The day before Double Ninth Festival, Cong Rong suddenly fell ill. She was so dizzy with fever that she kept talking nonsense. Awan took care of her all night, and finally got some improvement.
Cong Rong couldn't go to the Chongyang Palace Banquet the next day. Awan was too sleepy and didn't want to go. She just wanted to rest at the house. Fang Zilan had no choice but to bring Mo Han and Vice General Cao into the palace for the banquet.
Vice General Cao had practiced walking for a long time and now walked very smoothly with a cane. However, Fang Zilan still took his time and took him and Mo Han into the palace for a leisurely stroll.
Along the way, Zi Lan had a face that was not to be approached by strangers. Although no one dared to come up and say hello, many people focused their eyes on Deputy General Cao, whispering to each other and guessing why the Duke of Yue would bring a lame man in. palace.
"Master Fang." King Yucheng Li Qiyou stood at the bottom of the palace steps and waved to Fang Zilan, "You are finally here."
Fang Zilan looked around strangely as she walked. When she reached Li Qiyou, she couldn't help but ask, "May I ask, Your Majesty, am I late?"
"It's not too late." Li Qiyou smiled and said, "It's just that Mr. Fang, you are the protagonist today, and everyone is waiting to see you."
"Me?" Fang Zilan pointed at herself and asked suspiciously: "What protagonist?"
"Master Fang, don't you know?" This time, it was Li Qiyou's turn to be surprised, "Today is said to be a Chongyang Palace banquet, but in fact it is a celebration banquet. Master Fang, you are closed to the public, so the news is so closed?"
Fang Zilan took out the flower note from her sleeve and read it carefully, but didn't see any clues. She looked at Li Qiyou in confusion, and he chuckled, "Why else would Master Fang think that my grandmother and queen mother left the capital?"
Fang Zilan was stunned. It couldn't be that Li Shengxuan sent them out of Beijing just because she didn't want to see the Empress Dowager and the Queen Mother, right? How could this sound outrageous? How could Li Shengxuan be so partial to her?
Li Qiyou saw Fang Zilan frown and was about to say something else when he saw Zhuge Yu coming over, "Sister Lan."
Hearing this, Fang Zilan calmed down, turned around and looked at Zhuge Yu, and said quietly: "Master Zhuge, do you want to see me for anything?"
Zhuge Yu was stunned for a moment. Li Qiyou noticed the subtle atmosphere between the two and did not dare to say anything. No one spoke for a while, and the scene was extremely dull.
"A Yu, don't you have something to discuss with Mr. Fang?" Zhuge Ming's voice came from behind a few people. He smiled gently and said as gently as jade: "Now that Mr. Fang is here, why can't you speak?"
"It's rare. This is the first time I've seen Mr. Zhuge so thin-skinned." Wei Subaru's voice contained a narrow smile. He followed Zhuge Ming and stood next to him.
Fang Zilan relaxed and exchanged greetings with Zhuge Ming and Wei Subaru, but never said anything to Zhuge Yu.
Zhuge Yu's hands hidden in his sleeves clenched into fists, "Sister Lan, I have something to tell you."
"Master Zhuge, please speak." Fang Zilan said without hesitation: "I am all ears."
Zhuge Yu pursed his lips, and after a while, he said solemnly: "I'm sorry, Sister Lan."
Fang Zilan coughed lightly and automatically ignored the few people watching the excitement around her. She took some time to say, "Are you going to apologize to me like this?"
Wei Subaru smiled and shook his head. Zhuge Ming's lips curved slightly, "Vice-General Cao, Mr. Mo, it's still some time before we leave the banquet. We might as well let the prince take us for a walk in the imperial garden. What do you think of the prince?"
Li Qiyou hurriedly agreed, "Master Zhuge personally invited you, but I was disrespectful."
After a few people left, Fang Zilan and Zhuge Yu walked to a corner. She said quietly: "Tell me, why did you suddenly remember to apologize to me?"
"If I don't apologize, when will Sister Lan plan to see me?" Zhuge Yu didn't answer the question, and Fang Zilan said helplessly: "You don't apologize, and now we have met. The capital is such a big place, and you and I are still in the same office. Colleagues, I won’t see you when I look up, but I won’t see you when I look down, can I not see you?”
Zhuge Yu let out a long sigh of relief, "Have you guessed it all?"
Fang Zilan hummed and said: "When Murong Xun gave me the jade cicada in Lincheng, I felt vaguely strange. Logically speaking, he, the dignified Prince Zhongzheng of Miluo, should not be asking for me anyway. Later he returned to the capital. On the way, I asked Meng Tingyang, who was beside Murong Qing, about the origin of the jade cicada, but he hesitated and couldn't explain clearly, and Murong Qing knew nothing about it."
She paused as she spoke, "Sending tokens has happened once before - the gold and jade from the Persian Sasanian family was sent to me by you. Mr. Zhuge, do you think there are such coincidences in the world? Something?"
"It was my idea to entrust Murong Qing to you." Zhuge Yu said generously, "Murong Xun tested my tone, so I gave him a few words of advice."
"I was just lazy in the Lincheng peace talks for a while, and Master Zhuge cooperated with Murong Xun inside and outside, and the plan took advantage of me. It's really a good skill." Fang Zilan's expression was a little colder, "Master Zhuge, what do you want?"
Zhuge Yu lowered his eyes and said: "In the capital, Murong Qing needs someone to protect him. Among the Gongqing family, only Sister Lan is the only one you can't rely on. I am..."
"What is it?" Fang Zilan interrupted him with a cold voice, "You have no choice? Or do you have ulterior motives?"
"Sister Lan..." Zhuge Yu was about to speak, but was interrupted by Fang Zilan, "A Yu, I reacted once, and naturally there will be a second time. What did you say to me before I went to Qiluo City? ,do you remember?"
Zhuge Yu was shocked, and Fang Zilan whispered: "A Yu, I thought we were friends. Even if we don't know each other, at least we have friendship. But why are you unwilling to confess to me?"
Zhuge Yu was speechless, and Fang Zilan continued talking to himself, "Defend Qiluo City, hold off the Miluo people, and buy time. I can think of it. How could you and other people in the court not think of it? I know they are not Unexpectedly, they dare not bring it up even if they think of it. None of them dare to bet their own wealth and life on the survival of the country. If they win, it will be fine, but if they lose, they will be infamy and scorned through the ages..."
She bit her lip and said, "Ayu, I originally thought you dared, but who knew you didn't dare either. You chose to use words to provoke me and force me to stand up and take a gamble. But you know what? I'm not afraid of gambling. I’m not afraid of losing my life, let alone my reputation. What I’m afraid of is that even if I try my best, I still won’t be able to win.”
"I'm sorry, Sister Lan." Zhuge Yu turned away, "It's not that I don't dare, it's that your Majesty doesn't want to."
"What did you say?" Fang Zilan looked at Zhuge Yu blankly and heard him say: "Your Majesty will not let anyone make unnecessary sacrifices until you are not sure. Defending Qiluo City was a bad idea, but it was also the only feasible option at that time. Way. Your Majesty has too many worries, so I can only add fuel to the flames."
Zhuge Yu turned his head and looked at Fang Zilan steadily, "If I could fight, I would definitely invite myself to Qiluo City. But I can't, so I can only use you. I have my own thoughts, and I still don't regret my decision to this day. What I did. I just couldn't be honest with you, and I'm sorry."
Fang Zilan stared at Zhuge Yu for a long time, then smiled suddenly, "That's pretty much it."
"Sister Lan?" Zhuge Yu didn't know why, and the smile on Fang Zilan's face became brighter, "You have your own thoughts, and I won't ask any more questions. I believe you, so next time if you need me to do something, just tell me directly. Even though my friends are trying to hurt me, I can still do it.”
Zhuge Yu couldn't believe it and said, "You think of me as a friend?"
"Otherwise?" Fang Zilan raised her eyebrows, "Ayu, you don't still think of me as your enemy, do you?"
Zhuge Yu was speechless. Fang Zilan patted his shoulder and warned lightly: "If there is a next time, I will definitely go to Zhuge's house and take you out and beat you up."
