Deep Palace Pet Peach Blossom Flawless

King Kang felt the woman was like moonlight. She stood on tiptoe, about to pluck a flower branch, her figure becoming even more exquisite and graceful. Her waist was barely slender enough to be held in one hand, her neck slender, her wrists exposed as white as snow, her hair flowing like clouds to her waist and hips. She wore a light green dress, the hem of which was layered with moonlight white. Her whole person was filled with an indescribable natural beauty. King Kang stared blankly.

Lan Qingwu stretched out her bare hands several times, but couldn't reach the apricot blossoms. Just as she was about to give up, the Divine Martial Emperor came up behind her, grasped her slender waist with his two big hands, and lifted her up with almost no effort. Lan Qingwu plucked the apricot blossoms as she wished, and smiled back. The Divine Martial Emperor looked at her, and a soft light gradually overflowed in his eyes.

In the afternoon, Mrs. Qian really came to look for her, and Lan Qingwu had already taken a nap in the temple's side room.

The two of them arrived at an open meadow. Ruhan had already spread out a blanket, and they sat down on the ground. The little girl followed their example, and Lan Qingwu couldn't help but smile. Not far away, the emperor sat upright on a stone chair. Opposite him sat Master Kunyan, the abbot of Guoan Temple. The two were playing chess. Several close ministers stood nearby.

Mrs. Qian smiled and said, "Madam, you can also play the piano?" She saw Ruhan holding the piano beside her.

Lan Qingwu motioned for Ruhan to bring the zither over, placing it on her knees. With a gentle plucking motion, her bare hands plucked the zither, and the melodious, flowing music of the zither echoed, echoing the unchanging green hills and the ever-flowing green waters. When the song ended, the little girl's eyes lit up, and she reached out to pluck the strings. Lan Qingwu simply smiled and watched.

She asked, "Is Madam Qian praying for the elders in the temple?"

Mrs. Qian replied, "It's also to pray for blessings and to seek quiet and peace."

Lan Qingwu looked at her doubtfully. Madam Qian said, "A weak concubine has come to the General's residence. I was the one who took her in. She's fine as long as she doesn't see the General, but when she does, she becomes incredibly weak and has even caused trouble for my dear. A few days ago, that concubine used her old tricks again and hurt my dear, so I slapped her in the face. I really don't want to waste my time and energy on these intrigues, so I came to the temple to pray for my mother-in-law."

Lan Qingwu replied, "The general must have never seen such a white lotus woman. Show her a few more times and you'll understand. Madam Qian, you see the wife and concubine, but the general sees the strong and the weak. Men naturally sympathize with the weak. He might think it's nothing, just giving in to the weak a few times. But if we're talking about importance in his heart, it must be you, Madam Qian, not the white lotus."

Mrs. Qian: "White Lotus?"

"Oh," Lan Qingwu replied, "It refers to a woman who pretends to be weak and cunning in front of men."

Mrs. Qian nodded: "Madam, this analogy is very good!"

The two were chatting happily when Prince Kang slowly approached. Lan Qingwu frowned unconsciously. Madam Qian noticed that Lan Qingwu's expression was not right and turned slightly to the side. Prince Kang had just bowed when Prince Ding followed closely and said, "Greetings, Madam."

Lan Qingwu just nodded slightly without saying anything.

Prince Ding continued, "I have something to discuss with my second brother, so I won't bother you, Madam."

Lan Qingwu finally said, "Goodbye." Prince Ding and Prince Kang turned and walked away. The Emperor, not far away, happened to glance over and, seeing the backs of Prince Ding and Prince Kang, narrowed his eyes slightly.

The abbot of Guoan Temple, Master Kunyan, glanced at the emperor and said, "The last time I saw Your Majesty, I could see that your eyes were empty, but this time, it seems like something has changed."

The Shenwu Emperor said, "Master, when my father was still alive, he told me that to be a supreme emperor, one must have things that he wants to obtain and possess. This way, he won't be too bored during his lonely and long reign. It turns out that I don't have anything that I want to obtain."

Master Ku Ku nodded and said, "The late emperor was different from other emperors. His teachings to Your Majesty were truly unique."

The Master of Suffering complained silently, wasn't it because the late emperor saw that Your Majesty had been mature, serious, rigid, and taciturn since childhood, and was afraid that you would lose interest in life, so he taught you this way?

A sound seemed to emanate from the nearby woods. Emperor Shenwu focused his attention and looked over there. Qian Hui, Leng Qujing, and several other guards immediately stood in a solemn manner.

Several men in black rushed out from the woods, knives in hand, and charged straight at the emperor. Master Ku Ku lowered his head slightly, clasped his hands together, and said, "Amitabha!"

Emperor Shenwu lay motionless, gently turning the index finger on his finger, looking at him indifferently. Several men in black were intercepted and killed by Qian Hui, Leng Qujing and others halfway before they could get close to him. Two of them died from biting the poison sacs in their teeth, several others were killed, and one was captured alive.

The captured assassin's jaw was removed, the poison sac in his teeth was taken out, and the jaw was closed again. All that could be heard was the assassin's constant shouting: "Even if you torture me severely, I will not betray my master. My life is useless to you..."

Qian Hui checked the bodies of the other assassins and found the triangle mark on their left shoulders. He nodded to the emperor.

The assassin was still shouting: "Come on, torture me, and see if I'm afraid. Will I betray my master..."

Emperor Shenwu stood up and stretched out his hand. A guard immediately handed him a bow and arrow. Emperor Shenwu did not hesitate, put the arrow on the string, pulled the bow to a full moon, and shot an arrow. The arrow directly pierced the assassin's throat. The noisy assassin widened his eyes, as if he couldn't believe that he was going to die like this.

Emperor Shenwu said coldly, "The late emperor's fourth son, the commoner Zhou Qizheng, can only raise a few rats in the dark. Since he wishes to be the Rat King, I will grant his wish. The late emperor has already removed him from the imperial family register. I will order the imperial annals to erase all mention of Zhou Qizheng, both inside and outside the court. This commoner will be made a criminal, his name will be removed, and he will be renamed the Family Deer King. Notices will be posted nationwide for his wanted status."

Jialu means mouse. So there is no commoner Zhou Qizhen in the world anymore, only the criminal Jialu King who was appointed by Emperor Shenwu himself.

The assassin's eyes widened even more, as if he didn't understand how the emperor knew his master. Then his body tilted and he fell to the ground with a bang.

Master Ku Ku clasped his hands together and said again: "Amitabha!"

Lan Qingwu was surrounded by guards as soon as she heard any unusual movement in the woods. She stood up straight and looked at Emperor Shenwu motionlessly. Emperor Shenwu also looked at her at this time.

Qian Hui said from below: "Your Majesty, please return to the palace."

Master Kunku also said, "Your Majesty, the late emperor's ever-burning lamps are still burning. Please come back next month."

Emperor Shenwu looked at Lan Qingwu again and finally spoke: "Return to the palace! Leng Qujing, thoroughly search Guoan Temple. Anyone found to be abnormal will be imprisoned."

Leng Qujing agreed and led the team to leave. In Guoan Temple, the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Emperor Shenwu walked towards Lan Qingwu, hugged her and walked out.

Qian Hui passed by Madam Qian and whispered, "Madam, please go back home. It's not safe here anymore."

Mrs. Qian frowned slightly and didn't want to say more at this time, so she just nodded slightly.

Following the issuance of the Emperor Shenwu's decree, unrest erupted in the imperial court and harem. In the previous dynasty, officials gathered in groups of three or four to discuss the rise of the Deer King. Some veteran officials shook their heads. The late emperor's fourth son was considered a clever and intelligent man, but now he had been reduced to the status of Rat King. How would he react if he knew?

Prince Ding strode into the hall, and the ministers saluted him from time to time. He strode to the center of the hall and stopped. Looking at the scene inside, he couldn't help but frowned slightly. Prince Kang stood aside silently, and Prince An rarely attended court.

Prince Ding reviewed the situation and said solemnly, "My Lords, Your Majesty was assassinated at Guo'an Temple by a secret assassin trained by the principal offender, Prince Lu. Your Majesty went to Guo'an Temple to pray for your father. What did Zhou Qizheng, your fellow heir, do? Do you ever express gratitude for your father's life?"

"Assassinating the emperor can result in the extermination of nine generations of the clan. King Deer is attempting to plunge the entire empire into unrest. His crime deserves death and cannot be pardoned. My Lords, do you know that King Deer's mother is still living in the Dasheng harem? Two generations of emperors have treated both mother and son with kindness and generosity. Isn't that enough?!"