There are people guarding the area around the forest where the bamboo house is located. These people pretend to be villagers or passing merchants. On the surface, they are just ordinary people, but in fact they are responsible for protecting the safety of Qin Zhao's family.
As long as someone wants to get close to this place, Qin Zhao will get the news in advance.
The visitor openly revealed his surname to be Qi, and it was obvious who he was.
Qin Zhao stood up and asked, "Did he come here alone?"
"Yes." The young man said, "We have checked and no one is following us."
Qin Zhao: "Let him in."
The young man took the order and did it. Not long after the man left, Jing Li came out after changing his clothes and leading the fish.
"Who's coming?" Jing Li asked.
Qin Zhao: "Qi Xuan."
Jing Li was shocked: "How did he find this place?"
"I guess Xiao Yue said that." Qin Zhao didn't care and didn't seem too surprised.
He raised his eyes to look at Jing Li. He and Yuzi were wearing clothes made of the same material. The collar and cuffs of the pomegranate red jacket were sewn with a circle of white rabbit fur, which made them warm and cute.
Qin Zhao helped Jing Li straighten his collar and said, "The sweet potatoes are already roasting. You come and watch the fire later."
"Yeah!" Jing Li nodded obediently.
The sweet potatoes had just been put into the pot and needed to be roasted for a while, but the little fish couldn't wait. As soon as he came out, he ran to the stove eager to try, but Qin Zhao grabbed him quickly.
The two little balls on the little fish's head were pinned by Qin Zhao this morning. Now they have loosened a little and are swaying as he walks.
Qin Zhao said: "It's not cooked yet, don't be impatient."
The little fish cub was grabbed by the collar, kicked his legs, and then leaned into Qin Zhao's arms: "Are you hungry..."
The kid has grown taller and his facial features have also developed a little. The more he looks at him, the more he looks like he was carved from the same mold as Qin Zhao.
"Just wait a moment, you'll be able to eat it soon." Qin Zhao squatted down, rubbed the little fish's head, and looked up at Jing Li, "Did your son learn these tricks from you?"
She is becoming more and more skilled at acting like a spoiled child.
"How is that possible?" Jing Li certainly didn't admit it. "Have I ever done that? Ah Qi, what do you think?"
"…" Ah Qi was inexplicably dragged into the couple's flirting, and his ears turned red, "Your subordinate, your subordinate is not aware of this."
The young man's embarrassed look made Jing Li burst out laughing. Qin Zhao was helpless: "Don't tease him."
This was the scene that Qi Xuan saw when he walked along the secluded mountain road.
The family was having a great time, chatting among themselves, not paying any attention to him as the upcoming guest. Qi Xuan stood outside the fence for a while, and when he saw that no one was paying attention to him, he cleared his throat again.
“Ahem!”
Qin Zhao turned his head and smiled: "Are you here?"
"..." Qi Xuan was scared in a second, and almost couldn't help but take a step back, "Come, come."
Qin Zhao returned the little fish to Jing Li. When he let go, he squeezed Jing Li's hand to comfort him. Then he glanced at the little emperor standing outside the door, who was dressed like an ordinary citizen, and said indifferently, "Come in."
The little emperor changed into plain clothes today and put a folding fan on his waist, looking more like a wealthy young man from an ordinary family.
Jing Li felt that this look suited him better.
Qin Zhao led the little emperor into the house, Ah Qi followed to serve tea, and Jing Li sat in the yard holding the fish cub and watched the sweet potatoes roasting in the stove. The sweet potatoes gradually became fragrant, but Jing Li seemed to have lost interest.
"Why are you looking for him now..." Jing Li looked at the main door and muttered to himself, "I always feel that he has bad intentions, what do you think?"
The little fish was concentrating on looking at the roasted sweet potatoes on the stove and ignored him.
"Fish, Daddy is talking to you!" Jing Li said happily.
The little fish turned around and looked at Jing Li blankly.
I have no idea what my father is worried about.
"Forget it." Jing Li was disappointed with his son who only knew how to eat. "I'll figure it out myself."
Inside the room, Qi Xuan sat down on the chair awkwardly.
As the king of a country, he should take the seat of honor wherever he goes, but his former teacher did not intend to give him this face. Qin Zhao sat down in the main seat, Ah Qi brought them two cups of tea, and then left the room.
The atmosphere was a little heavy.
Qi Xuan touched the teacup, smiled bitterly, and began to make small talk: "Your son... is very cute."
"Thank you." Qin Zhao drank his tea calmly.
Qi Xuan: “…”
The atmosphere became even stranger.
Qi Xuan just wanted to cover his face.
Does it mean that the Regent is much gentler now that he has a husband and children? Why is he still so fierce? ?
He is really good at communicating with this person, always has been!
The little emperor hesitated for a while, and then Qin Zhao put down his teacup and said, "If you don't have anything to say, please go back."
"Yes, yes, I have something to say!" Qi Xuan was afraid of being kicked out, so he hurriedly said, "I came here because I have something important to say to you!"
Qin Zhao raised his eyebrows slightly.
Actually, Qin Zhao had always been quite kind to Qi Xuan. Although he was strict, he always stood by him. Perhaps it was because students were born to be in awe of their teachers that Qi Xuan had been afraid of this person since he was a child. Even though they hadn't met for many years, the fear that was engraved in his bones had not diminished at all.
He swallowed, almost not daring to look into the other person's eyes, and whispered: "That day in the temple, I didn't tell the whole truth..."
"I know you were poisoned."
Qin Zhao's eyes darkened.
"I... I only found out about it later. Believe me, I will never harm you, let alone poison you!" Qi Xuan said anxiously.
Qin Zhao closed his eyes and tried his best to keep his voice steady: "Tell me, what's going on?"
"Six years ago, you went south to prepare for retirement. Not long after you left the capital, I discovered that my mother was secretly planning to send troops to assassinate you." Qi Xuan said, "I rushed to find you after receiving the news and rescued you from the melee, but... I found that you were poisoned."
"You were unconscious and had no memory. No one knew you. I didn't dare to bring you back to the capital like that, so I had someone fake your death and secretly hid you near Jiangling, and found a few people to take care of you."
"But one day, you got sick and injured them, and ran away."
"My men chased after you, but they only found traces of you falling off the cliff."
Qin Zhao frowned and asked, "Why didn't you tell me the truth that day?"
Qi Xuan was silent.
Qin Zhao's tone became more serious: "Since the poisoning has nothing to do with you, why didn't you tell me directly that day?"
Qi Xuan shuddered, his voice trembling a little: "Poisoning... It has nothing to do with me."
Qin Zhao was stunned.
“After returning to the capital, I asked someone to investigate the matter carefully, and later… I found traces of Shen Huan Powder in the incense you usually use.”
Incense.
As soon as these two words came out, Qin Zhao understood instantly.
The person who poisoned him did not inject a large amount of Shen Huan Powder into him at once. Someone put it in incense and let him inhale it every day. Day after day, year after year, it accumulated for many years and the poison took effect one day.
What a deliberate plan.
Qin Zhao took a deep breath and said in a low voice: "Have you found out who poisoned me?"
"We found out." Qi Xuan said, "A servant in your house admitted to poisoning after being tortured. He said he was... following the order of the emperor."
With a crisp sound, the teacup broke into pieces on the ground, and the tea spilled everywhere.
"… I didn't execute that servant. He is now being held in secret custody. If you want to see him, I can arrange it."
Qin Zhao did not answer.
He only felt a buzzing sound in his ears, and the blood in his body was rushing up. He could no longer hear clearly what the people around him were saying.
Qi Xuan stood up and tried to help him, but was pushed away by Qin Zhao. He lowered his eyes and suddenly smiled.
I am ashamed to be the late emperor.
He just smiled and looked up at Qi Xuan: "Your Majesty, have you learned it? This is the true art of imperial power."
He should have thought about it earlier. How could the late emperor trust him to deal with the queen? Was he worried that the regent's power would grow stronger and he might rebel in the future
The late emperor sent the regent to destroy the Shen Huan powder and develop an antidote, but he secretly kept a part of it for himself.
Have someone poison the regent in small amounts over several times. After a few years, when the little emperor grows up, the poison will have penetrated into the regent's lungs, and he will become a useless person.
By then, no one would be able to compete with his son for the throne.
The young emperor did not dare to say it that day because he was afraid that after Qin Zhao learned the truth, he would no longer support the Qi family and rebel against the court.
"It is my Qi family that has let you down, Prince Rong. I apologize to you on behalf of my father." Qi Xuan said, "When you got into trouble, I was afraid that my mother would deal with me right away, so I had to rush back to the capital as soon as possible to calm her down. My mother has been watching me very closely over the years, and she has never really trusted me. I didn't dare to look for you..."
"What do you want from me?" Qin Zhao said in a low voice. "You found that I was poisoned and had lost all my memory. I had no ability to fight the Queen Mother. You hid me in Jiangling. In a sense, you saved my life."
"you… "
"Qi Xuan, do you really want to be the emperor?" Qin Zhao suddenly asked.
Qi Xuan paused.
The timid look on his face suddenly disappeared. Qi Xuan stood up, stroked the folding fan at his waist, and sighed softly: "I just want to survive."
He had no choice since he was born.
When he was young, he was born in the cold palace, and he was worried about his livelihood every day and suffered a lot. Later, he was lucky enough to be made the crown prince by the late emperor, and thought he could escape from that kind of life, but in fact he fell into another deeper vortex.
Qi Xuan, who was only in his teens, had no choice but to become a puppet, living between two forces.
How could he be very smart since he was trained by Qin Zhao? He just knew that people who were too smart would not be able to survive in such a deep palace.
Qi Xuan considers himself to be just an ordinary person. He does not have such big aspirations and does not have any so-called ambitions.
For him, just keeping his life safe is already using up all he has learned in his life.
Qin Zhao whispered: "I still think you can be a good emperor."
If Qi Xuan did not have the qualifications to be emperor, why would the late emperor have made him the crown prince
It's just that he didn't have the chance.
Six years ago, it was Qin Zhao who dragged him forward.
Six years later, the Queen Mother was in control again.
He had no chance, nor the courage to resist it.
After all, he is just a teenager who is only a few years older than Jing Li.
Qin Zhao's mood gradually calmed down. He leaned back in his chair, looking a little tired: "Let's stop here. I don't intend to blame you for what your father did. You and I are both victims in this power struggle. There is no point in blaming each other."
"Prince Rong..."
"Don't call me that. Both Prince Rong and Prince Regent no longer exist." Qin Zhao said, "The one in front of you now is just the Juren Qin Zhao."
"You..." Qi Xuan hesitated for a moment and asked in a low voice, "Do you really want to come back?"
Qin Zhao looked up at him, seeming a little surprised: "Why, Your Majesty, do you still want me to continue working for you with this sick body? Giving you Xiao Yue is not enough?"
As long as Qi Xuan was the one who poisoned the emperor, Xiao Yue could assist him with peace of mind. Although the situation in the capital was uncertain, since Xiao Yue was able to send the little emperor to see Qin Zhao without knowing why, it showed that the overall situation was already far from being stable.
"Xiao Qing... is so fierce." Qi Xuan seemed a little aggrieved when he mentioned this, "I am a little afraid of him."
Qin Zhao: “…”
Qin Zhao smiled: "Are you afraid of me?"
"..." Qi Xuan looked like he was about to cry, "Afraid."
Qin Zhao comforted him, "The Xiao family has been loyal for generations. Xiao Yue may look a bit ferocious, but he is a good person. Your Majesty can trust him to employ him."
Qi Xuan said "Oh" in a depressed tone.
"By the way, Lord Deng told me about your condition." Qi Xuan said, "I have sent people to look for famous doctors everywhere, and they will definitely make you better."
Qin Zhao nodded: "Okay."
Qi Xuan spoke again.
He stood beside Qin Zhao as if he was being punished, motionless, with a look on his face that showed he wanted to say something but couldn't.
Qin Zhao pressed his eyebrows and said, "When will you change your hesitant look? No wonder Xiao Yue is so mean to you."
"I... I will change it when I get back, I will definitely change it." Qi Xuan promised, and then quietly looked at Qin Zhao's expression. Seeing that the latter's face was no longer angry, he tentatively said: "Rong... Ahem, Mr. Qin... I heard that you came to the capital in the name of taking the exam?"
Qin Zhao glanced at him and understood what he wanted to say.
"That..." Qi Xuan said slowly, "I have already selected the chief examiner for next year's spring examination. The entire Imperial Examination Hall has also been replaced with a new batch of people. No one recognizes you. If you are still willing..."
"Let's discuss this matter." Qin Zhao interrupted.
He had taken the imperial examination originally just to find a reason to enter the capital, and now that his plan had been completed, it no longer mattered whether he took part in the examination or not.
Qi Xuan's words were all blocked, and before he could continue to persuade her, there was a knock on the door.
A crisp baby voice sounded outside the door: "Dad, the sweet potatoes are ready!"
Qi Xuan watched Qin Zhao, who was originally serious, relax his brows and eyes as if changing his expression, and stood up to open the door. When he opened the door, the kid was still knocking on the door, and fell into his arms.
"Be careful." Qin Zhao held the baby in his arms, raised his head, and saw Jing Li still sitting by the stove, but his eyes were secretly paying attention in this direction.
Noticing that he was looking over, Jing Li quickly withdrew his gaze and concentrated on taking the sweet potatoes out of the earthen stove.
Qin Zhao understood.
The young husband is worried about him.
Qin Zhao picked up the little fish, turned around and ordered him to leave: "It just so happens that I have finished chatting with His Majesty, Ah Qi, show him away."
Qi Xuan: “?”
Are you done talking
Qin Zhao ignored him and walked towards the stove with the baby in his arms.
The sweet potatoes were completely roasted, and the whole yard was filled with the sweet aroma of sweet potatoes. Qi Xuan couldn't help swallowing, feeling a little hungry.
Ah Qi paid no attention to the emperor's thoughts and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I will escort you out."
"… "
Qi Xuan was silent for a moment, then resignedly followed Ah Qi out of the yard.
Before leaving, I saw Qin Zhao personally pick out a big round sweet potato from the winnowing basket, break it into two halves, let it cool down, and feed one half to the son and the other half to her husband.
Not to mention how considerate and gentle she is.
Qi Xuan withdrew his gaze angrily.
It’s just roasted sweet potatoes, what’s the big deal
I'll go back and buy it myself!