"It's all Gu'an's fault for not being able to detect Ah Shen's evil deeds in time. His mother was biased and covered up for him, and General Chang's son was implicated. If the news reaches General Chang in Yangzhou, it may even affect the war situation in Yangzhou—"
Ming Luo said with uneasiness and guilt: "Gu'an is the eldest daughter of the Ming family. It is her duty to discipline and restrain A-li. This time, A-li caused such a disaster. Gu'an is really to blame. Please punish her, aunt!"
The Holy Seal Emperor looked at her.
The place where Mingluo was kneeling now was exactly where Chang had knelt during the day.
Chang apologized for a long time, confessed for a long time, cried for a long time, and quibbled for a long time. In the end, she even blurted out such lies as "My original intention was to care about the saint and the Ming family", which could not even fool her stupid son.
The Emperor of the Holy Ceremonial still had a slightly gloomy expression on his face.
"The Chang mother and son, one is acting more and more absurd and bold, the other is self-righteous, and dares to use the methods of the harem to the court for their own selfish interests. They are stupid and don't know it... It seems that I was too tolerant of them in the past!"
Sensing the emperor's anger, Ming Luo crouched even lower.
Soon, the emperor suppressed his outward anger, and his tone was still tense and solemn: "Even if it is a lack of discipline, your father should be punished, and you cannot be blamed - stand up."
Ming Luo could only say "yes" and slowly stood up and stood aside.
She knew very well that her aunt would never act foolishly and vent her anger on others. Her apology just now seemed to mean that she wanted to share the punishment with Chang's mother and son, but in fact it was to distance herself from them.
"Things have come to this point. The Changsun clan is pressing us step by step, leaving us no room for maneuver... We can only let the young master of the Chang family suffer." The Holy Ce Emperor said slowly, "I heard that the young master of the Chang family has been admitted to the vanguard camp of the Xuan Ce Army... He is a good boy, and A Shen is far inferior to him."
There was a hint of regret in the emperor's voice: "But I have no choice. I really can't protect him."
Ming Luo: "The sage is concerned about the stability of the court. This is not the sage's fault."
"Whether it's right or wrong, this time, I can only be a foolish king who betrays his loyal subjects."
The emperor's words showed self-reflection and regret, but there was not a trace of hesitation or reluctance.
Ming Luo was already accustomed to this.
When she heard the whole truth from her stepmother, she had already guessed what her aunt would choose. Or rather, there was no need to guess.
The young man from the Chang family, who had a bright future, was destined to suffer injustice forever.
This is certainly very pitiful, but such pitiful people have been everywhere since ancient times.
It’s just that, in comparison, this poor man is too insignificant. In order to preserve greater interests, those in power should sacrifice the insignificant ones.
As a victim of the imperial power, the young master of the Chang family is not the first and will not be the last.
There was also a hint of helpless pity in Ming Luo's eyes.
"As for General Chang..." Emperor Shengce said, "Although General Chang is loyal, the one he is loyal to is 'Axiao', not me. I saw this clearly when he disobeyed the imperial order in the battle with Beidi twelve years ago."
She sighed softly and said, "So, in order to ensure the stability of the war in Yangzhou, I have no choice but to keep this matter secret for the time being."
After he finished speaking, the Emperor Shengce sent his confidants into the palace and ordered them to stop all secret letters and messages related to the Chang Sui'an case from going to the south, and never let the matter in the capital reach Chang Kuo's ears.
"When General Chang returns victoriously, I will explain to him in person - this battle is of great importance. I believe that General Chang, a good general who cares about the people, will understand my concealment of the matter at this time."
"I have also experienced the pain of losing a son..." The Holy Ce Emperor's voice became a little lower, and he said to himself: "The country and the people come first. Many times I have no choice, let alone others."
Ming Luo didn't dare to respond and just stood there quietly.
Yes, how could an aunt who once chose to sacrifice her own flesh and blood be soft-hearted towards other people’s children?
But aunt...it's not all for the country and the people, right?
After all, my aunt finally sat on the supreme dragon throne.
As the aunt who benefited from it, how could she ask General Chang, who was now so passive, to empathize with her who had taken the initiative to make everything happen?
This is somewhat unreasonable.
But a king does not need to be reasonable, and a minister can only choose to be considerate.
If you fail to understand, you are digging your own grave.
But no matter whether there is open understanding or not, with this rift, it will be impossible for General Chang to gain the saint's trust at all.
The General's Mansion in Xingningfang is destined to disappear in the near future.
As for the adopted daughter living in the general's mansion, it is not expected that she would have a good ending, but...
Ming Luo thought again of the really troublesome words that Master Tianjing had said before, and the thoughts that the emperor had not given up.
It was at this time that the Emperor of Shengce ordered the eunuch to summon the Imperial Master Tianjing.
When the Imperial Master of Heavenly Mirror arrived, the Holy Ce Emperor told Ming Luo: "Gu'an, go to the side hall and take a look."
Chang was still in the side hall.
Ming Luo agreed and walked out.
Soon, the trusted eunuchs around the Holy Ce Emperor also withdrew.
There are some things that confidants can listen to, but there are some things that they cannot.
The white-haired and bearded Imperial Master Tianjing bowed and asked, "Your Majesty, how is your health these days?"
"Thanks to the elixir made by the Imperial Master, my illness has been cured."
"Then I wonder why the Saint summoned me here at this time?"
"It's still the same hexagram..." The Holy Book Emperor looked at the old Taoist's eyes that seemed to be able to see through all mysteries, "Is the bond between me and that child a good or bad thing?"
Master Tianjing shook his head slowly: "Forgive me for my incompetence. I have not been able to predict it yet."
The Holy Ce Emperor looked at him and asked, "Is it because he was unable to divine the truth, or is it because the Imperial Master was unwilling to reveal the secret?"
Facing the emperor's question, Master Tianjing was not at all panicked, and only said: "When I first saw the saint was born, I saw that the saint had the appearance of an emperor. Since the saint is the emperor appointed by heaven, all he needs to do is to be at ease and follow the will of heaven."
"The king appointed by heaven... also has a destiny. I often wonder what the end of the destiny will be."
While the Holy Ce Emperor was whispering, he looked at the three-legged golden crow incense burner that was burning the tranquilizing incense pills, and said in a trance: "Does the Imperial Master know that my child may have returned."
National Master Tianjing's eyes trembled slightly.
"Your Majesty, you mean the Maiden Tower..."
"Yes." The Emperor of the Holy Ce said, "It is precisely because of the reminder from the Imperial Master that I have this guess. I have already used the formation in the tower to test her, but I didn't see anything unusual."
Master Tianjing was filled with confusion: "Why does the Saint still have this guess?"
Emperor of the Holy Ceremonies: "The formation may go wrong, and human error is also possible."
Master Tianjing: "If they are really blood relatives... there might be some connection between mother and daughter."
"What if she deliberately concealed all traces of her presence and didn't want to recognize me?" The Holy Ceremonial Emperor had a complex look of loss in his eyes. "Or maybe... I was overthinking it."
National Master Tianjing seemed to be thinking about something.
After a moment, the emperor's voice sounded again: "So, please pay more attention to the hexagram. In addition to the good and bad ties between me and that girl, there is something else that I am concerned about..."
"Yes." Master Tianjing responded, "I understand."
After National Master Tianjing left, Emperor Shengce's gaze fell on the incense burner again.
All the palace servants serving in Ganlu Palace knew the specialness of the incense burner and that it had to be treated with extreme care without any mistakes - it was an old item from the Eastern Palace of the late Crown Prince.
Whenever the saint looked at the incense burner, he would think of His Royal Highness the late Crown Prince.
That is exactly the case right now.
A very faint scent of fragrance lingered above the incense burner, just like the vague and uneasy guess in the Holy Ce Emperor's heart.
If it was really Ah Shang, if he really didn't want to recognize her...others didn't know the reason, but she knew it.
And her Ah Shang has always valued feelings, especially her subordinates and comrades...
If it were Ah Shang, he would not be able to watch the young master of the Chang family die unjustly.
But even Ashang's soul, trapped in this body that has nothing now, does not have the power to shake the sky, and he always has to consider the consequences of his actions.
So, if he is in a desperate situation, will he recognize her as his mother in order to save others?
Obviously, this will also be an opportunity for testing, and it will be more useful than that formation.
Because of her Ah Shang, he could suffer and die, but he couldn't bear to see the people around him suffer and die.
I am not afraid myself, but I will be afraid for the people I care about.
She had known this since the child was very young.
She had done many things with it, from dressing the child in boys' clothes to everything that followed...
Is she a despicable mother? Now, she is waiting for the only person who is qualified to answer this question to come back to her.
She needs Ah Shang, and so does Da Sheng.
…
At the same moment, in the side hall, Chang slowly opened his eyes and looked at the furnishings around him with a brief moment of daze and confusion.
She quickly regained consciousness and remembered everything that happened before she fell into a coma.
She went into the palace today to confess everything to the saint. She was terrified, frightened and desperate. In addition, she had not had a good rest for many days. In the end, she could not hold on and fainted.
Chang's face was ashen. She sat up from the couch, looked at the figure beside her, and asked tentatively: "...Luo'er?"
"Mother is awake." Ming Luo's voice was light, and he did not turn around to look at Chang.
Chang didn't care and didn't dare to ask about her attitude, she just asked anxiously: "The Saint..."
Ming Luo interrupted her indifferently: "The saint will arrange everything properly. Now that mother has woken up, I will send her out of the palace."
There has historically been no rule for women from other clans to stay overnight in the palace. Moreover, at a critical juncture like this, there are many people watching, and if a precedent is set for them to stay overnight, it will cause unnecessary speculation and trouble.
Chang had no choice but to get up hurriedly and follow Ming Luo out of the side hall.
With the palace lanterns hanging high, Chang looked towards the direction of the bedroom and asked hesitantly, "Should I go and pay my respects to the saint first... before leaving the palace?"
"No need for that. The Saint has already given instructions. We just need to wait for mother to wake up, then we can leave the palace and return home."
"Okay..."
After leaving Ganlu Palace, Chang looked back at the emperor's place for the last time, feeling infinite sadness and unwillingness in his heart.
This was probably the last time she would have the chance to come here.
Because of the Ming family's reputation, no crime would be brought against her, but after this incident, what awaits her is...
Today, the saint promised her that he would not vent his anger on the Chang family, but on the premise that she would take responsibility for all the sins and settle them herself.
There are many options for ending one's life, such as taking poison, hanging oneself with white silk, or committing suicide?
A sad smile appeared on Chang's lips.
The way those concubines who had disappeared from the Duke of Ying’s mansion, or the women who were not even concubines, died, now it was her turn to choose...
Chang looked at Ming Luo who was walking in front.
She still remembered that the county lady's aunt was poisoned to death.
Who made her daughter so lucky that she was chosen to enter the palace, caught the attention of the saint, and became a county lady?
Luck is always limited. If the daughter is lucky, then the aunt will be unlucky.
The county princess's aunt couldn't bear to see blood directly, otherwise it would be a bit troublesome, so she asked someone to poison her, which would make people slowly die of illness.
This incident was not discovered.
But she sometimes wondered if Mingluo had ever suspected anything?
Having lost everything, Chang, whose mind was somewhat distracted at this moment, looked at Ming Luo subconsciously.
Ming Luo noticed her gaze, paused slightly, and said: "Although this matter has been arranged by the saint, mother should not take it lightly, and still need to be careful to prevent accidents."
Chang was slightly startled, glanced at the maid five steps behind her, and asked in a low voice: "What is the change that Luo'er mentioned..."
Ming Luo walked and said: "Mother also said today that Feng Min's disappearance must have been caused by the girl from the Chang family--"
"But since the saint is here, Feng Min alone will not be able to cause any trouble..."
At Ming Luo's signal, the maid slowed down her pace.
Ming Luo then said slowly: "Mother may not have understood what I said. The focus of this incident is not on Feng Min, but on the girl from the Chang family."
Chang's eyes changed slightly: "Chang Suining?"
Ming Luo: "If a saint shows up, there shouldn't be any more accidents. But some people are born to be tactless and dare to fight to the death even if they have no chance of winning..."
Chang's expression kept changing.
That’s right, that bitch from the Chang family is definitely not going to settle down and will definitely not give up...
Although her fate was already determined, she still had to leave a way out for the Chang family, so she couldn't just give up on this case and lie down and wait to die.
Besides reluctance, she also felt hatred in her heart.
In the final analysis, if she traced back, all the way to this point was because of Chang Suining!
Everything that happened after she injured Ah Shen started! The more desperate a person is, and when they know that the outcome cannot be changed, they will not regret and reflect on themselves, but will only hate and resent others, blaming all the misfortunes on others.
It was almost natural that Chang's hatred turned into a murderous desire to drag the other party to death with him.
But she still had some sense. The Saint had clearly warned her today not to act on her own...
Until next, Ming Luo heard a sentence mentioned unintentionally -
"Some people seem to be born to be unlucky." Ming Luo looked at the night ahead and said in a low voice, "It seems that the hexagram of the Tian Jing State Master is indeed correct."
Chang asked, "What does the hexagram say?"
Ming Luo paused for a moment before asking, "Mother, do you still remember that Master Tianjing once praised Chang Suining for having an extremely noble appearance?"
I know everyone is anxious about this part of the plot, and I have received some comments saying that it is too dragged out, but this plot is not simply about the small case of the brother being framed, but many main and side plots are included in it. The forces that need to be clarified must be clarified, and the people who need to be dealt with must be dealt with, and more importantly, the map will be changed later, so it is necessary to complete the plots in the capital.
So I still have to write at my own pace.
Of course, if you are only interested in Sui An’s case and are not interested in other books, you can save them first, and then judge from the title (I will give an obvious title when the case is settled), and you can jump directly to see the result.
Thank you for your hard work. Good night~
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