She fell out after crying at the wrong grave

"Oh, you're not pretending anymore? What do you think, Princess?"

Hengzhi was called early in the morning to guard A's yard.

A'an told him that she could help him do something in exchange for a chance to survive.

This was all thanks to her eavesdropping.

Ever since she was brought here, the servants outside had been curious and had been talking about this matter from time to time.

It turned out that the new emperor wanted a painting and asked the prince to find it and see it with his own eyes within three months. The prince couldn't find it and couldn't complete the task, so he caught the princess who had escaped secretly and planned to use this as a way to make up for his mistake.

This is a good opportunity.

So she asked to see Hengzhi, trying to persuade him to protect himself.

The bastard uncle is really stubborn, but he has given her a chance to survive.

"His Majesty asked you to bring the Emperor's hunting map to the audience in three months, but you didn't, right?"

Hengzhi was leaning against the door. She was tied up and tied to a pillar in the woodshed, so she had to raise her head to see him.

"Since you know that I am Princess Xuancheng, you should also know that my painting skills were taught by Huai Chengbai from the Imperial Academy. I have seen this painting at the teacher's place, so copying it should be no problem."

Putting aside other things for now, Ah-yi is very good at copying paintings.

"When I was thirteen, I had copied all the paintings in the master's collection. The original painting of the Emperor's Hunting Tour was in his hands, but unfortunately he had long since retired and gone far away, and it is difficult to find his whereabouts." Ah'ao took a long breath, "I tried every means to escape from the capital, and I never wanted to go back. If I was not absolutely sure, I would not dare to gamble my future and life with the prince."

Hengzhi listened quietly.

The painting was taught by Huai Chengbai, and the princess was also Huai Chengbai's student. Things in this world are just too coincidental.

If he didn't really know Huai Chengbai and this painting was given to him by Huai Chengbai himself, he really wouldn't have believed it.

The plan that had been made was indeed shaken at this moment, and Hengzhi suddenly had a new idea.

"I have to test it to find out if the princess has this superb skill."

Out of respect for the deceased and the money, Ah'ao would change into this jade-colored cotton dress every time she went to a funeral. Only the neckline was embroidered with some green willow leaves, so that it would not look too plain if she took it off.

After hearing what he said, she immediately struggled to stand up, her plain skirt swaying as she heard it. "How do you want to test me, my lord?"

The willow leaves fluttered in the wind, swaying in front of Hengzhi's eyes.

"Stay here and draw it for me." Heng Qi stretched out his hand and pulled her up to stand firmly, "But I still have something that I need your help with."

A'ao looked up at him, the distance was too close.

Except for the slightly dark circles under his eyes and some sloppy stubble on his chin, Hengzhi can be said to have a good-looking skin that seems to have been chiseled by a knife and an axe.

Whenever she saw him, A'ao would inevitably recall the time when she first arrived in Kezhou. Many people told her that if she didn't climb the Wuling Mountain, she hadn't seen Kezhou.

If you haven’t seen Hengzhi, you haven’t really seen Kezhou.

"The night I brought you back, I was seen by Xue Ping's men. I'm afraid you can't leave even if you want to."

Such a big thing, yet he made it seem so nonchalant!
"What should we do then?" Ah'ao grabbed his hand and asked.

"That's easy. If Your Highness doesn't mind, just say you're my new mistress." Heng Qi pulled her away. "But men and women shouldn't touch each other. Even if she's a mistress, you can't pull her like that."

Ah'ao frowned and looked at him, feeling that there was something wrong with his brain.

But is there any better way right now?
------------

More than ten boxes were carried into the study room of the prince's residence like water.

Yun Cheng stood guard at the door, glancing inside from time to time.

It's a nice day today.

It was a sunny noon day. His master was standing tall in a long sandalwood robe, which covered most of the girl beside him.

I don't know what she said, but the girl smiled brightly, rolled up her sleeves, and raised a large piece of lapis lazuli in the box with one hand.

Wow, the girl is really strong and powerful. Yun Cheng widened his eyes.

There are many things to pay attention to when copying ancient paintings. A'ao considered the time limit Hengqi told her and decided to develop the pigments she would use herself.

These boxes contained lapis lazuli, realgar stone, and some herbs used to produce color, all of which were lists written by Ah-yi herself.

"That's all right." Ah-yi looked at the lapis lazuli and said to the prince who was standing with his arms folded, "You do have some family background. You bought it too quickly."

"That's right." Heng Qi was not modest at all. "But are you sure you want to start with this step?" He walked over and checked the things in the box.

"If you want to make it more realistic, you can't just buy ready-made pigments. The masters of painting make their own pigments. You are really generous with your money. I said you could just buy some gravel, but you bought such a big piece of lapis lazuli." Ah'ao held it for a long time, and her wrist began to ache.

Hengzhi glanced at her, took the stone, and didn't care much. "These are just bribes my father received in the past. Keeping them will take up space. It's better to give them to the princess."

Can you just talk about taking bribes?

Ah-yi pinched her earlobe, not knowing how to respond, "Um... don't call me princess anymore. I'm not a princess anymore. Just call me Cui-yi."

This is a very abrupt change of subject, which is really lame.

He doesn't even dare to listen to a word of official business. He really values ​​his life, Hengzhi thought.

There is no conclusion yet as to whether she is not a princess.

Da Chongguo's surname is Shen, why did she change her surname? She seems to be very familiar with the name she said, and it doesn't seem to be a random one.

It's like betting on stones.

The surface is calm, but no one knows what is going on inside, and the same goes for the princess's past.

Hengzhi was thinking about it.

"Oh, right." Ah-yi suddenly asked, "Did Xue Ping come with the imperial edict?"

Ah-yi was reluctant to use large pieces of lapis lazuli, so she picked up some broken pieces and put them into the stone mill. There are many steps in making mineral pigments, so we need to start preparing them quickly.

Hengzhi was about to answer her when Yuncheng suddenly came hurriedly over from the door.

"Master, there is an urgent matter." Yun Cheng pursed his lips tightly. Because Ah'ao was beside him, he hesitated and didn't know whether he should say it immediately.

A'ao clapped her hands tactfully, stood up and wanted to go out to hide.

But Heng Zhi took the first step and interrupted her with the words, "Just say it."

After hearing so many of your secrets, if I tell you that the dead are tight-lipped, I'll be dead, right?

Ah'ao curled her lips and sat down helplessly.

She is still a salted fish under the knife and the right thing to do is to live a miserable life.

"Qiu Jidao sent a message that Xue Ping first spent a few days in Chunfeng Ferry and came to the city yesterday. It's just that the news was delayed. The spies on West Street said that he has passed the city gate and is probably heading to the private residence."

"So fast."

Yun Cheng said, with a strange expression on his face, "It's just that the people around Xue Ping told the city guard..."

"say what?"

Yun Cheng looked embarrassed, "He said he wanted to see the mistress that the master brought back."

The two victims in front of them looked at each other and realized that this was indeed like lifting a stone and smashing two people's feet.

Sure enough, according to Xue Ping's working style, once he got the imperial edict and had the support of the emperor, he would act without delay.

Xue Ping found this place quite accurately.

The house here is a new expansion of Hengzhi. Except for the renovated study, even the bedroom is still empty.

Compared to the entire Kezhou, everything that happened in this palm-sized house in just two days reached Xue Ping's ears at such a fast speed.

It can be seen that from people to things, the cleanup is still not thorough.

The carriage stopped steadily in front of the private residence.

There was no plaque before, so it was empty. Hengzhi was too lazy to think of a name, so he just asked someone to carve the words "private residence" on it, which was absurd and unorthodox.

Xue Ping stepped on the driver and got off the carriage. While adjusting his clothes, he looked at the inappropriate plaque and snorted with laughter.

Sure enough, he was an unreliable young man. After waiting for a while, the young man Heng Qi picked up his robe and flew across the threshold, bowed to Xue Ping, and said, "I didn't know the supervisor was coming. Please forgive me for not coming to greet you."

Xue Ping looked him over and smiled to please the situation. "How dare I? If I wasn't in a hurry to do your Majesty's job, I would come here without your permission. Your Highness, please don't be offended."

In the officialdom, false flattery is inevitable.

Hengzhi stood up straight, and Xue Ping had to look up at him.

The difference between people lies not only in their nature, but also in their own management.

Xue Ping's family was poor. In order to survive, he voluntarily entered the palace to become a eunuch when he was young, and was destined to live a life of servility.

Seeing other young men full of vigor and vitality inevitably reminded him of his own dirty and humble youth, and his eyes dimmed.

"Your Majesty was very worried when he heard that the prince had a lover. When you were in the palace, your Majesty and the former Marquis were from the same court. The former Marquis passed away suddenly, and your Majesty missed the prince very much."

This is a lie.

Firstly, the person was brought back only two days ago, and secondly, the new emperor has never met Hengzhi, so the idea of ​​him missing him is even more ridiculous.

When he was fifteen, Hengzhi went to the capital with his father to celebrate the birthday of the late emperor. It was the ninth year of Linghui, and the new emperor was still Prince Yong. At the banquet, apart from constantly toasting the late emperor, he also toasted the Marquis of Shuzhong, and looked down on everyone else.

The new emperor's flattery was too purposeful. Yuanzhou and Kezhou have always been defensive cities, and he looked down on them.

If that's the case, why should we care?

Xue Ping did not even blush or feel nervous when he told this clumsy lie. He was already used to taking advantage of the power of others.

Hengzhi looked at Xue Ping's back with a hint of sarcasm in his eyes.

"Your Majesty is well-informed." But this sentence still needs to be tactful and beautiful, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty, and thank you for your concern, the Supervisor."

Xue Ping laughed twice, "Your Majesty, everything is known to you."

He didn't care about the sarcasm in Hengzhi's words. It was just a few words of criticism. If he took these words seriously, he would have been depressed many times.

He had to do his job of ancient painting carefully, and he had to greet people when they came to his door, and that was enough.

When he first arrived, Xue Ping deliberately told Hengzhi everything. Listening to His Majesty is the only way to protect his position.

Now it is Xue Ping who holds the imperial edict. He works for the emperor, so what can he do even if he is dissatisfied?

Could they kill him? How brave would Heng Zhi be to rebel?

Although there hasn't been much trouble in Kezhou since Heng Qi's death, it's still a big piece of pie, and it's hard to tell who will be coveting it in the long run.

Neither Yuanzhou nor Shuzhong are merciful people.

But Xue Ping probably had no way of knowing. As for invisible places, anything that could be solved by bleeding was not a big deal.

Those who had ulterior motives were turned into dead bodies, and were buried in pits dug around Hengqi's tomb. The soil was all new, so no one was suspicious.

People are worth knowing.

Yun Cheng led people into the reception room, and soon set the table and served tea.

"The new Ziyang tea from Shannan Province, please try it." The teacup fell on the table, but Xue Ping did not touch it for a long time.

The room was completely silent. The sandalwood was half burned, the ashes stagnating in the stove, and no one spoke first.

Hengzhi picked up the cup nonchalantly and took a sip. "Today's tea is good. Who made it?"

The words were directed to Yun Cheng. No matter who looked at him at this moment, Heng Zhi looked calm and contented, without any sign of humility.

Yun Cheng bowed and said, "My lord, it's Yun Li."

The last two words were clear and distinct, as if they were thrown flat on the ground. Before he finished speaking, Yun Cheng had already raised his head.

He looked at his master deliberately, and their eyes met for just a moment, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

Hengzhi understood, quickly looked away, and looked back at Xue Ping calmly.

The latter put on a kind smile, and the eunuch beside him hurried forward, poured out some of the untouched cup of tea and tasted it.

He really picked up Qiao and poisoned him in front of him. Heng Qi sneered in his heart. He thought he was too stupid to use such a dosage of poison.

Then Xue Ping picked up the cup and explained calmly, "I have been with His Majesty for a long time and have some problems. Please don't be surprised, my lord."

"What are you talking about, Warden?" They went back and forth, not giving up.

Xue Ping casually blew away the steam on the teacup and finally got to the point. "Today I am here to follow your majesty's wishes and to meet the prince's favorite woman. This way, I can report back to your majesty."

"My father has just passed away, and Your Majesty is my only father, so I will naturally obey." Heng Zhi smiled and raised his chin towards Yun Chengyang, indicating that he should go and invite someone.

"She has no family background and is a country girl. If she does anything inappropriate, the warden will bear with her."

There was a tenderness in his tone, as if it were real.

Xue Ping was happy to see Hengzhi like this.

Back then, his father Heng Qi came to the capital to pay homage after being granted the title of marquis. All the noble families in the capital who had daughters were as anxious to find a son-in-law as if they were catching a son-in-law from the imperial examination.

If the upstart, who is at the peak of his career, were to marry a powerful official, how could the Da Chong regime be stable?

Finally, Emperor Wu'an assigned him the daughter of a powerless official, Xu, who had been dead for a long time.

If he were to enter the capital now, wouldn't the noble families flock to him for his second-rank title and good looks?

The nobles were trying to compete with each other and looked down on the Changqiu Supervisor. A country girl with no family background could make it even harder for Kezhou to succeed. This would kill two birds with one stone and solve all the problems.

Since Hengqi could marry Xu, Hengzhi could also marry this nameless woman.

Not long after, a maid came in, supporting a frail woman.

The woman is wearing a peach-colored dress, which is the popular style in Kezhou at the moment. The color of the upper body is light, gradually darkening, and the color of the skirt is particularly gorgeous, making it lifelike.

She used a round fan to cover half of her face, leaving only a pair of eyes visible. Her long hair was half tied up and half loose, and neatly put behind her ears, making her look particularly peaceful.

But it doesn't look like it was brought up in a pampered environment, and its hair tips are as gray and yellow as dead grass in the sunlight.

Xue Ping looked him up from below, and with decades of experience in physiognomy, he could tell from the visitor's steps that he was cowardly and inferior.

She lowered her head and hunched her chest, her fingers tightly grasping the handle of the fan. The pearls on her head jingled with every step she took.

Really petty-minded.

What a wasted trip! Xue Ping sneered in his heart that his subordinates had misjudged her. How could the only princess of Da Chong look like this? Even though he had only seen her from behind, he could immediately tell that this was not Princess Xuancheng.

A princess who could do such a thing as escaping from marriage under the nose of the new emperor must have more than a little courage. This woman was obviously far from that.

Hengzhi turned his head and his eyes fell on A'an.

Her eyes were obviously covered with makeup. They used to be bright and charming, but now they were gone. Her almond-shaped eyes were elongated, and the corners of her eyes drooped, looking frightened and depressed. She never dared to raise her eyes.

Danqingshi's back, which had been straight after sitting for several hours, now has slumped shoulders.

The skirt was originally bought according to her size, but now it pales in comparison.

Yunli, the maid in the mansion, is good at makeup, and A'ao is also good at changing her body movements to pretend to be another unrelated person.

A laundry lady named Cui whose identity and background were entirely made up by Hengzhi.

He watched with curiosity, yet also with admiration.

"She's a pretty girl. What's her name and where do you live? Look up so I can see."

Putting the fan down, A'ao bowed and performed an unstandard blessing, "Reply... Reply to your Excellency, my daughter, Cui, lives in the city or the suburbs." She pinched her throat and spoke stumblingly, then pretended to glance at Hengzhi cautiously.

Xue Ping didn't look at her again.

As their eyes exchanged, Hengzhi saw a flash of victory in her eyes, beneath her well-disguised makeup.

One is that the two of them have joined forces and have already tricked Xue Ping into a position where he is firmly in control.

"My wife is shy, let me talk to the prisoner."

(End of this chapter)