Yulian had been waiting inside Chenqiao Gate from morning to dusk. Yesterday, she heard that many people from Tokyo had gone to welcome the imperial guards who had returned to the capital. The emperor led the imperial guards to Chenqiao Posthouse and they might arrive in Tokyo today.
The dog days of summer had been hot all day, and the streets of Tokyo were as hot as a steamer. Yulian had been baking under a pear tree all day, her face was red, beads of sweat were oozing from the tip of her nose, and her body was greasy with sweat. But she didn't dare to leave for a moment, and didn't even have lunch. She drank a bowl of cold tea on the street because she couldn't stand the thirst. She could hardly feel the heat, because she had a stronger feeling in her heart, worry. If the news that Shao Ge'er had died in battle was what she was waiting for, she really didn't know how to relieve her sadness.
Yu Lian has lived in this world for twenty years and has met many people, but she knows very well that the only one who is truly good to her is Shao Ge'er, even though his kindness is so silent and usually so indifferent, so indifferent that he often has to suppress it in order to maintain his morality.
Shao Ge'er's kindness surpassed that of anyone else, including her own father. She believed that Shao Ge'er would not sell her off. She had not felt this strongly before, but after they separated, when she felt that she might lose him, this fear began to ferment in her heart and became more and more exaggerated.
Maybe Shao Ge'er didn't think so highly of himself, maybe he just felt pity for her just like he felt pity for the Chen family man. But Yulian couldn't control her emotions, because no one had ever really cared about her and treated her as a person. Others either coveted her beauty or treated her as a commodity that could be exchanged for money.
If Shao Ge'er wasn't here, would anyone in this world still care about their life or death
At dusk, a large number of troops finally entered the city, and the people who were waiting silently on the roadside were shocked. Some people had already found their men in the ranks, and they jumped and waved and shouted, completely disregarding military discipline. Many people used bowls to fill tea and porridge for the soldiers to drink; the generals did not ask about such chaos, after all, they had arrived in Tokyo, and the world was still safe. An old woman was told by the soldiers that someone died in Jinyang, and she knelt on the side of the road and cried to the sky, crying: My son!
Yu Lian stretched her neck, breathing softly, and looked at them one by one with wide eyes, without blinking.
Oh, God, please don't let him die.
At this moment, she suddenly saw a man in a brocade robe riding on a tall horse. The bright brocade robe and high position made him very conspicuous. The soldiers in front and behind him were walking and were very respectful to him. There was also someone leading the horse. Wasn't that Shao Ge'er
Yu Lian opened her mouth and found that she couldn't make a sound. Her voice was not hoarse, but she couldn't shout. She bit her lip and stared at Shao Ge'er. It seemed that he had made a contribution and was promoted. The brocade robe he was wearing was obviously a reward from the royal family. Otherwise, he would have bought himself a fancy brocade robe halfway back from the expedition.
Soon, an eunuch led his men to drive away the crowd, walked up to Shao Ge'er's horse and said something, but it was impossible to hear it because the street was too noisy. Then Shao Ge'er sped up his horse and hurried forward from the side of the group.
He caught up with the Queen's procession
Guo Shao approached the carriage and jumped off his horse. A thin eunuch with gray hair changed his whisk and gestured for invitation. Guo Shao led the horse to the side of the carriage. There was a colorful curtain on the side. The breathable woven gaps made the curtain seem translucent. The head of the person inside could be vaguely seen, but it was not clear.
I, your humble servant, have been summoned to see the Queen. Guo Shao followed the carriage as he walked, because the procession did not stop.
Fu said softly: I heard that you distributed all the money awarded by the government to your subordinates.
Guo Shao thought that the queen had sharp ears and eyes, but it didn't seem to be a big deal to divide the money, and it wasn't like she was giving away the robes and silver belts awarded by the emperor. So he answered truthfully: In reply to the queen, yes.
Fu said: I also heard that you live in Longjinfang, but it is not suitable for your status. The Fu family has a separate courtyard near Daxiangguo Temple, which is empty and no one lives there. You should settle there first and don't go back to the mixed market.
A corner of the curtain was gently lifted, and I could vaguely see another woman standing up from the carriage. After a while, she stretched out a tender hand, with a copper key gently holding in her fingertips.
Guo Shao was a little far away from the carriage. When he saw someone handing something out, he wanted to get closer to take it. However, just as he was about to walk over there, the eunuch next to him hurriedly stopped him and said, "Hey, you want to take it yourself in public?" Guo Shao suddenly realized what was going on and nervously pulled away and turned around.
He burst out laughing, but then held it back and said in a calm voice, "Cao Tai, don't blame him. It's understandable that he doesn't know the rules yet."
Guo Shao hurriedly said: Please punish me, Queen.
Someone inside said: That’s all.
Guo Shao was moved again and said: The Queen's kindness is meticulous and I will never forget it.
Someone inside said: Yeah.
When the old eunuch named Cao Tai heard this, he quietly waved to Guo Shao, and Guo Shao hurriedly said, "I will take my leave." Soon, another eunuch followed, probably to take Guo Shao to the courtyard.
Fu was inexplicably nervous in the carriage, but her face was calm. Except for a slight blush on her cheeks, she could not see any signs of trouble. She reflected on what had happened just now. Although she had deliberately asked the maid to deliver the key on the spot to make things a little nervous, it seemed that nothing had gone wrong. The only mistake was that she actually laughed. This kind of low-level mistake should not have happened.
After thinking it over, she felt that Cao Tai was very sensible about the current situation. Besides, people around her did not dare to slander the emperor with trivial matters based on hearsay, so she gradually felt relieved.
Fu recalled what Shao Ge'er said in Hezhong Prefecture: Let me serve you for the last time. She was not stupid, so how could she not understand what this brother was thinking
Why did he follow from Yanzhou to Hezhong, and later remarry Chai Rong? Who else would he choose to surrender to, and why did he surrender to Guo Wei's subordinates? He thought that if he didn't say it, others would not guess it.
Humph, I'm afraid that Shao Ge often dreams or fantasizes about things that are too shameful to talk about.
Thinking of this, Fu suddenly came to his senses. How could he have thought of that kind of thing? He felt very ashamed. Fortunately, as long as you don't say what you think, no one else will ever know; so thoughts are the freest.
So Fu gradually felt safe again, thinking: I would never have thought about these things before. Maybe, just like the occasional vulgar words I heard from the servants, the older women get, the less shameful they become.
Fu is 26 years old this year. She has been married twice and has never experienced love between a man and a woman. She is indeed a little curious sometimes. When she first married Li Shouzhen's son, she was very proud of her family background and appearance. But when she saw that Li Chongxun was submissive and had no opinion in front of his father, and he was young, she looked down on him. She was resistant and temporarily forbade Li Chongxun to touch her. Li Chongxun was timid and was bullied by Fu, so he didn't dare to force himself. This made her miss her first chance to be a woman, because soon Li Shouzhen's family was wiped out.
Because of this, she was unwilling to die with Li Shouzhen. Later, her father wanted to force her to become a nun, but she refused to obey. She felt that she had a good family background and good looks, and she had never been a woman after getting married. What was her fault
Fortunately, Guo Wei insisted that his adopted daughter marry Chai Rong, so her father Fu Yanqing stopped forcing her to become a nun. At that time, Guo Wei's power was already determined, and it was impossible for her father not to look forward to this marriage, and he didn't care whether it was a crime or not.
When Fu married into Chai Rong's family again, she was a little disappointed because Chai Rong's appearance was slightly inferior, but Fu accepted it. After all, it was a marriage of arrangement, and she had been married once before, so she should be content with such a good marriage. Moreover, Chai Rong had a good reputation, was kind, and had knowledge and ability, which were more important than a good appearance.
This time Fu was ready and accepted the offer, but she found that Chai Rong did not like women and had not been favored by him since she got married.
Sometimes the emperor would let her sleep with him, but he would not touch her and would just fall asleep. Could he be ill? But Fu knew that Chai Rong had married and had children. If he had not been killed by Emperor Yin of Han, his son Chai Yi would have been a teenager. And he later gave birth to Chai Zongxun. Why didn't he get close to women after he got married
Fu Shi also felt that she did not seem to have fallen out of favor. The emperor obeyed her in almost everything except not visiting her. Even when she intervened in military affairs and often pleaded for innocent soldiers, the emperor listened to her advice. If she had really fallen out of favor, she would not have been named queen not long ago.
There may be another reason. The emperor just thinks that he is magnanimous and knowledgeable, but it is not a love story between a man and a woman. He does not like me like this. So, Fu took advantage of the emperor's return from the expedition and went out of the city dozens of miles to greet him. The atmosphere was very good after the victory, and the emperor was in a good mood. Fu also tried many ways to make him happy. Hum, he has been away for several months and has not even seen a woman in the army. I think you are still picky.
But still nothing happened last night.
Fu Shi could no longer figure out the emperor's situation. She suspected that he had encountered some misfortune and had something to hide. Of course, she didn't dare to ask, nor did she dare to ask anyone in the palace. If the emperor felt humiliated by this matter and got angry, it would be very serious.
Fu thought about it and thought it was just a small matter. She could bear it occasionally and it would pass. It was no big deal. She was very smart and had a clear view of everything: she was indeed of noble birth, but she was not at the point where she could do whatever she wanted. In front of the royal family, the Fu family was still vulnerable. Unless she was a princess of the Tang Dynasty, she had her relatives from her mother's family to favor her. No one was greater than the emperor. Only those princesses could do whatever they wanted.
If I sacrifice my own life for a little selfish desire, the Fu family, which is so big, will also be implicated. It is not worth it.
Moreover, Fu felt that she was the queen, the most respected woman in the world; she felt that she was so pure and innocent, and if she were asked to imitate the princesses of the Tang Dynasty, it would be difficult for her to condescend to that status, and she could not endure the disgusting feeling.