Emperor Xingyuan was happy to see Xin Yu's return, but he was not very happy after listening to her words.

"He Qingxiao dared to deceive me, and I only punished him with thirty rods, which is already for the sake of him saving you."

The girl kneeling on the cold floor tile had a straight body, her eyelashes trembled slightly when she heard this, and tears rolled down: "So the minister only asks to be punished with Lord He." It was the minister who begged him to keep it a secret for the time being, Lord He was at fault, and the minister was even more wrong. If Lord He is punished alone, but the minister stays out of the matter, the minister will not be able to forgive himself. ”

She said, her back straightened and she bowed: "I beg Your Majesty to fulfill it." ”

Emperor Xingyuan watched the girl's tears smashing on the gold bricks, and his mood was very complicated: Just now, the title of Princess Xia Guo said don't want it, it's so hard, how can you cry so much now?

But because of her bias, Emperor Xingyuan relented: "That's it, bring Changle Hou back." ”

The attendant who received the command hurried to the noon gate.

There was also a process for the minister to receive the court staff, and the person in charge of the prison was the great eunuch Sun Yan and the commander of Jin Linwei, Feng Nian.

When the chamberlain arrived, He Qingxiao had already received three canes, and the fourth staff raised high was about to fall.

"Stop!"

With the shouting of the chamberlain, the Han general in charge of the execution raised his long stick and subconsciously looked at Feng Nian.

The chamberlain hurriedly walked up to Feng Nian and Sun Yan: "Spread the word today, Changle Hou He Qingxiao will go to Qianqing Palace immediately." ”

Feng Nian was stunned, and looked at the young man lying on the ground with complicated eyes.

His clothes and pants were taken off, and one side of his face was pressed to the ground, obviously embarrassed and humiliated, but his brows that never frowned made people think that he was still the unfazed envoy of Beizhen.

"What are you doing in a daze, don't help Lord He up!" After a moment of stunnedness, Feng Nian said to General Dahan.

Several Han generals hurriedly helped He Qingxiao up.

He Qingxiao refused the help of others, silently put on his clothes and pants, and went to the Qianqing Palace with the attendants who came to deliver the message.

Feng Nian looked at the tall back, and sighed regretfully in his heart: I only hit it three times.

"Commander Feng, let's go." Sun Yan walked past Feng Nian.

In the Qianqing Palace, the chamberlain reported: "Your Majesty, He Zhenfu has arrived." ”

"Let him in."

Xin Yu looked at the door and saw He Qingxiao walking in.

is different from the embarrassment in the picture, his scarlet official uniform is not too dirty, except that a strand of hair falls on the side of his face after removing the official hat, which is what he usually does not appear when he is a saint.

He Qingxiao also saw Xin Yu.

When his eyes met, he saw her reddish eyes and residual tears, and suddenly understood why this court staff had suddenly stopped.

Using all his self-control to retract his gaze, He Qingxiao slowly knelt down and saluted: "The guilty minister has seen Your Majesty, and I have seen Her Royal Highness the eldest princess. ”

When Emperor Xingyuan saw him move, Feng Nian was quite fast, and subconsciously glanced at Xin Yu, inexplicably feeling a little weak.

Xin Yu naturally saw that He Qingxiao had been beaten with a cane, but he didn't know how many canes he had received.

Her eyes were sour, and tears were falling.

He Qingxiao's expression froze, helpless and confused.

Is Ayu crying for him?

This discovery made his heart throb and was a little untrue.

He has the impression that Ah Yu is resourceful and lonely, but he rarely sees her weak and crying.

Xin Yu, whose eyes had been falling on He Qingxiao, noticed his confusion, and the original guilt and heartache turned into helplessness in an instant.

Lord He is also too realistic. Tears are not worth much, and it is cost-effective to lose more in exchange for him to suffer less.

"Ahem." Emperor Xingyuan cleared his throat, "Marquis Changle, you have a meritorious service in saving Ayu, and the rest of the court staff will be spared." ”

Sure enough, it was Ayu who interceded for him.

He Qingxiao clenched his fists and lowered his head: "Thank you, Your Majesty." ”

"Don't take it as an example." Emperor Xingyuan's cold voice was full of warning, "Stand down." ”

"The minister retired."

He Qingxiao slowly got up and left backwards.

Emperor Xingyuan looked at Xin Yu: "See, people are fine." ”

Xin Yu wiped her tears: "Thank you, Your Majesty." ”

Emperor Xingyuan endured it, but he couldn't hold back: "Ayu values Changle Hou very much. ”

He actually wanted to say that he cared, and secretly suspected that his daughter liked the bastard.

Xin Yu raised his eyes and looked at Emperor Xingyuan, his eyes were clear, and his expression was calm: "Lord He is the minister's life-saving benefactor." When I was a Kou girl and a Xin Gongzi, I ran around for people I didn't know and didn't regret it, how could I be indifferent to the danger of my life-saving benefactor? ”

Speaking of this, she looked suspicious: "Could it be that Your Majesty suspects that the minister has a relationship between men and women for Lord He?" ”

Emperor Xingyuan was suddenly embarrassed.

It's that he's too vulgar, how can he speculate about Ayu according to common sense.

"Yuzu misunderstood, I didn't think so. Oh, since you're back, it's better to wait until dinner before leaving the palace. ”

The eldest princess of Zhaoyang knew that Xin Yu was unwilling, so she refused politely: "There are many rules in the palace, and after tossing for most of the day, let Ah Yu go to the courtier's sister to rest, and she can enter the palace at any time in the future." ”

When Emperor Xingyuan heard this, he no longer forced him to stay.

Out of the palace gate, Xin Yu and the eldest princess of Zhaoyang got into the carriage, and the car company soon caught up with He Qingxiao, who was on foot.

The main body of the chief prince of Zhaoyang instructed the coachman to stop: "Ah Yu go and ask Changle Hou if he has a carriage, if not, let him take this car back to the Hou Mansion." ”

"Thank you, auntie."

Xin Yu got out of the carriage and walked towards He Qingxiao: "Lord He." ”

He Qingxiao stopped and watched the girl in a plain dress walking briskly, her gaze stopping at the tail of her faintly red eyes.

For the first time, He Qingxiao felt that he was despicable.

He was so happy that Ayu wept for him.

The pain from the wound and the humiliation of being beaten with his shirt and cane off in public seemed insignificant in comparison.

"Miss Xin—" He Qingxiao hesitated, "or ...... Her Royal Highness the Princess? ”

He did not know what agreement was made after the father and daughter met.

"There is no princess, Lord He calls me Miss Xin." Xin Yu couldn't see the extent of the injury from He Qingxiao's expression, pursed her lips and asked, "Am I late?" ”

This morning, they were stopped by Lord He outside the alley, and they made up their minds, and when Lord He was questioned, they admitted that they knew her identity when they went south.

If there is no trip to the south, once the fact that Miss Kou is Xin Gongzi is exposed, it will be difficult for Lord He to deny knowing her true identity to win the trust of that person, and if he admits it, the crime of deception of this nature will not be easily revealed.

The trip to the south rescued her from falling into the water and gave her the best chance to admit the incident.

Looking at her concerned eyes, He Qingxiao unconsciously raised her lips: "I only took three hits." ”

After a pause, he said softly: "It's just thirty rods, I can stand it, Miss Xin shouldn't intercede for me." ”

"Jin Linwei's commander Feng Nian is not friendly to Lord He, with him to be imprisoned, it is possible to take off half of his life with thirty rods."

Thirty rods to death can be striking. Feng Nian didn't dare to ask for Lord He's life, but it was not difficult for him to suffer a lot.