==Chapter 30==

After coming out of the Heluan Palace, passing through Wangsendai, it is the Taiye Pond.

This palace of a thousand palaces left over from the previous dynasty, although it was repeatedly attacked by war at the end of the previous dynasty, but after the great Qi Tai/ancestor ascended the throne, it has been repaired several times, and the glory of the previous dynasty has been restored, and even surpassed.

The Rongxi Hall of the King of Chu is on the west side of the Taiye Pool, the King of Chu did not live in the Rongxi Hall before, and then because of the bad legs, Emperor Chengyuan said that the scenery of the Rongxi Palace is pleasant, the scenery is very beautiful, and it is suitable for recuperation, so the King of Chu moved here.

The king of Chu leaned on a wheelchair and let the chamberlain slowly push forward.

All the palace attendants knew the temperament of King Chu Xijing, and they didn't dare to follow too closely, and they followed not far behind.

"Your Royal Highness, did you say that the queen mother was playing some conspiracy again, why did you want to let you go to Lanling to treat your leg injury?"

The king of Chu leaned on the wheelchair with his eyes half-closed, letting the breeze blow his face, and the breeze blew his hair, gently fluttering in the wind, adding a touch of dust to him.

You can faintly hear the exclamations of people passing by the palace in the distance, the king of Chu is the most handsome among the princes, this is something that everyone in the palace knows. But he never thought that this King of Chu would destroy his leg, and he could only be accompanied by a wheelchair. At that time, when the news came out, although no one dared to speak out because of the involvement of the prince, the palace people who sighed in their hearts in private did not know how many.

After a long time, the voice of the king of Chu sounded low, and there was a hint of laughter, but I didn't know if this smile was sarcastic.

"She is sincere this time, and she wants to show herself in front of her father."

The chamberlain replied in a low voice, and there was a faint sigh in his voice, "No matter what, I really hope that the doctor can really heal His Highness's leg, so that it will be fine." ”

Such a person can only be accompanied by a wheelchair, not only many palace people in the palace feel pity, but he is also a pity.

*

East Palace

This palace courtyard standing in the north of the Taiye Pond is the most magnificent palace in the entire palace, even compared to the Zichen Hall of Emperor Chengyuan.

Here lives the Prince of Yuanzhang of Daqi, and he is also the person with the highest status in the entire palace except for Emperor Chengyuan.

It can be said that it is under one person and above ten thousand people.

The purple tulle fluttered slightly in the breeze, and the prince was half-lying on the soft couch, his eyes looking at the scenery outside. The clear face smiled, as if intoxicated.

This spacious pavilion built on a high place is the prince's favorite place to stay in his leisure time on weekdays. The terrain here is very high, and it is the highest position in the entire East Palace, and from here, you can take in the scenery of the entire Taiye Pool.

There was a slight footstep, and the chamberlain beside the prince glanced out, then came to the prince's side and said, "His Royal Highness the prince, Your Majesty is here." ”

As he spoke, a figure in a yellow dragon robe lifted up the tulle and stepped in.

"Zhang'er, why are you blowing the wind outside again, didn't Imperial Doctor Hu say it, you have to be well kept in the palace recently, and it is not appropriate to come out to blow the wind."

With the help of his chamberlain, the prince sat up straight and said with a smile: "Father, the child stayed in the palace and was bored, and when he saw that the sky was very good today, he came out to breathe." And—" He clenched his fists and coughed lightly, "You don't know about the child's body, it's an old problem, and it doesn't make much difference whether to raise it or not." ”

Emperor Chengyuan half-pursed his white sword eyebrows, and reprimanded softly: "Why did you kid say that, since the imperial doctor said it, he must have a reason." If you listen to the words of the Imperial Doctor and recuperate with your heart, you will be cured one day. ”

The prince nodded and said with a smile: "The child listens to his father, and he will go back later." ”

Emperor Chengyuan nodded with satisfaction, stroked his beard, and sat down on the couch beside him.

"Father is here today, but what's the matter?"

Recently, the Turkic country in the northern frontier has been in turmoil again, and Emperor Chengyuan has every opportunity, and he is very busy with government affairs, and he rarely comes to visit the prince during the day. Suddenly coming today, the prince knew that something must be wrong.

"It's nothing, the frontier has finally suppressed the remnants of □□, this □□ remnants ......"

Emperor Chengyuan chattered to the prince about some things about government affairs, this Emperor Chengyuan has always been arbitrary, the emperor is very strict, and he is also quite strict with the princes, such a face of an ordinary father, probably only the prince can see.

The prince smiled and listened silently, occasionally interjecting a few words to discuss with Emperor Chengyuan.

After a while, the meaning is still unfinished.

Emperor Chengyuan faintly blamed himself for looking at the prince's thin and almost out of shape face, and said: "I know that you are not in good health, and my father still tells you these troubles, you don't care about these, my father can handle them." ”

The prince smiled bitterly and said, "It's also that the child's body is really not angry, otherwise he will definitely be able to give his father a force." It will not let the father finish the government affairs, and he will have to worry about the child's body. ”

Emperor Chengyuan raised his thick eyebrows and pretended: "Don't say that, my son is smart and intelligent, and the world knows that if it weren't for your poor health, my father would have passed on the throne to you a long time ago." Your most important task now is to take care of your body, and your father is still waiting for you to take over the throne......"

The crown prince smiled, and his face slowly turned bitter, and Emperor Chengyuan said as he spoke, and his voice stopped abruptly.

In fact, both of them know that it is difficult for the prince's body to think well, this is a disease brought out of the womb, the prince has been weak and sick since he was a child, taking more medicine than eating, and later contracted a cough disease, which is even worse.

It's just that Emperor Chengyuan has always been unwilling to believe that the prince is not ready, and the prince can only hold on in order to appease a loving father's heart. Similar to this kind of dialogue between father and son, the two don't know how much they have experienced, earlier the prince could still pretend that he would definitely be healed to comfort Emperor Chengyuan, as the prince's condition worsened last year, and even coughed up blood, this disguised self-confidence became weaker and weaker, and it seemed that it would be broken if it was poked.

However, Emperor Chengyuan has always stubbornly thought so, and even domineeringly did not allow others to talk about the prince's illness. Earlier, some palace attendants privately discussed that the prince was dying, and Emperor Chengyuan knew about it, and he slaughtered dozens of people overnight. Since then, no one in the entire palace dared to mention the prince's illness, and everyone pretended to look like the prince would be fine, including the former courtiers.

Everyone knows that Emperor Chengyuan is crazy, the dragon has reverse scales, and the prince is the reverse scale that no one can touch at the heart of Emperor Chengyuan, since the death of the first queen.

"Okay, okay, I finally came to see you in a hurry, and I actually talked about this again." Emperor Chengyuan waved his hand and patted his thigh, and his voice changed, "There was something wrong with this visit, the Xiao family found a famous doctor, saying that he might be able to cure the leg of the king of Chu, and the queen asked me to tell me about it, and wanted the king of Chu to go to Lanling to let the doctor take a look." ”

The prince's eyes flashed, and he smiled: "It's good that the fifth brother can avoid it for the time being, he has always been a character who is not involved in things, so as not to disturb his injuries from those miscellaneous people." ”

Saying that, he sighed, "I didn't expect that the fifth brother has always been silent, but he is a kind-hearted person, if it weren't for him this time, the child would probably not have been." ”

Hearing this, Emperor Chengyuan's eyes bloomed with a violent light, and his fists clenched and clicked.

"The person behind it is really vicious, the secret arrow hurts people, and even the arrow is poisoned, fortunately the king of Chu blocked an arrow for you, if it weren't for this time my son was worried about internal and external troubles, he would definitely die on the spot." Zhang'er, don't worry, your father will definitely help you avenge this, and the father of the person behind him will definitely not let him go. ”

The prince nodded and said, "Father, if you don't take revenge and let it go first, it's still the fifth brother's leg that matters, he is still young, and he can't be accompanied by a wheelchair for the rest of his life." As soon as I think of the fifth brother's legs, the child is full of guilt, and for the sake of my torn body, I actually put him in......"

Emperor Chengyuan interrupted the prince's words with a dissatisfied face, "Zhang'er, don't say this in the future, the king of Chu can block this arrow for you, it is what he should do." The father will order people to do their best to heal his leg, even if it can't be cured, the father will compensate him in the future, and you don't need to feel guilty. You must know that you are the crown prince of Daqi, a person above tens of thousands of people, and it is his honor that he can do his best to you. ”

The prince smiled bitterly and nodded hurriedly.

Emperor Chengyuan stroked his beard and muttered: "You are right, the king of Chu has a temperament that does not contaminate anything, so it's good to let him avoid going out." Next, let's take a good look at who borrowed the courage from the sky and dared to break ground on your head! ”

*

On the day of departure, the weather was sunny and cloudless.

In front of the Xiao family's mansion, there was a long line of black paint flat-topped carriages, and there were almost twenty or so of them in the past. Only seven or eight of these carriages were seated, and everything else was carried with them, and it was unusual for the children of the family to travel, let alone travel long distances.

It is said that these are just the travel formations here in Chang'an, and Luoyang is more prepared. Lanling is far away from Chang'an, from Chang'an to Lanling, you need to go to Luoyang first, change the boat from Luoyang, go south through the Tongji Canal until Huaishui, and then change the car by the boat, and then walk a few days to get to Lanling, Yizhou.

Roughly estimated, from Chang'an to Lanling, it will take about a month to drive, and if the road is slower, it will take two months.

Xiao Jiuniang and Xiao Shi Niang rode in the same carriage, which is suitable for long-distance journeys, which is different from ordinary short-distance carriages. Not only are the carriages sturdy, the frame is tall, and each car is equipped with two tall horses in parallel, which runs fast and smoothly. And the interior area of the carriage is also extremely spacious, with several seats for a case, and two soft couches for people to rest, which can be described as a necessary weapon for long-distance travel.

After Xiao Jiuniang got into the carriage, she took off the shoes on her feet under the service of Lianzhi and replaced them with a pair of embroidered shoes with thin soles and comfortable soles. After that, he leaned on the soft couch, half-closed his eyes, and waited for the convoy to depart.

Xiao Siniang was not as leisurely as her, with a dignified look on her face, as if she had something on her mind.

Jiu Niang glanced at her, "Okay, you don't have to think about it, after you leave, it will make her more at ease, and it is better to worry about you more than Cheng Ri." ”

Shi Niang pursed her lips tightly and did not speak.

Xiao Jiuniang is actually not very good at comforting people, and most of her dealings with people in her previous life were deceitful. In ordinary times, in addition to a sister, the only person close to him is the king of Chu. can be compared with the king of Chu, she is a little dog's leg, the king of Chu is the person she tries her best to stammer, and the king of Chu doesn't need her to comfort at all, she just obeys her orders. And Xiao Nan, because she is too busy, usually just cares that she is not harmed, just that she eats and drinks well, and has a good life, but this kind of warm gesture of comfort has never been there.

This is the first time this has happened.

"If you think about it like this, your aunt has been under the hands of the county lord of Chaoxia for more than ten years, so she naturally has her way of preservation. Although it is inevitable that she will suffer some hardships, at least her heart is at peace, and she doesn't have to worry about you. ”

Just like in her previous life, although she was a little harder, as long as she thought that Xiao Nan would be fine, she was willing. That kind of mood is complicated, but it is interconnected, so Jiu Niang can understand it.

"Are you sure you're comforting me?" Xiao Siniang smiled bitterly and spoke.

It's just that she can't open which pot, knowing that what she is most worried about is that she is afraid that her departure will anger the lord of Chaoxia and let her be ruthless to Ah Niang, although her life is worry-free, but as long as she knows that Ah Niang will suffer because of herself, her heart is like a knife.

Xiao Jiuniang's face stiffened for a moment, and she glanced at her, "Then can you deny that I'm telling the truth?" This is the best situation today. ”

She really can't deny it.

Xiao Siniang sighed.

But understanding is not the same thing as being able to let go, especially when the news came out that her uncle and grandfather were about to take them to Lanling, Chongyue Pavilion was angry, which made her worry for several days. It was Han Yunniang who saw her daughter frowning, and listed all kinds of comforts to her, telling her daughter that she must be fine, as long as her daughter is good, she will be fine, Xiao Yu was a little relieved.

But to say that she can really rest assured is false, her mother is worried, her daughter left her mother to suffer and traveled far away, it is strange that she can rest assured. But if you don't feel at ease, you have to be at ease, just like Xiao Jiuniang said, this situation is already the best situation today.

Morning, Kasumi, county, lord!

Xiao Shi Niang has been growing up for nearly ten years now, and if you say that the only person she hates, she is undoubtedly the county lord of Chaoxia.

"One day, I'll make her pay!" Xiao Siniang clenched her fists and said word by word.

"This day is not far off."

Xiao Jiuniang is not comforting Shi Niang, but the two have a common goal. This resentment has nothing to do with anything else, but lies in the person who is closest to her in this world, Xiao Yu is very lucky, her aunt is still there, but Yueji is gone early.

Every time she thinks of Yueji, Xiao Jiuniang feels a sense of sadness, and the hatred in her heart becomes more and more intense.

This kind of hatred has existed for two lifetimes, and the county lord of Chaoxia died at the hands of Xiao Jiuniang in the previous life, and this hatred gradually disappeared, and the ending of this life must be the same as the previous life. Some hatred is engraved in the bones, and no way can erase it, only one life is worth one life.

Nearly half an hour passed before the carriage moved slowly and moved forward.

Xiao Jiuniang didn't know that the reason why it was delayed for so long was because the convoy added four more carriages.

These four carriages were no different from the others, but if you looked closely, you could see that the drivers were all tall and muscular, and they surrounded one of the four carriages, intentionally or unintentionally, along with the guards who were protecting the people.

The summer morning is cool, and the early morning sun shines on the earth, and the pale golden sunlight shines through the sheer curtains of the windows, coating the entire carriage with a layer of pale gold. And the most dazzling thing in the whole carriage is not the warm sunshine, but the boy sitting in the sun.

Dressed in a green shirt and a shawl with black hair, the young man leaned on the pillow on the soft couch and silently flipped through the scroll in his hand. Half-narrowed eyes, long eyebrows like willows, and curly eyelashes cast two fan-shaped shadows under the eyelids when viewed from the side.

"Your Highness, it's still a long way to go, do you want to lie down for a while?"

The boy ignored him.

Seeing this, the speaker stopped talking and sat back in the corner of the carriage.

……

Out of Chang'an City, the speed of the carriage accelerated.

Seeing this, Jiu Niang and Shi Niang simply lay on the soft couch and pretended to sleep, while Lian Zhi and Ruhua whispered to pass the time.

The day was spent in carriages, and when water was needed along the way, the maidservants went out to say a word, and a guard on horseback brought water. When it was time for the meal, a guard rode a horse and brought a food box, which contained three dishes and one soup, and the amount was just what the two of them needed.

It's just that lotus branches and flowers don't have such good treatment, only steamed buns with water are edible, but as a maidservant, it's not that they haven't suffered hardships, as long as they don't starve.

Xiao Siniang was also curious about how the convoy was non-stop, how there was still hot food to eat, and then Lianzhi explained her doubts. It turned out that there were two carriages in the convoy, which were equipped with firewood, rice, oil, salt water, and vegetable stoves, and two cooks, who could cook directly in the carriage, so there was naturally hot food available.

Of course, this kind of treatment is not just a person, only those high-ranking families will be so cumbersome, just for the way, the masters eat cleanly, and secondly, it is also to hurry, so as not to waste time between stops.

It was nearly dusk when the carriage slowly stopped, and Xiao Jiuniang looked out the window of the carriage and seemed to have arrived at a post station.

This post station is on the official road between Chang'an and Luoyang, and it is built magnificent and wide, not to mention anything else, the area alone is large enough, and there seem to be a lot of courtyards on top of each other.

The carriage stopped outside, although the post station was large, but there were not many yards for parking, so many carriages could only be parked outside the post station, and people were ordered to guard it at night.

Xiao Jiuniang was helped out of the car by the lotus branch, and saw that there were already guards leading the carriage to one place and setting up tents around it.

These tents are for the night watchman, and most of the people who came with him this time have to live outside, and only those who are waiting close to the master can follow the post station. After all, there are so many carriages that just a few people can't guard them.

Xiao Qiniang, Xiao Banniang and Xiao Shiyi Niang also got out of the carriage, Xiao Heng and Xiao Meng were already standing at the door of the post station, but they did not go inside, but stood and looked here.

It seemed that they were waiting for Xiao Qiniang and the others, but Xiao Jiuniang knew that this was not the case. You must know that these two are elders, how can there be elders and other juniors, let alone following so many subordinates, it is impossible to worry that they will not find their way or lose something.

Xiao Jiuniang looked at Xiao Heng's eyes without a trace, and what she saw was an extremely ordinary carriage. The carriage was not unlike the one they were riding, it was also painted in black and had a flat top, and was driven by two horses.

At this moment, the door of the carriage opened, and a servant in a blue robe came out of it.

When the servant came down, he did not stop to wait, but went to the rear, and in a short time came to the carriage with a wooden wheelchair.

Xiao Jiuniang's eyes tightened and she held her breath.

A few more people came to the carriage, holding a curtain to enclose the left side of the carriage, and when the curtain was withdrawn, they saw that there was already a person sitting on the wheelchair, with green shirts and black hair, and a handsome face, it was the king of Chu.

King Chu walked slowly to this place in a wheelchair, brushed past Xiao Jiuniang, and walked towards Xiao Heng and the others. When he got closer, Xiao Heng said something with a smile, and took the lead in going to the post station.

……

Xiao Jiuniang and the five of them were assigned to a courtyard, one room per person, but it was spacious.

There are maidservants who go in and out to deliver water and food, and they bring enough people, so they don't need people in the inn.

Xiao Jiuniang took a bath, had dinner again, and then went to the bed to rest.

Until now, she still can't slow down, the king of Chu actually appeared in the convoy, and it seemed that he was going to go with them, so where did he go, Luoyang? Or do you want to go to Lanling too?

There are only two possibilities for the prince who has been crowned king to go out of Beijing, either to go to the fiefdom or to be ordered to go out of Beijing on an errand. The king of Chu is not good at his work, it must be impossible to go out of Beijing on an errand, and he is still young, so he is going to the fiefdom? But in the previous life, Xiao Jiuniang knew that after the king of Chu was crowned queen, because he was loved by Emperor Chengyuan, he was not an official and had been staying in Chang'an.

Or did something go wrong in this life?

For a while, Xiao Jiuniang's mind was in turmoil, and the more she thought about it, the more irritable she became. But after a day's hard work, I was also a little tired, and I fell asleep after thinking about it.

*

Early the next morning, Xiao Jiuniang woke up.

Because she didn't know when she would leave, after breakfast, she ordered Lianzhi to pack up and be ready to leave at any time. Who knew that when it was nearly noon, no one would come to announce the departure.

Xiao Siniang took Ruhua to Jiu Niang's room, and when she saw Xiao Jiu Niang, she didn't know why she didn't leave, so she had to stop thinking about it and go back to her room for lunch.

In a large and exquisitely furnished room in the inn, Xiao Heng paced back and forth in the hall, his face full of anxiety, and glanced at the inner room from time to time.

At this moment, an old man with gray hair and a medicine boy carrying a medicine box came out of it.

Xiao Heng hurriedly greeted him and asked urgently, "Imperial Doctor Liu, how is His Royal Highness the King of Chu?" ”

Today was supposed to leave on time, but I never thought that King Chu's personal attendant came over and said that King Chu's leg was sick and he couldn't leave for the time being.

Xiao Heng had already learned from An Guogong what was going on with King Chu's so-called leg disease, and he was so anxious that he was sweating profusely. Fortunately, the king of Chu came out of the palace this time with a doctor, and he would not have no way to ask for help.

Imperial Physician Liu, proficient in acupuncture and moxibustion, this time the king of Chu blocked the arrows for the prince, and the strange poison in his body was ineffective, but under his acupuncture technique, all the poison was forced to the lower limbs, and the acupuncture points were sealed with gold needles, so as to save the life of the king of Chu. But his life was saved, and his legs couldn't walk.

This time, the king of Chu went out of the palace to Lanling, and Emperor Chengyuan ordered Imperial Doctor Liu to accompany him, just in case. This acupuncture acupoint is miraculous, but it treats the symptoms but not the root cause, and the acupuncture must be re-applied every few days, otherwise the poisonous gas will be reversed, once it swells up in the heart, the king of Chu will definitely die. This time the king of Chu has a leg disease, and it is time to reapply the needle.

Imperial Physician Liu wiped the sweat from his forehead and arched his hand: "Fortunately, it is no longer a hindrance." ”

"That's good, that's good." Xiao Heng couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and asked again: "It's just that I don't know when I can start with the body of King Chu?" ”

Imperial Physician Liu was stunned for a moment, pondered for a while, and said, "This question still has to be asked to His Royal Highness the King of Chu." ”

Xiao Heng nodded, but he was puzzled in his heart. Shouldn't things like patients be done accurately by listening to doctors? Why is this Imperial Doctor Liu taboo and unwilling to say more. However, thinking that the imperial doctors in the palace have always been cautious in their words and deeds, and they can say less if they can say less, for fear of taking on some responsibility, Xiao Heng can also understand, so he didn't think much about it.

Naturally, he couldn't start today, Xiao Heng estimated the time, and sent someone to ask when the king of Chu would be able to leave on the second day.

The king of Chu replied that tomorrow, Xiao Heng was also happy, thinking that the king of Chu was probably fine.