stray
Huo Changqing had sent an actor into the palace for no apparent reason, but the Empress didn't think it was his idea. She knew her nephew well, so she was initially wary. She didn't let him handle matters within her palace, and she rarely summoned him.
But that day, after she finished dealing with a bunch of affairs and returned to the palace, she felt a splitting headache after relaxing her face all day.
This is an old problem. Palace affairs seem simple, but they are actually complicated and involve many aspects. The former deposed queen was greedy for pleasure, indulging in love and quarreling with the emperor every day, and had no interest in palace affairs. Now it seems that she is enjoying herself.
Under the dim light of a lamp, she put down her pen, closed her eyes and rubbed her head. The dim red light in front of her eyes suddenly turned black. She opened her eyes and saw only a corner of a blue-white robe showing from behind, covering her dark skirt.
Just as she was about to speak, she felt the pain in her head ease. Zhang Si's hands were soft, but not as pampered as the emperor's. But the emperor never used them to massage her, never treated her with such affection. She had never shown fatigue in front of the emperor. She knew he had more to do every day than she did, and was more tired than she was. Maintaining decorum and not revealing their fatigue had exhausted her. Their equilibrium should not be disturbed.
She let out a long, barely noticeable sigh.
Zhang Si asked, "Is the Queen unhappy?"
"It's just a headache, an old problem. It will be fine after a rest."
Zhang Si didn't say much, and gently massaged her entire head. Then he was about to relax her shoulders, but the queen glanced at him.
He immediately knelt down and said, "Queen, please forgive me."
He and she were not that close yet. The queen was precious and he was afraid that she would despise him.
The queen looked at him. This young man was thin and had a slightly frowned brow. He actually looked somewhat similar to Liu Che. He was kneeling on the ground, his eyes were a little panicked and at a loss. This look made her feel a little uncomfortable.
She smiled and said, "What's my crime? I just wanted to go back and get an account book. Am I usually very strict?"
"No, no, the Queen is kind and generous. I am a lowly person and I am afraid of offending her."
"You are not only good at singing, but also good at massage."
Zhang Si lowered his eyes and clenched his fists.
"How did you come up with the idea of learning this?"
Zhang Si lowered his voice and said, "This is what my mother learned."
This sentence is like trying to stop a boiling pot by adding more water. What the queen wants to hear is definitely not such a simple sentence. Women in the boudoir like to hear rumors, palace secrets, and lamentations about the sufferings of the world... But he couldn't bear to reveal himself.
"Do you know my brother?"
Zhang Si was stunned by the sudden change of words, and then he remembered that it seemed to be the general who had led the northern expedition against the Xiongnu. He nodded.
The Queen said, "Before he became a general, he was just a groom in the Pingyang Marquis's mansion, and a servant of the family. Because of me, he was taken away. That person stepped on his face and called him a lowly slave. Even though he had all his strength, he didn't dare to fight back. Now, he has become a general. Who could have imagined that a lowly groom could achieve this?"
People are born with one body and one life. Whether they are humble or noble is not decided by others. Their own life is in their own hands.
Zhang Si stared at her blankly, then smiled at her after a long moment, "I will follow your instructions."
Zhang Si's attitude was not as warm as before, but the queen summoned him from time to time because of this. In fact, it was just some trivial matters, but Zhang Si did a good job and did not ask for rewards. She felt that he was a reliable person.
Seeing the Empress's interest in getting close to him and entrusting him with important tasks, Zhang Si devoted himself even more fully. He quietly replaced the flowers in his bedroom with her favorites in the mornings, and enjoyed his personal perfume for her afternoon naps...
This harmony was eventually broken by a glass of wine during the Flower Festival.
The Flower Festival is a women's festival. The queen summoned all the ministers and their wives to a banquet to enjoy the flowers and drink wine. Everyone toasted her, and she was overwhelmed by the wine and felt dizzy while sitting in her seat.
"The queen is drunk, ladies please let her go."
Gillian smiled and pushed away a glass of wine offered by everyone. The man laughed and said, "You are only allowed to drink your wine. Why are you not allowed to drink ours? Do you want to enjoy the emperor's grace alone?"
"I wouldn't dare, but this wine is too strong. The Queen still has palace affairs to attend to when she returns. Please give me this glass of fruit wine instead."
The toast was from General Feilie's daughter, who was drinking the strong liquor she had brought from home. The Queen quickly declined and took the wine from Ah Jiao, saying, "I really can't hold my liquor well, so I'll toast to you all with this glass."
After she finished drinking, she said she had something to do and left, and asked Gillian to entertain her for the time being.
When everyone saw the queen leave, they no longer restrained themselves and started chatting, laughing, and sleeping drunkenly. The imperial garden was filled with the atmosphere of spring.
Gillian drank two glasses of wine, but her face did not turn red. She had always been a good alcoholic. Seeing that no one had time to pay attention to her, she quietly left the table and walked towards the harem.
She walked along the rocky mountain, with the spring trees reflected on the water on the right and fish biting at the pomegranate flowers.
Taking advantage of the shelter of the rocky hill, she walked forward leisurely. Suddenly, someone called out to her, "Who?"
She was startled and turned sideways to hide behind a rock.
The emperor stood under the willow tree, looking at the goose-yellow reflection in the water, then raised his eyes to look at the stone where she was hiding.
"Mrs. Cheng isn't at the Flower Festival, so why is she here?"
A Jiao heard her name being called and came out. It was Liu Che. What a coincidence.
"Your Majesty, I...I am a little lost. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
The path she was taking led to the Emperor and Empress's chambers. The Emperor looked at her calmly, a hint of a smile on his face. "Lost... so where were you originally heading?"
"The Queen returned to the palace drunk and rested, leaving behind her private seal. I was just about to give it to her."
Gillian timidly stretched out her hand, and the emperor suddenly walked over, took the seal from her hand, and placed it in his soft palm intentionally or unintentionally.
Gillian's ears burned, and she was nervous, but the emperor actually returned the seal to her, and said meaningfully, "Then go, but be careful not to take the wrong road."
He turned to leave, but Gillian suddenly grabbed his sleeve, "Your Majesty..."
The emperor paused, turned around and looked at her hand. She seemed to realize something was wrong and shrank back in fear.
"I don't know the way, could Your Majesty please take me there?"
The emperor didn't say anything, staring at her straight, as if he wanted to see through her completely, skin and bones. Ah Jiao immediately said, "It's my fault for being rude, Your Majesty, please forgive me..."
"Let's go."
The emperor dropped a word and walked slowly in front. Gillian hurriedly followed him. Looking at the shadow in front of him, he curled the corners of his mouth.
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