"Ziling, do you think there's any way to avoid the Emperor and disappear from the palace for a while?" Ruan Yumu sat under the willow tree in a daze as soon as she woke up this morning.
He was thinking about how to escape this place of trouble. The battlefield was his true home. He had been living in this stupid harem for five years and had almost been killed several times.
It's better to go to the battlefield and fight for merit! The infighting in the harem is just too cruel; as the saying goes, it's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark!
"By imperial decree, Consort Geng Yulin has succumbed to her injuries and passed away! In accordance with the rites for a Consort, the Imperial Household Department is hereby ordered to arrange her burial!"
Xiao Shunzi took Qi Jingxuan's imperial edict to the Geng family. This gave Lord Geng a bad feeling, as he had just been advised to retire and return to his hometown that morning!
How could his daughter have passed away so quickly?
"How could this be? Your Excellency, my daughter just wrote a letter to me the day before yesterday! Besides, my daughter was injured while protecting the Emperor!" Lord Geng shook his head and refused to accept the imperial edict.
She couldn't believe that her daughter had died from her injuries.
Lord Geng immediately gave Xiao Shunzi a lot of gold and silver treasures.
If you walk by the roadside often enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet. As his power grew, Xiao Shunzi no longer cared how Eunuch Wu had fallen from grace.
Seeing the gold and silver jewelry displayed in front of him, he was instantly tempted. If he could go back to his hometown from now on and not do this kind of servant work, that would be fine too!
"Ahem, Lord Geng, although I am merely a eunuch serving the Emperor, I cannot possibly accept such a grand gesture from you." Xiao Shunzi began to feign refusal.
"Oh dear, Father-in-law, what are you saying!" Lord Geng immediately grabbed a large bunch of beads and stuffed them into his hands.
Xiao Shunzi immediately jumped up, "Lord Geng, you're putting me in a difficult position! I'm already a eunuch, what use is so much gold and silver to me? It's just that my family..."
Before Xiao Shunzi could finish speaking, Lord Geng immediately understood and ordered his men to remove the items and forcibly drag the man inside for tea.
"Oh dear, to tell you the truth, Lord Geng, your daughter committed suicide three days ago." Having received a bribe, Xiao Shunzi naturally told the truth.
"How could this be?" Lord Geng couldn't believe that his usually optimistic, cheerful, and resourceful daughter would commit suicide.
“It’s absolutely true. Consort Shuyuan was seriously injured. There wasn’t a single part of her skin that was unharmed. In order to keep her alive, the Emperor ordered the imperial physician to strip her clothes off and forcibly apply medicine,” Xiao Shunzi continued.
"So that's how it is. Just like her mother, she has a strong and resolute character. Our Geng family has always been very good at educating people. If an outsider sees her body, my daughter naturally won't survive." Lord Geng looked as if he had just realized something.
"There is another matter. Before she died, she caused Consort Qing to miscarry. The army was about to set off, and the Emperor had been keeping it a secret. He originally wanted to settle accounts with her, but since she had already passed away, the Emperor decided not to pursue the matter any further."
Xiao Shunzi stared at Lord Geng, meaning that he should know what he should and shouldn't ask when he met the Emperor!
Lord Geng nodded and saw Xiao Shunzi out the door with satisfaction.
In the inner palace, news of Geng Yulin's death spread like wildfire, bringing joy to some and sorrow to others.
People who are happy are like Li Qingzhou, who are gentle on the surface but treacherous behind the scenes.
The ones who were naturally worried were Princess Nanjiang and Xiyun.
In the past, those whom the emperor favored to manage the six palaces could die at any moment, let alone these two who had no relatives or friends.
Unlike the concubines who had passed away in the past, Geng Yulin's funeral was relatively decent, since in a sense, she had not committed any substantial wrongdoing.
Fu Lusiyue, however, still felt unsatisfied with all of this. After all, a woman like her, who came from the military, wished she could go and kill Geng Yulin herself to vent her anger.
"Your Majesty, the Prefect of Xuzhou has a secret document. Please come to the Qianqing Palace."
Xuzhou? Isn't that where Jiang Jinhua lives? Could something have happened to her?
Qi Jingxuan quickened his pace and hurried to the Qianqing Palace.
The prefect of Xuzhou knelt on the ground, unsure how to explain the situation.
Qi Jingxuan picked up the secret document placed in front of him, which clearly stated that his cousin Jiang Jinhua had poisoned Xu Yuanzhang.
"What's the reason? Tell me in detail!"
The prefect of Xuzhou knelt on the ground, trembling. The emperor had ordered him to protect Jiang Jinhua, and he had successfully protected her, but her husband had died.
"Your Majesty, I... alas! I don't know what to say. Ever since we arrived in Xuzhou, General Xu has completely ignored Miss Jiang's orders. He spends all his time seeking pleasure. I heard from my servants that he was in a brothel when Miss Jiang was giving birth!"
Qi Jingxuan was furious upon hearing this. He slammed his hand on the table and roared, "How dare you! How could you not tell me about such a serious matter?"
"Your Majesty! It's not that I didn't want to tell you, but Miss Jiang said she couldn't trouble you any further. Who knew that Miss Jiang, unable to bear the humiliation, would actually poison the person to death?"
The prefect of Xuzhou had no intention of keeping quiet; instead, he planned to exaggerate the matter, which was also the Grand Tutor's intention.
"Enough! Stop talking. General Xu changed his name and identity, so he doesn't exist. Convey my decree to appease Miss Jiang. I will send some gifts over! You may leave!"
General Xu has already led his army to the northern frontier. If he were to be suddenly recalled, it would surely cause panic among the troops, unless he personally leads the expedition!
The most important thing is to keep the news of Xu Yuanzhang's death a complete secret!
"Yes, then this humble subject will take his leave!"
The prefect of Xuzhou walked out to a corner and was suddenly grabbed by a pair of hands, who covered his mouth. A cold dagger was placed against his neck.
"Don't say that, but I'm asking you today because I came to the palace to talk about Xu Yuanzhang. Do you have any news about him?"
The prefect of Xuzhou shook his head. Under the emperor's nose, he couldn't possibly die here.
At the princess's command, the guards began to slit his throat. "It doesn't matter if you don't talk. I am the only princess of the Great Qi Kingdom. Killing a useless prefect like you is not a big deal!"
A sharp pain shot through his body, and he immediately stared wide-eyed and nodded.
"That's good! I won't make things difficult for you!" Qi Yuandong said, wrapping his wound with a handkerchief.
"Your Majesty, please don't be troubled! I have elderly parents and young children to support..."
"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up. There are too many people here, and if someone sees you, I can't guarantee you'll be able to leave the palace upright!"
The prefect of Xuzhou was so frightened that he immediately knelt on the ground.
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