Chapter 157 Taking Xiao Jin Away
Ling Chan was taken directly to Ningshou Palace, the palace where Rong Ruxiang originally lived, but now has a new owner.
The owner of Ningshou Palace is the current Empress Dowager Zuo Dongrou.
Hongdou was stopped and only Lingchan was allowed in.
When Ling Chan walked in, she saw Zuo Dongrou sitting high up on the phoenix chair.
Her makeup was solemn and luxurious, but because she was young, she could not support such solemn makeup.
The gorgeous brocade robe, the shining headdress, and the gems inlaid on the belt all declare her nobility.
Surrounding Zuo Dongrou was a group of palace maids and servants, all with cautious and fearful expressions on their faces.
Zuo Dongrou's eyes slowly swept towards Ling Chan, as if she could see through everything, and wanted to put pressure on Ling Chan.
However, her gaze...was of no use to Ling Chan at all.
"Marquis Zhenbei, why don't you kneel down when you see me?"
Ling Chan stood and said with a smile, "The Empress Dowager has a bad memory. This Marquis has received a pardon from the late Emperor, exempting me from kneeling before the Emperor. If that is the case, why would this Marquis kneel before the Empress Dowager in the harem?"
"How dare you!" Zuo Dongrou slammed the table, and the gold, silver, pearls and jade on her head swayed, flashing with light.
"The late emperor exempted you from the kneeling ceremony, which was a sign of the royal family's great favor to you."
"In this case, the royal family can also withdraw its grace from you."
Ling Chan spread her hands indifferently, "Alright, then please ask the Emperor to withdraw his grace from me."
Zuo Dongrou was speechless because the ministers in the court were already quite dissatisfied with her son because of the killing of Prince Duan.
A few days ago, she sent people to encircle Prince Cheng's family. When the matter was exposed, no one knew what kind of a fuss those ministers would make.
If the favor shown to Ling Chan is withdrawn at this time, then... her son's throne will be really unstable.
But, she also had to be on guard against Ling Chan.
In Zuo Dongrou's heart, getting rid of Prince Duan and Prince Cheng would make her feel at ease, but what really made her unable to sleep or eat were Xiao Jin and Ling Chan.
The reason why people are afraid of Xiao Jin is because he is stubborn and too upright, and he will confront anything he doesn't like.
Her son is so young, how come he just beat Xiao Jin?
Plus...many of those ministers support Xiao Jin in their hearts.
As for Ling Chan...the reason for being on guard against her is naturally because of her influence in the border area and in the martial arts world.
If she helped Xiao Jin to rebel, it would definitely be easy to overthrow the super-standard.
"Marquis Zhenbei, since you requested permission to go to the border, why is Wu Zhao returning to the capital now? Do you know that Wu Zhao's return to the capital is tantamount to treason?"
Zuo Dongrou stared at Ling Chan meaningfully, with the corners of her mouth slightly raised, full of calculation.
"Does the Queen Mother think that the Emperor's throne came too easily, so she's always worried about someone rebelling?"
"Besides...I can't return to the capital without a summons?" Ling Chan laughed. "When I left the capital, the emperor never said this."
"I still remember that day, the Empress Dowager tried every means to keep me here, saying that the Emperor was young and hoped that I would think it through this morning and return to the capital as soon as possible to assist the Emperor."
"Didn't I obey the Queen Mother?"
Zuo Dongrou took a deep breath. Yes, she did say that when Ling Chan left Beijing.
But at that time...wasn't she trying to stabilize Ling Chan?
Things are different now, so those words certainly don’t count anymore.
"Zhenbei Hou, you..."
Ling Chan didn't want to continue nagging her, so she asked her directly, "Excuse me, Queen Mother, where is Prince Rui?"
"He..." Zuo Dongrou raised her chin, "Prince Rui is naturally in his Prince Rui's Palace."
Ling Chan glanced at her, "Really?"
"However, my people found out that Prince Rui was in the palace."
Zuo Dongrou stood up in shock, "You!"
"You are in the capital..." Did you plant a spy? She went to the palace as soon as she arrived in the capital and didn't go to Prince Rui's mansion at all. How did she know that Prince Rui was not in the mansion?
Ling Chan looked at her steadily..
Zuo Dongrou was inexplicably afraid of her gaze and turned away guiltily.
Prince Rui Xiao Jin was indeed in the palace...he was imprisoned in the palace by her.
But she couldn't tell Ling Chan directly.
"The Emperor is young and needs the assistance and guidance of his uncle, Prince Rui. That's why he stays in the palace."
Ling Chan ignored her contradictory words and said, "I want to see him."
Zuo Dongrou gripped the phoenix chair tightly, "Marquis Zhenbei, you and Uncle Rui are unmarried, so it's not good for you to meet frequently in private."
"It's not good for an unmarried man and an unmarried woman to meet in private..."
"What if the man is unmarried and the woman is married?"
Ling Chan looked at Zuo Dongrou with a half-smile, "The Queen Mother thinks this woman... is unruly and promiscuous, and is a slut... and lowly..."
“,,,” The blue veins on Zuo Dongrou’s hands were exposed.
Ling Chan's words were undoubtedly directed at her...
Zuo Dongrou was so angry that she couldn't speak, and in fact she had no way to respond.
She could only stare at Ling Chan, sighing in her heart that Ling Chan was still young and didn't know the pain of being alone in an empty room.
When she was still Concubine Rou, the late emperor rarely came to her palace, but at least... he still came.
But the late emperor is gone... She is only 27 years old and has to be a widow... She doesn't know how long the future will last...
When she thought about having to stay alone in an empty house for the remaining decades, she felt that there was no hope for the future.
"Where is Prince Rui?" Ling Chan asked.
Zuo Dongrou didn't dare to confront her head-on, so she could only compromise, "Madam Zhou, take the Marquis of Zhenbei to see Prince Rui."
Nanny Zhou is an old lady brought by Zuo Dongrou from her mother's home.
Ling Chan never expected that Zuo Dongrou would be so blatant. She actually imprisoned Xiao Jin in her own side room.
Xiao Jin stood at the window and heard the sound at the door. He didn't turn around. "Your Majesty, there is no need to say more. Xiao Jin will never compromise."
He never imagined that Zuo Dongrou would imprison him in Ningshou Palace.
In order to avoid causing discussion among the officials, she would let him attend the morning court, but after the court she would send the imperial guards to take him back to Ningshou Palace.
In front of all the officials, the person sent by Zuo Dongrou only said that he wanted Xiao Jin to guide the emperor.
The emperor is young and Xiao Jin is his uncle, so this excuse is very normal.
However, gossip still spread among the officials.
"Xiao Jin, it's me." Ling Chan walked in quietly and stood behind him.
Xiao Jin turned around excitedly, looking at her with eyes full of tenderness.
His mask had been taken off, revealing the handsome appearance that Liu Huaiyu had described.
After all, he was of royal birth, with an upright posture, dignified bearing, and deep, fiery eyes.
Seeing Ling Chan, his lips curled up slightly with a faint smile.
The two looked at each other silently, and were filled with emotion when they met again.
"Why are you back?" Xiao Jin approached her with light and steady steps. "You should have stayed at the border."
Ling Chan looked at him helplessly. It was already this late, and he still wanted her to stay at the border?
"Are you okay?" Ling Chan sighed.
Xiao Jin shook his head. What could happen to him?
What could Zuo Dongrou do if he disagreed with what she wanted?
"Did you have an okay journey?" Xiao Jin asked.
Ling Chan nodded. Of course it was easy along the way. Driving the silver car, because of the good shock absorption effect, there was no bumpy feeling. She didn't have to do it herself, and she was not afraid of wind and rain in the car.
Nanny Zhou beside Zuo Dongrou was staring at them the whole time, so the two of them couldn't say anything else.
Ling Chan glanced at the nanny behind her and said, "If you have anything to say, let's talk outside the palace."
As she was about to leave, Nanny Zhou stepped in front of Ling Chan.
"My Lord, Prince Rui cannot leave the palace."
"Can't?" Ling Chan sneered, sizing up Nanny Zhou. "Prince Rui is the Emperor's uncle, the prince of a kingdom. How dare you say he can't leave the palace?"
"But the Queen Mother..." Nanny Zhou took a step back under her gaze, "The Queen Mother..."
Ling Chan stood up and said, "I won't make things difficult for you. Go ask the Queen Mother if we can leave the palace."
Upon hearing this, Nanny Zhou quickly bowed and ran out.
"Empress Dowager..." She relayed Ling Chan's words to Zuo Dongrou.
Zuo Dongrou slapped the desk and said, "Ling Chan is too presumptuous."
But she didn't dare to speak too loudly, after all, Ling Chan and the others were right next door.
"Empress Dowager, then...will Prince Rui be allowed to leave the palace?" Madam Zhou asked, "What if Prince Rui leaves the palace and leaves the capital...then, Empress Dowager..."
Were your expectations not dashed?
Zuo Dongrou knew it of course, but...she didn't dare to confront Ling Chan head-on.
"Let them out of the palace."
She thought for a moment and said, "Send someone to keep an eye on Ling Mansion and Rui Wang Mansion."
"Especially the Rui Palace, Xiao Jin will never be allowed to leave the palace."
Zuo Dongrou bit her lip. She always thought that Prince Rui was extremely handsome. When she was still Concubine Rou, she would blush and her heart would beat fast every time she saw him.
Now she disregarded her status as the Queen Mother and forced him to stay.
Now that she has taken this step, failure is not allowed. She must keep him in the palace.
Before summoning Xiao Jin into the palace, she thought that with the temptation of power and beauty, Xiao Jin would definitely agree to her request.
Unexpectedly, he refused it sternly!
The more he did this, the more she refused to let go.
Nanny Zhou returned to the side room and said, "Prince Rui, Marquis Zhenbei, the Queen Mother has allowed you to leave the palace."
"Hmph." Ling Chan simply took Xiao Jin's hand and took him out of the side room.
Zuo Dongrou saw this scene in the house and was so angry that her teeth were itching.
She wanted to touch Xiao Jin, but he dodged her as if he had seen a ghost. But now he was obedient and let Ling Chan hold his hand.
Ling Chan and Xiao Jin walked out of the palace hand in hand and returned to Xiao Jin's Prince Rui's Mansion.
"Your Highness, you are back." Jiu Zhen was extremely excited.
Xi Lingyue also rushed over after receiving the news, "Jin'er."
Jiuzhen originally wanted to enter the palace with Xiao Jin, but Xiao Jin asked him to stay in the mansion to take care of Xi Lingyue.
So he could only stay in the mansion and worry.
"Jin'er." Xi Lingyue looked Xiao Jin up and down, and finally angrily scolded Zuo Dongrou, "This Concubine Rou! She is so shameless that she actually did such a thing."
After cursing for a while, she finally saw Ling Chan.
"Um, Wanyue is here too!" She smiled sheepishly, "I'm sorry for being rude just now."
Ling Chan smiled and said, "I think the Concubine is genuine, and..."
"That's quite true."
Concubine Xi smiled embarrassedly.
"I have asked someone to prepare the meal. Let's have some tea first." She gestured for everyone to sit down.
She continued to look at Xiao Jin, "My son has lost a lot of weight recently..."
Ling Chan looked over when she heard that. Indeed, Xiao Jin had lost a lot of weight compared to when he was at the border, and the beard on his chin hadn't been trimmed for a few days.
"Why don't you... Prince Rui go take a shower and change clothes first." Ling Chan reminded.
Seeing him like this, not only Concubine Xi felt distressed, but she also felt distressed.
I think he must have had trouble sleeping these days...
"Yes." Concubine Xi reacted, "Hurry up, prepare hot water and let the prince bathe and change clothes."
Xiao Jin returned to his room, leaving Ling Chan and Concubine Xi behind.
"Ah..." Concubine Xi sighed, "How could this happen..."
"I'm afraid Empress Dowager Zuo won't give up until she succeeds."
"Before keeping Jin'er in the palace, she would summon Jin'er to the palace from time to time..."
"I've been urging Jin'er to quickly marry a wife. That way, the Queen Mother won't dare to act so blatantly."
Ling Chan had a different idea. "Not necessarily. Even if Prince Rui marries, the Queen Mother won't give up. She might even think that's more convenient."
"Eh?" More convenient? Concubine Xi didn't understand for a moment.
"That way, people won't speculate about their relationship at will," Ling Chan explained.
But the prerequisite is that Xiao Jin is willing to submit to the Queen Mother.
Concubine Xi also understood that if Xiao Jin was willing to submit to the Queen Mother, Xiao Jin would have a legal wife, which would help him better conceal their relationship.
"Jin'er won't get what she wants." Concubine Xi spat, "She is the late emperor's woman."
"Even if it's not."
"Jin'er won't be attracted to her either."
She glanced at Ling Chan, "Actually..."
"Wanyue, you and Jin'er are the best match..."
Xi Lingyue studied Ling Chan's expression. How could she, as his mother, not know why Xiao Jin had abandoned everything to go to the border?
Now that Jin'er is in trouble, Wanyue rushed back so quickly.
It was obvious that these two people were interested in each other. She really couldn't understand. If they were interested in each other, why didn't they just get married?
Ling Chan looked at Xi Lingyue, "Queenie..."
"What? Could it be that the princess doesn't like Jin'er?"
Ling Chan was silent. She liked it, but...
She has no intention of getting married. Because of her work in her previous life, she had no interest in marriage.
At this point, her body was only seventeen years old...still in puberty.
Jiu Zhen looked at Ling Chan's expression... He was just as curious as Xi Lingyue.
Suddenly, a man rushed in from outside the door. He stopped at the door and looked at Jiuzhen inside.
Jiuzhen went over and the man whispered in Jiuzhen's ear for a while, then left.
When Jiu Zhen heard the news, his face darkened and he looked at Ling Chan.
"What happened?" Ling Chan asked.
Jiu Zhen hesitated and said, "Zuo Lun... is the emperor's uncle. He just arrested General Ling and his family on charges of disobeying the emperor's will."
General Ling is Ling Rui...
Zuo Lun is Zuo Dongrou's elder brother and now the emperor's uncle.
From the letter sent to her by Gong Lan and Gong Yu, Ling Chan learned how hateful this man's actions were.
In the beginning, Rong An was only interested in money, but now Zuo Lun is not only interested in money, but is also actively eliminating dissidents in the court.
but...
He and Xiao Jin had just come out of the palace and hadn't even had lunch yet, but Zuo Lun had already captured Ling Rui's entire family.
Ling Chan really didn't believe that this matter had nothing to do with her.
I just don't know if Zuo Lun did this on his own initiative or Zuo Dongrou's! ?
Don’t they know that they have separated from Ling Rui?
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