Madam, she always wants to run away

Chapter 17

"My lord, the criminal Zhao Minying has pleaded guilty and has been detained in the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice." Zhu Chong returned to report to Xiao Lian after finishing his errands.

Xiao Lian rubbed his eyes wearily, and waved his hand to signal that he understood, but after waiting for a while, he didn't hear Zhu Chong leaving.

"Why, is there something else?" Xiao Lian's eyes drifted over, and Zhu Chong instantly felt a chill in his head.

"It's the princess..." Zhu Chong said with some embarrassment, "The princess is still waiting at the door."

"What?" Xiao Lian stood up abruptly, "Why didn't you say it earlier?"

Li Ying lingered at the door, wanted to knock on the door again, but didn't know how to speak, and was hesitating, the door was pulled open with a "squeak".

"My lord." Li Ying saluted him respectfully.

"Why didn't you leave?"

"My daughter... I want to chat with the prince."

Xiao Lian pointed to a pavilion not far away, surrounded by mountains and rivers: "Go there."

Li Ying leaned on the railing and looked around. It seemed that few people had set foot here. The rockery behind was made of mountains and rocks, and there was an open square pond in front.

It's a pity that summer is over, and the lotus in the pond has long since withered, showing a desolate scene.

However, if he smelled it carefully, he could smell the scent of sweet-scented osmanthus in the air. Li Ying searched around, but couldn't find where the sweet-scented osmanthus tree was.

Quiet amidst the noise, it feels like a paradise, and it is a good place for conversation.

Xiao Lian was standing a zhang away from Li Ying, leaning on the railing and looking into the distance.

"Speak." Xiao Lian took the lead to break the silence.

Li Ying then asked tentatively: "My lord, about my aunt...is there any room for maneuver?"

"That depends on the verification of the subsequent testimony."

"Before then, she will be imprisoned in the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice?" Li Ying's tone became a little anxious.

Xiao Lian turned his head, glanced at Li Ying, and said, "Don't worry, I won't let your aunt suffer too much."

"But I heard that no matter how strong a person is in the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, his skin will be peeled off in a day, let alone my aunt..."

Xiao Lian turned around directly this time, looking straight at her with a pair of long and narrow red phoenix eyes, Li Ying was a little nervous, and closed her mouth halfway through her words.

"Three days will be your and my big wedding day, don't you need to make preparations?"

Li Ying slandered, wasn't he talking about his aunt, why did he bring up this matter again.

"My lord, the queen mother has arranged everything she can think of, so it's my daughter's turn to prepare. It's just that something about my aunt suddenly happened at this juncture, and my daughter is worried about her aunt, and I'm afraid she will have trouble sleeping and eating. ..."

"Are you here to intercede for your aunt?" Xiao Lian asked directly without embellishment.

Li Ying made up her mind, and bravely raised her head to meet Xiao Lian's gaze: "Yes. I want to ask the lord to forgive me."

Xiao Lian turned his head again and looked into the distance: "The son of heaven breaks the law and commits the same crime as the common people. What's more, your aunt has committed a lot of crimes. Just what I saw today is responsible for at least three crimes of giving money, hurting people, and robbing. You let me How can I open my eyes?"

"But the prince also heard it with his own ears. Auntie has reasons for doing this."

"Which person commits a crime without a reason? If he can be exempted from punishment because he has a reason, then what's the point of the laws of my Great Ling Dynasty?"

"I don't want you to violate the principle, my lord, but I just hope you can take my face and punish me lightly, so that my aunt will suffer less flesh and blood. She was also confused for a while, and it was definitely not intentional."

"Punish lightly and suffer less flesh and blood. This has already violated the principles of this king."

"My lord! My servant knows that you abide by the law, but there are still human beings under the law. Auntie's life is already difficult. Why can't you give her a chance to change her past?"

"This king gave her a chance, but what about those who murdered and set fire, burned, killed and looted, will this king also give them a chance to see if they change their past, or insist on going their own way?"

"My lord..."

"That's enough. It's not your business to meddle in this matter. You can go back home and prepare for your marriage with peace of mind."

After finishing speaking, Xiao Lian left Li Ying alone and left.

Li Ying looked at Xiao Lian's leaving back, and was so angry that tears rolled in his eyes!
Did she ask too much?Did she ask him to release his aunt directly?Or ask him to cover up the matter?She was just begging him to give him a lighter punishment. How could it have touched his principles?

It's unreasonable to talk like chicken and duck!

Zhu Chong saw the prince and princess walking to a place inaccessible, thinking that something would happen between them.However, soon, he heard the sound of the two arguing, and then he watched the prince shut himself in the room with a dark face, and then the princess left with red eyes without saying hello.

Three days later it will be the wedding day of the prince and the concubine. It's going well, what's the trouble?Zhu Chong scratched his head, secretly reminding himself that he must not touch the prince's bad luck in the past few days, otherwise he would be careful to burn himself.

*
Cao Wenzhi and Cao Wenxian waited for half a day in the Hou's mansion, and finally received the news from Li Ying, but the news above made the two brothers and sisters drop their shoulders at the same time.

"Failed to do so, let's try again."

Unexpectedly, the prince didn't even give Cousin Ying face. Could it be that mother really wanted to be imprisoned for ten and a half months?Cao Wenxian was so anxious that she shed tears, and Cao Wenzhi was also anxious, but at this moment, he could only suppress his emotions and comfort his crying sister.

That night, no matter whether it was Zhao Minying who was locked in the dark and humid prison, the two siblings who were worried about their mother's safety, or Li Ying who was starting to think about whether this marriage should continue, none of them had a good night's sleep. .

On the second day Zhao Minying was held in the prison, Li Ying tried to take the two siblings to visit the prison, but was stopped by the guards of the prison: "The case is still under trial, so you are not allowed to meet the prisoners."

"My lord, we just came to see if my mother is doing well, and we won't say anything about it!"

"No, it's not allowed, this is stipulated by the law."

"Officer, you are accommodating." Cao Wenzhi said quietly slipping a silver coin into the officer's hand.

"What are you doing? Take it back quickly." The official didn't agree at all, and drove the three of them out.

On this day, they tried their best but failed to see Zhao Minying.

On the third day of Zhao Minying's imprisonment in the prison, Li Ying had the cheek to go to the Sanju Division to look for Xiao Lian again, but Xiao Lian was never seen from sunrise to sunset.

After finally seeing a familiar person, Li Ying grabbed him and asked, "Where is your prince?"

Coincidentally, it was Gao Wei who was captured by Li Ying.

Gao Wei replied to Li Ying tremblingly: "My lord, he went out to investigate the case."

"What case are you investigating, and you won't come back for a day?"

"I don't know about this small one. This time it is Zhu Chong who is in charge of following up, not me."

After waiting until late at night, Li Ying left the Sanfa Division with a heavy body.

This Xiao Lian must have left her alone on purpose!
The more Li Ying thought about it, the angrier she became. It doesn't matter if she fails in this marriage!

During Zhao Minying's third day in prison, Li Ying fell ill.The doctor said that it was a rush to attack the heart, and it was necessary to get rid of distracting thoughts and rest in bed.

How could Li Ying lie down at such a time?But the hot forehead made it difficult for her to get out of bed. When she tried to get up for the third time and fell to the ground, Zhao Minyi and Li Xuan decided to take turns watching her, so as not to let her act rashly again.

Li Ying was worried, and went to Hsinchu to inquire about the news: "Go and find out, is aunt okay in prison? When will the case be concluded?"

"Yes, miss, the servant girl is going right now."

Li Ying lay on the bed and fell into a sleepy sleep for several hours, waking up from time to time, having intermittent nightmares, dreaming that she was crushed to death by a collapsed roof pillar, and dreaming of Xiao Xiao Lian forced his father, mother and brother to drink poisoned wine.

When she dreamed that her aunt Zhao Minying cried and said to herself, "Ying'er, my aunt died so unjustly", Li Ying suddenly sat up from the nightmare, and Zhao Minyi who was beside the bed also trembled in fright.

At this moment, Hsinchu hurried in, shouting as he ran, "It's not good, it's not good! Miss, something serious happened!"

Zhao Minyi gave Hsinchu a good scolding: "Why are you in a hurry, talk about it."

"Madam, miss, it's not good! I went to the Ministry of Punishment to inquire about the news, and I happened to see two officials carrying a straw mat out. The servant asked who was inside, and they said it was a female corpse that had just died!"

"What?" Li Ying hadn't recovered from the nightmare, "What female corpse?"

"The slaves asked if they were locked in a few days ago. They said yes. They looked like the wife of a wealthy family. She had never suffered. After two or three days in the prison, she fell ill and died."

Zhao Minyi asked in disbelief, "Could it be... Minying?"

"I dare not look at you, I am afraid!" Hsinchu's voice was full of fear.

Zhao Minyi wanted to ask another question, but Li Ying grabbed her hand: "Mom, let's run away."

Zhao Minyi didn't understand, so he asked, "Run from what?"

"Mother! My daughter can't marry Xiao Lian, absolutely not!"

"Ying'er, what nonsense are you talking about? Tomorrow is the wedding day."

"Yes, let's run away while we still have the chance!"

Zhao Minyi was at a loss, and he didn't know why his daughter was so sick that his brain was confused.

"Mother, it's not too late. You and Brother quickly go and pack your luggage, pick up the expensive ones and take them with you. We'll leave when father calls us. Don't disturb anyone."

"Ying'er, are you serious?"

Li Ying held Zhao Minyi tightly with both hands: "Mother, my daughter is very clear-headed now. Listen to me, my daughter never wanted to marry Xiao Lian from the beginning to the end. Now you can see his face clearly. Ignorant, he killed my aunt today, and maybe he will kill you, father, and younger brother tomorrow or the day after, and marrying such a person, my daughter would rather kill her head-on!"

"Ying'er, what stupid things are you talking about? How could mother let you die?"

"Yes, we can't die, our family must live a good life. So mother, hurry up and pack your luggage!" Li Ying didn't know where the strength came from, and desperately pushed Zhao Minyi out.

Li Ying didn't care about other things, she simply packed up a few changes of clothes and a few pieces of valuable jewelry, and she didn't touch a single cent of the dozens of boxes of valuables sent by Xiao Lian and the Queen Mother, all of which were piled up in the same place.

When Li Huan got off duty and returned to the Li Mansion, he felt that something was weird.

Why are the calligraphy and paintings hanging in the front hall gone?And why did the azure-glazed teacup that he used the most disappear?

Just wondering, Li Huan's hand was pulled vigorously, and he was pulled all the way to the corner gate of the mansion.

"Xuan'er, what are you doing? Let go."

"My sister said it's too late, let's talk in the carriage."

"carriage?"

Li Xuan ignored his question and directly pushed him into the carriage.

When Li Huan went in, he found that his wife and daughter were inside, and that the carriage was full of various utensils, including his azure-glazed teacup.

"This is?"

"Father, we are going out of the city now, and my daughter will explain to you on the way."

"Drive—" Li Xuan swung his whip, and the carriage galloped towards the gate of the city. The Li Mansion with the "Shu De Chun Yong" plaque gradually disappeared from the family's sight.

(End of this chapter)