Detailed discussion

The carriage's speed happened to be just in time, and the day after Xiao Yingzhu arrived at the Duke's Mansion was the birthday banquet for Princess Qingping.

The moonlight is bright, as if flowing through the window.

Mo Qing handed the secret letter to Xiao Yingzhu when he first arrived at the mansion.

The content of the secret letter sent to him by Emperor Changde was exactly what he had expected.

The words on the secret letter will disappear automatically shortly after it is opened and read, so Xiao Yingzhu does not need to deal with it.

The wind dragged the candlelight, casting a faint red glow on the table.

After traveling for four or five days in a row, Xiao Yingzhu was a little tired.

He raised his hand to rub his temples, lowered his eyes to think for a few seconds, and pulled out a memorial from the document box.

The ink marks were faintly spread on the plain paper, and the white fingers cast a slender shadow in the light, and the wide crimson sleeves were wrinkled.

A few lines of concise words were filled in the blank lines with clear black lines. The overlapping cover obscured the contents inside. The sealed envelope was then handed to Mo Qing, who was standing aside waiting for instructions.

Mo Qing, the constant attendant beside Xiao Yingzhu, understood what was meant without having to say it.

He reached out to take the memorial and turned to leave, but stopped in his tracks when he heard Xiao Yingzhu's words.

"You don't need to prepare formal attire for tomorrow, just bring your official uniform."

Hearing Xiao Yingzhu's casual and slightly tired tone, Mo Qing's eyes understood.

"I understand."

As soon as he finished speaking, Mo Qing disappeared into the dark and bright sky outside the corridor.

The main purpose of coming to the capital this time was to inquire about the true intentions of Emperor Changde, and attending Princess Qingping's birthday was just a casual visit.

Princess Qingping specially wrote so many words to him, how could Xiao Yingzhu not know about it?

Some things are gone in the past and are no longer the same as they were before.

He no longer had any desire to have any further involvement with people or things from the past.

Just like that official uniform, it explains everything so far.

the next day

The maidservant followed Shuanghua's instructions and filled the room with her specially made incense.

The light and clear fragrance of magnolia is soft and rich, lightly covering the green silk shawl, and the red silk is the ground, the silk is more beautiful than anything else.

Shuanghua picked up one, her eyes filled with indecipherable emotions. She sighed and turned to ask the maid beside her.

"Is the birthday party ready?"

Just now she asked her maid to check it again to make sure everything was correct.

She values ​​this year's birthday party more than anyone else.

The maid lowered her head and replied respectfully, "My Lady, everything is ready. We are just waiting for your arrival."

Shuanghua lowered her eyes, loosened her hands that were twisting the clothes, and stopped looking at the maid. She just nodded and said, "Alright, I'm tired. You can leave first."

The maid said no more and retreated respectfully with her head lowered.

The bright light coming through the windows of the pavilion revealed all the dust in the air. Shuanghua raised her hand and gently stroked the silky dress, and finally changed her clothes.

When Xiao Yingzhu arrived at Qixiang Garden, the birthday banquet was almost over.

As Songchui had said, Emperor Changdeok was indeed admiring the flowers in the Hibiscus Pond.

Glancing at Princess Qingping who was among the crowd not far away, Xiao Yingzhu withdrew his gaze.

He wrote a memorial to Emperor Changde in advance last night, and he must be waiting for him now.

The location of the conversation doesn't require much decision-making.

Hibiscus Pond was the place where Emperor Changdeok often met with his predecessor to appreciate poetry and lyrics when he was in the academy, and it also planted the memories of Lady Queen Dowager.

Although it happened in the previous generation, it also has a different meaning to Xiao Yingzhu who has not experienced it.

What's more, the main purpose of this conversation was to talk about his father, the former Duke.

Emperor Changde was standing alone at the flower-viewing spot not far in front of the willow forest. The eunuch who usually followed Emperor Changde was no longer there.

There were many sounds of congratulations and exchanges around. Xiao Yingzhu asked Mo Qing to give the gift to Princess Qingping. When she turned around and was about to go to Emperor Changde, she heard a burst of hurried footsteps behind her.

"Xiao Yingzhu!"

Shuanghua spotted Xiao Yingzhu from the crowd at a glance, and her heart suddenly skipped a beat. She handed the gift given by Mo Qing to the maid following behind her, and walked over quickly with her clothes lifted.

It seemed that many people knew that Xiao Yingzhu had not announced his return to Beijing, and they still mistakenly believed that he was in Pingzhou.

Shuanghua didn't call out to Xiao Yingzhu until she was a little further away from the group of people surrounding her.

Hearing her shout, the man walking towards the Hibiscus Pond stopped and turned back to glance at her.

"When did Princess Qingping come to see me?"

Seeing the face she had recalled countless times, Shuanghua, even though she had expected it, was still stunned by his words. She quickly gathered her thoughts and said:

"Just now, Qin Lan asked me for the perfume formula. Why don't you ask me directly? I will give it to you."

Xiao Yingzhu keenly noticed the trace of sadness on Princess Qingping's face. He lowered his eyes slightly, his thoughts were calm, and his tone remained light and casual.

"Princess Qingping seems to have misunderstood me. I came here only to find out one thing."

"As for the incense..."

Xiao Yingzhu paused and added lightly.

"Mr. Qin's friendship is beyond my reach. I hope that Princess Qingping will not get involved with him."

“…”

Shuanghua heard the chill in his last words, and she clenched her fingertips slightly when she wanted to reach out, then avoided the topic.

"Do you... blame His Majesty?"

Xiao Yingzhu lowered his eyes and looked at Shuanghua for a moment, then spoke in a calm tone.

"Why do you ask this, Princess?"

Shuanghua held her breath gently, and the hesitation in her expression disappeared.

"His Majesty...has always felt guilty about that incident. I couldn't persuade him, so I had no choice but to come to you."

"I don't know much about Donglan's affairs, but."

She raised her eyes and looked into Xiao Yingzhu's eyes which were as deep as a cold pool.

"I always feel like something is about to happen, and at these times, it's important to explain it clearly."

Xiao Yingzhu hadn't communicated with her for a long time, and the last time they communicated was before that battle.

Now she had no idea what Xiao Yingzhu was thinking, but no matter what the other party would say about her, whether it was ignorance or meddling, she just felt that she had to tell Xiao Yingzhu about this matter.

The person in front of her stood still, as if he was deep in thought, or as if he had just glanced at her. Her sense of the passing of time seemed to be constantly expanding, until she heard him speak softly.

"That's all right, Princess. If you have no other requests, I'll take my leave."

After thinking about the question for a long time, the long-awaited answer finally reached her ears, but Shuanghua did not feel relieved at all.

Seeing Xiao Yingzhu's distant and measured attitude, although she was not as violent as she was towards others, she still felt that her relationship with Xiao Yingzhu could not go back to the time when they were classmates.

Fortunately, she always knew her limits and immediately understood her position in Xiao Yingzhu's eyes.

After calming down, Shuanghua's attitude towards Xiao Yingzhu returned to the usual aloof and reserved one she had towards others. She was no longer as anxious as before and simply nodded indifferently, "Since that's the case, Duke Xiao, please do as you please."

Glancing at her gradually frosty expression, Xiao Yingzhu said nothing more, gestured indifferently towards her, then turned and went to the Hibiscus Pond.

The position where Emperor Changde looked at the flowers remained unchanged.

The flowers in the pond are white with red petals and green leaves.

Hearing the sound of footsteps behind him, Emperor Changde turned his gaze away and looked into the pool.

Xiao Yingzhu walked through the willow forest, and the tone of his conversation was as cold and casual as at the beginning.

"His Majesty."

All around was silent, the guards were in hiding, separating the two boundaries of the pool and the banquet.

The nobles knew Emperor Changde's usual preferences and tacitly avoided approaching him.

Emperor Changde nodded slightly and said, "My dear minister, what do you have to report to me on your return this time?"

Birds were singing in the trees and the water in the pond ahead was as clear as a thousand acres of crystal. Xiao Yingzhu glanced across the Hibiscus Pond and replied lightly:

"Since Your Majesty has chosen the Hibiscus Pond, was it out of nostalgia or simply out of divine pleasure?"

Emperor Changde's stern and solemn gaze fell on Xiao Yingzhu, and his eyes were filled with thoughts that were difficult to discern.

"My dear, since you ask this, do you already have an opinion?"

Xiao Yingzhu lowered her eyes and looked at the pendant behind the fan. Emperor Changde's reply confirmed what she had thought. She collected her thoughts, responded softly, and raised her eyes with a hint of deepness.

"The war is getting more intense. Has Your Majesty made a decision?"

"I, your humble servant, have obeyed your Majesty's order and am going to Pingzhou to undertake some affairs. I have heard something about this matter somewhere."

"What she said is consistent with my philosophy."

Seeing that Emperor Changde seemed to be following his gaze and wanted to listen further, Xiao Yingzhu slightly modified Jiang Nian's original words and continued.

"The height of the palace and the lowliness of the common people are one and the same."

"From now on, I will judge others by my own standards and consider the whole world. I will not be partial to the army or the common people."

"We should balance both sides to ensure we are on the safe side."

The pendant of the ink fan in his hand passed over his sleeve, making a slight jingling sound. Xiao Yingzhu stopped talking and stood beside the lotus pond, waiting for Emperor Changde's reply.

The emperor opposite him seemed to be thinking about the past because of his words. He was silent for a moment, with no change in expression on his face and a slightly softer look.

"My dear minister, we have a common understanding. I miss you so much that I can hear your words again beside the lotus pond."

“…….”

Unexpectedly, Emperor Changde would respond in this way. Xiao Yingzhu was silent for a rare moment, his gaze slowly falling on the shimmering pool water.

"Did my father say that?"

Emperor Changde cast a glance at Xiao Yingzhu, then his eyes fell on the flowers in the pond.

"Before I ascended the throne, I once discussed state affairs with the late Duke here."

"And your opinion today is exactly the same as his."

The purpose of coming to the capital to investigate came to an end at this time because of Emperor Changde's clear reply. Xiao Yingzhu remembered Shuanghua's words of persuasion just now.

Everyone in the court believed that the rift between him and Emperor Changde was deep and difficult to mend. However, Princess Qingping was able to understand his intentions.

Princess Qingping specially invited him to the banquet this time. In addition to asking about what happened in the past, she also had another purpose -

To bridge the gap between him and Emperor Changde.

Thinking that he had become increasingly unfathomable due to rumors and his personality, but had changed his mind slightly because of a few words from people close to him, the thoughts in Xiao Yingzhu's eyes faded a little.

From the fierce battle in Shenjiang to now, if he had not already had signs of letting go in his heart, he would not have gone to the capital alone just because of Jiang Nian's words. He would not have been able to calmly listen to Princess Qingping's words that seemed to persuade him, and then have a detailed discussion with Emperor Changde.

The banquet in the distance was about to end. Xiao Yingzhu knew that Emperor Changde's thoughts on the people were the same as his before, so he put away the coldness he had shown to Emperor Changde before. He no longer continued to secretly observe and analyze whether Emperor Changde's current throne was commensurate with the contributions made by his father. He turned around and said goodbye.

Shortly after walking out of the willow forest, he met Qin Lan who had been waiting for him outside a palace gate.

Qin Lan sat lazily in the carriage and waved at him.

"I knew you were going this way. Guess what I brought you this time?"