After five strokes of the board, Li Dalang was already dead.
After twenty strokes of the board, Li Dalang had turned into a bloody man.
After beating her with the stick, Concubine Li De rushed out of the hall, her breathing was tight, "See if she's still breathing?"
A eunuch stepped forward and sniffed his breath, "Your Majesty, he's still breathing."
Concubine Li De's heart dropped to the ground. "Carry the man down and call the imperial physician."
Several eunuchs worked together to carry Li Dalang down.
Concubine Li De also wanted to leave, but she couldn't leave yet.
She glared at the eunuch who was supervising the execution. They said they would let him off, but the man was almost beaten to death, and this was still called letting him off.
The eunuchs supervising the execution were vigilant, even if they wanted to let the execution go, they would have to put on a show and show their true abilities. Did they really think letting the execution go was just like beating cotton, with no need for physical pain? Naive!
Anyway, they have fulfilled their promise and did not let Li Dalang die, so Concubine Li De must pay the promised 5,000 taels of silver.
As for whether Li Dalang will die later, they are not responsible.
The eunuch who supervised the execution was not worried that Concubine Li De would deny her guilt.
In this palace, no one dared to deny their debts, because one day, they might fall into their hands.
If you dare to default on your debts, the day you fall into their hands, they will let you know the consequences of refusing to pay your debts.
Concubine Li De returned to the main hall and knelt before the emperor.
"I thank your majesty for your grace. I have failed to discipline myself properly. Your majesty, please punish me."
"My beloved, please get up! The Li family's affairs have nothing to do with you. You don't need to blame yourself. This matter ends here. Don't mention it again."
The emperor personally helped Concubine Li De to take office, which showed his great favor to her.
When Concubine Xiao Shu saw this scene, she felt no emotion at all.
She is in her fifties and is no longer at the age of jealousy.
She now wants to preserve her own power and status, as well as that of her son and daughter. If there is an opportunity to go further, she will not refuse.
Concubine Li De was trembling with excitement, and when she stood up, she accidentally fell into the emperor's arms.
The emperor hugged her and comforted her softly.
Princess Huyang rolled her eyes when she saw this scene.
Shameless woman, playing such tricks, bitch.
She looked at Concubine Xiao Shufei, who had an indifferent expression and shook her head slightly.
Princess Huyang gritted her teeth secretly, feeling unwilling.
The reason why Li Dalang is not dead today is because he has a good sister, Li Defei.
If it weren't for Concubine Li De's plea for mercy, Li Dalang would have been chopped into eighteen pieces, and the Li family would have at least ended up with their property confiscated and exiled.
As a result, because of Concubine Li De, a major case was reduced to a minor one with just twenty strokes of the cane.
Princess Huyang was very angry.
Although Gu Jiu reminded her at the beginning not to have too much hope for this counterattack, killing Li Dalang would be considered a victory.
But Princess Huyang was still unwilling to give in.
What virtue and ability did Concubine Li De have that she was able to turn the tide and not only save the Li family, but also save Li Dalang's life.
Is it because she gave birth to a little prince?
snort!
Princess Huyang looked towards the emperor. The old man was indeed confused. He didn't care about his dozen sons, but only about a newborn child.
No one knows whether the little prince is a royal descendant.
Princess Huyang's vicious speculation.
She also knew that this speculation was unfounded.
Concubine Li De was a very shrewd woman. Since she entered the palace, she would not stay alone in a room with any male creature except eunuchs.
She would even avoid her father and her brothers.
Even if someone suspected that the little prince was not the emperor's son, they could not find any flaws, let alone the rumored wild man.
Concubine Li De did everything perfectly when it came to the little prince's affairs.
It can be seen that this woman considered the worst outcome from the very beginning and took preventive measures early on.
She is definitely not a reckless person like Li Dalang.
The emperor comforted Concubine Li De, and she finally stopped crying.
She was worried about Li Dalang's injury and knew it was time to leave, so she tactfully took the initiative to leave.
The Shaofu Household Director and the Shaofu Prison Officer were also sent away.
In the hall, only Concubine Xiao Shu and Princess Huyang, mother and daughter, were left.
The emperor turned around, glared, and asked sternly, "Tell me, did Prince Ning ask you to do this?"
Princess Huyang was bewildered. "What does this have to do with my brother? What happened today is purely a personal grudge between my daughter and the Li family."
The emperor was furious. "How dare you be so stubborn! Without anyone to help you, how could you not mention money? Did you even think of handing over the captured people to the Minister of Justice?"
With your temper, if you really wanted to catch the arsonist, you would have ordered him to be killed. You never thought of using the hands of the Minister of Justice to deal with the Li family. Now that things have come to this, will you tell me or not?
Concubine Xiao Shu also advised: "Huyang, quickly tell the truth to your father."
Princess Huyang said aggrievedly, "I'm not stupid. Of course I could think of using the Junior Treasurer's Warden to deal with those bitches from the Li family."
"Bullshit! How could I not know what kind of person you are? You won't tell me, right? Come, Prince Xuanning enter the palace."
"Father, please tell me what Brother Wang is doing in the palace. This matter has nothing to do with Brother Wang. Perhaps he still hasn't figured out the whole story yet."
Princess Huyang quickly defended herself.
Concubine Xiao Shu coughed lightly and said, "Who gave you this advice? And what happened to Yuhua Alley? Tell me now."
Princess Huyang felt a little guilty and hesitated for a moment. The emperor glared at her and she dared not hide it. "It was my nephew's wife who asked me to do this."
"Which eldest nephew's wife?"
There are so many princes and so many nephews. If you don’t tell me clearly, how can you know which nephew’s wife she is?
Princess Huyang stamped her feet and said, "She's Liu Zhao's wife. She told me to do this. She also set up Yuhua Lane. I just bought a small stake and don't get involved."
Concubine Xiao Shu was extremely surprised and glanced at Princess Huyang frequently. Was what she said true?
She looked at the emperor again, and the emperor didn't seem surprised to hear Gu Jiu's name from Hu Yang's mouth.
The Emperor asked Princess Huyang, "So, the one who arrested the people and sent them to the Minister of Justice, and instigated the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Household Affairs to investigate the Li family, was Gu Jiu?"
Princess Huyang nodded.
The emperor then asked, "You smashed the Li family's shop, rushed to the government office to beat Li Dalang, and dragged him to the palace. Were all these things taught to you by Gu Jiu?"
Princess Huyang nodded again.
"Did Gu Jiu also teach you what you said in front of me?"
"That's about right," Princess Huyang said guiltily. "Liu Zhao's wife said we can't talk about money in this matter. It's vulgar. We should focus on the fact that the Li family disregards human life, deprives people of their livelihoods, and has no regard for the law. They rely on Concubine De as their backer to make the capital a mess."
Concubine Xiao Shu was extremely shocked.
She knew her daughter best. She always had her eyes on the top of her head and never listened to anyone. She was used to doing whatever she wanted.
Since when did Gu Jiu actually manage to send Hu Yang to do something?
And looking at Huyang, he seems quite willing.
Gu Jiu accomplished with just one move what the Pei family had not been able to do for decades. What an incredible ability!
The emperor sneered and asked harshly, "You ran errands for Gu Jiu, how much benefit did she give you? Tell the truth!"
The emperor suddenly raised his voice, and with a murderous look in his eyes, Princess Huyang shuddered all over, leaving her no room for resistance.
She said cautiously, "Two, two thousand taels."
Concubine Xiao Shu held her forehead with her hands, feeling sad that she had given birth to such a silly daughter.
Pei should hear about this.
Pei Shi had spent at least tens of thousands of taels of silver on Hu Yang over the years, yet she never received a single kind word from him. Furthermore, she was often slandered and ridiculed by him, and suffered a lot of unpleasantness.
On the other hand, Gu Jiu also spent money, but for two thousand taels, she made Hu Yang willingly run errands for her and endure the emperor's wrath.
Pei and Gu Jiu, the difference in level between this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is obvious.
Concubine Xiao Shufei had nothing to say.
Two thousand taels! Just two thousand taels made Huyang so obedient. When did silver become so valuable?
Concubine Xiao Shu really wanted to know how Gu Jiu had fooled Hu Yang.
Even a rebellious princess was fooled.
"Hahaha……"
Unexpectedly, the emperor burst into laughter.
The emperor smiled and pointed at Princess Huyang.
He said to Concubine Xiao Shufei, "After so many years, someone has finally appeared who can control Huyang."
Hu Yang was not convinced. "I am working for my own business. I can't control it. It's not what you think."
"You still dare to be stubborn. You were sold, and you are still counting money for others. Are you stupid?" Concubine Xiao Shu couldn't stand it anymore.
Princess Huyang pouted and didn't believe what Concubine Xiao Shu said.
Concubine Xiao Shufei looked depressed.
The emperor laughed so hard that tears came to his eyes.
Seeing Huyang being tricked and crippled, the emperor did not feel angry, but found it very interesting.
He ordered Chen Dachang, "Send someone to invite Gu Jiu to the palace, and call Prince Ning as well. They're all idiots. I think he's still in the dark about his own daughter-in-law causing such a big commotion."
"As for you..." The emperor pointed at Princess Huyang, "You must reflect on your actions before me. How dare you rush into the government office and assault an official? Who gave you the courage? You are simply lawless."
"It was the Li family who started it first. They went too far, and my daughter was so angry that she..."
"Shut up!"
Concubine Xiao Shufei and the emperor spoke in unison, scolding Princess Huyang.
Princess Huyang had no choice but to shut up and sit aside sulking.
Concubine Xiao Shu took a deep breath. She thought that to have given birth to such a daughter, she must have done something terribly wrong in her previous life.
She observed the emperor's movements, and only after he had calmed down did she speak up to plead for Princess Huyang.
"Your Majesty, you know Hu Yang. She has no bad intentions, but she behaves in a rather absurd way."
The emperor snorted coldly, "Being absurd is the greatest evil, Concubine Shu, don't you understand?"
Concubine Xiao opened her mouth and swallowed the rest of her words. "Your Majesty is right. It's just that she is like this, and she can't change. After all, this matter has its reasons. I hope Your Majesty will be tolerant."
The emperor was very straightforward, "After Gu Jiu and Prince Ning arrive, we can discuss how to punish Hu Yang."
…
Concubine Li De sat in a side hall, feeling extremely irritable and depressed.
The imperial physician was applying medicine to Li Dalang, whose injuries were serious.
After the doctor finished his work, she asked, "How is it? Is there any danger to his life?"
Her tone was calm, neither anxious nor impatient, and no emotion could be heard.
"Don't worry, your majesty. His life has been saved for now. However, you still need to use the medicine carefully and not be negligent in the slightest."
"Thank you, Doctor."
"Your Majesty is too polite. I will take my leave first."
Concubine Li De came to the couch and looked at the unconscious Li Dalang. A trace of heartache flashed in her eyes. But more of it was disgust and disdain.
If it weren't for Li Dalang's recklessness, which gave others an advantage, there wouldn't have been such a disaster today.
It was obvious that Gu Jiu had already dug a trap, waiting for him to jump in. In the end, he actually jumped into the trap.
Concubine Li De gritted her teeth. She had underestimated the unknown Gu Jiu before.
She thought Gu Jiu was just an insignificant wife of the emperor's grandson, and could be easily killed. However, she did not expect that Gu Jiu could not only drive the Princess Huyang, but also persuade the Minister of Household and the Minister of Prison to help her deal with the Li family.
What virtue or ability did Gu Jiu have that these people were willing to work for her?
Concubine Li De's expression was unclear. "Come here, send them back to the Li family. Tell them to behave themselves from now on. I was able to protect them once, but I may not be able to protect them twice or three times. If they dare to act recklessly in my name again and give others an excuse, don't blame me for being ruthless."
"yes!"
The palace maid bowed and accepted the order, placed Li Dalang on the door panel, carried him out of the palace and sent him back to the Li family.
The Li family has been in chaos for a long time.
Long ago, Li Sanlang led his men to fight with the guards of the Princess's Mansion and lost. Not only did he lose, but he was also arrested by the Embroidered Uniform Guards, and the Li family was in chaos.
When she learned that her shop had been smashed by Princess Huyang and Li Dalang had been forcibly taken into the palace, Li's mother was so angry that she fainted and only woke up after being poured with a bucket of cold water.
Mr. Li was so angry that he slammed the table and cursed Princess Huyang as a good-for-nothing.
After Li's mother woke up, she asked Mr. Li to go to the palace and rescue Li Dalang as soon as possible.
How could Mr. Li dare to enter the palace at this time?
I’m afraid I’ll never come back, so I might as well wait for news at home.
Anyway, there is Concubine De in the palace.
He also advised Li's mother, "Don't believe everything you hear. With Concubine De here, nothing will happen to Dalang. At most, he will suffer some physical pain."
"Dalang has never been beaten since he was a child. How can you bear to let him suffer physical pain?"
"You think you're the only one who feels bad, don't I? But who made Dalang act so impulsively? He actually sent people to set fire to Yuhua Lane behind my back. It would have been fine if he had succeeded, but it didn't, and he was caught red-handed. What do you want me to do? Are you going to let me suffer for Dalang? You feel bad for Dalang, but don't you feel bad for your husband?"
Mother Li had nothing to say.
Mr. Li sighed.
Then he waited for the palace servants to send Li Dalang back.
Listening to what the palace maid told Concubine Li De and looking at the bloody body of Li Dalang, Li's mother fainted again.
Master Li was still able to hold on. "Mrs. Defei is right. We need to be more restrained for now. Carry the young master back to his room and ask the doctor to watch over him twelve hours a day to ensure that his life is not in danger."
Mother Li slowly regained consciousness and questioned Master Li, "Are we just going to let this go? Prince Ning's Mansion has gone too far, and Princess Huyang has gone too far. This matter can't just be let go!"
Master Li's face was fierce. "Don't worry! We'll deal with this matter after the storm has died down. The most important thing now is to let His Majesty know that our Li family sincerely repents. So you should also restrain yourself and stay home for the time being. And don't show off when you do go out."
…
Gu Jiu followed Prince Ning to Xingqing Palace.
Prince Ning was in a complicated mood. Along the way, he kept looking at Gu Jiu.
He still underestimated Gu Jiu.
It's incredible that she was able to stir up such a big mess by herself and convince so many people to run errands for her.
Prince Ning seemed to understand why Liu Zhao insisted on marrying Gu Jiu.
At that time, Gu Jiu was just an ordinary girl from an official family. She was not well-known and even had the reputation of being a sickly girl.
But Liu Zhao chose Gu Jiu from hundreds of young ladies in the capital.
He had to admit that Liu Zhao had a good eye for choosing a wife, better than him.
But Gu Jiu is so powerful, can Liu Zhao suppress him?
Don't be a weak husband and be led by Gu Jiu.
Prince Ning didn't know that in the inner chamber, Liu Zhao had always been a weak husband. If they disagreed with him, Gu Jiu would kick him out of bed.
Liu Zhao was kicked off the bed and couldn't say anything because it was too embarrassing.
After being informed, Gu Jiu followed Prince Ning into the hall and paid his respects to the emperor.
"idiot!"
The emperor shouted angrily, which scared Gu Jiu.
After a secret look, I realized that the emperor was scolding Prince Ning.
Gu Jiu subconsciously took a step back and distanced himself from King Ning.
She would rather die than let her friend die, so she wants to protect herself.
Prince Ning said nonchalantly, "Father, calm down. If I do something wrong again, please tell me so I know exactly where I went wrong."
The emperor pointed at Prince Ning and cursed, "How dare you ask me this? Liu Zhao's wife did something bad, and as the head of the family, you were not only kept in the dark beforehand, but you also didn't come out to clean up the mess afterwards. Tell me, should I scold you?"
Prince Ning smiled as if suddenly realizing something. "Your Majesty, are you referring to Hu Yang beating Li Da Lang? Well done to your son! The Li family is so arrogant and domineering that they even dared to get involved in the royal family's assets. Who else should I punish? If the Li family dares to raise a hand, they should be prepared to have their hands chopped off."
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