Chapter 98: Mediation is unsheathed, kill him.

I wish you could not breathe.

In a trance, there seemed to be a subtle sound of the neck bones being unable to bear the weight.

She is not familiar with politics, nor is she good at scheming, and is even more confused about the treacherous court situation. However, she still has many unfinished things on her mind, so how can she just give up?

Jiang Zhi clamped her throat and threw her onto the cold brick surface. Pain and chills ran up Zhu Hao's back. She embedded her hands in the gaps between Jiang Zhi's fingers, trying to fight for a breath of life.

She didn't quite understand what had suddenly irritated Jiang Zhi. What had he just said that had touched his sore spot? Or what had transpired that had violated his taboo?

Her mind was almost broken, and she tried hard to guess with the last bit of clarity she had.

Are they Princess Suiping and Prince Ling?

……wrong.

Although the two people were mentioned, what did her life or death have to do with them?

If she died...if she died, Song Xieqing would probably be the only one who cared.

The reason why Jiang Zhi summoned her into the palace today was not because of Song Xieqing, but for no other reason.

The tangled threads in my mind gradually became clearer and more distinct.

But she couldn't break free.

Her body was already soaked with sweat, which flowed down her forehead into her eyes, stinging her painfully.

Zhu Hao stopped struggling, his hands and feet drooping like a puppet with its strings cut.

Pausing for a moment, she held her breath, gathered her strength, straightened her legs, and planned to kick Jiang Zhizheng.

But at the critical moment, he stopped.

...She is going to die.

The air outside cannot come in, and the air inside cannot go out.

She felt so depressed that her head was buzzing, as if someone was hitting her skull with a hammer.

This kick might buy her a moment's respite, but what would happen after that? The Flying Dragon Guards' swords and spears would be pressed against her neck immediately, and she would still be unable to escape.

Almost at the moment the thought flashed through his mind, Zhu Hao's whole body convulsed and he coughed violently.

Jiang Zhi let go and retreated several steps quickly.

Immediately, a palace maid came forward holding a scented handkerchief, and another palace maid hurriedly brought clean water from outside the hall to wash Jiang Zhi's hands.

Jiang Zhi's face was gloomy, and he looked down at the woman who was lying flat on the ground with her arms and legs spread out and breathing heavily.

I wish you win the gamble.

She remembered the man who had clamped her jaw just now, but he quickly let go because of a tear that was about to fall.

Zhu Hao couldn't help laughing out loud. She didn't understand what she was laughing at or why she was laughing. She probably just laughed because she could still laugh.

She tilted her neck slightly and saw that the dog emperor was still scrubbing the back of his hand stained with her saliva. His brows were full of disgust, as if he had bumped into something dirty.

"Kill me, and what will Your Majesty gain?" Zhu Hao was still panting, her throat ripping with pain as she spoke. But she couldn't keep her mouth shut and wait for death. While she could still speak, she continued, "Kill me, and Your Majesty will only get a useless corpse."

"Bang—"

Jiang Zhi flipped the golden basin for washing hands to the ground, and Zhu Hao had no way to avoid it, as most of it was splashed with water.

The black-patterned boots crushed Zhu Hao's five fingers. Jiang Zhi leaned over and sarcastically said, "What can I gain from you being alive?"

Zhu Hao said nothing, his body curled up, his teeth chattering.

Jiang Zhimian moved her foot away in dissatisfaction, and looked down upon her in her heart. She couldn't even bear such a little pain. The teacher really treated her like a delicate flower.

Zhu Hao lowered her brows and said, "I serve the Imperial Tutor at his side. Your Majesty, no matter what you tell me to whisper in your ear, I will do it. Countless powerful people have sent beauties to your residence, but have you ever been close to them? If I die here today, and Your Majesty becomes interested in you in the future, and then takes the trouble to cultivate new people and plant spies in Lord Song's residence, only to give up on me, a ready-made chess piece, wouldn't that be a waste of time?"

The woman's eyes filled with tears as she clutched the fingers that had been crushed by the boot sole. "Besides... will Song Lang definitely be close to the person His Majesty sends?"

"You are quite eloquent right now... but I have no need to test you, Teacher." Jiang Zhi sneered, "You are ultimately a useless person."

"Your Majesty, this is wrong..." Zhu Hao tried to stand up, but she was too exhausted to fall back to the ground. "As the saying goes, prepare for a rainy day. I am willing to be a sword hanging by the Imperial Tutor's pillow. If Your Majesty wishes, I can draw my sword at any time and stab Song Lang..."

Jiang Zhi's eyes flickered, and he chuckled softly. He leaned forward again, and lifted Zhu Hao's pale chin with his fingertips. "Since you are the one dearest to our teacher, how could you betray him so easily?"

"Your Majesty... I only seek a way out..." The exhausted woman on the ground shed tears and sobbed, "The reason I followed the Imperial Tutor was just to save my life. Now I understand that Song Lang can't protect me. Life and death in this world is just a matter of words from the nobles..."

She looked at Jiang Zhi with tears in her eyes and said obediently, "In Daying, in the magnificent Ying Palace, His Majesty can decide my life or death with just a flick of his finger..."

"Therefore, I am willing to serve Your Majesty in order to save my own life."

Jiang Zhi was in a trance for a moment, and an old scar was torn open for the countless times, bleeding. When he was in Qingdi, his life was like a grass, and he was tortured by the people of Qingdi. His life and death was just a word from the princes and dignitaries.

Once he returned to Ying, those people seemed to treat him with respect and obedience, but in fact... it was just because of the power of others. He had to face countless difficulties to see the light of day again, but could only live under the shadow of others.

Who is he today?

He forced himself to rebandage the repeatedly torn wound, waiting for it to scab over and heal. Then, his eyes pierced Zhu Hao, "What makes you think that the teacher will enter the palace for you? This is tantamount to snatching someone from my hands..."

The next moment, someone outside the palace reported, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Tutor wishes to see you."

Zhu Hao and Jiang Zhi both smiled. Jiang Zhi supported himself on his knees and slowly stood up, lowering his voice: "You want to live, right? Okay..."

He thought of the resignation letter Song Lang submitted yesterday, and the secret letter from Qingdi that he had not revealed to him.

Jiang Zhi's eyes grew even colder, "Then, draw your sword and kill the teacher."

He never gets tired of watching the drama of fratricide.

…

Just as Song Xieqing was about to force his way in, the palace door suddenly opened.

Zhu Hao stumbled out, his legs went weak, and he fell towards Song Xieqing like a butterfly with broken wings.

Behind Zhu Hao, who could not see him, the sights of people inside and outside the hall converged into one, like two swords colliding with each other, with their blades interlaced.

The palace door slowly closed, isolating the double murderous aura inside and outside.

The moment Song Xieqing saw her, his heart suddenly twisted and broke into pieces, but it was barely mended and stitched together the moment he touched her.

The person in front of him was soaked all over, and it was hard to tell whether it was sweat or tears. His knuckles trembled slightly. He held up Zhu Hao's swollen hand, blew on it, and leaned against her cheek.

Zhu Hao then realized that his hands were red and swollen. Perhaps it was because he was almost suffocated, the blood in his body was like ice, and his throat was about to break, so he ignored the bruises on his hands and just put on a show in front of the dog emperor, pretending to be in so much pain that his teeth were chattering and he couldn't speak.

Song Xieqing leaned over, ignoring the palace servants waiting outside the hall, and kissed her between the eyebrows. He said in a low voice, "Pianpian, let's get married."

Zhu Hao's eyelashes trembled slightly, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.

"Pianpian, I'll take you back to Huaicheng to meet my mother... my uncle, my brother, and walk you through the place where I grew up..." Song Xieqing held her in his arms, resting his head against her neck, and whispered, "Not a hundred years from now... just now, okay?"

According to historical records, he should have resigned from his post and returned to Huaicheng.

She said sullenly: "Hmm..."

Song Xieqing's heart tightened, "...What does 'hmm' mean?"

Zhu Hao nuzzled his neck and said, "A hundred years later, the Imperial Master will marry into the Zhu family..."

Song Xieqing smiled and said, "Okay, I'll marry into your family."

Faintly, her half-loose bun sank slightly. Zhu Hao reached out and touched a flower-shaped pearl hairpin.

The long jade steps of the palace were long. Song Xieqing carried her on his back, walking up and down the steps. The young lady wrapped her arms around his neck, her feet swaying lightly under her skirt. "Song Xieqing, do you know that a hundred years later, when you pinned the hairpin in my bun, you didn't tell me its meaning... You are such a taciturn person... I had no idea that Mr. Song, as beautiful as the flower of the Snow Ridge, had long harbored feelings for me... I just thought it was a casual gift from you."

"Pian Pian." He called her softly, "Right now... I have admired you for more than a hundred years, and I have also worn your hairpin for more than a hundred years."

Zhu Hao pinched his red earlobe and said with a smile: "You and I will be married a hundred years ago."

…

Jiang Linsu likes tofu. No matter whether it is fried, pan-fried, or stewed until soft, she likes all dishes with tofu.

When she was a child, her father once asked her with a smile what her ambitions were.

Jiang Lin raised his little face, revealing a pair of dark grape eyes. The beauty mole under his lip moved with it, "Ah Lin wants to be the crown prince!"

The emperor was silent for a long time, holding her in his arms and coaxing her again and again, explaining in a roundabout way why she could not be named the crown prince. Jiang Lin was still young at that time and it was difficult for him to fully understand the court etiquette and the principles of the relationship between legitimate and illegitimate children. She just wondered, she got up early to go to school with her brothers, and the tutor also praised her intelligence, so why couldn't she be the crown prince?

"Although my A-Lin cannot be appointed as the Crown Prince, my brothers will protect him well..."

The little princess secretly thought to herself, having others protect her is not as impressive as protecting herself...

Since his father had already made a plan, Jiang Lin could only nod obediently and said, "Then...Ah Lin will open a tofu shop! It will be famous in Yingdu!"

Jiang Lin couldn't count how many times he had fallen into the old dream, but this time he was hastily awakened by the palace maid before the dream was over.

Jiang Zhi is here.

She changed her clothes, combed her hair, covered herself with a light gauze veil, and then walked out slowly.

As soon as you go out, the fresh aroma of various kinds of tofu hits your nose.

The palace maids accompanying Jiang Zhi bowed their heads and presented him with a dish of tofu. As soon as Jiang Zhi raised his chin, a eunuch stepped forward, opened a scroll, and announced his order aloud.

There was silence all around.

Your Majesty just arranged a marriage between the Imperial Princess and the Imperial Tutor yesterday, and today you are sending the Imperial Princess to the Kingdom of Qing to marry?

Jiang Lin raised his hands and gestured methodically - she didn't want to marry a foreign prince, nor did she want to marry Song Lang.

Jiang Zhiping dismissed his attendants, stroked his sister's hair, and almost jokingly explained the real reason for forcing her to marry.

What he had, he also had to have, so for this reason, he framed Jiang Ji, named him the crown prince, and ascended the throne.

A Lin is his sister, so naturally she is also his sister. Similarly, his woman should also be his woman... Jiang Ji already knows the whole story, so it would be best if he died. If he is still alive, then... he will have to die again, cleanly and completely.

Seeing Jiang Lin burst into tears for no reason after a moment of joy, Jiang Zhi said indifferently: "Ah Lin, if my elder brother were here, I would definitely protect him and bring him back to Ying..."

He never kept his promise, and what he returned was a person, or a dead body.

"...Why is A-Lin crying? He's A-Lin's brother, not me?" He paused, then sneered, "Alright, wipe your tears and stop crying...Aren't you a princess no matter who becomes the emperor? Born with everything provided for you, enjoying endless wealth and glory... So, why are you crying? When things are done, I'll take you home..."