Guo Juli was startled when he heard Mu Zhuohua call out the word "Prince".
Mu Zhuohua coughed twice, pushed Guo Juli's shoulder, and said, "Why are you serving some inferior tea to the Prince? Go change it for a pot of good tea, and bring some prepared snacks."
Guo Juli was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses and hurried to the kitchen.
Liu Yan's eyes swept across Mu Zhuohua's face, and then moved away uncomfortably. Today, Mu Zhuohua actually changed into a skirt, which was rare. She looked much more feminine than usual. Her smooth and white face was not made up, but because of the drunkenness, she had peach blossoms. Her cheeks and eyes were all pink. Her hair was slightly messy and her silver hairpin was tilted, but she didn't notice it at all. She showed a lazy posture with her drunken eyes.
Mu Zhuohua was drunk and had long forgotten what she looked like. She habitually went forward to kowtow and flatter.
"I heard from Juli that you have been sitting for quite a while. Are you thirsty or hungry, Your Majesty? Do you want to stay for dinner? I will cook for you. I am a great cook!"
It is difficult to hear a bad word from Mu Zhuohua's mouth. Half of what she said was praising others, and the other half was praising herself.
Liu Yan raised his teacup, took a sip of the cold and inferior tea, coughed twice and said, "Today is a ten-day holiday, and I shouldn't have disturbed you. But I just received an urgent report that the envoys from Beiliang will come to Dingjing to pay tribute in ten days. I have assigned you a new task. Try your best to master the Beiliang language and writing within these ten days, and then you can join me in receiving the Beiliang envoys."
Mu Zhuohua's eyes widened and he stammered, "Your Highness, are you a god when I am your subordinate? It's only been a few days and you've learned the Beiliang dialect!"
Liu Yan nodded and said seriously, "I still think highly of you. You don't have to worry about other things these days. Just focus on learning the Beiliang language and etiquette."
Mu Zhuohua took a deep breath, his little face full of bitterness. Grabbing the corner of Liu Yan's clothes, she was about to cry: "Your Highness, please be reasonable. Even if I can remember everything I see and learn the Northern Liang language, I can't learn how to pronounce it."
Liu Yan said: "I will teach you."
Mu Zhuohua: "Huh?"
Liu Yan said: "Tomorrow is the summer solstice, you don't have to go to the Lifan Temple, just come next door, and I will teach you in person. If you can complete this task successfully, I will promote you to the sixth rank of the Lifan Temple."
Mu Zhuohua's face was flushed, and he put on a serious expression and said seriously: "I will do my best and live up to your trust!"
Liu Yan nodded with satisfaction, and his eyes swept over, and suddenly found the jade pendant on Mu Zhuohua's chest, which was the one he gave, and his eyes moved.
The green jade pendant on the delicate and white chest made the skin look like condensed fat and fine snow, which made people unable to look away.
At this time, Guo Juli brought hot tea and cakes to block Liu Yan's sight.
Seeing that Liu Yan had no intention of leaving, Mu Zhuohua waved to Guo Juli and said slowly: "You...you make a few more hot dishes, the prince will have dinner here."
Guo Juli retreated after receiving the order, and ran away quickly again. She remembered one thing, that this prince had sent them thousand-su buns before, he was a good man.
Liu Yan's eyes fell on the cakes on the table, and he was slightly surprised and said: "You can also make cakes?"
Mu Zhuohua's eyes were misty, and he said slowly: "Life is not easy, naturally we need to prepare more talents. The little girl raised by the subordinate is greedy and always hungry in the Mu family, so we secretly bought some ingredients and cooked in the room. I am a little smart, and I want to do better than others in everything, so naturally my cooking skills are also good. Your Majesty, please try it."
The past was bitter, but Mu Zhuohua said it in a light tone at this time, as if it was not worth mentioning. As she spoke, she helped Liu Yan pick up a piece of lotus cake, but her hands were shaking and she couldn't hold it. She frowned and insisted on fighting with the lotus cake. Lotus cake was originally soft and crispy, so it couldn't stand her hard poking. After a few pokes, it was broken into pieces.
Mu Zhuohua threw away the chopsticks in anger and muttered, "You dare to run..."
Author PS Free reading website welcome to the club: Niuyue.com
URL: 6BL.TOP
It was rare to see the shrewd and cunning Mu Zhuohua show such a silly look. Liu Yan looked at her with a smile and didn't wake her up. Mu Zhuohua rolled up her sleeves, revealing her white and tender arms, and directly pinched a small piece of lotus cake that was poked into pieces, and brought it to Liu Yan's lips in a flattering way, showing a very attentive and fawning smile: "My lord, try it!"
Liu Yan was stunned for a moment. Mu Zhuohua's slender fingers pinched a small piece of cake and touched his lower lip. But the drunk man didn't realize how offensive such an action was. Seeing that Liu Yan didn't open his mouth, she showed a look of realization, retracted her hand and said, "Your Highness, are you worried that it's poisonous?" Then she put the pastry that had touched his lips into her mouth and said solemnly, "I'll test the poison for Your Highness!"
Liu Yan came back to his senses in a trance, lowered his eyelids, smiled slightly and said, "I'll do it myself."
He picked up the chopsticks, took a bite of the lotus cake, and looked up to see Mu Zhuohua's face waiting for praise.
"How is your Highness? Not inferior to Yipin Pavilion." Mu Zhuohua said with a little excitement, smiling, "Juli said that if we don't become officials, we will go back to the countryside to open a pastry shop, and I think we can support ourselves."
"You have read so many books, is it just to be a cook?" Liu Yan put down his chopsticks and drank a sip of hot tea. After the sweetness of the lotus cake and the fragrance of the tea were neutralized, it was another wonderful taste. However, no matter how wonderful the taste in the mouth was, it seemed not as memorable as the fleeting soft touch just now. "Just now I saw you coming back with a food box. Did you also bring these cakes when you went to the princess's mansion today?"
"Yes, the princess also praised me. I feel so sorry for not meeting you earlier. We had a great time talking to each other!" Mu Zhuohua picked up the teacup and blew away the hot air. Her long eyelashes fluttered, hiding her drunken eyes.
Liu Yan asked, "Are you so disrespectful in front of the princess?"
"Although the princess is kind, I respect her very much. How dare I be rude to her?" Mu Zhuohua held the teacup, raised his eyes to look at Liu Yan, raised two thin and white jade onion-like fingers, pinched a little gap, and said seriously, "I was only a little rude to the prince, only a little..."
Just a little?
Liu Yan couldn't help wanting to laugh after hearing her drunken talk, but he pretended to be serious and said, "Oh, then you don't respect me?"
Mu Zhuohua wrinkled her nose and snorted, "It's not disrespect, it's just..." She tilted her head, frowned slightly, as if searching for an appropriate word. After thinking for a while, her eyes lit up and she said suddenly, "Being spoiled and arrogant!"
Her face was rosy and her eyes were like water. She was secretly happy, but she couldn't hide her innocence after being drunk. She said complacently, "If I was impolite, it was because the prince spoiled me..."
Liu Yan was speechless, looking at her charming and unconscious drunken state with a heavy
gaze. His heart suddenly palpitated inexplicably, as if a string was gently plucked. Mu Zhuohua was not very clear-headed. She stared at Liu Yan with misty eyes. The complacent look on her face gradually disappeared. The corners of her lips flattened down, revealing a somewhat aggrieved and sad expression: "The prince protects me, spoils me, and gives me money to spend. You, you are so good..." Tears rolled in her eyes, which made Liu Yan's heart beat wildly. He only heard her say with a forbearing cry, "You treat me better than my father..."
Liu Yan: "..."
His heartbeat suddenly calmed down again.
Mu Zhuohua grabbed Liu Yan's hand on the table, grabbed his sleeve and wiped his tears, leaving a dark mark on his sleeve. Liu Yan let him hold her hand, staring into her wet eyes with deep eyes. Perhaps she was really drunk, which was why she showed such an unguarded side. Usually, ten out of ten words she said in front of him were false. Now that she was drunk, how many of them were sincere?
Liu Yan moved his fingers slightly, and his fingertips swept across her tender cheeks. He pinched her pointed chin and said with a smile: "I can't give birth to a daughter as old as you."
Mu Zhuohua's eyes were full of tears, and she thought dazedly, you are inhumane, you can't give birth to any kind of daughter.
Thinking of this, the look she gave Liu Yan was a little pity, and a little happy?
Liu Yan looked at her eyes suspiciously, wondering what she was thinking of that made her show such a contradictory expression.
Mu Zhuohua clasped her hands together and held Liu Yan's big hand, and said sincerely: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will do my best to help you!"
Liu Yan felt a little puzzled, and didn't know how the topic jumped to this point, but it was too extravagant to reason with a drunkard.
There was a deep smile in his eyes, and suddenly he felt itchy. He bent his index finger and scratched her chin like a cat, and asked in a low voice: "How can you help me?"
Mu Zhuohua's eyes were straight, and she said in a not very sincere tone: "Bow, bow, do your best... until death... and then stop..."
Liu Yan smiled. It seems that even though he was drunk, he was not telling the truth. He could see Mu Zhuohua's nature to some extent. He was the best at making people happy, but only real money could make her happy. If he wanted her to serve, he had to coerce and bribe her, but even so, she would not be loyal to a person.
What do you mean by do your best and die, is just to make him happy. But he knew it was a lie, but he couldn't help but smile.
Liu Yan sighed in his heart, he could get her fawning and flattering only because he was rich and powerful. If he was just an ordinary person with no power and influence, how would she treat him? Would she abandon him like a worn-out shoe?
No... maybe she would be more sincere and less pretending.
When they first met, she went into the house to save people, and she just regarded him as a male prostitute who was imprisoned and punished. She didn't look down on lowly people in her heart, and she was kind to those ugly and destitute women in the Xiaoqin Palace. If he was not the Prince Ding who could decide her life and death at will, but just an ordinary citizen, she would not be on guard against him like this,
and would not pretend to fawn on him. How would it feel if she treated him sincerely?
Just thinking about it made his heart itch.
Liu Yan looked at Mu Zhuohua who was sleeping on the table with a heavy gaze. She leaned her head on Liu Yan's palm and breathed lightly. The silver hairpin on her hair had long been crooked, and the next moment it fell to the ground with a crisp sound. Her soft black hair fell down and fell on her shoulders like a waterfall. A sweet floral and fruity fragrance was blown away by the evening breeze and lingered around her body, making her tongue salivate and want to take a bite.
Liu Yan took a deep breath, trying to calm the inexplicable throbbing in his heart, but the fragrance took the opportunity to invade his lungs, making the throbbing even more intense.
Liu Yan laughed secretly, gently lifted Mu Zhuohua's head, picked her up horizontally, and walked to the bed.
The little girl was good at coaxing people, saying that she liked him, but she was still a little young after all, and she didn't know that unintentional flirting was the most fatal.
Liu Yan put her on the soft couch, took off her shoes and socks, revealing her radiant feet, and couldn't help but hold his breath.
He had taken care of her in this way when he was attacked outside the city that day, but his mood at this time seemed to be very different from that time. It was difficult for him to treat her purely as a child at this moment. After all, he would not have the feeling of thinking about a child day and night and losing his mind.
Liu Yan sighed, tucked the corners of the quilt for her, looked at her sleeping profile, and said softly: "In the future... don't get drunk in front of others."
The next day, Mu Zhuohua woke up and thought about what happened yesterday for a long time. She remembered what she said to Princess Roujia, but what about after she came back? Liu Yan's face flashed in her mind. She learned from Guo Juli that Liu Yan came to see her and said he would stay for dinner. Later, he left for some reason. When Guo Juli came back, he only saw Mu Zhuohua lying on the bed snoring, with one foot swinging out of the edge of the bed.
Mu Zhuohua rubbed her head and thought for a long time, piecing together the scenes in her mind. Although she couldn't remember what she said, she was probably sure that she didn't offend Liu Yan, because there was one very important thing she remembered clearly.
Liu Yan said he would give her a promotion!
This kind of thing is impossible to forget easily, and she also remembered the reception of the Beiliang delegation.
As it was related to her future, Mu Zhuohua didn't dare to neglect it. After washing up, she ran to Liu Yan.
Mu Zhuohua came earlier than Liu Yan expected. Looking at Mu Zhuohua kneeling down with a neat dress and a serious face, Liu Yan couldn't help but frown and tease her.
"What are you kneeling for?"
Mu Zhuohua said respectfully, "I lost my composure after drinking and offended His Majesty. I have come to apologize to His Majesty!"
Liu Yan nodded calmly, "I am glad you still remember."
Mu Zhuohua raised his face and said sincerely, "I am honest and loyal to His Majesty. Your Majesty will not blame me for this."
Liu Yan: "..."
Mu Zhuohua smiled again and said, "For such an important event as receiving envoys, Your Majesty did not bring the old man from the Lifan Temple, but promoted me. Isn't this partiality and love? I understand His Majesty's good intentions and will definitely do my best to not let His Majesty down."
Liu Yan: "..."
He still misjudged Mu Zhuohua. Who would have thought that this man would be even more shameless when sober than when drunk, and could talk nonsense, and he could easily come up with flattering words without blushing at all. If he is not watched and managed, he will definitely become a big slanderer in the future.
Liu Yan put down the teacup in his hand heavily, pretending to be indifferent and said: "You should learn the commonly used characters of Beiliang today. I have prepared everything for you. It is in the next room. Memorize a hundred words in the morning, and I will test you in the afternoon."
After Liu Yan said that, he got up and went out. Mu Zhuohua quickly stood up and followed a few steps: "Your subordinate will remember this, and your highness will go slowly!"
Today is the summer solstice. Liu Yan still has to go to the palace to pay his respects, and then attend the palace banquet. He will probably be back in the afternoon. Mu Zhuohua thought this was an opportunity to dig a tree, but when he stood at the door and looked, he saw Zhimo guarding the gate of the yard, so he had to give up this idea.
Mu Zhuohua smiled and said hello: "Brother Zhimo, don't you have to go to the palace with the prince today?"
Zhimo said: "Today, Zhijian will protect the prince."
Zhimo is taciturn, while Zhijian is fierce and ferocious. Compared with this, Zhimo is still cuter.
The house where Liu Yan lives now occupies a large area, but it is obvious that he does not live there all the time. There is not even a servant in the house. Liu Yan only rests in the yard with the medicine pool. Mu Zhuohua guessed that Liu Yan bought this house just for this medicine pool. She observed that the medicine pool was dug into the ground and could not be moved. Liu Yan wanted to use the medicine pool to stimulate the power of the medicine, so he could only condescend to live in this yard.
In order to make it easier for Mu Zhuohua to learn Beiliang literature, Liu Yan asked Zhimo to clean up another room in the yard. As soon as Mu Zhuohua walked in, she saw that it was full of books. She flipped through a few books casually and found that there were also a lot of historical materials about Beiliang.
Liu Yan has been fighting with Beiliang for nearly ten years, and his understanding of Beiliang is indeed unmatched by others.
Mu Zhuohua walked around, collected his thoughts and returned to his seat. The most urgent thing was to learn Beiliang language first to deal with the Beiliang delegation in ten days.
On the carriage to the palace, Liu Yan listened quietly to Zhijian's report. "The owner of that house has changed seven times in the past thirty years. The prince ordered a careful check of the records from twenty years ago. I checked and found that there were three owners in the past ten years. The most suspicious one is the second owner, whose name is Fu Shengru."
Zhijian handed over a thin piece of paper, which was full of Fu Shengru's information.
"Fu Shengru moved in 28 years ago. He was a famous doctor among the people at that time, and some people said he was a freak doctor. He loved to develop new drugs and spent all his money to buy precious medicinal materials for experiments. Therefore, although he was a famous doctor, he was heavily in debt. In the end, he was hired by the Imperial Hospital and worked in the hospital. Because of his outstanding medical skills, he was named the head of the Imperial Hospital at that time."
Liu Yan frowned and looked at the words on the paper: "Did he commit suicide?"
Zhijian said: "The information I found is this, 26 years ago..." Zhijian paused, secretly glanced at Liu Yan, and lowered his voice and said, "Fu Shengru was the head of the Imperial Hospital and was responsible for taking care of Concubine Yun who was six months pregnant, but he was obsessed with the development of new drugs and neglected to take care of Concubine Yun, which led to Concubine Yun's death in childbirth. Many people in the Imperial Hospital were dismissed and investigated, and Fu Shengru was the first to bear the brunt and could not escape the blame. Not long after he was dismissed, he was found hanging at home."
"It seems that Fu Shengru is most likely Mu Zhuohua's grandfather." Liu Yan handed the paper to Zhijian, "Burn it."
Zhijian took the paper, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Your Highness, the miraculous medicine Huanyang Powder was indeed very likely developed by Fu Shengru, but Fu Shengru never reported it. Logically, all new prescriptions of the Imperial Hospital must be reported and tested repeatedly to verify whether they are feasible. I have checked all the prescriptions of the Imperial Hospital. There are eight prescriptions developed by Fu Shengru, and Huanyang Powder is not among them." "
It seems that Fu Shengru still has a lot of secrets. Why did he develop Huanyang Powder, why did he conceal it, why did he die..." Liu Yan closed his eyes and thought, but twenty-six years ago...
At that time, he had just been born, and Fu Shengru died because of him. Does Mu Zhuohua know this? It is common for a favorite concubine to die in childbirth and the emperor to vent his anger on the imperial physician. If Mu Zhuohua knew about it, would he hate him?
Twenty-six years is really too long. Many materials can no longer be found. Most of the parties involved are no longer alive, making it even more difficult to track down.
After Liu Yan entered the palace, he first went to the Imperial Study to meet Emperor Zhaoming. The two brothers played a game of chess and had a conversation. When it was time for lunch, they went to the Empress Dowager's palace for a family dinner.
Emperor Zhaoming looked at the princes and princesses sitting at the table and said with a smile, "Children, don't be restrained at the family dinner today."
Liu Chen's leg injury was more serious, so he was carried here in a sedan chair. At this time, he sat below Liu Yan. Originally, Emperor Zhaoming scolded the two and asked them to reflect on their mistakes behind closed doors, but the Empress Dowager called them both in. Liu Chen looked at Emperor Zhaoming with a nervous look.
Liu Jin stood up first and said, "Father, I want to apologize to my elder brother. It was my fault as a younger brother that day. My wording was inappropriate, which made my elder brother angry. It is my duty to teach me a lesson. I hope you can forgive me for my recklessness and for accidentally hurting you."
Liu Chen snorted in his heart but forced a smile on his face, "Since you know you are wrong, next time..."
Liu Chen was halfway through his words when he felt Liu Yan pulling at the corner of his clothes. He immediately changed his words unwillingly, "Next time, we two brothers should get along well and not make father angry." The empress
dowager nodded lightly and said to the palace maid, "The two princes have had no meat or fish. Before their injuries heal, they must pay attention to a light diet."
The queen stood up and replied, "To the empress dowager, the meals for the princes will be prepared by the Imperial Hospital. They will mainly consist of medicated meals, which should be light and warm."
The empress dowager was satisfied then, and turned to Emperor Zhaoming and said She said, "I met Mu Zhuohua that day. Although she looked solemn, she is a young woman after all, of the same age as the princes, and of the age to discuss marriage. It is inconvenient for a single man and a single woman to be together. Your Majesty should remove Mu Zhuohua from her teaching position. I know that the harem should not interfere in politics, but this matter concerns the marriages of the emperor's grandchildren, and I have to say it."
Upon hearing this, Liu Chen suddenly raised his head and looked at the empress dowager, and said anxiously, "Grandmother, Mu Bianxiu did nothing wrong, and she even made contributions. I'm afraid that dismissal will cause people to talk about it." The empress dowager
's face was grim, and she said unhappily, "Isn't it a fault that the prince got injured in a fight in her class? Merits and demerits cannot offset each other. I heard that you have already rewarded her for saving her life, so she should be punished for this mistake. Don't you think so, Your Majesty?"
The empress dowager was very majestic. Emperor Zhaoming had always been filial. Although he felt that Mu Zhuohua was wronged, he was unwilling to disobey the empress dowager. Moreover, he also knew that Liu Chen and Mu Zhuohua were not on good terms, and if such a bloody accident happened again, it would not be what he wanted.
Emperor Zhaoming nodded and said, "Let's do as the Queen Mother said."
Seeing that Emperor Zhaoming had spoken, Liu Chen endured it for a moment and did not refute. The
Queen Mother nodded slightly with satisfaction, and said, "In another half month, Roujia's three-year chastity for Xue Xiaotang will be over. Does Your Majesty have a candidate for a new son-in-law?"
Emperor Zhaoming said, "I have a few candidates in mind..."
Princess Roujia saw that the topic was about her, so she raised her head and said softly, "Father, you care about me, and I am grateful in my heart. But father, you are a little biased, and my uncle is not married yet." Princess Roujia glanced at Liu Yan and said, "Father, you should find an aunt for us first."
Emperor Zhaoming shook his head and laughed, "Your marriage is a worry. Just now in the imperial study, I was also with your uncle. Speaking of his marriage, he also repeatedly declined, saying that he had no favorite person, and was afraid that everyone was too picky. "The Queen Mother sighed and said, "Prince Ding's marriage is indeed too late. I have a candidate who is excellent in every way. If she doesn't catch Prince Ding's eye, I can't think of a better candidate."
Emperor Zhaoming asked curiously, "Which noble lady did your mother take a fancy to?"
The Queen Mother smiled and said, "She is a noble lady from the famous Sun family in Jiangzuo. Her nickname is Yunyun. Her grandfather was the prime minister of the Yuanzheng Dynasty, and her father was the Minister of Works Sun Ru. This Sun Yunyun also grew up in Dingjing. She is famous for her appearance and literary talent. She is also very similar to Prince Ding. We are childhood sweethearts. She is 20 years old this year, but still unmarried. People say that she is too picky. It was not until I received a letter from the old lady of the Sun family not long ago that I learned that the girl secretly likes Prince Ding, but she dares not say it out loud.
Princess Roujia pondered and said, "I have seen the girl of the Sun family. She is indeed a matchless beauty and worthy of the emperor's uncle. It is even more difficult for her and the emperor's uncle to be childhood sweethearts and be infatuated with each other..."
Liu Yan frowned and asked in confusion, "Sun...what...who is it?"
Liu Chen sneered, "The emperor's uncle is devoted to serving the country and has fought on the battlefield for many years. How could he remember those young girls in Dingjing who are in love with him? "Is he your childhood sweetheart?"
Princess Roujia glared at Liu Chen and said, "You are the only one who doesn't understand romance!"
Liu Chen snorted, "The Land of Love is the tomb of heroes. The emperor's uncle is a hero, how could he indulge in love affairs?"
Princess Roujia smiled and shook her head, "Young people..."
The queen mother looked at her grandchildren bickering, and said helplessly, "Say less!" She looked at Liu Yan and said, "Since you call me mother, I still have to worry about your lifelong affairs. If you don't like this girl from the Sun family, you don't have to marry her, but you still have to take a look at her, just to give me face."
After the queen mother said this, Liu Yan had no choice but to obey.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
