Chapter 85 Chapter 85 Really taking a concubine! Sent from the palace! I really don’t want it…
What Guo Huai brought was the oral order of Emperor Xuanwu.
As expected, the emperor was worried about sending Li Zhan to Shu, so he secretly asked Duan Wenpei to bring people into Shu to provide support, so that he could remain unchanged in the face of all changes and even take the life of King Yi if necessary.
This time I came to Sichuan under the pretext of visiting relatives.
Guo Huai explained in detail while observing Duan Wenpei's reaction. Seeing that he just nodded obediently, he had a rough idea in his mind.
He smoothed his wide robe sleeves, cleared his throat, smiled, and said softly, "Your Majesty's intention is to visit relatives. Madam Bo has to go. She has to go all out and let the Zhao family meet their daughter-in-law. What do you think, Master Bo?"
The Zhao family wanted to kill him, and they would not care about their daughter-in-law Nanxu. They probably hated her so much that they wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible.
Duan Wenpei rubbed the last scab on his arm that he had removed yesterday through the thick fabric, without saying a word.
The burn had completely healed, but the ugly scab refused to fall off. No one applied medicine to him like they did that night. He found it an eyesore and simply picked it off himself.
The fresh skin was tender and smooth. He rubbed it and pressed it hard, and instantly a sharp pain shot up to the top of his head.
Seeing that he hadn't spoken for a long time, Guo Huai couldn't wait to urge him, "Why aren't you talking, Uncle? What's the problem?"
Duan Wenpei slowly turned his head and pretended to be embarrassed. "Your Majesty has considered everything carefully. I have no objection, but..."
His angular face flushed slightly with the pain in his arm. He pretended to pause, causing Guo Huai to frown. "But what? Uncle, if you have something to say, just say it."
Duan Wenpei pretended to be embarrassed to speak, hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth, smiled bitterly, and shook his head, "To be honest with you, Manager Guo, ever since I married Miss Nan Er, we've both looked down on each other. If we were to go to Shu, you know the current situation there, it would be a lot of trouble. I, I really don't know how to tell her."
Guo Huai is a rootless man. Although he lives in the inner palace and is the chief steward, he has some hobbies in these love affairs that he doesn't want to tell outsiders.
Moreover, Duan Wenpei was an old acquaintance, so when he heard these words, he could not help but sense some other meanings.
He leaned closer and jokingly said, "Master, don't deceive us. You are in your prime, vigorous and energetic. How could Miss Nan look down on you? Don't tell me you're just trying to make an excuse to prevent Madam Bo from entering Shu."
He glanced down at him thoughtfully, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, but there was no smile in his eyes.
This eunuch!
Duan Wenpei sneered inwardly, but his face was stunned. Then, as if realizing something, he hurriedly told Guo Huai to stop teasing him. "Mr. Guo, you've misunderstood. It's really... you've seen the hardships I've endured along the way. I'm not one for the romantic and romantic ways of a playboy. How could Miss Nan, a delicate and delicate lady from a marquisate, even consider someone like me? Let alone that, even sleeping in the same bed would be difficult. Naturally, we're just a couple in name only."
Seeing Duan Wenpei speak openly about the relationship between husband and wife, Guo Huai felt extremely satisfied instantly.
Among these subordinates who had accompanied the emperor all the way, only Duan Wenpei was granted a title, enjoyed great prominence in public, and even married a famous noblewoman in Kyoto. Although he appeared to be friendly with him on the surface, he couldn't help but feel jealous in his heart.
He will never have the chance to taste the taste of a woman in his life.
So what if you're a noble? You still have no choice but to obey the emperor's orders and marry a wife who despises you!
He straightened his body, a hint of pity showing on his pale, beardless face. Finally, he cautiously asked, "Are you really not lying to me? From what I can see, you have vigorously defended the lady in front of His Majesty on several occasions. It seems that you are very loving to her."
Duan Wenpei smiled wryly again and patted his face. "As a fellow man, how could Manager Guo not understand? Isn't it all about prestige in front of others? If Manager Guo still doesn't believe me, you can send someone to the backyard to ask Madam to come here and ask. I'm afraid Madam will retreat once she hears I'm calling her."
The words "as a fellow man" completely dispelled Guo Huai's concerns. He put away his inquiring look and sighed, as if he had also experienced such distress.
But no matter what we say, some things still need to be done through the formalities.
Guo Huai casually called a servant from the corridor and asked him to go to the backyard to call Nan Xu over. In order to verify Duan Wenpei's words, he did not allow the servant to say that it was his idea, and only said that Duan Wenpei had something urgent to find her.
The result is predictable. The servant left in a hurry and came back in a hurry.
Nan Xu was not called over, and was almost poured a basin of cold water by Yuxiang.
"Yuxiang said that if you want to see the lady, the uncle has to come to the door. If the lady wants to come to see the uncle, it's impossible."
Guo Huai, who was drinking tea, said: ...I didn't realize that the second young lady of the Nan family is so tough.
Duan Wenpei lowered his head and eyes, his eyebrows slightly raised, and was about to curl his lips, but suddenly as if he remembered something, his brows relaxed, and the admiration and joy that was about to overflow gradually disappeared.
Guo Huai didn't stay for too long. Before leaving, he repeatedly reminded Duan Wenpei to leave early and not delay his business.
Duan Wenpei agreed and walked with him out the door. Just as they were about to send this troublesome eunuch away, Guo Huai suddenly stopped and turned around to smile at him.
"Look at my memory. There's something I almost forgot to tell you, my uncle. His Majesty said that you haven't been back to Shu for many years. He's worried that you might not be able to handle the situation, so he has selected a few capable secret guards to accompany you to Shu. Deputy Secret Guard Commander Xiao Jing will be in charge."
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a sudden sound outside the house, and a tall and beautiful figure landed.
The visitor had a high ponytail and wore a neat red coat. She raised her head and greeted Duan Wenpei.
"Huaizhou, long time no see."
Looking at this heroic face, Duan Wenpei's expression, which had just relaxed, froze and he froze in place.
"Xiao Jing?"
*
"Xiao Jing? Who? Is there such a person in Kyoto? Why have I never heard of him?"
Today, a servant came to deliver a message, saying that the master had an urgent matter to discuss with the lady. The master and servant were surprised. After a while, the servant who went to the front yard to inquire about the news came in and said that the eunuch Guo Huai, the chief eunuch of the palace, had come and brought a good-looking girl named Xiao Jing. Later, Guo Huai returned to the palace, but the girl named Xiao Jing stayed in the mansion.
Duan Wenpei is currently having dinner with me.
Apart from his own wife, when has the uncle ever condescended to do so? And the other party was a good-looking woman.
Women's innate vigilance made Yuxiang stand up for Nanxu.
"Could it be that what Nanny Jiang said that day has come true, and the palace has sent a young and beautiful concubine to Master Bo?"
"Don't speculate on things that don't exist."
Chunya poured a glass of water for Nanxu, who was reading a book but was a little absent-minded, and shook her head, disagreeing with Yuxiang's words.
"How come he's gone? If it wasn't the palace's intention, why would Chief Steward Guo have to deliver it personally? He's been here for so long, even eating with me. Will he be on Master Bo's bed in half a day? Wuwuwu—you—cover my mouth—what?"
Chunya only regretted that she didn't have two more hands so that she could stop Yuxiang from talking nonsense.
"Madam, don't listen to Sister Yuxiang's nonsense. Uncle is not that kind of person."
Nan Xu looked at the words in front of her, but her mind was wandering somewhere else.
You’ll know if he is that kind of person by going and seeing him.
*
The last time Xiao Jing saw Duan Wenpei was before Emperor Xuanwu ascended the throne. She was the deputy commander of the secret guards, while Duan Wenpei was only a sixth-rank Zhaowu captain under Emperor Xuanwu.
When they meet again now, she is still the deputy commander of the secret guards, and Duan Wenpei has become the popular Wei Yangbo.
She proudly raised the wine glass in front of her and gestured slightly towards Duan Wenpei, "I could tell at that time that you were definitely not an ordinary person. Huaizhou, you really didn't let me down."
In public terms, he and Xiao Jing were colleagues; in private terms, Xiao Jing contributed to his successful entry into Emperor Xuanwu's service.
All in all, he's half a confidant.
Duan Wenpei raised his wine cup, clinked it lightly with Xiao Jing's, and drank it all in one gulp.
"Commander Xiao's words are still so pleasant to the ear."
Xiao Jing looked at him, who was as carefree as ever, and a smile unconsciously appeared on the corners of her mouth.
This smile is like a rose blooming in the dark night, mysterious and stunning.
Duan Wenpei's eyes casually passed over her face, and his calm eyes seemed to fluctuate for a moment. When she looked again, it seemed that he saw nothing.
Xiao Jing's smile deepened, and she also imitated Duan Wenpei and drank the wine.
After a glass of wine, her mind seemed to be more active. She moved closer naturally and wanted to put her hand on Duan Wenpei's shoulder. "Huaizhou, to be honest, although I am still the deputy commander of the secret guards..."
"Hey, Huaizhou?"
Duan Wenpei glanced at the hand she was trying to reach out to him, then leaned back calmly to avoid her touch.
"We're not in the military camp right now, so men and women should avoid suspicion." He said calmly, nodding his head towards the outside world. "I heard from Chief Steward Guo that besides you, there are several other secret guards, all of whom are your subordinates. It wouldn't be nice if they saw us."
The secret guards were good at hiding. Although Duan Wenpei didn't see anyone, he could feel the unusual "aura" around him. This was the intuition of a martial artist.
Xiao Jing reacted quickly, and her embarrassed expression transformed naturally into a relaxed and relieved expression in the blink of an eye.
She calmly withdrew her outstretched hand and said nonchalantly, "So that's what you're afraid of. I thought you were going to cut ties with us, your former comrades, now that you're married and have a new wife."
At first glance, this sounded like a joke, but Duan Wenpei still heard some other meaning.
"A Xu is a very nice person. She and I are husband and wife, and it won't affect our friendship."
What he said was normal, but it sounded a bit harsh to Xiao Jing's ears.
The smile on her face faded a little. "From what I heard from you and Old Guo just now, you and the second daughter of the Nan family don't have much friendship, right? Why do you seem to be protecting her so much now?"
Duan Wenpei smiled and said, "Although we don't have much friendship, she is nominally my wife. It's my job to protect her in front of my friends."
He kept calling them friends and husband and wife, and the speaker was unintentional, but the listener took it to heart.
The smile on Xiao Jing's face completely disappeared.
Is this a reminder to her?
No, Huaizhou is not that kind of person. He would not fall in love with a delicate lady like Nanxu, and he would not break the indifference deep in his heart for a woman.
He is Duan Huaizhou, the ruthless killer. The only one who can understand him, comfort his unknown trauma, and be worthy of him is her, Xiao Jing, the deputy commander of the secret guards!
Yes, just as he said, this is not only to maintain his own face, but also to fulfill his responsibility as a "husband".
Huaizhou has always been a very responsible person.
After figuring it out, Xiao Jing felt much more relieved. She quickly poured herself a glass of wine and wanted to apologize to Duan Wenpei. "Look at me, it's been so long since we last met, and I was only thinking about returning to the time when we used to have some free time. I didn't consider you and Nanxu at all. Huaizhou, please don't blame me."
After she finished speaking, without waiting for Duan Wenpei to speak, she tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp. Through the gaps between her fingers, she looked at Duan Wenpei opposite her with gentle eyes, and her previous desire to express her true feelings slowly faded away.
The journey to Shu was so long, she would stay by his side every step of the way, and she had plenty of time to let Duan Wenpei know and understand her feelings for him.
Duan Wenpei saw all the changes in her expression. As Xiao Jing's thoughts kept changing, Duan Wenpei silently drew a conclusion about Xiao Jing in his heart.
The more Xiao Jing did the job of leading the secret guards, the worse he got.
Not showing emotions on one's face is the most basic skill of a secret guard, but in just this short while, Xiao Jing has already changed countless expressions.
Duan Wenpei looked away and asked a pointed question in a casual tone, "Did His Majesty really just ask you to help me and not tell me anything else?"
His question was so sudden that it caught Xiao Jing off guard. Xiao Jing paused for a few seconds before reacting. The corners of her mouth twitched, but after all, she had been a secret guard for so many years, and her voice had calmed down. "Huaizhou, you're the one who sees things clearly. His Majesty does have something to say. His Majesty meant that, to facilitate our actions, it would be best if I could accompany you to Shu as a member of the Marquis's family."
Female relatives?
Duan Wenpei frowned.
"Madam, you will not enter Shu without a maid. Your Majesty's method will not work."
Xiao Jing was at a loss for words, and said uncomfortably, "What maid? She's the female member of the Bo's household, not the female member of Nanxu's family. Hey, Huaizhou, you really want me to make it clear. Your Majesty wants me to disguise myself as your concubine and enter Shu."
Duan Wenpei: ...
Nan Xu, who had just avoided the servants and walked out of the house, narrowed her eyes and exerted force with her hands, tearing a hole in the brocade handkerchief she had just changed.
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