Tianhuang nobleman

"Want to be a concubine?" Princess Dunsu laughed, she never thought that Kangtai would be so picky, she shook her head and said, "In the end...she still doesn't give up."

Qi Xiao lowered his eyes and didn't answer, Princess Dunsu mocked and smiled: "Speaking of which, the purpose of my arranging her marriage is actually to allow the King of Lingnan to come to Beijing to marry her, but if Kangtai is someone else's concubine, this... this is also true." It's not a serious marriage, and the King of Lingnan might not use it as an excuse."

Qi Xiao coughed, put down the teacup and said, "It's nothing, just let it go if you don't come, in the future...we will see each other every day."

Princess Dunsu smiled and said: "This is interesting. He is a fief king, how can he meet you every day?"

Qi Xiao smiled lightly: "I have my own way."

I don't know when it happened, Princess Dunsu was lazy to worry about that, shook her head and said: "Well, I will ask someone to go to your uncle's cousin's house tomorrow, and tell her... If it can be done, there is no need It's lively, a small sedan chair is carried into the mansion, and it's over, and it's less troublesome, so everyone knows, hmph... Last year when Kangtai came to Beijing, he had a tryst with Qi Hua when he entered the palace, and there was a lot of trouble. The people in Erhuang City haven't forgotten about it, I'm afraid their family won't want to talk about it, if someone asks, it will be troublesome."

Qi Xiao shook his head and smiled: "I heard that after Bairen succeeded to the throne, Kangtai had a quarrel, pestered the concubine to help her pass the booklet to Empress Feng, and wanted to use what happened back then to get Qi Hua to take her side. concubine..."

Princess Dunsu was dumbfounded: "Is she crazy? Empress Feng was interested in her at the beginning, it was just to borrow her to turn around, now? Ha ha, let alone a side concubine, even an ordinary concubine, Empress Feng may not want it, no way. Make yourself sick, Empress Feng is also a no-brainer...I heard that recently because the emperor is not in good health, she has been urging Qi Hua to get closer to the emperor day and night. A mouse looks like a cat, where is it willing to go? Empress Feng wanted to bully him, and she rushed like a duck to a shelf. When she saw the emperor, Qi Hua couldn't say anything, but beside him was Concubine Xue Gui Watching day by day, and occasionally saying a few words that were not to be listened to intentionally or unintentionally, Empress Feng abandoned her son and went to fight with Concubine Xue Gui for verbal wit, which made the whole palace very embarrassing. The emperor was upset and sick. It's even worse."

Qi Xiao smiled softly: "Concubine Xue Gui... The Xue family has been too ostentatious in the past six months."

"Can you not be ostentatious?" Princess Dunsu put down the teacup and stroked the black gold brocade robe on the front, "Although the emperor used to dote on Concubine Xue, he always treated Qi Qi indifferently. Some things are valued, but the Feng family is becoming more and more out of shape, and the Xue family's thoughts will inevitably become active."

Princess Dunsu took a tribute orange on the Kang table and peeled it slowly, and smiled contemptuously: "They are all lifeless things... really think I can succeed? Just dream."

Princess Dunsu handed the peeled orange to Qi Xiao, Qi Xiao broke off a piece and put it in his mouth, thoughtfully.

In Yonghua Palace, as soon as Concubine Xue took off her hairpin, she heard rumors that the third prince was coming. Concubine Xue adjusted her clothes and came out to meet her. Qi Qi saluted with a smile: "Mother concubine called me?"

Concubine Xue pulled her son up with a smile: "Looking at how hard you have been these past few days, I made you a pot of nourishing soup. Did you tell your father when you came out?"

Qi Qi smiled: "I said it, said that the concubine mother has something to tell me, so I will come out."

Concubine Xue Gui asked again: "When you came out, was there anyone else inside?"

Qi Qi understood, and said with a smile: "Mother, don't worry, I'm not stupid, I waited for my second brother to leave before I came here."

Concubine Xue Gui nodded with a smile, lightly rubbed her son's face and said softly: "My son is suffering, don't be wronged, for the sake of the future, this bit of hard work is worth it."

The palace servants brought up the soup, and Concubine Xue waved her hands to make everyone go down, while gently scooping up the soup, she said in a low voice: "I called you here today, and I have something else to tell you."

Qi Qi raised his head: "What's wrong?"

Concubine Xue Gui said in a low voice: "I told you, don't be afraid... After serving the emperor to drink the soup yesterday, I stayed in the Willow Court to sit for a while longer, and I asked him what kind of soup your father should drink for his illness. He just asked about food and drink, so he didn't get defensive. He said a lot to me. Later, I asked someone to write down everything he said to me and sent it to your grandpa. Your grandpa is here. I found a reliable doctor outside to ask, and said..."

Qi Qi opened his eyes wide and subconsciously lowered his voice: "What did you say?"

Concubine Xue Gui frowned, and said in a low voice: "The doctor said, if you follow this method for recuperation, it must be tuberculosis."

Qi Qi was so frightened that his face turned pale, and he lost his voice: "Didn't the empress say no?!"

"Stupid child!" Concubine Xue hated iron for being weak, "Do you believe everything that poisonous woman said? When you had a high fever back then, I asked the queen to announce the imperial physician, and she ordered six or seven imperial physicians, all of whom said you were grateful." After suffering from wind and cold, I fed jar after jar of medicine, and didn’t care about half of it! You started talking nonsense at that time, I just thought it was useless. Fortunately, your father came back from hunting and sent another imperial doctor. It’s the current Liuyuan who sentenced you. He didn’t say anything after feeling the pulse, but a dose of medicine saved your life! I asked Liuyuan what kind of disease you were suffering from. Doctor Liu also said yes Feng Han, I just don’t believe your mother and concubine, so I secretly sent someone to the Imperial Hospital to steal a pack of medicine dregs and came back. When I asked later, I found out that you had accumulated food! Before, their wind and cold medicines were full of hot medicines. , coupled with accumulated food, it is simply worse, it almost killed your life at that time! Fortunately, Doctor Liu has some medical ethics, so you escaped this catastrophe."

Concubine Xue Gui has never said this to Qi Qi before, Qi Qi was furious when he heard this, and then he understood, his whole body felt cold, and he said in a hoarse voice: "Mother concubine means...the empress knows what my father got... …yes……"

Concubine Xue Gui nodded, and said harshly: "She can deceive others, but she cannot deceive me. I have been fighting with her for half my life. I don't know what she thinks. Let me tell you... It is obviously the symptom, but she always Say it's just a fever in front of people..."

Qi Qi thought for a while and said nahan: "That's not right... She was able to lie to the world at first because the emperor was not in Beijing, and you couldn't get involved, concubine mother, but now... the emperor also let her lie?"

Concubine Xue shook her head: "How is that possible! You see that your father is very ill now, but he knows it in his heart. How can he not know what Empress Feng knows? Besides, Imperial Physician Liu didn't dare to tell the truth at the beginning. I'm afraid of Empress Feng, and I don't want to provoke disputes, so I just let things go, but is the emperor the same as you and me? Naturally, Imperial Physician Liu dare not hide it, I guess...the emperor and empress know about this, it's Qi Hua... ...maybe know."

"Then why didn't the father tell us?" Qi Qi frowned, "Why did you only tell the queen?! If the father didn't want others to know, then he should tell the mother and concubine you and hide it from Queen Feng! The father clearly The one I love the most is the concubine mother, how can I not tell you about such heart-to-heart matters?!"

Concubine Xue gave a wry smile when she heard the words, shook her head and said, "Hear your heart? Why do you want to have a heart with me? After all... I am just a concubine." Concubine Xue looked at Qi Qi with pity in her eyes: "I am also today's concubine. Only then did I realize that when it comes to critical times, your father is still more at ease with the queen, and they are the ones who will be married."

In the past year, Qi Qi, especially after entering the Ministry of Industry, has long been so popular that people can't find his way. Now when he first heard this, his heart was half chilled, and he was speechless for a long time. Concubine Xue pulled her son to sit next to her distressedly. , persuaded in a low voice: "Good boy, don't be sad, your father naturally has his considerations, he is in his prime, and he suddenly got this disease, so naturally he dare not make it known to everyone, your father must not be here To be on guard against you, compared to you... the crown prince is what your father is really worried about."

Qi Qi lost his mind and said: "Could it be... do you want me to fight with elder brother? I... I dare not!"

Concubine Xue Gui was furious at first, and then coaxed: "What are you talking about, your elder brother will naturally have your father to take care of it, but your second brother... we need to do it ourselves."

Qi Qi looked at Concubine Xue Gui in confusion, Concubine Xue Gui laughed in a low voice: "I said, why is Empress Feng so anxious these days, she won't allow you to pay tribute to the emperor for a while, I thought it was because the emperor was not seriously ill and couldn't pass it It will take a while, so Empress Feng is anxious to make her son courteous, and now she understands that she knows everything, so she dare not let you stay in front of the emperor, just wait for the emperor to pave the way for his son , so you can be the empress dowager safely."

Concubine Xue Gui smiled coldly: "It's a pity that she doesn't understand. The mantis catches the cicada and the oriole is behind. As long as Qi Hua is gone, the emperor will have to establish you no matter how partial he is to his son-in-law."

In the Prince's Mansion, Qi Xiao and Bai Ren were sitting on the bed together, playing chess around a thick velvet tapestry. On the small gold-painted kang table, besides the chess scale, there was also a pot of tea and a few plates of delicate warm desserts. It was night in early spring. It was still a little cold, and there was a nine-ring brass three-legged smoker cage under the bed, and there were two pieces of light and high-quality fragrant pancakes in the smoker cage. The hot air filled the room with a sweet aroma.

Qi Xiao sat behind Bai Ren and hugged him, but what he was looking at was the chess pieces on his side. Qi Xiao picked up a few Bai Ren's white pieces in a row, slowly picked them up and said in a low voice: "Suspicion is prone to dark ghosts, Concubine Xue Gui's family background is better than before. Empress Feng's recovery is not a little bit better, just because she entered the palace so late, she is short of this, and her own son has become a concubine. Although she usually doesn't say it, she also knows in her heart that she is a bit worse than others Yes, and the emperor has relied heavily on Qi Hua for so many years, how can Concubine Xue feel at ease, so..."

Bai Ren chuckled softly: "So, the more she thinks about it, the more she feels that this is the case. The emperor and Empress Feng have teamed up to deceive her. The ten-year conflict between East and West is not fake. She knows that Qi Hua will succeed to the throne. In the end, there will definitely be no way for her and her son to survive, and now she is fighting not for the throne, but for survival, so...she will definitely do it."

Qi Xiao lowered his head and kissed Bai Ren's forehead dotingly: "A child can be taught."

Bai Ren figured it out, and started to concentrate on playing chess, staring at the chess piece for a long time without saying a word, Qi Xiao didn't urge him, but just kept kissing him, Bai Ren shrank his neck and smiled timidly. : "Your Highness, don't make trouble..."

"Who messed with you?" Qi Xiao lightly rubbed the delicate flesh of Bai Ren's neck, and said with a smile, "If you can't beat me, are you going to pretend to be me?"

Bai Ren hid and stared at the chess scale, suddenly threw the chess piece in his hand for a long time, lost his temper, and said angrily: "If you don't lose the house or the land, why are you so serious?! What if I win? gone?"

Qi Xiao curled his lips into a smile: "If you want to win, I'll keep losing in the future, but this time we have to explain clearly, you can agree, if you lose today, you have to listen to me..."

Thinking of the bet he made before, Bai Ren blushed, and complained in a low voice: "A good person, doing nothing and always thinking about those unscrupulous things..."

Qi Xiao chuckled: "King of Lingnan... Gu really can't be serious with you."

Bai Ren held his breath, since that day when he was distracted and infatuated, he endured his shame and let Qi Xiao come here once in the study, and Qi Xiao never finished. Unfortunately, he has no temper towards Qi Xiao at all, he can't help being obedient to what Qi Xiao said, and always let Qi Xiao coax and bully him, today Qi Xiao thought of a new way, whispering to him After a while, Bai Ren immediately blushed and shook his head again and again, Qi Xiao thought of this trick... Playing chess to judge whether he wins or loses.

Bai Ren wanted to refute, but seeing the black man with a sad face and being speechless, Qi Xiao raised his hand and wiped the chess scale, and the jade and stone chess pieces fell on the collapsed gilded red carpet, rolling all over the floor That's right, Qi Xiao smiled: "Don't waste your brains, my husband will teach you well in the future, and I will guarantee that you will have no opponents. Today, let's pay the gambling money first..."