Lady Zhao

Chapter 72

Zhao Yuanli followed the servants all the way into the imperial study room. In the huge study room was a complete set of mahogany utensils. Besides the four treasures of the study, there were quite a lot of exquisite treasures on the shelf.The emperor sat in front of the black sandalwood desk, wearing a crown of velvet grass, raw silk, tasseled python and beads, a very well-cut golden gown with azurite straight ground gauze, and a beige gauze gown, with a court robe around his waist. Xiang Taiming was holding the ribbon, looking down at the memorial in his hand.

"My ministers see the emperor, long live my emperor." Zhao Yuanli entered the hall and saluted respectfully.

"Zhao Qing, please get up quickly." The emperor smiled, and looked at the young man in front of him more. Dan, turned to today's summons, "I have a memorial in my hand, written by Yin Sheng, the newly appointed Minister of the Household Department. It seems that the Qing family has half of the credit for making this move smooth."

"My minister is only trying his best, Yin Shangshu is decisive and good at attacking people's hearts, which is admirable." Zhao Yuanli said modestly.

The emperor smiled brightly when he heard the words, "You two have negotiated, and you are supporting each other, one is boasting in the memorial, and the other is in front of me."

Zhao Yuanli thought of Yin Shangshu's upright character, and the two of them had little acquaintance, so he was quite surprised by his move, so he heard the emperor continue, "Both of you are my good helpers, and you should be rewarded. Send it, as for Zhao Qing... But I solved a big problem for me, I want to reward you with something special, what does Ai Qing want?"

"Wei Chen..."

"Aiqing should think it over before I speak." The emperor interrupted abruptly, his eyes squinted, and he added with a hint of meaning, "This opportunity must not be missed."

Zhao Yuanli's heart trembled, and Fuzhi thought of Yongping, whom he hadn't seen for a few days, his eyes drooped slightly, making it difficult for others to see his expression clearly. He just stood respectfully with his head bowed, and said in a neither humble nor overbearing voice, "As a subject, it is time to share the worries of the emperor." It is a matter of duty, the monarch is diligent in government, loves the people, and cares about the country, so there is peace and prosperity in Daliang, and we literati and students are willing to contribute bricks and tiles to the country in Daliang, so that the prosperous age lasts, and blessings for future generations are what we are looking for."

The emperor didn't expect him to have such a speech, and he was immersed in his passionate statement for a while, and his heart resonated with him, which was hard to calm down for a long time.The eyes staring at Zhao Yuanli gradually deepened, and his heart was complicated.

"Zhao Qing has also reached the age of marriage. I made a mistake earlier. Now how about I find a good marriage for you?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern. It's just that... Yuanli has already made a promise to one person. He has such a small heart, and he can only hold her alone. I hope that the Emperor will make it happen." Zhao Yuanli guessed and confirmed in his heart, but heaved a sigh of relief and straightened up. Stretching his back, he spoke frankly what was in his heart.

The emperor choked on the word "Chengquan". Looking at Zhao Yuanli, who was as reckless as Yongping, a trace of helplessness arose in his heart, "There are always fewer scruples in love when you are young, and I am afraid that you will regret it in the future..."

Zhao Yuanli's eyes darkened, and the corners of his mouth curled up, "I will never regret it, and I can wait. Before she gets married, I will wait for her to grow up. After she... gets married, I will keep my heart for her."

The emperor was shocked by the profound meaning in his words, and murmured in disbelief, "Why..."

"She's worth it." There was a gleam in those warm eyes, which were extremely dazzling.

The atmosphere in the imperial study room froze for a moment, the emperor was silent for a long time, the wind blew the paper and rustled the paper, then he recovered and pressed it down, glanced deeply at Zhao Yuanli, and recruited the attendant Gao Gonggong to let him take the man with him. He went to Zangshuge to collect the rewards he had prepared early in the morning, while he leaned on the dragon chair and stared at the memorial on the case for a long time.

Yongping, Yongping, you have given me a problem.

After leaving the imperial study room, snow fell again at some point in the sky, and the surrounding was silent, only the sound of falling snowflakes filled the eaves of the corridor where no one was coming and going.

Zhao Yuanli followed Eunuch Gao absent-mindedly, and he was not even interested in the Zangshu Pavilion in the palace.While walking, Zhao Yuanli smelled the somewhat familiar fragrance and looked towards the source. The palace with red walls and glazed tiles was covered by white snow, and white magnolias bloomed quietly on the branches, and the fragrance was tangy.

The girl wrapped in white fox fur stood with an umbrella, and from a distance, her fair face was stained with blush, with a pair of black and white eyes, staring straight in, seeing him see, suddenly burst out a touch of ecstasy. The bright smile made the surrounding scenery pale.

As if a ray of warm sun instantly dispelled all the gray mist falling on the tip of his heart, Zhao Yuanli's chest was filled with unprecedented satisfaction, and the corners of his mouth also curled up. What was he frustrated with just now?
Gong'e beside Yongping anxiously persuaded, the former saw the person he wanted to see, although he watched from afar, but the response from that person reassured him, and after watching Zhao Yuanli leave, he returned with his skirt in hand Sleeping hall, no longer the previous depressed look.

After taking the reward from Zangshu Pavilion and leaving the palace, Zhao Yuanli suddenly caught a glimpse of a tall and tall figure walking in the snow, and was slightly surprised.

"Brother Zhao." The snow particles fell on Gu Jingxing's black hair, and stained the phoenix eyes and brows, his usual cold eyes reflected more and more loneliness, and his figure was much thinner than the previous meeting.

"My minister has met the Sixth Prince." Zhao Yuanli saw him covering his lips and coughing, and handed over the umbrella with his attendants. "Is your lord alright?"

Gu Jingxing took the umbrella, smiled gratefully, and said that he was fine. "Since we met by such a coincidence, this king happens to have something to ask for advice, how about going to the Yunqi Pavilion in the East Lane?"

"...Okay" Why there is always an illusion that this person is waiting here to catch him, Zhao Yuanli stared at it for a moment, thinking to himself that the sixth prince wouldn't be so boring?
Gu Jingxing, who was so bored, coughed dryly and avoided Zhao Yuanli's probing gaze. His face was slightly hot, but his accustomed expression was so tense that others couldn't see it.

Yunqi Pavilion has a unique elegant seat, with a heater, the snowflakes have been fumigated and water seeped, the clerk handed the two hot handkerchiefs to wipe, asked them what tea they wanted to drink, and hurried downstairs.

Between the cold and the heat, Gu Jingxing's face flushed abnormally, and the attendants who followed behind were full of worried expressions, they were swept away by Gu Jingxing, and had to retreat reluctantly.

Witnessing this scene, Zhao Yuanli felt strange in his heart, but he was not in the habit of talking too much, "I don't know why the lord is looking for this humble minister?"

"My king was not in Beijing a few days ago, and only after I came back did I hear that something big happened. The implementation of the financial order solved the problem, and this king also got inspiration. The country in Daliang is peaceful and the people are safe, but there are also Yelang kingdoms coveting on the border. Years of temptations are coming, and although there is no shortage of ammunition and rations, it is inevitable that there will always be moths secretly running short, resulting in weak troops. This king hopes that at that time, we can implement the beacon ticket and apply the method of implementing the financial order to ensure that the border is safe." Gu Jing. I'm about to tell my thoughts one by one, and I need Zhao Yuanli to make up for the details.

After hearing this, Zhao Yuanli frowned deeply, stared at Gu Jingxing for a long time, and sighed, "The sixth prince has far-reaching thoughts, and I will do my best to help."

The blue and white porcelain cup continued to serve tea, and the staff set up the small red clay stove, boiled a pot of tea, and left space for the two of them.

After this interruption, the atmosphere in the private room froze again. Gu Jingxing took a sip of tea, took out an object from his bosom and put it in front of Zhao Yuanli, "Yongping asked me to bring this to you."

Zhao Yuanli looked at the delicate little box on the table, and took off the lid. Inside was a clear jade pendant, carved with two or three magnolia blooming lines, delicate to the touch. The word "Yongping" must have been written by someone, and I was afraid that the jade pendant would be damaged if it was engraved on the front.

Gu Jingxing added intentionally or unintentionally, "This is Yongping's favorite white magnolia flower."

Caressing over the rough small print, Zhao Yuanli laughed, probably because he had heard about his jade badge, but this little thought is very cute.

Gu Jingxing, who was sitting across from him, glanced at the contents of the box, and then looked at the unstoppable smile on the corner of Zhao Yuanli's mouth. He felt that his eyes were a little dazzling, and he couldn't help but sigh. If he married Yongping, his son-in-law would not be allowed to participate in political affairs. It's a pity for this person of talent.

"cough……"

"Thank you Sixth Prince, and also thank Princess Yongping for me." Zhao Yuanli returned to his senses and said with a faint smile.

"Thank you, you can tell her by yourself." Gu Jingxing said with deep meaning.Father imprisoned Yongping in Yuehua Palace, sent a painter in the palace to teach him how to paint, and recruited Zhao Yuanli into the palace. He guessed how much, so he returned to the palace today, and stopped by Yongping to have a look , the little girl could bear it, it seemed that she was in a fight with her father, but she looked quite measured, so he didn't intend to interfere.

What's more, as the father is as shrewd as an old fox, he will definitely make the most beneficial plan, and it will be a matter of time before he lets go, but he doesn't want to tell any of these two people about this at all, it will be even more glaring , Gu Jingxing, who still has a long way to go to win back his former crush, thought unbalanced in his heart.

The two had a pleasant chat about political affairs and the current situation, as well as poems and songs. Until it was late, Zhao Yuanli proposed to bid farewell and return home, and Gu Jingxing got up to see them off.

Coming to the door, Gu Jingxing, who had been holding back all afternoon, finally asked, "Is Lingmei okay?"

Zhao Yuanli sighed in his heart and it was true, "Your Majesty is worried, but I was frightened and kept it for a few days. Now I will be born... I guess I will practice embroidery at home." On the surface.

The corners of Gu Jingxing's lips twitched slightly, and he smiled faintly. Thinking of that person's appearance, and thinking of the scene when he left with Fang Zimo that day, his eyes darkened.

While talking, someone rushed towards Yunqi Pavilion while hiding from the snow. He ran into Gu Jingxing in a hurry, and the attendant who was waiting beside the carriage immediately drew his sword, scaring the man so much that he apologized repeatedly, and Gu Jingxing frowned. Covering the place where he was hit with a frown, he glanced at his followers, motioned to put it away, and let him go without any hindrance.

Zhao Yuanli looked at his suddenly pale lips, and his eyes fell on his blood-stained right shoulder blade. He squinted his eyes and recalled Zhao Wenwan's most dangerous scene mentioned to him on the day he came back. Blocked the sword for her, blood spattered, as if it was the position of the shoulder blade, could it be...

Gu Jingxing didn't notice Zhao Yuanli's deep gaze, and pretended to say goodbye as if nothing had happened, but Zhao Yuanli complied, but his heart was full of twists and turns.The two people who had their own thoughts got into the carriage respectively and went home.

In order to take care of the injured Gu Jingxing in the carriage, Zuo Ling removed all the low stools in the carriage and spread out bedding so that the prince could rest in the carriage.Gu Jingxing, who was leaning against the inner wall of the car, ignored his open wound again, but stared intently at the purse in his hand.

Recalling the scene of the two carrying each other and leaving in front of his eyes, his heart ached.

The wheels rolled and swayed, and due to the bumps, the blood flowed even more. Gu Jingxing supported his blood-soaked shoulder blades, his eyes darkened, and when he came to the gate of the palace, he replaced the bloody robe with the spare clothes in the carriage, hooked The ink-colored brocade robe trimmed with gold silk tightly covered the wound, even if there was blood soaked on it for a while, it would not be easy to see from a distance.

"My lord, here we are."

Gu Jingxing opened his eyes suddenly, and his black eyes instantly regained their clarity. They were completely different from the dark eyes that occasionally lifted the curtains of the car to look outside when he closed his eyes and rested his mind. It seemed that he was not injured at all. He was tall and straight, but his face turned slightly pale.

Zuo Ling subconsciously took a step forward, wanting to support him, but the sixth prince gave him a cold glance and fixed it at the moment. Following his line of sight, he saw some sneaky figures not far away, and secretly clenched his fists. It's really haunting.

Gu Jingxing curled his lips into a sarcastic smile, and strode into the gate of the palace. He didn't take off his disguise until he entered his own room, and held on to the table with some helplessness so as not to fall down.

Not long after, Feng Yuxiu, who heard the news, hurried in, and was about to pick up Gu Jingxing's clothes without saying a word. A young man passed by outside, and he was stunned at the sight of Feng Yuxiu's unrestrained style. The tinkle of the copper basin fell to the ground, and the sound echoed for a long time.

"Young one didn't see anything!" The boy noticed the sight of the two looking over together, immediately covered his eyes, threw away the words and ran away.

Gu Jingxing glared at the owner of the claws who were still on his body with a dark face, "Have you touched enough?"

"...I have a feeling that my innocence is not guaranteed, do you?" Feng Yuxiu asked sadly, thinking of the scene of being brutally forced into marriage by his mother recently, more than half of the reasons are because of the harm caused by this person in front of him. of.

"My innocence has been tarnished a hundred times by you, do I need to settle it?" Gu Jingxing stared at him coldly, emphasizing the last two words.

Feng Yuxiu withdrew his claws awkwardly. Indeed, Gu Jingxing was like an ice cube. He had been friends for many years, and sometimes he couldn't help but want to play tricks, making some 'innocuous' jokes, and finally... cheated himself... It was also quite sad. of.

At this time, the light in the room was not very bright, Feng Yuxiu saw that the man frowned, his lips turned pale, and thought of the business of coming here, he hurriedly took out the box from the cabinet on the right side of the bed, took the ointment and gauze inside, He took care of the wound for him, and muttered, "I guessed that nothing good happened when you went to Qingzhou. It's hard for you to remember to send me a message when you come back. I only found out that you were injured when I asked on the way. I also heard that you have been spinning around for a few days, acting like a normal person, are you really desperate?"

Gu Jingxing listened to Feng Yuxiu's thoughts, and really wanted to tell people to shut up, but looking at the expression of concern on his friend's face, he thought that this person was studying medicine hard for himself, so he finally didn't open his mouth, closed his eyes deeply, and let him torment went.

"Also, you've heard that the eldest lady of Dingguo's mansion was assassinated a while ago, and she was rescued by Fang Zimo. You said that she was originally a man with talent and beauty. There may be some feelings that arise—"

"It was the lord who saved her, not Fang Zimo." Zuo Ling who had just entered suddenly interrupted, complaining for the master.

Feng Yuxiu was stunned for a moment, then glanced at the sword wound which seemed newer than the other wounds, and was dumbfounded for a long time, "...No, then you have become an unsung hero again?" He had heard the story of Hero Mo saving the beauty many times, but he didn't expect that there was a more difficult person behind it.

Gu Jingxing's face turned darker, and he was also worried in his heart. It is not an exaggeration to describe his impression in Zhao Wenwan's heart with bad words, but Fang Zimo... looked at Feng Yuxiu gloating at Shangfeng Yuxiu's misfortune by inadvertently raising his eyes. He choked up, and said in a cold voice, "Tomorrow, I will visit Taifu Feng, and talk about your life's major events along the way. After all, you are always pestering this king, and this king is also very troubled."

"..." The smile on Feng Yuxiu's face froze instantly, and he looked at someone with the look that you were just joking.

Someone returned with a serious face.

"My lord, please let me go!"

Feng Yuxiu, who had been playing tricks for a while, looked at Gu Jingxing's tired expression, restrained his playfulness, and asked about something serious, "How was the trip to Qingzhou?"

"Prime Minister Du led me to Chongzhou to whitewash the peace, but he didn't expect that I would go halfway to Qingzhou. I was caught off guard. I found out about the smuggling of official salt and found out a bunch of people. The leader was his cronies. I jumped the wall in a hurry. I was injured after making a fuss when I was dying. Before the news of Qingzhou came back to Beijing, I rushed back to investigate and deal with it, but I didn’t expect that scheming thing to abandon the car to protect the commander, and to put aside the crime of smuggling official salt. Erjing, but it's true that the vitality is seriously injured."

Hearing his simple explanation, Feng Yuxiu glanced dissatisfiedly at the thought of the danger inside, "You don't have to be afraid of such a desperate spelling..."

Gu Jingxing's eyes drooped slightly, and unconsciously moved the corners of his mouth, he seemed to mutter for a while, "I wasn't afraid before, but now I'm afraid." It was because there was concern in my heart.

Feng Yuxiu looked at him, heard the unfinished meaning in his words, felt a bit sad, growing up together, he naturally knew how many shackles this person put on himself, how hard his life was, but the most bitter person in the world It's still a word of love, you can't ask for it.

"By the way, what happened to what I asked you to do?"

Gu Jingxing suddenly made a sound, which made Feng Yuxiu startled, and after turning his head around for a while, he shook his head and replied, "After searching for so many years, I still found nothing. I went to see the Qishan one myself, and it wasn't her at all."

After hearing this, Gu Jingxing fell into deep thought, leaned on the pillow and fell into silence again.Seeing this, Feng Yuxiu didn't bother him to rest, and told Zuo Ling to change the medicine regularly, and went back.

The candles in the room were flickering on and off, Gu Jingxing recalled the same dream he had repeatedly during the past few days and nights when he was injured. In the scene of playing, the older one is sick and can only stay in the house, and he plays with the younger one.

The screen changes to a strange scene, the little girl grows up, he experiences changes and has a gloomy temper, but she is still as gentle and beautiful as he was when he was a child, and he risked his life to save her, which made him decide to protect her for the warmth of childhood , and also because of her devotion to him and never leaving her, Gu Jingxing pampered and protected her all his life, but there seemed to be a part missing in his heart.

At the end, Gu Jingxing suddenly discovered that the woman's face was exactly the same as Zhao Wenxi's, but it was Zhao Wenwan who he hated the most?And in the end, the self with a sinister face and vicious methods won the throne, but lost a lot, and lived the rest of his life like a walking dead.

Gu Jingxing held down his wound until the blood came out again, and he escaped from the terrible whirlpool by relying on the pain, and twitched the corner of his mouth in self-deprecating, this dream was really weird.

Here, as soon as Zhao Yuanli returned to Qingfengju, he was slightly surprised to see Zhao Wenwan wrapped in his fluffy blanket and reading a book by the fire. Wan, unexpectedly fell asleep.Zhao Yuanli was afraid that she would catch the cold, so he gently woke her up.

Zhao Wenwan opened his sleepy eyes and chuckled, "It's too warm in the room, I fell asleep unconsciously, why did my brother come back so late?"

"The Sixth Prince and I went to Yunqi Pavilion for a short talk."

"Oh." Zhao Wenwan hummed lightly, and heaved a sigh of relief when Gu Jingxing came back. Thinking of the dangerous situation of the sixth prince named Yu Xiu, how could it be possible for her to die so quickly at this moment, as she expected? If she dies, she dies first.

"I think the Sixth Prince seems to be injured?" After Zhao Yuanli finished speaking, he carefully observed Zhao Wenwan's expression, and saw that she was still saying "Oh" calmly. He didn't know what Wanwan's attitude was. Even he could see Gu Jingxing's dislike for her. It's different, it was said before that Wanwan loves the sixth prince madly, why can't he feel it?
If Wanwan likes it, he, the big brother, will naturally help him, but... Looking at his current attitude, I'm afraid his feelings have been exhausted long ago, anyway, Fang Zimo seems to be more suitable for his Wanwan, so he didn't do it again. Go on.

Zhao Wenwan thought about the business of looking for his elder brother today, so he changed the subject and said, "Brother, do you still have any memory of the sudden breakdown of your body back then?"

"Wanwan asked that, but what did you hear?" Zhao Yuanli asked back very quickly.

Zhao Wenwan nodded, "That woman said she wasn't the one who harmed you? Brother, do you think Mrs. Ye is trying to excuse herself?"

Zhao Yuanli thought for a while, his eyes dimmed, and gradually became dull again, "I probably can't remember what happened at that time. It's been so long, I'll just let it pass now."

Zhao Wenwan didn't respond, her eyes were as bright as the sun burning with thoughts like flames, this matter is hard to get over, it's about her elder brother, she will definitely investigate to the bottom, and she will find out whoever wants to harm the brothers and sisters one by one.

(End of this chapter)