Mikago

Hearing the sound of footsteps coming from far and near, Lu You counted the timing and raised his head in panic.

The fire was melting, illuminating his undisguised face from the front, and the weep marks on his cheeks were still wet, adding a bit of innocence and pity.

Through the dim eyes of tears, he saw that Empress Xiao was only a few steps away, so he hurriedly dropped the paper money in his hand and bowed his head to worship.However, before both knees reached the ground, she was pulled up by Empress Xiao and hugged tightly.

"Yang'er, my child...it's you, it's you...!!"

Empress Xiao, who needed help just now, got the strength to push Lu You into her arms with all her might.Originally numb and in a trance, even her tears had dried up, but now she allowed the ecstasy to rush in like a tidal wave, washing away all her sanity.

However, the initial excitement will eventually pass. When Empress Xiao recalled the cause and effect bit by bit, she finally felt the child in her arms trembling non-stop.

"Do not……"

Lu You lowered his head tremblingly, and was only slightly loosened before he knelt down in front of Empress Xiao with a plop.

"Empress, forgive me! The villain is not His Royal Highness Xuan, the villain is just...just a substitute for His Highness Xuan!"

So, he took the opportunity to bring Zhao Yang into the palace and used him as a substitute, telling the truth about the cause and effect.

Empress Xiao finally calmed down for three or four minutes, and hurriedly ordered people to fetch torches, and carefully looked at Lu You's appearance.

The same delicate eyebrows and eyes, the same straight nose bridge, the same soft red lips, just a shallow scar on the forehead...Even if Zhao Yang was her own, Empress Xiao couldn't tell that the child in front of her was very different from her. What is the difference between my own emperor?

There is only one thing that is not difficult to be sure of - her Yang'er will never show such a cautious expression.

"You really look like him...but you...why aren't you him?"

She muttered to herself, and reached out to stroke Lu You's cheek again, inch by inch, loving but hesitant.

Lu You seemed to be afraid and closed his eyes obediently: "The little one doesn't know...it's just that the little one knows that today is His Royal Highness Xuan Wang's birthday, and the little one was born on this day."

"September [-]th... Double Ninth Day?"

Empress Xiao's fingertips trembled slightly: "What year?"

"If you go back to your mother, it's Ruihe's 18 years."

"Ruihe [-]th, September [-]th..."

Empress Xiao chewed on the few numbers, her eyes wandered back and forth on Lu You's face, and her eyes suddenly lit up.

"You, come with me!"

She grabbed Lu You's hand, turned her head and ordered to the entourage standing in the distance: "Go to Ganlu Palace!"

In the Ganlu Hall, the candlelight was dimly lit.

On the side of the tent, Qi Yunchu stood silently holding the soup.Emperor Huiming on the couch looked like gold paper, with a haggard face.Lying next to the couch, Tian Liang Xing, the director of the Medicine and Shi Division of Tianwu Palace who came to Zhaojing with the motorcade, was feeling the pulse of Emperor Huiming.

"Your Majesty's disease is a disease of cold and dampness accumulated for a long time. Zichen Palace is located in a low-lying area, and the damp and poisonous water vapor in Zhaojing City all gathers in the palace along the terrain. In summer and autumn, damp and hot miasmas grow in darkness, and your Majesty's dragon body is not good. , so that it has a gap to take advantage of. Now fire poison, heat poison, and blood poison are three disasters. Even the daily solar eclipse and tonic supplements may not be able to make ends meet. It is not difficult to cure it, but this purple said in the palace, I'm afraid it won't last long."

Just as I was talking about this, I heard a lot of commotion from outside the palace.After a while, I saw Empress Xiao rushing over regardless of Qianniuwei's obstruction outside the hall, with a young man beside her, her face was tightly wrapped, so she couldn't see her true face clearly.

"It's none of your business here."

As soon as Empress Xiao entered the palace, she immediately backed away.Qi Yunchu also wanted to follow Tian Liangxing to retreat, but was stopped.

"What's the matter, making such a noise?"

Emperor Huiming took the decoction and sighed weakly: "Yang'er is already like this, do you want me to follow him?"

Empress Xiao didn't argue, but just pulled Lu You to the bed, and took off the cloth scarf that wrapped her head.

The moment he saw the sun again, Lu You knelt down in front of the emperor again with a plop.

It seems that a long time has passed, and there is still no sound in my ears.Although he didn't dare to raise his head, Lu You vaguely felt that Emperor Huiming took a breath of cold air.

It was Empress Xiao who asked, "Mr. Changqiu, tell me what's going on!"

Qi Yunchu said: "My lady, this person's name is Lu You, and he is a substitute chosen by His Royal Highness Xuan Wang himself. When there is nothing to do on weekdays, he is raised by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to do some idle errands, and only walks around the palace when called by King Xuan. , this man cries every night. I saw that his heart was pitiful, so I allowed him to go to the Huiqing Hall to burn some paper money in the dark. Who knows that he disturbed the empress, and he deserves death!"

After listening to this explanation, Emperor Huiming finally asked: "Which family are you a child from, how did you meet King Xuan?"

"Your Majesty, I am originally from Yingchuan. I have no father or mother since I was a child. I fled from the famine alone and came to Dayefang..."

Lu You had prepared his speech a long time ago, but he just repeated it at this time, which is naturally the same as what he told Empress Xiao just now.

Emperor Huiming pondered for a moment, then asked again: "I ask you, where were you on the day King Xuan's accident happened?"

Lu You replied: "Since the young prince entered Hanlu Palace, His Royal Highness Xuan Wang was afraid of neglecting him, so he sent me to accompany him. A while ago, the young prince went to Tianwu Palace to pray for blessings, and the villain followed him to Tianwu Palace. .”

Emperor Huiming nodded noncommittally, and then looked up and down Lu You's appearance, his eyes suddenly fixed on his chest.

"What... is that thing hanging around your neck?"

Lu You lowered his head, as if he just realized that the kit hidden in his neck had fallen out of his clothes.

"This, this is..."

He quickly took off the kit and held it in his hand, but he still seemed to be hesitating whether to present it.

However, Emperor Huiming had already recognized this thing.

"bring here--"

Only then did Lu You respectfully offer it with both hands.Emperor Huiming opened the bag and looked in, the fiery red ring was lying inside.

"It's you?!"

Lu You nodded timidly, not daring to make a sound.

Empress Xiao on the side also came over, picked up the ring, and rubbed it in her hand.

"This...isn't this Dongjun's ring? How could..."

Lu You opened his mouth to answer, but Emperor Huiming interrupted him again.

"Then when did you start acting as King Xuan's substitute?"

Lu You replied: "Last year during the Qingming Festival, His Highness Xuan Wang ordered me to complete the shooting ceremony on his behalf. But the villain was too nervous at the beginning, and the first arrow missed the target."

Emperor Huiming opened his eyes slightly, and asked, "The one who was going to shoot the tiger in the animal garden was you?"

"Report to Your Majesty, at that time King Xuan hid me in the pavilion of the beast garden, and switched identities with me before shooting the tiger. But the villain was cowardly, so he fabricated a reason and did not shoot the tiger."

Emperor Huiming nodded lightly: "So...the one who really went to the Taimiao to receive the punishment, and recuperated in the Huiqing Palace, and accepted this ring from me...is also you."

Lu You nodded and admitted.

Emperor Huiming sighed: "When will it be you, just tell me all about it!"

Lu You recounted the sacrifices, ceremonies, and other affairs that he had participated in on behalf of Zhao Yang in the past two years, one by one, and the emperor and empress looked at each other in dismay.

After speaking, Lu You kowtowed deeply to the emperor and empress again.

"The villain knows that he has committed the crime of deceiving the king, but the sky is clear. The villain has no intention of committing confusion! The villain lost his parents and mothers since childhood. During the holidays, he is always envious of other people's homes. The whole family shares. Later, he became the substitute of His Royal Highness Xuan, and unintentionally shared the love and affection for His Highness from the emperor and empress...

"Besides the fear and uneasiness, the little one was also grateful, and sincerely served the emperor and the empress as his own parents. The villain thought that this feeling would never be expressed, but who knows that today...today, he can actually express his feelings in front of everyone." In the face of the emperor and the empress, I said it word by word. This is the favor that God bestowed on me, villain...even though I die, I have no regrets."

He confided intermittently, recalling his ups and downs along the way, and couldn't help being moved by his true feelings, every word and every word was heavy and sad.

Empress Xiao stood aside, wiping tears intermittently, but Emperor Huiming did not respond immediately.

He looked at Lu You deeply, deeply, his gaze was mixed with astonishment, hesitation and sadness, and it began to become more and more complicated.

In the Manna Palace, there is a sound of needle falling.

As if a long time had passed, Lu You suddenly heard an order from Empress Xiao in his ears.

"You, take off your clothes..."