Chapter 32 Conversation

"You buried Liu Ruiyun alive!" Ling Qiong stretched out her hand and strangled Wang Liu's neck tightly.

Wang Liu was shocked. He had just thought about it in his mind. How did this person know?

Did he accidentally say what was in his heart?

However, before he could think more, Ling Qiong pinched him so hard that his eyes turned black and he could no longer think.

He had already suffered the punishment of combing and washing, which took away half of his life. Then, Ling Qiong pinched him, and he immediately exhaled less and inhaled more, and his eyeballs rolled up.

The desire to survive made him twist his head and struggle desperately, begging for help.

Sun Jianqiu, who was in charge of taking notes, saw that Ling Qiong was about to strangle the man to death, so he hurriedly threw down his pen and paper and pulled her away.

"This is an important witness, he can't die yet!"

Ling Qiong came to her senses after being yelled at by her and calmed down. She looked at Wang Liu again and saw that his head was hanging limply on the stool. It was obvious that he had fainted.

Her face turned pale immediately. If she ruined the Queen Mother's plan because of this, she would be blamed for it.

Ling Qiong looked at Chi Yan hurriedly, "I just heard him say that when he buried Liu Ruiyun, she was still alive!"

Sun Jianqiu looked down at the records in his hand, confused. Did Wang Liu say this?

Chi Li knew, of course, that this was her mind-reading ability at work. She remained noncommittal and said calmly, "I'm afraid this man won't survive. Have someone make him a bowl of ginseng soup every day and keep him alive while I still have use for him. Lingqiong, come with me."

After saying that, she stood up and left the room, and Danying followed her silently.

Ling Qiong secretly clenched her fists, then released them, calmed herself down, and then raised her feet to follow.

Sun Jianqiu stayed behind to clean up the mess. She untied the ropes that bound Wang Liu and called in two officers to carry him back. She repeatedly urged them to find a doctor to check on him and not let him die.

On the other side, Chi Luan walked out of the Yiluansi prison cell and sat down in the duty room, while Dan Ying was waiting at the door.

The bright summer sun slanted in through the south windows, illuminating the room and making it very warm.

The sound of guards training could be faintly heard from the training ground in the distance.

Chi Li suddenly thought of Zhao Mingyue. She was training under such strong sunlight, and she didn't know how long she could keep it up.

Before I could wrap my mind around this, Ling Qiong walked in.

Chi Li glanced at her and pointed to the chair in front of her. "Please sit down. I want to hear your opinion on Wang Liu's confession."

She said this gently, and Lingqiong felt less anxious. She bowed and walked over to sit down.

Lingqiong didn't understand the situation in the court, but she could see clearly that Queen Mother Chi wanted to deal with Prime Minister Li.

Judging from Li Mian's original intention to support Zhao Chun to his current behavior of secretly plotting to murder Wu Shishu, it can be said that he is pressing forward step by step.

If Queen Mother Chi fails to launch a powerful counterattack, they will only lose, and the Jinwu Guard, which was supported by Queen Mother Chi, will change hands again.

So where should they go?

When Ling Qiong thought of this ending, she felt a little stuffy in her chest, and at the same time, a more determined light shone in her eyes.

Prime Minister Li must be overthrown!

Anyone who tries to hinder them must die!

She raised her head and looked at Chi Lu with a serious expression, "I feel that what Wang Liu said alone is not enough to sentence Li Mian to death. Unless we can find solid evidence that Li Mian murdered a court official!"

Chi Li lowered her eyes, avoiding her gaze, and murmured softly, "Is this irrefutable evidence of murdering a court official?"

What a coincidence! There is one happening right now, and Song Guangyi's body is still lying in the lobby without a funeral.

But he was bitten to death by a poisonous snake, so we have to catch the person who released the snake.

Chi Li chuckled. "Don't worry about this. I've already assigned the Golden Crow Guards to take turns monitoring Prime Minister Li's residence day and night. As long as we catch Qian Ming, everything will be easy."

Ling Qiong was stunned for a moment, then said admiringly: "Master, you are wise!"

Sure enough, the master was much smarter and more far-sighted than her. Before Wang Liu confessed, he had already arranged people to monitor the Li Mansion.

Thinking of this, his eyes looking at Chi Luo were suddenly filled with admiration.

Chi Qi smiled slightly. Sometimes compliments just sound pleasant to the ears.

But she still couldn't forget the important things. She quickly suppressed her smile and coughed lightly, "There are two more things I need you to do for me."

Ling Qiong's expression became serious, and she stood up. "Master, please give me your orders. Even if it means my death, I will go!"

Chi Qi looked at her resolute eyes, was stunned for a moment, and immediately looked away. If she could read her thoughts, she would be shooting herself in the foot.

"Don't talk about being torn to pieces all the time. I won't let you take that risk." Chi Qi knocked on the table with her finger, her tone cold.

Ling Qiong lowered her head and obeyed obediently, but there was another voice in her heart, she wanted it!

Chi Li had no idea what she was thinking, so she continued, "First, send someone to invite the head of Baiyun Temple to the palace."

Lingqiong was a little surprised. Why would he invite a Taoist priest for no reason?

"Li Xiaoci asked the Taoist priest to perform a ritual to exorcise the evil spirit. He must have felt guilty. This matter should have nothing to do with the temple master, right?"

Chi Li shook her head. "A man like Li Xiaoci wouldn't feel guilty about killing someone. There must be other reasons."

Ling Qiong began to understand a little. Without knowing the whole story, she should not let go of any doubts.

Chi Luan continued, "Secondly, please visit the officials of the six ministries on my behalf and feel out their opinions. Our Yiluansi will need their support in the future, won't it?"

This matter was difficult to handle, and Lingqiong felt the pressure instantly.

She was not a person who was good at socializing, and if she dealt with those officials, she would probably offend them to death.

Seeing her hesitation, Chi Yan smiled and patted her shoulder, "Don't worry, you are mine now, they dare not do anything to you. Besides, your mission this time -"

She paused and waved to Lingqiong. Lingqiong leaned forward in confusion, and Chi Li whispered something in her ear.

Ling Qiong looked up at her in surprise and opened her mouth to say something, but Chi Li spoke first, "Okay, go quickly, I'll wait for your good news."

Ling Qiong had no choice but to lower her head and replied, "Yes!" Then she turned and left the duty room.

Chi Qi raised the corner of her mouth slightly. She believed that with the help of mind reading, Ling Qiong would definitely be able to ask some very interesting questions. It was really exciting.

————

Two days later, Xu Qingzi entered the palace, and Lingqiong had also visited officials from the six ministries.

Chi Luan stood leaning on the railing on the high building in front of the Yiluansi training ground. When she heard Dan Ying reporting to her on the progress of the plan implementation, she couldn't help but raise her eyebrows.

This plan was inspired by her conversation with Xue Qi a few days ago.

At that time, she asked Xue Qi what she wanted, and Xue Qi replied, "I want to write the history of women."

This is really a great answer. Shouldn’t we say that he is worthy of being the Siji who is in charge of teaching classics and history?

But this would make it difficult for her. This kind of thing is not something she can do!

Chi Yan pondered for a moment before speaking, "I know there's someone in this world who can make your empty talk come true."

Xue Qi raised his head suddenly, "Who is it?"

Answers that come too easily are not believed.

Chi Li smiled and said, "Help me solve a problem, and I will tell you who she is."

Xue Qi's expression changed. Obviously, she knew exactly what trouble Chi Lan was talking about. It meant that she would be drawn into the dangerous vortex of the previous dynasty.

But for someone like Xue Qi, there is never a way out, right?

Chi Lu turned and walked back to the desk. Xue Qi's slightly hoarse voice rang out from behind her, "Your Majesty, I am willing to share your worries."

A smile spread across Chi Lu's lips. She sat back on the throne, resting one hand on the table, and asked slowly, "Then, Xue Qi, tell me, how can we get rid of those disobedient officials?"

Xue Qi lowered his eyes and answered without hesitation: "If there is any fault, punish him according to the law. If there is no fault, assassinate him with poison. If there is an enemy, kill him with a borrowed knife. In this way, Your Majesty can rest assured."

"What if I want to kill him openly and in front of everyone in the world?"

"No need to make any claims, that's enough."

Suddenly, there was a soft sound beside her ears, waking Chi Lan who was immersed in her memories.

She looked up and saw a bird flying onto the railing, chirping once, and then flying away.

What an interesting guy.

Chi Qi chuckled, raised her hand and lightly pressed the railing, her eyes sweeping over the guards training on the training ground.

After a short pause, we crossed the layers of palace walls and continued to look further into the distance.

That direction should be the prison. I wonder if she has successfully carried out her plan while in prison now.

After all, tonight is the time we agreed to take action.

Thinking of this, Chi Yan ordered Dan Ying who was standing beside her, "Call Liu Shen'ai and Zhao Mingyue up to me. I have something extremely important that I want them to do."

"Yes." Danying agreed and walked out.

Chi Qi continued to look into the distance. The sunlight fell on the side of her face, and the bright light outlined a sharp shadow on the side of her nose.

She smiled, but her eyes were cold.

————

At the same time, Xue Qi, who was imprisoned in the prison, was also recalling his conversation with Chi Lan.

"No need to make any claims, that's enough."

After she finished speaking, the unpredictable Queen Mother Chi laughed unexpectedly, "Xue Qi, you want me to be a tyrant."

"Xue Qi doesn't dare." Xue Qi denied.

She never forces others, nor can she force others. All she can do is give her own opinions and let the other party make a choice.

However, the other party always chooses the path she has preset.

Without exception.

This time, Queen Mother Chi saw through her and said, "Oh, I think you are very daring. However, I need someone as bold as you."

After she finished speaking, she started flipping through the documents on the desk, making a rustling noise that lasted for a long time before stopping.

"This records the sixty-four female prisoners who will be executed this autumn. They are currently being held in the prison. Take a look." Empress Dowager Chi handed over a file.

Xue Qi took it and scanned it from left to right, and found that the information was very detailed, with the name, hometown and the crime committed recorded one by one.

She quickly read through it and found that most of the charges were murdering husbands, disrespecting parents-in-law, and embezzling family property.

One of them was named Lin Sanniang. She killed her first husband and it was not discovered. She then married a second husband. However, she accidentally let the secret slip and was reported by her second husband and put in jail.

Xue Qi sighed softly. While he felt sympathy for her, he was also torn between whether to call her stupid or smart.

If she were stupid, she would not be able to escape the suspicion of murdering her husband, but if she were smart, she should not let the secret slip in front of others.

She looked up at Chi Li and said, "I heard that Your Majesty and the court officials had a big argument over pardoning them. Your Majesty is showing this to me. Do you want me to find a way to resolve this matter?"

Chi Li smiled slightly, "Yes, I want you to go to the prison and incite them to escape."

Xue Qi's pupils trembled. What did she hear? !

It took her a while to figure out what Empress Dowager Chi was planning. She wanted to break into the prison and wanted her to help from inside and outside.

Compared to her letting Empress Dowager Chi rebel on her own, this act of robbing herself from prison seemed a bit insignificant.

So she quickly calmed down, discussed it with Queen Mother Chi, and agreed.

Afterwards, she was sent to the prison by Empress Dowager Chi on the charge of "spreading evil words to confuse the people".

Because of her status as a female official, the jailer did not conduct a thorough body search on her and gave her a separate cell.

Xue Qi looked up at the oil lamp on the wall and estimated the time in his mind. It was still early.

The night watchmen would patrol the cells every half hour. At midnight, when they were sleepy, the intervals would be longer.

That is the best time to act.

Xue Qi reached into his sleeve and touched the short wooden stick tied to his arm, feeling a little relieved.

————

On the other side, at the Ministry of Justice, Zhu Fangfang called his subordinate Wu Liang.

"Go do something for me. There's a female prisoner named Li Jiying. Let her die tonight. There's no need to notify her family. Send her directly to a mass grave."

Wu Liang was used to doing this, so he agreed immediately and turned away.

Zhu Fangfang quickly stopped him, "Wait until three o'clock before you do anything! I'll have the night watchman transferred away, so don't make a big fuss."

"Yes." Wu Liang agreed, bowed and walked out.