Chapter 28 The fateful encounter in the third act 8
Guihong Garden is a rare quiet place in King Ye's palace. There is a clear pool of water in the garden. At the turn of spring and summer, swan geese returning from the north of Qinmengze often settle here. Got its name.
It was the summer solstice, and the tung flowers that were in full bloom in the garden in the early morning had almost all fallen away in one day, leaving a thick layer on the ground, as if a pink snow had just fallen. The sky was getting dark, and everything was lonely. But a series of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded in the corridor in front of the garden. It was Qi Ziyin, who was wearing plain clothes and was pushing the door to leave. He was in a hurry, as if he was planning to leave the palace.
"Why do you run so fast when you see me, young master? It's almost night, where are you planning to go?"
Wan Shi also hurriedly followed behind him, mumbling incessantly.
"Ning Yue just sent a message from Brother Mao to say that Jiang Yan was seriously injured in the martial arts competition at Baisha Camp in the afternoon. He is my friend, I have to go and see!"
The boy in white originally planned to sneak out, but he didn't expect that the guard who was dozing in the side room was very alert. The slight sound he made on the wooden floor immediately attracted his attention. In desperation, he had to stop. , turned around and explained to the other party.
"Young Master Ziyin, did you steal my parrot brother again?" Wan Shi quickly caught up with the boy, his tone of reproach became even louder.
"Brother Shitou, why are you so stingy? I bought half of Brother Parrot's food." After a few hasty words, Qi Ziyin wanted to take the opportunity to slip away, but was grabbed by the other party. Back hem:
"Young master, wait a minute. The one-month grounding imposed on you by the king has just passed. If you just sneak out of the palace in such a grand manner, who can bear the blame from the king?"
"Isn't Brother Shitou sitting in the palace for me? If anyone comes looking for me, just say that I have gone to bed. Besides, it's so late, who would think of me when they have nothing to do?"
As Qi Ziyin spoke, he twitched the hem of his clothes and ran forward again.
However, when Wan Shi thought of the scoldings he received when Master Gou accused him in front of the king last time, a muscle could not help but go numb from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and he shook his head vigorously:
"No, you can't go anywhere today, young master."
"If you want me to stay, Brother Shitou must catch up first!"
But the young man in white laughed mischievously, and his steps did not stop for a moment, running further in the blink of an eye. He usually had few playmates in Guihongyuan, and would often deliberately provoke Wan Shi to chase him for fun. .
As a result, the two of them chased each other through the intricate corridors. But just when Qi Ziyin finally got rid of Wan Shi and turned a corner, he bumped into the same figure and fell down with a cry of surprise. On the ground.
"Oh Yin'er, why are you running in such a hurry?" The person opposite seemed to have been hit hard, and he covered his chest with both hands.
Qi Ziyin touched his sore buttocks and got up, only to see that the person he bumped into was short and fat, with dark brown pits and spots on his face. He turned out to be his uncle, Marquis of Jinghai, Qi Shouyu.
The young man immediately put away the smile on his face and showed an expression as if he had planned to do something bad but was caught and said: "Uncle Wang, why are you free to come to Guihongyuan today?"
"Why, can't I, the king, come and see my nephew?"
Marquis Jinghai said, reaching out and touching the top of Qi Ziyin's head. This move made the child frown slightly in disgust, but he did not dodge.
For a long time, the young man in white didn't like his uncle very much. Every time Qi Shouyu entered the palace, he would always bring back many new things that the navy masters collected when they went to sea, but without exception, all of these things were sent to his brother Qi Zixiu's East Palace.
Occasionally, if there are items that are rejected by the prince, they will be sent to Guihongyuan again.
It stands to reason that Marquis Jinghai's loyalty to Duke Ye has long been a good story in the government and the public, so it is understandable that he should get closer to his eldest son. Qi Ziyin, who was born in a concubine, did not think there was anything wrong with this at first. But as he got older,
However, he felt more and more that the other party's move was not simply to establish a good relationship with the future prince, but had other motives.
However, neither his father nor his eldest brother made any comments on this matter, so the young man was not allowed to speculate.
Until then, Qi Ziyin saw that there was an attendant following Uncle Wang, holding a beautifully crafted red lacquer gift box in his hand. He just thought it was something his brother didn't want, and immediately shook his head and declined:
"Uncle Wang, please take the gift back. My Guihongyuan is too small to fit in it."
"Tsk, this is a good thing that the king specially brought for you. Is there any reason to take it back?"
Marquis Jinghai did not comment, turned around and opened the top cover of the gift box. In an instant, a dazzling white light appeared in the dim corridor, just like the stars in the sky falling into the world. And this light came from the box.
emanating from it.
"What is this?"
Qi Ziyin had never even heard of the thing the other party gave him. He couldn't help but believe that this thing was specially brought to him, and suddenly he became very interested.
"This is a bright moon pearl that can only be harvested in the warm southern seas. I ordered someone to bring it back from the British Isles in the south of Dun Kingdom and give it to my nephew to play with. What do you think of it, my nephew?"
"That's good, but -"
"Nothing. I'll give it to you and take it. I have something to ask you today. I wonder if I can borrow a place to talk?" Marquis Jinghai smiled and stuffed the gift box into the young man's arms.
Qi Ziyin didn't know how to refuse the other party's kindness for a while, but he thought about dismissing Uncle Wang quickly so that he could sneak out of the palace, so he half pushed and half took the bright moon bead.
"Oh, young master, you can give me a good meal!"
The voice of the personal guard suddenly sounded behind him, and Qi Ziyin was so frightened that he almost dropped the wooden box in his hand. The night was dark, and after the box lid was closed, Wan Shi could only see the back of the boy in plain clothes from a distance, and when he ran closer
Only then did he realize that there were other people standing next to him.
"My subordinate has met the Marquis."
The young guard was a little surprised that the prince, who had so many things to do, didn't inform him in advance and chose to visit after sunset. In a panic, he knelt down on one knee and saluted.
"Wan Shi, if you don't follow Young Master Ziyin after nightfall, how can you allow him to run around alone in this huge Guihong Garden?" Marquis Jinghai stood in the shadows, and it was difficult to tell whether he was happy or angry.
"Subordinate, I went to the Mozhu Hall to get books for the young master, but I forgot that he was waiting for me here. The Taifu said early in the morning that he would take a test tonight, so the young master wanted to take advantage of his free time.
Read more books..."
"Yin'er has an exam tonight? That's really unlucky. I don't know what kind of evil this old man, Taifu, has been. Ever since I was a student, I like to take exams at night, just like the lamps and candles in the Mozhu Hall.
It doesn’t count the general expenses in the palace.”
A hint of displeasure flashed across Marquis Jinghai's face, but it was fleeting. "Then why don't I come back another day? Yin'er, you should go to Mozhu Hall as soon as possible."
"Well - there's no need for that. Just when I went to get the books, I happened to hear a message from the Grand Tutor, saying that he was a little tired tonight and would take the exam another day."
Wan Shi was afraid that the other party would accompany him to send the young master to Mozhu Hall, so he quickly shook his head and lied again.
Hearing the guard smooth things over for him, Qi Ziyin couldn't help but quietly nodded to him to express his gratitude.
"That's the best. Yin'er and I have something to say, so please step aside first."
Marquis Jinghai waved his broad sleeves and signaled Wan Shi and his attendants to retreat to a distance. After confirming that there was no one else around, he asked:
"My dear nephew, I would like to ask you, today there was a kid with dark eyes in Baisha camp. He almost defeated the captain in Bihai camp and made our captain lose face. I heard that his name seems to be Jiang Yan. Is it the same?
My nephew, do you also have some contacts?"
Apart from Wan Shi, the young man had never mentioned the acquaintance with Jiang Yan and Ning Yue in the market a few days ago. When the other party asked about it, he only said that Jiang Yan asked Uncle Wang to come and send him a message.
, his expression immediately became tense:
"Uncle Wang, did you come from the Baisha Camp? Could it be that Jiang Yan was seriously injured? Where is he now? What is his condition?"
"That means you two really know each other?"
Marquis Jinghai's expression changed slightly, and he comforted his nephew, "You don't have to worry, good nephew, you will inevitably suffer some skin injuries in the school competition. However, I am very interested in the origin of this dark-eyed boy.
?”
"How come Uncle Wang suddenly cares about his nephew's friends?"
Qi Ziyin couldn't guess what the other party wanted, but he vaguely felt that Marquis Jinghai came here with some other purpose, so he couldn't help but be on guard, "I-I'm not actually familiar with him, we just met him once."
It was just fate. At that time, my nephew thought he was a pretty good person, so he wanted to make a new friend."
"Not familiar?" Although Marquis Jinghai was still smiling, his eyes seemed to be a little disbelieving at the words of the boy in plain clothes.
"Uncle Wang, these days I have been confined by my father in Guihongyuan. I am not allowed to go anywhere except Mozhu Hall every day, let alone leave the palace. How can I be familiar with someone who has just entered the city not long ago?
?”
Marquis Jinghai, whose face was covered with brown spots, looked at the boy in front of him and said nothing more. After a long time, the suspicion in his eyes finally dissipated, but the smile on his face became even thicker:
"What my nephew said makes sense. However, I still want to kindly remind you that you are the young master of my Ye Kingdom. Nowadays, refugees are everywhere. Don't get too close to the strangers who have recently entered the city, so as not to get into unnecessary trouble.
trouble."
"Trouble? Is Uncle Wang being serious? Jiang Yan - he seems to be a good person -" Qi Ziyin raised his eyes and glanced at the person in front of him.
"You know people but don't know their hearts. I heard that a few days ago, there was a black-eyed boy on Zitong Street who caused quite a commotion with a red-haired girl. Even the Red Ling Guards couldn't stop him.
Live in."
After hearing this, Qi Ziyin's doubts became more intense. He didn't understand why Uncle Wang would pay attention to such a trivial matter in the streets. Besides, Xiang Baili should be responsible for the imperial army. But he was afraid of arguing again.
If I go on, I will spill the beans, so I have to follow the other person’s wishes and say:
"Yes...nephew knows..."
Marquis Jinghai didn't seem to intend to continue asking. He nodded slightly and reached out to touch the child's head:
"That's how you behave. If you, my dear nephew, learn the details of that black-eyed kid in the future, please send Wan Shi to inform me. After all, there are many good and bad people in the boat division. As the governor, I must serve the country and the country.
Be responsible. You are also a descendant of my Qi family, and you must never forget your identity. Do you know that?..."
Qi Shouyu spoke eloquently to his nephew, and then called Wan Shi and escorted the young master back to his room to rest. As soon as the young man in white left, the attendant waiting in the distance immediately came forward and asked in a low voice
road:
"Master Hou, has the young master just admitted that he is the one who spent a lot of money to calm down the trouble for Jiang Yan in Zitong Street a few days ago?"
"There is no need to admit it. I also know that it must be him. Yin'er was able to tell without hesitation that Jiang Yan must have met the two children on the day they entered the city a few days ago. According to eyewitnesses,
There was indeed a boy of the same age as Jiang Yan and the girl in Zitong Street that day. And our young master prefers to wear white..."
Marquis Jinghai gently brushed the sparse beard on his chin, thought for a moment and then whispered:
"From now on, we will place more people in Guihongyuan to keep a close eye on my nephew's every word, every move, and all his interactions with the black-eyed boy, and report back to the king at any time. Remember, this is
This must not be noticed by anyone, not even Wan Shi or Gou Qinghong, including the person above the main hall..."
The night became darker and darker. The figures of Marquis Jinghai and his attendants who were whispering quietly disappeared into the shadows of the corridor and could no longer be seen.
Thank you for your tasteful attention to "Twin Moon". I hope the wheat grown by Xiaoli will suit your taste. You can follow the official account of the same name~