King Khotan was stunned, and Princess Shadali was also stunned, her delicate face turned pale instantly.
"Really?" the emperor asked happily, "Fu Jiaxiong?"
Although the king of Khotan is fat, he is a fat man with quick thinking and quick reactions. After a short moment of astonishment, he immediately felt overwhelmed and said loudly: "Yes, Your Majesty! I would like to dedicate my daughter to you as a token of respect. Khotan will submit to the heart of the Tang Dynasty forever!"
The emperor laughed loudly, stepped forward and helped King Khotan up with his own hands.
Sadali's tears welled up in her eyes, but she held back her tears, calling her father weakly. Immediately after she turned back to look at Shan Chao, her eyes were shining like pearls in the candlelight, and tears finally rolled down her tender cheeks.
Shan Chao looked at her calmly, then looked away.
·
"It's almost the age of the emperor's destiny, and he even took the initiative to ask for the twenty-eight-year-old princess of Khotan. It's really..."
After the palace banquet was over, the officials dispersed one after another, and Xie Yun and Yang Miaorong walked side by side through the vast Changle Palace Square.
The maid who was leading the way with a palace lantern in front was far away, and the wind, cold and dew were heavy, so Yang Miaorong's sigh could not be heard clearly. Xie Yun looked around and said, "The Empress Dowager is too lazy to deal with the little girl now. Marrying the emperor is much luckier than marrying our crown prince. You should say a few words less."
Yang Miaorong wondered: "What's so bad about being the Prince Liangdi?"
She didn't wait for a long time for an answer, but when she looked up, she saw Xie Yun's complexion was a bit subtle in the dark.
"... Hey, why didn't you say it?"
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince suffers from a weak body. In recent years, he often coughs up blood. The Holy Majesty wanted to be in Zen several times because of this reason, but he couldn't do it. Two years ago, the Holy Majesty went to the Eastern Capital and ordered the Crown Prince to supervise the country in Chang'an. As a result, all political affairs, big and small They were all handed over to Dai Zhide and Zhang Wenguan, the confidantes of the Eastern Palace, but the crown prince didn't ask questions at all..."
Yang Miaorong interrupted Xie Yun: "You mean you might become a widow if you marry the crown prince?"
"Maybe..." Xie Yun paused and said, "Widow."
Yang Miaorong's expression was very strange.
"Princess Pei married and went to the East Palace with nothing to do for two years. There were rumors in the palace that the crown prince was useless. After hearing this, the sage also became suspicious. Not long ago, he gave the crown prince eight maids in order to see if the rumors were true... "Xie Yun restrained his voice.
"But even if the prince is in poor health, it's better than marrying the emperor!" Yang Miaorong sighed, "The emperor's age is about the same as that of the king of Khotan. The prince's illness can be cured, but the emperor's age can't turn back time!"
Xie Yun was originally preoccupied, so he couldn't help but find it funny when he heard this, so he poked her on the head casually: "You have also read books, don't you know that the whole world is a king's land, and everyone in the world is a king's subject? Nine five The supreme being is life and death, and whoever he wants can be easily captured, so how can there be any room for resistance? Even if the status is as noble as the princess of the country, once facing the emperor's order... "
He seemed to think of something suddenly, and his voice paused.
"I'm just sighing in vain. Why do you speak like this?" Yang Miaorong smiled, turned her head inadvertently, and suddenly asked in surprise: "What's wrong with you?"
Seeing that Xie Yun's face was very ugly, as if he suddenly realized something, he was immersed in some kind of thoughts, Yang Miaorong called him twice, and he suddenly came back to his senses.
"It's nothing," Xie Yun said lightly, "When I think about it... some things."
Yang Miaorong had known Xie Yun for more than half a year, and had never seen him look like this before. When she couldn't help but ask a question, the palace guard who was leading the way suddenly stopped in her footsteps.
A tall and handsome figure stood by the side of the road, turned around and smiled and said, "Commander Xie, Miss Yang."
Yang Miaorong stopped suddenly, and saw that under the moonlight exuding an invisible sense of oppression, it was Shan Chao who had toasted to her at the table just now!
Xie Yun said coldly: "What are you doing?"
Yang Miaorong didn't know if it was her own illusion, she felt that Xie Yun's muscles all over his body seemed to be tense, and even a very sharp line protruded from his back.
If this feels right, it should be the performance of seeing an old enemy that is deeply dreaded, but Shan Chao behaved politely and even graciously: "I haven't made a formal visit after returning to Beijing, so I came here to Goodbye, please forgive me, master and... future mistress."
As he spoke, he actually bent over and saluted.
Xie Yun didn't answer, and Shan Chao didn't get up either.
There was no sound around, and the air seemed to be condensed, making it difficult to even breathe.
Yang Miaorong looked at Shan Chao and then at Xie Yun, feeling very at a loss, cautiously said for a while: "General Zhongwu... don't be so polite, please get up."
Shan Chao straightened up straight, with a slight smile on his handsome face—his sword eyebrows and starry eyes, his expression was cold and intimidating; but as long as he relaxed a little, he looked very masculine and very attractive. It is easy to have infinite goodwill.
"It's late at night and the dew is heavy, so I won't bother you. Master and wife, please be careful on the way back to the mansion."
Yang Miaorong's eyes slanted slightly, Xie Yun still didn't intend to speak, his icy cheeks remained motionless. She could only nod her head and said with a smile: "My husband drank two more glasses, so I won't leave the general to talk... General, please go back first."
Shan Chao nodded in understanding, bowed and smiled.
"Xie Yun?" Yang Miaorong whispered worriedly.
Xie Yun let go of his shoulders, let out a hoarse breath slowly, and condensed into a fleeting white mist in the night.
"Let's go," he said hoarsely.
·
Looking down from the high platform on the second floor of Changle Palace, a thin and pretty woman held Xie Yun's hand from her back. In the deep night outside the palace gate.
Empress Wu withdrew her gaze, only to hear the confidant maid trembling and whispering behind her:
"The crown prince said: Ms. Yang can't deny the words of meeting each other late, right? Ms. Yang is hesitant to speak, as if she is a little sad. The two of them stand in the plum garden and have nothing to say..."
Empress Wu smiled coldly from her nasal cavity.
The maid was so frightened that she didn't dare to speak, she felt the cold wind pouring straight into her neck, which made her shiver suddenly, and it took a long time for Empress Wu to speak slowly: "Xie Yun's eyes... are really suffocating."
"Xie, Commander Xie has lived in Beiya for a long time, and he faces men all day long, and sometimes he misses women..."
"His vision for picking men is also very average."
The maid didn't dare to speak anymore, only to see Empress Wu waved her hand lightly, and ordered: "Go and get the box with the red lacquer sprinkled with golden phoenix under my dowry."
The maid hurriedly responded and hurried away. After a while, he went up to the high platform again, and presented the exquisite makeup box with both hands. Empress Wu pressed it somewhere, and the bottom compartment popped out.
The interlayer was cushioned with velvet, on which there were two wax pills, one red and one black, the size of the belly of a little finger.
"Eight years ago, Xie Yun was recuperating in Fenggao Palace. Ming Chongyan took care of him for a whole winter. Later, when Ming Chongyan returned to Beijing, I summoned him and asked him who he planned to be loyal to in the future. The Holy One, the Palace or the Four Saints Family? He offered these two pills with completely opposite effects to show his loyalty."
Empress Wu took out the red wax pill and handed it to the maid.
"It was originally intended to be used against another person... but now it has to be used in advance."
The maid tremblingly took it, only to hear Empress Wu say: "You take it to Huang Ziyuan, the Minister of Internal Affairs, and ask him to hand it over to the palace man who specially brings spices to the Eastern Palace. He knows what to do."
The maid suppressed the panic in her heart, bowed and said yes.
·
The next day, the imperial army commanded the mansion.
It was nearly three hours after returning home last night, Yang Miaorong was very sleepy, so she went to bed by herself. After waking up the next day to listen to the report from his servants, he found out that Xie Yun sat alone in the courtyard for most of the night after washing, drinking by himself, silent, and didn't rest until very late.
These two things are obviously irrelevant, but the man who turned away under the moonlight last night suddenly appeared in Yang Miaorong's mind, and his seemingly very gentle smile before he left—she subconsciously shook her head and said, "Got it!" .”
Immediately afterwards, she thought for a while, and told the lady in charge: "Go and ask an imperial doctor to go to the house to feel the pulse of Commander Xie—no, just say that I am not feeling well, let alone come to see Commander Xie, and don't alarm others."
The lady in charge couldn't help but admire this lady who had never been married, and quickly retreated.
At this moment, Yang Miaorong was just monk Zhang Er who couldn't figure it out, but after she finished washing, she went to the flower hall to have breakfast, and the first thunderbolt of the day was ushered in as soon as she entered the door——
In the flower hall, there was a row of servants kneeling respectfully, all of them were unfamiliar faces, none of them seemed to belong to Xie's residence.
The movements of these servants were uniform, all of them held up the ebony gold-painted plates with both hands, and there were all kinds of gold gems, pearls and jadeites, playing utensils, calligraphy and paintings on the plates. Can't keep my eyes open.
Yang Miaorong has long been used to seeing treasures in the inner treasury of the Xie Mansion, and at this moment she couldn't help being dumbfounded, and froze in place: "This is—"
The housekeeper was anxiously discussing something with the person who came here. When he saw Yang Miaorong, he rushed over to salute Yang Miaorong as if he had seen a savior: "Miss Yang! Miss came just in time. Let's pick first, and you say it's just..."
More than half a year ago, Jin Xin, the personal maid who was in charge of Xie's mansion, left the mansion and went to Beiya. The newly promoted housekeeper was a little immature, and couldn't even speak clearly when he was in a hurry. Yang Miaorong felt quite helpless, and was about to make him take a breath and speak slowly, when she heard a weary voice from behind: "What's going on?"
When everyone turned their heads, Xie Yun was crossing the threshold, his long hair was tied casually by his side, and his face was a little tired after a hangover.
The eyes of the middle-aged man who was talking to the housekeeper just now lit up, and he hurriedly stepped forward to give a deep salute, with an extremely respectful expression: "Thank you Commander Ann! It can be regarded as seeing you! ——The younger one is the second steward of General Zhongwu's residence, with a humble surname Chen: Thanks to the kindness of the Emperor and Empress this morning, my mansion received a lot of land and property from the palace. After seeing it, the general said, how can I use all this wealth when I am marching and fighting? So let us send it to your mansion, thank you Taking the lead as the commander-in-chief should make up for the fact that the general has been away from Chang'an for these years and cannot serve you in front of you—look!"
Steward Chen Er turned around under everyone's horrified gazes, took a plate covered with red silk from a servant beside him, and opened it with a smile on his face.
There were gasps one after another, and there was a thick pile of documents on the tray, all of which were land deeds!
Xie Yun didn't speak or move.
If last night his complexion was only cloudy or cloudy, then at this moment, there is really no trace of sunshine. He is like a flawless and extremely gloomy statue, even the curvature of the corners of the eyebrows and the long eyelashes covering the eyes can't conceal the dreadful chill in his eyes.
"Your general ordered," he said slowly and clearly through his teeth, "Let me choose first?"
Butler Chen Er shrank his neck, and a smile appeared on his fat face: "Yes, yes, that's right! - The general said that please choose whatever you like, as long as it suits your wishes a little, even if they all stay in Xie's mansion, it doesn't matter anyway. All the same! Please!"