Wishful Things

——Why is it not certain that he died?

"What do you mean...?" Xu Mingshi was momentarily stunned.

Is that what he thought?

But since this idea is too beastly, he should listen to it further.

"In a few days, the emperor's imperial edict to appoint him to the Ministry of Education will be issued, and if his mother suddenly dies of illness after he enters the Ministry of Education, what will happen then?"

"..."

Xu Mingshi suddenly felt a chill rise up his back.

Is it really what he thought?

If the mother in the family dies of illness after entering the Ministry of Education, it will take Ding You three years...

Even if the emperor valued it more, but Zhongshu Sheren's official position is low, there is no reason and it is impossible to make an exception.

"In comparison, it's more 'economical' to die now." Xu Mingyi looked at the red heart on the target not far away and said, "Besides, Jia Shi's sanity seems to be a little confused, so it's hard to guarantee that he won't tell the shady things he did in the past—"

At this moment, she suddenly thought of Zhan Yunjiao.

Previously, Zhan Yunjiao suddenly changed her confession and confessed to Xia Xi, she only thought that Zhan Yunjiao was persuaded by the Ji family...

Thinking about it now, it should be her own elder brother who convinced her.

But even if he is a real brother, how can he convince a person who is about to commit a felony?

And that day in the hall, Zhan Yunjiao's state can be called active cooperation, as if she is not afraid of the punishment of exile that she will face next.

For this reason, she also had people secretly keep a close eye on the subsequent exile, thinking that she might be able to use this to catch Ji Xiu.

But on the way Zhan Yunjiao was exiled, nothing happened.

No one rescued her, and no one replaced her.

And now, she finally wants to understand who the real person who lied to Zhan Yunjiao is...

Some people scramble for power and profit, and want to stand as high as possible, for their own sake, but also for the glory of their families, so that their loved ones can live a better life.

Can account for the difference between Yunzhu——

He seems to be born only for profit, selfish enough to use all people and things for power and status, and whoever hinders his progress, even his biological mother will become a bloody victim in his pursuit of profit.

Even if he guessed it, Xu Mingshi was still in a huge cognitive shock at this time, unable to recover for a long time.

Xu Mingyi had already asked Zhu Xiu, "Has anyone investigated the cause of Jia's death?"

"Zhan Yunzhu has guards by his side. At first, his subordinates could only guard from a distance. There were more and more people behind him, so his subordinates were able to sneak in while Zhan Yunzhu knelt by the bed, and his subordinates still couldn't get close to check carefully."

Zhu Xiu speculated: "But judging from the situation in that room at that time, the reason why Jia Shi died without any movement and no external injuries is probably because he was smothered to death with quilts, cotton pillows and other things."

He was able to see Jia Shi's body because he had already been honored by those neighbors who went to watch the excitement in the name of mourning.

Seeing her girl frowning and thinking, after a while, Zhu Xiu said again: "This kind of thing can't be proved unless someone saw it with their own eyes."

Xu Mingyi pursed his lips.

Of course she also knows.

Different from choking the neck, covering the mouth and nose with a soft object will cause suffocation, leaving almost no obvious damage on the face, and even if the matter is managed to arouse discussion, it can be verified that Jia Shi died of suffocation, but she was not a healthy person who suffocated for no reason, but had been ill for a long time.

Not to mention, Zhan Yunzhu acted cautiously, guarding in front of Jia's body for a long time, he must have covered up all the traces.

Therefore, if you want to use this to deal with Zhanyunzhu on the bright side, it is obviously not feasible.

"It's still necessary for people to keep watching." Xu Mingyi still confessed.

Even if it seems that this matter is useless now, no one can say for sure what will happen in the future.

There are even some things, if they are used in the right place and at the right time, sometimes they can achieve their goals without much evidence...

So, check it out first.

Zhu Xiu responded without doubt.

At this time, the girl took an arrow from the quiver on the side, put it on the string and drew the bow——

The girl stood sideways with a straight figure, her eyes narrowed slightly on her focused face.

After a while, the feathered arrow left the string, pierced the wind and rushed towards the target, stabbing firmly into the red heart.

...

It was getting dark.

Even though the weather has already warmed up, the business of Xuesheng Tea House in Chengnan Lane is still bleak.

The atmosphere in Xuesheng Tea House, where business is bleak, is a little strange.

The grandson brought guests here today.

This guest is not someone else, but the Duke of Zhen himself!

Thinking of the grievances and entanglements between this sturdy and brave general and his own prince, everyone in the teahouse couldn't help feeling complicated—what's the difference between this and bringing the enemy into their own camp?

Moreover, this General Xu is not a vegetarian either, as soon as he stepped into their teahouse and had a face-to-face meeting with them, the deep meaning of "this teahouse is interesting" was already revealed in his eyes.

If the prince knew about this, wouldn't he be so angry that he would pluck off his beard?

Among the crowd, Shou Ming can be said to be the calmest and most enthusiastic one.

As for the government office of the town, he likes it very much.

And maybe we will be a family in the future.

Shou Ming, who was busy before and after running, went upstairs carrying the food box "thump thump thump".

The second floor was lit, and Wu Chao and Duke Zhen were sitting by the window and drinking tea.

Shou Ming stepped forward and saluted with a smile, and put the hot meals in the two food boxes on the table.

Xiaoqi rushed to Zhuangyuan Building to buy the food, and rode back and forth without daring to delay for a moment.

Lord Zhen Guo took a sip and nodded with satisfaction.

In the palace, he made an appointment with the Wu family boy to meet him in the Zhuangyuan Building after returning to the city, but after much deliberation, he still felt that it was inappropriate for the two of them to eat openly together.

There are many people in Zhuangyuan Building, and he will be recognized as soon as he enters.

If the Wu family boy is also recognized, unnecessary rumors and troubles will surely arise.

I also thought about dressing up in disguise. The Wu family boy is easy to talk about, but he is so majestic, and how can his outstanding temperament be concealed by changing clothes? Isn't that self-deception?

So, the kid proposed to take him to this remote and deserted teahouse.

At this time, Shou Ming was holding the jug to pour wine for the two of them, but his grandson extended his hand in time to take the jug.

Wu Chao personally poured wine for Duke Zhen, and said in a respectful tone: "Junior respects Duke—"

The young man had such an attitude, Duke Zhen Guo felt very pleased with it, and drank the wine with a smile.

Wu Chao also drank the wine in his glass.

Seeing the young man's calm demeanor, Duke Zhen asked casually, "How much does Wu Shisun drink?"

These words instantly brought Wu Chao back to the night at the hot spring villa outside Ningyang...

That night, Zhao Zhao also asked him the same question.

He answered very calmly and confidently.

But the result was somewhat unexpected.

At that time, he didn't have a clear understanding of his drinking capacity, but now that he knew it, he said truthfully: "This junior is not good at drinking, please forgive me."

"Why, the family is strictly controlled, and you rarely drink alcohol on weekdays?" Duke Zhen asked.

"That's not true, it should be due to the lack of talent in the younger generation."

Lord Zhen said "Oh".

He thought it was that old guy Wu Jun who cared about everything, and wanted to take the opportunity to ridicule that old guy, but it's a pity.

"According to the drinking capacity of the younger generation, I'm afraid it will be difficult for the Duke to have a good time." Wu Chao obviously had already made arrangements for this: "But the accountant in the teahouse can still drink, and he has a good conversation, maybe he can accompany him."

He didn't seem to hide that the teahouse is his own property, and asked Mr. Accountant to accompany him. Duke Zhen looked at him and said, "Why are you looking for outsiders? The old man seems to be greedy for your little wine. If the old man wants to drink, when can't he drink?"

Facing the willful old man, Wu Chao said with a smile: "What the Duke said is very true, it's the younger generation who is worrying too much."

Naturally, Lord Zhen would not be angry because of this "worries". He is not a person who can't tell the good from the bad, and he also understands the thoughtful intentions of the young man.

Seeing that the young man filled up the empty wine glass again, Duke Zhen raised it up and said, "I also offer you a toast, for my grandson's sake—"

"Your Majesty is being polite."

Wu Chao picked up the wine glass, and the position was relatively low.

"In the future, if you need help from this old man, you are free to ask." Duke Zhen put down his glass and said bluntly, "But it's only between you and me. I don't care about anything related to your grandfather."

Wu Chao answered "Yes".

After all, he does have one thing that needs General Xu's help in the future...

And this matter has nothing to do with his grandfather.

"Remove the jug and change to tea." Lord Zhen Guo said to Shou Ming who was waiting on the side.

Wu Chao couldn't help asking: "The Duke doesn't drink anymore?"

Duke Zhen said nonchalantly: "It's the same with drinking tea."

He is not the kind of bad old man who bullies the younger generation.

It is also a good thing for young people to drink less alcohol.

Having had enough of his second son's sluggish appearance all day long, the old man now finds it more and more pleasing to his eyes when he sees the sober and refreshing young man in front of him—this is how he looks like a human being!

As a result, the originally agreed upon banquet turned into an old and a young sitting facing each other, eating food and chatting.

Since childhood, Wu Chao had the rule of never saying anything, but when facing the careless old man, he naturally changed his state, as if he had always been like this.

Duke Zhen, who paid attention to these details, was very comfortable in his heart.

He still remembers the limited conditions in the military camp, and because Wu Jun thought he was too talkative, he insisted on eating at a single table with a dark face.

Of course, everyone has their own habits, which is understandable.

But when you really hit the bar with someone, it's inevitable that it's not pleasing to the eye everywhere.

This meal, even though both parties had the habit of accommodating each other silently, they were still spent in a relaxed, happy and tacit atmosphere.

Wu Chao even felt inexplicably warm.

He had never had such a casual meal with any elder.

The dishes were removed and replaced with small dishes of fresh seasonal melons and fruits and hot tea.

"Duke needs to be more careful during this period of time." Shou Ming and the others retreated, and Wu Chao reminded them during the chat.

Duke Zhen took a sip of tea and said, "There is no day when you dare to relax your vigilance."

But the news that he mobilized the Xu family army that night must have reached the ears of the emperor, and now he really needs to be more careful, in case the emperor suddenly goes crazy.

"It's a good thing that the Duke is always vigilant." Wu Chao said, "Especially King Yan is going to Beijing in ten more days—"

Zhen Guogong nodded slightly.

"At such a juncture, one should not take it lightly. Your grandfather is not in the capital, and when you and your son meet King Yan in the future, you should also be more careful."

Although he and Wu Jun did not get along, at most he hoped that the other party would soon be bald and fall into the mud when he went out, not the kind that wanted to see a big accident happen to the other party's family.

And the young man in front of him is his future grandson-in-law.

Hearing the old man's kind advice, Wu Chao responded seriously.

"Speaking of King Yan, but your uncle..." Knowing that this teahouse is unusual, you don't have to worry about hearing through the walls, and Duke Zhen is less shy when speaking: "But considering your age, you must have never seen this uncle before, right?"

"Yes, the younger generation was born in the first year of Qingming, Bi Zhao—cough, one year older than Miss Xu."

Lord Zhen Guo glanced at the young man, pretending that he didn't hear the word that the other party yelled, he continued: "Speaking of which, the old man thinks that you are somewhat similar to your uncle."

This is a small talk.

But Wu Chao was slightly taken aback when he heard it, and suddenly thought of the portrait hanging in the residence of his late eldest aunt in Ningyang Dingnan Prince's Mansion.

He also has some similarities with the eldest aunt.

Looking at the old man in front of him, Wu Chao couldn't help asking: "I don't know how similar this junior is to King Yan?"

Could it be that His Royal Highness King Yan and his eldest aunt are still rumored to be married?

"If it is true, there is no similarity in terms of facial features alone." Zhen Guogong said: "I can't tell, maybe it's because of the similar aura—"

After thinking for a while, he shook his head again: "It's not... King Yan's temperament was more flamboyant than yours when he was young. He either wrestled with others or competed with swords, or he was planning how to sneak attack the enemy camp..."

And the young man in front of him has the aristocratic air of a descendant of a family that is particularly eye-catching.

The first time the feeling of similarity between the two appeared in his heart was that day when he was hunting in the forest. At that time, he only regarded the similarity between the two of them as young men who were excellent in riding and shooting.

But when I thought about it later, I felt that it was not that simple.

That's why I mentioned it to Wu Chao at this time.

But now I really want him to say it, but I can't explain it clearly.

Seeing the old man frowning in deep thought, Wu Chao smiled and said, "After King Yan enters the capital and meets people face to face, the Duke may remember."

Lord Zhen shook his head and said, "It's been eighteen years, so it depends on how much he has changed now..."

eighteen years.

The current emperor has reigned for eighteen years.

The King of Yan left the capital to become a vassal, stationed in the north for eighteen years.

And he is eighteen years old.

A lot really happened that year.

By the way, his eldest aunt, the former Princess Yan, seems to have passed away that year too...

Wu Chao took a sip of tea, and a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes.

In the backyard, Mr. Mo, who was so hungry that his stomach was growling, glanced at the direction of the second floor.

He has been waiting all night.

Besides, seeing that the food has been withdrawn just now, do you still want him to accompany the wine?

He had planned to go all out tonight tonight, even if he cut off his head and poured it directly into his stomach, he would make Lord Zhen Guo drunk so as to win back the city for their lord!

...

Two chapters into one chapter, so today is one update