Chapter 102 Chapter 102
[Chapter 102]
Ruan Yun stopped her hand in mid-air, looking calm and composed, as if she didn't care about the matter at all. She asked, "When did it happen?"
Tingxu came in from outside, panting with exhaustion. Yingning poured a cup of tea into Tingxu's hands, but Tingxu didn't even bother to drink it and said:
"This morning, the maids came in to deliver breakfast, but they found that the food they delivered last night was untouched. When they went into the inner hall to check, they found... Concubine Du lying motionless on the bed, with her eyes open."
Concubine Du was under house arrest, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs naturally didn't care about her. Now it was winter, Yinlanxuan had no floor dragon, and the charcoal fire was insufficient. When Concubine Du passed away, it really was as if she had been frozen to death.
"Do the Emperor and Empress know about this?"
Ruan Yun slowly peeled a slice of tangerine with her jade fingers and put it into her mouth. After eating half of it, she held the tangerine at her side, her brows slightly furrowed.
Ting Xu nodded and drank the tea in his hand. "The palace maids of Yinlanxuan went to Fengyi Palace early in the morning, and the Empress just came out of Zichen Palace."
"The body of Consort Du was dragged directly to the mass grave."
He listened to Xu's words slowly and watched the Empress's expression carefully, for fear of saying something wrong and irritating her.
Ruan Yun's frown remained on her face, and she said to Ying Ning, "It's too sour. Don't take it again. Just enjoy it."
Yingning agreed to the Empress's words and took away the tangerines on the table.
There weren't many tangerines offered as tribute this year. These were specially sent to Linxuan Palace by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, so they naturally don't look sour.
Ruan Yun wiped the white orange thread off her hands with a handkerchief and said only one sentence, "This winter is really too cold."
Tingxu felt particularly worried when he saw the empress's expression, and the bowl of bitter and cold tea finally took effect.
She hadn't finished her words just now. The palace maids of Yinlanxuan were ordered to look after Concubine Du. Naturally, they just wanted to trap Concubine Du in Yinlanxuan. They didn't want to take Concubine Du's life, let alone freeze her to death.
But in the eyes of others, they didn't know that the bowl of bitter and cold tea was drunk, and most people just thought that Du Xuanshi would not survive the winter.
Ying Ning coaxed the Empress, saying, "Dr. Sun said that it would be better for the Empress to move more. Chunqing and the others have already cleared a path. Why don't you take a walk around the palace?"
Ruan Jun looked uninterested, her charming figure leaning on the pillow, her fair calves retracted slightly from under her skirt, "It's too cold today."
Ying Ning did not force it and said, "Your Highness, what snacks would you like to eat today? I will make them for you."
Ruan Yun shook her head, she was not in a good mood.
I thought she would be happier after hearing about Concubine Du's death, but I didn't expect her to still feel so uncomfortable.
From the very beginning, she wanted to wait until she was old enough to leave the palace, but she didn't expect to be chosen by Concubine Du to consolidate her favor. However, Concubine Du pressed her step by step, so she finally entered the deep palace and became the emperor's concubine.
Ruan Yun waved her hand and said softly, "You guys go down first, I'll stay here for a while."
Tingxu's face was full of worry. Yingning grabbed Tingxu, and the two had to walk out of the inner hall.
From time to time, he looked inside and listened with great worry, "Should we invite the Emperor?"
Ying Ning understood clearly, and put the hand warmer into Ting Xu's hand, saying, "I'm afraid no one wants to see the queen now."
She didn't know what had happened to the empress in the past, but it was definitely not her wish to enter the palace and become a slave. When she first saw the empress in the Zichen Palace, she felt that the empress did not belong in this palace.
The two were still chatting and laughing under the corridor when Chun Qing came running over in a hurry. Hearing what was going on, he couldn't help but scold him, "The Queen is resting in there. You are disturbing her peace. I won't forgive you!"
Chun Qing smiled and said, "Good sister, I don't mean to disturb the queen, it's just that..."
Chunqing said anxiously, "Aunt Jingqiao, who is beside the Queen Mother, is coming to Xuan Palace. I think something is wrong, so I came here to report it first."
"What?"
Ying Ning, who was always calm, couldn't hold her temper any longer. After taking a look at the inner hall, she quickly said, "Go outside and deal with Aunt Jing Qiao first. See if you can find out what's going on."
As soon as she finished speaking, Yingning suddenly thought of what happened to Concubine Xian last night. Apparently Tingxu had also thought of this. The two looked at each other, with some worry on their faces.
Yingning quickened her pace and headed towards the inner hall. Ruan Yun was originally playing with the night-shining pearl in her hand. Seeing Yingning's panic, she casually put the night-shining pearl beside her and asked, "What happened?"
Ying Ning didn't care about anything else and said, "Chun Qing saw Aunt Jing Qiao coming to Xuan Palace. I think it was probably because of what happened to Concubine Xian last night."
Ruan Yun looked a little surprised, as if she had not expected that Concubine Xian was really sick.
The Queen Mother felt sorry for Concubine Xian, and she must have known what happened last night.
Ruan Yun said calmly, "Go and invite the emperor. The queen mother asked me to go to Chaoxi Palace and just say that I want to invite the emperor to come over."
Then she stood up, and Yingning hurried forward to support Ruan Yun, "Let Tingxu go to Xihua Palace again later, Ji Zhaoyi knows what to do."
If she disturbed the Empress without authorization, the Empress Dowager would probably punish the Empress as well. The last time, the Empress fell ill right after she came out of Shoukang Palace, which was really puzzling.
Ying Ning quickly responded to the queen's words, "Don't worry, queen. I have already asked Tingxu to go to Zichen Palace. Aunt Jingqiao is here. I'm afraid it's the queen..."
Ruan Jun placed her hand on her belly, blocking out Kaiying's worried gaze, "It will come eventually."
I had expected this day to come, but I didn't expect it to come so soon.
Aunt Jingqiao walked into Linxuan Palace. Tingxu pretended to be surprised and knelt down to greet her. "Aunt, why are you here?"
Aunt Jingqiao is an elder by the side of the Queen Mother. Her status in the palace is self-evident. She is usually tolerant and kind to her subordinates, but today her smile is missing. "Is Ying Chongrong here?"
Tingxu said obediently, "Dr. Sun came to see you yesterday and said that your mother's pregnancy is unstable and she needs to rest well. She just drank the pregnancy-stabilizing medicine and went to sleep."
Aunt Jingqiao only glanced at the inner hall and said, "The Queen Mother thought that Ying Chongrong should be seen since she is pregnant. Besides, Ying Chongrong has been stuck in Linxuan Palace all day. If she could go out and walk around more, it would be better for the dragon offspring in her belly."
Tingxu responded softly, "Yes, but my queen is only following the emperor's order. Her health has always been poor, and this time she is more concerned about the Dragon Clan."
Aunt Jingqiao saw Tingxu's intention to stop her, "The Queen Mother has already considered it. Look, she has ordered someone to carry a warm sedan chair to pick up Ying Chongrong."
Tingxu glanced sideways and saw the warm sedan that Aunt Jingqiao had mentioned.
I could only bite my lower lip and say, "Auntie, please come in."
After Aunt Jingqiao entered the inner hall, Tingxu walked quickly towards the Zichen Palace without delaying for even a moment.
The path was covered with white snow, and one could not see clearly what was underneath because the ground was shallow. Tingxu walked very fast and accidentally fell, but he did not care about anything else and hurried towards the Zichen Palace.
Ruan Yun sat in the inner hall calmly. When she saw Aunt Jing Qiao, there was a flash of surprise in her eyes:
"It's snowing heavily today. Why is Auntie here?"
Jing Qiao bowed respectfully to Ruan Yun, "The Queen Mother has not seen the Queen for a long time, and has not seen her since she became pregnant. Now the Second Prince can already laugh and start to speak. The Queen Mother thought that if the Second Prince could meet the dragon descendant in your belly, maybe he could also share the Second Prince's blessing and give birth to a little prince in the future."
Ying Ningqi's brows were furrowed, and even the hand holding the handkerchief tightened a little.
Ruan Jun looked at Aunt Jingqiao calmly. She didn't expect that she would be given a warning before going to Chaoxi Palace.
Let’s not talk about who is raising the Second Prince now. Didn’t his biological mother just pass away today? The Queen Mother’s words were euphemistic but in fact threatening.
The Empress Dowager must have heard from someone that she had been to Yinlanxuan. Concubine Du died last night, and Concubine Xian fell ill again. So everything was blamed on her.
Ruan Yun said slowly, "I shouldn't have refused the Queen Mother's order, but I haven't been feeling well lately, and the Emperor also told me not to leave the palace unless there's anything else."
Aunt Jingqiao changed her gentle expression and said bluntly, "The Queen Mother has prepared a warm sedan chair. It would be better for Her Majesty to go there."
Ruan Jun leaned on the pillow and raised her eyes slightly. The fierceness inside scared Aunt Jingqiao.
I had seen Ying Chongrong only a few times and thought she was a gentle person.
But soon, Ruan Jun stopped looking at her and said softly, "In that case, please wait for me, Auntie. I will go change my clothes first."
Aunt Jingqiao nodded and agreed to Ying Chongrong's words. It was only a matter of time since everyone had agreed.
In the inner hall, Ying Ning took out the goose yellow dress and placed it in front of Ruan Yun. She glanced outside and then whispered, "Chun Qing just told me that Ting Xu has gone to the front. Don't worry, Your Majesty."
Ruan Jun let Ying Ning untie her cloak, and looking at her slightly bulging belly, she couldn't help but put her hand on it.
I wanted to take good care of her child and raise him up, but I didn't want to have to face all this with her. But it doesn't matter. As her child, how can I be cowardly?
The wide sleeves covered Ruan Yun's belly, revealing her slim figure and pretty body. Even her face had not gained an inch of fat, and she looked the same as before.
Helped by Yingning, they walked out of the inner hall. Although Aunt Jingqiao was used to seeing beauties in the palace, she had to admit that Ying Chongrong's beauty was truly unique in the world. Even the previous emperor's concubine Tao was not as stunningly beautiful as Ying Chongrong.
Turning aside to let Ying Chongrong go first, Aunt Jingqiao followed behind Ruan Jun. Seeing Ruan Jun sitting on the soft and charming chair, her eyes returned to normal.
Tingxu stumbled to the gate of Zichen Palace. She ignored the injury on her hand and asked Xiao Muzi, "Is Eunuch Wei here?"
Little Muzi was shocked by Tingxu's appearance. She found that her dress was covered with snow and her hands were wounded. She ignored the palace rules and pulled Tingxu aside:
"Why are you here like this? If someone sees you, you will be punished."
Tingxu put his injured hand behind his back, not paying attention to anything else, and said quickly, "The Queen Mother wants to see my Queen, but I'm afraid she's gone now."
Little Muzi was also shocked when he heard this. He served in front of the emperor and knew more than others. He said, "Wait a minute. I will go to the palace to pass on the message for you."
The emperor was meeting with several officials from the six ministries in the palace, but little Mu Zi didn't care about all that. He took the tea and went inside respectfully.
When Wei Maoyuan saw Xiao Muzi barging in, his face suddenly turned bad. He looked at the emperor who was talking to the ministers and had not noticed Xiao Muzi's presence. He walked over and knocked on his head, "I told you to guard the outer hall, why did you come in?"
Little Muzi did not dare to hide the truth and told Wei Maoyuan the whole story.
Wei Maoyuan's face was solemn, and he didn't care about anything else. He leaned over and whispered to the emperor about this.
Suddenly, the emperor's aura turned cold, and Wei Maoyuan bowed even lower.
The Minister of Personnel, who had been speaking just now, saw the emperor's face turn pale and knelt down tremblingly, thinking that he had said something wrong and was about to apologize to the emperor.
Yan Shiyu threw the memorial in his hand back onto the table, his voice cold and heavy, with a hint of barely perceptible anger:
"You go down first."
Several adults left in a hurry. When they walked out of the inner hall, they still felt puzzled. Why did the emperor let them out when they were talking to the emperor?
"Where is she?"
Wei Maoyuan did not dare to hide it, "The palace maids in Xuan Palace said that she has already boarded the warm sedan chair."
The Empress Dowager and the Emperor had always had a rift between them, and things got better when the Emperor agreed to allow Concubine Xian to enter the palace. But the Empress Dowager had Ying Chongrong again when she came back, and all her thoughts were shown on her face.
"The Queen Mother is in Chaoxi Palace?"
Yan Shiyu guessed what was going on, and holding the white jade ring in his hand, he said in a cold voice, "Go to Concubine Xian's palace."
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