The emperor had already moved to his bedroom, and the prince had taken the concubine back to the East Palace on the grounds that she was unwell. The evening banquet was hosted by the princess.
Huan Xuan should have gone back home, but for some unknown reason he stayed.
People who came to appreciate the plum blossoms returned to the pavilion one after another. The princess also held a bunch of red plum blossoms in her hands. As soon as she entered the pavilion, she smiled happily and gave two branches to Huan Xuan and Huan Minggui: "These are selected by the prince consort. Aren't they very artistic? I will put them in a vase when I go back and draw every branch."
There was no expression on the prince consort's face, but his neck was flushed, and it was obvious that he had been comforted by the princess.
Huan Xuan took the plum blossom and thought of the scene he had just seen from afar. His heart felt like it was pricked by a needle.
The princess was just talking about something else. While washing her hands in the warm and fragrant soup brought by the palace maid, she asked, "Have General Xiao and Master Cheng returned yet?"
Without waiting for anyone to answer, she smiled knowingly and looked at the prince consort with a smile: "Yes, I think my prince consort and I were also like this. When we saw a beautiful scene, we wanted to enjoy it together..."
The prince consort glanced at Huan Xuan, picked up a piece of plum cake from the table and stuffed it into his wife's mouth: "This is sweet."
As they were chatting and laughing, two figures dressed in white fox fur came out from the plum forest and walked along the stone path towards the hexagonal pavilion.
Huan Xuan glanced inadvertently, and the woman's figure caught his eye.
She held two plum blossoms in her hands, and her snowy face and red lips were brighter than the plum blossoms.
Huan Xuan's breath was choked, and he wanted to look away, but he was powerless.
It doesn’t hurt to take a look, he thought, and he looked again and again until she walked into the pavilion, then he hurriedly turned away.
Sui Sui and Cheng Zheng washed their hands and sat down at the desk.
Cheng Zheng asked the palace maid, "Can you bring a hand warmer?"
When the palace servant brought the hand warmer, he wrapped it with layers of silk handkerchief and handed it to Sui Sui: "This way it won't get hot. Warm your hands, General."
Xiao Ling thanked him and took it, saying with a smile, "I'm not that particular."
Cheng Zheng said: "After catching a cold, suddenly getting warm can make it easier to get sores."
As he spoke, he picked up an orange from the golden plate, peeled it, carefully removed the white orange veins, separated the petals one by one, put them on a jade-colored porcelain plate, and placed it on the food table in front of Sui Sui.
Sui Sui said: "You don't need to do this kind of thing, it's a waste of time."
Cheng Zheng lowered his eyebrows and said softly, "It's not a big deal."
Sui Sui picked up a slice of orange and put it in her mouth, wondering: "How do you know I don't eat orange tendons?" This was just her habit. Because she hated orange tendons, she hardly ate oranges.
Cheng Zheng pursed his lips and smiled: "You'll know if you pay a little attention."
He glanced at the plum branch placed beside the couch and said, "I also know that the general likes plum blossoms the most, and prefers white ones."
Huan Xuan frowned slightly. He had lived with Xiao Ling for nearly two years, but he had never noticed these things.
He knew almost nothing about her preferences. He had no idea what she liked to eat or what flowers she liked, and he had never thought about finding out.
Huan Minggui was right, this Xiao Ling was not Lu Sui Sui. To the hunter Lu Sui Sui, he was a high and mighty emperor, and any money he gave her was like alms.
She could hardly take a step without him, so he could always rest assured and never have to worry about being betrayed.
Maybe he just likes to have someone who treats him wholeheartedly and belongs to him physically.
Now she is surrounded by bees and butterflies, who knows how many other men besides Cheng Zheng are vying for her favor.
His status, martial arts, and chess skills, which he was proud of, were not rare things, because Xiao Ling also had them. Apart from a face that resembled her master, he claimed to have nothing.
He had destroyed this face with his own hands, and from now on there was nothing left for her to miss.
Cheng Zheng was not as good as him in status, nor in chess, and looked so sick that he would fall down if the wind blew. He was naturally not good at riding, shooting, or swordsmanship, but he was not necessarily inferior to him in terms of rhetoric. He felt that he was not worthy of Xiao Ling and did not take him seriously. But now he realized that Xiao Ling might like such a caring, gentle and considerate man.
Even if he was willing to be humble, could he be humbler than that frail and sickly person
Of course, he could also pass her a hand warmer, ask about her well-being, and peel oranges for her and remove the tendons. He peeled them faster and more cleanly than the other daughter-in-law.
There will always be people like this around Xiao Ling, so why should he humiliate himself and become a laughing stock
Huan Xuan stood up, excused himself to his wife and everyone else, and walked out of the pavilion without even looking back at Xiao Ling.
The princess looked puzzled. She picked up a slice of orange peeled by the prince consort and asked Huan Minggui, "What's wrong with Sanlang? Who made him unhappy?"
Huan Minggui sighed softly: "He is having a quarrel with me. It's better to let him go back and be alone."
The princess said, "Forget it. Let's just have fun. Why don't we write couplets on the theme of plum blossoms?"
Everyone was talking.
The musicians played a slow tune, the palace maids brought the desk and study, and everyone composed poems, cooked snow and made tea, and soon they completely forgot about the lonely figure gradually receding in the snow.
…
The prince returned to the East Palace. He ignored the shivering princess consort and was even too lazy to comfort her. He went back to the front yard.
He paced up and down the room, and the more he thought about it, the more frightened he became.
Xiao Ling's sudden visit to the capital to pay homage to the emperor was definitely not a whim, but must have a purpose.
So what is her purpose
An answer was about to come out. He didn't dare to think about it too much, but he had to think about it.
Huan Ye and Xiao Ling were in love back then. Would she come here because of what happened back then
Thinking of what happened back then, his heart twitched violently.
No, he tucked the cold sweat on his forehead and temples with a handkerchief, and comforted himself with a glimmer of hope. The evidence of what happened back then had been destroyed. Huan Jiong was dead, and the alchemist who made the poison was also dead. There was no evidence, so who could trace it back to him
Maybe she didn't come to Beijing for him, maybe she had some other conspiracy.
He put on a sable fur coat and walked outside, then walked along the corridor twice. He still couldn't deceive himself - although the situation between the imperial court and the three towns was not tense, it was self-evident that the emperor wanted to take back the three towns. Xiao Ling would be taking risks if he went to the capital, otherwise there would be no need to station elite troops outside Tongguan.
Apart from what happened that year, what else made her take the risk to go to Beijing in person
The boy walked a few more steps and stood for a long time holding the railing. His hands and feet were almost numb from the cold, but he didn't notice it at all because it seemed like there was a fire burning in his chest - this might be the most difficult decision in his life, more difficult than the decision to get rid of his elder brother.
He was both excited and tormented, he clenched his teeth, and his whole body trembled. It was never easy to attack relatives, even though he had done it twice.
After a long time, his eyes gradually became determined. Finally, he frowned and turned to the eunuch and said a few names: "Tell them to come to the study to see me immediately."
There were four people in total who came, all of them were the emperor's most trusted subordinates, among them was the commander of the Eastern Palace guards, Meng Cheng. He was given forty strokes of the cane because his subordinate concealed the fact that there was a knife in his left hand. His eyes were as red as gold paper, and he could hardly stand. He kept tucking the cold sweat on his forehead with his sleeves.
The master dismissed the attendants and ordered Meng Cheng to close the door. He glanced at a few people and said slowly, "I summoned you all here today because I have something to discuss with you."
Several people said, "Your Highness, please give your orders."
The son then told the story of Xiao Ling hiding in the Prince of Qi's villa.
Several people were a little bit unbelievable, but seeing the man's serious expression, they knew he was not joking.
The wife continued, "Xiao Ling has been hiding in the capital for two years. This time she has come to the court specially. I suspect that she is here to deal with the Eastern Palace."
Everyone was startled. A middle-aged man with a square jaw and long beard asked, "Your Highness, what news have you heard?"
The son glanced at Meng Cheng and said, "Commander Meng, tell me about the autumn hunt."
Several people present had participated in the conspiracy during the Autumn Hunt, so Meng Cheng said, "During the Autumn Hunt, we counted the bodies of the assassins and found two of them. It just so happened that these two people knew the whole plan."
The others hadn't figured out the connection yet, and a young man in plain clothes who looked like a hermit said, "Your Highness suspects that those two are in Xiao Ling's hands?"
The son nodded: "Yes. Xiao Ling was always by Huan Xuan's side during the autumn hunt, and was also there when he was attacked."
The others could not help but be moved. The square-jawed man stroked his beard and said thoughtfully, "Even if Xiao Ling has evidence in her hands, as a vassal general, she is not allowed to interfere in the internal affairs of the court. Your Majesty will not let her run rampant."
The young man in plain clothes just now said, "Mr. Zhu's words are very true, but Xiao Ling is a sinister and treacherous person who makes plans before taking action. Since she has come all the way to Beijing in person, she must have a plan in mind."
The square-jawed man frowned and said, "Distance does not separate relatives. I think your majesty will not allow her to sow discord between them, and he will definitely not believe it easily."
The young man in commoner clothes said, "It is very suspicious for the crown prince to make friends with the vassal generals. If Your Majesty knew that the Eastern Palace had private dealings with the Huaixi Jiedushi Mansion, I'm afraid you would be furious."
The square-jawed man wanted to refute, but he caught a glimpse of his son's expression from the corner of his eye and knew that he had already made up his mind. He swallowed the words that were about to come out and changed his mouth to say, "What Su Lang said also makes sense."
The master nodded and said, "The will of the saints is hard to predict, let alone leaving the handle in the hands of someone like Xiao Ling, there will be many troubles in the end."
He paused and said, "We cannot just sit back and do nothing about this matter. Today I invite you all to come here so that we can discuss a countermeasure."
The young man in plain clothes said, "I think we should cut the grass and eradicate the roots."
The square-jawed man was horrified: "Xiao Ling is the governor of three towns, which is related to the situation of the imperial court and Heshuo. Moreover, she is highly skilled in martial arts and has so many guards around her. If we fail to assassinate her, it will give others an advantage..."
The young man in plain clothes said, "This is already a battle of one's life and death, why should we be so timid and hesitant?"
The two of them argued back and forth, and the other two also held their own views, and no one could make out what was going on.
The boy frowned and cleared his throat.
Everyone fell silent immediately.
The master said: "What you said makes sense. Xiao Ling's identity is extraordinary, and she is also very skilled in martial arts. It is not easy to assassinate her. If the truth is revealed, I will be crippled."
His subordinates looked at each other, not knowing what he meant.
Only the young man in plain clothes nodded with a hint of understanding: "Even if Xiao Ling is killed, the King of Qi is still eyeing us with a large army, and this is only treating the symptoms and not the root cause."
He paused and said softly, "There is only one person who can depose and enthrone the crown prince..."
Everyone understood what he meant, and they were all shocked. The square-jawed man said in a trembling voice: "Su Lang, stop talking nonsense!"
The master's eyes fixed, "Mr. Zhu, please be patient. I think what Mr. Su said makes some sense."
Although he had lost his throne, he was still the son of heaven. As long as the emperor died before the crown prince was deposed, he would be the rightful emperor. He only needed to pin the assassination on Xiao Ling, and her three hundred guards would not be able to protect her even if they had the utmost power.
The King of Qi's Divine Wing Army was stationed in the capital. As long as he could control the Twelve Guards and get rid of him first, he would have no worries at all.
As long as the military power of the Divine Wing Army is in his hands, he will use the excuse of suppressing rebellion to conquer the three towns and turn his spearhead to the outside. Even if the court officials have any ideas, they will not ignore the overall situation when the enemy is at hand.
If we can take back the three towns, it will be a great achievement that will go down in history.
The prince's eyes flashed with hope, and he glanced at everyone: "Back then, you all helped me with the affairs of the Eastern Palace and the Autumn Hunt, and you all contributed a lot. Now you and I will rise and fall together. Of course, this matter is of great importance. If you are not careful, you will end up being destroyed and exterminated. I will not force you. If anyone is unwilling to serve, just tell me, I will offer money and property to repay our friendship."
Although it sounded good, no one dared to take it seriously. Several people fell to the ground and said, "Don't dare to say anything. We will follow your orders."