Chapter 70

[Chapter 70]

Ruan Yun wrote every stroke with extreme care. Compared with her previous handwriting, her current handwriting was very neat. Although it was far from being as good as that of a talented woman, it was much better than what she had written before.

Ying Ning was grinding ink for the Empress, and from time to time she would look at the paper the Empress was writing on, and said softly, "The Empress's handwriting does have some of the charm of the Emperor's handwriting."

Ruan Yun held the brush between her slender fingers, looked at the gold-sprinkled rice paper, and muttered, "It's clearly a copybook, not the emperor's handwriting."

Ting Xu placed a bird's nest next to the empress's hand and couldn't stop sulking. How could she blame the empress for what happened today? If the emperor had not left last night, Concubine Su would not dare to be rude today, and that Miss Lu would not dare to bully the empress. They were all noble Meng. They always tried to steal the empress's favor. It was really hateful!

She only dared to think this in her heart, but the unhappy expression on her face was already revealed.

Ruan Yun put down her pen and rubbed her wrist. She saw that her wrist was red. She said, "Oh, I'll go to the Imperial Medical Bureau to get some ointment for the queen. The palace doesn't have any of these."

She hadn't noticed it just now, but after Yingning said that, Ruan Jun looked at her own fair wrist.

The skin, which was originally as white as jade, turned slightly red due to holding the pen. Not only that, it also felt swollen, painful and hot.

She moved her fingertips down from her wrist, looked at what she had copied, and said to Yingning, "Send these to Jingqi Palace."

Ruan Yun had only written two notes on the table. Her eyes were filled with joy. "When you go to the Imperial Medical Bureau to get medicine, it's best to be quiet."

Yingning didn't dare to delay, so she put away the things written by the Empress and went towards Jingqi Palace.

Meng Guiren was escorted out of Jingqi Palace by Wei Maoyuan himself. When Ying Chongrong left, the emperor asked him to send Meng Guiren away and to guard outside.

Wei Maoyuan's expression was not as grim as before, and one could even vaguely see some joy on his face.

Little Muzi also came out with the master. Seeing the master's look, he couldn't help but ask, "Master, the emperor doesn't allow you to serve in there, why do you seem... not worried at all?"

Wei Maoyuan kicked him and said, "You little bastard, what do you know? The emperor is waiting for someone."

Little Muzi was confused and didn't understand how these two things were related.

There were branches extending from under the eaves, with emerald green leaves densely packed together and crowded on the branches, allowing some light to shine through under the sun.

Wei Maoyuan was dozing off under the corridor, and little Muzi was also drowsy. The weather was hot, and they could have waited in the side hall, but the master insisted on staying here, so little Muzi had to accompany the master.

The sounds of cicadas chirping in the lush trees filled his ears, disturbing him greatly. Little Muzi took a sticky fishing rod from the side, reached into the tree and began to work with difficulty.

Wei Maoyuan waited and waited but no one showed up. It was almost time for dinner. He couldn't help but wonder, could it be that Ying Chongrong was unhappy again and didn't want to copy the characters anymore, and didn't even want to have dinner?

Looking towards the inner hall with a headache, Wei Maoyuan's forehead was covered with sweat just thinking about it.

When I raised my hand to wipe the sweat off my face, a palace maid in a dark green dress suddenly walked slowly towards me.

When Yingning arrived at Jingqi Palace, her face was filled with panic, and she hurriedly handed two pieces of paper to Wei Maoyuan.

"This..." Wei Maoyuan was so scared that he broke into a cold sweat. Seeing Yingning was about to leave, he quickly pulled Yingning back and asked in a low voice, "Didn't the emperor say five copies? Why are there only two?" Yingning stamped her feet and pulled her sleeves out of Wei Maoyuan's hands. With a look of heartache, she said, "Eunuch, you don't know. When my queen was copying calligraphy today, she wanted to get up and take a rest. But she went dark and almost fell to the ground. It's not that she didn't want to copy, but she really couldn't. After I deliver the calligraphy to you, I have to go to the Imperial Medical Bureau. Eunuch, please let go."

Wei Maoyuan was so frightened that he almost couldn't hold the rice paper steadily. He wanted to ask a few more questions, but Yingning walked very fast and her figure had already disappeared at the gate of Jingqi Palace. Looking at this scene, it was obvious that Yingning was deeply hurt.

When Little Muzi heard the noise, he put down his sticky rod and came over immediately. Seeing his master standing there in a daze, he said, "Master, is there someone coming from Yingchongrong Palace?"

Wei Maoyuan pushed Little Muzi and said to him, "Hurry up and ask Imperial Physician Sun to go to Shuohan Pavilion."

After saying this, he hurried towards the inner hall.

Yan Shiyu was talking to Young Master Yu when he heard the door open. Young Master Yu paused, causing Yan Shiyu to look up and glance at Wei Maoyuan. He also saw the rice paper in his hand and said lightly, "Go on."

Young Prince Yu said, "Performance appraisal has been promoted in various places. Recently, I want to go to Yangzhou to see what the effect is. I heard that the magistrate of Yangzhou, Lord Li Heyan, was born in a poor family. He is honest and upright and never shows favoritism. If he can help, the promotion of the system in Jiangnan will be smoother."

Yan Shiyu nodded and tapped his knuckles on the table, wondering if this could be done.

The bad morals of officials are mostly due to the limitations of ancestral systems. The previous emperor had accumulated deep-seated problems during his reign, and it was becoming increasingly difficult for children from poor families to advance. Even though many people from poor families were selected in the imperial examinations every year, in places he could not see, such as the provincial and metropolitan examinations, countless wealthy families spent money to push their family members in, causing children from poor families to study hard for more than a decade, only to die with disappointment in the end.

There are fewer talented people in the court, and the conflicts in the court are deepening. Since he ascended the throne, he has intended to promote people from humble backgrounds. Before the imperial examination, he issued an order to strictly prohibit the collusion between the aristocratic families and the examiners, but the effect was minimal. If he could solve the problems in the imperial examination through the official assessment this time, it would be good.

Yan Shiyu said in a deep voice: "This time, the power of the aristocratic families should not be underestimated. You must pay attention to your own safety."

Young Prince Yu bowed and knelt down, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will live up to your expectations."

Yan Shiyu carefully pondered the place that Young Master Yu mentioned.

Yangzhou.

Suddenly I remembered that it seemed that Young Prince Yu would go to Yangzhou every year, and would ask for leave from him either on official business or for personal reasons.

The cold voice reached Young Master Yu's ears, and Yan Shiyu asked coldly, "You have been to Yangzhou many times, but who are you looking for?"

Young Master Yu looked surprised, as if he had not expected the Emperor to talk about private matters at this time.

After raising his head, he suddenly realized that he had lost his manners and knelt even lower. "Your Majesty, please forgive me. This is a family affair of my grandfather's generation. It is..."

There was some hesitation in his words, but Yan Shiyu could hear it.

grandfather……

That's not it.

He breathed a sigh of relief, and his expression became less cold. Yan Shiyu personally went down to help him up and said, "Since it is a family matter, I will not ask any more questions. When you go to Yangzhou, you pick fifty people from the Black Tiger Camp to take away. I want to see you return safely with your achievements."

Young Master Yu was in awe and said, "I will definitely not obey the Emperor's orders."

When Young Master Yu left, Yan Shiyu went up to the jade steps and sat down. He glanced at Wei Maoyuan, causing Wei Maoyuan to quickly put the things in his hands in front of the emperor's desk.

Seeing the two thin pieces of rice paper in front of him, Yan Shiyu sneered, "Why? She is just perfunctory to me like this!"

In the end, she didn't take his words to heart, or she didn't take him as a person to heart!

This woman is really bold and reckless. She dares to do whatever she wants by taking advantage of her favor. What he saw today was just one example. There is no telling how much more he has not seen!

Let her practice calligraphy quietly, and two hours later, only these two pieces of calligraphy were delivered to her!

Yan Shiyu's face was filled with a hint of anger. He took a closer look and found that the things on it were actually the things in the storybook!

He was so angry that he swept the memorials on the table to the ground. Wei Maoyuan's legs went limp and he quickly knelt in front of the emperor, "Your Majesty, please calm down."

Ignoring the Emperor's thoughts, she blurted out what Ying Ning had just said.

Finally, looking at the emperor's expression, Wei Maoyuan said in a very low voice: "I think Ying Chongrong didn't finish writing because she was sick."

Yan Shiyu immediately kicked him and shouted angrily: "I will chop off your head tomorrow!"

After saying this, he strode outside. Wei Maoyuan hurriedly stood up and followed the emperor out of the hall. The emperor walked very fast, and the people carrying the imperial guards followed him in small steps behind him.

When they reached the gate of Shuohan Pavilion, Wei Maoyuan was already panting. He wiped the sweat off his face and hurriedly followed the emperor into Shuohan Pavilion.

Ruan Jun sat in front of the soft couch, her almond-shaped eyes were dotted with water stains, and a few crystal tears hung on her crow-feather-like eyelashes.

The eunuch outside had not finished his message when Ruan Yun looked up and saw the emperor walking in.

He was about to stand up and greet her, but when Yan Shiyu saw her rosy cheeks and rosy face, he couldn't help but frown.

He turned the jade ring on his hand and asked in a deep voice, "What happened to Ying Chongrong?"

Doctor Sun did not dare to lie. After looking at Ying Chongrong, he said, "Ying Chongrong may have used the wrong force when practicing calligraphy. That is why her wrist is red, swollen and painful. She only needs to rest for two days and it will be fine."

Yan Shiyu snorted coldly, and seeing that Ruan Yunhao's wrist had been covered with medicine, he said in a deep voice, "Everyone, get out!"

Ruan Jun then stood up and looked at the emperor, but there was timidity in her eyes, as if she had returned to the time when she was a palace maid.

But this time, Yan Shiyu's dark eyes captured Ruan Jun's small face, and Ruan Jun said with a bit of fragility in her voice: "Your Majesty, my hand hurts terribly."

Yan Shiyu suddenly called her and said, "Ruan Yun."

As his voice dropped, tears immediately welled up in Ruan Jun's eyes, but she bit her lower lip with her teeth and dared not cry.

His eyes fell on the red and swollen area on her wrist, which was not as scary as she said.

Yan Shiyu lowered his head and looked at the woman sitting there. She gritted her teeth and dared not cry out loud. Her body was shaking. She said, "Have you ever been a bit cautious?"

When Ruan Yun raised her eyes to look at the emperor, Yan Shiyu went straight out of Shuohan Pavilion.

She hadn't thought of what to say, and now there was no need to say anything.

Yingning and Tingxu came in hurriedly from outside. Seeing the queen wiping away her tears, they asked anxiously, "Queen, is the emperor angry?"

Ruan Yun shook her head, indicating that she didn't know, but the emperor looked unhappy.

She sighed. She had originally intended to help the emperor calm down, but ended up making things worse.

The wrist was much better after being heated with the medicine pack than at the beginning. Ruan Jun said softly, "Take it off."

Yingning took the medicine bag down for the empress, and seeing that the empress looked tired, she had no choice but to pull Yingning down.

The emperor meant that if the queen didn't finish copying these five pieces of characters today, she would not be allowed to have dinner.

But after all this trouble, it was time for dinner.

Before Ying Ning could think about what to do next, someone from the kitchen arrived with food boxes.

Tingxu took the lunch box, opened it and saw that the dishes inside were all the Empress's favorites and the portions were not small.

After exchanging a glance with Ying Ning, he walked into the inner hall. Ruan Jun was already sitting on the couch, reading the script in her hand.

Seeing Yingning carrying a lunch box, Ruan Yunsi was not surprised at all. She just smiled and said, "I thought you guys would go hungry with me tonight."

Tingxu was so bored that he placed the dishes that the queen liked in front of her and said, "The queen is tired today, so please eat more."

Ruan Yun picked up the jade chopsticks and used only a few chopsticks. Seeing that there were a few unused dishes left on the table, she said gently, "Go and enjoy it."

The daily meals for the palace maids could only fill their stomachs. Since she was useless, it would be a pity to throw her away. It would be better to give her away and let the palace maids eat her.

Seeing this, Yingning stopped persuading her and helped the empress to sit on the couch.

…

Jingqi Palace.

After Yan Shiyu returned, the words written by Ruan Yun were still on his desk.

Wei Maoyuan's heart trembled with fear, and his flesh trembled as the emperor spoke.

"What does she watch every day?"

The more Yan Shiyu watched, the angrier he became. He asked the woman to go back to the palace to calm down, but what the woman brought back was a cheap storybook!

"Who sent it to her?"

Wei Maoyuan hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Eunuchs saw that you had not spoken, and thought that Ying Chongrong could be sent, so..."

Every time they went out of the palace to purchase, as long as they found the most popular storybooks at the time, the eunuchs would bring them back to the palace and send them to Ying Chongrong.

After all, the Empress had asked about this matter according to the rules, and the Emperor had not said no, so the Empress naturally thought it was okay.

Yan Shiyu's dark eyes instantly looked towards Wei Maoyuan, and it was like an ice knife stabbing into Wei Maoyuan's body, making him feel extremely cold.

Wei Maoyuan knelt down again with an embarrassed look on his face. Yan Shiyu suddenly said, "Take it!"

Not daring to delay, Wei Maoyuan stood up and was about to take the rice paper in front of Master Wansui.

Although the emperor was angry, he was reluctant to throw the things away. It seemed that he was just suddenly filled with anger today.

"Tell the Ministry of Internal Affairs not to send her these manuscripts again."

Wei Maoyuan reported this to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs pulled Wei Maoyuan aside and flattered him, "Eunuch Wei, you are serving the emperor, tell me something, the emperor is really kind to Ying Chongrong, but... "

The news that Ying Chongrong had fallen out of favor had spread throughout the entire harem. The people in the Ministry of Eunuchs were also confused and had no idea how to treat this Empress Chongrong in the future.

Wei Maoyuan said with a "tsk". "The emperor has never issued such an imperial decree. Isn't Ying Chongrong sitting in her seat?"

The people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs understood immediately and said, "Thank you, Eunuch Wei, for your advice."

…

After that incident, the emperor did not enter the harem for ten days.

Concubine Ji arrived at Shuohan Pavilion first, and Ruan Yun lazily asked Concubine Ji to give her some fruit.

Seeing that Sister Ying was still using the annual tribute fruits, including the rare lychees, in the palace, Concubine Ji felt relieved.

Jipin spoke softly, with a maturity that did not match her age. She said, "Sister Ying, are you really not going to go to see the Emperor?"

Ruan Yun swallowed another mouthful of honeydew melon, and said to Concubine Ji with a smile, "These days, the food in my palace remains the same, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs has not treated us harshly, so there is nothing wrong with this."

Concubine Ji thought more than Ruan Yun, "How can I survive in this palace without the emperor's favor?"

Ruan Yun angrily said to her, "You are still talking about me, but you are the same."

Jipin blushed slightly and said awkwardly, "I'm talking about my sister."

Ruan Yun took her hand and said, "It's OK. I know my limits. But you, do you really intend to stop being favored for the rest of your life?"

Concubine Ji said with a bit of shyness, "Sister Ying..."

Ruan Yun did not continue teasing her. Her eyes fell on the proud and noble lotus in the basin on the table. She said, "The Empress said that the lotus in the palace is blooming especially well this year. And the Qixi Festival is coming soon. So we might as well let the concubines and the women of the official family go to Yunshuijian to attend the banquet. It won't be too late to talk about it after the banquet."

After all, the emperor couldn't wait any longer, but some people in the harem couldn't wait any longer.

…

July 1st.

Ruan Yun got up early in the morning. Ting Xu brought two dresses for the empress to choose from. Ruan Yun's slender fingers lightly tapped the rouge-colored palace skirt.

She seldom wore clothes of this color. After the palace maids helped her put it on, for a while, the flowers displayed in the palace were not even half as beautiful as hers.

Her skin is as white as porcelain, and her fair cheeks are tinged with the pink color of peach blossoms. Her delicate and graceful face is more beautiful than flowers, her eyes are bright and clear, and her eyebrows are slightly curved. Her every frown and smile is captivating.

Tingxu couldn't help but say, "In the past, the queen liked to wear plain clothes, but I think clothes of this color suit the queen better."

Ruan Yun smiled and said, "You are the only one who can make me happy."

There is a banquet today, and Miss Wen Si and Miss Lu will also go.

After the last incident, I don’t know what Miss Lu did next.

However, the fourth Miss Wen did attract her more attention.

At that time, the Emperor happened to be standing on the rockery. Given where Fourth Miss Wen was standing, if she had looked carefully, it was possible that she might have seen it.

Ruan Jun's eyes and eyebrows became calmer, but she understood the Wen family's thoughts.

Without Wen Yunu, people would think of sending Fourth Miss Wen into the palace and even dance in front of the emperor. I just don't know what the emperor would choose.

Ruan Yun sat on the ceremonial throne. No matter what people in the palace said recently, she was not affected at all and was still the extremely noble Empress Chongrong.

We arrived not too early, as most people for the banquet had already arrived.

Ruan Yun first went to pay her respects to the Empress, and then to Concubine De and Concubine Xian.

Concubine De smiled and said, "I haven't seen you for a few days. You look better than before."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone couldn't help but look at Ruan Jun.

Everyone knows that the emperor is annoyed with Ying Chongrong, but Ying Chongrong seems to be fine. So it seems that Ying Chongrong is better off after losing the emperor's favor.

Ruan Yun raised her little face and said with an aggrieved look: "It must be that Sister Defei and I are too far apart, so I didn't see your expression clearly. I will definitely go to your palace tomorrow."

Concubine De couldn't help laughing, "Yes, it's all my sister's fault."

The queen said virtuously, "Stop kneeling, go sit down."

Ruan Yun stood up slowly and when she looked up she inadvertently saw Concubine Xian. She noticed that she looked unhappy and a little nervous, which she found strange.

The banquet had not yet started. Ruan Jun looked across from herself and found that Mr. Meng had not arrived yet.

But in the past, Mr. Meng always came late, so there was nothing surprising today.

What surprised her most was that there was another chair next to the Queen.

Right in front of the hall, it is obvious who has the seat reserved for.

Ruan Yun held down her round fan and asked Jipin, "Is the Emperor coming today as well?"

After thinking it over, she decided not to send Lian's calligraphy to Yu Qian again. What bothered her even more was that the Emperor had told the Ministry of Eunuchs not to give her the storybooks. Ruan Jun wanted to read the next volume very much, but she was helpless.

Concubine Ji nodded and said in a calm voice, "Ms. Meng, I went to see the emperor today."

"I think we are almost at the Clouds and Waters with the Emperor."

Ruan Yun was so surprised that the handkerchief in her hand unconsciously tightened a little.

The emperor had not entered the harem for ten days, and when Lady Meng went to see him, he instantly became different.

But judging from the previous few times, why hasn't Mr. Meng been reinstated yet when he is so favored by the emperor?

Before Ruan Jun could figure out the matter, the voice of the messenger came in.

The emperor brought Meng Guiren into the inner hall and his eyes swept over Ruan Yun imperceptibly.

But her face was gentle and there was a slight smile on her pretty face.

Yan Shiyu calmly withdrew his gaze and strode towards the seat at the top.

The Queen smiled gracefully, "The Emperor dotes on Sister Meng. Only Sister Meng can invite the Emperor to today's banquet."

Meng Guiren looked at the emperor shyly, "Your Majesty treats me very well, and I naturally understand that I must serve you well and must not offend you at will."

There was silence in the hall for a few minutes, and everyone knew what Mr. Meng meant by this.

For a moment, everyone's eyes, more or less, fell on Ying Chongrong.