The journey from Yutang Hall to the main hall has never been so difficult for Madam Li.
The wound on his forehead was swelling and painful, and blood solidified in front of his eyes, blurring his vision. The broken finger lost feeling and was swollen and shiny. His knees hit the ground hard, and the pain was like pins and needles. His legs were weak and he could only rely on his maid to help him walk.
The maidservants who followed her all had bruises and swollen faces, and they walked with a serious limp.
Several confidants were seriously injured and could not move at all, so they had to temporarily move back to Qionglan Palace.
As for the eunuch who had his tongue pulled out and was dragged directly into the alley, there was a high probability that he would not survive the night.
The soldiers cleared the way, and the sound of armor scraping was extremely clear in the night.
Walking on the palace road paved with bluestones, Mrs. Li was hit by the night wind. She had a splitting headache and her eyesight turned black. She held on for a breath to prevent herself from fainting.
There are waiters and eunuchs poking their heads on the roadside, and they can guess who is behind the scenes without having to look too closely.
Mrs. Li lowered her head, her long messy hair covering her face, and she bit her back molars fiercely. The sweet and fishy taste came out of her throat, and she swallowed it back forcefully.
Ever since she entered the palace to serve the Marquis of Jin, she had never been so dirty and unbearable.
She could fully imagine how big a stir would be caused once the news about what happened in front of Yutang Palace was revealed.
The only chance is with the Marquis of Jin.
Mrs. Li raised her head with great effort, looked at the majestic palace in the night, stared at the shining fire in front of the palace, and made a secret decision in her heart. No matter what, she would obtain the monarch's will, seal the news in the palace as soon as possible, and never let the matter leak out!
"Madam, you need to cleanse your face before meeting the king." The maid reminded Madam Li that she looked in a mess and it was best to clean up before going to see the Marquis of Jin.
"No need." Mrs. Li said hoarsely.
It's better to be embarrassed. The more scarred and miserable one looks, the more one can win the pity of the king and obtain the will to keep the secret.
The maid wanted to persuade her again, but Mrs. Li turned her head and refused to listen.
At the end of the road, everyone stopped at the foot of the steps.
A waiter walked down the steps, first asked Chief A a few words, and then looked at Mrs. Li. Seeing that her forehead was bruised and her face was stained with blood, and she was still unable to walk, he suddenly widened his eyes and said in surprise: "Who dares to hurt Madam?"
Mrs. Li looked up at the waiter with a stern look.
Are you really ignorant of the details, or are you being sarcastic?
The waiters are plain-looking and easy to forget after seeing them. There are three vertical lines between the slightly wider eyebrows, which seem to be quite worried about Mrs. Li's tragic situation.
"Your Majesty just asked, Madam, please come into the palace quickly."
Before Mrs. Li could see what was going on, the waiter had already calmed down his expression, bowed his head and stepped aside.
Two eunuchs who were waiting in the main hall came forward, exchanged glances with the waiters, took the place of the maids, helped Mrs. Li, and carried her into the hall. Mrs. Li's legs were numb, and her toes dragged along the steps, rubbing against each other along the way, leaving intermittent blood marks.
When passing the palace gate, a gust of cold wind suddenly blew by, and the flames of the palace lanterns on both sides jumped up. The flames shone on Mrs. Li, making her wake up instantly.
Seeing the figure in front of the screen, Madam Li suddenly gained strength, pushed away the eunuch's support, staggered a few steps and fell to the ground, moved forward with her elbows on the ground, and climbed to the feet of the Marquis of Jin. She raised her hand and grabbed the corner of his clothes. He said in a trembling voice: "Your Majesty, Young Master Heng lynched and bullied my concubine's mother, ignoring the laws of the country, please make the decision for me!"
Mrs. Li raised her head while crying, tears washed down her cheeks and her eyes were red. Ignoring the blood stains on her face, she was really pitiful.
"Your Majesty, this servant girl is your concubine, and all my honor and favor are bound to you. Master Heng punishes me, doesn't it mean that I don't take you seriously?" Madam Li cried so hard that her voice became hoarse, and she tried every means to involve the Marquis of Jin, "He acted wantonly. , so bold and arrogant, simply unfaithful and unfilial, without a king or a father!"
Mrs. Li's voice rose from low to high, crying and accusing. Speaking of excitement, he coughed repeatedly, and blood splashed on the ground, staining the uppers of Jin Hou's shoes.
The Marquis of Jin frowned, showing no pity for the beauty. Instead, he kicked her away because he thought she had soiled his feet.
"Your Majesty?"
Mrs. Li looked up at Jin Hou in disbelief, forgetting the accusation for a moment.
"If there is no distinction between superiority and inferiority, the Fox family will be the best."
Under the dim light, Jin Hou's head was wrapped in silk cloth, his eyes were covered with black and blue, and his expression was cold.
He waved his hand, and the attendants filed out of the palace, closed the palace door from the outside, and then stood in the corridor, lowering their heads and saying nothing, like clay sculptures and wood sculptures.
After the soft sound, only the Marquis of Jin and Mrs. Li remained in the hall.
Mrs. Li was lying on the ground with a dull expression, while the Marquis of Jin looked down at her with a sinister look.
"Li Ji, you are not smart."
The Marquis of Jin squatted down, lifted Mrs. Li's chin with his fingers, and the next moment he clasped her neck and lifted her up easily.
The big hands were like iron pliers holding her throat. Mrs. Li had difficulty breathing. She opened her mouth and stuck out the tip of her tongue. Her eyes were bloodshot and her tears flowed more rapidly.
"I give you my favor, and with the Hu family as my support, you should be useful." The Marquis of Jin relaxed his strength, and Mrs. Li coughed, but stopped in a hurry, covering her mouth out of fear.
"I will try to suppress what happened today. Remember, this is the last time."
After saying that, Jin Hou let go of his hand.
Mrs. Li fell to the ground, ignoring the pain in her neck, and tried her best to kneel down at the feet of the Marquis of Jin.
"Your Majesty, I swear on my life that the Fox clan will die for you, and the whole clan will be loyal to you."
"Life?" Jin Hou lowered his eyes, looked coldly at the person at his feet, and sneered, "How much is your life worth?"
Mrs. Li bit her lip and tasted blood again. She didn't dare to raise her head, so she kowtowed repeatedly until darkness enveloped her and she fainted in front of the Marquis of Jin.
The moment he lost consciousness, his eyes were filled with blood splattered on the corner of his robe.
She finally breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the doctor's voice.
Your Majesty also wants to use the Youhu family.
At least for now, she and her son will not be completely abandoned.
The Marquis of Jin's voice came out of the palace, and the closed palace door reopened. The attendant entered the palace, walked out of the palace door a short time later, hurried through the corridor, and was ordered to summon the resident doctor.
The maid moved several palace lanterns and illuminated the palace brightly.
When the doctor and his attendants entered the palace, Mrs. Li had already been placed on the couch. The Marquis of Jin sat in front of the screen, light and shadow passing over his face, his eyes dim and unclear.
The doctor didn't dare to look any further, so he knelt on the ground and saluted.
"I've seen you, Your Majesty."
"Check Li Ji."
"promise."
The doctor stood up carefully, always bowing his back and lowering his eyes, acting extremely respectful.
Mrs. Li stayed in the main hall, and her maidservants were sent back to Qionglan Hall.
A group of soldiers walked together, which was actually an escort. The soldiers all wore short swords on their waists, and the sharp blades floated with cold light, indicating the fate of these people.
Mrs. Li has been favoring him for many years, and the prince is favored by the king for his appearance. There are many foxes and bullies in Qionglan Palace who pretend to be powerful and bully, and there are many lives in their hands. No one in the palace would pity or sympathize with their fate today. Instead, they would applaud them.
Compared with the solemnity of the main hall, the south hall of Mrs. Guotai has a different scene.
Incense was burning in the hall, and two rows of half-person-high copper lamps were placed against the wall. Along the steps in front of the table, there are more than twenty palace lanterns scattered high and low. The lamp trays are not wicks, but full of luminous pearls as big as a baby's fist, floating with warm fluorescence.
Mrs. Guotai was leaning on the couch, her black hair tied behind her head without any embellishment.
Two maids moved closer to the palace lantern, and a waiter sat in front of her, holding a bamboo slip in his hand, using the light to illuminate the words on it.
"A great gift from the Marquis of Yue, congratulations to the Dowager Queen on her long life."
The waiter has a soft voice and a slow speaking speed, which is very pleasant to the ear.
Lin Heng and Miao Liang walked into the hall. He just finished reading the gift list from Yue State, closed the bamboo slips and retreated to the steps.
The night wind swept through the corridor and poured in along the open door of the palace, swaying the firelight on the lamp panel and diluting the warm fragrance that filled the room.
The maidservant knelt down in front of the couch, half-kneeling to help Mrs. Guotai up and straighten the hem of her skirt.
The light of luminous pearls intersects and blends, and the screen flows with colorful patterns. The halo overflows and pulls the Hongqiao, which is dazzling and beautiful.
After passing the lamps on both sides, Lin Heng walked to the case without squinting his eyes. He folded his hands and saluted with his body upright. His movements were smooth and elegant, with a unique sense of elegance.
"Greetings to the great mother."
Mrs. Kota looked at the boy in front of her, recalling the child in her memory, and couldn't help but smile.
"Ah Heng, come forward." She waved to Lin Heng, with a kind expression and gleaming eyes, which seemed quite contradictory.
Lin Heng calmly took two steps forward and stood in front of the desk.
"Closer."
"promise."
As Mrs. Guotai wished, Lin Heng walked around the table and sat in front of the couch.
"I haven't seen you in nine years. You've grown up." Mrs. Guotai stroked the top of Lin Heng's hair and chuckled.
"My aunt is thinking about me, and Heng is very grateful." Lin Heng relaxed his lips and successfully put on a mask, portraying his admiration vividly.
When he went to Beijing, he saw how many princes and princesses competed for favor. Just putting the other person's expression on their face is enough to move most people.
It's a pity that this does not include the country's wife.
"Aheng, you had known that the maid in Yutang Palace had left the palace." Mrs. Guotai put away her smile and looked coldly, "You sent someone to find Mu Liang. In fact, you had a plan?"
Knowing that there is no one in Yutang Hall, the internal history is bound to deploy additional personnel, and the South Hall is the best choice.
By exposing the secret and punishing Li Ji, it was expected that the monarch would not stand idly by and insist on getting the matter done. It was obviously an opportunity to test his own attitude.
Take one step and see ten steps. The method is tyrannical and nothing is left out.
There is not only the resoluteness of the Jin family, but also the cunning and scheming inspired by going to Beijing.
"Auntie, there is doubt about the bloodline of the Fox family. There are records in Beijing to prove it." Lin Heng faced the scrutiny of Mrs. Guotai without evading. He also spoke straightforwardly, without any mincing words.
"Mrs. Li stole the wife's seal and occupied the palace, which is a serious crime. I am the son of a man, and I can't tolerate his arrogance."
There is no mention of the Marquis of Jin in these words, but every sentence accuses him of indulgence, partiality and injustice.
To indulge concubines is to ignore etiquette, and to favor concubines is even more detrimental to the country's foundation.
Yu Bo's retrograde movement is recorded in the history books, and the disaster of the country's subjugation is clearly visible. The Marquis of Jin favors someone with the Fox bloodline and wants to promote Lin Chang as his heir apparent. Who can guarantee that the past will not happen again?
"Auntie, I feel I have no fault for what happened today."
"nature."
Mrs. Guotai smiled even brighter.
Instead of blaming Lin Heng, she felt happy.
"The king likes to be smart, and his actions start at the beginning but end at the end, leaving hidden dangers that cannot be dealt with. The Jin country is strong, but the Jin family is in danger. Ah Heng, do you understand what I mean?"
"Go back to my eldest mother, I know."
"In that case, you might as well tell me how you will solve the situation?"
Mrs. Guotai dismissed everyone in the palace and personally placed a wooden box on the table. She pressed the copper lock with her fingers and locked her gaze on Lin Heng. She spoke loudly with every word, which was enough to overturn the authority of the court.
"If you can convince me, the contents of this box will be a gift to congratulate you on your return to the country."
