Prince Boring and Concubine Qiao Ai

Chapter 11

When I woke up, it was daylight.

What about taking him back to the palace when he agreed to go to court?At this time, all the civil and military officials have gone home, and they are all looking for their own mothers.

Zhao Ling found that he was sleeping on the bed with soothing incense burning in the room. No wonder he slept so hard.

Pushing open the door, this yard is familiar, it is the yard where he and his eldest brother came to eat and drink in his previous life.There is an extra fig tree in the yard.The branches are covered with wind chimes used to make wishes.

The fig tree was full of foliage, and Lord Luo was standing alone beside the fig tree in court clothes.

Zhao Ling threw a stone, which happened to land on Luo Yi's back. Luo Yi hated to disturb him when he was alone in meditation.Very good, he imagined that Lord Luo would beat him up and throw him out of the mansion in a fit of anger, and he would beat him again and again.

Unexpectedly, Lord Luo bent slightly, picked up the stone, turned around, "Are you awake?"

Zhao Ling swallowed, Luo Yi laughed at his prank, what's going on?

Coming back from rebirth, he couldn't see what Luo Yi was thinking at all.

"Lord Luo, I have to go back to the palace. Concubine Su must be in a hurry." Zhao Ling pretended to be stupid, "I disturbed Lord Luo last night."

Luo Yi didn't answer him.

Zhao Ling said, "It's getting late, I have to go back to the palace."

Luo Yi waved his hand, and Ning Zhuang had a stinky face, "Hurry up, you can't see anything."

Zhao Ling was flattered, he was He De He Neng, let Ning Zhuang personally escort him, no wonder Ning's guard looked pale and deeply ashamed.

Hey, he really didn't mean to.

On the way back to the palace, Zhao Ling kept thinking, what went wrong, why Luo Yi was so tolerant to Zhao Lian?If it is because he is the son of the emperor, there are many sons of the emperor, and Luo Yi has never looked at anyone more in his memory.

After thinking about it, I arrived outside Yingchun Palace.Concubine Su was playing a fan in the yard, talking to the two young masters.Seeing Zhao Ling coming in, he dragged Zhao Ling into the house, "The sky in the palace has changed, and you are still running around, are you dying?"

Zhao Ling knew in his heart that it was the news of Concubine Kuang's death that spread.

"Kuang Yuerong died of illness, and the fourteenth and fifteenth princes suddenly disappeared." Concubine Su said, "There is something strange about this matter. Marquis Kuang came to take the body back early in the morning, but he didn't even ask about his two nephews' lives. You Tell me, have they been rescued? Sent out of the palace secretly?"

Zhao Ling shook his head, I don't know, it's none of my business, don't ask me.

Concubine Su said to herself, "The empress dowager ordered a thorough investigation of the harem, and found that the carriage that left the palace last night was the only one with Prince Lin. But Prince Lin said that there were no children in the carriage."

Lord Lin will definitely deny it. He will never let his precious sister know about such a shameful hijacking.

"The empress said, let all the princes go to Fengqi Palace. It is probably to find clues for the fourteenth and fifteenth princes. You were not there just now. I said you were unwell. The princes in other palaces have been there, so you should go too." Come and say hello." Concubine Su recalled the announcement that came earlier in the morning.

Just a question.

Zhao Ling said, "I'll go right away."

……

Fengqi Palace is not far from Yingchun Palace, and it is the most majestic existence in the entire harem except for the Queen Mother's Shoukang Palace.

Not long after the announcement, Zhao Ling followed the maid and entered Fengqi Palace.I haven't seen Lin girl for a long time, please don't be like Miss Wu again, come to a girl's [-]th change.

Zhao Ling was looking at the landscape paintings in the house, and Lin Yatou's brush and ink skills had improved further.Vast and surging, insignificant like smoke.In his previous life, he had jokingly told Luo Yi, what kind of world are we still fighting for? Princess Lin's family can have a panoramic view of the great rivers and mountains with just one pen.

While admiring it, two big men rushed in from outside the house.

Empress Lin followed in without any expression on her face.

The iceberg beauty doesn't seem to have changed much, but why did someone arrest him when he came up?

"Empress, you have to accuse someone of a crime if you arrest someone!" Zhao Ling wanted to resist, but his physical fitness was too poor, and surprise could win, not against gang fights.Soon he was pinned to the ground by two strong men.

"Hijacking an envoy from a friendly country is the first crime. Letting the prince of the cold palace private is the second crime. Leaving the palace without reason is the third crime." Lin Yueru patted the table. They are all faces that reject people thousands of miles away.

Zhao Ling's face was crushed into a flat shape, and the bones in both arms were about to be pinched and broken.

Lin Yueru had already set a trap, waiting for him to jump.

"I'm wronged! Empress, I definitely didn't do it!" Zhao Ling decided to die, "I'm often bullied by the fourteenth and fifteenth princes, how could I help them escape?"

Empress Lin took a deep breath, she hadn't been so angry for a long time, hijacked her brother's carriage first, let the prince of Kuang's family go back to the mountain privately, and finally pretended to be sick and refused to come, and refused to admit it when he died, "Wangcai, come out Let him recognize your face. Whoever said that the surnamed Zhao is the master, who said that you beat him once you see him? Even the people in my house dare to touch, Zhao Lian, who gave you the courage."

Looking at the servant whose name was surprisingly similar to that of a dog, Zhao Ling finally understood why Queen Lin insisted that he was the one who let him go.

In Caiyue Palace, the servant who bullied the Fourteenth Prince and the others ran back to complain.

It was his negligence, he should be cut up, twisted his neck and thrown into the well.

"I, I, I... I don't know him..." Zhao Ling can only resist now, and Lin Meiren also listens to one side's words after all.He is a prince after all, even if he is a queen, he would not dare to take his life openly without conclusive evidence.It's okay to do it secretly, but Lin Yueru doesn't bother to do so.

"When did you hang out with Lord Kuang? What kind of plan do you have?" Lin Yueru was aggressive.

In my previous life.

Of course Zhao Ling couldn't say that, "I...I...was wronged...it hurts..."

"If you don't admit it, then we will beat you until you admit it." No one in the harem had ever dared to be so arrogant and blatantly lie in front of her.This face, in particular, disgusted her.Not only that, the thirteenth prince is still a broken sleeve, and the face of the Zhao family's royal family was completely lost by him.

Zhao Ling's heart sank when the guards took the torture stick. Between being beaten and dying, he resolutely chose the former.

Do not admit it.

As long as he doesn't admit it, Lin Yueru can't do anything to him. Concubine Su will come to intercede after hearing the news. She is pregnant, and the queen must give her this favor.

"beat!"

In his previous life, he has endured a lot of punishments, and he has basically tried all the criminal laws that are worse than punishments.He used to grit his teeth when he was in pain, so he didn't say a word after three punishments.The fourth stick was about to come down, and Empress Lin yelled to stop.

The punishment was not light, and the beater didn't dare to throw water in front of her. Could this child really keep silent?Compared with what she had heard, the daily words and deeds of the thirteen princes were quite different.Wangcai said that Zhao Lian had helped the fourteenth prince and the fifteenth prince out of the siege, and she subconsciously thought that Zhao Lian might be playing a demon in it.She thought of an excuse at random, brought Zhao Lian here, and asked why.She also didn't understand why a bullied prince who was hiding everywhere would help those who had harmed him.

Lin Yueru held back her trembling, just for a moment, her eyes coincided with the eyes of that person a long, long time ago.

She couldn't do it any more.

Not only Queen Lin, but even the bodyguards who beat people with the torture stick raised the torture stick and looked at it. He was obviously beating hard. Logically, it is normal for the person being beaten to cry in pain.

Zhao Ling closed his eyes, waiting for the fourth stick, but he did not move.Could it be that the queen's empress showed her kindness and found out that she had wronged a good person?

"Your Majesty?" The guard held up his staff, waiting for the next order.

"Lock up first." Empress Lin walked away, and the thirteenth prince was thrown into the prison of the punishment department.

Zhao Ling's whole body seemed to be falling apart, and the three punishments were hit hard. Not only did his lower back hurt terribly, he was dizzy and unconscious.

The Department of Discipline is the place in the harem to punish the children of the royal family who have made mistakes, and a few dilapidated houses are regarded as prison cells.Since its completion, many children of the royal family have lived here, ranging from a few days to a few years, and some were imprisoned for life.

Finally escaped.

It was pitch black, with no windows, only a wooden door.There is a lock outside the wooden door, but no one is guarding it. In his previous life, the Department of Corrections looked like this. In this life, there is no difference at all.

Zhao Ling supported the wall and barely stood up. His body was weak and thin, but he wouldn't die after a few blows.

strangeness.Where the hand touched the wall, there was a patch of unevenness.Take a closer look, who dug this hole?Before the digging was completed, people discovered it and blocked it with mud.

Before entering the Correctional Division, all hard objects will be searched, not to mention daggers, and even jewelry will not be brought in.What was the hole dug out of?Did you dig it with your fingers?

Zhao Ling admired the persistence of this digging brother. If something big happened outside, he had to use his flesh and blood to escape.

Cuckoo, I'm a little hungry.

Woke up late in the morning, didn't catch up with the breakfast at the Luo Palace, and Luo Wangye was in a daze in the yard, and put a do not disturb tag, he obediently returned to the palace and forgot to eat something to pad his stomach.

Just wait a while, and wait for Concubine Su to rescue him.Or, Empress Lin lost her temper and let him go.

Waiting and waiting, Zhao Ling fell asleep for several laps, and no one cared about him.

Push the door, it is not locked.

He didn't dare to escape despite the order of the empress.Zhao Ling thought about it, he couldn't starve to death here.He knew that the ancestral hall of the royal ancestors was nearby, and there were tablets of the ancestors of the Zhao family in it.The ancestral hall has offerings and platters of seasonal fruits and snacks all year round, but few people go there all year round.

Go out for a meal, come back when you are full, it will take more than an hour.

it's getting dark.

Zhao Ling groped in the dark and followed the path in his memory. Soon, Zhao Ling found the location of the ancestral hall. The place was even more dilapidated than before. The green pines were not pruned, and the messy branches almost buried the ancestral hall in the gaps.

Zhao Ling climbed in through the window, and the offered cakes looked so tempting.

He took a piece of sweet-scented osmanthus cake, which was his favorite snack in his previous life.The chef who made the pastry has changed and did not inherit the previous craftsmanship. Too much sugar was added to the sweet-scented osmanthus cake.

After eating one piece, he took another piece, and the maids found out, it was nothing, they would think it was eaten by a mouse.

He seemed to hear a sound from outside the wall, and Zhao Ling quickly got under the sacrificial altar, hiding under the cover of a yellow cloth.

The person who came said, "The empress mother has done too much. No matter how you say, Concubine Kuang is also Lord Kuang's biological sister. How can I explain to Lord Marquis Kuang? Empress mother went to Caiyue Palace before me, but I didn't find the secret order."

"No matter who it is, after receiving the secret order, they all go back to find Lord Kuang Hou. The emperor just waits quietly and waits."

It was Liang Emperor Zhao Qi who came.Zhao Qi was dressed in casual clothes and chatted casually with the visitors.

"Two children..." Zhao Qi paused, "What do you think?"

"Alive."

"Master Kuang's eyeliner in the harem is so deep. Tell me, the palace is so strict, how did he take people out?"

"carriage."

Zhao Qi said with a smile, "So, let them go. Marquis Kuang should understand that this ending is unavoidable, it's just a matter of time. If you don't see the secret order for a day, the queen mother will always feel uneasy."

The two also brought wine.

To be exact, a jar of wine and a jar of water.

Zhao Qi and Luo Yi sat on both sides of the wooden table,

"Your Majesty, I have something to do, I beg your Majesty to fulfill it."

"Little San, don't you have a girl you like?" Emperor Liang smiled, his hands were not idle, he poured two full cups, and pushed a glass of water to the other party.

Luo Yi shook his head.

Only to hear Emperor Liang say again, "Sun Shangshu asked me to match you with his parents' daughter. I have seen that girl before. She is intelligent and beautiful, well-read in poetry and books, quiet and virtuous, and she is a good match for you."

Luo Yi raised his glass, as if thinking of something, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.Emperor Liang thought that Prince Luo had plans to marry a wife. He just wanted to mention it casually, but Luo Yi was willing.He stood up happily and exclaimed, "Little San, have you agreed to this marriage?"

Luo Yi supported his forehead, "I didn't agree."

After all, he liked it a little bit, otherwise, based on his understanding of Lord Luo, he would never have the expression that just turned his mouth slightly.

Just as Emperor Liang was about to continue persuading him, he heard someone breathing under the table in the ancestral hall, although it was almost suppressed.

Luo Yi also felt it, it should be said that he felt it as soon as he entered the room, but the other party has no internal strength so he must not be an assassin, he didn't tell Emperor Liang.

Emperor Liang put his hand on the dagger at his right waist, looked at Luo Yi, saw Luo Yi nodded, and shouted loudly, "Who is it? Get out!"

Zhao Ling got out very obediently.

When he saw that it was Luo Yi, he knew he couldn't hide it.People are unlucky enough to drink saliva and stuff their teeth. This royal ancestral hall is not used a few times a year. Except for the maids who put some snacks every day and change the incense burner, almost no one visits.But when he climbed in, he could meet the most honorable couple in the dynasty.

Zhao Ling was still holding half of the sweet-scented osmanthus cake in his hand, and there were still two grains of residue on his mouth. He reluctantly put the sweet-scented osmanthus cake on one side of the mud brick, knelt on the same spot with his knees bent, his broken hair drooping down to cover his eyes, It took a while before he said, "Long live the emperor, long live the emperor."

"You should call my father emperor." There was no kindness in the voice.

Emperor Liang apparently still remembered that he had such a son.

Zhao Ling was also hesitating about how to address them just now. The brothers in the previous life had known each other for 18 years, and he really couldn't pronounce the word "Father Emperor".

"Why are you here?" Emperor Liang sat down and asked.

"Hungry." Zhao Ling said truthfully.

The eyes of Emperor Liang and Luo Yi moved from the kneeling man to the half osmanthus cake on the ground.

On the table, next to the candlelight, the plate holding the sweet-scented osmanthus cakes was missing two pieces.

"The ancestral hall is an important place, how can you allow a prince to walk around at will? Stealing tribute is too outrageous!" Emperor Liang scolded angrily.

Zhao Ling really wanted to say, is it reasonable for the two of you to come to the ancestral hall where the royal family worships their ancestors to drink and chat in the middle of the night? ? ?However, he was silent for a long time, but he bent down gently, knocked his head heavily on the ground, and begged with a slight cry, "Father, please forgive me, the child will never dare again."

A man can bend and stretch, and in the face of adversity, the best solution is to pretend to be a fool, to act obediently, and to be pitiful. In his previous life, he suffered from not knowing this wise saying, which led to such a miserable ending.

Zhao Ling's head hit the ground again and again, loudly, and his forehead was covered with bruises after a few hits. He was thinking about the painful things in his previous life, and wanted to brew a few tears.

"Enough." Emperor Liang suddenly felt bored. Although he had many heirs, he was not close to him. Except for the crown prince Zhao Xia, the other children's appearances were still unclear. He noticed Zhao Wangyou mostly because of his face. .Zhao Wangyou had broken his sleeves, he had also heard about it in the palace, when he passed the Xuancheng Gate that day, he caught a glimpse of him arguing with the kid from the Gong family.

Zhao Ling stopped kowtowing, but his shoulders trembled slightly.He lowered his head, teardrops pattered down the corners of his eyes and fell to the ground. His body was thin and small, and he looked like a wounded cat from a distance.

Emperor Liang lost his interest in drinking, "Forget it, I'll spare you this time, go back and go to the Department of Corrections to receive the punishment. Thirty court sticks. I will go to ask about it later. If one stick is missing, another ten sticks will be fined."

thirty? !

Brother, haven't you seen your son's skinny and frail body?Thirty court sticks, are you sure your son won't turn into a withered ghost?

After Liangdi finished speaking, he got up and wanted to leave. Zhao Ling was heartbroken. Rebirth is not easy, and it is shameful to waste it. So he quickly knelt and crawled over, hugged Liangdi's right foot, and cried while pulling his trousers, "Father, my son dare not, my son!" I dare not, father, spare the child's life, please, father, please..."

Emperor Liang's face darkened, and he raised his foot and kicked Zhao Ling's back. It was the wound on the court staff before. The wound opened again, and blood oozes out. The blood stains stuck to Emperor Liang's soft boots.

Emperor Liang said angrily, "Go away!"

Zhao Ling didn't leave, and he was determined not to leave.

Emperor Liang kicked again, aiming at Zhao Ling's waist, Zhao Ling finally let go of the pain, his body was not supported and he fell backwards, his head was about to face the corner of the table.The center of gravity was already unstable, he simply closed his eyes, waiting for the crack in his head to splash blood into the temple, but he missed a hard object and hit a person.

Zhao Ling slowly opened his eyes, leaning against Luo Yi's shoulder, the blood oozing from his waist left a bright mark on the official uniform.Luo Yi still had no expression on his face, just looked down at the blood-stained cuffs, but he didn't even push the person in his arms out.

Stuffy gourd?

Zhao Ling stared blankly at Luo Yi, as if seeing the sun rising from the west.

"Your Majesty, the thirteen princes are young and don't know right from wrong, so reckless and ignorant, thirty court sticks are too harsh."

Luo Yi actually pleaded for him.

Zhao Ling not only saw the sun coming out from the west, but also saw two suns coming out from the west.

Emperor Liang seemed to... also saw two suns.

"Xiao San, you..." Emperor Liang fixed his eyes on the bloodstain on the cuff, then smiled wryly and shook his head, "Speak up, I will naturally not punish him again."

Zhao Ling was so frightened that he didn't hear that he had been pardoned.Just leaning on Lord Luo's shoulder, the world seemed to stand still before his eyes.

Luo Yi himself was in a half-squat position, leaning upwards. Zhao Ling was pulled up by him, and took two steps back to approach the wine cup on the wooden table. wooden chair.

Luo Yi put Zhao Ling down, suddenly turned serious, and knelt down to the ground, performing the orthodox royal ceremony of Daliang Kingdom.

Emperor Liang hurriedly wanted to help, the friendship between the two since they were young, apart from being in front of civil and military officials in the court, they had to put on a show, and they never restricted such small details when they met on weekdays.

"Your Majesty, I still have something to ask." Luo Yi couldn't get up.

Emperor Liang remembered that when he entered the door, it seemed that Luo Yi had said that he was asking for something.

"Little San, get up and talk. Don't let me force you to get married for what you're asking for? I'm just joking today. If you don't want to get married, then don't marry." Emperor Liang helped again, but Luo Yi still knelt straight with.

"Your Majesty, I know that Mr. Jian of the Ministry of Rites submits a report every day, saying that I will pass the age of forty and not yet have a wife. It is not tolerated by etiquette and customs. As a prince, it will even corrupt the rules."

"The Ministry of Rites is an old man, so don't pay any attention to them." Emperor Liang's eyes were full of disdain.

"But my heart and mind will not change in this life. I beg the emperor to adopt the thirteenth prince as the son of the Luo Palace, and there will be successors in the Luo Palace. The Ministry of Rites has no reason to bother the Emperor over this matter."

Birds chirping outside the window.In the ancestral hall, it was surprisingly quiet. Emperor Liang held the wine cup and looked at Zhao Ling for a long time. Luo Yi was still kneeling, but Zhao Ling didn't kneel again when he got up. Sitting like this was even more tormenting.

Zhao Ling had already expected Emperor Liang's answer.

Sure enough, Emperor Liang said slowly, "Get up, I'm sure."

Luo Yi kowtowed, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness."

Zhao Ling climbed back to the ground and kowtowed to thank him.Even if he didn't want to, he had to thank him. If he knew the ending like this, he would rather suffer the thirty court rods.What is the Luowang Mansion? There are three floors inside and three floors outside. There are three layers of soldiers, and even flies and mosquitoes cannot fly out. With the identity of a prince, there is no way to escape.

Emperor Liang got up and left, and Zhao Ling followed behind Luo Yi, his head hanging like a sunflower full of fruits, the leaves were limp and lifeless.

The carriage of Prince Luo’s Mansion was parked outside the South Gate Palace, some distance away from the ancestral hall. The long corridor was covered with purple vines. The vines swayed under the breeze, and the shadows cast on the ground were mottled and mottled. The lanterns on the side stone pillars complement each other, illuminating the promenade brightly.

The pain in the lower back was so painful that Zhao Ling felt like stepping on the tip of a knife every time he landed, and the blood and sweat had already soaked his underwear.He gritted his teeth and remained silent, turned three turns, passed several pairs of patrolling soldiers, and finally arrived at the south gate.

The south gate used to be a small tower, connected to the palace wall, with two gates at the front and back, and a small garden downstairs. Later, because it was too far away, no one came to enjoy the flowers. dilapidated hut.In his previous life, Zhao Ling played hide-and-seek and climbed up several times.

The copper nails on the red wooden boards were rusted, there were several knife marks on the door, and several nails had been pried off, leaving black holes.

After stepping out of the building, Zhao Ling stepped over the threshold and saw the carriage, as if he had seen his own mother.

Lord Luo stood outside the carriage, talking to the chief guard at the south gate. Zhao Ling supported himself on the eaves of the carriage, but couldn't jump up after several times. .Before he could use his strength on his arms, his feet left the ground, and his body was picked up by a big hand.

Zhao Ling didn't even have to think about who it was.

Lord Luo got into the carriage, and his sleeves were blood-stained in the shape of several peach blossoms.

"Go home." Luo Yi took off his outer robe and said calmly to the driver.

Where can cleanliness be cured?

It's just that the patience lasted a little longer.

There are a few candles and a blanket in the carriage, and there is nothing else. It is simple and clean, no different from 20 years ago. The wooden frame can reflect the figure, and there is no dust.

Zhao Ling found a corner, and before he could sit down, the wheels of the carriage passed through a puddle and bumped up and down. He couldn't hold it steady with his hands, so he rolled over on the immaculate white blanket of the carriage.

Then he saw Luo Yi's face as dark as the bottom of an iron pan.

Ugh.

He really didn't mean to dirty the carriage.

Since it was all dirty, the mattress pads would most likely need to be replaced with new ones, so Zhao Ling simply lay down, turned sideways to find a comfortable position, and closed his eyes.

From rebirth to the present, he and Luo Yi are like two worms entangled in a spider's web.

When the thirteen princes flirted with Lord Luo before, it seemed that they really wanted to adopt him to Prince Luo's mansion.But at that time Luo Yi chose to ignore it completely.

Today's move was obviously done on purpose by Lord Luo rather than on a whim.As the only prince of the Liang Kingdom, he adopted the unfavored prince as his son, and he asked for this will. From the eyes of others, it seemed more like he was showing his loyalty to Emperor Liang.

But even if everyone in the world rebelled, Luo Fuxun would not rebel, Emperor Liang agreed with this point more than Zhao Ling.Lord Luo naturally knew that such a way of showing loyalty was completely unnecessary.

So there is only one possibility left.

He said it himself, in order to stop the mouth of the old civil servant in the Ministry of Rites.

Zhao Ling felt a little cold, he must have a high fever.

The wound from falling off the cliff at Nianming Temple was still not healed, and then the three court sticks were beaten ruthlessly, so hungry that his chest was pressed against his back, and the eldest brother repaired his feet very fiercely.

He did not realize the joy of rebirth at all.

Suddenly, there was something extra on him.Zhao Ling opened his eyes, and Luo Yi covered him with the blood-stained official robe that had been dragged down.

Too much blood, can't see it?

But very warm.

Zhao Ling wrapped his official robes.