Chapter 148 Chapter 148
[Chapter 148]
The voice of the Second Prince kept coming from the side hall, and Yan Shiyu's brows became increasingly cold as he stared at Concubine Xian.
Letting go of Concubine Xian's hand, Yan Shiyu closed his eyes slightly.
The Second Prince's personality makes it unsuitable for him to continue staying in the palace.
Yan Shiyu opened his eyes, but Concubine Xian took a step back involuntarily as if she had been sentenced to death. Her heart had just risen up, but because of the emperor's words, she fell into the abyss again.
"Song'er is still young, there is still time for her to get better. I'm afraid it's not appropriate to let Song'er stay in the palace."
Concubine Xian took a step back involuntarily. She didn't want to hear the emperor's next words, but in the end, it made no difference whether she said it or not.
Yan Shiyu bent his fingertips slightly and tapped on the table. "I had said before that you could stay in the palace. Now it seems that I was wrong. When the Queen Mother recovers, you can take Song'er and the Queen Mother back to Mount Putuo."
Concubine Xian only felt darkness before her eyes and could not see anything.
The emperor's short words made it impossible for her to return to the palace in her lifetime.
Even if Song'er is by my side, what can I do?
Her identity as a virtuous concubine would make people laugh.
Yan Shiyu stood up, and the aroma of ambergris spread to Concubine Xian's body.
Concubine Xian suddenly came to her senses and looked at the emperor in panic, "Your Majesty... I beg you... Can you let me stay in the palace? I will definitely educate Song'er well and will never be like this again."
Concubine Xian burst into tears, unable to control them. Her white fingertips pressed hard, causing wrinkles on the edge of the dragon robe.
Yan Shiyu turned around and said calmly, "I will order people to take good care of Song'er. There will be no difference between him and him in the palace."
He strode away, no longer caring about Concubine Xian behind him. Wei Maoyuan heard the sound and hurried out from the side hall. Looking at the cold face of His Majesty, he dared not breathe.
"Replace the palace maids serving the Second Prince!"
Wei Maoyuan was startled for a moment and then obeyed the order. The palace maids serving the Second Prince were only following the orders of Concubine Xian, but they were also responsible as servants for failing to admonish their master.
Moreover, if the rumor got out, it would ultimately damage the reputation of the royal family. The Concubine Xian was right, and the ones who were wrong were naturally the servants.
When the palace servants heard the emperor's words, they looked at Concubine Xian with hope.
If they were driven out of the palace, everyone outside would know what mistakes they had made, and no master in the capital would be willing to employ them again. It would be extremely difficult for them to find a husband in the future.
Concubine Xian stood there, hearing the words the emperor had just spoken, and had no time to care about the palace maids.
Wei Maoyuan winked at Xiao Muzi, who quickly understood what his master meant. He walked to Concubine Xian's side and said, "Your Majesty, I will take you back to the palace."
Every step that Concubine Xian took was extremely difficult.
With his hand on Yinli's arm, his eyes were dull, and he didn't know what he was doing at this moment.
The palace door opened, and a light and shadow appeared in front of Concubine Xian's eyes, dazzling her so much that she stood at the door for a long time.
Lian Yinli thought that the queen had something to say to the emperor, but Concubine Xian just left silently.
On the ceremonial procession, tears from Concubine Xian's eyes fell for no reason, and the cold wind blew them directly into her heart.
She tried to open her mouth, but the wind rushed into her throat again, making her cough continuously.
Yinli quickly ordered someone to get off the sedan chair, walked quickly to Concubine Xian, and whispered softly, "Your Majesty."
Concubine Xian closed her eyes, shook her head and said, "I am fine."
No matter what she is like, she will not show it at this moment. As long as she is in the palace, she will be a virtuous concubine.
…
Jingzhang Palace
Wang Yi saw the young palace maid in the outer hall was clumsy and almost knocked over the vase, so she hit her lightly with a handkerchief and scolded her, "Be careful, if you break it, you will be in trouble."
The palace maid had just arrived at Jingzhang Palace. When she heard this, her hands trembled and she quickly withdrew her hands.
Wang Yi sighed silently. The working conditions in the Ministry of Internal Affairs were becoming more and more dishonorable. Anyone dared to be sent to Jingzhang Palace.
Defei placed a hand warmer in her arms and flipped through a book. As the pearl curtains rustled, the only sound left was the turning of pages in Defei's hands.
Wang Yi's footsteps matched the sound of Concubine De turning pages. Concubine De said slowly, "If the person you choose is not capable, ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to replace him with a better one."
This used to be the case, but now...
Wang Yi lowered her voice and leaned forward to say, "Your Majesty, you don't know that the people sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs are getting worse and worse."
De Fei paused while flipping through the book, and a sarcastic smile appeared on her lips. "Ever since the Queen was replaced by Wang Deqi, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has been getting more and more perfunctory towards me."
Wang Yi didn't dare to say more at this time. This was the truth, but admitting this was a disguised admission that the Queen's favor was not as great as before, and the people she could control were getting fewer and fewer.
With her head lowered, Wang Yi brushed aside the topic, "As your Majesty expected, there has been some movement from Concubine Yinggui's side."
Concubine De began to flip through the book in her hand again, "It seems that the nanny is indeed not crazy."
After a pause, Concubine Xian continued, "Even if she is not crazy, so what? All the people back then were Concubine Shu's people. What the nanny could see was only the people around Concubine Shu who killed the Empress's sister. Concubine Yinggui wanted to use this nanny to put this palace in an irreparable situation. She is a little too arrogant."
Wang Yi smiled slightly when she heard this. "Your Majesty is right. No matter how hard we try, we won't find any answers to what happened back then."
Concubine De chuckled, no longer as flustered as before, "How is Shen Chongyi?"
Wang Yi thought of the rumors she had heard, and a bad look suddenly appeared on her face. "I heard that Shen Chongyi refused to say anything and kept saying that she didn't know. The people from the Ministry of Punishment couldn't get any information out of her, and now the case is still hanging."
Concubine De's face was calm. "Shen Chongyi is a smart person. Even though she has been locked up for so long, she is still conscious. She knows that her daughter is out there and that she still has her father's relatives. She guessed the truth of that year, so what? She dared not reveal a single word."
Concubine De thought much further.
She and Shen Chongyi had never spoken a word to each other, but as long as Shen Chongyi thought about it carefully, she should understand clearly.
Shen Chongyi expressed her guess, but there was no definite evidence, so the emperor could only be suspicious in his heart. However, Shen Chongyi had family outside the palace, and there was the little princess in the palace whom she could not bear to leave. To compromise between the two, Shen Chongyi had to understand what she should and should not do.
Wang Yi saw Concubine De's eyes slowly closing, and she straightened up, waiting for the Queen's next words.
"She has a sharp tongue and has been in the Ministry of Punishment. She is no longer a beauty now. This woman must be beautiful when alive to keep the emperor's heart. She must also be beautiful when dead to live in the emperor's heart forever."
Wang Yi immediately understood what Concubine De meant, and bowed, saying, "I understand."
Concubine De shook her wrist gently, "Go ahead. After the eldest prince finishes school, don't let him come to this palace. The most important thing is to study hard."
Concubine Xian is so stupid that even with her advice, I am not very smart.
A discarded pawn will never be able to turn the tables in this life, so the Second Prince has nothing to fear.
Those who are barefoot are not afraid of those who wear shoes. As long as Concubine Xian has a chance to catch her breath, there is no need to worry that she will have other thoughts.
She opened her eyes again, and when Wang Yi was about to leave, Concubine De said softly, "It has been a long time since I last paid my respects to the Empress Dowager. The Empress is ill, and the Empress Dowager is also ill. Although the concubines do not need to take care of the Empress Dowager, I miss her very much. I should go to Shoukang Palace more often to share the worries of the Emperor."
Wang Yi took the order and sent people to find the palace maids around the eldest prince, and then went to Shoukang Palace in person.
…
Linxuan Palace
The dragons in the inner hall were burning brightly. Ruan Yun was weak, and it was almost March now. There were charcoal braziers placed everywhere in the hall, and there was also a charcoal brazier in front of her for warming her hands.
Ji Zhaoyi also thought that this was the right time, but Wen Baolin felt differently.
Looking at the charcoal brazier in the inner hall, she felt so hot that her whole body was burning. She had already taken off her outer cloak, but she was still sweating.
Seeing Wen Baolin fidgeting, Ruan Yun said softly, "Remove one of the charcoal braziers."
Yingning quickly placed the hand warmer in the empress's arms, and Tingxu also handed one to Ji Zhaoyi in due time.
Wen Baolin was particularly grateful for Ruan Yun's action, and stood up to thank her and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Ruan Yun waved her hand, "No need to be polite, please sit down."
Wen Baolin sat down with a smile on his face, but when he thought about what he was going to say later, he immediately frowned and said with a sad face:
"I am useless. My family went too late to help Liu Jin and Liu Yu's families. They have already redeemed themselves from the Meng family and are living the lives of ordinary people. The people I sent didn't even see them."
Ji Zhaoyi looked at Ruan Yun, "They are all long-time slaves of the Meng family. The reason why Concubine Shu brought Liu Jin and Liu Yu with her into the palace was because they were old slaves of the Meng family. Needless to say, their status and loyalty were not bad. To turn both families into ordinary people at the same time, this means and ability are definitely extraordinary. Concubine Shu's biological mother died early, and Master Meng did not remarry. The housekeeper in the family is just a concubine in the mansion. The two old slaves became ordinary people at the same time. I'm afraid Master Meng also knows about this."
Ruan Yun put her hands on her forehead and said, "The Defei has established a relationship with the Meng family."
This was said with great certainty, and only in this way could the Meng family willingly sell their indentures to Concubine De, and then have Concubine De's family intervene to ensure that the people of both families would no longer be slaves.
Ruan Yun's almond-shaped eyes sparkled, "What a good plan."
Such kindness could not be matched by any amount of money.
Wen Baolin knelt down beside Ruan Yun and said, "I have not done this. If you have anything else to ask, please tell me."
Tao Chu knelt down with Wen Baolin and supported Wen Baolin with her body. When she lowered her head, tears fell from her eyes and she couldn't stop feeling sad for her young master.
Ruan Jun looked at Ying Ning and said, "Get up. This is not your fault."
Yingning helped Wen Baolin up and smiled at him, which made Wen Baolin feel relieved.
"Besides this, have you found out anything else?"
Ruan Yun suddenly asked, Wen Baolin bit his lower lip and continued, "My father said that the brother of Concubine De is about to get married, but the woman is not of high status, just an ordinary business family."
Wen Baolin wanted to continue speaking, but Ji Zhaoyi caught a glimpse of the coldness on Ruan Yun's face and raised his hand to stop Wen Baolin from speaking.
Defei was of noble status. She was the biological mother of the eldest prince and assisted the Empress in managing the six palaces.
I heard that Defei's mother was very capable and had her father's harem under control, so it was a very easy thing for her to let a concubine's son get married.
Ruan Yun's lips suddenly curled up into a smile, "It seems that Concubine De has thought of everything."
Wen Baolin clenched the handkerchief in her hand and said nervously, "There is one more thing I haven't said."
Ruan Yun and Ji Zhaoyi looked at Wen Baolin at the same time. Wen Baolin began to stutter as he spoke. "That incense, with just one more medicine, can make people irritable. When people lose control, they can say anything."
Wen Baolin bit her lower lip and said, "I don't know if this method will work or not, please don't blame me, Your Majesty."
Ruan Yun walked over and helped Wen Baolin up, "Who knows, you may have done me a big favor."
…
Shoukang Palace
The palace maids' movements became lighter and lighter. Aunt Jingqiao calmed down the Queen Mother, and her eyes couldn't help but turn red. "Queen Mother, please calm down and don't get angry."
The Queen Mother took the handkerchief from Jing Qiao's hand and asked, "How is Concubine Xian?"
Aunt Jingqiao shook her head very slowly, and then said, "The Concubine Xian has been unwilling to see anyone in the palace. The people around the Second Prince have changed. This person was personally selected by the Emperor. The Second Prince is making even more trouble this time."
The Queen Mother grabbed her clothes at her chest and said, "It's all my fault. It's all my fault. The Emperor is trying to force me to death!"
Aunt Jingqiao quickly knelt down beside the Queen Mother and said, "Queen Mother, please don't say that."
At this point, Aunt Jingqiao should say some things that she shouldn't say, "The Ming family is your mother's family, but the children in the family all rely on the Queen Mother to support them from behind, which makes them so bold and daring."
The Queen Mother listened to Jingqiao's words, clenched the handkerchief in her hand, and her breath was filled with the bitter smell from the medicine cup.
Aunt Jingqiao continued, "You, the Queen Mother, have worked so hard for the Ming family. I have to say something unpleasant. What the Emperor is worried about now is that you have treated the Ming family like this. If you can be ruthless and give up the Ming family, the Emperor will certainly understand the Queen Mother's painstaking efforts. By then, even if it is something that happened in the past, the Emperor will surely write it off for what the Queen Mother has done now."
The Queen Mother slammed the table and cried, "How can I let go of you? There are my brothers and sisters in there. I can't just watch them die!"
Aunt Jingqiao quickly supported the Queen Mother and kept helping her calm down. "Even if you are not an official in the court, with enough money, there will always be someone in the Ming family who can support the entire family."
When the Queen Mother heard this, the light in her eyes gradually disappeared.
Among the four classes of scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans, merchants have the lowest status. If the Ming family has no one serving as an official in the court, then there will be no chance of turning things around in the future.
Aunt Jingqiao rocked the Queen Mother's knees and said earnestly, "Queen Mother, if you wait any longer, I'm afraid the result will not be better than it is now."
The Queen Mother fell onto the couch with a face full of pain. Aunt Jing Qiao was terrified and quickly stood up to support the Queen Mother, and shouted, "Quick! Call the imperial physician!"
The palace maids did not dare to delay. Aunt Jingqiao gritted her teeth and walked to the door. Just as she was about to go out, she happened to run into Concubine De who had arrived.
De Fei looked anxious, "But what's wrong with the Queen Mother?"
Before Jingqiao could say anything, Concubine De immediately ordered the people around her, "Go to Zichen Palace to invite the emperor, and act quickly!"
Seeing this, Aunt Jing Qiao concealed her conversation with the Queen Mother and said, "The Queen Mother suddenly had a headache, and I was just about to go to the Purple Palace to invite the Emperor."
Concubine De's eyes were soon filled with worry, and she looked towards the inner hall anxiously, "My mother also often has headaches at home. I know some massage techniques, so I can massage the Queen Mother, maybe it will make her feel better."
Now that she had heard something that could make the Queen Mother feel better, Aunt Jingqiao led Concubine De into the inner hall, "Your Majesty, thank you for your trouble."
Walking to the Queen Mother's side, the Queen Mother grabbed the palace maid and could not let go no matter how much pain she was in.
Aunt Jingqiao whispered beside the Queen Mother, "Queen Mother, Concubine De knows some massage techniques. How about letting Concubine De massage you?"
The Queen Mother opened her eyes and groaned in pain, "Let's try it."
Defei let the palace maid tie her armbands for her. She knelt beside the couch, touched the empress dowager's forehead with her moist fingertips, and began to massage her with moderate force.
The uncomfortable expression on the Queen Mother's face gradually faded away, and she looked at Concubine De with relief.
The imperial physician arrived very quickly, gave the empress dowager acupuncture and wrote a prescription, then knelt down and said, "Your Majesty's illness is a mental illness. You must pay attention to your mood and not get too excited, otherwise you will inevitably have a headache."
The imperial physician had just finished speaking when Yan Shiyu and the empress stepped into the inner hall.
The Empress has been recuperating from her illness for the past few months, but her complexion is still not good. Her body is like a willow catkin that will fall down if blown by the wind. She left the palace at this time because she heard that the Empress Dowager was seriously ill. It would be unreasonable not to come and see her.
Yan Shiyu held the empress's arm and quickly let go, "If you can't hold on any longer, return to the palace as soon as possible."
Before the queen finished her kneeling ceremony, she saw the emperor striding in.
Ran Xia immediately stepped forward to support the queen, and the queen said gently, "Let's go."
As we went deeper into the inner hall, the bitter smell of medicine became stronger.
Defei was still wearing an armband and had to exert a lot of strength. The imperial physician was about to leave, but she was still massaging the empress dowager's body.
When the Queen Mother saw Yan Shiyu, her eyes flickered and her lips trembled, but she didn't say a word.
De Fei stood up and bowed softly to the Emperor and Empress. "I used to know some massage at home, and I thought it would be good if I could use it."
Yan Shiyu nodded, "You put your heart into it."
The corners of Concubine De's lips showed a faint smile, "It's what I should do."
Yan Shiyu asked in a deep voice: "Why has the Queen Mother's illness not been cured for so long?"
"This..." The imperial physician was embarrassed, not knowing whether to tell the truth.
At this time, the Queen Mother, who had been lying on the bed, stood up with tears in her eyes. Aunt Jing Qiao quickly put a soft pillow on the Queen Mother's body and said, "Don't blame them. It's just that I'm old and my body is not doing well."
The Queen Mother covered her lips and coughed softly, "Emperor, I have something to tell you."
Yan Shiyu stood beside the Queen Mother's bed, "If you have anything to say, just say it."
The Queen Mother glanced at Aunt Jing Qiao, without even giving the Queen standing behind her a glance, and said directly to Concubine De beside her: "Good child, you have worked hard today."
The Empress Dowager held Concubine De's hand and smiled faintly when she heard the words, "It's fine with me, as long as the Empress Dowager is comfortable."
After saying this, Concubine De looked around the inner hall and said with a worried look on her face, "I heard that Concubine Xian is also sick. I thought, why don't I go and see her, so I can keep her company and relieve her boredom?"
The Queen Mother held Concubine De's hand tighter, then nodded:
"Okay."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
