Chapter 35 [35]

【35】/First release

The next morning, the sun was shining brightly and the sky was clear and the air was fresh.

In the Sixth Prince's old residence in the east of the capital, Xiao Lanchun covered her face with a round fan and walked stealthily towards the outer door with her personal maid.

However, things are always like this. The more you don’t want to run into someone, the more likely you are to run into them.

"Sister?"

Hearing the call coming from the moon cave gate not far away, Xiao Lanchun paused and didn't want to look back.

"Sister, where are you going so early?"

Xiao Zhengfeng had just finished practicing martial arts in the backyard and was about to go back to his room to take a cold shower, but he didn't expect to run into his lazy sister who slept until noon every day.

He also looked up at the sun in the sky to make sure it didn't rise from the west.

This is rare.

Seeing Xiao Zhengfeng approaching, Xiao Lanchun had nowhere to hide. She had no choice but to put down the fan that covered her face and laughed dryly: "What a coincidence, you're up so early too."

Xiao Zhengfeng scratched the back of his head. "Sister, that's right. Father always asks me to practice martial arts every morning."

Xiao Lanchun hummed twice perfunctorily, then seeing that he was sweating profusely, she hurriedly urged, "Then go wash up quickly. It's cold in autumn, and sweating can easily catch a cold."

"I'm leaving," Xiao Zhengfeng replied, looking his sister up and down. Seeing her in a brand new dress, a full set of pearl hairpins in her hair, and delicately painted eyebrows and lipstick, he couldn't help but be surprised. "Sister, you're dressed so beautifully. Where are you going?"

Xiao Lanchun's eyes lit up: "Do you think I look good dressed like this?"

Xiao Zhengfeng nodded: "It looks better than when she's not dressed up."

Xiao Lanchun: “…” What nonsense.

She was too lazy to explain to him and was about to make up a random excuse when a servant came up to her respectfully from outside the gate and said, "Princess, the carriage is ready. If we set off now, we can catch the vegetarian meal at the temple."

Xiao Lanchun: "..."

Xiao Zhengfeng was stunned for a moment, then he realized what was happening and looked at Xiao Lanchun in astonishment: "Sister, didn't you say yesterday that you wouldn't go?"

Being exposed on the spot, Xiao Lanchun's pretty face flushed red. After hesitating for a long time, she couldn't find an explanation. She simply glared at him and said, "What do you care?"

After saying that, she picked up her skirt and left in a hurry with her maid.

Xiao Zhengfeng, who was glared at, touched his nose and muttered softly: "He's so fierce, even if he really meets his sweetheart, she will be scared away."

***

The sun was at its zenith, and the warm autumn sun enveloped the Lifeng Palace.

When Lu Zhiwan woke up from bed, he saw the empty couch beside him and was stunned for a long time.

Did Xiao Jingting really crawl into her bed last night, or was it just a dream?

Her slender fingers couldn't help but touch her lips. If this was a dream, the kiss felt too real...

After relaxing by the bed for a while, she called Xia He.

Without asking any questions, looking at Xia He's happy and bright smile, Lu Zhiwan was sure that Xiao Jingting had really come last night.

"This is the first time Your Majesty has stayed overnight in the palace of a concubine." Xia He helped her wash and dress neatly, smiling and saying kindly, "When Your Majesty left, he specifically instructed the servants not to wake you up, so that you can continue to rest. This is so considerate, your Majesty is truly blessed."

Lucky? Lu Zhiwan looked at himself in the mirror and curled his lips.

That man pressed and bit her last night and almost scared her to death in the middle of the night.

But what he said last night, was he really jealous?

There will be jealousy only when there is love, so can she think that Xiao Jingting likes her?

"He likes me?"

"He... likes me?"

Even after finishing breakfast, Lu Zhiwan was still struggling with this matter.

Due to the special nature of his status as a feudal emperor, she was somewhat unsure whether Xiao Jingting's fondness for her was simply a love affair between a man and a woman, a man's possessive desire for his nominal concubine, or whether he simply regarded her as a plaything, a fondness for an object, just as she liked a new bag, a new shade of lipstick, or a diamond necklace in a shop window...

She couldn't tell the difference, nor could she guess. After much thought, she decided to let herself go and not dwell on it.

No matter what kind of liking he has, she should just be his favorite concubine and try her best to change the plot line to avoid a death ending.

Thinking of this, Lu Zhiwan stood up from the edge of the couch, called Xia He, and asked her to send someone to pay attention to the situation outside the palace, especially the Gu family and the Liaodong Palace.

***

Inside the Yangxin Hall, agarwood curls from the gilded bronze censer with an animal head.

Behind the red sandalwood imperial desk carved with auspicious clouds and dragons, the emperor, dressed in a crimson robe with a dragon pattern, put down his red brush and slowly raised his eyelids to look at the young eunuch kneeling on the ground in the hall. "Did Concubine Zhao send you to monitor the movements of the Gu Mansion and the Liaodong Prince's Mansion?"

"Yes... yes..." The young eunuch trembled, and without the emperor asking any more questions, he told his master's original words truthfully: "The queen also said that when Minister Gu returned to the mansion, she should be informed immediately. And as for Princess Lan Chun, any movement should be reported as soon as possible."

It’s Gu Rongyu again.

The fingers holding the red pen couldn't help but clench, but there was not much expression on the man's handsome face.

The magnificent hall fell into a long, suffocating silence.

Just as the young eunuch thought he was doomed to die today and was silently arranging his funeral in his mind, the voice from the head finally rang out again: "Since Concubine Zhao has given such an order, you should follow her instructions."

The young eunuch was stunned and raised his head in confusion.

When he met the emperor's dark, narrow eyes, he was immediately captivated by the heavy majesty and lowered his head hurriedly: "Then I will... continue to monitor the movements of the Gu Mansion and the Liaodong Palace?"

The emperor hummed calmly and picked up the red brush again: "Don't mention your visit to the Yangxin Palace to your master."

"Yes... yes... it's saved for me."

"Back off."

The sound was like the sound of nature, and the young eunuch almost shed tears. He kowtowed repeatedly to express his gratitude and left the Yangxin Palace with his weak legs.

Yu Mingjiang, who was standing at the side, looked at his frightened expression and said with a smile and a sigh, "That little monkey was frightened by Your Majesty. His face turned pale."

The man on the throne ignored her and simply tossed the memorial aside. "From now on, once a month will suffice. Asking so many times a month doesn't tire them, but it annoys me."

Yu Mingjiang observed the man's expression and understood. He bowed and said "yes". After a while, he asked cautiously, "What are your majesty's plans for Concubine Zhao?"

"Let her be."

Xiao Jingting lowered his eyebrows and said in a very calm tone: "I want to see what she is planning."

***

That night, the young eunuch brought news that Xiao Lanchun had gone to Qingyun Temple during the day.

Lu Zhiwan breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the little princess still believed her lies.

It's true that girls her age do believe in these metaphysical theories when it comes to relationships. For example, when she was in school, astrology matching was extremely popular, and many of her female classmates used astrology guides to study how to attract the boys they liked.

Another day passed, and Gu Rongyu also returned to the capital.

Lu Zhiwan felt more at ease. It seemed that her memory was quite good and she had not mixed up the timeline.

According to the development of the original novel, two days after Gu Rongyu returned to Beijing, Xiao Ningning also came to Beijing with Princess Yuzhang to visit her seriously ill grandmother.

At the same time, a murder occurred in the mountains behind Qingyun Temple. Gu Rongyu, the Minister of Justice, went to investigate. While pursuing the killer, he encountered the heroine, Xiao Ningning, who had ascended the mountain to pray for blessings. Xiao Ningning was held hostage by the killer, but Gu Rongyu cleverly rescued her. Xiao Ningning escaped danger and, considering Gu Rongyu her benefactor, she extended her services to him with all possible courtesy. This led to rumors in the capital that the Gu family was interested in marrying Xiao Ningning.

During their time together in the capital, Gu Rongyu also developed feelings for Xiao Ningning, but Xiao Ningning said that she only regarded him as a benefactor and a brother, and there was no love between them...

"Now Xiao Lanchun has been replaced by Xiao Ningning. As long as Xiao Ningning is guaranteed to stay in the capital these days and not go to Qingyun Temple, this key plot will be destroyed."

Lu Zhiwan was thinking about her plan in her mind: "As for whether Xiao Lanchun can replace Xiao Ningning's position in Gu Rongyu's heart, it depends on her personal luck. Anyway, I have tried my best to assist her. As for Xiao Ningning..."

In order to ensure that Xiao Ningning would not go to Qingyun Temple, Lu Zhiwan used a stupid but effective method - inviting Xiao Ningning into the palace.

Anyway, she is the favorite concubine now, so there is nothing wrong with her exercising some of the privileges of a favorite concubine.

So on the day when Gu Rongyu went to Qingyun Temple, she ordered someone to invite Xiao Ningning to Lifeng Palace.

It was a cloudy afternoon. Although the sky was clear in the morning, it became hot and humid in the afternoon.

Because she was going to meet the original heroine, Lu Zhiwan had Xia He dress her up nicely. She changed into a brand new pink gauze top embroidered with crabapple blossoms, paired with a silver-white gauze skirt with scattered floral patterns. She styled her hair in the most fashionable style in Beijing, a flowing cloud bun. A set of South China pearl headpieces sparkled, giving her a gentle yet elegant look.

After finishing dressing up, Lu Zhiwan looked at herself in the mirror for a long time, feeling very satisfied.

Even though he was dealt the bad hand of being the cannon fodder villain in the original novel, he still won't lose the battle.

What's more, she had already thought it through. Even if she couldn't change her death in the end, she would still dress up beautifully before she died, wear the most gorgeous dress, put on the most exquisite makeup, and become the most beautiful ghost in the harem.

At three quarters past noon, a palace maid came outside the hall to announce: "Your Majesty, Princess Yuzhang has arrived."

Lu Zhiwan, who was sitting on the couch and waiting anxiously, felt a chill in his heart: the heroine is here!

For some reason, she suddenly felt nervous.

Even Xia He, who was standing by, could see her nervousness and was puzzled: "Master, is there something different about this princess?"

The last time His Majesty came to Lifeng Palace, he had never seen the Master so concerned.

Lu Zhiwan raised her hand to adjust the tasseled hairpin on her temples, trying to remain calm. "I heard that Princess Yuzhang is the most beautiful woman in Jiangnan. I'm just a little curious."

"That's nothing." Xia He disagreed: "Master, you are still the most beautiful woman in Yuezhou. I think you are definitely more beautiful than her."

Lu Zhiwan winked at the little girl who was protecting her master. "You can tell me more about this in private. I'd love to hear it. But please don't be rude in front of the princess later."

Xia He nodded obediently: "Master, don't worry, I know my limits."

Lu Zhiwan nodded, and then, supported by Xia He, she walked gracefully towards the outer hall.

It was dark outside, and even the hall seemed dim.

The beautiful light blue figure in the hall was like a bright pearl in the dark chaos, bright and beautiful, surrounded by fairy air, as if illuminating the dim grey hall.

Lu Zhiwan couldn't help but squint his eyes when he saw it——

What a powerful halo of the heroine!

Hearing the footsteps, Xiao Ningning also raised her head and looked in the direction of the sound.

When Xiao Ningning saw the legendary favored Concubine Zhao, a look of amazement flashed across her eyes.

"Your humble servant pays homage to Her Majesty Zhao Fei. May Your Majesty be blessed with good health."

"No need to be so polite, my lady. Please get up quickly."

Lu Zhiwan sat at the head of the table and raised his hand to signal Xiao Ningning, "Princess, please take a seat."

Xiao Ningning thanked him and walked to the side to sit down.

The palace maids on both sides quickly brought tea and cakes, then stepped aside.

While drinking tea, Lu Zhiwan quietly looked at the original heroine, who had fair skin, beautiful features, black eyes, red lips, a curvy figure, and a dignified and elegant temperament.

Being able to be the main wife of the male protagonist in the novel, Xiao Ningning's appearance and temperament are indeed much superior to other girls described in the book.

If she remembered correctly, the original male protagonist should be on his way to Beijing at this moment, and along the way, he would meet two other confidantes, one of whom was a beautiful and unruly little bandit, and the other was a pure and simple peasant girl -

The male protagonist was first raped by a beautiful female bandit, losing his virginity. Then, when he was in danger, he was cared for by a peasant girl. On a rainy night, the two of them could not help but have a fight.

Tsk, the original male protagonist is really lucky... Lu Zhiwan is even a little jealous.

Her thoughts returned, she raised her eyelids and saw Xiao Ningning sitting down, holding the teacup in both hands, looking visibly embarrassed and uncomfortable.

Lu Zhiwan cleared her throat and coughed, "Princess, don't be nervous. I summoned you here today just to chat with you about family matters."

Despite saying this, Xiao Ningning was still a little uneasy.

She had no contact with Concubine Zhao before, so why did Concubine Zhao summon her into the palace as soon as she returned to Beijing?

As for chatting about daily life, what daily life do they have to talk about...

Could it be, as my mother said, that Concubine Zhao was competing with Concubine Gui, trying to win over the royal family to help her fight for the throne? But if that were the case, Concubine Zhao should be courting the powerful and influential in the capital. Why would she be so close to a young princess like me who had just returned to the capital?

Xiao Ningning couldn't figure it out at all, so she had to be extremely alert and deal with it.

Lu Zhiwan decided to keep Xiao Ningning company for the entire afternoon, so he forced himself into socializing mode, chatting with her about everything from the local customs and practices of Yuzhang to the interesting things he'd seen and heard on his way to Beijing, and then discussing Old Lady He's health and the recipes for the imperial kitchen's signature dim sum...

They talked on and on until a drizzle began to fall from the horizon. Lu Zhiwan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

In the original novel, Gu Rongyu rescued Xiao Ningning from the villains by taking advantage of the rainy day and attacking the villains' vital points when they were off guard, thus escaping danger.

By now, Gu Rongyu should have rescued Xiao Lanchun, right? If the plot still develops according to the original setting.

"Empress Zhao?"

The gentle and soft voice brought Lu Zhiwan back to his wandering thoughts.

She calmed down and saw Xiao Ningning, who was playing chess across from her, looking at her with a pair of gentle almond-shaped eyes: "If your majesty is tired, we can play chess another day."

"It's okay, I'm not tired."

Lu Zhiwan smiled at her, picked up the chess piece and made a move.

Xiao Ningning looked at the position where she placed the piece, her face stiffened for a moment, not knowing whether to win directly or in a more subtle way.

After pondering for a moment, she decided to be more tactful and silently placed a white chess piece. She asked casually, "When did Concubine Zhao start playing chess?"

"As for me, it wasn't long." Lu Zhiwan said, "Your Majesty taught me after I entered the palace."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ningning imagined some heartwarming scene, her almond-shaped eyes filled with envy. "I never thought that His Majesty would personally teach the Empress how to play chess. This shows how much His Majesty loves the Empress."

Value? Lu Zhiwan's mouth twitched slightly, and she couldn't help but think of the beginning of Xiao Jingting teaching her chess -

Before learning Go, she only knew how to play Gobang. One night, Xiao Jingting was in a particularly good mood and couldn't sleep, so he grabbed her and played Go. After realizing that she didn't know how to play, he held her down and taught her for most of the night.

Later, she fell asleep while playing chess, and she didn't remember how she got back to bed. She only knew that when she woke up the next morning, her face had been painted into a black and white chessboard by that bastard with ink.

She looked in the mirror, saw the black lines running across her face, and couldn't help cursing his ancestors in her heart.

Even when she thought about it now, she couldn't help but curse, that childish dog man!

Soon, the game of chess ended.

Even though Xiao Ningning tried her best to please Lu Zhiwan, she still won.

She felt a little embarrassed, but Lu Zhiwan didn't care at all. Looking at the increasingly dark sky outside the window, he felt a victory in his heart.

Finally, they got through the afternoon. Even if Xiao Ningning still wanted to go to Qingyun Temple, the city gate was closed and she couldn't go.

"Princess Yuzhang, I'm really sorry for asking you to sit with me for the entire afternoon." Lu Zhiwan said politely, "It's getting late now. You should go back. I'll invite you to play chess together another day."

"Your Majesty, Concubine Zhao, your words are truly humiliating to me." Xiao Ningning stood up consciously and bowed gracefully, "Then I will come to pay my respects to you another day.

After a few more pleasantries, Lu Zhiwan personally escorted her out the door and watched her get into the sedan chair.

In the breeze and slanting rain, the sedan chair swayed slowly as it left the palace.

As soon as Xiao Ningning returned to the palace, Princess Yuzhang nervously grabbed her hand and looked her up and down several times: "Why did Concubine Zhao invite you into the palace? Did she give you any trouble?"

"Don't be nervous, mother. Concubine Zhao didn't embarrass her daughter." Xiao Ningning shook her head, her expression becoming slightly complicated. "This Concubine Zhao is very different from what is being said..."

Princess Yuzhang asked, "How is it different?"

Xiao Ningning frowned and thought for a while before she uttered, "Well, he has a rather unique personality."

Princess Yuzhang exclaimed.

Xiao Ningning stepped forward, took her hand, and chuckled, "Next time you enter the palace, mother will know as soon as she sees you."

The mother and daughter walked into the house together. The autumn rain was still falling, dripping down the green tiles on the eaves.