Sweet Beauty

After returning from Liu Zhao, Ah Shu was still in a trance.

If it is true as Jiang Chengjun himself said, Liu Yu once asked to marry her but was rejected, and with his forbearance and vengeance, he should never see her again.

But in the dream, not only did he marry Jiang Ji, but he was not as indifferent as the former Zheng Nv, and sent her back to Zhending, but took her with him all the time, even Mrs. Fan's two children. recognized her as a half mother.

As such, there should be only two possibilities.

First, Liu Xiu really really loves Jiang Chengjun. Even if she rejected her before, he still remembers it. He is willing to marry Jiang Chengjun regardless of his previous suspicions. Second, there is something strange about this matter. the secret.

Ah Shu thought about it for a long time, and always thought that a person like Liu Xiu who is dedicated to sweeping the world should not fall in love with any woman before the great cause is completed. But no matter what the situation was, she couldn't take it lightly.

The person who was sent to Chang'an to inquire about the news has not returned, and she has no way of knowing about it, so she has to ask Liu Jiu again today.

…

In the evening, when Liu Xiu came back, A Shu was very interested in taking the throwing pot that he had given him two days ago and placing it in the courtyard, throwing arrows one by one.

There were several arrows scattered around the pot, but only four arrows remained in the mouth and ears of the pot. She pursed her lips, raised her eyebrows, and aimed at the mouth of the pot attentively. She gestured for a while, but did not dare to throw it.

Seeing this, Liu Yu walked quickly and stood behind her, with one hand on her shoulder and the other hand following her arrow-holding hand and covering it. The two pressed against each other tightly.

He tilted his head slightly and said in her ear, "When throwing, keep your shoulders and elbows down, stay calm, and don't panic."

The warm breath brushed past her ears, causing a layer of fine particles to stand up on the side of Ah Shu's neck, and she couldn't help shrinking. Liu Xiu tightened his hands on her shoulders and pulled her closer, until she had no gap with him, and then said again: "Don't be distracted, don't hesitate, when aiming, look at the back of the pot. Half an inch of , with the effort on the wrist—"

He took her hand and threw one out himself.

The arrow flew out in a swish, and the arrowhead touched the mouth of the pot, dribbled and fell firmly into the middle.

A Shu opened her eyes wide and looked at him, and said in surprise, "It's amazing!"

Liu Xiu was overjoyed when she saw that she actually used what she had given, but now it is rare to receive such a sincere, undisguised sincere praise from her, and she is even more proud, wrapping her arms around her waist and holding her hand, " "Whoosh" is another two arrows, which are thrown into both ears respectively.

A Shu touched her palms excitedly, and a happy blush appeared on her face. Seeing that Liu Xiu was a little confused, she said in a hoarse voice, "If you want, I can teach you slowly when I have free time."

His eyes were deep, he stuck behind her, and with patience, he whispered the essentials in her ear, and he held her hand and threw an arrow.

This time, she turned her head to look at him behind her, and before he could say a word, he turned his head slightly, put his lips on hers, and kissed her passionately.

The hand he held on her left shoulder moved to her left cheek, twisted so that she could not retreat and escape, the other hand went around her waist, wrapped the person in front of him, bullied her little by little, forcing her to raise her head slowly and slowly. back.

The maids around them were all blushing with fright, and hurriedly lowered their heads, holding their breaths and quietly retreating.

Liu Yu didn't care, he loosened his lips slightly, reached out his hand to hug the person, and pressed him onto the couch to kiss him as soon as he entered.

Ah Shu's face was crimson, her eyes were misty, and her hair on the temples was frowning. When he retreated a little, the soft weed pressed against his chest, and said in a soft voice, "I heard that the king asked to marry Jiang Ji."

Liu Xiu paused, his eyes darkened, leaned on the side of her neck and was silent for a moment, then raised his head to stare at her and said, "No. Who did you hear about it? But Ah Zhao?"

Ah Shu nodded, the strength in her hands did not relax at all.

Seeing this, Liu Yu knew that she was determined to ask the question to the end, so he slowly got up, put her in his arms and sat on the pillow by the couch, sighing slightly: "I never asked her to marry her. Before marrying you, I never thought of starting a family."

"When the prefect who was engaged to Jiang Ji passed away, I was still studying in Taixue. Jiang Taichang always valued me, and once wanted to marry his daughter to me, he secretly signaled me to come to the house to ask for marriage. But I was poor at that time and nothing was accomplished. I was afraid that my wife would be implicated, and she didn’t dare to start a family, so she declined. Jiang Jicha heard my conversation with Taichang, she was always arrogant, probably because she was rejected by others, she was deeply offended, and she was angry, so she pretended to be outside. She turned me down."

Ashu leaned in his arms obediently and said, "If that's the case, why didn't your Majesty clarify it?"

Without waiting for him to answer, she said again: "Let me guess, the king's love and hate are clear, it must be on Jiang Taichang's face, and he can't bear to expose it."

Liu Yu smiled, her face was gentle, and her eyes flashed a little because of her understanding of herself: "Yes. Jiang Tai often helped me a lot when I was in my teenage years, and I can't do things too well. Besides, I had nothing on that day. , Even if she does, Jiang Ji may not like me. As a woman, her reputation is much more important than mine. Since I have rejected her, I don't need to complain about this trivial matter anymore."

Sure enough.

Ah Shu curled her lips and said nothing. He is a man with clear grievances, and is indeed extra tolerant towards women. I just hope that when he takes revenge in the future, he will be able to remember her meager affection for marrying him for such a long time, and be extra kind.

However, according to his nature, when it is impossible to marry Jiang Chengjun, that is not the case in that dream. It seems that Jiang Chengjun still has a secret that she does not know.

Liu Yu didn't want to discuss the matter any more, he just pressed her back on the couch again, peeled off her layers of robes, leaned down, and said eagerly, "Why do you say that others are disappointed? I have been for several days. I haven't touched you, how about a fresh one today?"

The crimson on Ah Shu's face that had finally faded away came back, half-squinting her foggy eyes, letting him play with it.

…

However, he said that on the second day, before Liu Yu left, he suddenly thought of Jiang Chengjun's affairs, hesitated for a moment, and instructed: "Jiang Ji is not too young, I heard that there were some changes in Chang'an in the past, so she did not marry. Jiang Taichang is very kind to me. , I should repay. Ashu, you have secretly entrusted someone to find some children of moderate age and family background for the past few months. I think Jiang Yu is also a character. , when he gets another award, he will be a matchmaker for Jiang Ji, so that it can also make her sister and brother more beautiful."

Ah Shu nodded in agreement, and went to the city to find several county officials and wives of big households in person.

Although the people of the time followed the rituals of the Zhou Dynasty, and men in their thirties set up a family and established a family, but in an ordinary family, in order to reproduce and live, men and crowns, women and 笄, were considered marriage, and there were many children of nobles, in order to inherit the family business early, before they reached the crown. They were already married, and people like Liu Yu who only married after the age of twenty-five were very rare.

For this reason, these women looked at Ah Shu's face as Queen Xiao, and they all agreed.

After Ashu returned to the letter palace from outside, he picked up a pen to write a letter and sent it to Handan to give to his brother. As soon as she came, she expected that the county officials such as Sun He, the governor of Zhao County, and even other big clans, would become more and more sought after because of the marriage relationship between Zhao and Liu Ruo. Xiao Shuang told him to keep a distance from these people, and not to live with Liu Yuan himself, so as not to cause trouble in the future.

Unexpectedly, not long after the letter was sent, in the letter palace, which had been silent for a long time, bad news suddenly came - only the remaining Guo Li, who served Mrs. Fan, broke out of the courtyard with a face full of fear, and cried out loudly: "Madam - Madam is going to die!"

His voice was terrifying and terrifying.

When Ah Shu was in the hospital, she had already heard the sound, and before she could leave, Feng Hao arrived in a hurry. There was a rare trace of regret and weariness on her flat face, and after a little salutation, she said: "The maid has sent someone to inform the king and son Yu, and the madam is still holding her last breath, and it will be gone in about half an hour. , and now ask the Queen to show you."

Ashu felt a little disappointed and sighed in her heart. Although Mrs. Fan had framed her several times, it was not surprising that she was Liu Xu's widow.

Liu Xiu had said before that Mrs. Fan would probably not be able to survive the autumn, but now that the autumn has passed, she will not be able to. The first thing Ah Shu thought of was her pair of children: "Old woman, how about Po Nu and A Dai?"

Feng Ni said: "Don't worry, Queen, the two young sons are still young, and they have gradually stopped crying after being separated from their mother for a few months. At this moment, there is a wet nurse coaxing them, so there should be no serious problem."

Losing his mother at a young age, even if he does not do much work, will definitely leave a wound in his heart. Ashu knows this very well. She only thought about it for a moment, and then ordered: "Please go ahead and prepare for the funeral arrangements for Madam. Although she has made a big mistake, she can't publicize it in the end, and the king only told her not to teach her to enter the ancestral tomb of Dongjun, for the sake of the deceased. The face of the eldest brother should also be treated well. I will go to see Po Nu and A Dai first, and I will feel relieved when I see it with my own eyes."

Seeing that although she didn't have too much sadness, Feng Er was also unfortunate and rejoiced in misfortune. Instead, she cared about the two young masters.

…

Where Feng Mi lived, the wet nurse was explaining to Po Nu and A Dai slowly that Mrs. Fan was going to die.

Po Nu was already smart, and he was a little older. After listening to the mother's advice, he would no longer have a mother. He just nodded ignorantly. After a while, his stubbornly pursed mouth was shriveled, and tears fell. Adai was still young, and when she saw her brother crying, she gradually opened her mouth to howl, and she didn't even bother to pick up the mud dog she was holding when it fell to the ground and shattered.

Ah Shu just walked outside the house. Seeing this scene, she suddenly remembered the sadness and helplessness she felt when she was longing for her mother when she was young.

She walked in quickly, squatted down | came over, hugged the two children in her arms, took a towel to wipe their tears, and softly coaxed: "Good child, don't cry, don't cry, aunt hurts."

These days, the two children would come to her every day to say hello, and she often left people to play, and sent some food and playthings from time to time. They gradually became less timid and got closer to her.

Po Nu choked and wiped his tears with the back of his hand, and said pitifully, "Aunt, I, I want, aunt, I want aunt..."

Adai also followed her brother and shouted, "Mum, I want Mum..."

The crying couldn't stop for a while, so Ah Shu had to patiently coax them and pat them on the back from time to time to avoid choking.

I don't know how long it took, the two children were tired from crying, and then gradually fell into her arms and fell asleep. While asleep, the two small faces covered with tears still twitched, frowning from time to time, which made people feel particularly distressed.

Ah Shu's arms were sore and numb, but she didn't dare to move, for fear that the child who finally fell asleep would wake up and continue to cry.

The room was quiet, and the nurse looked at her with red eyes, and whispered: "The two young masters are young, and they haven't seen their wife for nearly two months, and they don't cry because of it. Still so sad."

Ashu let out a sigh, shook her head and lowered her voice, "The crow has the intention of feeding back, and the sheep has the grace of kneeling for milk. No matter how young a child is, he knows how to yearn for his biological mother. I never saw my biological mother when I was young. After being sensible, he always yearns for a mother, not to mention these two children?"

Thinking of the past, she also had some tears in her eyes. She lowered her head and looked at Po Nu and A Dai, who were gradually calming down. She felt pity, and whispered: "In the future, don't tell Mrs. Fan's words in front of the children. Disadvantage. It's really cruel to be called a child to know that the mother is not good."

For example, she has experienced a lot before she can really see Zhang Hou's ugly face, such disappointment and pain, and there is no need to teach these two innocent children to experience it again.

The wet nurse responded, and then got up and went to the door of the house. She was about to pick up the debris of the mud dog that A Dai had just fallen to the ground, but suddenly she saw a familiar figure standing by the door, it was Liu Yu.

The wet nurse hurriedly bent over to salute and called out "Your Majesty."

Liu Xiu didn't move, the twilight shone on his broad back, casting a long shadow in the room.

He held the door frame with one hand, his handsome face was full of complicated expressions, and he stared straight at the woman in the room.

He and Fan Xiao were both in the office just now, so they rushed back when they heard the news. Fan Xiao was naturally distraught, and as soon as he entered the palace, he went straight to Mrs. Fan's residence without stopping. He hesitated a little and was unwilling to go, but a maid came to report: "Madam is still holding her last breath, waiting for the king to go."

The courtyard, which had not been popular for a long time, suddenly had many people coming and going. Mrs. Fan, who had been thin to a handful of bones, was lying on her back on the bed, her eye sockets were sunken, her hair was like withered hair, heavy and rapid breathing sounded from her chest, and she was shaking violently. Holding the quilt tightly in his hand, he turned his head because he was powerless, and his eyes still turned to the door of the house, as if he was hanging his last breath, and kept muttering "Zhong Yuan".

Liu Yu struggled for a moment, but finally entered. Everyone in the room gave way one after another, causing him to walk to the side of the bed and look down at the dying man on the bed.

Mrs. Fan stared at him, suddenly twitched the corners of her mouth, and laughed laboriously, like a gnat: "Zhong Yuan, you remember... I, my words, treat... Po Nu, and A... Dai..."

After she said that, she lowered her head and closed her eyes as if relieved.

The house was silent for a while.

Many fragments flashed in front of Liu Yu's mind, including the tragic situation after his brother's death, the stern accusation from his sister-in-law, the crying appearance of Ah Shu, and the fierce appearance of the chapter queen...

After a long while, he slowly stepped out amidst the sound of mourning, and unknowingly walked to the two children.

This place is still clean, as if it has completely isolated the miserable atmosphere over there just now.

He heard the little woman patiently coaxing the child to sleep in the room, and listening to her and the nurse's various explanations, he felt as if his heart was tangled up in a mess, and the tighter he was, the tighter he was, making him unable to move.