Chapter 147
Zhou Li thought Gong Yinai was crazy.
But when she met Gong Yinai's eyes, she dared not move.
The madness in Gong Yinai's eyes frightened her, as if she had finally found the treasure after climbing over mountains and ridges, and would rather destroy it than let the treasure disappear.
Zhou Li's heart was beating like a drum, completely unlike the indifferent expression on her master's face. It was beating so violently that it seemed to jump out of her chest. The redness on Zhou Li's face had not yet faded. She lowered her eyes and tried her best to hide the emotions revealed in her eyes.
"As the Crown Prince's Consort, I naturally love him."
"Really?" Gong Yinai asked, then muttered to himself, "Dame Zhou is eloquent and flattering, but I can't compare to you."
Gong Yinai loosened his hand and laughed coldly a few times. Zhou Li was bewildered. He only felt an oppression coming from above his head, and then heard the eunuch's voice rushing outside the window, "Prince! His Majesty is looking for you!"
The young eunuch's voice was flustered, not at all as calm as before, as if something big had happened.
"I'll come."
Zhou Li felt the shadow that had been covering her dissipate. She looked up cautiously and realized that Gong Yinai had only taken a few steps back and was still standing in front of the window, as if he was trying to find something to hold against her. Zhou Li was frightened and felt that something uncontrollable had happened.
"I'll go, Zhou Liangdi, think carefully about how to answer me. I'm very dissatisfied with your answer just now." Gong Yinai's lips curled up slightly, and she looked like she was smiling, but her face was cold. Zhou Li was puzzled. How could there be someone whose emotions and face were separate? It was difficult for people to see through her thoughts.
Gong Yinai went to see the emperor with the young eunuch. Zhou Li grabbed the window frame in a daze, feeling that she was in a whirlpool that was constantly stirring her down, like the calm in the eye of a storm.
In the Imperial Palace, Emperor Qing was furious: "Yu privately! It's the parents' order and the matchmaker's words! The betrothal gifts have been paid, haven't we been polite enough? How dare she come and cancel the engagement privately! Where is the upbringing of the Xiao family!"
"Yu Gong! This marriage was arranged by the Empress Dowager's order! How dare she disobey the order? Where does that put our family? She deserves to be killed!"
"Father." Gong Yinai's voice was calm. There was no grievance or anger in her emotions. She was so calm as if she was not the person involved in the broken engagement, but an outsider.
Gong Yinai said, "Xiao Yuanfeng is a filial man. I am willing to let her serve my grandmother. I think her courage to break off the engagement despite the wrath of the world is a manifestation of filial piety. We should commend her and set an example for other women."
"Father, think about it, if every family had children like this, how peaceful and happy would they be? If every household in Qing Country had this, it would just demonstrate the high level of education in our country. We should be happy."
Emperor Qing went from staring to deep thought, and then smiled helplessly.
"You kid..."
Emperor Qing sighed, "You've said all the words, and I have nothing to be angry about. However, the Xiao family's family education is not strict, so let that old boy Xiao Cheng'an go home and stay indoors for three months. It just so happens that his wife is not sick, so let him go home and take care of her."
Emperor Qing dismissed Lord Xiao from his post for three months with just one simple sentence.
Xiao Cheng'an was relieved when he received the oral order. Hearing that it was the prince who pleaded for mercy, he was deeply grateful to Gong Yinai and became a loyal member of the prince's party.
Those are all later stories, leaving them aside for now. Emperor Qing looked at Gong Yinai, who was filled with sorrow. He said, "I'm really worried that your engagement is not going well. If not, go to the Imperial Temple to pray that day. The abbot there has some advice."
Gong Yinai nodded and agreed.
The originally agreed auspicious day in the twelfth lunar month was canceled. Apart from the women in the prince's backyard who were happy, probably few people were happy.
When the master is unhappy, the servants suffer. The servants keep their heads down and do their work, and everything is peaceful as winter approaches.
Zhou Li looked at the dead tree outside the window. As winter came, the palace became even colder with gray walls and green tiles. However, the government affairs became less frequent and Gong Yinai became free. She said she wanted to go to the imperial temple to pray to Buddha. The last time they met, they hadn't seen each other for half a month. Although Zhou Li didn't know what Gong Yinai was thinking, she seemed to have relaxed after not seeing her for a long time. Her originally tense and vigilant nerves had been smoothed out by time.
At this time, the prince issued an edict, summoning Zhou Liangdi to accompany him to the imperial temple to pray to Buddha.
Zhou Li faced the different looks from the sisters in the backyard, and her scalp tingled. She didn't know what Gong Yinai was going to do, asking her to accompany him with such honor.
In the Prince's Palace, Gong Yinai put away the secret memorial sent by the Ministry of Justice. She felt relieved and her mind felt more open than ever. Although she read the contents of the memorial over and over again, she still found it unbelievable that her idea had come true. Even though Zhou Li changed the handwriting, the handwriting of Gong Yifu, Liu Yingzi and Zhou Li were verified to be the same person!
Although Gong Yinai was very happy, she dared not spread the matter to anyone else. If she let outsiders know, they would think she was crazy or Zhou Li was a demon. But Zhou Li was not a demon. He was her guardian angel.
Gong Yinai thought, according to the Buddhist proverb, only those who are obsessed will wander in the world, so Zhou Li appeared by her side again and again to help her. She may have forgotten, but the only thing she remembered was to help her.
Gong Yinai's heart was pounding. She felt that Zhou Li was sent back by God to compensate her. God gave this gift to her because he couldn't bear to see her live a lonely life.
Gong Yinai went to Zhou Li's residence to pick her up personally. It was freezing cold, and Zhou Li wore a thin waistcoat. Her hair was simply tied up behind her head, and she wore a jade hairpin. She was dressed simply, but as bright as a winter plum blossom in the snow.
Gong Yinai held Zhou Li's hand, sent her to the carriage, and then got in the carriage himself.
There were only two of them in the carriage. Zhou Li felt a little restrained when she heard the coachman's clear "go".
She sat close to the carriage wall, not daring to look at Gong Yinai. Instead, she looked sideways at Gong Yinai's legs. Gong Yinai's hands were placed on her thighs. When the carriage left the palace, she suddenly laughed: "Why don't you dare look at me, my beloved concubine?"
Zhou Li's heart moved, thinking, here it comes, Gong Yinai is going crazy again.
She whispered, "The prince is so majestic that I dare not look directly at him."
Gong Yinai snorted arrogantly, "I've never seen you so timid before."
Zhou Li smiled awkwardly and looked at Gong Yinai straight in the eye. She realized that she was staring at her and wondered what she was planning.
Gong Yinai looked at Zhou Li and smiled, "You're looking at me so warily. Are you afraid of me? Do you think I'll eat you?"
Zhou Li thought to herself, "Isn't that right?" But she said, "Why would I be afraid? It's because the Crown Prince is so powerful and majestic. I haven't seen him for a few days, so I'm a little timid."
Gong Yinai reached out and grasped Zhou Li's elbow, pulling him closer. She smiled and said, "That's my fault. I shouldn't be so busy with government affairs. I should be getting closer to you."
Zhou Li was anxious and put his hand on Gong Yinai's chest to resist, but Gong Yinai grabbed his other hand and said sinisterly: "Didn't you say you like me? You don't want me to touch you anymore?"
Zhou Li suddenly had an idea and said, "I am embarrassed in broad daylight."
"Are you shy?" Gong Yinai let go, and Zhou Li sat back down. Gong Yinai pulled out a few pieces of mail from his sleeve pocket and threw them over. "You're really brave!"
Several of them fell to the ground, and one slowly floated in front of Zhou Li. Zhou Li was shocked to find that it was a secret letter sent by Lord Wen. She asked why she had never received any contact letters from the other side, and now it seems that Gong Yinai had intercepted them all.
Thinking this in his heart, Zhou Li actually felt a sense of satisfaction.
It seems that Gong Yinai's power has been established. All activities in the prince's palace are under her control. He is no longer the prince who could be bullied at will.
"You are someone of Lord Wen. Lord Wen sent you to get close to me, so you learned the traces of all the people close to me, just to deceive me." Gong Yinai said slowly. She reached forward and pinched Zhou Li's chin, lifted it up and said, "You did it. I like you very much now."
Zhou Li was shocked but did not resist.
I even feel a little guilty.
Gong Yinai stared at her expression. She was no longer the Gong Yinai of the past. Dealing with those old foxes in the court every day, Gong Yinai had learned a lot. She found that Zhou Li was somewhat resistant to her contact, just like Liu Yingzi. Perhaps it was because they used to be brothers, so he could not tolerate her approach. So she would change her way. She wanted to make Zhou Li feel guilty and distressed forever, and stay with her forever.
Gong Yinai understood Gong Yifu and Liu Yingzi. They were all people with a mission. Zhou Li came back to her because of this. In that case, don't blame her for cheating. She could have endured the darkness, but if she had never seen the light, once Zhou Li brought the light, she would never be able to get away from her. She would drag her down with her.
Although Zhou Li didn't know what Gong Yinai was thinking, Gong Yinai's eyes were too dark, so dark that they almost drowned her. She was terrified, but powerless to resist. She owed Gong Yinai a lot. Logically, she didn't owe Gong Yinai much, but emotionally, she owed Gong Yinai too much. Gong Yifu's departure without saying goodbye and Liu Yingzi's death had hurt Gong Yinai too much.
Gong Yinai raised her hands to cover Zhou Li's eyes. Every time she looked at Zhou Li's eyes as bright as water, her heart would be moved. She couldn't be soft-hearted at this moment.
Gong Yinai lowered his voice and whispered slowly in Zhou Li's ear: "I'll ask again, I'm attracted to you, what's your answer?"
Zhou Li said obediently, "I will obey the prince."
Gong Yinai laughed softly, and his warm breath sprayed on Zhou Li's nose. Zhou Li's eyes went dark, and a cloud-soft touch touched her lips. When the two lips touched, they felt numb like lightning. Zhou Li felt a cyclone lingering on her forehead, making her forehead hot.
Gong Yinai didn't do anything else. She hugged Zhou Li in her arms, buried her cheek in her shoulder, and lay there like a big cat, wishing she could shrink her whole body into Zhou Li's shoulder.
Zhou Li has a large cute pet named Gong Yinai, but this pet is not very obedient. Once it shows its sharp claws, it will either kill or injure the victim.
The carriage galloped for half a day and finally arrived at the imperial temple.
The Imperial Temple is a temple dedicated to the royal family. The monks in the temple are all awarded jade plates by the royal family and enjoy royal support.
The temple had already prepared a courtyard for the prince to recuperate after learning that he would come to pray to Buddha.
Because the prince brought female guests with him, the people in the temple did not dare to approach him. They would always deliver the food to the door and then have Gong Yinai's people take it over.
The royal temple was very popular. When Zhou Li went up the mountain, he saw female guests going to worship Guanyin, the Goddess of Childbirth. There were also devout believers who kowtowed every few steps from the foot of the mountain to the top.
Gong Yinai saw Zhou Li staring intently, so he deliberately leaned over to her ear and teased, "I heard that the Goddess of Childbirth here is very effective. Why don't we go and worship her? I hope you'll give birth to a big fat boy next year."
Zhou Li instantly forgot what happened before and glared at Gong Yinai with shame and anger. Gong Yinai couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Zhou Li knew that Gong Yinai was teasing her again. She angrily turned around and walked away, but Gong Yinai grabbed her sleeve again. Gong Yinai held her hand and the two of them walked around the ancient temple.
In the thousand-year-old temple, the curves of the leaves blown by the wind all carry stories. There is the smell of incense in the wind, which calms the mind. Although the weather is cold, it cannot stop people from praying.
The monks who met all had peaceful expressions. Although they knew that there were distinguished guests staying backstage, they only nodded and smiled when they met. Compared with the strict rules in the palace, it made people feel a lot more relaxed.
Zhou Li hadn't felt so comfortable for a long time, and a smile appeared on his face.
"You like it here very much." Gong Yinai said after observing for a while.
Zhou Li nodded with a calm smile on his face.
"Change the place, change the mood."
Gong Yinai said: "Then I will take you out to play more often in the future."
Zhou Li glanced at her and hummed, "The Crown Prince has no one to serve him, so he brought this concubine out to serve him?"
"You." Gong Yinai also liked Zhou Li's casual attitude towards her. She smiled and said, "So what?"
Zhou Li pretended to be unwilling, "Then I can only serve the prince well."
Gong Yinai couldn't help laughing, and the corners of his mouth curled up, "You have such a big mouth, I won't argue with you."
"Are you hungry? I'll take you to eat."
"What delicious food is there in this temple?" Zhou Li was curious.
"The master chef's wild delicacy soup is delicious," Gong Yinai said. "It's made with all kinds of fungi. It's so delicious it'll make your eyebrows drop."
Zhou Li listened to her vivid description and couldn't help but ask, "Then why are we still shopping? Let's go back and eat!"
When the prince comes, the temple will definitely prepare the best food, so it’s a good idea to eat with the prince!
Gong Yinai shook his head and laughed, and was led back to his residence by Zhou Li.
Zhou Li guessed correctly. There was the wild delicacy soup that Gong Yinai mentioned. It was indeed delicious, and the taste was completely different from that in the palace. Moreover, although this table was vegetarian, the taste was no worse than meat dishes, and it had a unique wild flavor.
After dinner in the evening, Zhou Li realized belatedly that the courtyard cleared by the temple was small, with only three rooms in total. One was for the maids, one was for the guards, and the remaining master bedroom was for the prince. Wouldn't that mean she would have to live in the same room with Gong Yinai?
Zhou Li was sitting in the room and his toes almost broke his shoes.
It's not like they haven't slept together before, but after Gong Yinai brought things up today, she always had a sense of crisis.
Looking at Gong Yinai again, she looked calm. Although she had left the palace, she still had official business to deal with. She read by lamplight at night. The dim candlelight cast her shadow on the window. Gong Yinai held the brush and wrote and drew on the memorials.
Zhou Li suddenly felt bored while sitting there and could only stare at his feet in a daze.
Gong Yinai glanced at her and called out, "Come here and help me read this memorial. It hurts my eyes."
When Zhou Li heard this, he didn't care about the fact that they had to sleep in the same room, and his eyes lit up.
She stepped forward to take the letter, her voice clear.
"...The prince is well..."
After reading it, Zhou Li had a look of nausea on his face. This was a greeting letter, mainly asking about the Crown Prince's health, and then rambling on about the work he had done.
Zhou Li thought that Gong Yinai reviewed important court affairs every day, but he didn't expect there were such nonsense memorials. After reading them, Zhou Li wanted to extract a useful sentence from the nonsense on the paper, but there was not a single one.
She handed the memorial to Gong Yinai. Seeing Gong Yinai respond with a normal expression, then close the memorial and throw it aside, Zhou Li couldn't help but ask, "Do you want to review these memorials too?"
Gong Yinai glanced at her, then flipped the next one over and handed it to Zhou Li, saying, "This is also part of the Crown Prince's job. Although the paper is undoubtedly full of nonsense, you can still tell what he's doing from it. If you review it, it will also cheer up a minor official like this. When I need to promote officials in the future, who knows, maybe I'll remember him just because of this appearance. Otherwise, with so many officials in Qing Kingdom, I might not be able to remember them all."
Zhou Li suddenly realized what was going on when he heard Gong Yinai say, "The memorials I have received are relatively few, but the memorials from the officials of Qing State, both high and low, on my father's side, are piled up like a mountain."
Zhou Li then realized that being an emperor was not an easy job. He had to get up early and go to bed late every day, correct homework, and deal with major events urgently. He was simply a senior property manager, but this manager had the power of life and death over your life, and the whole world belonged to him.
Zhou Li suddenly had an idea and said, "It's better to be a tyrant."
Gong Yinai looked at Zhou Li with a half-smile. Seeing that Zhou Li didn't accept the memorial, he slapped her on the head and said, "If I am a tyrant, then you are a fox who flatters the lord."
"Hurry up and work! If the elders hear you say this, they will have you banished to the cold palace."
Zhou Li hugged the memorial, stuck out his tongue, and read it honestly.
Two people working together are much more efficient than one. Chatting and laughing, they finished reviewing all the memorials sent from the capital. Gong Yinai sorted them out and sorted them according to their importance. Then she looked at Zhou Li and said, "Help me wash up."
For some reason, Zhou Li's face suddenly turned red.
Gong Yinai stood under the lamp, tall and graceful. The charcoal fire in the room burned brightly, warm as spring. Outside, the north wind howled. Zhou Li stammered, "I, I, I, I'm going to find someone."
She turned and ran.
Gong Yinai snorted and walked around her this time.
The maid brought hot water, and Gong Yinai wiped away the fatigue from work. Putting down the towel, she looked at Zhou Li and said, "I have been learning from Hong Gu for so long, but I still haven't learned it well."
Zhou Li drew circles on the ground with her toes, pouting and saying nothing.
It was Gong Yinai who scared her before.
Gong Yinai extended his hand and said, "Come here."
Zhou Li didn't move.
She added, "Do you want me to say it again?"
Zhou Li came over reluctantly and was embraced by Gong Yinai. She raised her hand and knocked Zhou Li on the head, "You have been thinking about dirty things all day long. Go wash up and go to bed. If you don't want to, I won't touch you."
Zhou Li raised his eyes and met Gong Yinai's dark pupils, which seemed to be filled with stars, dazzling and charming.
Gong Yinai touched her head and said, "Silly girl." His words were affectionate.
"Go to bed early. I'll take you for a stroll down the mountain tomorrow. You haven't been out of the palace for so long, have you? There's a market at the foot of the mountain tomorrow, so let's go and join in the fun."
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