chapter Five
It's February, despite the cold spring weather, new buds have appeared on some branches in Shangyang Palace. Looking lush and green, it seems that the whole palace is full of life.
In the past few days, under the careful care of Dr. Cao, Xie Lingyu made a complete recovery.
So she asked someone to prepare a generous gift for Dr. Cao, and politely sent him back to Chang'an.
As soon as they left, she immediately ordered Chunxi to start packing her luggage.
Chunxi was still a little surprised: "Your Highness wants to go out?"
Xie Lingyu has lived in Shangyang Palace for several years. Except for occasionally going to a nearby Buddhist temple to worship Buddha, she has never gone out. After all, with her status, she will attract attention once she leaves the palace.
"Why, I really want to live in this Shangyang Palace all my life. You have been with me these past few years. It has been a long time since I returned to Chang'an," Xie Lingyu put down the account book in his hand.
She asked for the account books from Shangyang Palace in the past two days, although people like her did not need to bother with common affairs.
There was already a long history scribe in the palace to handle this for her.
But in her previous life, Xie Lingyu suffered the disadvantage of being too incompetent in general affairs. Although she was clearly of high status, she didn't even know who harmed her in the end.
The fact that such a letter was released from her study showed that someone had a secret behind her.
The reason why she killed Xue Gui two days ago was to scare the monkeys.
Of course, this is not enough. The people around her have to be carefully screened. After returning to Chang'an, they must all be airtight.
"Your Highness is going back to Chang'an?" Chunxi was surprised and happy when she heard the news, and even couldn't believe it, but then she said cautiously: "But the concubine has never let go."
Chunxi heard He Lanfang's reply that day with his own ears.
He said that the concubine felt that it was not a good time for His Highness to return to Chang'an.
Xie Lingyu's expression did not waver at all, and she said quietly: "My mother has too many concerns. It has been many years since I succeeded the throne of King Yongning. I think the court has gradually accepted it."
In fact, after she returned to Chang'an in her previous life, there was really no criticism from the court.
After all, the work was done, and we couldn't let the saint remove her from the throne again and again.
Since there is no biggest obstacle, why should she stay in Shangyang Palace all the time.
"Your Highness said that your servant will order someone to pack your things right now," Chunxi said overjoyed.
Xie Lingyu warned again: "Except for you and Tinghe, there is no need to let anyone else know about this matter."
Chunxi immediately understood what she meant and said solemnly: "Your Highness, don't worry. When I asked people to pack their things, I only said that Your Highness was going to a Buddhist temple to stay for a few days."
"Watch Auntie Hua."
Xie Lingyu said calmly.
Chunxi showed a sly smile: "Don't worry, Aunt Hua wanted to come to see His Highness today, but the maid asked someone to stop her. She has been sick these days. How could she get close to His Highness and infect you with her illness? .”
Besides, Chunxi also knew who Aunt Hua belonged to.
She knew that Xie Lingyu asked her to keep a low profile so that the news of her return to Chang'an would not be spread back to the palace.
At the end of last year, the Queen Mother wanted Xie Lingyu to return to the palace, but she was stopped by a secret letter from the Queen Mother. This can never happen again.
It seems that Granny Hua's illness will not be cured until they return to Chang'an.
When Chunxi was secretly making up his mind, a maid came in to tell him that Helan had joined the army and asked for an audience.
When Xie Lingyu heard this, he immediately said: "Invite people in."
Thinking that the other party might be here to report something confidential, Xie Lingyu asked Chunxi to leave first.
Sure enough, Helan put her inside, saluted her and said, "Your Highness, the general has found Xiao Yanxing's whereabouts."
"So fast?" Xie Lingyu was really surprised.
He Lanfang explained: "His Royal Highness said that he is a candidate for this imperial examination. In one month's time, the Spring Examination will be held. All candidates will come to Chang'an to participate in the Spring Examination. At the end of the day, people will be sent to Chang'an to look for Xiao Yan. I found that there was no one there. I followed Chang'an all the way to the inn in Cangjun, and sure enough I found traces of him at an inn."
Xie Lingyu not only clapped secretly, but as expected, she was right to leave the matter to He Lanfang.
He can be said to be brave and resourceful, and he was able to find someone like a needle in a haystack.
After all, Xie Lingyu's order to him was to find the person before Spring.
Because she knew that Xiao Yanxing would shine brightly in the Spring Festival, so it would be even more difficult for her to recruit him after the Spring Festival.
When the time comes, many of the noble families in Chang'an will definitely extend an olive branch to him.
As a woman, she wanted to recruit counselors to cultivate her own power, but she was naturally at a disadvantage.
The so-called icing on the cake is easy, but it is difficult to provide help when the time is right.
She just wanted to try her best to make Xiao Yanxing her own when he was in his final years.
*
The carriage was speeding along the official road, because the road was fairly flat and not too bumpy.
But not long after, the sound of raindrops could be heard outside, and the raindrops hit the walls of the carriage. It felt like the surroundings were wrapped in the sound of rain, which was clear and gentle but not slow.
After driving for an unknown amount of time, the carriage slowly stopped.
He Lanfang, who was accompanying him outside the car, opened his mouth and said: "Dear...maiden, this is the inn. He stayed here last night."
A corner of the carriage curtain was lifted, revealing a delicate and graceful chin, and Xie Lingyu's voice came out: "Go and see, he is still there."
"Yes, I have sent people to stay here before. Once he makes any movement, my people will know."
After saying that, He Lanfang got off his horse and walked towards the inn.
After a while, there was another noise outside the carriage. It was Helan who was leaving and returning.
"Girl, the guards I sent here said that they have just left for two quarters of an hour and should be heading to Chang'an." He Lan paused for a moment and then said: "But the guards said that there seems to be another group of people also. Following them."
Xie Lingyu glanced at him: "Another group of people?"
He Lanfang: "Because the guard was alone and did not dare to expose himself, he did not detect the identity of the other party."
Xie Lingyu didn't even think about it: "We will catch up immediately."
He Lanfang responded.
Fortunately, Helan Fang was cautious by nature. He had previously sent two guards to stay here, but now there was only one person here waiting for their arrival, and the other one followed Xiao Yanxing.
And they also agreed on a contact code along the way.
It just rained suddenly today, and the rain washed away the trees and grass along the way, so the code was not easy to find.
Fortunately, there was only one official road to Chang'an. The carriage galloped forward, splashing large amounts of water wherever it went. He Lanfang followed on horseback with his guards.
The rain became heavier and heavier, covering up the sound of wheels and horse hooves, as well as the sounds ahead.
Until they were almost close, He Lanfang suddenly raised his hand and shouted: "Stop."
Including the driver, everyone reined in the reins.
"What happened?" Xie Lingyu raised the car curtain, and a few strands of rain fell on her cheeks.
As soon as she finished asking, she saw a chaotic situation not far away. Several people in black were surrounding a carriage. The people on the carriage were driving the carriage to escape.
At this moment, one of the men in black held a long knife and slashed the horse's neck. In the rain, the horse couldn't even neigh the last bit, and suddenly fell down.
The carriage lost its center of gravity and tipped over.
The men in black who were originally surrounding the carriage took a step back to avoid being crushed by the carriage.
The man driving the carriage jumped down at this moment.
Because it was quite far away and it was raining, I couldn't tell whether it was Xiao Yanxing or not.
But he was alone and weak. Before he could stand firm, the man in black had surrounded him and punched him in the heart, causing him to take a few steps back.
But this was just the beginning. The man in black took advantage of him before he could stand still and kicked him in the chest. The man flew back several feet like a broken sack until he hit a tree and fell to the ground.
He put his palms on the ground and wanted to stand up, but he didn't want a mouthful of blood to spurt out.
The splashing blood and rain quickly merged into the muddy water on the ground.
"Why are you running? I'm not here to take your life today." The leader of the men in black stepped forward and stepped on the man's back, pinning him to the ground.
As if this was not humiliating enough, the man in black stepped on the man's back with his shoes as he spoke, intending to step his whole body into the mud puddle, crush him and humiliate him.
However, the man's thin body was like a pine and bamboo tree. Although it was stepped on, it was not completely broken.
The leader in black clothes laughed ferociously: "The bones are quite strong. I don't want your life, but someone wants your hand."
The man raised his head suddenly and tried to struggle, but other men in black stepped forward and held him down.
This time, he was like a trapped animal, but his hands and feet were tightly clamped, unable to break free.
The man in black at the head proudly raised the long knife in his hand, and the cold light looked particularly cold in the rain.
This sword light seemed to be reflected into Xie Lingyu's heart even though it was far away.
She had experienced this despair of struggling desperately but being unable to escape her fate.
She must have felt the same way when facing the cup of poisonous wine given by the new emperor.
No one in heaven and earth can come to save her.
Xie Lingyu felt a huge excitement in her heart. Seeing the long knife falling, she shouted loudly: "He Lanfang, save people."
The clear voice sounded unusually crisp amid the sound of rain.
All the men in black turned around, only to realize that while they were fighting, a group of people had quietly arrived nearby.
Seeing Helan Fang, the leader of the men in black rushed over on horseback, and slashed down with the long sword again. The sharp blades were about to cut off the man's arm.
Is it too late?
Xie Lingyu sighed softly in his heart.
But something happened at this moment. Suddenly a figure jumped down from the big tree where they were. The figure also held a long knife in his hand. With a clever block, he directly swung away the long knife of the man in black.
He Lanfang also arrived with his guards at this moment, and the two sides quickly broke into a battle.
These men in black were agile and agile, but they were outnumbered. Moreover, there were experts like He Lanfang. He Lanfang's long sword was like a swimming dragon, seeming to be able to cut through the rain curtain and quickly kill the opponent. He was beaten repeatedly and retreated.
Xie Lingyu watched two men in black fall down, then raised her hand to pick up the oil-paper umbrella in the carriage.
When she stepped out of the carriage with an umbrella, the guard standing by her whispered: "Your Highness, these gangsters have not been killed yet, please rest in the carriage."
The sword has no eyes, for fear of hurting Xie Lingyu.
"It doesn't matter," Xie Lingyu said in a relaxed tone, because the man in black had already started running for his life.
She held an umbrella and walked towards the tree step by step. At this time, the man under the tree was lying in the muddy water, his eyelashes slightly closed, and he lay motionless, as if he would die at any time.
Until she came walking through the muddy water, the sound of water splashing on the soles of her feet seemed to alarm the people on the ground.
The man's eyelids trembled again and again, and finally he half-opened them. Waterdrops were hanging on his eyelashes, and he was still wanting to fall asleep. His black eyes were fixed on the pair of originally exquisite shoes that were getting closer and closer. Unfortunately, there were so many things around the shoes at this moment. Splattered with mud.
When he raised his head with all his strength, he saw a slender figure coming into view. A gust of cold wind blew past, blowing her clothes and flying, and the colorful ribbon on her clothes fluttered. Along with the subtle and crisp ringing sound, rain and mist started everywhere. Under the blurred vision, it was like a goddess floating over.
The two looked at each other, and Xie Lingyu finally recognized him at a glance.
Xiao Yanxing, the goal of her trip.
However, when Xie Lingyu looked at Xiao Yanxing, who was dressed in civilian clothes in the rain, he did not have the demeanor of a powerful minister in his previous life. The blood and water around his body mixed with rain flowed all over the ground, reflecting the dead silence in his eyes.
This made Xie Lingyu recall again the several encounters he had with this powerful minister in his previous life.
When he was still the emperor's uncle, Xiao Yanxing held great power at a young age. Naturally, Xie Lingyu would not make friends with him and wanted to stay as far away from him as possible.
At that time, everyone in Chang'an City knew the name of Xiao Yanxing. He had a handsome face, but he was wearing a purple robe, and he had a square and cold face. Such a face that attracted bees and butterflies had nothing to do with the wind and moon.
When the young ladies talked about him, they really loved and hated him.
Even though Xie Lingyu didn't like to talk about romantic affairs by nature, she would hear this name from time to time at palace banquets.
Moreover, when she was imprisoned, Master Xiao was even more powerful. He not only supported the new emperor to ascend the throne, but also personally led the troops to put down the rebellion.
Now looking at Xiao Yanxing in such a miserable state in front of him, Xie Lingyu couldn't feel a trace of ridicule.
It's just that fate is unpredictable.
At this time, He Lanfang rushed over and whispered: "Your Highness, we have caught all the bad guys."
"Do you want to deal with them?" Xie Lingyu looked at Xiao Yanxing and asked in a low voice.
Xiao Yanxing raised his eyelids slightly, his black pupils were as deep as abyss, and Xie Lingyu's slender and beautiful figure was outlined in his eyes. He stared at Xie Lingyu, but he remained silent.
He Lanfang saw his eyes were so unrestrained and was about to step forward to teach him a lesson.
Unexpectedly, the girl in gorgeous clothes held an oil-paper umbrella and slowly squatted in front of Xiao Yanxing. She chuckled and said, "If you are loyal, I will give you a chance."
After saying that, the rain on Xiao Yanxing's head suddenly stopped falling.
He raised his head slightly and looked at the tiny inch of world above his head that was covered by the girl.
