Chapter 121 How long will you punish me?
Lu Haozhi was slightly startled, then asked, "Yan'er, are you determined to do this?"
She had never asked him to kill anyone, and even if they had a huge fight, she never had the intention to kill.
Meng Yan said without hesitation, "Yes, I wanted to sentence Zhao to death. She devised this vicious plan to murder the princess. Although the princess was fortunately rescued, if the rescue was not timely that day and the princess unfortunately died, I, as a mother..."
Before she could finish her words, Lu Haozhi raised his hand and interrupted her. "The Zhao family is a vicious and cruel person. They dared to plot to poison the princess and should be executed according to the law. Your opinion is correct. If this vicious trend cannot be stopped, who knows how chaotic the harem will be." Before he could finish his words, he shouted, "Rong An!"
Rong An came in from outside and bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, are you calling for your servant?"
Lu Haozhi's face was as gloomy as water. He said, "Pass on my decree. Zhao is vicious and plotted to murder Princess He'an. I grant her poisoned wine, a dagger, and white silk, and allow her to commit suicide."
Rong An was extremely surprised and could not help but glance at Meng Yan secretly, thinking to himself, "Wow, the Imperial Concubine has only been here for a short while and she's already killed someone. This Zhao is just too damn unlucky. She could have picked on anyone else but the Imperial Concubine and even dared to harm the princess. She must be really tired of living."
At that moment, Rong An received the order and went down to carry out the task.
Meng Yan had achieved the purpose of this trip and wanted to leave.
Lu Haozhi had already seen through her intentions and spoke first, "Don't leave yet. I have something for you."
Meng Yan paused and looked at Lu Haozhi with some confusion.
In the past, whenever he wanted to give her something, he would ask Rong An to pass it on.
Lu Haozhi stood up, walked into the inner hall, opened a drawer of Master Duobao, took out a scroll, and walked back.
He handed the scroll to Meng Yan and whispered, "I remember you mentioned this scroll two years ago. I've been looking for it for over two years, and finally found it."
Meng Yan was even more confused. She took it and unfolded it, and it turned out to be "The Picture of the Goddess of Luo River"!
This scroll was originally a famous work handed down from the Eastern Jin Dynasty by Gu Kaizhi. When she was learning painting, she had heard her teacher mention the name of this painting and had been fascinated by it for a long time. However, this work was lost more than a hundred years ago and could never be found again.
Two years ago, on her birthday, Lu Haozhi celebrated with her and asked her what she wanted. She wanted to tease her and casually mentioned "The Picture of the Goddess of Luo River".
Lu Haozhi also knew that she was teasing, but he just laughed it off.
Unexpectedly, he still remembered this incident...
Meng Yan looked at the affectionate and loving look of the Goddess of Luo River and Cao Zhi in the painting, and felt a little dazed.
Lu Haozhi felt a little embarrassed and whispered, "This is also a copy of a famous artist from the previous dynasty. I have sent people to search among the people for nearly two years, but I still can't find the original."
Meng Yan put away the scroll and bowed to him, "I thank the emperor for his generous reward."
Lu Haozhi held her hand and smiled, "I have fulfilled your wish. Will you give me some reward?"
Meng Yan raised her eyebrows and smiled brightly, "Your Majesty, what do you have? Why are you asking me for something?"
Lu Haozhi said, "The sachet I usually wear is a bit old, and I'm tired of seeing the items from the Needlework Bureau."
This was beyond Meng Yan's expectations. She couldn't help but blurt out, "Your Majesty knows that I am not good at needlework. If I wear it outside, I will be laughed at. If Your Majesty really doesn't like the embroidery produced by the Needlework Bureau, I can..."
Before she could finish her words, Lu Haozhi pointed a finger at her lips.
"It doesn't matter if it's good or bad, I just want something you made with your own hands."
He smiled and whispered, gently tucking the loose hair from Meng Yan's ears.
Meng Yan lowered her eyes, avoiding his gaze, and nodded slightly, "If your Majesty does not despise me, I will obey your orders."
She was not as passionate as before, but her calm and indifferent look had a different charm. The smooth touch of her soft lips on his fingertips kept charming him.
Lu Haozhi took a deep breath, then hugged Meng Yan in his arms and leaned over to kiss her.
Meng Yan's body stiffened slightly, and Lu Haozhi hugged her even tighter.
The intense kiss made her breathless and her heart beat like a drum.
After leaving the Yangxin Palace, the summer breeze blew across her hot cheeks. Meng Yan sat on the sedan chair, holding the scroll in her arms, feeling uneasy.
Lu Haozhi's words still echoed in her ears, "Yan'er, how long are you going to punish me?"
This is good enough.
Meng Yan thought silently in her heart.
Since Zhao Chunfang started the incident, she was detained in the palace by Ren Shuyi.
Rong An went to convey the emperor's order. Zhao Chunfang had already lost hope. For the sake of her family, she was willing to take the blame for Liang Chengbi. She originally thought that she would be banished to the cold palace at most, but she never thought that the emperor would actually sentence her to death!
When a man is about to die, he will fight with all his might. How could Zhao Chunfang just give in? He struggled to get up with all his might, splashed the poisoned wine all over Rong An's face and head, and even snatched the dagger to block his chest, looking like a mad tiger fighting to the death.
Rong An was simply annoyed. He had indeed never done such a task before, and for a moment he didn't know what to do. So, he said, "Zhao, we urge you to just surrender. You've done such a heinous thing, and Heaven will not forgive you. Now that your crime has been exposed, and the Emperor has personally sentenced you to death, you deserve it. Why bother making such a scene? The Emperor has granted you grace, allowing your body to be returned to your mother's family. If you continue to make a scene, and word reaches the Emperor, and the Ministry of Punishment comes to handle it, even your modest dignity will be lost."
Zhao Chunfang's eyes were bloodshot, her hair was disheveled, and she screamed at the top of her lungs, "The princess isn't dead, why are you executing me?! Meng Yan, it must be that bitch Meng Yan! It was her, she instigated the emperor to kill me! Vicious woman, vicious woman!!"
When Rong An saw this, he quickly ordered the eunuchs, "Don't just stand there, hurry up and stuff her mouth with the hemp seeds! She's talking nonsense and cursing the Imperial Concubine again. If this gets out, it'll get us into trouble!"
Zhao Chunfang started crying again, "Eunuch Rong, it wasn't me, I didn't... I didn't do it..."
Rong An was just wondering when he heard a female voice coming from outside the door, "If it wasn't you, who else could it be?"
As soon as the words fell, a thin woman stepped inside.
Rong An saw her and went to meet her, "Mrs. Lin, what are you doing here?"
Lin Yanrong looked at Zhao Chunfang and smiled slightly, "Isn't it that Zhao is about to leave? Concubine Liang, considering our past friendship, sent this concubine to see her off."
As she spoke, she walked straight up to Zhao Chunfang, stared into her eyes, smiled softly, and whispered, "Zhao, you've done something so unforgivable, no one can save you. Empress Liang was just sighing with regret, thinking that your brother from your mother's family was about to enter the officialdom, and yet something like this happened to you. It's such a pity. You can rest assured and go on your journey. Every year on your death anniversary, the Empress will remember you."
Zhao Chunfang opened his eyes wide and stared at Lin Yanrong.
After a while, she laughed shrilly, her laughter like an owl in the night.
"Lin Yanrong, you're next!"
After she finished speaking, she turned around and stabbed the dagger into her chest, and blood immediately gushed out.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
