Chapter 114 Chapter 114
[Chapter 114]
The lady's body froze, she held Ruan Yun's hand, and placed her other hand on Ruan Yun's cheek, "Good boy, what did you call me?"
Ruan Yun cried and threw herself into the arms of the lady. Ever since her father and mother passed away, she thought she had no relatives in this world. She entered the palace just to survive.
But she didn't expect that she still had someone to rely on. Because of what her father had done, she was afraid that the emperor would be angry with the Duke's Mansion after knowing it. Every step the Duke's Mansion takes now is very difficult. She absolutely did not want to let the Duke's Mansion's hard-earned favor slip away like water because of what happened in the past.
So she didn't dare to admit her identity, fearing that the Duke's Mansion would cause controversy. Even if the emperor didn't care, the civil and military officials in the court, as well as the censors, would never let it go.
Ruan Yun fell into the arms of the lady dowager. Yingning and Tingxu were extremely nervous when they saw this. They had never thought that the queen would have such an identity. But now that the queen was pregnant with a dragon child, they dared not be careless.
Ying Ning said softly, "My Lady, please take care of yourself and don't be too sad."
The lady was the first to recover. She quickly helped Ruan Yun up and said, "The baby in your womb is the most important thing now. Please stop crying."
Ruan Yun wiped away her tears and hesitated to speak. The lady said gently, "What do you want to say, Madam?"
"Will my father's affairs have any other impact on the Duke's Mansion?" Ruan Jun finally couldn't help but ask.
In a soft voice with a hint of tears, Ruan Yun said with concern: "Father helped the rebellious prince after all. I'm afraid it has already been written in the files. I'm afraid that if the emperor finds out, he will be angry with the Duke's Mansion because of this matter."
The lady let Ruan Yun lean on her shoulder, and suddenly she realized why Ruan Yun was unwilling to agree to this before.
She placed her hands on Ruan Yun's body, patting her from time to time, as if she was coaxing a young child to sleep. The lady's voice became louder:
"These are things that men should think about. They have nothing to do with the queen. If they can't protect the Duke's Mansion, it is the fate of the Duke's Mansion. The old Duke can understand it in the underworld. What does it have to do with it?"
Ruan Yun was amused by the lady's words and leaned quietly on her.
After a few years, she had never thought that she would be loved so much.
Yan Shiyu and Young Prince Yu stood outside the flower hall, listening to the crying and choking words of the people inside. Young Prince Yu's hands gradually clenched into fists.
When turning around and leaving, Yan Shiyu was still thinking about what Ruan Jun said. He didn't know how he felt in his heart, the only thing he knew was that to this day, she still didn't believe in him.
Young Master Yu glanced toward the flower hall, hurriedly caught up with the emperor, and returned to the study. Young Master Yu knelt in front of Yan Shiyu and said:
"My humble grandfather and grandmother, in their later years, only wanted to find our aunt who had been missing. Now our aunt has passed away. Ruan Yun... Ying Chongrong is the only bloodline left in the world. Ying Chongrong was still young at that time. How could she understand the twists and turns of what happened back then?"
"If the emperor wants to punish me out of anger, please do not let your anger get to you."
Yan Shiyu clenched his hands tightly, stood with his hands behind his back, looked coldly at the kneeling Young Master Yu, sneered, let go of his hands and sat back on the armchair, "Do you really think I know nothing?"
This was said cleverly. Not only did it describe what Young Master Yu had just asked for, it also completely guessed his thoughts.
Young Master Yu lowered his head even lower, his hands falling to his sides, "I dare not."
Yan Shiyu knocked lightly on the table and glanced at the young prince Yu who was kneeling on the ground, "Get up."
Young Master Yu did not move, and continued to do what he had done before, "I am guilty, Your Majesty, please punish me."
"She is now my concubine." Yan Shiyu's voice suddenly turned cold. "From the moment she came to my side, there is no possibility for her to leave."
"Put your mind aside. I will just pretend I don't know about what happened in the past."
Hearing this, Young Master Yu was so ashamed that he could only close his eyes and answer, "Yes."
Wei Maoyuan stood outside the study. Although he couldn't hear clearly what was said inside, he could feel that the emperor's mood was not as good as at the beginning.
When Young Master Heyu walked out of the study, the Emperor originally wanted to go to the flower hall to pick up Ying Chongrong and go back to the palace together, but why did he go back to the study? Not only that, his face looked so ugly.
His eyes couldn't help but fall on Young Prince Yu. It must be that Young Prince Yu said something, and this matter could only be related to Ying Chongrong.
Wei Maoyuan thought of the file on the emperor's desk. Ever since the emperor learned about Ying Chongrong, the file has been kept by the emperor. In this world, nothing can be hidden from the emperor.
"Go pick up Ying Chongrong and return to the palace."
Wei Maoyuan agreed to the emperor's words, told Xiao Muzi to follow the emperor, and went to the flower hall himself.
When the Madam heard this, she looked reluctant. Ruan Yun stood up in a gloomy mood. Ying Ning supported the Madam and reminded her, "Madam, there will be plenty of opportunities later."
Ruan Yun thought of the emperor who was still outside, and smiled softly at the lady, "In the future...if there is a chance, I will come to see grandma again."
The lady patted Ruan Yun's hand, shook her head and said, "Your Highness is pregnant now. People in the palace are cunning. Your Highness should pay more attention to yourself. The baby in your belly is the most important thing now. Other things are not important."
Tingxu took the sour plums handed to her by the nanny and left the Duke's Mansion with the Empress.
When going back, you can still walk the same way you came. Although today is different from before, Ruan Yun is still in grief.
With her fingertips embedded in his palms, Ruan Yun trembled and buried herself in the emperor's chest;
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Yan Shiyu lifted her chin and saw her face was covered with tears. He couldn't harden his heart. He rubbed her chin with his fingertips and said in a cold voice, "Want to thank me? I want to see it, not just Xiaoxiao's words."
Ruan Jun's face instantly turned red with shame, and her fingers bent slightly consciously. Before she could say anything, Yan Shiyu's dark eyes fell on Ruan Jun's heart through her clothes.
"There is only one thing I want."
"Ruan Yun, you understand."
"Try to give your heart to me, okay?"
Although he was a prince, the Queen Mother only cared about her own glory and favor. He had long been accustomed to the various things the Queen Mother did to him behind his back just to win favor.
If she accidentally fell and hurt herself, the first thing the empress dowager would do was not to ask someone to call the imperial physician, but to ask the late emperor to come over. After the late emperor arrived, he saw the empress dowager's tearful face and only then did he ask someone to call the imperial physician.
There were so many things like this that he had lost count.
It's just that emperors are not supposed to have romantic feelings. But when he saw Ruan Yun risking her life to jump into the Taiye Lake to save the little princess, he recalled all the past events.
Even though he understood that the harem was full of intrigue and that the royal heir was just a means for the concubines to compete for favor, he still couldn't help but set his eyes on Ruan Yun.
When she knelt at his feet and was favored in Zichen Palace, everything she did thereafter filled his heart.
The hot and passionate kiss fell eagerly on Ruan Jun's rosy lips, carrying a lingering and charming atmosphere in the narrow carriage.
Because of Yan Shiyu's actions, Ruan Jun had to look up and looked at the emperor with moist eyes.
"Even if it's just a little bit."
Yan Shiyu spoke in a low voice, lightly touching the corner of Ruan Jun's lips.
Ruan Jun didn't know what words to use to answer the emperor, so she could only raise her body and touch the emperor's lips lightly, "I will not leave."
Her words were ambiguous and had no logic at all.
Yan Shiyu's eyes fell on Ruan Jun, sometimes bright and sometimes dark.
That's fine, too.
…
Garden
Ruan Jun was followed by two maids, while Yingning and Tingxu stayed closely behind the empress.
As spring approached, Ruan Yun's belly became particularly large. The nanny smiled and said, "Your Highness looks much better now than before. The delivery will be safe and smooth."
Ruan Yun also agreed to Mammy's words, "Thank you for your good words, Mammy."
Seeing peonies in full bloom in the distance, Ruan Jun thought about going to take a look.
It is very rare to see peonies blooming so beautifully in spring. In the past, the flower room could only cultivate a few pots and send them to the palaces of various concubines.
Slowly approaching the peony bush, Ruan Yun heard a voice behind the rockery:
"Such good peonies, the flower house once sent me high mountain peonies, but now they are very different from before."
At the end, there was a hint of self-mockery in his tone.
Liu Jin comforted Lady Zhang and said, "The Emperor has released the young lady from her confinement. From now on, the young lady will have whatever she wants."
There was a hint of sadness in Zhang Meiren's laughter. "Really?"
She knew that the emperor released her for her father's sake. If it weren't for her father, she might have spent her entire life in that huge palace and never see the emperor again.
"I have been released from house arrest. In such a long time, the emperor has never come to see me again."
Lady Zhang suddenly said this, leaving Liu Jin at a loss as to how to respond. She could only say, "My lady, there are still many days ahead."
"Yes, it is." After walking around the rockery in a daze, Lady Zhang saw Ruan Jun standing in front of her, wearing a lake blue long dress with golden willow catkins flowers, looking very charming.
Her wide sleeves covered her bulging belly, and there was a hint of anger in Miss Zhang's eyes.
Liu Jin looked at his young mistress nervously, fearing that she might do something again.
Ying Chongrong's status is now almost unmatched. Not only is she favored by the emperor, but she is also pregnant with a dragon. If she gives birth to a prince in the future, other people can be said to be honored because of their son. But for Ying Chongrong, it is uncertain.
Ruan Jun looked at Lady Zhang quietly, and when she thought of the mountain peony that Lady Zhang had just mentioned, she couldn't stop laughing.
If Lady Zhang knew that her favorite alpine peony was cultivated by her own hands, I wonder how she would react.
Her almond-shaped eyes were fixed on Concubine Zhang. She didn't know when the Emperor released Concubine Zhang. After staying in Linxuan Palace for so long, she gradually forgot that this palace had always been a place where people were eaten.
However, Ruan Jun's extremely cold eyes were extremely insulting to Lady Zhang.
Liu Jin saw something was wrong and called softly, "Young Master..."
These words finally brought Lady Zhang back to her senses. She smiled at Ruan Yun and said, "I hope Ying Chongrong is doing well."
Ruan Yun did not say anything. The smile on Lady Zhang's face faded a lot, until her legs were shaking. In Ruan Yun's eyes, she looked pitiful.
"Get up."
Concubine Zhang was humiliated by Ruan Yun one after another, and her temper came back. "I haven't seen Ying Chongrong for a long time. Ying Chongrong's temperament is not as gentle as before. It seems that the emperor doesn't like this kind of concubine."
Ruan Yun chuckled when she heard this, and pulled her hair back, saying, "It seems that Lady Zhang is too busy to remember, or maybe she is in the Qingyi Palace, and no one told Lady Zhang what happened outside. The Emperor...but he comes to my palace every day, but I don't know how many times Lady Zhang has seen the Emperor?"
She had just learned that Lady Zhang had been released from house arrest, but since Lady Zhang was so rude to her, why should she give in?
In the past, Concubine Zhang relied on her family background and the emperor's favor to do whatever she wanted in the harem. Can she still do the same now?
Sure enough, as soon as the emperor's favor was mentioned, the smile on Concubine Zhang's face froze, and she looked at Ruan Jun's lower abdomen with a cold face. Seeing this, Ting Xu immediately stepped forward and stood in front of Ruan Jun, looking at Concubine Zhang vigilantly.
Lady Zhang sneered, "Your Majesty, please take good care of the dragon-born baby in your belly. Don't let anything go wrong, or you will lose the capital to walk around the harem."
Ruan Yun turned around charmingly, as if she had thought of something, and said to Lady Zhang: "After all, I am still pregnant now, but Lady Zhang, from the beginning to the end..."
Before he finished speaking, Ruan Jun left with a smile on her face.
Lady Zhang's eyes were reddened by Ruan Yun's words. She stepped forward and wanted to teach Ruan Yun a lesson, but was stopped by Liu Jin beside her:
"My lady, no!"
The fact that she had never been able to conceive a dragon-descended child was an eternal pain in her heart. At that time, she was in a high position and the emperor was particularly fond of her, so she could comfort herself and not worry about anything.
But now that the house arrest has just been lifted, the emperor has never come to her place once. Not only that, the concubines in the harem have become pregnant one after another. She wishes she could kill all these vixens with her own hands.
Lady Zhang was so angry that her lips were trembling. She was originally full of resentment, but suddenly, she felt wronged. Her red lips couldn't stop trembling, and tears suddenly fell from her eyes:
"Why? She was just a maid, why did the emperor favor her and why did she get pregnant?"
Concubine Zhang was swaying, and Liu Jin quickly supported her, saying, "My lady, it's a good thing that you've been released from house arrest. Have you forgotten the six months you were locked up in Qingyi Palace?"
"How could I forget?" Concubine Zhang's eyes flashed with strong hatred, "It's all that bitch's fault. If she hadn't fed the little princess the summer grass and put it in my bedroom to frame me, how could the emperor treat me like this! Now she is imprisoned and can't see the little princess. It's all her own fault! She deserves it!"
Liu Jin quickly helped Lady Zhang calm down, "My lady, you are right. Don't be angry. Be careful not to hurt yourself. We are still in the Yu Garden. Walls have ears. Let's go back to the palace."
Even though Lady Zhang was full of grievances, she had no choice but to accept it after hearing Liu Jin say this.
She was no longer the high and mighty concubine who enjoyed the emperor's favor.
Even if the emperor let her leave the palace, what difference would it make? In all these days and nights, the emperor has never been to her place.
Lady Zhang wiped her tears as she was helped away by Liu Jin. Thinking of Ruan Jun's smug look when she left, she gradually clenched her teeth.
…
Linxuan Palace
Ruan Yun sat in the hall, holding a teacup in his hand and had not spoken for a long time.
Yingning and Tingxu had followed the Empress for such a long time, and although they had hardly ever seen her angry, her various actions told them that she was angry at the moment.
"Please punish me, Your Majesty." Yingning knelt down first, blocking Tingxu's thoughts of speaking, "It was my idea not to tell Your Majesty. If Your Majesty is angry, just punish me."
Ruan Yun was indeed angry, but seeing Ying Ning's expression, she could not bring herself to rebuke her, so she could only muffle her words and say:
"Stand up, you are doing this for my own good. I know everything."
Yingning did not move. Tingxu helped Yingning up. Her voice was not as lively as before. "We knew that the Majesty would be angry if she heard it, so we thought of not telling the Majesty yet. After all, the Majesty is about to give birth, and we were afraid of disturbing the Majesty. Who knows..."
Listening to Xu Qi's words, he lowered his head. Lady Zhang didn't go to Yu Garden early or late, but she had to go to Yu Garden at this time. It was really abominable.
Ruan Jun had calmed down a lot by now. If she didn't know it herself, she would hardly believe that she could calm down so quickly.
"So what if we let her stay out? She was able to rely on her father to get the emperor to release her from house arrest. This is because of her good family background, but this is also her Achilles' heel."
Master Meng really holds his daughter in the palm of his hand and is unwilling to let her suffer any grievances. But it is also good this way, as it saves her from worrying every day, wondering when she will be released from house arrest and having to be on guard all the time.
Back then, Ji Zhaoyi was caught off guard and was secretly plotted against by Concubine Zhang, causing her to lose her unborn child.
Now, she can't relax at all.
…
Shoukang Palace
Li Guiren personally helped the Queen Mother sit down, took the copied scriptures from the palace maid, and placed them in front of the Queen Mother, saying, "I heard that the Queen Mother burns incense and copies scriptures every day. I have nothing to do, so I copied some as well."
The Queen Mother flipped through two pages of the sutra that Li Guiren had copied, nodded repeatedly, and said indifferently, "It is already very rare that you have such a heart. Moreover, you are pregnant now, why are you working so hard?"
When talking about the dragon in his belly, Li Guiren was a little nervous and couldn't help wanting to find someone to confide in:
"Recently, I have had stomach pains from time to time. I asked the imperial physician to see me but to no avail. So I thought of copying scriptures to accumulate merit for the child in my belly."
Although the Queen Mother was cold to Li Guiren, she was also concerned about the royal heir she was carrying:
"Have you asked the imperial physician to see you? What did he say?"
Noble Lady Li nodded, "I have asked Doctor Zhou to come and see her. He said there is nothing serious. I don't know why."
The Queen Mother frowned, "That's strange. If there's something wrong, how can you not diagnose the pulse?"
Li Guiren also looked worried and said, "I don't know, maybe if I copy more scriptures to accumulate virtue for the baby in my belly, it will be much better."
Although the Queen Mother felt that something was not right, since Noble Lady Li herself said so, she did not say anything more.
After leaving the scriptures copied by Li Guiren, she was allowed to leave, and Shoukang Palace soon became quiet again.
Li Guiren sat on the ceremonial chair, his hands constantly touching his belly, his eyes full of emotion, which made Ye Man, who was serving him closely, very nervous, and she called out in a low voice: "Young Master."
Li Guiren's eyes suddenly moved, and he looked at the palace road ahead, frowning and saying, "Are we going to pass by Linxuan Palace ahead?"
The eunuch carrying the ceremonial guard hurriedly said, "Yes, Your Majesty, it is fastest to take this palace road back from Shoukang Palace."
Mr. Li leaned on his staff, looking uncomfortable and somewhat pitiful:
"Ying Chongrong doesn't like me, and I'm afraid the baby in my belly will collide with the dragon descendant in Ying Chongrong's belly, so let's take a detour."
Although the eunuchs did not quite understand what this meant, they could not disobey their master's orders, so they picked up their ceremonial weapons and prepared to take another route.
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