Ping Zhao Lu

A gentle breeze blew slowly, and the sunlight shone through the clouds, casting golden rays of light, illuminating the entire imperial palace.

Above the imperial city, the sound of drums was deafening.

Looking from here, there was a huge crowd of people under the city wall. Officials and civilians were all here to see off the soldiers who were going to the battle.

Xu Zhouye, dressed in a blue shirt that trailed on the ground, walked slowly up to the city wall accompanied by palace servants.

He immediately caught sight of the figure standing in the center of the city wall. The emperor, dressed in a dark and gold-woven suit, stood tall and straight, proudly standing like a pine or cypress. Behind him followed a group of ministers, including his father, Duke Dingguo.

Chu Yunxiao and a group of ministers immediately looked at him with different eyes.

The ministers all bowed and said, "Your humble servants pay their respects to the Queen."

Xu Zhouye glanced at the indifferent emperor, feeling a little uncomfortable, but he forced himself to remain calm, cleared his throat and said, "No need to be polite, my lords."

"Thank you, Queen." The ministers responded in unison.

From a distance, Xu Zhouye nodded to his father as a greeting, then hesitantly walked to the emperor, saluted stiffly and stood aside, no longer looking at Chu Yunxiao's expression.

He was a little concerned whether Chu Yunxiao was still angry about what happened yesterday, but he couldn't help but look at his elder brother who was riding a horse under the city wall.

Xu Jianglin was dressed in armor, looking heroic and valiant, looking ahead with a determined gaze.

At this moment, he seemed to sense Xu Zhouye's gaze and turned to look over. Their eyes met in mid-air, and they both smiled warmly.

Xu Jianglin waved to him, telling him not to worry. Xu Zhouye felt warm in his heart and smiled in response.

Chu Yunxiao couldn't help but turn his head to look at the people around him, and a strange feeling arose in his heart.

At this moment, the corners of his queen's mouth rose slightly, and that smile was as warm and gentle as the spring breeze, and it came from the heart.

Noticing the emperor's gaze, Xu Zhouye's smile gradually became stiff, as if frozen on his face.

Seeing this, Chu Yunxiao calmly withdrew his gaze, as if nothing that had just happened had happened.

He remained silent, standing there like an iceberg, making it difficult to understand what he was thinking.

The atmosphere between the two was extremely dull and depressing, and no one paid any attention to the other.

After the army set out, Xu Zhouye took a deep breath, pretended to be calm, and saluted the emperor to take his leave.

However, Chu Yunxiao still had a stern face and did not respond to him.

Xu Zhouye turned a blind eye and resolutely went down the city wall with a group of palace servants.

This scene happened to be seen by the sharp-eyed General Xu. He frowned slightly and couldn't help but feel worried about his son.

*

After Xu Zhouye walked down the city wall, he asked all the palace servants to leave and walked steadily towards the carriage that Qinghe had prepared early in the morning.

After getting on the carriage, Xu Zhouye closed his eyes slightly and exhaled softly, as if trying to put all his fatigue behind him. His body gradually relaxed and his mind gradually calmed down.

Qing He sat quietly outside the carriage, her eyes occasionally gazing at the scenery along the roadside, but her heart was always thinking of her master. She knew her master needed some peace and quiet at the moment, so she made no sound.

The driver gently whipped his whip, and the crisp sound of the whip echoed in the air. The carriage began to move slowly forward, driving along the wide road towards the outside of the palace, attracting the attention of many people along the way.

About an hour later, the carriage finally arrived at the gate of the Duke's Mansion.

The doorman immediately recognized Qing He sitting next to the carriage and smiled with joy. They knew that it was their second young master who had returned, so they hurried forward to greet him.

Xu Zhouye opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly stood up and walked out of the car. His face was slightly pale, but the fatigue in his eyes had disappeared, replaced by a faint sense of confidence and composure.

"Second Young Master!" the doorman came forward excitedly and greeted, "You're finally back!"

"Oh, that's not right." The servant realized that he had called the wrong name and quickly pulled the others to kneel down and salute, "Your servant greets His Highness."

Xu Zhouye smiled slightly and waved his hand for them to stand up. "I will still be your Second Young Master when we return home. There is no need for such a grand ceremony."

The servants stood up happily, "Thank you, Second Young Master!"

Xu Zhouye nodded slightly, then took Qinghe into the mansion one after another.

As soon as he stepped through the gate, the servants who were busy at work immediately stopped what they were doing, knelt down and saluted, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness!"

Xu Zhouye couldn't help but raise his hand to touch his forehead, secretly sighing in his heart that calling him Second Young Master sounded more intimate.

"Everyone, get up. From now on, there's no need to be so polite in the mansion. Just carry on as usual."

"Yes."

After everyone responded in unison, they stood up and gathered around Qinghe, curiously asking her about the latest news in the palace.

Just at this time, General Xu also returned home.

"master."

Everyone bowed again.

Hearing the voice, Xu Zhouye turned to look at his father who was wearing a purple official robe, only to see that he looked unhappy.

General Xu strode towards him at a brisk pace. Just as he was about to bow, Xu Zhouye hurriedly stopped him, "Father, I should be the one to salute you."

After saying this, Xu Zhouye knelt down and kowtowed solemnly.

General Xu felt his eyes warm up, and tears were about to burst out, but he quickly calmed himself down, bent down, and carefully helped the man in front of him up, saying, "Come on, let's go in and talk."

Xu Zhouye smiled and nodded, then followed his father into the front hall.

After the two men sat down one after another, General Xu took off his official hat and put it aside. He shifted his gaze to his youngest son, and the worry in his eyes became more and more intense.

He sighed heavily and said softly, "I have wronged you after all. You were in your prime, and you should have been free to soar into the vast sea and sky. But unexpectedly, a decree has trapped you in this deep palace, depriving you of your former freedom."

Xu Zhouye shook his head and said soothingly, "Father, don't worry about me. Everything is fine in the palace. I've adapted well. The Emperor is also very kind to me."

Speaking of the Emperor, General Xu's expression grew even more sorrowful. "I saw him this morning too. It seems like there's a rift between you and the Emperor..."

Xu Zhouye was stunned when he heard this and was speechless for a moment.

Seeing this, General Xu offered his words of comfort: "Although the Emperor and Empress are not ordinary couples, they must remain together for life. Any conflicts should be clarified."

"The kid knows." Xu Zhouye knew it well.

I'm just not ready to confess to the emperor yet.

General Xu could see that he was a little hesitant, so he just let him be. After all, he had to figure it out on his own.

"The situation has been unstable recently. You must be careful in the palace, especially with the Queen Mother. Do not get too close to her." General Xu reminded him, "Your Majesty has always been at odds with the Queen Mother. You should be aware of this."

Xu Zhouye raised the corner of his mouth slightly, "Don't worry, father. I don't get along with her either."

*

imperial study room

The emperor behind the imperial desk was casually flipping through the pile of memorials, but his eyes drifted away from time to time, and it was obvious that his mind was not fully focused on this.

I saw that he frowned slightly, and there was a hint of irritation that was difficult to conceal between his brows.

From last night till now, his queen has not spoken a single word to him!

As if she didn't care about the assassination he suffered last night...

Chu Yunxiao only felt his head a little swollen. He reached out and gently pinched his eyebrows. His brows were slightly frowned, and a trace of fatigue appeared on his face.

Afterwards, he threw aside the memorial he had been reading for a long time. Immediately afterwards, he stood up and strode out of the imperial study.

"No need to follow me." Chu Yunxiao waved his hand without turning his head, signaling the eunuchs who were following closely behind him to retreat.

Seeing this, the eunuchs did not dare to disobey in the slightest. They could only bow respectfully, then slowly stepped back a few steps and stopped where they were.

Chu Yunxiao walked alone under the long corridor.

His steps seemed casual, but in fact they carried an indescribable heaviness.

The surrounding scenery quickly passed by his eyes, but his heart had already flown elsewhere.

He didn't know how long it had been, but when he came to his senses, he found that he had unknowingly arrived at the gate of Fengluan Palace.

The gate of Fengluan Palace was wide open. The palace servants saw the emperor coming from afar and were all surprised. Then they knelt down in unison and saluted, shouting in unison: "Greetings, Your Majesty!" The sound echoed throughout the palace.

Chu Yunxiao waved his hand expressionlessly and said lightly: "Everyone get up." Hearing the emperor's order, the palace servants stood up cautiously, lowered their heads, and did not dare to look directly at the emperor.

Chu Yunxiao walked straight into the palace without looking around. He saw that everything in the palace was kept in perfect order and spotless by the palace servants.

Although the owner of the palace was not here at the moment, the palace servants were still diligent in their duties and were busy completing their own tasks.

At this moment, Su Ming, who was cleaning the main hall with the palace servants, suddenly caught a glimpse of the emperor.

He was startled and immediately stopped what he was doing. He quickly stepped forward, knelt down and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty."

Chu Yunxiao nodded slightly and said softly, "Everyone go down."

Upon hearing this, everyone quickly retreated as if they had been pardoned, and Chu Yunxiao was the only one left in the huge hall.

Chu Yunxiao walked slowly towards the inner hall, his steps steady and slow. He passed through an exquisite screen, crossed the beaded curtains and gauze curtains, and came to the bedroom.

Then, he wearily took off his outer robe, walked to the couch, and slowly sat down. His slender and bony fingers gently fell on the brocade on the couch.

After a long moment, he sighed softly.