Princess Pei of Prince Ning and Princess Fuming argued to the point of almost falling out.
I thought this banquet would end in a bad mood.
But unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, the two of them were chatting and laughing freely with the people around them as if nothing had happened.
Princess Fuming affectionately called her sister-in-law, while Pei gently called her Fuming.
The royal family was not surprised by this situation.
As a member of the royal family, if you can't even master such a basic skill as changing your face, then you are definitely not a qualified royal member and will die sooner or later. Death is in vain.
After listening to the opera and having dinner, the guests said goodbye and left.
The eldest wife, Zhang, took the girls to say goodbye to the host.
The maid led the eldest wife Zhang and others to the side hall to sit down, and only called Gu Jiu.
"Miss Gu, the Queen wants to see you, please come with me."
The eldest wife, Zhang, was a little worried and asked the maid, "The princess wants to see my little Jiu now, is there something wrong? It's getting dark, we should go back as soon as possible."
The maid smiled and said, "Don't worry, Madam. The Queen just wants to have a few words with Miss Gu. If you can't wait, you can go back to the palace first. Our palace will send a carriage to take Miss Gu back."
Xie was tempted, but she didn't want to stay in the palace any longer, as she felt uncomfortable all over.
She looked towards Zhang.
Zhang shook her head repeatedly, "That won't do. Xiaojiu must go back with us. There's no reason to ask the palace to send someone to take her home."
Gu Jiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, her aunt came today. If it were Xie, she would have agreed immediately and left her alone in the palace.
She said to Zhang: "Don't worry about me, Auntie. I'll be back soon."
The eldest wife, Zhang, had no choice but to tell Gu Jiu, "Go quickly and come back soon. Answer whatever the princess asks you. Be respectful."
Gu Jiu smiled and responded, "Thank you for the reminder, auntie. I will."
Afterwards, she followed the maid to meet the princess.
By now most of the guests had left.
Almost all members of the royal family had received the news of Concubine Mei's accident and were rushing back to deal with the subsequent storm.
Princess Pei of Prince Ning sat back in her chair, completely relaxed.
The maid came to report, "Madam, Miss Gu Jiu has arrived."
"Well, let her in."
A moment later, Gu Jiu was invited into the hall.
"Your humble servant Gu Jiu pays homage to Her Majesty the Princess."
Gu Jiu was respectful and there was no fault in his etiquette.
Pei sneered, "Gu Jiu, who gave you the guts to go downstairs without my permission back at the theater? Do you still have me in your eyes? Do you really think you can act with impunity just because the imperial decree granting marriage has been issued? If you provoke me, I will still find ways to make you pay for it."
Gu Jiu understood. She knew that Princess Ning had summoned her because of the matter at the theater.
When I chose to leave, I had anticipated the consequences and was prepared to bear them.
Gu Jiu looked up at Princess Pei of Prince Ning and said, "Your Majesty, please understand. The reason I dared to leave the theater without your permission was all for your sake."
"absurd!"
Princess Pei of Prince Ning angrily scolded Gu Jiu, "Gu Jiu, you dare to speak so shamelessly, saying that you are thinking about this princess. Humph, if you dare to speak nonsense again, I will slap you in the face."
Gu Jiu looked calm and did not show any sign of panic or anxiety because of Pei's anger.
She spoke slowly but firmly, "Your Majesty, please calm down. The palace is holding a flower viewing banquet today with the intention of welcoming guests and making them feel at home. A flower viewing banquet is a flower viewing banquet, not some Hongmen Banquet."
If others had seen the situation at that time, they might have thought that Her Majesty was trying to intimidate me and misunderstood the purpose of hosting this banquet. After all, I am Prince Zhao's fiancée, so how could I let anyone misunderstand Her Majesty's good intentions? Therefore, I took the initiative and went downstairs first. This way, I could dispel others' suspicions and would not disturb Her Majesty's enjoyment of the show.
Ha ha……
Princess Pei of Prince Ning was so angry that she burst into laughter.
After laughing, her face fell and she angrily scolded, "What nonsense! What did you say to Lizhi at that time? You were weak and couldn't stand for long. Gu Jiu, you dare to talk nonsense in front of this princess. It shows that you are treacherous by nature and are not worthy of Zhao'er at all."
"Your Majesty is right. This humble subject is indeed unworthy of Master Zhao."
Gu Jiu agreed with Pei's words straightforwardly.
Pei didn't feel happy, but was furious.
She stared at Gu Jiu intently, "What do you mean, are you still not willing to marry Zhao'er?"
Gu Jiu looked at Princess Pei of Prince Ning calmly, "I don't think any family would make things difficult for a daughter-in-law who hasn't married yet."
Princess Pei of Prince Ning burst into laughter. "After all this talk, it turns out you've developed a grudge against me."
"I dare not. I am just a little confused. Are all girls who marry into the royal family humiliated by the royal family before marriage? I have never heard of such a thing when I was in the palace. Please, Your Majesty, help me understand this."
Gu Jiu stared at Princess Pei of Prince Ning with clear eyes and a calm expression, waiting for her to give an answer.
Pei smiled coldly, "You are very brave. You are the first little girl who dares to question this princess."
"I don't have any other abilities, but I am braver than others. If I have offended Your Majesty, please forgive me." Gu Jiu was also very straightforward and just followed Pei's words.
Pei snorted coldly, "How dare you offend this princess? What is your punishment?"
Gu Jiu smiled, then raised his head and said seriously, "Your Majesty, why don't you punish me and cancel this marriage? From now on, Gongzi Zhao and I will marry separately."
This is Gu Jiu’s truest thought at the moment.
This marriage is a complete rubbish, it's better to just call it quits. I'm afraid that Princess Pei of Prince Ning won't be able to get the Emperor to rescind his decision.
"How dare you!" Pei couldn't believe that Gu Jiu had actually said she wanted to cancel the marriage. Did this damn girl really look down on Liu Zhao and the palace?
Gu Jiu smiled silently.
Pei said coldly, "You are disrespecting this princess. Come, prepare the ruler."
Gu Jiu's expression darkened as he asked, "Madam, are you going to spank me?"
Pei's face was stern. "It's a crime of insubordination. Beating with a stick is already a light punishment."
The maid brought the ruler and waited for Princess Ning's order to beat Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu naturally would not stand there and get beaten, but there were maids and old women in the hall, so he definitely could not run away.
Gu Jiu smiled and actually took the initiative to extend his hand, "If your Majesty wants to spank me, go ahead. As long as you don't regret it after you've spanked me, it'll be fine."
Pei narrowed her eyes, "How dare you threaten this princess?"
Gu Jiu smiled and shook his head. "I don't dare threaten the Princess. I'm just kindly reminding Her Majesty that Gongzi Zhao promised that he wouldn't let me suffer any injustice in the palace. I wonder what he'll think when he finds out that I was beaten by Her Majesty."
Gu Jiu was betting that Pei Shi cared about Liu Zhao. This care was not just a mother's concern for her son, but also a bit of fear.
Pei frowned, looking displeased.
Seeing this, the maid Lizhi whispered, "Madam, Gu Jiu is a guest after all. It's not a good idea to just spank him. And if the eldest master gets wind of this, I'm afraid all the maids who spanked him will die."
Princess Pei of Prince Ning was furious and lowered her voice to say, "Could it be that I am afraid of him? I am his biological mother."
The maid Lizhi opened her mouth and wanted to say that in the royal family, the relationship between mother and son, and father and son, was different from that in the common people.
On the surface, everyone says that they should be filial.
But in private, killing one's brother or father, neither of them can be considered filial piety.
To say that he is a traitor and worse than pigs and dogs is the least of his words.
The maid Lizhi thought for a moment and then said, "Your Majesty, something has happened to Concubine Mei in the palace. There will definitely be a big storm afterwards. At this time, I think other things can be put aside for the time being."
Pei took Lizhi's words to heart.
She glanced at Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu was young, but she had an extraordinary demeanor. The most hateful thing was that she wasn't afraid of her. She was the dignified princess, yet Gu Jiu didn't even fear her.
If in the past Pei only disliked Gu Jiu's origin and family background, today, Pei felt a deep disgust towards Gu Jiu.
This future daughter-in-law is not someone who would be obedient.
Pei could imagine that once Gu Jiu entered the house, she would be so angry that she would die.
As expected, what Fu Ming said was right. This was not marrying a daughter-in-law at all, but clearly marrying a troublemaker.
If Gu Jiu knew what Pei was thinking, he would definitely cry out in injustice.
She has always been kind to others and never takes the initiative to cause trouble.
Often, problems would come to her door, but she refused to submit and became a punching bag, and in the eyes of others, she became a troublemaker.
Gu Jiu just wanted to complain: If I follow you, I'm a good girl. If I don't, I'm a troublemaker. Do you think you are the sun and everyone should revolve around you?
If Pei was ten percent dissatisfied with this marriage in the past, she is a hundred percent dissatisfied now.
This is not marrying a daughter-in-law at all, it's clearly asking for trouble.
She snorted coldly, "Gu Jiu, you are the guest today, so I will remember this beating for you. When you enter the house in the future, I will settle everything with you."
Gu Jiu smiled knowingly. It seemed that Princess Pei of Prince Ning was planning to settle the score later.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. If you have no other instructions, I will take my leave."
"Back off."
Gu Jiu bowed and turned to leave.
Pei stared at Gu Jiu's back, her mind full of mixed emotions. This marriage was like a thorn in her throat, making her extremely unhappy.
Unfortunately, Gu Jiu was chosen by Liu Zhao himself, and the emperor also issued an edict to grant them marriage.
Pei gritted her teeth. Is there any way to make the emperor revoke his order and cancel this gift?
The maid Lizhi personally saw Gu Jiu out.
"Miss Gu, please forgive me. Because you went downstairs without permission, the Queen was a little annoyed by Princess Fuming. Normally, the Queen is a very kind and gentle person."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "I believe what Sister Lizhi said."
But Princess Pei gave all her tenderness to others and refused to give her a single cent.
The maid Lizhi looked at Gu Jiu, wanting to say something but stopping herself.
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Sister Lizhi has something to say, but it's okay to say it."
Lizhi advised, "Miss Gu, I'm sorry for being nosy. Next time you meet the princess, please speak more gently. If the princess is happy, Miss Gu will feel more comfortable as her daughter-in-law."
Gu Jiu nodded and said, "Thank you, Sister Lizhi, for your kind reminder. I appreciate it."
What Gu Jiu really wanted to say was that she always spoke gently, but Pei Shi disliked her from the bottom of her heart. Even if she put her attitude down to earth, Pei Shi would not give her a good face.
The problem between her and Pei was that as a mother-in-law, she could never be satisfied with her daughter-in-law and always found fault with her.
But Pei's mother-in-law was of a rather unusual status, so the problem was naturally magnified.
Gu Jiu thanked Lizhi, reunited with his family, and set off for home.
The eldest wife, Zhang, expressed some concern, but Gu Jiu just said that everything was fine and refused to reveal the truth, making everyone worry about her.
The eunuch reported to Princess Pei of Prince Ning that Concubine Mei had been banished to the cold palace.
Pei cursed angrily, "Princess Mei is such a fool."
The story of Concubine Mei is very simple to explain.
Meipin had a daughter, the eighth princess, who was less than ten years old.
After giving birth to the eighth princess, Meipin was neglected by the emperor, so she vented all her resentment on the young eighth princess.
The Eighth Princess has been abused by Concubine Mei for many years, and the palace servants are opportunistic and naturally will not take good care of the Eighth Princess.
Yesterday, the eighth princess died silently in the palace, tortured to death.
The eighth princess was not valued in the first place. If she died, she died. The palace servants just buried her.
Unexpectedly, the emperor suddenly had the urge to see the eighth princess for the last time. Then the emperor discovered that the eighth princess had been tortured to death.
The emperor was furious.
Even if he didn't like or favor his own daughter, a lowly palace maid couldn't treat her harshly.
What's more, Meipin is the biological mother of the Eighth Princess. Not only did she fail to take good care of the Eighth Princess, she was also the culprit who abused her. How could the emperor tolerate this?
"Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs, yet you are so vicious to your own child. You evil woman, you deserve to die!"
The emperor said this to Concubine Mei and then left.
One sentence is enough to determine your future or life or death.
Soon, Meipin was banished to the cold palace.
The emperor was angry that the eighth princess was tortured to death by the palace servants, and then thought that if one day he was old and unable to move, he would also be tortured by his sons and daughters and the palace servants, and finally die miserably.
The emperor was already very suspicious, and the more he thought about it, the more worried he became. When he was worried, he couldn't help but go crazy.
"Convey my order to clean up the palace staff and supervise all departments and bureaus."
A great purge of the palace had begun. It was still unknown how many people would be affected by this purge and how many would lose their heads.
However, the royal family is prepared for the storm.
Even Prince Ning had no mood for a banquet when he heard that the emperor was going to purge the palace.
At this moment, he didn't dare to enter the palace easily, but he was always paying attention to the news inside the palace.
Imperial Palace.
The palace servants were trembling with fear as if they were facing a great enemy, not knowing when the butcher's knife would fall on their heads.
The maids who took care of the Eighth Princess, including the nanny and wet nurse, had all been beheaded. The maids who served Meipin were also arrested.
Including the heads of the four departments, eight bureaus and twenty-four yamen in the palace, none of them can easily escape from this purge.
The emperor was furious, corpses floated for hundreds of miles, and blood flowed like a river.
Even Chen Dachang and Chen Jianzheng, who served the emperor, were killed.
Chen Dachang knelt on the ground and apologized, "I failed to supervise properly. Please punish me, Your Majesty."
"Get out."
The emperor shouted angrily, and Chen Dachang had no choice but to leave the hall.
Outside, Chen Dachang's face darkened. He called over his trusted eunuch and asked, "Why did Your Majesty suddenly decide to see the Eighth Princess for the last time?"
The eunuch hurriedly said, "Reporting to godfather, I have already found out everything about this matter. It was Wu Shunzi who passed on the message. Behind Wu Shunzi is Fang Shaojian of the Weiyang Palace."
Chen Dachang gritted his teeth, "It's actually Fang. The beads of Weiyang Palace are gone, so how can there be any Weiyang Palace anymore?"
"Godfather is right."
The eunuch quickly slapped himself twice in the face.
Chen Dachang asked, "Where is Mr. Fang now?"
"Son, just go and find out."
At this moment, Fang Shaojian was meeting with Concubine Xue.
Since the Empress's passing, Fang Shaojian has been marginalized within the palace. Although he still holds the title of Shaojian, his power is dwindling.
Concubine Xue was lying on the chaise longue.
The palace maid put the peeled and seeded lychees into Concubine Xue's mouth.
Concubine Xue ate the lychees and nodded with satisfaction, "It tastes better than last year."
"If the Empress likes it, please have the servants offer two more baskets."
Concubine Xue waved her hand, "No need for so much, one basket is enough."
"yes!"
After eating the lychees, Concubine Xue looked at Fang Shaojian straight in the eye.
She smiled, "I never thought that Junior Supervisor Fang would come to see me on his own initiative. You are Queen Cui Ruizhen's most trusted confidant. By coming to see me, aren't you afraid of being gossiped about and accused of being a traitor?"
The Empress was posthumously named Ruizhen, and everyone called her Ruizhen Empress Cui.
Fang Shaojian's face was cold and calm as he said slowly, "I came to see the Imperial Concubine on the orders of the Empress."
"You're talking nonsense."
Concubine Xue's face changed and she sat up suddenly.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－－
Yuanbao is traveling and keeps typing every day, that’s great!
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