Chapter 17: Tiredness He took a deep breath, shallow one, obviously enduring the pain...
The warm and soft touch still remained, and He Jiuyue's irritability disappeared completely, and he walked briskly.
Her original intention was that she was going to hear the willow-breaking sound herself and wanted to inform him in advance so as not to scare him and make him sick.
Unexpectedly, he kissed her himself.
"alright."
He Jiuyue is not a greedy person and will take what he gets.
"Remember those children?"
She spoke seriously, but a smile lingered in her eyes. "The nursery rhyme they sang alluded to matters at court, and His Majesty found out. He was furious and wanted me to come to the palace to discuss countermeasures. I refused to go, and Chen Sanxi couldn't report back, so he kept pestering me."
Wen Zheliu nodded obediently: "Is that so? Then why don't you go?"
"What's there to say? The innocent will be cleared."
He Jiuyue lifted him up.
"You're more important. If I don't watch over you, you won't eat. You've walked such a long way today, you need to eat something to replenish yourself tonight, otherwise you'll faint from hunger."
Wen Zheliu was stunned.
He seemed to have become a demon concubine who brought disaster to the country, causing the princess to no longer attend court early in the morning.
"I will enjoy my meal. You should go to the palace and take a look. After all, His Majesty has urgently summoned you. If you don't go, the civil and military officials will gossip about you again."
She suggested it in a soft voice, and Wen Zheliu pursed her lips.
Well, he went from being a seducer to a pillow talker.
He Jiuyue lowered her eyes: "You want me to go over?"
Her eyes were dark and unclear, and it was hard to tell whether they were happy, angry, or both.
"Indeed," Wen Zheliu said solemnly, "You hold a high position and are busy with many things every day. I am very grateful that you can spare half a day to accompany me. However, Your Majesty's summons is of great importance. Please do not delay my important work for me."
He and Chen Sanxi were clearly talking about the same thing, but to He Jiuyue, it sounded different.
She was annoyed by Chen Sanxi's advice, but she loved listening to Zheliu's advice.
"Yeah, that makes sense."
He Jiuyue nodded, but walked towards the Princess's Mansion, which was in the opposite direction of the Imperial Palace.
Pretend to obey while secretly disobeying.
"You think my words are reasonable, but you still refuse to accept my advice and enter the palace. Why is that?"
Wen Zheliu's cheeks bulged slightly, just like the snowballs made by children playing snowball fights in winter, white and lively, just like the beauty hanging on the wall had taken on a different shape.
He Jiuyue couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth.
Even when a beauty is angry, she has a special charm.
"It's not that I won't go, I just want to send you back home first... Don't you always want me to hold you when you're tired from playing?"
Chen Sanxi's continuous voice behind him paused.
Wen Zheliu dived into He Jiuyue's shoulder socket.
How could she open her mouth and talk about such a private matter? Chen Sanxi was listening not far away!
So embarrassing.
He Jiuyue walked steadily and her arms were even more steady. Wen Zheliu was so shy that she didn't even know when she put him on the couch.
"I'm leaving."
When they reached the door, He Jiuyue turned back and reminded: "Have your meal well."
Wen Zheliu finally came to his senses.
"My Lady, have a safe journey. I'll be waiting for you to come back... Why are you looking at me like this?"
He Jiuyue took in his red face again and stepped out of the door with a raised lip.
"Don't do anything, wait until I come back."
The Princess's Mansion was not far from the Imperial Palace. He Jiyue rode his horse and arrived at the Yangxin Palace in half a minute.
"Jiyue, you are finally here, I have been waiting for you!"
Emperor Jingming walked around the desk and personally helped He Jiuyue, who was kneeling to pay her respects, to her feet. He then ordered Chen Sanxi, "What are you still standing there for? Quickly, offer her a seat and serve tea!"
Not wanting to waste time talking to her, He Jiuyue went straight to the point.
"Your Majesty, did you summon me here because of the nursery rhyme?"
As soon as He Jiuyue asked, Emperor Jingming couldn't wait to sigh.
"That's right. Previously, storytellers gathered together to spread rumors. I sent people to suppress them. Within half a day, those who sold storybooks also started to make up stories and spread rumors about your deceased mother. I sent the imperial guards to suppress them and strictly prohibited the mention of the previous court events.
"I thought this matter was over, but a nursery rhyme popped up out of nowhere. The enemy is in the dark and we are in the open, making it impossible to defend ourselves. Who is spreading these rumors?"
After hearing the whole story, He Jiuyue asked calmly.
"Your Majesty is so well-informed, yet you haven't found the culprit yet?"
Emperor Jingming was already filled with rage after being fooled time and again right under his nose.
She pounded the armrest angrily.
"I find it strange too. Isn't the entire capital just this big? Li You from the Imperial City Bureau has been investigating for half a month and has found nothing! Every time he reports to me, it's just a new rumor! It really makes me angry!"
"Your Majesty, calm down."
He Jiuyue took a sip of tea slowly.
"Those who spread this rumor are simply trying to sow discord between you and me. Your Majesty and I are united in our resolve, so I will not let these traitors succeed."
Her words were like a magic needle that calmed the anxiety of Emperor Jingming.
Most of his anger subsided, and He Feng felt increasingly guilty.
Fortunately, He Jiuyue didn't know about her dirty behavior when she was trying to seize the throne, otherwise, according to He Jiuyue's temperament, she would have to seek justice for her mother He Yuyao.
Until then...
"Jiyue is absolutely right. Although the nameless villains are rampant, as long as you and I, the king and his subjects, don't fall for their tricks, the rumors will be refuted on their own."
Seeing that Emperor Jingming relaxed his tone but still held the memorials on the table tightly in his hands, He Jiuyue frowned.
If you don't do anything wrong, you don't have to worry about ghosts knocking on your door.
Why did Emperor Jingming become angry but unable to speak when this matter was mentioned, like a mouse that had stumbled upon a cat?
It's just some trivial things, why should you be afraid?
Could it be that there was some hidden story behind He Feng's succession to the throne?
It was a pity that she was so young at that time. Ever since she could remember, He Feng had been firmly sitting on the throne.
When she was young, she read several books by sages on governing the world, and then she ran to ask her mother He Yuyao.
Since ancient times, the eldest son has been the heir apparent, not the youngest. Why was it that her aunt He Feng, who was younger than her, was able to sit on the throne?
He Yuyao was practicing martial arts at the time and paused with his spear upon hearing this.
"Perhaps the Queen Mother feels that Afeng is more suitable for the throne than me."
Little He Jiuyue was about to ask further questions, but saw that the corners of his mother's eyes were red.
"Ji Yue asked this question, but are you blaming me for not taking the throne and letting you be the crown prince? ... In fact, I also felt that the Queen Mother was too partial to your aunt by doing this, but the will was clearly written, so I had to obey.
"I'm sorry, little Jiyue. Is it because I'm always busy practicing martial arts and don't have time to accompany you to study and learn to read, that's why you think so much? I'm a qualified general, but not a qualified mother."
He Jiuyue didn't understand what her mother meant at that time.
But within a few days, she sent him from the border to the capital. Through the letters between his mother He Yuyao and his father Zhong Zi'an, he grew up together with Wen Zheliu, the youngest son of the neighboring prime minister's family.
As far as she could remember, her mother and father had never met each other.
While she stayed in the fiefdom, her father held his infant brother in his arms and cried every day.
She was sent to the capital by an imperial edict of Emperor Jingming. Her mother fought for her and she was able to accompany her mother at the border for half a year.
Whenever she mentioned her father and younger brother, her mother would sigh while holding her spear. Later, He Jiuyue settled in the capital and was named Princess Pingyang. She was far away from her mother and father. She only knew that her mother was stationed at the border and never returned to her fiefdom before she died.
Her father, Zhong Zi'an, was heartbroken when he learned the bad news about his mother. He wanted to come to the capital from his fiefdom to see her mother off for the last time, but was rejected by He Feng.
It is said that the fiefdom cannot be separated from the people.
Two people who loved each other never met each other until they died.
No matter how long it lasts, it can't compare to these four words: fate plays tricks on us.
It was then that He Jiuyue suddenly realized that her aunt He Feng, who always treated her with kindness, actually had great hostility towards their family of four.
"It is not convenient for me to intervene in this matter. Your Majesty, please send someone to investigate. As for the matter concerning the southeast, what are your plans?"
With his thoughts in a mess, He Jiuyue closed his eyes briefly to hide his melancholy thoughts and asked directly about the purpose of this trip.
"The unrest in the southeast has been going on for nearly half a month. Local people have fled in all directions, and bandits are rampant. I believe it is time to send troops to suppress it."
Emperor Jingming was already overwhelmed by the rumors that were growing like weeds in the city. How could he have the time to care about this?
She waved her hand and spoke in a casual tone.
"It's not a big deal. Aren't there troops stationed there? I think..."
"The civil unrest in the southeast is causing the people to suffer. Its severity is no less than a war with another country. Your Majesty, do you think this is not a big deal?"
He Jiuyue's eyes turned cold.
"So what is a big deal in your Majesty's eyes?"
The little conscience of Emperor Jingming was immediately stung by her sword-like sharp gaze.
"Jiyue, please be patient. I don't mean to ignore the bandits in the southeast. I just regret that there are no suitable candidates among the generals in the court. Alas!"
Isn’t she, He Jiuyue, the best candidate?
He Feng's behavior clearly showed that he didn't want to send her, and he really couldn't find a suitable general, so he simply gave up.
Knowing that Emperor Jingming was wary, she should have concealed her incompetence, but the tearful memorial from the Jiangnan County Magistrate flashed through her mind, and she couldn't swallow it.
If we want to achieve a quick victory right now, we can only rely on her.
"Your Majesty, my servant in the palace said that the scenery in the south of the Yangtze River is beautiful, and the snowy scenery in winter is even more interesting. I wonder if Your Majesty would allow me to take them to explore it?"
Her words were already too tactful, but her tone was not one of negotiation.
The two men were in a stalemate for a moment, leaving only the lingering scent of ambergris.
After all, he didn't have the courage to confront He Jiuyue head-on, so Emperor Jingming backed down.
"I was thinking of you, Jiyue, just after you returned from the Western Regions, so I sent you to the southeast to suppress the bandits. I was afraid you would be tired. Since you are willing, then fine, we will set off the day after tomorrow. I will hold a farewell banquet for you tomorrow night... I am tired, you may leave now."
"My lord, I obey the order."
He Jiuyue bowed and retreated.
The issue of the southeastern bandits was initially resolved, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
But Emperor Jingming was inexplicably concerned about the nursery rhyme, and she couldn't figure out the reason.
This matter was just hearsay. When her mother He Yuyao was alive, she followed various princes to personally send He Feng to the throne. It was so legitimate. What was He Feng afraid of?
With something on his mind, He Jiuyue rode his Xingyun to the racecourse in the suburbs, and glided around for more than ten laps without stopping.
Accompanying her to race horses late at night, Chen Jin's eyes went dark and he almost fainted.
"Princess, Princess," Chen Jin knew that He Jiuyue was full of energy and could run all night without any problem. She did not dare to indulge He Jiuyue and used Wen Zheliu as a shield. "It's cold outside in the middle of the night. Let's go back to the mansion. Wen Shijun is still waiting for you in the mansion!"
Hear the willows being cut?
He Jiuyue reined in his horse suddenly.
Oops, she forgot Wen Zheliu was still waiting for her.
But it's late at night, so he should go to bed, right?
She was still struggling in her heart, but her hands had already honestly changed direction.
He Jiuyue rode his horse back to the mansion, wrapped in the cold winter night wind, and went all the way to the side hall. He saw a person standing at the door of the side hall from afar.
He was holding a lantern in his hand and wearing a cloak. Wasn't he the one who was reading the willow?
He was actually waiting for her.
Softness surges like clouds, and anxiety dissipates like smoke.
"How long have you been waiting?" He Jiuyue took two or three steps forward, "It's cold outside, just wait for me inside from now on."
"Okay." Wen Zheliu's voice was muffled.
"Are you feeling unwell due to the cold?"
When He Jiuyue touched his hand, she felt it was indeed cold.
"You're standing outside with your hands so cold. I'm afraid you're going to get sick again. Come inside and warm up."
Wen Zheliu looked listless, as if he couldn't muster up any energy. He said he was tired without saying a word.
He Jiuyue was still excited and wanted to cling to Wen Zheliu for a while, but seeing that he was really tired, she had no choice but to add a few more sticks to the brazier and blew out the lamp with a "whoosh": "Okay, then rest."
In the middle of the night, He Jiuyue woke up with her back burning from the brazier. She stretched her hands and feet out from under the thick quilt and was about to fall asleep again when she heard a rustling sound.
She suddenly opened her eyes and heard Wenzheliu breathing beside her, some shallow and some deep.
Obviously enduring the pain.
"What's wrong?"
She jumped up and lit the oil lamp.
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