The complexity between Qu Li's brows caused by thinking of Feng Yi disappeared, and was replaced by anger and disgust.
She pulled her hand away rudely, "Xiao Xian, I don't want to argue with you!"
Xiao Xian's eyes were dim and his face was full of hurt.
"I just..."
He couldn't tell her how he felt.
Although he lost his biological mother at a young age, both Emperor Kang and the Queen Mother were extremely caring towards him.
Even though the queen hated him and did many things to hurt him.
But he never really lost anything.
Even though he had to marry Qu Li as his principal wife, he only felt sorry for not being able to fulfill his promise, not sad about the loss.
Qu Li said with a serious face, "Xiao Xian, we are not the kind of people who drag our feet. I am helping you now only because we are on the same boat!"
Xiao Xian's heart seemed to be pierced by a sharp arrow, and his thin lips were tightly pursed into a line.
"I don't want you to misunderstand!"
He lowered his eyes and looked at his hands, whose veins were bulging from clenching his fists, and did not speak for a long time.
The atmosphere in the car was becoming increasingly oppressive. Just as Qu Li closed his eyes, preparing to think about entering the palace, he suddenly heard his voice muffled, "Everyone makes mistakes! Why is it that with you, if you make a mistake once, you never get another chance to be forgiven?"
Qu Li originally didn't intend to pay any more attention to him, but when he heard this, his eyes suddenly opened.
Their eyes met, and she clearly saw the sadness and frustration in his red eyes.
"Xiao Xian, some mistakes can be forgiven, but some cannot!"
"Why not? Do you want me to reveal my heart before you believe my sincerity?"
Qu Li's forehead was buzzing violently. He took two deep breaths and said in an unusually calm tone, "If I hadn't changed and was still the same Qu Li as before, would you still regret it?"
This question stumped Xiao Xian. He just stared at her for a long time, his Adam's apple moving slightly, and all the words were stuck in his throat.
Seeing his silence, Qu Li sighed, hesitated for a moment, and decided to make everything clear: "The previous Qu Li is dead, strangled to death by you!"
Xiao Xian's pupils suddenly trembled.
His lips moved, but he couldn't make a single sound.
Qu Li closed his eyes again, stroking the papers in his sleeves with his fingers, and the depression in his heart slowly dissipated.
The carriage stopped outside the palace gate, and Qu Li was the first to get off the carriage with a calm expression.
They had already walked more than ten steps away, but Xiao Xian still hadn't gotten off the carriage. Awang was waiting on the side, feeling a little helpless for a moment.
Qu Li didn't care.
After all, she had never thought of asking Xiao Xian to accompany her into the palace at the beginning.
She straightened her back and walked in slowly.
The sunlight fell on her, as if a layer of golden light was coated all over her body.
Qu Li came to the imperial study, bowed, and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, Qu Li has something in his hand, please take a look."
For some unknown reason, Ji Mingshan felt a little uneasy.
Emperor Kang looked at Eunuch Fu, who took the thing from Qu Li's hand and presented it to him with both hands.
At first, Kangdi just looked at it casually.
But later on, his posture became more and more stiff, and his expression became extremely ugly.
The imperial study was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Ji Mingshan felt more and more uneasy, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, but he didn't dare to wipe them off.
Qu Li looked indifferent and did not observe Kangdi's expression. Instead, he glanced at Ji Mingshan with a playful look.
When Ji Mingshan met Qu Li's playful gaze, he felt as if his heart was being strangled.
This feeling made him more and more panicked and anxious...
Kangdi finally finished reading the last piece of paper, and his deep eyes locked onto Qu Li.
"Where did you get this thing?"
He thought it was given to her by Xiao Xian.
Qu Li replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, you should have heard of the Shadow Pavilion. As long as there is money, whether it is killing people or investigating something, it is not a problem."
Emperor Kang had heard of the Shadow Pavilion a long time ago. He heard that the Shadow Pavilion did not kill ministers in the court and had been considered upright over the years, so he had no intention of eradicating it.
After all, the relationship between the imperial court and the underworld is very delicate.
Any carelessness will inevitably affect the stability of the court.
"So that's how it is." Kangdi murmured, then looked deeply at the papers in his hand. After a moment, he shifted his gaze to Ji Mingshan.
Ji Mingshan really wanted to look up and see Kangdi's expression, but he didn't dare.
The emperor's pressure made him sweat profusely, and his collar was soon wet.
"Ji Aiqing."
"I'm here." Ji Mingshan raised his head suddenly and met Kangdi's eyes, which were as deep as the abyss of a cold pond, and then he quickly lowered his head again.
"I want to ask you, how is your brother-in-law doing in the garrison?"
Before becoming the Minister of Personnel, Ji Mingshan was indeed an honest and upright person. However, the higher one goes in the officialdom, the more likely one is to develop greed and courage.
After becoming the Minister of Personnel, he began to act selfishly and stuffed his relatives into various departments.
Some people do have real skills, except for his brother-in-law.
The guards were the emperor's personal guards and were only responsible for protecting the emperor.
Normally, they don't need to fight on the battlefield like other border guards, but they are very prestigious.
Many noble families were willing to send their descendants to the garrisons so that they could be promoted after being gilded.
His brother-in-law was an uneducated man, so he took great pains to get him into the garrison.
He thought this was not a big deal, but he didn't expect it to be brought up.
"Your Majesty, this old minister..."
How loud he had shouted before, how hoarse his voice was now.
"Ji Mingshan, I have always believed in you. Is this how you repay me?"
Emperor Kang was furious and threw the papers in his hand towards Ji Mingshan.
The papers fluttered all over the ground. Ji Mingshan fell to the ground, unable to utter a word.
He knew that he was finished!
The Ji family is finished!
Qu Li raised his eyebrows.
If Ji Nianfu had not been so unruly and arrogant today, how could she have implicated the entire Ji family?
If Ji Mingshan could discipline his daughter well and continue to be honest and fair, how could he possibly ruin his own reputation in his later years?
Emperor Kang was furious. Eunuch Fu brought him some cold tea that could reduce his heat and persuaded him for a long time before he slowly calmed down.
Only then did Ji Mingshan slowly raise his head.
"Your Majesty, I have failed you. This old minister is unforgivable! However, Nianfu is only 28 years old after all. She has a bright future ahead of her. I really don't want her to be confined to a wheelchair! I beg Princess Chen to show some mercy and give Nianfu the antidote!"
He spoke sincerely, and even bowed deeply to Qu Li after he finished speaking.
However, Qu Li moved aside and was about to speak when he heard a male voice as cold as the broken stones on a cold mountain coming from outside.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
