Madam, she always wants to run away

Chapter 34 Fairness
Xiao Zicha's identification pushed the drama in Renshou Palace to a climax.

The first one to stand up was Concubine Rong. She pointed at Xiao Zicha and growled sharply: "Xiao Zicha, do you know what you are talking about?"

Frightened by Concubine Rong's angry shout, Xiao Zicha shrank behind the Queen Mother.

"Why are you yelling?" Before the queen mother could speak, the emperor got angry first: "Is this how you treat her on weekdays?"

Concubine Rong was angry and anxious: "Your Majesty, Ling'er has never taught Zicha to say these things!"

"Then tell me, who is it not Xiao Ling?"

Concubine Rong couldn't answer, so she vented her anger on Xiao Zicha: "You come out to me! Do you hear me!"

Xiao Zicha hid even further when he heard the words.

"Xiao Ling, kneel down to me!" the emperor commanded with a grim expression.

Xiao Ling knelt down in front of the emperor with a sullen face.

"I ask you, there are all the witnesses and material evidence, what else do you have to say?"

"Father, just based on a guide that anyone can forge, a poisonous needle that anyone can use, and Xiao Zicha's few words, do you think I did it?" Xiao Ling spoke with a tone of voice. It is full of resentment and unwillingness.

"Presumptuous!" The emperor was so angry that he smashed the rosary in his hand, and a deep red mark immediately appeared on Xiao Ling's forehead.

"Your Majesty, Ling'er is your own son!" Seeing this, Concubine Rong rushed over to check Xiao Ling's injury, but Xiao Ling dodged her head.

Seeing this, the emperor was even more furious, Xiao Ling didn't seem to admit her mistake, she was clearly dissatisfied.

"You don't have to plead for him, I don't have such a wicked son!"

Concubine Rong burst into tears with distress, and was about to say something, but was stopped by Xiao Ling: "Mother, don't waste any more time talking about me, I already knew that Emperor Father doesn't want to recognize me as a son at all."

As soon as this remark came out, the emperor's anger was completely ignited.

"What did you say! You rebellious son!"

On the contrary, Xiao Ling completely let go. He sneered at first, and then imitated in an indifferent way: "Lian'er, sometimes I always think that it would be great if you were my child...Father, what are you talking about?" , didn't you say it yourself?"

Concubine Rong looked at Xiao Ling in amazement, then rushed over and tried to cover Xiao Ling's mouth, but Xiao Ling pushed her away.

The emperor sitting on the seat was equally astonished. This was what he and Xiao Lian said privately in the imperial study. How did Xiao Ling know?

"Bold and rebellious! How dare you spy on me!"

"Why, do you dare to say that you dare not admit it?"

"That's just a joke for a while, and it's worth making a big fuss about you?"

"Oh, is it a joke, or has it been around for a long time, the emperor knows it well, and the minister knows it too."

"Xiao Ling, why do you have such an idea? Have I ever treated you badly for so many years?"

"If the father is talking about money, status, and dignity as a prince, then of course not. But as a father, you should ask yourself, have you really regarded me as your son these years?"

"Why didn't I treat him as my own son?!"

"From childhood to adulthood, you only have Xiao Lian and Xiao Lian in your eyes. No matter what you do, I can't compare to him in your heart. The most common sentence you have said to me is 'Look at Lian'er', isn't it? "

The emperor sighed helplessly: "That's just what I said to encourage you to do better."

"Then have you ever praised me, even one word?"

The emperor wanted to say why not, but after thinking about it for a while, he really never remembered that he had praised Xiao Ling.

"You see, you can't even think of it yourself." Xiaoling laughed at herself: "My mother told me since I was a child that I am the son you are most proud of. On my head is not only the glory of the royal family, but also the glory of the Duke of the State." The glory of the government, and even the glory of all the founding fathers, I should be your pride. But no matter what I do, there is no way to be your pride...Father, do you know why?"

"Because of him." Xiao Ling stood up and approached Xiao Lian. The self-deprecating expression on his face disappeared, and turned into a vicious expression that wanted to kill people: "I often think, what if It would have been nice if you died with your short-lived parents back then, why did you survive and hinder me everywhere?"

"Xiao Ling, you are crazy! You still don't shut up!" The emperor couldn't believe it when he saw his son showing such an ugly face for the first time.

"Ling'er, stop talking, stop talking..." Concubine Rong knelt on the ground, powerlessly watching what happened before her.

"Today is such a good opportunity, if I don't speak out what is in my heart, wouldn't it be a waste? Xiao Lian, don't you think so?" Xiao Ling got very close, making Xiao Lian feel uncomfortable.

He took a step back and said, "I've said it countless times. I have no intention of competing with you, let alone taking your place. If you don't believe me, I have nothing to say."

"So far, you are still pretending to be a gentleman? Xiao Lian, you really make me sick."

"What's really disgusting is all your dark thoughts that can't be seen. Xiao Ling, don't think that everyone thinks like you. What you dream of, maybe others will throw it away like a shoestring."

"Hahahahahahahahahahaha, good! You're such an abandoned shoe, I want to see how long you, Xiao Lian, can pretend."

"It's not certain who will win the deer." Xiao Ling whispered in Xiao Lian's ear, and then stepped out of the palace with a big laugh, looking like a madman.

*
The next day, an imperial decree shocked the government and the public: Concubine Rong was deprived of her title and demoted to a concubine, with the right to assist the sixth palace and the custody of the sixth princess, to be raised by the queen mother herself.The fourth prince, Xiao Ling, was banned from the palace, and was not allowed to leave the palace until the emperor gave orders.

In other words, Xiao Ling was placed under house arrest indefinitely.

This decree is tantamount to dropping a bomb on the entire ruling and opposition parties.All of a sudden, the courtiers were talking about it, no one knew why Concubine Rong and the Fourth Prince fell out of favor overnight, Duke Hua and the others were running around like ants on a hot pot, but they didn't listen to the news arrive.

I don't know and I can't help it, the nobles have bet all their treasures on the fourth prince, they can't just watch this big tree fall.

So some courtiers disregarded the emperor's gloomy and terrifying face, and came out to play: "I don't know what crime Rong Guifei and the fourth prince committed, please tell your Majesty clearly."

Unexpectedly, without further ado, the emperor directly ordered the person presenting the performance to be driven out of the hall.

"There is no need to discuss this matter again, all the lovers can let us know." The emperor's attitude showed everything, he didn't want to talk about this matter, let alone allow anyone to talk too much.

In Huaguo Mansion that night, a group of nobles gathered here to discuss countermeasures.Countless carrier pigeons were released from the mansion, but each of them returned without success.

"What happened that made His Majesty so angry?" Duke Fu asked.

"Don't worry, just wait and see."

Just as he was talking, a servant's anxious voice came from the door: "Duke, there is news from the Fourth Prince!"

Duke Hua hurriedly got up, and the servant stepped into the door, holding a wild cat in his hand.

Hua Guogong frowned: "It's another stray cat that Ling'er kindly adopted?"

"Duke, this stray cat has done a great job this time, you see." The servant raised the wild cat and saw a small bamboo tube tied around its ankle.

"The wild cat probably jumped off the roof, so it was not discovered by the guards. The little one was guarding not far away. When he saw the cat limping, he went up to have a look. Unexpectedly, it was really The clue was discovered by the little one."

"Well done, there will be a lot of rewards!"

Hua Guogong screened no one else, and several nobles surrounded the candlelight and opened the bamboo tube. Inside was a note. Under the candlelight, four large characters were reflected: "Xiao Lian harmed me."

It was exactly as Xiao Lian expected, and soon the nobles united and pointed at him what was originally aimed at the eldest prince.

Things about Cao Wenxiang and Li Xuan were also exposed one after another, but the rumors were far from the truth.Li Xuan, who was drugged and almost framed by Cao Wenxiang, became Xiao Lian's lax management of the family and allowed them to bully the weak in the name of loyal prince.

At the beginning, the emperor put aside all these upside-down notes and didn't even look at them.But gradually, those nobles began to jump over the wall, some sued Xiao Lian for enslaving his subordinates and not allowing officials to rest, some sued Xiao Lian for abusing prisoners and causing him to die in prison, and some sued Xiao Lian for being too fierce to scare the people and cry .

Forget it, even Li Huan, who honestly worked as a secretary in the Imperial College, was pushed to the forefront. The biggest crime they gave Li Huan'an was that he had been an official for decades but had no achievements.In addition, there are some trivial things, such as dozing off when on duty, being on duty a quarter of an hour early, scribbling on the book...

The emperor thought that if he let these excerpts go, they would naturally stop, but who would have expected that the "battle" of the nobles lasted for more than a month, not only did not stop, but the battle became more and more courageous. The posture of smashing to the end.

Xiao Lian knew the emperor's difficulty, so in the imperial study room, Xiao Lian took the initiative to chat about it with the battered emperor.

"Your Majesty, I have seen what you have done for me, and I am so grateful for it." Xiao Lian looked carefully and found that the emperor's hair seemed to have turned gray again.

The emperor sighed and said, "Lian'er, I am sorry for you."

"Your Majesty, don't say that. Your Majesty is willing to uphold justice for the minister. The minister is satisfied. The current situation is also within the minister's expectation."

The emperor asked: "Since you can expect it, you are still willing to destroy the hard-won peace between you and the nobles for Li?"

Xiao Lian nodded: "She is my princess, if I don't help her, then no one can help her."

The emperor patted him on the shoulder and said, "Okay, okay. Lian'er, you are a person who values ​​love and righteousness. If..."

The emperor seemed to have thought of something, and took back what he hadn't finished speaking.

Xiao Lian has been with the emperor for many years, so he naturally knows what the emperor thinks. He said: "The moment I exposed Xiao Ling, I was ready to confront the nobles. Your Majesty, now you should give me a step down." gone."

"Oh? What steps do you want?"

"What kind of steps can make them shut up, you know best, Your Majesty."

In fact, before Xiao Lian mentioned this, the emperor already had an idea in his mind on how to seal Xungui's mouth, but after thinking about it, it was Xiao Ling who was wrong, Xiao Lian shouldn't be treated like this, so he forced himself Suppress this thought.

Now that Xiao Lian took the initiative to bring up this matter, it can be regarded as removing a huge stone from the emperor's heart.

The emperor leaned back on the chair tiredly, rubbed his temples, and said, "Lian'er, I am ashamed of you. "

"Your Majesty is serious. I got what I wanted, so I should pay a little price."

The emperor patted him on the shoulder and said nothing more.

The turmoil of the past few days finally subsided on this day.There is no one else, because the emperor announced at the court that Xiao Lian, the loyal prince, had failed to manage the family. He should have cut his position and fined his salary.

In fact, the courtiers had heard about the floods in the south, but they were just gossip. Everyone thought that it was just a minor flood as in previous years. It was not until the governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang wrote letters ten times in succession that the court realized the seriousness of the floods in the south. .

It has reached the point where the floods are flooding, the farmland is submerged, and the people are displaced!
If it weren't for the nobles who insisted on catching Xiao Lian's matter, the matter of water control should have been put on the agenda long ago.Now that Xiao Lian is sent to the south where disaster victims are everywhere, which honorable ones are not laughing?This time, he is afraid that he will die but not return.

In the palace, Li Ying, who heard Xiao Lian say that he was going to Jiangsu and Zhejiang to control the floods, was so surprised that the chopsticks fell to the ground with a "click".

"What?! How could it be so sudden?"

For the past month, Li Ying has been recuperating in the mansion. Although the poisonous needle was rubbed shallowly, she was afraid of causing future troubles, so she did not dare to walk around casually. She took medicine on time every day on weekdays, and moved some flowers and plants in the mansion in her spare time. Even Chacha's cat litter was successfully made with Xiao Lian's help.

She didn't know anything about the violent storm that had occurred in the court this past month, so she suddenly heard that Xiao Lian was going to control the water, how could she accept it?
"When will you go, and when will you come back?"

"Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow at the latest, the return date...undecided."

Li Ying's eye circles turned red in an instant, and she didn't know when she started to rely on him.

"I don't want you to go." Li Ying said, tears streaming down her face.

Where did Xiao Lian think that Li Ying would cry when she said so, and suddenly lost her mind.

"What's the matter, why are you crying so well?"

"I...I don't want you to leave." Li Ying said with sobs.

Xiao Lian stood up quickly, and embraced Li Ying who was sitting at the table, a complex emotion welled up in his chest, sour and swollen.

Take that emotion apart and savor it carefully, it is half bitter and half sweet.

The sad thing was that he was about to be separated from her, and he didn't dare to guarantee whether he could come back after this trip.The sweet thing is that this girl who would rather run away from marriage than marry him now is reluctant to part with him.

It's like a seed that I took care of with all my heart, sheltering it from the wind and rain, watering and fertilizing it, and checking the flowerbed every day, thinking that this seed would never germinate.

But suddenly one day, it bloomed, and it was the most beautiful flower in the garden that only bloomed for him.

　Are there any readers watching~ I haven’t received any comments for N days, sorry TT
　　
　
(End of this chapter)