Chapter 34: It's hard to meet each other in the gap, and it's hard to part
As the news spread, more and more people came to the rescue, including the imperial physicians and their female doctors who checked everyone's injuries, and the eunuchs and guards who investigated the scene for suspicious traces. The night in the Liang Palace boiled like the water in a teapot.
The Taiji Hall was very quiet.
When the Empress arrived, she almost thought the Emperor hadn't received the news, which was why the palace was so quiet and peaceful. But if that were the case, he wouldn't have had her intercepted and brought here at this critical moment.
The Queen tried to calm down.
A'niang had repeatedly assured her that this matter would be kept secret and foolproof. How could His Majesty have obtained the evidence so quickly?
Or... regardless of whether there is evidence or not, he regards her as the prime suspect in this matter?
The emperor had not arrived yet, and the queen was waiting alone in the palace. The waxed bricks under her feet reflected her figure darkly, like the emperor's unfathomable eyes.
Xu Delu was the only lively person in the palace; the other palace servants all had frighteningly stiff expressions.
But before the Queen could figure out how to ask this Eunuch Xu, she saw him hurriedly walking away, ready to leave her behind.
The queen panicked and called out, "Where are you going, eunuch?"
Xu Delu had always been quite affable towards the Empress, and today was no exception. He didn't hesitate for long, merely slowing down for a moment or two. "Your Majesty instructed me to go to Chengluan Palace first. With something this serious happening, it's impossible for someone from Taiji Palace to be left alone."
The Queen felt a flicker of joy, feeling lucky. Did His Majesty simply send Eunuch Xu to investigate the fire in Chengluan Palace? Did he truly no longer care about that lowly maidservant?
"Then please go quickly, eunuch. But I wonder if Your Majesty——"
Xu Delu knew what the Queen wanted to ask, and answered the same question as the palace maid had just given: "Your Majesty will be here later."
"well."
Although the queen felt that she was being evasive, she could not say anything more. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and sat down on the couch.
On the low table in front of the couch stood a small silver plate, not much bigger than a palm, with large grapes piled up in a small pile. There was also a half-grape basket beside the couch.
The queen couldn't help but think that this time she didn't even get a piece of tribute fruit from Chengluan Palace, how could she look like a favorite concubine?
Maybe I was making too much of a fuss. The emperor didn't come here for this at all.
The more she thought about it, the more she missed the past few hours ago, when she was so happy about getting revenge that she couldn't sit still, and the blood in her body seemed to be clamoring.
yes.
By this time, Chengluan Palace must have been burned to ashes. What was she afraid of? She should try to enjoy this pleasure that was fifteen years late.
The queen picked the largest and brightest grape and was about to eat it, but then she thought it wasn't ripe enough and put it back. When she was about to pick it up again, she saw a few grapes scattered on the ground. Two of them had even rolled all the way to the partition in the hall and seemed to have fallen into the screen.
I don't know why the palace maids were so dull that they didn't even clean up. The queen stood up and walked along the sparse track of grapes, her steps light and slow, and she would peek inside from time to time, and she felt that there was something inside.
"The Queen."
A cold voice sounded.
Just as she was about to commit a thief's crime, the emperor's voice suddenly reached her ears, frightening the queen so much that she almost lost her soul and turned around hurriedly: "Your Majesty!"
But she quickly smiled politely: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."
The emperor approached with his hands behind his back.
"Do you know why I summoned you tonight?"
The queen was about to answer when she heard a rustling sound. She turned her head slightly and glanced back at the partition and the painted screen behind her.
Until the emperor came closer, she had no time to care about him anymore.
She replied anxiously, "The Chengluan Palace was accidentally flooded. It was my fault for not supervising properly. I haven't had time to check on her yet, so I don't know how Concubine Ying is doing."
This was just superficial rhetoric, but the emperor seemed to take it seriously: "Oh? You care about her. Didn't you come to me a few days ago to complain that she poisoned you?"
The Queen immediately asked, "Your Majesty, do you suspect that I was the one who did it?"
In fact, he was so guilty that his face turned pale and he didn't dare to look up.
She told herself again and again that her mother had said that she had sent two eunuchs with great martial arts skills to pour oil and set the fire, and they had even scouted the area beforehand. This matter was absolutely secret, and there was no reason for the emperor to notice anything.
Emperors have always been suspicious. Your Majesty might just be deceiving her by saying this.
The Queen then defended herself, saying, "I punished Concubine Ying harshly because she was a lowly servant, yet she was so intent on currying favor with the rich and powerful. If everyone in the palace behaved like this, where would the law be? But I have never troubled any of the sisters in the harem. There is no reason for me to be so harsh with Concubine Ying alone."
"I beg Your Majesty to investigate!"
As she spoke, the queen knelt down.
The emperor approached the man without comment.
Although the emperor and the empress were husband and wife, the days they shared the same bed were few and far between, and the emperor's aura was cold and unfamiliar.
The queen saw the man leaning down and thought he was going to help her up, and a smile broke out on her face. But the next moment, she saw that he was just picking up the grape that was on the edge of his black boot and was about to be stepped on.
The Queen's fear was tinged with resentment. "Since I returned from my garden outing with Concubine Wu today, I haven't summoned anyone since! No matter how Your Majesty investigates, this matter has absolutely nothing to do with me!"
The emperor just sneered and said, "I will ask Concubine Hui to investigate this matter thoroughly."
"I called you here so that you can be prepared. Your grandfather should be leaving for the capital soon."
The Queen was in disbelief. She had just regained some of her sanity when she lost her voice again: "Shouldn't Grandfather and the others have arrived in the southwest yet?"
The emperor stood up and looked down at her. "On the way to the disaster relief, you attempted to bribe fellow officials and embezzle the relief funds. I have ordered General Xuanwei Luo Cong and this year's top scholar, Xiao Buming, the Imperial Academy editor, to take over the post of envoys to take over the disaster relief work and escort Zhu Mingcheng back to the capital."
Every word the emperor spoke was cold and firm.
The Queen suddenly fell to her knees, holding on to the ground with her hands to prevent herself from falling. She murmured, "Is Grandfather confused? Is there a misunderstanding here? My father and mother must not know about this. Your Majesty, please understand. This matter has nothing to do with the Yongning Marquisate!"
If my parents knew about this, they would definitely not let anyone take the risk tonight.
If anything were to happen to my grandfather, it would be far more serious than a temporary absence from the capital. Could this matter be resolved solely with my father's nominal title of Marquis of Yongning? Wouldn't this family face hardship in the future? I entered the palace so late, I haven't even established a solid foundation yet...
The emperor glanced at her but ultimately did not help her up.
"I have been entrusted with such an important task, yet to no avail, my patience is running out. I believe the Queen will not let me down again."
The Queen stared blankly as the man walked past her and toward the partition. Fearfully and aggrieved, she raised her head and said, "Your Majesty, there must be some misunderstanding here. Grandfather has been wrongly accused!"
The emperor was silent for a moment, then smiled faintly: "Go to Chengluan Palace and take a look. Don't lose your status."
When the Queen heard this, she was suddenly speechless and could only mumble, "Yes."
She clutched her collar, stumbled to her feet and walked out. Suddenly, unwillingly, she stopped, wanting to discuss the relationship between husband and wife with the emperor again, to see if she could ask for mercy for her grandfather.
When he turned around, he saw that when the emperor walked outside the screen, a slender arm, without even the sleeves rolled up, came out from behind the screen and pulled the emperor over.
The queen's eyes widened as if struck by lightning.
*
The lights outside the screen were bright, but the light inside was dim. Qingzan had already seen the emperor's figure on the screen, but he just didn't come in.
She didn't know whether the queen had left or not, but she didn't dare to ask, so she just reached out and pulled her in.
Xiao Fang said jokingly: "What's wrong?"
Qingzan asked anxiously, "Has the Queen left?"
Xiao Fang answered nonchalantly: "Maybe."
Qingzan didn't get a definite answer, so she had to press her body against the screen, hunched over, and secretly exposed half an eye to take a look for herself.
If the Queen left, they could immediately set off for Chengluan Palace. Didn't we agree to let her go back tonight?
But before she could see the scene outside clearly, two hands reached out from behind and placed them on her two slender arms.
The heat made Qingzhan turn around immediately.
She had been hiding in there for so long, the air was blocked and she was so hot that she rolled up her sleeves.
Now these hands are being grasped and grasped by others without reservation.
The emperor leaned in. In a gesture more like a circle than a hug, he pressed her against the screen from behind, nuzzling her ear with his lips. "So what if you didn't leave? If she sees me and you together later, she'll know you're in Taiji Hall just the same."
Qingzan thought about it and felt that what he said was right, so she stopped arguing about it.
The posture of having her back to him made her feel insecure. She always felt that he would do something bold when she was caught off guard. She tried to turn around, but failed.
I could only whisper, "When do we leave?"
By this time, everyone had probably noticed she was gone, and they would surely embarrass her palace servants. The palace servants probably wouldn't dare reveal her whereabouts, as how would they face accountability and interrogation?
The emperor seemed unsatisfied and unwilling to let him go. He asked in a hoarse voice, "Are you not reluctant to let me go at all?"
Qingzan was anxious to escape, and didn't care how much of it was true and how much was false. She blurted out everything that came to her mind: "It's hard to meet, and it's hard to part. I've actually been very happy these days, a happiness that seems stolen. I'm neither a servant nor a noble lady. I don't have the ability nor the mind to do anything else. I just need to feed Songzan and..."
She paused for a moment, and the emperor remained silent, as if waiting for her to continue.
Qingzan bit her lip, feeling a little shy.
I was really worried about Pingting and the others. I felt anxious and my emotions surged like a tide. I really wanted to cry in front of others.
The emperor was also curious about her expression at the moment, so he lifted her up and made her turn to face him, with her back against the screen and her legs spread apart on his hands.
The green hairpin was held like this, looking precarious as if it would slide to the ground at any moment, yet also as solid as a rock, completely controlled by the person.
The emperor asked, "Why do I see that you are so eager to go home, huh?"
Qingzan shook her head, put her arms around his neck, and tried to stay calm, thinking about what the emperor wanted to hear at the moment.
When the emperor saw her drooping eyelashes, he suddenly didn't want to listen to those cunning and deceitful words that were carefully thought out.
He suddenly moved forward, covering the slightly moving cherry lips, then the neck and collarbone...
Qing Zan trembled, unable to calm down. She had no choice but to speak truthfully while taking a breath: "I am just worried that the palace maids in Chengluan Palace will be in trouble in my absence. Your Majesty promised me, will you break your promise and make me rich?"
The emperor chuckled faintly.
Finally put her down.
He had already made concessions to her time and again. He had even thought about it for others, at least to make sure that no one dared to attack her again, and to persuade her to let go of her hatred and stay by his side obediently.
But she found it difficult to even tell him the truth.
How to adjust////teach?
*
Baoyuyou Pavilion.
As the female official in charge, Pingting was the first to be brought before Concubine Hui, with a group of palace maids and eunuchs headed by Doukou kneeling behind her.
The fire in Baoyuyou Pavilion was not serious, but it was a bit messy. When I entered the door, the main beam above my head was burned to a charred gray color, which looked a bit dangerous.
Concubine Hui did not go into the house herself to check, but only ordered someone to patrol inside to make sure that there was no one else inside.
This matter was of great importance, so she ordered the gate of Chengluan Palace to be closed and all irrelevant people to be cleared out.
She asked the crowd of kneeling palace servants, "Do you want me to torture you, or do you want to tell the truth?"
A young eunuch was afraid that everyone would be imprisoned together, so he tugged at Pingting's sleeve from behind and whispered, "Aunt, why don't you just tell me..."
Even so, he didn't dare to reveal the matter himself. After all, it involved the master and His Majesty, so how could he make such a decision? Auntie was smart and steady, so she should make the decision.
Before Qingzan left, she told Pingting to lead this group of people. The so-called leadership not only means restraining and supervising, but also protecting and caring for them.
Pingting thought deeply about it and said to Concubine Hui, "I'm afraid Your Majesty will have to ask His Majesty about this matter."
Concubine Hui couldn't help but feel suspicious. Just as she was about to ask in detail, a palace eunuch outside suddenly raised his voice and saluted: "The Queen has arrived——"
The two gates of Chengluan Palace were opened without any surprise.
The Queen had already cleared up her weakness and embarrassment in front of the Emperor and now slowly descended from the phoenix carriage.
She walked into Chengluan Palace under the gazes of countless people, trying her best to appear calm and composed. "Why is the door still closed? Is there something else you're hiding from us about tonight? If you've found out anything, just tell me openly."
In fact, he couldn't help but worry whether Concubine Hui had already received the emperor's order and directed the investigation towards himself.
Where is Xu Delu? Shouldn’t he have come a long time ago? Why is he nowhere to be seen?
Nearby, the people who came to watch the excitement tonight did not disperse. They had already surrounded Chengluan Palace. Seeing that the Queen spoke in a bad tone and the atmosphere between her and Concubine Hui suddenly became tense, everyone could not help but whisper even more.
At this time, a young eunuch followed beside her, observing her expression carefully. He whispered to the queen, "Noble Lady Ying hasn't come out yet."
The queen was immediately delighted. Could it be that he died in the fire?
But she quickly remembered that on the way here, the palace servants had told her that the fire in Baoyuyou Pavilion was not serious, and there were not many casualties. Now, looking up, she saw that the house was not completely burned as she had imagined, but only slightly scorched!
The young eunuch then added, "I heard that he is missing."
The Queen immediately scolded him angrily, "You split the sentence into two parts? Who taught you that? How could a living person disappear in a fire? How do you do things? Have you searched the whole house?"
Although the second half of the words were also addressed to the young eunuch, it sounded more like she was blaming Concubine Hui.
At this moment, a figure came over and said, "That's right. During the palace confinement, Concubine Ying was not in her room. Could it be that she was doing some shameful business outside?"
Concubine Wu had been driven out before, but now seeing the phoenix carriage coming, she finally squeezed out of the crowd, snorted at the guards who had just driven her out, and walked to the queen in small steps.
As soon as this was said, gossip started to blow like a gust of wind.
Someone laughed and echoed, "What kind of business could it be? Maybe it's a secret meeting..."
"That's not entirely unreasonable. It makes sense that he would suddenly claim to be sick and unable to go out."
The person who was hated was subjected to much criticism, but the queen could not smile at all.
Her mind was in a state of confusion. She felt that with the words she had just spoken, most of the energy in her body had been lost, and it was no longer enough to support the functioning of her brain.
Disappeared, shameful to be seen, livelihood, secret meeting... Every byte seems to be tearing at the fragments of some memory.
Suddenly, a dazzling white color hidden in the darkness flashed before my eyes.
The queen finally had to grit her teeth and remember that it was a woman's thin arm.
At this moment, the eunuch who was clearing the way in the distance stretched his neck and shouted: "Your Majesty has arrived——"
Many of the concubines had originally come tonight despite the curfew, hoping to try their luck. Now that the emperor had finally arrived, everyone was either surprised or happy. But then they heard the young eunuch say:
"Noble Ying has arrived—"
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The author has something to say: Thank you for the comments and nutrient solution! I love you so much [kiss]
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