Chapter 20: The Queen's Temptation!

"Niangniang......" The old eunuch was just so frightened that he kept kowtowing, looking terrified, but he didn't dare to defend at all.

Li Yiqi looked at the appearance of the old eunuch, stood aside with an indifferent expression, a slight smile on the corner of his mouth, his eyes flashed with sarcasm, and he looked down at the other party condescendingly.

Outside the gate of the Wude Palace, the old eunuch's arrogant appearance when he warned himself is still vivid. At the moment, the other party's majestic momentum has all disappeared, and he can only kneel and beg for mercy like a dead dog, how ridiculous.

Seeing this scene, the queen's willow eyebrows were slightly raised, her expression was quite cold, and a trace of displeasure appeared between her sharp eyebrows, and she scolded the old eunuch coldly:

"Get down. ”

"Yes, yes...... "The old eunuch didn't dare to stand up as if he had been amnesty, and hurriedly kowtowed a few times before he rolled out.

Looking at the figure of the old eunuch fleeing in panic, Li Yiqi was just silent, extremely calm on the surface, but he laughed in his heart, shook his head, and said with a secret smile: "That's right, there are some people in this palace who can't be messed with." But...... Who can't be messed with, I'll say it!"

He turned his head to look at the queen mother, did not speak, just bowed his head respectfully, and the sharp and sharp expression on his face before disappeared completely, replaced by a calm and indifferent expression as usual.

Li Yiqi did not ask for the old eunuch to be severely punished as just now, because he and the queen both knew in their hearts that who told the truth and who told the lie......

It's just that in this harem full of intrigue and deceit, truth and falsehood, right and wrong, it doesn't matter, what matters is what those masters want to know, what they want to see, and what kind of results they want to get!

That's the most important thing!

Li Yiqi knew very well in his heart that the old eunuch who went to the Li Mansion to deliver the decree must be someone next to the queen, otherwise he would not have said, "From our family's point of view, the queen mother is afraid that she can't wait, and the little master had better leave tomorrow." "That's the kind of thing you say.

He believed that even if Shui Bo didn't give the old eunuch a reward of silver and silver at that time, the other party would implicitly express the queen's "secret will" in another way.

At the moment when Wude Hall received the queen's summons, Li Yiqi had already guessed what the queen was thinking.

To reprimand yourself with the matter of "secret decree", I just want to see my reaction, as long as I clench my teeth and pretend not to know, and behave to satisfy the queen, I can push everything away.

Li Yiqi concluded that it was impossible for the queen to really let this old eunuch come and confront him. Because what this queen wants is to win over the Li family, not to suppress the Li family!

"If I really am a talent, then it must be useful to keep me with the prince. If I, the youngest son of the Li family, are also like the old eunuch, my will is extremely fragile, and I am directly frightened and tell the truth in one go, which will make the queen feel disappointed. For the future king, what is the use of such a person and such a courtier?" Li Yiqi smiled silently in his heart.

He will show whatever the queen wants to see! To him, this matter is nothing more than a "touchstone" thrown at him by the queen.

One party is tempting, the other side is deliberately pandering, and both take what they need, but they are just acting in a play...... This kind of small drama is nothing in the inner courtyard of the deep palace of the Great Xia Dynasty, but if he can't even pass this level, then even if the queen will not punish Li Yiqi on the spot, in the future battle for succession, the most humble position next to the prince will not be left to him.

As for this old eunuch, Li Yiqi just casually scared the other party, and this kind of person in the province will pull a tiger skin of the masters to show off his power in front of him in the future.

Whether the queen disposes of this old eunuch or not, it is not what Li Yiqi really wants to do.

There is only one thing he wants to do - gain the trust of the queen and have the second voice in the East Palace except for the crown prince!

It's a pity that this old eunuch couldn't have imagined that he would serve these harem concubines and ladies in the palace for most of his life, but when it comes to grasping the heart of this Queen of Great Xia, he is far less than a sixteen-year-old boy.

The old eunuch who passed the decree had already run away, Li Yiqi lowered his head and was silent, the queen naturally would not pursue this matter again, the scene that happened just now, the two of them tacitly understood it, and they would not talk about it anymore.

The queen's beautiful cheeks were still cold, and she nodded to a seat beside her and said, "Don't stand, sit down." ”

"Queen Xie. ”

Li Yiqi bowed respectfully and glanced at a few seats in the stone pavilion. His eyes flickered, and he shook his body and sat down on the inside of the stone pavilion.

This position is on the right hand side of the queen, which will not prevent the queen from enjoying the scenery in the Jade Lotus Golden Pond, nor will it seem too distant or too close, the distance is just right.

After taking his seat, Li Yiqi lowered his eyebrows and closed his eyes, his expression was still extremely humble, just like when he was standing.

The queen glanced at Li Yiqi, a different color flashed in the depths of her phoenix eyes, and asked:

"Li Yiqi, have you already met the prince?"

Hearing this, Li Yiqi's expression did not move, and he responded in a flat tone: "Queen Mother, Weichen happened to meet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince before receiving the summons. ”

"What do you think, the prince?"

A strange light flashed in the queen's phoenix eyes.

Li Yiqi's face changed slightly, this question is really not very easy to answer......

When Li Yiqi collected all the information about the royal family in the Li Mansion, he originally thought that the crown prince Xia Qing was a domineering and arrogant royal child, but in all fairness, he did not have a good impression of the prince in his heart at that time. However, after a hurried meeting in the Wude Hall before, his evil feelings towards the crown prince were not as strong as before.

The prince's tone and movements were a little frivolous, but they were not domineering. didn't put any East Palace shelves in front of Li Yiqi, so he deliberately couldn't get off the stage. loves beauty, that's just a young man's romance, human nature, as long as he doesn't do something that violates the etiquette law, he won't have any prejudice.

As for the queen's question, he just wanted to ask him what he thought of the prince's qualifications.

According to normal circumstances, at this time, Li Yiqi should praise Prince Dajia to show his position and attitude. But as the biological mother of the crown prince, the queen can be said to be the most familiar person with the prince himself, how could she not know what the prince's character is?

After pondering for a long time, Li Yiqi raised his head, looked embarrassed, pursed his lips and said with a wry smile: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has a noble status, and Weichen has only just seen the Prince, how dare he comment at will......"

Don't answer, this is the answer given by Li Yiqi.

"Alas-" Hearing Li Yiqi's words, the queen seemed to have guessed a long time ago, and did not show anger, but sighed faintly.

The queen looked at the scenery in the distance, the fierce gaze in the phoenix's eyes slowly softened, and her eyes revealed a deep doting for the prince, and said soft......ly: "How can this palace not know what you think in your heart?"

Li Yiqi just lowered his eyebrows and closed his eyes, without saying a word, but secretly agreed with the queen's point of view in his heart:

"Indeed, if the crown prince Xia Qing does not change his current simple and extreme temperament, he will definitely not be able to sit on the throne in the future, although I haven't seen other princes yet, but judging from the information collected, those royal children are all demonic figures, and the prince is by no means the opponent of those people!"

"Do you know that recently, rumors have spread inside and outside the palace, saying that His Majesty has the intention to abolish the crown prince and replace it with someone else!" The queen's expression was very calm, and she couldn't see any expression, but a trace of coldness flashed in the depths of her phoenix eyes.

Hearing this, Li Yiqi's eyes narrowed slightly, his eyes showed a thoughtful light, and he replied lightly: "Queen Mother, Weichen has never heard of such rumors. And Weichen believes that rumors are just rumors after all, and they can't be counted. ”

"However, if rumors can be spread, it means that there are rumors!" The queen's phoenix eyes burst out with a fierce and cold light, and her tone was calm.

As soon as the queen's voice fell, Li Yiqi's heart trembled.

"That's right, although rumors are rumors, but rumors can be spread, it means that there are rumors and gullible people. Moreover, the identity and status of this rumor-monger are not low, otherwise people will make rumors lightly, and people will only think that he is a fart. There is also a certain credibility of the rumors, otherwise no one will believe and participate in the spread. ”

"It's no surprise, it should be from those princes or some forces behind them who support their ascendancy. ”

Li Yiqi thought in his heart, but there was no expression on his face.

In the palace, there are some things that can be said and some things that cannot be said, and Li Yiqi still understands this truth.

As the prince of the East Palace, he reads with him, so if he says a few words related to the prince, it doesn't hurt. But if other princes are involved, even in front of the queen, they will never talk nonsense at will. Without evidence, slandering a prince for no reason will never please the queen, and will only make the prince's situation more passive.

"Since you are already the prince's companion, then you can find out this rumor-monger. The queen glanced at Li Yiqi and said lightly.

As soon as the words fell, a gust of autumn wind blew through the Golden Jade Lotus Pond, blowing ripples in the pool, and also brought a trace of coolness to Li Yiqi's body and mind. couldn't help but shrink back, in fact, his back was already soaked with sweat, and when the wind blew, it was really cold.

"It seems that winter is coming. Li Yiqi sighed secretly in his heart, thoughtful.

There is no doubt that this is the first task given to him by the queen, and it is also an extremely difficult one.

"From the point of view of common sense, the rumor-mongers are nothing more than those who can profit from the rumors, that is to say, the princes who are qualified to compete with the crown prince for the position of the true dragon. But it is not a simple matter to find the rumor-monger among the many princes. Moreover, even if you know which prince is the one who spread the rumors, what can you do? They are already on the opposite side, what is the use of finding who it is, the other party will not admit it anyway......" Li Yiqi was a little puzzled in his heart.

This whole thing was extremely troublesome to do, and there was no substantial benefit, and he did not understand the queen's intentions for a while.

Li Yiqi's eyes flashed with thought, and suddenly, an idea flew through his mind.

Li Yiqi's face changed instantly, becoming a little pale, and his eyelids couldn't help jumping, and he quickly reacted and said respectfully: "Yes, I will follow the will of the queen's mother, and Weichen should share the prince's worries." ”

"Well, if you can do it, this palace has its own rewards......" A look of extreme complexity flashed in the queen's phoenix eyes, and she said lightly.

Li Yiqi's face turned pale quietly, his heart was beating fast, and the thought in his mind was constantly warning him of the word "danger":

"If my guess is correct, what the queen really wants to know is not to determine who the rumor is related to, but to know that the rumor has nothing to do with 'who'......!

"Xia Huang!"

Li Yiqi lowered his head, his heart fluctuated, and he secretly said to himself: "What the queen wants me to test is the heart of Emperor Xia!"

It doesn't matter which prince is qualified to compete for the throne from the mouth of the rumor of Yi Chu, this is too normal, even if Li Yiqi finds the third prince or the fifth prince or even those princes who are not qualified to compete for the throne to outsiders. But if this matter was done by Emperor Xia himself, the nature would have changed completely, and the rumor might no longer be a rumor......

The light in Li Yiqi's eyes flickered, but then he smiled bitterly and said to himself: "According to common sense, it is impossible for Emperor Xia himself to do such a thing!"

Even if it is abnormal, Li Yiqi has to admit that the queen's worries are justified.

In the whole world, who can really understand what the mysterious and noble Lord of Great Xia is thinking, if the Xia Emperor really intends to change the new prince and let people spread rumors about the abolition of the crown prince, in order to stimulate those ambitious princes to participate in the succession. This kind of thing is not impossible in Li Yiqi's view.

Apparently, the queen was also aware of this.

"It seems that this pool of water in the harem is much deeper than I thought!"

Li Yiqi glanced at the queen quietly, and suddenly, a terrifying feeling arose in his heart.

The queen took a sip of the teacup, stared into the distance with phoenix eyes, as if she was just enjoying the scenery in the distance, and said lightly: "In half a month, it will be Your Majesty's birthday, and at that time, you can accompany the prince to go with you." ”

"Yes. ”

Li Yiqi responded softly, without saying anything more or asking more.

As a courtier, you need to know how to figure out your intentions, but if you figure it out thoroughly, go too far, and displease your master, then it will be troublesome, it is better to be stupid, the so-called "unpredictable gentleman's heart" is nothing more than that.

Besides, the empress has already made it obvious enough, how is he qualified to participate in the birthday banquet of the Great Xia Emperor as an East Palace companion? There must be something going on at the birthday banquet!

Another cool breeze blew, and Li Yiqi felt that his heart was going to be cold this time, and the biting chill was shivering.

Even he didn't know if he was trembling at the moment because of the chill of winter, or because of the fear in his heart.