Chapter 40
In Lingyun Pavilion, the emperor fell asleep listening to the old gentleman's lecture, and outside Lingyun Pavilion, the attendants were even more bored. It is a common practice in all dynasties to have noble children enter the palace to serve as servants. The core and original intention of designing this system is to please the emperor, but no one has considered how the servants should spend their time.
They can't be too far away, they must be on call, even if it's less than once in a lifetime, they have to be prepared from time to time. Of course, a boring life is rewarding. This is the beginning of their careers, as long as there are no accidents. Credit, after a few years of accumulation, you can use it as an official. If you are lucky enough to be remembered by the emperor, there is even a possibility of ascending to the sky in one step.
If the emperor to serve happens to be a puppet, the outlook will be much bleaker, and the endurance to endure boredom will naturally drop a lot.
Five attendants hid under the tree behind Lingyun Pavilion, secretly playing dice to gamble, not daring to make loud noises, most of the time they only used gestures, and one attendant was watching the wind nearby to guard against ritual officials or eunuchs approaching, but they Unexpectedly, the gambler climbed down from the tree, and it was the emperor himself.
There were a few dice and a piece of paper full of words scattered on the ground. There was no need to bring gold and silver into the palace. They kept the accounts first, and then calculated after leaving the palace.
The attendants squatted on the ground and looked up at the emperor blankly, without kneeling or making a sound.
Han Ruzi recognized the dice, but didn't see the coins. He thought that these people were just playing games.
"Come with me." Han Ruzi's eyes fell on one of the attendants.
Zhang Yanghao, the grandson of the Marquis of Piyuan, was stunned. He glanced left and right to confirm that the emperor was really staring at him.
The others finally reacted and knelt down.
"Shh." Han Ruzi motioned to them in a low voice, "I want to enjoy the spring scenery, you accompany me for a walk."
In the early summer, when the spring scenery is not there, the Imperial Garden is even more colorful and worth watching. Of course, no one believes the emperor's words, but in such boring days, adventure has an irresistible attraction.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Zhang Yanghao replied, shoving the dice and the accounting paper into his arms first, "Wait, Your Majesty, there is another person."
Zhang Yanghao got up, walked quickly to the back of a stone, stretched out his hand and patted it. From there, another attendant slowly stood up. He was only ten years old, and he was here to watch the wind. Zhang Yanghao's idea is quite simple. Since he wants to accompany the emperor on adventures, he must participate together, so as not to be informed later.
Lingyun Pavilion is built on a small hill. The mountain is not very high. There is a slope in front and a steep rockery behind it. It is not very high. There were too many people in front, so naturally I couldn't go. The six attendants were protecting the emperor and slowly climbed down from the back mountain. When they reached the ground, they were all blushing with excitement, but their hearts became more and more apprehensive. At one point, they were able to persuade the emperor to turn back.
Fortunately, the emperor did not ask for more. He strolled around in the imperial garden, and always asked for names when he saw novel flowers and trees. Zhang Yanghao and others gradually lost their fear and became more and more relaxed.
Han Ruzi came to Lingyun Pavilion every day to take a fixed route. He roughly knew that Xianyin Pavilion was not far from here, but when he really went, he couldn't find the way, so he asked casually: "Where is Xianyin Pavilion? I heard that it is a good one. place."
The youngest attendant hurriedly said: "I know, I will lead the way for Your Majesty."
Zhang Yanghao didn't take the opportunity to lead the way, and approached the emperor to introduce: "Xianyin Pavilion is the place to listen to music, it is adjacent to Taiye Pond, and after nightfall, let the geisha go boating on the pond, and His Majesty will open the window in the pavilion and listen carefully. , it's just an empty house during the day, it's not interesting, it's better to go..."
"Xianyin Pavilion is very close. After visiting, I have to return to Lingyun Pavilion immediately."
Zhang Yanghao immediately shut up.
Xianyin Pavilion is really close, just a few turns, and there is no one on the road, Zuo Ji must also like the seclusion of this place.
Taiye Pond is a large lake, and the Xianyin Pavilion is built on the shore. The doors and windows are closed, and it seems that no one is there.
Han Ruzi found that he was careless. He should have glanced out the window while listening to the lecture to make sure that Zuo Ji was not going downstairs. It is impossible to walk back now. He stopped and said to the six attendants: "You stay, Hmm... Zhang Yanghao accompanies me to Xianyin Pavilion to take a look."
The attendants had no objection, Zhang Yanghao was still a little excited, walking beside the emperor, his legs raised higher than usual.
After walking a dozen steps, Han Ruzi said to Zhang Yanghao, "Thank you, I will remember your credit."
Zhang Yanghao was obviously stunned for a moment, then he immediately bowed and said, "This minister is only doing his duty, how dare he say his merits?"
The imperial concubine said that it was Zhang Yanghao who threw the "Shangsi fleshy" note to the emperor, but his reaction seemed to be a little wrong. Han Ruzi wanted to understand, and then changed his mind. Zhang Yanghao is very common. There are so many opportunities, the most important thing right now is to catch Zuo Ji's appearance.
It was very close to the Xianyin Pavilion, and there was a faint sound of laughter inside. Zhang Yanghao also heard it, and whispered in surprise: "Your Majesty, there is someone inside."
"Really? Let's go in and have a look." Han Ruzi strode forward.
Zhang Yanghao began to feel inappropriate from this moment on, but he could not find a reason to persuade him. Seeing that the emperor had already reached the door, he hurriedly followed.
There were indeed people in the Xianyin Pavilion, and there were more than one, as if the two were joking with each other, but the laughter was a bit strange, Zhang Yanghao was older, and immediately understood what was going on, his face changed suddenly, he stopped the emperor, and whispered: " Don't go in, Your Majesty, I'll find someone to take them down immediately."
Han Ruzi couldn't let go of his chance, so he ordered, "Kick the door open."
Zhang Yanghao was stunned for a second, and finally came to his senses. The emperor was not wandering leisurely, but came prepared. Accidentally, he was involved in the conspiracy in the palace. Dare to run, his face turned pale and his body shivered.
No need to investigate further, Han Ruzi can already be sure that the person who inserted the note was not Zhang Yanghao, the concubine lied, but he still wanted to rush into the Xianyin Pavilion, even if the person inside was not Zuo Ji, he wanted to go in and see what happened.
"Zhang Yanghao, I ordered you to knock on the door." Han Ruzi was a few years younger, and he was half a head shorter, but his tone was irresistible. Even though he had only been a puppet emperor for a few months, he had learned how to Show majesty.
Zhang Yanghao was just a noble servant. The secrets of the palace were too far away and too obscure for him. He knew that the emperor was a puppet, but he did not dare to disobey. I can't afford it, I put my hands on my legs, like I'm injured.
Han Ruzi knew that Zhang Yanghao was pretending, but he didn't ask. Xianyin Pavilion was not a place where people lived, and the door was not thick. Zhang Yanghao's kick didn't use all his strength, and he also broke the latch inside. went in.
Entering the house from the sunny outdoors, it was very dark in front of him. Before Han Ruzi could see the figure clearly, the people inside saw him first.
"Who is so bold?" It was Zuo Ji's voice, very angry, and immediately panicked and confused, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty... Let's go!"
The last two words were not addressed to the emperor. Han Ruzi saw a figure rushing towards him. Seeing that he was about to pass by and grab the door, the evidence was about to slip away. He shouted loudly, "I know you!"
The figure staggered in fright, but stopped, turned to look at the emperor, and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, spare your life."
After such a face-to-face meeting, Han Ruzi really recognized it, "Liang An?"
At the beginning, four attendants were assigned to the emperor and the King of the East Sea. Zhang Youcai and Tong Qing'e served the emperor, Liang An and Zhao Jinfeng served the King of the East China Sea. Change constantly.
Han Ruzi still remembered Liang An, who was about the same age as the emperor and the King of the East Sea. He was a handsome little eunuch. At this time, his appearance changed. His clothes were messy, no shoes were worn, his shirt was shirtless, his face was full of fear, and tears were streaming down his face. , looked at the emperor for a moment, and then fell to his knees.
Zuo Ji ran over, and his clothes were also disheveled, but he was not as frightened as the little eunuch. He had passed the initial panic and began to calm down, "Your Majesty is not listening to Lingyun Pavilion, what are you doing here?"
Han Ruzi was very puzzled, these two were eunuchs, what "ugly things" could they do? His face didn't show it at all, his mind was spinning fast, wondering why Zuo Ji was not afraid, he raised his head and said, "I came to catch the traitor, I didn't come alone."
Zuo Ji didn't care about the previous sentence, but was taken aback by the latter sentence. He glanced outside the house and saw a servant sitting on the ground at the door, and there were a few others in the distance, looking towards Xianyin Pavilion.
Zuo Ji quickly turned his head back, glanced at Liang An, the little eunuch who had been paralyzed with fright, and forced himself to calm down, "What nonsense is your majesty talking about, I, I just came to Xianyin Pavilion to rest for a while and take a nap, Liang An came to serve me..."
"Would you say the same thing in front of the queen mother?" Han Ruzi didn't understand what was going on here, but remembered the reminder of the empress dowager that Zuo Ji could be restrained only by carrying the queen mother out.
The imperial concubine has lied, but most of the words are still true. Zuo Ji's face changed dramatically when he heard the words, "The Empress Dowager? The Empress Dowager Guan... What's the matter?"
"How do I know? I'll ask when I greet the Queen Mother tomorrow morning."
Zuo Ji finally understood that the emperor's arrival was not accidental. He couldn't get past it, and he knelt down all of a sudden, "Your Majesty, forgive me, I... this servant will not dare again."
Xianyin Pavilion is not a place for interrogation. Nine times out of ten, Lingyun Pavilion has already discovered that the emperor is missing. Han Ruzi must hurry up and say to the little eunuch lying on the ground: "Liang An go out."
Liang An crawls out.
Han Ruzi took a few steps into the house to prevent Zhang Yanghao from hearing it, and asked in a low voice, "What's the matter with the injury on the Queen Mother's hand?"
Zuo Ji shivered, and the emperor mentioned a fatal problem as soon as he opened his mouth. His heart was in a mess, and he lost the ability to consider the consequences. He knelt down again, "Yes, it was scratched by the late emperor."
"Which ancestor?"
"Si Di... Your Majesty, don't investigate this matter any more, let it pass. Your Majesty can't afford to offend the Queen Mother."
Han Ruzi still had a lot of doubts, so he didn't ask right away, he had already firmly grasped Zuo Ji's handle, no need to press step by step, he hummed and walked out of Xianyin Pavilion.
The little eunuch Liang An was still crawling on the road and could not stand up. Zhang Yanghao hugged his legs and lowered his head, for fear of being recognized by the eunuch.
"Let's go." Han Ruzi said loudly, becoming more and more convinced that the person who stuffed the note couldn't be Zhang Yanghao.
(seeking for collection and recommendation)