"Are you going to enter the palace now?" Xu Mingyi was slightly shocked. She felt quite uneasy about the existence of the layers of palace walls, as if once she walked in, her hands and feet would be restrained, and her life and death could not be controlled by herself. If her grandfather just passed by like this, would it be wrong?
A little too risky?
"Don't worry, grandpa is sure." Duke Zhen Guo looked at his granddaughter and said with a smile, "I can rest assured at home and wait for grandpa to come back and have dinner together."
Xu Mingyi hesitated for a moment and nodded lightly.
Grandfather didn't look like he was carried away by anger. He probably had a plan.
After experiencing so many things, she believed in her grandfather's ability, especially since King Yan had discussed it with her grandfather.
But when she saw that the old man turned around and walked out of the front hall, his back was much thinner than usual, she suddenly couldn't help but chase him out.
"grandfather--"
Looking at the girl chasing after him, Duke Zhenguo always had a smile in his eyes.
"..." Xu Mingyi whispered in the old man's ear.
Duke Zhen Guo was very surprised, and after being surprised, a look of relief appeared on his face - well, as expected of Zhao Zhao, he did a great job!
"One more thing... Grandfather, did you bring Na Yue Pei back to the city? Is this person still alive?"
Since my grandfather chose to keep this person, he would not take action on the way, but he could not say whether he would wait for an opportunity to commit suicide——
The Duke of Zhen Guo nodded: "The escort is back, alive."
It is said that he spared this man's life at that time, but he did not expect that he would survive until the day he returned to Beijing. Ordinarily, the emperor's mission was not completed, and such a big mistake occurred. Even if it was out of fear for others,
He would choose to commit suicide and give himself a happy life. How could he dare to return to the capital with his life alive?
For a moment, he couldn't tell whether this person was too cowardly or too talented.
But whether the other party is alive or dead has no impact on his plan, otherwise it will not be the other party's turn to decide whether to live or die.
Xu Mingyi was a little more certain in her heart.
Knowing that he would face terrible consequences after returning to Beijing, he still came back alive...
Do you think there is someone in Beijing who can help you survive?
And the living are always more useful than the dead——
"Grandpa, be careful." Xu Mingyi asked more questions without any further delay.
Duke Zhen Guo nodded: "Let's have a good meal tonight..." As he was about to leave, he suddenly thought of something again and asked in a low voice: "By the way, is that boy from the Wu family still in Beijing?"
"Here I am."
A smile appeared in the eyes of the Duke of Zhen. This boy is really good. He keeps his word. He said he would stay in the capital to protect his granddaughter, and he has been protecting him until now. That old guy Wu Jun must have been urging people to return to Ningyang.
Hey, my grandson, who was raised with care and care, doesn't obey orders. I wonder how you feel in your heart?
Thinking of this, the old man was in a good mood and said with a smile: "Since I haven't left yet, I'll ask someone to come to my house for a meal! But remember to come quietly."
Xu Mingyi blinked.
Grandfather wants Wu Chao to come to the house for dinner?
And it was my grandfather’s first meal after returning to Beijing——
She thought about it and nodded in agreement.
Only then did the Duke of Zhen lead a group of soldiers away.
Mrs. Cui walked out of the hall at this time, and the mother and daughter walked toward the inner courtyard while talking.
Xu Mingyi returned to Xiyuan and was about to ask Ah Zhu to go to Xuesheng Teahouse to convey a message, but unexpectedly Wu Chao came first.
In the past two days, Xiao Qi had been staying near the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion. Naturally, he also noticed the visit of Li Ji and others today. He realized that something might have happened, so he hurriedly reported it to his son.
Xu Mingyi slipped out quietly through the back door.
Wu Chao was waiting in a narrow alley not far behind Zhenguo Gong's Mansion.
The alley is shady and cool, and one side is covered with vines, whose leaves are densely packed, and it is the time when the green and yellow colors meet.
The tall and tall jade-like young man stood under the wall. Hearing the sound of light footsteps, he raised his eyes and looked over.
The girl was wearing a pale pink fine silk skirt, and her embroidered shoes stepped on the green bricks that still retained rainwater, and her steps were brisk.
Seeing her, the young man's eyebrows relaxed slightly and he took a few steps forward.
"I heard from Xiao Qi that someone from the palace came to visit today?"
Xu Mingyi nodded to him, and she knew that he must have heard the news, otherwise with his calm and steady style, he would not have come to find her like this.
There was no reason for her to hide the purpose of coming to the palace from him: "The emperor sent someone to deliver the edict, intending to grant me the title of concubine in the palace."
Even though Wu Chao had expected it, when he heard this sentence, he immediately frowned, and his eyes and tone became cold for a moment: "How dare you have such thoughts, he really still thinks that his life is too long——
"
Xu Mingyi had never seen him look like this, and she couldn't help but think of the scene in her dream where he broke into the emperor's palace with a sword. She subconsciously reached out her hand, gently grabbed one of his wrists, and said firmly: "Don't worry, I won't
Anyone who can remarry will not accept this ridiculous decree."
Change...marry?
The young man's expression condensed and he looked at her in a daze.
What does she mean by this... is she determined to marry him?
And the tone of voice that tried to reassure him sounded more like "Don't worry, I won't let you go"...
Thinking of this, the young man's ears felt slightly hot, and the corners of his mouth curled up uncontrollably. In an instant, the ice and snow melted between his brows and eyes, and his coldness was gone.
Xu Mingyi also belatedly realized that the idea of "remarrying" was not quite appropriate. After all, she was not married yet or engaged...but she did not change her words. Anyway, she did want to marry him, and there was nothing wrong with this.
Dodge and hide, or even pretend to refuse later to appear to be reserved and noble enough.
She didn't feel shy, she still held his wrist, with a bright smile on her face: "By the way, my grandfather has come back."
"I just heard about it." Wu Chao came back to his senses briefly: "How is the Duke's health?"
"It seems to be okay. I haven't had time to examine it carefully in the future, but I think I will need to take good care of it for a while."
Wu Chao nodded, as long as the person is safe, recuperation is a trivial matter.
"Grandpa also invited you to have dinner at my house in the evening. I was about to ask someone to send you a message - are you free tonight?"
After Wu Chao was startled, he nodded quickly.
Naturally, it is empty.
Must be available!
"Then I'll go back and prepare now -"
It was his first official visit, so he couldn't do it casually, lest the future Yue family think he didn't take him seriously enough.
"No need, no need." Xu Mingyi said quickly: "Don't stick to those etiquettes. My grandfather specifically told me that we must go quietly, so we must not go through the main entrance."
Wu Chao:……?
Why does it feel like the concubine needs to go through the side door when being carried in?
But what the girl said next made him give up the idea.
"The side door and the back door should not work..." Xu Ming said thoughtfully: "Recently, there are spies in the palace secretly watching our Zhenguo Palace. When the time comes, I will ask Ah Zhu to explore first and find an uninhabited place.
Pay attention to the back wall so that you can climb in quietly... Do you think this is appropriate?"
Wu Chao was silent for a moment: "...It's very appropriate."
The fact that the Duke can invite him in is an affirmation of him.
As the saying goes, a person must know how to cherish blessings. He is not the kind of person who doesn't know how to praise.
However, the first time I visited, I climbed over the wall and entered...
He has never climbed over the wall of the Zhenguo Palace, and he has never thought about climbing over, but this time he was invited by the master's family... Therefore, it shouldn't be too rude and offensive, right?
Seeing his expression, Xu Mingyi wanted to laugh inexplicably, and also felt that this way of inviting people to be guests was quite strange.
"The Duke has returned to Beijing this time, but what other plans do he have?" Wu Chao's attention quickly returned to the real business.
If the Duke is really determined to break up with the emperor, there is no need to worry about the emperor's suspicions when he comes to visit him - the Duke has always been affectionate and sincere, so this arrangement seems to have some other plan, so he made it
Will be cautious about this.
"I also think my grandfather has plans." Xu Mingyi said, "And he has entered the palace."
"Enter the palace?" Wu Chao's eyes changed slightly: "Why did the Duke enter the palace at this time?"
What the emperor is most taboo about now is the Duke's return to the capital. The poisoning plot has not been successful. At this time, he must hate and fear the Duke. There is no guarantee that he will not do anything detrimental to the Duke——
Having already met with the prince in Dongyuan City, arrangements must have been made. It is said that the prince no longer has to meet the emperor and risk his own safety.
"My grandfather brought the imperial edict, but he did not act impulsively. As for the real intention, we will know it when my grandfather comes back in the evening."
Wu Chao nodded, but still felt uneasy: "Is it a bit risky?"
"Now that the military talisman has not been obtained, the emperor is wary and will not dare to act rashly." Xu Ming thought to himself: "Since my grandfather chose to enter the palace, he will not anger the emperor too much."
But there is no guarantee that the emperor will not go crazy and lose his mind...
That’s why she said those words to her grandfather——
"I told my grandfather that the emperor has been poisoned without knowing it. If he wants to survive and get the antidote, he must not hurt my grandfather in the slightest."
This can be regarded as a bargaining chip that is enough to save one's life in a critical moment. After all, what is at stake is the dog emperor's own life. The more selfish a person is, the more he cherishes his life.
Wu Chao was confused when he heard this: "Poisoned?"
Is it a lie used to deceive the emperor, or is it true?
Only then did Xu Mingyi remember that she had not told him about this before: "It was me who put the poison in the elixir with the help of the imperial master. I was worried about my grandfather before, so I forgot to tell you."
Listening to the girl's casual tone, as if she was talking about how the weather is today, Wu Chao felt that there was no way he could be connected with such a big thing as secretly poisoning the king of a country...
His Zhaozhao... is indeed a person who is very good at getting important things done without saying a word.
In order to be a good match, he could only suppress the ups and downs in his heart and said calmly: "It is indeed a good idea to treat the other person with his own way."
Do you treat others the same way they treat you?
Xu Mingyi felt that this was not the case.
Long before it was confirmed that her grandfather was poisoned, she had thought about poisoning the Dog Emperor, but she never dared to act rashly, nor did she find a suitable opportunity.
It wasn't until she later learned that there was indeed an expert beside the emperor, and that expert was Qiao Bing--after making sure that Qiao Bing would not interfere, that she no longer hesitated.
Therefore, it doesn’t matter what the person’s behavior is or what the person’s behavior is. She just wants to poison the emperor.
Just to ensure that no abnormalities are noticed and to avoid being discovered by the imperial doctor, everything needs to be done carefully, and the emphasis is on a steady stream——
If ordinary people took it, it would take a year or two to really endanger their lives. But the emperor was different. He was already depressed, thinking and angry, so this was the best accelerant for the onset of toxicity.
Even though the emperor suspected that he had fallen in love with the imperial master and had secretly stopped taking the elixir, the poison that had been left in his body for a long time was enough for him to take advantage of.
"If grandpa doesn't have to use this life-saving talisman today, you can send a secret message to the empress later. Maybe it will come in handy at some point -"
This is equivalent to holding the emperor's life in the palm of his hand.
Listening to the girl's explanation, which seemed to be "good things need to be shared with everyone", Wu Chao agreed.
However, he was still a little worried about the Duke.
"The Wu family also has some useful people in the palace. I will send a letter to them, asking them to pay more attention to the situation of the Duke in the palace. If something unexpected happens, they can be informed in time so that they can deal with it."
Hearing this suggestion, Xu Mingyi nodded: "That's fine."
It's always good to be more prepared.
The two of them were talking in a low voice, and the sun slanted into the alley, casting wisps of clear golden color.
…
Outside the gate of the Forbidden Palace, the guards saw a group of men wearing black armor coming on horseback. The leader had not slowed down as he approached the outside of the Forbidden Palace, so he couldn't help but press the long knife on his waist in a defensive posture.
He shouted: "Who is coming? No horses are allowed outside the palace gate!"
However, there was no response. All he could see was that the leader was approaching on horseback. When he saw that he was in front of him, he reined in his horse and turned over. The soft armor on his body and the sword on his waist made a clashing sound.
Seeing the face of the visitor clearly, the six guards were all shocked——
"General Xu?!"
Wasn't General Xu in Dongyuan and fell ill?
Some people even said that he died of illness in a foreign land!
But now...how could he suddenly appear here!
Everyone was astonished and put away their knives and saluted.
His eyes swept across the few guards in front of him, and Zheng Guogong said: "I want to meet the emperor."
"Yes..." The six people moved to both sides.
When the Duke of Zhen Guo enters the palace to meet the Holy Spirit, he does not always need to wait outside the forbidden palace for communication.
However, as soon as the old man took two steps, he was stopped by the two guards at the front: "My lord, please wait..."
"What? Can't I enter this palace?"
"That's not the case..." A guard showed a respectful posture, lowered his head and stretched out his hands with palms facing up: "General, please take off your saber and let me take care of it temporarily."
In the past, General Xu would take off his clothes without being reminded whenever he entered the palace. Could it be that he forgot today?
However, I heard the old man say firmly: "The late emperor had set a rule when he was still alive. I don't have to unload my weapons when entering the palace -"
In the past, he wanted to quit.
Now he doesn't want to take it off, and no one is qualified to force him.
The expressions of all the guards changed when they heard this, and they all sensed an unusual atmosphere.
"What, are you trying to stop me?"
"You absolutely don't dare!" The leading guard suppressed the shock in his heart and took a step forward: "The villain will lead the way for the general -"
It is true that General Xu did not have to remove his sword because it was a rule set by the late emperor. However, if it was really his sword that was banned, they would not be able to escape the blame for any mishap.
You also need to follow closely to prevent unexpected events.
The Duke of Zhen Guo did not comment, and strode across the red lacquered threshold with his feet raised.
