Ping Zhao Lu

Qingliangju

Luo Siyan sat in the courtyard with an embarrassed look on his face.

He couldn't understand. With his stunning appearance, although not a peerless beauty, he was still a leader among men. Which man would not be moved when seeing him?

In his world, there are many people chasing after him.

How come I was rejected when I got here?

This was the first time he was rejected.

No, it should be that no one has ever turned a blind eye to his kindness.

Chu Yunxiao is one!

Luo Siyan was unwilling to give in. Wouldn't it be more challenging if the person was more difficult to deal with?

Based on his previous experience of reading books, he knew that the person he was pursuing at the moment must have been resistant to him in the early stages, and that he must have been hypocritical. He just needed to get in touch with him a few more times. Now he was trying to make his presence felt in front of the emperor, and as the number of times increased, the emperor would begin to remember him, and slowly... maybe in the later stages, there would be a wife-chasing crematorium!

Thinking of this, Luo Siyan became motivated again.

But then he thought about how he had been coldly rejected when he tried to show his courtesy at noon and almost lost his life. Luo Siyan became uncertain again.

He hadn't been deliberately imitating the Queen, but he usually liked plain clothes, so why couldn't he wear them that way? Was this style exclusive to the Queen?

Luo Siyan began to feel indignant.

"If you're not allowed to wear it, then don't wear it. It's not like you only have that style of clothing! Maybe a different style will impress the Emperor!"

He just didn't believe that he could be defeated by those ancient people!

*

Xu Zhouye sat at the dinner table, his eyes wandering, and put the food into his mouth mechanically, as if his thoughts had already drifted away.

General Xu looked at his son's absent-minded look and felt a little worried.

He put down the bowl and chopsticks in his hands and asked with concern: "But what difficulties have you encountered?"

Hearing his father's question, Xu Zhouye suddenly came back to his senses and quickly shook his head in denial, "Father, don't worry, I'm fine."

After saying this, his eyes unconsciously turned to the food in his father's bowl. As if he had thought of something, he suddenly asked, "Father, what do you think of the food I used to cook? Is it still edible?"

General Xu was stunned by his son's sudden question and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

After a long while, he stammered, "Ah? This... can be eaten, of course it can be eaten! Who said it can't be eaten?"

He was unwilling to admit that every time he had difficulty swallowing the tasteless meals made by his own children, he would secretly find a lot of strong-flavored and heavy food to suppress the bland feeling.

But facing his son's expectant eyes, how could he bear to tell the truth?

Xu Zhouye clearly didn't quite believe his father's answer. He asked suspiciously, "Is that really the case? If I had known this would happen, I would have let him cook tonight so I could personally test my cooking skills."

When General Xu heard this, he almost dropped his chopsticks. "Ahem...Jin'er, you're the queen now. You don't have to do these things yourself. Do less. Besides, the sages always say that a gentleman should stay away from the kitchen."

Xu Zhouye frowned. "Father, you may have misunderstood the saying 'A gentleman should stay away from the kitchen.' The sage's words don't mean that a gentleman shouldn't enter the kitchen or be involved in cooking. Rather, they emphasize that a gentleman should be kind and cannot bear to witness the killing of animals, so they choose to stay away from the kitchen."

When General Xu heard what his son said, his eyes flickered unconsciously and he felt a little uneasy in his heart.

A hint of embarrassment and a bit of displeasure appeared on his weather-beaten face.

As a military general who had fought on the battlefield for many years, what he hated most was those pedantic and flowery words.

In court, he was often left speechless by the civil officials due to his poor eloquence, unable to defend himself. For him, being able to barely understand the surface meaning of the text was enough, so why would he bother to delve into the true meaning behind it?

Xu Zhouye took in his father's expression, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and he chuckled and said, "It's a small matter. I'll listen to you and won't tinker with these things anymore in the future."

When General Xu heard this, his originally dull eyes instantly lit up.

However, he quickly remembered the need to maintain his usual stern and dignified image in front of his son. So, he raised his hand and gently stroked his slightly graying beard, pretending to be deep and steady as he said, "Actually, it's not completely unacceptable. As long as it's something you truly enjoy doing, go ahead and do it. It's just that as a father, I really can't bear to see you overworked and worried about this."

Xu Zhouye smiled and nodded, expressing his understanding of his father's efforts. He continued, "I think the taste shouldn't be too bad. Your Majesty hasn't complained about it after trying it."

"What!" General Xu was so shocked when he heard this that he almost jumped up from his chair.

However, he quickly realized his loss of composure and quickly adjusted his mood, returning to his usual dignified and solemn demeanor. He cleared his throat and explained, "Ahem... What I meant is that it seems that the relationship between you and His Majesty is quite harmonious. Your father is very pleased."

It’s hard to imagine! What was the emperor’s expression after eating it...

Xu Zhouye's smile continued, and just when he was about to speak, the guard beside him walked up quietly.

The guard came close to Xu Zhouye's ear, lowered his voice, and whispered some important news to him.

Xu Zhouye listened quietly to the guard's words, nodding from time to time to show that he understood.

After the guard finished speaking, he responded calmly: "Well, I already know. Please step aside and wait for my instructions."

"Yes, sir!" The guard clasped his hands respectfully, accepted the order and turned to leave.

Seeing this scene, General Xu, who was sitting at the table, couldn't help but feel puzzled and asked quickly: "What happened?"

Xu Zhouye hurriedly comforted him, "Don't worry, Dad. These are just some trivial matters. You'd better eat the food while it's hot, otherwise it will get cold soon." As he spoke, he picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and put it in the bowl for his old father.

*

As night falls, the sea and sky merge.

The sea breeze was howling, and the waves were crashing against the rocks, making a roar.

The fishermen who went out to sea to fish packed up their fishing gear and went ashore before it got completely dark.

"Hey, Lao Wang, you've gained a lot today."

The fisherman deftly arranged the fishing net and fishing rod in his hands, and turned to look at Wang Cheng who was collecting the net next to him, his eyes full of envy.

Although he is not good-looking, his fishing skills are no worse than others. No wonder he can make money.

Hearing the praise, Wang Cheng smiled slightly and responded modestly, "It's just good luck." As he spoke, he picked out a big, plump fish from the net he had just collected and threw it into the fisherman's basket. "I'll go back and make a pot of fish soup for my sister-in-law while it's still fresh."

The fisherman smiled from ear to ear when he saw this. "Great, great! My wife will be very happy to know this! When you are free someday, please come to my house for a simple meal."

Wang Cheng smiled and nodded in agreement. He then proceeded to pack up his things in an orderly manner and walked back to his residence.

When he gently opened the bamboo fence door and slowly stepped into the courtyard, he heard the children's laughter.

At the same time, there was also the voice of a strange man.

Wang Cheng's heart sank suddenly.

He didn't have time to think about it, and he ran towards the front of the house in a hurry.

Soon, a dull "bang" sound suddenly rang out. It turned out that the wooden door that was originally closed was pushed open by him without mercy.

"Ruo'er!" Wang Cheng shouted anxiously, his voice full of anxiety and worry.

"Dad!" The little boy sitting at the square wooden table stood up excitedly when he heard Wang Cheng's familiar call. He ran towards Wang Cheng quickly with his short legs and opened his arms to hug Wang Cheng's thighs tightly.

At this time, the other two people in the house also reacted to the appearance of this sudden intruder.

One of them was standing, wearing a mask, with a sharp knife at his waist, and his posture was upright; the other was sitting, wearing a veil on his head, and his posture was elegant.

The two of them turned their heads at the same time, their eyes fixed on Wang Cheng, who was standing at the door with an angry look on his face.

Wang Cheng quickly protected the child behind him, then looked at the two strangers with a serious expression and said coldly, "I have never met you two before. I'm afraid it's a bit impolite for you to barge into my home like this today."

After he finished speaking, his eyes quickly glanced at the weapon on the waist of the man standing not far away.

At this moment, his originally calm expression suddenly changed, and a look of panic instantly appeared on his face.

Then, he can be seen turning around at an extremely fast speed, stretching out his arms without hesitation, and hugging the child standing behind him tightly in his arms.

Then, without a moment's delay, he opened his legs and ran out the door in a hurried and chaotic manner, each step seeming so hasty, as if something terrible was chasing them from behind.

Seeing this, Xu Zhouye suddenly stood up from his seat and waved to the guard beside him, signaling him to chase after him.