The Moon Over Tang Dynasty

Chapter 64: General’s majesty and emperor’s evil spirit (50 votes added)

Liuli asked hurriedly, "What's the happy event?"

The wet nurse said with a smile, "You just want to sleep. Now everyone knows that the imperial doctor took Zhaoyi's pulse again in the morning and said it was undoubtedly a happy pulse. Isn't this a great happy event? This really washed away the It’s bad luck.”

Liuli was surprised, and she immediately admired Wu Zetian in her heart: Prince Hong was born the year before last, and the little princess was born last year, and now she has another baby! Is this called efficiency?

She turned to leave, and the wet nurse said again, "Be careful when you go. The Holy Spirit felt a little uncomfortable when he got up. The imperial doctor said that he was afraid that he had a headache and needed to rest more. Now it is said that he drowned." Thousands of people were in a mess inside and outside, and the Holy Emperor could not rest even if he wanted to. This Danxiao Palace was not big to begin with, and all the houses that could accommodate people were full. The palace maids were cleaning up the pavilion, and they could only use curtains at the moment. Separate the dormitory, Zhaoyi is resting inside, and the Holy Master is outside to listen to people's reports. Don't bump into anyone. "

Liuli thanked her hurriedly and turned around to go to the bedroom. The two eunuchs guarding outside the palace saw her and nodded with a smile. Liuli also smiled back. When I walked to the door and took a look, my heart skipped a beat: Sure enough, Gaozong was lying half-lying on the couch outside, giving orders. Two officials were writing notes on the side. The taller one on the right was not Pei Xingjian. She took a deep breath, and seeing that no one seemed to notice her, she waved to the little palace maid behind her, quietly entered the door, turned around and slipped into the fallen curtain, but she didn't know the voice of Gaozong speaking over there. After a long pause, Pei Xingjian shook his hand and an ink dot fell on the paper.

Liuli entered the curtain and saw Wu Zetian sitting on the bed and Mrs. Wu sitting in front of the couch, talking and laughing in a low voice. When they saw Liuli, they both laughed. Mrs. Wu hurriedly waved to her, and Liuli walked over quickly. Mrs. Wu then smiled and said, "Thanks to the raincoat you wore last night, the doctor said that the royal descendant in Zhaoyi's belly is fine. It seems that you have a share of the credit!"

Liuli smiled quickly and said, "If anything, the emperor's descendants are clearly blessed by His Majesty and Zhaoyi."

Wu Zetian couldn't help laughing, "I knew you would say that!" Her face was rosy and her eyes were bright at the moment, but the way she looked at Liuli had a strange deep meaning.

While a few people were talking and laughing, they heard someone outside shouting back, "Your Majesty, the right-hand commander Xue Li is already waiting outside the palace." Gaozong immediately said, "Hurry up and tell him to come in!"

Xue Li Xue Rengui! "The generals set the Tianshan Mountains with three arrows, and the strong men marched into Hanguan with long songs." Even in the Tang Dynasty where famous generals were born, the name Xue Rengui was really not too thunderous... For a moment, Liuli felt like there were tens of thousands of ants crawling around in her heart. go.

Wu Zetian and Mrs. Wu couldn't help but look at each other. Wu Zetian smiled and asked, "Have you heard that the sound you heard last night was from General Xue who risked his life to come to the door and shout?"

Liu Li was startled and nodded hurriedly. Wu Zetian couldn't help shaking her head and laughing, "If you want to take a look, just go behind the curtain and take a peek."

Liuli's eyes suddenly lit up, she smiled happily, quietly walked behind the curtain, opened a small gap and looked out. But outside, he saw Pei Xingjian picking up a memorial and reading it to Emperor Gaozong. His mellow and soothing voice echoed in the room, and it seemed to have a strange sense of rhythm. Although Liuli didn't know what he was reading, she actually listened to it for a moment. .

It wasn't until there was a sound of footsteps outside the door that Liuli woke up. She saw a general wearing a white robe and holding a silver helmet walking in from the door. He was tall and seemed to be slightly taller than Pei Xingjian. He had a square face, sword-shaped eyebrows and phoenix eyes. The corners of his eyebrows and eyes were raised high, and he was indeed calm and powerful, but his cheeks were slightly loose and he had a beard under his chin. He looked to be around forty years old. He was no longer the legendary figure who held Fang Tian Huaji in Wanjun. The invincible young man in white robe.

But when he saw him entering the door, he saluted Gaozong and said, "Your Majesty, Xue Li, is here to see you."

Gaozong said hurriedly, "General, no courtesy." He slowly sat up straight and sighed, "At a critical moment last night, fortunately, you came to the door and shouted, I was saved from indulging, and I realized that there are indeed loyal ministers in the world!"

Xue Rengui said in a deep voice, "It is my duty to protect the emperor. I dare not be loyal."

Gaozong smiled and said, "The general is too modest. The late emperor was not happy to win Liaodong in the past, but he was happy to win the general. Today, the general has the merit of rescuing the enemy. I will give the general a royal horse. It may help the general gallop in the future." Thousands of miles!”

Xue Rengui was silent for a moment and bowed solemnly, "Thank you for your grace! Even if Xue Li is shattered into pieces, he will live up to your Majesty's expectations."

Gaozong smiled and nodded, "I believe in the general."

Xue Rengui didn't say much. He bowed and left. When he turned to leave, there was a hint of excitement on his solemn and majestic face. Liuli couldn't help but murmur in her heart, Gaozong was also very good at winning people's hearts! A few words about a horse can make Xue Rengui want to be shattered to pieces. It's really a good deal... But Gaozong suddenly laughed and said, "I almost forgot about saving the horse. Keep your promise, go to the outer hall to see Sikong If you have anything else to report over there, if you have any memorials, please bring them along."

Liuli's heart skipped a beat and she hurriedly stepped back. She glanced at Wu Zetian in surprise, only to see Wu Zetian calmly say, "This morning, Doctor Jiang reported to the Holy One that Deng Cairen fell ill again. He is suffering from cold and high fever. I'm afraid he needs to rest for a while." A while."

Liuli was startled and thought, does this have anything to do with me?

While he was talking, Gaozong had already supported Wang Fusheng and walked in through the curtain. When he saw Liuli, a smile appeared in his eyes: just now she tiptoed through the door and slipped into the curtain. Her appearance was really funny, but fortunately she had a slim figure and light steps. , it looks quite pleasing to the eye. Why didn’t I realize that there was such a beauty beside Mei Niang before?

 Everyone in the room was busy bowing to Gaozong. Gaozong smiled and waved his hand, "That's all." Then he asked, "Meiniang..."

Wu Zetian raised his head and smiled charmingly, "Oh, it's all my fault that I have a bad memory. Yuliu, you guys go out first."

Wang Fusheng, Yu Liu and others all smiled and left. Mrs. Wu was startled for a moment, and her expression suddenly became a little complicated. She glanced at Liuli and walked out. In a blink of an eye, only Wu Zetian, Gao Zong and others were left in the curtain. Liuli and three people. Liuli only felt that things were weird, and her heart suddenly became anxious.

Wu Zetian's eyes flashed, and he smiled at Liuli and said, "Liuli, the Holy One just told me that based on your actions yesterday, you are worthy of being outstanding enough to be included in the palace and promoted as a talented person. I wonder if you are willing to serve His Majesty?"

Liuli looked at Wu Zetian blankly, her face slowly turning pale: How could things suddenly become like this overnight? Didn't she promise to fulfill her wish? Suddenly, what Wu Zetian said just now flashed through her mind, Deng Cairen "I'm afraid I have to rest for a long time." Yes, she had just found out that she was pregnant, and Deng Cairen happened to be very sick again. There is no suitable person in Wannian Palace, so does he become the best choice for bed warming tool? Could it be that he had painstakingly planned to save their family of four, only to end up in such a disaster?

Liuli felt that her chest was tight and she could hardly breathe, but she saw Wu Zetian looking at her with bright eyes and laughing softly, "Liuli, why are you so dazed? This is the grace of the Holy One. If you have anything to express gratitude to, why don't you do it yourself?" Go and tell the Lord, you have done a good job in saving me, so who would blame you for not being polite?"

This look made Liuli's heart tremble like ice and snow, and in an instant she understood completely: This matter was probably not Wu Zetian's idea, but she was unwilling to make the emperor unhappy for her own sake. It seems that the emperor was so excited that he wanted to promote her, but she said that this person already had a sweetheart and was only interested in leaving the palace to get married. This sounded a bit too disappointing; or she was not sure whether she was willing to be such a talented person. , and even less willing to take risks. Therefore, this disappointing remark must be made by himself. Anyway, he has "rescued the emperor with merit", and the emperor will not be able to blame himself.

Thinking about this, her heart felt cold. Without any further hesitation, she turned around and bowed deeply, "My daughter, thank you for the promotion. However, I am not worthy of entering the palace and cannot fulfill your orders. Please forgive me."

Wu Zetian secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This Liuli was indeed determined not to enter the palace.

Thinking of the scene in the morning, she still had mixed feelings in her heart: When Doctor Jiang confirmed that she was Ximai, the Holy Sage vowed in ecstasy, "Mei Niang, you are worthy to be my queen. I will never let this child suffer again." His brothers and sisters are so wronged!" But when the doctor reported Deng Cairen's condition, he said that he would praise Kudi Liuli without much thought. The emperor's kindness was indeed thunderous! But in this situation, how could I say, 'Painter Kudi and I have made a lifelong commitment and do not want to enter the palace'?

What's more, not wanting to enter the palace to be a maid, and not wanting to enter the palace to be a talented person are two different things. Kudi Liuli's engagement was just a verbal agreement. With such glory and wealth right in front of her, who knows if she will change her mind? She also said that she never told anyone except herself. Since the Holy Spirit had such thoughts towards her and he responded for her, what should he do if she found out that he would bite him in the future? The risk in this matter is too great, but I can't make a single mistake right now! It's better to pretend not to know and talk to her a little bit. A person like her, who is exquisite and clear, naturally knows how to make a choice. Unexpectedly, she actually replied "unable to follow the order" directly...

At a glance, Gaozong's face quickly turned from surprise to gloominess, and Wu Zetian also had a surprised expression on her face, "Liu Li, why is this?"

Liuli lowered her head and said nothing. She almost blurted out just now that "a civilian girl is engaged", but she still swallowed the words. Pei Xingjian, he did say that he wanted to marry himself, that he was willing to marry himself, but in the final analysis, it was just a sentence. He now has a bright future, so why should he involve him in such a situation?

When Wu Zetian saw that she didn't answer, she understood something in her heart. She raised her head and smiled at Gaozong, "I think my daughter's family has a poor reputation. There are some things that are not easy to report to the emperor. This painter Kudi has always been a decent person and a good person." You are loyal, I blame my concubine for being too reckless, please don't blame her."

Gaozong glanced at Liuli indifferently. In his life, he had heard too many ecstatic "Thank you, Your Majesty" in front of women, but this was the first time he heard such a firm "unable to obey the order". He was shocked. Yu couldn't help but feel a little annoyed, but also a little curious, but if she asked at this time, it would be too rash, so she nodded casually, "Since she can be loyal to the Savior, she doesn't dare to resist the order without reason. Zhaoyi can handle the minor matters on his own." He was in a bad mood, and his voice was naturally extremely cold. When he said the words "resisting the order without reason", he subconsciously increased his tone. The room suddenly became quiet, and the atmosphere became so dull that it made your heart tremble. But I heard a clear voice coming in from outside the door, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."

In this weird silence, Pei Xingjian's voice came at the right time. Gaozong turned around, lifted the curtain and walked out. Liuli also breathed a long sigh of relief, but Wu Zetian laughed softly, "Liuli, do you blame me in your heart?"

Liuli's heart froze, and she shook her head sincerely, "How dare Liuli be so ungrateful? This was a huge fortune. Zhaoyi didn't help Liuli back because she felt sorry for Liuli, but Liuli really didn't deserve to be in the palace. , I don’t dare to deceive His Majesty.”

Wu Zetian looked at Liuli carefully and saw that she was also looking at him eagerly, with a slightly nervous and ashamed expression. She couldn't help but smile softly and thought to herself, it turned out that she was still naive, she was just afraid that she would do something with that person outside. , so they didn’t dare to enter the palace to serve the Holy Sage. That’s fine. The woman in front of her was no better than Deng Yiyi. She looked cautious and honest in temperament, but she always had a strange feeling that people couldn’t see through, grasp, or get close to. If she If you really have that kind of thought, I'm afraid you will be difficult to deal with.

Thinking of this, she patted Liuli comfortingly and said, "Relax, His Majesty is the most merciful. You came here to be my painter for only a few months. You can't enter the palace because of the engagement, so you can't be considered a bully." You resist the decree."

 Liu Li had a grateful smile on her face.

Outside the curtain, Emperor Gaozong sat back on his couch and said calmly, "Keep my promise, come in and answer the question."

Pei Xingjian lowered his eyes and walked in, "Your Majesty, just now Zheng Zhihua reported that the number of the three guards has been roughly counted, and there are more than 1,200 missing."

Gaozong raised his head in surprise, "How many people are there? Have you ever counted the number of people in the Wannian Palace?"

Pei Xingjian replied, "The inner palace is better. Now there are about 400 fewer people in Liang. It is said that many places in Linyou have been hit by floods, and Sikong has already sent people to the county seat."

 Gaozong was speechless, and couldn't help but think of the sound of the gong that woke up Asheng and the others last night, as well as the fire burning in the distance in the darkness. The number of guards and palace people is about the same. It is said that the palace people are far less alert than the guards. The reason why so many people survived is probably due to the fire and those harsh sounds. I heard It's all because of her... I heard Pei Xingjian whisper, "I still have a private matter. I dare to ask your majesty for a favor."

Gao Zong was startled and said, "Oh, you should tell me about it."

Pei Xingjian was silent for a moment before speaking, "I met the painter Kudy more than a year ago and had a marriage agreement with her. I heard that she is now waiting for Wu Zhaoyi. There was a flood last night. I don't know if she is safe or not." I vaguely heard one of the chamberlains mentioning her name, and I felt really uneasy, sir..."

As soon as these words came out, not only did Gaozong change his expression, but Wu Zetian behind the curtain also turned to look at Liuli in disbelief. Liuli's face had turned red. She never expected that Pei Xingjian would tell the emperor regardless of it - he clearly saw me last night! Did you hear something? That's not right. He had clearly gone to the outer hall just now and could not have heard the conversation. But how could his words be so coincidental? The emperor was a little unhappy just now. Could it be that he became angry?

Emperor Gaozong looked at Pei Xingjian coldly, his mind spinning several times. He saw a slightly worried look on Pei Xingjian's eyebrows, but his expression was calm, as if what he just said was the most ordinary thing, and for some reason his chest felt blocked. But he smiled and said, "I was so anxious about keeping my appointment last night, so it turns out that this is the reason!"

Liuli's heart suddenly jumped up. Wu Zetian's eyes narrowed, and she quietly walked to the curtain and looked out. She saw that Pei Xingjian had quietly bowed and bowed, "I have no excuse, please punish me."

Gaozong's face turned colder, and he was about to say a few more words when he suddenly heard Wu Zhaoyi's chuckle from behind the curtain. Gaozong was stunned, and all the anger he had just ignited was extinguished, and he suddenly felt guilty - how could he forget Mei? Mom is still inside! She doesn't think she is jealous of her ministers, does she? Don't let her misunderstand.

Thinking of this, his thoughts changed sharply, but his expression calmed down, "I naturally know that you are loyal. I just said it casually, how could there be any intention of punishing me? It is said that this painter Kudi is not only fine, but also established a It's hard to say what would have happened if she hadn't been vigilant and resourceful last night. Anyway, the water has receded a little now. I also put some documents in the study room of Ziquan Palace. Go and take a look, if there are any available. Get everything back. If you are not familiar with the inner palace path, let Asheng and Kudi Painter guide you."

Pei Xingjian's eyes lit up and a smile appeared on his face, "Thank you, Your Majesty, sir!"

Behind the curtain, Wu Zetian pushed Liuli and said, "Hurry up and go!" He pinched her cheek again, "You **** girl, I'll settle the accounts with you in detail later!"

Liuli tried hard to suppress the smile on her lips and whispered, "Thank you Zhaoyi!"

Wu Zetian smiled and said nothing. Thinking of the calm and upright figure he saw just now, he thought to himself, "No wonder." Seeing Liuli walking out with light steps, she lowered her head and thought for a moment, with a smile on her lips.

Liuli walked outside the curtain and bowed silently to Gaozong. She didn't dare to raise her head to look at Pei Xingjian. She lowered her eyes and turned and walked out. Wang Fusheng was waiting outside the door. When he saw Liuli, he smiled and said, "Painter Kudi." He glanced behind Liuli again and said with a smile, "Pei Sheren, let's go right now."

Pei Xingjian's gentle voice came from behind, "I'm sorry for the king's servant." There seemed to be a smile in the voice, and Liuli's face immediately burned up.

After a night of heavy rain, the weather turned out to be surprisingly clear. The mountains were green and the sky was blue and clear. It was early in the afternoon and the sun was very bright. Fortunately, the Wannian Palace was lined with green trees. Walking under the quilt The bluestone road, which has been washed exceptionally clean by the rain, hardly gets any sunlight. As Liuli walked, she felt as if she was being baked directly on the road in a 40-degree hot day. The sweat on her forehead couldn't stop coming out—damn it, he was walking right behind her!

Many eunuchs and maids who were coming and going saw Wang Fusheng and Liuli and saluted and said hello with a smile. They looked at Liuli more than Wang Fusheng. Liuli became more and more uncomfortable. Wang Fusheng smiled and said, "I'm afraid everyone is like this now." I know that the fire in the Banshan Pavilion was set by Painter Kudi. Who in this Ten Thousand Years Palace could not save his life last night and would not be grateful to the Painter?"

Liuli smiled and didn't know what to say. After a while, she said, "I also found it was dark everywhere when I came out. I suddenly remembered that there were some things in the mid-level pavilion that I usually paint, so I went to set a fire. ”

Wang Fusheng smiled and said, "You have to be able to remember it. If it's a small one, I'm afraid I won't be able to remember anything."

Liuli was worried, and she didn't dare to accept the words, but Wang Fusheng said, "I haven't thanked the painter yet. Yesterday was really dangerous. If the painter came a little later, I'm afraid..." He shook his head.

Liuli hurriedly said, "The king's servant is too polite. I asked you to be the servant yesterday. Can you not call someone?"

Wang Fusheng smiled and said nothing, thinking in his heart: If it had been him last night, he would have immediately awakened the Holy Spirit, but he would certainly not have remembered to ask someone to play the gong to wake everyone up, nor would he have remembered to set a fire to flood the mountains and plains. Everyone can find a direction to escape. This Kudi painter usually looks a little reserved and distant on the outside, but he is really kind-hearted on the inside... Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look back at Pei Xingjian. Pei Xingjian smiled at him, his smile was gentle and distant. , Wang Fusheng only felt that the two people in front of him had an indescribable similarity.

After entering Renshou Gate, standing on the outside of the flat ground inside the gate and looking down, the situation in the harem was clear at a glance. Liuli couldn't help but take a breath of cold air. The mountain torrent had not completely receded, and the turbid yellow flood was rushing in the valley. The water level was It seems that we are far away from the Mid-Level Pavilion, but it still looks scary. It is really hard to imagine what a terrible scene it must have been like when the water flooded the Mid-Level Pavilion last night - if we had seen the water clearly during the day, we would have Maybe I won’t even dare to go down and call for people!

Wang Fusheng and Pei Xingjian seemed to have their own thoughts. They stood silently for a moment, and then the three of them walked together to the Ziquan Hall at the bottom of the mountain. When they walked down the mountain pavilion, they saw that the water in Ziquan Hall, Huijian Pavilion and other places had indeed receded. , many palace maids and eunuchs were coming in and out to clean up houses and objects. As soon as the three of them walked into the door of Ziquan Hall, they saw someone carrying a long object wrapped in a curtain and walking past the three of them. Liuli couldn't help but pause at her feet, feeling a little nervous. tumbling. I heard Pei Xingjian's gentle voice behind me, "This place hasn't been cleaned up yet, so just wait outside."

Liuli shook her head and followed Wang Fusheng into the inner hall. The swaying furniture in front of her, the wet curtain above her head, and the thick sand under her feet were all reminders of the flood that had just receded. The study room on the east side has naturally been soaked in water. Even if the books and documents were locked in the cabinet and have not been washed away, the original handwriting is almost unrecognizable. This incident was expected. Wang Fusheng and Pei Xingjian looked around and picked some silk books with barely recognizable handwriting and put them in a wooden box. Wang Fusheng then smiled and said, "I still want to go to the palace to take a look. It's too messy here. Why don't Painter Kudi take Pei Sheren to the corridor and wait for me?"

 p.s. Hoho, Wang Fusheng is such a good person! Thank you dear kaiyanwang55, verycooldog and pot lid ~ my classmates for giving me the pink ticket, thank you to classmate Le Youyang for the peace charm and classmate Yin Qiangwei for the evaluation vote, thank you all!

"The general's three arrows set the Tianshan Mountains" had not happened during the Yonghui period. Xue Rengui had been looking at the gate since he came back from Liaodong, so Wu Zetian didn't know that Xue Rengui was a great person.

 (End of this chapter)