The Emperor's uncle loves me! My paranoid wife, don't run away

Eunuch Qian tactfully retreated to the door, squinting his eyes and looking into the distance, as if he knew nothing about the conversation in the Palace of Tranquil Longevity, but his fingers were unconsciously rubbing lightly in his sleeves, and it was obvious that he was not at peace.

In the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Tong Jiasuo was dressed in white and sat casually, as if he regarded this solemn place as his own home.

His hair was as white as frost, but he did not look old at all. Instead, he looked more leisurely and relaxed. He gently stroked his knees, looked at the emperor with a slightly scrutinizing gaze, and smiled meaningfully.

The emperor's gaze lingered on Tong Jiasuo for a moment. The Buddhist beads in his hand paused unconsciously, then he let go and smiled: "How come Sikong has time to come and see me?"

Tong Jiasuo smiled slightly, with a bit of emotion in his tone: "The war in Jinlin is tight. Although I have retired, I am still concerned about the court."

The emperor kept his eyes downcast without raising them, and the Buddhist beads in his hand were slowly turning. For a moment, the only sound in the hall was the light collision of beads, but he did not respond.

Tong Jiasuo's eyes flickered slightly, he sat up straighter, sighed and said: "Your Majesty, I know that I am just an idler. I have retired for many years and am no longer as useful as I was when I was young!"

His words had a hint of tentativeness in them.

The emperor finally raised his head, his eyes were gentle, but the depth of his eyes was hard to fathom.

He slowly said, "Sikong is really modest."

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, wind blew in through the window cracks, stirring up a few wisps of green smoke.

The incense burner was burning with the finest agarwood. The smoke curled up and seemed to surround the two of them. There was a subtle thing in the air, which seemed calm, but there were hidden waves.

Tong Jiasuo shook his head, still with a smile on his face, as if he was unaware of the subtle oppression.

He sighed softly, and spoke slowly and with a bit of ease: "The Princess's matter? Your Majesty, are you blaming me for acting on my own?"

The emperor paused and tapped the Buddhist beads lightly on the table, making a crisp sound.

He raised his eyes, his gaze was indifferent, and he said with a smile: "Sikong, what are you talking about?"

Tong Jiasuo's smile faded slightly, but he still looked calm: "Your Majesty is very observant. If I say this too much, it would seem that I am not tactful."

The emperor looked away, and suddenly changed the subject, as if casually saying, "By the way, I have read a few books these days, and there is a passage that confuses me. Sikong, a learned man, perhaps you can answer my questions and clear up my confusion?"

Tong Jiasuo raised his eyebrows slightly, revealing a respectful look: "It is your honor, Your Majesty, please speak."

The emperor smiled slightly, tapped the table slowly with his fingers, and then said slowly:

"Ancient sages have said that as time passes, people should recognize their destiny; as their teeth and hair age, they should cultivate themselves and retreat. If they cling to their past achievements and fail to judge the times, they may become troublesome to the world, which is really unwise."

After that, the emperor turned his gaze to Tong Jiasuo and asked meaningfully, "Sikong, do you think the sage's words are correct?"

The smile on Tong Jiasuo's face froze for a moment, then returned to normal.

He bowed slightly and replied calmly, "The words of the sage are of course profound, but I think that although destiny cannot be violated, one must also adapt to local conditions when judging fate. Your Majesty is wise and will never generalize based on a single ancient text."

The wind in the Hall of Mental Cultivation seemed to be even colder. The green smoke from the incense burner was blown away again, vaguely outlining a fuzzy outline, just like this conversation, real and unreal, hard to tell.

Tong Jiasuo stared at the emperor's expression, leaned forward slightly, and spoke in an unhurried tone, but every word was like a nail, penetrating into people's hearts.

"Your Majesty, the words of the sage are profound, but I dare to add one more sentence - some things may be far away, but the things engraved in the mind cannot be forgotten even if you want to."

"If these things were to get out, I'm afraid it would cause a huge uproar and make everyone in the world know about it."

As soon as the words fell, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became heavy. The green smoke from the incense burner was blown away by a gust of wind, like an invisible hand, disturbing the originally calm air.

The emperor's eyes turned slightly cold, and he picked up the Buddhist beads in his hand again, but he no longer turned them gently, but held them tightly.

The slight rubbing sound seemed particularly harsh in the silent hall.

After a moment, he raised his eyes, revealing a half-smile, but his voice was a little colder: "Sikong, are you reminding me that the past should not be easily forgotten?"

Tong Jiasuo lowered his head and smiled slightly, but his expression could not hide the cunningness of an old fox: "How dare I remind Your Majesty, it's just that I am old and confused, and it's inevitable that I have wild thoughts."

The emperor looked at him coldly, without saying a word for a long while, but his fingertips gently applied force on the Buddhist beads, as if he wanted to crush those ancient sandalwood beads.

"Sikong is so modest that it's admirable." The emperor finally spoke, his tone so calm that it was hard to understand.

Then he slowly stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the red walls and glazed tiles in the distance outside the window. He seemed to be in deep thought, or as if he was using this short distance to hide his emotions.

Tong Jiasuo calmly sat back in the chair, his eyes following the emperor's figure leisurely, but there was a hint of ambiguous smile in his eyes.

After a long while, the emperor finally spoke, with a hint of inquiry in his tone: "Sikong, are you here to ask me for Ji Yun this time?"

After hearing this, Tong Jiasuo smiled even more happily, his eyes full of pride and calmness.

"What do you mean by 'want or not'? Your Majesty, you are embarrassing me." Tong Jiasuo bowed slightly, his tone was humble, but with a hint of teasing, "How dare I ask Your Majesty for anything? It's just that Ji Yun really caught my eye."

He paused, as if trying to adjust the atmosphere, with a humble smile on his face, but he changed the subject and revealed a different meaning: "Your Majesty also knows that I don't have many hobbies, just a few."

As he spoke, Tong Jiasuo's eyes flickered slightly, revealing an ambiguous smile, even with a hint of frivolity.

The emperor stood in front of the window, his back as cold as a mountain. The sunlight outside the window shone on his body but failed to bring any warmth.

He stared at the distant sky, but the queen's face flashed through his mind. His eyes turned cold, his hands slowly clenched, and there was a sinister and cold light in his eyes.

A son must pay for his father's debts. Queen, since your father is like this, don't blame me for being merciless.

After a moment, he finally turned around with a faint smile on his face, as if everything that had just happened had never happened.

"Sikong, I am a little curious..." He asked in a gentle tone, seemingly casually, "How do you know that I will give it to you?"

As he finished speaking, there was a cold and sharp light in his eyes, pointing straight into Tong Jiasuo's heart like a knife.

Tong Jiasuo was startled for a moment, but quickly recovered his composure.

He chuckled, folded his hands on his knees, and kept smiling: "Your Majesty is wise and will not easily agree. But I know what I am doing. As long as I am still sitting in this Yangxin Palace, I don't have to worry about returning empty-handed."

"Oh?" The emperor thought.

Tong Jiasuo stood up and saluted.

After the ceremony, he looked up with some emotion in his eyes, as if he was lost in some memories. He sighed softly, his tone low but firm,

"For the prosperity of Tianyan, I have always believed that Your Majesty is willing to give everything. Jiang Wange was like this in the past, and Ji Yun should be like this now."