Hanging Knife (16)
"What does this mean?" Chen Hu was not stupid. Li Qi and the queen had always been at odds, so how could she let the queen help her choose her wedding dress?
Li Qi smiled and said nothing more: "Just do as I say."
Seeing that she didn't want to talk about it anymore, Chen Hu didn't stay any longer. He folded the papers again, put them away and left.
After watching his back disappear into the courtyard, Li Qi hurried out of the hall. She went to the stables, brought out a horse, and rode outside the mansion. Qinglan followed after him, carrying her bag. "County Lady, where are you going?"
Li Qi looked at the dark night road ahead. A crescent moon hung in the sky. The cool evening breeze blew on his forehead. Li Qi's thoughts were clearer than ever before.
"I'm going to Ping'an Village to pick up Mingrong. Please pack up at the mansion and we'll go to the palace together when we get back."
She wanted to marry a foreign prince, so the etiquette naturally had to go through the palace.
After Li Qi gave the order, he didn't wait for Qinglan to reply and rushed out with his whip.
Ping'an Village in the suburbs was very far away. It was already three o'clock in the morning when Li Qi's horse arrived. She tied the horse under the peach tree outside the village. Looking around, every household was asleep. Ping'an Village was quiet at night, so quiet that only the sound of the wind blowing by her ears from time to time could be heard.
Li Qi pushed open the village door, and immediately someone jumped down from above her head, accompanied by a question: "Who!"
"It's me," Li Qi recognized Shan Min's voice, and with the help of the moonlight, she saw that it was indeed Yun Shan Min.
Yun Shanmin also saw her clearly and quickly put away the knife that was about to slip out: "It's so late, why is the county lady here?"
Ever since the last unrest in Kyoto, Yunshan Min and his companions have always taken turns standing guard outside Ping'an Village. After all, no one can guarantee whether He Mu and others still have any remaining forces to counterattack.
Li Qi didn't answer him, but asked directly, "Where's Mingrong?"
"I got your message a while ago. I'm already prepared and waiting in the house now."
As soon as he finished speaking, a creaking sound suddenly sounded in the silent night, and a figure came out of the night quietly. When he got closer, he saw that it was Dong Mingrong, who was dressed neatly.
"Sister, I'm here." Dong Mingrong stood in front of Li Qi, her eyes shining. In the matter of retaking Yunzhou, she could finally really help her sister.
Li Qi smiled at her. Shan Min had already come over with the horse and handed the reins to Dong Mingrong. "I've fed you well and brushed your fur until it's shiny and smooth. Come with the county lady."
Dong Mingrong took the horse over and thanked with a smile. Since time was running out, she didn't say much, got on the horse, and left with Li Qi.
The night wind blew gently, lifting the long hair and sleeves of the two people. Li Qi listened to the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the weeds and bushes on both sides of the road. Dong Mingrong was also by her side. This scene inexplicably made her feel at ease.
She looked up at the stars in the sky and said with a smile, "It's a good thing you're back. Auntie Yun has taken good care of you these past few days. You've gained a little weight since the last time I visited you."
In fact, it was dark and nothing could be seen clearly, but Dong Mingrong spoke in a brisk tone, with powerful movements and full of energy, and Li Qi could also make out some of it.
Li Qi asked again: "How have you been doing over the past year, Yunzhou?" Such an old-fashioned way of reminiscing about the past, but it always lasts. After separation, close people always care about how the other person is doing.
Dong Mingrong casually remarked that being in Yunzhou felt like being home. She also explained that although Yunzhou had many refugees and everyone was struggling, they helped each other privately and were doing OK. Sometimes they couldn't afford to eat, but if they were lucky, they'd meet a kind person who would give them two precious children.
It doesn't sound good, but it's not as dark as Li Qi imagined. But if she believed it all, she would not be Li Qi anymore.
Li Qi knew Dong Mingrong. She was always considerate and clever. Most of what she said was not true, or she only reported good news and not bad news.
But Li Qi didn't dig deeper. Who doesn't have dark days they want to hide? During those painful times, forget if you can, don't mention it if you can. Only then can you move on.
While Li Qi was daydreaming, the horse had already entered the city. Li Qi had already arranged a travel permit for Dong Mingrong and changed her external identity to a maid she bought from outside. Dong Mingrong entered the county lord's mansion naturally.
By then, the sky was already slightly bright, and the sky was turning pale. Red and yellow clouds gradually appeared on the distant hills. It seemed that the sun was about to come out.
Qinglan had already prepared everything. The carriage stopped outside the mansion. Li Qi and Dong Mingrong dismounted and got into the carriage together.
The carriage started to move forward, shaking. Li Qi looked at Dong Mingrong and said, "Have you remembered everything? What are you going to do later?"
Dong Mingrong nodded solemnly: "Don't worry, sister, I have kept it in mind."
"You are familiar with the palace, so I won't tell you anything more. But Qinglan, are the people you led to ambush the marriage team trustworthy?"
Qinglan nodded. Those people were all working under Feng Siji like her. Feng Siji even gave the weapons under the well to Li Qi, so these people would naturally give them to her.
After a while, the carriage stopped outside the palace. Li Qi lifted the curtain and looked out. She saw that the sun had risen and its golden light spread all over, illuminating the solemn and majestic palace buildings.
Outside the palace gate, a maid saw her and hurried over, jumping onto the carriage. As soon as she arrived, she began to unbutton her clothes, saying anxiously, "We're too late. The Queen is already suspicious. Logically, we should have changed into our wedding clothes and been ready to wait for the wedding procession."
Dong Mingrong took off her clothes and exchanged them with the palace maid. The palace maid reminded her, "If anyone asks, you should say that you are serving Empress Lan and have no name or surname."
Dong Mingrong hummed a sigh of relief and was about to follow Li Qi downstairs when the maid suddenly grabbed her elbow again. She turned back in confusion and the maid said, "Eunuch Li Ke said that he has a lot of things to do today. He will wait for you at the mansion after he finishes this matter."
These words made Dong Mingrong stunned for a moment, but she quickly reacted, thanked the palace maid, got off the carriage, and quickly followed Li Qi's footsteps.
When Li Qi heard her following, she glanced at her sideways but did not ask what she had said to the palace maid.
Dong Mingrong nodded and lowered her brows. She was wearing the clothes of a palace maid, but no one recognized her. It might be because it was too early and there were few people on the palace road.
Li Qi went to the side palace that had been arranged in advance in the palace. Many palace maids were already waiting there, waiting for her to dress her up.
The leader of these palace servants was Aunt Zhao, who had brought Li Qi into the palace last time. She glanced at the palace maid following behind Li Qi and felt that she looked a little familiar.
But remembering what Eunuch Li Ke had told her, she kept silent.
She helped Li Qi sit in front of the bronze mirror and began to do her makeup. Aunt Zhao was very experienced and did her makeup quickly. Soon everything was ready, except for the queen to deliver the wedding dress.
Everyone in the room waited for about half a cup of tea before they heard the sound of chaotic footsteps and Zhang Wan's voice outside: "Everyone, retreat outside. No one is allowed to come in without my order."
Upon hearing this, Li Qi ordered Aunt Zhao, "You should also take them away."
Aunt Zhao agreed and led the way out. In the blink of an eye, the crowded crowd in the room cleared out, leaving only Li Qi.
At this time, Zhang Wan also came in with her wedding dress.
Zhang Wan closed the door and walked over to Li Qi. She slammed the tray containing the wedding dress onto the table in front of Li Qi and said coldly, "Where's the Phoenix Seal?"
"Your Majesty, why are you in such a hurry? Let me see which wedding dress you have chosen first."
Li Qi said this, stood up from the mirror, and picked up the wedding dress with her fingertips.
Zhang Wan chose a dress with peony flowers embroidered on the hem. The red color was almost fiery, and the peonies seemed to come alive, blooming on the hem of the skirt.
Faintly, I can still smell the fragrance of flowers.
Li Qi smiled and said, "I knew you would choose this one."
Zhang Wan looked at her strangely: "Where's the Phoenix Seal? You're not trying to deceive me, are you?"
"Why would I lie to you?" Li Qi shook out her wedding dress and said with a smile, "I never really thought of giving you the Phoenix Seal."
"What did you say?" Zhang Wan was startled at first, then alert. She wanted to retreat cautiously, but Li Qi grabbed her arm forcefully. She looked at Li Qi's sinister eyes, her heart beating extremely fast. She opened her mouth to call for help, but Li Qi took the lead and said, "Your Majesty, if you call for help, the fact that the Phoenix Seal is missing will be revealed."
Hearing this, Zhang Wan tried her best to calm herself down. This was the imperial palace and she was the queen. Even if she had ten times the courage, she would not dare to murder the queen.
Zhang Wan convinced herself and gradually calmed down. Then she gritted her teeth and whispered, "What do you want to do? Where is the Phoenix Seal?"
Li Qi released her hand, picked up the wedding dress, and walked around behind Zhang Wan. She said softly, "Your Majesty, do you know why you were asked to choose this wedding dress?"
Zhang Wan was stunned. Before she could say anything, she saw Li Qi suddenly pick up the vase in front of the mirror and smash it down from the sky.
Zhang Wan felt a headache and her vision went dark. In the blink of an eye, she lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.
Li Qi squatted down beside her, stretched out her slender jade fingers and gently slid across Zhang Wan's face, smiling and said: "Of course it's for you to wear, so I let you choose, silly queen."
Li Qi said, and called out to Qinglan outside: "Come and help me put on my wedding dress."
Qinglan and Dong Mingrong pushed the door open one after another. The latter closed the door before following up. Seeing Zhang Wan lying on the ground with blood flowing from her forehead, she gasped in shock: "Is she dead?"
Li Qi looked at Dong Mingrong's frightened pale face and shook her head to comfort her: "No, this is the harem, how could I kill her here? Time is running out, change your clothes quickly."
Qinglan obeyed the order and walked to the closet in the house and took out a bundle.
Inside was a wedding dress exactly the same as the one Zhang Wan brought, but the material was cheaper and it was a fake made by Li Qi with her own money.
Qinglan gave the fake one to Dong Mingrong: "You put it on first, I'll go and help the queen put it on." As she said that, she squatted on the ground, pulled Zhang Wan around, and put the wedding dress on her randomly.
Dong Mingrong took the wedding dress and changed behind the screen. Her vague figure was cast on the screen. Li Qi squatted on the ground and watched for a while, then stood up and walked over.
Dong Mingrong was tying her belt. Li Qi reached out and took hold of the two thin red straps. "Let me do it."
Dong Mingrong let go and looked at Li Qi with a smile.
Li Qi lowered her head and carefully tied the two thin ribbons into a beautiful bow. Then she raised her eyes to look at Dong Mingrong and asked slowly, "Are you scared? If you are discovered, you will die."
Dong Mingrong shook her head: "A little bit, but probably not as scared as when my elder sister took my brother and me to Qianzhou."
Li Qi chuckled and stroked Dong Mingrong's hair. "I've thought about getting you married before, dressing you in your wedding dress myself and watching you marry Li Ke, but I never had the chance. If Yunzhou is recovered, would you still be willing?"
Dong Mingrong was slightly stunned and didn't speak for a while.
She was no longer the unmarried Dong Mingrong, and Li Ke no longer belonged to Yunzhou. One of them was already a married woman, the other had been castrated, so there was always a grudge and distance between them.
She remained silent, and although she didn't give an answer, Li Qi already understood what she was thinking. Li Qi stepped aside and said to her gently, "Go ahead, put on your veil and hold on to your fan. Don't drop the fan."
If the round fan they used to cover their faces when getting married fell down, all their plans would be ruined.
Dong Mingrong picked up a round fan and covered her face, revealing only a pair of eyes to look at Li Qi: "If I leave, what will you do here? The Queen's people are waiting outside. If they don't see anyone, they won't give up."
Li Qi said: "Don't worry about me, just do what I told you."
Dong Mingrong hummed, "When the wedding procession reaches Hutou Mountain near Kyoto, I'll find an excuse to leave the procession and wait for my sister's signal."
Li Qi agreed, took her hand, and asked her to sit in front of the mirror and wait for the wedding procession.
Li Qi looked at Zhang Wan lying on the ground. Qinglan had already put on her wedding dress and cleaned up the blood on her forehead and the broken vase on the ground. The fiery red color of the wedding dress contrasted with her face, making her look rosy.
Li Qi glanced at Zhang Wan's changed clothes and asked Qinglan to put them on. While waiting for her to do so, Li Qi said, "Jiao Lan will come over later and deliberately start an argument with you, breaking a vase and cutting your face. Then you can use an excuse to cover your face, refuse to marry Mingrong, and return to Fushou Palace. Find a way to get away. I'll take Zhang Wan with me to Hutou Mountain to wait for you."
Qinglan had already put on her clothes and said worriedly, "But I've never been a master before, I'm afraid I can't act well..."
"Then you should find a way to let Jiao Lan take your place."
Qinglan nodded.
Everyone had a clear division of labor. Li Qi calculated the time, changed into low-key clothes, carried Zhang Wan on his shoulders, and went out through the back door.
There were two eunuchs waiting at the back door, pushing a bullock cart with a rinse water bucket. When they saw her coming, they hurried over to greet her, dragged Zhang Wan up, and stuffed her into a large bucket without rinse water.
Li Qi gave them two bags of silver and squatted into another big barrel. After covering the barrel lid, the ox cart began to move forward bumpily.
Along the way, Li Qi heard the sounds of people talking outside. They seemed to be very busy with today's marriage. Even the guards at the corner gate were perfunctory about checking the manure buckets, as if they were busy doing other more important things.
Li Qi took Zhang Wan out of the palace smoothly.
The sewage cart arrived at a dark alley outside the palace. The two eunuchs looked around and made sure no one was around before carefully knocking on the bucket where Li Qi was. "County Lady, we're here."
After saying this, he removed the lid of the bucket and Li Qi climbed out. She waited for a while, and Ye Shu rushed over in a carriage. After stopping beside her, he got out and dragged the still unconscious Zhang Wan into the carriage. After he was done, he said, "On the way here just now, we were stuck in traffic by the Nanyan wedding procession, so we were delayed for a while."
Li Qi said: "It doesn't matter, let's go."
Li Qi jumped onto the carriage, inside of which was a long, shiny sword. The scabbard had a snake-shaped pattern on it, which was intricate and beautiful, but felt cool to the touch.
The carriage rushed out at high speed.
Wuhu Mountain is nearly fifty miles away from Kyoto, and it takes half a day for a carriage to arrive there.
Li Qi and Ye Shu took turns driving the horses. When Li Qi took the third turn, Zhang Wan woke up.
Zhang Wan felt as if she was thrown into a blender, tossing and turning. Her chest and stomach felt so nauseous that she couldn't help but vomit acid all over the floor with a "wow" sound.
Her throat felt hot and uncomfortable, and her stomach felt like it was churning. She opened her eyes in pain, but she was not fully awake. She reached for the handkerchief in her sleeve in a daze, but found nothing.
Zhang Wan fumbled around but couldn't find the familiar handkerchief. She finally came to her senses and lowered her head to look in her sleeves. The fiery red color made her eyes feel uncomfortable. She suddenly realized that this was not her clothes at all!
Zhang Wan looked up nervously and saw Li Qi, dressed like a man in a black shorts and with her long black hair tied up high. She was looking at her with a smile. "Finally awake? It's much later than I thought."
When Zhang Wan heard her voice, she felt a headache, a real headache. She touched her forehead and remembered the time when Li Qi hit her with a vase.
Zhang Wan asked fiercely, "What are you doing? Why am I dressed like this?"
As she spoke, Zhang Wan reached out to lift the carriage curtain. She saw the carriage speeding along a secluded road, with the trees on both sides of the road rapidly receding. She had never seen such a scene before, and she was so frightened that she suddenly dropped the curtain and pounced on Li Qi, trying to strangle her: "Where did you take me?"
Li Qi quickly drew out his sword.
call out--
Li Qi drew his sword from its sheath, pointing the sharp blade at Zhang Wan's neck. "If you dare take a step forward, I will kill you right now," he warned.
Zhang Wan froze in place. After a while, she seemed to calm down, slowly sat back down, and said tearfully, "You have to let me die knowingly."
After all, Zhang Wan was a man in his forties or fifties, and had held a high position for many years, so he quickly and calmly accepted this fact.
The carriage was running in a place she didn't know. Li Qi, who was supposed to be the bridegroom, was right beside her, but she was wearing the wedding dress that should have belonged to Li Qi.
Is there anything else you don’t understand?
Zhang Wan knew that she couldn't escape this time, and the best outcome might be to have an intact body.
Emperor Liang would not come to save her. Ever since that bitch Jiao Lan deliberately had a miscarriage, her incompetent husband had been extremely disappointed in her. During an argument, he even said he wanted to depose her.
When Zhang Wan was initially targeted by Jiao Lan, she did not notice anything unusual and just thought that Jiao Lan was being arrogant because of her favor. After all, there were many women like her in the harem.
It was not until Jiao Lan's methods became increasingly cruel, threatening her position as queen, that Zhang Wan reacted. But by then it was too late, as Li Qi's evil claws had already reached the palace.
Zhang Wan thought that as long as she could be patient, everything would be settled after Li Qi got married to the distant Southern Yan.
But she never imagined that Li Qi was so bold as to kidnap her directly in the harem.
The more Zhang Wan thought about it, the angrier she became, but also the sadder she felt. The heat in her eyes piled up layer by layer. Just as she was about to cry, she suddenly heard Li Qi say, "What you experienced today is what you deserve. When Mingrong first entered the palace, you killed her two children."
Zhang Wan was stunned, and memories that had long been forgotten in her depths suddenly emerged.
But she did it very secretly.
Zhang Wan looked up in disbelief: "How did you know?"
"Have you forgotten that you once had a maid named Shengxiang? She was sent to you by Zhang Zhouzhu."
Zhang Wan's brain shuddered.
Li Qi continued, "Many years ago, she followed Mingrong to Qianzhou and was sent to me by Mingrong. I think you wanted to do something to Shengxiang, and Mingrong knew that you couldn't protect Shengxiang, so you sent her away.
"The first day Shengxiang came to my side, she told me that Mingrong had two children who died at your hands. She didn't say how you and Mingrong got along, but later when I came to the capital, I saw it with my own eyes. Zhang Wan, you have done so much evil, you will not die a good death."
Zhang Wan's breathing quickened as she thought about the past.
She was unwilling to accept this and roared, "What have I done wrong? It was Zhang Zhouzhu who destroyed my family. I lost two children and my husband. Zhang Zhouzhu forced me into the palace. Everyone is staring at me, wishing they could kill me so they can take my place. I only have your Majesty to rely on."
"Dong Mingrong is so favored. If I really let her give birth to those two children, will there be any place for me to survive in the palace? I just want to live. If I am pulled down from the position of empress and lose my value, Zhang Zhouzhu will kill me."
Li Qi held the sword and looked down at Zhang Wan coldly.
Zhang Wan was crying like a pear blossom in the rain, with tears and sobs streaming down her face, but Li Qi was not moved at all.
However, this was also the first time she saw Zhang Wan like this.
Her face was a mess, her hair was disheveled, and she was shaking all over. She didn't have the demeanor of a mother of a country at all. Zhang Wan cried and reached out to grab Li Qi's clothes: "Please let me go, let me go. What's wrong with wanting to live? Don't you feel pity for me?"
Li Qi grabbed the hem of her clothes and pulled it to the side.
Zhang Wan's hand fell empty. She looked at her hand stiff in mid-air and choked up, looking up at Li Qi with tearful eyes.
Li Qi said coldly, "You've got the wrong person. I'm a villain everyone hates. How can a villain have pity on others? If I remember correctly, the first place where this rumor spread was Fushou Palace."
Zhang Wan froze again.
She didn't expect that Li Qi knew everything she had done. She knew everything but never said anything. She just waited for the last moment to give her a heavy blow.
In order to make Dong Mingrong fall out of favor, Zhang Wan started with Li Qi, slandering her as a vicious witch and a villain who had done evil with Zhang Zhouzhu. Since Dong Mingrong was close to such a person, she could naturally make more trouble for him.
The rumors fermented over time and never stopped.
Li Qi still bears those inexplicable insults.
Li Qi said, "I understand your desire to live, because I've had moments like yours. I always felt that I had to survive no matter what, even if it meant sacrificing everything I held most precious. You grew up under a golden roof, while I was born in a straw hut. I've experienced the hardship of not having enough to eat, but you haven't. I've also experienced the hardship of having my life manipulated and exploited like you have.
"I'm like this myself, how could I possibly pity you, someone who is far more valuable than me?"
After she said this, Zhang Wan began to tremble and could no longer speak.
After a long silence, Zhang Wan choked up and whispered, "But why did you..." He was able to come this far and survive, but she couldn't.
Li Qi knew what she wanted to say and answered without hesitation: "Because I am not like you. I have never pinned my hopes on others, nor have I constantly harmed others to survive."
Zhang Wan seemed to understand what Li Qi said and suddenly stopped talking. She was extremely silent, like a dead tree.
Ever since her family was broken up by Zhang Zhouzhu, she has never had a peaceful day. She lives in fear every day and is exhausted trying to survive.
In the past, Emperor Liang had some sympathy for her, but now he has lost all his affection for her. She has no relatives in this world, and the only one, Zhang Zhouzhu, hates her to the core.
In fact, I have lived enough, and now I feel relieved.
The carriage was silent. It was jolting to a sudden halt. Ye Shu lifted the curtain and looked over and said, "County Lady, we've arrived at Hutou Mountain."
Hutou Mountain, upon hearing this name, Zhang Wan realized that this place was dozens of miles away from Kyoto.
Li Qi jumped off the carriage and looked back at Zhang Wan: "Get down."
Zhang Wan slowly got off the carriage.
After she came down, Yeshu untied the horses from the carriage and led them deep into the woods. He came back and said, "Now we just have to wait for Qinglan and Li Fei to arrive. It's noon now, so they'll probably pass by here in the evening. County Lady, please have some dry food first."
He took out a pack of scallion pancakes. There were a few green dots on the yellow pancakes, and the paper package was soaked in a thin layer of oil. Yeshu carefully wrapped that part with a handkerchief and handed it to Li Qi.
Li Qi took it and took a bite. The pancake was cold and a little hard to chew, but the fragrance of scallion oil still spread across her lips and teeth.
At this time, Ye Shu handed over another water bag.
Li Qi took it and took a sip, then saw Zhang Wan looking at the two of them and swallowing.
Li Qi pondered for a while. She had experienced hunger before, and it was a very uncomfortable feeling. She didn't plan to let Zhang Wan live until tomorrow, but at least she shouldn't let her starve to death. This was Li Qi's bottom line.
She took out a scallion pancake from the paper bag and handed it to Zhang Wan.
Zhang Wan was stunned for a moment, then raised her neck proudly and turned her head to the other side.
"Now you still care about your status as queen, but you starve to death and you can't blame me for being unkind," Li Qi said, taking back the scallion pancake and taking a bite.
Zhang Wan snorted and said nothing.
As the mother of the country, she would never eat such food even if she starved to death.
Li Qi and Ye Shu filled their stomachs and waited for a few more hours. Finally, when the sun was setting in the west, bursts of noisy sounds were heard in the distance on the narrow official road.
Judging from the large number of people, it should be the wedding procession.
Li Qi immediately grabbed Zhang Wan, put one of the woven grass rings on Zhang Wan, wore the other one herself, and hid deep in the dense forest.
Ye Shu grabbed a random branch and put it next to his head, then followed the two of them.
The three of them squatted together in the bushes, looking at the woods in the distance. They couldn't see the road from here, and they wanted to see Dong Mingrong who was looking for an opportunity to come down.
Worried that Zhang Wan would open her mouth to cry for help, Li Qi grabbed a handful of grass balls and stuffed them into her mouth, then stared intently outside.
After waiting for a while, the noisy sound came closer and stopped with the sound of several people talking.
Li Qi knew that Dong Mingrong was coming.
Li Qi's heart beat faster and she stared at the green trees in front of her. After a while, a hurried and messy sound of footsteps approached. Dong Mingrong had thrown away her round fan and was running towards this side with her red wedding dress in her hands. She was surrounded by Qinglan and several other people who looked like people from Southern Yan.
Li Qi quickly stood up and waved to Dong Mingrong.
Dong Mingrong walked over quickly, removing the hairpins and step-shake ornaments from her hair, panting as she spoke, "Everything is ready. Shan Min and Lord Feng's men killed many of the wedding procession troops and took their places in disguise. They have about a thousand men, and we have about five hundred. Can we defeat them?"
Li Qi nodded and said, "I'll take care of everything, don't worry about it." As she said that, she took Dong Mingrong's hand and pulled her in front of Zhang Wan.
When Dong Mingrong saw Zhang Wan's face, his whole body stiffened and his nails uncontrollably dug deep into his flesh.
Every time she woke up in her dreams at midnight, the face she hated the most was this one.
Zhang Wan's breath also stagnated, and her body swayed and she almost couldn't stand. She looked at Dong Mingrong in disbelief: "You, are not dead?"
Dong Mingrong gritted his teeth and said, "If I die like this, wouldn't that be what you want?"
Zhang Wan realized the truth at that moment. She exclaimed, "You don't want to stay in the palace, so let Li Qi pretend to kill you? Send you out of the palace?"
Zhang Wan hated herself for not thinking of this way to escape from the cage. But she wanted to live so badly. How could someone who only wanted to live think of escaping by killing herself?
She thought she had guessed the essence of the matter, but she heard Dong Mingrong say coldly: "You are only half right. I will not take such a risk just because of personal feelings."
Zhang Wan didn't believe it: "What's that for?"
"To reclaim Yunzhou and have a warm home to return to."
Dong Mingrong said, pulling the sword from Li Qi's hand: "Do you know why my sister didn't kill you immediately?"
When Zhang Wan saw her walking towards him with a sword in her hand, what was there not to understand?
The one who had grudges against him was always Dong Mingrong, not Li Qi, so the person who took action could only be Dong Mingrong.
Zhang Wan took a small step back. At the same time, Dong Mingrong raised his sword and stabbed it into her chest. "My two daughters were only a little over a year old, and you cruelly drowned them. I've wanted to do this for a long time."
Zhang Wan's eyes widened, and before she died, the faces of her two children and their father appeared in her mind.
It was as if at this moment before her death she realized that she was also a mother. When she lost them, she was so sad that her heart felt like it was hollowed out. But when did she start to forget this fact, to the point where she could be so cruel as to attack other children?
She no longer remembers.
boom.
Zhang Wan fell to the ground, twitched twice, and then lost consciousness.
Dong Mingrong took a deep breath and quickly recovered from the murder. She returned the sword to Li Qi, who said, "Go hide in the carriage."
Dong Mingrong nodded. Li Qi, holding his sword and covering his face, led Yeshu, Qinglan, and the Southern Yan soldiers who had just followed Dong Mingrong and rushed back.
Several people used their lightness skills to fly up and descend from the sky. They raised their knives and slashed the throats of those people, and blood splattered.
The long wedding procession suddenly became chaotic, the maids fled in all directions, the soldiers drew their swords to fight, and the wide official road was filled with the sound of fighting.
Amidst the flashing of swords and the shadow of sabers, the muddy yellow road surface was gradually stained red with blood.
The fight lasted only for more than an hour before it died down quietly.
Li Qi wiped the blood off her face, looked at the bodies scattered on the road, and smiled: "I won."
Qinglan came forward and looked at her arm: "County Lady, you are injured."
"It's okay,"
Li Qi looked at her own people; only thirty or forty remained. But she knew that without sacrifice, there would be no Yunzhou. She instructed Ye Shu, "Find the sacrificed and send them home for burial."
As she spoke, she mounted the remaining horses in the wedding procession and rode back to the city alone.
-
As night fell, the capital city fell into a deep sleepy silence. Li Qi hurried back to the palace before the palace gates were locked.
She saw a faint candlelight in the Yongshou Palace from afar. At this time, the news of the annihilation of the wedding party had not spread, and both Kyoto and Nanyan were at peace.
Li Ke was standing outside the palace. When he saw Li Qi approaching, he lowered his head and went forward, saying in a low voice, "Is everything going well?" He glanced at the wound on her arm and said, "I'll go find a doctor for the county lady."
Li Qi hummed, then continued, "Send a message to Lin Che, asking him to prepare to lead his troops to surround the palace."
"yes."
Li Ke ordered someone to call the imperial physician, then opened the door for Li Qi and watched her enter the hall before closing the door.
Inside the palace, Emperor Liang had already fallen asleep, but the eunuch on night watch sensed Li Qi's arrival and hurriedly got up to shake Emperor Liang awake: "Your Majesty, the county lady is here."
"No," Emperor Liang thought it was another concubine who came to ask for an audience, and he felt irritated. But suddenly his mind was awakened, and he jumped up: "Who are you talking about? The county lady? Didn't she go to marry a foreign prince?"
He didn't have the composure of an emperor. Li Qi shook her head and took a few steps forward. As they got closer, Emperor Liang saw the blood on her face and the wound on her arm. He was startled. "County Princess?"
It was actually her!
So who was the one going to marry today? He saw it with his own eyes. She was wearing a mask and holding a round fan, and she joined the wedding procession right under his nose.
Li Qi ignored him and said to the eunuch on night watch, "Go down."
The young eunuch walked out with his back bent, closing the door behind him.
Li Qi walked to the front of Emperor Liang's dragon bed, her expression cold and indifferent, no longer smiling as she used to. "You want to depose the queen, right? I've already done it."
Emperor Liang looked at her at the moment, with a strong smell of blood in his nostrils. He felt dizzy and a chill ran up his spine. At this moment, he was smarter than ever before, and felt that the deposed queen she mentioned was not the same as the deposed queen he mentioned.
Li Qi looked at the dragon throne next to him, walked forward and sat on it directly.
Emperor Liang was startled, feeling that his authority was challenged. He stood up and hurried to Li Qi, pointing at her and angrily said, "What are you doing?"
! This is an insubordination! "
Li Qi didn't even glance at him, just casually flipping through the memorials on the table in front of him. "You should first figure out who's in charge and who's in charge. You've never seen these memorials before, and it's always Li Ke who's reviewing them for you. So, what's the point of you sitting on this throne?"
Emperor Liang didn't quite understand. "Didn't you say before that I was being open-minded when I did this? If you don't want to be tired, then leave it to others and just live your life well."
How come it has changed so much now?
Emperor Liang couldn't understand how she could have changed so much in such a short time, as if she had become a completely different person. He was so confused that he asked the question.
Li Qi paused as she flipped through the memorials upon hearing his question, then raised her cold eyes to look at him. "You're right. I was a different person before, but the one sitting before you now is the real me. Emperor Liang, you now have two choices. First, you can remain a puppet emperor and everything will continue as usual, but you must obey me in everything."
"Secondly, you and the Queen both died a violent death, and the court was taken over by someone who held military power."
Emperor Liang was stunned.
"What did you say?" He thought he had misheard. How could Li Qi be so bold as to say this to him?
Li Qi repeated it patiently.
Emperor Liang was sure he had heard correctly. He coughed a few times, his face turning pale with anger, and rushed forward: "Are you trying to usurp the throne? You're a woman, don't even think about it!"
Emperor Liang swept the memorials on the table to the ground and stared at Li Qi fiercely.
Li Qi looked at the messy memorials on the floor, was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "As expected, confident people always feel that others are coveting their things. I don't want to waste time talking to you, just make your choice."
Emperor Liang snorted, hoping to use his dragon power to intimidate her, and then shouted outside the palace: "Get in here and drag the county lady out!"
But after he finished speaking, no one came in for a long time.
Emperor Liang was confused by the scene and was about to go out to check the situation. Suddenly, he felt a cold sensation on his neck.
He lowered his head and saw a sharp dagger across his neck. The dagger was shaped like a twisted snake, flashing with cold reflections, which was very terrifying.
Before he could react, he heard a chaotic voice outside: "There's an assassin in Fushou Palace! There's an assassin! The Empress has unfortunately... passed away!"
When Emperor Liang heard the news, he felt a sudden pain in his chest and was so suffocated that he couldn't breathe.
"Urgent news! The marriage party encountered bandits at Hutou Mountain. The county lady's dowry and Nanyan's betrothal gifts were all robbed. No one in the entire party survived! Even the county lady..."
"What should we do? This happened in Daliang. If Southern Yan were to question us, we'd probably have to go to war!"
"Your Majesty, please see Your Majesty..."
It seemed like many court officials had come outside, all asking for an audience, but they were stopped by Li Ke: "His Majesty has already fallen asleep. Let's talk about it tomorrow, let's talk about it tomorrow..."
Emperor Liang opened his mouth to shout, but Li Qi stopped him, saying, "If you don't behave, I'll kill you and shut you up forever."
If she could keep him alive, Li Qi would still keep him. At this juncture, if something happened to the leader of a country, it would only cause her unnecessary trouble.
Emperor Liang finally understood that Li Qi was serious.
But he also couldn't figure out how Li Qi had gained access to the power around him.
He trembled and said, "What do you want me to do?"
"Appoint me as queen, send troops to Southern Yan, and recapture Yunzhou. I know no one will support the war now, so I will personally lead the troops into battle in the name of the mother of a nation."
Li Qi said, taking out the Phoenix Seal: "It's in my hand."
Emperor Liang sighed deeply. With the knife at his neck, how could he disagree?
He said, "Of course you can, but you have to agree to one request of mine."
"put."
"Leave the harem to me...
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