"Miss Shen, don't be afraid. I just look fierce, but I'm actually very kind to my subordinates."
Qi Sheng lowered his tone and said, "Working under this king is definitely more comfortable than following Gu Jiali. What do you think, do you want to come to our Xiangnan Palace?"
He is very generous to his subordinates...
If you can believe this, an old sow can climb a tree.
Shen Qingqing quietly raised her head to look at him, then quickly lowered her head and said timidly: "Thank you for your love, Your Majesty, but, I still want to stay with Master Gu, and I hope that Your Majesty..."
Qi Sheng suddenly interrupted her and said coldly: "Don't want to?"
Shen Qingqing trembled, biting her lip and saying nothing, her meaning was obvious.
"Okay, then let's go." Qi Sheng put his palm on the corner of the table and squeezed it hard, "As long as you have the ability to step out of this room, I will let you go."
As soon as he finished speaking, two "swish" sounds came from the door.
Shen Qingqing immediately turned around and saw two guards holding their sabers high and glaring at her fiercely.
Qi Sheng's gloomy voice came from behind again: "Gu Jiali has the support of the emperor and the queen mother behind him. I can't move, but it's too easy to kill a little maid. Do you want to try it?"
Judging from this tone, he must have really believed her lies and started to use coercion when he saw no benefits.
Shen Qingqing silently praised her superb acting skills. At the same time, she pinched her thighs and knelt on the ground like a frightened cat. She cried and begged him for mercy: "I didn't mean to reject the prince, I was forced to do nothing! "
"Forced?" Qi Sheng lowered his head, with a cold light flashing in his thick black eyes, "Tell me your reasons."
Shen Qingqing had tears in her eyes, biting her lips lightly, with a pitiful look that I felt pity for, "The reason I stay with Lord Gu is because I want him to avenge my family."
"Huh?" Qi Sheng frowned, obviously listening to her words.
Shen Qingqing sniffed and explained: "The slave's father was an oil seller. When he went out to do business, he accidentally ran into the bullies in the town and was beaten to death by them. The slave's mother was not in good health. When she heard about her father's death I was overly sad for a while and passed away."
"The slaves went to the county town to file a complaint. They were kicked out without even entering the county government gate. They all said that the bully was rich and powerful and ordinary people could not afford to offend him..."
Speaking of sadness, the hand hidden in his sleeve pinched his thigh hard, and the tears that had been accumulating in his eyes suddenly rolled down.
Shen Qingqing lowered her head and wiped her tears, crying so hard, "I want to avenge my parents, but the county doesn't care about it, so I can only find other ways. Although Mr. Gu has a somewhat old-fashioned personality and his words are a bit unpleasant, he is a good person. One day If you feel better, you might be able to help this slave redress his injustice."
"Gu Jiali is the Minister of Dali Temple. He can't handle important big cases. How can he help you with these trivial matters?"
Qi Sheng stood up and looked at her condescendingly, with an arrogant attitude, "Yes, I will send someone to help your parents redress their grievances. How about that?"
Shen Qingqing looked up in surprise, "Really?"
After saying this, he realized that he was rude, and quickly lowered his head and said timidly: "Your Majesty, can you give me one night to think about it? I will definitely give you an answer tomorrow morning."
She might as well take advantage of this time to confront Gu Jiali with her confession. If the secret was revealed, the whole scene would be in vain.
Qi Sheng stared sharply at the woman kneeling in front of him. She looked very frightened, her thin body huddled up, her hands hanging by her sides tightly holding the hem of her skirt, and even her ears turned red with fear.
Such a timid and cowardly woman seems to be unable to make waves.
He spoke as if he was giving charity: "As soon as possible, I am not a very patient person. Besides, after you go back, do you still need me to teach you what to say and what not to say?"
Shen Qingqing stood up obediently and saluted, "Your Majesty is only interested in the food cooked by this slave. He didn't say anything else."
Qi Sheng nodded approvingly and waved his hand, "Okay, let's go back."
Shen Qingqing exhaled, thanked him happily, and followed the boy who led the way out of the main hall.
Qi Sheng looked at the backs of the two people silently, raised his hand and called a guard, "Keep an eye on her, and report any abnormalities to me at any time."
*
Beiyuan, Gu Jiali and Zhiyi were both asleep.
One was still crouching in front of the desk sorting books, while the other stretched his neck and looked around like a monkey.
Seeing Shen Qingqing coming from the corridor in the distance, her face lit up with joy, and she turned back to Gu Jiali and said, "He's back, he's back with all his hair and tail!"
Gu Jiali frowned and put his index finger between his lips to make a silent gesture.
"I understand that you can't make loud noises at night." Zhiyi made a sealing gesture.
Shen Qingqing also saw Zhiyi guarding the door, said goodbye to the boy, and walked faster.
"How about it? They didn't make things difficult for you, right?" Zhiyi couldn't wait to come over as soon as the door was closed.
Shen Qingqing shook her head and raised her eyes to look at Gu Jiali, "Mr. Gu, please stop the storage work first. I have something to discuss with you."
Gu Jiali stopped and wiped his hands with the wet cloth hanging by his side, then pulled out the chair and nodded to her: "Go ahead."
"Qi Sheng has become suspicious of your purpose of coming to Xiangcheng and wants to get some useful information from me." Shen Qingqing lowered her voice deliberately.
Gu Jiali glanced at her with an indifferent expression, "Do you want to take advantage of the situation?"
"Not bad." Shen Qingqing rubbed her pinched thigh, told him her random identity, and finally said: "Qi Sheng should have believed me now, but to be on the safe side, I will ask an adult to accompany me later.
I act in a play."
Gu Jiali pursed his lips, noncommittal, and asked her again after a moment of silence: "Have you finished the play? Tell me all your plans."
Shen Qingqing blinked her eyes with a sly look, "I plan to use a stratagem to divorce."
"Qi Sheng has a narrow mind, an arrogant temper, and no tolerance for others; Chen Bitian is ambitious and even crazier than him. It is impossible for these two to cooperate sincerely, and they should be easily separated."
"My plan is to use the case of a fire in the class room as a guise to imply that the Qisheng court has noticed that there are rebel forces in the Xiangcheng area and will point the finger at Chen Bitian."
"In this case, Qi Sheng will most likely take the initiative to sever ties with Chen Bitian in order to protect himself. Without the protection of the palace, Chen Bitian will become a toothless tiger and vulnerable to a blow."
"Your analysis makes sense." Gu Jiali tapped the edge of the table lightly, "But this matter is too dangerous. General Zhao has specifically told me to protect you."
Does co-authoring mean "your method is useful, but I don't intend to adopt it"?
Shen Qingqing stood up and looked at him with burning eyes, "What good ideas does Master Gu have?"
Looking into her bright and bright eyes, Gu Jiali was speechless for a moment, "Check, just like other cases, look for evidence, find out the murderer behind the scenes, and bring him to justice."