Liu Yan always had a medicine box in his room. Mu Zhuohua took out the medicinal wine and powder, held Liu Yan's slender five fingers with his left hand, asked him to spread his palm, and took the medicinal wine with his right hand to gently clean the wound.
The stinging pain in his palm made Liu Yan subconsciously bend his fingers slightly. Mu Zhuohua whispered: "Don't move!"
Mu Zhuohua held his hand tighter, and their skins were tightly pressed together, delicate and soft, with a hint of summer stickiness, but not offensive. The faint fragrance of the girl seemed to become stronger, even covering the pungent smell of the medicinal wine.
Liu Yan lowered his head and stared at Mu Zhuohua's face. She lowered her head and couldn't see her eyes clearly. He only saw the slightly red ears and the slender white neck. A drop of sweat fell from the side of her cheek, along the graceful curve of the swan neck, and fell into the fascinating neckline.
Liu Yan took a deep breath and forced himself to look away, but he couldn't hold back his increasingly disordered heartbeat.
Mu Zhuohua carefully treated the wound on Liu Yan's palm, wrapped it with a thin layer of gauze, and then said, "Your Highness, don't let the wound touch water for the next two days."
"Yes."
Liu Yan's voice was inexplicably hoarse, and Mu Zhuohua felt a heat behind his ears.
Liu Yan withdrew his hand, changed the subject and asked, "What did the princess talk to you about today?"
Mu Zhuohua clenched his suddenly empty hands, lowered his head and replied, "The princess just chatted about General Xue."
After leaving the Lifan Temple, Mu Zhuohua originally planned to go directly to Yipin Pavilion to buy a snow mountain bun for the little girl to satisfy her craving, but he didn't expect to meet Man'er at the door.
Man'er smiled and said, "Today is General Xue's memorial day. The princess wants to go to General Xue's mansion to collect his relics and burn them to pay tribute to the general. The princess wants to invite you to accompany her. I wonder if you are free."
Mu Zhuohua remembered that today was the third anniversary of Xue Xiaotang's death. Xue Xiaotang was in love with Princess Roujia, so when Emperor Zhaoming awarded him a mansion, he asked for a mansion closest to the princess's mansion. It only took Mu Zhuohua less than a quarter of an hour to go to the princess's mansion by carriage.
Since it was the princess's invitation, how could she refuse? She immediately followed Man'er and got on the carriage.
Princess Roujia was wearing a plain white dress, holding a copper key in her hand, and led Mu Zhuohua and Man'er into the general's mansion. Princess Roujia said as she walked, "I haven't been here for three years... General Xue had no relatives, so he handed this house to me before he left. After he left, I dismissed the servants and closed the house. Although I have no romantic feelings for him, I am grateful for his love. Today is the three-year anniversary, and I want to sort out his belongings and take them to his grave to burn them for him, which will also be considered as the end of a marriage."
Mu Zhuohua nodded when he heard what Princess Roujia said, "Princess has done enough for him."
No one had cleaned the house for three years, and dust was everywhere. Princess Roujia didn't mind the dirt, and took Mu Zhuohua to Xue Xiaotang's residence.
"Zhuohua, although I am a princess, I don't have a friend to talk to. I only treat you as my sister in my heart, so I asked you to accompany me today." Princess Roujia said gently, "Is it not going to disturb you?"
Mu Zhuohua smiled and said, "Of course not, Princess, don't be so formal with me."
The courtyard where Xue Xiaotang lived was not big. There were three rooms, a bedroom, a study, and another room with many weapons. I think it was his armory, and the collection was all some of the best quality weapons.
Princess Roujia saw Mu Zhuohua looking at the weapons, and said, "The few pieces he loved most during his lifetime have been buried with him, and the rest are just ordinary items."
Maner opened the doors and windows of the three rooms to let the dirty air in the house dissipate, and Princess Roujia went in to pack up. Mu Zhuohua followed Princess Roujia into the study and looked around. Although the study was covered with dust, everything was neatly arranged, and even the books on the shelves were brand new.
Princess Roujia said: "He is a warrior. He didn't go to school when he was young. Although he knows a few words, he doesn't like reading. Later, when he heard that I love reading, he also bought a lot of books to show his elegance."
Mu Zhuohua saw two portraits hanging on the wall. One of them was a beautiful and gentle girl in yellow, who looked seven points similar to Princess Roujia. The other was a general. Although he was not very handsome, he was tall and mighty. Princess Roujia noticed Mu Zhuohua's gaze and explained: "After my father arranged a marriage for us, he shamelessly wanted a portrait of me. Seeing that he was sincere, I gave it to him. This one is a portrait of him."
Mu Zhuohua looked at the portrait of Xue Xiaotang and couldn't help feeling that they were not a good match. But in front of the princess, it was not easy to say it directly, so he just said: "The princess and General Xue were in love with each other. The general was infatuated with the princess. The princess remained loyal to the general for three years, which can be regarded as a model for the world. But the person has passed away, please mourn for the princess."
"They are in love and a role model for the world..." Princess Roujia frowned and laughed, "Zhuohua, you are a smart person, do you believe what people say?"
Mu Zhuohua was stunned: "Is it... not?"
Princess Roujia said indifferently: "Royal children, how can there be any feelings? They are just at the mercy of others. Especially as a princess, your life is cheap, so you have to be sent to a foreign country for marriage. Even if you are lucky and favored, it is just arranged by others and awarded to loyal ministers and generals. The price of this silk is a lifetime of freedom."
Mu Zhuohua was speechless. He didn't expect Princess Roujia to say such a treasonous word...
"But the princess is loyal to General Xue..." She said hesitantly, "Isn't it because of love?"
"I respect him, I pity him, if I say love..." Princess Roujia laughed and shook her head, "I don't know what kind of feeling that is. Staying faithful to him is to repay his love, and also to give myself three years of freedom. If I stay faithful to him, no one will force me to marry, but now that the three years are up, I can't find any other excuses."
Princess Roujia said as she walked to the desk and opened the box on the desk.
"Zhuohua, come and see."
Mu Zhuohua walked forward and saw Princess Roujia pick up the letter inside, open the envelope, and pull out the letter paper inside.
"This is the letter he wrote to me back then. Not long after the arranged marriage, he went to the battlefield. He often wrote to me, and although his letters were clumsy, they were very sincere. He asked my father for an arranged marriage many times, and I was unwilling, but the empress dowager persuaded me that it was rare to find a person who was devoted to me, and Xue Xiaotang would definitely not let me down. My father also felt that for a woman, fame, wealth, talent, and appearance were not important. The most important thing was the heart." Princess Roujia opened the letters one by one, smiling faintly as she read the crooked words on them. "Later, when I saw these letters, I thought that maybe he would treat me very well... Unfortunately, he didn't come back to marry me. I put these letters back here. After all, he and I were not destined to be together. If it weren't for me, he might not have died on the battlefield."
Mu Zhuohua looked at the letter in his hand. Xue Xiaotang's handwriting was indeed unorganized, just like a child who was just learning to write, but it was not difficult to see his sincerity. He didn't know what to say to the princess, and he didn't know how to say sweet words. His letter was rambling, from yesterday's training to today's meals. He talked a lot, and then he said with a hint of shyness, Princess, I miss you.
Mu Zhuohua sighed secretly and comforted Princess Roujia, "He is a general. Even for you, he has to fight on the battlefield."
"He was an ordinary person who could live an ordinary and stable life. He fought bravely and made military achievements just to marry me, just to ask my father to marry me." Princess Roujia smiled bitterly and shook her head, "What a fool."
Princess Roujia put the letter back to its original place and sighed, "My father and the Empress Dowager are glad that I did not marry him, but I would rather I had married him and be a widow for a lifetime for someone who truly loves me, than to find a stranger who does not know what is good for him and suffer for a lifetime."
At this time, Man'er walked in and said, "Miss, the bedroom has been cleaned. See if there is anything you want to take away." Princess Roujia said to Mu Zhuohua, "I'll go and take a look first." She said to Man'er, "Take those letters and scrolls away."
Mu Zhuohua smiled and nodded. Seeing Princess Roujia walk out, he retracted his gaze and fell on the letters. The thin paper carries a man's simple and heavy love. Mu Zhuohua looked at these clumsy words and couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for him. This box full of letters is full of the man's endless deep friendship.
Man'er came over, put away the opened letters, and sighed: "Although General Xue and the princess are not a good match, they are indeed affectionate and loyal, which makes people feel moved. Your Majesty always feels that the princess has been wronged, but the Queen Mother acted as a matchmaker for General Xue, and Your Majesty was also convinced."
Man'er picked up the box and said, "My lord, I will take these to the car first. Can you help me put away the scroll?"
Mu Zhuohua smiled slightly and said, "Okay, you go first."
Man'er walked out of the study, and Mu Zhuohua walked to the scroll again. The scroll was hung high, so Mu Zhuohua moved a chair to stand on and stepped on it to reach the scroll. Mu Zhuohua took down the scroll and rolled it up. Just as he was about to go up to get another painting, he suddenly found something unusual - there was an inconspicuous depression on the wall behind the scroll. Mu Zhuohua stared at the circular depression suspiciously, hesitated for a moment, stretched out his hand and pressed it.
There was a slight click at the foot, and a brick loosened and popped out.
Mu Zhuohua immediately bent down to check, and the brick was hollow. Mu Zhuohua reached out and touched it, and felt a cold object. The footsteps of Man'er were heard behind her. She didn't dare to check it carefully, so she kicked it with her foot, turned off the machine, and stuffed the object she touched in the brick into her arms.
Mu Zhuohua stood on the chair to get another painting, and Man'er came in and said, "Miss, please put away the things in the bedroom. We will go to General Xue's tomb in a while."
Mu Zhuohua took the painting down and said, "Okay."
Liu Yan listened to Mu Zhuohua's sigh and said that Princess Roujia didn't want to get married.
Liu Yan recalled the sad look on Princess Roujia's face when he met her before, and couldn't help but sigh: "I have no choice. There's nothing I can do."
Mu Zhuohua stared into Liu Yan's eyes and asked: "Your Highness will also listen to the arrangements of His Majesty or the Queen Mother and marry a princess from a noble family for the sake of benefits,"
Liu Yan was stunned, looking at Mu Zhuohua's serious little face, unable to answer.
"I have also heard from my colleagues that the Jiangzuo Sun family intends to marry their daughter to the prince." Mu Zhuohua's eyes turned, and his clever little head helped him to make calculations, "The prince's fiefdom is in Jiangnan, and the Jiangzuo Sun family is one of the largest forces in Jiangnan, and is known as the two major families with the Zhou family. If the Sun family is married, the Sun family will be unstoppable in Jiangnan, and the prince will also have a reliable backing in Dingjing, not to mention that the Sun family now has three officials of the third rank or above in the court, and the Minister of Works is the current head of the Sun family..."
"Absurd!" Liu Yan said in a low voice, unhappily, "When did the prince say that he would marry the daughter of the Sun family!"
Mu Zhuohua stammered, "People outside are saying..." "
It's not the turn of others to decide my marriage." Mu Zhuohua was about to speak, but was interrupted by Liu Yan again, "Your Majesty can't do it either."
Mu Zhuohua sneered in his heart: Ha!
Liu Yan saw Mu Zhuohua's expression and knew that she didn't think so. He couldn't control her now, let alone control her heart. Liu Yan laughed at himself and said to Mu Zhuohua without further explanation, "Before we find out who attacked you, don't walk around alone. Follow me to and from the court."
"Ah?" Mu Zhuohua was stunned for a moment, then said with a strange look, "It's not appropriate, my lord. It's so blatant. If people know about it, they will report that you are forming a clique for personal gain."
Liu Yan couldn't help but chuckle, "Forming, forming, forming, private? You are a small official of the sixth rank, and I will form a clique with you?"
Mu Zhuohua coughed twice and laughed dryly, "I am also thinking about your reputation. What if others say that you harassed your female subordinates..."
Liu Yan pinched Mu Zhuohua's chin, and a smile appeared in his eyes, "You usually pretend to be dignified and self-sustaining, and your makeup is also ordinary. Others will not misunderstand my taste. As long as you control yourself, it will be fine."
Mu Zhuohua puffed up his cheeks angrily and stared at Liu Yan resentfully.
I can say I am ugly, but you can't!
Mu Zhuohua muttered in a low voice: "I don't like the prince anymore."
Liu Yan felt a sharp pain in his heart, slowly loosened his hand, and whispered: "Whether I like it or not, you are still my person, and I will protect you."
It was late at night, and Mu Zhuohua was lying on his bed, holding a cold token in his hand. The token was made of fine iron, with complex patterns on the surface. This was an ancient character, the word "Yi", and on the back was another ancient character, "Yin".
This token belonged to the Queen Mother. With this token, one can travel freely in Dingjing. Why was this token hidden in Xue Xiaotang's study?
Mu Zhuohua didn't understand it for a while, so he didn't plan to tell Liu Yan.
The next day, Mu Zhuohua got up early, and Zhimo was waiting at the door to escort Mu Zhuohua to Liu Yan's carriage.
Seeing Zhimo's serious expression, Mu Zhuohua also felt uneasy inexplicably. She couldn't help but lower her voice and asked, "Brother Zhimo, is it necessary to be so serious? This is Suzaku Street, at the foot of the imperial city. Nothing will happen so early in the morning, right?"
Zhimo glanced at her, but it was difficult to tell her the truth. If the one who wanted to kill her was the one in the palace, then Suzaku Street was not a safe place.
Mu Zhuohua's question did not get an answer from Zhimo, so she got on the carriage in boredom. Liu Yan, wearing his official robe, closed his eyes and rested. He opened his eyes when he heard her getting on the carriage.
"Greetings, Your Majesty." Mu Zhuohua saluted.
Liu Yan nodded and said in a low voice: "I asked Zhijian to check the dock last night. Three people are missing."
Mu Zhuohua's heart skipped a beat and said, "Missing, dead?"
Liu Yan nodded: "I'm afraid they were silenced. The origins of the three people have also been checked. They are refugees who came here a year ago. They don't have many brothers or friends. From their accents, they are from the north."
Mu Zhuohua's eyes rolled around, and he looked at Liu Yan and asked: "Your Majesty actually has someone he suspects in his mind, right?"
Liu Yan's eyes moved, and he looked at Mu Zhuohua with a heavy gaze.
"That man is extremely powerful. Even if it's Suzaku Street, the prince is worried that he will take action." Mu Zhuohua swallowed, shrank his neck in fear, and moved a little closer to Liu Yan, "But prince, why does he want to kill me?" Mu Zhuohua was puzzled and aggrieved, "What does it have to do with me?"
Liu Yan sneered lightly, turned his head and looked forward: "In the eyes of some people, you and I are in the same boat."
Mu Zhuohua felt a pain in his heart.
Liu Yan looked at the expression on her face and sneered, "You look so sad, are you afraid of death?"
Mu Zhuohua said sadly, "I just suddenly had some insights into life."
"Oh?" Liu Yan asked curiously, "What insights did you get at the critical moment of life and death?"
Mu Zhuohua pinched her sleeves, her eyebrows twisted into caterpillars, and sighed, "Direction is more important than effort."
Liu Yan pondered for a moment, thinking that his words were concise and seemed to contain some philosophy of life, so he said, "Explain it."
Mu Zhuohua covered her chest and said painfully, "I got on the wrong boat..."
Liu Yan: "..."
Mu Zhuohua felt sour in her heart. She thought it was a big boat, but who knew that the wind and waves were even bigger. She wanted to get off the boat, but there was ocean all around, and she couldn't swim. It was really worrying.
Liu Yan didn't feel good either. He said so beautifully before, that I would be his person in life and his ghost in death, but now he regretted it. He only acted halfway and ran away after taking the money.
Oh, woman.
It was almost hot summer, and according to the custom of previous years, Emperor Zhaoming chose a day to take his concubines and princes to the Summer Resort. The Summer Resort was fifty miles away from Dingjing. It was surrounded by mountains on three sides and had a Pinghu waterfall. It was very cool in summer, just right for Emperor Zhaoming to rest and recuperate. When Emperor Zhaoming went to the Summer Resort to recuperate, the court meeting was changed to once every half a month, and official documents and memorials were sent to him every day.
Empress Dowager Zhou stayed in the palace because she was old and didn't like to move. Princess Roujia was filial and asked to stay to serve the empress dowager, so Emperor Zhaoming approved her request.
Before leaving, Emperor Zhaoming took Liu Yan's hand and said, "Brother Yan, you should go to the resort with me."
Liu Yan smiled faintly and said, "Brother, there are many things in the capital, and I can't leave. Brother, don't worry, I have the imperial doctor to take care of me, and I am much better now."
Emperor Zhaoming frowned slightly, seeming very hesitant, but seeing Liu Yan's firm eyes, he didn't force him.
After seeing off Emperor Zhaoming, Zhijian stood behind Liu Yan and said, "Your Majesty, why does His Majesty want you to leave the capital? Is he..."
After leaving Dingjing, he would not have the protection of the Purple Guards. The Mountain Resort would be easy to defend but difficult to attack, and he would still be at the mercy of others.
Zhijian was extremely worried about Emperor Zhaoming. He could not bear to force Liu Yan to take revenge, but he was even more unwilling to see Liu Yan being harmed by Emperor Zhaoming.
Liu Yan silently watched the back of the convoy going away, and after a long time he said, "He doesn't want me to doubt him."
No doubt, no doubt...
How easy is that.
After Emperor Zhaoming left the capital, Liu Yan was the leader of the crowd. All the memorials sent to the Mountain Resort had to pass through his hands. Therefore, others were much more relaxed and went back after noon every day. On the contrary, he was even busier and had to wait until the evening to receive the approval of the memorials sent back from the villa before he could leave.
"You should go back first. Don't stay with me in the government office today. Let Zhimo drive you." Liu Yan said to Mu Zhuohua.
In the past two days, Mu Zhuohua had been diligently accompanying him in the yamen. She was studious and diligent. When others were resting, she would study the files and learn the Northern Liang characters in the yamen. Liu Yan also liked to be alone with her like this, but he couldn't bear to see her too tired.
"Today, the Queen Mother has issued an order that I will have dinner in the palace. You should go back and be careful, and don't run around."
Mu Zhuohua stood up, a little surprised: "The Queen Mother wants you to stay?"
Liu Yan nodded: "It's just some family talk."
The Queen Mother was just urging him to get married again. He didn't want to talk to Mu Zhuohua in detail about this matter, and Mu Zhuohua didn't ask too much about the royal family's private affairs. Since it was Liu Yan's order, she just obeyed.
Mu Zhuohua packed up her things and went out of the yamen, and saw Zhimo and Zhijian waiting not far away. Mu Zhuohua came closer and said, "The prince said that the queen mother asked him to stay in the palace for dinner and he will go back later."
Zhijian frowned and looked worried. He looked at Zhimo and said, "The prince's skills are not as good as before. I am worried. I will stay here and wait."
Zhimo knew that Zhijian was worried. He was also a little worried, but he was more afraid that Zhijian would make mistakes due
to his recklessness and impulsiveness, so he said, "I'd better stay and you can take Lord Mu back." Zhijian was obviously not happy, but he also knew that Zhimo was more reliable than himself, so he was more convinced of him, so he got on the carriage after Mu Zhuohua.
Mu Zhuohua glanced at Zhimo's back through the window of the carriage, and scratched the window frame with her fingertips. This was her subconscious action when she was thinking about worries.
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She remembered the time when she was estranged from Liu Yan. Zhijian and Zhimo were missing from Liu Yan's side. These two were Liu Yan's most trusted and cherished subordinates. It was no exaggeration to say that he regarded them as brothers. Liu Yan would not send them out easily unless it was related to the case three years ago...
Liu Yan clearly knew something, but he was unwilling to tell her anything, because he was afraid that the more she knew, the more dangerous it would be. However, Mu Zhuohua believed that since the danger was already hanging over her head, the more she knew, the more fully prepared she could be. Liu Yan was still a male chauvinist after all, and always felt that women needed the protection of men. It was naturally a good thing to have someone to protect you, but it was very stupid to put your hopes on others. She had an aunt who could break bricks with her bare hands on weekdays, and she could perform a coquettish fall on the ground in front of her father. Sometimes women need men's protection, but it's just that women are kind and perform to satisfy men's vanity. Most men are not smart. They think they can coax women, but they don't know that it's the women who are acting to coax them.
For Mu Zhuohua, the sense of security Liu Yan gave her was not as strong as a few bottles of poison in her arms. If she hadn't been prepared, she would have died outside the princess's mansion that day. If she hadn't shouted to stop, Liu Yan would have died ugly when he stepped into the narrow alley where she had sprinkled three kinds of poison.
Mu Zhuohua's gaze shifted to the door. The person who was alone with her now was Zhijian. Zhijian was impulsive and hot-tempered, and was a good target for trickery.
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