Ever since Qi Gengyi surrendered to the queen, she never lacked money, the food she ate was clean and delicious, and her clothes became more gorgeous.
The people in Cangzhu Palace either flattered or fawned over him, which greatly satisfied Qi Gengyi's vanity.
The queen got up early on purpose and spoke to her before everyone paid their respects.
Xia Chan stood guard at the door to keep watch, leaving the queen and Qi Gengyi alone in the inner hall.
The Queen's voice was gentle, her expression calm. Qi Gengyi recalled an old saying the storyteller had told her when she was a child, following her grandfather into the shop for tea: "He who has a treacherous heart but a calm face can be made a general."
The queen was very cunning. She always had the same expression whether she was happy, angry or sad. Qi Gengyi looked at her timidly, then quickly lowered his head.
"Please pay more attention to the affairs of the stage. If Gu Yinwei finds anything unusual, please report it to me immediately."
"I understand." Qi Gengyi lowered her head and walked out with her back bent.
Xia Chan lifted the curtain to send her out, and when she came back she said, "Queen, Qi Gengyi is so timid that I'm afraid she won't be able to take on any important role."
"Of course I know she's useless. I used her to confuse Gu Yinwei. I have other plans for the real killer move.
"Your Majesty is wise."
"Get ready. I'm going to meet Concubine Rou and Concubine Huang later."
The gate of Jingyang Palace was closed, and seven guards with swords stood outside. They stood upright, their eyes staring straight ahead.
The queen got down from the sedan chair and the guards came forward and knelt down to pay their respects.
"Your humble servant pays respect to Her Majesty the Queen. May Her Majesty live a thousand years and a thousand thousand years."
"I want to go in and see Concubine Rou."
Commander Guan seemed a bit embarrassed. The guards did not retreat even a single step without receiving the order. Xia Chan said angrily, "How dare you! Why don't you retreat?"
Xia Chan was full of vigor and the queen had a gloomy face.
Commander Guan had no choice but to make way for the queen to enter.
The gates of Jingyang Palace were locked and the gardeners could not get in. The rows of gardenias were withered and yellow. The palace maids and eunuchs did not know how to grow flowers and only knew how to water the roots of the gardenia trees.
The palace maids watered the gardenias originally to save them, but because they watered them too much, the roots of the gardenias were damaged by the water and withered faster.
Concubine Rou spread a thick woolen blanket on the ground and sat on the ground drinking with a wine jug in her arms.
Seeing the queen come in, he stood up tremblingly and kicked over several wine jugs as he walked.
Since being confined to her room, Concubine Rou has been lazy about washing herself, drinking heavily and staying up late, and she looks very haggard.
She reeked of alcohol, causing the queen to step back repeatedly.
"Rou Fei, you used to be so beautiful, how come you've become a beggar now?"
Concubine Rou was holding the wine jar, with disheveled hair and a dirty face, and she laughed: "Hahaha, I must be dreaming again. The Queen is also in my dream, hahaha."
Concubine Rou continued to act crazy under the influence of alcohol, and she didn't listen to a word the queen said to her.
"Since my sister has never left the palace, she doesn't know how lively the harem is. Xia Chan, tell Concubine Rou about the latest happenings in the harem.
Xia Chan spoke eloquently, "I am not good at speaking, please don't despise me, Concubine Rou. I will just say a few important words."
"The Emperor has recently found a beloved person, Gu Gengyi from Cangzhu Palace. The Emperor has also given her the Pepper Room to live in. Even if he is very busy with official duties, the Emperor will always make time to accompany Gu Gengyi."
Concubine Rou pretended to be deaf and dumb and continued to drink from the wine gourd.
No one comes to visit without a reason. The Queen came today just to stir up the feud between her and Gu Yinwei so that they can kill each other.
But the current Concubine Rou is no longer the same Concubine Rou as before. After witnessing Ning Heyu's death, she figured out many things and cherished life more.
The queen returned empty-handed and once again went to Qionghua Palace to lobby the imperial concubine.
The Queen repeated the same words and rhetoric to the Imperial Noble Consort. After listening to them, the Imperial Noble Consort remained silent for a long time, her eyes looking as if they were about to spit out flames.
The Queen's purpose this time was to fan the flames, and now that the fire had been lit, she quickly withdrew.
The Imperial Noble Consort has accumulated a lot of connections over the years. Although she cannot leave the Qionghua Palace, she can still make things difficult for Gu Yinwei.
…
Gu Yinwei has had a fulfilling life these days. In addition to going to Lanyue Pavilion to supervise the work, she also helps Chuchu find the cat.
Wei Junzhai has not been seen since he went to the Pepper Room to ask for a cup of tea last time.
Chuchu was even more certain that it was the Imperial Master who stole her cat.
The master and his two servants stood side by side. The eunuchs carried the saplings in to plant them. Gu Yinwei also changed into light clothes and went in to plant flowers.
Chuchu was squatting on the ground making clay figures, and Biantao wanted to build a swing in the yard.
The gardeners planted the carefully selected flower seeds one by one. Everyone stood outside the fenced courtyard. The green mountains in the distance were vaguely visible. Gu Yinwei murmured softly, "Planting flowers under the palace wall, leisurely seeing the green mountains."
Chu Chu corrected him: "Master, leisurely seeing Nanshan, not leisurely seeing Qingshan."
Bian Tao picked up a clay figurine and said with a smile, "Whether I see Nanshan or Qingshan, I will enjoy a leisurely life anyway."
Everyone laughed for a moment, but suddenly someone outside was heard telling someone to pass on the message.
Bian Tao stood up to greet him. She knew the person who delivered the message. This person was Xiao Tao, the palace maid beside Guo Sizhen.
"Aunt Bian Tao, Aunt Chu Chu, Guo Sizhen wants to see you."
Guo Yinwei quickly collected clues about Guo Sizhen in her mind. Guo Sizhen, whose real name was Guo Moer, was the distant aunt of the imperial concubine.
These clues were obtained from the picture book she had read. Unfortunately, she did not finish reading the picture book, otherwise her path to the harem would have been exceptionally smooth.
She believed that she had no grudges against the Imperial Concubine, so why would the other party take the initiative to pick a fight?
Could it be that someone was fanning the flames and deliberately provoking trouble? This person must be very powerful, otherwise he would not have been able to see the confined imperial concubine.
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