On the way back, the wind and snow gradually stopped.
Qin Zhao did not ask anyone to follow him. After having lunch in the temple, he rode back to the capital alone. On the way, he told Jing Li everything he had just talked about with the little emperor.
After Jing Li heard what he said, he asked doubtfully, "Is that it?"
"What else do you want?" Qin Zhao held the wooden barrel containing the little koi in his arms, held the reins with one hand, and walked slowly up the mountain.
"It always feels too simple..." The little koi swam back and forth in the wooden barrel to digest the food, its soft tail fin swaying slightly, "Isn't his role as emperor too pathetic?"
Although he had learned from Qin Zhao what the little emperor looked like in the past, he still couldn't believe it after seeing it with his own eyes. After all, he was the king of a country, and it was too strange for him to be manipulated by others.
Jing Li thought about this and began to reflect on whether he was too hostile to the little emperor.
Qin Zhao intended to retire, but he was assassinated and poisoned not long after. When these things came out, everyone would suspect the young emperor.
Do these things really have nothing to do with the little emperor
"We will know the truth sooner or later." Qin Zhao said indifferently.
Jing Li felt that there seemed to be a deeper meaning in his words, and asked: "Do you also think that the little emperor is not telling the truth?"
Qin Zhao: "There is no evidence, just speculation."
The little koi fish wagged its tail at him: "Then just guess."
"Okay, guess what." Qin Zhao smiled, but asked in return, "If you were the little emperor, and you found that the regent who should have died suddenly appeared in front of you, what would your reaction be?"
"Hmm..." Jing Li thought about it seriously, "If the death of the Regent is related to me, I should be very scared."
Qin Zhao asked: "What are you afraid of?"
"I'm afraid he'll take revenge." Jing Li said, "Think about it, from the little emperor's perspective, he was on a long journey today and encountered a mountain road blockade. He arrived at the dilapidated temple without many guards and met his old enemy. He must have thought it was premeditated, right? If it was, he would definitely be very scared."
Qin Zhao lowered his head and looked at him thoughtfully.
"What, what's the matter?" The little koi tilted his head back, "Is it right?"
Qin Zhao shook his head: "Hey, you are right."
"I just wondered when you became so smart."
The little koi was about to lift his tail, but after hearing this sentence, he felt something was right: "Do you mean I was stupid before?"
Qin Zhao coughed lightly: "Nothing."
Jing Li snorted twice and took his advantage.
Qin Zhao smiled at him and said seriously: "What you said just now is not wrong, but think about it again, if what happened back then had nothing to do with him, what would he do?"
"What else can we do?" Jing Li didn't understand what he meant. "If your accident has nothing to do with him, he should be very happy that you are back. After all, he is now being controlled by the Queen Mother, and he should be hoping that someone can come and break the deadlock."
Qin Zhao asked: "But how can he prove that this incident has nothing to do with him?"
Jing Li fell silent.
He vaguely understood the meaning of Qin Zhao's words.
"He is indeed afraid of me, but it must be because he feels guilty." Qin Zhao sighed, "It's been six years. Now you are afraid of him, and he is also afraid of you. He doesn't know why you came back and what your plans are. His behavior today is just because he is afraid that you will be impulsive and take his life."
Qin Zhao had made a lot of preparations for his next audience with the emperor. In fact, on this matter, the little emperor was in the open while Qin Zhao was in the dark.
Faced with such an emergency, even Qin Zhao would not be too calm.
In other words, if the little emperor really behaved calmly and answered questions fluently today, Qin Zhao was sure that he would let him leave the temple.
"That guy didn't know anything before. Do you know what he is best at?"
Jing Li: “What?”
Qin Zhao: “Cry.”
Qin Zhao said calmly: "Qi Xuan has been like this since he was a child. He knows that as long as he cries, he will appear weak, and the weaker he is, the more others will take him seriously. But before he was named the crown prince, he already knew what to do."
Little Koi was a little stunned when he heard this. Qin Zhao chuckled and said, "You really think he is a weak and useless person, right? Wake up, he was the only prince who survived the battle for the throne."
Qin Zhao raised his eyes and looked into the distance, and sighed: "How could there be a truly mediocre person in the royal family?"
Jing Li felt a headache when he thought about it, and he was too lazy to think about the twists and turns, so he asked Qin Zhao directly: "What should we do next? Have you agreed to help him solve the Queen Mother's problem?"
"Who agreed?"
"ah?"
Qin Zhao raised his eyebrows slightly: "Did you promise it yourself?"
"Don't play word games!" The little koi splashed water in anger. "You asked the little emperor for the token, are you trying to help him regain power? Then what do you want to do?"
Qin Zhao was still nervous and said slowly: "You are a civil official, you are a military general, it is your turn to take care of these things."
Jing Li calmed down, and a candidate emerged in his mind: "Are you... Xiao Yue?"
Qin Zhao nodded, his attitude very righteous: "He brought his personal soldiers to the capital, if it's not for nothing, he should do something."
Jing Li: “…”
And he is so open about taking advantage of others.
When Qin Zhao arrived, Jing Li already understood the other party's plan.
Judging from the current situation, their primary enemy is no longer the little emperor.
The Queen Mother holds real power and is most likely the mastermind behind the assassination of Qin Zhao. It would be absolutely right to start with her.
This matter even required Qin Zhao to step in personally.
The Xiao family would not allow the empress dowager to continue to wield power. Now all they needed to do was hand over the little emperor's token to Xiao Yue and then convey the little emperor's current situation.
What happened next had nothing to do with Qin Zhao.
Jing Li said: "Do you think you can just sit back and enjoy the benefits?"
"Of course I do." Qin Zhao said frankly, "It's just that those who are capable should do the work. After all, I am in poor health and have no military power at my disposal."
As for what the truth was back then, we can wait until the real power is taken back and then slowly investigate it.
And all of this can be done by that great general.
"But will the Queen Mother take the initiative?" Jing Li asked, "The Queen Mother will definitely know about your coming soon, and you don't have a good name. What will you do if she asks someone to investigate you?"
"It's okay. I've made preparations in advance."
Qin Zhao did not explain further.
Perhaps because he had finally put his worries to rest, Qin Zhao was in a good mood on his way back. He even had the leisure to chat with Jing Li while enjoying the snow.
It’s a pity that Jing Li didn’t bring any clothes, so he could only be held in the form of a fish by Qin Zhao.
"But you can wear it." Qin Zhao also proposed a solution.
He also had a change of clothes in his bag.
Jing Li flatly refused: "Absolutely!"
"What's there to be shy about? You've never worn it before." Qin Zhao said.
The little koi swung its tail and sank to the bottom of the water, giving Qin Zhao no chance to negotiate.
How could it be the same as it is now? And they had to ride back to the city on horseback. What would it look like if someone saw them
The little koi fish wagged its tail gloomily at the bottom of the water. Qin Zhao said helplessly, "I told you to come out a long time ago."
"I'm worried about you." The little koi spit out bubbles. "Anyway, no one can recognize you as a fish. If you are in danger, I can still save you, right?"
Qin Zhao asked back: "If you get lost in the mountains and encounter danger, how can I save you?"
Jing Li didn't speak.
Qin Zhaola stopped the horse and looked down at the little koi in the barrel: "Don't do such things again, little fish."
"Just because you met me by accident this time doesn't mean it will happen every time in the future. I don't want you to risk your own safety."
"I know..."
After calming down and thinking about it, Jing Li realized that his behavior this time was indeed a bit impulsive. He swam to the surface and said seriously: "I will do it better next time, I promise."
"You said the same thing before." Qin Zhao sighed, his fingertips fell on the little koi's head and touched it gently, "This time you are the greatest contributor, I forgive you."
"I also think you are a hero." The little koi swam back and forth around Qin Zhao's finger a few times, feeling very proud. "If it weren't for you, you might not have seen the emperor yet. You are still very useful."
"I told you, you..."
"You can rely on the luck of koi, you know." Jing Li interrupted him, "You don't have to rely on luck, but you can enjoy the surprises it brings occasionally. You told me that."
It was Qin Zhao who first taught Jing Li how to accept the advantages and influences brought by his physique. It was also Qin Zhao who reminded Jing Li again and again not to rely too much on the benefits brought by his physique.
"Sometimes I think you look like an old man." Jing Li said earnestly, "You are only in your early thirties, and you have the vigor of a young person, okay? Don't think of yourself as an old man just because others always call you sir."
"… "
Qin Zhao raised his eyebrows, and the little koi quickly dived into the water and dared not come out again.
Qin Zhao and Jing Li walked and stopped until dusk before they returned to the capital. Qin Zhao walked into the city, bought cakes and candied haws for Xiao Yuzai at the market, and went home with his own little koi.
The next morning, Xiao Yue, who was secretly stationed near the capital, received a secret letter.
The secret letter was unsigned. As soon as Xiao Yue opened it, an exquisite jade pendant slipped out of the letter.
Xiao Yue recognized the thing. It was something left by the late emperor for the current emperor.
The secret letter described in detail all the defense and armament situations in the capital, as well as the number of imperial guards that the emperor would lead to the ancestral temple, and even considerately offered the sender's strategy.
There is only one neat and clear line of words.
—Treat others as they have treated you.
Xiao Yue didn't look up for a long time after reading the letter. After a while, he kicked over the charcoal brazier in front of him: "Qin Shu, that bastard, is using me again!!!"
A great general would not be easily used. Even if the two armies were to confront each other, the former regent could be spared. Xiao Yue immediately sent someone to the capital to find Qin Zhao, but the news he got was that Qin Zhao's family had already left and disappeared.
On December 16, the present emperor set out for the ancestral temple to worship his ancestors for three days.
On December 18, the emperor was attacked by a group of unknown men on his way back to the city. Fortunately, the emperor was fine, but the queen mother was a little frightened and ordered a thorough investigation of the matter.
The next day, General Xiao Yue, the Protector of the Nation, suddenly arrived in the capital and claimed that he had captured the criminal who tried to assassinate the emperor.
After being severely tortured, the criminal confessed that he was instructed by an important official from the Queen Mother's direct line.
General Xiao Yue demanded a thorough investigation of the Queen Mother's direct lineage on the pretext of clearing the emperor's side. Faced with such a request, the Queen Mother was naturally unwilling to give in. The two fought fiercely in the capital, and finally Xiao Yue led his troops to station outside the city and threatened with military power.
"He is indeed a reckless man. If he does this, he is afraid that the young emperor will accuse him of treason in the future." In a bamboo house in the mountains hundreds of miles away from the capital, Qin Zhao put down the secret letter in his hand and said leisurely, "Now that we have reached this step, the matter should be settled soon."
Ah Qi responded: "Congratulations, sir."
"It will be too late to congratulate after everything is settled smoothly." Qin Zhao threw the secret letter into the brazier and burned it. He tilted his head and asked, "Where is the madam?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a voice from outside: "You're back!"
Jing Li rushed in with the little fish cub.
It had snowed in the mountains last night, and the two of them went for a walk in the mountains. Their clothes and hair were covered with snow, but the snow melted away as soon as they entered the house.
"Where did you go again?" Qin Zhao asked.
After meeting the little emperor, Qin Zhao knew that he could not stay in the capital for a long time. Fortunately, he had made preparations in advance and found a secluded forest hundreds of kilometers away from the capital and built a bamboo house.
The area around the bamboo house is carefully arranged and is much safer than the capital.
They moved in and stayed there for almost a month.
Jing Li winked at the little fish, and the father and son loosened their hands, and a dozen small wild sweet potatoes rolled out from under their clothes.
"We've been digging for a long time!" Jing Li said happily, "Let's have lunch at noon."
"… "
No wonder both of them were so dirty as if they had rolled in the mud; it turned out they were digging sweet potatoes.
Qin Zhao laughed.
He was also worried that Jingli would feel bored living in the mountains, but it turned out that he was very happy. He took his son up the mountains and down the river every day, and he was very happy.
Qin Zhao found a winnowing basket and helped Jing Li pick up the sweet potatoes on the ground. He said, "Just come and roast them. Take your son to wash his hands and face and change his clothes. You guys are so dirty."
The two cats looked at each other, and Jing Li said, "Okay, then you have to keep an eye on the fire and don't burn it."
Only after getting Qin Zhao's promise did Jing Li feel at ease and left with the little fish in his arms.
Qin Zhaoze took Ah Qi to the yard.
The bamboo house they live in now was built temporarily. Due to space constraints, it is smaller than the one originally built in Linxi Village. It has no bamboo walls and no pool.
There is a fence around the yard, and a simple kitchen is built next to it.
Qin Zhao brought the sweet potatoes that her husband and son had worked so hard to dig up to the stove. Ah Qi took the initiative to wash the sweet potatoes, while Qin Zhao began to add firewood to the stove.
By the time Ah Qi washed the sweet potatoes, Qin Zhao had also started the fire.
It was not difficult to bake sweet potatoes, you just had to put them at the bottom of the stove and bake them. And most of it was due to the good fortune of Jing Li and Xiao Yuzi Koi that the sweet potatoes they dug were of the best quality, better than those sold in the market in Beijing.
Qin Zhao roasted seven or eight sweet potatoes at one time. Just as he buried them, he heard footsteps outside the yard.
A young man dressed as a villager stood outside the fence and said respectfully: "Mr. Qin, there is someone outside the forest who wants to see you."
"… His last name is Qi."