The Gilded Cage

The whole day of the ceremony finally ended in the evening. Chu Ning was so tired that she was stiff and unable to move. She was helped by Cuihe and moved two steps before she slowly came over and boarded her steps to the Wanchun Hall.

According to the ceremony, they should go back to the East Palace.

The East Palace is adjacent to the Taiji Palace, especially from the Wude Hall on the east side of the Taiji Palace, only separated by a door. However, Xiao Kezhi had already used the excuse to be considerate of his nephew's frailty and inconvenience to run around, so that he had to clean up the Wanchun Hall for the prince and princess to stay overnight.

Xiao Yu's dissatisfaction was suppressed in his heart, and when he entered the main hall, his face was first gloomy. The maid who took off his boots by his side was startled, her face turned pale, her hands were unable to exert her strength, and she pulled him twice in a row, which annoyed him.

"Get out." He said lightly, not looking at the maid.

"I'll come." Chu Ning gestured the maid to go down with his eyes, while he knelt down on his feet, and personally took off the two boots for him. "His Royal Highness, don't worry, they are all their people inside and outside the East Palace. There is no difference between being here and going back to the East Palace."

Xiao Yu lowered his eyes and didn't speak, and didn't know what he was thinking. It took a long time before he reached out and pulled her up from the foot, holding her in his arms, rubbing her waist with one hand, and touching her face with the other, and kissed softly. few times.

"Okay, I know. Aning, you are always so kind to those who are irrelevant." His complexion eased a little, and there was no joy or anger in her eyes.

Chu Ning knew that he was talking about the fact that she had just relieved the maid, and whispered: "There are not many reliable servants around your Royal Highness, why bother to embarrass your own people? I treat her better, and it is for Your Highness's good."

She knew that when she said this, Xiao Yu would not listen to her, but to avoid suspicion, she still used a consistent tone to persuade him.

Sure enough, Xiao Yu listened, laughed disapprovingly, shook his head and said: "Some people, you are kind to him, and he won't appreciate you." As he said, he didn't want to say any more, and squeezed her waist. , Referring to the human beings who are already waiting outside, "You go out first, I want to talk to Xu Qing."

Chu Ning stood up softly, tidyed up the messy dress, turned and walked out of the main hall.

"Lady," Cuihe quickly followed and reminded in a low voice, "Zhao Sizhi is already waiting outside the door."

"I know, let's go." While she took Cuihe and turned to the direction of Shenlongmen, she pointed to a maid and ordered, "If your Royal Highness asks me, remember to tell the truth."

Wanchun Temple is located in the east of Taiji Palace, with Xianchun Gate to the west and Shenlong Gate to the north. Xianchun Gate is close to the palace’s inner courtyard sleeping area. Outsiders are not allowed to enter. The Shenlong Gate is the back garden of Taiji Palace. The Minister of China can enter and leave as long as he has permission.

Under the high wall, Zhao Yanzhou had already stood up and waited. Seeing Chu Ning approaching, he bowed and saluted first.

"You don't need to be polite." Chu Ning approached, waved him to get up, and continued to the north in a trance.

This palace road is very wide, and it has always been able to lead to the Thousand-Step Corridor and the mountain pool. From time to time, you can meet the maids, the servants, and even the relatives of the king.

Although Xiao Yu didn't directly prevent her from interacting with Zhao Yanzhou on weekdays, she also had to pay attention to proportions, so that she was so upright that she would not teach people to suspect that there was a private relationship between the two.

"The courtesy can't be abandoned." Zhao Yanzhou followed three steps behind her, succinctly and concisely.

He is the only son of a cousin of Chu Ning's mother. He was knowledgeable and intelligent when he was young. Chu Qianyu loves talents and has a deep love for his wife. He takes good care of his wife's cousin. Not only does he provide him with food and clothing, he also teaches him to read.

Sure enough, he did not live up to his expectations. At the age of 14, he was promoted as a child prodigy when he was a disciple. , There will be a bright future.

But three years ago, Chu Qianyu had an accident. He finally escaped because he was not a member of the Chu clan, but he still stepped forward and spoke upright, which delayed his future, despite the slightest words of his own people.

Chu Ning had a brother-sister relationship with him since he was a child, knowing that he was talented, and feeling the original things, so he recommended him to the prince Xiao Yu, and got him a straight official position in the East Palace.

Zhan Shisi directly took charge of the general affairs of the East Palace and was the confidant of the prince, and his status should have been comparable to that of Xu Rong. It's just that he came a little later, and she was the person recommended by the prince, Xiao Yu always had reservations about him.

Chu Ning has long been accustomed to his unsmiling, and doesn't mind, he only asks Fang Bo's recent situation as he walks. It is only when he knows that although he is still mad and stupid, but his bones have improved slightly, he is relieved.

Recalling Xiao Yu's words early in the morning, she exhorted: "His Royal Highness already knows that we have found Uncle Fang, but we still don't know what we believe. If Xu Rong asks someone to check it again, you have to deal with it."

Zhao Yan didn't ask much on Monday, and responded to all of her words.

After explaining a few other trivial matters of the Eastern Palace, Chu Ning asked what he most wanted to know at the moment: "Who is that King Qin?"

Although Xiao Kezhi is a prince, he has been in Ganzhou for more than ten years and is almost forgotten. Except for knowing that he is the youngest son of Gaozong, the sixth uncle of the prince, the rest is almost blank.

Not only her, but also the valuable ministers in Chang'an City, fearing that no one knows, they are inquiring about the character of King Qin in private.

Before they knew it, the two of them had reached a pavilion. Chu Ning stepped onto the steps and stepped into the pavilion, leaning on the rails to look at the swimming fish in the pond, while Zhao Yanzhou consciously stopped outside the pavilion and explained what he had discovered in the past two days. Come one by one.

Chu Ningjing listened to him quietly, was silent for a moment, and asked for a few more words, so he asked him to go back and rest first, while he remained by the pool, looking at the red sun slanting westward in the distance, and combing in his heart before listening. If it arrives.

King Xiao Kezhi of Qin was the youngest son of Emperor Gaozong. His biological mother was an ordinary maidservant named Wei in the palace. Because the emperor was drunk, she was lucky enough to give birth to a son and was named a talented person.

Wei Cai's status is low, not loved by Gaozong, and his temperament is very supple. He does not fight or grab in the palace, and he is tolerant everywhere, which barely wins a place. Approximately seeing the domineering and ambition of Qi Empress, she did not want her son to be harmed. Before she died, she begged the emperor to send her eleven-year-old son to the frontier.

The emperor thought that she was a dying person, so he granted her request and named the youngest son Xiao Kezhi the King of Qin and sent him to Ganzhou.

Ganzhou is located on the northwest border of Daliang. It is extremely windy and sandy, the environment is bitterly cold, and it is often invaded by foreign races. The eleven-year-old prince was forced to leave his dying mother and go to such a place alone.

It is said that when starting from Chang'an, the palace of Ganzhou had not even begun to be built.

No matter who looks at it, Wei Cairen is too harsh on his parents and children.

But Chu Ning thought about it carefully, but felt that she really had a vision. During the fourteen years that King Qin stayed in Ganzhou, it happened to have escaped after Qi Qi eliminated the other princes of Gaozong, and he had the opportunity to secretly accumulate strength and establish prestige in the army.

There have been few wars in Great Liang in recent decades, and the imperial court’s emphasis on civil affairs and military affairs has become more and more popular. Whether it is the Empress Dowager Qi or Xiao Yu, most of the important ministers around him are civil servants, and the standing government soldiers in the middle school are always on the edge. For Xiao Kezhi, who was helpless at that time, staying in Ganzhou was the best way to save his life.

In the past ten years, he has always been fair in the army, and has always lived and ate with the soldiers. Whenever there is looting by foreigners, he personally drives away many poor people and saves many poor people. Everyone in Ganzhou is right. He was impressed.

Being able to endure for many years while conquering the hearts of the people, he is indeed a figure with a city in mind. What's more rare is that he loves the people, which neither the Queen Mother Qi nor Xiao Yu have.

With thoughts flowing, Cuihe called her back to God with a very short cry by her side.

"What's the matter?" She turned her head to look, but saw Cuihe staring at the steps of the pavilion, pinned in place as if frightened by something, trembling all over.

"Lady, yes, a wolf..."

Chu Ning hadn't reacted yet, only turned around subconsciously, but suddenly met a pair of yellow-brown eyes, glowing with a faint cold light in the light of the setting sun.

With gray fur, sharp teeth, strong limbs, and huge body, it is indeed a wolf.

At the point where the eyes met, it slowly approached in silent steps, barking out its fangs from time to time, revealing its blood-red tongue.

Chu Ning was frightened and chilled behind him, and he didn't even have time to think about why there would be a beast that is rare even in the hunting grounds in the back garden of Tai Chi Palace. The hand hanging on his side suddenly grabbed the Cuihe on the side, and said in a trembled: "Don't move, don't look at it."

The two froze and did not dare to move, let alone look at the fierce beast again, but Yu Guang found that it was still approaching step by step.

At this moment, there happened to be three or five palace servants holding clothes passing by on the road by the pool. One of them screamed when he saw the situation in the pavilion.

The cry broke the stalemate in the pavilion, and the wolf quickly turned around, rushed towards the direction of the voice, and threw the palace man to the ground.

For a while, clothes were scattered all over the floor, and several of the palace servants who were walking nearby were so scared that they crawled to the side to hide. The noisy sound seemed to arouse the wolf even more. Seeing it opened its blood basin and opened its mouth to bite the poor palace man, a long whistle was suddenly heard not far away.

"Vimalain, come back." Qin Wang Xiao Kezhi stood by the road and said to the gray wolf.

The gray wolf was unexpectedly very obedient, and immediately let go of the palace man, and ran back to him. The two guards who followed immediately shook the live rabbit in their hands and led it away.

Several frightened palace maidens have been dragged to the floor to be comforted. The clothes scattered on the ground have also been quickly picked up, but Xiao Kezhi is still standing on the spot, looking sideways in the direction of the pavilion.

Chu Ning stared at him stunnedly, and then came back to his senses, and found that his back was soaked in cold sweat, and his legs were weak and weak, and he could only barely support it by holding on to the spine.

Xiao Kezhi paused for a moment, approached blankly, and asked, "Scared?"

His voice was low and rough, as if mixed with northwest wind and sand, and he couldn't tell whether it was ridicule or concern.

Chu Ning stroked her slightly calm chest, reluctantly shook her head, and called out "Uncle Six", wanting to salute.

But the fear had not completely receded. Her legs were weak and she was about to fall, but her raised elbow was suddenly firmly supported by a generous palm.

After the strong force helped her stabilize her figure, she did not move away immediately, but still stayed at her slender elbow.

The scorching temperature in the palm of her palm was slowly transmitted to the skin through several layers of clothing, causing her back to tremble slightly.

Only then did she realize that, at some point, the two were so close that they were only one step away. When she lifted her eyes, she could see his eyes that were as glowing as the wolf before. He was walking past her silently.

She couldn't help but tremble again, resisting the idea of ​​subconsciously trying to break free, and only slowly turned her face away from his gaze, but she just showed a soft profile face.

The night was low, and a strange atmosphere quietly filled the silent air.

Cuihe's eyes widened and he was at a loss for what to do, not knowing what to do.

The two were facing each other, and suddenly there was a sound of footsteps from far and near on the palace road not far away, followed by the icy voice of Prince Xiao Yu: "Aning, it's not early, it's time to go back."