Friends uploaded the second volume of Shan You Mu Xian Mu You Zhi Yi San Qi Jiao Chan

  Chang'an winter day, thunder rumbled through the sky.

  The fragrance of tea wafts and swirls in the Xuan Shi Hall. At the beginning and end of each year, it is the busiest time for the Han court. After the start of the new year, Prime Minister Cao Shen reports to the emperor on the annual accounts from all over the country. Liu Ying is currently reviewing them. Han Changyi enters the hall and respectfully reports, "Your Majesty, someone has come to see you in the Pepper Chamber."

  "Let her in."

  He carelessly didn't notice the strange expression on Han Chang's face.

  After a while, he heard the sound of soft boots treading on the ground, the footsteps were extremely light and soft, like a nimble cat.

  After a while, he asked, "Has Empress Zhang's body recovered?"

  Not hearing a respectful response, the girl said resentfully, "Since Uncle is still worried about Ayan in his heart, why doesn't he come to see me?"

  Liu Ying was startled and hastily lifted her head, seeing Zhang Yan standing elegantly in front of the hall.

  She wore a simple black official dress, her hair was also coiled into an ordinary bun, due to her natural beauty, not only did she not look old, but the skin on her neck and shoulders looked even whiter and more delicate, with a faint fragrance. And after a serious illness, her figure had become thin and pitiful.

  He suppressed his inner regret and put down the Chinese book in his hand, "Ah Yan, why have you come yourself?" He asked with a smile, as if nothing was wrong.

  "I won't come," Zhang Yan said with a pout, "Will you go see me?"

  "Uncle," she softened again, speaking sweetly, "it's been many days since we last met, I miss you so much." Liu's eyebrows furrowed in difficulty, saying, "A Yan. You see, I have a lot of things to attend to here, and it's really hard for me to find the time. Be good, and I'll go to the Pepper Chamber to visit you again in a few days, okay?"

  "This is obviously just an excuse, Zhang Yan was annoyed. She asked, 'Are you so busy that you can't even rest at night? Can't you spare some time to see me?'"

  She was on the verge of tears, "Uncle, if Ayan really has any shortcomings, you can beat her or scold her, but considering our many years of relationship, at least don't ignore me."

  Liu Ying sighed and said, "Foolish girl." Her eyes were sorrowful.

  He got up and walked to her, placing his hand on Zhang Yan's forehead, slowly stroking down the soft and smooth black hair, "You're not bad. Never have been."

  The real bad one is me.

  She smiled with pursed lips, turned around and hugged him, looking up at him with a gentle smile, "Then you'll accompany me back to the Pepper Chamber tonight. Alright?"

  Liu Ying found herself having a hard time opening her mouth and couldn't utter a single word.

  "Your Majesty." The door to the hall opened, and a eunuch in blue clothes walked in, holding an ancient book and excitedly calling out. "I found what you were looking for..." Suddenly, he froze, seeing a pair of tightly embracing figures in the grand hall.

  The girl was overshadowed by Liu Ying's broad back, and due to her petite figure, only a head of shiny black hair and a dark-colored official uniform could be seen.

  "The audacious and shameless woman," Xiang Ru felt a sour taste in her heart, so she loudly scolded, "How dare you disregard the palace rules, causing chaos in the palace, coming to the Xuanshi Hall to seduce Your Majesty."

  The "female official" coldly laughed and poked her head out from the emperor's bosom, scolding, "What are you? You're overstepping your bounds, this is a matter of the imperial family. Is it your turn to speak out of turn?"

  Her eyebrows are delicate and beautiful. Her eyes are like apricot kernels. Isn't she Empress Zhang Yan?

  "Get out of my sight." She pointed at Xiang Yu and scolded.

  "Ayuan." Liu Ying furrowed her brow and pressed down on her hand, gently scolding, "As the Empress, you shouldn't be so unseemly."

  Zhang Yan was taken aback, and tears of grievance welled up in her eyes.

  Her uncle actually protected her cousin more than her.

  The eunuch had been intimidated by Empress Zhang's strong presence and took a step back, but now seeing Your Majesty scolding the empress to defend himself, he felt emboldened and bowed again, "I didn't know it was Her Majesty the Empress, I dared to offend. It is my fault, however..." He let out a cold laugh, raising his delicate chin, "Even if it were Her Majesty the Empress, doesn't she know that this hall is where Your Majesty handles state affairs every day? The empress is also a woman of the inner palace, and this is a violation of palace rules."

  Zhang Yan was furious and asked with a smile, "Xun Shi Zhong, this palace asks you, what is the meaning of Prime Minister?"

  "What?" Xiang Yu was tongue-tied and didn't know what Zhang Yan meant.

  "The Zhou Dynasty, the nobles attached great importance to sacrifices, and sacrifices were most important, and before slaughtering cattle for offering to the gods. Therefore, those who were in charge of the emperor's vassals and nobles' households were called 'zai'. The Han Dynasty followed the system of Zhou and Qin, transforming the household into a country, and the household zai became the chief official in charge of managing the imperial household, the prime minister. Since the prime minister is also just an imperial servant evolved from the household servant, I, as the emperor's wife, why can't I stand in this Xuan Shi Hall?"

  "This..." Xiang Yu was struck speechless by her overwhelming logic.

  Zhang Yan continued to press, "In those days, the previous emperor and his ministers discussed state affairs in the Chang Le Palace, while the empress dowager waited in the east wing. At that time, the empress dowager was also just an empress. What, does Prime Minister Huang think that the empress dowager violated palace rules back then?"

  Sweat dripping down, Xiang Yu involuntarily looked at Liu Ying for help.

  Liu Ying did not notice the movement of his own favorite minister, but only stroked his forehead and sighed, Zhang Yan's sharp teeth and sharp mouth, he had a good understanding today.

  He was afraid to be alone with Zhang Yan in the palace, so he didn't dare let Huan Yu retreat. He steeled himself and pushed Zhang Yan away, his face stern as he said, "Huan Yu's words also make sense. You should go back to the Pepper Room first."

  She was stunned for a moment and couldn't come back to her senses. She looked at him all the way.

  Uncle, you really like Huan Ru that much, so much that you'd scold me for his sake?

  Zhang Yan's face turned sour, and she glared fiercely at Xuan Yu. What's so good about this tender-skinned and delicate-featured little white face that makes you willing to humor him but not me?

  Liu Ying, you really won't love me?

  During the waiting process, I can tolerate you being with those useless palace concubines. However, I cannot accept that you would have a male favorite.

  That would make me feel like a total failure, unable to even compare to a man.

  Liu Ying walked to the entrance of Xuan Shi Hall and called out, "Come in!" Suddenly, she heard a groan behind her. Zhang Yan was squatting on the ground, holding his head in his hands.

  Han Changyu entered the palace and saw Zhang Yan's appearance, startling him. He hastily asked, "Your Majesty, what happened to you?"

  Zhang Yan's face turned pale white. Her lips were bitten out with a deep mark, "I have a headache."

  Before her words had fallen, Liu Ying hastily picked her up and ordered, "Chang Quan, summon Imperial Physician Tai to the Pepper Chamber."

  It wasn't until the emperor's figure disappeared beyond the palace gates that Huang Ru slowly came back to her senses.

  Han Changyu smiled faintly and ordered Xiao Huangmen to go to the Imperial Medical Office to summon the Imperial Physician. Only then did he turn back, laughing, "Huan Shizhong, His Majesty's people have all left, what are you still kneeling here for?"

  The empress's face turned red with anger and embarrassment, and she asked sternly, "Han Zhangyu, why didn't you tell me earlier that the Empress Dowager was in the palace?"

  Chang Quan raised an eyebrow and said, "I did inform you not to enter the palace at this time, but did you listen to my words?"

  "Ah?" Huan Yu suddenly understood and pointed at him accusingly, "You did it on purpose."

  Chang Yu smiled slightly, neither admitting nor denying. He only said lightly, "However, the position of Empress Zhang in Your Majesty's heart, you have also seen it. If there is self-awareness, then Gong Shizhong should be more restrained in the future."

  Jiāo Fáng Diàn

  Liu Ying rushed into the room and put Zhang Yan on the bed, anxiously asking, "A Yan, how are you now?"

  She has been suffering from headaches since childhood and has just recovered from a serious illness. If it happens again...

  Zhang Yan raised her head from his arms, her cheeks flushed, and the corners of her mouth slightly upturned.

  Liu Ying was taken aback for a moment, then immediately understood. She couldn't help but scold, "Zhang Yan..."

  "Uncle." She reached out to pull her own collar, shaking it in a conciliatory manner. "Don't be angry anymore. Ah Yan is just very sad and afraid you won't like me again. Now that I see you're so tense," she nodded with satisfaction, "my heart feels happy and tight."

  He gazed at the smiling girl in front of him, her eyebrows curved like a radiant apricot blossom on the vast plain. Though she was so beautiful, his heart was filled with sorrow. The previous annoyance slowly dissipated, replaced by this sadness. He said softly, "A Yan, from now on, don't mention what happened at Xuan Shi Hall again..."

  "Huh?" Zhang Yan raised an eyebrow, puzzled, "Which sentence?"

  He didn't answer her, but instead said, "A Yan, you must always remember that Uncle will forever be your uncle."

  She was taken aback, suddenly understanding the meaning behind his words. Her face turned pale, and she forced a smile, pretending to be carefree and innocent, laughing naively, "I've always known, haven't I? You're my uncle, and also my husband. Isn't that right, Uncle-Husband?"

  Liu Ying let out a sigh, pulling back her hand. "Silly girl," he said, looking at the small young woman in front of him, his eyes filled with an indelible faint sadness. "I really do like you, but I only see you as the little Ah Yan from before, so Ah Yan, I can only be your uncle."

  She calmed down and asked, "What does Uncle want to say?"

  Liu Ying smiled and changed the subject, asking, "In recent days, you often go to Tai Xue, aren't you having a lot of fun?"

  "Uh, okay." Zhang Yan was a bit stuck and almost couldn't keep up with Liu Ying's speed.

  He gently asked, "Do you like anyone?"

  She was taken aback for a moment, then her eyebrows furrowed and she asked in a cold voice, "What do you mean by this?"

  "I have thought it over carefully." He smiled faintly and said, "A Yan, you are still young now. I cannot help you, but I also do not want you to be trapped here for the rest of your life. In a few more years, when my power is greater, I can use the excuse that the Empress Dowager has fallen ill and arrange for you to leave the palace. The great families of the Han Dynasty are all intermarried and familiar with each other. I cannot choose a suitable husband for you from among them. However, the students who come out of the Imperial Academy are different. They are relatively simple-minded and also cannot integrate or contend with the old aristocracy in the short term. I can choose one of them who is outstanding and marry you to him, then send you both to be a prefectural governor in some place, never entering the capital for the rest of your life. This way, no one will discover you, and I can also take care of you for the rest of my life." He smiled again, "I think that Yan Zhen is quite suitable, still young, with both talent and good looks above average."

  She burst into tears, "Who is that strict assistant? I've never even taken a second glance at him! As the saying goes: A horse doesn't serve two masters, a woman doesn't marry two husbands. I'm happy to spend my days with you. You don't have to worry about this."

  "Ah Yan," Liu Ying said with a mixture of tears and laughter, shaking his head in persuasion. "We Han people don't pay attention to these things. Moreover, you and I haven't even consummated our marriage, why must you...?" He hesitated before continuing. "Actually, when Lü Wei secretly left with someone, I sent people to search for them discreetly, and later found their whereabouts in Zhuo County. So I ordered the governor of Zhuo County to take care of them privately. Nowadays, although they live a poor life, the couple is harmonious, which is also a good thing."

  "She is her, I am me." Zhang Yan sobbed. "Am I the same as her? Liu Ying, I am your lawfully wedded wife, with a dowry of 20,000 catties of gold, and we have shared a prison cell and eaten together in the Un央 Palace. We have paid our respects to the ancestral spirits of the Liu family at the ancestral temple. Heaven and earth can bear witness that these are not empty words. Do you despise me so much? Must you throw me far away and never look at me again, just to be at peace?"

  "Ah Yan," Liu Ying said with a bitter smile. Squatting in front of her, looking at her on the same level, "You are my Yan Qing, how can I bear to never see you again for the rest of my life? Now you're still young and won't feel it. But when you grow up one day and can't find what you want from me, I'm afraid we'll end up hating each other and tormenting each other. You're good, and I'm not wrong either, but this line that connects us is wrong."

  "Deceive people, deceive people." She was annoyed and couldn't help it. "Neither law nor secular ethics have ever said that being an uncle cannot marry a niece. Why must you be so stubborn?" She pulled his hand, hoping and begging, "You've already given in to me so many times. Let me this once. Is that okay?"

  He smiled wryly and gently parted her hair, lightly planting a kiss on her forehead.

  Zhang Yan's tears fell pitter-patter down.

  His lips were very cold, landing on her warm forehead, gentle and fitting. She tried hard to warm him up. But found that no matter what, her own temperature was her own, and couldn't be conveyed to his lips.

  It was a very clean kiss without a hint of sensuality.

  It was his first kiss with her, but it was a goodbye kiss.

  "Yes, the law doesn't say it's not allowed, ethics don't say it either," he said, placing his hand on his heart, "but my conscience has always been telling me, no."

  "What if, what if," a glimmer of hope flashed in her eyes, "what if I weren't your niece? Would you then let me stay by your side?"

  Then fall in love.

  He was taken aback for a moment,

  Silly child, many things can't be taken lightly.

  He smiled indifferently and said, "That won't work either."

  His voice was cold and clear, "Even if you are not my sister's daughter, your father is still Xuanping Hou Zhang Jie, in terms of etiquette, you should still call me Uncle."

  The hope in her eyes immediately turned gray.

  "Alright, Ah Yan." Liu Ying stood up and said, "I've already said what I needed to say. I hope you can understand my intentions," his throat was a little hoarse for a moment, gritting his teeth he said, "Uncle, it's always been for your own good."

  Even if it means cutting out a piece of my heart, I will still smile and watch you leave.

  "You rest. I will return to the imperial study."

  He started to walk away, but was suddenly shocked to find a pair of soft hands wrapped around him, holding him tightly.

  "Your Majesty," she mumbled with her head buried in his back, "you've had your say, isn't it time for me to speak?"

  "Yes, I know that you have a strong sense of morality and ethics. So you always feel that we can't be happy together, and it's better not to come; but unfortunately, I also have some emotional hang-ups. There are so many good men in this world, but if I don't like them, I won't compromise and go with them. Therefore, whether or not to leave the Weiyang Palace doesn't make a difference to me."

  "You don't have to spend this for me"

  Liu Ying suddenly felt a sharp pain in her heart, as if something had torn it open and countless grains of sand were pouring in. The little girl behind him was like quicksand, and he had already stepped in halfway with his foot. If he didn't pull it out immediately, the fate that awaited him would be to sink deeply and lose his life.

  "A Yan," he hastily called out, "let go."

  "Don't let go, don't let go." She sobbed loudly, "I feel that if I let go, you'll really abandon me."

  All sounds are quiet, winter rain patters on the roof of the Pepper Chamber, occasionally a winter thunder, rumbling and passing by, distant and serene.

  Worry-relieving lanterns in hand, carefully and cautiously entering the temple for inspection.

  "Your Majesty and Your Highness, what's going on?" Mu Xi asked in a low voice outside the palace.

  The elder lady official made a silencing gesture, blew out the candles and whispered, "Nothing's wrong, they've all fallen asleep."

  "What's so strange about that," Mu Xi curled her lips, "Your Majesty isn't staying overnight in the Pepper Chamber for the first time. Hmm, it seems that Your Majesty still cares about the Empress deeply. This time, the storm in the Pepper Chamber has passed, right?"

  "Really?" He opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated and stopped.

  What she didn't say was that this time, unlike before, it was the first time for Your Majesty and the Empress to sleep together in bed at night.

  Lemongrass fragrance is light and helps people fall asleep.

  In the magnificent and solemn Pepper Chamber, a large bed made of nanmu wood was covered with a thick layer of embroidered lotus flowers, and the fierce fire in the stove occasionally burst into a crackling sound, maintaining a warm temperature in the chamber. Under the soft silk quilt, a small girl tightly hugged the young man from behind, although there were still tears on her cheek, but the air was filled with a warm and sweet scent.

  The mountain has trees, and the trees have branches.

  Because it's a chapter at the end of the volume, the amount is about half more than usual. Therefore, the release time is also relatively late.

  It's a bittersweet happiness.

  So, want to ask for pink tickets?

  Guess what title I will use for the third volume. Hehe.