benefactor
Before Zhao Fanghua could recover from the shock of the masked man who dropped from the sky to save her from the sea of fire, she saw the man put his arms around her waist and lightly jump onto the second floor of the Qilin Pavilion on tiptoe.
The wind was whistling in his ears, and the ground suddenly moved away. In panic, Zhao Fanghua hugged the masked man's neck tightly with both hands. The masked man's body stiffened for a moment, but soon, the increasingly fierce fire forced the two to leave this dangerous place immediately.
Zhao Qinglan broke open the door of the second-floor room with one hand, hugged Zhao Fanghua and jumped up from the second floor of Qilin Pavilion.
Ahhhhh, I can fly!
Zhao Fanghua's heartbeat was about to burst through her chest, and her blood was boiling in her veins. She felt like a bird flapping its wings, lightly flying over the eaves.
Zhao Qinglan carried Zhao Fanghua over several rooftops until the flames of Qilin Pavilion were far behind them, and then Zhao Qinglan landed gracefully.
Zhao Fanghua in his arms had already been fascinated by the masked man in front of him.
I have to say that being handsome is indeed a feeling. Even though Zhao Fanghua has not seen the true face of the masked man, it does not prevent her from labeling him as a handsome guy in her mind.
She looked at the masked man with some obsession.
The man wore a half-silver mask, which completely covered the upper half of his face, revealing only two cold eyes. The uncovered lower half of his face was as white as jade, with a sharp jawline and thin, bright red lips slightly pursed, looking incredibly delicious and kissable.
The man was as tall as the exotic beauties performing at the Qilin Pavilion, with a firm and broad chest and a narrow waist outlined by a belt, a perfect inverted triangle figure.
Zhao Fanghua swallowed and for a moment didn't want to let go of the masked man.
Zhao Qinglan frowned slightly and loosened his arms around Zhao Fanghua's waist. Zhao Fanghua's bare arm, where he had cut off the sleeve, was pressed tightly against his neck. He tilted his neck to remind Zhao Fanghua to let go, but Zhao Fanghua seemed unaware and held him even tighter with her two slender hands.
Zhao Qinglan coughed twice and reminded again.
Zhao Fanghua still didn't realize Zhao Qinglan's intention and just looked at him with sparkling eyes.
Zhao Qinglan closed her eyes, and finally couldn't help but push Zhao Fanghua. Zhao Fanghua had to let go of her arms around Zhao Qinglan, and then she woke up from her dream.
She stood up straight, touched her nose sheepishly, and chuckled, "Sorry, sorry, my benefactor, you are so handsome that I was stunned for a moment."
Zhao Qinglan was surprised for a moment. Could it be that Zhao Fanghua recognized him? But after thinking about it carefully, he felt that it was not right. If she really recognized him, she would not call him benefactor.
Thinking of this, Zhao Qinglan felt a little angry. She had never seen her true appearance, so where did such an evaluation come from? The big liar was cheating people out there again.
Zhao Qinglan turned around to leave, but Zhao Fanghua grabbed her sleeve.
Zhao Fanghua naturally didn't know what Zhao Qinglan was thinking, but she just didn't want to let go of the handsome man she had gotten.
Since he saved me, I should repay him out of both emotion and reason. As the novel says, a life-saving grace should be repaid with one's body.
Although Zhao Fanghua has not seen the true face of the masked man, but looking at his physique and muscles, he should be in good shape. As long as his functions are not affected, even if he looks really ugly, um... then let him continue to wear the mask and pretend not to see it.
Zhao Fanghua has already made up his mind, you are the number one lover!
"Um...that...my benefactor, please stay." Zhao Fanghua had never flirted with a man before, and for a moment she forgot what she should say.
Zhao Qinglan turned around and looked at her in confusion. What else did she want to do?
Zhao Fanghua cleared his throat and secretly encouraged himself: "Since you are in Qilin Pavilion, are you also looking for a good job? To tell you the truth, I come from an extraordinary family. If you have any ideas..."
Zhao Fanghua felt a little guilty at this point, but he still stiffened his neck and said, "I can actually say a few good words for you in front of the Emperor and get you an official position."
Zhao Qinglan quietly watched her trying to beg for a reward on his behalf. It was quite amusing to think about it. But then he thought back to when they first met, she had also acted like the eldest princess, saying she would make the decision for him. So, she really was a playboy, flirting with everyone.
After Zhao Fanghua finished speaking, she saw that the masked man didn't move or react at all, and she became anxious: "Hey, why don't you say anything? Can you give me a definite answer?"
Zhao Qinglan remained silent, watching Zhao Fanghua's expression change faster than turning the pages of a book. The moment before, she was acting like a timid little girl, but now she immediately turned back into her noisy self.
Zhao Fanghua's heart skipped a beat, and he frowned slightly: "Hiss - you are not mute..."
Zhao Fanghua looked at the masked man, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt that this was the case. She felt a little sorry for a moment. How could such a good person become mute? However, she changed her mind and thought that being mute also has its advantages. At least he would not say unpleasant words to anger her.
Zhao Fanghua changed the subject: "However, even if you are mute, it doesn't matter. You are a martial arts expert, and my mansion happens to be short of a guard like that. If you are willing..."
Zhao Fanghua lightly touched Zhao Qinglan's belt with her fingers, her knuckles slightly bent, and she moved her fingers up from above the belt, inch by inch, until her palms rested on her chest...
"Will you come into my house and be my personal bodyguard?"
Zhao Qinglan suddenly took a big step back. Was Zhao Fanghua teasing him? Did Zhao Fanghua just want him to be her lover?!
Zhao Qinglan's face flushed instantly. She was so brave!
How dare she!
How dare she!
There seemed to be some warmth left by Zhao Fanghua on his chest, and even the place on his neck where she had touched began to feel hot. Zhao Qinglan listened to his own heartbeat like a drum, and his fingers trembled slightly.
He stared intently at Zhao Fanghua's seemingly innocent almond-shaped eyes. She had just been infatuated with the handsome man in Qilin Hall, and had been quarreling with Shen Xiujin a few days ago, but now she was like this...
Like this...
A fickle liar!
She just casually let a strange man go home with her on the street.
She never thought about what to do if the person on the other side was a bad guy?
What if the other party has ulterior motives?
Zhao Qinglan looked at her with red eyes, but suddenly an unspeakable grievance arose in his heart. She could flirt with anyone, help strangers in the palace, and invite strangers she had never met back home.
But only to myself...
When he was dealing with himself as Zhao Qinglan, there was only flattery in his eyes, and he even slipped away immediately after achieving his goal.
Could it be that in her heart, I am no match for these savages who appeared out of nowhere?
Zhao Fanghua stared at Zhao Qinglan blankly and blinked in disbelief. Why did she feel that the person on the other side seemed a little aggrieved? Was it her illusion?
Zhao Fanghua began to reflect on whether he had said anything particularly bullying. Could it be that he had called the other person mute? This really hit a nerve.
Zhao Fanghua scratched his head, thinking about how to comfort the other person, but he saw the other person turn around and jump, and disappeared from his sight in an instant.
"Wow!" Zhao Fanghua opened his mouth wide. This is too amazing!
If I see him again next time, I will hold him tightly and never let him slip away! Zhao Fanghua swore secretly in her heart.
Shuyu has recently noticed that there seems to be something wrong with her prince.
I've been feeling a bit depressed ever since I came back from Qilin Pavilion last time.
As the most important maidservant beside His Highness, Shuyu felt that she had to find a way to make His Highness smile again.
Zhao Fanghua was lying on a Luohan bed covered with a cool mat in cool clothes. Her upper body was covered with a half-sleeve shirt except for her waist. Her lower body was a long gauze skirt, but it had been lifted up to her thighs.
Two little maids were fanning her, and an ice jar was placed in front of the bed. Even so, Zhao Fanghua still felt hot and uneasy. Even the cicadas outside were chirping, which was annoying.
I miss the days when we had air conditioning. Even if there was no air conditioning, a fan would be fine. Zhao Fanghua drooped his head dejectedly, and his mind began to wander uncontrollably. If he had worked harder when he was in college, maybe he could have made a simple version of air conditioning after coming here. But that wouldn't work either, because he still needed electricity. Where did the electricity come from?
Zhao Fanghua passed the time with these random thoughts.
Peihuan handed her a bowl of mung bean soup. Only mung beans could relieve the heat in this hot summer. However, when she was stirring the mung beans, she always felt like she had forgotten something.
No matter what, Zhao Fanghua finished the whole bowl of mung beans in one breath. Anything that she could forget was not important.
Zhao Fanghua also fanned herself, it was still too hot.
Seeing this, Shuyu took the fan from the hand of a little maid beside her and gently fanned Zhao Fanghua, saying, "This servant estimates that it is almost time to go to Penglai Villa to escape the summer heat. Perhaps when she goes to the palace to pay her respects today, the Empress Dowager will mention this matter."
"Seriously!" Zhao Fanghua straightened up upon hearing this, looking at Shuyu with shining eyes, "Then what are you waiting for? Hurry and pack up and go to the palace!"
This was the first time Zhao Fanghua was so looking forward to entering the palace.
After Zhao Fanghua broke off her engagement with Shen Xiujing, she didn't even dare to go to the palace to pay her respects to the empress dowager for a while, for she was afraid that the empress dowager would catch her and make her copy some female training and precepts or arrange for the maid to give her a lecture. However, to her surprise, the empress dowager, who had previously always been a "women obey their husbands after marriage" person, only responded lightly to indicate that she knew after learning that Zhao Fanghua and Shen Xiujing had broken off their engagement.
Nothing else.
But it’s better this way. At least Zhao Fanghua doesn’t have to worry about the Queen Mother finding trouble for him.
Perhaps Zhao Fanghua was too eager to enter the palace this time, and she walked quickly on the long street with her skirt lifted up. At a T-shaped corner of the palace road, she was so focused on her thoughts that she didn't notice the footsteps coming from the side. It was too late for her to stop, and with a "bang", she fell into an embrace filled with ambergris.
"Ouch!" Zhao Fanghua covered his head with his hands and looked up to curse, "Didn't the person walk with his eyes open?", but he bumped into a pair of cold pupils.
The man stood with his hands behind his back, his bright yellow dragon robe gleaming brightly in the sunlight. His face was as calm as water, yet between his brows there was an air of majesty that was not even angry.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I greet you!" Zhao Fanghua immediately lowered his head and pretended to be a grandson, bowing his head in a panic.
But after just a few days of not seeing each other, how come Zhao Qinglan was so different from what she remembered? He was no longer the young man who looked at her with a smile.
Zhao Qinglan glanced at the master and servant indifferently. Seeing that both of them were empty-handed, he felt inexplicably lost, and an indescribable emotion filled his heart.
Zhao Qinglan looked coldly at Zhao Fanghua, who was like a turtle hiding in his shell, and thought to himself, are you so afraid of me?
With a cold snort, he turned and left.
Hearing the footsteps fading away, Zhao Fanghua tentatively raised his head, and only breathed a sigh of relief when the person had completely walked away.
only……
Zhao Fanghua looked at Zhao Qinglan's back and felt so familiar.
Zhao Fanghua slapped his head. He had been going to the Yangxin Palace every day recently. How could he not be familiar with it?
Zhao Fanghua still knelt and saluted. She asked doubtfully, "Shuyu, did you hear the emperor ask us to stand up just now?"
Shuyu was stunned and thought for a moment: "It seems... not?"
"So...should we continue to stay here as we are, or should we follow?"
…
…
The master and servant looked at each other and stood up straight at the same time.
Zhao Fanghua shook his sleeves and held his head high. She was his biological sister. Could he really eat her for such a small matter? Humph.
After saying that, he followed with a swagger and shaking his sleeves.
Shuyu hurriedly caught up with him: "Your Highness! This is the palace, be careful of the impact, be careful of the impact!"
When Zhao Fanghua entered Shoukang Palace, Zhao Qinglan was already sitting with the empress dowager on the Luohan bed in front of the window. There was also an ice mirror in front of the bed, and a palace maid was gently fanning them.
When the Queen Mother saw Zhao Fanghua, a loving smile appeared on her face: "Oh, it's Fanghua who's here. What a coincidence that you two, sister and brother, are here to visit me at the same time."
Zhao Fanghua saluted the empress dowager stiffly, raised her eyes and quickly glanced at the expressionless Zhao Qinglan, then immediately lowered her head and sat timidly on the embroidered stool brought by the palace maid, and continued to act like a quail with her head down.
Zhao Fanghua has always been like this in front of the Queen Mother. In addition to being afraid that her true identity would be seen through by the Queen Mother who raised her since childhood, she also felt deep in her heart that the Queen Mother was not as simple as she seemed. Coupled with the fact that she had been punished by the Queen Mother before, all signs showed that it was better for her to keep a low profile in front of these two people.
The Queen Mother first chatted with Zhao Qinglan about some recent trivial matters, and finally said, "This summer seems to be hotter than in previous years."
Zhao Qinglan nodded. "I feel the same way, so today, besides paying my respects to Queen Mother, I'd also like to invite her to Penglai Villa to escape the summer heat."
Zhao Fanghua's eyes suddenly lit up. Great! She finally heard the news! It was worth her trip to the palace. Even if she encountered some unpleasant incidents along the way, it was no big deal.
Zhao Fanghua's little movements naturally did not escape Zhao Qinglan's eyes. Zhao Qinglan was sitting in a higher position, and he could see all of Zhao Fanghua's movements and expressions. A barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of Zhao Qinglan's mouth. It was just a trip to escape the summer heat, why was he so happy?
"Good, good, good." The Queen Mother said three good words in a row, "The Emperor is thoughtful."
Zhao Qinglan said, "In that case, I'll go back and have people prepare. The weather is getting hotter, so it's best to set off as soon as possible."
"Okay, okay." The Queen Mother nodded. "Everything depends on the Emperor's arrangements. But..."
The Queen Mother changed the subject and said with a smile, "In previous years, it was only the three of us going to Penglai Villa, and it was still not very lively. This year, I thought of asking Linlang to come along so that she can keep me company. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Linlang? The face of a mature noble lady appeared in Zhao Fanghua's mind. The empress dowager really liked the young generation and even took her with her during the summer vacation.
But what does it mean that there were only three people in previous years? Wouldn't Zhao Qinglan bring his harem?
Thinking of this, Zhao Fanghua couldn't help but look up at Zhao Qinglan secretly, but unfortunately, he was caught red-handed by Zhao Qinglan.
The moment their eyes met, Zhao Fanghua's heart skipped a beat and he immediately lowered his head and continued to play dumb.
Zhao Qinglan looked at Zhao Fanghua and nodded with a slight smile, "Everything will be subject to the Queen Mother's arrangements."
Neither of them seemed to notice that their little action was seen by the Queen Mother.
The Queen Mother waved her hand and said, "I'm tired. You guys go first. Alas... I'm old and useless..."
Zhao Fanghua and Zhao Qinglan quickly stood up and took their leave.
Watching the two men exit the gate of Shoukang Palace one after the other, the Queen Mother turned around and slapped the maid beside her with such force that she fell to the ground. The maid quickly got up and knelt on the ground in panic. The Queen Mother stared at the maid viciously and kicked her again and again: "Traitor! All of you are traitors!"
Zhao Fanghua left Shoukang Palace and saw no trace of Zhao Qinglan. She had no idea where he had suddenly gone. She felt relieved, but the thought of walking with Zhao Qinglan for a while made her shake her head.
The two walked a long way out of Shoukang Palace and saw that there was no one around. Zhao Fanghua moved closer to Shuyu and started whispering in her ear.
"Shuyu, I was just at the Queen Mother's place. She said that in previous years, only the three of us went to Penglai Villa for the summer vacation. Why didn't you bring Zhao Qinglan's concubines with you?"
Shuyu was a little surprised, but remembering that her master had lost his memory after all, she explained, "The Emperor hasn't chosen the concubines yet."
Zhao Fanghua was stunned: "Then he doesn't have any palace maids following him all the time?"
Shuyu's face flushed, and she quickly looked around. Seeing that no one was around, she whispered, "No. The Emperor ascended the throne at the age of ten, and he has a heavy workload and is busy with court affairs..."
Zhao Fanghua, however, didn't quite believe Shuyu's words. Wasn't it said that in ancient times, men would have maids sent to them by their elders when they were only ten years old? Even if the empress dowager didn't send any, he was the emperor. With so many ministers, wouldn't there be a few who would be considerate enough to think of sending some women into the palace?
Could it be...
Zhao Fanghua suddenly had a bold idea. She leaned close to Shuyu and said, "Is the emperor not able to do this?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhao Fanghua felt a chill on her back. She hurriedly looked up and met a pair of eyes as deep as a cold pond. Zhao Qinglan was standing at the corner of the palace road, and she didn't know how long he had been listening.
Zhao Qinglan pursed his lips slightly, his eyes fixed on her gravely, his mood unremarkable.
"Your Majesty..." Zhao Fanghua stammered and greeted him. It was all over, it was all over. The cricket man behind her was heard by the real owner, and Zhao Qinglan's eyes were so scary.
It’s over, it’s over, death is coming.
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