Chapter 7 Chapter 7 He actually gave away his lips and nose...
Just this one action, this one sentence, and his breathing became uncontrollable again.
Her hand touched his face. The moment he felt the warmth from her palm, in addition to the pain in his memory and the tenderness at the moment, he couldn't help but shudder, and a tingling sensation spread throughout his body.
Does it hurt?
She asked.
He kept his eyes on her, waiting for the moment when she would look back at him.
But she never did as he wished.
"It doesn't hurt now." He said, his mouth a little careless, but his eyes were still locked on hers, waiting persistently for her gaze.
"If it doesn't hurt now, it must have hurt before." Shangguan Xu made his underlying meaning clear. "I thought you were going to say it didn't hurt."
She finally looked over.
Although there was a hint of mockery in his eyes.
But he smiled: "The Queen won't believe that."
"Why shouldn't I believe it?" Shangguan Xu asked doubtfully, "Isn't that how nice things are said?"
"Because at that time, your hand was also hurting."
Xu Qing'an slowly placed his palm on hers, feeling her fingertips tremble unconsciously, but he continued to stroke the back of her hand along her fingers, then tilted his head to rub it, soothing her trembling.
"If I say it doesn't hurt, wouldn't it mean that your hand didn't hurt when you did it? But at that time, I clearly saw that your palm was red. How could I say it didn't hurt?"
"Moreover..." Xu Qing paused, then continued, "I just said that my heart is with the Majesty, so naturally I shouldn't hide anything from the Majesty now."
Shangguan Xu couldn't help but laugh.
She didn't care how much sincerity there was in his words, she just felt that this was suddenly a little interesting.
The palms and backs of her hands became even warmer due to his gentle caress, so she continued to ask gently, "Have you ever blamed me?"
"Resentment?" Xu Qing'an frowned, his tone unclear.
Shangguan Xu didn't care and only added: "Blame me for slapping you in front of everyone."
The darkness in Xu Qing'an's eyes faded, and a smile appeared on his lips again: "It is a blessing for me to be able to help Her Majesty. How can I blame you?"
"Oh? What does slapping you have to do with helping me?" Shangguan Xu stood up straight and asked, as he felt uncomfortable after bending his waist for a long time.
The hand on Xu Qing'an's face was also pulled away.
The warmth covering his skin disappeared, and Xu Qing'an felt a sense of emptiness in his palm.
He followed her movements and lowered his hand, caressing it with his fingers, tenderly enjoying the remaining warmth.
Shangguan Xu couldn't see what he was doing, so he just waited for his answer.
After a moment, Xu Qing'an raised his eyes and said, "Before I speak, can I ask for grace from Your Majesty? If I say something wrong later, I hope Your Majesty will have mercy and forgive me."
Shangguan Xu looked up and asked, "Is it that serious?" She thought for a moment and nodded, "Okay, it's settled."
After receiving his approval, Xu Qing'an said, "The boat was leaking, and the Empress fell into the water. This may seem like a serious matter, but if we try to maneuver it, we can make it seem less serious."
"The boat was leaking, but it eventually docked safely. Your Majesty fell overboard, but we were the only two on board who suffered this misfortune. Your Majesty is now well, and you and I are truly grateful. However, others may not share this sentiment."
"Not to mention what kind of ridiculous rumors might circulate between Your Majesty and me, even Your Majesty's desire to thoroughly investigate the cause of the boat's leak might be hindered."
Xu Qing'an looked towards Shangguan Xu and said, "For example, the vacancy of the Minister of Works that I just mentioned."
"The construction of the cruise ship concerns the Ministry of Industry, but it also happens to be undergoing personnel adjustments right now. Any actions taken against the Ministry of Industry at this time will be magnified. Therefore, if we want to thoroughly investigate this matter and not give others any opportunity to criticize us, we must completely straighten our stance."
"And when Her Majesty slapped me in front of everyone, she was completely separating herself from me and the boat leak, and putting an end to all talk of 'using torture to inflict harm, planning before acting'."
Yes, first the water sacrifice was restarted, then the cruise ship leaked, and finally the Minister of Works who was related to it was appealed under his real name. The three things were connected so coincidentally that Shangguan Xu had thought about how to get himself out of it before.
Unexpectedly, she fell into the water.
After the slap, she was furious and lost her composure in front of everyone who came to rescue her, just to spread the news and let the people on the stage know -
This incident was an accident for her!
And it was an accident that was extremely difficult for her to accept.
During the Lantern Festival, Xu Qing'an was used by her twice. Once was in the hall afterward when he took the initiative to stand up and agree with her, and once was when he slapped her.
Shangguan Xu originally thought that the slap was unilaterally imposed by her, but he didn't expect that he also understood her intention.
She began to examine the kneeling young man in front of her.
Xu Qing'an raised his lips and smiled at her, "Your Majesty, do you still hold true to your words? If I was wrong in any way, please forgive me."
"What I say counts." Shangguan Xu looked away, turned around and walked aside.
Xu Qing'an followed with his eyes.
She only took a few steps before stopping, turning around, and saying to him gently, "Besides, what you said wasn't offensive, so why should I punish you?"
Xu Qing'an lowered his eyes and bowed slightly: "Your Majesty, please be merciful."
He asked, "Then I wonder what your Majesty's plans are regarding Minister Liu of the Ministry of Works? In the eyes of others, your Majesty is the biggest victim of the Lantern Festival. If your Majesty wants to make some arrangements for the Ministry of Works at this time, no one will think it's inappropriate."
Shangguan Xu was silent for a moment, then raised her eyes and slowly walked back. She said, "According to the laws of the Great Jin Dynasty, anyone who reports a crime beyond their proper rank, unless it's a serious crime of treason, will first be flogged. The punishment is cruel and unbearable, so generally speaking, few people take this path. If it is used, it often leads to great injustice."
"And today, the Censorate received a complaint not only from a real-name, overstepping the boundaries of rank, but also from a Vice Minister of one of the six ministries, a fourth-rank official in the imperial court. Under such circumstances, the complainant must be fighting a desperate battle, and the evidence must be fully prepared."
"In my opinion, there is no room for change in this matter, and I don't want to change it."
She stopped in front of him, leaned forward slightly and said, "You just asked me, the Minister of Works is currently vacant, but you have high hopes for Minister Liu, but what I want to tell you is, what is his relationship with me?"
"I slapped you to clear myself, but that's all. All I want now is an explanation for what happened last night. Just like I said in the temple last night, give the people an explanation."
"As for other matters, they have nothing to do with me. I will punish them according to the law." Shangguan Xu suddenly lowered his eyes and chuckled. "Of course, if Lord Xu feels that this explanation will involve other people, then you can just do it. There is no need to ask for my opinion."
The three words "others" were deliberately emphasized. It's not that there is really no need to ask for opinions, but that the specific "others" involved - Minister Liu of the Ministry of Works - no need to ask whether he can be involved.
Because the answer is obvious, yes.
Xu Qing'an knelt and listened, then raised his head, his eyes bright as if washed with water, and said softly, "I understand."
Shangguan Xu also smiled: "Mr. Xu is smart, which really saves me a lot of trouble."
Xu Qing'an lowered his eyes modestly: "Your Majesty, I am so kind."
At this point, Shangguan Xu felt that he had almost finished speaking, so he stood up straight and said, "Since Xu Qing understands, then let's get started. Caning is not pleasant. If you tell the censor, you will be unable to open your mouth before you can even finish your words."
"Yes." Xu Qingan understood.
However, just as he was seeing the movement of his legs to get up, his dark green official robe moved along with it, and then he stopped again.
Shangguan Xu was puzzled: "Xu Qing, is there anything else?"
After kneeling for so long, his knees were actually aching and numb, but Xu Qing'an looked up at Shangguan Xu for a moment and chose to kneel again, saying, "I have something to present to Her Majesty."
Kneeling down to present something shows more sincerity.
Moreover, in this position and posture, he could more legitimately look up at her and see her expression clearly.
"What?" Shangguan Xu frowned slightly, only caring about what he was going to give.
She thought it was related to the case.
But she saw Xu Qing'an take out a small maroon bottle from his sleeve.
Xu Qing'an handed the item closer to her and said, "Last night, after Your Majesty fell into the water, I noticed that you had a cough and a cold. I was worried, so I thought of preparing some medicine for you to relieve the symptoms."
"This bottle contains pills for dispelling cold. They are not only effective for treating colds, but also have the effect of warming the meridians and unblocking the collaterals. These pills are not as bitter as medicinal soups, so you only need to mix them with water and swallow them, which is more convenient."
Shangguan Xu coughed twice, covering his lips with his hands. He took the porcelain bottle and started playing with it. "Where... did you come from? Do you know any medical skills?"
Xu Qing'an said, "To be honest, I've been in poor health since I was young, so my family hired a miracle doctor to treat me. Yesterday, I fell into the water, and he got me some medicine after returning home. I thought his prescriptions were always excellent, so I asked him to make these pills for the Empress."
He smiled and added, "If Your Majesty is worried that the medicine isn't right for you, you can first ask the Imperial Physician at the Imperial Hospital to see if it's suitable for you."
Although Xu Qing'an said that he was afraid that the medicine was not suitable for the disease, he was actually telling Shangguan Xu that the medicine was not poisonous and had no other problems, so he was not afraid of her checking.
Shangguan Xu readily agreed: "Since it was prepared by a miracle doctor, why should we ask the Imperial Hospital to investigate again? I appreciate Mr. Xu's kindness."
Xu Qing'an bowed again, his voice gentle, "I only pray for the good health of the Empress."
Shangguan Xu was stunned for a moment.
For some reason, she suddenly felt that this sentence was very familiar. It had nothing to do with the content, but just the tone...
Shangguan Xu put down what he was holding and looked over in disbelief.
And he happened to look over.
He did not wear a fu hat today, but only used a crown and a silver hairpin to tie up his hair. When he raised his face, his forehead was no longer covered, making his face look even more handsome.
The weather has been excellent these past few days, and the sun has also poured into the hall. The floating dust is scattered in the warm light, just like the dewdrops illuminated by the sun that year.
Sprinkle in the air, sprinkle on the eyelashes.
Shangguan Xu stared and was silent for a moment.
She unconsciously moved closer and put her hands on his shoulders, as if wanting to see something more clearly.
Her movements created a slight breeze, and the familiar fragrance of peony once again lingered around him.
Xu Qing'an hesitated.
The two of them faced each other, their heartstrings seemed to be stretched tight, and they were trembling with the fragrance. The rise and fall of his clothes under his neck suddenly slowed down, and he took a deep breath.
With his shoulders straight, he watched her approach, calmly stretching his neck and looking up, his eyes unconsciously focused on those red lips, and he actually extended his lips and nose a little further.
It's not a strange coincidence, but more like a yearning from the heart.
But……
"Xu Qing is so thoughtful. I will be fine."
Shangguan Xu suddenly came back to his senses.
All actions are suspended.
Xu Qing'an's eyelids drooped instantly, and his posture became slightly sluggish.
Shangguan Xu put some distance between them and continued as if nothing had happened, "Mr. Xu, you've worked hard recently. Once this matter is settled, I will definitely treat you well."
Xu Qing'an blinked, sneered at himself, and said, "I thank you, Your Majesty."
——
In the main hall, the palace maid came in, changed the hot tea, and refilled the incense.
After Xu Qing'an left, Shangguan Xu sat down at the tea table on the side of the hall, staring intently at the small maroon bottle on the table.
"Empress, what is this?" Qinghe asked after approaching.
Shangguan Xu was still staring, not even raising his eyelids: "He just left it here, saying it's medicine for a cold."
Although I said this, the scene just now kept appearing in my mind——
The warm sun bathes the face, the eyes are gentle and the words are soft.
His temperament and behavior were clearly nothing like hers, but why did she still feel familiar with them?
Even if it’s just for that moment…
"Tell Ah Zheng to return to the palace. Someone has taken over the affairs of the Censorate."
Shangguan Xu came back to his senses, his voice as calm as usual, all the strange thoughts just now disappeared as he said this.
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