Shaoyao was not completely clueless. She pulled Xiaoliu and ran out, causing the unprepared Xiaoliu to stumble.
Hua Zhi was not worried either. Even Xiaoliu used to come and go in the inner courtyard frequently. A child who was just over ten years old did not have those concerns for the time being. What's more, this was her own home and she could go anywhere.
Gu Yanxi sat down in front of the dressing table, "Azhi, come and tie my hair."
This job has been done more than once in the past few days. Hua Zhi walked over and took the comb. Her long hair, which had not been tossed around with dyeing or perming, was in excellent condition, smooth and soft. She gathered her hair and said, "Don't tie it up. Just tie it like this. There's no one around anyway."
"As you say."
Hua Zhi glanced at the person in the mirror and snorted, "Your hair is in my hands, how dare you disobey me?"
Gu Yanxi just smiled and didn't expose the fact that her words were as tough as her actions.
"Is the wound itchy today?"
"I can still bear it."
After tying his hair skillfully and placing her hands on his shoulders, Hua Zhi met the eyes of the person in the mirror and asked, "When are we going to Jinyang?"
"Just these few days."
"Can't we postpone it a little?"
"Don't worry, I'll try not to do anything." Gu Yanxi raised his hand and covered hers, smiling softly: "I am so precious in your eyes. In the past, no matter how serious the injury was, it was considered compassion for me to lie down for ten or eight days."
"No one cared about you before, but now someone does." Hua Zhi hugged his neck and leaned on his back, like a pair of mandarin ducks embracing each other, "Yan Xi, let's make a promise."
Gu Yanxi turned around and rubbed her, "You say."
"We all have our own responsibilities to bear, and this cannot be changed, but we can protect ourselves as much as possible. I hope that we are the ones who create a good life and have the life to enjoy a good life."
"… good."
Hua Zhi buried her head in the crook of Yan Xi's neck. It was really tiring to live like this without having to think about things for a single day.
After letting herself go for a moment, Hua Zhi raised her head, her expression as usual, "Let's go, let's join in the fun."
The gatekeeper at the second gate was stunned for a moment when she saw the two people and then opened the door. By now, everyone in the family knew who this person was. Although everyone felt that their eldest daughter was a little bold, no one said anything. It had been a long time since their eldest daughter had been bold, and everyone was used to it.
As for the eldest girl wanting to bring a man from outside the family into the inner courtyard, she would never harm her own family.
Although everyone in the family thought so, Hua Zhi still had to consider her sisters' reputations and just watched the lively scene in the corridor from a distance.
Everywhere else was dark, which made that place seem even brighter.
If only she had a camera, Hua Zhi thought, she could take a picture of this scene and send it to her grandfather, so that he could see that everyone was really fine.
Hua Zhi took the lantern handed over by Yingchun and looked at it. It wasn't a good workmanship, but it still looked like a pumpkin. She coughed lightly and stuffed it into Yan Xi's hand, "A gift."
Gu Yanxi looked down for a moment, then looked at Ah Zhi's uncomfortable expression and wondered what she didn't understand. A smile suddenly spread from the corners of her eyes, "I like it very much, but... what do these symbols mean?"
Hua Zhi looked down at the English sentence on the lantern. At first she planned to leave a difficult riddle, but that was too common. After thinking about it, she left the most common English sentence in her previous life.
"I'll tell you on the wedding day."
Gu Yanxi looked at her deeply, said okay and stopped asking questions. He always knew that Azhi had secrets.
The night was as cool as water, Hua Zhi pulled her cloak tighter, Gu Yanxi held her hand and looked towards the direction where the laughter and noise were coming from. One day, days like this would become just an ordinary thing.
***
On the 16th day of the first lunar month, there is a grand court meeting.
Gu Yanxi stood at the head of the crowd in his official uniform, but what was different from before was that he no longer wore a mask.
Not surprisingly, five ministers came forward to impeach him for putting personal interests above public interest.
This was a good excuse. Gu Yanxi just lowered her eyes and ignored it. It was really beneath her dignity to confront someone in public.
"Oh? I wonder if you, my dear ministers, could help me clear up this confusion. Why did the prince neglect his official duties for personal matters?" The crisp sound of tassels colliding was heard, and the emperor spoke slowly.
The court was silent, and those who stepped out looked at each other. Someone gritted his teeth and revealed something that everyone knew, "The prince revealed his mask because of a woman, breaking the rules of the Seven Stars Division for many years. Your Majesty, you can see clearly that the prince's action was to sacrifice personal interests for public service."
"Oh? My memory is not as good as it used to be. My dear, can you tell me which law of the Daqing Dynasty stipulates that the leaders of the Seven Constellations must cover their faces with masks?"
Of course there is no such law, but it has been like this for generations and has become a convention. The ministers who were impeached knew that things were not going well and they all tried to find ways to get out of it.
Duke Anguo Zhu Shangshu and others breathed a sigh of relief. Judging from the emperor's attitude, the matter should be over.
"If you can't think of it, don't think about it. I just returned to court today, and I don't want to get angry with you on the first day. Please join us."
Several ministers bowed deeply and quickly returned to their seats.
The emperor looked at the troublesome prince with displeasure. He wanted to teach him a lesson but was afraid that he would be held hostage by someone with ulterior motives. If he didn't teach him a lesson, he would be annoyed that he was not obedient.
However, it's not impossible to find his weak spot.
"I want to dig a new canal that will pass through Lingzhou, Dongyan County and Yan County and connect to the Jingshui River."
With this statement, impeaching the opponent and picking on anyone is no longer a big deal. Digging a canal? With the treasury being short and natural and man-made disasters happening year after year? Where will the money come from? Where will the manpower come from? After the New Year, it will be spring ploughing, and even if we recruit laborers, it will not be enough!
Minister of War Chen Yuanqing immediately stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, according to custom, we must recruit soldiers in early April. Please reconsider."
Zhu Bowen, the Minister of Finance, followed and said, "Your Majesty, last year there were floods in the south and droughts in the north, and most places were exempted from taxes. This year, reclaiming wasteland and storing grain is the top priority. Please reconsider your decision."
Even the Minister of Works He Lianjie could not sit still. "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Works has not undertaken such an important task for many years. I am afraid that we cannot take on this important task for a while. Please think twice."
The court officials were united at this time. Except for Gu Yanxi who was still standing, everyone else knelt down and begged, "Your Majesty, please reconsider."
The emperor's face darkened, and his magnanimity was immediately exposed. As the king of a country, he wanted to do something but was opposed again and again. Where was his face!
Looking at the only person standing, the emperor asked in a deep voice, "What do you say?"
Gu Yanxi bowed and said, "You must have your reasons for bringing this up now."
The emperor looked better now. His love for him was finally worth it.
"If there is no money to earn, isn't there a female god of wealth who can turn stones into gold? As for the people, I didn't think of rushing them in these two months. The land is still frozen. It will take until after April. By then, the spring plowing will be over, and the manpower will be filled in, right?"