Mushroom
It was early winter,
The carriage was abuzz with activity.
Whenever Taishi Zheng tilted her head toward Cui Zhiyun, she could feel a murderous gaze bearing down on her from behind. But when she turned back, Qi Liyuan wore a friendly smile, giving no hint of the ruthless heart beneath his veneer.
Weird, this atmosphere is really weird.
Zheng gave Qi Liyuan an awkward smile, and Qi Liyuan immediately wagged his tail excitedly like the puppy sold by the old woman in the corridor.
What should I do?
Tai Shi Zheng subconsciously glanced at Cui Zhijun, fearing that he would misunderstand.
Who would have thought that Cui Zhijun was no longer as calm as before? Perhaps Qi Liyuan's intense stare had been unnerving. Cui Zhijun now sat there like a wooden chicken, his gaze unfocused and empty. It was obvious that he was overly nervous.
Zheng saw him smile like this. It was rare for her to see him like this. "Fool! No matter how powerful Qi Liyuan is, can he really eat him up?"
But to be honest, Cui Zhijun rarely saw the emperor.
Now, suddenly he was in the same carriage with the emperor, in such close contact, and even being stared at by him like this, even Cui Yu would surely be nervous.
Taishi Zheng, with Qi Liyuan on her back, suddenly turned around, wanting to expose the malicious gaze hidden behind her, but Qi Liyuan greeted her with a flawless smile. Zheng then quietly turned her head back, ready to catch Qi Liyuan off guard.
Unexpectedly, he still had no flaws.
Zheng kept going back and forth like this unwillingly, nearly breaking her neck, but she couldn't find any fault with Qi Liyuan. She was ready to relax and lower her eyes.
Seeing Qi Liyuan still uncontrollably crossing his arms, he pondered to himself, "Zheng just smiled at him? No, Zheng smiled at me too. But... why does her smile feel different? She must have smiled sweeter at me. This guy is a doctor of the Imperial Academy, isn't he just good at studying? I don't see what's so good about him. He's just a little taller, a little more handsome, a little fairer, and a little gentle. Besides that, what else does he have?"
"Nothing to fear, nothing to fear!"
As Qi Liyuan thought about it, he sat up straighter and his eyes became more fierce. Finally, Tai Shi Zheng seized the opportunity and discovered Qi Liyuan's flaw. She warned him, "Tenth brother, what are you staring at my husband for?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Liyuan felt a mouthful of blood about to burst out of his chest, and his upright figure gradually became weak.
My... husband...
Qi Liyuan lost once again. But how could the emperor be defeated so easily?
He flatly denied it: "I didn't."
"I am admiring the loyal ministers and scholars of our dynasty. Is this unacceptable?" Qi Liyuan was always good at making excuses.
Tai Shi Zheng glanced at him, ready to look at Qi Liyuan and stop him from embarrassing Cui Zhijun. "Okay, go ahead and watch. But if you want to watch, watch carefully. If my husband is scared by you, I will never let you go!"
After all, it was a childhood sweetheart relationship. Even if Qi Liyuan no longer held power and was an emperor in name only, no one would dare to speak to him like this.
"Tsk——" Qi Liyuan curled his lips, not very satisfied.
But he didn't say anything more, and his expression gradually softened. Turning his head to look at Taishi Zheng, Qi Liyuan asked, "Didn't you say you'd return home in three days? It's been several days already. Why are you only returning to your uncle's house today? Ah, is it because your uncle doesn't like you that you don't dare to go back?"
Tai Shi Zheng thought about it, how could she tell the truth about what happened between her husband and father?
She could already imagine Qi Liyuan pointing at Cui Zhijun's nose and laughing mockingly. She was afraid he'd even blow the roof off the car. Zheng simply retorted, "Nonsense, Tenth Brother! We were there a few days ago, and we're free today so we want to go back. Isn't that okay?"
Tai Shi Zheng treated the other person the way he had treated him.
Qi Liyuan simply said, "Okay, go back if you want. You're lucky to have me with you today. My uncle will surely be delighted that you've brought him such a great gift. You should thank me profusely."
“…” Zheng was impressed by his confidence and turned her head away and stopped looking at him.
-
Then, the carriage stopped outside the Taishi residence as usual. Today, no old man carrying goods was shouting at the door. Only the lonely Gaomen Gate stood quietly in the alley. It was customary for the emperor to go first. Qi Liyuan, showing off his prestige, was the first to emerge.
This time he finally came to the Taishi's house with a legitimate reason.
Qi Liyuan stood in front of the car, shouting with joy: "Zheng, get off quickly, we're home——"
But when he saw that the person who followed was Cui Zhijun, Qi Liyuan's face instantly became long. Cui Zhijun was confused by him. Could it be that this official was dissatisfied with him? But today... was it the first time the two of them met in this capacity?
Cui Zhijun nodded silently, bowed and was about to get off the car, but Taishi Zheng came out from behind and grabbed the corner of his clothes.
Cui Zhijun looked back, and Zheng smiled and said, "Erlang, pull me."
At this moment, Taishi Zheng didn't even need to see Qi Liyuan's expression to know how furious he was. Zheng had deliberately asked him to see. Cui Zhijun didn't say anything, just habitually extending his arm, but Taishi Zheng firmly grasped his offered hand.
Although they were married, Cui Zhijun felt uncomfortable in front of the emperor. He stared at Zheng and shook his head, but Zheng became even more excited and intertwined her fingers with his.
"Are you going to get out of the car or not?" Qi Liyuan urged in an angry voice.
Cui Zhijun had no choice but to pull the man down.
The three of them stood side by side in front of the Taishi residence. Qi Liyuan, seeing Cui Zhijun between him and Zheng, quickly ran from the left to the right. This made Fu Yuanzi laugh behind him. He didn't expect that after so many years away from the palace, the former Crown Prince hadn't changed at all...
"Cui Zhijun, go knock on the door." Qi Liyuan ordered Cui Zhijun. He was trying to find a way to separate the two.
Tai Shi Zheng turned around and glanced at Qi Liyuan, expressing his dissatisfaction: "Why should he go?"
Qi Liyuan snorted, "If he doesn't go, do you think I should go?"
"It's okay, I'll go." Cui Zhijun didn't want to cause any more quarrels between the two, so he let go of Taishi Zheng and moved towards the gate. But Taishi Zheng held Cui Zhijun's hand tightly and said coquettishly: "Then I will go with my husband~"
Qi Liyuan regretted it again, "You are not allowed to go. I want him to go by himself."
"This won't work, and that won't work. Erlang is not allowed to go either. Yuanzi, you go--" Tai Shi Zheng turned around and called Fu Yuanzi.
Fu Yuanzi quickly took over the conversation and went up the stairs, "Okay, I'll go, I'll go."
Qi Liyuan stopped talking.
The three of them remained frozen in place until Taishi Zhengjiang poked his head out of the door, and the atmosphere finally eased. The old man glanced through the door, then looked at the person outside with confusion, "You little idiot, what are you doing? If you want to come in, just go in. When did you knock on the door when you came back?"
Tai Shi Zheng pouted when he heard this, "Dad, please don't blame me, it's not me who's knocking! This is a great imperial decree, how dare we disobey it?"
"Imperial edict?" Taishi Zhengjiang seemed oblivious to the emperor's presence. Qi Liyuan hurried forward, his head held high, and called out, "Uncle, it's been a long time since we last met. I, Zheng, and I have nothing to do today, so I came to pay my respects. How have you been lately?"
How did it become the two of them who came to pay a visit? Where is Choi Shik-kyung?
Taishi Zheng couldn't help but want to respond when Taishi Zhengjiang came out from the door in surprise. Perhaps because of his age, he only then recognized the person standing outside. "Your Majesty, why did you come to see me with Zheng?"
Qi Liyuan asked back, "Why is uncle not welcome?"
Taishi Zhengjiang hurriedly opened the door and invited the distinguished guest in. "Welcome, of course! Your Majesty's presence will surely bring honor to my humble abode. Please come in, please come in. Your Majesty, please be careful with the steps."
Don't be fooled by Taishi Zhengjiang's usual burly appearance, but he was unfailingly frank when it came to complimenting the people before him. After all, this grand house before him also came from this "little god of wealth" before him. Dad knew that he had no grudge against wealth and splendor.
Seeing Tai Shi Zhengjiang's reaction, Qi Liyuan instantly turned around and glanced at Cui Zhijun with a haughty look.
It felt like he was declaring his victory.
Qi Liyuan walked in.
But Cui Zhiyun ignored him at all.
The young couple came to their father hand in hand, and Cui Zhijun apologized to him: "Father-in-law, my behavior when I returned home that day was really disrespectful. I hope you will forgive my disrespect."
Taishi Zhengjiang immediately put his arm around Cui Zhijun's shoulders and said with concern, "Oh, my dear son-in-law, this is all my fault. You should forgive me. Come, come, let me take a look at you. Are you feeling better? Are there any underlying illnesses left? If you delay me from having my grandchildren, I can't bear the guilt—"
The more outrageous Tai Shi Zhengjiang's words became, the uglier Qi Liyuan's expression became as he stood in the yard.
He couldn't help but cough in the courtyard, hoping to attract others' attention. But no one paid any attention. But Taishi Zheng turned around and saw Cui Zhijun was a little embarrassed, so he immediately pulled his father's arm and said, "Dad, come on, come on, don't stand at the door. Let's go in."
Tai Shi Zhengjiang finally reacted and responded quickly.
But before anyone could take a few steps forward, Taishi Zhengjiang's expression changed. He grabbed his daughter and asked in a low voice, "Daughter, what's going on? Why did you bring this little ancestor to our house? And why did you three come together? Tell your father the truth, are you having a conflict with your son-in-law? We've only been married for a few days, are you planning to remarry?"
"Dad, I'm telling you, a couple quarrels at the beginning of the bed and makes up at the end of the bed. We can't do such an unkind and unjust thing..."
Taishi Zheng was horrified when she heard this. She finally knew where she had inherited her bad mouth from. She quickly tugged at her father's clothes, signaling him to stop talking nonsense.
"Dad, what are you thinking? Even if I remarry, I can't find Brother Ten. Besides, Erlang and I have a good relationship! Didn't you see that we came here holding hands? As for that little ancestor... We went to burn incense to the saint today, and it was unlucky that we ran into him. He insisted on following us, and I had no choice. Who dares to mess with him——"
At that time, Cui Zhijun and Qi Liyuan were standing on the left and right sides of the hall respectively, and they did not look at each other.
The two of them stared at the father and daughter whispering in the courtyard, neither of them saying a word. Taishi Zhengjiang glanced back at the tense front hall and couldn't help but say to his daughter, "What on earth does this little ancestor want to do? He can't really be here to see me, can he?"
Zheng looked up and felt embarrassed, so she pulled her father away, saying, "Out of sight, out of mind." "How would I know what he's going to do? But Dad, I have a favor to do for you."
"What help?" Taishi Zhengjiang was puzzled.
Zheng said, "Your son-in-law and I have an appointment to go to the Sang family's tile house later. Look at the current situation. I don't want to take this ancestor with me. Dad, you have to stop him for me and tell us to go quietly. Of course, my daughter is not doing this entirely for herself. This is also an effort to make your dream of holding a grandson come true sooner. So you must help me."
Tai Shi Zhengjiang nodded, he was convinced by Tai Shi Zheng.
Look, the old man is full of confidence, just to fulfill his dream of holding a grandson. "Don't worry, my daughter. Since you say so, I will go through fire and water to capture this little ancestor. If not, I will give him a bowl of mushroom soup!"
Upon hearing this, Zheng looked at her father in astonishment. She hurriedly said, "Dad, all we need to avoid the execution of our entire clan is this bowl of mushroom soup. Please be merciful..." Taishi Zhengjiang smiled faintly, "Dad has walked on thin ice all his life, so he knows his limits. Don't worry, just follow your son-in-law."
The old man turned his head, but Zheng only heard him address the servants in the hall: "Official, Xianxun, don't be polite, drink quickly--"
Tai Shi Zheng slapped his head in panic.
My father, being one of the nine clans in our family is truly walking on thin ice...
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