Chapter 31: Conscience is never awakened...
Zhao Changning immediately interrupted her, "You're trying to win me over just to get the late emperor to favor you more. Stop using these sisterly sentiments. I find it disgusting."
In fact, there is no difference between everyone. Wanting to climb up and wanting power are both goals.
Otherwise, living is no different from being a walking corpse. Before this, she had lived like a piece of wood.
Yunsheng was confused as he listened, but he also knew that this was an old story, so he lowered his head and dared not move.
Xiangpin's legs had gone limp from crying, and she collapsed on the ground, motionless.
Sun Jieyu knew there was no turning back, so she cursed Zhao Changning harshly. She probably used up all her strength and her voice became hoarse.
Zhao Changning watched quietly, a look of sarcasm on his face, as if admiring her. When she sat on the ground, panting and unable to curse any more, he said calmly, "The late emperor will be buried soon. There's no time to waste. Choose one for yourself."
Concubine Sun was unwilling to accept her fate. Death terrified her so much that she crawled to Zhao Changning's feet with tears streaming down her face, confessing her sorrow bitterly.
"Changning, I'm sorry. We were wrong back then. I'm sorry. We shouldn't have treated you like that, and we shouldn't have treated Xiaobai like that. Please save us, Changning. We're still young. Burying people alive with their loved ones is too cruel..."
Concubine Xiang was crying bitterly, grabbing Zhao Changning's skirt and crying.
"Changning, I prayed for Xiaobai. Really, Changning, I even begged the Bodhisattva, hoping that Xiaobai wouldn't be reborn as an animal in his next life. We were wrong, and what we did back then was unavoidable. The Buddha will forgive us..."
Upon hearing this, Concubine Sun nodded repeatedly, "Changning, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. The Buddha will bless you. Please, we will light a perpetual lamp for Xiaobai and spend the rest of our lives atonement for its sins..."
Tears fell down her face one by one, and she looked heartbroken, just like Zhao Changning back then.
Zhao Changning grabbed her hand and removed the hairs one by one, his expression calm.
"It's too late. Why tell such lies? We both know that you're not asking me for help, nor do you really want to ask me for help. You're just too scared of death. All you're asking for is power."
Here, conscience has never been awakened. If it could be awakened, why has there been no repentance for so many years?
Zhao Changning clamped Sun Sunyue's chin and carefully looked at this woman who was a shrewd and malicious woman. Her heart had long been hollowed out, and all that was left was a vague pursuit of power.
"Sister Yue, isn't that funny? When someone does something immoral, instead of apologizing to the person they owed him, they seek forgiveness from the outside world. In all these years, have you ever said sorry to me?"
Sun Yue was stunned, her lips opening and closing, but she couldn't utter a word. Her tears continued to flow, but her eyes were fierce and her hatred was hard to hide.
Xiangpin saw Zhao Changning stand up, filled with despair, and couldn't help but yell and cry, "Changning, it's just a cat, just a cat..."
Yunsheng was horrified and his eyes could not help but fall on his aunt. The last time she killed Yun Qiao, there was a reason, but was she going to kill again for a cat?
He didn't understand, but he didn't dare to ask.
Zhao Changning didn't bother to pay attention anymore. He looked at Yunsheng and sneered, "It seems that the two ladies don't agree with your idea of bringing glory to the family and supreme honor. Yunsheng, they need your help."
Yunsheng pursed his lips, knowing that he could not change his aunt.
Anyway, it wasn't the first time, and Yun Pei still needed medicine. He gritted his teeth, picked up the poisoned wine, and forced Xiangpin to drink it. As for Concubine Sun, she cried, laughed, and cursed, and finally drank the poisoned wine herself.
He found it really strange. Not long ago, he knew nothing, but now he could force poison into people without blinking an eye.
But if I tell others that I killed someone for a cat, would anyone believe it?
When Yun Pei comes back, he will have a good talk with her about what happened in the past two months and ask her to stop being so willful.
Zhao Changning watched the two men drink the poisoned wine, and the anger that had been suppressed for a long time dissipated a little. She regretted in her heart why she didn't understand the benefits of power earlier. She lived with a dead heart and wasted a lot of time.
Fortunately, it’s not too late.
…
The new emperor gradually began to take charge of the affairs of state. The first major thing he did was to drive out all the brothers and sisters who stayed in the palace to keep vigil for the late emperor.
Of course, we cannot use the word "rush" or "rush away". They were given titles and rewards one by one and sent out. Some did their duties, while others enjoyed a carefree life.
Everyone, including Zhao Changning, breathed a sigh of relief as they had finally seen off these ancestors.
As for the third princess and the sixth prince, when they looked at Zhao Changning before leaving, their eyes were not very kind.
Zhao Changning seemed unaware and didn't take it seriously.
Everything has been arranged in the Shouhuang Palace, and they are just waiting to send the late emperor to the mausoleum for burial. After the late crown prince's funeral is almost arranged and the mourning period is over, they will prepare for the new emperor to ascend the throne.
It was already May, and spring had suddenly arrived in Yujing City, with grass growing and birds singing.
Unfortunately, everyone was in a hurry and no one was watching or paying attention.
The matter of the new emperor ascending the throne was a huge one, and was mainly supervised by the Ministry of Rites, so it had little to do with her. After Zhao Changning delivered the things needed for the ceremony, she wholeheartedly assisted the queen in handling the affairs of the harem.
She has been very busy recently and has hardly been able to rest. She is tense every night when she goes to bed and looks very haggard.
The Queen used to be in charge of the Prince's Palace. The palace affairs were complicated, and she was still learning.
"Changning, I'm so glad you're here," the Queen said thankfully. "This sudden wealth is truly overwhelming."
She never thought that she could become the queen.
Zhao Changning spent some time with the queen and found that she was very nervous, but fortunately she was not difficult to get along with and treated him gently.
"My lady, take your time. There is still a long way to go."
The Queen breathed a sigh of relief. "The Emperor said you were about to fall asleep while standing in the Qinzheng Hall today. You must have been exhausted recently. Just hearing that makes me tired. Why don't you rest now? You'll be needed for the coronation ceremony tomorrow and my enthronement ceremony later."
Zhao Changning smiled tiredly, "It's time to take a break, Madam. I'll ask you for a day off."
"Go, take a rest, there is still a long way to go." The queen said gently.
Although she could rest for a day, she was still worried. She asked Anyi Yunhui and others to keep a close watch and not let anything go wrong. After she finished talking about some complicated things in a long-winded manner, she returned to her residence tiredly.
I suddenly felt relaxed and for a moment I didn't know how to rest.
Xiao Shun was delighted to learn that she could rest for a day. "Aunt, I'll make you some ginseng soup first. While you're taking a bath, I'll make you some sweet-scented osmanthus glutinous rice and lotus root. Today, the head of the Siyuan Bureau sent some fresh lotus roots. They're thick, big, and especially sweet."
Zhao Changning shook his head. "Wait until I come back. Where's Yunsheng?"
She wanted to leave the palace, and after buying a house, she never went back to visit.
"He went to the Jingshan Palace to see Yunpei early this morning." Xiaoshun sighed, "I heard from him that Yunpei's condition has been very bad recently..."
Zhao Changning was stunned and remained silent.
He called for a sedan chair from the Jingshan Palace, but to his surprise, it was still the same two sedan bearers. They were quite happy to see Zhao Changning, but their attitude was much more respectful.
"What a fate! Where are you going this time, young lady? To the Gao Mansion?"
Zhao Changning smiled and said, "Let's go to Shui'er Lane."
The two sedan bearers were chatting and laughing while carrying the sedan. She thought it was very lively and asked a few questions from time to time. It was not until this moment that her tense nerves finally relaxed.
Shuier Lane is not far from the imperial city and the price is not cheap, but her house is small, with only two courtyards, and it is very worldly, and cannot compare to Hu Gouer's wealth.
The gatekeeper, Granny Xu, had no children and was specially hired by her. When she saw her coming, her face wrinkled with a smile, "Miss, you are finally back. I thought you had forgotten about this house."
Zhao Changning took out two pieces of silver from his purse and said, "Mother-in-law, this is your salary for the next two months. I'm giving it to you in advance."
Granny Xu was kind and refused repeatedly, "No, no, no, one month's work is done in one month. I've been living here for free. Miss, you are so kind, I can't forget my roots. By the way, Miss, a few days after you left last time, someone delivered a large batch of furniture, saying it was ordered by you, so I accepted it."
Zhao Changning only remembered this at this time. The gift was given by the new emperor, who was still the fourteenth prince at that time.
Thinking of this, she always felt something was wrong in her heart. With such well-informed information, she felt that the new emperor was not as gentle as he seemed.
The yard is no longer as messy as it was when it was first bought. It has been tidyed up without a single weed. A vegetable patch has been opened up in the northeast corner, and the onion, leek and melon vines are growing lushly. There is even a climbing frame made of bamboo that has been built in advance.
Grandma Xu was a little panicked. "Girl, don't be offended. If you grow some things, you won't have to spend money to buy them all the time. Over the course of a year, you can save a lot of money..."
She smiled in a somewhat flattering way, "Miss, have you eaten yet? I'll make you some steamed buns. It'll be quick..."
"No, no..." Zhao Changning quickly pulled her back, "I just came here to rest. I'm not hungry."
Seeing how thin Granny Xu was, she thought and took out another piece of silver. "You don't have to save money for me. Just eat what you need every day and take care of the house for me."
Although she can't live there permanently, having a place of her own allows her to relax.
She walked into the room and looked around. It was indeed a grand affair. All the furniture was made of sandalwood, nanmu, and huanghuali woods. Even her bed was replaced with a high-quality Qiangong double-step bed. The small bedroom was almost too big to fit in it.
Grandma Xu is a capable person. She cleaned the house spotlessly and made the beds. It even smelled like the sun.
Zhao Changning heard that Grandma Xu went to the kitchen again, and there was a sound of pots and pans clattering together. She did not try to stop her, but instead lay down on the bed following the sound.
She thought carefully about her current situation.
Although she was not as powerful as Hu Gou'er was, she was still able to serve in the Qinzheng Hall, and even the new emperor did not ask her not to read memorials.
The bigwigs in the cabinet also looked at her with respect, as if they tacitly approved of the current situation. This must have been due to the fact that she had defended the new emperor with her life.
Think about the errands in the palace again. Those who hold the seals can barely be considered hers, including palace maids and eunuchs. No one dares to disobey her, and the queen also trusts her.
Thinking of this, Zhao Changning's tense nerves completely relaxed. He sniffed the scent of the sun and slowly fell asleep.
When she woke up, she was covered with a quilt. There was a faint scent of wheat in the air. Sunlight filtered through the latticed windows, dust was flying, and she could hear the noise from the street. However, she didn't feel it was noisy at all, but rather felt at ease.
Granny Xu was sitting outside the lattice window picking vegetables. When she looked up, she saw that she had woken up. "Are you awake, young lady? Are you hungry? The flower rolls in the pot are just right. I also made some steamed buns and mixed them with some spicy mustard greens. Would you like some?"
Zhao Changning listened to her gentle words of persuasion and actually felt hungry, so he stood up.
While she was rinsing her mouth, Grandma Xu had already prepared the meal.
"Mm, delicious." She bit into the soft and sweet steamed bun, picked up the mustard greens with chopsticks, and said with a smile: "Mother-in-law, sit down and eat with us."
Grandma Xu washed her hands and used it with her.
After eating two steamed buns, Zhao Changning walked out of the house and stretched.
"Who are you?" She looked warily at the man who looked like a servant standing at the door.
"Girl, my master wants to see you."
Zhao Changning frowned, "Who is your master?"
The servant bowed respectfully and said, "My master is the former Governor of Zhejiang."
Zhao Changning looked at the sun in the sky. It was only noon. "If he wants to see me, why doesn't he come here?"
The servant's waist bent even more. "My master is in mourning, so it's inconvenient for him to show up. I also don't want to offend the young lady and draw attention to herself."
Zhao Changning thought that Mingxuan was the former crown prince's man, and naturally also belonged to the new emperor's party. After pondering for a moment, he said, "You lead the way."
There was a teahouse of medium size at the end of Shuier Lane. The servant took Zhao Changning to the private room and then went downstairs.
As soon as Zhao Changning entered the room, he saw a tall and slender figure in a linen robe, with his hands behind his back, looking at the picture of searching for plum blossoms in the snow on the wall.
She said loudly, "Master Ming?"
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