The Flourishing Tang Dynasty: Beginning with Marrying Yang Yuhuan

Chapter 42 Choice
Gao Shi found Li Ying and told him that Dou Bai refused to confess.

Li Heng smiled and said, "He was able to deceive me by telling half the truth before, which shows that he is a smart man. To deal with smart people, alienation is only the first step. All you have to do is plant the seeds of suspicion."

Gao Shi said: "What should we do next?"

Li Ying said, "Hongyue should be back by now. Ask her to make some tea for me, and then call Xin Yunjing and Zhang Mujin over."

"Yes." Gao Shi accepted the order and walked out.

After a while, Hongyue came in with tea.

The porcelain of the Tang Dynasty was already famous throughout the world at this time, but as a favored prince, Li Ying usually used mostly jade articles, even his tea cup was made of jade.

Hongyue knelt down at the table obediently, poured a cup of tea for Li Ying, and handed it to Li Ying with both hands.

Li Ying took the teacup and was not in a hurry to drink it. Instead, he said, "Actually, whether it is white jade or green jade, jade teacups are heavier than other teacups and don't feel very good. But the utensils I use are mostly made of jade. Do you know why?"

Hong Yue did not dare to look directly at Li Ying, and lowered her head and said, "Because His Royal Highness Prince Shou is of noble status, only Yu is worthy of His Royal Highness."

Li Ying smiled and said, "Yuezhou porcelain and Yue porcelain are both green, green is good for tea, tea is white and red, Xingzhou porcelain is white, tea is red, Shouzhou porcelain is yellow, tea is purple. Personally, I prefer porcelain."

Hong Yue asked curiously, "Then why did His Highness use jade instead of porcelain?"

Li Ying smiled and said, "Because I have a physical illness, doctors all say that drinking tea from a jade teacup has a therapeutic effect."

Hearing this, Hongyue's face changed.

At this time, Xin Yunjing and Zhang Mujin walked in.

Li Ying handed the teacup to Zhang Mujin and gave her a wink.

Zhang Mujin understood what he meant, checked the teacup, then checked the teapot, and shook her head at Li Ying to indicate that there was no poison.

Li Heng was slightly startled, frowned, and said to Hong Yue: "This is a good opportunity for you, you should take action."

Hearing this, Hongyue raised her head and looked at Li Heng.

She originally wanted to pretend that she knew nothing, but Li Ying's eyes revealed a depth, as if he could see through her soul at a glance.

She knew that her purpose had been discovered by Li Heng.

She couldn't pretend.

She seemed to have seen her own end, but she calmed down and said with a smile: "I know I can't beat His Highness Prince Shou. Your Highness Prince Shou, please kill me."

Li Heng asked curiously, "But you still came. Since you are here, you should cherish every opportunity. Giving up this opportunity doesn't seem like a conscious decision for dying."

Hong Yue smiled bitterly and said, "His Royal Highness Prince Shou said that as a prince of the Tang Dynasty, he would protect the people of the Tang Dynasty. Is that true?"

"Of course." Li Ying nodded.

Hongyue said: "That's good."

Li Heng understood a little bit, stood up and said, "So, you want to use your death to persuade your lover to stop making things difficult for me?"

Hong Yue smiled and said, "Your Highness always assumes others' good intentions, even if that person wants to kill you."

"Interesting." Li Ying smiled, "I'll give you the chance to die and advise your lover."

Having said that, he walked out the door.

Xin Yunjing grabbed Hongyue and followed Li Ying all the way to the water dungeon.

In the dungeon, Dou Bai, who was covered in wounds, saw Hongyue and rushed over, grabbing the doorpost and crying, "Hongyue! Hongyue!"

When Hong Yue saw Dou Bai, she understood everything in an instant, and immediately rushed over, crying, "Dou Lang, I didn't betray you, I didn't betray you."

"I know, I know." Dou Bai cried, staring at Li Heng viciously, "It's all because of this cunning villain. We fell into his trap."

Li Heng did not speak. Gao Shi on the side said, "His Highness has already given you a chance, but you insisted on coming back to die! You..."

Li Heng raised his hand to interrupt Gao Shi and said, "Maybe he is right. Since he said so, I will show it to him."

Then he turned to the jailer next to him and said, "Beat him first." "Yes."

After hearing this, several jailers picked up sticks and started beating Hongyue.

Dou Bai was roaring heart-wrenchingly beside him.

After beating him for a while, Li Heng said, "It's too late today. Throw Hongyue into the dungeon next door and try her again tomorrow."

……

……

……

The next day.

The weather was clear and the air was fresh, and Li Ying led his men to the water dungeon.

In the dungeon, Hongyue was covered with scars, but seemed to be in a good mood and was humming the songs of Bactria.

Li Heng asked the jailer to bring the two men out and bring them to the prison gate.

Outside the prison door, the sun is shining brightly, but behind the door is a water dungeon as dark as hell.

Li Heng said, "Since you two are so deeply in love, let's make a deal. I will release one of you, and you will stay behind. The one who stays behind will tell me everything he knows, and after that, I will kill him. How about it? Who goes? Who stays?"

Hong Yue shook her head and said with a smile: "Your Highness, you are really whimsical. We will die here together."

"That's fine." Li Heng nodded. "This water dungeon won't last long. After ten days or half a month, your lower body will be crippled. I'll come back to ask you when the time comes."

Saying that, he was about to leave.

But just as Li Heng took half a step, Dou Bai on the ground grabbed Li Heng's leg and asked, "Are you serious about what you said?"

Hearing Dou Bai's words, Hong Yue's smile instantly disappeared. She said, "Dou Lang, we live and die together. I won't leave."

Li Ying glanced at Hong Yue, shook his head and smiled, then said to Dou Bai: "Of course, I always keep my word. When I first met you, I promised to let you go if you told the truth, and I did it. But you lied to me."

Dou Bai said: "I did not lie to Your Highness. Everything I said is true."

"That's right, but you only said half of it." Li Heng squatted down, "Who do you want to let go?"

Dou Bai turned his head to glance at Hong Yue and said, "I'm leaving."

The words "I'm leaving" entered Hongyue's ears, and she could hardly believe it.

Wasn't it his lover's intention to let her go?
While Hongyue was in a trance, Li Heng came to her.

Li Heng asked Hongyue who was lying on the ground: "He said he wants to leave, do you agree?"

Hong Yue sneered and did not answer Li Heng, but questioned Dou Bai: "You said that everything you did was for me, for us."

Dou Bai said: "Hongyue, instead of both of us being tortured to death here, it is better for one of us to escape. I will avenge you!"

"Then why can't I leave?" Hongyue asked.

Dou Bai said: "I can do more things when I go out, and you can't do anything. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be arrested."

Hong Yue was stunned and said in disbelief: "You said you believed me, and I didn't betray you."

"Does it make any difference?" Dou Bai's tears fell. "Whether you betrayed me or not, I was captured. Just think of it as His Highness never letting you go, and think of it as being killed by His Highness on the day you assassinated me. Anyway, you went there with the intention of dying, and I will remember you."

Hearing this, Hong Yue smiled with tears in her eyes and said, "So you believe in me so much, so you believe in me so much!"

Li Ying asked, "Have you decided?"

"Let him go." Hongyue turned her face away and no longer looked at Dou Bai.

(End of this chapter)