Chapter 101 Chapter 101
That night.
Xie Qingya was the first to receive the news sent by Xu Duanyi.
At that time, he had just finished working with Mei Xuezhen and was on his way back to the county government office when he suddenly heard a shout from behind.
"My Lord!"
We grew up together, so I knew whose voice it was without looking back.
Xie Qingya looked back.
When he saw Changfeng coming, his expression did not change at all.
It was not until the man approached with a lantern that he saw his expression, which looked rather solemn, that he frowned and asked, "What's the matter?"
Changfeng bowed to the two of them first, and then called Mei Xuezheng "Sir".
Mei Xuezheng is not an outsider.
Naturally, he had nothing to hide. After asking all the questions, he lowered his voice and said to the two people, "Just now, I met a brother from the Marquis of Wu'an Mansion in the city. He was sent by the princess."
When Xie Qingya heard this, his brows furrowed even more.
Almost as soon as Changfeng finished speaking, he immediately asked in a deep voice: "What's wrong with her?"
He is also concerned about things.
In fact, if you think about it carefully, you will know.
If something happened to Xu Duanyi, it is impossible that the people who came were only from Wu'an Marquis' Mansion. The people he arranged in the palace should have sent him the news long ago.
Now that there is no news, it means that Xu Duanyi is fine.
At least nothing happened on the surface.
Changfeng knew that he was worried, so he hurriedly comforted him, saying, "The princess is fine. She sent someone to give you the news."
After that, he didn't wait for the prince to ask again.
He continued to reply, "The princess sent someone to deliver the news."
When he said this, he glanced around twice to make sure that there were only three of them in the alley at the moment, and only then did he feel confident speaking.
The sound was also suppressed.
"She told you to be careful of Caoda."
"Be careful of Soda?"
Mei Xuezheng was the first to frown and take over the conversation.
He knew how powerful Cao Da was, so he looked serious at this moment.
"What is he going to do?" Mei Xuezheng asked Changfeng with a unhappy expression.
Chang Feng shook his head, his face also very ugly: "Well, the brothers in Wu'an Marquis's Mansion didn't say anything, but the princess wouldn't let him go without reason. Since she sent someone to convey such a message, there must be some movement in Cao Da, and she must know about it."
After finishing speaking.
He looked at Xie Qingya again and asked what he meant: "Prince..."
Xie Qingya's expression was not as ugly as theirs.
Under their gaze, he was not as nervous as before. He just said calmly, "I guess the news in Yutian has spread to the capital."
There was such a big scene yesterday, and Cao Da has always been very "concerned" about him. Even though he had already dispatched Chai Shou and the others back, with his suspicious nature, how could he not make any preparations at all?
As for what Cao Da is going to do, that is even easier to guess.
Xie Qingya was not surprised; it could even be said to be expected.
He would be worried if Cao Da did nothing.
After a brief pause, Xie Qingya quickly made a decision. He looked at Mei Xuezheng and said, "We are almost done with Yutian. You can go back tomorrow. I will supervise the dike."
Before Mei Xuezheng could say anything, he whispered to someone, "Your Majesty, you must be worried since we're not here for a while. I'll feel more at ease when you go back."
Although Cao Da is not that bad, nor does he have the courage to take direct action against the current emperor.
But there is no guarantee that he won't do something.
Now he is out of reach in Yutian, so naturally he can only let his cousin go back to look after His Majesty, to prevent His Majesty from being distracted by concern or being fooled and falling into someone else's trap.
Mei Xuezheng was still a little hesitant at first.
He was afraid that if he left, Qingya would be in danger here and he wouldn't be able to take care of him.
But after hearing what he said, Mei Xuezheng pondered for a moment, then stopped hesitating and quickly made a decision.
"Okay, I'll leave tomorrow."
He was also afraid that His Majesty might make some mistakes.
If Cao Da or the person from Shoukang Palace really discovered something in advance, not only would their plans over the years be ruined, but Qingya would also be in danger.
But after all, I am still worried about Qingya.
Mei Xuezheng was still looking at him, and said with a worried look on his face: "Then what about you..."
"Don't worry, if Cao Da really does something to me, there's no way Chai Shou wouldn't know anything about it." Xie Qingya wasn't worried about that.
Chai Shou is the best knife Cao Da uses nowadays.
If this really happened, Chai Shou would definitely give him a heads-up in advance no matter what.
He still has this confidence.
He was worried about——
How did Duanyi know this news?
Although she and Cao Da were both in the palace, they did not have any interactions on a daily basis and would not take the initiative to meet each other.
There was no way Cao Da would be stupid enough to discuss him in public and let her know.
Come to think of it, there is only one possibility, that is, Cao Da went to find the one in Shoukang Palace and she accidentally heard it.
Although they never talked about these things.
But with her intelligence, she probably guessed that he was wrong a long time ago.
There were some things that no longer needed to be doubted or suspected. He was only worried about how she was doing now.
Given her personality, she must have felt bad secretly passing messages to him without his knowledge.
She was also afraid of being discovered.
Although the man from Shoukang Palace would not do anything to her, Xie Qingya was still worried.
The previous worries came back to my mind.
Xie Qingya looked at Changfeng and asked first, "Did the people from Wu'an Marquis's Mansion say anything else?"
Changfeng is not Ringgit.
He was calm and intelligent, and he quickly understood the hidden meaning of his master's words. He would not hide it.
Originally, he was going to tell his master.
It’s just that the previous news is more important.
"She said that the princess is going to live in the hot spring villa on the outskirts of the city with Queen Mother Zhaoyu for a while. She told you not to worry about her. Miss Bixi is watching over the palace."
Xie Qingya felt relieved after hearing what he said.
But this feeling of not knowing when the knife hanging over your head will fall is really too uncomfortable.
We have to deal with Cao Da as soon as possible, and then deal with his and Duan Yi's affairs...
He didn't want to embarrass her anymore.
Even delivering a message to him requires so much trepidation and caution.
He wanted the two of them to be able to do anything together openly in the future, without having to worry about what others would think.
He wanted them to be together.
Mei Xuezheng saw his solemn expression and knew that he was thinking about him and Princess Jiashun again. He didn't say anything else, but raised his hand and patted Xie Qingya's shoulder.
"Go back and rest first. You still have a lot to do these days. Don't get too tired."
When he leaves tomorrow, the only people who are really in charge here will be Qingya and Li Wengao.
Although everything in Yutian is moving forward in an orderly manner now, there are not as many things as before.
But there are actually quite a few trivial things.
We have to take care of the dike, and there are also many things to do in the city.
Especially since Qingya is the one who makes the decisions now, he has to take care of everything and worry about everything.
He was afraid that he would collapse from exhaustion here before returning to the capital.
Xie Qingya naturally knew what he was talking about.
He said "hmm" to show that he understood, and then he comforted others: "Don't worry, we still have Li Wengao."
Xie Qingya and Li Wengao are getting along pretty well now.
Li Wengao looked stubborn and had some scholarly arrogance. When he was dissatisfied with Xie Qingya before, even though Xie Qingya was his top boss and the King of Nangan, he still never treated him well.
Although he is not yet as frank with Xie Qingya as before, he will always take the initiative to discuss everything with him.
He is just that kind of person.
Anyone who truly respects someone will naturally respect him. Moreover, he felt that he owed Xie Qingya such a big favor, so he naturally felt guilty.
That's the case today.
He was eager to do many things because he was afraid that Xie Qingya would get tired.
Xie Qingya believed that even if Mei Xuezheng really left tomorrow, Li Wengao would not let him get tired.
When Mei Xuezheng heard him talk about Li Wengao, he thought about it and felt relieved.
He has always had a good impression of Li Wengao.
After all, they were of the same year and had worked in the Hanlin Academy before. Even if they didn't interact much in private, they often interacted with each other in public.
"This man Benwan——"
He called out Li Wengao's name.
"Although he seems a bit aloof and stubborn, and often does not show mercy to others, he is impeccable in his work and is devoted to the people. He is a rare good and honest official."
"Otherwise, the old man wouldn't think so highly of him."
"After this matter is over, I want to find Ben Wan in private and have a good talk with him." He looked at Xie Qingya and said, "With his sincere heart, he will be a great help to us in the future."
Xie Qingya still admired Li Wengao very much.
Even if Mei Xuezheng didn't mention it, he still had this plan in the future. At this moment, he did not hesitate, nodded, and said "hmm".
After that, the three of them said nothing more and went back to the county government together.
…
The next day. This book is exclusively compiled for you by the LK team. Mei Xuezheng left Yutian early in the morning with his people.
After Xie Qingya and Li Wengao gave a brief explanation, they rushed to the dike and started the supervisory work.
That day.
Xu Duanyi, along with Ming and her two children, accompanied Empress Dowager Zhaoyu to the hot spring villa first.
After a while.
Xie Qingya ran between the dike and the city every day.
Even with Li Wengao's help, he was still overwhelmed.
He hoped to resolve the Yutian issue as soon as possible. When a new magistrate took office in Yutian, he could then hand over the matter to the people and return to Beijing.
In order to go back earlier.
He spent all his time on this every day and was so tired that he could only sleep for two hours.
Xu Duanyi lived a leisurely life in the villa.
But she was worried about Xie Qingya and was always afraid that something might happen to him, so she couldn't even rest well.
好在碧溪那邊始終未有消息傳來。
沒消息，那就是好消息，她暫且也只能這樣安慰自己。
很快。
便到五月下旬了。
兩人分開，也快有十日的時間了。
雖然待在溫泉山莊，但關于外頭的事，徐端宜也并非不清楚。
每日都會有人送消息來給姨母，一些不好處理的事，還會有人特地過來，先問過姨母的意思，再送回到京城去。
從來都如此。
不管是在宮裏，還是出宮，最後拿主意的，肯定還是姨母。
從京城帶回來的那些消息中。
徐端宜知曉梅雪征已經回來了，堤壩也已經修好了，朝中還拟好了玉田新任知縣，以及對這次事件的一些嘉獎和懲治，來問姨母的意思。
嘉獎自是針對這次去玉田的那些官員。
懲治則是對玉田當地的一些官員，以及之前修堤壩的那些官員。
事情解決得差不多了，自然也就到了要追責的時候。
若非當初他們在修堤壩的時候，偷工減料，這次洪災，不至于鬧這麽大。
還有玉田當地的那些官員。
若非他們管理不善，也不至于拖到那一步。
這次玉田死傷無數，這都是這些官員惹出來的禍事。
徐端宜端着茶點進去的時候，正好聽到姨母在說這次的嘉獎和懲治，在看到裏面的陣仗時，徐端宜便準備先退出去了。
但昭裕太後已經看到她了。
眼見徐端宜進來，昭裕太後便先笑着同她說道：“進來吧。”說完，又問她，“拿了什麽好吃的？”
原本正在恭敬聆聽聖訓的內監，聽到身後傳來的動靜，也忙回過頭，與徐端宜請安。
“長公主殿下。”
內監拿出對昭裕太後一樣的恭敬，與徐端宜問了好。 本書由LK團隊為您獨家整理 徐端宜見此，便也沒推辭。
她重新邁步往裏走去，走到那內監身邊時，先溫聲讓人起來。
之後便繼續朝姨母走去，一邊柔聲同人說拿了什麽吃的，一邊把那些茶點都一一擺好放下。
正欲和姨母告辭，便聽姨母又與她發話道：“坐着吧，外頭暑氣重，別來回走動了，我這也差不多好了。”
如今已過小滿，天氣的确是越來越熱了。
前些時候，早晚還有些涼意，如今卻已到了燥熱蟬鳴的時候，早晚都不見涼快。
也就是溫泉山莊，臨山而居，氣候比起京城要适宜許多，要不然只怕這天氣熱的，都得用上冰了。
徐端宜聞言，便也沒說什麽。
輕輕應是之後，就坐在了姨母的身邊，安靜地先替人剝起了荔枝。
今年新一茬的妃子笑剛好，是嶺南那邊剛快馬加鞭先送過來的。
對于昭裕太後這個決定。
屋內自不會有人說道什麽。
那名來傳話的內監，更是不會也不敢去多嘴說什麽。
昭裕太後仍斜靠在引枕上，手上拿着個玉輪慢慢在臉上推着，邊推，邊與那內監慢慢說道：“該懲該罰，哀家不管這上頭的名單是誰家親戚，又跟誰交好，該如何責罰就如何責罰，若有不在這名單上頭的，也盡快去補齊了。”
“不然等哀家知道，那就為時已晚了。”
她前面一直不緊不慢說着，直到說到最後幾個字的時候，忽然看着那內監一字一頓問道：“明白嗎？”
那內監一聽這話，自是心下一緊。
屋內明明十分涼快，他卻愣是被人看得冒了一後背的汗。
他哪裏敢說什麽？
連一句反問和疑問都不敢有，先連連應起是來。
“奴才回去就讓人再去仔細盤查，絕不會有什麽漏網之魚！”
昭裕太後對于這個回答，也沒說什麽，只掃了人一眼，又看起那一張嘉獎的名單。
徐端宜剛給人剝好了幾顆荔枝。
正打算把果叉遞給姨母，讓她先享用，一轉頭就看到名單最上面，謝清崖的名字。
陡然掃見這個名字，徐端宜視線微凝，心跳卻不自覺快了兩拍。
但也不過片刻功夫。
她便又神色如常地收回視線，只跟昭裕太後說了句：“姨母吃荔枝。”
“好，先放着吧。”
昭裕太後先答應了一聲，卻沒立刻吃，而是繼續與那內監說道：“嘉獎的事，等人都回來了再說。”
那內監也不敢說什麽，又點頭答應了一聲。
之後昭裕太後沒再說話。
丹楓上前把那兩本名單都重新遞回給那內監，內監同人客客氣氣道了一聲謝之後，方才又低着頭，問了昭裕太後一句：“太後可還有別的囑咐？”
“你幹爹這陣子如何？”
昭裕太後忽然看着人，問了這麽一句。
內監不知道她忽然問起幹爹是做什麽，只得小心回答：“勞太後記挂，幹爹一向都好，來時，幹爹還讓奴才給您帶聲好。”
昭裕太後對此不置可否，點了點頭，便讓人退下了。
丹楓送人出去。
昭裕太後等人離開，才放下手裏的玉輪，拿着指腹抵着眉心。
“都讓哀家放權，可哀家哪裏放得了？就這麽兩本冊子，皇帝都看不出好壞，裏頭的人少了、多了，也搞不清楚。”
“哀家要是真放權了，就他那個腦子和性子，以後大夏可怎麽辦？難不成要讓曹達那個閹賊，當家做主不成？”昭裕太後說着又忍不住長嘆了口氣。
這會屋內沒有別人。
徐端宜看着阖眼蹙眉的姨母，也無聲嘆了口氣。
她沒說話，只是像從前每一次一樣，起身走到姨母身後，替人按起了太陽穴。
自從表哥薨逝之後，姨母便患上了頭疾的毛病。
她每每頭疾發作的時候，性子也是最不好的時候，這種時候，她看誰都不順眼。
也就徐端宜和丹楓是例外。
那些宮人素來怕她，越是知曉她心情不好，便越怕，為着這個，壽康宮前些年，不知懲治了多少的宮婢。
也是因為這個緣故。
後來徐端宜便私下去學了這個按摩的手法，每每姨母頭疾發作的時候，她便會主動到姨母身邊陪侍。
經年累月的。
徐端宜這一手按頭的功夫，自是十分得昭裕太後的心意。
剛剛還渾身緊繃的人，這會被徐端宜按了沒幾下，整個人就都松軟了下來。
卻舍不得她勞累。
昭裕太後待緩過那個勁，便握住徐端宜的手輕輕拍了拍：“好了，別累着你。”
徐端宜與她說：“我不累。”
“不累也不用你做這些活。”昭裕太後卻很堅持，拉着人的手，握在手中，把人重新帶回到自己身邊，讓她坐下，之後又與她說道：“姨母沒事，就是剛才一時被氣着了。”
看着姨母的确緩和了不少的臉色，徐端宜這才坐下。
“曹達在名單上做手腳了？”她低聲問道。
昭裕太後嗤道：“他不做手腳才奇怪。”只這些腌臜事，她卻不想跟昭昭多提，免得污了她的耳朵。
“好了，不說這些事了，明日就是你母親的生辰，我讓廚房多做些她喜歡的吃的，到時候我們一起拿上去。”她岔開話題。
徐端宜自是不會反駁，她輕聲應好。
心裏卻還在想着當年長野之戰的事，只這事，也不好貿然開口詢問，只能看喬衷那邊有沒有查到什麽了。
昭裕太後吃了一顆荔枝。
正想與人說，讓她也吃些，今年的妃子笑還算不錯。
便瞧見昭昭不知在想什麽，出着神。
“在想什麽？”
徐端宜反應快，很快便斂神回了：“在想我阿爹。”
聽她說起徐平夷，昭裕太後也沒多想，只問她：“他最近給你寫信沒？”
徐端宜搖了搖頭。
昭裕太後有些生氣，但也了解徐平夷的性子，便主動安慰起徐端宜：“估計遼東又在打仗了，不過朝廷這邊沒收到消息，可見也不是什麽大事，等事情忙好，他就會主動聯系你了。”
徐端宜也是這個想法，自是也不擔心。
反倒是昭裕太後看她這樣，止不住地有些心疼起來了。
她的昭昭年幼失母，雖然爹還在，但一年也見不了幾回面，跟着她在宮裏，又得約束性子……她都沒見過昭昭為什麽事，争過鬧過。
無論給她什麽，她都是笑着接受，從來不會說什麽不好。
她忽然看着她開口問道：“你跟謝清崖……”
徐端宜才聽前音，眼睫便猛地一顫，不知姨母要說什麽，但她的心跳還是止不住地變快了起來。
她只能盡可能壓抑着情緒，盡可能神色如常地看向姨母。
嘴巴裏還有荔枝，她卻好像一時間失去了味覺，一點味道都品嘗不出了。
待吞咽下去之後，她才張口問道：“怎麽了？”
昭裕太後看着她問：“你喜歡他嗎？”
這還是她第一回，問昭昭這樣的問題。
從前她雖然也問謝清崖，但問得更多的，還是“他對你好不好”、“有沒有欺負你”這樣的話。
今日也不知怎得，忽然就問了這麽一句。
徐端宜也被這句話，問得怔住了。
心跳如擂。
She didn't know whether her aunt had noticed something or was just asking casually, but she didn't dare to answer casually. Her usually smart mind seemed to be frozen.
Qilu Linglong also lost its original effect.
Looking into her aunt's eyes, Xu Duanyi felt her heartbeat. She thought a long time had passed, but in fact it was only a moment.
"...I like it."
She had admitted to many people that she liked Xie Qingya.
Frank and calm.
But this time, she felt as if she was standing on the edge of a cliff, as if the wind was strong enough to cause her to miss a step and fall off the cliff.
Amid the deafening sound of her heartbeat, she answered her aunt's question almost voicelessly and absent-mindedly.
The words came out.
My thoughts suddenly came to a halt.
All the sounds seemed to return to normal.
My heartbeat was still so fast that it seemed as if my ears were being shaken by it, causing tinnitus.
I can still taste the sweet taste of lychees in my mouth.
But Xu Duanyi felt like he was in a desert under the scorching sun. After walking for a long time, his throat became hoarse and dry.
She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.
I couldn't even utter a joke like "Aunt, why are you asking this?"
I thought my aunt would say something else, and she was also waiting for this silent judgment.
But what she finally waited for was just a hand placed on her head.
Empress Dowager Zhaoyu placed her palm lightly on the top of Xu Duanyi's head, and then patted it down twice.
"knew."
My heart suddenly trembled.
Xu Duanyi didn't know what these three words from her aunt meant. She should have said something, but at this moment, she really couldn't say anything or ask any questions.
She just stared at her aunt almost blankly.
After a while, she found her voice again: "Aunt..."
Dan Feng came in just in time.
Xu Duanyi paused in silence before he knew what to say next.
After Dan Feng came in, he noticed something was wrong.
But before she could ask, Empress Dowager Zhaoyu spoke first: "It's time for me to take a nap too. Go back and rest first, and then ask someone to tell the kitchen."
This is what I am explaining to Xu Duanyi.
Xu Duanyi nodded and stood up.
She looked at her aunt hesitantly.
But Empress Dowager Zhaoyu did not look at her at this time, as if she was really tired. She closed her eyes and gently pressed her eyebrows.
Xu Duanyi could only say goodbye first.
Without letting Dan Feng see her off, Xu Duanyi walked out alone with a heavy heart.
Dan Feng just stood up after bowing, and when he turned around, he saw the Queen Mother looking in the direction where His Highness left with a complicated look.
Her heart suddenly tensed again.
I don't know what happened during the time she was away, which is why the atmosphere between the Queen Mother and His Highness was so weird.
"The Queen Mother..."
She walked over and asked quietly, "What did you talk about with His Highness?"
Empress Dowager Zhaoyu did not speak. Just when Danfeng thought she would not speak, she suddenly heard Empress Dowager Zhaoyu speak: "I asked her if she likes Xie Qingya."
When Dan Feng heard this, his heart skipped a beat.
She carefully regained her voice and asked, "What did your highness say?" But in fact, when she saw the expression on Empress Dowager Zhaoyu's face at that moment, she already had the answer in her heart.
Her heart was beating wildly, but she smiled as usual and said, "Your Highness has been married to the prince for a long time. They are a newlywed couple and have been through hardships together. I like you so much..."
Before she could finish her words, Empress Dowager Zhaoyu glanced at her.
Dan Feng stopped talking immediately.
She naturally knew what the Queen Mother's look meant.
It is normal to like someone, but the person His Highness likes is the Prince of Nan'an, whom the Queen Mother fears the most.
If the Prince of Nan'an is fine, everyone will be happy about this.
I am afraid that this King of Nan'an has something...
Dan Feng didn't know what to do for a moment, so he could only ask in a low voice: "What are you going to do?"
If Empress Dowager Zhaoyu knew what to do, she would not be like this now.
"If I hadn't agreed to let Zhao Zhao marry in at the beginning..." Queen Mother Zhao Yu rubbed her brows, her face full of fatigue and regret. This book is exclusively compiled by the LK team for you. Then she wouldn't be so entangled now.
Dan Feng didn't dare to respond and could only press the man's temples.
I don't know how much time passed before the voice of Empress Dowager Zhaoyu was heard again in the room: "When you return to Beijing, ask Xie Qingya to come and see me."
Finished.
Before Dan Feng could agree, Empress Dowager Zhao Yu added, "Don't let Zhao Zhao know about this for now."
Although Dan Feng didn't know what she was going to do, she still agreed.