Chapter 182 It’s okay, I will vent your anger for you
Chapter 182 It’s okay, I will vent your anger for you
Zhao Duan didn't want to die.
Some people say that the first time is unfamiliar, the second time is familiar, but having experienced death once, he cherishes his hard-earned life even more.
Therefore, even though he knew that the stunning beauty in front of him, who combined the attributes of a fairy and an emperor, would not really be anything, he still pretended to be terrified:
"Your Highness, please forgive me for my disrespect."
Xu Zhen stared at him with her piercing eyes, saying nothing.
Just watch.
No way... I'm not going to mess up? It's strange, why did I act so bold tonight?
After thinking about it, it was probably because of the tenderness in the empress's face when she lowered her head while listening to him attentively just now?
Or maybe it was because she took off her dragon robe and her daily clothes today, and walked side by side with him like an ordinary woman on the river bank at night...
The atmosphere is set.
"Your Majesty..." Just when Zhao Duan's heart was beating fast.
I heard the beauty in front of me say softly:
"Don't call me Your Majesty outside."
What's that name? Miss Xu? Not good...
Zhao Duan muttered to himself, and suddenly felt his hands empty.
The "White Yaksha" mask that had been taken back was taken away by the empress, and then she gently took off the veil with her jade fingers and put the mask on her face.
In that brief moment when she took off the veil, the fairy's face was revealed... so beautiful that it was breathtaking.
In the night wind, a piece of veil fell under the bridge and slowly drifted away on the river.
"It won't happen again."
Xu Zhenguan said.
"...Oh! I...I remember it." Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, then quickly assured.
As for how credible this guarantee is, only God knows.
"Follow me... follow me for a walk, let us have fun together with the people today." The empress took a step and walked away.
Zhao Duan then hurriedly put on the "Dark Yaksha" mask on his face.
Used to conceal appearance and avoid being recognized.
The two masks do not cover the entire face, but only the upper half, with two horns extending from the top and only reaching the nose, revealing the mouth and chin.
It is convenient for young men and women to wear it when eating snacks at the night market.
So, two "Yakshas", one black and one white, one male and one female, walked down the bridge and gradually merged into the crowd.
……
The capital city is very lively today, with people coming and going on the streets and shops and stalls on both sides crowded with people.
Many people were wearing various masks, and the two of them blended in among them without looking out of place at all.
Some merchants paid money and hired people to carry sedan chairs, on which were paper-made statues of the God of Wealth and the God of Longevity...
The gods are paraded through the city with music and instruments, followed by a large group of people wearing masks. This is called the "God Parade".
It is naturally not suitable to talk while shopping, so I didn’t say anything meaningful.
It’s just that people are so crowded that sometimes you have to get closer to avoid cars.
After the empress ascended the throne, although women in the capital began to dress and behave more boldly, the strict separation between men and women still existed, and walking together was already the limit.
In the world that Zhao Duan is familiar with, it is absolutely impossible for young couples to eat each other in public while shopping.
But human wisdom is universal.
Therefore, some young men and women will deliberately gather in crowded places to create opportunities for them to dodge and bump into each other.
Every time this happened, the empress would turn around, and stare at him vigilantly under her mask.
So Zhao Duan could only retreat miserably again and again, using his tall and strong body to force out a space around him, and innocently stated that he was the emperor's loyal guard and would never take advantage of the opportunity to take advantage of him.
Xu Zhenguan was quite satisfied.
Although with her level of cultivation, as long as she had the slightest thought, no one could get close to her even among thousands of soldiers.
"Your Majesty, would you like to eat something?"
The two of them finally squeezed out of a congested street. The crowd around them suddenly thinned out a lot, and in front of them was a row of food shops.
Xu Zhenguan looked around and walked straight towards a noodle shop which was not big but clean and elegant.
There were many people in the store, and luckily there was a vacant seat.
After the two of them sat down, the young shopkeeper came over attentively:
"What do you two want?"
Empress Dayu, who was used to eating delicacies from land and sea, had already had an idea and directly ordered a bowl of fresh meat wontons.
Then she looked at him and said, "What about you?"
"Me too."
Zhao Duan said seriously, and added, "Add some coriander."
Coriander is cilantro. In Dayu, if you want it, you have to order it separately, otherwise it will not be added by default.
After everyone left, Zhao Duan asked, "Is that all you're going to eat?"
He really couldn't figure out how to address her, so he simply omitted the subject.
Xu Zhenguan said with some nostalgia:
"I've been to this restaurant before, but that was several years ago. At the time, the shop had not been renovated and the signboard was old. The owner was still an old man. Now, his son probably took over the business. Things have changed and people have changed."
Zhao Duan then realized that she was not taking him around randomly, but came here specifically.
"A few years ago...it wasn't convenient to come out at that time." Zhao Duan said carefully.
Unmarried princesses all lived in the imperial palace. When the old emperor was in power, the customs were not as good as they are now. Even as princesses, their movements would be restricted.
Not as "free" as a royal woman after she gets married.
"Yes," Xu Zhenguan sighed softly:
"At that time, I was still following my brother the Crown Prince out. It was he who told me this. The people who were with him at that time were Mo Chou and Sun Lianying.
In the past, when it was inconvenient to go out, I wanted to go out incognito all day, but I couldn’t do it. Now… although there is no one to supervise me, I don’t have the energy or mood to go out. "
Zhao Duan felt that it was difficult to respond to this, so he just listened quietly.
Fortunately, the empress did not talk to him, but seemed to be sighing, and chuckled as she said, "Forget it, it's all in the past."
At this time, the shopkeeper came over with a tray and placed a bowl of wontons in front of the two people, one with coriander and one without.
Then, he took out a small plate with a tea egg in it and a small flower next to it, and said with a smile:
"This is an extra gift from our store to the master and the lady."
Master and Madam... are honorific titles and are not related to age.
Apparently, the new owner of the noodle shop who inherited his father's business was very creative and offered extra snacks to couples who came into the store.
Scored twice.
Xu Zhenguan: “…”
Zhao Duan: (*ω)
After the shopkeeper left, Zhao Duan whispered innocently:
"Don't blame me this time..."
Xu Zhenguan was too lazy to argue with him, and would not vent his anger on the people living in the imperial city.
So, the two of them started to eat. Zhao Duan took the time to quietly push the egg over. The empress didn't hesitate and took small bites of it with chopsticks.
These two "weird guys" who didn't even take off their masks when eating in the store soon attracted the attention of some customers.
Xu Zhenguan frowned, and made a gesture with the hand under the table. An invisible mental force spread out, shielding the small table for the two of them.
Isolate internal and external sounds.
"His Majesty?"
Zhao Duan sensed something was wrong and spoke tentatively.
The empress drank the soup slowly, holding the spoon, and said with an expression that said, "Don't make a fuss."
"What do you think about what happened to you in the garden today?"
Suddenly we got down to business...
Zhao Duan thought for a moment and said truthfully: "This is obviously a premeditated attack, and the mastermind should be Chen Zhengru, the Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy, and his apprentice..."
He repeated his guesses and analysis.
Xu Zhenguan nodded, then shook his head:
"Your guess is correct, but the leader is not Chen Zhengru."
Zhao Duan was surprised: "You mean..."
"Li Yinglong." Xu Zhenguan said the name calmly:
"The son of Li Yanfu, an important figure in charge of appointments and dismissals within the Li Party. You have made many moves recently, and you have finally attracted the attention of the other party. After the Grand Tutor has cleared your name and made a name for you, I am afraid that Li Yanfu will also pay attention to you."
Li Yinglong?
The most dissolute playboy in the Beijing circle of the previous generation, the legendary "Little Prime Minister"?
Zhao Duan was certainly familiar with this name, but he had never dealt with him before.
"Didn't Li Yanfu notice me before?"
Zhao Duan had no idea about the young minister, he was only deeply impressed by his father. After all, he was a person he had met on the day he traveled through time.
Xu Zhenguan said calmly:
"Li Yanfu has been in the court for many years and has countless political enemies. You are definitely not the only capable official he has met.
Besides, at his position, there are very few people he can consider as his enemy. Of course, that was in the past, and it is naturally different when it comes to the new policy.”
Should I feel honored? Zhao Duan didn't care much and smiled:
"I've already offended you, so I don't mind having too much debt."
Xu Zhenguan looked at him unexpectedly, and seeing that his expression did not seem fake, he asked curiously:
"Is there really no one in the imperial court that you are afraid of?"
Zhao Duan paused while eating the chaos, raised his head slightly, and said seriously:
"Yes, I have."
"Who?"
"Far away, yet so close."
"...Slippery." The empress realized that this guy was speaking in a smooth manner again.
I frowned and decided to teach him a lesson.
With a move of the chopsticks, half a tea egg in the bowl was thrown over like a cannonball, and it hit Zhao Duan's bowl with a thud, splashing the soup and splashing all over his masked face.
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, and said blankly:
"Why did your majesty reward me?"
"..."Xu Zhenguan was left in tears and amused by his rogue appearance.
Put the chopsticks on the table, smiling:
"If I had known that you only wanted half a tea egg, I wouldn't have arranged those things."
Zhao Duan was puzzled: "Your Majesty, what do you mean..."
Xu Zhenguan stood up slowly.
At this moment, although she was dressed in ordinary clothes and had a slightly funny female demon mask on her face, she still exuded the majesty of the Heavenly Family:
"You have made great contributions in offering advice this time. How can I just sit there and do nothing while a meritorious official is bullied?"
"I... am just venting my anger for you."
……
……
at the same time.
The imperial court is inside the governor's hall.
The uninvited Supervisor Ma Yan sat upright in a large chair and gently pushed a list filled with densely packed names across the table.
He said to the several police officers on duty today:
"Your Majesty is very dissatisfied with the recent rumors among scholars in the capital. Bring these people back and investigate them thoroughly to see if they were instigated by the rebels to deliberately vilify and slander the court officials.
"Unless we get a result from the trial, you can't release him. Do you understand?"
The imperial guardsmen in the hall responded one after another, took the list and hurried out of the Governor's Hall.
They looked down and looked at each other in confusion.
The scholars who participated in the attack on Zhao Duan in Zhaiyuan today were not even present, but those who had cursed him the harshest in recent days were all among them.
"hiss……"
They all understood that tonight, the literary world would experience another huge earthquake.
Russian qing.
Outside the gate of the imperial yamen, countless cavalrymen in brocade robes swarmed out, full of murderous intent.
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(End of this chapter)