Chapter 54
The air suddenly became quiet. When Xiao Huan heard the cough, he knew something was wrong. The Emperor Wu, who was always aloof, rarely felt so embarrassed. He hesitated for a moment and turned around. Sure enough, he frowned slightly and saw Xie Ling looking at him blankly.
After their eyes met, Xiao Huan waved his hand to let the Eagle Guard go down first. After the people on the ground disappeared, he coughed lightly as if nothing had happened.
"Why did you come out?"
"You're thirsty, do you want some water?"
Xie Ling: …
Your Majesty, are you trying to change the subject?
His expression was subtle for a moment, and he looked at His Majesty without blinking.
"Your Majesty, I heard everything you just said."
So, why did Emperor Wu steal such a strange invitation letter from him?
There is no scientific logic at all!
After all, this is not something important that involves the government, right?
Xie Ling didn't understand and scratched his head in confusion.
In a flash, Xiao Huan found another reason, his expression unchanged.
"Wu Shanlai didn't even make it to the provincial examination this time. I'm just worried that you're not doing your job properly by following him."
That's why someone stole, no, took away the invitation letter.
"So, where's the envelope?"
Xie Ling had a strange expression.
Wu Shanlai is a playboy, but Zhang Jingzong, the son of Duke Ningguo, is not. He is a top student who ranked first in the provincial examination.
Xiao Huan stared at Xie Ling for a long time and snorted coldly.
"Isn't it enough for me to help you solve your problems?"
What?
Xie Ling thought for a moment that he had misheard. He tried to translate His Majesty's words for a long time before muttering to the system in his mind.
"So, Your Majesty is jealous?"
The moment the word "jealous" came out, Xiao Huan saw Jin Guang's eyelids twitching. The next moment, he saw the light flashing above Xie Ling's head.
"I didn't expect that Your Majesty has such a strong desire to win. He wants to win first place even in something like this."
When Xie Ling thought about the secret comparison between His Majesty and Zhang Jing, his expression became a little weird.
Xiao Huan's heart tightened for a moment, but when he saw Xie Ling attribute his reaction to victory or defeat, desire, he paused.
It's fine if he thinks so. It's better than thinking that I'm jealous or something like that.
How could I do such a thing? It's ridiculous.
I'm just... doing this for his own good.
Yes, that's it.
After a long silence, Xie Ling finally reacted when he saw His Majesty's eyes suddenly turned towards him:
"Oh, of course it's enough to have your majesty tutoring my studies."
"Isn't this because I'm afraid of disturbing Your Majesty?" He blinked gently: "Since Your Majesty said so, I won't be polite in the future."
The matter was solved, and the mystery in Xie Ling's heart was finally solved. At this time, he yawned and turned around:
"Then your majesty, I will go back to sleep first."
Xiao Huan: ...
"Go ahead."
Only after watching the people leave did Xiao Huan's throat boil and he turned around to take the cold water.
For some reason, he should have been relieved when Xie Ling didn't think he was jealous, but now he felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
…
Xie Ling found that the emperor's expression had been a little strange since he was caught by him last night. He hadn't said anything, just questioned him, but the emperor's expression had been indifferent during the day, as if he was in a bad mood.
Xie Ling took a peek while reviewing his lessons.
"A man's heart is like a needle in the sea."
"I don't know what happened to His Majesty Emperor Wu."
system:……
"Who knows?"
Everyone muttered a few words to each other, and then they heard the voice of Eunuch Wang outside.
"Your Majesty, the Taichang Temple has brought the rules for sacrificing to the late emperor."
Oh, Xie Ling now remembered that the late emperor’s death anniversary is coming soon, probably in these few days. No wonder His Majesty is in such a bad mood.
Thinking he had found a reason, Xie Ling felt relieved.
But, has he forgotten something?
After hesitating for a while, he suddenly remembered.
That’s not right. Something is going to happen on the anniversary of the late emperor’s death!
He remembered that Prince Cheng seemed to have been poisoned that day. How could he almost forget such an important thing? He was still writing a novel two days ago.
Suddenly remembering the key point in his mind, Xie Ling looked at His Majesty hesitantly, not knowing how to remind His Majesty.
Xiao Huan gestured to put the memorial from the Taichang Temple on the table, flipped it open and looked at it for a while, his expression unchanged.
"Let's just follow the rules of previous years."
"No need to make a big fuss about it, just hold it in the Imperial Ancestral Temple."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Wang Bao nodded and conveyed Your Majesty's intention to the Taizhu of Taichang Temple.
The Taichang Temple was not surprised either. After all, it has been like this since His Majesty ascended the throne, and they had already started preparing according to the previous procedures.
In the capital, people on King Zhou's side received the news and looked at each other.
"The Taichang Temple has already started preparations, and we in the Dali Temple should also be ready to take action."
His expression relaxed.
Originally, when Prince Zhou and his men were preparing to assassinate Prince Cheng, they had planned to create a mystery on the anniversary of the late emperor's death. However, it was difficult to place people in the Taichang Temple, and doing too much would easily lead to being discovered. So they could only endure it temporarily and wait patiently for the opportunity.
However, when King Zhou looked around, he was a little surprised when he did not see Prince Shun.
"Why didn't Prince Shun come?"
He frowned slightly, a little confused.
The imperial clan member next to him said, "I heard that Prince Shun was ill a few days ago. He should be recuperating during this period."
When King Zhou heard this, he knew what was going on.
"Ill?"
"I'm afraid it's because of the reprimand from the current emperor the other day. After all, they are uncle and nephew, but he was so merciless. It shows that His Majesty is mean and ungrateful."
King Zhou sneered, and his face darkened as he thought of how Xiao Huan had mercilessly dealt with his eldest son who was away on business. He had endured it that day, but now he finally didn't have to endure it anymore.
After waiting for so many years, he finally caught the emperor with something to hold against him.
"Want to send troops to the Xiongnu"... With so many clans united, he didn't believe he could accomplish it. And after asking the Queen Mother back, there was still much to watch.
As they talked, they didn't care about Prince Shun's absence. After all, in everyone's eyes, Prince Shun was already on the same page with them, so nothing could happen to him.
…
The approval from the Taichang Temple was sent back, as if something had been settled. There was an undercurrent in the capital, and Xie Ling felt a little uneasy.
Well, he had a secret in his heart, which made it difficult for him to concentrate on reading. After Emperor Wu finished reviewing the memorial, he paused, mustered up the courage to raise his head.
"Your Majesty, are you busy today?"
After thinking for a long time, Xie Ling didn't know how to tell Emperor Wu that Prince Cheng might be assassinated. After all, this would happen in the future, and how could he know about it.
And even if he said he guessed it, it was impossible for him, a lazy guy who stayed in the palace and his teacher's house all day, to know so much.
So Xie Ling's mind turned over and over, and the only thing he could think of at this time was: see if he could take His Majesty to the Dali Temple today and let His Majesty see for himself.
Xiao Huan raised his head and narrowed his eyes when he saw him hesitating.
"What's wrong?"
He still felt a little uncomfortable, so his expression became a little dull.
Xie Ling blinked: "By the way, Your Majesty, are you in a bad mood today?"
"How about we go out and relax?"
After hearing this, Wang Bao raised his head. He didn't expect that Master Xie would be so enlightened today and take the initiative to invite His Majesty to relax?
Xiao Huan was also a little surprised and stared at him for a while: "Where are you going to relax?"
Isn't this an opportunity?
His eyes lit up. Just when Wang Bao thought that Master Xie was going to say something like going to enjoy the autumn when autumn is about to end, or strolling around the streets of the capital, he heard Master Xie's righteous words the next moment.
"Your Majesty, let's go to the Dali Temple."
"Actually, I've never been to the Dali Temple. I'm a little curious."
Wang Bao: Cough.
Wang Bao was glad that he didn't drink the water, otherwise he would have choked. He looked at Master Xie in shock, completely dumbfounded. No, is Dali Temple a place worth relaxing?
All the people imprisoned in this place are serious criminals!
Xie Ling was embarrassed after he said this, and he felt that what he said was a bit outrageous, but he really couldn't think of any other reasons. After all, it was really difficult for a normal person to enter the Dali Temple.
When their eyes met, Xiao Huan finally understood - this guy wanted to remind him to go to the Dali Temple.
By the way, Xie Ling doesn’t know that I have read his novel, so he is worried about me here.
His heart paused slightly, and the strange displeasure he had felt before dissipated a little. After all, this guy knew that his words were suspicious, but he still reminded me.
It can be seen that other concerns in his heart are not as great as mine. As for the jealousy...Xie Ling probably doesn't dare to think about it. Xiao Huan felt that he had found a reason. Seeing Xie Ling scratching his head and looking at him, he curled the corners of his lips and withdrew his gaze lightly.
"Okay, then let's go to the Dali Temple in the evening."
The Dali Temple had been thoroughly searched by the Eagle Guards at this time, and those who had ulterior motives had been dealt with. However, the few people who were deliberately left behind by King Zhou were still unaware of the situation, and even if they went there at night, King Zhou would not get any news.
He thought about it and said nothing more, but just said:
"Review your lessons first. I will take care of things."
Huh?
Done?
Xie Ling had not expected that His Majesty would agree so easily, but since he had already reminded His Majesty, Xie Ling felt relieved and thought about taking a closer look after going to the Dali Temple in the evening. He was also conflicted at this time.
Wang Bao was feeling very complicated. He didn't expect that the emperor would agree to Mr. Xie's outrageous request. Going to the Dali Temple to relax was such a fresh idea.
He swallowed his confusion in a daze and pretended to be normal, but he was wondering in his heart whether he could no longer keep up with the current officialdom?
Xie Ling had just finished writing something in the afternoon and closed the book. When he looked up, he saw Eunuch Wang's complicated expression and felt a little strange.
"What's wrong, Eunuch Wang?"
Wang Bao shook his head: "Nothing, thank you, Master."
He came back to his senses and said with a smile: "The carriage is ready, Your Majesty and Master Xie can get in."
Xie Ling nodded and looked up quietly. Xiao Huan glanced at him and said, "Let's go."
…
On the way to the Dali Temple, Xie Ling was on high alert for fear of missing anything. After all, the history books only recorded this incident, and it was not clear how and by whom the murder was committed.
Therefore, when Xie Ling visited the Dali Temple, he was fully prepared to solve a case. But when he arrived, he found that... it was completely different from what he thought!
Xie Ling was stunned. When he saw His Majesty skillfully lead him to another secret room, Xie Ling hesitated for a moment and asked cautiously.
"Your Majesty, who is imprisoned here?"
Xiao Huan raised his eyebrows: "Cheng Jun Wang."
He paused for a moment, pretending to say casually, "A few days ago, the Eagle Guard accidentally discovered that someone in the Dali Temple had ill intentions, so they reported it to me and transferred the person here."
So that's how it is.
Xie Ling breathed a sigh of relief. He thought His Majesty knew about it in advance. Hahaha, he was scared to death.
The emperor was frightened to death when he found out that he had predicted the future.
Knowing that the emperor can predict the future, I am even more scared!
Xie Ling looked around, and after letting go of his initial nervousness, he became a little curious. After all, this was his first time meeting Prince Cheng, and he had even written about him in several chapters in the novel.
When Prince Cheng was first transferred, he was cursing, but when he was told that he would face a fatal disaster in the next few days, he instantly became quiet.
He is not completely stupid. According to the temperament of the current emperor, it is impossible for him to suddenly think of taking action after being imprisoned for so many years. So it is worth thinking about who wants to kill him.
Xiao Xun was horrified by this thought, and this time he found a new target for his curse.
So much so that when Xie Ling and His Majesty came over, this man actually behaved himself, which was unusual.
Xiao Huan sneered: "It seems that you are still afraid of death."
Xiao Xun in the cell opposite heard this and was furious, but his life was in the hands of the other party, so he didn't dare to be tough. Instead, he looked over when Xie Ling nodded.
The emperor said that he could not refute, who is this person, and how dare he laugh at the king?
Xiao Xun's face looked grim. Just as he was about to speak, he heard the emperor opposite him say.
"Shut up, or I'll take you back."
Anyway, everything has been arranged in advance. It doesn’t matter whether Prince Cheng is alive or dead. What matters is that people can see in public who did it.
Xiao Huan didn't care at all about the life or death of this so-called younger brother.
Threatened by this sentence, Xiao Xun could only shut up.
Xie Ling felt a little sorry. He had heard that Prince Cheng cursed all day long, and he thought he would curse like in the novel. But it was true. In the novel, "he" was a prisoner who was escorted in, but now he came with Emperor Wu. It would be strange if Prince Cheng dared to be presumptuous.
There's some truth to the fact that this guy has managed to survive this long.
There was a flash of golden light above his head, but Xiao Huan glanced past it inadvertently.
"Aren't you going to visit the Dali Temple?"
"How was the tour?"
Prince Cheng is still in the Dali Temple, but in another place in the temple, and is even only separated by a mezzanine from where he was previously imprisoned.
You can see with your own eyes how King Zhou and others take action.
Xie Ling looked around: "Is it okay?" In short, it was a little different from the ancient prison he had imagined.
"Your Majesty, what about the jailers with ill intentions who were discovered earlier?" He suddenly remembered.
Xiao Huan glanced at him indifferently.
"Keep it."
Just one sentence and Xie Ling understood.
It's a sting operation, hehe, he likes it. Just imagine the faces of those people at that time.
The two people were talking as if they were alone, and the Prince Cheng, who was being discussed, could not stand it. After all, no one could stand being told in front of someone that someone was trying to poison him, especially Xiao Xun who cherished his life.
Xiao Xun couldn't curse, nor did he dare to curse, so he took advantage of the fact that his mouth was not blocked and said, "Doesn't the emperor hate favorite ministers the most?"
"Why do you have a beautiful young man with you today?"
His tone was sarcastic, and Xiao Huan's expression gradually darkened.
The atmosphere suddenly became a little weird.
Xie Ling looked at Emperor Wu in fear. He was actually completely immune to these words. After all, he had seen all kinds of unpleasant words when surfing the Internet before traveling through time. The words of Prince Cheng could not affect him at all.
Xie Ling was about to say something but stopped himself when he saw His Majesty sneer.
"Someone come."
"There's no need to put out any more food for the lower classes these days."
His face was grim.
Xiao Xun had never seen Xiao Huan like this before. When they were fighting for the throne, Xiao Huan's expression never changed. But just because he talked about a young man he brought with him, he became like this?
The people around him were already kneeling on the ground. Even Prince Cheng in prison was forced to kneel down, knocking his head on the ground in humiliation.
Seeing that the atmosphere was not good, Xie Ling couldn't help but reach out and pull His Majesty. To be honest, His Majesty's aura was really scary at this time, and he almost mustered all his courage when he reached out his hand.
"Your Majesty, there is no need to get angry at what that kind of person says."
“I didn’t really take it to heart.”
Really, he treated the words of Prince Cheng opposite him as if they were a fly buzzing past his ears.
Xiao Huan closed his eyes. He knew that he had just scared Xie Ling, but he just couldn't bear to see anyone talking about Xie Ling like that.
Favorite?
When Xiao Huan thought of the favored ministers who fawned on the late emperor, his face turned ugly. Are those dirty guys worthy of being compared with Xie Ling?
Xiao Huan didn't know what position Xie Ling held in his heart, but he would never allow anyone to slander Xie Ling like this.
The anger in his heart surged up almost instantly. The calmer Xiao Huan tried to be, the angrier he became. At this moment, he looked at Prince Cheng as if he was a dead man.
After a long time, he finally controlled himself and came to his senses when Xie Ling pulled his sleeve:
"I'm fine."
Xie Ling: …
Is this okay?
But looking at His Majesty's expression, he didn't dare to say anything.
Alas, it's that Prince Cheng's fault for being so mean and trying to offend Your Majesty.
Xie Ling was too lazy to look at this person, but was a little worried about Emperor Wu.
When His Majesty came out, his face looked not good. He coughed lightly, hesitating about what to say, and then he saw His Majesty open his eyes.
"I wasn't angry with you just now."
Xiao Huan explained in a deep voice.
Xie Ling immediately shook his head, wondering why His Majesty would think this way.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I know. Your Majesty was just venting his anger on my behalf."
If I were to vent my anger on him, he wouldn't behave like this.
He didn't dare to say anything at first. In fact, it was just because of the atmosphere just now. When the emperor was angry, the eagle guards and jailers around him all knelt down. It was a bit scary at the time.
However, Xie Ling was not an ungrateful person. Although he himself did not care about the matter, he was naturally grateful that His Majesty stood up for him.
The person opposite him had soft eyes at this time and poured him a cup of hot tea.
"Don't be angry, Your Majesty."
"Have some hot tea?"
The eagle guards outside listened to Master Xie as if he was coaxing His Majesty, and they were simply impressed. No wonder His Majesty valued him so much that he dared to advise His Majesty at such a time.
It has to be Mr. Xie.
Sure enough, after a while the cold and stagnant atmosphere in the carriage dissipated a little. Xiao Huan took the hot tea and the anger in his heart slowly subsided.
"The favorite minister of the previous emperor did not have a good reputation."
He was notorious in history books, and it would probably not be good in the future. He did not want Xie Ling to become a favorite from the beginning, so he let him study with Zheng Wanyun and let him take the imperial examination step by step, just to avoid controversy.
Perhaps instinctively Xiao Huan could not accept that someone would look at Xie Ling in this way.
He struggled for a long time in his heart, but the reaction on Xie Ling's head was completely different from what he thought. Xiao Huan thought that this guy admired him, so he should be cautious when he mentioned the favorite minister of the previous emperor.
Who knew that when he looked up, he found that Xie Ling had already started gossiping above his head.
"Tongzi, who was the favorite minister during the previous emperor's time?"
“There seem to be several?”
Xiao Huan: ...
He was silent for a while, staring at the words above Xie Ling's head, but suddenly smiled.
Never mind. That's fine.
It's better for this guy to be heartless than to be burdened by his reputation. I was worrying too much.
His expression calmed down a bit as he watched Xie Ling gossiping to himself in his head.
…
Xie Ling really didn't expect that the late emperor was so extravagant, with three palaces and six courtyards, and even several male favorites, each of them very famous.
No wonder His Majesty reacted so strongly when he mentioned it.
He muttered to the system for a long time. He was almost full from eating so much melon. He couldn't help but shook his head and summarized it.
"The previous emperor's harem was simply a top-level palace fight. Not only the concubines fought, but also the male favorites."
"It was not easy for Your Majesty to grow up safely and develop into the character he has now."
Compared with the previous emperor, Your Majesty, who has abstained from sex to the point of having no descendants, is simply fresh and unworldly.
Xie Ling's eyes instantly became more loving when he looked at His Majesty. Although it was only for a moment and then he immediately retracted his gaze, Xiao Huan still noticed it.
Xiao Huan: ...I was worried that he wouldn't be able to accept the mess that the late emperor did, but why is it that this guy feels sorry for me instead?
He pressed his brows and asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Nothing." Xie Ling shook his head.
"I just think it's not easy for Your Majesty either."
He paused, then became curious again: "So, Your Majesty really hates gays?"
The air seemed to be quiet for a moment. Xiao Huan didn't expect him to ask this suddenly. He subconsciously tightened his grip on the cup and frowned slightly.
"Why do you ask that?"
Just as Xie Ling was about to say something, the carriage suddenly jolted and stopped.
The Eagle Guard outside whispered, "Your Majesty, we're here."
Xiao Huan breathed a sigh of relief: "Get out of the car."
"Oh, it's your majesty."
Xie Ling came back to his senses and forgot about the question the moment he got off the bus.
It was not until Xie Ling was resting at night that he remembered what he had forgotten.
Wait, His Majesty hasn't answered him yet!
system:……
The host hasn't forgotten yet?
Not only did Xie Ling not forget it, Xiao Huan himself did not forget it either. At night, he stared at the pages of the book, but his mind was always thinking about the question Xie Ling asked before he got off the carriage.
Hate the cut sleeves...
If someone had asked him this before, Xiao Huan would never have hesitated. However, at this moment, he was a little unsure of the answer, because at the moment when Xie Ling asked him, there was only the other person's face in front of him.
That beautiful and lovely face appeared before my eyes, and I couldn't say the word "naturally".
After being distracted for a moment, Xiao Huan came back to his senses: "Is Xie Ling asleep?"
Wang Bao bowed his head slightly and said, "Your Majesty, Master Xie has just finished washing up and is resting."
Xiao Huan: "Were you not affected by what happened today?"
Wang Bao took a careful look and said, "There shouldn't be any."
Xiao Huan's brows relaxed slightly and he suppressed those messy thoughts, but he felt a little upset when he lay on the couch after taking a bath at night.
He couldn't rest well when Xie Ling was around, and seemed to have even more difficulty falling asleep when he was not around.
He closed his eyes slightly, thinking about whether Xie Ling would think too much since he didn't give an answer in the carriage. At the same time, he thought that the guy was asleep now and wouldn't think too much.
In his mind, Xie Ling's gaze towards him flashed by for a moment. After thinking about it for an unknown period of time, Xiao Huan slowly fell asleep.
Tormented by the dream, he didn't realize something was wrong with his body until he woke up the next morning. Xiao Huan closed his eyes and paused:
"Wang Bao."
"Your Majesty, it is not time to go to court yet."
Wang Bao glanced at the sky and was still wondering why His Majesty had woken up so early, when he heard His Majesty's voice.
"Prepare water. I want to take a bath."
Wang Bao responded in a low voice.
Xiao Huan had a complicated expression. He had dreamed of Xie Ling again last night.
Once was like this, twice was still like this...
Xiao Huan, who had never had such a dream before meeting Xie Ling, frowned, thinking that perhaps he had too much free time in the past few days, which was why he was thinking so much.
But when he was distracted for the umpteenth time today, he remembered the dream he had last night.
In the dream, Xie Ling approached him in the carriage and asked him again: "Your Majesty, do you really hate gays?"
And how did I answer?
Xiao Huan held the teacup and took a sip of water, then he saw Xie Ling sitting opposite him, looking down at his homework.
That guy was serious, and at this moment, he pursed his lips tightly as if he had encountered some huge problem. He looked over unconsciously, and when Xie Ling asked him about his homework, his eyes fell on the book.
"Your Majesty, what does this mean?"
Xie Ling didn't quite understand a part of the book he had just read. Then he remembered that His Majesty had said that he could ask him questions in the future, so he simply took the book.
The faint scent of magnolia flashed by, and the young man in front of him looked at him with a slightly frown while speaking.
Xiao Huan took a deep breath and told himself to concentrate, then explained the meaning of this sentence to Xie Ling again. However, he inexplicably thought of Xie Ling last night.
When Xie Ling was speaking, he was in a trance for some unknown reason.
“I see.”
Xie Ling understood it in his mind and understood a little.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." The dimples on his lips flickered.
"By the way, Your Majesty, you need some tea..." Xie Ling thought that he had just asked His Majesty for advice, so he had to show some appreciation through action. Now that he had stood up, he might as well ask His Majesty if he wanted some tea. Pouring His Majesty a cup of tea would be a small token of his gratitude.
But before he could say anything, he heard His Majesty say subconsciously: - "No disgust."
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