Upon hearing this, the man's face darkened. It was well known that Xiao Ling could draw a bow and wield a sword with both his left and right hands, but his left hand was several times stronger than his right hand.
He scolded coldly: "Why didn't you report it at that time?"
Meng Cheng secretly cried out in injustice, the King of Qi's housewife and Xiao Ling had nothing in common, who would connect them together.
He explained: "At that time, they inquired and found out that a guard in the Prince of Qi's palace had injured his right hand, so they didn't investigate further."
The girl stared at him expressionlessly.
Meng Cheng felt as if he was being stared at by a cobra, and felt a chill all over his body.
After a while, the son asked: "Why are you suspicious again now?"
Meng Cheng's waist was almost bent in half: "Reporting to Your Highness, the two assassins were killed with a single blow."
The man was horrified. If he had three doubts before, he would have seven now. Even if a right-handed person switched to his left hand due to injury, his strength and accuracy would definitely be much worse. To be able to kill a highly skilled assassin with one blow in the dark forest, one must be experienced in hundreds of battles.
He wiped the sweat from his palms on the hem of his robe and said sternly, "How could you wait until now to report such an important matter?"
Meng Cheng knelt down on the ground with a thud: "I have failed in my duty, Your Highness, please punish me."
The man glared at him and sneered: "If you really want to punish me, even if you have ten heads, it won't be enough to chop off. Don't you understand?"
Meng Cheng was sweating and knelt down, saying, "I understand."
The boy squeezed out a word from between his teeth: "Get lost!"
Meng Cheng quickly lowered his head and retreated.
The wife returned to the bed and lifted the quilt.
Ruan Yue slept lightly, and woke up when she felt a chill on her body. She opened her sleepy eyes and asked, "Where did Your Highness come back from?"
The son took off his clothes and got into bed. He glanced at his wife and said coldly, "Go to sleep. Get up early tomorrow to pay respects to the East Palace. Serve your mother diligently and don't abandon her as soon as you return to the palace."
After a pause, he said, "Mother holds a very important place in my father's heart."
Ruan Yuewei's eyes flickered, and she suddenly felt that she had found a way out of a desperate situation. The emperor and the empress were a young couple and had a deep love for each other. Even if they wanted to depose the emperor, they would still consider the empress's thoughts - the empress did not like Huan Xuan, so she would naturally favor the prince, but simply favoring him was not enough.
When she was in the harem, she had spent a lot of time on the queen. Her mother-in-law was strong-willed and upright, but her temper was easy to figure out. She was used to being arbitrary and unyielding, and she hated others disobeying her. Especially for daughters-in-law, as long as they were humble, followed her wishes, and showed weakness from time to time, they could easily win her favor.
She was neglected by the Queen in the East Palace, which was almost like being banished to the cold palace. She gritted her teeth and asked to serve the Queen, which turned out to be an unexpected success.
"I save that." Ruan Yue smiled slightly.
The son stroked her back and said, "Thank you for your hard work. Mother has become more irritable since my brother passed away. I know your difficulties. But if you take good care of mother, you will be doing me a favor."
"I am satisfied to be able to worry about His Highness," Ruan Yuewei said with a little grievance, "Why did His Highness scare me with those words just now?"
The wife said: "I just like to scare you, and you..." He bit her ear and whispered something, making Ruan Yuewei cover her face with the quilt in embarrassment.
She had just been frightened by her husband's alarmist words, but suddenly she knew that it had not come to that point. She felt relieved and began to think about other things.
"Your Highness," she raised her head, "Did you see my cousin from the Xiao family at the palace banquet today?"
The young man just remembered that Ruan Yuewei and Xiao Ling were cousins, and his heart moved: "I see. How many years have we not seen each other?"
Ruan Yuewei thought for a moment and said, "The last time I saw her was when she was about six or seven years old. After that, she never came to Beijing again."
Then he pretended to be curious: "I remember she was very pretty when she was little, I wonder if she has changed over the years?"
The man secretly chuckled, knowing that she was trying to inquire about Xiao Ling's appearance indirectly, and replied nonchalantly, "You look pretty now."
After a pause, he said, "After all, she was the one that my eldest brother liked, so she can't be bad."
Ruan Yue hummed sullenly for a while.
The man smiled and suddenly put his hand into her clothes: "But those who have fought on the battlefield are certainly not as smooth and tender as you..."
Ruan Yuewei said coquettishly: "Your Highness is making fun of me again!"
He was suffocating in his quilt, and said angrily: "Where did you learn these nonsense from, Your Highness? Why don't you go and flirt with my beloved Lady Sun..."
The prince sneered: "Haven't you forgotten that incident? You are the princess consort, she is just a plaything. I just deliberately angered her."
He suddenly had an idea: "Tomorrow, my father-in-law has invited my cousin from the Xiao family to go to the Imperial Garden to appreciate plum blossoms. We cousins haven't seen each other for many years. Why don't you go with me?"
He was never sure whether Xiao Ling was Huan Xuan's stay-at-home wife. But Ruan Yuewei loved Huan Xuan, so she would definitely regard the stay-at-home wife as an enemy and pay special attention to her. Even after several years, she might be able to recognize her.
Ruan Yue hesitated: "With the officials here, I'm afraid it will be inconvenient."
The wife said: "It's okay. It's just a casual banquet. My eldest sister is going too. Besides, Xiao Ling is a woman herself, so it's more convenient for us to be there."
Ruan Yuewei hummed softly for a moment: "Then I will listen to your Highness."
She also couldn't wait to see the true face of her cousin from the Xiao family - Gu Xinzi had ignored her advances because of Xiao Ling. She wanted to see what kind of woman could make someone like Gu Xinzi fall in love with her at first sight.
From what her wife said, she knew that Xiao Ling was indeed quite pretty, and she wanted to compete with her even more.
"Your Highness, what color clothes should I wear tomorrow?" she asked her husband.
Wife: "Just decide, whatever looks good in it."
Ruan Yue brushed her hair slightly and said, "Your Highness, are you making fun of me?"
The wife was too lazy to give her a perfunctory reply and took off her pajamas: "You look best in this way, Qingqing."
…
The next day, Ruan Yuewei got up early in the morning to dress up, changing her hairstyle three or four times and changing her clothes seven or eight times before she was ready. Her wife had to call the eunuchs to urge her twice before she slowly left the room, her long skirt dragging behind her.
After getting on the carriage, Ruan Yuewei said to her husband: "Your Highness, please wait a long time."
The wife smiled and said, "Soon, a celestial being will come to earth. It will be worth waiting for half a day."
Ruan Yue pouted for a moment, but was secretly happy in her heart. She didn't believe that anyone in the world could surpass her.
Today's plum blossom banquet is held on the island in the pond in the inner courtyard of Penglai Palace.
The island is planted with red plum blossoms all over. A tall pavilion with flying eaves and carved railings is built among the plum groves. From the pavilion, one can overlook the plum grove like red clouds and the snow-covered lake. There is also a study and a hexagonal snow-viewing pavilion next to the pavilion.
The couple rode on a sedan chair to the island and walked up along the winding stone path.
Ruan Yuewei raised her head and saw a woman in purple silk and fox fur standing on the high platform of the pavilion.
Ruan Yuewei thought it was the White Princess at first, but then she found the White Princess in a fox fur coat was talking to the woman, and she realized who that person was.
Because it was a casual banquet, she did not wear the military officer's robe, but dressed like a woman with her hair in a bun. I could only vaguely see her profile, but she looked inexplicably familiar.
Ruan Yuewei's heart skipped a beat, and she had an ominous premonition for no reason.
The son glanced at her and said nonchalantly: "The one next to the eldest sister is Xiao Ling."
Before she finished her words, the woman seemed to sense something, turned around and looked down at the stone path. Ruan Yuewei saw her face clearly.
Xiao Ling also saw the couple, with a smile on his face, and bowed to them from a distance.
Her smile was brighter and more eye-catching than a red plum blossom in the snow, but Ruan Yuewei no longer cared about her appearance at this moment.
It was the very face she hated—the fake face.
She felt a blank in her mind and stared in disbelief.
The boy saw her expression and his heart sank.
He held Ruan Yuewei's hand and felt her palm was cold and sticky. He pretended not to understand: "What's wrong?"
Ruan Yue's lips trembled slightly. She turned her head and whispered in her son's ear: "Your Highness, do you think that Xiao's cousin looks a bit like the same person?"
My son said: "I think she looks a bit like you."
Ruan Yue shook her head slightly and said, "Your Highness, do you still remember the housewife that my third brother kept?"
The wife pretended to be surprised: "Your name is the same, it seems that there are some similarities, but why would Xiao Ling..."
Ruan Yuewei was also confused. She knew that Zhao Qinghui had killed the housewife. If that woman was really Xiao Ling, how could she have escaped death? Did she know that Zhao Qinghui had killed her for her
She didn't dare to think further, her face was pale: "... Maybe I made a mistake."
She paused and said, "I heard that woman talking during the autumn hunt. Her voice is very special, so I should be able to tell it."
The master looked solemn and said, "This matter is very serious. We must identify it carefully."
While they were talking, the sedan chair arrived in front of the pavilion, and the two of them got off and climbed the stairs.
When they arrived at the pavilion, they saw that the emperor and his ministers had already arrived. Xiao Ling and Princess Xiao had already returned to the pavilion and were now sitting beside the emperor, chatting and laughing.
The princess and her husband stepped forward and saluted the emperor.
The emperor glanced at Xiao Ling and smiled at his daughter-in-law: "Aruan, it seems that Xiao Qing and I are cousins. We haven't seen each other for many years. You can have a good chat."
Xiao Ling bowed and said, "Greetings, Madam Consort."
Although Ruan Yuewei had expected it, the sound still felt like thunder in her ears.
She was horrified, but managed to calm herself down and returned the greeting: "No need to be polite, cousin. Just call me sister."
Xiao Ling smiled faintly: "I dare not overstep my authority. How is my aunt doing? I hope my aunt will forgive me for not being able to visit you."
Ruan Yuewei forced herself to greet her, but her soul seemed to have left her body.
Xiao Ling asked with concern: "Cousin, you don't look well, but is your body not feeling well?"
Ruan Yuewei took out a silk handkerchief and gently tucked the cold sweat off her forehead: "Thank you for asking, cousin, I was in a hurry when I was going up the stairs just now."
After chatting for a while, the emperor asked everyone to take their seats.
Princess Wen specially gave her seat to Ruan Yuewei: "Ah Ruan, please sit here. We cousins haven't seen each other for many years. We must have a lot to talk about."
Princess Xu had also seen Lu Suisui during the autumn hunt, but she was so broad-minded that she didn't think much of it at all. She let the cousins sit together out of kindness.
Ruan Yuewei's expression darkened a little.
After everyone was seated, palace servants came in one after another carrying wine vessels, food utensils and dishes.
Xiao Ling picked up the chopsticks with his left hand.
The princess was curious: "I heard that General Xiao can draw a bow and wield a sword with both hands. I wonder if he can hold chopsticks with his right hand?"
Xiao Ling said casually: "I could do it originally, but my right arm was injured a few years ago, so my left hand is not as flexible as before."
Princess: "Did you get injured on the battlefield?"
Xiao Ling: "It was caught by a wild beast."
Ruan Yuewei's heart skipped a beat again. She remembered that during the autumn hunt, she stepped on the woman's right arm to mount the horse. She heard her neigh softly and her right arm shrank, as if it was injured.
She was almost certain that the female Rakshasa killer god in front of her was the housewife from that year.
After three sections of music were composed, the emperor asked everyone present to compose poems.
Although Xiao Ling was a military commander, her family had been aristocratic for generations. She started to learn at the age of four, studied under famous scholars, read thousands of books, and her rhetoric was also very outstanding.
However, she brought Cheng Zheng to the banquet today, intending for him to make a splash, so in order to avoid him stealing the show, she only wrote a mediocre commissioned piece.
The emperor still looked at him with admiration: "Xiao Qing's literary talent is brilliant, he is truly a talent that can become a general or a prime minister."
A group of poets also praised it unanimously: "The most valuable thing is the spirit between the lines."
Cheng Zheng also did well. The emperor glanced at his work and his eyes lit up: "He is a top scholar."
Ruan Yuewei had always been proud of her talent for poetry, but at this moment she had no interest in composing poetry. She hastily wrote two poems as a reward. The emperor reluctantly praised her for her "elegant words" and then forgot about it.
The emperor rewarded everyone with silk, gold and jade, and then said to Xiao Ling: "I heard that you are a national master, so I specially summoned two chess players from the Imperial Academy to ask you for advice."
Xiao Ling smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I am overjoyed to receive your praise."
He paused and looked at Cheng Zheng: "Cheng Langya is good at this, why not let him ask the two attendants for advice."
The emperor stroked his beard and smiled: "Xiao Qing is too modest. As the saying goes, 'A strong general has no weak soldiers'. This Cheng Lang must be one of the best masters."
Sui Sui nodded to Cheng Zheng, who stepped forward and bowed without being servile or arrogant: "I'm here to show you my ugliness."
The emperor pointed to a thirty-year-old chess player and said, "Mr. Feng, please accompany Mr. Cheng to play chess."
Immediately, the eunuchs removed the singing and dancing music, brought in a red sandalwood chessboard inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and placed it in the center of the gilded dance mat.
Cheng Zheng sat opposite the chess player. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, then bowed to the chess player and said, "Please teach me."
…
Huan Xuan slept until noon and woke up with a splitting pain in his legs. He vaguely remembered that he had said a lot of ridiculous things and done some absurd things last night, but he could not remember the details.
He stood up, washed and changed his clothes, and asked the eunuch: "Where is Prince Yuzhang?"
The eunuch said: "Reporting to Your Highness, Prince Yuzhang is staying in the west wing, and he may be asleep soon."
Before he finished speaking, a man came in through the curtain in disheveled clothes, rubbing his eyes and reeking of alcohol. It was Huan Minggui.
"Ziheng, lend me some clothes," Huan Minggui said without hesitation, "something brighter, not those old-fashioned ones you usually wear. I want to go to the palace to see the beauty."
Huan Xuan's forehead veins jumped, and he was about to make a sarcastic remark when a eunuch came behind the curtain and said, "Your Highness, a eunuch is here to deliver the emperor's oral instructions."
They both said in unison: "What's the matter?"
Huan Xuan glanced at Huan Minggui and rubbed his forehead: "Come in and talk."
The eunuch lifted the curtain and entered the room, bowing to the two men and saying, "Your Majesty is entertaining General Xiao in the East Palace Garden, and has summoned two Hanlin chess masters to attend the banquet, so that the plain-clothed attendant beside General Xiao has been beaten without any resistance..."
Huan Xuan understood the key point immediately. Those who could enter the Hanlin Academy as chess players must be the best among the best. However, he was easily defeated by Xiao Ling's followers, which was a loss to the royal family. The emperor wanted him to win back a victory.
But if I go, I will inevitably meet Xiao Ling...
Without waiting for the eunuch to finish his words, Huan Minggui patted his cousin on the back and said, "Ziheng, go and teach that bastard a lesson. The glory of our Huan family depends on you."