Chapter 089 Chapter 89
[Chapter 89]
Outside the screen, Wei Maoyuan placed the bowl in front of the emperor. Under the dim candlelight, the remaining medicine in the bowl could still be vaguely seen. The bitter taste came to his nose. Yan Shiyu placed his hand next to the bowl.
"This is the medicine Ying Chongrong brought to Yinlanxuan. The imperial physician has checked it. It is bitter cold tea."
Yan Shiyu waved his hand, and Wei Maoyuan immediately put the things away. He then continued, "The imperial physician said that this bitter cold tea is quite heavy. In addition, the bitter cold tea in Lady Du's body was not completely dispersed. I'm afraid..."
Cautiously raising his head to look at the emperor's expression, Yan Shiyu merely glanced at the bowls and dishes indifferently, as if what he heard was just a trivial matter.
"Don't let anything of what happened tonight be revealed."
Wei Maoyuan's heart sank, and he said hurriedly, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, everything has been arranged. However, I'm afraid Ying Chongrong has been seen walking all the way to Yinlanxuan."
Yan Shiyu said calmly, "If anyone spreads the news of what happened tonight, they will be killed without mercy."
"Yes." Wei Maoyuan hurriedly withdrew the trust, and Ying Chongrong fed medicine to Du Xuanshi. Although Pingyang Marquis's Mansion had said before that Du Xuanshi had nothing to do with Pingyang Marquis's Mansion, but in recent days, there is no guarantee that she will not have complaints about the implementation of the new policy and join hands with other noble families. Then use this matter to ask the emperor. Although Pingyang Marquis dare not really do anything, if it gets out, there will definitely be ministers of the previous dynasty who will ask the emperor to deal with Ying Chongrong. When the empress dowager knows, she will also ask the emperor to consider the overall situation.
Yan Shiyu glanced inside the screen, his dark eyes closed and then opened again, "Let the leader of the imperial guards come to see me."
Wei Maoyuan was shocked that the emperor would allow the leader of the imperial guards to enter the palace late at night in order to protect Ying Chongrong.
Yan Shiyu stood up, his dark uniform blending into the darkness, and strode out of the Linxuan Palace and mounted the imperial carriage.
…
Perhaps because she had something on her mind, Ruan Yun woke up unusually early the next day.
When I reached to my side, I felt something cold beside me.
Looking at the clepsydra, it is not yet Chenshi. Why did the emperor leave so early?
The golden bell rang, and Yingning went into the inner hall and hung the curtain on the golden hook, causing the pearl curtain to make a slight sound.
Ruan Yun covered her lips and yawned. Although she woke up early, she had slept enough and was not that sleepy.
"When did the emperor leave?"
Ying Ning was a little surprised. She knelt at the foot of the bed and put on the embroidered shoes for the queen. She said, "Last night, after the queen went to bed, the emperor left."
It’s no wonder Yingning was surprised. Ruan Jun didn’t expect this. She slept too deeply last night and didn’t even realize that the emperor had left.
She frowned slightly and thought for a long time, but could only come up with one possibility, that is, the emperor was really angry, so he left.
Ting Xu Duanshui came in and saw the queen looking worried. She immediately remembered what happened last night and said softly, "Why don't you take a leave? The queen always likes you and will definitely not say anything."
Ruan Yun hadn't come to her senses yet. She took the ice towel and covered her hands. The cold touch on her hands made her shiver in the early autumn morning, but it made her mind particularly clear. She shook her head and said, "No, I want to go."
She didn't know if what happened yesterday had spread out, and she didn't know if anyone else knew that the Emperor had come to her palace. She couldn't do such a thing just because the Empress had a little preference for her.
Ruan Yun looked at herself in the bronze mirror, her brows and eyes calm, and said, "Put on makeup for me."
Riding on the ceremonial procession, many concubines standing beside the palace road saw this scene, and for a moment, envy or jealousy appeared on everyone's face.
A year ago, Ying Chongrong was just a palace maid who was about to be bullied to death. Now, those who bullied her are nowhere to be found, while Ying Chongrong has already been dressed in finery and is living in such a glorious state.
Many of them had better family backgrounds than Ying Chongrong, but no matter how unwilling they were to accept the situation, they had to pay their respects to Ying Chongrong according to palace rules.
Ruan Yun's almond-shaped eyes were raised, her lips were red and her nose was pointed. She kept looking forward and did not notice the reactions of the people around her.
The ceremonial procession stopped outside the Fengyi Palace. Ruan Yun was helped into the inner hall by the palace maids. The Queen arrived early today. When her beautiful eyes looked at Ruan Yun, Ruan Yun bowed slightly:
"May your majesty be well."
The queen nodded, a hint of smile appeared in her eyes, "Why do you look unhappy?"
Before Ruan Yun could say anything, Zhou, the concubine below, spoke first, saying, "The Empress, don't you know? Last night, I seemed to see... Ying Chongrong went to Yin Lanxuan."
Looking over with almond-shaped eyes, Ruan Jun calmed down at this moment, and her cold eyes fell on Concubine Zhou, who covered her lips with a handkerchief and whispered:
“That’s how it is.”
The Queen spoke softly, but also with a serious tone, "The most taboo thing in the palace is groundless rumors. Why did Ying Chongrong go to Yinlanxuan for no reason? The Emperor personally ordered that no one is allowed to go to Yinlanxuan. Are you trying to say that the Emperor protected Ying Chongrong?"
Concubine Zhou looked a little embarrassed and stood up and said, "That's not what I meant."
The queen smiled and said, "No, that's the best. I don't want to hear these rumors anymore."
Even if Xuanshi Zhou really saw it, she couldn't say anything. She could only suppress her resentment and sit back.
Ruan Yun also said softly, "I felt a headache when I woke up this morning. Maybe I was too greedy last night and caused you to worry."
The queen looked a little worried. "You are young, so don't make things worse."
Ruan Yun agreed to the Queen's request, and all the concubines also arrived.
Seeing this, the Queen said, "The Queen Mother has just returned to the palace, and all the ladies will be present at the Mid-Autumn Festival family banquet. You must abide by the rules and do not lose face for the royal family."
It's no wonder the Queen said so. In the past New Year's banquet, Concubine Ji's incident caused a stir and was seen by all the princes and ministers. This time when the Queen Mother returns to the palace, all the ladies with imperial edicts will enter the palace. If something happens again, I'm afraid the royal family's reputation will be completely lost.
Concubine De smiled faintly, but a hint of joy could be seen between her eyebrows. "Thank you, Her Majesty, for your concern."
The happiest person among them was Concubine Xian.
Since the Queen Mother returned to the palace, Concubine Xian has become more flamboyant. This time, since the Queen Mother was mentioned, Concubine Xian held up the golden hairpin on her head and said, "Yesterday, the Queen Mother told me that she had not been in the palace for a long time, and I didn't know if there were any changes in the people at the banquet."
Upon hearing this, Concubine De looked over and said, "My sister has just returned to the capital, so she can accompany the Empress Dowager to take a look."
Concubine Xian snorted coldly, thinking about what her aunt had said to her without thinking too much about it.
Ruan Yun now feels particularly headache whenever she hears about palace banquets. They always say this, but something always happens.
Her feeling is always right.
…
Qingxuan Palace
Ruan Yun and Jipin's processions arrived at about the same time. When they saw the long white jade staircase outside the Qingxuan Palace, Ruan Yun grabbed Jipin's sleeve and said:
"Let's go up together."
Jipin opened her lips slightly, her eyes revealing a lot of emotions, "It's been so long, I don't remember a lot of things."
Ruan Yun looked at Jipin doubtfully. If what Jipin said today was true, then the incident with the little princess would not have happened.
"Yesterday I was in the Queen Mother's palace and found that the little princess was much better than in Shen Chongyi's palace."
Jipin chuckled, "She deserves it."
Ruan Yun glanced at Jipin suspiciously, feeling that she knew something but just didn't say it out loud.
"You should also take care of yourself. Winter is coming soon. You have been in poor health and it is unnecessary to make people worry."
Concubine Ji looked up at the empty seat at the top of the head, her voice soft and still with a hint of her former coquettishness, "Don't worry, Sister Ying, I have always taken the medicine according to the imperial physician's prescription."
Ruan Yun nodded, still looking troubled.
They arrived too early, and Ruan Jun wanted to go out for a walk. She took a step towards the door, but saw Li Cairen sitting back in his seat with a pale face.
Jiang Baolin, who was sitting next to her, stood nervously beside Chen Cairen, looking towards the door from time to time, his thoughts written all over his face.
"I remember that when we were in the palace, Li Cairen and Jiang Baolin came to this palace and brought a box of cakes?"
Ying Ning nodded and whispered, "After that, they never came again, and the queen didn't let Chun Qing keep an eye on them."
Ruan Jun retracted his gaze and said, "Let's go."
No one in this palace can be trusted. If you go ahead with the current situation, you will be courting death.
When Ying Ning was about to walk out of the palace gate with the queen, she saw someone coming in front of her, and immediately held the queen's hand tighter, saying, "Your Majesty, it's the honorary young master."
People in the inner hall would more or less pay attention to the location of the hall door so that they could see who was coming, and official socializing was also essential.
Ruan Yun happened to be standing in everyone's sight. Hearing this, she stopped in her tracks and stayed where she was as if nothing had happened, wanting to wait for Young Prince Yu to pass by.
When Young Prince Yu was still far away, he saw Ruan Jun's figure. There was a complicated expression in his eyes, and a bit of desire to explore on his heroic face.
Ruan Jun glanced over inadvertently and discovered that there was an old lady sitting in front of the young prince.
The old lady was wearing a robe of imperial decree, and beside her was a lady wearing a green-blue brocade skirt, who was supporting the old lady. I think she should be the wife of the old Duke and the mother of the young Duke Yu.
When Young Master Yu saw Ruan Yun, he quickly walked up to the old lady and whispered, "Grandma."
When Mrs. Xue heard what Young Master Yu said, she first looked up and saw Ruan Yun standing not far away.
She unconsciously stepped forward with her cane in her hand. A hint of hesitation flashed across Mrs. Xue's eyes, and she called out that name to Ruan Yun.
"Yangyang."
Ruan Yun frowned slightly when she heard the name called out by Madam Xue. Ying Ning immediately stepped forward and stood in front of the empress, saying respectfully, "Madam, you must have made a mistake. This is the emperor's Ying Chongrong."
She deliberately emphasized the last part of her words so that the person in front of her would understand.
However, Mrs. Xue seemed to recognize only the person in front of her. She took a few steps forward and wanted to hold Ruan Yun's hand, still muttering, "Yang Yang."
Seeing that Ruan Yun ignored her, Madam Xue turned around, and the Duke's wife immediately held Madam Xue's hand. Before Madam Xue could say anything, the Duke's wife said, "Mother, she is not my younger sister. This lady is not the same age as my younger sister."
Mrs. Xue suddenly stamped her feet like a child and said anxiously, "How can it not be Yangyang? I've seen the portrait. Look, there is some resemblance between her and Yangyang's eyebrows!"
"Your father is gone. Do you want me to leave with regrets?"
Seeing that Madam Xue was becoming more and more excited, Ruan Yun also realized that something was wrong. When she wanted to take Ying Ning back to sit, the voice from outside the hall had already come in, and everyone in the inner hall stood up to welcome the Queen Mother, the Emperor and the Empress.
The Queen Mother had walked in with an indifferent look on her face, but when she saw the scene before her, she couldn't help but frown, "Ying Chongrong, why are you here?"
Ruan Yun's heart trembled, and she wanted to kneel down, but the person standing next to her grabbed her slender arm and made her stand steadily.
Yan Shiyu said in a deep voice: "All the princes, ministers and ladies have arrived."
The Queen Mother looked unhappy upon hearing this, and the Queen accompanied the Queen Mother to sit at the top of the table.
When he looked at Young Master Yu, his eyes were filled with a bit of coldness. Young Master Yu quickly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. My grandmother is old and not very clear-headed, but she was thinking about my aunt all the time, so I made a mistake. Your Majesty, please forgive me."
Yan Shiyu withdrew his icy gaze from Young Duke Yu. Several ministers around him could not help but chat, "The Duke is not an only son. When did he have a younger sister?"
"Didn't the Duke's sister die of illness a long time ago? How can you admit your mistake?"
"This... I didn't know that. I thought the Duke's Mansion only had this lineage."
"It's all old news..."
Before Ruan Yun could finish listening to the rest of the words, Ying Ning helped her walk to her seat.
Jipin was very worried. When she saw Ruan Yun coming back, she hurried over to support her and said softly, "Is Sister Ying okay?"
Ruan Yun shook her head, "I'm fine."
With inquiring eyes, she was about to look towards Young Prince Yu, but the Emperor had already spoken his congratulatory speech in a deep voice, singing and dancing began, and everyone raised their glasses to celebrate and wish each other a happy new year.
Ruan Jun was touching the wine cup in her hand, but her mind was not on singing and dancing. She was sure that it had nothing to do with the Duke's Mansion.
My maternal grandfather's family was a wealthy businessman in Yangzhou. My mother married my father. Although my father was only doing a small spice business at the time, he was very good to my mother.
She had heard her mother mention this before. Her mother was in poor health at the time and said she wanted to take two concubines for her father. However, her father was unwilling to do so and was angry with her mother because of this. Unexpectedly, within two months, her mother became pregnant and gave birth to her smoothly.
She was young and experienced, and the incense her father prepared was praised by Prince Ning. She became famous overnight and her business grew.
But in the same year, my maternal grandfather passed away, and not long after that, my maternal grandmother also passed away. My mother was heartbroken, and took her back to Yangzhou to take care of my maternal grandfather's funeral, and never returned to Yangzhou since then.
Ruan Yun couldn't understand how her mother could be related to the Duke's Mansion.
unless……
My mother is not my grandfather’s biological daughter.
Although she was young at that time, she could still feel the love that her grandfather had for her mother. Her mother was the only daughter of her grandfather in his life. After he passed away, he was afraid that someone would bully her mother and covet his property, so he made a will early on to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the chaos.
Ruan Yun suddenly felt a severe headache and picked up the wine cup and drank it down suddenly.
Madam Xue, who was still mumbling over there, looked at Ruan Yun and grabbed Young Master Yu's hand and said, "Qi'er, she looks so much like the person in the portrait, how could she not be her?
Young Prince Yu took Grandmother's hand and said, "Grandma, there are so many people who look alike in this world. Maybe I made a mistake."
However, Madam Xue kept shaking her head and said, "No, she must be my Yangyang, definitely."
Young Master Yu did not say anything, but when he glanced to the side, he could not help but look at Ruan Jun.
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