Chapter 40: The Deer Hunters Ignore the Rabbits
This is too ridiculous.
However, such an absurd thing was still calculated by someone.
The eunuchs around him only obeyed the emperor's orders.
"Bring Qiuxuan here and let me see her."
"Mr. Qiu, please follow me."
The eunuch behind Qiu Xuan pointed to a small path, which was just right for him to meet the eunuch who was coming to pick someone up.
"You don't have to follow me. Please tell the Second Prince to make sure to delay both of them, Ji Zhuang."
Qiu Xuan smiled and said to the young eunuch,
"There's one more thing. Princess Feifei is here. Please tell everyone about this."
*
Lu Dongfeng waited until everyone around him had dispersed, then went to the agreed place to wait for Jing Beian.
When she saw the person, she couldn't help but ask.
"What do you want Qiu Xuan to do with this poison?"
"Who said that?" Jing Beian frowned, "Did you give her the poison?"
*
Jiang Jue secretly glanced at his father who was dozing on the throne, and then at the eldest princess who was worried.
"Father, I want to go..."
The emperor waved him away without even raising his eyes.
Jiang Jue didn't even dare to look at the princess. He lowered his head and hurried out of the tent.
He was worried about leaving Feifei alone, as Xiao Mianzhi might come looking for him at any time.
Jiang Jue's hurried look indeed aroused the eldest princess's suspicion.
She quickly told her attendants to follow.
After a while, the person came back.
"Princess Feifei and Madam Xiao started arguing for some reason."
Although the eldest princess tried to keep her expression straight, she couldn't help but curse, "A bunch of careless little bastards."
She intended to wait here for Qiuxuan to come and help her out.
But Jiang Jue was about to poke the sky down.
She had no choice but to leave under some pretext.
The emperor half-opened his eyes and looked around at the empty seats in his harem.
"Where have all the people gone? Where has Jinhan gone?"
The attendant said softly, "The Second Prince is in charge of today's defense. I'd like you to go find the Second Prince."
"Look at my memory."
"Your Majesty is no longer disturbed by the mundane world."
Wu Zhuang delivered a sentence at the right time.
When Qiu Xuan entered the tent, she just happened to hear the emperor's hoarse laughter.
"Your Majesty, Qiu Xuan is here."
"The family of this guilty official, Qiu Xuan, pays respect to Your Majesty."
Qiu Xuan's head was almost touching the carpet, and she only saw a shadow slowly walking towards her.
"Do you know what crime your grandfather committed?"
"Your Majesty, I believe my grandfather is not wrong."
The thorns of the carpet pierced into Qiuxuan's nails.
"That's my fault."
"Your Majesty is not wrong either."
The vibration caused by the footsteps was transmitted from Qiuxuan's fingertips to her eardrums.
Someone walked up to Wu Zhuang and said something.
"I believe that my grandfather's frank remonstration is the duty of a minister. Whether Your Majesty accepts it or not is naturally up to Your Majesty's consideration, and it cannot be said to be wrong."
As Qiu Xuan finished speaking, a guard hurried in from outside and knelt beside Qiu Xuan.
"Your Majesty, the Second Prince wishes to consult with the two Imperial Masters on an important matter."
"What is it?"
The guard hesitated to answer.
"Your Majesty," Wu Zhuang said, "I have calculated that the celestial phenomena are changing. The Second Prince may be troubled by tomorrow's sacrifice. Please allow me to observe for a while."
After hearing Wu Zhuang's words, the emperor turned to ask the guards:
"What happened?"
"The fire platform collapsed."
Jiang Jinhan really spent a lot of money to kill Wu Zhuang, Qiu Xuan couldn't help but sigh.
However, there have been heavy rains in the hunting grounds for several days, and the soil is so soft that it cannot support the platform. There are also explanations.
Wu Zhuang also thought of this.
"Your Majesty, please be patient. It must be the heavy rain last night that caused the terrain to change. I will go and repair it. I will ensure that there will be no problems with tomorrow's sacrifice."
After getting the emperor's approval, the two witches and shamans also retreated with the guards.
The emperor returned to the throne. Qiu Xuan noticed that his health was very poor. He was out of breath after standing for only a short while.
"You just said that Qiu Yun was right, and I was right too. Then why did your family fall apart, and you were the only one left alive?"
"When the Grand Master of the Imperial Household left the palace to pray for the people, he said that everything is determined by fate. I believe this will be the case in the future."
"You do have some understanding."
The emperor yawned, seeming very tired.
But none of the attendants were around, and the maidservant serving in the corner had just finished her duty and could not tell what the emperor's actions implied.
The emperor was about to get angry when he heard Qiu Xuan say respectfully:
"In the past, I served His Highness Ningjia and witnessed His Highness Ningjia serving tea to Your Majesty. Now that His Highness Ningjia has been married for many years and has lived far away, she must be concerned about Your Majesty's health."
Qiu Xuan prostrated himself with great respect and said, "I have the audacity to serve tea to Your Majesty on behalf of His Highness Ningjia."
The palace maid beside her suddenly realized what was going on and hurriedly prepared ginseng soup for the emperor according to the instructions of her superior.
When Ningga was mentioned, the emperor's eyes softened a little.
"Ningjia has always been a filial child." He looked at Qiuxuan, "If you want to continue to assist her, I can send you."
Sent? Not even an official title.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I boldly request that Your Majesty issue an order allowing my mother and sisters to return to the Central Plains from exile."
"I see. No wonder you're so respectful." The emperor nodded. "Don't think I've forgotten that time when you and Ningjia fought at a banquet when you were little and ended up in the water."
"After so many years, you have become a sensible person."
"I am terrified."
The palace maid came in with ginseng soup.
"You come."
The emperor pointed at Qiu Xuan.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Qiu Xuan took the Du Cheng plate from the palace maid.
*
"Sure enough, that's not what you asked."
Lu Dongfeng breathed a sigh of relief.
"Fortunately, I was careful not to give her the poison."
"What do you think she's going to do with it?"
Seeing Jing Bei'an remained silent.
Lu Dongfeng's eyes rolled. "Is she trying to poison you? If she poisons you to death, she will be able to leave the mansion and won't be afraid of you going back on your word."
*
After drinking a cup of ginseng soup, the emperor's complexion instantly improved a lot.
He put the empty cup on the table with a loud bang, which scared the palace maid so much that she shrank into the corner and dared not come out.
"I thought you were going to poison me."
"Your Majesty has misunderstood me."
Qiuxuan calmly put away the tea bowls.
She had never seen the effect of Lu Dongfeng's poison with her own eyes, so how could she use it indiscriminately?
"In that case, let your mother and sister return to Dadu to serve as official servants."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Qiu Xuan tucked the loose hair that fell in front of her eyebrows behind her ears, pulled out the hairpin that decorated her bun, and stabbed it out quickly.
The emperor only felt something piercing his throat and then being pulled out.
Qiu Xuan had already stabbed out the second time and pushed it upward with force.
The sharp side of the hairpin smoothly cut through the pulsating carotid artery and airway.
Bright red blood gushed out from the wound on the neck, mouth and nose.
The maid finally came to her senses and let out a shrill scream.
Qiu Xuan just focused on stabbing the hairpin into the emperor's eyes again.
"Since Your Majesty has said so, the destruction of my family is my destiny."
Qiu Xuan leaned close to the emperor's ear,
"Then today I kill my enemy with my own hands, and it's the same fate."
When Jiang Jinhan rushed in, the emperor was already dead.
Qiu Xuan glanced at him and smiled.
"Sure enough, I can't hide it from the Second Prince."
Jiang Jinhan didn't say anything, but raised his hand and asked his men to seal the imperial tent.
"When did you start planning this?"
Qiu Xuan tilted his head: "At this moment, His Majesty the Second Prince actually wants to ask this?"
She looked at the emperor's corpse. No matter how supreme he was, he was just a withered human body.
"Killing Wu Zhuang is revenge, but killing him doesn't mean it's not?"
Qiu Xuan supported herself on the ground with her hands and tried to stand up, but failed twice.
She simply sat in a pool of blood.
"He only said one sentence and it cost our entire family their lives."
Jiang Jinhan's hesitant look made Qiuxuan laugh.
"And I'm also curious, what will happen if he dies?"
"If you want to know, then don't die."
Qiu Xuan raised her head, and the last thing she saw was Jiang Jinhan covering her mouth and nose with a handkerchief.
Two eunuchs came in carrying a box and knocked it to the ground.
Wu Zhuang's body rolled out.
Jiang Jinhan carried Qiuxuan into the box.
"Send her out."
*
Qiuxuan seemed to have had a very long dream.
When she woke up, Dadu was already far away from her sight.
The maid who was guarding her handed her a letter written by Jiang Jinhan.
Qiuxuan didn't open it.
Until she found her family and took root in the north.
By the time the corners of the envelope were worn out, everyone mentioned in the letter had died.
The letter was never opened again.
(End of full text)
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