Divorce the bad husband, store grain fields, and marry the emperor's uncle for the second time

Chu Xianyun nodded slightly and said softly, "I know, I was just asking casually."

Afterwards, Chu Xianyun followed Xia Xiaorou to the North. Her duty was only to take care of Xia Xiaorou's daily life, and He Ying did not allow her to interfere in other matters.

In his spare time, Chu Xianyun always stood quietly in the yard, gazing at the north with a dazed look, as if he was lost in endless contemplation.

Time passed quietly, and several days passed peacefully.

That afternoon, Xia Xiaorou came to find Chu Xianyun to chat. However, when she stepped into the room, she was shocked to find that Chu Xianyun had disappeared without a trace.

He Ying sneered and said sarcastically: "She must have gone to her precious brother!"

Xia Xiaorou was surprised when she heard this, and asked quickly: "Her brother? Who is her brother?"

He Ying raised the corner of her mouth, revealing a contemptuous smile, and replied: "General Wuwei of Beiliang, Chu Zan!"

Hearing this name, Xia Xiaorou felt an indescribable surprise in her heart. Could it be that Chu Zan is actually Chu Xianyun's younger brother?

Just when everyone thought that a fierce war was about to break out between Beiliang and Zhao, Beiliang suddenly ordered a withdrawal.

Not only that, they also sent an envoy to deliver a letter of credence, expressing the hope that the two countries could live in harmony and repair their relations. When Queen Mother Ji learned about this, she was full of doubts. Was the war settled just like that?

Three months later, Yan Heng led the Beiliang envoys back to the capital.

One of the messengers was Chu Zan, and he was accompanied by Princess Mingzhu Chu Xianyun.

When the news of the reconciliation between Beiliang and Zhao came, the entire court was filled with joy.

The two countries' reconciliation meant that they could start trading, which was a good thing for the people of both countries, so everyone was very happy. However, Queen Mother Ji seemed particularly unhappy.

Emperor Zhengchang looked at the gloomy face of Empress Dowager Ji and felt very puzzled, so he asked: "Mother, why are you unhappy?"

Queen Mother Ji glanced at him coldly, and then said: "The emperor is still too young!"

After hearing this, Emperor Zhengchang said unconvincedly: "I am already twenty years old, not young anymore, mother."

Queen Mother Ji frowned, a hint of dissatisfaction flashed in her eyes, "Don't you find that the power of Prince Yan has grown a little bit?"

Hearing this, Emperor Zhengchang was shocked, but he still pretended to be calm and said: "Your son is stupid, please explain it to me, mother."

Queen Mother Ji took a deep breath and said in a cold tone: "We and the late emperor have tried our best to get rid of Yan Heng's uncle Cheng Ke, who was a capable assistant. We also successfully eliminated Xia Hanlin and the Duke of Weiguo Mansion who were closely related to Cheng Ke. Finally, Yan Heng was sent to Qingyang Prefecture to repair the river, thinking that this would weaken his power. But unexpectedly, he actually tried every means to return to the capital. And now, Beiliang Kingdom has taken the initiative to seek peace and want to make peace with our country."

After hearing what Empress Dowager Ji said, Emperor Zhengchang showed a pensive expression on his face.

He realized that things were indeed more complicated than he had imagined, and Yan Heng's influence did not seem to have weakened despite their efforts.

-

The two countries reconciled, the palace was decorated with lights and colors, and there was a festive scene everywhere.

At this time, Queen Mother Ji became inexplicably irritable and had no interest in the upcoming banquet and was unwilling to attend.

The palace maids and eunuchs around didn't know why Queen Mother Ji suddenly became so irritable, but they knew her usual temper, so they didn't dare to disturb her easily and quietly retreated.

Queen Mother Ji sat in a chair, feeling uneasy and unable to calm down.

At this moment, a report came from outside: "Prince Yan has arrived——"

When Empress Dowager Ji heard these three words, her heart skipped a beat. She knew that what she had been worried about had finally happened.

King Yan Heng of Yan walked slowly into the palace with a half-smile on his face.

Queen Mother Ji tried her best to suppress her fear and asked coldly, "Prince Yan, why did you come to my place when you were not in the front hall accompanying the envoys?"

Yan Heng smiled slightly and replied calmly, "I heard that the emperor's sister-in-law was not feeling well and could not attend the banquet. I was very worried and came here to visit her."

As he spoke, he took a few steps forward and stood in front of Empress Dowager Ji.

Queen Mother Ji frowned and said unhappily: "I am in good health and don't need you to visit me."

However, Yan Heng was unmoved. He took out a piece of paper from his sleeve, handed it to Queen Mother Ji, and said, "Don't worry, sister-in-law. I have some old accounts to settle with you. I am worried that you have a bad memory, so I wrote down these things and made a list for you to check. Sister-in-law, you should still remember these things, right?"

Queen Mother Ji took the paper, unfolded it and looked at it, her face turned pale instantly.

The paper was filled with a list of past events, each of which made her terrified.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.

But she knew in her heart that if she admitted it, only death would await her.

Yan Heng has been patient for so long, he will definitely not let her go easily.

So, Queen Mother Ji gritted her teeth and said coldly: "What does this have to do with me?"

Hearing this, Yan Heng sneered and said sarcastically: "The emperor's sister-in-law has a really bad memory. With such a bad memory, she can still teach the emperor every day. Isn't she afraid that the emperor will lose his throne?"

Queen Mother Ji took a deep breath and pretended to be calm and scolded: "Yan Heng, you are so bold to be so rude, are you planning a rebellion?"

However, Yan Heng was not frightened. Instead, she waved her sleeves and said in a cold voice, "I don't want to play dumb with the Empress's sister-in-law anymore. If the Empress's sister-in-law disagrees with the things I mentioned above, don't blame me for being rude! Don't forget, my mother is the legitimate queen, and the late emperor was just born to a talented woman! If my mother hadn't passed away prematurely, how could it be your turn?"

As he spoke, he took out the seal of the late queen from his sleeve and showed it to Queen Dowager Ji.

When Empress Dowager Ji saw the seal, her face instantly turned as pale as paper.

Because Empress Cheng was the empress dowager, she had always held the secret edict left by Emperor Yuan.

That's why she and the late emperor didn't dare to target Yan Heng secretly over the years. Unexpectedly, Yan Heng really remembered the secret decree.

"If I promise you, will you let the emperor go?" Queen Mother Ji looked at Yan Heng coldly with trembling lips.

"That depends on whether the Empress Dowager can handle these matters to my satisfaction." Yan Heng replied coldly.

Queen Mother Ji gritted her teeth and said, "Okay, I promise you!"

When the people of the capital were celebrating the reconciliation between the two countries, news came from the palace.

Empress Dowager Ji suddenly fell ill and had to go to Mount Wutai to recuperate.

He also said that the emperor was young and ignorant of state affairs, so he arranged for Yan Heng to be the regent.

In addition, Empress Dowager Ji ordered Emperor Zhengchang to restore the title of Duke of Weiguo and let Xia Xiaorou's brother Xia Changyuan inherit the title.

After arranging everything, Empress Dowager Ji left the capital.

The people in the capital understood that the person above everyone else in the future would no longer be Empress Dowager Ji, but Yan Heng.

All the civil and military officials in the capital came to Yan Heng's house to give gifts.

Xia Xiaorou was still the one hosting the banquet.

But now, no one dares to look down on her as a country woman.

After Xia Xiaorou arranged the banquet, she pulled Xia Xiaoying to a corner and pointed at a group of young officials drinking in front of her. She asked with a smile, "Sister, is there anyone you like among them? If so, I can help you make the connection!"

Hearing this, Xia Xiaoying couldn't help but blush, and her hands unconsciously tightly grasped a man's handkerchief, which was given to her by Wei Shaoqing of the Dali Temple.

This Wei Shaoqing is now a fourth-rank official. His wife died the year before last and he has no children. He only has an elderly mother at home who needs to be taken care of.

Such conditions are undoubtedly very suitable for Xia Xiaoying.

However, Wei Shaoqing's attitude towards her has always been ambiguous. He would only give her some small gifts occasionally, but he did not clearly express his feelings.

This made Xia Xiaoying feel very anxious and distressed. She even wanted to ask Wei Shaoqing directly, but she was worried that she would misunderstand what he meant, and would inevitably fall into an awkward situation when they met in the future.

So, she could only say helplessly: "No, let's talk about it later. After all, I'm already married..."

Before she finished her words, Wei Shaoqing happened to walk over from a distance.

Seeing this, Xia Xiaoying was frightened and panicked. She turned around and left in a hurry.

Wei Shaoqing looked bewildered, not knowing what had happened. He quickly walked up to Xia Xiaorou, bowed respectfully, and then asked in confusion, "Madam Ying doesn't seem happy to see me? Why did you leave in a hurry when you saw me?"

Xia Xiaorou pursed her lips and smiled, "How should I know? Why don't you go ask?" She waved her hand and walked away.

Wei Shaoqing bravely chased after Xia Xiaoying.

As soon as I turned the corner, I bumped into someone.

The two of them quickly dodged in fear.

When they saw each other clearly, both of them blushed.

"Ms. Ying?"

"Wei Shaoqing?"

-

Wei Shaoqing and Xia Xiaoying were both introverted and shy people. It was only after Xia Xiaorou acted as a matchmaker that the two dared to officially get together.

The wedding date was set for August 15th of that year.

-

On a late autumn night, Yan Heng held Xia Xiaorou's slender waist and looked at her with resentment in his eyes, "I heard that Wei Shaoqing is going to be a father. He is really amazing. He became a father just over a month after getting married."

Xia Xiaorou pursed her lips and smiled, thinking to herself that you became a father at once.

"Well, we have to give gifts."

"But I miss the gifts others gave us, Xiaorou." Yan Heng leaned down and looked at her without blinking.

Xia Xiaorou suppressed her laughter and pulled his hand towards her belly, "You are already a father, this is the second child."

Yan Heng raised her eyebrows, "Where's the boss?"

Xia Xiaorou pointed outside the house, where Yan Sheng was having fun with Song Yuan, "That's not it!"