Chapter 181: Overjoyed, a Letter in Blood
Emperor Chengming hinted to the secret guards to go to Prince Qi's Mansion as soon as possible to find out the situation. He did not directly ask Xiao Qinggu what she came for, but instead asked her to look at the white lotus in the pond.
He asked, "Gu'er, how is your father raising these white lotuses?"
Xiao Qinggu glanced at it calmly and said, "Su Yi has been bullied by other beauties. This flower is meant to be in the Jade Pool."
This poem has a specific meaning, but Emperor Chengming did not say anything.
Xiao Qinggu added, "My father had this pond dug out. It must be the Yaochi."
Interesting.
Emperor Chengming smiled in an inexplicable way, "Gu'er, how did you know this was Yaochi?"
Xiao Qinggu smiled faintly and said, "The white lotus is simple and elegant, but it is bullied by the gorgeous flowers. If it weren't for Yaochi, these white lotuses would have withered long ago."
Looking down at the lotus pond from the high platform is nothing more than considering oneself superior and treating a deceased person as a pawn in the palm of one's hand.
"..." Emperor Chengming was suspicious, but he didn't show it on his face. "It seems that Yushi Baili has taught you very well. Your Majesty should reward him generously."
"Teacher, you have many students, but I was only lucky enough to learn from you for a short while."
"Father, you are always thinking about the world and the people. I have admired you since I was a child." Xiao Qinggu calmly tried to absolve Baili Pu of the accusation of being too virtuous and respected. "Everything I think and learn is a bold imitation of you, Father."
Emperor Chengming became interested when he heard it.
"Oh? Tell me about it."
What on earth happened in Prince Qi's Mansion that could cause this child's temperament to change so drastically in less than half a day?
Xiao Qinggu weighed each word carefully: "When I was little, I heard that my father had served in a military camp when he was young. After leaving the palace, the first military fortress he went to was Yanmen."
She secretly observed Emperor Chengming's expression and found that he did not change at all.
After thinking for a moment, he decided to avoid the main issue and focus on the minor one. "The Zhenxi Army's defense is very strict. I was too young and naive back then, so I didn't find a chance to sneak in and see what was happening, so I left for another place."
"I have traveled all over the beautiful mountains and rivers of Dayu, and have seen towering mountains rising from the earth and rivers rushing and flowing into the sea."
"Ordinary people work from sunrise to sunset. They grow vegetables, raise livestock, weave, and even create ingenious mechanisms to aid farm work, saving manpower and resources. However, some live in remote areas far from government offices, where they are oppressed by snakes. Their wives and daughters cannot find peace, and their homes are plagued by insecurity."
Emperor Chengming listened quietly to her chatter, but he became more and more curious about what happened in Prince Qi's Mansion.
"Father, the Emperor, has toiled tirelessly for Dayu and the people, working day and night to review memorials. I, your son, have seen all this and learned from it."
Emperor Chengming heard some truth in these words, and thought to himself that Xiao Qinggu was a responsible child after all, unlike Xiao Qingji, the useless good-for-nothing.
Xiao Qinggu was about to say something, but Emperor Chengming suddenly interrupted her: "Gu'er."
"Your son is here."
Emperor Chengming asked very seriously: "Who are you?"
The words were nice, but Emperor Chengming did not forget the relationship between Xiao Tong and Xiao Qinggu.
Xiao Qinggu's pupils trembled violently.
A familiar fear filled my heart, and Shang Yuwan's hideous, gray face with tears and blood suddenly flashed through my mind.
Xiao Qinggu's heart suddenly calmed down, like a puddle so shallow that even the wind would not cause ripples.
After a moment, she said, "I am the princess of Dayu, a daughter of the royal family worshipped by the people."
The eyelids that had been half closed finally slowly lifted up at this moment.
The two, one big and one small, looked at each other, and Xiao Qinggu spoke word by word:
"I am your father's only daughter."
Xiao Qinggu suddenly knelt down and said, "I beg you, father, to teach me the way of chess."
Emperor Chengming was overjoyed.
Xiao Qinggu came out of the palace only when the palace gate was about to close.
As soon as she stepped outside the palace gate and hadn't yet stood firmly, she saw a carriage with the logo of Prince Qi's Mansion.
Lu Heying stood beside the carriage and saluted her.
"Your Highness, His Highness Prince Qi invites you to come to his house for a chat."
It's so blatant, Shang Yuwan must be about to take action.
Xiao Qinggu unconsciously clutched the double carp jade pendant around his waist and let out a deep breath.
She had spent most of the day with Emperor Chengming today. Although Emperor Chengming had taught her a lot through his words and actions, he still set traps for her in his words. She had to think over every word she said in an instant, which was several times more cautious than when she was learning to make iron flowers among the people in the past few years.
So, this is how Shang Yuwan feels?
Xiao Qing and Gu Guang were almost going crazy from being suffocated for half a day.
Lu Heying brought Xiao Qinggu back to Prince Qi's Mansion, and Emperor Chengming also knew everything Xiao Qinggu saw in Prince Qi's Mansion today.
"Really dead?"
Emperor Chengming sat in front of his desk, tapping it intermittently with his left hand, his face showing no effort to hide his coldness and scrutiny.
The secret guard lowered his head and half-knelt in front of him. In the light of the candle, Emperor Chengming's face looked a little scary.
"Yes. After they got out, they secretly sent the body to the ice cellar, apparently intending to store it there."
“…”
Keep the body for now? Pulling it out to report it later is also a good idea. Wan'er is really patient.
But people are dead after all, what can be done? As long as the Shang family's injustice is not cleared, Wan'er will hate it more and more, even more deeply than before.
Hatred is the thing that can easily distort a person's mind and behavior - he himself is a living example.
Emperor Chengming also knew in his heart that if Lu Xu had not had such a great influence on him, he would not have felt guilty or regretful, nor would he have condoned Shang Yuwan's actions and provocations.
If it weren't for Lu Xu, no matter who took the first action between him and the empress, Shang Yuwan would not have returned to Kyoto alive.
Lu Xu is...really, really important to him.
Gradually, the chill emanating from Emperor Chengming became more and more intense.
The poison that the Langjiang killers gave Xiao Qingxu could even be cured by a doctor in the mountains. It seems that those killers deliberately forced Shang Yuwan and Xiao Qingxu to seek a chance of survival on the road to certain death. If the empress holds them accountable because of Lu Xu, they can also clear themselves of some of the responsibility.
But Yang Qianmo was not so lucky.
Shang Yuwan and Xiao Qingxu were away. They had originally thought that Yuezhu and his men could protect Yang Qianmo, but in their haste, they forgot that no matter how refined Yang Qianmo was, he was still a military commander who had fought on the battlefield. Moreover, after the Shang family was wiped out, Yang Qianmo was forced to his death upon seeing the general's daughter. Naturally, he was furious and lost some of his rationality. He was determined to avenge Shang Yuwan even at the cost of his life.
How could Yang Qianmo not be poisoned? She was poisoned by Langjiang's Yama Poison, a poison that penetrates the body very quickly and has no antidote. Even if Yao Lao was proficient in medicine, he was not the King of Hell.
An idea suddenly occurred to Emperor Chengming. "Did Yang Qianmo leave anything behind before she died?"
Yang Qianmo admires Shang Junhu very much and also cares about the young Shang Yuwan. For the sake of Shang Junhu and Shang Yuwan, he will definitely leave evidence that can severely hit Xiao Qingji and Xiao Tong.
The secret guard said, "Before he died, he wrote a letter in blood and gave it to Yao Lao."
Emperor Chengming narrowed his eyes and said, "Let Yao Lao come to see me."
He had helped Yao Lao accomplish many things that benefited Shang Yuwan and Xiao Qingxu. In exchange, Yao Lao would also pass on to him all the secret plots of the two children. This was a tacit agreement between the two of them many years ago.
The secret guard fell silent and suddenly stopped talking.
Emperor Chengming noticed something was wrong and glanced over. "Hmm?"
"Your Majesty." The secret guard lowered his head. "The communication from Yao Lao..."
“It’s been cut off.”
Emperor Chengming's expression suddenly changed.
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