Chapter 025 Chapter 25
Chapter 25
White snow fell on the branches of the plum blossoms, complementing the red plum blossoms.
Ruan Yun tightened her cloak and held the hand warmer closer to her bosom. Although she was reluctant to go out in the cold winter, it was still refreshing to do so once in a while.
Wen Yunu's brows relaxed and she said, "Sister Ying, if you feel unwell, you must tell me."
Ruan Jun looked at her, her almond eyes sparkling with light as she said, "It's not that expensive, it's still worth a few steps."
Having said that, a gust of cold wind blew into the rabbit fur-edged silk cloak embroidered with warm jade butterfly clothes, causing Ruan Yun's nose tip to turn red. She could only feel the cool air entering her body, but it was not as fierce as yesterday.
Tingxu felt a little worried as she followed behind Ruan Yun, but since they were all with their masters, she couldn't say much and could only take good care of the young lady.
The snow-covered garden is very beautiful, but you can't enjoy the beauty for too long.
It was almost time for lunch, so Ruan Yun and Wen Yunu prepared to return to the palace for lunch. Unexpectedly, on the way back, they ran into Yuan Cairen looking for something on the ground.
Yuan Cairen was originally a concubine in the Qian Palace. Later, the emperor favored her and although she had no favor, she was promoted to a talented person because of the great honors she received in the six palaces.
Ruan Yun was very hungry and too lazy to greet Yuan Cairen in such a snowy weather. After taking Wen Yunu to greet her, she prepared to walk around the plum blossom forest.
"Ying Baolin." Yuan Cairen suddenly spoke. Ruan Yun and Wen Yunu looked at each other. It was obvious that neither of them had expected this.
Since she had spoken, Ruan Yun could not pretend not to hear her, so she turned around and asked respectfully, "What do you want, Master Yuan?"
Yuan Cairen's tone was full of apology, but her words were actually very blunt. She said, "The pearl bracelet that the emperor gave me is broken. It is hard to find it in the snow. If you walk along the path, you may step on the pearls and make them fall into the dust."
Wen Yunu said with a face full of displeasure: "What are you saying, Yuan Cairen, does this mean that my sister and I can't leave here today?"
The snow in the Yu Garden was very deep, and the palace maids could only clear a small path. The snow in other places was probably up to the calves. If they took a detour, I'm afraid Sister Ying would not be able to bear the cold.
Ruan Yun had also thought of this, but there was really no better way at the moment. What Yuan Cairen held in his hand was indeed a broken shark fishing line, which was even more dazzling against the backdrop of the snow.
Who dares to damage the gift easily?
Although Ruan Yun was grumbling in her heart, she still had a smile on her face and said, "In that case, let's go from the back."
Yuan Cairen looked at Ruan Yun quietly for a long time without saying anything. When Ruan Yun turned around and prepared to leave, she said, "It's freezing cold, I don't know how long I have to search here. Since you two sisters have brought people with you, why don't you join me in the search? It won't be too late to go back after all 18 pearls are found. I think you two sisters don't have anything else to do."
Wen Yunu glanced at Ruan Yun, only to see her eyebrows were tightly knitted, her face was stiff, and she didn't even smile. She stood in front of Ruan Yun and said unhappily, "If Yuan Cai wants to find the pearls, just let your people in the palace look for them. Sister Ying is precious, and the snow is very blinding. I don't know when we can find them all. Besides, we didn't drop them. Yuan Cai, please don't make things difficult for us."
Ruan Yun's smile disappeared. Just as she was about to hold Wen Yunu back, Yuan Cairen stepped forward and said with narrowed eyes, "I didn't know that Wen Yunu was so capable. You are disrespectful to the higher-ups. Have you swallowed all the palace rules?"
"How should Miss Wen Yu be dealt with according to palace rules this time?" Yuan Cairen asked the palace maid behind her, her face full of anger.
The palace maid said respectfully, "You are punished to kneel here for one hour."
Wen Yunu was obviously very angry. She took a deep breath and said, "Yuan Cairen is a concubine like us. How can we punish her privately?"
Ruan Yun grabbed Wen Yunu's wrist, stopping her from continuing to speak, and said, "If Yuan Cairen thinks that I and Wen Yunu are wrong, she should tell the Empress, and let the Empress decide."
The tone is flat, yet so calm and steady that people dare not ignore it.
Yuan Cairen sneered and said, "Ying Baolin would not think that he could surpass me just by enjoying the emperor's favor for a few days."
Ruan Yun felt Wen Yunu's movements and held on tighter, lowering her eyebrows and saying, "I dare not."
Yuan Cairen handed all the pearls in her hand to the palace maid and said, "You are the best."
"Come here, hold them down for me. They are not allowed to stand up until they kneel for an hour!"
The eunuchs behind Yuan Cairen walked directly towards Ruan Yun and Wen Yunu. Wen Yunu stood in front of Ruan Yun, trying to protect her, but the eunuchs with Yuan Cairen were too strong. The two of them had only come to Fengyi Palace to pay their respects, and each brought Tingxu and Luo Wan with them, so they were no match for the eunuchs.
During the scuffle, the eunuch wanted to force Ruan Yun to kneel down, but Wen Yunu held him back, and the eunuch did not dare to use too much force. After a few pushes, Ruan Yun felt a violent push from behind her waist, and she moved forward uncontrollably.
Seeing this, Ting Xu hurried over and tried to hold Ruan Yun, but was stopped by the palace maid beside Yuan Cairen.
Seeing that Ruan Jun was about to fall, Wen Yunu directly fell on top of Ruan Jun and let out a muffled groan.
Ruan Yun was hit so hard that she saw stars and her waist hurt terribly. She placed her hands on the falling snow and a severe chill rushed over her body.
Seeing someone fall, Ting Xu directly pushed away the palace maid who was blocking her, and Luo Wan also hurried over to help Wen Yunu up.
It was a severe winter and everyone was wearing warm clothes. However, Wen Yu was supporting herself on the ground with her hands and was scratched by the stone paths in the Yu Garden. It was not known whether her dress was scratched or not.
Ruan Jun motioned Tingxu to go check on Wen Yunu, who stood up by herself.
Seeing this, Yuan Cairen showed no intention of quitting and asked, "Why, Ying Baolin wants to disrespect the words of the superior?"
At the moment Yuan Cairen was speaking, a bright yellow figure suddenly came towards her. Yuan Cairen frowned, his face full of sorrow, and said, "Even if you are blessed by the Holy Spirit, you don't have to mock me like this."
Ruan Yun immediately thought of something, but was beaten to it by Yuan Cairen, "Your Majesty, I am here to see you."
Then he paused, and then he saw the woman standing beside Yan Shiyu, "Greetings to Her Majesty the Concubine Shu."
Concubine Shu took a closer look. She had finally managed to get the emperor to have lunch in her palace. Thinking that the plum blossoms in Yu Garden were in full bloom, she suggested that she and Yan Shiyu go to Yu Garden to enjoy the scenery first. But who knew that there were a few little ruffians in front of them again!
Ruan Yun and Wen Yu's daughter came to pay their respects to Yan Shiyu and Concubine Shu one after another. Yan Shiyu saw at first glance that the woman was standing there pitifully, with her brows tightly knitted, her hair loose, and even the jade hairpin on her head fallen somewhere. There was a large patch of wetness on her dress, mixed with mud, and she looked quite disheveled.
Yan Shiyu's eyes suddenly turned cold, and he asked, "What's going on?"
Yuan Cairen cried and said, "The pearl bracelet that the emperor gave me before was accidentally broken. I wanted my two sisters to help me find it, but they not only refused, but also mocked me."
Her body went limp and Yuan Cairen cried sadly.
Seeing this, Concubine Shu frowned in disdain. Yuan Cairen used to be in Qiandi. Although she was not mature, she was stable. How come everyone has lost their minds as long as a bitch like Ruan Yun is around?
Ruan Yun stared at Yan Shiyu without blinking. After Yuan Cairen finished speaking, she didn't even open her mouth. Dust fell on the tip of her small nose and her eyes were filled with tears. Her watery eyes were telling of her own grievances.
Yan Shiyu frowned. If she had stayed in Ruiyu Pavilion, she would not have mattered even if others slandered her. But she had not recovered yet and she had to come to Yu Garden to enjoy the scenery in this freezing weather.
When Ruan Yun saw Yan Shiyu's cold eyes, her tears began to fall. She turned sideways and wiped them with a handkerchief, as if she could never stop. Then, she suppressed her anger, her voice trembling, "Does the emperor believe it?"
Yan Shiyu finally walked to Ruan Yun's side, took off the emperor's fox fur coat and put it on Ruan Yun's shoulders, trying to wrap her small body.
The scent of ambergris was getting closer, but Ruan Jun avoided Yan Shiyu's hand, looking as if she had suffered a great humiliation and allowed herself to suffer miserably.
Yan Shiyu sneered and threw the fox fur coat to Wei Maoyuan. His dark eyes were cold and sharp. He pointed at Tingxu and said, "You go ahead and tell me."
Yuan Cairen wanted to speak but Yan Shiyu glanced at him and he dared not say anything anymore.
Ting Xu supported Ruan Yun, placed the young lady's hand in her palm, and then told her everything that had just happened.
Yuan Cairen refused to admit it, and looked at Yan Shiyu and said, "She is Ying Baolin's concubine, so she will naturally speak for Ying Baolin. Your Majesty must not listen to her one-sided words!"
Wen Yunu was helped up by Luo Wan. The wound on her palm was shocking. She said, "Could it be that Cheng Yuancai meant that Sister Ying and I had done this to ourselves?"
People can lie, but they cannot hide the wounds on their bodies, let alone ordinary concubines. If they really saw blood, they would not be able to serve the emperor. Who would be so stupid as to risk losing favor to frame others?
As soon as Wen Yunu said this, Yan Shiyu said in a clear voice: "Yuan Cairen has violated the palace rules by privately carrying out the punishment. She shall be demoted to Baolin."
Baolin...
Baolin still has no title.
Ruan Yun's drooping almond-shaped eyes were exceptionally clear. It was unknown whether the emperor wanted to give her face or did not want to punish her too severely, so he placed Yuan Baolin on the same level as her, but because of his title, he had to be lower than her.
Yan Shiyu saw the chaos in front of him. When he looked at Ruan Jun, her face was tense and she was obviously upset. He waved his sleeves and said, "Why don't you help your master back!"
The palace maid beside Yuan Baolin quickly helped her up, and Tingxu and Luo Wan also supported Ruan Yun and Wen Yunu respectively.
Her waist had been pushed hard just now, and Ruan Jun felt that there should be a large purple bruise all over it. She didn't know if it was Yuan Cairen's palace maid who did it. Now that she came to her senses, it seemed as if they wanted to push her to the ground deliberately, not just to punish her.
Ruan Yun was confused for a moment and walked very slowly. Wen Yunu walked to Ruan Yun with a guilty look on her face and said, "It's my fault. I have caused trouble for my sister."
Ruan Yun shook her head and smiled to comfort her, "It has nothing to do with you."
When she turned around, the emperor in his brocade robe with dragon pattern was still standing there. Ruan Jun quickly turned around and left, limping back to Ruiyu Pavilion.
Tingxu whispered, "The young lady is already in such a state, and the emperor didn't even say he would send her off."
Ruan Jun leaned on Tingxu, "The Empress Shufei and the Emperor just encountered this incident halfway. The Emperor had already decided to have lunch at the Empress Shufei's palace, so how can he change it?" Tingxu felt sorry for the young lady. Today was an unprovoked disaster for her. The punishment of the emperor on Yuan Baolin was too light, and he didn't even say that he would accompany the young lady.
The master and servant walked very slowly, and their dirty clothes stuck to their bodies, making Ruan Yun feel more and more uncomfortable.
Wei Maoyuan hurriedly caught up with Ruan Yun, took a long breath and said, "Master Baolin, the emperor wants you to ride on his sedan chair back. The charcoal basin has been prepared. Please get on quickly."
Ruan Jun only glanced at him and rejected him quickly in a gentle but quick voice:
"Thank you, Eunuch Lao, for coming here, but I don't dare to attract attention anymore because I have nothing to do. Please go back."
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