Chapter 21: Blocking the Road
It was late spring, and although the sun was not scorching, it was still hot to kneel motionless in the sun.
Song Zhaoyi half-knelt up and moved towards a shady place.
Concubine Liang on the side was already feeling very hot. Seeing Concubine Song like this, she also tentatively moved over.
Song Zhaoyi glared at her with a sharp look, and Concubine Liang was so scared that she stopped halfway.
After Song Zhaoyi knelt down again, she looked at Jiang Yingli, who was kneeling quietly in the sun.
After hesitating for a while, Song Zhaoyi finally couldn't help but speak:
"Are you stupid? Don't you know how to move?"
When Lady Liang saw her two different faces, she was so angry that she blew her beard and glared.
Seeing that Jiang Yingli didn't move, Song Zhaoyi went straight to her and pulled her over.
But Jiang Yingli was much lighter than she expected, and Jiang Yingli was completely unprepared.
After a scream, Jiang Yingli tilted her body and fell on Song Zhaoyi, and the two of them fell to the ground.
Song Zhaoyi was stunned for a moment, and when she realized that she was being pinned down, she became furious and without thinking, she flipped over and pressed Jiang Yingli to the ground.
"What are you doing? How dare you disrespect me!"
Jiang Yingli rolled over several times, feeling dizzy and unable to react for a moment to what was happening. She only felt a strong fragrance coming towards her.
The golden tassels hanging from the hairpin on Song Zhaoyi's head were still brushing her face, making her feel a little dizzy.
"Empress Zhaoyi! I didn't mean it!" Jiang Yingli's eyelashes trembled and she apologized repeatedly.
As a result, as soon as the imperial carriage arrived in front of the Wanshou Palace, Xiao Chenglan saw this scene:
Poor Jiang Yingli was pinned to the ground by the ferocious Song Zhaoyi, their clothes intertwined.
Fu Wanquan was so shocked that his eyelids couldn't help twitching. He secretly looked at Xiao Chenglan's expression.
Although it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry, Fu Wanquan felt that the air around him had become colder, and he subconsciously shrank his neck.
"Song Wanyan, what are you doing? Are there no rules in this palace? You can do whatever you want!" Xiao Chenglan shouted coldly.
The moment Jiang Yingli heard this voice, she froze.
It's over.
Your Majesty has arrived, and you’ve arrived so quickly.
She looks so undignified now.
Not knowing where the courage and strength came from, Jiang Yingli suddenly threw Song Zhaoyi off her body and knelt on the ground.
But he lowered his head and didn't dare to look at Xiao Chenglan.
Song Zhaoyi, who was lifted up, was stunned for a moment, fiddled with her hair, cleared her throat twice, lifted her skirt, busied herself awkwardly for a while, and then knelt down again.
"Your Majesty, it was just a misunderstanding. Concubine Jia lost her balance while kneeling and fell on me. I have always been obedient and have never overstepped the boundaries."
Jia Jieyu silently looked up at Song Zhaoyi.
Why is the Queen like this?
Xiao Chenglan said in a very low voice: "She fell on you, so why is she on the ground?"
Song Zhaoyi continued to argue, "Isn't that just to block the sun for her?"
"You'd better." Xiao Cheng glanced at Song Zhaoyi coldly.
Lady Liang, standing aside, had a gloating expression on her face, waiting to see the two people who had behaved improperly in front of the emperor being punished.
Unexpectedly, His Majesty said nothing and just walked over with his hands behind his back.
"Kneel further away, kneel right at the entrance, you are blocking my way."
Lady Liang was stunned for a second before she realized that it was Xiao Chenglan who said this to her.
The moment she heard Concubine Song's uncontrollable laughter, Concubine Liang's face felt like it was burning.
She knelt down awkwardly and moved aside.
Xiao Chenglan walked straight to Jiang Yingli. He lowered his eyes to glance at her and said to the three people who were kneeling:
"How dare you act so rashly in front of the Empress Dowager? Fu Wanquan, take them to kneel down as punishment, so as not to disturb the Empress Dowager's peace."
As soon as Fu Wanquan heard the mission, he understood it and said quickly:
"Ladies and gentlemen, His Majesty has ordered that you please follow me to the Baohua Palace."
Concubine Liang thought that if she knelt in front of the Empress Dowager's palace, the Empress Dowager would let her stand up if she was soft-hearted. But when she heard that they had to go to Baohua Palace, she looked very reluctant.
Fu Wanquan looked at her and said, "Oh, you don't know how to appreciate my kindness, do you?"
He laughed and said, "My beauty is tired from kneeling and can't get up. Why don't you help me up?"
After he finished speaking, he waved his hand, and a young eunuch immediately came forward from his right.
Lady Liang felt as if she was being held captive by the young eunuch with her hands tied behind her back.
The pain was so severe that her face turned pale.
Song Zhaoyi was happy to stay away from Wanshou Palace, and she thought that the "don't punish by kneeling" was very reasonable, so she stood up and walked in front in a very charming manner.
Only Jiang Yingli remained where she was, simply because Xiao Chenglan was standing in front of her.
The wide hem of the dragon robe completely blocked the sun in front of her.
Jiang Yingli didn't dare ask Xiao Chenglan to move aside, so she moved her seat and stood up to follow Fu Wanquan to Baohua Hall.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she stood up, she felt an arm blocking her waist.
She looked up, but before she could see clearly, a large hand came down and covered her forehead, blocking her vision.
Jiang Yingli's eyelashes fluttered in Xiao Chenglan's palm.
Xiao Chenglan felt the temperature of her forehead and found nothing unusual. He then looked at the color of her lips, which were still rosy and not pale.
Although Xiao Chenglan knew that Song Zhaoyi's maid was exaggerating when she said Jiang Yingli was about to faint, he was finally relieved after seeing it with his own eyes.
Removing his hand, Xiao Chenglan looked at Jiang Yingli, who was looking up with a slightly dazed look on her face.
"Go ahead and wait for me."
After saying this, Xiao Chenglan put his hands behind his back and walked into the Wanshou Palace.
Jiang Yingli didn't know what Xiao Chenglan asked her to wait for, but she did as he asked and followed Fu Wanquan to Baohua Hall.
The young eunuch helped Lady Liang to the Baohua Palace. When they reached the stone bricks in front of the palace, they stopped and said with a respectful smile:
"Please kneel here and reflect on your mistakes."
"Where are Concubine Song and Concubine Jia? Why is I the only one here?" asked Lady Liang.
The young eunuch laughed and said, "Your Majesty said that we must purify our hearts after reflecting on our mistakes. The ladies cannot stay together, lest there be any more trouble like what happened just now. The Concubine Zhaoyi is in the left side hall, and the Concubine Jieyu is in the right side hall."
Lady Liang felt vaguely that something was wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on it, so she could only kneel down helplessly.
Looking at the stone bricks under her feet, she suddenly remembered that this was the place where Lu Cairen's blood was splattered.
In an instant, a chill ran through her limbs and bones.
Lady Liang, who had just felt a little hot from the sun, now had cold hands and feet.
Thinking of Lu Cairen's fate, she no longer dared to complain and knelt down obediently.
In the Wanshou Palace, the concubines whose legs and feet were sore from squatting were finally pardoned by the empress dowager and stood up shakily.
"If you don't take the rules seriously, the people kneeling outside will be subject to the same fate. No matter whether you are an old servant who has served me for several years, or a newcomer who thinks highly of himself because of his family background, I will punish you all the same. You'd better take care of yourselves!" The Queen Mother scolded the concubines in a cold voice.
"I will remember the Queen Mother's teachings."
The Queen Mother wanted to say a few more words to establish her authority, but unexpectedly a message came from outside the palace.
"Your Majesty has arrived—"
The Queen Mother was startled.
Why is the emperor here?
The concubines standing in rows below all bowed down in unison.
Xiao Chenglan entered the hall and turned slightly when he reached the center of the hall.
"Greetings to the Queen Mother."
The Queen Mother suppressed the anger on her face and put on a conciliatory expression, "The Emperor is very busy with government affairs. How can he have time to come here now?"
"I heard that another concubine had angered my mother during the morning prayers this morning. How could I not come and see her?"
The Queen Mother looked at Xiao Chenglan's calm demeanor and became increasingly dissatisfied.
She had just punished someone when he came right after. Isn't it obvious that he is dissatisfied with her actions?
But she is the empress dowager, and the word "filial piety" and the Xue family are both weighing on him. What can he do to her?
"They were disrespectful in front of the palace. It would have been fine if they had just quarreled and bickered, but they even resorted to violence. As imperial concubines, they have no dignity at all. I have given them a small punishment and a big warning so that they can be on their guard."
The Queen Mother looked at Xiao Chenglan and added, "This is also for the Emperor's own good. Your concubine should naturally be dignified and respectable. However, the Emperor came so quickly. Could it be that he thinks my punishment is too severe?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
