"Confused."
This was the only sentence Ji Fu uttered after looking at Song Ke in silence for a long time.
Song Ke was stunned for a moment. "Ji Fu!"
Ji Fu interrupted him, "If the king was truly as wise and powerful as you claim, he wouldn't have allowed Xu Ning to denounce us in court, much less sent the eunuch Jia Shi'an to investigate."
There was only one reason why he could do this: the king was young and too easily deceived.
Not long after the Queen Mother and her allies forced the court officials to retreat, the King returned to power, yet he knew little about the affairs of the court. Could Song Ke count on the young king's wisdom?
It's too difficult.
If the king was so wise, Daye would not be in such a mess today, and there would not be a need for a woman like her to lead the army to fight.
The king is now sixteen or seventeen years old, but he has never stepped out of the palace.
In order to maintain power and control the king, the Queen Mother and her followers constantly told him how dangerous the outside world was, causing the king to not dare leave the palace. The king was afraid to leave the palace, and the people around him were all arranged by the Queen Mother. How could he know what was going on in the world?
The world that the king sees is exactly what the people around him describe to him.
Now Jia Shi'an was offended by Song Ke again. When he returned, he only needed to say a few bad words about Song Ke in front of the king, and the king would think that Song Ke was not a good person.
She knew that the emperor was foolish, and the reason she did not follow the princes in rebelling was simply that she did not want to bring more disasters to the people.
Song Ke still wants to believe in the king's wisdom?
So young!
Song Ke's heart tightened and he asked, "Then what should we do?"
Ji Fu clenched her fists and said, "Jia Shi'an has already told us to go back with him. You and I can only go to Xianyang and wait for the king to investigate and decide our fate." She looked at Song Ke and said, "You must never be as reckless as you were today! Otherwise, even I won't be able to protect you!"
Xianyang City was fraught with danger, and many people disliked her. If Song Ke continued to act impulsively like she did today, she could be killed at any time.
Song Ke lowered his head in shame: "I know."
The letter from the Northern Alliance could not be delivered. A few days later, Song Ke and Ji Fu followed Jia Shian's team to Xianyang.
Before leaving, she handed over all military affairs to the military advisor and promised to return in a month.
Although Jia Shi'an was a eunuch, he was very proud. Because Song Ke had offended him once, he never treated Song Ke kindly again on his way back.
Song Ke thought about Ji Fu's teachings before she left. Although he couldn't stand the eunuch's behavior in his heart, he still endured it.
On the day they entered Xianyang City, they did not see the king.
Ji Fu tossed and turned that night, unable to sleep, feeling that the longer things were delayed, the more likely things would change. One night was enough time for people to do so much.
The next day, the king summoned them to the Xianyang Palace, along with General Xu Ning, the Great Cavalry General.
As soon as she saw him, Ji Fu's heart skipped a beat.
Xu Ning is the one who made the complaint. Now that he has come to see the emperor under suspicion, won't he fan the flames even more?
The king walked in from outside the hall, the hem of his dark gold robe casually dragging on the ground, showing a bit of laziness that was not in keeping with an emperor.
Perhaps because he was the emperor, even if he did something wrong, few people dared to criticize him.
This was not the first time Ji Fu met the emperor. The last time she met the king was at the end of the year. She returned to Beijing to report on her work and had a brief meeting with the emperor in the hall.
At that time, the king's face still had a bit of naiveté and childishness, which had nothing to do with maturity. It is the same now.
As her thoughts drifted, the king had already walked up to her. "I heard that General Ji had made a mistake, and my heart is deeply broken. I have come to see you to hear your explanation."
Ji Fu lowered her head, avoiding the king's gaze: "Your Majesty, I understand that there is indeed no shameful relationship between me and Song Ke."
Wang's tone quickly turned colder: "But Jia Shian said that he saw you and Song Ke secretly giving and receiving things."
He understood that people have seven emotions and six desires. He had thought that if Ji Fu admitted her mistakes, he could give her a lighter sentence based on her past achievements.
But if Ji Fu tried to quibble, he would not be very happy.
Ji Fu said, "Your Majesty, I was the one who rescued Song Ke from Liang Province, so he naturally treated me with kindness. A while ago, I sent him to the Northern Alliance on some business, and Song Ke was going to be away for a while. He felt uneasy, so he gave me a small gift."
"A small item? Are the small items you're talking about the hibiscus gold hairpin with flowers on it?"
The king suddenly took out a hairpin from his sleeve. Judging from the style, the hairpin was exactly the same as the one Song Ke gave her at that time.
Ji Fu was shocked. In just one night, someone found the same thing and handed it to the king?
The king sneered, "I've sent people to investigate. This gold hairpin is extremely valuable. Its craftsmanship must be the work of artisans in Pingjing City. One of these hairpins is probably worth a year's salary for Deputy General Song! Song Ke gave you this because he cares about you."
The king said, "You are also a woman. What does it mean when a man gives a woman a hairpin? I don't need to explain it to you, right?"
A man may have three wives and four concubines, but only one legal wife.
When a man gives a woman a hairpin, it naturally means that he wants to marry her.
Ji Fu frowned as she looked at the golden hairpin in front of her: "Your Majesty..."
"Asshole!"
The king glared at her with furious eyes, nearly kicking her to vent his anger. "I've treated you well! Even though you're a girl, I've made an exception and promoted you because of your talent and ambition. But what filthy things have you done in my camp?"
Xu Ning stood aside, looking at her with a smug smile on his face.
Ji Fu understood immediately that the king didn't see them yesterday, probably because Jia Shi'an had done something about it.
During this night, he and Xu Ning had already colluded and found the same gold hairpin to find out its value, so as to confirm her relationship with Song Ke.
Ji Fu said, "Your Majesty, this matter is quite complicated, and I know I cannot explain it clearly. But please listen to my argument. Song Ke has been with me all year round, and seeing that I am a woman, it is understandable that he wanted to give me some jewelry. However, he has been in the military camp all year round and knows very little about jewelry. It may be a coincidence that he just happened to give me a hairpin."
If the king is really curious about her relationship with Song Ke, then just admit it.
But now the king was clearly angry that he, as a minister, had not led the troops properly in battle and had even caused chaos in the camp. If he admitted this, at the very least, it would be a violation of law and order. At the most, it would be deceiving the king and deceiving his superiors. He had abused his position to cause chaos in the camp.
It's a death sentence!
This matter cannot be admitted!
Wang seemed to calm down a bit after hearing what she said. He turned to look at Song Ke and asked, "Did she really mean what she said?"
Song Ke pressed his lips tightly together.
He didn't want to bury his feelings deep in his heart. If he denied it today, he would never be able to declare his love again. But in the current situation, even if he said the wrong thing, it could kill Ji Fu.
His back teeth were clattering, and after a while, Song Ke kowtowed and said, "Seriously. I only gave her that hairpin as a dowry because I love her like a sister. I have absolutely no romantic feelings for General Ji."
The king said, "You only regard her as your elder sister?"
His words dispelled some of the king's suspicions about Ji Fu. But the king was suspicious. He was still worried.
He said tentatively, "If you really want to give it to her as a dowry, then why don't I arrange a marriage for her now and fulfill your wish of giving her a wedding?"
Song Ke's pupils shrank, and he raised his head suddenly: "Your Majesty!"
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