Following the order of Zhao Defang, the king of Qin, the imperial guards who had been on duty all night without closing their eyes yawned as they staggered out of the porch of the east wing room. After advancing for about 1.5 meters, they stopped under the shade of two blooming pomegranate trees and stopped moving. Through the gap in the door of the east wing room, Zhao Defang saw Zhang Meng, the class leader, and his brothers. After everyone left the porch, he finally relaxed. Then, he walked to the palace maid Cui Er who was standing three to five steps away from the bed and sat down on the bed.
"Cui 'er, this king asks you, last night in the middle of the night, why did you disturb this king's rest?”Zhao Defang first glanced at the palace maid Cui Er who was standing in front of him with her head drooping and her body trembling. After a pause, she asked in a serious manner.
At this moment, from the palace maid Cui Er's point of view, she felt that the young prince's attitude towards her had become somewhat distant. In the past, he had always been polite to her. When there was no one around, he would often beg her to call him 'Older Brother'. He would even play with her from time to time. He did not put on any airs as a prince and treated her like his own sister.
But now, ever since he became His Highness the King of Qin, he treated her no different from any other palace maid. Even when they were alone in the room, he no longer begged her to call him " brother ", nor did he play with her. Other than saying some dignified words, he had nothing else to say to her.
This was especially so now that he was interrogating her as if she was a criminal. This really made the palace maid Cui 'er feel a little disappointed. It also made her feel that she didn't know this young prince in front of her.
"Replying, replying to your highness. Late last night, this servant received a message from the Empress, saying that the official couldn't sleep last night and had specially sent this servant to ask if your highness had thought of a countermeasure so that the official could sleep peacefully. But when this servant received the order and rushed over, she found that the door to his highness 'room was tightly shut from the inside. That was why she knocked on the door and called out to his highness. It's all, it's all this servant's fault, disturbing your highness 'rest, please punish me.”The palace maid Cui Er felt a chill in her heart and knelt on the ground with a thud. She blinked her eyes and wiped her tears as she pleaded pitifully.
After listening to the sobbing palace maid Cui Er's reply, Zhao Defang, who was not flustered just now, became even more flustered. Naturally, she did not bother to comfort the weeping palace maid Cui Er. She turned pale with fright and continued to ask,"Cui 'er, tell me more. What happened after that? Did you ask someone to pry open the door last night?”
"Replying, replying to your highness. Slave, how could this servant have such courage? Last night, this servant knocked on the door for about an hour. When I saw that wangye had already rested, you did not answer nor did you come to open the door. She thought to herself that the Empress was still waiting for this servant to report. She didn't dare to stay here for too long, so she rushed back to report to the Empress that her highness had already rested. This servant didn't dare to disturb her and didn't dare to wake her highness.
"After the Empress heard what this servant said, she did not say anything. She shook her head slightly, sighed, and returned to the Funing Palace. After the Empress left, this servant was extremely tired and returned to the palace maid's bedroom to rest. As for what happened after that, this servant has no idea.”Under Zhao Defang's questioning, the palace maid Cui Er could only truthfully report the situation yesterday.
At this moment, after listening to the palace maid Cui 'er's honest words, Zhao Defang, who was still a little uneasy just now, let out a long sigh of relief. The huge stone that was originally hanging in her heart slowly landed on the ground. She then secretly rejoiced in her heart and said, It was really close. Fortunately, after I left last night, Cui Er who rushed over didn't let anyone pry open the door. Otherwise, once the door is pried open and they see that I'm not in this room, the consequences will be unimaginable.
After secretly rejoicing in his heart, Zhao Defang, who had now recovered her usual relaxed expression, looked up and saw the palace maid Cui Er standing in front of him. She still had her head lowered and was respectful to him. Moreover, a drop of water would fall from her chin from time to time.
At first, Zhao Defang, who did not know what was going on, thought that the palace maid Cui 'er was too nervous. Her cheeks were hot and sweaty, and the beads of sweat that fell from her chin were beads of sweat. However, in just a moment, the beads of sweat were like pearls that had been cut off, continuously sliding down.
Therefore, Zhao Defang wanted to find out. He wanted to see how much sweat this palace maid Cui Er had sweated from the heat. Curious, he leaned forward and lowered his head slightly to take a closer look. It didn't matter when he saw it. He really wouldn't know if he didn't see it. When he saw it, he was shocked.
These were not beads of sweat from the palace maid Cui 'er, but crystal clear drops of water that were clearly flowing out of her moist eyes. As the palace maid Cui Er didn't dare to cry out loud, she just stood there silently and cried, causing Zhao Defang, who was standing in front of her, to make a mistake in her judgment.
"Cui, Cui Er, you, why are you crying? I…I'm not blaming you. I-I just wanted to ask you a few questions in private. You, can you stop crying? Did I speak too harshly just now and scared you to tears?”When Zhao Defang saw the tear-stained but silently weeping appearance of the palace maid Cui Er, he, who had just recovered his good mood, immediately felt a little sorry. He stood up with a "leap" and walked to the palace maid Cui Er to comfort her.
After a series of extremely serious questions, the palace maid Cui Er had already determined that the current Fourth Prince was not the former Fourth Prince. She felt extremely sad in her heart. Coupled with this great grievance, tears flowed out of her dejected heart. Her heart was like a refrigerator, extremely cold.
However, who knew that after she answered Zhao Defang's question, she would get the safety of the Fourth Prince, who she had already sentenced to death in her heart. Moreover, from her concerned tone, one could hear nervousness, panic, concern, and helplessness. Immediately, the palace maid Cui Er raised her head, her tears flowing even more violently.
"C-Sister Cui Er, can you stop crying? Last night, I slept a little soundly. That was in the afternoon. I had been thinking of a countermeasure for the official, causing me to overuse my brain, which was why I slept so soundly last night. Even if you kicked the door open, I probably wouldn't be able to hear you.”Zhao Defang hurriedly pulled off a dry towel from the nearby basket and placed it on the chest of the palace maid Cui 'er as she hurriedly explained.
The palace maid Cui Er, who felt extremely wronged, hesitated for a moment before extending her jade-like hand to take the dry towel that Zhao Defang handed over. After she wiped her red eyes and the tears on her cheeks, she thought about Zhao Defang's explanation and secretly felt that it was quite funny, so she broke into a smile.
"Wang, wangye, you slept too soundly at night. Not hearing Cui Er's knocking and calling was fine, but even the thunderous voice of Captain Zhang who was guarding outside the door couldn't wake you up. It seems that your highness was really too tired yesterday. It's good to have a good night's rest. Yesterday, Cui 'er heard from the Empress that noon today is the deadline for wangye to reply to the officials. I wonder if wangye has already come up with a countermeasure. "Right now, there's only an hour left until noon. I hope that your highness can quickly think of a way. Cui Er will be relieved to see that your highness is awake and safe, so I won't disturb you here.”After the palace maid Cui Er wiped her tears, she remembered the Empress's words to her yesterday and quickly bowed. After kindly reminding Zhao Defang, she prepared to stand up and bid farewell.
Seeing the smile on the palace maid Cui Er's face, Zhao Defang let out a long sigh. However, when he heard the palace maid Cui Er say that last night, not only did she call his name, even that imperial guard, Captain Zhang, who did not know what was good for him, also used his loud voice to wake him up. There was no need to think too much about it. Once Class Head Zhang's loud voice was heard, it was likely that half of the people in King Qin's Mansion would be able to hear it. Moreover, it was in the dead of the night. Who knew how many people in the residence would wake up because of his shouting. If he had been in the room at that time, he would have been woken up by him.
After Zhao Defang thought about it, she felt that she had to find some free time to teach this Class Leader Zhang, who had forgotten the pain after the wound healed. If a similar situation happened again, he would be lucky to escape this time. If this continued, it would be terrible. If he was late, his identity and whereabouts would be exposed because of him. Then, his identity and status as the King of Qin would be in danger. He immediately clenched his fists and a faint smile hung on the corner of his mouth.
Of course, for Zhao Defang, who was on the verge of death, he had already thought of a way to deal with the three competition subjects proposed by the Liao Kingdom's princess Xiao Chuo. There was only about an hour left before the deadline given to him by his father, the Zhao family. He had to rush over to report so that the Zhao family could be at ease.
"Cui Er, you're right. However, I have already thought of a way to deal with it, and I will definitely help the Guan family solve their problems. It's getting late. I have to rush to Chuigong to report to the emperor. You can go down and do your work first.”Zhao Defang felt that what the palace maid Cui Er said made sense, so she went along with her words.
"Cui 'er, take your leave." The palace maid Cui Er hurriedly bowed and cupped her hands in front of her chest before respectfully saying goodbye.
As soon as the palace maid Cui Er finished speaking, she retreated to the door with light steps. Then, she turned around and opened the door, revealing a three-foot gap. Then, she turned around and left the room, closing the door from the outside.
When Zhao Defang, who was standing in the room, heard that there was no more movement outside the corridor, she quickly put on her boots and slightly tidied her slightly repaired clothes. Then, she walked out of the door and walked out of the main door of Prince Qin's residence. Then, she walked towards the faraway hanging palace with big strides.
As for the ten imperial guards who were already in Huang Ming's body, when they saw Zhao Defang walk out of Prince Qin's residence, they did not know where he was going. They were afraid that he would be alone in case of an accident, so they followed him and secretly protected him.
Just like that, the group of them walked for about four hours before arriving at Chuigong Hall. Because Zhao Defang had the imperial gold medal, not only could he freely enter and exit the palace gate, he could even enter the palace where Zhao Guan worked and slept without the notice of the chamberlain on duty.
As the matter was more urgent, Zhao Defang left in a hurry. When he arrived at the entrance of the palace, he saw that the chamberlain and guards were blocking him. Without any explanation, he took out the imperial gold medal from his pocket. When the palace attendants and guards who had been blocking him just now saw the imperial gold medal, they quickly dodged to the side as if they had been electrocuted. They lowered their heads respectfully and cupped their hands in front of Zhao Defang. They did not even dare to breathe loudly, afraid that they would anger the young and vigorous Qin Wang.
Zhang Meng, who was hiding in the shadow of a corner, saw that the Fourth Prince, who had just been conferred the title of King of Qin a few days ago, actually had an imperial medal at such a young age. Even Zhang Meng, who had been Zhao Kuangyin's lackey for five years and imperial guard for three years, felt that it was unbelievable.
This was because he had never heard of anyone else being bestowed with such a golden medal other than Zhao Guangyi, the younger brother of the Zhao family, and the Empress. In terms of age, the second prince, the King of Wei, was seven or eight years older than the fourth prince, the King of Qin. In terms of achievements, even Prime Minister Zhao Pu, who was as close as a brother to the Zhao family, had never received such courtesy. And now, the Fourth Prince, who was no more than sixteen years old, had only held the idle post of the Right Minister of the Chamberlain of Dependencies for less than a day in the court. He had not made any military achievements, but he had been able to obtain the gold medal bestowed by the Zhao family. From this, it could be seen that the position of Crown Prince was self-evident.
Thinking of this, Zhang Meng knew that the young prince, who had left the Prince Qin's Mansion without even saying goodbye, was meeting with the Zhao family in the palace. He felt that the young prince was naturally safe in the Zhao family's forbidden area. It was many times safer than staying in his own Prince Qin's Mansion, so he planned to leave on his own.
However, when he thought about how this young prince might become the crown prince in the future, and how he would become the young prince in the future after the prosperous Zhao family, Zhang Meng decided to retreat with his brothers. It was better for him to stay here and wait for the young prince to come out and protect him dutifully.
As for why Zhang Meng wanted to stay, only God knew, and he himself knew. No one else knew the reason.
"Fang 'er, you've finally come to see zhen.”When Zhao Defang had only taken three to five steps into the hall with hurried steps, he heard a middle-aged man in a yellow dragon robe behind an imperial table five feet in front of him. He was leaning behind the table and reading the memorial. He did not even raise his head as he spoke in a clear voice.
This middle-aged man in dragon robes was naturally the Zhao family's official. However, after hearing his greeting, Zhao Defang, who was walking quickly, was shocked. He quickly stopped and his expression gradually became solemn. Because only now did he realize that he had entered Chuigong Palace without prior notice.
"Your son has intruded into the hall without reporting. Please punish me, Imperial Father.”After being shocked for a moment, Zhao Defang pretended to be calm and cupped her hands to apologize.
"Oh, Fang 'er, what crime do you have? Didn't I give you a gold medal earlier? You can freely enter and leave my palace with it. Since I gave it to you, why can't you use it?”Zhao Guanjia, who did not even raise his head just now, could not sit still after hearing Zhao Defang's words of apology. He put down his brush and memorial and slowly stood up. He slowly walked in front of Zhao Defang and said these words without batting an eyelid.
After Zhao Guanjia paused, he changed the topic and continued,"Fang 'er, it's not impossible for zhen to punish you. Right now, there's only a quarter of an hour left until noon. If Fang 'er is unable to find a way to deal with the three competition subjects proposed by the Liao Kingdom's princess as an envoy, then Zhen will really punish you. Fang 'er, I'm afraid that the gold medal you're using today will be the last time you're using it. Why would zhen blame you?”
"Imperial Father is right. Your son will obey your orders.”Zhao Defang, who was still a little frightened and uneasy just now, felt as if he had eaten a calming pill when he heard the Zhao family's words of coercion and bribery. He immediately heaved a sigh of relief and pretended to be a frightened bird as he spoke respectfully.
"Since Fang 'er, you know that father's orders can't be disobeyed, then the emperor's orders naturally can't be obeyed.”Zhao Guanjia first looked meaningfully at Zhao Guanjia, who was standing in the same place with his head lowered. Then, he turned around and asked indifferently with his hands behind his back,"Zhen heard that last night, Fang 'er, you slept very soundly. It could be said that even lightning could not strike you. So many people called you from outside the room, but you did not wake you up. I don't know what you were doing in the room, but you did not even answer. Today, you only got up at Si Shi. Since that's the case, then Fang 'er, have you thought of a way?”
After hearing her father's words, Zhao Defang, who was standing on the spot, broke out in a cold sweat. Because although he had long heard that the emperor's eyes and ears were all over the world, all the people and things he wanted to know could not be hidden from him. After all, this was only what he had read from unofficial history and novels. Today, he had personally heard it from his father. After learning of his rather detailed whereabouts, it indeed broadened his horizons and he could not help but exclaim in surprise.
Fortunately, he had the special ability to be invisible and pass through everything. Otherwise, if he had rushed to the rockery cave in the backyard at night, his whereabouts would have been completely exposed.
Thinking of this, Zhao Defang secretly rejoiced. So, he lowered his head and stretched out a warm palm to gently touch the shiny, crystal clear dragon-shaped jade pendant hanging on his neck. His heart was filled with unspeakable gratitude.
"Replying to Imperial Father, your son spent half the afternoon yesterday thinking about countermeasures. Because he had overused his brain, after eating dinner, his son lay down on the bed and fainted. If it wasn't for you, father, mentioning all of this, your son wouldn't even know about what happened last night. Please forgive me.”Zhao Defang, who was drenched in cold sweat, hurriedly bowed and cupped her hands. She pretended to be in fear and trepidation as she replied.
However, before the Zhao family could answer, Zhao Defang changed the topic and continued,"However, Imperial Father, your son did not disappoint you. Your son has thought of a countermeasure!”
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。