Chapter 10 Hate her?

Hate her?

Chi Li looked at Zhao Mingyue's moist eyes and smiled slightly. "How could I possibly hate Mingyue for something like this? What I really want to say is that Mingyue hates me, right?"

"No, I don't hate my mother!"

Zhao Mingyue hurriedly shook her head, looked up at Chi Li, her eyes gleaming with longing, and said briskly:

"I think my mother is amazing. She can shoot prey from a hundred steps away and even force enemies to retreat within a very short distance. I want to be like my mother!"

Chi Lan was stunned.

You must be kidding. She is an out-and-out bad person. How could a kind-hearted heroine like Zhao Mingyue really have a good impression of her?

Even though the two of them became closer because of hunting, Zhao Mingyue should have come to her senses after seeing her brutal behavior today.

Or was it because he was afraid of her cruel methods that he came up with such hypocritical words to please her?

Chi Qi narrowed her eyes slightly and stared at Zhao Mingyue's face, trying to see through her hypocritical performance.

But in those amber eyes, there was only sincerity.

Forget it, whether it is sincere or fake, she doesn’t care, as long as she can earn points from the heroine, it is enough.

"Zhao Mingyue, rely on me as much as you can. You will regret it sooner or later."

He whispered evilly in his heart, but a gentle smile appeared on his face.

"It seems I misunderstood Mingyue, but if you want to become more powerful, you still have a lot to learn." Chi Li stretched out her hand towards Zhao Mingyue, "Come up, before the sun comes out, I'll take you for a ride."

Looking at the hand stretched out in front of her, Zhao Mingyue was stunned at first, then she became happy. She held her hand, used the force to push off, and sat on the horse's back.

Before Zhao Mingyue could sit down firmly, Chi Qi galloped forward on her horse. Zhao Mingyue fell backward and her shoulder bumped into something warm.

Chun Ying Qiu Shi's worried shouts came from behind: "Princess, this is too dangerous!"

She sat up slightly, turned her head and replied, "Mother is a very good rider, she will be fine, you can go back to the carriage first."

After he said the last word, he had already ridden very far away, and it was unknown whether the other two heard it.

The cool morning breeze blew towards her, and her hair and clothes fluttered behind her, rustling. Zhao Mingyue felt so happy that she no longer had the heart to think about those annoying things.

In the distance, a touch of orange light outlines the contours of the mountains, and the clouds are also dyed golden. The sun is about to rise.

Facing the morning glow, the team began to move forward slowly, with row of carriages passing by.

Zhao Mingyue turned her head and was about to talk to Chi Qi, when suddenly, a pair of vicious eyes caught her sight.

Her heart skipped a beat. It was Zhao Chun!

But when she wanted to take a closer look, the carriage had already passed by and the curtain was quickly lowered. Through the gap, she could only see a vague figure.

Why did Zhao Chun look at her with such a terrifying look? Because she didn't stop Chi Yu from punishing Li Xianyou?

When Zhao Mingyue thought about Zhao Chun hating her for this kind of thing, her heart ached and her hands and feet started to feel cold.

An elder sister is like a mother.

Over the years, she followed her mother's wishes and took care of him meticulously, but he never cared about her once!

Why, why do you hate me?

It was obviously you who killed my mother, and it was you who blinded Li Xianyou!

If you really wanted to save Li Xianyou, why did you hide in the carriage just now?

Cowardly, selfish, coward!

Such a person... Such a person... Will definitely take revenge on me...

Zhao Mingyue grabbed Chi Lu's hand and the reins, holding it tightly as if she was grabbing a life-saving straw.

"Mother, can you please not let Zhao Chun become emperor?"

————

The Prime Minister's Mansion in the Capital.

"The emperor had the eunuch strangle him to death?"

After reading the secret letter that Li Xianyou sent back urgently, Li Mian's hand trembled and the letter fell to the ground.

The emperor fell seriously ill in early spring and was bedridden for several months. Later, when he saw that he was getting better, he arranged to go to the Nanyang Palace to escape the summer heat.

Li Mian stayed in the capital and was responsible for handling all court affairs.

He originally thought that Nanyang had a mild climate and was suitable for recuperation, so the emperor would not die so soon.

Even if something happened, he was ready to support the prince to ascend to the throne.

The king was young and the court was full of his people, so at that time he was the real regent.

The only obstacle is that woman Chi Zhenyi.

However, she is not the prince's biological mother and does not hold much real power, so there is nothing to be afraid of.

But he never expected that the emperor would be suddenly murdered by a eunuch. This matter would never be that simple.

"Dad, what's written in the letter?" Li Xiaoci picked up the letter and read it at a glance, his brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

The father and son served in the same court, Li Mian was the prime minister, and Li Xiaoci was the minister of revenue, both of them were extremely powerful.

While Li Xiaoci was reading the letter, Li Mian's expression had returned to normal. He picked up the teacup and took a sip. "What do you think?"

"The emperor died too suddenly. Even if he was really killed by the eunuchs, I'm afraid there is someone else behind them!" Li Xiaoci said with a serious face.

Li Mian nodded. "That's right. Contact the people in Nanyang immediately and have them investigate this matter secretly. I suspect this is most likely the work of Queen Chi."

Li Xiaoci was very surprised, "This, this is impossible."

Li Mian glanced at him and said slowly, "Think about it, who benefits the most if the emperor dies? You have to know that the crown prince is young and can't handle the affairs of state. Once he ascends the throne, Queen Chi will be the true empress dowager. She will definitely compete with us for power."

Li Xiaoci frowned worriedly, "If that's the case, what should we do?"

Li Mian put down his teacup slowly and said, "Why are you panicking? Don't we still have Xian'er? With him whispering in the Crown Prince's ear, the Crown Prince won't listen to Queen Chi's orders."

When Li Xiaoci heard him talk about his eldest son Li Xianyou, he remembered that he had long ago caused the prince and Queen Chi to become estranged.

As long as they can hold on to the prince, there is no way they will lose to Queen Chi.

Thinking of this, he relaxed, "Dad is right, the prince has always trusted Xianyou, as long as he is around, the prince will always be on our side."

Li Mian hummed a sigh of relief and continued, "According to the date, they should arrive in the capital in a few days. Xiaoci, tomorrow, you will send someone to inform all officials of the emperor's death. We should also prepare to welcome the new emperor."

He spoke in a very calm tone, looking calm and composed, as if everything was within his plan.

Li Xiaoci was stunned for a moment. What good would it be to do this?

After thinking about it, I realized that my father wanted to catch Queen Chi off guard. She wanted to sneak into the city without telling the emperor about his death, but they refused to give her this opportunity.

As long as they support the crown prince to ascend the throne and rule the country, no matter what plans Queen Chi has later, they will all be useless.

Li Xiaoci smiled and agreed, "Okay, I'll have someone do it tomorrow morning."

He turned to leave, but Li Mian stopped him again, "Wait, have you visited Ji Ying at the prison?"

When he heard this name, Li Xiaoci's face immediately changed and he looked unnatural.

————

As dusk fell, the marching troops stopped and camped to rest.

In the tent, Chi Li had just finished washing up and sat down on the couch when she heard a clear voice outside:

"Go tell him, I have to have dinner with my mother, so I won't be going over."

Danying walked in, holding a cypress box and drawing aside the curtain. "Master, Princess Mingyue is here."

Chi Yan knocked on the table. "Let her in. What are you holding in your hand?"

Danying placed the box on the table and said, "Master, this is plum wine."

When you open the lid, you will see crystal clear ice cubes inside, with cold plum wine in the middle, the water is bright red and translucent.

Chi Qi looked at it and couldn't help but raise her eyebrows. Even the road was carrying ice. Being a queen must be a real pleasure.

Danying turned around and asked Zhao Mingyue to come in.

Zhao Mingyue walked in, her face flushed and sweat on her forehead. It was obvious that even though the sun had set, the heat outside had not dissipated much.

Chi Li asked her, "Who called you over, Zhao Chun?"

Zhao Mingyue nodded and said, "He will definitely get angry at me because of Li Xianyou's incident. I don't want to see him." She said in a complaining tone.

As she spoke, she walked to the table, took out a cushion and put it down. She whispered a thank you and knelt down.

Chi Li glanced at her and said, "Zhao Chun is twelve years old, right? She's not young anymore."

He didn't dare confront her, the culprit, but instead vented his anger on his sister? He was quite good at bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

Strangely, in the novel, the brother and sister seem to have a good relationship. On the day Zhao Mingyue married Xiqi, Zhao Chun burst into tears and rode his horse to see her off for dozens of miles before turning back.

Therefore, when Chi Qie was riding in the morning, she was quite surprised to hear what Zhao Mingyue said.

——Mother, can you please not let Zhao Chun become the emperor?

She asked, “Why?”

Zhao Mingyue fell silent and said nothing.

At this moment, Zhao Mingyue did not respond to her, but pressed the edge of the table with both hands, stretched his neck and sniffed above the refrigerator.

"What a fragrant wine, mother. Can I have a sip first?" She said in a cheerful tone, turned around and blinked at Chi Lan.

Chi Qi was stunned at first, then looked away with some depression. Was this child a little too relaxed in front of her?

Doesn't this make her seem like a failure as a wicked stepmother?

Dan Ying looked at Chi Lun's expression and chuckled. Then he scooped a glass of wine and handed it to Zhao Mingyue. "Princess, just taste it. This wine is too cold. Drinking too much will harm your health."

Then he scooped another cup and placed it in front of Chi Lan.

The red wine was shaking gently in the almost transparent crystal glass, which made Chi Lan slightly stunned.

It is said that as early as the Warring States Period, Western glassmaking technology was introduced to the Central Plains, and many bronze artifacts unearthed thousands of years ago are as exquisite as those of today's bronze artifacts.

However, rather than admitting that this was the work of a brilliant matriarchal civilization, people would rather believe that it was done by aliens.

There are so many idiots in the world that they can never be killed. Chi Qi smiled contemptuously and pushed the cup forward.

She doesn't like drinking. Rather than drowning her sorrows in alcohol, she prefers to stay sober, even if this sobriety makes her feel painful.

"Send this glass of wine to Wu Shishu. And who was the person who stood up to denounce Li Xianyou this morning? Give him a glass too."

Danying replied, "My master is talking about the Imperial Counselor Song Guangyi." He took the wine cup on the tray and turned to leave the tent.

Zhao Mingyue was a little angry and puzzled, "Why did Mother give him wine? He clearly just talked a little and did nothing else."

Chi Li glanced at her and said nonchalantly, "It's just a glass of wine. They want to use me to climb the ladder, so of course I have to give them some thanks. As for who is using whom, it depends on their own abilities."

Just as Zhao Mingyue was about to say something, there was a noise at the door; the food had arrived. The dishes were placed on the table one by one. Although it was inconvenient to cook on the road, the dishes were still well-cooked and tasty.

After dinner, Zhao Mingyue lay down on Chi Lu's bed and refused to get up.

She drank too much, her cheeks were red, and she looked a little tipsy. She hugged the thin blanket tightly with both hands and muttered:

"Zhao Chun must be waiting in my tent. I don't want to go back."

Chi Yan laughed a little, "Zhao Chun is not a transformed tiger. You are his sister, why should you be afraid of him?"

Zhao Mingyue turned over on the couch and looked up at Chi Lu, her dark eyes dull and lifeless.

"But, mother, he's the crown prince and will soon be emperor. Of course I'm afraid. He once said that when he became emperor, he would marry me to a groom."

Chi Lan put away her smile.