Stargazing Trap
Due to the Chen Youyou incident, Emperor Li Lie'ao summoned the imperial merchant Guo to the Imperial Study. After understanding the situation, Li Lie'ao knew it was a frame-up for the Crown Princess, but he believed that these issues should be handled properly, so he simply gave him a brief warning and left it at that.
After this incident, businessman Guo privately declined the Chen family's offer to continue working under him.
Inside the palace gate, the corridor was bottomless and even the autumn morning light could not penetrate it.
In Chen Ying's bedroom, two children were playing by themselves in the crib. Chen Ying took off her clothes and lay on the bed, while Yangyang and Yueyue were applying medicine to her.
"Yangyang, Yueyue, I have a question for you. Who sold you the bracelets? Do you remember who sold them to you?"
Yangyang said, "Master, just now His Majesty summoned the two of us to the main hall. His Majesty summoned the master's family and the Guo family's imperial merchants. We didn't see the person who sold the bracelet to us at the scene. But at that time, that person claimed to be from the Guo family's imperial merchants."
"Even my family has been implicated. What does the other party want? Is there a trap behind this? By the way, how will His Majesty deal with the Imperial Merchant and you afterwards?"
Yueyue replied, "My Lord, His Majesty only gave us a few words of admonition and then released us."
Chen Yun took out two silver coins from the bedside and said, "You will leave the palace later under the pretext of buying some fruit. Hire someone to investigate the families of Lan Xixi, Chen Youyou, and Li Zi. No matter if it's good or bad, the more detailed the better. Be careful not to alert the enemy. If necessary, break away from the relationship or even kill them first and ask for permission later. Tell me later."
"Thank you, Master! We will definitely live up to your trust!"
"By the way, where's the prince?"
"The prince is here." A male voice came from outside.
"Wait! I need to get dressed first."
After a while, the door was opened. Yangyang and Yueyue bowed and walked out of the room, passing by Li Lin who was entering.
Chen Ying was sitting on the bed. Li Lin came over and saw the medicine bottle in Chen Ying's hand, and asked, "Have you applied it?"
“I did, but it wasn’t finished.”
"Lie down, take off your shirt, and I will apply it for you."
"ha?"
"I have already seen it. Why hide it?"
Chen Yun's cheeks flushed slightly, and he turned his head away. "This is in broad daylight, it's definitely not right!"
Li Lin bent down and said to Chen Yun, "Who dares to speak about the private lives of this prince and his wife? It's okay for a husband to do this to his wife, right?"
Chen Yun's face turned even redder. "Don't go too far."
Li Lin untied Chen Ying's waistband, revealing her underwear, forcing her to quickly cover her upper body. But before she could react, Li Lin snatched the medicine bottle from her hand.
"Xiaoyun, lie down and take off your clothes. I will blindfold myself and apply medicine to you."
Li Lin blindfolded himself with a corset and sat next to her.
Chen Yun also took off her underwear, revealing her bellyband, then rolled over, spun with both legs and swung them to the side of Li Lin, sending the wind from her legs blasting across Li Lin's face. But then, Chen Yun cried out in pain from the wounds she had received.
Li Lin opened the medicine bottle, poked the medicine with his finger, and then reached out, "Hold my hand. Then move it to the wound."
Chen Yun held Li Lin's hand and placed it on his own wound.
Li Lin leaned close to Chen Yun's ear, his fingers gently twisting and moving on Chen Yun's wound, and he uttered a deep and magnetic male voice: "Xiao Yun, where is my finger in your body now?"
Chen Yun shyly lowered her head. "Now I regret asking you to help me apply the medicine! You..."
But Li Lin's hands moved restlessly left and right, and Chen Ying bent his body as if he had been touched by electricity.
Then he lowered his head and said shyly: "Don't move left and right. Behind is..."
"Where is it?"
The whisper made Chen Yun unable to hold back, and he headbutted Li Lin, causing him to step back in pain. Chen Yun also took the opportunity to quickly put on his clothes and stand up.
Li Lin took off the corset, put on an evil smile, and then walked up to Chen Yan: "Xiao Yan, you have suffered a lot, you deserve some sweetness. So I decided to put a corset on you." After that, he hugged Chen Yan from behind the waist, making Chen Yan and Li Lin stare at each other.
Li Lin was still adjusting Chen Yun's corset. The two looked into each other's eyes, their expressions calm but filled with tenderness.
"Xiao Yun, the affairs in the palace are extremely treacherous. Protect yourself and don't let anyone catch you. Show weakness when necessary."
"I show weakness to avoid trouble, but it doesn't mean I won't deal with it. Once I strike back, no one will escape."
Li Lin finally finished putting the corset on Chen Yun. Chen Yun nodded as if waking from a dream.
Li Lin then took a step back and said, "Be good at using Anbu. The nature of animals is the survival of the fittest. The same is true for humans. When it comes to profit, kindness is the most worthless thing."
After saying that, Li Lin left the dormitory, leaving Chen Yin with a helpless smile.
A few days later, Xue Lian led the four concubines of the emperor and the four concubines of the crown prince to the observatory to drink tea and discuss music.
Chen Yun, holding the child, slowly walked towards the gathered table and saluted with a proper smile on his face: "Your son pays homage to the Queen Mother and greets the concubines."
Concubine Lin smiled and said, "Oh, everyone is finally here. But you came to join in the fun with your child in your arms?"
"The Third Prince's mother and the cousin of the eunuch holding the seal, Concubine Lin, is from the Zhenyuan faction." Chen Yun looked at Concubine Lin and recalled her identity. Then he sat down and smiled slightly. "I heard that we were invited to have tea and discuss music today, so I thought of bringing the child out for some fresh air."
Concubine Sun Shu, who was standing beside Concubine Lin, also chimed in, "It's really hard work. Raising children is not easy. Back then, those two children almost made me want to jump into a well."
"The Sixth Prince and the Eighth Princess' mother is Consort Sun Shu. The Eighth Princess is now the in-law of Louhuang Country." Thinking of this, Chen Yun smiled and responded, "Thank you Consort Sun Shu for your concern. The child is quite well-behaved."
Xue Lian said, "I invited you today. The Crown Prince has few women around him, and we are not young anymore. It's time for the two generations to meet."
Chen Youyou looked at Chen Yun and pretended to be concerned. "Seeing that you're in good spirits, I'm relieved. I was worried that you'd be devastated by the punishment."
Chen Youyou's words filled the atmosphere with tension. Chen Yun glanced at Concubine Fang De, who was standing beside him. "The Fifth Princess' mother, Concubine Fang De, is Chen Youyou's half-sister and a member of the Imperial Hospital. She seems quite indifferent. Let's calm the atmosphere down first." Chen Yun quickly joked, "You're kidding! I'm a fierce general!"
All the women present were amused by her words. Chen Yun looked at the tea set on the table, which was made of high-end purple clay, and couldn't help but pick it up to smell the tea. The fragrance immediately filled his heart.
Look at the circular square of the observatory. There is no ceiling covering it. Although it is morning, the autumn weather makes the environment neither too sunny nor too shady.
At this time, Concubine Xiao Xian took a sip of tea and said slowly, "This palace is very lively. Something happens every few days. You must be careful and don't let anyone plot against you again."
"The Ninth Princess's mother, Consort Xiao Xianfei, is the third princess of the grassland king, Qidan Khan. However, people from the grassland have been in the palace for many years and are not easy to mess with. So, is what you said now considered concern or a threat?" Chen Yun was suspicious in his heart, and could only face it with a smile.
Xue Lian glanced at everyone and smiled slightly, breaking the slightly tense atmosphere: "Today we are here to relax. Let's not talk about those trivial things. Let's all try this newly tribute tea."
Everyone responded, picking up their teacups and sipping their tea. Chen Yun took a sip, feeling the fragrance permeate the air, but her mind wasn't on the tea at all. She secretly observed everyone present.
Concubine Lin put down her teacup and said, "Since it's so rare to see the ladies of the Crown Prince's household, I'd like to invite you to demonstrate your talents."
Chen Youyou stepped forward first. "I am not talented and am not good at music theory. In order not to spoil the pleasure of Your Highnesses, I suggest that Li Liangdi accompany me."
Li Zi gracefully walked over to the guzheng, her delicate hands gently plucking the strings, sending forth ethereal music that rippled across the air. The large strings surged like a torrential downpour, the smaller strings soft as whispers, draping the observatory with a dreamy veil, brimming with natural beauty.
In front, Chen Youyou danced in sync with the music, her waist swaying gently like a willow in the wind, her jade fingers turning like young branches sprouting, her figure graceful and her curves soft, echoing with the sound of the piano, showing her grace and beauty, which captivated all the spectators.
Chen Yun couldn't help but secretly applaud while watching.
The collaboration between the two was seamless, and after one song and one dance, the people at the scene were delighted and appreciative.
Xue Lian nodded with satisfaction and said, "Very good, very good."
"Thank you, Queen Mother, for your praise. Now that we've had our performance, why don't you all enjoy a drink? Let Xiao Zi offer a toast to all the ladies and sisters!"
Li Zi used her sleeves to cover her eyes and fill everyone's teacup.
Li Zi picked up the teacup in her hand and toasted everyone, then put her sleeves up and drank it all.
Concubine Fang De looked at Lan Xixi and said, "I heard that the daughter of the Grand Tutor had an accident in another country and was unable to perform. It's a pity, otherwise if there was a chance to play together, it would definitely be a delightful experience."
Lan Xixi stood up and bowed. "Although I cannot perform my beautiful music for you, I have prepared my needlework. I am sorry to show you my ugly side."
With the help of several palace maids, the rack was set up, and then five pieces of fabric were spread out on the rack, showing identical flower embroidery. Lan Xixi took out a butterfly in a glass bottle and released it. The butterfly hovered in the air for a while and soon landed on the flower embroidery.
Concubine Lin asked in surprise, "How could this woman's needlework attract a flock of butterflies?"
"Embroidery thread is made from silk soaked in nectar for 49 days and then dried. It has a luminous effect even in dim places. Good things are given to noble people. This sewing is given to five of you." Then she swept away all the butterflies.
Xue Lian nodded in satisfaction. "That's enough, that's enough. Come, ladies, bring your masters' needlework here."
Xue Lian looked at Chen Yun again, "I wonder what surprise Yun'er has in store?"
Chen Yun looked left and right, only to find that except for herself, all the other concubines had presented "gifts", but she was completely unprepared.
She panicked, "It's over, it's over. I didn't even think about preparing a gift... I'll just pick something up."
Suddenly, Chen Ying felt hot all over and dizzy.
Li Zi asked, "Sister, aren't you prepared? Do you want me to teach you how to prepare?"
Li Zi's eyes were sharp, without the round and pure feeling that she had when they first met. The corners of her mouth were slightly raised, as if she was about to say something.
Chen Yan forced himself to say, "I'm sorry, your son...is unprepared."
"That's it?" Everyone looked at Li Zi in confusion when she asked.
Xue Lian said dissatisfiedly, "Everyone is prepared, but you are not. How rude!"
Chen Yun stood up and said, "I'm sorry, I'm not feeling well and need to leave first. Yangyang, Yueyue, take the princess and the prince back."
Xue Lian slammed the table and scolded, "How rude! If you treat us like this, how will you treat guests in the future?"
Chen Yun said coldly, "I'm not prepared. How do you want to solve this?"
Everyone looked at Chen Yun in surprise. She actually contradicted the queen directly.
Li Zi helped out: "Mother, my sister looks really unwell, let her be!"
Xue Lian waved his hand in disappointment: "No, I have to punish you today."
Chen Yun smiled coldly and said, "Perhaps if your Majesty punishes me, all my illnesses will vanish. Please do so immediately."
Li Zi and Chen Youyou were both ashamed when they saw this. Li Zi quickly stood up and pulled Chen Yan away.
"Mother, my sister must be feeling unwell today, which is why she is talking nonsense. I will take her away first."
The four concubines were all left in a state of confusion by Chen Yun's temperament.
Lan Xixi's Nanny Xue Lian comforted her from behind: "Forget it, forget it, my sister is just so straightforward, mother, please don't be angry."
"Humph! This personality will cause problems sooner or later!"
Chen Yun gently pushed Li Zi away: "You should stay. I will go back on my own."
Li Zi winked at the palace maid beside her, then looked at Chen Yan and the palace maid who were leaving quickly, a triumphant smile appearing on her face.
Chen Yan finally returned to the dormitory, took off his coat and lay on the bed, "You two go out first, let me rest for a while."
When the two palace maids left the room for a moment, Chen Yun suddenly felt uncomfortable all over. "This is... I was drugged... I need acupuncture."
Chen Yun gritted his teeth and stood up, then went to the cabinet to find the acupuncture items. At this moment, a guard broke in.
"How dare you! Trespassing into the concubine's bedroom is a capital offense! Leave me now!"
However, the lecherous guard refused to obey. He closed the door and forcibly picked up Chen Yan. "My queen, I have long admired your beauty. Today, let me love you well!"
Chen Yun was shocked and angry. His weak body made his steps unsteady, and the obvious beating sound made him break out in a cold sweat.
She struggled with all her strength, raising her leg and kicking the guard's lower body fiercely. The guard felt the pain, but still did not let go. Instead, he threw Chen Yan onto the bed and pounced on her viciously.
Chen Yun stabbed the lascivious guard with several needles, and the guard also fell on the bed.
Chen Ying wanted to escape from the dormitory, but eventually fainted and fell to the ground.
When Chen Yun woke up, she found herself tied up and kneeling on the ground, and the lecherous guard beside her was also tied up and kneeling on the ground. She looked up and saw the four concubines, Li Lin, Li Lie'ao, and three other concubines of the crown prince surrounding her in the bedroom.
Li Lin frowned and said, "Xiao Ying, should we still be merciful now?"
Chen Ying swallowed her saliva, she realized that it was time for her to be criticized.
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