Chapter 31: Concubine Dun hits her head and dies
Ji Jinyou was frightened by the sudden cry of the Eighteenth Prince. The grapes in her hand fell to the ground and rolled away.
She spread out her two chubby hands, looking stunned and blank: "I didn't hit you either."
The older one was crying loudly, while the younger one was explaining himself calmly. The Seventh Princess was so amused that she chuckled and held the little kid in her arms, "It has nothing to do with our Little Nine."
"Crying again, crying again. Look at Xiaojiu." The Eighth Princess picked up the Eighteenth Prince with a look of disgust, patted his back not too gently, and walked away.
Ji Jinyou really didn't understand why the Eighteenth Prince suddenly cried for help. She sat in the Seventh Princess's arms, tilted her head and asked, "Seventh Sister, what happened to Brother Eighteen?"
Looking at the pair of innocent big eyes, the Seventh Princess found it more and more funny. She reached out and touched the little girl's head, saying perfunctorily, "It's okay. Eighteen is just too timid."
Well, Ji Jinyou turned around and glanced at the Eighth Princess who was walking away, still unable to understand: [Nothing, I just pulled his hand and he started crying, how timid of him!]
All of them analyzed: [Maybe you were a bit fierce when you beat the fifteenth prince before, so he is afraid of you.]
[That should be the case,] Ji Jinyou thought it made sense, and reflected deeply on himself: [Then from now on, I will not hit anyone casually.]
The Eighth Princess carried the Eighteenth Prince for a long distance before she coaxed him into silence. She patiently asked him for a long time before she finally understood that Eighteenth Prince had mistaken Tong Tong for a ghost.
She rolled her eyes and poked him on the forehead: "You idiot, I guess all my previous words were in vain, didn't I tell you that Tong Tong is not a ghost, just treat him as a god, there is nothing to be afraid of."
The eighteenth prince was trembling with fear, tears welling up in his eyes, sobbing, "But he, he said he would bite me, bite me to death."
Princess Eight: "That was just to scare you. Tongtong is a good god. You will know after you play with Xiaojiu more and listen to what he says more."
Thinking of the vicious tone of the bucket fairy when he said he would bite him to death, the eighteenth prince didn't quite believe it. He hugged the eighth princess' neck, pouted his lips and was about to cry again: "Eighth sister, I want my mother."
The Eighth Princess lost her patience and slapped him on the butt: "If you cry again, I will beat you."
The eighteenth prince didn't want to be beaten, so he had to hold it back in grievance.
The Eighth Princess coaxed him for a while, and when he stopped shivering, she carried the little boy back to the pavilion, put him on the ground, pushed him forward, and ordered, "Go, play with Xiaojiu for a while."
Ji Jinyou was afraid that he would cry again, so this time she just stood by the table and looked at him quietly, not daring to move.
The Eighteenth Prince waited for a long time. Seeing that the bucket fairy did not come to bite him, he mustered up the courage to walk in front of Xiao Jiu and took her hand: "Xiao Jiu."
Ji Jinyou smiled, tiptoed to take a piece of red bean cake from the table and handed it to the eighteenth prince: "Eat cake."
The eighteenth prince took it, took a small bite and chewed it slowly. After a piece of sweet and soft cake went down his throat, his weak heart was healed and he smiled: "Sweet."
Seeing that he was smiling innocently and was quite cute, Ji Jinyou raised her little hand and touched her head: "Be good."
A little kid has to coax a little kid. The seven or eight princesses were all amused. They all reached out and touched the little girl's head, imitating her tone and saying in a pinched voice, "Be good."
---
The fifteenth prince left the Yu Garden and walked back to Qiuhua Palace slowly, but when he reached the door he did not go in. He hesitated outside the door for a long time, then turned around and ran away.
He ran a long way in one breath before he slowed down. He walked around the palace with his head down, and when his legs were sore, he walked back.
On the way back, he deliberately found a deserted place, lay on the ground and rolled around quickly a few times, getting covered in dirt, and then returned to Qiuhua Palace.
As soon as I entered the courtyard, I saw Concubine Dun sitting in the corridor, staring in the direction of the courtyard gate in a daze.
He paused and stood far away, but after waiting for a long time, Concubine Dun did not call him, so he went forward to pay his respects.
Princess Dun looked at the boy in front of her with complicated eyes and did not respond for a long time.
The fifteenth prince kept his hands clasped and waited quietly, secretly hoping that Concubine Dun would find him dirty, drag him over, slap him twice, and scold him.
But for a long time, Concubine Dun didn't say anything. She just looked at him quietly, but her eyes were a little empty, as if she was not looking at him.
Seeing that something was wrong, Concubine Dun's personal nanny came over and whispered, "Your Highness, the little prince is back."
Princess Dun came back to her senses, forced a smile, and nodded: "You must be tired from playing, go back and rest, I'll have someone bring you some snacks and drinks."
"Yes, I'll take my leave." The fifteenth prince was disappointed. He bowed respectfully, turned around and left.
He took a few steps and then stopped, turned around, tugged at the hem of his clothes, and lied, "Mother, I accidentally fell from a tree and my clothes are dirty."
Concubine Dun gently fanned herself with the fan in her hand and looked into the distance: "It's just a piece of clothing. If it gets dirty, it's dirty. Take it off and let the palace maid wash it."
There was a flash of loneliness and sadness in the eyes of the fifteenth prince.
A long time ago, he also fell from a tree, and his clothes were not as dirty as they are now. However, his mother immediately took him into her arms, checked him from head to toe, and when she saw that he was fine, she slapped him hard and asked him why he was so naughty. Then she hugged him and cried, saying that she was scared to death.
But this time, he was covered in dirt, and his mother didn't even ask a question?
Does mother really not care about him and no longer love him?
The little boy was unwilling to give up and said, "Mother, I haven't studied hard recently."
Concubine Dun waved her fan gently, expressionless: "It's okay, go and have a rest."
"You won't punish your son?" The fifteenth prince's eyes turned dim.
The nanny beside Concubine Dun noticed this detail and subconsciously looked at Concubine Dun.
The Queen didn't seem to notice anything: "As long as you are happy, go down and have a rest."
Tears welled up in the eyes of the fifteenth prince. He lowered his head and said respectfully, "Yes."
Looking at the little boy running away quickly, the nanny took a step forward and wanted to chase him, but after looking at the indifferent Concubine Dun, she gave up in the end. She sighed and whispered: "Your Majesty, things have come to this point, why are you doing this?"
Your Majesty obtained the position of consort with the help of the Fifteenth Prince. His Majesty's high regard for Your Majesty also stems from the deep affection between Your Majesty and Concubine Shu, as well as his love for the Fifteenth Prince like his own mother.
Concubine Shu has been dead for many years. Your Majesty's actions now will not only be of no help, but will also push the Fifteenth Prince away. Your Majesty is foolish.
Hearing the nanny say this again, Concubine Dun's eyes darkened and her tone was filled with resentment: "Do you think I want this? When I think about the fact that I could have had a child of my own, I feel unwilling to accept it."
The nanny advised her privately countless times, but Concubine Dun was like a possessed woman, stuck in this matter and unable to get out of it. No matter how she advised, it was of no use.
It seems that the queen can only untie this knot in her heart by herself. The nanny sighed, lowered her head and stood still, saying no more.
The fifteenth prince ran back to the side hall where he lived, closed the door, took off his dirty coat and threw it on the ground, kicked off his shoes, threw himself on the bed, burrowed into the quilt, curled up into a ball, and sobbed.
---
In the Yu Garden, Princess Seventh and Eighth played with the two little ones for a while. When they saw that the sun was getting hotter, they got up with Little Nine and said they wanted to go back.
Ji Jinyou looked around and didn't see anyone looking for the Eighteenth Prince, so he asked him, "Eighteenth Brother, do you dare to go back alone?"
The eighteenth prince shook his head and answered honestly, "I dare not."
Thinking that he was so timid, Ji Jinyou looked at her two sisters and said, "You want to send Eighteenth Brother back."
The Seventh and Eighth Princesses thought it was on their way, so they nodded and agreed. Then the four of them, along with a few palace maids, left the Yu Garden and headed back, sending the Eighteenth Prince back first, and then returned to the Pearl Palace.
As soon as she sat down, Hong Yu, the head maid of the Hibiscus Palace, came over. After paying her respects, she smiled and said, "Seventh Princess, Eighth Princess, the Queen has made some clothes for the Ninth Princess. She asked me to take her there to try them on."
The Eighth Princess asked, "Mother only asked us to pick up Little Nine, but didn't she ask me and Seventh Sister to go as well?"
Hong Yu replied: "The Queen didn't give any special instructions."
The Seventh Princess and the Eighth Princess looked at each other. Thinking that they still had to go to the Queen to talk about Concubine Dun, they nodded and put the chubby girl in their arms on the ground: "Xiaojiu, go to your mother first, we will come to find you later."
"Okay." Ji Jinyou nodded obediently and followed Hong Yu out.
Seeing that the chubby little girl's legs were too short and fearing that she would be too tired from walking, Hong Yu wanted to hold her, but Ji Jinyou refused.
Jin Xing was waiting outside. When she saw the young master coming out, she came forward to hug him. However, Ji Jinyou still refused, "Youyou, go by yourself."
The little girl was very worried: [Everyone, why do you all like to hug me so much? If you keep hugging me like this, I will become fat as a ball. ]
System: [Our Youzi is cute even if he is as fat as a ball. 】
Ji Jinyou was already used to the system unconditionally thinking she was lovable, so she shook her head and stopped talking.
A group of people followed the little girl's footsteps, staggering and strolling to Furong Palace.
The Imperial Concubine was fiddling with her skirts on the couch. When she heard Hong Yu's report, she turned around and saw the short, plump little girl walking in from the door. She immediately smiled, "Xiao Jiu is here."
"You pays respects to Her Majesty." Ji Jinyou bowed politely and paid respect.
"Good child, get up quickly." The imperial concubine looked at the crooked fat girl, and she was so fond of her that she stepped forward and picked her up, touching her little hands and her little face. She raised her voice again: "Does Xiaojiu miss you, mother?"
Who wouldn't miss the beautiful and fragrant Empress? Ji Jinyou stretched out her hands to hug the Royal Concubine's neck and put her face close to hers, "Youyou misses the Empress."
The bubbling little girl sweetly said that she missed her. The imperial concubine was overjoyed and smiled lovingly: "Good child, your mother made a few skirts for you, come and see them."
The imperial concubine carried the little girl to the couch and took out a newly made skirt for her to change into, which was the perfect size and shape for her.
What little girl doesn't like new clothes? Ji Jinyou wore a pretty little skirt and turned around for the imperial concubine to see, smiling from ear to ear: "Youyou looks good."
Seeing the little girl smiling and praising herself for her beauty, the Imperial Concubine and several people in the room laughed. The Imperial Concubine reached out and pinched the little girl's chubby face: "Pretty, our little nine is the prettiest."
After trying one piece, the Royal Concubine took out a few others and let Youyou try them one by one. Finally, she let her pick one to wear. Ji Jinyou picked a pink one with peach blossoms embroidered on it.
The pretty little girl, wearing a pink dress, looked so adorable that the imperial concubine couldn't help but hug her and kiss her several times.
Facing the Royal Concubine's undisguised love for her, Ji Jinyou felt that she should be a good child who knew how to reciprocate, so she went up to her and kissed her back, making her laugh heartily.
The Imperial Concubine put the little girl on the ground, took her hand and walked out: "Come on, I will take you to see the cats and dogs and the birds and rabbits."
Ji Jinyou raised his head: "Hmm?"
Hearing the doubtful little voice, the imperial concubine smiled and stretched out her hands to rub the little girl's two little tufts: "You will know when you go and see it."
When I reached the corner of the yard, I saw a temporary fence made of wooden boards.
The Royal Concubine let go of Xiaojiu's hand and gently pushed her forward: "Go, go and see for yourself."
Ji Jinyou approached, poked his little head over the low fence to take a look, and was surprised and delighted. The Royal Concubine was right, there really were cats, dogs, birds and rabbits. Except for the green parrot in the cage, the rest were cubs.
Unexpectedly, the imperial concubine prepared all these. The little girl smiled with her eyebrows curved. She turned around, pointed her little finger at the fence, and asked in a baby voice: "My queen, is this for Youyou?"
The Royal Concubine smiled and nodded: "Give it to our Xiaojiu, see if she likes it."
The little eunuch moved the fence away, and Ji Jinyou couldn't wait to walk in and picked up the little rabbit that was eating grass first.
The little rabbit was still chewing the grass. It was so interesting to see its three-petal mouth moving. Ji Jinyou touched it and put it back into the basket full of grass so that it could continue eating.
Then she picked up the little black dog that was whining and nudging at her feet. The furry little dog stopped barking as soon as she picked it up and lay obediently in her arms.
Ji Jinyou held it and shook it, then squatted down and picked up the orange little cub.
Seeing that the little girl liked it, the imperial concubine smiled and said, "If Xiaojiu likes it, I'll keep them all."
Ji Jinyou nodded, shook his head, reluctantly put the kitten and puppy down, and squatted in front of the cage to look at the parrot.
After looking for a while, he stood up, walked back to the Imperial Concubine, tilted his head, and thanked her seriously: "Youyou likes it, thank you, Your Majesty, but Youyou doesn't want it."
The little girl obviously likes it, why doesn't she want it? The imperial concubine was puzzled, but she saw the little girl's head suddenly drooped, as if she was in a bad mood, so she didn't ask any more questions, picked her up and walked back: "If you don't want it, then don't want it. Mother will ask someone to find someone else for our little Jiu next time."
Ji Jinyou sighed in her heart: [Tong, I like them so much, but I can only live for 66 days. When I die, they will miss me. Tell me, it would be great if I could live forever.]
Small animals also have feelings. They only live for a few dozen days. Why should she let them recognize her as their master, only to have them abandoned by her in the future?
The system has no arms, otherwise it would definitely hug the little girl, [My poor Youzi. ]
Upon hearing what the little girl said, the Royal Concubine felt sad. It turned out that Xiaojiu was not raised for this reason. How could this child be so kind?
She held the little girl tightly in her arms and made an excuse: "These little things look interesting, so let's keep them here with you first. Your seventh and eighth sisters also like these little toys. When you have time, come over and play with them."
That's fine, Ji Jinyou nodded: "Okay."
The imperial concubine carried the little girl into the bedroom, took off her little shoes, and put her in the small wooden bed with a fence. She smiled and said, "This little bed was used by your eighth sister when she was a child. Now it happens to be for our little nine. When you get tired of playing, you can rest here."
The little girl sat in a small bed covered with pink bedding and hung with pink curtains. She felt warm in her heart and clasped her little fists to bow to the imperial concubine: "Thank you very much, Your Majesty."
The Imperial Concubine sat beside the crib, looking at the adorable little girl, and smiled from ear to ear: "Our little Jiu really looks like a doll in a New Year picture."
Hong Yu smiled and agreed, "That's right."
The Imperial Concubine continued, "Xiaojiu, Mother has asked someone to make a swing for you. It will be ready in two days. Then you can come to Mother's place to play more often, okay?"
Ji Jinyou was of course willing to show up more often in Hibiscus Palace, and nodded: "Okay."
---
The seventh and eighth princesses came to Fengyi Palace and took the empress aside to tell her about the conflict between Concubine Dun and Concubine Shu.
The queen was quite amazed when she heard this: "At the palace banquet, I saw Concubine Dun's eyes flash with coldness when she was talking to Fifteen. I thought I was seeing things, but it turned out to be true."
"Back then, Concubine Shu and Concubine Dun were inseparable. Their relationship was like that between me and your mother. We treated each other sincerely. I never thought there would be such a entanglement behind the scenes."
Thinking of the pitiful look of the naughty child who never cried sitting on the ground and crying, the Eighth Princess asked: "Mother, what should we do after he turns fifteen? Should we still let him recognize Concubine Dun as his mother?"
The Queen sighed, "This is a rather troublesome matter. Fifteen was entrusted to Concubine Dun by Concubine Shu before she died, and this is also recorded in the Imperial Edict. Moreover, Concubine Dun has been doing her best to take care of Fifteen over the past few years, and has always treated him as her own son. It is not a good idea to separate the two rashly, as that would be bad for neither of them."
The Seventh Princess was a little anxious: "Mother, but Concubine Dun has changed now. She wants to kill the Fifteenth Princess."
Princess Eight: "Yes, yes."
The Queen: "Don't worry, I think Concubine Dun still can't bear to part with the fifteenth, so she won't, and won't dare, plot to harm the prince."
The Seventh Princess: "Even if she doesn't dare to harm Fifteen's life, if she keeps doing this, Fifteen might really become useless like Tong Tong said."
The queen was relieved to see that the two troublesome ones had become sensible today. "Okay, don't worry. I know. Let me think about it."
Princess Seven or Eight nodded and sat quietly aside waiting.
The queen thought for a moment, called Dangui in, and ordered: "Dangui, go to Qiuhua Palace and call Concubine Dun and the fifteenth prince." Dangui responded and went out to do it.
The Queen then instructed the Seventh and Eighth Princesses: "You two go to Furong Palace and bring Xiaojiu here. After Concubine Dun has heard what Tongtong said, I will tell her about this matter and see what she says."
If this had been discovered before, the Queen might have covered it up and tried her best to reconcile the relationship between the mother and son.
But things are different now. Since the Fifteenth Prince heard what Tong Tong said, Concubine Dun might hear it herself one day. There is no need for her to waste her time and energy thinking about how to deal with it. It is better for her to just make it clear to Concubine Dun and see what she says later.
When the Seventh and Eighth Princesses heard this, they immediately agreed and went to Hibiscus Palace.
---
In Furong Palace, the Imperial Concubine held Xiaojiu in her arms and played with all kinds of toys for the child.
In order to make the Royal Concubine happy, Ji Jinyou was particularly supportive. No matter what toy she took out, she would clapped her hands and said she liked it.
At first, seeing the little girl's joyful look, the Imperial Concubine thought she really liked it, but later she realized that the child was just trying to coax her.
She was amazed that little Tuanzi understood the ways of the world at such a young age, and praised her for being so smart. Then she thought about the little girl's situation and understood.
With Rupin, the mother who has a very low sense of presence, Xiaojiu is also not favored in front of the emperor. So she has to learn to read people's faces since she was young.
The imperial concubine felt sorry for the little girl and kissed her on the head. She asked people to clear away the toys piled on the bed and started to prepare the meal.
After the meal, the imperial concubine held the little girl in her arms again and fed her from beginning to end. Ji Jinyou didn't even move her hands, she just opened her mouth.
After the little girl finished eating, she held her round belly and sighed: "Oh my God, now I don't have to walk by myself, and I don't even have to eat by myself. I feel like a little pig now."
[The little pig is cute, too.] The system said, and then imitated the sound of a pig twice.
Ji Jinyou was amused by the system and suddenly laughed out loud. After she finished laughing, she pursed her lips and looked at the Royal Concubine. She thought to herself, "Oh no! She laughed out of the blue. Will the Royal Concubine get suspicious?"
The imperial concubine pretended to be unaware, reached out and touched the little girl's hair, and found a step for her to go down: "Is our little Jiu happy?"
Ji Jinyou breathed a sigh of relief, her dark eyes curved, and she patted her belly with her little hand: "Youyou is happy with your meal."
As soon as he finished speaking, the seventh and eighth princesses came in. Two of them paid their respects to the Imperial Consort, while Ji Jinyou stood up and paid her respects to her two sisters.
"Xiaojiu, have you eaten enough?" The Seventh Princess picked up Xiaojiu and chatted with her to divert her attention.
The Eighth Princess hugged the Imperial Concubine's arm and pretended to be coquettish. She whispered to her ear about Concubine Dun in a few words and finally said, "The Queen Mother asked us to take Xiao Jiu away."
When the Imperial Concubine heard that the two concubines, Dunshu, had such a relationship, she immediately became interested and said, "I will go with you."
After that, he stood up and said, "Xiaojiu, mother has eaten too much, how about we go for a walk in the harem?"
The food in Furong Palace was so delicious that Ji Jinyou ate a little too much. She nodded her head and said, "Youyou, take a walk too."
Having said that, he slid down from the Seventh Princess' legs, put on his own little shoes, and walked out on his short legs.
"Slow down." The Royal Concubine hurried to chase after him.
The eighth princess, who was left behind, hugged the seventh princess' arm and said, "Seventh sister, why do I feel that mother doesn't love me anymore?"
The Seventh Princess glanced at her and said, "How grown up are you? And you're still competing for favors with Little Nine."
---
The four of them came to Fengyi Palace with a group of palace maids. Concubine Dun had arrived earlier with the fifteenth prince.
The Imperial Concubine pretended to be surprised and said, "Oh, Concubine Dun and Fifteen are here too."
The two of them stood up and paid their respects to the Imperial Concubine. Ji Jinyou followed her two sisters to pay their respects to Concubine Dun. Then several children greeted each other according to their age. After a round of formalities, everyone finally sat down.
The queen waved to Xiaojiu and smiled tenderly, "Xiaojiu, come here, mother."
Ji Jinyou walked over, and the queen held the chubby little girl in her lap, pinched her chubby little hand, and asked the same question as the imperial concubine: "Does Xiaojiu miss her mother?"
Ji Jinyou leaned her little head into the empress's arms and said in a sweet voice, "Youyou misses the empress."
The queen kissed her little face and said with a smile, "Good child, mother misses you too."
"Xiaojiu, can you eat now?"
“I’ve eaten.”
"What did you eat? Tell mother."
"Meat, vegetables..."
The two of them chatted in this meaningless manner, with the Imperial Concubine and seven or eight princesses sitting on chairs nearby, listening quietly and secretly observing Concubine Dun and the fifteenth prince who were sitting opposite them.
The little boy no longer had the aggressive look he used to have. With red eyes and slumped shoulders, he sat beside Concubine Dun in a daze, not saying a word.
The Fifteenth Prince was very nervous and at a loss. Thinking of what the Eighth Princess had said to him before, he roughly guessed why the Empress had called him and Concubine Dun to come.
He was afraid that the Empress would separate him from Concubine Dun, but he was also afraid that the Empress would let him stay with Concubine Dun. He couldn't bear to leave Concubine Dun as his mother, but he also didn't want to be killed by her.
Everyone had different thoughts in their minds. They all kept silent, waiting for Xiaojiu and Tongtong to talk.
Only Concubine Dun was still an outsider at the moment, and was completely confused by the current situation.
In the past, when the Empress had something to do, she would only call her. Unless it was a festival, she would rarely call her and the Fifteenth Prince together.
But after calling them over, he didn't say anything. He just sat there and teased the Ninth Princess. First, he kept asking the little girl a lot of nonsense, and then he fed her some fruit, and then he left the mother and child there to sit there, as if he had completely forgotten about them.
The Queen has always been clear about rewards and punishments, but she has always been kind and generous, and has almost never deliberately made things difficult for anyone. But why did she suddenly act like this today? What is her intention?
Could it be that she was trying to warn her? Thinking of her change in attitude towards the fifteenth prince, Concubine Dun felt a pang in her heart. But after thinking about it carefully, she believed that in front of others, she had behaved the same as before and had not given anyone an advantage.
There was also the Royal Consort with two princesses, seemingly drinking tea, but they looked over with inquiring eyes from time to time. Why was that?
Just when Concubine Dun was full of confusion and was about to ask the Queen if she had any instructions, she heard the Ninth Princess, who was chewing a plum, speak.
[Tongjie, the one with the dark face, is that Concubine Dun? ]
How could this child be so ignorant of etiquette that she actually talked about her elders in front of them? Concubine Dun was unhappy and frowned slightly, looking at the little girl.
The system flipped through the character summary: [Yes, that's her. Youzi, let me tell you, the fifteenth prince got into trouble and was demoted to a commoner, and Concubine Dun was also banished to the cold palace because of her poor teaching.]
A strange male voice suddenly appeared in her ears, saying such shocking news. Concubine Dun was startled and dropped the teacup in her hand onto her skirt. Thanks to her quick reaction, she picked it up immediately, but the hot tea had wet a large area of her skirt.
Before she could figure out what that male voice meant, she heard the Ninth Princess speaking again. No, no, no, she didn't say that. She didn't even open her mouth.
[That's not surprising.] Thinking about the original ending of the fifteenth prince, Ji Jinyou sighed.
The system continued: [Later, the fifteenth prince died on the street. The news spread back to the palace and then to the cold palace. Concubine Dun regretted it. She thought about her failed life and how she had died in the house where she lived. The whole palace was in chaos at the time. No one noticed her and no one collected her body. When she was found many days later, she had already smelled bad. Eh~]
Ji Jinyou was chewing a plum. When she heard this, she, who had a very rich imagination, couldn't help but imagine the scene in her mind. Her stomach suddenly felt churning, and she quickly lay down on the edge of the couch: "Grrrl~"
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