Aspirations

Chapter 155 Who's Who?

Xia Xiang stared at Lian Ruohan's eyes. Against the light, her eyes were as black as ink, but as bright as stars: "I don't know what's going on, although I only saw the emperor once during the palace examination, but I always feel that there is a hidden connection with the emperor, like the emperor wants me to do something for him, and I have also guessed the emperor's mind, and I am completing the emperor's layout step by step. Isn't it a strange and stupid idea? Actually speaking , I only spoke a few words with the emperor, and since the palace examination, we have never seen each other, let alone had any contact, the emperor will not and cannot let me, a little seventh-rank magistrate, charge forward through secret channels."

"Not necessarily, maybe the emperor really entrusted you with important matters, but it is not convenient to tell you how to do it directly. It is also to protect you. In case you are harmed by Hou Pingpan, he will hint you through some people and things." Lian Ruo Han smiled mischievously, "Didn't you notice it? For example, Man Tuo, Cao Shujun, and Xiao Jia may all be people placed by the emperor by your side."

Xia Xiang was amused by Lian Ruohan's mischievous tone, and was startled by her bold idea, he said calmly: "You are not unreasonable, but I doubt the person the emperor placed next to me even more. It's you!"

Lian Ruohan smiled slightly: "You say I am me. If I have the emperor's backing behind me, wouldn't I be a princess? Come on, call Your Highness the Princess."

Xia Xiang was pinched by her nose, so he had no choice but to admit defeat: "Your Majesty has seen Her Royal Highness."

"Exemption, peace." Lian Ruohan stretched out his right hand in a dignified manner, and lifted it up, "Master Xia, Your Royal Highness will marry you, and you will become a relative of the emperor in the future. You must be loyal to the emperor and serve the country. Have the heart of rebellion."

"I don't dare." Xia Xiang looked sincere and fearful, "I was entrusted by the emperor to come here and really decide to be an official. I will be loyal to the emperor and serve the country. I will live up to the grace of the emperor and the people."

Lian Ruohan heard something in Xia Xiang's words: "No, you came to Zhending to be the county magistrate. It was Xingwang who did it. How could it be entrusted by the emperor?"

"Ms. Lian really thinks so?" Xia Xiang had a half-smile expression on his face. He sat side by side with Lian Ruohan, and when he turned his head to look at Lian Ruohan, he looked a little weird, "With Mrs. Lian's intelligence, How can you not guess that I am really determined to take up the post? On the surface, the Xingwang ordered the officials to let me come to the place of Longtan and Tiger's Den, but behind the scenes, who would dare to say that there is no acquiescence from the emperor, or that the emperor just followed suit and followed suit?"

"You are not familiar with the emperor, you have only met once, how can you know what the emperor thinks?" Lian Ruohan wrinkled his nose and snorted, "It's just your wishful thinking, it's too much to count."

Xia Xiang smiled quietly, stretched out his hand and scratched Lian Ruohan's nose: "My lady and the emperor are not familiar, I'm afraid I haven't even met each other, so how can I know that my guess is wrong?"

Lian Ruohan tilted her head and thought for a while: "I won't tell you anymore. You are trying to trick me, so I won't be fooled."

Xia Xiang felt more and more that there was an unknown secret in Lian Ruohan: "Lady, if it is true that the emperor intends to send me to Zhending as an official, besides governing Zhending well, what else should I do to win the Sacred Heart?" ?”

"The emperor's mind is unpredictable, how do I know?" He said he didn't know, but Lian Ruohan still thought about it seriously and said his own thoughts, "If this is the case, the emperor must have high hopes for you Among other things, the Imperial Army stationed in Zhending Mansion is not much worse than the Imperial Army in the capital. Also, the reason why the emperor agreed to the southern tour is probably because he also intended to visit Zhending in person to wipe out the rebels. There are two things you have to do The first is to nip all the hidden dangers of Zhending in the bud, and the second is that in case something happens during the emperor's southern tour, you must use all your strength to ensure that the emperor retreats safely, and if possible, you must also wipe out the rebels."

Xia Xiang touched his head and smiled honestly: "It is my duty to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country, but as a small seventh-rank magistrate, governance is definitely within the scope of my ability to ensure the safety of the emperor. Although he has the heart, he has more than enough heart but not enough strength. Not only is Cui Fuzun restrained, but Wu Yidong, as the commander of the garrison imperial army, is not restrained by this official. The power that this official can mobilize is only three times of more than a hundred people. It's just a class servant."

"Don't forget, you still have me, Mrs. Mantuo, Mrs. Lian and Mrs. Xiao..." Lian Ruohan was amused by Xia Xiang's appearance, "There are also Zheng Hao, Lu Zhiyue, Xiao Wu , Xu Wangshan, Ma Qingyuan, etc., don't underestimate your own strength. Also, the emperor has full confidence in you, and believes that you can achieve great things with your own strength."

"How do you know that the emperor has full confidence in me?" Xia Xiang reached out and grabbed Lian Ruohan's ear, "Lady, tell me the truth, how did you and the emperor meet?"

"Where do I know the emperor? You think too much." Lian Ruohan shook his head and shook off Xia Xiang's clutches, "Why do you always think that I am the emperor's man? I am a traitor of the Qinghe Cui family, and then founded Haojing Chang Zai, I was lucky enough to become the No. [-] trading firm in Daxia. In fact, if you say that I belong to the emperor, it would be more credible to say that I belong to King Qing or King Yun."

"That's right." Xia Xiang pretended to be enlightened, "My lady, are you from King Qing or King Yun?"

Lian Ruohan had a shy face, and buried her head on Xia Xiang's chest: "I'm an official..."

Although Xia Xiang embraced Lian Ruohan in his arms with tenderness and sweetness in his heart, he still thought helplessly that Lian Ruohan was really a cunning and changeable lady, marrying her was both a blessing and a pressure.Well, since she refuses to reveal her secrets, he doesn't force her anymore, he believes in her sincerity to him. Besides, it's normal for her to have some secrets that she doesn't want others to know, after all, as the number one in Daxia The man at the helm of a business that is always in good times cannot be without mystery.

"I don't know when Mr. Jin Jia will come to Zhending? I really miss him." Xia Xiang said emotionally.

"At the latest when the emperor is on his southern tour, Mr. Jin Jia will accompany him. By the way, there will be Ye Zhenren." Lian Ruohan recalled the first time he met Ye Muping, although he still had a little bit of Ye Muping's real identity in his heart. Doubtful, but with a little more longing and anticipation, "Maybe Ye Zhenren is really a banished immortal. He has great supernatural powers and endless changes."

Xia Xiang nodded. He had also heard many legends about Ye Muping, and thought of the medicine bed medicine chair again: "How is the medicine bed medicine chair going?"

"Everything is going well, and we can mass-produce it soon. I gave Cui Fuzun a medicine chair a few days ago, and I don't know if he uses it?" Lian Ruohan's eyes lit up, "Wenyuan will also use the medicine bed medicine chair in the future. It is preserved as a handicraft that can be passed on so as not to be lost in the future.”

"That's great, my lady is really a good lady..." Xia Xiang felt drowsy and couldn't open his eyes.

"Don't sleep, talk with me." Lian Ruohan played tricks and shook Xia Xiang's arm.

Xia Xiang refused to wake up, and still closed his eyes tightly: "Let me sleep for a while, I am really sleepy, and there are many things to deal with tomorrow. Xiao Wu will be back tomorrow, and Ma Qingyuan and Yuanwai should also leave the city. Le is back, and there will always be a time when things come to light. Also, and, if Miss Mantuo comes back, remember to wake me up..."

"Miss Mantuo is back!" Lian Ruohan exclaimed.

Xia Xiang still didn't open his eyes: "Liar! Miss Mantuo definitely hasn't come back."

"It's not fun. You can't be fooled by this. You haven't opened your eyes yet. How do you know that Mrs. Mantuo hasn't come back?"

"Because, because..." Xia Xiang tilted his head on Lian Ruohan, feeling sleepy like a tide, "Because I didn't smell the unique fragrance of Lady Mantuo."

"You!" Lian Ruohan laughed angrily at Xia Xiang's scoundrel, and wanted to pinch his nose, but saw him making a slight snoring sound, and fell asleep. After experiencing so many hardships and dangers, I couldn't help but said softly, "It's really hard for you, officer, you will understand later that your actions will be remembered by the emperor and the common people. There is a poem for you—— Poverty is hard to grow up, and the old and naive cannot be beaten. Since ancient times, heroes have come out of purgatory, and they have always been rich and honored. Whoever becomes angry when drunk, dreams and dies, Tuo Ma spears the world. Swing an army thousands of miles to the mountains and rivers, establish a name and spread it to future generations!"

Xia Xiang only vaguely heard half of Lian Ruohan's words, and when he talked about the latter part, he had already entered a dream.Xia Xiang had a strange dream. In a daze, he came to a place of pavilions and pavilions. In the forest full of flowers, there were two people standing with their backs to him.He wanted to get closer and see their faces clearly, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't take another step forward.

Fortunately, he can still hear the conversation between the two.

From their backs, they can see that they are two women. A woman in white clothes is on the left, floating like a fairy, and a woman in ordinary clothes is on the right. The two are standing under the peach tree, with colorful fallen flowers and countless petals. Sprinkled on the heads and bodies of the two.

"Ms. Song, I have wronged you. It will be hard for you to raise Xiang'er alone in the future." The woman in white said.

The voice of the woman known as Mrs. Song was clear: "It is my blessing to be able to raise Xiang'er. Why do I suffer from grievances and hardships? Please rest assured, my family will do my best."

"It's so good, it's so good." Fairy nodded again and again, her tone a bit low, "There is one more thing you need to know. You must never reveal Xiang'er's true identity to outsiders, even if it is Xiang'er, you must not let him know." The truth. Do you understand it?"

Lady Song said: "My family knows that well. But if Xiang'er asks who his biological father is, how should I answer him?"

"Xia Xiang's father's name was Xia Changde, and Xia Changde had a younger brother named Xia Changdao. Xia Changdao died early and had no children. He asked Xia Changde to continue the incense for him, so Xia Xiang could marry two wives and shoulder the burden. Two doors." The fairy seemed to have been prepared for a long time, and said without thinking, "You can just tell Xia Xiang like this. As for Xia Changde's life and death, you should be vague and don't need to say it clearly."

Mrs. Song was stunned for a moment, and said: "Xia Changde, Xia Changdao, the orthodox Dharma is called Tao, and it is called virtue if you get the Tao without losing it. It is said in the "Buddha Says the Infinite Life Sutra": 'Longness and morality are combined.' , the name given by the fairy really has a deep meaning."

The fairy chuckled: "Although the name Xia Changde and Xia Changdao is good, it is still not as good as Xia Xiang. Xiangzhe, auspicious..."

The more Xia Xiang listened, the more confused he became. The more confused he felt, the more he felt that Mrs. Song was like his mother. In desperation, he walked fast like flying, trying to catch up with the two of them to see clearly.But no matter how he ran, he got farther and farther away from the two of them, and he shouted anxiously: "Mom, I'm Xiang'er, wait for me!"

Lady Song seemed to have heard his call, she turned around and smiled at him: "Who is your mother? Da Lang, open your eyes to see clearly, I am Shi Shi Lang."

Eleven Lang?Xia Lai, sure enough, the person in front of him turned into Xia Lai.Xia Lai was still the same as when he escaped Zhongshan Village with him, looking at him with a smile.

Looking at the people next to him, he didn't know when it turned into Xia Qu.

Xia Qu burst into tears: "Da Lang, I miss you so much. The last time we said goodbye, we never saw each other again. How are you now?"

Xia Xiang stepped forward and hugged Xia Laixia Qu, crying bitterly: "Eleventh Lang, Thirteenth Lang, as long as you are fine, I am always worried about you, it is great to see you are fine. We brothers will never separate again Already!"

"We won't be separated, Dalang, Xia Qu and I will help you together." Xia Lai nodded emphatically, "No matter who we meet, as long as he dares to harm you, Xia Qu and I will definitely not forgive him."

With tears streaming down his face, Xia Xiang hugged Xia LaiXia Qu tightly, and the emotion and excitement in his chest flowed together: "Brothers, brothers who are of the same heart, their benefits can cut through gold."

"Wake up, wake up, Mr. Xia Lang, Lady Mantuo is back!"

Xia Xiang was immersed in joy and grief when he was suddenly shaken awake. He opened his eyes and saw that Lian Ruohan was fully dressed and standing in front of the bed, and he was lying on the bed alone.

Taking a closer look, the dewy Mantuo stood at the door with a tired face, holding a sword in his right hand, and there was blood dripping from the tip of the sword, which was shocking.

Xia Xiang woke up instantly, jumped up from the bed, and supported Mantuo: "Miss Mantuo, are you injured?"

Man Tuo shook his head, as if he was in a state of collapse, and with Xia Xiang's support, he sat down slowly.Lian Ruohan hurriedly poured her a cup of hot tea, she drank it in one gulp, drank a few more cups, then wiped her mouth and said, "The person from last night has better martial arts than me."

Xia Xiang was surprised: "It is rumored that among the top ten masters in Daxia, your master Lin Shangxian ranks first, Yan Hao ranks third, and your martial arts is higher than Yan Hao. Besides Lingshi, who else in the world would Is it your opponent?"

Although Mantuo was not injured, there was dew on her body, and her clothes were torn in several places. She put away the sword in her hand: "Master's martial arts are superb, and she deserves to be ranked first. It's just that she never asks the common people. If you want to ask questions, you will not get involved in disputes. As early as before the master became famous, there was the saying of the top ten masters of Daxia. At that time, the master was not on the list. I don’t know what is good. The author supplemented the list and also ranked Master number one."

(End of this chapter)