The biggest turbulence in the Tang Tianqi era was taking place in the Palace of Counsel. Many officials in various departments were guessing the fate of themselves and their superiors. The lad in the Imperial Study was looking around excitedly. Chao Xiaoshu, who was standing somewhere in the Imperial Garden, acted as if he had nothing to do with these things. He stood silently by the shore of the big lake called Li Hai, smiling as he watched the colorful carps leap out of the water and over the dragon gate. Then, they happily fell back into the lake, wagging their tails as they begged for food. Occasionally, he would sigh.
More than ten years ago, he was a young scholar who entered the capital city to take the entrance exam to the Academy but was brought into Chang 'an by the current Emperor. More than ten years later, he was a green-robed wanderer who stood in the Chang' an night after beheading countless people. Standing by the lake, he thought about the past and the road ahead of him. Naturally, he had a different feeling in his heart. He did not feel that the road to success was attractive, but only wanted to return to the old days when he studied hard day and night and focused on Taoism.
A soft ring broke the silence by the lake. The beautiful young princess slowly walked over with two palace maids. Li Yu's gaze fell on the middle-aged man's green robe, which had been washed a little white. She smiled and half-squatted, saying softly, "Greetings, Uncle Chao."
The Fourth Princess of the Tang Dynasty, Li Yu, was doted on by the Emperor and admired by the people. Even when she met the Prince, she would only call him Uncle. How could she call a man so intimately?
"I dare not."
Chao Xiaoshu moved sideways to give way, repeatedly saying that he did not dare. His face was full of fear. However, his body moved slightly, and the wind on the lake moved the corner of his green robe. There was no sense of fear at all, only a sense of alienation and vigilance that kept people thousands of miles away from him.
Seeing Chao Xiaoshu's reaction, Lee Yu's hands on her waist stiffened slightly. The two palace maids behind her turned pale. However, before they could do anything, Lee Yu smiled and answered, "Speaking of which, when my father asked the guards to carry me out of the palace to play, I saw you a few times in the gambling house. However, I was too young at that time and gradually forgot that Uncle Chao had carried your niece before. There is no need to treat me like an outsider today."
"Your Highness's words really frighten me. How could I dare to call myself the Princess's elder?"
Chao Xiaoshu responded with a smile. The lake water reflected the sunlight and fell on his handsome face. There was no trace of deliberate humility. He was just carefully guarding the status of a monarch and a subject, not daring to take a step forward.
Li Yu had repeatedly expressed her goodwill, but Chao Xiaoshu had repeatedly rejected her. The atmosphere by the lake suddenly became a little tense and even depressing. Li Yu quietly looked at the middle-aged man's face and thought of the anger her father had shown since last night. She was more and more certain that this man was extremely important in her father's heart. She waved her hand to stop the old maidservants beside her from whispering and continued with a smile, "I brought back some barbarian guards from the grassland. I heard that someone asked them about something a few days ago. That person's surname is Chen, and he seems to be your brother?"
"I, I," Xiaoshu said, "Chen," Ch. He is, I, "
Hearing this answer, Li Yu smiled. She shifted her gaze to the sea-like surface of the lake and looked at the lotus leaves disturbed by the swimming fish. She asked, "Is that lad useful?"
"Your Highness, I did not use him. I only asked him to help me." Chao Xiaoshu answered, "It's working together, not using him."
"If it's working together, then he is also your brother?" Li Yu turned her head and asked with her brows slightly furrowed.
Chao Xiaoshu thought of the fried egg noodles in the Old Brush Pen Shop and Ning Que's answer. He laughed at himself and said, "Someone seems to see the world colder than I do."
He looked at Li Yu's brows and said seriously, "Your Highness, he does not want others to know. So please keep this little secret for him."
Li Yu was slightly startled and then said sarcastically, "Does that idiot think he can keep this a secret for a long time? Does he think he can hide his identity forever by wearing a black mask and combing his hair in the style of the Yuelun Kingdom? "
Chao Xiaoshu answered, "He will be admitted to the Academy soon, and he will enter the second floor. At that time, he will naturally not have to worry about being plotted against."
Li Yu thought of Lyu Qingchen's evaluation of Ning Que. She frowned and asked, "Why do you all think so highly of him?"
Chao Xiaoshu smiled and said, "Because he is worth it."
Thinking of the knife light at the entrance of the Northern Mountain Road, the leaping figure among the flames, and the story beside the bonfire, Li Yu's expression unknowingly softened. However, her voice was still cold and sarcastic. "I gave him a chance, but he refused to take it. I thought he was an oddball who did not care about his future, power, and wealth. I did not expect him to choose such a way to appear in Chang 'an City because he thought it was not exciting enough."
"But no matter what, I brought him to Chang 'an City, so he is my man …" Li Yu looked at Chao Xiaoshu with a faint smile. "Uncle Chao, shouldn't you tell me in advance that you are using my man so cruelly?"
The confrontation of words was, after all, a psychological contest. Fourth Princess Li Yu was naturally the most outstanding woman in this aspect among the younger generation. However, in front of Spring Breeze Pavilion Old Chao who was used to seeing bloodshed, she did not have the slightest advantage. Chao Xiaoshu smiled and said, "If he is your man, why would he be so embarrassed over a small shop? And I believe that the princess should also be able to see that the little guy will never be anyone's man. He is only his own man. "
After several attempts, he did not find the slightest opportunity to take advantage of. He did not even find a gap to talk about business. Li Yu was silent for a moment. She waved her hand to signal the palace maids and old maidservants behind her to leave. She looked at him with a solemn expression and said, "Uncle Chao …"
Chao Xiaoshu dodged again and repeated, "This commoner dares not."
Li Yu shook her head and said seriously, "Everyone in the world knows that from today on, Spring Breeze Pavilion Old Chao can no longer be the commoner that father hid among the people. He is no longer just the leader of the first gang in Chang 'an. Whether it is the leader of the bodyguards or the ministers, there will definitely be a place for you in the world. "
"When you were Spring Breeze Pavilion Old Chao, those ministers dared to use my or the Empress's name to recruit you and intimidate you. Now that you have jumped out of the sea, do you think that you can stay out of it?"
Li Yu looked at him quietly and said in a sincere and unambiguous tone, "The Empress is a smart person, and I am not stupid. So we will not do anything that father does not like us to do, but we have to do something."
"I hope that you can support me."
"When we were young, you held me in your arms. You also held my little brother. You've seen my mother. Could it be that you have the heart to see my little brother lose his throne? Could it be that you have the heart to see my mother in the Netherworld's spring filled with unwillingness and sorrow?"
The Tang Empire did not care about fighting for the throne. Whoever succeeded the throne was all in the hands of His Majesty. The seemingly cowardly but sober His Majesty would not allow his wife and children to do anything that would harm the country and go beyond his tolerance. However, he wanted to see who would perform better.
In this world, in history, there were very few examples as transparent and open as the Tang Imperial Family. However, what Li Yu said to Chao Xiaoshu by the lake today still seemed too open and even a little naked. It was extremely out of line with ordinary people's imagination of such palace conspiracies.
Chao Xiaoshu was silent for a long time. He looked at her and said in a gentle voice, "Your Highness is really like your mother. You are extremely intelligent and know that any temptation or temptation is meaningless to a rough person like me. Instead, it is more appropriate to use a Jianghu tone. However, this is ultimately the Emperor's decision. I am just a small fish in the Tang Empire's sea. Even if I am lucky, I will not be of any use."
"Uncle Chao, you are too humble. You must know that in all these years, I have never seen my father trust someone so much … Furthermore, he forcefully suppressed the talented exam candidate of the Academy in the gutter of the Eastern City for so many years. I think my father must feel extremely guilty towards you."
Li Yu looked at him firmly and said, "The most important thing is that you are in the Tang Empire's sea. Even if you jump out of the sea, you will eventually fall back into the sea. One day, you will have to choose which way to swim …"
Before she could finish her sentence, Chao Xiaoshu smiled and raised his arm to point at the lake. He said, "I'm a small fish, but I don't like to stay in a pond. Even if it's as big as the sea, it's still a pond. So if I have to choose which way to swim, I'll choose to go ashore in the end."
Li Yu frowned and said, "Fish will die of thirst when they go ashore."
"But before they die, they can breathe enough air." Chao Xiaoshu smiled.
"Uncle Chao, you insist that the imperial court is that pond? Can you find a pond bigger than the Tang Empire in the world? "
"Although Jianghu is smaller, it is more relaxed and casual. In comparison, I would rather be far away from Jianghu than stand above the imperial court."
Li Yu frowned and looked at the middle-aged scholar in a green robe by the lake. She suddenly realized that she could not understand some people. She sighed and said, "Jianghu is dangerous."
Chao Xiaoshu smiled and said, "But Jianghu is far enough, so there is freedom."
Li Yu shook her head and said, "What kind of freedom can there be?"
Chao Xiaoshu looked at her as if he was looking at a junior and said, "The freedom not to choose."
…
…
Ning Que's hands were itchy. This was an itch that he had been used to for many years. It had penetrated deep into his bones and blood vessels and could not be removed. He could only endure it.
In the quiet and empty imperial study, he walked from the door to the desk, from the desk to the bookshelf, and from the bookshelf to the door. His right hand, which was hidden in his sleeve, kept rubbing his fingers, but he could not stop the itch that came from the deepest part of his body.
It itched to see the famous masters on the wall. It itched to see the Hengdian pure silk that was randomly placed. It itched to smell the pine ink of Chenzhou. It itched to touch the fine wrinkles of the bud paper in Xuanzhou. It itched even more when his eyes fell on the five words written by the emperor, "The fish leaped into the sea". It itched even more.
The only way to relieve the itch was to write.
However, it was a very stupid choice to use the imperial pen to continue His Majesty's words in the imperial study. He might be heavily punished or even receive a more severe punishment. But it really itched … When Chao Xiaoshu was talking about choice and freedom by the lake, Ning Que was also going through this painful choice.
"Tear it up quickly after writing it."
Having found a good excuse, Ning Que shouted happily and rushed to the front of the table. Like a good man eating meat and drinking wine, he melted the ink, grabbed the brush and spread the new paper. The itch that had accumulated in his heart for several breaths was all turned into joy, and with one stroke, he wrote five ink characters.
"The flower blooms on the shore."
…
…
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