Chapter 25 [25]
【25】/First release
The next day, the sky was clear and the air was bright, with a gentle breeze.
While Lu Zhiwan rested his feet in Lifeng Palace recuperating from his injuries, Xiao Jingting, standing by the Yangxin Palace, insinuated to Prime Minister Gu, "I know Lord Gu is devoted to the country and its people, but he should still spare some time to care for his family. I heard General Wuwei had another grandson last month. Lord Gu is about the same age as him, yet he has no children. Doesn't Lord Gu envy the joy of family?"
Prime Minister Gu was puzzled by the emperor's special care. He responded with a flattered look, but after leaving the Yangxin Palace, he was still pondering the deeper meaning of his words.
Your Majesty, do you think he is too old and want him to retire and return home?
Or is it that your son Gu Rongyu's marriage is still undecided, and Your Majesty is trying to act as a matchmaker?
Or was he deliberately attacking his daughter, hinting at her earlier jealous tactics? His Majesty's affable demeanor didn't suggest that.
When he returned home after finishing his shift in the evening, Mrs. Gu saw that he was absent-minded and could not help but ask him about it.
Prime Minister Gu reported the Emperor's words truthfully. Madam Gu was shocked and horrified when she heard them: "Why did Your Majesty suddenly bring up this?"
"Your heart is hard to predict, how can I know it?"
The old couple pondered for a long while. Mrs. Gu slapped her forehead and said with a look of enlightenment: "I know!"
Chief Minister Gu frowned and looked at her: "What do you know?"
Madam Gu walked to the window, closed it, and then lowered her voice, "Isn't the Prince of Liaodong returning to the capital this time to choose a wife for his son and a son-in-law for his daughter? The Crown Prince has chosen a wife from the capital, and she will definitely follow him back to Liaodong. As for the princess, she will marry in the capital... The past story between the Prince of Liaodong and the Queen Mother may be unknown to others, but we know it all."
At the mention of the past, a flicker of discomfort crossed Chief Minister Gu's face. It was because of him that his sister and Xiao Xian met, but they missed each other. Although both were now over fifty, the memory of their first half of life still brought endless regrets.
"If Princess Lanchun could marry into our family, it would not only resolve their past regrets, but also win over the Liaodong King's loyalty to the court..." Madam Gu's voice became increasingly quiet, a shrewd glint in her eyes. "Furthermore, the more stable our family's position, the closer Yu'er will be to the position of empress. Master, this is a win-win situation!"
Even the women in the inner chambers could see the dangers, so how could Prime Minister Gu not understand? He simply said, "Your Majesty didn't mention the King of Liaodong, so that's not necessarily what he meant."
Madam Gu was getting a little too obsessed with this. She rolled her eyes and said, "Think about it, which noble lady in the capital is worthy of our Rong Yu? Only Princess Lan Chun is worthy."
The previous emperor had very few children. Not to mention the persecuted princes, not even a single princess was left. Otherwise, in Madam Gu's opinion, her own outstanding son, Princess Shang, would be more than enough.
Late at night, when everyone is asleep, the chirping of insects fills the summer night.
Under the dim candlelight, Chief Minister Gu stroked his sparse gray beard and said solemnly, "After all, Rongyu has gone to Jiangnan and won't be back for several months. Let's wait and see for a while."
Mrs. Gu said "Okay" verbally, but in her heart she had already regarded Liaodong Princess Xiao Lanchun as the first choice for her daughter-in-law. She was thinking about finding more opportunities to interact with her and get to know her better.
***
In the palace, while Lu Zhiwan was recuperating from her foot injury, the empress dowager sent someone to inquire about her once, and several concubines who wanted to get close to her also came to visit. Apart from that, her days in Lifeng Palace were quiet, comfortable and boring.
When people are bored, they can't help but think about random things.
These days, Lu Zhiwan has carefully reviewed the plot of the original novel again. It is basically certain that if she wants to overturn the original plot by her own strength and preserve her current peaceful life of eating and waiting for death in the harem, it will be as difficult as taking the entrance exam to Tsinghua University.
The original author is practically the biological father of the male protagonist Zhao Wenshao. He has been giving the male protagonist golden fingers all the way. The male protagonist is like a cat demon with nine lives. He can escape any danger and gain a group of loyal followers, rare treasures, and all kinds of beauties.
As for the heroine, Xiao Ningning, the daughter of Prince Yuzhang, she is just one of the hero's concubines and the main wife.
This is also the reason why Lu Zhiwan cannot tolerate Gu Rongyu being let down - Xiao Ningning ignores Gu Rongyu who treats her wholeheartedly, and has to compete with a group of concubines for the male protagonist, this dirty cucumber. What is she trying to do?
Lu Zhiwan never understood the love-brain mentality and stopped thinking about it. "Who cares about their love-hate entanglements? I'll just stay away from them."
But how should she hide, when should she start hiding, and where should she hide? These all need to be carefully considered and planned in advance.
If she remembered correctly, Zhao Wenshao and Prince Yuzhang's rebellion took at least three years to complete. Digging a tunnel out of the palace in three years was too difficult, but digging a dog hole would probably be possible, right?
Thinking of this, Lu Zhiwan got up from the bed, did some makeup, and asked Aunt Qiu Rong to take her around the palace.
If she wants to escape, she must first familiarize herself with the terrain. It has been almost two months since she came here, and she still doesn't know how big the palace is.
Seeing that she wanted to go out for a stroll, Aunt Qiu Rong was happy to lead the way. "The flowers everywhere in the palace are in full bloom. You had a rash on your face that didn't go away, so you took care of it for a long time. Then you twisted your ankle and stayed indoors for a while. Now that you can finally go out, you must take a good look at the flowers all over the palace."
Lu Zhiwan didn't think much of it at first, but after Aunt Qiu Rong said that, she suddenly felt that her fate was really unfortunate this time travel. She was chased by wasps, fell into the water twice, and was almost disfigured and sprained her foot. It turned out that she had not had a peaceful day for many days.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Auntie, to take me around."
"You're too polite, Concubine."
Aunt Qiu Rong was an elder in the palace. With her guidance and explanations, Lu Zhiwan soon had a general understanding of this magnificent palace.
In the next few days, she asked Aunt Qiu Rong to take her around for a stroll whenever she had free time.
Xiao Jingting was busy with the spring tax collection and had a rare moment of free time. He remembered that there was a troublesome woman in the harem, so he casually asked Yu Mingjiang, who was grinding ink nearby, "What has Lu been doing these days?"
Yu Mingjiang paused twisting the ink stick and looked at the emperor in surprise.
In the past, when His Majesty had some free time, he would always ask about the cats in Jinli Garden first, but now he actually asked about Concubine Lu first.
Fortunately, Concubine Lu's itinerary was very simple. Yu Mingjiang gathered his sleeves and replied respectfully, "Concubine Lu has been wandering around the palace these days."
"Strolling around?"
Xiao Jingting frowned. If he remembered correctly, that woman was a complete lazy bum. She would never stand if she could sit, and would never sit if she could lie down. Now she would actually wander around the palace for several days in a row.
This is not normal.
"Call Qiu Rong here, I want to ask her something."
Seeing the emperor's serious expression, Yu Mingjiang did not dare to delay and hurriedly ordered someone to go to Lifeng Palace to summon Aunt Qiu Rong.
Not long after, Aunt Qiu Rong appeared in the Yangxin Palace and reported truthfully where Lu Zhiwan had visited and what he had asked in the past few days.
Knowing that she sometimes walked back and forth in one place many times, Xiao Jingting frowned even more tightly.
When Aunt Qiu Rong saw the emperor frowning, she felt uneasy and looked at Yu Mingjiang with a puzzled look.
Yu Mingjiang understood, carefully considering his tone, and leaned down to ask, "Your Majesty, is there anything wrong?"
His bony fingers tapped the table occasionally, and Xiao Jingting was silent and thoughtful.
After a long while, he instructed Aunt Qiu Rong: "When you go back, just pretend nothing happened and see what she will do next."
Aunt Qiu Rong and Yu Mingjiang were both confused, but they had no choice but to do as the emperor ordered.
In the next few days, Lu Zhiwan still went out early and came back late, nominally strolling around, but actually exploring the map.
At this moment, she did not know that her behavior had been completely exposed under the emperor's nose and was judged by the emperor to be abnormal.
"When Xiao Caiyun first arrived at Jinliyuan, she also exhibited this behavior, pacing back and forth in her cage all day, over and over again. At first, I didn't think much of it, until one day she banged her head against the wall, attempting to harm herself. Chen Jinxi consulted several experienced animal trainers and learned that Xiao Caiyun had previously been raised in the wild. Once in captivity, her living environment became boring and monotonous, lacking stimulation, and she became overly stressed, leading to her mental health issues."
Xiao Jingting stood by the window with his hands behind his back: "That Lu family is wandering around the palace, isn't that just like what Xiao Caiyun did back then?"
Yu Mingjiang, who was serving beside him, was speechless for a moment. After a long pause, he tried to clarify: "Your Majesty, Xiao Caiyun is a leopard, and Lu Jieyu is a human..."
He wanted to say, "How can humans be compared with animals?", but when the words came to his lips, he suddenly remembered that in His Majesty's heart, cats had a much higher status than humans.
From a certain perspective, the fact that His Majesty mentioned Concubine Lu and Xiao Caiyun together shows that His Majesty values Concubine Lu.
Xiao Jingting also noticed Yu Mingjiang's hesitation and narrowed his eyes slightly: "Do you think what I said is wrong?"
The slightly elongated low ending tone made Yu Mingjiang's scalp tighten, and his back hunched even deeper. He hurriedly said, "Your Majesty is wise, and it is I who am foolish and dull."
Xiao Jingting glanced at him without saying a word, and just turned to look at the dim sky.
A cold crescent moon hung high above the eaves, dotted with a few tiny stars, sparkling.
After watching silently for a while, Xiao Jingting suddenly spoke: "I remember the Imperial Astronomical Observatory reported two days ago that there was a meteor spectacle in the moon?"
Yu Mingjiang was stunned for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "Xu Jianzheng also said that this meteor shower is the most spectacular in twenty years. If you want to see the view, the Moon Viewing Platform on Dongshan Mountain is the best place."
As he spoke, he observed the emperor's expression and asked softly, "Your Majesty, would you like to see it?"
Xiao Jingting lowered his eyes, his face calm: "It's true that I haven't been out for a while, so I'll take this opportunity to take Lu out for a walk."
Yu Mingjiang smiled and said, "Yes, I will go down to arrange this matter tomorrow morning."
Xiao Jingting hummed softly, turned around, and caught a glimpse of Yu Mingjiang's face, which was filled with a kind smile. He suddenly felt a little uncomfortable and coughed lightly, "I'm afraid she'll hit her head against the wall like Xiao Caiyun did. Xiao Caiyun hit her head against the wall and survived. Whether Lu hits the wall to death is another matter, but it will make her already stupid head even stupider, which will cause trouble for me."
Yu Mingjiang was speechless, not daring to say more. He just nodded in agreement, "Your Majesty, be merciful."
***
"Want to watch the meteor shower?"
Upon learning of the emperor's invitation, Lu Zhiwan sat up in bed and looked at Xia He in surprise, "Is it a meteor shower that only happens once every twenty years?"
"Wow, a meteor shower! A must-have for time travel."
"Maybe I can use this meteor shower to get through! God will never let down any child who wanders away from home!"
The more she thought about it, the more excited she became, but that excitement was quickly diluted by reason—
She fell from a wire harness. Wouldn't modern bodies have been cremated long ago? Even if she were to put it back on, it would be nothing more than a pile of ashes, scattering in the wind before she could even take two steps...
Thinking of that possibility, Lu Zhiwan hugged the soft silk quilt and fell into deep thought.
"Master, it's such a wonderful thing to travel with you. And this time we're going to watch the shooting stars!" Xia He cupped her hands in her heart, her eyes full of longing: "It's all written in the storybook, a beautiful day, under the moon and flowers, deep love, you and I..."
"I told you to read less storybooks..."
If she were to go out with another man, it might be a truly romantic trip. But after the previous experience of being frightened by a tiger and leopard, Lu Zhiwan was wary of traveling with Xiao Jingting.
Who knows whether they are going to see the meteor shower or the mountain transformation plan.
"Master, are you going or not?" Xia He tilted her head and looked at her eagerly.
Lu Zhiwan touched his chin, thought for a while, and then nodded helplessly: "Go."
She had no right to refuse anyway.
Moreover, going out of the palace and getting to know the situation outside the palace can be considered as doing homework in advance for future life outside the palace.
Once there is something to look forward to in ordinary days, time seems to pass faster.
In the blink of an eye, it is the middle of the month. According to the calculations of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, a meteor shower that is rarely seen in the past twenty years will arrive at the hour of Hai tonight.
Thirty miles from the capital, Dongshan Mountain had been meticulously guarded three days in advance, ensuring that not even a fly could get in. At nightfall, torches lit on the mountain illuminated the winding path up the mountain as bright as day.
Lu Zhiwan sat in the carriage, lifted the curtain and looked out. Seeing the torches swaying in the wind, his eyelids twitched: "The forest is dry. With so many torches, aren't you afraid of fire?"
Xiao Jingting, who was resting with his eyes closed, heard this, slowly opened his eyes, and glanced at the beautiful figure lying by the window.
The angles she focuses on are always unexpected.
When the carriage slowly stopped at the mountain gate, Xiao Jingting lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage, and then instructed Yu Mingjiang: "Big brother, tell them to extinguish half of the torches."
Yu Mingjiang was surprised: "Your Majesty?"
Xiao Jingting brushed his sleeves and looked at Lu Zhiwan who was walking down behind him: "Lu Jieyu is worried about the fire, so let's do as she says."
Yu Mingjiang glanced at Lu Zhiwan and hurried down to make arrangements.
Lu Zhiwan hadn't expected that Xiao Jingting would actually listen to her casual complaint. Feeling the awe-inspiring gazes of the palace servants around her, she pursed her lips uncomfortably, muttering to herself, "With this, it seems like he's really trying to be my favorite concubine?"
"It's hot during the day, but it's cooler and more pleasant to travel at night."
Xiao Jingting took Lu Zhiwan's hand and slowly walked up the stairs under the light of the palace lanterns.
"Your Majesty is wise." Lu Zhiwan knew that they would be climbing a mountain today, so she specially wore a light bean green dress and her hair was tied into a simple bun, fixed with a bamboo green jade hairpin, and two pink and white peony silk flowers were pinned on the left and right as embellishments.
She held Xiao Jingting's hand with one hand, and held the hem of her skirt with the other hand, and slowly climbed up.
Perhaps it was because she had been confined in the palace for too long, or because her body was too fragile, but she was exhausted after walking for a while, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on her forehead.
Fortunately, Dongshan was not too high, and there was still some time before the time calculated by the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, so they walked and stopped, and it was not too tiring.
After climbing for about half an hour, the group arrived at the Moon-Viewing Platform on the top of the East Mountain.
This is the best viewing spot on Dongshan Mountain, where mountains and water complement each other and the view is vast. In modern times, it would be enclosed by businesses, and taking a tourist photo would cost 20 yuan per photo.
Now, this pavilion, which has not been polluted by modern times, is hung with magnificent and exquisite palace lanterns, pink gauze curtains, and covered with soft and luxurious cashmere carpets. On the table, hollow carved gold and silver cups are filled with fresh fruits and cakes, and two small wine glasses are placed next to the gilded wine pot.
The lights are bright, the incense is lingering, and the viewing atmosphere is at its peak.
"I didn't expect that a eunuch like Yu Zongguan could be so good at creating romance? Could it be that he, like Xia He, also secretly reads storybooks?"
Lu Zhiwan clicked his tongue in his heart, and suddenly a low laugh came from his ears.
She was stunned for a moment, then turned her head to look. The handsome man next to her had an indifferent expression, not a smile at all.
Seeing her looking at him, he frowned and looked puzzled: "Why are you looking at me?"
"Nothing... nothing." Did I mishear that laughter just now?
She lowered her eyes slightly, then raised her head again, smiling innocently and brightly: "I didn't expect this pavilion to be so beautifully decorated. Watching the shooting stars with Your Majesty tonight will surely be something I will never forget."
Xiao Jingting didn't comment and raised his finger: "Sit down."
Lu Zhiwan was a little tired from climbing the mountain, so he didn't bother to be polite with him. He walked into the pavilion, sat down, and slowly ate the fruits and pastries.
The evening breeze is blowing, the night is hazy, with good wine in hand and a handsome man beside me——
If this handsome guy had a less weird temper and could remain silent the entire time, Lu Zhiwan felt that this trip would be a pretty good experience.
After drinking two glasses of fruit wine, Lu Zhiwan took the initiative to chat with Xiao Jingting, "Your Majesty, why do you suddenly want to see the shooting stars?"
Xiao Jingting sat lazily, his slender, cold white palms playing with the cup, his tone also lazy: "I came just because I wanted to, why so many whys."
Lu Zhiwan choked and raised his wine cup awkwardly, "Yes, we came here with excitement and left with satisfaction. Your Majesty has quite a bit of the casual elegance of the famous scholars of the Wei and Jin dynasties."
Xiao Jingting looked at her trying hard to praise him and smiled: "If you were a man, it would not be bad for you to stay by my side."
"Oh my god, you really are a man?"
“…”
Xiao Jingting's face stiffened slightly, and he took a breath and continued, "What I mean is that you stay by my side as a eunuch. Listening to your flattery every day can also be used to relieve my fatigue."
Lu Zhiwan: “…”
"Thank you for your appreciation."
"There's no point in having a conversation this damn day. It's my fault for wanting to start a conversation with him. Better just shut up, eat my cake, and wait for the meteor shower."
Perhaps there was some error in the calculations of the ancient Imperial Astronomical Observatory. The hour of Hai had passed, but there was still no sign of the meteor shower.
Instead, a strong wind started to blow on the top of the mountain, blowing the gauze curtains hanging around the pavilion, almost covering Lu Zhiwan's face.
"Your Majesty, the wind seems a bit strong..."
"fine."
“…” Lu Zhiwan pursed her lips, silently reached out to remove a leaf from his head, and then looked at him quietly.
That clear and lingering look clearly said: Are you sure this is okay?
Xiao Jingting: "..."
A hint of discomfort flashed across that cold, pale face. He frowned, turned around, and shouted, "Where is the Director of the Imperial Observatory?"
The director of the Imperial Observatory was quickly brought up. Seeing the strong wind, he was also a little panicked: "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty and the Concubine."
Xiao Jingting narrowed his eyes and said concisely: "Where is Meteor?"
The Supervisor held onto his hat, which was about to be blown away by the wind, and swallowed hard. "The calculation shows it's midnight. Maybe we have to wait a little longer..."
Xiao Jingting said coldly: "Then tell me, how long do you mean by wait a while?"
The Supervisor's voice trembled with nervousness: "This... the celestial phenomena are changing rapidly. Your Majesty, please allow me a moment to re-calculate."
The wind howling on the mountaintop was getting stronger and stronger, and there was even a faint sound of thunder.
Lu Zhiwan watched the mountain breeze blowing up Xiao Jingting's wide black robe, and for a moment she couldn't tell whether the thunder was real or a sound effect she had imagined based on the man's cold aura.
But his dark face was indeed terrifying.
Not to mention the terrified warden, even I, who was watching from the side, was so overwhelmed by the powerful and cold aura that I dared not breathe.
Amidst the howling wind, Xiao Jingting said coldly, "I'll give you a stick of incense."
"If you can't calculate the exact time after one stick of incense, I will turn you into a shooting star."
The supervisor's face turned pale immediately, and he answered "yes" with a trembling voice, then hurried to the side to calculate.
Lu Zhiwan looked at the pitiful appearance of the Supervisor and sighed inwardly: "It's not easy to be a worker."
Turning to look at Xiao Jingting again: "Evil black-hearted boss."
Just as this thought came to her mind, she saw the man in front of her raise his eyes and look straight at her.
When their eyes met, Lu Zhiwan's expression froze. Just as she was about to force a smile, a bright white light flashed between her dark pupils, and the next moment her pupils shrank sharply -
"What a huge lightning!"
The brilliant white light almost illuminated the entire mountain. As everyone was stunned in amazement, a huge "boom" sounded.
Lu Zhiwan swore that she had never seen such terrible thunder and lightning weather in her life. The moment the thunder sounded, she truly experienced what "deafening" and "earth-shaking" meant.
But before she could exclaim in amazement, there was a burst of movement and chaos around her——
"The ground seems to be moving!"
“It’s really moving!!”
"Quick, look over there!"
"The mountain has collapsed! Hurry, hurry, protect the emperor!"
Disasters often strike in an instant. The situation before him made Lu Zhiwan's mind go blank for a moment. His ears were filled with a constant buzzing sound mixed with thunder, landslides, screams, and the sound of fleeing footsteps...
In the chaos, a strong hand firmly grasped my wrist.
She raised her eyes hesitantly and met a pair of dark, narrow eyes: "Follow me closely."
That look was not as indifferent as usual, but now it was filled with some kind of soul-stirring power, which made one's heart feel hot for some reason, and it was firm and steady.
Without having time to think too much, she hurriedly caught up with Xiao Jingting and, escorted by the palace servants, ran down the mountain.
Almost at the moment they left, a loud "boom" was heard behind them.
Lu Zhiwan looked back at once, and the blood in his body froze. He saw that the moon-viewing platform with light gauze and candlelight collapsed directly and turned into rolling boulders falling off the cliff.
The horror of having a brush with death made Lu Zhiwan's heart tremble violently.
However, before she could catch her breath, the speed of the mountain's collapse became more and more violent, and the dark cracks rushed towards their feet like a giant snake that had been dormant for many years in the abyss.
Bright flashes of lightning tore through the sky one after another, accompanied by rumbling thunder, and raindrops as big as beans fell cracklingly, and the mountains on both sides collapsed and slid.
Seeing the first few palace servants being hit and buried by huge rocks, Lu Zhiwan's heart almost stopped. Help, what kind of doomsday escape script is this!
While he was in a trance, he suddenly heard a shout in his ear: "Be careful!"
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