Chapter 81 In the same year, I had a heart-to-heart talk with the empress in the watchtower for the first time
Please ask me to serve the wine... Zhao Duan hugged the heavy black wine jar and patted off the sealing mud with his hand, and the aroma of wine immediately overflowed.
Just when the Empress's sleeves were brushed, an invisible force field spread around her, shielding her from the cold wind.
Then the "first watchtower" became quiet.
The starry sky above our heads is bright, and thousands of lights are on the ground.
On the top of the empty and majestic "Tianzi Tower", delicious food and wine, a lonely man and a widow... Zhao Duan suddenly realized:
Today is such a grand event, with hundreds of palace attendants present. Even though most of the insiders are tight-lipped, it is inevitable that some rumors will leak out.
Zhao Duan's late-night secret meeting with the Empress... will undoubtedly greatly increase the authenticity of the "scandal" between the two.
Is this also your purpose? Zhenguan?
Zhao Duan's thoughts were wandering, and he came to the opposite side of the empress and started pouring wine.
His eyes were wandering involuntarily.
The empress had strong cultivation and tall figure, but she was still half as low as him, as everyone with experience knew.
The height difference doesn't need to be too much, just a little difference. If you are at a high place, you can have an unobstructed view of the lower places.
Not to mention sitting and standing.
Although the empress had a high neckline and tightly wrapped her breasts to show her majesty, the scale was artificially compressed, making it impossible to see the scenery of the valley.
But the slender goose neck continues, and the thrilling arc makes people daydream.
"Wow..."
The clear wine surged out, almost filling the porcelain bowl in front of the empress.
Only then did Zhao Duan move the wine jar and sit down cross-legged.
When he raised his head anxiously, he saw the clear eyes of the female emperor, looking at him quietly.
His mouth was dry for no reason... Zhao Duan was a little dazed.
This was the first time that he had seen her face so carefully.
The two times I polished my ink, and the last time I went to the garden, I saw the profile of my face.
As for the last time we had lunch together, Zhao Duan was so worried that he had no intention of appreciating anything. He was almost too excited to eat without even looking at it carefully.
Until this moment, a circle of fiery red lanterns hung high on the huge rooftop, and exquisite dragon candlesticks were also placed on the table and among the delicacies.
Xu Zhenguan's face is so perfect that no flaws can be found. It has never been so clear.
Her dark eyebrows are like distant mountains, her jade bones are made from nature, her pink cheeks are like piles of snow, and her beautiful nose is particularly straight and straight.
The royal majesty in the bones, combined with the coldness of the female monks, combine to create the noble temperament of Xu Zhenguan, a unique woman in the world.
"Drink." The empress' voice was cold.
"Oh..." Zhao Duan filled a bowl for himself and was about to raise a glass and say a toast or something, a skill he had honed at the wine table in his previous life.
But Xu Zhenguan had already picked up the wine bowl, raised his neck, and drank it all in one gulp!
So heroic!
The clear wine overflowed from the corner of his mouth and sprinkled down his snow-white and tight neck.
Zhao Duan hurriedly served a bowl.
"Pour the wine."
"Pour again."
Xu Zhenguan ate three bowls in one go, and Zhao Duan also accompanied him. He noticed that the wine did not leak out even after the empress drank it.
She was deliberately locking the pores on her body and feeling the intoxication.
Immediately, I heard the empress say softly:
"Do you know why I came here to drink tonight?"
Zhao Duan blinked and said: "Tonight, in the middle of the month, the full moon is just right..."
He speaks slowly, as if he is organizing language, but in fact he is observing words and emotions.
This is a little trick I learned in my previous life. It is a little trick to figure out how to speak. First, let out half a sentence, and then adjust the second half according to the change in the boss's demeanor.
It’s the same as a novelist adjusting the follow-up based on feedback from readers.
While observing the words and colors, he said: "However, although the moonlight is good, it is always there, but pleasant things are rare."
It was recorded in the "Records of Tuizhai" written by people from the Song Dynasty that Shenzong of the Song Dynasty wanted to kill a person, but was refuted by the ministers and failed to do so. When Shenzong was angry, he complained:
I can't do anything I want!
When Zhao Duan read this story in his previous life, he was moved and guessed that kings from ancient times had similar feelings.
Even a tyrant at the pinnacle of despotism must have been subject to checks and balances when he ascended the throne in his early childhood.
At the beginning of the time travel, he had thought that the empress with powerful cultivation would be different, but after observing during this period, it was not the case.
Pei Kaizhi's concern was for future generations, and Xu Zhenguan's concern was for the stable survival of the Dayu Dynasty, or maybe he also wanted to prove that he was not inferior to previous emperors.
If she wholeheartedly pursues the Tao, she might be able to be a happy person, but what she wants is to create a prosperous world.
Just relying on force is not enough. From historical experience, we know that rule maintained by violence is indeed feasible, but it can only be limited to a small area.
Once the radius of rule is too large, violence will suffer systemic failure, and the logic behind it is very simple.
The larger the people a tyrant rules, the more people will be hostile to him, fight against him, and try to overthrow him.
The empress's cultivation in the "Pseudo-Celestial Realm" is not enough to fight against an entire class of heavenly beings. Even if she is promoted to "Valkyrie" and ascends to the legendary immortal realm, becoming invincible, the country under the rule of a tyrant will not be prosperous.
Therefore, Zhao Duan felt that behind the beauty of Empress Dayu, there were shackles all over her body, locking up her cultivation.
She was also unhappy.
"Pleasant things are rare...pleasant things..." Xu Zhenguan was stunned.
At this moment, the magnificent empress seemed to be stabbed in the center.
She looked at Zhao Duan blankly, but she didn't expect that the other person would reveal her thoughts in one word.
He understands me...
Once this thought comes to mind, I can't stop it.
The empress' eyes also turned soft, and she suddenly smiled, stood up, with the full moon above her head, walked and leaned on the railing, overlooking half of the capital below, and said loudly: "Well said! I'll cut off Li Dang's arm today. But it’s a happy thing that should come to light.”
She turned around, smiled again and said:
"Then guess again, why am I the only one keeping you company?"
She likes me... Zhao Duan quickly eliminated this wrong answer, thought for a moment, and said:
"Drinking by yourself would be too lonely and boring. Maybe your appearance is quite respectable?"
Translated: It’s boring to go out drinking by yourself, why don’t you ask a handsome man to accompany you?
Why are you so shameless... Xu Zhenguan couldn't help laughing, shook his head and said with a smile:
"You said it wrong this time."
Zhao Duan knew it and asked, "Why is that?"
Xu Zhenguan snorted, and in an instant, some of the women's charms disappeared:
"Having a drink with you, at least there won't be any random rumors."
This was incomprehensible, but Zhao Duan understood it.
Every move of those in a superior position will be interpreted and scrutinized by countless people.
If word spreads about drinking with any minister, it will trigger a series of uncontrollable risks.
But Zhao Duan is an exception.
The two of them had a "scandal", and since they were male favorites, it was natural for them to eat, drink, and sleep with them...
On the contrary, it will not cause the courtiers to speculate randomly.
Inexplicably, Zhao Duan suddenly felt that the woman in front of him was a little "poor".
"Your Majesty..." He opened his mouth, but was interrupted by the empress raising her hand: "Shut up and listen to me."
Zhao Duan was silent.
The empress frowned: "Did you hear that?"
Zhao Duan pointed to his closed mouth and waved his hand:
Your Majesty, you told me to shut up.
"..." Xu Zhenguan was inexplicably angry, but he was in a good mood and was too lazy to argue with him.
She raised her hand, and a jar of wine spun and flew up on its own. The lid was lifted, and his long and delicate fingers grabbed it. She raised her head and took a sip. After a while, she exhaled a breath of wine, sighed softly, and said:
"You I guessed a little bit wrong just now. I came here not to feel happy, but to relieve my sorrow."
Let's drink to drown our sorrows, right... Zhao Duan covered his mouth and kept silent.
Xu Zhenguan seemed to be lost in memories: "The earliest time was more than ten years ago."
More than ten years ago? Was that still the period of the Three Princesses? Zhao Duan raised his eyebrows.
Xu Zhenguan said:
"At that time, I was still young, but I had already entered the royal school in the palace to study. The prince and the second emperor brother were also there at that time. The prince was generous and kind-hearted, but a bit dull. Grand Master Dong who taught in the school at that time commented that , if the prince succeeds to the throne, he must be a benevolent king.
The second emperor brother, on the other hand, was quite smart. He was good at both martial arts and reading. However, he had a warm temperament. He only liked to make friends and go out, hang out with famous people in the capital and military generals... but he was not interested in studying.
Looking at it now, maybe the second emperor brother had the idea of cultivating party members at that time, right? It was clear that he was still a teenager. "
It was the first time that Zhao Duan learned about such a vivid description of the other two protagonists in the "Xuanmen Coup", and he couldn't help but be fascinated by it.
Xu Zhenguan did not continue speaking, but waited for a moment.
It seemed that no one was answering, so he just said it himself, which seemed stupid, so he waved helplessly:
"I'm going to give you permission to speak."
Zhao Duan smiled, looked at the back of the empress, and said:
"I dare not comment on such royal secrets."
"Just say what you say!" Xu Zhenguan was slightly drunk, and his words and deeds were completely different from the majestic and calm manner in the past.
This is what you asked me to say... Zhao Duan muttered and asked cooperatively:
"Your Majesty should be good at studying."
The corners of the empress' lips curled up slightly:
"That's natural. I was the best scholar in the whole school at that time."
After a pause, Xu Zhenguan suddenly felt sad and sighed:
"But his academic performance is the last among the royal schools."
Zhao Duan was stunned: "Why?"
(End of chapter)