Ling Shan was greatly shocked.
Despite her anger, she let the little eunuch in front of the imperial throne drag her out like a dead dog.
Just an hour ago, she witnessed with her own eyes Cui Liu being carried away lifeless.
An hour later, she herself, still alive but on the verge of death, was also being carried away.
What a fucked-up life!
Ling Shan suspected that the little eunuch in front of the imperial throne could find the way to dispose of the corpses with his eyes closed.
But strangely enough, why didn't Jun Wuyuan just give her a fatal blow in his rage?
Instead, he leisurely followed behind, watching her being dragged away.
The heels of her feet were almost smoking!
During the long drag, Ling Shan wanted to fight back several times out of sheer indignation. But thinking of the tyrant Jun Wuyuan's formidable fighting skills, she calmed down and racked her brains.
She couldn't just die on the first day after time - traveling!
That would be too tragic!
Ling Shan's half - closed eyes shifted, and in an instant, a rich fragrance wafted into her nose.
She opened her eyes in surprise and saw a courtyard full of flowers, plants... and vegetables?
[Why are the pakchoi I just planted still half - dead? Is it because there isn't enough flower fertilizer?]
A fierce and sinister gaze landed on Ling Shan.
It was over.
This was directed at her!
Could it be that Jun Wuyuan was so perverted that he wanted to turn her into flower fertilizer alive?
Ling Shan deliberately stepped on a wilted pakchoi as if by accident.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!" The little eunuchs were so frightened that they knelt down.
Ling Shan's back stiffened. She quickly pleaded guilty, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. This servant knows a little about farming. I have a way to atone for my sin. Please show mercy, Your Majesty."
Damn it! My heels are killing me!
"Oh?"
A glint of light flashed across Jun Wuyuan's cold, peach - blossom - like eyes. "You know how to grow vegetables?"
Hearing the curiosity in the emperor's tone, the two little eunuchs who were dragging Ling Shan's arms silently let go and didn't drag her towards the flower - fertilizer pool anymore. Instead, they knelt on the ground obediently.
Ling Shan secretly let out a sigh of relief. Not daring to make any more movements, she quickly knelt on the ground respectfully and replied,
"Your Majesty, this servant's family is poor. My ancestors were all farmers, so I know a thing or two. The vegetables in this field are too densely planted, which is why they look like this."
[It seems that the pakchoi is indeed denser than in my memory?]
Ling Shan immediately understood. Jun Wuyuan's cold and charming peach - blossom eyes showed a glimmer of interest as he watched her neatly weed, separate the plants, and water them.
[This is a bit interesting.]
"You, stay in the Peach Garden for the next three days. If the pakchoi grows well, you live. Otherwise, see that flower - fertilizer pool over there?"
A meaningful smile appeared on Jun Wuyuan's lips.
[I'd like to see if this one sent by the old witch can survive for three days!]
Ling Shan cursed silently in her heart: Damn tyrant! But on the surface, she gratefully received the order and expressed her thanks.
The Peach Garden fell silent, leaving only Ling Shan alone.
The garden, as big as a basketball court, was divided into three parts. One was a flowerbed, the second was a vegetable field, and the rest was a row of bamboo houses, with a total of three rooms. There was also a kitchen built in the corner.
It was out of place with the magnificent palaces, but it also carried a kind of harmonious warmth.
Ling Shan sat on the stone steps with her knees hugged, her head bowed in thought, sorting out the memories in her mind.
On the surface, the palace seemed peaceful, with the queen mother being kind and the emperor being filial. But in fact, ever since the Queen Mother and the Wang family chose Jun Wuyuan, who grew up in the Cold Palace, was not favored by the previous emperor, and had no maternal family power, the situation had become a bit out of control.
The first four emperors were either wise and valiant or ambitious. Without exception, once they ascended the throne, they showed their fangs of wanting to take full control of the government and oppose the Queen Mother.
As a result, one emperor after another died young, but the Queen Mother in Cining Palace and the Wang family of Langya still stood firm.
When Jun Wuyuan came to power, although he wasn't really filial, he only killed people. And the people he killed were not just those of the Queen Mother. As long as someone annoyed him, he would kill them.
What was smarter was that besides having the reputation of a cruel and ruthless tyrant, Jun Wuyuan didn't interfere in the government affairs. He seemed like a fatuous emperor who only cared about his own pleasure and didn't care about others' lives.
The princes of the previous emperor had either died or been disabled, and there were only a few left now.
Although the Queen Mother's faction was dissatisfied that Jun Wuyuan refused to obediently favor the concubines and give birth to an heir, looking around at the remaining princes, there was the lame Prince Qi, the powerful Prince Ding with heavy troops in his hands, the disfigured Prince Yue, and the timid Prince Jing.
After a round of consideration, Jun Wuyuan was actually more worry - free.
Too many emperors had died in the past three years.
They couldn't act rashly. They just had to wait for a royal heir to be born in the harem. Once the tyrant Jun Wuyuan died suddenly, everything would be in order.
Therefore, the Queen Mother not only interfered in the selection of concubines in the harem but also sent only the most beautiful maids to serve in front of the imperial throne in the Taiji Palace.
Everyone knew the Queen Mother's intention.
But unfortunately, Jun Wuyuan was a man who was not interested in women and only knew how to kill for fun. No matter how beautiful the women selected by the Queen Mother were, they would enter the Taiji Palace upright and end up in the flower - fertilizer pool horizontally.
There were even rumors in the capital that Jun Wuyuan had an improper relationship with the Ninth Young Master of the Xie family in Jiangzhou. But as the Ninth Young Master Xie was recalled to Jiangzhou by the Xie family, the rumors gradually died down.
The Queen Mother didn't care whether Jun Wuyuan was really homosexual or not. As long as her people could successfully sleep with the emperor and give birth to a royal heir.
Whether it was Jun Wuyuan or the mother of the prince, they were all lambs waiting to be slaughtered and unlucky people not worth mentioning.
And this time, the unlucky one selected was Ling Shan.
If she couldn't satisfy the Queen Mother, there was only one outcome: death!
If she wanted to satisfy the Queen Mother, she had to first make Jun Wuyuan trust her enough to keep her and then plan slowly.
For now, Ling Shan had managed to save her life.
Her head was still firmly on her neck, able to shake and think.
A double - agent would never end well. Ling Shan squinted her eyes slightly.
The most urgent thing now was how to survive.
Playing both sides wasn't a long - term solution.
——
Cining Palace.
In the quiet and solemn Buddhist hall, the Queen Mother calmly turned the Buddhist beads and chanted scriptures.
"Is that girl still alive?"
Granny Dou nodded respectfully. "Your Ladyship has taken so much trouble to promote her. Naturally, Ling Shan wouldn't dare not do her best."
Finally, a smile appeared on the Queen Mother's cold and solemn face.
"I've spent three years cultivating her. Finally, there's someone useful."
"That's because Your Ladyship has excellent strategies. Miss Ling Shan will surely help Your Ladyship achieve her wish."
The solemn statue of the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva hidden in the curling green smoke stared solemnly at the world. The Queen Mother gently curled her lips, showing a bit of pity.
"Forget it. Since she's capable, give the order. Don't hold back the antidote this month. Send it one day earlier. Let her do things well. I won't treat her badly."
A faint smile also appeared on Granny Dou's serious face. She flattered, "Your Ladyship is kind - hearted. This old servant will have someone take good care of Miss Ling Shan."
"I trust your work, Aqin. It's a pity that there aren't many capable girls in the Wang family. Otherwise, why would I have to go through so much trouble?"
The Queen Mother's eyes turned cold. "Tonight, send someone to deliver a message in person. Tell the Noble Concubine Xian to stay in Xianfu Palace to copy scriptures and chant sutras. She doesn't need to go out for the time being."