Chapter 141: Falling into a Trap
The palace maids around Concubine Rong immediately disappeared into the darkness.
In the evening breeze, Concubine Rong held the hand of the young eunuch and walked back to her palace.
"Master, be careful."
It rained last night, and the rocks in the mountains were covered with moss, making it slippery for people to walk on them.
The young eunuch held Concubine Rong's hand, with a slightly bent posture and a look of caution on his face.
Concubine Rong looked up at the moonlight above her head and said: "Today is the fifteenth day. I'm afraid your Majesty has forgotten again."
She went there tonight with the intention of sleeping with him.
His Majesty had been away from Kyoto for a few days, and she couldn't even see him. Now that she had arrived at Yuquan Mountain, she still thought that the Emperor would keep her to sleep with him tonight.
But looking at the way His Majesty just now, he didn't look interested at all.
In the end, Concubine Rong didn't dare to mention it.
"Master, rest assured, there is a long way to go." The young eunuch bent over and supported Concubine Rong, his drawn-out tone unable to conceal the feminine air within.
"Your Majesty will notice the master sooner or later."
Concubine Rong thought of something and gave a bitter smile. She shook her head, took a deep breath and walked forward.
I had just taken a few steps and turned a corner when I heard a sound in front of me.
The eunuch who was bending over to support her stood up immediately, looking fiercely towards the red wall: "Who's there?"
Concubine Rong raised her head and looked towards the red wall with an icy look in her eyes.
After a while, a rustling sound came from the red wall.
A moment later, a man walked out from the red wall. The person who came was wearing a cloak, and her beautiful figure was vaguely revealed.
Hearing the voice at this moment, he looked up and saw that it was the beautiful Ying who had not shown her face in the past few days.
"Cousin." Without saying a word, Lady Ying knelt on the ground and crawled towards Concubine Rong.
She hugged Concubine Rong's knees with both hands, and before she could speak, tears fell: "Cousin, you have to save me, cousin."
The main hall was brightly lit.
An evil wind blew in from the window, and the candlelight flickered.
On the lake green coral velvet carpet, Ying Meiren knelt on her knees, tears on her pretty face: "Cousin, I really didn't mean it."
“I just sent someone to inquire about the whereabouts of His Majesty, how could I know that Shen Ronghua happened to be allergic?”
The beautiful lady Ying spoke, her tone was ups and downs, soft and charming. After he finished speaking, his nose and eyes turned red from crying.
Her already beautiful face looked extremely pitiful.
Concubine Rong looked deeply at Lady Ying's face for a long time, and then she slowly withdrew her gaze.
She lowered her head and took the teacup handed over by the palace maid: “You said, Shen Ronghua is allergic to lotus pollen?”
"It's not me..."
Ying Meiren took out a handkerchief and wiped her face. She spoke subconsciously and then said, "Yes."
"The allergy is severe."
Although she had never seen it, she knew clearly how nervous and anxious the Emperor was during those days.
What's more...she had secretly sent someone to inquire. It is said that Shen Ronghua’s face has also grown a lot.
The red pimples as big as mung beans are scary enough, and if they grow all over the face, it goes without saying how ugly they are.
Thinking of Chen Fu's face, Ying Meiren secretly rejoiced. She only won the favor of the Emperor because of her face. If she lost her face, I wonder if the Emperor would still favor her.
"It's not me, cousin. It's really not me."
The beauty Ying has this brain.
A trace of impatience flashed across Concubine Rong's face, and she stretched out her hand and twisted her brow: "I didn't ask if it was you."
With her brain, if it wasn't her who did it, wouldn't she have turned the whole thing upside down?
Concubine Rong’s face was full of annoyance: “This palace is asking if Shen Ronghua is allergic to lotus pollen?”
"Oh, yes."
Ying Meiren covered her mouth and couldn't help laughing: "Cousin, you don't know, she became very ugly after the allergy."
Although I haven't seen it with my own eyes, I can imagine how ugly it is.
After seeing Chen Fu's look, His Majesty might not be able to eat.
Seeing Lady Ying looking so smug, Concubine Rong looked at the person kneeling on the ground and couldn't help but curse him as an idiot in her heart.
No wonder His Majesty suddenly wanted to change the venue. It was held every year at the Lotus Pond, but this year he suddenly wanted to move it to the Qingliang Terrace.
She thought something had happened, but now it seems she has an answer.
“It turns out that Shen Ronghua is allergic to lotus pollen.” Concubine Rong thought of this and lowered her head and murmured.
His Majesty did not bring anyone with him when he came to Yuquan Mountain this time, and only brought Chen Fu.
This kind of favor is incomparable in the entire harem.
Now, for Chen Ronghua, he was willing to hurt Concubine Shu's heart.
Concubine Shu...Shen Ronghua...
Concubine Rong kept mumbling the names of these two people, and no one could tell what she was thinking from her eyes.
"Cousin, cousin?"
The beautiful Ying knelt on the ground until her knees were sore. Seeing that Concubine Rong didn't respond for a long time, he shouted.
"I've told you so many times, don't call me cousin in the palace." Concubine Rong came to her senses, lowered her head and glared at the people below.
Ying Meiren's father and her father were sworn brothers. Although they were not related by blood, their relationship was better than that of ordinary brothers.
It’s just that Ying Meiren’s father has been at the border all year round and has made great military achievements. Her father also had considerable power in the previous dynasty.
In order to avoid suspicion, this relationship was deliberately kept secret so that few people knew about it.
Before Lady Ying entered the palace, her father had asked her to take care of her more than once. I just didn't expect that his brain was so stupid, it's simply stupid.
“I…” Ying Meiren’s eyes were filled with grievance. She looked at the person in front of her and lowered her head: “My Lady Imperial Concubine, I really didn’t harm Shen Ronghua.”
"Now His Majesty won't even see me." Although His Majesty didn't punish her for Shen Ronghua's incident, she never saw His Majesty again since that day.
No matter how many times she asked for an audience, the Emperor refused to see her.
Only then did Lady Ying panic.
"If this goes on, I'm afraid I'll die of old age in Yuquan Mountain." When Lady Ying said this, she truly shed two tears.
"My Lady, please be kind and save me."
Concubine Rong watched coldly for a moment, then slowly withdrew her gaze.
"knew."
Ying Meiren's father and brother hold military power and have made great military achievements in the northern border. The fact that she was able to hold on to the position of Imperial Concubine owed a lot to her relationship with Lady Ying.
"You should leave first and don't let others know that you were here tonight." After saying this, Concubine Rong lowered her head and drank her tea.
Lady Ying knelt on the ground and looked up at Concubine Rong's expression, and she knew that Concubine Rong had agreed to this matter.
"Yes." The beauty Ying curled up the corner of her mouth into a smile and lowered her head to hide the smugness on her face.
"I will withdraw first. Thank you, Your Majesty."
The beautiful Ying twisted her waist and walked out with a smug look on her face.
Only after seeing Lady Ying disappear did Concubine Rong withdraw her gaze.
The teacup in her hand suddenly became bitter. Concubine Rong couldn't drink it anymore and put it on the low table beside her.
"First there was Concubine Shu, and then there came Shen Ronghua." Concubine Rong couldn't help but sneer in her throat.
Then she shook her head and looked to her side: "Did His Majesty change his place this time because of Shen Ronghua? What do you think... if Concubine Shu knows about this, what should we do?"
The maid pounded her shoulders behind her back, and after hearing this, she said coldly without even looking up, "With Concubine Shu's temper, she will definitely fight back."
"Shu Fei versus Shen Ronghua."
As Concubine Rong spoke, she couldn't help but laugh and said, "I would like to know, if you have to choose between the two, what will the emperor choose against these two."
*********
The news that the Yuquan Mountain dinner had been moved to a new venue spread like wildfire.
The concubines had only arrived at Yuquan Mountain not long ago, but those who were interested naturally knew about it.
Inside Fengming Palace, the palace maids knelt on the ground and massaged Concubine Shu's legs. The rhinoceros spine is made of golden nanmu wood, and the room is filled with a faint fragrance when you just raise your hand.
The young eunuch leaned over and whispered something into Concubine Shu's ear.
After a moment, Concubine Shu opened her half-closed eyes in an instant: "What does your Highness mean by this?"
Who doesn't know that Yuquan Mountain is the place where she was favored in the past? Back then, she performed a stunning dance above the lotus pond, which made the Emperor favor her so much.
This can be said to be the place that changed Shufei's destiny.
Once a year, it is more like an agreement between her and His Majesty.
What does Concubine Rong mean? This year the location has changed. If she wasn't in the lotus pond, how would she dance this year?
Concubine Shu suddenly stood up from the beauty couch.
"Where did you change it to?" She lowered her head, her eyes and eyebrows were cold.
Seeing this, all the servants in the room knelt down.
The young eunuch knelt on the ground, his forehead covered with sweat. After hearing what Concubine Shu said, she kept knocking her head on the ground: "Change...change to the Qingliang Terrace."
"Qingliangtai?" Concubine Shu couldn't even remember what Qingliangtai was for a moment.
She raised her eyebrows. After remembering where it was, he immediately sneered: "The Imperial Concubine really took great pains to get there."
"Apart from flowers, plants and trees, what else is there around the Qingliang Terrace?"
That place is remote and there is not even any nice scenery around. Instead of holding the event in the nice lotus pond, they had to move there.
If the Imperial Concubine didn't do it on purpose, what else could it be?
The palace maids have always been aware of the discord between their masters and the imperial concubine.
If we were to say who is more favored in the harem, it would naturally be Concubine Shu. After all, she has been favored by His Majesty for many years and has always been treated with great favor.
Being given the title of Shu is also a kind of honor and favor. But there is a royal concubine above her.
Concubine Rong came from a noble family, and her father was a founding hero. Back then, Concubine Rong had been by His Majesty's side since his latent period, so this affection between them was different from that between her and others.
Therefore, although Concubine Rong was born with an ordinary appearance, she has always been trusted by His Majesty.
This alone is hard to compare with others.
And what about Concubine Shu? His family background is also not low.
What's more, her face is even more beautiful, and it is hard to find another one like her in the entire harem.
But over the years, no matter how favored Concubine Shu was, her status and position were always lower than that of Concubine Rong.
The title of concubine and the title of noble concubine are only one word apart. But no matter what I do, I always feel inferior to others.
Now that this happened again, how could Concubine Shu be willing to accept this?
"I'm afraid it can't be changed." The young eunuch knelt on the ground, trembling.
"I heard that people have been sent to Qingliang Terrace to make arrangements."
Concubine Shu's expression was extremely ugly: "It is because your Majesty favors me that you are deliberately going against me."
None of the servants in the room dared to speak, and it was obvious who Concubine Shu was referring to.
"Not really." said the young eunuch.
"I have found out something, but I don't know whether it is true or not." The young eunuch knelt on the ground and spoke softly.
"Your Majesty ordered that all the lotus flowers in the lotus pond be plucked, saying that it was because Shen Ronghua was allergic to lotus flowers."
"What?" Concubine Shu turned her head in disbelief.
The young eunuch asked again, "Could it be because of this that the banquet was moved to the Qingliang Terrace?"
The young eunuch knelt on the ground and couldn't help but raise his head and look at Concubine Shu.
Sure enough, Concubine Shu's face became extremely ugly.
His Majesty is well aware that she likes lotus, but now he is plucking all the lotus flowers in Yuquan Mountain?
With a sneer, he raised his chin and said, "Whether it is true or not, I will go and ask Concubine Rong in person and ask her for an explanation."
*******
Empress Shufei rode in a sedan chair and walked towards the palace of Empress Rong in a hurry.
On Shen Fu's side, a young eunuch came.
"The Imperial Concubine said that His Majesty had specifically instructed that Miss Shen Fu had never met her family in Kyoto, so this year he made an exception to allow Miss Shen Fu to meet them as soon as possible."
Chen Fu knew that coming to Yuquan Mountain meant having the opportunity to see her family members.
But now that the truth has been revealed, he finally heaved a sigh of relief: "Thank you, Imperial Concubine."
"Ms. Shen Fu is too polite."
The young eunuch knelt on the ground with a smile on his face: "It's just that Miss Chen Fu and the master of Changqiu Palace..."
Shen Qingru became pregnant and has not gone out since then.
She was the only one with children in the harem, so she naturally didn't even go out to protect herself. "What time is it? When will you come to see me? The Imperial Concubine said that the two young ladies should make their own decisions."
“But…” Shen Fu hesitated for a moment.
Firstly, she didn't want to meet Shen Qingru, and secondly, she always felt that there was something wrong with the baby in her belly.
Before the truth came out, she didn't want to see Shen Qingru at all.
"Don't worry, my lady. The one in Changqiu Palace is already waiting for you at the Imperial Concubine's place."
The young eunuch seemed to know what Shen Fu was thinking, and he leaned forward and said attentively: “Now we are just waiting for the young master.”
When Shen Fu heard this, she felt a little relieved. Shen Qingru would definitely not make any mistakes in front of the Imperial Concubine.
Besides... She looked up at the young eunuch in front of her and said, "Since the Imperial Concubine has personally sent someone to invite me, I will go with you."
Chen Fu followed the young eunuch to Concubine Rong's palace.
Her face was almost healed, but just to avoid it, after much thought, she covered her face with a veil before leaving.
Yuquan Mountain is not small, and there is only one road leading to Rong Guifei's Palace. Shen Fu had not walked for long with the young eunuch when she saw a huge crowd ahead.
Chen Fu raised her head and looked at the person in front of her. From afar, she saw Concubine Shu sitting on a sedan chair with a very graceful appearance.
The sedan chair was coming towards her. Chen Fu looked at the Concubine Shu in front of her and thought to herself that something was wrong.
The Concubine Shu has a bad temper and is not easy to please.
Thinking of the scar on Shen Qingru's face... Shen Fu's heart skipped a beat and she subconsciously turned her head to avoid it.
But just as Chen Fu was about to hide, the Concubine Shu in front of her yelled, "Come back!"
Concubine Shu saw Chen Fu from a distance.
Shen Ronghua? The two sisters in the Shen family are the same, both of them are seducing the Emperor.
She was furious at the moment, and the person coming would just bump into the muzzle of her gun?
Concubine Shu narrowed her phoenix eyes and pointed forward with her armored hand: "Go and capture her for me."
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