Song Yinghuai understood the meaning behind Concubine Yao's words.
Concubine Yao was extremely heart - broken that Jiang Jinyue even harbored the intention to kill him.
However, Concubine Yao still wanted to maintain the friendship between the Jiang and Song families.
Bailu nervously refilled Song Yinghuai's tea. She didn't even dare to breathe loudly and stood aside in attendance.
Although she was not directly involved in this matter, it was she who, under Jiang Jinyue's instruction, deliberately hinted to Concubine Yao to transfer Caiyu to the prayer ceremony.
If the matter were to be thoroughly investigated, she was really afraid that with Song Yinghuai's thunderous means, she would end up dead without a whole body.
Song Yinghuai took the tea from Bailu and took in all the fear on her face.
Forget it. She was just a clown. With Jiang Jinyue and Zhuer as examples, she wouldn't have such stupid ideas in the future.
Song Yinghuai averted his eyes and slowly skimmed the floating tea leaves. The fragrance of the tea curled up, and in the misty steam, his handsome face was half - hidden. His lips curled up again, and he said with a distant and cold smile:
"Son won't make Mother Concubine embarrassed. Son has already asked Huang Shan to record Cousin's name in the list of show - girls. Cousin will be sent to the palace for the draft. She won't die in the land of Yan or in Jiaodong. As for what happens after entering the palace, it depends on her luck."
Concubine Yao suddenly raised her eyes and looked at him in surprise. "But I've already written a letter to Jiaodong..."
"Son has already had someone intercept Mother Concubine's letter." Song Yinghuai put down the tea and stood up. "Mother Concubine just pretend that you've never written this letter. Cousin can enter the palace according to the Jiang family's established schedule. In this way, it won't embarrass Mother Concubine, and it also fulfills Mother Concubine's kindness to help Cousin."
Song Yinghuai had been gone for a long time.
The tea on the tea table had already cooled. The letter paper was blown up by the wind from outside the window. It circled on the ground several times and was directly rolled into the brazier.
A bright yellow flame sprang up and then returned to its original state.
The morning mist lingering in the air had completely dissipated.
Jiang Jinyue saw through the crack of the door that the sunlight outside was just right.
But the light couldn't reach her. She only felt cold in her heart and desperate.
This door not only blocked the sunlight but also her past and future.
From today on, her body was tainted with filth.
She didn't want to cry, but the tears kept falling.
How could this happen?
How could this happen...
Huang Shan put on his pants and looked at her swollen lips with satisfaction. He smiled and said:
"Cousin Lady still needs to practice more of her oral skills. Otherwise, if you serve His Majesty in the palace and accidentally hurt His Majesty... It would be a great crime that would implicate the whole family."
Jiang Jinyue trembled all over. Her unfocused pupils shrank violently. She looked at Huang Shan in disbelief. "What did you say? Serve His Majesty?"
Huang Shan reached out and patted her terrified face. "Cousin Lady's name is on the Jiang family's draft list this year. I added it yesterday. Cousin Lady is about to enter the palace. When you become prosperous in the future, don't forget this humble servant! Hee hee hee hee..."
Huang Shan's shrill laughter was like a thunderbolt in Jiang Jinyue's ears, shattering her last bit of reason:
"Aaaaaaah —"
"No..."
Huang Shan opened the door. Sheng Jiangli was sitting on the railing on the upper floor.
He leaned against the pillar. One leg was bent, and the other long leg was dangling in the air. This was the third - floor. One careless move and he would fall, but he sat there as steady as a mountain.
Seeing Huang Shan come out, Sheng Jiangli flipped down and said with a smile: "My lord worked hard last night."
He had heard all the commotion in the room for a whole night.
From the sound of the bamboo whip lashing the flesh at first, to the sound of the woman being violated, and then to the lewd sounds with something stuffed in her mouth, he almost vomited.
His sharp eyes scanned Huang Shan's crotch without a trace, and he raised his eyebrows.
No wonder Song Yinghuai sent Jiang Jinyue here.
It turned out that this eunuch wasn't completely castrated. He only had his testicles removed, and his manhood was still there.
Presumably, he had spent a lot of effort to avoid the fate of being completely castrated when he entered the palace.
"Humph!" Huang Shan curled his lips proudly. "It's this humble servant's duty to screen the most charming show - girls for His Majesty. This woman is quite suitable. Sending her into the palace is the most suitable for serving His Majesty."
"My lord has excellent taste." Sheng Jiangli gave a thumbs - up. "This subordinate also thinks she's very suitable."
Sheng Jiangli said a few perfunctory words and then got to the point. "The Prince of Yan just left the mansion. He took Miaoyi and Yunling with him and said he was going boating on the lake."
Huang Shan was overjoyed. "They all say that the Prince of Yan practices Buddhism and is extremely abstinent, but this humble servant doesn't think so. I heard that he stayed in the Tingtao Courtyard where the two ladies live until dawn and then went to the Wanxiang Hall. And today he's taking people boating on the lake..."
"This humble servant thinks that His Highness, the Prince of Yan, practices the Blissful Buddha! Hahaha..."
Sheng Jiangli laughed along with him, but there was a sharp glint hidden in his eyes.
If Song Yinghuai had been in the Tingtao Courtyard last night, Shu'er must have been wronged.
He really dared to treat Shu'er like this!
Sheng Jiangli said: "This subordinate also wants to go boating on the lake. I wonder what my lord thinks?"
Huang Shan nodded. "You should go. Go and see the amorous affairs of the Prince of Yan!"
"Then, shall we go together?"
"Let's go together! Hahaha!"
In winter, the lake is calm. The world is in a vast expanse. Frost and mist fill the four lakes. The water vapor hides the sun, moon, and stars.
The Yannan Lake on Qichun Road is located in the inner city of Yanjing. It is like a green snail in a silver plate, extremely eye - catching.
In an unremarkable painted boat, Ji Qian took a booklet handed over by Han Fen. After just flipping through a few pages, he excitedly stood up and bowed deeply to Song Yinghuai, who was sitting upright:
"The officialdom of the Kaiping Mining Bureau has been corrupt for a long time. The imperial court's finances are getting increasingly tense. But both the governor of Hebei and the supervisor of military weapons in the Ministry of Works are on Prince's side. With the Prince backing them up, Commander Lu has repeatedly encountered obstacles in his investigations. His Majesty doesn't understand the relationships involved and is already very dissatisfied with the Jinyiwei. Our situation in the court is extremely difficult..."
"Now, thanks to Your Highness's help, this ledger has conclusive evidence. With this booklet of names and evidence, Commander Lu will surely be able to destroy the copper mines in Hebei in one fell swoop!"
"This humble official, on behalf of Commander Lu, the common people in Hebei, and the Jinyiwei, thanks Your Highness, the Prince of Yan."
Song Yinghuai reached out to support Ji Qian's bent waist and said with a gentle smile: "Lord Ji, there's no need for such formalities. For the sake of the common people in the world, Song is also duty - bound."
Ji Qian was an experienced official in the officialdom. Naturally, he understood why Song Yinghuai did this.
But the Jinyiwei was now being oppressed by the East Factory and was on the verge of being pushed aside. If Commander Lu didn't make any achievements, he might be impeached and removed from office.
As the saying goes, a new emperor brings in a new set of officials. If Commander Lu was removed, none of them would have a good life.
The struggle between Song Yinghuai and the Prince had moved from the underground to the open. He understood what Song Yinghuai's active gesture of goodwill meant.
The East Factory was on the Prince's side, so the Jinyiwei should also choose a side and pledge their allegiance to a wise master!
After Ji Qian straightened up, he raised the teacup in front of him. "This humble official will immediately write a letter to inform the Commander of the whole story. Your Highness can rest assured. From now on, the Jinyiwei will be Your Highness's sharp knife in the court. If Your Highness wants someone's head, we will go through fire and water to get it!"
"In that case, I'll have to trouble Lord Ji to convey the message." Song Yinghuai also raised his teacup. "Song practices Buddhism, so I can only use ordinary tea instead of wine. I hope Lord Ji won't blame me."
How could Ji Qian dare to blame Song Yinghuai.
He laughed foolishly and drank the tea in one gulp. Then he grabbed the Xiuchun Knife on the table. "Your Highness, this humble official is in a hurry to send the message, and this place is not suitable to stay for long. This humble official will leave first. Farewell!"
After Ji Qian left, Song Yinghuai also got off the boat.
Miaoyi and Yunling walked towards him. The delicate embroidered shoes of both of them were covered in mud, and their pretty faces were dotted with grass and mud.
Yunling was young and impatient. She spoke first with a crying voice:
"Your Highness, there are no winter bamboo shoots in that forest at all. Sister and I searched in the forest for half a day. Not to mention bamboo shoots, we couldn't even find a single bamboo! Look, look at our clothes and shoes..."
She thought that with her delicate appearance, any man in the world would be enchanted. But unexpectedly, Song Yinghuai frowned and said:
"Why are you so useless? Can't I even get a few freshly dug winter bamboo shoots?"
Seeing his cold face, Miaoyi quickly smiled and said, "Your Highness, don't be angry. When we get back, Sister and I will make a more exotic vegetarian dish for Your Highness to make amends. How about that?"
Unexpectedly, Song Yinghuai didn't even reply to her. His phoenix eyes squinted slightly, and he was looking at the other side of the lake.
There was a figure over there that seemed quite familiar. It seemed to be...
Caiyu?