The Legend of the Loved One

Chapter 96

Chu Xue guessed right. The reason why Song Chen returned to Beijing early was precisely because the Qi army had won a big victory in the northern battlefield.

About half a month ago, heavy snow fell on the battlefield. Under the bitter cold, the supplies in the rear could not keep up, and the Hu people were already sleepy.In order to boost the morale of the army, E Ke, the new leader of Northern Hu, followed Song Chen's lead and personally went into battle to defend against the Qi army's attack. It's a pity that E Ke is a young boy. The experience of fighting the Qi army.

But in contrast to him, Song Chen was a general with a lot of actual combat experience. Under his personal deployment, after only three confrontations, the Yan army led by general Xiang Wei had already defeated the Hu people.During the last confrontation, E Ke saw that the situation was not good, so he planned to abandon his army and flee for his life, but the elite soldiers who escorted him could not go far, and met the Qi army who was blocking him.

The leader is Qin Yuan.

Because Qin Yuan is very good at martial arts, Xiang Wei sent him here with only one purpose, to take the head of E Ke.

And despite the desperate resistance of the Hu people who had been forced into a desperate situation, the courageous General Qin led his men to kill all the enemy invaders, and with one arrow, he personally took the head of Eke and returned to Song Chen to report.

Song Chen was overjoyed and immediately rewarded him heavily.

Once the leader died, how could the few remaining barbarians resist stubbornly?A few days later, E Ke's younger brother E Ji personally wrote the letter of surrender, and sent envoys to deliver it to the Qi army camp.

Although the opponent had already bowed his head and admitted defeat, Song Chen didn't see the surrender letter. How familiar is this scene?More than ten years ago, he was the newly crowned Hengwang. Didn't he also receive the truce letter from this barbarian, and the other party made an agreement with him not to invade, but what happened?Their scars have not healed yet, and they have forgotten the pain.To them, Xinyi is just a cloud in the sky, which will disappear without a trace when the slightest wind blows.

So this time, Song Chen would never accept the letter of surrender, but straightforwardly put forward the only condition for the truce - Beihu would submit to Daqi from then on, and the Hu people would be ruled by the Daqi court from then on.If E Ji agrees, he can reward him with a prince. If he refuses, the Qi army will continue to march on the territory of Beihu, and it is bound to crush the entire territory of the Hu people.

Of course Eji and the royal family were afraid. To be honest, they knew very well that the people of the tribe had only been slowed down for more than ten years and could not stand the toss of the war. Turn a well-established independent kingdom into someone else's territory.

In order to seek a ray of life for the tribe, E Ji agreed to Song Chen's request and was willing to be a courtier of Da Qi.

When the news came, it was the end of the old year, the major events were over, and Song Chen was eager to return home, but he still spent New Year's Eve in the camp with the soldiers before heading back to Beijing.How exciting it would be if he could announce this at the Shangyuan Night Banquet. As a king, he would like to see the praises of his subjects, and he also believed that the praises came from the hearts of his subjects.

Handing over the follow-up matters to several generals, he embarked on his journey back to Beijing on the second day of the new year.

Because of the political affairs and relatives in his heart, the return journey was not procrastinated. After seven or eight days, Shengjia was about to enter Gyeonggi.

And after a night and a day, the news from Yufu Palace finally reached Song Chen.

At that time, Yujia had just entered a state capital and was expected to be two days away from Beijing. Liangxi presented the last batch of government letters that he had just received. Song Chen briefly glanced over the letter and found the letter from Yufu Palace.

At the beginning, I was a little puzzled. Unlike the letterheads written by her in the past, the writer this time was not Xueer. After reading the words in the letter clearly, the king was furious, and immediately dropped the teacup at hand.

The attendants didn't know why, so they all knelt together, and Liangxi was full of doubts, just about to ask, but Song Chen said angrily: "Go back to the palace immediately!"

The people who had just settled down to rest immediately got busy, and half an hour later, the speeding Yujia disappeared into the dark night again.

The sky was bright, and Yufu Palace was peaceful.

Chu Xue was still immersed in her dream.

She dreamed of a little child sitting in an empty palace and crying. She wanted to go up and hug her, but the child pushed her hand away and ran out crying.She felt extremely uncomfortable, thinking that it must be the child she just lost, the child must hate herself, the child is so young, crying so sadly...

She chased after him and cried, "Child, child..."

The tears in the dream flowed down, her sobbing made the man staring at the bed feel distressed, and the familiar warmth fell on her cheeks, she was startled, and finally woke up.

Opening her eyes, the outline of the man in her sight gradually became clear. She was stunned for a long time, and finally called softly: "Your Majesty."

"woke up?"

His voice was hoarse, and his eyes were full of distress.

She nodded and tried to sit up, but he stopped her, and said, "Lie down, it's cold outside."

After all, the border was bitterly cold, and he felt relieved a lot. After studying him carefully for a while, she said softly: "The emperor came back so soon, did he not have a good rest on the way?"

He didn't speak, but just looked at her distressedly. After looking at her for a while, he saw her lowered her eyes, and the tears fell again. The emperor is disappointed..."

At the end of the words, it turned into silent crying, and his heart was pierced, so he had no choice but to pick her up and hug her into his arms.

"It's not your fault, it's not your fault." He said softly.

It was my fault, he said in his heart.If it wasn't for that plan to snub her and make Concubine Li proud, how could she be suspected for no reason and drugged for ridiculous reasons?In the final analysis, it was because of him that she was hurt so badly, because he failed to protect their mother and child well.

I don't know why, obviously I didn't give that child a chance to be born, but the moment I saw him, all these self-blame and torments turned into grievances. She fell in his arms, and after a few days, she finally cried happily played a game.

For a long time, his clothes were wet with tears, and he just hugged her quietly, but a storm was brewing in his heart.

When she finally calmed down, she whispered in his arms: "The emperor must be tired from the journey. The concubine is much better now. Go and have a good rest first. Don't worry about the concubine."

Even at this time, she didn't complain about her grievances, and she still remembered to care for herself. Guilt and self-blame came to her heart, and he said softly, "Take care of your body and don't think about anything else."

Leave the rest to me.

Chu Xue nodded with tears in her eyes, suddenly thought of Le'er, and said to him: "Your Majesty, I can't take care of Le'er for a while, so the queen mother took Le'er to Funing Palace. Ask someone to bring her to greet you."

Sighing, he said: "No need, I haven't seen the queen mother for a long time, I should go there in person." Looking up at the sky outside the window, he continued: "I will lie here for a while, and wait until I have breakfast go again."

Seeing that he was about to go there except for his outer robe, Chu Xue quickly dissuaded him, "The concubine is bloody now, the emperor still..."

He smiled and interrupted her: "I just came back from the battlefield, and tens of thousands of Hu people were killed and injured. Xue'er said, who is more bloody, you or me? At this time, there is no need to be formal. Come and rest with me." a little while."

She nodded and saw him lying beside her.

Returning to her long-lost embrace, she closed her eyes again, and soon fell asleep again.

Listening to the gradually gentle breathing of the beauty in his arms, Song Chen also closed his eyes, but did not fall asleep for a long time.

The good child is gone like this, and the beloved woman has suffered such a great grievance. Some things are not easy for the Queen Mother to decide, but now that he is back, he must not do nothing anymore.

He is not the father and emperor back then. He knew that the mother and concubine had been wronged but he couldn't give her an explanation or comfort.But now, no matter who the other party is, he is a majestic emperor and will not be coerced again!

When Chu Xue woke up, the sun was shining in the courtyard, and Song Chen had already gone to Funing Palace.

Living with the imperial grandmother for a few days, Leer gradually got used to Funing Palace, temporarily forgetting the discomfort of being away from her mother.

When Song Chen arrived, the little guy was having breakfast at the same table as the emperor's grandmother. The little guy was sitting obediently, waiting for the porridge in the nurse's hands. When he heard the communication from the palace people, the little guy immediately turned his head to look at the palace. at the door.

I saw a tall figure stepping in.

The little man hadn't seen her father for a long time, and she was a little dazed at first, but when Song Chen softly called her name, she pursed her lips and smiled.The little girl combed her hair in a small bun, sitting next to her grandma with a good appearance, she hasn't seen her for a while, she seems to have grown up a bit.She still had a delicate and beautiful face, her big sparkling eyes were flickering, and she seemed a little shy when she first saw her father.Song Chen's heart melted at the sight of such a little figure carved in powder and jade, after saluting to the Queen Mother, he hurried forward and hugged her into his arms.

Seeing him suddenly appear, the queen mother also looked surprised, and hurriedly asked: "Why did you come back so soon?"

Song Chen said: "There is nothing important on the way, so I want to go back to the palace as soon as possible, so that I can catch up with my mother and spend the New Year's Eve together.

What the son said was nice, the queen mother smiled happily, but after the smile, she understood in her heart, even after sleeping for a while, his face was still tired, seeing her son like this, how can the queen mother not understand?He must have received the letter, he was thinking about Concubine Yi, and hurried back on his way.

In front of Le'er, it was difficult for the mother and son to talk about Chu Xue's miscarriage. It happened that Song Chen hadn't had breakfast yet, so the three of them had a reunion dinner together in Funing Palace.

In fact, Le Er also missed her father very much. At this time, she was eating at the same table with her father, and she showed great enthusiasm. She handed her father all the delicious food, and wanted him to have a taste. After complimenting her a few words, she became more and more proud, and immediately shook her head, and the atmosphere at the dinner table suddenly became much more cheerful.The queen mother couldn't help smiling when she saw her cute little granddaughter.

Song Chen also looked at his daughter and smiled, but after laughing, his heart became more and more dull. Originally, in a few months, a child would be born, and the queen mother would be more happy, but now it is impossible. As a father, he , I haven't even been able to say a word to that child...

Looking at the innocent Le'er again, he thought of Xue'er who was still bedridden in the Yufu Palace. The warm scenes of the family of three in the past came to his mind, and the exquisite meals he entered completely lost their taste.

After spending breakfast with his mother, he was about to go out, the queen mother hurriedly asked: "The children will come to pay their respects later, don't you want to meet them together?"

Song Chen said: "Since my son has returned to the palace, there are plenty of opportunities. Right now, I have important matters at hand, so I won't accompany my mother for now."

The Empress Dowager nodded, hesitated to speak, he didn't say anything, and went straight back to Qinzheng Hall.

Not long after, Zhou Yu, the chief inspector of the inner court who was extremely disturbed, knelt down in front of the king.

At this time, the king did not review the memorials before the imperial case, but sat in front of the couch and asked him questions. Although he had served two generations of kings, Zhou Yu did not have the slightest confidence in his heart at this time, and carefully explained the events of that night. He reported it carefully to the king, and then, he held his breath and waited for the imperial decree.

After Song Chen heard what had happened, he was silent for a while, and asked, "Did Qiugui spit out anything?"

Zhou Yu bowed his head, "Return to Your Majesty, the inner court prison cell has tried all means, but Qiu Gui always insisted that it was her own initiative, and did not... confess to others."

Song Chen didn't answer anything, but instead said: "This time such a big incident happened, you, the manager, cannot escape the responsibility."

Zhou Yu immediately plopped down on his knees and said tremblingly, "Your servant is guilty! Please punish me, Your Majesty."

Song Chen was quite satisfied with his attitude, and said lightly: "From now on, your errand will be downgraded to a deputy, and you will keep it for now. What happens in the future depends on your future performance."

Zhou Yu kowtowed again and again, saying: "I thank your majesty for your grace! Thank you for your majesty's grace!"

"That's all." Song Chen raised his hand, and confessed: "I will go to the Leng Palace first, and give Li Concubine self-judgment. All the palace people close to him will be killed with a stick."

The king's voice was faint, but the words he uttered were like a thunderbolt from the blue sky, which made everyone in the hall unable to react for a long time.

Zhou Yu was also stunned for a moment, and tentatively said: "Your Majesty means... want Concubine Li to commit suicide?"

At any rate, it was Concubine Li who had won the Sacred Heart a while ago, at least she was the princess of a country!Does that mean kill?If it is not done well, it will provoke a war!Without asking clearly, how dare he act rashly.

Song Chen frowned slightly, and asked back: "Do you want me to say it again?"

After hearing such words, Zhou Yu immediately bowed his head and said, "I don't dare, my servant, I will go to Lingyue Palace now."

Song Chen hummed coldly, and then ordered: "Tell Xing Feng to go to the imperial hospital to see who prescribed the medicine."

"Yes." Zhou Yu could be regarded as hearing clearly this time, and hurriedly responded.

There was nothing more to explain, the king waved his hand, and Zhou Yu hurriedly stepped back to act.

Seeing this, Liangxi who was beside the king secretly broke into a cold sweat for the master, and also secretly expressed emotion for Concubine Li for a while.

Two quarters of an hour later, Zhou Yu and his entourage, carrying the poisoned wine, had arrived at the Leng Palace.

Song Chen didn't have many women, but the late emperor had several concubines Leng, who didn't live for a few years when Empress Chen took power, so the current Leng Palace actually only has Concubine Li, a gloomy and gloomy concubine. The building is worthy of its name, it is really deserted and scary.

Concubine Li didn't actually live there for a few days, but she was already on the verge of collapse.She is a princess, although she is a concubine, but when she was in the old country, how did she receive such treatment?Empty and dilapidated courtyards, dilapidated furniture and utensils, and even the lowest meals like the people below... For the first time in her life, she missed the palace of her home country very much. Although it was boring there, as long as the dynasty was still there, she would always be a noble princess. There, she would never live this kind of life anyway.

Suddenly, her maidservant brought from Jinli came in and reported to her that Zhou Yu was coming, and she immediately got up to look.

However, at first glance, she saw the flagon held by the little eunuch behind Zhou Yu.

She was startled, and quickly asked, "Boss Zhou, why are you here?"

Zhou Yu said indifferently: "The servant came here in honor of the imperial decree..."

"Holy decree?"

Before Zhou Yu could finish speaking, Concubine Li hurriedly asked: "You mean the imperial decree? Has the emperor returned?" There was hope in her eyes, and she asked eagerly: "Did the emperor ask you to come and let me out?"

Zhou Yu frowned slightly, and when she finished asking, he replied unhurriedly: "The emperor has already returned to the palace, but this servant is not here to invite the empress to return to the palace. The emperor has an order to give you the way."

"Go on the road?" Concubine Li didn't quite understand this term, and asked, "What does it mean to go on the road?"

Zhou Yu sighed, and said plainly, "The emperor grants you self-judgment, that is, suicide!"

Concubine Li was shocked, pointing at the wine jug on the tray and tremblingly said: "Suicide? The emperor told you to bring this, is it for me to die?"

Zhou Yu nodded.

Concubine Li burst into tears immediately, and shouted: "Why does the emperor want me to die? Why does he want me to die? Doesn't he like me very much, he is willing to..."

There are still many things to be busy at hand, Zhou Yu didn't want to waste time with her, so he interrupted her directly: "You killed the prince in Concubine Yi's womb, and almost killed Concubine Yi, you said it yourself, why did the emperor want you to commit suicide? You said that you have been in the palace for so long, don't you still not see the importance of Concubine Yi in the heart of the emperor? You dare to touch her... The time has come, empress, this poisonous wine is painless, and it will let you go easily... "

Zhou Yu winked at the back, and the little eunuch serving the wine hurried forward a few steps, Zhou Yu persuaded in a good voice: "Your Majesty, please!"

But seeing Concubine Li staring at the pot of wine with wide eyes and tears, she suddenly raised her hand and knocked the jug to the ground, gritted her teeth and said angrily: "I am Princess Jin Li, if you dare to treat me like this, you are not afraid of my father's coming." Looking for an explanation? I want to see the emperor, I want to see him!"

Zhou Yu and the others never thought that Concubine Li would be so bold that she dared to overturn the poisoned wine bestowed by the Holy Majesty. It would be impossible for any concubine to be a concubine, but think about her identity again... Indeed, she is an exotic princess after all.

Usually, if other concubines are so rebellious, death is inevitable, and the eunuchs would have to suffer a lot if they had to do it themselves. He felt that what Concubine Li said just now made sense, if she died and started a war between the two countries, it would indeed be a bit serious.

Zhou Yu thought for a while, whispered a few words to a young eunuch, and the little eunuch hurried to Qinzheng Hall.

In the imperial study room, the king had just picked up a booklet while sitting in front of the desk, when he saw Liangxi walk in with his head bowed, hesitating again and again, and finally said: "Your Majesty, there is something wrong in the cold palace."

Song Chen didn't say anything, just allowed him to continue, Liangxi looked up at the unrepentant king, and continued: "Concubine Li refuses to die, she insists on seeing you, and even threatens war between the two countries... "

Before Liang Xi finished speaking, Song Chen sneered, slapped his handbook on the case, and said, "Then bring her here."

Liangxi quickly backed away.

After a short while, Concubine Li had already been taken to the Imperial Study Room.

"The concubine pays homage to the emperor." She bowed politely first.

Without raising his head, Song Chen asked directly, "Is there anything else you want to say to me?" There was no trace of emotion in his voice.

With tears in her eyes, Concubine Li laughed sadly, and asked: "Is the emperor really willing to kill his concubine for that woman? You liked your concubine so much before you left for the battle, but just because of that hypocritical woman, you just..."

"shut up!"

Song Chen finally raised his head, looked at her and said, "No one in the world can touch that woman, let alone insult you casually. I think of your status as a princess, so I give you self-execution. If you want to go back to Jinli, I can also send you back to Jinli." Send your body back. I have finished my words, you can go."

As soon as this remark came out, Concubine Li was startled, and then suddenly laughed wildly. All the grievances and anxiety in her stomach for the past few days turned into a mockery of herself at this moment, laughing at herself for thinking that this man liked her. No, he didn't even give him a chance to defend himself, would he still believe that he was framed?
With tears in her eyes, Concubine Li asked him: "If you don't believe me, let me die, it's fine, but do you think those women who pretend to be innocent will be any better? Concubine Yi didn't drink that bowl of medicine at all. She had a miscarriage. , It was completely arranged by her! She killed her child herself, and it has nothing to do with me!"

"Why did she kill her own child?" Song Chen's angry voice overwhelmed Li Fei's screaming, he frowned and asked, "Why did she kill her own child?"

That's right, Xue'er took so much trouble to tell him the news of her pregnancy, didn't she just want to ask him to protect their mother and child, she was so careful, why did she want to harm the child herself?Song Chen couldn't think of this reasoning, it was simply nonsense, and the hysterical sophistry of the woman in front of him completely made him lose his patience and made him instantly furious.

Seeing the man like this, Concubine Li smiled desperately and sadly. After a while, she calmed down, and finally said: "Okay, okay, you believe in Concubine Yi, then do you trust your queen? Do you know that your dignified concubine How shameless a virtuous queen is! She pretended to be sick, and lied to me that Concubine Yi was pregnant with a bastard, and asked me to carry out the palace rules for her. She even gave the bowl of medicine, but in the end, she actually blamed all Get rid of it! There is such a character in your harem, I wonder if your women had a smooth life in the past?"

Song Chen focused his gaze, but saw Concubine Li paused every word: "If you are a gentleman, send me back to Jinli." Then she turned around abruptly and left the Hall of Qinzheng.

There are too many darkness and filth in this palace of Qi, even if she dies, she would never want to stay here.It doesn't matter if Song Chen doesn't doubt Chu Xue, if she doesn't believe him, she won't doubt the Queen either, Xu Jinhe is too despicable and vicious, she will never make her feel better!There is also this man, who is the biological mother of his first wife, the prince, and the empress wants to kill his favorite concubine. Let him make his own decision on this problem!

A quarter of an hour later, news of Concubine Li's death reached Qinzheng Hall.

After being silent for a while, Song Chen got up and went to Fengyi Palace.

(End of this chapter)