Early in the morning, the birds chirped and the mountains were clear. The maids shuttled through the corridors, sweeping and burning incense, and replacing old things. The female officer directed the maid to remove yesterday's melon and fruit tea and replace it with fresh fruit. She turned her head and saw Li Chaoge sitting by the east window, wiping the sword.
Li Chaoge is wearing a bright purple Ru skirt today. The long skirt is stacked on the sitting table, meandering to the ground. This? She is dressed in a gorgeous and extravagant body, which makes her beautiful and charming, but Li Chao's singer is holding a long sword, and the blade of the sword reflects a cold glow, making the whole picture suddenly murderous. stand up.
A gust of breeze passed through the window, shaking the curtain tassels on the window from side to side. Li Chaoge stretched out his hand, and casually pulled the broken hair in front of him, still focusing on wiping his saber.
The female official signaled the maids to be careful. She clasped her hands, walked up to Li Chaoge, and bowed softly: "Princess, breakfast is ready, do you want it now?"
Li Chaoge checked his saber routinely, put the sword back into its sheath with a bang, put the long sword on the table, and said, "Okay, let's set the meal."
The female officer beckoned, and the ladies of the palace poured into the hall like flowing water, carrying dishes. The female officer knelt down while holding the hem of her skirt, and while adjusting the position of the dishes, she asked: "Princess, Princess Dongyang is hunting today. King Zhao and Princess Guangning are going to participate. Is the princess going out of the palace?"
Princess Dongyang is the elder sister of the emperor's compatriots, and later married the Gao family, the uncle of Empress Changsun. She herself is a princess from the first line, and her husband's family is prominent, and she has always been in close contact with the eldest grandson's family. She has quite a status in the capital, and she can be said to be the leading figure among the princesses of the clan. Princess Dongyang took the lead in the safari, and there must have been a gathering of noble ladies and a hundred flowers blooming.
However, Li Chaoge didn't even think about it, he shook his head and said, "No."
The last time Li Chaoge went on a safari with the crown prince and many aristocratic sons, he disliked their level, let alone a group of noble women? Just thinking about it, Li Chaoge could guess what they looked like hunting. Li Chaoge had a lot to do, and he really didn't want to waste time with them.
The female officer placed the silver plate, her expression was hesitant, and she seemed to be hesitant to say something: "Princess Guangning receives invitations every day, but the princess is deserted here. Why don't the princess tell the Queen of Heaven and let the Queen of Heaven help you?" Get in touch, how many girls from aristocratic families?"
The female officer thought that Li Chaoge was neglected, and was worried that Li Chaoge would feel uncomfortable, but she didn't know that Li Chaoge rejected those invitations on purpose. Li Chaoge didn't care, and said casually: "It's just a banquet? It's not necessary to attend. They are indeed born well, and their father and brother are noble, but to put it bluntly, it is their father and brother who have the power, not themselves. They are just ordinary people, if they get along, they will be friends, if they don't, they will go their own way, why do you have to mix in their circle?"
Li Chaoge looked indifferent, so the female officer couldn't persuade her anymore. The female officer didn't say anything, but she felt that Li Chaoge was smoothing things over for herself. All the people who can walk with Princess Dongyang are from famous families? Noble girls, nobles, every time Princess Dongyang holds a banquet, all the women in the capital want to sharpen their heads and squeeze in. Why? Some women don't want to participate in the banquet. Princess banquet? What
The female officer lowered her eyes and responded, "What the princess said is true. The princess has just come back, and it's time to get familiar with the staff. It's not too late to go out after a few days."
Li Chaoge took a spoon to serve the porridge, and suddenly stopped, looking out the window. The female officer then turned her eyes away, and saw a team of servants hurriedly approaching, stopped at the door, and said to Li Chaoge, "Princess Anding, the Queen of Heaven has an order to ask the princess to pack her clothes as soon as possible. The sage and the Queen of Heaven are going to drive back Palace."
Back to the palace? Li Chaoge frowned, why so suddenly? Without saying a word, she put down the spoon and asked, "Why? What happened? Why did Tianhou return to the palace suddenly?"
The servant shook his head: "I don't know, my servant is ordered to pass on a message, so I dare not speak falsely."
Li Chaoge waved his hand and said, "I see, you go and pass on the message to the next family."
The waiter saluted: "Thank you, princess."
After the servants left, the maids in the palace also whispered to each other. The female officer frowned, feeling inexplicably uneasy: "Princess, why did you return to the palace suddenly? The saint and the Queen of Heaven have clearly agreed that they will stay in Zigui Palace for half a month."
Li Chaoge remained silent with a sullen face. She stood up from the table and walked out neatly: "What's going on, you can find out by asking. I'll go to the Qianqiu Palace to pay my respects to the Queen of Heaven. You should pack your clothes here and don't move around carelessly." .”
The palace ladies inside and outside knelt down together, put their hands in front of their eyebrows, and said in unison: "No."
Li Chaoge wore a long purple dress, walked all the way through the corridor, and walked into the Qianqiu Hall. The maids outside Qianqiu Hall greeted Li Chaoge, and Li Chaoge dragged his cloak and walked gently across the threshold.
Through the floor-to-ceiling carved windows, Li Chaoge saw Li Changle snuggled up to the Queen of Heaven, and was complaining: "Aniang, why did you suddenly want to go back to the palace? We have agreed today that we will go hunting with Aunt Dongyang."
Tianhou was very patient, and said to Li Changle: "It's not too late to go back to Beijing after hunting. There is an urgent matter from the court, and your father is in a hurry to go back and preside over the overall situation."
Sitting next to Tianhou, Li Changle was still very unhappy: "What's the big deal? Can't wait a day?"
The Empress frowned, glared at Li Changle angrily, and reprimanded: "Listen, what are you talking about? Is it important for the imperial court to have fun with you?"
Li Changle was still afraid of her mother, and when the Queen of Heaven showed a cold face, she wouldn't dare to pester her. Li Changle pouted and said in a low voice, "That's not what I meant."
The maid at the door saluted Li Chaoge. When the Empress heard the movement, she turned her head and saw that it was Li Chaoge who had come. She calmed down a little and said, "Chaoge, you are here. Have you received the news of returning to the palace?"
Li Chaoge lowered his hands to salute Tianhou, then got up, and replied in a correct manner: "My son, I received it. Tianhou, did something big happen in the court?"
Tianhou sighed, no one would feel happy when receiving such a thing on the way to relax. Not wanting to worry the two children, Tianhou wrote lightly: "It's not a big deal. After so many years of ups and downs in the Tang Dynasty, what is it like to make small troubles like this? They're just ghosts and ghosts." , the brat is just playing."
Li Chaoge's eyebrows twitched slightly, and there was something in his eyes. Listening to Tianhou's voice, this? It doesn't seem to be an accident in the officialdom, but rather a monster.
Li Chaoge wanted to ask again, but Tianhou didn't want to talk more, so she sent her two daughters away and said, "Go back and pack your things, the saint is in a hurry, and he's leaving at noon. You two are princesses." , lead by example and don’t let others wait for you.”
"What, so? So fast!" Li Changle was taken aback, and kept yelling, "There is only one hour left, and I brought so many things, how can this be in time?"
"That's why I want you to go back quickly." The Queen of Heaven frowned, and said deliberately, "Don't bother the saint and the prince, this is a big matter for the court, and you are not allowed to be willful."
Li Changle dared to talk back to the emperor and the prince, but she dared not listen to what the queen said. Li Changle knew that her mother was serious this time, and she wasn't joking with her. Li Changle was instantly discouraged, and said with a listless voice: "Yes, I know."
Tianhou looked at Li Chaoge and asked, "Chaoge, how about you, do you have enough manpower? If not, I will send you another team."
"No need." Li Chaoge shook his head, "I don't have many things. When I came out, I packed them up. The Empress Dowager is the mother of the country, so there is no room for loss. These people should be reserved for the Empress Dowager."
It can be packed so quickly, it can be seen that when Li Chaoge went out, he had already told the people below to pack it. When Tianhou heard it, she looked at Li Changle angrily: "Look at your sister, as soon as she received the news, she asked someone to prepare it, and you, not only did not listen to the arrangement, but also tried to get my father and brother to change their itinerary. You, Let’s learn? Learn? from Sister.”
Li Changle was scolded from head to toe by the Queen of Heaven, how pale was Li Changle? Not happy. She stood up abruptly, and said stiffly, "I know. I'm going to go now."
After speaking, Li Changle rushed out without waiting for Tianhou to speak. The queen was so angry that the maids hurriedly knelt down to give her peace of mind: "Don't be angry, the princess is a child, and speaks quickly, and there is no malice. Don't care about the princess with the queen."
The Queen of Heaven raised her brows and said angrily, "It's fourteen, what about a child? Chaoge is only two years older than her. See how sensible Chaoge is, and then look at her."
The ladies of the court did not dare to answer, and kept their heads down and kept saying flattering words. Li Chaoge lowered his eyes, pretending he didn't hear it, and said, "Tian Hou has a lot of things to arrange, son? Don't dare to delay Tian Hou's time, go first? Resign."
Facing Li Chaoge, Tianhou's tone was quite relaxed, she nodded slightly, and said, "Okay, you can go back quickly. The road is bumpy, so you can rest yourself."
"yes."
Li Chaoge went back to her own palace. She didn't have much luggage with her. After wrapping up her weapons, she had nothing to do. Tianhou said to leave on time at noon?, but Li Changle kept procrastinating, and everyone insisted on waiting until the end of the day before going out from Zigui Palace?.
Mianchi is not far from Luoyang, everyone went down the mountain at noon, clanging and walking all afternoon, and arrived at Dingdingmen at the end of You hour. Traveling is not an easy task. After entering the city, the accompanying people first sent the saint and the queen back to Ziwei Palace, and then each set up their horses and went back to their respective mansions.
After a day of tossing, everyone is tired. As soon as Li Changle entered the palace gate, he went to rest in his own palace. The emperor and Li Shan showed obvious signs of exhaustion, but the empress was still in good spirits. After returning to Wencheng Palace, Tianhou didn't rest, so she arranged Li Chaoge's residence energetically.
Li Chaoge wasn't in the palace before, so Ziwei Palace naturally didn't have her residence. The Queen of Heaven called Gong'e, and said: "You clean up the Dechang Hall in Xijia City, and replace all the thin and soft curtains with new ones. Dou Lu, you call Shang Gong, and let her lead the secretary and planner to the Dechang Hall. Measure the size and buy a bed cabinet table and chair for the princess immediately. I don’t have time to get a new one today, so I will use it first? Mine, go and send the set of sandalwood tables and chairs that are idle in my warehouse to Dechang Hall. I remember there is another set Let's send calligraphy and painting and red coral tea utensils as well."
When Li Chaoge heard this, he quickly said, "There's no need to be so troublesome. I don't care about the environment, as long as I can live. These things are too expensive, and I can't use them properly."
"Mother subsidizes her daughter? It's only right and proper, what's wrong?" The Empress pressed Li Chaoge's hand, turned her head and motioned to the maid, "Go and do it."
"yes."
The female official led the ladies back, and the Queen of Heaven pulled Li Chaoge to sit on the couch, and said comfortingly, "Today is in a hurry, so you will settle for now? One night, I will have someone replace you with new furniture tomorrow. You were supposed to live in the northwest corner The West Sixth Institute, where the princes and princesses live, but you are not in Miyagi all the year round, and the people below are negligent, and it will not be able to take care of it for a while. You just settle down for a few days, and after you have been busy for a while, I will let you Guangning and King Zhao vacated the palace, so you can move in."
Before today, Li Chaoge had been acquiescing to death in the palace, and Xiliu? How? Keep her palace? Li Huai has already been granted the title of king, and has his own palace outside the palace. He usually does not live in the palace, so the West Sixth Office is basically controlled by Li Changle. Li Chaoge is very self-aware, she is the daughter who came back halfway, how can it compare to Li Changle who has been in love for many years. If she let Li Changle take the place, not to mention whether Li Changle is willing or not, the Emperor Guang would feel distressed.
Li Chaoge said at the right time: "No need, Guangning lives well in the West Sixth House. There is no need to make a big fuss. I am fine in Dechang Palace. I have already caused so much trouble for the palace. Wouldn't it be a crime to bother everyone to clean up for the second time?"
In fact, Tianhou also meant this. Otherwise, she would not have asked Shang Gongju to measure the size of Dechang Palace. However, Li Chaoge took the initiative to say that it still made Tianhou both satisfied and sad, feeling extremely emotional for a moment: "You are good in everything, but you are too sensible. You are also a princess, the jewel of the Tang Dynasty, there is no need to think about others. "
Li Chaoge smiled lightly, but did not answer. She didn't think about other people, she really thought Dechangdian was very good.
In terms of magnificence, the West Sixth Temple is naturally far more than Dechang Hall, and the West Sixth Temple is not far from the garden, with beautiful mountains and lakes, it is a first-class good place. However, what Li Chaoge cares about is not the decoration at all, but the location. The West Sixth Institute was surrounded by the innermost part of Ziwei Palace. No matter where they went, they had to pass through other palaces, so their actions were very restricted. On the contrary, Dechang Palace is located in Xijia City, and it is integrated into a whole. It is not far from Ximen Town, so it is very convenient to enter and exit the palace.
Li Chaoge naturally chose Dechang Palace without hesitation. What's more, she didn't live in the palace for long. Li Huai has already moved out of the palace, so he doesn't have to be affected by the curfew at the gate of the palace, while the crown prince lives in the East Palace, has his own small court, and can make decisions for himself in everything. Li Chaoge also wanted to build a mansion as soon as possible and move to his princess mansion.
No matter how convenient it is in the palace, it is not as convenient as living by yourself. It's just that the princess is different from the prince. The prince can open a mansion by himself after he becomes king, but the princess can only move into the princess mansion when she gets married.
But it's too early to think about this now, her princess mansion hasn't been completed yet, so there's no way to talk about moving. Li Chaoge temporarily put this matter aside, and said to Tianhou: "The queen and the sage are always thinking about me. I have nothing to repay. I can only be cautious in my words and deeds, and try not to cause trouble for the queen and the sage."
Listening to these words, Tianhou felt quite embarrassed when she thought of the pampered Li Changle. She was about to say something, when the voice of the servant came from outside, indicating that the emperor had arrived.
Tianhou and Li Chaoge got up together, and the emperor strode into Wencheng Hall with a bad expression on his face. Seeing that Li Chaoge was also there, he said, "Chaoge is here too. Please sit down quickly, there is no need to be polite."
Tianhou sat down slowly, Li Chaoge saluted according to the rules, and then sat down at the head of Tianhou. Tianhou sat opposite the emperor, and she saw that the emperor's expression was not right, and asked, "Saint, what's wrong?"
The emperor heaved a long sigh. He was an emperor in front of his courtiers, but in front of the Queen of Heaven, he was just an ordinary man. The two have been married for 20 years. The Empress not only bears children for him, but also accompanies him to go to court and discuss politics together. The relationship between the two has long surpassed that of ordinary couples. For the emperor, Tianhou was not only a wife, but also a political partner and spiritual support.
Tianhou asked, but the emperor did not hide his exhaustion. He pinched his brows and said, "It's about the imperial examination. Now the scientific examination is coming soon, and the elites from the Eastern Capital are gathering. This should be a grand event for the whole city, but this year I don't know what happened. Two or three life cases happened one after another."
murder? Li Chaoge's ears perked up, Tianhou also frowned, and said: "The murder case should be handled by Dali Temple, let Dali Temple and Jing Zhaoyin strengthen their defenses, and arrest the criminal as soon as possible, and we must not cause trouble before the imperial examination. "
"This? That's the problem." The emperor sighed, "It's fine if the thieves are causing trouble, but those dead people died strangely, bleeding from the seven orifices. I checked and found that those people had their brains eaten. , but there is no sword wound on the outside. Now the people in the city are spreading rumors that this is what a monster did."
Tianhou also gasped when she heard the death. His brain was eaten... What kind of monster is this, so cruel
Tianhou hurriedly asked: "What are the identities of the people who were eaten? Who did they come into contact with during their lifetime?"
The emperor shook his head: "I don't know. Because there are too many candidates in the city recently, several of the victims are students who took the scientific examination this year. The Habayashi Army patrolling has been strengthened twice. Be prepared, but last night, the murder happened again. The victim was from Yongzhou, who came to Luoyang to take the imperial examination. What's worse, the appetite of this monster is getting bigger and bigger. This time, it ate it all at once. The brains of two people! Neither the Yongzhou examinee nor his school boys were spared. When his fellow villagers found out, blood flowed all over the floor, and even the internal organs were turned out."
Tianhou heard the frown, and her face was obviously ugly. Although the emperor didn't see it with his own eyes, just listening to the description is disgusting enough. He rubbed the center of his brows with a headache, and sighed: "It's a troubled time. People in the East are panicking now. What's more, some people spread rumors that this is the royal family's immorality, and disasters from heaven, as a warning."
When Li Chaoge heard that the brain of the deceased was eaten, she showed a contemplative expression. The further she listened, the clearer her thoughts became. By the time the emperor finished speaking, she was completely sure that it was a monster.
It's hard to say exactly what kind of monster it is, but Li Chaoge has several guesses in his mind. Li Chaoge raised his eyes, silently glanced at the emperor and the queen, and suddenly said, "Saint, queen, maybe I can try."