Chapter 260 Meeting the noble concubine at night

After dinner, Li Longji was old and weak, and had been busy for Li Qing'an for a day. He was really tired, so he went to rest early. Yang Yuhuan had something to discuss and went back to his bedroom. As an external minister, Li Qing'an could not stay in the inner palace for a long time, so he was guided by a eunuch to go to the sleeping place.

Li Qing'an's peaceful sleeping place is located on the edge of the inner palace, called Yangxing Hall. As the name suggests, it means that it is for the ministers to temporarily live in and look up to Li Longji with a pious heart. To put it simply, it is the guest room of Huaqing Palace. Although it is in the inner palace, it is still a little distance from Li Longji's bedroom, and it is not directly connected, and it is separated by a high wall.

Living on the edge of the inner palace of Huaqing Palace can be regarded as sleeping on the side of Li Longji's couch. This is not something that everyone can enjoy. It can also be said to be a great favor, but only I know whether it is comfortable to sleep.

Li Qing'an's bedroom is in the side hall of Yangxing Hall. Not long ago, Yang Yuhuan's second sister, Mrs. Han, lived here for nearly a month. After she returned to Beijing, the entire hall seemed empty, without lanterns, it was pitch black, and only the faint lights in the side hall were faintly shining. Several palace maids were busy making the bed for Li Qing'an.

Li Qing'an waited in the hall for a while, but felt bored, so he walked into the courtyard outside the hall. The courtyard was full of lush flowers and plants, and silver light flashed under a bright moon. Several wintersweets were blooming in full bloom, and the air was filled with a faint fragrance. The Jingzhe had passed, and the cries of various night insects were heard one after another, which seemed very quiet. Only guards were patrolling back and forth by the wall in the distance.

Li Qing'an took the wintersweet for a moment, then continued to walk forward, passing through a cluster of green bamboos, and suddenly opened up. Here was a small entertainment venue with a flat ground and surrounded by flowers and green bamboos. It was about three or four acres of land wide. There were several swings in the venue, a small single-person Juqi goal. What's even better was that there were two gold pots, and there were also a special arrow stand for throwing gold pots next to it, with more than a dozen gold pots in it.

Two palace maids on the swing were swinging and whispering something when they suddenly saw a strange man appear. The two palace maids were so scared that they jumped off the swing and ran away.

"you..."

Li Qing'an couldn't shout and had to watch them run away. The field was empty and there was no one alone. Li Qing'an turned around and was about to leave. At this time, his eyes fell on the golden pot, which was a standard quiver, about half a person tall, with a round mouth and excellent texture.

It has been almost two years since I tried this kind of literary shooting, and Li Qing'an couldn't help but become a little interested. He looked around and saw that it was deserted and there was no one. Li Qing'an took three heavy golden arrows and retreated to the five-meter red line. He tried the distance. With a trembling hand, an arrow flew out. With a crisp sound of "Dang!", the golden arrow bounced on the mouth of the pot and fell into the pot, making a dull sound.

Li Qingan shook his head. He hadn't thrown for more than two years. His touch felt much awkward. He thought that when he fought against Shi Siming, he threw ten feet apart, but now the five feet distance made him a little overwhelmed. He bit his lip and shot the golden arrow in his hand again. With a "dong!", this time, he entered the pot accurately. A competitive mood slowly rose in his heart. He retreated backwards and ten feet away. There was no red line here. Just based on one feeling, the distance should be estimated. The breeze and the moon should be able to produce the best effect.

He took a deep breath and a precise parabola appeared in his mind, with force, direction, feel, and heavy arrows. He quickly found his best condition. At the moment when the night wind stopped, the golden arrow flew out and advanced along the parabola in his mind. With a "ding!", the arrow shot into the golden pot with great accuracy.

"So awesome!"

Suddenly, behind him, shouting and applause came to mind. Li Qingan was startled. When he turned around, he saw more than a dozen palace maids standing behind him surrounded by Yang Yuhuan in full dress.

Li Qing'an was stunned and had no time to think about it. He quickly bowed and said, "I don't know that the Empress has arrived, and I deserve to die!"

"General Li said nothing. What's the crime? I disturbed General Li and threw an arrow."

Yang Yuhuan smiled and said, "I want to come and swing, but I didn't expect General Li to be here too."

"Well, go back!"

Li Qingan bowed slightly and retreated.

"General Li!" Yang Yuhuan suddenly called him.

"Does the Empress have any instructions?"

Yang Yuhuan showed a hint of embarrassment on his face, "I want to throw a golden arrow and let General Li guide him. I have been able to throw an arrow three meters away in the past few years."

Li Qing'an hesitated for a moment. It would be okay if it was daytime, but now it was night. It would be a bit ambiguous when he guided Yang Yuhuan to throw arrows. As long as he crossed his mind, he would have life worries.

As if she knew his difficulties, Yang Yuhuan picked up a golden arrow and smiled: "The general was my master. I have made great progress in the past two years. I just want to show it to the master. Please don't have any pressure, General."

There were guards patrolling in the distance, and there were a large group of palace maids next to them. Li Qingan smiled and turned around and said, "Okay then! Please, Empress."

Yang Yuhuan stood outside the three-meter line, the smile on her face disappeared, she frowned, looking for the feeling of throwing an arrow, her jade buttocks were gently swung, and her slender hands were turned out, and the golden arrow flew out of her hand, bounced at the mouth of the pot, and fell into the pot.

Yang Yuhuan clapped her hands with joy, "I've hit it!"

Li Qing'an nodded and smiled, "The Empress has made great progress!"

"General Li has been awarded more than the prize. I usually only have three arrows to hit one of them. Today I hit the first one, and it was at night. This must be because General Li is next to him."

Yang Yuhuan was a little excited. She thought for a while and said with a smile: "General Li is here too. Otherwise, I will be five feet away and General Li will teach me?"

Under the moonlight, Yang Yuhuan's eyes were clear and bright, with hazy eyes, making her look noble and gorgeous, and her beauty was unusual, which made Li Qingan's heart beat.

He smiled and said, "If it's okay during the day or indoors, it's okay in the wilderness at night that the Empress cannot be five feet away. Most people don't have that kind of vision. If the Empress doesn't believe it, she can stand five feet away and take a look."

Yang Yuhuan was a little disbelief. She took a few steps back and stopped at the five-zhang marking line. Looking at the golden pot, it was indeed very blurry, completely different from three zhang away. She then put the golden arrow back into the rack with some regret and smiled at Li Qing'an: "Okay! When you come back to Chang'an, you will teach me, and I will call you a master."

"The Empress has an order, and I am willing to come and teach you at any time. It's late at night, so I will take my leave first."

"The weather is cold, I'm going back to the palace, let's go together!"

Yang Yuhuan walked towards the inner palace surrounded by more than a dozen palace maids, while Li Qing'an followed.

"Does General Li feel any changes this time when he returns to Chang'an?"

Li Qing'an shook his head and said, "I have just arrived in Chang'an this morning and have not entered the city yet. I can't feel the change for the time being. However, after entering Guanzhong, I only feel that the scenery is very beautiful and dazzling."

"Is that true? I don't feel any beauty. I think Chang'an is like this, very dull."

Li Qingan smiled and said, "That's because the Empress lives in Chang'an for many years and sees it every day, while I have been in the Western Regions for many years and are not very familiar with Chang'an. This is called the beauty of distance."

A trace of brightness flashed in Yang Yuhuan's eyes, and she murmured to herself: "Distance produces beauty!"

She suddenly turned around and smiled at Li Qing'an, "General Li, you said it very well!"

Li Qingan smiled faintly and said, "Actually, people are the same. Watching them every day will make you feel tired after a long time. This is the reason why a small separation is better than a newlywed."

Yang Yuhuan nodded. Li Qing'an said it very well. That's true. When he walked past the wintersweet tree, a faint fragrance came to his face. Yang Yuhuan wanted to break a branch, but the branches of the wintersweet tree were too high and she couldn't reach it. Li Qing'an jumped, broke one for her, and handed it to her, "Empress, give it!"

Yang Yuhuan smiled sweetly, and his eyes circulated, swaying.

"Thank you!"

She took the wintersweet, sniffed on her lips, and then secretly glanced at Li Qing'an. Many years ago, such a young man had folded the wintersweet for her. The past was like smoke, and a trace of desolation flashed across her face, and she couldn't help but sigh softly.

Li Qingan didn't dare to ask too much, and followed her silently. The Yangxing Palace was ahead. Yang Yuhuan was about to go back from a fork in the road next to her. At this time, her pace slowed down. After hesitating for a moment, she whispered: "General Li, it is meaningful to let you marry Mingyue early for dinner. Listen to me, marry Mingyue early and take her to Anxi."

After saying that, she quickly walked towards the inner palace without looking back, and gradually disappeared among the flowers. Li Qingan looked at her back and chewed the deep meaning of her words carefully.

Li Qing'an returned to Beijing to report his work, which had no direct relationship with most people. In addition to giving the government, the opposition and the people a little bit of spiritual excitement and talking after dinner, everyone did not feel that there was anything that was related to their vital interests. However, most of the Sogdians from Anxi used silver and money, which was a novelty. This incident became a hot topic for merchants in the east and west cities for a time.

Merchants care about money, but the contestants in the power field are more concerned about the signal of Li Qing'an's return. Li Qing'an is a staunch supporter of the former crown prince Li Heng. What variables will his return bring to the dispute over the East Palace?

In the afternoon, Li Qiu returned from Xianyang and returned to Prince Qing's Mansion. Although he had secretly defected to Li Heng, he was still the son of Prince Qing and lived in the deep courtyard of Prince Qing's Mansion.

Li Qi rode to the front of the mansion, turned over and got off the horse, threw the reins to the follower, and walked quickly up the steps, just in time to meet the butler coming out.

"Young Master is back!" The housekeeper hurriedly bowed to him.

"How is my father? Are you getting better?"

Seeing that there was no one around, the housekeeper whispered to Li Qiu, "The imperial physician in the palace just now came and said that the prince's illness was excessive alcohol and sex, and he had to rest for several months, and he could not get close to women anymore, nor could he drink alcohol, otherwise he would have life worries."

Li Qiu was disdainful, but he didn't show it on his face, so he said, "You go and do it! Don't go out to promote this matter, do you know?"

"Yes! I don't dare."

The housekeeper hurriedly left, and Li Qiu shook his head. Since his fake father was accused of the former prince's misfortune case and the assassination of Li Qing'an, he was severely rebuked by the emperor. He personally beat him twenty rods and ordered him to face the wall and think about it for a year. These twenty rods dispelled Li Cong's ambitions and became depressed from then on, indulging in alcohol and sex, becoming fatter and fatter, and various diseases came one after another, causing him to suffer from illness.

Li Qiu walked into the mansion, which was very quiet. Since Li Cong was confined, most of his family had been sent to various manors. The remaining servants in the mansion were less than 30% of the original ones. He walked through a small door and walked towards the yard where he lived.

Li Qiu got married last year and married Cui Yu, the eldest daughter of the head of the Jiannan Jiedu Prefecture, Cui Ning. In addition, he has two concubines. He currently lives in the East Courtyard with his wife Cui Yu. His wife Cui Yu is six months pregnant. When he walked into the yard, he saw his wife Cui Yu sweeping the floor in the yard with a broom. He was stunned and ran up to grab the broom and complained: "What are you doing to sweep the floor well? Is this what you did?"

Cui Yu quickly smiled and said, "This is what the midwife said, saying that I am thin and need to move more to be good for the fetus. So I moved when I saw something happening. I happened to see the maid sweeping the floor, so I wanted to try it."

"Hey! If you want to move, just walk around the mansion more. Go to the back garden to have a walk. After all, you are a princess in the county. How can you do something like sweeping the floor? If you see it, you will be impeached."

He angrily said to the maid next to him: "If you dare to let the princess sweep the floor again, I will not beat you to death."

Several maids were so scared that they didn't dare to say a word. Cui Yu smiled and said, "Okay, husband, don't be angry. I won't do it in the future. By the way, Mr. Yan came to find you just now. I said you went out to hunt yesterday and didn't return overnight. He said that you would like to go to his place after you come back."

"I understand. I'll go and have a look. I haven't eaten lunch yet! Prepare a few dishes for me and I'll come back later."

After saying that, Li Qiu walked towards the west courtyard.

Mr. Yan Kai, the former aide of Li Cong. After Li Cong was depressed, he was idle and wanted to resign and returned home several times, but he was kept by Li Qiu. He is currently living in the guest room in the West Courtyard, reading and writing all day long, and doing nothing.

Li Qiu walked into the yard where he lived, but saw Yan Kai sitting by the well fishing. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Why are you fishing in the well?"

When Yan Kai saw Li Qiu coming in, he put down his fishing rod and laughed: "I raised dozens of carp in the well last year. I thought that they should be fat, so I thought about fishing them out and drinking. When will the little prince come back?"

"I just came back and heard from my insider that the sir was looking for me, so I came over."

Li Qiu suddenly remembered something and waved his hand and smiled: "Speak ugly first, I don't agree if I want to resign."

Yan Kai smiled bitterly and said, "I live a difficult life even if I just take money and don't work all day. I want to leave, but today I want to talk about something."

The two walked into the room, Yan Kai's wife served them tea. Li Qiu took a sip of tea and said with a smile: "What happened to Mr. Yan? He was so anxious to find me."

Yan Kai pondered for a moment and said, "Do you still remember the three crimes that the emperor punished the prince?"

Li Qiu nodded and said, "Of course I know, first, it is occupied too much land, which triggers the rebellion of farmers; second, it is the disaster in the Eastern Palace; third, it is the assassination of Li Qing'an, who was the then Henan Road Observer in Weishi County."

"Little Prince, there is no doubt about the first two cases, but when I assassinate Li Qing'an in Weishi County, I feel full of weirdness. This is obviously not done by the prince, so how could it fall on the prince's head?"

Li Qi also felt strange. He did not participate in this matter at all. He asked Li Cong at that time, and Li Cong said, "So what if it was him?" He wanted to kill Li Qing'an with his own hands. He thought it was his father who did it privately, but now looking back, his father was just an angry word at that time, but in fact it was not the father's actions. After Yan Kai's reminder, he also felt a little strange. It was obviously a case of frame-up.

"Did you find something sir?"

Yan Kai nodded and said, "Mr. Luo of Wannian County was my classmate and friend of the past. Yesterday I drank with him. He suddenly mentioned the mystery two years ago. He said that Li Qing'an had sent two assassins to Beijing at that time."

"Wait!" Li Qiu interrupted him and asked, "Are they the two assassins who suddenly died in Dali Temple?"

"Yes! That's those two."

Yan Kai took a sip of tea and continued: "Mr. Luo said that he had seen the two assassins. They were originally thieves from Wangyang, known as the second monster of Jinzhou. They have been imprisoned in the heavy prison of Wannian County. They were later bought by others by others."

"Who bought them?"

"Mr. Luo said that it was a middle-aged man who claimed to be a white-faced man who bought it for 600 guan. This is the usual way in prison. He didn't know who the person's background was."

"I don't know?" Li Qiu smiled and said, "What's the point of saying this? There is no evidence or evidence. Can the case be reversed? Take a step back and say, what can you do if there is evidence? Does the father still have hope of fighting for the East Palace again?"

Yan Kai shook his head and said, "It's not the question of whether the prince can reuse it, but we can know the truth about the assassination."

"Oh! How do you say this?"

Yan Kai said slowly: "Mr. Luo said that he accidentally saw the White-Faced Mr. Baimian who bought the criminal a few days ago. This person turned out to be Han Baiyan, the aide of King Di."

"King Di?" Li Qi suddenly realized, and he fisted and palmed each other, and said with hatred: "What a plan to blame Jiangdong."

"Little Prince, I wonder if this news is useful to Xiao Wang?"

Li Qiu was stunned. He looked up at Yan Kai. Seeing that he was smiling ambiguously, he changed his mind and suddenly realized that Yan Kai had guessed a little bit of his own.

Li Qiu thought for a while and smiled, "This news is of course useful, but the gentleman can tell Li Qing'an directly."

Yan Kai hesitated, "Can I go to see Li Qing'an?"

Li Qiu smiled slightly and said, "Why don't you think about leaving? I can write you a letter, go find Li Qing'an directly!"

Only then did Yan Kai realize that Li Qiu went to see Li Qing'an yesterday. It turned out that they had a connection, but would Li Qing'an believe in him?
Chapter completed!