Chapter 35 I think I know who did it with the brothel girl
After hearing the bizarre conversation, Concubine Hui didn't know whether she was frightened or felt cold after being caught in the rain, but she shivered while holding her stomach.
After kneeling today, she lost her child? She was also injured and will never be able to have children again?
So many concubines who gave birth to children were said to be forgotten by His Majesty, so if she cannot give birth, her future in this harem will be bleak.
In an instant, Concubine Hui regretted her decision and looked up at the empress. She saw that the empress was also stunned and had obviously heard the conversation.
The queen calmed down instantly after listening to Xiaojiu's anxious and irritable voice.
Yes, she could ignore that heartless man, she could ignore those women, but she could not ignore her own son.
Your Majesty just said yesterday that after the Double Ninth Festival, the crown prince will be enthroned.
Although His Majesty did not explicitly say that the eldest prince would be made the heir, he said this in front of the eldest prince's wife after hearing that she was pregnant. He also praised the eldest prince for his military and literary talents. It was obvious that he wanted to make the eldest prince the heir.
Listening to Tongtong's words, "The eldest prince's soon-to-be-promised throne has also slipped away", this is exactly what he meant.
But just because she was impulsive and couldn't control her temper, and clashed with Concubine Hui, His Majesty changed his mind and gave up the idea of establishing the eldest prince?
The queen was frightened.
She suppressed her own personality, endured for so many years, and tried her best to be a queen praised by everyone, just for the hope that the eldest prince would be able to sit on the throne one day.
Now it was a critical moment, and she must not give up all her efforts for the sake of momentary impulse.
The eldest prince is a man of great talent and ambition, and he has the world in his heart. He is also such a filial child since he was young. The eldest prince's wife is also so considerate. She cannot hold back her son and daughter-in-law.
The queen suddenly came to her senses and quickly pulled herself out of the surging negative emotions.
She had been stuck in a rut before, thinking how could her life be meaningless? She didn't care about other people, but in front of her children, as a mother, her mere existence was meaningful.
If she were an immoral queen, she would definitely be an obstacle to the eldest prince's ascension to the throne.
On the contrary, she worked hard over the years and became an almost impeccable queen.
Therefore, the eldest prince, the eldest prince of Da Sheng, her son, must sit on the throne of crown prince.
The queen suddenly became enlightened. The hostility that had been wrapped around her suddenly dissipated, and her face showed the same gentle smile as before.
She reached out and touched the little girl who was still hugging her legs, and said softly, "Xiaojiu is right. You will get sick if you get wet in the rain. Go to your mother first and wait for her for a while."
Noticing the change in the queen's attitude, Ji Jinyou guessed that she was going to spare Concubine Hui, so she immediately let go, nodded her head obediently, and specifically reminded her: "Youyou, wait for the queen."
"Okay, wait for mother leisurely." The queen wiped the rain off the little girl's face with her hand and gently pushed her towards Rupin.
Jin Xing tactfully pushed the umbrella forward to shield her young mistress, and Rupin squatted on the ground, holding the little girl in her arms. She took out a handkerchief and wiped her wet face, asking in a low voice, "Are you cold, Youyou?"
Dasheng is located in the south, and it is summer now. The weather is hot, and it is just a little rain. How can it be cold? Ji Jinyou shook her head: "Mother, youyou is not cold."
Seeing that Rupin and Jinxing were taking good care of Xiaojiu, the empress held an umbrella and, with the support of Dangui, limped towards Huifei, wanting to help her up.
As the queen walked, she consoled herself.
She is now in her forties and has lived most of her life.
Concubine Hui is only about twenty years old, about the same age as the eldest prince's wife, as beautiful as a flower. However, she was sent to the palace by her mother's family and followed His Majesty, an old man who is more than twenty years older than her. It's quite pitiful to think about it.
It was not worth it for her to argue with her, let alone get angry with her.
In this short period of time, Concubine Hui also calmed down.
She could guess what the old emperor liked to hear and could say the right words to make him happy. Concubine Hui was not a stupid person. After she calmed down, her rationality and IQ returned.
She quickly analyzed the current situation, looked ahead to her future life, and made the most appropriate decision in the shortest possible time.
She decided to admit her mistake to the Queen, to save her child and her own health first.
As for the bell, if she didn't come back for now, she would just leave it with Yue Guiren and Fang Guiren. In the future, she would go to Zhaiyu Palace often and she would always find a chance to get it back.
Seeing the Queen walking towards her, she guessed that the Queen wanted to help her. She was a concubine of low rank and had been a little arrogant today. She couldn't let the Queen help her at this moment. She had to take the initiative to hand over a step to the Queen.
So, when the empress walked a few steps away from her, Concubine Hui took the lead in kowtow, respectfully and sincerely admitted her fault: "Your Majesty, I was rash first and then disobeyed your orders, making a big mistake. Please consider that I am pregnant and show some mercy to me and forgive me this time."
Wow, you reacted pretty quickly. The queen raised her eyebrows slightly.
She knew that Concubine Hui was always smart. Seeing her like this, she knew that she made a wise decision after listening to what Tong Tong and Xiao Jiu said.
The queen originally thought that she would still be stubborn, so she was going to help her up herself. But when she saw that she had come to her senses, the queen stopped and didn't want to make contact with her. She just raised her hand and said, "Forget it, get up."
Concubine Hui knew that the Queen let her off so easily today because of that weird conversation. Otherwise, it would not have been so easy for her to escape the punishment today.
Concubine Hui kowtowed again to express her gratitude, and then she stood up with the help of the nanny beside her. The nanny hurriedly picked up the umbrella on the ground and held it up for Concubine Hui.
Concubine Hui felt her knees were cold and numb, and she almost couldn't stand. A strong sense of fear suddenly surged into her heart.
She felt annoyed and confused. Normally, she was the most tolerant person, but what was wrong with her today? She actually started a fight with the queen over a cat. She was truly fearless.
I've heard people say that when a woman is pregnant, her moods become changeable, she becomes irritable, and she cries easily. Could this be the reason?
The Queen looked at the soaking wet Concubine Hui and ordered, "Hurry back and call the imperial physician to take a look."
Concubine Hui bowed and replied, "Yes."
The queen didn't look at her any more. She turned around and walked back. She saw the round-faced little girl looking at her eagerly. When her eyes met, the little girl tiptoed happily and stretched out a little round hand to wave at her.
The queen couldn't help but laugh, and the irritability and depression in her heart dissipated a lot.
Yes, she has a son and a daughter, and now she has such a caring Xiaojiu. Why should she waste her energy on those messy people and things? Wouldn’t it be better to think more about happy things?
The queen took two quick steps and held the little girl's soft, chubby hand. "Xiaojiu, go back to the palace with your mother. Rupin will come too."
"Okay, Youyou will go and look after the queen." Ji Jinyou raised her little head and responded obediently.
Rupin would naturally obey the Empress's orders, and besides, the Empress had always taken good care of her, so she was also willing to be close to the Empress.
The queen held Xiaojiu in one hand and Dangui in the other, limping forward.
At the gate of Yu Garden, the Eighth Princess ran over, dragging the Seventh Princess, who was gasping for breath and about to die.
The two of them had only listened halfway and thought that the empress was punishing Concubine Hui in Fengyi Palace, so they left Xiaojiu to Concubine Ru and ran to Fengyi Palace.
But when they arrived at Fengyi Palace, they found that the empress was not there. When they asked the palace maids, they only said that they saw the empress take Nanny Zheng and Dangui out, and they didn't know where they went.
The two also thought that Concubine Hui was pregnant, so she would not be walking outside on such a rainy day. Since the Empress wanted to punish her, if she was not in Fengyi Palace, she would most likely be in Luoxia Palace. So the two hurried to Luoxia Palace, but when they got there, they found that neither the Empress nor Concubine Hui was there.
Later, Sihua, who was sent to inquire about the news, found the two people and said that the Empress Dowager and Concubine Hui were in Yu Garden, so the two of them hurried over.
When they looked, they saw the Empress walking out soaked in water, and Concubine Hui was also soaked, but she was not kneeling and was standing safely.
When they looked at Xiaojiu and Rupin again, they understood immediately that it must be Xiaojiu who persuaded the queen mother again. The two of them felt relieved, knowing that the matter was over.
The queen saw the two careless guys sweating profusely, and after a little thought she understood that the three girls slept together last night. The two careless guys must have heard something from Xiaojiu this morning and were looking for her everywhere.
But Xiaojiu's two chubby legs are so short, and he got here a long time ago. Why did these two idiots only come now?
The queen cursed them in her heart, but seeing that they were sweating profusely and looked worried, she couldn't help but smiled and nodded at them, signaling them not to worry.
It's good that nothing happened, and Princess Qiba was relieved. The two found that the queen's leg was lame, and they hurriedly asked what happened.
The queen shook her head and said, "It's nothing, I just twisted it accidentally. You two should go back and take a bath, change clothes, and don't catch a cold."
Seeing that the queen was smiling, the injury on her foot should not be serious. They nodded and said yes, and then reminded her: "Mother, you must ask the imperial physician to check your foot."
The queen smiled and waved her hand: "Okay, got it, hurry up and don't block the road."
The Seventh Princess was already out of breath. She covered her waist with one hand and put her other hand on the Eighth Princess's shoulder. She gasped, "Little Eight, I can't do it anymore. Help me go back and lie down."
Seeing that there were so many people here and that they were of no use to her, the Eighth Princess said yes, picked up the Seventh Princess and went back.
The two of them came and went in a hurry like a whirlwind. The queen laughed and scolded them, "When will you two, who are troublesome, settle down?"
Ji Jinyou wondered: [Everyone, what happened to the seventh and eighth sisters? Why did they run away like that? ]
System: [I don’t know.]
季瑾悠便不再問,見皇後踮着腳走路,忙伸着兩只小手去扶皇後的腿,皇後伸手摸摸小姑娘的小腦袋:“我們小九真乖。”
鄭嬷嬷去捉貓的時候,順便叫人去傳了軟轎來,此刻她捉了貓回來,剛好幾個太監擡着軟轎也到了。
皇後先坐上轎子,随後伸手将小九也抱了上去,丹桂吩咐起轎,一行人往禦花園外面走。
鄭嬷嬷則抱着貓跟在轎子一旁,準備親自送去摘玉宮給月貴人和芳貴人。
慧妃原本已經打算放棄鈴铛,可那小黑貓從鄭嬷嬷胳膊上探出腦袋,眼巴巴看着她叫了兩聲,她又舍不得了,試探着問了一句:“皇後娘娘,鈴铛……”
話說一半,她又咽了回去,眼淚卻忍不住流了下來。
她忙偏過頭,暗罵自己沒出息,一只貓而已,有什麽好哭的。
皇後抱着軟乎乎的小胖姑娘,望着那雙純真幹淨的大眼睛,突然覺得方才那一幕好沒意思,她揮了下手:“鄭嬷嬷。”
“是。”鄭嬷嬷聞言應道,轉身回去,把貓還給慧妃,行了禮,就去追皇後,一句都不多言。
慧妃抱着失而複得的小貓,喜極而泣。
她緊緊抱着小貓,揉着它的腦袋,哽咽着叮囑:“鈴铛,你以後萬不可再這般莽撞了,今兒是遇着皇後娘娘,娘娘心善寬容,不然你怕是連命都沒了。”
這話是她的真實想法,她後知後覺醒悟,若皇後是個跋扈霸道的,比如像皇貴妃那樣的,當場命人摔死鈴铛都有可能。
而她卻利用皇後的寬容善良,蹬鼻子上臉,着實有些不知好歹了。
慧妃沒有刻意收着聲音,鄭嬷嬷聽了個全,追上皇後原話轉述,皇後聽了微微點頭,“還沒蠢透。”
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一行人很快回到鳳儀宮,丹桂立馬張羅着準備熱水,皇後找出給小九新做的衣裳,讓如嫔帶着小九去偏殿洗澡,她自己則回到內室去沐浴更衣。
等兩邊都收拾妥當出來,丹桂已經端了煮好的枸杞紅棗姜湯上來。
一聞到那辛辣的姜味,季瑾悠立馬皺起小鼻子。她可不愛吃姜。
小姑娘剛洗了澡,一張小臉還泛着水汽,粉粉嫩嫩的,此刻小臉快皺成一個小包子,還悄悄往如嫔腿後躲,看着就惹人喜愛。
皇後笑着伸手:“小九來,到母後這裏來。”
那麽漂亮的皇後,還那麽溫柔,季瑾悠當然不會拒絕,從如嫔身後出來,走了過去,主動伸手:“娘娘抱。”
皇後伸手将小姑娘抱起來,坐到榻上,讓如嫔也坐,如嫔哪裏敢和皇後同坐,謝了恩,坐到椅子上。
皇後抱着小九,端過一碗姜湯,拿勺子撈起來涼着。
季瑾悠一看這架勢像是要喂她,吓得立馬擺着小手表明态度:“娘娘,悠悠一點兒都不冷,不用喝的。”
“小機靈鬼,你怎麽知道母後要喂你。”看着渾身上下都在抗拒的小姑娘,皇後忍不住笑,擡頭看向如嫔:“小九不喜吃姜?”
如嫔點頭,如實回答:“這孩子挑嘴,從不沾姜。”
皇後也不強求,吩咐丹桂:“去端碗不放姜的熱湯來。”
丹桂應好,轉身出門,沒一會兒,端了一碗熱氣騰騰的紅豆羹來。
這回季瑾悠笑了,甜甜的紅豆羹她喜歡喝。
皇後讓丹桂給如嫔端一碗姜湯,自己則端着紅豆羹喂小九,等小九喝完一小碗,這才把自己那份姜湯喝了。
剛放下碗,太醫就來了,皇後讓太醫先給小九和如嫔診了脈,太醫診過,說一切都好,皇後放下心來,這才讓太醫給自己看了腳。
太醫說只是扭傷,并沒傷到筋骨,敷幾貼藥,将養上個十天半月就能好了。
等敷了藥,太醫告退,皇後就抱着小九,和如嫔唠着閑話。
正說着,鄭嬷嬷進來禀報:“娘娘,落霞宮那邊來信了,說大人孩子一切都好。”
一聽這話,季瑾悠很高興,忍不住和系統分享喜悅:【統統,慧妃的孩子好好的,那皇後娘娘也就能好好的,大哥哥也能當太子了,這樣真的太好了。】
小姑娘的話,說出了皇後的心聲,她拿起小姑娘饅頭一樣的小手,放在嘴邊親了親。
如嫔看着這一幕,心下歡喜。
要知道,皇後以前見着其他嫔妃的孩子,從來不抱的,可對悠悠卻是又抱又親,可見是真心喜歡悠悠的。
這樣真好,有了皇後娘娘的照拂,悠悠長大以後一定能說一門好親事。
如嫔對皇後感激不盡,想着要送些什麽禮物,以表謝意,可她很窮,思來想去也沒想到什麽拿得出手的東西,最後決定,回去後給皇後娘娘做些繡品。
系統聽出小姑娘的開心,連忙回應:【是啊,連儲君立廢這樣的大劇情都發生了變化,那說不定悠崽你能好好活下來呢。】
系統也很激動,畢竟這是他統生第一次帶娃,又是這樣可愛的一個娃,他想和她一直綁在一起呢。
他聽前輩們說,宿主的素質也都參差不齊的,有的系統運氣不好,綁定的宿主十分讨厭,還辱罵系統呢,罵得可難聽了,什麽傻x,蠢貨之類的都算文雅的,反正只有你想不到,沒有那些宿主罵不出來的。
可你看,他的悠崽多乖啊,哪怕他時常不靠譜,經常不知道,可悠崽從來沒罵過他一句呢,嗚嗚,想起來感動得要落淚。
系統一感動,就又誇起來:【今天幸虧悠崽你去禦花園把皇後勸回來了,不然慧妃的孩子肯定沒了,我們悠崽簡直是太棒棒了。】
季瑾悠也以為皇後是聽了她的勸,這才回來的,小奶音裏帶着滿滿的成就感。
【娘娘肯定是看我拼命拽她,心疼我淋雨,這才跟我回來的。統統,以後要是還有這種事,我還是得去攔一攔,說不定就攔住了呢。】
系統:【悠崽加油。】
小團子奶聲奶氣的話語充滿了幹勁兒,瞬間治愈了皇後,那一刻,她有些汗顏。
小姑娘不過三歲的年紀,明明知道自己只能活六十多天了,可卻從來不哭不鬧,反而不停地要勸這個,攔那個,想讓大家都好好的。
而她四十多歲,都馬上做祖母的人了,還在為了一個花心寡義的男人傷春悲秋,為了一些不知所謂的小妖精賭氣,真是越活越回去了。
剎那間,皇後如夢初醒,大徹大悟。
從今往後,她不會再在意那個男人,也不會再去為了那些女人耗費心神。
她只要管好她自己,管好皇貴妃,再管好兩個人的孩子就成。
對了,如今還多了小九,小九那麽招人稀罕,又那麽乖巧懂事,她也要管好小九,順便也管好如嫔。
就這樣,就這麽多了。
---
皇後正想着,下了朝的文昭帝匆匆趕來。
還未進門,就關切地問:“皇後,朕聽說你扭了腳,可嚴重,可喊了太醫來看過?”
皇後嘴角閃過一抹諷刺的笑,可在皇帝進門那一刻,她立馬露出了職業性的溫婉笑容:“臣妾無大礙,勞陛下挂念。”
見文昭帝進門,如嫔緊張得不行,立馬起身,跪地請安。
文昭帝許久不曾見到如嫔,也沒想到一向跟個鹌鹑一樣縮在妙雲軒的如嫔這時候會在鳳儀宮,一時沒認出來,只當她是個宮女,理都沒理,直接走到榻邊去看皇後。
見到皇後懷裏乖乖坐着的小姑娘,文昭帝伸手摸了摸她的小腦袋:“小九也在呢。”
季瑾悠從皇後懷裏起身,像模像樣行禮請安:“悠悠見過陛下。”
文昭帝笑着說:“這孩子,怎的跟朕生分起來,喊起陛下了。”
季瑾悠沒搭理他,繞過皇後,走到榻邊,趴着出溜下地,穿好小鞋子,走到還跪在地上的如嫔身邊,也跟着跪下去。
皇後撲哧一笑。小人精,這是看她母妃還沒起來,對陛下不滿呢。
皇帝的視線順着小胖團子的移動軌跡而移動,這才留意到,打頭跪着的居然是如嫔,忙擡手:“都起來吧。”
衆人謝恩起身,季瑾悠扶着如嫔一同起身,也不去坐,就陪着如嫔乖乖站着。
見如嫔拘謹得手腳都不知道往哪放,皇後便開口:“如嫔,你先帶小九回去,本宮和陛下還有話要說。”
如嫔如蒙大赦,忙謝恩行禮,随後抱起悠悠就走,腳步匆匆,那架勢,好像生怕慢一步就被會留下一樣。
文昭帝搖頭:“這個如嫔,怎麽還是這般膽小。”
皇後沒接話茬,揮手道:“都下去吧。”
屋內候着的衆人魚貫而出,丹桂順手把殿門關上。
皇後從榻上起身,踮着腳就要跪地:“陛下,臣妾有罪。”
文昭帝急忙伸手将皇後托住:“有話就直說,你這腳還傷着,好好的作甚要跪。”
皇後只不過是做做姿态,見皇帝阻攔,便順勢坐回榻上:“陛下,今日在禦花園……”
皇後一副懊悔自責的神态,把在禦花園和慧妃沖突的事情講了。
Since His Majesty came to Fengyi Palace right after court, it means that he already knows everything that happened in Yu Garden.
What's more, she knew Concubine Hui. Whenever His Majesty went to Luoxia Palace, Concubine Hui would definitely tell His Majesty what happened today.
This matter cannot be kept secret, so even if she doesn't want to say it, she still has to say it.
After all, when the emperor first ascended the throne, the couple had agreed that they would never deceive or conceal anything in their lives.
Over the years, although they both had their own little thoughts, they were indeed honest with each other on major issues.
However, the queen did not tell anyone about her journey of enlightenment. She only wanted to keep her thoughts to herself and not tell anyone else, because human hearts are the most unpredictable.
After explaining what happened, the queen apologized: "Your Majesty, I was frightened by the cat and got angry for a while, so I got confused."
"Later, Xiaojiu came to persuade me, and Tongtong told me what happened next. I came to my senses in time, so I didn't make a big mistake. I hope Your Majesty will punish me."
After hearing the whole story, Emperor Wen Zhao held the Empress's hand tightly and said, "This Concubine Hui is also ignorant. She is pregnant with a child, but she didn't stay at home on a rainy day. Why did she come out to stroll around? She can stroll around, but she brought a cat with her and didn't even take care of it. She frightened you for no reason and caused you to sprain your ankle. I will teach her a lesson later."
These words sounded like coaxing a fool, and the queen rolled her eyes in her heart.
But she still showed the tolerance and generosity that an empress should have and said a few words of advice: "Your Majesty, stop it. It is not easy for a woman to be pregnant. Hui Fei is still young, so it is normal for her to be playful. Your Majesty, please don't say harsh words to her for me. If she cries, it will not be good for the child."
The Queen's words made Emperor Wen Zhao feel guilty, "Queen, I'm sorry for you."
The queen looked terrified: "Your Majesty, what are you talking about? I am sorry to embarrass you."
Although she said this, the queen thought in her heart, you are really sorry to me.
The dead man acted so affectionately that the queen was too lazy to watch, but she had to pretend to be moved and look into his eyes.
After a while, when her eyes were about to burst into tears, she asked in panic: "By the way, Your Majesty, Tong Tong said that you ignored me because of Concubine Hui, and you also abandoned the eldest prince because of this matter..."
Emperor Wen Zhao rejected the Queen's words immediately before she finished speaking: "That Tongtong is talking nonsense. How could I possibly ignore my Queen? The eldest prince is my biological son, the eldest son, and the most promising prince in Dasheng. It is even more impossible for me to dislike him."
Seeing him so confident, the queen believed him for the time being and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, I knew that the barrel was nonsense."
After that, he pushed Emperor Wen Zhao and said, "Your Majesty, go see Concubine Hui."
Emperor Wen Zhao: "I'll see what she does. I'll accompany you."
Who cares? Hurry up and leave. She will feel so sleepy after leaving that she will almost die of sleep, the queen complained to herself.
In order to get Emperor Wen Zhao to leave as soon as possible, the Empress continued to persuade him, "Your Majesty, please go and see her. A pregnant woman's mood is changeable. This is her first child. She is kneeling and crying today. It is inevitable that she is nervous. Your Majesty, please go and see her so that she can feel at ease."
Although the Queen did not mean what she said, as someone who had experienced this, she was speaking the truth.
Emperor Wen Zhao had originally planned to do so, but when he saw the empress kept persuading him, he decided to go with the flow: "Since the empress said so, I will go and take a look."
The queen pushed him and said, "Go ahead."
Emperor Wen Zhao gave a few instructions and then got up and left.
As soon as he walked away, the queen leaned on the couch without any image, "Dangui."
Dan Gui came in and was shocked to see the empress like this. She rushed forward in two or three steps and said, "Madam, are you feeling unwell?"
The queen waved her hands and said, "I am tired and need to take a rest. No matter who comes, I will stop them."
"Move those palace affairs to the Royal Concubine, tell her that I need to sleep, and let her handle it."
Dangui should be feeling extremely heartbroken.
The Queen must be so tired that she didn't pay attention to her manners for the first time and even crossed her legs.
Dangui went to get a thin blanket and put it around the empress' waist, "Your Majesty, go to sleep. I will be guarding the door."
The queen nodded, closed her eyes, and remembered her instructions: "If the Ninth Princess comes to see me, let her in."
Dangui agreed and quietly stepped out.
---
Inside Furong Palace, the Sixth Prince came hurriedly with a dark face.
As soon as he entered the room, he asked the Imperial Concubine to send everyone away. Then he slammed his fist on the table and gritted his teeth and said, "Mother, I think I know who did it with the brothel girl."