Chapter 168: Finally saved my life
In the imperial study, Mr. Bai and Mr. Mo were treating the emperor. Eunuch Liu hurried in as if he had something important to report.
"What's the matter?" asked the emperor.
Eunuch Liu came over and reported in a low voice: "Your Majesty, Master Ji has returned."
The emperor smiled and said, "You came back quickly, a few days earlier than I expected."
Here, Jiang Lan followed Ji Quan into the city first, and asked Ling Feng to follow Xie Yun back to Hanshan Temple on the mountain outside the city. After all, with Ling Feng's current identity, he would most likely be arrested as a fugitive as soon as he entered the city, so it would be better for him to stay outside and wait and see.
Ji Quan also turned a blind eye and let Ling Feng leave.
After entering the city, Ji Quan asked Jiang Lan where she wanted to go first, the Marquis' Mansion or the Shangshu Mansion, or go directly to the palace?
Jiang Lan was very concerned about the safety of Jiang Shen, as well as Gui'er and Qing'er. She didn't know how they were doing now. She wanted to go to the Shangshu Mansion to see her elder brother first, and then go to the Marquis' Mansion to take a look.
"I think we should go straight into the palace." Ji Quan looked at the man who was rushing towards him. It was Commander Li of the Imperial Guards.
Jiang Lan also saw the other party, and thought about how Commander Li had good intentions towards her when she was in the palace before. She wondered if he could be flexible and let her go back first?
"His Majesty has summoned you urgently. Please follow me into the palace as soon as possible." Commander Li said.
It seems that there is no way to make concessions, Jiang Lan thought.
On the way into the palace, Jiang Lan inquired about the situation in the Shangshu Mansion and the Marquis Mansion. Commander Li didn't say much, but just told her that her father and brother were fine. Jiang Lan also heard his hidden meaning and was afraid that they were probably demoted. But it was good that they were fine. However, her elder brother was still implicated. She felt extremely guilty and just hoped that after seeing the emperor later, he could take the blame and not implicate her elder brother anymore.
At the Marquis' Mansion, the Emperor has already ordered the withdrawal of the palace guards, and most of the servants inside have left.
Jiang Lan took out all the money she had and asked Commander Li for a favor. She gave the money to her two personal maids, Qing'er and Gui'er. If they stayed in the mansion, they would not have to wait any longer and could return to the Shangshu Mansion or find another way out.
There are Lu'er and several other maids in her courtyard. If they don't leave, let the two of them divide the money and pay them monthly wages. The remaining money will be divided equally between the two of them.
"You should take care of yourself first. You are already in a difficult situation, how can you bother with others?" Ji Quan poured cold water on her.
Jiang Lan knew that her entry into the palace this time was very dangerous, so she wanted to arrange things as properly as possible.
When the carriage was about to reach the palace gate, Jiang Lan pulled back the curtain and looked up at the sky above her head. She had a premonition that it would be difficult to see such a vast sky outside again, so she wanted to look at it for a while longer before entering the palace.
Ji Quan glanced at her, clicked his tongue lightly, and then said in a casual tone, "Don't worry, His Majesty won't kill you."
Jiang Lan took one last look at the sky above her head, and the carriage drove into the palace gate.
…
After arriving at the imperial study, Eunuch Liu led Ji Quan in first, while Jiang Lan waited outside.
As time passed, the sun above our heads became brighter and brighter.
Jiang Lan stood under the scorching sun, beads of sweat gradually oozing out of her forehead, but she was completely unaware. She was only thinking about what she should say when she saw the emperor later so that she could take all the blame and not implicate others.
When Ji Quan came out, he saw Jiang Lan standing in the scorching sun. Her hair was scorching hot, and beads of sweat were dripping down her cheeks. He said to Eunuch Liu, "It's so hot out there. Eunuch, you should send someone a glass of water. Don't let her pass out before His Majesty sees her."
"This..." Eunuch Liu was a little embarrassed, "Your Majesty has not given the order, and this old servant dare not make any decisions on his own."
Ji Quan curled his lips and sneered. As he passed by Jiang Lan, he reminded her, "Don't show off," and then left the imperial study.
After standing in the hot sun for another hour, Jiang Lan's lips were dry and chapped, and beads of sweat the size of beans dripped down her chin. She staggered slightly and was a little unsteady on her feet.
Eunuch Liu shook his head and sighed, asking the people outside to keep an eye on the place to prevent anyone from fainting from the sun. He then went in and reported to the emperor, "Your Majesty, it's time for lunch. Should I serve the meal now?"
"Serve the meal." said the emperor.
During the meal, His Majesty told Eunuch Liu, "Bring her in."
When Jiang Lan saw Eunuch Liu approaching, a glimmer of hope ignited in her eyes. She swallowed her dry throat and asked, "Is His Majesty going to see me?"
Eunuch Liu nodded and took her in.
After bringing the person over, Eunuch Liu went to serve the emperor his meal.
"I am incompetent and failed to bring the person back. Please punish me, Your Majesty." Jiang Lan knelt down and apologized.
Eunuch Liu put some food into the bowl in front of the emperor. The emperor tasted it and waved his hand. Eunuch Liu then had the dish taken away.
Jiang Lan knelt on the ground until Eunuch Liu finished serving the emperor his meal.
"If I punish you, can you afford it?" asked the emperor.
Jiang Lan kowtowed and apologized, "I was too self-righteous before, thinking I could bring the people back by myself. It was my stupidity that disappointed Your Majesty. I deserve death."
The emperor sneered and asked, "I heard that he is now the crown prince of Beimo. Why don't you stay there and become a crown princess?"
Jiang Lan replied, "Your Majesty, you don't know that he no longer recognizes me as a Central Plains woman. He will marry a legitimate Crown Princess in the near future. If I stay there, I will only bring disgrace upon myself."
"Before, he came to the palace specifically to ask for my permission to grant you a marriage. I thought he loved you deeply, but it turned out that he was just pretending. I misjudged him, and you misjudged him too." said the emperor.
Jiang Lan said in a resolute voice, "He has a new love now, and I have nothing to do with him anymore."
The emperor glanced at her and changed the subject, "How can I know whether what you said is true or not? What if he and I collude with each other to kill me in the future?"
Jiang Lan shuddered at the last three words and kowtowed quickly, "I dare not. I am Your Majesty's subject. Even if it meant death, I would never collude with foreign nations and betray my country. My parents gave birth to me, and my brother protected me. I would never do such a thing, even if it meant death. Your Majesty, please understand."
"I'm tired of hearing these high-sounding words. Never mind. I won't kill you now."
Jiang Lan felt relieved, finally her life was saved. Then the emperor made her kneel for the whole afternoon until dark, and then she was taken to the palace.
The Ye Ting was originally a place where palace maids who made mistakes were imprisoned. The late emperor was benevolent and tolerant towards the palace maids. When the Ye Ting was no longer in use, it was abandoned for a time. Now Prince Rui is imprisoned there.
Jiang Lan also knew about this and really didn't want to be imprisoned in the same place with Prince Rui. Then she thought, the two of them should not meet each other, so it should be like the Heavenly Prison, with each person in a cell.
After arriving, she found that she was a little too optimistic. Before she even entered, she felt it was eerie and gave her goosebumps.
Then I saw a figure walking towards me with a lantern. The lantern was made of white paper, and it looked very pale, which was unlucky.
When Jiang Lan saw the face behind the lantern, she was frightened. The face was pale and had a weird smile on it, which looked very scary.
After entering, Jiang Lan felt the cold air seeping into the gaps between her bones. The air was mixed with a stuffy smell, which made her stomach churn.
"May I know your name, sir?" She tried to be as humble as possible. After all, one has to bow his head when under someone's roof.
The other person chuckled twice, the laughter was so shrill and strange that it made her scalp tingle.
"You're quite clever. Everyone who enters here is under our care. As long as you behave yourself and don't cause trouble for us, we won't make things difficult for you."
"Thank you, sir."
When Jiang Lan followed the other party through a small courtyard, she saw two guards guarding the door and the lights on in the house. She guessed that Prince Rui might be imprisoned here.
"No matter if you are a prince or a palace maid, once you come in, you will never be able to leave in this life." The other party chuckled twice again.
Jiang Lan felt her scalp tingling again after hearing this.
After arriving at the backyard, the other party pushed open the door of one of the rooms.
There was a dim oil lamp lit in the room, and there were two people inside. They looked like palace maids. They were wearing the lowest-grade clothes in the palace and had submissive looks on their faces.
"You two should explain the rules here to her. If you don't explain it clearly, we will punish you as well."
The two replied timidly.
After the other party left, Jiang Lan took the initiative to bow to the two of them. Seeing that she was easy to get along with, the two of them invited her to eat melon seeds together, and they talked to her about the rules here.
The most important thing is to be obedient and do whatever Eunuch Cao tells you to do.
The eunuch Cao the two men were talking about was the old eunuch who brought Jiang Lan here. He looked like a sinister villain who would never let go of any grudge. He must not be offended unless absolutely necessary.
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