Injuried
The summer heat dissipated, and the weather gradually became slightly cooler. A touch of golden color quietly climbed up the branches, and the delicate flowers that bloomed and withered in an instant withered, and the maple leaves on both sides were dyed bright red.
Qi Qinghe had a rare good night's sleep. Last night, before the deadline, she handed the book she had been punished to copy by the prince to Chengxi and sent it to the prince.
I had a dreamless night and woke up early.
She stretched lazily and asked Yuntao what time it was.
"One quarter past the hour of Mao, Your Majesty." Yun Tao helped the person sit down in front of the dressing mirror. "It's still early, Your Majesty. There's still time to pay your respects."
Qi Qinghe closed his eyes and responded. Perhaps because he had a good sleep, his clear voice sounded a little lazy.
Although she was the principal wife of the Eastern Palace, she still had to pay her respects to the Queen every few days.
The bright yellow palace dress made her look even more charming and beautiful. Her slender waist could be held in one hand, and her round almond-shaped eyes looked even more lively.
"Your Majesty's outfit is really beautiful. In my opinion, it is not inferior to anyone else's." Yun Tao put on makeup for the Majesty and couldn't help but praise her.
Qi Qinghe smiled, but didn't take it to heart. When she arrived at Kunning Palace and ran into Xiao Junluo, who had come to pay her respects, she heard the same thing as the imperial sister, and only then did she half-believe it and half-doubt it. "It's just that the clothes are fine. Imperial sister, you got up so early, maybe you're still hungry? I just happen to have some snacks here."
Speaking of food, Xiao Junluo's eyes lit up for a moment, "Thank you, sister-in-law."
As they were talking, a sedan chair landed behind them and someone lifted the curtain and got out.
Before the two of them could look back, a sarcastic voice rang out, "It's just a little snack that's not worthy of being served, and you can make you so happy."
The one who came was none other than Xiao Juntang. She was two years younger than Xiao Junluo and was quite direct in her words. When she saw Qi Qinghe, she remembered the day when she was scolded by the second emperor and was even punished to reflect on her mistakes and copy texts for three days.
God knows how miserable she was during those days, and even when she saw the emperor's sister-in-law, she didn't look happy either. She pretended to be humble, called out "emperor's sister-in-law" in a listless voice, and walked past the two of them and went inside.
"It's too late, Empress Dowager, let's go in too." Xiao Junluo hurriedly swallowed half of the dessert, carefully put away the rest, raised a smile on the corner of his mouth, and pulled the Empress Dowager across the palace gate and went inside.
Only after entering the main hall did I realize that there was someone I knew.
The Queen's niece, Fu Jingyuan, a girl from the Fu family, grew up with the Crown Prince as childhood sweethearts and once coveted the title of Crown Prince's wife.
The Queen was amused by her niece and laughed repeatedly. "Look at your mouth, you are really good at talking. In my opinion, why don't you stay in the palace and accompany me?"
"Aunt, you're joking." Fu Jingyuan lowered her head and giggled, then turned around when she heard the noise.
The concubines sitting around were not surprised and all laughed and agreed.
The two princesses and the Crown Princess all paid their respects to the Queen.
"Everyone, please sit down." The Queen said with a smile, "At this time of year, my palace, which used to be so deserted, becomes lively. Look, I just let Yuan-san into the palace yesterday, and she's here today."
"It seems that the Crown Princess is indeed different now. I guess she and the Crown Prince are in love with each other." Fu Jingyuan greeted the three of them and said with a smile.
"...That's true. As the Crown Prince's wife, you should consider the expansion of the royal family as your top priority." The Queen nodded. "It's been a few days since I entered the palace. I need to hurry."
Matters such as offspring have always been a major event in the palace, but it is not something that Qi Qinghe can decide alone.
She agreed reluctantly.
"Sister, why are you so anxious? It's only been a few days." The imperial concubine pursed her lips and chuckled, "The two princesses are still here, aren't you embarrassed?"
The imperial concubine changed the subject in a few words.
Fu Jingyuan sat quietly, his eyes occasionally glancing at Qi Qinghe. After a moment's hesitation, he interrupted, "The autumn weather is getting cooler, making it a great time to stroll through the gardens and enjoy the music of the zither. Ladies, would you like to go to the Imperial Gardens?"
The words were beautifully and tactfully spoken, and there was nothing wrong with them.
The queen glanced at her niece and frowned slightly, "Don't worry, the sun is still hot."
"Yes, my niece spoke out of turn. Please forgive me, ladies and gentlemen." Fu Jingyuan shrank back when she met her aunt's eyes and said nothing more.
After paying their respects, they chatted for a while and then went their separate ways.
Qi Qinghe felt uneasy from the moment she saw Fu Jingyuan.
On the one hand, he felt guilty for having taken away her position as Crown Princess by mistake, and on the other hand, he was worried that she would do something to him, or even lose her life.
Qi Qinghe returned to Mingcheng Palace with a pale face. He looked up and saw Yun Tao and Yun Xing coming towards him. A thought occurred to him, "Look at you two, you are so skilled. Have you been in the palace for a long time?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, we are one family. Someone in our family is sick, so they let us into the palace..." The two maids did not think much of it. They had seen that the Crown Princess had no overbearing attitude these days, and there was no restraint in her words.
"That's easy." Qi Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief and looked along the breeze blowing through the hall. "Since you are an old man in the palace, please help me find out something."
The potted plants placed in the four corners of the yard turned yellow, and the dead flowers and fallen leaves fluttered in the wind.
A gray-black petal fell on Xiao Junbai's desk.
He lowered his eyes lightly and reached out to brush away the petals.
"I told you that Your Highness has been in a very good mood these past two days. Why didn't you believe it?" Xiao Junbai's good friend, Fu Jingxuan, the eldest son of the Fu family who accompanied his sister to stay in the palace temporarily, was quite gloating.
"It's rare, it really is rare. I never thought that a thousand-year-old iron tree would bloom." The sun was clearly not hot, but he was still waving the folding fan in his hand, which had the words "Pianpian Gongzi" written on it. "Speaking of which, I have been in the palace for so long, but I have not yet met your Crown Princess. It is indeed a great regret."
After hearing these words, the palace maids around him were at a loss for words. Cheng Xi lowered his head in embarrassment and dared not say a word.
"If you are really so free, why don't you investigate the embezzlement case from last month." Xiao Junbai looked at him speechlessly and did not respond.
"Who else could it be?" Fu Jingxuan folded up his folding fan with a snap. "I'm telling you, the entire court is watching the Eastern Palace, and your brothers are no pushovers either."
"If I can't find any fault with you, you'd better be careful of the Crown Princess you love so much." He stopped talking at that point. Fu Jingxuan grew up with his sister Fu Jingyuan, so he knew what his sister was thinking without having to think too much. "Speaking of which, Your Highness, you are really heartless. My little sister has liked you for so many years, and you didn't even look at me."
Xiao Junbai glanced at him, lowered his head and picked up the pen to write.
"Okay, I'm leaving." Fu Jingxuan gritted his teeth, stood up and left.
After the people left, the noisy house suddenly became quiet, without a sound.
Xiao Junbai concentrated and wrote a page, his mind still echoing with Fu Jingxuan's words, "The Crown Princess in my heart."
His thoughts drifted away, he half bent over and took out a book from the box at his feet.
The book was blank and there was no title on the cover. But when I flipped through it, I saw that it was filled with densely written words.
The handwriting is neat and beautiful, very nice to look at. Just by looking at it, you can think of the person, excited and proud, or disappointed with lowered brows. The expressions are different, but very vivid.
Xiao Junbai's cold brows softened slightly, and he tilted his head to ask Cheng Xi what the Crown Princess had done today.
Qi Qinghe, who was completely unaware of this, had just taken a nap. Now he suddenly became interested and squatted in the corner, staring at the golden chrysanthemums that were about to bloom.
"Your Majesty!" Yun Tao and Yun Xing hurried along the way, "I have heard about Your Majesty."
"Miss Fu entered the palace with her brother two days ago. The reason given was that the Empress was unwell and needed someone to attend to her. She was summoned to the palace and will leave in about two or three days."
"It's no exaggeration to call this Miss Fu the most talented woman in the capital. She is proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. She is knowledgeable, sensible, gentle and generous. Everyone who knows her praises her. She loves playing the zither the most and her skills are extraordinary." Yun Xing said this with a cheerful look on her face. She dared to say anything without restraint.
Even though Yun Tao reacted very quickly and hurriedly covered her mouth, it was of no use because the words had already been spoken.
Yun Xing only then remembered that this Miss Fu had also participated in the selection of the prince's concubine.
The two maids dared not breathe, huddled together like quails, and knelt on the ground, "I have spoken without restraint and offended Your Majesty. I hope Your Majesty will punish me."
Qi Qinghe looked at the two of them in silence. Before she could say anything, the prince's voice came from behind her, "What punishment?"
The sudden sound startled her so much that she almost jumped up and crushed the pot of golden chrysanthemums with one foot. "Why is Your Highness here at this time?"
It was dusk at this time. Usually, the prince would handle affairs in Qingyaju at this time. He would not come to have dinner with her until the dark night enveloped the entire palace. After that, he would either stay in Mingcheng Palace or return to Qingyaju.
"It's still early and dinner is still being prepared. If Your Highness is hungry, you might as well eat some fruit first." Qi Qinghe stood firmly, with a smile on her face, and led His Highness into the house.
"There's not much to do today." Xiao Junbai said calmly. He couldn't bring himself to say that he wanted to see you. "If a palace servant makes a mistake, punish him. Don't be soft-hearted."
Qi Qinghe was stunned for a moment before she realized that the prince was talking about Yun Tao and Yun Xing. A flicker of hesitation passed through her eyes, and she said, "I'll remember that."
She couldn't tell the prince that she was asking about Fu Jingyuan, otherwise it would be hard to explain.
As the dark night deepened, palace servants filed in, and the table was filled with exquisite dishes.
Qi Qinghe picked up the silver chopsticks and concentrated on serving the dishes to His Highness. She remembered that the prince loved light dishes.
At this moment, Cheng Xi knocked on the door and said, "Your Highness, Your Majesty, the Queen has sent someone to bring you an invitation to the chrysanthemum viewing party the day after tomorrow."
Chrysanthemum viewing in two days?!
Qi Qinghe was distracted and the bowl of soup in her hand accidentally fell to the ground, and the boiling hot soup spilled all over her hands.
Xiao Junbai frowned, called for a doctor, took her hand, and put it into the basin of cold water beside him.
"If you don't want to go, just refuse." The prince said calmly, Fu Jingxuan's words still ringing in his ears, "If you want to go, be careful with your words and actions, don't be rude, and be careful."
This sentence again!
Qi Qinghe said in a muffled voice: "I know, Your Highness, don't worry."
Xiao Junbai realized that he had said what he wanted to say and gently lifted her hand.
The originally white, tender and slender hand was now red from being burned, and the entire palm was swollen, which was quite horrible to look at.
The doctor arrived quickly. After carefully examining the Empress, he said to the Crown Prince and the Empress, "Your Highness, rest assured, the Empress is fine. Just apply some burn medicine on time every day. Don't get wet or lift heavy objects for the next few days. Rest assured, the Empress will be fine."
The burn medicine she applied was icy cold, and unbearable pain slowly spread throughout her body. Qi Qinghe's eyes instantly became wet, and she was afraid that His Highness would see her and embarrass her.
Xiao Junbai said nothing. Looking at the lonely and frail figure, his beating heart trembled uncontrollably.
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