Chapter 89: Looking for Teeth on the Ground
After not seeing each other for so many years, the time we spent together passed by so quickly.
As the sun set, dyeing the dead grass and deep forest red, Yao Niang stood up and said goodbye to the father and son.
Zhao Ji was reluctant to leave: "Mother , can I visit you after I return to Beijing?"
Yao Niang touched the handsome face of the young man and said, "After the Wanshou Festival, my son and the prince should set off to return to Nanyue as soon as possible. The journey is long, so take good care of yourself!"
Zhao Ji was filled with disappointment: "Won't mother go back with us?"
Yao Niang: "Mother has something else to do... When there is a chance in the future, mother will definitely go to South Vietnam to visit relatives!" She suppressed the sadness in her heart, bid farewell to Zhao Jiang, and rode away.
Zhao Jiang watched her receding back until she disappeared, and he still stared at the road she took: "Your mother said that she wanted to be the queen of the King of Nanyue..." Later, he finally climbed to the throne of the King of Nanyue, but the beloved woman had disappeared without a trace.
They were only together for two hours, but Zhao Jiang wanted to tell her everything that had happened over the years. He also looked forward to hearing about her experiences over the years, why she had to abandon her husband and children and return to Southern Qi, why she appeared in the Southern Qi Hunting Palace this time... As long as she was willing to talk, he was willing to listen.
But she didn't.
From beginning to end, Yao Niang just listened to the father and son talking with a smile. They talked about Zhao Ji's childhood and the affairs of Nanyue, but never mentioned her experiences over the years.
"Father, can we still see our mother?"
"Maybe." Zhao Jiang thought to himself: Silly son, your mother probably just came to say goodbye to us.
He couldn't bear to tell his son and make him sad.
Zhao Ji also thought: You all treat me like a child, is it because I am too stupid?
He secretly made up his mind that even if his mother remarried and had children, he would take her back to Nanyue, as a way to comfort his father for his years of longing for her.
"Father, please ask the Emperor of Southern Qi for marriage as soon as possible. After your son's marriage with the Ninth Princess is settled, you will return to Nanyue first. Your son will stay in Southern Qi to learn more about their way of governing a country. You can return after a year or so. Is that okay?"
Zhao Jiang was so sad to say goodbye to his beloved woman the moment before, and the next moment he heard that his son also wanted to stay in Nanqi, he almost lost his composure: "You want to stay in Nanqi too? What's so good about Nanqi? Neither of you wants to go back!"
Zhao Ji: "...Isn't it just one son?" Thinking of his mother's resolute departure, he felt sorry for his father and hurriedly coaxed him: "Wait for my son to learn well in Southern Qi, and govern Nanyue better after returning, so that Nanyue's Shangjing will be more prosperous than Southern Qi's Kyoto, okay?"
He usually does not work hard. The people who teach the prince in the palace are all learned men from South Vietnam, but he does not seem to respect them much. At most, he just finishes his daily homework perfunctorily and then goes out to play, but he never seems to be devoted to learning.
Zhao Jiang: “…”
At a banquet that night, Zhao Jiang proposed marriage to the emperor of Southern Qi in front of all the civil and military officials of Southern Qi.
It is true that the Emperor of Southern Qi loves the Ninth Princess, but he loves his vast territory more. When he heard that the Crown Prince of Nanyue wanted to stay in Kyoto to study, he agreed without hesitation. He also sighed in his heart that Zhao Jiang was aware of the times and was close to Southern Qi, which was much better than the previous King of Nanyue, Zhao Dechang. This was all thanks to Yao Niang.
The second prince was extremely reluctant, as he was still hoping that his sister could marry Fu Chen, but unfortunately it was not his turn to make the decision.
※※※
It was late at night. After the dinner, the Emperor of Southern Qi went to Noble Consort Wan's bedroom to stay overnight and mentioned the Ninth Princess' marriage.
"What? Your Majesty wants to marry Shu'er to that prince of Nanyue? I don't agree!" Imperial Concubine Wan cried and made a scene, but she refused: "Your Majesty, I only have one daughter. If you let her marry so far away, she won't even see her in her whole life. Can you bear it?"
Emperor of Southern Qi: "Nonsense! The King of Nanyue can bring his son to celebrate my birthday. Shu'er is getting married, not going to jail. Why can't I see her?" He coaxed the Royal Concubine in a gentle voice: "Think about it, Shu'er will be the one in charge of Nanyue's harem in the future. What else are you dissatisfied with?"
Imperial Concubine Wan: "Shu'er is looking for a consort in Beijing. No matter whose child it is, isn't it Shu'er who decides when he enters the princess's mansion?"
The Emperor of Southern Qi really thought that women had hearts as small as a needle tip, and were only obsessed with trivial matters and could not see the national interests. The marriage could at least ensure peace on the border for the next few decades. If Yuan Shu gave birth to a legitimate son, the future King of Nanyue and Southern Qi would be true brotherly vassal states.
He felt that it would be a waste of time to continue talking, so he simply returned to Chengming Palace.
※※※
The hunting palace, which was noisy during the day, gradually fell into silence after the night banquet.
Yao Niang took a bath, changed her clothes, put on her favorite clothes, sat in front of the dressing table, drew her eyebrows and painted her lips, and dressed beautifully as if she was going to the most important date.
Although the woman under the lamp is no longer 28 years old, her hair is still as black as clouds and her skin is as white as snow.
The wick shook twice, and an expressionless middle-aged man stood behind her. He was dressed in black and still had the chill from the outdoors. He put his hands on her shoulders.
"Mrs. Yao——"
Yao Niang smiled brightly: "Ajun, are you here to see me off? I would be happy if I could see you once before I die."
Next to her was a white porcelain jade bowl, which was half filled with amber-colored fine wine. The smell of wine wafted through the room. No one knew how many years it had been aged, but it made people feel intoxicated just by smelling it. However, Gan Jun picked up the jade bowl and poured it out through the window, leaving not a drop behind.
"Ajun, what are you doing?" Yao Niang stood up suddenly and said angrily, "It can be delayed for a while. If I can't resolve it myself, am I waiting for His Majesty to send someone to resolve it?" She suddenly looked strange, and said "Okay" twice, then sat back down dejectedly, "If His Majesty sends you to resolve me, I will never feel guilty again, and I won't feel that I owe you anything anymore!"
Gan Jun put his big hand on her shoulder and said in a steady voice, "I won't watch you die!"
Yao Niang burst into laughter, until tears came out of her eyes: "Ajun, why are you still as naive as you were back then? If you don't watch me die, do you want me to elope with you?"
When she was sixteen or seventeen years old, she had such thoughts.
She found a small porcelain bottle from the drawer of the dressing table: "Well, I originally thought that since no one would see me off, I might as well drink a bowl of Yuyechun to see myself off." She pulled out the cork, poured out a brown pill, and instructed: "After I am gone, please take care of my little apprentice Tang Ying. She has taken over a mess, and we don't know what to do..." Before she finished speaking, the pill and the bottle were knocked to the ground.
Yao Niang was so angry that she wanted to hit him, but Gan Jun grabbed her hand and said in a deep voice, "I went to ask His Majesty to let you go to Zhulin Temple to be the shadow guard of the Concubine Dowager. His Majesty agreed and asked me to pass on his order. I said I will not watch you die."
Yao Niang looked at him stupidly: "You...didn't coax me?"
Gan Jun stroked her eyebrows gently: "When have I ever coaxed you?" From the beginning until now, he has never lied to her, and every word he said came from the bottom of his heart.
Yao Niang suddenly threw herself into his arms and burst into tears, hitting him hard as she cried: "You did this on purpose, didn't you? You were waiting to see me laugh at you... You have no conscience!"
Gan Jun let her beat him. He was used to having a blank expression for many years. He always felt uncomfortable with his facial muscles when he smiled occasionally. So he gave up struggling, bent down with a blank face, picked up the crying woman whose makeup was all smudged, and strode towards the bed...
※※※
The next morning, Tang Ying heard that Yao Niang was going to Zhulin Temple to be the concubine's shadow guard, and she happily picked up Yao Niang by the waist and spun her around several times.
"Aunt, that's great! I can come to Zhulin Temple to see you in the future. I'll bring you whatever you want to eat or drink, and we can see each other often."
"Waist! Waist!" Yao Niang was dizzy from being shaken by her. She felt that the bones in her waist were about to be broken by this little bastard. She patted her shoulder and said, "Put me down quickly. How can I get married when I am so crazy?"
Tang Ying didn't expect Yao Niang's waist to be so fragile. When she put it down, she seemed to have discovered a new world. She pointed at her neck and said, "Aunt, there are mosquitoes in your room. There are several bites on my neck. Don't you have any mosquito repellent bags?" She looked up and saw a string of mosquito repellent bags hanging on Yao Niang's bed curtain. She was immediately dissatisfied with the person who made the bags. "These people in the Imperial Hospital dare to cut corners when making mosquito repellent bags. Don't let me do that next time."
Yao Niang's eyes were full of spring, and her spirit and energy returned overnight. She tapped her head lightly with her fingertips: "...It's really difficult for Master Fu!"
Tang Ying was puzzled: "What does this have to do with Master Fu?"
Aunt Yao always likes to meddle in other people's affairs. She wants to punish the pharmacists who cut corners in the Imperial Hospital. What does this have to do with Lord Fu?
After breakfast, Yao Niang handed the small seal on her body to Tang Ying and left the Hunting Palace. She first went to the capital to pack up her things, and then went to Zhulin Temple to look after the concubine. She was accompanied by two guards, and it was not known whether they were escorting her or taking care of her.
Tang Ying, Hongxiang, Wanyu and others sent Yao Niang out of the hunting palace. Hongxiang left on the pretext of having something to do. Wanyu followed her around like she had lost her soul. It was not until Baoyi, who was on duty, came and took her away that Tang Ying felt at peace.
She was still recuperating under imperial order, and would have to wait until she returned to Beijing to take over the position of Shadow Guard Chief. Before that, she wanted to enjoy her time away, so she staggered back to the Feng army barracks. As she approached Fu Chen's tent, she heard the sounds of smashing and smashing inside, as well as a crying voice questioning loudly.
"Why don't you want to be my consort?"
"If you had agreed earlier, how could my father have betrothed me to the prince of Nanyue?"
"It's all you! It's all you!"
It was so lively that it seemed like a big opera.
Tang Ying retracted her raised foot and prepared to sneak away from the tent to avoid getting involved in the feud between the Ninth Princess and Fu Chen. But before she took two steps back, she heard a rough voice behind her saying, "Master Tang, where are you going?"
The head of the Film Department has a rank, so this is considered a promotion for her.
Tang Ying turned her head with a stiff neck, bared her teeth and threatened Liu Zhong, wiping her neck - if you shout again, I will beat you until your teeth are all over the ground!
Liu Zhong seemed to be frightened by her and said with a smile: "Why doesn't Lord Tang go in? Lord Fu must have been waiting for a long time!" As he said this, he pushed Tang Ying hard from behind.
Tang Ying stumbled forward and nearly fell. She was saved from embarrassment when someone caught her by the waist.
