Liu Yan returned to his courtyard and was greeted by Zhi Mo. He had served Liu Yan for many years and could see through Liu Yan's worries at a glance. He whispered, "Your Highness, have you encountered a problem?"
Liu Yan smiled bitterly and said, "I'm afraid you can't explain this problem."
Women's hearts are always difficult to guess, let alone Mu Zhuohua, who is so cunning and treacherous. Who can know what she is thinking.
Mu Zhuohua made an excuse to him that she had her period, but he clearly heard Guo Juli shouting to prepare water for her bath. Although he is a man, he also has some common sense. How can a girl take a bath when she has her period? So Mu Zhuohua was obviously lying to him on purpose and not telling the truth.
Liu Yan thought to himself that he had not offended her, so he thought that maybe someone else bullied her, but with Mu Zhuohua's ability, she was very kind not to bully others. Who else could take advantage of her?
Liu Yan sighed, collected his thoughts, and said to Zhimo: "Yelu Jing told me something today. The person who betrayed the State of Chen and leaked the news to Beiliang was Xue Xiaotang."
Zhimo's pupils shrank, and he said in shock: "How could it be him... Your Majesty, are you sure that Yelu Jing is telling the truth?"
Xue Xiaotang has always been regarded as a hero who died on the battlefield. How could he be the one who betrayed Your Majesty?
Liu Yan said, "I made a deal with Yelu Jing and promised not to send troops to Beiliang within ten years. He wanted to cause civil strife in Chen, so he was naturally willing to tell me about the traitor."
"Then what else did he say?" Zhimo frowned, very puzzled, "Why did Xue Xiaotang do this?"
"Yelu Jing said that someone passed the message to him and told him our layout in detail, and also drew the marks I left for Lieutenant General Yuan. So later he paid close attention to every place on the road, erased all the marks I left, let the soldiers leave the wrong marks, and led Lieutenant General Yuan's men into their ambush circle. More than half of Lieutenant General Yuan's soldiers were killed or injured, and in the end he only escaped the encirclement with a few soldiers."
"Yun Xiangyue said that Lieutenant General Yuan took a few soldiers to rescue them and their daughter. I guess that was what happened later. Why didn't Lieutenant General Yuan return to the barracks after escaping the ambush?" Zhimo speculated, "Could it be that... Xue Xiaotang had thought about it long ago and wanted to put the blame of treason on Lieutenant General Yuan. Then the best way is to let him die without any evidence."
"It is very likely that Xue Xiaotang has captured Lieutenant General Yuan's family early in the morning, intending to use this to threaten him to surrender. He had planned long ago to send Lieutenant General Yuan's troops to Yelu Jing, but just in case, he must have sent people to follow them. If he finds out that Lieutenant General Yuan is not dead, he will use his family's lives as bait to take him away and kill him secretly."
"Is Xue Xiaotang such a person?" Zhimo was a little unbelievable. Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind, and he said in a hoarse voice, "Prince, Xue Xiaotang is an orphan. He received the kindness of Jishan Hall when he was young, so he regards Princess Roujia as a treasure and almost obeys her every word..."
"You suspect Princess Roujia?" Liu Yan frowned, feeling a little unbelievable. "What is her purpose in doing this? This matter is of great importance and requires multiple verifications. Zhimo, tell Zhijian about this matter, and tomorrow you will go to investigate Xue Xiaotang's past separately."
Zhimo nodded and asked, "Then I will assign another person to guard this courtyard."
Liu Yan's eyes moved, tacitly agreeing with Zhimo's approach.
He had been staring at this place for a long time, but Mu Zhuohua was also very cautious and never took action. It took so long that he wondered if he was wrong...
Since discovering that Liu Yan was not a gentleman who could not be humane and was not close to women, Mu Zhuohua consciously kept a safe distance from Liu Yan, and was much more solemn and self-restrained in his words.
Liu Yan also clearly noticed this. Mu Zhuohua was not close to him, but even avoided him. On the contrary, Mu Zhuohua and Liu Chen were obviously much more familiar with each other. Liu Yan saw them talking happily several times. He already knew Mu Zhuohua's personality. If she tried to please him, no one could escape her clutches. Even the stubborn and proud Liu Chen could not avoid being bewitched by her in the end.
When Liu Chen came to Lifan Temple to find Liu Yan, Liu Yan casually said, "I saw you and Mu Zhuohua chatting happily outside the palace gate yesterday. Didn't you dislike her very much before?"
Liu Chen smiled embarrassedly, "It turns out that I misunderstood her. She has good opinions and is generous and talkative. I always feel benefited from chatting with her. Sometimes when I encounter something I can't figure out, I want to talk to her."
Liu Yan smiled faintly, "Really? That's good too."
Liu Chen didn't notice Liu Yan's abnormality and said to himself, "I'm thinking about whether I should ask my father for an order to let her come back to give lectures. The Beiliang delegation will leave in the next two days, and she will have some free time."
"No." Liu Yan blurted out, then realized that something was wrong. Liu Chen's doubtful eyes had already looked over. Liu
Yan covered up and said, "I said before that I would reward her after the delegation left and promote her to the sixth rank. After that, she will be even busier and I'm afraid she won't have time to give lectures." Liu Chen didn't think much about it, and said in a negotiating manner: "She is very familiar with Beiliang affairs. Let her talk about Beiliang's military and economy every three days. It must not take much effort."
Liu Chen said this, and it would be inappropriate for Liu Yan to refuse again, so he replied lightly: "Then I will arrange it and ask her what she thinks."
Liu Chen nodded and said: "Yes, I have to ask her too. She was wronged before, and it's not good to call her and send her away."
Seeing that Liu Chen valued Mu Zhuohua so much, Liu Yan's heart sank a little more.
Because of the reception of the Beiliang delegation, Liu Yan and Mu Zhuohua could meet several times a day, but they said no more than three sentences, and at least two of these three sentences were "Meet the Prince". Liu Yan wanted to catch Mu Zhuohua and ask what was going on, but he was too busy to get away.
After a lot of effort, the Beiliang delegation finally left the capital. The people of Lifan Temple sent the Beiliang delegation ten miles out of Dingjing before they said goodbye.
Yelu Jing looked at Liu Yan's face and keenly noticed the abnormality of Liu Yan's expression. He lowered his voice and asked, "Prince Ding looks different. Could it be... that he discovered something?"
Liu Yan smiled faintly, "The third prince has been busy with his own affairs since returning to Beiliang, and he still has the time to care about my affairs?"
Yelu Jing laughed and said, "Hahaha, you and I are temporary allies and eternal enemies. I am happy to see you unhappy."
Yelu Zhen, who was named Princess Jing'an, changed into the clothes of the Princess of Chen State and slowly stepped forward to say goodbye to Yelu Jing.
"Brother, take care on your journey." Yelu Zhen said goodbye to Yelu Jing in the etiquette of Beiliang.
Yelu Jing glanced at Yelu Zhen, and it was obvious that he didn't care much about this sister. "You should be careful in Chen State and be cautious in what you do. Don't bring shame to Beiliang or cause trouble."
Yelu Zhen bit her lip, her eyes were red with grievance, but she seemed to be very afraid of Yelu Jing, she just nodded gently and dared not say much.
Emperor Zhaoming named her Princess Jing'an to remind her to be quiet and peaceful, not to cause trouble, let alone to stir up trouble. Yelu Zhen has been locked up in the palace for the past few days, and the queen mother found the strictest old man to teach her rules and etiquette. Although Yelu Zhen was not favored in Beiliang, she was a princess after all, and no servant had ever dared to be so rude to her. However, now she was in a foreign country, isolated and helpless, she could only endure all the grievances. She was really afraid of the palace. Fortunately, after today, she could move to Princess Roujia's house and let Princess Roujia teach her the etiquette of a princess. Although she was also afraid of Princess Roujia, Princess Roujia looked much kinder than the people in the palace.
Watching the Beiliang delegation gradually go away, Yelu Zhen's tears slid down her face. Liu Yan glanced at her, not moved by the beauty's tears, and said as a matter of routine: "His Majesty has ordered Princess Jing'an to see off the third prince and then go directly to Princess Roujia's mansion."
Yelu Zhen wiped her tears and whispered: "I know, please send someone to take me there, Your Majesty."
"Princess, please get in the carriage."
Liu Yan watched Yelu Zhen get in the carriage, and then he appointed a team of guards to take Yelu Zhen to the princess's mansion. He led everyone from the Lifan Temple back to the palace.
Mu Zhuohua was in the queue and heard his colleagues whispering and discussing Yelu Zhen's beauty.
"The appearance of Beiliang women is indeed different from that of Chen women. They are as white as snow."
"The color of her eyes is lighter than ours, too."
"She is worthy of being the most beautiful woman in Beiliang. Yelu Jing wanted to marry her to His Royal Highness Prince Ding, but His Royal Highness Prince Ding was not moved by her beauty and directly recognized her as his niece."
"Nonsense, when have you ever seen His Royal Highness Prince Ding get close to women, let alone women from the enemy country."
"No wonder there are always rumors in Dingjing that His Royal Highness Prince Ding either has a hidden illness or is a homosexual..."
Who said he is not close to women? He just kept it secret.
Mu Zhuohua complained in her heart, and the scene of Liu Yan kissing her appeared in her mind again. Her face became hot and she shook her head hard, forcing herself to forget about it.
But she couldn't help but think of the time when his lower body was against her - this time she didn't misunderstand, she even rubbed it with her thigh, and it was indeed that thing!
Since he is not inhuman, why hasn't he married for so many years?
"Master Mu, why are you shaking your head like that?" Seeing Mu Zhuohua's unusual behavior, his colleagues asked with concern, "Are you dizzy because of heatstroke? Why is your face so red?"
Just now, in order to see Yelu Jing off, everyone stood in the hot sun for a long time and was already sweating profusely. Mu Zhuohua smiled awkwardly and said, "Maybe, it will be fine in a while. We are almost at the Lifan Temple."
Liu Yanxing was in the front. He heard the voice behind him and tried not to look back, but he squeezed his horse's belly and walked faster.
Everyone sped up and soon returned to the Lifan Temple. They were so hot that they unbuttoned their collars and fanned themselves unkemptly. Two eunuchs came with a large bucket of tea and said, "His Royal Highness Prince Ding asked the Imperial Hospital to cook medicinal tea to cool down the heat, and let the adults drink more bowls."
"The prince is still considerate!" Everyone smiled and poured tea.
Mu Zhuohua also went forward to drink two bowls, and breathed a long sigh of relief. The heat in his heart subsided a lot. As they drank tea, they talked about the reception work, which was very successful. They were thinking about what kind of reward they would get. As they were talking, the imperial decree of commendation came down.
The left assistant minister read out the rewards issued by the court. Everyone in the Lifan Temple was rewarded with half a year's salary. The reception group was rewarded more, and Mu Zhuohua received special treatment.
"Promote Mu Zhuohua, the official in charge of the Lifan Temple, to the sixth rank!" The left assistant minister said, and looked at Mu Zhuohua with a smile, "Why don't you thank me quickly!"
Everyone congratulated Mu Zhuohua, who was still a little bit unbelievable. Liu Yan was obviously dissatisfied with her that day, but he still promoted her rank.
"Now you should call Mu the Master. You are really young and promising. Now you are on the same level as Shen Jinghong!" Everyone laughed and said, "But this is what you deserve. Everyone has seen your hard work this time, not to mention that you have severely crushed Yelu Jing's prestige and enhanced the prestige of our country!"
Mu Zhuohua came back to her senses, bowed to thank everyone, and took the imperial edict from the left assistant minister.
The left assistant minister whispered: "Master Mu's promotion is inseparable from the support of the prince."
Mu Zhuohua understood that the left assistant minister was reminding her to express her gratitude to Prince Ding in person, so she smiled gratefully: "I understand, thank you for your enlightenment." The
left assistant minister nodded with satisfaction: "The prince has returned to the mansion and will take a day off tomorrow. It's a good opportunity for you to come and thank him in person."
Mu Zhuohua felt very uncomfortable when she thought about facing Liu Yan alone, but Liu Yan promoted her regardless of the past, and it would be unreasonable for her not to thank him in person. Mu Zhuohua tossed and turned all night and fell asleep at dawn. The next day, she said to Guo Juli in a listless manner: "I want to go to Prince Ding's Mansion to personally thank the prince for his promotion."
Guo Juli looked worried: "Miss, are you going to go in such a listless state? Also, aren't you going to bring any gifts?"
The last time she went to the Princess' Mansion, she didn't bring any expensive gifts because it was a small gathering during leisure time. This time, she was thanking Liu Yan for his promotion, and a gift that was too light would not be appropriate. Mu Zhuohua thought about it, and then went out to buy a valuable inkstone, which looked both expensive and elegant.
After the gifts were packed, Mu Zhuohua came to Prince Ding's Mansion alone. When the gatekeeper heard about Mu Zhuohua's identity and purpose, he immediately ran in to report. Soon someone came to lead Mu Zhuohua into the mansion.
Although Mu Zhuohua had many private contacts with Liu Yan, it was the first time she stepped into the threshold of Prince Ding's Mansion. There are many courtyards in Prince Ding's mansion, but not many servants. Prince Ding is the only master. The people in Dingjing all want to seek jobs in Prince Ding's mansion, because Prince Ding's mansion is quiet, the jobs are easy, and the master is easy to serve.
Mu Zhuohua walked along the way, but he didn't see even a maid, but there were a few strong servants in their forties and fifties. The attendant who led the way seemed to see Mu Zhuohua's doubts, and explained with a smile: "The prince likes quietness, so there are no maids in the mansion."
Mu Zhuohua understood it after a little thought. It was probably because Prince Ding was handsome and gentle, and he didn't marry a wife, so the maids had some small thoughts, which made Prince Ding unbearable, so he simply dismissed them and only asked Xiao Si to serve. As a result, rumors spread outside that Prince Ding liked men.
Mu Zhuohua walked for a while, bypassed the rockery corridor, and came to Liu Yan's study. After the attendant came forward to report, he led Mu Zhuohua into the study.
Mu Zhuohua glanced at the closed door behind her, then turned to look at Liu Yan who was facing away from her. She took a deep breath, suppressed her restless emotions, and forced a smile.
"Your subordinate greets the prince!"
Liu Yan said lightly: "What's the matter?"
Mu Zhuohua smiled distantly and politely: "Your subordinate is grateful for your support, but I don't know how to repay you. I thought that the prince likes calligraphy, and I heard that Wenxin Pavilion has received a batch of extremely precious inkstones, so I bought one to present to the prince. Please accept it."
Mu Zhuohua held the exquisitely packaged inkstone in both hands, slightly bent her waist, lowered her head, and waited for Liu Yan's response.
Liu Yan's footsteps slowly came to her. Mu Zhuohua bent her waist and lowered her head. She only saw the hem of Liu Yan's clothes swaying slightly with his footsteps. A heavy fragrance of galo surrounded her, but the pressure from Liu Yan made her hold her breath involuntarily, and her heartbeat accelerated.
Liu Yan pinched a corner of the inkstone, chuckled, and said in a low voice: "It's really not easy for you to spend money."
Mu Zhuohua let go, laughed dryly and said: "I am grateful to Your Majesty. This is just a small gift, not a respect."
Liu Yan casually put the inkstone on the table, making a muffled sound, which scared Mu Zhuohua and made her tremble, and she became even more uneasy.
"The eldest prince mentioned the day before yesterday that he wanted to ask for an imperial decree to let you take up the position of lecturer again. What do you think?"
Mu Zhuohua thought of Liu Chen's warm attitude towards her in the past few days, and was not surprised that Liu Chen would bring up this matter. She said respectfully: "It is up to the prince and His Highness to decide whether I stay or go."
Liu Yan lowered his eyes, staring at the strands of hair that fell on Mu Zhuohua's forehead due to bowing, and his eyebrows slowly frowned. Liu Yan lowered his voice, with a cold reproach in his tone: "I once told you not to get involved in the fights between the princes, have you forgotten?"
Mu Zhuohua's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly denied: "No, your subordinate did not!"
Liu Yan did not give her a chance to make excuses, and interrupted: "You think the eldest prince has a better chance of ascending the throne, so you deliberately try to please him. Don't you understand the last fight between the princes? If you get close to the eldest prince, the other two will target you. How many lives can you survive in the fights between the nobles?"
Mu Zhuohua's face slowly turned pale. Liu Yan was talking about the truth. Of course, she also understood in her heart that she had designed Liu Chen at the beginning, but she hoped that Liu Chen would target her less, but she did not expect Liu Chen to be so aware of his mistakes and repay his kindness. Since Liu Chen was willing to show his goodwill, as a small official, could she still give him a cold face? She was just going with the flow. Now she was just a low-ranking sixth-rank official. When gods fight, innocent people will most likely be affected. But she couldn't hide. The pond was there. Could she go to heaven?
Mu Zhuohua felt a little aggrieved. She said in a muffled voice, "Can I ignore your Highness when I see him injured? Can I ignore your Highness when he wants to talk to me?"
Liu Yan laughed angrily. He looked at Mu Zhuohua's slightly red eyes and said, "You are right. Then I ask you, are you still willing to be a lecturer?"
Mu Zhuohua lowered his eyes and said, "If the prince doesn't allow me to go, I won't go."
"You are blaming me when you say that ."
Mu Zhuohua said, "I dare not."
Liu Yan curled his lips, "Don't dare, that means you admit that you have a grudge. Do you resent me for stopping you from climbing a high branch?"
Mu Zhuohua felt strange when he heard this. He couldn't help but raise his eyes to peek at Liu Yan. When his eyes met Liu Yan's scrutinizing eyes, he lowered them very quickly.
"Is the prince angry?" Mu Zhuohua frowned in confusion, as if asking a question or talking to himself, "What is your prince angry about? Is he angry that I have tried to climb up the social ladder? But doesn't your prince also support the eldest prince? Or is your prince angry that I have gotten involved in the fight for the throne and is worried about my safety?"
Liu Yan was speechless for a moment because of Mu Zhuohua's rebuttal, but Mu Zhuohua raised his eyes and looked at him curiously with a pair of dark eyes.
Liu Yan's eyes were dark and inexplicable. After a long while, he chuckled, raised his hand and gently pinched Mu Zhuohua's chin, stroking the delicate skin on her cheek with his fingertips, and said with a smile: "But this king would like to ask you one thing first, who was it before that kept saying that you were my man, and tried every means to get close to and please me, why is it that you have changed your mind now?"
Mu Zhuohua's heart trembled, not knowing whether it was because of fear or something, but it beat faster and faster. She dared not look at Liu Yan's approaching face. The man's hot breath reminded her of the physical entanglement that night. She swallowed and said in a trembling voice: "That...that...I was confused and wishful thinking before, like a toad wanting to eat swan meat. Now I have come to my senses, regretted my decision, and turned back. I hope that Your Majesty will be magnanimous and don't blame me..."
Liu Yan was stunned, with half suspicion and half sadness in his heart. He naturally knew that everything before was just an act by Mu Zhuohua, but after acting for so long, he seemed to take it seriously. Now that the actor has stopped acting, he seems unable to get out of it.
"What if this king... blames you?"
"Ah?"
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