Return to the palace
Because of his unauthorized action, Qi Qinghe was severely lectured by Xiao Junbai, and was forced to select two pages of scriptures and copy them a hundred times as punishment.
Therefore, she stayed in the house these few days and never went out. Even when the princess called her to go for a stroll in the city, she found an excuse to refuse.
For this reason, Xiao Junmei pointed at Xiao Junbai in the courtyard and cursed, "You are a dignified prince, why do you stay with me instead of living in the Eastern Palace? My temporary palace is small and cannot accommodate a person of your status."
Xiao Junbai didn't pay attention to her yin and yang, and said in a calm tone without a trace of emotion, "Then expand it."
The prince's frank attitude made Xiao Junmei angry, and he stormed out.
At that time, Qi Qinghe was sitting at the desk, copying scriptures with a pen, looking dejected and not in high spirits.
The invitation sent by the Imperial Concubine was placed on a corner of the table. It had a red background with gold embossing, and a hint of floral fragrance wafted towards you. The message was concise, saying that three days later, the Emperor would be offering sacrifices to his ancestors, and the Empress would be accompanying him. The Imperial Concubine and Princess Shaoyao would stay in the palace, and they had not seen each other for a long time, so they specially invited people to the palace for a chat.
Three short days passed in a flash. Apart from copying the scriptures, there were other things to do.
What Qi Qinghe still remembers most clearly is the story of her younger sister Qi Qingyu.
Three days ago, Qi Qingyu chased after the Imperial Guards and watched Qi Lin being taken to the dungeon. Although it was arranged by her sister, she felt some real emotions.
However, no one knew what the father and daughter said. Qi Qingyu did not mention a word about it, and the disgust and disdain in her eyes were not concealed at all.
Then he spoke hesitantly, his eyes flickering, and he took out a letter, saying that he had received a letter from his mother and was going to seek refuge with his maternal grandparents, and specially thanked his sister and the two princes for their care.
He kept all the gold, silver, jade ornaments and precious decorations given to him in the past, bowed gracefully, and thanked his sister again for protecting him for so many times. His eyes were red and he shed tears.
Qi Qinghe then stopped asking questions, her eyes full of tears, and she just told her younger sister to live a good life, and if there was a chance in the future, she could come to the palace and chat with him often.
When I was having dinner with the prince in the evening, I still remembered this incident and asked the prince what would happen to Qi Lin and Fu Jingxuan.
Qi Lin had met and had dealings with the Zhou family. If he really defected to the Fourth Prince Xiao Junhui and participated in the rebellion, he would be sentenced to death.
Fu Jingxuan was in a difficult situation. According to the laws of the time, he should have been executed. However, the prince's arrow missed that day and only broke the man's calf, saving his life. So it was not certain.
Whenever Qi Qinghe got tired of copying scriptures, he would stare at the lush trees in the yard in a daze, secretly pondering these things.
However, the prince's answer was unexpected, "Death penalty."
Fu Jingxuan had no desire to live. Even if he was spared and allowed to live, he would probably be a walking corpse, a life worse than death.
Qi Qinghe was stunned. After realizing this, he recalled Fu Jingyuan's suicide. He became sad and felt that the matter was meaningless, so he stopped asking questions.
On the day of entering the palace, the rain stopped and there was not a single dark cloud in the gray-blue sky.
In the quiet bedroom, the goose yellow gauze curtain hung to the ground. Xiao Junbai stood up and lifted the curtain. He put on his robe slowly, leaned over and stroked her cheek, calling her softly.
Qi Qinghe frowned slightly, and her round almond-shaped eyes slowly opened. Her voice was even more sleepy, "Why are you up so early?"
She vaguely remembered that the prince should go ahead of her to pay homage to the ancestors.
"Wash and change clothes," Xiao Junbai said, holding her waist and helping her sit up steadily. He used his fingers as a comb to comb through her long, shiny black hair. He gently held her warm fingers and asked her, "Are you scared?"
Qi Qinghe shook his head, covered his lips and yawned. He had been through so much along the way, there was no reason to be timid at this moment.
When she was held by the prince and sat in front of the dressing mirror, the person in the mirror had dark circles under his eyes and his eyes were blank and lifeless. He still couldn't figure out why he had to get up so early.
After a while, Yun Tao, Yun Xing and a group of maids, each holding a brocade box in their hands, came in one after another and lined up in front of the empress.
Qi Qinghe raised his eyebrows, widened his eyes, and stretched his neck to look.
A jade headpiece, jade bracelets, coral earrings, rouge and powder, a bright red palace dress with gold-stamped patterns, peony patterns on the cuffs, and a flared skirt, all extremely gorgeous.
She couldn't help but take a few more glances, and suddenly realized.
No wonder the prince wanted to make trouble for her this morning, that was why.
The complicated palace dress, layer upon layer, highlights her slim figure, and with some makeup, her beautiful facial features become even more bright and charming.
When he is not talking or smiling, he looks more graceful and elegant.
Qi Qinghe slowly stood up, stretched out her arms, moved her feet slightly, and turned around. The beautiful patterns bloomed with her movements, and the bright colors were dazzling.
Xiao Junbai lowered his eyes, but couldn't help but look at her a few more times. His eyes became more and more profound. He strode forward, hugged her in his arms, and told her to be careful.
Qi Qinghe nodded, indicating that he remembered.
The two separated at the foot of Fengshan Mountain. Xiao Junbai rode his horse westward, waiting for the emperor's arrival. Qi Qinghe slowly got on the carriage and drove away from Fengshan Mountain.
Golden sunlight shines through the diamond-shaped window panes and falls onto the table.
Qi Qinghe sat upright behind the desk, his fingers slowly curled into fists, his back straight without relaxing at all, and he didn't even touch the fruits and tea on the desk.
Yun Xing and Yun Tao were completely unaware of this. They only felt that the Empress was homesick and kept chattering to comfort her. Sometimes they said that the Imperial Concubine's favor had continued and her temper had improved. Sometimes they mentioned Princess Shao Yao, who was getting older and more beautiful.
In the end, they all came to their queen, vying with each other to praise her for her exquisite beauty today.
Qi Qinghe was at a loss for words when she heard this. The tension in her head relaxed a little, and she pretended to pinch their noses. "Now that they're bold enough, the Queen and His Highness have dared to bring it up too."
The master, his servant and the other two immediately burst into laughter.
The carriage stopped in front of the palace gate. Qi Qinghe touched her hair, straightened her dress, and followed the palace maid into the palace.
The vermilion Gaoqiang and the magnificent palace with blue bricks and black tiles, everything is familiar yet strange.
When he arrived in front of the imperial concubine's bedroom, he waited for a while and only entered after the palace maid informed him.
Incense was burning in the hall, and the air was filled with smoke and fragrance.
The imperial concubine leaned on the recliner, sipping tea sipfully, and was talking to Princess Shaoyao Xiao Junluo beside her.
As soon as the person stepped into the palace, Xiao Junluo's eyes lit up and he quickly stood up and saluted, "Greetings to the Empress, have you been well these days? Is Jiangnan fun?"
Qi Qinghe smiled, bowed, and answered them one by one.
The imperial concubine's smile faded slightly, and she sat up straight. "It's been so long since I returned to the capital, why don't you come to the palace and take a look? This girl keeps nagging at you."
"I am sorry for being rude, please forgive me, mother." Qi Qinghe answered respectfully without shirking the responsibility. She called Yun Tao and Yun Xing and presented the gift list prepared for the imperial concubine and the princess.
Seeing the gift list, the imperial concubine's expression gradually eased and she said with a smile, "I thought you had been away from the palace for so long that you didn't know the etiquette."
Xiao Junluo looked at his mother, then at the emperor's sister-in-law. His eyes were as clear as lacquer, and he said to the emperor's sister-in-law, "Sister-in-law, don't listen to my mother. She misses you so much. She's worried that you won't have enough to eat or wear, and you'll suffer in vain."
The imperial concubine glanced at her daughter and pretended to twist her mouth. "Little girl, you're always so stubborn and dare to say anything."
Xiao Junluo hid behind the emperor's sister-in-law and stuck out his tongue.
Qi Qinghe smiled, "It is truly an honor for me to receive your kindness, mother."
The imperial concubine slowly stood up and said, "Now that we're here, it's boring to just sit there. Why don't we go for a walk?"
The three of them were surrounded and went to the Imperial Garden.
The garden, carefully tended by the palace ladies, was filled with clusters of flowers in full bloom, a feast for the eyes.
The imperial concubine paced ahead, her voice scattered, "You've suffered a lot these days."
"I don't know who the Crown Prince inherited this temper from. He used to be so self-disciplined and polite, but who would have thought he would become so reckless when he got into such a tantrum."
Qi Qinghe hesitated for a moment, carefully choosing her words to reply, "Mother, you are joking. Your Highness treats me very well."
"I was born in the capital, entered the palace at a young age, and soon gained favor. I've only heard of Jiangnan from others, but have never seen it." The imperial concubine's slightly upturned peach blossom eyes seemed to be filled with a deep sorrow. "Since you are gone, why don't you tell me about it?"
Qi Qinghe lowered her eyelashes, searching for interesting things that happened in Jiangnan, and picked out a few to talk about.
Passing through the flowers, we headed towards the octagonal pavilion in the lake.
Qi Qinghe still remembered that it was here that she fell into the water and fell ill, looking a little dazed.
The imperial concubine seemed to have remembered this as well, and smiled faintly, saying, "The palace is not ordinary. With your personality, you are indeed not suitable to stay in the palace."
"Things have changed now, and the Crown Prince is powerful. I don't think anyone will give you any trouble."
"It can be seen that facts are impermanent and the flow of fate is predetermined." The imperial concubine sighed when she saw the clear water and blue sky.
Qi Qinghe inexplicably recalled what Fu Jingxuan had said that day, "People change."
The imperial concubine laughed and nodded slightly.
Xiao Junluo came forward, looked at the emperor's sister-in-law carefully, and said seriously: "Yes, the emperor's sister-in-law has indeed changed."
"The emperor's sister-in-law used to be lively and smart, but now she seems to be more calm and gentle." After saying this, she turned around and looked at her mother eagerly.
Upon hearing this, the imperial concubine's smile widened and she was about to say something.
The flat stone road swayed slightly, and the sound of orderly footsteps came from far away. A black mass of people, armed with sharp weapons, surrounded the entire lake in the blink of an eye.
The imperial concubine's expression remained unchanged. She simply ordered the palace maids to protect the princess and asked loudly, "What is this for?"
Leading the group was none other than the Fourth Imperial Consort Zhou Ruoyan. She had a plain face, a tall and thin figure wrapped in ink-black clothing, and her black hair was loosely tied up only by a hairpin. Her eyes were cold as ice, and she said nothing.
Xiao Junluo poked his head out from behind the many palace servants and looked around in confusion. In this solemn atmosphere, he kept his mouth shut and did not dare to ask more questions.
"Your Majesty, why do you ask when you already know the answer?" Zhou Ruoyan spoke coldly without any nonsense. With a wave of her hand, many assassins rushed forward.
Unlike before when he was dressed in black, this time he was wearing armor and slowly approached the person in the pavilion.
Qi Qinghe stood at the front and said calmly, "Since that's the case, why don't you let me get to the bottom of it?"
"What did the Fourth Prince say to you on the day of the concubine selection?"
I accidentally heard a few words that day, and then Wanguo Temple falsely accused me of assassination.
After thinking it over, she didn't quite believe that the two were just talking about selecting a concubine.
Zhou Ruoyan sneered without saying anything, but a low voice sounded from behind her.
"Her Royal Highness, you are as talkative as ever."
This voice was extremely familiar. Qi Qinghe's frown relaxed and she smiled softly, "It's been a long time since we last met, Third Prince."
Xiao Junqi walked out of the queue and looked up at Qi Qinghe's face. He felt that every part of his body was excited. He shouted to kill her. His eyes were boiling with bloodshot and stared at her, as if he wanted to skin her alive.
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