"Your Majesty, Concubine Xian Niangniang asks to see you."

After dealing with the backlog of slashes, the two monarchs and ministers were discussing under the lamp, and the inner servants outside came in to communicate.

"What's the matter with her?" Ling Li looked up and asked.

"Niangniang heard that His Majesty stayed up all night in the imperial study to approve the slashers, and personally boiled snow ear lily soup and sent it."

Ling Li was stunned for a moment, and then smiled: "I ate some roasted meat, I'm a little tired, just drink some soup, let her in." ”

After Man Fu went out to report, Dong Yuejiao came in with Qing Yu who was carrying a vermilion lacquer food box.

"The minister has seen the virtuous concubine." Shen immediately stood up and saluted.

Dong Yuejiao didn't know that there were still ministers in the imperial study, and she was stunned when she saw Shen Zhi. After Shen finished saluting, she reacted, and asked with a smile: "The concubine came over at this time, did she disturb Your Majesty and Lord Shen?" ”

"It doesn't matter. Concubine Lao Xian delivered food late at night. Ling Li said.

"Your Majesty is gracious. The concubine also heard that Concubine Mu's sister was sick when she went home to save her relatives and failed to return to the palace in time, lest Her Majesty forget to eat because of state affairs, so she stewed this soup and sent it. Dong Yuejiao instructed Qing Yu to open the lid of the food box, and she picked up the stew cup inside and put it on the small table where the wine and food had already been placed.

"How do you know that Concubine Mu is sick?" Ling Li asked. Although Guo Qian and Qiu Jin both said that Shu Mei's body was fine, he was worried in his heart, and at this moment, when he heard Dong Yuejiao also mention her illness, he became nervous again.

"Moyu was born today. In the evening, I asked Qing Yu to go to Jiqing Palace to deliver a letter to the princess, and she listened to Wei Shen, the handyman of Jiqing Palace. Dong Yuejiao handed the snow ear lily soup in a jade bowl to Ling Li.

"Wei Shen?" Ling Li felt that the name was somewhat familiar, and he thought about it while stirring the soup in the jade bowl with a spoon.

"Wei Shen is the eunuch who walked the wrong way with the Qifeng yellow satin crank umbrella on the day Concubine Mu's sister entered the palace. I heard that it was Concubine Mu's sister who begged, and His Majesty spared him. Dong Yuejiao took another bowl and handed it to Shen Zhu.

Ling Li was a little impressed, and then turned his head to ask Qing Yu who was standing respectfully and solemnly on the side, "What did that Wei Shen say?" ”

"Wei Shen said that after Concubine Mu returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion today, she changed her men's clothes and went to Dali Temple to visit the prison, I am afraid that she suffered from the wind and cold on the road, so she fell ill and couldn't return to the palace......"

"She went to visit the prison in Dali Temple? Who did you visit?! ”

"Like, as if to say...... Say yes...... The second prince. Qing Yu lowered his eyes.

Ling Liqian's face changed suddenly, and with a "bang", he put the jade bowl on the wooden table.

"Your Majesty is angry! Slaves and maids are also hearsay, and they may not be true. Qing Yu knelt down at Ling Li's feet with a "poof".

"Go and call Wei Shen to me." Ling Li turned his head to Man Fudao.

"Whoa." Man Fu glanced at Dong Yuejiao and retreated.

"Your Majesty is angry, it's all this cheap maid who is too talkative, and it makes Your Majesty angry, so the concubine will take her back for training." Dong Yuejiao pulled Qing Yu and retreated in horror.

After a while, Man Fu ran in sweating profusely, "Your Majesty, that Wei Shen, Wei Shen committed suicide by taking poison." ”

"What did you say?"

"The servants just went to the Inner Servant Province, and Yin Duzhi summoned many Inner Servants to interrogate the cause of Wei Shen's death. Hearing that His Majesty was going to summon Wei Shen, Yin Duzhi was also surprised, and he said that this matter was extraordinary, and he would report the truth to His Majesty after he and the Imperial City Division investigated it clearly. ”

She lied to herself that she wanted to go home to visit her grandmother, but she secretly went to Dali Temple to visit Ling Zhao! She was infected with a cold and fell ill and couldn't return to the palace, but the accompanying eunuch committed suicide by taking poison, what did she want to do and what did she do?! Ling Li's heart instantly became angry, and he slammed his fist on the table, and the soup and wine on the table were in a mess.

Seeing Ling Li's mood change in an instant, Shen was also stunned.

He has been with him for so long, and it is rare to see him lose control of his emotions like this. It seems that the rumors outside are not all false, he is really sincere to Shu Mei, and his emotions will be so easily involved. His feelings for his sister back then touched him very much as a younger brother. Now, his feelings for Shu Mei make him worry as a courtier. The emperor is too dedicated, and it will do more harm than good.

"Your Majesty is angry, Concubine Mu is simple-hearted, this must be Ling Zhao's trick." Shen put down the jade bowl in his hand.

"If you want to see Ling Zhao and say it, why do you lie to me that I am going home to save my relatives?!"

"It must be that Niangniang is afraid that Your Majesty will worry."

"You don't have to speak for her, I know best what kind of person she is." Shen kept talking to Shu Mei, which made Ling Li unhappy.

Shen looked at Ling Li, pursed his lips, and after a while, he said again: "The minister is still the same sentence, Ling Zhao should have dealt with it a long time ago, the longer it drags on, the more hidden dangers there are." ”

"Ling Zhao's matter, I was careless. Always thinking about a brother, the action is too fast, and the words are real. Ling Li clenched his fists and said hatefully: "I will summon Zhou Yi tomorrow and end this matter." ”

Shen nodded, then stood up, "It's late at night, and the minister will take his leave first." ”

"I'm sorry, Weizhi, but I disturbed your drinking interest today."

"In the past ten years, the incense has a lot of stamina, and the minister is no longer strong enough to drink." Shen arched his hand, turned around and left the imperial study.

After Shen left, Ling Li picked up the wine jug and poured a few sips on the spout.

Dong Yuejiao came to the imperial study to deliver soup at this time, with ill intentions. Someone died in the Inner Servant Province, and Liu Yin did not report to the Imperial City Division for private interrogation, and his appearance was suspicious. The people in this harem didn't let him worry about it. Before Shu Mei came back, he had to cut through the mess quickly and take care of all these things.

*********

On the second day, Shu Mei felt much better, lest Ling Li worry about her, so she quit her grandmother early in the morning and returned to the palace with her grandfather's carriage.

When he greeted Shu Shi'an earlier, he learned that Shu Mei had returned to the palace, Ling Li frowned, "I have ordered someone to pass on a decree to let her stay in the Prime Minister's Mansion for one more day, why did she come back?" ”

"It was Ah Mei who insisted on coming back, saying that he was afraid that the emperor would worry." Shu Shi'an said with a smile.

"With Shu Xiang and Mrs. Shu taking care of me, what do I have to worry about?"

Ling Li's words made Shu Shi'an a little uneasy, he looked at his face cautiously, and thought: Could it be that he already knew about Shu Mei going to visit Ling Zhao?

What Ling Li thought in his heart was: When she came back, wouldn't the people she wanted to punish be stopped by her again?

Both of them have something in their hearts. Shu Shi'an was originally going to report the preparations for the Spring Agricultural and Mulberry Festival, but he didn't press it. Ling Li originally wanted the officials to comprehensively clean up the roster of Enyin officials since the first year of Longhe, but he was afraid that the ministers would talk too much, so he didn't mention it.

After handling the political affairs as quickly as possible, Ling Li announced his retirement from the dynasty.

As soon as Shu Mei finished bathing and changing clothes, lying on the brocade couch to let the palace maid smoke her hair, Ling Li came over. She was in a hurry to go down to the ground to greet her, but was stopped by Ling Li. He took the scarf from the palace maid's hand and wiped her hair one by one.

Both of them had something on their minds, and they were relatively speechless for a while.

Yesterday, after knowing that she went to visit Ling Zhao in Dali Temple without telling her, he was very angry. But now looking at her pitiful appearance of recovering from her illness, he couldn't help but feel distressed.

"I was infected with the wind chill yesterday, why did I bathe today?"

"I'm afraid that the smell of dyeing outside the palace will smoke Brother Ling Li." Shu Mei smiled.

The smell of outside the palace? Ling Li's hand paused for a moment.