Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 158 Love Gu Burns the Heart
When the housekeeper trotted to Tan Qiuyuan to report, Li Huan was holding the black pieces, with his brows lowered and pondering.

"Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has passed the ceremonial gate..."

The black piece has not fallen yet.

Li Huan raised his eyes and looked at Xue Sui, his deep eyes flashing a cold light in the candlelight.

"Prepare tea." He put down the chess piece, smiled gently, and looked at Xue Sui, "Please invite His Royal Highness the Crown Prince into the study to chat."

The butler responded and went down.

Li Huan asked Xue Sui again, "What kind of fragrance is in the Ping An room?"

Xue Sui glanced at the incense burner and said, "It's Su Xin Lan incense."

"What a good name. It's quiet and elegant, very pleasant." He slowly stood up and said calmly, "Take some more and go to the study to burn incense."

Xue Sui responded with a faint smile.

Li Huan nodded and walked away without stopping.
-
Li Zhao walked through the ceremonial gate, his brocade boots crushing the fallen petals all over the ground.

"Your Highness, the prince is waiting for you in the study." The butler bowed and led the way, with sweat slightly beading on his back.

At this time of year, it is still hot and humid at night.

When Li Zhao walked to the corridor, he saw two figures swaying inside through the red gauze window.

His eyes sank slightly and he squinted at the window paper, as if he wanted to see through the situation in the house.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard behind me.

The woman's voice was cold and respectful.

"Greetings to His Highness the Crown Prince."

Li Zhao was startled and turned his head suddenly.

Xue Sui knelt down to salute in a very dignified and elegant manner, holding an exquisite sandalwood tray in her hand. Her plain dress was rippled by the night wind, and the fragrance of the orchid seemed to be mixed with a touch of love, rushing towards him seductively...

"Mrs. Ping'an, you came at the right time." Li Zhao's mouth curled up slightly, his eyes burning as he stared at her slender figure, feeling an inexplicable throbbing in his heart.

With a slight snort, he suppressed his emotions, coldly put his hands behind his back, and glanced at the window that was dimly lit.

"Come to add fragrance to my brother's sleeves?"

Xue Sui lowered his eyes, his voice filled with a faint smile.

"I am here to give you some newly made incense."

Li Zhao said "oh", raised his eyebrows slightly and said nothing.

Xue Sui also stayed where he was, not daring to pass him and go first, so he could only wait quietly for him to invite first.

The lanterns under the eaves swayed, casting a hazy light and shadow in the night.

Li Zhao coughed lightly and walked ahead with big strides.

Xue Sui paused before following.

In the shadow of the threshold, Li Zhao paused, suddenly turned around, and whispered to her almost in her ear, "Xue Ping'an, I've been dreaming about you these days."

Xue Sui took a step back and looked at him, her eyelashes trembling.

Li Zhao chuckled, "Are you scared?"

Xue Sui pursed her lips and looked back at him.

The love thread Gu seemed to be stirring in his blood. Li Zhao saw the pale blue veins behind her ears, looming under her fair skin, revealing a different kind of temptation and danger. His eyes dimmed...

The door inside the study was suddenly opened.

Li Huan stood at the junction of light and dark in the study, wearing a moon-white brocade robe with silver bamboo patterns emitting a cool light and shadow.

"The prince's visit, I think, is not just to see my family offering incense?"

Li Zhao smiled slightly, and his deep gaze swept across Xue Sui's fingertips.

"Red sleeves offer incense, and the room is filled with fragrant flowers. Where is there no elegance? I apologize for disturbing you in the quiet night."

His words didn't sound like a sincere apology, but rather a bit playful and ambiguous, but it didn't seem like he was frivolous...

Li Huan's hands, which were hanging at his sides, slightly spread out.

"Please come in, Prince."

Li Zhao cupped his hands: "You're welcome."

Li Huan made a gesture to invite him in. After Li Zhao entered and Xue Sui slowly walked over, he put down his hand and lightly supported Xue Sui's waist. His fingertips just brushed her sleeve - Li Zhao happened to turn around, and what he saw in his field of vision was an intimate and warm scene.

A hint of mockery appeared at the corner of Li Zhao's mouth.

Xue Sui's heart trembled when he was looked at by him, and his arm suddenly bumped into the carved bookcase where there was a glass candle, and he almost fell down.

Li Huan stretched out his hand, and the scalding wax dripped onto the back of his hand.

Xue Sui bowed his head and said, "Ping An is clumsy and frightened His Highness——"

Li Huan wiped his fingers carelessly, curled up into his wide sleeves, and looked at her lovingly.

"You are indeed clumsy. You deserve to be punished."

After saying that, he looked at Xue Sui again and said, "Go and burn the Su Xinlan. I want to talk to the prince for a while, which is perfect for both of us."

The wick exploded slightly, and sparks flew.

Li Zhao smiled meaningfully, "My brother is so lucky."

Li Huan motioned for him to sit down, and he also sat down on the sandalwood chair on the left.

"The new cold spring in the snowy mountains in the north, would you like to try it, Prince?"

Li Zhao smiled and picked up the teacup.

"My royal brother is so diligent. He is still handling official business at this time?"

What he saw was Li Huan's desk.

"Not as hard as the Crown Prince." Li Huan wiped the water stains on the table and smiled gently and modestly. "The Yongfeng Warehouse case involves the Ministry of Revenue. As your brother, I have been entrusted with an important task by my father, so I will do my best."

Li Zhao narrowed his eyes slightly, as if smiling.

"The fugitive Xiao Jing who was seized on the Jiangzhou grain transport ship revealed seven secret channels of the Xiao family's grain transport, involving millions of shi. Did you find seven of them in your brother's files?"

"Prince, be careful with your words!" Li Huan slammed his teacup heavily on the wooden table. "I heard that the Ministry of Justice changed three chief judges in one day. Are they eager to find a scapegoat when they can't come up with any results?"

Li Zhao did not comment. "Minister Xue of the Ministry of Justice is your brother's father-in-law. Are you questioning the Ministry of Justice or your father-in-law?"

Li Huan: "Your Highness, are you visiting me at night to investigate a case or to interrogate me?"

The two people's eyes were glued together, as if they wanted to see through each other. Sparks flew, and it was like a confrontation between wild beasts, testing each other's bottom line, pulling and colliding, with an imposing manner.

It took a while before I relaxed.

Li Huan smiled calmly.

"It's just a joke, Your Highness, please don't be offended."

Li Zhao also curled his lips: "How could it be? It's just a casual chat between brothers."

Xue Sui lowered his brows and burned incense aside.

Gently twist the spices and place them into the incense burner, which is very elegant and calm.

I don't know who looked at the incense burner first. For a long moment, the study was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, and neither of the two men said a word.

Li Huan broke the silence until a wisp of fragrance rose from the copper incense burner.

"Drink tea, drink tea."

"My brother, this snow mountain ice spring is very unique." Li Zhao tilted the celadon cup slightly, "It looks fragrant and mellow, and when you pour boiling water on it..."

The porcelain lid was gently knocked off, and he relaxed his brows, as if joking.

“It’s all about sweetness turning bitterness into sweetness.”

"Thank you for the compliment." Li Huan's expression remained unchanged. "Your Highness has been busy with government affairs recently. Has the injury on your shoulder healed?"

Li Zhao said: "I don't know why, but the medicine prescribed by Zhang Huaicheng is not as good as Madam Ping'an. She was recovering in the palace that day, but when she returned to the palace, the old man made her condition worse."

Li Huan looked at Xue Sui's gentle face and smiled softly, "Why don't we go to the Imperial Hospital to find a doctor in the trauma department? Ping An has a rough understanding of pharmacology, but he is not a regular doctor. I am afraid that he will miss your highness's condition."

He used the tone of referring to himself as Xue Sui's husband to make a clear distinction between the close and distant relatives.

Li Zhao raised his eyebrows, "Doctors are equal in gender. My brother, do you mind your wife being exposed, or do you underestimate Madam Ping An?"

What a silver tongue he has, he can defeat the general with his pawns.

Li Huan smiled slightly, "It's safe. Show it to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Otherwise, people will say that Prince Duan's Mansion doesn't know etiquette and won't treat the injury."

Xue Sui looked at Li Zhao with a mischievous look in his eyes and knew that this man was deliberately embarrassing Li Huan. He lowered his eyes and replied meekly, "Yes."

The more she listened to Li Huan, the angrier Li Zhao became.

The angrier Li Zhao got, the more he laughed. Whenever he laughed, Li Huan felt depressed, wondering what tricks he was playing.

The two men pretended to be polite and courteous until Xue Sui had someone bring a medicine box. Only then did Li Zhao open his robe without any hesitation, as calmly as if he was at home.

"Thank you, Madam Ping An."

There was a new bandage on Li Zhao's shoulder blade. When Xue Sui untied the old gauze for him, he smelled a faint and elegant bergamot scent - this was what he had taken from Tan Qiuyuan that day.

She glanced at him.

Li Zhao smiled calmly.

"how?"

Xue Sui lowered his eyes and frowned, "The wound is not healing well, Your Highness should rest and recuperate. Don't overwork, which will affect the wound, and don't let it get wet..."

Gently peeling off the gauze, you can see black scabs and redness on the wound, with new blood oozing out and the skin and flesh rolled up, which is very shocking.

"Be careful, your highness. It will hurt a little."

Her voice was fainter than the scent of medicine. The moment her fingertips touched, Li Zhao's breathing suddenly stagnated. It took him a lot of effort to come back to his senses and return to normal.

"No problem. Madam Ping An, just do it."

Xue Sui did not speak again. His breath brushed the wound like a feather. When his fingertips were wrapped around the gauze, they touched Li Zhao's shoulder vaguely... The healing process was like going through several years of cold and heat. The long torture made the poison spread like a spark, burning into the blood bit by bit...

Li Huan held the teacup in his hand and tightened it slightly.

"Zhang Huaicheng of the Eastern Palace is unworthy of being called the descendant of Zhang Zhongjing, but he is not as good as my wife Ping'an. If this gets out, I'm afraid the world will laugh at him..."

Li Zhao: "I will demote him to a pharmacy later."

The smell of bitter medicine filled the room.

Li Huan suddenly sighed, stroking a white handkerchief on the table. "The prince's injury has not healed yet, which is really worrying. Why not borrow Ping An to take care of him for a month, and keep an eye on the medicine every day to avoid the root of the disease."

The candlelight in the study flickered.

Li Zhao curled his lips slightly, "A gentleman does not take away what others like. Moreover, Madam Ping An is not a commodity, how can you just lend it to her?"

The candlelight swayed restlessly, just like Li Zhao's eyes, entangled meaningfully in the shadows of the three people cast on the wall. There was a kind of tension hidden in the silence.

"Report——"

Just at this moment, Guan Ya's urgent call broke the deadlock.

"Reporting to His Royal Highness, Xiao Jing has committed suicide by biting his tongue in prison."

The sound of porcelain cups colliding broke the silence.

Li Huan put down the teacup in his hand with a clang.

"How can this be absurd! How do those people guard such an important place in the Ministry of Justice?"

Xiao Jing is Li Huan's uncle.

Isn't this a hidden curse on Li Zhao for dereliction of duty?
Li Zhao smiled indifferently, "Is he dead?"

Guan Ya said: "He is still breathing, but he can't speak for the time being."

Li Zhao shook his head slightly, looking very regretful. "What a pity, what a pity. It would be better if he really died. Once he dies, the Xiao family can breathe a sigh of relief. Brother Huang, don't you agree?"

Li Huan looked extremely ugly.

"Your Highness, you are joking. We should handle the case impartially and live up to His Majesty's wishes. That is our duty..."

Li Zhao smoothed the wrinkles on his sleeves and slowly stood up.

"Then I'll take my leave!"

Li Huan had recovered his composure, as if the loss of composure just now had never happened. He said calmly, "I will escort you out."

The two walked out side by side.

When I arrived outside the ceremonial gate, I saw Guo Yunrong waiting anxiously.

She looked nervous, bent her knees slightly, and saluted the two men dignifiedly. She did not dare to look Li Zhao in the eye and explained stutteringly.

"I came to see Madam Ping'an. I learned that she was busy, so I had no choice but to wait here..."

Li Huan looked at her, then at Li Zhao, as if he realized something, and a thoughtful smile appeared on his face.

"Aji, take Miss Guo San to Tanqiuyuan."
-
"Miss, Madam Ping An is feeding the fish in the water pavilion."

Guo Yunrong clutched her handkerchief tightly as she walked through the winding corridors of Yingyue Lake in Prince Duan's mansion. The hem of her apricot-red skirt was covered with night dew and fluttered gently in the breeze from the lotus pond.

Xue Sui scattered fish food into the ripples. The moonlight flowed around her temples. Her beautiful face was indescribably peaceful and tranquil.

Guo Yunrong looked at her and suddenly felt a lump in his throat.

"Mrs. Ping An..."

Only then did Xue Sui look up.

"What's wrong with you, Miss? Is there something urgent that you are looking for me at this time?"

Guo Yunrong trotted over, as if they were long-time friends, and choked up as he spoke to her, "Grandfather is in prison, and the family is in a mess right now... Yunrong is extremely worried, but doesn't know what to do..."

Xue Sui led her to sit at the stone table in the water pavilion, took the upside-down teacup, poured a cup of cold tea, and pushed it in front of her.

"Drink, calm your mind..."

Guo Yunrong's eyes became hot.

After a moment's silence, she wiped her eyes and then looked up.

"My grandfather must have been wrongly accused. And the uncle from the Xiao family who was involved in the case is also an honest and kind man. He has a close personal relationship with my grandfather and is also very good to Yunrong..."

This stupid kid.

At this moment, the Luo family was eager to sever ties with the Xiao family, but she was thinking of their old friendship and wanted to defend the Xiao family.

"Miss, have you ever heard of fire rats?" Xue Sui sighed, slowly raised his hand, and poured himself a cup of cold tea. "There is a kind of mouse in southern Xinjiang that loves to crawl into scorching fires. Because its body turns red in the fire, its fur is snow-white when it comes out. People all say it is a miracle."

Guo Yunrong raised her red eyes and asked, "Is it related to the case?"

Xue Sui said: "If someone cuts open the rat's belly, they will find that it is full of stolen lamp oil and beeswax."

Seeing Guo Yunrong's expression change, she smiled and tapped the floating leaves in the teacup with her fingertips, "If Minister Luo is innocent, why should he be afraid of the raging fire for two or three days..."

Coming out of the flames, his fur is snow-white...

But isn’t there also stolen lamp oil and beeswax in his stomach?
But Guo Yunrong knew nothing about the secrets of the court. After hearing what she said, she felt very confused. "Yunrong was terrified..."

Before she finished speaking, she suddenly lowered her head and covered her face with her hands. "I went to ask His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for help, but his expression was cold. I guess he believed that my grandfather was guilty, so he hated me..."

Xue Sui chuckled, "Don't be sad. Who wouldn't the prince hate?"

Guo Yunrong was startled when he heard the voice.

"Does he do the same with my lady?"

Xue Sui thought of Li Zhao's debt-collecting face and pursed his lips. "Of course. When a falcon stares at its prey, it always looks disdainful and indifferent."

Seeing Guo Yunrong stunned, she smiled slightly, cut off the unpleasant conversation, and stuffed the sachet she had just prepared into her palm.

"This sachet is very soothing. Take it home and put it under your pillow. I think you will sleep well. Don't worry too much about Lord Luo's matter. There will always be a way out. Maybe tomorrow there will be light at the end of the tunnel."

Guo Yunrong was very touched. "Thank you, Madam. You and I are not much different in age. Why do you know so much?"

Xue Sui smiled slightly: "After suffering a lot of losses, you will understand."
-
The night wind blew gently, and the sound of a distant drum could be heard.

It was already three o'clock in the morning when Xue Sui went to bed.

She stroked the wooden carved kitten beside her pillow, closed her eyes, and thought about what had happened in the past few days.

"Gu!" Lingyu suddenly made a sound.

The moonlight outside the window poured down like water, and a figure flickered slightly. Xue Sui suddenly opened his eyes and looked over, holding his breath.

Li Zhao leaned against the window, the moonlight gilded his dark robe with a layer of silver, "Are you asleep?"

Xue Sui: “No.”

Li Zhao suddenly chuckled: "Did you expect me to come?"

Xue Sui used the words he had used to Guo Yunrong, "Of course, once a falcon has set its sights on its prey, how could it let it go?"

Li Zhao snorted, "Ping An's move of using a knife to kill someone is more vicious than I thought."

Xue Sui sat up slowly, pulled aside the gauze curtain, walked over and opened the window. In the hazy and soft night, he looked at Li Zhao's tall silhouette in the moonlight.

"Your Highness, you came to visit me late at night just to make some sarcastic remarks?"

"Do not--"

Li Zhao raised the corner of his mouth, revealing a teasing smirk, and gently climbed over the window frame. When his feet landed on the ground, he reached out and caught her in front of him. His warm breath passed through her eardrums, "I'm here to collect a debt..."

Two in one～～
Li Zhao: What's the agreement? You're lying!

Xue Sui: ...You offended your own mother, are you asking for a beating?