Chapter 51 Ling Zixia uses tea to punish the eunuchs
The sharp voice of the eunuch delivering the imperial decree broke the solemn atmosphere of the Prime Minister's residence and cast a shadow over everyone's heart.
Zhao Wenxuan's figure had already disappeared at the end of the corridor in the front yard, leaving only Ling Zixia, her servants and a group of guards standing there.
Zhang Mo's face was somewhat solemn, and he bowed respectfully to Ling Zixia.
"Auntie, there are too many people here, so I'd better escort you back to Jingsiyuan to rest."
Ling Zixia nodded softly and let Qing'er support her arm.
"Thank you for your concern, Commander Zhang. Let's go back quickly."
She behaved like any other woman in the inner court who was frightened by the majesty of the imperial edict, and just wanted to get away from this place of trouble as soon as possible.
The group turned and walked towards Jingsiyuan, their steps seemed a little hurried.
Just as they were about to turn around a rockery, a group of people came towards them in a hurry.
The leader was the steward from the Prime Minister's Mansion who had just gone to deliver the message. He was leading a middle-aged eunuch wearing royal blue chief eunuch's uniform with a flattering look on his face.
The eunuch had a fair complexion, a slightly raised chin, and a look of condescending arrogance. He was none other than Eunuch Fu, the emperor's favorite.
Behind Eunuch Fu were two young eunuchs, one of whom was carefully holding a tray covered with bright yellow silk cloth, which was obviously a reward prepared for the Prime Minister's Mansion.
When Zhang Mo saw the person coming, he immediately stopped and bowed with his guards.
"Meet Eunuch Fu."
Eunuch Fu did not stop, he just glanced at Zhang Mo out of the corner of his eye.
"We are here under orders, and all outsiders should leave immediately."
His voice was shrill and arrogant, and he didn't take the leader of the guards of the Prime Minister's Mansion seriously at all.
Zhang Mo did not dare to be negligent in the slightest. He quickly waved his hand to signal everyone to retreat to the sides of the path and make way for the nobleman from the palace.
Ling Zixia also retreated to the side with the crowd. She lowered her head with her eyebrows lowered, trying hard to reduce her presence.
However, sometimes trouble finds itself, especially when you least want it.
Eunuch Fu and his group passed by Ling Zixia, and he didn't notice the humble concubine in the corner.
But the steward who was leading the way beside him said something extra in order to please the eunuch.
"Look, sir, this is Concubine Ling who came to the mansion not long ago."
Upon hearing this, Eunuch Fu paused slightly and then turned his gaze to Ling Zixia.
He looked Ling Zixia up and down, his eyes full of undisguised contempt and scrutiny.
"Oh, so it's the remnant of the treacherous Ling family."
His voice was not loud, but it was loud enough for everyone around to hear clearly.
This sentence was full of great insult, causing Zhang Mo and others to change their expressions slightly.
Ling Zixia's body trembled slightly, and she lowered her head even lower.
When Eunuch Fu saw her submissive look, the contempt in his eyes became even stronger. He felt that he was showing off his power just right.
He was about to move forward when a young eunuch beside him suddenly stumbled for some reason.
The young eunuch was holding a cup of freshly brewed hot tea in his hand, which he was going to use to moisten Eunuch Fu's throat.
As he stumbled, the teacup in his hand flew out of his hand, and the scalding hot tea drew an arc in the air.
The direction in which the tea was splashed was exactly where Ling Zixia was.
When Qing'er saw this, her face changed drastically. She screamed and was about to step forward to block Ling Zixia.
But the tea came so quickly and urgently that no one had any time to react.
Ling Zixia seemed to be frightened by this sudden change. She stood there blankly, not knowing how to dodge.
The scalding hot tea splashed all over the backs of her fair and delicate hands, and also wet the front of her simple dress.
A burning stinging sensation instantly hit her, and Ling Zixia let out a painful groan.
She instinctively took two steps back, an expression of extreme pain on her face.
The young eunuch who spilled the tea was already pale with fear. He fell to his knees with a plop and kowtowed continuously.
"Father, please spare me! Aunt, please spare me! I didn't mean it!"
A barely perceptible hint of pride flashed across Eunuch Fu's face, as if he was extremely satisfied with this "accident".
He pretended to scold the young eunuch, and then looked at Ling Zixia.
"Oh, Aunt Ling, are you okay?"
There was false concern in his voice, but no apology in his eyes.
"Look at how clumsy this servant is. I will punish him severely later."
Ling Zixia was in so much pain that tears welled up in her eyes, and the backs of her hands turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye.
She endured the pain, knelt down and bowed to Eunuch Fu, her voice filled with tears.
"I dare not trouble you, sir. It was...it was my own carelessness that blocked your way."
Her words of retreating in order to advance made the guards around her feel uncomfortable.
However, no one noticed that the moment the boiling hot tea touched Ling Zixia's skin, the golden finger ability in her body was activated.
The deadly temperature was instantly reversed, turning into a cool warm current that moisturized her skin.
The redness on the back of her hand was just an illusion caused by her internal force. In fact, she was not hurt at all.
Not only that, when she seemed to retreat in panic, her fingertips touched the water stains splashed on the ground without leaving a trace.
The ordinary tea instantly turned into a liquid with strange properties after being transformed by her body.
The liquid itself is non-toxic and harmless and does not emit any odor.
Its only effect is that it reacts violently with certain spices.
And that specific spice was a mixed incense called "ambergris" that was most commonly used by the eunuchs in the palace to cover up the unpleasant odor on their bodies.
Eunuch Fu's body was filled with this rich fragrance.
After doing all this, Ling Zixia still played the role of the weak woman who had suffered so much injustice. She lowered her head and kept sobbing.
Seeing that she didn't dare to complain at all, Eunuch Fu felt even more proud. He was just about to say a few polite words to show his magnanimity.
But at this moment, he suddenly smelled an extremely strange smell.
The smell was like burnt wood mixed with rotten fish, extremely unpleasant.
He frowned and subconsciously lowered his head to look for the source of the smell.
Then, he saw a horrifying scene that he would never forget.
I saw that the surface of his official boots, which were made of the finest brocade, began to emit wisps of fine green smoke at some point.
The surface of the boots was becoming charred at an incredible speed, as if being burned by invisible flames.
“Sizzle…sizzle…”
A teeth-grinding corrosion sound was heard, and his pair of luxurious official boots quickly dissolved into two large holes before his eyes.
An unbearable pain came from the soles of his feet, as if countless red-hot irons were burning his flesh.
"ah!!!"
Eunuch Fu let out a shrill scream that was not like a human voice, and he looked at his feet in horror.
The two young eunuchs beside him were also terrified. They watched Eunuch Fu's feet turn into a bloody mess in just a few breaths.
This sudden change shocked everyone present.
Zhang Mo and his men all showed expressions of disbelief. They had no idea what was going on.
Only Ling Zixia still lowered her head, with a cold arc at the corner of her mouth.
Eunuch Fu rolled on the ground in pain, tearing his boots and socks frantically and wailing non-stop.
The steward who led the way was so frightened that he crawled forward.
"Father-in-law! What's wrong with you? What happened to you?"
Eunuch Fu was in so much pain that he couldn't speak. He could only point at the inconspicuous pool of tea on the ground and then at the ambergris sachet he was wearing.
Everyone's eyes followed his guidance.
I saw that the tea was still steaming slightly and emitting a strange white mist after it touched the ground.
The exquisite sachet on Eunuch Fu's waist also showed signs of corrosion on its surface.
An experienced old guard exclaimed in surprise when he saw this.
"It's 'fire and water can't coexist'! This tea must have been mixed with 'flint powder', a rare item from the Western Regions!"
"And the sachet that my father-in-law was wearing just happened to contain 'bone-dissolving grass' that could ignite flint powder!"
"Once these two things meet, they will produce invisible fire that will corrode everything!"
His words found the most "reasonable" explanation for this strange incident.
Everyone's eyes instantly focused on the little eunuch who had already collapsed on the ground with fear.
He was the one who served the tea, and these two things must have been tampered with by him.
This little eunuch actually dared to murder the emperor's favorite person in the prime minister's residence.
His heart is evil and his crime deserves death.
Eunuch Fu also thought of this. He endured the severe pain, pointed at the young eunuch, and shouted in a hoarse voice.
"It's you...it's you, you little dog slave, who wants to harm our family!"
The young eunuch was so frightened that he had lost his soul. He kowtowed frantically and made incoherent excuses.
"It's not me... It's not me... I'm innocent..."
However, no one believed him anymore.
A fierce look flashed in Zhang Mo's eyes, and he waved his hand.
The two guards immediately stepped forward and pinned the young eunuch who was crying out for justice to the ground.
Ling Zixia slowly raised her head amidst the chaos.
She looked at Eunuch Fu who was wailing in pain on the ground, with just the right amount of panic and sympathy on her face.
She said in a trembling voice.
"Oh my God... Grandpa... he's seriously injured..."
"Hurry...quickly call the doctor!"
Her voice, like the sound of a yellow oriole singing in a valley, seemed particularly clear in this chaotic scene.
It also seems... particularly innocent.
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