Chapter 187: Ningfu's plan, Jingcheng's intention
Seeing that Li Qiu Sheng didn't say anything, Jing Cheng felt very nervous. If she really had a tail, she would probably hold it between her legs and shake it at times to show her friendliness to him.
She was a little afraid of Li Qiu Sheng, and she also knew that Li Qiu Sheng was not a good person. After he took her away from the bandits, he thought of abandoning her countless times at first. It was only because Jing Cheng acted coquettishly to him and begged him with tears in her eyes that he took her with him every time.
Being nice to her is something that only happens after you have been together for some time.
Jing Cheng whispered: "Sir, what is your purpose in coming to the teahouse?"
Li Qiu Sheng reached out and lifted her veil. Under the veil was an ordinary face, with the left side of the face disfigured. It did not look like Jing Cheng.
"I am ugly and I am an eyesore to you, sir." Jing Cheng said.
Li Qiusheng looked at her for a long time before asking, "What's your name?"
"My name is Yaoyao." Jing Cheng said.
"It's a good name. I guess your master cares about you." Li Qiu Sheng said indifferently.
Jing Cheng rolled her eyes. The man was obviously unhappy, but Meng Yuan was not someone to be trifled with. She did not want Meng Yuan to get angry, so she kept her distance and said, "Young Master, you are here to buy tea."
"Dr. Mu is not here," said Li Qiu Sheng.
"The miracle doctor has been in the palace all the time." Jing Cheng said.
Li Qiu Sheng placed the prescription on the table and said, "This is what the Crown Princess asked me to pass on to Doctor Mu."
Jing Cheng paused, picked up the prescription and looked at it, then went into the inner room. When she came out, she said, "There is a medicinal ingredient in it that I don't have the authority to prescribe." She would sometimes write prescriptions on behalf of others.
"It was that dream," Li Qiu Sheng said, "The Crown Prince's Consort said, wait for Dr. Mu to come."
Jingcheng obediently frowned and said nothing.
"Prepare some osmanthus tea for me." Li Qiu Sheng said again.
Jing Cheng's heart trembled, but he did not dare to object. He wondered in his heart whether he recognized him or not, and said, "Please wait for a moment, sir."
Li Qiu Sheng nodded slightly. He looked at Jing Cheng's busy back. The last time he learned of her death, he secretly went to Princess Kangyang's mansion, but did not see her body.
Later, his father asked him to get married, but he put it off on the pretext of preparing for the palace examination.
Li Qiu Sheng didn't like Jing Cheng's casualness in matters between men and women. Those men always humbled themselves to please her. He originally thought that after he passed the imperial examination and became the top scholar, he would keep her in his backyard and no longer get close to those messy men.
But unexpectedly, what I received was the news of her death.
Li Qiu Sheng had seen the fickleness of the world long ago, and he was also a person who curryed favor with the powerful, but Jing Cheng's death still made him seriously ill.
And now, she lives a good life.
He hoped she would always be like this.
"Sir, this is the osmanthus tea you asked for." Jingcheng handed him the tea bag respectfully.
Li Qiu Sheng took the tea bag and left without looking back.
Jing Cheng returned to the inner room. A gentle breeze blew up the prescription on the table. That was the prescription Li Qiu Sheng had just given her, and she had changed it while entering the inner room.
This was something Meng Yuan had prepared long ago. If Ning Fu was not convenient to meet him, he would ask the imperial physician Xie in the palace to prescribe a prescription for having a child.
Doctor Xie was not Meng Yuan's man, and they had never even met each other. Even when Meng Yuan was sick, he never used him, but Meng Yuan was very familiar with his medication habits.
As for the dream of floating life, it was because Meng Yuan calculated that Imperial Physician Xie was jealous of the fact that Divine Doctor Mu was now highly regarded by the emperor, jealous of Divine Doctor Mu's talent, and also jealous of him for possessing this magical medicine. This thing was rare, so Imperial Physician Xie naturally wanted Mu Ruoheng to use up this dream of floating life as soon as possible.
The reason why Doctor Xie knew about the "Floating Life Dream" was because Doctor Mu used the "Floating Life Dream" when treating Emperor Jingwen, and the effect was very good. However, the "Floating Life Dream" used on Emperor Jingwen was not the real "Floating Life Dream".
Ningfu asked Dr. Xie to come and it was obvious that Afu had noticed something was wrong recently.
Jingcheng used the ink that was as soft as water to soak the letter, and the words on the letter became visible.
She read the contents of the letter, and her expression changed. After a moment of hesitation, she dealt with the letter and then went to pack up the new tea as if nothing had happened, just like she did in the previous few days, as if she was unaware that someone was watching her not far away.
…
After Li Qiu Sheng left the teahouse, he took a look at the prescription, which seemed to have no changes. After thinking for a moment, he went to the Sixth Prince's Mansion.
"I went to Prince Xuan's Palace today." Meng Ze glanced at him, then lowered his head and took a sip of the tea handed to him by Xiao Hu Ji.
"My father once served under King Xuan in his early years. I went to visit him at my father's request." Li Qiu Sheng said truthfully.
"When Liangzhou was in chaos, Prince Xuan's Mansion controlled all the major families in Liangzhou. In order to maintain a balance between each other, you were controlled by him. But now, you are mine." Meng Ze stroked the little Hu girl's leg and said with a smile.
"I understand." Li Qiu Sheng said respectfully, "Your Highness, I will never forget your kindness in promoting me." Although Li Qiu Sheng, the top scholar, could get any official position based on his own strength, he still needed someone to help him.
Meng Ze didn't care about his attitude. At the moment, his foundation was not deep, and he had the handle in his hand, so how could he dare to betray him? Moreover, if the matter of Zhang Heng really got out of hand, he, the top scholar, might not be uninvolved.
The cancellation of this year's results is enough to make Li Qiu Sheng suffer. After all, he may not be so lucky next time.
But at the moment, looking at his father's attitude, he has no intention of bothering about this palace examination. Meng Ze also knows why Emperor Jingwen is like this. Such a scandal happened under his nose, which is a slap in his face, and it is inevitable that some people will suspect his illness.
Making people suspect that the emperor is critically ill and his control over the court is gradually weakening is a taboo for the stability of the royal family's foundation.
Meng Ze said: "I went to Doctor Mu's tea house."
Li Qiu Sheng gave Meng Ze the prescription that Ning Fu had given him, and said, "Recently, Divine Doctor Mu has been accompanying His Majesty, so the Crown Prince's Consort asked me to take this prescription to the teahouse and wait for the Divine Doctor to come back to the teahouse to deal with it. However, after thinking it over again and again, I decided to take the prescription back and give it to His Majesty to have a look before making a decision."
Meng Ze felt a little unhappy, thinking that Ning Fu was ungrateful and just wanted to give birth to a child for Zong Si. According to Zong Si's cold and ruthless personality, Ning Fu thought he was better than herself.
Little Hu Ji noticed his displeasure and dared not stick to him anymore.
Meng Ze read the prescription carefully and told his attendant, "Go and invite Dr. Xie."
Li Qiu Sheng stood aside, waiting for Meng Ze to find someone to confirm the prescription.
Doctor Xie looked at the prescription carefully and said, "This prescription was indeed written by me. Several seniors in the Imperial Hospital have seen this prescription before, but Fu Sheng Meng is only in the possession of Doctor Mu. Therefore, I cannot prescribe medicine for the Crown Prince's Consort."
Meng Ze asked someone to check the prescription paper, and after confirming that it was correct, he sent someone to secretly deliver the prescription back to Mu Ruoheng's tea house.
"There's nothing strange about the recipe," Li Qiu Sheng asked.
"I've checked it, and it's nothing serious." Meng Ze said absentmindedly, "But you're so careful, it's a good habit."
He cannot offend Zong Si at the moment. Ning Fu wants to expand Zong Si's family. If he knows that the prescription appears in her hands, he will naturally be unhappy.
As for Li Qiu Sheng, he already knew that this prescription was not the original one, he just used the opportunity of handing over the prescription to clear himself of suspicion.
He handed the prescription to Meng Ze, which was a sign of extreme caution. And it was Meng Ze who verified it. If he later realized something was wrong, the prescription was already in the tea house. Meng Ze would only suspect the person who verified the prescription with such certainty, and it would be difficult for him to suspect himself.
Li Qiu Sheng couldn't help but think of Ning Fu. She was probably confident in her heart that she had feelings for Jing Cheng. If he didn't, he probably wouldn't have recognized Jing Cheng who had changed so much. Only by keeping her in mind all the time could he notice so many details about her.
Even if there is a slight possibility that she doesn't like Jingcheng but recognized her, and suspected that the prescription Ningfu gave her was not simple, it is not certain that there is anything wrong with this prescription.
Moreover, Meng Ze and Zong Si, in Li Qiu Sheng's opinion, were in the same group. He asked himself, if he didn't want to save Jing Cheng and needed to excuse himself first, would he hand over the prescription?
No, he would pretend that nothing happened and leave the prescription in the tea house. He had just arrived and why would he offend Prince Xuan's Mansion? Even if there was a conspiracy, he would pretend to know nothing in order to avoid being involved.
If one does not delve into the prescription, they can generally stay in peace. If several parties are fighting each other, they may not be able to investigate in such detail. Once one delves into it, he will have a handle on Prince Xuan's Palace, and death will not be far away.
What Ning Fu calculated correctly was that since he was now in the capital, he would not take the risk of causing trouble.
…
When Qu Yang returned to the palace, the Crown Prince was swinging on the swing with his wife. The wife was sitting while the Crown Prince was swinging for her.
Since Qu Yang followed Zong Si, he had never seen him so patient. Even when Miss Ning asked him to play on the swing when she was a child, the prince rarely paid any attention.
Qu Yang thought to himself, no wonder Miss Ning complained about the prince's double standards in front of him. In front of the prince's wife, the prince looked worthless...
A few days ago, those staff members came to the study room, and there happened to be books left by the Crown Prince's wife in the study room. The Crown Prince also noted down where she was reading each book, put the books away personally, and said calmly: "Wait for me a cup of tea, and I will sort out my wife's books."
The staff looked at each other and could only say: "The Crown Prince's Consort and the Crown Prince are truly in love."
Zong Si seemed a little helpless, and said calmly: "Husband and wife should be tolerant of these little things."
Qu Yang thought at the time that this was not tolerance, it was clearly a willingness to accept it.
"Prince, Princess, after Lord Li left the teahouse, he went to the Sixth Prince's residence." Qu Yang stepped forward and said.
Ning Fu felt more relaxed and looked at Zong Si and said, "Li Qiu Sheng is interested in Jing Cheng." He went to Meng Ze's house, and he was sure that there was no problem with the prescription. The reason why he was so sure was that he understood her intention.
If Li Qiu Sheng didn't want to interfere in Jing Cheng's affairs, he wouldn't be so decisive, but would consider whether he could afford to offend Prince Xuan's Mansion.
Zong Si said: "I haven't thought of that." He was a little curious about what Meng Yuan's mentality would be if he knew about this.
A few days later, Miss Yaoyao from the tea house, wrapped herself tightly, appeared in a remote alley, entered a dilapidated house, and after an incense stick of time, walked out of the house.
She didn't notice someone was following her.
…
When a game of chess between Emperor Jingwen and Meng Yuan was over, the maid who was serving him came over and whispered something in his ear.
Emperor Jingwen looked up at Meng Yuan.
"Has there been any result regarding Zhang Heng's death?" The father and the emperor asked casually.
At this point, we are naturally not completely clueless.
It wasn't Meng Ze's doing, but if you want to put the blame on Meng Ze, you can have reasons and evidence to prove it, without any flaws.
But Meng Yuan had guessed what Emperor Jingwen was thinking in the past few days. He was testing him. As long as he had the slightest suspicion of putting the blame of Zhang Heng's death on Meng Ze, it would mean that he had ulterior motives.
He was already suspecting that he also had an interest in the throne.
Meng Yuan recalled what Emperor Jingwen said that day, "Third brother, please don't let me down."
What he said was the truth, but not just the truth. It also concerned whether Meng Yuan was as honest as he appeared to be. If he was ambitious, he would be disappointed.
Meng Yuan stroked the chess piece in his hand and said nonchalantly: "I think that Zhang Heng's death was not caused by my sixth brother, and I don't want my sixth brother to bear the blame."
Even though Emperor Jingwen was about to appoint a crown prince, Meng Yuan urgently needed to catch Meng Ze's mistake, but he had to give up this opportunity and act cautiously. Even if Meng Ze became the crown prince, it would be several times more difficult for him to compete for that position.
Emperor Jingwen did not say a word, and after a long while he said, "Someone suspects you and is somehow involved with the Hu people."
Meng Yuan paused, but regardless of his injured leg, he knelt down and said, "If Father doubts me, you might as well kill me."
"I don't doubt you." Emperor Jingwen helped him up and said with concern, "Since you don't want the throne, why would you be involved with the Hu people?"
These words clearly showed that he did not trust himself. Meng Yuan pursed his lips, frowned and said: "Father."
"Find out the matter of Zhang Heng as soon as possible and give an explanation to father and your sixth brother. Father is old and his patience is not as good as before." Emperor Jingwen said with some regret, "Don't keep father waiting for too long."
Meng Yuan felt vaguely blocked by Zhang Heng's death. It seemed that he was only one step away from the truth, but it was difficult to move forward. Naturally, someone must have done it deliberately.
He knew that since Emperor Jingwen suspected him, he might have evidence that he was scheming against Meng Ze.
Now the key is how to make the evidence in Emperor Jingwen's hands have nothing to do with himself.
Now he is only worried about Jingcheng's safety. Once Emperor Jingwen suspects him, he will definitely investigate the people around him. He is not worried about losing his arm, but he cannot lose Jingcheng.
Meng Yuan lowered his eyelids, his eyes were cold.
…
After Jingcheng appeared in the alley again, the conversation lasted a little longer this time. The Hu man said, "If Mengze dies, Dayan will definitely be in chaos. Thank you for your hard work."
Jing Cheng said in a tender voice: "Since this is my mission, I will complete it. I approached Meng Yuan in order to use him to frame Meng Ze and then put the blame on him."
"You have to be careful too." The man said, "The meeting place with the leader is..."
Jingcheng smiled slightly, and after exiting the alley, she went to the agreed place.
There are people coming and going on the street, and she is just a small person, but if she can give for him, it will be worth it.
Jingcheng was inevitably nervous about what was going to happen next. She took a deep breath and went to the agreed place.
But when they arrived at the mountains, the person who greeted them was a familiar face, Fang Qing, Meng Yuan's secret guard.
"You are a Hu girl." Fang Qing's hand caressed the scabbard intentionally or unintentionally, "Using Doctor Mu, you intentionally or unintentionally approached the Third Prince, and tried to frame the Sixth Prince. You found an opportunity to put the test questions for the people around the Sixth Prince."
Jing Cheng forced a smile and said, "I won't come here to relax. I don't understand what Guard Fang is saying."
"Miss Yaoyao probably doesn't know that I am proficient in Hu language." Fang Qing lied to her, "I heard your conversation with that person clearly."
Jingcheng's expression changed slightly, but it was because she was worried that her Hu Wen had been exposed. However, judging from his expression, she was afraid that he did not understand Hu Wen very well at all and was deceiving her.
"What do you want?" Jing Cheng calmed down and said, "You are not the Third Prince's man, why don't we cooperate?"
"You don't need to ask about my affairs." Fang Qing put the sword across Jingcheng's neck with the force of covering one's ears and stealing the bell, and said in a businesslike manner, "Miss Yaoyao, stand still. Come! Set up an ambush. The emperor has ordered that anyone who met Yaoyao today must be found alive or dead."
…
At the same time, Emperor Jingwen couldn't help but laugh after receiving the secret letter.
Then he relaxed a little and said, "I have seen that girl a few times around the Third Brother. She was very devoted to him. It turns out that she is a spy planted by the Hu people. I have wronged the Third Brother."
Eunuch Sheng bowed his waist and smiled flatteringly: "If the Third Prince really wanted to seize the throne, why would he be so reluctant to push the blame for Zhang Heng's death onto the Sixth Prince? This is clearly the best opportunity, and it contradicts the fact that he put the leaked exam question in the mansion of the Sixth Prince's subordinate. It turns out that the leak of the exam question was not done by the Third Prince."
Emperor Jingwen sighed and said, "If I ever suspected the Third Brother, it was only after Yaoyao appeared beside him."
Zhang Heng was naturally eliminated by Emperor Jingwen.
His purpose was originally just to help the Sixth Prince support the people around him, and now that the palace examination was over, how could Emperor Jingwen keep this handle on him?
But the death must be worthwhile, and the restless person must be found out, no matter whether it is the fourth or the third brother. If any of them insists on framing the sixth brother, Emperor Jingwen will announce the truth and punish them as a warning to others.
But in the end, Emperor Jingwen became more suspicious of Meng Yuan, so he trapped him in the Dali Temple to investigate the case under the pretext of thoroughly investigating the truth, and Emperor Jingwen took the opportunity to deal with his accomplices.
It is better to believe it than not to believe it. If Meng Yuan has two minds, then he will be the one who breaks his left and right arms. If he does not covet the position of crown prince, then dealing with those who get close to him will not affect him.
Even if it was proven that there was only a spy lurking around the third brother, Emperor Jingwen did not think that it was unnecessary for him to deal with people close to Meng Yuan.
"Let the third brother go and see for himself what happens to those who don't guard against their surroundings." Emperor Jingwen said nonchalantly.
"Yes." Eunuch Sheng said, but when he turned around, he couldn't help frowning.
But when he arrived at the Dali Temple, Meng Yuan was no longer there.
…
"drive--"
The sound of horse hooves has lost its former regular frequency and today seems messy and chaotic.
Meng Yuan didn't care about the pain in his legs. In order not to arouse suspicion of his ability, he hadn't ridden a horse for a long time. But now, he couldn't care about anything.
When he arrived at the mountain, Meng Yuan saw Yaoyao who was tied up. The rough hemp rope had tied her wrists red, and the disfigured human skin mask looked somewhat hideous.
"Sixth Prince, it seems that the person who is supposed to meet her will not come." Fang Qing bowed.
Meng Ze was temporarily assigned to handle this matter. He was not happy, but he hated this woman for framing him. He said, "Force a confession."
"Fang Qing" paused, remembering the instructions from his own prince's wife. Now the only thing he could do was to delay for a while. As long as Miss Yaoyao was not seriously injured, he should not act rashly for the time being.
However, someone had already stepped forward to interrogate her: "You are so ugly, you don't think anyone will be kind to you, do you?"
Some people laughed at her ugliness, and because of her ugliness, they insulted her without any sympathy.
Every bit of ridicule she endured was like torture to him.
Jingcheng is very beautiful, but she pretends to be ugly in order to be with him.
Meng Yuan has been suppressing himself all his life. Sleeping on straw and tasting gall is just his daily routine. The mother who raised him died. He knew clearly who did it, but he pretended not to know. He also knew that someone was laughing at him behind his back, but he remained indifferent and suppressed the rebelliousness in his heart.
But at this moment, he no longer had the slightest intention of forbearance. When the guard was about to interrogate Jing Cheng, Meng Yuan stabbed the sword into his chest.
The guard's body fell down, and Jingcheng only saw a pair of red eyes.
"Before we have solid evidence, anyone who dares to disrespect Miss Yaoyao will be killed without mercy." He looked at Jingcheng and said lightly.
Even Meng Ze could tell that he had a strong murderous intent.
When had his third brother ever been so angry? It was all for such an ugly woman. Meng Ze couldn't help but complain in his heart about his strong taste.
There was a smile in Jingcheng's eyes, he didn't abandon her.
It was worth it for her to clear him of the suspicion of coveting the position of crown prince.
"I'm sorry." she said softly.
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