On the east side of the imperial palace, in an alley not far from the central palace, there is a Cunshan Palace, which is the residence of Concubine Yuan.
This Yuan entered the palace at the age of sixteen, and gave birth to the eighth prince Xuan Tianmo at the age of nineteen. Now the eighth prince is twenty-three, and he is born in the same age as the seventh prince, who is twenty-four, and the ninth prince, who is twenty-two. Although the harem is no longer favored after Concubine Yun, the concubines who gave birth to princes still have a very good life.
That night, after drinking a bowl of blood swallows, Yuexiu, the little girl serving beside her, said sweetly: "The queen has taken good care of herself. She looks no more than 20 years old. If she stood with the Eighth Prince, people who didn't know would think they were brother and sister."
Concubine Yuan Shu glared at her, "Nonsense, if that's the case, you'll become an old monster." But she felt very happy in her heart. She took the best blood bird's nest to nourish herself every day, so her complexion was naturally better than others, but not that young. "What a pity!" She sighed, "What's the use of a good complexion? What's the use of a young face? Ever since that bitch entered the palace, the emperor no longer entered the palace of any concubine, let alone sent him to Zhaohe Palace. But that bitch was angry and refused to see him. It was really retribution."
Yuexiu was so frightened that she quickly tried to comfort him, "Your Majesty, don't say that. Be careful of the walls."
Concubine Yuan Shu also knew that Concubine Yun was a taboo in the palace, so she muttered a few words and then stopped talking. However, when she thought of Yuexiu mentioning the Eighth Prince just now, she couldn't help but worry again: "Really, the royal children always get married late, this is almost a curse. The Eighth Prince is 23 years old this year, and he still hasn't arranged a marriage. He has been away from home for many years, which really makes me worried."
"Your Majesty, please be at ease. The Eighth Prince is serving the country and relieving the emperor's worries. A man's ambition is to be far-flung. This is a good thing. Besides, isn't it said that he will be able to return to the court when the New Year comes?"
When she mentioned her son's imminent return to the court, Concubine Yuan Shu's mood finally improved. At this time, a lame eunuch limped in, his steps were a little hurried, and he almost fell when crossing the threshold.
Yuexiu frowned and said, "Yongzhen, why are you getting more and more irritable?"
The eunuch's name was Rong Zhen. He came to Concubine Yuan Shu, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I heard something important."
Concubine Yuan Shu looked at Rong Zhen for a while, then waved to Yue Xiu. Yue Xiu immediately understood what she meant, hurried to the door to look around, and then closed the room tightly.
When he came back, he heard Na Rongzhen say to Concubine Yuan Shu: "I just heard a few strange things, all related to Yuehan Palace."
Hearing that it was related to Yuehan Palace, Concubine Yuan Shu and Yuexiu's ears perked up. Rong Zhen continued, "This is the first strange thing. The guards who often walk around Yuehan Palace said that Concubine Yun always likes to hear some bizarre stories. On weekdays, she always summons people from the Imperial Observatory to tell her stories. But in the past six months, people from the Imperial Observatory have not been there once."
"Besides that, there is another strange thing. In the past, there was always some noise in Yuehan Palace, either playing the piano or singing and dancing. Concubine Yun has a perverse personality and you never know when she will come up with a new idea. Although Yuehan Palace is closed to visitors, it is always lively. But in the past six months or so, the candles inside are extinguished early at night, and there is no sound at all."
"The third strange thing is that Concubine Yun likes to eat fruits, and the best fruits in the palace are always sent to Yuehan Palace. But she never eats fruits too close to the core because she dislikes sourness, so she bites the sweetest part on the outside and throws it away. But I heard from the servants in the Dirty Workshop that in the past six months or so, the fruits thrown out of Yuehan Palace have been eaten cleanly, and the core of the pears has even been seen, and the sourest part has been eaten. It doesn't look like Concubine Yun ate it at all."
"The last strange thing is that the Ninth Prince and Princess Ji'an returned to the court that day. After having dinner with the Emperor, they were heading towards Yuehan Palace. It was normal for them to visit Concubine Yun after being away from the capital for several months. But they were stopped by Zhang Yuan halfway through their journey. I don't know what they said, but the Ninth Prince took Princess Ji'an out of the palace and never went to Yuehan Palace again."
Rong Zhen named the four weirdos in Yuehan Palace in one breath, which made Concubine Yuan Shu and Yuexiu's eyes widen. The women who could get the position of concubine in the palace were more cunning than the other, and the trusted maids who could serve the concubines for many years were not given for nothing. The two of them rolled their eyes and immediately understood the trick.
Yuexiu spoke first, counting on her fingers, and said, "It's not surprising that the Imperial Observatory doesn't come to visit. Concubine Yun has a changeable temperament, and she might just not like it. But if even the singing, dancing and playing of musical instruments have stopped, that's a bit unusual."
Concubine Yuan Shu continued her words, "Not listening to stories anymore, not liking the crowds anymore, these are all fine, but the change in eating habits of fruits is not right. Not to mention Concubine Yun, even I never eat fruits that are too close to the core, who knows that it is sour? The fruits thrown out by Yuehan Palace suddenly changed their appearance, which can only mean one thing - they are not eaten by Concubine Yun at all."
She thought about it again and said, "It is impossible for His Majesty the Ninth Prince and Princess Ji'an not to return to the capital for nearly a year and not to visit Concubine Yun..."
"Unless Concubine Yun is not in the palace." Yuexiu hit the point in one sentence, and even she was shocked after she said it.
"Who else knows about this?" Concubine Yuan Shu asked Na Rongzhen, "Where did you get the news from?"
Rong Zhen quickly replied: "There is no one else. The news came from the guards we usually use in the palace. They are reliable."
Concubine Yuan Shu nodded and was about to speak, but Rong Zhen added, "Your Majesty, there is one more thing. At noon today, His Majesty the Ninth Prince left the city and has not returned yet."
Concubine Yuan Shu jumped down from the kang. "The Ninth Prince left the capital?" She twisted her handkerchief in her hand, her mind racing. The more she thought, the more she felt that Yuexiu's analysis was correct. "Concubine Yun must not be in the palace, and the emperor didn't even know she left the palace!"
Yuexiu added, "If a concubine leaves the palace without permission, it is a capital crime. Even if the emperor protects her, the rules of our ancestors are still there. As long as the evidence is solid, Concubine Yun will definitely die this time."
Rong Zhen also said sarcastically: "What's more, Concubine Yun has been away from the palace for almost a year. After so long, I'm afraid she has found a lover outside and even gave birth to a bastard!"
Concubine Yuan Shu made a prompt decision and said, "Let's go and see the Queen."
Yuexiu stopped him, pointing outside and saying, "Your Highness, it's getting late. Why don't we talk about it tomorrow when we pay our respects to the Empress? The Empress has not been feeling well in the past few months. She always goes to bed before the lights go out. I'm afraid she might be offended by this now."
When Concubine Yuan Shu heard this, she realized that it was right, so she sat back down, but her face was full of excitement because of the news. Yue Xiu advised her, "Your Highness, please have a good sleep tonight, and go to pay your respects to the Empress early tomorrow, so that we can talk about this matter. The Empress has been a good person for so many years, and she may not care about other things, but when it comes to Concubine Yun, she has to give an explanation to the Emperor even if she doesn't want to care. Otherwise, if this is true, she, as the Empress, will be the first to be blamed."
There was no kindness in Cunshan Palace. Concubine Yuan Shu was concentrating on how to overthrow Concubine Yun, who held a position but did nothing. However, Feng Yuheng had no idea that Concubine Yun's departure from the palace had been noticed and remembered by others.
The next morning, she asked Wangchuan to find her a decent and simple palace dress to wear. In order to get Bai Qiaojiang out of the palace, she had to go to the palace in person. Bai Qiaojiang was a jeweller, and his main service objects were the concubines in the harem. She knew that she could only ask the queen for this favor.
Wang Chuan helped her put her clothes in order while saying, "The Queen has always been kind and generous, and has treated Miss very well, but it should be very easy to borrow a skilled craftsman."
Feng Yuheng didn't say anything. She didn't think this was easy. Bai Qiaojiang had been in the palace for almost a year and had never come out. There must be someone obstructing her, but she didn't know who that person was. The queen was ill, so she didn't know who she had instructed to do this.
When she was leaving the house, the servant at the gatehouse told her that Qingyu had taken Prince Lian out to look at houses. Feng Yuheng thought to herself, I hope Prince Lian can find a place to live as soon as possible. She really doesn't like too much noise. This princess's mansion is really too noisy.
Sitting in the palace carriage, his mind probed into the space again, which was filled with various reagents developed by Yao Xian in recent days. Bai Furong was still lying in the lounge, and Yao Xian was still busy in the operating room.
When Yao Xian came out to rest last night, he told Feng Yuheng that in two days at most, he would be able to develop the reverse bacteria, and then try injecting it. It should be effective if nothing unexpected happens. Bai Furong can also be moved out of the space tonight and put in the medicine room to be raised.
There was no conversation along the way. Wangchuan and Huangquan didn't know what Feng Yuheng was thinking about. They just felt that their young lady was worried. However, she only went to the palace to ask for Bai Qiaojiang, but she always made them feel like they were facing a great enemy.
Soon, they arrived at the palace. The three of them entered from the east gate. When the imperial guards saw that it was Feng Yuheng, they immediately greeted her warmly, helped to place the imperial carriage, and came forward to greet her. Feng Yuheng exchanged a few polite words with them, and then took the two maids to the central palace.
The central palace where the empress lived now had a new name, written by Emperor Tianwu himself: Jingci Palace. Because of her serious illness, the previous name of the palace, Qintianjian, was considered incompatible, so it was changed to the current one.
When Feng Yuheng arrived, all the concubines had just paid their respects and left. The aunt Fangyi beside the queen said, "The princess is finally here. The queen has been thinking about you these days."
She quickly smiled and said, "I just returned to the capital, and I had a lot of things to do. I didn't come to pay my respects to the Empress in time. It was Ah Heng's fault. I'll make up for it today, and take a good look at the Empress. How come this illness has taken several months to heal?"
Fang Yi was overjoyed when she heard that Feng Yuheng was going to diagnose the queen. "To be honest, Princess, I've been waiting for you to come back to take a look. All the doctors in the palace have looked at it, but no one can tell what's wrong. I've been drinking bitter medicine soup every day, but it doesn't work."
As the two of them talked, they walked inside. Fang Yi whispered, "There is still a Consort Yuan Shu who has not left. She is inside talking to the Empress."
Just as she finished speaking, she heard the Queen's stern shout from the warm room: "How dare you! Concubine Yuan Shu, do you know what you are talking about? Do you know what kind of punishment you will receive for making up stories about Concubine Yun?"
Feng Yuheng was startled, and subconsciously slowed down his pace...
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