Chapter 509: "Second Senior Sister" Visits
Chapter 509: Second Sister Arrives
Zhenbao is crazy.
Zhao Duan fled far away and came to this conclusion after confirming that Taia Sword did not catch up with him.
"Huff...Huff..." In the Imperial Garden, he hunched his back slightly, leaned on his knees with both hands, and panted heavily. His mind raced, and he turned his head to look in the direction of the Yangxin Palace, muttering softly:
"Why does it smell like vinegar..."
After thinking for a moment, Zhao Duan sneaked back to the Hall of Mental Cultivation again. He was careful not to step into the building. He just poked his head out near the doorpost and waved to the familiar older female official who was leaving after changing shifts.
The older female officer was stunned for a moment, hesitated a little, and walked over:
"Zhao Shaobao, I'm sorry we can't let you in..."
"I know," Zhao Duan hid behind the red painted wooden pillar, stretched his neck, and after confirming that there was no movement in the direction of the empress, he handed over the banknotes familiarly:
"May I ask why Your Majesty is angry?"
The older female official was startled and instinctively refused, but she could not resist Zhao Duan's strong pressure and had to accept it reluctantly. After looking left and right and confirming that no one was paying attention, she whispered:
"Everything went smoothly during His Majesty's meeting with the Xiao family master. After sending him away, he ordered that you were not allowed to enter. I was outside and vaguely heard that His Majesty seemed to be blaming you for caring too much about the Xiao family master."
Zhao Duan said seriously, "What could possibly happen between me and a widow?"
The older female official said:
"It is said that widows are prone to gossip. Could you have had a private meeting with her? And allowed her to do business with the emperor? Now, not only has he saved her from danger, but he has also recommended the Xiao family to the palace to meet the emperor. Your Excellency is impartial and selfless, but outsiders may not think so."
Zhao Duan opened his mouth, unable to refute.
No matter in the past or present life, being slandered is an extremely disgusting method.
The older maid seemed to smile and said comfortingly:
"Your Excellency does not need to worry. If His Majesty was really angry, you would not have been driven away and not allowed to enter. Moreover, with Your Majesty's intelligence, you can naturally distinguish right from wrong. It's just... these men and women are always unreasonable."
This sentence is almost explicit.
The implication is: The empress's current behavior does not mean that she really thinks that Zhao Duan has any ambiguous relationship with the widow.
But being sensible doesn't mean not caring.
Put yourself in his shoes. If the empress had a secret meeting with another man, and repeatedly helped him and saved him from danger... even if everything was done out of public interest, Zhao Duan would still be extremely unhappy.
In particular, Zhao Duan knew very well that Xiao Dong'er might have some feelings towards him.
Inside the Qingzhou rebel camp, there was something wrong with the widow's eyes, and with the empress's keen insight, she was very likely able to see this.
and so……
"Is Your Majesty jealous?" Zhao Duan smacked his lips, feeling inexplicably happy.
The first female emperor in Dayu's history, fighting for her own favor... is probably the ultimate fantasy of all men in the world.
Others just thought about it, but Zhao Duan did it.
"I didn't say that," the older maid said cautiously, and walked away. After two steps, she suddenly hesitated and said, "If Lord Zhao is interested, why not coax him?"
I understand... Zhao Duan smiled and bowed: "Thank you, sister."
The older palace maid was flattered and left quickly.
However, Zhao Duan, who was a man of great intelligence and meticulousness in the court, lacked experience in coaxing women. After thinking about it, he turned into the imperial garden.
Not long after, he slipped back with a large bouquet of flowers in his hand. Instead of going through the main gate, he jumped and bypassed the lax defenses.
Arriving outside the Imperial Study, with a shy smile on his face:
"Your Majesty, I have gathered the most beautiful flowers in the palace and wanted to give them to you, but none of these flowers, despite their beauty, can compare to your Majesty's... Ouch!"
A strong wind.
After a while, Zhao Duan threw away the big bouquet of flowers and fled out of the Yangxin Palace again in a panic. He grinned, stretched his neck and shouted:
"Your Majesty! Calm down first. I will be waiting in the palace."
After saying this, Zhao Duan quickly headed towards the Martial Arts Hall as the female officials covered their mouths and giggled.
He planned to go to Lao Hai's place to rest for a while and wait for Zhenbao to calm down. As for showing his affection by basking in the hot sun... he was not that stupid.
Arrived at the Wugong Hall.
He found a seat in the inner hall as if he was familiar with the place, and chatted with the returning eunuch Hai about their experiences during this period.
Eunuch Hai was quite curious about his experiences with the empress in Baihua Village and listened with great interest.
The other eunuchs in attendance also gathered around with great interest to listen to Zhao Duan's talk.
"... I'm telling you, you didn't see it at the time. After I defeated the little monk Tianhai, that group of people showed no moral integrity and joined forces to besiege me. At that time, the sky and the earth changed color, and Her Majesty..."
Zhao Duan was talking excitedly when suddenly a guard rushed in from outside the door:
"Zhao Shaobao, someone from your family has sent a letter saying that a friend of yours is visiting their home. Please go back as soon as possible."
Friend? Visiting my home? Zhao Duan was surprised.
……
……
A little earlier.
On Zhuque Street, inside a Jiangnan stir-fry shop.
Jin Jian, Gongshu Tianyuan, and Yuxiu sat at the table, watching the waiter place the food on the tray.
"The dishes are ready, please come in, three guests."
All three of them were dusty and hungry, without wearing priest robes, and their expressions were different.
Jin Jian sat on the stool in a daze, his two short legs dangling gently in the air, his hands supporting the sides of the stool, trying hard to keep himself from losing balance.
She wore a pair of ground crystal glasses on her nose, but her eyes were almost narrowed into a line. Her head was heaving with sleepiness. If she wasn't so hungry, she would have wanted to fall asleep on the street.
Gongshu Tianyuan stared at the delicacies on the table, his Adam's apple rolled down, and his fat hands rubbed repeatedly on the gray robe in front of him. The large bamboo tube behind him was placed at his feet, and the hemp rope on the bamboo tube hung loosely.
He looked at the delicious dishes and the bowl of white rice in front of him, turned his head and said flatteringly:
"Second Senior Sister, can we start eating now?"
The woman, who looked to be in her thirties, wore a loose and elegant gray Taoist robe with pure white sleeves. She had a golden rope-like belt around her waist and a jade dagger slung across her body.
It was Yuxiu, the second disciple of the old Heavenly Master, who had taken action in the battle of Baihua Village!
She sits upright with her sleeves tied around her waist. Although she is tired from the journey, she is calm and natural. Although she is in a busy city, she gives people a sense of tranquility.
"Didn't Master teach you to recite rituals before meals to express gratitude to the 'God of Food'?" Yu Xiu glanced at him indifferently.
The fat boy Gongshu Tianyuan laughed awkwardly: "We...we..."
He had already returned these codes of conduct to the old master.
"Forget it, eat." Yuxiu sighed, picked up the rice bowl and picked up the wooden chopsticks:
"We will return to Beijing today. After we have dinner, you can go back to the Tianshi Mansion first. I will go and do something else."
Gongshu Tianyuan said "Oh" perfunctorily, then pounced on the rice like a starving ghost and swallowed it in big mouthfuls.
Jin Jian, who was almost falling down in sleep, suddenly woke up, his chopsticks moved so fast that he almost appeared out of nowhere, and he ate frantically.
Compared with the two men's rough eating habits, Yuxiu's manners were elegant and her expression was indifferent, she looked like a typical Taoist nun.
After the storm swept away everything.
Gongshu Tianyuan and Jin Jian, who had finished five bowls of rice each, rubbed their bulging stomachs at the same time, collapsed in their chairs with satisfaction, and burped: "After sleeping in the open air, I finally had a good meal."
After the battle in Baihua Village, Zhong Pan left alone to practice, and the three returned to Beijing to report to the Heavenly Master.
But these three people were only at the worldly level, and their speed could not catch up with the empress. So they hurried as fast as they could and had to eat and sleep simply on the road.
Yuxiu slowly put down her chopsticks, wiped the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief, piled the twelfth empty bowl high beside her, and called the waiter with a frightened look to come over to settle the bill.
She immediately stood up, still swaying her slender waist, and walked out:
"I'll go ahead and come back to Tianshi Mansion later."
Jin Jian: zzzZZZ...
Gongshu Tianyuan: "Where are you going, Senior Sister?"
Yuxiu: "To meet someone." She walked all the way to the north of the capital, to an alley where dignitaries gathered, and stopped under the lintel with a golden plaque with "Zhao Mansion" written on it.
Raise your hand and knock on the door.
"Squeak."
The courtyard door opened a crack, and the old steward looked at the young Taoist nun who appeared outside the door with doubt and uncertainty. Although she was unfamiliar, she had an extraordinary demeanor:
"Master, who are you looking for?"
Yuxiu's eyebrows and eyes were as calm as spring water: "Is this Zhao Duan's residence?"
"Exactly. Taoist priest, you are looking for my young master? Do you have an appointment?"
Yuxiu reached into her bosom with two fingers, took out a token, and threw it to the old steward:
"If he is here, I will go to see him. If he is not here, I will wait here."
The old steward subconsciously took the token thrown to him with both hands. After seeing the words "Tianshi Mansion", he was slightly startled. When he looked up again, he was shocked to find that the jade sleeves were gone.
There were footsteps behind me.
The old steward turned around and saw the Taoist nun with a jade dagger hanging from her waist, floating into the Zhao family's backyard like a wisp of light smoke.
"Could it be that he is the young master's friend?"
……
……
Royal study room.
When Xu Zhenguan put down the slender brush in her hand, closed the last letter that required her personal approval with red ink, and looked up, she found that the sun was already setting.
The summer sun shines through the west window, and dust particles float in the beams of light.
She pinched her brows, thinking that such a long time had passed, and that guy finally did not break into the imperial study again this afternoon.
I feel a little uncomfortable for some reason. Why don't you come here anymore?
There was no anger on her face, but her mood was certainly not good. At this time, the empress calmed down and reflected on her reaction in the afternoon, which was somewhat "inappropriate".
It's not my style...Xu Zhenguan, Xu Zhenguan, with your habits, how could you get angry over such a trivial matter?
Just because it was him?
The empress was distracted quietly, with two villains fighting in her mind. One of them said that it was enough and it was time to lower her posture and give both sides a way out.
A villain said, "No way. I am the emperor. If he doesn't come, wouldn't it be embarrassing if I take the initiative to find him?"
After struggling for a while, the rational villain finally won. Xu Zhenguan stood up and walked out, dragging her long skirt.
When I opened the door, the sun was already setting. The palace maids in the corridor outside the door hurriedly saluted: "Your Majesty."
The empress said "yeah", then looked down at the bunch of flowers that had fallen to the ground. They must have wilted a little from the sun, and she raised the corners of her mouth slightly, saying:
"Where is Zhao Shaobao?"
A female official said, "She should be in the Wugong Hall. Does Your Majesty want to summon her?"
"No need, I'm tired, so I'll just go over and talk to Eunuch Hai."
Xu Zhenguan was stubborn and refused to admit it. He felt that he was a little too angry before, so he decided to take the initiative and coax him.
After walking a few steps forward, she stopped again:
"Put the flowers on the ground in the study room and plant them in a vase to take care of them. Don't waste anything."
"Yes."
Watching the empress leave, the female officials exchanged glances and smiled secretly.
When Xu Zhenguan walked all the way to the Wugong Hall, the sun had set a little. When she stepped into the hall amid the respectful welcome of the worshippers, she did not see Zhao Duan.
"Zhao Qing is not here?" She raised her eyebrows.
Eunuch Hai, wearing a bright red python robe, appeared slowly and mysteriously, and said with a smile:
"He was there originally, but someone suddenly came to visit him at home and said he had something to do, so he had to go back first. When he left, he said he would come back after finishing his business."
Go home?
"What's the urgent matter in his family?" the empress was curious.
Eunuch Hai gathered his sleeves together, looking as if it had nothing to do with him: "I don't know about that."
The empress thought for a moment, feeling a little worried. Considering that both parties had proposed marriage, there was no need to be polite. She turned around and ordered, "Prepare the carriage, a light carriage and a small entourage. I want to leave the palace for a while."
The woman's intuition told her that it was necessary to go to Zhao's house.
……
……
When Zhao Duan rode his horse hurriedly from the palace back to the gate of Zhao Mansion, he saw the old steward guarding outside the door himself.
Seeing him, her eyes lit up: "Da Lang, you're back."
The triumphant return of the Shenji Camp was widely publicized during the day, and all members of the Zhao family knew that Zhao Duan had returned victorious and was reporting to the palace.
"Well. What exactly happened? The servant who went to the palace to report the news didn't explain it clearly." Zhao Duan asked.
The old steward explained:
"It was a Taoist nun from the Tianshi Mansion. She said she was looking for you. She didn't seem to be a simple person. She didn't answer when asked who she was. She just sat in the house. The mistress didn't know who she was, so she didn't dare to act rashly. She was afraid of delaying Dalang's business, so she sent people to the palace to look for you."
A Taoist nun from the Tianshi Mansion? A priest, right? Zhao Duan was startled. He tried to recall the past, but he didn't expect that he knew such a person.
The only female priestess he was familiar with from the Tianshi Mansion was a golden tablet.
But the person who came was obviously not that person.
"I'll go in and take a look." Zhao Duan thought about it and decided to meet first.
Stepping into the courtyard, Zhao Duan soon arrived at the main hall in the inner courtyard used to receive guests.
At this moment, the sun was setting in the west, the temperature was hot in midsummer, and the doors and windows were open.
He saw at a glance that there were three women sitting in the inner hall.
The two of them, one big and one small, were naturally Eugene Hua and Zhao Pan.
The mother and daughter were sitting on the same side. When they heard the voice, they turned their heads and looked over. Their eyes lit up: "Da Lang (eldest brother) is back!"
Yuxiu noticed it earlier, but opened her eyes slowly and looked at Zhao Duan later than anyone else.
Their eyes met, and both of them looked at each other with curiosity and scrutiny.
The two had not met before the battle in Baihua Village, so this was their first meeting.
There was a hint of brightness in Yuxiu's eyes as she was stunned by Zhao Duan's appearance.
But soon, her focus shifted to the level of cultivation, and she was surprised to find that this warrior, who had clearly broken through to the worldly realm a few days ago, had a very restrained aura and did not seem frivolous, and he gave her a faint sense of threat.
It seemed that this "newcomer in the world" had the power to hurt her.
Even though it was only a threat of minor injuries, it was enough to surprise the second disciple of the Heavenly Master who had been in the sect for a long time.
Zhao Duan was also startled. He was very sure that he had never seen the Taoist priest in front of him before, but his martial artist's intuition told him that this Taoist priestess, who looked to be only in her thirties, was extremely dangerous.
He had experienced a similar feeling from his senior brother Duan Shuiliu from Qingshan.
"Are you the Zhao Duan?" Yuxiu stood up, her voice as calm as flowing water.
Listening to it, one suddenly feels as if one is not in the capital, but in a mountain valley with fresh breeze.
"It's me." Zhao Duan cupped his hands, "Who are you?"
Yuxiu introduced herself calmly: "Second disciple of Master Zhang, 'Green Jade Sword' Yuxiu."
(End of this chapter)