It was already mid-August, and the weather was cooling down, but it was still hot and stuffy sitting outside just after noon.

Yuanzi was in a bad mood after coming out of the Queen's Palace. He didn't want to take a nap, and insisted on watching ants under the eaves. The eunuch accompanying him was already drowsy and dozed off beside him. Under

the eaves was a brick floor with red bricks and tiles arranged closely together. Yuanzi stared at the gaps between the bricks and saw a string of small red ants crawling over from not far away. The ants were as big as the eye of a pin. If you didn't look carefully, you couldn't see them clearly. He took a small wooden stick and poked them. The string

of red ants was very good-tempered. They silently circled around his stick and returned to their nest in a mighty stream.

Yuanzi lay on the ground and looked at their nest in the crack of the brick. It was as small as a candle wick. He noticed it when he was sent to the palace to visit his grandmother last year. He thought it was strange and wanted to dig it out, but the eunuch who followed him was so scared that he almost cried. He pulled him hard and said that this was the brick awarded by His Majesty to the Royal Concubine. It was as precious as gold and could not be damaged.

Yuanzi blew at the ant nest and looked at the eunuch who was sleeping next to him. He thought that no one should stop him today.

This is the main gate of the main hall. Usually, people come and go, but now the palace servants also need to rest, so it seems a little deserted. Yuanzi turned his back to the eunuch, took out a small stick, and slowly picked the crack of the brick. He was very patient and did not make any noise. He slowly rubbed with a stick. After about a quarter of an hour, the cracks in the bricks loosened.

He used his fingers to dig again. He thought he would not succeed. Who would have thought that the bricks were not that solid. They seemed to have been lifted up before and were easily lifted up.

The scene underneath was revealed.

There were dense, red little ants gathered together, like a woman's red hair rolled into a ball.

Frightened, the ants moved quickly and spread out.

Yuanzi's eyelashes trembled, but she was not scared. She still sat calmly aside, first watching the flying red ants for a while, and then poking the soil under the bricks with a stick. His grandfather had told him before that these little red ants would not gather for no reason unless they were attracted by poison. So there must be something poisonous hidden under the brick.

The little eunuch was still sleeping soundly, snoring with a hum in his nose.

Yuanzi poked the small wooden stick into the ground, about a foot deep, and the stick hit something. He threw the stick away and used his hands to dig the soil. There was a noisy sound behind him. The palace servants began to work in an orderly manner, but because of Concubine Gao's instructions, they were not allowed to approach the main hall, and no one dared to come over.

The little eunuch also woke up in shock and saw Yuanzi doing something with his back to him.

He had long been accustomed to the little grandson's solitary nature, so he did not suspect anything and just asked casually, "Do you need a servant to play with you?"

Yuanzi shook his head silently. The little eunuch did not say anything else, closed his eyes, and dozed off again.

Yuanzi piled the soil aside, reached into the hole, fumbled for a while, and took out a small red bottle.

Yuanzi realized that this was a bottle of poison, which his grandmother had hidden here, attracting little ants. He liked poison. Yuanzi slowly put the red bottle into his sleeve, moved the soil and bricks back to their original places, and wiped the dust clean with his sleeve. Everything was the same as before.

But... should I tell my grandmother if I took something she secretly hid?

Yuanzi tilted his head and thought for a while, and decided that he still wanted it. He stood up and pushed the door, but it was locked from the inside and he couldn't push it open, so he went around and went to the small window at the back.

He wanted to open the window and ask his grandmother to open the door, but he heard a faint voice... It was the voice of his grandmother and that bad woman.

The bad woman asked: "Aunt, I really don't understand, that half-crazy girl has become so crazy, why doesn't my father abolish her?"

Yuanzi frowned in confusion, thinking: Who is the half-crazy girl?

Concubine Gao's voice was somewhat teasing: "Feihe, are you really stupid, or are you just pretending to be stupid? Let alone the Queen going crazy, even if she turns into a fool running around the palace with snot running down her nose, His Majesty will not depose her for this. Don't you know what kind of a splendid family the Shen family is? With five marquises in one family, the power is so great that one move can affect the whole body. Moreover, His Majesty was good friends with her brother when he was in his prime. The two rose to power in adversity and had a brotherly relationship. Later, her brother died on the battlefield, and he was even more loyal and brave. Even if His Majesty has no love for the Queen, he still has an unbreakable friendship with her, and he is reluctant to let her go. As long as Queen Shen does not make a big mistake, His Majesty will not depose her."

"Then she will make a big mistake tonight." Gao Feihe also laughed, "Aunt, your plan is really brilliant. Not only does it give His Majesty a reason to depose the queen, but it can also sever the connection between the Fourth Prince and the Shen family. Since the disappearance of the crown prince, the Shen family has been silent for more than half a year, as if they were hiding their strength. But recently, they have become closer to the Fourth Prince." Concubine

Gao snorted and lowered her head to touch her nails: "I really regret it. I just framed him with a crime, but I didn't poison him to death. The Fourth Prince is said to be a prince, but he has never been in the palace for a few days. His mother died early, and no one educated him. He has a bad habit. I didn't mind him at all."

When she heard the word "poison", Gao Feihe's eyes flashed slightly.

Concubine Gao continued, "The fourth brother is smart, none of his brothers can compare to him, but he is extremely arrogant and unruly. Some people say he is like an eagle in the northern desert, but this is not a good thing. He succeeds because of his arrogance, and he fails because of his arrogance. I was just waiting for the day when he would kill himself, but who would have thought that this day would come! A stone full of thorns can be polished and made smooth... He has ruined my plans time and time again!"

Yuanzi tiptoed to the window, confused again. Banfengzi seemed to be talking about the gentle queen, so who was the fourth brother?

Concubine Gao's last tone was almost gritting her teeth. Gao Fei looked at her with his eyes, but what he was thinking was completely different from her.

After a while, Gao Feihe suddenly shed a few tears: "Aunt, I'm really scared. I'm afraid that I will also face such a brotherly dispute in the future."

Concubine Gao frowned and looked at her: "What nonsense are you talking about? Aren't you an only daughter? Where did the brothers come from?"

"It's not me..." Gao Feihe wiped her tears, "It's that little beast in the mansion! Aunt, I feel uneasy with that little beast around. Your Highness will inherit the throne sooner or later. That little beast is the eldest son. Who will be the crown prince in the future? Even if I give birth to a son next year, the little beast is still six years older than my son. When my son grows up, he will be a big troublemaker!"

Concubine Gao's face became uglier: "Then what do you want to do?"

"Speaking of poison just now, I suddenly remembered that the Rouge used in the poisoning case, is there any left now? Where did you hide it?" Gao Feihe looked at her expectantly, "Rouge is a poison bestowed by the Xiongnu royal family and never passed on to others. Three years ago, the Fourth Prince led his troops to raid the side hall of the Xiongnu royal city, and fortunately succeeded. Except for him, no one else would have this medicine. When the Fourth Prince was convicted, wasn't this one of the important evidences?"

Gao Feihe became more and more excited as she spoke: "Aunt, why don't we use the same trick again, use this medicine to poison that little evil beast, and put the blame on the Fourth Prince..."

Before she finished her words, Concubine Gao's face suddenly became fierce, and she raised her hand and slapped her: "Foolish woman! You wanted to kill my grandson a few months ago. I thought you had repented, but I didn't expect you to be as vicious as before!"

Gao Feihe fell to the ground, holding her left face with her hand, and was stunned.

Concubine Gao was so angry that her chest heaved. She pointed at her and wanted to scold her again, but suddenly she heard the anxious voice of the eunuch from the window: "Little grandson, little grandson, why did you sneak here? Come with me!"

Hearing this, Concubine Gao panicked for a moment, and Gao Feihe also hurriedly got up, opened the window, and met Yuanzi's frank eyes.

She took Yuanzi's hand and pulled him out of the window, then scolded the eunuch to leave, and asked Yuanzi nervously: "How much did you hear just now?"

Yuanzi lowered his eyes, thinking, although I don't understand, I heard it all.

But when facing Gao Feihe's gaze again, Yuanzi shook his head: "I just came here, I didn't hear anything."

Concubine Gao and Gao Feihe both breathed a sigh of relief. Children will not lie.

Concubine Gao pulled Yuanzi to sit on her lap, but she was still worried. She stroked his cheek and said, "Yuanzi, grandma loves you, right? No matter what you heard just now, it doesn't matter. Just remember, don't tell anyone. It will rot in your stomach, and you can't say a word to outsiders. Otherwise..."

Concubine Gao showed a painful look: "Grandma will be hurt."

Yuanzi nodded.

Concubine Gao smiled and said, "Okay, I knew Yuanzi was the best. Go to bed." Gao

Feihe saluted: "Aunt, I will take Yuanzi down."

Concubine Gao responded, as if she had not beaten her just now, and she was still smiling.

Yuanzi tightly held the red bottle in his sleeve and followed Gao Feihe out the door to the side hall.

On the way, Gao Feihe grabbed his wrist tightly, as if she wanted to break his arm, and threatened in a low voice: "Go to sleep when you go back, and when you wake up, just pretend that nothing happened today. I don't care what you heard, anyway, if you dare to say a word, I will pull out your tongue!"

Yuanzi agreed obediently. He lay down on the bed, Gao Feihe glared at him again, and went out, and arranged for the palace maid to guard his door before leaving.

Yuanzi closed his eyes and took a nap for a while, then felt hungry, so he got up again, opened the little red bottle, poured out a pill and put it in his mouth.

He smacked his lips, it was very bitter and not delicious.

Is this the rouge eyes that his grandmother hid? Yuanzi yawned, rubbed his eyes, and found that his eyes became painful.

He got out of bed and walked to the mirror. The eyes of the person in the mirror slowly oozed blood, and soon they turned red, as scary as a fierce ghost.

Yuanzi thought, no wonder it is called Rouge Eyes.

...

Before dusk, the lights in the Taiji Palace had already been lit. From a distance, the whole palace was shrouded in a hazy yellow light, blending into the setting sun. At 15:00 on

the twilight hour, Emperor Zhou entered the palace. After the ministers paid their respects, the palace banquet began with drums and music.

Baoning and Pei Yuan sat at the third table at the bottom.

The first one was the crown prince Pei Xiao. He was still ill, and less than a quarter of an hour after the banquet began, he was persuaded by Emperor Zhou to rest. The second one was the second prince Pei Shu. Pei Shu was born with deficiencies and was a little stupid. He just stared blankly at the dancers in front of him.

Pei Yuan was not too far from the Emperor of Zhou, and not too close to the singing girls below. It was a good place to eat.

The so-called palace banquet was a gathering under the Emperor of Zhou's nose, where everyone gathered together to socialize, watch singing and dancing, eat melon seeds, and chat.

Pei Yuan peeled melon seeds, Bao Ning peeled peanuts, pushed the shells aside, and piled the kernels into a pile and put them in a handkerchief.

Pei Yuan tied the handkerchief tightly, shook it, mixed it evenly, and handed it to Bao Ning: "You eat first."

Bao Ning happily divided half of it into his palm. When he was about to eat, he saw people moving around below, and suddenly felt embarrassed.

Pei Yuan noticed her awkwardness and flicked his sleeves to cover her face: "I'll cover it for you. Eat."

Baoning quickly stuffed everything into his mouth, chewed it, and squinted his eyes: "It's delicious."

Pei Yuan smiled silently. He was about to say that he would give you the rest when he saw the little head behind her shoulder: "Yuanzi is here?"

Baoning turned around in surprise, and it was indeed Yuanzi.

She happily touched his face and said to Pei Yuan, "Look, we haven't seen each other for a few months, and our little Yuanzi has grown a little taller."

Pei Yuan didn't say anything, just twirled the wine cup between his two fingers and nodded slightly.

Baoning put the remaining melon seeds and peanuts on the table into Yuanzi's hands, and said with a smile: "It's already peeled, take it back and eat it."

She really wanted to take Yuanzi away immediately, but this was not something that could be done in a day, so she couldn't rush. For now, it is better to get along with each other as usual and wait for the right time.

Yuanzi took it in his hand, pursed his lips and smiled, and then felt a little aggrieved: "Aunt, I thought you didn't like me anymore. You ignored me in Changqiu Palace."

Baoning pinched his nose and coaxed him: "How could it be, it's just that your mother was there at that time, so it was not easy to get close to you."

Yuanzi was stunned for a while before reacting. Gao Feihe was his nominal mother.

He sneaked out. The little palace maid next to Gao Feihe was watching him very closely and would come to find him soon. Before that, he had to ask a question clearly.

Yuanzi looked at Pei Yuan and asked nervously, "Are you the fourth child?"

"..." Pei Yuan was also stunned for a moment, his expression changed unpredictably, and then he put down the wine cup in his hand heavily, "Little brat, how can you talk like that?"

Yuanzi understood: "You are the fourth child."

Pei Yuan narrowed his eyes and wanted to grab his collar and scold him, but Baoning stopped him: "Okay, okay, don't bother with the child."

While speaking, the palace maid had already come over in a panic, saluted hastily, and was about to leave by pulling Yuanzi's sleeve: "Little grandson, why are you running around? The palace is so big, be careful not to get lost or eaten by wolves! Come back with me!"

Yuanzi followed her obediently. Halfway through, he looked back at Baoning, and Baoning smiled and waved to him.

Pei Yuan was furious and said to Bao Ning, "That brat needs to be taught a lesson. He calls his elders by their names. I'll beat him up if I get the chance."

Bao Ning smiled and comforted him. While they were talking and laughing, they suddenly smelled a scent of flowers.

The two looked up and saw a graceful woman coming up on the stage, covering her face with a white veil, getting ready to dance. You don't need to look at her face, just smell the fragrance, and take a look at the intoxicated look of Emperor Zhou to know that this is the Concubine Diexiang, who is the most favored concubine in the six palaces this year.

"Here you are." Pei Yuan said seriously, "You should ask His Majesty to leave now and return to your mother's palace."

Baoning nodded in a low voice.

Her heartbeat quickened, and just as she stood up, she suddenly felt something in her palm. Pei Yuan stuffed the thing inside again and stuffed it into her sleeve.

"This is a beacon, used for communication in the Benlang Army. It is similar to fireworks, but it will have orange flames and will not fade for a long time. If you encounter an emergency, light it and I will see it."

Baoning nodded solemnly: "I remember."

Pei Yuan no longer looked at her, but lowered his head to drink. Someone came over to talk to him, and his expression was the same as usual.

Baoning said goodbye to Emperor Zhou on the grounds of feeling unwell, and was successfully allowed to leave the hall accompanied by the palace maids and headed towards Changqiu Palace.

When Concubine Gao saw her leaving, a smile appeared in her foxy eyes, and she said to Gao Feihe, "The fun is about to begin."