Chapter 136 Scapegoat

His Majesty raised his foot and walked inside, rushing in with his long legs, and even Lin An behind him couldn't catch up.

Lin An was stunned, then waited for a while before hurriedly following the Emperor.

"What's the matter?" His Majesty spoke hurriedly as soon as he entered. You don't even need to look at his expression to tell how anxious His Majesty is from his hurried voice.

"Your Excellency is fine, Your Majesty, don't worry."

The doctor dared only stand behind the screen, and across the carved red lacquer screen, he bowed and said respectfully: "It's just that the noble has just woken up, Your Majesty..."

Before he could finish his words, His Majesty rushed into the house.

"Chen Fu..." Xiao Yu just walked in, but before he reached the screen, a voice came from inside: "Stop!"

The woman's hurried voice frightened everyone outside.

Even Xiao Yu's outstretched foot stopped in an instant. Standing obediently behind the screen: "How are you? I heard that you woke up, and I was worried so I wanted to come in and take a look."

Lin An was originally following behind His Majesty, but upon seeing this he silently withdrew his foot.

Miss Chen Fu is so brave that she dares to say anything to His Majesty.

Behind the screen, Shen Fu just woke up slowly. The effect of the medicine has just worn off and I feel so weak that I don’t have any strength at all.

But Shen Fu knew in her heart that she would definitely not look good in this state.

She is very sensitive to pollen and gets rashes all over the place whenever she gets a little bit of it.

If you think about it carefully, the snow-white skin is covered with red pimples everywhere. How good can this look be?

Shen Fu weakly stretched out her hand and covered her face with it: “Your Majesty, please don’t come in.”

"Chen Fu, I'm worried about you." The sight of Chen Fu fainting in his arms just now was so terrifying that Xiao Yu still finds it hard to get over the pain.

Moreover, considering Shen Fu’s previous state, he would be worried if he didn’t see the person in person.

"I'm really worried about you. I'll go in and take a look at you. I'll come out after I make sure everything is alright, okay?"

Xiao Yu walked inside as he spoke, but before he entered the screen, a bottle flew out and hit him.

"Your Majesty, be careful." Lin An immediately pulled His Majesty aside, and the porcelain bottle brushed against his body and fell to the ground.

A bottle of rose water fell to the ground, and the fragrance instantly spread throughout the house.

"Your Majesty, are you okay?" Lin An was so frightened that his soul left his body. He stood there in a daze for a long time before gradually coming to his senses.

Not to mention the entire harem, even if the king of heaven came, he wouldn't dare to throw things at the Emperor.

"I'm fine." Xiao Yu frowned slightly and waved away Lin An's outstretched hand.

How could a mere small bottle hurt him at all?

However, His Majesty looked at the screen with a worried look on his face, took a deep breath, and negotiated: "If you don't let me in, then you have to let me know whether you are okay or not."

Xiao Yu pinched his brows with his fingers: "If not, I will be worried."

Behind the screen, Shen Fu sank into the bathtub. After hearing what His Majesty said, he gradually relaxed.

To be honest, that smash just now was an act of helplessness. But if she didn't hit it hard, she would have scared the Emperor to stop where he was.

When His Majesty comes in, he will see her current appearance.

Shen Fu lowered her head and looked at her hands in the bathtub. Under the skirt, the snow-white and delicate skin is faintly visible.

Through the thin layer, you can see the densely packed bumps on it.

Countless rashes on the body are scary to look at. Even she herself looked a little creepy, how could she let the Emperor see her like this?

"No..." Shen Fu shook her head, and then hurried to the door and said: "I am fine, Your Majesty, don't worry."

As a concubine in the harem, how could she let the Emperor see her like this?

Even if he waits until she gets better, if His Majesty thinks of her in the future, will he start to dislike her?

An unprecedented sense of crisis came over her, and Shen Fu clenched her palms. She couldn't, absolutely couldn't let the Emperor see her like this.

"Your Majesty, there is no need to come in. I am not feeling well and it is not appropriate for me to meet you."

Chen Fu refused several times, and Xiao Yu sighed deeply: "Okay, then I won't go in."

He stood at the door and glanced at Lin An: "But I am really worried about you. How about I not go in and let Lin An check it out?"

Lin An got the Emperor's gaze and walked in, bending over.

There was a scent of medicine in the room. Chen Fu was sitting in the bathtub with her clothes on. There was freshly boiled Chinese medicine in the bathtub.

But even after she put on the clothes, her skirt was wet by the water, but her exquisite figure was still revealed.

Even though he was a eunuch, Lin An did not dare to look at her any longer. After glancing at the rash on Shen Fu's body, he quickly lowered his head.

Seeing Lin An coming in, Shen Fu said to Lin An: "Don't worry, sir, I'm fine."

Chen Fu had just escaped death, and her body and face were covered with rashes to varying degrees.

At this moment, lying in the bathtub like this, he said good things, but in fact, he was not very good.

"I'm glad that my lady is okay." Lin An lowered his head, not daring to look at Shen Fu too much.

After looking at Chen Fu's face and making sure that Zhen'er was fine, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty." Lin An walked out the door: "The young lady has regained consciousness. She will be fine after the rash subsides."

After hearing this, Xiao Yu was temporarily relieved: "Since you don't want me to go in, then I won't say anything."

He stood outside the screen and spoke slowly: "Don't worry, the imperial physician will be here tomorrow."

"I will not let you get hurt."

When Chen Fu heard His Majesty's reply, she gradually felt relieved.

If you want to win favor, the first thing you need is beauty. It is obvious that His Majesty is not completely interested in her now. It goes without saying how important her face is compared to other things.

After making sure that His Majesty would not break in, Shen Fu closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

********

Chen Fu was temporarily recuperating in Yuqing Palace, so His Majesty moved to a side hall nearby.

"Your Majesty, General Wang has probably already arrived in Kyoto." Wang Mao will lead his troops into the capital today, and will definitely arrive in Kyoto before the city gates close at night.

The army will be ready to go tomorrow. Even if the journey is slow, it will only take a few days to reach Yuquan Mountain.

Xiao Yu stood behind the long desk in the side hall.

The long ebony desk seemed a little short, and it was piled high with volumes of memorials.

His Majesty was born taller than ordinary people, and the things he used in daily life, especially the tables and chairs, were specially made according to his height.

Ever since I moved into this side hall, I can’t even sit comfortably on a chair.

Lin An looked at His Majesty's expression and paused while grinding the paper: "The concubines will probably arrive in a couple of days."

Xiao Yu lowered his head, sketching carefully with the purple wolf-hair brush in his hand.

"Just say what you want to say. I don't have the time to listen to your nonsense."

Lin An looked at His Majesty like this, and his gaze turned downwards and fell on His Majesty's palm.

What was painted on the paper in Chengxin Hall was not anything else but lotus flowers.

It has been nearly an hour since the memorial was submitted, and His Majesty has been painting here the whole time.

But the table was very short, and the Emperor was too tall, so he could only bend over.

In this way, His Majesty spent a full hour painting.

"The imperial physician said that Miss Chen Fu is fine." When the accident happened yesterday, he went to the temporary palace twenty miles away overnight to call the imperial physician who stayed at the palace.

I took Miss Shen Fu's pulse this morning and the imperial physician said she is doing very well.

Just take a few more doses of medicine and over time, the rash on your body will slowly fade away.

Lin An thought of this, his eyes flickered: "Tomorrow, when Concubine Rong and others arrive, they will see that Miss Chen Fu lives in the Yuqing Palace, and His Majesty lives in the side palace..."

Miss Chen Fu now refuses to see His Majesty. His Majesty is worried, but does not dare to make Miss Chen Fu angry.

It's really annoying.

I paint in this side hall all day long, but this place is remote and small. If others knew about this, they would probably talk about His Majesty behind his back.

Lin An paused in the middle of his words: "It is true that His Majesty favors Miss Shen Fu, but people's words are scary, and the concubines in the harem are going to fight again."

"If seen by someone with ulterior motives, it might cause trouble." Lin An knew the methods of the concubines in the harem very well.

Take the incident of Chen Fu's allergy today for example. If His Majesty had not doted on Chen Fu alone and brought her alone to Yuquan, this disaster would not have happened.

Sometimes, the emperor's favor is not all glory, but is also accompanied by disasters.

"Misfortune?" Xiao Yu sneered and waved the wolf-hair brush in his hand, letting the ink drip onto the scroll.

"When did my favoring of someone become a disaster?"

The tone of His Majesty's words was clearly not harsh, but Lin An's body shuddered inexplicably when he heard it.

"Your Majesty..." The cold sweat on Lin An's forehead fell like tears: "It was my words that were said."

He knew that His Majesty doted on Lady Shen Fu, otherwise he would not have done such extraordinary things again and again.

But sometimes His Majesty is too gracious, and if one is unable to protect himself, it is no longer graciousness.

Lin An knelt on the spot, and the Emperor in front of him spoke coldly again.

"Let Zhou Qiong catch the murderer. If he can't find the boss, he won't have to take over."

As Xiao Yu finished speaking, he swung the wolf-hair brush in his hand downwards. The red ink ruined the entire painting.

With a slight flick of his finger, the painting that the Emperor had just spent two hours on turned into waste paper in an instant. From the lotus lake to the lotus leaves, the entire lotus viewing scene has been completely destroyed.

Lin An was trembling in his heart, and his face hurt when he looked at the painting.

He turned around and ran straight to the door without daring to stay for a moment.

******

His Majesty issued an order to let Manager Zhou conduct a thorough investigation, and the people in Yuquan Palace were in a panic.

In the Lotus Fragrance Hall, Lady Ying sat on a chair, her jade-like fingers gently pinching a grape and peeling it bit by bit: "How is the little eunuch?"

No one was seen yesterday, and the Emperor even became suspicious. If it weren't for the young eunuch who swore to never give in, she would have been finished.

"Don't worry, my lady. I can't speak anymore." After fifty lashes of the cane, the man was half dead.

The bamboo mat was rolled up and the bloody person was thrown into the deep mountains. After a night, not even a bone was left. How could he still be alive and speak?

Qinghong said: "I have seen it with my own eyes. He is dead and cannot die any more."

"Just don't speak."

When Lady Ying thought about yesterday, she felt relieved.

She really didn’t expect that His Majesty would be so concerned about Shen Ronghua.

It was clear that Shen Ronghua had only been in the palace for a few months, but she had clearly begged so much yesterday, but His Majesty still insisted on investigating it thoroughly.

“I knew that the emperor’s heart was unfathomable, but I didn’t expect that he was really interested in Shen Ronghua.”

His Majesty is a cold-hearted person by nature. After living in the harem for a long time, one can naturally sense His Majesty's joys, sorrows, anger and happiness.

On weekdays, His Majesty rarely cares about the affairs of the harem. Unless someone dies, His Majesty will turn a blind eye for the sake of harmony between the government and the people.

It was precisely because she knew His Majesty's temperament that Lady Ying dared to take action. But I didn't expect that a mere allergy would make His Majesty so concerned.

There was a sour tone in Ying Meiren's tone when she said this.

"Is there still no news?" The more His Majesty doted on Shen Fu, the more resentful she became: "Is Shen Ronghua's face ruined?"

"My lady, don't worry." Qinghong patted her back, "After this incident, the security in Yuqing Palace is stricter than that of the Imperial Palace, let alone getting information."

“It’s just that Shen Ronghua was tricked after all. Even if her face was not disfigured, she now refuses to even see His Majesty.”

Qinghong stood behind Ying Meiren and couldn't help laughing: "My lady, this is considered a win."

When Ying Meiren heard this, a bit of pride flashed in her eyes: “When I was in the palace, Shen Fu had not even entered the palace.”

Now she was only temporarily banished to Yuquan Mountain. Chen Fu dared to ride on her head, and she deserved to suffer.

"As long as Manager Zhou can't find out, this matter will be foolproof." The crystal grapes fell into the jade plate, and Qinghong said lightly behind her:

"Don't worry, my lord. We will not be able to find out."

When she went there, she made sure that there was no one there. Besides, the lotus petals were not poisonous and they were everywhere in Yuquan Mountain.

If the person in charge wants to survive this week, he will definitely find a way to resolve this matter.

Sure enough, the next morning I heard that the palace maid who had made tea for the Yuqing Palace had hanged herself the night before.

It was already afternoon when the news reached Shen Fu.

"You said he hanged himself?" Chen Fu sat behind a long desk with a veil on her face.

She has been in good health these days, except that the pimples on her body have not yet gone away, so it is not suitable for her to go out and see people.

Chen Fu had been staying in the palace these past few days, but news from outside would reach her ears from time to time.

"Yes." Manager Zhou knelt outside and said respectfully, "We found it early in the morning. The body was already stiff."

"The maid in the same room said that she confessed that she accidentally put the petals there, which caused the lady's allergy."

"He was afraid of being implicated, so he died to atone for his crime."

The voice of Manager Zhou came from inside. Chen Fu put down the bronze mirror in her hand, and there was a coldness between her brows.

"The maid is not interested?" Chen Fu lowered her head and looked at the red dots on the back of her hand.

I had guessed long ago that this matter would not be so simple.

This matter is neither big nor small, and her status is not that noble. Now the concubines from the harem are about to arrive, and the case must be closed before they arrive.

The palace maid who made the tea became a scapegoat. Her death was silent, but it was justified.

Chen Fu had been living so smoothly these days that she even forgot that this was the harem.

Where there are people, there will be competition, let alone this is a place where power is being fought for.

"Does Your Majesty know?" Shen Fu asked.

Outside the door, the kneeling Manager Zhou seemed to have known that Chen Fu would ask this question.

He bowed his head to the ground without raising it: "I have already reported to His Majesty, and now I am here to report to you, my lady."

Since he went to His Majesty first, the fact that Manager Zhou could come to her must have been approved by His Majesty, right?

Shen Fu lowered her eyelids, a sneer in her eyes.

This disaster must be man-made.

As for the person behind the scenes, no one needs to guess who it is. There are only two concubines in the entire Yuquan Mountain now. Who else could have planned to harm her except Ying Meiren who has regarded her as a thorn in her side since the very beginning?

When Shen Fu thought of the beautiful Ying's delicate face, a sneer escaped from her throat.

"I understand." Shen Fu's thin lips curled up into a smile and said lightly:

"Send someone to invite His Majesty, and tell him that I have something to say to him."