Cannon Fodder Strategy

"Of course I know that what happened yesterday has nothing to do with my sister. It's just the treacherous villain who wants to make me and my sister hate each other. I know it well." After Lily finished speaking, she smiled slightly, and Concubine Xian was stunned. Staring at her, she saw that her smile was elegant and gentle, and there was no hint of ferociousness on her face, but the look in her eyes made her feel cold. Just as she was about to speak, the aunt in the Queen Mother's palace had already noticed the arrival of the two of them. , came out to greet him.

She originally thought that she and Concubine Xian had already arrived early enough, but what surprised Lily was that when she arrived at Empress Dowager Lu's palace, Emperor Yongming was also here.

The Fengming Hall where Empress Dowager Lu is located is the place where the empress in the harem is the mother of the world. It is very dignified and elegant. When Lily came, Empress Dowager Lu was already dressed and was talking to Emperor Yongming. When Lily and Concubine Xian came in, Lu The Queen Mother's eyes paused for a moment, then she pursed her lips slightly, returning to her gentle and dignified appearance.

She is only seventeen this year, but she is already a figure of the 'grandmother' generation. Because she is a new widow, Empress Dowager Lu mainly wears old-fashioned plain colors such as blue and black, and she cannot wear conspicuous jewelry. She wears a set that is extremely befitting her age. Wearing inconsistent emerald jewelry and a cyan velvet jacket, he was sitting in the seat with his back straight. Although the smile on her face is very restrained, because Empress Dowager Lu has a beautiful appearance and charming temperament, these old and simple clothes cannot suppress her at all. On the contrary, the cyan color makes her skin whiter and smoother, and she is still charming with every frown and smile. There is a bit of girlish charm showing through, and her eyes are like a cat's. Even a woman will be charmed by the movement of her eyes.

"The imperial concubine is here. Didn't the Ai family have already asked Su He to give instructions that the imperial concubine can rest and recuperate in Xianfu Palace for a few days?"

At this time, Empress Dowager Lu had a look of pity and worry on her face. She first asked Lily with concern, and then raised her eyelids: "For those of you who don't have the eyesight to see, the imperial concubine is here, why don't you hurry up and wait on her." As soon as she said this. The people in Fengming Palace seemed to have come back to their senses. Su Ho, the palace man next to her, hurriedly stepped forward to take away the silver crane feather cloak that Lily was wearing. Su Ho's expression was worried but respectful. There was no trace of guilt or fear at all. If she hadn't gotten some news from Zhen yesterday, Lily might have thought that the matter had nothing to do with her when she saw Su Ho.

The Queen Mother was very enthusiastic about Lily at the moment. She knew that Xian Concubine Guo came in with her, but she was lukewarm to Xian Concubine in front of the emperor. If Xian Concubine was stupider, she might have to give Lily away just because of this. Both hateful and defensive.

Baihe curled her lips and first greeted Empress Dowager Lu and Emperor Yongming. When Su Ho came to get her cloak, Su Ho's hand reached to her chest to pull the satin knot. She suddenly reached out and grabbed Su Ho's hand! The long nails dug into Su Ho's flesh, and Su Ho almost screamed out in pain. Her expression froze and she raised her head to look at Lily, but Lily ignored her. Instead, he smiled and said to Emperor Yongming:

"The Emperor has many things to do, but today it is a coincidence that I actually saw the Emperor in the Queen Mother's Palace." Emperor Yongming was wearing bright yellow imperial robes. He had obviously left early and had come to the court early. The young emperor was handsome and had an extraordinary temperament. Even when Lily came in, Emperor Yongming There was no interaction with Queen Mother Lu, but doubts still arose in Lily's heart.

Liang Mubei died unexpectedly yesterday, but the emperor only came over to take a quick look at him because of his busy official duties, and then left again. If others look at it. I am afraid that Emperor Yongming was just sad and thought that he just did not dare to face Liang Mubei's death, but Zhou Baihe had been married to Liang He for several years and loved him deeply. I probably know more about him than I know about myself.

Emperor Yongming was well-educated by the late emperor, even though he had many concubines in his harem after he came of age. Moreover, he could always treat them all equally. No matter they were as elegant and beautiful as Lily Zhou, or the virtuous concubine Guo, or the heroic concubine Gao, none of them could be favored by Liang He alone. On the contrary, The rain and dew have been evenly distributed all this time, which shows Liang He's extraordinary self-control and how cold-hearted he is.

When Liang Mubei was born, Liang He was even most relieved that he had an heir. If the prince delayed in getting married, the important officials in the court would inevitably be worried. When his son was born, he was not happy that he was a father, but that he would be there. After a while, he was happy that his position as prince was secure. Such a heartless man did not protect his son when he died. Instead, he just came here and the rest of the funeral affairs were taken care of by the palace people. However, he came to pay his respects to Empress Dowager Lu early this morning. This is really outrageous. Lily had to be suspicious.

He wore a golden crown with a huge pearl in the middle. Two bright yellow straps passed behind his ears. He tied two knots at his chin with tassels and beads. His handsome face was full of emotion at this time. With the majesty and indifference of the emperor, Da Ma Jin Dao sat in his position. After listening to Lily's words, Liang He frowned slightly, and his slender eyes looked at Lily with a sharp gaze: " I have come to pay my respects after the morning court, so why don’t I have to wait until sunrise before I come?”

"Your Majesty, your concubine is here late?" His voice was cold and seemed to be without any emotion, but Lily smiled and stretched out her hand to hold Su Ho tighter. The concubines in the palace had nothing to do. She has the habit of growing nails. The original owner's nails were about an inch long. They had been smeared with impatiens juice, and the juice was plump and red in color. Now she pinched Su Ho hard, not only Lily herself hurt, but also the back of Su Ho's hand was broken. The skin and blood dripped out from the edges of the nails.

Although she is the eldest palace maid beside the Queen Mother, Su Ho is not an ordinary servant. She is the palace maid beside the Queen Mother, and she is also a high-ranking palace servant. From the time when Queen Mother Lu entered the palace, she held the phoenix for her. The character of Yin won the trust of the Empress Dowager Lu, and there was also a little palace maid waiting on her on weekdays. I am afraid that the ordinary boudoir girl is not as good as her with tender skin and tender flesh. Now she is in pain. If it were not for the rules, Su Ho By this time, he had already screamed.

But even if she tried her best to endure it, her face was still a little pale, but in front of her master, when Lily and the emperor were talking again, there was no room for her to speak, so she just endured the pain.

The original owner lost her son. Even if Liang Mubei drowned because of her poor care, no one suffered the pain of losing his son more than her. Emperor Yongming not only did not say a word of comfort yesterday, he also did not mention a thorough investigation of the murderer. if. Instead, someone was sent to reprimand her yesterday and her account was banned. Today she came to say hello, and she was vaguely blaming herself for coming too late, Lily sneered in her heart. The original owner had love for Emperor Yongming, and after giving birth to an heir, he also had a desire for his son to inherit the Northern Qi Dynasty. In addition, because of his mother's family, and the lessons the original owner received since childhood. He had the idea that the king is greater than the sky, so he respected and loved Emperor Yongming.

Even though she was plotting against other women in the harem, she didn't dare to plot in front of Emperor Yongming, she just wished she could win his favor. She had been looking forward to the arrival of Emperor Yongming for countless days and nights since marrying into the royal family. She had been looking forward to it since she married into the East Palace, and then gradually became cold-hearted after giving birth to her son. She had just turned eighteen, but she felt like she was getting old. There had been no shortage of beauties in the palace since ancient times, especially the rich emperor.

But now Lily is not afraid. She has no love for Emperor Yongming from her original owner and is afraid of her son, but now her son has died at the hands of others. The Zhou family will eventually be uprooted by the emperor. Even if she keeps lying down, the emperor may not tolerate her. Although Lily was not prepared to completely anger Emperor Yongming to avoid causing trouble for herself before she was unable to protect herself, she was not prepared to pretend to be generous like the original owner.

"It's just that the emperor came too early, not that my concubine came too late." Before Emperor Yongming could speak, she took the words by herself, and then her eyes changed: "Yesterday, because of the Mu Bei incident, so much happened I was in such a hurry that I didn't have time to see the emperor. Originally, I wanted to ask the emperor for justice after paying my respects to the Queen Mother. Now that I have met the emperor, I don't have to make an extra trip."

As soon as Lily mentioned Liang He, Su Ho's body froze slightly when she was holding him, and she noticed it. But as if he didn't feel it, his eyes turned slightly red:

"I only have such a son. Now I am being assassinated, and I am begging the emperor to make the decision to find the real culprit who killed Mu Bei. I will let her," Lily said, paused, and looked at her first. Looking towards Queen Mother Lu, she saw a look of sympathy and discomfort in her almond-shaped eyes. Her eyes were sparkling, as if she was also sad for Liang Mubei's death. She curled her lips and finally His eyes were fixed on Su Ho: "I won't die a good death!"

Su Ho shivered violently, his face lowered, and his chin seemed to hit his chest.

Emperor Yongming didn't speak for a while, but Empress Dowager Lu sighed: "The Ai family knows that the concubine is in pain. The emperor came here today and asked about this matter. This matter was all done by an undisciplined slave in the Ai family palace. Ai Jia The family has ordered people to beat him to death, but it's a pity that Mu Bei lives, but he hasn't come back yet." As soon as Queen Mother Lu finished speaking, Lily sneered in her heart. The eunuch who Queen Mother Lu beat to death belonged to no one's palace. As for the eyeliner, she was ruthless. She not only made someone a scapegoat, but also eliminated a thorn in his side. She also killed two birds with one stone by getting rid of Liang Mubei.

On the surface, the incident was caused by the eunuch who improperly guarded Liang Mubei and was beaten to death by Empress Dowager Lu as a scapegoat. However, secretly, it had been spread that Concubine Xian was responsible for the incident. If the eunuch was really beaten Death, this matter has been finalized, and I am afraid that I will never be able to get rid of the stigma. Concubine Xian’s pretty face was blue and white, and when she was about to speak, Liang He snorted coldly:

"If you hadn't taken care of yourself improperly, how could Mu Bei have escaped into the Royal Garden? Now that something happened, we only know the consequences of the investigation. What were you doing earlier?"

The emperor was furious, and everyone in Fengming Palace knelt down except Queen Mother Lu. Lily endured the disgust in her heart and said, "The emperor's lesson is correct, but now that things have happened, if the real culprit behind the scenes is not found, my concubine Mu Bei's soul in heaven will not be able to rest in peace. I beg the emperor to make the decision!"

"What else do you want to do?" Emperor Yongming raised his eyebrows, his expression a little impatient. Lily didn't care how unhappy he was: "Yesterday, I already interrogated the nanny who took care of Mu Bei. She said that Mu Bei clamored to see him yesterday. Queen Mother, so she carried Mu Bei to Fengming Palace." Lily spoke slowly. After hearing this, Queen Mother Lu nodded: "That's true." It was not the case that Liang Mubei went to Fengming Palace yesterday. It's a secret. I don't know how many people in the palace are watching. Even if Queen Mother Lu doesn't want to admit it, it's impossible. After she said this, she asked again: "Does the noble concubine think that the Ai family harmed Mu Bei?"

Empress Dowager Lu has a very advantageous status. As long as she does not commit any serious crimes against ethics, she will enjoy endless wealth and glory in her life. Not to mention that Lily is just a concubine now, even if she is a queen. You still have to humble yourself in front of her, otherwise you will be labeled as unfilial. She took the initiative to say this now. Even though Lily knew that Queen Mother Lu had something to do with this matter, she still denied it:

"I don't dare." She meant she didn't dare. Rather, Queen Mother Lu's eyelids drooped, her petite and exquisite figure was wrapped in old-fashioned and heavy palace clothes, and she did not speak. Lily then said:

"Ms. Zhen once said that Mu Bei was close to the Queen Mother, but unfortunately the Queen Mother was busy with things and ordered Aunt Su to serve her. As for why Mu Bei, who was a concubine, ended up in the imperial garden, Aunt Su He was also to blame."

When Lily started talking, Queen Mother Lu originally thought she was going to target her, but she didn't expect that Lily would mention Zhen at this moment. But he didn't mention what Zhen had said to him at all, and instead brought the topic to Su Ho. Queen Mother Lu was stunned for a moment and pursed her lips slightly. Su Ho, whose hand was held by Lily at this moment, turned pale after hearing this, but did not speak.

At this time, he was involved in the murder of the eldest prince. She was calm and loyal to Queen Mother Lu. She didn't open her mouth to cry out for injustice at this moment. She obviously knew that Queen Mother Lu would not watch her die.

Lily curled her lips. She had never thought of letting Su Ho die so easily, but even if Su Ho could avoid the death penalty, he could not escape the living penalty.

"Aunt Su He didn't take Mu Bei seriously, so she accidentally let him enter the imperial garden. If nothing happened, then Mu Bei went there at such a young age. I feel like there are needles pricking my heart. Still. Please ask the emperor to make the decision." As Lily spoke, tears welled up. Liang He frowned and did not speak. Empress Dowager Lu had already said, "This matter was not done by Su Ho, and..." Su Ho was Empress Dowager Lu's right-hand man. Being loyal to her, Queen Mother Lu naturally wanted to protect her at this moment. However, before Queen Mother Lu could finish her words, Lily interrupted her:

"Is it possible that in the Queen Mother's heart, the royal bloodline is not as important as a slave? Although this matter was not caused by Su Ho, it was also because of her. My concubine's Mu Bei is gone. These people did not protect him, my concubine. I won't let anyone go!" The more Lily spoke, the louder her voice became, as if she was very excited. Empress Dowager Lu snorted, sat up straight, slapped her jade hand on the armrest of the chair, and said coldly: "The imperial concubine is excited."

"Mu Bei is my lifeblood. Now that someone is tearing out my heart, how can I endure it? Even if Su Ho's crime is not punishable by death, it is a fact that she did not take good care of Mu Bei. Please ask the emperor to forgive her. I would like to allow my concubine to investigate this matter thoroughly." The eldest prince of Northern Qi disappeared inexplicably. Not to mention that Baihe was Liang Mubei's mother. It is normal to ask for a thorough investigation. Even Liang He in the court should have an explanation. Now that he has ascended the throne as emperor, everyone in the palace was not in a hurry because he had a son. But now that Liang Mubei has died and Liang He has no successor, the veterans in the court naturally began to worry.

Although Su Ho was a first-class female official next to Empress Dowager Lu, Emperor Yongming would have given the Empress Dowager face if it was an ordinary matter, and the matter was over. However, since the matter was related to the royal bloodline, Lily was unwilling to let it go. She did not take Su Ho's life, nor did she accuse her of being the murderer of Liang Mubei. She only said that she had neglected her duty and wanted to make her suffer. Therefore, although Emperor Yongming was dissatisfied with Lily being so aggressive, But he still nodded in agreement:

"I'll leave this matter to you."

"Your Majesty." When Empress Dowager Lu heard this, she couldn't help but feel anxious. She opened her mouth and called Emperor Yongming. Emperor Yongming glanced at her and said, "I will order Shangxi to follow you for your errands. Once there are any results, I will give you a reward." Just let me know."

On the surface, Emperor Yongming agreed to let Baihe take charge of the matter, but in fact Shangxi was the emperor's personal father-in-law. He sent Shangxi to follow Baihe, to run errands for her at best, or to run errands at worst. She is spying on Lily, but Lily already knows who is behind the scenes this time. It is just a cover to touch Su Ho at this time. She is not prepared to really investigate at this time. Emperor Yongming is a man who has a strong desire for control. The emperor, the entire emperor is under his nose. If there is something he 'wants' to know, he will know it in less than half an hour. If it is something he 'didn't want' to know, even if he just messed up the world, I'm afraid It's also 'unable' to find out the truth.

Lily responded with a yes, then stretched out her hand to let go of Su Ho. As soon as she let go of Su Ho's head, he knelt down on the ground, his face pale, but his head lowered quietly.

After saying this, Emperor Yongming was obviously tired of seeing the woman crying, so he got up and left.

When the emperor's bright yellow dragon robes left under their noses, they felt that the unique fragrance of dragon scent on Emperor Yongming had gradually faded away. Only then did Lily stand up. She no longer felt as sad and uncomfortable as when she faced the emperor before: "I'm worried about Mu Bei, so I won't disturb the Queen Mother. Thank you Queen Mother for your consideration. I'll allow you to rest for a while before I come to say hello. When I feel calm, I'll come back to apologize to the Queen Mother." She finished speaking, without waiting for Queen Mother Lu's reaction. He came over and raised his eyebrows: "Don't take Aunt Su He away yet!"

In front of Emperor Yongming, she had already said that she would make Su Ho suffer some hardships, and the matter had already been resolved. Now when Empress Dowager Lu heard what she said, she was furious in her heart, but she had a smile on her face. :

"Your Majesty, please be more careful. The Ai family is used to Su Ho waiting for you." Although her voice was soft and delicate, her eyes were narrowed with an unhappy look. Lily pressed her eyes with a handkerchief and responded softly. She said: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will take care of Aunt Su He's hands and feet, so she can't miss serving the Queen Mother." She imitated the Empress Dowager Lu's tone and finished speaking softly, but when she turned her head, her eyebrows looked like Like a knife, he ordered the eunuch behind him: "Don't take my aunt away yet!"

Her attitude made Empress Dowager Lu's hands tremble and her face became gloomy. She did not give Lily any face: "The Ai family is tired, you can go back." After saying that, Empress Dowager Lu stood up and entered the inner hall. , Lily waited for her to leave, then her eyes fell on Su Ho, making her tremble all over.

Although the mastermind behind Liang Mubei's death was most likely Empress Dowager Lu, Su Ho also contributed a lot. Now Lily asked about the crime. Although Su Ho said he had saved his life, Empress Dowager Lu actually saved his life. Not all of her, she was not taken away by Lily, but was beaten ten times with a cane with her pants taken off, still in front of Fengming Hall. In the past, Su Ho was a first-class female official next to the Queen Mother. Everyone would respectfully call her aunt when she came in and out. How majestic she was. But now she was stripped of her pants and spanked in public, even though Lily did not want her. It meant her life, so there was no fuss on the board when she was beaten with the cane. But for Su Ho, the humiliation of being beaten with the cane far outweighed the pain in her body. She tried not to scream at first. Come, until Lily has walked out of Fengming Hall, the dull sound of the board hitting the skin is still coming.

"Sister, you really don't blame me?" Concubine Xian came out of Fengming Palace with Lily. Su Ho's beating was indirectly equivalent to Empress Dowager Lu being slapped in the face. She did not want to see Concubine De and others today. Concubine Xian naturally resigned and followed Lily. She obviously couldn't believe that Lily didn't make things difficult for her, so she chased her and asked.

Lily glanced at her with a half-smile, and then glanced at the palace attendants waiting behind her. Instead of speaking, she snorted coldly, lifted up her skirt, and left.

"Your Majesty, your concubine has gone too far!" Seeing this situation, An Xue, the eldest maid next to Concubine Xian, couldn't help stamping her feet and said angrily. An Ru also nodded, Concubine Xian. With a gloomy expression on his face, he bit his lip, glared at the two of them, stamped his feet and turned around bitterly to go back to the Jianjia Hall where he was.

"Your Majesty, do you really think that this matter has nothing to do with Concubine Xian?" In the Xianfu Palace, Huayi and Poetry knelt in front of Lily and carefully took out the things wrapped on her fingernails. Before falling asleep last night, Poetry said that the impatiens were blooming. This time the flowers bloomed very brightly and the color was right. Lily seemed to have been deeply affected by the death of Liang Mubei recently, so Shiqing volunteered to dye her nails for her, so Lily let them go.

Yesterday, people from the Xianfu Palace picked fresh impatiens flowers, pounded out the juice, mixed it with alum, dipped the cloth in it and wrapped it around her fingertips for four or five hours. Now when she took it apart, it was like The flower juice had already been stained with color, and the ten green-on-green nails were pink, and there were also some near the nails. Huayi took the handkerchief and carefully washed her hands, and then plucked up the courage to ask. (To be continued ~^~)

PS: Two updates in one, please vote~!