Chapter 71 Chapter 71 He never forgot her days.
Who is she looking at?
At this moment, this was the only question that popped up in Xu Qing'an's mind.
Her gaze seemed to be looking at another person, but her eyes were also locked on him.
He felt uneasy for a moment.
In recent days, on the one hand, Zhang Fan was seriously injured and dying, and he had been taking care of him and worried for days. On the other hand, he learned that Mu Ai still had deep feelings for him. The joy of regaining what he had lost and the self-blame caused by misunderstanding kept intertwining in his heart. He had consumed too much energy, so he didn't notice that there was someone standing outside the room when he was talking to Zhang Fan just now.
He was worried that she might have noticed something at this moment.
It’s not time yet…
Xu Qing'an straightened up and took a step back, breaking the contact between the two.
He looked at Zhang Fan again, indicating that with someone else present, some things would be inconvenient.
Shangguan Xu really withdrew her hand, but the half-smile in her last look at him made him unsure whether she accepted the reason he gave.
Fortunately, she didn't insist on contacting him later.
Shangguan Xu first spoke to Zhang Fan. "I heard Mr. Zhang has woken up, but I heard you needed to rest, so I only found the opportunity to visit you today. But don't worry, Doctor Xun and the imperial physician are here in the palace. I believe you will recover sooner or later."
"I think Yanrong has already told Mr. Zhang about the situation outside. The new policy has not been implemented. Now Yanrong is helping to handle the affairs of the court. You don't have to worry about what you are worried about."
Zhang Fan said modestly, "I'm so old, yet Your Majesty has summoned so many experts to treat me. I'm sorry to have caused Her Majesty so much trouble."
"Mr. Zhang, what are you talking about? Your heroic deeds that day were truly astonishing, and I don't know how many people you saved. Compared to what you did, what I've done is nothing."
After the two exchanged a few more words, Shangguan Xu glanced at the man standing beside the couch and said to Zhang Fan with another smile, "Well, I came here today just to see how you are doing with my own eyes, so that I can put my mind at ease. However, I also know that you need to rest, so I won't disturb you anymore."
She stood up and said, "Mr. Zhang, have a good rest."
Zhang Fan felt weak and could only lean on the couch to say goodbye.
Xu Qing'an said to him, "I'll go see the Empress off."
Zhang Fan looked at him with indescribable emotion and nodded.
——
Xu Qing'an chased Shangguan Xu to the outer room.
"Your Majesty, are you here today to see me for something urgent?"
Shangguan Xu paused, glanced toward the inner room, and then took a few steps outside before asking, "Have you told him about the planned transfer of positions within the Secretariat?"
Let Zhang Fan take the initiative to resign from the position of prime minister and recommend Xu Qing'an to be the Minister of the Central Secretariat.
Xu Qing'an nodded slightly. "I've mentioned it twice in the past two days, and I plan to tell him the whole story later."
Shangguan Xu: "You're worried about upsetting him." She smiled. "But I think you're underestimating your teacher. People used to say he was peaceful and not competitive, and that's true. He should have let go of fame and fortune a long time ago, so it's okay to talk to him directly about that matter."
"However, that matter isn't just about fame and fortune; it's also about ambition." Xu Qing calmed down and continued, "In fact, I have no way of knowing what the teacher is thinking, but I know that before I tell him the truth, it's my duty to take care of his feelings."
Shangguan Xu asked, "So, before you act, you always think about how to take care of others' feelings? But have you ever considered that what you think of as taking care of others isn't necessarily what they want?"
"It's just a matter of time. It's always better to be cautious."
"But timing also has to do with a person's right to know the truth."
"Is it important?"
"What?"
Xu Qing'an asked again: "Is it important?"
Shangguan Xu paused. She thought for a moment and was about to say it was very important, but Xu Qing'an spoke first, "Your Majesty, do you think that I missed the important matter by not telling the teacher the whole truth right away? That shouldn't be the case, does it?"
"Although the progress is indeed delayed by a day or two, Your Majesty, if it won't affect the outcome, I personally believe that using these two days to ensure the safety of one person is very important. Furthermore, Mr. Zhang is a good mentor to me. He just escaped danger not long ago. In the face of his safety, I feel that the words Your Majesty mentioned earlier can be put aside."
Shangguan Xu felt that he was changing the subject: "I'm talking about more than just this."
"What else would you like to discuss, Your Majesty?" He looked at her calmly. "If Your Majesty wishes to discuss this with me, please do so directly. I will tell you everything I know."
Shangguan Xu was so angry that he laughed: "What do I want to say? What can I say? Aren't you the only one who knows your own business?"
"Forget it." Shangguan Xu sighed and said, "As you said, a delay of one or two hours in dealing with Mr. Zhang's matter won't affect the overall situation. Just take care of it yourself. I came to you because I have something else to tell you."
"Your Majesty, please speak."
She looked at him intently and said, "A Zheng told me that you helped her find out her background. We just need to wait for the final portrait to arrive to confirm it."
Xu Qing'an nodded: "Yes, but the matter has not been settled yet, so I didn't rush to tell the queen."
Shangguan Xu didn't respond to his words, but simply asked, "Have you carefully researched that person's life?"
Xu Qing'an nodded lightly, "I've checked everything. He was originally a member of the Imperial Guards. After Prince Zhao established his government, he was transferred to Prince Zhao's personal guard. Later, when Prince Zhao was enfeoffed, he followed him to his fiefdom. He's been neither meritorious nor dishonest during that time, so the outside world doesn't know much about him. However, I heard that Prince Zhao still holds him in high esteem."
"So since he is someone close to King Zhao, why did Su Wang want to kill him? Did he offend Su Wang when he was in the Imperial Guard?" Shangguan Xu pondered, but she felt that just the offense alone would not be enough for Su Wang to pursue her after so many years. Besides, there was a big gap in status between the captain of the personal guards and her husband, so it would be difficult for them to have much communication.
She couldn't figure it out for a moment, so she stopped worrying and said, "Oh, right, Ah Zheng just told me that her brother might still be alive."
Seeing a hint of confusion in front of him, Shangguan Xu continued, "A Zheng will tell you the details herself later. She just mentioned it to me a while ago. She said that when she recalled the scene of her family being exterminated, she only saw her father and mother. She couldn't think of her brother. So she felt that her brother might not have been with them when the family was exterminated."
Xu Qing'an's expression darkened for a moment. "If I remember correctly, her brother was only three or four years old at the time."
Shangguan Xu said, "Yes, so even if her brother is still alive, he must be living with someone else. The problem is, after a few years of growth, a three or four-year-old child will hardly retain memories of his childhood. Moreover, his appearance has changed drastically in the past few years. If Ah Zheng can't remember what he looked like or what his characteristics were, searching for him will be like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"Not necessarily." Xu Qingan said softly.
Shangguan Xu looked at him in surprise.
He said, "I'll make a plan and investigate this matter slowly after I return home. It may not be difficult to investigate."
Shangguan Xu intuitively felt that he had grasped other clues: "Do you have a direction?"
However, he did not want to say more: "I can't say for sure. Let me tell you when I am sure."
——
Outside the hall, Qinghe and Azheng stood together and exchanged some intimate words after meeting each other.
Qing He said, "Your Majesty asked him yesterday where Aunt Zheng had gone, but who knew that his Aunt Zheng had entered the palace today? It's a pity that he couldn't know."
Qinghe recalled the scene in the palace during the days when A Zheng had just gotten into trouble. At that time, the little emperor always asked A Zheng where she had been when he saw that A Zheng was not there. Shangguan Xu and the others would of course not tell him directly, but just said that Aunt A Zheng had gone to a faraway place to do business and would not be able to come back for a while.
Fortunately, it was a false alarm. A Zheng was safe and sound. Shangguan Xu and Qinghe were relieved. The little emperor would be able to see his aunt A Zheng again in the future.
Ah Zheng knew the care and concern that the people around her had for her, and she was filled with gratitude. She suppressed a faint smile and said, "When I have the chance to come back openly in the future, I will definitely take him to ride the horse he most wanted to ride but was afraid to ride."
Qing He couldn't help laughing: "He just covets your Kung Fu."
Ah Zheng generously said, "Then teach him all together."
The two of them laughed continuously, and their laughter could be heard in the hall. Shangguan Xu and Xu Qing'an had already walked to the hall door and were looking outside through the door.
Shangguan Xu said, "Oh, right? That medicine that A Zheng needs to take long-term... How long does it take? Does it have to last a lifetime?"
Thinking of what he had just said to A Zheng, Shangguan Xu decided to test him again.
But he asked blankly: "What medicine?"
Shangguan Xu turned to look at him.
He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow at her.
Shangguan Xu was helpless: "You told me before that Ah Zheng took a life-saving drug before assassinating Su Wang, but that drug also had other negative effects, so after using it, she needed to take other drugs for a long time to suppress it."
Hearing this, Xu Qing'an seemed to remember: "Ah...that's it." He laughed, "I said that just as a joke to the Empress."
Seeing her eyes darken, he hurriedly said, "At that time, I really wanted to be closer to you, Your Majesty. I hope you don't mind."
"Then why are you willing to tell me the truth now?"
"Because I understand your Majesty's feelings, of course I shouldn't joke with you about these things anymore."
"Really?" Shangguan Xu sneered, obviously disagreeing with his words.
"It seems that Her Majesty still feels that her relationship with me is too weak." Xu Qing'an sighed and looked at her intently, his tone meaningful, "Then why don't I go to Her Majesty tonight and get closer to her?"
"No." Shangguan Xu refused bluntly, "It's not convenient tonight."
She opened the door and stepped out.
Qinghe and Azheng also fell silent. Shangguan Xu gave Azheng a few more instructions, asking her to take good care of herself, and then left with Qinghe.
Xu Qing'an stood there, watching her figure gradually walk away, the playful expression on his face no longer there.
How could he not know that she would be inconvenienced tonight? He had never forgotten her days.
I just hope that his words and his behavior today can dispel her suspicions.
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