Still waiting for Zhaoyang

Chapter 14
一
In early summer, a man named Ye Jun came to the empress dowager from Liupin Neishisheren, saying that the king of Wei's treasonous conspiracy had been decided, and now her position had been vacant for many days, so he recommended Taiwei Xu Jingye to be entrusted by the king of Wei.

The Empress Dowager passed the excerpt to Shang Rui, noncommittal.

Shang Rui handed it directly to Xu Jingye himself.

Xu Jingye's mouth was full of fear and refusal in Qiantai Hall, but his expression could not conceal his joy.He is now above ten thousand people, with power in the government and the public, but no one can guarantee that after a hundred years of him, his descendants will enjoy the heyday forever.

After Xu Jingye left, the outspoken Tian Yuan came out from behind the screen and said angrily: "This Ye Jun is really a damned thing! There is no precedent for a different surname in my dynasty. If this is the case, I am afraid that the arrogance of Xu is so arrogant. It is really going to cause an uproar in the court and offend the public."

Shang Rui and He Lan patrolled each other with a smile, their eyes were quite meaningful.

At the end of the month, Li Bingli went to the sparse again, imploring the emperor to allow him to disarm and return to the field.

Shang Rui took the notebook and went to Chengfu Palace.

The queen mother said: "On weekdays, the Ai family can't see you even if they want to see you. Today is a good day, and you came here uninvited."

Shang Rui laughed and said: "My son is overjoyed every time he comes to Chengfu Palace, but the mother doesn't want to see her son so much, which hurts her son's filial piety."

The queen mother suppressed a smile and poked him on the head with a finger: "Well, you are overjoyed." After saying that, she ordered someone to bring up some of his favorite snacks and fruits on weekdays.

"Every time you come back, nothing good happens, did you stab someone?" the Queen Mother asked again.

When Shang Rui heard the question, he put down the snack in his hand, took the handkerchief and wiped his hands, then took out the handkerchief from his sleeve.

"Li Bingli offered to resign again. This time he handed it directly to his son. The son thought it was inappropriate, so he asked his mother to look at it."

"Didn't you refute him for me last time?"

"Yes, here it is again. He said that his old injury has not healed, and he has a new disease. He is old and frail. He really can't do it."

"There were barbarians in the Southern Territory, and there were vassal kings in the future. There are very few military generals in the court who are difficult to be high-ranking officers." The queen mother thought.

"The son called Wang Qing to report to his mother last time, and the son thought Xu Yang was suitable." Xu Jingye has two sons, the eldest son Xu Yang, and the youngest son Xu Zizhang.

"Xu Yang is good. He grew up with your uncle in the military camp since he was a child, and he doesn't have the habits of those rich kids in the imperial capital. Besides, he fights brothers, father and son soldiers. He is your cousin, and the military power is still in the hands of his own family. Only when you mourn your family can you feel at ease."

"Mother is absolutely right."

"But..." The Queen Mother frowned.

The Queen Mother didn't continue the "but", but Shang Rui knew what she meant.

Later, Wang Qing finally couldn't bear to ask Shang Rui: "At that time, if the queen mother was only willing to give up, what should I do?"

Shang Rui said happily: "It's like going to the gambling house in Mingjiang Lane to bet on the size of your luck."

Wang Qing wiped his sweat with his sleeves.

He Lan patted Wang Qing: "Brother Wang, the emperor is just joking with you." Perhaps only he and Tian Yuan know, there is no such thing as a bet, the gourd and the vacant position of King Wei have made the Queen Mother have a choice and a choice .

She wants to keep the Xu family alive forever, and she will not allow anyone other than her to get involved in her son's throne.

In June, Li Bingli asked for leave due to illness, and the imperial court specially allowed him to rest at home.

In July, Xu Zizhang took over the post.

In August, Taiwei Xu Jingye resigned from the military power, and was named Wei Wang concurrently as Taiwei.The emperor thought of his hard work and great achievements, and specially authorized the hereditary succession of the throne.

Since Emperor Taizu founded the country, there has never been a precedent for a different surname to be named king, and the hereditary succession caused an uproar in the court.

The waves are like the summer heat in the imperial capital this year, which has not dissipated for a long time.

In October, Xu Jingye resigned from the post of Taiwei, leaving only the title of King Wei.

Tian Yuan asked: "Xu Jingye has delegated power in this way?"

He Lan Xun said: "It's still far away."

The change from summer to autumn in the imperial capital seems to be a blink of an eye, and before you know it, the sparse lotus leaves in the lake have started to wither and turn yellow from the edge of the leaves.

Xia Yue passed by the embankment of Cuiyan Lake, and suddenly stopped.

In the northeast is the luxurious and flying turret of the imperial palace, and the city wall below is magnificent and solemn.

"Miss, my uncle is urging me to go back." He Xiang reminded Xia Yue beside her.

She stared into the distance in a daze, her eyes glazed over.

"Miss?" Seeing that she didn't respond, He Xiang shook her hands in front of her eyes.

Only then did she regain her composure and put away the jade pendant that Zijin had left for her before leaving.

Passing Mingjiang Lane, I heard the bleak sound of silk and bamboo coming from the restaurant, faintly mixed with the singing of the Eastern Region accent, Xia Yue couldn't help but stop and listened with her ears sideways.Seeing this, He Xiang blushed and came over to pull her: "Miss, don't stay in this kind of place for long."

The girl at the gate of Guyue Tower on the left heard it, and put on a handkerchief: "Yo - what's wrong with a place like ours? Walking through here will make you feel bad luck?"

Seeing that others heard her words, He Xiang bowed her head in embarrassment and remained silent.

Xia Yue was just about to open her mouth to rescue He Xiang, when she turned around, a vague figure in the bustling crowd passed far away.

For a moment, the hustle and bustle of the city seemed to be silent in my ears.

Even if only from afar.

That silhouette still moved her heart.Seeing that person going away in the crowd, she broke free from He Xiang's hand, trying to find something like a pebble from the ground, but when she got up again, the person had disappeared completely, leaving only strange pedestrians still walking back and forth, alone She was left in a daze.

"Miss, what's the matter? Who did you see?"

Xia Yue's eyes were full of disappointment: "Probably misunderstood, how could Zijin come to the Imperial Capital?"

They had never been apart for so long since they were kids.When I'm free, I'm always thinking about how well he's eating and sleeping, whether someone will bully him, whether he has an old illness?And those people...are they treating him well?If there is danger, are Chu Qin and Chu Zhong by his side?
Back at Chen's house, the sky was getting dark.

I thought that my aunt would put on a face again, but I didn't know that she had something to go out.

Xia Yue's mother Chen's natal family used to do medicine business in other places, and now there is a younger brother in the family.After Master Chen passed away, the business of medicinal materials became difficult. Xia Yue's uncle moved to the Imperial Capital a few years ago, and opened a medical clinic while making medicinal materials.My uncle spends most of his time in the south running medicinal materials and is not often at home, so the whole family is taken care of by Xia Yue's aunt Pei.

Mrs. Chen was overjoyed at her granddaughter's taking refuge with her. Although Mrs. Pei was not happy, she still greeted her with a smile because of the household credits that Xia Yue used to subsidize the family every month.

In the small courtyard, the old lady was embroidering a few egrets going up to the sky. Xia Yue squatted beside her and watched quietly for a while. It's so quiet, it's like a tomboy."

He Xiang couldn't help laughing out loud.

Xia Yue glared at her: "I'm going to make tea."

"Actually, Miss has always been very irritable, but then something went wrong all of a sudden. I don't know if it's because of the master's death."

"Alas—her uncle is not here, and her aunt is an outsider after all. I am an old lady who doesn't know how to speak at home, so it's hard for you." The old lady sighed for a long time.

He Xiang listened and didn't answer.

Originally, Xia Yue really planned to just visit the old lady and do her last filial piety. After all, this is her only blood relative in the world, and then leave the imperial capital. I didn't expect the old lady to be in such poor health...

The old lady is a sensible person: "Her aunt has a bad temper. According to Yue'er's personality, I'm afraid she won't be able to stay here, but I can't let go of this feeling when I go to another place alone, so I can only force her to stay with her." I."

"Miss just told me that if we leave like this, the old lady will definitely be sad..." Seeing Xia Yue coming back with tea, He Xiang immediately winked at the old lady, both of them kept silent and stopped talking.

It was getting dark, and I couldn't sit still in the yard anymore, so I moved back into the house.The old lady suddenly thought of something, and asked quietly: "A few days ago, your aunt was present, so it is inconvenient for me to ask, where is the child from the Wei family?"

"Zijin, Chu Qin, and Chu Zhong went to the Southern Region in April." Xia Yue answered while placing her chopsticks.

"They can rest assured that you will come to Beijing alone?"

"I'll come to see you. They have nothing to worry about." Xia Yue said lightly.

The old lady nodded thoughtfully: "Oh...that child is not easy, such a big matter, seeing with my own eyes that everyone in the family has died, and my body is in such a state, I thought I couldn't support it."

Xia Yue's hand holding the chopsticks paused in the air for a while.

She had heard those things from elsewhere.Zijin never told her, as if it had become a vanished memory, erased by time without a sound.Gao Xinyu was soaked with an unforgettable hatred. In the past, he would say with an indifferent expression: "I don't remember." But she knew, how could he not remember.

She subconsciously touched the ancient jade in her arms.

two

In November, my uncle Chen Yan, who was in the medicinal material business in the Southern Region, brought another batch of goods back to the Imperial Capital.

He is a person who has traveled around and has a lot of knowledge, so Xia Yue likes to sit in the shop and listen to him chat when he is free. Unconsciously, my horizons broadened, and those emotions that were pent up in my chest gradually disappeared.

The Longevity Day is just around the corner.

Every year on this day, the Empress Dowager will give a fast at Yishan Temple in Gyeonggi.It is said that the emperor was accidentally born in this temple, and the empress dowager had a difficult childbirth, but there was no danger, so they formed a good relationship here every year.

People in the imperial capital, rich or poor, high or low, will come to join in the fun. It is false to eat vegetarian food, but it is true to seek auspiciousness.

Xia Yue disdains this very much, but her aunt is very persistent.Because the old lady was in poor health, my aunt insisted on taking Xia Yue with her.

Unexpectedly, on the first night of the Longevity Festival, it snowed heavily.

The first snow in the imperial capital was long overdue.

Xia Yue took He Xiang and her aunt one mile away from Yishan, and found that because of the bad weather, there were too many people and cars, and they were all blocked on the main road.

These people were not in a hurry, they simply got out of the carriage, regardless of whether they knew each other or not, they were all chatting about the topic, Xia Yue felt very boring seeing her aunt also participating in it.

"He Xiang, tell your aunt that I'm going for a walk in the woods over there, and the road leads to call me." Before He Xiang could reply, she walked towards the woods, her steps were fast, as if she had come from a suffocating atmosphere. It's like escaping from it.

After only one night, a thick layer of snow accumulated, but it was much smaller than before, so we didn't need an umbrella.

The rhythmic sound of "creaking" from the soles of her feet, as well as the crisp collision of the silver bells tied on her belt, gradually eased her mood.Unconsciously, I can already see the high wall of the temple deep in the woods.After walking a few more steps, it suddenly became clear that there was an open space, the snow on the ground had been cleaned and piled up around it.Without the cover of the branches, the light is much brighter than the surrounding.

In the middle of the clearing, there was a tall and straight blue figure standing with his back facing Xia Yue and his hands behind his back. He was staring at the stone table in the middle of the clearing with some fascination, but there was nothing on the table except a layer of white snow.

Xia Yue curiously took another half step forward, and her feet creaked again.

Hearing the noise, the man turned around vigilantly.

At that moment, she saw his side face, her heart thumped, and she jumped up excitedly.

is it him?
He's not having a good time. Did he come to find her?

Has he been bullied?
"Zijin!" She called out these two words and ran towards him at the same time, but after taking a step, she tripped over Xue and fell heavily to the ground.

The man approached quickly, knelt down and reached out to help her: "Did you fall?"

Xia Yue looked up at him shaking his head, but her eyes were already moist.

He froze for a moment, seeing the round teardrops sliding down his cheeks.

When he was very young, he heard the old mothers in the palace tell the legends about the mountain ghosts and snow fairies that often appeared in the forest of Yishan Mountain, but now he was really in a daze.So, he lifted Xia Yue's chin and quickly lowered his face, sealing her mouth with his lips.

Warm lips, warm fingers, such a warm and suffocating kiss.

Xia Yue was startled, and suddenly pushed him away: "Who are you?"

He raised the corners of his lips: "Who am I?" He seemed to find this question unimaginable, and instead of answering, he asked, "I still want to ask who are you? Where did Xu Jingye find his niece? The trick he played this time can be regarded as Satisfied me, in the future don't move around and just climb onto the couch, it's not bad to have a little bit of this once in a while." As he spoke, he wanted to reach out to grab her chin again.

Seeing his mocking expression and that impolite hand, Xia Yue was suddenly annoyed, and slapped him on the left side of the cheek.

"Clap" sound.

She was not relieved, and secretly cursed "shameless".

"I really don't know what to do." The man was unmoved, and suddenly smiled again. The smile was elusive, and there was a coolness in the corner of his mouth, showing a bit of cynicalism, but a completely different smile bloomed out of his similar appearance to Zijin.

"Didn't they teach you how to serve men?" He sneered and stood up from the snow.

She got up immediately, and then stepped back five or six steps in a row on guard, glanced at the man, and then fled away.

She didn't dare to take a breath, and ran towards the main road non-stop, just bumped into someone, and when she saw the fragrance of lotus, she felt a little relieved.

"Miss, what happened to you? You're so scared." He Xiang poked her head behind her.

She hugged He Xiang, out of breath, how could she talk.

On the other side of the snow, a few people came.

"emperor!"

As soon as the woman left, He Lanxun and Minglian came to look for him.

When he heard the sound, he turned around, only to find a jade pendant in the snowdrift at his feet, which must have been dropped by the other party just now.The moment he bent down to pick it up, his movements suddenly stopped, and his whole body froze.

This jade pendant - he recognized it.

It was a cicada-shaped ancient jade. Its original texture was white, probably because it was buried in the ground for thousands of years, it was dyed a slight blue color. It was crystal clear and moist, and the knife was extremely fine. A hole, tied with a tassel.

Shang Rui turned around and looked in the direction where the woman disappeared, and suddenly remembered that he had seen her before, in Jinluo's academy.

When Shang Rui came back from Yishan, he suddenly stopped He Lanxun alone while no one was around, and then took out a jade pendant from his sleeve.

After seeing the jade, He Lan turned pale and said, "Your Majesty, could this be the rumored Gao Xin Baoyu? How did it come back to the Emperor?"

Shang Rui didn't answer him, and smiled slightly: "It's an eye-opener for you, I have only seen it a few times from a distance before."

At that time, he was still the most inconspicuous among the princes, and the jade pendant was hanging on that child's waist, as if it had become a symbol of dignity.

Shang Rui threw the jade pendant to He Lanxun: "You take out the jade copy and go to Jinluo to inquire about it." Then he slightly raised the corner of his mouth and said with a smile, "It's best to hurry up, I will use it tomorrow."

three

Early the next morning, the snow stopped.

Xia Yue found that the jade was lost when she got home yesterday, she was anxious all night, the only hope is to find it back the same way, I don't know if it can be found, or it was picked up by someone.With such a confused mood, she rushed to Yishan early in the morning.

In the woods, she saw the man from a long distance, standing tall.The warm sunshine of early winter poured on his shoulders through the abrupt branches, bright and dazzling.

Apparently he had come earlier, perhaps even before dawn, and the clearing had been cleared of snow.

He didn't look back, as if he had known about Xia Yue's arrival, he turned his head and said, "You didn't come until the sun was up."

Yesterday's stone tables and benches have been cleaned, thick cushions have been added to the stools, and tea cups have been placed on the table.

Shang Rui sat down, took a sip of hot tea leisurely, and found that Xia Yue was still standing there in a daze, so he pointed to the stool for her to sit down.

Xia Yue secretly glared at him twice.For a stranger like Shang Rui who showed rude behavior when they met for the first time, she didn't have any affection, not to mention that she had slapped him.

Helplessly, maybe Zijin's jade pendant was really picked up by him.

She frowned, sat down reluctantly, and stroked her forehead: "If you find something from me, please return it to the original owner." She spread her hands as she spoke.

Shang Rui wanted to play tricks on her because of that unclear slap, but he didn't expect the other party to be so straightforward, so he was stunned for a moment and deliberately asked with a smile: "What?"

"Yu Chan!"

"Oh——" he dragged his voice out, but he didn't say whether he had it or not, or whether he would return it or not, so he stopped talking and said again, "Let's drink tea first." As he spoke, he pushed a cup of tea towards Xia Yue In the past, Xia Yue looked coldly and didn't appreciate it.

(End of this chapter)