Chapter 43: I am here to wait for your orders
It is late spring in April, and the flowers are still in full bloom.
To celebrate Emperor Helian Cong's fiftieth birthday, the entire capital seemed to have been carefully carved.
The main streets have been swept and the ground is spotless. The roadsides are decorated with red lanterns that symbolize auspiciousness. Lights and decorations are everywhere, and red silks are fluttering.
The high-ranking officials in the capital, princes and nobles, officials who came to attend the banquet from all over the country, and even envoys from vassal states and neighboring countries, all came in a huge crowd and brought their families to the palace to attend the emperor's birthday banquet.
On such an important day, Regent Xiao Nanyan is naturally indispensable.
The Xiao family and the Tianqi royal family have been friends for generations, but in recent years, the two sides have only maintained superficial harmony. Emperor Helian Cong feels very uncomfortable with his power and has always tried to deprive him of it.
Since the death of Xiao Beicheng, part of the military power has been taken back by Helian Cong, but the Nanrui camp is still firmly in the hands of Xiao Nanyan. His 200,000 troops are stationed in Xinzhou, the border between Tianqi and Nanzhao, a throat fortress, to contain Tianqi and intimidate Nanzhao.
No matter how hard Helian Cong tried, he was unable to get it back, which was why he never dared to touch Xiao Nanyue openly.
Both sides have their own considerations, fighting openly and secretly, and no one wants to break the window paper. On the surface, the king is still wise and the ministers are still respectful.
Therefore, if Xiao Nanyue was absent, it would undoubtedly make Helian Cong suspicious, so he prepared a birthday gift for Helian Cong a few days ago.
What he prepared for Helian Cong was a statue of the God of Longevity carved from thousand-year-old warm jade. The jade was warm and smooth, the carving was exquisite, and it looked lifelike.
Before daybreak, he had already put on his black court robes with python patterns and left the mansion under the protection of Han Xiao and Ye Ren.
The maid accompanying him this time was Xiyan.
Manluo also wanted to go with them, but was stopped by Xiao Nanyan.
As the leaders of the four death squads in the palace, Manluo and Xiyan each have their own strengths in martial arts.
However, although Manluo suggested that she could disguise herself and travel without being recognized by Chu Jin, Xiao Nanyan knew that she was smart but not steady enough, and was far less reserved than Xiyan. This time she entered the palace only to celebrate the birthday, and Xiao Nanyan did not want to cause any more trouble.
Manluo rolled her eyes. "What a petty bastard Xiao Nanyan is! Is he still holding a grudge? If he's not allowed to go, then don't go! What's so good about the palace? Even if they openly forbid me to go, I've secretly strolled around several times!"
She had no idea how much treasure she had taken out from the palace's treasury. Those palace guards were all useless, how could they possibly stop her?
It was so great that none of them were in the palace. She could take advantage of their entry into the palace to sneak into Qiyun Pavilion and reminisce with her two little darlings, Yinchun and Yulan.
Thinking of those two tender and beautiful boys, she couldn't help but feel distracted.
…
After leaving the mansion, a guard brought a riding stool. Xiao Nanyue lifted the hem of his robe and got on the carriage.
Han Xiao and Ye Ren rode on tall horses, with more than 20 guards guarding the carriage on both sides.
Xiyan was about to climb onto the horse when suddenly the curtain of the sedan chair moved slightly and Xiao Nanyan's magnetic voice came from inside the car:
"Xiyan, come in and serve!"
Xiyan's body froze, and her brows furrowed instantly, but she could not disobey Xiao Nanyue's order.
After a brief hesitation, she handed the reins to the guard, awkwardly lifted the curtain of the sedan chair, and stepped into the carriage.
The carriage was filled with the scent of sandalwood, accompanied by a faint aroma of cold plum blossoms, which blew towards me and instantly filled my nostrils.
She quickly glanced around and saw that the interior of the carriage was spacious. The walls were made of fine-grained agarwood, and the brown lines were natural and smooth, like the undulating mountains and rivers.
In the middle of the carriage, there was a thick and soft snow fox fur blanket. The fur was as white as snow, and the fluff was fine and thick, making it feel like walking on clouds.
On the carpet was a low-legged ebony coffee table with mirror-like surfaces. On it was a set of precious purple clay tea sets, with steam rising from the spout of the teapot.
Xiao Nanyue leaned back on the large chair carved from golden nanmu wood, feeling lazy and comfortable.
Amid the curling scent of sandalwood, his slender fingertips tapped lightly on the car wall, and the jade ring hit the agarwood, making a crisp sound.
At this moment, his dark eyes fell calmly on Xiyan, who was half-kneeling beside the curtain of the sedan chair, at a loss.
Today, she was dressed in a moon-white flowing gauze dress, the hem of which fluttered like a galaxy falling, like smoke and mist. Her black hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall, and she was as clear-headed and graceful as a fairy in a painting, a rare beauty.
This dress was carefully selected by Xiao Nanyue, and he had it delivered to Xiyan's room early in the morning. Seeing that she wore it so well, a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.
"come over!"
He suddenly spoke, his voice wrapped in the green smoke from the gilded incense burner, soft and lacking the usual pressure.
Xiyan's body stiffened, and her eyelashes trembled:
"I will wait here for your orders, my Lord!"
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