However, although the plague was spreading, the imperial examination held every three years was held as scheduled!
Before the hour of Yin, brothers Yun Yiheng and Yun Yijie went to the Imperial Examination Hall accompanied by their servants. However, there were many candidates taking the Autumn Examination this year, and most of the troops were deployed to the city gates to check passing vehicles and prevent outsiders carrying the plague from entering the capital. Therefore, the time it took for the candidates to enter the examination hall was greatly extended!
Although Yun Xuanzhi participated in the preliminary arrangements for the autumn examination of the imperial examination, he was not the chief examiner of this autumn examination. Therefore, Yun Yiheng and Yun Yijie did not receive preferential treatment. The two brothers found the corresponding teams according to their regions and family backgrounds, and lined up in them, slowly waiting for their entry!
"Master, these are the pastries that the old lady asked the kitchen to prepare specially for the two young masters. These are the snacks that the madam brought from Su City that the two young masters love. I put a few extra dishes in here. If the two young masters are hungry, you can have some food!" Seeing that the number of people in front of him was gradually decreasing, Yun Yiheng's servant opened the food box he was carrying, pointed at the pastries inside and explained them in detail. Then he took out a piece and wanted Yun Yiheng to taste it...
"Ouch..." Unexpectedly, the servant was bumped on the back and the cake in his hand fell to the ground. The servant turned around angrily and growled, "Who is so blind that he knocked down my young master's cake!"
Yun Yiheng and Yun Yijie watched their mother's homemade pastries fall to the ground, and a flash of displeasure flashed through their hearts. Following the servant's movements, they looked behind them and saw a young man in a sky-blue cotton and linen robe standing behind another long line. He only carried a bundle on his back, and there was no servant or slave to serve him. Seeing that he was standing in the row with the poor students, the Yun Yiheng brothers couldn't help but look down on him. Even the servant beside them couldn't help but reveal a hint of sneer on his face after seeing the young man's simple and plain attire. He then walked forward, gently pushed the young man's shoulder, and arrogantly questioned, "Are you blind? Didn't you see that my young master's pastries were knocked to the ground by you? You didn't even apologize. How can someone like you be worthy of taking the imperial examination? Aren't you afraid of bringing disgrace to the land of Kyoto!"
The commotion here immediately attracted everyone's attention. The bored candidates who were waiting in line all looked over here, just thinking they were killing time by watching a joke!
Facing the extremely insulting scolding from the servant, the young man did not show any anger on his face. Everyone only saw that the young man had extremely delicate features. Compared with the cold beauty of King Chen and the evil charm of Chu Feiyang, this young man was unforgettable, especially his pair of eyes that were as bright as stars and concealed wisdom, which made people subconsciously feel that he should not be underestimated!
The young man glanced at the cakes on the ground, then raised his hands to Yun Yiheng and Yun Yijie, apologizing sincerely, "I was in a hurry just now and didn't notice that there were two servants standing in front of me. I hope you will forgive me for any offense!"
"Who are you? You actually want our young master to forgive you? Are you worthy enough to talk to our young master?" But Yun Yiheng and Yun Yijie did not say anything. The servant started shouting again. The sense of superiority was clearly displayed in his eyes. Especially after the young man took the initiative to admit his mistake, it further fueled his arrogance!
Just his shout immediately caused the other candidates to whisper!
"Whose servant is this? How can he be so arrogant?" The candidates from the poor family team had long been disgusted with this servant. They all stared at the smug servant with a common hatred, but because the master behind the servant stood in the queue of the gentry, no one dared to say anything!
"You don't even know the Yun brothers! Their uncle is the current Right Prime Minister Yun! Miss Yun, the eldest daughter of Right Prime Minister Yun, was betrothed to the Left Prime Minister Chu by the Emperor! And the mother of the eldest daughter's family is the current Prince Fuguo Mansion! No matter what their identities are, they are not people that poor students like us can offend!" A candidate who was in the know proudly told the news he had heard to the candidates around him while there was still some time!
After hearing this explanation, those candidates who were originally confused showed fear on their faces. Although they still hated the boy in their hearts, the expressions on their faces were much more restrained!
As for the team of the aristocracy, the sons of the wealthy and powerful families sneered at the arrogance of the Yun Yiheng brothers. Those students from poor families probably didn't realize that the Yun Yiheng brothers were just living under someone else's roof. Their father was an idle man without an official title. The only reason they could be ranked in their team was because of Yun Xuanzhi's power!
However, now that Yun Qianmeng is about to join the Prince of Chu's Mansion, with the power of the Prince of Chu and Chu Feiyang, even they, as students from aristocratic families, will usually give some face to the Yun Yiheng brothers to avoid indirectly offending anyone!
The young man who was being rebuked by the servant simply smiled faintly and then spoke clearly, "Just now, I accidentally knocked over the two gentlemen's cakes. I have already apologized. Why is this young man being so aggressive? Besides, whether I am worthy of taking the imperial examination is not something you can decide! Like all the candidates here, I passed the county examination, the prefectural examination, and the academy examination before I was eligible to participate in today's autumn examination! Is this something you can influence?"
After he finished speaking, the young man looked at the servant with sarcasm in his eyes, and his faint smile contained a hint of pride and contempt for this kind of slave who bullies others by taking advantage of his power!
The boy's face flushed red after being ridiculed by the young man. He immediately turned to look at Yun Yiheng with a hint of grievance and malice in his eyes!
"This young master has such a harsh tone, it's me, the servant, who is wrong!" Yun Yiheng spoke in a low voice, looking at the young man with disdain in his eyes!
For Yun Yiheng now, his goal is just to be the top scorer in this year's imperial examination!
However, this young man who suddenly appeared made him feel a sense of crisis. It was especially easy to tell from the examinee's eyes and tone that this was a person with real talent and knowledge, and his reaction was very quick, which was really surprising!
"What are you all gathering here for? The exam will start tonight, and you still have time to chat here?" At this time, the chief examiner of this year's autumn examination, Mr. Guan, the president of the Hanlin Academy, walked out of the Imperial Academy!
But behind him, there was the Minister of Justice Su Yuan!
What puzzled Lord Guan was that Su Yuan was the Minister of Justice, but was recommended by Prince Chen to be the deputy examiner of this autumn examination. It was really ridiculous!
Su Yuan was not from an imperial family. He was able to embark on a career in officialdom thanks to the blessing of his ancestors and the promotion of Yun Xiang over the years, which is why he was able to sit on the position of Minister of Justice!
Although Su Yuan's official position was not low, he was still not qualified to be the deputy examiner of the Autumn Examination. This really puzzled Lord Guan!
"What happened?" At this moment, an extremely cold voice came from behind everyone!
Lord Guan and Su Yuan looked over and saw Prince Chen and Qu Changqing standing together not far away. They immediately stepped forward and led the other candidates in greeting, "Greetings, Prince Chen!"
Jiang Muchen looked at the candidates kneeling on the ground and said with his unique indifference, "Everyone, get up!" He then glanced at Su Yuan and asked Master Guan, "Master Guan, why are the candidates here making so much noise?"
Lord Guan glanced at the direction Prince Chen was coming from and knew he was headed for the martial arts examination venue. Passing by the Imperial Examination Hall on the way, he noticed the commotion and came over to inquire what was going on. He immediately said, "Your Highness, it's just a minor matter. I'll take care of it!"
At this time, Su Yuan stepped forward and said with a bow, "Your Highness, I saw that some students were causing trouble! In my opinion, it would be better to arrest the students and detain them in the Ministry of Justice for a few days, otherwise they will not understand what the Imperial Examination Hall is!"
As soon as Su Yuan said this, Yun Yiheng's face suddenly turned slightly pale, and the young man frowned imperceptibly. The other candidates lowered their heads to avoid getting into trouble!
Upon hearing Su Yuan's angry response, Lord Guan immediately retorted, "Lord Su, do you think these candidates are prisoners in your Ministry of Justice? Ten years of hard study—only those who took the imperial examination can understand the bitterness of it! If you arrest them now, they'll miss this year's exam and have to wait another three years. Lord Su truly has a heart of stone!"
"Master Guan is absolutely right! But, there can be no order without rules! Could it be that Master Guan, out of pity for the plight of these examinees, has even disregarded the order of the examination room? They dared to cause trouble in the Imperial Examination Hall today, and in the future when they go to the Golden Palace, there is no guarantee that they will not offend the Emperor! Your Highness, in my opinion, it is better to teach them a lesson and let them know what kind of place this is!" Su Yuan saw that Master Guan was intending to oppose him, and now he had Prince Chen to support him, so he did not even give face to Master Guan, the chief examiner, and retorted with a murderous look!
During the argument, Qu Changqing looked at the Yun Yiheng brothers and the young man. Although he didn't like the Yun Yiheng brothers, seeing the rare tenacity and integrity between the young man's eyebrows, Qu Changqing couldn't help but feel a sense of cherishing talent in his heart, so he said, "Your Highness, what Master Guan and Master Su said is reasonable! However, these candidates have come all the way here, which is really unfortunate. Although Master Su is willing to discipline them, the Ministry of Justice is a place where prisoners are detained. These candidates have not violated the laws of Western Chu. If they are locked up for this matter, I am afraid that the people will think that the court is cruel! Moreover, a plague has broken out in Luocheng at this time, and the Queen Mother has gone to Puguo Temple to pray for the people regardless of her own safety. If we act according to Master Su's words, I am afraid it will go against the Queen Mother's compassion. It is better to let these candidates remember this lesson and it will also help the court cherish talents!"
Qu Changqing's words made Lord Guan nod repeatedly, while Su Yuan glared at him with a sinister look. However, Qu Changqing looked back at Su Yuan without any hesitation, and the coldness in his eyes made Su Yuan's heart tremble, and he couldn't help but look at King Chen!
Prince Chen's gaze swept from Yun Yiheng's brothers to the young man. His hawk-like eyes made everyone's heart tighten. They finally understood the difficulty of the official career path and dared not act rashly here again, for fear of being thrown into jail by the Minister of Justice!
"Since Lord Guan and Lord Qu have interceded for you, let's just drop the matter this time! If it happens again, you will be severely punished!" After saying that, Prince Chen left the Imperial Examination Hall with a frosty look on his body. As the chief examiner of the martial arts examination, Qu Changqing naturally could not stay in the Imperial Examination Hall for too long. He exchanged a glance with Lord Guan, then quickly followed Prince Chen and walked towards the martial arts examination arena!
"Everyone, hurry up and get in. The first round of the written test will begin soon. Don't waste any more time!" When Lord Guan saw Prince Chen walking away, he immediately turned around and gave instructions!
After he finished speaking, Lord Guan stepped into the gate of the Imperial Examination Hall first, while Su Yuan walked to the middle of the two groups. His gloomy eyes contained a look that made people inquire deeply as he glanced at the Yun Yiheng brothers beside him. A cold smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and then he walked back to the examination room!
After the shocking scene just now, the servant beside Yun Yiheng was already dumbfounded, especially after knowing that he almost caused his son to be unable to take the imperial examination, he wanted to bite off his tongue. However, since then, the servant resented the young man who bumped into him even more, and his eyes swept towards the young man's back with hatred!
"Okay, just send them here! Go back quickly and tell grandma, father and mother that you are safe! If you leak even a word about what happened today, I will kill you!" Yun Yiheng took Su Yuan's unfriendly look in his heart, then took the food box and other items from the boy's hand and gave an order!
The servant had already broken out in a cold sweat, thinking that Yun Yiheng would expose his skin on the spot. But when he saw Yun Yiheng let him go easily, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief and dared not say a word anymore. He just nodded continuously and watched the brothers Yun Yiheng and Yun Yijie enter the examination room. Then he rushed to the direction of the Prime Minister's Mansion without stopping!
At exactly 5 p.m., the big bell in the Imperial Examination Hall was slowly struck, and the nine-day and seven-night Autumn Examination officially began!
However, when the servant returned to the gate of the Prime Minister's Mansion, he was blocked outside by Butler Zhao and others. No matter how the servant begged, Butler Zhao refused to let him in!
When Nanny Rui, who was guarding the door, heard the servant's voice, she immediately sent the little girl beside her back to Baishun Hall and asked the old lady to come quickly!
"But is there any news about Yi Heng and the others?" When the old lady saw the little girl coming back, she stood up from the stool in an instant and asked anxiously!
"Grandma, the servant of the eldest young master is back, but he is stopped outside the door! Nanny Rui wants you to come over!" The little girl ran out of breath, but fortunately she didn't make any mistakes when she spoke!
The old lady immediately pulled Yun Yiyi aside, and the two of them hurriedly got into the sedan chair and rushed to the door of the prime minister's residence!
"Old lady!" Nanny Rui was chatting with the servant about today's situation when she saw the old lady rushing over. She quickly stepped forward to support the old lady and stood at the door together, looking outside through the small wooden window on the door!
"Tell me quickly, did the eldest and second young masters enter the examination room safely?" The old lady was extremely anxious, especially when she heard that the deputy examiner of this year's autumn examination was Su Qing's brother Su Yuan. She was so anxious that she didn't eat anything the whole day, for fear that Su Yuan would deliberately make things difficult for his grandsons and not even let them enter the examination room!
"In reply to the old lady, both young masters have entered the examination room! The eldest young master also asked me to tell the old lady and the master and his wife that they don't have to worry about him and the second young master!" After receiving Yun Yiheng's instructions, the servant naturally didn't dare to tell everything that happened today. He could only say the nice things, and sure enough, a smile appeared on the old lady's face!
"At what time did the two of them go in? Did anyone bother them?" Although the old lady was half relieved, she still felt that Su Yuan would definitely avenge her sister, so she still asked this question worriedly, fearing that this boy would be dishonest and only report good news and not bad news!
The servant hadn't expected the old lady to be so astute, so he immediately smiled and said, "Don't worry, old lady, the two young masters are fine! It's just that there were too many candidates taking the exam today, so it's been delayed for a while!"
Seeing that he didn't seem to be lying, the old lady's tense nerves finally relaxed a little. She then asked Madam Rui to throw a silver ingot through the small wooden window as a reward for the servant. "Go to the northern courtyard and serve the master and mistress for a few days. After the Autumn Examination is over, I will go and fetch your two young masters. Don't be so engrossed in playing that you forget the time!"
The servant had received the benefit, so naturally he did whatever the old lady said, bowed and nodded and said a few words of flattery and thanks, and then left the gate of the prime minister's residence!
"Grandma can finally rest assured this time!" Yun Yiyi was very happy when she heard that her two brothers had entered the examination room. However, she couldn't help but feel fortunate that Yun Ruoxue was beaten half to death last time and was still lying in bed. Otherwise, if she ran back to the Su Mansion to complain, wouldn't her brother's future be ruined?
The old lady smiled and nodded, and with the help of Nanny Rui, she got back into the sedan chair and returned to Baishun Hall!
After the old lady's disturbance in the morning, and knowing that Yun Yiheng would definitely send a servant back to report that he was safe, Yun Qianmeng naturally could not leave the Prime Minister's Mansion for the time being. However, she asked Mu Chun to prepare a set of third-class maid's clothes for her and put it in the inner room, waiting to leave the mansion tomorrow!
When she had nothing to do, she found an ancient book about Liaoyuan in Western Chu from the bookshelf left by Qu Ruoli and slowly flipped through it. She was pleasantly surprised to find that the ancient book actually fully recorded the size of the territory of Western Chu. Although the map was not as precise and detailed as the modern ones, it also accurately marked the distance between each city. This made Yun Qianmeng feel like she had found a treasure. She buried her head in the map attentively, looking for the location of Luocheng on the yellowed pages!
The slender fingers moved slowly along the mark on the map, and indeed found the word "Luocheng" on it. Yun Qianmeng's face lit up with joy, and then he looked at the distance between Kyoto and Luocheng, and then converted it into the distance of a horse. If he rode day and night to Luocheng, it would probably take ten days. It can be seen that what everyone said before about a thousand miles away was not an exaggeration!
Yun Qianmeng's fingers remained on the word "Luocheng", but her thoughts drifted in other directions. Logically speaking, even if there was a plague, there would be no need for the King of Chu and the Prime Minister of Chu, two important figures, to personally take action. However, judging from their attitudes towards this matter, they seemed to be taking it very seriously. What on earth was there in Luocheng that made them disregard their own safety and choose to go there at such a time?
Yun Qianmeng couldn't help but frown slightly, looking out the window with a distant gaze, but she felt that the moonlight tonight was much colder than last night. She wondered if Chu Feiyang had taken good care of himself on the road!
The next morning, Yun Qianmeng changed into the maid's attire on the table, asked Mu Chun to wrap her usual dress in cotton cloth, took it in her hands, and followed Mu Chun to a corner gate in the northwest corner of the prime minister's mansion where few people went in and out!
It was early morning, and even the servants of the Prime Minister's Mansion had just gotten up to work. In addition, the northwest corner was uninhabited all year round, so Yun Qianmeng and her companions easily got out of the corner gate. Xi Lin had already parked the carriage at the corner gate and was waiting for her according to Yun Qianmeng's request!
After both of them got into the carriage, Xi Lin drove the car himself to the Prince of Fuguo's Mansion!
However, this time the carriage did not enter through the main gate of the Fuguo Mansion, but instead chose the side door on the west side. Marquis Le Yao was already at that side door. When he saw Yun Qianmeng, dressed in a maid's uniform, get off the carriage, Le Yao was slightly stunned. Then he immediately stepped forward and saluted, "Greetings, cousin!"
"Let's talk after we go inside!" Seeing this, Yun Qianmeng nodded, and led Mu Chun through the side door, then got into the sedan chair and headed to Tingyuxuan!
"How are you these days, cousin?" Sitting in the sedan chair, Yun Qianmeng gently lifted the curtain and looked at the layout of the Fuguo Mansion with her shrewd eyes. She saw that everything was normal in other places, but Tingyuxuan, where Qu Feiqing lived, was guarded and looked like a prison!
"Miss misses her cousin very much!" Seeing that they were approaching Tingyuxuan, Le Yao cleverly changed her words!
After hearing what she said, Yun Qianmeng lowered the curtain of the sedan chair, but the sedan chair changed direction at this moment and headed towards the guest rooms that were usually used to entertain guests!
"My aggrieved cousin, please change into the clothes of a maid in the mansion!" Le Yao led Yun Qianmeng, who had just stepped out of the sedan chair, into the guest room. On the clean table lay a set of clothes, accessories, a powder box, and a tray with a fruit plate belonging to a third-class maid in the mansion!
"You go guard the door, Mu Chun is here!" Still not used to undressing in front of strangers, Yun Qianmeng sent Le Yao away, then picked up the clothes on the table, walked into the inner room with Mu Chun, and quickly changed her clothes!
Mu Chun smoothed the hem of Yun Qianmeng's skirt before helping her sit in front of the dressing table. He undid the bun on her head and rearranged it into the style commonly used by the maids in the Marquis' Mansion. He then picked out a few simple hairpins and ribbons and tied them on Yun Qianmeng's black hair. Only then was the job done!
Yun Qianmeng opened the powder box and began to disguise herself. In less than half a cup of tea, a face appeared in the bronze mirror that even Mu Chun couldn't recognize!
"Miss, what's this?" In addition to being surprised, Mu Chun felt that Yun Qianmeng's makeup skills were truly unmatched. Even she couldn't tell that this was her young lady!
Yun Qianmeng, however, gave Mu Chun a faint smile through the bronze mirror and then instructed, "Just wait here. I'm going to see my cousin and will be back soon!"
Hearing Yun Qianmeng's familiar voice, Mu Chun nodded, then walked to the outer room, opened the door, and let Le Yao in!
Looking at the completely unfamiliar person in front of her, Le Yao was stunned at first, then asked uncertainly, "Cousin?"
"Stop being dazed and let's go!" Yun Qianmeng knew what she was curious about, but now was not a good time to explain, so she picked up the fruit plate on the table, walked out of the guest room first, and walked quickly towards Tingyuxuan!
Seeing this, Le Yao knew that time was running out, so she immediately followed. Yun Qianmeng deliberately slowed down her pace and lagged behind Le Yao by half a body. The two arrived at the door of Tingyuxuan at the same time!
"Who are you?" At this time, the guards guarding the door stopped Le Yao and Yun Qianmeng!
"I, on the orders of the young lady, went to the kitchen to get some fresh fruits. Do you need me to check them, big brother guard?" Le Yao stood sideways in front of Yun Qianmeng, preventing the guard from seeing Yun Qianmeng's face!
Although Yun Qianmeng's true appearance was truly unrecognizable at this moment, the guards at the gate were all from the Queen Mother's side, and each of them had already trained their eyes to be sharp. Le Yao was just worried that if they were recognized, it would damage her cousin's reputation!
However, the guard just glanced at Yun Qianmeng indifferently. Seeing that she was just a third-class maid in the Marquis's mansion and that she was holding some ordinary fruits in her hands, he nodded and let her go!
It was not until she entered Qu Feiqing's attic that Le Yao realized that her palms were full of cold sweat, and the handkerchief in her hands had already been soaked with sweat. Her heart was pounding wildly, and she turned her head worriedly to look at the door from time to time. Seeing that the two guards guarding the door did not suspect anything, she breathed a sigh of relief!
When Yun Qianmeng saw her like this, he just found it funny for a moment, then shook his head with a smile in his eyes!
The two of them stepped into Qu Feiqing's inner room together, only to see that Qu Feiqing was sitting in front of the window looking at the blue sky. The loneliness in her expression made people feel distressed!
"Miss, the fruit you requested is here!" Le Yao spoke softly, as if afraid of disturbing Qu Feiqing's peace!
When Qu Feiqing heard her say this, she immediately withdrew her gaze, stood up from the window with a face full of joy and looked towards where the two people were standing, but she only saw a strange girl with her head down holding some fruits. Disappointment flashed across her eyes, and then she returned to her previous lost look and said lightly, "Put it on the table, and you all leave!"
Hearing this, Yun Qianmeng silently placed the fruit plate in her hand on the small round table in the inner room, and then said mischievously, "Cousin, do you not welcome Meng'er?"
After saying that, she even blinked at Qu Feiqing with her eyes that she had deliberately drawn into an inverted triangle, which made Qu Feiqing stare at her with wide eyes. With a hint of uncertainty, she asked, "Meng'er?"
"Why didn't my cousin recognize me?" Yun Qianmeng sat sadly beside the round table, holding her chin with both hands and staring at Qu Feiqing, her eyes full of pity!
Qu Feiqing didn't expect it was Yun Qianmeng. She immediately walked towards her with a happy look on her face. She pulled Yun Qianmeng up and looked her up and down, exclaiming in amazement, "Although you are a clever girl, if you hadn't spoken today, I really wouldn't have recognized you!"
However, when Qu Feiqing's eyes fell on Yun Qianmeng's clothes, she frowned and immediately ordered Le Yao beside her, "Go to the cabinet and get a new dress for my cousin to change into!"
Yun Qianmeng, however, stopped Le Yao and pulled Qu Feiqing to sit down with her. She said with a smile, "Why bother with so much trouble? Won't we have to change it back when we go back later? I came here today specifically to see my cousin. How have you been recently? Have the old lady and aunt come to see you?"
Hearing this, Qu Feiqing waved Le Yao to guard the door, and she walked to the window and closed it. Then she sat down again and said seriously, "Mother comes here every day to sit for a while, and the old lady also sends people to greet me! But, I'm locked up in Tingyu Pavilion and have no freedom as usual. I don't even know what's happening outside!"
Hearing Qu Feiqing say this, Yun Qianmeng thought of the guards guarding the courtyard gate and nodded. Then he cut to the chase, "There are some things that are not convenient to say in the letter delivered by carrier pigeon, so I didn't mention it! I'm afraid my cousin doesn't know that Doctor Nie has now been granted the title of Eighth Rank Imperial Physician by the Emperor. Although the King of Chu and Prime Minister Chu have gone to Luocheng!"
"What?" After hearing the news brought by Yun Qianmeng, Qu Feiqing stood up from her seat in a panic, staring at Yun Qianmeng in disbelief. When she saw the other party give her an affirmative look, worry suddenly appeared in Qu Feiqing's eyes!
"He actually went to such a dangerous place?" Muttering to herself, Qu Feiqing sat down again in a daze, her lowered eyes full of worry!
Seeing her like this, Yun Qianmeng couldn't help but sigh inwardly, then comforted her, "He's a doctor with superb medical skills. Cousin, you should trust him and believe that he will be able to return safely! Besides, there are other imperial doctors accompanying him this time. I believe they will be fine!"
Hearing this, Qu Feiqing concealed the worry that had surfaced in her eyes, then raised her eyes to look at Yun Qianmeng. Seeing that no matter what happened, her sparkling eyes always shone with confidence and calmness, she couldn't help but feel admiration in her heart. She nodded again and said with a bit of self-mockery, "If I had the same mentality as you, I wouldn't be under the Queen Mother's supervision!"
Yun Qianmeng just smiled and shook her head. How could she not be worried about Chu Feiyang? But in her heart, she still believed more in Chu Feiyang's ability, so the worry in her heart faded a little, unlike Qu Feiqing's obvious expression!
You have to know that she is just an ordinary person. She has all the emotions that a normal person should have. It's just that she is used to facing things with the calmest face on weekdays, because she knows in her heart that even if she is furious, she can't change the status quo. It is better for her to adapt as soon as possible and make her life better!
"Could it be that the Queen Mother saw something? That's why she ordered people to keep my cousin under guard?" Qu Feiqing was simple-minded, and what she was thinking would always show on her face. There was no guarantee that her current thoughts would not be seen through!
But Concubine Qu just shook her head slightly, then smiled bitterly and said, "Fortunately, I haven't entered the palace to see the Queen Mother recently, otherwise I'm really afraid that I would reveal my true intentions in front of her! I think the Queen Mother's actions are just to separate you and me, so that I won't cause trouble after she personally grants us the marriage!"
After hearing Qu Feiqing's analysis, Yun Qianmeng's expression changed. She felt that Qu Feiqing was more mature than before and her thinking was more comprehensive!
Since the Queen Mother did not allow Concubine Qu to step out of Tingyu Pavilion, the main reason was probably because of herself!
After all, with her own precedent of breaking off the engagement, the Queen Mother naturally couldn't take the risk again!
From the Queen Mother's attitude towards her, it can be seen that she does not please the Queen Mother. Naturally, the Queen Mother must not want to see Qu Feiqing close to her, so she thinks of ways to separate them, so as to prevent the easily manipulated Qu Feiqing from being led astray by her, the rebellious Yun Qianmeng!
"In that case, cousin, just take good care of yourself! The plague has been raging in the city recently. Yesterday was the start of this year's imperial examination. In addition, the Northern Qi prince and princess and others are visiting Kyoto. Almost all the civil and military officials are busy with these three things. The empress dowager and the emperor will not focus their attention on you for the time being. Cousin, just relax! If Doctor Nie can develop a prescription to control the epidemic in Luocheng this time and do good for the country and the people, the emperor will definitely reward you according to your merits. Are you still afraid that your marriage will not go smoothly?" Although Yun Qianmeng knew in her heart that even if Doctor Nie returned to Beijing with merit, he would only be a fifth-rank imperial physician at most, the empress dowager would definitely not use the eldest daughter of the Prince of Fuguo's Mansion to win over a small imperial physician!
However, the only solution now is to comfort Qu Feiqing, so that she won't lose her composure, which will not only put her in a dilemma, but also bring danger to Doctor Nie!
How could Qu Feiqing not know Yun Qianmeng's intentions, so she nodded without saying a word!
At this moment, Le Yao ran in with a panic on her face. Seeing that the two were still chatting, she immediately called out to remind them, "Miss, cousin, Aunt Lan from the Empress Dowager's side is here!"
Upon hearing this, the two of them looked at each other immediately. Yun Qianmeng quickly picked up the teacup in front of her and quickly hid behind the screen!
Just as Yun Qianmeng hid herself, she saw Aunt Lan leading a few palace maids in!
"Your servant greets the young lady!" Seeing that only Qu Feiqing and Le Yao were in the inner room, Aunt Lan bowed to Qu Feiqing!
"Aunt, please get up. How come you have time to come to my place today?" Qu Feiqing spoke lazily, but her hands under the table were clenched into fists nervously!
Aunt Lan saw that Concubine Qu was a little bored, but she didn't care much. She stepped aside to avoid her sight and pointed at the things in the little palace maid's hands and said, "The Empress Dowager knows that the young lady has always loved embroidery, so she ordered this servant to specially select some of the most popular palace satin in the palace and send it to the young lady to help her pass the time! Here are some new snacks from the palace, which the Empress Dowager also gave to her! I hope the young lady likes them!"
Following Aunt Lan's gesture, Qu Feiqing glanced at Le Yao. Le Yao cleverly helped her up and walked in front of Aunt Lan, blocking her view of the screen. Qu Feiqing's slender, jade-white hands gently stroked the soft, novel palace satin. Then, with a smile on her face, she said, "Thank you, Her Majesty, for the gift. I am naturally pleased with it! Thank you for making this trip in person! I heard that the Her Majesty went to Puguo Temple. Why didn't you accompany her?"
Seeing that Concubine Qu had accepted the gifts, Aunt Lan smiled and replied, "The Empress Dowager returned to the palace an hour ago, and only asked me to come to the Duke of Fuguo's Mansion to give these to the young lady!"
As she spoke, Aunt Lan suddenly leaned closer to Concubine Qu and lowered her voice, saying, "The Queen Mother went to Puguo Temple to burn incense today. Firstly, she wanted to pray for Xi Chu, and secondly, she wanted to ask for divination for the young lady!"
"Draw a fortune for me? I was born in a prosperous family and am favored by the Queen Mother. My fate is already very good. Why should the Queen Mother bother with me?" It sounded like a compliment, but to Yun Qianmeng's ears, it carried a hint of sarcasm!
Aunt Lan was unaware of Concubine Qu's concerns, and naturally didn't hear the dissatisfaction laced in her words. She simply smiled and said, "The Empress Dowager asked me to tell the young lady that her fortune is excellent! These palace satins were specially allocated to the Empress Dowager by the Emperor. As long as the young lady concentrates on embroidering, she will surely have good results! It's getting late, and I must hurry back before the palace gates are locked. The young lady should have a good rest. I will take my leave now!"
After saying these words, Aunt Lan ordered the little palace maid to put down the things in her hands, bowed to Concubine Qu again, and left Tingyu Pavilion. It was not until Le Yao, who had sent Aunt Lan away, returned to the inner room that Yun Qianmeng came out from behind the screen!
"Meng'er, look, what does the Queen Mother mean by this?" Looking at the mountain of palace satin on the table, Concubine Qu frowned and complained, "You have nothing better to do than to go to Puguo Temple and ask for a marriage fortune for me. Really!"
Yun Qianmeng, on the other hand, took a piece of brightly colored palace satin and gently slid her fingertips across the slippery surface, while her mind was repeatedly pondering Aunt Lan's words. In an instant, the expression between her brows changed slightly, and her eyes once again looked at the palace satins on the table. The bright red color was the most numerous, which made Yun Qianmeng couldn't help but have an assumption in her mind!
"Cousin, only the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and the Imperial Noble Consort are qualified to use palace satin of this color!" Yun Qianmeng pointed at a piece of bright red palace satin with dark palace flower patterns and spoke cautiously!
After hearing this, Concubine Qu opened her lips slightly, and a look of disbelief appeared in her eyes. After a while, she slowly asked, "You mean, the Queen Mother intends to let me enter the palace?"
Seeing that Qu Feiqing understood what he meant, Yun Qianmeng withdrew his hand and nodded to her with a heavy heart. "I'm afraid the Queen Mother has this idea! Now among the four major families, the Rong family has sent their daughter to the palace as a concubine, the Ruan family's daughter has long been the Queen Mother, and the Yuan family has also been constantly trying to win over the powerful people in the court. Only the Qu family has not taken any action! Last time my cousin was framed, if someone in the palace had helped and spoken up, maybe my cousin would not have had to go to the Ministry of Justice at all! I think the Queen Mother must have felt that the balance of the four major families has been somewhat broken, so she is anxious to...
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