Wearing her pretty little embroidered shoes, Yuan Yao refused the maid's offer to carry her and hoarsely made her way to the front hall with her short legs.
It rained last night, and the ground of Qianhua Palace was washed clean, and the air felt fresh.
The assassination attempt that happened yesterday felt like a dream.
The Ninth Prince had long since gone to the previous dynasty to handle political affairs, leaving only Yuan Yao as the master of Qianhua Palace.
Upon entering the front hall, Yuan Yao saw a young woman dressed in a peach-colored palace gown and adorned with jewels.
The woman was plump, holding a round fan in one hand and patting her chest with the other.
Hearing footsteps, the woman looked up. Her face, which was already pale, turned deathly pale, and she glared at Yuan Yao.
Yuan Yao was completely bewildered by the glare.
It seems this year is unlucky for me; it appears that Consort Ruan doesn't like me very much.
Yuan Yao secretly pursed her lips, and the palace maid gently pushed her.
Following the posture the maid had taught her on the way, Yuan Yao obediently bowed and said, "Yao'er greets Noble Lady Ruan."
Consort Ruan straightened up, her tone filled with impatience: "Your Highness is of noble birth, you flatter me. Come here, Your Highness, please finish your meal. I still have to go back to serve His Majesty!"
"Meal?" Yuan Yao glanced at the maid behind her, then opened her dark eyes wide and looked at Consort Ruan with a puzzled expression.
With such a grand entourage, does she need the emperor's concubines to serve her meals?
Besides, there's no food on the table here.
Seeing her clueless expression, Consort Ruan suppressed her resentment and beckoned, "Princess Yuan Yao, why aren't you coming over? What's wrong? Does the princess have such a grand entrance that I have to kneel and bow three times to beg you?"
She was enjoying great favor, and even though she knew that the Ninth Prince was not someone to be trifled with, Yuan Yao was just a three-year-old child. Even if she bullied him, Yuan Yao wouldn't understand anything.
"Oh..." Yuan Yao was inexplicably yelled at, and obediently moved closer to Consort Ruan.
Consort Ruan placed the round fan on the table, reached out, and skillfully began to untie her belt, bringing with her a familiar scent.
Yuan Yao: "???"
So that's what "having a meal" means!
Help!
Is this never going to end?
She felt she needed to breathe some oxygen!
Yuan Yao tilted her head back and exaggeratedly pinched her philtrum, as if afraid she would faint.
Upon seeing this, the palace maid waiting nearby quickly bent down to help her up, her voice anxious: "Princess, what's wrong?"
When Consort Ruan had loosened her belt halfway, she noticed that Yuan Yao was behaving strangely.
Thinking of the corpse hanging at the entrance of Qianhua Palace, Consort Ruan's face turned pale, but she forced herself to remain calm: "Princess Yuanyao, what... what are you doing?"
Yuan Yao's clear black and white eyes darted around as she looked at Consort Ruan.
Is Consort Ruan afraid?
Could it be that she has something to hide?
Got it!
Yuan Yao was so happy she wanted to jump for joy.
However, she held back.
Yuan Yao nestled closer to the palace maid, pouted, pointed at Consort Ruan's arms, and said in a pitiful voice, "Consort, my little brother is so fierce! He won't let me come closer, and he even bared his teeth at me to scare me. I'm too scared to fight him for milk..."
younger brother?
Where did Qianhua Palace get its younger brother?
Consort Ruan's breathing quickened, and she looked around, asking, "Where is my brother...where is my brother?"
A terrible thought flashed through her mind.
"Ah?" Yuan Yao exclaimed softly, hesitated for a moment, and pointed to a palace maid huddled up beside her: "Can't you all see? My little brother is crying, go and comfort the noble lady!"
"Ah..." the palace maid screamed and fainted to the ground.
The remaining tea-serving maids trembled like sieves, their faces filled with terror.
Consort Ruan completely broke down, crying out in a hoarse voice, "Where is he? Where is he? Someone, come quick, take him away..."
Hearing the commotion, Consort Ruan's maid rushed into the hall, anxiously asking, "Your Highness, Your Highness, what's wrong?"
Ruan Guiren screamed and frantically pounded her body: "Ghost! There's a ghost on me! Get him away!"
ghost?
The maids were also terrified.
Yuan Yao, always eager for a good show, pointed and exclaimed, "Quick! Little brother's climbed onto the nobleman's shoulder!"
Consort Ruan rolled her eyes and fainted from fright.
Consort Ruan was carried out of Qianhua Palace.
Several eunuchs carried the sedan chair, struggling and panicking as they left the gates of Qianhua Palace.
Yuan Yao had a palace maid carry her and ran after her. As she chased, she cupped her hands into a megaphone shape and instructed Consort Ruan's personal maid in a childish voice, "Remember to give your little brother a bath when we get back! He has lots of red and black things on him!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the eunuchs carried the heavy sedan chair and ran very fast.
Yuan Yao couldn't help but laugh, waving her little hands happily, "Little brother, after you take a bath, come play with me with Consort Ruan! I won't steal your milk!"
The maid who was holding her stiffened, her voice hoarse: "Princess, let's go back to the palace."
“Okay.” Yuan Yao smiled brightly.
A palace maid mustered up her courage and asked, "Princess... what does your younger brother look like?"
Yuan Yao thought for a moment, then made up a story: "The little brother was small, not wearing any clothes, with a strange thing hanging from his stomach, and his body was shrouded in a layer of black mist. As for his skin..." She closed her eyes, raised her hand and pointed: "Exactly the same as hers."
All the palace maids looked up.
The wet nurse's body was hanging from the crossbeam beside the gate of Qianhua Palace, blood flowing from her seven orifices, swaying in the morning breeze.
A timid palace maid fainted on the spot.
Before Consort Ruan was even carried back to Xiangyin Palace, news of her possession by an evil spirit began to circulate throughout the palace.
Along the palace path, palace maids gathered in twos and threes, discussing: "I heard that yesterday, the Ninth Prince found a new wet nurse for Princess Yuan Yao. But the wet nurse turned out to be an assassin. She failed to assassinate the Ninth Prince and the Princess and died by poisoning herself."
When His Majesty heard of this, he ordered Consort Ruan, who was specially assigned to serve him, to temporarily act as the princess's wet nurse. Why was Consort Ruan brought back so quickly?
A palace maid who knew the situation glanced around and whispered, "Shh... I heard that Consort Ruan is possessed by an evil spirit."
"Possessed by an evil spirit?" the others exclaimed in surprise.
The knowledgeable palace maid continued, "I have a sister who works in Consort Ruan's palace. She said that Consort Ruan went to Qianhua Palace and was about to feed Princess Yuanyao when the princess suddenly cried out that the little prince in Consort Ruan's arms was crying. The little prince was covered in blood and was emitting black smoke, his resentment was overwhelming..."
"Oh my god!"
What happened next?
"Later, Consort Ruan was carried back to Xiangyin Palace. It is said that when the imperial physician went in to take her pulse, he saw a cloud of black mist enter the consort's abdomen. The physician was so frightened that he didn't even grab his medicine box and ran away in a panic. The people of Xiangyin Palace went to find the emperor, who was so frightened that his face turned green. He ordered Xiangyin Palace to be sealed off, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving..."
"hiss……"
When the news reached Qianhua Palace, Yuan Yao had just finished drinking her porridge and was directing the palace maids to build a swing for her in Yuehua Hall.
Overhearing the gossip of passing palace maids, Yuan Yao turned around and asked the maid who served her closely, "Sister Danqing, did Consort Ruan just give birth?"
“This…” Danqing’s ears turned slightly red, and she looked embarrassed.
Just as Yuan Yao was wondering, a soft, feminine voice rang out from not far away: "Consort Ruan has never given birth to a child."
“Father!” Yuan Yao looked up, her eyes lighting up.
The Nine Thousand Years Old was described as beautiful and slender, with her long hair tied up with a purple-gold crown with a pair of wings, revealing her long, fair neck. Over her pure black brocade robe, she wore a red gauze robe with wide sleeves embroidered with peonies in gold thread.
What a beauty!
The beautiful woman strolled over, lifted Yuan Yao into her arms with one hand, and lifted her little chin: "Little dumpling, Daddy heard that your little eyes saw something unclean?"
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