When Shen Xu woke up, it was already evening.
Only then did he remember that the emperor, the empress dowager and Concubine Yu were still waiting in the side hall of the west hall of Xuanhe Palace. He quickly got up and asked Song Lin to accompany him to the side hall.
In the side hall, the Queen Mother paced back and forth anxiously, cursing, "This witch, this village girl, is so arrogant. She made me wait for so long. If you didn't know, you would think she was going to ascend the throne!
Pei Zhiyuan, that idiot, invited a wolf into the house when nothing happened. You treated him like a treasure, and you watched him plot against us mother and son."
The little emperor was also impatient, but he did not curse at anyone. Instead, he drank cup after cup of tea.
Even in the cool West Hall of Xuanhe Palace, his forehead was already covered with sweat. He wiped the sweat with a handkerchief, obviously getting very impatient.
Concubine Yu seemed very calm. She lowered her head and played with the ring accessories on her finger, and from time to time she glanced at the impatient mother and son with her charming eyes, as indifferent as snow.
She scoffed lightly and advised indifferently, "Mother, you should sit down and rest to save some energy.
I think that woman is very powerful. Even Pei Lang obeys her orders. We can't defeat her."
The Queen Mother's face darkened and she said fiercely, "Stop being so sarcastic, you bitch."
Concubine Yu spoke indifferently, "Mother, you've lost your backing, so please be quiet. This woman has no power in the palace, and she will suffer a great loss."
"Oh?" Shen Xu was held by Song Lin, and a cold voice sounded from the doorway, "Then, who is Concubine Yu's backer?"
Concubine Yu seemed startled by the sudden voice and her body twitched in shock, but she quickly recovered her indifferent look.
Her beautiful eyes moved to the door, and she quickly looked them both up and down. Without answering, she lowered her seductive gaze again and looked at her fingers.
Pei Zhiyuan followed behind Song Lin. He walked to the door hesitantly, looked at Concubine Yu with soft eyes, and his lips moved.
But he didn't know what to say for a moment, and after a while he called out Xinyu in a very low voice.
But Concubine Yu seemed not to hear it, and lowered her head to spin the ring on her hand.
The young emperor stood up and saw Pei Zhiyuan staring at Concubine Yu intently. His expression suddenly turned ugly. He said in a cold tone, "Pei Qing, come here, come to my side!"
Pei Zhiyuan frowned, standing at the doorway, a bit bewildered. After hearing the little emperor call out several times, he slowly moved to his side.
Shen Xu's beautiful cat eyes glanced at the reactions of several people, and finally set his gaze on Concubine Yu. She asked Song Lin to put her on the chair in the middle of the side hall and raised her injured leg.
He looked very arrogant.
Concubine Yu was not surprised at all. She sat calmly on the chair and did not move at all when she saw the three people come in.
The little emperor and the empress dowager were obviously very upset. They stood up and wanted to speak.
But Shen Xu interrupted first and said, "My uncle has a bad temper, but his archery skills are fast and accurate. Do you want to let him in?"
"How dare you! Stop your alarmist remarks here, you evil woman. I am the queen mother of Haoyue Kingdom. How dare you openly threaten the royal family?" The queen mother cursed out loud.
"My power spring crossbow is fast and accurate within seven steps. Your few secret guards can't stop it."
She ordered a cup of tea to be brought over, propping her head on her hand, and said lazily, "Empress Dowager, hasn't your lover already witnessed the power of that crossbow? Now even his head is in a box."
The Queen Mother's expression suddenly changed. She sat down heavily on the chair and stared at Shen Xu with resentment. Her momentum had already weakened a lot. "Stop talking nonsense and making trouble."
"Speaking of spreading rumors and causing trouble, I'm really curious, do you really not know what Dzi beads are?"
However, the three people had different expressions and their thoughts were all unfathomable.
Only Pei Zhiyuan was still staring at Concubine Yu, as if he had a thousand words to say to her but didn't know where to start.
The little emperor quickly asked, "Where is the Dzi bead?"
Shen Xu raised his lips and sneered, saying, "Don't worry, I want to clarify one thing first, about the riot in Rock City half a year ago."
The three of them sat in their chairs, each with their own thoughts and gloomy expressions. The little emperor said impatiently, "What are you trying to do?"
Shen Xu spoke quietly, "Half a year ago, the previous emperor passed away, the crown prince was killed, and Your Majesty ascended the throne. The Imperial Preceptor was favored and rose from a small retainer and alchemist to become the most powerful Imperial Preceptor in the world.
Less than two months later, the prince was killed and his relatives were driven out.
Master Hua took sole control of the power and ordered Pei Zhiyuan to kill the two ministers Lu and Yu. The surrendered general of Dongning was quickly promoted to the chief commander of the third battalion of the Imperial City Guard.
Afterwards, the imperial master started a massive construction project, opening mines, building dams, and erecting palaces for his own pleasure, and he also forcibly conscripted craftsmen, strong men, and beautiful girls."
The Queen Mother said unhappily, "These are all the work of the Imperial Master. They have nothing to do with us."
"Heh~" Shen Xu smiled coldly, then continued: "Of course it is related. I'm very curious. Everyone knows that the Imperial Master likes male favorites, so what did they do with that beautiful boy?"
She looked at Concubine Yu with burning eyes, her beautiful cat eyes full of inquiry.
Concubine Yu looked back at her and said calmly, "What do you want to say?"
"I said, the Imperial Master is an alchemist. He may be good at martial arts, but he is definitely not a master of poison."
Pei Zhiyuan and Song Lin were both stunned. They looked at Shen Xu and asked in confusion, "How did you know that?"
"His face was poisoned, and it crumbles when exposed to sunlight, so he has to apply thick powder and ointment."
Shen Xu stroked his brow, thinking and analyzing: "A master of poison was poisoned and disfigured. Is this reasonable?"
Concubine Yu retorted, "Why didn't he test the poison himself?"
"Everyone around him has a good face."
"What does that have to do with me?"
Shen Xu said slowly and calmly: "I have said before that the Imperial Master was poisoned. Although he was powerful and in charge of the three battalions of the Imperial City Guard, he was bound by others.
The purpose of the person who bound the Imperial Master and forced him to do things is quite intriguing."
Shen Xu paused, thinking: "She could have been the mother of the country, but she chose the distant and got rid of her status as the Crown Princess."
Concubine Yu raised her eyebrows, and a barely perceptible trace of panic flashed across her face.
Pei Zhiyuan exclaimed softly, looked at Concubine Yu in confusion, and asked in a low voice: "Why did Sister Qingzhu..."
Shen Xu looked straight at Concubine Yu, "I am indeed very curious, isn't this just asking for trouble?
What kind of reason would make you do these things at any cost, even at the cost of overthrowing your family and killing your loved ones; even at the cost of bringing disaster to the country and its people, and poisoning the mountains and rivers?
Concubine Yu?"
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