Soon, Yuying asked someone to bring a new target.

Although he still couldn't hit the bull's eye, the new target really showed that Xiao Shiqi's archery skills were much more accurate.

Empress Jiahe was very pleased and rewarded Yuying with some silver.

Yuying was even more popular in front of Empress Jiahe.

Nanny Ji was like a lame wolf that was driven out of the wolf pack. She limped behind the pack and watched everything secretly in strange and silent manner.

His cloudy eyes were filled with hatred towards Yuying and dissatisfaction towards the Queen, and his back teeth were clenched tightly.

…

The new target brought out the beauty of Little Seventeen's archery skills. Although Empress Jiahe was happy, the most important thing for her was to let Emperor Zhaowu see how good Little Seventeen was.

When Emperor Zhaowu stayed at Jinxiu Palace, Empress Jiahe first chatted with him for a while, then naturally turned the conversation to Little Seventeen, "Your Majesty, Little Seventeen's archery skills have improved a lot. Would you like to call him to show you? If he can get encouragement from his father, Little Seventeen will definitely be more diligent."

As the night deepened, Emperor Zhaowu said, "It's getting late today, let Xiao Shiqi rest. Let's have a flower viewing party in two days, and let him show off his skills in front of everyone, which will inspire Xiao Shiqi even more."

To let Xiao Shiqi shoot arrows in front of everyone...

The queen was slightly nervous, her fingers were clenched, but her smile was flawless. She gritted her teeth and agreed, "Your Majesty is very thoughtful, and I cannot compare to him."

After Emperor Zhaowu left, he sent instructions to the palace maids and eunuchs around the Seventeenth Prince, asking them to keep an eye on him for a few days and to practice archery day and night.

…

When it comes to the flower-viewing party, all the concubines gather in the back garden.

Empress Jiahe sat beside Emperor Zhaowu and watched with a smile as her little Seventeen showed off her excellent archery skills.

Although, there is still no bull's eye.

But some arrows were very close to the center of the target.

The concubines who were in the Queen's party all began to praise Little Seventeen.

The queen felt elated but remained modest and said nothing, staring at Emperor Zhaowu with tender and silent eyes.

Emperor Zhaowu nodded and said, "Little Seventeen's archery skills have improved so much. It is not easy."

She smiled gently and said, "Even so, he is still far from his father."

"It's far from it." At this time, a discordant chuckle came, "This target seems to have some mystery."

Concubine Yun was walking gracefully, holding a white cat with blue eyes and a long tail in her arms.

Her fingers gently rested on the white cat in her arms

He stroked the cat from time to time, with his chin slightly raised and an arrogant and unruly look on his face.

That kind of coquettishness was not offensive, but only made her face look more beautiful.

——Except the Queen.

The queen's face almost darkened at this moment, but she did not forget that Emperor Zhaowu was right beside her, and she still kept a smile on her face, "What do you mean, Concubine Yun?"

Concubine Yun did not look at her, but at the emperor. She swayed her slender waist, walked to the target, and said with a smile, "This target is really big. It's as big as my face."

She touched her face and said in a whimpering voice, "Could it be that my face has become thinner again? The emperor said a few days ago that he preferred me to be plump. I ate more every day, but I still couldn't be plump. I deserve to die."

Even though it was a capital crime, her rosy little cherry mouth pouted to the side as if she was somewhat dissatisfied.

It is obvious that he wanted Emperor Zhaowu to come and coax him.

Her eyes are as charming as silk, and they seem to have little hooks to attract people.

Not many men can resist this kind of beauty.

Although Emperor Zhaowu was an emperor, he was also an ordinary man.

He left the Queen's side and walked to Concubine Yun.

He leaned over to her ear and whispered in an intimate manner between lovers, "No matter what Ah Yun looks like, I am happy in my heart."

Concubine Yun stuck out her tongue in her heart.

Men's words should not be taken seriously.

Every bit of his joy was based on her youth and beauty.

If she was really old and ugly, I'm afraid he wouldn't even look at her.

She didn't believe what the man said.

But since this man wanted to pamper her, she would not lose face for him.

After Emperor Zhaowu "revealed his true feelings", she gave him a look that was both angry and happy at the right time and appropriately.

She said softly, "If the emperor treats me with one point of sincerity, I will return ten points in return."

She caught a glimpse of the queen's somewhat cold face from the corner of her eye, and raised her eyebrows with interest, wanting more and more to peel off the mask of false gentleness on the queen's face in public.

So he turned his back to Emperor Zhaowu and smiled provocatively at the Queen.

She pointed at the target, leaned close to Emperor Zhaowu, and said, "Your Majesty, have you told me whether it is the target that is too big or my face that is too thin to look good?"

Emperor Zhaowu was standing half a step away from the target at this time. After listening to Concubine Yun's questions, he looked at the target carefully.

Those who were obsessed with archery at the time were already familiar with these things. If you look closely, you can naturally see the difference at a glance.

Emperor Zhaowu frowned.

Just now I thought that Xiao Shiqi's performance was brilliant.

At this time, I just felt that it was mixed with water.

If he had known from the beginning that the target was larger, and after watching Xiao Shiqi's performance, he would still feel that Xiao Shiqi had improved a lot since the time when every arrow missed the target.

But just when he thought that Xiao Shiqi had performed brilliantly, he found out about this.

It was as if... I had been cheated.

Emperor Zhaowu felt secretly uncomfortable, his face turned cold, and he said to Concubine Yun, "This target is slightly larger than the other targets, so it's easier to hit."

"So that's how it is." Concubine Yun shifted her eyes and met the Empress' gaze. The more the Empress looked at her, the more she wanted to lean on Emperor Zhaowu, looking like a spoiled child.

She acted coquettishly towards Emperor Zhaowu, "But I can't even shoot an arrow. In my eyes, the Seventeenth Prince is still very powerful."

The Queen's fingers were tightly pressed into her palms.

Concubine Yun's words seemed to be speaking for her, but in fact she was bringing up the matter that made the emperor unhappy again.

What a great Concubine Yun!

Concubine Yun suddenly said softly, "Your Majesty, I have never seen you shoot arrows before."

Emperor Zhaowu doted on her, and upon hearing this, he asked the eunuch to bring a bow and arrow.

He stood a hundred steps away from the target, drew his bow, and shot an arrow into the bull's eye.

Concubine Yun clapped her hands and praised: "Your Majesty is amazing!"

Emperor Zhaowu put down the arrow in his hand, shook his head slightly, and sighed: "This target is a bit simple."

Xiao Shiqi lowered his head, his face burning.

The queen's face was also burning, but she had to maintain the dignified and generous demeanor of a virtuous queen in front of everyone.

The rest of the palace concubines, who were just watching the show, remained silent.

Those who were at odds with the Queen were whispering to each other, rejoicing to themselves.

…

Concubine Yun smiled slightly, and after returning to her seat, she quietly instructed Liuying, "I didn't expect that what Nanny Ji said was actually true. Go and reward her with ten taels of silver, but..."

"Even if I believe what Nanny Ji said about today's incident, I will not suffer any harm, so I will tell her."

She said cautiously: "In the future, if Nanny Ji says anything again, don't believe everything she says. After all, she is someone close to the queen."

…

Nanny Ji watched all this from afar and couldn't help but feel secretly delighted.

After this incident, the Queen will certainly feel that the new maid named Yuying is unreliable.

Maybe, I can remember her goodness again.

…

The atmosphere was awkward for a moment, and the concubines in the palace continued to talk.

"The queen is educating the prince in this way, using deception and lies. She is ruining a good child."

I don't know which concubine whispered this, but it spread

When the queen heard this, her face turned pale.

What do these women know?

No matter what Xiao Shiqi looks like in the end, as long as he can ascend the throne and hold power, no one will dare to criticize him.

She was secretly angry, but because Emperor Zhaowu was there, she couldn't vent her anger.

Unexpectedly, my hands were suddenly held down by a pair of broad, large hands.

She raised her eyes and met the comforting gaze of Emperor Zhaowu.

In the queen's eyes, surprise slightly changed into a hint of joy.

Is Emperor Zhaowu going to support her?

Emperor Zhaowu lowered his head and said to Empress Jiahe: "I know that you are a kind and compassionate mother and a good mother."

Empress Jiahe nodded shyly, and another sentence fell into her ear, "Zi Tong has brought up my little nine and little seventeen very well."

Emperor Zhaowu glanced at the target and was unhappy with Xiao Shiqi's performance today.

But he didn't want to ruin the surprise he had planned for Queen Jiahe, so he didn't mention the matter of Little Seventeen, as it would make both sides unhappy.

He smiled slightly and said, "I see how hard Zitong has worked, and I'll give you a surprise."

Queen Jiahe held her breath slightly.

She entered the palace as queen for the sake of the entire family.

But sometimes, she would also hope that this man who has been with her for nearly half her life could treat her with a little bit of sincerity.

This was the first time that Emperor Zhaowu prepared a surprise for her, and there were even tears in Empress Jiahe's eyes.

Emperor Zhaowu said slowly: "Li Ren, bring him here."

Queen Jiahe looked up with anticipation.

Behind the moon-shaped door, a figure sitting in a wheelchair appeared.

With his legs covered with a blanket, he sat in the wheelchair with an upright posture and a faint smile on his increasingly handsome face.

"Son, I greet the Queen Mother."

…

Why is it him? !

Empress Jiahe trembled all over as if she had seen a ghost.

He was so scared that he fell off his seat.

The palace maid quickly helped him up, but he ended up eating dust all over the floor.

Her legs were trembling and her eyes were filled with horror.

Why is he back? !

Empress Jiahe's breathing became rapid, and she felt a tight pain in her chest and couldn't breathe.

…

Emperor Zhaowu had a smile on his face.

Especially when he saw Empress Jiahe's reaction of being so shocked that she fell to her knees, he was extremely satisfied with his arrangements.

Look how happy she was, she couldn't even sit still and had to kneel down.

Emperor Zhaowu smiled, and after the empress was helped up by the maid, he asked her, "Are you happy to see Xiaojiu?"

The tone is actually very certain.

Empress Jiahe couldn't even force a smile and her hands kept shaking.

Half a while, fight

Only when she realized that she was dead did her emotions subside. She forced out a ghostly laugh, "I am happy. I am very happy, of course."

His voice was hoarse, and his eyes seemed to be weeping blood. He stared at Rong Ting with a look as if he had seen a ghost.

The letters sent by the assassins kept telling her that Rong Ting was dying, as thin as a skeleton, and had little chance of survival.

But Rong Ting, who was getting closer and closer, looked no different from an ordinary person except that he was pale and bloodless and was sitting in a wheelchair!

Even the razor-like coldness in Rong Ting's eyes and his gentle voice of "Mother" made her feel a chill on her back for no reason.

That little brat never called her mother in front of others.

She then said that he had a gloomy and eccentric personality, which attracted a lot of sympathy from people.

They all thought that Rong Ting was born stubborn and that she had tried her best but failed to change him.

Others felt that Rong Ting was hateful, but she was pitiful.

But when did Rong Ting learn this superficial skill of hypocrisy?

There was fear in Empress Jiahe's eyes.

Emperor Zhaowu said caringly: "You and Xiaojiu have not seen each other for a year, so you must have a lot to talk about. I will accompany you back to Jinxiu Palace to reminisce about the past."

Empress Jiahe spat out a mouthful of blood, which became stuck in her throat.

To settle grudges or to reminisce about the past?

…

After Rong Ting came back, he first met with Emperor Zhaowu.

When Emperor Zhaowu saw that his legs were seriously injured, he felt unhappy in his heart because he thought that Rong Ting would not be able to regain his face for him when the foreign tribes came to pay tribute next year.

But then he heard Rong Ting say that his legs were healed.

The complexion turned from cloudy to sunny.

But the murderer had not been caught yet, and Rong Ting wanted to suppress the news, and told him that he only wanted his father to know that his leg injury had healed.

At that time, Emperor Zhaowu asked him, "Why didn't you tell your mother about this first? Your mother has been worried about you for a long time."

Rong Ting lowered his eyelids and said in a cold voice, "It is because my mother is worried about me every day that she is excited after hearing the news. She is not as steady as my father and is afraid that outsiders will notice the clues and be easily taken advantage of by outsiders."

Emperor Zhaowu began to re-examine his son.

At the young age of fourteen, he knows how to hide his edge and think things through, and he has beautiful kung fu skills that one cannot help but admire.

…

In the splendid palace.

Emperor Zhaowu and Empress Jiahe sat at the top respectively.

Rong Ting and Xiao Shiqi sat on opposite sides.

The seventeenth prince lowered his head, occasionally looking at Rong Ting with a hint of hostility.

After being kicked by Empress Jiahe, he reluctantly called Rong Ting "Royal Brother".

Emperor Zhaowu's Retreat

Yin felt that something was wrong.

After thinking about it carefully, he realized that this was the first time that he sat here with the Queen, the Seventeenth Prince, and the Ninth Prince.

When he came to Jinxiu Palace, he hardly ever met his ninth son.

Only occasionally would she hear from the palace maids in Jinxiu Palace that the Ninth Prince was difficult to manage and prone to illness.

Unexpectedly, the naughty child became a different person when he grew up.

It is difficult for children who have gone astray in their childhood to go astray again.

Emperor Zhaowu recalled these things without even realizing it, but he felt even more satisfied with Rong Ting.

He smiled and said to the Seventeenth Prince, "Little Seventeen, learn as much as possible from your Ninth Prince in some matters."

Empress Jiahe heard the satisfaction that Emperor Zhaowu expressed towards Rong Ting in his words, and she felt choked up in her heart. However, she kicked Little Seventeen under the table, signaling him to reply to his father's words.

Little Seventeen shrank his legs and replied slowly, "Father, I understand."

Before, whenever Emperor Zhaowu came, Empress Jiahe would always order people to lock Rong Ting in the house.

During that period, there was war and chaos on the border, and Emperor Zhaowu was extremely busy. Did he ever think about the bastard born by that low-ranking palace maid who became pregnant after he temporarily favored her a few times?

But now, the child born by this low-ranking palace maid has unknowingly won the praise and support of Emperor Zhaowu.

He actually let her child learn to be like a child of a low-ranking palace maid?

Empress Jiahe felt heavy in her heart, as if a stone had fallen.

But she had to be on guard against whether Rong Ting would say anything nonsense, while looking at him carefully with a fake gentle look.

She hated him so much in her heart, but she forced herself to speak in a gentle tone and said to Rong Ting: "Xiao Jiu has finally returned to the palace. Your mother can finally take a look at you."

If Rong Ting said at this moment that his leg injury was caused by her...

No, it wouldn't, he had no evidence.

If he spoke nonsense, it would suit her wishes.

Then she could accuse him of being a slanderer and ungrateful.

Emperor Zhaowu chose her as his queen not only because of her gentleness, but also because of the support of the Xu family.

Even though Emperor Zhaowu obviously likes his son Rong Ting now, as long as he has not determined in his heart that Rong Ting is his heir, then in Emperor Zhaowu's heart, she is superior.

Emperor Zhaowu will definitely stand on her side then.

Thinking of this, she felt more confident and said insincerely, "In the past year, you have not been by my side, and I have not even been able to sleep well."

Her words were raised by Rong Ting with a sharp

Interrupted gaze.

The deep meaning in that look made her vaguely scared.

However, Rong Ting's eyes flashed with a sharp light, but soon it faded away without any disturbance. He smiled softly and said, "I didn't expect that the Queen Mother would worry about her son to such an extent."

The tone sounded gentle.

It was not at all what Queen Jiahe had imagined.

She was stunned.

"Mother has done so many things for me..."

Rong Ting paused and looked up.

"I remember every detail of this matter clearly in my heart, and I will never let you down."

After he finished speaking, he smiled gently and looked at Queen Jiahe.

Emperor Zhaowu was moved by the sincere light in the young boy's eyes and sighed, "Xiaojiu is so filial, it's rare."

Empress Jiahe immediately understood the profound meaning behind Rong Ting's words.

Looking at his smile, it's creepy!

The bottom of my fingers suddenly felt cold.

Empress Jiahe felt a chill down her spine, as if someone was holding a knife to her neck and threatening her.

Only by killing the man who threatened her with a knife can we prevent future troubles!

She clenched her fingers, silently arousing murderous intent in her heart.

Rong Ting looked at Empress Jiahe's little movements and sneered in his heart.

She probably didn't know that Concubine Yun noticed the problem with the target today because she got the news from Nanny Ji.

Nanny Ji revealed the news to Concubine Yun because Empress Jiahe and she became suspicious of each other.

The root lies in his faith.

They are all mice that he plays with by the tail.

The boy's eyes flickered, and he quickly put away all his rebelliousness and stubbornness.

Only gentleness remains.

The young man is as handsome as jade.

He has a delicate face and sincere eyes, which are particularly touching when he looks at others.

Rong Ting looked at Emperor Zhaowu, "Father."

"My leg has not improved. Living in the current courtyard is somewhat inconvenient and will disturb the Queen Mother and the Emperor."

He said, "I want to go to the West Palace and find a secluded courtyard where I won't disturb others, so I can recover in peace."

Empress Jiahe was stunned when she heard this.

He actually wanted to escape from her clutches?

He blurted out, "Not right!"