Chapter 102 Chapter 102 That ghostly shadow, how...
Chapter 102
When she returned home that day, Nan Qiong Shuang had a dream as soon as she closed her eyes.
I dreamed of people and things that I had long forgotten.
In the dream, the person she used to be most familiar with and relied on the most, but now she didn't even want to think about, had no features, only a circle of outline.
He was still wearing the white clothes that she was tired of seeing, and his sword was unsheathed.
She felt no pain at all. When the sword was unsheathed, a circle of cold wind blew, ruffling her hair. She raised her chin and stretched her neck.
"You want to kill me?" She smiled. Now she finally didn't have to pretend anymore. "Come on."
The person in front of me had no face, and his voice was flat, as if it came from across the River Lethe, vague and distant.
"Why did you forget me?"
She laughed, "There are so many people who hate me, I can't remember them all."
He didn't say anything, with a vertical red tear running down his left cheek.
"Come see me."
"I can't see him." She tugged at the earring under her ear, only to discover that it was his natal bead. "Kill him if you want."
"Even if you don't come to see me, I will still go to see you."
He pulled out the sword completely.
Only then did she see that the gardenia-yellow thing tied to the hilt of his sword was the love knot she had given him.
For a moment she regretted not killing him.
He slowly, holding the sword, turned half a circle.
Across his neck.
"I know how to get to you." His beautiful lips moved coldly. "Come to see me, or I'll find you."
"Don't go crazy." She hated these words so much that it seemed as if she was chewing them between her teeth and spitting them out.
He didn't answer, but gathered strength in his hand and made a cut. When she saw him gathering strength, she jumped over in shock and grabbed his arm.
He was stopped by her in silence, without resistance or struggle, just like a puppet, being manipulated by her.
His neck was still cut, and blood flowed down slowly, covering half of his body.
He didn't care, she was the one shaking the most.
"Didn't I say that if you die, we'll die together?" A red tear fell down his right cheek. "You won't let me go. Where are you?"
"I'm alive!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, only to find that tears were already streaming down her face. "Live well! Listen carefully, Gu Huaijin, live well!"
When I woke up from the dream, it was midnight. The calming incense had gone out and the Golden Lion had become cold.
She opened her eyes wide and found that her tears were flowing into her ears, cold and wet, which was very disturbing.
She didn't dream about him often. For the first six months, she told everyone she had forgotten about him, but she still saw him often in her dreams. But as time went on, she really stopped dreaming about him.
Now, even if we meet in a dream, I wouldn’t dare to recognize you.
How could that ghostly shadow be the person who drank and played chess with her under the fallen flowers in Muxueyuan back then?
She didn't want to think about anything, and her head started to hurt again. Now she had more trouble falling asleep than before, and her sleep was more shallow. Once she woke up, she couldn't sleep all night.
That night, she spent the night alone on the couch, hugging her knees.
The next day, Emperor Jiaqing asked her to accompany him as usual. He asked her to accompany him when he had a headache, and he also asked her to accompany him when he didn't have a headache.
After she finished dressing up and having breakfast, she hurried to the Zichen Palace.
Emperor Jiaqing did not attend court. Chang Da had helped him ascend to the throne, firstly because his mother was Chang Baoyan, and secondly because he indulged in pleasure and had no interest in the world, only enjoying Liubo, Majiang and Chupu.
There was no one in the Purple Palace. Wang Rang wasn't there either. Wang Rang's apprentice, Xiao Zhunzi, replied respectfully, saying that the Emperor had finished breakfast and headed straight for Laughter Garden.
Xiaoleyuan was a gambling hall set up in the Forbidden City by Emperor Jiaqing for playing cards, chess and dice.
When they arrived at Xiaole Garden, Qinglian drew aside the bead curtain for her. As soon as she entered, she saw three people sitting around a square carved lacquer mahogany table. On the table was a long chessboard, the five wooden pieces of which were shaking loudly.
When he saw her coming, Emperor Jiaqing ignored her.
The person who was throwing the five logs was Li Jingtai, the son of the Duke of Qi.
Although Li Jingtai was the descendant of a founding general, he had no accomplishments in military strategy. He was the most outstanding dice general, cricket prime minister, and Chupu marshal of Qi and Song.
On the opposite side was Wang Maoxing, who was trying to force a smile.
As soon as she saw this formation, she found it interesting. Wang Maoxing was a scholar, and at this moment, he should have been attending court in the main hall, but he was caught by the emperor's grace and could not attend court. Early in the morning, in court robes, he was dragged by the emperor to play Chupu.
Yuanxiang took off her coat for her. She looked at the chessboard and naturally sat down next to Emperor Jiaqing.
Emperor Jiaqing stared at Wu Mu who was thrown into the air and stretched out his hand to shake hers.
Wu Mu fell to the ground, and the hand holding her suddenly tightened, causing her a little pain.
"The sky is full of white pheasants! The sky is full of white pheasants!" Emperor Jiaqing took a look, his jaw almost dislocated from his jaw as he laughed so hard that he couldn't make any sound. He clapped his hands, "Prince! Prince, you are so lucky!"
In the game of Chupu, if all five wooden pieces are facing white, you will be penalized to stop playing for one round.
Across from him, Wang Maoxing's old face was covered in cold sweat, like a dried date covered in frost.
Nan Qiongshuang glanced at him with a hint of pity. He was nearly seventy years old, and for seventy years, the thing he'd been most willing to throw away was his own head. Serving such a monarch was no different from throwing his head away for fun.
"Your Majesty, I am a dull and incompetent official. If Your Majesty really wants someone to accompany you, why not wait for Mr. Gu—"
"Why do you say that?" The Jiaqing Emperor tapped his chess piece in surprise. He usually had terrible luck playing chess, and he wouldn't calm down until someone even worse appeared before him. "Mr. Gu is known as the Prime Minister in Black, and Prime Minister Wang is the Prime Minister in Purple. We're both Prime Ministers, so what's the difference between them?"
Before Wang Maoxing could reply, Li Jingtai threw the five pieces of wood into the air again. Emperor Jiaqing bowed and glared at him like a cat seeing a mouse.
The five trees fell to the ground, and there was complete silence.
Li Jingtai clapped his hands and laughed, "Lu! Lord Wang's fortune today depends entirely on me!"
On the chessboard, one of the three lines, upper, middle, and lower, was nearing the finish line. Li Jingtai picked up his piece and made another move on that line, which was his most prized position.
Lu Ke threw the dice again and again, and it was a pheasant again.
Emperor Jiaqing's face was already twisted as if his teeth were broken. Li Jingtai showed no scruples. He pulled open the jade-inlaid fan with a swish and put it away with a swish. He clasped his fists and said, "Thank you for letting me."
The winner was decided, and Emperor Jiaqing snorted coldly.
Wang Maoxing was invited because he was fun to play. Li Jingtai was invited because he was good at playing.
However, if you are too good at playing, it will not be fun anymore.
"It's a small matter." Emperor Jiaqing took a sip of tea. "Isn't it just asking me for an official position? I'll grant it, and that's it."
Emperor Jiaqing played Chupu and gambled heavily, often betting official positions and estates.
Wang Maoxing: "Your Majesty, if you want to enter the court as an official, no matter what, you must pass the imperial examination. This..."
Emperor Jiaqing held her hand and tightened it slightly.
"I said, give Brother Jingtai an official position, then give Brother Jingtai an official position. Qi and Song are so big, can't I afford to lose? Besides, Brother Jingtai's ancestor was a founding marshal, and he made great contributions to the emperor. I want to confer him an official position, who dares to say anything?"
Wang Maoxing sweated profusely and lowered his head. "If it were just a minor position, it would be fine, but the position of Salt Commissioner is of the third rank. In my humble opinion, this matter needs to be discussed with Mr. Gu when he returns."
Emperor Jiaqing suddenly threw the ivory chess piece in his hand onto the chessboard:
"I said I'm going to seal it, I'm going to seal it! Who dares to make such a fuss?!"
"emperor."
Before the pale-faced Wang Maoxing could utter a word, a person was already standing at the door.
The man who came had a ruddy face, broad shoulders and a big waist, a beard, very small black eyes, and white eyeballs. His face was shiny without even sweating.
The Jiaqing Emperor, who had been fierce just now, suddenly turned respectful and stood up to greet him: "General Chang."
Nan Qiong Shuang had not been in the palace for long, and this was the first time she had seen the legendary General Chang, Chang Da, with her own eyes.
Chang Da took two or three steps forward, his steps vigorous and powerful, and approached Emperor Jiaqing directly.
He neither knelt nor kowtowed, but just clasped his hands and bent his waist slightly.
The Jiaqing Emperor took a half step back when he was stared at. Suddenly, he turned his head and said to the people at the card table in a fierce tone, "Get out! Everyone, get out!"
Li Jingtai nodded and ran away.
Wang Maoxing took the opportunity to slip away, only to be caught back by Emperor Jiaqing: "Go down and draft the imperial edict!"
Nan Qiong Shuang nodded and stood up. She pushed her chair away and took two steps when Emperor Jiaqing said from behind her, "Where are you going, my beloved? Stay with me."
She had no choice but to hold the hand that Emperor Jiaqing extended to her and sit back down beside him.
Chang Da did not wait for Emperor Jiaqing to give him a seat. He sat beside Emperor Jiaqing, legs apart, and placed his hands on his knees.
"I came here today for my sister Lin Yan."
Emperor Jiaqing's face suddenly darkened and he glanced away.
Nan Qiong Shuang sighed.
She knew that forcing Concubine Sheng to kneel in front of the Purple Palace that day could only vent her anger temporarily, and in the end, Chang Da would definitely come to her door.
"A few days ago, Linyan helped Empress Zhenfei with her medical treatment by changing her needles. While that was certainly inconsiderate, it was also for the Empress's own good. Linyan has always been respectful to the Empress and deeply adores the Emperor. I do not know what crime she has committed, but I punish her by making her kneel in the rain for three hours."
"General, I only punished her for two hours that day. She knelt willingly for the remaining hours. Deyin was poisoned by her and fainted for two or three days. Isn't it right for me to give her a small punishment and a big warning?"
"As far as I know, Lin Yan didn't intend to frame the Empress. She just listened to the palace gossip and mistakenly thought that the Empress's constitution was just right for the oleander flower liquid, so she replaced the Empress's silver needles." Chang Da bowed and glared. "Replacing the silver needles is quite difficult. Lin Yan was afraid that the Empress would not approve, so she went to great lengths to come up with this last resort. Regardless of the outcome, this is for the Empress's health."
She laughed when she heard this. "Since the oleander flower liquid is so good, why doesn't she try it on herself first?"
Chang Dawan didn't expect that she dared to interrupt. He glared at her for a moment with his fierce eyes, and that look seemed to weigh on her like a thousand pounds.
What that means is, the emperor is just a young boy, and you, a little concubine, have the right to interfere?
"Empress Zhenfei is truly sharp-tongued." He glared at her, his eyes looking as if he wanted to bore two holes into her body. "It seems that she is well again. Linyan's mistake was unintentional, and there is no reason to pursue it further."
"Linyan is also at fault in this matter. Although I am eager to protect my sister, I do not want to embarrass Your Majesty." He bowed and said in a voice as loud as a bell, "As long as Linyan kneels in the rain, Concubine Zhen will also kneel in the rain for the same amount of time. After kneeling, go to Anren Palace to apologize to Linyan in person, and the matter will be settled."
"General, please don't go too far." The agitation in Emperor Jiaqing's head caused another sharp pain. He rubbed his temples and said angrily, "I've been missing Concubine Sheng for a while now. I'll visit her more often. Please go back, General."
"Reply? Lin Yan's letter, heartbroken beyond words, tear marks all over the paper. Without the Emperor's permission, how can I return home with peace of mind?"
"Let me think about it again." Before leaving, Gu Huaijin warned Emperor Jiaqing that if Chang Da came to him aggressively, he should use the strategy of procrastination. "Besides, there has been no rain in Beijing recently, so I can't kneel even if I want to. Let me think about it again."
"Your Majesty has a weak constitution, and a clear sky with a blazing sun is especially suitable for you to calm your mind. If Your Majesty approves, I will also be magnanimous and not pursue the matter further regarding the suffering Lin Yan endured from kneeling in the rain and the cold."
These words are almost the fault of Emperor Jiaqing.
As expected, Emperor Jiaqing hissed, grabbed her hand, and grimaced, "Deyin, my head is starting to hurt again—"
"Wang Rang," she called out hastily, "Call the imperial physician!" She nodded to Chang Da, "General, the emperor is feeling unwell. I hope you—"
"Your Majesty and Empress Zhenfei are truly a loving couple." Chang Da sneered, his beard twitching. "It's a pity for my poor sister, who has given her all to the wrong person. Empress Zhenfei has only been in the palace for a short time, but she has already won the favor of the Majesty. She is truly a foxy woman who has deceived the emperor, making him forget the years of love and affection he had as a couple. May I ask, Your Majesty, do you want to hand over the country to this woman?"
The last sentence is so obviously implied that it is more than just a threat.
"What on earth does the General want from me!" The Jiaqing Emperor lost control in pain, screaming hysterically and stamping his feet. "You want Deyin to kneel, and I'll kneel with you! I'll kneel with Deyin even though I have a headache! Doesn't the General want to see me like this?! You want all the ministers and officials to watch me and Deyin kneel and apologize to the General, okay?"
As soon as Emperor Jiaqing screamed, the palace servants waiting outside came in to protect the emperor and plead for mercy. Wang Maoxing popped his head out and moved in trembling. It turned out that he was worried that the emperor could not deal with Chang Da, so he was waiting outside no matter how afraid he was.
He was still wearing the purple court robes of a first-rank official. He was nearly seventy years old, with gray hair on his temples. Facing Chang Da, who had shiny black hair, he knelt down with white hair and bowed deeply.
"General, the Emperor is ill. I beg General Chang to allow the Emperor to return to the Purple Palace. We can discuss the matters of the Imperial Concubine and the Concubine Zhen after the Emperor has recovered. It will not be too late."
The words were spoken so humbly, but Chang Da was too lazy to even respond.
"Your Majesty is unwell? Your Majesty has been unwell all day. His head hurts today, and tomorrow it hurts too. I want to make a decision for my sister. How long do we have to wait? Do we have to wait until this witch gives birth to a dragon heir?!"
At this point, even a fool would understand that Chang Da came today not for Mao Linyan, but to intimidate Emperor Jiaqing and stomp his already broken spine into four pieces.
Today, if Emperor Jiaqing does not give in, Chang Da will never give up.
"Alright! I'll kneel too!" Emperor Jiaqing jumped up, knocking the card table in front of him over with a loud crash. "I'll kneel down to the general! Kneel down until the general lets me stand up! Deyin, get up!"
Nan Qiong Shuang never expected that today would develop like this. Chang Da was violent and bloodthirsty, while Emperor Jiaqing was usually cowardly and became a madman when he really lost his temper. Both sides were mad dogs. Could it be that today would be the day when Qi and Song would be destroyed?
Unexpectedly, Chang Da calmed down.
The sound is as deep as an ancient bell.
"Your Majesty, do you really intend to kneel down?"
That look was sinister and ferocious.
The mad man, with his legs trembling, came to his senses.
"Your Majesty," Chang Da said word by word, "Empress Zhenfei, shall I punish you?"
Emperor Jiaqing was silent for two moments and stopped looking at her.
"Punishment."
"But now, Your Majesty is only being punished to kneel in the scorching sun. I am not satisfied with this."
Chang Da raised his eyebrows, speaking slowly like a confident bear, "In a few days, that imperial tutor will be back. It's said that his eyesight isn't very good, but his ears are very good. Not only can cats, dogs, and birds not get close to him, but even palace maids with unpleasant voices will die if they come near him."
He chuckled, "The Emperor loves Concubine Zhen very much. He will definitely order her to accompany him at the palace banquet. In that case, I will give her a medicine."
"Fengming Pill."
"Take one pill and the Empress will be protected. The sound will be like the cry of a phoenix, clear and melodious, touching the heartstrings."
Nan Qiongshuang looked at the round brown pill held in Wang Rang's palm and tightened her cuffs.
She didn't even need to use a silver needle to test this pill.
It must be poison.
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