Xie Xiang

The two walked slowly on the palace road.The palace people were more than ten steps behind, falling far away.

This place is already a harem, not as upright as it was in the previous dynasty, but more beautiful.The bare tree branches are covered with white snow, the plum blossoms of a few trees are proud of the snow and frost, and there are icicles left on the rockery from last night, reflecting dazzling light in the sun.

Liu Zao felt that in the vastness, it was extraordinarily quiet, she and Xie Xiang walked side by side, as if their hearts were stuck together.

Xie Yi was talking to her about Chun He.

"Emperor Zhao was almost single-handedly raised by him, and died suddenly of illness. He was suspicious and thought about it. He only poisoned him, but it was so easy to tamper with the emperor's diet, so he suspected the Queen Mother. He told me about it." Xie Yi spoke very slowly, but he said every word seriously, "During Emperor Zhao's illness, he summoned his ministers several times, and there were as many as twenty medical officers to treat him .If it is poisonous, you will not be unaware, and Emperor Zhao will not be unaware."

He was just sick, but Chunhe refused to believe it and decided it was the queen mother.

Liu Zao listened and said, "It's a pity."

Xie Yi didn't say any more.Liu Zao suddenly thought of something, approached him and asked, "If something happens to me, will my aunt investigate thoroughly?"

She knew that Xie Yi would definitely investigate to the end, but she just didn't want to hear that Xie Yi cared about her all the time.

She pricked up her ears, looking forward to it.Unexpectedly, Xie Yi only glanced at her and said nothing.

Liu Zao made her feel itchy to watch, so she clung to Xie Yi tightly and said, "May I?"

Xie Yi made her so clingy that she couldn't help it, and said indifferently, "How can I let you encounter any misfortune?"

Her tone was very light, but Liu Zao's heart was full of joy. Her eyebrows and eyes were crooked when she smiled, and she didn't even notice the cold wind when it suddenly picked up.

Xie Yi came to report to her about Zhengdan's sacrifice, but she dragged her for a walk because she sat in the hall for a long time and got dizzy from reading the memorial, and wanted to take a walk outside to refresh herself.

Xie Yi taught her so much that she couldn't help it, so she had no choice but to follow her.

Speaking of which, the child's temperament really changed very quickly.Xie Yi has no experience. Although Xie Wen also lives in the prime minister's mansion, he is taken care of by an old servant. From the beginning to the end, the only child she has cared about is Liu Zao.

It's just that Liu Zao's changes came too fast and too big.

At the beginning of her entry into the palace, she was taciturn, and often observed secretly, like an outsider, calm and composed.After gradually getting used to her status, she tried to seize power, so she talked with the people around her and actively asked for help.Now, she has become extremely clingy again, every time she sees her, she always has to talk for a long time.

Xie Yi only felt that the emperor changed too fast and was a little too clingy, but she didn't want to please her, so she had been out for a long time, so she said to Liu Zao, "Your Majesty has been out for half an hour, it's time to return."

Liu Zao agreed, taking advantage of the opportunity to hold Xie Yi's hand, as soon as his fingertips touched the back of Xie Yi's hand, he felt a chill.Liu Zao was annoyed at once, she shouldn't have pulled Xie Xiang out for a walk in such a cold day.She hurriedly withdrew her hand, took off the cloak on her body, and put it on Xie Yi.

On the cloak, there was Liu Zao's body temperature, warm, with the fresh breath of a young man.Xie Yi was about to refuse when Liu Zao took her hand again and said, "It's really cool." As he spoke, he brought her hand to his lips and breathed lightly.

The emperor lowered his head, and the warm heat turned into mist in the freezing weather, clearly visible.Hands soon feel the warmth of the melting.Xie Yi's hands were very soft, with slender fingertips, neatly manicured nails, very delicate and fair.Liu Zao looked at it, a little hard to control himself, and pretended to be careless, so that his lips touched the back of his hand.After a brief moment, Liu Zao immediately backed away, and continued to breath as if nothing had happened.

It wasn't until Xie Yi's hand warmed up that Liu Zao let go, and was about to say something, when he looked up, he saw Xie Yi looking at her thoughtfully.

There seemed to be a string in Liu Zao's mind snapped suddenly, and she realized that her actions just now were too intimate, which made people suspicious.Liu Zao was in a hurry, trying to keep calm, and said with a smile: "Auntie, you should wear more clothes when you go out. You are the pillar of the imperial court, and you should take care of yourself for the sake of the world."

She spoke righteously, as if it was just the emperor's concern for his ministers.Xie Yi didn't speak, nor did she see a smile, her gaze fell on her, as if to investigate.

Liu Zao swallowed his saliva, already panicked, and said again, "It's going to be Zhengdan, sacrifice is a big event, and there must be no shortage of prime ministers."

While speaking, she showed a calm look, looking at Xie Yi with very clear eyes.

Xie Yi finally had a reaction, she smiled and said, "Thank you Your Majesty for your concern."

Liu Zao had lingering fears in her heart, so she paid special attention to Xie Yi's complexion, seeing that her complexion was as usual, she was really relieved.Together with her, go to the proclamation room.

As soon as the prime minister stepped back, Liu Zao's calm expression could no longer be maintained, and a little worry appeared in his eyes.Hu Ao was at the side, he could see clearly, and he was as worried as Liu Zao. He was afraid that one day His Majesty would not be able to bear it, and he would open up with Xie Xiang, and it would be bad.As a close servant, he had to suffer some setbacks.

Liu Zao didn't know what Hu Ao was thinking, she was thinking about when she would be able to get close to Xie Xiang without any scruples.It's too difficult right now.

For the next few days, Xie Yi did not enter the palace.Liu Zao was flustered, and repeatedly recalled whether his emotions leaked out when he was with Xie Xiang, which made Xie Xiang discover something.

She was uneasy, and she didn't dare to summon Xie Yi, fearing that she would be too concerned and panicked, so that nothing would turn out to be something.So she summoned several ministers and asked Xiang Xie what he was doing in a roundabout way.

But she didn't dare to ask too much.All the ministers in the court were shrewd, and she asked a lot, fearing that she might make them suspicious, thinking that she was spying on the prime minister's whereabouts.

After spending a lot of effort, she was still uneasy when she learned that the prime minister was fine.Even if Xie Xiang noticed something, he would not put his thoughts on his face so that everyone would know.

Hu Ao couldn't bear it, and tried to remonstrate: "If Mr. Xie doesn't come, it's nothing. When you have something to report, Mr. Xie will naturally come."

Liu Zao's concern was chaotic, and his heart was relieved when he heard this. Xie Xiang came to find her, and it was true that they all had something to report.

Goodbye to Xie Yi, it will be Zhengdan seven days later.

Liu Zao got up at five o'clock, burned incense and bathed, changed the crown, and went out of the palace gate.The ministers with a rank of more than six hundred stones in Beijing, as well as the envoys of the princes, are all waiting outside the hall.

Before dawn, looking over the past, there is a sea of ​​people, and there is only a cloud in the distance. There is only a shadow in the distance, and the human shape cannot be seen clearly.Liu Zao held back his nervousness, looked forward through the crown, and saw Xie Yi standing in front of the officials, holding his wat, seeing her looking over, Xie Yi even bent his lips slightly.

Sure enough, she was thinking too much.Liu Zao breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhengdan sacrifices, first sacrifice to heaven and earth, and then sacrifice to the ancestors.Liu Zao led his group of ministers to circle around Chang'an City, to the North Palace to worship heaven and earth, and then to the Gaozu Temple to worship Gaozu.

Sacrifice is a major event, but any mistake in one step will make people panic.The ceremonial officer followed nearby, giving instructions in every word and deed.Liu Zao was very serious about his actions, even kneeling and worshiping were very solemn.

Gaozu has a temple, named Gaozu Temple, also known as Gaomiao.In addition to Gaozu, Emperor Wen also had a temple, which was called Taizong Temple.Every time there is a sacrifice, the high temple must be sacrificed, and the Taizong Temple is not sacrificed when it is sacrificed. One of the crimes that the king of Changyi was deposed was not to worship the high temple.

Liu Zao led a group of officials into the high temple and went to the altar.The altar was round, and the sacrifices were placed on it. The ministers stood under the altar, and the emperor went up to the altar alone.

After worshiping Gaozu, today's sacrifice will come to an end.Liu Zao was a little distracted, she only drank saliva after walking for a day, she was already hungry, and the already heavy crown on her body weighed on her like a hill, it was difficult to catch her breath, not to mention the howling north wind.It's just that, as an emperor, she shoulders the heavy responsibility of worshiping heaven, earth, and the ancestors, so she was distracted for a while, and then Liu Zao calmed down again, recalling the steps taught to her by the ceremonial officer, trying not to make mistakes in every step.

Too often stand under the steps and sing loudly.

A ceremonial official in official robes came forward holding a tray, on which was a bouquet of incense.

Liu Zao stood in front of the incense table, heard the sound of footsteps, and turned sideways, the ceremony officer sent the tray to the emperor, Liu Zao raised his hand, and took the incense from the tray with both hands.

Suddenly, she panicked, the right arm of the ceremony officer holding the tray moved, and Liu Zao caught a glimpse of the knife light out of the corner of her eye.In a blink of an eye, she backed away abruptly, and the ritual officer quickly drew his knife and stabbed at her.Liu Zao's flash just passed the tip of the knife, the sharp blade only slipped over the sleeve, and there was a "stab" sound, and the sleeve was cut.

Liu Zao didn't care about his fear, turned around and ran, shouting: "Guardian."

She was alone on the altar, with Habayashi standing below, and the closest to her was the prime minister.

The ministers never expected that there would be an assassin in the high temple to assassinate the emperor, they were all stunned, Xie Yi was the one who reacted the fastest.

The altar is round, Liu Zao wanted to jump off the altar from the side, but the assassin was very close to her, he caught up with her in two or three steps, and grabbed her arm.

Liu Zao was caught by him and could not escape.The assassin raised his knife, Liu Zao was still struggling, but it was in vain. The assassin seemed to have some kung fu, his body skills were strange, and his strength was astonishing.Her ears were buzzing, her heart was in danger.

The short knife was raised high and fell heavily, the assassin's face was ferocious, Liu Zao couldn't get away, when the knife fell, it was her throat.At the critical moment, her only thought was, luckily she didn't break through, luckily Xie Xiang didn't know what was on her mind.

If she said it and Xie Xiang refused to accept it, she would not even have the chance to work hard.If Xie Xiang accepted it, and let her watch her beloved die under the knife, how painful it would be for her.

Liu Zao closed his eyes, and the sound of a sharp knife piercing through flesh and blood made his scalp tingle.But she didn't feel any pain.Liu Zao suddenly realized something, she immediately opened her eyes, and saw that Mr. Xie had come to her side at some time.

She blocked the knife with her arm.The entire blade was submerged in the arm, and Xie Yi's entire face was white.

Liu Zao was shocked, and said loudly, "Thank you!"

The assassin's eyes were as bright as the light of a knife, and he smiled at her.With a strong hand, he pulled out the knife abruptly.Liu Zao heard the sound of a sharp weapon rubbing against a bone, blood instantly stained her sleeves, and her eyes turned red.Xie Yi didn't let out a groan of pain, but her face turned paler, her brows were tightly furrowed, and she said coldly, "Caught alive."

Habayashi had already chased behind him, and he could take down the assassin in just an instant. Seeing that it was too late to make another move, the assassin dodged sideways, dodging Habayashi, and the next moment, he stabbed the knife into his chest.