Chapter 98 Graduation (2) [VIP]
After a pause, Miss Xu frowned in thought, still brooding over her master's refusal of the marriage proposal: "I don't understand, why didn't you refuse the marriage proposal in the first place?"
Qu Hanjin didn't give it much thought and said bluntly, "There's no reason. I just don't like it."
This time, Miss Xu was really desperate.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the arrogant figure quickly walked out of the hall, perhaps never to speak to the gentleman alone again.
There was a quiet corner left in the hall. He turned around and saw a delicate woman leisurely walking out from the corner, smiling softly and taking his sleeves.
I don't know what she was thinking, but she chose to hide in the corner and watch, as if she was curious about what the students would say to the teacher when the apprenticeship was over...
Fortunately, he didn't say anything out of line. He walked slowly back to the side yard and started sweeping the snow.
"Did you hear everything Meng Ying'er said? She has a kind heart and upright character," Qu Hanjin said as he took a broom and swept the snow. "In my opinion, this person shouldn't be so cruelly betrayed."
She brought a stool and idly watched her husband sweeping the snow. Her thoughts drifted away, then near and far. Suddenly, she made a decision: "When everything is settled, I will go find her first."
"The master gave away all his belongings to others. What did he leave for me? I am also a student of the Music Bureau." Chu Qingluo looked up and pretended to be aggrieved. It seemed that the master did not leave her anything at all.
After hearing this, the young man paused for a moment, solemnly threw away the broom, sat down beside her elegantly, spread out his sleeves, and took her into his arms.
He whispered softly, hoarsely beside her ear: "Everyone is yours, what else do you want from me?"
Her face immediately flushed, and although she was shy, she shamelessly snuggled into his arms again and again.
"Outside the city, the elite troops are ready. I will follow the other Qin ladies into the palace and then take a detour to Lingning Palace." After a moment of silence, she spoke seriously, talking about tomorrow's plan, "I'll leave the palace banquet to you, sir."
"Be careful what you do, and remember to protect yourself."
Qu Hanjin gently stroked her hair, a hint of coldness flashing across his eyes.
The flying clouds were dim and the sunset was idle. At dusk the next day, a light rain fell, and the old cold and the new warmth all melted into the red plum blossoms.
Then the dark clouds dispersed, the bright moon rose, the crows returned to their nests, and flew over the imperial city. The lingering breeze left only a sense of tranquility.
Several zither girls who came to celebrate the birthday walked steadily along Yaoyao Palace Road, and their leader was none other than Mr. Music, the Grand Master of Rites.
This person had an elegant posture and was dressed in pure white. His every move and gesture made him look like an immortal from another world, which made the palace maids passing by unconsciously stare at him for a few more moments.
After passing by a place, a pretty girl walking behind quietly left the road, and no one asked about it. Everyone knew that His Majesty's birthday banquet was just in time, and it was better to have less trouble than more.
The graceful figure walked gracefully, her face calm and expressionless, heading towards Lingning Palace where the Ninth Prince of Daning lived.
Before leaving, smoke signals for troops to be dispatched were set off in the sky. By this time, most of the secret guards of the Imperial City Division in the palace should have been under Fu Zhao's control, especially the palace in front of them.
Chu Qingluo stopped at the palace gate and looked at a maid walking out from afar.
She was very familiar with this palace maid, she was Linglan, the Ninth Prince's personal maid.
As they passed by calmly, Linglan showed a hint of relief as she cautiously informed him, "His Highness has taken poison and will soon be dead. You can go and take one last look at him."
As she thought, the Ninth Prince was really not on guard against this personal maid. After drinking the strange poison left by Feng Yan, he was sure to die.
"Leave quickly, the farther away from this capital, the better," she replied knowingly. She pulled a bag of silver from her sleeve and placed it in Linglan's palm. "Take this for your travel expenses."
Linglan's hands trembled slightly as she hurriedly took the purse. She hesitated and said, "There are many women who have been tortured in Lingning Palace. I want to take them with me."
"Hurry up, don't delay any longer," Chu Qingluo replied calmly. She wanted to move forward, but then she thought of something and said indifferently, "Also, you don't have to call yourself a slave anymore. You are free."
The purse in her hand was gripped tighter, and Linglan bowed her head very respectfully, with tears glistening in her eyes.
"Ms. Chu's great kindness, Linglan will never forget it."
Inside the palace walls, palace lanterns were hung high in the corridors, as clear and bright as the bright moon in the sky. Some of the snow had not yet melted, and it bloomed brightly in every corner of the palace.
When a birthday banquet is held, thousands of people gather together to celebrate. Civil and military officials fill the hall, and the hall is filled with golden and jadeite, looking magnificent.
The air was filled with subtle fragrance, and the banquet was filled with clinking glasses. Gold plates, jade bowls, and delicacies and fine wines were placed on the tables. The palace servants who came and went were particularly busy, fearing that they would make any mistakes and be punished by His Majesty.
The sound of piano filled the air, and the dancer came over with her slender waist swaying, spreading her red sleeves, as if she was about to dance a stunning piece of music.
But before she could dance once or twice, His Majesty lifted his dragon sleeve slightly, indicating that the banquet should wait, and the dancer withdrew as ordered.
Emperor Xuanlong looked quietly at the court officials and princes seated on both sides of the hall, but he did not see the Ninth Prince.
The emperor's seat has been vacant recently, and even the servants and attendants of Lingning Palace are nowhere to be seen, which is really surprising.
The eyes around were vaguely gathered.
After all, this is His Majesty's birthday banquet. If you are late, it means you don't respect the emperor's authority. How dare His Majesty the Ninth Prince be so negligent...
"Why haven't I seen Lao Jiu yet?" The emperor's face darkened. Chu Zhan lost his patience and ordered the eunuch beside him, his displeasure suddenly rising. "Call Lao Jiu for me."
He bowed and respectfully stepped out of the hall.
The dancing and music had stopped, and the surroundings were extremely quiet. Those present offered birthday gifts.
However, His Majesty seemed to want to wait until the Ninth Prince entered the palace before holding this grand birthday banquet.
The originally noisy and joyous scene suddenly fell into silence. After waiting for a long time, the officials on both sides began to whisper, wondering why the Ninth Prince had not yet arrived for the banquet...
The hall was filled with whispers. When the court officials saw that Emperor Xuanlong was stroking his forehead quietly and did not blame anyone, they started talking even louder.
At this time, the girl who had been sitting silently in a corner stood up solemnly, walked calmly to the golden steps under the gaze of everyone, and raised her sleeves to bow respectfully to the majesty on the dragon throne.
This elegant and flawless figure belongs to Mr. Music from the Ministry of Rites, who is also the official most favored by His Majesty in recent days.
His expression was quite calm. Qu Hanjin slowly straightened up and said calmly, "Before the banquet begins, I would like to offer a word of advice to Your Majesty."
Although he is highly regarded by His Majesty, it is inappropriate for Mr. Qu to give advice on His Majesty's birthday. The onlookers fell silent again and discussed the matter privately, not understanding why.
Chu Zhan looked up, then sat down majestically, raised his hand and said, "Lord Qu, if you have anything to advise me, please feel free to speak up."
"Rumors have been spreading throughout the city these past few days, all of them about the Ninth Prince, but the real blame lies with Your Majesty." Qu Hanjin paused, his brows furrowed, and then suddenly reported, "Those rumors are extremely unfavorable to Your Majesty. It would be best for Your Majesty to have fewer meetings with the Ninth Prince these days."
"Oh?" Upon hearing the nonsense about Lao Jiu and him, the emperor, Chu Zhan frowned and asked in a stern voice.
"My dear minister, please tell me what kind of rumor this is."
The court officials were speechless upon hearing this. Who in the whole world would dare to speak ill of the current emperor? Could it be that he didn't want to live like this...
The figure at the foot of the stairs replied calmly, but her eyes darkened slightly. "Your Highness the Ninth Prince has colluded with the Minister of Revenue, Lord Dong, to embezzle the people's wealth under the guise of Your Majesty."
"absurd!"
Chu Zhan slammed the table and shouted angrily, staring at the minister with wide eyes.
This crime is of no small magnitude. If he truly loses the support of the people, it will be difficult to maintain the emperor's authority... Emperor Xuanlong pointed angrily and ordered the official to come forward and explain in detail: "Lord Dong, tell me, is this really true?"
Dong Changchang, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, felt his legs weaken when he saw the scene. He stared at Mr. Qu, whose face was cold and distant, in shock. His hands trembled slightly as he stood up straight and bowed to His Majesty.
"Your Majesty, this is unjust! I have always been impartial and selfless, as you know!"
After a hurried argument, Dong Chang turned away in surprise, angrily glaring at the Grand Master of Music, who had never been familiar with court affairs. "Mr. Qu, I have no grudge against you. Why are you slandering me?"
"Whether it is or not, we will know once we find out." Qu Hanjin said calmly, his eyes extremely calm, as if he had already made a plan.
"This was accidentally left in the Ministry of Revenue's account book by the Ninth Prince. Lord Yang discovered something strange about it but didn't dare to make it public. Remembering that I often played chess with Your Majesty, Lord Yang handed it to me."
Having said this, Yang Lian stepped forward respectfully and solemnly handed over the account book: "That's right, I hope Your Majesty will take a look."
"Show it up!"
Chu Zhan waved his sleeves coldly, his eyes fixed tightly, wanting to see what exactly the Minister of Revenue was doing, and what Mr. Naqu was planning...
Upon hearing His Majesty's order, the servant beside him hurriedly took the account book and presented it solemnly.
The palace banquet seemed to be postponed, so His Majesty sat alone on the high platform and flipped through the account book on the spot.
As he turned the pages of the account book, his expression became increasingly solemn.
Outside the palace, the lanterns were as bright as the moon, hanging all over the corridors to celebrate the birthday banquet, but the palace was silent, and the sound of pipes and stringed instruments did not rise for a long time.
At the same time, the Lingning Palace in the imperial city was particularly dark, and the few corridor lights that should have been on had been off for a long time.
Strangely enough, the palace was extremely quiet inside and outside, and even the palace maids walking by didn't look at anyone.
The east and west courtyards were dark, with only the bedroom brightly lit by candles.
The ninth prince of Daning, Chu Yanshuo, fell to the ground beside the bed, his face was hideous, blood oozed from the corner of his mouth, and he called out to his servants in horror.
However, there was no one inside or outside, and there was dead silence everywhere, which showed that he was no longer alive.
There was a sound of slow footsteps, and every step seemed to step on his fear and unwillingness. He looked up weakly at the sound, and saw the woman walking towards him. A strong sense of fear surged in his heart.
"It's you?" Chu Yanshuo was shocked and his face turned pale. He shouted in panic, but he couldn't get up because his hands and feet were weak.
"Someone come! There's an assassin, there's an assassin!"
Chu Qingluo followed him as he gazed outside the hall, her brows furrowed in feigned confusion. "This is strange! Your Highness's shadow guards are highly skilled and have been protecting your safety for years. Why isn't anyone here right now?"
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