Chapter 14, Chapter 94: If there is no sky curtain (3)
As the emperor spoke, his voice gradually grew cold.
In that instant, Zhou She understood completely.
Just as I expected.
Huai Leju traveled a long way to Jiangzhou, not to bring him back to the capital. If one had to say, Zhou She felt that "escort" would be a more appropriate term.
In short, the emperor might still have been somewhat lenient towards him. Bringing him back to the capital was undoubtedly partly for his own benefit, but more importantly, it was certainly a warning to Zhou Xuyan.
When people are fighting for their lives, their minds work incredibly fast. Zhou She was no exception; the moment he uttered his first word, he had already figured out how to "fool" the emperor.
"Although I am a son, I know that affairs of state are more important than family matters. The reason I requested to leave the capital that day was because I witnessed the turmoil in the court and was filled with fear..."
It all boils down to one word: fear.
The emperor chuckled softly, his tone tinged with impatience: "Zhou Xingyuan, I won't play games with you."
Zhou She immediately shut his mouth and lay prostrate on the ground without saying a word.
“You are a smart man,” the emperor said. “I am willing to give you one last chance.”
He raised his hand, took a step back, and quickly walked behind the desk. He picked up his brush and wrote a handwritten edict with powerful strokes: "Give this letter to your father and mother, and tell them to read it carefully, understand it thoroughly, and comprehend it."
As he spoke, he held the edict up in front of Zhou She.
Zhou She quickly agreed and accepted the gift with both hands. However, the emperor did not let go. He slightly raised his face and saw that the emperor's eyes were bright. He said, "You used to be the Third Prince's study companion. Now that you have nothing to do and do not want to stay in the capital, I have found you a good place."
Zhou She was so shocked by these words that he trembled as if struck by lightning, and immediately realized that things were not going well.
What are some good places to go?
The emperor was the best at ripping him off!
Sure enough, the emperor's voice drifted over: "You are excellent in both riding and archery, and last autumn's hunt was very fruitful. The Zhou family has produced officials for generations, and the sons of the Zhou family are never inferior to others. I think Yongzhou is very suitable for you."
Zhou She: "..."
He knew it.
Yongzhou was located on the frontier, a wild and undeveloped land. The Northern Di were eyeing it covetously, and foreign enemies had been harassing it for years; by all accounts, it was not a good place.
Besides, while the Zhou family has indeed produced officials for generations, they have never seen a single generation produce a military officer.
The emperor's decision to send him to Yongzhou shows that he was just spouting nonsense and had no logic whatsoever.
Zhou She felt a little dizzy and knew he was powerless to resist, so he could only force himself to bow his head and thank the emperor: "Your subject...accepts the decree."
Emperor Hong'an, with a kind and benevolent expression, said, "Go."
Zhou She was seething with anger, but dared not vent it on the emperor. He clutched the imperial edict, still all smiles as he left the palace, but once in the carriage, his face turned ashen, and he ordered, "Go to the princess's residence."
Zhou Xuyan had already received Liang Jiaxing's secret message and was pacing back and forth in his study.
He was usually alone in this place, but at this moment, another woman was sitting in the study.
It was Princess Zhaoping, Zhong Zhun.
Her expression remained unchanged, only her constantly twitching eyelids revealed a hint of her emotions.
"Enough!" Zhong Zhun, feeling dizzy from her husband's spinning, finally couldn't help but scold, "Since you dared to do it, why are you so flustered?"
Zhou Xuyan stopped and stepped forward to take his wife's hand: "I made a mistake in a moment, and it's too late to regret it now."
Most importantly, His Majesty already knows!
Of course, Lord Zhou was very well-mannered, and even in his panic, he did not show it. He was meticulous from head to toe and had an elegant demeanor. If one did not look at his unstoppable pace, one would truly think that "he would remain calm even if Mount Tai collapsed before him."
Just as he was about to say something more to sort out his thoughts, he suddenly heard a commotion outside the door, and someone hurriedly shouted, "Young Master, the Master has ordered that you are not allowed to enter without prior notice!"
In the main courtyard, Zhou She stepped down from the carriage and strode over. Without listening to anyone, he roared angrily, "Don't stop me!"
He yanked the person who tried to stop him aside and kicked open the study door with a bang.
Zhou Xuyan stood in the study, staring at him silently, his eyes filled with warning.
Zhou She's footsteps gradually became lighter. He turned his head to look at the panicked middle-aged man behind him, and his voice softened: "You can go down first."
Zhou Xuyan was silent for a moment, then said, "Go."
After the man left, Zhou She quickly walked into the study and closed the door behind him.
His face was so ugly that even Zhou Xuyan was puzzled: What's wrong with this kid?
Even though in recent years, this eldest son has become less obedient than before and often slams his fist on the table at him, he has never shown this expression before.
"Sit down." Zhou Xuyan turned his back to him. "What kind of behavior is this, so impulsive and reckless?"
Zhou She stood rooted to the spot, like a straight log. He opened his mouth, but his words were rather unpleasant: "Father, I want to ask you, are you absolutely determined to do these things? Have you thought it through? His Majesty will settle scores with us later."
Zhou Xuyan was completely baffled. Before he could even speak, his son walked up to him in a few steps and pulled a letter out of his sleeve.
Zhou Xuyan didn't know who wrote it, only assuming that Zhou She had brought it from Jiangzhou. A few names flashed through his mind, and he reached out to take it.
However, Zhou She's hand trembled, his eyes filled with disappointment: "Father?"
Zhou Xuyan met his gaze, snatched the letter, and casually unfolded it. His eyes moved up to the letter, and he was about to scold his son when the contents of the edict made his gaze freeze for a moment.
Having served the emperor for many years, Zhou Xuyan was extremely familiar with the emperor's handwriting. At first glance, he recognized whose handwriting it was.
The imperial edict was written clearly, with bold and vigorous strokes, elegant and unique. Yet, from each powerful and graceful stroke, one could discern the emperor's hidden anger.
Although Zhou She did not see what Emperor Hong'an wrote, he could roughly guess the content.
It's nothing more than a warning, a reprimand, or a reprimand.
Sure enough, in the blink of an eye, Zhou Xuyan's forehead was covered in sweat, and his hand holding the imperial edict was trembling slightly.
Seeing his expression, Zhou She sighed inwardly. He bowed respectfully, pretending not to notice, and before his parents could react, he quickly pushed open the door and left.
Even an emperor like Emperor Hong'an was nearing his breaking point with his father's actions. Zhou She knew perfectly well that this was a very bad situation, but unfortunately, no one listened to his advice, or rather...
Zhou Xuyan was deeply involved and had no way to retreat.
Zhou She waited in the capital for almost half a month before finally preparing to set off for Yongzhou.
Yongzhou and Jiangzhou are different; their levels of danger cannot be compared.
Zhou She had no intention of bringing his wife along, so he contacted Huai Leju beforehand.
If the Zhou family were to fall into misfortune one day, Huai Leju would still be a trusted confidant of the emperor, and could help look after them.
As he said this, Huai Leju had just poured him a cup of tea. Hearing this, he raised an eyebrow: "You want my help?"
Zhou She was also helpless: "I know you have feelings for Zhao Niang, which is why you have some misunderstandings about me. However, precisely because of this, I believe you are willing to lend a helping hand in this matter."
As he spoke, he lowered his head and took a sip of tea. The tea was good, but it was terribly bitter.
Huai Leju's eyes grew increasingly unfathomable, and after a long while he suddenly smiled: "You've misunderstood too."
Zhou She: "?"
Huai Leju shook his head: "I have no other intentions towards Madam Gu. She is just a childhood friend. However, if I were in the capital, I would definitely protect her."
Zhou She didn't care about the first half of his sentence at all. He didn't care if Zhou She had ulterior motives or not, as long as Zhou She agreed to help.
He smiled and thanked him, "Then thank you very much, Lord Huai."
Huai Leju glanced at him, and finally raised his hand, saying, "You're welcome."
But Zhou She had made preparations in advance, and after thinking it over, he never expected that Gu Xunhui would insist on going with him.
Huai Leju, who rarely came to see Zhou She off, noticed Gu Xunhui was also there and gestured with his eyes: "?"
Zhou She: "..."
He responded with his eyes, sincerely and helplessly saying: I can't help it either!
Huai Leju's mood visibly worsened.
Zhou She took a step closer to Huai Leju and whispered, "Zhao Niang doesn't want to stay in the capital."
That's the explanation.
Huai Leju didn't care about that. He didn't even glance at Zhou She, his gaze fixed on the distance: "Yongzhou is a long and arduous journey..."
How is this different from exile?
Having been in the capital for a long time, Zhao Niang only hoped that Zhou She was someone who could take responsibility.
After thinking for a moment, he added, "The garrison commander, Zhuang Ziqian, is a mild-mannered man. However, because of the Third Prince's matter, he will likely be much more cautious and less willing to accept you."
Zhou She agreed. He knew Zhuang Ziqian; he was a rare honest man among generals, with a good temper, and compared to Ren Heng, he was practically an angel.
Huai Leju still seemed unhappy. He remained silent for a while, and when he saw Zhou She turn to leave, he suddenly said, "Since you know about the Zhou family's actions, why don't you try to dissuade them?"
Zhou She: "..."
I would like to offer some advice.
He even suspected that the emperor had sent him to Yongzhou because he didn't want this innocent young man to be tainted by the Zhou family's mess.
Zhou She gave him a wry smile, while Huai Leju stared intently at him. Zhou She waved his hand and said, "Sigh, it's hard to explain in a few words."
They used this as a way to get by.
Having said that, he turned around. Zhou She had many friends in the capital, and most of the nobles there had some connection with him. Even if it was all just for show, there were always a few who were genuinely close.
At this moment, a large group of people arrived, some with genuine feelings, and some just to make an appearance.
Huai Leju watched them say goodbye without moving, and surprisingly didn't leave. It wasn't until Zhou She and the others bowed to each other and their gazes finally fell on him that Huai Leju raised his hand and said, "Farewell."
He spoke in a stiff tone, and after he finished speaking, he immediately mounted his horse, whipped it, and rode away, leaving everyone covered in dust.
A group of people were left looking at each other blankly, innocently looking around: "Who offended him?"
"Brother Zhou is the best at making people angry."
Zhou She smiled helplessly: "Lord Huai is the one who gets angry the most easily."
Surrounded by the crowd, he gradually suppressed his smile and solemnly said, "Everyone, farewell."
I don't know when I'll be able to return to Beijing.
Zhou She bid farewell to everyone and climbed into the carriage. Inside the carriage, Gu Xunhui sat quietly, his luggage fully prepared.
For some reason, Zhou She suddenly felt somewhat lost and bewildered.
No matter how eloquently it was phrased, it couldn't conceal the deeper meaning of the emperor's situation—essentially, exile. The future was uncertain, leaving him no choice but to worry…
"My lord," Gu Xunhui's voice interrupted his thoughts, "I'll stay with you."
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