novelaction Chapter 120 Degraded to a Drug Slave
Chapter 120 Degraded to a Drug Slave
Cao Ying said this because she wanted to let the emperor know that although she had a personal grudge against Qiao Xi, she also wanted to keep an eye on the two of them.
Moreover, the emperor also sent people to keep an eye on Linghua Pavilion.
This is not wrong.
But when Qiao Xi questioned him in public, Cao Ying was speechless.
If she had no suspicion, why would she send someone to follow him?
Su Heting said, "In that case, please allow me to leave the palace. I will go to the imperial mausoleum to pay my respects to my mother in two days, and then return to the north of Xinjiang. This way, I won't have to trouble General Cao to send people to keep an eye on me from now on."
After a pause, he continued, "However, this king has always been a man who repays kindness with kindness and revenges with hatred.
"Master Cao is so deceitful. I will go to the Dali Temple tomorrow and report the assassination attempt on me. I ask the Dali Temple to give me justice."
The emperor's face darkened.
This is because they are dissatisfied with his father's injustice, so they want to take the case to the Dali Temple.
He is the emperor, but he is not as reliable as the Dali Temple. Where does Su Heting put his face?
If he really reported the case, not only would some things not be able to withstand investigation, but he had finally brought Su Heting back, and the queen had not shown up yet, so how could he let Su Heting leave?
It had only been one day since Su Heting returned, but the emperor felt that this day had been particularly long, and more had happened than in the previous few days.
But if you think about it carefully, Su Heting didn't seem to have done anything on his own initiative, which gave the emperor a headache.
Seeing Su Heting's resolute expression, he pressed his eyebrows and said, "Cao Ying, do you admit your guilt?"
If it weren't for her, he would have fallen asleep by now. If it weren't for her, he wouldn't have been coerced by Su Heting, causing the two of them to almost turn against each other before they even knew each other well.
Cao Ying understood the emperor and knew that he was going to punish her for Su Heting.
He could only say, "I know my crime, but everything I did was for Your Majesty."
The emperor heard a reminder, even a threat, in these words and became furious.
The reason why he tolerated Cao Ying so much was indeed because Cao Ying was useful to him. In addition, Cao Ying knew some of his past events, so he could talk to her when he was upset.
But Cao Ying became more and more aggressive. He did so many things behind his back and now he even dared to threaten him.
He said in a cold voice, "Cao Ying does not know his place in society and has offended the Second Prince. He is now stripped of his position as Chief Steward of the Imperial Court and demoted to a medicine slave in the Imperial Hospital. Take him away."
"His Majesty."
Cao Ying couldn't believe it.
The medicine slave is the lowest-ranking servant in the Imperial Hospital, and even an ordinary medicine boy can order her around.
The palace has always been a place where people flatter the powerful and bully the weak. She usually holds a high position and has punished many people.
If she really becomes a drug slave, I'm afraid those who disliked her in the past will come to seek revenge on her.
"Your Majesty, there are some things I haven't finished yet. Please forgive me and allow me to continue to serve you loyally."
It's not that she hadn't thought about such a day, so she dragged on the matter of Qiao Chengwang and didn't erase his memory all at once.
There is also the medicine to suppress Qiao Xi's memory, which she has never been able to make.
What we are on guard against is today.
But the emperor understood the meaning of her words, but remained unmoved. "Take him away."
Being demoted to a medicine slave, how could Cao Ying dare not do things for him?
In the past, the emperor would turn a blind eye to some things as long as they did not involve his own interests, but now he can no longer indulge her.
Cao Ying was dragged away.
The emperor looked at Su Heting and asked, "Are you satisfied with this treatment?"
Su Heting decided to stop while he was ahead. Lai Chijiao had not yet found a way to cure Qiao Xi's abnormal pulse, and he might have to use Cao Ying in the end, so he couldn't just beat her to death in one go.
He also realized that the emperor still wanted to use Cao Ying.
As if putting the recent events behind him, he smiled and said, "Then I will go to bed. Father, please go to bed early as well. Staying up late will age you quickly."
"You... bastard."
The emperor nodded at him.
No other prince had ever dared to speak to him like this.
He suddenly saw the shadow of the Queen in Su Heting. Before that incident, in private, the Queen had never regarded him as the Emperor, but only as her husband.
The two of them were also so casual when they were together.
This feeling did not make the emperor feel much father-son affection for Su Heting. After returning to his bedroom, he asked the secret guards to find the palace maid who was on duty at Linghua Pavilion tonight.
After hearing what happened in the room, the emperor rubbed his thumb ring and said, "So, they really didn't go out tonight?"
He also noticed that there were indeed traces of lovemaking on their lips, but he still called Qi Niang in again.
"Why did you search them?"
Qi Niang didn't dare to hide the truth from the emperor, "Chief Steward Cao was worried that the commander would betray you, so he ordered people to keep an eye on Linghua Pavilion.
Since the eunuch discovered someone, I wanted to investigate. I have carried out missions with the commander many times, and the commander has the habit of using a handkerchief to clean up traces and always carries it with him."
"So, you didn't find any evidence?"
Qi Niang knelt down and said, "This subordinate deserves to die."
In Linghua Pavilion, when the emperor saw Qi Niang asking for a body search, he thought she had found something, but she didn't say anything because Qiao Xi's identity as a secret factory worker was inconvenient for others to know.
Upon learning that it was completely groundless, the emperor's eyes turned cold. "The secret factory is mine, not Cao Ying's. Lin Yuanbai provoked the concubines, and his death was not unjust."
He didn't trust Qiao Xi, but he was even more annoyed that Cao Ying and Qin Niang ruined his plans because of personal grudges.
He even believed that the assassination tonight was unnecessary.
"I know I was wrong, and I will be loyal to Your Majesty until death."
Qi Niang covered her injured abdomen and said, "But I'm also afraid that Manager Cao's worries are true..."
At this moment, a palace servant whispered back, "Your Majesty, Princess Chaoyang sent someone to send over some buckwheat flour.
They said you stayed up late again tonight and you'll feel uncomfortable again tomorrow, so they asked you to drink a bowl before you rest."
The emperor suffered from diabetes, and eating buckwheat was good for his health. So Qiao Xi learned from the imperial physician how to grow buckwheat and planted a piece of it in the backyard of Linghua Pavilion.
Later, she was abducted to northern Xinjiang. In her letter to the emperor, she urged him to take care of his health. She also said that she had planted a field of buckwheat for the emperor in northern Xinjiang and would bring it to him when she returned to Beijing.
I didn't expect it to be delivered at this time.
The emperor waved his hand at Qiniang and said, "Go and accept your punishment."
Eunuch Wu saw the situation and quickly sent someone to the Imperial Hospital to invite the doctor on duty.
The imperial physician examined the buckwheat flour and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, there is nothing wrong with the buckwheat flour. Its medicinal properties are even better than the ones previously grown in Linghua Pavilion."
After making a fuss for most of the night, the emperor was hungry and said, "Make some soup."
Eunuch Wu hurried to prepare it himself, and then he heard the eunuch say, "The princess said that if Your Majesty wants to add sugar or honey to it, please stop it, Eunuch Wu."
Eunuch Wu looked at the emperor in embarrassment.
Buckwheat is called bitter buckwheat because it is really bitter, and the emperor hates bitter food and likes sweet food.
The emperor's eyes were a little complicated. Qiao Xi was still as concerned about his health as before. She waved her hand and said, "Forget it, no sweetness."
After taking a spoonful of buckwheat flour, the emperor frowned and asked, "Am I too suspicious of Qiao Xi?"
At present, he has not found anything wrong with Qiao Xi. Instead, he is more attentive to him than others.
Although Eunuch Wu wanted to take the opportunity to criticize Cao Ying, he knew that this was not the time to speak.
The emperor was not really reflecting on himself, so there was no need for him to respond. He just held his breath and bowed his head quietly without saying a word.
Sure enough, the emperor sighed again, "Even if she didn't do anything, she is the daughter of the Qiao family and the late crown prince's fiancée. I have to be on guard against her at all times."
On the other side, Su Heting and Qiao Xi finally rested.
Inside the thick bed curtains, the two were discussing this matter. Su Heting said, "Because deep down, he believes all your care for him was earned by him altering your memory. He stole this care, so he's constantly worried about you regaining your memory and being retaliated against."
Qiao Xi hummed in agreement, "But he must have believed us about what happened tonight."
The emperor was not a man of firm determination. He always wavered between belief and doubt. He was suspicious by nature but also greedy for other people's concern.
Su Heting snorted, looking down on the emperor.
Qiao Xi didn't want to mention the emperor anymore, so she put her arm around Su Heting's waist and said, "Thank you for your hard work today."
In order to prevent her from coming to the fore, I acted out a play for a whole day and said so many words.
Su Heting didn't comment and handed his hand to Qiao Xi, "I am indeed tired. Please help your husband rub his hands."
He rocked the bed with great difficulty, mainly because he was worried about Qiao Xi.
Qiao Xi knew what she meant, smiled and kissed his palm, then began to massage it for him. After only two massages, Su Heting felt reluctant to let her suffer.
Taking his hand back, Su Heting whispered, "Tell me about what happened tonight."
Qiao Xi then told him everything about the Cold Palace and the Eastern Palace.
"I'm sorry, nothing much was achieved."
Qiao Xi felt a little guilty for causing so much trouble tonight.
Su Heting rubbed her head and said, "Whoever said that, at least he knows Fourth Brother's current situation, and I should be able to find Fourth Brother's whereabouts soon."
Qiao Xi looked up quickly, "What do you mean?"