Chapter 91 Return to Changle
The night is getting darker.
The dragon chariot moved slowly along the palace road.
Xie Chen half-closed his eyes, pursed his lips, and had a cold expression. No one could tell what he was thinking.
Suddenly, a young eunuch approached, and Liang Yao quickly stopped him to question him. After a brief conversation, Liang Yao walked to the side of the dragon chariot and replied in a low voice, "Your Majesty, the Empress requests that you come over."
Xie Chen didn't open his eyes, just waved his hand.
Liang Yao understood and said loudly, "Fenghe Palace."
The emperor then went to Fenghe Palace.
When Xie Chen got off the dragon chariot, he saw Queen Cui in formal attire, waiting at the palace gate with her maids and eunuchs.
"Your Majesty, I have seen you."
Xie Chen stopped in front of her and raised his hand lightly: "It's late at night, the wind and dew are heavy, why are you waiting here, Queen?"
Empress Cui smiled dignifiedly: "This is my duty."
Xie Chen knew that she was a rule-abiding person, so he didn't say anything more.
The emperor and empress entered the hall.
After they were seated, Empress Cui handed Xie Chen a cup of tea. "Your Majesty, please try this. This is the kumquat tea I ordered you to prepare. It can quench thirst, regulate qi, and relieve depression."
Xie Chen took a sip, and the unique taste of orange spread in his mouth. He commented: "Not bad."
Empress Cui smiled faintly, "I'll have Liang Yao bring some to the Emperor later. If His Majesty gets upset while reviewing memorials, drinking some kumquat tea can help soothe his anger."
"The Queen is thoughtful."
Queen Cui didn't say anything else and went straight to the point.
"I asked Your Majesty to come here tonight because there are some things I am unsure about."
Xie Chen looked at her sideways: "Is there anything in the harem that the Queen can't decide?"
"If it were an ordinary matter, why would I invite the emperor here?"
Xie Chen thought about it and agreed.
Over the years, the Queen has managed the harem very well and rarely had anything to trouble him. Now that she has invited him here, it shows how difficult the situation is.
"What's wrong?"
"Actually, this matter is neither big nor small," Empress Cui said with a look of helplessness, "but it involves two sisters, Concubine Liang and Concubine Pei. It would be bad for me to be biased towards either side, so I have no choice but to ask the Emperor to make the decision."
Xie Chen frowned slightly, "Why is Concubine Pei and Concubine Liang involved?"
Empress Cui looked at him and said, "This story begins a while ago. Your Majesty, do you remember that on the second day after the fire in Yaohua Palace, Concubine Liang went to Chengming Hall?"
Xie Chen nodded slightly: "Remember."
And he remembered it very clearly. That day, in addition to Concubine Liang, that person also sent cakes and pastries, and tried to please him deliberately. His haunted look scared him even more.
Empress Cui sighed, "That was the first time, and it was also the beginning of the whole thing. That day, Concubine Shen Liang and Concubine Pei had a conflict."
Xie Chen narrowed his eyes slightly.
conflict?
How come he doesn't know?
Empress Cui observed his expression and, seeing that he seemed unaware of the matter, she explained it in some detail: "I only learned the whole story after asking the guards at the palace gate. That day, Concubine Pei was delivering snacks to the Emperor and happened to meet Concubine Shen Liang in front of Chengming Palace. Concubine Shen Liang kindly suggested that she take the snacks inside."
"Who knew that Concubine Pei was also so stubborn and wanted to personally deliver the cakes to the Emperor? When the maid Yuling beside Concubine Liang saw that Concubine Pei had rejected Concubine Liang's face, she started to fight."
A hint of frost flashed across Xie Chen's eyes, and his voice became noticeably colder: "Have you started fighting?"
Empress Cui explained, "It wasn't a physical fight. Yuling rudely snatched the food box from Concubine Pei's hands and said something disrespectful."
"Yuling asked Concubine Pei if she knew the term 'fish eyes mixed with pearls', and secretly mocked Concubine Pei, saying that she was favored only because Concubine Shen was not around, and so on. Concubine Pei's position was not as high as Concubine Shen's, so she had to endure these insults, and then she returned to the palace in despair."
Listening to Queen Cui's narration, Xie Chen could almost imagine the scene at that time.
The woman had happily made pastries for him and came in the scorching sun, but she was stopped outside the hall, had her food box snatched away, and was ridiculed. She could only leave in grievance, looking back every few steps.
So her flattery that day was not only because she was afraid that he would have Consort Liang and no longer want her, but also because she was afraid of being ridiculed and felt extremely inferior.
Xie Chen felt a slight pain in his heart.
He tried his best to suppress the ruthless aura surging from his body: "Since the Queen said this was the first time, then what was the second time?"
"The second thing is the body substitute issue that is currently circulating in the palace."
Xie Chen suddenly raised his eyes and looked over.
Empress Cui spoke softly and in great detail. At the end, she added, "After being favored for so long, to suddenly hear that you are someone else's substitute, I'm afraid most people can't bear this blow, let alone someone as delicate as Concubine Pei. When I paid my respects today, I saw that Concubine Pei looked very sad. She seemed to be afraid of being looked at and talked about, and she didn't dare to look up at anyone. She was really pitiful."
If Xie Chen hadn't tried so hard to hold himself back, he would have walked out. He took a deep breath and maintained his composure. "Deal with the two maids beside Concubine Liang."
Empress Cui said, "This is also the key reason why I asked the emperor to come. These two palace maids followed Concubine Liang into the palace and served her closely for many years. If we punish them, Concubine Liang will be heartbroken, and Prime Minister Shen will probably be alarmed. Now that the previous dynasty is in its final stages, why don't you reconsider it?"
Xie Chen looked at Queen Cui like that: "Then let's not let the news get out."
After a while, Empress Cui said, "I understand."
Xie Chen strode out of the main hall, and the eunuchs and palace maids accompanying him had to jog to keep up with him.
"Go to Changle Palace."
The dragon chariot was lifted up again and headed back home.
Xie Chen sat on it, his knuckles slapping on the sandalwood armrests. He urged: "Faster."
I have to run as fast as I can!
Liang Yao only dared to complain in his heart. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and ordered the eunuchs carrying the sedan chair to go faster.
This time when he arrived at Changle Palace, Xie Chen did not ask anyone to inform him and went straight to the back hall. The annoyance he had when he first came had long dissipated, leaving only anxiety and worry.
Yun Shu and Yun Zheng were guarding the door, and before they could even say hello, he had already rushed in.
The hall was dim, with only a unique bronze lamp with a lotus pattern on. Xie Chen closed the hall door and walked inside.
In the back room, a woman in a plain white dress was pouring tea. She looked haggard, without makeup or hair, and barefoot on the ground. Hearing the noise, she turned her head to look here. The moment she saw the face of the person coming clearly, she stepped back in shock and accidentally broke the teapot in her hand.
"Bang!"
Countless tea mixed with debris splashed everywhere, leaving several red marks on the woman's snow-white feet.
Xie Chen's eyes darkened, he picked up the person and carried him horizontally, walking towards the bedroom.
There was only one palace lantern lit in the hall, so only things could be seen vaguely. After settling the people down, Xie Chen personally lit up the bedroom.
He found the ointment and applied it gently to Pei Tingyue.
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