Chapter 142 The Dog That Bites Doesn’t Bark

Before Zhao Mingzhu and An Yun entered the palace, they happened to meet Gu Qingheng and Bai Lan who were leaving the palace.

"Your humble servant greets the Crown Princess."

Zhao Mingzhu looked at Bai Lan, her face flushed and her teeth whitening. She turned her head and retaliated against An Yun: "Tell me quickly about the length, shortness, softness, hardness, coldness, warmth, thickness and fineness."

An Yun pretended not to understand and bowed, "Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Gu Qingheng nodded.

"I heard that you and Mr. Bai are getting married next month?"

Bai Lan walked to An Yun's side, and they both responded yes in unison.

Gu Qingheng brought Zhao Mingzhu over and led her out of the palace: "In that case, I and the Crown Princess will go and ask for a glass of wedding wine."

Bai Lan nodded after hearing this: "It is a great honor for Ayun and me that His Highness and His Majesty can attend the wedding banquet."

Zhao Mingzhu had just taken two steps when she realized, "I'm going to Changle Palace to find Gu Yu. You should go back to the East Palace first."

She was about to turn around, but Gu Qingheng pulled her back and said:

"She went to Guoqing Temple to fast for a few days. It will be the anniversary of her mother's death in a while."

Zhao Mingzhu frowned after hearing this and asked suspiciously, "What a coincidence! Why didn't she send someone to tell us?"

Just as he finished speaking, Jade came hurriedly:

"What a coincidence! The Crown Princess is here. My princess went to Guoqing Temple and said she'd like to invite you and Miss An to join her when she returns."

"Okay, go ahead."

Zhao Mingzhu nodded. Feicui was Gu Yu's personal maid. She was fine, so Gu Yu should be fine.

Since she couldn't see Gu Yu anymore, she and An Yun waved goodbye and said they would wait for Gu Yu to come back.

In the carriage, Zhao Mingzhu supported herself with her hands, touched her cheek with her fingertips, and asked Gu Qingheng:

"Is Su Lu's disappearance related to you?"

Zhao Mingzhu thought about it and realized that Su Lu disappeared quietly in her home without alarming the servants at all.

Most likely she was willing to leave.

These are the people who can make her willing to follow them without being noticed at all.

Gu Qingheng was naturally the first to bear the brunt.

"yes."

Gu Qingheng readily admitted it, and then said lightly:

"She came back to life, so I wanted to learn some useful methods from her to revive you."

Yin Feng, who was brought back to the palace, originally had the same idea, but later he was the first to know that Zhao Mingzhu was not dead.

"But she couldn't say anything, so she handed it over to Bo Ling, but someone rescued her."

Zhao Mingzhu was surprised after hearing this and said, "Someone rescued her." Could it be Gu Xun?

Zhao Mingzhu guessed that she didn't sleep well last night, and she fell asleep while thinking about it.

When she opened her eyes again, she felt a sharp gaze staring at her.

Gu Qingheng was still sitting there, looking at her, not knowing what he was thinking, with half of his face hidden in the darkness.

Zhao Mingzhu waved her hand without thinking: "Why do you act like you don't know me?"

She teased, "Has your body been taken over by someone?"

Just as they arrived at the East Palace, she turned around, lifted the curtain, and jumped out of the carriage.

Gu Qingheng watched the shadow disappear along with its owner, and then he closed his eyes.

Zhao Mingzhu.

Two more days passed.

The banquet in Shoukang Palace was held in Guanyue Tower and was a night banquet.

Qiao'er looked at the sky outside, then pulled Zhao Mingzhu up: "Crown Princess, you can't sleep any longer, otherwise you will be late."

Zhao Mingzhu, with messy hair, complained, "Gu Xun is looking for a wife, why does he have to ask me to go?"

The old queen mother's people suddenly came to the door and said before leaving that they must attend the banquet on time.

Shuangyun is comparing which hairpin is more gorgeous.

After thinking for a while, she kept the three-color jade hairpin on Yinzhu's hand.

"You are the Crown Princess, so naturally you have to go. Otherwise, the Queen Mother will always be worried about you."

What do you mean by worry? It's resentment.

Zhao Mingzhu curled her lips. Although she didn't have a mother-in-law, she still felt the subtlety of the conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

At this time, Jinzhu asked, "Is the Crown Princess still taking Sister Qiao'er with her?"

Zhao Mingzhu actually said that she could do either. At this time, she asked in the corner: "Can the Crown Princess take this servant with her?"

It’s Su Lu.

Several people looked over. Shuangyun and the others discussed privately and were ready to give this person a chance, so they didn't say anything.

Zhao Mingzhu's eyes fell on her: "If they don't go, then you can go."

Shuangyun found a good position for the jade hairpin, then turned back and glared at Su Lu who was standing there:

"Yinfeng, why don't you thank me?"

She was worried about him going with the Crown Princess because he looked so stupid.

Su Lu wanted to ignore it, but when he heard Shuang Yun's big mouth, he held his breath and knelt down to say:

"Thank you, Princess."

Zhao Mingzhu smiled faintly at the bronze mirror.

The tree outside said, "Princess Consort, His Majesty has urgently summoned you. His Highness has already entered the palace. After you have finished washing up, I will drive the carriage to escort you to the palace."

Zhao Mingzhu naturally had no objection to this. Seeing Qiao'er and the others retreating, she raised her head and suspected that she was going to fall down.

The top-heavy situation is tangible.

Shuangyun signaled to Su Lu with his eyes, why are you still standing there, go and help your master!

Su Lu was extremely reluctant, but she didn't dare show it on her face: "Crown Princess, let me support you."

Shuangyun and the others sent the people to the carriage and scratched their heads: "Am I too harsh? Would it be better to be more patient?"

For Shuangyun's sake, Qiao'er didn't ridicule the bird teaser even though she didn't like him.

Jin Zhu said, "I think that's just her personality. She needs more time to adapt. When she comes back, we can teach her more in the evening."

Shuangyun put his hands behind his head and said, "Whenever I did something wrong back then, my aunt would beat and scold me countless times."

"At that time, I thought, it's my turn now, so I should teach the little palace maids to avoid beating or scolding them if possible."

After hearing this, Yinzhu said, "Is it okay without beating or scolding?"

When she was a secret guard, she never beat or scolded anyone, but there were various punishments.

Beating and scolding are actually a blessing.

Shuangyun shrugged after hearing this and said, "It wasn't until I started teaching the young palace maids that I realized some people simply won't learn their lesson unless they're scolded or beaten."

In that strictly regulated imperial palace, there are consequences for not learning one's lesson.

Your life will be in danger.

In the Guanyue Tower, when Zhao Mingzhu appeared, all the young ladies bowed to her.

"No need to be polite."

Zhao Mingzhu smiled faintly, then said to the Queen Mother on the stage, "Long live the Empress Dowager."

The old empress dowager really attached great importance to it and actually came early.

The old queen saw her coming and said, "Sit down."

Gu Yan sat beside her: "The emperor's sister-in-law is here."

Zhao Mingzhu nodded: "The princess is radiant tonight."

Gu Yan covered her lips and smiled: "Not as good as the emperor's sister-in-law."

At this time, a palace maid came to the old queen mother and whispered something to her.

"Such a coincidence?" asked the old queen.

Zhao Mingzhu saw an empty seat below, which should be Lei Ruoshui's seat.

Zhao Mingzhu pretended not to notice, and then heard Gu Yan curiously ask, "Has the maidservant that the emperor's sister-in-law brought with her today never been seen before?"

Zhao Mingzhu picked up a grape, peeled it, and the purple juice stained her nails.

"Yes, a new maid."

In order to prevent Gu Yan from continuing to make conversation, she handed over the bunch of grapes in her hand.

"Princess, would you like to eat grapes? They are very sweet."

For some reason, Gu Xun didn't show up either, even though today was clearly the day to find him a wife.

He, the real owner, didn't even show up.

Gu Yan reached out her hand, took the grapes, and said with a smile: "Thank you, sister-in-law. I like grapes very much."

Su Lu, who was standing behind Zhao Mingzhu, looked at Gu Yan's smiling face.

A dog that bites doesn't bark.

It seemed that because the protagonists were not there, the old empress dowager was out of energy. She twirled her Buddhist beads and looked at the young ladies below with solemn expressions.

Zhao Mingzhu took a look and then retracted it. She was unhappy, and the ladies below became even more tense.

Afraid that they would be chosen, they watched as the position of concubine in the Eastern Palace remained vacant.

Zhao Mingzhu yawned silently. Gu Yan leaned over and whispered, "Isn't it boring? How about we sneak away?"

Zhao Mingzhu shook her head after hearing this, but the person behind her was trying to pour the wine, and she tripped when she stepped back, and most of the wine spilled all over her shoulders, soaking half of her dress.

Zhao Mingzhu: ...

She looked at her wet sleeves and said helplessly, "Are you taking revenge on me?"

Why does this look so familiar?

Su Lu held the wine pot, thinking maliciously that it was to take revenge on you, but it was a pity that it was not a pot of boiling water!

The old queen looked at the singing and dancing below, but was attracted by the noise and said unhappily:

"What happened again?"

Zhao Mingzhu looked up and smiled after hearing this, "My granddaughter-in-law was talking to the princess just now when she touched the wine jug in the maid's hand. Please allow me to go down and change clothes."

The old empress dowager waved her hand casually, out of sight, out of mind.

If Yan'er didn't like her, it would be better if Zhao Mingzhu didn't come today.

This would prevent him from being reminded of the prince's hidden illness when he saw her, and the empress dowager's face would become even more uneasy when he thought of this.

Zhao Mingzhu didn't care about that. She led her people away after she finished speaking. Before she had gone far, Gu Yan followed her.

"Sister-in-law, wait for me."

She lifted up the hem of her skirt and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw someone finally stop and wait for her.

"Why did the Emperor's sister-in-law leave so quickly? Couldn't she just stay with me?"

Zhao Mingzhu used her eyes to indicate her own disheveled appearance: "Princess, do you also want to change clothes?"

Gu Yan shook her head: "I don't need to change clothes, it's just that the banquet is boring, I want to take the opportunity to go out and get some fresh air."

Zhao Mingzhu turned and walked towards the side hall. She said casually, "Today we are looking for a wife for Prince Jing. Princess, aren't you curious about who your future sister-in-law will be?"

Gu Yan looked at her back and shrugged slightly, but still said:

"Of course I'm curious, but it seems that the Empress Dowager hasn't decided which young lady to choose."

"Does the Empress know?"

How could Zhao Mingzhu admit to knowing? "How could I know what the Empress Dowager was thinking?"

Finally reaching the side hall for changing rooms, Zhao Mingzhu pushed the door open and went in. When she closed it, she said:

"Princess, please stop. I don't like people watching me while I change."

Gu Yan stood obediently in front of the door. When the door was about to close, she suddenly said:

"Sister-in-law, can't we be close friends?"

Zhao Mingzhu replied: "We are a family."

After Zhao Mingzhu changed her dress, Gu Yan had already left, and Su Lu said:

"The moonlight is truly beautiful tonight. Princess, how about we go to the Imperial Garden to admire the flowers under the moonlight?"

"The moon is indeed big. I feel like eating preserved vegetable pancakes." Zhao Mingzhu looked at the big and round moon and smacked her lips.

Su Lu: ...

Zhao Mingzhu didn't refuse her: "Let's go, just walk around and go back."

Su Lu looked at Zhao Mingzhu's leisurely back. She really didn't understand why Gu Qingheng actually liked such a person.

Same in previous life.

By chance, she saw many scrolls that Gu Qingheng had collected, all of which were portraits of women.

A man painted so many portraits of women, obviously the same person, which makes it very clear what this means.

She suddenly felt a sense of crisis and tried her best to find out who this woman was, but she had no clues.

Because the other person's facial features were not even drawn.

At that time, she didn't understand why Gu Qingheng painted so many pictures of beauties, but every one of them had no face, with only a red mole between the eyebrows standing out.

But there is also a red mole between the eyebrows.

The first time she saw Zhao Mingzhu after her rebirth, she knew it was her.

So Su Lu went from being unwilling to accept it, to resentment, and then to wanting to kill Zhao Mingzhu all the time.

Why? In her previous life, she had been with Gu Qingheng for decades, but never won his heart.

And people like Zhao Mingzhu can be easily obtained by just making a slight change in this life.

In the imperial garden, water lilies are blooming in the pond, red, yellow and pink.

Zhao Mingzhu was lying on the railing, looking at the moon, when she suddenly remembered the line "I bow my head and think of my hometown."

Good God, she still has some savings left...

If God gave her another chance, she would definitely seize it, eat and drink lavishly, sleep less, and spend more money.

Zhao Mingzhu couldn't imagine how happy she would be if she spent all the money on herself and then wore a book.

So happy that I don’t know what heaven and earth are!

Zhao Mingzhu suddenly felt the world in front of her eyes shaking. She grabbed the railing and saw that the moon in the water had turned into several moons.

Suddenly someone grabbed her arm. Zhao Mingzhu shook her head and became more clear-headed.

"Yingfeng, I feel a little dizzy..." As soon as she finished speaking, she fainted.

Su Lu looked at Zhao Mingzhu lying on the ground, and then, according to Gu Yan's previous instructions, helped her to the rockery.

Zhao Mingzhu leaned limply against the rockery, and Su Lu patted her face with her hand:

"Crown Princess? Crown Princess? Zhao Mingzhu? Zhao Mingzhu!"

Zhao Mingzhu didn't react. Su Lu stood up, chuckled, and turned away.

During the banquet, after Gu Yan sat down, the old empress dowager had just finished listening to the palace maid's report.

"Grandmother, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. The young lady of the Marquis of Changyang went out for a horse race and caught some disease. She has hives on her face. I ordered the imperial physician to go and he came back and said it might be contagious."

"Is it so serious?" Gu Yan glanced around and suddenly heard a scream.

The daughter of the Minister of War covered her face with her hands, her face terrified.

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty, for my face..."

The Queen Mother frowned after hearing this and asked the palace maid to go down and take a look. When Li Can moved his hand away, a huge wind mass appeared on half of his face.

Li Can sobbed, "It's all Lei Ruoshui's fault. She insisted on dragging us to the horse race."

"Oh, Miss Zhu said it appeared on her neck too?" Someone with sharp eyes noticed that it seemed to be on Zhu Yuhe's neck as well.

Upon hearing this, the Queen Mother immediately ordered the ladies sitting near the two men to move away, then scolded the palace servants: "Are they all dead? Why don't you call the imperial physician?"

Soon the imperial physician arrived and checked the patient's pulse: "Your Majesty, it is indeed the same disease."

The Queen Mother remembered that the disease was contagious. She looked around and realized that these young ladies had come into contact with each other. If they were also infected, how would they choose a queen?

"Forget it, everyone go back to your homes this time and don't go out for the time being."

"Yes, I will obey the Empress Dowager's order."

Gu Yan stepped forward to support the Queen Mother. She said, "The moonlight is beautiful today. I will help the Empress Dowager take a walk in the Imperial Garden."

The Queen Mother nodded and said, "Then go and take a look."

Just as she passed by Zhao Mingzhu's seat, she asked, "The Crown Princess has been changing clothes for quite some time. Why hasn't she returned yet?"

Gu Yan's smile remained unchanged: "Maybe he was so mesmerized by the moonlight that he forgot to come back."