Eunuch's Declaration of Loyalty

Chapter 38

Liu Qingtang got up early in the morning and combed her heavy hair again, put on the empress dowager's costume and prepared to return to the palace.When she walked out of the door of Haitang Pavilion, she saw her brother standing in the yard with his back to her, waiting for her for an unknown how long, his clothes were wet with dew.

"Brother? Why don't people tell you that you're here? What are you doing standing outside?" Liu Qingtang waved her hand to make the serving servants back down first, and then stepped forward and said.

"It's okay, it's good to stand outside to wake up." Liu Qingrong turned around, and there was a conspicuous bruise under her eyes.

Liu Qingtang looked him up and down: "Could it be that brother, you haven't slept all night?"

Reaching out to touch the bridge of her nose, Liu Qingrong shook her head helplessly: "After listening to what my father told me, can I still fall asleep?"

Liu Qingtang wanted to make a smile, but there was nothing she could do. She could only silently say "Sorry." She hid away because she didn't want to talk about it with her brother. After all, every time she recalled it, she would feel pain. Once, the feeling was really uncomfortable.My father probably knew it too, so he told his brother himself.

"Silly girl, why don't you say sorry, wouldn't this make my brother feel more uncomfortable? Let my sister face so many things alone, my brother is indeed the 'useless brother' you used to talk about." Liu Qingrong stepped forward Come, give my sister a hug.

Liu Qingtang held back her tears, patted her brother on the shoulder, and said in a relaxed tone: "So you don't have to worry about that, brother Wuyong. I just hope that this time you can live according to your own wishes, without worrying about the Liu family. , whatever the position of my father and I, just do what you want to do."

After finishing speaking, she changed her voice and said proudly: "You must know that I am the empress dowager who kills people without batting an eye in the eyes of those wives and ladies in Yu Jing. I have nothing to be afraid of."

"Oh? Then who was the one who secretly hid and cried whenever something sad happened when I was a child? And who was the one who ran to the kitchen and saw the chicken being killed and was so scared that I had nightmares for days?" Liu Qingrong counted one by one, seeing The younger sister was about to become angry, so she sighed and said, "Silly girl, I am your brother. What I want to do is the same as you, which is to protect my relatives."

Liu Qingtang was moved in his heart, but turned his head with a ungrateful look on his face: "I don't care about you anymore, you are not happy to let you stay out of things and enjoy life."

Liu Qingrong was bullied by this younger sister since she was a child and grew up. She has already figured out her temperament, and immediately patted her on the head and smiled: "Waiting for my brother to rescue you, the little princess of our Liu family who is in trouble."

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Liu Qingtang raised it with one kick, and slapped his hand away angrily, "What are you doing messing around with your hair just after combing it, don't shoot me messing up again!"

"I have bathed you when I was a child, and I have seen your naked buttocks. Now I don't let my brother touch my head. If I really grow up, I don't want my brother." Liu Qingrong shook her head, playing a heartbroken Pian Pian son into three points, Looking at it, Liu Qingtang felt that her hand, which hadn't bullied her brother for several years, was itching again.

Clenching his fist and punching his pretending brother's stomach, Liu Qingtang looked at him with his hands on his hips and looked at him with disdain when he saw him bend down and howl in cooperation: "You are only five years older than me, what kind of bath did you give me? Speaking of which, you I’m already 25 this year and you don’t want me to marry a sister-in-law. Is it because you want our Liu family to be extinct? Now it’s up to you to continue the blood of the Liu family!”

"Hey, brother is wrong, can we not talk about it?" Liu Qingrong straightened up and waved her hands.He would be annoyed to death by his father and those matchmakers on weekdays, since his younger sister hadn't entered the palace, and now his younger sister would come to intervene, how can he be a good relative.

"Without my sister-in-law, no one in our family can enter the palace to see me. Just now I said that I was reluctant to be alone in the palace, but I changed my mind so quickly. You are just like this." Liu Qingtang grabbed her brother's sore foot Just poke hard, don't care about the brotherhood, and bring out the fine tradition of bullying the elder brother in the Su family where the mother lives to the fullest.

"It's okay that I'm a man. I think Su Shu's problem is bigger than mine. Although she is a man on the surface, she is actually a woman. It won't work if this continues. I think sister, you should care more about Su Shu's life. The big thing is right." Liu Qingrong's expression was extremely righteous, and she dragged Yang Sushu into the water without hesitation.It's not that he doesn't want to marry a wife, it's just that he was influenced by his father and mother. No matter what, he wants to find a woman who is pleasing to each other to live a good life, but he has never met one.

Moreover, after listening to what his father said last night, the final result of their Liu family, he has no way to marry a woman and go home before everything is resolved, and let her bear it together.After all, a wife should love her when she gets married, and there is absolutely no reason for her to be frightened.Liu Qingrong knew that her younger sister understood him, and if she understood, she understood. This younger sister just liked to poke his sore feet.

"It's getting late, I have to go back to the palace, so I'll let you go first." Liu Qingtang looked at the sky, and stopped teasing her poor brother.

"Well, go ahead and wait for brother to visit you. If there is no sister-in-law to visit, brother will go by himself."

Liu Qingtang didn't say anything, just glanced at the smiling brother, turned and left.When she reached the door, she was stopped again.

"Qingtang, if you think of those uncomfortable words, don't hold them back alone, let Qin Shu stay with you." There was no playfulness, no seriousness, no indifference, she heard her brother say seriously in a hoarse voice.

"Well, I know. Take care of yourself, brother." Liu Qingtang also said seriously, but after she finished speaking, she showed a little malicious smile, "I will tell Su Shu that you dragged her into the water, and wait for her to punish you Bar."

"Ah? Wait, Qingtang...don't be like this."

Liu Qingtang happily walked out of the gate of Haitang Pavilion, and saw his father waiting there.Now should be the time for him to practice sword every day, but today he is waiting here, and he is the same as his elder brother, his clothes are still the same as yesterday.

"Father, don't you think you stayed up all night like your brother?"

Liu Shaodi didn't answer the words, and when he saw her coming out, he stepped forward first. "I see you off."

Every time she saw her father's serious and cold face, Liu Qingtang felt strange. How did her mother, who looked so much like her, fall in love with her father?
"Father, what did you say to your brother yesterday?"

"..."

"Father, you didn't practice your sword this morning?"

"..."

"Father, I'll tell you about Qin Shu's previous life, do you want to listen?"

"No need."

Liu Qingtang, who finally forced her father to speak, leaned forward with a smile, "Then you have admitted Qin Shu..."

Liu Shaodi: "Huh."

For a duplicity like her father's, saying "Huh" means agreeing.Liu Qingtang smiled and took his father's arm, "Then let Qin Shu call Dad next time, you can't resist."

"Hmph, tell him, if he can't take care of you well, he will be trampled into a pulp by hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses led by me." Liu Shaodi said in a deep voice, looking straight ahead.

Liu Qingtang suddenly wanted to laugh when he saw that his father was obviously still holding his breath but had to compromise and could only say a few harsh words.But he was worried that he would be even more angry when she smiled, so he could only hold back silently, and then pretended to be serious and nodded in agreement with his words: "Well, I will convey the exact words of my father to Qin Shu."

Soon he walked to the second gate, and saw a group of court ladies and eunuchs waiting there with carriages in the distance, Liu Shaodi stopped. "Go ahead.

"Daughter is leaving now, father, take care." Liu Qingtang turned around with a positive look, and got into the carriage over him.

Until the second gate and the gate, Liu Qingtang could still see her father in the future. He followed her carriage all the way to the gate, and then stood at the gate watching her carriage leave.

Liu Qingtang suddenly remembered the time when she entered the palace that year. At the age of 15, she was wearing a complicated red dress and sitting in the carriage like this.She was wearing a phoenix crown, and when she opened the curtain to look back regardless of the palace guards' obstruction, she saw her father standing at the door watching her leave from a distance.

He was there alone, standing like a pine tree on the cliff. Although he was not afraid of the wind and rain, he seemed a bit lonely after all.

The same way as when we came here, passing through the busy city and returning to the hustle and bustle.When the convoy slowly entered the palace gate, Liu Qingtang saw through the corner of the raised curtain that the high palace wall was gradually being left behind.

Separated by a palace wall, even the sky seemed to be different. The Liu Qingtang who was full of vitality outside the palace could only be the majestic queen mother once she returned to the palace.Most of the time, she thinks about the safety of the country, the country, and... the grievances and grievances of her past life.

Fortunately, she has long been used to the oppression in this palace. For her, this is her battlefield.Even though she yearns for the freedom outside the palace and the warmth of home, she still wants to come back here, and someone has to do some things.

Just like what she told Qin Shu the night before, she was really busy this day.After returning to the palace, he first drew up a few orders, and then went to have lunch with the little emperor, listened to him talk about the course progress, and then encouraged him a few words, to show the empress dowager and the emperor's mother-child affection.

Then listened to the ministers' report on some preparations for March Chunwei, appointed this year's chief examiner, and hand-picked the topic of policy discussion.Even returning to Ci'an Palace after dark, you can't rest. You must first deal with those political affairs that the little emperor can't decide.

Liu Qingtang leaned over the desk, holding a pen in one hand, flipping through the notebooks and files with the other, writing a few sentences on the paper from time to time with a frown.The candle was dimmed, and Sui Yi walked in lightly to change a candle.Disturbed by this movement, Liu Qingtang stopped writing, rubbed her wrist and asked casually, "What time is it?"

"It's already the beginning of Xu Shi, and the master hasn't passed on the dinner yet."

Closing the papers that had not been approved, Liu Qingtang stood up following the words of Suiyi, "Then let's pass on the dinner." After washing her hands in a basin of warm water brought by the little maid, Liu Qingtang asked again: "You can use it?" Have you had dinner?"

Zhui Yi handed over the towel in a timely manner, and said with a smile: "The master doesn't need dinner, how dare the servants use it."

"I've said it many times. When I'm busy, you just have dinner in private. It's nothing serious." Liu Qingtang said helplessly.

However, Zhui Yi didn't talk to her. At first, when they accompanied their master into the palace, they had to be cautious in every way, so as not to let others get any clues.Although the master's position is now stable and he can pamper them in many things, they are still used to sticking to their duties. No matter what, this is always the safest way, so as not to cause trouble for the master.

"Master, the red marks on this hand still haven't disappeared, do you want to use some jasper ointment?"

Liu Qingtang raised her hand, saw the oil stains on it, and shook her head nonchalantly. "It will be gone tomorrow."

"You don't have to wait on me later, you and Tao Ye go to eat first. Also, ask someone to make a bowl of longevity noodles for Qin Shu." Because today is his birthday, she has no time to accompany him , so she simply gave him a day off to let him rest, but now she misses him a little bit.

(End of this chapter)