Empress Wu actually offered to let the emperor take He Zhi'er as a concubine, everyone present was shocked, and Empress Dowager Jiang was no exception, especially Concubine Shu, who was even more suspicious in her heart.

It is said that Empress Wu, Concubine Shu and Concubine De were canonized at the same time, and they lived in the harem for six or seven years together, and they didn't see each other when they looked down, so they still knew each other quite well.

Concubine Shu remembers very clearly that in the first few years, Empress Wu's attitude towards herself and Concubine De was extremely unfriendly, and it could even be described as bad.

At this time, Empress Wu generously proposed to let the emperor take He Zhi'er as a concubine, could it be that it was really because as she grew older, she became more and more open-minded? Or maybe you haven't been able to conceive a dragon species, so you see it?

"Is the queen serious?" Empress Dowager Jiang looked at Empress Wu in surprise, remembering that He Zhi'er was testing mines in the Taiye Pool, but the Empress was so angry that she reprimanded Xu Jin who went to the palace to pick up people, and even had a dispute with the emperor.

Empress Wu sighed lightly and said: "Although the concubines don't like He Zhi'er a little, but for the sake of the emperor, what if they are wronged, as long as the emperor is happy, let alone ...... The concubine and the emperor have been married for six years and have not come out, day and night afraid of my Ming ancestors and ancestors, if He Zhier can give birth to a son and a half daughter for the emperor, then the concubines can also be a little at ease, and in the future, under the nine springs, there will also be faces to see the ancestors of the Ming Dynasty. ”

As soon as Empress Wu said this, Yongfu and Yongchun couldn't help but be a little moved, both admiring and sympathetic, and at the same time secretly sighing, the queen has indeed changed a lot in the past two years, and her mind and bearing have grown, which is rare!

Empress Dowager Jiang was also very moved, held Empress Wu's hand and comforted: "Silly child, don't say these frustrating words in the future, how old are you, there are still a lot of opportunities, and it is serious to take care of your body." ”

Empress Wu wiped the corners of her eyes, and said with a "forced smile": "What the Queen Mother said is very true, the concubine has been taught, but the concubine thinks that it is appropriate for the emperor to bring He Zhi'er into the palace as soon as possible." ”

Empress Dowager Jiang frowned and said: "What the queen said just now is not unreasonable, the emperor loves that He Zhi'er, and it is not a matter of running out all day long, and the folk gossip must be indispensable, plus He Zhi'er is messing with craftsmen all day long, it is indeed a loss of royal dignity, it is better to let the emperor be included in the palace to save trouble, but the mourning family is worried that this woman's health is not good." ”

"Why didn't the Queen Mother summon Imperial Doctor Li to ask?" Concubine Shu smiled and proposed, although she was a little suspicious of Empress Wu's motives, and she also ate He Zhi'er's vinegar a little, but Empress Wu behaved so generously and wisely, she naturally couldn't lag behind, this was an opportunity to please the emperor, and it was also an opportunity to give favor to Xu Jin, the Duke of Yasukuni.

Hearing this, Empress Dowager Jiang nodded and said, "It's okay, come here, go to the Tai Hospital to ask Imperial Doctor Li." ”

About half an hour later, the imperial physician Li Yanwen hurried to the medicine box on his back, sweating profusely, probably thinking that someone in the Cining Palace was sick, but he was taken to the lake pavilion in the garden, and all the women here were so dignified, they couldn't help but be confused, wiped their sweat and knelt down to salute.

"Imperial Doctor Li, please." Empress Dowager Jiang said with a pleasant face.

Li Yan heard that his stomach was full of questions, and he stood up with a thank you and waited silently for the order.

"Imperial Doctor Li, the mourning family heard that the righteous sister of the Duke of Yasukuni has fallen ill recently, what kind of illness is it? Is it serious? Empress Dowager Jiang asked slowly.

Li Yan couldn't help but suddenly feel that the Empress Dowager summoned her to inquire about Miss Zhi'er's condition, and hurriedly replied: "Back to the Empress Dowager, Miss Zhi'er's head was seriously injured before, she suffered from soul loss, and she lost part of her memory, and she only remembered it before she was ten years old. ”

"Oh, is that serious? What's going on now? Empress Dowager Jiang asked.

"It's no big deal, and Miss Zhi'er has also been blessed with misfortune and recovered her memory, Wechen prescribed her a few calming medicines, and now the situation has completely improved."

Yongfu and Yongchun glanced at each other happily, they occasionally went to the Xu Mansion to visit the door, and they had a good impression of He Zhi'er, and they admired her talent in firearms and machinery.

Empress Dowager Jiang nodded and said, "It's okay to be healthy, it's hard to work for Imperial Doctor Li, so let's step down." ”

Li Yanwen gave a salute, and left the Huxin Pavilion with the medicine box on his back, and left the palace under the guidance of the eunuch.

He Zhi'er's body turned out to be fine, Empress Wu's mood at the moment was quite disappointed, although she listened to Zhang Xuan's advice and offered to take He Zhi'er as a concubine for the emperor, but she actually resisted in her heart, only hoping that He Zhi'er was seriously ill, preferably the kind that was about to die, so that she could no longer threaten her status.

Empress Dowager Jiang pondered for a moment and ordered: "Gonggong Hu, pass on the decree of the mourning family, summon the county lord of Yongxiu, and the righteous sister of Yasukuni He Zhi'er, and enter the palace early tomorrow morning to meet you." ”

"Yes!" Hu Dahai hurriedly agreed.

…………

On June 18, the sixth year of Jiajing, the weather was fine, and soon after the bell of the morning dynasty rang, a delicate carriage drove out of the Xu Mansion in the hour and drove along the street to the Xi'an Gate of the Imperial City.

In the carriage, dressed Xie Xiaowan and He Zhi'er sat side by side, the latter was obviously a little nervous, his rough hands were uneasily twisted with a sweat towel, and said worriedly: "Sister-in-law Xiaowan, do you know why the Queen Mother wants to see Zhi'er?" ”

Xie Xiaowan shook her head, she didn't know why Empress Dowager Jiang wanted to see He Zhi'er by name, but it is estimated that it is also related to the emperor, the emperor has been running to Xu's mansion in the past few days, it is estimated that it has alarmed Empress Dowager Jiang, and because of the previous Taiye Pool test mine, the Empress Dowager obviously has a bad impression of Zhi'er, and she also ordered to prohibit Zhi'er from doing things in the War Bureau, so it is estimated that this summon will not be a good thing.

However, looking at the nervous He Zhi'er, Xie Xiaowan smiled and comforted: "Don't worry Zhi'er, the Queen Mother is actually very talkative, not to mention that I am here, and the two princesses Yongfu and Yongchun will also help." ”

He Zhi'er felt a little relieved when she heard this, and hummed lightly, but her fingers were still twisting the sweat towel uneasily, and her pretty face was slightly pale, which made people feel distressed to look at.

Xie Xiaowan sighed secretly, and secretly made up her mind that if the Queen Mother criticized Zhi'er, she would have to protect her no matter what.

Soon, the carriage arrived outside the Xi'an Gate, where the eunuchs of Cining Palace were already waiting, and two sedan chairs were prepared, Xie Xiaowan and He Zhi'er got on the sedan chair respectively, and the eunuchs carried them into Cining Palace.

"Sister Xiaowan and Sister Zhi'er are here!"

As soon as Xie Xiaowan and He Zhi'er got off the sedan chair, they saw Princess Yongfu and Princess Yongchun greet them with a smile, probably at the gate of the palace. Xie Xiaowan and He Zhi'er hurriedly saluted: "I have seen Her Royal Highness Princess Yongfu, Her Royal Highness Princess Yongchun." ”

Yongfu said with a smile: "Sister Xiaowan doesn't need to be polite, let's call me Yongfu, I'm not a princess now, Sister Zhi'er, I heard that you have recovered your memory?" Congratulations! ”

He Zhi'er nodded, and said, "Thank you, Yongfu...... Sister! After speaking, he glanced timidly into the hall.

Princess Yongchun smiled and whispered, "You don't have to worry, it's a good thing." ”

"A good thing?" Xie Xiaowan was stunned for a moment, and looked at Princess Yongfu inquiringly, after all, Yongchun is not very reliable.

Princess Yongfu nodded and said with a smile: "Sister Xiaowan, Sister Zhi'er, let's go in." After speaking, he took Xie Xiaowan and He Zhi'er into the palace gate of Cining Palace.

In the hall, I saw the Empress Dowager Jiang sitting in the center facing south, dressed gracefully and luxuriously, and her complexion was very good, and Mrs. Jiang looked more and more blessed. Empress Dowager Jiang's right hand is Empress Wu, dressed very formally, with a towering phoenix bun, looking dignified and serious, while Concubine Shu sits on the left hand side of Empress Dowager Jiang, with a smile on her face, but she looks much more approachable.

"Xiaowan (Zhi'er), please say hello to the Queen Mother, I have seen the Queen Mother, the Lady Concubine." Xie Xiaowan and He Zhi'er came to the Empress Dowager Jiang and bowed down.

"Xiao Wan is here, hurry up and excuse me!" Empress Dowager Jiang raised her hand with a smile, but her eyes looked at He Zhi'er carefully, and a trace of surprise flashed in her eyes.

Empress Dowager Jiang had seen He Zhi'er before, that is, after the thunderstorm in the Taiye Pool, but at that time, He Zhi'er was wearing a craftsman's uniform, dressed as a tomboy, and now He Zhi'er is dressed in a dress, tied up a girl's bun with bangs, bright eyes and bright teeth, delicate and timid, it is simply like two people.

A trace of jealousy flashed in Empress Wu's eyes, and she secretly scolded a little goblin, who looked a little good, no wonder the emperor was fascinated.

"You are Yasukuni's sister-in-law He Zhi'er?" Empress Dowager Jiang looked at He Zhi'er for a moment and asked lightly.

He Zhi'er said weakly: "Back to the Queen Mother, the people's daughter is He Zhi'er." ”

"Well, come on, give the county lord Yongxiu and Miss Zhi'er a seat."

"Empress Dowager Xie!"

Xie Xiaowan and He Zhi'er sat down at the next head, and their own palace maid brought tea, but the palace maid who served the tea to He Zhi'er didn't know whether it was intentional or unintentional, but she took off her hand when He Zhi'er reached out to take the teacup, and the teacup fell to the ground and shattered, wetting He Zhi'er's boots.

"Ahh He Zhi'er exclaimed in surprise, stood up helplessly, her face swollen and red, and all the eyes present looked at her in unison.

Xie Xiaowan's face changed slightly, and with her gaze and skills, she could naturally see that the palace maid was deliberate, but it was not easy to have a seizure in the palace, so she quickly stood up and held He Zhi'er, and asked with concern: "Sister Zhi'er, is it hot?" ”

"Sister Xiaowan, I didn't ...... It's okay, it's okay. He Zhi'er hurriedly said.

Mrs. Jiang's face sank, and she shouted: "Come on, drag this clumsy clumsy maid down to die." ”

He Zhi'er was so frightened that her face turned white, so it would be too cruel to beat people to death. Xie Xiaowan was also stunned, when did the Queen Mother, who had always been kind and kind, become so fierce?

The palace maid was so frightened that she knelt down, and begged for mercy while kowtowing: "The Queen Mother forgives, the slave and maid deserve to die, the Queen Mother is gracious!" ”

He Zhi'er trembled and knelt on the ground, and pleaded for the palace maid: "The Queen Mother is gracious, it's none of her business, right...... It was Zhi'er who didn't catch the teacup, and it really wasn't her business. ”

Empress Wu's face was gloomy, but Empress Dowager Jiang's originally gloomy face showed a hint of a smile, nodded and said, "Since Miss Zhi'er is pleading, let me spare you clumsy maid, get up!" ”

"Empress Dowager Xie, Miss Xie Zhi'er." The horror on the palace maid's face disappeared instantly, and she picked up the broken cup of tea and withdrew.

Empress Dowager Jiang beckoned to He Zhi'er and smiled: "Miss Zhi'er came to the mourning family and asked the mourning family to take a good look at you." ”

He Zhi'er walked to the Empress Dowager Jiang in a trembling heart, and the latter took one of He Zhi'er's hands and rubbed it gently, while naturally muttering to herself: "Sure enough, she is a kind and good girl!" ”

Xie Xiaowan's heart moved, and she subconsciously looked at Princess Yongfu, who smiled and nodded, in an instant, Xie Xiaowan understood, daring to love the palace maid just now was really deliberate, the purpose was to test the character of Sister Zhi'er, is it ......?

Concubine Shu also took He Zhi'er's other hand, and said distressedly: "Tut, look at Miss Zhi'er's hands, how rough they are, it's better to do less craftsman work in the future." ”

He Zhi'er was so embarrassed that she didn't know what to say, she lowered her head with a red face and was silent, eager to turn around and escape from the palace immediately, an old woman who was about to beat people to death at every turn, she was not afraid.

Concubine Shu obviously saw He Zhi'er's thoughts, and sneered: "Miss Zhi'er, don't be afraid, the Queen Mother just teased you, don't take it to heart." ”

"Huh?" He Zhi'er was a little confused.

Empress Dowager Jiang let go of He Zhi'er's hand and said with a smile: "The mourning family heard Yongfu talk about your life experience, what a poor girl, sit down and chat with the mourning family." ”

"Oh!" He Zhi'er returned to her seat and sat down.

Next, a room of women chatted about family routines, and soon, half an hour passed, just as the atmosphere gradually became harmonious, Jiajing hurriedly broke in, the court clothes on his body have not been changed, it is estimated that after hearing the news, he rushed to Cining Palace.

"See the emperor!" Everyone stood up and saluted Jiajing, and He Zhi'er was no exception.

Jiajing couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw that He Zhi'er was doing well, and when he learned that his mother had summoned He Zhi'er into the palace, he was immediately as anxious as an ant on a hot pot, and rushed to the palace in a hurry.

"Flat, no need to be polite!" Jiajing raised his hand, and saluted the queen mother on the seat: "I have seen the queen mother!" ”

Empress Dowager Jiang naturally understood the reason why her son came in a hurry, and said quietly: "The emperor is exempt, so early today?" ”

"It's okay to be in the morning today." Jiajing's expression was a little unnatural, but his eyes were slipping towards He Zhi'er.

Empress Dowager Jiang coughed lightly and said, "When the emperor came up, the mourning family happened to have something to discuss with you. ”

Jiajing said absentmindedly: "Queen Mother, please speak!" ”

Empress Dowager Jiang smiled and said: "The queen intends to urge the emperor to appoint Miss Zhi'er as a concubine, and the mourning family also agrees, what does the emperor think?" ”

"What?" Jiajing came out silently, He Zhi'er was also dumbfounded, opened her small mouth and was stunned, and then her pretty face was as red as fire.

"Could it be that the emperor is unwilling?" Empress Dowager Jiang said angrily.

"I do!" Jiajing almost jumped up with joy, happiness came too quickly and suddenly, he was still worried about this matter, but he didn't expect the queen to take the initiative to make his sister Nazhi'er a concubine.

So in addition to being excited, Jiajing couldn't help but cast a grateful look at Empress Wu, who barely squeezed out a smiling face and nodded.