Chapter 433: Empress: Zhao Duan, do you admit your guilt? (6.5k)
suspended animation?
As she uttered this word, the complex emotions brewing in Mochou's heart were restrained.
Yes, that hateful guy named Zhao is so deep-minded, insidious and cunning, would he die so easily?
"I don't know." Xu Zhenguan was silent for a moment and gave an unexpected answer.
Yes, she wasn't sure.
Even though her mind told her that there was a certain possibility of fake death, it was still just speculation. Thousands of miles away, who could possibly know the specific circumstances?
Maybe there really was no chance to teleport, or it was blocked by Zhuang Xiaocheng's means. There are too many possibilities.
"Suppose... let's assume that Lord Zhao really faked his death. Then why would he do this? Unless it was to hide his whereabouts...
When he went there, he didn't hide. This shows that he wasn't afraid of assassinations along the way, but that he had reasons to hide.
Mo Chou calmly analyzed the situation and had a vague guess about the female prime minister's intelligence, but she felt that it was unfounded and it was difficult to make a conclusion.
Xu Zhenguan was also not completely confident. She thought for a moment and said:
"Whether he's dead or faking it, let's wait until the troops escorting the rebels arrive in Beijing. Until then, just assume he's truly dead."
Mo Chou's heart moved, and she understood the empress's implication:
If Zhao Duan deliberately faked his death, then they should cooperate with him, see through it but not say it out loud, so as not to ruin Zhao Duan's plan.
"I understand." Mo Chou bowed, turned around and walked away, ready to think about how to cooperate.
When Xu Zhenguan was the only one left in the bedroom again, she sat quietly in the warm hall, her jade hand slowly brushing across the Luohan bed beside her, recalling the scene of someone sleeping here.
She was lost in thought.
Did he... really fake his death? Or was he just trying to find an excuse because he didn't want to accept this outcome?
Xu Zhenguan couldn't tell the difference.
Clearly... not long ago, she had just announced their relationship in front of all the officials at a grand banquet, but just two months later, the news of his death came.
As if it was fate, all the men related to her, including her father and brothers, had died, and the remaining uncles had turned against her.
"I...I...Is it really the fate of the Emperor to be alone?"
Xu Zhenguan clenched her white jade hands in her sleeves, she suddenly stood up, pushed the door and walked out of the bedroom, turned into a golden rainbow, leaped out of the palace, and landed deep in the Tianshi Mansion.
Outside the courtyard, she found that the door was closed and the entire courtyard was between "reality" and "illusion". It was clearly right in front of her, but she could not reach it or step into it.
"Your Majesty? You are here."
Suddenly, a priest walked out from a distance. He didn't look surprised. Under the Empress' sharp gaze, he said calmly:
"The Heavenly Master has fallen asleep and is not seeing guests."
Xu Zhenguan raised his eyebrows: "Did you know I would come?"
The priest thought for a moment, confirmed that the Heavenly Master had not asked him to conceal anything, and said frankly:
"It was Master Zhang who ordered me to wait here for His Majesty."
Xu Zhenguan's brows suddenly relaxed, as if she had gotten the answer. She nodded, "I understand."
Then the figure disappeared, leaving the priest standing there, deep in thought.
…
…
In the blink of an eye, the agreed three-month period has come to an end.
On this day, outside the Beijing dock, on the canal, a small boat was about to dock.
On the deck, Zhao Duan, who had changed his appearance, stood with his hands behind his back, feeling the early spring breeze, gazing at the familiar majestic city ahead, and said with emotion:
“It was still winter when I left, but it was completely different when I came back.”
Well, that’s why they say that journeys were so long in ancient times. The seasons would change with each trip.
Haitang came up from behind him. The female police officer was dressed as a female warrior. She had used some disguise and changed her hairstyle. When she saw Xiongcheng, she was obviously relieved. The tense heartstrings that had been tense all the way finally relaxed.
"Finally you're back. It seems your plan worked."
Zhao Duan also smiled and said, "Yes. It went more smoothly than I thought."
The group set off earlier than Luan Cheng's main force. After collectively disguising themselves, they took a shortcut back to Beijing. They were frightened along the way, but they escaped danger without any danger. This was enough to show that his "fake death" arrangement was effective. The fact that the remnants of the Kuangfu Society did not catch up with them was clear proof of this.
Now the team has arrived in the capital and entered the empress's radiation zone, and is completely safe.
"Huh, I just want to go back to the city right now, take a hot bath and have a good sleep." Haitang stretched her waist with a smile on her lips.
"The closer it gets to the end, the more we can't relax, okay? If the protagonists let their guard down, something bad will happen. How's Zhuang Xiaocheng?"
Zhao Duan, based on his experience of watching countless movies in his previous life, gave a serious reminder.
"...Yunxi is watching her closely, go and see for yourself." Haitang complained, thinking he was making a big deal out of nothing.
Zhao Duan turned around and looked at Ji Yue, who was squatting in the corner of the deck staring at the sea in a daze, and Gongshu Tianyuan, who was smiling and chatting with Zhang Han.
Stepped into the cabin.
The first person he saw was Jin Jian, who was lying on her back in the cabin, snoring and catching up on her sleep. The girl’s fair face was full of fatigue, and snot bubbles were coming out of her nose with every breath... The girl’s character was completely ruined.
The corners of Zhao Duan's mouth twitched. Who could have imagined that the mysterious Jin Jian would look like this when asleep... Otherwise, why did they say online in their previous life that traveling is the touchstone for testing whether a couple is suitable for each other...
Next to the golden tablet was Yunxi, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground with her eyes closed. And between the two women was Zhuang Xiaocheng, who was tied up with ropes and looked emaciated.
"Grand Tutor, we will enter the city soon. How about it? Have you made up your mind? If you are willing to surrender, I will risk my reputation and ask His Majesty for leniency. How do you think?" Zhao Duan asked with a smile.
Zhuang Xiaocheng, with white hair and beard, looked drowsy. He opened his bloodshot eyes and looked at him with an unusually calm expression:
"I only ask for death."
"Okay, okay... When you see His Majesty and face torture in the imperial prison, I hope you can still be so stubborn." Zhao Duan sneered and read out the villain's speech.
He pulled out a talisman from his sleeve and stuck it on Zhuang Xiaocheng's forehead.
The latter immediately fell unconscious.
"Put him in the box and prepare to go into the city." Zhao Duan said expressionlessly.
Yunxi nodded, stood up, dragged a large box over, and threw the unconscious Zhuang Xiaocheng into it.
…
After a while, the ship docked.
With Gongshu Tianyuan's "eye-catching trick" covering up, the group successfully passed the inspection of the dock officials and rented a horse-drawn carriage to carry goods. They threw the big box on the carriage, and Yunxi sat on the box, never leaving its side.
The rest of the people happily got in the car and refused the driver from the dock carriage company. Zhang Han drove the car himself.
After entering the city gate and walking on the street, they saw the bustling streets and the wine flags fluttering in the wind, and everyone's hearts finally settled down.
Looking at the time, it was already noon. The guys, tired from the journey, simply found a nearby soup and noodle shop to eat.
Take the opportunity to find out what's going on in the city.
"Recently... the biggest news in the city is the death of Zhao Yan... Mr. Zhao."
The shop assistant took a few large coins and told the rumor with a smile.
The news of Zhao Duan's death has spread. It is said that the current emperor is extremely sad and has not attended court for several days.
Many scholars vied with each other to write poems to mourn Zhao Duan in order to please the empress.
"I heard that Envoy Zhao had a bad reputation. Is there anyone willing to mourn him?" Zhao Duan asked with interest while eating a pancake.
"Hey, no matter how I feel about it, it's not a good idea to say it out loud at this critical moment. It will only cause trouble for the current Saint..."
The man curled his lips, then realized his mistake, covered his mouth, and said with a wry smile:
"I've only heard it from hearsay. How can someone like me know what the big shots are thinking? Enjoy your meal, gentlemen."
When I walked away, I looked suspiciously at the girl who had to sit in the big box while eating... People from other places are really weird.
Zhao Duan was at a loss for words. He could probably guess that many people in the city were already overjoyed, but they just didn't dare to express it publicly.
The body of Envoy Zhao is still warm. If anyone laughs at this moment and the Empress hears it, wouldn’t it be a catastrophic disaster?
"Tsk tsk, they're still mourning you. How about you write one for yourself?" Haitang teased him.
Zhao Duan retorted, "Eunuch Hai knows you're dead too, and he's still so sad."
Haitang remained silent.
"Ahem, shall we go to the government office first? Or go directly to the palace?" Zhang Han hurriedly tried to smooth things over.
Zhao Duan took a bite of the biscuit, swallowed it, and said:
"No, let's go to my house first. We finally managed to 'die' once. If we go directly to the government office or the palace, we will be exposed. Let me think about whether I can make use of this to do something small."
Everyone looked at each other.
…
After the meal, the escort team drove the cart around in circles and finally approached the Zhao Mansion.
Even from a distance, one could see that the entire Zhao family was in a state of depression, and the red lanterns at the door had been replaced with white ones.
I could vaguely see white silk ribbons hanging in the courtyard, and on the steps at the door and at the base of the walls on both sides, there were also condolence "flower baskets" sent by unknown people.
White and yellow paper flowers were arranged in a long row, almost filling the entire alley. It was obvious that they were sent by families in the city.
A "rich area" with an excellent location has been turned into a funeral-like atmosphere. Passers-by tacitly avoid it, as if they are afraid of being contaminated by bad luck.
"..." Zhao Duan took a breath of cold air, and the corner of his mouth twitched:
"No, my 'corpse' is still on the way, why are they already offering condolences?! Are these people afraid that I won't die?"
Kukuku... Gongshu Tianyuan and others tried hard to hold back their laughter, and their faces turned red.
"Haha, Brother Zhao. If we had come back a little later, maybe we could have enjoyed your feast..." Gongshu Tianyuan winked and couldn't help laughing.
A feast? Jin Jian, who was dozing on the cart, pricked up his ears and subconsciously covered his purse.
She heard that one has to bring gifts when attending a banquet... so she can't even make back her money.
"...Alas." Zhao Duan was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. He suddenly lost the courage to go home through the main gate and instructed Zhang Han to drive the car to the back door.
The painting style finally returned to normal.
The cart stopped outside the back door. Zhao Duan jumped off the cart and threw the flying knife into the yard without calling anyone.
With a "bang", the bolt was picked, the back door was opened, and the carriage was led in. Zhang Han and Haitang moved in tacit understanding, one in front and one behind, lifting the box.
Follow Zhao Duan inside.
Gongshu Tianyuan put his hands behind his back and looked around:
"Tsk tsk, Brother Zhao, your house is really nice, much nicer than mine. How much did it cost? Alas, it's a pity that all my money was spent on making magic tools, otherwise I would have bought a whole set... Well, it would be even better if these lanterns weren't white..."
Ji Yue followed silently at the end, practically floating in. Her loose black hair and red dress unexpectedly matched the funeral atmosphere of the mansion...
Zhao Duan walked in front with a dark face. When he passed the backyard, he saw a cook coming out of the kitchen.
The cook had a white silk wrapped around her head and was holding a winnowing basket filled with dried mushrooms.
When I went out and saw this extremely weird team, I was completely stunned:
A man and a woman were carrying a large box that looked almost like a coffin with expressionless faces.
A fat man carrying a bamboo tube on his back was chattering and pointing, and next to him was a pale girl who looked so sleepy that she could fall down at any time.
There was also a standard drowned ghost-like thing floating behind the coffin...
At the front of the team with a strange style of painting is Dalang, who has taken off his disguise mask and restored his true appearance. He is already dead.
“Bang!”
The cook dropped the dustpan in her hand, and the mushrooms rolled all over the floor. She opened her mouth wide, her face filled with horror, and murmured:
"Is this the seventh day of the lunar calendar this year... Master, are you returning from the underworld..."
"Auntie Pang, long time no see." Zhao Duan greeted casually and nodded to the several cooks who came out of the kitchen after hearing the sound.
"Make some more food and send it over later. We have a lot of people."
The cooks: "..."
The team continued to move forward. A servant carrying a dung bucket stood there in shock, his legs trembling as if he had seen a ghost.
"Master..."
"Stand still, this stuff won't spill."
A maid, carrying some dried clothes, turned the corner and frightened herself to the ground, her big eyes filled with terror as she screamed:
"Ah! Ghost—Ugh!"
Gongshu Tianyuan casually cast an "Aphasia Technique" and gave Zhao Duan a warm smile: "Don't worry, keep a low profile."
Maid: “……!!”
As the group walked along, they ran into servants from the mansion one after another. Each of them had a white silk cloth wrapped around his head and looked pale with fear.
Finally, the old housekeeper of the Zhao family rushed over after noticing something was wrong. He was stunned, rubbed his eyes in disbelief, and said in a trembling voice:
"Da...Da Lang?!"
Zhao Duan walked over with a gentle smile, supported the old housekeeper who was about to fall down due to excitement, and said with a smile:
"It's me. I'm not dead. I'm back with my friends. Uncle Zhao, ask my aunt and sister to come to the inner hall. Oh, and don't let anyone in the mansion go out. I don't want the news of my return to spread anytime soon."
Uncle Zhao was stunned for a moment, feeling the warmth of the physical contact, his eyes moistened, and he nodded excitedly:
"well……"
Inner hall.
Not long after Zhao Duan and his group sat down, they heard hurried footsteps outside the door. Then, two women, one big and one small, dressed in white mourning clothes and with outstanding looks, came into everyone's sight.
Eugene Hua and Zhao Pan were obviously thinner, their faces looked tired, their eyes were red and swollen, and they were not wearing any jewelry.
The mother and daughter stood blankly at the door, their eyes fixed on Mr. Zhao, who was chatting and laughing in the hall, and tears suddenly welled up in their eyes.
"Da Lang (Brother)!"
Zhao Duan stood up with a slightly apologetic look and said with a smile: "Auntie, sister, I'm back, I'm not dead."
The two girls cried with joy.
…
After a while.
The mother and daughter who had staged a family tragedy and comedy in the inner hall finally calmed down. With swollen and red eyes, they looked at the other "guests" awkwardly, and shame belatedly surged in their hearts.
"Da Lang... Auntie, please go and ask the servants to serve tea. You... and your friends, please sit down first."
Eugene Hua left after saying this and fled. After all, she was from a wealthy family and was raised in seclusion, so she attached great importance to education and etiquette.
He felt his face flush with anger after losing composure in public, and after confirming that Dalang's death was fake, he could no longer stay in the hall.
"Mom...wait for me, I'm going too!"
Even though Zhao Pan had a rough personality, he couldn't stand the smiling and teasing gazes of Haitang and others. His ears turned red, and he stomped his feet and ran out with his little butt twisted. When he went out, he kicked away the little Pekingese who heard the owner's movement and came over.
Zhao Duan looked helplessly at the tear stains on his chest, and sighed that the woman was really made of water. He turned to the others and said, "Laugh if you want."
However, unexpectedly, no one laughed, but just looked emotional.
Ji Yue and Yun Xi both showed a hint of envy.
When people are away from home, they have relatives who care about them. How can we not envy them?
"Ahem... Now that we have a place to stay, it's time to talk about business. What should we do next?" Zhang Han, with a paralyzed face, coughed lightly to break the awkward atmosphere.
He pointed to the large box on the floor in the hall.
Zhao Duan said calmly, "Wait."
"wait?"
"That's right," Zhao Duan looked at Gongshu Tianyuan and the others and said with a smile:
"When you entered the mansion just now, you all sensed someone watching nearby, right?"
Gongshu Tianyuan, Ji Yue, and Jin Jian who was rubbing his eyes nodded in unison.
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"Your Majesty may not believe that I'm truly dead, so he'll definitely have palace masters secretly watching me. Well, Li Yanfu and the others will probably send people to watch as well, but Your Majesty will definitely not allow them to linger nearby...
So, by now, the information we brought back has probably already been delivered to the palace, so we just have to wait. As for now, how about having a proper meal and a bath?
Everyone looked at each other, all moved.
Immediately, a group of people took action and went to take a shower and change clothes.
Anyway, the Zhao Mansion now has many rooms and is fully equipped with everything you need.
Only Yunxi remained motionless, still guarding Zhuang Xiaocheng in the big box.
It was Zhao Duan who urged her to go, and she quickly went to wash up.
Zhao Duan also took the time to confirm that Zhuang Xiaocheng was not suffocated to death before he went to clean up.
After everyone came back after washing up, Eugene Hua ordered the cook to bring up food, and the team members who had been sleeping in the open all the way had a big meal.
When they were almost done eating, Zhao Duan suddenly raised his head and looked towards the skylight.
I saw a figure in white clothes slowly falling down, and the Queen of Dayu was standing in the air. She arrived alone using a secret method. As she slowly descended, a chilly spring breeze rolled up in the courtyard, sweeping away circles of dust.
The three thousand strands of black hair that reached down to her waist fluttered in the wind, and her crystal-clear face was both cold and majestic, making people lose their minds when they looked at her.
"His Majesty!"
Inside the house, everyone stood up and walked out of the room at the same time, bowing and saying:
"Your Majesty!"
Eugene Hua had gone one step further and had driven away all the servants and left the yard without making her presence felt.
Xu Zhenguan slowly landed on the ground, her gorgeous white clothes hanging down softly. Her eyes instantly fell on the face of Zhao Duan, who was in the lead, and the last bit of worry in her heart finally slowly dissipated.
Just as Zhao Duan guessed, she had already ordered the palace masters to deploy defenses near the Zhao Mansion.
The first was to wait for Zhao Duan's whereabouts, and the second was to prevent Zhao Duan's political enemies in the capital from taking advantage of his "death" to send people to secretly retaliate against the Zhao family.
Not long ago, the palace guards came hurriedly to report and described the situation.
Although the empress was 99% sure, she was still worried because Zhao Duan had not removed his disguise at that time.
Until this moment, under the cover of divine consciousness, he was clearly sure that the person in front of him was indeed a living little imperial guard, and not someone else pretending to be him.
The emotions that had been suppressed in her heart for nearly a month finally erupted like a flood.
A very complicated emotion surged in her heart. Her face turned slightly cold and she opened her red lips slightly:
"Zhao Duan, do you admit your guilt?!"
ah?
Gongshu Tianyuan, Haitang and others were confused. They didn't know what His Majesty was doing and looked up in surprise.
However, they saw Zhao Duan apologize very smoothly afterwards:
"Minister! The crime of deceiving the emperor is unforgivable!"
Deceiving the king?
Isn't that...faking one's own death also counts as deceiving the emperor? That's a bit far-fetched, isn't it? Does it make sense? Gongshu Tianyuan grumbled furiously inwardly.
But he dared not say anything.
The empress looked down at him coldly, her nose slightly sour, and said expressionlessly:
"It's good that you know. Do you know how much trouble has been caused these past few days by the news of your death, both within my court and throughout the capital?"
Zhao Duan shouted:
"Your Majesty, please calm down. I am guilty of this crime and cannot escape death. I only ask Your Majesty to give me a little time to report my trip to Fengcheng. I will have no complaints about your decision after that!"
The empress hummed a reserved "hmm" before remembering that there were others. She glanced at everyone and her cheeks flushed for a moment.
"And I allow you to quibble."
No... So this is how the monarch and his subjects interact? We're still here.
So, are we also part of your play?
Everyone tried hard to control their expressions.
Gongshu Tianyuan exclaimed in his heart, "Wow, I've learned something."
The corners of Zhang Han's mouth curled up slightly, but he concealed it well.
Haitang's eyes were full of disgust. As a straight woman, she felt uncomfortable all over and even had goosebumps.
Jin Jian yawned, his eyelids drooped, and he didn't hear anything at all.
Ji Yue and Yun Xi both looked forward cautiously and secretly, and they hid at the back tacitly. One of them was socially anxious and the other was a "rebel", so they were naturally afraid of the empress.
"I have something to ask him. You can continue eating and don't panic." The empress comforted the small team and then looked at Mr. Zhao.
The latter immediately led the empress to the study in his home.
…
…
study.
After the empress entered the room, Zhao Duan closed the door with both hands, slowly exhaled, then turned around and looked at her.
The layout of the study room remains the same as when Zhao Duan left home. Eugene Hua, in accordance with his request, will not touch his things easily.
Therefore, even when cleaning, try not to disturb the positions of items in the room.
Therefore, even though he had been away from Beijing for more than two months, all the furnishings in the house were still the same as before he left.
Papers were scattered on the table, books were piled up randomly, a brush was thrown next to the inkstone, and half of an ugly, unfinished painting remained on the rice paper on the table.
Some antique porcelain and jade are placed on the bookshelf.
Xu Zhenguan looked around curiously, walked gracefully to the desk, and lowered his eyes to look at the upper half of the painting on the table.
The painting shows a woman standing by the window looking at the lake outside, with only her side face showing.
"Did you draw this?" Xu Zhenguan frowned as he examined the abstract painting. "What is this?"
Zhao Duan said earnestly, "The one in the painting is Your Majesty. I miss Your Majesty day and night, so I painted this to comfort you..."
? ?
Xu Zhenguan's frosty face was filled with shock, a rare expression. She looked at this "abstract" Chinese painting in disbelief, raised her head, and stared at him quietly:
"You said, this thing is... me?"
Uh... Zhao Duan's smile froze, and he suddenly felt a little weak.
Although he followed his leader in his previous life and was exposed to some Chinese studies and tried his hand at Chinese painting, he was only an enthusiast.
Without the skills laid down since childhood, how difficult would it be to learn as an adult? This is not the same difficulty as playing Go or copying poems.
However, the officials of the State of Yu also pursued elegant things such as music, chess, calligraphy and painting.
Zhao Duan tried to learn Chinese painting privately, and the works on the table were practice works. He was quite proud of himself and felt that his level was improving rapidly.
But it was obvious that his paintings were no different from a pile of garbage in the eyes of the empress who had received royal education since childhood.
"Chen...chen..."
The eloquent Zhao Duan was stuck. He suddenly realized a problem. Compared with the joking "faking death to deceive the emperor", drawing the empress into a lump seemed to be even worse.
However, the empress's anger did not come as expected. After Xu Zhenguan gave her a look of extreme disdain, he suddenly breathed a sigh of relief and said with an incomprehensible meaning:
"After all, there are things you're not good at. If your painting skills are similar to those of chess and poetry, then I'll have to wonder if you're a human or a walking god."
————
I could have written 7,000 to 8,000 words, but I was invited to the website's live broadcast room tonight, so I was delayed. This chapter is 6,500.
Thanks to: Editor Zhenguan for the 10,000-yuan reward, 2024...5612 for the 1,241-coin reward, Xin Zhi Aishang for the 1,000-coin reward, 2024...0410, Kenshin Kyoto Dahuo for the 100-coin reward!
(End of this chapter)
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