By the time the carriage reached Shanchiyuan, it was already bright.
Huan Xuan walked along the path in the maple forest. Through the branches and leaves, he saw the morning sun dancing on the eaves and roof tiles. The large courtyard was shrouded in the morning light, coated with a layer of warm light.
Sui Sui had already woken up. She had rested for a day and her fever had completely subsided. She was still a little tired, but she got up early to practice boxing in the room, took a bath, changed clothes, and ate some thin porridge before lying back on the bed. At this time, she was lazily leaning on the hidden bag, holding a scroll of chess manual in her hand, reading to relieve her boredom.
Hearing the maid's greeting outside the room, she was a little surprised. She sat up, put down the chess book, and was about to get out of bed to greet her, but Huan Xuan had already walked in.
His face was pale with a hint of blue, and his eyes were bloodshot, as if he had not slept all night.
Sui Sui wondered, "Is Your Highness going to the barracks?"
Before she finished speaking, she had fallen into the arms of the man.
He hugged her tightly and buried his face in her neck: "Move, let me hug you."
Sui Sui felt his body trembling slightly and his heart beating fast. She hesitated for a moment, raised her hand and stroked his back: "What's wrong, Your Highness?"
Huan Xuan didn't answer, but just hugged her tightly, which made her a little painful. After a long time, he loosened his grip a little: "Something happened in the palace, so I didn't go to the barracks."
Sui Sui's heart moved slightly. Something happened in the palace. It was very likely that Prince Chen's body had not been discovered. It would take about time for someone to find it.
She knew that Huan Xuan was not close to the five brothers, but they were still blood relatives, and seeing his brother die tragically must be very painful. Sui Sui regretted killing Huan Jiong, but seeing Huan Xuan like this, she still felt a little uncomfortable.
She calmed down and said, "Your Highness has just come to the palace. You haven't had breakfast yet, right?"
It was just an ordinary question about his well-being, but Huan Xuan could not help but feel a sense of peace and security. No matter what, there was still this corner in the world, and in this corner there was someone who completely belonged to him.
He hugged her tighter and buried his face deeper into hers: "I want to eat the chicken noodle soup you made, and the drum tower."
Sui Sui asked, "Your Highness, do you like to eat mutton?"
Huan Xuan argued: "The meat smells fishy and smells bad, and the meat that smells fishy and smells bad is mutton."
"I will do it for you right away," Sui Sui said, "Your Highness, please let go."
Huan Xuan said: "I'm not well yet. You can make it for me when you're well."
Pao Pao Pao: "Let me hold you now. I am not hungry."
Sui Sui said helplessly: "Your Highness didn't sleep well last night? Go to bed and rest."
Huan Xuan said, "I just came in from outside and haven't washed yet."
"I'll go get some hot water for Your Highness." Sui Sui said in a gentle voice.
Huan Xuan felt as if he was soaked in hot water. He said with a straight face, "Who wants me to serve you? You are not well yet. What are you doing? Go back to bed."
Then he pushed her back onto the bed and stuffed her into the quilt. He went to the bathroom to wash up, changed into pajamas, got on the bed and hugged her from behind.
He was so exhausted that he fell asleep instead. He leaned close to her ear and whispered incoherently, "Lu Sui Sui, what's your first name?"
Sui Sui's heart skipped a beat, and she slowly adjusted her breathing: "I also know that my father and mother don't know the words, they just call them for convenience."
Huan Xuan snorted lightly. He asked someone to check the woman's household registration, but there was not even a word "蛧" on it. Girls from poor families were mostly like this. The name "蹉蛧" was just for convenience of their family members.
He thought for a while and said, "I'll pick one for you. Has Grandma Gao ever read the Book of Songs?"
Sui Sui's heart trembled, and he suppressed his heartbeat, trying to calm down: "Not yet, I have only finished learning the Thousand Character Classic."
Huan Xuan held her hand in his. Her hand was thin and soft, but her fingers were slender, her palms were dry, strong and steady. He liked it very much.
He stroked her hand and said, "There is a poem in the Book of Songs, Wei Feng, called "There is a Fox". There are two characters in it that can be used as the word for fox."
Sui Sui's heart was about to jump out of her throat. She had only told Huan Ye about this matter to her family, and Huan Ye would never tell anyone else about such a thing.
Huan Xuan might know her real name, but even if she knew this, she still couldn't help but feel palpitations, as if there was some kind of divine will in the dark, which made her shudder.
"'There is a fox named Sui Sui, on the other side of the Qi River'," Huan Xuan recited a line, and then said to himself, "That's right, Sui Sui seems to be walking alone, too lonely, it's better for her to follow me. From now on, you will follow me, and I will never leave you alone again... I will write my own words someday..."
His voice gradually became lower and his breathing became heavier.
She lay stiffly on the ground with a slight movement. When she was sure that he was in a deep sleep, she gently pulled her hand away, carefully got out of his arms, and went out.
Huan Xuan slept for more than an hour. When he woke up, he found that the person in his arms was invisible. He frowned subconsciously, and then he smelled the aroma of wheat cakes with a slightly burnt smell.
He sat up, put on his clothes, got out of bed, and walked to the corridor, where he saw Lu Suisui setting up her Hu pancake stall again.
The aroma from the drum tower rose from the iron stove in waves, like warm clouds, penetrating into his lungs and warming every part of his body.
The woman stood in the courtyard with her back to him, her dark hair casually tied into a bun, her shoulders and back were thin due to illness, and she looked almost lonely.
Huan Xuan frowned and said, "Lu Suisui, you told me to lie down and recuperate, why don't you listen to me?"
Sui Sui turned around and smiled at him: "I am a commoner. I will get sick if I lie idle all day."
As he spoke, he skillfully used the bamboo stick in his hand to turn the drum tower over: "Your Highness, go wash up first. You will be able to eat in a while."
Huan Xuan went back to the room to wash and put on his clothes, then returned to the hall. Sui Sui brought in the sliced gulou fish on a plate, and placed minced fish porridge and a few light vegetables on the table.
The mutton drumsticks are rich in flavor and go perfectly with the light and sweet fish paste porridge.
Huan Xuan picked up the jade spoon and said, "You should eat with me."
Sui Sui said, "I got up this morning and ate, and I'm still hungry now. I'll just watch Your Highness eat."
As she spoke, she boiled tea on the stove.
She didn't have any particular technique for making tea. She would just grab a handful of tea leaves and crush them. When the water in the copper pot boiled, she would pour the tea powder in. She didn't care if it boiled once or twice. She would add seasonings when she thought the water was almost boiling.
Huan Xuan's eyes twitched as he watched from the side, but he finally held back and said nothing.
Sui Sui made some tea for herself and poured a cup for Huan Xuan: "The meat filling is greasy, Your Highness, please help relieve the greasiness."
Huan Xuan took the teacup and took a sip. He almost spit it out. He put the cup down, rolled up his sleeves and said, "Please move aside. I will make it."
After saying this, he asked the eunuch to go to Qinghan Courtyard to get the tea stove, tea kettle and tea bowls that he usually used.
She gave up her seat to him, brought over a stool, and watched him make tea with her chin in her hand.
The way he made tea was very beautiful, his expression was focused, his posture was elegant, his movements were smooth and flowing, it was really pleasing to the eye.
Sui Sui once again sighed in his heart that His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi was truly a very particular person.
Huan Xuan placed the black-glazed tea bowl in front of her: "Try it."
Sui Sui picked up the tea bowl with both hands, took a sip curiously, and frowned. What's the use of being beautiful? It's still sour, salty and bitter, just like the jujube tea brewed by Chun Tao.
"How is it?" Huan Xuan looked at her face.
Sui Sui really couldn't think of anything to praise, so he could only say: "Hmm..."
Huan Xuan snatched the tea bowl from her hand unhappily: "If you like it, give it back to me and I will drink it myself."
As he said this he took a big gulp as if in a huff.
Sui Sui curled her lips helplessly: "I am a country girl, I am used to drinking tea and I can tell the good from the bad."
Although Huan Xuan often made up stories about her in his mind, he was happy to hear her say it herself: "What does it have to do with the village? It's just that I'm making progress with my tongue."
Sui Sui curved his eyebrows and said, "Your Highness is right."
Huan Xuan was so annoyed by her that he put down his teacup and said, "I still have to go to the barracks. You should just lie down on the bed and don't make yourself sick."
Sui Sui raised his eyes: "Your Highness, are you still going?"
Huan Xuan nodded: "The work that needs to be done has not been completed yet."
Sui Sui said: "Your Highness, please be patient on the way."
The Divine Wing Army was stationed in the north of Ancheng, which was much closer to the Prince's Palace, so there was really no need for him to go through such a big detour.
Huan Xuan saw that she was distracted, and thought that she was depressed because she heard that he was leaving soon. His heart softened, and he stopped thinking about making tea. "There are a lot of things going on in the palace and the army these days. I think you can come and accompany me more often. I will let my thoughts run wild when I am alone."
Pause and pause: "If there is any emergency, send someone to bring the jade token to me."
…
Huan Xuan was right, and the palace was indeed peaceful for the next few days.
The emperor sent guards to secretly search Prince Chen's mansion and discovered that Prince Chen made poisons by taking medicine and making elixirs and making friends with Taoists. There was a cellar in his mansion, which contained not only the strange poison from the South China Sea that was used to poison the late prince, but also dozens of other poisons, each containing the same medicine.
The emperor was naturally furious, but he could not tell the world about the fratricide among the royal family, so he could only charge Concubine Shu and Chen Wang's mother and son with the crime of "making friends with Taoist priests, claiming to be the predictors of good and bad luck, making false statements about good and bad luck, and privately storing armor and weapons", and demoted them to commoners.
Shufei's mother's family was not a prominent official family. Her father relied on his daughter to get a fourth-rank post as the Minister of Imperial Households. Implicated in the conspiracy case of Shufei and her son, Shufei's mother's family was confiscated, her father and brother were executed, and the rest of the family was exiled 3,000 miles away.
Long before the news spread throughout the streets and alleys of Ancheng, Sui Sui had already received the news from the cosmetics shop.
On the night when Prince Chen's body was found, Concubine Shu committed suicide by taking poison in her own bedroom. The poison she took was the same one used to kill the late Crown Prince.
Huan Jiong said that this matter was his own doing and Shufei didn't know about it. Sui Sui was skeptical about his words at first, but after Shufei's death, she could be sure that she was not involved.
The murderer was eager to push the blame onto Concubine Shu and her son, but he made the biggest mistake - he should not have used that kind of poison. Even if Concubine Shu really restrained herself out of fear of crime, she should have been concerned about the fate of dozens of people in her mother's family. She should have tried her best to cover up the truth of the late prince's death, leaving a life for herself and her son, and also leaving shelter for her family.
If she just wanted to take revenge on the queen, the price she paid would be too high.
However, Concubine Shu's death was done cleanly and perfectly. Her subordinates did not find any clues. The coroner's examination of the body showed no signs of being forced. The medical officer also proved that this poison would be fatal instantly and a large dose would be required. It could be easily tasted whether it was put in food or wine. Therefore, Concubine Shu must have taken the poison voluntarily.
If one thought about it, Concubine Shu was devastated by the loss of her son and was extremely grief-stricken, if someone had guided her and told her that Prince Chen had poisoned Huan Ye, making her hopeless and terrified, and then gave her poison at the right time, and promised that as long as she died, the truth would be buried forever, so as to preserve the posthumous honors of her and Prince Chen, it would be very likely that Concubine Shu would listen to that person's words in despair. Only when she knew the origin of the poison did she voluntarily take it.
The person behind the scenes was cautious, always hiding in the dark to take advantage of the situation and go with the flow, making sure every move was foolproof. The most suspicious person was of course the crown prince, but it was not easy to catch him, unless he was forced to take the initiative...
…
After executing Concubine Shu's father and brother and a group of "evil Taoist priests and monks" who had dealings with Prince Chen's mansion, the case of Prince Chen's treason was finally settled. A few spring rains washed away the bloodstains on the execution ground, and this shocking case fell into silence.
After half a month of recuperation, her cheeks gradually became plumper. Thanks to Huan Minggui's century-old ginseng and purple Ganoderma lucidum, her body had almost recovered.
The weather was getting warmer, and fortunately the epidemic in Qinglong Temple did not spread. Huanxuan no longer had to go to the palace and the capital every few days, and finally had a few days of leisure.
After Gao Mai finished inspecting the farm and returned to the palace, his first order of business was to move the furniture and furnishings that had been moved from Shanchi Courtyard to the palace a long time ago.
He had anticipated his master's changes of heart regarding the matter of Lu Suisui, and spent half a day directing the servants to get everything ready again.
Also coming back with them was Grandma Gao.
Lu Suisui waited for the clouds to clear and the moon to appear. Nanny Gao was very happy at first, but when she heard Chun Tiao say that she had pushed the concubine she had got away, she glared at Suisui with a look of hatred.
Sui Sui just thought she saw it, and Nanny Gao began to sigh again, but Sui Sui still turned a deaf ear to it. Nanny Gao picked up the interrupted calligraphy lesson again, and taught her "Yuan Ge Xing" today, and "Yu Men Fu" tomorrow. Lu Sui Sui was still stubborn, so the old nanny had to tell her bluntly: "No matter how beautiful your face is, you will eventually grow old and lose your beauty. What will you do when your favor is gone?"
She paused and sighed, "This old slave also wants to say this, but I have to say it for your sake. I'm sure you've heard that His Majesty is already selecting a princess for your Highness. Although it has been delayed for the time being due to something that happened in the palace, now that it's over, we should bring it up again. My lady, you should make the decision before the princess is selected, so that you won't regret it in the future."
Sui Sui knew that they were all thinking about her sincerely, but it was hard to explain the reason, so she could only make up a story: "It is a great blessing to be able to serve His Highness. My mother said that I am not blessed enough, and I cannot bear such a great blessing."
This was three parts true and seven parts false, and her eyes were a little dim.
Few old people believed in fate. Nanny Gao frowned and said to herself, "What a sin." The next day, she finally recited poems about resentful women to her and replaced them with the Lotus Sutra, asking her to recite it more, read more, and copy more to accumulate merits, so as not to be overwhelmed by the favor of their highness.
Only Huan Xuan himself knew that this great favor was simply torment for him.
The two had just reconciled, and Sui Sui had just recovered from his illness, so he naturally had no time to think about it. Moreover, at that time, the Chen Wang incident happened, and there was a plague in the capital, so he was very busy, and the occasional visit to Shanchiyuan was also in a hurry.
The matter was over for the time being. She had recovered almost completely. Her complexion was getting better day by day, her cheeks were getting plumper, and her body was gaining weight. But his life began to become difficult.
But every time he thought about her having to drink contraceptive soup after having sex, he eventually gave up the idea.
I didn't care about this person before, and he did whatever he wanted. But now that I have made up my mind to treat her better, I can't let her hurt her health like this.
Huan Xuan thought of the box of pills that he had asked Gao Mai to burn, and he was so angry that he almost bit his teeth.
He has sent people to the border as fast as possible to buy medicine, but the round trip will take at least two or three months.
Sometimes he thought about returning to the palace to live for a while, as it was easier to bear in front of him, but when he thought about Lu Suisui leaving, he was afraid that he would suffer from liver depression again, so he stayed in Shanchi Courtyard. During the day, he thought about sleeping in the separate courtyard, but at night, the firelight deep in the maple forest seemed to have some magic power, and unconsciously sucked him in again.
This torture lasted until mid-April, when Gao Mai came to Shanchiyuan to deliver the account books to His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi for review.
Huan Xuan glanced at him and asked him about the situation in the mansion. He was about to send him away, but he noticed that the old man had a strange look on his face, with a cunning light in his eyes.
Huan Xuan raised his eyelids and glanced at him: "What else?"
Gao Mai bowed and said, "Your Highness, I am guilty."
"What crime?" Huan Xuan asked.
"Last time, Your Highness ordered me to burn the box of Western Region pills. I am old and dim-witted, and I forgot about it. The day before yesterday, when I was cleaning the storeroom, I found that the box of medicine was still there... Please punish me, Your Highness." Gao Mai said seriously.
Huan Xuan stared at him for a long while, then sneered, "I think you are a little senile. You can go back and enjoy your retirement."
Gao Mai said: "I will make up for the loss and burn the hut immediately when I return."
"If you can handle this matter well, I will be counting on you," Huan Xuan said, "Bring the medicine here, I will burn it myself."
Gao Mai tried to hold back his laughter, his face turning red from holding it back: "I know I am wrong, please punish me, Your Highness."
Huan Xuan glared at him and said, "Are you still going?"
Gao Mai brought the box of pills over in a moment.
Everything was ready, but at night, Huan Xuan looked a little unhappy.
After bathing, he changed into pajamas, leaned on the couch and waited for Sui Sui to bathe. He turned the ebony box over and over for a while, then placed it in a conspicuous place next to the pillow.
When he came out of the bathroom, he saw a few boxes beside his pillow and asked, "What are these?"
Huan Xuan held the scroll in his hand, pretending to be absorbed in reading it, without even raising his eyelids, and said casually, "It's good for your health to drink the contraceptive soup. Also, find me some Hu medicine."
Sui Sui's eyes moved, and she pulled open the lid, revealing a green glass bottle. She poured one out into her palm. This contraceptive pill was slightly different from the one she used, but the pharmacology should be similar.
"How do you use this?" Sui Sui asked, "Is it edible?"
Huan Xuan put down the book, sat up, and cleared his throat; "It is to be placed... After all, an orphan is left to use."
Sui Sui pursed her lips and smiled faintly: "I'm going to change my clothes."
She always remembered her duties as a fake, and knew that Huan Xuan liked her dressing up as Ruan Yuewei, so she always cooperated.
Huan Xuan said, "It will be troublesome."
Before Sui Sui could say anything, his feet had already left the ground.
Three full months had passed since the Lantern Festival, which was like three hundred years to a young man like the King of Qi.
All his limbs felt as if they were about to burn and explode, but he still held back his anger and used every means to make her happy twice.
His Royal Highness Prince Qi was very intelligent and could learn anything quickly. When he really wanted to please someone, he could not resist. Compared to the violent storms, strong winds and huge waves in the past, this kind of patient and meticulous torture was undoubtedly more difficult to endure.
Huan Xuan stroked her lips: "You're biting them so hard that they're almost bleeding. Just bear with it if you can." Although he said it in a reproachful tone, he sounded proud.
Sui Sui was still vaguely aware of the rule that he could not speak, and he endured it.
But this kind of repression was even more fatal. Seeing that she was trying so hard to hold back her anger that her eyes turned red, Huan Xuan could no longer hold back.
The next day, they both slept late as expected.
Huan Xuan had the habit of getting up early in the morning to practice swordplay, but when he opened his eyes, the sun was shining brightly in front of his bed, and he slept until noon. He couldn't help but sigh, no wonder they say that heroes are buried in the land of gentleness, with a warm and soft beauty in his arms, his whole body felt like it was soaked in aged wine.
He hugged the sleeping Lu Sui Sui contentedly, lifting a lock of her hair and rolling it around his finger to play with it, then pinching her nose to watch her frown. When she couldn't help but open her mouth, he blocked her mouth and fiddled with her tongue.
As soon as he teased her like this, she would wake up in a moment. She would look at the clock beside the bed with sleepy eyes and get up.
Huan Xuan hugged her and said, "Why rush? It's already too late anyway."
Sui Sui gathered her clothes and said, "We agreed yesterday to have someone send fresh fish over so that I can make fish soup for Your Highness."
Huan Xuan felt relieved, but he deliberately played a trick and pulled down her shirt that she had just tucked in: "I didn't ask you to be a cook, and the servants will do these things."
Sui Sui said, "This fish has a lot of bones, it's better to pick it yourself."
She turned around and gently pressed his shoulder and said, "Your Highness, please sleep a little longer. I will wake you up when the fish soup is ready."
Seeing that she insisted on busying herself for his meal, Huan Xuan couldn't bear to refuse her kindness, so he raised his eyebrows and said, "Forget it, go ahead."
When I arrived at the kitchen, the fresh fish had indeed been delivered to the kitchen. They were packed in bamboo baskets and strung with willow branches. Some of the fish were still alive.
The maids all knew the kitchen of Tangli Courtyard. When Madam Lu was cooking, others would just be in the way, so they went about their own business.
She picked out the biggest fish from the fish basket and cut open its belly with a knife. She dug out a wax ball and cut it open. Inside was a piece of paper only two fingers wide. She had been out for a while, and her subordinates had begun to use these tricks to pass messages in.
He took a quick glance and threw the note into the furnace.
There was only one piece of information on the note. The other force that was investigating Huan Ye's death finally found the source, and it turned out to be the King of Qi.
Sui Sui felt relieved. Although she had always believed that Huan Ye's death had nothing to do with the King of Qi, it would always make her feel more at ease to have confirmation. After all, after all the time they had been together, she didn't want to fight him with swords.
She steamed the fish, carefully removed the fish bones, cooked fish soup, and brought it to Huan Xuan as breakfast.
Huan Xuan had also stood up by this time, and was a little hungry. After a bowl of sweet fish soup, he felt very relaxed. After breakfast, he changed into his going-out clothes and said to Sui Sui, "I have something to do at the palace, and I will come back to have dinner with you."
Sui Sui respectfully saw him off, and only returned to his room after the sound of carriages and horses faded away, took out his pen and ink, and began to write a reply to his subordinates.
If the King of Qi is ruled out, the former Crown Prince becomes a greater suspect.
But he was just fanning the flames from the beginning to the end, without any dirty hands, so naturally he left no evidence. To make him reveal his true colors, the only way was to bait him and lure him into submission. This bait had to be heavy enough and threatening enough to make him reluctantly take the risk.
There is only one suitable bait—Huan Xuan.
The fact that the Prince of Qi holds a large number of troops has already threatened the Crown Prince's position. If the Crown Prince knew that he was still secretly investigating Huan Ye's death, he would be even more wary. He would definitely be unable to resist attacking him, and it would be much easier to catch him at that time.
But doing so would naturally put Huan Xuan in danger.
Sui Sui should have written it without hesitation, but when she picked up the pen, her hand paused.
She bit her lip and smiled at herself. No wonder they said that heroes are buried in the land of pleasure. She had been living too comfortably lately, and even her heart had softened.
When the smile disappeared from her lips, she had already finished writing her reply letter, which contained only one sentence: "Try to inform the Crown Prince about the King of Qi."
At that time, I will try my best to protect him. After all, he still has some sincerity towards me.
I put down my pen, pinched my brows, and looked out the window. The crabapple flowers had already withered, and a bird was jumping on the branch.