Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Please
Qingzan didn't remember how she went downstairs.
She only remembered that her heart was beating like a drum, and she even wanted to threaten the emperor that if the railing broke, she would drag him down the platform with her and let him take her place!
But in the end, she could only bite her lip and look at the ground, shamefully pretending to be pitiful in front of him again.
Even when I was coming down, I almost fell into his arms.
The emperor called someone up to help her, it was Dong'er from the imperial court.
The boat going back was the same one they had taken in. As they boarded, Dong'er looked at her slightly shaky legs, then glanced up at her untidy hair, seemingly lost in thought.
Her face was a little shy, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't: "Girl, do you want me to do your hair in a new bun?"
Qingzan hurriedly said no, and combed her loose hair twice with her fingertips, then combed it back in.
When she raised her hand, Dong'er was able to see the five-colored thread on her wrist clearly with the help of the moonlight.
"So this is for the young lady?" Dong'er could only smile knowingly and said, "Your Majesty asked us a few days ago if anyone could weave it."
Qingzan raised her hand and looked at it… Didn’t he say that he just saw the palace maids weaving it and that’s why he thought of giving it to her?
A thread of long life, a thread of long life, one thread for one year, continuous and dense.
The necklace suddenly became as hot as his eyes, making her want to take it off in a hurry.
She was really afraid that her heart was not strong enough, and that the emperor's sudden impulse would make her lose her life.
People are not made of wood or stone. But she dared not, and absolutely could not, give rise to any delusion.
*
It was a little late when we returned to Fengzao Palace. Because it was the Dragon Boat Festival, the palace did not have a curfew.
As soon as Qingzan returned, she saw Jinyu driving a young eunuch from the Ministry of Internal Affairs out of the palace. The eunuch was accompanied by several reserved and timid palace maids.
Jin Yu seemed particularly angry today: "Are you thinking that the Empress is tolerant and kind, and is just giving our Empress some perfunctory treatment?"
"Aunt, you are innocent. How dare I say that?" The young eunuch tried to appease her with kind words, but was scolded by Jin Yu instead.
After eating so many firecrackers, he couldn't even take two steps before he stamped his feet and sighed, "What kind of thing is this? When I was recruiting people to the palace of Zhaoyi Ming, Zhaoyi didn't act like this before."
Qingzan was just about to take a detour to the lower room from the side when he saw a familiar figure on the corridor, crouching and wiping the pillar.
It was Suo Ying. One look and you could tell whose shift it was.
This is really not a solution.
Qingzan originally wanted to go back and ask Fu Cui. She had managed to save some silver before and asked Fu Cui to invite the palace maids in the front hall who were in charge to have tea. She didn't know whether the silver had been spent yet.
But tonight, the atmosphere in the front hall seemed particularly eerie. There was nothing of the lively atmosphere after the Dragon Boat Festival. Even the few people walking around were rare. Even the few palace maids and eunuchs who passed by, like paper puppets in a shadow play, walked with their heads lowered, their steps numb and hurried.
Qingzan didn't know what had happened, but a palace maid who was unfamiliar to her saw Qingzan and came out of the hall on her own initiative.
The maid whispered, "Sister Fu Cui is busy right now, so let me have a few words with you."
Qing Zan followed her out to a secluded place, looking in the direction where the young eunuch went. "What's going on? Does Sister know?"
"Please don't call me sister, it's embarrassing for me. I was promoted by Sister Fu Cui."
Each palace is a clone and microcosm of the Liang Palace. It's not surprising that ambitious palace maids will naturally cultivate their own power. However, the front palace used to be mostly occupied by Jinyu's people, but now it has gradually begun to change.
The palace maid knew what Qing Zan was asking. She pointed towards the front hall and said, "After Xiao Ci was sent to the palace, Her Majesty has been short of people. But the people sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs are not satisfactory to Her Majesty. She can't pick any one out. This is the fifth batch."
"As for Aunt Jinyu—" She recounted what happened at the small banquet on the island: "The Empress asked Aunt Jinyu to accompany her to the Imperial Physician's Office. She complained about the slow rowing speed of the boat and started an argument, pushing the boat into the water. If she hadn't met the Empress's returning boat, she might still be floating on the water. After returning to the palace, the Empress became much colder towards Aunt Jinyu, either beating or scolding her. She actually valued Sister Fucui more. And now, right after the Imperial Physician left, Sister Fucui was called into the palace to serve. Aunt Jinyu must be very unhappy about this."
When they reached a deserted place, the palace maid told Qingzan that she was now Fucui's confidant: "Sister Fucui asked me to tell you that she had delivered the silver on your behalf, but the palace maids said that it was Suoying who secretly provoked them first, which led to the enmity."
As the palace maid spoke, she placed a bag of silver in Qingzan's hand and said, "Take the silver back. They also advised you to stay away from Suoying in the future. There are rumors that this girl... In short, you should stay away from her."
Qing Zan knew that these advices were well-intentioned: "Thank you."
After saying goodbye to the palace maid, he planned to help Suoying finish the work so that he could go back and rest early. It was a rare Dragon Boat Festival, and there was no reason to let anyone suffer alone until late at night.
But on second thought, if it was true as the palace maid said, Suoying probably had deliberately wanted to stay in the front hall every time before.
If she went at this time, it might ruin her business.
Tonight's news must be very important to Suoying, so much so that he has to act overnight.
Qingzan stopped and turned back, then walked back to the lower room.
Front Hall, Queen.
What is there about the Queen that is worth Suoying's eavesdropping on, and what is it that Concubine Xue and perhaps even Concubine Ming are eager to know?
Suoying's frequent outings, the food recipes given by Concubine Xue, and the meeting with Concubine Ming Zhaoyi and Concubine Xue on Yingzhou Island, all these things seemed to be connected together.
Passing through the dark corridor, the palace servant who was in charge of lighting the lanterns was holding a pole and hanging up a lantern that had been blown out high up.
The lights then shone brightly like the rising sun.
Qingzan thought, how sad it would be if there was not even one person she could trust in this palace.
No matter what, she believed in Suoying.
*
Qingzan did some needlework after returning to the house, but Suoying didn't come back until she fell asleep at the table.
The next day, news arrived that the wife of Marquis Yongning had entered the palace.
It turned out that after the queen returned to the palace last night, she summoned Doctor Zhu to take her pulse. Doctor Zhu concluded that the queen was not seriously ill and that the vomiting was due to food inconvenience. The heat of the Dragon Boat Festival is high, and the food at the banquet is mostly raw and cold, which can easily damage the spleen and stomach. It is also possible that she just happened to eat something that conflicted with her diet.
Doctor Zhu then went to the Taiji Hall to report to the emperor that everything was fine.
But somehow the Marquis's Mansion still found out about the Queen's condition at the banquet. The Marquis's wife said that she was worried about her daughter's health. And since her eldest daughter-in-law had given birth to a child safely last month, she wanted to go to the palace to see the Queen and let her little grandson meet his aunt the Queen.
The emperor was already lenient towards the Duan family who had saved the previous emperor's life, and since it was the Dragon Boat Festival, he naturally would not refuse.
In Fengzao Palace.
The Marquis's wife got permission and came to the palace in the afternoon.
At this moment, she was holding her grandson. Time had smoothed his shrewd face, and now, as she played with him, she actually showed a bit of tenderness and amiability: "Look, how cute he is."
The queen had no feelings for this little nephew, and only thought of him as an excuse for his mother to enter the palace: "Mother, you can't have forgotten your daughter now that you have a grandson, right?"
Daliang has always had many restrictions on relatives by marriage. Without a sufficiently legitimate reason, even if a marquisate was specially pardoned by the late emperor, it would be criticized if it rashly entered the palace.
While teasing her grandson, the Marquis' wife looked at her daughter calmly and seriously: "How could that be? Were you okay yesterday?"
The Queen's dissatisfaction grew even more intense: "Mother, you have no idea how dangerous it was at that time... If it weren't for your daughter's quick reaction, our lives would have been lost."
The Marquis's wife hurriedly said not to worry, and her colleague analyzed, "It's a little strange, but I thought about it on the way here. Even if someone deliberately plotted, the purpose was to have another imperial physician take the Majesty's pulse. Since the pulse was not taken, the purpose was not achieved. The Majesty must not panic and arouse suspicion at this time. Moreover, His Majesty is such a wise man. If he had any suspicions, he would not let you go so easily. The current situation just proves that this matter can still be concealed. We must not worry about it."
The queen finally regained some of her composure.
But she sat back on the phoenix-shaped armrest couch at the top, still filled with resentment. "None of these women in the palace are easy to deal with. There's simply no place for me to stand! Especially that Concubine Ming, who's so arrogant just because she has a son that she's trying to climb over me. And then there's Wang Shurou and Yang Quexian, who keep monopolizing Your Majesty all day long!"
The Marquis's wife gave him a look of astonishment: "I have long told you that your true enemies are those concubines with established families and children... Madam, delaying will only lead to changes. I'm afraid that matter must be put on the agenda as soon as possible."
Seeing that the Queen didn't say anything, the Marquis's wife handed her grandson to Jinyu to hold. She then walked over to sit beside the Queen, took her hand, and placed it in her palm. Like a loving mother, she spoke to her in a heartfelt manner, "Anan, you must remain patient. Once you have a son, he will be a legitimate son and the future crown prince of Daliang."
The queen just turned her face away, frowned and said nothing.
After a while, she collapsed on her mother's shoulder and said, "Mother, is this really the only way?"
The thought of having to personally send another person to her husband's bed was enough to make her wake up in the middle of the night with such hatred that she wanted to bite her teeth to pieces.
Seeing her daughter in this state, the Marquis's wife couldn't bear it. She sighed silently and finally patted the Queen on the back and said soothingly, "You are a smart child. Why can't you see clearly? Childbirth is like walking through the gates of hell. It's a good thing that you don't have to go through this pain. After enduring this, what happens in the future, won't you still have the final say?"
"Mother..." The Queen understood her mother's good intentions and leaned into her arms. "Then can you please not give up Qing Zan? I don't like her! She doesn't deserve it at all!"
The Marquis's face changed. She also wanted to agree to her daughter's request. How could she like the bastard child her husband had had an affair with?
"But, no one is more suitable than her. After all... she is your father's blood."
Realizing that there was no room for negotiation on this matter, the queen changed her mind and came up with another good idea.
She sat up straight, looked at the Marquis' wife sternly, and said, "Mother, you have to promise me that after this is done, I will punish that little bitch mercilessly! She seduced my husband, and I will crush her bones, peel off her skin, and let her die a miserable death like her mother. Only then will I feel relieved!"
"This..." The Marquis's wife's eyes became vague and evasive for a moment.
Suddenly, there was a sound of something being knocked over from outside. The Marquis's wife hurriedly asked Jinyu to go out and take a look. When Jinyu came back, she said, "It was the palace maid who was wiping the antique shelf. She was clumsy."
The Queen shook her mother's arm and urged her to respond, "Mother! Are you too soft-hearted to let your own daughter suffer?"
The Marquis's wife shook her head helplessly, but finally agreed: "Never mind, it's up to you, all up to you. I only have you as my precious daughter, how could I be soft-hearted towards outsiders? What I'm worried about is..."
She just sometimes wasn't sure about the attitude of the Marquis and her mother-in-law towards this concubine's daughter.
The Queen, however, was already smiling brightly: "My daughter knows that you are a kindhearted person, but being able to give birth to a son for Your Majesty and me is already a blessing she has earned in this life. She will be grateful, so don't worry too much!"
The daughter's willingness to cooperate was the most important thing, so the Marquis' wife said nothing more: "Where is Qingzan? Call her over and I will give her a beating for you, the Queen."
Qingzan quickly responded to the call.
As soon as she entered the room, the Marquis' wife, perhaps remembering the voice just now, gave Jin Yu a look that told her to go out and guard the place for the sake of caution.
The Queen now looked at Qingzan as if she were a dead person. A'niang was right. If she sent the person up, His Majesty would think ten times as much good of her as he did of the dead girl.
But my father and mother got one thing wrong. Who said that the future prince must have the blood of the Duan family in him to be of the same mind with the Duan family?
What can a child know? He will develop into whatever he wants. Just like this lowly woman who is now prostrating herself, hasn't she learned to be extremely servile and foolishly regards the Duan family as her benefactors and her masters?
If she died quietly in the palace one day, the most her parents could do was to send someone else to the palace to bear a child for her. Could they just ignore her?
It doesn't have to be a green hairpin.
She wants to have a surrogate birth.
But Qingzan must die.
When the murderous intention arose, the queen felt her thoughts become clearer and her heart became more at ease. She could finally relieve the frustration she had been feeling for all these years.
After the Marquis's wife finished giving Qing Zan some advice, she waved her hand to dismiss the others. Then she heard her daughter open her nephew's swaddling clothes and ask, "Mother, why does this little nephew still have a birthmark on his body?"
She smiled and walked back to the crowd: "Why do they say that grandparents are close to each other? You and your brother don't have it, but my grandson looks like his grandfather. Your father has a red mole like this on his waist."
Qingzan paused as she was about to go out.
There is also a red mole on her lower back...
What kind of ridiculous coincidence is this?
When she went out, she saw Suoying outside. Qingzan felt a little uneasy and wanted to call someone to leave with her. However, because Jinyu was staring at her not far away, she could only walk away as if nothing had happened.
Even though she behaved normally and flawlessly, Jin Yu suddenly remembered why she felt that the palace maid looked familiar because of the sudden image of the two of them having sex.
That person was clearly a palace servant working in the warehouse, and he was quite close to Qingzan!
She immediately grabbed Suoying's arm and dragged him inside: "Madam, Madam, we've caught him! It's this little bastard, sneaking around outside! He's clearly working in the warehouse, why is he running out here all day long?"
…
The Queen actually felt that even if the palace servant was sneaking around outside, she wouldn't be able to hear anything, and she wouldn't have the courage or ability to do so. But A-niang said, it's better to be wronged than to let him go.
What's more, she was feeling angry and had no place to vent.
He ordered the man to be beaten with eighty sticks, but it depended on whether the young palace maid would confess who was behind the attack. If not, he would be beaten to death.
Anyway, this was a legitimate interrogation and could not be considered lynching.
But to be on the safe side, the Queen gave an additional warning: "Don't alarm His Majesty."
When Qingzan heard the news and rushed over, Suoying had already been dragged into a yard.
Suoying was pressed on a long bench. Two eunuchs holding sticks had hit her several times, leaving a red mark on her thin clothes.
After just a few strokes, I was already breathing out more than breathing in.
Nanny Lu glanced at Qingzan without reacting, pretending not to see it.
Qingzan stepped forward and kowtowed to the nanny, begging her to show mercy and show leniency for a while, but the nanny just turned a blind eye.
Qingzan knew very well that the nanny was doing it on orders, but she could not just watch the board fall. She could only throw herself forward to protect Suoying and took the solid blow for her.
Nanny Lu finally got anxious: "What are you doing?"
Qingzan's lips turned pale from the pain: "Human life is at stake. I beg you to have mercy on me, Madam..."
At this time, Suoying finally caught her breath and turned to look at the timid woman who was protecting her, as if asking her with her eyes: Why are you here, sister?
If you want to fight, then fight. She is not afraid of it at all.
Anyway, since she is a demon, she will come back for revenge.
She quickly thought of something, gathered her strength, and spat out the cloth stuffed in her mouth. She leaned close to Qingzan's ear and said, "Sister...you...the Queen wants you to...have a child through surrogacy...your last name is Duan. And your mother, your mother..."
Suoying spoke incoherently.
She can die, but her sister can't let others plot against her.
Qingzan originally saw that she wanted to talk and took the initiative to move closer, but now she was like petrified, as if her soul had been sucked away. She lowered her head and stared at a mossy blue brick.
She even felt that she had lost the ability to understand speech and could not understand the meaning of these words.
And what happened to her mother?
I don't know if Suoying was exhausted, or if she was remembering the gentle and hopeful tone Qingzan used when she mentioned her mother during those days and nights, and she remembered that she even embroidered daylilies on the sachet, so she felt reluctant.
In the end, she still didn't finish her words, and didn't tell her directly that the mother she missed so much might no longer be in this world.
But Suoying felt that Qingzan should be able to guess it.
On the other hand, Madam Lu had also received a favor from Qingzan. She was not afraid of making enemies, but she was afraid of accepting a favor. Seeing this, she could only shake her head helplessly: "At most a cup of tea."
She didn't know how she could save people, but the best she could do was to delay their tea for a while.
After a cup of tea, severe punishment will be carried out, regardless of life or death.
Qingzan no longer cared about being stunned and ran out. A cup of tea was not enough, but the longer she could delay, the better.
She couldn't let anything happen to Suoying.
As for what Suoying said, she had no intention of thinking about it now.
Don't think about it.
In the sky, the last bitter rain of spring and summer fell without warning. Qingzan closed her eyes, her face a mixture of coolness and heat.
When the emperor saw her, her face was covered in mud.
The day when she came to Taiji Hall on her own initiative came sooner than he expected.
Xu Delu handed Qingzan a cup of tea and said, "Miss, take a breath."
When Qingzan managed to speak clearly and distinctly about how the Queen had beaten a palace maid to death for no reason and that person was her close friend, the Emperor gave Xu Delu a look.
Qingzan couldn't notice it.
What a heavy rain it was, as if the God of Heaven was also angry and frightened, so that the wind was blowing and the rain was pouring down without regard for the consequences, flooding the world, just to make the rain drip to his heart's content.
Qingzan didn't dare to cry so loudly, she just looked sad and pale.
Kneel there.
The emperor walked up to the man, leaned forward slightly, and lifted his jaw with a slightly bent finger to examine him. "After just one day of absence, you've made yourself look like this?"
Qingzan was speechless. She had temporarily used up all her remaining clarity and rationality.
Fortunately, the emperor didn't mind.
Xiao Fang slowly scratched the side of her face twice, returning the raindrops that had dripped onto his hands.
"You want me to help you?"
The woman in front of him finally came back to her senses.
"Yes. Please… please."
Her expression gradually came back to life from her tragic numbness, and she pleaded pitifully.
Become pitiful and vulnerable, innocent and seductive.
Xiao Fang calmly dismissed everyone, controlled his breathing, took her hand, and pulled her up from the ground.
Then--
The golden palace is dim and camphor incense is burning.
The emperor suddenly pulled the person in front of him, and just within reach, he looked at the person wantonly and deeply, as if he wanted to capture the person in his eyes.
His fingers gripped her soft waist, like controlling a willow. Suddenly, he pressed her closer, giving her a hand, and smiled deeply, as if invading: "How do you plan to beg?"
The author has something to say:
----------------------
The next chapter will be v, with a plot that tells that the female goose takes the throne and the palace fight officially begins.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com