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 an 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.
Fortunately, no news came from Bixi.
No news, that's good news. This is the only way she can comfort herself for now.
soon.
It was already late May.
It has been almost ten days since the two separated.
Although he was staying in the hot spring villa, Xu Duanyi was not unaware of what was happening outside.
Every day someone would send news to my aunt. If there were things that were difficult to handle, someone would come specially to ask my aunt's opinion before sending the news back to the capital.
It always has been like this.
Whether in the palace or out of it, the one who makes the final decision is definitely the aunt.
Among the news brought back from the capital.
Xu Duanyi knew that Xiaomei Xuezheng had returned, the dike had been repaired, the court had also decided on a new magistrate for Yutian, and there were some rewards and punishments for this incident, so he came to ask his aunt's opinion.
The award is of course for the officials who went to Yutian this time.
The punishment was directed at some local officials in Yutian and those who had previously built the dike.
Now that the matter has been resolved, it is naturally time to hold those responsible accountable.
If they had not cut corners when building the dam, this flood would not have been so serious.
And the local officials in Yutian.
If it weren't for their poor management, it wouldn't have come to that point.
There were countless casualties in Yutian this time, and it was all caused by these officials.
When Xu Duanyi walked in with tea and snacks, he happened to hear his aunt talking about the awards and punishments this time. When he saw the battle inside, Xu Duanyi prepared to leave first.
But Empress Dowager Zhaoyu had already seen her.
Seeing Xu Duanyi coming in, Empress Dowager Zhaoyu smiled and said to her, "Come in." Then she asked her, "What delicious food did you get?"
The eunuch, who was originally listening respectfully to the holy teachings, heard the noise coming from behind him and hurriedly turned around to greet Xu Duanyi.
"Your Highness the Princess."
The eunuch greeted Xu Duanyi with the same respect as he did to Queen Dowager Zhaoyu. This book is exclusively compiled by the LK team for you. Seeing this, Xu Duanyi did not refuse.
She walked back inside, and when she reached the eunuch, she gently asked him to stand up.
After that, he continued to walk towards his aunt, telling her softly what food he had taken while putting down the snacks one by one.
Just as she was about to say goodbye to her aunt, she heard her aunt say to her again, "Sit down. It's very hot outside. Don't walk around. I'm almost well now."
Now that Xiaoman has passed, the weather is indeed getting hotter.
Some time ago, it was still somewhat cool in the mornings and evenings, but now it is hot and dry and there is no coolness in the mornings and evenings.
That is to say, it is a hot spring villa, located on the mountain, and the climate is much more suitable than that in the capital. Otherwise, I am afraid that in such hot weather, I would have to use ice.
After hearing this, Xu Duanyi didn't say anything.
After nodding his head softly, he sat down next to his aunt and quietly started peeling lychees for others.
This year's new batch of concubines just smiled well, and they were sent over from Lingnan at full speed.
Regarding Empress Dowager Zhaoyu's decision.
No one in the house would say anything.
The eunuch who came to deliver the message would not and dared not say anything more.
Empress Dowager Zhaoyu was still leaning on the pillow, holding a jade wheel in her hand and slowly pushing it on her face. As she pushed, she slowly said to the eunuch, "I don't care whose relatives are on the list or who they are friends with. I will punish them accordingly. If there are people not on the list, fill them in as soon as possible."
"Otherwise, by the time I know, it will be too late."
She had been speaking slowly until she said the last few words. Suddenly she looked at the eunuch and asked, "Do you understand?"
When the eunuch heard this, he became nervous.
The room was clearly quite cool, but he broke out in sweat just because he was stared at.
How could he dare to say anything?
He didn't even dare to ask a question or doubt, but just responded with yes.
"I will have someone conduct a thorough investigation when I return. There will be no fish that slip through the net!"
Empress Dowager Zhaoyu did not say anything in response to this answer. She just glanced at the person and then looked at the list of awards.
Xu Duanyi had just peeled a few lychees for someone.
I was just about to pass the fruit fork to my aunt so that she could enjoy it first, when I turned around and saw Xie Qingya's name at the top of the list.
When he suddenly saw this name, Xu Duanyi's eyes froze slightly, but his heartbeat unconsciously quickened by two beats.
But it only took a moment.
She then looked away as usual and said to Empress Dowager Zhaoyu, "Auntie, eat lychees."
"Okay, let's put it aside for now."
Empress Dowager Zhaoyu agreed, but did not eat immediately. Instead, she continued to talk to the eunuch, "We will discuss the award after everyone returns."
The eunuch didn't dare to say anything and just nodded in agreement.
After that, Empress Dowager Zhaoyu said nothing more.
Dan Feng went forward and handed the two lists back to the eunuch. After the eunuch thanked him politely, he lowered his head and asked Empress Dowager Zhaoyu, "Does the Empress Dowager have any other instructions?"
"How's your dad doing these days?"
Empress Dowager Zhaoyu suddenly looked at the people and asked this question.
The eunuch didn't know why she suddenly asked about her godfather, so he could only answer carefully: "Empress Dowager Lao cares about me, and my godfather has always been nice. When I came, my godfather even asked me to say hello to you."
Empress Dowager Zhaoyu did not comment on this, just nodded and let the person leave.
Dan Feng sent him out.
Only after Empress Dowager Zhaoyu and others left did she put down the jade wheel in her hand and press her fingertips against her forehead.
"Everyone wants me to give up my power, but how can I do that? The emperor can't tell which is good or bad with just these two books. He can't tell if there are too few or too many people in them."
"If I really give up power, what will happen to Daxia in the future with his brain and temper? Do we have to let that bastard Cao Da be the one in charge?" Empress Dowager Zhaoyu couldn't help but sigh as she spoke.
There is no one else in the house at this time.
Xu Duanyi looked at his aunt who had her eyes closed and brows frowned, and sighed silently.
She didn't say anything, but just stood up and walked behind her aunt and started pressing her temples, just like she did every time before.
Ever since my cousin passed away, my aunt has suffered from headaches.
Whenever she had a headache, her temper was at its worst. At these times, she was displeased with everyone.
The only exceptions are Xu Duanyi and Dan Feng.
The palace maids had always been afraid of her, and the more they knew she was in a bad mood, the more afraid they were of her. Because of this, Shoukang Palace had punished countless palace maids in the past few years.
It is also because of this reason.
Later, Xu Duanyi learned this massage technique privately. Whenever her aunt had a headache, she would take the initiative to stay by her side.
Over the years.
Xu Duanyi's skill of pressing the head with one hand naturally pleased Empress Dowager Zhaoyu very much.
The person who was tense just now, relaxed completely after Xu Duanyi pressed on him a few times.
But I can't bear to see her tired.
When Empress Dowager Zhaoyu had calmed down, she held Xu Duanyi's hand and patted it gently: "Okay, don't tire yourself out."
Xu Duanyi said to her: "I'm not tired."
"You don't need to do these things even if you are not tired." Empress Dowager Zhaoyu insisted. She took the person's hand, held it in her hand, and brought the person back to her side, letting her sit down. Then she said to her, "Aunt is fine. I was just angry just now."
Seeing that his aunt's expression had indeed eased a lot, Xu Duanyi sat down.
"Did Cao Da tamper with the list?" she asked in a low voice.
Empress Dowager Zhaoyu sneered, "It would be strange if he didn't do anything." However, she didn't want to mention these dirty things to Zhaozhao, so as not to pollute her ears.
"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. Tomorrow is your mother's birthday. I'll ask the kitchen to make some of her favorite food, and we'll bring it up then." She changed the subject.
Xu Duanyi naturally would not refute, she just nodded softly.
But in my heart, I was still thinking about the Battle of Nagano. It was not a good idea to ask about this matter rashly. I could only wait and see if Qiao Zhong had found out anything.
Empress Dowager Zhaoyu ate a lychee.
I was just about to tell someone to let her eat some too, this year's Fei Zi Xiao is pretty good.
Then he saw Zhao Zhao, who was lost in thought, thinking about something.
"What are you thinking about?"
Xu Duanyi reacted quickly and quickly replied: "I'm thinking about my father."
When she mentioned Xu Pingyi, Empress Dowager Zhaoyu did not think much about it and just asked her, "Has he written to you recently?"
Xu Duanyi shook his head.
Empress Dowager Zhaoyu was a little angry, but she also understood Xu Pingyi's temperament, so she took the initiative to comfort Xu Duanyi: "It is estimated that there is a war in Liaodong again, but the court has not received any news, which shows that it is not a big deal. When the matter is settled, he will take the initiative to contact you."
Xu Duanyi had the same idea, so he was not worried.
On the contrary, Empress Dowager Zhaoyu couldn't help feeling distressed when she saw her like this.
Her Zhaozhao lost her mother at a young age. Although her father was still alive, she could only see him a few times a year. Following her in the palace, she had to control her temper... She had never seen Zhaozhao quarrel or make a fuss about anything.
No matter what is given to her, she accepts it with a smile and never says anything bad.
She suddenly looked at her and asked, "You and Xie Qingya..."
When Xu Duanyi heard the previous words, her eyelashes trembled violently. She didn't know what her aunt was going to say, but her heartbeat still couldn't help but quicken.
She could only suppress her emotions as much as possible and look at her aunt as normally as possible.
There was still lychee in her mouth, but she seemed to have lost her sense of taste for a moment and could not taste anything at all.
After swallowing it, she asked, "What's wrong?"
Empress Dowager Zhaoyu looked at her and asked, "Do you like him?"
This was the first time she asked Zhao Zhao such a question.
Although she had asked Xie Qingya questions in the past, she asked more questions like "Is he good to you?" and "Has he bullied you?"
I don't know why I suddenly asked this question today.
Xu Duanyi was also stunned by this question.
My heart is beating like a drum.
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.
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