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墨書 Inktalez
Zhu Ge Lao and Zheng An respectfully knelt in the hall. For a long time, there was no sound of "rise" in the hall.
In the past, the two would have exchanged knowing glances and then confronted the Young Emperor together.
But at this moment, the two Old Ministers remained expressionless, kneeling almost to the ground, without a hint of impatience.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound of fingertips lightly tapping on the armrest echoed slowly, like a dull sword, piercing the heart with each strike.
In the end, Zhu Ge Lao could not hold back any longer and took the lead in bowing his head, discussing the water management issues along the Yellow River.
He spoke eloquently, his aged voice resonating in the hall. However, until the last note faded away, he received no response from the Monarch.
Zhu Ge Lao's usually straight posture trembled slightly, bending even lower as he quietly raised his hand to wipe away the beads of sweat on his forehead.
Zheng An, however, appeared much calmer.
Though he was somewhat more respectful than usual, when he spoke, it was neither servile nor overbearing: "Spring has already arrived. If we do not address the Yellow River issue immediately, by summer, when the flood season comes, it will be too late to take precautions..."
"Where is the eldest son of the Imperial Teacher now?"
The cold question came suddenly, carrying the weight of imperial authority.
Zheng An's words came to an abrupt halt before he replied, "He has returned to his hometown."
The sound of fingertips tapping on the armrest suddenly stopped.
The Young Emperor faintly curled his lips, "Oh?"
"Indeed." Before Huo Yun'ai could continue questioning, Zheng An proactively said, "I returned a couple of days ago. With Clear approaching, I cannot go back to pay respects to my ancestors, so I had my Son return home on my behalf."
Although his back was slightly hunched, his expression was calm, and his tone was neither servile nor overbearing, sounding quite similar to his usual self.
"Zheng Daren has served the country loyally for many years and cannot attend to family matters; I am greatly comforted," Huo Yun'ai's smile deepened by two points. "Come here. Deliver the items prepared earlier to the Zheng Family ancestral home and hand them over to Zheng Young Master as a reward."
His tone was flat and cold, but it stirred up huge waves in Zheng An's heart.
The Emperor clearly intended for someone to personally deliver the reward to that useless thing!
Zheng An hurriedly said, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty. However, my Son will be playing with friends on the way and may take some time to arrive. If the Eunuchs wait too long at the Zheng Family, it might delay their return to the palace, and I would truly feel uneasy."
"Zheng Daren is being too modest." Uncle Yu smiled gently from the side. "This is indeed within our servants' duties."
Zheng An wanted to argue further when he heard Huo Yun'ai change the subject and ask, "Isn't there someone from Zhu Ge Lao's family who paints quite well?"
The Zhu Family has a long tradition of literature and art; if there aren't ten, they can surely pick out seven or eight who are "not bad" at painting.
However, after hearing the previous conversation between Huo Yun'ai and Zheng An, Zhu Ge Lao did not intend to beat around the bush about who it was. He straightforwardly said, "Minran is still young and not very skilled. He can only be considered 'acceptable.' He is still far from 'good.'"
When he spoke, his back straightened slightly, and his tone was extremely firm.
Huo Yun'ai did not speak, her eyelids slightly lowered, and a hint of mocking smile appeared at the corners of her lips.
Uncle Yu said with a smile, "Lord Zhu is being modest. Miss Zhu's paintings are quite renowned in the capital. Previously, General Qin mentioned that he would find an opportunity to invite the young lady to create a piece to hang in the most prominent spot on the first floor of Shu Jing Lou, so that others could admire and appreciate it."
This remark indeed came from Qin Shuying. Moreover, it was something he had specifically told Uncle Yu to convey.
It should be noted that Shu Jing Lou is a shop opened by Qin Shuying that specializes in calligraphy and paintings.
However, anyone can enter the first floor of that shop, and it sells rather ordinary works. Pieces of slightly higher value are placed in the private rooms on the second and third floors.
To hang Zhu Minran's painting for others to critique while placing it on the first floor is nothing short of mocking her work as unworthy of being displayed upstairs.
Zhu Ge Lao's face turned pale with anger, and his tone became somewhat stiff, "Minran is currently not in the Capital City; it seems she may have to decline the general's kind offer."
"Miss Zhu is not in the capital?" Uncle Yu was quite surprised and said, "Then we will inform the general when the time comes."
At this moment, Uncle Yu stood beside Huo Yun'ai, while Zhu Qingbai was kneeling.
Zhu Ge Lao had been cautious about Huo Yun'ai's questioning and had prepared his words for when he brought up Zhu Minran. Therefore, when Uncle Yu spoke, he instinctively responded in that manner.
Once he realized he was in such a situation speaking to a court official, Zhu Qingbai's expression changed instantly, and he became furious. He raised his hand to point at Uncle Yu, ready to refute him.
Suddenly, an Icy Voice rang out, cutting off everything he was about to say.
"You two are the ones who caused a commotion at the Marquisate banquet that day, and you are both not in the Capital City?"
Although the words seemed casual, like a leisurely conversation, the chilling tone could not be ignored or taken lightly.
Zhu Ge Lao and Zheng An both replied, "That is correct."
"Then the ones who were with the man in black that day were not the two of them?"
The Young Emperor lightly tapped the table, his voice like the cold Jade Spring, each word striking at the heart and chilling to the bone. "Listen, the one giving orders to the man in black was Miss Zhu, who took it from Zheng Young Master's arms."
"Perhaps someone misidentified them."
Zheng An knew that Zhu Ge Lao was older and had been in power for a long time, his temper not as manageable as it once was. He hurriedly spoke before Zhu Ge Lao could respond: "What man in black? We truly do not know. That day, Son and Miss Zhu ran out with everyone else in fright and did not see any man in black."
After a pause, he frowned as if deep in thought and murmured, "Perhaps people can look alike." After saying this, he bowed deeply. "Your Majesty! Perhaps someone impersonated the two of them to slander them. I implore Your Majesty to investigate!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone behind the screen turned pale.
At that moment, Zhu Ge Lao also chimed in beside him: "I implore Your Majesty to investigate!"
The room fell into an extreme silence.
Mu Hai and Meng Liang exchanged a glance, then slowly turned their faces away, expressionless as they stared ahead.
Zhu Minran was terrified, tears streaming down her face. Shaking her head, she could only make muffled sounds due to the medicinal soup she had drunk before entering the room.
Zheng Young Master, who had previously shown hope in his eyes, suddenly froze, turning to confusion. Gradually, he fell silent, his expression darkening.
Qing Wu never expected that the Zheng Family and Zhu Family would treat these two as discarded pawns, completely severing ties with them.
If she hadn't witnessed these two participating in the Competition at the banquet and making those moves, just hearing the resolute voices of the two kneeling outside would have made her believe it.
Since they dared to act this way, they must have had a foolproof backup plan to justify their previous actions.
It was likely that they had already made plans and arrangements before that banquet and those maneuvers.
No.
Perhaps even earlier than that...
Qing Wu could no longer focus on the conversation that followed.
Every time Zheng An and Zhu Ge Lao made a guarantee or spoke a word, Zhu Minran behind the screen slumped further, while Zheng Young Master's expression grew darker.
In the end, she didn't even know when the two kneeling had stood up or left. She could only think of their demeanor with a chill running through her body, slowly recalling something in her heart.
Qin Shuying and Zheng Ning both had connections with her. During the reign of the Former Emperor, Zhu Ge Lao and Zheng An were not as they are now.
At that time, they devoted all their efforts to assist the emperor and took great care of the Crown Prince Huo Yun'ai. Otherwise, before the Former Emperor passed away, he would not have entrusted his young son to them.
However, the Former Emperor still left a contingency plan.
The person he trusted most in his lifetime was the Grand General. The ones he cherished most were Huo Yun'ai and Qin Shuying.
Although Qin Shuying achieved victory after victory in battle at that time, for the sake of Huo Yun'ai, the Former Emperor urgently summoned Qin Shuying back to the capital to entrust the young prince to him. He also secretly instructed Qin Shuying that as long as Huo Yun'ai had not yet grasped control of the court, he was not allowed to leave the capital. He must protect the Young Emperor and ensure his safety.
Qin Shuying and Qing Wu did all this for Huo Yun'ai.
At that time, General Qin rarely put away his usual smile; his brows furrowed with worry as he said to her, "He keeps everything bottled up inside. He has no particular hobbies, and even if he feels troubled, he has no outlet other than constantly dealing with state affairs. Over time, these burdens accumulate, and I fear he may not be able to bear it."
With a heavy sigh, he turned to her and said, "He used to confide in me a bit, but ever since the Former Emperor passed away, he has shared nothing with me. I do not know about other matters, but betrayal from someone he trusted most is something he cannot endure. I only hope you can pay more attention to him; when he is feeling down, just being there for him will be enough."
Although Qin Shuying did not say it explicitly, what he mentioned earlier already hinted at Qing Wu—back then, Zhu Ge Lao and Zheng An treated Huo Yun'ai very well. Otherwise, they would not have been among those entrusted with protecting him. Especially Zheng An, who was even appointed by the Former Emperor as Huo Yun'ai's mentor.
But who would have thought that these two would join forces to suppress the young emperor after the Former Emperor's death...
The chaotic footsteps gradually faded away.
The screens were completely closed and removed.
Qing Wu looked around and realized that she and Huo Yun'ai were the only ones left in the room.
She stepped forward slowly, approaching his side. Just as she was contemplating her words, he spoke first.
"They already knew where I went," Huo Yun'ai said coldly. "A maid from the Shen Residence was bribed by Zhu Minran. If that incident hadn't happened, the tea served in my room would have likely been drugged."
At this, Qing Wu suddenly recalled the packets of medicine wrapped around Zhu Minran's arm. She immediately understood what kind of "medicine" he was referring to.
It turned out that their target that day was not just the Yi Family, but also Huo Yun'ai!
While the Yi Family's situation on the surface was indeed dangerous, wasn't Huo Yun'ai in an even more perilous position?
"Is that so?" she murmured, a bit frightened. "They... actually did this..."
Such disregard for feelings!
Huo Yun'ai, reminded of the ruthless actions of Zheng and Zhu earlier, felt even angrier. He didn't have time to change his tone or expression when Qing Wu approached.
He hadn't expected Qing Wu to react so strongly. Initially thinking he had frightened her, he noticed the worry in her eyes and realized she was overly concerned for him.
The Young Emperor felt warmth gathering in his heart and quickly concealed the coldness that had been hard to hide earlier. He took her icy hand and began to rub it gently in his palm.
"Why worry about me? It's just a trivial matter. With Mu Hai and the others around, how could I be in danger?"
He had to be nimble, but Qing Wu knew that those people had prepared for even their closest relatives, their sons and granddaughters, so there must be other tricks up their sleeves.
Wasn't Meng Liang the same back then?
Their brothers from the Imperial Guard had already dealt with two groups of people...
It was just a banquet, yet such a mishap occurred.
What kind of life did Huo Yun'ai lead on a daily basis?
Although standing at this highest point, one always needed to be vigilant and cautious every day.
But that day, if it weren't for her, why would he have found himself in such danger...
Qing Wu felt both heartache and worry, softly asking, "Are you alright?"
Huo Yun'ai grew up amidst the flames of war and later took charge; his temperament was certainly not comparable to that of ordinary peers.
Although there were often schemes happening around him, he had been in power for many years and had already gathered many skilled individuals by his side. The events of the banquet, though they required some of his attention, were far from enough to throw him into chaos.
However...
Looking at the extremely worried expression on the girl before him, the Young Emperor felt a stir in his heart. The words "It's nothing" that were about to leave his lips turned around in his mouth and were swallowed back down.
In a moment of contemplation, he gently sighed, "It's acceptable."
Although it was merely "acceptable," the sigh carried an infinite sense of sorrow and worry. How could Qing Wu possibly feel at ease?
Her heart filled with even more concern as she stepped forward to hold his hand. After hesitating for a while, she finally blushed and said, "You don't need to worry. I... I will always be by your side."
Yes. She would accompany him.
Since many who had once been by his side had betrayed and hurt him, she would stay close to him, ensuring that he would no longer be alone.
Huo Yun'ai suddenly froze.
She was usually shy and easily blushed. If he didn't push her, she wouldn't take the initiative.
But in those words just now, there was an unmistakable sense of determination and promise.
The Young Emperor, fearing he had misheard, asked in disbelief, "Are you... serious?"
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