Gu Qilan left the Queen's Fengluan Palace in a somewhat irritable manner, catching Song Qu, who had been planning to take a short break, off guard.
This is the first time that the emperor does not stay overnight in Fengluan Palace on the first or fifteenth day of the lunar month. Moreover, the emperor seems to be in a bad mood. This is the first time that the emperor has been so disrespectful to the queen.
Song Qu's mind was racing, but he respectfully followed Gu Qilan out of Fengluan Palace. After the emperor got on the imperial sedan chair, he cautiously asked, "Your Majesty, are you going back to Shengchen Palace?"
Gu Qilan frowned slightly and said, "Go to Yunqing Palace!"
Upon hearing this, Song Qu raised his voice and said, "Go to Yunqing Palace." The imperial carriage slowly moved.
This Yunqing Palace is the residence of Concubine Jing. Ever since the emperor got drunk and visited the maid in Concubine Jing's palace, now known as Wei Da Ying, conflicts have arisen between the two.
The emperor went to Yunqing Palace several times but was turned away. Over time, the emperor stopped going there. The last time he went back was more than two months ago.
Why does the emperor suddenly want to go now?
Song Qu couldn't figure it out. After all, the emperor's mind was unpredictable. He just had to do as he was told, but the emperor would probably still be turned away this time.
He couldn't understand why Concubine Jing was pushing the emperor away by doing this. She was just a palace maid. Aren't all the women in the harem the emperor's? Shaking his head, Song Qu hurriedly followed.
About a quarter of an hour later, the imperial carriage arrived at Yunqing Palace. The palace gate had already been closed, but since the emperor had arrived, the gate had to be opened even if it was welded.
The eunuch guarding the gate respectfully welcomed the person in, but the lights in the bedroom had already been turned off. However, the palace servants had already notified Concubine Jing that the emperor was coming.
Looking at the still closed door, Song Qu knew that what he said was right, Concubine Jing still refused to see the emperor.
He carefully looked at the emperor's expression, and immediately lowered his head in fear.
Gu Qilan's expression didn't reveal his joy or anger, but the coldness around him made it clear that he was not in a good mood at the moment.
He stood at the door for a long time, then raised his voice and said, "Xiang'er, it's been so long, are you still not going to forgive me?"
The house was silent.
He added, "Xiang'er, you've been with me through so much, from the Qian Mansion to now. Are you really going to be estranged from me now?"
It was still silent.
Song Qu felt the emperor's increasingly cold aura, and he really admired Concubine Jing. If it were any other concubine, they would have been begging the emperor, but when had the emperor ever been so humble to coax someone?
The only one was Concubine Jing, who grew up with the emperor as a childhood sweetheart. However, the emperor had just come out of the empress's house in a rage, and was rejected here again. I'm afraid he must be even more unhappy.
As expected, the emperor waited for a while, and seeing that there was still no movement in the room, he angrily waved his sleeves and left.
After getting on the imperial carriage, Song Qu asked with a stiff upper lip, "Your Majesty, where are you going now?"
Gu Qilan's eyes were cold, and he said angrily, "Go to Qinglixuan!"
Song Qu's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly and respectfully responded, "Please go to Qinglixuan."
Qinglixuan is where Wei Da Ying lives. The emperor must be very angry. He has not been there since the last time he got drunk and favored Wei Da Ying.
In the room separated by a wall, the bright moonlight slowly illuminated the beautiful face leaning against the head of the bed.
Concubine Jing's cold and ethereal face was coated with a layer of silver light, making her look even more ethereal. Her expression was calm, but her tightly pursed thin lips still revealed her inner sadness.
Especially when she heard the emperor say "Go to Qinglixuan", she could no longer hold back and a line of tears slowly fell.
…
Time passed peacefully until the sixth day of the first lunar month, Princess Yincheng's birthday. Ning Yuxi took Cheng Zhao to attend Princess Yincheng's birthday party.
At the banquet, little Cheng Zhao looked at Gu Qilan who was sitting at the top of the table and said in a baby voice: "Hu Huang~ Zhao Zhao, it's been a long time since we last met, Hu Huang~ Zhao Zhao misses Hu Huang so much~"
After he finished speaking, Ning Yuxi was surprised to realize that the emperor had not entered her Shuqing Palace for many days. Before, even if the emperor did not go there every day, he would go there every other day. This time, it has been six days from the first day of the new year to today.
Ning Yuxi's heart sank slightly, thinking about the night of the first day of the new year when the emperor left the queen's bedroom in a rage for unknown reasons. Could it be related to this matter?
Did the Empress say something, or did the Emperor have a conflict with the Empress for some unknown reason and was angry, so he didn't come?
It would not make sense if she didn't come to the harem because she was angry. That night, the emperor went to Wei's palace and then summoned her to sleep with him for two consecutive days. This rule out the possibility.
So what did the Empress say? She didn't do anything special, except... except for the sudden deaths of Liu and Chen in the cold palace!
Chen committed suicide by hanging, and Liu heard from the imperial physician that she had taken a poison called musk orchid. She happened to be the only one who had been to the cold palace at that time, and she and Liu had a deep grudge, so it was natural for her to be suspected!
Could it be that the emperor was angry with her because he suspected that she had poisoned Liu?
She felt that it would happen. No matter how bad Concubine Liu was, she had been with the emperor for nearly ten years, and they also had an eldest princess. It would be a slap in the face for the emperor if she was poisoned in the cold palace.
Ning Yuxi frowned, thinking of the Liu she saw that morning. She felt that her face was abnormally pale, and her voice was sharp and hoarse.
She suspected that Liu might have been poisoned at that time. Judging from her appearance, she must have been poisoned for more than six hours.
Since she was poisoned before she went there, was this a coincidence or was it targeted specifically at her?
If it was specifically targeting her, was that person the Queen? Why would she do this? She believed she had always respected the Queen.
Moreover, the queen has both sons and daughters, a good family background, and a very stable position. She knows this very well, so she has been very kind to the concubines over the years. But why is she targeting her now?
Because of fear?
Unless necessary, she didn't want to confront the Queen, but if it was really the Queen who did all this behind her, she would have to be on guard.
In the evening, seeing that the emperor still did not come to her, Ning Yuxi decided that she could not wait any longer. During the day, she invited him to have dinner and visit Cheng Yao and Shu Xuan, but the emperor did not come.
Tomorrow is the last day for Liu's body to remain in the palace. If she waits until she is buried, the suspicion against her will never be cleared. The emperor probably feels guilty about this and allows Liu's body to remain in the Baohua Palace for seven days before burial.
She seemed to have seen the poison Musk Orchid in medical books before, but now she only remembered it roughly. As to whether it was the same as she remembered, she had to look at the records in the medical books here.
On the second day, Ning Yuxi paid her respects at Fengluan Palace and then went to the Imperial Hospital with Ruyi Luoying.
Everyone in the Imperial Hospital was startled. Few concubines would set foot in the Imperial Hospital, but they didn't dare to neglect it. After respectfully bowing to Ning Yuxi, Wang Yuanpan came forward to greet them. "I wonder what orders the Empress has for you?"
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