"Assholes! A bunch of useless things!" Xiao Yi's angry words echoed in the hall of Youda. The people kneeling in front of him all bowed their heads and were willing to be scolded. Qiao Yu and the concubines and children standing beside him did not dare to step forward to comfort him. Xiao Yi was furious now, and anyone who was not afraid of death could just go ahead. They looked at each other, some worried, some disdainful, and some gloating. Everyone's eyes met with unspeakable changes in the wind and rain.
He Hui knelt in the middle, kowtowed heavily and said, "It's all my fault. The princess left in a hurry when she received the letter from the capital. The princess ignored my advice and didn't allow me to follow her. It was my momentary confusion that caused such a big incident. If the prince wants to punish someone, he should punish me. It has nothing to do with others."
Xiao Yi swept his cold eyes across his spine and snorted, "Don't think that if you say that, I will think that you are upright and responsible. Don't worry, I will use your stick." Xiao Yi couldn't see his face in the shadow, but he remembered the scene of him and Zhao Pei Hanzhen together not long ago. He was furious again, "Don't think that you take yourself seriously just because the princess indulges you. You are just a servant in the palace." This sentence was said without reason, but anyone with a smart mind could probably understand it.
He Hui kowtowed heavily: "I understand."
Xiao Yi dismissed the people who came to watch the fun and asked He Hui to lead the sixty canes. This matter has come to an end for the time being, but Zhao Pei... Xiao Yi suddenly felt powerless and slowly leaned on the back of the circle. He connected all the details together, and his brows deepened.
Qiao Yu finally couldn't resist: "Your Majesty! It's been a few days, why hasn't Your Majesty ordered to find the princess!"
"She... I'm afraid she has already arrived in Jiankang..." Xiao Yi hesitated and expressed his speculation, "We can't act rashly on this matter, otherwise one wrong step will lead to the failure of the whole game." Xiao Yi said this, and on the surface he seemed calm and indifferent, but Qiao Yu had followed Xiao Yi for more than 20 years after all, and understood his thoughts. It seemed that Xiao Yi was more anxious than anyone else right now.
"Was mother kidnapped by Hou Jing?" A child's voice suddenly rang out. Xiao Yi looked in the direction of the voice and found Xiao Fangzhi, who had not left just now. He slowly walked up to Xiao Yi and said, "Father, is mother in danger?"
Xiao Yi stared into his dark eyes without saying a word.
Seeing that Xiao Yi looked strange, Qiao Yu quickly pulled Fang Zhi up and whispered, "Young Marquis, don't worry about this. You are still young and there are things you don't understand."
As Qiao Yu was trying to persuade him, Xiao Yi caught a glimpse of a familiar figure of a servant who was about to rush out of the mansion, and immediately shouted, "Stop!"
But the servant ignored him and walked faster. Qiao Yu realized something was wrong and rushed forward to grab the servant's shoulder and brought him to Xiao Yi. During the tug, the servant's hat fell to the ground, and his thick black hair fell down. Qiao Yu was stunned for a moment and quickly took back his hand on her shoulder, and said blankly: "Miss..."
Hanzhen glared at him angrily, muttering something like "meddling". Xiao Yi spoke coldly, "Zhen'er, why are you dressed like this?"
"I'm going to find my mother!" Han Zhen looked at Xiao Yi frankly: "If father doesn't go to save mother, then let Zhen'er go!"
Xiao Yi frowned and said, "I never said I wouldn't go. It's just a matter of time. When the time comes, I will personally go and bring your mother back. Don't worry."
Hanzhen just smiled, as if she was listening to someone telling a joke: "Father, when is the time you are talking about? Are you waiting for the emperor to die..." Hanzhen immediately bit her tongue and continued, "Mom is now in the hands of the traitor and her life or death is unknown. Who knows what kind of abuse and injustice she has suffered. She is Zhen'er's mother, Zhen'er can't be as cruel as father."
The word "Daddy" shocked Xiao Yi's heart, and his heart was surging, but he remained indifferent. Han Zhen saw Xiao Yi was about to make another speech, and Xiao Yi stopped him coldly: "Don't take advantage of my favor to do whatever you want."
Hanzhen ignored him and turned to leave with a sneer. Qiao Yu immediately stepped forward and stopped her again, saying, "Miss, please don't be willful. There is no benefit in going against the prince."
Hanzhen looked at him with disdain and said coldly: "Is there any benefit in being a docile dog? Don't become someone else's bones before you even get to eat the bones." There was a deep meaning in her words, but only she could understand it at that time.
Qiao Yu still felt Han Zhen's strong rebelliousness, and seeing that she was going to leave the house regardless of anything, he gritted his teeth and shouted "I'm sorry", and then chopped Han Zhen's neck. Han Zhen quickly said: "Dad, Mom loves you, she doesn't even know it..." Before she finished speaking, she fell into Qiao Yu's arms.
Qiao Yu looked up at Xiao Yi with a complicated expression. Half of his face was hidden in the shadows, so he couldn't see it clearly. But he still felt the surprise and pain in Xiao Yi's eyes that he hadn't had time to hide.
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In fact, this was the first time that Zhao Pei looked at every brick, tile, blade of grass, and tree in the palace so carefully. She walked very slowly, so slowly that no matter how long the palace maids waited for her, she still had a long way to go. It was just a bypass of a few palaces, but she had already walked for half an hour and it was even dark. She couldn't remind her, because the woman standing next to Zhao Pei stared at her with a sharp light in her eyes.
After finally reaching the side hall, the maid knelt politely and said, "Madam, the emperor is inside. It is not appropriate for me to go in, please go in by yourself." Zhao Pei stood outside the door for a while, looking a little dazed and unwilling to go in. After a long time, she smiled and turned to look at them: "Thank you, Ziye, you go back with her and rest first. I... will be back later."
Zhao Pei's eyes were cast into the hall again, and after hesitating for a while, she took a step inside. The door behind her closed immediately, as if afraid that she would escape. Zhao Pei took a deep breath and walked carefully towards the lighted area step by step. The hall was lit with long copper crane lamps and glass lamps. The marble floor was covered with gold pieces in the shape of lotus flowers, and the colorful lights from the glass lamps were reflected on the ground, as beautiful as a blooming lotus. The lights also shone on Zhao Pei, coating her with a layer of beautiful light like a dream. Zhao Pei walked carefully in it, but she didn't expect that after such splendor and glory, there would only be such sadness and loneliness.
She slowly walked past the outer room and headed towards the inner room. As she got closer, she could clearly see the thin silhouette behind the blue-white curtain. She knew whose shadow it was from a distance. But for a long time, she didn't have the courage to lift the curtain to see it clearly. Her heart was pounding, and she was even more nervous than when she saw Hou Jing.
However, the man spoke: "I said, I won't see anyone." His originally clear voice was a little hoarse and full of hidden anger.
Zhao Pei lifted the curtain and quietly hung it on the jade hook, and said in a sticky and trembling voice: "Third brother, it's me..." (To be continued)