Chapter 10: Palace: Danger! Ajiu is about to arrive at the battlefield
The carriage was bumpy all the way, and Chu Xuanyi's mood fluctuated along with it. He looked at Ah Jiu, who was happily turning the Ruyi jade pendants over and over, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.
Call her stupid, but she always manages to find the right solution at the critical moment, and even reveal the secret in a shocking way.
Although she is smart, her unique way of thinking and her ability to get into trouble are really not commendable.
"Ajiu," Chu Xuanyi rubbed his swollen temples and decided to have a "deep" conversation. "Today in the Imperial Study, do you know that you almost got into big trouble?"
Upon hearing this, Ajiu looked up blankly, her big watery eyes full of confusion: "A big disaster? No! His Majesty even rewarded me with a jade pendant! Look, sir, this jade pendant is so beautiful!" She put the jade pendant in front of Chu Xuanyi, as if presenting a treasure.
Chu Xuanyi sighed, knowing that telling her this was like talking to a cow. He patiently explained, "His Majesty rewarded you because you accidentally hit upon some of His Majesty's thoughts. However, what you said to His Royal Highness the Regent was extremely inappropriate!"
"Why not?" Ah Jiu didn't understand. "I just told him what I calculated! There really is a little flower on his head, pink and sparkling. It's so beautiful!"
Chu Xuanyi: "..." He felt his blood pressure rising again.
"His Royal Highness the Regent is of noble status and never shows his emotions. How can you casually discuss his private affairs? What's more, you said that Taohua... is a little stupid! Aren't you cursing the future princess?" Chu Xuanyi tried his best to explain in a way that she could understand.
Ah Jiu nodded, not quite understanding. "Oh... So Xiong Xiong doesn't like people saying that his future wife is stupid... But if she really is stupid, then if I don't say it, does that mean she isn't stupid?"
Chu Xuanyi: “…………”
He discovered that reasoning with Jiu was in itself a very "stupid" thing to do.
He gave up struggling, waved his hands, and said weakly, "Forget it, forget it. From now on in the palace, especially in front of His Royal Highness the Regent, you are not allowed to mention words like 'peach blossom' and 'little flower'. Do you understand? Otherwise, even your master can't protect you!"
"Oh, I see." Jiu nodded obediently, then asked curiously, "What if I see the little flower on his head changes color or grows bigger, can I tell you?"
Chu Xuanyi’s eyes went dark and he almost fell off the carriage.
"No! Can't!" He roared almost word by word, "At any time! Under no circumstances! Not allowed! Unless he asks you himself!"
"Oh..." Ah Jiu replied in a sullen tone, but in his heart he was thinking, what if the little flower bears fruit? Would that count as growing up?
Chu Xuanyi saw her thoughtful expression and knew she was definitely thinking about something. He sighed deeply, feeling that his career as a national teacher had become particularly "colorful" and "thrilling" because of the existence of this little fortune teller.
After returning to the Imperial Master's Mansion, Chu Xuanyi immediately "invited" Ajiu back to her courtyard and strictly forbade her to enter or leave at will. At the same time, he assigned more people to "guard" her - it was called guarding, but in fact it was just supervision, for fear that she would cause any earth-shattering incident again.
He hid in the study and drank several cups of strong tea before he could barely suppress the fear in his heart.
On the other side, the Regent's Palace.
Xiao Yu returned to his mansion, dismissed his attendants, and sat alone behind his desk, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table.
In my mind, the little girl’s clear voice and the description of “the silly little pink flower” pierced my ears like a magic sound and could not be shaken off.
In all his years of life, this was the first time someone had used such... outrageous words to describe his "marriage."
"Foolish..." He repeated in a low voice, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curled up in a very faint arc, even he didn't notice it.
He certainly didn't believe in fortune-telling, much less the nonsense of a little girl. But for some reason, Ah Jiu's clear eyes, devoid of a trace of impurities, and her confident tone, gave him a strange feeling.
"Secret guard." Xiao Yu said lightly.
A dark figure appeared silently in the study and knelt on one knee: "Master."
"Go and investigate the little girl named Ajiu in the Imperial Master's Mansion, and her master, Xuanxu Zhenren from the Observatory. I want to know all their details." Xiao Yu ordered.
"Yes!" The secret guard received the order and disappeared again.
Xiao Yu leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He wanted to see the origins of this little fortune teller who had made him care about his romantic luck for the first time.
In the next few days, the Imperial Master's Mansion became unusually peaceful.
Ajiu was "ordered" by Chu Xuanyi to "cultivate her character" in her own small courtyard. Apart from eating and sleeping, she would stare at the plants and trees in the courtyard every day, or... secretly perform "divination" in her "unique" way.
For example, she would observe the routes of ants moving to predict whether tomorrow's weather will be sunny or rainy.
She would count the number of little swallows in the swallow's nest under the eaves to judge whether Chu Xuanyi was in a good or bad mood today.
She would also make a wish to the koi in the pond, hoping that the kitchen would make more of her favorite snacks that day.
Of course, the results of these "divinations" are often... hard to describe in a few words.
Chu Xuanyi, on the other hand, was busy handling subsequent military deployments for the Northern Dark Path and preparing for the Queen Mother's birthday banquet. The Guanyin statue, which had been "improved" by Ah Jiu, had finally been restored to its original appearance after meticulous cleaning and restoration by the craftsmen. However, every time Chu Xuanyi saw it, he couldn't help but think of the colorful jam-like clouds and wild daisies by the roadside, and his temples would ache slightly.
On this day, Chu Xuanyi was discussing the details of deploying troops in the northern border with several trusted aides in his study when a guard came hurriedly to report.
"Sir, someone has come from the palace, saying... the Empress Dowager wants Miss Jiu to come into the palace to talk."
Chu Xuanyi: “???”
Empress Dowager? Please invite Ah Jiu into the palace to speak?
What is going on?!
He remembered that the Queen Mother was a devout Buddhist and usually lived in seclusion, keeping a pure mind and few desires. How could she suddenly want to meet Ajiu, the "devil of the world"?
Could it be that… the incident with the "Jam Guanyin" had reached the Queen Mother's ears? But hadn't he suppressed that incident?
Chu Xuanyi had a bad feeling in his heart. He felt that the few days of peace and quiet he had finally gained were about to come to an end.
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