The mountain has trees, and the trees have branches; eighty-five hearts know.

  "Sister."

  The doll heard the sound, turned her head around, saw Zhang Yan, was stunned for a moment, and then shouted out happily.

  "Yan'er." Zhang Yan softly called out, holding back her falling tears.

  Zhang Wan got up, ran over with a wobbly gait, and threw herself into Zhang Yan's arms, laughing and saying, "I heard that sister was coming back today, so I've been waiting here. I've waited for such a long time, why did sister only come back now?" Her voice was soft and sweet, with a hint of complaint.

  Zhang Yan softly laughed and said, "It's sister's fault, if sister had known that Yan'er was waiting here, she would have flown back even if it meant flying."

  At this moment, the affection gave Zhang Yan a surge of courage. She held her brother in her arms and turned back with a smile, "Uncle, would you like to come in and sit down?"

  "No." Liu Ying shook her head and put down the curtain.

  "I should return now."

  Lu Yuan was proud of his status and didn't wait at home, but when he saw his long-lost daughter, he couldn't help but redden his eyes.

  That night, Zhang Yan slept with her mother. "Mother is really heartless, saying that she would return in a month, but she hasn't returned yet. Is it possible that she wants Father to become a stone statue waiting for his wife?" She yawned and complained in her mother's arms.

  "You don't want to go back as a mother, do you?" Lu Yuan sighed. "But there's no way, your grandma and uncle are at odds over the Zhao Yin Wang affair, and Mother is busy mediating in between, she can't leave."

  "Mother," Zhang Yan suddenly asked, "how is Madame Qi now?"

  "What else can be done? It's miserable. --- Ruyi died, and she almost went mad too. I took a distant glance, pitiful indeed, the imperial concubine who once shone in Chang Le Palace, ultimately ended up like this."

  "Mother ---- Do you hate Mrs. Lü?"

  "It's false to say that I've never hated. Lu Yuan fell silent for a moment, then said lightly, "Just look at the current situation. Even more hatred has been alleviated."

  "Mother, then you advise Auntie to let Madam Qi off lightly, all right?"

  "Why?" Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow and looked at Zhang Yan strangely. "Ah Yan, I've found that you're very concerned about the affairs of the Qi family mother and son."

  "There's nothing." Zhang Yan's face turned slightly red, "Yan'er just remembered. When Mother gave birth to your younger brother that year, Empress Qi had asked the Emperor for a favor, and only then did he agree to let Father accompany you in the Pepper Chamber."

  "Is it?" Lu Yuan fell silent for a moment

  "Uh-huh." Zhang Yan nodded and said, "My daughter always feels that she owes Mrs. Qi a favor, if she can't repay it, her heart won't be at peace."

  "This child," Lu Yuan stroked her black hair and scolded, "if it's about owing affection, the one who should be owed is your mother, what does it have to do with you?"

  After several days, Lu Yuan took Zhang Yan's sister and brother to the Chang Le Palace to see Empress Lü. Seeing her long-lost granddaughter, Empress Lü was overjoyed and smiled, "You can finally come back."

  Zhang Yan curtsied and said, "Yan'er wishes the Empress Dowager a happy birthday and may all things go smoothly."

  "All right. All right." Empress Lü replied with a smile. She ordered the palace maid, "Go to Weiyang Palace and invite His Majesty. Tell him that both Princess Longle and her mother are here, and ask him to come to Changle Palace for lunch at noon."

  The eunuch took his orders and left, returning after a moment to report, "His Majesty says he is busy with government affairs in the Xuanzheng Hall and won't have time to come over at noon. He will invite the Princess Chang and Ayao to dinner another day to make amends."

  "This child," Lyu Hou waved her sleeve and swept the cups and plates off the table, her anger trembling, and after a long time, she sighed bitterly, "How long does he want to sulk with me?" With a sense of loss.

  "Empress Dowager," Ru Yuan saw the opportunity, stepped forward and patted her back, saying, "You and His Majesty have always been so stiff with each other, it's not a good thing, we should think of a way to ease the tension."

  "How can I make it up to him?" Lü Zhi sneered, "He resents me for poisoning his precious younger brother, but Liu Ruyi's bones are already cold, where can I go to return a younger brother to him?"

  Lu Yuandun paused for a moment, "Although Zhao Yinwang has passed away, isn't there still a Qi Furen locked up in Yongxiangli?"

  Lü Hou was taken aback for a moment, her expression unchanged, but her fingernails had already dug deep into the palm of her hand.

  "Your Majesty is kind and filial, Qiufu is the mother of Zhao Yiren, now she is imprisoned in Yongxiang for her crime, doing hard labor. If Your Majesty can pardon her crimes, allow her to go to Changling to guard the tomb of the former emperor. It would also be a way to fulfill Zhao Yiren's filial piety, if Your Majesty understands, you will naturally sympathize with Zhao Yiren's gratitude towards his mother."

  "Man Hua," Lv Liu shouted sternly, turning her head to glare at her, "You're my daughter, yet you're speaking up for that cheap woman?"

  Years of wind and frost had tempered Lu's majesty, under her gaze even ordinary men might not be able to withstand such pressure. But Lu Yuan was fearless, still speaking softly, "It is precisely because I am the daughter of the empress that I can speak so bluntly."

  She looked at her mother gently but firmly and said, "I am your daughter, shouldn't I be thinking for you? Mother, Qi Yi has already lost, the death of Zhao Yin Wang is the greatest punishment for her. The Empress Dowager has already won, why must she take her life? Think about it, which one is more important, a son or a Qi Yi?"

  Lü Zhi's expression changed unpredictably, and she felt the blue veins on her forehead throbbing violently. She couldn't help but support her own forehead, as memories from the past flashed through her mind one by one:

  When he was a child, Liu Ying stumbled and stuttered as he learned to walk. Just when it seemed like he was about to fall over, he suddenly steadied himself and looked up with a shout of "Mother!"

  That year, she returned from Chu's camp to the Han palace. Qi Yi followed Liu Bang out and bowed slightly, saying "Greetings, sister."

  That year, the Chu army trampled through the peaceful countryside of Fengpei, and she handed Rong'er over to Manhua, pushing them out the door and instructing them, "Find a place to hide, the longer you hide, the better."

  Man Hua was filled with anxiety, grabbed her brother's hand and ran. As they ran, Liu Ying kept turning back, her childish voice shouting "Mother."

  On the wine pool, Qi Yi smiled coquettishly and walked step by step, lightly spitting out her tongue, "Empress, you're already old, so old that no man wants to take another look at you. What's the point of still holding onto the position of Empress?"

  "Bang----"

  "Empress Dowager----"

  That was the night when Liu Ying first ascended to the throne, bidding farewell at the Zhaofang Hall, standing at the gate of the hall, suddenly shouting loudly.

  Lü Cuī suddenly felt a little dizzy in front of her eyes, and she rubbed her forehead, saying, "Let me think again, let me think again."

  Lu Yuan also felt a bit worried and sighed. "Let's think about it slowly later."

  The table fell silent for a moment, Zhang Yan looked around and curiously asked, "Why isn't Wu Niangzi here, has she gone home?"

  Lv Wei snorted and said in a bad temper, "A woman is not controlled by others when she grows up. Where does she still remember her family?"

  She was stunned. Just as she wanted to ask further, Lu Yuan held her hand and stared blankly for a moment. He didn't say another word.

  "It's also my fault for forgetting to remind you earlier." After getting on the imperial carriage back to the Hou Mansion, Lu Yuan sat upright and said, "In the future, don't mention Lyu Yi in front of your grandmother."

  Zhang Yan was silent for a while, then asked, "Lü Yi, what's wrong with her?"

  Lu Yuan sighed, "Xiao Yi is two years older than you. She's already twelve this year. Although she's still young, it's also possible for her to get married. The Lu family has a high social status and when choosing a marriage partner for their children, they have certain standards for social status and character. Ai Yi herself also has very high standards, but for some reason, she insists on marrying a small official from the Tingwei Fu. She's determined to marry him no matter what. Your second uncle and aunt are still angry about it."

  The carriage curtains shook slightly. After a long time, Zhang Yan let out a sigh. "So that's how it is." Her voice was faint.

  "What's that little official like?"

  "His great-grandfather was a noble of Chu State during the Warring States period. When the Han Dynasty rose to power, his father was granted a title due to his residual influence and became the Right Defender."

  Han continued the Qin system, setting up twenty levels of nobility, with the highest being the title of Thorough Marquis (later changed to Prominent Marquis during Emperor Wu's reign due to naming taboo). Zhang Yan's father, Zhang Yi, was a Thorough Marquis, governing one county and holding a fiefdom called a "state", receiving orders from the regional governor.

  And the right is only the 14th rank, with a salary of 820 mu, and an annual salary of 700 stones. In the powerful and prosperous Chang'an, it's really not worth mentioning, no wonder Lu Yuanshi, as the Princess, would turn up her nose at him.

  "It's a good thing," Ruyuan said thoughtfully, "that his character is honest. If Lvyi really marries him, she won't be taken advantage of."

  The entire city of Chang'an was puzzled, why did the Lu family girl, who was deeply favored by Empress Lü, take a liking to such an ordinary young man, and for this reason, she would rather offend her family members and the empress, and even couldn't wait until adulthood.

  But I understand.

  For an instant, Zhang Yan's nose felt a little sour.

  She remembered the night of the death of the former Crown Prince's wife, after Lv Yi forced Xianhe to death, she shouted at herself, "I hate this palace!"

  This girl with a transparent mind always smiled in her daily life, perfectly playing her own role in front of people. However, under the surface of cleverness, she hid her sensitive heart.

  Because it has been suppressed for too long, once a chance to vent is found, it will lose control like this.

  Lü Yi is undoubtedly clever and wise, but at the same time, she is also stubborn. She is not Lü Hou, who has encountered too few setbacks in her life to make a big deal out of small matters. Lü Hou taught her how to gauge the situation and plot, but she forgot to teach her how to let go of her own heart.

  It can't even be blamed on Empress Lü's private motives, because in this regard, Empress Lü herself had not learned enough.

  But Lü Hou has something she must protect and defend, so she can endure all hardships and continue on her own path. While Lü Yi doesn't, so she can wantonly abandon her path, seek spiritual liberation, and even deny the first half of her life.

  After her mother, who was a concubine, passed away, she abandoned the favor of Empress Lü, the esteem of her family, and the envy of her peers, everything, just to realize her most sincere wish, to leave that black palace that bound her.

  For a moment, Zhang Yan had some doubts. If she had told Lyu Hou about her importance to him on that day, would Lyu Yi's heart have been softer? Would the path of growth have been less biased?

  But no.

  She straightened her waist.

  Everyone makes mistakes and has to pay the price. No one is anyone's savior, their own path must be walked by themselves, even if it means getting hurt, that's what makes it their own life.

  If one can be content with poverty and enjoy it, then for Lv Yi, it is not an unhappiness.

  "Ah Yan," Lu Yuan brushed aside her hair, smiling brightly, "my Ah Yan is also growing up. Don't worry, Mother will definitely choose a suitable husband for you, and it won't be someone like Lü Yi."

  Cough, Xiao Yan'er is so cute, I really want to grab her and give her a big hug.

  Lu Yuantong shoes, as you wish, Mr. Lang will have them, but probably they will be quite beyond your expectations.

  Three days countdown at the end of the month, sincerely seeking pink votes.

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  She was once a legendary pride, but due to a moment's mistake, she ended up with everyone betraying and abandoning her, and her loved one leaving her behind. As time passed by, the sun rose and the moon waned, yet who could make her reborn from the ashes?

  He is the youngest son of Emperor Xuan, the most dangerous and sharp young king in the world. However, he fell deeply in love with a slave girl with a scarred face, ignoring the ridicule of others, vowing to marry her as his official wife. What should have been a low-key wedding ceremony unexpectedly brought out one after another of the world's most famous figures. Why did they come? What is the true identity of the bride? What kind of storm will she bring to the entire world?