It really is a little fox! Chu Qiao snorted in her heart, but she knelt down in fear and said hurriedly: "Xing'er dare not lie."
“Really?” Zhuge Yue lowered his head and chuckled, saying, “Then tell me about it.”
"On the fourth day of last month, Xing'er and a group of slave girls in the mansion were taken to the hunting ground by the eldest young master. In the end, only Xing'er came back alive. Xing'er was very scared after she came back, and while she was recovering from her injuries, she packed her things and prepared to escape."
“Escape?” Zhuge Yue raised his eyebrows slightly, “Where are you going to escape to?”
The child said in a small voice: "I don't know either, I just don't want to stay here and wait to die. The young master may think Xing'er is a traitor, but a person can only live once. Xing'er's life may be worthless in the eyes of others, but in Xing'er's own eyes, it is still very precious. But when Xing'er was about to escape, he was found by Guardian Song, and he beat me up severely. He saw me today and was afraid that I would retaliate against him, so he wanted to harm me."
“Really? So that’s how it is. He is really very bold.” Zhuge Yue took a sip of tea and said calmly, “Do you still remember that he beat you?”
Chu Qiao was stunned, only to see Zhuge Yue's eyes were sharp, like a spirit snake. He immediately lowered his head and said, "This happened not long ago, so Xing'er still remembers it."
“You have a good memory.” Zhuge Yue nodded and said, “Then, do you remember Jin Si and Jin Zhu instigating me to kill Lin Xi? Do you remember Zhu Shun giving your family away? Do you remember someone killing your sisters?”
Chu Qiao was shocked, but she rationally did not raise her head. She knocked her head to the ground and cried, saying, "Master, Xing'er remembers everything, but Xing'er also clearly knows her identity, her duty, and her ability."
"You mean that when you have the ability to do so one day, you will also take revenge, right?"
The child immediately raised his head and looked upward in horror, "Fourth Young Master!"
"There's no need to deny it. When I first saw you, I knew you were definitely not an ordinary kid. There are many things hidden in your eyes. I can see that."
The child had tears in her eyes and pursed her lips as she said, "Master, what do you think Xing'er will do? Do you think Xing'er will kill someone? Or do you think that Jinzhu and Jinsi were killed by Xing'er? Xing'er is young, and even if she occasionally feels hatred in her heart, she knows what to do and what not to do. The Jingmen clan was destroyed, tens of thousands of clansmen were scattered and died overnight, and Xing'er was transformed from a rich lady into a lowly slave. If there is hatred, should Xing'er hate the emperor of Shengjin Palace, should she hate the elders who issued the order, should she hate the Huangtian Army that raided Xing'er's home? Master, Xing'er doesn't have that much ability. I just want to live a good life. Those things are too heavy for Xing'er to bear."
The child bowed his head to the ground, his little back straight, his head lowered firmly, but his thin shoulders trembled uncontrollably, and he seemed very scared and wanted to cry but didn't dare to.
Zhuge Yue's eyes scoured the child back and forth, his eyes sharp, but he finally softened amid the child's suppressed sobs. Zhuge Yue put down the teacup, leaned back on the couch, and said slowly, "Get up."
The child pursed his lips tightly, his eyes were wide open, red and watery.
Zhuge Yue glanced at the child in front of him. She was small, with pink cheeks and her fists clenched nervously. She wanted to cry but was holding it back. She looked extremely aggrieved. He could not help but sigh softly, thinking that he had experienced too many intrigues and deceptions. It was indeed a case of seeing snakes in the cup. He even began to doubt such a young child.
"Okay, I've wronged you. Go ahead and cry if you want."
This was already a disguised apology. Zhuge Yue had never been so polite to anyone before. However, the child still stood there stubbornly, pursing his lips and staring, refusing to shed a single tear.
Zhuge Yue felt annoyed for no reason and waved his hand, saying, “Go down, don’t stand here and get in the way.”
Chu Qiao turned around angrily and wanted to go back without saying a word.
"stop!"
Zhuge Yue shouted coldly, and Chu Qiao stood still obediently, but she did not turn around.
Zhuge Yue took out a small celadon bottle from a drawer nearby, walked down slowly, stretched out his hand to grab Chu Qiao's shoulder, and tried to turn her around. His fingers felt a stubborn and stubborn spirit, and Zhuge Yue raised his eyebrows. He saw that the child was holding his body up tightly and didn't want to turn around.
Zhuge Yue was much older than her after all, so he placed his hands on the child’s shoulders and with a little force, he forcibly turned the child over.
A tear-stained little face appeared before Zhuge Yue’s eyes, looking extremely aggrieved. Chu Qiao's eyes were red, and when she saw him, she cried even harder.
"Okay, stop crying. I just said a few words to you." The young man frowned and said, "You made a mistake yourself and you don't allow others to say it?"
"I didn't do anything wrong. It was the master who asked me to learn horse riding. I did my best and no one provoked me." The eight-year-old child finally lost his temper and talked back to his master with confidence. He sobbed as he spoke and almost swallowed his snot.
Zhuge Yue frowned slightly, took out the handkerchief in his arms and wiped the tears from the child's face. His technique was very amateurish. As he wiped, he said, "You still think you're right? You lost my horse, and today a top-quality Moxi Snow Dragon colt died because of you. And you still say you're not wrong?"
"It's not... it's not that I want to ride the horse myself. Besides, Prince Yan... Prince Yan has already returned the lost horse. I... I heard everything." The child was unreasonable and his tears fell, soon soaking Zhuge Yue's handkerchief.
Zhuge Yue was just about to grab another handkerchief when he suddenly saw the child using his hand to wipe his nose with the handkerchief.
Zhuge Yue was stunned, staring at the dirty, sticky handkerchief in amazement, only to hear the child continue, "Even the horse today was killed by the young master himself."
"Huh, you are reasonable."
The child lowered his head and murmured unconvincedly: "What they said is the truth."
The sunlight shone in from the corner of the window frame and fell on the shoulders of the two men. The child was still very small, and even when he stood up straight, he only reached the boy's shoulders. His face was red like a big apple.
“Here you go.” Zhuge Yue placed the porcelain bottle in her hand and said, “Go back and wipe it.”
As expected, he is a child at heart, and his attention was immediately diverted. Zhuge Yue smiled faintly as he watched the child holding up the bottle, and asked in confusion, “What is this?”
"Medicine, for scrapes."
The pony ran too fast before and Chu Qiao's palms were scratched. The child pouted, nodded, and said, "Fourth Young Master, Xing'er will go down first."
The boy sat back in his chair without raising his head, looking very reluctant to see her. He waved his hand and said, "Go down."
Just as Chu Qiao was about to open the door, Zhuge Yue suddenly called out, “Xing’er, next time you see Prince Yan, try to stay away from him.”
Chu Qiao tilted her head and looked at him in confusion.
Zhuge Yue frowned irritably and shouted, “Did you understand?”
"I understand!" the child answered loudly, then turned and left, almost falling as his small body stepped over the high threshold.
This child is getting bolder and bolder. The boy had a dark face and was breathing heavily secretly.
As soon as she opened the door, she saw Zhu Cheng's worried face. Zhu Cheng hurried forward and saw Xing'er's tearful face and asked hurriedly, "What did the young master say? Are you angry?"
Chu Qiao glanced at him, nodded, and went back to her room.
Zhu Cheng entered the room trembling with fear. Seeing Zhuge Yue lowering his head, he did not dare to speak and stood cautiously to the side.
After a while, something suddenly flew towards his head. Zhu Cheng was shocked and didn't dare to hide. He secretly said that his life was over, but he felt that the thing was soft and his head didn't hurt at all. When I looked down, I saw it was a dirty handkerchief with a small word "Yue" embroidered on it.
"Take it and throw it away."
Thinking of Chu Qiao's tear-stained face, Zhu Cheng seemed to understand something. He was slightly stunned, and quickly nodded and said, "I obey your command."
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard Zhuge Yue shout, "Wait a moment." Zhu Cheng immediately turned around, bent over, and waited for instructions, looking like a complete slave.
For some reason, the boy's fair face turned a little red. He thought for a long time but still didn't say anything.
Zhu Cheng raised his head carefully, only to see Zhuge Yue's brows knitted together, as if he was making some important decision. His expression was exactly the same as when he encountered something important. He immediately pricked up his ears seriously, waiting for his master's instructions. After a long while, I heard a commanding voice from above, "Take it down, clean it, and bring it back to me."
"Ah?" Zhu Cheng was stunned and shouted loudly.
Zhuge Yue was furious, "What? Don't you understand?"
"I understand, I understand. I will go right away."
Chu Qiao walked on the corridor with her small body, head down, ignoring everyone who greeted her. She looked like she had been scolded and felt wronged. Unexpectedly, as soon as the door was closed, the angry look on his face disappeared. Her face was calm and her eyes were sharp. She covered her chest and slowly sat down on the stool. She poured a cup of tea, held it in her hand, but did not drink it.
Regardless, today’s hurdle had finally been passed. No matter how much Zhuge Yue believed in it, there should be no danger for the time being.
The clothes on my back were all wet, and the cold wind blew against my lapels, making me feel chilly. Chu Qiao took a sip of herbal tea to calm her rapid breathing, then closed her eyes and exhaled deeply.
Things had to move on anyway, she didn't have time.
The cold wind is as sharp as a knife. This winter is particularly cold.
In the dark sky, the bright stars illuminate the sleeping earth. Midwinter has just arrived and heavy snow is everywhere. The Zhenhuang Imperial Capital, which has just celebrated the Lantern Festival, has ushered in the first round of crisis after the joy.
Frost enveloped the entire Zhenhuang City. The lights and carriages between the Council of Elders and Shengjin Palace continued all night long, passing by in a hurry like flowing water. The Huangtian tribe that marched west suffered the most serious trauma and damage in history. The smell of blood flowed down from the Lihua River on the Yanbei Plateau, spread throughout the Great Xia Dynasty, and reached the heart of the empire.
The provocation of the barbaric Quanrong tribe angered the empire's upper nobles. The iron-blooded authority was questioned and violated, and another war was brewing quietly in the low gasps. But before that, someone must pay the price of blood for this failure, even if it is just to maintain the dignity of the empire.
The gold-inlaid edict was issued from Shengjin Palace, passed through the Council of Elders, and then passed through Ziwei Square, Jiuwai Main Street, Chengtian Altar, Qiankun Main Gate, and was sent all the way to the border.
On the quiet eve of the storm, the people of Zhenhuang City were still sleeping peacefully.