The moon is like a hook.
Tonight, the General's Mansion was different from usual. There was an unwritten rule in the court that every summer, colleagues would find a place to gather, which was called "Ji Xia". This year, the "Ji Xia" was held at Xu Kun's General's Mansion.
Ruhua leaned forward to look into the hall. It was so bustling with people everywhere. Ruhua looked around without blinking.
"Ruhua, have you found it?" Zhao Pei asked. According to the rules, she couldn't show up at such occasions. Although Zhao Pei didn't care about it, she was still afraid that her father would scold her again if he saw her and send her to copy scriptures. So she had to follow the rules.
"Ah! I see the young master." Ruhua suddenly said. Zhaojie was wearing a simple beige shirt today. He stood in the crowd and toasted with a smile, looking particularly gentle and elegant. Ruhua's face flushed involuntarily.
Zhao Pei continued to urge patiently: "Hurry up and find it!"
Ruhua continued to look around, muttering, "Huh? Why can't I see the Sixth Prince?"
Zhao Pei had been patient for a long time, and shouted angrily: "Ruhua! I asked you to find Tai..." Before she finished speaking, several maids passed by and seemed to be going in to serve food. She turned her beautiful eyes slightly and reached out to stop one of them.
The man in white clothes sat upright in his seat, smiling as he sipped the fragrant tea in his hand, silently listening to Wang Gui and his colleagues chatting. The maid came forward to serve the dishes, worked for a while, and then quietly retreated.
He glanced at it casually and suddenly found a note on the tray. He was surprised and picked up the note to read it. He frowned slightly, but when he saw the signature, he smiled faintly and shook his head helplessly. He silently crumpled the paper into a ball and hid it in his sleeve.
"Miss! Here she comes!" Ruhua vaguely saw a white shadow in the dark night slowly walking towards here, and hurriedly cheered and went to report the news.
Zhao Pei quickly covered her mouth to signal her to be quiet, and looked into the distance. When she saw the jade-like figure, her heart trembled, and she pulled Ruhua back.
"Miss, I've been waiting for so long... why did you leave?"
"I..." Zhao Pei was a little nervous and stammered, "I, I'm a little scared. How about... Ruhua, can you help me?" Zhao Pei looked at her steadily, and hope suddenly emerged in his eyes.
"Me? How can I do this?" Ruhua was startled by her. Is there anyone who can do this for you? As he was talking, he was almost entering the yard. Zhao Pei bit her lip, put the handkerchief she had been holding for a long time on the ground, turned around and disappeared into the night with Ruhua.
In fact, he had seen the two girls long ago, and they seemed to be discussing something enthusiastically. But when he stepped into the garden, it was already quiet.
There was no figure, no sound.
There was only a crescent moon, with soft moonlight shining down, casting an indistinct glow on the courtyard. It was as if everything just now was an illusion, or that the current tranquility was an illusion.
He walked forward a few steps and saw the handkerchief. He bent down to pick it up and spread it on his palm in the dim moonlight. He looked at it for a long time and couldn't help but smile softly.
There was a mess of embroidered threads on the finest silk, and the outline of a flower could be vaguely seen, but it was impossible to tell what kind of flower it was. On one side, there was a line of words embroidered, which was clearly visible, but... Xiao Tong's face did not change, but his eyes became more intense, flashing with unclear emotions.
Do you know that I am attracted to you? Do you know? He pondered for a long time, standing still, letting the breeze blow his sleeves and brush his hair.
Zhao Pei's heart was in a knot. She bit her lip and dared not blink, for fear of missing any subtle change in his expression.
Finally, she saw him looking up with a smile on his face. When his eyes swept over her, Zhao Pei quickly hid behind a tree. After a long while, she carefully poked her head out, but there was no sign of him.
The yard was completely silent, with only the playful wind and the lonely moon. It seemed as if everything that had just happened was just an illusion. That heavenly being seemed to exist only in his dreams.
"Hmm? Miss, where is the prince?" Ruhua asked, sticking her head out.
"How should I know? He's gone..." Zhao Pei murmured softly, "He... took it away?"
Wang Gui saw Xiao Tong leisurely return to his seat, and approached him as if to complain: "Your Highness, you are so good, you have been gone for such a long time. You left alone here. Today, the Sixth Prince is gone, and all the wine has been taken care of by me. When will you have time to tell the Sixth Prince, you have ruined me."
Xiao Tong smiled faintly and patted Wang Gui on the shoulder: "I'm free tonight."
"You mean... I was wrong?" The majestic voice echoed in the oppressive hall. Xiao Yan sat on the dragon chair and stared at Xiao Yi below him.
Xiao Yi looked up. He was the only one in the palace with his father and the crown prince. He hesitated for a moment, but finally said firmly: "I don't think my father did anything wrong. It's just that the current situation is still turbulent, and we need to spend a lot of money on military strength to ensure it. We can temporarily put off repairing the temple."
"How dare you! How dare you disrespect the Buddha?" Xiao Yan was already furious. This kid actually openly contradicted his orders, which embarrassed him. Now he used these as excuses. He stared meaningfully at Xiao Yi's handsome and hard brows, and slowly said: "You are worthy of being the governor of Jingzhou appointed by me personally. The affairs of the six armies are so placed in your hands. Are you trying to expand your power..."
Before he could finish, Xiao Yi quickly said, "Father, I am doing this for the sake of the country and the people, and I have no second thoughts!"
"The country... Humph." Xiao Yan mocked. Whose country are you fighting for? My country? The prince's? Or your own
He no longer paid attention to Xiao Yi, but turned his head to look at the silent Xiao Tong, and said, "Deshi, you don't have to pay attention to him. Just do it as before. You Liuzhen can help you, just relax and do it."
Xiao Tong looked at Xiao Yi, who was keeping his head down and silent, and after thinking for a while, he finally held back the words of persuasion and responded in a low voice.
"By the way, where is Liu Zhen? He was not seen at the morning court today." Xiao Yan asked.
Xiao Tong immediately replied: "I don't know where Liu Zhen went early in the morning. I'm not quite sure either." Thinking about his approximate whereabouts, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Xiao Yan sighed and said, "This Liu Zhen has a temperament just like his uncle, equally unruly and unruly. It's time to set some rules. Deshi, teach him a lesson when you have time."
He thought for a long time and finally suggested: "Father, Liu Zhen is not young anymore, it's time for him to get married and start a family. He will be more content if he has a family."
Xiao Yan nodded: "That's right, it's time to think about it carefully. I'm tired too, Deshi, Qifu. You guys can leave first."
After Xiao Yi followed Xiao Tong and retreated, he silently stared at his hidden complex emotions and felt something strange. It seemed that... something was going to happen. (To be continued)