The air seemed to be stagnant, but the sound of the wind became even more murderous. Mu Rong felt cold sweat all over his body, and he couldn't help shivering from the cold. He didn't know how long he knelt before he heard a cold voice from above his head.
"Just now, I saw someone humiliating an official of the court."
Mu Rong trembled and said, "I dare not..."
Liu Yan sneered, "Then your arm must have been broken by the wind." Mu Rong
said with chattering teeth, "Yes, it was the wind..."
Liu Yan's footsteps moved lightly, but it seemed that he stepped heavily on Mu Rong's heart, making him tremble all over, afraid that a knife would fall and chop off his head at any time.
Mu Zhuohua's situation was not much better than Mu Rong's. Liu Yan in front of her was too unfamiliar. The bloody murderous intent made her tense all over, and she didn't even dare to breathe hard. At this moment, she finally understood why the people of Beiliang regarded him as a demon god. According to rumors, he was as arrogant as a wolf and as cruel as a tiger. The scars on his body when he first met him were his medals. How many people had scars on him, and how many heads had he harvested...
It was only because he was poisoned that he cultivated his character and restrained his aggression. She actually thought he was a docile sheep...
As if sensing her stiffness and fear, Liu Yan's footsteps came to her side, and his slender hands under his wide sleeves gently held her soft little hand. Mu Zhuohua froze and subconsciously wanted to pull back, but he held it tighter.
Mu Rong and his wife lowered their heads and did not see the ten fingers clasped under the wide sleeves.
In front of her parents, Liu Yan gently lifted Mu Zhuohua's wrist, his eyes fell on the red marks on her wrist, and the coldness in his eyes became a little heavier.
"Officials appointed by the court should put state affairs first and loyalty to the emperor first. Lord Mu has done nothing wrong. Even if you are her biological father, you cannot humiliate her at will. What's more, you threatened her to deceive the emperor in the name of filial piety. I'm afraid that not only you, Mu Rong, cannot bear this crime, but also the nine clans of the Mu family cannot bear it!"
Mu Rong was cold all over, and he kowtowed desperately, saying repeatedly: "I know my crime! I know my crime!"
Cen was so scared that her hands and feet became weak, and she didn't even have the strength to kowtow and confess her guilt. She collapsed to the ground and trembled.
Liu Yan glanced at the two coldly and said: "Outside the palace gate, it is not a place for strangers to stay for a long time. Don't let me see you again in the future."
Hearing this, Mu Rong was as if he had been pardoned, and said ecstatically: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for not killing me!"
The two did not dare to look up, so they supported each other and fled.
Only two people were left in the alley.
Liu Yan pressed Mu Zhuohua's red wrist with his warm fingertips and said gently, "Does it still hurt?"
The chill just now disappeared in an instant, leaving only warmth.
Mu Zhuohua wanted to pull her hand back, but failed. Liu Yan held her palm with one hand and kneaded her wrist with the other hand. Although there were red marks on the wound, it didn't hurt much. It's just that her skin is delicate and a little force will leave marks.
"Just now... scared you?" Liu Yan looked at her still pale face and asked softly.
He heard from the purple guards in the palace that two middle-aged men in luxurious clothes stopped Mu Zhuohua and seemed to be familiar with Mu Zhuohua. Liu Yan was worried. As soon as he came over, he saw Mu Rong grabbing Mu Zhuohua and pretending to hit him. He didn't think much, pulled off his sleeves and threw two gems, breaking Mu Rong's two arms. When he made the move, he didn't know that the man was Mu Zhuohua's biological father. He walked closer and heard him introduce himself before he knew it. He had investigated Mu Zhuohua's background and knew that Mu Rong had many children and her stepmother was mean. She was not favored in the Mu family, but he did not expect that she was now an official in the court, and Mu Rong still dared to beat and scold her at will.
Mu Zhuohua was a little confused. She did not understand who the subject of this sentence was. She thought he was asking her if she was scared by Mu Rong, so she immediately replied: "No, no... Thank you, Your Highness, for saving me."
The voice was low and soft, and there was a little tremor.
Liu Yan knew that she had misunderstood. He lowered his head and rubbed her slender wrist slowly. It was obviously a very gentle move, but she was so nervous that even her fingertips were tense, as if she was a rabbit in the tiger's mouth, afraid of being eaten by him.
Liu Yan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and his voice softened a little: "I mean, you don't have to be afraid of me."
"Ah?" Mu Zhuohua was startled, moved his lips slowly, and stammered, "Your Highness is a good man, I'm not, I'm not afraid..."
"Good man?" Liu Yan chuckled as if he had heard a joke, shook his head and said self-deprecatingly, "People in Beiliang say that I'm bloody and cruel, people in Chen say that I'm abusive and authoritarian, only you say that I'm a good man."
"That's just a different standpoint." Mu Zhuohua defended him, "Your Highness is loyal to the emperor and patriotic, that's just slander from enemies and villains."
Liu Yan stared into Mu Zhuohua's clear eyes and showed a warm smile: "Then why were you shaking with fear just now?"
Mu Zhuohua's breath was choked, her eyes flickered and wandered, and she didn't dare to look at Liu Yan.
"Your Highness is not afraid, but in awe..."
Seeing that she was so terrified and wanted to make him happy, Liu Yan couldn't help but feel soft-hearted and wanted to laugh, holding her soft little hand and reluctant to let go.
"You are right. Others' slander is just because of different standpoints. So when commenting on a person, we cannot describe him as good or bad." Liu Yan gently pinched her palm, which seemed thin but had some soft flesh, and said leisurely, "I am not a good person. I am only good to you."
Mu Zhuohua's little hand trembled, and her fair face suddenly rubbed against the ground and burned.
This, this, this... In public under the imperial city, he just grabbed someone's hand and flirted with her unscrupulously - he is really not a good person!
Mu Zhuohua's eyes were wet. She was angry with Mu Rong just now, and scared by Liu Yan. Now she was still in shock and was teased again. She has always been eloquent, but there are times when she can't speak. If others are false to her, she can naturally say sweet words without any psychological barriers, but if others are sincere to her, she... Her left chest is empty. How can she return his sincerity to him?
Mu Zhuohua pursed her lips, her eyes were wet, and the expression on her face was as unpredictable as the rainbow in the sky, all of which fell into Liu Yan's eyes. She glanced guiltily behind Liu Yan and stammered, "Your Highness... In broad daylight, in public, it's not... appropriate for you to hold my hand like this... Someone's coming soon..."
Liu Yan smiled and said, "I just saw that you were injured, so I pressed it for you out of kindness. What's so shameful about that?"
There was a red mark on her wrist where Mu Rong had grabbed half of it, but Liu Yan held her whole hand in his palm. As a doctor, she naturally knew what kind of technique was called massage and what kind of technique was called frivolous. Liu Yan's technique was frivolous and abusing his power for personal gain!
Mu Zhuohua's eyes were red, and she glanced at him with resentment, looking pitiful but not able to speak.
But she didn't know how tempting her aggrieved look would be in the eyes of those who had ulterior motives. She was wearing a solemn official robe, but she looked pitiful as if she had been bullied, which made people want to peel off her dignified and serious shell and see her charming and charming true face.
Liu Yan felt that he was wrong. He was not only good to her, he also wanted to be a little mean to her.
Unfortunately, this was not a good time and place. He suppressed the evil desire in his heart, took her hand and kissed the back of her hand.
"Why didn't you hide when he hit you just now?" He asked softly with his warm lips pressed against the red mark on her wrist.
Being blocked in the alley by him in broad daylight and flirting with him, Mu Zhuohua felt her legs weakened, and even her voice was weak in reply: "He... he is the father. It is a small matter for the father to beat the son, but it is a big matter for the son to disrespect and resist."
In fact, she just didn't expect that her father in her memory was romantic and unrestrained, never encountered any difficulties, and she had never seen him frown. Today he got so angry, which was unexpected by Mu Zhuohua. She couldn't imagine that he dared to hit her. Perhaps he had suffered a lot of setbacks in the past few days. He couldn't afford to offend those dignitaries, so he vented his anger on his daughter.
In his view, patriarchy is above all, and her rapid rise to prominence cannot change the fact that he is his daughter. Beating and scolding his own daughter is not a big deal in Mu Rong's view.
However, Liu Yan frowned upon hearing this and said in a deep voice, "Your humiliation is a big deal to me."
Mu Zhuohua was startled, raised her head and looked at Liu Yan, her almond eyes, which should have been clear, were misty, like a deer that lost its way in the forest, which made Liu Yan's heart soften. He sighed softly and held her in his arms, delicate and small, just filling his chest. He lowered his head slightly and smelled the sweet fragrance on her neck. The dignified, self-sustaining and eloquent Lord Mu was silent in his arms at this moment, gentle and obedient, like a tamed kitten.
He gently kissed her temples and said softly, "Zhuohua, you are not someone who doesn't care about you." The hands hanging by his side trembled, as if being pulled by an invisible force, and slowly grasped the corner of his clothes. A warm current flowed into his heart, filling the emptiness in his heart, and then overflowed from the already wet eyes. She had been strong for many years. Even when her mother passed away, she was bullied and ignored, and she was hungry every day, she never shed a tear. Children are like this. If someone comforts them when they fall, they will cry. If no one cares, they will blow on their wounds and get up and walk again. She walked alone for many years like this. Even in front of Juli, she would not cry, because Juli was the child, she was an adult, she was Juli's support, and adults would not show their weak side in front of children.
However, the sudden feeling of grievance was just because it was the first time in many, many years that she felt the feeling of being cared for. She fell many times, and finally someone saw her wounds. He helped her up and gave her a hug, and that was enough.
She buried her face in his chest, and the dark purple official robe was quietly wet. He did not hear her cry, but only felt the slight tremor of her shoulders. Liu Yan lowered his eyes, and his heart ached dully, so he could only hug her tighter.
After an unknown amount of time, he heard her hoarse voice saying, "Your Highness... I have to go now."
He loosened his arms and watched her take a half step back, leaving his embrace. Her almond eyes were slightly red and swollen, obviously she had cried. She lowered her head a little embarrassedly, clutching her sleeves awkwardly, her voice soft and hoarse, "Juli is waiting for me..."
Liu Yan felt sour for no reason, and a surge of jealousy came up. He rushed to rescue her in his busy schedule, carefully comforted her emotions, and let her cry in his arms. She had used up all the people, waved her sleeves and said, is there someone else waiting for her?
Liu Yan chuckled and said with self-pity: "Yes, you have someone waiting for you, but I am alone."
Mu Zhuohua glanced at him strangely: "Your Highness and His Majesty have a deep uncle-nephew relationship. Tonight, on New Year's Eve, it is natural that I should accompany His Majesty to have a family banquet in the palace."
Liu Yan smiled, suddenly stretched out his hand to her, lifted a strand of hair hanging from her ear and tucked it behind her ear, and said in a low voice: "You know who I want to accompany."
Mu Zhuohua froze for a moment, turned away and did not dare to bear the deep affection in Liu Yan's eyes.
"Prince, Prince..." Mu Zhuohua saluted stiffly, "If there is nothing else, I will take my leave..."
Seeing Liu Yan nodded, Mu Zhuohua turned around in a hurry. Just as he raised his foot, he heard Liu Yan's voice coming from behind him again.
"Zhuohua, tonight is the New Year's Eve, the lights will be on until dawn, are you willing to wait for me?"
Mu Zhuohua's breath was choked, and he did not answer, and almost fled.
Liu Yan's eyes followed Mu Zhuohua's back until her figure disappeared around the corner, and then he hid the warm smile in his eyes.
When he raised his eyes again, the pair of black jade eyes were only cold as the wind and snow: "Continue to protect her, and find out where Mu Rong has been these days."
The voice of the purple guard came from the shadows: "I obey your orders."
Mu Zhuohua hurried back home, stood at the door, wiped her eyes and face, tidied up her appearance, and then went in to see Guo Juli.
Guo Juli rolled up his sleeves and was killing chickens. There were two cleaned big fish in the wooden basin beside him. Seeing Mu Zhuohua coming back, she raised her little face and smiled brightly: "Miss, you came back early today. I killed the fish and chicken, and pulled out the shrimp thread. I'm waiting for you to show your skills!"
Mu Zhuohua didn't tell Guo Juli about meeting Mu Rong, so as not to ruin her good mood for the New Year. Although she and Guo Juli were master and servant, she always treated Guo Juli as her sister, and even spoiled her like a daughter. She didn't want to worry her with these bad things, so she hid her worries and said with a smile: "I'll come after I change my clothes. I'll make a table of Huaizhou dishes for you today to satisfy your craving."
Mu Zhuohua and Guo Juli grew up in Huaizhou since childhood. They were used to the sweet taste of Huaizhou dishes, while Dingjing's dishes were a bit saltier. They were somewhat uncomfortable with it, so they had to wait for Mu Zhuohua's ten-day holiday to occasionally cook some hometown dishes to comfort their appetite.
Mu Zhuohua quickly changed into coarse cloth clothes and went into the kitchen. Guo Juli helped her on the side. The two had cooperated for many years and had a tacit understanding. She raised her hand, without speaking or looking, Guo Juli knew what she wanted.
Fried shrimp, squirrel mandarin fish, honey-cooked chicken, colorful scallop soup...
Waves of delicious aroma wafted out from the stove. Guo Juli stared at the iron pot and swallowed his saliva, his eyes shining with the fierce light of a beast hunting.
Mu Zhuohua was busy for a long time. He glanced at Guo Juli and smiled lazily, "Silly girl, it's not time to eat yet. Some dishes have to be simmered over low heat. They will be delicious when cooked enough. Don't wait to open the lid."
Guo Juli wiped his saliva with the back of his hand and said seriously, "I won't do that!"
Mu Zhuohua pounded her sore arm and said, "Go take a shower and change new clothes first, then come to eat the New Year's Eve dinner."
Guo Juli followed Mu Zhuohua out of the kitchen and pinched her arm eagerly, "Miss, miss, I have already boiled the hot water for bathing. I will serve you bathing first."
Mu Zhuohua pushed her forehead away with pretended disgust and smiled, "No way, you smell of fish. Wash yourself and then serve me!"
Guo Juli lowered his head and smelled the front of his clothes. He frowned and said, "It seems a little bit. Then I will change too!"
Then he turned and ran to his room.
Guo Juli's room was on the first floor. As soon as she entered the room, she saw a new set of clothes on her bed. She was stunned for a moment, walked forward in confusion, and hesitated to reach out and touch the neatly folded dress. She knew at a glance that it was the fashionable material of Jinxiufang. One foot would cost dozens of taels of silver. With the best embroidery, such a set would cost hundreds of taels of silver. Even ordinary wealthy people would not be willing to buy such expensive clothes.
Guo Juli thought that it was Mu Zhuohua's clothes. She was afraid that her hands would get dirty and smelly, so she didn't dare to touch it too much. She turned around and ran out again, shouting at Mu Zhuohua's window upstairs: "Miss, why are your clothes on my bed?"
A window upstairs opened, revealing Mu Zhuohua's beautiful face with a smile: "Silly girl, that's the new clothes I bought for you."
Guo Juli opened his mouth wide, his eyes slowly turned red, and he couldn't speak for a long time. Mu Zhuohua thought she was very moved and was secretly proud of herself, but saw Guo Juli stamping his feet and cursing with a crying voice : "You spendthrift lady! Go and return it!"
Mu Zhuohua's smile froze at the corner of her mouth: "Why?"
Guo Juli puffed his cheeks and said angrily: "You just gave Miss Eight a large sum of money, how can you spend hundreds of taels to buy me clothes!"
Mu Zhuohua was depressed. She thought that it was no wonder that Guo Juli didn't listen to her and buy abalone, shark's fin and fish maw today. It turned out that he felt sorry for her and gave Mu Minghua three thousand taels...
She also thought that Guo Juli's face was ugly some time ago because she was too tired from practicing martial arts. Now she realized that she was restless because her family property was emptied.
Mu Zhuohua held her forehead and sighed: "You really manage the family well..."
She was embarrassed by what he said. She spent money lavishly and had no sense of crisis. But isn't the money earned to be spent? Juli was willing to buy her clothes, saying that the lady went out to socialize with dignitaries and needed to be decent. He made two wardrobes for men's and women's clothes and asked her to make two sets for herself. She said that she didn't go out at home and didn't need to be decent. Finally, Mu Zhuohua couldn't stand it anymore, and secretly made her a set of winter clothes for the New Year with the best material. In the end, she didn't get a good word from him, but instead made Guo Juli cry.
Guo Juli was about to argue, but Mu Zhuohua frowned and glared at her: "Jinxiufang doesn't accept returns. Wear it if I tell you to. If you talk back, I won't give you dinner!"
Guo Juli immediately covered her mouth, tears still flashing in her eyes, complaining and aggrieved.
Mu Zhuohua then smiled and closed the window.
The night of New Year's Eve was particularly lively. Since dark, the fireworks in the night sky have never stopped, one after another, as brilliant as fireworks.
Guo Juli changed into new clothes and tied two dumplings on his head with red silk, which looked like red lanterns and very festive. The master and the servant both wore red dresses. Mu Zhuohua joked that Guo Juli looked like a firecracker, while Guo Juli joked that Mu Zhuohua looked like a candle. The two of them ate a table full of delicious food, watched fireworks from other people's houses, and had the happiest New Year's Eve in their lives.
Huaizhou has a traditional custom that on New Year's Eve, haystacks are burned. Men jump over the fire to leave bad luck in the past year, while women dance around the fire to pray for peace in the new year. Guo Juli lit the haystack that he had prepared early, stood beside the fire, opened his arms and waved them wantonly. He looked more like boxing than dancing, which made Mu Zhuohua laugh.
"Silly girl, this is not how you dance Qiwu."
Mu Zhuohua walked to her side, holding up the hem of her skirt. The warm firelight illuminated her beautiful face. She bent her slender and soft waist like a willow branch, raised her arms, and crossed her slender fingers above her head, forming a graceful posture like an orchid. Her eyebrows were half closed, and her lips were smiling. She danced like an elf to the rhythm of the jumping flames. Her graceful figure was like Chang'e under the moon, and like a fairy in the forest, making people unable to look away and unable to concentrate.
Even Guo Juli had never seen her so flamboyant and wanton side. She could show her beautiful demeanor to her heart's content without wearing a mediocre mask. She was no longer the dignified and self-sustaining Lord Mu in the court. She was clearly a soft and charming fox fairy. The firelight was not as dazzling as her, and the moonlight was not as bright as her. But such a beauty could only bloom freely when no one was around.
"Young lady is so beautiful!" Guo Juli clapped her hands vigorously. She was not good at reading and writing, so she could only express her thoughts in the simplest language. "More beautiful than the fourth aunt!"
Mu Zhuohua smiled lightly, stopped dancing, and looked up at the fireworks in the night sky.
"I heard that A Niang's dance was stunning, but the beautiful face and passionate feelings are like fireworks, fleeting." Mu Zhuohua's clear eyes reflected the fireworks in the sky, as dazzling as colored glaze. "None of my father's eighteen aunts can compare to A Niang's beauty, but her stunning appearance did not leave the slightest shadow in his heart."
Guo Juli saw Mu Zhuohua's disappointment, and she walked up to hug Mu Zhuohua: "Young lady, why do you think of your aunt?"
Mu Zhuohua did not say that she saw Mu Rong today.
A Niang really loved her father. At that time, he was young and handsome, and loved her passionately and madly. He saved her from the dust and satisfied all her fantasies about love. When she was young, her family changed and she lost her childhood memories. She only remembered the pain of falling into prostitution. It was her father who gave her the only joy in her life, but also the deepest pain. He gave her hope, but also made her despair.
Mu Zhuohua still remembered her dying appearance. She had become very thin and had lost her former stunning beauty. She lay powerlessly on the bed, her eyes still looking at the door. The doctor took a look and asked them to prepare for her funeral.
Mu Zhuohua was only six years old at that time. She didn't know why her memory was so vivid. She still remembers the dim light in her mother's eyes. She grabbed her arm with her skinny hands and said in a trembling voice: "Zhuohua, you...you go and call your father...I...I want to see him again..."
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Little Mu Zhuohua knelt beside the bed, biting her lips tightly to prevent her tears from falling.
"Aniang, wait for me, I'll go!"
She stood up and wanted to leave, but the hand on her arm tightened.
"No, don't go!" Aniang grabbed her with all her strength, and a look of fear appeared on her face, "You can't let him see me like this... I... I want him to always... remember Gu Yixiao's most beautiful appearance."
Mu Zhuohua stared at the woman in front of her, feeling that she was both familiar and strange.
She struggled to sit up from the bed, panting and said: "Zhuohua, help me up... I want to put on my makeup..."
She was small and weak, and it took a lot of effort to help her to the dressing table. She stretched out her trembling hands and grabbed a wooden comb. The wooden comb passed through her long hair, bringing down a handful of fallen and withered hair. She lowered her head and looked at the hair on the wooden comb with trembling. After a long time, she smiled and shed tears, her shoulders twitching.
"He won't come... He won't come..."
Mu Zhuohua supported her shaky body and cried, "I'll go call my father, I'll go now!"
"No." Gu Yixiao hugged Mu Zhuohua's small body, letting her tears wet her clothes. Her eyes, which were once as moving as stars and spring water, were now as dim as ashes. "Zhuohua, good child, mother can't accompany you."
Mu Zhuohua's throat rolled, and she cried out with tears in her eyes, "Mother..."
She raised her head and used her skinny fingertips to trace her daughter's childish and beautiful eyebrows and eyes. Those eyebrows and eyes were very similar to hers, but they also resembled Mu Rong's romantic and passionate style. She spoke slowly in a hoarse voice: "Zhuohua, my mother's life has been a complete failure. All I can leave you is a lesson..."
"One day, you will become even more beautiful, but if you don't have the ability to protect yourself, your beauty will only make you a plaything for others."
"Men use money, power, and sweet words to please you, and use their extra things to exchange for your only true heart. You... don't be like my mother, foolishly deceived."
She smiled bitterly, foolishly, deceiving herself for so many years, and finally saw it clearly when she was dying. Perhaps, she saw it clearly earlier, but just didn't want to face it.
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