Chapter 187 Imperial Concubine
The candles in the royal tent burned all night long.
By the end, Yueli didn't even have the strength to open her eyes. She fell into a deep sleep and didn't know what happened next.
The bowl of calming soup was sent by Xiao Mingyue in the name of the empress dowager. When the palace servants outside the imperial tent presented it, He Yanchen only took a sip and realized something was wrong.
But I don’t know what she used that the medicine is so strong.
After the man was relieved, his mind gradually became clear. He stroked the cheek of the woman in his arms with some heartache, fearing that he had tortured her badly tonight.
He Yanchen took Yueli to clean her up, and asked Chu Yi to search the queen's tent at night.
When the sky gradually brightened, Chu Yi returned with Qiu Ying, the queen's maid, and a young eunuch with an unfamiliar face.
"Your Majesty, this is the cook from the enclosure. Tonight, the guards were on patrol and spotted him on a small path in the southwest forest. He was acting suspiciously, so I immediately rushed over to interrogate him."
Chu Yi presented his confession, "This man confessed that the path was the way for the palace guards who were on duty in the enclosure year-round to sneak down the mountain. There were fewer guards there. Today, because the emperor had arrived, I sent more people on patrol, and that's how we happened to catch this man."
He Yanchen glanced at the confession quickly and found that it was Qiu Ying who asked him to go down the mountain to buy aphrodisiacs. No wonder nothing was found in the queen's tent.
Chu Yi threw another bag of silver beside the young eunuch. "This is the reward money given by Qiu Ying. I sent someone down the mountain to verify it overnight. It comes from a bank in Fu'an County. The time to exchange the silver is when the emperor passes through Fu'an County today."
From the imperial palace to the enclosure, one will pass through a county not far from the capital, called Fu'an County.
In other words, when passing by Fu'an County today, the Queen secretly sent people there to exchange silver, and then used the silver to bribe the palace servants in the temporary palace, and bought the medicine from a small road to avoid searches.
He Yanchen threw the confession in his hand to the ground, glanced at Qiu Ying and the young eunuch who were covered in wounds, and said, "I tortured the eunuch and made him confess, but Qiu Ying didn't."
Qiu Ying gasped, "Your Majesty, it was Miss Xiao who bribed this servant. It has nothing to do with the Empress."
Unrelated?
He Yanchen didn't trust the Queen much, and Qiuying was the Queen's maidservant who came with her as a dowry. Could that idiot Xiao Mingyue bribe her?
Moreover, if Xiao Mingyue succeeds, there will be one more concubine in the harem. Based on the Queen Mother's love for Xiao Mingyue, her position will not be low. It is simply a thankless task for Qiu Ying to do such a thing. What is she trying to achieve?
"Take her away and continue interrogating her until she confesses."
"yes."
"Also, pass on my decree to take back the Empress' Phoenix Seal and immediately escort her back to the palace. She is confined to Fengyang Palace and is not allowed to leave without my permission."
*
The next morning, several imperial edicts were issued.
The affairs of the Shou'an Marquis's family did not cause much stir, but the queen being sent back to the capital did cause people to speculate. What was even more surprising was that Concubine Yu was promoted to Concubine Yu.
Yueli slept for a long time and was completely unaware of the turmoil she had caused.
It was not until the evening that she opened her eyes drowsily. She was so hungry that she couldn't sleep anymore.
Just as Yue Li was about to raise her hand to rub her eyes, she felt as if her whole body had been run over by a carriage.
She almost cried when she recalled what happened last night.
He Yanchen was going too far. He was simply trying to kill her.
Nian Xia, who was standing guard outside, heard the noise and hurried in: "Is the queen awake?"
Yueli hummed weakly: "I'm so hungry..."
Nian Xia was numbed by her coquettish and charming voice, and hurriedly said, "I'll ask Fei Lan to prepare food. I'll help the queen get up first."
Nianxia helped her to wash and dress. After they finally finished, Yueli lay down on the couch weakly again.
"My Lady, would you like to ask the Imperial Physician to come and see you?"
"No." Yue Li rejected it outright. It would be too embarrassing for her to ask the imperial physician for such a thing.
Seeing her listless look, Nian Xia said, "Your Majesty, you may not know yet, but His Majesty has promoted you to Imperial Concubine."
"Empress?" Yue Li's eyes lit up, and then she saw the bruises on her arms and snorted again. He must have tortured her too hard last night, so he thought of giving her some compensation.
Yue Li angrily crushed the soft pillow in her arms. When He Yanchen came back, he saw that the pillow had become wrinkled.
He had a smile on his face: "What's wrong? Who made the Imperial Concubine angry again?"
Yue Li glared at him and threw the soft pillow at him: "Your Majesty, you are asking questions even though you already know the answer."
He Yanchen hugged her from behind: "It's my fault. I tired you out last night."
Yueli's ears blushed, and she punched him, unable to resist complaining and acting like a spoiled child: "Your Majesty is too much. My throat hurts when I talk..."
"Blame me, blame me." He Yanchen poured her a cup of tea. "I've sent you the rose water you like. This year's tribute is all here."
Yueli drank the liquid from his hand. It was sweet and barely dispelled some of the pain.
After she finished drinking, she leaned into the man's arms: "My waist hurts, I don't want to sit alone."
"Then I'll hold you." He Yanchen patiently let her put all her weight on him. Noticing the person in his arms yawn, he said, "Dinner hasn't been served yet. Let's eat first and then go to sleep."
Yueli yawned listlessly again. She felt sleepy again and said in a muffled voice, "Then it's delivered. Your Majesty, call me again..."
Maybe she was really exhausted last night, so her voice was weak. He Yanchen gently stroked her back and kissed her forehead: "We hunted a deer today, and I had the venison roasted and sent to you. Don't you want to try it?"
Yueli could hardly open her eyes and didn't want to answer him.
She took a nap in a daze, and suddenly smelled a fragrance. Yueli shrugged her nose and opened her eyes stubbornly.
He Yanchen had the food placed on the small table above the couch, and was dangling a piece of venison in front of her with chopsticks. The venison was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and it was greasy. "Are you awake? Come and try it."
Yueli opened her mouth and bit the venison. It looked a bit greasy, but it actually tasted very tender.
She woke up from her doze, sat up and looked at the man eagerly.
He Yanchen pinched her cheeks and fed her happily.
Yueli had eaten a lot of meat and had gotten enough sleep, so she started gossiping about what happened last night: "Your Majesty, was it really the Queen who did this?"
He Yanchen poured her a glass of wine and handed it to her: "Qiu Ying refused to acknowledge it, but besides the Queen, who else could order such a loyal maidservant around?"
Yue Li was puzzled: "Why is she helping Xiao Mingyue? Is it good for her to have another person vying for her favor when Xiao Mingyue enters the palace?"
He Yanchen saw her racking her brains and couldn't help but knock her on the head: "She wants Xiao Mingyue to deal with you."
"Me?" Yueli pointed at herself and then became indignant. "Why is she so mean?"
"Isn't it because I didn't listen to her that day? She clearly wanted to live with Your Majesty, but she wouldn't let me live with Your Majesty. I hate her so much!"
He Yanchen hugged the unhappy woman into his arms: "So you see, everyone in the palace has their own ulterior motives."
"I see!" Yueli hugged him tightly, "As expected, only His Majesty treats me well."
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