sjar Chapter 121 Foreshadowing
Chapter 121 Foreshadowing
Concubine Shu was still kneeling on the ground, rubbing her knees with her hands under her wide sleeves.
She had been kneeling for too long tonight, and her knees had begun to feel numb and painful, but Li Xuansheng had not yet told her to stand up, so Shufei did not dare to stand up and rest rashly.
Her tender white fingers kept turning the pages of the memorial, and she sobbed pitifully:
"Your Majesty, I really didn't expect Zhao Ning to make such a big mistake!"
"I really, really have no face to live in this world anymore. Please, Your Majesty, grant me death!"
Li Xuansheng felt complicated as he looked at Concubine Shu who was kneeling on the ground and crying.
Just now she was claiming to sever the father-daughter relationship with Zhao Ning, but now she was heartbroken and ready to die.
What a contradiction!
He couldn't listen anymore.
"That's enough! I won't let you die."
After all, Li Xuansheng still took into account his friendship with Concubine Shu and left her a way out.
"Zhao Ning attempted to rebel, and his crime should be executed! All clan members who participated in the rebellion will be beheaded, and the rest, male members will be exiled to the western border, and female members will be made slaves of the government."
"Considering that Concubine Shu has served me for many years, I will demote her to a beauty."
Concubine Shu kowtowed in gratitude.
Her goal was achieved. She thought Li Xuansheng would demote her to a commoner and expel her from the palace, but she did not expect that she would retain her status as a concubine.
Although she has been reduced to a beauty and is no longer as beautiful as before, she still has a chance to make a comeback.
Soon, the results of the Zhao family's handling spread throughout the camp.
The night is deep.
Before Lu Qingqing went to bed, she received the news that Concubine Shu had been demoted to a beauty, and she was shocked for a moment.
She stopped applying the facial mask.
"This Zhao Rongyuan, her father rebelled but she was able to protect herself and retain her status as a concubine. It seems that the emperor really has a deep friendship with her."
Xiaotao brought pajamas for Lu Qingqing to wear at night.
"Yes, my lady, I guess that perhaps the emperor thought that the rebellion was committed by Zhao Ning and Concubine Shu was unaware of it, so he showed mercy to her."
Lu Qingqing thought about it carefully and felt that it made sense.
Since she entered the palace, Concubine Shu has been trying to trip her up many times. If she doesn't take this opportunity to knock Concubine Shu down, it will be even harder to find another opportunity in the future.
"My lady, it's getting late. You are pregnant. You should go to bed early."
Xiao Tao came with a lamp. She was worried that Lu Qingqing's excessive worry would harm the fetus, so she advised her to go to bed.
After Xiaotao reminded her, Lu Qingqing did feel sleepy, but she was concentrating on sorting out the key points and could not fall asleep at this time.
In Li Xuansheng's eyes, Concubine Shu was naturally charming, bright and lively, and he probably knew very little about what she did behind his back.
She tried to think of a way to uncover the true identity of Concubine Shu, but she couldn't think of any solution and Lu Qingqing couldn't sleep.
"Xiao Tao, time is running out and I can't sleep yet. Let me think about it..."
The next morning.
Li Xuansheng immediately ordered that they should not stay in Mulan Paddock any longer, end the autumn hunting trip, and return to the palace as soon as possible.
Although Zhao Ning's affairs had been dealt with, the incident of treason really affected his mood, and he had no interest in the autumn hunt at all.
Besides, Lu Qingqing is pregnant, and it is really inconvenient for her to stay outside the palace all the time.
On the return journey, Lu Qingqing still rode in the imperial carriage with Li Xuansheng.
She personally prepared a cup of hot bubble milk tea for Li Xuansheng, showing her tenderness and consideration.
"Your Majesty, I heard that you demoted Concubine Shu's rank. Should I call her Lady Zhao now?"
Li Xuansheng took the milk tea and couldn't wait to taste it.
The milk tea is delicate and warm, with a strong milk flavor and a fragrant tea aroma. Drinking this cup in the morning will make your whole body feel refreshed.
He savored the delicious taste of the milk tea and nodded casually.
However, there was a hidden sharpness in his question.
"That's right. Why do you think my punishment is too light?"
Lu Qingqing's delicate and beautiful face was filled with a fake smile.
dog man!
Now you're pretending to ask her what she's doing?
He has already sentenced the person, and now she thinks the sentence is not light enough. Can he revoke his order?
Lu Qingqingqing suppressed the rolling of her eyes in her heart, sighed softly, and put on a melancholy expression.
"Your Majesty is wise, so the punishment will be appropriate."
"I am just feeling sad. Lady Zhao and I share the same fate. From now on, she has also lost her father. She and I are both miserable people."
As Lu Qingqing spoke, her eyes turned pink and sparkling tears were faintly visible.
Li Xuansheng paused while holding the cup of milk tea.
He is narrow-minded.
He shouldn't have maliciously speculated on Lu Qingqing's views on the treatment of Concubine Shu.
His Qingqing was still worried about Concubine Shu's feelings after losing her father. She was always so gentle and kind.
"Qingqing, don't be sad. I was just being overly suspicious. I forgot that your father..."
Li Xuansheng stopped talking halfway through.
Lu Qingqing looked at the guilty look on the man in front of her. It seemed that her plan had worked.
When she met Lu Panpan, she learned that her parents died in the flood in the south. Zhao Ning's replacement of the golden statue caused the national treasury to be empty and unable to provide disaster relief, which was the culprit that caused the poor disaster relief in the south!
She deliberately pretended to care about Concubine Zhao's father's death to remind Li Xuansheng that her father was killed by Concubine Shu's father! There was a blood feud between the two of them!
Li Xuansheng was very meticulous and he quickly realized what Lu Qingqing meant.
But the thought was fleeting in his mind.
Because he had already misunderstood Lu Qingqing once, he absolutely could not misunderstand Lu Qingqing a second time.
His Qingqing must have mentioned this matter unintentionally, and it certainly was not intentional.
However, in the final analysis, the culprit for the death of Lu Qingqing's parents was still Zhao Ning, and Concubine Shu was not involved.
Lu Qingqing planned this matter just to pave the way for what happened later.
It turned out that last night, Lu Qingqing thought carefully for a long time, and always felt that he had missed something. Finally, after midnight, he remembered it.
She lay on the bed, recalling the unfathomable look of the Xuguan woman at the banquet.
Only then did I suddenly understand the meaning of it.
She remembered that when she first entered the palace, the sisters of the Xu family confessed to her that Old Man Xu was an escort, but was abducted by the Zhao family to escort their smuggling.
Moreover, Concubine Shu forced Xu Yue'er to enter the palace, and made Old Man Xu and the Xu sisters hostage to each other inside and outside the palace.
Only then did Lu Qingqing fully understand the meaning of the look in Xu Guan's eyes during the banquet. It was hatred towards Concubine Shu.
She had also seen the scars on Xu Yue'er's hands that were branded by Concubine Shu. At that time, just the intricate traces of the scars were enough to remind her of the bloody scene when she was injured.
I just don't know if Xu Yue'er has used the bottle of skin care and scar removal cream she gave her. Is the scar still there?
Therefore, Lu Qingqing went to find Xu Guan's female sisters long before setting off.
As she expected, the Xuguan sisters were just as determined as she was to kill Zhao Rongyuan.
When Lu Qingqing mentioned this, Xu Ming'er could no longer hold back the hatred in his heart and punched the wooden stake supporting the tent.
With a bang, the wooden stake was shaken and fine cracks appeared.
"Whether it's Zhao Ning or Zhao Rongyuan, what they did is exactly the same! I won't let them go easily!"