Chapter 401 The Empress’s Fight for Favor
Don’t want to see me…don’t want to see me?
The smile on Zhao Duan's face froze little by little, and a string of question marks slowly floated above his head.
No...what do you mean, didn't you ask me to come to the palace to see you, and here I am gone again.
Zhao Duan was cautious and asked tentatively:
"Your Majesty is meeting guests? Or did you meet someone after returning to the palace?"
The maid serving in the palace shook her head and said softly:
"No, Your Majesty just doesn't want to see you."
After saying this, the palace maid looked around with spiritual eyes, and carefully reminded: "Your Majesty seems to be angry with you, my lord."
Is Zhenbao angry?
Zhao Duan felt a little headache, but even though he had little love experience in his previous life, with his emotional intelligence, he also knew that he could never really leave because of the empress' "duplicity".
False anger
——Tell you clearly and unmistakably that you are angry, and then hope that you will comfort you.
Really angry
——He didn't even think about entering the palace, and was stopped by the imperial army at the entrance of the palace.
At this time, it's time to show your subjective initiative... Zhao Duan was just thinking about how to act when he happened to catch a glimpse of the little eunuch from the imperial kitchen walking towards him holding a tray.
Above is the lotus seed soup that nourishes qi and blood and is served on time every day.
"Father-in-law, please stay!"
Zhao Duan stepped forward and took the soup without any hesitation in the latter's confused eyes. Then he strode into the palace while the maids deliberately let him go and pretended to block him.
The empress's palace was an entire courtyard, with maids on duty everywhere. Zhao Duan followed the guidance and soon arrived at the door of a familiar room
——The room where he stayed overnight after killing the bewitching national master last time.
That is to say: the empress's boudoir.
"Dong dong." Knocked gently on the door, and waited until he heard a cold "Come in."
Zhao Duan opened the door with a tacit understanding of several palace maids and eunuchs pretending to be blind.
……
In winter, the curtains were hung on the door. Zhao Duan stepped into the threshold with a tray, and the warm air hit his face.
What came into view was still the elegant "warm hall" where he slept last time. The floor was covered with thick cashmere carpets. Beside the ancient bookshelf and opposite the Arhat bed, there was an animal-shaped incense burner.
I didn't see the brazier, because there are pipes under the house, and someone is burning charcoal at all times, and the hot air is continuously introduced from the ground, which is the ancient version of floor heating.
Xu Zhenguan turned his back to the door, holding a pair of black scissors in his hand, and was concentrating on pruning the vine of an unknown flower and plant planted in the blue and white glass dragon floor vase in front of him.
From this angle, she bowed slightly, her round hips were raised, her waist was narrow and her hips were wide, and a clear rising line on her back could be vaguely seen through her uniform.
Her long black hair was tied up, with a lock on each side hanging down. The cuffs of her slightly slipped sleeves were slender and white. When she turned her wrist, the extra green branches and vines fell down.
Zhao Duan was stunned. This was the first time he saw the empress in such a "lifelike" scene.
In the past, even if the two of them ate or drank alone, it always had a business-like atmosphere.
The empress even ate "voraciously" as if in a hurry, as if she was either dealing with government affairs or walking on the road of governing.
Pruning flower branches by yourself... This kind of "entertainment" activity that is very common for ladies in the capital is particularly rare for the empress.
"Your Majesty... the soup is here." Zhao Duan swallowed, regained consciousness and whispered.
"Click——"
The scissors cutting through the green branches suddenly stopped. Xu Zhenguan straightened up, turned back, and looked at him expressionlessly: "Who asked you to come in?"
Pretend, just pretend... If Your Majesty hadn't deliberately betrayed you, would those servants in the palace dare to let me sneak in...
Woman, your name is "hypocrisy"!
Zhao Duan complained crazily in his heart, with a humble expression on his face:
"I came across soup from the imperial kitchen on the road. It was such a cold weather. I was worried that they would be slow to deliver and the heat would escape, so I took the courage to..."
Xu Zhenguan had a straight face and an angry attitude. He grabbed the pair of sharp black scissors with his white hands and pointed at the door: "Get out."
Zhao Duan looked disappointed, turned around and backed away while holding the tray.
After taking two steps, I heard an angry voice coming from behind: "Where are you going?"
Zhao Duan pretended to be confused and turned around: "Your Majesty, don't you want me to go out?"
"I want you to go out, but I don't want you to take the soup away..."
Xu Zhenguan said, suddenly feeling tired, he walked to the Arhat bed in the living room, sat down, and said helplessly:
"That's all, present it."
Zhao Duan smiled mischievously, walked to the sandalwood coffee table in front of the Arhat's bed, put down the tray, wiped the cup expertly, opened the earthen pot, filled a bowl of white hot meat soup, and handed it over. .
The empress looked at him faintly, without saying anything, just watching.
Zhao Duan blinked, tentatively took a little with a spoon, then gently blew away the heat with his mouth, and handed it over:
"Your Majesty?"
The empress's stern face finally became more lively, but she didn't drink, but asked quietly:
"Do you know your sin?"
Zhao Duan pretended to be confused.
The empress said angrily:
"Why didn't you report to me in advance when you went to debate the scriptures today? Have I been too indulgent and tolerant to you, and you are arrogant because of my favor? It is such a big matter that you do it without notification."
It's like it's the first time I've done this... You weren't angry before, but this time you're angry, it's a bit fake... Zhao Du'an put down the porcelain bowl, feeling ashamed:
"I am guilty! However, I am not being arrogant. In fact, your Majesty bans Buddhism because of me. Recently, at home, I often hear believers in the city slandering Your Majesty. I feel extremely ashamed. In advance, I have doubts about whether I can suppress the group of people in the debate. The bald donkey does not have full confidence...
I am worried that if I inform your majesty first, this matter will be implicated in your majesty, but I do it privately. If I am lucky enough to succeed and my majesty is saved from being slandered by the ignorant people, I will be overjoyed. If unfortunately they are defeated, the bald donkeys will pursue the case, but they will not implicate Your Majesty. If there is any blame at that time, I will bear it myself... If Your Majesty wants to punish me, I will accept the punishment without any complaints! ”
Ha... no complaints at all... That's nice to say. What do you mean by such a large amount?
Xu Zhenguan hummed in his heart and listened quietly to what he said. His face softened and he took advantage of the donkey ground down the slope to hum and said:
"It's good to know."
After a pause, he glared and said, "Why don't you serve the soup?"
One party is full of lies and makes up nonsense;
If one party is given the chance to step down, the speed of light to forgive... is also a tacit understanding between the monarch and his ministers.
Zhao Duan felt like he was being pardoned and handed the soup to the empress' mouth.
The latter glanced at him, opened his red lips, and slowly swallowed a spoonful.
Then, as if she felt that this feeding gesture was too ambiguous, the empress raised her hand to take the soup bowl and drank it herself.
After taking two sips, Xu Zhenguan's cheeks felt a little warm inexplicably when he saw Zhao Duan staring at him while eating.
Putting down the soup, he casually asked him to sit down and talk, and then asked unexpectedly:
"Tell me, what's going on between you and Prajna."
Zhao Duan just pulled a low stool from the side and sat down next to the coffee table. As soon as his butt touched the stool, he almost bounced up.
He said in astonishment:
"Why did your Majesty say this? It's too late for me to avoid that shameless old nun. What's the matter?"
Xu Zhenguan sneered: "No?"
"It has nothing to do with it!" Zhao Duan said righteously, and then couldn't help but said:
"Your Majesty, can you put down the scissors and speak?"
"..." Xu Zhenguan dropped the scissors in his hand on the coffee table, moved his body back, leaned casually on the pillow on the Luohan bed, and said lightly:
"Then how do you explain that the so-called Dharma you proposed today is similar to the concept of Prajna?"
No... So why did you suddenly feel angry for no reason today? Is this the core reason?
Zhao Duan remembered the last time the empress stayed at her home for one night, and Prajna Bodhisattva happened to come to visit.
It had been so long that he almost forgot, but the broad-minded empress still remembered it...
"Your Majesty, I have absolutely nothing in common with that old nun. This debate is also out of public spirit..."
Zhao Duan hurriedly told everything he was thinking.
The approximate reason was very different from what Yuan Li had guessed. This was also the method that Zhao Duan had spent the past two days meditating behind closed doors at home to figure out a way to maximize his interests.
Not only did he let out a bad breath, disgusting the people of Shenlong Temple and the Western Regions, but he also tried to weaken the authority of the temple and support Prajna in sharing the power of the mysterious seal.
Although there is also a major disadvantage of helping Buddhism further and spreading it more easily, after weighing it, he felt that the advantages outweighed the disadvantages.
Xu Zhenguan listened quietly without disturbing him.
Lying on his side on the ancient version of the sofa, he unconsciously grabbed an embroidered phoenix pillow in his hand and gently held it in his arms. His beautiful eyes stared at Zhao Duan as he analyzed the situation analytically.
In my ears, I barely listened to what he said. Instead, I was very interested in the anxious look on his face that he was eager to put aside his relationship with Prajna.
The slight trace of resentment in his heart also disappeared, followed by a wave of more complex emotions.
I got angry for no reason...
This kind of thing should not have happened to me.
Regardless of whether I have been on the throne for three years, or going forward, from the time when I was the third princess, to adulthood, in the eyes of my father, brothers and sisters, in the eyes of the emperor, ministers and those uncles, I have always been a wise and calm man who is not inferior to the image of a man. .
If we look at it from a rational perspective, Zhao Duan's debate today, even if it was indeed reckless, the result was good after all.
Therefore, from the perspective of controlling her courtiers, she can use a softer and better way to reward or beat them.
Instead of using this childish way of making "little temper" which is no different from folk little women...
Thinking of this, Xu Zhenguan felt annoyed, thinking what on earth had he just done? It would be ridiculous to spread the word.
But... I just did it inexplicably, just like when I was very young, when I felt that I was gradually losing the favor of my father, I also tried to attract his father's attention by skipping meals.
Just like the concubines in the harem who compete for the favor of their father.
Xu Zhenguan stared blankly at the lotus seed soup in front of him, with a trace of inexplicable "distress" in his eyes.
Although I don’t want to admit it, I just... seem... maybe... probably... maybe...
To the man in front of me...
"Competing for favor"...?
Thinking of this possibility, she was a little distracted.
"Your Majesty?"
Until Zhao Duan's voice woke her up.
——
The next chapter will be updated before midnight
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(End of chapter)