Chapter 433 Empress: Zhao Duan, do you know your guilt? (6.5k)
Fake death?
While spitting out this word, the complex emotions brewing in Mochou's heart were also restrained.
That’s right, with that hateful guy named Zhao being so deep-minded and cunning, would he die so easily?
"I don't know." Xu Zhenguan was silent for a moment and gave an unexpected answer.
Yes, she wasn't sure.
Even if reason tells her that there is a certain possibility of suspended animation, it is still just a guess. Thousands of miles away, who can know the specific situation?
Maybe there is really no chance to teleport, or it is blocked by Zhuang Xiaocheng's methods. There are too many possibilities.
"Suppose... Suppose Master Zhao really faked his death, then why did he do this? Unless it was to hide his whereabouts...
When he went, he didn't hide, which shows that he was afraid It wasn’t the assassinations targeting him along the way, but the reason why he had to hide.”
Mochou calmly analyzed it and found out that the female prime minister's IQ was above the line. He had a vague guess, but he felt that it was groundless and it was really difficult to make a conclusion.
Xu Zhenguan also did not have full confidence. She thought for a while and said:
"Whether he is dead or faked. In short, everything will wait until the team escorting the rebels arrives in Beijing, and Before that, it was just He is really dead."
Mo Chou's heart moved, and he understood the implication of the empress' words:
If Zhao Duan deliberately faked his death, then they should cooperate with him and see through it without telling him, so as not to destroy Zhao Duan. Duan's plan.
"My slave knows." Mochou bowed, turned around and retreated, preparing to think about how to cooperate.
Waiting in the palace, Xu Zhenguan was alone again. She sat quietly in the living room, her jade hand slowly brushing the Arhat bed beside her, and she remembered the scene of someone sleeping here.
She was stunned.
Is he...really faking his death? Or is it that he is unwilling to accept this result, so he is looking for a reason?
Xu Zhenguan couldn’t tell the difference.
Obviously... not long ago, she had just announced their relationship in front of hundreds of officials at a grand banquet, but only two months later, news of her death came.
As if it was fate, the father and brother of the men related to her have died, and the remaining uncles have also turned against each other.
"Ignorance...Ignorance...Is it true that the emperor is destined to be alone?"
Xu Zhenguan clenched the white jade hands in her sleeves tightly. She suddenly stood up, pushed the door open and walked out of the palace, turning into a A golden rainbow jumped out of the palace and landed deep in the Tianshi Mansion.
Outside the small courtyard, she found that the door was closed, and the entire courtyard was between "virtual and real". It was clearly right in front of her, but she could not touch it or step into it.
"Your Majesty? You are here."
Suddenly, a priest walked out slowly not far away. His expression was not surprising. Under the sharp gaze of the empress, he said calmly:
"The Celestial Master has fallen asleep and has no visitors."
Xu Zhenguan raised his eyebrows: "Did you know that I will come?"
The priest thought for a moment and confirmed that the Celestial Master had not asked him to conceal anything and be honest. Road:
"It was Zhang Tianshi who ordered me to wait for His Majesty here."
Xu Zhenguan's brows suddenly relaxed, as if she had gotten the answer, she nodded: "I know."
The figure disappeared immediately, The priest was left standing there, thoughtful.
……
……
In the blink of an eye, the promised March period has come to an end.
On this day, outside the Beijing Pier and on the canal, a small boat was about to dock.
On the deck, after the disguise, Zhao Duan stood with his hands behind his back, hanging in the early spring wind, looking at the familiar Xiongcheng in front, and said with emotion:
"It was still winter when I left. , It’s very different when I come back.”
Well, the journey in ancient times was very long, and the seasons changed every time I came back.
Haitang came up from behind him. The female detective dressed up as a heroine, used disguise methods, and changed her hair style. She was obviously relieved when she saw Xiongcheng, and her heartstrings that had been tense all the way finally relaxed:
< br>"You're back, it seems your plan worked."
Zhao Duan also smiled and said: " Yes. It was smoother than I thought.”
The group set off earlier than Luan Cheng’s group. After collectively disguising themselves, they took a shortcut back to Beijing. It was a scary journey, but there were no dangers. , which is enough to show that his "suspended death" arrangement has worked effectively, as evidenced by the fact that the remnants of the socialist party did not catch up.
Now that the team has arrived in the capital, they have entered the empress' radiation circle and are completely safe.
"Huh, I just want to go back to the city right now, take a hot bath, and have a good sleep." Haitang stretched her waist and smiled.
"The closer it is to the last moment, the less we can relax. Do you know that once the protagonist team relaxes, something will happen? How is Zhuang Xiaocheng?"
Zhao Duan has countless experiences in reading movies in his previous life, A serious reminder.
"...Yun Xi is watching every step of the way. Go and see for yourself." Haitang complained, feeling that he was making a fuss out of a molehill.
Zhao Duan turned around and glanced at Ji Yue, who was squatting in the corner of the deck staring at the sea water in a daze, and Gongshu Tianyuan, who was smiling and chatting with Zhang Han.
Stepped into the cabin.
I was the first to see Jin Jian, who was lying on her back in the cabin, snoring and catching up on her sleep. The girl's fair face was full of fatigue, and snot bubbles were about to come out between her breaths... The beautiful girl's personality was ruined. Er Jing.
The corners of Zhao Duan's mouth twitched. Who would have thought that the mysterious Jin Jian would look like this when sleeping... Otherwise, it was said on the Internet in a previous life that traveling is a touchstone to test whether a couple is suitable...
Beside the golden slip, Yun Xi was sitting cross-legged on the ground with her eyes closed, while between the two women was Zhuang Xiaocheng, who was tied up with ropes and stood erect.
"Master, we will enter the city soon. How about it? Have you thought about it? If you are willing to surrender, I will go out of my way to ask for leniency from your majesty. How about that?" Zhao Du An asked with a smile.
The drowsy Zhuang Xiaocheng, who had white hair and white beard, opened his bloodshot eyes and looked at him with an unusually calm expression:
"I only want to die."
"Okay. , OK... When you see His Majesty and face torture in prison, I hope you can still be so stubborn." Zhao Duan sneered and read out the villain's speech.
Pull out a talisman from his sleeve and stick it on Zhuang Xiaocheng's forehead.
The latter suddenly passed out.
"Put him in the box and prepare to enter the city." Zhao Duan said expressionlessly.
Yun Xi nodded, stood up, dragged over a large box, and threw the unconscious Zhuang Xiaocheng into it.
……
After a while, the ship docked.
Under the cover of Gongshu Tianyuan's "blind cover", the group successfully passed the inspection by the dock official, rented a carriage, threw the big box in the car, and Yun Xi sat down On the top of the box, the main message is never leaving.
The remaining people took the car happily and refused the coachman from the carriage shop at the dock. Zhang Han drove the car himself.
After entering the city gate and walking on the street, with the lively and bustling streets in front of them and the wine flags fluttering in the wind, everyone finally felt at ease.
Looking at the time, it was already noon. The guys who were tired from traveling simply found a nearby soup cake shop to eat.
Take the opportunity to inquire about the current situation in the city.
"Recently...the biggest thing in the city is the news of the death of Zhao Yan...Zhao Shaobao."
The shop clerk took a few big bucks and talked about the rumors with a smile.
The news of Zhao Duan's death has spread. It is said that His Majesty is too sad and has not gone to court for several days.
Many literati rushed to write poems in memory of Zhao Duan in order to please the empress.
"I heard that Ambassador Zhao had a bad reputation. Is there anyone willing to pay tribute to him?" Zhao Duan asked with interest while eating pancakes.
“Hey, no matter what I think in my heart, I don’t want to talk about it at this juncture. That’s not to cause trouble for today’s saints...”
The waiter curled his lips, then realized he had made a mistake, covered his mouth, and said with a smile:
“I’ve heard from hearsay that the thoughts of the big shots above, how do people like me know? A few guest officials are eating well.”
When I walked away, I looked suspiciously at the girl who had to sit in a big box while eating...it's so weird to be an outsider.
Zhao Duan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He could probably guess that many people in the city were already elated, but they just didn't dare to express it publicly:
Zhao Shijun's bones were still cold. Whoever laughed out loud at this time, gave If the empress hears this, wouldn't it be a huge disaster?
"Tsk tsk, I'm still mourning you. How about you write one for yourself?" Haitang teased him.
Zhao Duan replied: "Eunuch Hai knows that you are also dead, and I don't know how to be sad."
Haitang remained silent.
"Ahem, let's go to the Yamen first later? Or go directly to the palace?" Zhang Han hurriedly tried to smooth things over.
Zhao Duan took a bite of the pancake, swallowed it, and said:
"No, let's go to my house first. We finally 'died' once. If we go directly to the Yamen or the palace, we will be directly exposed. Let me think about whether I can use this to make some small articles."
< br>Everyone looked at each other.
......
After the meal, the small escort team drove the cart, going around and around, and finally approached the Zhao Mansion.
Although far away, I could see the "depressed" scene of the entire Zhao family, and the red lanterns at the door were replaced with white ones.
I could vaguely see the white silk ribbons hanging down in the courtyard, and on the steps at the door and under the left and right walls, there were also "flower baskets" of condolence sent by someone.
White and yellow paper flowers were arranged in a long row, almost filling the entire alley. It was obvious that they were sent by various families in the city.
A "rich area" with an excellent location has become like a funeral. Pedestrians passing by tacitly avoid it, as if they are afraid of getting bad luck.
"..." Zhao Duan took a breath and twitched the corner of his mouth:
"No, my 'body' is still on the road, why are you offering condolences?! These guys Are people afraid that I won’t die?”
Kukuku... Gongshu Tianyuan and others tried hard to suppress their laughter, and all of them blushed.
"Haha, Brother Zhao. If we come back a little later, we might be able to eat at your banquet..." Gongshu Tianyuan winked and couldn't help laughing.
Eat a banquet? Jin Jian, who was napping on the trolley, raised her ears and subconsciously covered her purse.
She heard that eating at a banquet requires a courtesy... but she couldn't get her money back at all.
"...Sigh." Zhao Duan couldn't laugh or cry. He immediately lost the courage to go home through the front door and directed Zhang Han to drive the car and take a detour to the back door.
The painting style finally became more normal.
The cart was parked outside the back door. Zhao Duanyue got out of the car without calling anyone, and threw the flying knife into the courtyard.
With a "bang" sound, the door latch was lifted, the back door opened, and the carriage was led in. Zhang Han and Haitang lifted the box in unison, one after the other.
Follow Zhao Duan and go inside.
Gongshu Tianyuan put his hands behind his back and looked around:
"Tsk tsk, Brother Zhao, your home is very nice. It's much better than where I live. How much does this house cost? Alas, it's a pity that all my money was spent on making magic weapons. Otherwise, I would also have a whole set... Well, if these It would be better if the lanterns were not white..."
Ji Yue silently followed at the end, almost floating in. Her loose black hair matched with red clothes unexpectedly matched the funeral style of the house...
Zhao Duan walked in front with a dark face, waiting. After walking around the backyard, I saw a cook coming out of the kitchen.
The cook had a white silk ribbon wrapped around her head and held a dustpan in her hand with dried mushrooms in it.
I was stunned when I saw this extremely weird team when I went out:
A man and a woman carried a large box that was almost like a coffin with expressionless faces.
A fat man carrying a bamboo tube was talking nonsense and pointing, followed by a pale girl who seemed so sleepy that she could fall down at any time.
Behind the coffin was floating something that looked like a standard drowned water ghost...
The leader of the team with a strange style of painting had already taken off his disguise mask and restored his true appearance. , Dalang is already dead.
“Pa!”
The dustpan in the cook's hand suddenly fell, and the mushrooms rolled all over the floor. She opened her mouth wide, with a look of horror on her face, and murmured:
"Is this the first seven of this year...Master, are you coming from the underworld?" Back to hell..."
"Fat aunt, long time no see," Zhao Duan said casually. The cooks who heard the sound coming from the kitchen nodded:
"Make some more food and bring it over later, there are many of us."
The cooks: "..." The team continued to move forward, and a servant carrying a dung bucket stood there as if he had seen a ghost, his legs trembling:
"Old... Master..."
"Stand still, this thing is not fun anymore."
A maid held the dried clothes and walked After turning the corner, I was so frightened that I sat on the ground with my buttocks on my butt, my big eyes full of terror, and I screamed:
"Ah! Ghost - ugh!"
Gongshu Tianyuan casually used the "Aphasia Technique" and showed a warm smile to Zhao Duan: "Don't worry, keep a low profile."
Servant: "...!!"
The group of people walked all the way, Along the way, I bumped into the servants of the mansion one after another. Each of them had a white silk cloth wrapped around their head, and their faces turned pale with fear.
Finally, the old housekeeper of the Zhao family, who noticed something was wrong, rushed over. He was stunned, rubbed his eyes in disbelief, and said in a trembling voice:
"Da...Dalang?!"
Zhao Duan walked over with a gentle smile, supported the old housekeeper who was about to fall due to excitement, and said with a smile:
"It's me. I'm not dead. I came back with my friends. Uncle Zhao, please call me aunt and sister." Come to the inner hall. By the way, don’t let anyone in the house go out. I don’t want the news of my return to spread in the short term.”
Uncle Zhao was stunned for a moment, feeling the warmth of physical contact, his eyes were wet, and he nodded excitedly:
“Okay, okay…”
Inner hall.
Not long after Zhao Duan and his party sat down, there were hurried footsteps outside the door, and then, two women, one large and one small, all dressed in white mourning clothes, came into view.
Eugene Hua and Zhao Pan have obviously lost weight, their faces look tired, their eye circles are red and swollen, and they don’t have any accessories on their bodies.
The mother and daughter stood blankly at the door, their eyes fixed on Mr. Zhao who was chatting and laughing in the hall. Tears suddenly welled up in his eyes:
"Dalang (brother) !”
Zhao Duan stood up a little apologetically and said with a smile: “Aunt, sister, I’m back, I’m not dead”
The two girls cried with joy.
……
For a while.
The mother and daughter, who had staged a family tragedy and comedy in the inner hall, finally calmed down. Their eyes were swollen and red, and they looked at the other "guests" awkwardly, feeling ashamed.
"Da Lang...my aunt is going to urge the servants to serve tea. You...sit down with your friends first."
Eugene Hua dropped these words and left as if running away. After all, she was from a wealthy family, a woman raised in a boudoir, and she valued upbringing and etiquette.
I felt red in the face after losing my composure in public. After confirming that Dalang had faked his death, he couldn't stay in the hall.
"Mom...wait for me, I'll go too!"
Zhao Panrao has a rough personality, and he can't resist the smiling and narrow eyes of Haitang and others. His ears turn red and he stomps his feet. He ran out with his little buttocks raised, and when he went out, he kicked away the little Jingba who heard the owner's movements and rushed over.
Zhao Duan looked helplessly at the tears stained on his chest and felt that the woman was really made of water. He turned to the others and said, "You can laugh if you want."
However, unexpectedly, none of them smiled, they just expressed emotion.
Ji Yue and Yun Xi even looked faintly envious.
How can we not be envious when we have relatives at home who are caring about us when we are traveling abroad?
"Ahem... Now that we have a place to stay, it's time to talk business. What should we do next?" Zhang Han, with a paralyzed face, coughed lightly to break the awkward atmosphere.
Pointed to the big box on the floor in the hall.
Zhao Duan looked calmly and said: "Wait."
"Wait?"
"That's right," Zhao Duan looked at Gongshu Tianyuan and the others and said with a smile:
< br>"When you entered the mansion just now, you all sensed someone peeping nearby, right?"
Gongshu Tianyuan, Jiyue, and Jin Jian, who was rubbing his eyes, nodded in unison.
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"Your Majesty may not believe that I am really dead, so the palace masters will definitely be watching secretly. Well, I am afraid Li Yanfu and others will also send people to watch, but Your Majesty will definitely not allow them to wander around. Nearby...
< br>So, at this time, the information about our return has been delivered to the palace, so we just have to wait. As for now, how about eating something serious and taking a shower?”
Everyone looked at each other with emotion.
Immediately, a group of people took action and went to take a shower and change clothes.
Anyway, Zhao Mansion now has many rooms, and there is no shortage of everything.
Only Yun Xi remained motionless, still guarding Zhuang Xiaocheng in the big box.
Zhao Duan urged her to go, so she quickly went to wash up.
Zhao Duan also took the time to confirm that Xiazhuang Xiaocheng was not suffocated to death, and then went to clean up.
When everyone came back clean, Eugene Hua directed the cook to bring food to them, and the team members who had been sleeping in the open all the way ate a hearty meal.
When the food was almost done, Zhao Duan suddenly raised his head and looked at the patio.
I saw a white dress falling slowly. Empress Dayu stood in the sky and arrived alone using a secret method. When she slowly fell, a sharp spring breeze blew up in the courtyard, spreading circles of dust.
The three thousand black hair hanging down to her waist also trembled in the wind, and her crystal clear face was both cold and majestic, making people disappointed.
“Your Majesty!”
Everyone in the room stood up one after another, walked out of the room at the same time, bowed and saluted:
"See Your Majesty!"
Eugene Hua was one step ahead, driving all the servants away and leaving the courtyard, without coming to highlight her presence.
Xu Zhenguan slowly landed on the ground, her gorgeous white clothes hanging softly. Her eyes instantly fell on the face of the leader, Zhao Duan, and the last worry in her heart finally slowly dissipated.
Just as Zhao Duan guessed, she had already ordered the internal experts to set up defenses near the Zhao Mansion.
Waiting for traces of Zhao Duan is one, and preventing Zhao Duan's political enemies in the capital from sending people to secretly retaliate against the Zhao family while he is "dead" is the other.
Not long ago, Ouchi's guard hurriedly came to report and described the situation.
Although the empress was 90% sure, she was still worried because Zhao Duan had not lifted his disguise at that time.
Up to this moment, shrouded in divine thoughts, it was clearly and unmistakably certain that the little Forbidden Army in front of him was indeed a living one, and not someone else pretending to be him.
The emotions she had suppressed for nearly a month erupted like a flood.
A very complicated emotion came to her heart, her face was slightly cold, and her red lips opened slightly:
"Zhao Duan, do you know your guilt?!"
Ah?
Gongshu Tianyuan, Haitang and others were stunned. They didn't know what the cause of His Majesty was, and they couldn't help but raise their heads in surprise.
However, immediately after, they saw Zhao Duan plead guilty very smoothly:
"My lord! The sin of deceiving the emperor is unpardonable!"
Deceiving the king?
No... fake death is considered deceiving? This is a bit outrageous. Is this logical? Gongshu Tianyuan complained crazily in his heart.
But dare not say anything.
The empress looked down at him coldly, her nose was slightly sour, and she said expressionlessly:
"It's good if you know. Do you know that these days, I... the civil and military officials of the dynasty, the entire capital, How many troubles have been caused by the news of your death?”
Zhao Duan shouted:
"Your Majesty, please calm down. I will bear the blame for the death of the guilty minister. I only ask that your Majesty give me a little time to report on my trip to Fengcheng. I will never complain about your Majesty's behavior after that." ! ”
The empress is reserved. He said "yes" and then remembered that there were others. He glanced at everyone and his cheeks turned rosy for a moment:
"I'll allow you to quibble."
No... So is this the way monarchs and ministers get along? We are still there.
So, are we also part of the play between you two?
Everyone tried their best to control their expressions.
Gongshu Tianyuan said in his heart, "Good guy, I learned it."
The corners of Zhang Han's mouth raised slightly, but he hid it well.
Haitang's eyes were full of disgust. As a straight woman, she felt uncomfortable all over and even had goosebumps.
Jin Jian yawned, his eyelids drooped, and he didn't hear it clearly at all.
Ji Yue and Yun Xi both looked forward cautiously and secretly. They hid in the back in a tacit understanding. One was afraid of society, and the other was a "rebel identity" and was naturally afraid of the empress.
"I have something to ask him. You continue to eat, don't panic." The empress comforted the small team, and then looked at Zhao.
The latter immediately led the empress to the study room at home.
……
...
Study.
When the empress entered the room, Zhao Duan closed the door with both hands, exhaled slowly, and then turned back to look at her.
The layout of the study still remains the same as it was when Zhao Duan left home. According to his request, Eugene Hua will not touch his things easily.
Therefore, even when cleaning, try not to disturb the location of items in the room as much as possible.
Therefore, even though he had been away from Beijing for more than two months, all the furnishings in the house were still as they were before he left.
The papers on the table are scattered in a mess, books are piled up in random piles, a brush is thrown next to the inkstone, and half of an unfinished Ugly painting remains on the rice paper on the table.
There are some antique porcelain and jade on the bookshelf.
Xu Zhenguan looked around curiously, walking slowly to the desk, lowering his eyes to look at half of the pictures on the table.
The painting is clearly a woman, standing by the window looking at the lake outside, with only a side face exposed.
"Did you paint this?" Xu Zhenguan frowned and looked at the abstract painting, "What is this?"
Zhao Duan said diligently: "The one in the painting is your Majesty. I miss your Majesty day and night, so I Painting to comfort..."
? ?
A rare look of shock appeared on Xu Zhenguan's frosty face. She looked at this "abstract" Chinese painting in disbelief, raised her head, and stared at him faintly:
"You said, this thing is...me?"
Uh... Zhao Duan's smile froze, suddenly a little weak.
Although he followed the leader in his previous life, he was exposed to some Chinese studies and tried Chinese painting, but it was only at the level of a hobbyist.
How difficult would it be to learn as an adult without the skills you have gained since childhood? This is not the same level of difficulty as Go or copying poems.
But the officialdom of Yu State also pursued elegant things such as music, chess, calligraphy and painting.
Zhao Duan tried to learn Chinese painting in private, and he also practiced brushwork on the table. He was quite proud that his level improved very quickly.
But it is obvious that in the eyes of the empress, who received royal education from a young age, his paintings are no different from a piece of cake.
"Chen... Chen..."
The sharp-tongued Zhao Duan was stuck. He suddenly realized a problem. Compared with the joke of "fake your own death to deceive the emperor", Painting the empress into a lump seems to be of a worse nature.
However, in the imagination, the anger of the empress did not come. After Xu Zhenguan cast a disgusted look, he suddenly breathed a sigh of relief and said with unclear meaning:
"You still have some feelings after all?" If your painting skills are similar to those of chess and poetry, then I really have to consider whether you are a human being or a god walking in the world. ”
————
I could have written 7,000 to 8,000 words, but I was invited to the live broadcast room of the website tonight, so I was delayed. This chapter is six thousand five.
Thanks to: Editor Zhenguan Dadai’s reward of 10,000 coins, 2024...5612’s 1,241 point coin reward, Shinzhi Sad’s thousand coin reward, 2024...0410, Kenshin Kyoto Fire’s 100 reward support!
(End of this chapter)