Red Mansion and Crimson Pearl

Chapter 418 Should I Grant You Marriage?

Tanchun and Wang Xifeng got drunk.

Snow Goose and Snow Crow sighed for a long time before they dragged the two men to the bed and settled them down.

The lights in the two side halls were turned off.

Only Emperor Zhaoming was still busy in Zhaoqing Palace. When he heard that all the women had gone to bed, he stretched himself and could not help complaining to Tao Xingjian:

"I have put so much thought and energy into selecting and preserving it, and now I have to stay up all night during the New Year.

"They both ate and drank and slept soundly..."

Tao Xingjian interrupted with a smile: "Don't worry! You can kill them all in one go! At most Zhaoqing and Yimin will cry for a year!"

"Why don't you try to see if the founding ministers of this dynasty are still on your side!

"You should work hard on your own kingdom, don't bring it upon us Zhaoqing!"

Emperor Zhaoming turned around and pouted at him: "You should stay in Yanjia Palace and be a steward! Don't follow me and be a traitor to Emperor Zhaoqing!"

Tao Xingjian chuckled and brought him a bowl of longan and red date soup to moisten his throat.

Emperor Zhaoming drank all the wine, and then he looked at the files on the case and saw that they had been dealt with. Then he asked, "What about Jia Jue?"

"He is kneeling down in the small Buddhist temple in the side hall, copying scriptures." Tao Xingjian took the empty cup from him and curled his lips, "He is kneeling so straight and copying so devoutly!"

Emperor Zhaoming looked at him and smiled: "You are hoping that he will behave improperly in front of the emperor so that I can punish him and make him never have any contact with Zhaoqing again in his life, right?"

"Don't you want to?" It was the middle of the night, and Tao Xingjian couldn't raise his voice. He could only raise his eyebrows and nostrils to express his absolute disbelief.

Emperor Zhaoming chuckled, shook his robe, turned his waist, and said, "Ask Jia Jue to come over and answer the question."

The implication is: I have no interest in seeing him in the Buddhist temple.

Tao Xingjian liked the emperor's attitude very much. He did not go himself, but just called a young eunuch: "Call Jia Jue."

Baoyu's legs had long been numb and he had no feeling in them. With the help of the young eunuch, he slowly moved for a while before he felt better and limped into the main hall.

He walked to the imperial steps, knelt down again, kowtowed respectfully, and paid homage to the emperor.

Emperor Zhaoming was talking to Tao Xingjian. Seeing Baoyu's cautious look, he paused and called him up. Then he slowly walked down and asked Tao Xingjian to put on a crane cloak for him and also to get a cape for Mr. Jia.

Then he took Baoyu and slowly walked out of Zhaoqing Palace.

"We were attacked the night before last, not far ahead." Emperor Zhaoming put his hands into the gauntlet, raised his chin and pointed a hundred steps away.

Baoyu only felt his back of the head tingling and his scalp tightening, his face full of fear: "I dare not hear about what is going on in the palace!"

Emperor Zhaoming watched him quickly retreat three steps, bowing and raising his sleeves to cover his face, and couldn't help but smile: "I'm telling you, it's because your sister and cousin were there at the time.

"Your sister also injured her arm while saving the Queen Mother."

Baoyu quickly dropped his sleeves, his face pale, and stared blankly at the emperor.

Emperor Zhaoming looked at him with a smile and said, "No matter what, she is still the blood of your Jia family, your biological sister.

"I will say outside that Yimin has nothing to do with Rongguo Mansion, so as to avoid those censors who have nothing better to do to find trouble with her."

As he spoke, he waved at Baoyu, motioning him to follow.

Baoyu slowly lowered his shoulders, lowered his head again, and walked over.

"Yimin and Zhaoqing are both serious. Zhaoqing is fine. Tao Xingjian has given him a bit of temper over the years, so he doesn't panic when faced with big events.

"Yi Min's mind is much more meticulous. He is afraid of offending someone with every word and action. He is also very careful when serving the Queen Mother. No matter how self-respecting he is, he always tries to please her.

“I always feel that she is more pitiful.

“So this time, even though I and the Supreme are together, and there are imperial guards in front and behind her, she still doesn’t trust anyone.

"When I heard the sound of the bowstring, my first reaction was to open my arms and rush towards the Queen Mother."

When Emperor Zhaoming said this, he let out a long sigh.

Baoyu listened in silence until this moment, when he added in a low voice: "The county lady is loyal, filial, chaste, righteous, intelligent and chivalrous. She is a rare heroine among the ladies."

"Yes. Yimin deserves these eight words." Emperor Zhaoming nodded and looked back at Baoyu. "I heard that she was the best friend to you when she was at home?"

"They are siblings, so it's natural." Baoyu didn't dare to speak carelessly.

Emperor Zhaoming curled his lips and shook his head: "You are a family of fools, but you are the only one who still remembers to respect her."

After a pause, Emperor Zhaoming suddenly stretched out his finger and pointed at Baoyu from a distance:

"I heard that the greatest virtue in your life is that you respect all girls, even the servants.

"Except Zhaoqing."

Baoyu's waist, which he had just said he dared not bend, froze there.

Emperor Zhaoming looked at the top of his head indifferently: "Oh, and your roommate Xiren. You don't respect her much either."

Baoyu turned pale, and finally realized what Emperor Zhaoming was concerned about. He lifted his robe and knelt down: "My student, live!"

"I can roughly guess the reason." Emperor Zhaoming held the crane cloak and walked slowly back and forth. In the dark winter night, under the cold crescent moon, the winding side of the palace wall seemed particularly unpredictable.

"I can't help but feel contemptuous of the concubines in the palace who have already been appointed.

"They neither treated the queen with courtesy nor addressed the palace maids and eunuchs objectively.

“But, he’s very shameless.

"I rely on the fact that even if they die, they can never escape from my grasp."

Baoyu's body began to tremble slightly as he knelt on the ground.

Moreover, I couldn't stop shaking.

"I know you will say that you dare not. Especially to Zhaoqing, you would never dare. Maybe you will also want to say that you are also reluctant to let go."

Emperor Zhaoming looked at the night sky in the distance and said softly, "But in the eyes of me and others, that's what you did."

Baoyu knelt on the ground and closed his eyes tightly.

He just felt dizzy and everything in front of him was dark.

Emperor Zhaoming’s voice seemed to come from the distant past: “…You are different from your sister, and you are different from your family members.

"You have a good nature and have never intended to do evil.

"Except for your father and your cousin Jia Lian, the rest of your Jia family are guilty of crimes not punishable by death.

"Go back and tell your family that I will show you mercy and not implicate you because Yimin risked his life to save the Queen Mother.

"Get up early tomorrow and go to Daming Palace to meet your sister. Tell her what I mean, and then go back home.

“When you get back, I’m sure you’ll have finished copying your house.

"Once the mess in Rongguo Mansion is cleaned up, you can take your grandmother, aunt, sister-in-law and sister back to your ancestral home."

Baoyu was in a daze and accepted the order and thanked the emperor.

Emperor Zhaoming watched him turn away in despair, his back looking lonely and desperate, and his feet stumbling.

I couldn't help but sneer in my heart, and couldn't help but ask behind his back: "Speaking of which, you haven't decided on a marriage yet, should I find you a husband?"