Chapter 8: The taste is slightly sweet, not difficult to drink

"No, no, no, stay alive, Yun Yao, you have to stay alive..." Yun Sheng was so scared that he waved his hands repeatedly, thinking that Zhao Changning was really cold-blooded and heartless. After all, Yun Yao had been serving in front of the emperor for some days, but he actually said such words at this time. He had no humanity at all. No wonder he could kill one after another.

"Yun Yao, there is hope only if you survive..."

No one paid any attention to him.

Zhao Changning said calmly, "Yun Yao, I only have one kind of poison on hand. It's very painful, but it will kill you in less than a cup of tea. Are you willing to use it?"

The quilt covering Yun Yao's body shook more and more violently, and there was a faint sound of teeth knocking against each other. After a long time, she said in a trembling voice, "I do. Thank you, auntie, for your blessing."

Yunsheng wanted to persuade her, but when Yunyao lifted the quilt, revealing a face without a nose and bare wrists, he froze in place.

He remembered what Nanny Qian said, that there was no one left at Yun Yao's house.

Zhao Changning's eyes remained calm, as if he couldn't see Yun Yao's miserable condition. He carefully helped her to stand up. The strong smell of blood at the tip of her nose made her feel a little nauseous.

"Don't worry, people who have tried it say it's slightly sweet and not hard to drink."

Yun Yao's eyes were filled with tears, and a hint of relief appeared on her ferocious face. "This is the first time I've ever drunk sweet medicine."

The little palace maid who went shopping came back and saw Yun Yao standing up. She went forward to help her with red and swollen eyes.

"Why are you up? Lie down and take care of yourself. You lost a lot of blood, so you need to replenish your energy and blood..." The little palace maid muttered, "Auntie gave you a large ingot of silver as a reward, and I bought you a lot of things, including red date and poria cocos cake. Haven't you been saying you want to eat it recently?"

Yun Yao's whole body was shaking. The severe pain made it impossible for her to sleep or concentrate. She forced herself to smile at her sisters.

"I won't lie down anymore. I won't lie down anymore. It's too dark in the room. I want to go out to eat."

Zhao Changning watched Yun Yao bend over the table in pain, biting off a whole piece of red date and poria cocos cake. Several crystal tears fell on the dry lotus leaf that was used as a padding for the cake. She turned her head with difficulty, took out two silver ingots from her bosom, and handed them to the little palace maid beside her.

"Please arrange the rest of the matter."

The little palace maid looked at the silver in her hand, very puzzled, and refused repeatedly, "Aunt, we can't take your money anymore. I used the silver you gave me to buy a lot of things and get some medicine. I haven't spent it all..."

Zhao Changning stuffed the silver into her arms, said nothing more, and turned away indifferently.

Yun Sheng looked at Yun Yao hesitantly, his eyes evasive as he said to the little palace maid, "Take it. It will be useful."

He took a few quick steps to catch up with Zhao Changning, and looked at his thin back, feeling complicated.

"Go see Yun Pei." Zhao Changning kept walking. "Remember, keep your mouth shut."

Without waiting for Yunsheng to respond, she turned around and went back, still being the cold and ruthless Zhao Changning.

The sun is rising, it is noon, and the emperor should be having a family dinner with the prince and princess.

When Zhao Changning returned to his residence, Hu Gouer was indeed waiting for him.

When the two men met, they were both silent, but their eyes were cold and the fighting continued. Both sides understood at this moment that they were in a dilemma and there was no possibility of peace.

Once the fight begins, whoever takes a step back is the loser.

Zhao Changning was actually a little confused. She and Hu Gou'er had kept to themselves for many years, and there was a clear boundary and tacit understanding between them. But how could it have come to this in such a short time?

She always felt that there was a hand behind her pushing her forward, but she couldn't see it clearly yet.

Hu Gou'er looked at the two corpses lying in the room with a forced smile, "Auntie, you're so brave. You just leave them there. Aren't you afraid of ghosts knocking on the door in the middle of the night?"

Zhao Changning looked calm and just looked at him indifferently.

"Eunuch Hu has great magical powers. It's easy for me to kill two people. However, the bodies cannot be left lying around. Eunuch Hu must deal with them as soon as possible."

Hu Gou'er saw that she still looked indifferent, as if nothing had happened to her, and he couldn't help but grit his teeth. If Zhao Changning had died today, things would have been easier, but now that Zhao Changning had caught him in the act, he knew he was in the wrong.

He thought about how the old emperor was increasingly favoring Zhao Changning, so he could only endure it. "What does my aunt want me to do?"

Zhao Changning turned his head to look at the couch. Xiaowei was lying there quietly, as if she was asleep.

"Find a good grave for Xiaowei, bury her in a fine coffin, and have your children and grandchildren kowtow and burn incense there during the four seasons. If you fail even once, I won't let you go."

Hu Gou'er was very patient and could even smile when he heard these words.

"Don't worry, auntie, I will definitely complete this mission."

Both sides were filled with hatred in their hearts, but they did not show any hatred on their faces. They maintained their previous stability and handled the matter calmly, as if they were dealing with the flowers and plants in the yard.

Xiao Shun watched Xiao Wei's body disappear into the distance with tears in his eyes. "Aunt, are you just going to let him go like this?"

Xiao Zhi was also indignant, "Auntie, just give him a bowl of poisonous soup and kill him."

Xiao Bian nodded vigorously.

Zhao Changning calmly shook his head, "Before killing someone, you have to save your own life first. He is the seal holder, and if he dies, someone will definitely investigate."

Everyone feels bad, but life has to go on.

Xiao Shun counted on his fingers and reported to Zhao Changning, "Aunt, the price of coal has gone up now, so I didn't dare to buy too much. I bought some taro, meat, eggs and other things that can be stored. We can eat for a few days."

Zhao Changning nodded. "Don't worry about the price. We are not short of money. Safety is the most important thing."

She continued to instruct carefully, "Didn't you say that a small stove is hard to cook on? Just get some yellow mud to build a stove. Don't eat out for the time being. Buy more flour and eggs. They're easier to cook and more delicious. Also, you must bring the food back personally. No outsiders are allowed to touch it."

Xiao Shun watched his aunt think for a long time before going into the house, muttering, "Aunt is really sad."

Xiao Zhi nodded, a look of sadness on his face. "Auntie always gives such detailed instructions after something happens. This time it's all my fault. I wasn't on guard. Otherwise, Sister Xiaowei wouldn't have gotten into trouble..."

…

Upon learning that the emperor and the crown prince had finished their meal and were going to the Qinzheng Hall to discuss matters with the ministers, Zhao Changning packed up and hurried over to serve them.

In fact, she didn't go there every day at this time, but now, she had to go by herself.

As expected, Hu Gou'er was there too. When the two met, they naturally looked at each other unpleasantly.

Zhao Changning helped the emperor into the room, and then the prince and several cabinet officials followed in one after another.

She helped the emperor sit down, took a thin blanket and carefully wrapped the emperor's legs, picked up the hand warmer and handed it to the white-haired prince, and added charcoal to the copper stove in the middle, then prepared to leave as usual.

The emperor stopped her and said with an uncomfortable look on his face, "I have a headache. Please massage me."

Does this mean she should stay?

Zhao Changning lowered her head obediently, and felt Hu Gou'er's gaze piercing her like a needle. She only sneered in her heart and did not respond.

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince quickly stood up and asked with concern, "Is your father feeling unwell? Have you consulted the imperial physician? I've also been feeling dizzy and having headaches lately. It seems that father and son are truly connected."

The emperor looked at the prince with a loving look in his eyes and sighed, "It's your little grandson who is unlucky. Don't be too sad."

Zhao Changning saw the prince wiping his tears, his gray hair shining silver in the sunlight. When the emperor waved his hand gently, she hurried downstairs.

"Your Highness, please don't despise me, my servant's craftsmanship is not very good."

After the prince sat down again, she raised her hand and gently massaged him.

Although she had not been qualified to stay here to listen to government affairs before, she had dealt with many of the gentlemen and could clearly feel the difference in the atmosphere. Her expression was not very good before she even spoke.

As expected, the emperor spoke up. "Tell me what you all can tell me. Zhejiang is in trouble with the Japanese and is in turmoil this time. How did Mingxuan do this? This is a big deal."

Prime Minister Gao Yun immediately stood up and said, "Your Majesty, for the sake of the people, the court should send troops as soon as possible to suppress the internal thieves and drive out the Japanese pirates. This is the best policy."

The other three also quickly stood up and agreed. Everyone had a unanimous opinion, which was to solve the problem first and settle the score later.

But Hu Gou'er was different. He stood up and said sinisterly, "Your Majesty, Zhejiang has been plagued by Japanese pirates for many years, and everyone in the court and the country knows it. Lord Ming was the governor of Zhejiang, but not only did he not eliminate the Japanese invasion, he also created a rebellion. This is enough to prove that he is incompetent..."

Gao Yun's face turned pale. "Eunuch Hu, Lord Ming has been in Zhejiang for eight years. He has done his job diligently and conscientiously, without making any mistakes. He has only been promoted to Governor for a year, and many things have just been handed over to him. How can this prove that he is incompetent?"

Hu Gou'er had a well-reasoned argument and even took out a booklet from the Imperial Household Department.

"Mr. Ming has been promoted to Governor for one year, and in just one year, the Textile Bureau has lost nearly five million taels of silver. Is this what you call never making mistakes? Is this what you call doing your best?"

He fell to his knees and cried to the emperor, "Your Majesty, the Hangzhou Weaving Bureau sent back a memorial a few days ago. You were silent for a long time after reading it. I know you are heartbroken. You think so highly of Master Ming, but he is secretly repairing the plank road to Chencang. Who knows, the traitor this time is him..."

"Eunuch Hu." A loud shout stopped him from saying anything else. Anger crossed Gao Yun's aged face. "What is the penalty for slandering a high-ranking official? You better be careful with your words."

After he roared this, he seemed extremely tired. He took two steps back tremblingly and almost collapsed to the ground.

Fortunately, Sun Zhidao supported him and he did not make a fool of himself.

Sun Zhidao was naturally no pushover. He pointed at Hu Gou'er and angrily said, "There are traces of rebellion in Zhejiang. The Weaving Bureau is rampant in Zhejiang, exploiting the people. There's already drought, and they're using the pretext of buying raw silk at high prices to defraud the people of their land. They're desperately trying to drive down prices, causing the people to lose their land and live in poverty. My Lord Ming has submitted a memorial to accuse you of lawlessness, and you're secretly retaliating..."

"Lord Sun, you can't speak without proof." Hu Gou'er gritted his teeth, his eyes flashed, and he immediately changed the subject, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."

The emperor's cloudy eyes were still closed.

"Your Excellency's mother died but the funeral was not announced. According to the laws of Dayong, the person who concealed the body must be exiled a thousand miles away." Hu Gou'er kowtowed respectfully, but the words out of his mouth were like thunder, shocking the adults.

Zhao Changning was also shocked, and her eyes dimmed slightly when she looked at Hu Gouer.

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