Ping Zhao Lu

Chapter 130: Nearly Death

It's quite ironic that in her previous life, Miss Wenwu also hanged herself on the night of the full moon on Mid-Autumn Festival.

Xu Zhouye lowered his eyes, raised his hands to support his head, and remained silent.

Seeing his master's expression, Xuan Qi knew that his master was not in the mood to talk at the moment, so he tactfully stopped talking, bowed respectfully to Xu Zhouye, and was about to turn around and leave.

However, at this moment, Xu Zhouye suddenly said, "Wait." The voice was not loud, but it was particularly clear in the quiet atmosphere.

Xuan Qi stopped in his tracks upon hearing the voice, quickly turned around, lowered his head, and asked, "Your Highness, do you have any other instructions?"

Xu Zhouye lowered his head slightly, as if he was thinking about something. After a moment, he slowly raised his head, staring at the front, and said softly, "Let the father and son meet. It's a rare day for the family to reunite." After saying this, a trace of imperceptible warmth flashed in his eyes.

"Yes." Xuan Qi responded after receiving the order and then left.

When Wang Ru heard that he could leave the palace and meet his father who had been separated from him for several days, his joy was beyond words.

He happily changed into simple clothes and, under the strict escort of several guards in plain clothes, came to an inn located in a remote part of the city.

Entering the guest room of the inn, Wang Ruo immediately saw Wang Cheng sitting at the round table.

Wang Cheng's face was full of worry, his brows were furrowed, as if he had a lot of worries that he couldn't get rid of.

However, when he saw the familiar little figure appear at the door, his originally sad face instantly relaxed like the warm spring sun, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily rose, revealing an extremely brilliant smile.

He took two steps at a time and walked forward, hugging little Wang Ruo tightly in his arms, his voice trembling with excitement: "Ruo'er!"

"Daddy!" Wang Ruo was also very excited.

The father and son exchanged pleasantries for a while.

Wang Cheng pinched Wang Ruo's little face and sighed, "Ruo'er has gained a lot of weight."

Wang Ruo grinned, "The food in the palace is really good, Ruo'er naturally gained weight..."

As she spoke, she left Wang Cheng's arms and took out a box of moon cakes from the bundle beside her. "This is a gift from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to Ruo'er. I couldn't bear to eat it, so I thought it would be nice to eat it with Daddy. And now I actually see Daddy!"

Wang Cheng looked at the well-behaved and sensible child in front of him, and his heart was touched but also filled with bitterness. He couldn't help but tremble and said, "Other people's children are with their biological parents, but Ru'er... Sigh..."

When he was released from prison and regained his freedom, he was filled with confusion and hesitation, like a wounded lone goose with nowhere to turn to. In the end, he chose to flee all the way to a relatively remote place, trying to find a glimmer of hope and livelihood there.

Later, when they returned from a fishing trip, they found the child, who had been abandoned by someone unknown, on the rocks by the sea.

The child looked to be only about two years old, with his small body curled up in a ball, looking so helpless and pitiful.

I couldn't help but think of myself, an orphan who lost both parents at a young age. Looking at this child with a similar background, I couldn't help but feel a strong sense of resonance and sympathy.

After a fierce inner struggle, he still couldn't bear to ignore the child, so he carefully picked up the child and brought him back to his simple residence.

Since he had this child, his days were no longer so boring and lonely, and he now had something to entertain himself.

Time flies, and three years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Apart from taking care of the child, his mind was full of thoughts about how to return to the capital and seek revenge on Wei Fu.

Now that his revenge was complete, he should have been free from worries. However, when he turned around and saw the child who had been with him for three whole years, his heart was filled with ripples.

After three years of living together day and night, even if they weren't his biological children, they had already developed feelings for each other. It was really difficult for him to completely give up on this child...

Thinking of this, Wang Cheng's eyes gradually became moist.

Seeing Wang Cheng so sad, Wang Ruo stood on tiptoe and reached out to wipe the tears from the corners of Wang Cheng's eyes, "Daddy, don't cry. Daddy is Ruo'er's daddy, now and in the future!"

After saying that, Wang Ruo picked up a piece of sweet and delicious mooncake from the table and carefully stuffed it into Wang Cheng's mouth. Then she happily picked up another mooncake and started eating it in big mouthfuls.

He was eating with a smile on his face, his eyes curved into two crescents, staring at Wang Cheng without blinking. He looked so adorable.

Wang Cheng was amused by his appearance and was in tears. Seeing that the child was so sensible and considerate, he stopped saying anything to spoil the fun and happily spent the Reunion Festival with the child.

Outside, fireworks blasted again and again, and the noise of the crowd rose and fell.

Wang Ruo originally planned to spend the night with his father, but he never expected that Wang Cheng would leave Beijing tonight.

"Daddy, can't you just spend this night before leaving?"

Wang Ruo's eyes were full of reluctance, and she held Wang Cheng's hand tightly.

Wang Cheng bent over and stood in front of the carriage, shaking his head helplessly, "Daddy will come back. Ruo'er, be good and study hard. Try to pass the imperial examination and come back to pick me up personally. Daddy will wait for you at the old place."

After hearing this, Wang Ruona's grip on Wang Cheng's hands gradually loosened. He nodded slightly, lowered his head even deeper, and said softly, "Then Daddy must be extra careful on this trip."

As soon as he finished speaking, the driver swung the whip in his hand, and a crisp sound cut through the air, followed by the muffled sound of the wheels rolling.

The carriage started slowly and moved away.

Wang Cheng, who was sitting in the car, still couldn't let go of the concern. He couldn't help but reach out and lift a corner of the car curtain. His unprepossessing face was now full of attachment and reluctance.

His eyes were like two blazing flames, shooting straight at Wang Ruo who was still standing blankly outside the car window.

After a long time, Wang Cheng saw Wang Ruo turn around and slowly walk into the inn on the street. He sighed deeply and slowly lowered the curtain in his hand.

But just as he let go of the curtain and let it fall, there was a sudden movement in the dimly lit alley on the side of the street.

Two tall, strong men with secretive movements sneaked out from the depths of the alley.

As soon as the two men walked out of the alley, they walked quickly towards the back door of the inn that Wang Ru had just entered without hesitation.

Their steps seemed hurried, as if they were afraid of being discovered.

*

At the hour of Xu, the Golden Palace.

Chu Yunxiao narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at the chessboard in front of him, secretly thinking about what to do next.

After a brief thought, he acted decisively. With a light pinch of his slender fingers, he accurately took the "king" on the opponent's chessboard.

Then, he raised the corners of his mouth slightly and said with a hint of pride: "I have defeated Duke Dingguo again."

General Xu, who was sitting opposite, stared at his "general" who had been eaten, with a trace of helplessness and regret on his face.

He slowly loosened his grip on the chess piece and gently placed it next to the chessboard. He sighed and said sincerely, "It's because I, an old minister, am not as skilled as others."

Chu Yunxiao didn't show too much pride when he heard this. Instead, he smiled faintly and said thoughtfully, "Duke Dingguo is hiding something."

When General Xu heard this, his body trembled slightly and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

He obviously hadn't expected the emperor to be so perceptive about his inner thoughts, but he quickly regained his composure. However, facing the emperor's question, he didn't know how to answer for a moment, and just stared at Chu Yunxiao in silence.

Seeing this, Chu Yunxiao's expression remained calm. He calmly picked up the teapot and elegantly filled a cup of steaming hot tea for General Xu.

After doing all this, he said softly, "Duke Dingguo must have drunk quite a bit of wine tonight. Let's have a cup of tea to sober up."

General Xu stretched out his hands somewhat guiltily and carefully took the teacup handed to him by the emperor.

He looked down at the emerald green tea in his cup, feeling uncertain. After a long pause, he finally placed the cup gently on the table and sighed once more, "Alas... this tea may help with the hangover, but it can't alleviate the sorrow in my heart."

Chu Yunxiao nodded slightly, expressing his understanding of General Xu's feelings.

He quietly gazed at the battle-hardened veteran before him and said slowly, "Duke Dingguo, please speak frankly about what's on your mind. I'd like to hear it."

General Xu couldn't help but sigh again. After a brief pause, he continued, "Jiang Lin is far away in the northern border. He should be happy to receive a letter from home today. However, Minister Sun wrote to say that Jiang Lin was seriously injured on the battlefield and is in critical condition. He is almost dead..." At this point, his eyes gradually turned red and tears welled up in his eyes, threatening to burst out at any time.

"I know Jiang Lin's character well. He always reports good news but not bad news. If I hadn't asked Minister Sun in advance to tell you everything about Jiang Lin after arriving in the northern border, I'm afraid I wouldn't even know today that my son is in a life-or-death situation!"