Still waiting for Zhaoyang

Chapter 40
He smiled at her and said, "I told you just now that these are things a man should think about. Don't worry about it. Just sleep for a while. It's fine." Since he dared to take this step, he naturally had a countermeasure of.

After finishing speaking, he stretched out his other hand and pushed the forehead hair that covered her eyebrows to the side: "Close your eyes and don't think about anything. I will watch over you."

She turned over, lay on her side and looked at him for a while, suddenly felt that the young man who needed her care and protection had grown into a mature man inadvertently.

Both soft and rigid.

She closed her eyes obediently, her nose smelled the smell of holly in the yard, and in the palm of her hand was the touch of his fingertips, light and soft, caressing her heart like a goose feather.

Pata - I fell asleep as soon as my heart relaxed.

After Xia Yue fell asleep, Zijin carefully put her hands back under the quilt and left the room.Chu Qin had been waiting in the front hall for a long time, and as soon as Zijin appeared, he explained what happened today in detail.

After Zijin finished listening, she said to the woman next to her, "Mrs. Zhou, please go and see Miss Min in the room. She seems to be a little frightened. I don't feel at ease sleeping alone in the room."

Mrs. Zhou's Mrs. Qin is the woman who brought Xia Yue here just now, and she is also the hostess of this house.The Qin family and her husband Zhou Qi were under the crown prince's family back then, and the couple had been hiding in the imperial capital, waiting for the day when Zijin would use them.

Xia Yue slept almost until dusk, and when she woke up, she saw Mrs. Zhou but thought of He Xiang. At first, she was annoyed that He Xiang didn't listen to her and left early, and then she became worried.That day, he said in front of her that he wanted to cut off He Xiang's flesh piece by piece, and he said it so fiercely that it made people feel terrified.

Xia Yue covered her face, a little desperate.

Zijin came over after hearing the news, saw her look like this, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing."

He looked at her and saw the clue: "You are worried about He Xiang's safety, I will think of a way."

"How?" she asked.

"It's just a matter of effort." After Xia Yue learned that their master and servant had been in Li Ji's mansion during the day, he put his eyeliner around Li's mansion today, and just learned that He Xiang had been brought directly into the palace. .

Wei Shangrui controlled the palace tightly, there used to be the Xu family, but now no one can reach into the palace except Shangrui himself, let alone save a living person.

But as long as it was what she wanted, he would try his best.

But Xia Yue couldn't see his thoughts.She said sternly: "No. If you want to exchange your life for lotus incense for me at every turn, then I absolutely disagree. I don't want her to die, and you must be safe and sound."

His thick eyelashes moved slightly, but he poured her a cup of tea noncommittally.

Xia Yue was a little worried, held his hand, and said, "Zijin, remember, if you die for me, then I——will never live alone."

She looked into his eyes and said word by word. He was slightly startled, with waves in his eyes, and held her hand instead.

"I have my own sense of proportion," he said.

The afterglow of the setting sun was gone outside, and the light in the house gradually dimmed.

Zijin lit the lamp, went to close the window, turned around and held the candlestick: "Follow me."

Xia Yue followed him to the inner room where she was resting just now, unexpectedly there was an entrance to a secret room next to the bed frame.

Zijin held the lamp and led her in.

The secret room is not big, only a soft couch and a table and chairs.

"In case officers and soldiers come to search the house, you can hide in quietly." Zijin said, "Don't worry, it only takes a few days to send you out of the city smoothly."

"Why?"

"According to the previous itinerary, Xu Jingye's coffin should arrive within three days. When Xu Zizhang helps the coffin to be buried, there will naturally be some disturbances in the imperial capital." He said.

Seven

In the Imperial Study Room of Kangning Hall, He Lan Xun came to report that someone in the Xu family was ready to move.

The Xu family was so emptied, and now the queen mother has moved to the Li Palace to ignore court affairs. Naturally, some people are dissatisfied and want to take the opportunity to make trouble.

After hearing this, Wei Shangrui remained silent.Since Xia Yue disappeared, his temperament has become more and more unpredictable.

Tian Yuan complained to He Lanxun: "Brother Boluan, you shouldn't have come up with this idea in the first place."

In the past, it was reasonable to wait until the battle in the Southern Region was settled and the three armies returned to Beijing in triumph, then let the army bring back Xu Jingye's coffin.However, He Lanxun strongly opposed it.

He Lanxun explained: "General Hong and Master Sima are the first ministers who contributed to the pacification of the Southern Region. If there is Xu Jingye's body at this time, is Xu Jingye a defeated general or a triumphant hero?"

If the Southern Territory is still undecided, King Huai has not come to justice, and the Xu family father and son have returned to the capital first, the entire imperial capital must be mourning, and the spirit of the Xu family will be directly frustrated.From the southern region to the imperial capital, Xu Jingye's coffin traveled thousands of miles. Xu Zizhang, who was filial as a son of man, could only escort it himself. Once he left, he would hand over the remaining military power with full power, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone.

Tian Yuan said again: "The emperor should at least order Xu Zizhang to disarm and go to Beijing."

He Lan Xunyan clasped his hands to Shang Rui and said: "On this point, Mr. Tian agrees with the minister. When Xu Jingye's coffin is three hundred miles away from the capital, he should be disarmed."

Shang Rui fiddled with the ancient white jade left by Xia Yue with his fingers, and after listening to the two people arguing for a long time, he said: "Let him go. This is the Davidic ritual system. If I order to remind him, it will be a mistake." It seems that I am stingy and guilty. I promised the queen mother that if Xu Zizhang is right with me, I will let him go." The rest of the second half of the sentence is self-evident.

After talking about this, Tian Yuan hesitated and said: "The emperor ordered General Li Bingli to assist Yao Chuang to seal the city in the morning, and the ministers and others felt that it was inappropriate." After Hong Wu left, Li Bingli took over the imperial army and the Gyeonggi garrison. He is big and in poor health, but he is very upright, which puts Shang Rui at ease, but it is this character that makes Li Bingli feel very sad that Shang Rui took so much trouble to close the city gate because of a woman who escaped privately.

"Emperor Capital was originally a hub for exchanges between the north and the south. The commercial roads are prosperous and the people live in peace. Now, even if His Majesty closes the city for a day, it may disturb the hearts of the people." He Lan patrolled, "It will also make the vassal think that the political situation is different."

Shang Rui mocked: "I'm just arresting an assassin, so why don't you and others question me?"

He Lanxun was about to speak again, but Shang Rui stopped him lightly: "People who talk too much generally don't live long."

At this time, Minglian sent another secret report. After He Lan inspected it, he said to Shang Rui: "Here comes the report from the secret line. King Yanping and King Liang and their party have arrived at the border of Jizhou, and it will take a few days before they arrive in Beijing."

Shang Rui said sneeringly: "He made the one-handed Mingxiu Plank Road cover Chen Cang secretly."

Ming Lian watched Shang Rui sarcastically wrapped in a chill, but felt relieved.When Xia Yue suddenly disappeared in the morning, the way Shang Rui sat in her room with scarlet eyes and said nothing made everyone else startled.

At this time, Yao Chuang followed Li Bingli into the palace to return his orders, saying that Xia Yue's portrait had been produced overnight and posted in all the streets and alleys of the imperial capital.In the afternoon, under the pretext of catching the assassins, the whole city began to strictly check inns and other places where they could stay overnight.

Afterwards, Shang Rui asked Minglian to take out a city defense map of the imperial capital, and asked Yao Chuang to mark the searched areas on the map.

Shang Rui looked at the carefully marked picture unfolded on the desk, and after listening to Yao Chuang talk about his plans for tomorrow, he stretched out his hand slowly, and gently drew a few points in seven or eight places on the picture with his slender fingers. A point: "I think you can strictly check these places."

Li Bingli looked at the map following his movements, his face slightly surprised: "Your Majesty, this is..."

He Lanxun took over the conversation and said, "This is the place where the Xu family reported a change in the dark." After finishing speaking, he looked up at Shang Rui.

Li Bingli suddenly realized, and blamed himself: "I don't even know that the emperor has such a plan."

However, Shang Rui raised his eyebrows: "I'm already dizzy, I don't know why the Xu family has changed."

He Lanxun and Tian Yuan looked at each other and smiled at the same time, cupped their hands in pleading guilty and said: "Your servants are stupid, not as far-sighted as the emperor."

Yao Chuang didn't quite understand, looked at Li Bingli, then at He Lanxun: "This is?"

Li Bingli explained: "In the name of arresting Min Xiayue, the emperor took the opportunity to eliminate Xu Jing's amateur party before Xu Zizhang entered the city."

Yao Chuang was thoughtful, and wanted to ask: "Is Miss Min still arrested?" He glanced at Shang Rui, and swallowed this sentence back.

After everyone took their orders, they retired from the hall.

It was late at night, and the Kangning Hall returned to tranquility.

Shang Rui faded away the look on his face, and rubbed Gao Xinyu in his hand with his fingers.Ever since he got it in the morning, he hadn't left his hand, and the jade had long been stained with the temperature of his palm.

After returning to the palace, the affairs were complicated, but Shang Rui returned to normal, and there was nothing unusual.

But Ming Lian has been with him for so many years, how can he not understand his personality, the more turbulent his heart is, the calmer his face is.

Unexpectedly, after a while, Yao Chuang turned back alone.

"Your Majesty." Yao Chuang lifted his robe and knelt on the ground.

Shang Rui squinted at him: "What?"

"I deserve death for my crimes, I just remembered something today." Yao Chuang said angrily.

"Talk." Shang Rui said.

Yao Chuang hesitated for a moment, knelt down and replied: "These words are related to a girl's innocence. I am not sure, so I shouldn't say more, but now that I think about it, I dare not hide it from the emperor."

Shang Rui played with Yuchan's right hand slightly sluggishly, his heart trembled, and he said in a deep voice: "Continue."

Minglian had a strange premonition, and looked at Shang Rui uneasily.

Then, Yao Chuang told the story of how he and He Chuyi rescued a weak woman from Wang Gan outside Jinluo City.

"At that time, the light in the forest was dim, and the girl was dressed in rags. I didn't dare to look at her because of the difference between men and women. So after her family came to look for her, I and He Chuyi continued to work. This matter I didn't take it to heart at first, until Miss Min saw Wang—"

Before he finished speaking, he already felt a fierce murderous aura attacking his face, and at the same time, the sound of the long sword being unsheathed.

In a rage, Shang Rui pulled out the sharp sword hanging on the wall, and slashed at Yao Chuang.The blade of the sword slid across Yao Chuang's head, cutting off his crown.

Fortunately, this ancient sword was originally an ornament hung in the imperial study to ward off evil spirits, and it hadn't been used. Otherwise, it would not only be Yao Chuang's hair, but probably even his scalp would be gone.

But even if Shang Rui was about to cut off his head at this moment, he didn't dare to hide.

"I'm guilty, I shouldn't just think about it now." Yao Chuang regretted.

Shang Rui's hand holding the sword began to tremble. At first he felt a little numb all over his body, and then his whole body trembled more and more violently. Under the pain and fury, there was a sudden sense of suffocation, as if someone was pressing hard in the palace. In the Liubo Lake, which was only half a person deep, he could breathe out of the water as soon as he raised his head, but he didn't have any strength to resist.

The person Yao Chuang saved must be her.

Therefore, what she said was not intended to distract him deliberately, but a fact.

Seeing his gray face, Minglian panicked, knelt on the ground with a "plop", quickly walked up to Shang Rui on his knees, and called "Emperor" several times.

Shang Rui's eyes were dull, and he didn't answer him.

Ming Lian He had seen Shang Rui lose his composure so much that he lost his soul in fright. Now that the queen mother is not in the palace, his first reaction was to ask someone to invite the queen, but when he remembered what Yao Chuang said, he was inextricably linked with the queen. For fear of adding fuel to the flames, he said on his own initiative: "Master Yao, Mr. He Lan may not be far away yet, please go and invite him to come back and have a look."

Some of Yao Chuang's hair was shaved, and the rest was scattered over his shoulders in a mess. He got up and rushed out of the hall hastily.

Unexpectedly, before he ran a few steps, Shang Rui behind him said: "You come back."

The two words in such a clear and shallow tone were slowly spoken from Shang Rui's mouth at the moment, but both Minglian and Yao Chuang heaved a sigh of relief at the same time.

Shang Rui sat down slowly, threw the long sword on the table, and then spread his hands. The piece of jade cicada that was pinched in his right hand had been smashed into several pieces by the sword handle, and the edges and corners of the fragments would be broken into pieces. He had cuts on his palms, and he didn't bleed because he held them tightly before, but now the wounds are exposed after his palms are opened, and blood oozes out instead.

Minglian didn't dare to say anything, he took some medicine and applied it to Shang Rui.

Yao Chuang originally wanted to explain what happened just now, but he didn't dare to speak again.

Seeing Minglian bandaging himself, Shang Rui's expression gradually returned to normal.After a while, Shang Rui glanced at Yao Chuang and asked, "Are you still here, waiting for me to give you a whole body?"

Yao Chuang was taken aback for a moment, it was clear that Shang Rui himself had asked him to come back, but he dared not argue, so he obediently kowtowed and retreated silently.

Minglian couldn't help persuading him: "Your Majesty, Master Yao said just now that he wasn't sure if that person was Miss Min, so..."

Shang Rui said: "But there is one person here who may know, you can go and ask yourself tomorrow." There seemed to be a layer of ice between the eyebrows.

Ming Lianyi realized that Shang Rui was referring to He Xiang who was brought back to the palace, and quickly said yes.

For the rest of the time, Shang Rui thought back and forth about Yao Chuang's words.In fact, there is no need to examine He Xiang again, the matter is clear at a glance.This is why Wei Ranyu vowed to kill Wang Gan.

First of all, the last time he brought people from the Southern Region to Jinluo at night, the target was also Wang Gan, but he accidentally bumped into him.

Then this time, Wang Gan's death was used to send a signal to Xia Yue, including him.

After late at night, it was rumored that the queen was coming.

Shang Rui said coldly: "Tell her, I'm taking a break."

Wang Xiaoxiang got this reply, looked at the bright lights in Kangning Hall, remembered the task assigned by his father, and said to Minglian: "I have made some peach blossom wine. I heard that the emperor has not slept well recently, so I specially gave it to the emperor. Bring it."

Minglian hesitated for a moment, then went to talk again.

Shang Rui suddenly felt very bored, knowing that Wang Xiaoxiang came here for two things, the first was the death of Wang Gan, and the second was the search of the city in Beijing today, Wang Ji asked her to find out the truth, "Go out and tell her, Wang What Xiang wants to know, Wang Xiang will ask me tomorrow. She is a member of the harem, and the rooster serves as the morning, so what kind of dignity is she?"

After hearing what Minglian said, Wang Xiaoxiang turned pale and green, and left in embarrassment.

Seeing that Minglian came back to reply, Shang Rui asked, "Going away?"

Ming Lian nodded and said, "Your Majesty is gone."

A hint of sarcasm emerged from the corner of Shang Rui's mouth, silently staring at the fragments of Gao Xinyu on the table.

He is rich all over the world, and he can get what he wants, but there is no one in the world who treats him sincerely.

After a while, he didn't continue to critique the notebooks, but asked someone to study the ink, and began to practice calligraphy in front of the case.

尉。

Shang Rui wrote his last name over and over again.He was very active since he was a child, and when he couldn't bear his temper, he forced himself to practice calligraphy and painting.It's just that now my heart is churning, and I can't even copy the book, let alone paint, I have to write the same word to meditate.

He writes with strength and style, and although he only repeats one word throughout the article, it is still vivid.

The windows in the hall were not closed tightly. At the turn of spring and summer, the night wind blew into the room, blowing the paper on his desk and moving it slightly. He casually took the paperweight at the corner of the table and pressed it.

The paperweight is made of jade, with chilong lotus patterns carved on it.The quaint lines are very similar to Xia Yue's jade cicada. For a while, he was a little distracted, and he wrote the pen accidentally. When he looked back, he actually wrote the word "Zhao" for "Zhaoyang".

He stared at the word, stared for a moment, anger suddenly rose between his brows, and smashed the paperweight out.The paperweight hit the window lattice by the wall, fell to the ground and broke in two.

(End of this chapter)