Chapter 15: Enter the East Palace!

Shangjing, Great Xia Palace, Kunning Palace.

The huge Kunning Palace is extremely quiet, whether it is the palace maids, eunuchs, or those guards with bright eyes and strong breath with swords, they are all absolutely quiet at this moment.

At this time, on a jade couch with a golden luan and phoenix, a woman was leaning on it.

The woman is about forty years old, but she is very well maintained, she looks like she is in her early twenties, wearing a phoenix crown and a phoenix hairpin, with a graceful posture, dignified and luxurious, and a beautiful appearance.

The woman was closing her eyes at this time, as if she was having a good time, and beside her, two rows of beautiful little palace maids were kneeling on the side, holding a few plates of fresh and jade fruits and snacks in their hands.

These little palace maids lowered their heads one after another, their expressions were respectful, cautious, humble and restrained, even though they had been kneeling on the ground for two hours, they still maintained this posture, not moving at all.

"Your Majesty's will has arrived?"

Suddenly, a calm but majestic voice erupted from the woman's mouth, echoing through the hall.

"Returning to the Queen, the will has been conveyed. ”

In front of the woman, a beaded curtain hung down to cut off the view, and several figures were kneeling on the ground under the steps.

Hearing the woman's question, a figure's body trembled, and he hurriedly responded in a low-pitched and unpleasant voice: "The slave has also been mentioned according to Niangniang's intentions, presumably, that kid from the Li family will go to the East Palace tomorrow to assist His Royal Highness the Prince." ”

"Well, well done. ”

The woman's voice was calm, but it showed an unfathomable majesty.

"It is the honor of a slave to serve the queen. Under the bead curtain, the old eunuch who went to the Li Mansion to deliver the decree trembled, and he didn't dare to raise his head.

"It would be great if the Li family could be like you, have the same mind as you, and do their best to assist Qing'er. The woman sighed faintly, got up from the jade couch, and slowly opened a pair of phoenix eyes.

Her eyes were sharp, like a god, and she looked down, revealing a dignity and majesty that could not be desecrated.

"Stand down and get some reward. ”

"Yes, the minion is gone. ”

......

Three days later, inside the Kunning Palace.

"What are you talking about, that young son of the Li family hasn't gone to the East Palace yet?" In the main hall, the woman's voice passed through the bead curtain and fell from above.

In this angry rebuke, there was an inexplicable coercion, which made people's calves weak.

"Yes...... The news came from the East Palace, and Li Yiqi of the Li family ...... He also ...... "The old eunuch's heart sank, and his old face, which was as wrinkled as a dead tree, became a little distorted by nervousness and fear.

Behind the bead curtain, the woman's face was extremely cold, her phoenix eyes were full of evil, and she said sharply: "Someone!"

As soon as the words fell, in the main hall, two guards with knives with high noses and strong breaths like mountains hurriedly walked out, half-knelt on the ground, bowed their heads and said in a deep voice: "Niangniang!"

"Send a message to the Li Mansion for the main palace to 'remind' that kid. ”

"Yes. The two guards with knives clenched their fists in response, and when they were about to leave, a little eunuch hurriedly ran in from outside the hall.

"Queen Mother, there is news from the East Palace, saying that the prince's companion has arrived in the East Palace. ”

......

Late at night, in the Li Mansion, in Li Jiu's study, several lights burned quietly, reflecting the window paper in the room red.

At the desk, Qi'er stood obediently with a chicken soup supper in her hand, her eyes fell on the emaciated young man in front of her, and her pretty little face was full of worry.

"Young master, take another sip. ”

"Hmm. ”

Li Yiqi greeted casually, took the chicken soup, poured it into his mouth, turned his head and smiled: "Qi'er, you go back to rest, you don't have to accompany me." ”

"But...... Master, you haven't slept much for another two nights. Qi'er frowned and whispered.

"You don't have to worry about me, go to sleep first. ”

Li Yiqi sighed and rubbed his sleepy eyes. He was also helpless, and the will stated that he would go to the East Palace to accompany the prince in three days, and tomorrow would be the third day, and if he didn't go, he would resist the decree.

But he hadn't finished reading all the files yet, because time was too tight.

"Young master, what ...... Remember to finish the soup later. Qi'er pursed her lips and glanced around, but a bitter melon-like smile appeared on her little face.

She wanted to put the chicken soup in her hand in an empty place, but now...... Where is there any room in this room?

The desk, the coffee table, the floor, and even the bed are now full of mountains of files, some of which have been flipped through, and some of which are still unopened.

"I'll still accompany the young master...... Qi'er muttered, as if talking to herself, holding the porcelain bowl and quietly guarding the side.

Li Yiqi didn't hear Qi'er's muttering, and his whole mind was on the file in his hand.

This is Shui Bo used the energy of the Li family to find all the news about the inner courtyard of the palace, about the preferences, personalities, martial arts strength, and forces behind the crown prince and many royal disciples.

However, Li Yiqi knew that this huge amount of tens of thousands of pieces of information was only the tip of the iceberg for the mysterious and noble Great Xia Palace. There are even speculations and assumptions that are just speculations and assumptions of the Li family's intelligence officers, which are not necessarily accurate. If you want to peel off the cocoon from these tens of thousands of pieces of information and get the information you want, the amount of work is unimaginable.

"Today, Emperor Xia is in the prime of life, but he has established the position of prince early. It's a pity, the prince is incompetent, and anyone with a discerning eye can see that it is only a matter of time before it is easy to store. If the crown prince is vacant, among the many princes of the royal family, only a few people are the most likely to become princes......"

Li Yiqi sat on the Taishi chair, leaning on the table with one hand and supporting his head, motionless.

At the moment, he was frantically printing the information in his hand into his mind word by word, memorizing and analyzing:

"The three princes have great ambitions, do things vigorously and resolutely, the city is quite deep, and they have made many achievements in the court, and their posture is majestic, which is very similar to the current Xia Emperor when he was young, and is deeply loved by the Xia Emperor. ”

"The five princes have extremely high martial arts talents, hunting palace riding and archery at the age of six, and hunting a demon beast black bear with their bare hands at the age of ten, which is the highest martial arts cultivation among all the princes today, and it is said that he has reached the peak of the Qi Sea Realm. ”

"The eighth prince has loved Confucian classics since he was a child, talented, generous, docile temperament, and good conversation, not only among the other princes and princesses in the harem, but also good friends with many ministers in the court. ”

"The Ten Princes were born to Bi Guifei, Bi is a family of three princes, when the imperial master Bi Yuntian controlled the government for 30 years, he is the first person recognized among today's civil ministers, and his protégés are all over the world, and the Ten Princes can be said to be the most noble of all the princes. ”

"The thirteen princes are very ordinary, they have neither noble relatives nor extraordinary talents, and their biological mother's position in the harem is not high, and even their age is the youngest of all the princes. But when the thirteen princes were born, it was a different phase from the sky, and a large red auspicious cloud shrouded the palace. That night, when Qin Tianjian was watching the stars, he found that the emperor star crape myrtle was shining brightly, and he gave it to the Xia Emperor overnight, and everyone thought that this was the image of the Holy Lord descending from heaven. ”

"Political achievements, martial arts, literary Taoism, relatives, and providence...... It seems that these things are still no match for Emperor Xia's love for the queen's mother, the Nine Emperors are just mediocre, but the biological mother is the current queen, and it is precisely because of this that he sat on the throne of the East Palace!"

Li Yiqi frowned, opened the file about the prince in his hand and read it again, and then an extremely bitter smile appeared on his face.

"This prince is not only a mediocre man, but also a mallet...... Am I going to assist such a person?" he sighed, tilting his head back in his chair.

This night, Li Yiqi thought a lot, and it was not until the next morning that he opened his eyes.

"Qi'er. ”

Li Yiqi screamed, but did not respond.

He turned his head to see that Qi'er had curled up in the corner of the room from sleepiness and had fallen asleep.

Smiling slightly, Li Yiqi stepped forward to pick him up, put it on the bed, closed the quilt, and then walked out of the study.

"Crunch—"

The door of the study opened, and Shui Bo stood respectfully outside the door, seemingly waiting for a long time.

"Young master, the East Palace has sent someone here again. ”

"yes, I see. Li Yiqi nodded, his expression indifferent.

Shui Bo glanced at Li Yiqi, and a strange color flashed in his eyes. Although Li Yiqi's whole person looks sluggish, his eyes are extremely bright and he looks very calm.

"Young master, you have dragged on for three days to go, I'm afraid it will displease His Royal Highness the Prince. Shui Bo was a little worried.

Li Yiqi shook his head calmly and said with a smile: "Trust me, it's okay." ”

Although he learned from Shui Bo that the queen wanted him to enter the palace as soon as possible, it was a pity that Li Yiqi had never been the kind of person who was born smooth and superstitious about authority.

Since the holy decree stipulates that the deadline is three days, then it is not against the will to go again on the third day.

As for the prince...... Hehe, Li Yiqi didn't even bother to think about it.

"Shui Bo, Qi'er's little girl is sleeping in the room, you don't have to wake her up, let her sleep. ”

Shui Bo was slightly stunned, but he still bowed his head respectfully and said, "Yes, young master." ”

"Well, Shui Bo, I'm in the East Palace, so I don't have to worry about my safety, but ...... Aunt and aunt are weak, and everything in the house is still left to you to take care of, so be careful. Li Yiqi took a deep look at Shui Bo and walked towards the gate of the Li Mansion.

"Yes, young master. A gleam flashed in Shui Bo's eyes, and he responded in a deep voice.

Outside the gate of the Li Mansion, there was a gorgeous, rich, and exquisitely decorated carriage and a small man wearing a cyan brocade robe.

The little servant was worried, and his eyes looked inside from the open gate of the Li Mansion from time to time, and his expression seemed to be a little anxious.

Suddenly, he saw a figure slowly approaching, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he hurriedly stepped forward, and said with a wry smile: "Li Gongzi, you are making the little one wait." ”

"Li Gongzi, please. The little guy lowered his head and invited Li Yiqi into the carriage.

The carriage of the East Palace is very luxurious, much more luxurious than the carriage of the princely family, and there is a carpet made of the fur of the demon beast white fox below, and a plate of elegant incense made of unknown material is lit in the corner, which makes the whole carriage overflowing with fragrance.

In the carriage, Li Yiqi's expression was complicated, and his heart was up and down, and he couldn't calm down for a long time.

He opened the curtain and looked back at the solemn Hou Mansion, his eyes seemed to be a little reluctant, but after all, he slowly lowered the curtain.

......

The carriage went all the way, passing through the small half of the capital, and only then did it come to the imperial city of Great Xia.

The Great Xia Imperial Palace is divided into the imperial city and the palace city, and no one can enter and leave at will except for the Xia Emperor and the concubines of the harem and those underage princes. And the imperial city surrounds the palace city, the area is even wider, and there are palace halls everywhere, and those princes will move out of the palace once they reach adulthood, even the crown prince is no exception.

The Wude Hall of the East Palace is in this imperial city.

"Haha, Li Gongzi, you're finally here. ”

As soon as Li Yiqi got out of the carriage, he heard a familiar voice, he raised his eyes, and a cold light flashed from his eyes.

Zhang Ran walked up to Li Yiqi arrogantly, raised his eyebrows, and asked with a smile: "Li Gongzi, you have such a big temper, enough to make His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Queen Mother wait for three days, how can you explain this matter to me?"

"Explain, explain what?" asked Li Yiqi a little dazed.

"Humph!"

Zhang Ran snorted coldly, his eyes gloomy: "The queen mother and His Royal Highness the crown prince are very unhappy, do you understand? It seems that you really don't take the royal family seriously!"

Zhang Ran's words were quite threatening, and his expression was even more like a cool official interrogating a sinner.

However, in the face of Li Yiqi, who had collected all the information of the East Palace, the threat of these two sentences was simply nothing, and he also knew very well what kind of person Zhang Ran, the counselor of the East Palace, was.

"Presumptuous!"

Suddenly, Li Yiqi exuded a cold momentum, and a sharp look glared at him.

"You are a dog minion, what qualifications do you have to ask Ben Gongzi to explain?"

"In terms of official rank, you are the sixth grade, I am from the sixth grade, and I am only half a grade lower than you. But in terms of status, my Li family is the pillar of the Great Xia Town, a princely family! What kind of thing are you?"

"I am the prince's companion appointed by the queen's mother, you are just a dog beside the prince, and you dare to fake the tiger and fox in front of me with a tiger skin of the prince, believe it or not, I will send you to the palace as a eunuch after I gain power!"

Zhang Ran suddenly took a step back as if he had been pricked by a needle, his face was pale, and his heart was extremely frightened.

Over the years, he has relied on the name of the word 'East Palace' to do things outside, and he has reaped a lot of benefits, and even some people with higher official ranks than him are polite when they see him, and no one dares to speak to him like this.

Zhang Ran had already inquired clearly, Li Yiqi was just a child of the Hou Mansion, and he didn't even know martial arts. Maybe as long as you threaten yourself, you can get some benefits.

But Zhang Ran didn't expect that Li Yiqi's eyes were so terrifying, and his momentum was even more terrifying, like a sixteen-year-old boy there.

"You...... You, you. ”

Zhang Ran's face turned blue and white for a while, under Li Yiqi's cold momentum, he actually felt weak, and at the same time, he was also a little annoyed in his heart, his eyes widened, he was actually frightened away by this waste who didn't know martial arts.

"Dog minion, dare to look at me with such eyes!" Li Yiqi's pupils shrank, and a trace of fierceness flashed in his eyes.

Syllable!

A slap suddenly sounded, Zhang Ran looked confused, and before he could react, Li Yiqi had already slapped him in the face with a heavy slap.

"You hit me, you ......"

Zhang Ran touched half of his beaten face, and before he finished speaking, he felt a cold light sweeping towards him, paused, and found that Li Yiqi was staring at him with a cold face.

"Remember this slap, with the power of my Li family, it is easy to kill you as a dog minion! In the future, if I want to see your fox and fake tiger power again, and tarnish the reputation of His Royal Highness the Prince, I will show the queen mother, castrate you, and send you to the palace as a eunuch!"

Li Yiqi's extremely cold eyes made Zhang Ran a little frightened, and he was stunned all of a sudden.

"Got it, Grandpa Zhang......"

Zhang Ran's body trembled, his back was cold, and when he heard the word 'father-in-law', his legs and feet would be weak even if he was a man.

Zhang Ran didn't know how true or false Li Yiqi's words were, but in terms of momentum, he had already lost completely.

The corners of Li Yiqi's mouth hooked up a smile that was not easy to be noticed, but his eyes were still cold, and he reprimanded sharply:

"Get out!"

"Yes, yes......" Zhang Ran lowered his head, trembled all over, his face was pale, and he stood aside in fear, looking frightened.

"Waste. ”

Li Yiqi spit out two words expressionlessly, didn't look at him again, and walked towards the Wude Hall calmly.