Golden Branch

"Princess!"

Zheng Shisan and Yang Shou had already arrived and were arranged in the flower hall.

Hearing the noise, Zheng Shisan became worried and pulled Yang Shou over.

However, when she arrived, Zhou Jiming, who had come to cause trouble, had been stripped of his official uniform in public and was being held aside to be tortured.

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!

The whip whipped Zhou Jiming so hard that his skin was torn and his white shirt was stained with blood.

He bit his lips hard and refused to say a word.

Among the guests, some were soft-hearted and could not bear to see this bloody scene. They frowned and moved their lips, trying to plead for Zhou Jiming.

The reasons are ready-made——

Today is Lou Yu’s birthday, a happy day, it’s unlucky to see blood!

Besides, Lou Hanzhang is a gentle gentleman.

Warm and gentle like the spring breeze, how could he be so cruel?

Lou Yu: ...Haha, how can this be considered cruel?

On the battlefield, there are mountains of corpses and seas of blood, broken arms and legs, that is the real purgatory.

As for whether it is auspicious or not, Lou Yu never believes in it.

There was darkness deep down in his heart. Since he was a few years old, Lou Yu discovered that when he saw blood, he did not feel fear or dread, but instead felt an inexplicable excitement.

He would only complain that the blood was not enough or the taste was not strong enough, but he would never feel any discomfort.

As he grew older, Lou Yu learned to disguise himself perfectly.

He suppressed his "desire" for blood.

However, his restraint was just not actively cutting or tearing things apart.

Seeing the blood, he still felt happy and enjoyed it.

Well, on such a grand occasion as a birthday party, lanterns and red silk are not bright enough, they should be dyed with blood!

Lou Yu felt that after this experience, he would be prosperous in the coming year.

He was calm and unaffected by the scene before him.

As for Wang Heng, since she had already played the role of an arrogant and domineering royal lady, she no longer pretended.

She continued to raise her chin and watched Zhou Jiming being tortured coldly.

She nodded modestly to Zheng Shisan and his wife who came to show their concern: "Don't worry, I'm fine!"

When Zheng Shisan saw Wang Heng like this, he felt a little strange.

She has always believed that Wang Heng is the "master".

Even though she was now the Crown Prince's Consort, she was still respectful and humble in front of Wang Heng.

However, it was not until this moment that Zheng Shisan suddenly realized that the princess had treated her very kindly in the past.

The princess is not really good-tempered, nor is she that approachable, she just doesn't want to lose her temper.

When necessary, she will show the domineering and cruelty of a princess.

This is the true appearance of the princess. She is pure and looks down on others.

"Fortunately, I have always been loyal to the princess. Even though I had some small thoughts before, I never betrayed her."

Zheng Shisan secretly rejoiced and reminded himself again not to get carried away.

Everything she has was given by the princess.

The princess can give her, and she can also take away.

Even if Mr. Lou has lost his power, the princess is still the princess. Behind her is not only Concubine Jiang, but also the Ninth Prince and other nobles!

If she were to be rejected by the princess, the consequences would be something she could not bear.

In the future, she will definitely be more loyal and respectful!

Zheng Shisan secretly warned herself, and Yang Shou beside her was even more deeply touched.

Although Lou Yu was "exiled", the Duke of Qi's Mansion could not be offended.

He was not only the Duke of Qi, but also the son-in-law of the emperor.

Because of Lou Yu's "demotion", they wanted to add insult to injury. There could only be one result, which was to end up like Zhou Jiming, losing both face and substance.

Tsk, twenty lashes.

Zhou Jiming was a notorious cruel official, and this was probably the first time he was treated like this.

Yang Shou put aside the little thoughts he had in the past and felt only relief and comfort.

Fortunately, I was just thinking about it and didn't really disrespect Lou Yu.

And Zhou Jiming, the ruthless official who specialized in stepping on the powerful to rise to power, finally hit a wall! Cool!

Wang Mian also heard the news and quickly walked out of the flower hall, holding her belly which was beginning to show.

Wang Mian not only knew the truth about Lou Yu going to Yongzhou, but also did not believe the rumors about "Lou Yu falling out of favor". However, in an imperial society, the life and death, honor and disgrace of the ministers all depended on the emperor.

As long as one is a human being, he or she will have joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, and there will be times when one is impulsive and confused.

Perhaps just one sentence could anger the saint, and then -

In the later times that Wang Mian was familiar with, Lingnan was rich in products, prosperous and stable.

But in ancient times, it was a veritable holy place of exile.

Officials transferred to various prefectures and counties in Lingnan were basically demoted rather than given promotions.

Of course, Lingnan is undeveloped and it is easier to achieve political achievements.

But the current natural environment in Lingnan is too harsh, with vast tracts of pristine forests, uncivilized local indigenous people, miasma and poisonous gases, snakes, insects, rats, ants, parasites, and infectious diseases... Fortunately, she had reproduced antibiotics in advance.

However, there are too many hidden dangers in the primitive dense forest.

In ancient times when there were no firearms, everything depended on manpower, and it was difficult to tame that wild land in a short period of time.

Hot weapons?

and many more!

Yes wow!

A few years ago, she made the small porcelain bottle.

However, due to the constraints of reality, the black powder she and the craftsmen developed together was powerful enough, but it had difficulties in details such as usage and preservation.

If you don't handle it properly, it will misfire or explode accidentally.

If you make a mistake with this thing, it could cost someone's life.

Wang Mian even backed off a bit.

She simply handed over the small porcelain bottle and all the related people and objects to Wang Heng.

After Wang Heng accepted it, she continued to order people to research and improve it in an attempt to solve those problems.

"...Hiss! If I think about it carefully, it has been several years since I gave these to Ajiu! But Ajiu didn't tell Lou Yu..."

Isn't the problem solved?

Or is Wang Heng deliberately hiding something?

As Wang Heng's eldest daughter, Wang Mian knew that Wang Heng was not a love-minded person at heart.

She doesn't even understand love.

To her, Lou Yu is more like a brother or sister, a friend who relies on each other.

Moreover, even if Wang Heng came to her senses and fell in love with Lou Yu with a woman's mentality, she would not be "crazy about love".

The one she loves most is always herself.

She would be reserved about Lou Yu.

Just like the last time she "escaped from marriage", Wang Heng used some of her secret powers.

If she hadn't been so squeamish and Lou Yu hadn't been so cruel, Wang Heng would have already arrived at an island and perhaps become the queen!

Wang Heng did not "share" the small porcelain bottle that Wang Mian handed over with Lou Yu. Perhaps it was a trump card she kept for herself!

Wang Mian values ​​Wang Heng the most and naturally supports all her choices.

She handed the things to Wang Heng, and from the moment she handed them over, they had nothing to do with her anymore, and she would never mention them to anyone except Wang Heng.

Lou Yu, no!

Xiao Wuji, that won’t work either!

The idea of ​​"hot weapons" flashed through Wang Mian's mind, and then she pushed it back into the corner.

Well, even without the small porcelain bottle, with Lou Yu's skills, he should be able to gain a foothold in Yongzhou and kill everyone!

Thinking of this, the trace of guilt in Wang Mian's heart disappeared.

"Ajiu, are you okay?"

Glancing at a corner where the execution was about to be completed, Wang Mian asked softly.

Wang Heng looked at Zheng Shisan, then at Wang Mian, and smiled. "It's alright! The time is almost up, everyone please take your seats!"

They were just some minor incidents, to "live up the atmosphere", but they would not really disrupt Lou Yu's birthday party.

"Princess, Duke, the angel is here!"

Just as Wang Heng was inviting the guests to move to the flower hall, the doorman's voice was heard outside the gate.

Angel?

Is there someone coming to the palace?

Everyone had different expressions and exchanged glances quickly with those around them.

"What's going on? Why is the angel here?"

"Maybe it's a noble from the palace who sent an angel to deliver a birthday gift?"

"How is that possible? Didn't they say Lou Hanzhang has fallen out of favor?"

"Tsk! Lou Hanzhang has fallen from favor, but we still have Princess Langya."

Countless eyes were flying around, and everyone was eating the melon very enthusiastically.

Wang Heng and Lou Yu hurried to the center of the courtyard, ready to welcome the angel.

The person who came was no one else but an old acquaintance of Wang Heng—the chief eunuch of Baifu Palace and the deputy chief eunuch of Taiji Palace.

A plump, beardless, middle-aged eunuch with a protruding belly was followed by several eunuchs holding gift boxes.

"By order of the Imperial Concubine, a special reward of gold, silver, and silk is bestowed on Lou Lang's birthday."

Wang Heng and Lou Yu hurriedly bowed to express their gratitude.

After receiving the reward from Concubine Jiang, Wang Heng spoke and invited the deputy general manager to join the table.

Before this person entered the flower hall, eunuchs from Liangyi Hall and the Eastern Palace came to deliver birthday gifts to Lou Yu, under the orders of the Queen and the Crown Princess respectively.

Wang Heng and Lou Yu continued to kowtow in gratitude.

All the guests were dumbfounded: Damn it, who said Lou Hanzhang lost power?

Just for a casual birthday, many nobles in the palace sent me rewards. Is this called losing power?

It is obvious that the emperor is in favor.

Of course, some people refuted this: it was all done by the concubines, but the supreme father and son, the saint and the prince, did not say anything.

So, even if there was favor, it was because of Princess Langya, not Lou Yu.

Wang Heng & Lou Yu: ...Okay, do whatever you want!

The successive arrival of angels diverted the guests' attention, and everyone forgot about the unlucky guy—

Zhou Jiming was whipped twenty times, and his entire back was covered with bloodstains.

His face was pale and he was so weak that he let the guards help him up.

"Shaoqing, let me take you back to your residence!"

Since you are seriously injured, you should seek medical treatment as soon as possible.

If it is delayed, the wound will become inflamed and cause high fever, which can be fatal!

The guards are all Zhou Jiming's men, so they naturally don't want anything to happen to their master.

Zhou Jiming: ...

Originally, he wanted to hold on despite his illness and continue to "summon" Lou Yu to the Dali Temple.

However, he underestimated the power of "Twenty Strike" and overestimated his own body and willpower.

It hurts, his back is burning with pain, he can't even stand, and his head is dizzy.

If he insisted on "trying the case", he would not be able to do anything to Lou Yu, and he would collapse first.

"...No rush! Yeye's life is more important!"

The monk can run away, but the temple cannot. Let him get through these two days and refine his plan again to make sure there are no omissions. It’s not too late to take action then!

"Let's go! Go back home!"

Gritting his teeth and squeezing out these few words, Zhou Jiming and his group left in embarrassment.

……

After being bustling for most of the day, the Duke's Mansion returned to its former tranquility in the afternoon.

Wang Heng considered it over and over again, and finally gave another gift—

My brother, it will be dangerous when you go to Lingnan. With a powerful weapon, even if it doesn't work wonders, it can protect you!