Chapter 22 Chapter 22 [VIP]
She no longer acted like an elder. She was still the enchanting concubine who tried every possible way to persuade the emperor. Shen Youyi heard Emperor Yuan Shuo chuckle softly and said angrily, "There's discord in the Eastern Palace. It's fine for him to take in a few new people, but why is he interfering with Your Majesty? Haven't I served you well enough?"
Emperor Yuan Shuo patted her back to calm her down, then casually asked, "How could you know that there's discord within the Eastern Palace when you're in the temporary palace?"
Of course the prince didn't know that she was incapable of serving anyone and that others had to serve her.
Shen Youyi subconsciously took the tea handed to her by Chen Rongshou and took a sip. Suddenly, she remembered that she looked a little guilty with half of her face covered, so she handed the teacup back naturally.
Logically speaking, Concubine Wei has been isolated from the world for a long time and should not be aware of these things.
Due to a moment of negligence, this vicious stepmother who was trying to sow discord between couples actually let the cat out of the bag.
But after she drank the tea for a while, Emperor Yuan Shuo did not say anything else, and it was obvious that he was still waiting for her answer.
She half-turned away, ignoring everyone, and said angrily, "What's so hard about this? If Your Highness and the Crown Princess are a loving couple, they would naturally hope that other families would also be in pairs. Only when these people find their lovers can they understand the joy Your Highness is feeling right now. If they are not in love..."
Her delicate and soft hands cupped half of her snow-white cheek, her long, slender eyebrows slightly furrowed. Shen Youyi tilted her head, a rather sad expression on her face: "Even if the three thousand concubines in the harem always greet you with smiles when they serve the emperor, hasn't Your Majesty heard of the resentful women in the ministers' families?"
Emperor Yuan Shuo smiled, and the strangeness in his heart subsided a little. He said softly, "That's all perverse."
Couples who are not in love with each other are always jealous of others' well-being and take pleasure in sowing discord. This is especially true among women living in secluded houses.
Not to mention the prince, even he had been thinking the same thing for the past six months. He had no interest in arranging marriages for the children of his subjects, and he didn't like to hear the crying about Duan Yang and her husband breaking up and getting back together.
But today, he actually had some thoughts of helping the prince.
Emperors throughout history had countless concubines, and it was perfectly fine for the emperor to have 121 of them. However, he had few children, and he had always been too demanding of his children. He hoped that they would preserve their kidneys, strengthen their foundation and nourish their mind, and focus their energy on more important matters. He also hoped that the child would grow up to be a wise and virtuous monarch, respect his first wife, and be the eldest son who would also be the legitimate son, and would neither show favoritism nor neglect or criticize the concubines.
But the king is born to be above everyone else. If he cannot even satisfy the emperor and the crown prince and have the woman he prefers, it would be too much of a torture for him.
If that girl came from a good family... or if his son wasn't so obsessed with her.
Shen Youyi breathed a sigh of relief, and immediately pressed the issue: "Your Majesty, do you think my guess is wrong?"
Emperor Yuan Shuo smiled and said, "It was just a lucky coincidence."
She had clearly heard the second half of the prince's words. Although she didn't want to ask, Shen Youyi was still curious and asked, "Who did His Highness take a fancy to that could anger His Majesty? He wouldn't want to forcibly seize a commoner woman, right?"
Emperor Yuan Shuo was about to speak when he glanced at the eunuch beside him.
Chen Rongshou sensed the emperor's gaze and quickly admitted his fault, "I was just a rather unbecoming palace maid. Your Majesty scolded Your Highness, and I was timid for a moment. I thought that with the Empress around, I could at least appease Your Majesty, so I mustered up the courage to exaggerate a bit."
If she hadn't returned to the Yan State Mansion, the hunter's daughter's background would not be much better than that of the palace maids.
Your Majesty certainly did not mean to allude to the Imperial Concubine. In fact, if the Imperial Concubine's background had not been mentioned, the Crown Prince would not have suffered this punishment.
But the imperial concubine had been wandering outside for many years and had suffered a lot of hardships that she shouldn't have suffered. It was inevitable that she would feel hurt when she heard these words.
The culprit felt a little guilty and uttered a soft "Oh", but at the same time, he felt a little melancholy: "There were also palace maids in the previous dynasty who became concubines."
Why can't she, Shen Youyi, do it?
Although they had similar looks and figures, she lived a miserable life. However, Wei Lanzhen's father was a favorite of the court. Even if her husband died, she would still live a smooth life and could even marry into a higher position if she remarried.
She thought, how could he still be snobbish when he became the emperor?
Or is it that this person is too arrogant and thinks that lowly slaves are not worthy of giving birth to royal blood?
She expressed such regret, as if he were a wicked person who wanted to break up a couple and could not bear to see them finally get married. Emperor Yuan Shuo said lightly: "That woman was unlucky and died young, otherwise there would be nothing wrong in helping him get married."
Shen Youyi didn't believe such words.
Even if she decided to gradually cut off contact with the prince, she did not think that the prince's worries were unreasonable.
Emperor Yuan Shuo would only be tolerant if she died. If she were alive, she would monopolize the prince's favor, not allowing others to bear children with him, and would overstep her bounds in every way, challenging the status of the prince's consort, and even not get along with the prince's biological mother. There would be no need for Yang Xiuyuan to torture her in detail, as Emperor Yuan Shuo would have ordered her to be executed long ago.
Seeing that she was still somewhat unhappy, Emperor Yuan Shuo said gently, "Your Highness, it has been a while since you last tasted the cuisine of the Imperial Food Bureau. Today, I will teach them to prepare a few dishes. Please try them and see if the taste has changed."
However, Emperor Yuan Shuo also knew that the emperor's imperial meal was the best in the inner court. She was at the age of being greedy, so of course she would bow down to it. Even if the two of them quarreled sometimes, she would do it just to have the meal smoothly.
They seldom spent these days apart, for by then they were all well again by mealtime.
Either eat or go to bed, food, sex, and love are the greatest desires of human beings. Emperor Yuan Shuo did not think that this was vulgar. There was nothing wrong with being able to do it in the inner chamber.
Yaoguang Palace is not much worse than the Eastern Palace. The emperor is known for his frugality. Shen Youyi doesn't think it will stand out in any way and shows a look of expectation.
However, when the people from the Shangshi Bureau arranged the meal in the side hall, Shen Youyi realized that the emperor's frugality was not what she had thought.
Food and etiquette are inseparable. Both the Guanglu Temple and the Shangshi Bureau provide meals for inner court banquets. Unlike the Guanglu Temple, the people in the Shangshi Bureau only prepare meals for palace banquets on rare occasions, and most of the time it serves as the emperor's exclusive kitchen.
She remembered that the prince had twelve dishes for each meal, which were provided by the Dianshan Bureau and the Food Official Office, which were responsible for the food in the Eastern Palace. Nearly four hundred people served meals for the prince.
She was startled when the prince said this to her.
This was because when his father first ascended the throne, he cut expenses for each palace, released several groups of people, and even stopped the tribute of more than 120 kinds of vegetables, fruits and melons that were not in season from all over the country.
At that time, the prince laughed at her for being ignorant.
This is just the beginning. There will be even more palace maids serving his father.
It is more than twice that of the Eastern Palace.
The emperor's dining table is indeed incomparable to that of the crown prince.
It is difficult to store meat and fresh river food in summer and autumn, but this does not prevent them from being alive and kicking before entering the plate, even though they should be thousands of miles away.
Even when they are eating, these dishes are at their best.
The fish meat was tender and fresh. A light sip of it gave it a hint of goat's milk, delicate and fragrant. She took the Jushengnu and chewed it gently. The aroma of sesame burst with a crisp sound, which was not very appropriate in this quiet inner hall.
Shen Youyi felt a little sad. No matter how much the emperor ate, he couldn't eat all of it by himself. He might have to give food to each palace. However, the imperial concubine had not been given food in the past six months, which showed that Wei's daughter was not that greedy.
Emperor Yuan Shuo saw her eating with restraint and reservedness, and thinking of the handful of jade snow in front of her that was becoming more and more impressive, he asked the eunuch to pick up a piece of roasted lamb's trotter for her and comforted her, "Azhen is still at the age of growing up, it would be better if she was a little fuller."
If he hadn't mentioned this, Shen Youyi would have eaten it, but she left the emperor's side, and instead of becoming thinner, she gained a little weight.
Shen Youyi thought, this is probably a kind of yin and yang.
She shook her head. "Without Your Majesty's favor, it's fine if I'm unkempt all day long, but with Your Majesty by my side, I still want to look a little prettier."
Having lived in the palace for a long time, she tried not to make a fuss about these luxuries, and at most she was surprised in her heart.
Tan Rui was afraid that she would not make progress, so she said openly and secretly that she still had a holy heart. What she meant was that the treatment of the imperial concubine was still superior. Only those items that were too picky would be taught to be sewn by people around her. Not counting those who weaved and dyed the fabrics, there were actually as many as 700 palace maids and embroiderers in the palace who made clothes for her.
But this itself was not in accordance with the rules, and the queen did not need so many people. After a long time, this item was not changed.
Even the food from the Shangshi Bureau failed to impress him. Emperor Yuan Shuo felt a slight movement in his heart and put down his chopsticks.
Shen Youyi was also forced to put down her bowl. She had originally planned to taste each dish slowly.
Emperor Yuan Shuo said slowly, "Your Highness, it's been a while since you've gone hunting. The autumn weather is clear and crisp, which is a perfect time for hunting."
Hunting is prohibited in the mountains in spring, but it is completely different in autumn. Princes and sons of the royal family compete to go hunting, and even the East Palace showed this interest a few years ago.
In this way, he and Lingyang Hou met the daughter of a hunter from Mount Li when they were asking for water.
What a touching story it is that a beautiful and independent lady meets a young prince.
Even after the man died, he still touched her heart.
Last year on the Chinese Valentine's Day, she claimed to be sick, and he did not take it lightly.
The emperor suddenly said this without any context. Shen Youyi was stunned for a moment, then he understood.
Just like when she wanted to buy a piece of evenly dyed, bright and soft cloth to be cut into the most fashionable skirt, she would first subtly ask her brother, "Brother, is it time for you to make the dress?"
That's what the emperor meant.
Even the emperor wanted to have fun in the fields, but he was more concerned about his reputation and had to use other people's names to do so.
She lowered her eyes and said in a muffled voice, "I don't want to sweat. It's very hot."
Who cares whether the emperor wants to go out and play or not? As soon as she rides a horse, her secret will be exposed!
Chen Rongshou was a little surprised and couldn't help but worry about the imperial concubine. Although the emperor was willing to tolerate it that time and did not expose it, he still felt a thorn in his heart. It was not until later when he found out that the imperial concubine was avoiding having a child that he felt all anger coming out.
Now that the imperial concubine has returned to the emperor's side, why is she still...refusing to change her mind?
But Emperor Yuan Shuo did not get angry. He said softly, "The curfew has been lifted for the past few days. It would be nice to go down the mountain and relax in the evening. I heard that at this time of year, people have many entertainments and it is very lively."
No matter how bustling the market at the foot of Mount Li is, it is just a small town, and it cannot compare to the palace market opened in the palace with its variety and gathering of the essence of the world. But this proposal is obviously much better than riding a horse. Shen Youyi immediately agreed to it. No matter how big the palace is, it is still the royal forbidden garden.
After the emperor came, there were more and more rules. She didn't want to see the prince or other people who had entanglements with Concubine Wei in this place anymore. She hid in Yaoguang Palace all day long and was almost bored!
Compared to going out hunting with the emperor and the imperial guards who were skilled in archery and horse riding, this proposal was more attractive to her!
Her eyes almost shone, and she couldn't wait to be by his side. The smile on her face seemed sincere: "Are you going to take only me, or will there be others too?"
Emperor Yuan Shuo laughed, not sure if she understood what he meant. "Do you want me to bring someone else with me?"
They were too close, and the dignity and alienation caused by the distance disappeared. Shen Youyi was stunned.
She could hear the lingering affection in his words, soft and tender, even though he was not speaking to his true self.
It was a man who invited her to spend the holiday with him.
But she couldn't figure out the necessary connection between hunting and Qixi Festival.
Shen Youyi's heart trembled slightly. Was it because the emperor had never spent this festive occasion with other women?
But this childish and ridiculous thought disappeared from her mind in just a moment.
Before her, the emperor had had romantic affairs with countless women. The impulses that a young man should have would not be fulfilled one by one with his favorite concubine at this time.
Her eyelashes fluttered slightly, hiding the melancholy in her eyes, and she complained, "Couldn't you bring the guards and the eunuchs and palace maids with you? That would be very troublesome. Just for the sake of our happiness, I don't know how many people will be upset. Otherwise..."
Chen Rongshou realized it was a false alarm. The imperial concubine simply disliked horseback riding and hunting, and had readily agreed to a more female-friendly activity. He was simply worried she wouldn't enjoy it. He immediately smiled and said, "Don't worry, madam. His Majesty has always preferred to travel incognito when he traveled to various places. With only a few servants accompanying him, we won't cause any disturbance."
Emperor Yuan Shuo glanced at him lightly. Birds of a feather flock together. The people around him had been with the imperial concubine for a long time, so they were just as adept at telling lies.
That is, when he was young and frivolous, he would personally spy on the enemy situation, and would only send a few scouts to march in front of the enemy.
Later, when he became emperor, such a thing became almost impossible.
The son of a wealthy family should not sit idle in the hall, let alone the emperor. The East Palace is not yet grown up. Once he has such an idea, his ministers will not sit idly by.
But the imperial concubine immediately revealed an expression of surprise and delight. She said in amazement, "Your Majesty is so powerful! If I had been born a dozen years earlier, I might have met Your Majesty on the street!"
…
The emperor rarely had a leisurely time, and it wasn't like he had nothing to do all day. After having dinner with her and sitting for a while, he went to the Hongwenguan again, and then Shen Youyi returned to the Yaoguang Palace.
Tan Rui waited for her instructions from afar, but she didn't dare to get close to her as before.
Shen Youyi picked up a few hairpins and compared them on her head. She turned around and asked her with a smile, "Why are you so quiet today? Can't you help me choose?"
Tan Rui came over with her head lowered, knelt beside her, and said softly, "I'm afraid my vision is not to your liking."
The reason she was favored by the imperial concubine was that she was a slave sent by the queen and had been in the palace for many years, so the imperial concubine needed her to do something.
But the imperial concubine seemed to no longer cling to the queen's boat recently, and was even very cold to the second prince. There were so many servants willing to cling to her that the day came when she was abandoned.
However, the imperial concubine lazily said, "Your Majesty's mind is complex and changeable. He loves me one moment and might kill me the next. Even ants try to survive, so aren't you afraid that I will really commit suicide and bring you all to death as well?"
Tan Rui shook her head and said softly, "The Queen is hosting a banquet in the palace on Qixi Festival, but you are going out to have fun with His Majesty. This may hurt your relationship with the Queen, but you are His Majesty's concubine. His Majesty is interested, so even if you know that the Queen might be unhappy, you will definitely go."
She was the Imperial Concubine's assistant, something everyone in the palace dreamed of. The Empress had never once instructed her otherwise: "I am yours, so naturally I will do whatever you command. Even if I am concerned about you, my lady, I can only offer advice at best. How can I make decisions for you?"
Shen Youyi felt a little doubtful. Perhaps the Second Prince had long known about her entanglement with the Crown Prince, and it was precisely because of this that he was confidently threatening her.
But she wasn't just doing this.
"I don't know how many people in the palace are hoping for my death. I was so anxious that I couldn't help but lose my temper with you."
She sighed softly, "I have many flaws, but there's no one around me who can help me. It's so rare to have you serve me so attentively. I always feel bad."
After following the imperial concubine for a long time, Tan Rui could vaguely sense something strange about her. The beauty who was favored by the emperor was too wary of something. She was not even wary of those equally young and beautiful women, but... everyone.
This matter is too weird. The imperial concubine seems fine on the surface.
She showed some pity and said tentatively, "My lady, if there is anything that is bothering you, I will do my best for you, even if it means my life is broken into pieces."
The imperial concubine straightened up and smiled, "Who wants you to be torn to pieces... I just want to hear some stories from you."
Her voice was the same as always, but the words she spoke made one hesitate to think too much: "I think I have some strange disease. I feel drowsy all day long. I can't remember anything from the past. I have forgotten everything completely."
This strange disease was unheard of. Tan Rui was shocked and subconsciously thought of the witchcraft in the palace: "How about I find a chance to talk to the King and ask him to find a famous doctor and Taoist priest from outside?"
Shen Youyi almost couldn't maintain the expression on her face. She didn't know what kind of person Yan Guomo was. If the doctor outside really had some Taoist skills and was proficient in witchcraft, then she could almost die immediately!
"It's not that troublesome. If this gets brought before His Majesty, I'm worried that something unnecessary might happen."
She said, "You've been serving me since I entered the palace. You know most of my affairs. I just want to hear...how did Your Majesty and I get along in the past?"
Whenever there was witchcraft in the palace, there would always be a bloody storm. Once the emperor was angry, millions of people would die.
Tan Rui barely suppressed her panic. Seeing the Imperial Concubine's confused and sad expression, her heart softened. She hesitated and said, "At that time, I was just a palace maid in the Pepper Palace. I only heard that the State of Yan had no intention of offering a daughter to you. But you fell in love with Your Majesty at first sight and served Your Majesty overnight in the Wei Mansion..."
Shen Youyi was silent for a moment. Yan Guomo was of the same generation as His Majesty, and she was still in mourning for her husband. There were not many beauties with the surname Wei, so it would probably be difficult for her to have a chance.
Tan Rui omitted the unpleasant parts of the rumors. "Those are just rumors, though. Ever since you entered the palace, His Majesty has always loved you dearly. Even you didn't like Yang Xiuyuan very much, constantly arguing with her and not allowing other concubines to get close to His Majesty. His Majesty acquiesced, even sending you to serve in the Purple Palace regularly, intending for you to bear a prince. But then, in the eighth month of your life, you fell ill, and His Majesty sent Envoy Song to see you personally. And then... he killed many of the people you often used."
Shen Youyi already knew why those people died. Although she had never seen the scene, it was frightening enough to think about it. She nodded gently: "Are these people very capable? Did I like them more in the past?"
Tan Rui wanted to say that they weren't particularly outstanding, but she felt jealous, so she lowered her head and said, "They were selected by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to serve the lady. They are all new to the palace, but they seem to have always been very close to Hanxun."
Hanxun...a beautiful woman who is good at needlework. There is no shortage of embroiderers in the palace, but the imperial concubine only values her and treats her affectionately.
Shen Youyi's impression of this name was almost blurred. At that time, she thought that this was just a fence-sitter. Seeing that the imperial concubine had lost her favor, she was ready to seek refuge with the big tree of the prince's biological mother.
A wise bird chooses the right tree to roost in, and a slave will also plan for herself. This is not a capital crime, but she could not swallow this humiliation and refused to let her surrender to the new master in a decent manner.
But no matter how cruel and ruthless Yang Xiuyuan was, she should not have cut off the tongues of the relatives of the palace servants around her and sent them to do the lowest-level menial work after the matter was exposed.
Is it worth her getting angry just because a concubine who has lost her power provoked her?
She was the emperor's favorite concubine, but the prince was so sure that she would not be obsessed with the emperor that he could even see her if he wanted to in private.
Shen Youyi suddenly had a terrible idea.
——Wei Lanzhen is the daughter of the emperor. After entering the palace, the only thing her mother’s family could give her was a noble birth. Everything else was unknown to her.
Those people were not her trusted confidants whom she had gathered by all means.
——The master they are loyal to is actually someone else.
How could the crown prince who had abandoned her do such a ridiculous thing!
But even stranger than the prince is Concubine Wei.
She lost her husband and didn't marry the prince. Wouldn't it be good for her to give birth to a son for the emperor?
Although the emperor doted on her, he did not allow her to think about her late husband. He would not be so absurd as to rape her in a minister's house and then say that she was the one who seduced him, putting all the blame on the woman.
She thought of her dream last night and forced a smile: "It's me who got them into trouble."
Tan Rui looked at her pale face and whispered, "I think... you were frightened to death that night. Would it be better to see a Taoist priest?"
Not to mention these ignorant slaves, who are still trembling with fear just by seeing the scene afterwards, not to mention the weak imperial concubine who personally witnessed the bloody scene.
Shen Youyi once thought so.
Although the affair with the prince was fortunately not exposed, the beautiful woman who had a guilty conscience was exiled here and died of worry, which is why it was her turn to occupy this body.
But now she is not so sure.
But it's still a good excuse.
"Tell people to quietly burn some paper money for them, and have the monks and Taoists chant some scriptures to help them pass away."
There are no impenetrable walls in the palace. Shen Youyi rubbed his brows and said, "Maybe when all these sins are gone, there's no need to find someone to perform a ritual, and these problems will heal on their own."
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