Chapter 79
[Chapter 79]
Yan Shiyu picked her up, kneaded her earrings with his fingertips, stared at the red at the corner of her eyes, and moved his fingers to that place:
"will not."
Ruan Yun's charming face remained unchanged. Yan Shiyu pinched her chin and continued the unfinished kiss.
…
It was a sunny day when the fourth Miss Wen entered the palace, but the sun was so bright that it made people's eyes dizzy.
The eunuch who led the way brought Miss Wen Si to Yueying Cottage and praised her profusely, "This place is quiet and peaceful. You can live here in peace and quiet."
Tao Chu glanced at the young lady and frowned, "We have walked for so long, I wonder if it is far from the Emperor's Jingqi Palace?"
The eunuch was stunned at first, then smiled and said: "In this palace, as long as the emperor wants, it is not far away. Besides, this is the residence that the Empress personally chose for the young lady..."
Wen Baolin patted Tao Chu's hand, and Tao Chu immediately changed her tone and said, "I am the newcomer to the palace and don't understand. Don't take it to heart, eunuch."
The eunuch smiled and said, "How could that be?"
After walking forward for another quarter of an hour, the eunuch said, "We're here."
The environment here is indeed quiet, and there is a pond with lotus flowers not far away. But I don’t know if it’s too secluded, it always feels a bit creepy.
Thinking that this was ordered by the Empress, and perhaps the Emperor also knew about it, Wen Baolin's lips curled up into a shy smile again.
Forget it, as long as the emperor remembers her in his heart.
Tao Chu stuffed some silver into the eunuch's hand and said, "Today we have Eunuch Lao."
The eunuch calmly put away the reward and said, "You are too polite, young lady."
The Ministry of Internal Affairs had sent Wen Baolin's maid to sit at the head of the table. Wen Baolin looked at the people below, lifted the lid of the teacup, then suddenly closed it, and said, "Who is the eunuch in charge of the palace?"
An Bing stood up and said, "My lord, it's me."
Wen Baolin placed the teacup heavily on the table. Tao Chu saw this and held it in front of An Bing, saying, "This is your job! This is last year's old tea. How can you give it to the young lady?"
An Bing glanced at the teacup nervously, and then quickly begged for mercy, "My lord, please forgive me. This is the quota sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. I dare not fool you."
Wen Baolin was unhappy, but he had just entered the palace and did not want to offend the eunuchs, so he said in a gentle voice, "Get up."
"I'm going to say this upfront. I don't like people who have two minds. If I find out that any of you dare to do something treasonous behind my back, don't blame me for sending you to the Ministry of Punishment!"
All the palace servants in Yueying Cottage had fear on their faces. They originally thought that Wen Baolin entered the palace because of the emperor's favor and got a good job, but now it seems that Wen Baolin is not easy to serve.
Wen Baolin stood up and said, "I am tired. I will go and rest for a while. Among the gifts I brought to the palace is a can of this spring's pre-rain Longjing tea. Find it and make me some tea."
The palace maids did not dare to delay and walked into the side hall, where they finally found the Longjing Tea Before the Rain that Wen Baolin had mentioned in a box.
Su Qiu curled her lips, glanced outside, and whispered, "I thought it was a good job, but who would have thought the young lady would be so arrogant."
Xi Xi raised a finger and placed it on his lips, saying, "I heard that she is the cousin of Wen Yunu from the former palace. I don't know what kind of person Wen Yunu is."
Another talkative maid came over and said, "I heard from the maids in the palace these past two days that Miss Wen Yu had committed a serious crime in the palace and had died a long time ago."
The three of them huddled together and looked at each other. Before they could say the next word, Tao Chu coughed at the door and said, "What are you doing? Why don't you go to the inner hall to serve?"
Xi Xi was very clever and said with a smile: "The young lady's things are extremely valuable, so we servants must be careful when looking for them."
Tao Chu heard this and smiled smugly, "Young Master, there are many treasures in your box. You must be careful. If anything is knocked down or..."
The three palace maids hurriedly said, "We dare not."
Tao Chu saw that they had already found the Dragon Well before the Rain, and said impatiently, "Come in and serve if you find it. Do you want me to do this alone? Don't dawdle!"
The three of them followed Tao Chu and looked at each other, feeling helpless.
In the inner hall, Wen Baolin took out the flower dew from his sleeve. Tao Chu took it and immediately understood what the young lady meant. "I will ask them to prepare water for the young lady."
The emperor will definitely come to Yueying Cottage tonight. The book that her mother showed her last night is still lingering in her mind. Thinking of the emperor's divine appearance makes her blush. She must seize this opportunity.
She was good-looking, and whenever she went out, the young men's eyes would almost fall on her. The fragrance lingering around her made them even more obsessed, but they didn't know...
I wonder if the emperor will also be attracted to her.
If the emperor also likes it, she will definitely not reject it.
Wen Baolin felt as if his heart was about to jump out of his chest just by thinking about it. He covered his heart with his hands, and a hint of red began to appear on his face, like a flower bud about to bloom.
…
Jingqi Hall
The people from the bedroom department carried the green card to the outer hall. Wei Maoyuan came out from inside. The eunuch Hou from the bedroom department greeted him with a smile, "How is the emperor feeling today?"
Wei Maoyuan had always had a good relationship with Eunuch Hou. He smacked his lips and said, "Serve me carefully."
Eunuch Hou was slightly stunned and was about to continue asking, but the time had already come, so he had to go in holding the green card.
Kneeling before the Emperor, Eunuch Hou's hands were sore from holding the clothes, but the Emperor didn't say a word.
Eunuch Hou could only say with a sad face, "Your Majesty, it's time to turn over the cards."
Yan Shiyu then shifted his gaze from the fold to the support, and at a glance he discovered that a piece was missing.
"Where's Ying Chongrong's brand?"
Eunuch Hou looked embarrassed, "This..."
Yan Shiyu looked at Eunuch Hou with cold eyes. Eunuch Hou lowered his head and said, "Ying Chongrong said that she was not feeling well in the afternoon, so she asked the servants to remove the green card."
Seeing that the emperor seemed to be about to speak, Eunuch Hou took the lead and asked tentatively: "Your Majesty, today... Wen Baolin entered the palace."
Yan Shiyu glanced at him and asked, "Are you making the decision for me?"
Eunuch Hou was so frightened that the support in his hands almost fell off, and several of the tablets knocked together. Eunuch Hou was so frightened that beads of sweat appeared on his head. He said, "I dare not!"
"Get out!" Yan Shiyu scolded him. Eunuch Hou immediately collected the green card and walked out of Jingqi Palace in a mess.
Wiping the sweat off his head, Eunuch Hou asked Wei Maoyuan with a tearful face, "This... Eunuch Wei, you said that the emperor has been going to Ying Chongrong's place every day recently. This Wen Baolin... didn't the emperor allow her to enter the palace?"
Wei Maoyuan glanced at the inner hall and pointed at Eunuch Hou, "Your eyes are still not bright enough."
Before he could finish his next sentence, the emperor's voice came out from inside:
"Wei Maoyuan!"
When Eunuch Hou heard this, he said, "Please keep busy."
Entering the inner hall, Yan Shiyu recalled what Eunuch Hou had just said, "Has Shuohan Pavilion invited an imperial physician?"
Wei Maoyuan said truthfully: "I...have never heard of it."
Yan Shiyu frowned, "Let Dr. Sun go and take a look at her."
Wei Maoyuan took the order and hurried to the Imperial Medical Bureau to invite Imperial Physician Sun, and then took Imperial Physician Sun to the Shuohan Pavilion.
Ruan Jun picked up a peeled lychee on the plate and put it into his mouth. He looked at the storybook in his hand, with a smile on his face from time to time.
Tingxu was waiting nearby. Seeing the queen in such a state, he could not help but say, "Since the emperor is not coming tonight, why don't you go to bed earlier?"
Ruan Yun turned a page in the storybook and said in a light tone, "I don't want to. It's a rare opportunity that the emperor is not coming. I finally feel a little relaxed."
It just so happened that Wei Maoyuan was leading Doctor Sun to the door of Shuohan Pavilion. Overhearing the conversation inside, Doctor Sun asked, "Eunuch Wei, are you still going to see him?"
Chunqing had just had a stomachache, and when he came back, he saw Eunuch Wei and the imperial physician arriving at the door of Shuohan Pavilion.
After the previous few times, Chunqing didn't know what Eunuch Wei was here for, but he spoke a little louder, "Eunuch Wei, why are you here?"
Wei Maoyuan glared at him and quickly walked into the inner hall.
Ruan Yun saw Wei Maoyuan standing behind the screen and was puzzled. She asked, "Why is Eunuch Wei here now?"
It is already the You hour, and the Emperor should have flipped the card long ago.
Wei Maoyuan said with a smile: "The emperor heard that you were not feeling well, so he asked me to bring Dr. Sun to see you."
Ruan Jun's face wrinkled immediately. Maybe the emperor saw through her intention, which was why he asked Wei Maoyuan to come over.
People have already arrived at Shuohan Pavilion, we can't let them go back.
Ting Xu looked at the empress worriedly, and when she nodded, he let Imperial Physician Sun and Eunuch Wei in.
Doctor Sun originally thought that Ying Chongrong had contracted some serious illness, but when he came in and saw Ying Chongrong's rosy cheeks, his heart sank even more, and he touched Ying Chongrong's fair wrist through the handkerchief.
A quarter of an hour later, he took his hand away and put away the pulse pillow, saying, "Your Majesty may have used too many lychees. It's hot in summer now, and lychees can easily cause internal heat. Your Majesty should use less."
Ruan Yun was speechless and could only wave her hand to let Doctor Sun leave.
Wei Maoyuan told the emperor everything that Jingqi Palace had said just now, without missing a word.
Yan Shiyu nodded and was speechless for a moment.
The candles in the hall were bright red, and the candlelight swayed when the wind blew in.
Yan Shiyu picked up the agate bracelet on the table and asked someone to give it to Ruan Yun.
…
Next day
The news that Wen Baolin did not sleep with the emperor last night spread throughout the palace. Naturally, everyone also heard that the emperor asked the imperial physician to check Ying Chongrong's pulse.
Ruan Jun was not too surprised. The bloody hole from her fingertip was almost invisible that night, let alone now.
But since blood has been shed, it must have some effect. I have done it and shed tears. If it has no effect, wouldn’t it be a waste of effort?
But the things that should be given should always be given.
Tao Chu accepted the gifts sent by the concubines and placed them in front of Wen Baolin.
Wen Baolin sat in the hall, his tears almost running dry.
The emperor stayed in Jingqi Palace last night. I thought he would turn over her name card. What happened?
Wen Baolin couldn't figure it out, but Tao Chu happened to open a brocade box, and inside was a mutton-fat jade hairpin sent by Ruan Yun.
Although it is not expensive, the important thing is that it was a reward from the emperor.
Wen Baolin glanced at it with disgust and said, "Take it away!"
Tao Chu said softly, "My lady, this was sent by Ying Chongrong."
Last night, the emperor sent the imperial physician to Ying Chongrong's palace. The emperor could even remember Ying Chongrong, so why couldn't he remember her?
Wen Baolin cried even more fiercely, took the jade hairpin in his hand and threw it out.
Tao Chu saw the young lady's expression and whispered: "Young lady, if Ying Chongrong blames you..."
Wen Baolin looked at the broken white jade hairpin on the ground with hatred, "Do you think I am afraid of her?"
In the past, my cousin was defeated by Ying Chongrong because she was incompetent and useless. Not only did she not get the emperor's favor, but she also offended all the concubines in the palace.
The emperor must be too busy. Didn’t he go to Ying Chongrong last night?
As long as she could see the emperor once, he would definitely look at her more.
…
During the next few dozen days, although the emperor did not go to Ying Chongrong's place, he did turn over other people's cards.
However, Wen Baolin’s sign was probably covered in dust, and the emperor did not even touch it.
Lady Su whispered this matter, and no one else heard it, but Ruan Yun heard it.
After looking around and not seeing Wen Baolin, Ruan Jun's lips curled up unconsciously.
The Queen seemed to be unaware of what happened to Wen Baolin, and said gently, "The Emperor will return to the throne soon. My sisters, please make preparations in advance so that there won't be too much panic later."
The concubines stood up and responded to the Queen's words. Ruan Yun felt it was a pity.
It is always more relaxing to come to the temporary palace than to stay in the palace. Who knows what the scene will be like when you return to the palace.
There were very few people in Lanhui Palace today. Noble Meng and Concubine Du were of course here, but Shen Chongyi didn't come either. I heard that her health had not been improving, so she was recuperating in the palace.
Seeing that Ruan Yun had been silent for a long time, Concubine Ji asked softly, "What's wrong with Sister Ying?"
Ruan Jun glanced at her, with a slight smile in her almond-shaped eyes, "Thinking about the things that will happen when I return to the palace, I have an indescribable headache."
Jipin curled her lips and said, "Sister Ying, don't think about it. Thinking too much will always hurt your body."
Ruan Yun nodded, waved her round fan, ate the cakes from the Empress' Palace, and pushed some of them to Concubine Ji when she found them delicious.
Ever since she was frightened by Concubine Du last time, the wound on Concubine Xian's neck has been healing for a long time, and now there is no visible scar.
Concubine Xian turned aside and said, "The Queen Mother sent me a message two days ago, saying that while I was away, Putuo Mountain was quiet, but it lacked some fun."
The Queen's expression remained unchanged, and she said with a gentle smile, "My sister has always been the favorite of mother, and it is not uncommon for mother to miss her sister."
Concubine Xian lowered her head in embarrassment, with a smile on her face. "I just did what I should do. The Queen Mother also said that she would return to the palace during the Mid-Autumn Festival in September."
When these words were spoken, not only the concubines were surprised, even the Queen was a little surprised.
However, the queen quickly adjusted herself in a few breaths, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking. "This is very good. I haven't been by my mother's side for a long time. Now that my mother has returned to the palace, the emperor doesn't have to worry about her all the time."
Ruan Yun's hand holding the handkerchief tightened unconsciously.
The Queen Mother...
When the late emperor was in power, the Empress Dowager was quite favored by him. After the late emperor passed away, the Empress Dowager was promoted to the position of Imperial Consort and was in charge of the affairs of the six palaces.
The Empress Dowager who can sit in the position of Imperial Consort must be very capable.
Ruan Jun bit her lower lip, feeling a little flustered.
After coming out of Lanhui Palace, Concubine Ji saw that Ruan Yun's face was pale, so she asked Ruan Yun to go to her place to rest for a while.
After drinking a whole cup of tea, Ruan Yun finally felt better. She said, "I wonder if the Queen Mother hates me?"
Upon hearing this, Concubine Ji did not comfort Ruan Yun for the first time. Instead, she said, "Sister Ying also knows about Concubine Tao's past?"
Ruan Yun looked at her, sighed and said, "How could I not know?"
Concubine Tao was selected and entered the palace in the 18th year of Emperor Longqing's reign. At that time, the Empress Dowager had already been the Imperial Concubine. Since Concubine Tao entered the palace, the late Emperor never visited the concubines outside the harem again.
She was favored for more than three months, and in just three months, Concubine Tao was promoted from a selected maid to a concubine. She enjoyed unlimited glory and even the former empress dowager lost her favor.
The late emperor even said that if Concubine Tao had a prince, her prince would definitely become the crown prince in the future.
At that time, the current emperor had already been the tacit candidate for the crown prince by the whole court. When this statement was made, there was chaos in the court. The late emperor also fell ill suddenly after saying this, and the emperor had to supervise the country.
When the previous emperor passed away, Concubine Tao drank poison and died in the palace. Everyone swallowed the previous rumors and dared not speak them out again.
"The Queen Mother has seen a favorite concubine like Concubine Tao before, and I am a little afraid. Given the Emperor's current favor towards me, will the Queen Mother like me?"
Besides, there was Concubine Xian between her and the Queen Mother. Ever since the incident with Concubine Meng, Concubine Xian had been at odds with the Queen Mother.
Jipin said gently: "If you are really worried, why don't you ask the emperor?"
Ruan Yun's face was filled with worry, but this was probably all she could do.
After returning to Shuohan Pavilion, he asked someone to prepare the snacks from the small kitchen, and then took the ceremonial procession to Jingqi Hall.
But unexpectedly, there was someone standing outside Jingqi Palace.
Wei Maoyuan was looking at Wen Baolin with a worried look on his face, his mouth almost dry as he spoke, "My lord, it's not that I don't want to pass on the message for you, it's just that the Emperor is meeting with ministers inside right now, so it's really inconvenient."
Wen Baolin's eyes were red, and he tightened his grip, "It's okay, I'll wait in the side hall."
Wei Maoyuan hurriedly stopped Wen Baolin and said, "My lady, you have been here for five consecutive days. If the emperor wants to see you, he will naturally summon you. Why do you have to trouble the emperor?"
"But this master..." Wen Baolin's fingertips dug into his palm for a few inches, and he gritted his teeth and said, "This master must see the emperor today. The eunuch does not allow this master to wait in the side hall, so this master will wait here."
A hint of helplessness flashed across Wei Maoyuan's brows. He had to withdraw his hand and stand aside, looking at Wen Baolin under the corridor, shaking his head.
If he had known this day would come, Wen Baolin should not have entered the palace in that way, thus causing the emperor's displeasure for no reason.
Even though Lord Wen is needed now, hasn't Young Master Yu already gone to Yangzhou? Once someone else is brought back, Lord Wen's position will be taken by someone else.
Wei Maoyuan was still mumbling in his heart, when little Muzi saw Ying Chongrong's ceremonial procession and hurriedly reminded him, "Master."
While Ruan Jun was still sitting at the ceremonial guard, she saw a person standing outside Jingqi Hall. After Yingning's reminder, she realized who the person in front of her was.
The silver bell-like laughter fell squarely into the ears of the people in the corridor. Wei Maoyuan adjusted his hat and said, "Madam, it's hot, why are you here?"
Ruan Yun raised her eyebrows, "What's the matter? Could it be that the emperor is meeting someone else inside and I'm not here at the right time?"
Wei Maoyuan slapped his mouth and said repeatedly: "Of course not, the emperor is discussing matters with several officials from the Ministry of Personnel, why don't you go to the side hall first?"
Yingning handed the food box in her hand to Xiao Muzi, and the people in front did not dare to delay.
Taking advantage of this gap, Ruan Yun turned around, paused while waving the round fan, and said in surprise: "Is this... Sister Wen?"
The last three words were so difficult for her to say that she could hardly pretend.
Wen Baolin forced a smile, bowed to Ruan Yun, and said, "I pay my respects to the queen."
Ruan Yun opened her red lips slightly, fanning her hair a little faster, and chuckled, "I heard that my sister was not feeling well, so I didn't go to the Empress's palace today. But looking at my sister's current state, it seems that nothing serious has happened to her, and she can still stand here."
Wen Baolin's face turned even paler, and she couldn't even force a smile, "I... am indeed not feeling well."
Ruan Jun didn't say anything more, and the person in front of him had already handed the pastries back to Ying Ning.
The palace skirt fluttered across Wen Baolin's calves, and Ruan Yun kindly reminded him, "Since you are sick, you should ask the imperial physician to see you as soon as possible, so as to avoid falling ill, which would take a long time."
After saying this, Ruan Yun turned around and was about to leave.
Wen Baolin said angrily from behind Ruan Yun: "Why bother to go to see the emperor? Tell him something on my sister's behalf. I'm still waiting for him outside."
Ruan Yun turned around and laughed suddenly:
"Sister, you are a good speaker and can walk into the enclosure alone. What else do you need me to say for you?"
"If you had the strength to walk into the enclosure back then, you must have the strength today. Stand here and wait for the emperor to come out."
"Since my sister wants to see the emperor so much, then wait here and don't leave for a moment."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
