At night in late February, the spring breeze was blowing, and there were many shadows in the shade of the crape myrtle trees. It was hard to see clearly, except for Qiu Yilan's eyes, which were bright and bright, looking out quietly with mockery.
Qiu Mengmin took a while to close the door, turned around, but there was no surprise on her face. She just said lightly: "In the early years, I heard that General Ruan was very skilled in martial arts, and he was indeed a tiger in the general. I was originally sent here. confidant?"
"He's fainting over there. I know it's not easy for you to cultivate people, uncle, so why are you willing to get rid of them like this?" Qiu Yilan covered her lips with a smile and said softly.
"You know I have never practiced martial arts, so you might as well come over and talk about it." Qiu Mengmin blew out the lamp hanging under the back door and greeted, "I want you to knock out my men in the middle of the night and wait for me here. Since there is no Exposure should always be discussed and discussed.”
Qiu Yilan Shiran said: "We need to talk, but it's better for you, uncle, to go with your niece. My niece doesn't know what you have arranged for tonight. If I go with you, my niece will feel uneasy."
Qiu Mengmin thought about it for a moment, but did not object. She followed Qiu Yilan to the pavilion in the garden surrounded by water on three sides to talk.
"Has uncle ever crossed the river and demolished the bridge?" Qiu Yilan stood in the pavilion and asked first.
Qiu Mengmin said calmly: "You can rest assured about this. Mother only loves her children and has never thought of harming anyone."
"Oh?" Qiu Yilan didn't believe it. "You are a filial son. Your biological mother has passed away. Are you willing to seize the opportunity to trick your niece?"
"Do you think I'm stupid?" Qiu Mengmin said indifferently, "You came up with this idea for me. How could you not have a back-up plan? Even if I can't guess what your back-up plan is, I still know that you have the support of the Queen now. , If this matter doesn’t involve you, it will be easy to settle down; if it does, the queen will definitely investigate it... Even if I think my hands are clean, the most important thing now is to keep the throne, why should I take the risk?"
He looked at Qiu Yilan, "What about you? You were just waiting for me alone instead of calling a group of people to wait for me? This is strange."
Qiu Yilan smiled and said: "Uncle, you are a smart man. How dare you be too stupid to be your niece? My niece brought a few maids and women back. As for you, you don't know that your niece has learned some martial arts from her grandfather, so you are careless. I asked my niece to wait for you outside! My niece is going to bring some capable people back. Uncle, how can you have such a good handle? This palace has been in your hands for more than ten years, and my niece has no confidence that she will be able to take care of you after she exposes you. And retreat!"
Qiu Mengmin noticed that she said "escape intact" rather than "leave alive", which meant that even if Qiu Yilan believed that the palace was under his control, he was still confident of retreating, and would only suffer a small loss at most.
"Let's be honest." Qiu Mengmin pondered in her heart and said, "There is no one around now, so there is no need to lie. If you make a sound to alarm me, you must have a purpose - what do you want?"
Qiu Yilan said: "How can my niece dare to ask you for anything? It's just that my niece saw something she shouldn't have seen. Shouldn't you... What should you give your niece to calm down her shock?"
"Since you learned martial arts without telling us, it seems that your learning is not bad. You can calculate your intention and unintentional. If you want to kill someone in this house, you will have a chance in these days." Qiu Mengmin said happily, "You But he went in a big circle and didn't hesitate to get involved in the dispute between the two queens! It's just that he felt that doing it himself was not cruel enough for the old lady, so I had to come forward... I fulfilled your wish, what else are you dissatisfied with? "
"If you put it this way, you have indeed achieved the result that my niece has been dreaming of these days!" Qiu Yilan smiled softly and said, "Then this matter has been revealed. If you don't involve your niece, she won't either. I’m trying to tease you about this matter—but there’s one thing my niece needs to ask: What are you going to do about Lu’s funeral?”
Qiu Mengmin snorted: "Since you said I am a filial son..."
"Don't forget that she is an abandoned concubine of the royal family!" Qiu Yilan interrupted with a smile, "Last year in the early winter, my niece's mother-in-law passed away. I heard that the funeral arrangements were extremely simple. If it hadn't been for my cousin, she would have been even worse than the others. Uncle, are you so confused that you should let Lu’s funeral go beyond your niece’s mother and concubine?”
"I mean, since I am a filial son..." Qiu Mengmin said expressionlessly, "When I first heard that my biological mother committed suicide for me, she was so grief-stricken that it was natural for her to be bedridden and unable to see things! And your cousin My brothers are young and have never experienced such a big thing. Even if they have any negligence, they deserve forgiveness... I will probably be fine after the matter is resolved. "
Qiu Yilan was stunned for a while, unable to find any flaws, and couldn't help but laugh: "Uncle, you are so courageous. My niece used to say that you are not a person who does big things, but now I know that my niece is young and has little knowledge, and she has misjudged you!"
"Just tell me what you have in mind." Qiu Mengmin said calmly, showing neither amusement nor annoyance.
"You saw the beating my niece received when she came back from Dizi Mountain." Qiu Yilan smiled sweetly, "It has been so long before a Lu family died. My niece felt aggrieved in her heart. , I can’t sleep in the middle of the night, what should I do?”
Qiu Mengmin said coldly: "You were the one who harmed Jin'er. Since ancient times, people have killed to pay for their lives! You just received a beating. Is this considered a grievance?"
"Did Mr. Lu tell you?" Qiu Yilan's smile faded, "What about the death of my niece's mother-in-law?"
Qiu Mengmin sneered: "Times have changed. If there is no ironclad proof, don't waste your efforts."
"The matter of my niece's mother and concubine is not a trivial matter!" Qiu Yilan said lightly, "As for the evidence, how do you know that your niece does not have it?"
"Even if there is, the person is already dead, how are you treating her?" Qiu Mengmin glanced at the yard where Mrs. Lu lived, and said calmly, "Can you still crush her bones and spread her ashes?"
Qiu Yilan pondered for a moment and then said: "Are you saying that my niece can only suffer this loss?"
"Don't you already have a handle on Li'er?" Qiu Mengmin said, "In this way, I can pretend to be confused a few times about what you want to do to your aunt in the future... Don't think about anything else. I can't even do it to your biological mother. Go ahead, I have given in to you out of consideration for the concubine’s kindness!”
... Watching Qiu Mengmin go away, Qiu Yilan wandered alone in the pavilion for a while before walking away.
After dawn the next day, Cuimei, who was fetching water into the inner room to serve, screamed shrilly, and the entire Xihe Palace fell into chaos!
Qiu Mengmin, who was lying on the bed after receiving the imperial cane, after learning the bad news, rushed to the residence of his biological mother with bare feet and disheveled hair, as if crazy, looked at the cold body that had been moved to the bed, and ignored the room full of people. He was in a mess, fell heavily to his knees, shouted in pain: "Mother!" and fell unconscious!
Now, the palace is even more chaotic!
Taking advantage of this messy scene, Chun Ran and Xia Ran quietly carried Kang Lizhang, who was tied up and stuffed in her mouth, to Qiu Yilan's house from under the garden pavilion.
"How's it going?" Qiu Yilan smiled and untied her with her own hands, and asked Su He to bring the food. Looking at Kang Lizhang who was devouring it, she kindly reminded her, "I just said that there is absolutely no harm in luring you there and tying her up. It’s for your own good! Should you believe me now?”
"Please cousin, please save our mother and daughter!" Kang Lizhang was tied up all night in a daze, during which she heard something thrilling that Qiu Mengmin personally admitted - although it would not smell bad if she didn't change clothes for one night in this season, but now she There was an obvious smell of urine on her body, which showed how frightened she was!
While Qiu Yilan was talking, she took two mouthfuls of rice and gained some strength. Kang Lizhang couldn't care less about the wound on her face that was not healed. She knocked her head on the ground and refused to get up. "My brother deserves it. My cousin deserves to kill him." Yes. My mother and I have offended my cousin a lot in the past, but since my cousin helped me see the true face of my uncle, I think she feels pity for our mother and daughter - please be kind and save us!"
Qiu Yilan dragged her chin and said with a smile: "What can I do to save you? If Empress Meng hadn't looked at me a few times before, I might not have survived last night!"
"Cousin, if you have any errands, please let me know!" Kang Lizhang could tell that she was trying to show off - Mrs. Lu was gone, and the Kang family's mother and daughter had no backstage. The grudge she had formed with Princess Yang alone was enough. They were restless.
But Qiu Mengmin has been following Mrs. Lu all these years, preferring her nephews and nieces, which inevitably makes the Kang family's mother and daughter feel that even if Mrs. Lu is gone, with him around, they will never look at Princess Yang too much.
Now that he knew that Mrs. Lu was tricked to death by Qiu Mengmin, how could Kang Lizhang dare to count on this uncle
Despite her deep city, she couldn't help but be in chaos at this moment. She didn't think about any face, hatred, or future... She stepped forward and grabbed the hem of Qiu Yilan's skirt and begged: "As long as my cousin is willing to give us mother and daughter a way to survive, We can do whatever you want!”
Qiu Yilan smiled half-heartedly: "There is a way to survive, but I wonder if you dare to go?"
Kang Lizhang said hurriedly: "Cousin, please tell me!"
"Look for a chance to tell your uncle alone later that you know everything about last night!" Before Qiu Yilan finished speaking, Kang Lizhang was so frightened that she let go of her skirt and hugged her chest tightly with her arms. , said in horror: "Then uncle couldn't kill me with his backhand?!"
"If he silences you, the truth of the matter will be made public?" Qiu Yilan snorted, "If you don't say this, your uncle will think that you don't know the truth, and maybe he won't do anything to you. . But don’t forget how miserable your aunt has been by your mother and daughter over the years. Do you think she will let you go?”
She leaned down and didn't mind that Kang Lizhang's body smelled bad now. She whispered in her ear, "You heard it last night. It was me who came up with the idea, but I did it in front of your aunt." It came out... Your uncle didn't agree at that time. Do you dare to say that your uncle finally adopted this method without your aunt's instigation? "
Kang Lizhang's whole body was trembling, and her lips trembled for a long time before she said: "But... I..."
"There is no but." Qiu Yilan spread her hands and said ruthlessly, "I will show you the way to survive - if you don't intimidate your uncle, your aunt will easily crush you mother and daughter to death! If you go and intimidate your uncle, Uncle, as long as you keep your back...are you afraid that he won't protect you?"
At this point, she turned her eyes and reminded, "You grew up in the prince's palace. Are you seventeen this year? You haven't mentioned your husband's family yet. Who do you think your aunt will tell you? Without Lu, Aunt Kang, or your Kang family, can you beat my aunt? As a princess, you have been promised such a person, what kind of spoils will you be promised?"
After sending Kang Lizhang away, Su He and others quickly opened the windows to get some air, and lit incense burners everywhere to dispel the smell she brought in: "I used to think that Miss Clock was so capable, but she turns out to be so cowardly!"
"She seemed bold before because she was not the one who was unlucky." Qiu Yilan snorted, "Now that things have happened to her, the whole story is revealed immediately!"
She thought for a while and asked, "Are everything ready?"
Su He hurriedly said: "Everything is ready, does the princess want to take a look?"
"No, I don't know much about these things..." Qiu Yilan exhaled and said with a heavy gaze, "This time, I mainly want to convey good news to my mother and concubine, things like that, I guess she won't care too much! "
Although she still hasn't figured out how Mrs. Lu obtained the incense of sleep and used it to plot against Princess Ruan and General Ruan, at least the person who directly harmed Princess Ruan and her daughter is dead. .
Qiu Yilan felt that she should visit the tomb and tell Princess Ruan the good news.