The gate of the courtyard opened. After Li Zhang was imprisoned for nearly a year, he walked out of here for the first time, which made him a little dazed for a moment, but then he turned his head and smiled calmly at Qingzhi in the yard, saying, "Wait until I come back!"

"Yeah!" Qingori also nodded heavily. Although she tried her best to act more relaxed, the worries in her eyes could not be concealed.

Li Zhang also knew that Qingzhi was worried, but in the end he turned his head and took a long breath, and followed Zhao Zhen to leave the small courtyard that had lived in for nearly a year. Zhao Zhen was not sure why Liu E suddenly summoned him, but he thought this should be good news. After all, after Li Zhang had been imprisoned for so long, Liu E's anger should have faded, and maybe she would let Li Zhang out.

However, Li Zhang was not as optimistic as Zhao Zhen, because he knew Liu E more than anyone else. This woman was sometimes very generous, but sometimes she was stingy, especially since she had touched her biggest taboo before. Even though she had been detained for so long, Li Zhang still suspected that Liu E should not let him go so easily.

At that moment, Li Zhang followed Zhao Zhen onto the carriage, and then the two came to the Chuigong Hall together. In fact, Zhao Zhen didn't need to go there personally if he summoned Li Zhang, but he often went to Liu E to plead for Li Zhang for the past six months, so he probably was annoyed, so today he specially asked him to come and bring Li Zhang over.

When he came to the Chuigong Hall again, Li Zhang couldn't help but look around, then he stepped into the hall. He soon saw Liu E, who was reviewing memorials after sitting behind the desk. After not seeing her for half a year, Liu E seemed to be older than before. Not only did her hair turn white, but her back was also a little bowed. She looked like she was already a sixty-year-old man.

"My dear Li Zhang, please see the great... Empress Dowager!" Li Zhang originally wanted to call Liu E "The Great Empress" according to his previous habits, but in the end he suddenly stopped and changed the other party to the Queen Mother. The main reason is that he felt that the relationship between him and Liu E was much more unfamiliar, and it was a bit awkward to use the title "The Great Empress".

Liu E also raised her head at this time. When she heard Li Zhang's name to her, she couldn't help but frowned, but said nothing, but said coldly: "The Ai family has locked you up for so long, you should be full of resentment now, right?"

"You have reported to the Empress Dowager, I have no resentment. Instead, I would like to thank the Empress Dowager for his tolerance!" Li Zhang immediately saluted again. He did not lie. During the period of detention, he was not angry with Liu E. Even after marrying Qingzhi, he was a little grateful to Liu E, allowing him to enjoy such a peaceful life.

Liu E also stared at Li Zhang's eyes at this time, as if she wanted to see from his eyes whether he was telling the truth. In the end, there was no trace of lying, which also eased Liu E's expression.

"No matter whether you have resentment or not, you will be punished if you make a mistake. The Ai family has already figured out how to punish you." Liu E said with a calm face again. Just like what Li Zhang guessed, she really didn't plan to let Li Zhang go easily.

"Master, no, you have been detaining your cousin for so long. Isn't it considered a punishment?" Zhao Zhen next to him was anxious and stood up and spoke out.

"Hmph, what's the punishment for having a beautiful wife and a beautiful woman?" Liu E also glared at this time and said again. Although she was much older, her majesty was growing stronger and stronger. Zhao Zhen was so scared that he didn't dare to speak again.

"No matter what punishment the empress do to me, I will never complain!" Li Zhang stepped forward and said again, and by the way he also gave Zhao Zhen a wink. Zhao Zhen had already had a fight with Liu E before, so it is not advisable to help him plead for him again.

Zhao Zhen was a little afraid of Liu E. After receiving Li Zhang's hint, he immediately stopped talking. At this time, Liu E looked at Li Zhang and said again: "Originally, the Ai family wanted to demote directly from afar. They would never want to go back to the capital in this life, but the Ai family was soft-hearted, so they decided to give you a chance to commit crimes and make meritorious service."

"Thank you Empress Dowager!" Li Zhang breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Liu E's words. He was not afraid of being demoted before, but now he is married, not only as a husband, but also as a father soon. This has made him more concerned, and he does not want to make his wife and children suffer for his own reasons.

"Don't be happy for now. Although I can give you the opportunity, it is not so easy to complete. Listen first and then determine whether you want to take this opportunity." Liu E smiled again at this time, and then told her about what she wanted to hand over to Li Zhang.

When Li Zhang heard the so-called "opportunity" given to him by Liu E, he couldn't help frowning because Liu E actually asked him to serve as an envoy to the Liao Kingdom. The Emperor of Liao Kingdom Yelu Longxu was old and his health was getting worse and worse. Recently, he became seriously ill. Since the Song and Liao Kingdom signed the Tan Yuan alliance, they have become brothers. For example, Yelu Longxu became brothers with Zhao Heng. In fact, Zhao Zhen also called Yelu Longxu his uncle. Now that the so-called uncle is sick, he has to send someone to visit the Song Dynasty.

"The Grand Empress wants me to serve as a mission to the Liao Kingdom?" Li Zhang confirmed to Liu E again at this time. He never thought that he would go to the Liao Kingdom as an envoy, especially now that Qingzhi is pregnant, Liu E sent him to serve as an envoy. It is obviously a means of punishment. No wonder Liu E waited until now to decide on his punishment.

"Yes, although the Liao Kingdom has a long journey, if it goes fast, it will take half a year to go." Liu E nodded immediately. She deliberately chose to let Li Zhang travel far at this time, otherwise it would be called a punishment. Moreover, if Li Zhang comes back quickly, he can still catch up with Qingzhi's birth period.

Li Zhang couldn't help but show a thoughtful expression when he heard this. Qingzhi was pregnant. He didn't want to leave her for a long journey, but Liu E grabbed his weakness. In fact, since Qingzhi became pregnant, Li Zhang was also anxious about one thing, that is, when Qingzhi didn't want Qingzhi to give birth, the two were still under house arrest. Even if Qingzhi didn't care, Li Zhang wanted to give the child a better living space. He couldn't let the child live with them all the time, right?

It can be said that the above question has been torturing Li Zhang in his heart, but Liu E doesn't let him go, and he has no choice. Now Liu E is just seizing his idea and giving him a chance. If he agrees, he must leave Qingzhi now and cannot be with her when she is pregnant. If he refuses, then Liu E may be locked up and even the child will accompany him to lose his freedom.
Chapter completed!