slave like jade

Chapter 122

"Let's talk about the haunting incident in the palace and the incident in the cold palace. Who is behind the scenes?" Although the Queen Mother's voice was low, it carried an irresistible force. Yu Huaizhu's whole body trembled, and a chill pervaded whole body!
"The Queen Mother..."

Yu Huaizhu was scared out of her wits by the Queen Mother's majesty, and stayed on the spot in a daze, wondering if there was a mistake there, which made the Queen Mother see through at a glance that everything that happened in the palace was man-made!
Seeing Yu Huaizhu's pale face and flustered expression, the Empress Dowager's heart was clear, and she said coldly: "Although the Ai family has not cared about the affairs of the harem for many years, the Ai family has been in the harem for decades. , but you can't hide it from me!"

"And the Ai family also knows that these things are definitely not from your handwriting. Don't I know how much you weigh? But what I don't understand is that you have been honestly teaching Buddha with me in Huayang Palace. Did you get involved in these things under my nose?"

Yu Huaizhu is a real girl, and she begged Yu Ruyan for help in this matter, so she will never betray Yu Ruyan at this time, so suppressing the fear in her heart, she gritted her teeth and said, "Go back to the Queen Mother, This matter was indeed done by me alone, but because... because my granddaughter wants to atone for the wrong things I have done!"

The Queen Mother didn't say a word, but just looked at her majestically. Seeing this, Yu Huaizhu gritted her teeth and told the whole story about Shangguan's family.

Hearing that the speculation in her heart became a fact, the Buddhist beads twirling in the Empress Dowager's hand suddenly stopped, and her heart tightened——

Unexpectedly, the kid from Shangguan's family really died at the hands of Concubine Lian and her daughter, what a sin!

The Empress Dowager sat on the warm couch without speaking for a long time. The beating candlelight illuminated her vicissitudes of face flickering, and the whole body was filled with a touch of grief and sorrow. silence...

After a long time, the queen mother said sadly: "The emperor's heart is unstable and his eyes are not clear, which is why such villains appear in the harem. After all, it is because I have no way to teach my son that the emperor indulges those poisonous women again and again. The lawlessness of the day has even reached the point of disregarding human life!"

"Our royal family is finally ashamed of the Shangguan family!"

The queen mother sighed heavily, and Yu Huaizhu couldn't help feeling sour in her heart!
"Queen Mother, it's my granddaughter who is unfilial and involved you in this matter, which made you worry!" Yu Huaizhu burst into tears, feeling guilty and restless.

"Fourth girl, the Ai family knows that although you have promised the affairs of the Shangguan family, you definitely did not do the haunting and the arrangements in the cold palace. Thoughts. If you could think of these things, your eldest sister would not have snatched away your husband and son-in-law back then! That's..."

Thinking of Shangguan Xianzhong's relationship with her two granddaughters, the Queen Mother let out another long sigh!

Yu Huaizhu felt even more guilty when she heard the words, kowtowed guiltily: "It's the granddaughter who is useless, can't control her temper, and doesn't know how to manage her relationship well, so that Shangguan hates me and doesn't like me. After all, For his death, his granddaughter cannot escape the blame..."

"Hey, I can't blame you for this matter. It's because the kid from the Shangguan family has shallow eyelids and doesn't know people. He was thinking of the eldest princess, but he didn't see clearly the person who really treats him well. Therefore, his fate is also his own good fortune... ..."

"However, you are finally more thoughtful than before, and you know how to find suitable helpers. In this regard, the Ai family is a little relieved."

The red sandalwood Buddha beads in the Empress Dowager's hand twirled lightly again, and each slight sound struck Yu Huaizhu's heart, and also struck the Empress Dowager's own heart.

Yu Huaizhu was afraid that the queen mother would continue to ask who did the haunting, and she always felt that the queen mother seemed to have seen everything, and she couldn't help but get tired of a layer of cold sweat——

You must know that pretending to be a ghost in the harem and disturbing people's hearts is a serious crime. If the Queen Mother really pursues it, she and Yu Ruyan can't afford it!
But the queen mother's thoughts at this time are not here. Every time the Buddhist beads in her hand are moved, the queen mother's heart sinks a little. Finally, the queen mother's eyes dimmed, as if she had made a difficult decision, Shen Sheng Said: "This harem has been in chaos for so many years, and it's time to clean it up. Please give me a word to your helper—"

Yu Huaizhu's whole body was shocked, and she looked at the queen mother in disbelief.

"—Either don't do it, if you want to do it, you have to cut the grass and root it out without leaving any future troubles. More importantly, you have to present full evidence in front of the emperor and Huo Xiang, so that Huo Xiang can't even open his mouth to intercede, and it's over once. You understand!"

Hearing this, Yu Huaizhu couldn't believe her ears——

I thought the Queen Mother would blame them for causing trouble in the palace, but unexpectedly, the Queen Mother actually agreed with them to bring down Concubine Lian!
"However, the haunting should not last for too long, lest it disturb the peace of the harem. If it spreads to the common people, it will also arouse criticism from the common people, and it will not be good for the royal family."

Finally, the queen mother did not forget to ask.

Yu Huaizhu recovered from the shock, and said joyfully, "Thank you Queen Mother for making this happen!"

When Yu Huaizhu told Yu Ruyan these words in person, her whole body was still trembling, and she still couldn't believe that the Queen Mother was on their side.

But Yu Ruyan was not surprised at all when she heard the words, and said with a clear face: "Actually, since the last time the queen mother came forward to protect you, I already know that there is nothing in this harem that escapes the queen mother's eyes, so , she can find out so early, I expected it!"

After hearing this, Yu Huaizhu covered her mouth in surprise, "You, you know that the Queen Mother will find out, and you dare...you dare to help me?"

Yu Ruyan smiled slowly and said: "I believe that the queen mother is the most sensible person in the harem, so I am not afraid that she will punish me. You see, in this way, with the support and protection of the queen mother, we are more I am sure to defeat the mother and daughter of Chunlan Palace."

"Why, aren't you surprised and scared at all? You know that when the Queen Mother asked me the first sentence, I was so scared!" Yu Huaizhu still couldn't help but feel lingering fear when she recalled what the Queen Mother asked her before. !

Yu Ruyan patted her hand reassuringly, and comforted her: "Actually, it's just like what the queen mother said, anyone who is smart enough can guess that the ghost is fake, but it's just to scare the Spring Lan Palace. Concubine Lian is naturally smart, but as the saying goes, the authorities are obsessed and the bystanders are clear. Concubine Lian didn't notice this time, but because of one thing, Shangguan Xianzhong was indeed harmed by them, so she felt guilty when she did something wrong, flustered and scared, and messed up. Second, she did not dare to thoroughly investigate the matter, but it was also because she was afraid that the matter would become a big issue, and the truth of the matter would be exposed instead."

"However, the Empress Dowager's reminder is right. The haunting cannot last too long. First, it disturbs the peace of everyone in the harem. Second, I am afraid that as time goes on, Concubine Lian will eventually find out that we are scaring her. I'm afraid she won't let us go easily due to her temper and vengeance, so we have to get this matter over before she finds out!"

"Then what should we do now? The Empress Dowager has specially ordered that either we don't do it, or we must do it, so as to avoid future troubles forever, and there must be sufficient evidence to stop the mouths of the emperor and Huo Xiang."

When Yu Huaizhu thought of the Queen Mother's instructions, she became anxious and anxious. She couldn't help worrying, how could Concubine Lian be so cunning, how could she leave any evidence?And how are they going to catch her?
Yu Ruyan understood what the Empress Dowager said, that there was an inextricable relationship between the harem and the former dynasty, and it could be said that a single hair could affect the whole body.The reason why Concubine Lian has been able to run rampant in this harem for so many years, apart from her own means, is the biggest reason for her natal family's influence.

Concubine Lian's father, Huo Xiang, is a veteran of the second generation. He has served the monarchs of two dynasties, and his disciples are all over the court. The shock caused by his stomping in the court hall will not be smaller than that of King Qi. Therefore, King Qi not only relies on him, but also fears him. he!

If there is no certainty and evidence to seal the powerful Huo Xiang's mouth on this matter, I am afraid that not only will they lose their lives, but hundreds of people in Shangshu's mansion will also be implicated, and even King Qi will be killed. Not available.

That's why the Empress Dowager told her to kill the weeds and show the evidence so that Huo Xiang had nothing to say!
When it comes to evidence, there is no better and more irrefutable evidence than Concubine Lian's own confession in front of everyone!

But Concubine Lian is shrewd and powerful. If she wants to admit the sins she has committed, or murder the prince, such a capital crime as disregarding human life will never be possible!

Yu Ruyan took a sip of tea slowly, frowned and fell into deep thought...

Yu Huaizhu had been gone for a long time, but Yu Ruyan was still sitting in the room thinking in a daze, she didn't even notice that Mu Lingzhi entered the room!

Someone gently kissed her on the mouth, Yu Ruyan was startled, only to find that Mu Lingzhi had returned, squatting halfway in front of her, looking at her with a smile in his eyes.

"His Highness is back, how is the marriage between General Chen and the princess going?"

Mu Lingzhi sat down beside her, hugged her on his lap and sat down. Looking at the sad expression on her face, he didn't answer her, but frowned and asked, "What? What's bothering you again?" , Speak out and listen, I will solve your problems for my husband!"

It was true that Yu Ruyan couldn't think of a good idea to deal with Concubine Lian, and was upset, but the more disturbed she was, the more she couldn't think of a good idea, so she had to tell him her troubles.

After hearing her words, Mu Lingzhi's eyes flickered slightly, and he said with a sneer, "Although I haven't dealt with that concubine Lian before, I have heard that she has done things to you before, and I know that this person is cunning and vicious. He's a very difficult person to deal with."

"However, as the saying goes, hitting a snake and hitting seven inches is the same for people. If you find Concubine Lian's weakness, you will definitely be able to bring her down in one fell swoop."

Hearing what he said, Yu Ruyan suddenly became enlightened, and instantly understood in her mind——

If you want Yu Mingzhu to subdue the law, you must first overthrow Concubine Lian.But to deal with Concubine Lian, the only way to deal with her is her weakness, and her weakness is Yu Mingzhu!

Seeing her suddenly enlightened, Mu Lingzhi said again: "I have to remind you, Yu Mingzhu's killing of Shangguan Xianzhong, no matter what, it involves the family of Concubine Lian and Shangguan's family. It is related to two Power minister, after all, you will be placed in the court for your father to make decisions. Since you want to take on this burden, you must be mentally prepared. The affairs of the former court are far more complicated than those of the harem. Therefore, this At that time, the rumors will not only spread in the harem, but also the ministers of the previous court should let them know. You can leave this matter to Lord Shangguan to do it yourself."

When Yu Ruyan heard this, she had a look of embarrassment on her face, and said: "This matter was originally because she was afraid of implicating Shangshu's family, so the fourth sister agreed rashly, and she came to ask me for help again. If Lord Shangguan intervenes, wouldn't it be another disaster? Did Shang Shu's family come in?"

Mu Lingzhi sighed and nodded at her nose, and said: "My silly lady, don't you understand? As long as this matter is related to Shangguan Xianzhong, it is impossible for the Shangshu family to stay out of it completely. The murder of Shangguan Rumors have spread, even if Lord Shang Shu doesn't show up, do you think Concubine Lian will let them go? No!"

"So, now, only by letting Shangshu's family join hands with us to bring down Concubine Lian and make Huo Xiang helpless can Shangshu's family be saved."

She is really a fan of the authorities. Yu Ruyan has been deeply involved in the situation these days, but her mind is not as clear as usual. Now that Mu Lingzhi helped her analyze it, she instantly understood everything in her mind, and thought of another possibility—— —

From what the queen mother asked Yu Huaizhu to convey to her, Yu Ruyan thought that maybe, in the eyes of the queen mother, not only should the cancer of Concubine Lian be eliminated, but the powerful Huo family might also become the queen mother's heart. One thorn, so by suppressing Concubine Lian, it can be regarded as a wake-up call for the Huo family!
After trying to understand this, Yu Ruyan suddenly felt a chill all over her body. Even she herself didn't expect that a palace fight would eventually be mixed into the undercurrent of the court, and this undercurrent was still the most powerful Huo Xiang is one!
She had a headache and wanted to go to bed and lie down, but when she thought about the end of the month, Wu Zhaoyi didn't know what was going on, and she was worried, even if she wanted to sleep, she couldn't sleep.

Seeing her tossing and turning restlessly on the bed, Mu Lingzhi sat down beside her, took her hand and said, "Don't worry, no matter how many dangers lie ahead, I'm by your side, what are you afraid of! "

Mu Lingzhi's words calmed Yu Ruyan's troubled heart a lot, and she leaned on his palm and smiled bitterly: "Don't you blame me for being troublesome, and to cause such a big trouble? Even your highness is busy with me Tired!"

Mu Lingzhi deliberately got angry and said: "Yes, I am angry with you. I have nothing to do and find something to do for myself. I don't worry about my own affairs. When others ask you for help, you are bothered and tired. It hurts me to see it!"

His words made Yu Ruyan suddenly remember that when she was in the palace, she kindly helped Gu Qing'er but was finally said to be the murderer of her. At that time, all the evidence pointed to her. Guarding her in front of her, not allowing others to hurt her...

"Yeah, I've always caused trouble for His Highness, and it's the same in the palace, but—the death of Gu Shi really has nothing to do with me..."

"I know."

Before she could speak, Mu Lingzhi replied firmly: "If you wanted to kill her, you wouldn't have reminded me before and asked me to send someone to secretly protect Ziluoyuan. So, no matter how much evidence they produce to testify You, I won't believe it either."

Bringing up the matter of the palace again, Yu Ruyan felt as if she had passed away, and Mu Lingzhi's trust in her also filled her heart with warmth.

She asked in a daze: "I have always wondered, who is the person who harmed the Gu family? Does Your Highness know?"

Mu Lingzhi's face darkened, and he shook his head!

The matter of the Gu family is also really weird. Even Mu Lingzhi, who is so thoughtful and intelligent, can't find any clues about the murderer. It's really scary!
In order to prevent her from thinking about those unhappy things, he went to bed and lay beside her, gently hugged her in his arms from behind, reached out to touch her eyes, and said softly: "My silly lady, go to sleep obediently!"

For some reason, with him by her side, Yu Ruyan's heart was particularly easy to settle down, and soon fell into a deep sleep...

Within a few days, many ministers in the former court knew about Shangguan Xianzhong's untimely death, and there was an uproar immediately.Seeing that the matter has come to this point, Lord Shangguan also knows that there is no way to retreat, so he might as well go forward, seek justice for his son who wronged and died, and harden his heart to fight the Huo family.So when he was in court, in front of the officials, he personally submitted the memorial to the king of Qi. With snot and tears, he explained that his son had indeed died of a huge poison, and asked the emperor to uphold justice for the Shangguan family.

As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar in the hall!
Lord Shangguan only said that his son died by accident, but did not say who died. After all, there is no evidence, and he dare not casually point out the emperor's long-term leader.But thinking of those rumors in the harem, King Qi couldn't help but his expression changed drastically, but he couldn't refuse the matter in front of the officials, so he bit the bullet and agreed, and ordered the Ministry of Punishment to open the coffin for an autopsy and take over the case.

When the news of the current dynasty spread to the harem, Yu Huaizhu was chatting with Yu Ruyan in the Jinying Palace, when they heard this, the two smiled knowingly, held the teacup in their hands and touched each other lightly.

However, before he had a sip of tea, Brother An suddenly ran in from outside in a panic, staggered and almost fell when he stepped into the threshold, and said anxiously: "Princess, it's not good..."

Seeing her flustered look, Yu Ruyan couldn't help frowning: "Why are you so flustered? Didn't you see that the fourth princess is here too?"

As soon as Yu Ruyan said it, Brother An was surprised that there was another person in the room, and quickly suppressed the panic in his heart and stepped forward to greet Yu Huaizhu.

Yu Huaizhu didn't care too much about these vain rituals, but asked first than Yu Ruyan: "What happened outside that made you so anxious?"

Brother An knew that Yu Huaizhu was not an outsider, so he said anxiously: "Princess Huo, Xiang Xiang Huo has entered the harem..."

"Bah!" Yu Ruyan, who was holding the tea cover to stir the tea foam, paused, and the tea cover slammed on the teacup with a crisp sound, her long curved eyebrows frowned, and she couldn't help sighing: "It's time to come!"

Seeing her like this, Yu Huaizhu's heart sank with a 'thump', and she worried: "What does my sister mean by this? Could it be that Huo Xiang entered the palace..."

"Don't think about it, it must be for Chunlan Palace. Now that the father has asked the Ministry of Justice to investigate the affairs of Shangguan's family, if Huo Xiang doesn't show up again, will the Ministry of Justice be allowed to investigate Yu Mingzhu?"

Hearing Yu Ruyan's words, An Ge repeatedly said: "Princess guessed right, then Huo Xiang went to report to the Holy Majesty as soon as he entered the palace, saying that all the ghosts were man-made, and asked the Holy Majesty to search the palace thoroughly, and... And the Holy Majesty has already agreed..."

"It's unreasonable, father's harem is searched whenever he wants, I'll report to the Queen Mother now." Yu Huaizhu thought that Huo Xiang had stretched his hand into the harem, and her teeth itch with hatred!

"It's late, princess." Brother An was so anxious that he was sweating profusely: "This Huo Xiang actually entered the palace quietly, using the excuse that Concubine Lian and the eldest princess were framed and threatened, and said that those pretending to be ghosts must still be there. In the palace, people in Chunlan Palace would be killed, and they asked the emperor's consent to search the palace. There was no sign of it before, but now they suddenly searched and searched, and everyone had already arrived at the palace in front of them. The masters, slaves and maidservants are not allowed to leave the palace without authorization, and stay in their respective palaces to wait for searches..."

Yu Ruyan's heart sank, and her complexion was covered with frost, she said: "Mr. Huo is aggressive, he must have heard the rumors from Concubine Lian. Now he wants to investigate the haunting, one is to divert everyone's attention, Change Concubine Lian's mother and daughter from victimizers to victims. The second is to follow the vine, find us, deal with us, and then find a way to make the Shangguan family shut up. This matter will sink and never rise again."

Hearing Yu Ruyan's words, Yu Huaizhu felt a chill in her heart. Thinking of the hard work for so long, the Ministry of Criminal Justice was about to find out about Yu Mingzhu. If Huo Xiang messed up like this, let him find out the truth in the palace in front of King Qi. If the hauntings are all man-made, he can beat them back and say that those rumors are all framed and wronged Concubine Lian and her daughter.

Then, Huo Xiang will completely break the game that has been laid out!

But Yu Ruyan was not in a hurry, those hidden guards had already left the palace with Mu Lingzhi, even if they were still in the palace, Huo Xiang and the others couldn't find them, so she didn't care and said, "Let them search, if they don't If you find anything, I'm afraid it's not easy to report to the emperor!"

But as soon as she finished speaking, Brother An jumped up anxiously, and said in a low voice: "Princess, there is one thing I forgot to tell you, that... that, today His Highness sent someone to secretly send in a lot of pig tongues and beef tongues. It will be used for the past two nights, and it is now in the palace, if... if Huo Xiang leads someone to search for it, then everything will be ruined!"

"What?" Yu Ruyan trembled all over, and then suddenly remembered that Mu Lingzhi had indeed mentioned to her before, saying that he ordered a lot of pig tongue and beef tongue from the butcher, and wanted to hold a full tongue feast for Yu Mingzhu. It was sent in today, and Brother An also forgot to tell Yu Ruyan.

A few days ago in Chunlan Palace, a ghost happened to hang tongues at the gate of the Peony Pavilion. Now that there are so many tongues found in her palace, if there is no need to explain, Huo Xiang and King Qi will be convicted.

When Yu Ruyan and Yu Huaizhu rushed to the kitchen and saw the half-basket of tongues on the floor, their heads were dilated!
Although Jinying Palace had a small kitchen, it didn’t start a stove. Normally, three meals a day were delivered from the imperial dining room, and the small kitchen was mostly for boiling water. There are many pig tongues and beef tongues, no matter how you explain it, it doesn't make sense.

Seeing that the search palace has arrived at the Hibiscus Cherry Palace, and so many tongues, there is a fishy smell, where to hide it?

If you don't hide it well and get found by the people brought by Huo Xiang, don't even think about bringing down the mother and daughter of Concubine Lian, they are all dying!
Thinking of this, Yu Ruyan's whole body became cold, and Brother An cried anxiously: "What should I do? His Highness is not in the palace today, it would be great if he was here. Where are so many tongues hidden, there are people outside now Watch out, the masters in the palace are not allowed to leave the palace, even if you want to throw them out of the palace, it's too late to put them all in the pot now!"

Yu Ruyan, who Brother An thought of, had already thought of it. Now it is too late to go out of the palace and inform Mu Lingzhi to save her. As long as this half-basket tongue is found, everything will be clear. She did the ghost, so Huo Xiang didn't need to open his mouth, I'm afraid she would be doomed!

(End of this chapter)