Chapter 444: Your Majesty is More Beautiful Than Peach Blossoms
The empress is coming?
In front of the Martial Arts Hall, the two sides who were on the verge of a tense situation were stunned at the same time. Without Zhao Duan's order, a group of priests headed by Tang Jinzhong had already swiftly put their drawn swords back into the scabbards, and bowed their heads and stepped forward to welcome him.
The energy has been circulating to every part of his body. Chai Keqiao, who was about to break into the door, also froze in his tracks. He forced himself to calm his blood and put away his axe.
——He didn’t have the courage to take action in front of the “pseudo-celestial being” realm.
"Your Majesty, your Majesty!"
Then, under the gaze of Zhao Duan and others, the emperor's carriage, which was traveling along the long street, slowly stopped.
On the luxurious imperial carriage accompanied by a group of female officials holding lanterns, the bright yellow silk curtain was lifted, revealing Xu Zhenguan's majestic and graceful face.
The empress stepped down from the carriage, glanced at both parties in the night light, and said calmly, "No need for formalities."
After everyone raised their heads, she frowned and asked:
"What happened?"
Chai Keqiao hesitated for a moment, not knowing how to explain it. What if he said he was complaining? But Xiao Ran had indeed trespassed into the harem... This was also the reason why he neither went to look for Eunuch Hai nor reported it to Mo Chou after receiving the news.
"Your Majesty, it's just a slight misunderstanding." Zhao Duan said with a smile.
Then, in the face of Chai Keqiao's surprised gaze, he explained:
"I am quite curious about Qingshan's martial arts, so I previously had a private sparring session with Miss Xiao from Qingshan, which yielded considerable results. I then invited her to the Martial Arts Hall to exchange martial arts experiences. Brother Chai somehow misunderstood and came to request someone, leading to this misunderstanding. Do you agree or disagree?"
After he finished speaking, he looked at the other offerings with a questioning look.
"..." The eunuchs said in unison: "What the young master said is absolutely right."
Chai Keqiao choked and didn't know how to continue.
Xu Zhenguan glanced at him calmly, as if he didn't notice the absurdity in his words, and said:
"It's late at night. Xiao Ran is a woman after all. It's inconvenient for her to stay outside."
Zhao Duan flattered:
"Your Majesty is right. We originally wanted to keep Miss Xiao for dinner and then send her back. Come on, why don't you go and ask Miss Xiao to come out?"
The horrified attendant immediately returned to the courtyard. After a while, Xiao Ran was untied and his hat, dagger, soft sword and other weapons were returned to him.
At first she was surprised at Chai Keqiao's skill, but when she saw the empress outside the courtyard, she was stunned.
"It's getting late. If it's just a misunderstanding, let's just end it." Xu Zhenguan's words were golden.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Chai Keqiao pulled the confused Xiao Ran to salute, then left quickly.
The brother and sister walked briskly and soon left the crowd.
Then they told each other the situation.
"...So, that guy wanted to imprison me for one night? He released me because the empress was visiting?" Xiao Ran couldn't hide his surprise.
Chai Keqiao looked relieved. "I'm sure Zhao wouldn't want to leave a bad impression on the Empress, especially since... he's her favorite."
The implication is: Zhao Ze must take the impact into consideration and firmly draw a clear line between himself and Xiao Ran to avoid misunderstandings from the empress.
Xiao Ran nodded thoughtfully.
Chai Keqiao thought for a moment and asked, "You fought against the man surnamed Zhao. How strong was he?"
Xiao Ran made a fair assessment: "It's much stronger than the rumors say, but it's still a long way off."
Chai Keqiao was not surprised and smiled:
"Yes, this person has only been promoted for a short time and has been traveling a lot. His martial arts heart is far less pure than ours. This is reasonable. From this perspective, this person is not worth being too wary of.
In the future competitions, we should still pay attention to Tang Jinzhong, Song Jinxi and a few others. Senior sister, don't be impulsive. Zhao's methods are insidious and he uses tricks. You can't beat him.
It would be better to wait until the duel to defeat him openly and squarely, so that I can vent my anger. People like this who are secretly slandering others are most afraid of a fair fight."
Xiao Ran nodded, turned his head in the night wind to look back at the lights behind him, and nodded vigorously:
"Today's humiliation will be avenged in half a month!"
…
…
Martial Arts Hall.
The eunuchs dispersed. Xu Zhenguan left the female officials holding lanterns waiting outside, gave Zhao Duan a look, and the emperor and his minister walked towards the courtyard.
After entering the inner hall and closing the door, the emperor and his ministers sat down in the light of candles.
Zhao Duan eagerly picked up the teapot and asked, "Why is Your Majesty here?"
Xu Zhenguan sat in the main seat, her beautiful eyes filled with ambiguous emotions:
"Didn't you ask me to come?"
Zhao Duan chuckled and did not refute. He did not explicitly pass on the message to the empress, but only ordered someone to report the matter of the cold palace to Mo Zhaorong.
But couldn't he have imagined that if Mo Chou knew, the Empress would definitely know as well?
Therefore, Xu Zhenguan's seemingly coincidental arrival was also the result of his suggestion.
"Your Majesty and I are truly in perfect sync with each other." Zhao Duan sighed.
As expected, Xiti Zhenbao rolled his eyes.
Xu Zhenguan sighed softly, took a sip of water, and said helplessly:
"So, you're doing this to play the good guy and let me play the bad guy?"
"Your Majesty has a keen eye. I cannot hide my thoughts from you at all." Zhao Duan put away his playful smile and explained seriously:
"The people of Qingshan are unruly, as evidenced by the martial arts training grounds during the day. If they aren't taught a lesson, they won't behave themselves for the next two weeks. Furthermore, Xiao Ran, having witnessed Concubine Xiao's madness, will surely harbor resentment towards Your Majesty..."
Since this is the case, I will simply play the villain and be responsible for the beating, while Your Majesty comes to the rescue and shows mercy. This way, you can use both kindness and power. From now on, these people should be much quieter and more obedient. "
The two looked at each other across the red candles on the table.
Xu Zhenguan listened in silence, then suddenly said, "You don't have to go this far."
Zhao Duan smiled and said, "Why should we separate you and me as a family?"
Who are you and your family...Xu Zhenguan spat and didn't bother to pay attention to him.
The warm orange light of the candlelight shone on her fair face, like soft jade.
The room suddenly became quiet, the king and his ministers stopped talking, and the atmosphere became a little weird.
"It's suddenly so hot," Zhao Duan looked at the empress's rather conservative dress that perfectly covered her curves and seriously suggested, "Your Majesty, aren't you hot?"
"My cultivation has long been immune to cold and heat."
Xu Zhenguan said indifferently, seeing through his little thoughts but not exposing them.
Yes, you are immune to cold and heat, but fairies also have to pee... Zhao Duan recalled the last time he spent the night in the palace and was a little distracted.
"What were your thoughts after fighting with Xiao Ran?" Xu Zhenguan coughed lightly and took the initiative to bring up the topic.
Zhao Duan said without hesitation:
"I have no impression of that woman. I don't remember her."
"..." Xu Zhenguan said unhappily, "I'm talking to you about something serious, not about eating..."
Zhao Duan's eyes were sharp: "What do you want to eat?"
"……nothing."
You're jealous, right? That's definitely it, right? Zhao Duan pondered for a moment and bargained:
"Your Majesty wants to know? Tell me what you want to eat, and I'll tell you."
Proper teasing and offensive posture are indispensable parts of picking up girls, because almost all women have a passive mentality and hope to be conquered. Zhao Duan lacks experience, but has rich theoretical knowledge.
Xu Zhenguan sneered and stared at the young guard: "Say it again?"
Oh no, the theory failed in the implementation process. Zhenbao is indeed a remarkable woman, different from those mediocre women... Zhao Duan said seriously:
"When I was sparring with Xiao Ran, although I deliberately concealed and suppressed my martial arts level, I could clearly see that the three people from Qingshan were indeed not simple people.
The worshippers in the Martial Arts Hall were not lacking in terms of cultivation level, but in terms of their understanding and comprehension of the martial arts and their solid foundation... they were far inferior.
Even if my cultivation level matched his, and I didn't deliberately hide my strength, if I fought him head-on, my chances of winning would only be fifty-fifty at best."
Xu Zhenguan was stunned by his light-speed change of tone. After listening to his review of the battle, he nodded secretly and said:
"In fact, even if you didn't hint tonight, I would have come over."
"ah?"
"During the day, you released all the internal energy you had accumulated for a month. How do you feel now?"
Zhao Duan thought for a moment and said seriously:
"I feel like I'm being stretched. Yeah, I mean the Qi sea and meridians."
Why do you need to explain so much... Xu Zhenguan was slightly confused, but nodded slightly and said:
"That's the benefit. Next, you should rest and recover from the minor damage to your meridians caused by that blow..."
"I have finished recuperating," Zhao Duan said.
"Not long after I was injured, the Azure Lotus in my body helped me to warm and nourish my body."
Yes, I almost forgot... You have obtained the Green Lotus bestowed by the "Buddha", and your ability to recover from injuries far exceeds that of others... Xu Zhenguan gritted his teeth, suddenly feeling a little jealous. He clenched his delicate hands in his sleeves and said with a stern face:
"Don't interrupt me."
After saying this, she realized that for some reason, she was particularly prone to emotional outbursts tonight.
It's all because of this guy, yeah, that's it.
Zhao Duan closed his mouth silently.
Xu Zhenguan paused breathlessly before standing up and saying:
"Next, you can practice normally. Within half a month, you will be able to enter a high-level realm. This is enough for a small realm. In the past, your martial arts foundation was too shallow. Now, according to what you said, you read the "Six Chapters Sutra" every night, fought with the female sorcerer in the Taizu scroll, and fought Xiao Ran on equal terms, which shows that your foundation is strong enough.
But your control of the Qi is still not enough. If you can keep the Qi from leaking out during that day's sword strike, like you did during the night, and condense it into a line, the power will be more than fifty-six armors. Come out, I am in a good mood tonight, and I will teach you martial arts myself.
Zhao Duan's eyes lit up and he hurriedly followed out.
…
The Martial Arts Hall was made up of several nested courtyards. The king and his minister came to the backyard alone. It was quiet and deserted, with only lanterns hanging around the courtyard.
Light up the entire courtyard.
There is also a century-old peach tree planted in the courtyard. The trunk is very thick and the crown is huge. Under the night sky, the pink peach blossoms on the tree are extremely beautiful. When the empress walked under the tree, she was like a flower fairy.
"In the past, Emperor Taizu's wife, the first empress of our Xu royal family, loved peach blossoms, so many peach trees were planted in the palace." The empress stood under the gorgeous tree and suddenly felt emotional.
Tsk, Old Xu's wife? I've never heard Old Xu mention her. I wonder what she's like... Zhao Duan's curiosity was aroused.
However, the wife of the founding emperor must not be simple.
"What kind of flowers does Your Majesty like?" he suddenly asked.
Xu Zhenguan said angrily: "I'm teaching you martial arts, so focus on it and don't think about other things!"
"oh……"
Xu Zhenguan took a deep breath to calm himself down, then suddenly raised his right hand, and let his robe sleeve slide down, revealing a piece of his arm as white as jade, and his slender fingers lightly stroked it.
A straight peach branch from the peach tree fell into her palm and said lightly:
"Concentrating Qi is not easy, but Emperor Taizu once devoted himself to creating a sword technique that can be practiced. Come and stick behind me, and I will guide you to master it."
"yes."
Zhao Duan walked closer and also cut a straight piece of peach branch with a flying knife in his hand.
"Come closer. You must carefully capture the changes in my Qi."
"How close?"
"...Just like...that day when I taught you how to paint."
"Oh." Zhao Duan blinked, took a step forward, and pressed his chest against the empress's back, his arms level with hers.
"Is this okay?"
"..." Xu Zhenguan felt the familiar hot breath spraying on his neck, as if he was being embraced, and his body stiffened:
"you……"
Zhao Duan said aggrievedly: "We can't get any closer. If we get any closer, we'll be at a disadvantage..."
"Shut up!"
"oh."
One teaches sword, the other learns sword, it is like a poem or a painting.
In the darkness, the empress's face had turned as pink as a peach blossom without her knowing when.
(End of this chapter)
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