Chapter 12: Memorials Why did she always understand him when he was silent?
The dim morning light shines through the window lattice.
Cui Jinzhong pushed the door open quietly and saw Shu Yao sleeping soundly curled up on the footstool. He frowned and was about to go forward to wake her up.
On the couch, Xiao Chengjing had woken up at some point. Seeing Cui Jinzhong's movements, he shook his head very lightly, pressed his index finger on his lips, made a gesture of silence, and waved his hand to signal Cui Jinzhong to leave.
Cui Jinzhong understood what he meant, bowed his head, held his breath, and retreated quietly.
When Shu Yao woke up, she rubbed her sore neck and looked up to see Xiao Chengjing leaning on the bed reading a book.
My heart tightened, and I hurriedly stood up and apologized: "Your Majesty, please forgive me! I have been disrespectful..."
"It's alright." Xiao Chengjing put down the book, his voice filled with the fatigue of illness. "Since Jiang Qing is awake, let's ask the imperial physician to come and change the medicine."
Shu Yao quickly responded, "I obey your command!"
He ran out of the hall as if escaping, but was still stopped by Cui Jinzhong.
A moment later, Cui Jinzhong returned with the imperial physician.
The imperial physician came forward carrying the medicine box and saluted, and Cui Jinzhong quietly retreated outside the hall.
Shu Yao seized the opportunity and said, "Your Majesty is changing the medicine. It is inconvenient for this servant to be here. Please wait outside the palace."
"No need." Xiao Chengjing had already taken off half of his sleeves, revealing his shoulders wrapped in white gauze, and his tone did not allow for any argument.
The imperial physician had no choice but to step forward, remove the old gauze, scrape a small ball of ointment with a bamboo strip, and carefully apply it to the wound, moving so gently that he was afraid of breaking Xiao Chengjing.
Xiao Chengjing saw Shu Yao standing stiffly to the side, staring at the gap between the floor tiles uncomfortably.
The corners of his lips curled up slightly, then his brows knitted together, and a suppressed groan escaped from his throat: "Hmm..."
The imperial physician was so frightened that his hands shook and he almost dropped the bamboo strips.
Shu Yao lowered her head and couldn't help but complain in her heart.
How can a person act like this? It didn't hurt in the carriage, but it hurts now?
After the imperial physician left, Xiao Chengjing moved to the desk and began to review memorials.
Seeing him holding the red pen seriously, Shu Yao's contempt almost overflowed.
When I was testing her before, I went to the clerk's villa every few days.
Why send a landscape painting of his hometown or the Yumen Military News? He is so idle as if he has nothing to do.
Now he pretends to be diligent, but I don’t know who he is trying to show off to by pretending to be a diligent emperor?
As Xiao Chengjing picked up a memorial and was about to open it, Shu Yao spoke up, "Your Majesty is reviewing memorials concerning military and national secrets. My position is sensitive, so I really can't stay here. Last night, General Zhao seemed to have important matters to report. How about I summon General Zhao over for Your Majesty?"
How could Xiao Chengjing not see through her intention to escape, but he still agreed silently.
Hearing his vague "hmm", Shu Yao felt as if she had been pardoned. She immediately turned around and walked quickly towards the palace door.
Cui Jinzhong, who was waiting outside the door, pushed it open a crack before her and blocked the doorway with a smile on his face: "Madam, are you going to ask General Zhao to come? It's better to let me handle such a messenger." He spoke very quickly, his body firmly stuck in front of the crack of the door, "Madam, please go back."
The excitement in Shu Yao's heart instantly turned cold.
She finally understood that no matter what excuse she made, Cui Jinzhong, the door god, would not let her leave easily.
It's simply a large-scale scene of unspoken rules in the workplace.
With no other choice, she stiffened her back and walked back into the hall.
He chose an inconspicuous corner and stood there again.
Eyes look at nose, nose looks at heart, and try to shrink into a silent shadow.
Soon, Zhao Yan strode into the hall.
His gaze swept over the frozen Shu Yao, his brows furrowed, and his voice was filled with undisguised disgust: "Your Majesty! How can we allow a hostage to remain in such a strategic location? This woman has exhausted her usefulness as bait. There is no point in keeping her here. Take her back to the other courtyard immediately and keep her under strict surveillance!"
In the past, Shu Yao would have resisted in every possible way after hearing the words "being taken back to the clerk's residence".
But things are different now. Zhao Yan's sarcastic remarks sound very pleasant to the ears.
She couldn't wait to get out of this cage.
Not to mention the escape map, which she had only pieced together halfway.
There are still several wooden lattices on the outside window of the bedroom that have not been sawed off.
Thinking of this, two clusters of stars danced in her eyes, the light so sharp that it almost pierced through her forced respectfulness.
She raised the corner of her lips imperceptibly, her voice tinged with an irrepressible levity: "General Zhao is absolutely right. I deeply agree with you. I beg Your Majesty to grant me the permission to take you back to the other courtyard!"
Seeing Shu Yao's completely submissive look, Zhao Yan's face looked as embarrassed as if he had been slapped in the face.
Veins bulged on his forehead, anger burned brighter in his eyes, and he was about to remonstrate again.
Xiao Chengjing twirled his red brush leisurely and quipped, "It's rare to see Zhao Qing so angry. Jiang Qing's abilities..." his voice trailed off slightly, a hint of amusement in his voice, "are truly remarkable."
"However..." He twirled the red pen again and changed the subject, "Zhao Qing is overthinking it. The remnants of the Jin capital have been cleared out now. Whether she actively sought an opportunity or was passively implicated, it would be difficult for her to have any further involvement. Having elite guards..." He paused, "That's an exaggeration."
The tone was light, as if what they were talking about was not the grim war, but a cloud outside the window or a flower under the corridor.
Zhao Yan's breath caught in his throat after hitting a snag. He said anxiously, "Your Majesty! This woman..." His gaze fixed on Shu Yao, regarding her as an ominous figure. After a long pause, he continued, "If Your Majesty takes care of her personally, I'm afraid Prince Li will harbor undue ambitions. This will be detrimental to the annual tribute negotiations."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Chengjing did not intend to take on Zhao Yan's unreasonable concerns.
"Negotiations are still a long way off." He raised his eyebrows frivolously, tilted his head slightly, and fixed his gaze on the top of Shu Yao's head, with a faint curve on his lips. "The most important thing right now is to cut off the hidden connection between Prince Li and Yuwen Bo. If Prince Li develops any delusional thoughts because of this..."
The red pen tapped the edge of the memorial, making a light tapping sound.
"Isn't that just right?"
Zhao Yan was choked by Xiao Chengjing's cryptic rhetorical question. A vein in his forehead throbbed as he stammered out a few words: "...Your Majesty is wise."
Turning his gaze from Shu Yao to Zhao Yan, the slight curve at the corners of Xiao Chengjing's lips instantly disappeared, as if someone had interrupted him. He spoke impatiently, "What else did you come here for, Mr. Zhao?" His brows furrowed in a subtle frown, and his voice was filled with the urgency of a superior dealing with trivial matters. "If you just want to apologize, there is no need. I know everything about what happened yesterday."
Zhao Yan's breath was stuck in his throat, and he couldn't move forward or retreat. He could only say in a deep voice: "...I'll take my leave."
Seeing Zhao Yan turning around to leave, Shu Yao's heart tightened.
She was afraid that if Zhao Yan left, she and Xiao Chengjing would be the only ones left in this huge palace.
Without caring about anything else, she hurriedly raised her voice: "Wait a minute, General!"
Zhao Yan stopped, frowned and looked back, his eyes full of suspicion.
Shu Yao took a deep breath and knelt down in front of Xiao Chengjing. "Your Majesty! I have committed a crime and must plead guilty! I have been granted a place to stay by Your Majesty's grace as a guest official of the Liang Kingdom. However, this time... if it weren't for me... Your Majesty, as the ruler of a country, why would you personally take such a dangerous risk and suffer such a heavy blow? I cannot accept my mistake..." She touched her forehead to the ground, her body tense. "I implore Your Majesty to immediately order me to be taken back to the other courtyard to set the record straight and serve as a warning to others!"
"Ha!" Zhao Yan sneered coldly, as if he had just heard a ridiculous joke. His eyes swept over Shu Yao, "Madam Jiang, are you trying to put me in an unjust position? His Majesty just said that the remaining criminals have been eliminated and there's no need to keep them under strict supervision, and you're immediately asking to be imprisoned? What a tactic of retreating to advance!"
"The general is so majestic, how dare you?" Shu Yao rested her forehead on the cold brick surface. "I am guilty and cannot let go of my guilt. I cannot rest in peace."
Xiao Chengjing finally put down his red brush and said calmly, "Swords have no eyes, and getting injured on the battlefield is common."
The voice was not loud, but at the turning point, it revealed a hint of interest that could not be told to outsiders.
Finally, he said to the stiffly standing Zhao Yan, "Mr. Zhao, please withdraw. We will rest in the palace for the time being. I will trouble you to take care of all the defenses."
"...Your Majesty, I obey your order!" Zhao Yan glared at Shu Yao lying on the ground, his robe sleeves fluttering in the wind as he strode out.
The sound of the palace door closing was like a heavy hammer hitting Shu Yao's heart.
Xiao Chengjing fixed his gaze on Shu Yao's kneeling figure, and after a moment he said, "Since Jiang Qing is so upset, then kneel down."
After saying this, he picked up the red brush again, dipped it in cinnabar, and began to review the memorials as if nothing had happened.
The hall was dead silent, with only the rustling sound of pens scratching across paper.
After kneeling for a long time, Shu Yao's knees began to ache.
Just as I was about to quietly adjust the angle of my soles on the ground, I suddenly heard a soft hissing sound from above my head, as if it was caused by the injury.
She couldn't help but look up.
Xiao Chengjing was seen sitting behind the imperial desk, his left hand unable to exert force, and his right hand holding a red brush, trying to use the base of his palm to support a multi-page memorial.
The note seemed to be against him. Just as it was flattened at one corner, it turned up at the other.
Xiao Chengjing raised his eyes to meet Shu Yao's wet ones, but then looked away first, as if he was burned by those timid eyes.
He lowered his head again and stubbornly stroked the curled paper with the edge of his palm, his movements almost clumsily and stubbornly.
The memorials rustled slightly under his palm.
Shu Yao was extremely upset.
Why did she always understand what he meant even when he didn't speak?
She bit her lower lip hard, her teeth sinking into the flesh and she could almost taste the rust.
Swallowing her resentment, she forced herself to speak, "Your Majesty... I dare to..." Her voice was low and soft, as if it had been carefully ground. She continued, "I beg Your Majesty to allow me to find a book weight."
When Xiao Chengjing heard her suggest looking for a book town, he felt a sense of comfort in his heart.
How could he not know that although she appeared to be submissive, she was actually quite reluctant.
But her reluctant yet submissive look was just like a cat with its fur ruffled.
Even though its back is arched, it still keeps its claws tucked in, making people want to tease it a little.
He said to her almost casually, "Go ahead."
He watched her hurriedly leave, and an indescribable sense of pleasure rose in his heart.
Shu Yao then stood up by supporting herself on the floor tiles and moved out of the hall step by step.
Knowing that the old fox Cui Jinzhong would never let him go easily, he had already given up hope.
She lowered her eyes and said in a businesslike manner, "Chief Steward Cui, His Majesty has ordered me to find a book weight."
Upon hearing this, Cui Jinzhong slowly raised his eyelids, looked towards the inner hall, and stretched his neck very quickly, as if he was confirming something.
Then he lowered his eyes and said regretfully, "My lady, please forgive me! Look at my poor memory..." He slapped his forehead hard and bent even deeper, almost to the ground. "I thought this was just an ordinary tour, thinking I could travel light and with a small entourage. I didn't even prepare a book weight..."
At the end of his speech, he almost shouted at the top of his voice: "This servant is not thoughtful enough and deserves death! Your Majesty, please forgive me, Your Majesty, please forgive me!"
As soon as these words came out, Shu Yao wanted to strangle him to death.
The people inside pretended, and the people outside pretended too. Each one pretended to be ignorant even though they knew the truth, and played her like a fool.
Then why is she still struggling? Just be a fool and behave yourself.
Sighing, she walked back to the imperial desk and bowed deeply, saying, "Your Majesty, if you do not mind my overstepping my bounds, would you allow me to hold the memorial for you? I will turn my back to it and promise not to read a single word."
Xiao Chengjing stopped what he was doing, looked up at her, a faint smile in his eyes.
Finally, he nodded slightly.
Shu Yao turned her back to the desk, stretched out her right hand as if going to execution, carefully pressed the upper edge of the memorial, and flattened it on the desk.
Xiao Chengjing seemed to be concentrating on reviewing, but in fact, the corner of his eye had already unconsciously climbed up to Shu Yao who was sitting at the desk.
He enjoyed the feeling of holding her tightly in his hands, as if this could make up for the time he had missed all those years.
The curve of her fingertips as she gently pressed against the memorial, the fragrance of her clothes stained with ink...
Everything became the proof of her existence, which made him feel more at ease than thousands of words.
After marking a page, you need to turn it over.
He tapped the back of her hand with the end of the red pen very naturally.
When Shu Yao was touched by the slightly cool pen, she instantly understood what he meant.
The earlobe, which was originally as white as jade, was burned into a hot and bright color.
She silently raised the fingers that were pressing down on the paper.
After Xiao Chengjing calmly turned the page, he tapped the back of her hand with a red pen and pressed her hand back down.
There was no one else in the hall.
Xiao Chengjing's slender knuckles relaxed, allowing the pen to turn around and around between his fingers.
The pen slides against the fingertips, making a pleasant, subtle rubbing sound.
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