She was wearing a light yellow autumn dress and her eyebrows and eyes were picturesque. The soft candlelight in the hall cast a halo on Shen Wei.
Like a harbor, like a home.
Li Yuanjing held Shen Wei in his arms. Shen Wei stroked his back and whispered, "Your Majesty, you are back."
Li Yuanjing replied: "Yes."
Shen Wei: "Have dinner first."
"good."
The affairs of the country and family weighed heavily on Li Yuanjing's shoulders. Only when he returned to Yongning Palace and to Shen Wei did he feel like he could breathe smoothly. Over the long years, Shen Wei has taken deep root in his heart.
...
...
In Huayang Palace, Tantai Yinxue was extremely worried and hadn't slept well for several days. Important members of the Tan Tai family were dismissed from office one after another, leaving only the direct lineage safe for the time being.
Tan Tai Yin Xue had a bad feeling in her heart - her family seemed to be finished.
Fortunately, Tan Tai Yinxue's parents and younger brother were far away in Yanzhou and were not affected for the time being.
"Master, the queen wants to see you." Late at night, the palace maid tiptoed back to Huayang Palace and informed him of the news she had obtained.
Tan Tai Yin Xue was stunned and quickly shook her head: "No."
When Tan Tai Yin Xue thought of the Queen, she couldn't help but shiver. Some time ago, she was playing the piano in the Imperial Garden in the middle of the night when she was called by Concubine Chen to attend to the Empress' illness.
Tan Tai Yinxue was forced to go several times, and was insulted and scolded by the Queen every time. The Queen even used lit incense sticks to burn Tan Tai Yinxue's hands, which was despicable and vicious.
Now, there are more than a dozen burn scars the size of rice grains on Tan Tai Yin Xue's delicate hands.
"Master, your family is on the brink of extinction, and sooner or later the emperor will vent his anger on you." The maid whispered, "At this time, you should put aside your grudges and join hands with the queen to save yourself. You and the queen are from the same family, so you should share the joys and sorrows together."
Tan Tai Yinxue is not stupid either. She knows that if her family collapses completely, she will become an abandoned child.
If you are lucky, you can save your life and live alone for the rest of your life;
She was unlucky and was given the white silk and died young.
Tan Tai Yin Xue let out a long sigh. She was extremely regretful now. The palace was not as simple as she thought. The women in the harem were like a scourge and each was vicious in her own way.
The emperor is not a king who is obsessed with beauty. In his eyes, women are nothing more than tools that can be used. He does not cherish old relationships and is decisive and ruthless.
Tan Tai Yin Xue closed her eyes and said, "Go and get ready. I'm going to meet the Queen."
It was late at night, in the middle of the night, and the oil lamp in Tantai Yinxue Palace was extinguished. She pretended to be asleep to deceive the eyes of Lanpin opposite her. The early autumn night was chilly. Tan Tai Yin Xue disguised herself as a palace maid and headed towards Kunning Palace with her head lowered.
The gate of Kunning Palace was guarded by fully armed guards. The once magnificent and solemn palace gate had become a cage that trapped the queen.
Tan Tai Yinxue walked around and came to the outside of the backyard wall, then entered Kunning Palace through a hole covered by weeds. The autumn night was cold and the Kunning Palace was lifeless. The tall sycamore trees rustled in the wind. The chrysanthemums planted in the yard were unattended and lay scattered all over the ground.
It was quiet all around.
Only the candlelight was on in the Buddhist hall. On the stone steps at the entrance of the Buddhist temple, the queen's skinny figure sat blankly, motionless, almost blending into the night.
Tantai Yinxue came to the entrance of the Buddhist temple under the moonlight. She whispered, "Queen..."
The queen slowly raised her head. Tan Tai Yin Xue took a breath of cold air and almost screamed out of fright. The queen was so thin that she looked like a skeleton covered with human skin.
The Queen opened her mouth and said in a hoarse voice: "You are here."
Tan Tai Yin Xue was shocked and frightened. She mustered up her courage and asked, "What do you want from me?"
With the death of her two children, her biological mother's passing, and her family on the verge of collapse, the queen's mind, which had been blinded by hatred, suddenly became clear. The Queen said, "A centipede will not die even if it is stiff. The Tantai family is about to fall. The Emperor is heartless and will definitely sentence me to death, and you to death as well."
Tan Tai Yin Xue clenched her fingers.
She knew that the queen was right.
The Queen looked at the crooked chrysanthemums in the yard and said calmly, "I'll die if I want to. I wish I could die sooner. But before I die, you must take that bitch, Concubine Chen, away to be buried with me."
Tan Tai Yin Xue was stunned: "You want to kill Chen Fei?"
The queen turned her head, her bloodshot eyes rolling slightly: "She took away my power, snatched my husband, and killed my child... If nothing unexpected happens, she will be the next queen."
After many years, Li Yuanjing's favorite is still Shen Wei. The queen had no doubt that after she was sentenced to death, Li Yuanjing would support Shen Wei as the successor.
She is not willing to give in!
The Queen said, "I am trapped here, with no one to help me... Tantai Yinxue, you claim to be smart, so you must have a way to get rid of Concubine Chen."
Tan Tai Yin Xue stood up. She was unwilling to poison Chen Fei. She refused: "I won't help you."
The queen smiled and said sinisterly, "You are from the second branch of the family. Your parents and brother are far away in Yanzhou, doing silk business for the family. With the fall of the Tantai family, your family should be planning to seek refuge in the neighboring Southern Chu State - but, can they escape?"
Tan Tai Yinxue paused in her steps and turned back suddenly, looking at the Queen with eyes full of resentment.
The Queen said quietly, "Be obedient. I only want to bury Concubine Chen with me."
There was deathly silence in Kunning Palace. The night wind made the dead leaves on the ground rustle, and the crooked chrysanthemums swayed crookedly.
After a long time, Tan Tai Yin Xue left without saying a word.
As soon as she left, Kunning Palace fell into a terrifying silence again. The queen forced herself to stand up, and the hem of her grey dress swept across the dusty floor like a broom, and she returned step by step to the Buddhist temple.
The white jade statue of Bodhisattva still sits on the altar, enjoying the offerings of incense. The queen lit a stick of incense and murmured, "Buddha bless you."
...
...
At dawn the next day, the palace maids in the harem were busy as usual, each doing their own job, and everything went on in an orderly manner.
The eunuch in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs said with a smile: "Aunt Cailian, please tell the mistress Chen Fei that all the monthly silver in the palace has been distributed, and the money for the imperial merchants has arrived."
Cai Lian smiled and said, "Well done."
The eunuch in charge once again responded with a fawning response, which Cailian listened to but did not take to heart.
After completing the tasks assigned by her master, Cai Lian returned with two palace maids. In the afternoon, the master would check the porcelain and fabrics sent by the imperial merchants, so she needed to make arrangements early. There are also some purchasing tasks outside the palace that need to be done.
The master likes high efficiency and doesn't like his servants to be slow.
Cai Lian walked on the long palace road, thinking about today's work plan in her mind. When the palace maids and eunuchs along the way saw her, they would greet her warmly - Aunt Cai Lian.
"Aunt Cailian, your things fell." An unfriendly voice sounded.
Cai Lian paused and came out of her thoughts. She looked up and saw a young palace maid standing beside the stone pillar lamp.
Cai Lian has always had a good memory. She can remember the names of most of the eunuchs and maids in the palace, and knows their positions.
The thin and shrewd palace maid in front of me is Xiao Meng, who serves Concubine Xue of Huayang Palace.
Cai Lian asked, "You said I lost something. What did I lose?"
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