Chapter 38 Chapter 38 [VIP]

Dark clouds obscured the green in the clear sky. There were many clouds and fog in the mountains, and after a while, it began to drizzle. It did not shake the trees, but only soaked the branches and leaves, making them green, bringing autumn nourishment to the plants.

This was the most lingering and melancholy time in the palace, but it had nothing to do with the beauty lying in the west hall.

Shen Youyi was sleeping soundly. Before she opened her eyes with difficulty, she smelled a moist and sweet fragrance.

The flower pillow in the hall was filled with Yuhua Awakening Fragrance. The soft petals of the Osmanthus fragrans had already wilted, emitting the last strong aftertaste, refreshing the mind.

As soon as I got off the bed, I felt my legs and feet were weak and I had no strength to move. I also felt dizzy and needed to concentrate a little to barely stand.

She stood up, opened the window, and glanced around. From the window, she could see everything familiar in Qingping Palace. The emperor's attendants calmly and steadily carried memorials and teacups to the emperor, and eunuchs were sweeping the courtyard with brooms.

The wind chimes were ringing in the corridor, and she could even see a corner of the Yaoguang Palace from here.

But this is not the East Pavilion where the emperor usually lives.

Seeing that the Imperial Concubine had woken up, Tan Rui and Sui Chao hurriedly led a group of palace maids into the palace, holding handkerchiefs and waiting on her. Seeing that the Imperial Concubine's face was as red as a peach, her expression hazy, and her face flushed. They poured her a bowl of throat-soothing Bihe Qinglu drink and whispered, "We are negligent, please forgive us, Madam."

Shen Youyi wanted to speak, but her voice was a little hoarse: "Why am I here? Where is your majesty? Is there anything you can say?"

She vaguely remembered that she took a big gulp of wine, was pestered by the prince, and then met Emperor Yuan Shuo. After that, the things in her memory were too funny and absurd. When she thought of everything in the dream, she still felt a dull pain in her head and a lot of cold sweat on her back.

She pieced together several almost fragmented dreams, and the more she thought about it, the more something seemed wrong. Why was the widow of Marquis Lingyang called "Yi Niang" by the prince... Could it be that Wei Lanzhen and Shen Youyi were the same person, and she was the baby girl taken home by her father-in-law and mother?

But didn’t she and A Niang both die early from an epidemic in prison and high fever?

Although dreams are born from the heart and are half true and half false, this absurd and beautiful dream that even makes people dare not recall it carefully seems like something she has experienced personally.

If she really became the prince's secret mistress, married the Marquis of Lingyang, and unknowingly became the daughter of the Wei family, and then took the initiative to seduce the prince's biological father, wouldn't she and both father and son have already...

Shen Youyi frowned slightly. In her two lives, the men she knew were surprisingly similar. Let's not talk about the emperor for now, but her brother refused to recognize her. Every time she met the prince, she subconsciously wanted to distance herself from her old lover, just hoping that His Majesty would not find out about this past. If there was anyone who knew her from the past, it would only be the Second Prince born to the Queen.

The second prince was frail and sickly, so he rarely went out and often kept company with herbs. She usually served Emperor Yuan Shuo and sometimes visited the queen, so she had completely forgotten about this person.

Tan Rui said that he would send tonics regularly. The soup recipe was secretly prepared by the imperial concubine's most trusted palace maid. There were also pills. She didn't like them, but she didn't dare to send them back easily, so she just poured them out secretly.

But for a long time, no tonic was delivered.

Sui Chao was a married woman, and she felt a bit embarrassed to speak up. She lowered her eyes and said, "Your Majesty brought me here. I think he was worried that I would be too tired at night, so he didn't want to ask you to get up this morning. He told the servants to wait for you and report back when you woke up."

Shen Youyi drank a few sips of the sweet and refreshing drink to calm her mind. Emperor Yuan Shuo must not have noticed the person under the couch, otherwise her head would have been separated long ago, and there was no way she could sleep peacefully in Qingping Palace for a night.

She soothed her still sore throat and asked, "Your Majesty, did you stay here last night?"

The East Hall was already unsightly. Sui Chao said, "Your Majesty ordered water at night and took his wife to rest in the West Hall. He got up at five o'clock in the morning and went to Wangming Hall to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager. He spoke with the old lady for a while, then returned to practice sword for half an hour. Seeing that his wife had not yet risen, he gave her some water and went to the study, saying that you could have your meal first."

Shen Youyi was indeed feeling sore all over, but the Song Court Envoy said that the emperor should not be close to the palace concubines. Emperor Yuan Shuo had always been very restrained in this regard. She was drunk again, so she did not care about their bodies and made a lot of noise all night.

She glanced around the palace, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Did I behave inappropriately in front of His Majesty last night?"

Tan Rui smiled and said subtly, "There is no such thing as impoliteness in the eyes of lovers. Even if my wife got drunk and acted mad at His Majesty, His Majesty would not be angry."

The imperial concubine occasionally oversteps her bounds, but no matter how much trouble she causes, as long as she acts coquettishly to His Majesty and uses some tricks on the couch, His Majesty will not bear to care.

Shen Youyi pulled the corners of her lips slightly, finding it difficult to smile. She had had too many dreams that night, and even if she heard the flattery of people around her, she would not be secretly happy about it.

What if those things were true... the emperor would be angry, and she couldn't imagine what Emperor Yuan Shuo would do after knowing her identity.

"Is your Majesty reviewing memorials or receiving an audience? I just took a nap, why should I report back?"

The king's energy was beyond her imagination. A man who controlled the life and death of the world was also patient with a woman in the harem. He had to know her movements and what she was doing at every moment.

Most of the time I keep it in my palm, but sometimes I feel a little uneasy, afraid that the shameful secret will be exposed to the sunlight.

Tan Rui guessed that the imperial concubine might want to share breakfast with His Majesty, and said softly: "His Majesty has summoned His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in the morning. Now..."

Yuan Zong, especially since the matter involved the previous dynasty, did not allow the imperial eunuchs to reveal such details to them, but they were in Qingping Palace, and because they came very closely, it was an important matter.

The prince was in the study, and Shen Youyi immediately gave up the idea of ​​going to see Emperor Yuan Shuo. She couldn't help but feel nervous when she thought of the prince's determined look on her face when he was drowsy last night and her own boldness after being drunk.

She actually wanted to force them to be in the same room as father and son, and let the prince compete with his father, just to avenge the murder of her husband by the Eastern Palace.

She couldn't eat anything, but after washing up, she still asked the female officials from the Imperial Food Bureau to serve her food.

The palace maids knew that the imperial concubine was too tired to do anything last night, so after dinner they asked the imperial attendants to bring a white parrot to cheer her up. However, unlike the obedient and eloquent bird in her dream, the white parrot in front of her still didn't say a word, but was obviously much more lively than usual.

Shen Youyi sat blankly in front of the window. She had a lot of things to think about and didn't have the energy to teach a stupid bird to imitate her. She kept thinking about what was wrong with her words and actions at night.

Does she talk in her sleep?

Although Sui Chao was sent by Emperor Yuanshuo to serve the imperial concubine, there was a distinction between those who came first and those who came later. Tan Rui had been with the imperial concubine in the palace for a long time, and there were secret struggles among the palace maids in charge. Although Tan Rui was not as good as her in needlework, she had always been the one to serve the imperial concubine at meals and do her makeup.

"This servant sees that my lady is unhappy, but are you thinking about the Crown Prince?"

Tan Rui observed the concubine's words and expressions and guessed what was bothering her. She asked all the servants in the hall to go out first and gently massage the concubine's body.

Shen Youyi was so shocked by what she said that she came back to her senses. She clutched the pillow tightly, her face slightly gloomy: "What's wrong with the prince?"

Tan Rui said softly, "Last night, His Majesty personally brought my wife back, and he was willing to be humble and coax you. Not only the Crown Prince's biological mother, but even the two previous Empresses didn't have this blessing. You are so young and so doted on, and it's not like you can't have children. How can His Majesty be happy just looking at you?"

Shen Youyi smiled slightly and breathed a sigh of relief. In the eyes of outsiders, she was born into a good family, was favored at a young age, and never tried to please Yang Xiuyuan, who was also a concubine. Even if she was dependent on the queen now, she would probably fight to the death with the queen and Yang Xiuyuan when she gave birth to a prince in the future. No one would think that she had offended the prince's biological mother and would get involved with the prince.

"Your Majesty likes me, so of course he wants me to have children, but how can you take a man's words seriously?"

It's not that she wasn't tempted, but the transition from a prince to crown prince was as difficult as the transition from a crown prince to the throne. "Although I've forgotten many things, I've spent so much time serving him... Even though I used to praise the Second Prince on behalf of the Empress, do you think His Majesty would change his name and make him crown prince just because of a few whispers from the harem?"

The crown prince has always tried to please the people around his father, fearing that the favorite concubine, eunuchs and close ministers would whisper in the emperor's ears day and night to alienate the father and son of the royal family. However, no matter how Emperor Yuan Shuo treated the empress and concubines, he valued the princes and princesses very much. Although he was particularly strict with the crown prince, he gave more to this child and his heart only hurt more.

She stroked her belly and said wistfully, "Who doesn't like being close to a beautiful woman? But if I really give birth to a prince for Your Majesty, do you think Your Majesty will depose the eldest and enthronize the youngest, or will he depose the queen first and then promote me?"

Emperor Yuan Shuo was an emperor who cared about his reputation. It was reasonable for him to enthrone the eldest son or the legitimate heir, but she had neither of those advantages. The empress had done nothing wrong and had given birth to the second prince. If the empress died early, Emperor Yuan Shuo might have gone against public opinion and made her the third empress, but she never took this illusory hope to heart.

But she couldn't help thinking about that position... The prince couldn't get her, and this almost became an obsession. Even if her appearance declined in the future, she would inevitably become one of the new emperor's concubines.

The prince must have had a new woman by his side at that time, but he just regarded her as part of the family property left to him by Emperor Yuan Shuo and inherited it calmly. As she grew older, and her status as his father's concubine was once, she would only become more and more shameful. It would be extremely difficult for her to become his queen and give birth to a prince.

She was even thinking about how to let Emperor Yuan Shuo know that a lonely ghost had taken over the body of his favorite concubine without taking her life. After all, she and the prince did not make it to the last step, and she was still a pure girl when she died. Even if they had some young and ignorant feelings for each other when they were young, there was none left now. The emperor had experienced a lot and might not be very angry.

But if she first served the prince, then married the prince's best friend, caused them to become enemies, and then took the initiative to seek favor, gave the emperor a love drug, and seduced the prince's father in public, would Emperor Yuan Shuo still spare her and Shen's lives?

Shen Youyi caught a drop of raindrops on the flower and said softly, "If I had been born a dozen years earlier and become your majesty's wife, I wouldn't have to worry about this."

She couldn't be sure whether her life would be easier if she had met the emperor at that time.

Tan Rui laughed. She said softly, "I've been in the palace for a long time and have seen a lot of things. Why do you think that, my lady? The previous empress died long before Your Majesty ascended the throne... The current empress and Madam Xiuyuan were both Liangdi, and they both became pregnant at almost the same time. Liangdi Yang gave birth to the crown prince, but she was not made empress. Logically, Your Majesty's mausoleum should have tombs for the three empresses, but Your Majesty built the mausoleum after he ascended the throne, and the previous empress was buried next to the mausoleum, not in the imperial mausoleum."

Although Emperor Yuan Shuo was at the peak of his power, there were many tombs beside the imperial mausoleum built for him, including those of his first wife who died young, the daughter of the current queen who died young, as well as the ministers and war horses who had followed him into battle.

Although being buried with the emperor in the mausoleum is a rare honor for most ministers, it is not good enough for the late queen, and can even be considered heartless.

When Shen Youyi entered the palace, the late queen had been dead for nearly twenty years. No one would mention her in the palace, and it seemed no one had ever spoken of her illustrious mother's family. "The most important affairs of state are sacrifices and military affairs. Your Majesty attaches great importance to these matters. Why didn't you allow the late queen to be buried in the imperial mausoleum?"

When the emperor was in the East Palace, he only had those three ladies, young couples. He was not like the crown prince, who was thinking about her and therefore did not get close to the crown princess. Why did he have to be so ruthless?

Tan Rui shook her head and hesitated, "I was still a child then, so I didn't have the opportunity to serve them closely. However, the two concubines were both pregnant at the same time. The late emperor was extremely ill, and the empress dowager was also unable to spare time. Your Majesty was away on the battlefield, leaving only the late empress to care for the two ladies. At that time, the servants all made bets, guessing whether the empress would give birth to Your Majesty's eldest son first."

Shen Youyi couldn't help but smile when she heard about what happened before she was born. When Emperor Yuan Shuo was young, he was troubled by internal and external troubles. He must have wanted to split himself into several pieces, but the people under the East Palace were still in the mood to use the concubines' pregnancies as a bet for fun.

Seeing that she wasn't angry, Tan Rui continued, "Then one day, the Empress, who was still Liang Di at the time, suddenly went into labor at night and gave birth to a baby girl covered in blue spots. The baby died shortly after being born. Messages of victory and news reached the Eastern Palace, but the late Empress passed away that very night. The Eastern Palace was in turmoil, and Yang Xiuyuan gave birth to the Crown Prince a few days later. I heard from the nanny who dressed and buried the late Empress that His Majesty was furious upon hearing this and was returning with his army to the capital. He was about to depose the late Empress and return her to her family. The news got out from the army, and the late Empress couldn't stand the shock. She ended up taking poison and killing herself. Her lips turned black, but they told the public she had died of illness."

Shen Youyi had never heard the prince mention the old things in the palace. She only heard him complain occasionally that his father preferred gentle and quiet women. If his mother had a gentler temper, she might be made the empress by his father, and his position as the crown prince would be more legitimate.

Shen Youyi recalled the few times the emperor and empress spent time together. Emperor Yuan Shuo treated the empress very politely and occasionally cared about the health of his wife.

She had almost never seen the queen jealous. She was a very calm and noble woman, with a fragile beauty, as if all her energy was used to express her melancholy and resentment, and to be a queen who was respectful, careful with her words, and devoted to raising her children. She had no energy to do anything else.

She thought that the hypocrisy of the royal family was just as it should be. The emperor and empress were supposed to be so distant and polite, like the sun and moon in the sky, for people to admire, without joy or sorrow, as if they existed only to run the inner court of the previous dynasty. But when she really got close to this couple, she felt that they were also flesh and blood men and women in the world, and there was no difference between her and the gods.

Tan Rui sighed, "The late queen was a noble lady carefully chosen by the Empress Dowager for Your Majesty. She was from the Wang family of Taiyuan, so she shouldn't have done anything foolish. But Your Majesty has been very cold towards Wang ever since. Even after ascending the throne and posthumously honoring the late queen, he didn't give her any additional honors or rewards."

Shen Youyi was silent. If the late queen had lived a few more months, perhaps all this would have been revealed to the world. But she died, preserving her own and her family's dignity, and also taking away the secrets of the Eastern Palace. Emperor Yuan Shuo would not be stingy with the empty title of a queen.

"Your Majesty only had a few wives back then, how did they fight like this?"

Shen Youyi smiled and said, "There are ten people in the inner court now, which is much safer than before."

Although the late queen and Yang Xiuyuan were suspected of plotting to murder the queen, they did not gain much benefit. With Wang's death, they had lost everything. The queen was pregnant with a princess. If Yang Xiuyuan had waited patiently and given birth to a eldest son, her merit would have been enough to convince Emperor Yuan Shuo to make her the queen.

Tan Rui replied, "Although His Majesty appointed the Crown Prince after ascending the throne, he only made Yang Liangdi a Concubine, and rumors abounded. It wasn't until a year after the Second Prince was born that His Majesty promoted Madam Xiuyuan to a higher rank, and forbade anyone to discuss what happened back then."

Shen Youyi teased the parrot in a disjointed manner, and his interest in chatting faded.

From the very beginning, the emperor had no intention of establishing a second prince. It could even be said that it was the birth of the second prince that made Emperor Yuan Shuo decide to establish the eldest son.

At most, the prince has grown stronger in the past few years, and as a father, it is inevitable that he will have other thoughts. Although the second prince is not in good health, he is very favored by the emperor. The supreme position can only accommodate one person. Who would not want to compete for it?

Even she, a favored concubine with a shameful background and no children, would have covetous thoughts, let alone others.

Shen Youyi was still sleepy, so she told Tan Rui to pay attention to the movements in the study and wait until the prince left before she went to serve him.

She had no intention of caressing the bird. The white parrot, with its leg rings undone, jumped onto the bed, pecked a golden melon seed from somewhere, chirped a few times, and spread its wings happily.

That was probably the dance of birds courting. Many birds would pick up a lot of shiny things to decorate their nests when building their nests. Shen Youyi's lips curled up slightly. Her hands were empty. She snatched the melon seeds from its feet with evil intentions and said angrily: "When you learn to talk, I will give it to you!"

…

The Crown Prince stood to one side, accompanying Emperor Yuan Shuo to appreciate the paintings and poems written by several scholars last night. He was impulsive for a moment and almost brought about a fatal disaster. He was also worried about what Yi Niang would say when she was drunk, so he was frightened all night until his father called him to discuss state affairs, and he finally felt at ease.

However, he recalled that at night he was only a few inches away from his father, and his father, who was serious and dignified in front of him, leaned over and kissed the beauty who originally belonged to him, causing Yi Niang to make a soft and pitiful sound, coaxing her like a child, and almost penetrated Yi Niang's body in front of him.

When Yi Niang screamed, he wished he could rush out and die together with his almighty father.

He knew what his father was enjoying.

Yi Niang had a very beautiful body. If he lay on top of her, he would also reach into her clothes and indulge himself, making her cry and endure the man's endless desire.

Fortunately... her father finally carried her back to Qingping Palace, but in this solemn and majestic palace, she didn't know how to cry out loud. She softened like a hot spring, allowing the emperor to take whatever he wanted, accommodating the things that caused her pain.

Even a stern and majestic emperor would be so absurd as to teach her to lie on the table covered with military secrets and indulge in pleasure with his favorite concubine while handling government affairs?

With such a secret thought in mind, he looked at Emperor Yuan Shuo inconspicuously.

Today, my father changed into a round-necked ochre-red robe with dark patterns. The robe and shoes were neat, but when he bent over slightly, a few teeth marks on his neck were still visible... As for the places covered by the clothes, that was unknown.

Apart from the imperial concubine, I'm afraid no one else would dare to assassinate the king.

Compared with the fear and trepidation he felt when serving his king and father in the past, facing a sated beast was certainly something he could do with ease, but the prince's heart was filled with sorrow.

It was precisely because he knew what it felt like that the scenes in Shangqingping Palace kept flooding into his mind, vivid and lifelike, as if a fire had been set, burning his internal organs to ashes.

Emperor Yuan Shuo had always recognized Shen Huaian's painting skills. Everyone at the banquet had different postures. He smiled and pointed at the prince in the painting: "Why did you get your clothes dirty last night? Why did you change into a new set?"

He wore a yellow robe when he accompanied the emperor on the garden tour, but in the painting he wore a silver-white robe.

The prince came to his senses and said hurriedly, "My son drank too much wine when he was changing his clothes, and there was flower mud on his robe. It would be disrespectful for the ministers to see him, so I asked the servants to bring him new clothes."

Emperor Yuan Shuo's brows softened. At that time, he was coaxing a drunk vixen who was trying to have sex, and he didn't pay attention to what his son was doing.

Yi Niang would never know how pitiful she was last night.

A beautiful woman who loved and believed in him wholeheartedly was tormented all night.

The beautiful porcelain doll also looks dirty after being stained with white ash.

She was hidden in a corner of Qingping Palace and was sleeping soundly, and nothing is known about her until now.

Just as he was thinking about this, a eunuch came in and whispered, "Your Majesty, General Feng Xianguang has been ordered to wait in the corridor."

When Emperor Yuanshuo was the crown prince, he commanded twelve guards in the Southern Court, which was later increased to sixteen guards. Feng Xianguang, the right general of the Jinwu Guard, was originally an old official of the Eastern Palace. Later, he was promoted to the commander of the Northern Court's Forbidden Army, commanded the Left Imperial Guard, and trained hundreds of elite cavalry.

The emperor no longer had any political matters to discuss with him, and the prince had no desire to stay in the palace where Yi Niang had been entangled with another man. Seeing this, he said, "Your son dares not disturb you any further, Father. I will take my leave first."

Emperor Yuan Shuo did not try to keep him. The smile on his face faded, but his tone remained calm: "I heard that your mother has been in poor health these past few days. When you have some free time, you and the Crown Princess should take the princes and county ladies to visit her."

The emperor can visit the empress dowager at any time, but the princes and royal family members are not allowed to enter the inner court without the emperor's order. The prince knows that this is a grace, but his heart is full of bitterness. Isn't the reason why his mother is in poor health because she is angry that his father's favorite concubine almost became her daughter-in-law?

But this was something he couldn't bring himself to say, so he thanked her and said, "My son and his wife will definitely fulfill their filial duties together."

When Feng Xianguang entered, someone from the imperial court had already served him tea.

He commanded the Imperial Guards, and had always guarded the Forbidden Palace. When Chief Steward Chen told him that His Majesty had a secret order for him, he felt uneasy. He bowed and said, "I respectfully wish Your Majesty well."

Emperor Yuanshuo called out, leaned on the throne, looked at him twice, and said softly, "I am fine. Ruisheng, I asked you to come here because I want you to investigate my family."

The Imperial Concubine didn't know much, and Emperor Yuanshuo was unwilling to force her to reveal it. But the Duke of Yan also didn't know much of the truth. "This family has a twenty-year-old daughter whose name contains the character 'Yi'. Her parents may be gone, but she must have had an older brother. Bring him to me. I want to see him alive or dead."

Such conditions were like looking for a needle in a haystack. Feng Xianguang's heart tightened, and he whispered tentatively, "Your Majesty, I am stupid. Please tell me clearly, has this family committed any serious crime, or do they have any other characteristics?"

Emperor Yuan Shuo knew he had misunderstood and made no attempt to hide it from him: "I am seeking the Imperial Concubine's parents and brother. This matter should not be publicized. I have given you a token. Whoever sees this token will be treated as if I were there in person. If you need anything in the future, just tell me. Upon completion, I will reward you handsomely."

Concubine Wei is the daughter of Duke Yan, and this is a fact known to everyone in the court and the country. Now she has to look for her parents and relatives again... Feng Xianguang concealed the shock on his face, but knowing who this girl with the name "Yi" is, he also knew her household registration and the official who handled her affairs. It was also convenient to compare her appearance. By unraveling the mystery layer by layer, he was able to find out something.

The worst-case scenario is that there is no evidence left in the investigation. It will take at least a year or two to review the registers of newborn baby girls registered during the two years since Your Majesty ascended the throne and check them one by one in all the prefectures across the country.

He agreed, but he was really puzzled. If Concubine Wei's biological parents were someone else, His Majesty would be willing to look for them for her. Given Concubine Wei's current status, wouldn't it be better to make it known in a high-profile manner?

Emperor Yuan Shuo saw through his thoughts, but since the emperor didn't need to explain anything, he said slowly, "It's okay to search for him for three to five years, but it's not appropriate for the imperial concubine to know right now."

It's not that she didn't miss home. Besides her mind being clear, she was also afraid that he would be angry... Even though they had slept in the same bed, to her, the emperor was still a strange husband, and she was not sure about his temper.

When he married Yi Niang, he didn't even give her biological parents a betrothal gift. He could have awarded her biological parents a title and an imperial edict. If that brother could establish himself, it would have been his responsibility to cultivate and promote him. At that time, she should have put aside her unnecessary caution and told him some interesting stories from the past.

Feng Xianguang stood up to take his leave. He stole a glance at the emperor's expression. His Majesty lowered his head in deep thought. Although his brows were furrowed, a faint smile hung on his lips.

Chen Rongshou approached to change the tea, and seeing this scene, he unconsciously slowed his pace. He said carefully, "Your Majesty, the lady has woken up. I have noticed that there are often foreign ministers coming in and out of the study. I have no choice but to ask your permission. The lady would like to go to the Taoist temple to relax for two days during the Zhongyuan Festival. I wonder if you can grant me permission."

He didn't dare to look at the emperor's expression. July 17th was the anniversary of the death of Marquis Lingyang.

The imperial concubine had lost her memory, but she still violated the emperor's taboo and went to offer sacrifices to him for no reason.