Painting Doctor Jinhua

Chapter 158 Her Plan, Her Calculation

All the way from Bingjingtai back to Lanling Palace, Gao Changgong hugged Xiao Jinyu very tightly, but did not say a word and seemed very angry.

After returning to Prince Lanling's Mansion, Gao Changgong ordered his men to close the door and refuse all visitors, including Gao Yanzong.

He stood alone by the pond in the courtyard, feeling depressed and lost in thought. Xiao Jinyu wanted to comfort him, but she didn't know where to start, so she asked Lu Yu, "Is Chang Gong angry with me?"

"My dear, the prince is not angry with you, he is worried about you. Why did you swear such a vicious oath? You said in front of the emperor and so many ministers that if you can't pray for rain, then..."

Lu Yu couldn't bear to continue, and asked in disbelief: "Young lady, can you really pray for rain?"

Xiao Jinyu nodded: "Yes! When have I ever told a lie?"

Oh my god! Did our prince marry a god?

"My dear lady, if you can really pray for rain, I, Lu Yu, will kneel down to you..." Having said this, he slapped himself fiercely, "Look at what I said. What do you mean by really can? I mean I can definitely do it. Nothing can happen to our Princess!"

Xiao Jinyu came to Gao Changgong, put her arms around his waist again, and explained earnestly: "Changgong, do you remember when we were in Pengcheng, I asked you if you believed that the visions in the sky could determine the fate of the world? You said you didn't believe it!"

"I have observed the celestial phenomena. Yecheng has been dry for too long. It will rain in three days. Since Lord Lu wants to use the celestial phenomena to confuse people, we can only start with the celestial phenomena to break her overly sacred status in the hearts of the emperor and the people!"

"Don't worry, I said I won't do anything I'm not sure of. I'm not making a bet with Lord Lu just because I'm angry. Chang Gong, don't you still believe me?"

Gao Changgong's expression eased a little, and he hugged her tightly, then lifted her veil. Seeing the red spots on the left side of her face, which was originally white and tender, as well as the scars that looked particularly hideous after the Phoenix Transformation, he felt even more guilty.

Seeing the pity and distress in his eyes, Xiao Jinyu smiled again and said, "It's okay, I just took a medicine, which caused these rashes. I also took the antidote just now, and it will disappear soon. I also asked Fenghuang to prepare medicine for the scars on my face, and they will heal soon!"

As she said this, Gao Changgong felt even more uncomfortable.

"Ayu, it's not that I don't believe you, but it hurts to see you suffer because of me..." As he spoke, he gently stroked the scars on her face and the rash caused by the medication, "Does it still hurt here?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore. It's just a minor injury. Don't blame yourself, Chang Gong. You and I are one family. No one will implicate the other. You said so!"

After that, she took his hand and came to the pond, pointed at the goldfish swimming in the water and said, "Chang Gong, look at this fish, it is taking a deep breath. I once read a book that said when a goldfish floats on the water, it is a sign of rain!"

Then, she pulled him under another osmanthus tree and pointed to the ants on the ground and said, "There are also these ants that will move their food and look for high places to live before the heavy rain comes."

"In fact, many things in this world have omens, but they are not the will of God. The reason why people call those inexplicable visions God's will is because of their awe and fear of the unknown."

"Chang Gong, we must overcome this fear, only then can we be invincible!"

"You have been on the battlefield before, so you should understand better than me. Before you can defeat the enemy, you must first conquer your own heart, right?"

Hearing her say this, Gao Changgong couldn't help but smile, and the haze of fear about the future in his heart immediately dissipated.

At this time, Xiao Jinyu leaned close to his ear and said, "Chang Gong, don't be afraid. I will not die. I will stay with you forever, until we grow old together!"

As if he heard the most beautiful sweet words in the world, Gao Changgong smiled brightly, then picked up Xiao Jinyu and spun her around several times.

Lu Yu couldn't help but stare at her not far away: I didn't expect this young lady to be so good at comforting people. The prince's face was cloudy just now, but now it is bright and clear! The difference is huge!

Moreover, he had never seen the prince so happy before, as if he had suddenly become ten years younger!

No, he had never been so childish even when he was ten years old...

……

The news that Xiao Jinyu wanted to pray for rain on the Tongque Tower three days later quickly spread throughout Yecheng, and many people in the capital regarded this as a joke after dinner.

Especially the noble ladies who played with Zheng Yue were even more sarcastic and mocking.

"Ayue, listen to this. Princess Lanling can also pray for rain. What can you do?"

"However, it is still unknown whether she can pray for rain. If she can't, she will kill herself in front of His Majesty. So, A Yue, you should be praying in your heart that she can't pray for rain, right?"

"You're talking nonsense—"

Zheng Yue yelled at this group of noble ladies who only knew how to take advantage of others' misfortunes, then ran away wiping her tears. As she was running, she saw Gao Xiaowan walking towards her from the direction of Prince Lanling's Palace.

"Brother Xiaowan, please help Ayue! I heard that woman even asked His Majesty for an official position. She was so shameless that she wanted to bet with Lu Junjun to pray for rain. Sooner or later, she will bring disaster to Xiaoguan. I don't want to see Xiaoguan get hurt because of her!"

When Gao Changgong came out of the ice well holding Xiao Jinyu, Zheng Yue hid in a corner and watched quietly. She had never seen so many emotions on his face: there was careful care and fear of losing. If he didn't love her deeply, how could he have such complicated emotions.

"Ayue, let it go! I'm afraid Changgong's heart... can't be taken back..."

How could he have room for anything else after marrying such a stunningly talented woman?

This time, Zheng Yue's heart was completely empty: Even Xiao Wan felt so, so there was really no hope, right?

Seeing Zheng Yue crying and wiping her tears and running away, Gao Xiaowan couldn't help but sigh.

"The Southern Dynasty woman that Chang Gong married is truly extraordinary. Although her appearance is ruined, her talent is unmatched by any other woman!"

Gao Xiaoheng also came over at this time and sighed,

"It's a pity that he is too arrogant. I'm afraid that, as Zheng Yue said, he will bring about some fatal disaster!"

"Not only that, Zheng Yue is now heartbroken by him, and I'm afraid that the Zheng family of Xingyang will become his enemy!" Gao Xiaowan said worriedly.

Gao Xiaoheng smiled and said, "I don't think so. Chang Gong has always been valued by His Majesty for his loyalty and bravery. If he married a daughter of a Han family, Gao Zhan would think that he was forming a clique to expand his power. However, this woman from the Southern Dynasty married to the Northern Qi Dynasty alone without the support of her mother's family. It makes Chang Gong seem a little weak and powerless, and he has no ambition to compete for the throne!

I think it’s great, he has always had his own ideas, and we don’t need to worry about him!

It’s just that this matter of praying for rain…”

……

Upon hearing the news, Cui Heng and Li Mi also curiously came to visit Prince Lanling's Mansion.

After leading the two to sit down in the back garden of the mansion, Li Mi couldn't wait to ask: "What happened? Why did you think of betting with Lord Lu to pray for rain?"

Xiao Jinyu then recounted everything that happened at the banquet and explained:

"After this banquet, I have understood the character of your Qi emperor. His favor for He Shikai and Lu Lingxuan is comparable to Chen Xu's preference for King Shixing. So even if we produce evidence that they have forged the imperial decree or sent assassins to hunt us down, Gao Zhan will not be able to punish them severely, not to mention that they can use their official positions to atone for their crimes!"

"So, you want to replace He Shikai and Lu Junjun's positions in the heart of Emperor Gao Zhan?" Cui Heng asked back.

Xiao Jinyu nodded: "Yes!"

"Has the prince agreed?"

Xiao Jinyu looked at Gao Changgong standing aside and said with a smile, "Yes, he agrees!"

Gao Changgong didn't say anything.

Cui Heng was secretly angry, but he also understood that even if Gao Changgong disagreed, Xiao Jinyu would probably insist on having her own way.

She has always been like this, no one can stop her from doing what she wants.

Li Mi looked like he was waiting to see what was going on. He was silent for a moment before he said, "If you want to replace He Shikai's position in Gao Zhan's heart, I'm afraid the princess has to be someone like He Shikai. First of all, you have to learn the game of holding the spear! This is the game that He Shikai is best at because he is deeply favored by the emperor... Uh, I know this game, I can teach the princess..."

Xiao Jinyu nodded with a smile. Li Mi turned back to look at Gao Changgong and said with a smile, "Does the prince mind?"

Gao Changgong did not speak, so Xiao Jinyu answered for him: "If Changgong is free, he will accompany me."

"But if you want to replace Lu Lingxuan's position in Gao Zhan's heart, it may be a bit difficult. This woman is good at using astronomical divination to make things happen. All the wizards in Qi are under her control. She does not win the heart of the emperor, but the hearts of the people. Moreover, she is also good at raising spies and has a very secret and large spy organization!"

"That's why she wanted to bet with Lu Lingxuan on praying for rain in order to break this sacred status that people admire!" Cui Heng continued.

Li Mi suddenly realized: "So the princess has already planned this?"

Xiao Jinyu nodded.

Li Mi became even more curious.

"Is it true that we can pray for rain in three days?"

Xiao Jinyu only said: "You two gentlemen can come to Tongque Tower to take a look in three days!"

"Great!" Li Mi said excitedly.

"Since the two gentlemen are here, Ayu needs your help."

"You're welcome, Princess. Please speak!"

"I want to bring Zu Ting to our side, so I need you two to help me find all the relevant information about him, especially his likes and weaknesses!"

"That's no problem, leave it to me! I'm the best at prying into people's privacy!"

Li Mi laughed, and Lu Yu looked at him with contempt.

"Boy, what's with that look in your eyes? Do you still despise me?" Li Mi glared back and scolded.

Lu Yu refused to be outdone and said, "You think you are the only one who can pry into other people's privacy? I can do that too! Who is looking down on whom? I have also heard some stories about Zu Xiaozheng..."

"tell me the story?"

Lu Yu found an opportunity and began to speak enthusiastically.

"Zu Ting's family raised an old horse, called a "liu colt", which was only about ten years old. Like Cao Cao, he loved other people's wives the most and committed adultery with a widow named Wang. Wang was already sixty years old, but he always went out with Wang as a pair and greeted her openly in front of people. Even the Minister of the Central Secretariat Pei Rangzhi laughed at him and said, 'How can you be so weird? A ten-year-old horse is still called a "liu colt", and a wife who is already sixty years old is still called "wife". Hahaha, don't you think it's funny?" (Note: "ears" means sixty years old)

After saying that, Lu Yu laughed loudly, but found that he had been laughing for a long time and no one laughed, so he covered his mouth in confusion.

After a long while, Li Mi said sarcastically, "You are very good at livening up the atmosphere! But do you think it is appropriate to say this in front of your princess?"

Lu Yu did not think about whether it was appropriate or not. In fact, he just wanted to make his prince and his young lady laugh. At this moment, he turned around and glanced at the prince's eyes. He didn't know what words to use to describe it. He was so disdainful that he didn't even bother to give him a look of contempt!

"Lu Yu, you are very free, right? Now that the two assassins are dead, we don't need to worry about the remaining one, right?"

"Oh, yes! And the shopkeeper of Fengxianju Inn!" Lu Yu suddenly understood something. "I'll take care of him. I'm leaving now, Prince!"

After saying that, he ran away!

"So this Zu Ting is such an interesting person?" Xiao Jinyu sighed sincerely at this moment, and at the same time she understood why Chang Gong got so angry when Lu Lingxuan asked Zu Ting to help her look at the scars on her face.

She glanced at Gao Changgong and asked Li Mi, "What other deeds and strengths and weaknesses does he have?"

"As for his deeds, there are a lot of them, but none of them are good. He stole, robbed, gambled, and was promiscuous. He was capable of anything. As for his strengths and weaknesses... He always felt that he was Guan Zhong in the world, with the talent of a prime minister, but he was not appreciated and could not meet a good emperor. He felt that the emperors were blind and could not see his amazing talent. He was confident that he was invincible!"

At this point, Li Mi asked Xiao Jinyu, "Is this an advantage or a disadvantage?"

At this moment, even Gao Changgong, who usually didn't smile much, couldn't help laughing.

"For us, it is an advantage. Then I'll trouble Mr. Li to help me dig up all his deeds and dampen his arrogance!"

"No problem, we'll take care of it!"

……

"Mother, can that young lady really pray for rain? Seeing how confident she is, I'm afraid she really has some ability. If she really prays for rain, then the popularity you have established in the hearts of the people of Yecheng will be..."

At this time, in a mansion in Yuan Zisi of Yecheng, Mu Ti Po asked Lu Lingxuan with great concern.

"Who said that the rain must have been prayed for by her?" Lu Lingxuan smiled meaningfully and said, "We can also pray for rain!"

"We?" Mutipo was a little puzzled.

Lu Lingxuan said, "I once heard Xiao Luan say that all celestial phenomena, whether it's wind, rain, thunder and lightning, or solar and lunar eclipses, can be calculated. This is a kind of divination from the Yin-Yang School. But unfortunately, this lowly maid left a trick up her sleeve when she died, destroying all those divinations..."

At this point, he seemed to have thought of something, his eyes lit up, "No, it is also possible that it was not destroyed, but inherited by her daughter!

The last time I prayed for rain, I was just following Xiao Luan's suggestion and set up that game to gain the trust of Emperor Gao Zhan and the faith of the people of Yecheng.

But now Xiao Luan is dead, and the one in the Tongque Palace is a fake with no real ability!

I didn’t expect that a few years later, there would be another drought like this, and Gao Zhan would ask me to pray for rain again…”

After pacing back and forth in the room for a few steps, Lu Lingxuan suddenly showed a mysterious and unpredictable smile on her face.

"However, this is also an opportunity. If the Princess of Lanling can really pray for rain, then I can turn this rain into what I prayed for, and let her disappear in the Bronze Sparrow Tower!"

"Mother means that when the rain really falls, kill her. As long as mother appears in Tongque Tower again, the rain will be what mother prayed for?"

Lu Lingxuan nodded: "Yes, so what we should know most now is when the rain will come and what her plan is!"

"But mother, we have always wanted to plant our spies in Lanling Palace, but we have never succeeded. How can we know what their plan is?"

"So, we have to find such a person to insert in!" Lu Lingxuan said, looking at Mu Ti Po and smiled, "Isn't Zheng Ayue the best candidate?"