Chapter 10: Locking up the slaves "Just recovered from illness and came out to get some fresh air, what can you do?" ...
When he heard the word "accident", He Jiuyue suddenly turned his head.
"Did something happen to Wen Zheliu? Wasn't he just recovering from an illness? So what happened? I've locked him up in a side hall and had the elite red-armored soldiers take turns guarding him. What else could have happened?"
Chen Jin read the letter over and over again, but couldn't find a single word related to Wen Zheliu. She said in embarrassment, "Princess, something happened in the mansion, not Wen Zheliu. There's no mention of Wen Zheliu in the letter."
No mention of Wen Zheliu? But in this vast Princess's Mansion, most of the soldiers were personally recruited by her mother, He Yuyao, and their skills were top-notch.
Looking around the whole mansion, there was only Wen Zheliu, a fragile vase. If it wasn't him who got into trouble, then who could it be?
"Who was in trouble then?"
"It's Xiaoqing. He was poisoned by the strange Xiyue poison and fell into a coma after vomiting blood."
"Xiaoqing?" He Jiuyue's expression changed from one of concern to one of concern, her brows furrowed. "What's he up to? Is he really sick or just faking it? What did Wu Yang say?"
"The letter was brief. It said Xiaoqing had a sudden illness and had fainted and was mumbling. Envoy Wu had just arrived and hadn't yet made a diagnosis."
It was a rare opportunity to receive breaking news from the mansion. He Jiuyue was just thinking about what happened to Wen Zheliu. Xiaoqing, who heard it, became extremely annoyed.
"Why don't we just rush over there? Xiaoqing is sick and poisoned, so she needs to go see a doctor. With Wu Yang here, what can go wrong? I, He Jiyue, don't know any medical skills, so what does it matter whether I go back or not?
"Regardless of whether he was poisoned or just trying to win favor, it has nothing to do with me. From now on, there's no need to waste carrier pigeons in the palace spreading this kind of news."
"……yes."
Chen Jin had just destroyed the encrypted letter when another carrier pigeon flew over. She quickly spotted words related to Wen Zheliu in the letter and hurriedly reported it.
"Princess, there's no snow in the city this morning, but the wind is blowing. Wen Zheliu said it was stuffy inside, so I rowed a boat to the pavilion in the lake to enjoy the snow. Now I've caught a cold and feel unwell, so I can't get on the boat and am stuck in the pavilion...Princess, wait for me!"
Just now I said Xiaoqing was unconscious, but you looked normal. I said Wen Zheliu ran to the pavilion in the middle of the lake to enjoy the breeze, so why did you gallop away on your horse?
Chen Jin had just mounted the horse when He Jiuyue had already ridden the Xingyun horse for ten miles.
Xingyun is a Ferghana horse that can travel a thousand miles a day. He Jiuyue was a little exhausted after a night of hard work, but he did not stop on the way and returned to the Princess's Mansion in one breath.
"Hear the willow branches!"
She dismounted at the main gate of the Princess's Mansion, rushed all the way to the lake, and shouted loudly at the pavilion in the middle of the lake.
Chen Jin caught up with him, panting. "My Lady, Wen Zheliu has never practiced martial arts, and his hearing is poor. He probably won't hear me calling him from such a distance. There's an empty boat here. Once I find the oars, you can take the boat over and call him."
There was a thin layer of ice on the lake, but this morning, in order to allow Wen Zheliu to pass through the pavilion, the waiter used a paddle to break a channel.
He Jiuyue was anxious, so she snatched the oar from Chen Jin's hand, jumped onto the boat herself, paddled and left, leaving behind Chen Jin who was shouting "Princess, wait for me."
She stared at the pavilion in the middle of the lake, eagerly searching for Wen Zheliu's figure.
A strong wind blew, blowing up the snow not far away. He Jiuyue raised her arms to wave away the white grains that were blowing in her face.
Didn’t Wen Zheliu know how fragile his little body was?
In the middle of winter, why would any beautiful lady go to the pavilion in the middle of the lake to engage in romantic activities?
The closer the boat got, the clearer the scenery became. He Jiuyue finally saw Wen Zheliu, the man she had been thinking about. He was wrapped in the thick fox fur coat that she had hung on the rack, huddled in the corner of the pavilion, covering his lips with a handkerchief.
His face was as white as the ice on the lake, and looked like it would break at any moment.
Perhaps it was because of the fox fur that he still had the strength to shiver.
He Jiuyue was so focused on watching and hearing Zheliu that she didn't notice for a moment, and the paddle hit the ice with a "bang".
How dare you run around like this?
If she didn't come to pick him up, how long would he have to stay in the pavilion?
"Wen Guiyun."
The sound of wind in his ears suddenly mixed with He Jiuyue's voice. Wen Zheliu was startled and coughed even more violently.
"Ahem! Slave, ahem, here I am."
He Jiuyue saw that he responded with his mouth but his eyes were evasive. She twisted the silk handkerchief with her slender fingers and gently covered her lips with it, as if she was prepared for a storm. In the end, she suppressed the words she had prepared in her mind.
"Come here." Jianwen Zheliu was able to reply at least, so she didn't freeze into a sculpture in the pavilion. She stretched out her hand to him.
"No, don't."
The shadow of Chen Jin's words "it's related to the Wen family case" last night has not faded. When Wen Zheliu saw He Jiuyue now, he was like a mouse seeing a cat. He was scared and subconsciously refused.
As the Minister of Dali Temple, Guan Ze is famous for his keen insight.
He Jiuyue stayed in Dali Temple for a night, and when he came back his face was as dark as a pot lid. Did he know something?
But she came alone, without anyone else and without a sword, and she didn't look like she was coming to call for punishment... Then what was she doing here?
"Why 'no'?"
He Jiuyue was looking at Wen Zheliu at this moment, and her heart was filled with mixed feelings.
It is indeed hateful to hear that Zheliu's mother and father are collaborating with the enemy.
But he is not an insider, how can he be innocent?
Her tone was very light. Wen Zheliu was still afraid and didn't want to follow He Jiyue. After observing the surroundings, she found an excuse for herself: "The lake is very rough and I can't sit in the boat."
"The wind and waves here are so strong even in winter. Are you going to sit in the pavilion forever?"
"Not really," Wen Zheliu argued with her slowly, "Wait until the wind and waves die down...ah!"
Seeing that Zheliu looked pale, He Jiuyue knew that he would get hypothermia if he stayed any longer. He Jiuyue didn't tolerate his temper and jumped off the boat directly, reaching out to carry him up.
"You're out here to enjoy the fresh air right after you've recovered from an illness. Are you capable of that?"
"The room is too stuffy. The guards outside said the scenery at the lakeside pavilion is beautiful, so I took the initiative..."
Wen Zheliu tried to break free, but his strength was far inferior to He Jiuyue's, and he was like an ant trying to shake a tree.
“Hmm!”
Wen Zheliu was finally brought to the boat by He Jiuyue. He thought he could take a breath, but he felt his breath was suffocated - she kissed him like a hungry tiger.
The warm breath sprayed all over his nose, more overbearing than fire, and Wen Zheliu almost couldn't breathe.
He regretted his decision.
If I had known this earlier, I wouldn’t have come out. Not only did I fail to contact my brother, I also got punished.
He Jiuyue did not restrain her movements. She held Wen Zheliu's slender waist with one hand and supported his plump buttocks with the other, wantonly taking away the sweet taste between his lips and teeth.
The boat was shaking and Wen Zheliu felt dizzy and wanted to vomit.
He was afraid of dirtying He Jiuyue and He Jiuyue's clothes, so he pushed He Jiuyue away with all his strength.
"What to do?" He Jiuyue was not satisfied yet.
"Ugh!" Wen Zheliu huddled at the stern of the boat, covering his mouth tightly, his Adam's apple rolling up and down, but at least he didn't vomit.
At first, He Jiuyue thought that she had kissed Wen Zheliu too hard, so she leaned over to comfort him, but she found that when she moved, the boat moved with her, and Wen Zheliu's face turned pale.
"seasick?"
"Yeah." Wen Zheliu's whole body was shaking, and his Adam's apple was rolling up and down.
Fortunately, when he came out this morning, he only ate a small bowl of white porridge, walked in the yard for a while to digest the food, and rubbed his stomach for a while, otherwise he would have to confess everything here now.
"Just bear with it and get back to shore."
Seeing his face as pale as gold paper, He Jiuyue felt distressed and did not continue to tease him. She just rowed silently.
She has a well-defined face and sharp features, which makes people feel afraid when they first meet her. But after getting to know her, they feel at ease and concentrate on their work, which makes people even more attracted to her.
Wen Zheliu endured for a while, and the nausea gradually subsided, and curiosity arose.
If He Jiyue hadn't come to hold him accountable, then she shouldn't have discovered his background last night. But what else could she have discussed with Guan Ze about? And who was the criminal they had arrested?
"Princess, I dare to ask, where did you go last night?"
Wen Zheliu looked at He Jiuyue cautiously.
He heard the guards outside the house say that He Jiuyue had not returned all night, and thought that she would not be back for a while, so he bravely came to the rarely visited pavilion in the middle of the lake and tried to send a message outside the mansion.
Who would have thought that just after he finished writing the letter, and before he could blow the whistle to call the nearby Xiyue special carrier pigeon, He Jiuyue arrived, but she was exhausted and her clothes were the same. She probably didn't go to Zuifeng Tower to get drunk last night.
He Jiyue, who was rowing hard, glanced at him and asked, "Are you asking about my whereabouts?"
Wen Zheliu was startled: "I dare not."
"If you don't dare, why ask?"
Wen Zheliu pursed his lips: "I just want to care about you. You have dark circles under your eyes, as if you haven't slept all night."
He Jiuyue intuitively felt that although what he said was true, it was not entirely true. She could not figure out the reason behind Wen Zheliu's question, and she couldn't help but feel annoyed.
"It's none of your business."
I didn't believe it when I heard about the willow being broken.
Chen Jin said that Guan Ze called her over because of the Wen family's case of collaborating with the enemy, so how could it have nothing to do with him?
He Jiyue saw that Zheliu wanted to speak but stopped himself several times, and it was obvious that he had something to say. The doubts he had in the Dali Temple began to take root.
He is so shy, could it be that he really knows something?
She turned sideways and said, "Wen Zheliu, when did you find out about your mother's collaborating with the enemy?"
This was like a bolt from the blue.
The tension sprouted like bamboo shoots after spring rain, and Wen Zheliu's stomach suddenly began to ache.
How should he answer?
When Dao was young, he vomited blood at night. Fearing that his mother and father would find out, he secretly wiped it on his head. He accidentally saw a lotus mark on his head in the mirror. He was so scared that he ran straight to the main hall of the prime minister's mansion and caught his adoptive mother and biological father having sex. They told him his life story that was not to be seen by others, and even held the frightened him and comforted him all night?
He Jiuyue has been in the military for many years and has interrogated many people.
There are quite a few people like Wen Zheliu who refuse to speak no matter how much they are asked.
But such silent behavior often conveys a message of guilty conscience.
"If you really didn't find out about your mother and father's collaboration until the soldiers came to arrest them, then tell me, when did you find out? A month ago, six months ago, or a year ago?"
Wen Zheliu was flustered by He Jiuyue's repetitive questioning like an interrogator, pinching his stomach and bending down silently.
it hurts.
My stomach was churning and my heart was aching.
"Still not talking? Is time going to move forward again?"
Wen Zheliu's breathing became more rapid.
What did she find out?
Wen Zheliu clung to the edge of the boat and vomited out the two mouthfuls of porridge he had drunk in the morning with a "wow" sound, splashing water. He didn't know how to hide, but just pinched his stomach and continued to vomit. Looking at his posture, it seemed as if he wanted to vomit out his heart and lungs.
He Jiuyue looked at Wen Zheliu coldly. For the first time, she did not go over to pat him on the back or ask him how he was doing. She just paddled.
He didn't answer, he must have something to hide.
But if he knew from the beginning that his mother and father were collaborating with the enemy, then what role did he play in it?
He knew clearly that she hated traitors the most!
Wen Zheliu curled up in cramps as his stomach cramped.
It hurts, it hurts everywhere.
Cold sweat trickled down my cheeks and back. It was hot at first, but turned cold when the cold wind blew, hanging on my body, making me feel sticky and unbearable.
But the boat was constantly shaking, and Wen Zheliu bent over, breaking through the thin ice on the lake and vomiting out two mouthfuls of gastric juice.
He Jiuyue frowned.
Is he pretending to be so uncomfortable, or is he really feeling uncomfortable?
If it was fake, it would be too similar; if it was real, it would be too coincidental.
She asked so many questions just because she wanted to hear him say in person, "Princess, you guessed wrong. I never knew that my mother and father were collaborating with the enemy." But why did he try to cover it up again and again?
Wen Zheliu was so uncomfortable that he couldn't straighten his back, and He Jiuyue fell into deep thought. The two of them looked at each other in silence and walked to the other side.
Chen Jin, who was waiting on the shore, was puzzled.
Wen Zheliu was trapped in the pavilion in the middle of the lake, and the princess chased after him. With such a passionate relationship, shouldn't they have been so affectionate when they returned? Why was it so cold and deserted?
"Lock him up."
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