Chapter 156 Chapter 156 Using high-sounding words in front of the emperor...
"Inside the Forbidden City?"
"That's right," Sun Fen nodded. "It seems she's currently serving in the palace as a head aunt, surnamed Li and given the name Shenshu. As for which palace she's serving in specifically, I'm not sure."
People outside the imperial city naturally have no way of knowing exactly where a head maid serves.
She smiled and replied, "Thank you very much for your help. I apologize for any offense I caused you today, and I hope you won't take it to heart."
Sun Fen bowed respectfully and said, "Young lady, you are so loyal to your sect. How could I be worried about you? The world is in turmoil, all seeking rebirth."
Nan Qiongshuang looked him up and down meaningfully.
The whole world is bustling with people, all seeking rebirth.
This is the secret code for everyone to meet inside the Gate of Rebirth.
A person who redeemed himself took the principle of "mind your own business" as his guiding principle, but suddenly he recited the secret code inside the door.
What is going on?
Sun Fen didn't say another word. Finally, he bowed slowly to her and left with his head lowered.
She stared at his fair face, and no matter how hard she tried to see through it, she couldn't understand.
Sun Fen's figure disappeared at the end of the dense shadows of the trees.
Nan Qiongshuang stood there, hugging her shoulders and pondering for a long time, unable to make up her mind.
After a long while, she walked out of the corridor and said to Qinglian and Yuanxiang who were guarding the entrance, "Let's go to Zichen Palace."
She went to the Purple Palace because she had just been harshly rebuked by Emperor Jiaqing. When the Emperor scolds a favorite concubine, the entire palace knows it by the afternoon of the first day of the morning. She had been busy with the Pipa Contest, and her favor had already weakened. If she didn't remedy this, she feared she would lose it completely.
If she goes now, that person happens to be in the Daming Palace and won't come to the Zichen Hall to disturb her.
She hurriedly walked through the cool corridor shaded by trees, the breeze lifting her drooping sleeves as she ran straight to the Zichen Palace.
If that person finished his business and returned to Zichen Palace, and he just stood there doing nothing, she would have difficulty using all her charming tricks.
When they reached the Purple Palace, Wang Rang went in, bowing his body to report. After a while, he came out with his brows lowered and his eyes submissive, and lifted the agate bead curtain for her: "The Emperor wishes you to come in."
She carefully lifted her skirt and stepped over the high threshold.
The Purple Palace was as cool and refreshing as ever. Because Emperor Jiaqing was insane, calming incense was constantly lit in the palace.
As soon as she slowly walked out from behind the screen and looked up, her heart tightened.
Inside the main hall, the figure's back loomed like a charred mountain. Standing quietly, hands behind his back, beneath the gilded, coiled dragon caisson ceiling of the Purple Palace, was a painting on the wall depicting a vast landscape, set against the backdrop of the figure. The landscape and the figures were all painted in a single, ink-wash color, making the figure seem like a part of the painting itself.
Why is he here?
Whenever he was here, she felt like a stone had hit the sole of her shoe. It was painful but not fatal, not fatal but not comfortable. She couldn't help but care about him, and there was no way she couldn't notice it.
She bit her lip and walked slowly behind him, then stopped at a distance and bowed to Emperor Jiaqing, who was sitting behind the long desk: "Your Highness, I respectfully wish you the best."
Gu Huaijin had already identified who it was by the sound of her footsteps, and when he heard her footsteps stop behind him, his back even went numb for a moment.
She's here, she's close.
But I couldn't look back at her.
They said they were done with each other, but when they were in love, they didn't care so much. But once they were done, he couldn't stand her getting close to him. Her mere presence made him anxious and worried.
His Adam's apple rolled involuntarily.
"Get up." Emperor Jiaqing was still indifferent to her. He was playing with a nine-chain chess by himself without saying anything extra.
"Sir, why have you been coming to the palace so often these past few days? In the past, I begged you to come in, but you refused. Now you've become so stubborn. Today's situation is even worse. Before I even got up, I heard you waiting outside the palace. A long night's sleep is good for your health, so why don't you get up later?"
I suffer every night, how can I wake up late?
He didn't come to see him, but to see his woman.
"I entered the palace today because we've discovered something about the Chang Concubine incident, and I wanted to discuss it in the Daming Palace. However, the Prince Regent didn't return to the Daming Palace after the court session, saying he went straight to Feixian Tower. I waited outside the Daming Palace for a long time, but couldn't get any further. Instead, I came to the Purple Palace to see the Emperor."
"The Regent has received the notice and has returned to Daming Palace. If you want to see the Regent, now is the right time." Nan Qiongshuang suddenly spoke.
Her voice was neither far nor near. Gu Huaijin's heart trembled, and he frowned and suppressed his emotion.
He wanted to hear her talk, wanted her to talk to him, but he didn't want to hear her chasing him away in a voice that sounded like Huai Jin.
I finally managed to say something to him, but it turned out to be something like this.
He can't stand it.
He said coldly, "I've already been there. If he's gone, then he's gone. It's so hot out there, do you really need me to run over and over again?"
Nan Qiong Shuang: "The Regent ordered you to wait outside the Daming Palace. You could have gone to the side hall and sat down for a while. Why did you have to run back and forth so many times?"
Why, after he dumped that Li girl once, she was so reluctant to let go?
He was heartbroken after not seeing her for so many days, and she only felt sorry for that man.
He sneered. "Sit for a while? The Prince Regent has gone to listen to the music. How can I know how long the opera will last? The Prince Regent has an uninhibited temper. He might stay in Feixian Tower and listen for three days and three nights. Your Majesty, do you want me to sit in his side hall for three days and three nights?"
She laughed at the harsh criticism of Li Xuanbai: "Why would the Regent listen to a play for three days and three nights?"
As if he was a bitter person making trouble out of nothing, as if he was a jealous villain who was out of his mind and made her laugh.
He sneered nonchalantly:
"The Regent's temper is well known in the palace. As long as he's happy, he doesn't care about anything else. This year, the national treasury is insufficient, the budget is running dry, Prince Ding has been granted a title, and he has also demanded a huge amount of rice as a stipend. The Regent is well aware of these matters, yet he still indulges the Empress's willfulness at this critical juncture. With such a capricious person, who knows how long he will listen to music!"
After saying this, he continued sarcastically: "Outside, there are starving people everywhere, while in the palace there is singing and dancing. The two of them are listening to the opera together in the audience, and they are so harmonious. And how could we know that Kong Shangren's "Peach Blossom Fan" is being performed on stage today, but not in the audience tomorrow!"
Nan Qiong Shuang listened in disbelief.
It's not enough to accuse her of emptying the national treasury because of the pipa incident, but now they're accusing her of ruining the country because of a theatre troupe?!
She gritted her teeth, not daring to show any displeasure to him in front of Emperor Jiaqing, and said with a smile:
"The harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs. Even if Deyin is wrong, it was all approved by my cousin." - She first said this to Emperor Jiaqing, with the Regent behind her, then sneered at him, "If you are capable, you will naturally find a way to deal with my cousin. Why bother to embarrass Deyin at every turn? My cousin also went to listen to the Caiqing troupe's play today after court. Could it be that you are going to say that we cousins are together ruining the country?"
Gu Huaijin couldn't help pinching his finger bones, making a crackling sound, and the white jade ring hurtled against the bones.
She wanted to bring the opera troupe to the capital and wanted to ask the emperor for help, but because he was there, she didn't ask. Instead, she turned around and asked Li Xuanbai for help.
The boy agreed. Not only did he get whatever he wanted, but the two of them even watched the show together.
She chuckled coldly, "My cousin is waiting in the Daming Palace right now. Sir, you are so sincere, why don't you go quickly? He is waiting to hear your profound opinions. Once my cousin admits his mistakes, Deyin will naturally admit them." She added with a deliberate smile, "Otherwise, my cousin has always indulged Deyin. He doesn't think Deyin is wrong. If Deyin admits her mistakes rashly, it will cause trouble for you, sir."
Gu Huaijin began to stagger slightly.
He indulges you?
Who is indulging you?
Who is indulging you?
He finally slowly raised his hand to support his forehead, trying to calm himself down, feeling dizzy.
But don't argue with her anymore. They just had an argument not long ago, and she hasn't been kind to him since then. He can't stand her, and in the end, it's all his fault.
She still took revenge with a smile:
"Mr. Deyin has been acting strangely lately. In the past, he wouldn't say a word to Deyin when he saw her. But now, whether it's Pipa or the troupe, they find fault with Deyin for everything. I wonder if Mr. Deyin has had a quarrel with the Daming Palace? Deyin is half a Daming Palace employee, so Mr. Deyin—"
"A mere concubine, yet you dare to say you're in the Daming Palace." He smiled, trembling, his breath gushing out of his lungs. "—You're disloyal and shameless!"
"Daming Palace is Deyin's family! Where's the shame?!"
In the vast Purple Palace, loud voices echoed in the dome of the caisson ceiling. The palace maids and eunuchs all knelt with their heads bowed. Even the Jiaqing Emperor, who was sitting above, was stunned.
Gu Huaijin is his life-saving straw, and Nan Qiongshuang has the support of Daming Palace.
The two of them argued and almost tore each other apart. He really couldn't decide which side to side with.
"Sir, Deyin—!"
"Even if they are from my wife's family, they should still consider the difference between men and women! Going to the Daming Palace every day is so shameless!"
"Didn't you say, sir, that Deyin should always be with Daming Palace? It would be best if he were to visit day and night. Didn't you say that yourself?!"
Gu Huaijin's chest heaved rapidly and he gritted his teeth in anger. Those were his words spoken in anger!
"Sir, Deyin!" Emperor Jiaqing knocked on the desk with his knuckles again.
Both of them turned red in the face, gasped and looked at him at the same time.
Similar scowl, similar movements, at the same time.
Emperor Jiaqing suddenly had a feeling that these two people had a tacit understanding in their mutual resentment.
"Why bother? Sir, why bother?" Emperor Jiaqing spread his hands and slapped the table, his bright yellow sleeves sweeping across the edge of the long mahogany table. "It's just a troupe of actors; it doesn't cost much. Since the Regent has given the nod, in my opinion, let it go."
"It's a good thing that Deyin has the Regent's favor. Having the Regent's cousin as my concubine will greatly benefit our brotherly harmony! You also said before that you want Deyin to interact more with the Daming Palace. There's no need to ruin our friendship for a few silver coins. What do you think?"
"Your Majesty," Nan Qiongshuang said with red eyes, "Deyin often goes to the Daming Palace. Do you also feel that Deyin is not loyal to her?"
Emperor Jiaqing waved his hand and said: "I am not a petty or suspicious person."
Gu Huaijin suspected that he was making innuendos.
"The Emperor doesn't think Deyin is disloyal, so I don't know why you are so anxious!"
Nan Qiong Shuang was really making innuendos.
Gu Huaijin turned his back and took a long breath.
Suddenly, a figure from outside the Purple Palace came in, lifting the curtain and hunching over to her side. It was Wu Shun, who was beside Li Xuanbai. "Your Majesty, the Regent has obtained some medicinal pills and wants you to go to the Daming Palace to take a look."
Nan Qiongshuang raised her eyes and glanced at Emperor Jiaqing.
Emperor Jiaqing was anxious to separate the two men, but when he saw Wu Shun, he waved his hand as if it were a blessing in disguise, "Go quickly, go quickly!"
Gu Huaijin didn't say a word. He put his hands behind his back and turned away, not even wanting to see him.
——"The Emperor doesn't think I'm unfaithful, why are you so anxious, sir?"
Well said.
Even after talking about this, she still wanted to get close to that man, so she could go, and he wouldn't stop her.
From then on, he never, ever stopped her again!
He straightened his clothes and said, "I have spoken rudely and disrespectfully today. I am deeply troubled. Please allow me to leave, Your Majesty."
After saying that, he turned away.
Nan Qiongshuang looked at his extraordinary back and rolled her eyes in hatred.
It was always like this. With a dignified expression and pompous words, she argued in codewords in front of the Emperor, using witty remarks that only she could understand. It was all for the country, and for Emperor Jiaqing, but ultimately, it was all about that kiss she had with Li Xuanbai!
——She was only angry that he used official rhetoric to avenge his personal grudges, but she didn't know that when he came back to take revenge, he would also destroy her old clothes.
*
Li Xuanbai was sitting idly in the Daming Palace.
Today, the new tribute of cinnabar paste had just been delivered to the palace. He found it interesting, so he opened the box and took a look at it without reviewing the memorial.
Cinnabar paste is bright red and has a soft texture. When you dip your fingers in it, the fingertips will turn bright red like ink.
Red represents prosperity and is the color of pure yang. It is said that taking cinnabar paste can prolong one's life and achieve a golden body.
He rubbed his fingertips, half believing and half doubting.
Wu Shun leaned forward and approached gently: "Prince Regent, Empress Zhenfei is here."
Li Xuanbai waved his hand and said, "Ask her in."
Nan Qiongshuang had just come in from the hot sun outside, her eyes still barely adjusted to the light inside the hall when she heard Li Xuanbai calling her from inside, "Come here and take a look at this."
"What?"
As she got closer, she could see clearly that he was holding a small round box. The contents were a bright red. She raised her eyebrows and sneered, "Why, cousin, are you into rouge?"
"What rouge? You're such an ungrateful thing." He crossed his arms and pointed at her nose. She shuddered for a moment, but then, realizing he was just trying to scare her, she chuckled again. Li Xuanbai said, "I heard you were arguing with that Gu guy in the Purple Palace again? The Emperor must be on Gu's side, and you've been put in such a difficult position again, right? I sent you to my Daming Palace, and you're not even grateful."
When Nan Qiongshuang heard that he had heard the news and came to help her out, she smiled like a cat that had caught a mouse, holding up a silk fan to cover half of her face and chuckling knowingly.
"Okay. What a good thing! I've mentioned it twice now. Let me see it."
Then he took the round box in his hand and held it up to the sunlight outside the carved window.
With the light, the red thing began to emit golden flashes.
"The Taoists say it's made from rare and precious treasures, radiating a golden hue. It's called the Golden Elixir," Li Xuanbai said. "There's only one small box like this in the entire Qi and Song dynasties."
She scoffed, "So precious? But your finger is bright red, and you just…"
Wu Shun suddenly walked over to the two of them and bowed respectfully:
"Prince Regent, Mr. Gu is outside seeking an audience."
Li Xuanbai let out a long hiss.
Nan Qiongshuang lowered her eyes and looked at the small round box, acting as if nothing had happened, but her heart was in turmoil.
He said he was leaving a quarter of an hour ago.
At that time, when he heard that she was coming to Daming Palace, he not only suddenly relaxed, but also said that he wanted to leave. She thought he was really going to let her go.
She rubbed the edge of the small round box with her fingertips, her eyelashes drooping, her mind completely focused on what Li Xuanbai and Wu Shun were saying.
"Ask him what you want." Li Xuanbai put his hands on his hips, looking impatient.
Wu Shun bent his waist like a shrimp and said, "Yes, it involves the old story between Concubine Chang and Concubine Xie."
Nan Qiong Shuang waited quietly.
If he can't come in, she will feel more at ease. If he comes in, she will take revenge.
He's always looking for trouble and is going to piss him off to death.
Li Xuanbai sighed in annoyance, then shook his head and gestured towards the outside of the hall. "Let him in, let him in. We'll have to talk sooner or later."
Wu Shun took the order and trotted out.
Nan Qiong Shuang gave him a fake smile from behind her fan and declined, "It's inconvenient for me to be here with you two discussing something. I'll be leaving first."
"Why are you leaving?" Li Xuanbai turned around and sat down behind the long table. He patted the seat beside him and motioned for her to come over. "I came here just for you. Why are you leaving? I've been arguing with you all day, and you're just sitting here pissing him off."
Nan Qiongshuang chuckled, and when she looked up again, Wu Shun had already led his men around the golden screen at the entrance of the hall.
He acted as if it had nothing to do with him, and walked slowly into the hall without any hesitation.
Nan Qiongshuang stood in the middle of the hall, facing him face to face, and looked him up and down through her silk fan.
He looked at her as if he didn't see her.
Gu Huaijin heard her smile to Li Xuanbai.
Seeing how indifferent he was, Nan Qiongshuang also held her breath and restrained her expression. She lifted the hem of her skirt and calmly walked away from him. She walked to the side of another man with a dignified manner, gathered her skirt and sat down.
The two of them sat side by side. One side of the long table was full, the other empty, the two of them tacitly facing the outside in unison.
Gu Huaijin still didn't care.
He sat down calmly as usual.
"Greetings, the Regent." Without any greeting, the man sat down.
Seeing how arrogant he was, Li Xuanbai looked him up and down with a smile, but he finally didn't get angry. He threw the small round box in his hand to Nan Qiongshuang and said, "Let's talk first. Take a look and see if you want it."
Nan Qiong Shuang, who was sitting opposite him, pretended to be absent-minded and carefully pondered the small box. At this moment, she looked up in surprise: "Didn't they say that there is only one small box in all of Qi and Song? Such a precious thing, give it to me?"
I deliberately looked at him with all my heart so that he wouldn't misunderstand me at all.
"Why not give it to you? Do you think I can't afford it?" Li Xuanbai glanced at her with the corner of his lips curled.
Gu Huaijin, who was sitting opposite them, always felt that the two of them were acting pretentiously - they might be like this on normal days, but when he was here, the two of them would be extra exaggerated and more cordial to show that they had a good relationship.
I felt even more annoyed all of a sudden.
Wu Shun respectfully served the tea, and Gu Huaijin took a sip from the tea lid. "I came here today to talk about what happened to Concubine Chang back then."
Li Xuanbai raised his eyebrows and crossed his fingers in front of him to form a small tower: "You say."
"These past few days, Gu has thoroughly searched the files of the Palace Administration Office, checked the records of the coroner, and even searched outside the palace for those involved in the incident, questioning and examining them one by one. Finally, I've begun to gain some clues."
Li Xuanbai listened quietly, half of his mind on the person beside him.
She studied the cinnabar paste absentmindedly.
"The Palace Justice Department investigated the case and concluded that Concubine Chang had spiked Concubine Xie's food with arsenic. A palace maid testified that she saw one of Concubine Chang's maids sneak into the Shangshen Bureau in the middle of the night and spike Concubine Xie's share of raw bird's nest with arsenic. The next day, Concubine Xie suffered from the poison."
"The archives of the Palace Administration Office recorded that the Imperial Concubine suffered 'severe pain in her throat and abdomen, writhing on the ground, vomiting and diarrhea,' and then 'her face and lips turned purple, blood oozed from all seven orifices, and her fingers became dark black.' The coroner inserted a silver hairpin into her throat, and it turned black, leading to the suspicion of arsenic poisoning. The Imperial Concubine's symptoms were similar to those of arsenic poisoning, so the case was closed that year."
"However, a few days ago, Gu found the residence of the coroner who performed the autopsy and went to visit him. Upon asking, he learned that the case was closed hastily and hastily, even though there were still some unclear points."
Li Xuanbai: "What is still unclear?"
Gu Huaijin said word by word: "After the Imperial Concubine died, her teeth turned blue."
Nan Qiongshuang suddenly raised her long eyelashes.
Arsenic will never stain a person's teeth blue.
Over the years, she had been on business trips abroad and had heard of many kinds of poisons and strange medicines, but she had only heard of one poison that could dye a dead person's teeth blue.
Li Xuanbai propped up his cheeks and said, "So, sir, what do you think could make someone die with a Bluetooth speaker?"
Gu Huaijin: "It's a kind of Gu in the Jianghu, called Chuanmai."
"Vein-transmitting Gu?"
"It's passed down through blood. The one who casts the Gu and the one who receives it must be blood relatives. Not only must the Gu be cast by a blood relative, but the cure must also be done by a blood relative." Nan Qiongshuang continued calmly, her fingers fiddling with the jade bead beneath her earlobe. "The master is warning my cousin that the real culprit is probably within the Xie family."
Gu Huaijin held the teacup: "Exactly."
The two of them suddenly sang the same tune, which was inexplicable, and Li Xuanbai felt annoyed when he heard it.
He laughed: "So, what happened with all those witnesses back then?"
Gu Huaijin sighed, "I've asked them one by one. As time has passed, some still won't talk, but some have already spoken. Those who have spoken said they were bribed back then. If I ask them further, they won't dare to say anything."
Nan Qiongshuang listened and felt bored, so she took the walnuts and pliers at the end of the table and started to pick up the walnuts.
Li Xuanbai glanced at her and smiled at Gu Huaijin, "Sir, aren't you always good at handling spies? You can interrogate these people the same way you interrogated those people. Why are you refusing to speak?"
Gu Huaijin just smiled.
The Regent and he have such a deep friendship, why would he dirty his hands for this Li guy?
He hoped that the Regent would fail in everything and die soon.
He nodded politely: "Gu is not up to the task."
Li Xuanbai saw his smug look and realized that he was deliberately refusing to put in any effort, so he sneered.
He took the nutcracker from Nan Qiongshuang.
Nan Qiongshuang was cracking a walnut smoothly when Li Xuanbai suddenly snatched the pliers away from her, and also took away the porcelain plate containing the walnut shells in front of her. She looked at him in confusion.
Li Xuanbai diligently cracked the walnuts for her one by one, peeling out the intact kernels and placing them in his palm. He refused to pour them into the fruit bowl, insisting that she take them with her hands: "Here you go. Look at the way you're cracking them."
Nan Qiongshuang knew what he was acting.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gu Huaijin sipping tea calmly, with the cup against his lips, looking out the window.
He deliberately didn't look this way.
He didn't want these two to succeed.
She was determined to succeed.
She smiled softly, "Thank you, cousin."
Gu Huaijin was still looking at the sky outside the window and sipping tea.
She put the walnut kernel between her teeth and crushed it with hatred, biting a little tender flesh on the inside of her lip.
She shuddered in pain and made a sound of "tut".
Gu Huaijin suddenly turned around for a moment, and his eye sockets, which were bound by silk ribbons, were dark and emotionless.
He only glanced at her halfway, and before he could really meet her gaze, he quickly turned away.
Suddenly, an inspiration came to her.
Tentatively, he moved his feet.
There were golden bells on his feet. Tiny, the size of rice grains, the bells could only be heard by those whose martial arts skills had advanced to his level.
What Gu Huaijin feared most right now was hearing the bell, as it would make his bones go weak again.
He took a sip of tea as if nothing had happened.
Li Xuanbai placed the peeled walnut kernels one by one in his palm and continued:
"So, the rest of the symptoms of the Meridian Gu are also similar to those of arsenic-induced death?"
"That's right. The Meridian Gu is fed with the essence and blood of the person who cast the Gu, and it takes 49 days..."
She moved her foot again.
Gu Huaijin's words suddenly stopped, and the broken parts were neat.
She picked up a piece of walnut kernel from Li Xuanbai's palm, which still had the warmth of his skin. She smiled and asked casually:
"What's wrong, sir?"
Gu Huaijin's Adam's apple slid unbearably for a moment, and she smiled as she bit the walnut kernel into pieces with a crunch.
Li Xuanbai was blocked from her game and could not understand its meaning, but he still found it interesting.
He teased him: "Why are you panting so hard?"
Gu Huaijin suddenly felt that he couldn't stay here any longer.
He said, "I have something going on at home, so I'm sorry I can't keep you company." Then he hurriedly took his leave.
The two looked at Gu Huaijin's back as he fled.
Li Xuanbai slammed the nutcracker down on the table with a look of pride. "Look, he's gone mad now. He can't even stand peeling a walnut."
Nan Qiong Shuang was overjoyed.
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