Chapter 134 Entering the Palace to Meet the Emperor
Xie Jinglan was riding on a horse, his dark court robes making his expression look even more stern.
He could see the corner of a plain-colored garment peeking through the gap in the sedan chair curtain by side glance, but because of the eunuch and a group of eunuchs accompanying him, he couldn't even say a simple word of advice.
Walking through Zhuque Street and entering the palace gate, the stone pavement was replaced by smooth white jade steps.
The eunuch led the way, and after passing through several secluded paths in the palace gardens with lush flowers and trees, they finally arrived in front of a magnificent and elegant palace.
But the flying eaves, brackets, and colorful paintings and gold-painted patterns showed that it was the Fengyi Palace where the Empress Dowager lived.
The Imperial Chief Steward, Eunuch Wang, had already been waiting outside the gate of Fengyi Palace. Upon seeing the two approaching, he came forward with his whisk in hand.
Eunuch Wang first bowed calmly to Xie Jinglan, "This old servant pays his respects to the Marquis."
After Xie Jinglan nodded, Eunuch Wang raised his eyes and turned his gaze to Wen Ning who was standing beside him.
He only took a quick look, and a hint of extreme surprise could not help but flash across his eyes.
Eunuch Wang has been serving the emperor closely since he was still a prince. He has long since mastered the skill of remaining calm even in the face of a catastrophe. He has even seen the former appearance of Concubine Lu with his own eyes.
But just this one glance still caused a sudden surge of shock in his heart!
Like! Especially the charm flowing between his eyebrows and eyes, it is almost exactly the same as the one deep in my memory!
Eunuch Wang was mature and steady after all. He was surprised for only a moment, and then he recovered as usual, with the same gentle and respectful look on his face.
"This... must be Miss Wen."
Xie Jinglan whispered, "Ning'er, this is the chief steward of the imperial court."
Upon hearing this, Wen Ning immediately lowered his head and bowed respectfully, "Wen Ning greets Eunuch Wang."
Eunuch Wang smiled and raised his hand, saying, "Young lady, there's no need to be so polite. His Majesty, the Empress, and Consort Hui are already in the palace. Please follow me."
He slightly moved aside to make way, then turned to Xie Jinglan and said, "My Lord, the Emperor has given instructions. Please wait here for a moment."
Xie Jinglan frowned slightly.
A private meeting?
His deep gaze fell on Wen Ning's face, but he saw Ning'er meeting his gaze. Her dark eyes gently swept over his slightly frowned brows, and she nodded at him very lightly, silently comforting herself.
The man could only suppress the turmoil in his heart and said to Eunuch Wang, "Thank you for your care, Eunuch."
Wen Ning followed Eunuch Wang into Fengyi Palace, and every step felt like stepping on the beating of her own heart.
She quietly clenched the corners of her sleeves and warned herself in her heart: It doesn't matter whether she is a princess or not. Besides, His Majesty has his own method of "blood test". In this matter, she does not need to say anything false, just tell the truth.
The most important thing right now is to let His Majesty and the ladies know that she herself had never heard of this life story before, and Marquis Anyuan was completely unaware of it.
Their meeting was originally an accidental poisoning incident on Fuyan Mountain. It was definitely not a long-planned arrangement by Marquis Anyuan, and the Marquis's Mansion had nothing to do with the case of Concubine Lu's corpse.
After figuring this out, she suppressed the confusion in her heart and stepped into the hall.
Three people were sitting at the top of the hall.
Emperor Chengxuan, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, exuded majesty without even getting angry, and his gaze was as unfathomable as a deep pool.
On the left side of the phoenix throne, the empress wears a phoenix-patterned bridal robe and a pearl and jade phoenix crown on her head, with a dignified and graceful demeanor.
Concubine Hui was wearing a pastel-colored palace dress, her eyes full of scrutiny.
As soon as she heard the Queen say that the girl Lan'er liked looked like Concubine Lu, she felt uneasy, fearing that the Queen was up to something bad again.
Wen Ning knelt on the ground according to palace etiquette. "I, Wen Ning, pay my respects to Your Majesty, the Empress, and Consort Hui. May Your Majesty be well and healthy, and may the ladies be well and healthy."
The Queen sat upright on the Phoenix Throne and spoke slowly, "A few days ago, you treated the Fifth Princess. I didn't reward you well that day and let you go. I summoned you here today to thank you."
Wen Ning still bowed her head and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I am so kind. I only know a little bit about medicine, but being able to help you and the princess relieve their worries and troubles is already a great blessing. I dare not ask for a reward."
The queen said "hmm" softly, but changed the subject without leaving any trace.
"It's just that the last time we met briefly, I felt that you looked very much like an old friend in the palace. So today, I specially asked Your Majesty and Concubine Hui to take a look as well. Please raise your head."
Wen Ning followed his instructions and slowly straightened up.
When that beautiful face was clearly reflected under the bright palace lanterns in the hall.
At this moment, the queen didn't need to say a word, the striking resemblance was already obvious.
It was the first time that Wen Ning saw the Supreme Ruler, the ruler of the world, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe.
Her mother never mentioned a word about her past in the palace to her.
She never imagined that her father would be the current emperor.
In the past, my mother believed that her sorrow for more than ten years was due to the humiliation brought by her identity as a concubine. But now, thinking about it, it was probably the injustice buried deep in her heart, and even the despair of dying unjustly with a bad reputation.
From the moment Wen Ning stepped into the palace, Emperor Chengxuan's eyes were fixed on her.
Until she raised her head completely, revealing her face clearly.
Like! Very similar!
The emperor's breathing suddenly stopped, and he stood up abruptly, his eyes that usually concealed his majesty now filled with shock and grief.
The plain figure in front of him was almost exactly the same as the person in his memory who had caused him so much pain!
Concubine Hui, who was sitting beside the emperor, couldn't help but gasp. Her beautiful eyes widened, her gaze fixed on Wen Ning's face for a few moments, and then she subconsciously turned to Emperor Chengxuan beside her.
Emperor Chengxuan could barely suppress the turmoil in his heart. He didn't even sit down, but leaned forward slightly. Without beating around the bush, he asked directly in a deep voice, "Tell me! Your mother... who is she? Where is she now?"
Wen Ning was frightened by the emperor's subdued aura and her shoulders trembled slightly. Her fingertips quietly clenched the hem of her skirt. She lowered her head as she was told and told him the truth about her mother's half-life experience.
As soon as the words fell, the queen made a soft "tsk" sound, with regret and sharpness in her tone.
"If it's true what this girl said, then Concubine Lu is having a concubine? And this child is probably hers with someone else."
Upon hearing this, Concubine Hui frowned slightly. "Empress, the world is vast and full of strange things. It's not uncommon for people with similar appearances to be like each other. This girl's mother may not be Concubine Lu. Your Majesty and Your Majesty, please be discerning."
However, Emperor Chengxuan did not seem to immediately listen to what the Empress and Concubine Hui said.
He was still in shock from Wen Ning's words, "My mother suffered from depression for many years and died long ago," and was unable to recover for a moment.
After a while, he seemed to be suddenly awakened, his eyes focused again, and he gave a solemn order to the eunuch Wang beside him:
"Go, call Judge Li!"
Eunuch Wang bowed in response and quickly retreated.
The hall was silent for a moment, and Emperor Chengxuan's gaze fell back on Wen Ning. "Let me ask you again, how did you and Marquis Anyuan meet?"
Wen Ning calmed down slightly, knowing that she needed to avoid the important issues at this moment, so she spoke slowly:
"Your Majesty, my acquaintance with the Marquis was truly accidental. Two years ago, the Marquis was seriously injured, and I happened to be gathering herbs in the mountains. I was lucky enough to protect him... It was from that time that I became connected with him..."
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