It was already the end of Si hour and the beginning of the afternoon when we returned to Jiangxia Palace.
Xiao Yu jumped off the carriage and was about to turn back to help Qingxue.
Pan Duo was seen directing the two coachmen accompanying him to carry the two large wooden boxes under the car.
He had quick eyesight and quick hands, and he knew what this clingy "noh-hide candy" was trying to do, so he quickly stopped it.
"Okay, okay, just move my share down. I don't want your things. Thank you for your kindness, Commander-in-law. We'll see you later."
Pan Duo ignored it and still asked the two coachmen to move the big wooden box to the door of the house, muttering: "What a beautiful idea. Zhu Shizhong is an expert in appraising treasures. The things he sent are all rare treasures. Who can't think of asking for them?" Here it is, move it to your house to store it first, and I will pick it up another day."
Xiao Yu seemed to see some hope: "Is the Prince Consort going to leave?"
"Where to go?"
"You...you won't go back to your eldest princess's mansion?"
Pan Duo blinked: "Who said I was going back? There's no point in going back. I plan to live in your house for a while. I had this plan when I invited you back to Jiankang last night."
Xiao Yu suddenly felt a thunderbolt flashing behind his head, and his whole body was instantly petrified. He didn't come back to his senses for a long time. It turned out that he had been plotted by this guy a long time ago.
Pan Duo no longer paid attention to Xiao Yu. He was very familiar with it and directed the two cartmen to move the wooden box to the door of the house.
Xiao Yu shook his head helplessly, but at this moment he saw Qingxue's face looking worried.
Not returning home last night must have caused trouble for Qingxue. If Manager Cui really wants to blame him, he will bear the responsibility for Qingxue.
"Qingxue, let's go too!"
With that said, Xiao Yu held Qingxue's hand tightly and pulled him towards the door of the house.
Entering the palace, Pan Duo asked the porter to take the wooden box from the coachman and send it directly to the warehouse, while he walked leisurely into the depths of the palace, swinging his knife and fan.
And Xiao Yu led Qingxue all the way to the study.
Along the way, the domestic servants and maids stopped to salute them, but there was a strange light in their eyes.
Xiao Yu felt that Qingxue's palms became a little cold, as if sweat was coming out of his hands.
Looking at Qingxue's pretty face again, under everyone's surprised gazes, he obviously began to become a little embarrassed. He lowered his eyelids and looked straight at the ground, as if he had done something wrong.
It seemed that faint whispers could be heard all around the road the two of them walked.
"Young prince, let go. This is not good for your reputation."
"Don't worry about them. No one in this palace dares to do anything to you. You don't have to be so restrained."
Qingxue suddenly withdrew her hand from Xiao Yu's palm, and looked back at the people who were still staring at her and gossiping.
"Little prince, this slave's outfit is already against the rules of the palace. The young prince cherishes the slave and will not punish the slave's sins...but the slave cannot be emboldened because of this. The slave wants to go back to the place where he lives...go and change out of these clothes. Put on some clothes that will make this slave comfortable."
Xiao Yu opened his mouth but said nothing. He just nodded in agreement.
At a fork in the road, he separated from Qingxue and walked toward Fengming Pavilion alone.
As soon as I stepped through the second courtyard gate, I vaguely heard a shrill wail coming from deep inside the courtyard.
I saw several servants working in pairs under the corridor, struggling to carry some kind of rectangular object wrapped in white cloth towards the courtyard gate.
When they saw Xiao Yu coming towards him, they all showed fear on their faces. They put down the things in their hands and saluted Xiao Yu.
A strong smell of blood came towards him, and Xiao Yu frowned.
"What are you carrying?"
The servants looked embarrassed, no one answered, and their heads were lowered deeper.
Xiao Yu ignored them and went to lift the white cloth by himself.
The servants saw this and quickly stopped him.
"You can't do it! Little prince, you can't do it!"
His fingers were about to touch the white cloth, but they trembled slightly and stopped in mid-air.
I saw a bright red appear on the white cloth, blooming like a delicate flower on the white cloth.
Xiao Yu's heart trembled, and he straightened up.
But he saw the servants protecting the white packages, kneeling on the ground and pleading with him.
"Little Prince, please don't lift the white cloth. Don't let the filth get in the way of Little Prince's eyes."
"They walked unsteadily, please let them rest in peace."
Xiao Yu's brain was buzzing and his mind went blank.
He mechanically pushed away a person blocking him and lifted a corner of the white cloth.
But he immediately covered it with the white cloth and turned his head away.
No one knows what his expression is like now or what he is thinking.
He just felt lonely all over.
He walked past these servants, muttering something he didn't know what to say.
After walking a long distance, he suddenly stopped and said dullly: "Take them down, bury them alive, and get some money to support their families."
"Here..."
Although the slaves responded in kind, they knew better than anyone else that they had no family, and a dead life was worth little in the palace.
…
The open space in front of the Fengming Pavilion lobby.
Two large benches were placed side by side, and two maidservants with their waists and backs torn apart were lying there, wailing miserably.
The heavy board was lifted high and fell heavily again and again. Every time it went back and forth, it pushed their lives one step closer to the gate of hell.
Blood dripped down his clothes, and at some point, the blood drops under the bench gathered more and more, eventually melting into a large pool of blood.
An anxious figure was stomping back and forth in front of a pool of blood with his hands behind his back. Behind him, there were about twenty male and female slaves kneeling there tremblingly, watching their companions being beaten to pieces.
"Stop!" The anxious figure temporarily stopped the falling board, "Quickly tell me where the young prince has gone. If you don't tell me, you two will have no chance. Just like the tough talkers before, you will all be beaten to death! "
A maid was already dying, with blood foam coming out of her mouth and nose. She was lying on the bench helplessly, waiting for death to come.
The other body was still strong. She begged for mercy with a tearful voice: "Manager Cui, I really don't know. I am not responsible for the daily life of the young prince. I don't see the young prince a few times in a year. If you ask... If you want to ask, you should also ask Qingxue!"
"Don't say yes! Keep fighting!"
The heavy sound of falling boards and the woman's screams sounded again.
Cui Guanshi was furious, and the more he thought about him, the more he hated Qingxue.
Originally, everything was safe and sound, everyone was getting what they needed in this palace. If the little goblin hadn't kept bewitching him, how could the little prince, who was supposed to be "stupid", become so uncontrollable and independent as he is now.
And now a living person has disappeared overnight. If this matter cannot be covered up and someone in the palace knows about it, then no one in the entire Jiangxia Palace will survive.
"Stop quibbling! Tell me, where is the young prince?"
"Slave... I really don't know this..."
After the slave said this, he was bleeding from all his orifices and was beaten to death on the bench.
The one next to it had long since stopped moving, and the board fell as if it had hit a pile of rotten meat.
"Pull it down, drag it down."
Manager Cui waved his hands in disgust, and the two guards untied the maidservant who was beaten to death, dragged her off the bench, and handed it over to the servants who were responsible for wrapping the body.
There were fifteen or six corpses lying side by side there, all wrapped in white cloth, waiting to be carried away.
Manager Cui suddenly stopped to take a sip of tea, then turned to glance at the male and female servants kneeling on the ground.
"Everyone knows that I am usually a kind person, and I am unwilling to touch this family law unless it is absolutely necessary. But at this time of life and death, I don't care about the dignity of the past. Some of you People have evil intentions, but some people know about it but do not report it, and want to hide it and prevaricate. Think about it, how can you hide it and prevaricate when a living person is lost? You are the one who forced me to take this step. I can't blame others."
Wails and begging for mercy suddenly started, and people kept kowtowing to Cui Guanshi, but he ignored them at all.
"Two more!"
Manager Cui sat on the bench and waved his hand, and the two guards went to look for the next pair of punishments among the slaves.
Manager Cui's eyes wandered, and he picked up the half-cooled tea cup and took a sip.
He knew in his heart that continuing to fight like this was not an option, but now he had no other option.
One day and one night, the entire Fengming Pavilion was turned upside down but there was no clue. Could it be that two living people just disappeared out of thin air?
We can only look for clues from the "uneasy and well-meaning" servants in this pavilion, but these people are tough-talking. If torture is not used, I am afraid no one will be willing to confess... At least that's what Cui Guanshi said to persuade him.
"If you know, tell me quickly. Look at your companions and then think about yourselves. Why suffer this physical pain? If you don't tell me, then they will all be beaten to death. You will be together on the road to hell, and you will not be alone. Don't blame Cui then. That’s it.”
After Cui Guanshi said this, he thought there would be another burst of crying and wailing. Maybe someone couldn't stand the intimidation and ran out to identify some clues.
But none of this happened, and the courtyard suddenly became quiet. The silence was a bit suffocating.
Manager Cui stood up at this time. He saw that everyone in the courtyard had their eyes widened and looked straight outside the courtyard door.
An all-too-familiar figure stood there, that was their little prince.
But at this time, the young prince's face was ashen, his red eyes were burning with anger, and his fists were clenched.
When Cui Guanshi saw him standing there alone, he was furious. If this young man with mental problems had not been reborn in a good skin, and this kind of person fell into his hands, he would have to crush him to death a hundred times before he could get rid of his heart. hate.
But on the surface, he must show an attitude of doing things impartially.
Manager Cui stood up and walked down the steps without being humble or arrogant.
I saw the young prince entering the courtyard door aggressively.
He cupped his hands and said: "The prince is not here, so this old slave has to be the prince..."
Just as he was speaking, a black shadow suddenly rose from the ground, covering the sun.
Before he could react, a heavy punch hit him on the bridge of the nose.
With a loud noise, he flew out and landed heavily at the foot of the steps.
Golden light flashed before his eyes, and various flavors of sour, salty, bitter, and spicy bloomed in his mouth and nose.
He struggled to stand up and touched his nose. The bridge of his nose was crooked to one side, and blood mixed with cyan liquid came out of his nose.
Whether it was looking after the house or the nursing home, or the slaves waiting to be punished, they were all dumbfounded at this moment.
I saw Manager Cui wiping the blood on his face and saying with a wry smile: "Well done...well beaten...beat the old servant to death and let the prince who lives in the palace know...let the emperor know... "
Before he could finish his words, a heavy punch hit him in the face again. The colors in front of his eyes were like a dye shop.
"This old servant has no fault..."
Another punch hit him in the face.
Manager Cui laughed.
Without saying a word, Xiao Yu raised his fist and punched Manager Cui in the face.
Everyone was so frightened that they didn't dare to move. Although there was no expression of great joy or sorrow on the young prince's face, there was no hesitation in the fists in his hands. He used every punch with all his strength. This was to kill Cui Guanshi.
In the blink of an eye, Manager Cui's entire face was beaten to a bloody pulp by Xiao Yu, and his left eyeball almost burst out.
"Young prince, I am...I am sent by the palace!"
Xiao Yu still ignored it and punched out all four of Cui Guanshi's upper and lower front teeth.
"Someone... help me... come help me... come help me... wuwu..."
But no one came to save him. He had done all kinds of bad things. Only a pair of cold eyes witnessed the whole happy thing happening.
On the big locust tree outside the pavilion, the locust flowers were in full bloom, and a large sky-blue robe hung down from the thick branches.
A lazy figure was leaning on a branch, watching what was happening in the courtyard.
An evil smile flashed across his lips, and he muttered: "Hey, hey, it's over, it's over, if you continue to beat me, you will be beaten to death. Xiao Dalang is really a life-threatening person when provoked." Lord, you don’t know how to control your emotions at all.”
The wine bottle in his hand was raised high again, and he raised his head to catch it.
Only a few drops left.
He tilted his head, shook the wine bottle, and poured it down again, with a hint of disappointment on his pretty red face.
"There is no more wine. It was hidden so secretly, but who picked it out? The key is that there is only such a small pot left for me!"
He was shouting to himself when he suddenly saw a familiar figure walking towards him along the aisle.
That was none other than Qingxue.
At this time, the girl had changed into a decent slim-waisted pleated skirt with wide sleeves, and the bun on her head had been combed again, making her fresh and beautiful.
"Qingxue, where are you going!" Pan Duo shouted from afar.
Qingxue looked up and saw Pan Duo. She was startled at first, and then hurriedly saluted.
"Captain Prince Consort, please go find my young prince."
"Your young prince is busy, I'm afraid I don't have time to talk to you now."
Qingxue was doubtful, but her beautiful big eyes curved into a pair of crescent moons.
"Captain Prince Consort, please beat the servant away. I'll go over and have a look."
Pan Duo thought badly, that guy Xiao Yu definitely didn't want Qingxue to see him beating someone.
Just as he was thinking of this, he heard a scream coming from Fengming Pavilion.
Qingxue was stunned for a moment. She looked up doubtfully: "Consort, did you hear anything just now?"
As he was talking, he heard another "crack" sound, and Pan Duo screamed and fell from the branch. The fall was really hard.
"Oh...it hurts me so much..."
Qingxue was startled and hurried over to check.
"Consort, what's wrong with you?"
"My feet... my feet... my feet hurt... help me quickly, go... go..."
"Go to Fengming Pavilion."
"Instead of going to Fengming Pavilion, go to Caiyun Hall!"
"Caiyun Hall? Isn't that a wine cellar?" Qingxue looked confused.
"That's right, it's Caiyun Hall. I have a bottle of good medicinal wine there that's specially designed to treat bruises. Take me there!"
Qingxue agreed and helped Pan Duo up, put one of his arms on her shoulders, and the two of them turned and walked towards the corridor not far away.
After a few steps, Pan Duo turned back secretly, with a meaningful smile on his lips.
