Chapter 004 Chapter 4
Chapter 4
There was only a pale look on Yu Ronghua's pretty face. The jade pendant with dragon pattern fell from her hand. She looked at Yan Shiyu with tears in her beautiful eyes, "Your Majesty..."
Yan Shiyu's eyebrows were tinged with impatience, his black eyes were slightly closed, his face was cold, and he said mercilessly: "Wei Maoyuan!"
"Hey." Wei Maoyuan stepped forward and was about to extend his hand. How could Yu Ronghua not understand Yan Shiyu's meaning? She forced her tears back. No matter how painful it was, there was no point in shedding tears in front of Yan Shiyu. She picked up the jade pendant, and Yu Ronghua knelt in front of him as if she had not heard what Yan Shiyu had just said, and helped him put on his court clothes.
Yan Shiyu's surprise was evident on his face. After feeling Yu Ronghua's movements, he left Hanyu Palace without saying a word.
Wei Maoyuan followed closely behind and sighed silently. Even if others were unwilling in their hearts, the emperor still had to offer what he wanted with a smile on his face. Yu Ronghua clearly wanted to offer the palace maid last night but suddenly changed her mind this morning. The action of a girl from a noble family really offended the emperor, so it was no wonder that the emperor was unhappy.
Before Yu Ronghua could react, all she could see was the sound of Yan Shiyu's dragon robe swinging away. The words she wanted to say were stuck in her throat and she couldn't utter them at all, feeling extremely bitter.
Chen Lu helped Yu Ronghua up, and seeing her master's tears falling, she quickly winked at the palace maids and helped Yu Ronghua into the inner hall. The beautiful makeup she had just put on was stained by Yu Ronghua's tears. Chen Lu advised: "If the master didn't want to, why did you let the emperor see that slave last night? It only added to your troubles."
Yu Ronghua's heart was filled with hatred, the pearl hairpin on her head was shaken violently by her, how could she not want to please the emperor? She knew that everything was going according to the plan but she couldn't control her heart. She hated how hard she had to get the emperor's favor and heart but it was taken away by someone else. What woman doesn't want to be loved by the man beside her? Who would be willing to send another woman to the dragon bed with their own hands if they were not forced to do so?
For a moment, Yu Ronghua had a myriad of feelings that she couldn't describe. She was very depressed and no longer the charming and noble girl she used to be.
Chen Lu helped Yu Ronghua clean her face, "We will go to the Empress' palace to pay our respects in a while. It was a good thing that the master slept with her last night, but don't let others see the clues, otherwise it will get to the Emperor's ears and I'm afraid it will annoy the Emperor."
Yu Ronghua's eyes moved slightly and she wiped away her tears, looking at herself in the bronze mirror. Her face was still beautiful, so how could she not receive the emperor's favor again? She had to wait a little longer, at least now she couldn't deliver the person to the emperor in person.
Yan Shiyu slightly bent his fingertips and tapped lightly on the side of the imperial staff silently, his brows lowered and his expression gradually became cold. Wei Maoyuan, who was standing nearby, saw it all clearly. He walked aside without daring to make a sound, fearing that he would suffer again if the emperor was not pleased.
The Emperor had been in charge of the country even when the late Emperor was ill. Although the Emperor had only been in power for two years, the Emperor had already been the tacit master of the country in his early years. He could get whatever he wanted and had no good things. Unfortunately, Yu Ronghua's behavior today made the Emperor unhappy. What good consequences would Yu Ronghua herself have in the future?
The imperial procession landed at the Purple Palace, and Wei Maoyuan reminded, "Your Majesty, we have arrived."
Yan Shiyu glanced at him, making Wei Maoyuan's heart skip a beat. Before his knees even landed on the ground, he saw Yan Shiyu striding out of the palace. As he passed by Wei Maoyuan, he said, "Go and find out who the palace maid was last night."
Wei Maoyuan was about to accept the offer, but Yan Shiyu suddenly stopped and turned the white jade ring on his hand, "No need."
The contrast between the two came so quickly that Wei Maoyuan was confused and did not dare to ask more questions. He could only do everything according to the emperor's instructions.
…
Ruan Jun had no idea what happened in the front hall. She only knew that from that day on, she and Tingxu were arranged by Chen Lu to work in the back hall to take care of an entire peach blossom forest. Ruan Jun realized that Yu Ronghua had changed her mind and was taking out her anger on them.
The peach blossom forest is neither big nor small. The scenery of Hanyu Palace is elegant. It was personally chosen by the emperor for Yu Ronghua to live in. It’s a pity that she still lives here now, and the emperor’s favorite is no longer here, just like a fallen flower.
Ruan Yun cleaned up the remaining peach petals under the corridor, and then went to pick up the fallen peach branches on the ground with Tingxu.
It would take at least five people to clean the entire forest, and now there are only two of them here. They have endless work to do every day, and Yu Ronghua doesn't allow anyone to give them food. When Ruan Yun bent down and stood up again, her face turned pale. She put her hands on the tree trunk and took a long time to calm down.
Tingxu put the fallen branch aside, glanced at Ruan Jun, felt something was wrong and rushed over in a hurry. When he stood up, he felt dizzy and couldn't hold on with his hands, so he bumped into the pillar.
When Ruan Jun heard the noise, she ignored the work in her hands and forced herself to go to Tingxu. She picked Tingxu up and saw the shocking scar on her forehead. Her face became even paler.
Pressing the handkerchief against Tingxu's wound, Ruan Yun calmed herself down and called her softly, "Tingxu, can you still hear me?"
Tingxu felt as if her sister was calling her. She wanted to reach out her hand but she felt increasingly weak. Her lips moved slightly as if she wanted to speak.
Ruan Yun saw that the wound on Tingxu's forehead was not very serious, and she did not feel a high fever when she touched her forehead. Stopping Tingxu from speaking, Ruan Yun held Tingxu's shoulders and let her lean against the pillar, "You wait here, I will find a way to get a female doctor for you."
This is a difficult matter. Now that I am in Hanyu Palace and not working under Eunuch Deng, everything needs Yu Ronghua's approval. Although I know it is not easy, I have to try my best no matter what for the sake of listening to Xu.
Ruan Jun stood up, put his hand over his heart and felt calmer, then lowered his head to look at Tingxu who was almost fainting, and without paying attention to anything else, he quickly walked towards the front hall.
Wiping the sweat off her forehead and dust off her hands, Ruan Jun felt exhausted with every step she took. She finally reached the front hall, but before she could take another step, Qing Ling stopped her and said, "Stop! Why are you here instead of cleaning up the peach blossom forest?"
Qing Ling saw Ruan Jun's weak face, but she was still beautiful. Her pitiful appearance made her even more distressed. She couldn't help but think of her master's words about Ruan Jun being a foxy woman. When she looked at Ruan Jun again, she had another layer of meaning in her words, and her tone was not friendly. "If you don't finish cleaning, you are not allowed to eat today!"
Ruan Yun's throat was filled with blood, and she tried to force a smile, "Sister Qingling, Tingxu fell down while on duty just now. Can you ask the master to invite a female doctor to take a look at her?"
Qing Ling felt very unlucky. "Whenever you go to Taolin to sweep the ground, you get injured here or there. Are you here to work for Hanyu Palace or to be its masters?"
Ruan Jun grabbed Qing Ling's sleeve, thinking of Ting Xu who was still in the peach forest, and took a deep breath, all begging, "It's our fault, Ting Xu accidentally fell and got hurt, sister, please help tell the master, I will definitely remember your kindness in the future."
Qing Ling pulled out his sleeves slowly and revealed a smug smile, "What use is there for me to ask for your kindness?"
Ruan Jun clenched her finger bones tightly, and suddenly there was nothing in her hands. She staggered backwards and almost fell. Her hands gradually clenched tighter, and the tiny wounds in the palms of her hands made her heart ache.
She took a step back and knelt in front of Qingling, "Please help me, Sister Qingling."
When Qing Ling saw her appearance, he smiled even more proudly. Everyone in Hanyu Palace stopped what they were doing and looked towards Ruan Yun. The sky was wet and covered with a layer of mist since early in the morning. Now that the mist had dissipated, no light fell. The cold stone slabs made Ruan Yun shiver uncontrollably.
Her eyes went dark, and she bit her lower lip tightly until she tasted blood in her mouth and her mind became slightly clearer.
Qing Ling was about to leave when Yu Ronghua's charming voice came from the corridor not far away, "What are you doing? Why are you making such a fuss?"
Ruan Yun raised his head, ignoring Qing Ling's obstruction, and walked to Yu Ronghua and knelt down, "Master, Tingxu accidentally fell down, can you please ask a female doctor to take a look at her."
Yu Ronghua stood on the high seat and looked down. The slave girl was still the most pleasing to the eye. Not only did she have such a good appearance, but she also caught the emperor's eye. She really deserved to die! At this time, Ruan Yun's face and body were covered with a lot of dust, and there was a blood stain at the corner of her mouth. Although she still looked so hateful, if the emperor came at this time, he would definitely dislike her!
Touching the ruby-studded armor on her hand, Yu Ronghua yawned softly, "A palace maid, whether she can survive or not is her own fate."
The reason why Tingxu stayed behind was to control Ruan Jun. If Ruan Jun died, she would not be able to cause any trouble. Yu Ronghua turned around and was about to enter the palace. "Don't make any more noise, or you will keep kneeling to me."
Ruan Yun rubbed her knees against the ground and cried, "Master, please, please have mercy and save Tingxu."
The early summer rain came all the more urgently, and the water drops fell on the corners of the palace, making the bells ring in disorder. Ruan Jun looked up in the misty rain, and Yu Ronghua looked at her with eyes colder than the rain.
The rain hit Ruan Yun's body, soaking her whole body. In despair, Ruan Yun remembered what she had heard recently. She closed her eyes and trembled with white lips. "I am willing to serve the master. The master can ask me to do anything. I only ask the master to save Tingxu..."
Yu Ronghua lowered her eyes and glanced at him, then suddenly smiled with her lips curved.
…
After hearing the news, Wei Maoyuan thought for a while before going into the inner hall with a cup of hot tea. He replaced the tea that was gradually cooling down in Yan Shiyu's hand, and hesitated whether to say it out loud.
Miss Ruan Yun seemed to have caught the emperor's eye, but for the next half month, the emperor seemed to have forgotten about her. He even stopped mentioning Yu Ronghua and went to see Concubine Shu and other mistresses as usual. Wei Maoyuan pondered for a long time and still felt that the emperor probably still wanted to know, but he was at a loss as to how to start the conversation.
Yan Shiyu kept writing with his pen in his hand, and asked in a cold voice, "Why are you hesitating?"
Recently he has been working at his desk for many days because of the Yellow River flood. Every day when he goes to court, he listens to the useless words of the civil and military officials. They all receive food and wages from the court, but none of them has the ability to control the flood. It is really useless.
Looking at the memorial on the case, Yan Shiyu swept it to the ground and said, "Bullshit!"
Wei Maoyuan hurriedly picked up the memorial and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down."
Although he knew that the emperor was not scolding him, his heart still skipped a beat. Wei Maoyuan thought about it and felt that he was just being scolded by the emperor. However, if something really happened to Miss Ruan Jun, who knows how angry she would be when the emperor hadn't even seen her alone.
"Your Majesty, two palace maids in Hanyu Palace have fallen ill one after another."
Yan Shiyu frowned and was about to open his lips, when he suddenly saw the scene of the young palace maid holding a jade chopstick under the candlelight that night, with her fingertips flushed with nervousness, and her rosy face illuminated by the dim light, making it translucent and gorgeous. Putting down the pen in his hand, Yan Shiyu looked at Wei Maoyuan, "How is the person?"
Wei Maoyuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the emperor really cared about this matter. The emperor had always been diligent. He was always too busy to take care of himself. When he saw the memorials, he probably didn't even need tea or meals. This time, he actually asked about Miss Ruan Yun. Seeing that there would be another master in the palace, who could be the emperor's favorite person, Wei Maoyuan immediately said, "The person is fine, but he needs to recuperate for a long time."
Yan Shiyu calmed down and said nothing more. He looked at the memorial on the desk again.
But she was just a palace maid, not worth his attention after all.
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