Cui Xiaojun is still the same as before, and goes to pay tribute to the Queen Mother and the Queen Mother Wang twice a day in the morning and evening. The palace is quiet. This is the most important daily activity. She doesn't feel it is hard, but it's hard to look directly at her mother-in-law.

Since that night, the two of them have never had a private conversation. Cui Xiaojun kept her mouth shut to the emperor and did not intend to take revenge. Meiren Wang seemed to have forgotten everything. She smiled every time she met, but rarely spoke.

Therefore, after paying homage to her in the evening, Meiren Wang called the queen in the courtyard and invited her to enter the room to speak. Cui Xiaojun was very surprised and a little nervous. She knew very well that this real mother-in-law was harder to deal with than the empress dowager.

In the room, Cui Xiaojun greeted her again.

Meiren Wang sat on a chair, accepted the queen's service calmly, and did not give her a seat. She took a sip of tea and said, "There is something that the queen should be responsible for, but she is not in good condition now and has no extra energy, so she has to work for the queen."

"Mom-in-law just tells her."

"You also know that the emperor is not young, he is seventeen years old this year."

"Yes." Cui Xiaojun didn't understand very well. Seventeen years old is not considered "the eldest is not young", but for the king of a country, it is indeed not young.

"There are three kinds of unfilial piety, and no descendants are the greatest. Even ordinary men are like this, let alone Your Majesty's supreme body? The Great Chu suffered disasters, the ministers were worried and the people looked up to him. They all hoped that the throne would be passed on stably and not have any further accidents."

Cui Xiaojun woke up and replied: "Mother-in-law means..."

"There are many rumors in the palace recently that the queen is pregnant, so why didn't the Imperial Hospital report this?"

Cui Xiaojun's face turned slightly red, "It's all rumors, I haven't...no..."

The beauty Wang sighed lightly, "It's a pity. If the queen can give birth to a son, it's enough to stabilize the world. No matter what, the queen and I hope to see at least one prince be born within two years. Will the queen have such an idea?"

"Of course, the emperor's heirs will prosper, benefit the country and the people." Cui Xiaojun grew up in a wealthy family and had been educated for a long time to be the queen. After a pause, he took the initiative to say: "The emperor should be elected as a concubine for three years after he ascended the throne. Tomorrow I will pass an order to Zongzheng Mansion and the Ministry of Rites to urge them to choose a virtuous woman into the palace."

Wang Meiren smiled and said, "It is your Majesty's blessing for you and your Majesty's blessing for you. I believe you understand that the eldest son is the eldest son. No matter who has a prince, the queen's son is the legitimate prince. The Queen Mother and I just hope that Your Majesty can have many descendants and do not have the chaos after Emperor Huan's sudden death."

Cui Xiaojun returned to the bedroom. He knew that it was not in line with the queen's etiquette, but he still felt wronged. At the same time, he was filled with nostalgia for Juehou's Mansion, missing everyone there, every little chicken and duckling, and every moment of time with Juehou...

The next morning, after paying homage to the empress dowager, she wrote a copy of imperial edict, which was given in duplicate to Zongzheng Mansion and the Ministry of Rites in the name of Qiuxin Palace, and asked the two ministries to start choosing a concubine for the emperor.

In the afternoon of the same day, before the Zongzheng Mansion and the Ministry of Rites replied, news suddenly came from the Cui Mansion: Laojun was seriously ill and hoped to see the queen before his death, and beg the queen mother to beg him to beg him for permission.

The letter of request was sent directly to the empress dowager. The empress dowager was bored just by seeing the word "Cui". She agreed to the request without thinking. The beauty Wang, who was standing aside, had no time to stop it, and she could not stop it. She was not the second empress dowager now.

Before dark, the queen left the palace and returned to Cui Mansion in the province.

The atmosphere in the mansion was solemn. Cui Xiaojun got out of the sedan chair and went straight to the back house, leaving the palace maids and eunuchs behind him.

The grandmother's bedroom had a strong smell of medicine. A large group of women stood in front of the bed and cried. When they saw the queen coming, they all made way.

Cui Xiaojun saw her mother, nodded and moved to the bedside.

Laojun was lying on the bed, breathing weakly, as if he was in a coma.

Thinking of his grandmother's love for him, Cui Xiaojun felt sad and sat by the bed, holding his grandmother's dry hand, and she was already in tears for a moment.

The palace maid followed in, and the palace maid official Qiuxin immediately ordered that only the queen's mother, two sisters and one sister-in-law could stay, and everyone else would withdraw.

The room was much looser.

"What do you mean by the Imperial Doctor?" Cui Xiaojun asked with tears in his eyes.

"The imperial physician said that Laojun was old and weak, and his stomach was not good. It must be due to poor food accumulation and occasional cold. Let us prepare for the funeral." Xiaojun's mother was cowardly by nature and mostly lived under the shadow of her mother-in-law for most of her life. When she was separated, she felt a little sad.

"Ah..." Laojun, who was lying on the bed, suddenly spoke.

"Laojun." Cui Xiaojun hurriedly wiped away his tears, held his grandmother's hand in both hands, and waited for her to open her eyes to see him, "I'll see you."

"Is it Xiaojun?" Laojun said weakly.

"It's me."

"The queen... is back to see me...Who is that? Am I dazzled? Why are there outsiders in the house?"

"They are people from the palace and come with me."

"Go, go, go out, go out, I don't want to see strangers, go out, you, you, and you." Laojun raised his other arm and pointed one by one.

"That's not a stranger, it's the eldest sister and the third sister." Cui Xiaojun reminded.

"I don't know you, go out." Laojun's face turned red, as if the excitement of a dying person.

Cui Xiaojun signaled the palace maids to go out, and the eldest sister and the third sister also left awkwardly. The eldest sister, Mrs. Ping'en, had been married for many years and rarely returned to the house. It would be fine if she was not recognized by Laojun, but the third sister married the champion Hou and returned to the house soon after. When she found that Laojun did not recognize him, she couldn't help but feel very sad and cried.

Cui Xiaojun asked her mother to stay.

Mrs. Cui consciously retreated aside and tried not to let her mother-in-law see her.

"Are you leaving?" Laojun asked in a trembling voice.

"Let's go." Cui Xiaojun said, and when she saw her grandmother's confusion, she felt even more sad.

Laojun suddenly stood up and sat up. Cui Xiaojun was startled and almost fell off the bed, his face changed, "Laojun, you..."

"I'm very good." Laojun's voice was not trembling at all. He looked at Mrs. Cui and ordered: "Don't just stand, go to the door to see if the door is closed? Is there anyone outside eavesdropping?"

Mrs. Cui was even more shocked than her daughter, but she was used to obeying her. She immediately went to do it, came back soon, and whispered: "No one."

Laojun nodded and grabbed the queen's hand with his back, "My stupid granddaughter, you are sold and you are still counting money for others. Why did you let Zongzheng Mansion and the Ministry of Rites choose a concubine for the emperor?"

Cui Xiaojun's face turned red and said stutteringly: "Your Majesty has been ascending the throne for three years, and he is not young anymore..."

"Bah, I'm just a little furry child. Let me tell me first, is the emperor in the same bed with you?"

"Laojun..."

"Oh, one is your biological mother and the other is me. What's the point of being embarrassed about? Answer me quickly."

Cui Xiaojun nodded.

"Are you pregnant?"

Cui Xiaojun shook her head.

"Confirm? You are young and may not understand some things..."

Cui Xiaojun shook her head firmly.

Laojun stayed for a while, "I knew that the emperor's letter was a lie. What a treacherous boy, but he liked you, that's enough."

"What is Laojun talking about?" Cui Xiaojun asked in confusion.

"Stop worrying, I'll ask you again, is it your own idea to pass an order to Zongzheng Mansion and the Ministry of Rites?"

Cui Xiaojun didn't want to lie or say that her mother-in-law was wrong, and she was speechless for a moment.

"Is it the Empress Dowager or the Beauty Wang?" Laojun asked nonetheless. Seeing that his granddaughter did not answer, he said earnestly: "You are the daughter of the Cui family. Even if the emperor likes you, you also like the emperor. But when he was fighting outside, he was full of flatterers in the capital. He lined up to please the Beauty Wang. Now he treats her as the Queen Mother. Who can you rely on? It's not the Cui family!"

"It was His Majesty's mother who told me..."

"Isn't it just that the prince is stable in the Great Chu style? It's all a lie. Let me tell you, mothers are noble by their sons. Whoever gives birth to a son is favored by the emperor, and how much gratitude to others will gradually fade. In the end, let alone the position of the queen, you can't even save your life."

"Your Majesty won't..."

"What can't be there? He is a man? Then it's the same. Look at your mother, who is cowardly, has no opinion, can't hold on to the family, and can't bear the big things. Why can she become 'Mrs. Cui'? Isn't it because she gave birth to two sons in a row? You used to have an old mother who was very favored by your father, but she gave birth to a daughter and tried her best to have another son. As a result, your father stayed in your mother's room every day. She had no chance, and died of depression, giving up her position for your mother."

Mrs. Cui's face was redder than her daughter. She stood in the corner without saying a word, making the maid quieter than thick.

"I still believe in Your Majesty." Cui Xiaojun whispered, "And...and I can't refuse. It's a matter of time before I choose a concubine."

"When you give birth to a crown prince, the emperor will choose one thousand, and ten thousand concubines will not matter, but now it is not possible. The beauty Wang wants to distract the emperor. If you defeat you, the Cui family. Hey, the beauty Wang and the empress dowager are already birds of a feather. She has been reluctant to accept the title of empress dowager, just to cover up the eyes and ears of the world and push all the bad things to the empress dowager Shangguan. However, the empress dowager lost power and no one listened to the will, so the beauty Wang wants to use your imperial decree to choose a concubine."

Laojun thought of the beautiful Wang so sinisterly and cunningly, and Cui Xiaojun dared not tell the story that he had been turned away by his mother-in-law. "What should I do? I have already sent an order."

"It doesn't matter. Choosing a concubine is different from ordinary court affairs. The queen's imperial edict is not as immediate as the imperial edict. Usually, it takes several times to communicate back and forth before the Zongzheng Mansion and the Ministry of Rites can start choosing a concubine. From today on, you will live in Cui Mansion, ignore the Huiwen, and delay it if you can. The emperor will not fight outside for the rest of his life. When he comes back, you can keep the emperor by your side, right? Do you want to find someone to give you some advice? Alas, this is not good for the daughter of the marquis, and sometimes you can't let go..."

"Laojun, stop talking nonsense." Cui Xiaojun was already blushing.

"Okay, I won't say that you are all ladies from a wealthy family. I am from a poor family and don't understand etiquette. Let's see who you mother and daughter are helping you when you are desperate."

"Yang Feng." Cui Xiaojun blurted out.

"Yang Feng? That eunuch? Why should he help you?"

"I just... feel like he'll help me."

Laojun stared at his granddaughter and said after a while: "You don't have to worry about it. I will send someone to contact Yang Feng. Just stay in the mansion. Never return to the palace, nor accept the passages from Zongzheng Mansion and the Ministry of Rites. Do you understand?"

"I understand." Cui Xiaojun felt very uneasy.

Laojun lies down and continues to pretend to be sick. Xiaojun sits beside the bed and looks haggard. The woman who comes in and out to deliver soup and medicine sees it. It is said that Laojun and Xiaojun have deep affection for her grandparents and grandchildren.

When the night was getting deep, Xiaojun returned to her former bedroom to rest. Everything in the room had not changed, and she was no longer Miss Cui's.

Just as he was about to change his clothes and sleep, the palace maid came in and informed him: "Mrs. Ping'en Hou asked for a meeting."

Cui Xiaojun thought for a while before remembering that this was her elder sister, "Please come in."

Mrs. Ping'en's wife looked very happy. The two sisters rarely met each other, but she showed deep affection and reminisced about the past. Finally, she naturally proposed to have a night chat with her sister.

Cui Xiaojun agreed and realized that the sister was prepared.

The palace maids retreated to the outside room and the sisters lay together. Mrs. Ping'enhou asked in a low voice: "Is Laojun pretending to be sick?"

Cui Xiaojun didn't say anything.

"The Queen can believe me, I wonder if His Majesty has mentioned it, our family has provided support before His Majesty returns to the Supreme."

Cui Xiaojun has heard of it, but she just doesn't want to get deeper into this website. She misses the group of chickens and ducks in the mansion of the hunchou. I wonder if they hatch new chicks? (To be continued.)
Chapter completed!