As a result, Xu Chuchu did not get her wish and get together with Lin Xiaoxiang, but Xu Chuchu was not discouraged. Since they were both the prime minister's daughters, why should she try so hard to curry favor with Lin Xiaoxiang? So she turned to the next best option and curry favor with Lin Xiangru.
Lin Xiangru couldn't say that he liked Xu Chuchu very much, but he didn't dislike her either, so they got along with each other in a lukewarm manner.
Without Xu Chuchu's company, Lu Xian seemed a little lonely. She sat there alone, watching the singing and dancing at the banquet, and took small sips of wine from her glass.
Looking at the other side, Chen Yalan and Fu Liu were as close as ever. They sat together, you picked up some food for me and I poured you a glass of wine, it was so lively.
Compared with Chen Yalan and Fu Liu, Lu Xian seems even more lonely.
As Chen Yalan and Fu Liu were chatting, Chen Yalan suddenly remembered something and said loudly, "Oh, Your Majesty, I heard that the flower market outside the palace is about to open. It will definitely be very lively then."
After hearing Chen Yalan's words, everyone's face showed a trace of longing to go outside the palace. It had been a long time since they had left the palace.
As for Su Mengyan, she naturally had a bit of yearning. She was a person from the new society and didn't like to be confined to the room. However, it was not easy for women to show up here, so she could only follow the rules here.
However, no one usually talked about things outside the palace, so Su Mengyan didn't miss them that much. When she heard Chen Yalan say that a flower market was about to open outside the palace, she remembered that in her previous life, if a new store opened, it would definitely be very lively.
Looking at the concubines below, each of them stared at her with shining eyes. Su Mengyan knew that not only she wanted to go out, but these concubines also wanted to go out and see the excitement.
Chen Yalan didn't expect this to happen. She just heard the news by accident and took the opportunity to tell it at the banquet, thinking that it would be fun for everyone. She didn't expect that after hearing it, everyone would be longing for it.
"Sister Chen, are you telling the truth? Is there really a flower market opening outside?" Fu Liu didn't know the news, so when she heard Chen Yalan say this, she was naturally the first to exclaim in surprise.
"Of course it's true. Would I lie to you about something like this?" Chen Yalan said with a faint smile.
Although everyone wanted to go out and see the excitement, they also understood that it was just a thought, and the banquet ended just like that.
"Changzai!" Seeing Lin Xiaoxiang about to get out of bed, Qinse hurriedly supported her, her face full of worry, "You are pregnant now, you must take care of yourself!"
Lin Xiaoxiang's stomach churned as soon as she moved slightly. She leaned back on the bed with a gloomy look on her face, her eyes bright and surprising. "What are you afraid of? It's only been a few months. There's nothing to worry about."
"Empress!" Qinse looked at her anxiously, hurried out to make sure no one was eavesdropping, and her heart slowly settled back to where it was.
Lin Xiaoxiang didn't care about this. She was more concerned about another thing: "Li Yuanmi can't stay."
Xiangling escaped that day. Although she didn't find her in time because of Lin Xiangru's presence, by the time she reacted, she had already disappeared. She had asked people to look for her during this period, but for some reasons, she didn't dare to search for her in a high-profile manner and could only find a way secretly.
There has been no news of Xiangling these days, and she is nowhere to be seen in the palace. No one knows where she has gone.
This matter weighed on her mind every day, making it hard for her to breathe, and her body, which was already feeling uncomfortable due to morning sickness, felt even heavier.
"Your Majesty," Qinse advised with an uneasy look on her face, "In my opinion, it's best not to act rashly recently. Xiangling was lucky not to die last time. Although it seems calm now, I'm worried that some people are already suspicious of the concubine. If you do something again, others will find you vulnerable..."
Lin Xiaoxiang listened silently, frowning unhappily. She had never been so restrained before!
"You have a point." Lin Xiaoxiang sighed, a hint of resentment flashed in his eyes. It was all Xiangling's fault!
If she had known that Xiangling would cause her to fall into this situation, she should have gotten rid of Xiangling at the beginning!
Her stomach churned again. Lin Xiaoxiang leaned over, her long hair cascading down. Qinse hurriedly smoothed her back, then turned around and called the little palace maid to call the imperial physician.
"Is there still no news from the Queen?" Li Yuanmi was trimming a pot of flowers and plants nonchalantly, with a cold look in her eyes.
"Yes." Lu Ping bowed her head deeply. Li Yuanmi paused with her hand holding the scissors. Was Su Mengyan really unaware or was she pretending not to know? Or was she just being insignificant and not worth the hassle?
She could see that if she wasn't pregnant, Lin Xiaoxiang would have wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible because she was powerless.
Is she the kind of person who would just wait for death in silence?
A sneer appeared on her cold face. Li Yuanmi threw away the scissors and waved to Lu Ping: "Come here and do as I say."
Lu Ping stepped forward, and Li Yuanmi whispered a few words in her ear, then gave her a deep look. "This is risky. If you don't want to, I won't force you."
Lu Ping took a few steps back, put her hands on the ground and bowed deeply: "Your servant, I will never refuse even if I die."
A faint smile appeared on Li Yuanmi's lips, and her cold face looked bright and gorgeous when she smiled, which was stunning at first sight.
Late at night, the palace was completely silent, with only a few palace lanterns illuminating the quiet cobblestone road.
Lu Ping took the paper money she had prepared early in the morning and hid secretly behind the rockery. While burning the paper money, she murmured: "Xiangling, you were forced to commit suicide by jumping into the lake. As your good friend, I could do nothing..."
A group of palace maids who had just finished their work happened to pass by here. When they heard the faint and mournful voice coming from the air, the tiredness on their faces disappeared immediately and they opened their eyes wide in panic.
“Who is it!”
Lu Ping held her breath and dared not make a sound, using the rockery to hide her body.
But they had already seen the flames, and with a panicked look on their faces, they quickly spotted Lu Ping and couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you one of Li Changzai's maids? Why are you burning paper money here? Do you know this is a taboo in the palace?"
"I know." Lu Ping's tears fell, her expression sad, "but I really have no other choice!"
A few days ago, Xiangling committed suicide by jumping into the lake. She rushed there and had no time to stop her. She only learned the terrible truth from Xiangling's tearful accusation.
She asked for help from Li Changzai. Although Li Changzai felt that she was powerless, she did not want a life to be lost, so she agreed.
After finally finding someone to help her, Lu Ping burned paper money to comfort Xiangling's spirit in heaven and told him that she would never let her go in silence.
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