Chapter 36 [36]

【36】/First release

Shortly after Xiao Ningning left the palace, Lu Zhiwan was summoned to the Yangxin Palace to serve meals.

Ever since he witnessed the power of this man's cold face a few days ago, Lu Zhiwan always paid full attention every time he saw him, and never showed any perfunctory attitude.

Perhaps Xiao Jingting was very pleased with her hospitality, as he hadn't found fault with her in the past few days and the two of them got along quite well.

After a peaceful dinner, the rain outside the window continued to fall, and the air gradually took on a hint of the chill of late autumn.

Since it was impossible to go out for a walk on rainy days, Xiao Jingting would sit at the table and review memorials, while Lu Zhiwan would be responsible for grinding ink for him.

The bright, warm candlelight fell on the two of them, and in the silence, there was a sense of beautiful mood of red sleeves adding fragrance and years of peace and tranquility - if Lu Zhiwan hadn't yawned.

"I'm so sleepy."

"These memorials are so boring, isn't he sleepy?"

"A cozy rainy day like this is perfect for lying in bed and watching TV shows on my phone. I don't even know how many episodes of the show I'm following have been released yet."

Xiao Jingting, who was reviewing memorials at the desk, paused for a moment and glanced to the side.

The beautiful girl with fair skin and pretty face looked as wilted as a cabbage hit by frost, with her long eyelashes drooping slightly, casting a small shadow on her fair face.

If you don't know what she is thinking, this scene can be regarded as a pleasing picture of a beautiful woman in autumn.

So what does she mean by mobile phone and watching TV series?

He had asked Yu Mingjiang to find several Yuezhou people to verify the strange words she had said before. Those native Yuezhou people said that it was not the Yuezhou dialect and they had never heard of it.

In addition, the Jinyiwei went to Yuezhou for a long time to investigate secretly and learned that in the past, Lu Zhiwan was seen by others as gentle, timid, cowardly, rule-abiding, and reserved.

None of them had anything to do with the woman in front of him.

Considering that he could hear her inner voice, Xiao Jingting reasonably believed that the Lu Zhiwan in front of him was probably a monster that had taken over someone else's body.

I have little experience in Taoism and worldly affairs, and I don't have any bad intentions. I just want to travel around the world and enjoy myself.

Nothing to be afraid of.

"His Majesty?"

Lu Zhiwan tilted her head and looked at the man who was staring at her in confusion. Could it be that she had just been absent-minded and was discovered by him?

Xiao Jingting came back to his senses and met her confused gaze calmly: "Why did you think of inviting Princess Yuzhang to the palace today?"

Lu Zhiwan was stunned by the question for a moment before answering, "When I have nothing to do, I invite her to the palace to chat."

"Luckily, I guessed he might ask this before coming to the Yangxin Palace, and I already had a plan in mind. I really am a clever little guy who can predict everything."

“…”

Xiao Jingting raised his eyebrows slightly and asked, "How do you get along with her?"

"Princess Yuzhang has a kind disposition, and I had a very pleasant conversation with her."

Lu Zhiwan said softly, then suddenly thought of something and asked Xiao Jingting tentatively, "Prince Yuzhang is your Majesty's eighth uncle. Is your Majesty close to him?"

"When I was young, my uncles were all assigned to different places. Over the years, apart from exchanging letters, we have rarely seen each other, so we can't be considered close."

"I see." Lu Zhiwan nodded, her mind racing. Now that she mentioned Prince Yuzhang, Xiao Jingting could hear it. Could it be that the gravity of the plot would change with time or as the plot progressed?

"If you get along well with Princess Yuzhang, you can often summon her to the palace to keep you company." Xiao Jingting looked at her and said.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your consideration." Lu Zhiwan wasn't particularly interested in chatting with the former heroine. She was now more concerned with Xiao Jingting's attitude towards the various princes. "Your Majesty, what are your plans for the spies who were found to have liaisons with the princes in the previous case involving Zhang Zhaoqian and Zhang Shaoqing?"

Xiao Jingting narrowed his dark eyes and stared at her with ambiguous intent.

The sudden and fierce aura sent a chill down Lu Zhiwan's neck. She quickly knelt and apologized, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I made a mistake..."

"Where is the sin?"

"Your Highness... Your Highness shouldn't interfere in state affairs..."

"Oh my god, I got so carried away that I forgot this man is the emperor."

Seeing her face full of regret, Xiao Jingting said lightly: "At least you have self-awareness."

Seeing that she was still in a humble position with her knees bent and half-squatting, he pursed his lips and said, "Do you still need me to help you?"

"stand up."

Lu Zhiwan's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she carefully observed his expression. Seeing that he was not angry, she breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Neither of them said anything after that.

Just when Lu Zhiwan thought the matter was over, lying in bed at night, Xiao Jingting held her in his arms and said casually, "The late emperor had always intended to reduce the power of the princes, but those princes were his own brothers and sisters, so he was hesitant to make a decision."

Lu Zhiwan suddenly woke up from her sleep, leaned her head against the man's chest and looked up, without saying a word.

Xiao Jingting rubbed his chin against her forehead: "Why don't you speak?"

Lu Zhiwan: "I dare not discuss political affairs."

"So good?"

The man in the darkness seemed to chuckle softly, and the hand that was originally on her waist moved up and tapped her back: "Now I allow you to discuss it."

"……Neuropathy."

Lu Zhiwan silently rolled his eyes and whispered, "What do you think about the reduction of the feudal system, Your Majesty?"

"Guess what I think?"

“……?”

Lu Zhiwan didn't know why he had such a childish interest in guessing things, and after a moment's hesitation, she said, "I dare not speculate on your Majesty's thoughts."

"I allow you to guess."

“…”

Lu Zhiwan wanted to cooperate with you in this performance, but she didn't have the courage. After thinking for a while, she said, "Your Majesty wants to reduce the power of the feudal lords."

The man hummed lazily and hugged her tighter in his arms: "What do you mean."

"Your Majesty is the ruler of a nation. This magnificent land belongs to you alone. How can you allow others to sleep beside your bed?" Lu Zhiwan said, "In my humble opinion, you should take advantage of the fact that the power of those vassal kings is still weak and nip any signs of rebellion in the bud."

"Aren't you afraid of being criticized by others? Don't you care about blood ties?"

"Why don't you consider family affection? We are not going to take their lives. We are just going to weaken their power and military strength. They are indispensable for wealth and glory." Lu Zhiwan tried hard to recall the content about reducing the power of the feudal lords in the history textbook and repeated it to him as much as possible.

Although it is not explained in detail, the general idea is conveyed.

Xiao Jingting listened quietly without saying anything more.

Just when Lu Zhiwan was wondering if she had said too much, he pinched the soft flesh on her waist and said, "You were like a concubine blowing pillow wind just now."

Lu Zhiwan: “???”

"How can I be called a demon concubine? Every word I just said was from the bottom of my heart. It was all for your own good, okay, you tyrant king!"

Without waiting for her to argue, Xiao Jingting hugged her, as if he was sleepy, and buried his face in her neck: "I have my own plans for reducing the power of the feudal lords. Let's go to sleep now."

Lu Zhiwan had become numb to this man's impulsive behavior. Seeing that he was about to sleep, she stopped thinking about the messy political affairs, closed her eyes, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

The sound of rain hitting the banana leaves outside the window lasted until midnight.

***

The next morning, after Lu Zhiwan woke up in the Yangxin Palace, he returned to the Lifeng Palace.

When it was almost time for lunch, she received an unexpected guest - Princess Xiao Lanchun of Liaodong.

Unlike the coldness of last time, Xiao Lanchun was particularly enthusiastic today. Her eyes were sparkling as she looked at Lu Zhiwan, and her delicate round face could not hide her joy and excitement.

Lu Zhiwan had originally wanted to wait until after lunch before sending a young eunuch to inquire about what happened in Qingyun Temple yesterday. But now, seeing Xiao Lanchun's expression, he guessed that yesterday's incident was probably successful.

Xiao Lanchun didn't want to beat around the bush. After the palace maids had left, she told Lu Zhiwan directly what she was here for: "Empress Zhao, are you free to read my face and tell my fortune today?"

My goodness, he thinks she is a witch.

Lu Zhiwan raised his eyebrows slightly, pondered for a moment, raised his face and showed a cunning smile: "Of course, I can, but..."

Xiao Lanchun: "But what?"

Lu Zhiwan deliberately said, "Fortune-telling and face-reading actually reveal the secrets of heaven and will damage your fortune. Last time, I just mentioned it casually because I saw that we were related and we happened to meet by chance. Now that the princess is so rosy... did she meet her destined person?"

When Xiao Lanchun mentioned this, two blushes appeared on her pretty face.

Since she needed help from others, she no longer concealed it. Moreover, Lu Zhiwan's calculations were so accurate that she already had some faith in her.

"You asked me to go to Qingyun Temple for seven consecutive days, and I did as you said. To be honest, I didn't really believe you before, until yesterday..." Xiao Lanchun's black eyes flickered: "Yesterday happened to be the last day of the seven days. I went up the mountain as usual, but I ran into the Ministry of Justice handling a case..."

Just like in the original novel, Xiao Lanchun's jeweled dress and unique temperament made her the target of the murderer.

It's just that Xiao Lanchun, who grew up on the border and on horseback, is different from Xiao Ningning, who was raised in a deep boudoir in the south of the Yangtze River.

When Xiao Ningning was held hostage, tears welled up in her eyes, and she frantically waited for someone to rescue her. Xiao Lanchun attacked the killer's lower body, kicking him so hard that he burst into tears and collapsed to the ground, clutching his penis.

If the criminals from the Ministry of Justice hadn't arrived in time, Xiao Lanchun would have been still inflicting "secondary harm" on the murderer, kicking and cursing: "You blind, filthy thing! How dare you touch me with such dirty hands? I'll cripple you!"

This trend left Lu Zhiwan stunned.

Looking at the shy look of the person in front of her, she raised her hand to support her chin, her mind full of questions.

May I ask, heroine, why are you being shy?

"Mr. Gu thanked me." Xiao Lanchun pursed her lips and chuckled softly, her tone becoming sweet. "He said that if I hadn't intervened in time, the murderer would have almost escaped. I helped him, and he will definitely bring me a gift to express his gratitude someday."

Lu Zhiwan: “…”

Well, at least it’s a good progress?

"Empress Zhao... Oh no, Concubine Zhao's sister-in-law." Xiao Lanchun leaned a little towards Lu Zhiwan, her fair and tender round face full of anticipation: "Can you help me calculate where I can meet Master Gu next time I go back?"

This sudden change of words gave Lu Zhiwan goosebumps.

This little princess is really adaptable and her thickness is no less than mine.

But being called a cousin wasn't enough to get her to reveal the plot for free—

"I can tell fortunes, but..." Lu Zhiwan rolled his dark eyes and held up a finger: "One hundred taels for each divination."

Xiao Lanchun agreed very straightforwardly: "No problem."

Lu Zhiwan: Damn, it’s too little.

She coughed lightly and tried to change her words: "...gold."

Xiao Lanchun: “…”

Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at Lu Zhiwan: "Doesn't the Emperor cousin give you money to spend?"

The favorite concubine is so greedy!

Lu Zhiwan felt embarrassed by her questioning gaze, and was also worried that if this matter reached Xiao Jingting's ears, the man would think that she was ruining his reputation outside and would come after her.

"Just kidding." Lu Zhiwan laughed, "I'm a concubine in the harem, I don't have to worry about food and drink, so I have no place to spend so much money. I said that just now because I wanted to see the princess's sincerity."

Xiao Lanchun looked at her doubtfully for a moment, then said, "I know it's a bit abrupt to come to your house and ask for your help. How about this? You can help me find my way. If you need my help in the future, just let me know."

Lu Zhiwan didn't expect her to be so quick and decisive.

However, compared to fulfilling it in the future, there is something that has been weighing on her mind for a long time, and she might take this opportunity to inquire about it.

After pondering for a while, Lu Zhiwan calmed down a little and looked seriously at Xiao Lanchun sitting across from him: "It's no problem for me to tell your fortune, but I also have something here. I wonder if the princess can help me solve it?"

Xiao Lanchun blinked: "What's the matter?"

Lu Zhiwan bit her lip, leaned forward, and lowered her voice: "The disaster of Concubine Zhen."