Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Cloud Shade

Calm down and think about it carefully, everything is very clear. Yesterday afternoon, Xianxue should have entered the palace and was found. Xiao Huan made a decisive decision and called me to his side to hold me back.Firstly, it was to avoid collusion between Xianxue and me, and secondly, even if Xianxue went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he would have an extra hostage in his hands. As for Xiao Ma, who has been looking for opportunities to give me a message all afternoon, he probably wanted to tell me that he was already in the palace before Xianxue was arrested, but unexpectedly it was a step too late.

Then there was the scene at night, after half a day's struggle, Xianxue was outnumbered and captured by mistake, but asked to see me. Xiao Huan took this favor and took me to see Xianxue, then knocked him unconscious and imprisoned him. Last night I thought that Xiao Huan would kill Xianxue with one palm, it was a bit unfounded.How could Xiao Huan let such an important witness die without even asking for a confession? The only doubt now is: why did his father send Xianxue to assassinate Xiao Huan?He clearly knew that even if Xian Xue was one of the best killers in the Jianghu, the chance of success in the palace was very small, and even if he managed to complete the mission by luck, he might not be able to get out alive.This is simply to wash blood and come to the palace to die!

Why did the father insist on washing blood to death? There was a slight tingle in my heart, and vaguely, I understood my father's intentions. After thinking about everything, I got out of bed and called the maid who waited on the wash. After I tidied up, it was still early. There is no grand court today, but before noon, Xiao Huan was in the front hall, listening to the cabinet ministers report on political affairs, the whole Hall of Mental Cultivation was quiet, and there were few maids and eunuchs walking around. When I walked out the door, I walked around to the front hall, lifted up my skirt, and knelt under the steps.

The maids who followed behind were startled, no one dared to come over to persuade them, and they all knelt at the side far away. Although it was quiet, there were quite a few servants entering and leaving the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Several eunuchs who went out to deliver messages saw me kneeling in front of the hall, all of them were terrified, fearing that something bad happened for no reason, and none of them dared to go in and report to Xiao Huan. Before I knew it, I had been kneeling for more than half an hour. At this time, an old man dressed in imperial uniform came out of the hall. This is Qi Xiangfei, a veteran of the three dynasties and Shangshu of the Ministry of War. Seeing the situation in front of him, Mr. Qi was stunned for a moment, and walked in front of me: "Empress, what's wrong?"

I looked up at him and smiled, but didn't answer. Old Qi was stunned for a moment, then stomped his feet and returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Soon, there was movement in the hall, and many footsteps moved over very quickly, the first being a pair of black boots. Standing in front of me, Xiao Huan's voice was cold: "Get up." I didn't even call the queen, just said "you" directly. It seems that I intentionally knelt in front of the Hall of Mental Cultivation for the internal servants and foreign officials to watch, which made him very angry. "The concubine unintentionally disobeyed Long live last night, so I came here to apologize." I didn't raise my head, and responded with the words I had prepared in advance.

I don't know if the killing intent I showed last night has offended Xiao Huan, but now that the blood is in his hands, I want to save my life by washing the blood, and the person I can't offend is Xiao Huan, whether he is angry or not, this Kneeling, at least expressed my determination to calm down. There was silence on the other side for a while, he coughed, and spoke again, with the usual politeness in his voice: "The empress, please get up first." Only then was I able to get up, I secretly breathed a sigh of relief, held up my skirt and stood up, my knees were really stiff, and I staggered slightly when I got up.

Feng Wufu who was following Xiao Huan quickly stepped forward to help me: "Empress, be careful." Xiao Huan looked at it coldly, coughed again, ignored me, turned his head and smiled at the confidential ministers who followed him: "Your Excellencies, we'd better go back." The people in front of him all left again, but Feng Wufu stayed behind, bowing and said: "Empress, please go to the side room and wait for the Lord Long Live." I nodded and followed him, inadvertently, I heard him sigh very low when he turned around. This wait lasted for more than two hours. At half past noon, Feng Wufu invited me to have dinner with Xiao Huan.

I thought I would see an angry His Majesty the Emperor, but Xiao Huan, who had been sitting at the table for a long time, had a faint smile on his lips, and there was not even a trace of anger on his face.That's right, Xiao Huan's self-cultivation skills have always been the best, not to mention he gets angry, I haven't even seen him speak loudly a few times. He looked at me with a smile: "Is the queen in a hurry?" "Long live, I was joking. The concubine made a mistake. Don't wait, it's right to kneel outside for a long time." I said sincerely. His smile remained unchanged: "Really? So why is the queen so sincere in apologizing?"

Since he said it so clearly, I don't hide it: "Long live knows that the person captured last night is an old friend of my concubine, and my concubine wants to ask Wan live to sell me a favor." He smiled, but didn't answer, and looked at me with a little smile. I was a little irritable when he saw it, and I couldn't help frowning: "Wouldn't Long Live give a favor to my concubine?" "If I don't give it, what is the queen going to do?" He smiled, "Continue to kneel in front of the palace?" I was taken aback, but before I could speak, he was already smiling, with a gentle tone: "Didn't you eat breakfast? Let's eat something first."

I lowered my head and saw the dishes on the table. The one placed very close to me was Yipin rice wine osmanthus soup, my favorite soup.The waiter next to me looked at the soup, seeing me looking at the soup, immediately scooped up half of it from a fine blue and white porcelain bowl, and put it in my hand. There was a very light cough from the opposite side, I raised my eyes to see Xiao Huan, who had already put on a light green uniform, lowered his head, turning a honey-colored wine glass in his hand, his eyelids were half drooped, as if he was concentrating on something . After scooping a large spoonful of sweet-scented osmanthus soup into my mouth, I also lowered my head and stopped looking at him.

The next lunch, I ate and he drank slowly, until the meal was over, neither of them raised their heads again. The favor Xiao Huan gave was to let me see Xianxue. Xianxue was not imprisoned in Jinyiwei's secret cell, but in a remote wing of the palace. When I was brought there by Shi Yan with a square face, Xianxue’s wound had already been healed, wrapped in a thick bandage, and I was awake, lying on the bed looking at the curtains on top of the bed, I don't know what to think. I approached slowly, Xian Xuecai turned his head to look at me, and smiled softly: "Miss." Xian Xue's face was very pale, and his voice was also soft. If I hadn't listened carefully, I wouldn't have heard clearly when he spoke with such a smile. The eye circles are a bit sore, and Xian Xue is always high-spirited in his memory. He became famous in the world with a sword, and he was drunk with a lot of money. Even those amber pupils that always look lazy, there is always a proud Tsinghua radiance when he casually glances at him. "Xianxue, I'm sorry." I don't know why I said this sentence as soon as I opened my mouth, but I really didn't know what to say, so I had to repeat it again, "I'm sorry." Xian Xue looked at me, and a smile gradually appeared in his quiet eyes: "Silly girl, don't say sorry to me." My eyes became more sore, I squatted down in front of the bed, and held his cold hand: "Xianxue, I must rescue you, no matter what method I use, I will rescue you!" I said a long time ago that I would never cry again, but at this moment, my eyes were so sore that I pressed my head against the edge of the bed, for fear that if I moved, tears would slide down my cheeks. Why did the father send Xianxue into the palace to assassinate?It's very simple, because my father, Ling Xuefeng, the first minister of the empire, wanted him to die.Such a peerless and famous sword is of course not reconciled to being sealed in the dust, so he was asked to enter the palace to assassinate the emperor. The mission will not succeed. It is only regarded as the last brilliance of the sword. Such brilliant brilliance. So why do you have to wash blood to death?The answer is also very clear, because his daughter, the queen of the empire, has gotten too close to this sword... so close to a dangerous point. I was the one who pulled Xianxue and used him as a shield against Xiao Huan. I ignored the danger of being discovered and went out of the palace to meet him privately. Abandon this tool... If you can't save Xianxue, then he was killed by me. I raised my head, looked at Xian Xue, and tried to smile at him: "How is your injury? Is it going to be hard?" "The internal injury is nothing to worry about anyway," he laughed, although his voice was weak, he was already joking, "Don't worry, your master, I walked over from the tip of the knife, so I don't care about this little injury." He asked me, " But what happened to him?" I froze for a moment, completely confused about what he was talking about: "Who? Which one?" A hint of doubt flashed across Xian Xue's face, and then he smiled again: "It's nothing, I'll just ask." Shi Yan, who was waiting at the door for me to go out, didn't urge me to go out, so I stayed for a while longer and talked with Xian Xue, seeing that he was a little tired, I came out. After going out, I walked along the narrow and long corridor of the Forbidden Palace. I thought carefully about the way to save Xianxue, but my mind was so messed up that I couldn't find a clue. Up to now, there is only one step to go. After returning from Xianxue, I went to see the Empress Dowager at the Palace of Compassion and Ning, and told her that I missed my family and hoped to see my father. The Empress Dowager was very kind to me in this regard, and immediately sent someone out of the palace to my house to inform.It just so happened that my father was not on duty in the cabinet today, so I met my father at Chuxiu Palace in the afternoon. It hasn't been too long since we last met at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, but I don't know how long it has been since my father and I sat down to talk like today. I was brought to the capital from the countryside by my father when I was four years old. Before I was four years old, I followed my grandma in the countryside. My grandma was already very old and illiterate, but she always cleaned up our little home. Clean and tidy, and I was always the neatest dressed kid in the whole village. When I was four years old, my grandmother brought a letter to the capital, and one morning not long after, I saw my father who came to pick me up with a weathered face at the door of our house.I didn't know until that day that my mother was pregnant with me, left my father and brother to leave home, gave birth to me alone in this small village, and left me to the stable woman who helped her deliver the baby. trace.The grandma who raised me all the time has no blood relationship with me at all. After bringing me back to the capital, as long as my father didn't go to court, he would take me everywhere, hug me and sit on his lap, and let me watch him write those awkward memorials.For a while I always felt like the most pampered kid, with a father who loved and indulged me, and an older brother who took me crazy and fought for me. Until the year before entering the palace, my father would often open a pot of wine on a moonlit night, and take my brother and I to drink and gossip.My drinking capacity has never been drunk since I was a child, which is entirely the result of my father's influence. At that time, my father was like a myth in my heart. At the age of 17, my father won the imperial examination. At the age of 24, he was selected as the number one scholar in the imperial examination by the late emperor. He was admitted to the Imperial Academy. At the age of 26, he served as the right servant of the Ministry of Rites. At the age of twenty-nine, he single-handedly defeated the arrogance of the chief assistant Gao Ge, and forced this important official of the two dynasties to return to his hometown. At the age of thirty, the officials recommended him, and the late emperor personally issued an edict to enter the cabinet. The youngest cabinet minister in the dynasty. A few years later, Li Yi, the chief minister at the time, died of illness suddenly. His father successfully took over the position of chief minister and became the youngest cabinet chief minister in the history of the empire. His father had just turned 30 that year. five years old. More than twenty years of ups and downs in the officialdom, ten years as the first minister of the empire, almost no trace of compromise and cunning in the world can be found in his father. My father always admired me from the bottom of my heart. Such a father will make his children so proud that they will not even have the idea of ​​surpassing him. They only feel that if they can get infinitely close to that figure in this life, they will be satisfied. That's why it's so shocking when I know another side of my father that I never knew. A large amount of money secretly stored, the killer's apprentice who swore allegiance to the death, and the pervasive intelligence network... These are also under the control of his father. That day, when I saw what kind of means my father used to consolidate his power, something disintegrated piece by piece, and the world that used to be black, white, good and evil was gone forever. Seen from a close distance, my father's white hair on the sideburns seems to be more than a few months ago, and his face is always clear and peaceful. After entering the door, both sides sat down, and I signaled Xiaoshan to take everyone out. Putting his hand on the Doucai tea bowl beside him and slowly stroking it, my father didn't wait for me to speak, and said first: "Is everything okay in the palace?" "It's okay, that's all." I didn't have any thoughts, so I said directly, "Leave Luo Xianxue alone, it's my fault." Father seemed to be taken aback for a moment, then frowned: "What nonsense?" I sneered: "It's not that you were afraid that I would get too close to Xian Xue, so you sent him to the palace to die? It's all my fault, I seduced him, and I deal with the troubles I caused, so I don't need you Intervene again!" My father's hands trembled a little, and he stared at me. I looked up and looked into his eyes too. "Are you talking to your father?" Father suddenly sneered. I have never seen my father sneer. Under the power of being an official for decades, I couldn't help but turn my eyes away, and still held my head up: "Do I have a second father to talk to me?" The father was out of breath, and sneered again and again: "Very good, very good...the brain has not improved, but the ability to bicker and irritate people has improved!" I bit my lip: "I can't help it, I'm getting older, I have to be more capable so I won't look like a fool!" My father's chest rose and fell, he squinted his eyes at me, and finally spoke with suppressed anger in his voice: "Believe it or not, I didn't send Luo Xianxue into the palace. You are right, this is your business, your own mess Clean it up yourself. I won’t spoil your good deeds, and don’t expect me to help you!” After saying this, the father stood up abruptly, without even looking at the teacup that had been overturned on the ground, and went out the door. I stared down at the teacup that fell to the ground, watching the tea overflowing the scarlet carpet, and after an unknown amount of time, I suddenly felt relaxed and let out a breath. Still like this, since those things happened, whenever I saw my father, there always seemed to be quarrels. At the beginning, it was a very sad question, and then, I started to say things that hurt the other party.Although I have quarreled many times since I was young, it has never been like this. The more noisy I feel, the more noisy I feel, the more I feel that there is no possibility of reconciliation. "Miss..." Xiao Shan walked in with some hesitation, and she probably heard a voice, "Master finally came here, why don't you talk well..." "Now is not the time to talk properly." I took a breath and raised my head, only to see a paper bag dropped on the ground by the door. Xiao Shan also saw it, picked it up and brought it in front of me, opened it and looked, it turned out to be a packet of sesame candies. When my father first brought me to the capital, I cried at home every day and didn’t eat. He would carry me to Chalou on Qianmen Street to listen to an opera. The sesame candies sold in a snack shop next to the theater were very good. Eat, I have loved the sesame candy there since I was a child. Before I entered the palace, I would go to buy two packs by myself from time to time. None of the long sesame candies twisted into a twist shape was intact. It may have fallen out of his sleeve during the sprint just now, and it was so broken. Xiao Shan didn't speak, so I smiled and brought the paper bag over. The maid who came in to clean up the teacups and tea stains was called Jiaoyan, and I handed it to her: "This is a reward for you." Jiaoyan was a little surprised, but still smiled, and took the paper bag with both hands: "Thank you, empress." I laughed, took another deep breath, and exhaled again: No matter what, I finally knew that Xianxue was not sent to the palace by his father. Since his father didn't want him to die, then things will be easier, at least there is hope. Then I thought: If his father didn't send him here, then who ordered Xianxue to enter the palace, and why? My head was a little messy, and I always felt that the more I thought about it, the more I made mistakes, so I had no choice but to stop thinking about it. Because I have something on my mind, I also eat so-so dinner. After dinner, I decided to go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to meet Xiao Huan and try his words. Having made up my mind, I put on my hood and told Xiao Shan to stay in the palace, and I just quietly came out of Chuxiu Gate by myself. Maybe I walked too fast, and it was dark at night, so I almost bumped into someone head-on. The man held my shoulder and smiled: "Where is this little girl, what are you in a hurry for?" I recognized the voice of Li Hongqing, the vice-commander of the imperial bodyguards was usually informal, and liked to joke with the maids. He was young and handsome, and was very popular among the palace ladies. I smiled: "What is Vice Commander Li in a hurry to do?" Li Hongqing heard that it was me, and immediately let go of his hands and backed away. He was courteous, but his tone did not become serious. He still smiled: "Is the empress well? I am not as anxious as my empress." He smiled and stretched out his hand to touch it. The top of my head, indicating that I should also pay attention to the top of my head, "Your Majesty's hat." When I touched it, it was put on too hastily, and half of it fell out under the bun. I pulled up the hat and smiled: "Thank you, Vice Commander Li." He smiled, saluted me again, and left. I walked all the way to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and I was about to ask the servants to inform me, when I saw Feng Wufu who came hurriedly from inside, he was stunned when he saw me: "Empress, why are you here?" He looked a little distracted, and I found it strange: "I've come to see Wanzai, isn't it convenient for Wanzai right now?" "Convenient...and inconvenient..." He then sighed, "It's been two hours since no one is allowed in, and even dinner is not required. It's really frustrating." "Long live?" I asked. "That's right." Feng Wufu began to sigh again, "Long Live God never let people wait on him inside, he can only go in when he is called, but since Shen Shi started today, he hasn't been called anymore... and he can't go in like this..." "Maybe it seems that the book has been forgotten." I had to enlighten, and said casually, "Why don't you go in and have a look? Others are afraid that Long Live will be unhappy if they go in. Long Live should not blame Eunuch Feng." As if moved by my words, Feng Wufu nodded slowly, and suddenly looked at me with piercing eyes: "Yes, if it is the empress, the Lord Long Live will definitely not be angry." My hand said, "Then I will trouble the Empress to go inside. Doesn't the Empress also have something to see the Lord Long Live? Just right, just right." As soon as I finished speaking, there was an extra tray with tea bowls in my hand. Feng Wufu pulled me into the hall, and said to himself: "This bowl of ginseng tea is for Lord Long Live, remember to persuade Lord Long Live to drink it quickly, it will be bad if it gets cold." Dazed and stuffed to the door of the Nuan Pavilion, I realized: I am serving Feng Wufu as a little maid and a shield... I didn't care to argue with that old fox, I walked to the door anyway, it's not a problem to stick around, I held the plate and coughed: "Long live, my concubine please see me." After waiting for a while, I didn't hear the sound, and I Shouted, "Long live, my concubine begs to see you!" There was still no sound inside, so I had no choice but to hold the plate in one hand, push open the door with the other, and walked in carefully: "Long live? Concubine..." No wonder Feng Wufu was in a hurry, it was already dark, and there was still only one palace lantern lit in the Nuan Pavilion. If it wasn't for the large glass on the window that leaked the light from the window, even the shadows of people could not be seen clearly inside, and there were many shadows. The room seemed even colder. When I got closer, I saw Xiao Huan sitting with his head propped against the wall. His head was lowered a bit, and he couldn't tell if his eyes were closed.However, judging from the dimness of the light, it is unlikely that he was reading a book. The people outside are almost dying of anxiety. Isn't he sleepy here because he is sleepy? I cleared my throat heavily: "Long live, the concubine is here!" He finally moved, and after a while, he seemed to wake up, coughed lightly, put his hand on his forehead, and said in a hoarse voice, "Empress?" I smiled and replied: "It's the concubine. The concubine wants to discuss something with Wansui. After I came, I found out that Wansui won't allow anyone to come in for two hours. Eunuch Feng decided to let the concubine come in to wake up Wansai. Wansui is not to blame, right? " He let out a "huh" and then asked inexplicably: "It's been two hours? What time is it now?" "At a quarter of a hour, the first watch has been knocked." I thought he was a little strange, and walked closer to the soft couch as he said. He didn't expect me to walk over suddenly, put down his hand, coughed and smiled: "Thank you Queen, if I continue to snooze, I'm afraid I won't be able to finish reading these scriptures tonight." It was only when he was close that he could see that his face was a little pale under the dim light, and there was a layer of fine beads of sweat on his forehead. There was an open memorial under the arm supporting his head, and there were faintly scattered pieces of paper on the memorial. With some cinnabar, the vermilion pen that should have been placed on the desk fell on the soft couch, staining the bright yellow brocade. With his appearance, it wasn't as simple as being lazy and snoozing just now, right? He wanted to cover up, why should I break it, smiled and put the tea bowl in his hand on the table. I decided to cut to the chase: "Long live the wise man, do you know why the concubine came here?" He said "hmm" again, lowered his head and coughed a few times very lightly. I waited for him to finish coughing, but he coughed intermittently for quite a while, until he bent his head on his arms, but he still didn't stop. I was already a little upset, and my tone became bad: "Long live, do you want to listen to my concubine?" Hearing my words, he raised his head and smiled, still coughing: "Sorry, this cup of tea... trouble queen... pass it..." I was stunned for a moment, only to realize that I had placed the tea bowl too far out just now, and if he wanted to take it, he would have to bend down and lean over to get it. Pressing my hand on the tea bowl, I mustered up my courage, but I was too anxious, only afraid that I would never have the chance to ask him again: "Long live, my concubine can send this cup of tea to Wan live, but please, please Promise to my concubine that Luo Xianxue will not be prosecuted for the crime and let him out of the palace." After finishing speaking in one breath, I watched him quietly waiting for an answer. He didn't speak, and there was silence in those deep black pupils. Although the light was very dim, I was so looked at by him that I dared not look directly into his eyes. I don't know how long it took before he coughed lightly, with a faint smile on the corner of his lips: "I promise..." Secretly heaving a sigh of relief, I hastily removed my hand from the lid of the tea bowl, but shook it a bit. The tea bowl, which was not placed very stably, tilted instantly, passed through my hand to catch it, and fell to the ground. The floor of the Nuan Pavilion was covered with a navy blue carpet, and the teacup was not broken, but the tea in it spilled out and got wet. This is the second cup of tea spilled in front of me today. I looked up at him in a daze, and hurriedly said: "Chen Qie will go right away, I'll pour it for you..." He smiled and closed his eyes: "It's okay...no need..." I didn't know what to say, so I nodded: "Chen Qie will go now." Turning around and walking two steps, I heard him say softly behind me: "Three days later..." I immediately understood what he was talking about when he released the blood, and quickly turned around: "Why three days later?" He paused, looked at me and smiled: "Three days later, his trauma should be fine..." I froze, and after a while, I smiled at him reluctantly, turned and went out. Xiao Huan is right, he doesn't need me to refill his tea. After leaving the door of the Nuan Pavilion, I only said to Feng Wufu who was guarding the door, "The tea bowl has been overturned", and he had already run in with a young eunuch, and with a "bang", slammed the door in my face. Standing under the steps, I was stunned for a moment. Some of the tea that was spilled just now remained in my hands. It was hot when I first sprinkled it, but now it is cooled by the cool night wind. Holding the palm of my hand, I was in a daze, am I annoying now?Suspicion, suspicion, and calculations... always thinking that I owe no one, but in the end it seems that I owe everyone.