Return to the palace
Most of the rewards bestowed by His Majesty were rare medicinal herbs, such as snow lotus, Ganoderma lucidum, and ginseng.
Qi Qinghe pondered for a moment and decided not to keep anything. She called Chengxi and gave half of it to the Qi family.
"Since it was awarded to me by the emperor, I have the final say." Less than a month after entering the palace, false accusations of drowning came one after another, making her unable to live in peace. It would not be an exaggeration to use all of it.
But as for the Qi family, I hope Qin'er can do things efficiently and keep these things safe.
"Your Majesty, the reply has been sent." Yun Xing returned with a box in her hands. "This is the palace dress and head ornaments sent by the Imperial Concubine. Would you like to try them on?"
Qi Qinghe raised his eyebrows and motioned her to open it and take a look.
The green palace dress is quite complicated, which complements the jade headpiece very well. The two red coral pendants are small and exquisite.
Obviously they were preparing for the Mid-Autumn Festival feast in a few days.
"Put it away." Qi Qinghe sighed. She vaguely felt that she would never have the chance to wear this palace dress again.
…
There is only one post station on the official road of Yuliu Town, which is not far away and has no village or shop nearby.
The inn is not big. There are a few tables and chairs on the first floor, where a few people are eating, drinking and chatting. The second floor is the guest room.
Xiao Junbai and his third brother Xiao Junqi walked in one after the other.
"Send the two upper rooms with good wine and delicious food as soon as possible." The accompanying guard took out a bag of silver and threw it to the waiter who came forward to greet the guests.
The waiter responded loudly and asked people to go upstairs.
Xiao Junqi looked around the dilapidated resting place.
There were spots on the wooden tables and chairs, the half-open windows were rustling in the wind, and a civet cat suddenly jumped out from the corner of the wall, startling the guests and making them shout.
"Second brother, you too." Xiao Junqi muttered dissatisfiedly, "We've endured for so long, why are you still worried about the next day or two? My sister-in-law won't run away again."
"Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, we should hurry up." Xiao Junbai said calmly.
This time, I was away from the palace for twenty days, although I had been away from the palace for several months before.
But this time, he felt uneasy, as if his heart was urging him to go back soon.
"I know, I know. Don't worry, brother. Mid-Autumn Festival is still four or five days away. You'll still make it in time." Xiao Junqi scratched his head. "But what did brother write in the letter he sent to sister-in-law a while ago? I thought he didn't know how to write letters home."
Xiao Junbai did not respond. He strode open the door with a bang, blocking out his brother's curious gaze.
The first rain of autumn came suddenly. The drizzling raindrops hit the window sill and suddenly turned into a downpour, with moisture pouring into the sky.
Xiao Junbai sat by the window. On the table was a letter with beautiful handwriting. The content of the letter was very simple, just saying that she missed him and asked him to take care of his health. There was a hint of sweetness in just a few lines.
He didn't ask for food, just a cup of tea.
The poor quality tea was very bitter, without a trace of sweetness in the aftertaste. He especially missed the tea brewed by Qi Qinghe.
As soon as this thought came to mind, my heart was filled with longing, like a flood that broke through its dam and could not be stopped.
The girl's clear voice seemed to ring in his ears, chirping as sweetly as a yellow oriole. Her bright and lively almond-shaped eyes stared at him without blinking, with the corners of her mouth curved, just like a civet cat that had suddenly jumped out just now.
Thinking of this, Xiao Junbai's mouth corners slightly raised, and a faint smile flashed across his face.
The rain was crackling, so he simply opened the window and fell asleep with his hands on his pillow, listening to the sound of rain.
I don’t know how long it took, but when I was about to fall asleep, a hint of blood mixed with the damp air went straight into my nose.
Xiao Junbai suddenly turned over and sat up, walked lightly to the door, and listened carefully to the movement outside.
Unexpectedly, before he could close the door for a moment, the door was suddenly pushed open from the inside out, making him stagger.
The rain continued to fall for several days in a row, and the damp smell spread in the air.
The same is true in the capital.
In the blink of an eye, it was Mid-Autumn Festival, and the rain still hadn't stopped.
Xiao Junbai and Xiao Junqi hurried and hurried, and finally returned to the capital on this day.
"Second brother, are you okay? You suffered such a serious injury, why don't you rest for a few more days." Xiao Junqi was worried and glanced at his brother's waist and abdomen intentionally or unintentionally.
The assassination that night was too sudden. Fortunately, several guards were alert, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.
Even so, Xiao Junbai was still seriously injured. The moment the assassin rushed up, he pushed the stunned Xiao Junqi away. He was unable to dodge and was stabbed in the left waist and abdomen by the palm-sized dagger.
The moon-white brocade robe was dyed red. Xiao Junbai's face was as pale as paper, his breath was weak, his words were incoherent, and for a while he couldn't even open his eyes.
Several guards and Xiao Junqi rushed to Yuliu Town to seek medical help. They worked all night and only then did their lives come to an end.
But no one expected that the prince himself was a man who didn't care about his life. After waking up from his coma, he still remembered the Mid-Autumn Festival in a few days and asked everyone to hurry up.
Xiao Junqi almost knelt down to his second brother, but he still couldn't change his second brother's mind.
Therefore, everyone was worried along the way, fearing that something might happen to the prince.
Unexpectedly, although Xiao Junbai looked pale and his body was shaky, he was still awake and had never fallen asleep.
The wound only oozed blood from time to time, which looked very scary.
Xiao Junqi shook his head, stopped thinking about it, and didn't expect his brother to say anything in response.
Xiao Junbai was surrounded by a group of guards and turned a deaf ear to everything around him.
As for the Mid-Autumn Festival, there is really nothing special about it. The emperor holds a banquet and drinks to celebrate, creating a peaceful scene in the royal family, and it is the same every year.
There is really nothing special about it.
The only thing that was special was the people. He even went to the palace to meet the emperor and explain the details of the corruption case. He sat in the palace where the banquet was held, surrounded by familiar people.
The wound on his waist and abdomen was aching slightly, which made him feel unbearable pain.
There was a hint of expectation in his calm eyes as he slowly scanned the people around him.
Qi Qinghe was not among them.
Xiao Junbai's brows gradually lowered, and he called the palace servants to go to the East Palace to check.
The Empress, who arrived first, was supported by Fu Jingyuan. Seeing Xiao Junbai, she raised her eyebrows slightly, "Your Highness, why are you back now? Has the case been solved?"
Xiao Junbai nodded almost inaudibly.
The Queen narrowed her eyes and scolded Fu Jingyuan.
Fu Jingyuan pursed his lips and forced a smile, "Cousin Crown Prince, did your trip go smoothly? It's not like the palace out there. How come you've lost so much weight?"
She had been driven out of the palace before, and even her entry into the palace this time was the result of the Queen Mother's plea.
If this doesn't work this time, it won't be as simple as just being kicked out of the palace.
Thinking of this, Fu Jingyuan took a deep breath and, despite his cousin the Crown Prince's deaf ear, slowly moved to the side of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. "Jingyuan has never been far away. Cousin the Crown Prince, why don't you talk to Jingyuan about Tongzhou and ask if it's fun?"
"I'm going to investigate a case, not for fun." Xiao Junbai was already unhappy because he hadn't seen anyone after rushing all the way. When he heard her ask this, his thick black eyebrows frowned, and his dark eyes were bottomless, making people breathless.
Fu Jingyuan was startled and stood up suddenly, looking at his aunt for help.
The Queen glared at Fu Jingyuan with a look of dismay, then said nonchalantly, "Why isn't the Crown Princess here on this day? Could it be that His Highness isn't in the palace, or is drunk and doesn't know the difference between heaven and earth?"
In fact, the Crown Princess was allowed to come a little late because she was not feeling well.
However, His Majesty regarded the fall into the water as a disgrace to the royal family, and it was kept secret.
The few people who came around were all unaware of this matter, and the letter sent by the Crown Princess did not mention a single word about it, for fear of being exposed.
Even if the prince knew the reason later, he would not behave the same after the quarrel.
Xiao Junbai was silent for a moment, "Your Majesty, you are worrying too much."
Because of the Empress's threats against the Crown Princess last time, he didn't quite believe these words.
"If you don't believe me, go and ask her to come over and you'll know." The queen never expected that the prince, who had always been upright and impartial, would say such a thing.
Qi Qinghe, who was mentioned by the nobles, was sitting in front of the dressing mirror and yawning.
When the prince sent someone to invite her, Yuntao was inserting a pearl flower into the empress's bun.
Qi Qinghe finally decided not to wear that headgear, thinking it was too ostentatious.
Upon hearing that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had returned, the tea she had just drunk suddenly spurted out, splashing all over her dressing mirror.
Looking at herself in the mirror covered with water droplets, Qi Qinghe came up with a plan. If the Queen didn't make trouble, it would be fine. But if she did, don't blame her for being rude.
After a while, she changed her clothes and went to the banquet with two maids.
As soon as he entered the room, he saw Fu Jingyuan sitting next to the prince, and the queen was sitting high up, with a look of dismay on her face.
"The Crown Princess is so arrogant that she even wants the Crown Prince to send someone to invite her." The Queen sneered.
"I am sorry for being rude, Your Majesty, please forgive me." Qi Qinghe said in a trembling voice. Her frail figure was like a willow swaying in the wind. She covered her lips and coughed from time to time. Her slightly pale cheeks did not show a trace of redness, which made her eyes look bigger and dull.
Xiao Junbai's brows relaxed, and he was about to say something, but he was suddenly interrupted by the Queen's attack, and then covered by the words of others. He immediately shut up and just stared at the person he had been thinking about day and night.
As the banquet was about to begin, Xiao Juntang and his third brother Xiao Junqi, who had returned to the palace, walked into the hall one after another.
"What's going on? Why is the imperial sister-in-law standing here?" Xiao Junqi took a seat, his curious eyes moving among the people.
"Your Highness already has someone by his side, so why does he need me?" Fu Jingyuan sat firmly beside the prince, with no intention of giving up his seat. Qi Qinghe sighed lightly, took Xiao Juntang's arm, and sat down beside him.
Xiao Juntang was straightforward and had no idea what euphemisms meant. "Sister Fu has been to the palace many times, but how could she be so ignorant of etiquette? Second Brother is a married man, how could he so easily overstep his bounds?"
Fu Jingyuan was stunned by what the two said. She stood up tremblingly and apologized repeatedly, "Your Majesty, please don't blame me for my words and actions."
Xiao Juntang opened his mouth, and the words he had swallowed came rushing back. "Everyone says Sister Fu is the most talented woman in the capital, well-educated and full of talent. But she failed to help someone in need, and then acted rudely and presumptuously. Could it be that Sister Fu has lost her mind and forgotten the teachings and etiquette of the past?"
"Shao Yue is so articulate. It's just a short moment. How can it be so serious?" The Queen sneered. "Is this how your mother taught you?"
The imperial concubine walked slowly, not as swiftly as the young men, and lagged behind them a few steps into the hall. As soon as she entered, she heard these words, and without a second thought, she said, "In terms of education, how can you compare to my sister? The good daughter you raised speaks disrespectfully, throws someone into the water, and then doesn't help."
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