The person knocking on the door outside had a very loud voice. When the monks in the temple heard this, they did not dare to be negligent and hurried to open the door.
Standing outside the door was a young man dressed like a member of the imperial guards, his head and body covered in snow. He shouted at the monk who opened the door, "Why are you dawdling? Hurry up and welcome His Majesty in! If His Majesty catches a cold, can you afford it?"
The monk was still young and had never dealt with officials, so he turned pale with fright.
At this time, another voice with a gentler tone sounded outside the door: "Commander Yang, don't scare this master."
Jing Li immediately recognized that it was Deng Tianyou's voice.
The lotus pond was in the center of the courtyard, and the front was blocked by a screen wall, so he couldn't see what was happening outside the door. Jing Li swam closer so that he could hear more clearly.
Deng Tianyou explained to the monk, "Master, please don't be surprised. It is indeed the emperor's carriage outside the door. Your Majesty went to the ancestral temple to worship the ancestors. When he arrived here, he encountered auspicious snow and was blocked. Now the emperor has sent people to smooth things over with the officials. He wants to use your temple to rest for a while."
So that's how it is.
It takes several mountains to get from the capital to the ancestral temple. Although the official road has been repaired, the places over the mountains and ridges are not easy. In such a heavy snowstorm, it is indeed easy to block the way forward.
However, the emperor happened to be blocked near this temple. Isn't this too much of a coincidence
Moreover, Qin Zhao was still in the temple...
Thinking so, Jing Li looked towards the main hall. The man was still sitting there, sipping tea quietly. He didn't even raise his eyelids when he heard the noise outside.
Instead, the old abbot who was originally talking to him walked out quickly.
Jing Li quickly hid in the lotus leaves. After a while, he heard the polite voice of the old abbot: "It turns out that the emperor has arrived. I am sorry for the neglect of the temple. I hope that your majesty and the others will forgive me..."
Since the emperor himself was here, naturally no one dared to stop him. However, the carriages could not enter the temple gate, so the group of people riding horses and carriages outside the gate had to get off the ground and walk.
The old resident welcomed the guests in politely. The koi fish lay by the pond, looking out curiously.
Finally, the legendary emperor is about to appear.
Ever since Jing Li heard about their origins from Qin Zhao, he had been looking forward to this day. He wanted to see what the emperor, who was taught and raised by Qin Zhao, looked like.
The koi carp didn't bother to hide, but kept its head tilted in the water, afraid of missing even a tiny bit.
The first to appear before his eyes were several guards with swords.
Next came a young man wearing a black brocade robe and a hair crown.
The young man had no signs of illness on his face. He was surrounded by the crowd and looked completely different from the image of the emperor Jing Li had imagined. The emperor was only about twenty years old this year, with delicate features and a gentle and harmless look. When the old abbot introduced the situation in the temple to him, he even looked around curiously.
In the crowd, it looked like a white rabbit surrounded by a group of vicious wolves.
"… "
No wonder Qin Zhao never thought that it was the emperor who did this to him.
This guy doesn't even look like he dares to kill a chicken
Inside the temple hall, Qin Zhao was also staring at that figure.
He and Qi Xuan had not seen each other for six years. Six years could change a lot of things. He was older, his face was more mature, and he looked more like a decent man in the black robe embroidered with dragon patterns.
However, as a king, this man still lacks some ideas.
How can a king of a country be so lacking in dignity
Did he think he was shopping
Qin Zhao withdrew his gaze, and soon, the first few sword-carrying guards who entered the temple had walked into the main hall.
At first glance, he saw Qin Zhao sitting next to him.
"How dare you! The emperor has arrived, but you still don't stand up to pay your respects!" the guard leader named Yang shouted loudly.
This Commander Yang actually looked good, tall and strong, with a heroic look. After all, he was a rough man who practiced martial arts, and had a loud voice. His loud shouts made the monks present feel fearful.
You can't blame him.
The subordinates Qin Zhao brought with him were still feeding the horses in the backyard, while the other monks were at the front door to welcome the emperor. In the huge main hall, only Qin Zhao was still sitting calmly, which was particularly eye-catching.
"Commander Yang, calm down and stop yelling." The emperor's voice sounded, and his attitude was very patient. "We are here to avoid the snow. We will leave soon. Don't disturb other pilgrims."
He had just walked onto the stone steps outside the hall, his attention completely focused on Commander Yang, so he didn't notice what the man inside the hall looked like.
Commander Yang was very dissatisfied: "Your Majesty, this man is disrespectful to you—"
Qin Zhao gently placed the teacup in his hand on the table. The bottom of the cup touched the table, making a slight sound.
This voice just interrupted Commander Yang's words.
Qin Zhao stood up and took a half step outside. It was this half step that finally made the emperor notice this man who was dressed simply and smelled of pungent herbs.
After just one glance, the color on Qi Xuan's face suddenly faded.
Under the gaze of the current emperor, Qin Zhao lifted up his clothes and knelt straight down in front of him.
"I, the humble commoner, hereby submit my petition to Your Majesty."
Qin Zhao's voice was clear, and his words echoed in the empty hall. They were very light, but seemed to carry infinite depth.
The emperor did not respond.
His face was pale, and he stared at the man in front of him. His lips moved, but he didn't say a word.
Qin Zhao did not say anything. He just lowered his head, knelt quietly in front of the emperor, and waited quietly.
The atmosphere in front of the hall became somewhat solemn.
The civil officials who followed the emperor walked to the front of the hall.
They encountered a snowstorm in a valley not far from the temple. The sudden snowstorm blocked the road ahead, and the convoy to the ancestral temple was forced to be cut off. Most of the convoys and even the empress dowager's phoenix sedan had successfully passed the valley. The only ones left were the current emperor and his personal guards, and a few civil officials at the end of the team.
Now, most of the remaining people were clearing roadblocks in the valley, and only Commander Yang escorted the emperor and several adults to the temple to avoid the snow.
Deng Tianyou was walking among the civil officials and recognized Qin Zhao kneeling before the emperor at a glance.
This... what's going on
Is he dazzled
Deng Tianyou had been tossing and turning for many days over the plan for this ancestor worship ceremony, and every day he was trying to deduce various possible scenarios. After the failure of the tea shop and the snowstorm on the road, he was actually very disappointed and felt that this plan would most likely fail.
But who could tell him why he happened to meet the emperor and the prince just to avoid the snow
Not to mention that they didn't dare to plan it this way in advance, I'm afraid they wouldn't even dare to write it this way in the script!
Deng Tianyou didn't know how to react for a moment, but fortunately he didn't need to do anything at the moment. The Regent hadn't appeared in the capital for six years, and the officials who were close to the Regent had been transferred or executed. Among all the people present, only Deng Tianyou and the emperor recognized this face.
The emperor seemed to have forgotten the presence of Deng Tianyou. He took a deep breath and tried to move forward, but his weak legs nearly caused him to roll down the stone steps.
Commander Yang was quick to move and stepped out to steady him.
"I'm fine... I'm fine..." The emperor's voice was hoarse, he closed his eyes and whispered: "I'm just tired, abbot, please take me to the guest house."
He didn't look at Qin Zhao again, nor did he even enter the hall. He walked directly around the hall and went to the inner courtyard.
Around noon, the snow and wind in the mountains finally subsided a little.
Qin Zhao walked through the corridors of the temple and came to the heavily guarded inner courtyard. Just as he walked outside the courtyard, he was stopped by someone.
It was the Commander Yang from before.
"Why are you here again?" Commander Yang said unhappily, "The emperor is resting inside, what are you doing here?"
Qin Zhao said: "I would like to ask for help from Your Majesty."
"Your Majesty, is this what you thought you could do?" Commander Yang was very impatient. "Get out of here, or I will take you down as an assassin!"
Qin Zhao said calmly, "Please tell me that I am this year's Jiangling Prefecture champion Qin Zhao, and I know a little bit about medicine. I heard that the emperor has been seriously ill for several months, and I am willing to treat him."
Commander Yang didn't really listen to him and waved his hand: "Your Majesty, no one can stop you. Get lost!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the door of the main house outside the courtyard suddenly opened, and a maid came out: "Commander Yang, the emperor asked this gentleman to come in for a chat."
"What?"
The oral instructions delivered by the maid were actually equivalent to the emperor's orders, and the commander of the guards had to obey them.
Commander Yang not only did not listen, but also refuted: "Your Majesty is sick and weak, how can you let outsiders in so easily? If something goes wrong, can you bear the responsibility?"
Qin Zhao frowned.
How can an emperor be like this if a lowly commander of the imperial guards dares to refute the imperial edict
Before Qin Zhao could react, another person came out of the house.
Deng Tianyou walked quickly to the gate of the courtyard and said to Commander Yang in a friendly manner: "Commander Yang, I have met this Qin Jieyuan once, and I am willing to vouch for him. Qin Jieyuan is an excellent doctor. I have just asked the emperor for permission, and the emperor agreed to let Qin Jieyuan take his pulse. I hope Commander Yang will do me a favor."
The emperor twice issued oral instructions to invite people to come in, and Commander Yang had no choice but to go no matter how reluctant he was.
He snorted coldly and stepped aside to make way: "Go ahead."
Qin Zhao bowed to him and walked towards the main house.
The guest house in this mountain temple was not very good. The interior was very simple and one could see everything at a glance. The room was very quiet. Qin Zhao closed the door and turned to look at the young man sitting on the low couch.
Qin Zhao walked up to him and bowed to him: "Your Majesty, I am here."
The emperor lowered his head and responded muffledly without saying anything else.
Qin Zhao frowned slightly, but he was still very patient: "Your Majesty, please stretch out your hand. I will feel your pulse for you."
He took out a wrist pillow from his medicine box and placed it on the desk next to the emperor.
The emperor obediently stretched out his hand and let Qin Zhao feel his pulse.
After a moment, Qin Zhao withdrew his hand: "Your Majesty is in good health, but you need to keep your mind calm and avoid excessive ups and downs and worrying too much."
"W-what are you thinking?"
"Relax, don't be nervous." Qin Zhao sighed, "Qi Xuan, after so many years, why are you still the one who hides away when something happens? Is this how you become an emperor?"
The emperor shuddered reflexively and sat up straight.
Qin Zhao just felt a headache.
He thought that after not seeing him for so many years, this person would have made some progress, but why was he still so timid
Qin Zhao had just met the emperor in the palace, and thought that the emperor would come to see him. However, he waited until almost noon, but there was no news at all, so he had no choice but to come on his own initiative.
… If he waited any longer, his husband would starve to death.
Qin Zhao was too lazy to waste time with him and said directly: "It is rumored that you are seriously ill. What's going on?"
"I... I'm not sick." Qi Xuan said in a low voice, "It's my mother..."
The same as Qin Zhao’s guess.
It was the Empress Dowager who controlled the Emperor and made him pretend to be sick.
"Has the Queen Mother been running the government behind the scenes all these years?" Qin Zhao asked again.
This is not difficult to guess.
If only the emperor had a little more dignity, the guards around him would not be so domineering.
He even didn't listen to the Lord's words.
"You see I'm still alive, you don't seem too surprised." Qin Zhao asked, "How much do you know about what happened back then?"
"Back then... it was my mother who sent someone to assassinate you." Qi Xuan paused, and said, "I only found out about this after you left for Jiangling. My mother made some moves, and I couldn't contact you. When the people I sent arrived, you were gone."
"My people found traces of you falling off the cliff and searched along the river, but they couldn't find you."
By that time, Qin Zhao should have been rescued by Chen Yan'an.
Qi Xuan continued: "Later, my mother sent people to look for you several times, but there was no trace of you, so she thought you were dead."
"So you don't know about the poison in my body?"
"Poison?" Qi Xuan was a little surprised. "What kind of poison? Are you poisoned?"
Qin Zhao didn't answer.
He stared at the young man in front of him, and after a moment, he looked away: "Forget it, let's not talk about this for now. The snow is almost stopping, and you will probably leave soon. Let's talk about the important things first."
"... Do you still want to be the emperor?"
This scene is indeed a bit strange.
The former regent, who is now a commoner, raised this issue to the current emperor so openly, as if it was something that could be discussed casually.
Even Qi Xuan was stunned for a moment, and asked blankly: "Can't you not think about it?"
"Yes." Qin Zhao said, "Unless you die."
Qi Xuan said decisively: "I want to!"
Qin Zhao nodded, as if he was finally satisfied: "After you go back, forget everything that happened here, and don't do anything unnecessary. There will be an accident in the capital soon. After the accident, you should be able to be your emperor well."
Qi Xuan asked tentatively: "What are you going to do... Are you going to assassinate my mother?"
"You don't need to know how to do it specifically." Qin Zhao said, "But before that, Your Majesty, please give me a personal token to prove my identity."
Qi Xuan was very cooperative.
He searched his body for a while, and finally took off the jade pendant from his waist and gave it to Qin Zhao.
Qin Zhao put away the jade pendant, took out a piece of rice paper from the medicine box, and quickly wrote a prescription on it: "The Queen Mother will probably know that I am here to see you after the officials have been informed. I will prescribe a prescription for you to strengthen your body so as to conceal it from others."
"Will the Queen Mother believe it?"
Qin Zhao looked up at him, and Qi Xuan quickly explained: "I have no other thoughts, I am just worried... If my mother knew that someone had approached me, she would probably be suspicious. Your safety..."
"Your Majesty, please rest assured." Qin Zhao said, "I have my own plans."
Qin Zhao packed up his things, stood up and was about to go out, as if he suddenly thought of something.
Qi Xuan: "Anything else?"
"Yes." Qin Zhao said, "Your Majesty, can you send someone to find me a wooden barrel?"
"Barrel?"
"Yes, it doesn't need to be too big, just enough to hold water."
Jing Li was wandering around the lotus pond bored.
There was no water source in the backyard of the temple, so he could not go there and could only stay in the pond. Since the emperor entered the temple, the temple had been heavily guarded, and no outsiders were allowed to see the huge front yard.
It's almost noon now, and there's still no news.
What happened...
Jing Li's stomach growled with hunger and his fins flapped helplessly.
He hasn't eaten breakfast yet.
As I was thinking this, I suddenly saw someone walking towards this direction in the distance.
It’s Qin Zhao.
The koi fish hurriedly hid under the lotus leaves.
There was no movement on the water surface for a long time. The koi fish hid for a while and then quietly poked its head out.
Then he happened to meet Qin Zhao's gaze.
Jing Li: “…”
"I've seen you for a long time, why are you still hiding?" Qin Zhao raised his eyebrows slightly, put the wooden bucket filled with clean water next to the pool, and said with a smile, "You are so stupid to come out, it's time to go home."