Chapter 73 Concubine Liang Returns
Because bathing and putting on makeup took some time, when Pei Tingyue arrived near Yaohua Palace, many concubines had already arrived, but the emperor and empress had not yet arrived.
Regardless of what the concubines in the six palaces were thinking, their faces were filled with anxiety. They covered their mouths and noses with handkerchiefs and stared frantically at the raging fire before them.
Pei Tingyue also looked towards the place where the flames were rising into the sky.
In Yaohua Palace, the main hall was engulfed in flames. Orange-red flames shot up from the ground, illuminating the area like daylight. The fire was so fierce that it even spread to the side halls and the rear hall.
Fortunately, the palace took the fire very seriously and had all kinds of fire-fighting equipment. The palace servants took water bags, hemp slings, and pumps and went into battle one after another, and the fire gradually subsided.
Concubine Xie ordered the eunuchs to wrap themselves in wet quilts and try to enter.
But the fire was too strong, and even with a wet blanket, it was impossible to get in.
The situation was at a stalemate for a while.
Concubine Xie Xian felt a little uneasy and asked those around her, "Haven't the Emperor and Empress been invited yet?"
Since the emperor and empress are not here, she has the highest position here.
The palace maids all follow her orders in everything. If Concubine Liang cannot be rescued in time, someone might blame her for not doing her job well.
It would be better for the emperor and empress to come in person and remove themselves early.
The eunuch beside him wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "The Emperor summoned the ministers to discuss matters and told us not to disturb them. Chief Steward Liang is out of the palace today, so no one dares to disturb the Emperor. When the Empress learned of this, she immediately went to invite him. He must be on his way now."
Concubine Xie frowned: "Go and find out more."
The young eunuch heard the order and quickly turned and left.
There was no other way, Concubine Xie could only order the eunuchs to rush in again.
This time, two people were brave enough to cross the raging flames. After a while, one of the eunuchs came out carrying someone on his back.
After placing the person in a safe area, they carefully identified her as a second-class maid from Yaohua Palace. She had burns all over her body, but fortunately she was still conscious.
The concubines surrounded her.
Concubine Xie asked hurriedly, "Do you know the exact location of Concubine Liang?"
Once we know the exact location, it will be easier to rescue.
The burned maid nodded, her voice weak: "I heard the queen calling for help, she is in the bedroom..."
Concubine Xie breathed a sigh of relief and was about to order the eunuchs to go in again when the eunuch's voice suddenly rang in her ears.
"The Emperor has arrived, and the Empress has arrived!"
The Emperor and Empress have arrived!
Xie Chen got off the sedan chair and headed straight for this place. He frowned and asked, "Has Concubine Liang been rescued?"
Concubine Xie bowed and greeted him, then told him the situation.
Xie Chen quickly made a decision: "These eunuchs are useless, let's replace them with guards."
Concubine Xie originally thought of using guards.
But after all, we don't know what's going on inside. If the fire is too big and Concubine Liang is unconscious, physical contact will be necessary to rescue her.
It is a taboo in the palace for the emperor's concubines to have contact with men outside the palace, and the crime is more serious than failing to put out a fire.
Therefore, after much consideration, she decided not to use guards.
The concubines all understood this truth, but no one dared to refute the emperor's words.
Only Concubine Qin said, "If we use guards, then Concubine Liang's reputation will be ruined."
Xie Chen's face was cold and he was about to explode.
Queen Cui suddenly spoke up: "Shut up! Reputation is important, but is human life more important?!"
This was the first time that Concubine Qin was harshly scolded by her and glared at by the emperor. She was nervous and kept silent in anger.
The situation was urgent and the emperor and empress had no time to deal with her. While they ordered people to put out the fire, they also ordered the guards to cover themselves with wet quilts and wade through the fire.
This guard was no ordinary guard, he was an imperial guard. He had extremely strong physical fitness and was much braver than these eunuchs.
More than 20 imperial guards rushed in, and more than half of them passed the raging fire and headed straight for the bedroom where Concubine Shen Liang was.
Everyone was waiting anxiously outside.
Xie Chen's face looked very bad, and he stared at the fire in front of him motionlessly.
Empress Cui consoled her, "Sister Shen is blessed by heaven and will surely turn misfortune into fortune. Your Majesty should not worry too much."
Xie Chen nodded slightly, but he couldn't hide the worry between his brows.
The concubines secretly observed his expression and their hearts sank.
They knew in their hearts that if Concubine Shen Liang could be rescued after this fire, the situation in the harem would probably change again.
Amidst the raging fire, beams of the house kept falling down, and scarlet sparks were swept up by the wind, forcing everyone back again.
Xie Chen's expression became increasingly ugly, and even Queen Cui's expression became somewhat unhappy. None of the concubines dared to speak to comfort her, and they all shrank back obediently.
Fortunately, the imperial guards who had entered came out quickly.
A dozen or so imperial guards formed a circle outside, beating out the raging fire with the wet quilts in their hands. Several of the imperial guards in the middle were holding people in their arms.
The imperial guard in the middle was the most cautious. He wrapped the quilt he was wearing around the person he was hugging to avoid direct contact.
Everyone had guessed who he was holding.
When they reached a safe place, they spread out the wet quilt. The woman inside had a layer of dust on her face, so her features could not be seen clearly, but she was indeed dressed like a concubine.
It can be confirmed that this person is Concubine Shen Liang.
Xie Chen didn't care about the dirtiness and leaned the person half on him. He gently patted Shen Liangfei's face and called out, "Yuyao? Yuyao?"
Concubine Shen Liang may have choked on a lot of smoke, she was slow to wake up and had several burns on her body.
Seeing this, Empress Cui hurriedly called the imperial physician.
The imperial physician had been waiting nearby, and upon hearing the instructions, he quickly took Concubine Shen Liang's pulse.
After carefully feeling her pulse, he replied, "Her Majesty Liang Fei is fine, she just coughed up a lot of smoke and dust. She will wake up after I give her acupuncture."
After instructing his men to finish the job, Xie Chen carried Concubine Shen Liang into the nearby palace—Concubine Xie Xian's Yichun Palace.
The main hall was the residence of Concubine Xie, and it was not suitable for accommodation, so Xie Chen carried the person to the side hall, and the concubines followed him into the hall.
After the imperial physician gave her acupuncture, Concubine Shen Liang slowly woke up. Her brows were tightly furrowed, and she groaned first.
Xie Chen sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her with concern: "Yuyao? How do you feel?"
Concubine Shen Liang slowly opened her eyes and saw the face she hadn't seen for a long time. She was stunned for a moment with tears in her eyes, and then she said in a trembling voice,
"Your Majesty... you are so angry... I am so afraid that I won't be able to see you again..."
Xie Chen held her hand and said comfortingly, "Yuyao, it's okay."
Tears fell from the corners of Concubine Shen Liang's eyes, and she nodded suddenly.
The two hadn't seen each other for a long time and had gone through this ordeal.
There is unspeakable worry and longing in his eyes.
Especially Xie Chen, who wrung out the handkerchief and wiped Concubine Shen Liang's face.
For a moment, he only had Concubine Shen Liang in his eyes, and completely forgot about Empress Cui and the six concubines.
After wiping her face clean, Concubine Shen Liang recovered and half sat on the couch. She said to Empress Cui who was sitting beside the couch with an apologetic look: "I am unwell and cannot get up to pay my respects to Her Majesty the Queen. I hope Her Majesty will forgive me."
Queen Cui breathed a sigh of relief: "I'm glad you're okay. Don't worry about these etiquettes."
Concubine Shen Liang's beautiful face showed a faint smile: "Thank you, Queen, for your tolerance."
Empress Cui also laughed: "I see that you have recovered well. When you are fully recovered, please come to my Fenghe Palace and stay for a while. I haven't seen you for more than a year, and I miss Concubine Liang very much."
Concubine Shen Liang said in a soft tone: "I miss the Queen, too."
The queen and the concubine chatted harmoniously.
But Pei Tingyue in the crowd felt a little uncomfortable. Although both of them were smiling, she felt it seemed a little fake, like they were acting.
Could it be that something happened between the two of them?
After returning to the palace, I can ask Liang An to investigate.
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