Chapter 9 The Wind Rises
"Jiancheng, what do you think? Is there any news from home?"

Li Jiancheng picked up the teacup and frowned, taking a sip. It tasted salty. In the teapot that was boiling, onions, ginger, peppercorns, jujubes, cinnamon, orange peel, and mint could be seen, like a pot of porridge.

Still not used to it, Li Jiancheng swallowed it with difficulty and said, "You all know what my family is like now. There is no special news, and I don't know much about you, Your Highnesses."

Dou Dan comforted him, "It is normal for a family like ours to have ups and downs. Just keep your title and wait for the right time."

This is also the reason why they are willing to come to the banquet. The Li family has fallen a little, but Li Jiancheng is still the eldest son of the Duke's Mansion and the future Duke of Tang. Who knows whether the new emperor will promote and reuse the Li family when he ascends the throne.

The current political situation is nothing more than suppressing the strong and supporting the weak in order to maintain balance.

"Yes, Your Majesty was suppressed by Yuwen Hu for eight years, but now he is still in the supreme position and has great power over the world."

Yuan Shibin lowered his eyes and said, "These words are taboo, don't say them."

The Yang family's acquisition of the empire was not legitimate, so they did not like court officials discussing this matter.

The few of them chatted and laughed until midnight, then they went back to their rooms to rest. Although there was no urgent work tomorrow, as decorations, they still had to pay attention to their image. It would not be good to be disliked by His Majesty when they were on duty with sleepy eyes.

The bedroom was clean and comfortable, with a hollow fire wall on the side emitting heat. A maid whispered, "This bed was made by the mistress herself for you, my dear."

Li Jiancheng smiled but said nothing. Those who could come to Canxia Tower for a banquet were either rich or noble. I'm afraid that in addition to singing, dancing and playing the piano, the lady also made the quilts and beds a lot.

Of course, the ladies in Canxia Tower are not the prostitutes in Pingkangfang. What they sell is charm, gentleness and kindness, not just sexual pleasure. Moreover, with the support of Prince Guangping, no one can go too far.

Canxialou has achieved such a level. High-ranking officials and dignitaries come and go every day, and they talk about important court affairs. A beautiful and eloquent woman who can accompany wine and serve at banquets is much more useful than a plaything.

After reviewing his words and actions today, Li Jiancheng lay down to rest. After two or three hours, he would get up and go back to the palace.

.........

In Yong'an Palace, Dugu Jialuo's face turned pale, and the two female officials kneeling in front of her gritted their teeth and said, "Your Majesty, we dare not lie to you in the slightest."

With a loud crash, all the utensils and books in front of the queen were swept away, and all the palace servants buried their heads on the ground, not daring to make any noise.

Dugu Jialuo said to herself, "Impossible, Luo Yan wouldn't do this to me. We have worked together to overcome all the difficulties and come this far. He wouldn't do this to me, no!"

"It must be you. How dare you use this to alienate us? Someone, come here!"

No one moved, which was also an answer. This made Dugu Jialuo shiver uncontrollably, and also brought back her sanity. She stared blankly at the slightly trembling candlelight in the palace lantern not far away, and her eyes were a little dark.

She reached out to hold the bench, and touched her cheek as if she remembered something. She no longer had the softness of the past, but now had a few shallow wrinkles. She had never been ugly, but had grown old.

"Go and capture her, and take her to the palace for the time being!"

After everyone responded, they rushed out impatiently, leaving the queen alone.

Dugu Jialuo slowly climbed down from the wooden couch. Her legs were weak and no longer able to support herself. It seemed that just a moment ago, she remembered that she was already an old woman. What was left of what I was proud of in my life?
The eldest son was unfilial, lustful and alienated the Crown Princess chosen for him personally. The third son was arrogant and extravagant, so he was dismissed from his official position and kept in captivity. The fourth son was brave but not wise, and was extremely ambitious. He might be killed by his brothers in the future.

The eldest daughter was the queen of the previous dynasty and deeply hated herself for taking the throne from her husband. The other daughters were afraid of her severity and never got close to her. However, her husband, who was her support and loyal to her, actually favored another woman, a young and beautiful woman, after she grew old and lost her beauty.

.........

Morning court sessions were not held every day, but the guards still had to go there early. After washing up, the group hurriedly ate a bowl of millet porridge, which was meat soup with millet.

I left the East Market, walked around Chongrenfang and entered the palace from Jingfeng Gate. As soon as I came in, I felt something was wrong. Everything was too serious and meticulous.

Dugu Kaiyuan and Yang Jishan went to ask their acquaintances one after another, and soon came back with gloomy faces. Yuan Shibin pointed to the sky and Yang Jishan nodded.

No one spoke anymore. They first led Li Jiancheng to receive a set of gorgeous armor and sword provided by the Qianniu Guards, and then quickly rushed to the gate of Yongxiang Palace to hand over the shift with several other sons of military honors.

It was obvious that they were relieved. They just hurriedly greeted the new Li Jiancheng, made an appointment to drink together in a few days, and then fled out of the palace in a panic.

Yang Jishan cursed in a low voice: "This shouldn't be the case. If the queen knew, she should have known it long ago. According to the character of those servants in the palace, she should have waited for some time and prayed that the emperor would change his mind and deal with the palace maid herself, or report it when it could no longer be concealed."

"I was planning to call in sick after my shift today and take a few days off, but now I've run into this."

Li Jiancheng curiously took the Qianniu Sword from Dugu Kaiyuan. It was a short sword with various gemstones inlaid on the scabbard. When the blade was pulled out, a cold light shone brightly and the patterns on it looked like dragon patterns.

Seeing that Li Jiancheng was watching intently, if it were a normal time, Yang Jishan might have teased him a few times. After all, when they first took up the job, they were also very curious about the emperor's sword.

"It's just a sharp decorative knife, nothing fancy. Jiancheng, if I were you, I would sneak back to the palace before His Majesty sees you. I guess no one would remember you by now."

Yang Jishan meant well, and Li Jiancheng understood that. He returned the knife and said with a smile, "Your Majesty met me yesterday and rewarded me with a good Turkic horse. I'm afraid it's not easy to get away."

Dou Dan said: "It's better not to be clever. If you can't remember it now, Jiancheng will suffer enough in the future. This matter may not involve us."

"Hey."

Several people sat down in the duty room together. After all, they were sixth-rank military officers, and guarding the city gate was just a formality. When no one was around, they would rest in the room.

The others were afraid of being involved, while Li Jiancheng was worried whether he would have a chance to show his abilities today. If not, he would have to find a way to create one proactively. However, that would make his motives appear impure and he might not get the bargaining chips he wanted.

Fortunately, they didn't have to worry for long. The eunuch beside the emperor rushed in and shouted, "His Majesty orders you to lead people to the Ye Ting Prison to bring Madam Yuchi to His Majesty."

Dou Dan replied with a sullen face: "Ye Ting is under the jurisdiction of the harem. As foreign officials, it is not appropriate for us to enter. According to the rules, it should be the eunuchs or female officials who go there to do the work."

Yuan Shibin slammed the table and shouted, "How dare you! Did you forge the imperial decree and push your job onto us? You are just a castrated dog, and you dare to bully our noble relatives!"

…………

(End of this chapter)