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His heart skipped a beat, but he felt that he had put on a good front. Since he was discovered to be following her on purpose, he did not try to hide it. Seeing that there was no one in the long corridor except her two personal maids, he said, "Lu is here to thank the county lady for the jade ring."
Yuan Cixian seemed to have no idea what she had done. When he mentioned the "jade ring", she suddenly realized what had happened and said, "Are you thanking me on behalf of the people living at the border?"
He choked at that moment.
Zheng Zhuo and he were used to fighting in the court, and they were all calculating. When they saw someone helping him, they began to speculate about the truth. In fact, there was no complicated reason. If his peace talks went smoothly, the people at the border would suffer less. Do you need a reason to do good things for the people? Even if he didn't go to negotiate, she would still help.
It's just that the Yuan family's status is sensitive, and caring about the people is like stealing the old emperor's job, so she probably didn't express her concern for the people to Shao He, who is a royal family member, and used the excuse that "Because Minister Lu helped me out in the Daming Palace, I want to borrow the jade ring to repay him."
Lu Shiqing thought at the time that although Zheng Zhuo's marriage was forced upon him by his father, this Princess Lancang was both honest and caring about the people, and she really had the demeanor of a mother of the country.
He felt that Zheng Zhuo had made a good deal.
The more sincere Yuan Cihan's gaze was, the more he felt that his previous speculation was narrow-minded. Feeling embarrassed, he of course did not mention any personal gratitude and just said "yes" calmly.
Yuan Cixian continued, "I grew up in southern Yunnan, so it's only natural for me to do this. You don't have to thank me, but you can thank the princess. She knew that the jade ring would be useful to you, so she searched the entire storehouse with her own hands."
Lu Shiqing had already thanked her, but he had only sent a verbal message through someone else. It would be wrong not to express his gratitude after receiving a favor, but he did not have that kind of intention towards Shaohe, and Shaohe was really devoted to him. If he came in person, he was afraid that she would have unnecessary hopes again, so his thanks were a little vague.
He told Yuan Cixian that he had already thanked her, and then he saw her look of regret: "I heard that the princess is going to Dunhuang."
He roughly knew what she was thinking. Shao He might never return to Chang'an after this departure. She probably felt sorry that such a good princess had to leave her golden branches and jade leaves and go away to suffer in the wind and sand because of a man.
He was not familiar with Yuan Cixian at the time and should not have told her about private matters, but he did not want anyone to misunderstand his relationship with Shaohe and cause rumors in the capital, so he said, "Everyone has their own ambitions," implying that he had no intention of keeping Shaohe and clearing himself of the charge.
She understood immediately, knowing that he had no interest in Shao He, so she tried to smooth things over: "You're right." Then she said, "If you have nothing else to say, I'll leave."
He nodded and said goodbye to her indifferently. When he turned around, he saw Zheng Zhuo quickly chasing after him. He brushed past his shoulder and caught up with Yuan Cixian, saying, "I'm done, I'll take you home."
Just now, in order to give him the opportunity to thank her in person, Zheng Zhuo probably told Yuan Cixian that "I have something to do and cannot see you off." After he finished thanking her, he came back to see her off.
He was a little surprised. Compared to him, Zheng Zhuo was more cheerful and warmer to others. He chatted with Yuan Cixian at the banquet just like he chatted with other friends, with a moderate attitude and a gentlemanly demeanor of neither being too close nor too far. Therefore, he didn't think there was anything special. But now he felt different.
This level of concern is not simply a gentleman's demeanor, nor is it simply to consolidate the relationship with the Yuan family.
Seeing Yuan Cixian was also a little surprised, he asked Zheng Zhuo, "So soon? You continue with your work, I can go back by myself."
Zheng Zhuo said that he was fine and just wanted to go out for some fresh air, then walked out with her, keeping an arm's length apart.
The reason why Lu Shiqing was so impressed by this scene was that he had a sudden thought at that time. He thought with a smile that Zheng Zhuo was such a cautious boy, and it seemed that he was just wishful thinking.
After that, whenever he talked to Zheng Zhuo about something, he would always ask about his relationship with Yuan Cixian after finishing the serious talk. He had no other intention, just a kind of gloating over his best friend's failure in finding a wife.
Zheng Zhuo always scolded him for meddling in other people's business, until one time when he got drunk at a palace banquet, he took the initiative to talk to him about the matter.
He said that Yuan Cixian knew from the beginning that he was not sincere in wanting to marry her, so she always had reservations towards him. Even though she often chatted and laughed with him after they got to know each other, and even discovered a common interest in Wu Mu last time, the sense of alienation could not be erased.
He frowned and asked, "Zishu, what do you think we should do about this?"
Seeing that Zheng Zhuo was genuinely worried, Lu Shiqing stopped insulting him and said with a smile, "Are you serious?"
Zheng Zhuo was not drunk. He said that he was. He initially thought that although he had political purposes, he would never treat her badly. He would definitely treat her well, compensate her, and respect her. But when he found out that he was seen through by a little girl, he felt disgusted. Later, he could not stand seeing her smiling on the surface but keeping a distance from him in her heart. He felt irritated.
Lu Shiqing thought, OK, this guy is really a good person. But he is a bachelor, not to mention a wife, he doesn't even have a fiancée, and he has no experience, so he can't give any specific suggestions at the moment.
But he could see clearly what was at the root, so he said to Zheng Zhuo, "It's not too late for you to treat her sincerely from now on. As for the way to win people's hearts, the essence remains the same. Just give in to their preferences, don't you understand?"
His thoughts at the time were quite simple. The saying that those who achieve great things are ruthless and abandon love is something that only appears in stories and may not be the case in reality. Since Zheng Zhuo has no conflict of interest with the Yuan family, why not talk about love
Life is not just about fighting for the throne. Just be sensible.
With his support, Zheng Zhuo went all out, and his spies had an extra job: to find out what Princess Lancang liked to eat and watch. They were so good at it that they even went to the Yuan family's swill bucket to observe the changes in the dishes in the mansion every day.
Lu Shiqing joked that it was too much, that a good subordinate was wasted. But because he was the spy's direct superior, the information came to him first, so he wanted to help, so he took a look first, and based on the information, he carefully calculated for Zheng Zhuo.
Although he was ignorant of romance, he had a sharp mind. Just by looking at the east, he could guess the west, south, and north. He could also draw inferences about things that the spies had not found out. When the results were sent to Zheng Zhuo, they were like the Book of the Sunflower.
Zheng Zhuo did not express his gratitude in a pretentious manner. He thought that as his aide and sworn brother, it was right to use him like that. He just looked at the treasure book and took Yuan Cixian to travel around and eat and drink.
After a few months, Lu Shiqing asked about the progress.
Zheng Zhuo said it was fine, anyway, he had laid his thoughts out to her clearly, and his knot was untied, the two of them could get along well, occasionally joking and chatting, playing gambling when they had free time, and when they were serious they could discuss state affairs, the world and the people.
In other words, no matter whether Yuan Cixian is interested or not, she can still consider Zheng Zhuo as a friend.
After listening to it, he asked Zheng Zhuo: "So, you also told her about the mess in the court?"
Zheng Zhuo said yes, and added: "She is quite smart and can help me. Remember the case in the Ministry of Justice a few days ago? I was ready to submit a report that day, but she stopped me."
Lu Shiqing found it funny: "I wonder where you got your wisdom from."
Zheng Zhuo sighed, as if lamenting that he and Yuan Cixian had left him behind in his mind, and finally said: "In fact, we can call her to discuss things. The ideas in her head are quite consistent with yours."
Lu Shiqing said forget it and don’t discuss state affairs with the little girl.
But later, one time, when King Ping was hostile to the Yuan family, Zheng Zhuo still brought Yuan Cixian to Xu's house to discuss with him.
Lu Shiqing took some trouble to pretend to be a teacher. After all, his identity was confidential. Zheng Zhuo could tell Yuan Cixian about his own affairs, but it was not easy to reveal his affairs without permission, so he did not let her know.
When he met Yuan Cixian that day, Lu Shiqing remembered that he casually said to her, "I often hear Your Highness talking about the county lady."
Unexpectedly, she asked with a smile: "What did he say about me?"
He choked and thought to himself, it was just a polite remark, why did she take it so seriously? He had no choice but to bite the bullet and think of a word: "Ice-cold smart."
Then she exclaimed in amazement, tilted her head and said to Zheng Zhuo, "Why are you praising me like that?"
When Lu Shiqing heard this, he thought it was a good idea. A few months ago, he still called Zheng Zhuo "you", but now it became "you". Sure enough, their relationship became much closer, and his efforts were not in vain. Then he saw Yuan Cixian looking over and said, "Your Highness often talks to me about Mr. Li."
He glanced at Zheng Zhuo and deliberately asked, "What did he say about me?"
She smiled slyly, not knowing whether her answer was true or false: "Smart as ice and snow." Then she looked at Zheng Zhuo, in a manner that was meant to make fun of friends, "Hey, so this is the only word you know?"
Zheng Zhuo seemed unconvinced and asked, "Who said that?" Then he seemed to feel that he had explained the wrong point and added, "Wait, when did I praise him?"
After the three of them finished chatting, they talked about business. Because of this, they had several exchanges in the future. It was also at that time that Lu Shiqing became a little familiar with Yuan Cixian as a teacher, and found that it was indeed as Zheng Zhuo said, always thinking the same way as her. But he was not a proactive person, and he never expressed his ideas even if they were in sync.
He guessed that Yuan Cixian had similar feelings, but she didn't show it either. Maybe it was because Zheng Zhuo was her fiancé, so she didn't talk to him much.
Zheng Zhuo even asked him at that time whether this meant that the young lady cared about his feelings.
He said that was probably the case, or maybe he was just following the rules of etiquette, and then added: "I'm not her, just ask her directly."
After this matter was resolved, he hadn't seen Yuan Cixian for a while. The reason he met her again was not because of any serious family or national affairs. It was because she asked Zheng Zhuo to ask him that she had heard of his great name for a long time and wanted to watch him play a game of chess.
Zheng Zhuo obeyed whatever she said and agreed immediately.
He was muttering in his heart that there was something fishy going on. He was afraid that he always wore a mask, which made her suspicious of his identity, or that Zheng Zhuo was so beautiful that she would reveal her true identity one day, making her want to confirm it.
Sure enough, when they had dinner together at Xu's house that day, Yuan Cixian, who had drunk a glass of wine, pretended to be drunk and wanted to point a star in the sky to Zheng Zhuo. Then he raised his hand and slapped Lu Shiqing's mask, and then looked back at him in panic.
He thought it was a good thing that he was prepared and showed half of his face, which was so ugly that even he disliked it.
His face was painted darker and had something stuck on it, so from a distance it looked like maggots. Only half of his face was exposed, so there was no way anyone could tell his appearance. Even Zheng Zhuo was stunned, let alone Yuan Cihan, who was so frightened that he couldn't speak.
He lied and explained that he was assassinated by King Ping many years ago. In order to save his life, he used many strange and exotic herbs, which resulted in such a scar on his face.
Zheng Zhuo was probably already full of admiration for his acting skills, but Yuan Cixian felt very apologetic and kept apologizing to him, saying that she didn't mean it. She also asked him if he wanted to see a doctor and she could help him contact some famous doctors in southern Yunnan.
He said it was not necessary and winked at Zheng Zhuo.
When Zheng Zhuo saw that it was indeed too late, he quickly sent her back to Shengyefang.
Lu Shiqing thought at the time that he had made such a great sacrifice, he should be done with it once and for all. However, a few days later, when he was resting at home, he took a bath after lunch because he smelled a bit of mutton. Before he could get dressed, he heard a knock on the door of the secret passage outside.
That was indeed the code we agreed upon with Zheng Zhuo: two short and three long.
He said he had something urgent to do, so he went to open the mechanism wearing only his underwear. As a result, when the secret door opened, the person who came out was Yuan Cixian, who looked like an explorer.
They were both stunned.
He was so shocked that he forgot he was shirtless.
Yuan Cixian was probably so shocked that he forgot that he was not wearing a shirt.
They looked at each other in bewilderment, and then "bang", something exploded in the air.
He turned around suddenly to grab his clothes, and when he turned around, he found that she had covered her eyes. She jumped down the stone steps and prepared to run to the secret passage.
But at this moment, something unexpected happened. A large, black object suddenly jumped out of the secret passage.
The Yuan family's dog.
He was so frightened that he couldn't hold his clothes steady. He wanted to put them on but was shaking too much. He could only cover his chest loosely.
When Yuan Cixian saw that he had gone down, the dog came up, so he turned around to catch the dog.
But the unexpected happened again. There was a knock on the outer door, and he heard his mother say, "Son, I brought you some autumn clothes, take your pick."
He was startled and said quickly, "Wait a minute." Then he turned around to look at Yuan Cixian who was catching the dog.
The black dog suddenly jumped into the inner room, like a mad rabbit. She was so anxious that she couldn't catch it, so she chased it all the way to his bed. The dog got under the bed, as if there was something to eat. She lay on the ground, stretched her hands inside, but it seemed that she couldn't pull it out no matter how hard she tried.
His scalp tingled, but he was afraid of dogs and didn't dare to help her catch it. Hearing that his mother seemed to be suspicious and kept urging him, he had to rush into the inner room. She pointed under the bed and her eyes probably meant: There's no time to explain, you go in too.
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