It wasn't until dinner time that Hua Tang came back.
"Yao'er was still asking." Aunt Jin said, "Now I was called to the backyard, it should be in the prince's room."
"How is your brother's health?" Hua Tang asked.
"Seeing that he is still in good spirits, Master Nan said that he can't delay it, and he has to go to the ice room to retreat as soon as possible." Aunt Jin said, "In the future, the affairs of this Southwest Mansion will be handed over to several adults, and when Xiaoyue returns, I am afraid that You have to take more care of things. After all, the prince has been in retreat for three years, and Yao’er is young. Although the southwest frontier has been stable for the past two years, there will always be someone to guard the southwest mansion, otherwise the prince will not be able to heal with peace of mind.”
"Xiao Wu is originally from the Southwest Palace, and these are his duties." Hua Tang said, "Besides, there are the Palace Master and the Young Master in the Chasing Shadow Palace, and the Southwest Shuzhong is not far away. If there is something going on, Let's hurry back and go back, auntie don't have to worry."
"I've wronged you." Aunt Jin clapped her hand and asked again, "Where did you go during the day, and you haven't come back all day."
"I originally planned to buy some medicine, but I saw Jin Niang on the street." Hua Tang said.
Jin Niang was the woman that Zhao Wu rescued from the tiger's mouth that day. When she returned to the Southwest House this time, she planned to live for a long time. Aunt Jin arranged for her to work in the dyeing workshop in the house. The cardamom girl who was laughing and laughing, Jin Niang gradually had more smiles on her face, and she had a good relationship with everyone.
"What's wrong with her?" Aunt Jin asked.
"Jinniang seems to be hiding from someone." Hua Tang said, "Even she threw the basket at the stall, hid in the alley, and came out after half an hour, covered her face and hurried back. Southwest House."
Aunt Jin frowned: "Who are you hiding from?"
Hua Tang said: "A fat monk, he shouldn't be a local. I just asked along the way, and the people said that he is a liar. He just entered the city a few days ago, and he sold fake medicines with his mouth to make a living."
"Seeing that Jinniang is wandering alone, I also know that she is a person with a story." Aunt Jin said, "Maybe it is a former enemy, should you go and ask?"
Hua Tang shook her head: "If it's really a sad past, but when you mention it, it's just salting the wound, I'm just a little worried about her."
"Then don't ask." Aunt Jin said, "Even if it's just for the sake of your young son, if you really get into trouble in the future, Jin Niang should also take the initiative to ask for help. Now that she didn't say anything, you and I will just do nothing. Know."
"I'll go see the prince and Yao'er first." Hua Tang said.
Aunt Jin nodded, turned and went to the kitchen to make medicine.
In the bedroom, Duan Yao asked, "What kind of kung fu is the Bodhi Heart Sutra?"
Duan Baiyue replied: "Master's self-created kung fu."
Duan Yao said: "To say it means not to say it."
Duan Baiyue reached out and patted his head: "I only practiced three moves, how can I explain it clearly. If you want to know this, why don't you ask the master?"
Duan Yao said: "I asked, but the master refused to say."
Duan Baiyue said: "After training, you can walk alone in the world."
"It's a lie." Duan Yao didn't believe it, "If it's really this good, Master should have been bragging about being a genius long ago, how could it be so miserable today?"
Duan Baiyue didn't answer his question, but said: "Three years later, you will be nineteen years old. If you calculate it again, it is not an exaggeration to say that twenty is not an exaggeration. It's time to marry a wife."
Duan Yao covered his mouth: "Don't talk."
"What's wrong?" Duan Baiyue laughed.
Duan Yao hesitated: "It's not auspicious." It always felt like... explaining the future.
Duan Baiyue shook his head: "I won't die if I think too much."
Duan Yao said: "Well."
"Just change your identity and live." Duan Baiyue continued.
Duan Yao frowned: "What do you mean by changing your identity?"
Duan Baiyue said: "I'm afraid the king of the southwest will not be able to do it. If you want to come here, Xiaoyu will not be willing to stay here forever. As for you, you are also spoiled. However, according to the current situation, there are at least ten more people in the border. The year is stable, so don't worry."
"Why can't I be the king of the Southwest again?" Duan Yao was anxious.
Duan Baiyue said: "After practicing the Bodhi Heart Sutra, there will be poison in the blood, and the appearance will be ruined, half human and half ghost."
Duan Yao's five thunders hit his head: "I don't believe it!"
"Believe it or not." Duan Baiyue patted him on the shoulder, "Don't always be a child, it's time to grow up."
"Does it have to be practiced?" Duan Yao asked anxiously, "What did Master say, is there any other way, the second brother has gone to find Tian Chensha, can't wait for him to come back?"
Duan Baiyue shook his head: "It's too late."
"What about the sister-in-law?" Duan Yao continued.
Duan Baiyue's expression froze.
"When I went back to the southwest, my sister-in-law also said that I would write a letter every month to inform him of your current situation, and also said that I would come to the southwest to see you when the affairs of the DPRK and China were freer." Duan Yao said, "What should I do then? manage?"
Duan Baiyue said: "Hide and see."
Duan Yao's eyes widened.
hide away
"He is the emperor, the ruler of a country, so he naturally knows how to choose." Duan Baiyue closed his eyes slightly, "Maybe angry in three or five years, ten or twenty years, thirty or forty years, who can Angry for a lifetime, right?"
Duan Yao wanted to hug him and cry, what the hell is this plan
"Looking for the best, there is always a breath, better than death." Duan Baiyue said, "Wear a mask, at least you can walk on the street."
Duan Yao "teng" stood up: "I'll go to the master!"
"There's no need to look for it." Nan Moxie pushed open the door and came in, "Not to mention looking for your master, it's useless even if you look for Tianwang Laozi. Unless there is Tianchensha, this is the only way to go."
"But..." Duan Yao didn't know what to say.
"Okay, let's go out." Nan Moxie patted his head and sighed, "If your second brother can find Tianchensha, things may turn around, but for now, that's really the only way to go."
Later, when Hua Tang came over, Duan Yao was still squatting under the old banyan tree, staring at the roots of the tree in a daze.
"Brother rested?" Hua Tang asked.
"Not yet, Master is putting needles for my brother." Duan Yao stood up, holding back her tears.
Hua Tang said, "Squatting here in the cold weather, I'm not afraid of catching a cold."
"My brother is going to practice the Bodhi Heart Sutra in a few days." Duan Yao said, "The ice room is even colder."
Hua Tang pulled him to sit under the corridor: "Do you all know?"
"Yeah." Duan Yao wiped her nose and choked with all her might, the more she thought about it, the more sad she became, "Master knows how to teach your brother some bad kung fu!"
"Xiao Wu is still floating at sea, maybe he can really bring back Tianchensha." Hua Tang wiped his tears for him, "Your Highness is only in retreat for a while, and things should always look on the bright side, right?"
"Yeah." Duan Yao agreed.
"Okay, go back and rest." Hua Tang said, "Your Majesty's injury has not healed, so don't catch a cold again."
"Second sister-in-law, go back to the room, brother's side will take a while, I guess it will be midnight." Duan Yao said, "Otherwise, Dabao and Xiaobao would be in trouble."
Hua Tang nodded, looked back at the bedroom, and saw that the lights were dim and quiet, as if she needed help, so she left the courtyard with him.
Three days later, Duan Baiyue made arrangements for the large and small affairs in the Southwest Mansion, wrote another letter, and sent someone to secretly send it to Wangcheng, and then went to the ice room with Nan Moxie.
The stone gate slammed shut, and even standing outside, one could feel the piercing chill.
When she thought that her brother was going to stay in this ghost place for three years, and he didn't know what it would be like after he came out, Duan Yao finally couldn't hold back any longer, and cried with Aunt Jin in his arms.
Why is it so unlucky, luck is not enough.
The servants in the Southwest Mansion are also saying that the prince will be in retreat for three years this time, and after he comes out, he will be able to stand alone in the world. Maybe even the leader of the martial arts alliance is not an opponent.
When the leaders of the frontier tribes asked about this, they were all dumbfounded. Originally, with such a cloudy and uncertain prince, I was already worried, and now I have to retreat to practice magic. Don’t say that I really want to be the best in the world. It’s been a few years since we lived peacefully, and I still think about it. He wanted to build houses and fields to be the landlord, and he didn't want to follow the north to usurp the throne.
In the ice room, Duan Baiyue sat on the snow stone with his eyes closed slightly, and let his body temperature leave little by little, almost even the blood was frozen and solidified.
Thousands of miles away in the royal city, Chu Yuan had just returned to the imperial study after handling the government affairs in the imperial court. Father Sixi happily greeted him and whispered that another letter was sent from the south. Look at the color of the lacquer. It wasn't Duan Xiaowang, it should have been written by the Southwest King himself.
Chu Yuan said: "Calculate the days, it's almost the same."
"Yes, yes." Father Sixi smiled.
Chu Yuan patted his belly, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: "Why are you so happy? Hurry up and bring it."
"Yes." Father Sixi presented the letter with both hands, and stepped back and closed the door wisely.
Chu Yuan sat on the dragon chair, lightly opened the paint, and took out a thin piece of letter paper.
It is indeed a familiar handwriting, but there are only a few words, saying that he is going to retreat in the ice room to practice the exercises, the affairs of the Southwest House have been explained properly, everything is fine, don't read.
Chu Yuan frowned, picked up the envelope again, and shook it upside down.
Really only this piece of paper.
…
After a moment.
snort!
"Your Majesty." Seeing him go out, Father-in-law Sixi smiled all over his face, "Can you eat?"
Chu Yuan was expressionless: "Go, dig that tree."
Father Sixi's smile froze: "Dig again?"
Chu Yuan asked, "No?"
Father Sixi looked embarrassed: "But that tree is still in the cold palace now." After the last time it was planted out, he never invited him back. .
Chu Yuan: "..."
Father Sixi hurriedly changed the subject: "Master Xu wanted to invite the emperor just now. It's freezing cold, so the old slave asked him to go to the side hall for tea first."
"Xuan." Chu Yuan turned around and went back to the room, "Let's pass it on. Today, I will be in the imperial study all day. If I have something to play, I will come to listen to the fun."
Father-in-law Sixi probed: "What about breakfast?"
Chu Yuan said: "Don't eat."
Father Sixi said again: "Then let the imperial kitchen prepare lunch for the emperor earlier."
Chu Yuan angrily said, "I won't eat it either!"
Father Sixi smiled and coaxed: "At night, it should be—"
Chu Yuan slapped the table: "Xuan Xuran!"
Father-in-law Sixi: "…"
"Father-in-law." Master Xu asked as he walked, "How is the emperor feeling today? The matter I want to play is a little tricky."
"If it's difficult, you don't have to rush to play today, so don't talk about it." Father Sixi lowered his voice, "I'm afraid today is the worst day for the emperor since the beginning of spring."
Master Xu staggered.
Half an hour later, the rest of the adults also entered the palace according to the order, talking about things, and making fun of things. After returning to the bedroom, Chu hastily washed up, went to bed without a word, and even covered his head with the quilt.
Father Sixi couldn't help laughing and laughing. The last time he saw the emperor so angry was more than ten years ago, when he was only six years old. Thinking about it carefully, the reason was the same, it was all because of the King of Southwest China.
The sky is snowing heavily, and the branches of plum trees are covered. Although the sky is cold, the flowers are blooming more and more densely. In the cold air, it is quiet and fragrant.
After that, the letter from the Southwest House was still delivered on time, but it returned to Duan Yao's handwriting, saying that my brother was in retreat and practiced, and everything was fine.
Chu Yuan folded the letters and put them all in the hidden compartment.
All is well, it is better than anything.