The guests have all left, but the Xie family's spring banquet is not over yet. The head of the family didn't say anything, so the female relatives didn't dare to disperse. They waited restlessly and whispered.
But Xie Queshan actually started to eat at this moment. He was just drinking wine and barely touched the food on the table. He ate elegantly, not too slowly, as if he had nothing on his mind, and no one could tell a clue from his face.
Almost all the dishes in front of everyone's table were intact. After such a big incident, who would still have the energy to eat.
Only the plates in front of Nan Yi's table were empty. For her, the world was not as big as eating. After scanning everyone's dining table, Nan Yi sighed inwardly.
This is too wasteful.
"Second sister," Xie Queshan stopped his chopsticks and wiped the corners of his mouth, "Father, please send someone to ask if you are okay."
Mrs. Gantang had naturally prepared the New Year's snacks at the Houshan Buddhist Hall, but they were guarded by Xie Queshan's soldiers, and she couldn't send them in without his approval. There was so much chaos just now that she forgot to ask.
Unexpectedly, Xie Queshan took the initiative to bring it up.
Mrs. Gantang glanced at Xie Sui'an: "Xiao Liu, go and deliver the New Year snacks, and drop by to wish your father a happy New Year."
Xie Sui'an was stunned and looked at Mrs. Gantang with suspicion and disbelief.
Mrs. Gantang just nodded slightly towards her.
This small interaction between the two fell into Nan Yi's eyes, and she felt a little strange.
Is there any secret hidden in the Houshan Buddhist Hall?
*
Xie Sui'an carried the snack box into the Buddhist hall in the back mountain alone.
This place is heavily guarded by government soldiers, and Duke Changning is under house arrest here. It was because of the Chinese New Year that Xie Queshan relented and allowed outsiders to enter. On weekdays, only the waiters who deliver ingredients can enter and exit.
Xie Sui'an's face was extremely nervous, and his steps were speeding up unconsciously. Because only she knows who is hiding in the Houshan Buddhist Hall.
She walked forward worriedly, wondering why her second sister suddenly assigned her this errand.
Xie Sui'an lifted up the layers of food boxes and took a quick look. The snacks prepared here were quite large, and they were far from being prepared for one person. The second sister must have discovered something.
But the second sister clearly had never entered the back mountain. Where did she find out? Xie Sui'an stared at the food box in his hand, and vaguely found an idea - his father worshiped Buddha and was a vegetarian all year round, but King Ling'an was not a layman, so the food he sent in always contained meaty ingredients. The food in the Buddhist hall and the front yard are prepared separately. Compared with the food, drink and diarrhea of the entire Xie family, no one will pay attention to the food and clothing expenses in the Buddhist hall.
But the second sister was very attentive and took care of the family's backyard after she came back. She might have noticed clues from the details of the ingredients. But luckily she was the second sister. If Xie Queshan found out... then she wouldn't even dare to think about it.
The Buddhist hall is a small courtyard with two entrances. There is a golden statue of Bodhisattva in the front. Even though Xie Sui'an usually doesn't believe in this, he bowed politely before opening the curtain and entering the backyard.
Xie Jun was standing in the backyard and was not surprised to see Xie Sui'an.
"Father, happy New Year."
"Go in." Xie Jun nodded towards Xie Sui'an.
Xie Sui'an stood in front of the door, and when she was about to open the door, she fell into a trance. She ran for the man inside, but she had never seen him and didn't know his temperament or appearance.
"Mr. Nu Xie pays homage to His Highness. I wish His Highness happiness, longevity and good health, and a happy new year."
Xu Zhou, the king of Ling'an, was hiding under Qi Ren's nose, that is, in the back mountain Buddhist hall where Xie Jun was under house arrest.
Xie Jun was not originally involved in Bingzhusi's matter. He only found out that King Ling'an was here when he arrived at the Buddhist hall. As a pure minister, he would naturally help him cover it up without hesitation.
Thanks to Xie Queshan's order to place Xie Jun under house arrest, his unintentional move turned out to be a strange combination of circumstances, making the Houshan Buddhist Hall a safer dark place under the lights. There was a reason for him to come in and out to deliver food, clothing and supplies on weekdays. . Qi Bing kept an eye on the house in front so that no leaks could be leaked, but he forgot that there was still a fish that had slipped through the net in the back.
"Sixth lady, there is no need to be polite, just get up and talk."
Xie Sui'an looked up at Xu Zhou. This was the first time she had seen the young prince.
No matter how careless she is, she still knows that she must be extremely cautious in all matters related to King Ling'an. At that time, she was responsible for delivering messages and signals as part of King Ling'an's mission. The person who personally escorted King Ling'an was the dead man selected by Xie Hengzai himself. After he entered the Houshan Buddhist Hall, the dead soldiers stood guard here together.
Xie Sui'an was afraid that his whereabouts would be watched, so he didn't dare to go near this place.
Today, on the occasion of the New Year, I can finally come to see the future new emperor and discuss future arrangements with him.
Before that, King Ling'an was mentioned repeatedly by everyone. He was more like a symbol and a flag. It doesn't matter what kind of person he is or what he looks like. What's important is that he has the blood of the orthodox royal family in his body, so he became the only child of the dynasty. Even before, he was just an unpopular prince. Because he was so unpopular, he was pushed to a fiefdom and escaped the disaster.
Then he was suddenly promoted to a precariously high position. Everyone thought that he should be indomitable, should turn disaster into good luck, and should have steel and iron bones. But everyone forgot that he was just a boy under twenty years old. .
At this moment, his image became clear in Xie Sui'an's eyes for the first time.
The long-term fear made him look a little weak and pale. He was not fierce, but his brows and eyes revealed that he was wary of everything.
However, the look he looked at Xie Sui'an was gentle.
Before coming in, Xie Sui'an was very nervous, worried that she would say or do something wrong that would make the new emperor unhappy, but after seeing Xu Zhou, her anxiety disappeared.
Xie Sui'an enthusiastically opened the food box he brought.
"Your Highness, my father used to pay homage to the Buddha, so the food he brought in was inevitably a bit shabby and simple. Today I specially selected some snacks and fruits to give His Highness a change of taste."
"Thank you, Miss Six."
Xu Zhou simply ate a little of everything. He couldn't help his youthful nature and looked up at Xie Sui'an curiously, "Are we having a spring banquet today? I vaguely heard the sound of silk and bamboo in front of me."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Xu Zhou suddenly fell into a trance and was a little envious: "It's so good, so lively."
"Today...Ling Fu Di Ji is here too." After hesitating, Xie Sui'an told Xu Zhou.
"Sister Yao Yao?" Xu Zhou's eyes lit up, "Why is she in Lidu Mansion? Is she okay? Is there any news about bringing back my father and other brothers and sisters?"
Xie Sui'an didn't know how to answer.
The light in Xu Zhou's eyes dimmed. He already understood.
"Your Highness, please relax. There is a new leader from Bingzhu Division in Lidu Mansion. Today he has successfully gained the trust of the Qi people. Under his plan, he will definitely be able to rescue Ling Fu Diji and send you safely to Jinling.”
"Then what can I do?" Xu Zhou asked eagerly.
"Your Highness, you just need to wait in peace."
Xu Zhou sighed.
Xie Sui'an noticed his frustration and felt sad.
This young man, who seemed weak and unable to protect himself, was hiding alone in this small place, waiting fearfully for the information coming in from the outside. The burden on him is so heavy and there is so little he can do. He must be very helpless.
She comforted: "Leave the rest to us. We will save you through fire and water."
Xu Zhou has heard these words many times. So many times that he gradually couldn't be inspired by these words, and then fell into even greater self-blame, but when this Lady Xie Liu said it, he actually felt the power.
He couldn't help but look at her carefully.
Pang Yu followed him to protect him. They were similar in age, so they naturally had more time to talk. Pang Yu would often talk about his fiancée, Miss Xie Liu.
During the escape, Pang Yu was his only friend. During those rare times when he didn't have to worry, the two would occasionally quarrel. Pang Yu said that his fiancée was the most beautiful woman in the world, and he said that his princess was the most beautiful woman in the world. is the most beautiful.
After spending a long time talking about these boring questions, I felt extremely relaxed and happy.
Through Pang Yu's descriptions, he had already vaguely sketched out the image of a woman in his mind, but that image was rigid, and it only became vivid when he saw the person for the first time.
No wonder Pang Yu likes her so much. She is a person that people can associate with vitality when they meet her. Her power is outward and contagious.
But after Pang Yu died, he never had the chance to tell Pang Yu that I had met your fiancée, and it turned out to be as good as what you said.
Xu Zhou became sad.
"Don't go through fire and water... I don't want you to die for me at all," Xu Zhou looked at Xie Sui'an sincerely, "My dearest lady, please forgive me."
Xie Sui'an looked at Xu Zhou inexplicably: "Mourning?"
Xu Zhou was also stunned. He thought Xie Sui'an knew.
The news of Pang Yu's death was concealed from Xie Sui'an, saying that Pang Yu had gone elsewhere to perform a mission, so he was not with King Ling'an for the time being.
But no one dared to tell King Ling'an to keep this secret. No one expected that they would suddenly talk about this topic.
But Xu Zhou reacted immediately: "I mean... your eldest brother passed away, please express your condolences."
Even though his answer was correct, Xie Sui'an still felt a twitch in her heart. She vaguely seemed to have caught some clues, but they were too hidden and disappeared in an instant like a slippery loach.
Xie Sui'an looked at Xu Zhou's expression boldly, and he dodged. She slowly raised her hands and thanked him: "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."
After a few more pleasantries, Xu Zhou was already a little distracted, so Xie Sui'an left. She passed the Buddha statue again and inexplicably noticed that its eyes were mottled.
As if there was some kind of induction, the crack in my heart was getting bigger and bigger.
Xie Sui'an stared at the Buddha statue, her breathing became short.
Is it because the Nine Heavens Gods and Buddhas have their eyes covered that the world is so upside down and unfair?
Or is it because there are no gods or Buddhas in this world, and what is enshrined here are just people’s hopes over and over again. People long for flesh and blood to become an indestructible body, long for a drop of dew to have the effect of bringing the dead back to life, and no matter what, they also long for the way of heaven in the dark, where kindness can be rewarded, and evil people can go to hell.
But what if the good people become dry bones first and the evil people are still in this world?
That thought was whistling in her heart, and she wanted to confirm it again, so she turned back.
As soon as he returned to the courtyard, he heard the young prince's voice of relief coming from the carved door to Xie Jun.
"It was so dangerous that I almost let it slip in front of the Sixth Lady. It turns out that she didn't know about Pang Yu's death..."
Boom - a loud thunder on the ground.
She took a step back and kicked the gravel in the yard. The people in the room opened the door in surprise, and a ray of warm candlelight came out. Such a small amount of light could not cover the vast night.
