Chapter 60 Chapter 60 "Why, you don't want to?" ...
Friend, no one except Yingluo has ever mentioned this title to Jiuzhao.
When Jiu Zhao was studying at Changye Academy in the past, his classmates could be roughly divided into two types.
One type is of very noble family background and title, with a bunch of followers serving her all year round, and they repel and despise each other; the other type is that they always remember her status as the crown prince, and they can't stop trying to please her, and they just wish they could get close to her and lick her with their tongues.
Jiu Zhao doesn't like either of these two types of people.
The farther away something is, the more disgusting it is; the closer something is, the more annoyed it is.
Only Yingluo can always grasp the sense of propriety in getting along with her.
So they have been breaking up and getting back together for more than ten thousand years, and Yingluo has always been Jiuzhao's only friend.
Now, Zhu Yan also said he wanted to be her friend.
With no other case reference, Jiu Zhao had no choice but to substitute Zhu Yan's figure into her and Ying Luo's interactions.
Being a man is a bit of a hassle as it brings many inconveniences.
But studying at the same table with Zhu Yan, copying his homework, playing with Zhu Yan after class, bringing him back to Lihentian for snacks, telling him about his troubles, asking him for advice... Jiu Zhao didn't actually dislike Zhu Yan at all, even though he had experienced all these things with Yingluo.
With the premise that he didn't hate Zhu Yan, and the fact that Zhu Yan was someone that his mortal enemy Meng Chu had been suppressing, and had repeatedly spoken out to help him, and that he had consumed a lot of his immortal power to save him when he had a high fever and was seriously ill a few days ago, Jiu Zhao's heart was a little loosened.
But it is impossible to directly say "I consider you a friend too."
It’s impossible now and it won’t be possible in the future.
There's nothing I can do, Jiu Zhao is just such a proud and arrogant person.
She rolled her eyes, watching a young eunuch who happened to be passing by on the palace road quickly walk away. Then she deliberately folded her arms and raised her head, saying with a slightly disdainful tone, "You are not qualified to be my friend. You can be a little follower serving tea and water."
It was a very expected Jiu Zhao-style statement.
It is really asking too much to expect to gain her full favor by showing weakness and opening up to her.
Zhu Yan stared at her bright face, which turned away from him. It was so bright, so radiant, as if she knew nothing of the world's pain. Infected by this emotion that dispelled all darkness, his brows and eyes, shrouded in the haze of the past, finally relaxed completely.
He responded softly again: "Thank you, Miss, for not despising me. Even if I am just a follower, I am still marrying above my station."
Jiu Zhao didn't know what was in Zhu Yan's mind, he was just satisfied with his ability to understand the current situation.
She snorted at this, then softened her tone, saying, like a big sister standing in front of a younger brother in trouble, "...Since you're a follower, you're under my protection from now on. You don't have to be afraid of Meng Chu's torture anymore."
…
They held hands and chatted for a long time in the shadow cast by the high wall. It was almost evening when they returned to Hutian Treasure House.
Jiu Zhao did not dine with the other gods. After finishing his own portion in the room, he pulled Zhu Ying to join him, and Jiang Yu to accompany him, and they started playing the chess game they had just learned in the human world - backgammon.
It’s just that Jiu Zhao is used to being straightforward and has never been good at strategizing and playing games with others.
Initially, both players were new to the game, playing each other like rookies. Soon, Zhu Ying, a master at this, became proficient and won three games in a row, which made her so angry that she kept shouting, "Look at this, look at this, Zhu Ying, this is what's so unlovable about you! I really regret not leaving you in Lihentian! If it was Xiangbi, even if she could definitely beat me, she would still let me win and let me enjoy the game!"
"Yes, yes, it was my fault. I will definitely give in next time."
Zhu Ying was still in high spirits, still not satisfied, and continued to invite, "Miss, shall we play another round?"
"Go, go, go and fight Jiangyu. You both know that winning is not based on your own strength. Why should I play with you?"
Jiu Zhao stamped his feet, stood up from the chair in the room, and kicked them out along with the chess and cards.
She walked back holding up her skirt, looked around the small room, and chose to lie down by the window and stare at the bright moon hanging high in the sky.
My thoughts wandered for a moment, but I still couldn't find peace.
Jiu Zhao thought again of the uneven sword scar on Zhu Yan's hand and his tragic childhood experiences.
The more I thought about it, the clearer the face of the young man who refused to surrender even with his head pressed into the ground became.
"oops!"
She slapped her head and uttered a low cry, attributing the inexplicable sympathy that welled up in her chest to being too full.
She turned around and found the fashionable storybook that was stuffed in the bedside drawer. She flipped through a few pages quickly, but finally couldn't resist the flood of emotions. She took out the best elixir from the storage ring, stood up and pushed open the door.
…
"Here, this is the scar-healing gel that Nanling sent as tribute. Apply it to the scar and it will heal quickly."
Standing in front of Zhu Yan, Jiu Zhao handed over the white porcelain bottle in his hand and said a few words to make up for himself, "Anyway, I have plenty of this medicine in my private storehouse. It will lose its effectiveness if left for too long. You will consume a lot of immortal energy to repair the Heavenly Stairs. Take it and don't waste it."
His eyes fixed on the bottle, and a look of surprise flashed across his face.
Zhu Yan didn't expect Jiu Zhao to care so much about a "follower".
He was about to express his emotion.
"Miss, thank you——"
Jiu Zhao waved his hand and stuffed the medicine into his collar: "Try it first. If it doesn't work, I'll find something else for you."
After she finished speaking, she showed no intention of leaving, and Zhu Yan understood and opened the white porcelain bottle in front of her.
The moment the cork of the medicine bottle was pulled out, the fresh fragrance of grass and plants quickly filled the room.
Just by looking at the bits of light green fairy spirit overflowing from the bottle mouth, Zhu Yan knew that this was a rare treasure, which should have come from the hands of the Southern God King Qiongying. It was rare in the whole of Nanling, and it would definitely not be as much as Jiu Zhao said that it could not be used up.
It would not take much medicine just to remove the calluses and scars on his hands. In order not to contaminate the remaining dew in the bottle, Zhu Yan put the medicine on the table next to him and began to look for a clean ointment in the room that could be used as a substitute.
Jiu Zhao's eyes followed his body from side to side, and he began to get impatient: "What are you doing?"
"It is ultimately unclean to pick up the elixir with your hands, so I think—"
Before he could finish his words, Zhu Yan was pulled straight up by a pair of hands that appeared out of nowhere, and he let out an unexpected low cry.
"You're so coy, who are you trying to annoy?"
Jiu Zhao glared at him sideways, held his palm with one hand, pulled out the cover of the medicine tree with the other hand, and used his little finger to pick up the dew and apply it on his palm.
First there was the coolness of the elixir, and then there was the heat higher than that of an ordinary person.
But this heat is not solidified, but flowing.
Wherever Jiu Zhao's white fingertips touched, an undeniable warmth ignited. The scar, which had long been numb like dead tree bark, suddenly became more sensitive than ever—and now it was Zhu Yan who curled his fingers in excitement.
His Adam's apple rolled up and down twice, and his long eyelashes turned into frightened butterfly wings.
Fortunately, he finally caught himself just before his breath was about to leak out.
Jiu Zhaotu was so engrossed that he didn't notice Zhu Yan's unusual behavior. He kept talking to himself, "I was lying in bed bored the other day, so I borrowed a fortune-telling book from Xunze. It says the three lines on the palm of your hand are called the Heaven Line, the Human Line, and the Earth Line, corresponding to love, wisdom, and life, respectively. Your Human Line and Earth Line are quite long, but your Heaven Line seems short in comparison."
Jiu Zhao said this, but he didn't believe it. Emotions, wisdom, and life were not based on this. Only those mediocre mortals who lacked talent, could not cultivate immortality or fall into demons, but still longed to control their fate would believe this.
She mentioned it in a light-hearted tone, just to share it with Zhu Yan as a fun thing.
Zhu Yan listened quietly, and when she mentioned "the short sky pattern representing feelings", his eyes flickered slightly.
"Look, my sky pattern is very long!"
Jiu Zhao opened his palms towards him as if offering a treasure.
Zhu Yan observed her cooperatively and offered praise, "Young lady, not only are your celestial lines long, but your human and earthly lines are also very long. It's clear at first glance that you have a perfect destiny. I just wonder what the explanation is for the many small forks in your celestial lines?"
He originally just wanted to get Jiu Zhao to say a few more words.
But after hearing the question, Jiu Zhao's expression suddenly changed after a while of deep thought.
She laughed a few times and changed the subject. "After dinner, I stayed in my room and thought carefully. It's not enough for me to just ignore you. If I want to completely resolve other people's prejudice against you, I have to start with your mother's status. Once the task of repairing the Heavenly Stairs is completed, I will return to Sanqing Heaven to reward the merits. I will inform the Father God in advance and then send a decree to the Northern Territory to reclassify your mother's status as a wandering immortal."
In the royal harem of Sanqingtian, the lowly concubines were all immortal slaves who had not yet shed their status.
Generally speaking, if a concubine is favored or gives birth to a child, she can escape from slavery, become a wandering immortal, and become a concubine with a formal status. Only the most humble and insignificant men and women who are ignored and forgotten after being played with will bear this title until their death.
They and their children are looked down upon and are the most pitiful.
Jiu Zhao's idea shows her gratitude and how much she values her friends.
Zhu Yan had never thought at first that she would condescend to apply medicine on him, and now he had never thought that enduring the humiliation and revealing her life story would have such a good effect.
For a moment, he stammered a few words and couldn't utter a complete sentence.
"Why, you don't want to?"
After not getting an answer for a long time, Jiu Zhao stopped applying the medicine and looked up at him.
Zhu Yan's lips moved a few times, half excited and half ashamed. "Yan is grateful for the young lady's kindness. I have always dreamed of freeing my mother from slavery. However, Yue Jian is still in the Divine King's Palace... If the princess sees the young lady's will, she might do something to Yue Jian."
Jiu Zhao thought about it and said, "Before issuing the decree, I will ask Zhu Ying to go and fetch your maid."
With Jiu Zhao's status and ability, it is not difficult to accomplish these.
She does what she likes, and is extremely patient and not afraid of trouble.
She thought that although the Father God had warned the monarch not to interfere in the family affairs of his subjects, the Father God also said that a new emperor has new ministers. When she became the crown prince, she should consider cultivating a group of capable and loyal confidants first.
Meng Chu doesn't get along with her, and he has the support of the entire Northern Territory. There's no guarantee that the God King won't disobey her orders in the future.
If we can dethrone Meng Chu before he succeeds to the throne and replace him with Zhu Yan, then—
The thought stopped here and Jiu Zhao did not think about it any further.
She was shocked to realize that she had gradually learned to manipulate people's hearts without knowing when.
On the other side, Zhu Yan, unaware of the ups and downs in her heart, was still looking at her with his beautiful eyes full of guilt.
He was silent for a moment, then, as if finally making up his mind, he solemnly grasped Jiu Zhao's palm. "Rather than relying on your connections to free your mother from slavery, I prefer to rely on my own abilities. If you're interested in court affairs, I'd like to volunteer to go to Lihentian and become a low-ranking staff member in Changxi Palace. I'll offer you advice and discuss matters with you from time to time."
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