The imperial concubine bows down to me

With Shen Zhi's response, Cao Min immediately realized that he had made a mistake.The concubine should avoid suspicion with the prince, and the two should meet frequently as the prince, grand teacher and disciple, so as not to lose their tongues.

"Yes, I'm going to invite the grand master right now." Across the hall door, Cao Min raised his hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his cuff, and answered Shen Zhi's words.

Not long after Cao Min left, Shen Zhi and Du Qinning followed behind him towards the Chongjiao Hall.Shen Zhi didn't want to ask someone to enter the palace to pack up the leftovers later, so he picked up the food plate and prepared to hand it to the palace guard at the door.

Seeing this, Du Qinning wanted to take the things over, but Shen Zhi moved his hands to the side and avoided Du Qinning's reaching out hand.

"Come alone, it's okay." She said, smiled at Du Qinning, and walked in front.

When the two arrived at the Chongjiao Hall, Liu Shuyan was talking to Cao Min. Cao Min bowed his head just like Shen Tai did when he was talking to him yesterday, and he could see at a glance that he was very nervous and uncomfortable.

When Liu Shuyan saw Shen Zhi and Du Qinning approaching, he stopped what he was talking to Cao Min, and looked towards them.

There were a few court ladies waiting around, and when they walked up to Liu Shuyan, they saluted her very respectfully: "The student has met the Grand Master."

"Your Highness and Qin Ning don't need to be too polite." Liu Shuyan was close to Shen Zhi, as soon as she stretched out her hand, she put it on Shen Zhi's lower sleeve, and half-stretched to help her up.

After Du Qinning straightened up on his own, he looked down at the movements of the two people's hands, and then sneaked a few glances at Liu Shuyan.

Liu Shuyan used to call her Du Bandu or Duandu, but this was the first time she called her by her first name, and it seemed much closer than before.

In fact, thinking about it, Liu Shuyan is now a Grand Master, and it stands to reason that Du Qinning is also her student, so calling for an official position seems a bit unreasonable.

But even though he said that, Du Qinning was still not used to Liu Shuyan calling her that.She has no direct relationship with Liu Shuyan, and there is basically no intersection on weekdays. Coupled with the vague guess in Du Qinning's heart, she always feels that Liu Shuyan treats her like this. Somewhat strange.

After the two got up, Liu Shuyan looked at Cao Min, then at Shen Zhi, and gave Shen Zhi a wink. Shen Zhi was stunned but snapped his fingers, and realized what Liu Shuyan meant.

"The grand master came to the East Palace today, presumably because he has a lot of precautions to explain to Gu and Qin Ning in future classes. You also know that Gu never likes to be disturbed by others, so you all go down first." After finishing speaking, she stood aside Several palace people waved their hands.

The palace servants took orders, saluted and retreated one after another.Seeing this, Cao Min hesitated for a while, and seeing that Shen Zhi didn't speak any more, he also bowed to the three of them, and was about to leave.

But he had just walked a few steps, when he saw that the rest of the palace people had left the palace, Shen Zhicai said again: "Cao Min, wait a moment."

Hearing this, Cao Min paused, but then he turned around immediately, and then leaned over to Shen Zhi and lowered his head: "Do you have any orders, Your Highness?" The respectful tone of his words could not conceal the trembling.

Now, Shen Zhi didn't speak anymore, but turned sideways to look at Liu Shuyan, as if he was waiting for her to ask Cao Min something, or to explain something.

"Eunuch Cao, I heard that you have been in the palace for more than ten years." Liu Shuyan took a few steps towards Cao Min, thought for a while, and then said unhurriedly.

Although Liu Shuyan's words were plain and not of great importance, Cao Min still shuddered when he heard it.He had nothing to do with Liu Shuyan at first, but Liu Shuyan was very clear about how many years he had been in the palace, and he had investigated him before.

He nodded, and replied: "Huigui... According to the crown prince and grand master, the servant entered the palace when he was eight years old, so it has been 11 years now."

Cao Min was not much older than Shen Zhi, but when he first entered the palace, he was doing some chores elsewhere. Until six years ago, Shen Tianhe accidentally saw him, and felt that he was very careful and careless. He was the same age as Shen Zhi. It was similar, so he was transferred to Shen Zhi's side, and usually helped her with some small things.

Liu Shuyan nodded, his eyes turned slightly, and after a short moment of silence, he continued to ask: "Then why did you enter the palace in the first place? Do you still have relatives at home?"

Hearing this, Cao Min's throat moved subconsciously where the three of them couldn't see, and he didn't know how to respond for a moment.

For Liu Shuyan to ask him this question today, he should already know something.If he answered truthfully, the matter might be exposed, and all his hard work would have been in vain; but if he lied, if counted in the future, he would be considered a crime of deceiving the emperor, and at least the three clans would be punished.

This put him in a dilemma.

Cao Min was torn in his heart, Liu Shuyan didn't rush her, but patiently waited for his response.After a while, Cao Min really couldn't think of a better way, so he squinted his eyes and said bravely, "Both parents died since I was a child, and my grandfather brought me up with him. But in 12 years, my grandfather gave birth to a child." Although he used up all the savings in the family to save his life, his grandfather needed to take medicine every month after that, and he needed a lot of money. The servant was still young at that time and could not earn much money. Grandpa thought it was He dragged down the servant, so he wanted to end it more than once. But he thought that if he left, the servant would be alone forever, so he gave up this idea, gritted his teeth all day long, halved the dose of medicine, and barely hanged Take a breath. Later, I accidentally heard someone say that the money earned as a servant in the palace is at least twice as much as that of ordinary people. The servant is grateful for the kindness of grandpa's upbringing, and does not want grandpa to live a life without a meal. , That's why I didn't tell my grandfather, I secretly saved the little money I saved for a year, and asked someone to arrange the slaves in this palace, to do things within my ability, so as to earn some silver taels."

Speaking of this, Cao Min's words were already trembling, and he didn't know whether it was because he remembered the unpleasant old things of Chen Nian, or because he was worried about something.Gently reaching out his hand to wipe away the tears that were about to drip from the corners of his eyes, Cao Min sniffed, but his throat seemed to be choked, and he didn't say anything for a while.

After Cao Min said so many words, the originally tense atmosphere became inexplicably sad.Du Qinning didn't know when he lowered his eyes and looked at the ground, and didn't know what he was thinking; and when Shen Zhi heard him talking about him and his grandfather, he unconsciously thought of Wei Qian'er and Shen Tianhe , I was a little moved in my heart, and my eyes couldn't help falling elsewhere.

Only Liu Shuyan kept watching Cao Min's every move, but his face remained expressionless, and he didn't know what was on his mind.

"Oh? Is there such a thing?" At this moment, Liu Shuyan snorted coldly, causing Cao Min to tremble, "Since Eunuch Cao has served His Highness for so many years, then sending an imperial doctor over here can solve the problem." For such a trivial matter, I thought, Your Highness will not help, right?"

Hearing this, Cao Min suddenly raised his head, his eyes were full of disbelief, and there was also some panic in his expression.Seeing Liu Shuyan looking at him, the next moment, he hurriedly lowered his head again.

Shen didn't know what kind of medicine Liu Shuyan was selling in the gourd, but he nodded very cooperatively: "The grand master is right, I will invite the imperial doctor in a while, and let him go with Cao Min tomorrow. The expenses are all counted on the individual.”

As soon as her words fell, at this moment, unexpectedly to her and Du Qinning, Cao Min suddenly knelt on the ground with a muffled sound, and his forehead hit the ground heavily: "His Royal Highness, benevolent , I am kind to the people in the palace, but I also treat my slave with such kindness as a mountain. I am a slave who has failed His Highness the Crown Prince. The slave knows that he is guilty and does not ask for his life. He only asks His Highness the Crown Prince and the imperial concubine to forgive his grandfather!"

Shen Zhi was a little confused by Cao Min's words.She didn't know that Cao Min had a grandfather before, so how could she let it go?Could it be because of some misunderstanding that Cao Min helped Shen Tai to do something he shouldn't have done?

Just now, she had thought about whether Cao Min would be used by someone again, and now that she had this thought, Shen Zhi immediately stepped forward and knelt down, trying to help Cao Min up from the ground: "Yes Speak well and get up first." After all, although she is not close to Cao Min, Cao Min has been with her day and night for six years, how could she bear to see him like this?

But Cao Min was nailed to the ground now, even if Shen knew martial arts, he couldn't pull him up from the ground, but made him stick to the ground even tighter.

"I'm sorry for His Royal Highness, my servant. I don't dare to be favored by His Highness." He said, and he knocked his head again and again, and blood was already faintly stained on the ground.

"Your Highness doesn't need to help him, let him clarify the matter first." Liu Shuyan, who had been standing behind Shen Zhi watching all this, sighed softly, frowned slightly, and said softly.

Shen Zhiben still wanted to insist on helping Cao Min up, but after listening to Liu Shuyan's words, she stood up and went back to Liu Shuyan's side.She raised her eyes to look at Liu Shuyan, her eyes were full of unbearable, but also full of helplessness.

Liu Shuyan felt her gaze and looked at her.She nodded to Shen Zhi, as if telling Shen Zhi to trust her.

Shen Zhi pursed his lips, lowered his eyes, and nodded, and then Liu Shuyan turned his attention to Cao Min again, and asked in a cold voice: "Tell me the whole story, if you hide anything , I will punish you severely."

"Yes, as long as the imperial concubine and His Highness want to know, this servant will know everything. This servant..."

"Wait a minute," Liu Shuyan interrupted him, and then looked at Du Qinning, "Qinning, please go and close the gate of the palace." When the palace servants went out just now, they probably thought that Cao Min would go out too, so the last palace servant He did not close the door of the palace when he left.

Du Qinning responded, then stepped forward in three steps and closed the door in two steps, before rushing back.

"Keep your voice down." Liu Shuyan motioned again, and Cao Min finally calmed down a bit, and slowly told the whole story.

"Your Highness favored that Xiliang girl last night. It was indeed because the servant gave... the medicine. This was done by the Prince Jin's order, and the medicine was given to the servant by the Prince Jin. Yesterday, the servant came from the Penglai Palace. When he came back, he happened to pass by the small kitchen and overheard the cooks saying that His Highness would bring a bowl of soybean juice after the meal, so he hurriedly took the girl into the hall before His Highness came back, and hid her in the hall. Only then did what happened afterwards. The slave knows... he knows that the crime is unforgivable, but the slave did this because the prince of Jin captured the slave's grandfather, used it to coerce the slave, and promised the slave that if the matter is settled In the future, I will definitely find the best doctor to treat my grandfather, and this slave will help me..." At this point, Cao Min began to sob, "The slave was loyal to His Highness in the past, and never had another heart... But Grandpa's I dare not forget the kindness of nurturing... Slave... Even if this slave dies a hundred times, it would not be a pity. I hope His Highness will order this slave to be divided into five horses. I only ask His Highness and Empress not to tell Prince Jin what happened today, so that Grandpa can It's enough to be safe..."

Sure enough, did he arrest his family again to force someone to work for him?Those four Xiliang women were like this, and Cao Min is also like this now, but how many other innocent people were coerced by him like this to put themselves in dire straits?

Brother Jin, how could he have the heart to do this...

The author has something to say: Xiao Xue must be coming in the next chapter after I post 4.