Donggong Zhangjiao

The reception banquet to reward the army was held the day after the army returned to Beijing.

Before that, Pei Yao also took the time to visit Fengxuan Palace.

Naturally, he was concerned about the fifth prince's affairs.

After listening to the queen relaying the words of the two doctors, Pei Yao was silent for a moment.

After a long while, he raised his eyes and looked at the queen, "I listen to you on this matter. What are your plans?"

"I still hope that Xu'er will have a chance to leave a trace of his blood. Regardless of whether he is a man or a woman, someone will offer incense to him in the future." The queen whispered.

Hearing this, Pei Yao narrowed his eyes and spoke after a long while.

"In that case, it's up to you."

After a pause, he said, "Even if Hou Xu'er really has no children in the future, I will allow you to pick a child yourself and adopt him in his name."

Pei Yao also felt guilty about what happened to the fifth prince.

If he hadn't asked Concubine Wan to be sterilized, Concubine Wan would not have made a mistake and pinned the blame on the queen, thus ruining the life of the fifth prince.

What a good kid, so ruined.

The queen didn't know what Pei Yao was thinking. At this time, her eyes were slightly red and her voice was slightly hoarse as she thanked him.

After sitting in Fengxuan Palace for a while, Pei Yao left.

Minsi came in and took away the cold tea, looking distressed.

"Why don't the empress say more to the emperor? Now the emperor feels guilty towards the empress and the Fifth Highness. As long as the empress allows the emperor to eat, the emperor will definitely give him face. Maybe the empress can get pregnant again."

"There was no love before, and we have always been respectful to each other. Now that something like this happened, I feel a little resentful of the emperor in my heart. How can I do such a thing as inviting favor to you?"

The queen lowered her eyes and spoke in a low voice.

Hearing this, Minsi also sighed secretly and said nothing more.

After exiting the hall, he saw Tim Mo just coming back from outside.

"Where have you been? The Emperor came here just now and talked to the Queen about our Highness."

"Tonight is the reception banquet. I'm afraid something went wrong, so I went to check again." Tim Mo said, then looked at the closed door of the palace and lowered his voice, "Is the queen unhappy?"

Minsi nodded and sighed, "I haven't thought everything through."

"That's because there are people who are an eyesore, and since the eyesores are gone, the queen will naturally be happy." Tim Mo said.

Knowing that Tian Mo was very upset recently, Min Si shook her head helplessly and said nothing more.

In the evening, the Fengfeng Banquet was carried out as usual.

Because Fang Yun was still in confinement, he naturally did not attend.

But even if she didn't come, there was no shortage of topics on the court surrounding her.

For example, they congratulated the emperor on the birth of a healthy and lovely little princess, and praised the imperial concubine for giving birth to a son and a daughter. She was a blessed person. The birth of the little princess at a time when Daqi unified the territories of the two countries was a sign of auspiciousness.

These words fell in the Queen's ears, and she felt even more uncomfortable.

I can only drink wine one cup at a time.

Min Si and Tim Mo were waiting by their side, feeling heartbroken when they saw him.

But at today's banquet, the queen was not in the spotlight. After all, those who were awarded the title for their meritorious service were the Duke of Qin and other officers, including Concubine Wan's brother, Hu Daixu.

Pei Yao first granted the title of coach Huo Mingxuan, and then made Fang Jin the First Grade Imperial Lady on the spot.

This is also an honor for the Duke of Qin. After all, although Huo Mingxuan is young, he has basically reached the top if he is promoted further.

Fang Jin was a little flattered and got busy to thank him.

"Your sister misses you very much. She has mentioned you to me these days. When the reception banquet is over and you have time, come into the palace to talk to your sister." Pei Yao said gently. Fang Jin leaned forward, "Yes, my wife has been thinking about the imperial concubine these days. She was very happy when she heard that the imperial concubine had given birth to a princess. She had already prepared gifts and waited for the imperial concubine to be in good spirits so that she could visit her in the palace. "

"So you sisters have the same thoughts. Your sister also remembers that you have just returned to Beijing and are tired from the journey." Pei Yao smiled easily.

It looks like ordinary people chatting among relatives.

But some people had some suspicion in their minds that the emperor was liaising with his mother's family on behalf of the imperial concubine.

No, what Pei Yao said next confirmed some people's suspicions.

"Ji'er, come here." Pei Yao waved to the fourth prince, then pointed at Huo Mingxuan with a smile, "This is your uncle. He will live in the capital for a long time in the future. Your uncle is very skilled in martial arts. You should ask for more advice." .”

"I've met my uncle!"

The fourth prince was also generous and neat. He saluted immediately and said with a pair of big eyes.

"I heard that my uncle has superb archery skills. He can pierce through the trees at a hundred steps and take the enemy's head while riding a horse at full speed. I would like to see the bow and arrows used by my uncle, is that okay?"

As he said that, he turned around and pointed at the children behind him and said.

"We all want to see it."

When he said this, the fourth prince's eyes were bright and clear, like a quirky and coquettish kitten, completely worshiping an idol.

Naturally, Huo Mingxuan did not refuse at this time and smiled heartily.

"Okay, as long as your highnesses come, I will be waiting for you at any time!"

"Thank you, uncle!"

The fourth prince smiled with crooked eyebrows and bowed his hands.

Everyone present saw all this, and they all thought that the emperor was starting to build momentum for the fourth prince.

With this in mind, everyone paid special attention to Pei Yao's actions during the next banquet to prevent missing any hidden information.

The queen looked at the scene in front of her and felt a little panicked.

With the excuse that he had drunk too much and was a little bored, he took Minsi's hand and went outside the palace to get some fresh air.

And just as she was standing on the porch outside, staring blankly at the bright moon in the sky, Prime Minister Lu's voice came from beside her.

"Old minister, please see the Queen."

"Father." The queen recovered her thoughts and hurriedly went over to help Prime Minister Lu up. "Father, there is no need to be polite. Why are you here?"

Prime Minister Lu stood up and looked at the Queen with pity in his eyes.

"I saw that my empress seemed restless and a little worried, so I came out to have a look."

After hearing these words, the queen's eyes flashed, and she immediately turned sideways and spoke in a low voice.

"Father can see that the emperor is already determined to support the fourth prince."

"According to my inquiries, the fourth prince is smart, hard-working, kind-hearted and enthusiastic, and if he is well cultivated, he can indeed become a good monarch. And now the general trend is that Concubine Zhao will be crowned the harem, the Duke of Qin will have great military achievements, the Liu family will be prosperous, and there will be many people in the court who have already Secret support.”

Prime Minister Lu said in a deep voice.

After hearing this, the queen turned around and said, "Father, I'm just a little bit unwilling. I've been through it all to the end, but I've failed in vain."

"Your Majesty, the moon waxes and wanes." Prime Minister Lu said earnestly, "My Majesty, do you still remember what you said before, what is the mother of the country?"

Hearing this, the queen's throat froze slightly, she paused, and then spoke softly.

"As the mother of the country, she should be a mother to the world, a role model for the women of the world, serve the monarch, supervise and advise, and take care of the harem. She should not cause the harem to be chaotic. In everything, she should put the overall situation first. She should be the mother of the world first and think about the affairs of the world. , then think about your own affairs for your own sake.”

After hearing this, Prime Minister Lu said in a low voice, "Now that your heart is in a state of confusion, you should think about it carefully."

After saying this, Prime Minister Lu turned around and left.