Nuo Yan looked at the closed door, stepped forward and knocked lightly: "Master, Eunuch Gao is here."
Xue Mu paused, and put the cake in his hand back into the food box: "Where is Eunuch Gao now?"
Nuo Yan said: "The Lotus Pavilion."
"Understood." Xue Mu glanced at Liu Qinghuan on the opposite side, and stood up from the bed, "I may have to go to the palace, just put the snacks here, I will finish eating."
"En." Liu Qinghuan followed him and stood up, seeing him going out, couldn't help but stepped forward and called, "Master Hou."
Xue Mu turned around and met Liu Qinghuan's worried eyes. He stood at the door and smiled at her, then turned back and kissed her lightly on the forehead: "Don't worry, nothing will happen." Liu Qinghuan didn't speak anymore, just watched him walk out of the lotus.
On the lotus pavilion, a father-in-law in a blue robe paced back and forth, but he didn't care to appreciate the lotus in the pond. A few strands of white hair can be vaguely seen on his temples, as if he has aged a few years. When he saw Xue Mu approaching, he hurriedly stepped forward and made a bow: "Master Hou, the emperor has called urgently."
Xue Mu nodded, looked at him and asked, "Eunuch Gao, what is the emperor's urgent matter?"
Eunuch Gao hesitated for a moment, and said to Xue Mu in a low voice: "After the morning court today, Dongganluo's special envoy came to the palace to meet the emperor, and said some things that made the emperor unhappy."
Xue Mu pondered for a while, and smiled at Eunuch Gao: "Thank you, Eunuch Gao, for reminding me."
The two didn't say any more, and hurried to the palace.
Stepping into the gate of Zichen Palace, Xue Mu bowed in the direction of Emperor Yan: "I pay homage to the Holy Majesty."
Emperor Yan put down the folder in his hand, raised his eyes and looked at him: "It was your birthday two days ago, I've been busy these days, but I forgot about it."
Xue Mudao: "The emperor takes care of everything every day, and the minister's birthday is really nothing to worry about."
Emperor Yan smiled and said: "But there are people who remember it better than me."
Xue Mu said frankly: "The special envoy of Dongganluo Kingdom did come to the minister's residence and sent some congratulatory gifts."
"that's all?"
"He also asked me to help him find four famous paintings by Ding Maoxue, but I refused."
Emperor Yan was silent for a moment and didn't make another sound. Xue Mu raised his head and looked directly at him: "Your Majesty, after my father died in the battle, I went into battle at the age of fourteen, and all that was left on my body were those killed on the battlefield." Scars. Now the emperor doesn't trust the minister?"
"Do not believe."
Xue Mu frowned slightly.
Emperor Yan suddenly hooked the corner of his mouth, and said with a smile: "I don't believe in Aes."
Xue Mu: "..."
Sometimes he felt that although the emperor had grown up, his mind was still at the age of five.
Emperor Yan didn't know what his Ai Qing was thinking at all, but continued: "I grew up with you, if I couldn't trust you, I wouldn't hand over the military power to you. Besides... don't you... Like Ess, do you think it's such a simple estrangement in my meeting?"
Xue Mu bowed to him again, submissively said: "The emperor is very witty, of course he won't fall into the trap."
Emperor Yan thought about it for a while, and always felt that something sounded weird. But he didn't delve into it, instead he was concerned about other things: "Do you really know where "Magnolia" is?"
"Know."
"I trust you, but I also hope that you will not betray my trust."
Xue Mu pursed his lips slightly, and replied: "The minister will definitely live up to the emperor's entrustment."
As soon as Emperor Yan nodded, a hot voice came in: "Brother Huang! Brother Huang!"
All the people in the hall looked towards the door, no surprise, it was Princess Yongfu who came.
Although Yongfu called Emperor Brother, once he entered the Zichen Palace, he just stared at Xue Mu: "General Xue, are you alright?"
The worry in his eyes was beyond words, Xue Mu looked at her, and smiled lightly: "I'm fine, I don't know why the princess asked this question?"
Yongfu frowned and glared at him. Ayers visited the Hou's Mansion with great fanfare a few days ago, and even her Princess Mansion heard rumors. Today the emperor urgently summoned Xue Mu into the palace, she was worried about what would happen to him, so she hurried over, but this man still pretended to be confused with her.
She suddenly felt like a bit of a dog taking mice and meddling in other people's business.
Turning her head away and directly ignoring Xue Mu's question, she glared at Emperor Yan again. Emperor Yan frowned slightly, with a hint of displeasure on his face: "Yongfu, you are really getting more and more unruly. Is this palace the backyard of your princess mansion?"
Yongfu just stared at him and didn't speak, but Xue Mu stood up and said, "Your Majesty, seeing the anxious look on the princess's face, there must be some urgent matter."
Yongfu looked at him and smiled.
The corner of Xue Mu's mouth was pursed into a slight smile, and he remained silent.
Emperor Yan coughed lightly, and said to Xue Mu: "Since the matter has been discussed, you should go back to the Marquis Mansion first, so that your wife won't worry." color. He smiled with satisfaction, and continued to say to Xue Mu: "By the way, I also asked Eunuch Gao to prepare some gold and silver cloth, you can take them back together."
"Thank you, Majesty Ron."
After Xue Mu left with Eunuch Gao, Emperor Yan glanced at Yongfu who was still standing in the hall: "Your General Xue has already left, what else do you need?"
Yongfu glanced at him, and wanted to turn around and leave, but he still asked worriedly: "Brother Huang is suspicious of Xue Mu?"
Before Emperor Yan could answer, Yongfu continued: "Anyone can rebel in this Dacheng, but Xue Mu is the only one who can't!"
Emperor Yan raised his eyebrows: "Is it finished?"
"It's over."
"Kneel down."
Yongfu: "..."
When Yongfu returned to the Princess Mansion, he deliberately took a look inside Aies' mansion as he passed by.
Aies was sitting in the room drinking with Yijin at this time, he hiccupped and asked Yijin: "I heard that the little emperor has summoned Xue Mu into the palace, do you think he will doubt Xue Mu?"
Yi Jin said: "No."
The corners of Aies' eyes twitched: "Then why do we do so much?"
Yi Jin smiled and said, "Although he won't doubt Xue Mu, he will definitely put pressure on him."
Aies looked at him suspiciously, and Yi Jin said: "As long as Xue Mu takes action, we will have an opportunity."
Yongning Hou Mansion.
Liu Qinghuan finished her dinner absent-mindedly, and looked up at the sky. A pair of slender willow-leaf eyebrows frowned slightly, just as she was about to send Chitao out to inquire about Xue Mu's news, Qing Zhi rushed in anxiously: "Ma'am, Ma'am! Master Hou is back!"
Liu Qinghuan let out a slight breath, and looked up at the panting person in front of him: "Where is Hou Ye now?"
Qing Zhi said: "Master Hou went to the Lotus Pavilion to make tea."
Sencha.
The beauty that had just stretched out was gathered between her brows again, Liu Qinghuan lowered her eyes and thought for a while, then stood up from her seat. Seeing this, Chitao Qingzhi hurriedly followed: "Where is Madam going?"
"Lotus Pavilion."
The cool breeze on the lotus pavilion made Xue Mu's clothes rustle slightly. Liu Qinghuan turned out from a small path in the garden, and saw Xue Mu sitting alone on the lotus pavilion from a distance.
Since it's not a matter of discussion, it can only be something to worry about.
Liu Qinghuan smiled silently, her eyes gradually darkened.
Xue Mu is a very contradictory person. It's like he said that he both likes winter and hates winter, just like he is obsessed with sencha calligraphy and painting, and at the same time loves horse hunting. Joy and dislike, stillness and movement, are obviously opposite to each other, but they are unified in him.
So until now, she still can't see through this person.
The biggest skill of a liar is not to deceive people, but to know people. In the eyes of liars, there are only two types of people—those who are easy to deceive and those who are not. However, people like Xue Mu probably belong to the third category and cannot be deceived.
Because after cheating, there will be big trouble.
But she still... took this step.
As if sensing Liu Qinghuan's approach, Xue Mu raised his eyes slightly and smiled at her. Liu Qinghuan thought that he would ask himself "Qingqing, what can I do for you?" as usual, but he didn't say anything. Liu Qinghuan sat down opposite him, watching him stir the boiling water in the small pot with a bamboo utensil. It wasn't until he evacuated the pot from the charcoal fire that he raised his head and glanced at Liu Qinghuan: "Have you ever heard of Du Juan?"
Liu Qinghuan was startled, but asked calmly on her face: "Is Hou Ye talking about flowers or people?"
"bird."
Xue Mu skillfully divided the tea in the small pot into celadon tea bowls, and then said, "The cuckoo lays eggs in the nests of other birds, and removes the same number of eggs from the original nests. This not only It can trick other birds to help hatch their chicks, and it can also reduce the competition after the chicks are born. The cuckoo chicks will even squeeze other chicks out of the nest in order to compete for food."
Liu Qinghuan listened silently, Xue Mu took a sip of the tea in the tea bowl, and smiled at Liu Qinghuan: "Du Juan is the king of liars who are more cunning than foxes."
Liu Qinghuan's palms were already covered with a layer of cold sweat, she looked at Xue Mu, and curled her lips: "Why did Hou Ye think of saying this?"
"I just remembered it suddenly." Xue Mu put down the tea bowl in his hand, and looked sideways at the lotus pond. The lotus in the lotus pond is no longer as gorgeous as the previous days, and the slightly drooping petals look a little lifeless.
Liu Qinghuan lowered her eyes, the multicolored continuation thread on her arm was put on by Xue Mu herself on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival. Her eyes darkened slightly, and she whispered: "The lotus is about to finish blooming."
Xue Mu looked at the pond full of lotus flowers, and subconsciously lowered his voice: "Flowers will bloom again, but people will never be young again."
Liu Qinghuan felt panicked in her heart, she let out a breath, and stood up: "Master Hou, I'm a little tired, I'm going back to my room first."
"Okay." Xue Mu nodded without stopping.
On the way back, Liu Qinghuan walked fast, as if there was a spear poking at her back all the time. As soon as she got back to the main room, she shut herself in the room and told Chi Tao and Qing Zhi not to come in and disturb her.
She found the pair of "Magnolia Spring" that she had hidden before, and pursed her lips.
Xue Mu has already suspected her, she must find the remaining three paintings as soon as possible, and then leave the Hou Mansion.