Chapter 71
Chapter 71
Ruan Yun looked natural, not letting anyone see anything wrong.
He lowered his head and just stared at the sweet fruit wine in the glass, not even looking at Mr. Meng.
Now Mr. Meng became the one who was shamed. No one responded to his words, and Mr. Meng felt very embarrassed.
But when Lady Meng looked at the emperor, the emperor was just sitting lazily at the top and ignored her.
The smile on Meng Guiren's face gradually froze. If something like this had happened in the past, the emperor would have definitely favored her, but now...
Seeing this, the Queen had no choice but to speak up, "Well, we are all sisters who serve the Emperor. Why do we have to make so much of a fuss?"
Upon hearing this, Mr. Meng had no choice but to bow. When he was helped back to sit by the palace maid, only Liu Jin beside him saw that the corners of the queen's eyes were red.
Ruan Yun didn't care about Mr. Meng's ridicule. After Mr. Meng sat down, she looked towards the emperor with aggrieved look in her eyes.
Now that she holds a high position, she is closer to the top.
As expected, she saw the emperor's deep black eyes move away from her. Although it was just a small action, Ruan Jun finally felt relieved.
The banquet began, the actors sang intoxicatedly and the music spread in the hall, the music of orchestral strings slowly came into the ears, the dancers danced along, and the flick of their sleeves and the light dance moved the hearts of those present.
The De Fei who suddenly took the seat smiled and said slowly, "Last time on the pleasure boat, I saw Miss Wen dancing and really liked her. I heard that Miss Wen is also very good at playing the zither. I want to listen to her music. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
The words were not spoken loudly, but they just happened to reach Ruan Yun's ears.
Concubine Ji also heard it. She saw Ruan Yun's hand holding the wine cup pause in the air for a moment, then she quickly picked it up and drank it all in one gulp, with complex emotions revealed in her eyes.
As expected, Yan Shiyu looked towards Fourth Miss Wen because of what Concubine De said. Fourth Miss Wen looked straight at the Emperor without any hesitation. Only when the Emperor looked over did a slight blush appear on her cheeks.
Concubine Ji said at the right time: "Sister Ying, look, the dress that Fourth Miss Wen is wearing today is a new dress made by the most famous shop in Shangjing. I heard that the mermaid yarn on Fourth Miss Wen is worth a fortune. Even in the dark night, it is as dazzling as a night pearl."
After Jipin said this, Ruan Jun did not look at the fourth Miss Wen, but looked at Empress Defei instead.
When Defei was still in the palace, she had already given birth to the eldest prince. At that time, the empress had just given birth, and Defei found out that she was two months pregnant.
Only after the eldest prince was born safely and grew up to this age did Ruan Yun realize how stupid she was and how she had been blinded by Concubine De's bodhisattva face.
Could a concubine who gave birth to and raised the eldest prince be a good person?
It just made Ruan Yun quite curious, and she really wanted to understand why Concubine De did what she did today.
It is still unknown whether they are enemies or friends, but it is definitely not a coincidence that Concubine De suddenly mentioned Fourth Miss Wen.
Yan Shiyu withdrew his eyes indifferently, picked up the wine cup and drank it all in one gulp. He held the cup tightly with his strong finger bones and put it back on the table. He leaned back, more relaxed than at the beginning, "If that's the case, then let's take a look."
Perhaps Defei knew that the emperor would agree, so she waved her hand and asked Wangyi to tell Fourth Miss Wen.
Ruan Yun saw clearly that there was no surprise in Fourth Miss Wen's eyes when she heard this. It seemed that she had known about it before, which further confirmed Ruan Yun's guess.
Most of the candlelight between the clouds and water suddenly went out, and only the candlelight at the top was still lit.
The queen was still solemn and told Wei Maoyuan behind her, "Tell the guards to be careful."
Wei Maoyuan naturally followed the order in this situation. On the other hand, the emperor at the top of the table held his forehead with his hand and looked down with deep eyes.
Fourth Miss Wen was wearing a mermaid gauze skirt with narcissus flowers and moonlight. There were a few candles beside her illuminating her, making her look like a pure lotus in the water transformed into a human form.
There was a silver bell tied around her ankle, which rang softly as she moved.
Meng Guiren looked at the scene and saw that the emperor's eyes were all attracted to the fourth Miss Wen. He spat, "Fox charmer!"
It was all these vixens who seduced the emperor away from her. In the past, the emperor only favored her, but now most of the people sitting in this palace are his concubines, and there are still a few who want to share his favor with her!
Fourth Miss Wen plucked the strings of the zither with her fingertips, and the clanging sound reached everyone's ears. Although her legs did not move, the silver bells made sounds for some unknown reason, matching the sound of the zither with a different purpose.
Concubine De still had that gentle and tolerant smile on her face, but Concubine Xian looked as unhappy as she did at the beginning.
Because there were candles beside her, and the mermaid dress that Miss Wen Si was wearing, in the dark night, it seemed as if the soft moonlight was falling between the clouds and water, which was particularly matched with the sparkling water outside.
When the song ended, Fourth Miss Wen stood up, and the palace maid quickly took away the zither and candles.
Everyone thought that the fourth Miss Wen had finished, but she moved her toes slightly, and the sound of the silver bells suddenly became rapid, like Hu xuan, and the hem of her silk skirt seemed to be a flower gradually opening.
The candles in the cloud and water were lit by the palace maids from front to back. The fourth Miss Wen finally stopped her movements, panting, with a bit of shyness on her face, and said, "I am embarrassed."
Mr. Meng smiled sarcastically and said, "If you know it's ugly, why do you still want to dance?"
These words completely upset the mood that Fourth Miss Wen had already calmed down. It was her first time to perform in front of the emperor, and the emperor's reward was a slap in her face.
After meeting Miss Du San in the palace, she confined herself to her room for many days before she dared to go out. Today, she didn't know how much courage she mustered before she dared to stand in front of the emperor again.
But... I was ridiculed and embarrassed by Mr. Meng's words.
She looked at Concubine De with a pleading look. Concubine De smiled slightly and ignored what Meng Guiren said. She said to the emperor, "I feel enlightened. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Yan Shiyu nodded, finally helping Fourth Miss Wen out, and said, "Not bad."
Although these were not words of praise, they sounded like timely rain to Fourth Miss Wen. She put away the embarrassment in her eyes and turned to look at the emperor, with more admiration in her autumn eyes.
She was also going to enter the palace for the selection a year ago, but her uncle, as the head of the family, allowed her cousin to go to the palace for the selection, and even said with a high-sounding excuse that this was all for the sake of a good future for the younger sisters in the family.
At the very beginning, she told her cousin about her thoughts. She once said that she wanted to enter the palace to be selected and become the emperor's concubine. But all this was ruined because of her cousin's selfish desires!
My cousin has been weak since she was young, and it is rare for her to go out and attend the family's banquets. Even if it is a marriage proposal, which family would choose a girl they have never met? I am afraid she can only marry somewhere else and become the mistress of a family.
At that time, she told her father about her plan with great anticipation, but the next day, all she heard was her father's sigh.
As expected, her cousin was as stupid as a pig and finally made a mistake in the palace and was executed!
For a moment, no one spoke in Yunshuijian. The concubines were extremely nervous and wanted to know what the emperor was planning. Most of the other female relatives had resentful expressions. After Fourth Miss Wen's behavior, it would be a real disgrace for others to go up there.
Yan Shiyu had a light complexion and dark eyes that were so deep that one could not see the bottom of them. He said in a deep voice, "Your clothes look very nice today."
Miss Wen was overjoyed, but the next moment the emperor's words made her lose face again, "Give me two pieces of silk and ten treasures."
"I remember that I grounded you before?"
The fourth Miss Wen's fingertips were embedded in her palms. "Yes, I was wrong, so I should be punished."
Yan Shiyu said calmly, "The merits and demerits of today's dance are offset. Go down and receive your reward."
Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief. If Fourth Miss Wen really entered the palace, the emperor would no longer have them in his eyes.
Ruan Yun's almond-shaped eyes moved and she looked at Concubine De without saying a word.
The smile on Concubine De's face remained the same as it was at the beginning. No matter who saw it, no one could really tell what Concubine De was thinking.
Concubine Ji also lowered her voice and said, "Sister Ying also noticed something was wrong?"
Ruan Yun looked in the direction where Fourth Miss Wen left and said, "Fourth Miss Wen's intentions are too obvious. After two performances, with so many female relatives present, wouldn't what Fourth Miss Wen did spread?"
By then, I'm afraid no one will be willing to get engaged to Fourth Miss Wen. What should Fourth Miss Wen do?
Concubine Ji also looked in the direction Ruan Yun was looking at and said with a smile: "No matter what happens, it all depends on the emperor's wishes."
Ruan Yun's hand, which was waving the round fan, obviously slowed down a bit. She picked up the wine cup and drank the fruit wine in it.
Ying Ning whispered behind her: "Drink less, Madam. It may hurt your stomach."
Ruan Jun nodded in response to Ying Ning's words. Perhaps she was a little dazed from drinking. When she looked around, she caught the emperor's eyes in an instant.
Thinking of the emperor's harsh words to her many days ago, she suddenly felt very uncomfortable.
How could she control who the emperor wanted to favor? If she really stopped the emperor from going, the rumors in the palace would only become worse. The emperor said that she never cared about anything, but what did he not care about?
Ruan Jun's head was a little groggy, and her eyes were not very clear. She slowly withdrew her gaze from the emperor.
Yan Shiyu looked at Ruan Yun with a stern face. The wine he just drank was extremely spicy. He clenched the wine cup in his hand, placed the cup on the table, stood up and said, "I will return to Jingqi Palace first."
The concubines naturally had to stand up to see them off. Ruan Yun could not stand steadily and had to lean on Yingning and Tingxu, making it quite difficult for her to perform the ceremony.
Yan Shiyu strode out from the clouds and water, but suddenly stopped.
The people carrying the ceremonial weapons behind him almost bumped into each other, and Wei Maoyuan was so anxious that the crown on his head fell off.
Yan Shiyu put his hands behind his back, squinted his eyes and said coldly: "Since she is drunk, take her out!"
Wei Maoyuan knew who was being talked about, and not daring to make a mistake, he hurried inside.
Just as Mr. Meng was thinking about catching up with the emperor, he saw Wei Maoyuan coming in from outside, looking lazy with a smug smile on his face.
Wei Maoyuan first walked up to the empress and said, "Your Majesty, the emperor said that he wants Ying Chongrong to accompany him."
When the Queen heard this, she looked towards Ruan Yun. The palace maid was carefully supporting Ruan Yun and did not dare to let her touch the wine in front of her, but Ying Chongrong insisted on drinking it, and the place became particularly lively for a while.
Retracting her gaze, the queen nodded, "Ying Chongrong is drunk, remember to have someone prepare a bowl of sobering soup for her."
Wei Maoyuan bowed and said, "I understand."
Walking directly to Ying Chongrong's side, Wei Maoyuan whispered, "Your Majesty, the Emperor is waiting for you outside."
Ruan Yun curled her lips and snorted coldly, "I won't go."
When Wei Maoyuan heard this, he didn't know whether Ying Chongrong was drunk or not.
He hurriedly said to Yingning, "Hurry up and help the queen out."
Ying Ning still remembered what the emperor had done before, so she smiled gently and said, "My queen is drunk, so I'm afraid she won't be able to accompany you. If that happens, she will cause trouble to the emperor, and my queen won't be able to bear the consequences."
"Ouch..." Wei Maoyuan looked at Ying Ning in front of him and lowered his voice again, "The Emperor is waiting for Ying Chongrong outside, everyone is watching. If the Empress doesn't go out, won't the rumors tomorrow be serious?"
Yingning lowered her head and looked at her own queen. These days, no matter where her queen went, people looked at her with contempt, and she felt aggrieved for her queen.
But what Wei Maoyuan said made sense, as the Empress would still have to live in the deep palace in the future.
He Tingxu helped the empress up. Although Ruan Jun was not fully awake, she still vaguely knew something.
Yan Shiyu was standing outside the hall. When he saw Ruan Jun stumbling out, he did not go forward to hug her as he did before. Instead, he let her walk over by herself.
Ruan Jun was particularly well-behaved after getting drunk. She was supported by the palace maid and stood in front of Yan Shiyu, "Your Majesty..."
Her originally soft voice was made more moving by the rolling of fruit wine. She threw herself into Yan Shiyu's arms and murmured, "Your Majesty is ignoring me."
Unable to bear Ruan Yun's condition, Yan Shiyu picked her up and sat her in the imperial carriage.
Ruan Yun's little face was obediently pressed against Yan Shiyu's chest, her face flushed as she said, "Your Highness, are you drunk and having an illusion?"
The people carrying the imperial procession did not dare to delay and moved very quickly. Before the emperor could even speak, Ruan Jun was already being shaken to the ground.
Yan Shiyu hardened his heart and looked at the woman who kept rubbing against his arms. He held her jaw with his hands and said, "I ask you, why do you lie to me so many times?"
Ruan Yun was already feeling uncomfortable, and being pinched by the emperor made her even more dizzy.
She tried desperately to push the emperor's hand away, but found that his arm became stronger and stronger.
Finally, Ruan Jun couldn't hold it in any longer and vomited loudly.
Yan Shiyu's hands froze in their tracks, the smell spread through the imperial staff, and the bright yellow dragon robe was also stained with dirt.
With a dark face and clenched teeth, Yan Shiyu's eyebrows were twitching, "Ruan Jun!"
Ruan Yun was particularly innocent. After vomiting, she felt much better and was not as dizzy anymore. But how would the current situation end?
She said weakly: "I told the emperor to let me go, but he didn't listen."
Yan Shiyu was really upset by her annoyance. The servants outside also heard it and did not dare to delay for a moment, and quickly walked to the door of Jingqi Palace.
Ruan Jun was still carried in by Yan Shiyu. Ying Ning was still hesitating whether to follow him in. Yan Shiyu scolded her, "Come in and help your queen change her clothes!"
Ruan Yun hurried in, her face wrinkled as she saw the emperor frowning and taking off the dragon robe. Wei Maoyuan came in and took the dragon robe away. The emperor said directly, "Burn it."
Ruan Yun was also very disgusted by the dirt on her body and frowned slightly.
As soon as she took off her outer skirt, Ruan Jun was picked up by Yan Shiyu. Then, with her head still dizzy, the emperor threw her into the pool.
Her back was pressed against Yan Shiyu's hot chest, and Ruan Jun's neck was rubbed hard by Yan Shiyu.
Ruan Yun said tenderly, "I...didn't do it on purpose."
Yan Shiyu's eyebrows were twitching. He had never been treated like this before. Someone even spit on him. Even after he entered the pool, the smell on his body had not dissipated yet.
Ruan Jun hugged Yan Shiyu's neck and wanted to press her lips against his, but Yan Shiyu turned his face away in disgust.
She hummed unhappily and said, "I just cleaned my mouth."
Yan Shiyu restrained her movements, and before Ruan Jun could even scream, he blocked her chattering mouth with his lips.
When the water surface was surging, Ruan Yun couldn't hold the fulcrum with her hands. Only her back could vaguely touch Yu Chi, and her calves were held by the emperor and placed on his waist.
Her arms were weakly placed on Yan Shiyu's neck. While she was still conscious, she suddenly heard a shrill scream coming from outside.
Ruan Jun was so frightened that her body shrank quickly. Yan Shiyu uttered a muffled sound and turned his face away with cold black eyes.
He stood up and put Ruan Yun on the bed. Ruan Yun spoke incoherently, "Your Majesty, just now... there was a woman screaming."
Unable to utter a complete sentence due to being bumped into, Ruan Jun wanted the emperor to slow down, but Yan Shiyu's movements became more and more violent.
Until she finally couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep, Ruan Jun still didn't understand what had just happened.
Yan Shiyu personally wiped the thin layer of sweat off Ruan Yun's face with a handkerchief. When the next terrible scream came, he covered Ruan Yun's ears with his big hands to block out some of the outside sounds.
Ruan Yun slept uneasily and moved her body.
Yan Shiyu's fingertips with thin silk slid across her face, his eyes became deeper, and he said, "Go to sleep, I'm here."
He got up and went to the outer hall, where Wei Maoyuan was already waiting for the emperor behind the screen, holding clothes.
The palace maid came forward without making any sound to help the emperor change his clothes. Wei Maoyuan said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, we have already met them over there. Your Majesty, please take a look?"
Yan Shiyu glanced towards the inner hall and said, "Let her maidservant guard it."
As they were leaving, the emperor said, "Ning Fang Zhen."
…
Today's banquet is over, and the Queen and everyone should return to the palace.
But it was said that the stone slabs on one path were broken and had not been repaired in time, for fear of hurting the ladies.
The queen had no choice but to take a different path with her concubines.
Who would have thought that when they were halfway there, almost reaching Jingqi Palace, a shout was heard and a woman with disheveled hair walked towards Concubine Xian's procession.
The palace servants were in a panic. The lights were dim at night, and the palace servants who were carrying the ceremonial guards thought they had seen a ghost. They put down their ceremonial guards without discussing anything and ran away in all directions.
Suddenly, screams were heard.
Concubine Du seemed to have lost her mind. She stepped forward with a fierce look on her face and grabbed Concubine Xian, muttering, "It's you! It's you who took my child away! It's you!"
The queen shouted, "Quickly pull her away!"
The palace maids then stepped forward, grabbed Concubine Du's arm and dragged her to the ground.
But Du Xuanshi was like a madman, struggling forward non-stop, repeating the same words over and over again, "It was you who stole my child, it was that bitch Ruan Yun! It was the two of you! It's all because of you! I am the second prince's biological mother, who dares to touch me, who dares!"
The queen closed her eyes, and when she opened them again she was already furious. She turned her head to look at Ran Xia and said, "Didn't I tell you to keep a close eye on Concubine Du? How did she get out?"
Although the palace was large, only the occasional sounds of frogs and insects could be heard at night. Concubine Du's voice just now was quite loud, and I'm afraid that the other wives of officials must have heard it.
Moreover, according to Consort Du, the second prince was born by her.
Although it was true, the emperor entrusted the second prince to Concubine Xian to raise him because he wanted everyone to understand that the second prince had only one biological mother.
He spread rumors about the royal family and did such crazy things. He cannot be allowed to stay.
In the past, the Emperor was allowed some respect because of the Marquis of Pingyang's Mansion and the status of Concubine Du. How come Concubine Du is so confused!
Concubine Xian had just been severely pinched by Concubine Du, and her sedan chair was knocked to the ground by the palace servants. She covered her throat with her hands, her face full of tears, and pointed at Concubine Du with trembling hands, "Bitch!"
The queen came to Concubine Xian's side, saw her condition, and said, "Go and call the imperial physician! Hurry and help Concubine Xian back to the palace."
The concubines were all frightened by Concubine Du's appearance, and Noble Meng stood far away with a look of panic on his face.
Who knows what this madman will do? The two of them have never been on good terms with each other, and she is really afraid that Lady Du will also hold a grudge against her.
Looking at Concubine Xian's messed up hair and her dishevelled appearance, Mr. Meng felt somewhat proud from the bottom of his heart.
Therefore, regardless of the chaotic situation at the moment, Meng Guiren knelt down weakly before the Queen and said:
"Your Majesty will not tolerate Concubine Du's behavior."
"In that case, Her Majesty, please invite the Emperor to come as soon as possible."
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