Chapter 732 Long Yi (First Update)
Severe.
Is this Xuanyuan Li?
Xuanyuan Li was of the same generation as the king. If he were alive, he would be about the same age as the king.
This must be a portrait of him when he was young.
Why do I have this feeling of déjà vu, like I've seen it somewhere before?
Is it that beauty mark under the eye? Xiao Heng has one too.
Or was it the red-tasseled spear in his hand?
"This is Xuan Yuanli, the former head of the Xuan Yuan family." Seeing that she was staring intently, Ye Qing kindly introduced him to her.
The Xuanyuan family is a taboo subject in the Yan Kingdom, and Ye Qing, as the eldest disciple of the Imperial Preceptor's Hall, has the confidence to bring it up.
Gu Jiao looked at it for a while, carefully put the portrait away, and then opened another one.
This time, she looked at the name first: Xuanyuan Sheng.
It's also a portrait of him when he was young, looking like he was in his early twenties.
He was clad in silver armor, wielding a red-tasseled spear, and bore a striking resemblance to Xuanyuan Li. He was extremely valiant, with a vermilion mole between his eyebrows.
If he were to remove his armor, he would be a handsome and elegant young man.
Looking at the portrait, Ye Qing said, "When Xuan Yuansheng was young, he was frail and sickly. With the cinnabar birthmark between his eyebrows, he was always teased by the young men of his age as a little girl. Afterwards, he followed his father and practiced martial arts diligently, striving to become stronger. Finally, he became a famous general who was able to continue the legend of the God of War, Xuan Yuanli."
Gu Jiao exclaimed, "I never knew there were such anecdotes!"
The man in the portrait is tall with sharp eyes and a menacing aura. Who would guess that he had such an experience in his childhood?
The third portrait that Gu Jiao opened was of Empress Xuanyuan before her marriage, and the name below it was Xuanyuan Hanyan.
It is a portrait of her playing polo on horseback, showing a bit of the demeanor of a daughter of a military family.
She was extremely beautiful.
Shangguan Yan looks just like her, especially her phoenix eyes.
In this respect, Xiao Heng does resemble her quite a bit.
The fourth portrait that Gu Jiao opened was also of a young lady from the Xuanyuan family, named Xuanyuan Zi.
"Who is she?" Gu Jiao asked Ye Qing.
Ye Qing said in a gentle tone, "Xuanyuan Zi, the eldest daughter of the Xuanyuan Li family, Xuanyuan Sheng's younger sister, and later the wife of Prince Jing."
Gu Jiao asked in confusion, "Your Highness...Consort?"
Ye Qing thought for a moment and said, "Ah, the Duchess of Anguo. When she passed away, Prince Jing had not yet inherited the Duke's mansion, so she was buried with the honors due to a prince's wife."
Gu Jiao blurted out, "Jing Yinyin's mother?"
Now it was Ye Qing's turn to be puzzled: "Eh? Young Master Xiao, you know about this?"
Gu Jiao said "Oh," and then added, "It just popped into my head."
Ye Qing expressed his understanding: "You've been in the capital for so long, you must have heard about the Duke of Anguo's mansion."
"Yes, I've heard some things about it." Gu Jiao continued to examine the woman in the portrait.
This is an ethereal face. Individually, each feature is not particularly exquisite, but when put together, they are beautiful.
It's the kind of look Gu Jiao likes.
Gu Jiao stared at Xuan Yuanzi's portrait for a long time, until the last ray of light faded away.
Just then, a crashing sound came from the stairs coming down from the third floor. A disciple had knocked over the books and scrolls he was carrying, and they rolled all over the floor with a clatter.
Ye Qing hurried to help him pick it up.
The two disciples on duty on the second floor did not move.
In the library, not only are the books and materials classified, but the disciples are also classified.
Disciples on the first floor are not allowed to go up to the second floor or peek at anything on the second floor. Disciples on the second floor are not allowed to go up to the third floor or touch anything related to the third floor.
Therefore, only Ye Qing could help.
Seeing that the two disciples didn't move, Gu Jiao probably understood that it wasn't suitable for her to go over either, so she stayed where she was.
The disciple was so flustered that he dropped the portrait he had just managed to pick up. He rushed to grab the portrait and almost tripped and fell.
Ye Qing was also made extremely embarrassed by him.
A scroll rolled to Gu Jiao's feet. Gu Jiao bent down, picked it up, and handed it to them without opening it, saying, "Here you go."
Ye Qing accepted it: "Thank you."
Several scrolls were scattered on the ground, but Gu Jiao didn't bother to look at them and turned to leave.
But out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a portrait.
Her first reaction was to continue leaving, but her second reaction was to suddenly stop.
This time, she looked at the portrait openly, and the disciple quickly rolled it up and put it away.
He apologized repeatedly, saying, "I'm sorry, senior brother."
Ye Qing said tolerantly, "It's alright, just be more careful next time."
He said gratefully, "Yes, then, Senior Brother, I'm leaving."
Ye Qing nodded: "Go ahead."
The disciple carried a pile of books and portraits down from the second floor.
The image of the boy in the portrait lingered in Gu Jiao's mind.
For no other reason than that the boy's face looked too much like Ryuichi's.
If Ryuichi were to return to the age of thirteen or fourteen, he would probably look like that.
Ordinary people cannot fully visualize a person's face in their minds. Even with their closest parents, once they close their eyes, all that remains is a vague outline.
But Gu Jiao is a specially trained person; she can materialize all the faces she remembers.
She kept comparing Long Yi with the boy in the portrait in her mind.
Could that boy be Ryuichi from many years ago? Or is he just someone who looks like Ryuichi?
If it's the latter, that's fine, but if it's Long Yi—
Judging from the layout of the first and second floors, the higher you go, the more confidential the information becomes.
The portrait was just brought down from the third floor. Even the portraits of the Xuanyuan family and the ten great families are only on the second floor. Does that mean Long Yi's secrecy is even higher than theirs?
...
In the study on the third floor, the king and the Grand Tutor knelt on cushions, playing chess.
Wang Xu had been waiting beside the two for more than half an hour.
Only after the Grand Tutor placed his last piece did the King sigh, "You've won again."
The Grand Preceptor said, "We only won by half a point."
The king snorted, "Even half a point is a win. Don't think I didn't see that you've been letting me win."
The Grand Preceptor looked at the King and said, "Your Majesty's chess skills have never been this bad before. Your Majesty's absent-mindedness is due to your concern for the Crown Princess."
"I am not worried about her at all!" the king said, then paused. "Besides, she is no longer the crown princess."
The Imperial Advisor didn't expose the fact that it was you who called for the Crown Princess first last night.
The king hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Can her injuries... really be healed?"
"Yes," the Imperial Advisor replied without hesitation.
The king looked at him suspiciously: "You speak with too much certainty."
The Imperial Advisor said, "Because she performed the surgery, I have a lot of confidence."
The king frowned even more deeply: "Grand Preceptor, I have known you for over thirty years, and you have never praised anyone in front of me. Is this Xiao Liulang really that outstanding?"
The Imperial Advisor replied, "Yes."
The king was not used to the Grand Preceptor praising someone so highly; he had never even praised Xuanyuan Li like that back then.
“But I don’t like him very much,” the king said.
The Grand Preceptor poured the King a cup of tea: "Is it because she has no reverence for imperial power? Just like... the Xuanyuan family in the past."
The king's face darkened at the mention of the Xuanyuan family.
The Grand Preceptor said calmly, "Your Majesty need not take it to heart. He is just a student from Zhao Kingdom. Besides being proficient in medicine, playing polo, and having some martial arts skills, he is nothing special."
The king frowned: "To be acknowledged by you to this extent, you still call it nothing?"
The Grand Preceptor seemed to be in a good mood, chuckled, and said, "Heroes have always emerged from among the young."
The king did not continue the topic.
The Imperial Advisor raised his hand.
A disciple who was respectfully waiting by his side stepped forward, intending to rearrange the chessboard, but the king waved his hand and said, "That's enough, let's stop playing. It's getting late, I should return to the palace."
"Your Majesty." The Grand Preceptor glanced at Wang Xu beside him.
The king then remembered that Wang Xu had just arrived, but he had been so engrossed in playing chess that he had kept Wang Xu waiting until now.
"What is it—" The king's words caught in his throat, and he frowned. "How did you become like this?"
Wang Xu has changed back into his Guanduwei official uniform, but he can't change his pig-faced look anytime soon.
He had no intention of discrediting the eldest grandson of the emperor; he simply said awkwardly, "I tripped and fell."
The Grand Preceptor took a sip of tea and said jokingly, "Martial arts practitioners have great strength, and their wrestling strength is also beyond the reach of ordinary people."
Most people wouldn't fall and end up with a pig's head... Wang Xu felt embarrassed; falling himself was still better than being beaten up.
Wang Xu got back to the main topic, cupped his hands and reported: "Your humble servant has made some progress in investigating the case of the Crown Princess's injury."
"Oh?" The king had just picked up his teacup to drink when he heard this, so he put the cup down. "Speak."
Wang Xu took out a clean handkerchief from his bosom, and when he opened it, a thin strand of kudzu brocade was revealed: "This is what I found in the brambles at the crime scene. It should be from the murderer's clothing."
Zhang Dequan took the handkerchief and handed it to the king and the Grand Preceptor.
The Grand Preceptor glanced at it and said, "It's kudzu cloth, produced in Huaiyang County. It's of medium quality. Our Grand Preceptor Hall also uses this kind of kudzu cloth to make summer clothes for our disciples."
The fabrics that the disciples of the Imperial Preceptor's Hall can afford to wear are not ordinary fabrics.
The king continued to look at the Grand Preceptor.
The Grand Preceptor picked it up and smelled it: "It doesn't have the scent of the spices from our Grand Preceptor's Hall. It's not someone from the Grand Preceptor's Hall."
King: Who has doubted your Imperial Advisor's Hall?
The Imperial Advisor looked at Zhang Dequan: "Who in the palace wears this kind of silk?"
“This…” Zhang Dequan could not deduce this from just a wisp of kudzu thread.
The Grand Preceptor said to his disciple beside him, "Go and fetch a bolt of identical hemp cloth."
"Yes." The disciple turned and left.
Before long, he brought over a long piece of hemp cloth.
Zhang Dequan stepped forward, touched it, and exclaimed in astonishment, "This is the kind of material I'm wearing!"
The Imperial Advisor said, "It seems to be a eunuch from your palace, and a eunuch with the same rank as Eunuch Zhang."
Wang Xu added, "The other party did not leave any footprints at the scene, and I suspect that the other party has extremely high lightness skills."
There aren't many eunuchs who possess both light-footed skills and official rank, but it's possible that the other party has been hiding their abilities all along.
The king said in a deep voice, "I'll give you one night. If I don't see the murderer by tomorrow morning, your position as Commandant Guan is over!"
Only one night? That's too much!
But the king kept his word; if he truly couldn't find out the truth, he would be stripped of his official position the next day.
He cupped his hands in acceptance: "Your humble servant obeys!"
...
It's getting late; the king should return home.
"Where is the young princess?" he asked Zhang Dequan.
Zhang Dequan said, "It seems he was playing in the garden with his little classmate, and Xiao Zhengzi was with them."
Xiao Zhengzi is a top-notch bodyguard in the imperial palace.
This is the Imperial Preceptor's Hall. The King is not worried about the safety of the young princess. He is only worried that she will feel wronged and sad because he has neglected her for so long.
She cries whenever she's sad, and when she cries, it's earth-shattering.
"Where are the snacks?" the king asked.
“Here it is.” Zhang Dequan lifted the food box that had been prepared earlier.
"Hmm." The king took Zhang Dequan and some snacks to the garden to find the young princess.
As luck would have it, Gu Jiao was also looking for Xiao Jingkong. She had heard that the two children had been playing in the garden that afternoon, so she came here directly after leaving the library.
Unexpectedly, instead of finding Xiao Jingkong, they encountered the king.
When the king saw Gu Jiao, Gu Jiao's words involuntarily flashed through his mind: "If you're cured, will you come to thank me with your head?"
His anger was flaring up.
Shangguan Yan was injured and became well-behaved. He thought no one could provoke him anymore, but now, out of nowhere, Xiao Liulang has appeared.
The Grand Preceptor is right. This young man has no reverence for imperial power, nor does he fear the monarch.
He stood there, upright and indomitable, and in a daze, the king seemed to see the figure of Xuanyuan Sheng from back then.
The reason it wasn't Xuanyuan Li is probably because when the king met Xuanyuan Li, Xuanyuan Li was no longer a young man.
He had only ever seen the young Xuanyuan Sheng dressed in fine clothes and riding a spirited horse.
"Why don't you kneel before me?"
Why kneel?
"I am the monarch."
“You are not my king, I am a citizen of Zhao.”
The king had lived most of his life and had never seen such an arrogant person!
The king's eyes turned dangerous.
Just then, a young eunuch hurried over and whispered a few words to Zhang Dequan. Zhang Dequan felt as if he had been granted a pardon and said to the emperor, "Your Majesty! The little princess is in the Qilin Hall! Let's hurry and go find her! Otherwise, she'll cry again if she doesn't see you! She comes looking for you as soon as it gets dark, have you forgotten?"
The king, thinking of the crying Shangguan Xue, decided to let the boy go for the time being.
He walked toward the Qilin Hall with a sullen face.
Gu Jiao also wants to return to the Qilin Palace.
If the young princess is here, then Xiao Jingkong must be here too.
The king assumed she was going to take care of the crown princess, frowned, and said nothing.
It was completely dark by now. Normally, if the young princess couldn't see him at this hour, she would cry so much that the entire harem would be in turmoil.
Thinking this, the king quickened his pace.
He had a hundred ways to comfort the young princess in his mind, but when he arrived at the entrance of the Qilin Palace, he was completely dumbfounded by what he saw.
The little princess and Xiao Jingkong stood on either side of the doorway, their little bodies ramrod straight, their little arms flapping behind them, like two tiny mascots.
Two little heads swayed in unison, singing adorably.
"You love me, I love you~ Da da da da, so sweet~ You love me, I love you~ Da da da da, so sweet~"
They've been singing for almost half an hour, and now the entire nation's temples have learned it—
monarch:"……"
Gu Jiao: "..."
Jiaojiao: Sigh, I only taught a few old songs from a hundred years ago.
Karaoke Song: Mixue Ice Cream Theme Song
(End of this chapter)
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