Chapter 343： Tentative

Chapter 343 Temptation

The    emperor has already restrained his emotions, but his face is slightly pale, and there are some inaudible breaths.

He said calmly: "Aunt Huang is all right, she just rested. Brother Seventh Emperor, don't disturb her to rest. When she wakes up, you can go to see her again."

The emperor's words were reasonable and reasonable, but Chu You couldn't insist on it, and nodded: "The emperor's brother is right. The emperor's aunt is fine, and the heart of the minister and brother is half relieved."

"Brother Huang, what disease does Aunt Huang suffer from?" Chu You asked with concern.

The emperor didn't care about Chu You's temptation, let out a light sigh, and said, "Aunt Huang is not young, she is old and weak, and she has been plagued by old diseases all these years. She is the most afraid of others worrying about her, and she always hides it. Not to mention, this time, I will definitely let her rest and recuperate."

The emperor said a few words casually, but it seemed like he didn't say anything.

"The Queen's aunt's character has always been like this." A faint light flashed in Chu You's eyes, "When the royal father was alive, he often persuaded the royal aunt not to be too strong, but to take care of the phoenix body. The royal aunt Jiren has her own celestial appearance, she must be It'll be fine."

The emperor's knuckles tapped casually on the coffee table without saying a word.

Gu Yanfei, who was sitting in the corner, was holding a pastel enamel tea cup and silently sipping the best Longjing in the tea cup.

After a pause, Chu You sighed, and then changed his words: "It has been almost a year since the death of the father, if the elder brother intends to go to the emperor's mausoleum to pay his respects to the father, the ministers and younger brothers also want to go together, so that the father can be Look at the princess of the younger brother."

"Unconsciously, it's been a year." The emperor sighed with emotion and sigh.

The corners of Chu You's lips pursed secretly, his eyes darker, and he said, "After worshiping the father and queen, the minister and the younger brother plan to bring the princess back to the fief, and ask the royal brother to agree."

When the last word    fell, Chu You lowered his head, still clasped his fists, and respectfully made a gesture of surrender.

The emperor sitting by the window looked at Chu You quietly, under the backlight, his expression was a little deep, and he couldn't tell whether he was happy or angry.

Chu You didn't care, and continued: "In the past, the younger brother was also ignorant. If he was disrespectful to the emperor's brother, he would also look to the emperor's brother Haihan. Now that the younger brother has been married, it is customary to bring the princess to the fief. "

The emperor's knuckles were still gently tapping on the coffee table, as if thinking.

The room was quiet, except for the rustling of the wind blowing on the flowers and trees outside the window.

After being silent for a while, Chu Yi put down the tea cup and suddenly asked, "I remember that Uncle Seventh Emperor's fief should be in Yangzhou, right?"

The late emperor favored Chu You, the youngest son, and gave the prosperous land of Yangzhou to Chu You as a fief. On the other hand, it was also because Yangzhou was far from the capital and the emperor was far away from the sky. In case he can't support the youngest son to succeed him, he has to leave a way out for the youngest son.

Yangzhou is the back road that the late emperor prepared for Chu You.

This point, even if the late emperor did not say it clearly, others including the emperor could understand it.

Chu You's eyes slowly shifted from the emperor to Chu Yi again, he remained silent, and speculated in his heart: Chu Yi asked so well and didn't know what it meant.

Chu Yi did not intend to wait for the other party to answer, and continued: "Speaking of which, nine years ago, Uncle Seventh Emperor went to Yangzhou to see the fief."

"The emperor's nephew remembered wrongly. This king went to Yangzhou to visit his grandfather's family in Linchuan City on behalf of the empress dowager." Chu You's long and narrow eagle eyes were half-closed, and a sharp light flashed, and his icy gaze was on Chu You's face. Sweep it.

This is just an external reason. In fact, everyone knows that King Kang’s biggest purpose in going to Yangzhou is to choose a site to build King Kang’s mansion.

Chu You thought that Chu Yi would use the topic of Yangzhou to bring up Gu Ce's case again, but he didn't want to, but Chu Yi asked casually, "How does Uncle Seventh Emperor think of Yangzhou?"

The uncle and nephew stared at each other for a moment, and Chu You said lightly: "There are thirty-eight counties and one hundred and ninety-five counties under Yangzhou, with a vast area of ​​people, simple folk customs, and the Grand Canal running directly from the north to the south. It is a beautiful place with beautiful scenery. , a prosperous place.”

He answered quite well, without any surprises, and finally threw a question to Chu Yi, "Didn't the imperial nephew also visit Yangzhou when he came back from Yue State last year?"

"Uncle Seventh Emperor is really..." Chu Yi opened a folding fan with a swipe, and the fan shook gently, "Back then, Yangzhou was in chaos, with countless casualties and casualties, but Uncle Seventh Emperor paid more attention to landscape style."

The folding fan is painted with a flying vermilion bird. When the folding fan is gently fanned, people's eyes can't help but fall on the red and bright vermillion bird.

What's the meaning? ! Chu You's pupils moved slightly.

Chu Yi turned his head and looked at the emperor with a faint gaze, "Father, I recently obtained a new file, which is about the Yangzhou case nine years ago."

"This file is from the country of Yue, and it was given by Xia Houqing, the venerable lord of Tianyuan Si, who is currently supervising the court."

"Oh?" The emperor's tapped fingers stopped.

Xiahouqing? Chu You raised his long black eyebrows slightly, the corners of his mouth twitched invisibly, looking at Chu Yi with a scrutiny in his eyes, "Could it be that the emperor's nephew is very familiar with Xia Houqing?"

Chu Yi smiled like a spring breeze, looked at Chu You calmly, and said, "When I was in Yue Kingdom, I had several encounters with Lord Xiahou."

"It was the people of Yue who claimed that Gu Ce opened the city gate and surrendered to the enemy, and this case still has to be investigated from the country of Yue." The folding fan in his hand stopped, and he asked Chu You, "Isn't it?"

The Vermillion Bird painted on the folding fan on the white ground raised its head with its pointed beak as if chanting, and seemed to be sneering contemptuously.

"..." Chu You twitched the corners of his eyes, thinking that Chu Yi was really despicable.

As for Chu Yi's question, Chu You avoided answering, and said in a sincere and instructive tone: "Imperial nephew, you have only met that Lord Xiahou in Yue Kingdom, and it was only a few encounters. As the saying goes, knowing people Knowing the face but not the heart, no one knows the authenticity of this dossier."

"It doesn't matter what he says, what is it?"

Chu You's expression was still, there was no change, and his tone was cold and arrogant.

While speaking, the wind outside became stronger, making the branches rustled, and the chaotic catkins and petals danced with the wind, and occasionally a few catkins drifted into the house through the window.

Chu Yi casually brushed off the small cluster of catkins floating on his shoulders, and his tone remained calm: "Father, Xiahouqing has already sent people to bring the file from the capital of Yue Kingdom in a hurry."

"The truth of what happened back then will surely be revealed soon."

He said to the emperor, but his eyes turned to Chu You, who was on the other side. The dark Ruifeng eyes were as clear as water, and the red tears at the end of the eyes were bright and dripping.

"In the letter from Lord Xiahou, Uncle Seventh Emperor contributed a lot in the war between the two countries."

He didn't say how King Kang "contributed". At first glance, he seemed to praise King Kang for helping guard the city in Tailing City.

"..." Chu You's handsome face tensed, and the tail finger of one hand twitched slightly.

He glanced at Chu Yi with the end of his eyes and thought coldly: What a lie! If Bailiyin hadn't lied to him, then Xiahouqing would have been in the capital these days.

And Bailiyin has no reason to lie to him about this matter. After all, where Xiahouqing is is related to the power struggle between the Yue Kingdom and the court, and it has nothing to do with his grand scene.

Chu You's twitching tail fingers relaxed again, and he said to the emperor with a calm expression: "Brother, Xia Houqing is a ruthless man with a ruthless nature. Censor, outrageous."

"A person with such a fierce reputation, my brother thinks that the words of this person cannot be trusted!"

"Recently, the sage of Yueguo has been seriously ill, and Yueguo has a lot of domestic worries. Xiahouqing is insidious and cunning. He must have deliberately provoked internal turmoil in my scene. First, to save his Yueguo from foreign troubles, and secondly, he wants to enjoy the benefits of a fisherman."

Chu You's remarks are righteous and impassioned, making it impossible to find fault.

Gu Yanfei was holding the sweet candied begonia and thought to himself: He is so capable of sophistry, it is a pity that he did not go to the Imperial Court to be a censor.

Chu Yi let out a low laugh.

"Civil strife?" Chu Yi raised his eyebrows, smiled warmly, and looked puzzled, "Why does Uncle Seventh Emperor think that Lord Xiahou is trying to provoke civil unrest in me?"

"Or…"

"Uncle Seventh Emperor already knows what is written in the dossier sent by Lord Xiahou?"

Chu Yi's eyes were even more smiling, but the meaning in his words was extremely sharp, so he was about to ask directly, what is King Kang's guilty conscience!

"..." Chu You realized that he had made a blunder, the muscles on his cheeks twitched, and his face was as cold as iron.

The room was quiet, only the emperor could only hear the emperor slowly moving the tea lid on the tea cup at will, and the subtle collision of porcelain made the surroundings even more quiet.

Chu You's face turned gloomy, he gritted his back molars fiercely, and said solemnly: "I've thought about it a lot, how does this king know what was written in the dossier sent by Xiahouqing, this king just doesn't believe in the people of Yue people? That's it."

"The emperor's nephew was in the Yue Kingdom for eight years. How treacherous the people of the Yue country are, the emperor's nephew wants to come here, right?"

His deliberately raised tone sounded sharp and harsh at this time, and he looked at Chu Yi coldly: Chu Yi can dig a hole for himself, and so can he!

For Chu You's provocation that he thought he was fighting back, Chu Yi smiled without saying a word, and the folding fan in his hand fanned gently again, with his usual grace.

Obviously his gentle smile is like a spring breeze and rain, but it can be matched with his actions, but inexplicably reveals an unspeakable mockery.

Chu You's tail finger twitched involuntarily, his chest rolled for a while, and his eyes were cold.

Gu Yanfei on the other side was also looking at Chu Yi, but she was looking at the emerald jade wrench on Chu Yi's thumb.

The jade wrench is engraved with a unicorn pattern with concise lines. The warm jade jade material makes his fingers white and delicate, and the fingers like jade bamboo become more and more slender.

This jade wrench looks really good on him! Gu Yanfei praised in his heart quite contentedly.

She knew that the jade material she chose was suitable for him, and she carved it well!

What will she give him next time?

Gu Yanfei was thinking, suddenly, her half-drooping eyebrows trembled, she looked in the direction of the door curtain, the next moment, the door curtain was kicked up from the outside, and a middle-aged servant hurriedly picked the curtain and came in, saying: "Your Majesty , Her Royal Highness the eldest princess just woke up."

Chu You, who was still going to say something, closed his mouth, and the topic about Xiahouqing and the dossier came to an end.

The emperor got up first, and Chu Yi, Gu Yanfei, and Chu You also followed the emperor to visit Fengyang for a while.

Two imperial physicians from the Tai Hospital were also inside. The imperial physician lingered incessantly, saying that they had just checked Fengyang’s pulse again, Fengyang’s qi and blood were insufficient, qi stagnation and blood stasis, and both yin and yang were empty.

The call made by the Imperial Physician was all nonsense to Chu You. There was no point. Chu You's left ear went in and out of his right ear. He didn't feel relieved at all. Fengyang above.

Although   Fengyang woke up, he was still very weak. He forced a smile. He only said to the emperor, "The emperor is worried," and then fell asleep again.

The sleeping Fengyang's face was as pale as paper, and his lips were slightly blue.

Since the purpose of this trip was achieved, Chu You didn't stay in the South Study for too long, and after a while, he asked to retire on the pretext of "not disturbing Fengyang's recuperation".

Chu Yi personally sent Chu You out of the South Study.

After stepping over the high threshold, Chu You stepped down the white marble steps step by step, and when he reached the last step, he heard Chu Yi's unsalty voice sounding from behind: "Uncle Seventh Emperor really intends to return. A fief?"

Chu You paused, neither looking back nor answering Chu Yi's question.

His broad shoulders were slightly stiff in the shadow cast by the eaves above.

And Chu Yi didn't seem to care whether Chu You replied or not, and said in a neither light nor serious tone: "Yangzhou has buried tens of thousands of people, and the ghosts will not disperse. When Uncle Seventh Emperor returns to the fief in the coming day, remember to ask a few Taoists. Grow up and do the Dharma deeds well to save those who died in vain, lest their souls wander the world."

Chu You's hands on his side couldn't help clenching into fists, this time, he couldn't help but turn his head.

The young man standing in front of the threshold has handsome features, his eyes are as bright as the moon, and a meaningful smile is on his lips.

He seemed to be just a kind reminder, but also as if he meant something.

pounding! Chu You's heart beat wildly out of control twice, his heart was a little hairy, and his eyes were dark.

He looked at the picturesque young man under the eaves, and his thoughts could not help but return to Tailing City, Yangzhou, nine years ago.

Back to the day etched in his memory.

The shouts of killing in the city are endless, and the air is filled with a thick smell of blood, which makes people feel sick. Everywhere they look, there are corpses scattered all over the place, blood flowing into rivers.

This is the first time in Chu You's life that he realizes what the words "mountain of corpses and sea of ​​blood" mean.

Thinking about it at this moment, Chu You felt the lingering smell of blood lingering on his nose again, looking at Chu Yi's eyes instantly condensed.

Chu Yi smiled lightly and cupped his hands gracefully, "Uncle Seventh Emperor, I will send you here."

After finishing his words, he turned around without hesitation, crossed the high threshold again, and walked back.

Only Chu You was left standing on the last step, watching Chu Yi's slender back disappear into the front curtain.

It wasn't until his personal inner servant called "Your Highness" that Chu You came back to his senses, turned his head again, and continued to walk in the direction of the palace gate, striding forward with great strides.

Chu You didn't say a word, thinking about what Chu Yi just said, thinking over and over again, chewing.

The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that every word that Chu Yi had just said had a special meaning.

"Boom!"

A thrilling spring thunder suddenly sounded in the sky.

A bolt of lightning suddenly fell from the sky, and for a moment, it illuminated the surroundings brightly, and cast an eerie shadow on Chu You's handsome and cold face, which made his expression gloomy and unusual.

The light brought by the lightning flashed for a moment, and then the surroundings became dark again, and it was dim.

Chu You couldn't help but think of Tailing City nine years ago, and the dusty memories came to his mind.

When the city was broken, the black Vietnamese army poured into the city like a tide and drove straight in.

The large group of soldiers in the city were headless. They were suppressed by the momentum of the enemy army, and they retreated steadily.

Countless people also died in this battle. In front of the wolf-like Vietnamese army, the people became lambs that were hunted and could only keep running away, wailing, begging for mercy...

But they still had to die.

Some people had their arms, heads, and calves cut off; some people's heads were smashed beyond recognition, red and white sticking to the city wall; some people were stabbed through their bodies with a knife...

Gu Ce's head was cut off by the enemy and hung high above the city wall.

Almost all the people I knew in Tailing City died...

Another deafening spring thunder blasted in his ears, which also woke Chu You up.

Chu You continued to walk forward, and without stopping, he went straight out of the Meridian Gate and mounted his horse.

When one person and one horse galloped out, there was a ticking sound on the ground, and the spring rain began to fall in the sky, and the rain was getting heavier and heavier.

Passers-by were running, and after a while, there were no pedestrians on the street.

"Wow wow wow..."

The pouring rain poured down, forming a dense rain curtain.

Chu You didn't care, let the rain soaked his clothes and hair, the rain stained on his eyelashes, and his eyes were blurred.

Chu You rode his horse non-stop all the way, splashing water wherever the horse's hooves stepped.

After    a stick of incense, he returned to Prince Kang's mansion. The concierge of the mansion was already looking up and shouting, "The prince is back, the prince is back!"

Chu You, who was soaked all over, turned a deaf ear, and saw a figure walking out of the corner door at a glance.

Li Yunchang held an oil-paper umbrella, stood in the pattering spring rain, and looked at him with a smile.

The big red oil-paper umbrella reflected on her face seemed to have a blush on her face, her face was like the dawn of the sun, her small chin was soft and graceful, and it outlined a graceful arc like a jade statue.

Just looking at her like this, Chu You's heart felt soft and sweet.

At this moment, what appeared in his mind was the first encounter between him and her in Yangzhou nine years ago.

It was also such a sloppy spring day.

At that time, she also held an umbrella in her hand, and he was riding a horse. She was startled by the horse, and the umbrella came out of her hand. It was he who grabbed the umbrella for her.

When she was a child, she was like a delicate water lotus, which made people feel pity when they looked at her.

"嫆er." Chu You smiled brightly, got off his horse, and walked towards her quickly in the face of the pouring rain.

He rode here all the way, and his body was already soaked wet, his hair and robes were wet, and a few strands of broken hair were sticking to his cheeks, looking a little embarrassed.

But he looked at her with surprisingly bright eyes, as if she was the only one in his eyes.

(end of this chapter)