Chapter 77
[Chapter 77]
Shuohan Pavilion
Concubine Ji hadn't left yet. She looked at Ruan Yun with worry in her eyes and said, "The emperor allowed Miss Wen to enter the palace. I'm afraid that because of the incident with Wen Yunu in the past, she will inevitably compete with Sister Ying."
"If she thinks so in her heart, how can I stop her." Ruan Yun put the script on the table aside, "But since she entered the palace with the help of Concubine De, I think her father has also shown his face in front of the emperor. Although the emperor has not said anything yet, he doesn't like her that much anyway."
It posed no threat to her, and she was unwilling to do anything about it at this time.
Concubine Ji's words reminded her that no matter what Fourth Miss Wen was planning, she had to make some preparations in advance. She had already done a lot of pillow talk.
Ying Ning was serving afternoon snacks and placed a bowl of bird's nest in front of Jipin.
Jipin picked it up and used a spoon to stir it a few times. Ruan Yun saw something was wrong and asked, "Why is there still no blood swallow?"
Previously, the Ministry of Internal Affairs provided all the blood swallows to Lady Du. But now Lady Du has gone mad, been locked up in Miaoran Residence, and behaved in a rude manner. The Ministry of Internal Affairs will definitely not send blood swallows to Lady Du anymore.
Ying Ning said softly, "Your Majesty, you may not know that today when I went to the Eunuchs' Office to get the blood swallows, I ran into Liu Jin from the Jiangxue Tower. She took advantage of the fact that the little princess was being raised by Noble Meng and took all the blood swallows away without giving any explanation."
Ruan Yun raised her eyes. She really didn't expect Mr. Meng to be so bold.
There is also the Empress in this palace, and at the very least, there is the Virtuous Consort. When Lady Meng was still the Consort Shu, she was already arrogant because of her favor, and even now that she has been demoted, she is still not at peace.
She was about to let the matter go after picking up the blood swallow, but suddenly she remembered something. Ruan Yun tightly grasped the white porcelain spoon in her hand, turned to face Jipin and said, "The sun is not shining today. If you have nothing to do, shall we go out for a walk?"
Concubine Ji was a very smart person. She reacted quickly after hearing this. She looked at the bird's nest in the bowl and said softly, "Of course I will accompany Sister Ying."
In the past, Mr. Meng had used the little princess as an excuse for countless things. If she didn't go and take a look and make preparations early, who knows what kind of trouble might happen again.
…
When they arrived at the garden near Jiangxue Tower, Ruan Yun finally realized why Mr. Meng insisted on living here.
Indeed, the garden is full of flowers in full bloom, and there is a pavilion in the depths, surrounded by a veil. The flower stamens are dancing, the green vines are lush, the water under the pavilion is sparkling, and the shadows of the flowers are spread across it.
Jipin held the round fan in her hand and said, "The little princess is still young. When Shen Chongyi was raising her, she was taken care of with great care. But now that she is with Meng Guiren, she is not so worry-free anymore."
The turquoise hairpin on Ruan Yun's head swayed slightly. Just as she was about to respond to Concubine Ji's words, she saw several palace maids hurriedly walking out of the Jiangxue Tower through the flowers and grass.
The two looked at each other, not expecting something to really happen.
Pointing to Chun Qing beside her, Ruan Yun's face was stern and showed displeasure.
There was so much commotion in the Jiangxue Tower that Chunqing went over and found out what had happened after asking around. He did not dare to delay and lowered his hat to return to the Empress.
"The little princess is not feeling well. I heard that she vomited out all the food she had taken early in the morning. That's why Jiang Xuelou hurried to find the imperial physician."
Ruan Yun's almond-shaped eyes revealed a hint of impatience. It was the same reason again. It was the same thing when she stopped eating hemp leaves before.
He tapped his fingers on the table and quickly made up his mind, "Go to the kitchen and tell them that I want to roast chicken with chestnuts for dinner today. The chicken must be killed freshly. You stay there and watch."
Yingning placed the money bag in Chunqing's hand, and Chunqing whispered, "Don't worry, Madam, I know what to do."
There was a hint of hatred in Jipin's beautiful eyes, but because she lowered her head, it was well covered by Jipin. She only said, "In that case, let's go over and take a look?"
Ruan Yun nodded and walked towards Jiangxue Tower with Concubine Ji.
They met Shen Chongyi at the door. After they saluted Shen Chongyi, they saw that Shen Chongyi's eyes were red and her expression was even worse. So they didn't say anything more and walked behind Shen Chongyi.
When she entered, Lady Meng was holding the little princess in her arms. Her movements were not very skillful, but if someone who didn't understand her, they would definitely admire her motherly love.
Meng Guiren had a look of anger on his face. When he saw Shen Chongyi coming in, he was about to scold her. Then he saw the two people following Shen Chongyi, and his voice became sharper, "Why are you here?"
Speaking of which, Ruan Yun and Jipin are now both above Noble Meng in terms of status, so Noble Meng's question is quite unreasonable.
Concubine Ji was gentle and polite, unlike the noble Meng and Zhang Yang, and said, "My Lord and Sister Ying were just passing by when we saw the palace maids coming out in a panic, and we thought something had happened."
Mr. Meng held the little princess's arms much tighter, and the little princess cried even harder as she was pinched.
Shen Chongyi no longer cared about anything else when she saw this and quickly carried the little princess over.
Mr. Meng also took action and walked up to Ruan Yun. "Ying Chongrong is in a really good mood. Could it be that she is sad because she knows that she has lost the emperor's favor and wants to come and see the excitement in Jiangxue Tower?"
Ruan Yun's face was calm as she said, "My position is higher than yours. Sister Meng has been in the palace for such a long time, do you still need me to teach you the rules?"
Seeing this, Lord Meng was about to step forward, and Ying Ning stood in front of Ruan Yun and said, "If Lord Meng doesn't know how to perform the etiquette, I can show you how to do it."
Mr. Meng snorted softly, "Who do you think you are to speak to me?"
Ruan Yun swung the handkerchief in her hand a few times and said, "What should I do if I'm disrespectful to my superiors?"
Ying Ning said quickly, "You will be punished to kneel outside the palace for three hours."
When Mr. Meng heard this, he became furious and prepared to hit Ruan Yun.
A cold shout came from outside the door, "What's the commotion?"
Mr. Meng's momentum immediately disappeared, and he put his hand down in panic, staring at Ruan Yun. This bastard must have deliberately made her make a mistake in front of the emperor. He did the same thing a few months ago, and now he dared to do it again!
Yan Shiyu was wearing the dark imperial uniform, with only a jade crown on his head. He looked at the woman who turned around after paying her respects.
A flash of grievance flashed across Ruan Jun's almond-shaped eyes, and all of it fell impartially into Yan Shiyu's eyes.
He walked over, lifted Ruan Yun's chin, and looked at her carefully. She was not injured. She was probably very angry, and the corners of her eyes were still red.
Ruan Jun grabbed the emperor's dragon robe and pulled his hand down, "I am fine."
The more obedient and sensible she was, the more depressed Yan Shiyu felt.
His fingertips brushed across her face, and the blush at the corners of her eyes deepened. He whispered to the woman in front of him, "Wait for me."
Ruan Jun put down her soft hand and secretly thought about what would happen tonight.
Seeing this, Concubine Ji only politely saluted the emperor. No one mentioned the impolite behavior of Mr. Meng just now. After all, the emperor saw it all. If they spoke out at this time, it would be suspected of making a complaint.
All that Lady Meng had carefully prepared was ruined by the arrival of Ruan Yun and Concubine Ji. Seeing that the emperor didn't even look at her and walked straight towards the little princess, she gritted her teeth and followed the emperor's footsteps.
Her beautiful eyes fell on the crying and unhappy little princess. Lady Meng wiped her tears with a handkerchief and said, "The little princess has had a poor appetite recently and has been crying a lot. I thought it was because of the severe heat. But today she has a high fever and she has no strength. I really have no choice but to ask the emperor to come here."
Shen Chongyi hugged the little princess tighter, and her face looked even worse. The little princess was drowsy and looked very bad.
When the emperor went to sleep in the palace, the concubines always knew everything.
After a while, the Jiangxue Building was full of people.
When the queen arrived, her face was a little solemn, and she just held the twisting beads in her hand without moving them.
All the concubines looked at Mr. Meng as if they were watching a good show. Some of them were dressed up beautifully, touching their hairpins from time to time and looking at the emperor with flirtatious eyes.
The imperial physician knelt down to examine the little princess, and just as he finished taking her pulse, his expression suddenly became solemn.
Then he asked, "Are the little princess' meals still there these days?"
Upon hearing this, Ruan Yun exchanged a look with Concubine Ji calmly. Could it be that she had guessed it right? Noble Meng had really done something again.
After all, anyone who is not blind can see from Mr. Meng's expression just now that he was too hypocritical.
Yan Shiyu looked at the little princess's nurse with a cold gaze. The nurse knelt down and said, "All the food from earlier is gone. Food spoils quickly in summer and has long been poured into the swill bucket. Only some purple rice porridge from today's breakfast is left."
Wei Maoyuan then went to the side hall and brought the bowl of porridge that the little princess had left over in the morning. He placed it in front of the imperial physician. The imperial physician took a spoonful of porridge with a porcelain spoon and tasted it slightly. His expression changed instantly and he quickly said, "Your Majesty, Queen, I tasted some summer grass in this."
When Mr. Meng heard this, he stood up first and said in a sharp voice, "Impossible! Did you make a mistake?"
The queen slammed the table, her face stern, and said sternly, "Mr. Meng! How can you be so sure?"
Meng Guiren also suddenly came to his senses, and said in an ambiguous tone: "The little princess was raised in my palace, and all the people in my palace are trustworthy. How could she do such a thing?"
Yan Shiyu glanced coldly at Meng Guiren, and when Meng Guiren met the emperor's gaze, he subconsciously took a step back.
She was about to speak again, but Wan Mo suddenly asked, "Madam, what's wrong with you?"
The little princess was still in Shen Chongyi's arms, but Shen Chongyi fainted in this situation.
Yan Shiyu took Shen Chongyi and walked quickly to the inner hall. The empress took a look and said, "The imperial physician should go and check Shen Chongyi."
The imperial physician did not dare to make a mistake and followed the emperor in.
Wanmo cried loudly beside the bed and kowtowed, saying, "My queen has been worried about the little princess. She has not been able to eat these days and has had headaches and dizziness. The queen's health is like this and we servants can do nothing."
The queen frowned and was supported by a palace maid as she looked at Shen Chongyi lying on the bed. "Since your queen was unwell earlier, why didn't you call the imperial physician?"
Wan Mo's eyes flickered for a moment, and then she said, "I have invited the imperial physician before, and he said that the queen is depressed and will be well in a few days."
Meng Guiren followed in and heard these words. He was so angry that he almost vomited blood. He pointed at Wan Mo with trembling hands and said, "You lowly slave, are you saying that I have treated the little princess harshly?"
Wan Mo didn't dare to raise her head, and she barely uttered a cry. She just hunched her shoulders, obviously frightened.
The way she looked made her look like someone who was afraid to speak out her grievances, not to mention the emperor, even in the eyes of others.
Yan Shiyu frowned as he sat on the chair, glanced at the little princess, and then looked at Mr. Meng with a neutral look.
After the imperial physician finished examining the patient, he said with a look of joy on his face, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, Shen Chongyi... This is a happy pulse!"
The concubines standing outside also heard this. Meng Guiren took a few steps back, her eyes filled with disbelief. Pregnant woman, pregnant woman again. Shen Chongyi was actually pregnant.
When Shen Chongyi gave birth to the little princess, the imperial physician said that Shen Chongyi's body was somewhat damaged and needed to be well taken care of.
But now, Shen Chongyi is pregnant again, and she...she is still like this.
How dare this bastard hide it from her!
They actually used this method to take the little princess away. Seeing that she is pregnant, the emperor will definitely release her family!
Meng Guiren's eyes were full of hatred, and after a while, they were filled with tears.
The queen was delighted and asked, "Why didn't you diagnose it before?"
The doctor said respectfully: "The first two months were too early and the pulse was weak, so it is normal that we cannot diagnose it."
Everyone in the room had their own thoughts. Most of them looked at the emperor, but seeing that he still looked indifferent and not happy, they were not jealous anymore.
Jipin looked at Ruan Jun worriedly, and Ruan Jun's face also lost some emotion.
The emperor seldom visited Shen Chongyi, and he did not expect that Shen Chongyi was pregnant. Now she was carrying the prince's child. If she gave birth to a prince heir successfully in the future, she would be able to take the position of one of the four concubines.
A ruthless look flashed across Jipin's eyes. In this palace, no child in the future could be born by someone else, and no one could block Sister Ying's way.
Yan Shiyu saw that Ruan Yun looked unhappy, and looked towards Wei Maoyuan with his dark eyes. Wei Maoyuan placed a stool behind Ying Chongrong and said, "Madam, please sit down."
Ruan Jun subconsciously looked towards the emperor. In the eyes of others, her almond-shaped eyes narrowed, hiding countless pity and loss. Her lips moved slightly as if she wanted to say something, but she became silent in an instant, feeling very uncomfortable.
Yan Shiyu hardened his heart and looked away, then stood up and said, "Send Shen Chongyi back."
Walking out of the outer hall, I saw the bowl of purple rice porridge on the table and knocked on the table, "What's wrong with this summer grass?"
The doctor said quickly: "If the summer grass and winter worms were put together, they would be a rare treasure in the world. But if it were just the summer grass, it would damage people's minds and eventually there would be no cure. Fortunately, the little princess took less than 10% of the dose, so she was able to save her life."
Yan Shiyuling's sharp eyes suddenly looked at Meng Guiren. Meng Guiren shook his head unconsciously, and his body softened as he knelt at the emperor's feet. He tightly grasped the emperor's dragon robe and said, "I don't know. I just saw that the little princess has lost her appetite recently, so I thought of asking the imperial physician to take a look."
Concubine De, who had been standing by without saying anything, said, "The Emperor and the Empress haven't said anything yet, but Sister Meng is so anxious to distance herself from the matter?"
Mr. Meng was stunned, obviously not expecting Concubine De to suddenly say this.
She wiped away her tears, quickly adjusted herself, and said, "Sister Defei is right. I was just thinking about the little princess being raised here by you, but someone actually tampered with the little princess's meals, clearly trying to frame you."
The Queen turned her head to look at the Emperor. Although her voice was still gentle, it was also solemn. "This summer grass can take people's lives. The person who poisoned it is really hateful. I think we should let the person in charge of the little princess's meals come to reply."
Yan Shiyu stopped turning his ring and said, "Send someone over."
Wei Maoyuan acted quickly and brought over the palace officials who were in charge of the little princess's meals.
The palace servants were always very careful, and they all cried and begged, "We have always prepared according to the daily list. Besides, the little princess is still young and cannot touch many things. We will never make a mistake! Your Majesty, please understand!"
If someone deliberately wanted to harm the little princess, there would definitely be some flaws. However, what the palace servants in the kitchen said was flawless, even all their words matched.
Yan Shiyu stopped sitting lazily, his eyes fell on Meng Guiren, and said, "Search the palace!"
Ruan Yun still looked calm and composed. Mr. Meng could not see her expression as he was kneeling on the ground. However, Ruan Yun saw that she pressed her hands on the cashmere blanket, tightened them a little, and then quickly let go.
She quickly withdrew her eyes from Mr. Meng's hand and looked towards the inner hall with a hesitant look. However, she didn't know that her whole look was seen by the emperor, which caused her some pain.
When they searched the palace, the first place they searched was Meng Guiren's palace.
Wei Maoyuan and his men stood still and said with great momentum, "We must search thoroughly and not let any place go."
The concubines couldn't help feeling happy as they watched the Jiangxue Tower being searched from top to bottom, even the boxes placed high up were ransacked.
Soon, a eunuch saw a piece of oil paper stuffed under the Babao Pavilion. He used some skill to take out the oil paper, opened it, and handed it to Wei Maoyuan.
Wei Maoyuan looked at the oil paper in front of him. He didn't recognize what was inside it, so he quickly handed the thing in his hand to the imperial physician.
Picking up one, the imperial physician carefully examined it and said, "Your Majesty, this is the summer grass."
Shen Chongyi in the inner hall woke up at some point. She touched her belly with tears on her face and was about to kneel at the emperor's feet. She was very excited.
Yan Shiyu touched Shen Chongyi's arm and said in a deep voice, "Get up."
The palace maids did not dare to delay and put a cushion on the chair and moved it behind Shen Chongyi. Shen Chongyi sobbed, "It's my fault. I didn't realize I was pregnant with the emperor's heir and almost hurt him. I was not in a good mood a few days ago, so Sister Meng took the initiative to bring the little princess to Jiangxue Tower. I thought that the little princess was familiar with Sister Meng, so I agreed, but who knew..."
Meng Guiren gritted his teeth and shrieked, "Nonsense! You bitch! You were going to use that summer grass on Ying Chongrong! Who knows if you deliberately framed me!"
Ruan Jun never thought that this matter would be related to her, and she never thought that the bag of summer grass was actually for her.
Her eyes turned red with anger and her petite body was shaking constantly.
Shen Chongyi seemed to have not expected that Meng Guiren would dare to speak out about this, and asked, "Sister, do you have any evidence for what you said? I have never had any grudge against Ying Chongrong, so why would you want to harm her?"
Lady Meng saw the emperor's disappointed look and couldn't help shaking her head, "No, I have always taken good care of the little princess. How could I..."
However, the nurse who had been holding back said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I have been serving the little princess, but Lord Meng has never been kind to the little princess."
Mr. Meng stood up and was about to hit the wet nurse.
Yan Shiyu looked at Meng Guiren coldly. The queen narrowed her eyes and said, "Hold her down!"
The nurse was frightened and stepped aside. She finished her words in a panic, "The little princess is with the noble Meng. The noble Meng complains about the little princess being noisy every day and asks the servants to take her outside the palace to coax her. But the little princess is so young and it's hot outside now. Once she goes out, her face turns red and she always looks listless when she comes back. The noble Meng also forbids my queen to visit the little princess. If she sees the queen talking to the little princess, she will ask the servants to take her away. Otherwise, she will threaten us and say that she will be expelled from the palace. We have watched the little princess grow up. How can we bear to let her suffer such a hardship? We can only endure it."
Meng Guiren was held down by palace servants, looking like a wolf.
Yan Shiyu held the table tightly, his eyes dark and dark, filled with shock and fear, "Mr. Meng, do you have anything else to say?"
Meng Guiren shook her head desperately, "No, I didn't poison the little princess. I really didn't."
Yan Shiyu looked away from Meng Guiren with a hint of disappointment, and said to Shen Chongyi first, "Little Princess, take her back to your own palace."
Shen Chongyi was extremely happy and was about to agree, but when she met the emperor's warning eyes, her excitement diminished a lot and her palms began to sweat. She could only hold herself tightly to avoid losing her composure.
The purpose of Mr. Meng poisoning the little princess was too obvious. Whenever there was something, Mr. Meng would always invite the emperor to come and want to see the emperor. But he dared to do such a poisonous thing to the little princess. He was really brave.
Many concubines who were eager to learn good things had a smile on their lips, but when they saw Shen Chongyi, the smiles on their faces became stiff again. Shen Chongyi was really lucky. If she could give birth to a prince, this harem...
Defei looked at Shen Chongyi without any emotion in her eyes, "Congratulations, sister."
Shen Chongyi sat there and didn't dare to get up. The panic on her face, which was seen through by the emperor, could not be stopped no matter how hard she tried. She could only pull the corners of her lips to force a smile, but her smile was uglier than crying.
The queen looked at the noble Meng who had lost his glamorous appearance and said, "Your Majesty, noble Meng..."
Yan Shiyu turned his icy eyes back to Meng Guiren and said:
"The noble lady Meng has murdered the heir to the throne and the concubines. I have spared her life out of consideration for our past friendship. I have demoted her to a concubine and imprisoned her in the palace. She cannot leave without being summoned."
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