Chapter 21:
That night, Luoshen was so tender, Xiao Yongjia also slept alone in an empty room, and the mother and daughter were unable to sleep.
Gao Qiao, like before, still slept in the study.
In the middle of the night, before he went to bed, he read under the lights at night, looked up and saw a figure standing outside the door, motionless.
"Zile?"
He put down the book and picked the wick that was gradually burning black. The candle lighted up again.
Gao Huan pushed open the half-closed door, walked in, and knelt down toward Gao Qiao.
"Uncle! It's all my fault, so I'm tired of aunt blaming you and making my sister sad..."
Gao Huan's young, childish face was full of self-blame.
"My uncle treats me as a parent and son. Not only did I not give anything in return, I instead put my uncle's family into such a situation! It's all my nephew! If I hadn't left home, I wouldn't be where I am today..."
He kowtowed to Gao Qiao, tears flashing in his eyes.
Gao Qiao hurriedly left his seat, picked him up from the ground, smiled and said, "How could Liu Lang say such a thing? Uncle regards you as a parent and child. If you have, uncle will punish you. This time it was just an accident. , how did you expect it in the first place? Don't worry too much, uncle has his own calculations. Go to sleep."
What more did Gao Huan want to say? It's not a matter of fact, and it's not in vain that my uncle has cultivated you."
Tears flashed in Gao Huan's eyes, and he nodded: "The nephew is gone. Uncle also remember to rest, don't burn yourself out."
Gao Qiao nodded.
Gao Huan saluted him again and withdrew respectfully.
…
Early the next morning, white morning mist shrouded the smoke and water fields outside Jiankang City.
Cold fog catches the river. Gao Qiao personally sent his wife and daughter out of the city, crossed the boat to Bailuzhou, settled the two, and returned to the city alone.
Xu Mi learned the news from his younger brother Xu Yue on the same day.
Yesterday, the eldest princess entered the palace, partly out of love and partly out of persecution, and successfully obtained a promise from the emperor that the marriage would not be forced, and the Xu family brothers naturally knew it.
Xu Mi frowned and said nothing.
Xu Yue knew that he was worried that the Gao family would continue to procrastinate for excuses, and the time had passed, and it might change again, so he smiled and said, "Gao Qiao admitted Li Mu as his son-in-law in front of so many people yesterday. Brother is overthinking!"
Xu Mi shook his head and said, "You don't know Gao Qiao. He seems kind, but he is actually shrewd. Yesterday, he was forced to do nothing. He probably didn't expect Lu Jianzhi to lose. I always felt that he would not give his daughter so easily. Married to Li Mu. Not to mention the eldest princess, who is so angry that even His Majesty is afraid..."
"Then what?"
Xu Mi pondered.
"In this way, you should ask Yang Xuan to arrange as soon as possible, to propose marriage on behalf of Li Mu, and urge the Gao family. Also, send someone to Jingkou to spread the news that Li Musheng, the son-in-law of the Lu family, and Gao Qiao announced that he was the son-in-law in front of the world. , the more people know about it, the better, and it’s better for all women and children to know!”
Xu Yue was startled, then laughed: "Okay! All the people in Jingkou know it, let's see how Gao Qiao is lying!"
Xu Mi smiled without saying a word, and suddenly remembered.
"By the way, is there any movement in the Lu family today?"
Xu Yue shook his head: "The Lu family has no news today except that the gate is closed."
"Yesterday when Gao Qiao announced the result of the match, I saw Lu Guang's face was extremely ugly. This time, the Gao family was humiliated, and the Lu family was not much better. The most outstanding son of the family was defeated by a poor general! Let's take advantage of Li Mu's move, and we've made the right move. Let's wait and see, the two Gaolu families, not to mention that they can't become in-laws, I'm afraid they will become enemies."
Xu Mi smiled, which was meaningful.
"Remember to send someone to keep an eye on the movements of the Gao family and the Lu family. Don't relax."
Xu Yue nodded: "Brother, don't worry, brother remember."
…
After Luoshen followed his mother to Bailuzhou, he noticed one thing.
There was a subtle change in the mother's body.
The thorns on her body in the past seemed to be gradually disappearing.
And all of this stemmed from that day, when her father personally sent her and her mother to the island. Along the way, although the two of them didn't talk much, out of a keen sense, she felt that there was an unusual atmosphere between her parents that she had never had before.
She remembered clearly that at that time, she and her mother were riding in an ox cart, and her father was riding on the road, guarding each other.
She noticed that her mother's eyes always drifted to her father's back inadvertently.
In the eyes of Luoshen looking at her father, what Luo Shen saw was no longer the familiar disgust and indifference, but a feeling similar to tenderness and caution.
The father, it seems, is not completely unaware.
Along the way, he turned back several times. Every time I looked over, my mother seemed to be afraid that he would notice that she was looking at him, and she always turned her eyes quickly, so my father gave him a gentle smile.
The mother thought that she would not be discovered by her father, but she forgot that there was a daughter sitting beside her.
Just the night before, what happened between the parents, so that there was such a change between the two suddenly, Luo Shen did not know.
But this unexpected gain made her mood that had fallen to the bottom of the valley, and finally added a touch of light.
After a few days, she finally felt uneasy about Lu Jianzhi, so she sent a letter to Lu Xiurong to ask about the situation.
In the past, every time she sent a letter to Lu Xiurong, she would always receive a reply on the same day.
But this time, Luoshen waited for two days and still didn't get a reply.
Just when she was gradually feeling uneasy, on this day, a person was sent to the painting boat leading to Bailuzhou.
Her cousin, Gao Yongrong.
…
Gao Yongrong was five years older than Luoshen, and married the king of Dongyang a few years ago. In terms of seniority, he was the closest nephew to Emperor Xingping except for the prince.
The last time Gao Yongrong came back was a year ago, when Luo Shenxing and the wedding ceremony were held.
When she arrived, she was wearing a noble Lingyun bun, covered in gold and jade, surrounded by many followers, standing on the bow of the boat, like a concubine and a fairy.
But her expression was extremely solemn. After landing, when he saw Luoshen who came to greet him, his eyes showed deep sympathy, and he hugged her tightly, as if Luoshen was still a little girl, comforting her constantly.
Her trip back to Jiankang was originally for the marriage of Luoshen and Lu Jianzhi. Unexpectedly, in the middle of the road, I heard sporadic news about Luoshen's marriage change, and Gao Xianggong, in order to keep his promise, wanted to marry her to a poor general named Li Mu.
Gao Yongrong was extremely shocked, and immediately accelerated his journey, and finally arrived at Bailuzhou at this moment.
"Ami, you are getting better and better."
Gao Yongrong looked at her beautiful younger sister with a look of relief in her eyes.
"Don't worry, my sister won't ask you to marry a vulgar warrior like that out of thin air!"
In the end, she firmly held Luo Shen's hand and said so in her ear.
Luoshen knew that she should be comforting herself.
What is the best way to solve this problem that even parents can't solve?
But in any case, at such a time, it was still a relief for Luoshen to see the elder sister who had told her to rely on her trust since she was a child.
Xiao Yongjia also liked this sensible and capable niece since she was a child. She stood aside with a smile, watching her sisters meet each other, and took her in after the whispering was over.
After taking a seat and discussing some words, Gao Yongrong gave Xiao Yongjia a secret wink, Xiao Yongjia understood it, and excused Luoshen away, led his niece, and the two entered the inner room.
"Aunt! How could my uncle be so careless and make that kind of promise that day, so that the vulgar people took advantage of the loopholes and made today's incidents, making the Gao family so embarrassed!"
As soon as he entered, Gao Yongrong said, frowning.
When Xiao Yongjia heard this, he felt a little unhappy in his heart. He smiled and said lightly: "That person saved Zi Le that day. You also know that for your uncle, Zi Le is better than his own life. If you can change Zi Le. Ping An, even if he was asked to take his life in exchange, I expected him to agree. At that time, he was so grateful that he was full of words."
Gao Yongrong observed Xiao Yongjia's displeasure and immediately changed his mind. Following Xiao Yongjia's tone, he nodded and said, "Yes, what my aunt said. Uncle has always been generous and naturally pushes others by himself. Can it be so insidious? If you want to blame it, it's that Wufu surnamed Li who dares to miss my sister Ami. He doesn't even look at me, how come he is worthy of my high family?"
Xiao Yongjia frowned.
"Auntie, you have asked Your Majesty to extend the marriage period. Although it is very clever, it can only be delayed for a while. Could it be that you can keep Amei by your side for the rest of your life? Besides, the longer this kind of thing is delayed, the more discussion outside. The more you do, the more you make me a shame for the family of the Gao family!"
Xiao Yongjia sighed, looking worried: "I don't know what you said. Just now, unless that Li Mu himself is willing to back down, what else can he do? Your uncle is thinking about something, just wait and see."
"The person surnamed Li is from Xu Mi, and this matter is contributed by Xu Mi. Things have reached this point, and they will give up on their own when they see that they are about to achieve their goals?"
Xiao Yongjia remembered the analysis that her husband had told him last time, and hesitated: "He may or may not be Xu Mi's person..."
"Even so, the surnamed Li is not a good thing! If it weren't for him, why would my Gao family be in such a situation today? Auntie, I have a way to solve this problem."
"tell me the story."
Gao Yongrong leaned into Xiao Yongjia's ear and said something in a low voice.
Xiao Yongjia was taken aback: "Kill him?"
"Yes."
Gao Yongrong nodded, a cold look flashed across his eyes.
"On the way I came, I thought about it repeatedly. Now that this is the case, the best and fastest way is this one!"
Xiao Yongjia shook his head: "No! If he dies at this moment, others will be suspicious of us. Besides, your uncle will never agree!"
"What about doubts?"
"As long as I do it cleanly, so that people can't get the handle, how can others help my Gao family?"
"It's not right! This Li Mu's martial arts are extraordinary. If he can't kill him, the matter will be exposed, but it will make things worse."
"Auntie don't have to worry. My niece recognizes an expert and is good at medicine. There is a medicine that is colorless and odorless. It is mixed into food and drink. Once it is put on the stomach, it will kill you on the spot, but it looks like you have fallen asleep. Mixed into the military camp, put medicine into his diet, as long as a small amount is enough. When he is poisoned and died, leave a poisonous snake tooth mark on his body. When the military camp is stationed in the wild, it is inevitable that there will be snakes and insects infested. When his body is found in the morning, he will Some people suspect that it was my Gao family who did it. There is no real evidence. How can the Gao family be? If he gets rid of him, the future troubles will be eliminated, and Ami will not be ashamed. Reputation, no more than three or two months at most, and no one mentions this matter again."
"As for my uncle, just hide it from him. Afterwards, he will be suspicious. If you don't tell me, I won't tell you, what can my uncle do?"
Xiao Yongjia hesitated.
"I heard that Li Mu is a dutiful son, he has a widowed mother, and now he is in Jingkou. I have sent Gao Qi to Jingkou, and I want to invite his old mother here, and his mother will come forward and suppress the matter..."
Gao Yongrong sneered: "Auntie, like your uncle, you think too much about people's hearts! That kind of woman, who has been reduced to a poor alley all the year round, has suffered a lot, and when she sees her son climbing up the high branches and flying into the sky, she is forced by the situation. Promise, when we see our son, how can we really speak for us? According to me, if we touch his mother, it might be more useful to take the opportunity to take her surnamed Li hostage."
Xiao Yongjia shook his head.
"It's still a long-term plan! I'll think about it again, what's the best way to do it."
"aunt!"
Gao Yongrong was a little anxious.
"The Xu family is always targeting me, the Gao family, and His Majesty is a soft-eared person. With the Xu family by his side, who knows if he will change his mind again tomorrow? If you keep interrupting, you will suffer! On the way I come, everywhere When I hear someone discussing this matter, my heart is burning! If you drag on for one more day, the reputation of my Gao family will be damaged one more point!"
Xiao Yongjia suppressed his turbulent emotions and said, "I know! But your method is too risky. It's better to be cautious until there is no way to go in the end."
Gao Yongrong lowered his eyes, took away the stern look in his eyes, and said respectfully, "My niece knows. Everything follows my aunt's arrangements."