Chapter 57 Concealment
The sky was getting light.
Su Ci woke up to a slight sound, and tilted her head in confusion to look at the person sitting in front of the bed washing up.
"Your Majesty? Why are you here?"
Xuan Yi put down the handkerchief, stood up and opened his arms for Yanyu Guyu to put on the court robes, his dark eyes fixed on the person with messy hair.
"Sleep a little longer, and go to Jingming Palace to serve the meal at noon."
"ah?"
Su Ci scratched her head in a daze, watching the king in black and gold court robes walk out of the bedroom in a majestic manner.
"Uh...Yanyu Guyu, when did His Majesty arrive?"
"I came last night."
Yanyu smiled and hung up the gauze curtains: "So last night, His Majesty only went to Huilan Palace for dinner, and then came to our Yufu Palace."
Guyu couldn't hide her joy either. "Master fell asleep in the warm room last night. His Majesty carried you back to the bedroom. Xiao Dengzi, the gatekeeper, said His Majesty didn't allow anyone to pass on the message, so he sneaked in on his own. Even we had to be woken up by Nanny Qin."
"…oh."
Su Ci fell back on the bed and waved her hand: "Then I'll sleep a little longer, you guys go out first."
"No, Master."
Guyu quickly reminded, "Every year, the day after returning to the palace after the New Year's Festival, the concubines have to accompany the Empress Dowager to the Buddhist temple to offer Buddhist scriptures and worship. It's almost time now. Can you catch up on some sleep when the master comes back?"
"Oh, I almost forgot."
Su Ci stretched lazily and stood up to wash up helplessly: "Will the Queen go too?"
"Probably not."
Guyu lowered her voice slightly, "I heard that the guards outside Zhaohua Palace haven't withdrawn yet. I even asked Nanny Qin about it, and she said that the Empress Dowager has excused the Queen from paying respects today. I don't think she will go."
"That's good, so she won't get in the way."
Yanyu presented the scented tablets for rinsing her mouth, looking a little nervous: "Master, are you planning to deal with that Wei Xiuyuan?"
Su Ci gave her a funny look.
"It's true that Wei Shuangyun wants to harm me, but she's not very smart and her position is lower than mine. It's not difficult to deal with her, but the one I have to be most careful of now is Consort Xian."
Yanyu was stunned: "Master, are you saying that His Majesty abandoned Concubine Xian and came to us last night, and she will deal with you because of this? But during this period of time, you and her are the only concubines in the palace who have been on good terms..."
"Yanyu, you think too simply."
Gu Yu pursed her lips and shook her head. "Everyone in the palace knows it very well. His Majesty doesn't want the master to be too popular and attract attention, so he promoted the two of them to be virtuous concubines and good concubines. To put it bluntly, he pushed them to shield the master from the spotlight."
Su Ci raised her eyebrows, spit out the scented paper and picked up the cup of water to rinse her mouth.
"continue."
"The virtuous concubine has been in the palace for many years. She comes from a noble family and has always considered herself to be noble. I still remember that when she first entered the palace, she didn't even look at our master straight in the eye. But after being appointed as a concubine, she became gentle and amiable. Others say that she has recognized the situation and is willing to seek peace, but I think she is just biding her time."
Guyu frowned slightly as she spoke, "After His Majesty came last night, I secretly asked Fulu to take some silver and go to the eunuch guarding the Huilan Palace to inquire. It was said that as soon as the virtuous concubine returned to the palace yesterday, she ordered the palace maids to clean it carefully and also asked the imperial kitchen to prepare some deer blood wine, deer blood soup and other yang-tonifying foods."
"This shows that Concubine Xian knew that His Majesty would definitely go to Huilan Palace last night. The eunuch said that after His Majesty left, there was a lot of commotion in Huilan Palace. Such a great humiliation is impossible for Concubine Xian to swallow."
"Well, you're right."
Su Ci's expression was indifferent. "I've been close to Concubine Xian these past few days, and I've seen another side of her. She's definitely not the aloof and arrogant Yan Zhaoyi she used to be. It's just that Your Majesty rarely visited the harem, and the Empress became more powerful, so even if the concubines wanted to fight, they couldn't find anyone to fight against."
"It wasn't until I entered the palace and gained favor, stirring up their long-dormant fighting spirit, that Yan Zhiwan changed her usual behavior and became close to me. Her motives were twofold: one was to use me to gain access to His Majesty, and the other was to test my strength and wait for an opportunity to strike."
"But when His Majesty left last night, not only did she lose face, but it also severely slapped the face of the Runan Marquisate. She won't be able to tolerate this. If nothing unexpected happens, she will be my biggest rival from now on."
Guyu nodded seriously.
"Then we have to do something. We can't just sit there and wait for death, right?"
Su Ci looked at herself in the bronze mirror wearing a moon-white palace dress with floral patterns, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
"Of course. I don't want to wait for others to harm me before I fight back. I like to nip those who want to harm me in the bud, just like Wei Shuangyun did back then."
…
Buddhist temple.
The Queen Mother knelt on the cushion in the first seat, her eyes slightly closed and muttering to herself.
Yan Zhiwan's makeup was a little heavy today. If you look closely, you can see a faint shadow under her eyes. Her expression can't be seen clearly with her eyes lowered.
Su Ci next to him frowned slightly, and a hint of vigilance flashed in his eyes.
The strong scent of sandalwood in the Buddhist temple, combined with the mixed fragrance of rouge from the concubines, made her feel a little dizzy.
Su Ci exhaled slightly, her eyes falling on the red coral beads on Yan Zhiwan's wrist.
She is well versed in the routines of palace dramas. Any symptoms such as nausea, drowsiness, and changes in appetite must be related to pregnancy.
In fact, she had noticed an increase in her appetite a few days ago, but because her period had not yet arrived, she probably couldn't tell if she was pregnant even if she was.
She chose to keep it secret temporarily because she was afraid that Yanyu Guyu would be too nervous and the truth would be revealed.
**
After leaving Baorong Palace, Su Ci quickly took a deep breath of fresh air.
"What happened to Sister Shufei?"
Wei Shuangyun came over and bowed slightly, covering her mouth with her hands and laughing softly: "That's right, the sandalwood scent in the Buddhist temple is really intoxicating. It's understandable that a delicate person like my sister is not used to it."
"Wei Xiuyuan, be careful with your words."
Su Ci glanced over and said, "Worshiping Buddha is a sacred thing. The Empress Dowager prays devoutly in the temple almost every day and has never said anything like that. Wei Xiuyuan is not one to speak nonsense casually. If others hear it, they will think you are disrespectful to the gods and Buddhas, and they will sneer at the Empress Dowager's many years of worshipping Buddha."
“…”
Wei Shuangyun's face froze, and she forced a smile: "Sister Shufei misunderstood me. I just saw that you were not feeling well, so I just casually greeted you..."
"Is Sister Shufei feeling unwell?"
Yan Zhiwan walked over with a smile and looked at Su Ci's face worriedly.
Su Ci smiled back, "Thank you for your concern, sister. I'm fine. Last night, His Majesty told me that my sister suddenly felt unwell and couldn't sleep with you. I was worried all night and didn't have a chance to talk to you just now."
“…Oh, yes.”
Yan Zhiwan glanced at the concubines beside her and smiled modestly: "Perhaps I ate some inappropriate meals in the other courtyard. I felt a little unwell last night. It's also because of my poor health that I neglected Your Majesty."
"Sister is a noble lady and has been in the palace for many years. It's understandable that she can't get used to the food outside the palace."
Su Ci smiled brightly. "On the contrary, I've eaten everything since I was a child and have developed an iron stomach. I find the food in the other courtyard particularly delicious, especially the venison soup, which is even more authentic than the one made in the palace's imperial kitchen."
Wei Shuangyun paused, a hint of joy of success flashing in his eyes.
"That's right, Sister Shufei. It's said that the meals in the other courtyard are all from animals caught in the paddocks, slaughtered right away to ensure they are fresh."
"uh-huh."
Su Ci just gave the fool a fake smile.
It's so stupid that it's shocking...
Wu Chongyuan, who was standing behind Wei Shuangyun, turned pale and lowered her head, biting her lip.
Is this idiot afraid that others won't know she tampered with the venison soup? She's never even been to the villa, so what's this nonsense?
Who is the queen looking for?
…
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
