"Cough, cough, cough!" Qi Xuan's reaction was even greater than Jing Li's. He was choked to death by a mouthful of tea and kept coughing.
Qin Zhao looked quite calm, and walked over to sit next to Jing Li. Xiao Yue also sat down, added some tea to Qi Xuan's cup, and said in a low voice with disdain: "What a waste..."
Jing Li: “…”
Jing Li sat up straight awkwardly. Qin Zhao didn't mention what happened just now. He took the teapot that Xiao Yue put down and poured himself a cup of tea.
As he raised his hand, Jing Li smelled a faint smell of blood.
…has it been resolved
Jing Li quietly observed the other party's expression. The latter's expression was normal, and there was no clue. Qi Xuan did not bring up the previous topic again, and chatted with Qin Zhao about the new things that happened in Beijing in recent years.
For the rest of the time, the little emperor was the one talking, while the others listened quietly.
The little emperor's temperament was very different from what Jing Li had imagined.
Although he seemed to be very afraid of Qin Zhao and Xiao Yue, he was not restrained during the chat. Jing Li even felt that he was much more relaxed in front of Qin Zhao and Xiao Yue than in front of his group of guards.
This is probably the trust between them.
Xiao Yue invited Qin Zhao to have dinner at his house, and sent a carriage to take them back before dark. They lived far away now, and it would take two or three hours to travel, so it would be inconvenient to travel at night.
Jing Li ate a lot for dinner and felt uncomfortable after being jolted in the carriage, so he nestled in Qin Zhao's arms and asked him to massage his stomach.
"I told you to eat less." Qin Zhao said helplessly.
"It's delicious." Jing Li muttered.
Jing Li didn't think it was his fault. After all, the little emperor had specially brought the chef from the imperial kitchen today. His cooking skills were not available on ordinary days. It would be a pity if he didn't eat more.
Qin Zhao chuckled: "If you like it, why don't you give the little emperor a letter and ask him to order the imperial kitchen to prepare it and send it over?"
Qi Xuan would definitely not refuse such a small thing.
"You're right." Jing Li nodded seriously.
He said nothing more, and leaned on Qin Zhao's shoulder with his eyes slightly closed. The bloody smell he had smelled on the other person before had completely dissipated, and only the familiar faint herbal scent could be smelled.
Jing Li did not ask Qin Zhao who dealt with the traitor.
Qin Zhao always knew what was the most appropriate way to deal with things, and Jing Li would accept and support him no matter what choice he made.
Jing Li believed this from the very beginning when they met in Linxi Village.
It was sunset at this moment. It was early spring and the mountain road was lined with wild flowers. The carriage was filled with the fragrance of flowers.
Jing Li sniffed the fragrance of the flowers and suddenly whispered, "Spring is here."
"Yes, spring is here."
“…Are you really not going to take the exam this year?” Jing Li still asked what he wanted to ask.
The imperial examination will be held in February, and these days happen to be the deadline for registration.
Jing Li could see that Qin Zhao was not completely confident in the young emperor. The Queen Mother had fallen, but the power behind her would not be so easily removed, and Xiao Yue was better at military operations and lacked experience in government affairs.
Now is the time when the little emperor is short of people.
"If you don't want to go there as Prince Rong, you can also take the imperial examination and become the top scholar." Jing Li said.
Qin Zhao lowered his eyes and looked at him: "Do you really want me to return to the officialdom?"
"I hope you do what you want to do." Jing Li played with Qin Zhao's falling hair with his fingertips and met Qin Zhao's gaze. "You said last time that you made this decision for yourself, but I still want to ask you, will you really be happy if you give up the opportunity to go into politics and make a living by farming from now on?"
Qin Zhao fell silent.
"I knew it." Jing Li blinked. "You said before that you chose to become the regent because you were tempted by power. I don't think so. You are so talented and ambitious, you should stand in a place where you can show yourself and be admired by everyone. Wanting to do what you like is not called indulging in power."
"Xiao Yu, but I..."
"You're afraid that I'll worry, right?" Jing Li said, "Of course I'm worried about you, so I have a request. You must take good care of your body and not ignore everything when you're busy like before, otherwise I'll quarrel with you and get angry with you."
"…What are you laughing at?"
Qin Zhao looked away, the setting sun reflected on his slightly smiling eyebrows, making him look very handsome.
"Nothing, I just think you're cute."
Jing Li: "Do you think I'm stupid?"
Qin Zhao: "I didn't say that."
Jing Li hummed softly.
Qin Zhao stopped smiling and said seriously, "No matter what, I won't take part in this year's examination. I finally got rid of something on my mind, I need to take a good rest."
Jing Li nodded: "Okay, once you've recovered, it won't be too late to make a long-term plan."
The imperial examination was held every three years, and although it would be a pity to miss it, Qin Zhao's health was more important. In fact, if Qin Zhao really wanted to return to officialdom, the imperial examination was not the only way.
When Jing Li thought of this, he felt relieved.
"Wow!" The little fish that was originally lying quietly by the window suddenly exclaimed.
Naturally, he didn't understand what the two fathers were talking about, nor was he interested. He just focused on looking out the car window.
Just at this moment, the carriage turned around the mountain road. Between the mountains in the distance, layers of clouds and fog were shrouded, scattering red-gold light.
Jing Li looked up, his eyes facing the sunset, and were reflected with a soft look.
Before he could finish appreciating the beautiful scenery before him, he was suddenly completely blocked by someone.
Qin Zhao lowered his head and kissed his lips.
"Ugh!" Jing Li was so shocked that his whole body froze and he almost couldn't help but let out a sound.
The little fish is still next to it!
In order not to leave a bad influence on the child, Jing Li strictly forbade Qin Zhao to behave too intimately with him in front of the child.
What are you doing now
Jing Li was afraid of alarming his child, so he didn't dare to make a sound. He just subconsciously raised his hand and grabbed Qin Zhao's sleeve.
But the opponent slammed it into his palm.
Silently and gently, he deepened the kiss.
The little fish was completely attracted by the beauty of the sunset and didn't notice what was happening behind him.
After a long kiss, Qin Zhao raised his head slightly. He touched Jing Li's lips, which were red from being kissed, and deliberately lowered his voice and asked, "Are you angry?"
"..." Jing Li didn't want to pay attention to him, "You said you never bullied me, I misjudged you."
"Speaking of this..." Qin Zhao played with Jing Li's hair, their hair tangled together, "How did you call me in front of the little emperor just now? Call me again so I can hear it."
Jing Li tilted his head in passive resistance, but someone pulled his chin back and kissed him lightly on the lips.
"Stop making trouble, we'll be seen soon!" Jing Li wanted to sit up, but Qin Zhao held him tightly in his arms, unable to move.
Qin Zhao: "Scream first, and I'll let you go."
Jing Li seldom calls him like that. As an old married couple, they haven't been so affectionate to each other for many years.
Who knows what wrong medicine Qin Zhao took today.
Jing Li's cheeks were burning hot. Seeing that Qin Zhao was about to kiss her again, she gritted her teeth and said, "Don't—husband...husband."
Qin Zhao pressed the issue: "I can't hear clearly."
"Husband, sir!"
Jing Li was so angry that he forgot to lower his voice.
Even the little fish cub was startled by him and turned his head. The little cub blinked blankly, and understood the actions of the two fathers in the way he could best understand.
He frowned and said in a baby voice, "No quarreling."
Jing Li: “…”
Fortunately, the little fish doesn't understand what the word "husband" means.
Jing Li sat up straight and coaxed, "The fathers didn't quarrel, really."
"Yeah." The little fish nodded and turned to look out the window.
Qin Zhao was trying to hold back his laughter and was about to burst out laughing, but he stopped himself after Jing Li glared at him.
He took Jing Li's hand, placed it in his palm and rubbed it gently: "I was just joking with you. I won't bully you anymore."
“… Xiaoyu, I’m very happy.”
At the darkest moment of his life, God gave him such a little koi, which allowed him to find hope, courage, and deep love.
He didn't know what he had done to deserve it, and he didn't know how to repay it all.
Qin Zhao's eyes were gentle and his voice was very soft: "You probably don't know how happy I am."
Jing Li raised his hand and pressed it to his lips.
"No need to tell me, I know." Jing Li glanced at the little fish and quickly kissed Qin Zhao on the side of his face, "Because I love you too."
They had conflicts, quarrels, tests, concessions, and doubts, but eventually they became what they are now. No matter what they encounter, the only thing that remains unchanged is their deep love for each other.
It is precisely because of this deep love that they can continue to move forward and face everything in the future together.
Qin Zhao ultimately did not take part in the imperial examination that year.
When the weather got warmer, he reclaimed some good fields behind the house and planted vegetables and wheat. After a while, the famous doctor that the little emperor had found finally showed up, and after consultation with several parties, he formulated a detailed set of methods for Qin Zhao to recuperate.
Under the day and night supervision of Jingli, Xiaoyuzai and Aqi, Qin Zhao's health finally got better day by day.
In the second year, the situation in the capital gradually stabilized, and the emperor made an exception and held a special imperial examination on the grounds that the court lacked talents.
Qin Zhao, the top scorer in Jiangling Prefecture who had missed the exam the previous year due to health reasons, unexpectedly took part in the imperial examination and won the top prize in one fell swoop.
Famous in the capital.
Qin Zhao's deeds in Jiangling Prefecture eventually gradually spread to the capital, causing quite a stir in the literary circle of the capital. Some even predicted that this man would be the first top scholar in the dynasty to pass the imperial examination.
For a time, Qin Zhao became famous, and even officials frequently invited him to various banquets.
He rejected them all.
After the joint examination, the palace examination comes.
According to the custom of the dynasty, all the successful candidates in the joint examination could take part in the palace examination, and unless they had committed a serious crime, they would not fail. The so-called palace examination was only to select the top three candidates from all the successful candidates.
Qin Zhao had never worried about these things, and even Jing Li, who had gradually become familiar with the little emperor over the past year, no longer worried about the palace examination. Even if the little emperor had ten times the courage, he would not dare not give Qin Zhao the top prize.
What's more, he didn't believe that anyone could compete with Qin Zhao.
It was a completely predictable exam.
So much so that on the day Qin Zhao went to the capital to take part in the palace examination, Jing Li didn't even accompany him to the capital.
It's not that they don't want to go, but because they live too far away from the capital, and it takes several hours to go back and forth. Even if Jing Li can bear it, Xiao Yuzai can't.
The two of them simply discussed and decided to let Ah Qi accompany Qin Zhao to Beijing, while Jing Li would stay at home to take care of the children.
According to the laws of this dynasty, the palace examination was set by the emperor and only tested policy questions, and the candidates had to answer them on the spot. The emperor had to select the top three from all the answers, namely the top three, namely the top three.
The ranking will be announced at the Honglu Ceremony on the second day of the palace examination.
Taking into account the time spent arriving in Beijing one day in advance, it was already dusk on the third day when Qin Zhao returned to the bamboo house.
The door to his yard was wide open, and there was no one inside or outside the house.
Qin Zhao only took a glance and had a general idea in his mind.
He told Ah Qi to light a fire and cook first, while he took the small wooden barrel hanging by the door and walked straight to the back of the house.
There is a bamboo forest path behind the bamboo house, with a gurgling stream in the path, which connects from the back of the bamboo house to the deep pool under the waterfall.
The water in the pond was clean and clear. A bright red koi jumped out of the water, raising a string of beautiful splashes of water from its tail.
A smaller koi fish quickly circled around him twice and then jumped up.
But it just flapped its wings and then fell back into the water.
"You're so stupid." The little koi lifted up the little fish with its tail and said disdainfully, "Are you a fish or not?"
The little fish moved its fins in protest.
Jing Li teased the cub for a while, then when he looked up, he saw a person standing on the shore not far away.
The man had finally gained some weight during this year, and his complexion was much better than before. He was wearing a light green gown, and his eyes were full of tenderness when he looked at them.
Jing Li swam over with the little fish in his arms: "It's almost here, let's postpone the Lu Ming Banquet, right?"
"Yeah." Qin Zhao squatted down and touched the little koi's head. "I missed you, so I came earlier."
"It's only been three days..."
The little koi rubbed Qin Zhao's fingers.
This man just relied on the fact that the little emperor dared not disobey him and totally disregarded the rules.
Jing Li could already imagine that the little emperor's future life would probably not be easy.
Qin Zhao asked: "Why don't you ask me about my grades?"
Jing Li asked back: "How can you not be the top scholar?"
"That's true." Qin Zhao nodded, also feeling that this was meaningless. "Then let's go home. I've asked Ah Qi to cook."
The little koi fish turned around in the water and said innocently, "I forgot to bring clothes."
The little fish cub followed him in circles: "I didn't bring the fish cub either!"
Qin Zhao chuckled and shook his head.
He took out the wooden barrel that he had prepared early in the morning, put it into the water, and let the two koi swim in.
Afterwards, Qin Zhao picked up the wooden barrel and walked down along the bamboo forest path.
In the depths of the bamboo forest in the distance, wisps of smoke rise up and drift away into the sky full of rosy clouds.
Just like every day they spent together.