Chapter 20: Dark Place
Wu Chun was as if pardoned, and she also picked up Yu Li from the ground.
If she had known that she could avoid standing in the corner with just this little effort, she would never have been so arrogant with Shen Sui.
A real man can bend and stretch, and so can a woman.
Shen Sui was originally furious. Which man could tolerate his wife running to someone else's palace to sleep in the middle of the night, and sleeping on the same bed with someone else? Even a woman would not be able to accept it. The most important thing is that she specifically did not want him to go to Fengchun Palace during the day!
However, when Wu Chun's bright red lips touched his cheek and the rose retracted its thorns and touched him obediently, the anger immediately dissipated like smoke.
It was as if the sun in the sky became bright and dazzling.
Wuchun entered Fengchun Palace, and Shen Sui ordered someone to bring food.
Wuchun suddenly found a small porcelain box on the table. She
had a quarrel with Shen Sui yesterday and was upset. After learning that the princess asked her to help treat General Xiao, she was busy packing her medical bag for the whole afternoon, so she ignored the box on the table.
Wuchun picked it up and knew at a glance that it was her daughter's lip balm box. She opened the small lock and found that it was indeed bright in color but not vulgar, with a light luster. When she dipped her finger in it, she found that the texture was smooth and delicate, as if it was the most expensive material at the time.
Wuchun asked Jinglian, "Fengchun Palace has always been cleaned by you and Yuli. Do you know where this came from?"
"In reply to your Highness, I don't know, and that's why I dare not move."
Wu Chun thought of many possibilities. Maybe a maid picked it up from the corner and mistakenly thought it was hers. She was afraid of not being able to explain herself, so she put it on her desk. But who else in Fengchun Palace would use it?
Or maybe some daring eunuch had improper thoughts about her and wanted to make her happy, so he put it here. But how could the eunuch afford such expensive lip balm?
Or maybe... His Highness Shen Heng gave it to her and asked someone to deliver it here. But Shen Heng was a man who acted upright and honest. If he wanted to give something away, he would definitely give it openly and honestly. He would definitely not give such controversial lip balm...
Wu Chun really couldn't figure it out. Who put it here?
After instructing the servants, Shen Sui walked into Fengchun Palace and saw Wuchun holding the small box with a strange look on his face, so he coughed lightly.
There is another possibility.
Shen Sui gave it to her.
Wuchun was so scared that her hands trembled and she almost dropped the box. But Shen Sui was quick and caught it first and handed it back to her.
Wuchun had a bitter face, "Your Highness, what did I do wrong again?"
Shen Sui asked doubtfully, "Hmm?"
"Why did Your Highness give me lip balm?"
He must have had bad intentions! If he could give her something sincerely, the moon would rise from the west!
Shen Sui saw her frightened and cautious look, without any joy or shyness of a girl receiving a gift from her husband. His throat was choked up, and his words were cold. "I passed by the Rouge Shop while investigating a case, and sent someone to find the shopkeeper's son who had been missing for many days. The shopkeeper gave me this as a thank you, but it was useless to me, so I just let it go."
Oh, so that's it.
Why did Shen Sui suddenly give her these little things?
Wu Chun's heart was relieved.
Shen Sui saw her breathe a sigh of relief, and his heart became even more blocked. He pursed his thin lips unhappily, but he still couldn't help asking: "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, but I feel that there is suddenly a box of expensive lip balm in Fengchun Palace, which makes people a little scared."
Shen Sui's heart was almost burning. He gave her something to make her scared? ! It's really good!
So he walked away, strode out of Fengchun Palace, and all the way out of Yuning Palace.
Wu Chun didn't care. Facing the bronze mirror, he dipped his fingers in the lip balm and smeared it on his lips. He opened his lips and thought about how to match this color with the right makeup.
...
Shen Sui went to find Xiao Huaiwen.
Xiao Huaiwen was in Lishu Palace, and had just woken up. Shen Ying had been sitting opposite him and watching over him for a long time.
He staggered down from the chair and knelt on the ground, awakening Shen Ying, who had half-closed her eyes. "You're awake!"
Shen Ying went over to help him up. When she stretched out her hands, Xiao Huaiwen shrank back as if he had touched a flame. "I stayed overnight in Lishu Palace and offended Her Royal Highness the Princess. I deserve death."
After saying that, he bent stiffly and touched the ground with his forehead. When his forehead was about to touch the ground, Shen Ying shouted, "Xiao Huaiwen!"
Xiao Huaiwen paused, and Shen Ying found an opportunity to help him up. After all, he was seriously injured, but Shen Ying, a weak woman, could help him up.
He was tall, and even if she was kneeling, Shen Ying only needed to bend her waist to be as tall as him.
Shen Ying leaned over, her eyes flushed slightly, and after taking a deep breath, she pinched her sleeves and asked tentatively, "Do you like me?"
"The princess is graceful and unparalleled, with an unparalleled grace, and a gentle but strong personality. From Your Majesty to the maids, there is probably no one in the palace who doesn't like the princess. The same is true for me." He lowered his head and saw Shen Ying standing barefoot on the ground, with small jade feet, delicate toes, and pink nails.
So he looked away.
"You know that's not what I'm asking." Shen Ying stared at him closely.
Xiao Huaiwen swallowed the sweet taste in his throat and said, "I dare not have any improper thoughts about the princess."
"Don't dare, or don't have any?"
She insisted on asking to the end.
Xiao Huaiwen said in a deep voice, "Don't dare, and don't have any."
Shen Ying's hands in her sleeves gradually tightened and loosened, and she felt as if there were dense needles piercing her heart. She was silent, looking at Xiao Huaiwen's eyes, but there was a storm shouting. Xiao Huaiwen's heart suddenly twitched and turned his head away.
At this moment, a report came from outside.
"General Xiao is awake, and the third prince outside has something to tell you."
The two came back to their senses at the same time.
"Let the third brother wait, General Xiao has just woken up, and we will go to see him soon."
The maid went out to report.
Shen Ying's face was not looking good, "It's over, Third Brother found out..."
"What did Third Prince find out?"
"You were badly injured yesterday, so I asked my sister-in-law to come to Lishu Palace to treat your injuries. My sister-in-law slept at my place all night and went back in the morning. According to Third Brother's temper of looking at my sister-in-law as if she were his eyeballs, he must be angry, so he came to Lishu Palace to find you and ask for an explanation..."
Xiao Huaiwen said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. I will report the truth to the Third Prince. As long as you are honest, the Third Prince may be a little more lenient."
After Xiao Huaiwen saw Shen Sui, he knelt in front of him and kowtowed to him three times.
Shen Sui was very sensitive and didn't expect that Xiao Huaiwen had slept in Shen Ying Palace for a whole night. He frowned slightly, but didn't mean to help Xiao Huaiwen. "What happened?"
Xiao Huaiwen explained the whole story.
After a moment's silence, Shen Sui suppressed the throbbing veins on his forehead and asked, "Where are you injured?"
"To answer your Highness, I was hit by a military stick, so the injury is naturally..."
Before he could finish his words, Shen Sui kicked him in the chest. Xiao Huaiwen coughed violently. Shen Sui was still not satisfied, so he kicked him again, and Xiao Huaiwen immediately coughed up a few drops of blood.
Xiao Huaiwen was dumbfounded, but he realized that Shen Sui didn't know about this matter before. Now he was probably angry because the princess treated his injuries and saw everything he should and shouldn't have seen. So he coughed and comforted him, "Your Highness, don't be angry. The third prince's wife is a doctor and doesn't distinguish between men and women. She can treat injuries for a humble person, which shows that she is open-minded, generous and open-minded, and doesn't care about her status. This shows her goodness and virtue."
He praised Wu Chun, but Shen Sui felt more and more irritated. "I didn't think you were eloquent before. You said so much today. In my opinion, it's better not to say anything."
Is it necessary for him to praise Wu Chun? This goodness and virtue is not necessary!
Shen Sui clenched his fists, but he was not a man who was full of love affairs. He came here today for a serious matter. He endured for a while and said, "Can your people enter the cold palace where Xie Ruanruan was imprisoned?"
He began to get to the point. Xiao Huaiwen supported himself and stood up, saying, "Of course they can. Although it is not easy on the surface, there are many ways to do things in the palace."
Shen Sui then told Xiao Huaiwen about his plan.
Xiao Huaiwen's expression gradually became solemn, and finally said, "This matter is indeed strange. If we can find out something in the cold palace, it will naturally be great. Please rest assured, Your Highness, I will do my best."
Shen Sui returned to Yuning Palace with a gloomy face all the way.
When she appeared at the gate of Fengchun Palace, Wuchun came up to greet her with a sickly sweet smile, "Hey, my husband is back!"
Her smile was brilliant, like a delicate flower spreading its bright red petals, and it seemed that a subtle fragrance would come the next moment.
Shen Sui wanted to question her about what happened last night, but her smile stopped him from saying anything. He kept his mouth shut and only said a faint "hmm".
...
When Xue Shangyi arrived at Yuning Palace, he first saw Shen Sui and bowed solemnly, then he saw that the place where Wuchun had been standing was empty, and he immediately understood what was going on, and his face became stern.
"Third Prince certainly dotes on the principal wife, but the proper rules must be followed. She climbed over the wall to stay in Lishu Palace at night, and flirted in front of the palace ladies during the day. How can this be done by a principal wife of a dignified prince? If she is not disciplined, she will probably become more arrogant in the future."
Shen Sui's expression was neither cold nor hot, and he maintained the right degree of courtesy, giving the Shang Yi enough face. "Shang Yi is right, but my beloved concubine is petite and weak. Isn't it a bit too much for you to ask her to stand in the sun for three hours? If she is fine, it's fine. But if she is sick, who should be blamed?"
"The Third Prince's wife should learn a lesson from this, otherwise she will never remember the rules. I am doing this for her own good. As the prince's principal wife, she should be a role model for the women of Daliang and Southern Xinjiang. She should be virtuous, kind, and abide by etiquette, so as to be a lady from a noble family."
Shen Sui's originally calm face turned cold after hearing these words. His sword-like brows unconsciously knitted together. He sneered, "But Xue Shangyi, have you ever thought that you are punishing someone from my palace, so you should naturally ask for my opinion on everything. If I don't agree, you have no right to punish her."
But Xue Shangyi didn't buy it at all and didn't allow him to argue. "Your Highness, as a prince, you have to abide by the rules as long as you are in the palace. This... " " If you want to protect her, it may be against the rules. To put it nicely, it is doting on your wife, but to put it bluntly, it is partiality and partiality!"
Shen Sui said coldly, "Even if I am partial, so what? When is it your turn to criticize my beloved concubine?"
Seeing that he was stubborn and didn't even bother to pretend to be polite, Xue Shangyi was furious and said, "If the Third Prince is determined to protect her, there is a way. After all, the Third Prince's wife was at fault first, and the punishment cannot be avoided no matter what. Since the Third Prince's wife cannot be punished, why don't you take the punishment on her behalf?"
The servants beside him were shocked when they heard this. Apart from Empress Chen, the only one who dared to say that the Third Prince would be punished so blatantly was this Shangyi!
How courageous!
Shen Sui's eyes were clear and cold, which reminded people of the thin snow piled on the pine leaves. He was silent for a while, and Xue Shangyi stood straight for a long time, refusing to give in.
It seemed that even the scorching sunlight in the sky was frozen.
"Okay. How is the punishment going to be, Shangyi?"
When the cold voice sounded, an eunuch who lowered his head next to him almost fell to the ground.
Will the Third Prince take the punishment on behalf of the Crown Princess?
Will the Third Prince be willing to be punished by Xue Shangyi?
The Third Prince really agreed!
Xue Shangyi said: "Your Highness is worthy of being the blood of the royal family. He knows etiquette and abides by the law. The punishment of the Third Prince's wife is to stand for three hours with a bowl of water on his head. The punishment is a dead thing. If I don't change it, Your Highness's punishment will be the same as that of the Third Prince's wife."
So, in the next three hours, Shen Sui stood under the wall of Yuning Palace with his hair loose and a bowl of water on his head.
He stood upright, with a long shadow behind him.
After Wu Chun knew about this, she opened the window of Fengchun Palace and saw Shen Sui. She couldn't help but "puff" and laughed. It happened that she met Shen Sui's gaze. The smile on Wu Chun's face disappeared like a bubble that burst with a poke. She gritted her teeth and pursed her lips to prevent the corners of her mouth from twitching.
Then the corners of her mouth drooped, her eyebrows furrowed, and she acted as if she was extremely distressed for Shen Sui.
Shen Sui knew at a glance that she was fooling him again, so he looked away.
Wu Chun closed the window.
But suddenly he remembered that Shang Gong had been ordered by Queen Chen to whip Shen Sui, and not long after, Shang Gong died. From the perspective of others, Shang Gong's death was inexplicable, but from Wu Chun's perspective, wasn't it obvious that it was Shen Sui who did it? !
Shen Sui was a vindictive person.
He suffered this crime today, could it be that he had already planned to kill Xue Shangyi?
This is absolutely not allowed!
Although Xue Shangyi was old-fashioned and boring, and worshipped etiquette as God, such people were not uncommon in the imperial palace, and there were many in the whole of Daliang, especially those daughters of high-ranking families, all of whom looked like they were cast from the same mold.
They were not wrong.
Wuchun was naughty, didn't like being restrained, and acted recklessly. She was discovered by Xue Shangyi, and she deserved to be punished, but there was no reason to punish her to death. Wuchun
began to medley the herbs. After she finished medley, she lit the stove and brewed cool tea. Then she asked someone to send glutinous rice. After steaming it, she pinched it into a flower shape and sprinkled it with osmanthus sugar juice. The osmanthus cake was ready. Calculating that there was still some time, she asked someone to send glutinous rice cakes, boiled brown sugar, and sprinkled it on the cakes, and made a simpler brown sugar glutinous rice cake.
Shen Sui didn't like sweets very much, so she deliberately filtered all the sugar juice on the cakes, leaving only a little sweet fragrance on the surface.
When the time came, the moon was already high in the sky. Shen Sui returned to Xuanyang Palace with her hair loose. Wu Chun opened the door with a plate in her hand and called out in a sweet voice, "Thank you for your hard work, my husband."
Wu Chun brought the plate to Shen Sui's table and said, "These are all made by me. Please enjoy them, my husband."
She blinked her eyes and was as agile as a deer, jumping and leaping in the mountains and forests, making it impossible to catch her shadow.
It was obvious that she was holding back something.
Shen Sui was not in a hurry to eat, and waved to Wu Chun, "Come here."
Wu Chun moved over, and when he came to the front, Shen Sui stretched out his hand, pulled Wu Chun into his arms, and held her on his lap.
He seemed to particularly like having Wu Chun sit on his lap.
Then he put his arms around her waist.
Shen Sui picked up a piece of sweet-scented osmanthus cake and handed it to Wuchun's mouth. Wuchun opened his mouth to eat it and then pursed his lips, "How dare I poison my husband."
Shen Sui sneered slightly, "There are so many things you dare to do."
But Shen Sui actually did not suspect her of poisoning.
After Wuchun swallowed, he pressed the back of her head and forced her to come closer to him, with their lips touching. He stuck out his tongue and ingested the sweetness in her mouth, like a bee inhabiting the stamen of a flower or a fish swimming in the mudflat.
Wu Chun felt suddenly and subconsciously put her hand on his chest. She wanted to refuse, but when she remembered her purpose, she had no choice but to put her hand on his chest. The muscles under her clothes were tight, and her fingertips unconsciously retracted.
Hearing a swallowing sound coming from his throat, Wu Chun blushed instantly.
Shen Sui squeezed her hand again, gnawing her lips with his teeth, and held her hand against his chest.
His strong and rapid heartbeat seemed to be transmitted along the base of his palm to her chest, causing her heart to beat faster.
Wu Chun hated this feeling.
It reminded her of her past life.
She also inexplicably disliked hearing his rapid heartbeat.
So she pulled her hand back, and Shen Sui's hand grasped the void, and his fingertips curled up.
After a long time, the two separated.
Shen Sui stared at Wu Chun with his clear eyes, "What do you want from me?"
Wu Chun lowered his head, played with his hair with his fingers, and whispered, "Actually, Your Highness was punished for me, and I felt bad, so I came to Xuanyang Palace to bring you food. This is my fault, and has nothing to do with others. It's my bad luck that Xue Shangyi found out. I really blame myself."
"I was the one who was punished, and you're not even happy about it. Why are you blaming yourself?" Shen Sui sneered, "You came here to ask me not to pursue Xue Shangyi."
Wu Chun nodded lightly.
He picked up a piece of brown sugar rice cake and ate it. "If Xue Shangyi punishes me, I will definitely pursue it; but if Xue Shangyi punishes you, I will not pursue it, not to mention that you are not in the right."
This is different from the last time when Queen Chen wanted Shang Gong to whip him. Not only did she wrongly accuse him, but the whip fell on him again and again. Wu Chun stood up for him and was punished to kneel. How could Shen Sui let Shang Gong go?
But Xue Shangyi's punishment was not heavy. It was reasonable for Shen Sui to protect Wu Chun and take the punishment for Wu Chun. If
Shen Sui wanted to harm someone, he would have to spend some effort. He was too lazy to harm Xue Shangyi.
"But..." He changed his tone, "Is Xue Shangyi's life worth this?" He
raised his eyelids to look at Wu Chun, his dark eyes were as deep as a pool under the night sky, and his big hands held her waist tightly.
Wu Chun felt a little cold in her heart, "But my menstrual water is not yet dry."
He raised his chin and nodded, and the place where his chin was pointing was plump and soft. Wu Chun gritted his teeth, untied the laces, and the hem of the clothes fell to the ground like algae.
...
The next day, Wu Chun covered the cross collar tightly, and the collar was also high, covering half of the neck.
Shen Sui is really a lunatic!
Fortunately, he promised not to cause trouble for Xue Shangyi, so Xue Shangyi would be fine.
Agui came to report: "My queen, I have done everything you told me to do last time. You are so good at predicting things. The Minister of Works has accepted the things."
"You did a good job. Wait for a while."
In the previous life, there was a case involving Youzhu and Shen Gong.
Before Shen Gong was crowned as a king, he had worked with the Ministry of Works to preside over the construction of a flood control dam for the people. Because there had never been a flood disaster in the people in recent years, many people thought that the dam was not very useful and was just a face-saving project used by the royal family to commend the wise and virtuous.
Shen Gong also thought so.
Not only that, he also had some improper thoughts and wanted to gain personal benefits from it. So he bribed the Minister of Works Xue Shoude, cut corners, changed a batch of wood, and agreed that the two would share the profits 50-50 after the work was completed.
But Shen Gong went back on his word and only gave Xue Shoude 20% of the profits after the incident. Therefore, he and Xue Shoude had a feud. The two had always had a personal grudge and disliked each other.
Ten months after this incident, a flood broke out and the dam collapsed. Li Shuiren, the Minister of the Dali Temple, and Jiang Xuanning, the Junior Minister of the Dali Temple, investigated the case and exposed what Shen Gong and Xue Shoude had done. For this, Xue Shoude was demoted to a commoner and Shen Gong was suspended for more than half a year.
Wu Chun wanted to make a fuss about the disputes between Xue Shoude and Shen Gong.
Xue Shoude did such a despicable thing for some benefits. He was a criminal, but Shen Gong also cheated him of 30% of the money. It can be seen that this person is bad and stupid, and is most suitable for others to use as a knife to kill people.
And Shen Gong was not a clean person. Letting the two of them fight, she would reap the benefits. Wouldn't it save a lot of energy?
Why didn't Xue Shoude get beheaded in his previous life?
Xue Shoude had some connections with the emperor.
The virtuous concubine who was killed by Xie Ruanruan of the Xie family many years ago was Xue Shoude's aunt.
Today, Shen Sui left and would leave the imperial capital for a while. Wu Chun breathed a sigh of relief. She could be free for a while.
She had to hurry and find a way to escape from the palace.
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