Rats and insects were rampant in the dark dungeon, and the humid air was filled with the smell of rotting flesh and blood.
When Fu Yunqiu moved a little, she felt the whiplash pain all over her body and she trembled.
"Come here... come here... I want water..." Her messy hair covered her face, her lips were horribly chapped, and her hoarse voice was like that of an elderly woman.
Xiao Langyan ordered her to be locked up here for four days.
No questions were asked, no interrogation was given, and the jailer was asked to whip her with a barbed whip ten times a day. She was occasionally given food and water for stuttering, but then she was ignored and the cycle repeated the next day.
Xiao Langyan seemed to just want to hang on to her life and prevent her from dying happily.
At this moment, the two jailers responsible for guarding her came from outside. They looked at Fu Yunqiu as if they were looking at a dying person.
Fu Yunqiu struggled to move, and the chains rattled: "Is the Emperor willing to see me? Is he willing to listen to my explanation?"
The jailer said expressionlessly: "The Emperor said that he will only give you ten days' chance. If you refuse to reveal the whereabouts of the remaining half of the Tiger Talisman, after ten days you will be dragged to the execution ground and quartered."
After saying that, the jailer forced the prepared rancid meal into Fu Yunqiu's mouth.
"Uh-huh--!" She shook her head and screamed, but the jailer grabbed her chin and stuffed the turbid rice and vegetables into her mouth with his hands.
A thick sour smell reached Tianling Gai. Fu Yunqiu wanted to vomit, but the jailer was ordered to keep her alive, so he covered her mouth tightly and forced her to swallow. Fu Yunqiu shivered in pain.
If Xiao Langyan wanted to torture someone, he would always use ruthless methods. He had completely lost his patience with Fu Yunqiu, so this time, no matter what method he used, he just wanted her to reveal the whereabouts of the half of the tiger charm. If she refused to tell him, he would No more pursuit.
Ten days was the final deadline he gave her.
Fu Yunqiu fainted.
Shen Dingzhu was quietly recuperating in Yaoguang Palace and didn't care about anything outside. Xiao Langyan was extremely busy, but he would take some time to check on Shen Dingzhu every day.
In the third month of the third month of Yangchun, the second day of the lunar month is an auspicious day, and Qin Tian monitors it as an auspicious day for ancestor worship, so Xiao Langyan decided to hold ancestor worship on this day.
The preparations in the palace were grand and the rules were complicated. It was very important for the emperors of the Jin Dynasty to worship their ancestors every year. Usually, those who could accompany the emperor were basically the queens. But when it was Xiao Langyan's turn, he did not hesitate to take her with him. Shen Dingzhu.
The officials of the Ministry of Rites took the list given by the emperor. When they saw Concubine Shen's name, they looked at each other and did not leave for a long time, seeming embarrassed.
Xiao Langyan looked up from behind the mountain of memorials and looked at them: "What's the problem?"
"Your Majesty, there is nothing wrong with you taking the concubine with you, but... do you want to take someone else with you? For example, Concubine Cui De?" Concubine Shen's family background is not rich enough, but she can accompany the emperor to pay homage to her ancestors. If she doesn't choose another noble concubine, The concubines accompanied him, and those officials had something to say again.
Xiao Langyan put down his pen, his thin eyes were cold and cold: "There are not many concubines in the harem, Zhang and Tong are not suitable for their status, and Concubine Cui De's body is not fully recovered. I will take the concubine with me, why not?"
The Minister of Rites raised his eyebrows and bowed his head: "I don't dare to make any rash comments, I'm just afraid of telling the officials..."
Before he could finish his words, Xiao Langyan had already interrupted forcefully: "No matter what I do, the officials will always have their excuses. If I care about them, why should I be the emperor? Besides, besides her status, Concubine Shen is the most suitable person to accompany me to sacrifice." In addition to my ancestors, she has also given birth to the emperor's eldest daughter for me, and she has a six-month-old dragon fetus in her belly. I am taking her to worship my ancestors, because I am afraid that my ancestors will not be happy in time."
The emperor said so, and the officials of the Ministry of Rites naturally did not dare to have any objections, so they accepted the order one after another and went about their work step by step.
Shen Dingzhu accompanied Xiao Langyan up the mountain on a cloudy day. The imperial mausoleum was built in the rolling hills. The founder of the country found a warlock and specially selected a geomantic treasure land. The entire mountain was sleeping with the emperors and emperors of the Jin Dynasty. Their concubines.
In order to make Shen Dingzhu comfortable and not suffer from the bumpy mountain road, Xiao Langyan had already spread three layers of soft rabbit fleece blankets in the carriage, which could protect Shen Dingzhu's body without getting hot.
Shen Ding picked up the curtain with his pearl-white fingertips, and looked out of the carriage with his beautiful eyes. He could not see the head of the imperial army leading the way, accompanied by the mighty palace maids and eunuchs. After the emperor's dragon, came the courtiers. The carriages stretched for dozens of miles.
When worshiping ancestors, the officials who could be taken by the emperor were all the mainstays of the court.
The water mist in the mountains is filled with moisture. Although the weather is gloomy, the air is filled with the fragrance of wild flowers in the mountains. Looking around, the continuous mountains in the distance are like lines in an ink painting, outlining the bright and dark. Outline.
As soon as Shen Dingzhu felt a little relaxed and happy, she was gently hugged from behind.
"Don't let the wind blow." Xiao Langyan was busy with a bunch of memorials, but now he was sitting next to Shen Dingzhu, protecting her in his arms. His tall body blocked the incoming wind.
He said and glanced at the road outside: "It's still some distance from the imperial mausoleum. Are you tired? How about I ask the motorcade to stop and rest for a while?"
Shen Dingzhu shook her head quickly. The two round pearls hanging on her earlobes had a warm luster. She held Xiao Langyan's palm in her hand and said, "I'm not tired, I just have to work hard to get there. I'll rest when I get there."
Perhaps love often feels indebted. The more she was considerate and did not make a fuss, the more Xiao Langyan felt wronged by her, and couldn't help but lower his head and kiss Shen Dingzhu's hair.
"I just passed by Splashing Valley, and I thought I saw a large field of wild peonies. When I went back, I asked people to pick them. Didn't you say that Chengcheng likes to eat sweet peony cakes? Bring it to her, she will definitely like it."
Speaking of her daughter, Shen Dingzhu's beautiful face also had a warm smile, and her beauty was stunning: "Before leaving the palace, Chengcheng had been aggrieved and wanted to come with the emperor. After knowing that she could not go out together, she I feel sad for a while, if I can bring back peony, Chengcheng will be happy."
Their daughter had caught a cold recently and had only recovered from the illness for two days. Xiao Langyan and Shen Dingzhu couldn't bear to torment the little one, so they simply kept her in the palace.
Shen Dingzhu also left behind Xiucui and Chunxi, both of whom were stable, and Xiao Langyan even left Chen Heng with his children.
Half an hour later, the carriage arrived at the imperial mausoleum. As soon as Shen Dingzhu got off the carriage, he saw the darkness in front of him. Officials, all with their heads lowered, lined up on both sides of the road dutifully.
Xiao Langyan held her hand and dispelled the slightest hesitation that had just arisen in her heart, and then the two of them walked up the hundreds of stone stairs side by side.
The stone stairs stretched to the top of the mountain. After walking for a while, Shen Dingzhu felt that his lower back was sore and he was panting from exhaustion.
Her pretty face was covered with red clouds, and fine sweat broke out on her fair forehead. While she was gently wiping her face, she was suddenly picked up by Xiao Langyan.
"Ah -" she cried out, and when she reacted, Xiao Langyan was already climbing the steps with her in his arms. Shen Dingzhu glanced at the ministers following them and shook his feet uneasily, "Your Majesty, let go. Concubine, come down and let me go by myself."
It's not that she can't crawl, she just walks a little slower because now that she's a month older, her body isn't as light as before.
"No, I will hold you to prevent you from feeling uncomfortable."
"But the officials are following behind. It's not good for them to see..." She lowered her beautiful long eyelashes and bit her lip, feeling a little uneasy.
Xiao Langyan raised her eyebrows and smiled softly. A steady and powerful heartbeat kept coming from her chest, soothing her nervousness.
"You are my woman and you are pregnant with my child. The steps are too long. What's wrong with me carrying you up there? Not to mention the hundreds of steps, even if there is a ladder to heaven in front of me, I will hold you along. Go up."
Shen Dingzhu raised his dark eyes and looked at him intently.
There was already a light trickle of sweat on Xiao Langyan's forehead, which deepened the deep handsomeness of his eyebrows. Under the jade dragon's golden crown, the emperor's face showed a faint cold look.
Shen Dingzhu couldn't help but hugged his neck tightly and whispered like a hum: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
