Li Chen didn't know what had happened to Princess Chengyang, and when they left Buxian Garden and returned to the palace, it was already five days later.

When they returned to the palace, Li Zhi and Wu Zetian were discussing political affairs with the ministers, and heard that the wind and rain were blowing in the state, and the local sea water was overflowing, destroying countless houses in Yongjia and Angu counties, and drowning nearly 10,000 people; Then there was heavy rain in Jizhou, floods, destroying tens of thousands of people's houses, Li Zhi and Wu Zetian were meeting with the ministers, discussing how to send the ministers of the imperial court to the local disaster relief, how to rebuild these affected afterwards, so that the people can return to their homes is also an urgent problem that needs to be solved.

The first thing Li Chen did when he returned to the princess courtyard was to find Liu Xin, Liu Xin was sick when she went to Buxian Garden, Wu Zetian was worried that Liu Xin would pass on the illness to her, and did not arrange for Liu Xin to accompany her out of Chang'an City.

"Someone told the whistleblower that the eldest princess was disgusted with victory in private, and Her Royal Highness the queen and the saint naturally didn't believe it, but in the back garden of the princess's mansion, they did find dolls and other objects used for disgust." Liu Xin stood in front of Li Chen and said softly.

There is a law in the Tang Dynasty that prohibits witchcraft, and those who violate the order must be stripped of their skin if they do not die.

Li Chen sat under a ginkgo tree in the princess's courtyard, her eyes drooping slightly, and her long eyelashes could leave a shadow on her face. She raised her eyes, and looked at Liu Xin with clear eyes: "How is the eldest princess now?" ”

"The eldest princess is safe and sound, and the sage relegated the horse to Fangzhou as a assassin. The maidservant heard that the eldest princess had asked the sage to go to Fangzhou with the concubine. ”

When Li Chen heard this, his brows furrowed. It's just that she is still young now, and when she frowns, her bun face is wrinkled, and in the eyes of others, she doesn't think she is bothered by something, but thinks that she looks very cute like a little adult.

Li Chen thought for a while, and then asked Liu Xin: "Why is the eldest princess tired of winning?" ”

Liu Xin shook her head, "I don't know." ”

"Then do you know whose birthday is engraved on the puppet?"

"The servant has not seen it with her own eyes, and she does not dare to speak falsely."

Li Chen looked at Liu Xin for a long time, and saw that Liu Xin was stunned. The princess is young, but being young does not mean that she is good-looking, and people who are born in heaven have more or less a sense of self-esteem in their bones. Even if Liu Xin is Li Chen's nurse, she is afraid that she will upset the princess.

Li Chen looked at Liu Xin's submissive appearance, and finally showed kindness, looked away, and no longer embarrassed her.

After the law of the Tang Dynasty clearly prohibits witchcraft, all cases involving witchcraft will not end well. Now Princess Chengyang is safe and sound, but Xue Qian was relegated to a place as a stabbing history, such a light hair fall is unprecedented, and she knows with her toes that it must be her father who shelters her.

My father has always valued family affection, and my aunt said that she would follow the horse to Fangzhou when something like this happened, and I don't know how my father is feeling now.

Li Chen couldn't sit still anymore, jumped off the chair and walked out.

Liu Xin and Shangguan Wan'er hurriedly followed.

Li Chen usually doesn't like many palace maids to hug each other, so the palace maids of the princess's courtyard, including Shangguan Wan'er, have learned a ghostly skill without a teacher, usually when the princess loves to be quiet, she must quietly prepare the things she needs to disappear quietly, and when the princess goes out, it is as if she has clairvoyance and ears, and keeps up with the rhythm of the princess at any time.

Li Chen wanted to go to his mother, but if there was a disaster today, his mother and father must be discussing countermeasures with the ministers, so he stopped halfway through.

Liu Xin and Shangguan Wan'er glanced at each other, Shangguan Wan'er grew up in the harem of the court since she was a child, and she was a master of the seven tricks and exquisite heart, so she had developed a good ability to observe words and feelings. In addition, after staying by Li Chen's side for two years, he has already figured out how to get along with this little princess.

Shangguan Wan'er stepped forward and reminded Li Chen: "Princess, half an hour ago, Princess Taiping sent someone to invite you to take a boat together. ”

When Li Chen found Taiping, Taiping was taking a boat in the East China Sea Pool, she was sitting on the bow of the boat, holding a peach blossom in her hand, except for the people who were rocking the oars, she only left a palace maid to serve by her side.

Taiping found Li Chen in the lake, and ordered the people who rocked the oars to rock the boat back to the shore, and picked up Li Chen and Shangguan Wan'er into the boat. Li Chen stood on the boat, with a humid breeze, the willows by the lake spit tender green branches and leaves, and the peach blossoms on the opposite side were in full bloom, reflecting a piece of pink on the surface of the lake. Such a beautiful scenery makes people's somewhat troubled hearts calm down a little.

Taiping's expression was a little sullen, and she said to Li Chen: "Sister, do you know? The third cousin is leaving Chang'an. ”

Li Chen blinked and looked at Taiping.

Taiping looked at his sister, and couldn't help but reach out and touch her head, "Hey, I told you that you don't understand." ”

Li Chen: "......"

Taiping simply sat directly on the edge of the boat, a few strands of clothes and ribbons fell on the lake, she didn't care, the peach blossom in her hand was tragically poisoned, and she ripped off petals one by one. Pink peach petals fall on the surface of the lake, rippling with the ripples that bloom in the circle.

Taiping's tone was very depressed: "After I came back, I wanted to go to Qingning Palace to wait for my aunt, but I heard Liu Chun asking my aunt about it, saying that my aunt was going to follow the horse to Fangzhou, and she might have to take a few Xiaolangjun with her." As soon as I heard this, I felt that the third cousin was definitely leaving Chang'an. ”

Li Chen sat down beside Taiping, took the peach blossom in her hand, and Taiping followed her. The two sisters sat on the side of the boat, very casual and free, while Liu Xin and another palace maid, who were waiting on the side, sweated their palms, for fear that the two princesses would fall into the lake if they were not careful.

Li Chen looked at the peach blossoms on the other side of the lake, and said with an ignorant expression: "Sister, I heard from others that my aunt was found secretly playing witch Gu, so I went to Fangzhou." ”

"It's not about playing witchcraft, witchcrafting is harmful. Those who are cursed by witchcraft will get sick and die. Taiping corrected Li Chen, she said, suddenly approached Li Chen's ear, and whispered: "Sister, I heard that my aunt wants to harm my mother, do you believe it?" ”

Li Chen's eyes widened and he shook his head.

Taiping turned his head, looked at the silver lake, and said softly, "Actually, I don't believe it either. ”

But it's not that they don't believe that it will be the truth.

On the same day, someone told the whistleblower that Princess Chengyang was secretly winning in the princess's mansion, but Li Zhi didn't believe it. But the informant said it clearly, and even said where the puppet was hidden, so he really had to investigate. After a check, I found out that in the large vase in the bedroom of the eldest princess and the concubine, there was really a doll that was used for overwhelming.

What is engraved on the puppet is Wu Zetian's birthday. The handwriting on it, which is not difficult to read, is from the hand of Xue Qiang, the commander of the concubine, and Princess Chengyang said that she instructed the concubine to engrave it.

Li Zhi looked at Princess Chengyang kneeling in front of him, raised his hand and pinched his eyebrows with a little headache, and his tone was a little tired, "Chengyang, I am now the only one sister left with you." ”

Princess Chengyang knelt straight on the ground, "Since Xincheng died, Chengyang has only left his brother. ”

Li Zhi said: "Get up and talk back." ”

Princess Chengyang was silent, and then got up.

"Is there anything Mei Niang did to make you unhappy?" Li Zhi asked.

Princess Chengyang was expressionless, and said lightly: "She made me unhappy with too many things, when she was going to be the queen, her uncle was in the way, but she finally became the queen as she wished, and then what?" She got what she wanted, and then she had her uncle falsely accused her of rebellion, exiled him, and finally forced him to hang himself. Brother, my mother had a deep relationship with my uncle before her death, and before my father died, he once said that half of his ability to win the world was due to his uncle. Chengyang has always remembered these things. ”

Li Zhi looked at her with a somewhat sad expression, "Chengyang, you-"

Princess Chengyang smiled and said coldly: "Uncle was killed, and Xincheng's concubine was also implicated, if it wasn't for the exile of the eldest grandson, why would Xincheng remarry Wei Zhengju's damn thing, causing her to die in the end." Brother and I are close relatives of flesh and blood, and I have loved me and protected me since I was a child, so naturally I can't harm you, but Wu Meiniang and I have -"

Before Princess Chengyang finished speaking, she was shouted by Li Zhi: "You don't want to talk nonsense anymore!" ”

Princess Chengyang looked at Li Zhi with anger in her eyes and was slightly stunned.

Li Zhi took a deep breath and pressed down the anger that rose in his heart, "Chengyang, don't you know that Xue Qian used to be a student of Shangguan Yi!" ”

Back then, Wang Fusheng went to complain to Li Zhi, saying that Empress Wu Zetian colluded with the Taoist Guo Xingzhen to win the victory in the harem. After Li Zhi learned about it, he invited Shangguan Yi to discuss, and Shangguan Yi was already dissatisfied with Wu Zetian at that time, so he mentioned that the sage deposed the queen, and in the end the queen was not abolished, but Shangguan Yi was sentenced for rebellion a few months later.

As the eldest princess, Chengyang now has a happy family, and the brother in the palace loves her very much, she can get whatever she wants, what else can she ask for? What's more, she has always been gentle and intelligent, and her relationship with Wu Zetian is also very harmonious, how could she suddenly say that she has so much dissatisfaction with Wu Zetian? On the contrary, it was Xue Qiang, whose attitude towards Wu Zetian was never warm and respectful.

Li Zhi felt that the handwriting on the puppet alone was enough for him to give Xue Qian to death. But when Princess Chengyang saw the puppet, she said that she instructed Xue Qian to carve it.

Over the years, the people around me have left, passed away, and never looked back. Li Zhi once said to himself that now he only has a sister left in Chengyang, even if she stabs the sky into a leak, he has to help her carry it.

Now she doesn't poke a leak in the sky, but she is studious and doesn't learn, and she actually learns to take the blame!

Li Zhi was so angry that he was smoking.