Chapter 061 Chapter 61
[Chapter 61]
Wei Maoyuan, who was standing outside the chamber waiting, heard the voice inside and almost knelt down to Concubine Ying. Not even the historian in the world would dare to say so blatantly that the emperor was wrong. Does Concubine Ying want to die?
Yan Shiyu looked at the bold woman with a sullen face and scolded her in a low voice, "Ruan Jun!"
Ruan Yun held Yan Shiyu's arm fearlessly and said, "Your Majesty is a gentleman, so please don't worry about my unintentional mistake."
Yan Shiyu's eyebrows twitched violently. He pinched Ruan Yun's little face and only let go when he saw that she was in pain.
Ruan Jun covered her cheek and looked at Yan Shiyu in reproach, "Your Majesty is bullying me again."
Yan Shiyu glanced at her with a half-smile, and said with a straight face: "I didn't punish you, and you still have other complaints?"
Ruan Yun softly reached into Yan Shiyu's sleeves, grasped his big hand, and shook it flatteringly.
Ji Bin stood quietly at the side, with her head lowered, not looking at the scene in front of her, her expression indifferent, as if she didn't see it.
Ruan Yun shook Yan Shiyu's hand and said softly, "It's been a long time since Concubine Ji has seen the Emperor. How about having lunch with Concubine Ji today?"
Yan Shiyu glanced at her coldly, "Are you acting as my master?"
Ruan Yun immediately said, "I dare not, but my place is so simple and has nothing. I am really afraid that the emperor will feel bored here."
There was no falsehood in her words. Yan Shiyu's eyes dimmed instantly, and he felt more depressed. He said in a very calm tone, "The government is busy, you should take a good rest."
When he was about to leave, he turned to look at Concubine Ji and said, "If you feel unwell, please call the imperial physician to see you."
Jipin bowed politely as the emperor left, and then said to Ruan Yun, "Sister Ying, you don't have to help me like this."
Ruan Yunxing's eyes were still filled with shame, and she sat at the table, "You also have to plan for the future. Are you not going to accept favors for the rest of your life?"
Jipin chuckled and said, "Sister, I won't do that."
Ruan Jun reached out and pulled her along. The awkward atmosphere of the conversation between the two of them was much relieved because of the emperor's arrival.
Leaving Ji Concubine to have lunch at her place, Ruan Yun lazily leaned on the pillow and dozed off.
Tingxu was fanning Ruan Yun softly. Seeing the palace maid coming in to serve tea, she whispered, "Keep your voice down. Go out and keep watch."
The palace maid thought she had done something wrong and dared not make any more mistakes, so she quickly put down her things and left.
Tingxu took the tea and walked back to the couch, only to see Ruan Yun open her eyes and ask, "Did I wake the young lady up just now?"
Ruan Yun pulled Tingxu to sit down as well. "They just came in to serve tea. Why blame them?"
Tingxu said gloomily, "There are more and more palace maids in Ruiyu Pavilion. The young lady and I can hardly talk a few words on weekdays."
Ruan Yun had not expected that it would be because of this matter. "When you reach a certain age, I will naturally find a good marriage for you and let you leave the palace. Do you want to stay in the palace for the rest of your life?"
Tingxu stood up unhappily and said, "Wherever the young lady is, I will be there. I will not leave."
Ruan Yun didn't say much after hearing this, she just patted her side and said: "They are just doing what they should do. Now that you are my maid, your status is different from theirs."
Tingxu was delighted to hear this, "I will accompany you for the rest of my life."
Ruan Jun touched Tingxu's hair bun, and there was a moment of loss in her almond-shaped eyes, which she quickly concealed.
Just when Ruan Yun was half asleep, a mournful cry suddenly came from outside, "That's my child! Give my child back to me!"
Ruan Yun was instantly awakened by the voice. Ting Xu hurriedly helped Ruan Yun to stand up. Ying Ning also pushed the door open and walked in. "My lady, it's Concubine Du."
Then another tragic sound was heard. Ruan Jun's heart trembled and she walked outside without caring about anything else.
This manor is not big and is only used for temporary resting. On the other side of the courtyard wall are the houses used by court officials.
Concubine Du had already been held down by the palace maids and nannies beside her. After not seeing Concubine Du for many days, she felt an indescribable deadness. Her well-maintained body quickly became thinner, and even the sides of her cheeks became sunken.
Ruan Yun was frightened by the appearance of Lady Du, and her hand reached back unconsciously. Ying Ning held the young lady's hand and asked Ruan Yun to remain calm.
Du Xuanshi stared at Concubine Xian, "It's you! You took my child away!"
As she said this, she was about to rush over. Even the maids together could not restrain Lady Du.
Yan Shiyu's face was gloomy. He raised his hand and asked coldly, "How do you do your job?"
After hearing this, the maids did not dare to delay for a moment. They covered Lady Du's mouth in a rather undignified manner and dragged her into the carriage.
The queen looked unhappy and said, "It was because I didn't think highly of Concubine Du."
Yan Shiyu was about to leave when the second prince burst into tears while being held by his nurse. Concubine Xian went to see him anxiously. The empress frowned and said to Ran Xia, "Let the imperial physician take a look."
The Queen saw that the Emperor did not care about the matter, and was not as close to the Second Prince as to other children. She bowed and said, "Concubine Du may have heard the Second Prince crying, so she acted like this. The Emperor is busy with government affairs, so please do not worry about these trivial matters."
Yan Shiyu nodded his chin slightly and went directly onto the emperor's throne. The empress turned around and resumed her usual dignified demeanor, "I don't want today's incident to be spread out."
The concubines hurriedly agreed, and Ruan Yun bowed along with everyone else. She just felt that today's events were a little strange, but she couldn't tell what was strange.
Back in the chamber, Ruan Yun could not sleep at all. All that came to her mind were the aggression of Concubine Du just now. The emperor had ordered Concubine Du to be under house arrest, but why did Concubine Du seem to be in a bad mood or had suffered some kind of stimulation to be so unstable?
Although Concubine Du had a bad temper in the past, she had never lost her temper as badly as she did today. Moreover, there were so many maids around Concubine Du that they didn't seem to be serving her but rather watching over her.
Ruan Jun suddenly came to her senses and realized that she seemed to have overlooked something.
Qingling...why isn't she serving Lady Du closely?
Ying Ning came in from the private room, told someone to close the door, and said in a very low voice: "I have inquired, and all the maids beside Concubine Du have been replaced by maids in the palace. Those maids were in the palace before, and they are very capable."
Ruan Jun was startled and broke out in a cold sweat. She grabbed Ying Ning's hand and asked, "Is there anything wrong with Dan Xing?"
Ying Ning shook her head, her brows furrowed, "Dan Xing put bitter cold tea in Concubine Du's meals every day, and she never said anything wrong, and no one noticed."
Ruan Jun had suppressed her panic just now, and her slender fingers kept tapping as if she was thinking about what to do next.
Tingxu's fanning hands stopped nervously, "Bitter cold tea? Should we continue?"
Ruan Jun raised her eyes slightly, the firmness in her eyes did not change for a moment, "Yes."
Ying Ning and Ting Xu looked at each other, but did not refute the young lady's words. Ruan Yun said calmly: "Let Chun Qing be smart and find out why Qing Ling is not serving Du Xianshi closely."
Ying Ning squatted down anxiously after hearing this, "My lady, do you think Qing Ling..."
Ruan Yun shook her head, "I don't know about other things, but I always feel that something is not right. Qingling is Concubine Du's dowry. There are only two people in the palace who can order Concubine Du to replace her."
Ying Ning's expression became serious. "I understand. My lady, don't worry. There will be no mistake about this matter."
Ruan Yun nodded and watched Ying Ning go out. A palace maid came to tell her that they were about to set off.
Ting Xu agreed to the matter and helped Ruan Yun back to the carriage.
During the next three days of the journey, Concubine Du did not appear again, and Concubine Xian continued to raise the Second Prince as usual, as if the incident had never happened.
…
Palace
Little Muzi led Ruan Yun away, "There is a stream in front of Shuohan Pavilion, and it is surrounded by rockeries. It won't feel hot at all in summer. The most important thing is that it is very close to the Emperor's Jingqi Palace. The Emperor specially ordered the eunuchs to give it to you."
Ruan Yun nodded and admired the scenery of the palace. The lush green trees were particularly refreshing, and there was a hint of coolness under the scorching sun.
"This is my first time visiting the palace. I wonder which palace the other sisters live in?"
Little Muzi was very clever and understood what Lady Ying wanted to ask. "Lady Meng still lives in the Jiangxue Tower where she lived before, and Concubine Ji lives in Ningfang Town, not far from the young lady's Shuohan Pavilion."
Tingxu stuffed a bag of silver into Xiao Muzi's hand and said, "Thank you, Eunuch Lao."
Little Muzi said quickly, "I don't deserve it. Just walk a few more steps forward and you will reach Shuohan Pavilion."
Entering the Shuohan Pavilion, the palace servants paid their respects to Ruan Jun. As it was getting dark, Ruan Jun had been in the carriage for many days and had nothing to think about, so he fell asleep while Tingxu served him.
When she woke up again, she heard the sound of golden bells ringing in the inner room. Yingning hung the curtain on the golden hook, and the palace maids came in orderly, lit the candles and placed them on the candlesticks.
Ruan Yun was still a little confused. Ying Ning handed the teacup to Ruan Yun and said, "The Concubine Xian has been here for a quarter of an hour."
In the past in the palace, the only interaction between her and Concubine Xian was that the emperor took her to Chaoxi Palace once, and nothing else. Why would Concubine Xian come here at this time?
"Did Concubine Xian bring the second prince?" Ruan Jun asked as she stood up.
Ying Ning shook her head, "The Concubine Xian came alone, and she only brought a palace maid with her."
Ruan Yun understood and packed up casually and walked out of the inner hall, swaying softly, and walked towards Concubine Xian in small steps, "Sister, please forgive me. I was sleepy and made you wait for a long time."
Concubine Xian didn't know what she was thinking at first, but when she heard Ruan Yun's soft voice, she quickly put down the cakes, stood up and helped Ruan Yun up, "It's my fault for coming here without telling me in advance."
Ruan Yun's clear almond-shaped eyes slightly curved, "Sister, the cakes here are not as delicious as those made by Concubine Xian in the palace."
Concubine Xian was amused by her words, "If you like it, I will have someone send it to you every day. How can I let you miss it so much?"
Ruan Yun held her face with her hands and smiled faintly. Concubine Xian seemed to have suddenly remembered what she was here for, and said in a very light voice: "I wanted to take a walk after dinner, and I thought I would come to see you since you are close to me. I knew you like quietness, so I didn't bring the Second Prince with me."
The words were said bluntly, but Ruan Jun naturally could not fail to hear something wrong, "It is really great for the Second Prince to have a mother like my sister."
Concubine Xian suddenly sighed and said, "It's a pity that I am not the second prince's biological mother. Now his biological mother is also in the palace, and a few days ago she suddenly..."
Ruan Yun covered her lips with a handkerchief, her face full of fear, "Sis, if you say so, I am also really frightened by Concubine Du's appearance."
Seeing Ruan Yun's pale face, Concubine Xian pulled Ruan Yun's hand over with eyes full of heartache, "I just came back to the palace and heard a lot about what Concubine Du did in the past. It was really hard for you to work under her. You were the most favored by the emperor, but Concubine Du forced you to drink such a dirty medicine. I really feel sorry for you to suffer such torture at such a young age."
Ruan Yun's eyes welled up with tears. "My sister was just a palace maid at that time. How could she be anything else? My sister was unlucky."
Concubine Xian also lowered her head and wiped the non-existent tears from her eyes with a handkerchief. "But now my sister has become a beauty, and the emperor treats my sister very well. It is not long before my sister gets pregnant. It is better for my sister to have her own child than for me to raise someone else's child. This child... the more people are involved, the worse it is."
Ruan Yun stared at Concubine Xian blankly, her beautiful eyes pure and bright without any other thoughts. Concubine Xian stood up slowly, and the silk slipped in front of Ruan Yun, and the extremely luxurious embroidery of the uniform fell into Ruan Yun's eyes. "Thinking that the Second Prince should be awake, I will not disturb you. I will come to see you another day."
Ruan Yun also stood up and bowed to Concubine Xian, then watched her walk out.
When she could no longer see Concubine Xian, Ruan Yun's eyes were still wet, but the innocence in them had faded a lot. She asked worriedly, "What does Concubine Xian mean by this?"
Ruan Yun sat down with her head in her hands. "Ever since she returned to the palace, Concubine Xian has known about the feud between Concubine Du and me. What she said seems to be trying to join forces with me."
Ying Ning said what she had not said just now, "I was always careful when I delivered the bitter cold tea. I usually gave the bitter cold tea to Dan Xing on the pretext of going to the kitchen to get food. I thought I did it secretly, but I didn't expect that Concubine Xian would find out."
"No." Ruan Yun showed no sign of panic, her lips were red, "If Concubine Xian had found out that I gave Concubine Du a bitter cold tea, she wouldn't have kept using what Concubine Du did to provoke me today."
Ruan Yun saw it more clearly than anyone else. Concubine Xian was the niece of the Empress Dowager. She wanted Qingfeng Yujie to do things without being caught, but there was no such good thing in the world. There were not many royal heirs in the palace. Since the Emperor had given the second prince to Concubine Xian to raise, Concubine Xian certainly did not want any changes to happen.
Therefore, Concubine Xian could only use what she knew about the bitter cold tea to stimulate herself so that she could take action against Concubine Du because of this matter. By then, no matter what Concubine Du was like, she had an extremely noble status, and if she disappeared easily, she would definitely be investigated.
Concubine Xian's tactic of killing three birds with one stone was really very effective.
Ruan Yun closed her eyes, "Since she wants to borrow my hand, I won't let her do it."
…
Ningfangyuan holds the lamp.
When Meng Guiren heard the news, she threw the jade chopsticks in her hand away and said, "Ji Concubine's green card has not been hung up yet, how could the emperor go to Ji Concubine's place!"
Liu Jin said, "I don't know. Maybe it's the emperor's own idea. Jipin has already gone to Fengyi Palace to pay respects. The emperor must know that Jipin is fine. If the emperor wants to see Jipin, no one can stop him."
Meng Guiren placed his palm on the table and said, "When the emperor came to the palace in the past, the first place he came to was my place, fearing that I would feel unwell. But now someone else has taken my place away."
Anger emerged in her beautiful eyes. She looked at the maid standing at the door, pointed at her and said arrogantly: "Go to Ningfangzhen and tell her that I am not feeling well. Maybe I got the heat on the way. Please ask the emperor to come over."
The maid looked up timidly. Seeing that she was hesitant to move, Lord Meng took the fan beside him and threw it at the maid, "Go away! Are you deaf?"
The palace maid was in pain and dared not say anything else. She did not even bother to look at the large purple patch on her arm and hurriedly left for Ningfangzhen.
Meng Guiren sat in front of the bronze mirror in a panic, "Quick! Help me wash my face and put some makeup on it. I want to look like I'm sick, but not too ugly."
Liuyu is the best craftsman, so she is the one who does all these things. Looking at the young lady's anxious look, Liuyu couldn't say what she wanted to say.
When Concubine Ji heard the news that the emperor was coming, she was quite surprised. She put down the embroidery in her hand and went out.
Yan Shiyu came on the moon, and when he saw Jipin, he just said calmly, "Get up."
After Jipin stood up, she said nothing else, and even seemed to be in a distant mood.
Entering the inner hall, Concubine Ji smiled and put away the embroidery.
"I am not fully recovered yet, Your Majesty, coming here... is really an injustice to Your Majesty."
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