coobybook Chapter 294: The Habit of Broken Sleeves
Chapter 294: The Habit of Broken Sleeves
After finally throwing out the bait, I just waited at home.
Cui's uncle occasionally came to give her acupuncture, and Zhao Fangyu quietly chose a shop at home.
She seemed to be sitting at home, but in fact her orders were being quickly transmitted out through the secret passage in her home.
The underground palace in Jiangnan is being built at a rapid pace, and the eye-catching Xianglu, on the contrary, appears to be low-key due to the explosive situation on the Guizhou-Gansu border.
Not long after Zhou Qinghe was sent to the border, the local general received a message from the Li family.
There was a Li family seal stamped neatly inside.
It is difficult for others to understand the importance of the Li family among military officers.
But on the day he received the letter, Zhou Qinghe's living environment changed visibly.
The tent where he lived had many tiny bells hanging on the edges.
There is even a circle sewn on the door curtain!
Now, let alone someone trying to sneak into Zhou Qinghe's tent and assassinate him, even if they got close, they would be checked from head to toe by three layers of soldiers inside and outside.
Even if a dog passes by three meters away, the patrolling soldiers will glare at you.
There were special people to test the food for poison, purchase it, and cook it every day. Even the tableware used for meals was silver bowls and chopsticks.
Unless a meteorite fell from the sky and crushed Zhou Qinghe to death on the spot, there was no way Zhou Qinghe would make any mistake.
Zhou Qinghe originally wanted to act more friendly and build relationships with the soldiers.
It can also be considered as an understanding of the military situation.
Who would have thought that the general had arranged such strict protection for him that no one could get close to him.
After watching for a few days, Zhou Qinghe called Xuanbi over and said, "The princess cannot be without someone by her side, so you should go back early."
Xuanbi was unwilling and stood there silently.
Zhou Qinghe had been writing paperwork for the whole day and was very annoyed. Now even Xuanbi didn't listen to him. Seeing him standing there like a stubborn donkey like a fool, he couldn't help but kick Xuanbi on the leg.
"How does she treat you normally? How can she restrain herself when you are not by her side in such a dangerous time?"
Xuanbi said honestly: "There are people given by General Shen..."
Xuanbi knew Shen Wan and the master who taught Zhou Qinghe how to fight boxing. They were both rare masters and were more than capable of handling matters in the capital.
Zhou Qinghe had him by his side, and Zhao Fangyu had Shen Wan and the boxer by his side, which was fair. In Xuanbi's opinion, Zhou Qinghe was a little crazy for Zhao Fangyu, so crazy that he didn't even care about his own safety.
Although Zhao Fangyu is very good, Zhou Qinghe is more important to Xuanbi. If he has to choose one between the two, Xuanbi will definitely choose Zhou Qinghe without hesitation, and Zhao Fangyu secondly.
Zhou Qinghe was so angry that he couldn't hold back and kicked again: "If she really trusted those two, why would she send you to deliver something to me?"
Xuanbi suddenly looked up, and even though he didn't say anything, his eyes made his meaning clear.
Zhou Qinghe closed his eyes and took a breath before saying, "Fool, among the three, she is the most familiar with you. Those two were entrusted by the Shen family to take care of the orphan. How can you trust them?"
Shen Wan and the boxer are close friends of Shen Jiyao who were left in the capital and were not convenient to be taken to Shuobei. Since they are close friends, if they are hurt, it would not be a favor, but an enemy!
Xuanbi figured it out and realized immediately that Zhao Fangyu must be restricted in every way in the capital, but there was no one to look after Zhou Qinghe.
The tent was filled with unfamiliar faces. Without him around, who would protect Zhou Qinghe's safety?
The next second, in a dilemma, Zhou Qinghe suddenly pushed the cliff and said, "Tomorrow morning, we will return to Beijing overnight."
"Only when she is well, can I be well."
During the time Zhou Qinghe stayed in the military camp, he had been thinking. He had thought many times why the emperor wanted to keep him at the border.
After much thought, I only came up with two answers:
First, the emperor finally made up his mind, no matter how shameless he was, he would let him die outside.
Although there were twists and turns along the way, it was ultimately safe. When they came here, there should have been about a hundred people, both openly and secretly, but now, there are less than thirty left.
There was no serious action along the way, so the emperor did not intend to let him die now.
The second is that the emperor is still planning to let him take the blame for the third brother. Once he convicts the third brother, he will sentence him to death in court, and the emperor will get a good reputation for sacrificing his own brother for a just cause.
Zhao Fangyu will certainly negotiate for him in the capital, but Zhou Qinghe needs to go back and remind Zhao Fangyu that the emperor wants to use him to take the blame for the third brother. He is now at the border and cannot prove himself. He is heavily guarded and cannot even eat and sleep with the soldiers to win their hearts.
"You have to go back. Whether I can go back or not depends entirely on her."
Xuanbi remained silent, but his attitude had obviously softened and he looked a little guilty.
Zhou Qinghe ground ink and spread paper. He first wrote an ordinary family letter and put it aside to dry. Then he took out another piece of paper, cut off a narrow strip, and wrote a secret letter.
The hairpin that was pulled down from the ceiling and used only for decoration was twisted somewhere and broke into two pieces in the middle. Zhou Qinghe rolled up the secret letter and stuffed it into the thin hairpin.
He inserted the hairpin back into the hanging wall. It was afternoon now. After doing all this, Zhou Qinghe felt a little relieved. He took out a tinder from his bosom and slowly lit the lamp in the tent.
It was getting close to evening and lights were being lit in other tents one after another.
The shadows of the two people were projected on the tent by candlelight.
The soldiers patrolling outside were stunned when they saw the figure in the tent was Zhou Qinghe lighting the lamp.
Everyone was watching the master and servant Xuanbi and Zhou Qinghe all day long. They always found it strange that why there was a servant like Xuanbi who was both useful and difficult to use? Moreover, why would a servant be like a son, but the master would instead light lamps for him?
"I told you they were homosexuals! You still don't believe me!"
The patrolling soldier looked at his colleagues who didn't believe in superstition and pointed his mouth towards the tent: "I was wondering why the fairy-like princess had been married for so long without a child. Look, how can this gay man give birth to a child?!"
The colleague sighed and said, "That can't be possible. It is said that the princess looks like a fairy. This guy doesn't look like a fairy either, does he?"
The colleague beside him put his arm around the man and said with a knowing look: "You don't understand this. Some people just like this. Some people are born to like to travel by land. No matter how good your water route is, if he doesn't like it, it's useless."
"Besides, the red flag is flying at home and the colorful flags are flying outside. We are still watching. We don't know how much fun there is in places we can't see!"
"These two people go in and out together every day, who knows..."
The colleague got goosebumps and shook off the arm of the person behind him: "You can't like me, right?"
"..."
A colleague kicked his fat butt and said, "You're not that picky."
Zhou Qinghe is good-looking, and there are also some men in the army who have a tendency to be eunuchs. With Zhou Qinghe's looks, as long as he wants, how can he take advantage of soldiers like them?
Zhou Qinghe had no idea that he had gradually become associated with gay men in the army. After lighting the lamp, he sat down on a chair, and his thoughts could not help but drift towards the capital.
"This time, if I can't go back, you must protect her well."
Xuanbi immediately became anxious. Just as he was about to say that His Highness would not die, he was interrupted by Zhou Qinghe, saying, "Fate is unpredictable. I will do my best."
He has a home, and there are people waiting for him at home. There are also three or two cat servants who are used to playing with him, and Shu Jie'er who calls her uncle every day. Most importantly, there is Zhao Fangyu at home.
And his mother.
His dispute with the Emperor did not mean that he really ignored Concubine Li.
As long as he lives, he will plan for his mother and wife.
"If I can go back, that would be the best. If I can't, you go with her to Longxi and stay by her side to protect her."
Zhou Qinghe raised his eyes, looked at the hanging wall, and said word by word: "She is as important to me as my life."
Xuanbi nodded, finally nodded, and said in a muffled voice: "I will go back early tomorrow morning."
Zhou Qinghe glanced at Xuanbi. When he was in the capital, Zhao Fangyu took care of every detail of the palace, and all the food, clothing and other expenses were of a higher standard. Now that he had come to the border with him, Xuanbi seemed to have returned to the way it was before he got married.
The expression in his eyes was very complicated. Xuanbi didn't understand. He was born with some mental disabilities. He had been buried in a pile of dead bodies for too long. He had a high fever and was short of breath, which damaged his brain.
But fortunately, although he was not smart, he had a skill, and eventually he stumbled and met Zhou Qinghe who was also stumbling forward.
Zhou Qinghe thought about it and took out his most valuable possessions.
It was a small golden unicorn.
"If you meet your sweetheart in the future, give this to her."
The golden unicorn could be sold for a lot of money if converted into silver. Zhou Qinghe had no shortage of gold and silver, but in the military camp, gold and silver were rarely used.
A golden unicorn and a bag of gold and silver coins. The former was the betrothal gift he left for his sweetheart in Xuanbi, and the latter was the money he gave to Xuanbi to return to Beijing.
Xuanbi looked at the heavy bag of silver in front of him and felt a little sore in his eyes for some reason. Before he could say no, Zhou Qinghe kicked him out.
He looked at the two guarding soldiers in confusion.
The tears that were floating in the eyes disappeared immediately, and the two soldiers stared in amazement at the golden unicorn and the huge bag of money held in the hands of the cliff, feeling so heartbroken that they couldn't breathe.
It’s too early to talk about this. Will Zhou Qinghe be interested in them?
Making money? Not bad!
·
After Xuanbi left the military camp, Zhou Qinghe rarely wandered around. He wrote documents during the day and went to bed early at night. He would get up early in the morning to practice boxing and fitness, and occasionally train with the elite soldiers.
The soldiers had originally complained about him, but later, the most handsome young man in the barracks went to Zhou Qinghe to offer himself to him, but Zhou Qinghe beat him so hard that he didn't even have time to put on his clothes, and he crawled out of the tent with a face full of ink!
Since then, new rumors have spread in the military camp.
They hurried back to Beijing along the way to Xuanbi, while Zhao Fangyu took the younger uncle of the Cui family to fish for the old lady of the Wang family.
As Zhao Fangmo's birthday was approaching, Zhao Fangyu brought back a lot of gifts.
Zhao Fangmo had her hair tied up in a neat bun and a golden hairpin inserted into it, without any other makeup.
Seeing this, Zhao Fangyu thought nothing was wrong, so he waved and called Zhao Fangmo over. He took a box of rouge from the eldest lady's dressing table and painted a lifelike camellia on Zhao Fangmo's forehead.
Zhao Fangmo held Zhao Fangyu's hand, looked at himself in the mirror, and then ran to the eldest lady and Mother Cui to show off.
After Madam Cui took the people away, Zhao Fangyu sat down next to the eldest lady and asked, "How is father now?"
Zhao Minshan...you can pack up and prepare for burial.
The current situation is turbulent and the future is unknown, so Zhao Fangyu does not have enough time to think about Zhao Minshan.
She is very busy now, and it is unknown how long this paper-like illusion of Daliang can last.
"The border is unstable, so mother should make plans early."
The aristocratic families naturally don't want to get involved with just Zhao Fangyu, but if they add a lady, the weights will be different, and the things that can be pried will naturally be different.
This was the first time Zhao Fangyu went out and he brought Shen Wan with him.
Shen Wan stood in the middle of Qingping Courtyard, and from time to time she would fly up to the roof to take a look. There were people guarding everywhere, so the environment for conversation was relatively safe.
By the time the two finished their conversation, the sun was already approaching noon.
Zhao Fangmo woke up during her lunch break and was playing with the little cat at home. This cat was passed down from her older sister, and had grown plump and round from generation to generation.
The eldest lady invited Zhao Fangyu to have dinner at the Zhao family.
Mei Xunyin came in the evening, and Zhao Fangyu did not hide anything from her and just told her that he had news about Mei Zhanhui.
"He's fine, but for some reason he's hiding from the people of the Fourteen States."
When he learned this, Zhao Fangyu immediately suspected that there was a traitor among the fourteen states.
But most of the people in the Fourteen States are women. Who can make Mei Zhanhui feel threatened?
As soon as Mei Xunyin heard the news about Mei Zhanhui, her eyes instantly turned and she looked intently at Zhao Fangyu.
"People from the Fourteen States went to the countryside to buy flowers. It is said that on their way back, they met someone who looked very much like Lady Xiaomei."
People from the Fourteen States went to the countryside to buy fresh flowers. In addition to the fragrant dew that was transported from Quanzhou and Jiangnan to other places, the Fourteen States also made some incense, candles and soaps by themselves.
All of these require a large amount of flowers, so every half a month, people from the fourteen states would go to the countryside to buy flowers.
Now that they have received instructions from Zhao Fangyu, when they go to the countryside to purchase, the subordinates are also taking the opportunity to inquire about the news in each village.
The people from the Fourteen States did not find out any news about Mei Zhanhui, but they did find out that there was another force looking for Mei Zhanhui.
"There are people guarding the city gates, and another group of people are going to the countryside to search. Master Xiaomei is hiding from the people of the Fourteen States. I think he doesn't want to be recognized."
The possibility of spies sneaking into the Fourteen States is not high, as the managers are all transferred from other areas. Even if there are spies, they can only be small fry, small fry... and can't play any role.
People always went shopping in groups, because they carried a lot of silver and were escorted by people from the escort agency.
If Mei Zhanhui wanted to be discovered, he could just walk up to the people who were buying things. The presence of one or two people would not be able to affect the overall situation.
But Mei Zhanhui did not do so. This means that either the people who were tracking Mei Zhanhui would kill innocent people indiscriminately, or Mei Zhanhui was afraid of bringing disaster to these women in the Fourteen States, so he avoided meeting them and implicating them.
Or, he was doing something that was inconvenient for others to notice.
Mei Xunyin's heart relaxed again, but she was not a fool. After thinking for a moment, she solemnly thanked Zhao Fangyu.
In any case, knowing that no one is hurt so far is the best outcome.
"Another piece of news came back is that the Jinyiwei entered Chenzhou."