Chapter 117 A Promise Must Be Broken
Seeing that Leng Qiao was unharmed, she stood up and said to Bi Shi'an:
"Grandpa, I run a funeral shop on South Street. It's called 'Life's Big Events.' If you have time in the future, you can come and visit me."
"You go ahead with your business now, we'll head back first."
Bi Shi'an squatted on the ground, fiddling with the medicine she had given him, sniffing it here and there. Formalin has a very pungent smell, and inhaling too much of it can cause poisoning.
Tao Tao couldn't help but remind him, "Don't smell too much, or you might get poisoned."
poisonous?
His eyes widened, and he looked up at her, stubbornly saying, "I already knew this was poisonous! I didn't need you to remind me."
She pursed her lips and helped Leng Qiao walk out.
The wheels creaked and groaned as the carriage swayed and rocked along the road.
"Shall we take you back to the Privy Council? You're so badly injured."
Upon hearing this, Leng Qiao's expression turned sour, and she remained silent.
Tao Tao didn't hear her reply, so she turned to look at her and asked in confusion, "What's wrong? This is a work injury, shouldn't you ask your master for some compensation?"
Compensation? Useless people will only be abandoned.
This time when she goes back, she won't appear in front of her again, and will become a nameless shadow once more. She had finally managed to climb up and have the name Leng Qiao.
She was unwilling to accept it, truly unwilling to accept it.
"What's wrong? Don't you want to go back?"
She looked at Leng Qiao and noticed the strangeness in her expression, with a hint of fear and resentment in her eyes.
"If you don't want to go back, then don't go back. Why don't you come to my place?"
Tao Tao couldn't help but wonder if Duan Gan had some kind of rule that if someone was injured, they would be abandoned?
Or will she face some kind of punishment? Otherwise, why would this usually aloof and cool girl be so scared...?
Leng Qiao glanced sideways, a strange emotion flickering in her eyes. "Thank you, Miss."
Night fell, and candlelight flickered.
The study of Dali Temple.
Qi Heng sat at his desk, writing furiously, when suddenly a tickling sensation arose in his throat. A violent cough forced him to stop writing, cover his mouth, and cough as if he were about to cough up his lungs.
Hearing this, Shen Lin, who was waiting outside, hurriedly pushed open the door and ran in, looking worried.
"Your Highness, are you alright? I will fetch a doctor right away."
"Wait! Don't go..."
He quickly waved his hand, tried to calm his breathing, and once he calmed down, he was fine.
"I'm fine, there's no need to see a doctor."
Shen Lin suddenly remembered the things sent from the palace during the day and hurriedly stepped forward to present them: "Your Highness, please take this quickly. It is a top-quality elixir sent from the palace."
"I heard that His Majesty's illness was cured by taking this, and he instantly became energetic and full of vitality."
Elixir?
Qi Heng frowned. "What kind of pill?"
"Who delivered this?"
He grabbed Shen Lin's hand and questioned him urgently.
Shen Lin was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly said, "It was sent by Chief Steward Gao from His Majesty's side."
"It is clear that His Majesty still cares about you."
Qi Heng sneered. A few days ago, he had heard that Duan Gan had recommended a Taoist master to his father, who had solved many problems for the Celestial Empire as soon as he arrived.
Not only can she share His Majesty's burdens, but she can also treat His Majesty's health in place of the imperial physicians.
What a coincidence! Penglai Island is so far away that it is only heard of but never encountered, and no one on the path has ever seen an immortal. Yet, Duan Gan managed to invite him here.
A severe drought struck Yinzhou, causing its people to be displaced. Fortunately, the Imperial Advisor appealed to Heaven, which sent down sweet rain, thus preventing the deaths of many more citizens of the Celestial Empire.
The floods in the southern border were caused by a sudden downpour that caused the Yellow River to surge uncontrollably, submerging all the towns near the river. No one in the imperial court could solve the problem.
As the crown prince, Qi Heng had a responsibility to propose a solution. After much deliberation, he suggested opening a new route to divert water into the Three Rivers, which would then flow into the sea.
But devising new routes takes time, and the floods cannot wait that long.
At this moment, the young Taoist priest standing beside the emperor, who was none other than the Imperial Preceptor known for his ageless beauty, spoke up about the idea of activating the Great Wall of Water.
The court officials were in an uproar, and the consensus was that using the Water Great Wall was indeed the only solution at present.
However, once the Great Wall at Water was put into use, it would mean unilaterally breaking the alliance with the Liao Dynasty, even though the alliance had changed over time and was teetering on the brink of collapse due to repeated provocations by the Khitan nomads on the border.
But this still exists on the surface, which is why they are unwilling to easily activate the Great Wall at Water.
While the dispute remained unresolved, some officials argued that the current dynasty was strong and capable, with great generals guarding the borders and Duan Gan, the Grand Councilor of the Privy Council, a man who once struck fear into the hearts of enemy nations.
Emperor Xianwu signed an alliance with the ambitious Liao Dynasty in order to preserve the foundation of the Celestial Empire.
Both great powers were severely weakened and needed to recuperate. Years later, the Liao Dynasty was always eyeing them covetously, trying to make a comeback. So why should the Celestial Dynasty care about this oath?
Moreover, the Liao and Turkic states suddenly announced a marriage alliance, revealing their true intentions, and it seems that their peaceful days are about to end.
"I don't need this kind of thing, throw it away!"
Qi Heng glanced at the sandalwood brocade box on the table with disgust.
Shen Lin took the brocade box and hesitated for a moment, "Your Highness, this was a gift from His Majesty..."
His brow furrowed, and his displeasure was evident on his face.
Although Shen Lin was puzzled by this, he still did as he was told.
"How is the Ding family?"
The Ding family?
"Is Your Highness referring to the Ding family, the Salt Commissioner of Suizhou?"
"Of course, didn't I tell you to properly settle the Ding family?"
Suddenly, Shen Lin knelt down with a thud, and said with a solemn expression, "Your Highness, the day His Majesty ordered the Ding family to be taken to the market to be sold, the guards were the Privy Council Guards."
"My subordinates could only have their identities concealed and secretly buy the people over, but unexpectedly, the guards found out..."
In the end, he hesitated and was reluctant to speak.
Qi Heng frowned, a sharp glint appearing in her gentle eyes: "And then what? Speak quickly."
"They were almost all slaughtered by the guards. They said that the criminals were fleeing and they had no choice but to kill them on the spot. Those people spoke in a high-sounding manner, but in reality, they probably killed them because they knew that someone was trying to save the Ding family."
"What?!"
Qi Heng was startled and unconsciously stood up to look at him.
A flicker of pain crossed his eyes, and a sense of desolation welled up within him.
He was indeed the beneficiary of the smuggling of official salt, but he was unaware of it beforehand. It was only because Qiu Yanling died suddenly that his mother had no choice but to inform him.
He had originally thought that his maternal uncle, Qiu Yanwen, would take over the matter, but the truth was exposed. By the time he understood the whole story, the Ministry of Justice was investigating the case, which his father, the Emperor, took very seriously.
This person was promoted by his second uncle, who had shown him great favor. In addition, he was indeed the biggest accomplice in this case.
The only option was to abandon Ding Yixu, and he had promised Ding Yixu to protect his family.
Ding Yixu then refrained from revealing his maternal clan.
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