Chapter 9

"Okay! I..." Hui Lin was unhappy and interrupted the two of them.

"Your Majesty, I want to go out for a walk." Qi Xinglan looked over.

"Lan'er, go ahead." Hui Lin nodded, glanced at Fu Wen and said, "Let Fu Wen follow you."

Qi Xinglan nodded, stood up and left the hall from one side.

Shen Tinghan's eyes followed him uncontrollably, and when he saw Hui Lin, he looked unhappy, "Fu Xuan, let's drink."

"The wine in Xiyuan is strong. You come from Central Plains. I wonder if you are used to it?" As he said this, Hui Lin drank the wine in the glass in his hand in one gulp.

Shen Tinghan had no choice but to drink with him.

Qi Xinglan did not walk far. She just walked a few laps on the road outside the temple. She looked so worried that even Fu Wen could tell that something was wrong.

"What's wrong with the Queen? Are you in a bad mood because of the Great Zhou delegation?"

Qi Xinglan looked at her with a surprised expression, as if she had not expected that her expression would be so obvious.

"Did you see all that?"

Fu Wen nodded. "You have never been so unhappy before."

Fu Wen thought that it was because the king always coaxed the queen well.

"It's broken!"

Even the little girl like Lian Fuwen could see it, so Lin must have been able to guess that there was some unknown past between him and Shen Tinghan.

He knew it but didn't ask me, so I would just be angry. This is terrible. Qi Xinglan turned around and left, "Fu Wen, let's go back to the hall!"

"Yes." Fu Wen walked quickly behind to catch up with Qi Xinglan.

Sure enough, things turned out just as he expected. When he came back, he saw that everyone had left, and only Hui Lin was left, dragging Shen Tinghan to drink. He gave a look to the eunuch who was in charge of pouring the wine.

The young eunuch understood what the queen meant, but he could only shake his head. How could he dare to persuade the king?

Qi Xinglan had no choice but to reach over and snatch Hui Lin's wine glass. Hui Lin looked over angrily, but when he saw it was Qi Xinglan, his expression softened, "Lan'er is back."

"Don't drink anymore!" Qi Xinglan looked at Shen Tinghan again. He could drink even less. His upper body was shaking and he was not making any sense.

"And you, Shen Tinghan, put it down too!"

"Your Majesty, do you still remember me?" His tone was very sad, but Qi Xinglan was unmoved. "I remember, what's the matter?"

"What do you want to say? In front of my husband?"

"Shen Tinghan, everyone has to have some dignity. Even if you don't want it, I have to." Without waiting for him to speak, Qi Xinglan waved her hand and two palace maids stepped forward.

"You two should send Lord Shen back to the post station right now. You guys don't even try to persuade him even though he's already so drunk."

Shen Tinghan was now unconscious, and the two men took him away in no time.

Seeing that there were only these two people left in the palace, Fu Wen also consciously left the palace, "Queen, call me if you need anything."

"Um."

As soon as the man left, Hui Lin grabbed Qi Xinglan in his arms, rubbed his neck and asked, "Lan'er, do you feel sorry for me?"

The tone was so pitiful that Qi Xinglan sighed and said, "I didn't tell you because I was afraid you would worry... Shen Tinghan and I may have had some inappropriate feelings for each other when we were young...hiss!"

Hui Lin became unhappy when he heard this. He raised his head and bit Qi Xinglan's lower lip with some force. Qi Xinglan licked it with her tongue, and a slight rusty taste spread in her mouth.

Qi Xinglan was about to get angry, but Hui Lin seemed to have expected it. The biting turned into a kiss, and his tongue was entangled with his. Qi Xinglan didn't want to hide, but took the initiative because of the guilt in her heart.

When the love reached its peak, Qi Xinglan's body suddenly floated in the air, and when she came to her senses, she was already sitting astride him.

Qi Xinglan's collarbone was occupied by Hui Lin, leaving his mark, and his hand tightly pinched Qi Xinglan's waist.

Qi Xinglan was aware of the man's strong reaction and thought of the environment they were in. She almost broke her voice: "Go to the side hall! Return to the forest!"

Hui Lin was not completely drunk after all, so he obediently hugged Qi Xinglan in this way. This action made him feel very insecure, so he could only hold Hui Lin tightly.

When they reached the side hall, the two of them were still doing the same thing. Qi Xinglan wanted to close his eyes uncomfortably, but Hui Lin quickened his pace, forcing him to open his eyes and look at him.

"Will you keep secrets from me about things happening with other people in the future?" Hui Lin stopped at the critical moment.

"Hui Lin! You bastard!" Qi Xinglan shed tears. She had no choice but to take action herself since she couldn't get what she wanted.

Huilin was enjoying the fun and laughter. Qi Xinglan had no idea what to do and could only beg for mercy, "I'll tell you, I'll tell you everything..."

"Okay... Lan'er, be good and hold your husband tightly."

Qi Xinglan had never been on a boat before she was eighteen years old. She was a little seasick from the swaying sound of the boat. There were big waves hitting the boat, and Qi Xinglan had no one to rely on. She could only hold on to the only remaining piece of driftwood to stay safe.

In the middle of the night, Qi Xinglan was still snuggling in his arms. Her voice had not recovered yet, the corners of her eyes were still red, and even a little wet.

"Replying to Lin... When my family was raided, I asked him to speak for my Qi family in the court, but he didn't even say a word of sympathy. From then on, I cut off all contact with him."

"I didn't tell you because I was afraid you would be suspicious, I didn't mean to hide it from you..."

Hui Lin hugged him tightly, lowered his head and kissed Qi Xinglan on the top of his head, "Lan'er, I'm not afraid that you don't like me, I'm only afraid that you will leave me..."

Hui Lin was very scared. He didn't know when Qi Xinglan would leave him. Everything he had now was just a dream.

"How could that be! I will never leave you in my life. When Ting'er gets married, I will let her find a young man from Xiyuan. Anyway, don't worry, I will not leave you!"

She smiled and patted Lin Kaihuai's back, "I feel relieved now. I also realize that Lan'er likes me very much..."

Qi Xinglan realized that this was not a serious statement, and thinking about what happened tonight, she blushed and tried to break away from his embrace, "Shut up!"

Hui Lin knew that he was easily shy, so he coaxed him by saying "okay, okay" repeatedly, and then he held him back in his arms.

Qi Xinglan couldn't sleep, so she pulled Hui Lin aside to ask him questions, "Did the Great Zhou delegation come just to send holiday gifts? Didn't they say they wanted to cooperate on anything?"

"Lan'er's guess is correct. They came here to open up trade with border cities. The rare and precious stones of Xiyuan have always been popular in Central Plains, but our food in Xiyuan is difficult to grow and the yield is not high. This way we can make up for the difference..."

"Wouldn't that mean they were feeding the soldiers of Xiyuan? Are they willing to let a tiger become a threat?"

"The West is already strong enough. If it develops further, won't the Great Zhou be worried that its position will be threatened?"

Hui Lin had naturally thought of this. The Great Zhou would definitely not be so kind and might have other purposes. But there was nothing to be afraid of. There were so many treasures in Xiyuan that they would not be reluctant even if they were given away for free.

"Let's take advantage of their own tactic. If the enemy doesn't move, I won't move either. Let's wait and see what their real purpose is."

"Well, there's also Shen Tinghan. Although he's a decent person, he's from a noble family in the Great Zhou Dynasty after all. What he says can never be trusted!"

When Hui Lin heard Qi Xinglan caring about him so much, he wanted to pull him up and kiss and touch him again, but he also knew that he had gone too far tonight, and if he did it again, Lan'er would be angry.

Therefore, he could only hug Qi Xinglan, "Lan'er actually cares about me so much?"

Qi Xinglan couldn't stand his face pressed against her neck, she always felt it was very cheesy, she wanted to escape but couldn't open her mouth but could say: "How could I care about you, I just care about Xiyuan's safety!"

"I know, I know. It's not for me at all. It's just for Xiyuan." Hui Lin's tone was light and frivolous. She was totally laughing at him.

"you--"

"Hahaha, okay, go to sleep." Hui Lin interrupted him. Qi Xinglan could only close his eyes and pretend to sleep, but his heart was still beating fast.

The next day, Qi Xinglan got up very late. Huilin did not call him and went to court by himself. Qi Xinglan opened his eyes in a daze but found that it was already dawn.

Sitting up and pulling open the bed curtain, "Fuwen."

Upon hearing this, Fu Wen immediately pushed the door open and asked, "Her Majesty, is the Queen awake?"

"Is the king not leaving court yet?"

"Your Majesty, the king went to discuss matters with the Great Zhou delegation after the morning court session. He just asked the eunuch beside him to come and tell us in Lanquan Palace."

"Hmm, so that's it..."

Probably they were going to discuss the trade, Qi Xinglan stood up, refused Fu Wen's move to change his clothes, put on his own clothes, and went to wash up.

As he was leaving, he remembered something and stopped to ask Fu Wen, "When will the Great Zhou delegation set off to return to Great Zhou?"

Fu Wen had not heard of this, but she had only heard the palace maids who were sweeping the house say a few words, "I heard... in two days?"

Qi Xinglan nodded and smiled politely, "I see. You can go and get busy first."

When he came back from washing up, he saw Fu Wen standing there waiting for him again. Qi Xinglan asked in confusion, "What happened again?"

"Queen, the king sent a message saying that Lord Shen from the Great Zhou wants to see you."

"Shen Tinghan wants to see me?"

Qi Xinglan seemed to realize that she had lost her composure in front of Fu Wen, and straightened her clothes and said seriously, "Okay, I'll go by myself, no need to have anyone follow me."

"yes."

—

Shen Tinghan was waiting for him in the side hall of Zichen Palace. When Qi Xinglan arrived, Shen Tinghan was the only one in the palace. As for Hui Lin, he didn't even see his shadow.

Shen Tinghan noticed that he was looking around, and almost immediately guessed who he was looking for, "The king just left on purpose just now, just to give you and me a chance to talk."

"What do you want to say to me? What is there to talk about between you and me?" Qi Xinglan spoke in a smart and aggressive tone.

"Lan'er..."

"Lord Shen, there is no need to address me like that. Our identities are different now." Qi Xinglan said, taking a step back.

Shen Tinghan's Adam's apple rolled, and his outstretched hand stopped in mid-air. "I'm sorry, the emperor of the Great Zhou is incompetent and listens to treacherous ministers at will. My father has forbidden me from having any contact with your family."

"I knew that the Qi family was wronged, but... I was powerless to do anything. I am really sorry for this." He turned and raised his head again, "But I did plant people among the soldiers who escorted you and Ting'er on the road to exile in southern Xinjiang!"

"I--"

"So?" Qi Xinglan looked at him, "So I went to Xiyuan and married someone else. We have no relationship since the fall of the Qi family."

"I hope you won't tell anyone about me when you get to Central Plains."

"Shen Tinghan, in my heart, you have always been a gentleman with a bright and clear mind."

“Don’t let me down.”

Qi Xinglan turned around and was about to leave.

"Xinglan!"

"The Great Zhou Emperor is incompetent and may be overthrown soon."

"If it is possible someday, I would like to welcome you and the king in the capital."

"I definitely will." Qi Xinglan just said this without even turning her head.

Shen Tinghan left the Zichen Palace in a daze. From a distance he saw the tall King Xiyuan holding a young man in his arms and kissing him. There was no one else around.

Shen Tinghan vaguely saw a black coat lifted up. It was the clothes Qi Xinglan was wearing when she came to see him just now.

Shen Tinghan's eyes were a little moist. He stared at him from a distance and left after a long while.

Here, Hui Lin was hugging Qi Xinglan and kissing him. Qi Xinglan didn't dare to make too much noise for fear of attracting people over.

Just now, Qi Xinglan and Hui Lin recounted the whole story of what they had said and done with Shen Tinghan, and Hui Lin held him in his arms and did it to him like a madman.

When he was released, Qi Xinglan Hun was so weak that he couldn't stand on his own. Hui Lin held his waist to prevent him from falling.

"You...what are you crazy about!"

When Hui Lin saw that his eyes were sparkling and his lips were moist, it took a lot of effort to control herself from kissing him again.

"I feel relieved that Lan'er has severed her relationship with Shen Tinghan."

"You can't be so presumptuous!" Qi Xinglan came over slowly, stood up straight and walked a few steps outside, "Try it again next time!"

Hui Lin shamelessly followed and pried open Qi Xinglan's clenched fist and interlocked his fingers with his, "But I like Lan'er too much, what should I do if I can't control myself?"

Qi Xinglan glared at him. "You can't help it? Weren't you able to endure it when you were addressing Shen Tinghan by his courtesy name at the banquet?"

Hui Lin held Qi Xinglan's shoulders and asked him to face him, "You don't know how upset I was at that time. I knew you grew up with him, but you still had to greet him with a smile."

Qi Xinglan had indeed hidden something from him. When she spoke of her guilty conscience, her tone softened a bit, "Well... I've already apologized, why are you still holding on to it!"

Hui Lin no longer mentioned Shen Tinghan, and pulled Qi Xinglan into the palace. Many palace servants they met along the way gave way to them when they saw them.

Everyone in the royal court knew that the king and the queen had a deep friendship, and the king was always with the queen, so everyone was used to it.

When they arrived at the palace, Hui Lin ignored Qi Xinglan's dissuasion and insisted that he sit on the dragon throne with him.

"Why do you have to drag me to watch you handle state affairs? I can't help you with anything."

"Who said Lan'er can't help me?"

Hui Lin and Qi Xinglan had already agreed that when no one else was around, they would address each other as "you" or "me".

Facing Qi Xinglan's puzzled gaze, Hui Lin picked up a letter and showed it to him. Qi Xinglan took it, opened it, read a few lines, and then read out loud in surprise, "Imperial Examination Reform?"

"Well, see if it's feasible."

The memorial said that after extensive research, he found that one of the signs of the heyday of the Great Zhou Dynasty was the very complete imperial examination system. However, the current decline of the Great Zhou Dynasty was not only due to the incompetence of the Great Zhou emperor, but the more important reason was that there were no talented people in the court.

Since the traditions of the Tay Nguyen dynasty were different from those of the Great Zhou dynasty, even if the imperial examination system was to be implemented, it would have to go through a series of reforms.

Today, there are many military officers in Nishihara. Although they are strong in resisting the enemy, there are few who have both talent and strategy.

Finally, he also said that he hoped the king would give more consideration and that talent reform was unstoppable.

"This memorial is quite interesting. Who wrote it?"

"Liang Yin, the magistrate of Yucheng County, is no more than twenty-five years old. I still remember that he was recommended by the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue to be an official."

The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was a little older and rarely participated in official recommendations, so Huilin was deeply impressed.

"What do you think?"

"Of course it is feasible, but there are still many areas that need to be discussed and improved. It will probably take at least a year or two to implement."

"Then how about calling Liang Yin back to Xidu? Lan'er, you and he will be in charge of this matter?"

Qi Xinglan was still nodding as he listened to the first half of the sentence. As he listened, Huilin asked him to take charge of the matter. Huilin knew that he was surprised and said, "You are from the Central Plains, and you are most familiar with the imperial examination. Could it be that... Lan'er is unwilling to help me?"

"I..." Whenever Hui Lin spoke to him in this tone, Qi Xinglan could never say no, "Okay, when Liang Yin comes back, I want to see him first."

"Okay," Huilin rubbed his cheek again, "Thank you for your hard work, Lan'er."

"You don't have to thank me. When Xiyuan becomes strong, you can lead the Iron Cavalry to crush the Great Zhou. That will be almost the same."

"It will come true sooner or later."

"Lan'er, believe me."

Qi Xinglan pursed her lips and said, "As the queen, I am in charge of the imperial court. Will the ministers have any complaints?"

"They don't dare." Hui Lin said decisively, "With me here, who dares to question you?"

Qi Xinglan was flattered and looked at him in surprise, "Wow, is this true?"

Hui Lin gently pinched Qi Xinglan's finger joints and whispered in her ear, "Why don't you let me stay in Lanquan Palace tonight?"

"You lecher!" Qi Xinglan cursed him and got up and left.

"How ridiculous." Hui Lin put away the memorial he had just thrown away, and then continued to read the rest.