Chapter 182 It’s ok, I will vent your anger for you
Zhao Duan didn't want to die.
Some people say that the first time is unfamiliar, the second time is familiar, but having experienced death once, he cherishes his hard-earned life even more.
So, even though he knew that the stunning beauty in front of him, who combined the attributes of a fairy and an emperor, would not really do anything, he still pretended to be terrified:
"Your Highness, please forgive me for my impoliteness."
Xu Zhen stared at him with her piercing eyes, saying nothing.
Just watch.
No way...Is this not going to go too far? It's strange, why am I so bold tonight?
After thinking about it, it was probably because of the tenderness in the empress's eyes when she lowered her head while listening to him attentively just now?
Or maybe it was because she had taken off her dragon robe and her ordinary clothes today, and walked side by side with him like an ordinary woman on the riverbank under the night sky...
The atmosphere was set.
"Your Majesty..." Just when Zhao Duan's heart was beating fast.
I heard the beautiful woman in front of me say softly:
"Don't call me Your Majesty outside."
What's that name? Miss Xu? Not good...
Zhao Duan muttered, and suddenly felt his hands empty.
The "White Yaksha" mask that had been taken back was taken away by the empress, and then she gently took off the veil with her jade fingers and put the mask on her face.
In that brief moment when she took off the veil, the fairy-like face was revealed... so beautiful that it was breathtaking.
In the night wind, a piece of gauze fell on the bottom of the bridge and slowly drifted away on the river.
"This won't happen again."
Xu Zhenguan said.
"...Oh! I...I remember." Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, then quickly assured.
As for how credible this guarantee is, only God knows.
"Follow me... Come with me for a walk. Today we should have fun together with the people." The empress took a step and walked away.
Only then did Zhao Duan hurriedly put on the "Dark Yaksha" mask on his face.
Used to conceal appearance and avoid recognition.
The two masks do not cover the entire face, but only the upper half, with two horns extending from the top and only reaching the nose, revealing the mouth and chin.
It is convenient for young men and women to wear it and eat snacks at the night market.
So, two "Yakshas", one black and one white, one male and one female, walked down the bridge and gradually merged into the crowd.
…
The capital city is very lively today, with people coming and going on the streets and shops and stalls on both sides crowded with people.
Many people were wearing various masks, and the two of them blended in without looking out of place at all.
Some merchants paid money and hired people to carry sedan chairs, on which were placed paper statues of the God of Wealth and the God of Longevity...
The procession through the city is accompanied by music and dance, and a large group of people wearing masks follow behind. This is the "God Parade".
It is naturally not suitable to talk while shopping, so I didn’t say anything meaningful.
It’s just that people are so crowded that sometimes you have to get closer to avoid cars.
After the empress ascended the throne, although women in the capital began to dress and behave more boldly, the strict separation between men and women still existed, and walking together was already the limit.
In the world that Zhao Duan is familiar with, it is absolutely impossible for a young couple to start kissing each other in public while shopping.
But human wisdom is universal.
Therefore, some young men and women will deliberately move to crowded places to create opportunities for them to bump into each other without being able to dodge.
Every time this happened, the empress would turn around, and her eyes would stare at him vigilantly under her mask.
So Zhao Duan could only retreat miserably again and again, using his tall and strong body to force out a space around him, and innocently stated that he was the loyal guard of His Majesty and would never take advantage of the opportunity to take advantage of him.
Xu Zhenguan was quite satisfied.
Although with her cultivation level, as long as she had the slightest thought, no one could get close to her even among thousands of soldiers.
"Your Majesty, would you like something to eat?"
The two of them finally squeezed out of a congested street. The crowd around them suddenly thinned out a lot, and in front of them was a row of food shops.
Xu Zhenguan looked around and walked straight towards a noodle shop which was not big but clean and elegant.
There were a lot of people in the store, and luckily there was a vacant seat.
After the two sat down, the young shopkeeper came over attentively:
"What would you two like to order?"
The Queen of Dayu, who was used to eating delicacies from land and sea, had already had an idea and directly ordered a bowl of fresh meat wontons.
Then she looked at him and said, "What about you?"
"Me too."
Zhao Duan said seriously, and added, "Add some coriander."
Coriander is cilantro. In Dayu, if you want it, you need to order it separately, otherwise it will not be added by default.
After everyone left, Zhao Duan asked, "Is this all you're going to eat?"
He really couldn't figure out how to address it, so he simply omitted the subject.
Xu Zhenguan said with some nostalgia:
"I've eaten at this restaurant before, but that was several years ago. Back then, the shop hadn't been renovated yet, the signboard was old, and the owner was still an old man. Now, his son probably took over the business. Things have changed a lot."
Only then did Zhao Duan realize that she was not taking him around randomly, but came here specifically.
"A few years ago...it wasn't convenient to come out at that time." Zhao Duan said carefully.
Unmarried princesses all lived in the imperial palace. When the old emperor was in power, the customs were not as good as they are now. As princesses, their movements were restricted.
It is far less "free" than a royal woman after she gets married.
"Yes," Xu Zhenguan sighed softly:
"At that time, I was still traveling with my brother, the Crown Prince. He was the one who told me this. The people who were with him at that time were Mo Chou and Sun Lianying.
In the past, when it was inconvenient to go out, I dreamed of going on an incognito tour all day long, but it was impossible. Now... although there is no one to supervise me, I have no energy or mood to go out. "
Zhao Duan felt that it was difficult to respond to this, so he just listened quietly.
Fortunately, the empress did not talk to him, but seemed to be sighing, and chuckled as she said:
"Never mind. It's all over."
At this time, the shopkeeper came over with a tray and placed a bowl of wontons in front of the two people in turn, one with cilantro and one without.
Then, he took out a small plate with a tea egg in it and a small flower next to it, and said with a smile:
"This is an extra gift from our store to you, Master and Madam."
Master and Madam... are honorific titles and are not related to age.
Apparently, the new owner of the noodle shop who inherited his father's business was very thoughtful and gave extra snacks to couples who came into the shop.
Scored twice.
Xu Zhenguan: "..."
Zhao Duan: (*ω)
After the shopkeeper left, Zhao Duan whispered innocently:
"Don't blame me this time..."
Xu Zhenguan was too lazy to argue with him, and would not vent his anger on the people living in the imperial city.
So, the two of them started to eat quietly. Zhao Duan took the time to quietly push the egg over. The empress didn't hesitate and took small bites of it with chopsticks.
These two "weird guys" who didn't even take off their masks when eating in the store quickly attracted the attention of some customers.
Xu Zhenguan frowned, and with one hand under the table, he made a hand gesture. An invisible mental force spread out, shielding the small table for the two of them.
Isolate internal and external sounds.
"His Majesty?"
Zhao Duan sensed something was wrong and spoke tentatively.
The empress drank the soup slowly, holding the spoon, and said with an expression that said, "Don't make a fuss."
"What do you think about what happened to you in the garden today?"
Suddenly we got down to business...
Zhao Duan thought for a moment and said truthfully, "This is clearly a premeditated attack, and the mastermind behind it should be Chen Zhengru, the Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy, and his apprentice..."
He repeated his guesses and analysis.
Xu Zhenguan nodded, then shook his head:
"Your guess is correct, but the one who is in charge is not Chen Zhengru."
Zhao Duan was surprised: "You mean..."
"Li Yinglong." Xu Zhenguan said the name calmly:
"The son of Li Yanfu, a key figure in the Li Party, responsible for appointments and dismissals. You've made numerous advances recently, and you've finally caught his attention. And after the Grand Tutor clears your name and raises your profile, I'm afraid Li Yanfu will also take notice of you."
Li Yinglong?
The most dissolute playboy in the previous generation of Beijing circle, the legendary "Little Cabinet Master"?
Zhao Duan was certainly familiar with this name, but he had never dealt with him before.
"Didn't Li Yanfu notice me before?"
Zhao Duan had no idea about the young cabinet minister, but he was deeply impressed by his father. After all, he was the person he had met on the day he traveled through time.
Xu Zhenguan said calmly:
"Li Yanfu has been in the court for many years and has countless political enemies. You are definitely not the only capable official he has met.
Besides, at his level, there were very few people he could consider his enemies. Of course, that was in the past, and things are naturally different when it comes to the New Deal.”
Should I feel honored... Zhao Duan didn't care much and smiled:
"I've already offended you, so I don't mind having too much debt."
Xu Zhenguan looked at him unexpectedly, and seeing that his expression did not seem fake, he asked curiously:
"Is there really no one in this court that you're afraid of?"
Zhao Duan paused while eating the chaos, raised his head slightly, and said seriously:
"Yes, I have."
"who?"
"As far as the horizon, yet as close as the eye."
"...Slippery." The empress realized that this guy was talking smooth talk again.
I frowned and decided to teach him a lesson.
With a move of the chopsticks, half a tea egg in the bowl was flipped over like a cannonball, and it hit Zhao Duan's bowl with a thud, splashing the soup all over his mask.
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment and said blankly:
"Why did Your Majesty reward me?"
"..."Xu Zhenguan was left in a state of confusion by his rogue appearance.
Put the chopsticks on the table, smiling:
"If I had known that half a tea egg would be enough for you, I wouldn't have arranged those things."
Zhao Duan was puzzled: "Your Majesty, what do you mean..."
Xu Zhenguan slowly stood up.
At this moment, although she was dressed in ordinary clothes and wore a slightly funny female demon mask on her face, she still exuded the majesty of the heavenly family:
"Your advice was meritorious. How could I allow a meritorious official to be bullied and humiliated without doing anything?"
"I... was just venting my anger for you."
…
…
at the same time.
The imperial court is located inside the Governor's Hall.
The uninvited Governor Ma Yan sat upright in a large chair and gently pushed a list filled with densely packed names across the table.
He said to the several police officers on duty today:
"Your Majesty is very dissatisfied with the recent rumors spread by scholars in the capital. Bring these people back and investigate thoroughly to see if they are being instigated by the rebels to deliberately vilify and slander the court officials.
"Unless we have a conclusion, you cannot release him. Do you understand?"
The guards in the hall responded one after another, took the list and hurried out of the Governor's Hall.
They looked down and looked at each other in confusion.
The scholars who participated in the attack on Zhao Duan in Zhaiyuan today were not even present, but those who had cursed him the harshest in recent days were all among them.
"hiss……"
They all understood that tonight, the literary world would be shaken again.
A moment later.
Outside the gate of the imperial yamen, countless cavalrymen in brocade robes swarmed out, full of murderous intent.
Thanks to Sleeping Computer for the 2200 points of reward support!
(End of this chapter)
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