After Luan Yu, the imperial concubine and the concubine De also got off the carriage one after another. Lan Qi was surrounded by everyone with her belly raised. Seeing the imperial concubine step forward to help the queen mother, she turned her eyes to the women kneeling in front of them.
She wanted to look for Xing'er in the crowd, but she happened to see Concubine Hui's eyes. Concubine Hui was looking directly at the Empress Dowager. Lan Qi panicked and quickly looked away, her heart inexplicably clouded.
A layer of worry. Looking at the Empress Dowager again, the old man's steps seemed steady, but the hand supporting Grandma Sumala was trembling slightly, and a chill ran down her spine for no reason. Concubine Hui stared at the Empress Dowager like that just now.
Queen Mother, what do you want to do?
"Empress De, I will take you back to the palace." Concubine Tong came up to support Lan Qi and smiled affectionately, "It's been a hard journey for you. The imperial concubine asked me to take you back to the palace first."
The Imperial Concubine was already following Xuan Ye and the Empress Dowager to serve the Empress Dowager back to Cining Palace. She was pregnant with the child and the carriage was bumpy all the way. It was really not suitable to follow her anymore, so she followed Tong Bin's words and walked to Yonghe Palace together. Here
The waiting concubines also got up. Concubine Rong, Concubine Hui and several other concubines came over to greet Lan Qi. They could not exchange a few words, and only the people from the East Sixth Palace were left to go back together.
Concubine Rong followed Lan Qi all the way to Yonghe Palace. After settling her down, she sighed: "I failed to take good care of Zhang's promise. I'm afraid I will cause trouble for you in the future."
Lan Qi knew very well what was going on and did not pretend to be confused with her, but said: "Sister, don't blame yourself too much. Maybe my fate with her is over. Now I just hope that she will stop using her crooked ideas and don't let Ten
Third Brother will be embarrassed in the future, and I finally understand why the Imperial Concubine was so guarded against me."
Saying these words against her will, Lan Qi felt a twinge of pain in her heart. What she was most worried about now was Xing'er's safety. If those two people found out that Xing'er was an spy, they would definitely treat Xing'er even more viciously than the imperial concubine did to Jue Chan.
.
And she just thought of the imperial concubine. Concubine Rong talked about the situation of Xianfu Palace. She went there with Concubine Hui before and told the details of that day. Lan Qi already knew about the imperial concubine's condition from her sister.
What concerned her was not what happened to the imperial concubine, but that she heard that Concubine Hui had also witnessed everything in Xianfu Palace, and something popped up in her heart for no reason.
Because the pregnant woman needed to rest, Concubine Rong did not disturb her for too long. When Yonghe Palace calmed down, Lan Qi asked Huan Chun to find Eunuch Liang. Eunuch Liang often ran errands for Rui Jingxuan in the garden, and she was afraid that the palace would already know about it.
The emperor assigned this person to Concubine De, so Lan Qi didn't have to be secretive. She found the person openly and told him seriously: "There are two places I want you to keep an eye on these days. The first is Concubine Xianfu Palace.
I'm afraid someone will bully your Majesty at your place. The two are the residences of Ping Guiren. Her confinement has not been lifted yet. Don't let her escape. If you find that she dares to go out, you know what to do."
Eunuch Liang agreed, and after discussing some countermeasures with his wife, he left in a hurry. Huan Chun came to persuade his master to lie down for a while. The bumpy journey was already very hard, but Lan Qi said: "The look in Concubine Hui's eyes just now made me feel guilty.
I hate the cold, I always feel like she is planning something again."
What she didn't say to Huan Chun was that noble Jue Chan had reminded her that recently some court officials wanted to impeach Ming Zhu, and Ming Zhu was the biggest supporter of the Changchun Palace. She would definitely do something for Ming Zhu. Lan Qi couldn't guess what she was thinking.
No matter what, Lan Qi was really disgusted by the look on her face.
I was in a bad mood, and the symptoms of joy came out again. I lay in bed to rest for a long time. The imperial doctor came to see me twice and said that mother and child were safe, so Huanchun and others felt relieved.
The next day, there was a banquet in the palace to wash away the dust. After all, the emperor was not in the palace for most of the year, and he was very neglectful of the female family members in the palace. It was not difficult to have a meal together, and he was naturally happy to satisfy everyone. That night, most of the concubines of the six palaces were present, and the imperial concubine
Needless to say, they need to recuperate from illness and stay home for ordinary people. The only person who was not present was the potbellied Zhang Yaosheng.
Concubine De was also pregnant with Liujia, but she attended today's dinner. When the emperor asked Concubine Yi what she promised, Concubine De had an ugly look on her face, so they concluded that the two had turned against each other. Concubine De was attending tonight, so
Zhang promised not to come, probably because he was worried about being ridiculed and ridiculed by Concubine De in front of her, so he deliberately avoided her.
At this moment, in Yikun Palace, Zhang Wenxing was sitting on the Kang having dinner, which was a few side dishes brought from the imperial dining table in front of him. Xiaoyu was waiting on the side and said with a smile: "Long Live Master is so kind to the master. It's a pity that he always doesn't."
I would like to give you a promotion. If you are a noble person, it is better than agreeing. Others will not dare to bully you."
Zhang promised to eat the sauced chicken drumsticks in her hand without thinking about talking. She had a very good appetite these days. Ever since Empress De Fei came back, she felt that she had someone to rely on and was no longer so hesitant and helpless. Even if the two could not see each other, she would be more happy.
She felt very comfortable without being able to get close to him.
"Master, I have something to ask you." Xiao Yu hesitated and looked outside. Seeing that there were no outsiders in the Yikun Palace, and seeing that the master's mouth was full of stuff, she asked, so she came closer and whispered softly.
Asked, "Have you really turned against Concubine De? Do you really want to help Concubine Yi, Concubine Hui and the others deal with Concubine De?"
Zhang promised to never tell Xiao Yu about this reason. Xiao Yu just obeyed her master's instructions and did things. She was a simple girl. She did whatever her master said, but she always thought about the goodness of Concubine De in her heart. Xiao Yu
I understand better what kind of person my master is.
Zhang promised to put down the half-eaten chicken leg and let Xiaoyu wipe it with a hand towel. He slowly chewed and swallowed the food in his mouth, then tilted his head and asked Xiaoyu: "Do you think I am that kind of person?"
Xiaoyu's head shook like a rattle, and Zhang agreed before smiling: "That's good, Xiaoyu, don't ask so many questions, you can do whatever I ask you to do, but if you are afraid, I will find a way to drive you away. You
As soon as you leave Yikun Palace, someone will come to arrange your next place, so don't worry I won't treat you badly."
Xiaoyu looked at her daughter-in-law nervously, biting her lips tightly in her teeth, thinking hard in her head for a long time, and said firmly to her daughter-in-law: "I'm not going anywhere. Wherever you are, I'll be there."
Zhang promised to be very pleased and patted her hand calmly: "Don't worry, our good days are ahead."
The dinner party broke up at midnight, and the emperor gave everyone a favor and stayed with him for most of the day. Afterwards, he went back to Yikun Palace with Concubine Yi. Naturally, Tete went to see Zhang Yaoyong first, and after talking to her,
We just went to Concubine Yi's house. Although Concubine Yi was a little unhappy, she thought that the emperor could now set foot in Yikun Palace, which was much better than never walking past the front door.
Over at Yonghe Palace, Lan Qi came back to wash up and change clothes. Lu Zhu ran in and said that Eunuch Liang was here. She didn’t know what happened at night. Lan Qi took off half of her clothes, so she set up a gauze and waited for Eunuch Liang to come in to talk. She didn’t want to say anything.
As he spoke, he removed all the gauze curtains and gave Eunuch Liang a lot of careful instructions before putting Eunuch Liang back.
When Huan Chun came back, he saw that his master looked very unhappy, and he was worried that she was worrying so much now, but Lan Qi laughed it off: "I know you feel sorry for me, but if something really happens, it will be too late to feel sorry."
A few days after the Holy Emperor returned to the palace, it was already the Double Ninth Festival. The emperor governed the country with benevolence and filial piety. On the Double Ninth Festival, he must respect the elderly. Naturally, the clan and nobles had to imitate the emperor. On this day, people entered the palace early in the morning to greet the Empress Dowager and the Queen Mother and give them gifts.
.In the past, Concubine De was in charge of Cining Palace, but now it is inconvenient for her to have a child. Today, Concubine Rong and Concubine Hui are taking care of it. Everyone only knows that Concubine De is recuperating in Yonghe Palace, or someone comes to Yonghe.
The palace asked for greetings, but was politely declined.
In the Cining Palace, Concubine Hui and Concubine Rong were, after all, senior concubines in the palace, and their status was noble. The food prepared for the reception was no worse than that of Concubine De. However, Concubine Rong felt that Concubine Hui was always absent-minded and would look outside from time to time.
Concubine Hui couldn't help but curiously asked who she was waiting for. Concubine Hui came to her senses for a moment, smiled and said it was because her eldest brother and his wife hadn't come in yet. Concubine Rong didn't think about it deeply, but it was gradually approaching lunch time, and several princes Fujin happened to be here.
, please invite them to stay for a meal.
Everyone in the palace eats at almost the same time, and someone will bring food to Xianfu Palace every time. Although it is locked up, there is no shortage of anything. It cannot be regarded as a real cold palace. The imperial concubine’s daily dishes are all
It is of high quality and exquisite, because the emperor has repeatedly told her that the imperial concubine needs to eat well to recover from her illness, and no one is allowed to neglect her.
Such a contradictory and twisted situation is unbelievable to outsiders, but for the people in Xianfu Palace, they have gradually become accustomed to it. They still throw the key in and open the door. The heavy copper lock makes people look very desperate.
.
Dongyun was not feeling well today and was not at the door to attend to these matters. Several other maids and eunuchs in the palace were busy delivering dishes to the dining hall. The imperial concubine's meals were of a very high standard, including hot and cold dishes, soups, snacks, and every meal was delicious.
The pavilion was full and everyone was concentrating on setting it up as usual, when there was a sudden commotion in front of the door. Several palace maids carrying dishes were so frightened that they almost dropped the plates in their hands. I saw a few eunuchs in front of the door grouping a person together for some reason.
They surrounded him and pinned him to the ground, and stuffed cloth into his mouth, as if they were afraid that he would bite his tongue and commit suicide.
Dongyun, who had been missing all this time, suddenly came out of the side hall. What was surprising was that she was accompanied by a face that everyone in Xianfu Palace was familiar with. No one knew when the noble Jue Chan came to Xianfu Palace.
Not even a fly can fly in here now. Only Dongyun knows that Lord Juechan came early in the morning with the person who delivered breakfast. He has been waiting here for most of the day, just for a moment. In fact, he also came yesterday, but he didn't.
Waiting for something, he followed the person who delivered dinner and left again at night.
"Noble sir, look." A eunuch found a box from the arms of the man who was pressed to the ground. The box was filled with solidified grease, and the key of the copper lock was stuck on it. If he pulled it out, it would
Carve out the mold for the key.
Noble Jue Chan asked with a sneer: "This key is waiting for you to pull it out. It's greasy. Who doesn't know that it has been tampered with? I really want to let you go back and tell your master, don't worry, you are not even a capable and trustworthy person."
No one can choose to use it, but she has always been flawless."
Naturally, this person would not be put back. After Jue Chan gave Dongyun a few words, he took the box to Yonghe Palace. The day before yesterday, Concubine De came to her to tell her that Eunuch Liang had found out that Concubine Hui's people were beating up salt.
Fu Palace's idea was to ask her to go to Xianfu Palace to warn Dongyun, and then stayed directly to see if there would be any movement. After waiting for a few days, it happened that such a thing happened when the palace was busy during the Double Ninth Festival today.
.
In the Yonghe Palace, Lan Qi looked at the box. The key had been pulled out, and the distinct shape of the key was carved into the solidified grease. Huan Chun said at the side: "As long as we have this, capable craftsmen can make exactly the same key.
There are so many people in Xianfu Palace, what can be done by forging a key to open the door?"
"Is it possible that Concubine Hui wanted to release the crazy concubine like she did to Guo Guiren before?" Jue Chan said coldly. Lan Qi looked up at her, her heart was cold, and she slowly ordered, "Let
Dongyun sent rewards to various palaces in the name of the imperial concubine. The big copper lock that was sent to Changchun Palace was covered with red silk. Since Concubine Hui wants it, we will give it to her. Anyway, the person who captured her has already