Chapter 40 Chapter 40 [VIP]
The Shuofang Military Town was established a few years ago to defend against the Rouran in the north.
The capital is located in Lingzhou, where the terrain is open and the lake forms a border, shaped like a phoenix, and is known as the Jiangnan of the Frontier.
After entering midsummer, the waves are rippling and the mountains are beautiful, which has a unique charm.
The lotus leaves are green as they reach the sky, and the lotus flowers are red as they follow the sun.
The weather was already extremely hot between April and May, but luckily it had just rained in the past two days.
There is a gentle breeze in the courtyard, which is cool and pleasant.
The maid moved the small bed to the lilac tree in the middle of the courtyard so that Yuan Mu could read there.
The light purple flowers are fragrant and elegant, and the buds occasionally fall with the wind.
After the summer began, she became much more energetic and spent more time outside her room.
After waking up from his nap, Yuan Mu walked out of the inner room.
She held a round fan in her hand, her loose black hair was blown by the wind, and under the bright sunlight, her face was as soft as snow.
She is graceful and cool like the moon.
Yuan Mu was wearing a light lotus pink dress, and her cool temperament was given a touch of femininity.
When the maids saw that she had woken up, they came over chattering.
"Madam, there's a banquet going on at the mansion today," the maids said happily. "The new governor, Gao, and his family are coming, too."
Yuan Mu fell ill again not long ago, so they didn't dare to disturb her all the time.
After she finally recovered, a group of people gathered around her.
Yuan Mu's face looks cold and aloof, but he is actually the easiest person to talk to.
When she was healthy, she was in charge of all the affairs of the mansion.
She has been unwell recently, so the housekeeper in the mansion has been in temporary care.
Yuan Mu listened for a moment, and before he could figure out which family this Jiedushi surnamed Gao belonged to, the King of Chu came over.
He had just returned from outside, dressed in red, with a slightly raised brow, and whispered, "Don't you have anything to do? What are you doing hanging around your wife?"
When the maids saw him coming, they quickly dispersed.
Yuan Mu half-covered her face with a round fan, raised her red lips, and smiled: "You always scare them."
The King of Chu said with a smile, "If I don't scare him, he will be in a mess."
After he came of age, he became much more imposing, but in private he was still lazy and seemed to be nonchalant in everything he did.
When he first arrived in Shuofang, the King of Chu was only temporarily sent by the emperor to serve as a pacification envoy.
Two years passed in a flash, and he had been in charge of the management of this place for almost two years.
The young man in red gradually became a reliable and upright young man.
Yuan Mu has been here for almost two years. She has been recovering from her illness for a long time and has seen many traveling doctors and foreign doctors. The symptoms left over from the fire have finally been gradually alleviated.
But her body is still much weaker than that of ordinary people.
Yuan Mu had nothing to do, so with the help of the housekeeper, he began to learn how to manage the household business.
She had been in the palace for three years, but had learned nothing except court etiquette, and didn't even understand the basic procedures.
So when the emperor asked Yuan Muxing to take on the duties of a noble concubine and handle palace affairs, she was very reluctant.
But now she can handle many complicated tasks and even opened two bookstores.
Life is like a dream and time passes like water.
Today's life is peaceful and calm, which may seem a bit boring to outsiders.
However, for Yuan Mu, this was a wonderful life that she had never dared to imagine.
She followed the King of Chu to the outer room. After passing the corridor, she saw a carriage parked beside the screen wall.
The King of Chu helped Yuan Mu into the carriage. He lowered his brows and said softly, "Didn't you say you wanted to go rafting a few days ago? We have a lot of things to do tonight, and Gao Shen is very annoying. Let's go out and play for the afternoon first."
He did things as he pleased, and that included taking her out.
Without ever telling anyone beforehand, he just took Yuan Mu onto the carriage.
She had been forced to follow the rules in the palace for three years, and finally tasted the long-lost freedom. She did not hate the King of Chu's way of doing things at all.
There are many lakes in Lingzhou and the scenery nearby is also beautiful.
Also traveling with him were the King of Chu's staff and attendants.
This lake area belongs to the King of Chu privately, so there is no need to worry about outsiders snooping.
Yuan Mu was wearing a veil hat, holding up the hem of her skirt, and holding lotus leaves and lotus flowers in her hands. When the wind blew up the veil, her beautiful face seemed to glow.
She stood in the boat and said with a smile, "I'm so scared of falling."
"No," the King of Chu smiled softly, "the water is very shallow, I will rescue you."
The afternoon was pleasant and happy, but there were always some annoying guys who showed up.
The son of the current Lingzhou governor is a very opportunistic person who wants to board the King of Chu's ship.
They had not been playing for long when someone delivered a letter saying that they had just seen His Highness's carriage and wanted to pay their respects to His Highness. They had brought two small gifts and wondered if His Highness had the time.
The King of Chu lowered the veil from Yuan Mu's veiled hat, turned around and said nonchalantly, "Tell him I don't have time, and tell him not to bother me."
He sent the man away with just a few words.
But Yuan Mu was still a little nervous.
She grabbed the King of Chu's sleeve and asked, "Did you... discover something?"
Yuan Mu has been dead for two years now.
However, until now, the emperor has only said that the imperial concubine is seriously ill and is still recuperating.
At the same time, it was not taken back.
Fleet, heading overseas.
More than two years have passed, and Yuan Mu basically no longer thinks of the emperor except when he wakes up from a nightmare.
But she had to face the fact that so much time had passed and he didn't seem to have thought about letting go.
In the past two years, the harem has been almost silent.
The emperor never held a beauty contest again, nor did he favor anyone. His life was filled with government affairs, nothing else.
"Why are you worried about him?" The King of Chu smiled lazily. "If we were to discover his scheming nature, I'm afraid the news would have reached the emperor long ago."
"Okay, keep playing," he said softly, "If you don't play for a while longer, you'll have to go back soon."
The King of Chu's words were direct, but they did put Yuan Mu's guard down.
The most dangerous place is the safest place.
The emperor has always had great ambitions towards the Rouran in the north.
Shuofang is a major move in his plan to govern the world, and anyone who can be sent here is his most trusted confidant.
This may be the darkest part of the lamp.
Yuan Mu broke off the lotus pods and ate the lotus seeds while rowing the boat.
The King of Chu's staff were brought back by him from the south of the Yangtze River. They were knowledgeable and well-informed about ancient and modern times, and they told her stories endlessly.
The Xi family of Gaoping originally had their ancestral home in Jinxiang. Later, when the Chinese people moved south, the entire family moved south and moved to Jiangning.
The King of Chu was in poor health when he was young and was even poisoned, so he grew up there, and the people around him were also brought there from that time.
The emperor loved his only younger brother very much and never had any doubts about the King of Chu. He even never cared about the people around him.
In his eyes, his younger brother is still the little boy he needed to take care of.
Even after the King of Chu was crowned, the emperor's favor towards him remained unchanged.
Yuan Mu often handled various offerings sent from the palace, and she even helped the King of Chu reply to letters from the emperor.
He sent the King of Chu to be the governor of Shuofang.
This was a very important position, but he was reluctant to let the King of Chu suffer, so he selected several governors and military governors, all of whom were extremely talented and virtuous people.
All the emperor did was just to clear the image of the King of Chu as a dandy fool.
When he really wants to treat someone well, it is truly touching.
But Yuan Mu was not so lucky.
All the suffering she had endured under the emperor was unbearable even in her memories.
The King of Chu brought Yuan Mu to play here for a long time, and only took her back home when the golden crow set in the west.
Looking at the tall black horse that Wei Congguan was riding, Yuan Mu looked away with great difficulty.
She was a horse she had just learned to ride last year.
But after learning it, Yuan Mu fell in love with this feeling.
For a period of time, she tried every possible means to ride a horse and even refused to ride in a carriage.
It was rare for Yuan Mu to have a hobby, so how could the King of Chu be willing to stop her? The people around her were even more delighted.
It was not until she almost fell off her horse one time that the King of Chu stopped her addictive behavior.
But every time he saw a horse with shiny fur, Yuan Mu always wanted to touch it.
The King of Chu took Yuan Mu to the carriage and said helplessly, "Next time, when Gao Shen goes to the border state, I will take you to the hunting ground to race horses."
She reluctantly withdrew her gaze.
Yuan Mu is about to celebrate her eleventh birthday, but she now looks more like a girl than when she was in the palace.
Her watery eyes are lively, like a clear spring.
Yuan Mu's good mood did not disappear until he returned home.
The person who came today was the new governor of Shuofang, Gao Shen. He was a famous military commander, and his eldest son married the eldest princess of Qin.
Yuan Mu flipped through the list and was stunned for a moment before he remembered that he was Defei's uncle.
During the days when she was recuperating in the Prince of Chu's mansion, she did not learn any news from the outside world. It was only after she arrived in Shuofang that she learned that Concubine De had already been sentenced to death.
But the emperor did not punish the Gao family and still treated them with great courtesy.
Yuan Mu and Concubine De have had a long-standing feud, but she has no bad impression of the loyal and brave Gao family.
The emperor's handling of the matter made her feel much more at ease.
Yuan Mu had never met Gao Shen, and she had very little contact with men outside of her family.
But the Grand Princess of Qin should have seen her.
This princess was the emperor's concubine sister. Her biological mother died early, so she was not involved in the chaos of that year, and her marriage was quite smooth.
Yuan Mu rarely went to the lobby and would not meet them, but somehow, just looking at the list, she had a bad feeling.
Her knuckles curled, slowly tightening.
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The night banquet was very lively.
Gao Shen was a famous military general, and his father and brother were also famous generals with outstanding military achievements.
He has spent half his life in the military, fighting campaigns east and west, and has never settled down for many years. Now that he is the governor of Shuofang, he has enjoyed a rare period of peace and tranquility.
Gao Shen is not very old, about forty years old, and he looks calm and composed.
Following him were his two sons and two young daughters-in-law. The older daughter-in-law was the eldest princess of Qin.
She was about the same age as the King of Chu, with a gentle, quiet and elegant temperament.
After the greetings, the banquet began.
The music and dance of Shuofang are different from those of other places, and the sound of the zither is particularly sharp, like the military music in the army.
The musicians performed a sword dance to the beat of drums, which drew applause from the whole audience.
As the King of Chu drank, he spoke to Gao Shen, "It's been a while since we last met. Uncle Gao looks even more dashing and handsome than before. I can hardly believe you're already over forty."
Gao Shen said very little, and said politely, "Your Highness, thank you for your kind words."
His eldest son personally filled a cup of wine for the King of Chu.
The young man spoke in a very proper and elegant manner, and said in a gentle voice, "Your Highness is a man of great character and valor, and has made great contributions to the country. I offer a toast to you."
His posture when toasting was always exceptionally upright, like a tree growing upwards.
No wonder the emperor married the eldest princess of Qin to him.
The King of Chu drank the wine carelessly and said lazily, "Mr. Gao, it is a false compliment to say so."
"My brother the Emperor asked me to come here simply to improve my reputation and protect me from too much criticism," he drawled. "From now on, I will rely on you all for military and political affairs."
The King of Chu's words were direct and humble.
He was used to living a luxurious life, and even the expenses in Shuofang Mansion were not much different from when he was in the capital.
The courtyard was planted with lilac flowers, and the cups, bowls, and plates were all made of gold and jade.
Lingzhou is considered prosperous among the northwestern provinces, but this prosperity cannot be compared with Jingzhao.
I don’t know how the emperor could be so cruel as to send people to Shuofang?
Hearing the King of Chu say this, Gao Shen's eyebrows raised slightly. He had a strong sense of being an elder, and said slowly, "Your Majesty, this is also for your own good."
The dinner was lively, with many guests present. After three rounds of drinks, fireworks were set off.
Yuan Mu sat on the small Hu bed in the courtyard and watched the fireworks.
She tilted her head back, her eyes wide open.
The maid Jinzhi took out a thick blanket from the room and draped it over Yuan Mu's shoulders: "Madam, are you cold?"
After arriving in Shuofang, they followed the local customs and called her "Niangzi".
"It's not too cold." Yuan Mu shook his head, but did not refuse Jinzhi's kindness.
Her eyelashes were long, casting a gorgeous light golden shadow on her eyelids, a beauty that was hard to touch.
It can only be viewed from a distance and not played with.
The night wind blew the purple lilac tree, and tiny flowers fell on Yuan Mu's shoulders.
Her red lips opened and she reached out in surprise to catch the falling petals.
Rather than being surrounded by a group of people, Yuan Mu actually prefers to be alone in silence. She was tired from playing in the afternoon, and the maids were waiting in the inner room.
After delivering the thick blanket to Yuan Mu, Jinzhi also returned to the inner room.
Yuan Mu was the only one sitting in the courtyard.
So it took her a long time before she noticed that a strange man was staring at her.
The man was tall, dressed in luxurious clothes, and his posture was full of the arrogance of a superior.
Yuan Mu's breathing suddenly became disordered. This was the backyard of the Prince of Chu's mansion. No male guests had ever come in, no matter how big the banquet was.
She stood up, her nerves tense, and said in a trembling voice, "Who are you?"
Seeing her alert posture, the man softened his brows and said in a mellow voice, "Don't be afraid, my lady. I was drunk and walked into the wrong place. Could you please show me the way? Where is the rest room?"
The man's face was slightly hazy under the moonlight.
But Yuan Mu could not detect any sign of drunkenness in his expression or posture.
It was clearly him who had trespassed into the inner court, but his tone did not contain any apology at all, but instead revealed a sense of entitlement.
Yuan Mu was extremely sensitive to this tone.
She lowered her eyes and said, "I don't know. There are maids and servants outside."
Unless the guests are extremely important, they are not allowed to carry swords at banquets.
But what this man was wearing around his waist was a Green Dragon Sword.
His eyes were also extremely dangerous, like a bloodthirsty soldier.
No, it should be a military general.
Yuan Mu had experienced disasters, so he had an instinctive wariness towards such people.
"Oh, so that's how it is," the man said, his voice slightly softer, as if he had carefully considered her words. "It was because I went to the wrong place today that Madam Wan Lai didn't cause any great disaster."
He said slowly, "May I ask your identity and name, madam? I will thank you another day."
There was a little cold sweat on Yuan Mu's palms.
This is the residence of the King of Chu, and she cannot cause trouble for him, especially since the man opposite her looks not someone to be trifled with.
Yuan Mu lowered his head, bit his lip and said, "It's just a small favor, no need to do this."
After she finished speaking, she wanted to go to the inner room. Fortunately, the servants beside the man came to her as soon as she finished speaking.
The attendant was sweating profusely and called out anxiously, "Sir, you are going in the wrong direction. The elegant hall is on the other side!"
Seeing someone coming, Yuan Mu picked up her skirt and hurried towards the inner room.
Her face was pale. She took the maid's arm and whispered, "Is the water ready? I want to take a bath."
Yuan Mu fell asleep quickly after taking a shower.
But the banquet was still very lively until the early morning.
The King of Chu ordered all the calligraphy and paintings treasured in the palace to be taken out, and everyone gathered around to admire them.
He leaned against the screen and said lazily, "These were all sent by my royal brother. I'm not good at calligraphy or painting, so if you like any of them, you can pick one or two to take home."
The King of Chu was not well-trained and was known as a fool. All the teachers who had taught him knew how scary his handwriting was.
But everyone present, even the military generals, could see how precious this calligraphy and painting was.
The King of Chu was generous and willing to share, so everyone did not act too arrogantly.
The banquet was lively and bustling until one person arrived, and the focus of the banquet shifted slightly.
Gao Shen's serious expression softened slightly, and he said helplessly, "Why did you come just now? It's been a while since we last met. Has your alcohol tolerance dropped so much? You need to rest for a while to sober up."
The man showed his face, and his eyes and eyebrows clearly showed nobility.
But his long military career has given him an obvious military temperament.
It's like a sharp sword, cold and sharp.
He said slowly, "Don't blame me, brother. I was just distracted by the flowers."
The man had an outstanding face and a demeanor similar to Gao Shen's. Many people recognized him at a glance as Gao Shen's younger brother Gao Shi, and hurried forward to shake hands and say hello.
The King of Chu turned the cup in his hand, but his expression did not relax.
He stared in the direction where Gao Shi was coming from, with a hint of gloom in his eyes.
The banquet didn't end until late at night.
After all, he was the newly appointed governor of Shuofang, so the welcoming banquet held for him could not be too grand.
The King of Chu hooked the handle of the wine glass and gently stroked the edge of the cup with his fingertips.
As he listened to the servant's words, the gloom in Danfeng's eyes grew deeper and deeper.
But when it came time to see the guests off, the King of Chu put on a gentle face and escorted everyone from the Gao family to the carriage.
Just when everyone was about to set off, Gao Shi stopped for a moment.
He leaned his arm against the side of the carriage and looked at the King of Chu with a smile: "Your Highness should have heard about what happened just now."
"I'm very sorry for scaring the noble lady in the mansion," Gao Shi said gently, "but I've never heard of any female relatives in the mansion. Is that your Highness's cousin, or a visiting relative?"
Those who can live in the inner court must be very close to the owner of the mansion.
If the Lord is not in the mansion, cousins, female guests and the like must avoid suspicion, so how can they live in the inner court?
What is more terrifying than a villain is a hypocrite.
More troublesome than a hypocrite is a desperado in a mask.
The Gao family is famous for its loyalty, integrity and honesty, and has produced many famous generals from generation to generation.
This is mainly because there are two types of people in the family, one type is as upright as the gentlemen of ancient times, and the other type is a desperado who does not take his life seriously.
Gao Chi belongs to the latter.
"Neither," the King of Chu said calmly, "they are my concubines."
Gao Shi's expression was slightly surprised, and he smiled softly: "Is it because I haven't been able to get through? Your Highness has taken a concubine recently? I will definitely ask my wife to come and pay a visit tomorrow."
He directly defined the term "inner concubine" as concubines.
But everyone knows that the King of Chu has no queen now.
The King of Chu was calm and composed. He said calmly, "Why should we be so polite to each other?"
"After the prince and the emperor have informed me," he said with a faint smile, "it won't be too late to have Madam come to pay us a visit."
Gao Shi's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained composure and smiled broadly, "Hahaha! Then I'll wait for good news from Your Highness."
He did not enter the carriage, but mounted his horse.
Gao Shi waved to the King of Chu and said loudly, "Goodbye, Your Highness."
The King of Chu greeted him with a smile, but when he turned around, there was only a deep coldness on his face.
His eyes were gloomy and his voice was cold: "What's going on with the guards in the mansion?"
The steward was so frightened that his legs were shaking. He said in a trembling voice, "Your Highness, that thief broke into the inner court by climbing over the wall..."
Yuan Mu's identity is special, so both the Chu Palace in Jingzhao and the residence in Shuofang are extremely cautious about the flow of personnel and security.
Nothing has gone wrong in the past two years.
Who would have thought that he would meet such a shameless villain like Gao Shi.
The King of Chu looked grim, but he immediately turned around and went to the inner court.
When he went over, Yuan Mu had just woken up from a nightmare. Her face was covered in tears and she kept wanting to retch.
The King of Chu lifted the curtain, brought out a bowl, waited for Yuan Mu to stop retching, and then helped her drink a little water.
Things happened suddenly tonight, and he knew she would definitely feel uncomfortable, but he didn't expect her nightmare to be so severe.
The King of Chu took the candy box from the antique shelf, placed it in front of Yuan Mu, and said in a low voice, "Shall I ask the court doctor to come over?"
Yuan Mu ate a piece of malt candy. Her eyes were red and swollen, and her expression was a little frightened.
She shook her head and said, "No, I'm fine."
Yuan Mu has been away from the palace for two years, but the shadow cast by the emperor on her seems to have never disappeared.
The King of Chu took a handkerchief and gently wiped the cold sweat off her face.
"Don't be afraid, it's okay," he said in a slow voice, "I'll take care of that person."
Yuan Mu sat on the bed hugging her knees. She tried hard to hold back her tears, but a few tears still fell: "Have I caused you any trouble?"
The King of Chu wiped away the tears from Yuan Mu's eyes with his fingertips and said softly, "It's not a problem."
He said softly, "Your affairs are never troublesome."
Just now, when Yuan Mu heard the scream in her dream, a maid wanted to go in, but after the King of Chu came in, no one came in to disturb her.
Their relationship seems complicated, but it is actually not.
No matter what their past was, they were now just young men and women separated by a layer of paper-like barrier.
They will always be together.
Whether it was the servants in the mansion or themselves, they all felt this way.
When Yuan Mu resolves his emotional knot, even if there are mountains and clouds to climb, the King of Chu will definitely cross them.
He lowered his head and asked, "What did you dream about?"
The King of Chu gently embraced Yuan Mu. She leaned against his chest with tears in her eyes, her voice weak and low: "I dreamed...I dreamed that he came to arrest me."
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