CH 49

“Because the fifteenth…” Yuan Ci Xian pondered for a while, pointing to the moon that was looming in the sky, “the moon is rounder.”

Lu Shi Qing sneered in his heart, and said: “Just go, why asking me.”

She smiled and grabbed his arm: “I don’t have a carriage.”

“…”

Lu Shi Qing’s face turned dark. He thought she came here to ask for his advice.

He smiled and pulled his arm out of her hand: “My Lu family is very poor, there’s only one carriage, and now I will take it to the court.”

Lu Shi Qing, who took the carriage to the court, was late. When he arrived at the Xuanzheng Hall, Emperor Huining had already begun to listen to the courtier reporting memorials. He silently stood at the end of the line, just right behind Yuan Yu.

Unexpectedly, His Majesty was also idle, halfway through the report, he caught a glimpse of his late arrival, ignored the courtier who was still talking, nodded in his direction and sighed: “Assistant Minister Lu has been an official for seven years, and it’s the first time you’re late for the court.”

Hearing this, all the civil and military officials of the imperial court turned their heads to look at him.

Lu Shi Qing’s heart was bleeding. Just now he wanted to refuse Yuan Ci Xian, but she kept coaxing and pestering him. He thought although it was not completely on the way, it doesn’t matter if he gave her a ride, anyway, the hour was still early. As a result, as soon as he agreed, she had to push her luck, saying how could she visit Shaohe empty-handed, so she borrowed a servant from Lu Mansion to cook some breakfast.

After the food was cooked, he sent her to Wangji Temple, and this back and forth had made him late.

He didn’t care what these people think, what he cared about was those seven years regardless rain or shine, like a myth in the Great Zhou Dynasty, his time of going to court every day was exactly the same, but from now on there had been a stain on his road of life.

To be late once was intolerable, so he better late tomorrow too.

Lu Shi Qing thought this way in his heart, he cupped his hand and was about to confess his sin, but saw Emperor Huining waved his hand to signal that it was unnecessary.

The official who was interrupted just now continued to present a memorial, but Yuan Yu in front of him couldn’t stand still. He kept his posture facing the emperor, raised his toes, leaned back a little, and whispered: “What are you doing!”

Knowing that he would not easily agree, Yuan Ci Xian was to act first and report later when leaving the house this time. The note she left for him was also concise and to the point, saying that she had a dream again, dreaming that if she didn’t live in Lu Mansion for a few days, she could get killed.

Yuan Yu was furious when he saw the note this morning, but what could he do, what if he insisted on taking her back and causing her to lose her life?

It’s just that he was also a man after all, and he knew how deadly his younger sister’s beauty was to Lu Shi Qing, so he still did not trust him, especially seeing that he was late for the first time, and it’s unknown where his thought had gone.

Lu Shi Qing replied in a low voice: “Ask your good sister.”

“What did you do to her!”

He frowned, and was about to say more when he suddenly heard an official with white beard on the side cough, and then casted a disdainful and contempt look at him. At the same time, Emperor Huining also asked: “Assistant Minister Lu, in your opinion, is this strategy possible?”

Lu Shi Qing calmly stepped out and glanced at the official who had just spoken, nodded and said: “This official think that although Minister Yu’s strategy is good, it also contains bias. If you want to prescribe the right medicine for an illness, afraid we still need to discuss and consider it again.”

Emperor Huining nodded again and again, and then said: “What Assistant Minister Lu said is reasonable, and Minister Yu’s strategy will be dismissed for the time being.”

Seeing this, Yuan Yu really felt that Lu Shi Qing’s ability to divide his attention was divine, he turned around and asked in a low voice: “What did Old Man Yu just say?”

But Yuan Yu only heard him indifferently answered: “The ghost knows.”

—

After Yuan Ci Xian arrived at Wangji Temple, she asked Shaohe State Princess’s whereabouts to the temple people. Yuan Ci Xian heard that the place where she cultivated was a separate nunnery, but she would chant scriptures in the Daxiong Hall every morning, so she went there.

As early as the second day after returning to Chang’an, she went to the palace to meet the emperor, explaining that she was willing to let Zheng Yun go, and hoping that the emperor would forgive her.

The old emperor already felt guilty towards Shaohe, and after being coaxed by Yuan Ci Xian to his heart’s content, he praised her for her generosity and agreed to the matter. It’s just that it was not a good thing to withdraw the holy will as soon as it was issued, so he said to wait until the winter solstice of the Twelfth month, and when the world was pardoned, Shaohe’s crimes would be absolved.

Zheng Yun probably didn’t know the news yet. When Yuan Ci Xian saw her, she felt that her eyes were dull. She got up from the futon and smiled at her: “Why is County Princess here?”

In this single question, there was no modulation, nor there was anger.

Yuan Ci Xian didn’t want to circled around with her either. Seeing that there was no one around, she said, “I know you didn’t do it. His Majesty promised me that he will take you back during the winter solstice.”

Zheng Yun’s face remained calm, without any surprise, just said: “I’m troubling you, but it’s good here.”

Yuan Ci Xian always felt that every time she talked to Zheng Yun, she talked to someone very old, as if dealing with a person in her seventies and eighties who had seen all kind of cruelty of the world. Hearing the words, she smiled uncomfortably, changed the subject, made some pleasantries, and asked her about her recent situation.

The two chatted for a while, then suddenly heard a footsteps sound outside the hall.

As soon as Yuan Ci Xian turned her head, she saw Zheng Zhuo in black clothes stepping into the gate of the Daxiong Hall. He seemed a little surprised to see her, and then nodded to her and Zheng Yun as greetings.

She just borrowed Zheng Yun as a cover today, but she actually came to find Zheng Zhuo. Just now she was worried about where to find him, but now she was relieved, and said with surprise on her face: “How Sixth Highness has a leisure time to come to Wangji Temple?”

Zheng Zhuo smiled slightly: “It’s not that I have a leisure time, I have no choice but to come here.”

Yuan Ci Xian pretended to suddenly realize: “Look at my memory.” After that, she looked down at the food box in her hand, “I brought some breakfast for Her Highness, since Your Highness is here, let’s use it together.”

Zheng Zhuo didn’t seem to be very familiar with Zheng Yun, a di younger sister with a higher status than him, and he couldn’t talk as casually as he was with Yuan Ci Xian, so he said cautiously: “No, you can just eat.”

Zheng Yun also didn’t say some polite words.

However, Yuan Ci Xian had put something under the food, so she had to hint: “Arriving early can’t beat coming at the right time, it just so happens that today I brought Your Highness’s favorite yam cake. You can eat a piece to fill your stomach.”

Zheng Zhuo didn’t like yam cake, and even if he did like it, Yuan Ci Xian wouldn’t know that. He immediately understood what was going on, but he didn’t show it on his face, only said with a smile, “Then I will be respectful and obey.”

He reached out for the cake, and at the hint of her eyes, he took a piece with a note stuck under it, and then slowly twist the paper and hid it between his fingers.

At the same time, Yuan Ci Xian also turned her head to distract Zheng Yun’s attention, she said to her: “Your Highness, take a piece too?”

Zheng Yun didn’t take it, raised her head and said: “County Princess please follow me to the small room for breakfast.”

Yuan Ci Xian glanced at Zheng Zhuo, after make sure he had received the news, she went with Zheng Yun to the small room behind the nunnery.

Zheng Jun’s steps seemed a little impatient, which was rare, and when they arrived at the small room where the sandalwood was burning, she turned around and regained her calm again. After asking Yuan Ci Xian to sit she didn’t say another word.

Yuan Ci Xian took the initiative to ask: “Does Your Highness have something private to say to me?”

Zheng Yun smiled and asked: “County Princess is familiar with my sixth brother?”

“Just have a few encounters.”

“In that case, why did you use my name to come to see him?”

Yuan Ci Xian had expected that even if Zheng Yun guessed the real purpose of her trip, she would only think about the love affair between men and women, and unlikely mistaken it for a major thing. Hearing this, Yuan Ci Xian said with a smile: “Is Your Highness fighting on behalf of Assistant Minister Lu now?”

Zheng Yun didn’t speak.

Yuan Ci Xian continued: “You don’t need to worry about him.” She said and pointed to the food box in front of her, “This is the craftmanship of the servants of the Lu Mansion, please taste it. I’ll go first, after the court is finished, Assistant Minister Lu will come down to pick me up.”

Zheng Yun’s eyes showed a strange look, seeing her get up and about to leave, she quickly recovered and called her: “Wait.”

Yuan Ci Xian turned her head, with a questioning look in her eyes, but only saw Zheng Yun’s gloomy face and wry smile. She remained silent for a while, and finally said: “It’s cold and windy, County Princess, go slowly.”

She nodded, turned and left. Zheng Yun watched her back disappear into the path in front of the nunnery, and sighed. She just wanted to tell Yuan Ci Xian that this time, she must not let Lu Shi Qing down again, especially cannot let Lu Shi Qing down again.

Thanks to that “slow” word, Yuan Ci Xian indeed stood for a long time in the front hall waiting for Lu Shi Qing to come back from the court. In order not to be eye-catching, she didn’t go to Zheng Zhuo again, and with no maid beside her, she was blown by the cold wind for a long time. As soon as she got into Lu Shi Qing’s carriage, she complained: “Did His Majesty dragging out the court? Why are you so slow?”

Lu Shi Qing wanted to say that he was already fast enough. Usually after the court meeting, even if he didn’t have to go to the Zichen Palace to serve Emperor Huining, he either surrounded by a group of officials who wanted to get close to him, or run into the ones several grades above him who came to find fault and pick thorns with him.

Today was a good day, as soon as the emperor said to adjourn the court meeting, he turned around and stepped out of the Xuanzheng Hall immediately. And when those people in purple robes, red robes, and green robes called him, he just walked away as if he didn’t hear them. Even when Yuan Yu caught up with him, he said a few more words of nonsense to him.

But he didn’t want to tell her this, lest she get carried away, so he said coldly: “You think I’m idle?” After saying that, he knocked on the small table in front of him, motioning her to look for herself.

Yuan Ci Xian looked down at what he pointed out, and found that his writing was densely packed with Sanskrit that she couldn’t understand.

Oh, this was copying the Buddhist scriptures as an apology to Xuan shi.

She subconsciously glanced at his belt, and smiled embarrassedly: “I’ll copy it for you, anyway, it’s all ghostly drawn symbols, and you can’t differentiate the handwriting.” As she spoke, she flipped through his paper, and then followed the characters and copied it carefully.

Lu Shi Qing thought she was too idle anyway, so he didn’t care about her at first, but when she filled a sheet of paper, he couldn’t help it anymore, frowned and said, “Do you know that Sanskrit also has a way of symmetry?”

Yuan Ci Xian of course didn’t know.

Lu Shi Qing simply took back the brush in her hand and said, “Stop copying, I feel annoyed just looking at it.”

Yuan Ci Xian curled her lips: “You are also a scholar, how can you deprive a person of their ambition to study? If I can’t do it, then you teach me!” After saying that, she temptingly continued, “The hand-in-hand kind of teaching…”