Chapter 137 An Incident at the Banquet
Queen Mother Qin and Concubine Chen sat on the two slanted seats on the steps, while Queen Cui sat on the side behind the golden table.
After everyone was seated, Empress Cui, the head of the harem, spoke calmly, "Everyone, please stand up."
After expressing their gratitude, everyone returned to their seats.
After Pei Tingyue sat down, he secretly looked at King Xuan's mother, Concubine Chen.
She looked to be no more than forty years old, wearing a dark blue palace dress with a ruyi cloud pattern, and her face still vaguely showed the charm of her youth.
But there was a shrewdness in her eyes and eyebrows, and she was not as amiable as Queen Dowager Qin.
This banquet was clearly held to welcome King Xuan, but she didn't look very happy.
“Crackle!”
A burst of noise brought Pei Tingyue back to his senses instantly.
A young palace maid accidentally fell to the ground, and the red lacquered wooden tray slipped out of her hand. The wine cups on the tray tilted, and two of them flew out, wetting the hem of Pei Tingyue's palace dress.
Yun Shu stepped forward, wiped the stain with a handkerchief, frowned, and scolded, "Why are you so impatient?"
The little palace maid knelt on the ground, trembling at a loss.
With the eldest prince beside him, Pei Tingyue stopped Yun Shu from exploding and simply asked, "What's your name?"
The maid replied hesitantly, then kowtowed repeatedly, "Please, Her Majesty, please don't tell Chief Steward Liang, and forgive me this time."
Pei Tingyue's eyes flickered with light, she paused, and said in a clear voice,
"Get up."
Yun Shu wiped it hard, but it couldn't be cleaned.
The maid trembled with fear. After watching for a while, she whispered, "Let me help Her Majesty change her clothes. Behind the Zhanghua Palace is the Linde Palace. It was the residence of the Emperor after the late Emperor's death and before he ascended the throne. It's unused now. Why don't we go there?"
There are always spare clothes for this kind of banquet to deal with such emergencies. Pei Tingyue also brought some and placed them in the sedan chair.
Looking at the large stain on the clothes and the smell of alcohol, Pei Tingyue narrowed his eyes and said, "Let's go quickly and come back quickly."
I just heard the palace people talking about the Emperor, Prince Xuan, and Concubine Song having a martial arts competition in the training ground.
It would probably take a while for him to arrive, so she still had some time.
It better not be what she thought, that someone was plotting against her.
If that's the case, then this banquet will be really interesting.
Yun Shu and the little palace maid helped Pei Tingyue out of Zhanghua Palace. Because the two palaces were not far apart, Pei Tingyue did not take a sedan chair and chose to walk.
She asked Yunshu to take the spare clothes in the sedan chair and moved to the Linde Hall at the back.
There were only a few guards guarding the palace gate. After I stated my identity and purpose, the guards respectfully let me in.
Pei Tingyue entered the hall and took a quick look around.
Although it had been uninhabited for a long time, there was not a speck of dust in the hall, presumably because the palace maids cleaned it daily. The furnishings in the hall were simple, yet elegant and refined.
The layout of this hall is similar to that of Chengming Hall. Pei Tingyue took his men to the bedroom at the back.
The bedroom was very deserted, with only a dragon couch and an incense burner in front of it. A faint sweet fragrance floated in the air, and there was no smell of mold.
The little palace maid glanced into the palace, a look of annoyance on her face.
She shrank her neck and whispered to Yun Shu, "It's so cold in this palace. Don't let the queen get cold again. I just saw a charcoal basket in the warm room. Sister, please help me move it over here. It will be warmer so we can change the queen's clothes."
Yun Shu also felt that the hall was a bit cold, so he followed her.
Pei Tingyue looked around in the hall.
Only then did I discover that there was an entire wall of books on the west side of the bedroom. There were all kinds of books in it. The owner seemed to take good care of them, and they were neatly arranged in rolls.
Pei Tingyue pulled out a scroll at random and found some writing inside.
She often served pens and ink in the imperial study, and she was very familiar with this handwriting, which was the emperor's.
But it's a little more immature than the current characters.
Pei Tingyue flipped through a few pages and discovered that these were actually the lessons the emperor took when he was a child. A simple question was written in several pages with great enthusiasm, and there were also the teacher's comments in red ink at the back, all of which were praises.
Soon, Pei Tingyue realized something was wrong.
Yunshu hasn't come back yet.
The voices just now have disappeared, and now it is quiet outside.
Pei Tingyue's heart trembled. He walked out of the bedroom and looked around. There was no one in the warm room.
The charcoal cage was still there, not moving at all.
Pei Tingyue sneered in his heart.
Still here.
Finally, someone couldn't help it and attacked her.
Well, in that case, it’s time to liven up the harem.
An extremely cold look covered her brows, and she changed her mind and quietly moved to the main hall.
I pushed the door hard, but it didn't budge at all, as if it was locked from the outside.
She called out a few times in a low voice, but the guards who were originally guarding the palace gate disappeared and there was no response.
Pei Tingyue looked around and made sure that the doors and windows were sealed, so he stopped wasting time.
She closed her eyes and began to analyze it again carefully.
What does it mean that the person behind the scenes trapped her in Linde Palace?
Pei Tingyue didn't think that delaying her from taking the seat was just a way to punish her for contempt. It only meant that the game was still going on and had not ended yet.
Thinking of this, Pei Tingyue's eyebrows and eyes turned completely cold.
She quickly pulled out a hairpin from her hair and quietly put it into her sleeve for future use.
She had to think of other ways to save herself and couldn't just stay here passively.
Pei Tingyue sat on the couch, thinking quickly in his mind.
Before she could come up with a good idea, her figure suddenly shook and she saw double in front of her eyes.
Pei Tingyue immediately bit the tip of her tongue hard, and the pain made her sober for a moment.
But it was only a moment later, her eyes suddenly went dark and she fainted.
*
Sleeping in Linde Hall.
On the bed.
Before she opened her eyes, Pei Tingyue heard heavy breathing. Not only that, she also heard the rustling sound of clothes being undone.
Take off clothes?
Pei Tingyue's heart skipped a beat and he opened his eyes with all his strength.
What caught my eye was a bright yellow bed curtain, and the person taking off his clothes was a strange man with a naked upper body, and the panting sound came from his mouth.
Pei Tingyue was shocked.
She wanted to push the person away, but found that her limbs were weak and she couldn't exert any strength.
Not only that, the heat crawled up my back and spread all over my body, making it extremely hot.
Pei Tingyue reacted to the current situation.
She took Chinese medicine.
Or an aphrodisiac.
She tilted her head and looked at the incense burner that was emitting wisps of sweet fragrance. It was this fragrance!
So the person behind the scenes locked her up in the Linde Palace and drugged her in order to accuse her of adultery.
Linde Hall is very close to Zhanghua Hall. If she does not return to her seat for a long time, the emperor or the empress will send someone to look for her. No matter who it is, as long as they see this scene, she will surely die.
Not only would she not survive, but the baby in her womb would not survive either.
No one can be sure that the child in the belly of a concubine who committed adultery in the palace is definitely the emperor's, even if it is recorded in history.
Pei Tingyue had no time to think about who had plotted to harm her.
The most important thing now is to escape.
Pei Tingyue tilted his head and found that what was thrown beside the couch was the armor of the imperial guards.
The identity of the man beside her was self-evident; he was a royal guard.
"How dare you! Do you see who I am?!"
Pei Tingyue tried to shout at the guard in front of him.
The stranger who was undressing her couldn't hear what she said at all. He just smiled frivolously and said, "I know who you are. You are my little beauty. Don't worry. Once I take off this dress, I will treat you well."
This guard was obviously drugged and was unconscious, with only that thing on his mind.
Seeing his appearance, Pei Tingyue felt so nauseous that she almost vomited, and her mind started thinking rapidly.
She thought of the golden hairpin she had put in her sleeve.
I have an idea in mind.
She bit her lower lip until it bled, then regained consciousness and gathered all her strength in the hand holding the hairpin.
Then she smiled sweetly, and her lips moved silently.
The guard was stunned and came closer, "Beauty, you look so beautiful when you smile."
Seeing him getting closer, Pei Tingyue's eyes suddenly turned cold, and she stabbed his neck with the golden hairpin in her hand.
With a "puff" sound.
The guard fell backwards with his eyes wide open as the golden hairpin pierced his throat, holding the wound.
This was the first time Pei Tingyue killed someone with his own hands.
She threw the bloody hairpin away with a sneer.
The way to break the deadlock is very simple, just kill the person and it will be over soon, right?
Next, it's her turn to perform.
She lay between the beds for a moment to calm down.
Then he dragged his heavy body off the bed.
This still doesn’t work…
The drug was taking effect again, and to be on the safe side, she had to stay awake.
After finally reaching the corpse, she fumbled and pulled out the golden hairpin.
Pei Tingyue took a deep breath.
After mustering up his courage, he stabbed his palm hard.
"ah…"
The intense pain made Pei Tingyue scream out in pain.
It really hurts.
It's never hurt so much.
But it was worth it, my consciousness did not continue to sink.
Blood kept gushing out of her palms. She tore off a piece of bright yellow bed curtain, wrapped it around her palms, and staggered outside.
*
Inside Zhanghua Palace.
Xie Chen arrived late with Concubine Song and Prince Xuan.
When the emperor arrived, everyone in the hall bowed in greeting.
Xie Chen walked up the stairs and sat behind the golden table.
He first helped Queen Cui up, then looked at the people in the audience and said, "Please don't be polite."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Xie Chen picked up the wine cup and gave King Xuan enough face. "King Xuan has served me for many years. I am very pleased. This cup is for King Xuan."
King Xuan immediately stood up, raised his cup and drank it all in one gulp: "Thank you very much, Your Majesty, for your kindness."
After Xie Chen finished drinking the wine, he ordered the banquet to begin.
There was singing and dancing in the hall, and people were drinking and chatting.
After speaking a few words to Queen Mother Qin and Concubine Chen, Xie Chen frowned as he looked at the tiny empty seats in the audience.
I didn't see her when I came in just now, and she's not here now. Where did she go?
When I asked her yesterday, she said she would come.
Xie Chen was still worried and ordered Liang Yao, "Go and ask if Pei Zhaoyi didn't come today?"
Could it be that you are not feeling well again?
Empress Cui also looked towards the audience and said softly, "Pei Zhaoyi just arrived. I saw her. Why didn't I see anyone?"
Liang Yao received the order, went downstairs to inquire, and soon came back to report.
"Your Majesty, Empress, Lin Zhaorong said that a palace maid knocked over a wine cup and accidentally soiled Pei Zhaoyi's dress. Zhaoyi went to change and hasn't returned yet."
Xie Chen was about to order someone to look for her.
Concubine Song suddenly stood up, pointed at the empty seat, and then pointed at herself.
Thank you Chen for understanding.
He waved his hand and let her go.
Out of the palace gate.
Concubine Song asked Bai Shuang, "Just now, Lin Zhaorong asked, where did Tingyue go?"
Bai Shuang replied, "The Linde Hall is right behind the Zhanghua Hall."
"Let's go and take a look."
Concubine Song strode forward with Bai Shuang, and when they arrived in front of the palace, they met the guards who were coming to change shifts.
The guards did not recognize her and stopped her.
Bai Shuang showed the palace card.
The guards saluted hurriedly.
Song Lingyun looked at the lock on the palace door and his eyelids twitched.
Why is this locked?
Didn’t Tingyue come here to change clothes?
She ordered coldly, "Open it."
The leading guard immediately unlocked the door and explained, "Your Highness, you may not know that every time we change shifts,..."
Concubine Song didn't have the patience to listen to him and pushed open the palace door and went in.
The scene inside the hall was extremely shocking. It was in such a mess that there was no place to step.
When she saw the bloodstains on the lotus-patterned floor tiles, Concubine Song's pupils suddenly shrank and she walked inside following the bloodstains.
When she saw the corpse on the dragon bed, her face looked really ugly.
Bai Shuang was shocked: "My Lady, this..."
Concubine Song's ears moved, and she suddenly shouted, "Don't talk!"
Bai Shuang shut up.
People who practice martial arts have more sensitive hearing than ordinary people.
Concubine Song followed the heavy breathing sound and went over.
In a hidden corner, Pei Tingyue was seen curled up in a ball.
Concubine Song was shocked.
Walk towards there.
"Listen to the moon."
Pei Tingyue raised his head from his arms and held the hairpin to his throat.
"Don't come over here...don't come over here..."
Seeing the blood on her body and her behavior, Concubine Song's eyes turned red, which was rare.
She snatched the hairpin away and held the person in her arms, "Tingyue, it's me."
"Your Highness the Imperial Concubine?"
"Um."
Pei Tingyue tugged at her clothes, her face flushed: "My Lady, I feel so uncomfortable."
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