Chapter 1061: A ruler should observe his actions rather than his words
Before he finished speaking, his lips were covered by a soft palm. Jiang Xue put the green porcelain medicine bowl against his lips and said, "Drink this ginseng tea first, then we can talk."
After the bathtub filled with white mist was carried into the inner room, Jiang Xue lowered her eyes and adjusted her moon-white cloud-patterned brocade robe folded on the huanghuali clothes hanger.
The sound of running water came from behind the screen, and she suddenly felt a slight heat behind her ears. It turned out to be Xiao Zhan coming from behind with wet hair.
The wet hair formed dark patterns on her silk gauze dress. He buried his head in the crook of her neck and sniffed softly, "This agarwood fragrance is even more refreshing than before."
"Stop it."
Jiang Xue turned around and handed the jade spoon to his lips. There were a few bright red wolfberries in the glutinous rice porridge: "The imperial physician said that you should avoid meat and fish for the next seven days..."
Before he could finish his words, the jade spoon was held in his mouth. Xiao Zhan's Adam's apple rolled and he suddenly chuckled: "Madam personally serves the soup, which is a blessing during your illness."
Outside the window, bamboo shadows danced, and a few rays of morning light leaked in and reflected on the emerald hairpins on Jiang Xue's temples.
She was about to complain when her wrist was suddenly grabbed and pulled into his arms, and the jade spoon fell onto the blue bricks with a clang.
Xiao Zhan's fingertips stroked the pale blue under her eyes and said, "Let the Treasure Bureau make a pair of filigree gold armor later, so that Xiaoxue won't have to work so hard."
Deep inside the nine-story palace, Feng Ziqing fixed her hair in front of the mirror and slowly put on the gilded and jewel-inlaid armor on her fingertips.
The bronze mirror reflected the newly painted distant mountains between her brows, which complemented the trembling oriental pearl hairpins on her temples.
"During the time I was away from the palace, has Your Majesty been diligent in his studies?"
Feng Ziqing casually fiddled with the gilded incense beast on the table, watching the green smoke flow in the morning sun.
The personal maid was about to reply when she heard the jingling of jewelry coming from outside the hall.
The twelve-tasseled jade ornaments swayed slightly with the footsteps, and the figure of the young emperor in black robes and purple skirts had turned around the gilded screen.
Feng Ziqing picked up the silver scissors with peony patterns and slowly trimmed the white plum blossoms in the vase: "My son, you have come just in time. The brocade newly offered by the Shangfu Bureau..."
The voice stopped abruptly. Jiang Heng did not approach to greet as usual, but stopped in front of the seven-treasure incense table, his eyes fixed on the statue of Guanyin that had not yet been put away.
Feng Ziqing's fingertips trembled slightly, and a plum petal fell to the ground.
"Just as Zhuier left for a moment, Jiang Heng followed the palace maids into the palace.
Feng Ziqing looked at the young boy's thin figure, and her fingertips suddenly clenched the armrests of the phoenix chair - this child's features increasingly resembled those of the late emperor, the man who had used his power to crush her girlish dreams.
A sour feeling rose in her throat, and she forced herself to smile like a loving mother: "Heng'er, come closer, let mother take a closer look."
The young man greeted politely and walked forward, but was unexpectedly pulled into an embrace with the scent of sandalwood.
Feng Ziqing buried her face in his shoulder, her voice choked with sobs: "Day and night in Zhaoti Temple, my mother's dreams are of Heng'er's grown-up appearance."
He secretly pinched his forearm to force out tears, but he didn't notice that the body in his arms was still as stiff as a stone.
Jiang Heng lowered his eyes and stared at the dragon embroidery on the carpet.
This woman who claimed to be a mother had clearly shown disgust in her eyes when she first met him, but now she acted so sincerely and heartfeltly.
He suddenly remembered what his aunt said when she was teaching him imperial studies - the most expensive thing in the deep palace is sincerity.
Feng Ziqing finally released her embrace, held up the boy's face and asked anxiously, "Do you know why I am trapped in the Buddhist temple?"
"It is the Queen Mother's duty to pray for the country."
"It was the work of that traitor Jiang Xue!"
Her nails stained with nail polish dug deep into his sleeves: "She even dares to kill the king now, let alone hold the young master hostage? Heng'er, don't be deceived by false feelings. I will protect you at the risk of my life!"
The young man took a half step back without leaving a trace: "My aunt once told me when she was teaching me to review memorials that a ruler should observe his actions rather than listen to his words."
Feng Ziqing's face suddenly changed, and her carefully painted eyebrows almost twisted into a ball of ink: "I carried my flesh and blood for ten months, and you actually trust an outsider more than your own mother?"
Suddenly there was thunder and lightning outside the palace. Jiang Heng looked at his mother's distorted face and suddenly understood why his aunt always asked him to wear the anti-poison sachet.
The corners of Jiang Heng's lips slightly raised, and a deep smile that was inconsistent with his age appeared on his young face.
The past events passed through my mind like a kaleidoscope of memories, and those neglect and hurts that were deliberately forgotten became clearer at this moment.
Feng Ziqing mistook this smile for a compromise, and tapped the table with her nail-painted fingertips: "Do you know what kind of trump card Jiang Xue holds? In addition to the three-army tiger talisman, the late emperor also gave her a secret decree before his death, allowing her to change the world."
The golden armor reflected a cold light under the candlelight: "Heng'er should be of the same mind as mother."
"Why should mother worry so much?"
The young emperor stroked his jade ring, his voice suddenly turning cold, "Three days ago, in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, my aunt burned the imperial edict in front of all the civil and military officials. The ashes of the gold foil were scattered by the wind and turned into sparks all over the sky. This matter has been recorded in the daily records."
The nine-tailed phoenix hairpin on the empress dowager's temples shook violently: "Absolutely impossible! The secret decree back then..."
Her voice stopped abruptly, and the moment she realized she had said something wrong, she saw the cold light in the child's eyes that seemed to see through everything.
"Mother always said that my aunt had evil intentions."
Jiang Heng walked slowly around the bronze crane lamp, the flickering light and shadow casting a pattern of light and dark between his brows:
"But do you know? During the palace coup last month, it was my aunt who used her back to block the poisoned arrow for me. When the imperial physician pulled out the arrow, her shoulder blade was only half an inch away from my heart."
Feng Ziqing clutched the handkerchief tightly and was about to speak, but was interrupted by a childish but sharp voice: "And what about you? The only birthday gift you gave me in the past six years was osmanthus cake mixed with drug, right?"
Sparks suddenly flew from the gilded incense burner, and the empress dowager staggered back and knocked over the jade incense table.
She was shocked to find that the child in front of her actually remembered the cat taster who was poisoned to death in the side hall of the cold palace three years ago.
"What does bloodline mean?"
Jiang Heng picked up the jade chain that had fallen to the ground. This was the toy that Jiang Xue had bought for him when she took him out of the palace during the Lantern Festival last year.
"When my aunt taught me to ride and shoot, she always said 'be careful', but when you taught me to read, you said 'it would be a good idea to fall to your death'."
The empress dowager's carefully drawn eyebrows twisted into a strange arc: "What kind of magic potion did Jiang Xue give you?"
"What she gave you is something you will never understand."
The little emperor suddenly showed a child's innocent smile, and tapped his chest with his fingertips: "What's beating here is the heart that my aunt snatched back from the snowy night. And what you gave me..."
He kicked the broken porcelain pieces at his feet: "It's just these cold porcelains."
"Although you gave birth to me, I don't want to regard you as an enemy. But if you insist on targeting my aunt, I will have no choice but to oppose you."
"Today I beg you to be careful with your words and actions. I will protect your honor with the love between mother and son. If you continue to oppose your aunt, don't blame me for not thinking of family affection."
Feng Ziqing clenched her sleeves, and the soft words she had carefully prepared were stuck in her throat.
I had thought that this young emperor would become friendly after just a few days of coaxing, but I had never expected that he would act so invulnerable.
She dug her nails deep into her palms - Jiang Xue, this witch, was so powerful that she could even bewitch her own blood!
"Your Majesty, do you know who you are talking to?"
"Of course it's the Queen Mother of Gan State, and also my biological mother."
"So you recognized me as your mother!"
Feng Ziqing's eyes were filled with anger: "I think you have been instigated by Jiang Xue to the point that you even forgot about filial piety!"
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