Chapter 172 Eyeliner beside you
To keep the death secret is like dying without announcing it.
in this way,
Since Zhao could not be buried in the concubine's tomb, and her body could not be returned to her mother's family, she could only be hastily buried and became a wandering ghost.
At this point, Zhao's only value to Xiao Jingheng is her mother's family, which is still useful to the court.
He had to squeeze every last bit of her value out of her so that she wouldn't have entered the palace and enjoyed such splendor in vain.
The queen did not try to persuade him, but only said, "I know what to do."
Xiao Jingheng nodded in agreement, and then said, "It's done. I'm fine, so don't gather here. Just leave Concubine Yi to serve by my side."
Concubine Chen said guiltily: "Let me stay beside the emperor and serve him, otherwise I will never feel at ease."
The queen ignored them and asked who would stay to take care of her.
After paying his respects to Xiao Jingheng and taking his leave, he took a sedan chair back to the palace.
After returning to the palace, Shuangruo helped the queen take off her shoes and socks, massaged her slightly swollen feet, and ordered someone to fetch a basin of hot water.
The Queen had a very difficult time carrying this child, and she suffered from almost all the discomforts that pregnant women suffer in the late stages of pregnancy.
When the maid brought hot water,
Shuang Ruo then washed the queen's feet while saying:
"I didn't expect the Emperor would see it at the critical moment. What a pity that Zhao Shi failed to hurt Concubine Yi."
The Queen smiled and said, "It's okay. It won't hurt Concubine Yi, but it will also reduce Concubine Chen's power to assist in managing the six palaces. She no longer has real power, and I don't think she can still be so powerful."
Shuang Ruo sighed: "But it is really dangerous to hurt the emperor this time."
The Queen's heart tightened.
It wasn't because she felt sorry for Xiao Jingheng, but because of jealousy and dissatisfaction.
When Fengluan Palace caught fire in the past, Xiao Jingheng stood outside the door and shouted loudly, but he didn't even dare to step into the fire.
How come Xiao Jingheng was willing to sacrifice himself to block the knife for Song Zhao when she was in danger today?
Shuang Ruo noticed the change in the queen's expression, realized that she had said something wrong, and immediately made amends.
"In fact, the emperor rescued Concubine Yi because she was pregnant with the emperor's heir."
"Hmph." The Queen sneered, jealousy flashing in her eyes, "When the Fengluan Palace caught fire, wasn't I also pregnant and trapped in the flames?"
Seeing that this statement could not be made up, Shuang Ruo simply changed the subject and said:
"In fact, I am a little confused. Logically speaking, the baby in Concubine Xiao's belly should be a greater threat to the queen. If she gave birth to a prince before the queen, it would be a precious child. Since the queen wants to use Zhao this time, why doesn't she target Concubine Xiao?"
"She? Haha." The queen sneered and shook her head, saying in a relaxed tone:
"Let her give birth. I promise you that even if she gives birth to a boy before me, the emperor will never acknowledge his status as a noble son."
Shuang Ruo was confused and asked, "What did the Queen know? Why are you so sure?"
The Queen said, "The Emperor is a true dragon, a mighty and famous emperor. How could he acknowledge a monster as his son?"
*
At the same time, in Chaoyang Palace.
Concubine Chen might not be good at other things, but when it comes to serving Xiao Jingheng, she is more considerate than anyone else.
At this moment, she was serving food to Xiao Jingheng and helping him get the jade pot to rinse his mouth, wishing she could feed the food directly into his mouth.
Today is Song Zhao's birthday, and the sumptuous dinner in Chaoyang Palace is prepared for her.
But now Song Zhao was left out, like an outsider.
Seeing this, Xiao Jingheng said to Concubine Chen, "Today is Concubine Yi's birthday, so let her stay here and you can go back."
How could Song Zhao still have the mood to stay and celebrate his birthday?
Now all her thoughts were focused on Yunshan's safety.
When she was thinking about how to reject Xiao Jingheng, she heard Concubine Chen say:
"Sister Yipin is pregnant and was frightened today. The emperor has an injury on his arm. It will be hard for my sister to stay and take care of you. I am afraid that it will also be a burden for the heir in your belly."
Song Zhao took advantage of the situation and immediately replied, "I'm fine."
He said he was fine, but he sounded weak when he spoke, and he was holding on to his solar plexus even more weakly. He was swaying and looked like he could hardly stand steadily.
Xiao Jingheng then said, "I was negligent. Jiang Deshun, send someone to send Concubine Yi back."
Concubine Chen said, "Didn't Concubine Yi just say that the sedan chair was broken? Let her take my sedan chair back, so that the emperor can rest assured."
Xiao Jingheng nodded in agreement, and asked Concubine Chen to send Song Zhao out first.
After the two of them left Chaoyang Palace, Concubine Chen dismissed her attendants and left Song Zhao alone with her standing at the door.
Although she didn't look at Song Zhao straight in the eye and her tone was arrogant, her words were not harsh.
"You believe me. I am not targeting you. I went to Zhao because she said a lot of dirty and crazy things to me in the cold palace. I went to her to argue because I was furious, but I didn't expect her to run away... All this was just an accident."
"Of course I believe you, Your Majesty, but do you really think this is just an accident?"
"What do you mean?"
Song Zhao moved closer to the Concubine Chen and lowered his voice, "Zhao is a crazy woman who ran away from the cold palace. Where did she get the dagger from? Could it be that she picked it up in the long street corridor?"
The Concubine Chen thought for a moment, frowned and glanced at her, "You mean... someone is plotting against us?"
Song Zhao did not beat around the bush with Concubine Chen, "I don't know who told your Majesty what Zhao said in the cold palace, but your Majesty, think about it carefully, is it necessary for you to know these words?"
Seeing that the Concubine Chen lowered her eyebrows as if she was thinking, Song Zhao continued:
"A loyal servant is one who helps his master solve problems. But someone close to you deliberately said this to you? What good can these words do to you other than irritate you? What is the intention of the person who said this? It really makes me suspicious."
If Song Zhao hadn't said it, Concubine Chen wouldn't have noticed.
When she said this, Concubine Chen immediately felt something was wrong.
Yes, she didn't ask Qiulan to go to the cold palace to inquire about Zhao's affairs. Why did Qiulan tell her all this for no reason?
Her eyes darkened, and she asked speculatively, "Is it Qiulan?"
Song Zhao did not respond to her words, "No matter what, you must take good care of the servants in the palace. Yingxiang was your maidservant in the past, so you naturally trusted her. But who can guarantee that the servants who stay by your side now are just as loyal to you?"
Song Zhao slowed down and deliberately emphasized his tone, "Who knows, the person your majesty trusts now might be a spy planted by someone else next to you."
The concubine is not smart enough.
Only after Song Zhao reminded her to this extent did she suddenly realize what was going on.
She also knew how to arrange Xiying next to Song Zhao.
Qiulan had only been serving her since she entered the palace. Who could guarantee that she had a clean background?
If Qiulan is a spy buried beside her,
Who else could be the person behind Qiulan except the Queen?
The Concubine Chen suddenly became furious and shouted angrily: "It was that bitch, the Queen!"
"Hush." Song Zhao placed his index finger between his lips and made a gesture of silence, saying:
"Zhao is crazy, and the words of a madman cannot be counted. There will be absolutely no evidence left in this matter, so your Majesty and I can only admit defeat."
It took Concubine Chen a long while to suppress her anger. She said to Song Zhao in a calm tone: "I know what's going on. Also, the one who was injured today is your maidservant. She protects you just like Yingxiang protected me in the past. I also see the shadow of Yingxiang in her."
When mentioning Yingxiang, Concubine Chen felt a little sad.
She took a deep breath and sighed deeply.
"I hope she can be safe and not end up like Yingxiang. Go back and check on her quickly. The palace servants who are carrying my sedan chair are fast, so don't delay."
Hearing this, Song Zhao's eyes froze.
She obviously did not expect that such humane words would come from the mouth of Concubine Chen.
So she knelt down and said sincerely,
"Thank you very much, Your Majesty, for your help."
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