The Gilded Cage

As the New Year’s Day is getting closer and closer, the nobles who stayed in the city of Chang’an successively rushed from the Fuzhong to Lishan, and more and more envoys and local officials of the Pan State also followed Tangquan Palace, just waiting to participate in the banquet on New Year’s Eve. .

These few days should have been the happiest and most relaxing time of the year. If it were changed to previous years, the emperor would rarely slacken for a few days, ignore the affairs of the dynasty, and only bathe in the spring, climb the mountain, and enjoy the snow with everyone.

But this year's new monarch has absolutely no intention of letting go of major political affairs. Three days before New Year’s Eve, he actually made an order to denounce five of the eight generals who had entered Beijing to report on their duties, counted their charges one by one, and was dismissed and imprisoned, waiting for the three divisions of Yushitai, the Criminal Department, and Dali Temple. Judge, convict again.

As soon as the news came out, the originally cheerful and relaxed atmosphere dissipated a lot. Many military generals were in danger, and even the civilian officials felt chills.

Among them, Xiao Yu is the worst.

Among the five people handled by Xiao Kezhi, four of them had previously expressed interest in his initiative. Such precise wrists really made him frightened, and he had to completely cut off his thoughts of starting from the generals near Huazhou. .

Zhao Yu'e also felt urgency.

Previously, she and her elder brother Zhao Lun only speculated that there would be changes in the central government, but they did not expect that the emperor would be so resolute. They accurately touched the details of those people at once, and did not give any chance to breathe, they shot directly.

Once Zhao Lun failed to hold down the Nanzhao King in Bozhou and stabbed the past to Chang'an, the fate of their Zhao family can be imagined.

For the present plan, the Nanzhao king must be deterred first.

At night, she sat under the lamp, pinching the letter sent back by Zhao Lun who was far away in Banzhou, concentrating for a long time, and then slowly sent it to the swaying candle to ignite, watching the flame swallow the fragile paper and burn it into ashes. .

"Lady, the ink has been polished." Chun Yan put down the Song Yanmo in his hand and reminded her softly that she could write a reply.

Zhao Yu'e nodded eagerly, picked up the pen and dipped the ink, wrote two or three columns, and felt that it was inappropriate, and paused for a while while holding the pen tube.

"Fine, don't write it yet." She put down her pen, sent the letter paper with the ink that was not yet dry to the flame to burn it, and turned her head to tell Chun Yan, "Go, bring me things."

Chun Yan squeezed the corner of her clothes and didn't move, until she got a little impatient with her, he hesitated to get up, went into the inner room and took out a very small white porcelain jar, and put it on the table in front of her.

"I asked you to try to find someone yesterday. What is the effect?" Zhao Yu'e opened the altar cover, pinched a small knuckle-sized silver carbon strip inside and looked carefully under the lamp, then put it on the tip of his nose and sniffed. A faint sweet and greasy scent suddenly penetrated into her nose, causing her mind to be empty, giving birth to a momentary trance.

"The slave servants tried several of the most reliable guards in the mansion. The effect is immediate, almost within a moment, it's all..." Chun Yan remembered the trance and absurdity of those people after sniffing, and couldn't help blushing and shy. "It's true. The general said nothing. After they woke up, they didn't notice anything unusual."

"It's the thing my brother found, reliable." Zhao Yu'e put the thing back in the altar, with a nervous and relaxed smile on his face, "Tomorrow, I will rely on it."

This altar is pretending to be a kind of incense called "Happiness", which was found by her brother Zhao Lun from the territory of Nanzhao with all his efforts, and was only delivered to her the day before.

The climate in Bozhou is humid, the terrain is rugged, and there are many rare and exotic plants. The people near Nanzhao are even more adept at making various herbs and spices that are not available in the Central Plains. This scent of soulfulness is a fragrance that can make life hallucinate, stimulate desire, and feel bliss. Even after the effect is over, people will not find their own abnormalities after they are truly awake. They just think that they are confused and absurd. One game.

This is exactly what she needs.

What she wants right now is not the emperor's sincere favor, just one identity is enough.

As the emperor and a normal man, Xiao Kezhi naturally didn't account for one more woman than he was around him. "

"Does the lady really want to use this incense? If things are revealed, teach others to know about the lady's reputation..." Although Chun Yan has followed Zhao Yu'e for many years, she is still timid and unsure in her heart.

Zhao Yu'e glanced at her coldly, and said with disdain: "No, I, and the entire Zhao family, let alone the whole Zhao family. Besides, has my reputation been better for these years?"

"But, it's different..." In the past, it was just an admiration of vanity, but this time it was much more serious. Not only was it a shameful thing, it was wrong to prescribe it, let alone the emperor, who was caught, but it was sinful.

"Okay, I have decided. You just have to prepare the sachet for me. If you talk more, you will receive the punishment yourself."

Zhao Yu'e didn't write any more, and stood up directly, holding the porcelain altar personally and entered the chamber.

…

New Year's Eve is coming soon.

In addition to the night banquet that started in the evening, there are also many ceremonies to be held in the temple near Jinyangmen during the day.

Before dawn, Xiao Yu had already got up.

When Chu Ning put on his clothes and buttoned his face, the movements of his hands were extremely light. She knew that he was upset and gloomy these few days due to the treatment of several military officers. The palace servants and the servants around him would be beaten if he was a little unhappy. It was just these few days that she let Cuihe go to Fengyu. There are more wound medicines to get back than in the past six months combined.

Although he would not be so harsh on her wife, she still did not dare to take it lightly. In front of him, her cautiousness and trepidation seemed to have been carved into her bones.

"Okay, let's pour me a cup of warm tea." He gently brushed away her hand that was aligning his collar, his chin touched the table beside him and nodded, but his eyes always fell on her.

"Here."

She lowered her head and turned around, knelt down on the couch and poured tea and served it.

"Why didn't Zhao Sizhi come to Lishan before?" After taking a sip, he put the teacup back on the case, "He used to come to see you every few days."

This seems to be a very common questioning, but inside reveals the suspicion of Zhao Yanzhou.

Chu Ning knew that he suspected that the previous private contact with the generals was deliberately revealed to Xiao Kezhi by the people around him. He pretended to be indifferent and whispered: "It's one thing that Zhao Si directly cares about me, but he is the Donggong. He was indispensable for the general affairs of the East Palace, and it was inconvenient to travel between Lishan and Chang'an. He even learned about the return of His Royal Highness the day before when I was sent back to Chang'an to inform him. When I arrived yesterday, I saw him. Back."

She was reminding him that Zhao Yanzhou worked hard in the past two years in the East Palace. Moreover, those things between him and Xu Rong were never revealed to Zhao Yanzhou.

She didn't know how Xiao Kezhi found out about him, but one thing was certain, it was definitely not revealed by Zhao Yanzhou.

"Yeah." Xiao Yu looked at her, pondered for a moment, and said, "He is indeed respectful and responsible, and the essays written for me are all well-written, and I can't fault him. When the New Year's Day comes, I will reward him a lot. Yes."

He didn't seem to dispel all his doubts, but he didn't say any more. After sitting down for breakfast, he got up and went to Jinyangmen.

After Chu Ning sent him away, he went back to the house and rested for a while before getting busy again.

In addition to preparing rewards for the palace servants and servants around him, he also has to return the gifts for the New Year. Fortunately, the number of people willing to greet the prince this year is more than half compared with previous years, which saves her a lot of effort.

In the evening, when everything was finally settled, she put on a thicker dress, applied a little powder and applied makeup, and took Cuihe and the other two maids to the song press table where the banquet was held.

The bottom of the song platform is filled with pipes that circulate hot springs, like huge earth dragons. Although Xiao Kezhi's style is frugal, he is not too harsh when he wants to meet the envoys of the state. For today's night banquet, the people in the province opened the gate and released the water early in the morning to warm up this large area.

When Chu Ning arrived, he immediately felt a warm heat wave, and the nobles who had arrived in front of him had already taken off their outer shirts. When talking and laughing, they only wore ordinary thin clothes, watching the scene, and straightforwardly teach people. I thought it was late spring and early summer.

She took off the cloak that was draped and handed it to the maid. After receiving the salute from the crowd, she went to the seat and sat down, waiting for the emperor and the courtiers to arrive.

Upon seeing this, Mrs. Xu, who was not far away, patted Guo'er beside her lightly, and smiled in her ear and gave a few words.

Guo'er squeezed for a moment, nervously lowered his head and walked to Chu Ning, and gently called "His Royal Highness".

Seeing her coming, Chu Ning laughed immediately, pulled her to sit down beside her, and said casually: "I haven't seen her for a few days, Guoer seems to look better again. How good is it to learn horse riding from Lady Zhao in the past two days?"

Guoer thought of Zhao Yu'e's perfunctory attitude. Although she didn't like her, she was not as timid as before. In the past few days, she has been able to trot slowly on her horse by herself, and then smiled and nodded: "I have learned something. Thank you, Your Highness."

She said, holding out a small sachet, blushing and said: "His Royal Highness, I made this myself. I will give your Royal Highness a gift for the festival..."

Chu Ning was busy taking it in his hand and looked at it carefully.

The sachet is very simple, without any unique patterns embroidered. It only uses colored rope to weave an exquisite winding on the top. But if you look more closely at the stitching place, you can find that the sewing person is not skilled in craftsmanship. , But it must have worked hard, the slightly crooked stitches are arranged densely, there is no gap at all, I don't know how to make it carefully.

She stroked the row of stitches lightly and nodded solemnly: "This sachet is very well done. I like it very much, so I will put it on."

When Guo'er heard this, her face suddenly turned red, and she shook her head hurriedly and said: "His Royal Highness, no, it's not good-looking, don't change..."

Chu Ning did not stop, but simply untied a pomegranate splendid sachet he had originally carried, took out the fragrant pieces and put it in the new sachet, and tied it meticulously to his waist.

"Well, this is Guo'er's mind, I have to cherish it."

Guo'er looked down at the used sachet, blushing, her eyes gleaming, she smiled sly at her, and turned her head back to Madam Xu.

After a while, Xiao Yu also followed Xiao Kezhi to appear on the song press station.

He walked quickly to the side of the couch and was about to sit down. When he turned his head, he saw the simple sachet on her waist. He couldn't help frowning, "Why do you wear such a sachet on such an occasion?"

Chu Ning glanced down at the sachet on her waist that was not abrupt and uncomfortable except for some simplicity. He sat down respectfully and explained softly: "His Royal Highness, this was just given to me by the little lady of the Lu State family. She was very concerned. , I can't bear to live up to it."

Xiao Yu snorted coldly, and took a sip of the tea she handed over, with contempt and disapproval: "Sure enough, Tian Shelang was born, and the things he gave were not on the table. Those who didn't know were able to give it to me deliberately. This prince is embarrassed."

Chu Ning pinched his fingertips, did not speak any more, but, like everyone else, turned to look at the emperor and queen mother on the main seat.

She didn't know if it was a coincidence, she just happened to meet Xiao Kezhi's heavy, unrecognizable gaze.

A distance away, the two looked at each other for only a moment, and they both turned away tacitly.

But in this moment, the noisy people around, or the sound of silk and bamboo orchestras, seemed to have suddenly disappeared, leaving nothing but tranquility under the starry sky.

Somehow, Chu Ning had a hunch that that day on the racecourse, Xiao Ke's "a few days later" was about today.

After a while, the banquet began.

As usual, Xiao Yu got up and led everyone together to toast and congratulate the emperor and empress dowager Qi. After all of them were seated, the singing and dancing of Jiaofang Division really began.