Adoption brings disaster

After that day, Liu Shuiqing came to see me several times, but always during the day. I guess it was because Chongguang was really angry and sent someone to communicate with Liu Shui. Of course, I don’t know how he communicated with Liu Shui.

From the initial indignation and rage of Liu Shuiqing to his accidental mention of Xiaohu later, I knew that this was Prince Gong's trick.

But I have no choice. The more I do, the more mistakes I make. If Prince Gong finds something to hold against me, it will only make things worse.

Besides, I also know that people are forgetful, and things like this that have little to do with themselves will be forgotten in the blink of an eye.

Ten days passed like this, and everyone had forgotten about the incident. The victims who had been crying inconsolably also seemed to have forgotten about it and returned to their normal lives one by one.

Some other things happened in the community, and people gradually stopped talking about Xiaohu's crimes and his murder.

The Dali Temple issued a reward, but it was of no use. No clues were found in the past ten days. The court did not care much about this matter. Everyone tacitly accepted that it was an unsolved case.

Seeing that there was no pressure from above, the Dali Temple naturally became lazy, as if the incident had never happened. They just delayed the verdict and waited for everyone to forget about it, and it became an unsolved case.

All these things made me relax my vigilance. I was thinking that the person who died was just the younger brother of a concubine, and Prince Gong would not make a big fuss.

With nothing on his mind, he was naturally at ease. At four o'clock in the morning, a eunuch came outside to convey his imperial decree.

Chongguang dressed neatly, went out to receive the imperial edict, and came back saying, "Qianqiu, my father has ordered me to inspect the military camp. The round trip will take at least two days. Please stay in the pavilion and be careful. Don't argue with others. We can discuss everything after I return."

I also laughed at what Chongguang said to Wu Er from Wu Da, but there is no Water Margin in this world, so I can’t say it directly.

He could only smile to himself and said, "Your Highness has been diligent recently and has made great progress. As the saying goes, reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. It would be good for Chongguang to practice more."

I draped the cloak over the Seventh Prince and said, "I don't understand military affairs either. If you encounter any difficulties, please don't act rashly. We can discuss it slowly when you return. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. You are already the best child of your age that I have ever met."

"Qianqiu." Chongguang called me softly.

Seeing the Seventh Prince's worried look, I thought he didn't want to go, so I pushed him out of the pavilion and said, "Hurry up, or it will be too late."

I pushed His Majesty the Seventh Prince onto the carriage and he had to go to inspect the military camp reluctantly.

After seeing off the Seventh Prince, within a stick of incense, the eunuch beside the Emperor came over to announce that the Emperor and Prince Gong were going to have a meal at Qianqiu Pavilion, and they had specially ordered the roast chicken that even the owner of Zhaixing Tower had praised highly.

After receiving the order, the entire Qianqiu Pavilion was in a state of chaos, as if the expert leaders who were supervising the evaluation were already at the school gate, but the information had not been sorted out yet.

But before, I was just one of the people in the chaos, but now I am the leader, the boss of Qianqiu Pavilion. I only need to lie on the rocking chair, eat delicious cakes, and have several palace maids and eunuchs serving me, watching them busy.

"Your Highness, Your Highness." Ada ran over hurriedly.

"Don't panic when something happens. Take your time. There's plenty of time." I glanced at Ada and said weakly.

Ah Da panted and said, "Your Highness, Prince Gong is here."

"Don't panic no matter who comes. What's the point of panicking?" I sat up and said, "Who's coming? You tell me who's coming."

Before I finished speaking, I heard someone say, "Qian Qiu Qing is such a wonderful person. No wonder everyone says you're good and no one says you're bad. You're such an interesting person, I can't wait to pamper you. Even if you do something inappropriate, I definitely won't blame you."

An old man with half-white hair walked in with a hearty smile, and the guards behind him immediately brought a chair over for him to sit down.

I was panicked and didn't know what to do, so I just bowed and said, "I greet Prince Gong. Long live Prince Gong."

Prince Gong waved his hand and said nonchalantly, "We are all family, so there is no need for these empty formalities. Please sit down quickly."

After saying that, he looked at everyone and said, "I'm going to talk to Qian Qiuqing, you guys go and do your own things."

Everyone obeyed the order and quickly retreated to a place where we could not see them. Chunyu was reluctant to leave, but Prince Gong just glanced at her and she was so scared that she retreated repeatedly. In a moment, her figure disappeared.

After everyone left, Prince Gong said casually, "Some interesting things have happened in the capital recently. Does Qianqiu know about it?"

"I'm a homebody and don't like going out much, so I'm not very clear about what's happening in the capital."

Being able to act according to the situation is also one of the basic skills of a teacher. Let's see what tricks you have. Anyway, there are some things that I just pretend to be stupid and refuse to admit.

"Since you don't know, Qianqiu Qing, I'll tell you this as a joke." Prince Gong took a sip of tea and said with a smile, "The most talked-about thing in the capital recently is the incident where a member of the Ministry of Revenue killed his wife and abandoned his children."

I have heard about this matter. I even specially looked at the files about this person in the Zhenbei Palace. There was no record of this incident. I think it was extremely secretive, but it was dug out. I thought it was just bad luck before, but now it seems that it is not that simple.

I didn't know what Prince Gong meant by this, so I just pretended to say, "Is there such a scum in the world? This is the first time I've heard of it."

"This matter was actually done very secretly. His wife was from a humble family and not in the capital. With his father-in-law covering for her, it shouldn't have been discovered, but it was uncovered anyway. Qian Qiuqing, why do you think this happened?"

Although Prince Gong had a smile on his face, outsiders would certainly think that this was just an extremely intimate chat between grandparents and grandchildren, but I knew that he meant something else.

"To be able to uncover such a secret matter, I think the Bodhisattva couldn't stand his unscrupulous behavior, so he showed his spirit to punish this scum."

"I don't know whether the Bodhisattva appeared or not. I only know that I ordered people to expose these things about him."

I was startled, but I managed to keep a smile on my face and laugh it off. Prince Gong ignored me and continued to mutter to himself, "Public anger and resentment are indeed difficult to deal with, but they can be diverted. You see, I just threw out a few small baits, and these untouchables chased after them desperately, completely forgetting everything else."

Prince Gong's move has made it clear that he has already won the battle. I don't know if there is still a chance to save the Taoist priest's life. I feel regretful. If I had known earlier, I would have let the Taoist priest flee the capital and live in seclusion.

Prince Gong seemed to see what I was thinking. He took a sip of tea and said, "It's been years since I've seen someone as intelligent as you. It's a pity you're still too young and lack experience. It's a pity you're only a minister. If you were to enter the imperial court, I'm afraid I wouldn't be your match even after a decade or so."

I felt bitter inside, but I still forced a smile and said, "I'm extremely stupid, how can I be called smart?"

"No need to be modest. I laid the bait for you to escape to the Jianghu, but it's a pity you didn't take it. Otherwise, I wouldn't have to go through so much trouble. It took me a lot of effort to transfer His Majesty the Seventh Prince and others out of the capital."

I was at my wit's end, but I couldn't just admit defeat and beg for mercy, so I could only smile and say, "Your Highness, you've told me everything. Aren't you afraid that I can turn the tide?"

Prince Gong was a little surprised when he heard this. He looked at me and said confidently, "You can't turn the tables. You don't have any chips in your hand now. What can you use to turn the tables?"

After saying that, he looked at me with admiration and said, "If you can turn the tide against the wind, I will give you the four words 'divine strategy'."

We smiled at each other and said nothing more. Prince Gong didn't say anything because he was sure of victory and there was no need to say anything more. I didn't say anything because defeat was already decided and I was still trying to find a way to save the Taoist priest's life.

After sitting for half an hour, the guard came hurriedly to report that His Majesty's carriage would be arriving soon. Prince Gong and I tidied our clothes and went to the door of Qianqiu Pavilion to greet him.

Soon, His Majesty's carriage arrived and took His Majesty into Qianqiu Pavilion, where they sat down according to their priority.

I consulted His Majesty again, and I received His Majesty's order. Various carefully prepared dinners were served on the table like flowing water.

The emperor took a bite of the roast chicken and praised it, "This roast chicken is truly extraordinary. No wonder the owner of Zhaixing Tower praised it so highly."

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. Lord Qianqiu is blessed with many talented people, not just these few chefs."

I didn't respond, I just laughed it off.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Prince Gong asked, "Qianqiu, what are your thoughts on criminal law?"

"I am a member of the harem and dare not discuss state affairs." I looked at Prince Gong and felt very unhappy.

But I remained extremely respectful and said, "Since the Emperor's uncle has asked, it would be unfilial of me not to answer. I can only answer. If there is anything I say that is not right, I hope Your Majesty and the Emperor's uncle will forgive me. As for criminal law, I can only say that it is based on facts and the law is the criterion. I wonder if the Emperor's uncle will accept this answer."

"What a good way to base your decision on facts and follow the law. Others say that Qianqiu Qing has extraordinary talent, and today I see that it is indeed true." Prince Gong's words were full of praise, but his eyes were full of pride.

Prince Gong turned around and knelt, saying to the emperor, "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to make."

Prince Gong knelt down, and everyone else knelt down quickly as well. I could only kneel down reluctantly.

The Emperor was also shocked when he saw this. He quickly helped Prince Gong up and said, "Uncle, if you have something to say, please feel free to speak up. Why bother with such formalities?"

"The etiquette between the ruler and his subjects must not be abolished. We must not allow those with ulterior motives to see this and sow discord between us, the ruler and his subjects, and the uncle and nephew."

"No one can break up the decades-long relationship between us uncle and nephew. If your uncle has anything to say, just tell him directly. Don't perform such a grand ceremony in the future," the emperor urged.

"Some time ago, a man named Xiaohu was killed and nailed to the gatehouse of Caishikou."

"This man committed many evil things. When he died, the people spread the news. Even the firecrackers were sold out in those few days because the people wanted to celebrate. Uncle, are you saying this today because you want me to severely punish his family?" The emperor asked in confusion.

"As the saying goes, every country has its own laws, and every family has its own rules. Although Xiaohu has committed many crimes, the Jianghu people who killed him also violated the laws of Beishang. If the lawbreakers are not held accountable, these Jianghu people who use violence to break the law will have no dignity. Therefore, this old minister spent several days and finally caught the murderer."

"Uncle Emperor is absolutely right. Now that we have caught him, we must kill him."

After hearing what the emperor said, I was extremely panicked, but I had no choice but to let Prince Gong kill him on the charge of violating the law with force.

Prince Gong was pleased with himself and continued, "Just now, Lord Qianqiu said that we should base our actions on facts and abide by the law. I think that is absolutely right. Xiaohu's fatal wound was a sword wound on his neck, and this sword wound could only have been caused by Taoist Tianshu's Bishui Sword. The evidence is irrefutable."

I was a little panicked today and even forgot the backup plan I had planned. Fortunately, Prince Gong reminded me.

I remained calm and confident, smiling as I said, "Your Majesty, the Emperor's uncle just mentioned that he wanted to give me the four characters 'Shen Ji Miao Suan' (divine strategies and ingenious calculations). As the saying goes, a gift from an elder should not be declined. However, I am not talented enough to be worthy of these four characters. Your Majesty, do you think I should accept them?"

Prince Gong was stunned when he heard this, then looked at me suspiciously, then laughed heartily and said, "Your talent is truly worthy of these four words."

"Uncle Emperor said that this fatal injury was caused by the Jade Water Sword, but I heard that Jade Water Wuyi's Jade Water Power can also cause such a wound. Uncle Emperor, please go and check on that Jade Water Wuyi."

Prince Gong thought I was making a last-ditch effort, so he said nonchalantly, "I've never heard of it, but Qianqiu says it exists, so it must exist. Tell me more about this Bi Shui Wu Yi (Clear Water Without Clothes) thing, and I'll have someone investigate. We won't wrongly accuse any good person."

"Li Qinghan, the Clothesless Bishui, is said to be the second most skilled martial artist in the martial arts world after the King of Zhenbei. He currently serves as a guard in the palace of a royal relative. He is quite old, so everyone calls him Old Li."

Prince Gong's smile faded, and he finally became a little flustered. I remember the file saying that Prince Gong made countless enemies in his youth and faced dozens of assassination attempts. If it weren't for this hero Li protecting him, he would have died countless times.

I can abandon the Taoist priest, but Prince Gong now definitely cannot abandon Li Qinghan. If Li Qinghan is gone, I am afraid those people in the dark will rush up like mad dogs and bite him.

Moreover, Prince Gong himself knew that with Li Qinghan's personality, he would probably take the initiative to admit the matter and preserve the spark of chivalry in the world. Now Prince Gong had no choice but to swallow this loss.

"Actually, I have some other opinions about the law. This little tiger has committed many evil deeds. Killing him is a meritorious service to the Beishang Kingdom, but the person who killed him violated the law. This is a fault. Why not let the merits and faults offset each other and let this matter go?"

I gave Prince Gong an excuse, and he immediately stepped down. He said, "Qian Qiuqing is right. He is indeed very clever. I will deliver these four words to Qian Qiu Pavilion tomorrow."

My head felt buzzing and my hands were shaking. I forced myself to stay awake and saw His Majesty and Prince Gong off. Soon the Taoist priest came back.

Looking at the Taoist priest who was in good health, my heart finally settled down. I suddenly felt exhausted and extremely sleepy. I lay down on the bed and fell asleep soon after.

Predict what will happen in the future, and listen to the next decomposition.