Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 125 Hysteria
The hairs on the back of Pingle's neck stood on end.

"Husband? Why are you here suddenly?"

Lu Youan looked at her and walked over slowly.

"Where is Fan Bing?"

His voice carried the coolness of the night dew; it was cold, indifferent, and a little distant.

Pingle once loved this sound very much.

But at this moment, it was like a sharp blade, piercing the heart.

"Is my husband confused?"

She twisted her handkerchief and subconsciously glanced at the open stone cave. A bone-chilling chill ran down her spine and into her heart. She forced herself to remain calm and smiled tenderly.
"Isn't Fan Bing Wen Jia's consort? How would I know where he is? The consort should ask Wen Jia."

Lu Youan smiled slightly, full of sarcasm.

"The princess is good at shirking responsibility."

The waterfall looks like an inverted Milky Way under the moonlight.

The water is rushing and gurgling.

Behind the rushing water, thick smoke continued to billow out, indicating that there was an unspeakable secret hidden here.

Lu Youan took a deep breath and said, "I'll go find it myself."

Ping Le's heart tightened and he subconsciously stopped him.

Just at this moment, a servant came trotting over in a panic.

"Princess, General Qi of Weiyuan and Lieutenant Xue of Yihui are here and are asking for an audience outside the courtyard gate."

Ping Le's expression suddenly changed, "What are they doing here?"

The servant said, "The general said he was inspecting the nearby barracks and saw thick smoke rising from the West Hill Villa, so he brought people over to help put out the fire."

"No! Don't let them in."

Pingle looked flustered and clenched his hands unconsciously.

Why would they rather make the grotto behind the waterfall into a natural lock, instead of assigning guards to guard it? They just don't want people to know.

This is her private vault, and every treasure, every piece of gold and silver, carries her greed and desire. These riches are a symbol of her power, and also a way out she has planned for herself...

She even dealt with all the craftsmen who designed and built the secret room one by one, so how could she let the secret leak out?
"Just say the fire is not big and the hospital can handle it on its own, no need for help..."

"But, but..."

The young man had a sad face and was very hesitant as he looked at the billowing smoke.

"Go quickly, or I'll kill you!" Ping Le raised her eyebrows and shouted harshly.

"Yes!" The servant was so frightened that he trembled all over. He responded quickly and turned to leave.

"Wait--" Lu Youan suddenly spoke.

He had just been looking at Pingle, seeing her panicked expression, seeing her wild look that was completely different from before...

This was a side he was not familiar with.

I had never seen it before, but I wasn't surprised at all.

It seems that Pingle should be like this, this is the real Pingle.

Those beautiful appearances in the past were just illusions that he had been deceiving himself for a long time in order to comfort and convince himself.

Lu Youan felt mixed emotions, and his tone was no longer warm. "Putting out a fire is like saving a life. Why doesn't the princess dare to ask for help? Is there something wrong?"

Pingle was speechless.

Lu Youan smiled lightly and gave instructions to the servant.

"Go! Ask General Weiyuan to lead the troops to put out the fire."

Ping Le saw this and said sternly: "No one is allowed to come in without my order!"

Lu Youan's mouth corners slightly raised, and he sneered: "What is the princess afraid of? Are you afraid that your affair with Fan Bing will be known to others? Or is there something shameful hidden in this?"

Pingle's face turned pale and his body stiffened.

Lu Youan looked at her coldly, suddenly walked around her, strode through the waterfall, passed the open wooden door of the Pixiu, and walked straight in.

"Husband, don't..."

Pingle tried desperately to pull him, but only grabbed a handful of air.

In the cave, thick smoke gradually spread, and the pungent smell hit people in the face, making it difficult to breathe.

Fan Bing was still alive, breathing barely and with his mouth wide open, like a flesh worm with its spine removed. His limbs were twitching weakly and his body was twisted in pain.

"help me……"

He crawled forward with difficulty, his lower body already burnt black. When he saw Lu Youan, a desire to survive flashed in his eyes, and he stretched out his hand to him.

Something fell from his palm, making a crisp sound on the ground.

It was a hairpin with jade leaves and golden cicada patterns.

Lu Youan took a step back.

In an instant, he seemed to see Wen Jia walking towards him with a smile on her face, with the golden cicada with jade leaves inlaid with gold and kingfisher feathers pinned in her hair.

At that time, the garden was full of cherry blossoms, and the breeze blew by. The luster of the emerald feathers and the delicate cherry blossoms set off each other, and Wen Jia whispered softly.

"Lu Lang is extremely talented and should be working for the benefit of the country and the people. It would be a pity if he were confined to the boudoir. Wen Jia does not blame me. I hope that you will spread your wings like a roc and soar into the sky in the future!"

The flames licked Fan Bing's torn clothes...

He was dying, and had lost the strength to struggle.

Behind him, there are mountains of gold, silver and jewelry...

The chill snaked up his spine like a poisonous snake. Lu Youan's eyes hurt from fear, and he was choked by the smoke and coughed continuously. He staggered back in a daze.

"what have you done?"

He pointed at Fan Bing and looked at Ping Le in disbelief.

"Did you kill Fan Bing?"

"Are these red lacquered wooden boxes filled with the severed fingers of Jiangnan boatmen or the eyeballs of Lianghuai salt merchants?"

"Those boxes of treasure, are they the blood and sweat of the people, or are they the military pay and taxes that were embezzled?"

"Princess, you are so bold that you dare to do such a heinous thing!" Pingle was panicked. She turned around and pressed the mechanism, turning it desperately with both hands. She only let go when her nails turned white.

"Husband, go!"

"Quick, take the prince consort out!"

Lu Youan was dragged out by two guards——

The heavy stone door slammed shut with the sound of mechanical scraping.

The blazing flames and the billowing smoke were all isolated inside...

Perfect fit.

There was also a turbulent and rushing spring rushing down, covering all traces completely, leaving no trace of any flaws.

"Wonderful! It's absolutely ingenious!" Lu Youan broke free from the guards and laughed angrily.

"I didn't know that there was a snake lying next to me all these years!"

Pingle grabbed Lu Youan and stumbled out of the waterfall, then begged desperately.

"My dear husband, please don't tell anyone. You have to believe me, Fan Bing and I have no private feelings..."

Lu Youan was still laughing.

That laughter was full of determination.

"Fan Bing is still inside. He is not dead yet, but you closed the stone door. You are so cruel to treat your lover like this... What do you want to do next, Princess? Do you want to kill me to silence me like you killed Fan Bing?"

"No, Fan Bing is not my lover, husband, how could I kill you?"

"Then open the stone door!"

Lu Youan couldn't imagine what it felt like for a person to be burned to death.

Even though he hated Fan Bing to the extreme, it was difficult for him to stand by and watch him die, as he was a noble and kind person.

He had never been as furious as he was today. His whole body was shaking slightly and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Go, open the door and rescue Fan Bing!"

Pingle stared into his eyes and shook his head.

"Fan Bing must die!"

If someone knew her secret, there would be no possibility of survival.

Lu Youan frowned, his face full of disappointment: "Princess Pingle, taking human life lightly is your usual style, right?"

"Husband, I didn't...please listen to my explanation..."

Lu Youan looked stern and said firmly, "Princess, you don't need to explain to me. If you don't kill me, I will take you to the Golden Throne Hall to explain to His Majesty, and to Suzaku Street to explain to the people of Shangjing."

Pingle's legs felt weak, "Husband..."

She was in tears, and seeing Lu Youan's eyes were as cold as ice, her heart sank to the bottom.

Lu Youan was born into a noble family and had a gentle temperament. After becoming a royal consort, he kept himself clean and behaved uprightly. In order to maintain her reputation in his heart, Pingle pretended to be frugal in the mansion and created the image of a dignified, virtuous, and well-educated princess.

But now, he witnessed the most unbearable scene.

She was panicked and at a loss.

"don't want……"

She knelt down slowly, clutching the corner of Lu Youan's robe tightly, with a phoenix hairpin hanging diagonally in her hair, and her tears mixed with rouge smudged on her cheeks, making her look sad.

"For Guanchen and Tongtong, for our two children, my husband, I beg you, don't tell anyone...Apart from my father and mother, I have never knelt before anyone else, my husband, I kneel down for you...I only ask you to let me go for the sake of the children..."

Lu Youan slowly pried open her knuckles that had turned white from exerting too much force, and looked at her delicate face that was tearful.

"You still care about your children? If the children knew they had a mother like this, how would they hold their heads up in the future?"

With pain in his eyes, Lu Youan slowly lifted the corner of his robe, knelt down in front of her, and raised his hands to the sky.

"The Lu clan's ancestral hall has rules. The seven grounds for divorce can be waived, but the four words 'harming the offspring' cannot be avoided. If Your Highness Princess really cares about the child, she should show mercy and let me and the child go..."

Pingle's pupils suddenly contracted.

"what are you up to?"

"Divorce." Lu Youan said, "Take the children and run away."

Pingle slowly stood up and laughed bitterly.

Hysterical laughter echoed in the empty courtyard.

"Prince Consort, I treat you sincerely, but you totally disregard the relationship between husband and wife. Don't you have any mercy on me?"

Lu Youan's eyes were as cold as frost: "What the princess has done does not deserve my pity at all!"

Pingle's body swayed and was on the verge of falling.

"Hahaha, the Prince Consort is so determined, is it because of that bitch Wen Jia?"

A strange smile flashed across her face.

"Do you know how Wen Jia has been living these years? You don't know, right? Gambling addiction is just the least of Fan Bing's many evil deeds. He would beat and scold Wen Jia and humiliate her at will. Every time he lost money, he would take it out on Wen Jia. If he was not satisfied, he would punch and kick her, leaving her covered in bruises..."

"You thought she was married to a good man, taking care of her husband and children, and living a peaceful life, but you didn't know that she was in hell, living a life worse than pigs and dogs..."

"Hahahahaha, in that case, are you still going to save Fan Bing? I killed him, doesn't he deserve it?"

"You?! Did you order me to do that?" Lu Youan stood up suddenly, his eyes suddenly bloodshot, his face full of anger, and he grabbed her neck. His hands trembled slightly because of anger, his knuckles turned white, and he seemed to crush Pingle's neck with such ferocity.

Pingle pried his hands apart with both hands, the corners of his lips twitching slightly, but there was a mocking and contemptuous smile in his eyes.

She is in pain.

How can it make others feel good?
No one could betray her.

Even her favorite prince consort is not allowed!
At this moment, a loud shout suddenly came from the backyard, and General Weiyuan Qi Mingyang strode over, followed by the newly promoted Yihui Captain Xue Qingxiu and a group of elite soldiers, who poured into the courtyard like a torrent.

The servant who brought the news was terrified. He looked at Princess Pingle with tears in her eyes, lowered his head, and his voice trembled.

"Princess, General Weiyuan is determined to help, and I can't stop him..."

I wish all my readers a happy Lantern Festival!

small theater:
Li Zhao: I am observing the stars alone at night. I see strange movements in the Purple Palace tonight. I am afraid that Ping An is sending Lantern Festival to murder the crown prince...

Xue Sui: Wake up, if no one sends you Yuanxiao (Chinese rice dumplings), you will be so hungry that you will see stars.