fleeting photos

Chapter 12

The small courtyard where Xie Jin lived was deep in the palace alley, a relatively secluded place.

Jiang Zhao stood at the door for a while, afraid of disturbing Xie Jin's rest, he didn't want to knock on the door, but he was really thinking about it, and after thinking about it, he raised his head and aimed at the wall.

The palace walls are made of blue bricks and red tiles several feet high, but the small courtyard in the palace is not so exaggerated.

The homework of the emperor is not only to guide the country, but also to strengthen the body. There is a martial arts hall in the palace, and Jiang Zhao often goes there to practice martial arts to cultivate himself. Although it is not a high-level martial arts, it is not difficult to climb a wall.

Fortunately, she was also dressed in simple clothes today. She rolled up her sleeves and tied up her clothes, and found a corner where she could have some strength. After seeing that there was no one around, she jumped over the wall and jumped into the yard with agility.

She was pampered and spoiled since she was a child, and she was a respectful princess. Even in the years of suffering, she never did such a thing, not to mention that she has become much more mature and stable since she became the throne at the age of 16.

The king of a country in the Great Meng Dynasty actually overturned the wall of other girls. If this word spread, no one would dare to believe it.

Jiang Zhao tidied up his clothes, went to Xie Jin's door, tapped a few times, and listened close to his ear.

There was some movement inside, and Xie Jin's voice came slowly: "Is Yiren back?"

Her voice was a little hoarse, Jiang Zhao frowned unconsciously, and said loudly: "Sister, I'm the one who came to see you."

"Azhao?" Xie Jin recognized her voice.

Afraid that she would come to open the door in person, Jiang Zhao said, "Sister, I'm going in."

After speaking, she tried to push the door, but Xie Jin didn't latch the door from the inside, so she pushed it open all at once.

Going around the screen and entering inside, Xie Jin has already sat up, as if about to get out of bed.

Jiang Zhao hurriedly went over to hold her thin shoulders, and complained: "Knowing that I am sick, I can take care of her with peace of mind, and I didn't lock the door, so why can't I come in by myself?"

Seeing her suddenly, Xie Jin was still happy in his heart, so he showed a gentle smile.

Seeing her laughing like this, Jiang Zhao couldn't say anything to blame, so he pressed her shoulders and wanted her to lie down, but Xie Jin shook his head and said, "I'm lying down all over, so I'll just sit and talk to you."

Jiang Zhao took the coat she had hung aside, carefully draped it over her shoulders, and put a pillow behind her waist so that she could lean more comfortably.

She had never done anything to serve others, and her actions were a bit clumsy, but Xie Jin enjoyed it quite a bit.

"Azhao will take care of her." Xie Jin said with a smile.

Jiang Zhao glanced at her and sighed: "But sister can't take care of herself. Now that the weather is warm, how can you catch the cold?

He always loves to talk about me on weekdays, why is it his turn to be so careless again? "

There was a teapot on the cabinet next to the bed. I don't know when it was burnt. Jiang Zhao pressed it with her hand, and there was still some warmth. She poured half a cup of warm tea and handed it to Xie Jin.

Xie Jin was nagged by her, took two sips of warm water to moisturize her lips, and then explained: "The peach blossom wine you asked Aunt Qingshi to give me is very mellow. Although my aunt told me not to drink too much, I still have no intention of greedy Cup, but I forgot to close the window at night when I went to bed, and unexpectedly I fell ill."

Her eyes were moist, her face was pale but the end of her eyes were reddish, and she looked at Jiang Zhao innocently.

Jiang Zhao was softened by her look, and said in a low voice: "You know that your health is not good, and you have already fallen to the root of the disease. You should pay more attention to it on weekdays. In the future..."

She wanted to say that she would have a chance to seek medical treatment from an imperial doctor in the future, but after thinking about it, Xie Jin would not stay in the palace for long, so she changed her mind and said: "When you leave the palace in the future, remember to find a good doctor to take care of your body. "

When it came to leaving the palace, both of them were silent, so they were relatively speechless.

After a while, Xie Jin drank all the warm water in the cup, held an empty cup and played it repeatedly in his hand, and asked tentatively, "Azhao, you really don't plan to leave the palace?"

Jiang Zhao nodded, and said "hmm" again.

Xie Jin showed a mournful expression on his face. Jiang took care of her sluggishness, so he took the cup from her hand and put it aside, gave her to hold his hand, and said, "Sister, when you wait until May, you may You can leave the palace."

She sat sideways on the side of the bed, and said with a faint smile: "I have explained your situation to Your Majesty, and she agreed to let you out of the palace. In May, when the old maids leave the palace, sister will be with them .”

Xie Jin looked at her with a dazed expression.

Jiang Zhao continued: "Speaking of which, Sister is also the age to leave the palace this year, so it's not too late.

After Elder Sister leaves the palace, in this life, we probably won't have any chance to meet again. Time is running out, Elder Sister, I hope you can be happy during your last days in the palace. "

Xie Jin was forced to enter the palace. She never really accepted the life in the palace. Whether it was the time when she was working hard in the Yeting Bureau, or when she became Gong Zhengsi Zuo Sizheng later, she always wanted to come up with palace.

For Xie Jin, the imperial palace is just a confinement, but for Jiang Zhao, it is not just a gorgeous golden cage, but also her home, and she does not want Xie Jin to be unhappy in her home from beginning to end of.

The deeper the love for Xie Jin, the more Jiang Zhao regretted it.

Feeling that his hand was being gradually grasped in Xie Jin's hand, Jiang Zhao raised his other hand, gently pulled Xie Jin's strand of hair that fell on the side of his eyebrows behind his ear, and then tapped a little on the corner of her soft mouth. .

"Sister, smile." Jiang Zhao said: "You look the best when you smile, I hope you will always be happy."

Her eyes were full of sincerity, Xie Jin forced the corners of her mouth to bend, and the next moment she choked up and said: "Little bastard, I'm still sick, but you always want to make me cry."

Jiang Zhao didn't argue, just laughed.

Seeing her smile, Xie Jin gritted his teeth, and finally laughed along with her.

Although Jiang Zhao felt a little sad for the rare leisure time and being able to spend time with Xie Jin alone, at this moment, he was indeed mostly happy.

She talked with Xie Jin all afternoon, telling her everything, and hiding everything.

Talking about the imperial examination, he pretended to dislike His Majesty's mystery, and asked Xie Jin to guess what kind of exam questions His Majesty had.

Xie Jin thought for a while, and said slowly: "Leaving aside the Four Books and Five Classics, the difficult ones are just historical theory, policy theory, and miscellaneous theory.

Your Majesty has been on the throne for three years. She has been diligent in governing and caring for the people. The world is clear and bright, and she has the appearance of a wise monarch. What she wants is probably not just superficial articles. The world is based on people's livelihood. Now the family is prosperous, but how many people can truly think about the people? ? "

Her voice is gentle, flowing into her ears like a trickle, very appropriate.

Originally speculating on the holy will, the following is a serious crime in theory, but seeing that Jiang Zhao listened seriously, and no one else was present anyway, Xie Jin continued: "Your Majesty hid the test questions carefully, just to be on guard, not to mention whether anyone wants to Don't miss the question, just because this is the first imperial examination during His Majesty's reign, apart from the great momentum, there will inevitably be some turmoil."

"What turmoil will there be?" Jiang Zhao asked.

Xie Jin looked at her, and smiled softly: "Since the late emperor reigned, all civil and military officials in the court have backgrounds, and even local officials are not all white. If your majesty wants to rectify, he must not be able to uproot them.

To be an official, unless you have a hereditary title, you must have a reputation, and this imperial examination is just a turning point. "

Jiang Zhao exclaimed: "Sister has been in the deep palace for a long time, but she has such an opinion."

Xie Jindao: "When my father was an official to the Ministry of Officials, some things he could not say in the court, he would tell his elder brother, and never shy away from my listening. These humble opinions are mostly influenced by my father."

When she mentioned her father, there was obvious pride in her eyes.

Jiang Zhao had never met Xie Yuzhe, the former Minister of the Ministry of Officials, but because of his status, he ordered someone to investigate after he ascended the throne, and found out that he was a man of high integrity, self-denial and dedication to public affairs.

Xie Shangshu was dismissed from Beijing and sent to the border, which probably has something to do with the things that Jiang Zhao wants to rectify.

She cursed in her heart that Emperor Xian was stupid, and when she looked at Xie Jin again, she felt even more ashamed.

"Sister has said so much, but she still didn't talk about the exam questions from His Majesty."

Xie Jin glared at her lightly, and said, "Is it possible for me to speculate on Your Majesty's thoughts?"

Jiang Zhao said disapprovingly, "What's the matter, I won't tell others."

Xie Jin didn't follow her any more, but said earnestly and earnestly: "Accompanying the emperor is like accompanying a tiger. The emperor's heart is unpredictable. You are serving in the Xihe Palace. Perhaps it is His Majesty's kindness that allows you to dare to speak freely, but there are still many things to do." Remember, imperial power is paramount, don’t forget to be in awe, if someone with a heart catches you, no one can protect you.”

In the past, she only warned Jiang Zhao to remember to be wise and protect herself at all times, but she seldom talked about such serious topics with her, probably because she was afraid that no one would point her out after she left the palace, and she might cause trouble.

After being told by her, Jiang Zhao was thoughtful, so he stopped asking.

The two chatted about something else, Jiang Zhao suddenly remembered something, and asked, "Has he visited you?"

"Who?" Xie Jin didn't respond.

Jiang Zhao pursed his lips and said in a low voice, "Of course it's your sweetheart."

Hearing her mentioning Yuan Qi, Xie Jin didn't feel ashamed, but a little embarrassed, he hesitated and said: "It's just a minor illness, it will be fine after two days of rest, there is no need to tell him specifically."

Jiang Zhao sighed, and said: "From now on, he will be the person you want to stay with for the rest of your life, with your joys and sorrows, not to mention that you are sick, even if you can't let him take care of you, you should let him know."

Xie Jin didn't want to talk about Yuan Qi with her, so he deliberately changed the subject, and said with a smile: "Azhao is very clear about these things, so it's possible that he also has a sweetheart?"

It was intended to be a joke, but just as he finished speaking, Xie Jin suddenly remembered that Jiang Zhao is almost 19 years old now, and it is not impossible to say that he has a sweetheart.

Thinking of this, she looked at Jiang Zhao more scrutinizingly, and thought that our Ah Zhao is extraordinary in appearance and good in bearing, and is not like an ordinary woman at all.

Thinking of this, she stretched out her hand to grab Jiang Zhao's hand, and said very seriously: "There are some unscrupulous little guards in the palace who are used to coaxing naive little maids, if you really have a sweetheart, don't hide it from me, let me give it to you." You palm your eyes."

Probably because he couldn't accept that his sister, whom he had always regarded as a treasure, would be coaxed away, Xie Jin felt bored, his nose was a little sore, and he said in a low voice: "Not everyone can be worthy of my family's photo. "

Seeing her like this, Jiang Zhao felt it was funny, but also very sour.

"I don't have any sweetheart." She held Xie Jin's hand tightly, and felt that what she said was not being honest, so she added: "In my heart, there is only one sister."

She spoke very seriously and earnestly, Xie Jin met her eyes and even felt burned.

Her mind went blank for a moment, and her face became hot for no reason. She didn't dare to look at Jiang Zhao's eyes anymore, and took the opportunity to withdraw the hand she was holding, and turned around and flattened the pillow.

"Are you tired?" Jiang Zhao asked.

Xie Jin said "Yes", and Jiang Zhao took the initiative to take off the blouse that was draped over her shoulders for her, helped her to lie on the bed, and tucked up the quilt for her very meticulously.

"I was wrong. Sister is still sick, and I have been pestering you for so long."

Jiang Zhao hung up her clothes and said annoyedly: "Then sister, rest well, I will come to see you in a few days."

Xie Jin responded softly.

Jiang Zhao bent down, reached out to touch her forehead, leaned closer and said in a low voice, "Take good care of your body, and hope to see you next time, it's still that healthy sister."

Her face was magnified in front of Xie Jin, and her soft voice seemed to remind her of it. Xie Jin felt nervous for no reason, and didn't even dare to breathe hard, but nodded cautiously in response.

"Then I'm leaving?" Jiang Zhao smiled.

Xie Jin nodded again, but seeing her suddenly approaching her eyes, Xie Jin closed his eyes in fright.

A muffled laugh came from next to his ear, and then there was a soft spot between his brows, and after a while, he left far away.

The sound of footsteps sounded softly, gradually drifting away, and then heard the sound of the door opening, followed by a "squeak", everything returned to calm.

After a while, Xie Jin's eyelashes trembled slightly, and slowly opened her closed eyes.

She was a little dazed, reached out to touch the center of her eyebrows, and snorted softly.

Surrounded by silence, Xie Jin huddled under the quilt, slowly closed his eyes, and prepared to rest for a while.

But after a while, she suddenly opened her eyes again, and looked in the direction of the courtyard door in disbelief.

She remembered clearly that when Xu Yiren was sent out in the morning, she locked the door inside with her own hands.

So how did Jiang Zhao get in?