Fenglai Waterside Pavilion is not the main hall for entertaining guests, but a pavilion near the pond, with red maple trees planted beside it. Except when it snows, the leaves of this kind of maple are red in all three seasons. From a distance, they look like rouge dyed by a woman, and half of the sky is a bit rosy.
Zhao Su was sitting on a stone chair in the pavilion. She had probably rushed here before she recovered from her illness. Her face was pale and bloodless, and she looked like she could be blown away by a gust of wind. She looked like she was worried.
Until a familiar male voice with a smile suddenly sounded in her ears, breaking the tranquility in the garden: "Your Highness the Crown Prince is seriously injured, why don't you rest and recuperate, but come all the way here?"
Zhao Su looked back and saw Rong Xuan walking over with his hands behind his back. He always looked lazy and indifferent, as if everything was under control. Unlike himself, who looked haggard, he looked energetic.
Zhao Su knew that after what happened last night, Ji Fan had too many fatal handles on her. She sat where she was, her hands on her knees tightened silently, and she asked calmly, "Mr. Rong, what a coincidence, why don't you see Crown Prince Yan?"
Rong Xuan lifted his robe and sat down opposite her, thinking that she was indeed the heroine, as she could still keep her composure at this time. If it were someone else, they would have been extremely anxious. "Then Your Highness should go and ask General Xuanyuan why he attacked without reason last night and severely injured Crown Prince Yan?"
Facing his attitude of accusing her of a crime, Zhao Su paused slightly. Although she was seriously injured and unconscious yesterday, after she woke up, Xuanyuan Qing knelt down to plead guilty and explained the whole story. From then on, she knew that this matter was not so easy to solve.
Zhao Su looked up at Rong Xuan and said straight to the point, "Xuanyuan Qing acted recklessly, and I have punished him severely. I came here for two things. One is the accounts stolen from the Ministry of Revenue, and the other is... the incident in the wine cellar last night."
As expected, Ji Fan guessed right.
Rong Xuan raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard this, then took out a stack of neatly stacked account books from his sleeve, along with four ingots of silver stamped with the Jingzhou Prefecture seal, placed them on the table, and pushed them in front of Zhao Su: "Return the property to its original owner, Your Highness the Crown Prince, please."
He had no intention of making things difficult for Zhao Su. Xuanyuan Qing would be dealt with separately.
Zhao Su was inevitably surprised when she saw this. She glanced at Rong Xuan, took the account and checked it carefully. After confirming that it was correct, she said something meaningful: "It seems that Mr. Rong really wants to overturn the verdict for your father."
Rong Xuan's pupils shrank slightly when he heard that, and he subconsciously looked at Zhao Su, only to see that the other party was also looking at him, with eyes that seemed to be able to see through people's hearts.
Yes, the other party is the prince of a country after all. With such a big handle of disguising herself as a man in his hands, how could he not investigate her identity and background? I'm afraid that the affairs of the Rong family have been thoroughly investigated by the other party.
Rong Xuan smiled and said, "Your Highness, are you threatening me?"
Zhao Su shook his head calmly, and said in a very clear and rational manner: "This matter cannot threaten you. Rong Zhengqing has a first-grade divine sword, and even if the matter of escaping from prison is uncovered, the court will exempt him from punishment because of his outstanding martial arts, not to mention that there is an inside story in the Jingzhou case."
After she finished speaking, seeing that Rong Xuan still didn't speak, she actually twitched her lips for a rare moment, although there was not much smile in her eyes: "I was the crown prince of the Great Zhou first, and then Zhao Su. The Jingzhou case implicated a wide range of people, affecting the victims, and the mastermind behind the scenes cannot escape the crime. Mr. Rong is willing to return the account book, Zhao Su thanks you."
After she finished speaking, she actually endured the pain from her wound, raised her hand with a pale face and saluted Rong Xuan.
Rong Xuan: "My Rong family was also involved in the Jingzhou case. If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince can overturn the verdict, it will also be beneficial to me. No need to thank me."
He waited quietly for Zhao Su to bring up the second thing.
Zhao Su slowly lowered his hand upon hearing this, raised his eyes and looked straight at him, his gaze was sharp: "Mr. Rong is so polite, I don't know what to do. If I threaten or intimidate you, it will appear inferior."
She still couldn't tell whether Rong Xuan was a friend or an enemy, but there was no doubt that he was on Ji Fan's side.
Rong Xuan pretended to be confused: "What does Your Highness the Crown Prince mean?"
Zhao Su's expression remained unchanged. With just eight words, she revealed her twenty years of forbearance. She said in a deep voice, "Sir, you know me. I'm a woman dressed as a man."
Rong Xuan was stunned when he heard this, then he smiled. He hid his hands in his sleeves and gently intertwined his thumbs: "So it's this matter. I have to say that His Royal Highness is really too bold. A woman is given the title of crown prince and wanders between the former court and the harem. If it gets to His Majesty's ears, I'm afraid it will cause thunder and anger."
Zhao Su's words were emotionless, making it hard to tell whether he was mocking others or himself: "It is indeed ridiculous. When historians write about Zhao Su in the future, I'm afraid he will be laughed at and become a joke for all eternity."
Rong Xuan said, "The history books will not record the names of insignificant people. How many famous officials and scholars have spent their entire lives just to have a few words recorded in the history books, so that their names can be passed down through the ages. If your name can be recorded in the history books in the future, you will be far superior to countless men in the world."
Zhao Su felt that Rong Xuan was mocking him, but after staring at him for a long time, he felt that it was not the case: "Sir, don't you think it is ridiculous for a woman to be a king?"
Zhao Su had not yet become the vigorous and resolute emperor she would be in the future. She was now walking on thin ice, and her situation was only slightly better than Ji Fan's. This was a road that went against the secular ethics of thousands of years, and she was the only one walking alone. She didn't know where she would go, whether she was right or wrong, she only knew that she was standing on the opposite side of countless people.
Rong Xuan asked back: "In the temple, rotten wood serves as an official, and between the steps of the palace, beasts eat the salary. If men can be emperors, why can't women?"
Zhao Su clenched his fingertips silently, his voice stiff: "It has always been like this, according to our ancestors' rules."
Rong Xuan raised his hand and slowly poured a cup of tea. In the curling hot steam, he said, "The rules from thousands of years ago should be followed by people from thousands of years ago. The emperor changes with the times, and people change, so the rules naturally change too. It just depends on whether you have the courage to break them."
Zhao Su was silent for a moment, and after a long while, he spoke in a hoarse voice: "I want to open up a new path forward, and I am also full of courage, but I am afraid that the world will be too difficult and I will not be tolerated by the secular world."
Rong Xuan said: "This road is not an ordinary road, so it is naturally full of dangers. But if you go forward, you will reach the road to heaven, where there will be another extraordinary world."
The wind in the courtyard rippled the water and the leaves rustled. Zhao Su was shocked by Rong Xuan's rebellious remarks and was unable to recover for a long time. After an unknown amount of time, she finally loosened her clenched fingertips and held the warm teacup. She said in a cold tone: "Listening to your words is better than reading a book for ten thousand years. The gentleman is so insightful that Zhao Su feels guilty and can't bear to kill him."
She was telling the truth. Before coming to the Crown Prince's Mansion, she really wanted to silence Rong Xuan and conceal the matter. After all, too many lives were involved, and she couldn't afford to take the risk.
Rong Xuan was not afraid but laughed: "Are you only going to silence me?"
Zhao Su's eyes fell on the love mark on Rong Xuan's lips, and he reminded her, "Of course, there is also your Prince Yan."
Rong Xuan paused after hearing this, and subconsciously raised his hand to touch the corner of his lips that Ji Fan had bitten yesterday. He still looked lazy and careless, with a deep smile in his eyes: "Your Highness, this reminds me of a story I heard before. The year is unknown, but I only know that a stunning woman was selected into the emperor's harem and served two generations of kings. Because of her outstanding talent and ruthlessness, she later became an empress with great power. Your Highness's character is quite similar to hers."
When Zhao Su heard that a woman was the emperor, he was horrified and looked over: "Why have I never heard of this story? Are you making it up, sir?"
Rong Xuan did not explain too much: "Whether it is true or false, Your Highness Taijizi does not need to silence him. You can rest assured. I will not tell anyone about your disguise as a man."
Zhao Su didn't understand: "Why?"
Rong Xuan thought for a moment before saying, "Because I also want to see if Your Highness can be the first person in this world to open up a new path."
Zhao Su couldn't help but loosen his grip on the teacup after hearing this. The air was quiet for a moment, and after a long while, he suddenly sighed, "... If it was someone else, I wouldn't believe this. But I don't know why, I feel close to you, and you have helped me many times. If I really kill someone to silence him, I'm afraid it would be against the conduct of a gentleman, and it wouldn't sound good if it got out."
Rong Xuan: "Your Highness, do you believe me?"
Zhao Su: "I have always admired your eloquence and eloquence. I will just assume that you have convinced me today."
Although she said this, she still sat firmly in the same place, unmoved.
Rong Xuan knew what she was worried about: "Your Highness, please leave without worry. I won't tell anyone, and he naturally won't tell anyone either."
This "he" naturally refers to Ji Fan.
Zhao Su was willing to trust Rong Xuan, but he might not trust Ji Fan. The other party was too scheming and was a foreigner, so there were too many variables: "Are you so sure, sir?"
Hearing this, Rong Xuan unconsciously rubbed the bitten part of her lip with her fingertips, and smiled, "He's married to me, so no matter what matters in the family, I have the final say. Naturally, he won't say no."
Zhao Su didn't know why he didn't say anything after hearing this. Instead, he looked behind him and said after a while, "When I was in Zhou, I heard that the Crown Prince of Yan was extremely intelligent and had a third-grade sword. People praised him for being as gentle as jade, with a beautiful face, and both talent and appearance were top-notch. I have known him for a long time. It was General Xuanyuan who was reckless yesterday and accidentally injured his face. I hope you can apologize on my behalf."
After saying this, he stood up from his seat, raised his hand and bowed deeply: "I have remembered what you have said today, Zhao Su, goodbye."
Rong Xuan was quite surprised to see her leave so abruptly. He turned his head and looked behind him subconsciously. He saw a familiar figure appearing among the layers of red maple trees. Ji Fan was standing at the bottom of the steps of the veranda, staring at him with an ambiguous look. The side of his face was probably covered with ointment, and the injury was more obvious at first glance. It was like a piece of white paper was suddenly slashed with ink. Because of the absurdity of last night, his face was a little sickly and pale.
Rong Xuan had just spoken wildly and was caught red-handed, so he was inevitably embarrassed: "When did you come? Why didn't you tell me?"
Ji Fan took out a white handkerchief from his sleeve, covered his face with it, walked forward and sat down next to Rong Xuan, glancing at him: "If I had greeted you in advance, how could I have seen Master Rong showing off his power in front of outsiders?"
Rong Xuan noticed Ji Fan's action, raised his hand to take off the handkerchief covering his face, and looked closely at the wound: "Don't you know that the more you cover your wound, the worse it will get? What did the doctor say?"
Ji Fan: "It's just what I said. Just take good care of him for now. I asked if it would leave scars, but they all hesitated to answer. What a bunch of quacks."
Rong Xuan knew that he must still be worried, so he held his face and said, "It's hard to tell before the wound heals and scabs over, but men are bound to have scars, so just relax and take care of it."
Ji Fan said, "I have a narrow mind and have never been generous. I will get revenge on Zhao Su sooner or later."
Rong Xuan looked subtle: "It was Xuanyuan Qing who hurt you, what are you asking for from Zhao Su?"
This couple in the original novel have been turned into enemies by themselves, could they possibly rekindle their old love
There was no one around in the courtyard. Ji Fan lowered his eyes when he heard that, and leaned close to Rong Xuan. He bit his lips lightly, not too hard, and then left immediately. He smiled coldly and said, "To kill someone, you must first destroy their heart. If I cut Xuanyuan Qing, he will feel pain for a while, but if I cut Zhao Su, Xuanyuan Qing will feel so distressed that she can't sleep all night. Do you think I should settle the score with her?"
It actually sounds like it makes sense.
Rong Xuan pulled the person to sit in his arms, thinking that it was no wonder that Zhao Su was so afraid of Ji Fanji. No one would feel at ease if it were her turn. "What should I do? I just promised her that I would not tell anyone about this. If it gets out, wouldn't that be going back on my word?"
Ji Fan lowered his head and pressed against Rong Xuan's nose, his breath burning as he spoke: "You agreed, but I didn't."
His body was weak, and he didn't want to get up from Rong Xuan's arms. He was so lazy that he didn't even want to lift his eyelids. Rong Xuan knew that he was reckless last night and was afraid that he might have hurt him. He put his palm on the back of his waist and rubbed it for him from time to time: "It is said that the husband sings and the wife follows, why is it different for you?"
Ji Fan closed his eyes and said, "Don't worry, as long as the Duke of Donglin is still alive, it's okay for me to keep this secret for her for the time being."
He needs to use Zhao Su to overthrow the Duke of Donglin, and once the Duke of Donglin dies, he can use this as leverage to overthrow Zhao Su. The former is already being implemented, and as for the latter, he has not yet decided whether to do it, so let's wait and see. Revealing Zhao Su's secret now will only make the Duke of Donglin proud.
Zhao Su probably knew the reason, so he left quickly and decisively.
Rong Xuan thought that he was indeed a villain, who never forgot to plot against others no matter what time it was, but why did he just like him? He lowered his head and kissed Ji Fan, wearing white clothes without dust, and with red maple leaves rustling, just like when they first settled in the village. He also liked to wear white clothes and lie under the red maple tree outside the yard to read.
Ji Fan didn't want to admit it, but he had peeked at Rong Xuan many times. Seeing this, he suddenly raised his finger and pointed at his injured face, and said to Rong Xuan: "Kiss here."
Rong Xuan was unwilling, and suppressed his laughter and said, "I won't kiss you if you have medicine."
Ji Fan pointed to the other side of the face and said, "Then kiss here."
He insisted that Rong Xuan kiss his face. And Rong Xuan really kissed him, with deep eyebrows and gentle eyes, and he whispered in his ear: "Your Highness, you are very handsome."
Ji Fan suddenly became quiet after hearing this: "Rong Xuan, do you like Yan State?"
The Zhou Emperor needs the blood of snow wolves to make immortality elixirs. The Yan State spy secretly sent a message the day before yesterday, saying that an envoy team will bring two snow wolves to the palace for congratulations soon. Maybe this is an opportunity.
Rong Xuan: "I haven't been there, but if I were with you, I would probably like it."
Ji Fan said: "Yan State is very cold, with snow all year round, but there are also flowers blooming."
He hugged Rong Xuan's neck and closed his eyes, not knowing what he was thinking. When he opened his eyes again, a faint light appeared in his usually dark eyes, carrying a faint hope.
Zhao Su was always quick to act. In the following days, she had been secretly collecting evidence of crimes against the Donglin Marquisate, and there were 84 charges in total. In the morning court, she submitted a mountain of evidence to Emperor Zhou in front of all the civil and military officials, impeaching Donglin Marquis and Minister of Revenue Chang Sun De for corruption, assassination of court officials, abuse of power for personal gain, and forced occupation of the land where brave men were buried. All the charges were so numerous that death could not atone for their crimes, and the court and the public were shocked.
Emperor Zhou finished reading the thick pile of evidence with a gloomy face, and was so angry that he swung his sleeves and slammed the table, breaking the candlesticks all over the floor: "Asshole! Absolutely asshole! Marquis Donglin, I have always trusted your Liu family and regarded you as my most loyal minister. Are you so loyal to the emperor and patriotic?!"
All the civil and military officials in the court knelt down in fear, shouting for His Majesty to calm down. The face of the Marquis of Donglin was grim, and he obviously didn't expect that the matter of the disaster relief money in Jingzhou would be dug up by the prince for no reason. He immediately stepped out of the line and knelt down, hitting the ground with his head heavily: "Your Majesty, calm down! Your Majesty, calm down! I have fought for the country for many years and spent half my life in the military. I have never dared to be proud of my achievements. Although I have no great virtue, I will never do such a rebellious thing. I have been seriously ill recently, so I have been bedridden and know nothing about the outside world. If there are unfilial descendants in the clan who commit such a heinous crime, this old minister will definitely execute them personally to avoid bringing shame to our clan. I don't know where Your Highness the Crown Prince heard these rumors from. Please let this old minister die with a clear conscience!"
As soon as Zhao Su heard his words, he knew that he was trying to shift the blame to the irrelevant children of the side branches, and said coldly: "Three hundred thousand taels of disaster silver from Jingzhou disappeared, which is definitely not something that ordinary children of the side branches can do. The wine cellar of the Donglin Marquis's mansion is directly connected to the secret room of the Shangshu Mansion. Could it be that the children of the side branches also did it? Donglin Marquis, you use such words to deceive a three-year-old child, but are all the civil and military officials in the court fools?!"
When the situation in the court was in full swing, Rong Xuan was sitting in the courtyard playing chess with Ji Fan. He was obviously a little absent-minded, and he had to ponder for a long time before making each move.
Ji Fan held the black piece in his hand and tapped the chessboard gently: "Why, are you worried that Zhao Su can't overthrow Donglin Hou?"
Rong Xuan did not deny it: "In the case of Jingzhou, although there is evidence, there is no witness. Besides, Zhao Su is not willing to reveal that he visited the Shangshu Mansion at night, so his words and actions must be restrained, and it is easy for the Marquis of Donglin to take advantage of it."
Ji Fan glanced at the gray-clothed man who was sitting silently under the eaves not far away: "Why don't you hand Zhen He over to Zhao Su?"
Rong Xuan said: "He is a loyal servant, but not a warrior. If the lawsuit against Donglin Hou succeeds, it will be fine. If not, his life may be in danger. If he is unwilling, it is useless to force him to testify. You can only wait until he figures it out."
To put it bluntly, it is useless to force a cow to drink water. Zhen He is unwilling to testify in court, and you can't put a knife to his neck and force him to take risks.
Rong Xuan is just a commoner. Since this case concerns the imperial court, there is no way he can be asked to be a lawyer. Otherwise, he could still help advise and give some suggestions.