Chapter 116
Lai Fu hurriedly packed the emperor's luggage for leaving the palace. The Queen Mother was eager to follow the Emperor to the General's Mansion, but she was concerned about her status, so she ordered Xu Junyuan to accompany the Emperor.
Jiang Xing's hands, which had been playing in the mud, were washed by Xiao Songzi, and he was asked to change into casual clothes. Then he was helped into the carriage by Lai Fu. When the two were not paying attention, Jiang Xing's dull and distracted eyes suddenly focused, which happened to be seen by Xu Junyuan. Xu Junyuan understood what he meant and said, "The emperor and I can just ride in the same carriage."
On the way to the general's mansion, Lai Fu and Xiao Songzi were driving outside, while Xu Junyuan and Jiang Xing were sitting inside. The sound of horse hooves was enough to drown out the two people's deliberately low voices in conversation.
"Your Majesty trusts me too much." Xu Junyuan said helplessly, "You didn't even inform me in advance. Aren't you afraid that I will tell the truth to the Queen Mother?"
Jiang Xing said, "You have always been on my side. Besides, even if you tell the Queen Mother the truth, she may not believe you."
Xu Junyuan pretended to sigh: "The emperor's wisdom was all used on how to marry Prime Minister Lin. If the emperor can do the same in government affairs, it will be a blessing for Dayu."
"That will have to wait until I marry him first." Jiang Xing said nonchalantly, "But I'm still curious, why do you always help us?"
Xu Junyuan said frankly: "Because Mr. Jiang's destiny is to be the master of the world and the emperor. Since I have the honor to see the secrets of heaven, I will naturally lend a helping hand to Mr. Jiang. Maybe when the emperor is pleased, he will order the Changsheng Temple to be renovated - to be honest, the meditation room where I practice in seclusion is still a little small."
Jiang Xing sneered: "That's it?"
"That's it." Xu Junyuan smiled and said, "Your Majesty, there is no need to look up to me. After all, I am just a cultivator."
Jiang Xing laughed and was too lazy to say more to Xu Junyuan. Only an idiot would believe such nonsense. Five years have passed, and Xu Junyuan has not changed at all. He is still a riddle man after all.
In any case, his goal was achieved. A few days ago, the Queen Mother tried every means to stop him from sticking to his wife, but today she took the initiative to send him to his wife's house. It was worth it that he played with mud and almost built a Xingqing Palace.
After the news of Lin Qingyu's illness spread, many officials handed in their visiting cards and wanted to visit him at his home, but they were all turned away, and the gifts sent to his home were also returned one by one.
When the emperor's carriage stopped at the gate of the general's mansion, he was preparing a nest for the two little poisonous insects to spend the winter.
I don’t know if it was influenced by Jiang Xing, but he actually liked this leisurely life. There is no need to attend court, worry about state affairs, or meet all kinds of officials in the government. When I have nothing to do, I read medical books, prepare medicinal materials, occasionally discuss Gu with the miracle doctor from southern Xinjiang, or go to the Imperial Medical Bureau to teach students. It is much more interesting than being the prime minister.
After resting for a few days, he had a new perspective on the word "salted fish". Being a “salted fish” does not mean doing nothing, but being not forced by external forces and being able to control all the time at one’s own discretion. Jiang Xing's hobbies are playing and sleeping. He will get tired if he is not allowed to play or sleep. His hobby is medicine. If he is asked to give up his medical skills and worry about other things, he will also get tired.
In this case, he also wants to be a salted fish. Unfortunately, between him and Jiang Xing, one of them has to worry about the "external forces", so that the other one can focus on his work.
"Qingyu." Mother Lin came in with a bowl of bird's nest. "Here, mother just cooked it. Try it."
When Lin's mother heard that her eldest son was ill, she went to the general's mansion to visit him. After Lu Wancheng passed away, Lin Qingyu fell seriously ill. As General Gu's death anniversary was approaching, she was really worried.
Fortunately, Lin Qingyu only caught a cold and was far from needing to stay in bed. Lin's mother didn't know why Lin Qingyu lied about being seriously ill, but there must be some hidden meaning behind his doing so. She and her husband never interfere with their eldest son's decision-making.
Lin Qingyu smiled lightly: "Thank you, mother."
Lin's mother is now the mother of the prime minister and has an imperial decree, but she lives her life as usual and is always thinking about what she can do for her son. Some things should be told to your family in advance.
Lin Qingyu took two sips and said, "Mother."
When Mother Lin heard Lin Qingyu's expression, she knew he had something to say, and said softly, "What's wrong?"
Lin Qingyu considered his words carefully: "I... want to kiss you one last time."
Mother Lin was stunned for a moment, remembering the reason why Lin Qingyu married for the second time, and asked nervously: "Is someone forcing you again?" Lin Qingyu smiled and shook his head: "No. This time, I am completely willing."
It was not because of the imperial edict, nor because he wanted to hide from those who coveted him. He was sincere and wanted to marry Jiang Xing again.
Mother Lin was surprised and puzzled. She knew her eldest son's temperament very well. He was cold and indifferent to outsiders and only showed gentleness to those he cared about. It was obvious that he had both Lu Wancheng and Gu Fuzhou in his heart. So how did this new one squeeze out the two predecessors and make him say the words "completely voluntary"?
But when she saw the tenderness that Lin Qingyu inadvertently revealed, her heart softened. She still didn't ask any more questions, but just said, "Since it is your wish, I don't think Lord Lu and General Gu will mind." She saw the respect these two people had for Lin Qingyu.
Lin Qingyu smiled: "Indeed."
As the mother and son were talking, they heard Huan Tong's voice coming from outside: "Madam, the emperor is here!"
Mother Lin was shocked: "Why would the emperor come to the general's mansion?"
Lin Qingyu chuckled: "Who knows. Let's go and take a look."
Lin Qingyu brought his entire family to the door to welcome the emperor. Seeing Jiang Xing, he coughed lightly, knelt down and saluted, saying in a weak voice: "Your humble servant pays respect to the emperor."
In an instant, Jiang Xing's gray eyes regained their luster, which made Lin Qingyu laugh in his heart - he felt inferior to such acting skills.
"Prime Minister brother," Jiang Xing hugged Lin Qingyu's waist in front of everyone, saying with a smile, "I caught you."
Lin Qingyu tried his best to look surprised: "Your Majesty?"
Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, only Xu Junyuan sighed and said, "This is God's will."
Upon seeing this, Lai Fu immediately sent someone back to the palace to report to the Queen Mother. After hearing this, the Queen Mother felt mixed emotions. The Imperial Master was right, Lin Qingyu was the emperor’s only antidote. After a long while, she sighed, "It's all right as long as the emperor is well. I can't care about the rest."
She really admitted it this time. As long as the amnesia does not recur, the emperor can cling to whoever he wants.
Afterwards, the Queen Mother sent a message to the General's Mansion, asking Lin Qingyu to move into the palace to recuperate, but Lin Qingyu declined on the grounds that "foreign officials are not allowed to stay overnight in the palace." The Queen Mother was puzzled. Lin Qingyu had been staying in the palace for more than a day or two. What was the purpose of bringing up this palace rule at this time? Lin Qingyu is unwilling to enter the palace, and the emperor cannot leave him, so the emperor can only let him go to the general's mansion more often, which will break the rules.
A few days later, the news that the emperor frequently visited the general's mansion spread like wildfire. Many people who had complaints about Lin Qingyu suddenly realized that it was not the prime minister who was overstepping his authority, but the emperor who was harassing his subjects and their wives.
At this time, Jiang Xing was in General Gu's house, resting his head on his "minister's wife's" thigh, listening to Xiao Songzi finish talking about the rumors in the capital, and said, "It's about time, it's time to take the next step."
Lin Qingyu said: “Xiao Songzi, go and invite Master Shen.”
Xiao Songzi responded, and then heard the emperor ask him: “How did you find Master Shen before?”
Xiao Songzi said: "In reply to the emperor, Master Shen has set up a courtyard in the capital, and I will send someone to look for him there."
Jiang Xing suddenly had an idea: "Qingyu, you've been staying in the mansion for so long, aren't you bored? Do you want to go out for a walk? Just like visiting a good friend."
Friends... Shen Huaishi can indeed be considered a good friend of the two of them.
Lin Qingyu nodded and told Yuan Yin to prepare the gift for visiting his friend.
The two changed their clothes and went out in a carriage. Shen Huaishi's villa is located in a remote area, and it takes half an hour to get there even on horseback. When they arrived at the place, Jiang Xing got off the carriage first, turned around and stretched out his hand. Lin Qingyu held his hand and got out of the car, looking at the house in front of him.
This is an ancient and sparsely populated house, which seems to be where slightly wealthy people would live. Being away from the hustle and bustle of the crowd also suits Shen Huaishi's taciturn personality.
Just as Xiao Songzi was about to knock on the door, she heard a desperate and crazy voice from inside:
"I lost my kingdom for you and was trapped in this hellhole for two years, just to see you once, but you refused to even look at me! That's fine, you still want to leave? Where are you going? Shen Huaishi, what do you think I am? A dog that guards your house!"
Lin Qingyu and Jiang Xing looked at each other, their expressions were indescribable.
"Stop talking," Shen Huaishi said calmly, "someone is coming."
After these words were spoken, the house fell silent. Not long after, the door was opened, and Shen Huaishi saw several people. He was not surprised at all: "Your subordinate greets the emperor and the prime minister."
Lin Qingyu asked: "How do you know it's us?"
Shen Huaishi said, "The gear sound of the emperor's carriage is different from other carriages—Your Majesty, Prime Minister Lin, please come in."
The two walked into the yard, and saw no one else except Shen Huaishi. Shen Huaishi invited them into the hall, brewed a pot of tea, and said, "There is only coarse tea here, and Minister Lin may not be used to it."
Lin Qingyu took the teacup and held the lid over it: "Just now, I heard someone say you were leaving. Where are you going?"
Jiang Xing said casually: "Where else can he go? He wants to go back to the northwest."
Shen Huaishi pursed his lips and said, "After General Gu left, General Wu was ordered to guard the northwest. I should be able to help him when I go back."
Lin Qingyu thought for a moment: "I wanted you to rebuild the Heavenly Prison Gate, but if you insist on leaving..."
Shen Huaishi was stunned: "...Rebuilding the Heavenly Prison Gate?"
"Although Xie Min and the Tianji Camp are only loyal to the emperor, I still don't trust them because of Xi Rong's coup. I hope that after the reconstruction of the Tianyu Gate, we can compete with them, or even replace them."
Jiang Xing joked, "It is your responsibility to restore the glory of Heavenly Prison."
Lin Qingyu said it suddenly, and Shen Huaishi was not prepared. He thought for a moment and said hesitantly, "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Lin, can you give me a few days to think about this?"
"Of course. Whether you want to leave or stay is up to you." Lin Qingyu said meaningfully, "You don't have to consider anyone."
Jiang Xing said: "By the way, we came here this time to ask you for a favor."
On the anniversary of Gu Fuzhou's death, the palace invited senior monks from Changsheng Temple to chant sutras and pray for Gu Fuzhou to comfort his soul. Wu Zhan, Duke Wu, Shen Huaishi, Li Chan and others obtained permission from the Queen Mother and came to the Taimiao to watch the ceremony and burn incense for Gu Fuzhou.
Lin Qingyu is Gu Fuzhou's wife and his only family, but she was unable to attend such an important day due to illness. Afterwards, Li Chan suggested that they go to the general's mansion to visit the prime minister together. If he goes alone, Prime Minister Lin probably won't meet him, but with so many of his confidants coming along, Prime Minister Lin might give him some face.
Shen Huaishi looked up at the light snow flying all over the sky, and said in a deep voice: "One year ago today, the general was also on such a snowy day..."
Everyone was in a heavy mood and looked at each other in silence.
Shen Huaishi said again: "Yesterday, I dreamed of the general again. The general asked about Prime Minister Lin and asked him if he had a good year. He didn't want to see Prime Minister Lin become sick because of missing him and die alone."
Wu Zhan was so excited that he pointed at himself and said, "I, I had the same dream! The general wants us to fight to the capital of Xixia and use the Xixia king's tongue to stir-fry meat and drink with wine!"
After Shen Huaishi finished speaking the words he had prepared in advance, he didn't know what to say. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Uh... my dream was very real, like a dream sent by someone."
"My dream is more real." Wu Zhan, a grown man, had tears in his eyes again, "It must be the general who came back to see me..."
Duke Wu seemed to think that Shen Huaishi's dream was more like a dream sent by someone, and said, "It's been a year, and Prime Minister Lin's mourning period has passed. It's time for us to fulfill Fuzhou's last wish."
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