Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 99 Pirate Ship
Li Zhao raised his eyebrows slightly and leaned over to stare at Xue Sui.

"Miss Xue Liu is absolutely right."

On a midsummer night, the garden was still full of flowers, as if the fragrance of flowers was coming from the window, or perhaps a hint of Li Zhao's fragrance was spreading leisurely in the air...

"I've boarded your pirate ship and I can't get off now."

At this moment, Li Zhao looked nothing like the ruthless Crown Prince as rumored. His brows were smiling, and his eyes were so gentle that it seemed as if there was light in his black eyes, and a different kind of deep attachment.

Xue Sui's mouth corners slightly raised, smiling just right.

"In that case, Your Highness and I will go together and join hands in this grand event."

Li Zhao: "The premise of cooperation is fairness. Once you are on this pirate ship, I must ask for something back..."

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly hooked his arm, tightly grasped her waist, and pulled her forward with force.

Xue Sui did not expect Li Zhao to attack suddenly. Almost in the blink of an eye, she crashed into his chest. Li Zhao held the back of her head, then lowered his head and bit her lower lip without hesitation.

He bit hard.

He was breathing rapidly.

He is very strong...

As if to tear her apart completely and merge her into her bones and blood.

In a moment, a rusty smell of blood permeated between the lips and teeth.

Xue Sui frowned, but did not struggle or refuse, like a puppet...

But the moment Li Zhao opened his mouth, she grabbed his collar with her backhand, pulled it hard, and then bit it back fiercely.

Her movements were clean and quick, without any hesitation, and her face showed no emotion at all; it was cold, like a beast or a demon.

She was even very rude, sliding down to his neck and biting out a small, light pink tooth mark...

"hiss--"

Li Zhao sucked in a breath of cold air and slowly wiped his fingers to the corners of his mouth.

Looking at the fingertips again, there was a trace of bright red blood.

Both of them tensed up, and there seemed to be an unspeakable beast in their eyes, entangled and torn apart...

Their eyes met and Li Zhao suddenly chuckled.

"Xue Ping'an."

The laughter echoed softly in the silent room.

It can be detected that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is genuinely happy, and his expression has softened a bit.

"You are really vindictive and won't tolerate any loss."

Xue Sui hummed, "Same here."

Li Zhao's slender fingers gently touched her lips, his fingertips stained with his blood, covering the place on her lips where he had bitten her.

When they blend together, it’s impossible to tell whose blood it is.

"I like your personality, but you can't have it all your own way."

Xue Sui: "I have never lied to Your Highness, so why should Your Highness be upset?"

Seeing that she was still restless, Li Zhao's eyes turned cold and suddenly looked a little chilly.

"When you tricked me into drinking the love poison, you should have known the consequences."

As he spoke, he slowly extended his fingertips over and rubbed her earlobe twice, intentionally or unintentionally.

The warmth he felt was like a nameless wildfire, and his voice became low and hoarse, like rough wood polished by sandpaper, with a kind of madness like sexual agitation.

"Xue Ping'an, I can't have anyone else, and neither can you!"

After a pause, Li Zhao smiled softly.

"Zhang Huaicheng found a Gu Master from southern Xinjiang. He said that once the Gu insect recognizes its master, as long as our blood mixes, the Gu insect will coexist in the body. From now on, whether it is the poison of the love thread or something else, what I have, you will also have, and we will share it together. You are poisonous, and I am also poisonous. From now on, you and I will fight poison with poison..."

Xue Sui was secretly shocked.

Is love really so mysterious?
Why didn’t Senior Sister Yuheng tell you that Li Zhao would have such a possessive desire?
She lowered her eyes, her face remaining expressionless.

"There are many swindlers in the world, so it's better to be careful, Your Highness."

Li Zhao stared at her coldly and silently withdrew his hand.

"If you dare flirt with Li Huan behind my back, I will lead my troops to wipe out the Old Mausoleum Swamp and uproot it, leaving nothing behind. By then, the Old Mausoleum Swamp will be littered with corpses and rivers of blood... Xue Ping'an, don't blame me for being cruel."

Xue Sui looked at him as if he were a monster.

Your Highness, do you still know where he stands?
Do you know whose wife she is?
Li Zhao is ridiculous!
But Xue Sui didn't want to anger him at this time.

The fire outside had just been put out, and she didn't want to put it out again in Tan Qiuyuan.

Xue Sui frowned slightly and asked him thoughtfully.

"How will it benefit the prince to flatten the old mausoleum swamp?"

Li Zhao smiled and stretched out an arm to tease Ling Yu who was walking back and forth. His phoenix eyes were beautiful and cold, looking down at her condescendingly.

"You are unkind and I am unjust."

Xue Sui said, "I am no longer a member of Jiuling Marsh. I have not been one since the day I returned to Beijing."

Li Zhao raised his eyebrows, "So what? If you care, I will make you feel pain."

Xue Sui pursed his lips tightly, his face calm.

But my heart was like a raging storm, surging violently.

For decades, the Jiuling Marsh had been able to survive in the cracks, largely relying on the will of the previous emperor. However, no matter how powerful the civilian forces were, they were as small as ants in front of the overwhelming sweep of the imperial army and had no power to resist.

Especially Li Zhao, others said that he was just an arrogant and incompetent prince who was disliked by the emperor and took advantage of his legitimate status. He acted arrogantly and cruelly, but in fact he did nothing.

But the person Xue Sui fears the most is him.

Otherwise, she would not have risked visiting Youhuangju before returning to Beijing.

Li Zhao is much more difficult to deal with than Li Huan.

He is decisive and dares to do things that others would not do.

If she did not get Li Zhao's permission in advance, her road to revenge would be very difficult when she returned to Shangjing.

Because of her behavior, it was difficult for her to completely escape Li Zhao's sight.

Maybe revenge has just begun and ended...

Emperor Chongzhao might not dare to flatten the old mausoleum swamp...

Once Li Zhao went crazy, no one could stop him.

Besides, no one knew what Emperor Chongzhao was thinking about the Old Mausoleum Swamp.

If Li Zhao really led his troops to clear out the Old Mausoleum Swamp, it might be exactly what the emperor wanted - the blame for disobeying the previous emperor's will would be put on the prince, the emperor would gain a good reputation, and the Old Mausoleum Swamp, which was a hidden danger to his mind, would be eliminated.

Xue Sui doesn't believe in any Southern Xinjiang Gu Master.

But she knew that Li Zhao's last words were not false.

If he thinks about it, he can definitely do it.

"it is good."

Xue Sui wiped the corner of his mouth calmly, his voice cold.

"Before the poison is resolved, you and I will not betray each other, and I will never have a love affair with anyone else."

She agreed readily.

His eyes were calm and peaceful, like a pool of stagnant water.

Li Zhao smiled and said, "It's not a private affair, it's innocent."

The understanding of private affairs is too broad and easy to get entangled.

Innocence is different. Innocence means being pure and clean, free from dust and dirt.

Xue Sui smiled slightly, "Okay. Innocent."

When Li Zhao saw her smile, his expression froze.

Although she got what she wanted, she didn't feel happy at all. She shouldn't have been allowed to marry into the palace.

At that time, I just wanted to see what kind of trouble she could cause, and didn't care about anything else.

Unexpectedly, upon learning that she was going to sleep with him, the parasites in his body became restless and refused to settle down. The pain was like someone had cut out his heart and liver...

He could no longer remain an outsider and watch from the sidelines.

He is angry!
I hate her so much that I want to kill her!

Zhang Huaicheng did find a Southern Xinjiang Gu Master.

Li Zhao did not go to meet him as the crown prince, but promised him a large sum of money.

After seeing his condition, the other party said frankly that the person who had poisoned him was very skilled and his technique was mysterious and unpredictable. With his cultivation and ability, he was powerless to identify and crack it, let alone deal with it. In the end, he didn't even dare to take the money and left...

Li Zhao hated it even more.

Xue Sui.

Xue Pingan.

She used Gu to control him and even tried to live with Li Huan!

It’s simply wishful thinking!
-
A fire broke out in Shuyu Pavilion, and the flames illuminated half of the palace that night.

Afterwards, Li Huan dealt with a steward and two maids from Shuyu Pavilion.

The two maids were lazy at night and started a fire on the stove to roast chestnuts. They left without permission before the sparks were extinguished, which ignited the firewood nearby. The fire spread rapidly and soon burned the wooden cupboard, almost causing a disaster.

Normally the matter would have ended there, but rumors began to spread in the palace.

Some people privately discussed that Miss Xue Liu was very weird.

When she was in the Xue Mansion, everyone in the mansion was in unrest.

Now she arrived at Prince Duan's Mansion, and there was a fire inexplicably inside.

As a result, the saying of "Seven Evil Stars" was mentioned again. Even though Lingxu was proved to be a fake Taoist priest, it was unable to stop the spread of the rumor.

Spreading rumors is like a gust of wind, and refuting rumors is like going against the current, which is extremely difficult.

However, Xue Sui never refuted the rumors, as if it had nothing to do with her.

Yuan Qingzhu watched her coldly for two days, and seeing that she was calm and unmoved, he became even more angry...

"Someone, help me change my clothes. I want to go to the palace to see my aunt!"
-
royal palace.

In the Ruijin Palace.

Just as Concubine Xiao sent someone to deliver some rare medicinal herbs and wild ginseng from Changbai Mountain to Princess Pingle's mansion, she heard that Concubine Yuan wanted to see her.

In recent days, Concubine Xiao has been worried and upset about Pingle's illness.

Hearing the sound, she couldn't help but frown.

"Let her in."

Yuan Qingzhu's mother was Concubine Xiao's cousin, and the two were cousins. In addition, Yuan Qingzhu's father worked in the Ministry of Personnel, so he was considered a member of Prince Duan's party and a capable arm of the court.

Therefore, Concubine Xiao always treated her kindly.

Yuan Qingzhu was also much more casual in front of her than with others.

Led by the eunuch, Yuan Qingzhulian walked into the hall, bowed gracefully, and then began to complain hesitantly.

"Aunt, the Shuyu Pavilion caught fire for no apparent reason, which scared my Ci'er so much that he is now ill in bed and can't accompany me to the palace to visit you today..."

Concubine Xiao patiently tried to comfort her softly with a few words, but Yuan Qingzhu became more and more excited as she spoke, and her tears fell like free beads.

"Before, when others said that Xue Liu was evil, I didn't believe it. Now I finally understand..."

Under Concubine Xiao's inquiring gaze, Yuan Qingzhu exaggerated and recounted the recent events in Prince Duan's Mansion.

"The prince is like a possessed man. He doesn't go anywhere in the backyard. He is devoted to pampering the two sisters and even stayed in Muyue Residence for many days..."

When she mentioned this, she was filled with resentment.

"The Shuyu Pavilion was on fire, and the prince stayed to accompany Ci'er and me until midnight. But when Ci'er fell asleep, he returned to his Qiwu Courtyard."

Li Huan did not stay overnight.

Never an exception.

The only exception is Xue Yuechen.

Concubine Xiao listened quietly with no expression on her face.

In her opinion, as long as they can give birth to children for the royal palace, they are all her grandchildren, and she doesn't need to care about these trivial matters.

She also understands her son.

Huan'er looks kind, but he is actually cold-hearted and not someone who is easily moved.

He was busy with court affairs, on guard against the East Palace's mischief, and intrigues with court officials. Firstly, he didn't have the energy to deal with the women in the back house, and secondly, he was willing to be careful of his bedmates, so it wasn't a bad thing not to stay in the back house.

So she said casually: "Ms. Xue is a virtuous woman, and she is also the principal wife. It is only right that the prince should give her a little more respect. As for this Xue Liu..."

Yuan Qingzhu secretly raised his eyes and took over the conversation, "It must be Xue Liu who is behind this, otherwise the princess wouldn't have those evil spells. Maybe Princess Pingle's illness is related to Xue Liu..."

Concubine Xiao's expression changed slightly.

"Do you have any evidence?"

Yuan Qingzhu shook his head and forced a smile, "This woman is very scheming. It will be difficult to find any evidence against her."

Concubine Xiao did suspect Xue Sui of being poisoned, but she couldn't find any evidence.

Listening to Yuan Qingzhu's words, she couldn't help but think of Xue Liu's appearance, and an indescribable strange feeling surged in her heart.

She doesn't have any aggressive edge, she is very easy-going and her smile is bright and pure.

After years of immersion in the deep palace, Concubine Xiao has seen countless men.

No matter how good a person is at disguising himself, the eyes cannot deceive others.

Loyalty or treachery, goodness or evil, all would be revealed in the eyes. But Xue Liu's eyes were as clear as a mountain spring, smiling at people, without any scheming, pure and harmless...

If a girl of seventeen or eighteen could disguise herself to this extent, with ease and without revealing any flaws, she was either misunderstood or she was very scheming and had cultivated her cunning to perfection.

If it is the latter, it is really unbelievable.

Therefore, Concubine Xiao believed it was the former.

But Yuan kept crying in front of her, and she couldn't calm down, so she had to persuade her patiently.

"Xue Liu is the princess's sister after all. Now that she has entered the palace, you should get along well with her and serve the prince together. Don't act on your own and displease the prince..."

Yuan was stunned and stared at the imperial concubine blankly...

The tears fell even harder.

As she cried, her knees softened and she slowly knelt down.

"My aunt refuses to believe me, but she suspects that I am deliberately spreading rumors in order to win favor?"

Concubine Xiao bent down, helped the person up, and sighed softly.

"Silly child! There are so many eyes staring at us inside and outside the court. Evidence is needed for everything. Xue served the prince wholeheartedly. If there is no solid evidence, how can we convict her out of thin air?"

Yuan lowered her brows and thought for a moment, then stopped crying, a hint of hatred revealed in her eyes.

"Zhu'er has sent people to inquire about it. In addition to writing and painting, Xiao Xue likes to tinker with medicinal herbs in Tanqiu Courtyard. Every two days, she will secretly send a sachet to Muyue Residence. When the prince is there, Da Xue will put the sachet under the pillow. I wonder if this can be considered as evidence?"

Concubine Xiao's face looked slightly gloomy.

Yuan Qingzhu was afraid that she would not believe it, so he reminded her: "Aunt, I think the Xue sisters must have used some evil things to bewitch people, which is why the prince lingered all night. Apart from other things, I am afraid that they will harm the prince's body..."

Fighting for favor is a common thing. As a mother, Concubine Xiao rarely interferes with the jealousy in her son's harem...

But if anyone dares to harm her son, she will not sit idly by.

"It seems that I really flatter her."

Concubine Xiao raised her eyelids and looked at Yuan Qingzhu indifferently.

"There are so many ways to discipline people, why do you have to dirty your hands?"

Two in one, this chapter is very long~

(During the Spring Festival, there are too many things to do. The update time may not be stable. I hope sisters have a happy New Year, spend time with their families happily, and read books when they have time~~Xiaxiang!)