realize my ideals, I'm too happy to be happy."

These words were sincere. Although he had less sleep and more affairs since he ascended the throne, he was extremely happy to live a fulfilling life every day.

He Jingyi knew him best, knew that his words came from the bottom of his heart, recalled the big and small affairs he helped him handle during this period, reviewed many memorials, and solved many of his troubles. More importantly, Shi Yuqing gave him He couldn't help but sigh with emotion, "With Mr. Lan by my side, it saves my husband so much effort."

"I like this kind of life." Shi Yuqing looked up at him and smiled.

He Jingyi kissed his lips, and the corners of his lips curled up, "It's a pity that the time that should belong to us to do that is less."

Shi Yuqing was taken aback, and asked curiously, "What are you doing?"

He Jingyi lowered his head, touched his ear with his lips, and whispered a few words, which immediately made Shi Yuqing push his face away angrily.

"It's not too bad, it's just changed to three times a week." He Jingyi in front of him always showed a side that others couldn't believe, and Shi Yuqing had long been accustomed to this, and saw that there was a little bit of a smile on his face. Aggrieved, he shook his head helplessly with a smile.

"It used to happen every night, and sometimes more than once a day." He Jingyi pinched Shi Yuqing's waist as he spoke, with a deep ambiguity in his hoarse voice, "Lan Jun, I'll be fine for a while, don't you?" If we go back to the palace..."

Shi Yuqing understood the half sentence he left, and he didn't get intimate with him for a few days, and he thought about it in his heart, so he smiled and said nothing.

Seeing him like this, He Jingyi knew that he agreed to his proposal, happily kissed him on the cheek, and began to look forward to returning to Shoukang Palace soon.