At this moment, at 10:30 in the evening, Zhu Yourong is listening to Xiang Xiaoqiang's narration in the imperial study room of the Forbidden City.
Normally, she would have gone to bed at this time. But an hour ago, when she asked Xiaoqiang alone to see her, Zhu Yourong heard something and saw two things.
Zhu Yourong looked at a bundle of Pu'er tea cakes and a box of gem "candies" on the table. After recalling Xiang Xiaoqiang's words, he stood up and paced, feeling as if he had knocked over a five-flavor bottle.
...This uncle of mine is too unsatisfactory...I am jealous of Xiang Xiaoqiang, who can even do this kind of frame-up method...
Xiang Xiaoqiang secretly admired Zhu Yourong's figure. She was wearing a black velvet nightgown, walking gracefully and lowering her head and neck, like a black swan.
This was the third time he saw Zhu Yourong wearing a nightgown.
The first time was when I met her for the first time, at the Changping Marquis Mansion. I didn’t know her yet, so I called her “Miss Zheng”, and she even squirted tea all over her pants… The second time was on New Year’s Eve, at Purple Mountain.
Fortress, in her room. She had just endured the harm from her uncle and nanny, and was eating midnight snacks alone. She looked extremely pitiful... Xiang Xiaoqiang still remembered the surprise she felt when she saw herself...
…The third time is now…
Zhu Yourong glanced at Xiang Xiaoqiang with some shame and avoided his eyes.
Xiang Xiaoqiang said softly:
"Your Majesty, I came to see Your Majesty tonight because my subordinates strongly advised me to come... Because, because I don't want to... I don't want Your Majesty to think that you have seen me wrong. I... I am outside
It doesn’t matter how many injustices you suffer, as long as your majesty believes in me and understands me, and your majesty will not be hurt again or feel betrayed again, I... I will be satisfied..."
Zhu Yourong's nose suddenly became sore and she stopped at her feet. She faced Duobaoge and pretended to admire the porcelain, but tears were already swirling in her eyes.
It was very quiet in the study. He muttered to Xiaoqiang from behind for a while, and then said seriously:
"Actually, from what I see, the Marquis may not be trying to frame me. The Marquis may have really wanted to get these orders, so... he was confused for a moment and did such a thing. Alas, I... was too serious...
…The main reason is that the price quoted by Yuhuacong Company is indeed too expensive. I didn’t know that it was Mr. Hou’s company at the time… That’s good. I’ll think about it again when I go back. If the problem is not serious, I will purchase Yuhuacong’s military vehicles. Support.
It is better for our own company in Ming Dynasty than to let foreign companies make money... However, there is one thing I must say, that is, the Marquis must lower the unit price... After all, it is not my own money that is spent, but Ming Dynasty's money.
The empire's money, so many areas of the Ming army are in urgent need of improvement, so we have to save every penny... Although these two things are the good intentions of the Marquis, they are too valuable, and I feel uneasy about them. I will send someone to the Marquis tomorrow.
I'll send it back."
...I will never be hurt again, and I will never feel betrayed again...
Zhu Yourong recited Xiang Xiaoqiang's words silently, and now her tears were rolling down her eyes. She did not dare to turn around or raise her hands to wipe them, for fear that Xiang Xiaoqiang would find out that she was crying.
As a princess and a queen, I grew up in the love of my relatives. I never knew what it felt like to be hurt or betrayed...until one day, I finally tasted this feeling, and this hurt and betrayal came from
For the people closest to him... Since then, he has isolated himself. There are no relatives or friends around him, and some are just court ladies with low eyebrows. For a long time, no one has cared about whether he will be hurt again or not.
I felt betrayed for once”…
Xiang Xiaoqiang...Xiang Xiaoqiang...Why are you so kind? So understanding of people's hearts?...Moreover, you have fallen into your uncle's trap, and you still don't want to believe it, and you still think of others in a good light...
After listening to what Xiang Xiaoqiang said, he knew that nine times out of ten, Xiang Xiaoqiang had fallen into a trap. There were too many things like this in the Ming Dynasty. But Xiang Xiaoqiang didn't know it yet, and was still thinking, "Support our own company in the Ming Dynasty.
It’s better than letting foreign companies make money.” I’m still thinking, “There are so many areas of the Ming Dynasty’s army that are in urgent need of improvement, so we have to save every penny.”…
"Teacher Xiang..." Zhu Yourong breathed lightly, turned around and said with tears, "Xiang Xiaoqiang, you don't have to come tonight at all... I believe in you, I have always believed in you... Even if I read the newspaper tomorrow,
The newspapers said you were corrupt, and I know they were wrong, and you were right..."
"Your Majesty!" Xiang Xiaoqiang stood up and exclaimed softly, "You...you are crying..."
Xiang Xiaoqiang was originally very satisfied with his performance. Each of these words impressed Zhu Yourong. The purpose of tonight was to exonerate himself, bring down Zheng Gongyin, and make Zhu Yourong feel that he was not careless.
It seems that the goal has been achieved.
But what he didn't expect was how he tricked Zhu Yourong into crying... It seems that this girl was tricked to the point of pain and had real feelings for her?
He noticed that Zhu Yourong neither called himself "Teacher Xiang" nor "Xiang Qing", but instead called himself "Xiang Xiaoqiang" for the first time, calling him by his first name...
Xiang Xiaoqiang also felt warm in his heart for a moment, and was moved involuntarily, feeling that he was being a little despicable...
Zhu Yourong's chest trembled twice, he took a deep breath, looked at Xiang Xiaoqiang with tears on his face, and stared at each other with their eyes facing each other.
Zhu Yourong suddenly stretched out his hands to Xiang Xiaoqiang.
Xiang Xiaoqiang was stunned, wondering what she wanted to do. Shake hands? Kiss hands? It shouldn't be both hands... This gesture didn't seem like a hug either...
A voice in Xiang Xiaoqiang's heart shouted: Who cares! Just follow your feelings!
He clapped his hands down, pressed them together with Zhu Yourong's hands, and held the four hands together gently. This was the first time he held Zhu Yourong's hand...it felt very slender, very warm, and very delicate.
Zhu Yourong was crying, but with a smile on his face, he said:
"Xiang Xiaoqiang, from now on I will call you Xiang Xiaoqiang after class, okay?"
There was a buzz in Xiang Xiaoqiang's mind, his blood surged up, his chest was filled with ecstasy, a thought he had never dared to think about rushed out, and he started to go crazy:...Zhu Yourong has fallen in love with me! The Queen is going to confess to me!!
Oh my god, what have I done? You don’t need to favor me like this!!!
He nodded dully.
But Zhu Yourong just smiled slightly, gently took out his hands, and said with tears:
"I have no friends now... Cong Cong is no longer my friend... I really want a friend... Xiang Xiaoqiang, do you dare to be friends with me?"
Dare? What do you mean?
Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at her with his face flushed. What he was waiting for was not a confession, Xiang Xiaoqiang was disappointed. But the remaining reason told him: As a queen, as Zhu Yourong, it is unprecedented to say "I really want a friend"
.
He reminded himself: Be sure to be calm. The one in front of you is the Empress of the Ming Dynasty, a noble lady who grew up with the best education. When she said "making friends", she can only understand it as "making friends", not others.
. If you dare to think too much, you are just asking for trouble.
Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled, tried to make his eyes look deeper, and said in a magnetic voice:
"Your Majesty, you are the Queen, and I am the Commander of the People's Guard. We are both destined to have no friends... Just like you, I don't have a single friend, or even any relatives. I am surrounded by only subordinates and colleagues... You feel this way, I
I realize it deeply every day... How much I want to have a friend... But, Your Majesty, since you want friends, why do you ask me if I dare to be friends with you?"
Zhu Yourong was startled, a little ashamed, and stammered:
"Ah...Xiang Xiaoqiang, just pretend that I haven't asked you...I...I used to think that everyone said, 'Being with a king is like being with a tiger', so I thought that you also...Oh, I was so stupid to ask,
If we are true friends, how can we say 'dare' or not?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang felt ecstatic again. Although His Majesty didn't mean the same thing as him, she invited him to be her friend after all, which was already a great gain! He didn't dare to expect that he and Your Majesty could really get along like friends.
But at least he has gained the status of "friend", and his status in her heart will be greatly improved in the future. When resisting various attacks from the outside world, his "armor" will be much thicker.
The most important thing is that Zhu Yourong is a person who is easily influenced by family and friendship to influence national affairs. In the future, it will be much easier to expand his power, expand the army, upgrade armaments, and even try to unify China in the Ming Empire.
"Xiang Xiaoqiang," Zhu Yourong stared at him and said hesitantly, "In my opinion, my uncle is probably trying to frame you... It is very likely that several newspapers will publish your bribery scandal tomorrow... What are you going to do?
What to do?...I want to help you."
Xiang Xiaoqiang was "surprised" and murmured:
"No way...Although Mr. Zheng is a little confused, he doesn't really want to frame me...Miss Zheng is also such a good person..."
Zhu Yourong tilted her head and stared at him, smiled, and said helplessly:
"Really, Xiang Xiaoqiang, I won't lie to you. Let me help you. If I don't help you, you will be miserable."
Xiang Xiaoqiang lowered his head for a while, as if he had been beaten by frost, then raised his head and said:
"How to help?"
Zhu Yourong was also startled, almost stopped by the question. Yes, how can we help? Directly order the Metropolitan Procuratorate not to investigate? Order not to publish it in newspapers?... How is this possible?
The only effective way is to have Xiang Xiaoqiang hold a press conference and tell the truth. Let Xiang Xiaoqiang tell the reporters that His Majesty knows about this matter and that His Majesty can testify.
Then, when the reporters came to interview me, I would just testify to Xiang Xiaoqiang.
But in this case, the Zheng family of the Ming Dynasty, a family with almost the same status as the Zhu family, and the largest and most loyal supporter of the Zhu Ming Dynasty, will become the center of the scandal. Moreover, the person who personally pushed them into the center is himself.
Empress of Ming Dynasty.
As long as you testify for Xiang Xiaoqiang, there is no need for any evidence. The whole Ming Dynasty and the whole world will believe that Prince Yanping of the Ming Dynasty and Changping Marquis Zheng Gongyin set up a trap to frame Xiang Xiaoqiang. They will not be able to take off this hat, and it will be forever.
Wearing...
The Zheng family, starting from Zheng Chenggong, has always been closely related to the Zhu family, sharing weal and woe. The two families have been married many times and have been loyal to the Zhu Ming Dynasty for more than two hundred years... Strictly speaking, from Zheng Chenggong and Empress Changping down, the Zhu family
The blood of the Zheng family flows through everyone's body... Even though he is named Zhu, he is actually a descendant of the Zheng family...
In the past two hundred years, the Zheng and Zhu families have had many similar minor unpleasantnesses and rifts, but in the long river of time, they were just a small wave, and they passed in an instant... Because these two hundred years have passed
There were no newspapers, no radios, no cameras, no phonographs, no telegraphs, no telephones, and no globalization like today. In the ancient times, no matter how big something happened between the two families, it would not be known to the whole country and the whole world.
He wouldn't even leave the palace or the mansion's gate.
But things are different now. This small scandal will spread throughout the country and the world, and will be recorded by many people, becoming an indelible shadow and a rift between the two families that is difficult to repair.
Zhu Yourong stood up with a "huh" and paced, his heart full of anxiety and pain, and he glanced at Xiang Xiaoqiang guiltily from time to time.
...He is my friend! The friend I just made, the only friend I have!
Xiang Xiaoqiang seemed to see through her thoughts and smiled sincerely:
"Your Majesty, do you really consider me a friend?"
Zhu Yourong was startled and stopped, not daring to look at Xiaoqiang.
"yes."
She answered softly, her heart pounding, ready to be tortured.
Xiang Xiaoqiang stood up and said with a bold smile:
"That's fine. Since you really think of me as a friend, you didn't say anything. I will bear this matter for my good friend."
Zhu Yourong turned around unexpectedly and looked at Xiang Xiaoqiang, unsure of what he meant.
Xiang Xiaoqiang laughed and said:
"It doesn't matter, the newspapers are throwing dirty water, tell them to pour it out. The Procuratorate is investigating me, telling them to finish it. As long as you, my only friend, trust me and understand me, then I will bear the infamy of the whole world to Xiaoqiang,
No matter what it takes...Really, don't look at me like this."
Zhu Yourong's face was pale, her whole body was shaking, and tears were streaming down her face. She murmured:
"No...don't...don't...let's think of another way...I..."
But she had already burst into tears and sat down slowly on the chair. She bit her lip and tried desperately to think of another way, but all the nerves in her brain were no longer working, as if she knew this was the wisest choice.
Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled and said:
"Anyway, I have a clear conscience about this matter. The Metropolitan Procuratorate came to investigate, but in the end there was probably insufficient evidence... As for the newspapers, let them say whatever they want. Just in time, I fought in the Battle of Nanjing and the Battle of Pukou, and now I have a good reputation.
, I’m not afraid of a little bit of sewage, it won’t stink anywhere.”
Zhu Yourong was silent. For a while, she was filled with shame and murmured in a mosquito-like voice:
"What if... what if the Metropolitan Procuratorate finds evidence..."
Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled heartily and said:
"Anyway, I am only responsible for you, and you are my only friend. If it gets to that point, you just have to protect me!"
"Okay!" Zhu Yourong blurted out, "I will definitely protect you!"
Immediately, an even stronger sense of shame filled her chest, and she lowered her head with a red face, as if she had done the most immoral thing in the world.
Xiang Xiaoqiang stretched out a hand to Zhu Yourong.
Zhu Yourong raised his head, like a frightened rabbit, looked at Xiang Xiaoqiang's encouraging smile, hesitated for a moment, and timidly stretched out his hand to hold his.
Xiang Xiaoqiang's big hand was warm and strong, and a warmth from a friend and a man spread throughout Zhu Yourong's body.
Xiang Xiaoqiang looked very happy:
"I have a friend today...I can do anything for this friend."