Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 93 Taking advantage of the loophole

Sitting on the girl’s wedding bed.

Li Zhao really had no taboos.

Fortunately, Xue Sui doesn't care about these things.

She looked at Li Zhao with an exceptionally calm gaze, as if she was looking at a lifeless object, or a pig, or a dog. Her expression was so indifferent that it made Li Zhao feel angry.

Xue Sui sat down on the brocade stool opposite him and said softly, "Your Highness, if you have anything to say, why not speak up?"

The bridal chamber was filled with incense, and the light was dim and ambiguous.

The bright red candle flame flickered and swayed, as if there were happy spirits jumping non-stop...

Li Zhao raised his eyelids slightly, his eyes were very cold.

"I'm asking, and you answer?"

Xue Sui studied his expression and nodded.

Li Zhao asked: "Is Pingle's illness incurable?"

Xue Sui smiled at him and said, "Your Highness, you came here in the middle of the night just to ask this?"

Li Zhao: "What else? I'll come to make trouble in the bridal chamber?"

Before Xue Sui could answer, he saw some familiar sneer in his deep black eyes. His fingertips gently stroked the neatly folded red wedding quilt, as if a piece of water-soaked mutton-fat jade was moving on the bright red brocade.

"Or, to sleep in the bridal chamber for my brother?"

There was an inexplicable hint of enchantment in the air.

But Xue Sui didn't find it funny, nor did she think Li Zhao was teasing her.

There seemed to be a natural wall between the two of them; when they looked into each other's eyes, they could see the hostility.

Xue Sui glanced sideways.

"If Your Highness has nothing important to do, please go ahead——"

She pointed to the window.

Not a door.

If he wanted to leave, he had to climb through the window.

Li Zhao withdrew his hand from the quilt, placed it on his knees, raised the corners of his eyes slightly, and his cold eyes were as cold as ice.

"You've made Pingle look like this. What are you going to do next?"

If Pingle's "strange disease" cannot be cured, and she becomes estranged from her husband, and her innocence is damaged by the Fan Bing incident, given her personality, she might cause some trouble.

But Xue Sui thought it was not tragic enough.

She also understood that Li Zhao’s stance was different from hers.

So I smiled and said, "Take one step at a time and see what happens."

Li Zhao had a cold face.

How could there be such a woman in the world?
He sat on her wedding bed, lifted her wedding quilt, and ate her wedding dates.

She just sat there, quietly, even more desolate than the stained glass window with the word "happiness" pasted on it behind her.

So Li Zhao ate another date.

"Ms. Xue Liu is not that kind of person."

Xue Sui asked back: "What kind of person am I?"

Li Zhao ate another date.

"A ruthless person, a ruthless person with a plan, would not rush into the mansion without thinking it through..."

His tone was firm, and his dark eyes were as deep as a knife, as if he wanted to cut her open and examine her carefully.

This is a terrible thing.

Li Zhao at this moment is actually exactly the same as the Crown Prince who wanted to kill her in Youhuangju.

Extremely cruel.

However, because he was under the control of the love silk Gu, he was somewhat helpless in front of her, just like a tamed beast, tall and majestic, lying at her feet and licking her fur obediently.

This thought and image almost made Xue Sui laugh out loud. She lowered her eyes before responding calmly.

"Your Highness thinks too highly of me. I don't have three heads and six arms, but I only have one life, which I cherish very much."

Li Zhao squinted at her.

His black eyes were cold and lonely, like stars in the vast ocean.

The woman in front of me had changed out of her wedding dress, wearing only a plain and elegant autumn-colored nightgown. Her long hair was loosely tied into a bun. She looked calm, with a slender and pretty figure, and a waist as slender as a willow, barely slender enough to be held in one hand. She was like an orchid blooming in an empty valley, out of tune with the bright red joyous atmosphere around her, and as indifferent as an outsider who had mistakenly entered the bridal chamber.

"Miss Xue Liu."

Li Zhao asked, "Why haven't you planted that love flower yet?"

Xue Sui almost didn't react to the sudden change of topic.

Li Zhao stared at her, picked up the tea she had just drunk, took a sip without any hesitation, and then smiled at her.

"Why, bad seeds can't sprout?"

Who are you calling a bad person?
Xue Sui raised the corners of his lips and smiled slightly.

"It's only been planted for a short time. Why is Your Highness so anxious?"

Li Zhao's face turned cold and he put the celadon teacup heavily down.

Water splashed out of the cup, wetting the Chinese character for "happiness" on the table. Ling Yu fluttered over, stepped on it with his claws, leaving a red smudge. He then lightly jumped onto Li Zhao's shoulder, leaving a red claw mark...

Li Zhao felt so clean that his scalp tightened a little.

Just as he was about to raise his hand, the pigeon had already flown to the windowsill and was looking at him with its head tilted.

Li Zhaozong didn't want to argue with a pigeon, so he continued, "The other flower seeds sown in my garden have already sprouted, and some have even grown buds. The gardener said that spring is a good time for seeds to sprout because everything comes back to life..."

Xue Sui listened quietly and nodded.

"But the love flower is not an ordinary flower. It originally comes from the Western Regions and grows in a bitter and cold land. It is extremely picky about the environment and light. If Your Highness is willing, it is most appropriate to water it with rootless water... But not too much. One more point will make it wither, and one less point will make it insufficient..."

Lies come from every mouth.

Li Zhao asked: "Isn't that the same as you?"

Xue Sui's eyelids twitched slightly.

She was speaking seriously, so Li Zhao shouldn't be able to see any flaws, right?
"What do you mean, Your Highness?"

Li Zhao raised his eyebrows slightly.

He glanced at her with a half-smile.

"If you lie about even one word, I will tear your head off."

Xue Sui smiled slightly: "Your Highness, please cherish your life."

The love thread Gu is a twin in one body, and the two of them are also twins in one life.

To cherish her life is also to cherish his life.

A hint of anger flashed across Li Zhao's eyes.

"Forget it, kneel down and be at peace."

Xue Sui was so angry that he laughed.

"Your Highness, this is my room."

Li Zhao's face darkened. He stood up, brushed his robe and swung his sleeves, put his hands behind his back and walked in front of her. He stood tall and straight like a green pine or cypress, gazing down at her condescendingly.

"Xue Ping'an, are you sure that I can't do anything to you?"

Isn't this obvious?

If there is a way, she will be so confused.

Xue Sui smiled and looked at the cold-faced man in front of him. "Your Highness, please—"

Li Zhao looked at him silently, snorted lightly, strode towards the windowsill, spread his sleeves, and suddenly pulled Ling Yu in.

Xue Sui's pupils shrank slightly, and before he could react, the man and the pigeon had already disappeared into the vast night outside the window...

Xue Sui: ...

The prince has a strong desire for revenge.

You're not going to stew Lingyu into soup, are you?
-
The lights in the house were off.

It was pitch black all around, and the sky was gloomy.

At this moment, on the high eaves and black tiles of the side house of Tan Qiuyuan, the two spies stretched their necks so hard that they felt extremely sore.

They had just played "rock, paper, scissors" to decide which person would go down to investigate the details, and when he came back with a wooden face, he nodded and lay on the roof, looking at the stars in the sky, wanting to cry but without the tears.

"Your Highness..."

"Ugh……"

"Why is he like this? Why is he like this?"

"Do you think His Royal Highness is too easy to seduce?"

"Brother, the prince was not seduced, but the seduction attempt failed..."

Be quiet for a moment.

The two of them rested their foreheads on the roof and looked into the distance.

"You and I know too much, will it be possible..."

"Silenced?"

The two looked at each other and felt a chill in their bodies.

"Pah, pah, pah! Don't say anything unlucky."

"Your Highness the Crown Prince does not like to kill innocent people. He kills those who deserve to die."

"Should we die?"

"We didn't see anything. We shouldn't die!"

"Smart! Yes, we didn't see anything..."

"Remember, what happened tonight is known to heaven, earth, you, and me... No one can tell anyone about it, not even my mother and wife at home, not even in my dreams..."

The two nodded to each other.

After a while, one of the spies was confused again.

"Then tomorrow night, the night after tomorrow, the night after tomorrow... will His Royal Highness the Crown Prince come again?"

The two looked at each other and were about to cry.

Can't we just not see him coming every night?
Isn't that still dereliction of duty?
"How will you report tomorrow?"

"Speaking of which, my Lord, I saw you go to someone's young wife's wedding room in the middle of the night?"

"Oh no!"

"Are we dying?"

"I haven't lived enough!"
-
The news that the princess secretly met with Wen Jia and her husband Fan Bing at Prince Duan's residence spread like wildfire, instantly causing a stir in the streets and alleys, teahouses and taverns of Shangjing.

At first some people refused to believe it.

Pingle was born with natural beauty and was the most beautiful princess in the Daliang Dynasty, while Fan Bing was plain-looking and had no talent or virtue. How could he compare to Pingle's husband Lu Youan? How could Princess Pingle be interested in him?

But as Princess Wenjia hurriedly took her youngest daughter to Puji Temple, saying that she wanted to eat vegetarian food, chant Buddhist scriptures, and meditate, the news spread even more outrageously in the market.

Some people say that it was because the prince consort was not good enough and could not satisfy the princess, which made her become unfaithful.

Some people also said that when the princess forcibly took the prince consort away, in fact, the couple were far from being as loving as rumored. The prince consort had long stopped sleeping with the princess, and the princess was alone in her empty room, feeling lonely and unbearable, which was why she was deceived by Fan Bing's sweet words.

Some even said that Fan Bing took advantage of the situation and poisoned the princess with spring poison, which made the princess do such an inappropriate thing. She actually had an affair with Prince Duan at his birthday banquet and was caught on the spot...

In this storm of rumors, the person who was worst criticized was Miss Xue Liu.

"Is this Miss Xue Liu born with bad luck?"

"Wherever you go, there are dirty things like this."

"I heard that Prince Duan disliked her because she was born with bad luck and would affect her fortune. He took her in for three days but he never even stepped into her room, let alone consummated his marriage with her."

"Poor girl, she was taken away by kidnappers for ten years and suffered for ten years. She thought she would have a good home after marrying into the palace, but she didn't expect it to be like this..."

Chongwen Hall.

When the prince heard the news from the spies, he couldn't help but smile.

All the officials of the Eastern Palace felt chilled when they saw him discussing matters.

A half-smile is not a good sign!
After the meeting, the prince waved his hand, and the officials breathed a sigh of relief. They straightened their clothes, bowed respectfully, and then filed out.

Li Zhao sat firmly in the main seat with a calm expression, and suddenly called out to Mei Ruhui.

"Sir, please stay."

Mei Ruhui felt a sudden tension in her heart when she saw that everyone had left. She looked up and saw the sharp eyes of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince looking at her coldly. The hairs on her body stood up unconsciously.

In just a short moment, Mei Ruhui's mind was working rapidly, sorting out all his recent actions, one by one.

Thinking that he had not done anything wrong, he calmed himself down, put on a smile, and bowed deeply to the person above him.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Li Zhao slightly turned sideways and looked at Fu, "Bring the things here."

Lai Fu took the order and quickly retreated.

Mei Ruhui stood there alone, feeling that the hall was extremely chilly today, and the breeze kept penetrating into the cracks between his bones.

After a long while, the prince finally waved for him to come over.

Mei Ruhui put on a respectful expression, took small steps forward, knelt down firmly on the mat behind the desk, bowed and asked:
"I wonder what your Highness wants me to do?"

Li Zhao showed no emotion on his face, and said calmly:

"Please, sir, help me take a look."

Mei Ruhui had profound attainments in calligraphy and painting. Before becoming the prince's guest, he was already famous in the capital. His ability to appreciate calligraphy was highly praised. Even the current Emperor Chongzhao had asked him to authenticate unique works of the previous dynasty.

Mei Ruhui looked at the notes, feeling slightly puzzled.
"Your Highness, are you... going to let me compare the handwriting?"

"That's right." Li Zhao said, "Sir, take a closer look. Are the handwritings from the same person?"

Among the notes, there were two that were previously passed on by Lingyu. They contained poems. Just looking at them, the meaning was obscure and others could not understand.

The other one was taken by Li Zhao from the table in Xue Sui's bridal chamber.

Just looking at the handwriting, it is different.

There is often a big difference between the handwriting of a person when delivering a message and the handwriting when practicing calligraphy, but it is not difficult to distinguish for people who are familiar with writing habits and handwriting identification.

Mei Ruhui looked at it for a moment and nodded.

"Yes, these words were written by one person."

Li Zhao raised his eyebrows slightly, and then suddenly took out another old, yellowed piece of paper from his sleeve and placed it on the table in front of Mei Ruhui.

"And look at this."

Mei Ruhui's eyelids twitched slightly.

There was a strange little seal on the paper, which turned out to be a small skull pattern with a knife.

At the end of the paper page, there is a seal with the words "Imperial Edict" stamped on it.

He was shocked.

I immediately realized that the note came from the mysterious old mausoleum.

It was written by the imperial envoy.