Chapter 60 Rupin
Xi Xiaoneijian led Pu Qiongzhi and her servant through the palace corridor.
Pu Qiongzhi noticed that the number of palace servants around her was visibly decreasing, and the only sound around her was their footsteps.
When we arrived at the gate of Rupin's palace, we felt a chill and heard the cries of birds, which was inexplicably lonely and mournful.
"My lady, this is the residence of Concubine Ru. I will not go in." After Xi Xiaoneijian said this, Hou waited at the door to send her back.
Pu Qiongzhi nodded slightly in thanks and entered the old palace gate with a cautious Chunjing.
After walking a few steps, they found a thick layer of dust on the ground.
"Is anyone there?" Chun Jing asked.
There was no movement inside, it was eerily quiet.
"Has no one been here for a long time?" Pu Qiongzhi was a little confused.
She walked a few steps into the main hall, but saw no one. Dust was densely packed in the light and shadow.
Pu Qiongzhi looked at the broken zither beside her. The floor was littered with torn and blackened paintings, as well as a chessboard covered in spider webs...
She looked at it bit by bit, feeling mixed emotions.
Everything in this palace proclaims the struggle and pain of this woman.
Pu Qiongzhi couldn't help feeling confused and frightened when she stood here.
For herself, marrying into the Earl of Gongning's mansion was a stepping stone and the destination she chose for herself.
That was the turning point she had painstakingly planned for, but for Rupin, it was the starting point.
She married into the imperial palace from the once glorious Marquis Gongning's mansion and became the emperor's concubine. Did she also dream of living a life admired by thousands of people?
A wave of sadness welled up in Pu Qiongzhi's heart.
"It's very sad. The daughter of a former marquis now lives like a prisoner...right?"
An ethereal and mournful voice blew into my ears like a gust of cold wind.
Pu Qiongzhi shuddered slightly and turned around abruptly.
In front of him was a thin, pale-faced woman with disheveled hair, wearing underwear and barefoot.
"Greetings to Concubine Ru." Pu Qiongzhi gave her a standard salute.
Rupin looked her up and down and sneered for a while.
"Why are you being polite to me? There's no one else here." She turned around and half-turned her head to look at Pu Qiongzhi with squinted eyes.
"Look at you, dressed in gorgeous clothes and wearing a pearl crown. Compared to a mad woman like me with disheveled hair and a dirty face, you look more like a superior master."
As she spoke, she took a few steps to Pu Qiongzhi and said, "Tell me. What did the Queen ask you to do?"
"I have been ordered to enter the palace for an audience with the Queen. The Queen asked me to come and meet my aunt. I am relieved to see that my aunt is well." Pu Qiongzhi said lightly.
She finally understood why the queen asked her to meet her aunt.
As long as the Earl of Gongning's mansion was safe, this Rupin was naturally safe as well. Similarly, if anything happened to Rupin, she was from the Earl's mansion after all, and her nine clans were connected, so no one could escape!
The Queen was telling her that it was impossible to completely sever ties with the palace.
The court, the harem, the noble families, and the officials were all intertwined, and she controlled a huge fortune. If she did not have a solid backing, she would be at the mercy of others sooner or later.
Pu Qiongzhi was lost in thought for a moment, looking at Rupin, observing her reaction.
She said this on purpose, just to show the indifference of the Earl of Gongning's Mansion towards her.
It was obvious that she was not living well, but she just wanted to say that.
However, it seemed that Rupin didn't react much to this.
After all these years of suffering, she must have lost all hope...
Pu Qiongzhi turned around a few steps, wiped the seat clean with a handkerchief, and sat down.
"Aunt?" Nangong Han stared at the woman who had taken over the role. "Whose wife are you? Afeng? Or Axue?"
"..." Pu Qiongzhi didn't expect that she knew nothing about the weather outside.
"Empress Rupin, you have been in this position for too long, haven't you?"
"As a girl from the Gongning Marquis's Mansion, I'm trapped here now. I'm so useless."
"I am the wife of the Earl of Gongning. The Afeng you are talking about is the late Marquis of Gongning, who died in battle."
"His wife also died, leaving behind a disgusting orphan."
"Then who is Marquis Gongning now?" Nangong Han asked in a daze.
Pu Qiongzhi stood up and said, "Of course it's my husband, Nangong Hua."
"However, you are wrong about one thing. The Marquisate was hereditary, but it has been downgraded to the Earl's Mansion in this generation."
"Ahua, he..." Nangong Han found it difficult to digest so much information for a moment.
"I thought having an aunt in the palace would be a helpful aid."
"I didn't expect it, but it's better than nothing."
Pu Qiongzhi only chose to say the most unpleasant words.
"Get out!" Rupin could no longer bear it and gave the order.
But Pu Qiongzhi ignored her and asked, "What's the difference between you and the cats and dogs raised here?"
"Do you feel that no one in the Bo Mansion has cared about you for so long, and you feel so lonely and pitiful in this palace?"
"Don't be naive." Pu Qiongzhi said coldly, "You have long lost your support. They can no longer protect you!"
"Just be afraid. You'll be scared to death in this palace! Even if you die, no one will remember who you are."
Rupin fell to the ground, clenching her hands tightly.
She opened her eyes wide, but still couldn't stop the tears from flowing out.
Yes. She always blamed her father for sending her to the palace.
Her brother, who loved her the most, had never written to her.
She didn't want to compete for favors, didn't want to bow her head, but they all framed her, she had no choice, she couldn't outsmart them...
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She wanted to go home and wanted her father and brother to rescue her from this terrible den.
But they were all gone...and she didn't even know!
Pu Qiongzhi watched her fall to the ground and cry.
For the first time, she realized that it was possible to cry silently even if the mountains collapsed and the earth cracked.
Unable to bear staying any longer, Pu Qiongzhi got up and left the hall.
Xi Xiaoneijian was still waiting for her there.
"Father-in-law, please take me out." Pu Qiongzhi said.
Eunuch Xi seemed not to have expected her to come out so soon.
I heard a lot of noise inside just now, but she didn't seem to care.
"Empress Rupin, how long has it been like this?" Pu Qiongzhi asked the air, seemingly casually.
But Xi Xiaoneijian replied, "Empress Rupin has been under house arrest for over five years."
"She has been out of favor for so long. How does the palace deliver meals to her every day?" Pu Qiongzhi stopped and looked at him.
Xi Xiaoneijian paused, feeling an inexplicable pressure. "Don't worry, your Highness. We deliver meals to the palace as usual. Your Highness will not starve."
"No. From today on, the food can be delivered every few days, and it's best if it's rotten..." Pu Qiongzhi said, glancing at Chunjing.
Chun Jing immediately took out a Jiaozi from her purse and handed it to Xi Xiaoneunjian.
"...Ah?" Xi Xiaoneijian was a little confused. He looked at the Jiaozi in his hand with trembling hands. The denomination was exactly five hundred taels.
Pu Qiongzhi smiled and patted his shoulder, "This is for buying clothes and jewelry for Concubine Ru, and for cleaning up the mess."
"Yes. I understand." Xi Xiaoneunjian finally understood and stuffed the Jiaozi into his sleeve.
Pu Qiongzhi patted his shoulder and said, "After the matter is completed, I will give you thirty acres of fertile land. I hope you will not despise it."
Compared to silver and money, the fertile land outside the capital is much harder to buy. Since you want to win him over, you still have to give him something tangible!
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