Shangshu Ling said coldly, "Are you talking nonsense?"
Aunt Li raised the corners of her eyes slightly, and chuckled cheerfully, "Lord Shangshu Ling, you are a veteran of three dynasties. How dare I deceive you? If the Qin Wangfei is poisoned and the investigation begins, I will be the first to die. Whether the Qin Wangfei sends me here or not, I will not be able to escape death. In other words, from the moment the Queen Mother ordered me to serve the Qin Wangfei, I was destined to die."
"The Queen Mother poisoned the Princess of Qin. She had already informed the King of Qin about the poisoning. Framing this slave as the poisoner was a plan they had planned long ago."
The Shangshu Ling was puzzled. "Since you said that the King of Qin hated the Lu family, why did Yun'er tell the King of Qin that she was poisoned and even plotted with him?"
"The Princess of Qin loves the King of Qin, and the Queen Mother wants to get rid of him as soon as possible. How could the Princess of Qin be forced by the Queen Mother to kill the King of Qin, her husband, her lover?" She was delicate and cautious. Even if the Princess of Qin deliberately acted indifferent to the King of Qin, as a woman, she could not stand her little thoughts.
Having said this, Shangshu Ling’s brows furrowed.
"Sir, which is more important, my sister or my daughter?"
Aunt Li seems to be trying to sow discord, or perhaps it could be said that she is a divisive person.
Shang Shuling looked at Aunt Li, with a hint of murderous intent in his eyes, "You talk too much."
Aunt Li lowered her eyelids slightly, looking at the ground so close at hand, her eyes became dim and lifeless. Is it too much?
She thought it was just right.
The Minister of the Chancellery did not intend to keep Aunt Li, so he called his personal attendant and told him to take Aunt Li to a quiet place away from people and deal with her properly.
At the moment when he and his attendant were giving the order, Aunt Li suddenly raised a bright and beautiful arc like a young girl, and stared blankly at the scene in front of her, as if she saw something.
Empress Zhaorong, I am here to accompany you.
A bright red slowly overflowed from the corner of his mouth.
The attendant noticed that something was wrong with Aunt Li, so he squatted down and checked her nose and pulse.
"Master, the man is already dead. He took poison."
The Minister of the Chancellery glanced at him calmly and said, "Get rid of him."
The attendants carried Aunt Li's body and retreated.
Shangshu Ling looked at the dark night sky, his brows unconsciously furrowed, and he felt very irritated.
He wondered, did the King of Qin send Aunt Li here to sow discord, or did he really care about Guan Yun'er?
The next day, the weather was sunny and the scenery was beautiful.
In the morning, the Minister of the Chancellery submitted a visiting card to the palace and received a reply quickly. In the afternoon, he went to the palace to pay a visit to the Queen Mother.
Normally, siblings who haven't seen each other for a long time would have a lot to talk about, but this time, the Shangshu Ling didn't speak for a long time.
The Queen Mother realized that something was wrong and sent all the palace maids out.
The Minister of the Chancellery didn't mince words and directly questioned the Queen Mother, "Sister, did you poison Yun'er and not allow her to detoxify?"
The Queen Mother remained silent with a dull expression.
The Minister of the Chancellery felt as if there was something stuck in his throat, and a feeling of sorrow and despair slowly welled up in him.
Thinking of what Aunt Li said, she couldn't help but ask again, "Are the deaths of Concubine Qin and her daughter related to you?"
The Queen Mother frowned slightly. How did her brother know this?
Since the Empress Dowager didn't say anything, the Minister of Chancellery took it as her tacit agreement.
What Aunt Li said was indeed true. The death of Concubine Qin and her daughter was related to his sister.
Shangshu Ling felt a little uneasy and worried.
The death of Concubine Qin and her daughter made the King of Qin hate the Lu family. Will he harm Yun'er in the future?
The Minister of the Chancellery did not stay in the Empress Dowager's palace for long. He went to Kunning Palace to see the eldest daughter of the Empress Dowager for a while and then left the palace soon.
At night, he tossed and turned and couldn't sleep.
On the second day, the Shangshu Ling, who was always present, took leave.
When Lu Tianyun heard that her father was unwell, she hurried back to her mother's home to visit the Shangshu Ling.
…
Time passed day by day, and in the blink of an eye it was the 100th birthday of Empress Lu in the Central Palace.
The palace held a grand banquet to celebrate the birth of Queen Lu, inviting all officials to congratulate her.
As a trusted and favored minister, Ye Zelin, who took on important responsibilities as soon as he entered the government, was naturally among those invited.
Hua Fushu is an official's wife and can attend the Qianqiu Banquet with Ye Zelin.
She changed into a lilac dress and simple hair accessories. Although low-key and restrained, she exuded luxury everywhere.
This was the Queen's birthday banquet, and the scene was grand. Ye Zelin was the emperor's favorite and was highly favored. Hua Fushu felt that she should not be high-profile and should not dress casually.
The seats at the banquet were arranged according to the rank of the officials. The seats closest to the emperor were those of princes and marquises, followed by officials of different ranks.
Ye Zelin's seat was relatively close to the front, one seat away from the Shangshu Ling's.
Entering the Taiji Hall, Hua Fushu sat quietly beside Ye Zelin, listening to other officials and their families greeting each other, and then sat down in his own seat.
After an unknown amount of time, some princes and marquises came to the Taiji Hall one after another.
Hua Fushu saw her senior brothers King Qin and Lu Tianyun, and they came towards them.
"Junior sister, Minister Ye." Qin Youran greeted Hua Fushu and his wife.
"Tianyun, Senior Brother Qin Wang." Hua Fushu and Ye Zelin saluted Qin Youran and his wife.
After a few greetings, Qin Youran and Princess Qin Lu Tianyun sat down at their seats.
Finally, the Qianqiu Banquet is about to begin.
His Majesty Zhao Zixu, accompanied by Empress Lu, the Queen Mother, and Princess Xinyang, arrived at the Taiji Hall.
Queen Lu is the birthday girl today and the most dazzling presence in the Taiji Hall. She is dressed in a wide-sleeved brocade robe with a red phoenix and a peony pattern. Her shawl is inlaid with round and plump pearls, and she wears a dragon and phoenix flower hairpin crown on her head. She looks graceful, elegant, noble and gorgeous.
His Majesty said a few polite words and then announced the start of the banquet. Please don't be restrained, my dear ministers.
After three rounds of drinks, it was soon time to present gifts.
The first to present gifts were the princes and dukes, followed by the dukes and marquises, and then officials of different ranks.
When it was Ye Zelin's turn, the gift he presented was a jade disk carved with auspicious patterns, which was brought to the queen by a palace maid for her review.
At this time, an official in purple clothes teased Hua Fushu in a joking manner, saying that she was very rich and had donated millions of silver to the Ministry of Revenue some time ago. On the occasion of the Empress's centenary birthday, she should offer a generous gift to honor the Empress. Finally, he joked that her gift should be tacky if it was not gold and silver, which she regarded as dirt.
Hearing this, Ye Zelin's handsome features turned cold, and he was about to speak, but Hua Fushu grabbed his sleeve, stopped him, told him not to speak, and signaled to him that she would deal with it.
Hua Fushu did not recognize this person. She asked Ye Zelin in a low voice. Ye Zelin told her that it was the Minister of Works, and in terms of rank, he was one level higher than Ye Zelin.
Seeing Hua Fushu remained silent, the Minister of Works thought that Hua Fushu was timid and did not dare to respond. He chuckled lightly with a bit of contempt, "I am just a little girl."
Hua Fushu put a plump, juicy, peeled grape into her mouth, held up the jade cup with one hand, and said sweetly, "Minister Jiang is right. I have learned a lesson. It can't be helped. Who gave me such a good father and such a good master? You can't envy them even if you want to."
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