When Zhao Qixuan and Su Yi came together, Zhao Qixuan still had some embarrassment and constraint on his face.
The emperor’s insightful sight lingered on the two faces for a moment, but he smiled.
Clearly, there were two talented people, one who had unparalleled business mind and the other who had learned everything and was proficient in zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, ritual, music and shooting. Both of their families placed high hopes on them. However, the two men had become interested in each other and would rather give up their future titles and enjoy the scenery.
It was said that Zhao Qixuan had proposed many times to give up inheriting the title, but the Yongning duck still did not give up, thinking that the son would one day be able to break away from evil ways and return to the orthodox path. But the Su duck who was almost vomiting blood by anger let it go after beating, scolding and banishing his son but in vain.
” Aren’t you two in the south? When did you come back?” The emperor spoke slowly.
Su Yi replied, ” It’s not a few days since I came back.”
The emperor pretended to be august: ” When you come back, you are not at home to filial to your elders and do not visit me in the palace, but you are hiding here and enjoying yourselves.”
Zhao Qixuan said in a passive voice: ” My father said that he would think about me when he couldn’t see me. He would be angry if he saw me. Therefore, If I come back to the mountain, my father will not have to worry or be angry.”
The emperor was drinking tea and almost spat it out, choking his trachea and coughing.
Concubine Shu quickly rubbed the emperor’s back in order to smooth his breath.
Su Yi gave Zhao Qixuan a slight slant. Could you fucking talk well?
The emperor got better and said with a laugh, ” Tell me about the border trade. How about over there?”
When it came to border trade, Zhao Qixuan was very happy: ” Your decision, my emperor, is so wise that you choose such a border area among the three countries, nominally to build a bridge between South Yue and Huai Song, but in fact even Xi Fan is brought in. South Yue and Xi Fan are rich in natural resources, but commercial and handicraft industries are many years behind we Huai Song, and there is a great demand for silk, tea, porcelain and so on, which is equal to opening up the market of the two countries. At the same time, we can buy medicines, iron ore and other materials there cheaply to make up for the shortage of Huai Song.”
The emperor’s face became more pleasant after listening to these compliments.
Su Yi said: ” When we went there, it was still a deserted village. Now vendors from all over the country are rushing in, and with the strong support of the imperial court, they have developed rapidly and are already quite large. I think that within three years, there will be no less prosperous place than Yangzhou.”
The emperor was deeply gratified. In this way the government’s tax revenue could be greatly increased.
” So, we’re coming back to raise money and prepare for a big fight this time. How to say, we’re also Jinling gentlemen, and if we want to do this, we have to do the imposing manner and ostentation and extravagance of imperial city people.” Zhao Qixuan went on.
Emperor was very happy and said, ” Excellent, if border town can flourish, you will also be credited with it. However, let me first state that tax evasion is not allowed.”
Zhao Qixuan said , ” My emperor, I have always been law-abiding and a man of moral self – discipline. I will never do such a thing as tax evasion. I have earned a lot of money, can I make the court suffer a loss? If I don’t have any other skills, I’m thinking about paying more taxes and adding more bricks and tiles to the imperial court.”
Su Yi’s corners of mouth were rising slightly again and again, his heart despised. What a smooth sycophant! But he just liked his like this. Such a evil debt.
Concubine Shu heard the happy chat between monarch and ministers. And she thought that the emperor had not been so happy for a long time, so she proposed scalding a pot of wine.
The emperor readily promised.
In a short time, good food and wine were served.
The emperor said, ” If it hasn’t been for Su’s zither, I don’t know you two stinky boys are back.”
Su Yi said, ” The bright moon is over the head, and the Greenfield bursts, which make me a whim. I’m very sorry for disturbing you.”
The emperor shook his hand: ” That is not a big deal.”
” I heard that Su’s zither art came from Mr. Ouyang. No one in Huai Song can come out of you. It’s rare for the emperor to be graceful today. Su might as well play the zither again, how about it?”
Su Yi got up and saluted: ” I will follow the instructions.”
Concubine Shu said, ” Just in time, this time I came here with Green Qi(a kind zither). I’ll send someone to fetch it.”
” It’s the Green Qi that is equal to Mr Ouyang’s Jiao Wei?” Su Yi was attracted, and was no longer calm like before.
Concubine Shu’s eyes flitted with a smug look and said, ” Exactly.”
Su Yi solemnly said, ” It’s really my pleasure. I will burn incense and clean my hands. I dare not defile the name of Green Qi.”
A moment later, a maid-in-waiting held a harp and placed it on the zither.
Su Yi sat cross-legged and touched the strings with some excitement. It was rare to see such a famous zither, let alone play it.
I saw that the zither was black with a faint green tinge. If there were green vines wrapped around the ancient wood, I would try to pluck the strings and the sound of the zither would be melodious and melodious.
Zhao Qixuan walked over and said to the emperor, ” He is just a harp idiot. He thinks he will go back today and refuse to wash his hands for three days.”
The emperor laughed heartily again. Zhao Qixuan was a real clown and always amused people.
Su Yi couldn’t help glancing at Zhao Qixuan, and then immediately closed his eyes and peered at the zither before it rang.
Long white fingers brushed up like a wisp of wind brushed through the pine forest, rolling up the billows.
Sitting on a rock, leaning against ancient pine, listening to a song in the morning, Drinking pure dew, Looking at the clouds gradually rising among the mountains and suspending above the mountains, crane’s dancing to pines’ sing leisurely. blue smoke coming out of the valley, all sounds silent, birds knowing their meaning, everyone clearing the worldly hearts of the world, and escaping from the the world….
The song ” Lie down to Look at clouds rising” was played with ease like the wind, floating like a cloud, lofty in the sky, distant in the ground, carefree in the heart and leaping to the fingertips.
The lingering sound gradually drifted away, but all the people in the temple were still in the music and couldn’t extricate themselves.
Zhao Qixuan even looked at Su Yi in a daze.
Swoosh … a dissonant sound of surprises rang out.
Su Yi grabbed half of the incense burning in the incense burner and waved and tossed it. The incense went off like three sharp arrows.
A sting…The incense hit the fast-moving dark arrows, but the arrows were so fierce that they were slightly disturbed and flew toward the emperor on the dragon seat.
Again, with a thump, the dark arrows shot through the emperor’s sideburns into the red sandalwood carved dragon screen behind him.
The crowd just woke up, the eunuch Wei cried out with a loud voice: ” There are assassins, escort the emperor …”
The words did not finish, but a row of dark arrows broke through the window and shot directly at the emperor.
Everyone’s breaths were halted, and the emperor was unable to respond. He did not know where to hide, but Concubine Shu immediately slipped from her chair and crawled on the ground.
Just then, Su Yi leaped out of the seat with a light spirit like a bird. He did not know when he had an extra sword in his hand and wielded at arrows at a gallop. At the same time, Zhao Qixuan, who was interested in Su Yi, threw himself at the emperor, trying to block the arrows with his body.
Su Yi shot several arrows, but one shot Zhao Qixuan and sank from his shoulder.
Su Yi saw Zhao Qixuan injured so his eyes were blazing with ferocity. He raised his sword and went through the window.
Zhao Qixuan endured the pain, turned over to protect the emperor and kicked the table in front of him.
When the guards heard the sound, some rushed to the place where the assassin was hiding, while others poured into the palace to form a people shield.
Seeing that the crisis was temporarily lifted, Zhao Qixuan endured the pain to climb up and pleaded guilty: ” My emperor, I am in a critical situation. I offend the Dragon Body. Please forgive me.”
After all, the emperor was the supreme ruler of the world, he immediately calmed down and said, ” why are you guilty of protecting me?”
His eyes were full of anger. He cried out, ” Be sure to seize the assassin alive. I will interrogate him by myself.”
Some people dared to assassinate the emperor, it defied laws.
Concubine Shu also scrambled to get up, a face of panic, and said with concern, “My emperor, are you all right? Do you get hurt?”
The emperor glanced at her coldly and ignored her.
Concubine Shu was greatly uneasy in her heart. Even the emperor was not happy with her subconscious escape. Zhao Qixuan was able to block the arrows for the emperor regardless of life and death, but she did avoid it. Concubine Shu regretted that she knew she would not hide. But it happened so suddenly that it was too late to regret now she missed a good opportunity in vain.
Not daring to provoke the emperor again, Concubine Shu turned her attention to Zhao qixuan and sent word to the imperial doctor.
Zhao Qixuan shook his head and said, ” Assassins have not yet been caught, and I don’t know how many of them are. Still, I will not move until the emperor is safe.”
The emperor looked at Zhao Qixuan with some appreciation. His loyalty could be learned. He was out of the common and he was despised at ordinary times.
There was a flurry of banging outside. Soon, Su Yi came back with his sword and said with a cold face: ” I am incompetent. The assassins have high martial arts skills and they were run away. Now the bodyguard commander has taken people to chase them.”
The emperor shook his hand and told the guards to enforce martial law outside. He said, ” Fortunately, you are here today, otherwise, I have already been poisoned.”
Su Yi suddenly knelt on the ground and pleaded guilty: ” I am summoned by the emperor today. I forgot to take off soft sword at my waist and please the emperor forgives me.”
The emperor had no time to deal with these matters at the moment. Besides, if Su Yi had not brought the sword, he would have been dangerous today.
” You get up! Just now you met the assassin, what did you find?”
Su Yi said: ” He had covered his face so that I failed to see his face clearly. He is ruthless, and his martial arts are still superior to me.”
” Message …” A bodyguard ran in.
” Report to my emperor, I has just found a waist tag in the assassin’s fight place.” The guards presented a black waist tag with both hands.
The eunuch Wei went to pick it up and handed it over to the emperor.
When the emperor saw this, he glowered and flamed, trembling his lips. It took a long time to jump out of the crevice of his teeth with a saying: ” This rebellious son …”
Su Yi was frightened: ” My emperor …”
The emperor handed over the waist tag to Zhao Qixuan, who was shocked to see the waist tag: ” The east … is the east palace?”
Concubine Shu, who was depressed because she couldn’t protect the emperor in time, suddenly felt a joy in her heart. It was a killer sent by the Eastern Palace. That was great. Now the Prince couldn’t explain it clearly.
