Zhaoming has become a thing of the past, and Dingjing has begun to get busy for the new emperor.
The Ministry of Works was busy with the renovation of the palace. Sun Ru, the Minister of Works, went to the Ministry of Revenue twice a day to discuss the budget with Zhou Cishan, the Minister of Revenue.
Zhou Cishan is a middle-aged man with a round face and a friendly smile. He is the opposite of his cousin, Zhou Kui, the commander of the Palace Front Department. People who see Zhou Kui can't help but feel fear, while Zhou Cishan's smile makes people feel close to him. But those who are really close to him know that Zhou Cishan is more difficult to mess with than Zhou Kui. No matter how vicious Zhou Kui is, he can't kill people in the street due to the laws of the State of Chen. But Zhou Cishan has plenty of ways to make you bankrupt and implicate nine clans.
Sun Ru is glad that he has a good relationship with Zhou Cishan. The Sun family and the Zhou family are both aristocratic families with a history of thousands of years. Today, they can be said to be the top aristocratic families. More than half of the officials in the court are from aristocratic families, and the Zhou and Sun families hold many important positions, tightly controlling the lifeblood of the court. Although Liu Yan played a decisive role in Liu Chen's successful ascension to the throne, he also cannot do without the support of the Zhou and Sun families. What makes the two more headache is that the little emperor Liu Chen is not very reasonable. He does his own thing and acts on impulse. He doesn't care much about the face of their aristocratic families and doesn't play by the rules at all.
Zhou Cishan narrowed his eyes slightly and said to Sun Ru: "His Majesty suddenly changed his mind and asked you to replace Wen Xiaoli to preside over the repair of the palace. It's really a bit strange."
Based on his understanding of Liu Chen, he is not a person who will give in easily.
Sun Ru has a thin face and a thin body. He looks much more serious and cold than Zhou Cishan. He also felt that what Zhou Cishan said was a bit strange. Although this was what they wanted, Liu Chen changed his mind too quickly, making many of the tricks they had prepared useless.
"Was it his idea that the Council of State returned to the court today?" Sun Ru pondered for a moment, "Only he could make His Majesty change his mind."
Liu Chen respected Liu Yan the most, and everyone knew it.
Liu Yan became famous when he was young and had a great reputation. He was once a sharp sword, but after the defeat three years ago, he settled down. Everyone thought that his spine was broken and his bloodiness was worn out, but they didn't expect that the sword would not sound after it was sheathed. He was more unfathomable and frightening than before.
"The Councillor has a broad perspective. If he hadn't acted decisively and pushed the forged edict onto Beiliang, and led troops to suppress the Zhao family, I'm afraid Dingjing would have been in chaos." Zhou Cishan commented realistically, and then said, "Your Majesty is young, so it's inevitable that you don't think things through. It's not a bad thing to have the Councillor assist you."
Sun Ru nodded, "Yes, the Councillor is grateful for the Queen Mother Zhou's upbringing, and has always been close to your Zhou family. I'm afraid Brother Zhou will need more support and care in the future."
Zhou Cishan lowered his eyes, hiding the sharpness in his eyes.
The Zhou family didn't know much about what Liu Yan did, but it was a pity that they failed at the last minute, but fortunately he didn't know about it yet and was still on the side of the Zhou family. "Brother Sun, there is no need to say that." Zhou Cishan said with a smile, "The Queen Mother had promised your old lady Sun before her death that the Prince of State would marry your Sun family's legitimate daughter as the princess. This time, Brother Sun was able to successfully take this position, most likely because the Prince of State saw your Sun family's face."
Zhou Cishan spoke to Sun Ru's heart, and he himself had some of this idea.
Sun Yunyun is Sun Ru's eldest daughter, and one of the most noble ladies in Dingjing. He is not bragging, but Sun Yunyun's appearance and talent are second to none in Dingjing. Unfortunately, Sun Yunyun has been devoted to Liu Yan since she met him seven years ago. Liu Yan has been fighting on the battlefield for many years, and she has been waiting in her heart. No matter how many people came to ask for marriage, she would not be moved and would rather die than marry. It was not until the news of Liu Yan's defeat and serious injury was sent back to Dingjing three years ago that she became sick with grief and her family discovered her worries. But at that time, Liu Yan was seriously injured and his life was in danger. How could the Sun family bear to marry their daughter to a dying man? They kept dragging it out, and even took Sun Yunyun back to Jiangzuo in the name of filial piety. Now Sun Yunyun is 20 years old and has become an old girl in Dingjing.
Three years ago, Liu Yan was just a sick cat, but now he has become the most trusted king of the council. He wrote back to Jiangzuo half a month ago, asking Sun Yunyun to come to Beijing as soon as possible.
"I'm afraid the king of the council doesn't like my daughter." Sun Ru smiled lightly, but there was a bit of pride on his face. Which man could refuse a noble lady from a noble family like Sun Yunyun who is both infatuated, talented and beautiful? He felt that this marriage was a sure thing.
How could Zhou Cishan not see his thoughts? He flattered him a few words, making Sun Ru's thin and slightly dark face glow.
Sun Yunyun was about to go to Beijing, and he would soon become the father-in-law of the king of the council.
Mu Zhuohua's transfer order came soon. She was promoted from the head of the Lifan Temple to the doctor of the Ministry of Revenue. Her official rank was the fifth rank. Although she was not as successful as Shen Jinghong, she was still far behind. On the first day off after leaving her job, Mu Zhuohua specially invited all her colleagues in the Lifan Temple to drink in Wenzheng Building. They had worked with Mu Zhuohua for half a year and saw with their own eyes that she was smart and studious. Their attitude changed from suspicion and contempt at the beginning to being convinced later. They knew in their hearts that she was not an ordinary person, but they did not expect that she would jump over the dragon gate so quickly.
"Congratulations to the head of Mu, oh no, it should be Doctor Mu." Everyone was half drunk and bowed to her with a smile.
Mu Zhuohua stood up and raised her glass, saying: "I have been in the Lifan Temple for the past six months. Thank you for your care and guidance. I have benefited a lot. Here, I toast to everyone here with three cups!"
After Mu Zhuohua said that, she poured three cups and drank them up. Seeing her generosity and boldness, everyone applauded. Although Mu Zhuohua is a woman, she is not as delicate as a girl. Although she is not as delicate as a girl, she maintains the reserve and dignity of a girl, which makes people respect her.
One person laughed and said, "The Ministry of Revenue manages the money of the world and is rich. Lord Mu, if you become rich, don't forget me."
Mu Zhuohua laughed and waved his hand and said, "Everyone is joking. The Ministry of Revenue does not produce money, but is just a money carrier."
Everyone was amused by Mu Zhuohua's words. They talked about some interesting things in the court while drinking, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.
On the other side of the wall, Liu Yan was drinking alone. He stood aside and watched secretly for a long time, and asked, "Why doesn't the prince go over?"
Liu Yan smiled and said, "If I go, they will be uncomfortable. Seeing that she gets along well with her colleagues, I am happy for her."
Although he felt a little sour in his heart, Mu Zhuohua was not his private property. She was an official in the court, and she would always have social events and deal with men. Could he always lock her up by his side? He drank the vinegar silently.
But he was worried that she would get drunk and get into trouble, so he secretly drank in the next room, listening to the laughter next door.
Zhimo looked at Liu Yan silently and sighed in his heart.
He ordered a table of dishes, but he didn't move his chopsticks at all, but he drank two pots of wine. Although this sake is not intoxicating, it will make people sad...
The noise next door lasted for more than an hour before it ended. Zhimo listened for a while and said to Liu Yan, "Your Highness, they have all left, only Mu Zhuohua is left."
Mu Zhuohua stayed to pay the bill. The dishes and environment of Wenzheng Building were destined to be expensive. Thinking that she could only afford to buy a few steamed buns and braised meat for Guo Juli when she first came back, she could now open her stomach to treat him to a meal. This was all thanks to... Liu Yan's generosity, otherwise she would not be able to be extravagant with her salary.
In addition to a table of wine and food today, she ordered six signature dishes from Wenzheng Building and asked someone to pack them in a food box. She planned to take them back to add dishes to Guo Juli. She was eating delicious food outside, so she couldn't treat that girl badly.
"How much silver?" Mu Zhuohua drank a little wine and her tongue was not straight when she spoke.
The waiter smiled and said, "Someone has already paid the bill for the adults."
Mu Zhuohua frowned: "Who is it?"
Who paid the bill when they left just now?
The waiter didn't turn around, but bowed respectfully behind Mu Zhuohua.
Mu Zhuohua was slow to sense a familiar and reassuring fragrance coming from behind her. When she turned around, she bumped into his broad and strong chest. Without raising her head, she shouted with a big tongue: "Prince, Prince..."
Liu Yan reached out to hold her shoulders, and saw the heavy and huge food box on the table. He smiled and said to Zhimo: "You can help her take the food box back."
Zhimo nodded, stepped forward to pick up the food box, and frowned slightly - that skinny little Guo Juli, can he eat a whole table of dishes by himself?
Zhimo took the food box and left. Mu Zhuohua stared at Zhimo's back blankly, raised her head and looked at Liu Yan, grinning: "Thank you, Prince, I've made you spend money again."
Liu Yan gently took Mu Zhuohua, and the two walked out of Wenzheng Building side by side, slowly walking on the bluestone road by the river.
It was the season when everything withered, but it was a rare sunny day. The sky seemed to be wiped back and forth by floating clouds several times, and it was dazzlingly blue. The afternoon light was warm, and it fell softly on Mu Zhuohua's slightly drunk and flushed eyes, making her squint unconsciously. However, after a moment, a shadow blocked the glaring light for her.
Liu Yan stood beside her, looking at her slightly red face inconspicuously, and asked with a smile: "How much did you drink?"
"I don't remember." Mu Zhuohua tilted her head and thought for a while, "Ten cups?"
That's more than a pot.
But Mu Zhuohua has a clear understanding of her alcohol tolerance. She won't let herself get drunk easily outside. This feeling of being slightly drunk is just right, and it will be uncomfortable if she drinks more.
As Mu Zhuohua said this, she suddenly moved closer to Liu Yan's chest, sniffed with her little nose, raised her face to look at Liu Yan, and said curiously: "The prince also drank."
Liu Yan was startled by her action, his heart trembled slightly, but his face did not show any expression.
"Drank a little."
Mu Zhuohua suddenly realized, "Your Highness must have had some social events at Wenzheng Tower today, right? Yes, you are now the Council of State, and the senior officials of the six ministries are headed by you. They must want to curry favor with you and invite you to drink..."
Liu Yan smiled but did not answer, and asked, "Then why don't you invite me?"
Mu Zhuohua choked, hesitated for a moment, and slowly said, "I'm sorry..."
Liu Yan asked curiously, "Why are you sorry?"
Mu Zhuohua turned his head away, looking at the bare trees by the lake, and his heart was inexplicably bleak. Juli said that the young lady should not be like the master, heartless and unfaithful...
She had not slept well for several nights, and reflected on herself, am I wrong, am I wrong, I am not wrong...
She was not stupid, and could not see that Liu Yan's indulgence and preference for her were mixed with some love between men and women. She originally thought that a smart man like Liu Yan, knowing that her purpose was not pure, would not have any extra thoughts about her. But now she has miscalculated. Liu Yan gave her more than she wanted, and the extra things were not what she wanted, and she couldn't afford them.
Playing with fire too much will inevitably hurt yourself.
When she is sober, she can calculate everything clearly, but when she is drunk, she is left with pure discomfort, which makes her unable to control her subtle expressions and hide the bitterness in her heart.
She is embarrassed to continue to lie to him and coax him, and she... can't bear to leave him...
Mu Zhuohua lost her mother when she was very young, and she didn't know what it felt like to be loved by others. Later, she had Guo Juli, and seeing her being sold by someone, it was better to have no parents than to have them. It was as if she saw herself, so she loved Juli, and seeing Juli happy, she was happy too, as if someone loved her too.
Liu Yan was the best person to her besides Juli. No matter how much truth and falsehood there was in it, she felt warmed by his protection and care. She liked him looking down at her with a smile. The helplessness and doting in his eyes were enough to make her feel elated and wanton in front of him. She wanted to become a cat in his palm, act coquettishly to him, and let him warm her heart that had been cold for a long time.
So, she miscalculated again. He gave her too much that she didn't dare to ask for, and she began to covet what she shouldn't have.
Her mother coveted feelings and loyalty that she shouldn't have, and finally died of depression.
Mu Zhuohua's steps slowed down unconsciously, and her eyes slowly fell on the sparkling water in front of her. Her delicate eyebrows were slightly frowned, as if she was trapped in a vortex of sorrow. Liu Yan also stopped with her steps, lowered his head to stare into her eyes, and couldn't help but raise his hand to smooth the wrinkles between her eyebrows.
Mu Zhuohua was silent for a long time, and Liu Yan waited for her quietly until Mu Zhuohua spoke again.
"I just heard from them that the prince is getting married." Mu Zhuohua's face was slightly pink, and his eyes looked at the lake without focus, "Miss Sun has already set off and returned from Jiangzuo. She has been waiting for the prince for seven years. She is such an infatuated woman."
Sun Yunyun is infatuated with Prince Ding. This news has been circulating in the capital since some time. Such rumors are extremely detrimental to a woman's reputation, unless the man and woman have already decided on their marriage.
"Why hasn't the prince gotten married yet?" Mu Zhuohua raised his head, and the focus in his eyes slowly condensed on his face, "The prince is also waiting for her, right?"
Liu Yan was stunned, then laughed and denied: "Absurd, this prince has never seen her."
Mu Zhuohua frowned suspiciously: "Then why... My father said that there is no man who is not lustful, unless he is inhumane. The prince is so old..."
Liu Yan was embarrassed by her straightforward words. He was angry and amused: "You are more or less a girl. Is this what you should say?"
And what does he mean by so old? Could it be that she really thinks he is "old and ugly"?
Mu Zhuohua put her hands in her sleeves and said slowly with a serious look: "I am also a doctor. I am just concerned about the patient... I know that Your Majesty is not inhumane, but I am also afraid that you have other hidden diseases. As the saying goes, if you are sick, you should treat the disease, and if you are not sick, you should strengthen your body..."
Liu Yan took a deep breath and talked to a drunkard calmly. He moved closer to Mu Zhuohua and asked in a low voice: "Why are you so concerned about my lifelong event?"
Mu Zhuohua pursed her lips, forced a smile, and said in a slightly hoarse voice: "I naturally hope that Your Majesty will get married soon and reunite happily."
In this way, she can make her heart more resolute.
Little did she know that her words had dug a hole in Liu Yan's heart like an ice pick, and the cold wind poured in, making her feel sore, swollen, painful and numb.
Liu Yan sneered and was about to say something cruel, but he saw a flash of moisture in her almond eyes. He was startled, took a half step forward, pressed her against the tree, and leaned down slightly to get in front of her, and the tears were nowhere to hide.
Liu Yan's warm fingertips touched the corners of her wet eyes, and her frozen heart slowly melted again.
"You..." The man sighed softly in a low voice, but there was a hint of joy, "Nine out of ten words you said are lies, but the more lies you say, the more sincere you say them, and people can't help but want to believe you even though they know they are lies."
"But this lie is too clumsy." His fingertips gently rubbed the moisture in the corners of her eyes, and slowly fell on the corners of her lips, "You make this king very happy."
He chuckled, looking at Mu Zhuohua with eyes full of heartache and joy.
Mu Zhuohua's face was hot and red, and her eyes were stained with drunkenness and moisture. The breath covering her body should have been reassuring, but at this moment it made her palpitate and uneasy. Her heart was beating wildly, and she unconsciously wanted to escape, but there was a tree behind her and his strong arms on both sides. She had nowhere to escape. Her mind was confused and she wanted to make up words to defend herself, but the alcohol made her much slower. She couldn't find the right words in the chaos. Her lips opened slightly, and were covered by the same warm and soft thin lips.
His kiss was restrained and lingering. Perhaps because he was afraid of scaring her, he didn't dare to use too much force with his arms around her. He gently rolled her soft lips, and his tongue swept across the corners of her lips, slowly and firmly invading her mouth. He tasted a familiar sweetness, so similar to the dream. Liu Yan seemed to remember something, his eyes darkened, his breath suddenly became hot, and his arms around her suddenly tightened, as if he wanted to rub her into his body and merge the two into one.
Mu Zhuohua was so hot and weak from his sudden passionate kiss that she could only let Liu Yan's arms hold her slender waist, her hands weakly climbed on his shoulders, and a tear fell from the corner of her eye.
After an unknown amount of time, he reluctantly let go of her swollen lips, and whispered in her ear with a low, hoarse voice, "That night, that kiss in the tent, it turned out not to be a dream..."
"You were angry that I forgot, so you distanced yourself from me, right?"
Mu Zhuohua's lost consciousness was suddenly pulled back by Liu Yan's words. She stared at Liu Yan with her wet almond eyes, and the blush on her face faded halfway.
Why did she distance herself from him? Was it because of that unconscious kiss, or because she smelled the fragrance of Xiao Qin Palace's powder on him?
Mu Zhuohua slowly and firmly pushed Liu Yan away.
"I didn't understand what the prince said." She took a half step back and distanced herself from Liu Yan, "Are you entangled with another woman and recognized the wrong person?"
Liu Yan held Mu Zhuohua's wrist, staring at the expression on Mu Zhuohua's face, trying to figure out the true intention behind every word she said.
"Why don't you tell the truth? You clearly feel..."
"Your Highness!" Mu Zhuohua interrupted him with a frown, "Today, both you and I are drunk and out of control. Please don't take it to heart."
Liu Yan looked at Mu Zhuohua's face in disbelief. Her words could lie, but her body couldn't. He could feel her emotions and intentions, but the words she said at this moment were so hurtful.
Mu Zhuohua took a deep breath, stepped back firmly, and pulled a safe distance from Liu Yan. Then he bowed and bowed.
"Please forgive me, Your Highness. I was impolite. I will go back to sober up now."
Mu Zhuohua said, took two steps back, turned around and left.
"Mu Zhuohua." Liu Yan's cold and bitter voice came from behind.
Mu Zhuohua paused and did not look back.
"What are you afraid of? It's not that you don't like me, but you don't trust me?" Liu Yan looked at Mu Zhuohua's back and said word by word, "Are you afraid that I will let you down?"
Mu Zhuohua closed his eyes and bit the tip of his tongue. The rusty taste and stinging in his mouth made him completely sober.
"Your Highness, you think too much. I am loyal to Your Highness, nothing else."
After saying that, he strode away.
Is Mu Zhuohua afraid that Liu Yan will let her down?
Alas, Mu Zhuohua sneered in her heart.
She is not afraid. There is no such thing as unswerving love in this world. Even blood relatives may not be true and sincere, and always consistent. How can she demand invariance and integrity from others?
She is not afraid of others letting her down, but she is afraid of letting herself down. She is not afraid of losing Liu Yan, but she is afraid of losing herself.
Once a woman falls in love, she will become stupid, and then she will not be far from death.
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