Green Dragon Totem

"—Sword Dance?"

The palace man bent even lower, wishing he could tuck himself into the ground: "Yes... yes, because Mrs. Wei Guo suggested, the Holy Majesty ordered me to summon Commander Xie to meet him in front of the Jintang."

Unexpectedly, Xie Yun didn't show any resentment or shame on his face. From Shan Chao's point of view, there was only a slight frown on the tip of his eyebrows.

"Who is this Mrs. Wei Guo?" Shan Chao couldn't help asking.

"The niece of the empress's natal family, the Holy Majesty's new favorite." Xie Yun actually answered him directly, but his voice was full of undisguised irony: "I don't have any brains, and it's troublesome to walk with long legs. Don't worry too much."

Shan Chao doubted: "Master... Xie Commander."

"how?"

"The tone you spoke just now is the same as you usually say about me..."

Shan Chao paused for words with difficulty, Xie Yun didn't understand why, so he casually mocked: "Who cares about your entangled thoughts." As he spoke, he grabbed Tai'a sword and walked away.

Shan Chao watched his back turn around the carved screen, feeling something in a trance for a moment, but he couldn't tell what the feeling was.

He only watched Xie Yun walking towards the grand palace banquet in the brocade hall. Although his impression of this person had always been extremely bad, he couldn't help but feel worried at this moment, and couldn't help getting up and walking behind the screen.

The Holy Majesty was laughing and drinking with He Lan, holding warm and fragrant soft jade in his arms, temporarily forgetting all the lingering troubles in recent days, and suddenly he heard He Lan's soft "ah": "Thank you, Commander, come!" gone."

As soon as the emperor looked up, he saw Xie Yun walking past the gorgeous and brilliant candlelight of hundreds of lamps, and coming through the singing and dancing hall——

The commander of the Imperial Army is tall and solitary, dressed in an official uniform with snow-white cloud brocade and crimson arrow sleeves, a belt with a black background with flying fish and gold patterns around his waist, and in his hand is the Tai'a Sword, which is said to have killed more than ten thousand enemies; although only a figure is shown, but Already out of tune with the luxurious and expensive gold market around here, it makes people feel very awkward for no reason.

The Holy Majesty himself couldn't tell where it was abrupt.He watched Xie Yun walk through the hall, his steady footsteps seemed to step on the hearts of everyone, and the places he passed seemed to be quiet even the singing and laughing.

Xie Yun stopped in front of his seat, bowed and said, "Your Majesty."

The emperor wanted to mention the sword dance, but before he could say anything, he felt that something was wrong. He happened to catch a glimpse of the gauze on Xie Yu's forehead, and asked suspiciously, "How did Commander Xie get hurt?"

Xie Yun said: "Return to Your Majesty. The situation of the minister's trip to Beijing is dangerous. There are many people in the Jianghu who are alert and cunning, and they have no eyes when they use swords and guns. That's why they suffered some minor injuries."

The emperor nodded thoughtfully: "Since that's the case, has the imperial physician been summoned to check?"

"His Majesty the Empress has given me medicine, and the imperial doctor said that it will be fine after a few days."

——Anyway, it has always been like this. There is a queen in everything, and there is nothing to worry about... The emperor put this trivial matter aside for the time being. The minister is taking a rest today. However, there are many people at the banquet in the palace, and the minister is worried about the security of the palace city tonight, so he put himself on duty again without authorization——Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

The emperor finally realized why he felt something was wrong.

This is Xie Yun!

The majestic head of the Northern Yamen, the commander of the forbidden army, armed with the ancient magic soldiers who fought and killed, controlled thousands of guards in the imperial city, and insisted on patrolling the night defense of Miyagi even though he was injured, but he was called to dance with swords to cheer him up?

This is far from wrong, it is simply wrong!

Xie Yun slightly raised his head to look at the emperor, with a hint of modesty and curiosity on his face: "Is there something important for the Holy Spirit to summon the ministers?"

He Lan shook the emperor's sleeves, and before he could say "Your Majesty" coquettishly, the emperor suddenly smiled and said, "Don't worry too much, Ai Qing, I haven't seen you for a few days, so I just asked casually!"——Come here , Thank you Commander for your diligence in public affairs, and give me tea!"

The Helan family was stunned immediately, and Xie Yunshi bowed respectfully: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

He Lan's turned around with a soft "Huh!", and the emperor couldn't coax her in front of his courtiers, so he could only hurriedly grab her hand to show comfort.

There were peepers, sympathizers, and spectators at the seats around, but more people were looking at Xie Yun with various eyes—the content in those eyes was more than one rich and wonderful, but Xie Yun Yun ignored it, took the Biluochun brought by the maid and drank it down in one gulp, then put down the tea bowl.

At this moment, he caught a glimpse of the Chief Empress Wu raising her hand, pointing at He Lan's family seemingly inadvertently, and then pointing at him.

Xie Yun was taken aback, but for a moment he couldn't figure out what Empress Wu meant, so she waved at him with her palm facing inward and the back of her hand facing outward.

—that was a gesture to tell him to go.

"..." Empress Wu opened her mouth and silently mouthed three words: Tai, Ye, Chi.

Xie Yun's thoughts turned, and he bowed and said, "Your Majesty, if there is nothing else, I will take my leave first. The patrol outside the palace city..."

The emperor is annoyed, so he waved his hand casually to signal you to go.Empress Wu suddenly asked with concern: "Commander Xie should go back to rest earlier, what else needs to be checked in person?"

Xie Yun paused suspiciously.

"...Taiye Pond." Xie Yun said in a deep voice, "I will check it a little longer, and then I can change guards and leave the palace."

On the other side, He Lan, who was having a fight with the emperor, seemed to be paying attention, and the queen smiled and said, "That's very good, let's go."

Xie Yun suppressed the doubts in his heart, turned around and left the inner hall quickly, but stopped for a while when he stepped out of the threshold, and turned his head slightly to look in.

——Behind the marble hollow screen in the remote part of the hall, the clothes fluttered vaguely, and there seemed to be a figure standing there, but it was unclear whether it was also looking at this side.

The guards on duty outside the palace gate saluted and asked in a low voice, "Commander, what else do you want?"

Do you want to call him over to Taiye Pool?

Xie Yun hesitated for a moment, then shook his head mockingly.

"It's nothing," he said to the guard, "I'll go back as soon as I go."

·

Meanwhile, behind the screen.

The moment Xie Yun's back disappeared outside the hall, Shan Chao's eyebrows tightened, and he walked out.

Unexpectedly, before going out, a person suddenly appeared behind the screen.

"...Prince?"

Prince Li Hongda had just recovered from his illness, and his face was still very pale. He was wrapped in an unremarkable navy blue thick cotton robe. He was already panting from sweat after walking just a few steps, but when he saw Shan Chao, he immediately burst into a weak and happy smile. Smile: "Master Xinchao, I knew you were here! Dai Shilang and Zhang Sheren didn't let me take the risk of coming to the Queen's Qingning Palace, but I was afraid that you would go back to the Temple of Mercy tomorrow, so I ran out secretly to see you On the one hand—shh! But don't let the people in the queen's palace find me!"

Shan Chao: "..."

The prince grabbed Shan Chao's hand and looked him up and down: "Fortunately, the master helped me find the snow lotus, which really saved my life. How can I repay such a great kindness? By the way, is your highness the queen and Commander Xie?" Are you embarrassing? Did the emperor reward you as an official?"

Shan Chao: "..."

Shan Chao's heart was full of flames, and under the prince's piercing gaze, he couldn't find any suitable words to answer him.

At this moment, there was movement at the banquet outside.Under the emperor's persuasion, the Helan family suddenly turned from cloudy to sunny again, but without saying a word, they yelled that they were drunk, and felt that the hall was stuffy, so they insisted on taking the maid outside to have a wind blowing.

The emperor gave a few words of persuasion, but had no choice but to agree, and ordered the maid to wait on Mrs. Wei Guosheng again and again.

The Helan family readily agreed, impatient to stay longer at the banquet, hastily raised the hem of her skirt to support the maid's hand, and walked straight out of the hall—from Shan Chao's point of view, her steps were shockingly rushing. Go in the direction Xie Yun left just now!

"Great master is definitely not willing to be an official if he is a monk. Alas—this king is not good at forcing people to make things difficult. But in the past few years in the East Palace, there have been fewer and fewer people who can rest assured. Then there will be no second person risking his life to treat me with all his strength, I will keep all these in my heart..."

Shan Chao suddenly grabbed the prince's hand: "Your Highness."

The prince was talking about the emotional part: "Huh?"

"I deserve death for my crimes, but I am anxious to show respect. Can you come back later to chat with His Highness?"

Prince: "..."

The prince was a bit puzzled, but then he smiled generously: "Why do you have to apologize? People have three urgencies. It just so happens that I also want to relieve myself, why don't we go together, the place where I am honored is at the corner of Qingning Palace——"

"...No, Your Highness." Shan Chao finally interrupted him desperately, and said: "I still deserve to die, that...how do I get to Taiye Pool?"

The prince stared at Shan Chao, blinked once, then blinked again.

An indescribable expression gradually appeared in his eyes, as if he had thought of something and it was really hard to say, he tremblingly said after a long while: "Master...could it be that you think that Gong is in... Taiye Pond?"

·

Meanwhile, late night poolside.

The wind blows from the lake, and the microwave waves are gently rippling, and the water vapor is mixed with the sweet and fragrant aroma of osmanthus.The interlacing of toasts and the sound of silk and bamboo are already far away, and the brightly lit Qingning Palace in the night has become blurred, and the stars are reflected in the lake light, twinkling with the ripples.

The footsteps of the patrolling guards gradually faded away, Xie Yun stood by the lake for a while, and then walked slowly up to the lakeside pavilion.

At this time, he was already starting to feel tired, and it seemed that his bones were filled with tiredness—maybe it was because of getting older?Thinking of this, Xie Yun let out an almost inaudible breath.

Generally, men practice martial arts at this age when they are in their prime, and Yu Wenhu has not yet shown any signs of decline.But for Xie Yun, he had already expended or even overdrawn too much effort on other things. Although there was no sign on the surface, he knew that the heyday would not last too long.

The moon is cloudy and clear, and this matter is hard to come by.

Xie Yun caressed the jade fence casually, turned around and wanted to go back, but suddenly stopped in his footsteps.

"Commander Xie was injured and still insisted on patrolling at night. No one can compare his diligence. My second aunt of the queen should really reward you—" A green figure in a silk skirt walked slowly among the flowers, like a silver bell. The voice was full of sarcasm: "Why, you can go through fire and water for the queen, but you are stern when you talk to the holy majesty. Are you a dog that the queen has grown familiar with?"

Xie Yun looked at the woman walking under the moonlight, and frowned slightly, as if he was a little suspicious.

"Why don't you worship me when you see me?" The woman said angrily, "Can't you see people?"

"..."

There was silence by the lake, Xie Yun finally nodded slightly, and thoughtfully said: "... Mrs. Wei."