Whose entourage is wearing such a noble Zhaozhuo? The general's wife must be fooling him into thinking he is blind.
"Madame General, the king has only invited you. It would be inappropriate for you to bring your entourage with you."
After the minister came to his senses for a moment, he decisively rejected Zheng Quchi's request.
He is a noble minister in the capital, and he maintains his aloof status. Even when facing Zheng Quchi, the general's wife, he is only polite on the surface, but his words and actions are all about exerting pressure.
He originally thought that a woman like her who had never seen any big scenes would be submissive and at the mercy of others in front of him, but in fact the situation was not as he expected.
Zheng Quchi turned around and said to Wang Zebang and Wei Yao: "You don't have to follow me into the palace. Do what you need to do, and go home when you need to. I..." She turned her eyes again, Looking in the direction of Yuan Xingzhou: "I will protect myself."
Wang Zebang and Wei Yao both understood what Madam meant. They had discussed in advance what would happen when they arrived in Shengjing and made corresponding arrangements. They then looked at their relatives waiting expectantly in front and nodded darkly.
The two of them also looked at Xing Yuanzhou, their movements and expressions were exactly the same, and they said, "We would like to thank you for protecting my wife earlier."
This respectful bow and salute may seem a bit abrupt and strange in the eyes of others. Doesn't it mean that this person is the general's wife's entourage? Shouldn't the act of rescuing people be the responsibility of those within the scope of their duties?
The two stood up straight: "I hope you can continue to protect our general's wife on the next journey, please."
Yuan Xingzhou was amused by their behavior of "entrusting orphans" in public.
"You guys are quite good at finding opportunities..." The conversation changed. Yuan Xingzhou's stone-like expression was still as pale as snow, but when he turned his eyes to Zheng Quchi, his eyes were like the calm black sea: "But since I am her As a follower, her safety is my responsibility, so why should anyone else ask me to protect her?"
Zheng Quchi, Wang Zebang, Wei Yao: "..." He entered role-playing very quickly, and he found his position right away.
The minister's words just fell into the sea. He saw that they were talking to themselves, but ignored him for a while, and his expression suddenly changed again and again.
He knew that the other party did it on purpose, and he had been in official circles for many years, and he had already developed the ability to hide his emotions and anger. He lowered his eyelids and said in a cold voice with a sharp sense of oppression: "General's wife, you..."
Zheng Quchi spoke up first, interrupting his artificial official tone, and said in an arrogant and arrogant manner: "Others can do without, but I must take this follower. Without him, who will be responsible for the safety of my life? You? Haha?" , I met an assassin as soon as I entered the city. How can I feel at ease? Or you can go to the palace right now and apply for the deployment of royal guards to protect my safety. Otherwise, I can bring an entourage to see the king. Other than that, there is no other choice."
Sometimes you don't just have to be docile and decent, you will be respected by others if you are polite and moral. When you have a certain identity and status, you can state your requirements and bottom line loudly.
Hearing her talk about life safety and talk about assassins, where did the assassin come from? Isn't he just an angry young man who throws stones?
The minister's face turned red to the color of pig liver.
At this time, there was no way to explain the incident that had just happened. As soon as people came to Shengjing, they encountered an incident of taking advantage of the chaos to hurt people. This incident was indeed a joint dereliction of duty between them and the city guard. Seeing that she insisted on pursuing their fault, she suspected that the Shengjing guard Reliability, but he had no words to refute.
The minister didn't want to get into a quarrel with her here, not to mention that this woman had the Wang and Wei families to protect her, and she also had the Four Elephants Army as her backer. In terms of strength, he was not tough on the surface. But her.
She thought that since the Wang and Wei families didn't follow her into the palace to support her, it shouldn't be a big problem for such a small follower who came from nowhere to follow her.
What's more... at first glance, this follower's facial features really look a bit like King Ye in his youth. He and King Ye grew up together. From his accompanying student to his current minister, he saw King Ye step by step. Appearance changes.
For just a moment, he felt that this follower was really related to King Ye.
They look very similar, but if you look closely, they don't look alike.
Similar in appearance, but not similar in spirit, that's how it feels.
However, he still had doubts and kept an extra thought in his heart, planning to bring the people into the palace to find out the details.
"Since the general's wife feels that she must take this attendant with her, then I will do as you wish. Seeing that we have wasted a lot of time, it would be a sin to keep the king waiting, so let's go."
He finished speaking in one breath, dusted off his robe sleeves without stopping, turned around and led the way in anger.
Zheng Quchi was separated from Wei Yao, Wang Zebang and the others. The bandits and the army were all taken away by Wei Yao and the others, while she and Yuan Xingzhou got into the carriage and continued on their way.
Zheng Quchi did not go with Princess Sheng'an in this carriage. She was picked up first by someone arranged by the minister.
Yuan Xingzhou, who was demoted to her "attendant", naturally could no longer be treated like a carriage, so he followed the carriage on foot.
Zheng Quchi lifted up a section of the curtain, thought for a moment, and shouted, "Xiaozhou."
She didn't call Yuan Xingzhou, the name was too shocking, she just called a make-up name.
Yuan Xingzhou, who was in the rear, looked strange for a moment when he heard her shouting like this. He stepped forward and approached the carriage: "What are your orders, madam?"
There were no palace guards following their carriage, they were all protecting the ministers in front, so the carriage was very clean.
She whispered: "When you meet King Ye later, don't reveal your identity yet. I'll test his attitude here, and then you decide whether to reveal yourself, you know?"
She just thought about it, if King Ye didn't really want to find a son, but just did this to avoid future troubles, then Yuan Xingzhou would be seeking death. Of course, this possibility is very low, but be careful It's always a good idea to err on the side of caution.
Yuan Xingzhou said expressionlessly: "I'll listen to you."
"You just met Princess Sheng'an, right? I saw her staring at you intently when she was taken away. She must have doubted your identity. She might tell the Queen about this. Is it important to you? ?」
Because it is not clear what happened to him and his mother back then, so they fled to death, and they are not willing to return to the palace to meet King Ye until now. But according to her experience of being poisoned by various TV series when she was a child, this matter It is estimated that it has something to do with the people in the court and harem.
Yuan Xingzhou inadvertently licked the corner of his mouth, and his dry mouth became moisturized and turned a scarlet color: "It doesn't matter, I have to meet these people one by one anyway."
Zheng Quchi had seen a sinister look ready to bite all his enemies. She felt that it would be too dangerous for him to enter the palace with this look, so she interrupted him and said, "Yuan Xingzhou, come closer."
He didn't know why, but he obediently moved his head closer.
Zheng Quchi whispered to him: "Just now, thank you for saving me in time. I will repay your kindness and help you for mutual benefit. So... after you enter the palace, don't go crazy in a hurry. You must always remember to keep it safe." My life comes first."
Half-jokingly and half-seriously, she reminded him that his revenge required planning to be successful. As long as he still had his brain, he would definitely know this. But when she entered the palace this time, her future was really uncertain.
This King Ye was cunning and insidious. He summoned her into the palace as soon as she arrived. He did not give her any chance to breathe and react. He also did not allow her to bring her personal guards with her. He ordered her to enter the palace alone to meet the emperor.
If she didn't agree, she would be resisting the order in person, and he could always find an excuse to manipulate her. But if she agreed, it would be a bit of a trap, but fortunately she already had a useful trump card in her hand—— In Xingyuanzhou, as long as he is here, she is sure that she will be safe and sound during this trip.
The premise is that he is willing to protect her at all costs.
The sincere request made by Wei Yao and Wang Zebang in public just now was not as simple as words. They both knew what the other party meant, and in the end Yuan Xingzhou agreed.
Yuan Xingzhou lowered his eyes, and his thick black eyelashes were like black feathers falling down, covering the slight smile that flashed in his pupils.
"Yeah, remember."
After listening to this, Zheng Quchi was at peace, and then he sorted out his thoughts.
With his emotions and mood in mind, he planned to concentrate on facing the severe test that followed - to escape safely from King Ye, the supreme leader of the Ye Kingdom.
——
Ye Palace is the most luxurious and complex building complex Zheng Quchi has ever seen since traveling through time. Its craftsmanship and construction quality are basically the best in Ye country, and the building materials used are things she has never seen elsewhere.
Along the way, she observed the red and green tiles and white walls with great care and attention. The minister just thought that she had never seen anything good and was shocked by the splendor of the palace.
He glanced at her with disdain and muttered, "bumpkin."
Yuan Xingzhou looked over with a calm look like looking at a dead person. The minister touched it inadvertently for a moment, as if he was startled by something terrifying. He quickly put away his contemptuous expression and silently led the way.
He brought them to Shengyuan Palace.
As soon as you enter the hall, you feel that the light inside is dim. A row of candles are lit behind the curtains on both sides. There is also a layer of light and translucent gauze at the top. In the haziness, a huge person can be vaguely seen. Sit on it. .
There is a particularly sweet incense in the air. It is so fragrant that if you smell it for a long time, you will feel dizzy and nauseous.
"Your Majesty, the general's wife has arrived."
After the minister finished saluting in front, he revealed Zheng Quchi who was following behind. She didn't look sideways, held her breath for a while, and saluted accordingly. According to her current status, she didn't have to be polite to the king unless she was on an important occasion. Ceremonial.
And this scene now... I think it was just King Ye's private meeting with her, not a formal scene.
Naturally, Yuan Xingzhou did not walk in with her, but waited in front of the palace door.
"Zheng Quchi, that's his name."
Behind the black veil, a low, hoarse voice that seemed to be wrapped in a mouthful of phlegm sounded in the hall.
This sound, coupled with the strange and sweet fragrance in the palace, hit my nose, it was simply amazing.
Zheng Quchi pursed his lips tightly, suppressing the urge to feel nauseated. His eyes briefly scanned the hall. Except for the door he had just opened, all the windows were locked, leaving no room for ventilation.
"She is my wife."
"Aren't you afraid that you came to see Gu alone?"
The out-of-breath voice asked slowly. His speaking speed was different from that of ordinary people, and his voice was cadenced, like a voice left behind by years of discipline and majesty.
Fortunately, I didn't see a real person. Just listening to the voice made the heavy pressure on my face weaken a bit.
"Your Majesty is the supreme being of the Ye Kingdom. Meeting you will only make me feel honored." Zheng Quchi answered very naturally, as if this was what she thought sincerely.
"Hahaha... This courage and eloquence are quite good, much better than I imagined."
Zheng Quchi was standing here, not because she wanted to start a verbal lawsuit with him, or because her parents were petty. She directly skipped these lengthy opening remarks and false greetings. She said directly: "Your Majesty, I have something important to report."
Maybe King Ye was used to seeing all kinds of people who talk in secret but don't mean what they say. But this was the first time he met a straight-to-the-point person like Zheng Quchi. When they met for the first time, they hadn't even exchanged a few words. She got to the point first.
After a moment of pause, King Ye asked, "What's the matter?"
"My wife arrested a group of road bandits in Fu County. After interrogation, they were not ordinary people who became bandits, but the sword-carrying attendants of the former queen."
King Ye had known this for a long time, so he said in a calm voice, "Now that you have interrogated them, what did they say?"
"They were tight-lipped and revealed very little about the key things. It was just that the minister followed the clues and learned some clues about the eldest prince."
"The eldest prince?!"
He stood up suddenly, but fell down again due to his heavy body.
But the momentum brought about by this violent movement lifted a corner of the black veil hanging in front of him. At that moment, Zheng Quchi raised his eyes and saw clearly the true face of King Ye now.
A big fat man close to three hundred or four hundred,
His facial features were all deformed by the flesh on his face, and he was spread out like a puddle of lard on a large and heavy throne. His face was black and blue, his eyelids were drooping, and he looked tired and lazy. The dignity and majesty that an emperor should have.
After just one glance, she quickly lowered her eyes, not daring to look again.
"Where is my son? Have you found it?" His voice was very excited and urgent. It was obvious that this news was very important to him.
"The road bandits refused to talk about life or death at first, but later a few couldn't stand the torture and revealed a few words, saying that the eldest prince could not enter the capital or meet certain people, otherwise his life would be in danger..."
"Who said that, cough cough cough..." King Ye wanted to retort angrily, but he couldn't suppress a violent cough. The palace attendant next to him was startled and quickly brought a spittoon, water, and wet wipes to serve him.
After a lot of fussing, King Ye gasped in a hoarse voice, "My son, my son will never be hurt by anyone again. Whoever dares to harm him will be killed!"
When Zheng Quchi heard this, combined with King Ye's first reaction when he heard the news about Yuan Xingzhou, it was basically confirmed that King Ye really wanted to find his eldest son.
"Although they were extremely secretive, in the end I found some clues and found a person who was suspected to be the eldest prince. I wonder if your majesty would like to meet him?"
