Chapter 539: The king is cruel, wine pool and meat forest!
Is he going to be forced to reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors?
Li Qingluo and Jinhua quickly exchanged glances.
Unexpectedly, before they could even make a move tonight, Zongzheng Wuxie was sent out of the palace.
Jin Hua frowned deeply.
Such a mild punishment was certainly not enough for her.
All she ever wanted was Zongzheng Wuxie's dog life.
Li Qingluo gave Jinhua a few deep looks.
I wanted to calm her down.
Who says that to frame someone, they have to be present in person?
The alibi framed him, making it even more difficult for him to defend himself.
Although this incident occurred at the Empress's birthday banquet, it greatly displeased the Empress.
However, the Crown Prince's faction was secretly delighted to see the Fourth Prince being punished and scolded.
The Empress gently stepped forward and offered a few words of advice to the Emperor of Chu.
Although the Chu emperor was cruel, he was always relatively respectful and kind to his principal wife.
Therefore, even though the crown prince was mediocre and inferior to the other princes in both literature and martial arts, he still made his legitimate son the head of the Eastern Palace.
This is also what the other princes resented the most.
However, there are also many old ministers in the court who support the legitimate heir and uphold orthodoxy, which is why two very powerful factions have formed. They are almost making a scene in the open, and the Chu Emperor is turning a blind eye to it.
Li Qingluo: "This emperor wants to use the fourth prince as a practice subject for the crown prince."
"However, the Crown Prince repeatedly disappointed him."
"If this fight continues, it will be difficult to determine a winner."
"It all depends on how we give them a push."
Li Qinglu dipped her finger in the wine and drew two circles on the table.
He spoke softly, in a voice only he and the sparrow could hear, and drew an arrow that pierced through the two circles.
As Zongzheng Wuxie led his men away in a disheveled state, the maid beside him, who had been keeping her eyes straight ahead, suddenly turned her gaze to Li Qingluo.
A hint of surprise seemed to flash in her eyes.
Li Qinglu frowned deeply. After they had gone far away, she instructed Que'er: "Have Sha San personally investigate what kind of background this maid has."
She suspected it was someone from Yun Gu.
But as Jin Hua said, not many people in Miao territory have actually seen what Li Qingluo looks like.
Those I've seen are all dead.
So there must be a reason why the maid stared at him so intently.
The twelve dancers in the hall were still dancing gracefully.
The Chu emperor, who was sitting or lying down, was becoming increasingly impatient.
These dances and these fine wines are all too mediocre and utterly unoriginal.
He has already shown the Empress a great deal of respect by watching patiently for so long.
So, when a dancer made a seemingly insignificant mistake, he suddenly flew into a rage and smashed the wine cup in his hand heavily at her!
"Drag him away!"
The dancer, with blood still flowing from her head, was gagged and dragged away.
The outcome was predictable.
The rest of the dancers knelt on the ground, trembling.
A wicked smile appeared on the face of the Chu Emperor.
What's so interesting about these ordinary programs?
"My esteemed subjects, would you like to see something new?"
No one in the hall dared to respond.
They all lowered their eyebrows, their faces filled with fear.
The Emperor of Chu snorted coldly and looked at the Empress: "Are you going to spoil my fun too?"
The Empress was always understanding and never disobeyed the Emperor: "Today, everything is arranged by Your Majesty, which is my blessing."
Emperor Chu waved his hand, and Eunuch Ji beside him rose and announced: "Prepare the carriage for the Snow-Treading Terrace—"
The Chu Emperor rose first, lifted his robes, and strode out of the main hall.
The audience erupted in uproar.
Some people looked horrified and terrified.
"What do we do? It's the snow-treading platform again!"
“Quite a few people died there last time, I don’t want to go.”
"Mother, I'm scared..."
It seems that this Snow-Treading Platform is really not a good place.
Even though everyone was reluctant and afraid, who would dare not go?
Li Qingluo: "I had heard of the cruelty of the Chu Emperor before, but seeing him today, I realize that the rumors are not even eight or nine tenths of the truth."
Looking up at the entire Great Chu Dynasty again, she couldn't help but shake her head.
The Great Chu was never as strong and prosperous as the Great Liang, and in recent years, it has been corrupted by such a mad emperor for so long.
Instead of thinking about how to revitalize the court and bring benefits to the people and the country, all the officials in the court were involved in factions vying for the throne.
The prophecy of the Yin-Yang Master during the reign of Emperor Taizu was regarded as a get-out-of-jail-free card by the entire Zongzheng clan.
It seems that no matter how much a dynasty stirs up trouble and destroys its foundations, there will always come a day when a monarch will unify the world.
It's truly laughable.
She believed that the Great Chu was not far from being destroyed.
Li Qingluo followed the crowd into the Imperial Garden.
A palace maid hurriedly came to her side: "Madam Nangong, the Seventh Princess requests your presence."
The people around her immediately turned their gazes toward her.
Several noble ladies from various families were present at the Huaxie Restaurant that day, so the truth had already spread.
Princess Changning is currently confined to her home and not allowed to go out, so she did not even attend the palace banquet tonight.
So, does that mean Lady Nangong is the Seventh Princess's savior?
Now that her husband has become a new favorite in His Highness's court, even if she becomes a divorced woman in the future, this woman is still quite remarkable.
For a businesswoman to reach this point, this is the limit of her life.
Amidst the curious gazes of the crowd, Li Qingluo followed the palace maid through the throng and walked straight to the front.
The Seventh Princess, dressed in a magnificent and luxurious outfit, nodded slightly upon seeing her.
Li Qingluo quickly greeted him.
Seventh Princess: "No need for formalities, please rise."
"You will stay by my side tonight, and I will ensure your safety."
Li Qingluo: "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Highness."
She never expected that the seventh princess would reach out to her tonight.
However, there was one thing that Li Qingluo was somewhat worried about.
Although Jinhua wore a veil when she went to the Flower Pavilion Restaurant to rescue the Seventh Princess that day, it would have been a troublesome matter if the Seventh Princess recognized her.
The so-called Snow-Treading Terrace is a place where, after passing through a bamboo forest and walking along a wet stone path, a scene of wine, meat, and debauchery suddenly opens up before your eyes.
Even at night, the lights here are as bright as day, illuminating the place thoroughly.
The Chu Emperor was already lying on the main platform, holding a wine cup in one hand and supporting his head with the other. He finally smiled as he watched countless beauties dancing gracefully in the wine pool.
"good!"
"Rewards, everyone will be rewarded!"
The women in each household changed their expressions upon seeing this scene.
The beauties were all scantily clad and danced seductively.
That would be fine, as each of the low tables had a beautiful woman kneeling beside it.
She wore a sheer, transparent veil, through which various colored bodices were clearly visible.
Today's palace banquet, in addition to the various members of the royal family and officials of high status, also includes many officials' wives like Li Qingluo.
The list of them was drawn up by the Imperial Household Department, and the invitations were personally sent from the palace to each household.
Therefore, each of them was a woman who had received extremely strict etiquette training from a young age.
They had never seen such a scene before.
Despite the undignified scene, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and take their seats.
The young woman began to sob softly, feeling wronged.
The woman next to her quickly covered her mouth with one hand.
"Don't drag your whole family into this!"
However, the Chu Emperor soon learned of this matter.
"Oh? Someone has something to say about my Snow-Treading Terrace?"
"With beautiful women serving you, fine wine and delicious food, and such a beautiful view to admire, are you dissatisfied with tonight's palace banquet, or with me?"
"Bring the person up here so I can see for myself who dares to have such audacity!"
In the blink of an eye, the woman was dragged up.
"What a beautiful head."
"Tsk, what a pity it has a mouth."
"Guards, cut off her mouth."
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