Although the little emperor was very anxious, he was blocked outside and could only face the long screen with birds paying homage to the phoenix.
　　The maids and midwives who had been prepared long ago went in and out, accompanied by several close-fitting palace maids from Fengzao Palace. Even the imperial doctors from the Imperial Hospital came several more, but they did not dare to talk under the emperor's nose. They talked in a small room outside the threshold where medicine was boiled.
　　Meng Cheng stood up and sat down again, knocking the teacup lid beside him with a series of noises, which made him upset. His attitude was completely different from that towards others. The safety and life of the queen were not only compared with those of the slaves, but also compared with those of other concubines.
　　Dong Lingjiu sat with him beside him, and he was very calm and quiet. On her other side was Meng Zhaiyue. The princess supported her forehead with one hand, then slid down to knead her plump cheeks, revealing a feeling of worry and irritability. Especially when she heard a voice similar to that of the emperor's sister-in-law, she felt that at this critical moment, things were piled up together.
　　"Sit down." Dong Lingjiu glanced at Meng Cheng, "Don't panic."
　　Meng Cheng first replied to his mother, and said the first half of the sentence stubbornly: "I am not panicking..." After he
　　stopped talking, he turned his head and looked at Meng Zhaiyue. Various emotions surged in his heart, and he said something in a hurry: "If I hadn't quarreled with my younger sister, maybe this wouldn't have happened. I shouldn't have caused trouble in Fengzao Palace... It's all the fault of that damn servant."
　　Meng Zhaiyue's eyelids jumped, and she covered her face and tapped her eyebrows with her fingers. She exhaled and said: "If you don't think about Yingying, you should also do some good for your sister-in-law."
　　"I have already..."
　　"Sit down." Dong Lingjiu emphasized a little.
　　Meng Cheng shut up and sat down next to Dong Lingjiu again. His expression was somewhat empty because of the mixture of his emotions, anxiety and anger. He just clasped his hands together, clenched them tightly, and his knuckles were white.
　　Dong Lingjiu glanced and saw the door curtain being lifted. Zheng Yuheng was talking to the female doctor who came in to serve, while crossing the threshold, turned around and walked in front of several people. He didn't care about the etiquette and approached Dong Lingjiu directly, whispering: "After taking a dose of medicine, it should be fine."
　　"Obstetric medicine?"
　　"Yes, I've seen the prescription."
　　Although Zheng Yuheng was not an expert in this matter, his mother was well-known in this field, and he had some family knowledge. He was very accurate in judging whether the prescription was suitable.
　　After he came in and finished his reply, he should have left immediately, but before he turned around, Meng Zhaiyue suddenly asked, "Where did my brother lock him up?" Dong Lingjiu
　　took a sip of tea and said, "The Palace Front Department, the Purple Guard." Meng Zhaiyue
　　turned her head and looked at her, her eyes moist. She thought for a moment and said, "It's not appropriate to see blood and kill in such a happy event of adding a child."
　　"I know." Dong Lingjiu said calmly, "There are priorities, this is not the time to deal with him." Meng Zhaiyue breathed a sigh of relief
　　, looked at her brother again, stood up and said, "I'll go in and see my sister-in-law."
　　After saying that, she lifted her skirt and went inside. The maid next to her didn't dare to stop her. Seeing that the Queen Mother didn't stop her, she also gave a few words to the Princess, and then stepped back.
　　The little emperor was upset and too lazy to quarrel with Zheng Yuheng. He looked at the birds on the long screen, a little dazed and absent-minded. Dong Lingjiu gestured slightly, asking Zheng Yuheng to come closer.
　　Zheng Yuheng lowered his head and leaned over to listen to her softly: "Go and help me watch Xu Xiang. There are many people who want to kill him."
　　Zheng Yuheng glanced at the face of his nominal master, the emperor. He found that he didn't pay any attention to him at all. Of course, he regarded himself as Dong Lingjiu's man, so he immediately "rebelled" and said: "Okay, I'll go now."
　　Dong Lingjiu's words were naturally more effective than the imperial edict. Moreover, Xu Xiang still had some favors for him in the past. Zheng Yuheng did not hesitate and directly left the hall, took out the identity token and official seal ribbon of the Palace Front Department, and went there immediately. It
　　was unknown how long this wait would take. Wang Wanrou was the first child. According to the midwives, even if everything went smoothly, it would take about five or six hours. After waiting for about three hours, Dong Lingjiu called Yingying back and didn't move. He just had a simple meal in the side hall of Fengzao Palace without any appetite.
　　It was already evening, the sky was dim outside, and the remaining sunset fell on the window lattice.
　　Meng Cheng couldn't even think of eating, he didn't eat or drink, no one knew what was going on in his mind, and his reactions were slow. The attendants wanted to persuade him, but Dong Lingjiu said "Don't bother with him" and sent the attendants away, and then he ate something with Yingying.
　　Meng Zhaiyue was not much better than her brother, her eyes wandered, she was hesitant to speak, because she had shed a lot of tears in the palace, her eyes were slightly swollen, and her two curved slender-leaf eyebrows were frowned.
　　She moved her chopsticks a few times, and then put them down, thinking again and again, and said: "...Mother."
　　Dong Lingjiu didn't raise his eyelids and said "hmm".
　　"It wasn't his fault in the first place." Meng Zhaiyue said, "Why did my brother..."
　　"Because Cheng'er believes that people are noble and humble." Dong Lingjiu said calmly, "You have seen it a long time ago. There is no need to ask such a superficial and obvious question."
　　Meng Zhaiyue naturally knew this truth. She spoke like this just to find a suitable topic. Seeing that her mother spoke frankly, she did not shy away and threw away the naivety and willfulness she had shown in front of her brother. Her tears had dried, her eyes were bright, and she asked earnestly: "Is there any way to save the person?"
　　Dong Lingjiu said: "Think about it yourself."
　　"I came here in a hurry, and now I have sorted out the things." Meng Zhaiyue said, "I cannot take the lead in this matter. The more I take the lead, the faster he will die, and the more my royal brother will hate him. But mother cannot plead for him, because he is the criminal officer employed by mother, and now he has been impeached. With Your Majesty furious, people inside and outside the court will definitely want to drag him down and abandon him. If mother comes forward, it will be suspected of protecting him. Now, even if those old ministers do not want to end up, they will be afraid that mother is unwilling to give up power to Your Majesty, and will be greedy for power and do what the emperor did in the past. If he arouses the disgust and concern of the old ministers, not only will mother's reputation be damaged, but he will also be dead without a doubt."
　　She spoke in a gentle tone, observing Dong Lingjiu's expression.
　　Dong Lingjiu said, "Your Majesty?"
　　"Sometimes we can't just treat our royal brother as our royal brother." Meng Zhaiyue responded, then paused, "Just like our mother sometimes calls him emperor instead of his name."
　　"Then you came here in a hurry, knowing this, and still had a big fight with him." Dong Lingjiu looked at her.
　　Meng Zhaiyue was clear in her thinking and had calmed down a lot: "Firstly, I am afraid that my elder brother will be impulsive and issue an imperial decree to behead him, which will be irreversible and I will also be out of control. Secondly, Mr. Wang Mingyan told me that in order to achieve a goal, you must first show weakness to the enemy and act helpless, so as to catch them off guard and put them off guard."
　　"Well," Dong Lingjiu said, "go on."
　　"If I don't make a fuss, I'm afraid my elder brother will have murderous intent and take action directly. Since I must make a fuss, I might as well use the simplest and most clichéd way, crying, making a fuss, and then hanging myself, to maintain the situation first, so that Your Majesty will think that I can only do these things and will not necessarily be on guard against other actions."
　　When she said "cannot stand out", it was obviously only reflected in the government affairs, and she could not impeach him in front of the ministers and officials, but not in front of Meng Cheng. The intention was a bit like "repairing the plank road in the open and marching through Chencang in secret."
　　"Go on." Dong Lingjiu put down the spoon and motioned her to continue.
　　"The emperor hates him to death and wants to punish Xu Xiang, but it falls on his previous position. I have read the case files of the inner prison, and I know some of the truth. It is said that Xu Bingbi is not guilty at all, but I can't say it, but after careful investigation, he has tried his best to reduce the involvement of innocent people in the handling, and his crime is not punishable by death." Meng Zhaiyue thought carefully and considered the words, "I will sort out these crimes and ask the teacher or Minister Wei to write a letter to impeach him. On the surface, it is an impeachment, but in fact, if we follow this clear and well-documented memorial, it should be able to save his life."
　　Dong Lingjiu nodded and said, "Retreat to advance, that's right. Then how can you be sure that the emperor will use Minister Wei or Mr. Wang's memorial?"
　　This is exactly what Meng Zhaiyue is worried about. She sweated slightly on her forehead, and her face showed a thoughtful expression. She murmured, "Justice..."
　　"Justice is here," Dong Lingjiu sighed, "Although I cannot get it, I yearn for it in my heart. The emperor must want to use the method discussed by others. Once Xu Xiang is imprisoned, everyone will attack him. Even if the crimes and evidence you have compiled are based on the law, he may not be willing to use them."
　　"This is not what a benevolent monarch does." Meng Zhaiyue blurted out.
　　Dong Lingjiu still looked at her, but there was a slight smile in his eyes, and said, "It seems that Yingying has a lot of insights into the word 'benevolent monarch'?"
　　Meng Zhaiyue: "...Insights, no. But I have a lot of worries."
　　"You specifically said this in front of me, not just to show me what you think, right?" Dong Lingjiu asked and answered himself, "You also want me to put pressure on you, using the requirements of a benevolent monarch as an excuse to force your royal brother to choose the most fair suggestion, so that he cannot use this name to kill him to vent his hatred."
　　"You can't escape the eyes of your mother." Meng Zhaiyue lowered her head and said, "Please help me, mother."
　　Dong Lingjiu said, "You are still too obedient."
　　"What?"
　　Dong Lingjiu avoided the question, but just said, "Even if you are spared from death, it is at least a sentence of exile, and you are not allowed to enter the capital for life. Moreover, this identity makes the emperor worry about it day and night, and he can't wait to get rid of it. There is no reason to guard against thieves for a thousand days in this world. It's better to die."
　　Meng Zhaiyue was stunned, and said after a long while: "...Mother..."
　　"Mr. Wang taught very well. I also have something to teach you." Dong Lingjiu looked at her and said gently, "If you want to succeed, you must conceal your purpose. Everyone knows that you want him to live, so they will be on guard against all the means you use to let him live. If you give up now and change a new lover to have fun every night, your brother will definitely be relieved and want to burn incense and pray to Buddha to introduce you to more sons of noble families with clean backgrounds."
　　Meng Zhaiyue was stunned and stammered, "...Ah, ah? I'm not, I..."
　　"Don't you want to imitate Princess Shanyin?" Dong Lingjiu said calmly, "I will ask the emperor to find a few tomorrow and send them to you. Yingying always likes new things and hates old things, doesn't she?"
　　The last half of the sentence hardly sounded like a question.
　　Meng Zhaiyue watched Dong Lingjiu get up and turn to the inner hall of Fengzao Palace. Her mind was a little dizzy. She looked at the meal on the table that was not cold yet, and then looked at the back of her mother, frowning and thinking about what her mother meant.
　　…
　　Although the Palace Front Department also has a private prison, it is the emperor’s private prison. In the past, it was used by Emperor Mingde Meng Zhen. After Meng Cheng ascended the throne, there was an inner prison inside, and the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple outside, so it was hardly used.
　　Xu Xiang was also the first high-ranking eunuch who was imprisoned here by the emperor himself.
　　Although Zheng Yuheng was late for a while, he arrived quickly, but he was still a little slow when he came at this time. Although
　　Xu Xiang was fine, the empress dowager’s decree only said that he could not be killed without authorization. In fact, many people were sneering and watching his fate. There were many aristocratic children who looked down on eunuchs in the Purple Guard. Although they only held a half-official position, they claimed to be noble and regarded themselves as a world apart from the inner officials.
　　It was precisely for this reason that when Zheng Yuheng arrived, the Tui An Department was using a set of punishments on the prisoners in prison according to the "procedure". This was stipulated during the reign of Emperor Mingde in the past, and Meng Cheng did not change it.
　　The wooden stake used to tie the prisoner was soaked with dark blood that had dried several years ago. The ground was cold, the chains were heavy, and the whips whistled through the air. Because this prison had never held anyone with such a special identity who had angered the emperor, the two officials' sons, who were usually idle, felt very curious. They ordered the jailer to continue the execution while they chatted on the side.
　　"He can also end up like this? Good, good, someone has taken this living devil away?"
　　"Tsk, don't you know? The eunuchs are just dogs of your majesty. You can kill them if you don't like them. They are all a group of people without family and background. There is no need to be cautious when killing them. If this man hadn't benefited from the Queen Mother before, how many people would want to kill him."
　　"I just look down on these people who wag their tails and beg for mercy, who are servile and rely on their masters to live." "
　　How are they the same as us," the previous man said, "Now there is a show to watch, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter, there are grievances and grievances, and revenges. The person in charge of punishment will eventually be punished and killed. It's all retribution."
　　In fact, the two of them were not involved in the political center. Otherwise, how could they stay in this place where there has been no major events for three years? They just asked their family for a job, which was different from those outstanding children who came here to gild themselves.
　　As the conversation continued, the whipping sound never stopped, but Xu Xiang gritted his teeth and refused to lose his composure. He actually endured it for a long time. The two thought he had fainted. When they got closer, they found that he was conscious, sweating profusely, and his face was as pale as paper.
　　The jailer said, "Sir, that's enough."
　　"Is that enough?" One of them asked suspiciously, "Why does the case say that thirty whips can make a person faint? Did you hold back?"
　　"It's said that he offended the emperor. Shang Kai Shang Daban is so majestic and powerful. Isn't it said to be executed? Since he has entered this place, don't be afraid. This man can't turn over. Even if the sky falls, he has the will of his ancestors to support him..."
　　This man was talking freely, and suddenly the jailer in front of him changed his expression and became much more respectful. He thought he was convincing, but then he found that the jailer was looking behind him.
　　Before the two could turn around, they saw a hand with such strength that they were caught off guard and pushed them to the side. A voice suddenly rang out: "Put him down!"
　　The jailer saw Zheng Yuheng wearing a waist badge and a fish bag, and knew his identity from his clothes. He nodded and bowed, and stepped forward to untie the chain. The
　　two who were pushed away for a few steps were stunned. They turned their heads and saw Zheng Junzhi, who was personally supported by the palace commander. Their faces suddenly changed, and they thought, how could they forget about this? Zheng Junzhi was the person recommended by Xu Xiang. I didn't expect that the emperor was angry, but he still cared about the old relationship.
　　The two changed their expressions and were about to step forward to explain when they heard him say coldly: "Before the imperial edict is issued, you are not allowed to torture him. If anyone causes him to get into trouble, kneel down in front of the Queen Mother and report. Get out!"
　　After saying that, without even looking at the others, he walked a few steps closer and raised his arm to support Xu Xiang. The other party's body was covered with whip marks, and blood was flowing from deep inside. He couldn't hold on at all. He fell down suddenly and spit out a mouthful of blood that he had been holding back for a long time.
　　"Xu Bingbi." Zheng Yuheng called.
　　Xu Xiang panted hastily and heavily, with the rusty taste of blood in his throat. He said hoarsely: "... Your Highness... Don't let her... beg for mercy..."
　　"I know, I know." Zheng Yuheng responded quickly, "With the Queen Mother here, she won't get into trouble impulsively."
　　Xu Xiang slowly raised his eyes and looked at him.
　　To be honest, Zheng Yuheng had never seen Xu Xiang in such a state of embarrassment. Since they met, he had been in such a state of embarrassment and restrained in front of Xu Xiang most of the time. Xu Bingbi was always cold and expressionless. This was the first time that he was covered in blood and in so much pain that he couldn't stand up and couldn't breathe.
　　But after Xu Xiang finished speaking, he didn't have any other violent emotions. He raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his lips and said, "Lock him up in prison."
　　Zheng Yuheng rummaged through the small bag on his waist, took out a medicine bottle, took out a pill from it and stuffed it into his mouth, saying, "Take it orally. Pills are slow. You can only make do with it for now. It's better than nothing."
　　Xu Xiang accepted his kindness and said vaguely, "...Thank you."
　　Zheng Yuheng's move was already out of line. Xu Xiang raised his eyes to signal him to leave, keep a distance from him, and not cross the line too much. Then he propped himself up, put on the shackles brought by the jailer with great humility and obedience, and was locked up in prison.
　　His clothes were torn and stuck to his wounds. He curled up in a corner, quietly waiting for his fate.
　　In this situation of pain, coldness, and darkness, Xu Xiang's spirit seemed to be suddenly empty. He didn't care much about the outside world or how these people looked at him. Instead, he slowly remembered the people who died and became disabled under his punishment before, and Shang Kai who sneered at the trial of the three officials, and the little eunuch who was beaten to death by the court stick...
　　All of this, the light and shadow intertwined, passed by his eyes like a dream, and then his thoughts became even emptier. He remembered the gentle and slow hand of his mother when she touched him when he was young, and the "Zhu Mo Rebellion Case" that implicated countless people. His life was split here, and another self was cut off.
　　Finally, he thought of the snow very calmly and peacefully.
　　Holding a red umbrella in the snow, she lay on his back and told him about her ideals and her own thoughts. The stone sculpture of Xiezhi standing in the Dali Temple was majestic and solemn, standing and staring forever.
　　After an unknown amount of time, the night fell.
　　The moon was bright.