Chapter 36 Chapter 36 Outer Room
"Yinsi didn't want me to get tired. He said decorating the mansion was tiring and refused to let me get involved."
"I've been there twice, and everything in the mansion is decorated to my liking."
Wan Ning's eyes were filled with tenderness and affection, "Yinsi has also opened a moon-shaped door between the Fu Jin's main courtyard and his front yard. From now on, I can enter and exit his front yard at any time."
Speaking of this, Wan Ning couldn't help but grit her teeth, filled with resentment. "Xian'er, the Fourth Prince is such a worthless person. He actually arranged for you to stay in this noisy corner. How unreasonable!"
"Wan Ning, I'm very comfortable living here. Don't blame the Fourth Prince. He invited me to live in the front yard, but I refused."
"Would you like to stay at my place tonight? I'll take you to the Imperial College morning market tomorrow morning. You always used to insist on going and couldn't get out of bed."
"Of course I'm staying here with you. I want to have a few more private conversations with you."
"Xian'er, I have a lot of beautiful armor. I'll have someone send a box over tomorrow. There are gold and jade ones. You can wear them in turns."
"No, you can't wear it. I'll have it made wider and send it back to you."
Chu Xian's heart softened, and she took Wan Ning's hand with emotion: "I won't be polite with you. Pick the most expensive and beautiful armor."
"Look, what is this? I got some new pearls a while ago and made them into earrings. Aren't you coveting them? Take them home tomorrow and wear them in your room."
Only the royal family can wear Dongzhu. Chu Xian is the prince's wife, so as per the rules, she was given several beautiful and small Dongzhu of the prince's wife size.
Wan Ning always coveted Dongzhu. When the Ministry of Internal Affairs sent Dongzhu to her, Chu Xian did not think anything else and immediately asked someone to make Dongzhu into earrings according to the style Wan Ning liked.
"Xian'er, when I become the Eighth Consort, I can also wear the Dongzhu openly."
"Okay, okay, from now on, all my Dongzhu will be given to you."
"Xian'er, I know the Fourth Prince treats you badly. Please look at it more openly. I'm not good with words and don't know how to comfort you. If you need my help in the future, just ask me and I will do my best."
"Okay, when you get married and move next door to me, you keep the little door open. I'll often go there to beg for money, and then you'll start crying and complaining about how much I eat."
"Bah, bah, bah! Come over here and eat as much as you want. I will support you for the rest of your life." Wan Ning smiled and tickled her.
Chu Xian was caught off guard and laughed so hard that she fell backwards.
Outside the door, Wan Ning's servants were chatting happily with Sui Qing and Xian Rong. Nanny Chun and Wan Ning's personal nanny were standing in the warm sun, whispering from time to time.
That night, Chu Xian and Wan Ning sat around the stove eating hot pot, and Wan Ning urged her to drink Shaodaozi.
"Wan Ning, do you still have the transformation water?" Chu Xian placed the shelled prawns in Wan Ning's porcelain bowl.
"Xian'er, did you do something bad? Why are you using it so quickly?"
Wan Ning's eyes were filled with apology: "I asked Yinsi for that medicine a few months ago, but he said it was all used up and I need to wait for some time."
"No rush." Chu Xian was extremely anxious. The remaining transformation water could only last for four or five times. In the past few days, she was even reluctant to give it to Sui Qing and Xian Rong.
If she loses the water of transformation, how will she appear in front of Chi Zheng?
With a heavy heart, he tilted his head back and drank, finishing half a pot of throat-cutting liquor. Not only did he not have the chance to talk to the other person in bed, he slept until noon before getting up with sleepy eyes.
The Imperial College morning market never took place.
Wan Ning had lunch with Xian'er and left with heavy hearts.
The carriage took a detour to the bustling Imperial College Street and happened to pass by a carriage of a nobleman with red wheels and purple reins.
"Miss, this is the Fourth Prince's carriage."
Wan Ning was holding back her anger, and when she heard the name "Fourth Prince", her face immediately turned red as she opened the carriage and shouted, "Fourth Prince!"
The carriage on the opposite side stopped, and the Fourth Prince opened the curtain and looked at her: "Eighth Brother's sister, what's the matter?"
Wan Ning sneered, "I haven't married the Eighth Master yet, so where does the Eighth Brother's wife come from? I came to the Fourth Prince's residence today specifically to visit him. Sorry to bother you."
"Oh, by the way, if Fourth Prince is so strapped for cash that he can't even afford armor, just tell me. I'll buy Xian'er all the armor she needs for the rest of her life!"
Yinzhen was confused by Guo Luoluo's sarcastic remarks.
If it weren't for the fact that she was the concubine's close friend, he would have lowered the curtain and ignored her.
"Miss Guo Luoluo, I can support my wife, so there is no need for you to interfere in household affairs. I have important matters to attend to in the mansion. Farewell."
Wan Ning took a deep breath, suppressed her rage, lowered the carriage curtain, and continued to curse in the carriage.
"First things first, everything is more important than Xian'er. Since you treat her as a detestable decoration, why bother marrying her and tormenting her?"
"Hmph." Yinzhen was so angry that he lowered the carriage curtain. Guo Luoluo was completely confused and didn't know what was going on.
The carriage entered the mansion through the middle gate.
As soon as Pu Yi stepped into the study, Su Peisheng suddenly prostrated himself on the ground and kowtowed tremblingly.
"Master, this slave deserves to die, this slave deserves to die, wuwuwu..."
"Hmm?" The dog servant suddenly begged for mercy, and Yinzhen had no idea why.
"Master, please forgive me." Ye Tianshi and the servants in the front yard crawled on the ground and begged for mercy.
Su Peisheng reported in a trembling voice that Fu Jin was injured. When he looked up, he was kicked hard in the heart. He staggered to his feet and knelt down to beg for mercy.
Shocked by the news of the Fourth Prince's return, Chu Xian put down her favorite persimmon cake and found it difficult to swallow.
"Didn't we agree to come back on the 28th? Why did you come back early without telling me?" Chu Xian muttered unhappily.
Sui Qing lowered his head, not daring to listen carefully.
"Fujin, the Fourth Prince has returned home. You should go to the front yard to welcome him back."
Nanny Chun reminded with a look of joy in her eyes.
"Oh." Chu Xian was breathless. She was so tired, but she had to do her duty and clock in for the Fourth Prince. She worked like a slave.
"Madam Chun, go call Mrs. Song and Mrs. Li together. It will be more lively with more people."
She wasn't embarrassed when there were many people around, but every time she was alone with the Fourth Prince, she would flatter and chat awkwardly, which made her physically and mentally exhausted.
What she liked most was watching Princess Song and Princess Li vying for the Fourth Prince's favor.
The variety of ways these two people fight is jaw-dropping and even more interesting than the pink play.
Every time she grabbed a handful of melon seeds, she would eat them with relish until the Fourth Prince frowned and ordered her to leave.
She rushed to the front yard and saw Song Gege and Li Gege already dressed up and waiting outside the door gracefully.
"Madam, have you made up?" Princess Song hid the nightgown she had embroidered herself behind her back.
"Greetings to Madam Fu-jin." Li Gege tucked the embroidered handkerchief with a picture of mandarin ducks playing in the water into her sleeve.
"Why are you two sisters so restrained? Be open and honest. There's no need to hide anything. Give the gifts to the Fourth Master later and say some sweet words to make him happy."
"You two should take the initiative and have children for the Fourth Prince sooner. What's going on? Why aren't you two pregnant yet?"
Chu Xian was snorting angrily. It was all because of the incompetence of Song Gege and Li Gege that they couldn't win the heart of the Fourth Prince, which doubled her pressure.
"Song, Li, you should pay more attention to the Fourth Master. If you still can't win his heart, don't blame me for going to the Imperial Household Department to ask for beauties in the spring! By then, there will be too many people and too little food, and it will be even harder for you to get ahead."
Song and Li shrank their necks and listened to the scolding of the lady-in-waiting.
Both of them wondered if Fu Jin had taken the wrong medicine.
The Fourth Prince and his wife have been married for just over half a year, and they are in love with each other. Why doesn't his wife ask him to give birth to a legitimate son as soon as possible, and then blame them for not being able to conceive?
Humph! She herself is out of favor, but instead takes her anger out on the concubines. She deserves it.
"Fujin..." Chai Yu stood at the door and eavesdropped for a while, and couldn't help but interrupt Fujin.
"My master invites you to the study for dinner."
"Oh." Chu Xian stepped onto the stone steps and turned around and said, "Let's go. What are you still standing there for? If anyone can persuade me to stay overnight tonight, come to my courtyard tomorrow to claim the reward."
"Everyone, please pay more attention! Oh..." Chu Xian sighed, angry at their lack of fighting spirit.
She will ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to send ten or eight beauties when spring comes. She knows that the Fourth Prince likes gentle and graceful Han women.
"Starting tomorrow, on the first and fifteenth day of every month, you will write a monthly plan for serving the Fourth Prince in advance and report it to me in person. You must be specific about what you will do each day to win my heart."
Chu Xian sighed helplessly. She had to let Song and Li hook up with the Fourth Prince as soon as possible and make him reluctant to leave.
Chu Xian turned her gaze to Li Gege. Concubine Qi, who gave birth to three sons and one daughter for Emperor Yongzheng in history, would definitely not be so stupid.
There is also Song, who is suspected to be the first woman of Emperor Yongzheng in history. Men always have special feelings for the first woman they get.
If Song works harder, she will be able to give birth to the Fourth Prince's first child next year.
"Keep working hard, Song and Li. I value you two very much. Don't let me down."
Behind the red gate, Chai Yu frowned and wondered who cared the least about the Fourth Master.
The two concubines knew to bring pajamas and handkerchiefs to curry favor, but the wife came empty-handed.
"Why is Eunuch Su not here?" Sui Qing looked around.
"He... was punished and has to stay in bed for the past two months to recover from his injuries." Chai Yu couldn't help trembling when he mentioned Su Peisheng.
My old friend Su Peisheng's buttocks were beaten into eight pieces and he couldn't get up unless he lay down for two months.
"Why was Eunuch Su punished? I'll have someone go to my storehouse and get some tonic medicine for him."
Chu Xian had a good impression of the servants around the Fourth Prince. Su Peisheng usually treated her with great respect. As the legitimate wife, she naturally had to show some sympathy to her.
"It is said that the news was delayed while he was on duty outside. I don't know the details. On behalf of Su Peisheng, I would like to thank Madam for the reward."
Chai Yu was more respectful to the Fourth Lady than ever before, and his back was bent tightly.
Su Peisheng's bitter lesson made the servants serving in the front yard understand one thing: no matter who you offend, you must not offend the Fourth Lady.
Chu Xian raised her eyebrows slightly, feeling that Chai Yu was being extremely flattering and polite today.
"Greetings to Madam Fu-jin, Madam Fu-jin, Master invites you to the study to speak."
The young eunuch Enpu from the study came trotting over and put his hands in front of the two concubines and said, "Please go back first, my two concubines."
Chu Xian was unhappy, but Song and Li were there to help her share some of the burden.
Oh, we can’t avoid awkward chat today.
Chu Xian suppressed her bitterness, a fake smile appeared on her lips, and she followed the young eunuch gracefully.
What was strange was that the young eunuch did not take her to the study, but to the Fourth Prince's bedroom.
What should be discussed in the bedroom?
Xianrong and Suiqing looked at each other with joy in their eyes.
Chu Xian was nervous, as she didn't think the Fourth Prince had any improper thoughts about her.
The two of them could do anything except have fun.
My eyes lit up and I was secretly delighted.
The only thing she and the Fourth Prince could talk about in bed was Shu'er.
Chu Xian was brought into the steamy side room by the young eunuch.
Two maids were already waiting there.
"Fujin, I will help you bathe and change your clothes."
"No need, Xianrong Suiqing can serve, you guys can go down."
Chu Xian was so angry that she was choking. The Fourth Prince was so pretentious that she had to take a shower and change clothes to meet him. Was he disgusted with her being dirty?
She wished she could get the incense burner and burn three more sticks of incense for him, as well as some paper money and gold ingots!
Pretentious! Annoying!
After washing off the makeup and bathing and changing clothes, Sui Qing brought out the dressing box.
"Fujin, I will help you apply powder and draw your eyebrows."
"No need." Chu Xian waved her hand. The relationship between her and the Fourth Prince was not yet to the point where she needed to dress up carefully to please him.
It was a waste of her precious time and money to paint his eyebrows, eyes and put on makeup.
Chu Xian, with her face bare and her pajamas on, left the ear room, walked through the partition door and entered the house.
The Fourth Prince had already bathed and changed his clothes, and was sitting in front of the mirror, with a servant helping him comb his hair.
Chu Xianfang moved closer to the Fourth Prince, and Chai Yu actually smiled and held the jade comb in front of her.
Chu Xian was stunned for a moment and took the jade comb.
I'm so unlucky that I became a comb-making servant for no apparent reason.
If she had known that the Fourth Prince was combing his hair, she would have stayed in the side room for a while longer.
"Fujin, I will help you remove your armor."
Chai Yu held it in front of her with both hands.
Chu Xian pursed her lips and took off the armor that was covering her ugliness.
"Master, let me comb your hair for you." She held the jade comb tightly and combed the Fourth Prince's hair carefully.
This man, with his eyes wide open, had a serious expression when he wasn't smiling. She didn't dare look at him, but only lowered her head and stared at the top of his head.
In the bronze mirror, she lowered her head and frowned, her hands running through the Fourth Prince's hair, eh.
She frowned slightly. The Fourth Prince was so young, but he had a lot of white hair. She didn't know what he was worried about because he had a stern face all day long.
He even turned his hair white with worry.
After hesitating for a moment, she closed her mouth, fearing that he would get angry if she told him.
Yinzhen stared at the bronze mirror with his dark eyes, gazing intently at the twisted and deformed little finger.
My nose feels sore.
Chu Xian silently helped the Fourth Prince comb his hair. When she looked up, she found that the Fourth Prince in the mirror was in tears.
Tsk, a cold-blooded and heartless person like him can actually cry.
I was shocked. Could something have happened to Shu'er?
Chu Xian was overwhelmed with grief and prayed that Shu'er would live a long life and have many children and grandchildren with the Fourth Prince.
If anything happens to Shu'er, her divorce plan will fail.
"Master, please wipe your face..." Chu Xian reminded gently.
Yinzhen didn't know why his wife asked him to wipe his face, so he subconsciously raised his hand to wipe his cheek, and his fingertips touched the wet water stains.
He covered his face in shock, he didn't even know when he started crying for her.
"Master, is Shu'er okay? If you need my help, just tell me." Chu Xian's throat tightened, for fear of hearing the news of Shu'er's death from the Fourth Prince.
"Fujin, I didn't know you were injured. I'm sorry."
The Fourth Prince suddenly changed the subject. Chu Xian's eyes widened in surprise as she replied, "I was just cracking walnuts while greedy and accidentally hit my finger. Please don't laugh at my stupidity, sir."
"You are busy with your work. Such trivial matters are not worth mentioning. You don't need to take them to heart."
Chu Xian sneered in her heart, how could he not know?
The news of her injury spread throughout the mansion, and even if he didn't want to know, he should have known it long ago.
Hypocrisy, since you don't care, why bother pretending to be hypocritical?
No... Does he have something to ask her?
Chu Xian straightened her back and waited for him to beg her.
He didn't speak, and she remained silent.
"Fujin, the manager of the imperial pharmacy has sent over the prescription. Do you have anything to say in rebuttal?" Yinzhen deliberately tightened his voice, appearing intimidating without even getting angry.
Chu Xian shuddered. "Master, why should I argue? I'm injured, and the Imperial Pharmacy dispensed medicine based on the Imperial Doctor's prescription. What's wrong with that?"
"Oh, Fu Jin, someone has reported that you're collecting controlled drugs for military supplies. I need to put the prescription in front of you before you will tell the truth."
"Master, that medicine is too bitter. I am guilty of not taking it as directed by the doctor, so I have to take a few more doses."
"Nara! I'll give you one last chance."
"Someone saw your minions sneaking in and out of the city frequently."
"Nara, it will be easy to search the outskirts of the city for the sneaky person who has broken bones in recent months."
"Master...I acknowledge my guilt."
Chu Xian dropped her knees in fear and prostrated herself at the Fourth Prince's feet.
"It was my concubine who was seriously injured and suffered the pain of broken bones. I couldn't bear it, so I had to smash my finger and cheat the imperial pharmacy to get medicine for military supplies. I know my crime."
Chu Xian was so scared that she sobbed softly. The Fourth Prince even clearly stated that her servants were entering and leaving the city, and he must have caught them.
Since it concerns Chi Zheng, she dare not take the risk.
"Oh...concubine...concubine..." Yinzhen murmured dejectedly, his eyes always fixed on her deformed little finger.
A mixture of sadness and joy.
"That's all, comb."
"Thank you, Fourth Prince." Chu Xian stood up tremblingly, wiped her tears, wiped her hands with a handkerchief, and continued to help Fourth Prince comb his hair.
At night, Chu Xian lay on the inside of the bed, waiting for the Fourth Prince to speak.
But he didn't say a word until she fell into a deep sleep.
Just after midnight, Chai Yu gently pushed open the door with the Boshan stove in his hand.
Sui Qing glanced at the incense burner. Chai Yu had not lit any incense, and he didn't know what kind of incense it was.
"Eunuch Chai, what kind of incense is this? The concubine cannot touch some spices."
"It's Siamese calming incense."
Chai Yu opened the Boshan incense burner, revealing the orange-red incense seal with cloud pattern inside.
Sui Qing nodded and said that the Siamese tranquilizing incense could be used by the girl.
She pulled out the silver ear and picked up the hairpin, and before she could take a spoonful of calming incense, Chai Yu suddenly picked up a pinch of incense powder with his fingertips, rolled it with his tongue, and swallowed it into his mouth.
Chai Yuhu glared at Sui Qing and opened his mouth wide: "Did you see it? Did you see it? What else do you want to test? Do you suspect that I have poisoned the master?"
"Calm down, Eunuch Chai. I am just following the rules."
Sui Qing had a smile on her face, but remained unmoved. She scooped a small spoonful of scented powder and brought it to her nose to sniff it carefully.
"Is it done?" Chai Yu snorted unhappily.
"I'll take it in." Sui Qing smiled.
Chai Yu smiled, avoided Sui Qing's hand, and pushed the door open and went inside.
After entering the house, Chai Yu opened the submerged incense burner, carefully mixed the unburned submerged incense and benzoin together, and pressed them with an incense seal mold.
The Boshan furnace immediately began to emit wisps of green smoke.
Chai Yu took out a spicy green pill the size of a mung bean from his sleeve and quietly put it into the tea.
He silently passed the tea to the person behind the curtain.
He took the teacup with his slender hands and drank it all in one gulp.
Chai Yu picked up the empty teacup and left. Xianrong and Suiqing were standing outside the door yawning.
"Let's go to the wing room over there to keep watch. Have a couple of cups of ginseng tea to refresh yourself."
Chai Yu flicked his whisk, and Sui Qing and Xian Rong had no choice but to follow.
The front yard is the territory of Chai Yu and Su Peisheng, and they have the final say among the servants.
The winter snow is falling heavily.
Chai Yu diligently closed the wooden door of the veranda room, and sat around the stove with Sui Qing and Xian Rong to brew tea and chat about family matters.
At this time, a figure emerged from the study.
Ye Tianshi carried the medicine box in his hand and slipped into the house quietly.
Ye Tianshi knelt in front of the curtain with familiarity.
A pale, slender hand was grasped by the Fourth Prince's slender hand and stretched out from the curtain.
Ye Tianshi examined the deformed and twisted finger and shook his head, "Master, I am incompetent to handle the broken finger of Madam Fu-jin. I have checked the records of the Imperial Hospital and the injury should not have been this severed. There must have been a mistake somewhere."
"While treating Fu Jin's injuries, the two imperial physicians must have secretly caused Fu Jin to suffer undue pain."
There was a long silence behind the curtain, and then a heavy sigh was heard: "Go down."
Ye Tianshi lowered his head and bowed as he left.
Behind the curtain, Yinzhen hugged Xian'er tightly, brought the severed finger to his lips and kissed it gently.
The flat fingers are twisted and deformed due to poor healing of broken bones.
The finger was very flat, so she would use a walnut hammer to smash the finger bones fiercely, and his heart would be smashed to pieces as well, which was very painful.
Because of his contempt for his wife, no one truly respected her, and she was despised and neglected by the lowly doctors in the Imperial Medical Bureau.
She was forced into a desperate situation and took risks.
He cried with guilt and kissed her cold and stiff broken fingers over and over again until his fingertips turned red and his eyes were blurred with tears.
.....
When Chu Xian woke up, the pillow was empty.
"Where's the Fourth Prince? Why didn't you wake me up?"
Xianrong entered carrying a copper basin. "Fujin, the Fourth Prince entered the palace to see the Emperor at five in the morning and specifically instructed the servants not to wake you."
"Hurry, hurry, go back to the Fujin's courtyard. Today is the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month!" Chu Xian hurried back to the Fujin's main courtyard.
She had to go to the farm as soon as possible and transfer Chi Zheng and his servant to the inner city for settlement.
When leaving the Fourth Prince's residence, Chu Xian deliberately stayed at a private house in the city, changed a carriage and went to a private house in the south of the city, changed her clothes, and left on foot from the back door of the private house.
I came to the village with trepidation.
In the Subai Courtyard, the figure that I had been dreaming about was right before my eyes.
Chi Zheng was concentrating on making a snowman, which was tied with red silk and wrapped in her red jacket.
"Chi Zheng!" Chu Xian cried with joy and rushed over to hug his back tightly.
"Shu'er, why are you crying? Who bullied you?" Yinzhen held the back of Fu Jin's cold hand tightly, and his fingertips stroked her broken little finger.
"Shu'er, why is your hand injured?" Yinzhen said in a hoarse voice, turned around and hugged her in his arms.
"I was accidentally injured by a firecracker. If you come back later, I will have recovered." Chu Xian raised her head, held his handsome face, and took the initiative to kiss him.
After not seeing each other for several months, his kiss was not as gentle as before, but fierce and urgent.
Chu Xian was a little overwhelmed, her whole body went limp, and she snuggled in his arms.
"Cough cough cough cough cough cough cough..." Sui Qing started coughing madly as soon as she reached the door.
But Fu Jin and Chi Zheng were kissing more passionately. Seeing Fu Jin's hands reaching into Chi Zheng's short coat, Sui Qing covered her eyes and shouted, "Lin Shu!"
"Ouch, you've scared me to death!" Su Peisheng covered his butt and staggered out of the kitchen.
"Su Sheng, why are you lame?" Xian Rong approached Su Sheng.
"Oh, don't mention it, I fell." Su Peisheng had a bitter face, holding on to the windowsill tremblingly, his butt shivering in pain.
"Sui Qing, don't spoil the fun. The New Year is approaching, can't you make the master happy?"
Sui Qing and Xian Rong were stamping their feet anxiously. When they suddenly heard Su Sheng mention the master, they turned to look at Su Sheng with shock in their eyes.
Su Peisheng cried out in pain, he was stunned, and the deadlock...spoke too smoothly.
"What? Can't you make my master happy?" Su Peisheng pleaded stiffly.
Sui Qing secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "You are a Han Chinese servant, what master is not a master? I didn't know and thought your master was a Manchu. And, Chi Zheng is your master, not mine!"
"Hey, Shengjing City is the old capital of the Manchus. I've been hanging out with a few Manchu servants these past few months, and I can't stop talking. Calling them 'master' sounds so nice and noble."
Sui Qing sternly corrected him, "You shouldn't call me master casually. From now on, if your son becomes an official in the court, only Han officials can call him minister, and you can only call yourself a slave. Only Manchus can call themselves slaves. Don't let your words cause your son to offend others."
"Yes, yes, I'll remember it." Su Peisheng nodded repeatedly.
Although Suiqing has a loud voice, she is kind-hearted and easy to get along with.
"Suiqing, stop talking nonsense with Su Sheng. Lin Shu has gone into the house." Xianrong stomped her feet.
"Su Sheng, pack up immediately. The imperial examination is coming soon. You should move to a place near the Imperial Examination Hall temporarily."
"There are still three months until the imperial examination. Our young master likes quietness, so he is very happy here."
Su Peisheng was surprised. Did the concubine really treat the Fourth Prince as a concubine and planned to keep him in her golden house?
"Su Sheng, go and clean up immediately."
Chu Xian held Chi Zheng's hand tightly, and the two of them walked out of the west wing intimately.
"Shu'er, it's quiet here, no need to bother." Yinzhen carefully hooked his fingertips around her broken little finger, and his heart softened.
"The imperial examination is coming soon. You live near the Imperial Examination Hall and don't need to travel back and forth. You can come back after the examination is over."
"Chi Zheng, it's inconvenient for me to enter and exit the city. When I came here today, my head was nearly pierced by an icy spike." Chu Xian was still in shock.
"Okay, everything you say." Yinzhen held Fu Jin's hand tightly and walked more hurriedly than her.
"Let's go now. Take your luggage and bookcases and set off immediately." Chu Xian pulled Chi Zheng onto the carriage.
As they approached the Imperial Examination Hall, she changed her mind and settled Chi Zheng on Guozijian Street, across an alley from the Fourth Prince's residence.
Yinzhen felt mixed emotions, but he couldn't get angry at his wife at all. She actually placed her male concubine near her mansion, right under his nose.
Chu Xian settled Chi Zheng and his servant, then disappeared into the alley in a carriage.
The carriage passed by four private houses, changed disguises, and finally returned to the Fourth Prince's residence at sunset.
"Sui Qing, has the Fourth Prince returned home today?"
"No, he said he would stay in Yuqing Palace for a banquet and return home early tomorrow morning."
A cunning glint flashed in Chu Xian's eyes.
The Ministry of Rites was in charge of the imperial examinations, and the Yizhiqingli Division under the Ministry of Rites was responsible for the overall coordination of the examinations, including setting the questions.
The Fourth Prince happened to be on duty at the Ministry of Rites. As the prince on duty there, he must have known the questions for the Spring Imperial Examination.
After returning to the mansion, Chu Xian picked up the plum vase and hurried to the Fourth Prince's study.
When Enpu, the young eunuch guarding the study, saw the concubine coming, he just lowered his head and retreated outside the door.
The Fourth Master issued a secret order that Fu Jin could enter and leave the front yard at will.
After closing the study door, Chu Xian put down the plum vase and bravely searched through the pile of memorials for the memorial from the Ministry of Rites.
The Fourth Prince placed the memorials in different directions. She searched furtively, carefully restored the memorials to their original positions, and then continued to read the next one.
As I flipped through the pages, I felt more and more uneasy and guilty. The imperial examination, held every three years, was the only way out for countless children from poor families who had studied hard for more than ten years, leaving their families with nothing to lose.
She is committing corruption and favoritism.
Just when she was feeling guilty, she casually flipped through a memorial. She opened it absentmindedly and held her breath with excitement.
It turned out that the examination questions were drawn up by the Ministry of Rites and the Hanlin Academy.
Chu Xian was shaking all over. She grabbed the brush tremblingly. She didn't dare to copy the test questions and could only force herself to memorize them.
While reciting the test questions silently, a vicious thought lingered in my mind.
If she spread the test questions, Emperor Kangxi would be furious, and the Fourth Prince, who was in charge of the Ministry of Rites, would punish her.
Fraud in the imperial examination is a serious crime, and the Fourth Prince will definitely be stripped of his yellow belt and imprisoned in the clan office.
If the imperial examination questions were leaked, the Ministry of Rites would draft new ones and treat students from poor families fairly and strictly.
This is a perfect opportunity to bring down the Fourth Prince.
Chu Xian was so excited that her whole body was boiling.
Between choosing to steal questions for Chi Zheng and committing fraud for personal gain and overthrowing the Fourth Prince, Chu Xian made up her mind that her choice would always be Chi Zheng.
After memorizing every word of the test questions, Chu Xian went to look for Chi Zheng at night.
As soon as she left the study, Enpu reported to the Fourth Master that the Concubine had moved the memorial to the Ministry of Rites.
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The author has something to say: [Red Heart][Red Heart]
My dears, the next book will be "Maid in the Room" or "Qin Shi Huang's Personal Maid" or "Seducing Concubine"
If you are interested, you can collect it
Also recommend a few pre-collected Qing Dynasty novels:
After becoming a widow, Kangxi became a concubine
Hai Lanzhu, Consort Dong E, and Yongzheng's Imperial Palace Maids
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