Night falls quietly, and lights of thousands of homes are lit in Chang'an City.

The palace lanterns swayed in Changle Palace. In the main hall of the bedroom, the empress dowager rarely leaned on the couch and sat upright, showing her posture as a mother of a country to the fullest.

On the corridor between the palace pavilions, Xiao Qi walked slowly towards the main hall with her close maid, looking straight and looking calm. Qiao'e, who was leading the way, was trembling and did not dare to show up. Even the surrounding palace maids were silent, which was enough to show how strong the aura of this young lady who was in charge of the Xiao family was.

Because he entered the palace of the empress dowager, Xiao Qi was followed by a strong and strong woman, and Kong Wu was taller than a man. Xiao Qi himself was a pragmatic person, knew people well and used them well. She never looked good at her subordinates. The maid was so beautiful that she was much more powerful than Qiao'e's slender and weak role, and she was always with her.

Step on the pedal-

As the footsteps passed through the corridor outside the palace, the entire Changle Palace seemed to have only this orderly footsteps.

The Empress Dowager's face was obviously a little restrained, but she looked calm and dignified, folded her hands around her waist, and waited quietly.

Soon, Xiao Qi, wearing a black long skirt, walked into the main hall and gave a gift like water in front of the couch: "See the Queen Mother." The movements were standard and impeccable.

"No gift."

The queen mother smiled and raised her hand to signal the sister whom she hadn't seen for several years to sit down.

Xiao Qi stood up straight and tilted her head slightly:

“Everything out.”

"yes!"

The palace maid nodded quickly, ran out in unison, and closed the door.

The Empress Dowager glared slightly, her face was obviously a little dissatisfied, and she frowned and said, "You are so arrogant, and you are calling around in my house."

Xiao Qi curled the corner of her mouth, sat down beside the empress dowager, raised her hand and pinched the empress dowager's face:

"After being the queen mother for a few days, I forgot even the elders and the younger?"

The movements are not presumptuous, but rather intimate. After all, they are sisters of a mother and a compatriot.

The Queen Mother frowned and was a little annoyed. She patted her hand that was pinching her face and sat a little bit:

"I'm so old, I'm still touching my hands and sitting honestly."

Xiao Qi leaned on the soft couch, supported the handrail with her elbow, and turned her head to look at her sister who had not seen for a long time:

"I haven't seen each other for so many years. I just arrived in the capital and came to visit me. You didn't even call me sister?"

The Queen Mother pursed her lips and was a little unhappy: "You were born half a quarter of an hour earlier than me. Why should you call your sister? Now I am the Queen Mother, you have to understand the rules and have no etiquette at all."

Xiao Qi knew the personality of this sister best. She didn't believe it at all. She would also behave in private and would also behave in etiquette and rules. She turned her head and looked at the solemn and solemn hall, and said softly:

"Just packed up today?"

The queen mother frowned slightly, turned her head and looked at her for a few times, and after confirming that there was no problem, she said calmly:

“It’s always been like this.”

Xiao Qi raised her eyebrows and looked at the place where the low table and stove were originally placed:

"After using the copper stove for a long time, the wood used on the floor will deform no matter how good the wood is. Depending on the location of the stove, there should be a table on it. As the queen mother, you usually sit on the ground for eating and put your legs under the table?"

The empress dowager's face froze and turned her head to look at it. Under the dim candlelight, the light reflected on the floor was indeed a little distorted. If you don't look carefully, you can't find it. She was a little surprised:

"Are you a dog?"

Xiao Qi chuckled softly, sat on the soft couch, and looked at the Queen Mother carefully:

"You and I are sisters, and we are both daughters. In the past, no matter you were young, I have been in the palace for ten years. I know what suffering I have suffered and I will not talk about you."

“…”

When the empress dowager heard this, a trace of daze flashed in her eyes. She pursed her lips, returned to her usual sitting posture, and leaned on the soft couch a little lazy:

"I thought you had no humanity at all. You would never have thought of the sin I suffered. I was locked in a cage like a bird, staying in this palm-sized place. I can't make any noise all year round. Even anger is a luxury, because no one competes with me. It's not like you, planning in Huainan, what do you want... You should have suffered this sin..."

Xiao Qi sighed softly, took a little closer, and held the empress dowager's hand:

"You and I are destined to have one of you enter the palace, and you will grab Xuanhe Bakui by yourself..."

The Empress Dowager's eyes were a little annoyed and pulled her hand away: "You didn't tell me at that time that Xu Danqing was going to draw you. I wanted to compete with you before robbing you. If you told me, I would enter the palace, I..."

Xiao Qi shook her head, and her beautiful face, which had always been calm, also showed some helplessness:

"Born from a family, I can't help myself. It's okay for me to enter the palace, but after my elder brother's lineage is cut off, I must leave someone to stay in the Xiao family. Even if I tell you, can you take on this important task?"

The Queen Mother narrowed her eyes slightly: "Why can't I do it?"

"If you could, you wouldn't have been foolishly going to grab Xuan and Bakui back then."

“…”

The Empress Dowager was speechless, snorted faintly, and turned her head away.

Xiao Qi sighed, sat next to her sister, and looked at her cheek carefully:

"I know you are like a bird in the palace, you can see and hear but you can't touch it, but you think you have been comfortable in Huainan. You have been planning and deceiving all day long. You dare not even relax in your sleep, for fear that there will be any mistakes. The thousand-year-old incense of Xiao will be buried in my hands. You can't feel this pain. If you enter the palace and become a widow, I will still not get married. I can only say that my sisters are not in good condition. How can you say that I treat you badly?"

The Queen Mother pursed her lips, was silent for a while before she let out a gentle sigh: "Forget it, it's all like this, just live a good life in the future."

Xiao Qi nodded and stood up: "I'll take a walk with you?"

The queen mother hesitated, pinched the small wooden sign in her arms, and said softly:

"Sister, come here, I'll discuss something with you."

Xiao Qi smiled a little and sat down next to her again. Just like when she was aged by cardamom, she came to her for asking:

"Tell me, what are you asking for help from my sister? Was it a disaster or something?"

The familiar scene made the empress dowager's nose sore. She raised her hand and rubbed it, and then said softly: "I... I have been in the palace for ten years and have never gone out alone. I heard that Qujiangchi is very beautiful tonight. You... can you help me like you did when you were a child?"

Xiao Qi blinked and hesitated a little - when she was eleven or twelve years old, her sister was rather naughty and always wanted to go out and run around, but the legitimate daughter of aristocratic family could not show up easily. Because she had caused trouble, the family also took strict care of her sister. In order to be able to go out, her sister often risked her name and asked her to stay honestly in the boudoir.

But that was when I was a child, and pretending to be the queen mother is not a minor crime.

Seeing Xiao Qi hesitating, the empress dowager's eyes suddenly softened, as if she was asking for Xu Buling:

"Good sister, just once, I've been in the deep palace for ten years. Do you want me to die in the palace? And it's nothing to be discovered. The emperor today will not cure me for sin. I'm a mother. At most, some bad words will be spread in private by the royal family... If you don't say it, I won't say it, no one will find it. I'll come back after playing for two days."

Xiao Qi blinked her eyes, thought for a moment, and then smiled and said, "I'm back tomorrow morning, I have something to do. I'll be in the capital for a while, so I'll let you go out for a walk if I have time."

The empress dowager suddenly showed a little bit of spirit in her eyes. She quickly stood up and pulled Xiao Qi to the dormitory:

"Change your clothes and leave now, stop your carriage outside the palace..."
Chapter completed!