Chapter 225: Win or Lose, Just a Glance
Ji Qingwu was hesitating whether to take the dagger.
At this time, the door of the new house was pushed open.
The two maids were kicked out, and Princess Qingyun's angry voice was heard outside.
"Where are your eyes? The two earrings were right on the table, how could they disappear out of thin air..."
Qingyun waited for a long time until Li Chengxun came back. He had already changed into a bright red inner garment for bed. Before the two of them could say a few words, they learned that the emperor was coming.
She was shocked and anxious, and had to redo her hair before she could go out to see anyone.
But the pair of gold and pearl earrings were nowhere to be found, and the more anxiously they looked, the harder it was to find them.
Princess Qingyun said angrily, "If we can't find it, will you take responsibility when my brother asks about it later?"
Li Chengxun held her shoulders with one hand and moved the golden crown in front of the dressing mirror with the other.
"Princess, don't worry. We have found it now."
He put it on her head, brushed her earlobe, and whispered in her ear: "Your Majesty is coming, it's not good to keep the emperor waiting. I will go to the front hall to greet you first. It won't be too late for the princess to leave after she has packed up."
There were shadows swaying in the bridal chamber, and Li Chengxun, in red wedding attire, was about to go out.
Ji Qingwu's eyes were also shaking.
Emperor Wu Su did not expose her lame excuse to her face, which meant he had no intention of punishing Mo Lingling.
Ji Qingwu stepped forward and said softly, "Your Majesty, the princess will have to wait a while before she can get ready to see you. Why don't you go sit in the front hall first?"
As she said this, she tried to open her eyes wide and looked at him expectantly.
It was not until her eyes were wide open and watery that he said, "What's so good about sitting in the front hall? I think the backyard has more things to do."
Ji Qingwu blinked slowly, and Emperor Wu Su also said slowly: "Some people jump into the lake, and some people chop tree bark on the shore. It's much more interesting than just sitting there."
Ji Qingwu bit his lip and continued to lobby: "Your Majesty, you underestimate me. I can do more than just cut tree bark."
Li Chengxun happened to walk out of the room and saw two figures in the corridor.
The night was dark, shadows obscured the light, and the palace lanterns lit up.
The two people were standing very close to each other and talking, which was beyond the normal distance for communication and conversation.
The posture of one looking up and the other looking down reveals intimacy and charm.
Li Chengxun took a few steps forward and recognized that the woman with her back to him was Ji Qingwu.
He paused at one end of the corridor.
Coincidentally, his gaze met that man's and he quickly lowered his head to avoid it, unable to stop being shocked.
The smile on Emperor Wu Su's lips had not yet faded, but when he looked at him, his brows were instantly suppressed, mixed with displeasure of being interrupted, and an emotion that was understandable as a man.
Winning or losing depends on just one glance.
Today was supposed to be the happy day when Li Chengxun married the princess and fulfilled his wish, but he felt a chill rising from his back that was almost freezing.
Why did the Queen Mother fall in love with him just when he was about to discuss marriage with the Ji family?
At that time, he thought that it was because of his superior talent that he won the favor of the royal family.
Now that I think about it, it was Emperor Wu Su who was behind this.
The winning or losing information of a game is not true...
Li Chengxun smiled bitterly and shook his head. He thought he was the chess player, but in fact he was also the chess piece.
At this moment, Ji Qingwu also discovered someone behind him. When he saw it was Li Chengxun, he immediately turned his head back, fearing that if he looked at him a few more times, the person in front of him would frown again.
Who knows if Li Chengxun is sober yet? If he talks nonsense again, she’d better run away first.
Ji Qingwu bowed and deliberately said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, you just asked where the bridal chamber is. It is right behind here. Since the consort has come out, I will not disturb you anymore. I will take my leave."
When leaving, he did not forget to fish Mo Lingling, who was covered in mud, out of the lake.
Ji Qingwu randomly found a room on the road and asked the maid in the mansion to find a set of clean clothes.
After entering the room, Mo Lingling held the dagger tightly in both hands and was about to kneel down again.
Ji Qingwu wanted to reach out to stop her, but when he saw that she was covered in mud, he withdrew his hand.
"Miss Mo, it's good that you are awake now. Don't kneel down at every turn. Your life is not worth that much."
Mo Lingling's face turned pale, but her eyes were stubborn as she said, "Miss Ji, I'm not here to kill him today. I don't intend to fight him to the death. I just... I just can't accept it. I want to ask him why he didn't keep his word back then."
Ji Qingwu looked at the dagger that she held in her arms, protecting as if it were a treasure.
"What happened back then?"
Ji Qingwu had saved her several times, and Mo Lingling had long regarded him as important as a family member, so there was nothing she couldn't say.
"At that time, my father was poisoned in prison and left a confession before he died. I knew something was fishy, but I couldn't do anything. The men of the Mo family were all exiled to the borderland, and the women were enslaved."
Ji Qingwu sat at the table and asked, "Since all the women were enslaved, why did you become a courtesan?"
Mo Lingling said, "The newly appointed county magistrate was my father's advisor. He forced me to be his concubine, but I refused. He got angry and sent me to the boat that was coming to Liangxiang Pavilion to buy new prostitutes."
"We encountered a group of bandits on the waterway to Lin'an. The bandits were cunning and blindfolded us to prevent us from seeing the road clearly and remembering how to escape."
"The girls on this boat are all good-looking and have good figures. How could these bandits let them go? But I am still relatively lucky."
Ji Qingwu frowned and said, "Someone is here to save you."
Mo Lingling nodded, and she tightened her grip on the knife in her hand, as if she had gained courage from the cold iron blade.
"This dagger cut the throat of the bandit who was on top of me with one stroke."
Mo Lingling said: "That person wanted to take me away, but I can't just leave like that. I still have to vindicate the Mo family. When I get to the Imperial City, I will have more opportunities to meet high-ranking officials."
"But he said that he would help me avenge my father and asked me to wait for him. I just need to protect myself before that."
Ji Qingwu thought: "Did he tell you in person that he was Li Chengxun?"
After a long while, Mo Lingling said embarrassedly: "I was so scared at the time that I forgot to ask his name."
Ji Qingwu gave her a look that said "I knew it".
Mo Lingling said: "Besides, I was naked and was too embarrassed to take off the blindfold, so he left this dagger to me. Afterwards, when I saw the appearance of this dagger, I understood everything."
Mo Lingling's face was dirty, but she washed the dagger clean with lake water.
She pointed at the handle and said, "Miss Ji, look at the pattern on this dagger."
The carved pattern is thicker at one end and thinner at the other, like an upside-down pear.
"This is a pear, isn't it Li?"
At that time, the Mo family was detained by the government. Li Chengxun's father was a successful candidate in the imperial examination. He also organized the people to sign a petition, but he was also thrown into jail by the colluding officials.
Although he was released after the case was closed, Li's father was severely tortured in prison and died of illness not long after returning home.
At that time, Mo Lingling didn't think of anyone who could share the same hatred with her.
Ji Qingwu looked at the rune carefully. To be honest, it was very abstract, with only two circles.
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