Hanging Knife (12)
Qinglan called two servants over, and one of them held He Zhangjing's arms on the left and right, and dragged him into the mansion.
He Zhangjing was powerless to struggle, letting them do as he pleased, like a sponge. Wherever he passed, a long trail of blood was left. He turned back and stared at Li Qi unwillingly, his face grim and demanding, "What did Yuan Mu do wrong? All those things you hate were done by me alone. What was her fault? Why are you taking your anger out on her?"
Li Qi took a few steps forward and slapped He Zhangjing in the face. The loud slap stunned everyone present.
He Zhangjing was once a favored child of heaven, admired by the people, the hope of the He clan. Whenever he appeared, it was either distributing porridge or helping refugees. He was a man who seemed unattainable, yet his always gentle and kind demeanor gave him a rare air of dignity and holiness.
Now he was covered in filth and blood, and he begged the county lady, but was slapped in the face by her.
Now the noble and sacred one has fallen into the quagmire. No one has ever seen him like this.
He Zhangjing's cheek, already bloodstained, gradually swelled up. He felt a burning pain in his cheek, and his vision was dizzy and he seemed to be in a state of confusion.
"You..." How dare you hit him in public? He wanted to ask angrily, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he felt a tooth loose and fell into his mouth, and he almost swallowed it.
He Zhangjing made a "Puh" sound and spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with teeth.
He Zhangjing looked up in disbelief and anger, staring at Li Qi. Before he could say anything, he saw her bend down, holding something in her hand, and hanging it around his neck.
He looked down and found that it was the necklace he gave to Li Qi when he was in Qianzhou.
Li Qi gently touched the necklace, and the golden beads and precious stones on it jingled. She smiled and said, "Feel the evil you have done. If you dare to take it off, I will chop off your head."
As she spoke, she stood up and ordered in a cold voice: "Take him away!"
Two servants dragged him into the mansion.
As soon as the person disappeared from her sight, Li Qi heard a creaking sound behind her. She turned around and saw a ceremonial procession on the long street surrounded by about twenty palace maids and eunuchs.
A group of people came with a guard of honor. When they came to Li Qi, the aunt in the lead raised her hand slightly, and the crowd behind her with the guard of honor stopped.
The aunt took two steps forward and bowed deeply to Li Qi. The palace maids and eunuchs behind her knelt on the ground in unison.
"Your Majesty, we servants have been ordered to take you to the palace." Aunt Zhao said as she kowtowed in a steady and composed manner. She never glanced anywhere else but stared at Li Qi's shoes without blinking. It was obvious that they had been soaked in wind and waves.
Li Qi said okay, told Qinglan to take the two packed boxes, and bent down to get on the ceremonial guard.
A group of people kneeling on the ground then stood up, not daring to breathe, and carried the ceremonial procession towards the palace.
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The ceremonial procession stopped at the palace gate, and no one except the emperor was allowed to enter with the ceremonial procession.
Li Qi walked down from the procession with the help of Qinglan. The leading aunt said a few polite words and then led the way, taking Li Qi in through the side door of the palace.
Li Qi was arranged to live in the palace where Dong Mingrong once lived.
But the plaque at the palace gate had been replaced, and Emperor Liang personally wrote the new words: Yun'an Palace.
Li Qi wanted to laugh when she saw the inscription. No matter the title or the palace, it had never deviated from her title of County Princess.
Aunt Zhao bowed and said to Li Qi, "Empress Yun'an, you will live here from now on. Everything is fully prepared and in good condition. If there is anything missing, please send someone to let me know."
Li Qi nodded lightly, ignoring Aunt Zhao's look of wanting to be rewarded, and took Qinglan across the palace gate and went to Yun'an Palace.
As soon as Li Qi entered the house, she looked around. The interior was simply decorated without any luxury or waste. It was almost the same as Aunt Yun's home in Ping'an Village.
The Queen was in charge of the six palaces, so this palace must have been purchased by her order. Every inch of land in the palace was worth a lot of money, so it must have taken a lot of thought to arrange it like this.
Unfortunately, she used the wrong approach. Li Qi even lived in a beggar's shed. A bare house was considered a good condition for her.
Li Qi couldn't help but laugh, "Zhang Wan really put a lot of effort into this."
She called the queen's name directly. Qinglan was stunned when she heard it. The palace maids and eunuchs who followed her into the room were also stunned. They looked at each other and no one dared to say anything.
The county lady has a reputation for being rampant, and now she has become the empress. I am afraid that her methods of torture will become even more severe. Anyone who dares to confront her will suffer.
Li Qi glanced at the timid palace maids and felt that they were crowded in the room and were very hot, so she waved her hand and asked them to leave.
After the crowd dispersed, the air in the room seemed to circulate instantly. Li Qi took a few deep breaths and said in annoyance, "The only bad thing about the palace is that there are too many people."
She sat down at the table, picked up the teapot, and poured two cups of hot tea, one for Qinglan and one for herself. As she drank the tea, she said, "From now on, everything will remain the same, just like living in the county lady's mansion. No matter who the other palace servants are, they don't need to be rewarded a penny, and there is no need for the Queen Mother to visit us morning and evening. We are here to kill people, not to compete for favors. Remember this?"
Qinglan choked, and the teacup in her hand shook, spilling some hot tea. She held it steady and nodded hurriedly.
Li Qi drank a few cups of tea to relieve her thirst, then stood up and walked to the bed, lying down with her legs spread out. She said to Qinglan, "You stay here and don't let anyone disturb my sleep."
Li Qi got up too early this morning and was very sleepy. She turned over in bed, pulled the quilt over her abdomen, and fell into a drowsy sleep with the breeze coming in through the window.
The weather was warm in spring, and it was a little hot in the afternoon. Li Qi was sweating on her temples while sleeping, and woke up feeling hot.
Li Qi got up and sat on the edge of the bed, shouting outside. After a while, Qinglan came in hurriedly. Seeing that Li Qi's forehead was covered with sweat, she took out a clean handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat off her face.
Li Qi was still groggy from sleep and asked gravely, "What time is it?"
Qinglan put away her handkerchief and replied, "It's already the hour of Xu."
Li Qi touched her deflated belly and was about to ask her to serve the meal when she saw her bend over and come closer, whispering, "Aunt Chen from the Empress's side has been waiting for you outside for a long time."
"Wait for me?" Li Qi frowned: "Why is she waiting for me?"
Qinglan said, "She said the Queen has summoned you, and all the new concubines entering the palace must go and pay their respects to her."
Li Qi heard this and sneered, "It's a good thing I didn't kill her."
Qinglan was very disappointed, but fortunately she stopped Aunt Chen and did not disturb Li Qi's sleep.
Li Qi made it very clear before going to bed that she would not come to the palace for morning and evening visits, and she was not afraid that Zhang Wan would attack her, and of course Zhang Wan did not have the ability to do so.
There will be some rumors, but Li Qi has been living in rumors for all these years in Kyoto, and she has long been immune to them.
As long as she doesn't need the favor of Emperor Liang, Li Qi acts at ease and does whatever she wants. Even Li Ke is just a knife in her hand. Who can do anything to her?
Qinglan asked, "Then should I send her away?"
Li Qi nodded: "By the way, bring some food. I'm hungry."
As she spoke, Li Qi stood up and ordered another palace maid to fetch some water so that she could wash herself.
The little palace maid was assigned by the palace to serve Li Qi closely. Her name was Taohong. Li Qi knew without hesitation that Taohong must be Zhang Wan's woman.
She even dared to do this to the bedroom, let alone a little palace maid. I'm afraid that everyone in Yun'an Palace is loyal to Zhang Wan behind the scenes.
Li Qi realized that they were all ordinary people, not warriors, so he was not afraid of anything and did not expose them. He continued to use them, but did not allow them to go into the inner room to serve.
After washing up, Li Qi sat at the dining table waiting for Qinglan to serve the meal, but after waiting for a while, it was Taohong who came in.
Li Qi frowned and asked, "Where's Qinglan?"
Taohong lowered her head and said, "She's still talking to Aunt Chen."
Li Qi hummed, picked up her chopsticks and started eating. Tao Hong stood by, wanting to serve her the food, but seeing that she didn't want to do anything, she didn't dare to move, and she looked a little eager to make a move.
Li Qi glanced at her and said, "Go away. If I don't pass on the message in the future, you won't have to serve me."
Taohong was somewhat disappointed. She had hoped that Empress Yun'an would take a liking to her and that she would stay by her side and serve her. She knelt in greeting and slowly withdrew.
Not long after she left, Qinglan stepped over the threshold and entered the house.
Li Qi asked her to sit beside her and have dinner together. Seeing that there was no one else in the room, Qinglan did not refuse and sat down. Without Li Qi's question, she said sensibly, "Aunt Chen is really a cruel person. It took me a long time to send her away."
Li Qi snorted and chuckled, naturally understanding the character of the people around Zhang Wan.
Seeing that she was not at all flustered, Qinglan frowned and said worriedly, "Your Majesty, if you don't go to see the Queen, I'm afraid the Queen will be angry and come looking for you, causing you trouble. What should I do?"
Li Qi shook her head and said firmly, "No."
"Why are you so sure, Madam?"
Li Qi picked up a piece of tender bamboo shoots and put it into her mouth, saying slowly, "Zhang Wan was born into a marquisate, and she's inherently proud and arrogant. Even after being treated so harshly by Zhang Zhouzhu, she still couldn't change her pride. She's the Empress of the Central Palace, and I've never gone through the ceremony, not even a proper concubine. Even if she's angry and wants to settle a score with me, how could she condescend to come and see me?"
Qinglan thought about it and felt relieved that this was the truth.
After dinner, Qinglan cleaned up the mess, and Li Qi asked Taohong to prepare water for bathing.
After taking a bath, it was already dark, with a few dim stars hanging in the sky. Li Qi leaned against the head of the bed and let Qinglan twist her hair from behind. From her angle, she could look out the open window and see the elegant view of the jade moon in the night sky.
There are no cicadas chirping in spring, and the night is so quiet that there is not even the sound of the wind.
Suddenly, in the silent night, a shrill voice was heard from Li Ke, saying that the emperor had arrived.
As Li Ke's shout fell, Emperor Liang came into the room wearing casual clothes, black hair and a jade crown. He was about fifty years old, with a few strands of white hair and some wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and mouth. He was not an old man, but years of indulgence made him look even older than his actual age.
Qinglan hurriedly saluted him and quietly retreated with Li Ke.
Emperor Liang walked over with a smile, sat down on the edge of Li Qi's bed, and reached out to embrace her in his arms.
Li Qi pushed him away and dodged to the side, squinting her eyes and pretending to be angry: "Your Majesty said that you would build a palace for me. I am here, but I have to live in a place like this. I am not happy."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Liang wasn't angry and didn't pursue the matter of her avoiding him. He put his hands behind his head, leaned against the headboard, and said, "I have no choice. The national treasury is tight. The Ministry of Works calculated that if the palace is built, it will cost a lot of money, and the Ministry of Revenue says it's not enough."
Emperor Liang glanced at the Yun'an Palace. He had never seen what the homes of poor people looked like, but he knew that this bedroom was not only for Li Qi to live in, but even the palace maids didn't live in such a bad condition!
Look, even the paint on that square table is peeling. Emperor Liang sighed, took Li Qi's hand, and patted it gently in his palm to comfort her. "This Yun'an Palace was built by the Empress herself. I didn't know she would be so careless. You have been wronged. One day, I will seek justice for you."
Li Qi shook her head: "I don't care about these things."
Emperor Liang was used to extravagance, so even if Li Qi said so, he was reluctant to have such a bedroom in his harem. The main reason was that after seeing such a situation, he didn't even want to come, so how could he embrace the beauty he had always dreamed of?
Thinking of this, Emperor Liang looked at Li Qi's round and fair face, and her affectionate eyes that seemed to be alluring all the time. He became a little distracted and reached out to hold Li Qi in his arms.
"If it weren't for He Rucheng's incident, I wouldn't have known your hometown was Yunzhou. Yunzhou fell, and you must have suffered a lot along the way. Why didn't you tell me before?"
Li Qi was held in his arms, sniffing the ambergris on his body. Although she was not used to it, she did not dislike it. Emperor Liang was extravagant and was very picky about spices. Although he was old, he did not have the sweaty smell of those old men. Instead, he had a fresh and fragrant smell.
But this was limited to preventing Li Qi from being disgusted by being alone with him. She could no longer think of anything else. Li Qi knew what he wanted to do with her, so she deliberately tried to divert his attention, saying, "The loss of Yunzhou must be a great pain to His Majesty. Why should I mention it to upset His Majesty?
"By the way, Your Majesty just said that the money in the national treasury is not enough to even build a palace. Doesn't that mean the national treasury is short of money? Your Majesty, could you tell me the specific amount? If it is not enough, I will use the subsidy from the County Lord's Mansion."
Emperor Liang had initially suspected her intentions in inquiring about the treasury, but upon hearing she was seeking subsidies, his suspicions vanished. He shook his head and said, "I don't know the details. None of these old ministers are willing to tell me."
Li Qi sighed and said with a feigned regret, "What a pity! I was thinking of building a wine and meat pond for you."
Emperor Liang's eyes lit up: "Really?"
"How could I ever lie to Your Majesty?" Li Qi looked at him seriously and said, "Didn't I pay you for the disaster relief money last time? It was just bad luck; I was robbed along the way."
Emperor Liang naturally believed it without a doubt. It was said that those who hijacked the silver were bandits from a village called Ping'an. Li Ke had investigated and wanted to send people to suppress the bandits, but unfortunately there was no one in the court, and no one dared to provoke the bandits from Ping'an Village.
Emperor Liang said lamentably, "That's a full eighty thousand taels! Let's not talk about it, what a shame! I'll find a way to pry open the ministers' mouths and then tell my beloved concubine that if your county lord's mansion has enough, I'll give some."
Li Qi tapped Emperor Liang's chest with her index finger and sighed, "Your Majesty, you are wrong. Even the country is yours, and the county lord's residence is naturally yours too. Even the other ministers' possessions are yours. What's the use of sticking to them? I am only giving you what originally belonged to you."
Emperor Liang was very pleased with what he heard and felt that it would be great if all the ministers could return the silver as Li Qi did.
Emperor Liang was in a good mood. He hugged Li Qi and wanted to throw himself on the couch, but before he could move, Li Ke rushed in with a whisk in his hand and said in a panic, "Your Majesty, something bad has happened. The maids from the Orchid Palace have come to report that the master is unwell, vomiting and having diarrhea. Please go and see him!"
Emperor Liang's face turned pale when he heard this. "Jiao Lan? My Jiao Lan!"
Emperor Liang pushed Li Qi away and strode out of Yun'an Palace without saying a word.
Looking at his flustered back, Li Qi couldn't help laughing. Apart from Mingrong, Jiao Lan was the second person who made Emperor Liang lose his composure like this.
After the people left, Li Qi was happy and relaxed. She lay down on the couch and saw Qinglan coming in. While covering her with the quilt, she said, "I have asked Eunuch Li to talk to Jiao Lan in advance. She has many ways to seduce Emperor Liang and will not let the queen sleep with him."
Li Qi snorted, looked at Qinglan's face nonchalantly, and said, "I'm afraid it's not for me, but for your old master, the surname Feng?"
Qinglan folded her hands in front of her stomach, stood at the bedside in a proper manner, and said honestly: "It's for you, and also for Master Feng. I didn't do it all for him."
Li Qi said "oh" and said nothing more. She waved her hand and asked her to leave.
Qinglan blew out the candle and retreated to the small couch in the outer room to keep watch. She closed her eyes, but could not fall asleep for a long time. Although she knew that what the queen said made sense and that Lord Feng was just wishful thinking.
However, she was saved by Lord Feng and had been by his side for many years. The relationship between master and servant still made her worry. How would Lord Feng feel if he knew that the queen had entered the palace?
Before coming to the palace, although she had asked Yeshu to keep the matter secret, the truth could not be hidden. Qinglan turned over in worry, thinking that Lord Feng would find out one day.
While Qinglan was worried about Feng Siji, Feng Siji was sitting cross-legged on a haystack with his eyes closed.
It was still early for him, and in this cell where Li Qi had been, he could still smell her lingering scent. Her scent and figure were everywhere, and he was so disturbed that he couldn't fall asleep.
Feng Siji's mind kept appearing with Li Qi's voice, appearance and smile, especially when they were in Qianzhou. She was standing in front of him in a red dress. The wind blew up her red dress, which brushed his cheek coolly but softly, and there seemed to be a faint fragrance floating in the air.
"Feng Siji!" Someone suddenly shouted hoarsely outside the prison.
Feng Siji opened his eyes and looked at the person who came. It was the warden of the prison, Lin Feng.
Lin Feng was stared at by the other party's dark and ugly eyes, and an inexplicable feeling of uneasiness came over him. He unconsciously turned his gaze away.
To be honest, he didn't want to do anything to this man, not even to say a word. Moreover, he had promised the Yun'an County Lady, no, now it was the Yun'an Empress, that he had to find a way to trap him in prison forever without hurting him.
Lin Feng had already thought of a solution, but who knew this would happen suddenly!
Lin Feng opened the door with the key, stepped aside, and turned back to tell the four soldiers behind him: "Go, bring him here."
Four jailers came in, put shackles on his hands and feet, then one on each side lifted him up and pushed him out.
In the silent and dark prison, the creaking sound of shackles brushing against the ground could be heard. Feng Siji walked out of the cell and looked at Lin Feng in the dim candlelight: "What do you mean?"
Lin Feng met his gaze and sighed, "Master Feng, don't blame me. I was just following orders. I've also returned the little money the Empress gave me!"
Feng Siji frowned, "What silver, which lady?"
Lin Feng said, "It's the Princess Yun'an. She entered the palace today and is now Empress Yun'an. She gave me some silver and told me to find a way to keep you safe from harm and imprison you in the prison."
Feng Siji's tall figure swayed and fell to the side. Lin Feng hurriedly reached out to support him. Seeing that his face was pale and he was still shaking, he frowned and said nervously, "Don't blame me!"
Feng Siji breathed rapidly, trying to calm himself down. He looked at him and asked, "So what do you want now?"
Lin Feng sighed, and after making sure Feng Siji was standing firmly, he stepped aside. Then he personally brought the torture rack and many other torture instruments and placed them aside.
The light in the prison was very dim, but the torture instruments emitted a cold reflection, so bright that it was blinding.
Lin Feng said, "It's Master Chen. He wants to get to the bottom of this case as soon as possible. He ordered us to torture you until you tell the truth."
Feng Siji didn't know what to say. He knew that Chen Hu would not be loyal, but he didn't expect that he would turn against him so quickly.
Chen Hu was thinking that by getting rid of himself in the prison, he could also get rid of the He family at the same time. Without Zhang Zhouzhu, he would be the only one in control of Kyoto.
Feng Siji took a deep breath and thought that none of these mattered, except that Li Qi entered the palace... With her current ability, even if she disobeyed the order, she could always find a comprehensive way.
But she still chose to go to the palace.
Feng Siji was in a daze when he was put on the rack and tied up with iron chains to form a cross shape.
He suddenly didn't know why he was doing all this.
If it was for love, it couldn't be said that there was much love between him and Li Qi, it was more about his unwillingness.
Li Qi deceived him and used him. The more she did this, the more unwilling he became. He wanted her to be good to him and devoted to him, but he didn't realize that doing so would mean taming her.
But taming others is a gamble.
Li Qi was never tamed, and it was he who suffered the most.
But should he give up just like that? Feng Siji shook his head. That was absolutely impossible. He had already come this far. If he gave up now, he would be unwilling and would die with regrets.
Feng Siji suddenly came to his senses with a sudden pain of cramps and bones, and saw that it was Lin Feng who was whipping him with a whip. Every time the whip fell, his clothes were torn and his skin was torn.
Lin Feng was used to doing this kind of thing, and he was extremely ruthless. He whipped the man three times, but when he saw the bloody appearance, he felt a little sorry and couldn't help but pause and said, "If it were someone else, I would just want to beat them to death. But I know your character, Master Feng. The Li Fei case has absolutely nothing to do with you.
"Sir, please confess. Tell us everything you know and help Master Chen catch the real culprit. Then you won't have to suffer all this."
Feng Siji was speechless.
Lin Feng continued to persuade him: "Master Chen said that if you don't confess, you will be tortured every day. You might die in there one day."
Feng Siji heard the sound, but he laughed despite the pain, "Just torture me like this, Empress Yun An will come to save me."
Lin Feng was stunned, wondering if Lord Feng was suffering from paranoia?
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