Laojun Mei followed Qianwandi out of the palace gate. The bright yellow honor guard had not yet risen. Qianwandi waved his hand and said, "Invite the imperial physician to ride with us."
Laojun Mei bowed and said, "This old official does not dare."
Qianwandi smiled and said, "What is there to not dare?
When we were still the crown prince, we had long heard of the imperial physician's name. Now that we have seen it, your medical skills are indeed outstanding. "
Laojun Mei sighed and said, "This old official is ashamed.
Speaking of when Your Majesty was the crown prince, did you remember the life of Empress Mingrui's second son? This old official did not … "
Qianwandi's expression suddenly became a little strange. Not only was it strange, but there was also a faint annoyance and an inexplicable awkwardness.
Laojun Mei observed his expression and suddenly stopped talking.
Empress Mingrui was Qianwandi's first empress. When she was promoted from the crown prince's consort, she gave birth to Qianwandi's eldest son, who was today's crown prince.
When the second son was born, it happened that the emperor had just ascended the throne. That night, Empress Mingrui suddenly had a difficult birth. Laojun Mei hurriedly entered the palace. After a fluster, he saved the lives of the two children.
However, after the newborn was born, he heard a thunderbolt from the clear sky. It was said that the newborn prince was blocked by sputum and had already died.
Laojun Mei was very strange at that time. Logically speaking, although it was a difficult birth, the child was born very healthy. He weighed six catties and nine taels. How could he suddenly be blocked by sputum?
He anxiously wanted to enter the palace to save him, but the imperial guards firmly refused to let him go. Qianwandi came out and only said one sentence: The child was already dead. The empress had a sudden illness after giving birth and had already died.
Laojun Mei was puzzled. He only knew that he had done something wrong and left the newborn with some kind of emergency.
Later, the imperial gui fei was conferred as the new empress. She was Empress Mingrui's younger sister. The little crown prince, who was only one year old at that time, was also handed over to the new empress to raise.
Qianwandi sat beside the agarwood tea table in the huge imperial carriage and read a memorial. Not long after, he suddenly heard a commotion in front of him. The leader of the imperial guards shouted, "Someone!
There are assassins, protect the emperor! "
The Old Lord was shocked and hurriedly stood in front of the Emperor.
At this time, the sound of swords and arrows could be heard from outside. The leader of the imperial guards knelt beside the carriage and said through the curtain, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the assassin did not come for us. He has already flown out of the palace. Should we send the imperial guards to pursue him?"
Before he could finish, the Rong Shiba's voice came from the other side of the door, "Your Majesty, the secret guards have caught up with that person on the roof of the Cold Palace. I have sent people to protect the Imperial Consort. Your Majesty, please leave this place quickly!"
Then, someone outside seemed to say something to the Rong Shiba urgently. The Rong Shiba's voice suddenly changed, "Your Majesty!
Ten thousand deaths!
The Imperial Concubine has been killed! "
Laojun Mei suddenly felt as if she had returned to eighteen years ago.
It was also at that time that he had clearly cured the Empress and the Prince. However, in the time it took to drink a cup of tea, they still died.
Inexplicably, he lost his life.
He anxiously looked at Qianwandi. The Emperor was sitting behind the tea table, his face expressionless amidst the bright yellow wealth and honor.
The Rong Shiba's voice rose, "Your Majesty!
Please leave this place quickly!
Your Majesty!
— — "
Qianwandi got up and lifted the curtain of the carriage. He jumped down from the carriage that was taller than a person and strode towards the Cold Palace.
The Rong Shiba did not care that the secret guards needed to hide their identities. He rushed out from the shadows and stopped in front of Qianwandi. He knelt and shouted, "Your Majesty, this place is dangerous!"
The other imperial guards were stunned when they saw a black-clothed and silver-masked man rush over and kneel in front of the Emperor.
Qianwandi did not even look at him and walked forward, "Get out of the way."
The Rong Shiba was sweating profusely, "Your Majesty — —"
"Get out of the way!"
Qianwandi kicked the Rong Shiba over and strode into the palace.
The light had completely dimmed. In the darkness, the Imperial Consort was lying on the bed with her eyes wide open.
The Old Lord Mei's hand trembled as he lit a palace lamp. The blood-red light was reflected on her face, and the greenish-black strangulation marks on her neck were clearly visible.
Such a ruthless hand did not suffocate her to death. She died from a broken neck. All the bones were broken, and not a single one was left.
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Qianwandi looked at the woman's eyes for a long time. He had a terrible guess in his heart, but he did not say anything. He stood there stiffly, not daring to say or ask.
He was afraid that if he asked, that terrible guess would become a reality.
"Your Majesty, look." At this time, the Old Lord Mei found something beside the Imperial Consort's pillow. He reached out and carefully picked up something. Under the dim light of the palace lamp, it could be seen that it was a strand of hair.
It was half long, pitch-black, and very smooth.
Qianwandi measured the length. Suddenly, his expression became abnormally ugly.
The Old Lord Mei and the Rong Shiba stood to the side with their hands by their sides. The Cold Palace was quiet. It seemed that the sound of wind was leaking in through the cracks in the walls and windows. It was like the sound of the tide rising and falling in the distance.
Qianwandi asked in a low voice, "Rong Shiba."
"Your subject is here."
"The shadow guards have tied down the assassin?"
"Yes."
"Let him go."
The Rong Shiba suddenly felt that he had misheard. He raised his head and saw the Emperor's cold and dignified face.
"Your Majesty, you … what did you say?"
Qianwandi repeated, "Let him go."
The Emperor sat down silently on the edge of the couch.
After a long, long time, so long that it seemed that the desolate time in the Cold Palace had frozen, the Old Lord Mei heard him speak faintly. His voice was low and deep, like a beast whose muscles were tense before a hunt.
He pointed at the imperial consort's cold corpse and said, "… Bury her."
Zhang Kuo carefully asked, "What do you mean?"
"Just say it's a sudden illness."
Empress Mingrui had a sudden illness. The little prince who had never shown his face had a sudden illness. Xia Zhaoyi had a sudden illness. The imperial consort had also had a sudden illness.
But the one who should have died didn't die, so the one who shouldn't have died died.
When Qianwandi returned to the temporary residence on the outskirts of the city, it was already dinnertime.
As soon as he entered, a palace servant came to ask Zhang Kuo if he wanted to set up the table. Zhang Kuo looked at the Emperor's expression and silently shook his head at the palace servant.
The servant was about to withdraw when he suddenly heard Qianwandi ask, "Where is he?"
The little eunuch paused for a moment before realizing who he was talking about. He hurriedly knelt and said, "Your Majesty, the little noble lady has been in her room this afternoon. This servant doesn't know."
Mingde's identity in the palace was unclear. The shadow guards didn't have any actual official positions. Most of the people who served Qianwandi called Mingde "little noble lady."
Although this title was hidden, the people around the Emperor all knew how "noble" this young master was.
Not everyone had two years of special favor. Perhaps Shangguan Mingde wasn't the most beautiful person in the world, but she truly made the high and mighty Emperor feel that he had found the number one. Then he couldn't let go.
Qianwandi suddenly became angry, "You don't even know where she is. Are all the people in the palace eating white rice?
If you can't even keep an eye on one person, what's the value of keeping them!
Zhang Kuo! "
Zhang Kuo hurriedly lowered his hands, "This servant is here."
"Give them all thirty strokes with the plank and expel them from the palace. They will never be used again!"
The palace servant was inexplicably dragged out. Behind him, there was a series of screams and wails. Soon, the courtyard was filled with the sound of the plank being struck and the palace servant's screams and wails.
Qianwandi strode through the long and gorgeous corridor. He raised his foot and kicked open the door to the bedchamber.
Mingde sat by the window of the small red couch. He hugged the brocade quilt. The long and elegant branches of the orchid plant cast a faint shadow on his face.
Shangguan Mingde raised his eyelids and looked at Qianwandi's angry and terrifying face. He said faintly, "Why did you order for these people to be beaten? Hearing their voices makes me feel very uncomfortable."
Qianwandi waved his hand. Zhang Kuo quietly retreated. After a while, someone in the courtyard ordered that the mouths of the palace servants who were being punished be gagged. Thus, even the screams couldn't be heard.
Mingde listened attentively. He actually laughed, "… Your Majesty, why do you have to do this?"
His body was suddenly lifted. Qianwandi lifted him up by the neck. He pinched his chin and gritted his teeth, "… Shangguan Mingde!
How can you be so cruel? "
"Your Majesty, I don't understand what you're saying."
"One corpse, two lives. How can you do this?!"
Mingde laughed carelessly, "I didn't do anything."
Qianwandi threw him onto the bed. Mingde's ribs hadn't healed yet. He groaned and was immediately pressed down by Qianwandi. A bony hand reached under the robe and mercilessly grabbed the back of his waist. Then, the other hand slapped him hard across the face.
This slap didn't hold back at all.
Qianwandi fought his way to the position of Crown Prince. He also fought his way to the world on horseback. He had been practicing martial arts with the masters of the Imperial Palace since he was young. Later, Mingde's martial arts were also taught by him.
After all, Mingde was young and weak. After the slap, he fell into Qianwandi's arms.
Qianwandi pinched his chin, almost crushing his bones, "Shangguan Mingde, when you kill people, do you show mercy?
Even if you show mercy, just for a moment?
Do you have any human heart?! "
Mingde suddenly raised his hand and grabbed Qianwandi's wrist tightly. His face was ferocious and he gritted his teeth, "What about you?
When you strangled Empress Mingrui to death, did you show mercy? When you destroyed me, did you hesitate?
You asked me to show mercy to others. Who showed me mercy?! "