Chenyou Palace.
Only Lu Jinshu and Ling Xihe, father and daughter, were left in the vast palace. Lu Jinshu put down his teacup and said, "Fortunately, that audacious beast Ling Xijie was ruthless enough. If Ling Xicheng hadn't lost too much blood and fainted, Ling Xijie would still be the high and mighty Fourth Princess, and Pei Jiuyan would still be Madam Shu, held in the palm of your mother's hand..." He stopped abruptly mid-sentence.
Lu Jinshu's eyes widened in disbelief, because in his daughter's palm, a piece of ceramic fragment lay quietly. On the surface of the ceramic fragment, there was still blood stain, which was obviously stuck there not long ago.
Ling Xihe's eyes were filled with complexity. She placed the ceramic fragments on the table and patiently smashed them with her inkstone. Then, she used a piece of rice paper to collect the powder on the table and poured it all into the potted plant in the corner.
After destroying all traces of the corpse, she raised her head and looked directly into her father's eyes. After a long pause, she slowly spoke, "Ling Xijie didn't lie. She punched and kicked Ling Xicheng, but she didn't cause any irreparable damage. She only left some bruises on Ling Xicheng's body."
Ling Xihe said this, recalling the scene she had witnessed. "At that time, Ling Xijie acted pitiful and pretended to faint, with blood all over her head and face. The Queen Mother was clearly worried about her. I originally thought that Sister Cheng'er would accept her fate, after all, she was so weak and timid, but she didn't hesitate and stabbed the ceramic fragment into her calf. And before she fainted from the blood loss, she secretly put the ceramic fragment into my hand."
Ling Xihe recalled the determination and ruthlessness in Ling Xicheng's eyes when he stabbed the ceramic shard into her thigh. She sighed softly, "Father, we all misjudged her. She's not some innocent little flower that lets others bully her. She's clearly a resilient weed that's been forged in adversity. If you dare to bully her, she'll pierce your throat with her poisonous sting without hesitation."
The reason why Pei Jiuyan and his daughter lost to Ling Xicheng was because their status was too noble, while Ling Xicheng gambled his life.
Ling Xicheng lost too much blood and is still in critical condition. It is hard to say when he will go to heaven.
Hearing that Ling Xicheng was such a scheming child, the look in Lu Jinshu's eyes darkened.
Ling Xihe guessed what her father was thinking. She put away the solemn look in her eyes and said with a smile, "Don't worry, father. I can feel that Sister Cheng'er is a clear-headed person. She won't go against us."
End of September.
The first selection of beauties after the new emperor ascended the throne was over, and a new batch of beauties entered the harem.
It is worth mentioning that General He Huiyuan sent another illegitimate brother into the palace. This boy was very handsome. Among all the new young men who entered the palace, he was the only one who was given a title by His Majesty and was named Xiang Meiren.
Compared to the former He Huaichen who appeared elegant but was actually vicious, the new beauty from Xiang who entered the palace, although her biological father was just a concubine who was not worthy of being on the stage, was brought up to be as virtuous as a legitimate son of a first-class family. In the entire harem, she can be regarded as a top figure.
A voice called out from outside the Chenyou Palace: "Your Majesty has arrived..." Lu Jinshu quickly put down the scroll in his hand and stood up to greet the emperor.
Lu Jinshu smelled the familiar fragrance of crabapple blossoms from Ling Shumo, and asked with a smile, "Your Majesty, have you just come out of Concubine Xiang's palace? Come to think of it, of all the masters in the palace, he's the only one who loves crabapple blossoms."
Ling Shumo sat on the rosewood chair next to Lu Jinshu, took a sip of tea, and nodded slowly, jokingly saying, "He is a very lovely beauty with a good family background, so I dote on him a little more. Will Jinshu be jealous or angry with me because of this?"
Lu Jinshu gently hit Ling Shumo on the chest, "Your Majesty, what are you talking about? When have you ever been angry with Your Majesty because of another man?"
Ling Shumo suddenly lost her smile and placed her teacup on the table with a barely perceptible clatter. Her voice became serious and cold. "If you don't like this, my words still stand. I'll kill them all."
Ling Shumo's words were incomprehensible, but Lu Jinshu completely understood what she meant. He smiled and brought the cup of tea back to Ling Shumo. "The moment He Huaichen died, the incident of Xihe falling into the water had come to an end in my heart."
He Huaichen had pushed the Crown Princess into the icy water, turning her into a fool. Ling Shumo had Si Jiangzhi publicly perform a snake dance at a banquet, which then bit He Huaichen to death. He Huiyuan might have genuinely believed Si Jiangzhi had killed her brother, but after the banquet, a thorough investigation would surely reveal clues. It's very possible she'd already traced the whole thing back to Ling Shumo.
But even if He Huiyuan knew the truth, what would she do? At the time, her beloved husband was already pregnant with their child, and later, they gave birth to a daughter. She already had a happy family. How could she personally push her beloved husband and daughter to the execution platform just because of a dead brother?
Not only would He Huiyuan not oppose the imperial family, nor would she dare seek revenge against Empress Lu Jinshu, she was even planning to send a more obedient and caring, handsome brother into the palace to warm the emperor's bed. Her daughter might even become a study companion to the Crown Princess. All of this was too wonderful to be abandoned.
If He Huiyuan were to die in the future, it would definitely be because he devoted himself to the country and the people of His Majesty, and it would not be because he wanted to avenge his younger brother He Huaichen or rebel and force the emperor to abdicate.
Winter of the sixth year of Tai'an.
The news of Xue Wu's death came from Lianyun Palace.
Ling Shumo felt sorry for Ling Xicheng, her daughter, who had suffered so much. To compensate her, she proposed to register her under Lu Jinshu's name as his legitimate daughter. Lu Jinshu agreed with a smile.
(The full text is really finished this time, but there is a sequel.)
[After the backstage application is completed, I will no longer have the permission to modify this book. If anyone sends me gifts after the completion, the thank you message will be written in the discussion of Chapter 244 (the finale).]
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