Work overtime

Chapter 320
Just when Chen Ning breathed a sigh of relief and narrowed his eyes, Li Beichen suddenly raised his eyes and looked at him.

"Your game of chess is different from others. But what are your plans?"

The emperor's pun made Chen Ning startled. The hand holding Bai Zi couldn't help but tremble, and his narrowed eyes suddenly opened wide.

Li Beichen looked at Chen Ning's expression and thought that if he was to be entrusted with important tasks in the future, he would need more experience.Joy and anger cannot accomplish great things.

The room was eerily quiet for a moment.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Ning replied cautiously: "I am stupid and not good at chess. I just play by feeling and have no ability to plan the game."

Li Beichen hummed casually.

Chen Ning made Chen Ning doubt whether he was thinking too much.Maybe the emperor didn't mean anything.

Just looking at Li Beichen's stern face, there is no clue at all.

Li Beichen paused calmly, and his calm eyes fell on Chen Ning's face again, "I heard that you also went to Tianxiang Tower last night?"

It is said that?That means the emperor already knows what happened yesterday.

Chen Ning immediately plopped down, knelt on the ground, and apologized sincerely, "I am guilty of what happened last night. Please forgive me."

Li Beichen reminded him lightly, "What Chen Qing is kneeling down to do is to finish the chess game first. Now that you are in the game, you must insist on finishing the move, otherwise even your opponent may not let you go."

"The Emperor is wise. I am grateful for the Emperor's teachings and will definitely keep them in mind."

Chen Ning naturally heard the implication and felt that the clothes on his back were sticking to his body, which was very uncomfortable.

But he could only bite the bullet and drop one.

"Even Chen Qing, who is aloof and arrogant, is ready to speak flattering words, let alone others. There are really few people around me who dare to tell the truth."

Li Beichen sighed as if it was true.

Chen Ning responded quickly, "Every word I say is true. No one has ever given me advice on how to play chess. I feel deeply honored to have the emperor's advice."

Li Beichen almost laughed out loud at Chen Ning. He really couldn't understand what he was saying.

"You lost this game," Li Beichen said with a smile as he dropped a piece of luck, "but it's already rare."

After two breaths of silence, he asked, "What happened last night? Tell me."

Chen Ning thought to himself, it turned out that everything was foreshadowing.Whether it is a blessing or a curse, there is no way to escape it.

He blinked and explained everything that happened last night in detail.

Li Beichen remained expressionless and silent. After Chen Ning finished speaking, he pondered every detail in it for a long time, "Do you mean that Meng Qing's involvement was purely an accident, or that you personally sent him to the tea room?"

Facing the emperor's direct gaze, Chen Ning's heart skipped a beat. He quickly knelt down and said with rapid breathing, "Your Majesty, I forgive you, my lord, my lord, my lord..."

He could find no reason to quibble.

It was indeed sent in on his own initiative.

Li Beichen seemed to be a different person, with a solemn expression and a calm tone, "I allow you to speak frankly."

Chen Ning was alert.It feels like the emperor is digging a hole.But he had to jump.

"I dare not."

"Say."

Xu Fuhai was so frightened that he broke into a cold sweat when he heard the emperor say this single word, but he bravely reminded Chen Ning:

"When your Majesty asks a question, answer whatever it is and tell the truth."

Chen Ning: "..."

He remembered the book he saw on the emperor's table that night when Murong Chi brought him to meet the emperor for the first time.

Then be a remonstrator who is not afraid of death.

"Mr. Meng's passing by must be accidental, but the murder framed by him may have been planned for a long time. He just happened to have the opportunity last night."

When talking about business, Chen Ning has a reassuring determination and concentration.This sentence made Li Beichen's eyes look approving.

Before, he had been focusing on how his opponent could use Chen Ning's help to trick Meng Qing into the tea room. Such an accident was puzzling.

Now it seems that the focus may be wrong.

A name is on the horizon.

Chen Ning and Li Beichen knew each other well. He raised his head and met Li Beichen's thoughtful gaze. His heart was a little confused, but his mind suddenly became clear.

"Meng Ran. Lord Murong and I met Meng Ran in the corridor shortly after we met Meng Qing."

After Chen Ning finished speaking, he realized that he had disobeyed the emperor and forgot to address the emperor by his honorific title.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please forgive me for being rude."

Li Beichen nodded slightly, "It doesn't matter."

His eyes fell on Chen Ning's smooth and plump forehead, "In that case, why do you think Meng Ran did this? What is the purpose of the person who arranged it?"

Meng Ran's motivation may be simple and direct: there is a difference between concubine and concubine.

Meng Qing, the eldest son, thrives in the court, while Meng Ran, the concubine, idles around all day long.Jealousy accumulated over time is enough to produce murderous intent.

Why the planners did this is worthy of scrutiny.

Since Chen Ning was inadvertently involved, there will definitely be someone who will stir up trouble in the Prime Minister's relationship, suspecting that last night's situation was the emperor's instruction to Chen Ning.And Prime Minister Meng is likely to believe it [-]% or at least have doubts.

After all, everyone inside and outside the court knew that Chen Ning was the emperor's confidant.By pinching Prime Minister Meng's lifeline, he forced him to handle the affairs in the south.This motive is very credible.

So, is this to force Prime Minister Meng to rebel?

Thinking of this, Chen Ning was startled and raised his brows, "Go back to the emperor. The person who organized the plan may want to take this opportunity to force Prime Minister Meng to rebel. At least the emperor and his ministers are at odds."

The back is as straight as a pine tree.

Still wearing cloth clothes, just like the first time.

Li Beichen was noncommittal, looking at the chessboard, holding the chess pieces in his hands. After a moment of silence, he asked coldly: "Tell me the truth, that woman looks a bit like a wealthy person."

Regarding this question, Chen Ning's breath froze.

He had obviously prepared in advance, but the words couldn't come out of his mouth.

"Reply to me."

How should we reply to the emperor's words?
With a smile or in silence?

The emperor seemed concerned.But Fu Guiren is the emperor's favorite concubine, so it's normal.Chen Ning feels disgusted just thinking about it.

After brewing for two seconds, he subconsciously said conservatively, "The appearance is six to seven points."

Li Beichen: "..."

If you say there are no ghosts here, I’m afraid even ghosts won’t believe it.

His heart froze, "What about temperament and demeanor?"

Maybe someone wanted Jiao Jiao's life, and that woman was accidentally killed just because she looked like Jiao Jiao.

Chen Ning shook his head without hesitation, "It's not like that. That's just a brothel girl, a vulgar girl. How can she be compared with a wealthy person."

He subconsciously reached out and wiped the sweat from his forehead, not daring to raise his eyes to look at the emperor.

In Li Beichen's mind, the scene of Jiang Yuebai on the night of King Wei's wedding appeared in brilliant clothes, rich and arrogant, but at the same time he was so heroic that he raised his sword with his hand.

Who can compare with my brightness and get some of her temperament!

Thinking of Jiao Jiao, Li Beichen felt his heart instantly calm. The dark clouds in his eyes dispersed, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, "You can come over again at the best time and take away the storybook. The arrangements have been made overnight, and they will be on the market tomorrow morning." .”

After thinking for a moment, he continued, "Spread the news about the grand event of the courtesan and the four young masters in the capital. As for other aspects, stay still and wait and see what happens. If the Ministry of Punishment asks you, do you know what to say?"

(End of this chapter)