She fell out after crying at the wrong grave

"Snapped--!"

The delicate white porcelain teacup shattered to the ground, making a thrilling sound.

The main hall of Changsheng Hall has just been renovated and it is now open to the public.

Among the crowd of people kneeling, Ah'an was the most speechless one.

I should have known that I shouldn't just pray for wealth, but should pray to the Buddha for better luck. My luck is too bad. It was only a matter of waiting for two more days, how did Shen Zhuo find out about it?

The man was dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, and his crown was covered with golden pearls and jade. He looked like he was receiving an envoy all day long. He was dressed in such wealth that even one look at him was too much.

Sitting at the head with a fierce look on his face, his weak roar echoed in the empty hall, "How dare you! Are you planning a rebellion? You have affected my dignity as an emperor, and I will kill all nine generations of your clan!"

Ah'ao lowered her eyebrows obediently, but she thought rebelliously, please kill all my nine clans quickly, or I will accompany you if you die first.

Xiao Jin stood aside, unable to hand over the new teacup in her hand several times.

She was also worried. If Ah-yi suffered this time, it would not be good for her at all. But even if she wanted to say a few words for her, she didn't understand the construction of these carved beams and painted buildings at all, and she was afraid that her good intentions would lead to bad results.

Therefore, I am in a dilemma and feel anxious.

Zhao Dajiang, the chief craftsman of the General Construction Department, knelt down and even stepped on the broken porcelain pieces, showing his loyalty as if the heaven and earth could bear witness to it. "Your Majesty, please understand! We have carefully checked on the first day we came here. All the beams and pillars are intact. It must not be burned if it is not a wooden structure! If it is burned, there should be traces. This is not left by natural loss. Your Majesty is very observant. This has nothing to do with the General Construction Department!"

It has nothing to do with the Chief of Works. Doesn't that mean he is trying to clear himself of all responsibility and pass the buck to the Ministry of Works, A'ao and Xu Tingzhou?

It was also said that they were not left there naturally, but these intact pillars only needed to scrape off the black patterns on the surface and repaint them. Shen Zhuo personally appointed only A'an to do this, and the implication was too obvious.

She just didn't teach him how to draw buildings as he requested, and she was quite resentful about it, waiting here to trip her up.

Shen Zhuo sneered, "Want to shirk responsibility? You think you're just a supervisor for nothing? Don't you know that the pillar is damaged? Why are you pretending to be innocent in front of me? You have damaged my fortune as the emperor, and I will send you to hell one by one."

Xu Tingzhou grabbed the ground with his head down and listened to Shen Zhuo's words silently.

This was the first time he met the king, but he did not expect that he was a person who could decide life and death at will.

There have been many complaints around the capital for years, and last summer there was a total loss of crops due to a severe drought. Not to mention diverting water to relieve the drought, the Ministry of Works took the lead, and even praying for rain and offering sacrifices were not even done for show.

At that time, the emperor was looking for someone to observe the celestial phenomena at night, so he sent the "Emperor's Hunting Picture", which was mounted on an ivory carved axis and took half a year to make, to the Treasure Pavilion in a golden carriage and with a large army of Jinwu Guards.

The common people were confused and knelt down before the golden carriage, thinking it was the arrival of the emperor. However, who knew that what they were kneeling before was just a fake painting.

The mysterious and spooky part far exceeds the beauty of the painting's meticulousness, raising it to an undeserved height.

If a king fails to put his people first in his heart and instead pursues such illusory things, his power will surely collapse.

Xu Tingzhou thought to himself that the revenge for killing his sister was absolutely unforgivable.

Ah'ao pretended to be obedient to the end, and simply knelt a few steps forward, gritting her teeth and squeezing out tears, "Your Majesty! I deserve to die, I am guilty of negligence, please show mercy! But I would never dare to deliberately destroy the beams and pillars of Chong'an Hall. I have repented in the Buddhist temple for so long, and I am grateful for the trust Your Majesty has entrusted to me. I would never dare to do such a thing! Please, Your Majesty, clear my name!"

My chronic illness has not been cured and I am feeling uneasy.

Ah'ao had become much thinner in recent days. She was wearing a jade dress and looked so lonely and pitiful kneeling on the ground.

Like a willow tree leaning against a storm in spring, I feel pity for it.

Of course, there is also some element of Ah-an acting in it.

The two parties are in court, and how the matter will end is another difficult issue.

Shen Zhuo paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, wavering between killing and not killing.

If I kill him, who will paint the remaining pillars? And where can I find Huai Chengbai now? I don't even know if he is dead or alive.

Seeing that Youbei's wedding procession would arrive in the capital soon, if Chong'an Palace could not be repaired by then, it would be a great loss of face for the emperor!

If I don't kill him, the fire in my heart will be difficult to quell.

Shen Zhuo felt that his temper was getting more and more irritable, which must be because these ministers were becoming less and less reliable. Since the fire, he had been killing people in front of Chong'an Palace. The pleasure of seeing blood splattering everywhere was the fastest way to soothe his anger.

But until now there has been no chance to try again. Today I finally managed to kill all these people. Should I let them go?

But without the girl Xuancheng, not only would the painting of the pillars be unfinished, but there would also be no one to marry.

So even though she's an eyesore, she can't be killed for the time being.

If you can't kill him, you can always torture him.

Shen Zhuo suddenly sat back quietly on the golden throne with a strange smile on his face.

"My beloved concubine is pregnant. It is truly God's mercy on me." Shen Zhuo said in a manly manner, "Although you have recklessly affected my fortune, I am a kind-hearted and enlightened monarch, so I will spare your death."

There was a constant stream of voices from the steps thanking the Lord for His grace.

A'ao turned her head and secretly looked at Xu Tingzhou, then quickly bent down, neither of them agreed.

I'm afraid things are far from that simple.

"Xue Ping." Shen Zhuo raised his arm and called out. Xue Ping, who was waiting outside the hall, immediately came in with his back bent. "Goodness is like water. I hope you can remember this teaching with this punishment. Drag everyone to the Dali Temple's torture chamber!"

Several Jinwu guards immediately unsheathed their weapons and came in, surrounding the twenty people in front of the hall. Master Zhao was stunned. The Dali Temple's criminal department was known for its cruel officials and severe punishments. If he went there this time, would he be able to return alive?

The highest good is like water, which is the punishment of water.

The torture chamber of the Dali Temple had a wider variety of methods. They would first whip the prisoners until their skin was torn and then throw them into a water dungeon filled with salt, making it impossible for them to live or die. The physical pain was more mentally taxing than the fear of being drowned and suffocated by the unexpected rise in water.

"Your Majesty, Princess, do you want to take her to the torture chamber as well?"

Xiao Jin clenched her sleeves tightly, her heart beating rapidly as the words fell.

Shen Zhuo leaned back in the chair at the top, his eyes making her feel uncertain. In that moment of silence, he was unsure of how to make a final judgment on Ah'ao.

If he were taken to the torture chamber, based on Ah's recent physical condition, he would be in great danger.

Xiao Jin's brows were solemn, realizing that this would do her no good at all.

Ah'ao always keeps a backup plan in mind. If she cannot be protected today, Shen Zhuo will immediately know about her affair with her uncle tomorrow.

Moreover.

Moreover, after spending some time with her, Xiao Jin changed her mind.

In the palace, no one could confide in her. Even if she had a headache or a fever, or was upset, no one would listen to her talk.

But in the past few months, when she had nothing to do, she would go to the Buddhist temple or Chong'an Hall. In name, she was there to chat with A'ao, but in reality she just wanted to talk to herself. A'ao seldom paid any attention to her, and Xiao Jin was already very happy.

It was also related to the upbringing at home. Even the closest maids were selected by Jin Feng himself and sent to Xiao Jin after training. There were many sisters in the family, and each one was like this. The rules in the family were always strict, and the maids did not dare to talk too much with the young ladies. Most of the time, they just did their work quietly and cautiously.

Therefore, Xiao Jin, who has never had any friends, now subconsciously regards A'ao as her close friend.

In this case, we can't just watch her languishing in jail.

Xiao Jin gritted her teeth and secretly pinched her stomach with her hands.

"Ouch!"

The silent atmosphere in the hall was interrupted by this scream. Except for the trembling and terrified supervisor, the rest of the people turned their eyes to Jin Zhaoyi who was standing next to Shen Zhuo.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I don't know why my stomach hurts so much. I'm afraid I scared the baby!"

Although Shen Zhuo didn't care about women, he cared about the child in her belly. This was his first child, breaking the long-standing rumors that he was infertile, so it was very important and could not be missed.

So he immediately stood up and went over to hold Xiao Jin in his arms, "My beloved concubine, what happened? Xue Ping, go and call the imperial physician! Quick!"

Xiao Jin closed her eyes with a look of pain and leaned in Shen Zhuo's arms.

The pain was not severe, it only hurt for a moment. Xiao Jin was reluctant to let her child get sick, so the next step was to make her story fascinating.

"Your Majesty, you don't know." Xiao Jin looked up, her eyes full of water waves, which made people pity her. "Since I became pregnant, I have asked the princess to copy many scriptures for me, and the princess also gladly agreed, with all her sincerity. Therefore, although the fetus was unstable at first, it has improved a lot now, and the child is also healthy. I think that the dragon heir and the princess are connected by blood, and we have the fate of praying for blessings, so there is a sense of connection."

Although it was all unfounded nonsense, once it involved his own son and was related to the Buddha's apparition, Shen Zhuo's face darkened, obviously he had heard it.

Xiao Jin took advantage of his hesitation and said, "I think the princess has been working diligently for His Majesty recently, and her body is weak, so the baby in my belly may feel it."

Even though Ah'ao was kneeling on the ground, she couldn't help but raise her eyebrows when she heard this.

It's really rare for her to have such a heart.

Shen Zhuo helped the person to the golden throne and sat her down. He then reached out and touched Xiao Jin's still flat belly, thinking again and again.

He had never really wanted to torture Yuan Ning. Since Xiao Jin wanted to protect her, it was a chance for him to back down.

It would be a good idea to give him this favor, so that he can disgust Yuan Ning.

Shen Zhuo was in a good mood, even smiling a little, "In that case, then I will follow my beloved concubine's wishes and spare Yuan Ning this time."

The words spoken the next moment, however, were as hurtful as ice in the cold winter or a poisonous snake in the forest.

"I can avoid punishment, but I can't escape the blame." Shen Zhuo stroked his beard deliberately, and said, "Bring up the princess's maid. Since the master made a mistake, it must be the fault of the servant who did not fulfill his duty. Yuan Ning's body is worth a thousand gold, so let the servant take the punishment and give her fifty strokes of the cane as a warning to others."

People's words can fall lightly on the ground, but a board hitting a person is heavy enough to break the skin and flesh and tear the heart and lungs.

Ah-yi raised her head suddenly, "Your Majesty!"

Behind him was Ying En, who was kneeling on the ground, tied up by two Jinwu Guards.

No matter how embarrassed he looked, he never uttered a word.

Shen Zhuo raised his hand and motioned her to be quiet. "Yuan Ning, do you think this place is not spacious enough? Xue Ping, how about moving it outside Yongning Gate?"

Ah's eyes were almost bloodshot, and she grabbed the cracks in the bricks on the ground with both hands, and blood oozed out in time.

The past events came back to her mind like a flood.

This is to break her heart.

(End of this chapter)