Yuying replied, "The palace servant who came back only said that Mr. Yan's new disciple had been found, but after asking around, no one knew who it was. Mr. Yan was too tight-lipped, so we probably won't know until the day the academy announces the results."
Empress Jiahe's heart felt like it was being burned on fire.
She hadn't gotten a good night's sleep recently because she was worried about her son's admission to the academy.
But the die is cast.
She took a few deep breaths, suppressed all the anger and jealousy in her heart, took a sip of tea, and when she looked up again, her gaze became as gentle and calm as when she was in front of others.
She said softly to Yuying, "On the day the results are announced, send someone to wait under the list to see who Mr. Yan's new disciple is this year. No matter who it is—"
"I must send him the first gift before everyone else."
Even though she resented that man's appearance and blocking her son's path, she must not send such a capable and wise man to a hostile position. Even if she could not use him for her own benefit, she still had to maintain a good relationship with him.
Yuying nodded, keeping the Queen's instructions in mind, and said, "Your Majesty, what kind of gift should we prepare?"
Empress Jiahe thought about it carefully and said, "Give the set of Shoushan stone cloud pattern pen holder ornaments to that student."
Yuying hesitated a little, "But didn't the young prince ask for the pen holder?"
It happened that the seventeenth prince came back at this time. When he heard that Empress Jiahe was going to give away the Shoushan stone pen holder he had set his eyes on earlier, his face immediately fell and he shouted in dissatisfaction, "Mother, you said you would give it to me!"
Empress Jiahe turned to him with a tired face, frowned, and said unhappily: "Mr. Yan has already chosen a new disciple. Since it is destined not to be you, why not buy that person over to our side as soon as possible."
"But that pen holder..." The Seventeenth Prince's eyes were full of disappointment, "There is only one in the world."
Empress Jiahe also wanted to keep the pen holder made of fine jade, but it was precisely because this pen holder was so precious that it showed her importance and care for that student.
Fearing that Xiao Shiqi attached too much importance to these material things, she taught him: "If you can succeed to the throne in the future, you can have whatever you want."
"If you can get the help of wise men, what's a pen holder? It's just a tool to win people's hearts."
"Even if you have a woman you like in the future, you should be willing to let her go when the time comes."
The seventeenth prince lowered his eyes sadly, as if he had given up his obsession with the pen holder.
Seeing him so dejected, Empress Jiahe rubbed his head and said earnestly, "If you can't bear the little things, you will ruin the big plans. Just be patient for now and listen to your mother, you won't be wrong."
…
Wait until the day when the results are announced.
Empress Jiahe arranged for the palace maid who was going to deliver gifts to Mr. Yan's disciple to return to Jinxiu Palace.
He looked as bitter as if someone had stuffed a mouthful of bitter almonds.
April was springtime, and the trees were full of green. Empress Jiahe and Little Seventeen were enjoying the flowers and greenery in the courtyard. They were in a good mood. When they saw the palace servant coming, they looked up at him and asked, "Have you sent out the gift?"
The palace maid said tremblingly, "It has been sent out as ordered by the Majesty."
Empress Jiahe looked at his timid appearance and wondered in her heart, frowning and asking, "Why do you look so unhappy after sending him away? Who is the new disciple that Mr. Yan accepted this year?"
When the palace servant heard Empress Jiahe ask this, she shuddered and stammered, "It's the Ninth Prince."
Queen Jiahe was stunned.
I thought I heard it wrong, so I asked again, "Who is it?"
"My lady, it's the Ninth Prince, Rong Ting..."
After the palace maid finished speaking, she knelt down with a plop.
He originally thought this was a good job, but after seeing the name of the top candidate after the results were announced, he realized that he had taken a job that would get him beheaded.
Queen Jiahe heard it clearly this time.
But I couldn't believe it in my heart, so I shook my head and said, "Impossible."
"It really is the Ninth Prince Rong Ting." The palace servant said tremblingly, "The whole of Jinling is discussing this matter. After all, the Ninth Prince is the first among the princes to be accepted as a disciple by Mr. Yan. This servant will not be wrong."
Empress Jiahe's eyes were blank for a long time.
The light slowly condensed, and his eyes were no longer as bright as before. In his cloudy eyes, there was confusion and disbelief.
When he spoke again, his voice was hoarse and unpleasant, as if his throat had been torn apart.
"What's going on? How could he have the chance to meet Yan Nanxun? How is it possible?"
She completely collapsed, "You... sent the pen holder over?"
The palace servant knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, "The Queen has repeatedly instructed me to be the first to deliver the gift before anyone else, no matter who it is. There must not be any mistakes. I dare not act on my own!"
Little Seventeen cried out, his voice tinged with anxious tears, "Mother, that's my pen holder, how could I give it to that cripple!"
Empress Jiahe pressed her chest, completely unable to withstand the successive blows.
There was a fishy smell in my throat.
It's a pity that she was so complacent because Rong Ting overslept and couldn't take the exam!
Little did she know that he had already reached the point where she desperately wanted to
The position where Xiao Shiqi was lifted up.
And she hurried over to give him a gift! Ask Xiao Shiqi to be patient!
What happened today might shorten her life by ten years.
…
Just when Empress Jiahe was getting extremely anxious and looking for someone to investigate how Rong Ting had won the favor of Yan Nanxun.
Before the people she sent out returned, she received the reward from Emperor Zhaowu.
——The upper one uses palace silk of 190 meters, and the upper one uses spring silk of 190 meters.
They are: plain blue and crimson white.
Emperor Zhaowu saw that Empress Jiahe did not like to show off in her daily life. Except for formal occasions, she always wore light makeup and simple clothes. She claimed that she liked these plain colors and simplicity.
So he catered to her preferences and specially asked the Shangyijian to pick out the plainest colors to reward her and reward her for her good teaching.
Let’s not talk about these plain-colored materials that Empress Jiahe didn’t really like, and how upset she would feel when she saw them.
These materials did not suit her skin tone at all and made her look five years older, but she pretended to be happy to put them on in order to please Emperor Zhaowu.
Just that one sentence is good
It made her feel like she was being ridiculed. She vomited blood in her heart, and her chest felt blocked and stuffy, and she couldn't breathe.
…
The only consolation in my heart now is that Rong Ting’s two legs are indeed disabled.
Even though Emperor Zhaowu now attaches more and more importance to this child, he will not choose him to inherit the throne.
In the future, Rong Ting would at most be a prince with greater power and would not pose a threat to Xiao Shiqi's ascension to the throne.
She was just worried that Rong Ting would rebel after Xiao Shiqi ascended the throne.
…
The moon is full and the wind is low. On a spring night, the wind blows and brings with it the chill of late winter.
Si Ying woke up halfway through his sleep, looked at Huai Qing who was sleeping soundly beside him, tried calling him a few times, but seeing that he didn't wake up, he tiptoed out of bed.
Walking forward, he met a palace maid on a small road not far from Jinxiu Palace.
The palace maid was Yuying, who was now being favored by Empress Jiahe.
Yuying handed Si Ying a powder bag, and in the chilly spring breeze of the cold night, she said to Si Ying: "Put it in His Highness the Ninth Prince's breakfast tomorrow."
"Since you were able to successfully drug me last time, you will surely be able to succeed this time as well."
Si Ying weighed the small medicine bag that could be held in one hand and asked, "What kind of medicine is this?"
"Why are you asking so many questions?" Yu Ying said impatiently, "You just need to know that if you accomplish this, the Queen will transfer you out of Shouhuai Palace and into the palace of the Seventeenth Prince. In the future, the position of the chief eunuch in the Seventeenth Prince's palace will be yours."
Si Ying's face showed some
"I know it, slave."
…
At mealtime on the second day.
Si Ying did the same thing as last time and put medicine in Rong Ting's breakfast, on the edge of the bowl, and on the tips of his chopsticks.
Then, wait on the side.
His slightly wavering eyes betrayed his nervousness.
Rong Ting picked up the chopsticks.
Just like last time, there was a slight pause.
The chef should wait for him to do as he did last time, pause for a moment, and then put the food into the bowl.
But I didn't expect Rong Ting to be different this time.
His fingers moved, and the two chopsticks rotated a circle between his slender fingers. With a "pop", he slammed the chopsticks on the table.
The sound of wood hitting wood sounded crisp in this empty room.
Si Ying's heart also made a "pa" sound as if it fell from a great height, and his eyes were fixed on Rong Ting.
I was afraid he might notice something.
Rong Ting narrowed his eyes and said, "Today's porridge smells a little off."
Si Ying's face changed, he hurried forward, leaned over and sniffed, and said, "I don't smell anything."
"Maybe I'm mistaken."
Si Ying then breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally managed to fool it.
Just as he raised his head slightly, an extremely fierce force pressed down on the back of his head, smashing his head directly into the porridge bowl.
The porridge bowl overturned.
Si Ying's mouth and eyelids were all covered with porridge. Like a fish with its head pinched, pressed on the chopping board, unable to turn over.
My eyelids were so burned that I couldn't open them, and my whole face was trembling.
A deep and hoarse voice, like a ghost from the underworld demanding his life, sounded from above his head, "I was indeed mistaken. The poison given by the Queen should be odorless and colorless. How could I smell something strange?"
Rong Ting pulled Si Ying's hair on the back of his head and pulled him up. He pinched his chin tightly with one hand and pressed his cheeks with his fingers to force him to open his mouth. He slowly fed him the dishes on the table one by one and pressed his acupuncture points, causing the little eunuch's eyelids to open wide in panic. However, he had no choice but to swallow the poisoned food.
Rong Ting loosened his hand, and with a look of disgust on his face, he wiped his own fingers with a hemp towel.
There were red finger marks on the little eunuch's face, one after another.
He dug his throat hard, trying to spit out all the poison.
But it was too late.
His face gradually turned red due to the effects of the poison, and his limbs began to cramp. He was shaking on the ground, looking at Rong Ting, the Shura who wanted to take his life. There was no expression on his face, and he was as cold as a piece of ice.
Welcoming the little eunuch
After looking at him with hatred and fear, he raised his eyebrows, slightly opened his thin lips, and looked at him coldly, "You poisoned yourself and took your own life. How do you feel?"
Last time he deliberately fell into the trap and pretended to take a dinner laced with a drug, he knew there would be a next time. Sure enough, the wait came again.
Si Ying was in so much pain that he couldn't utter a word.
"Today is destined to be the day you die." Rong Tinghuan stood there, slowly and carefully wiping his fingers.
The fairy-like face, but the eyes were full of hostility, "Even if you can kill me, Queen Jiahe will put the blame on you for my death. She will say that I usually criticize the servants, so you hold a grudge and poison me to death."
Si Ying lost his breath little by little under his whispers.
Rong Ting stopped wiping his fingers and looked towards the wall.
Huai Qing, who was already shaking with fear, shook even more violently when he met his aggressive gaze.
What happened just now happened so fast that he didn't realize what happened at all, and Si Ying had already fallen to the ground.
Rong Ting looked at him for a long time.
Huai Qing kept shaking for a long time.
After a long while, Rong Ting finally spoke slowly, "Do you know what to say about today's incident after we get out?"
Huai Qing spoke tremblingly, barely connecting the words into a sentence, "The Empress... The Empress bribed Si Ying to poison the Master."
Although he was afraid, he also knew that Si Ying was guilty of betraying his master and poisoning him, and he deserved to be put to death.
Only once before, he had seen Si Ying acting furtively and whispering with the maids in Jinxiu Palace. Si Ying lied to him and said that it was the Queen who was asking him how the Ninth Prince was doing in Shouhuai Palace.
Huai Qing could never have imagined that the gentle and dignified Queen Mother, the mother of the country, would be the one who bribed the servants and poisoned her son to death.
Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs.
Rong Ting smiled sarcastically.
The fox-like beautiful eyes blinked, and the tone was slow, "No rush."
"There's no need to mention the Queen."
“We have no evidence.”
"Father will not easily depose the Queen. Since he thinks that we are a loving mother and a filial son, we should deceive him for a while longer. If I tell him today, the Queen will say that I am slandering her."
There was no trace of the shock of watching a person die in front of him on his face. When he spoke, no matter from which angle you looked at him, he was a clean, beautiful and handsome young man.
"You said that Si Ying was bribed by someone unknown to murder his master, but he accidentally took poison."
A very faint smile suddenly appeared on the young boy's lips. "Send Si Ying's body out later."
"Where should it be sent?" Huai Qing asked with a pale face.
The smile deepened on his thin lips.
"Send him to Jinxiu Palace." Rong Ting said, a reckless look appeared on his handsome face, and he sneered coldly, "Let my mother take a good look at how useless the person she found is."
…
Si Ying's body was wrapped in white cloth and sent to Jinxiu Palace to be shown to Empress Jiahe as Rong Ting had instructed.
Rong Ting slowly controlled the wheelchair and followed behind Si Ying's body at a leisurely pace.
His face looked calm.
Along the way, the palace maids who saw him all changed their expressions, avoided him in horror, and discussed, "How come someone died in Shouhuai Palace again?"
"It can't be really haunted."
Although the palace maids were afraid, more and more people gathered to watch.
Jiang Rao was holding a box of cinnabar in her hand. She had just come out of Shuxiang Palace and was heading towards Shouhuai Palace when she saw that the road was crowded and overcrowded.
When she heard that a eunuch had died, especially a eunuch from Shouhuai Palace, her expression changed slightly.
Walk there quickly.
Ming Shao stopped Jiang Rao, "Girl, don't go. Be careful of bad luck."
At this time, the voices of the palace maids' discussions fell into their ears.
"The Ninth Prince looks so scary."
"Someone died, why is he acting like nothing happened?"
The young man sitting in the wheelchair had long eyes and thin eyebrows, a cold and handsome face, but his eyes were extremely indifferent and dark.
But his eyes moved slightly when he saw Jiang Rao standing behind the palace maids.
He paused, turned around and walked towards Jiang Rao.
When he reached Jiang Rao, the indifference and coldness in his pupils had disappeared.
Instead, the water light flickered slightly, and the amber eyes revealed a sense of fragility as if one had survived a disaster.
"Nian Nian, I almost...died."
He stretched out his hand as if he wanted to grab Jiang Rao's sleeve, but halfway through, as if realizing that something was wrong, he retracted his hand, which made him look even more flustered and at a loss.
He looked panicked and said, "I'm a little scared."
The pale face was slightly tilted upward, with a layer of light sunlight covering it, and both the expression and tone were of fear.
The long and dense eyelashes are trembling.
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