No matter how her emotions were surging, the empress dowager said these words calmly.

To outsiders, it sounded like she was just saying hello to an old acquaintance she hadn't seen for a long time. However, when this voice fell on his heart, Qi Dashi shuddered. - He had never expected to see her when he came to Beijing this time. But he didn't expect that God would give him this chance. - Although he just lowered his head and didn't dare to raise his eyes, the farthest point of his sight could only reach the corner of her robe. But it was enough. Qi Shuguang also tried hard to calm down his emotions, bowed his head and knelt down, and said, "I, the humble servant, pay my respects to the empress dowager." This move was reasonable and more in line with the status of an old minister. But in a moment, the Queen Mother nodded, then looked away, looked around at everyone and said, "This time, you all gathered in the capital and did your best to reopen Songhe Academy. I am deeply pleased. I hope that you will do your best to contribute more to the court and the people." As soon as the voice fell, everyone responded. The noisy voices mixed together, making it difficult to distinguish who belonged to whom. When everything returned to calm, the Queen Mother said again, "Everyone, go ahead, I will also return to the palace." After saying this, she turned around and got on the sedan chair waiting on the side. Everyone responded again, and after watching her leave the Yu Garden, they continued to move forward. Qi Shuguang looked normal, but his mind was still on the previous meeting. -- After many years, she has become the Queen Mother, her palace dress has changed to darker colors, and her voice sounds much calmer. She probably doesn't have to worry about the difficult issues of the court anymore, and doesn't have to worry about the disobedience of her young adopted son. This should be very good. Just as he was thinking this, he heard someone suddenly say to him, "I heard that Mr. Qi was a bachelor of Zhongji Palace in his past, and now there are many of your students in the court. I think the position of the president of Songhe Academy this time must belong to you." As soon as these words came out, everyone echoed. Some even bowed to him and congratulated him, "Congratulations, Mr. Qi." Qi Shuguang smiled faintly and said, "You all really flatter me too much. I am mediocre and have lived in Langya for more than ten years. I really dare not covet the position of the headmaster. After this matter is over, I will still return to Langya. I hope you will not hesitate to show your talents and make more contributions to the academy." The implication is that he is just here to make soy sauce this time and has no intention of this position. Hearing this, many people quietly put their minds at ease, praised him for his humility, and continued to move forward. ~~ Just when the famous scholars were speaking freely in Wenyuan Pavilion, Yan Shu woke up slowly. Just as she was lying in bed, rubbing her belly and thinking about what to eat for breakfast, she heard a system ding, [The Queen Mother and Master Qi just met.] What? She was startled and sat up immediately, asking a series of questions, [When did they meet? Where did they meet? Why don’t I know? ? ?] System, [When you were dreaming just now, the Queen Mother got up early and took a walk, and Master Qi and others were going to Wenyuan Pavilion for a meeting, and the two of them ran into each other in Yu Garden.] Yan Shu, [!!!] Hey, if I had known, she would have gone to Yu Garden to wait too! Really, how can CP fans miss such an important moment! ! ! She had to ask again, [What did the two look like when they met again? Did they look into each other's eyes for a long while and then slowly call out each other's name? 】 System, [... You're overthinking it, in front of so many people! The Queen Mother just said, "Long time no see," and Qi Shuguang just kowtowed to her and said goodbye. 】 "..." Well, under the current circumstances, the two of them really had to do this. However, no matter how many impossibilities there were in their identities, didn't they meet now? This was much faster than she expected! Yan Shu thought to herself, it must be God's arrangement. Thinking of this, and thinking about what the emperor told her last night, she quickly got up, dressed, had breakfast quickly, and went to Ci'an Palace. She was excited all the way, but when she got there, she saw that the Queen Mother looked normal and was fiddling with a few water lilies. "Your servant pays respect to the Empress Dowager." Yan Shu performed her greetings, then stepped forward and praised, "These water lilies are so fragrant, I can smell them at the entrance of the palace." The Empress Dowager sighed, "They are fragrant when they first bloom, but they have no fragrance after a while. That's why it is said that flowers should be picked when they are in bloom." Yan Shu, "..." Why is this so meaningful... Is she lamenting about the matter with the great scholar? She raised her eyes quietly, but saw that the Empress Dowager's eyes were drooping, as if she was a little sad. Yan Shu sighed silently, and hurriedly diverted the Empress Dowager's attention, "Your Majesty intends to arrange a banquet in the palace to entertain the families of the Confucian scholars who are coming to Beijing this time. I would like to ask the Empress Dowager to make the decision. What do you think?" But the Empress Dowager raised her eyebrows and said, "I think this is a bit unnecessary." Huh? Yan Shu was stunned and asked hurriedly, "Why does the Queen think so?" Before the Queen Mother could speak, she heard the system say, "The Queen Mother doesn't know that Qi Shuguang is single yet. She is afraid that she will feel uncomfortable when she sees his family." Yan Shu, "So that's it." At this time, she heard the Queen Mother also said, "Just take the scholar's affairs to the former court, why bother to mix it up with the harem." This was of course an excuse, and it sounded a little sour. Yan Shu thought for a moment and said hurriedly, "Now that Songhe Academy is owned by the court, His Majesty certainly attaches great importance to it and wants these gentlemen to feel His Majesty's sincerity. And His Majesty said that he plans to invite the families of some ministers this time, about seven or eight people, and the rest will be mainly the families of these gentlemen. The number of people is no more than ten. However, it is strange that among the four most famous gentlemen this time, only three brought their families, but Mr. Qi from Langya did not." As soon as these words came out, the Queen Mother paused her hand that was playing with the water lotus, but pretended to ask casually, "Why didn't he bring his family?"

Yan Shu said, "I heard that the gentleman is single and has not married yet."

After the words fell, the Queen Mother was shocked again.

- He has never married.

In the past, there were always people who wanted to match him up with a woman, but he never accepted.

Who would have thought that after so many years, he is still single?

But Yan Shu said, "This means there is one less person, so I guess there is no need to make a big scene. By the way, there is also a young lady from Xiangyang Tiande Academy, and I heard that she is a member of the royal family."

Hmm? The Queen Mother

came back to her senses and asked, "Who is it?"

Yan Shu said, "I heard that it is the granddaughter of the King of Nanping,

her surname is Chen, and she doesn't look too old." The Queen Mother thought for a moment and nodded, "Yes, the eldest son-in-law of the King of Nanping is indeed surnamed Chen. When the King of Nanping and his wife died of illness, their son inherited the throne, but he was not very honest. He tried to cause trouble before Your Majesty ascended the throne, so Your Majesty confined him in his fiefdom. Considering his father's loyalty, he only stripped the titles of the rest of his close relatives and let them make a living on their own."

Speaking of which, when she first entered the Yuwen family, the old sister-in-law of the Princess of Nanping took good care of her.

It's a pity that her descendants are too disappointing. The Queen Mother

nodded and said, "Since there is still a descendant of the old friend, let's meet him."

Yan Shu nodded and replied, "Yes, it's hot now, why not put it in Yunshui Pavilion, it will be cooler." The Queen Mother

hummed, "You go and arrange it." After

the voice fell, her mind returned to what she had just heard -

he was not married yet.

This fool, does he not want to leave a descendant in this life?

~~

On that day, the palace invitations were distributed to the ladies who accompanied the emperor to Beijing this time, and the palace Shangshenjian and Taichang Temple also immediately began to prepare.

In this way, on the morning of the second day, all the female relatives gathered in Yunshui Pavilion to pay homage to the Queen Mother.

Yan Shu accompanied the Queen Mother to receive them, but saw that most of these female relatives were around forty years old, with different heights, weights and thinness, and most of them were quiet.

However, there is a lady who is tall and strong, with a cheerful temperament, and is particularly eye-catching. She is the wife of Gu Hongbai, a famous scholar in Lanling.

Yan Shu immediately became interested and asked the system, "This lady looks strong, is she a martial artist?"

The system said, "Yes, this Mrs. Gu is the daughter of a famous martial arts family in Lanling, and she is very good at martial arts. When she went to the market, she happened to meet the handsome scholar Gu Hongbai who was harassed by a gangster when he was setting up a stall to tell fortunes. Seeing injustice, she kicked the gangster over and rescued Mr. Gu, and the two of them became friends.

Yan Shu's eyes lit up.

——This sounds like a very interesting little sweet story!

However, when Mr. Gu was young, why did he go out to tell fortunes on the street instead of studying hard?

Tsk, it seems I have to learn more about it someday.

Just as she was thinking this, she saw a woman in her forties leading a young woman to come forward and bow to her and the Queen Mother, "I am Xiangyang Wang, and my daughter-in-law Chen, to pay my respects to the Queen Mother and the Concubine Yi."

Xiangyang, Chen?

It turned out that this was the granddaughter of the King of Nanping.

Yan Shu hurriedly introduced her to the Queen Mother, "This is the one I mentioned to you yesterday." The Queen Mother

nodded and looked at Chen. She was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a pretty face. It seemed that she could still find the shadow of her old sister-in-law, the Princess of Nanping.

But her expression did not have the spirit of her grandmother in those days. Her eyes were downcast, and she seemed to be submissive.

The Queen Mother sighed silently. The descendant of the royal family was dragged down by her unlucky uncle and has become a beautiful girl.

She said, "I used to live with your grandmother and watched your mother grow up. How is your mother now?"

But she bowed her head and said, "Your Majesty, my mother has passed away."

This is really a sad thing.

The Queen Mother sighed, "It's been many years since we last met."

While she was talking, Yan Shu quietly observed the girl and felt something was strange.

It was a hot day, and everyone else was wearing low-necked summer clothes, but her clothes were still high-necked, with the collar tightly buttoned. She looked really hot. The sleeves were also long to the fingers, as if she was afraid of exposing her wrists.

Add to that her demeanor...

Yan Shu hurriedly asked the system, [Why does this girl seem unhappy?]

System, [Who can be happy if she is beaten and scolded by her husband every day?]

What?

Yan Shu was stunned and hurriedly asked, [What's the matter? Isn't her husband's family a Confucian scholar in Xiangyang? Her father-in-law Hong Yusheng is the headmaster of Tiande Academy! And she is also a relative of the royal family, how dare her husband beat and scold her casually?]

System, [Confucian scholars may not teach bad people! Her mother-in-law, Wang, actually dotes on her son very much, and makes her son violent and unreasonable. She beats his wife if she doesn't like anything. The reason why this girl wears so tightly is that she is afraid that outsiders will see the scars on her body.]

Hey! Domestic violence cannot be tolerated!!!

Yan Shu was so angry that she asked, "Her parents-in-law don't care? What about her biological father?"

The system said, "Her father-in-law is proud of his son's talent and learning, so he doesn't care about these things. He brought her to the capital this time because he wanted his son to find a job in Songhe Academy. Her mother-in-law also dislikes this girl for not being able to have children, and often says bad things to her!"

"As for her biological father, let alone, the emperor didn't punish him back then, but only took away his title, but kept his family property. However, he was lazy and squandered it all in a few years. It was just for a dowry that he married his daughter to the beastly Hong family wolf! "

This made Yan Shu so angry, "Another girl who was sucked blood! It would be a suffering to give birth to a child in this kind of environment! Besides, can women be blamed for not being able to have children? Most of the time, it’s the men’s fault! 】 She

immediately looked at the old lady Wang with disdain and wanted to spit on her on the spot.

This matter cannot be ignored.

So she thought about it and said to the daughter of the Chen family, "It’s so hot, are you catching a cold? Why are you wearing such thick clothes?"

In fact, the queen mother had already noticed it and asked, "Are you tired from the long journey? Do you want a doctor to take a look?"

But the mother-in-law Wang said hurriedly, "Thank you for your concern, Queen Mother. She is fine. She just has a weak constitution and is naturally afraid of the cold."

Miss Chen did not dare to speak. The Queen Mother

saw it and nodded, saying, "That's good. Take a seat and rest."

~~

There were not many guests today, and the banquet was not long. It ended in about an hour.

While everyone was coming forward to say goodbye, the empress dowager said to the girl from the Chen family, "You are a royal family member after all, and it is rare for you to enter the palace. Please stay and talk to me before you go back."

Yan Shu's eyes lit up, but when she saw her mother-in-law, Mrs. Wang, was about to speak, she immediately interrupted her, "Don't worry, Madam Hong. After the empress dowager finishes talking to the young lady, she will naturally send her to the inn. You go back first." Mrs.

Wang was stunned and hesitated for a while, but had to respond, "Yes."

In this way, when everyone left the palace, the empress dowager took Mrs. Chen back to Ci'an Palace.

When there were no outsiders around, the empress dowager said to Chen, "Speaking of which, your grandmother took great care of me back then, and I have always remembered it all these years. That's why I specially asked you to stay here to talk. You are also a descendant of the Yuwen family, so you can think of this as your maternal home. Tell me how your life is going in the Hong family?"

After she finished speaking, Chen's expression moved slightly, and there seemed to be mist in her eyes.

However, after a moment of hesitation, she said, "Thank you for your concern, Queen Mother. I'm fine. I'm doing well in the Hong family..."

Seeing this, Yan Shu sighed and said hurriedly, "Don't worry. The Queen Mother kept you here today to make the decision for you. As a member of the royal family, you don't need to worry about the Hong family. If they don't treat you well, you can just divorce and marry someone else. Anyway, you have the Queen Mother."

Hearing this, the Queen Mother raised her eyebrows and glanced at Yan Shu.

This girl is really good at making trouble for her?

Yan Shu rolled her eyes and added, "The Queen Mother is a person who hates evil and is impartial. She will never sit idly by."

After she finished speaking, the Queen Mother nodded and said to Chen, "Yes, tell me anything. If you wait until you return to Xiangyang, I'm afraid I can't save you." After saying

this, Chen paused.

Then she suddenly burst into tears and cried, "I, I don't want to live anymore..."

After crying for a while, she took the initiative to unbutton her collar and cuffs and said to the Queen Mother, "This is all caused by Hong Tianzong. Your Majesty, I really don't want to live anymore!" The Queen Mother

hurried to see, but saw that her arms were all bruised, and there were even finger marks on her neck. It was obvious that she was strangled.

Yan Shu was also shocked and immediately said to the Queen Mother, "Your Majesty, this man dared to abuse the royal bloodline like this, he must not be forgiven!" The Queen

Mother nodded and said hurriedly, "Come here, report to His Majesty, and tell him that I have summoned Hong Tianzong to see you." Immediately,

a palace maid responded and quickly went to Qianming Palace.

Soon, the king in the study got the news.

——The Queen Mother only summoned Hong Tianzong and didn't say anything. Although he was a little surprised, he also sent someone to the posthouse to find him.

Speaking of which, Hong Tianzong was known as a talented scholar from Xiangyang. Yesterday, he spoke eloquently in Wenyuan Pavilion, which won the favor of many ministers.

Of course, at his age, being a dean is far from enough, but he can still be a lecturer in the academy.

Because he had something to do, after sending someone to do it, Yuwen Lan continued to immerse himself in the memorials.

It was about two quarters of an hour later when he finished reading the memorials.

Thinking that Hong Tianzong had also arrived at Ci'an Palace, he was curious and decided to see why the Queen Mother summoned this person.

So he left Yu's study.

But when he arrived at Ci'an Palace, before he entered the palace, he heard a man's scream suddenly.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, spare my life..."

Yuwen Lan, "???"