Chapter 20 - 3#
Yanzhi hurriedly put down the “little dog,” bowed, and saluted: “Replying to Your Majesty, today the weather is good, and I want to take the little dog out for a walk, so I am happy.”
“Oh.” Xiao Cuan walked up to him, stopped his steps, “Don’t go out yet, follow me in.”
“Yes.”
Yanzhi had no choice but to hand the “little dog” to the palace servant, and followed His Majesty into the main hall.
Xiao Cuan turned his back to him and said flatly: “I just went to try on the clothes for the grand wedding ceremony. The clothes are fine, you hang them up.”
“Yes.”
The Weaving Office didn’t dare to be careless.
Yanzhi couldn’t see the complex patterns on the clothes, nor did he think why His Majesty would go out to try on the clothes instead of letting the people from the Weaving Office bring the clothes over to try.
He just took the heavy clothes from the palace servant, and according to the sequence, hung the clothes from inside to outside, one by one, flatly on the hanger.
Xiao Cuan sat on the couch, watching his busy back, and couldn’t help but smile.
After Yanzhi finally finished hanging the clothes and was about to report back, he glanced to the side: “There’s one more set.”
Yanzhi looked in the direction His Majesty was looking, and sure enough, there was another set of clothes, neatly folded, placed in several trays.
Xiao Cuan said flatly: “This is the Empress’s.”
Yanzhi was puzzled: “If it’s the Empress’s clothes, shouldn’t it be sent to the Empress?”
Xiao Cuan remained calm: “On the day of the ceremony, the Empress will change clothes in the palace.”
Although Yanzhi felt something was wrong, he didn’t dare ask more, and just hung up all the clothes.
The two sets of clothes for the Emperor and the Empress, one black and one red, the colors blended and embellished each other, the patterns were similar, and the accessories were consistent.
Hanging together in the inner hall, they occupied a large area.
Yanzhi took two steps back: “Your Majesty, they are all hung up.”
“Mm,” Xiao Cuan glanced at the clothes and asked intentionally, “What do you think?”
“I think… naturally, it’s extremely beautiful.”
“Extremely beautiful,” Xiao Cuan deliberately imitated his tone, “Don’t take the opportunity to sneakily wear it while I’m not here.”
“I won’t!” Yanzhi hurriedly said, “This is the Empress’s clothes, naturally it is worn by the Empress. I wouldn’t do such a thing.”
“Oh.” Xiao Cuan thought for a moment and said, “Don’t knock it over when you get up at night.”
“I won’t.”
Yanzhi looked at the two sets of clothes placed together, and his heart felt relieved, but also a bit sour.
His Majesty was about to have an Empress, and he was also about to leave the palace.
It’s okay.
Yanzhi suppressed the sadness in his heart.
Life is several decades long. He’s only eighteen this year, and he still has decades to live.
He would always be able to forget His Majesty.
*
As winter approached.
Red silk was hung high in the palace, and everything was newly decorated.
Red silk was hung all over the Taiji Hall, and even the curtains in front of the bed were pulled down and replaced with red ones. Yanzhi couldn’t sleep at night because of the red silk.
He wanted to sleep separately from His Majesty. After all, His Majesty was about to appoint an Empress. He felt it was not good for the two of them to sleep together again.
But His Majesty wouldn’t allow it, and his small room in the side hall was also full of red silk.
Yanzhi could only continue to sleep uneasily.
All the palace servants also had new winter clothes, and they were dressed joyfully.
Yanzhi saw it and also wanted to go and get one.
He was leaving the palace, and he just needed a warm set of clothes!
As a result, he went to the Inner Attendant Office where the clothes were distributed, and the Inner Attendant Office told him that he didn’t have any!
His Majesty said to him that he was His Majesty’s male favorite, not a palace servant.
This time, the new clothes were distributed to the palace servants, not to His Majesty’s male favorite.
Fine, if not then not.
After he left the palace, he would go and make one himself!
Yanzhi made his decision and didn’t hear His Majesty say to him again—
“Aren’t there two sets of new clothes hanging in the inner hall? I won’t let you sneakily wear them, and you really won’t sneakily wear them?”
After not hearing Yanzhi speak for a long while, Xiao Cuan saw his silly look and frowned.
What was this idiot thinking again?
*
In the blink of an eye, it was the day of the grand wedding ceremony.
The night before, Yanzhi still slept with His Majesty.
He was extremely nervous and afraid, and even had a nightmare.
He dreamed that the future Empress led a group of strong thugs, rushed into the hall, grabbed him from the couch, gave him a heavy slap, punched him, and kicked him.
When the future Empress ordered him to be dragged down for decapitation, he waved his hands and feet and woke up.
He was scared to death! Scared to death!
At this time, Xiao Cuan lying beside him also woke up.
He opened his eyes and grabbed Yanzhi’s waving fist: “What are you doing? On such a good day, do you still want to assassinate the king?”
“I…” Yanzhi regained his senses, hurriedly wanted to push Xiao Cuan away, “Your Majesty, it’s not early, quickly… quickly get up and wash…”
Xiao Cuan sat up, leaned on the couch, and pinched his hand: “I’m not marrying you, what are you in a hurry for?”
“I…”
Yanzhi lowered his eyes, not knowing how to answer.
He was afraid of being decapitated by the Empress.
“Get up.” Xiao Cuan turned over and got off the couch, “Change my clothes for me.”
“Yes.”
The palace servant came in with the hot water and towel for washing. Yanzhi stood on tiptoe, took down the clothes hanging on the hanger, and brought them before His Majesty.
Xiao Cuan tossed away the towel for wiping his face, glanced at him, and opened his arms, letting him serve him in changing.
Yanzhi obediently raised the sleeves, wanting to put them on for His Majesty.
Xiao Cuan remained silent for a moment, and for once lowered his head and put down his hands, accommodating his height.
Suddenly, Xiao Cuan raised his hand and used his thumb to wipe a small white trace on Yanzhi’s cheek.
“Did you cry last night? The teardrops were left on your face and dried up?”
“Mm…” Yanzhi nodded.
Xiao Cuan intentionally asked: “I’m appointing an Empress, why are you crying?”
“I…” Yanzhi pursed his lips and didn’t answer.
He naturally cried because he had a nightmare.
Xiao Cuan thought he cried because he was sad, and rubbed his face with his thumb again.
“Do you also want to be Empress?”
Yanzhi lowered his head and shook it forcefully: “I wouldn’t dare.”
Xiao Cuan pinched his chin, forced him to raise his head and meet his gaze: “To be Empress, you need ‘Power 90 Talent 90.’ Do you think you can be Empress?”
Yanzhi continued to shake his head: “I can’t.”
“Then be a concubine. To be a concubine, you also need ‘Power 80 Talent 80.’ Do you think you can be a concubine?”
“I can’t either.”
“Exactly.” Xiao Cuan rubbed his chin, looking at the red silk all over the hall, “In this world, you can be nothing.”
In an instant, Xiao Cuan actually felt the red silk in front of him was a bit dazzling.
Clearly Yanzhi’s attributes were only enough to be a personal attendant.
Clearly Yanzhi’s attributes were completely unable to be Empress.
He lowered his head, and finally touched Yanzhi’s head, and commanded: “Go wash, comb your hair neatly, stay here, and watch the Empress’s clothes. Wait until I send someone to call you, then you come over.”
Yanzhi hesitated and answered: “Yes… I obey the imperial decree.”
“Wait obediently, I’ll give you a cream puff… cream cake to eat when I return.”
Xiao Cuan took the outer robe from his hand, casually draped it on, and went to the grand wedding ceremony.
Yanzhi was left alone in the hall, clutching his chest, squatting down, holding his legs, and shrinking into a ball.
He had clearly made up his mind not to like His Majesty anymore.
But why did his heart still hurt so much.
It hurt so much that he was almost dying.
Yanzhi lowered his head and buried his face in the crook of his arm.
He took a few deep breaths, relaxed for a while, and finally wiped away the tears with his sleeves and raised his head.
Now is the best opportunity!
He must leave the palace!
If he doesn’t leave the palace, he really will die!
Yanzhi’s gaze was firm. While the palace servants in the hall either followed His Majesty or were busy packing things to welcome the Empress, he quietly slipped out of the main hall.
He ran to the side hall, took out the luggage he had packed long ago, and picked up the “little dog” who had been waiting for a long time.
Finally, Yanzhi ran out without looking back!
*
The day of the grand wedding ceremony was personally selected by Xiao Cuan.
He specially looked at the panel’s weather forecast.
—Daliang Dynasty, Tenth Year of Jingyuan, the first day of the eleventh month, the weather is sunny, with a breeze and no rain.
—Auspicious for marriage, auspicious for banquets, auspicious for sacrificing to heaven.
Outside the Heaven Sacrificing Altar, the civil and military officials were lined up on both sides.
Xiao Cuan was wearing a heavy wedding gown, and a twelve-string mian crown on his head, and walked through them.
The Heaven Sacrificing Altar soared into the clouds. Xiao Cuan ascended the ninety-nine stone steps one by one and personally burned incense to pray.
He didn’t believe in heaven and earth, but those ministers insisted that the ancestral system was like this, and before appointing the Empress, he must sacrifice to heaven, so he came.
Xiao Cuan raised the torch and lit the pile of firewood on the altar.
The flames roared, and the ritual official threw the tortoise shell into the fire, waiting for the heaven’s decree.
Xiao Cuan took a look, turned his head, and commanded the palace servants behind him: “Go back to the Taiji Hall—”
He stood on the high platform, and the light of the fire reflected on his determined face.
He looked straight ahead, looking into the distance.
The breeze brushed his face and moved the wedding gown.
He sighed, as if finally giving up, and as if finally compromising.
—“Let Yanzhi change into the Empress’s clothes, bring the Empress’s entourage, and come over.”
The palace servant was surprised for a moment, and then quickly reacted, turning and running away.
“Yes! I will go right now!”
Xiao Cuan remained silent, watching the clouds gather and disperse, and the swallows come and go.
He thought, it’s just a bit of points, it’s just an imperfect harem.
It’s just…
It’s just appointing Yanzhi as the Empress.
There’s nothing that can’t be done.
There’s nothing that can’t…
“Boom”—
In the next moment, a sudden thunder split the sky!
Xiao Cuan’s intuition was sharp, he raised his head suddenly, grabbed the sword on his waist, and looked around.
In the next moment, the overwhelming red light of the alarm flooded toward him again like a tide!
—ALARM! ALARM!
After investigation and verification by the highest-level system, there are no loopholes in the favorability detection of this world and this character! There are no loopholes in the favorability detection of this world and this character!
The following is the favorability panel of the character for the player. The character’s favorability toward the player is—
Three—
The originally clear sky was instantly dyed red by the red light of the alarm.
Thunder and lightning, wild wind rose, and fine snowflakes fell from the sky like knives, pouncing on him.
On the altar, the original roaring pile of firewood was blown by the wild wind, the fire danced wildly, and the light of the fire soared to the sky.
Two—
Xiao Cuan suddenly drew the sword from his waist and threw it toward the sky, and snatched the long halberd from the soldier’s hand, carrying the halberd, and striding down the altar.
The palace servant sent to the Taiji Hall ran back in a panic: “Your Majesty… Replying to Your Majesty! Young Master Yanzhi is gone!”
The minister in charge of palace servants leaving the palace suddenly found something wrong, raised the roster in his hand, and ran toward the altar: “Your Majesty!”
Xiao Cuan suddenly snatched the roster, stared at it firmly, and a drop of blood came from nowhere, fell on Yanzhi’s name, and quickly spread.
One—
On the long narrow palace path, Yanzhi was carrying a small package and holding the wolf cub.
Facing the wind and the snow, he tried his best to run forward.
Zero—
Yanzhi arrived at the high palace gate and took out the deed of manumission written by His Majesty himself six years ago from his chest: “I have the deed of manumission written by His Majesty himself!”
Xiao Cuan stood on the steps, his mountain-like body swaying twice: “Go and find him! Close all palace gates and city gates! Mobilize all the troops! Go and find him!”
Yanzhi raised the deed of manumission in his hand, and like a swallow, flew out of the palace gate lightly.
Xiao Cuan suddenly spurted a mouthful of blood, fell forward, and fell down the stone steps.
Daliang Dynasty, Tenth Year of Jingyuan, the first day of the eleventh month.
Auspicious for marriage, auspicious for escaping!