Si Tian Guan Chapter 78

Chapter 78 Opportunity

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Liu Zhongming, with his thoughts on his mind, idly chatted with the Empress Dowager by force.

Fortunately, the Empress Dowager was old and did not have the best focus, she just wanted to have a young child beside her, so she didn’t nitpick on what he said, just smiled and listened, and ordered the kitchen to come up with some dishes.

Liu Zhongming went to the palace to play when he was a child, and was often held by the Empress Dowager. At this time, thinking of helping the elder to relieve her boredom, he took the initiative to ask for Luyin White Rabbit Dumplings, saying that he would take them home to eat.

The Empress Dowager was so amused by the child’s coquettishness that she couldn’t be more pleased that he would stay for a while, and she would not let him leave until Concubine Xian asked to see her.

Liu Zhongming carried the food box containing the white rabbit dumplings, and greeted Concubine Xian outside the palace. Only then did he understand why Mu Jingchen was able to get the Empress Dowager to stand up.

There were many things that you can’t see when you don’t pay attention. However, once you pay attention, you will find that everything is different from before.

He was sent out of the palace with a heavy heart. Before getting into the carriage, he saw someone getting off the carriage in front of him, and saluted him when he passed by. Although it was an unfamiliar face, he recognized the official uniform.

The official uniform that once flashed in his dreams.

Looking back now, it seems like he hasn’t had those terrible dreams in a while.

***

“Si Tian Guan?” Qu Chenzhou asked softly, holding his chopsticks.

“Yes, when I went out of the palace, I saw the newly appointed Si Tian Guan. The previous one was involved in the matter of Ning Wang and somehow angered the emperor and died. I don’t know where this one came from this time. “

When they had something to discuss, Liu Zhongming didn’t allow servants to accompany him, so he opened the food box, brought out the white rabbit dumplings, and pushed over a bowl of ginseng, lily, and japonica rice porridge, and then turned the steamed silver carp over, tearing off the fish maw.

It wasn’t until he was done that he realized that Qu Chenzhou hadn’t move. He was just holding his chopstick, looking at who knows where.

“Did you have a Si Tian Guan in the court at that time?” He remembered something and asked, and then urged: “Eat the dumplings first, don’t let it cool.”

Qu Chenzhou picked one up and replied “yes” first, and then he took a small bite.

He took off his face covering before meals, putting it aside. The wound was scarring. Doctor Qin tried his best to give him medicine so now his face was covered in various colors, and he could hardly see the face, it was even difficult to open his mouth.

“Do you still remember who they were?”

Liu Zhongming asked without even thinking about it. Seeing Qu Chenzhou giving him a silent glance, he thought it was of no interest.

This was too amateur to ask, let alone asking about more than ten years ago. Even if someone asked him now, who had been a Si Tian Guan, he wouldn’t be able to tell.

They were replaced too often.

He lowered his voice and changed the question: “The emperor… listening to this and believing it, why is he so confused?”

With something in his mouth, Qu Chenzhou said with difficulty: “The emperor is not confused.”

How could the emperor be confused?

Everyone knows that the Si Tian Guan’s words are just to flatter his wishes, and the emperor is not stupid, otherwise he would not indulge those people to move around.

Only when the emperor meets a person who can force him to believe, will he truly feel fear and awe, and he would not want to imprison the person around him all the time, for fear that someone will get a share of the pie.

Just like himself, in the Star Gazing Pavilion.

“Don’t underestimate the emperor,” Qu Chenzhou chewed carefully, and added dully: “No matter which step you take in the future, don’t try to aim for that position, it’s a trap.”

Liu Zhongming picked a fishbone out, then thought about it carefully, and couldn’t help but feel horrified: “Trap? The emperor deliberately revealed flaws? For whom?”

“Everyone.”

The person who looks invulnerable may not be undefeatable, but the person who deliberately exposes a fatal gap is frightening. 

When everyone is fighting for that position, they would not know how happy the theatergoer will be. 

Qu Chenzhou watched him finish picking the fishbone, take in a piece of fish belly, then sighed: “Shizi, do you know that the emperor is not the son of the Empress Dowager?”

Liu Zhongming nodded.

“When I was in the palace, I vaguely heard people say that the emperor’s mother came from a humble background, and she was just a court lady who got lucky by chance. After giving birth to the emperor, she was only mentioned as a beauty. He lost his mother when he was seven years old, just when the Empress Dowager’s three-year-old first son died.”

Liu Zhongming’s back froze. Although he didn’t know the details, some things couldn’t be hidden, not to mention that the old people in the court were still there, even Ning Wang would let slip a word when he complained.

But now, when he heard the stern statement from Qu Chenzhou’s mouth, there was an unexplained creepiness, and he couldn’t help but think wildly.

“You…you mean,” he lowered his voice and asked with difficulty, “you mean, the loss of the emperor’s mother and the loss of empress dowager’s lost son… it has something to do with it?”

“I don’t know,” Qu Chenzhou replied calmly: “Does Shizi wants to know, what the Empress Dowager did when her son died at that time?”

Liu Zhongming’s neck was stiff, and he no longer knew how to nod his head.

Qu Chenzhou lowered his eyes, thinking about the divination indicating death under that luxurious head. 

“First, Xi Gonggong, who was beside the Empress Dowager, was beaten to death with a stick. The crime was unknown.”

“The Empress Dowager was sick and couldn’t get up that day. The next day, in the night, he died suddenly. When he was at death’s door, there was only His Majesty by her bed and everyone outside Cining Palace could hear the Empress Dowager screaming out son.”

“I don’t know the inside story, I’m just guessing. If the Empress Dowager’s loss of her son was really related to the emperor, then the emperor’s biological mother could also have died an unnatural death.”

“In the back of this, who is the most profitable person, can’t Shizi think of it?”

“Do you think such an emperor would be a confused person?”

As if a cloudy wind was blowing into the reception pavillion, Liu Zhongming shivered and got up, he had goosebumps all over. The seemingly lazy and powerless old man, and the empress dowager who smiled kindly, they were all twisted into another appearance.

“Your Majesty… enjoying the name of being filial…” He thought coldly, but also thought through it thoroughly.

Of course, the emperor must put filial piety first. Everyone knew that he was adopted by the Empress Dowager. If he did not have this attitude, how could he be praised by the people?

A warm hand touched the back of his hand, as if to comfort him, and then quickly retracted.

“Shizi, I have limited knowledge of some things, I just want to remind Shizi – the emperor is not a good person. Everyone may have secrets that you don’t know. Shizi is smart and decisive, if someone has money and wants to check, there is always something to gain.”

Liu Zhongming smiled bitterly in his heart, but he didn’t have such confidence. He did his best for his brother’s affairs, but he still got nothing.

But there was an agreement between them. After getting into Jinxiu Ying, Qu Chenzhou would tell him the truth, so there was no need to ask now.

Since someone has shown him the way, he just needed to fight hard.

“Shizi…” Qu Chenzhou called him softly.

He came back to his senses and smiled reluctantly: “I know, it’s fortunate that I have you to help me now, thank you.”

“That’s not what I mean…” Qu Chenzhou rubbed his chopsticks loudly, staring at the empty plate in front of him: ” Where’s my fish?”

Liu Zhongming placed the fish on his plate.

Qu Chenzhou was helpless, he sighed a thousand times, and then lowered his head and slowly searched for the fishbone.

He couldn’t eat fish in Qisheng Building, and there was someone serving him in the palace. He had never done this work. The silver carp had many bones, and after picking a few times, the thorns didn’t come out and the fish was mixed into a rotten ball.

Liu Zhongming couldn’t bear it any longer, and took his plate away again.

“Why is Shizi angry?” Qu Chenzhou asked.

“I’m not angry!” Liu Zhongming was irritable.

“Why is Shizi angry now?”

“…”

Liu Zhongming rubbed his forehead, took out a pill from his arms, and swallowed it.

Seeing that Qu Chenzhou was still trying to speak, he raised his hand to stop it: “There is no fish to eat today, eat your porridge, I have something to ask you.”

Sometimes he felt that if Qu Chenzhou was as taciturn as before, maybe it would be a good thing.

At least he won’t get pissed off.

“Have you heard of ‘Bian Di Lian’?”

Qu Chenzhou took a mouthful of porridge and pondered carefully. He had experienced too many things in the past, and had too many divinations, it was difficult to recall just three words.

“Where did Shizi hear that?”

“Today because of the Pan He incident, I went to the palace…” Liu Zhongming looked down at him, spat out a piece of ginseng on the plate, brows twitched, and explained all the matters in the palace in detail.

“Yu Gonggong…” Qu Chenzhou stirred the porridge with a spoon and picked the rice and lily to eat: “What do you think Shizi?”

“Since it was said by Yu Gonggong, it must not be aimless, then following the instructions of the emperor before, this ‘Bing Di Lian’ should be related to Pan He. But firstly Pan He is still in Jjinxiu Ying, and secondly, if I don’t understand what Bing Di Lian is, I’m afraid I won’t be able to open Pan He’s mouth.”

Qu Chenzhou slowly nodded: “What does Shizi think about Pan He being able to alive for so long, is it the emperor’s order, or is it Liao Guangming’s plan?”

Liu Zhongming really didn’t expect to go there. He frowned and thought for a long time: “Liao Guangming is used to trying to figure out what the emperor means, maybe both.”

“If Pan He is related to Bing Di Lian, and he has done something wrong now, he can’t be used anymore,” Qu Chenzhou stretched out two index fingers: “This is Shizi, this is Liao Guangming, and the one hanging in the middle is Bing Di Lian, what does Shizi think?”

This void was like two dragons playing with a pearl, just one glance, Liu Zhongming immediately understood, and he took a deep breath.

“His Majesty, this… he wants me and Liao Guangming to fight!”

This is not just a competition between Dali Temple and Jinxiu Ying for jurisdiction.

No matter what Bing Di Lian is, Pan He is gone, and the emperor needs a reliable person to take over this matter. Obviously, Liao Guangming was not the best person in the emperor’s heart.

And if he made the wrong first step and lost to Liao Guangming, he will not get another opportunity, then it would be even more difficult to approach the center of the storm after that.

The person who really understood the matter was not Liao Guangming, but Yu Dexi. Since Yu Dexi said the three words “Bian Di Lian” to him, he was destined to be unable to stay out of the matter.

There was no room for him to step back, it was the biggest challenge for him and the best time for him, and it all happened just at the perfect time.

“Don’t be in a hurry.” He said to himself and to Qu Chenzhou.

“I will report to work after the new year, and now I don’t have the position to go to Jinxiu Ying to demand the person. If the emperor really wants us to fight, Liao Guangming will know the news soon. These days, I will have some people check Panhe’s whereabouts privately first, to Liao Guangming, we will respond to all changes with constant change.”

“Shizi is wise.”

For some reason, even if this person praised him, Liu Zhongming felt that the taste in his words was wrong. He frowned and continued to speak.

“If Liao Guangming knows the news and I don’t look for him, he will look for me. We will delay him first, and then look for the person after the new year. After Pan He is in hand, show me your skills.”

“Understood, I will try my best.”

The further down the spoon was, the harder it was to avoid the ginseng slices. Qu Chenzhou took it in his mouth and was about to spit it out, but Liu Zhongming slapped the table: “Don’t spit!”

He had the ginseng slices in mouth, not knowing what to do.

“You’ve lost so much blood, and the resident doctor said that your body is weak, and the good ginseng will be a good tonic. Why are you spitting it! You can’t eat it?”

“I can eat it.” Qu Chenzhou couldnt spit but didn’t want to swallow. Between his teeth, there was a vague protest: “But it’s unpalatable.”

“Why is it unpalatable?” Liu Zhongming scooped a spoonful in his bowl and swallowed it in two mouthfuls: “It was boiled to a simmer to release the favor, how could it taste bad! Swallow it!”

Qu Chenzhou refused to swallow. Liu Zhongming blocked his lips with a spoonful of porridge, preventing him from vomiting.

He stuck out his tongue and spat out the ginseng slices into the spoon.

Liu Zhongming was furious, and shouted: “Someone come!”

Some servants rushed into the reception pavillion and held down Qu Chenzhou knowingly.

“Shizi!” Qu Chenzhou was held down and when he saw the spoon beside his mouth, he struggled: “Shizi, don’t do to others what you don’t want done to you, doesn’t Shizi also not eat parsley? Why do you have to force me to eat this?!”

“Who said that!” Liu Zhongming’s face flushed: “Who said I don’t eat parsley!”

“Is Shizi willing to eat it?” Qu Chenzhou looked at the porridge mixed with ginseng slices in front of him, his scalp tingling.

Whether it was the night after the abdication, or the four months in the dark prison, he didn’t know how much ginseng soup was poured in him to suspend his breath, so even if he knew it was a good nourishing thing, he couldn’t help but feel sick to his stomach.

Liu Zhongming gritted his teeth and stared at the porridge bowl.

The resident doctor has emphasized several times, saying that Little Brother Qu has been seriously ill for a long time, and he needs to compensate for it.

This time, the fleet also brought back a rare flower Jinjing Yulan. He originally thought of using it together, but the resident doctor said that Qu Chenzhou couldn’t stand it, so he could only put it away first.

He can’t even stand a Jinjing Yulan because he is so weak, yet he still refuses to make up for it!

Liu Zhongming felt the pain in his temples jumping. He wouldn’t be able to swallow his breath if he didn’t win the match today. “Okay, don’t do to others what you don’t want done to yourself, right? What if I’m willing to eat parsley? Are you willing to eat the ginseng slices?”

It was impossible to stop halfway and refuse, so when Qu Chenzhou thought about how Zhongming used to treat parsley, as if he was avoiding tigers and wolves, he nodded.

Liu Zhongming fought fiercely in his head for a long time, then motioned for someone to let go of him. He gritted his teeth and said, “Go buy parsley!”

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