To be precise, he shouldn't be considered a prisoner. At least no prisoner has ever been sent to prison by the temple chief himself. Furthermore, the temple prime minister looked diligent and careful, as if he had invited a living ancestor.
Standing outside the door of a clean and tidy prison, Shen Shi had a smile on his face, his left hand behind his back and his right hand stretched out, like a Huangshan welcoming pine.
"Uncle Li, please condescend to move in." Shen Shi said with a bow.
Li Qinzai did not rush in and carefully observed the environment through the iron bars of the cell.
This is the first time he has entered a cell. The environment is a bit unfamiliar, and...
Li Qinzai suddenly covered his nose and frowned: "What does it smell like? It's too smelly!"
Shen Shi said without thinking: "I will instruct the jailer to light sandalwood incense outside your cell to drive away the smell."
Li Qinzai was still dissatisfied, and pointed to the cell and said: "There is only one bed in there? Where is the other furniture? I want a low table, a futon, and a mahogany varnish floor on the floor..."
Shen Shi's eyelids twitched and he said awkwardly: "The low table and futon are fine, but the mahogany varnished floor..."
Li Qinzai glanced at him and said: "Forget it, when you finish the work, I guess it's time to be released from prison."
"Thank you, Uncle Li, for your understanding."
Unexpectedly, Li Qinzai hadn't finished yet. He pointed to the cell and said, "The room is too small. I eat, drink, and have sex here. I act like a prisoner. How can I feel at home?"
Shen Shi: “…………”
It's hard to answer this. In theory, you are a prisoner, otherwise what would you be?
Li Qinzai had no consciousness of being a prisoner at all. He really regarded himself as an ancestor.
Since Li Zhi had given instructions in advance to treat him well, there was no need to be polite to Dali Temple. Being too polite to others would only make him uncomfortable.
"Tear down the wall of the cell and open up the two rooms. No matter how hard life is, I still have to have one room and one living room. Isn't it too much? The room is too small and I cough."
Shen Shi quickly glanced at the cell and said decisively: "Why don't you... County Uncle Li go back to your house? I'll send two jailers to guard the door of your house and treat you as if you're in prison. How about that?"
Li Qinzai's eyes lit up: "You can actually do it like this?"
With a flick of his robe sleeves, Li Qinzai turned around and walked out: "Goodbye!"
Shen Shi quickly grabbed him with his quick eyes and almost burst into tears: "Uncle Li, wait a minute, I just made a joke. I can't take it seriously. If you leave, I'll be put in jail instead."
Li Qinzai glanced at him coldly: "How can an official be so mean-mouthed? If you dare to joke with me, I will take it seriously..."
"I'll give you two choices. One is to let me go home, and the other is to tear down the wall."
Shen Shi gritted his teeth: "Tear down the wall!"
"That's right. If you invite a living ancestor like me back and don't let you build an ancestral hall to enshrine me, you are already being merciful."
…………
Tai Chi Palace.
A eunuch named He Kuan was dragged out of Wanchun Palace by the Imperial Guards of Yulin and pulled to the outside of Qianhua Gate. Four water and fire sticks were thrown at him, and within a moment he was beaten to death in front of the palace gate.
When He Kuan was pulled out, Empress Wu was sitting in the Wanchun Palace, watching helplessly as He Kuan was dragged away by the Yulin guards. A moment later, the eunuch came to report with a pale face, saying that He Kuan had been killed with a rod, which was the order of the emperor himself.
Empress Wu's face was ashen, and her hands in her sleeves were trembling slightly, whether it was anger or fear.
She knew why He Kuan was killed with a stick, and she also knew Li Zhi's intention to kill He Kuan with a stick.
Li Zhi was a stern warning to her.
Her hand was stretched too wide. If the princess was no longer taken seriously, she was also Li Zhi's biological daughter. The love story had not yet been resolved. She casually gave away the flesh and blood of the Tian family based on the confessions of Guo Xingzhen and Fan Yunxian. This was something Li Zhi could not tolerate.
of.
Empress Wu gritted her teeth. At this moment, she finally realized that her husband had a bottom line.
Unlike when he hanged Empress Wang and Concubine Xiao Shu, or got rid of the powerful ministers Chang Sun Wuji and Chu Suiliang, when these people were killed, Li Zhi acquiesced, and in some cases he was even behind the scenes to help plan everything.
Those people back then had their reasons for dying. In order to centralize imperial power and consolidate their rule, they had to die.
But this does not mean that Li Zhi is a ruthless emperor. At least his children will not be executed easily.
Empress Wu wanted to get rid of the root cause, but this time she was a little impatient. She thought that getting rid of the two princesses would be as easy as getting rid of Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao Shu, but she misjudged Li Zhi's tolerance.
Although the queen is in charge of the harem, the life and death of the Tian family's flesh and blood is not something she can decide at will.
The width of the stick is Li Zhi's attitude. It is the dog that is killed, and the dog owner is warned.
The reason why he didn't reprimand her face to face was because Li Zhi still had some sympathy and didn't want the couple to openly quarrel with each other.
Empress Wu did not want to break up.
All her power comes from Li Zhi.
If the rift between husband and wife deepens and she loses her husband's favor, she will have nothing.
A eunuch hurriedly entered the palace and reported to the Empress Wu that just now, the emperor issued an order to remove Li Yi from the post of Minister of the Secretariat of the Mansion and reduce the number of households in the city by one hundred.
Empress Wu shuddered, this was another stern warning!
The harem is in her hands, but the world is in Li Zhi's hands.
A deep fear struck Empress Wu's heart. Sitting alone in the Wanchun Hall, Empress Wu felt that her hands and feet were cold.
After a long time, Empress Wu gritted her teeth, stood up and walked outside the palace.
She wanted to apologize to Li Zhi. Now, it was no longer important who was the mastermind of Victory-haunted Eucalyptus, nor was it important to eradicate the children of her enemies.
If she persists in her obsession, she will soon follow in the footsteps of Queen Wang. How long can a queen who has lost the favor of the emperor stay in this position?
…………
At night, Zhaoqing Hall of Tai Chi Palace.
Zhaoqing Hall is located to the west of the remote harem, separated only by a wall from Yeting.
Wang Fusheng finished today's chores and walked out of Yeting Palace, rubbing his shoulders. After checking his waist badge, he walked slowly towards Zhaoqing Palace.
The glory of the past is no longer the same. Since Li Zhong went to Liangzhou, Wang Fusheng has been doing heavy chores every day, washing the buckets, starching and washing clothes, and cleaning the courtyard.
Life is hard, and life has no hope of seeing the light of day.
There will be no reversal, no miracle. The only thing Wang Fusheng hopes for now is that in a few years, when he gets older, he will write to the Minister of Internal Affairs to beg for the bones and leave the palace to return home.
Fortunately, Wang Fusheng did not have any psychological pressure. In the hustle and bustle of these days, the mastermind was arrested one after another. Thousands of people in the palace were implicated, but he, Wang Fusheng, was safe and sound.
Fortunately, he framed the blame very well and buried the evidence secretly enough.
He can take this secret with him into the coffin.
It can stir up chaos in the Taiji Palace, and even alarm the government and the public, but the real mastermind is an inconspicuous eunuch who washes the respectful bucket, and he is still at large.
Wang Fusheng felt that his purpose of revenge had been achieved.
Walking alone outside Zhaoqing Hall, Wang Fusheng picked up a broom from the ground.
This is his last job today. He will clean up the Zhaoqing Hall and that will be the end of the day.
Just after scanning a few times, a soft but chaotic sound of footsteps suddenly came to my ears. The sound came from all directions, but it was faintly centered on him, slowly shrinking and getting closer.
Wang Fusheng was startled, then put down his broom as if nothing had happened, pretended to thump his waist, and walked towards the wall of Yeting Palace pretending to be casual.
After taking two steps, Wang Fusheng immediately started running, but he couldn't escape after all.
A group of Yulin guards stood under the palace wall, staring at him with cold eyes.