Chapter 217 Disobedience

Dusk is falling and the autumn wind is blowing. In the dark night, the guards stood in the crowd holding torches. His Majesty came with wind and rain, and there was frost on his crane cloak.

As soon as the servants from the Qianqing Palace arrived, the noisy noise immediately became silent. The surroundings were completely quiet, with only the occasional chirping of birds.

Shen Fu stood in the crowd, lowering her eyes to her palm.

His Majesty's palm is broad, strong and powerful.

It is said that His Majesty also fought in the battlefield when he was young. In addition to the thin calluses on his fingertips left by holding a pen, there is also a thick layer of calluses on his palms.

At this moment, this hand was holding her tightly. The broad palm wrapped her soft and boneless hand completely in the palm, without using any force, it was able to make her unable to retreat.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Chen Fu acted extremely well-behaved, lowering her eyebrows and eyes so that no one could tell the expression on her face: "I'm fine, Your Majesty, don't worry too much about me."

Nowadays, people are coming and going, and everyone is watching His Majesty's every move.

It didn't seem right to grab her palm so openly.

After Shen Fu finished speaking, her face turned red and she tried to pull her palm out, but after a slight struggle, the Emperor grabbed her wrist with his backhand and held her tighter with his palm.

"Lin An, send Concubine Shen back!" His Majesty's tone was as cold as a sword, and even his gaze on Shen Fu had lost its warmth.

Lin An stood there trembling with fear. Seeing His Majesty like this, he knew that His Majesty was really angry: "Concubine Shen, let's go."

Lin An did not dare to disobey His Majesty, and hurried to the side of Chen Fu, bending down to comfort her: "This place is not suitable for you, you should go back with me."

Shen Fu was naturally unwilling to leave.

At this time, the dirty water is about to be thrown on her head. What will happen if she walks there at this moment? Doesn't she have any idea?

How could Shen Fu be willing to leave?

She just walked around, and Lin An bent over and begged her to leave quickly. The concubines around her naturally all had expressions of watching a good show, and no one stood up to speak for her.

But Shen Fu knew that it was useless to ask anyone for help in this matter. Except for the person in front of me...

Facing the cold gaze of His Majesty, Shen Fu's heart trembled twice, and suddenly her knees became weak and she knelt down: "Your Majesty..."

"Your Majesty, please allow me to stay." Chen Fu knelt on the ground, her tone full of pleading:

"The one who died was He Cairen from my palace, and the place where the accident happened was my Hehuan Palace..."

If Shen Fu wasn't here at this moment, how would she be able to control what happened next?

"I really don't dare to leave. I beg Your Majesty to let me stay."

Shen Fu knelt on the ground and refused to get up.

Xiao Yu stood in front of him, looking down at Shen Fu. She knelt on the ground with her back straight.

The autumn wind was quite cold, and people shivered when it blew on their bodies. However, Shen Fu even forgot to put on her cloak, and her skinny body knelt in the cold wind, shivering.

She didn't even look at him, and just kept begging to stay.

"How do you know I will reject you?" After waiting for a long time, a sigh came from above my head.

Xiao Yu suddenly bent down.

"Your Highness..." As soon as this action was taken, the sound of people inhaling gasps was heard one after another all around.

When has His Majesty ever had such a moment?

Lin An and the others were all startled, even Concubine Rong who had just arrived was frightened and stood still.

She had just got off the sedan chair and saw the Emperor's actions?

"Your Majesty..." Concubine Rong waved away the hand of the nanny beside her and walked forward in disbelief.

Before he could finish his words, His Majesty squatted down.

As a man of such a tall stature, he had the majesty of an emperor and was intimidating without even getting angry.

At this time, he bent over with his knees slightly bent in front of Shen Fu, letting her see his eyes: "I asked you to go back because I want you to relax."

The servants had already reported today's farce to him before he arrived.

No matter who died, He Cairen, or whether he died in the Hehuan Palace, he never doubted Chen Fu from beginning to end.

He asked Shen Fu to go back only because it was late at night, the wind was too strong, and the surroundings were too noisy.

I just wanted her to go back and rest early.

But he finally lost Shen Fu's trust.

"But you still don't trust me." It's hard to tell whether His Majesty's words were a sigh or a groan.

Shen Fu raised her head and met His Majesty's eyes.

In the dark night, those eyes were as dark as ink, and there was a deep look in their eyes as they looked at her.

Shen Fu's gaze fell into those eyes, and she felt that the look in those eyes was as clear as a lake, and the gaze fell deeply on her, but Shen Fu couldn't see clearly yet.

Above her head, a warm cloak fell on her shoulders.

"If you don't want to go back, just stay with me later." His Majesty said, pulling Chen Fu's hand and getting up from the ground.

The hand wearing the Hetian white jade ring fell on Shen Fu's neck. Xiao Yu lowered his eyes and carefully tied the cloak around Shen Fu's body.

"If you feel uncomfortable, tell me immediately?"

The pair of eyes that were intimidating without being angry fell on Shen Fu at this moment. The eyes seemed to contain warmth and were burning inside.

Shen Fu didn't dare to look closely and lowered her head. The fox fur on the collar pricked my neck and felt a little itchy.

She nodded, but couldn't hide her blushing cheeks, her eyes trembled slightly, and she was extremely obedient: "I will follow Your Majesty."

Xiao Yu looked at Chen Fu's slightly red ears, and his dark eyes suddenly became a little dim.

He turned his head and coughed twice, then turned the jade ring on his finger and glanced around. When his eyes fell on the corner, he stopped.

He immediately saw Shen Fu's cloak in the crowd.

Then I saw clearly that the person in the cloak was Zhou Shuyun.

In the corner, Zhou Shuyun was standing at the end of the crowd wearing Shen Fu's cloak. She was so cold that her whole body turned purple, and there was no trace of blood between her lips.

He looked weak and exhausted, as if he was about to faint.

When he came, Lin An reported to him that Concubine Zhou slipped and fell into the lotus pond and the body was found there.

If he hadn't asked Concubine Zhou to deliver something today, she wouldn't have had this experience today.

"Where is the imperial physician?" Xiao Yu's gaze fell on Zhou Shuyun, his eyes slightly twisted.

"Your Majesty, the imperial physician is investigating the cause of Concubine He's death." Concubine Rong saw it all clearly.

Hearing the voice of His Majesty, he immediately stepped forward.

"Take her over there to have a look." Xiao Yu pointed casually, his fingertips landing on Zhou Shuyun: "Let the imperial physician take a good look at her."

This gesture not only stunned Zhou Shuyun in the corner, but also everyone present.

His Majesty has always only taken Concubine Shen into consideration. When did he start to take an unfavored beauty into consideration?

Everyone's eyes turned to Lady Zhou, but Zhou Shuyun just stood there as if she had been hit by a wake-up call.

Until the concubine in front of her sneered: "You are really amazing."

Shu Guipin spoke in a vicious tone. She was standing right opposite Concubine Zhou. Just now, His Majesty's gaze was always looking at this side, but she thought that His Majesty was looking at her.

But she didn't expect that the person she saw was Lady Zhou behind her.

Now, even the beauty who didn't even have a nightbed with her is ahead of her. Shu Guipin felt that she couldn't stay here for a moment longer, so she sneered, took the servant's hand and left without looking back.

As soon as Concubine Shu Guipin left, Zhou Shuyun felt a little more sober as the cold wind blew on her body.

She tightly grasped Shen Fu's cloak, curled up and covered herself in the cloak.

After a while, he knelt down respectfully to express his gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

She was about to faint here, but she didn't expect that the Emperor noticed it.

It was obvious that after entering the palace, she had always been the most humble person among the crowd. I was afraid that some people didn't even know who she was. However, she didn't expect that the Emperor would still care about her so much.

Zhou Shuyun was drowsy and her steps were weak. She was surrounded by servants and left.

Before leaving, Zhou Shuyun couldn't help but turned her head and looked behind her.

Her eyes fell on the center of the crowd, on His Majesty.

There were images churning in my mind, flashing before my eyes, but I couldn't see them clearly.

She looked at her own embarrassment, and then looked at Shen Fu who was protected in the arms of the Emperor.

I just felt that something had changed quietly.

She pulled the cloak at her collar and thought of Shen Fu who was protected by the Emperor.

For a moment, she felt that she should be the one standing next to His Majesty.

"It shouldn't be like this." Zhou Shuyun shook her head and muttered.

*******

"I just asked, and the imperial physician said that Concubine He had no other wounds on her body, and no other scars were found on her body. The preliminary conclusion is that she died of drowning." Concubine Rong was straightforward.

The guards had already carried up He Cairen's body. Fearing that their masters would have bad luck seeing it, they covered the body with a white cloth, which was now covered tightly.

Xiao Yu took a few steps forward, afraid that Chen Fu would be frightened by what she saw, so he blocked her behind him. He looked at the corpse in front of him in silence, coldly as if he was looking at a stranger: "Has the palace official checked it?"

After all, the imperial physician is still treating living people, and even if he is examining, he is only checking whether there are any flesh wounds on the body. But Lingshi is different, as he judges cases involving dead people.

"The clerk is on the way. I have already asked someone to invite him." The clerk's job is to perform autopsies. Although there is a clerk in the palace, he will not stay overnight. Now that the palace gates are locked, if the clerk wants to enter the palace, he must have given notice in advance.

"As for the rest..." Concubine Rong hesitated for a moment, but before she opened her mouth, she heard His Majesty say coldly.

"What else?" His Majesty held Chen Fu tightly in his palm, his ten fingers clasped together so tightly that he was unwilling to let go.

"Could it be that the Imperial Concubine wants to say that He Cairen's death is related to Concubine Shen, or that He Cairen's death happened to happen in the Hehuan Palace?"

His Majesty had no expression on his face, his eyelids drooped, but his tone was a little sharp.

Concubine Rong looked at His Majesty's expression, her heart beating for a moment: "Of course not, Concubine He and Concubine Shen don't get along, this is known to the entire harem."

"If Concubine Shen had something to do with this, how could Concubine He die openly in the Hehuan Palace?" Concubine Rong said this, raised her head and smiled at Shen Fu.

"Besides, I believe in Concubine Shen's character. Concubine Shen would never do this."

"It's just that I hesitated just now because I took the initiative to punish the guards in the cold palace."

Shen Fu couldn't move for the time being.

With just a slight test, His Majesty felt as if his reverse scale had been pulled out.

Concubine Rong really didn't expect that the Emperor couldn't bear to hear even the slightest bad thing about Shen Fu at this moment.

She changed the subject and could only make an excuse: "I am really angry. If the guards in the cold palace had not been inadequate in guarding, this would not have happened."

"It's not a big deal for He Cairen to escape from the cold palace, but she escaped all the way from the cold palace to the Hehuan Palace without anyone noticing her along the way..."

"Fortunately, she drowned in the lotus pond. If she hadn't died, He Cairen was so vicious and had turned against Concubine Shen. I really didn't know what the consequences would be. That's why I punished Leng Feng's servants. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

When Xiao Yu heard this, he lowered his eyes and looked at Concubine Rong: "Concubine Rong handled it properly."

The imperial physician and the imperial clerk were invited, and even the guards who were guarding Leng had been punished in advance.

Concubine Rong has taken every aspect into consideration.

When Chen Fu heard this, she couldn't help but look up at Concubine Rong:

"I am in charge of the harem under the orders of His Majesty. Now that something has happened in the harem, I must naturally deal with it wholeheartedly."

The moment Shen Fu raised her head, Concubine Rong knelt down: "This way we will not disappoint His Majesty's trust."

Concubine Rong knelt on the ground, her tone extremely humble.

Chen Fu suddenly understood why the Emperor had never said anything about taking away her authority to manage the harem even though she had been punished in the Buddhist temple for so long. Now she was still the one in charge of the harem.

Apart from Concubine Rong, I'm afraid there is no one else in the entire harem who can handle things so neatly.

"What's more, I..." Concubine Rong was kneeling on the ground. When she raised her head, she could see the Emperor's cold eyes.

She looked past the Emperor's cold gaze and fell on Shen Fu behind him.

Such a big thing happened in the harem, and as the imperial concubine in the harem, she was naturally the first to bear the brunt of it.

"As the only imperial concubine in the harem, I must thoroughly investigate what happened..." Imperial Concubine Rong paused for a moment when she said this.

"The concubine He escaped from the cold palace, and I am also responsible."

Xiao Yu looked at Concubine Rong deeply.

Concubine Rong arrived the latest, but she had already made some progress in her investigation.

What's more, she never mentioned any conflict between He Cairen and Shen Fu from beginning to end.

Even though he was slightly dissatisfied with her previous actions regarding Concubine Shu, he couldn't look too serious when looking at Concubine Rong: "Help Concubine Rong up."

After receiving the order, Lin An immediately stepped forward in person. He had a smile on his face, his brows were furrowed, and his expression was full of flattery.

"Thank you, Eunuch Lin." Concubine Rong held Lin An's hand, and the moment she stood up, her knees couldn't help but shake slightly.

"Empress Dowager, are you okay?" Lin An was startled and asked quickly.

"Empress Rong, are you okay?" Xiao Yu heard it and asked in time.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern. I'm fine." Concubine Rong covered her lips with a handkerchief.

"Your Highness!" Concubine Rong covered her lips and coughed twice. The nanny who was supporting her immediately knelt down and said, "Your Highness, you said you were fine, but your body is..."

"Get out!" The maid seemed to be about to say something, but before she could finish, Concubine Rong covered her lips and said to stop her: "Who told you to say it? Get out of here!"

"What happened to your master?" Xiao Yu looked at everything in front of him with a heavy gaze.

The nanny knelt on the ground, not caring whether His Majesty believed it or not, she just kowtowed to His Majesty: "Your Majesty, the Queen has been depressed ever since she fainted in the Buddhist temple last time."

"The imperial physician came many times, and he always said that heart disease is difficult to cure."

Since Concubine Shu’s birthday, His Majesty has never been to the harem.

He couldn't enter the Hehuan Palace, and he refused to go to the other concubines' palaces.

Even on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month, the Emperor had never set foot in Concubine Rong's palace. There have been gossips in the harem for a long time. In this harem, apart from position, the favor of the Emperor is the most direct.

Even if she is a royal concubine, it is still unconvincing if she is not favored.

"I..." Xiao Yu was silent for a long time, as if he was about to speak.

He held Shen Fu's wrist with his palm and rubbed it for a while, then stroked Shen Fu's wrist with his fingertips covered with thin calluses. He lowered his eyes and glanced at Shen Fu, but he couldn't say the next words.

: "It's getting late. Now that the matter has been clarified, let's go back early."

Concubine Rong was half leaning in the servant's arms. When she heard His Majesty's words, the hope in her heart instantly collapsed.

Even at this point, His Majesty has not given in.

"I obey your command." Concubine Rong knelt down with her head down.

The cold wind blew on his body, and his figure under the black robe looked particularly bleak.

His Majesty's cloak was draped over Shen Fu. At this moment, he was rubbing his brow with one hand, and the other hand was holding Shen Fu's wrist from beginning to end, never letting go.

"Let the imperial officer investigate thoroughly. If He Cairen fell into the water accidentally, there is no need to report the matter."

It's getting late now and the person is already dead. There is no point in making a fuss.

What's more, He Cairen has never been favored by the emperor. Even if he died, it would only be a matter of one person's death to the emperor, and it would not leave any ripples in his heart.

Chen Fu followed closely beside His Majesty and heard all this with her own ears without changing her expression at all.

It turned out that she guessed wrong when she came here today.

Everything that happened today seemed to be aimed at her, but in fact, it was just a play directed and performed by Concubine Rong herself.

He Cairen's life was just a simple one, but it allowed Concubine Rong to establish her authority.

As for why they chose the Hehuan Palace, it was of course because apart from the Hehuan Palace, no one could guarantee that His Majesty would arrive immediately like he did tonight.

Chen Fu was so preoccupied with thoughts that she didn't even notice when she sat on the Emperor's dragon sedan chair.

The bright yellow curtain had just been dropped and before he could even stand firmly, he was pushed against the dragon sedan chair.

"Look up!" With his back pressed against the car wall, a hot and burning body pressed closely against him.

Shen Fu heard the hoarse voice, and before she could raise her head, a hand landed on her chin, and the tiger's mouth dragged her to raise her head.

His thin lips pressed against his with anger.

It wasn't a kiss at all, it was more like a punishment. He bit her lips so hard that they were torn and soon bled.

“Let…let go…” Chen Fu felt pain and began to struggle.

But how could her strength compare to that of His Majesty?

The tassels hanging on the wall of the carriage swayed slightly. She clenched her fists and placed them on His Majesty's shoulders, holding them tightly but not daring to let go.

"What? You don't dare?" A low chuckle came from above her, and a kiss on her lips turned her head and sucked her earlobe.

The breath with a smile fell on her ear, hot and scorching:

"When you disobeyed me just now, I didn't see you dare to do it."